Shutter [Jonathan Byers] Stranger Things I

XXXVIII: Protect

pro·tect
verb

keep safe from harm or injury.

Emilia sat in the rock hard, plastic chair while she waited for Hopper to return to the station. Originally she had not intended to show up there, but with everything that had happened that afternoon, she found herself there, nibbling her nails down to the cuticles. The whole time she was being doted on by Flo, but she turned down the snacks and drinks she offered. Although she probably should have eaten something, a nervousness took up her entire gut, as she had all the time in the world to think about what had happened that afternoon. She didn't want to hurt Jonathan, and she wished she had made it more clear that she didn't want to break up with him, or anything of that sort. Although they had not established what they were with words or labels, it was very clear between them -before this afternoon- that they were a couple. Now it was not so clear, but Emilia felt in her heart that they were still together, only with some distance between them.

It hurt her, the fact that Jonathan had taken those pictures of Nancy, but she knew why he did it. She believed every word he said, down to the last letter, but it still made her ache in a way that she didn't like. She wrapped her arms around her stomach and leaned her head against the windowsill, awaiting Hopper but knowing that he was very well busy with the case, among other things. A restaurant owner, Benny, had been found dead on the outskirts of town. Will was still missing; there was no doubt in Emilia's mind that she was taking up space and time of Hopper's, but the idea of facing her father right now was still painful. Maybe in time, the wound would heal, and she could forgive him. It certainly wasn't his fault that he didn't love her, or want her, but he could have at least put the effort in to trying to love her.

Hopper popped in at last, he looked busy, his mind running through a million possibilities that didn't make sense to him. Hawkins National Laboratory and specifically Dr. Brenner were all too close to the situation, but they had found nothing at the lab that gave Hopper the answers he needed. Only more questions; they had very clearly faked a tape for the date Will Byers went missing, Hopper just didn't know why. Having spent the afternoon at the library digging up every single dirty detail on the lab, he found only more questions. His head ached and all he wanted was a pint, but when Flo had called him to say that Emilia was at the station looking like her heart had been broken, he felt a fatherly desire to protect her from whatever it was that hurt her. He wanted to find Will, and he wanted to show Emilia he cared about her.

It was so much.

She lit up when she saw him, and then quickly revealed how embarrassed she was to be there. Before she could say she'd made a mistake, or try to backpedal, Hopper placed his sturdy hand upon her shoulder and said, "You don't have to say anything, kid, I offered."

She nodded, grateful. Her eyes were puffy and red, and Hopper wasn't sure if it was his place to ask what happened. He also wasn't sure he wanted to ask. Chances were, he wouldn't get an answer anyways. Kids these days had problems that were so different from when he was a kid. He also knew that Emilia was a mature teenager, and that her problems probably had validity beyond the average teenage girl's. He beckoned her over and she followed him with short steps, as if she were awkwardly learning her gait. He said his goodbye to Flo and him and Emilia stepped out of the station.

The sun was setting now, it was probably dinner time, and the growl in Emilia's stomach confirmed such things. It wasn't until they had gotten into Hopper's truck that a voice came over the intercom. Emilia thought it was all noise; cops always used a coded system so that would-be vigilantes didn't interfere and try to be the hero. As Hopper had told her, citizens just got in the way of proper investigation, but Emilia wondered if she should be out there, trying to find the monster, and ultimately Will. She looked up at the stained ceiling of the truck -was that coffee or blood?- and wondered if the time came, would she die to save Will?