Room with a View - [Jopper] ✓

Welcome to Room 240

Joyce took as deep of a breath as she could to try to calm her nerves. The nasal cannula that hugged her cheeks was becoming a safety blanket for her, providing the oxygen she forgot to breath when she was nervous.

She could feel her nerves frayed throughout her body as they wheeled her off the elevator. She was used to being admitted for tune-ups of course, but not long-term stays!

Her doctor, Sam Owens, decided since her illness was rapidly bringing her down that it was best she stay in the hospital while UNOS bumped her up on the transplant list. She couldn't say she was very excited about the whole deal of course, but new lungs came with an obvious price.

As her new nurse wheeled her into the 26th floor of Hawkins Hospital, she could see the long-term patients eyeing her down. That was common with tune-ups, but now that she was staying for who knows how long? It was kind of intimidating.

"This would be your room." the nurse said politely as she stopped the wheelchair. Helping Joyce out of the chair, she knocked warningly on the door before opening it.

"Jimmy, hope you're decent. Your new roommate is here." the nurse called into the room before bringing Joyce in. The entire back half of the room looked like a bachelor pad and what was presumably her side of the room was bare and empty.

"Look at you Jenny, always bringing me gifts," Hopper said as he strummed his guitar one last time before setting it back in its case.

"Down boy. This is Joyce. She's here for long term just like you." Jenny said with an eyebrow raise. To Joyce, it looked like they were having a mental conversation, which only terrified her even more.

"I'm Jim, Jim Hopper. What's your poison?" he asked with a smile as he got up to greet her. He was bald but he didn't look frail and sickly like she expected him to.

"Cystic Fibrosis. You?" Joyce asked as she shook his hand.

"Eh, it's not important," Jim said as he brushed it off. Without notice, Jenny the nurse slipped out and left them be.

"Welcome to Room 240. Coolest room in this entire prison. Can I get you something to drink? I got Sprite, Pepsi, Coke. I also have some tequila if you're more hardcore." Hop laughed as he rifled through his mini fridge.

"Uh, I'm good." Suddenly, Joyce felt like she was in a frat house more than a hospital. It wasn't the best feeling but at least he was nice.

"Cystic Fibrosis huh? You're obviously not in for a tune if you're here for long term. What's the deal?" he asked as he sat back down in his bed.

"Pseudomonas nicked my lungs harder than usual last time. They felt it was safer if I was here until transplant. I'm more surprised they didn't throw me in isolation like last time." Joyce groaned as she rolled her eyes.

"Ah well, there's enough medical bullshit in this hospital alone so tell me about you, not your illness," Hop asked as he sat on the parallel bed with his legs crossed.

"Not much really, divorcee, no kids, I was a journalist for a while but... you know." Joyce tried to brush it off as best as she could as she got up to unpack.

"Similar for me but I was a cop in training instead of a journalist. Anyways, the door to the bathroom is to your left, help yourself to anything in the fridge, and I hope you don't mind the very loud moaning porn I play on my white noise machine to help me sleep." Jim wished he could take a photo of the reaction that Joyce gave him.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" he tried to plead with a laugh but Joyce rolled her eyes. "You gotta laugh to survive in here, we're all just used to it by now. Rule one of long-term, laugh at literally everything. If it makes you want to cry, then laugh instead. It'll keep you alive."

"Duly noted. What about you? What's your story?" Joyce asked as she laid her favorite blanket over the hospital bed.

"I have a malignant cardiac sarcoma. Little tumor hanging out in my left ventricle. Waiting on UNOS to stop dragging their asses and get me a heart." Hop groaned as flopped backward on his bed.

"I'm so sorry -" Joyce began but Hopper brushed his hand in the air. "None of that, I appreciate it but, no. No pity."

"Understood. How long have you been in here?" she asked as she packed her pillow into a nicer case.

"Eh, four or five months maybe. They gave me six months on diagnosis but it's been almost a year for me. They can't get rid of me that easy." Joyce chuckled at the last part while she set a picture frame onto her bedside table. The one perk of long-term was being able to decorate as much as you wanted - clearly in Jim's case since the room looked like a dorm.

"So, what do you do around here to keep yourself from going insane?" she asked as while folding her clothes and putting them inside her dresser.

"Well, it depends. We have an Xbox, sometimes we all get together and play cards, lots of board games, we play pranks on each other, we hang out on the roof, sometimes we'll help out within pediatrics for story time and all that. It's really about what you can find to do." Jim stated as he chucked a nerf football up and down, catching it each time.

"Doesn't sound too boring I guess." Joyce chuckled.

"Yeah, it's not all dreary and dark like Grey's Anatomy, at least not all the time." Jim laughed. In all honesty, it was music to Joyce's ears.

 Laughter wasn't one of the main noises you heard in a hospital or let alone from a patient. It was a deep rumble of a laugh, it was quite beautiful actually. It was a laugh she definitely wouldn't mind hearing for a long time.

Maybe this wouldn't be too bad.