Chapter Ten – No More
The clock read two forty-nine. Jonathan paced about the living room, keeping an attentive ear in case his brother began coughing again. He honestly couldn't believe Will was sleeping through the storm, because he sure couldn't. Where was Joyce?! She'd NEVER stayed out this late before. Perhaps if his situation wasn't this dire, he'd be calmer; that's what he thought as he planted himself on the sofa, tapping an anxious heel on the carpet. Several claps of thunder tore across the sky and occasionally made him jump. What if she's caught somewhere in the storm? His hands clasped together, fingers interlocking in a semi-comforting gesture as the rain slid off their roof. Jonathan was beginning to worry for Joyce instead of just about her. Plus, he had work tomorrow morning and Will had school. Just as he was considering phoning the police, the living room windows illuminated with headlights and Jonathan shot to his feet, throwing the front door open. He met Joyce halfway between Hopper's car and their porch as the chief reached for something in the back seat. Joyce was unnaturally tense, and she expected a volatile reaction from her eldest son. She'd never checked in with him before the search, and they both began talking at once. "Jonathan I was-"
"Mom! Will is-" They both stammered to a silence as Jonathan continued, sighing in exasperation, "It's Will…he's sick." She stared at him, reading his expression. He didn't have to say a word; she could tell by the tiny lines bunched between his eyebrows that things were bad. Jonathan's focus was detracted once he noticed Hop carrying someone towards their house. The light from their living room was thrown onto the grass in a long rectangle as Joyce hurried inside. Hopper stepped into the light and Jonathan stared at what he carried. It was that girl. "Hopper?" he asked, following him inside. Wordlessly, Hopper set the girl onto their couch, wrapping her in multiple blankets and feeling her forehead. "Is she okay?" Jonathan asked, his voice a mix of sadness and shock. Hopper said nothing as he tended to the girl, his lips tight as a drum. Jonathan stood dumbfounded for a second before rushing into Will's room. Their mother was already leant over him, gingerly waking him.
"Will? Hey Will," she gently rocked him awake. His eyes blinked open, but both mother and sibling knew he was not fully conscious. Will had been in such a deep sleep that he probably wouldn't remember this exchange in the morning. It just comforted Joyce to see his sweet smile. "Hey buddy…how you feeling?" she asked, smoothing a hand through his chestnut hair.
"Mmm…" Will hummed agreeably to himself, his eyes clouded over with slumber.
"Alright well, you just go on back to sleep. We'll see you in the morning…" Joyce smiled at her son. He was adorable when he was sleepy like this. Will nodded, smiling and letting his eyes slowly drift shut.
"I can't believe it…" Jonathan mused in a hushed whisper.
"What?" she asked just as quietly, walking towards the door.
Jonathan shook his head, shrugging and scratching the back, "His wheezing stopped." A full-bellied scream rang through their house followed by a shuffle and crash. Joyce and her son eyed the sleeping form as he simply shifted position, deaf to the chaotic noises emanating from their living room. As Joyce rushed off to Hop's aid, Jonathan carefully shut Will's door, hoping he'd remain peacefully asleep. He didn't think he could explain any of what was happening right now.
"El! Honey, calm down it's just Hop!" she consoled from Hopper's side. The thin girl had backed herself into a corner after throwing the man across the room. Her nose dripped red as she sulked against the sturdy wall, exhausted and pale. Jonathan watched from the edge of the room as Joyce gingerly approached her. The way everyone was staring made El nervous and she leaned further back, rapidly blinking her dizziness away. She watched Joyce, finally recalling those warm brown eyes as friendly ones. "It's me, Joyce…do you remember?" Exhausted and starved of interaction, the girl simply nodded, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She still regarded them cautiously, and Joyce could tell. "Oh honey…it's okay…it's alright," Joyce coaxed her from the edge, extending a hand to her in a gesture of peace and love. "I'm here. We're here for you…you're not alone anymore…" Her words were pleading but gentle and her son watched in awe.
Jonathan observed as the tiny girl took one step, then another, and finally collapsed into Joyce's arms, sobbing what seemed like months of bottled emotions and pain into his mother's embrace. Eleven's heart was bleeding, cleansing itself of every insecurity she'd had about whether she should find them. She shivered, crying into the woman's shoulder, clutching her arm desperately. Hopper stood, stretching his arm in a swinging motion. When Eleven gazed up at him and saw him wince, her eyes leaked and her face contorted with sorrow. "That's Chief Hopper…remember him?"
"Yes," she replied, voice breaking a bit.
"He's a good guy. He's here to protect us…" Joyce reminded Eleven, stroking a gentle hand over her short dark hair. It was certainly cleaner after all the rain came down, but there was still plenty of dirt and grime covering the girl. Joyce turned to the two men, "I'm gonna give her a bath." At the mere mention of the word bath, Eleven cringed, wringing free from Joyce's grasp. Her fears plagued her like a sickness as Joyce stared at her curiously.
"It's not that kind of bath," Hop burst in, remembering her connection to the sensory deprivation tanks. El eyed him suspiciously, her eyebrows lowering in a confused expression. "It's for, getting clean…" he trailed off, nodding reassuringly at her. "Don't worry, Joyce will help you." He turned towards Jonathan, "I need to talk to you."
"S-Sure…" Jonathan stammered, still confounded by the day's events. Joyce watched as they moved to the back porch. She saw how El was watching with her, a worried look on her face.
"It's okay. That's Jonathan. He's my son…like Will is, but, older," Joyce explained. Eleven nodded comprehensively as Joyce rose to her feet. El tried to stand with her but grimaced in pain. Small steps made her legs tremble, and she saw El curling her feet outwards, walking on the outermost edges. "What's wrong?" Joyce asked, grasping her arm tenderly. El dropped to her knees with a hiss, looking down to her feet and wincing. Joyce saw how the soles were cut and bleeding, clogged with dirt. The sight screamed infection and Joyce caught her breath. "Oh honey…" she consoled, moving one of El's toes to get a better look at the cuts. "I'll be right back, okay?" she asked. El nodded, biting her lip at the not-so familiar rush of pain.
"There are a lot of people out looking for that girl…" Hopper stated, lighting a cigarette. "They usually gun down anyone who gets in their way…"
"Yeah…those people from the Department of Energy…" Jonathan recalled, crossing his arms. Hopper nodded, blowing the smoke into the open air, away from the teenager.
"You gotta keep this under wraps, or else," the chief declared in a low tone. "As far as they know, that girl is either lost or dead. Got it?"
"Got it…" Jonathan nodded a little grimly, staring blankly at his boots.
"How's your brother doing?" Hop asked. This snapped Jonathan from his thoughts.
"Oh…better. Much better than before…" he replied, stumbling over his words a bit. "But I don't even know how he got home…" He paused, sighing to himself miserably. "One second he's biking along Mirkwood, the next he almost gets crushed by a falling tree...then he ends up here, unconscious…" Jonathan gestured, shaking his head in exasperation. "You don't think…"
"What?" Hopper pried, talking over the boy's unsure silences.
"…I was just thinking…about how those guys from the state work so secretly…" Jonathan sighed, closing his eyes with doubt.
"…you think they brought him back and left him?" Hopper asked.
"…I don't know what to think anymore. All I know is that Will was on Mirkwood and that he was really sick before you guys got back…" Jonathan fumbled about with his hands and his words. Hopper considered this, resting his hands on his hips in a stern expression. This was a curious assumption…but a possible one at that. "What if they did something to him?" he eyed the chief worriedly, his thoughts wandering too far and wide.
"Let's hope not…" Hopper sighed, his breath white with smoke.
"Okay hold on a second…don't move…" Joyce instructed, gripping the girl's ankle. Eleven stared alarmingly at Joyce as she warned her, "This is going to sting a little…" Before El had the chance to ask what sting was, Joyce pressed an alcohol pad to her foot and the girl howled in pain, face cringing with terror. Hopper and Jonathan appeared in seconds, observing as Eleven gritted her teeth and balling her fists in agony. Joyce quickly removed the pad as she kicked wildly, fresh tears staining her cheeks. She stared at Joyce as if eyeing a traitor as the woman explained, "I'm so sorry…I know it hurts but it's the only thing that's gonna clean it! And if we don't clean it…well, you could lose your foot!" Eleven's shoulders jumped at how bad stinging felt, locking in the new word forever. "You have to let me do this…" Joyce sighed, her emotions running high. The girl simply stared at her, hastily shaking her head. She thought she was finished with pain, and here it was rushing back to her, and by Joyce's hand! The woman sighed, eyeing the men hopelessly. Then a light bulb went off. "I have an idea…" Joyce went to the couch, grabbing a pillow and handing it to Eleven. "Whenever it hurts, you just squeeze that pillow as hard as you can. I know how bad it feels and I'm so sorry…" Joyce pointed at the pillow instructively. It was a sad sight, but the boys knew it was necessary. The soles of Eleven's feet faced them, and they could see the lacerations, red with anger. Hopper and Jonathan returned to the porch, quiet with contemplation.
"You guys have a big job on your hands…" Hopper shook his head, picking up the smoke he'd dropped on the tiny table.
"…we do?" Jonathan asked. "I thought we were just gonna, take care of her…"
"Well, where else is she gonna go? You guys are her family now and you have to deal with that…" Both of them jumped as Eleven screeched in pain. They could hear Joyce consoling her in a strong voice, talking over her cries. Jonathan's face locked, devoid of any emotion besides guilt as Hopper shook his head, eyeing the horizon worriedly. "…kid's got a set of lungs on her…" They both sighed at nearly the same time, trying to block out her cries.
"Almost done sweetie…" Joyce hushed, grimacing as she cleaned the last wound. El's lip trembled as she held in a shout, her eyes shutting as she squeezed the pillow. The next time it burned she buried her face into the softness and it did wonders to muffle her cries. The moment Joyce released her ankle she wrapped her arms around the sobbing mess, whispering words of comfort into her ear. "It's alright, it's okay…I'm all done now...no more stinging…"
"No more…" El repeated as Joyce wiped her nose and ears of old blood. Joyce reached over and grabbed four rolls of gauze from her tiny first aid kit and returned to El's feet. "No more?" El asked, eyes wide with fear as Joyce unwrapped the gauze.
"I just have to wrap them up so they don't get dirty again…after this, no more," Joyce reassured her. The gauze didn't hurt nearly as much as the stinging did and a sigh of relief escaped her, her eyes blinking tiredly. "See? It's not that bad…" Joyce watched her expressions closely, careful to make this part as painless as possible. El nodded, wiping her face with both her hands. She got dirt all over her cheeks and forehead, watching Joyce's work obliviously. The woman sighed, wondering how she'd ever get her clean.
"Joyce…I'm gonna head home," Hopper informed her. It was nearly three in the morning and he needed to return to the station by six. "If you need anything, just call me, okay?"
"Hop I was actually wondering…" Joyce finished wrapping her feet – to the best of her ability – and walked to his side. She pointed at her feet and whispered, "How am I gonna give her a bath if her feet are…like that?" They both gazed at the strange child, pondering this as Eleven returned a blank stare.
"…don't even bother with that. The wraps should stay, and if the water gets bloody just wrap them tighter," Hopper suggested, eyeing Joyce tiredly. "She needs a bath Joyce…let her unwind and detox after everything…" Joyce nodded as she noticed Eleven shivering, rubbing her arms with filthy hands.
"You're right," she agreed, smiling at him gratefully. Their eyes were tired compared to Eleven's as the couple eyed one another admiringly. "Thanks Hop."
To be continued...
Authors Note: THANKS FOR READING! Good lord I've been so busy. I was dying to finish this and upload it. I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. Follow for more and leave a review if you wish, constructive criticism included! Keep on writing! -Nightlock