Hi all! I'm back, not as soon as I expected but hey, I have to deal with... things? Anyway, thanks for your support!

I want to thank AnnieRavenclaw707 for being a lovable beta-reader! Thank you for making this update possible ;)

Chapter 13: Don't you dare.

.

Joyce cupped Hopper's head into her hands. "Came on, came on," Her fingers felt his cold skin and Full-fledged panic gripped her now "Stay with us, Hop,"

Her mind could not process that moment was real. Distant voices echoed in the place, but none of them seemed to say a coherent message, she couldn't concentrate. Not seeing how Hopper's face was getting paler. Then, she realized with horror that he was dying in her arms. That could not be happening to him, not after everything he had been through.

"Don't you dare to die on me, Hop. Don't you dare!" Joyce cried holding him close, her tears streaming down her face. She looked away, but what she found was even more devastating. Murray was holding his jacket on Hopper's stomach. It was a battered mess of fabric, completely soaked in blood.

He was dying and she didn't know how to help him. A wave of panic surged inside Joyce, almost choking her. It was the most miserable moment of her life. Her heart started racing, high and fast. There must be something she could do. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her shoulder, and she gasped scared.

Smirnov was at her side, "You," he pointed to Murray. "You're doing it wrong. Press hard. Bleeding must be stopped at all costs." Then he rolled up his own sleeves. "And you, it's important that you do what I tell you."

Joyce nodded without hesitation, forgetting everything else.

"I want you to take his chin and hold his head back."

Joyce obeyed as her gaze watched as Smirnov placed one hand on top of the other and laced his fingers together, pressing down firmly and pumping Hop's chest. He was mumbling words in Russian that Joyce didn't understand. It seemed he was counting, concentrated.

"Check his pulse." He ordered, focused on his task.

She wiped her tears and put her trembling fingers on his neck. "I... I can't find any." She responded distraughtly.

"Focus. Compress the nose and breathe air five times."

She pinched his nose and softly joined her lips with his, breathing five quick breathes into his mouth until she saw his chest rising. Please, don't surrender, not here, not now. It was all She could think about.

Smirnov continued with the compression maneuver and began to sweat from the effort. "Again."

Fifteen compressions and five more breaths. Joyce checked his pulse. Nothing. Compressions, breaths. No working. She repeated the process all over again, and this time when her lips touched his, she could feel that he was getting colder.

"You're going to be an asshole until the end, huh? Came on, guy, do you think I can be doing this all the fucking day?!" Smirnov retorted as he intensified his compressions. "Again!"

Joyce saw helplessly how the body was shaken again and again… Every time she saw that her own heart sank. She looked away, miserable, and ashamed at the same time.

"Came on!" Smirnov slammed his fist against his sternum.

Joyce couldn't witness that anymore. The contents of her stomach rising in her throat. "Just stop..." She begged, unable to handle the emotional pain she was feeling.

"Don't be a jerk!" The fist of the Russian hit Hopper's chest again, and the miracle happened.

His body shook, coming out of a stupor, and he gasped desperately for air.

"Hopper! Oh, my God!" Joyce's face was a mix of emotions, surprise, happiness, but most of all, relief. "It's ok, Hop, it's ok. That's good, breath!"

He coughed several times, trying hard to fill his lungs. She quickly held his head in her lap and eased any discomfort he may have been feeling. "Breathe in, that's it…" She checked again his pulse, pressing her fingers against his neck. It was irregular, but at least his heart was beating again. "That's it. You're doing great."

His eyes were looking around without seeing, confused, disoriented. Joyce could tell the pain reflected in his gaze. "Easy Hop. Everything is going to be ok." She tried to reassure him, but it was evident that he was barely aware of where he was or what was happening to him.

Suddenly, a pair of hands placed an oxygen mask on his face. "What?!" She looked up and saw a man dressed in a military tactical uniform. Joyce was confused. She had been so busy with Hopper that she hadn't realized they were surrounded.

Arms grabbed her from behind, lifting her away from Hopper. "No!" She shouted, trying to get out of those guys. Her gaze looked around, there were soldiers everywhere. "Let me go, bastards!" She growled angrily.

"Joyce, Joyce! Calm down. " Spoke a well-known voice. She turned to face Owens next to her. Her mind tried to process the new situation quickly. She watched as two soldiers were handcuffing Smirnov, while another one spoke with Murray.

"Tell your bloody orangutans to release me." Her voice orderer angrily.

"Joyce..."

"NOW!"

Owens nodded to the soldiers, and they let her go. She did not lose a second and headed towards Hopper, but Owens got in her way. "Hey, uh… hey, I know you're worried, but the chief needs medical attention. They'll take care of him."

She watched helplessly as several men lifted Hopper's body to a stretcher. "Are you kidding me?"

"Joyce, Joyce... look at me, ok?" Owens lowered his voice. He was trying to get her full attention and calm her down at the same time. Clearly, she was losing control of herself. "If you want to help him, just take care of his daughter."

Those words had an effect on her. Eleven. How could she have forgotten her? Joyce looked for her among that crowd. Then she saw her own children and felt a great relief that cannot be described in words. She still didn't know how they got there or what they did with Owens, but the important thing is that they were safe, and they were hugging El, comforting her. Good boys.

The wait was being exhausting. Time was going too slow, and they had not gotten any sleep for more than a day with everything that had happened. Jonathan and Will were asleep on a couch in the waiting room, but El couldn't sleep. Yes, she was tired but anxiety and doubt prevented her from even thinking about taking a nap.

Eleven watched Joyce pacing around like a jackrabbit. She had even smoked a couple of cigarettes. It was awkward. She only smoked when she was nervous or worried about something. El didn't quite understand why, once she stole a cigarette from Hopper, just out of curiosity, and those things were disgusting.

So many questions in her head. They had spoken many words she didn't understand, and no one had wanted to clarify. The dictionary from the cabin would have been useful.

Surely in the book was the meaning of words like operating room, transfusion or surgery. She didn't know what they meant, but she supposed it must have been bad things.

Joyce ended up sitting next to her. "Try to sleep, I will wake you up if there is news."

El denied with her head. "No. I'd rather wait. I'll sleep when I make sure he's ok."

Joyce rubbed her forehead, exhausted. She had no intention of arguing with El. The girl was stubborn as a mule. But they had had too many sleepless hours. She didn't understand why they took so long. Her mind couldn't stop thinking about the worst, maybe Hopper's operation had complications. "Oh, God ..." She muttered to herself.

"It was very cold," El stated suddenly.

Joyce frowned. "If you need it, I can ask for a blanket."

"No." El looked down at her hands and, for the first time in recent days, she smiled sadly. "On the seventh day since I escaped the Upside-Down. The night Hopper took me in." She clarified. "He knew that I was in the woods. He left me food, even eggos. And that night… it was very cold." She laced her hands, perhaps reliving that memory. "It was a very long night. I didn't trust him, so I couldn't sleep. It was the longest day of my life. Until today."

Joyce had no idea how those two had ended up forming a strange little family. Hopper never told her anything about that, he could certainly be very hermetic. For God's sake, he had been pretending for a whole year hiding her. "Oh, honey ..." Joyce put her arm over the girl's shoulder, thoughtfully. She supposed it was not an easy night for either of them. "You know? It's odd."

"What is it?"

"I spent the two longest nights of my life with Hopper, too."

El turned to look at her, curious, so Joyce looked at her children, sleeping on the couch opposite. "Hopper was with me the night we found Will in the Upside-Down. He evidently did his police work, but ... I am grateful for that damn night…"

The girl nodded. That was a very long night for everyone, although it was obvious that for Joyce it was even more. "And what's the second night?"

"Well, it was many years ago ..." The woman smiled. "We were invited to a party."

El raised her eyebrow. "Hop? At a party?"

"Sure! Why not?"

"Because, you know, Hop is boring. He hates parties."

Joyce laughed, she couldn't believe her ears. "Well, He was always invited to all parties. I guess being the captain of the high school soccer team would have something to do with that."

"Oh," El smirked, that definitely didn't sound like Hop.

Joyce sighed. "Well, I guess that over the years, we became boring."

"And what happen, that night?"

"Oh, yes. The idiot Tom Anderson, along with the even bigger idiot, Jim Hopper thought that a party without alcohol was not a party. So the two cretins stole some boxes of beer from Mr. Wilson's shop."

"He stole?" El asked, almost scandalized. "But he's a policeman!" That wasn't the Hopper she knew. "And why did he steal it? Didn't he has money?"

Joyce was still laughing. "Well, as you know, minors can't buy alcohol. I told you it was a long time ago. I think we were only one or two years older than you." Then she realized that maybe she shouldn't have told that story. "Which doesn't mean you can steal. Stealing is wrong." She spoke, trying to get into mother-mode. "And drink alcohol too."

Too late. El had changed her position on the chair. The anecdote began to interest her. "And why was it a long night?"

"Sorry, What?" Joyce began to regret it.

"Yes, you said it was a long night with Hop, what happened after that?"

"Oh, nothing important. Just... nonsense, you know." She faked a laugh, downplaying the significance of the story.

El raised an eyebrow, but when she was about to ask Joyce, steps made them stop the conversation.

Owens entered the hall and they got up almost immediately.

Joyce was the first to speak. "How is he?" The anxiety was evident in her voice.

The man looked uneasy. "We need to talk. But not here." He said, pointing at the boys who were still sleeping on the couch. "To my office."

"But, Can I see him?" El asked, the worry was written all over her face.

Owens exhaled deeply while deciding what to answer.

To be continued.

Do you want to see me happy? Just leave a review and tell me what you think :)