Hopper stood in the sitting room with his father, not willing to admit it was killing him that it was his mother, and not him that was comforting Joyce on the front porch. His head was swimming with questions. What did Linda mean by an attempted rape? Did it happen when Travis beat the shit out of her a few weeks ago or before? Why didn't she tell him? Hopped pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.
"Don't worry about it son, women are complex creatures. I've been with your mother for going on thirty years now, and there are still days when I can't read her."
"What did Linda mean about an attempted rape dad? What am I not being told?" Hopper demanded as he began to pace around the sitting room, his frustration not letting him stand in one place.
"Jim, just sit down son." Greg instructs, feeling the tension that's coming from his son.
"I don't want to sit down, I want to know what the hell is going on!" Hopper tried to keep his voice at a reasonable level and failed miserably. He had never been one to yell in anger, especially toward his father, but he was having a hard time controlling his emotions.
"Look Jim, when Joyce was at the station filing a report, she said that Travis had tried to rape her. Said that he lifted her shift up and was unbuttoning her pants when she was able to kick him in the nose. She didn't want you to know." Greg stated, running his hands through his hair.
"Why the hell did she not want me to know!?"
"Because she knew you would react like this son!" Greg raised his voice back and they both stood in silence for a few seconds, both of them trying to douse the anger that was flooding through them.
"Joyce told us she didn't want you to know because she was worried about how you would react. She was afraid that you would treat her different and in my honest opinion I agree with her. I know that the two of you have some kind of relationship, be it best friends, dating, or whatever, and she wasn't willing for it to change in the slightest. So she said not to say anything to you. I get it son, you love her. Sometimes she's going to need space or she's going to need to keep things away from you, to protect you. Just keep that in mind. She's not as fragile as you think she is." Greg gives his son a fatherly slap on the back just as Joyce and Mary come through the front door.
"Joyce and I have decided to pick dinner up tonight, I hope you boys don't mind." Mary calls from the hallway.
When Joyce rounds the corner, she almost runs smack into Hopper. "Whoa, didn't expect you to be so close." She hoarsely comments as her hand quickly intertwines with his.
"Jim, do you feel like running into town to pick up dinner? I just want to take a shower, have a nice drink and try to relax after all this." Greg questions from Mary's side.
"Not at all dad, just call Patty and put our order in. I'll get my usual." Hopper sighs, not really sure what to feel at that moment.
"Same for me Mr. Hopper." Joyce says and turns to place her head on Jim's chest, oblivious to the mood he's in. Hopper doesn't miss the grin his mother fails to hide as she turns to go into the kitchen. Once his parents are out of view, Hopper wraps Joyce tightly in his arms, needing to feel her after the events of the evening.
"Do you want to ride with me to pick up dinner?" Hopper mumbles into the top of Joyce's head.
"Absolutely, just give me a second to grab my coat. It's freezing outside."
Reluctantly, he lets Joyce go upstairs to get her coat and heads to the hall closet to grab his own. When he closes the door, Mary is standing right behind it, making him jump at her sudden appearance.
"Patty said they were pretty busy tonight, might be thirty minutes or so before the foods ready. Just thought you should know in case you and Joyce wanted to ride around for a few minutes." Mary reaches up and places her hand on Hopper's cheek.
"You have to quit growing son, I can barely meet your eyes anymore." She giggles, knowing if he's anything like his father, he would still shoot up six or seven inches before he was finished growing.
"I'll try my best mom." He laughs. Hearing Joyce coming down the steps, Hopper steps away from his mother and pats his front right pocket of his jeans to check for his keys.
"You ready to go?" He asks Joyce, who is zipping up her coat.
"Whenever you are."
Hopper opens the front door, slightly losing his breath when the cold air hits him in the face.
"Holy hell, feels like its negative ten out here." He mumbled, quickly going to his truck to get the heat going.
"It's not so bad." Joyce states, jumping into his truck and sliding to the middle of the bench seat. Hopper quickly follows, putting the key into the ignition and turning the motor over. The truck roars to life as he straightens his coat and Joyce scoots as close as she possibly can to into his side.
"Besides, the cold gives me an excuse to be closer to you." Joyce sighed and carefully lifts up his coat and t-shirt. She can practically hear herself moan when her cold hands come in contact with the warm heat of his skin.
"Jesus Christ! How the hell are your fingers not falling off? You're freezing!" Hopper slightly recoils from her cold touch, but the urge to keep her warm outweighs his need for comfort.
"I'm always cold Hop, just makes it worse when the weather changes." Joyce halfheartedly smiles as she finally takes her hands off of Hopper's side and places them in her coat pockets.
The two rode in silence for a few short minutes, both of them just enjoying the peace from being out of the house. It's not until Hopper notices Joyce wincing at the opposing headlights on the road that he breaks the silence.
"Everything okay Joy?" He questions, lifting his arm to allow her to place her head on his shoulder. She turns her face into his coat, doing her best to block out the bright headlights.
"Yeah, I've just had a headache since all that shit with Linda, and it just seems to be getting worse."
"Did you take one of your pills? The doctor at the hospital said headaches were more than likely going to happen with the trauma you went through."
"I've been out of them for about a week now." Joyce confesses.
"What? Jesus, Joyce why didn't you tell me? I could have gotten your prescription filled before you completely ran out." He scolds as he turns into the diners parking lot.
"Because medicine costs money, something I don't have a lot of. Figured I'd just tough it out and it would eventually go away."
"You had to have been taking at least two a day to be out of them now. You should have told us you were having so many headaches."
"Like I've said Hop, I don't want to be a burden."
"Well as of four pm today we are officially dating. That means that you aren't a burden and if I do something to help you, that's just me being a great boyfriend. And as that great boyfriend my first act will be to get that prescription filled tomorrow morning." He states matter of factly. Before Joyce can tell him not to, Hopper opens the driver door and slides out of the truck.
"I'm leaving the heat on for you, I'll be right back." He closes his truck door and quickly runs inside. Joyce watches him through the glass windows of the diner. He's standing at the register. talking with the owner Patty and Joyce smiles despite her headache when she sees him throw back his head in laughter at one of old man Kelly's corny jokes. Gathering their bags into one hand, Hopper throws a wave over his shoulder to the rest of the dinner occupants before coming back outside.
Opening the passenger door, Hopper places the bags in the floorboard before hastily running behind his truck and into the cab.
"Sorry about that, everyone loves to joke with the chief's kid." He confesses, throwing the truck into reverse. Joyce squints her eyes when a car with their high beams on pulls in from the opposite direction. Her head was really beginning to pound, almost like she had a heartbeat in her skull. Hopper places his hand on her thigh, trying to comfort her in the best way he can at the moment.
"How about after dinner we go to my room and lay down huh? It's been one hell of a day and I honestly just want to lay down and hold you."
Joyce sighs, once again burning her head into his shoulder.
"Sounds like a plan to me." She mumbled, her words barely audible through the layer of wool from his coat.
"Are you sure you're okay Joyce? You've hardly touched your food." Greg states as he wipes his mouth with a napkin.
"I'm just not feeling too great Mr. Hopper." she admits as she feels Jim's gaze fall on her.
"Probably just the stress of the day coming down on you honey. Why don't you go ahead and go upstairs and get ready for bed?" Mary suggests as she rises to put plates in the kitchen sink.
"Yeah, I think that's what I'm going to do. Thank you for dinner." Joyce whispers, getting to her feet and slowly walking toward the steps. Hopper stands to follow, but the clearing of his father's throat fills the kitchen, gathering his attention. Once he's made sure Joyce is out of earshot, he sits back down at the table.
"Everything alright with Joyce, Jim?" Greg questions, taking a sip from his cup.
"She said her head was starting to hurt her about the time Linda showed up, then it just progressed from there." Jim admitted as he fidgeted with a lone ketchup packet on the table.
"She'll be fine once she takes her medicine." Mary soothes, taking her seat beside Greg once more.
"She won't be able to take it until I get it refilled tomorrow morning. Apparently she has been out for a week or so now and just told me tonight. Said she doesn't want to be a burden and she didn't have enough money to get it filled."
"I don't understand what she doesn't understand about her not being a burden to us." Mary sighed, taking a small sip of her steaming coffee.
"I don't know either mom, it's just the way she is I guess."
"We have to go into town tomorrow morning anyway son, we can fill her prescription then. Hopefully, with a little sleep her headache will ease up a bit."
Hopper watched as his father reached for his mother's hand and brought it to his lips, placing a light kiss on her knuckles. Taking that as his cue to leave, he stood from the table and raced to the steps, not liking being away from Joyce even for such a short period of time. Opening his cracked bedroom door, he found her already laying in the bed, her bedside lamp off. She groaned when the light from the hallway flooded the darkroom.
"Sorry, I can't exactly see in the dark." He laughed.
Pulling his long sleeve shirt over his head, he instantly felt goosebumps cover his back and chest and decided to sleep in a shirt and sweatpants. Making his way to the closet, he quickly pulled his sweats over his hips and turned toward the bed to find Joyce with her head buried under her pillow.
"Just let me close the door and I'll be right there Joy." He didn't give his eyes time to adjust before carefully walking toward his bed, praying the entire way he didn't stub any of his toes. When his hands touch his bed he lets out a sigh of relief. Gently crawling underneath the blanket, he faces Joyce's back and pulled her to him, resting his chest against her.
"I'm sorry you don't feel good." He whispers, not wanting his voice to make her head throb. Joyce didn't respond with words, but let a slight snore escaped her lips. Hopper smiled at the sound and placed a light kiss to her shoulder. He rested his hand on her hip and closed his eyes, beginning to chase his own dreams for the night.
Not again Hopper thought as he slowly opened his eyes, feeling Joyce twitching beside him under the covers.
Almost a month has passed since the incident with Travis, and Joyce's progress in healing both mentally and physically had been improving far quicker than any of the Hoppers had expected. She no longer flinched every time someone entered a room, she had better control over her anxiety and her shoulder was almost back to normal. Her nightmares had been few and far between. Everything had been moving in a positive direction until Linda decided to drop a bomb onto the Hopper household that evening.
Her last nightmare had been several days ago, but because of fucking Linda, Joyce was currently whimpering in her sleep and clutching the comforter to her chest.
Hopper moved to sit up, keeping his distance to not get hit if she decided to flail and reached out to rub his hand up and down her arm. "Joyce." He calls, shaking her gently. Making his voice a little louder when nothing changed. "Come on Joyce, wake up."
Suddenly Joyce started screaming which was something she had never done before, causing Hopper to jump out of his skin and pull his hand away thinking he had hurt her somehow. "Shhhh, it's ok." He watched as she jerked, her hand finding its way into her hair where she threads her fingers through the strands and continues to yell.
"Hop! Hopper!" Joyce screamed his name, her chest rising and falling rapidly as panic flashed across her face.
Hopper was about to reach for her again but jumped for a second time when his door swung open and the light flicked on, revealing both of his parents standing in the doorway, his father had his pistol drawn and pointed toward the floor.
"What the hell is going on Jim?" Greg asked, looking around the room for an intruder of some sort.
"I don't know!" He says, getting out of the bed, thankful at that moment he had chosen to sleep in a shirt and sweatpants instead of just his boxers. "I can't get her to stop. Normally it passes within a few minutes."
Greg places his pistol on his son's dresser after putting the safety back on and steps forward to take in the situation.
Jim holds his hand out when his mother walks around to the side of the bed where Joyce is laying. "Mom be careful, she almost broke my nose the last time I couldn't get her to wake up."
Joyce screams out again, not making any sense as she begins to roll in her sleep. Mary had just reached her side when she rolls out of bed and hits the floor with a loud thump. The room is silent for a second before all three Hoppers are standing over her shaking body. Her knee is in the air and her screams have stopped. The only sign of the nightmare remaining is the sweat on her face and her labored breathing.
Once she catches her breath, Joyce quickly scoots away from the three pairs of staring eyes and curls into a ball against the wall near the bed. The pain in her head is unbearable, making her almost completely forget about the nightmare she'd been having.
"Joyce?" Hopper's voice calls out.
She ignores him, whimpering into her knees that are drawn against her chest when it feels like someone is stabbing the base of her skull with a fire poker. "I'm gonna be sick." She manages to choke out, a wave of nausea washing over her.
Mary is quick to help her stand, carefully guiding her to the bathroom, Jim right behind them. They barely make it in front of the toilet before Joyce is clutching the sides and puking into the bowl.
"Grab me a wet washcloth, Jim." Mary asked, dropping to her knees behind Joyce to hold back her hair.
Hopper opens the small closet in the bathroom and grabs a hand towel. He turns on the faucet and takes in a deep breath to stay calm. "Mom, what's happening?" He asked, hoping she doesn't pick up on how scared he is as he hands her the wet cloth.
"It's just a migraine son." Greg says from the doorway.
Mary carefully adjusts the cloth on the back of Joyce's neck when she moves away from the toilet to lean against the wall with her eyes closed.
"Are you sure?" It wasn't like Jim didn't trust his father, he just wanted to make sure Joyce was alright. "Do we need to take her back to the hospital?"
"She'll be fine once she gets her medicine. Right now she just needs a quiet, dark room." Greg announces, standing up from the door frame he has been leaning on.
"Do you think you can stand Joyce?" Mary asks as she rubs the poor girls back. Joyce shakes her head and instantly regrets the jarring movement.
"I've got her mom." Hopper offers. Once Mary is at Greg's side, Hopper is bending over to collect Joyce into his arm.
"Just put your hands around my neck." He gently instructs. Once he feels her cold hands on the back of his neck, he lifts her to his chest and stands straight. Motioning for his parents to go first, the group shuffles down the hallway back to Jim's room.
"Go pull the curtains closed Greg, the sun will be rising soon." Mary instructs, her motherly instincts going into overdrive. She fixes the comforter on the bed before Jim gently lays Joyce down and places the wet washcloth over her eyes.
Greg is reaching for his pistol, double-checking that the safety is in fact on.
"We've got at least two more hours before the pharmacy opens Jim. Why don't you and I get a jump start on chores while your mom makes breakfast? That'll give Joyce time to rest and then we can just relax this evening."
Knowing this is the best choice of action, Hopper nods and looks back down at Joyce's still form.
"Let me throw some clothes on and I'll meet you downstairs in ten dad."
Reluctantly, Hopper dresses for the day, choosing his most comfortable work clothes for the occasion. Before he leaves his room, he makes sure Joyce is tucked into bed safe and sound. Carefully placing a kiss on her cheek, he grabs his hat from the headboard and closes the door with a soft click.
Shower and sleep. Those were the only two things left on Hopper's agenda for the day. His parents had informed him they would be in town for a while, so he was going to take advantage of an early afternoon nap. That is, as soon as he washed the smell of horse shit from his skin.
Peeking in to check on Joyce, he found her still fast asleep. She had rolled over some time or another and was currently hugging his pillow to her chest. Even in dreams she still needs me he smiled to himself as he grabbed a fresh pair of sweatpants from his dresser.
The cold from the laminate flooring in the bathroom stung the bottom of Hoppers' feet as he waited for the warm water to slowly make its way through the pipes of the house that had been in his family for three generations. When steam finally began to cling to the mirror he peeled off his filthy work clothes and threw them into the hamper in the corner. Never in his life had he ever been more thankful for hot water and old spice.
He rubbed the body bar between his hand and washcloth, transferring the suds from the bar to the fabric. Normally he just ran the bar over his skin, but today, he felt like he needed an extra hand getting clean. Hopper hung his head. Allowing the hot water to hit the back of his neck. He watched as the dirt and grime of the day swirled at his feet before finally going down the drain. The past few days had been a whirlwind of emotions both good and bad. Joyce had finally said yes to him, then of course Linda had to come and put a damper on the mood. Then finding out about the whole attempted rape situation. Add that to the stress of trying to make the case timeline and he was as tired as he had ever been.
Reaching for the generic shampoo his mother insisted on, Hopper squeezed a generous amount into the palm of his hand before working the liquid into the roots of his hair. He ignored the sting the suds caused in his eyes and he quickly rinsed his hair, not wanting the water to go completely cold on him. Shutting off the water, he stepped out, grabbed a nearby towel and wrapped it around his waist. He ran his hand over the fogged mirror, taking in his reflection for what felt like the first time in months. His tan had faded with the start of fall and the stubble on his cheeks was coming in nicely. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he loved it when Joyce raked her nails over his chin. He toweled off and pulled on his sweatpants, sprayed on some deodorant and brushed his teeth, grimacing at the burn from the mouthwash. Opening the bathroom door he padded downstairs, the couch in the living room was calling his name. His head had barely hit the pillow which was tucked against the armrest before he was out cold.
Alone. This was the first time in months that Joyce had woken up alone. She had reached for Hopper's hand, only to find his side of the bed empty and cold. Her head pounded as she sat up and glanced around the room for any sign of Hopper. She rubbed her hands over her eyes when she saw the time on the clock. One pm? Had she really slept that long? Sitting up, she carefully placed her feet on the floor. The movement of her sitting made her stomach roll, throwing up earlier had made her feel better, but the aching in her skull was still there. Pulling the comforter off of the bed, she wrapped it around her shoulders and tiptoed to the door. Cracking it open, she was met with the bright light of the hallway. Quickly closing it back, she squinted as her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room once more. Sunglasses she thought, moving toward Hopper's dresser. Opening the top shelf, she rummaged around before her hands landed on the wire-framed glasses Hopper wore when he went on ride alongs with his dad. Sliding them over the slight bump in her nose, Joyce once again walked toward the bedroom door, opening it for a second time.
The light was at least bearable with his glasses on. Making sure the blanket was secure around her small body, Joyce found her way downstairs, looking for a sign that anyone was home or awake. At the bottom of the stairs, a sound she would know anywhere met her ears. Walking into the living room, Joyce was met with the loud sound of Hopper's snoring. He was fast asleep on the couch, his right arm thrown over his eyes and a foot dangling toward the floor. Without thinking, Joyce walked toward the couch and carefully climbed on top of him, chest to chest, finally finding a comfortable position resting her stomach between his thighs. She felt his body move underneath her as he slightly came too.
"Joyce? What are you doing?" He whispered, looking down his chest to the small woman who was currently sandwiching him between herself and the couch.
"Woke up. You weren't there." She mumbled, folding her arms onto his chest.
"Mom and Dad said you needed your rest, I didn't want to bother you." He mumbled, reaching to help her pull the comforter over both of their bodies.
"You're never a bother Hop. I missed you." She snuggled into his body, not caring that Mary and Greg could walk in any moment. Goosebumps erupted over her skin as Hopper placed his warm hand on her lower back, pushing her closer to him.
"Why are you wearing my sunglasses?" He questioned sleepily, raising an eyebrow at her.
"It's bright in the hallway and my head still hurts."
"Ahh makes sense."
The room is quiet with the exception of their breathing and it doesn't take long before the two are both back asleep.
"All I'm saying is we need to start working on that float for the police department honey. The parade is in a few weeks and we haven't even come up with a plan yet." Mary states, closing the truck door as she and Greg walked up to the porch. Opening the front door, Greg was surprised to find no sign of his son anywhere.
"Maybe he's taking a nap on the couch." Mary whispered, hanging her coat up in the hall closet. Walking into the living room, she stopped in the doorway, the sight in front of her making her smile. She shushed Greg when he came around the corner, not really paying attention to who was in the room. Joyce and Jim were both fast asleep on the couch and Jim had one arm at the small of Joyce's back. The other, she suspected was resting on Joyce's ass cheek. Both of them snored lightly dead to the world.
"Took long enough." Greg whispered, from behind Mary as he pulled his wife to him.
"No kidding, I thought they were going to be in college before it finally happened." She giggled, leaning back into Greg's embrace.
"It's going on three, should we wake them?" He questions, finding a belt loop on Mary's jeans and hooking his thumb through it.
"She needs to take her meds, besides that let them sleep. Hell, I wouldn't mind a nap myself. What do you say Chief?"
"Sounds like a plan to me darlin."
Greg went to the kitchen to get Joyce a glass of water while Mary quietly called the girl's name.
Not wanting to get punched in the face, she refrained from shaking Joyce awake. Finally, she stirred, lifting her head from Jim's chest.
"Hey, its okay honey, just need you to take your meds then you can go right back to sleep." Mary informed, handing Joyce the small white pill. She popped it into her mouth and gratefully took a long drink of water.
"Go on back to sleep, I'll wake y'all up for dinner when it's ready."
Mary knew Joyce hadn't even heard her last words before she was back asleep, nuzzling her head into Jim's chest. Smiling at two of the most important people in her world, Mary stood and went upstairs, wanting to nap with the third.
