Joyce found herself slightly irritated when she woke up and learned she had a surprise doctor's appointment. To her knowledge, she wasn't supposed to have another check-up for at least a month and she eyed Hopper suspiciously as she sat across from him at the kitchen table picking at her food. She knew he was worried, but he could have at least spoken to her about it instead of inconveniencing Mary and pulling her from her first two classes at school.

With a sigh, she forced down the rest of her breakfast, dropped her plate in the sink and went to grab her coat. Something had felt off ever since she stepped foot inside the courthouse a week ago and she couldn't seem to shake the awkward feeling coursing through her. Maybe she was still paranoid about Travis showing up at any moment or Linda somehow getting custody over her. Hopefully after settling back into school with a normal schedule and not having to deal with tutoring Lonnie anymore, she would start to experience what it was like to live a life without fear, a life without crippling anxiety and self-doubt.

Strong arms wrapping around her from behind stirred her from her thoughts and she instantly melted against the warmth of Hopper's chest.

"Mom said the appointment shouldn't take too long, so I'll be able to see you at lunch, okay?" Hopper kissed the top of her head and she slowly turned in his embrace as Mary went upstairs to grab some paperwork before they left.

"You can't come with me?" Joyce whispered, snuggling her cheek into his shirt.

Hopper could tell she was nervous and took a moment to just hold her. After spending days in the hospital after Travis beat her, he knew she didn't like being fussed over or poked and prodded. "Everything will be alright sweetheart. Mom will be there with you and you'll see me before you know it. I can't miss any more of my classes."

Joyce knew she was being clingy, which was something most people would find annoying, but she couldn't help it. Hopper had been the only constant in her life since she was three and it became a habit over the years to seek comfort in him when things got difficult.

"Fine." She grumbled and let him go to open the front door. Once outside, Hopper walked her over to his mother's car and waited for her to get seated before dropping her book bag into the floorboard between her feet.

"It's only a few hours honey, you'll be fine. I just want to make sure that everything possible is being done so you won't have to suffer from these headaches anymore. I'm tired of seeing you in pain."

"I know Hop. Next time just talk with me about it okay? No more blackmailing me with your mom." Joyce smiled, reaching for the front of his shirt and pulling him down to her level where she placed a soft kiss on his lips. "I love you."

"I love you too." Hopper made to move when she got in one more quick kiss just as his mom was walking to the car.

"Get going Jim or you're going to be late." Mary laughed, looking at her son who was completely in over his head when it came to any matter where Joyce was concerned.

"Alright, I'm going, I'm going. Hey, if Joyce is feeling up for it, maybe you could stop at Pasty's after her doctor's visit and pick up lunch for us?" Hopper asked, another smile forming on his lips.

"We'll figure all that out later. Now go to school!"

"Alright! Be careful, I love you guys."

"Love you too." They said in unison.

00000

Joyce is quiet as Mary pulls down the driveway and out toward the main road, her heart focused on the blue pick up in front of them. She can tell Hopper is singing in the cab, because every once in awhile his head begins to move when he really gets into it. When they stop at the first traffic light in town, she catches Hopper glancing in his rear view mirror and he blows her a kiss in the reflection, which causes her to break her silence, a giggle escaping her lips as she blows one back at him.

"I can't get over how happy the two of you are now." Mary fusses, glancing out of the corner of her eye at Joyce. "Don't get me wrong, he's always been over the moon about you, but here lately it just seems like those feelings have evolved into something more. Like more than they were a few months ago. The two of you really do love each other."

Joyce could feel her cheeks turning red. Her love for Hopper had indeed evolved, especially since the tree house. She not only needed him emotionally, but physically as well. The brake lights of Hopper's truck flared to life as he threw on his signal and turned into the school parking lot. The sound of his horn met their ears and he quickly waved them goodbye. Joyce couldn't help but feel a little tug at her heart. She knew it was crazy, feeling this anxious just being away from him, but she couldn't help it in the slightest.

When Mary continued on down the road and drove past Joyce's doctor's office, she did a quick double take and pointed out the window.

"Are we stopping somewhere before we go to my appointment?"

"No honey, we're going to see a different doctor today. He's a specialist that your doctor recommended for extreme cases. Hopefully they will be able to figure out what's causing the headaches and get them to stop."

Great. Just great. Not only did I wake up to a surprise appointment, but it's with a doctor who I've never met and at a place I've never been. Joyce thought to herself as she huddled down further into her jacket, pulling it around her like a life vest. A few moments later, Mary is taking a right and pulling into the parking lot of what Joyce thought was the Hawkins Lab.

"What are we doing here? I thought this is where they make medical equipment?" Joyce voiced, looking around the parking lot. She wasn't sure what it was, but the place gave her the creeps.

"Yes, but they have a doctor's office on site. I'm assuming if they're testing medical equipment, they would need a specialist here to know if the equipment is working properly or not." Mary parked the car in front of what Joyce assumed was the front office and she took a minute to study the white paint covering the brick building. It looked fresh and felt off to her, like it hadn't been intended as a doctor's office, but as some kind of small prison.

Mary noticed how tense Joyce had gotten and reached out to place a hand on her knee. "Everything will be fine honey. I'm right here, nothing is going to happen to you."

00000

Sanitizer. That's how the small doctors office smelled to Joyce. As if someone had doused the entire building with disinfectant and then went over it with alcohol scented air freshener. The sterile white walls made her shiver. Everything felt too clean. Like the place had been constructed over night and had never had a patient walk within the building before them. A dark haired receptionist sat behind a walled desk, a fake smile plastered onto her face.

"Hello, my name is Mary Hopper, and this is my daughter Joyce. We have an appointment this morning at nine." Mary informed the receptionist who shuffled through a stack of papers in front of her.

"Mrs. Hopper, if you could fill out this paper work for me, the doctor should be ready for Joyce within a few minutes."

Mary takes the thick clipboard from the receptionist and ushers Joyce into one of the three seats in the waiting room. A small aloe plant is growing in a pot on a tiny white table, and the dark green on the plant is such a stark contrast to the white surrounding them that it makes Joyce squint as a dull pain starts forming behind her eyes.

"Joyce do you know your blood type?" Mary questions as she scribbles answers out onto the front sheet of the clipboard.

"Sorry, but no."

Mary nods and continues to fill out the information in silence.

Minutes tick by and the anxiety Joyce felt pulling into the parking lot has started to gain momentum. She begins to pick at her nails, something she hasn't done since the weeks leading up to the trial. Hopper was going to scold her for the small bloody cuts from her hangnails, but at the moment she couldn't force herself to stop. The sound of a door opening catches Joyce's attention and an older woman, probably in her early fifties stood in the doorway. The entirety of her outfit consisted of a pristine white, including her unscuffed shoes.

"Joyce Horowitz." She calls into the empty waiting room as if someone other than Mary and Joyce would step forward.

"Go on Joyce, I'll be back as soon as I finish filling out your insurance information." Mary directs, flipping over the piece of paper on the clipboard as Joyce tries to ignore the uneasy feeling in her stomach. She was in a doctors office for crying out loud, what did she have to be nervous about? They were there to help her. Getting to her feet, she approaches the nurse and follows her down the hallway.

"Right this way Ms. Horowitz." The nurse beckons and Joyce glances down at the name tag on the left side of her lab coat.

"Lead the way Miss Carter." Joyce comments, taking in the shiny tile on the floor. Carter leads Joyce down the long hallway and into a small room. It looked like any other doctor's office. An examination table, a stool beside a small sink in the corner, and gloves.

"Go ahead and have a seat dear and we'll start by getting your vitals." Nurse Carter says as she washes her hands and reaches for a blood pressure cuff. Joyce hops onto the exam table, the thin paper liner covering it wrinkling under her weight as she settles down. Carter places her cold hands around Joyce's upper arm, applying the cuff and It doesn't take long before she has acquired Joyce's blood pressure, along with her weight, height, eye color, and a blood sample.

"Are you sexually active Joyce?" She asks as she jots down more information onto the paper she's holding. Joyce remains quiet and looks at the nurse who is now glancing between her and the clipboard.

"Everything you tell us about your health is confidential. If you're sexually active your mother won't find out about it from us."

Joyce is once again picking at her fingers. "Umm...I've had sex once." She replies, glancing anywhere but at the woman standing before her. Carter writes this bit of information down and pulls the clipboard to her chest.

"Alright, the doctor will be in to see you shortly."

She's out the door before Joyce can say another word and the silence of the room is almost over bearing. Joyce can hear the blood flowing in her ears and the sound only makes the growing pressure behind her eyes worse. After what seems like an eternity, a knock echoes throughout the bare room and Joyce jumps slightly as the door swings open to reveal who she assumes is her doctor. He looks to be just a few years older than her, maybe in his mid to late twenties at best and that makes her gut suddenly tighten, her nerves jumping further on edge.

"Good morning Joyce, I'm Dr. Martin Brenner." The man says, extending his hand for her to shake. "Now I know what you're probably thinking, I look way too young to be a neurologist, but I promise you have nothing to worry about." He chuckles and takes a seat on the rolling stool in front of her. "So what I've gathered from your medical records provided by your mother, it seems that you suffered what we call a 'traumatic brain injury' because of the slight swelling in your brain that occurred a couple months ago. It's very common with these types of injuries to experience migraines, along with nausea and vomiting, but I'm almost positive we'll be able to find a way to get these things under control and you'll be headache free as soon as tomorrow with the proper medication."

Joyce found herself paying little attention to what Brenner was saying as she studies his face and body language. A simple promise wasn't enough to relieve the tension she felt crawling up her back and into her shoulders. If anything that word had become completely pointless to her over the years. She did have to admit however, there was something about the man that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Something about the way he smiled and the way his deep voice vibrated around her caused a warmth of calmness in the air that she couldn't explain.

A light shining into her left eye causes Joyce to blink, bringing her out of her thoughts to see Brenner now standing only a few inches from her.

"Try not to move, just focus on my face." Brenner says, pointing two fingers toward himself while moving the light around to her other eye. "Great. Now close your eyes for two seconds and reopen them."

Joyce does exactly as she's asked and watches as the light flicks back and forth between her eyes quickly one more time before Brenner shoves his pen light into the front pocket of his lab coat while nurse Carter scribbles something onto the clipboard clutched in her hand.

"Now if you'll follow me, we're going to switch rooms so I can perform an EEG that will measure your brain waves. I'll play a series of sounds, along with some flashes of light to see if I can pinpoint a trigger for your headaches. I'll also do a test to make sure everything is healing correctly and no fluid has built up around your brain that could be causing pressure or discomfort."

Joyce swallows and steps down from the examination table. "Shouldn't we get my mom first?" She asks quietly, the uneasy feeling in her stomach returning with a vengeance. Just the thought of her possibly having some sort of brain damage makes her anxiety start to pick up.

"That's not a problem at all. I'll go get her." Nurse Carter offers with a smile before turning to leave the room.

Brenner gestures toward the door with his hand and Joyce slowly steps out into the hallway, her fingers finding their way to the collar of her shirt. "We'll go ahead and get set up while we wait for Mrs. Hopper to join us." He leads Joyce toward the back of the building and she notices once again how quiet the place is. The eeriness of it all makes the hair on the back of her neck stand at attention.

The first thing Joyce sees when entering the new room are the glass cabinets lining the back wall that are filled with bottles, medical equipment, and various objects she's never seen before. There's a chair in the middle of the room that resembles one you'd find in a dentist office, a machine with the word 'MKUltra' printed on the side that's connected to a device that looks like a weird shower cap, and a projector that's aimed toward a blank white wall just a few feet from the chair.

"Have a seat." Brenner says as he crosses the room and opens one of the glass cabinet doors to retrieve a bag filled with a clear liquid. He walks back over to where she's sitting and hangs the bag from a pole that's connected to the chair.

"What's that?" Joyce asks nervously as Brenner carefully slides a needle into the back of her hand, causing her to wince. He places a piece of tape over her skin and connects the tube coming from her vein to the mystery liquid.

"Just something to keep you calm is all. For a positive reading I have to make sure you stay as still as possible and I can tell you're nervous." He flashes her another charming smile, but it does little to settle her nerves.

Just as Brenner is about to place the strange looking cap on her head, nurse Carter enters the room and Joyce is expecting to see Mary behind her, but she never appears. "Where's my mom?" It's only after she speaks that she notices her words are a little slow and her eyes are getting heavy. A slight tingling sensation washes over her and she looks up at Brenner who is carefully placing parts of the cap to her skin so it won't move. She doesn't hear what Carter says in response to her question as her eyes fall completely shut and the last memory she has is of a strange image projecting onto the wall behind Brenner's head.

00000

"Mom?" Joyce calls out when she thinks she hears Mary's voice.

"I'm right here honey." Mary soothes and that's when Joyce realizes she's back in the first examination room and Mary is sitting right beside her with an arm wrapped around her shoulders. She blinks a few times and can see Mary having a discussion with Brenner, but can't actually make out what they're saying. It was like her head was trapped in a cloud and everything was covered in a layer of fog.

"Ugh." Joyce sighs and drops her head into her hands, the movement making the wrap on the inside of her elbow pinch her skin. "What happened? Are we finished?"

"Joyce, can I get to you to sit up and follow my finger again for just a second?" Brenner asks as he rolls over on his stool to place himself directly in front of her.

Joyce lifts her head and gives him a confused look. "Again?"

"You don't remember doing this five minutes ago?" Mary questions, trying to hide the concern in her voice.

"It's alright Mrs. Hopper. This is a perfectly normal reaction to the medicine we gave her." Brenner assures her as he moves his finger back and forth in front of Joyce's face. "Things may be a little fuzzy as it leaves her system, but within an hour or so it'll be as if it was never there."

Mary nods and rubs a hand down Joyce's back as Brenner grabs a stack of papers and a bottle of pills from nurse Carter.

"Here's her medication. She will need to take a pill twice daily with a full glass of water. They have been known to cause dehydration so make sure you're getting plenty of fluids. We will schedule a follow up appointment in three weeks to see how things are going, and of course if you have questions or concerns you have our number." Brenner instructs Mary who is gently patting Joyce's head which is now laid on her shoulder.

"Thank you so much for all your help Dr. Brenner. We will be in touch." Mary says as she helps Joyce into a standing position.

"That's what we're here for, to help our patients and any future generations from feeling pain." Brenner smiles and watches both women exit the exam room.

The sound of a door closing jostles Joyce back into consciousness. Mary is sliding behind the wheel of her car when Joyce finally locates her. "Are we done?" She mumbles.

"Yeah honey we're done. Heading into town now." With the fog in her head and the soothing effect of Mary's voice, it doesn't take long for Joyce to fall asleep, her forehead resting on the cold glass of the passenger window.

00000

Mary quickly makes her way down the familiar isles of the one pharmacy Hawkins had and grabs a few items off the shelves before heading toward the back of the building where the pharmacy was located.

"How are you doing Mary? Come to get Greg's blood pressure medicine I assume?" Brian Whitaker asks from behind the counter. Mary and Greg had known Brian since high school, they were both in the same graduating class as him.

"You know it, can't have that man giving out on me just yet." Mary laughs.

"How's Jim doing? Is he still hanging out with that Horowitz girl?"

"He's doing great and yes he is, they're dating actually."

"Well good for them!" Brian reaches across the counter and scans the few miscellaneous items Mary sat on the counter before bagging everything and giving her the total.

"Would it be too much to ask if I could get another bag please?" Mary questions, handing Brian a crisp twenty.

"Not a problem at all Mary. Tell Greg I said hello, and take care now."

"Same to you, tell Stacey we said hi!"

00000

Joyce continues to doze off and on in the car, the effects of the medicine not quite wearing off as quick as Brenner had predicted. Mary had tried her best to talk her into just going home and skipping the rest of the school day, but the need to see Hopper overruled her desire for sleep. Once they ate lunch she was sure she would be fine. She just had to make it to the cafeteria and the rest of her day would be smooth sailing. The sound of the driver side door opening brought Joyce out of her light slumber to see Mary place a few bags into the back seat, while she kept one sitting in her lap.

"You sure you don't just want to go home Joyce? It would only be three hours before Jim would be heading home anyway."

"No I'm fine, I don't need to miss anymore school than I have already." Had the sun been this bright when she'd closed her eyes seconds ago or was it just the side effects of the IV?

"Everything okay?" Joyce suddenly questions as she glances down at the bag still in Mary's lap.

"Everything is fine honey. I just wanted to have a little talk with you before you went back to school if that's alright?"

"Did I do something wrong?" Joyce asked, immediately feeling dread pooling in her belly.

"No, not at all sweetheart. It's just that... You and Jim have been acting a little different lately. More affectionate if you will, and I think I know what's brought on these feelings. I just need the two of you to be prepared is all. I know you're both young and in love, but you both need to finish high school and get good jobs before something happens. I am way too young to be a grandma and I know Greg wouldn't be disappointed, but he would worry about y'all all the time and-"

"Mom what are you talking about? I'm so confused."

"Joyce, I know you and Jim are having sex." Mary deadpanned.

The flush that Joyce had fought off earlier that morning came back tenfold. It was suddenly very hot in Mary's car. "I…we're not…"

"Joyce it's okay. If I didn't approve of you and Jim being together do you really think I would let you two sleep in the same room? Matter less the same bed? I love you like a daughter and I hope one day you and Jim will bless me with several grandchildren to spoil before I send them back home to you. But until the time comes for that, here."

Mary holds out the plastic bag that had been sitting in her lap and Joyce carefully takes it in her hands. Peeking inside, her face grows redder.

"I know Greg gave Jim one and said after that he would have to get his own, but I don't want him to be embarrassed, so I grabbed a box for y'all. Just make sure to buy this specific brand when you run out for future reference. They're the same kind Greg and I use." Mary laughs at the face Joyce makes. She doubted the girl could sink any lower into the confines of her jacket than she was already currently.

"Just throw them in the back and I'll put them on Jim's bed when I get home. Now, do you still want to go to Patsy's for lunch?"

Joyce nods and tosses the plastic bag into the back seat, hoping she would never have to have this conversation again until it was her turn to do the talking.

00000

Joyce instantly notices the jealous looks from her classmates as she walks into the cafeteria with the famous brown paper bag everyone knew contains food from Patsy's. She easily finds Hopper, along with Benny and Karen at their usual table in the far corner of the cafeteria. Once Hopper's eyes land on her, a huge smile spreads across his face and he jumps to his feet as she nears the table, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Hey sweetheart, how did everything go?" He questions, leading her toward the table like she didn't know where they sat.

"It went fine I guess. It's all kind of fuzzy to be honest. They took blood and vitals and stuff like they would at any other kind of doctor's office, but once they gave me whatever was in that tiny IV it's like my mind gets blurry."

"They gave you an IV? Was mom back there with you?" He asks, concern clearly laced in his tone.

"She sat in the lobby for that part of the exam filling out paperwork."

Hopper eyes the inside of her elbow where a pad of white gauze was covered with two bright bandages, along with a band aid on the back of her hand.

"Well sit down and eat, hopefully that will help you feel better honey."

Joyce nods her head before sitting at the table and greeting Benny and Karen. "Hey guys, how's it going?" She asks, taking her and Hopper's lunch out of the bag.

"Been good, first period was a little stressful, but nothing I couldn't handle." Karen replies, reaching for a fry out of Hopper's to go box.

"Everything has been pretty calm on my end." Benny shrugs. "I can't wait to get out of school, sleep in, get a job somewhere and just be me."

"Yeah, I can't wait for that either. My mom is already on this whole spiel that I need to go to beauty school so I can have a job and get out of her house. It's like she doesn't even want me living there anymore." Karen says with a sigh.

"That's it, we can just pack up an elope, what do you think Karen? Move down south somewhere it never snows." Benny laughs, reaching for Karen's hand before she slaps him away.

"Why in the hell would I move away with you? And how do you propose we get down there if I did want to go? Grab a bus ticket with all the money we don't have? And where are we going to live once we get down there, huh?"

"I haven't gotten that far yet, I literally thought of this plan ten seconds ago. Besides I'm a catch! Any girl would be lucky to have me."

Karen rolls her eyes and turns her attention back to Joyce and Hopper who were both stuffing their faces with their grease filled burgers and french fries.

"Everything go okay at the doctors though Joyce?"

"As far as I know everything is fine. They want me to come back in three weeks for a check up to see if the new medicine they gave me is working. I'm tired as hell though. I feel like I could sleep for days without waking up."

"Well, at least we're halfway through the school day. Once we leave we can knock out our chores and relax for the rest of the night." Hopper's voice broke through the chatter of the cafeteria as he wipes his mouth with the back of his jacket sleeve.

"Hop, use a napkin. You're going to stain your clothes." Joyce scolds him before collecting their trash back into the paper bag it came in.

"Eh, it's an old jacket anyway. Nothing special."

"Yeah, but I like the way it looks on you. So don't mess it up or I won't kiss you for three hours."

"Three hours! You drive a hard bargain there Joyce." Benny laughs, getting to his feet just as the bell signaling the end of lunch rang out.

"Come on Karen, I'll walk you to class." Benny offers his arm to her as if they were back in the seventeenth century. Much to everyone's surprise, Karen gathers her books in one arm, and takes his in the other.

"See you around guys!" Karen calls over her shoulder. Her attention quickly back on Benny, leaving both Joyce and Hopper with shocked expressions.

"Well that's new." Joyce comments as she watches the two get lost in the sea of foot traffic through the cafeteria. Hopper stands at her side and grabs his book bag and their trash.

"I mean, I kind of saw it coming if I'm being honest."

Joyce turns to stare at him confused.

"What? You haven't seen the way they've been acting the past few weeks?"

"If I'm being honest, no I haven't. I guess I haven't really been paying attention to anybody but you really. I was so worried about what was going to happen with the trial, that if it didn't concern anyone in my little bubble I really wasn't paying attention, ya know?"

"That's understandable, but now we don't have to worry about any of that mess. You're safe and nothing is going to change that." Hopper wraps his arm around her shoulders and leads her toward the cafeteria doors. She was safe and that feeling was finally beginning to sink in.

00000

The hot water of the shower felt like heaven to Joyce. Especially after the long day she had. Between her weird doctor visit, Karen and Benny possibly becoming an item, a surprise quiz in biology, then the mess that comes along with mucking stalls, adding fresh hay, and finally eating dinner, Joyce had little energy left. Hell, washing her hair was more of a hassle than she wanted to deal with at the moment. She reached for her shampoo and winced at the slight discomfort in the crease of her elbow.

The smell of honeysuckle filled the small bathroom as Joyce ran her fingers through her hair, working the shampoo into a rich lather. The feeling of her now long hair was still alien to her considering she had always kept her hair short. Why give Travis something else to pull her with? Now however, her curls were just past the top of her shoulders and she had to admit, the length definitely made her feel more feminine. The feel of her own fingers running through it brought back memories from the previous week. Hopper's strong fingers pulling at her hair as she rode him at the tree house. The memory of their first time together brought a smile to her lips. They had made love. Their virginity a thing of the past and she found that thinking about Hopper's hands led to thinking about other parts of his body, causing that new, and still somewhat unfamiliar feeling to her. Joyce turned her back toward the stream of now cooling water and before she knew it, her hands were running down her body, remembering the way Hopper had touched her. A slight moan escaped her lips when a knock from the bathroom door startled her back to reality.

"Joy, you okay in there?" Hopper's voice called through the unlocked door.

Joyce quickly turned off the water and reached for her towel. Wrapping the fluffy cotton material around her body, she stepped out of the shower and quickly opened the bathroom door. The nerve under Hopper's left eye twitched with effort as he commanded it not to wander down from her face while he took in the sight of her.

"Sorry, I lost track of time."

"I just have to brush my teeth and then I'm going to lay down. I'll be there in a few minutes. Should give you plenty of time to get dressed."

The smirk that crosses Hopper's lips doesn't go unnoticed by Joyce and she can't help but smile. He's leaning against the door frame and the control he had seconds ago is already failing. Joyce sighs when the warmth of his calloused fingers skim the top of her towel, leaving a trail of goosebumps along her skin. He leans down and places a brief kiss on her exposed collar bone before stepping around her and into the steamy bathroom.

"I'll only be a minute." Hopper smiles and turns on his heel to head toward the sink.

In no time at all, Hopper returned to their room only to find Joyce already fast asleep wearing one of his old shirts, one where there material was practically see through, and a pair of dark colored panties. Hell, it didn't even look like she had tried to dry her hair before laying down, her pillow was already soaked from the dripping strands, and Hopper found himself staring at her in awe.

He knew today had been rough for her. Even though she hid it well, she was exhausted and he should have known she would fall asleep the second her head hit her pillow. Closing their door and turning off his bedroom light, Hopper made his way through the room from memory. The feel of his old comforter met his fingertips and he carefully climbed into bed beside the woman who had captured his heart. Placing a kiss to her temple, he slid his arm under her pillow and pulled her to him, loving the way her body fit perfectly against his.