Three weeks came and went in the blink of an eye and before Joyce knew it, she was heading back to that overly clean white building that still seemed to make her skin crawl. Had she not been running low on medicine, she would have made it a point to never go back there.
The familiar scent of sanitizer instantly assaulted her senses upon entering the lobby, and instead of following Mary over to where the same dark haired lady from before was sitting behind a desk, she plopped down into a chair next to the table with the sad looking aloe plant. Not believing it was actually real, Joyce reached out to poke it, but quickly pulled her hand away when her name was already being called.
Nurse Carter held open the door and ushered her and Mary down the hall to the same room she remembered from the first time they were there.
"Go ahead and take a seat." Carter said with a sweet smile before moving to wash her hands. Mary settled into a chair in the corner of the room and crossed her legs as Joyce made herself comfortable on the examination table.
Carter wasted no time in gathering Joyce's vitals, skipping a blood sample since hers was still on file. When she was finished, she sat on the rolling stool with a clipboard in her lap and scooted back across the small room, placing herself in front of Joyce.
"So, how have you been feeling the last three weeks, anymore headaches?"
Joyce pressed the hem of her shirt between her fingers and looked over at Carter with a shrug. "I think I only had two headaches. A really bad one a few days after I left here and then a small one the day after that, but I'm not sure if it was just left over from the first one to be honest."
Carter scribbled something onto the piece of paper she was holding. "You were having them almost every day before, is that correct?"
Joyce let go of her shirt and gave her a nod. "Yes."
"Have you noticed any side effects from your medication?"
Joyce adjusted her shoulders when her shirt suddenly felt like it was choking her. Rubbing her palms down her thighs, she thought of her life the past three weeks. "Not really, unless you count being tired. And well-" Snapping her mouth shut, Joyce glanced over at Mary and stopped talking.
Carter lifted her head and followed Joyce's line of sight, looking between her and the older woman.
Mary shifted in her seat when she realized she was the reason for Joyce's abrupt pause. "Do you want me to leave?"
"No...it's just...well…" Joyce blushed and dropped her head to stare at her lap, rubbing a hand over the back of her neck. This wasn't something any teenager should have to share with their parents. "I've noticed that since I started taking the new prescription, that I've been...well...horny all the time." She quickly whispered out the last part, praying that Carter had heard her so she wouldn't have to repeat herself. It was bad enough Mary already knew her and Hopper were having sex, having her know Joyce couldn't seem to keep her hands to herself was too much.
A soft laugh caught her attention and she lifted her eyes, catching her mom trying to clear her throat and cover her mouth. The blush she could feel in her cheeks quickly rushed to her ears and down her neck, causing her to hide her face in her hands since she didn't currently have a rock to crawl under.
"There's no reason to be embarrassed Joyce, that's actually a very normal side effect to what you're taking."
"It is?" Joyce asked and slowly uncovered her face.
"It's more common in females, but the active ingredient seems to trigger the hypothalamus. It controls sexual desire, thirst, and your body temperature. Think of it as your body trying to divert the pain you're receiving from your headaches into say, something more pleasurable. If that makes sense."
The room fell quiet for a moment, Joyce and Mary both staring at Carter as they tried to soak in exactly what she was saying.
"So if I keep taking the same medicine, this won't go away?"
"Assuming we stay with your current prescription, over time your body will start to adjust to the changes and eventually it won't be as noticeable."
"That's not exactly a terrible thing Joyce." Mary teased and couldn't help but laugh at the look she received from the still very embarrassed teenager.
"Mom!" Joyce practically squeaked. "This is serious!"
Even nurse Carter had to hold back laughter as she gathered her things and got to her feet. "Dr. Brenner will be in to see you shortly. Just sit tight."
Watching as the door clicked shut, Joyce dropped her hands back to her lap and started swinging her feet, doing anything to keep from making eye contact with Mary.
"Honey, relax." Mary said from where she continued to sit in the corner, instantly picking up on her anxiety.
With a sigh Joyce stilled her feet and leaned back on the table, placing her hands behind her for support. "Sorry." She mumbled.
"Joyce." Mary called, finally gathering her attention. "I don't want you to be afraid or embarrassed to talk to me about anything, okay?"
Joyce swallowed and gave her a nod even though she was pretty sure she'd never bring up her and Hopper's sex life again willingly.
Before Mary had the chance to say anything more, there was a knock and the door swung open, silencing any further conversation between the two women. Brenner stepped inside, not bothering to shut the door behind him as he walked toward the sink and leaned against the counter, greeting Mary, then turning his attention to Joyce.
"It's good to see you again Joyce. Nurse Carter tells me we've made some progress in the amount of headaches you've been having, which means the treatment is working exactly like we hoped." Brenner said before looking down at the clipboard in his hand.
"In order for things to continue in this direction however, we'll have to do another round of treatment. It'll be slightly more aggressive than the first one, but hopefully it'll be the last. I'm worried your body may reject the progress we've made and your headaches could return if we don't move forward. Your body may start adjusting to your current prescription making it useless after a while. The end goal is for a cure, that way you don't have to take medication everyday."
Joyce grabbed at the collar of her shirt, her anxiety not calming in the slightest. "What do you mean more aggressive?"
Dr. Brenner shifted his stance and moved the clipboard toward his waist, crossing his arms in front of him. "The medicine we'll be using this time is a lot stronger, which means more side effects. It'll more than likely cause you to run a fever for a few hours since your body's natural reaction will be to fight it once it's in your system. Nausea and vomiting are also common, along with some memory loss like before. The brain is an extremely complex organ and goes into self defense mode any time it's over stimulated. That means forgetting any stress or trauma it might endure."
Joyce bit her lip nervously. "Mom?" Was all she could say, her mind running wild with a thousand reasons why this was a terrible idea and desperately needed some kind of guidance.
Mary got to her feet and moved to stand beside the examination table. "Honey, it's alright to be nervous. This isn't supposed to be fun, but it's going to help you live a normal life without any more pain. If this isn't something you wish to continue, let me know. I won't make you do anything you don't want to."
"But you're the adult..." Joyce knew how child-like she sounded just then, but this wasn't a decision she felt she was capable of making.
Mary took her daughter's hand in hers. "And you know your body better than anyone else and it's limits. I want the absolute best for you, and I hate seeing you in pain, but this has to be your choice."
Joyce frowned slightly, looking between her and Brenner. Just remembering the last few months made her cringe. She had treated Hopper terribly and created nothing but chaos around the entire family because of her headaches. That wasn't something she was willing to let happen again.
"Will we do the treatment today?" Joyce glanced in Brenner's direction and pressed her lips together when she felt Mary stroking the back of her hand with her thumb.
"That would be ideal."
Pausing for a moment, Joyce looked back at Mary and finally gave a nod, knowing she didn't need to waste anymore of Mary's time by having her make another appointment later on down the road. "Alright."
Brenner smiled and gestured with the clipboard toward the door. "Whenever you're ready."
Mary gave Joyce's hand one last squeeze and moved to let her jump down off the table. "I'll be waiting for you right here." She promised.
00000
Mary had been in the middle of reading one of the various magazines in the examination room when she heard footsteps coming down the hallway. She lifted her eyes toward the open door just as Brenner appeared.
"All done." He said with a smile and stepped to the side to allow nurse Carter the space to push Joyce into the room.
As soon as Mary took in the sight of the teenager she was on her feet in an instant, dropping the magazine to the floor as she made her way over to the pale figure currently shivering in a wheelchair. Joyce was holding a bucket in her lap that had clearly already been vomited into, an ice pack was draped across the back of her neck and she looked completely out of it.
"Is this normal?" Mary asked in a panic, her hand finding its way to Joyce's shoulder where she immediately felt heat coming through her clothing.
"There's no reason to worry. This is just her body trying to fight against the medicine still in her system like we discussed earlier. I already gave her a fever reducer and something for any pain or discomfort she might experience the next few hours." Brenner insisted. "I'm going to keep Joyce on her current prescription for the next two months and if she doesn't experience any more headaches, it won't need to be refilled. It wouldn't hurt to keep an emergency bottle at home however, just in case. We don't know what could happen a year from now, but we're expecting a positive outcome."
Mary tensed when Joyce groaned and leaned forward to puke into the bucket again.
"If you don't notice a change in her fever within the next hour, you can give her some ibuprofen and try to encourage her to drink some water. She's more than likely going to be exhausted until tomorrow, so it's probably best to take her home and rest."
Brenner handed Mary a white paper bag with some folded pamphlets inside, along with two bottles of pills and motioned with his hand for nurse Carter to push Joyce toward the lobby.
"All the information you'll need is in there and you can call us any time if you have any concerns. I'll schedule a check up in two months just to get some feedback and make sure nothing needs adjusting." He said with a smile, allowing Mary to walk beside Joyce as they made their way to the front door.
Brenner stood back as another man and nurse Carter helped get Joyce out of the wheelchair and into her car.
00000
Having to pull over two times on the way home to let Joyce throw up, Mary couldn't believe it when the girl finally hit the soft cushions of the couch and gave her a second to breathe. Joyce hadn't spoken a word since the lab, which made the entire situation of getting her out of the car and into the house a complete nightmare.
With a small trash can on the floor beside the couch, a glass of water and a bottle of ibuprofen on the coffee table, Mary finally felt herself starting to relax. She quickly pulled off Joyce's socks and draped a lightweight blanket over the upper half of her body, before settling onto the couch with Joyce's head in her lap.
Carefully brushing a few strands of sweaty hair out of the girl's face, Mary adjusted the ice pack on her neck and started rubbing a soothing pattern down her back in an attempt to ease some of her shivering. Once Joyce had fallen asleep, Mary reached over the arm of the couch for her book and let out a sigh. Today had been rough and she was looking forward to some peace and quiet for at least the next hour.
Mary started dozing off when the sound of the front door slamming jostled her back into consciousness. Feeling Joyce still shivering at her side, Mary removed the now warm ice pack from her neck and tossed it onto the coffee table. The heat radiating from Joyce's body made her shift uncomfortably, her pant leg sticking to her skin where she was starting to sweat.
"Mom? Mom!" Jim yelled as he came into the room, freezing in his tracks when he saw Joyce and his mother curled up on the couch.
"Keep your voice down." Mary scolded and lifted the blanket off of Joyce to place over the back of the couch. "Why aren't you in school?"
"I was worried..." Jim said and moved to sit on the coffee table beside the couch, looking down at Joyce's shaking form. "Is she ok?"
"She's just sick from the treatment they did. She'll feel better in the morning."
Hopper frowned and reached out to touch her shoulder, then her cheek and forehead. "She's burning up."
Mary looked at the clock on the wall to see almost an hour had passed since they had returned home. Her fever should have gone down some by now, but it only seemed to be getting worse. "Help me get her up."
Hopper gently shook Joyce's shoulder while Mary lifted her head off her lap and tried to get her into a sitting position. The movement caused Joyce to groan, her hand coming up to rub at her eyes.
"Honey, I only need you to be awake long enough to take some medicine, then you can go back to sleep." Mary said softly, watching as Jim helped Joyce readjust the collar of her sweaty shirt.
Mary wasn't sure if it was her son's touch that startled her or the fact she was still waking up and gathering her bearings, but the second Joyce opened her eyes she was jumping away from the both of them as if she'd seen a ghost.
"Where...where am I?" Joyce asked, her eyes scanning her surroundings frantically.
"What do you mean? You're home. This is your home." Hopper looked at her confused, moving to stand when she got off the couch and started backing away from them.
"No." Joyce whispered and shook her head. "I don't...who...who are you? Why am I here?"
Hopper turned to his mother then with genuine fear in his eyes. "What the hell is going on?"
Mary touched her throat nervously and took a step closer to her son. "They said she could have some memory loss like before, but not like this…she only forgot the doctor's visit last time."
"Why would you even take her back there if this happened before?!" Hopper practically shouted, his fear starting to mix with anger. Neither one of them had mentioned anything about her losing her memory, and seeing his girlfriend backing herself into a corner completely clueless as to what was going on scared the shit out of him.
Clenching his jaw, Hopper turned his attention back to Joyce and crouched down in front of her where she had curled into a ball beside a chair on the opposite side of the room. "Joyce?" Surprisingly she lifted her head, her hazy brown eyes making his gut twist. "Honey you're ok, it's just me. You remember me don't you?"
Joyce's body continued to shake violently as she studied his face, her pupils dilating slightly the moment she recognized him.
"Hop…" Almost immediately after saying his name she started dry heaving and Mary rushed to get the bucket beside her right as she threw up again.
At this rate trying to get any medicine into her system would be impossible with her vomiting. The way she was trembling and drifting slightly in and out of consciousness meant they needed to get her temperature down and fast.
"Jim, grab Joyce and bring her into the bathroom." Mary demanded and headed upstairs to start filling the tub with cool water. As she grabbed a towel from the closet, she paused and took a moment to collect herself. The guilt she'd been feeling since that morning was eating away at her and she knew she couldn't have a breakdown when her kids needed her to keep a level head and get them through this. She had to be the adult even though she felt like the worst parent in the world right then for making Joyce go through this.
"What are we doing?" Jim asked as he carried Joyce into the bathroom and eyed the running water.
Mary set the towel on the counter and moved to turn off the faucet. "Take off her shirt and jeans."
Hopper was still slightly confused, but shifted Joyce to place her feet on the floor, her fingers instantly clutched at his neck when she didn't want to lose the heat from his body. The cold tiles touching her skin caused goosebumps to spread across every one of her limbs, making her shiver worse if that were possible.
"Honey it's alright, we just need to get your temperature down." Mary soothed and attempted to remove the death grip Joyce had on Jim's flannel to get her damp shirt over her head. It was clear Joyce didn't have a clue what was going on, so it didn't surprise Mary that it took a bit of coaxing to get her stripped down to her bra and panties. It was when Jim guided her toward the tub that the real challenge presented itself. One foot in the water on her own had Joyce backing away, not wanting anything to do with what Mary was sure felt like ice to the poor girl.
Mary tried once more to convince Joyce to get into the tub even though she already knew it was useless. Joyce didn't even blink when she spoke. Giving her son a look, they both knew what had to be done next, but Hopper shook his head. "I don't want to hurt her."
"Would you rather we take her to the hospital?"
Hopper sighed and pulled Joyce against his chest knowing that was an even worse idea. "No."
"This is the only other option we have at the moment." Mary said sadly.
Looking down at Joyce, Hopper kissed her sweaty forehead and quickly gathered her into his arms before she had a chance to figure out what was happening. He dropped to a knee beside the tub and carefully lowered her into the bath.
The moment her skin touched the water Joyce gasped as if every bit of air had been sucked from her lungs and she immediately started trying to climb back into Hopper's arms.
Hopper placed his palm on her chest to hold her down and used his other to knock her hands away from anything she could grab onto. Her breathing started coming in rushed pants the more worked up she got and water splashed all over Hopper and the floor when she kicked her legs in an attempt to gain some leverage.
"No...No!" Joyce yelled, her fingers digging into his arm. "I can't…" Tears began to pool in her eyes and Hopper felt his grip loosen at the look she was giving him. "It's too cold." She cried, her legs kicking out again.
"Joy it's ok. The water isn't that cold, it just feels like it." Hopper said softly and moved to grab her wrist, pulling her hand away from his arm when she started drawing blood with her nails. He pushed her hand down against her chest and tried to caress her cheek with his free hand to make her look at him.
Joyce turned her head away from his touch and struggled against his hold one last time with what little strength she had left. "Please, Hop." She begged, her chin trembling from the shivers wracking throughout her body. When tears slipped down her cheeks, Hopper felt his chest tighten and he swallowed hard to keep it together.
"I can't let you out Joy, I'm sorry." He whispered and leaned in closer to her, placing his hand on the side of her neck near her skull to trace his thumb over her jaw. "You need to take a deep breath and calm down. I'll be right here with you, I'm not going anywhere."
Joyce shut her eyes and started sobbing when she went to push against him again and felt her muscles giving out on her. "Hop, please."
Hopper sniffed and blinked back his own tears before turning to look at his mother who was standing right behind him. "Why did you do this?"
Mary tensed, taken aback by her son's tone. "Excuse me?"
"You knew something was off about that place when you went the first time. She could have died!" Hopper glared and turned his head to wipe a tear off his cheek with his shoulder.
"Jim I know you're scared, but you will not speak to me that way." Mary said as she swiped at her eyes. Watching her son's mental struggle with forcing Joyce into the tub broke her heart. It was bad enough knowing she was the reason Joyce was sick in the first place, she didn't need him angry with her on top of everything else.
Snapping his mouth shut, Hopper turned back to Joyce and rubbed his hand up and down her leg, wanting her to know he was sorry. It took some time, but eventually her breathing finally evened out and she stopped crying when there was nothing left she could possibly give.
Mary paced the small area of the bathroom worrying her lip with her teeth as they waited. Her instincts told her to go to Joyce, to be by her son's side, but she wasn't sure she could handle anymore rejection if she said or did the wrong thing after Jim's outburst. Joyce always felt more comfortable with him over anyone else anyway, so she let him be her support while she kept her distance. When several minutes had passed and she could see Joyce's body finally starting to calm, she walked over to the tub and flipped open the drain. "Let's get her out."
With his mother's assistance, the two of them helped Joyce step over the side of the tub and onto the bathmat. Mary grabbed the towel she placed on the counter and wrapped it around her shoulders, rubbing it back and forth against her skin to soak up the water.
"I got it." Jim said and took the towel from his mother's hands, missing the hurt in her eyes.
Pressing her lips together to not get upset, Mary dropped her arm to her side and turned to leave. "Get her settled in bed and I'll bring up a glass of water and something to help keep her fever down."
00000
It had been a very long and uneventful day at the station. Being the chief of Hawkins Police had its perks however, one of them being that Greg could leave when things were this slow. Reaching the front porch, he kicked off the loose dirt from his boots before walking up the steps. He assumed Joyce's appointment hadn't gone as well as they'd hoped by the sight of Jim's truck in the driveway. High school wasn't out for another hour at this point in the day. Wiping his foot on the worn out doormat, he entered the house and immediately looked for his family.
He found Mary first in the kitchen. Her hands submerged in a full sink of water with only a few small eating utensils and two glasses.
"Hey honey, how'd everythi-" Greg stopped speaking when his eyes narrowed in on his wife's trembling shoulders.
"Mary what's going on? What happened?" He questioned and instinctively moved to her side. She was fighting tears with everything she had. Mary had always been a proud woman, never wanting to show weakness or accept defeat. Something horrible had happened to make her break like this.
"Joyce's appointment was so much worse this time. She's been running a fever, so I got her settled on the couch with an ice pack to help bring it down, but it didn't work. Then Jim came home and she woke up scared out of her mind. She didn't remember us Greg. She didn't know who Jim and I were." Mary told him, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I had Jim bring her upstairs to put her in the bathtub and she immediately started screaming that it was freezing. Jim had to physically hold her down to keep her from climbing out, and the entire time the only thing I could think was how horrible of a mother I was being."
Her words caught Greg off guard. Never in their eighteen years of parenting had Mary ever thought she was a bad mother, and he would be damned if she started to think it now.
"Honey, you have never been, and never will be a bad mother. I'm sure all of this was to be expected with the treatment Joyce is receiving. We all knew there would be risks and this is just one of them." Greg coaxed Mary to turn around and to place her head on his chest. He didn't even care that her bubble covered hands were leaving water marks on his uniform.
"Jim was so upset with me. Asking why I would let something like that happen to her. Like I enjoy her being in pain all the time." Mary confided and Greg stiffened in her embrace. So Jim and his mouth had also brought on the pain she was feeling.
"He's just being a normal smartass teenager darlin'. We both know that you would rather be in pain yourself than to see either of them the slightest bit uncomfortable." Greg nuzzled his nose into her hair and the familiar smell of her lavender shampoo made him sigh.
"Why don't we order out tonight? We can have an early meal, then you and I can sit on the front porch? You can tell me all about that book you've been reading and I'll pretend to be as into it as you are."
The statement did exactly what Greg had wanted. It made Mary laugh and he felt her hold on him tighten as she hugged him around his middle.
"That sounds like an excellent idea. Could you go see what Jim wants? I'm sure he still doesn't want to talk to me." Mary said as she let go of him and moved to grab the take away menu off the top of the fridge.
"Of course honey. I won't be long." Mary nodded as she opened up the menu to see what tonight's specials were at Patsy's.
00000
Greg took the steps leading upstairs two at a time and when he reached the top of the landing he took a left, stopping in front of his son's door. Giving a quick knock, he rotated the doorknob and let himself in. Jim was sitting with his back against the headboard of his bed, gently running his hand through Joyce's hair as she laid with her head in his lap. Jim looked up at the sound of his door opening, a scowl already planted on his face. At the sight of his father it quickly changed into an irritated frown.
Greg gave a silent tilt of his head, telling Jim to come out into the hallway, then he turned on his heel and took a few steps away from the room. Seconds later, his son was gently closing his bedroom door and approaching his side.
"Her fever going down?"
"Yeah. I'm hoping she'll be fine once she gets some sleep." Jim stated, his hands sliding into his front pockets.
"I'm glad to hear she's doing better son. I know it's hard dealing with all these emotions and feelings you're having. Like right now, you're feeling protective and probably a little anxious about her. She's the most important thing in your life and you'll do anything in the world to make sure she's respected, happy and safe."
Greg watched as his son nodded and adjusted his stance.
"I also need you to know..." Greg continued, taking a step closer toward him. "Those feelings you have going on right now? I feel the same way about your mother whos been downstairs crying her eyes out thinking she's a bad mother all because you chose to use some stupid words in a stressful situation. You think the sun rises and sets in Joyce. I get that, because your mother is my sun. You understand what I'm saying? No matter how stressed you get, never make her feel like less of a woman okay?"
Hopper nodded once more, a slight slump in his posture.
"We're ordering out tonight for dinner. Let me know what you want once I get out of this uniform."
With his piece of mind back in tact, Greg turned his back on his son and moved toward his and Mary's bedroom, the top two buttons of his shirt already unfastened.
