Joyce awoke with a pounding headache. She cleared her throat with raspy breaths. She must finally have that flu that was going around. She sighed and made her way to the bathroom to get ready for work. She was eager for after her short shift, with the new leads she had found into Hawkins lab. She couldn't wait to discuss it further with Hopper.
She cleared her throat harshly in the shower. "Hello hello". She rasped to herself, testing her voice. Thankfully it sounded reasonably normal. She could hide her symptoms well and carry on trying to bring down the psycho secret industry that was the lab. Her head pounded. She quickly scoffed a piece of toast and two cold and flu tablets to mask her symptoms for the day ahead.
Hopper smiled as he entered the store, watching Joyce serving the local customers. Something was off however as she didn't seem as bubbly as her normal self. He approached her eagerly.
Her eyes met his a few paces away.
"Hopper." She smiled.
He smiled back in his usual smirk.
" Are you okay?" His eyes narrowed, studying her face.
She stifled a cough.
"Oh ,ug, yeah of course. Are you still keen to bust the bad guys later?" She punched his shoulder.
He rolled his eyes and laughed.
"Real subtle. Yes sure I'll meet you in the woods after your shift." He winked.
She rolled her eyes.
Time slowly passed with each grumbling customer. Her headache grew worse and her chest felt tight. She thought about cancelling Hopper but she would not be the weak link in the team. There was information in the woods by the lab, an entrance through a storm drain in that could lead to more clues. She had to find it. She had to get back at the place that had a role in Will getting sucked into another realm.
She drove up absentmindedly through the woods, listening to her tires crunch the leaves. She saw Hopper waving in the distance, through the trees. She parked her car and stifled another cough as she made her way over to him.