Will periodically glanced out the front window as Jonathan washed their dishes from dinner in the kitchen. Where was his mom? Why hadn't she told them what she was doing or when she'd be home? The boy was filled with extreme anxiety over it, and his older brother could easily tell.
"Hey, she's gonna be home soon. She would've said something if she was going to be really late." Jonathan tried to placate when he joined his brother in the living room, though he himself was worried too. The behavior was definitely unusual for his mother, especially given the recent circumstances; she didn't like to be away from either of her boys lately any more than she needed to be.
"Are you sure she didn't say anything about where she was going? I mean, her car is still here." Will said, pointing to the green Pinto parked in their snow covered driveway, where her vehicle had already accumulated a few inches in just the last few hours.
"Again," Jonathan sighed for the thousandth time that night. "She left a message with the office on her lunch break asking me to pick you up from school because she had to do something after work. That's it."
"But what would she be doing that she wouldn't tell us about?"
"I don't know, Will. I'm just as confused as you are." the older boy said, plopping down on the couch facing the window.
The boy was quiet for a moment before nearly whispering, "What if something bad happened to her?"
Jonathan quickly recognized the signs of his younger brother beginning to spiral. This had been happening a lot recently, but his mom was always there to help him through it, he'd never had to do it alone. "Hey, you can't think like that, alright. It's only six-thirty, and we have no reason to believe that there's anything wrong."
"What do you mean 'no reason'?" Will said, his voice starting to rise in pitch. Hot tears were brewing in his eyes when the sound of a car engine snapped his attention away from Jonathan and back towards the front window, where a pair of headlights momentarily blinded both of them.
"Is that Hopper?" The older boy said, standing and stepping beside his brother.
The headlights switched off, illuminating the police chief's blazer. "Why is Hopper here?" Will said in that voice again, his breath audibly hitching.
"Wait, look, that's Mom, in the passenger seat!" Jonathan said, pointing. Sure enough, the woman was there, holding a bundle of something tight to her chest.
Will and Jonathan watched from inside as Hopper turned off the engine and got out of the driver's seat, hurrying so quickly to the passenger side that he slipped on ice and almost fell, barely catching himself and bending his mirror in the process. He opened the door and leaned over inside the car for a moment, gathering whatever was in their mom's arms into his own. Joyce slid out quickly and slammed the door, glancing up to meet her boys' wide, surprised eyes.
Will rushed to unlock and open the front door, shivering from the rush of cold air that the two adults brought with them as they hurried inside. Before either of the boys could ask any questions about where the two had been and what the chief was carrying, Joyce quickly locked the door behind them, closed the front curtains, and directed Hopper into the living room. He carefully eased the blanket covered something down onto the couch against the wall, where a tiny face was now visible, and Jonathan gasped in shock at the sight of someone he never expected to see again.
"I need you guys to get some wood and start a fire." Joyce said, looking at her sons expectantly.
"Is that…" Will said, pointing to the girl he'd seen only in what he'd thought was a dream.
"Yes, and we need to get her warm, fast."
"I'll get the wood, Will, get the newspaper and lighter."
"Thank you, boys." Joyce said, touching both of their cheeks momentarily before disappearing into her bedroom as her children dispersed obediently.
Hopper began removing his clothes, shedding both his jacket and flannel to the floor and stripping off his inner thermal shirt, exposing his bare chest. He unwrapped the blankets covering Eleven's head and torso, leaving the shivering child now equally exposed as the man. Her teeth chattered loudly and a whimper accompanied each breath as Jim dressed her in his shirt and Joyce returned to the living room with the comforter from her bed, swapping out the multiple itchy wool blankets for a large, soft goosedown. Hopper sat on the couch next to the child and scooped her up onto his bare chest, hoping his own warm skin would help heat the child's frozen little core. Joyce wrapped them both in her comforter and hurried to the kitchen to boil some water.
Jonathan and Will met at the fireplace-which was, oddly enough, located in their dining room-and got to work quickly. As soon they had the flames going considerably, the two moved the table and chairs out of the way and brought the cushions from the adjoining couch as well as all of the spare bedding from the hall closet. Once the warming nest was complete, they led Hopper to sit with the girl beside the fire, Joyce meeting them with a cup of hot tea for when they child properly woke up. She also brought a few pairs of socks and a warm hat, but didn't worry about dressing her further, hoping that the combined warmth of Hopper's skin, her comforter, and the roaring fire would be enough. And it seemed to be for the moment; Eleven continued to tremble against Hopper, and her movements were becoming slightly more purposeful, her stiff arms and legs finally beginning to stretch out around the man, wrapping themselves around his warmth. The only part of her that was visible were her eyes, which began to flutter more and more with each passing moment.
After a good twenty minutes of silence from everyone around the fire, the child elicited a long moan, tried to lift her head but was unable to do so. Eleven had no idea where she was when she opened her eyes, but could feel the weight of someone's arms wrapped tightly around her, and was acutely aware of the loud heartbeat that wasn't her own reverbirating through her chest. She felt frozen down to her bones but could also sense that she was somewhere warm, that the cold wasn't so all consuming anymore as it had been for so long. The girl blinked a few times before a familiar face came into view, one she was surprised but very pleased to see.
"Hey sweetheart," said Will's mama in a voice that sounded like it was coming from underwater. Joyce reached forward and gently stroked what was exposed on Eleven's cheek, feeling her porcelain skin prickle with goosebumps under her touch. "Do you remember me?"
The words were there, but her jaw was frozen shut and there was no getting them out. Eleven was barely able to manage something that resembled a nod, putting extreme effort into making eye contact with the woman she did indeed recognize.
"You're safe at my house." she said, still stroking her cheek. Eleven felt her warmth like a tickle, and attempted to lean into it. "Do you remember Hopper, the police chief?"
The child was trying to process the question when she felt before she heard a deep voice rumbling inside her own chest. "I'm the one who's been leaving you all those Eggos."
It was coming from beneath her, above her, all around her. Eleven forced her stiff neck to turn in the direction of the sound of the voice, and locked eyes with another person she recognized. It was the big man who'd given her his shirt after the bath, who had been to the Lab and seen the Gate she'd accidentally opened.
"Hey, Kid." he said, his furry lips curling into a slight smile. "I'm glad to see you awake."
"Should we give her a bath now?" Joyce said, wanting more than anything to clean the little girl; at first glance her compllection appeared almost tan, but upon closer inspection it was clear that dirt had become ingrained in her skin.
"Let's take her temperature first, I don't want to send her into shock." Hopper replied.
Eleven heard their words but had a hard time processing them because the two spoke so quickly. The word 'bath' had stuck out, though, and while just the sound of it would normally have instilled fear into the child, this time it was met with indifference. There was no way she'd be able to contact anyone if they tried to force her, she was far too exhausted.
"Will, honey, will you grab the thermometer from my nightstand, please?" the woman asked her youngest son. He'd been fighting random fevers on and off since his time in the upside down, and Joyce had developed the habit of taking his temperature in the mornings and sometimes again at night.
When Will stood up and passed through Eleven's very narrow field of vision, the girl's eyes about bulged right out of her head. All this time she hadn't been sure of Will's fate, had never known whether or not they'd gotten to him in time. Seeing him safe in his own home filled Eleven with even more relief than waking up surrounded by warmth. She let out an audible sigh, and relaxed further into Hopper's arms.
The boy returned a moment later and passed the thermometer to his mother, who held it out to Eleven, who crossed her eyes looking down at the unfamiliar object. "Open your mouth and hold this under your tongue, sweetheart, and stay very still. This is going to tell us how cold you are."
Joyce leaned forward at the same time Eleven turned away and hid her face in Hopper's chest. She was confused and scared, and even though these adults were a night and day difference from the ones she'd previously exclusively know, she was more than used to being lied to and was still apprehensive, especially regarding something that they were trying to make her put into her mouth.
"Hey, it's alright, Kid," said the man who was holding her close "We just need to know what your body temperature is, and this will tell us. All you have to do is hold it in your mouth for a minute. It's not gonna hurt, I promise."
Promise. She knew that word. It was something you couldn't break. Eleven looked up at the man, studying his eyes, trying to see if they were genuine like Mikes or deceiving like Papa's. While they were the same color as the latter, they were much softer, and appeared to hold nothing but protection. Slowly, she turned back to the woman, who's expression matched his, and cautiously opened her mouth.
The little glass stick was cold and felt odd inside of her mouth, but Hopper had been right, it definitely didn't hurt, though it felt like she held it under her tongue forever, the two adults staring her down as they all waited. Jim glanced at the watch on his wrist and nodded to Joyce, who leaned forward and removed it.
"Almost 92." the woman said quietly, covering her mouth.
From beside her, Will gaped, and Jonathan mumbled a quiet, "Jesus."
Hopper, who had the most experience with hypothermia, seemed to be the most optimistic, however, which was encouraging. "That's actually better than I thought, but she needs to be at least at 96 before we give her a bath."
"What can we do until then to get her warm?" Joyce asked.
"Didn't you make a drink?"
She nodded, reaching for the coffee cup next to the fireplace, which had cooled just enough for the child to drink. "Here, sweetheart, this tea, it's warm water with a little flavor. Not too hot, see?" the woman said, taking a sip herself to show the girl that it was safe. "Can you lift up your head and take a sip for me?"
This time Eleven complied immediately. She hadn't realized how thirsty she was until now; she couldn't even remember the last time she'd actually drank something, all that had been available for the last few frozen weeks was snow. The girl lifted her head, which felt like it weighed about a hundred pounds, and let out a satisfied breath through her nose when the cup was held to her lips and the sweet, warm liquid began to heat her throat and chest immediately. She wanted to drink the whole thing in one big gulp, and whined slightly when Jim pulled the cup away after only a few sips.
"Slow down, Kid, I don't want it to make you sick." he said, passing the cup back to Joyce.
Will and Jonathan sat beside their mother, unsure of what to do or say. They'd both heard the story of her disappearance into thin air on multiple occasions, so to see her here now was mind blowing to say the least, especially for Will, who'd never even really actually seen her before. He couldn't believe she was really alive. The guys were gonna freak when he told them.
"Oh my God, I have to tell Mike!" Will said, standing up suddenly. "He's gonna lose his mind!"
Eleven's head shot up at the magic word she'd been dying to hear for so long. She opened her mouth to say it too, but nothing came out. Before she could try again, the voice from beneath her beat her to it.
"No! You can't tell anyone." Jim said, turning on his police chief voice. That alone was enough to silence Will, but not his mother.
"Hop, come on. Mike should know. He has not been the same kid since she disappeared."
"Joyce, no way. Do you have any idea what kind of surveillance that family is still under? I drive through their neighborhood every day and see at least two power and light vans somewhere. We may as well call the Lab and just tell them exactly where we are to save some time."
"We cannot keep her a secret from those boys, that is not fair." The woman countered.
"I'm not saying we have to forever, but for tonight? Yes, we do."
There was an extended silence before Hopper addressed Will. "Buddy, I know you want to tell your friends she's safe, but doing that right now would put us all in danger. We can tell 'em soon, but not right now, okay?"
Will nodded; he understood.
And while the little girl in Hopper's arms was devastated, she understood, too. She'd seen firsthand the amount of surveillance Mike was under, and didn't doubt the man if he said they were still being watched. Her decision was the same as it had been the night she'd gone back to his house only to leave again; she had to stay away to keep them both safe.
The group continued on like this for a while, Eleven slowly finishing the tea and Joyce bringing her cup after cup. They took her temperature again an hour or so later, pleased to find it had already gone up to 94. It was nearly nine by then and a school night for both boys. Jonathan retreated into his room after bringing in enough firewood to last the night, and Joyce excused herself to tuck Will in. He was still sleeping in her bed, and was already in there under the covers when she came in to say goodnight. While the boy had been back in school for a few weeks now, his energy levels were still pretty low comparatively, and he often found himself tired enough to go to sleep long before Joyce's loosely enforced bedtime of nine-thirty.
The woman layed down next to her son, brushing the long strands of straight hair from his eyes that needed another trim soon. "How're you feeling, baby?"
"Fine, I don't think I have a fever." the boy replied.
Joyce smiled. "Not that, I mean...with everything else."
"Oh," Will said, unsure of what to tell her, unsure of how he truly did feel about it. "I was scared when you were late."
"I know, and I'm sorry I didn't explain. I didn't want to tell you why only for us to not find her, you know?"
"Where was she?"
"She was in the woods. Hopper's been leaving her food for a few weeks."
The boy was quiet for a moment. "Is...she gonna stay with us?"
"No," Joyce said, feeling surprised at the disappointment that accompanied the admission. "It's not safe for her here either, or for us. We're going to work something out though, I just don't know what yet."
Will nodded, pausing again before asking another question, one that made Joyce smile this time. "Can...I stay home tomorrow? I don't think I can go to school and not tell them about her."
The next day was Friday and one of Joyce's days off. "Sure, baby. And I'll talk to Hop about when we can tell them, because I agree with you."
Will smiled as Joyce kissed his forehead and tucked him in, shutting off the lamp and switching on the hall light as she stood in the doorway. "Goodnight, baby. I'll be in soon, come get me if you need anything."
"Night, mom."