*I do not own the rights to Stranger Things
*I do not own the rights to any characters from Stranger Things
*I am not the creator of the character Autumn
*I do not own the rights to ANY music used or mentioned in this fan fiction
*This story is an extended ending to California Dreaming by brittyaustin89, please read her fanfiction first. Otherwise this might not make sense.
Monarch: Autumn's Butterfly Effect
Chapter 4: Time After Time
Billy was in a coma for 3 agonizing months, and Autumn hardly ever left his side. She might slip out occasionally to have a monitored phone call to Stephy, or maybe have a Hargrove family dinner. But, she was never gone longer than a few hours. Neil and Susan had to get back to work, and it was getting into mid October, so Max was in school. Autumn was honestly the only person who could dedicate all their time to be with Billy. The government facility had helped to accommodate her with a room and a cot. It wasn't the Hilton, but she would deal with whatever to stay close to Billy.
Over the months, Billy's body had healed the best it could. The doctors were able to perform a few surgeries to stitch him back together. Each surgery though, had been more terrifying than the last. He had 4 in total, and each one brought the risk of death. But, Billy was a fighter. His broken and bruised body managed to mend itself every time. However, his once perfectly sculpted torso looked more like a patchwork quilt. He had horrendous scares, and sadly nothing could be done about them yet. Autumn couldn't wait for Billy to awaken, because she had a bottle of Cocoa Butter with his name on it. And as if his mangled stomach wasn't enough, Billy now had a body type similar to Steve's. Slender and lanky. Being in the hospital kept him healthy, but for obvious reasons, he had no more muscle definition. The doctors said, if he ever awoke he would be able to put muscle back on, but that would be a long process as well.
It was a cool breezy October afternoon when Billy finally came to. Autumn was holding his hand, leaning in her chair against his bed, and watching crappy day time tv. Billy's machine's began beeping like crazy. His heart beat had increased rapidly. His eyes opened wide, pupils dilated, as he began coughing while he choked on the intubation tube. Autumn jumped up from her seat and squeezed his hand. She quickly pressed the red call button. "Billy! Billy! Babe wait wait someones coming. Don't fight it baby!" Just then a nurse came rushing in and started to undo his tube. "Mr. Hargrove, sir, I need you to relax. This is gonna hurt, ok?" The nurse grabbed a small oval container, and placed it in Billy's lap as she got his bed in an upright position. She then gloved up, and began to pull out his tube. As soon as it came out she brought the container up to Billy's mouth, as he instantly started coughing and vomiting. This went on for a few minutes, before Billy took a deep breath and leaned back against his pillow. He was out of breath and exhausted. The nurse patted him on the shoulder. She went to dispose of the intubation tube and fill a small plastic cup with water. Billy looked around the room feeling confused and groggy. Autumn was squeezing his hand and smiling down at him. Billy had so many thoughts, he opened his mouth to talk… "Au...Auu". His voice was hoarse, and his throat was on fire. "No, no Mr. Hargrove. Don't try to talk." The nurse said, handing him the cup. "You've had that tube in your throat for quite some time. You won't be able to really talk for a few weeks. Maybe longer." As the nurse spoke to him, Autumn noticed that the hand holding the cup hadn't stopped shaking. Autumn, placed her hands around Billy's and helped him drink. At this point the nurse noticed the shaking as well. "Now don't you worry about anything. I know it can be scary, but your body is very weak. I could imagine holding that cup is hard work?" Billy shook his head "yes", as he took a few sips. The nurse started lightly tapping his shoulder. "I'll go get the doctor for you." The nurse took the puke container, and slipped out of the room.
Autumn helped Billy sip on the water a few more times before taking it, and cleaning bits of vomit off his chin. Billy didn't take his eyes off Autumn as she tended to him. He watched her cross the room, and put the used napkin in the trash. She was still as glorious as he remembered. A beautiful thick head of luscious hair, voluptuous lips, soft rounded hips, silky skin. As she came to sit next to him, he noticed that she was wearing the silver promise ring. And it was on her ring finger, no less. Billy reached out to grab her hands as she sat. He caressed the skin on the top of her left hand, and gently played with the ring. His hands were shaking as he held hers. Billy was not a very emotional guy, but a single tear rolled down his cheek. He tried so hard to fight it, but there was no resisting. He looked Autumn deep in her eyes, squeezed her hands as tight as he could, and mouthed the words, "I'm sorry." Autumn leaned over and lightly kissed Billy on his cheek.
In the midst of their tender moment, the door to his room was abruptly opened and a suit walked in. It was Lt. Son-of-a-Bitch, as Autumn referred to him. In the months she had been here, Autumn got to know a lot of the officers, soldiers, and personnel. She saw the good, bad, and ugly, side of everyone. Especially this guy. He was very by the book, and had the biggest stick up his ass. He and Autumn had a few run-ins, and they learned to steer clear of one another. He gave Autumn a sneer, and told her to go wait in the hall. Autumn couldn't help herself. She had to razz his balls a little, and get under his skin. So, she saluted him, and marched out high stepping like a Nazi. The lieutenant rolled his eyes, "I'm not amused Miss. Whitman." Billy was, though. He smirked at his sassy ass girlfriend. He missed her so much. The lieutenant waited for Autumn to leave before speaking to Billy. He walked to Billy's bedside, and pulled the chair around to face him. He crossed one leg over the other, leaned back, and opened a manila folder on his lap. "Mr. Hargrove, my name is Lt. Miller. I'm here to debrief you on the events that unfolded on the night of July 4 of this year, 1985. Now I know you can't speak, so you can simply shake your head for me to answer my questions. Are you with me so far?" Billy shook his head, "yes." "Ok then, Mr. Hargrove. On the night of July 4th, do you remember being at Starcourt Mall?" Billy nodded. "Do you remember being attacked by a creature, nicknamed the "Mind Flayer"? Another "yes" nod from Billy. "Do you remember kidnapping individuals from the community of Hawkins to...I'll say, supply this creature?" Billy felt a shiver run down his spine. He looked away from the lieutenant. He remembered everything. He remembered taking people to their death. He remembered trying to kill his sister and her dorky friends. He remembered tying Autumn up. He remembered the searing pain of teeth...no fangs digging into his flesh. He remembered everything, and wasn't liking these first few questions. Lt. Miller could see that Billy was getting a little uncomfortable. He leaned forward in his chair, and put a hand on Billy's blanket. "It's ok, son. It was a lot to go through. I'll just cut right to the chase. Is there anything you don't remember?" Billy looked around and gestured towards the whole room. "This? You don't remember anything here or what happened after?" Billy shook his head. Miller took a long pause and then let out a deep sigh. "Well I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you've been in a coma for 3 months. Today is Wednesday, October 15, 1985. Your injuries were too severe. The only way to possibly ensure your life was to put your body to sleep. You've undergone many surgeries to get you to this point. You're lucky to be alive."
Lt. Miller kept speaking, but all Billy could hear was a loud ringing sound. Miller's voice became more and more distant to Billy, as if he was drifting off into the distance. His heart rate began to spike, and his blood pressure was through the roof. Billy was having a panic attack. He started furiously ripping needles and tubes out of his forearms. Small amounts of blood spurted every which way. Billy felt like he was having an out of body experience, as he fought Miller trying to push him back in bed. Billy felt an overwhelming need to get the hell out of that room. He felt as though the walls had suddenly started closing in on him. This surge of anxiety and adrenaline gave Billy a little more strength, but the nurse heard the commotion. She saw what was happening and rushed in to inject him with a strong sedative. He was out cold for 3 hours.
Billy was awakened by the soft gentle voice of Autumn. "Billy? Billy, can you hear me?" Autumn noticed that Billy was waking up, and started to rub his shoulder. When he spoke, he was very groggy again. "Ye...yea…" Billy was trying to talk, but quickly remembering he physically couldn't. "It's ok baby. Don't try to talk. Please just stay calm. There is someone here who wants to speak with you." Standing by Billy's bedside was a tall slender woman in a pantsuit. She had her brown hair pulled back into a neat bun, and a clipboard in hand.
Autumn leaned over, and gave Billy a kiss on his forehead before leaving the room. The tall woman came and sat in Autumn's chair, and began speaking. "Mr. Hargrove, are you with me? You are probably feeling the effects of that sedative. I want to make sure you're okay before I begin. Can you shake your head if you understand?" Billy shook his head. He hated more than anything that he wasn't able to talk. "Ok, Mr. Hargrove. My name is Melinda James. I'm a psychologist. Now, I don't want that word to scare you. People think that I'm the psycho brain doctor that wants you to dive deep into your feelings. I'm not like that at all. I'm here to try and help you cope with your trauma. What you suffered through a few hours ago was a side effect of the events of July 4th. You had a PTSD episode, and probably an anxiety attack as well. Now, I'm not going to diagnose you right away, and say you have an anxiety disorder. However, I will say that a proper PTSD diagnosis isn't too far out of the realm of possibility. Again, I don't want any of what I'm saying to scare you. I'm here to help. I'm going to prescribe you a small dose of Prozac. For these first few months while you're still in recovery, I want you to take the medicine on a daily basis. Later on down the line once you're discharged you can start to take them as needed. From what the doctors tell me you are going to have a long road to recovery, so just take your time with your body. But, especially with your mind. Muscles and bones heal, but memories and experiences last a lifetime. I will come back to visit you every other week. I know you can't talk so there is no sense in me coming all the time. But if you have any concerns just write them down, and I will address them when I see you."
Billy spent the last of October, and the next 4 months pushing through all his physical therapy. He hated being stuck in that hospital bed. He wanted out as fast as possible and he impressed all the doctors with how much progress he made. Even the military personnel joked about how Billy needed to join the army once he fully recovered. Something about his dedication and overall stubbornness. But, Billy had bigger plans. Through the months Billy got closer with his dad and Susan. He was even shocked about hearing of Neil's change of heart, when Billy first was brought to this facility. Neil was keeping his word though. There was no fighting, no cussing, and no racism. Everything was good for a change. Autumn and Billy had never been closer, and with a little help from Uncle Sam, their future was going to be bright. During his stay, Billy was visited by Lt. Miller, and on several occasions they had discussed Billy's "hush money." The lieutenant would never allow Billy to disclose exactly how many checks he would get and how many zeros would be on those checks. But, Billy didn't care because he and his family were set for life.
The morning of February 14, 1986 was not supposed to be Billy's release date, but it was planned this way for one specific reason.
Ever since Billy had started to fully recover, Autumn felt comfortable enough leaving him alone at that awful government facility. She had long since moved her belongings in with Neil, Susan, and Max. Autumn and Max had been sharing a room, which neither of them minded. Autumn loved spending time with her cousin again. They spent many nights talking about boys, school, and homework. The girls were thick as thieves again, so it was no surprise that when it came time to pick up Billy, Max easily convinced her cousin to get dressy for her boyfriend. "No, not that dress Autumn, the cute white one Aunt Susan got you last week." Autumn was modeling a dress in Max's bedroom with different heels and poses. She wanted to look just right for Billy's release. "The white one? Max...no way! That one is too elegant. I wanted to save it for a party or something." Max jumped up from her bed and grabbed the dress out of the closet. "Come on Autumn you know you love this dress! Don't you want to look your damn best for Billy! Knock his socks off!" Autumn gave her cousin the biggest smile, and blushed a little. Autumn was in fact in love with the dress that Susan bought for her. It was almost identical to the iconic Marilyn Monroe dress. She knew Billy would love it, because it hugged her curves just right, and it would show just enough cleavage to make him drool. Autumn just wanted to save it for something a little classier though. Max on the other hand wouldn't have it. She shoved the dress at her cousin and demanded she put it on. "Okay okay! I'll wear it, but if it gets dirty you're paying for my dry cleaning!" Autumn grabbed the dress and skittered off to keep getting ready.
A few hours later, The Hargroves and Autumn were stepping out of the car in front of this nasty ass warehouse facility one last time. Before they could walk off Max had to run back to the trunk of the car. "Oh wait you guys. I almost forgot something!" Max came from behind the car, slammed the trunk, and appeared with a small bouquet of white roses in her hand, and passed it off to Autumn. "Uh Max...what the hell are these for?" Autumn's brain was trying to piece together what was going on. She now looked at Neil, Susan, and Max, examining their attire. They were all dressed in their nicest clothes...suddenly it hit her. Autumn's knees buckled and Neil grabbed her by the arm. "Oh my God...oh my God...is this really happening?" Autumn started breathing a little heavier. Neil and Susan helped walk Autumn into the building, and right there at the front doors was Billy in khakis and a white button down dress shirt. On his left stood a neatly uniformed man holding a bible. "Hey beautiful." Billy smirked at Autumn with that devilish smile of his. "Can I talk with you for a minute?" Billy grabbed Autumn's hand and pulled her off to the side to whisper to her. "Hargrove! What the hell are you thinking!? Did you plan all this?!" Autumn was about to burst. She wasn't going to talk quietly at a time like this. Billy quickly shut her up by planting a quick kiss on her lips, then placing a finger on her soft mouth. "Listen, you gotta know something. I didn't plan for this to be some cheesy Valentines day bullshit. But you know how I am. I ain't gonna remember any other day, and I know this isn't what you would imagine, but I ain't walking out those doors and not making sure you're mine forever. I almost lost myself and I almost lost you. I'm not letting that happen again no matter what. So we can plan some big things later, but for now you are gonna be my girl." Billy put a soft kiss on Autumn's lips as tears started running down her face. The two of them walked hand in hand back over to their family and the officiant. "Dearly beloved…"
Where once sat a silver band with tiny hearts was now joined by a small 1 carat diamond ring on Autumn's left hand.