The Strangest is Yet to Come

13.

Jonathan and Nancy stare over the railing, looking down upon the dead Mind Flayer before the girl's letting out a laugh in disbelief before she throws her arms around him in celebration. They'd done it; his mom and Hopper. They'd closed the gate and by the looks of things, just in time. 

Across the way, his brother and Lucas are celebrating their victory as well and he quickly makes his way over. 

"You guys alright?" he asks, giving Will a tight hug. 

"We're fine," Lucas assures, "Did you see that thoug-"

"Mike!" 

Jonathan turns at Nancy's cry, seeing her running for the stairs and he peers back down into the mess to see that Mike is indeed down there, hugging Eleven close to him as Samantha sits a couple of feet from them. 

He follows in Nancy's footsteps, taking the stairs two at a time as Will and Lucas call his name in question.

The ground floor is a mess; destroyed stores, mannequins everywhere and because of their fireworks, a now growing fire coming from the GAP.

"Samantha!" he calls, leaping over scattered debris and skirting his way around the body of the Mind Flayer to get to her, falling down beside her with a pant, "Samantha?"

She flinches when he rests his hand gently on her shoulder, looking at him with wide, if not slightly glassy, eyes. 

"Jonathan?" she whispers as if suddenly realising that it's him and then she's wrapping an arm around his neck, "Oh my god, Jonathan!"

He pulls her closer, practically onto his lap as she cries into his shoulder and he peers over her to witness Max sobbing over Billy's body. 

"Are you alright?" he whispers, gently cupping her face to make her look at him and she shakes her head.

"I think my arm is broken," she sniffles, "And my head hurts."

"We'll get you to a hospital," he murmurs, "Can you stand?"

"Holy shit, Samantha," Nancy appears at her side and helps her up, hastily apologising when the blonde groans.

"It really did a number on me," she whispers, "Mike, how is he? And Max? They were knocked out and I-"

"They're fine," Nancy interrupts, "Physically anyway but don't worry about that now. You need a doctor." 

Jonathan nods in agreement as Samantha leans heavily against him, "She says her head hurts." 

They look towards the mall entrance when the doors fly open and a flood of government soldiers come running in with their guns raised and they're quick to surround the body of the Mind Flayer.

"Everybody out!" one of them yells from a few feet away and she winces, "Come on, out! Now!" 

Jonathan has a tight grip on her waist as they're escorted from the building and from behind them, they can hear Max protesting loudly as she's dragged from Billy's body. 

It's raining when they step outside and Samantha sighs, tilting her head back to allow the waterdrops to cool her hot skin and she can hear the screeching of sirens and tyres as the parking lot starts to fill up with emergency vehicles and news vans.

Nancy goes with Steve and Robin to one ambulance while and EMT from another steps forward to help Jonathan. 

Samantha is soon settled in another, arm in a temporary sling until they can get her to the hospital and Jonathan hovers uselessly at the doors, chewing on his thumb as he watches the paramedic shine a light in her eyes and carry out some other tests to see if she might have a concussion. 

"Samantha?"

He turns at the sound of Caroline Wheeler's voice, seeing her arguing with one of the perimeter officers who eventually lifts the tape and let her by, much to the excitement of the growing crowd. 

"Oh shit," his girlfriend mutters and he would have laughed but her mom is wrapping her arms around his neck, "Mom!" 

"Are the two of you okay?" Caroline asks, looking past him to her daughter, "Oh my god, Samantha, look at you!"

The paradmedic's protests fall on deaf ears as the woman climbs into the back of the rig, quickly taking her hand as she sits on the little bench beside the cot, "I'm fine, mom. How did you know we were here?"

"The fair was just starting to wind down when I heard the sirens," her mom starts explaining, "At first I thought nothing of it but when I saw the smoke, smelt it...I can't explain it. I just had this horrible feeling that you were here and," her eyes close as she sighs, "I was right." 

Jonathan watches his girlfriend's brow furrow and she sits up (ignoring both him and her mom when they try to stop her) and her eyes scan the busy lot behind him.

He places a hand on her ankle, "What's wrong?"

"Dad," she whispers, desperately looking at her mom, "W-where's dad?"

He can see her mind go a mile-a-minute, automatically assuming the worst. 

"Mom, where's dad?" she chokes out. 

"Hey," Caroline squeezes her hand tightly, "Relax, alright? He's at the hospital. I called him from a payphone and he's for us there. You know he's working tonight, where else would he be?"

She relaxes back in the gurney, looking at him as he gives her ankle a gentle squeeze, "Nowhere. I'm sorry. I just forgot." 

"She thinks she hit her head," Jonathan fibs and her mom gets out as the paramedic reappears at the doors to tell them they'd be heading for the hospital in a couple of minutes.

While Caroline questions the poor man, he takes her place by Samantha's side, "How are you doing?"

"'m okay," she murmurs, "What they've given me is starting to work. Doesn't hurt anymore." 

"Good," he leans down to press a kiss to her forehead. 

"Feelin' tired though," she admits, resting her head back against the small pillow.

"Gotta stay awake though," he squeezes her hand when her eyes slip shut, "Samantha." 

"Hm?"

"Eyes open babe," he instructs, "Gotta stay awake till they can check you over at the hospital." 

"Are you coming with me?"

Jonathan looks out to another of the ambulances, seeing Will desperately searching for their mother and Hopper while he's being checked over. "I'm going to stay here till my mom get's out," he tells her, "As soon as I see she's safe, I'll follow, okay?"

Samantha nods tiredly, "That's a good idea. Joyce will want to see that you're both safe." 

"They're ready to go," Caroline tells them and he looks down at his girlfriend again. 

"I love you," he whispers, a lazy grin spreading across her face before he kisses her softly.

"Love you too." 

"Jonathan," her mom says as he steps off of the rig and she presses her car keys into his hand, "I hope your mom is alright." 

He steps back so that they can close the doors, the lights from the sirens illuminate his face as soon as the engine roars to life and he watches as it slowly moves off.

"Come on mom," he whispers, looking up at the mall that was now engulfed in flames. 

They had to have made it.