CHAPTER TWELVE
( the talk )
THE GROUP HAD been sitting around the old bus. They didn't know where else to go. As Mike had said, they were fugitives now. Maddie had her head on Mike's shoulder, looking forwards at the ground.
She hadn't thought anything of it, but he was trying not to move so she wouldn't have a reason to leave. No one was talking, they were all far too anxious and worried.
"Mike, are you there? Mike?" Maddie suddenly heard. She lifted her head up, looking around as Dustin looked at them all. "You guys hear that?" It was coming from the walkie. "Mike, it's me, Nancy."
Mike went into his backpack, digging around before pulling out the walkie. "Mike, are you there? Answer. Mike we need you to answer." The group all crowded together around Mike. "Is that your sister?" Lucas questioned. Nancy never tried to contact Mike, so it was extremely weird.
"This is an emergency, Mike. Do you copy? Mike, do you copy?" Nancy's voice yet again questioned. Dustin looked at Mike. "Okay, this is really weird." Lucas grabbed the walkie from Mike's hand, but he quickly snatched it right back. "Don't answer."
"She said it was an emergency." Lucas replied and Maddie once again began hearing the sound of a helicopter souring above. "What if it's a trick?" Mike countered. Lucas shook his hands in front of his face. "It's your sister!"
Mike countered once more. "What if the bad people kidnapped her? What if they're forcing her to say this?" Lucas didn't reply, he hadn't thought of that. "I need you to answer."
Dustin gasped. "It's like Lando Calrissian. Don't answer." Maddie scrunched her eyebrows together, she didn't know who that was. "We need to know that you're there, Mike." Nancy's voice yet again begged.
But then a new voice could be heard. "Listen, kid, this is the chief. If you're there, pick up. We know you're in trouble and we know about the girl." Maddies eyes widened at the sound of her uncles voice. She made eye contact with Mike, who looked at her confused. "Why is she with the chief?" Lucas wondered.
"How the hell does he know about..." Dustin mumbled lightly, looking at El. That part confused Maddie as well, along with the rest of what they were now finding out.
"We can protect you, we can help you, but you gotta pick up. Are you there? Do you copy? Over." Maddies uncle once again breathed out. The kids just looked between each other. "Maddie, if you're there... please. One of you pick up."
Maddies eyes widened, she hadn't expected him to address her. Mike turned to Maddie, he wanted her thoughts. "What should we do?" Dustin, El, and Lucas then all turned to Maddie. She knew the chief the best and would have the best idea on who he was as a person. Whether he'd help them or betray them.
"It's your call." Lucas added. Maddie bit her lip. She sat there for a second before catching Mikes eye and nodding. "Answer."
Mike nodded, pressing the button on the side of the walkie. "Yeah, I copy. It's Mike. I'm here. We're here."
MADDIE WAS QUICKLY beginning to regret her decision as the five waited in the bus. Her mind raced as she thought about what would happen if Hopper had been helping the bad men instead of them.
And Dustins endless pacing didn't make anything any better.
"Will you stop pacing?" Mike finally voiced, asking what they had all been thinking. Dustin didn't stop though. "It's been way too long. Do you know what? Maybe you're right. Maybe this is all a trap and the bad men are coming to get us right now!"
"It's not a trap." Lucas replied. "Why would the chief set us up? Nancy, maybe, but the chief?" Dustin pointed at Lucas. "Lando Calrissian."
"Would you shut up about Lando?" Lucas yelled back, annoyed. Maddie tapped her foot rapidly against the bus' floor, finding that all her anxiety was building up. "I don't feel good about this. I don't feel good about this!" Dustin screamed at Lucas, getting closer to his friends face before continuing to pace. "When do you feel good about anything?"
The group then heard the sound of a vehicle approaching. They all ran to the front of the bus, hoping to see Hopper walking towards them with the location Mike had given him. But instead they watched as two smaller black cars came their way.
"Shit!" Dustin cussed. Mike ushered everyone to the back of the bus again. "Go, go, go, go." They all found different areas to hide behind. Maddie found herself squished in the very back next to El, the latter of the two grabbing onto Maddies hand in worry.
"Lando." Dustin breathed out. Lucas just ignored him and looked at Mike. "You think they saw us?" Mike just looked between his two male friends. "Both of you, shut up."
Maddie closed her eyes as she tried to calm her breathing. Everything was far too quiet. But then her anxiety built yet again when the creaking sound of the bus door opening could be heard. She thought the fact that it had been the only noise made just made everything freakier.
A grunt could then be heard before something that sounded like falling. Even more grunts and hits sounded out, even random words of shock, before the door creaked again and everyone stood up.
Hopper walked into the bus, nodding his head. "All right, let's go." No one moved. "Let's go!" He walked out of the bus and all the kids grabbed their bags, running out of the bus.
IT WAS DARK when the group pulled up to the Byers residence. The car ride had been dead silent, no one daring to speak. They all got out of the car, Hopper opening the door for them.
"Mike! Oh my god, Mike!" Nancy breathed out, pulling Mike into a hug. "I was so worried about you." Mike just looked at her a bit shocked. "Yeah, uh... me, too."
Nancy smiled a bit but her attention turned to El, well, more like what El was wearing. "Is that my dress?"
Joyce ushered the kids towards the door. "Everyone inside." Everyone began walking towards the door but Hopper put his hand on Maddies shoulder, stopping her. "Hey, kid. I'm guessing you're the one who convinced Mike to respond?"
Maddie frowned. "Yeah, it's not a big deal." She quickly tried to walk off. Maddie knew he was trying, but it honestly felt like too little too late. It had taken him over a year to finally try, so why should she just run back to him with open arms.
Hopper found his own frown and decided he was tired of it. He grabbed Maddies arm, pulling her the opposite way of the house towards the back of his truck. "What are you doing?" Maddie gasped, trying to pull away. Hopper gritted his teeth. "We're going to have a little chat, one on one."
Hopper let Maddie go once they were standing behind his truck. She crossed her arms over her chest, the frown evident on her face. Hopper sighed. "Look, kid. I know shits been hard for a while now but I need you to explain this little game you're playing."
Maddie scoffed, she couldn't believe he was turning it on her. "The game I'm playing? What about you? What about this stupid game you've played for the last year?" Hopper was a bit taken back. "What are you talking about?"
Maddie found her mouth hanging open a bit. "Seriously? Ever since my mom died you have refused to even look at me until Will went missing. Do you know how shitty it feels to have your own uncle refuse to look at you? I needed you. I needed someone to actually be there for me, and all you did was run away. So I'm sorry if you're shocked that you can't just decide that you'll come back into my life now."
"Okay, first, language. And second, how about we show a little empathy? Huh? Can you do that for a second? Now— I'm sorry that it has felt this way for you. But—" Maddie cut him off instantly. "No."
Hopper raised his eyebrows. "No?" Maddie nodded. "Yeah, no. You don't get to make excuses for this. There is no but. You bailed right when I needed you most. I needed my uncle to be there for me. I just needed someone— anyone! To sit there and let me know that one day it wouldn't hurt like it did. But instead everything changed. I didn't leave my room one time for weeks. The only reason I was getting food and water was because my friends would bring stuff in through my window. Not once did you call, not once did you check to see if I was okay. And I get it, I'm not your kid you don't have to worry about me. But I guess I had been naive enough to believe you actually ever cared. Or that we once had a good relationship."
Hopper was instantly questioning in his mind why Maddies father hadn't been checking in on her. She had all these pent up emotions and anger that he assumed couldn't just be for him. "Where was your dad in all of this?"
Maddie scoffed, of course that's what he had taken from her words. "Where is he most days." She instantly regretted saying that. Hoppers gaze quickly turned concerned. "What does that mean?" Maddie shook her head. "It doesn't matter. It's not the point. The point is, you made me feel worthless to you. Like you couldn't have cared less about me in the slightest. I don't think you know how embarrassing that feeling is. How embarrassed I was towards myself for thinking that you ever cared."
Hopper frowned. "Of course I care, kid." Maddies eyes brimmed with tears, she just couldn't believe him. "Then why." Hopper scrunched up his eyebrows. "Then why what?"
Maddie lifted her arms up in the air and flung them down right after in irritation. "Then why would you treat me like that!" She had shouted this, the first time in the conversation her voice had raised. Hoppers had raised many times, but before that Maddie had tried to keep her tone consistent.
Hopper didn't say anything. Maddie scoffed to herself, allowing a few tears to cascade down her face. She turned around to walk into the Byers house. They were all probably talking about how to get Will back while Maddie was stuck having this conversation.
But she stopped walking instantly when Hopper spoke again. "Because you look just like her." Maddie slowly turned back around but didn't move from her position away from Hopper. She waited for him to continue.
Hopper sighed. "After Sarah, I was a mess. I'm sure you remember that. But your mom, she had been there and didn't give up on me once. She helped me out of that place ever so slightly and was helping life to become bearable again. She was patient and would invite me over for dinner all the time so I felt like I still had family. And when your mom got sick, god it felt like deja vu. It felt like the most god damn painful deja vu I'd ever felt. But I sat there with you in the hospital every night and helped you fall asleep. And just sitting there as you held your moms hand while they tried to save her, I couldn't stand to see your face for a while."
Hopper shook his head, he knew how that sounded. "No— that isn't what I meant. I mean every time I saw your face I saw her. I saw your mom. You were just like a little copy of her, you still are. And I guess it was selfish, but I couldn't look at you without seeing your mom, even without seeing Sarah."
Hoppers own tears fell down his face, it had been the first time in a long time Maddie had seen him cry. "And kid, that's not an excuse I promise you that. I was selfish and I was only thinking about how seeing you and even your dad hurt me. But I never stopped to think about how you where doing. I should have been there for you and I'm gonna regret that I wasn't for the rest of my life."
Maddie rubbed her eye. She wanted so badly to just forgive him instantly, to let them go back to how it had once been. She finally understood his reasoning. And while it hurt, it was a damn good reason to have.
Hopper let out a breath. "Look, I'm not asking for you to forgive me right now. Not at all. All I'm asking is for you to understand. I just— I need you to understand that it was never your fault. You never did anything to make me stop loving you or to make me stop caring about you. You're always gonna be my niece and I'm always gonna love you. It was all me, kid. It was all me."
Maddie finally gave in and walked towards him before wrapping her arms around him in a hug. Hopper hugged back, he was surprised she was extending this olive branch to him. He wasn't going to ruin it again. This was a 12 year old little girl who needed him and he was going to make sure he was there for her no matter what.
Because she was family, and he wasn't going to give up on that again.
AUTHORS NOTE!
was a bit on the fence for this hopper and maddie talk but I'm happy with how it turned out