"Hey, Jamie. Remember me?", Owens said with a friendly smile as he sat on the edge of the kitchen chair resting his arms on the table while Joyce, Will, El, and Jamie sat around on the other side.
"Where the hell would I know you from?", Jamie thought to herself as Joyce and Owens examined the confusion on her face.
"Remember the first time your dad brought you in to see me when you were having an asthma attack?", Owens asked hopping to jog her memory.
Jamie looked at her lap and then looked back up at Owens and shook her head.
Joyce and Owens both looked at Will who looked somewhat terrified. Joyce had 'worry' written all across her face as she gave Owens a look.
"Okay, no worries. I'm Dr. Owens, or Sam, or whatever you wanna call me. I'm just gonna take some of your vitals and talk to you about some things", Dr. Owens said as he pulled a stethoscope from his bag.
As Joyce stood up from the table and walked towards the sink, Jamie quickly stood and stepped back from Owens.
Joyce scrunched her face as she looked at Jamie and Owens wondering what happened in the few seconds that she had her back turned until she realized what was going on.
"It's okay, sweetie. I'm not going anywhere. I'm just getting a glass of water", Joyce said reassuringly as she pulled a two glasses from the cupboard.
Jamie watched her and sat back down. She gave Owens an embarassing smile as he pulled more items out of his bag.
"Alright, first I'm gonna check your blood pressure. Can you take off your jacket for me?", Owens asked.
Jamie nodded and slightly winced as she pulled off her jacket. Once she rolled up the sleeves to her flannel, everyone but Owens winced as they saw the bruises and scars on Jamie's arm. Owens gently took Jamie's wrist and turned it upwards and rubbed his thumb across the scars that were previously there.
"How old are these?", He asked as he examined her wrist.
"Um... about a week or so?", Jamie said as she scratched the back of her neck.
"Ah huh", Owens mumbled as his eyes followed the bruises up Jamie's arm. "The way these are shaped... it looks like someone grabbed you. What happened?"
Jamie looked at her arm and thought back to when Mark and Teresa first came to the house and then being in the room with the monster. She couldn't remember what happened in between David carrying her off somewhere and waking up in Steve's car.
"Um... I don't know?", Jamie said more of a question as she looked at her other arm.
"Do you have any more bruises or scratches? Old or new", Owens asked as he looked at Jamie then at Joyce for an answer.
"Yes" , Joyce replied.
"No", Jamie said simultaneously as her and Joyce both looked at each other.
Owens looked at the two confused and sat back in his chair.
"Do you not want to show me?", he asked as he looked at Jamie who looked terrified.
Jamie looked at Joyce who looked back at her with a confusing expression on her face.
"Nightmares", Jamie mouthed towards Joyce.
"Oh! Sweetie it's okay. You can talk to Owens about your powers. He already knows about El's and the monsters and all of the other stuff", Joyce said with a reassuring smile after she forgot that Jamie only came into her life about a week ago.
"You've been having nightmares?", Owens questioned.
"Yes... they've been leaving scratches", Jamie responded.
"What do you mean?", Owens asked failing to hide the slight terror on his face.
"I'll have a dream that the dem.. demo-?"
"Demogorgon", Will jumped in.
"Yeah", Jamie confirmed. "It would like... chase me and scratch me and try to hurt me... Sometimes it felt real... and when it did, I woke up with these", Jamie said as she casually pulled her pants down and showed Owens the scratches that ran up her leg.
Will looked away for privacy as Joyce nearly choked on her water when she saw how bad the scratches had gotten.
"Goodness, Jamie. Why haven't you said anything?!", Joyce asked as she came around the table for a closer look.
Jamie shrugged her shoulders as Joyce got closer to the inside of her thigh.
"Um.. Jamie?", Joyce said looking up at her.
"Yes?"
"Were you on your period?", Joyce whispered.
"No, why?" , Jamie said as she furrowed her eyebrows and looked down at her thigh as she slightly separated her legs.
"What is it?", Owens asked as he saw Joyce rubbing the inside of Jamie's thigh.
"Blood...", Joyce mumbled.
Owens' eyes grew wide as he knew this could only be one of a very few things. Owens uncomfortably shifted in his seat and threw his equipment back into his bag.
As El peeked across the table at Jamie, Joyce shooed her away.
"Will go to your room. El, call your father, please.", she said as she placed her hands on her knees to boost herself up from the floor.
"Bring her to my office first thing in the morning, Joyce. First thing!", Owens repeated as he threw his jacket over his arm and let himself out.
Jamie was confused at the sudden change of everyone's emotion in the room. As El and Will quickly disappeared, Joyce put the glasses in the sink and went to the bathroom.
"Come on, sweetie", she called out to Jamie. "Im gonna run you a nice hot bath, okay? We've gotta get you cleaned up", Joyce said as she sat on the side of the tub and let water run over her fingers.
———
"So... what is your plan exactly?", Steve asked as he and Hopper sat at a railroad crossing waiting for a cargo train to pass by.
Hopper scratched his beard and flicked his cigarette out the window. He looked over at Steve who sat in the passenger seat and stared at him, the gun that sat on the back seat, and then back at Steve.
"Oh... okay. Right", Steve said awkwardly as he looked away and sunk into the seat.
Hopper groaned as he took a deep breath and placed the car in park.
"I think I love her", Steve blurted out before Hopper even began to speak.
Hopper raised an eyebrow at Steve. "Love....?"
"Jamie", Steve said quietly shifting his focus out the window.
"Hm. You just met her", Hopper said as he rolled his eyes.
"I know but... she's amazing. I got to know her at my house and like... I just feel like we were meant to be, ya know?"
Hopper kept a straight face as Steve talked. Steve got the hint that Hopper has already had enough of Mike and El constantly being together, but he and Jamie are more mature.
"Let me tell you something, Harrington", Hopper started as Steve rolled his eyes. "Jamie isn't like Nancy, she isn't like any ordinary girl at your school, kid. Mainly, because her daddy's got a gun and can cover a lot of shit up because he's the chief of police", he said as he stared at Steve who decided to look over at him.
"Here he goes with this chief of police bullshit", Steve thought to himself.
"Now, I personally don't think she's ready for a relationship. Especially not with all this shit that's going on right now. I also don't think she should be in public school just yet, but here we are."
Steve slowly nodded his head and half listened to Hoppers ranting.
Hopper took a deep breath and rubbed his hands through his hair. "It's just that she's...", Hopper paused as he thought of the correct word.
"different", Steve suggested.
"You have no idea, pal", Hopper mumbled as he reached into the backseat and grabbed the water bottle that he gave to Jamie eariler.
"Yeah? Well how different could she be? Try me", Steve said folding his arms and staring at Hopper as he finished the water.
"Drop it, Steve", Hopper mumbled and rolled his eyes while shaking his head.
"Try me"
"Drop it..."
"Try me", Steve pushed as he threw his arms up.
"I SAID DROP IT!", Hopper yelled as his phone started ringing.
Hopper rubbed his eyes with this thumb and middle finger as he answered the phone.
"Dad", El said before giving Hopper the chance to speak.
"Yeah", Hopper grunted.
"Where are you?", El asked with a bit of worry.
"Busy."
"Mom told me to call you because of Jamie."
"What's wrong?!", Hopper said as he sat up and put the car back in drive.
"There was like... blood on her legs by her panties."
"Blood? Like she's on her period?", Hopper asked confused.
"What's a period?", El asked as Joyce started shouting from the bathroom. "Oh, she said no. It's not her period."
Hopper heard Joyce shouting again in the background and rolled his eyes.
"What'd she say?"
"She said get your a-s-s home and bring pickles and chocolate before she gives you a period", El repeated mocking the sass in Joyce's voice.
Hopper looked at the time and huffed as he face palmed himself. He could either carry out his poorly thought out plan with the assistance of a teenager, or he could come in between a pregnant lady and her cravings.
"Where the fuck am I gonna get.... Okay. Goodbye, be there in a bit", he said as he hung up the phone.
Steve chuckled to himself earning a glare from Hopper as he made a sharp U-turn and headed off towards whatever store was open.
——-
Jamie dried off and put on her pajamas that Joyce laid on top of the toilet. Jamie wiped the mirror in a circular motion and looked at her reflection once she finished brushing her teeth and shook her head. When she headed out the bathroom, she saw that everyone had fallen asleep, including Joyce who left a pile of clean clothes in a basket near her bed as she and El were sprawled across the bed.
Jamie decided to lay down on the couch as she did not want to be awoken by the sounds of El getting in the bed with her. Jamie looked at the clock on the wall as she pulled the covers over her head.
"Its freaking like 3 A.M, where are you?", she whispered as she looked for her dad's number in her phone.
"Hungry", she texted as she placed her phone on the pillow besides her ear so that she'd be able to hear it once he replied.
———
Hopper got out of the blazer and fumbled around in his pocket for the keys. As she set a few bags down, he opened the front door and saw that Jamie had fallen asleep on the couch with the lights on in the kitchen. Hopper and Steve quietly moved the grocery bags to the kitchen counter while Hopper went to check on everyone in the house.
Steve went over to the couch and gently sat on the edge. He froze when Jamie stirred in her sleep, and once she stopped, he decided to gently brush his fingers through her hair.
"Well", Hopper whispered as he returned to the living room and kicked off his work boots. "Its almost 4, so..... I guess you can stay for the remainder of the night"
"Yeah, I'm kinda beat", Steve replied while looking at Jamie attempting to hide wide grin that grew across his face. His concentration was broken by Hopper tossing a pillow and blanket at him.
"I can leave her here while you take the bed, or I can move her to the bed and you can sleep here", Hopper said with a yawn. "But the room is still... you know".
"If moving her is too much of a hassle, I'll sleep in the room", Steve replied as he stood from the couch and stretched.
Hopper bent down and squeezed an arm under Jamie's back and another under her legs. As he started to lift her, she groaned and whined.
"Owww", she whined halfway asleep with her eyes still closed.
"Shhh shhh", Hopper whispered as he nodded towards the couch for Steve to lay down as he carried Jamie to her bed stepping while stepping over the debris.
Hopper placed Jamie in the middle of the bed and threw the covers on top of her. He felt around on the floor for the night light and plugged it in under the desk that sat next to the bed. As Hopper stood up, he banged his head on the edge of the desk and grunted.
"Son of a bitch!", he said as he clenched his teeth and held his head.
"Steve?", Jamie said with her eyes closed as she rubbed them and turned towards the noise.
"Shhh. Lay back down, honey. It's just me. It's daddy", Hopper whispered as he pulled the covers back over Jamie.
"Where's Steve?", Jamie asked as she squinted her eyes to look at her dad.
"He's on the couch. He's alright. Now, I need you to get some rest too so that I know you're alright, okay? You've had a rough day", Hopper said as he gently rubbed the top of Jamie's head and kissed her forehead.
As Hopper headed towards the door, he turned back and looked at Jamie.
"Dad", Jamie whispered.
"Yeah?"
"Can I still go to school?"
"Of course", Hopper said as he smiled and closed the door.
As Hopper walked back down the hall towards Joyce's bedroom, he passed Steve who was fast asleep on the couch. Hopper turned off the lights in the kitchen, pulled his shirt off and went into the room. As he saw Joyce and El sprawled out on the bed leaving him with little to no room, he gently pushed El towards the middle and made room for himself on the edge.
"Definitely need a bigger house", he mumbled before fluffing his pillow and falling asleep.
——
Joyce's alarm went off at at 7:30 earning a groan from El and Hopper. As Joyce sat up on the edge of the bed, El pulled the covers over her head and curled into a ball.
"Joyce", Hopper groaned with half his face burried into the pillow.
"Jim", Joyce replied as she yawned.
"Why do you have an alarm set at the crack of dawn on a Sunday? You don't work today, and we don't go to church", he mumbled.
"Owens said to bring Jamie to his office ASAP", Joyce said as she got out of bed and put on her robe.
"What? Why?", Hopper said as he turned over in bed squinting his eyes.
"Well, he didn't say. But, I figure it has something to do with the blood that was smeared between her legs and she's not even on her period", Joyce responded as she slipped on an old pair of jeans that almost became a perfect fit.
Hopper sat up on his elbows and pinched his eyes. "Uhh... I don't think that's a good idea."
"Why not?"
"Same reason why we can't take El to a hospital."
"Uhh, Jamie didn't grow up in the lab?", Joyce said with a sarcastic tone.
"No", Hopper said over offensively which caused Joyce to give him a disgusted look.
"Geez, sorry", she said as she held up her hands.
"No, I'm sorry", Hopper said as he got out of bed and wrapped his arms around Joyce. "I'm just... afraid. For her", he confessed.
"Why is that?", Joyce said as she leaned her head against his chest and listened to his rapid heart beat.
"Because... Steve told me what happened..."
Joyce looked into Hopper's eyes and saw a mix of emotions. Hopper looked away as he tried to keep his composure.
"They scared her into using her powers right?", Joyce said innocently as that was as much as she knew about what happened at the lab.
Hopper took a deep breath, and when his eyes met Joyce's, she could see the redness from pure anger.
"He touched my little girl Joyce. Again"
Joyce gasped as Hopper broke away and started pacing the room.
"He fucking drugged and.... fucking assaulted her!", he said louder through his gritted teeth. "Not in New York, not at her Nana's, but fucking here with ME! SHE WAS HERE WITH ME AND I TOLD HER THAT I WOULDN'T LET ANYTHING HAPPEN TO HER!", Hopper yelled as he burried his face in his palms and sat on the edge of the bed.
Joyce immediately wrapped her arms around him and rocked with his movements as she rubbed his back.
"It's not your fault, honey. They lied to you"
"I swear to god baby if you didn't call me last night I would've killed him. I should've been there for her", he sniffled as he ran his hands down his face. "I should've been there for Sarah."
"No. Don't you start", Joyce quickly jumped in as Hopper started to hang his head in between his shoulders.
"Look at me", she commanded.
Hopper quickly wiped the tear that was hanging from the tip of his nose. He looked at Joyce as she gently wiped his face.
"It's not your fault. You're a wonderful father to Jamie and to El, and that's one of the many reasons I love you. Now let's go make sure that your daughter is okay before you murder someone", she lightly joked to ease the mood.
"You dare me? Cause I'll do it, Joyce", Hopper said with a chuckle as he stood up and stretched his back.
"God damn it, I tell you our child is sleeping in there own bed from day one because if I wake up with another foot in my spine I'm gonna lose it", he joked as Joyce kissed the middle of his bare chest and stepped into the hallway.
"Umm.. who slept on the couch?", Joyce asked as she saw pillows thrown everywhere and shoes thrown by the front door.
"Ste-....", Hopper said as he came into the hall and found the living room empty. Hopper quickly walked to the guest bedroom and saw Steve wrapped up in the blanket as he slept sitting at the desk next to Jamie with his head on his forearms.
Hopper and Joyce both looked at each other with different looks. Joyce blushed as she thought it was cute but wondered why the room was still in such a disarray while Hopper shook his head and woke Steve.
"Hm?", Steve grunted as he sat up from under the covers with only his eyes peaking out.
"What're you doing in here?... Not that I'm upset", Hopper quickly added as he changed his tone. "I just wanna know what made you uh... come in here. Is she okay?"
Steve moved the cover so that only his face was exposed. "She had a bad dream. I was just checking to make sure she was okay. Also, I think you need to get a new lamp or bulb or something. This one' was acting weird", he said as he sniffed.
Hopper looked at Jamie who lay somewhere under the huge mound of blankets. He made it a mental note to listen to Joyce when she told him it was cold to turn the heat on since he didn't want the kids to get sick.
"Okay, uh thanks. I appreciate that", he said akwardly. "We gotta get her to the doctor so... feel free to tag along. I think she'll be more comfortable with you being there."
"Sweet", Steve said as Hopper woke Jamie, carried her over the debris, and then went to get dressed. Jamie quickly changed into loose fitting clothing that would be easy for her to manipulate. When Jamie came out of the bathroom, she was bum rushed by Will and El fighting to get in the bathroom first.
"Come on, kid. We've got a lot to do today", Hopper said as he placed a cigarette in his mouth and stepped outside.
Steve came out of the room dressed in the same clothing as the day before and threw on his hoodie. He smiled at Jamie and lightly nudged her with his elbow.
"Morning", Steve said as he opened the front door for Jamie when she walked out.
"Morning", Jamie blushed as she walked past her dad who stood off to the side finishing his cigarette. "How'd you end up staying?"
"Me and Hop were gonna go somewhere yesterday after we got back, but then El called and that's when we went to the store for your mom."
Jamie carefully climbed in the back seat as Joyce decided to drive because she was the only adult in the house with a sense of punctuality.
"How do you feel?", Steve asked after a moment of silence.
"Still a little sore and... uncomfortable. Maybe I must've fallen or something", Jamie said shifting in her seat.
Steve's face dropped which caused Jamie to look at him sideways.
"What?", she asked.
Steve quickly shook his head. "Nothing."
Jamie felt a weird tension between the two as Steve tried to keep himself busy by being on his phone. Jamie started to feel a little upset as she wondered why Steve became so quiet all of a sudden.
"What the hell?", Steve whispered as his phone mysteriously shut off.
Jamie rolled her eyes and took her seatbelt off as Joyce pulled into the parking lot.
"I'm gonna get you a chair, kid.", Hopper said as he got out and spotted a few wheelchairs by the front door.
Jamie stood and lightly rubbed the bruises that were mysteriously on the insides of her thighs. She sat down in the chair as Hopper pushed her towards the building. Jamie held the sides of the wheels as they got closer to the front door and nearly stopped the wheels before they went inside causing Hopper to stop abruptly.
Hopper looked down at Jamie and sighed as he looked at Joyce. Joyce suddenly felt all the concern that Hopper felt eariler and was ready to go back home as soon as any one of them gave the word.
"Ready?", Hopper asked as he gave a false, reassuring smile to his suddenly frightened child.
Jamie barely managed to twitch the corner of her cheek into a smile as Steve reached out and held her hand.
Jamie put her hood over her head to cover her eyes and pulled the strings tight as she held onto Steve's hand.
"Ready."