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When Joyce got home, she didn’t expect to see her house in a bigger mess than when she left it. The papers mapping out the tunnels under Hawkins were still there, granted, a bit messier than before, but there were drops of blood on the floor, followed by a shattered plate. The kids were in the kitchen, speaking in hushed tones, and she needed to know what happened. After quickly putting Will in his room with the help of Jonathan, she made her way towards the kids.
“What happened? Did something happen? Is everything okay?”
“It is, Mrs. Byers.” Lucas said. “We’re just worried about where Billy went.”
“Billy?”
“Hargrove? Your brother?” Jonathan asked the red head, and she nodded.
Joyce hadn’t met her before, but she believed that it was Max, the girl Will had mentioned that hung out with the group now.
“He came by trying to hurt Lucas, but we managed to sedate him. When we came back he was gone.” Max continued solemnly.
“When you came back? From what?” Her voice reached a higher pitch of fear, too wound up from what was happening to what she was just finding out had happened, but Mike rushed to reassure her.
“We went into the tunnels, distracting the demodogs so that El and Hopper could get to the gate safely.”
“You what? That was dangerous! Where was Steve during all of this?” Jonathan asked, anger flashing in his eyes. Joyce was more shocked than angry, but she appreciated Jonathan talking some sense into them.
Nancy had said that Steve would keep them out of trouble, but he didn’t. So what actually happened? Was Nancy wrong about Steve and he led them right into danger?
“Billy hurt Steve.” Lucas said softly. “Badly. He wasn’t really able to stop us from going. We didn’t really let him, either.”
Joyce’s eyes widened, glancing around the house until she saw Nancy and Dustin crouched in front of the couch, a figure covered in blankets laying on it. She had completely missed the sight in all of her worry, and she couldn’t help feelings of guilt from rising in her chest. She walked closer, frowning when she saw Steve Harrington laying there, his young face blemished by blood, cuts, and bruises. His eyes were closed, but he looked anything but peaceful. Nancy cradled his head as he muttered in his sleep, Dustin holding an ice pack to the worst of the bruises.
Joyce didn’t waste a second coming to his side. “How bad is it?”
“Bad. Billy hit him in the head. A lot. He was out of it when he drove to the tunnels, and collapsed once we got back. He’s been like this ever since.” Dustin explained, his hand shaking slightly with worry.
Joyce rested her hand on Steve’s arm, apparently waking him, as the teen shifted away from her touch, his head turning towards the pillow that cushioned him. He groaned, his hand moving up towards his eyes, Dustin taking his hand and setting it down gently.
“Don’t touch that, buddy. It’s not good for you to touch that.”
“Steve, honey?” Joyce said, trying to get his attention. “Could you open your eyes for me, sweetie?”
“No…” Steve said, his voice muffled against the pillow. He slowly uncurled himself from the blanket as he became more and more awake, though his eyes were clouded with something too close to fear. “‘m not letting you hurt them.”
“It’s me, Steve, It’s Mrs. Byers. Joyce. You’re safe.”
Steve managed to get to a sitting position, pushing away Dustin’s hands as he tried to help.
“No, Billy’s here, he’s going to hurt Lucas. I have to plant my feet. Always plant my feet.”
He shakily got to his feet, stumbling against a table as his body refused to keep him upright, and Nancy gripped his arm.
“Steve! Billy’s not here!”
“Get away from them!” He threw her off of him, his dazed gaze flirting from face to face, Joyce hesitant to reach for him. The others ran into the living room, confused and scared about what was happening.
“He thinks he’s still there.” Dustin whispered. “He thinks he’s still fighting Billy. But…why?”
Joyce took a hesitant step forward. “Steve…it’s okay. Billy’s gone. The kids are safe. You’re safe.”
Her words couldn’t be heard in the confused state that she knew that he was in. Steve began trembling as he backed into a wall, clutching his head. His eyes filled with tears as he sobbed, his rapid breaths wavering.
“I promise I still have some fire left, I promise! I’m not….I can’t…”
“Shh, it’s okay. You did so well, Steve. Everyone’s okay.”
“No no no! no one’s safe, I can’t protect them, I can’t, I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
“You protected us, Steve.” Dustin said desperately, “You did!”
Steve watched the people around him, as if waiting for something to happen, soon sliding down the wall, his legs collapsing under him.
Joyce made her way towards him, kneeling down and gently putting her hand on his sneakered foot. He didn’t flinch away this time, but looked away, tears finally falling down his cheeks.
“Steve? Can you breathe for me? Slowly.” She began breathing steadily herself, knowing that he wouldn’t know how right now, and he thankfully followed her example, taking in shaky breaths and letting them out at an even pace. His eyes began to show clarity, and Dustin kneeled down beside him too, gently touching his shoulder.
“Are you back with us, buddy?”
“I…” Steve said, his voice soft and scared. “I’m sorry. I didn’t…I thought…I thought he was still here.”
“It’s okay.” Joyce responded, and she could hear a collective sigh of relief rush around the room, everyone no doubt realizing that Steve was back with them. “It’s okay. I’m glad you're awake. How are you feeling, honey?”
“My head hurts.”
She nodded. “We can fix that. I’ll get you some medication and Dustin will bring you back to the couch, okay?”
He nodded, letting Dustin help him to his feet and half-carry him over. Lucas and Max rushed to get him some more ice packs, while Mike stood there awkwardly, unsure about what to do. Jonathan rushed off to Will’s room, no doubt making sure that he was okay after all of the commotion.
Joyce didn’t waste a second getting her first aid kit, grabbing some medication, water, and bandages, but she knew that Steve needed the hospital. She would take him eventually, yet she didn’t want to leave until Hopper got back.
Nancy took the materials from Joyce as she returned to the couch.
“Nancy一”
“I got it.” She said, her eyes taking on a look of compassion. “You should rest.”
Joyce began to argue until she remembered what happened to Bob earlier that night. Was it really on this day that she lost him? It already felt like ages ago.
Nancy was probably right. She needed to rest. But, as her eyes found their way to Steve, the teen struggled to stay alert and whimpering, she knew that she couldn’t lave him. Dustin was whispering to him, keeping him awake, and something about the scene made her want to help Steve even more. She had more first aid training than Nancy did, and she was a mother. She wanted to make sure that he was okay.
“It’s fine, Nancy. I appreciate it, but I want to help him.”
Nancy nodded solemnly, giving back the materials and making her way into the kitchen, mentioning a shattered plate that needed cleaning up.
Joyce one again knelt in front of Steve, pouring some water onto a cloth and pressing it gently against Steve’s head, the teen whining at the pressure.
“Sorry, hon. We have to clean this.”
Dustin held Steve’s hand as she helped clean his wounds, being a pillar of support, which Joyce was thankful for. She had no clue why they had become so close, but she was thankful for it. This would be a lot harder if Steve wasn’t around someone that he trusted.
Then that raised the question of why Nancy wasn’t right by his side. She would have to ask her about it later.
“My…my face. It hurts so bad.” Steve muttered, and Dustin nodded.
“I know, but it’ll be better soon. You may not be catching ladies for a while, but act like you don’t care, right?”
He chuckled, Joyce smiling at the sound. “Right.”
As she finished patching him up, Steve met her eyes shyly.
“Thank you, Mrs. Byers. I’m sorry about all of this, and especially the kids running off.”
“Don’t be, from what I hear you couldn’t really control that.”
“And, about earlier一”
She cupped his face with her hands gently, making sure that he was paying attention to what she was about to say.
“It wasn’t your fault, it was a natural reaction to what happened. I’m just really glad that you’re okay.”
He smiled softly. “Thank you. I don’t deserve it, but…thank you.”
“I don’t know you very well, honey, but I know for a fact that you deserve to be helped more than harmed. And I’m very happy to help.”
He nodded, unbelief flashing in his eyes, and in that moment she promised to make him feel like he deserved the world. She wanted to protect him from everything. She didn’t know why, but something about the young man in front of her made her want to protect him.
So she would throughout everything. No strings attached.
And, if Steve ever complained, she would tell him that she was a mother.
No one could argue with that.