Work Text:
She was fast asleep on the couch, the workload of the day in conjunction with her nausea having worn her out. Despite her exhaustion,she still prepared dinner for her family and continued on with the chores she had left for "later" until she physically couldn't handle it anymore. With this and that,she ended up on the couch,her body too weak to take her upstairs to her bedroom. Her hair was still tied up in an uncomfortable ponytail but letting it out seemed like too much of an effort, taking into consideration that she had not even gotten out of her work uniform.
The rattling sound of keys and the door opening seemed to wake her up from her slumber.
Finally... She thought to herself,erroneously believing that it was Hopper coming inside of the house. She really did feel bad at the scuff she let out at the sight of her oldest son hanging his coat up and walking towards her. After all he was just a kid, she did not want to pressure him with her problems, he had enough of his own. She grunted at the rumbling noise her stomach made as propped herself up on her elbows to greet him and that seemed to turn his attention to her.
"Mom! Hi." He smiled
"Hi baby." She forced him a smile. She didn't want him to notice she wasn't feeling okay. "How was work?" She inquired.
"Good...as good as work can be I guess." He seemed reluctant.
"Hey,is there anything you need to tell me baby?" She asked,placing a soft hand on his cheek.
"No, I'm okay! Just tired that's all."
He wouldn't get his eyes off of her. Her tired puffy eyes,her messy hair,her hoarse voice. She seemed off and he could tell.
She noticed him scrunch up his nose and furrow his eyebrows.
What an insightful young man. She thought.
"Are you okay?" Here came the question she dreaded to hear.
"Yes love,of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"
"I don't know...You don't exactly seem like yourself."
"I'm feeling a little tired as well, that's all! I promise you I am okay."
Another lie
"Nancy has invited me over to her house. Will and El are there as well and I was thinking of going but I'll probably stay home with you."
"No! No you don't have to do that sweetie. Go enjoy yourself for once."
"Mom,you're not okay and I can tell. I am not leaving you here all by yourself . Never again."
She sighed,looking deep into his watery eyes as the memories flooded her brain.
She held his hand. "I'm okay! Besides, Hopper will be here any minute."
"Oh...yeah right." He still seemed hesitant and she could tell be the look on his face and the tone of his voice. Hopper now being a part of their lives was a big change for the kids, especially Jonathan. Being the oldest, he was the one to comfort her and have her back every time her shit of an ex husband, his father, decided to make her life living hell. He never appreciated her,never truly loved her and it hurt. But it didn't only hurt her. It hurt the kids, those pure souls who had to witness their mother being treated like a doormat by some useless prick. He was never a father to them, not like they ever saw him as one anyways. But Joyce was happy with Hopper now. Genuinely happy. And the kids were too. He actually paid attention to them and their interests,never forced them to do anything they did not want to do, to make them more "manly" as their father would put it.
"Hey. I know it is hard for you to get used to, but I really do love him. And...I trust him. I am not asking you to do the same okay? I know how hard it is for you after all we've been through and believe it or not, it was hard for me too! It was super hard to trust a man again. But he is not just any man Jonathan. He's special and I know it, I've always known."
He sighed.
"It's not that I don't trust him mom. And, I am happy for you, I really am! I just don't want to see you get hurt again okay? I know he wouldn't do that to you because I can tell that he loves you. And I know that he is trying his best to bond with us too. I really appreciate him you know? Sorry if I'm stubborn, sometimes even rude to him but I never mean to. It's just...hard to get used to having a genuinely nice man around after Lonnie."
"Come here baby." She murmured, spreading her arms to accommodate him in a warm hug which he gladly accepted. "I love you,you know?"
He smiled into the hug which only made her want to hold him even longer.
"Mom, let go I can't breathe." He joked and she allowed him to withdraw from her embrace.
"Are you sure you'll be okay?"
"I promise you." She shot him a smile and he returned it.
She made an effort to walk to the kitchen and give Jonathan his dinner.
"I've baked a casserole,maybe you'd like to take some for you and Nancy!" She suggested.
"I don't see why not? Thank you!" He cheered accepting the offer.
"And tell that sweet girl that she is more than welcome to join us for dinner sometime."
"Bye mom!" He blushed, rushing out of the door in an instant.
_______________
All she could do was wait. Her nausea got worse and she placed a hand over her stomach, caressing it softly, hoping that it would somewhat numb her pain. Assuming that Hopper must've been having a long day at work, she accepted the fact that, to much of her dismay, he wouldn't be returning home any time soon. The need to curl herself up in his strong arms and have him take all of her pain away, only became stronger as time passed.
Joyce hadn't eaten anything all day but despite her hunger, she did not seem to be able to stomach anything. She made Hopper a dish and placed it in the fridge for him to find.
"I left some casserole for you in the fridge in case you are hungry when you get back. I'll be in our bedroom,probably asleep. Come find me when you're done.
Love you so much,
Joyce." She wrote on a sticky note which she then taped to the fridge.
She made an effort to climb up the stairs to her and Hopper's bedroom and let the door make a loud thud, slamming behind her as she entered the room with force. She padded to the bathroom in an attempt to brush her teeth and tame her wild hair. She scoffed, looking at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were underlined with dark circles, a result of the slim to none sleep she's had for the past week. Her hair was all over the place, a result of the little effort she put into her physical appearance. Physical appearance.
She took her shirt off and her eyes darted to her stomach the moment her skin was revealed. It was... slightly bloated, skin stretched out, forming stretch marks that she hated. She couldn't help but smile thought. She smiled, placing a small hand atop the curve of her belly, caressing it lovingly. The moment was ruined by the chilly February breeze blowing into the room and sending chills down Joyce's spine. She cursed under her breath on the way to close the window. Despite doing that, she still shivered since her shirt was discarded on the bathroom floor. The worn out T-shirt she usually wore as a pyjama was no match for that day's weather so she went for the only alternative she had. She made her way to Hopper's closet, the smell of him lingering in the room as she opened it, revealing what she needed. Hopper did not have a wide selection of shirts to choose from, most of them being stolen by Joyce all the time. She picked out her favourite sweater, dark red polyester with thin black stripes. She pulled the sweater over her head and let it fall over her body, warming her up in an instant. It was five times her size and swallowed her whole but she did not mind. She wrapped her arms around her waist and closed her eyes, imagining it was Hopper doing so and it truly made her feel as if he was. Sometimes all she needed was him and only him. But when she could not have him, she tried making the best out of what she did have.
She picked up her discarded shirt off of the bathroom floor and threw it in the laundry before removing her uncomfortable work jeans and throwing them in as well. Hopper's sweater did her the favour of covering her whole body, since her lack of appreciation for it could really do harm. And she was not in a state where she could think clearly.
A sharp pain in her stomach made her almost fall to the ground. She screeched and held onto the sink for support. Her weak knees led her to the bed on which she fell carefully.
Joyce stole Hopper's pillow with no intention of returning it. Him working late meant everything he owned was now hers in order for her to feel the sort of comfort that only he could provide her with.
She knew falling asleep would be a struggle, because for her it usually was, but she needed sleep more than the air she breathed. Not only was she exhausted physically, but also mentally.
A good night's sleep was less than enough in her case.
She closed her eyes, and swirled around in the bed in an attempt to get comfortable, something she eventually and to much of her surprise, managed to do.
____________
"Jim, I expect the paperwork to be handed in to me first thing in the morning. We've put it off for long enough." Florence demanded, storming into his office.
"Flo, it's 11:00 I need to be home. I get it but I'm not staying here any longer. I have a wife and kids at home that I need to get back to." He whined.
"And you think I don't understand that? Jim I know you're tired but I need everything to be ready by tomorrow."
"Okay here's the deal. Give me a spare key to the station and I'll be here early to open up and finish what there's left." He debated.
"But Hop-."
"Listen, I'm not discussing this. Joyce needs me and I should have already been home hours ago. Besides, this can wait. I'm the chief of police what are they going to do?" He stated, getting out of his office chair and heading towards the door.
"Here's the keys." She scoffed, throwing a spare key to him. "But I still expect you to have them ready by tomorrow."
"Fine. I told you I'll be here early." He stated gesturing at the keys she had given him.
"I'm serious!" She scolded.
"What? And you think I'm not?" He joked.
"Goodnight Jim."
"See you Flo." He waved at the old lady and headed out of the station.
She knew the paperwork would not be ready by the time she needed it to be. But she had also never seen him in such a rush in the years she'd been working with him. It was obvious that he needed to leave and she couldn't stop him. Something was going on with Joyce but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
__________
Opening the door, Hopper expected to see something other than complete darkness. It didn't take him long to realize that Joyce was already in bed, probably devastated and in pain.
He removed his coat and hat, hanging them on the rack, before placing his boots near the entrance. He then quietly climbed up the stairs to their room so as not to disturb her.
His features softened, seeing her asleep on his pillow and he approached her slowly.
"Hop?" She murmured, voice raspy.
"Hi sweetheart." He whispered, removing the hair from her face and softly brushing his thumb over her cheek. She leaned into his touch, letting out a sigh of relief.
"Did you see my note?" She inquired, rubbing the sleep off of her tired eyes.
"What note?"
"Didn't you eat your dinner? Hop you've been working all day aren't you hungry?" She whined.
"No." He scoffed while removing his shirt. "Well I am, but food is not the first thing on my mind right now." He added.
"What else could be on your mind after such a long day Hop?"
No response.
"Hop? What's going-."
She was stopped by him swiftly rising his index finger,back still turned to her, giving her the message that he needed her to wait before getting her long awaited response.
He took off the rest of his uniform,hanging it in the closet, then pulling out his pyjama shirt and throwing it over his head. He walked to the bed and climbed on his side, forcing Joyce to leave his pillow and move to hers.
"You." He whispered, pulling her in his arms causing a whimper to escape her mouth.
"What do you mean?" She managed to say in between giggles as he was kissing the top of her head.
"You are the first and only thing on my mind. You always have been." He answered, gazing deep into her astonishing chocolate brown eyes as she turned to look at him.
"I couldn't stop thinking about you all day." He murmured in her ear, placing a trail of soft, tender kisses down her neck. His hands travelled down her body, stopping at the curve of her belly.
"How's my little girl?" He inquired, caressing it softly.
"Your little girl has worn me out. She was pretty energetic today..." She stated, grinning at her husband and leaning back into his arms. She could feel him smile.
"How are you feeling?"
"Could be better." She sighed.
A moment of silence followed until Joyce squirmed and moved away from his arms, her hands draped around her stomach. Without saying a word, he fixed her pillows for her and allowed her to lay down as she did the same.
"She has started kicking. I'm still getting used to it."
"No need to explain yourself Joyce. Come here."
He opened his arms accommodating her in a warm hug. She buried her face in his chest as he brushed his fingers through her brown locks.
"Can I...talk to you about something?" She inquired,looking up at him.
"Yeah, anything."
"So, uhh...today Jonathan came home from work and found me on the couch. He kept asking if I was okay and I even though I tried to assure him I was, I know he didn't believe any of it. He's, you know, worried about me and I don't know how long I can keep hiding this from him."
"So you think it's time we tell them?"
"Maybe, I don't know."
"It's okay we'll figure it out." He reassured her."We could even make it special." He added.
"Hmm?"
"Your next appointment is on Friday. What do you say I get home from work early on Saturday and we go on a little picnic trip with the kids?"
"That would be...incredible!! But what about me? I'm not sure Donald will let me leave early."
"Well its high time we break the news to him too because you need to get off of your feet and finally relax."
She sighed.
"I don't know Hop." She doubted
"I will take care of it don't you worry."
She swirled around in the bed, trying to get as close to him as possible. He got the message and allowed her to lay on him. Arms wrapped around his neck and eyes gazing into his, she kissed him deeply, her lips impossibly soft against his own. When they finally pulled away she let out an almost silent "thank you", smiling at him as if he was an angel. Because for her, he was.
He took her in his arms again, a gentle hand guiding her head to the crook of his neck.
"What for?"
"Everything. And most of all, for being the father my kids never had. They were deprived of all the love a real dad would provide them with. I married a jerk. I know it, and they do too. But you? They love you. They know you'll be good to them and most importantly, they know you're good to me. We've never experienced love quite like yours. After Lonnie, Jonathan hated all the men around me. He is still hesitant but I know he trusts you."
"Are you kidding? I want the best for you. All of you. I want you and everything that comes with you. I love those kids Joyce. And I will make sure they never have to go through that pain ever again. I will always be here for you guys. Through highs and lows. And when we bring our baby girl into this world, we will be the family we always dreamed of having. I love you Joyce, I always will."
"Promise?" She inquired.
"Promise!" He reassured, kissing the top of her head and caressing her back.
"Joyce."
"Hmm?"
"Is that my sweater?"
"You know it is!"