Chapter Text
Joyce enjoyed working in the med cabin. Most years there were only a few cases of allergies and in her time, there was only ever one case of sun poisoning. But even then, Max was a redhead and prone to sunburn. Nonetheless, every single summer Joyce had to drill the counselors on the proper protocol if any of them, or their campers, got sick. They had gotten a major flu outbreak several years ago, as a result of a couple of games of Spin the Bottle, and Joyce had been preparing them since. The outbreak had taken out a majority of the campers, along with a few counselors, and it was rough taking care of all the kids while also keeping the healthy kids entertained.
They were getting a new batch of campers later today so Joyce and Hopper were holding an impromptu early morning counselor meeting in the mess hall. Their sixteen counselors sat at the lunch tables, most of them half asleep and the rest of them barely paying attention. Joyce could see Robin from Cabin Three knocked out on one of the back tables and she was glad that Hopper didn’t notice.
“And I want to remind all of you that counselors are not allowed to date or be romantically involved in any way, with any other counselors. As you all know, we’ve had some issues with this in the past so we have stopped allowing inter-counselor relationships,” Hopper stated, giving Mike Wheeler a look, “Joyce, anything to add?”
“The only thing I can think of is for you guys to be careful. We’re overdue for a breakout and I just want you to be vigilant and make sure that everyone is taking care of themselves so nobody gets sick. I know we've had some problems in the past with students overworking themselves to the point of illness in the past, but I just wanted to remind you that we have to take care of ourselves and our health. And if one of your campers has something even as minor as a runny nose, I want you to send them to me so we can stop the sickness before it spreads,” Joyce said.
“No one wants a repeat of last time the flu spread through the camp,” Hopper said, giving Mike the same look again. The group of boys at his table laughed, knowing the exact reason that Hopper kept giving him these looks. Hopper went over a few more things before dismissing all the counselors and letting them get ready for the next group of kids.
--
There were no problems for a week.
Joyce was in the med cabin, sorting some bandages when Mike Wheeler walked in. To put it lightly, he looked like shit.
“Really Wheeler? It’s only been a week,” Joyce said, motioning for him to sit down on one of the beds. Joyce loved Mike and treated him like her own son but he was always the start of the problem.
“I just woke up this morning and was sick. I've not been feeling the greatest for a while, but I thought it was allergies. Mine are always bad at the beginning of the summer,” Mike said, “I have a sore throat and I feel like absolute shit.”
“Well then. Let me check your temperature. Even though we don’t know what it is yet, I’m not letting you back to your cabin until you’re feeling better,” Joyce said, grabbing a thermometer from the other side of the room, “Are you extra tired?”
“Yeah,” Mike said, the thermometer now under his tongue. It beeped and Joyce grabbed it out of his mouth, looking at the numbers.
“And a fever,” Joyce noted, sighing, “Mike, can I check inside your throat?”
“Sure, yeah,” Mike said, opening his mouth. Joyce grabbed a popsicle stick and pressed his tongue down, looking at his tonsils.
“Mike, answer me truthfully. Have you kissed anyone in the last few weeks?” Joyce asked, pretty much sure that Mike had mono.
“Um, I played Spin the Bottle when Nancy had some friends over the day before camp started, why?” Mike confessed.
“I’m pretty sure you have mono,” Joyce stated, “You’re not contagious to others through the air, so you can go back to your counselor duties. I want you to take the day off, and get some rest for now. But no sharing saliva. That means no kissing, no sharing water bottles, no sharing utensils, toothbrushes, or anything that you’ve put in or on your mouth.”
“Well there goes my summer plans,” Mike joked, “Is there at least something I can get for the sore throat?”
“I’ll grab you some cough drops but other than that, there’s really nothing I can do. It takes a blood test to be officially diagnosed, so I can't get anything prescription for you,” Joyce said, grabbing a small pack of cough drops from a cabinet and handing them to Mike, “If it gets worse or if you have any headaches, come to me and I’ll give you some over-the-counter medicine for it.”
“Ok, thanks Joyce,” Mike said, standing up and leaving the med cabin. Joyce just hoped that he would follow her directions and not get anyone else sick.
—
The peace lasted for two days.
This time Joyce was reading a book at her desk when Will walked in, still dressed in his pajamas and a heavy sweater at almost noon. His teeth were chattering which was unusual in the high eighties weather they were having as it was the middle of summer.
“Mom?” Will said, his voice small, “I don’t feel very good.”
“Well, come over here and I’ll get you checked out,” Joyce said, the pair walking over to one of the beds, “What doesn’t feel good?”
“I’m really cold and I have a sore throat. And I’m in a lot of pain,” Will explained.
“Where’s the pain?” Joyce asked, putting the backside of her hand against his forehead.
“Basically everywhere. It’s worse than snowy days,” Will said.
“Okay. I’m gonna check your temperature, your forehead felt hot,” Joyce said, grabbing a thermometer and helping Will stick it under his tongue. They waited for the beep and once it did, Joyce took it to look at.
“101.6. That’s a fever, Will,” Joyce said, sighing, “I’m gonna check your throat, now. I think I know what it might be.” Will complied and let her check his throat. Joyce’s heart sank when her theories were proven true. Will had a weakened immune system because of his RA along with having EDS and she was really hoping that he wasn’t gonna get sick this summer. Cabin Five had a reputation for having the sickest kids every year and both of its counselors, Will and Lucas, had compromised immune systems.
“Mom, what is it? You have that look on your face,” Will said, crossing his arms.
“You have mono,” Joyce said, “There’s not much we can do except wait it out. Do you want some cough drops for the sore throat?”
“Um, sure,” Will said, sneezing, “Mom? Can I take a nap real quick? I don’t want to walk all the way to my cabin. I barely made it here without passing out. I think I need some energy so I can keep up with the kids.”
“Of course, kiddo,” Joyce replied. Will lay down on the bed and Joyce walked back to her desk, picking her book back up. A few minutes had passed when Joyce started to wonder how Will had gotten mono in the first place.
“Will?” Joyce asked.
"Mom, I'm tired. Can I sleep?" Will asked.
"Can you answer a few questions for me first?" Joyce said.
"Mom, I wanna sleep," Will said.
“And I will let you sleep once you answer my questions,” Joyce said, sternly. She watched as Will rolled over so he wasn’t facing her, pulling the little blanket over his head.
“William Jacob Byers, listen to me,” Joyce said.
Will didn’t answer, he probably hadn’t heard Joyce with the blanket over his head. She wanted to go over there and get his attention, but she knew he could be cranky when he didn’t feel good. Will sneezed, the lump under the blanket shaking. The bed shook and Joyce could hear a crack. Will shouted in pain.
“Fuck,” Will said, Joyce coming over to see what was wrong.
“What happened?” Joyce asked. A tear streaked down Will’s cheek as he brought his hand to his opposite shoulder.
“I dislocated my shoulder over a fucking sneeze,” Will gritted through clenched teeth. The tears started to fall down his cheeks faster. Joyce placed her hand on his shoulder, bracing herself.
“Mom, no. I’ll get it,” Will said, trying to push her away.
“Kiddo, let me help. I don’t want you to make it worse,” Joyce said, “Deep breath.”
Will closed his eyes and let Joyce shove his shoulder back into place. More tears slid down his cheeks as he lay there, pain throbbing everywhere but especially his shoulder. Joyce walked over to the cabinet, grabbing a water bottle and a bottle of painkillers. She went back over to Will, placing two pills in his hand and opening the water bottle for him. Will swallowed the pills, making a face as it went down.
“Mom, can I stay here til dinner? I don’t wanna go back. I can’t get my kids sick,” Will asked, wincing when he moved his arm slightly.
“You have to call Lucas and let him know first. You can't get your kids sick, but you're in no shape to go back now,” Joyce said, “But I don’t want you to sleep for a half hour. And before you protest, I have to monitor you. I don’t have your normal prescription here at camp.”
“Is that the stupid one?” Will asked, pulling his phone out to call Lucas.
“Yes, kiddo,” Joyce said, ruffling Will’s hair on her way to sit back down at her desk.
“Hey, Lucas. Yeah. Um, so you can handle the kids, right? Yeah, I know. Well… there might have been a little situation. I’m mostly fine. Mom says I probably have mono. Yeah, that’s probably why. Don’t want to get them sick. I might’ve forgotten about that. Well, I dislocated my shoulder too. She has to monitor me for half an hour but then I’m gonna sleep. I’ll try. Thanks, Lucas, you’re the best,” Will said, hanging up the phone. He lay down on the bed, playing on his phone. There was peace and quiet for twenty minutes before another counselor burst in.
“Joyce, can I have some more cough drops? My throat is killing me,” Mike asked, walking up to the desk.
“Only if you let me check your throat first,” Joyce said, pointing to a bed, “Go sit down.”
Mike walked over and sat down on the bed next to Will, looking over at the other boy.
“What brings you in here, Byers?” Mike asked.
“I’m sick. Mom said I have mono,” Will said, looking over his shoulder before mouthing to Mike, “Which you gave to me.”
“Sorry,” Mike mouthed back, the pair giggling.
“What’s so funny over here?” Joyce asked, walking back with a tongue depressor in her hand. She motioned to Mike’s mouth.
“Mike,” Will said, “He has a funny face.”
Mike tried to protest but he couldn’t with the wooden stick in his mouth. Will laughed at him, causing a coughing fit. Mike gave him a teasing look.
“Mike, you still look red. It probably won’t get better for a couple of days. Will, how are you feeling? Any reaction?” Joyce said, standing between the feet of both beds.
“I feel fine, besides the sore throat and my shoulder,” Will said.
“How does your shoulder relate to your mono?” Mike asked, coughing when he tried to chuckle.
“I sneezed,” Will sassed back.
“Kiddo, does it still hurt bad?” Joyce asked.
“Yeah, normally it doesn’t hurt this much. Do you think you put it back wrong?” Will asked, using his opposite hand to feel around on his shoulder, “It hurts to touch it.”
“I’m actually confused about how sneezes, mono, and your shoulder pain relate now,” Mike asked, leaning over to put his hand on the bed that Will was on.
“I sneezed and dislocated my shoulder,” Will said, wincing when Joyce started to move it around.
“Ow,” Mike said, “I don’t know how you do it. I’ve only ever sprained my wrist and that hurt.”
“It hurts, trust me,” Will gritted as Joyce kept moving his arm around, “Speaking of which, Mom stop, please. I don’t think it’s in there right.”
“Will, I can’t do much for you. We can’t re-dislocate it and put it back in. You would have to go to the hospital to do that and even then, that might not help,” Joyce said.
“Mom, it really hurts. I'm trying to deal with it, but it's bad. I don’t think it’s ever hurt this bad after you put it back in,” Will said.
“Do you have your pills in your cabin? I can go grab them for you,” Mike offered, still sitting next to him.
“Well, I can’t take anything for what, two or three hours? I’m not supposed to take anything else with the old stuff, but I think I used to be able to have over-the-counter stuff,” Will said.
“Are you an expert on pain pills?” Mike asked.
“Not as much as Mom is, right?” Will said, both boys looking expectantly at Joyce.
“I am. Which leads me to say that neither of you should take aspirin right now, with you guys having mono,” Joyce said, the pieces finally clicking in her head, “Speaking of which, have you two been sharing saliva recently?”
Both Will and Mike turned white as ghosts, looking at each other sheepishly. Will, using his good arm, reached up to scratch the back of his neck. Mike swung his legs, lightly kicking the leg of the bed.
“So I’m gonna ask the question again if you don’t answer me. I will keep this a secret, have you two shared saliva in the last few days?” Joyce asked, crossing her arms.
“Um, well…” Will said, wincing when he jolted his shoulder.
“We might have,” Mike sputtered, looking down at the floor.
“Did you drink from the same cup or what?” Joyce asked, “I would like to know how close the cross-contamination was. Because if Will just got your saliva from a cup, he shouldn’t have it as severely. But if you shared the same utensils, he’ll have it more like you do. And Mike, I told you not to share saliva with anyone.”
“You told me it would be fine,” Will whipped his head around to look at Mike, angry, “You said that she said you were fine and it wasn’t very contagious. I would’ve appreciated a heads up, Wheeler.”
“In my defense, I’ve been infected, for a lack of better words, the entire time we’ve been at camp. I didn’t think it would make a difference,” Mike tried to argue back, “I wasn’t even the one who initiated it, you went in first.”
“You should’ve told me beforehand! How about a, ‘Hey Will, I have mono. I don’t think we should make out today, I could get you sick. Oh, and I know that you have a weak immune system so we should be careful.’ That would be greatly appreciated,” Will said, not realizing that he had just admitted to making out with Mike in front of his mom.
“Will, I could barely say hi to you before your lips were on mine. How do you expect me to warn you if I can’t even talk to you?” Mike countered, also forgetting where they were.
“We have a conversation every morning while we’re doing dishes on when we can get away from our campers and when we’ll have time to meet up. You could’ve told me then that we shouldn’t meet up,” Will raised his eyebrows at Mike, finally catching him. Joyce was still standing in the same spot she had been before, looking at the two of them. She thought it was cute, watching the two of them squabble.
“You got me, okay? I just didn’t want to let you down, I know you enjoy our time together,” Mike said. It almost seemed like he was batting his eyes at Will, trying to get him to accept his apology.
“I know,” Will said, looking at the ground, “I’m sorry for accusing you. It’s both of our faults that we’re sick.”
“And I’m sorry for not thinking about how this would affect you. I know it’s rough when you get sick and I’m sorry for getting you sick,” Mike said, reaching out to tilt Will’s face up. Will reached up to hug Mike, cursing when he lifted his shoulder up too much. He took a deep breath and hugged Mike, cuddling into his chest.
“I accept your apology, dummie,” Will said, sneezing.
“Did you just sneeze on me?” Mike said, pulling back slowly.
“You’re already sick, what’s the difference?” Will joked, moving to sit back down on the bed. He turned, finally remembering his mom was in the room. They made eye contact and Will went sheet white again.
“Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble,” Joyce said. Mike cussed under his breath and Will started rocking slightly back and forth.
“Don’t be mad, we started dating in the spring,” Mike said, “We were gonna tell you in the fall after camp was over.”
“Please don’t tell Hop,” Will said, his voice shaky.
“Sweetheart, I won’t,” Joyce said, walking over and running her hands through Will’s hair. She could tell he was getting worked up.
“He’s gonna be mad if he finds out,” Will said, moving over to let Mike sit next to him, “He doesn’t know that, um, that I like boys. I haven’t even told Jon yet.”
“He won’t be mad that you like boys,” Joyce tried to comfort him, getting sneezed on in the process.
“He just won’t like that you’re dating me,” Mike chuckled, making Will even more nervous.
“That’s the problem. He hates you,” Will said, pressed into Joyce’s side.
“If he has a problem with it, he will have to get over it,” Joyce said, “It’s not something he has any control over.”
“I know,” Will said, taking a deep breath.
“You’re not getting rid of me,” Mike said, turning Will's head to look him in the eyes.
“You’re not getting rid of me either,” Will said.
“Mike, Will,” Joyce said, getting both of their attention, “I am not going to tell Hopper unless you want me to. I’m also not going to make you stop seeing each other. I’ve always thought that I would end up with a Wheeler for a bonus kid.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Will said.
“Thanks, Joyce,” Mike sighed.
“Oh, and Wheeler, don’t break his heart or I’ll break you,” Joyce said, walking back over to her desk.
“Yes, ma’am,” Mike said, his face paling. Will laughed at him, causing another coughing fit.
“You two need to stay here, no sick counselors working on my watch,” Joyce said.
“I’m gonna nap, see if my shoulder will fix itself,” Will said, “You can be in my bed if you’re careful.”
“Careful is my middle name,” Mike said, climbing up on the bed with Will, who was now lying down too.
“No it’s not, Michael James,” Will said, pulling the blanket up.
“Shut up, William Jacob,” Mike said. They were quiet for a couple of hours after that, both asleep cuddled together. Joyce went to check on them, taking a picture of how cute they were together.
“Hey kids, it’s almost dinner time,” Joyce said, waking the boys up.
“Five more minutes,” Mike groaned subconsciously, rolling over on top of Will and waking him up. There was a crack and Will yelled, Mike immediately rolling off of him and onto the floor.
“What’s wrong?” Joyce and Mike asked at the same time.
“It’s my shoulder again,” Will said, bringing his hand up to touch it, “I’m gonna try to put it back in myself.”
Will took his hand and placed it on his shoulder, popping it back into place. He moved his arm around, seeing if it felt any better.
“All good?” Mike asked, still sitting on the floor.
“There’s something wrong with it,” Will said, his eyes wet with pain.
“Do you want me to call and get an appointment scheduled? Hopper will let you take a day off,” Joyce said, walking over to open a cabinet.
“Yes please,” Will said, his voice small.
“And we’ll have them test you for mono then. It’ll be nice to have that in your history,” Joyce said.
“Mike, can you run to my cabin and grab my pills?” Will asked shakily, waiting until he was out of the room to start crying, “Mom, it really hurts.”
“Take a deep breath,” Joyce said, walking over to hug him, “Do you want me to tape it for now? That’ll keep it stable.”
Will nodded, his voice gone. Joyce walked back over to the cabinet, opening a different drawer.
“Nude or colorful? These kids saw your colors at the beginning of camp if that helps you make a decision,” Joyce said, holding up a roll of nude and a roll of green. Will pointed at the green, earning a thumbs up from his mom. Joyce walked back over, beginning to tape his shoulder up.
“Can you take your shirt off for me?” Joyce asked. Will tried to talk but all that came out was coughing. He turned away, trying to cough and take his shirt off at the same time while also not hurting his shoulder. A few tears ran down his cheeks, causing the crying to start again. He threw the shirt on the floor once he got it off.
“Hold the roll for me,” Joyce said, handing Will the tape before taking a strip and placing it on his shoulder. She taped it up, making sure Will was comfortable. Joyce knew that it hurt but she tried to make it hurt the least.
“Mom,” Will said, his voice small and shaky while tears again streamed down his cheeks.
“Yeah, baby?” Joyce asked, finally finished.
“I love you,” Will said quietly, “Thank you for being supportive.”
“Will, I love you and your brother more than anything else in this world and Mike isn’t much farther down on the list. It made me a little sad when Jon and Nancy broke up because I thought I wasn’t going to have a Wheeler in my family anymore but I’ve had Mike since you two met,” Joyce said, “I wouldn’t trade either of you for the world. Unless he hurts you, then he won’t be in this world anymore.”
Will hugged her, pressing up against her side. They stood there like that for a few moments before Mike came back.
“I didn’t run, I’m too short of breath for that. But I got the pills,” Mike said. Will wiped his eyes, stepping away from his mom to grab the bottle.
“You’re the best,” Will said, popping the cap off and dry swallowing three pills, “Taking three, I’ll monitor how it goes.”
“Be careful with it,” Joyce said, giving him a look, “Now let’s go to dinner.”
The three of them left the med cabin, Joyce making sure they were fine before she headed off to grab Hopper. Mike and Will split up once they got to the dining hall, they had to sit with their cabins tonight.
“Hey Will, feeling better?” Lucas asked when Will walked up to their table.
“Not really. I dislocated it again so Mom taped it. There’s definitely something wrong so she’s gonna make an appointment for me,” Will sighed, “I also still feel like absolute shit. If my immune system could get its head out of its ass, I’d probably be fine. Besides a sore throat and congestion, Mike seems perfectly fine. Meanwhile, I’m over here with a fever and chills and pain on top of the sore throat and congestion.”
“I feel you dude. At least it’s not very contagious so both of us won’t be sick. That was hell the year we got the flu,” Lucas chuckled. Will laughed along as he remembered that summer. Both of them were stuck in the med cabin and all of their campers had to go with Mike and Dustin.
“It was,” Will said, the pair ending their conversation as all their campers walked up. Will guessed that Lucas had sent them to clean up before they sat down, that's what he normally did.
“Will, are you feeling better?” One of their campers, Julien, asked as he sat down at the table with them, “Lucas said you were sick.”
“Yeah kiddo, I’m not feeling the greatest. But I’ll be fine and so will you guys, it’s not contagious through the air,” Will said.
“I hope you feel better,” Julien said before starting a conversation with the kid next to him. Will turned back to Lucas, who was currently drinking out of Will’s cup.
“Lucas!” Will half-shouted, grabbing the cup, “That’s my cup, you can’t drink out of it.”
“I thought it was mine,” Lucas said, his eyes growing wide.
“Yours is right there,” Will said, pointing at the cup on Lucas’s side of the table.
“It’s not like we haven’t shared a drink a million times before,” Lucas said, shrugging.
“Not when I have mono, dummie,” Will said, “You’re gonna get sick too.”
“Shit,” Lucas cursed under his breath, not wanting the boys to hear.
“My mom’s gonna kill us if you get sick from that,” Will said, his voice low. Their table was dismissed to go and get food so the boys joined the line, Lucas and Will walking over to where Mike and Dustin were standing.
“Will, what’d you do to your shoulder?” Dustin asked, noticing the tape.
“Huh?” Will turned around, not having heard Dustin. Lucas grabbed him at the waist and turned him towards Dustin. All four of the boys laughed, Dustin repeating his question.
“Dislocated it twice,” Will said, sneezing.
“Ew, don’t get your germs on me,” Dustin complained, wiping his sleeve.
“It’s mono, you can’t get it from the air,” Will snarked.
“Shit, you have it too?” Dustin said, earning a glare from all three boys. They weren’t supposed to cuss around the kids but Dustin and his potty mouth forgot about this rule a lot.
“Yeah,” Will said, “I woke up this morning feeling terrible.”
“Mike?” A camper from Cabin Six who couldn’t be older than seven years old walked over.
“Yeah, Eli?” Mike said.
“Ava from Cabin Eight was saying mean things about the green stuff on Will's arm. It wasn't nice,” Eli said, looking concerned.
"Well, remember that if we don't have anything nice to say, we stay quiet. And if we have a question, we ask someone about it," Mike looked at the three counselors around him, not sure what else to say to the boy. Will squatted down to get on Eli’s level, his knees popping in the process.
“You wanna know what it is?” Will asked, rubbing his knee.
“Yeah,” Eli said, his eyes widening.
“It’s kinda like a big bandaid because I hurt my arm,” Will explained.
“So it’s better now?” Eli asked.
“It helps make it better,” Will lied, not wanting to expose this kid to the world of chronic illness.
“That’s cool,” Eli said before walking back to his friends. Will stood back up.
"Dude, how do you do that?” Dustin asked.
"I'm just good with kids, I guess," Will said, sneezing. Dustin rolled his eyes as the boys walked up to get their food, walking away to the separate tables.
--
Things were okay for a little over forty-eight hours.
Joyce had just finished scheduling Will a doctor's appointment when he and Lucas walked in. It was more like Will carried Lucas in, the taller boy leaning most of his weight onto Will's good shoulder.
"What's wrong?" Joyce asked, helping Lucas sit on the bed.
"I feel like crap and I'm about to pass out every ten seconds. It started this morning and I almost collapsed at the lake earlier," Lucas explained.
"It's probably because you drank out of my cup the other day, I bet you have mono too," Will sighed, sitting down on the bed next to Lucas and rubbing his shoulder.
"You guys are going to be the death of me," Joyce said, unwrapping a tongue depressor and motioning for Lucas to open up.
"It's all Mike's fault, he's the one who got mono and kept it a secret," Lucas said, talking around the tongue depressor.
"And of course, it had to get spread to you two," Joyce rolled her eyes. Will snorted, he didn't think he had ever seen her roll her eyes with that much intensity. It was clear where he got it from.
“This isn’t my fault, I looked away and Lucas drank out of my cup,” Will said, “It’s on him.”
“You’ve got it too,” Joyce said, “I want you to rest, both of you. Lucas, you’re not allowed to stand up unless someone helps you, no passing out from overexertion on my watch. Will, they have a spot open today, are you good to drive?”
“Yeah, you just want me to stay until then?” Will asked, standing up and walking around, restlessly.
“Yes, I’ll have someone take your kids. It’ll be tight, with three counselors out. Luckily none of the kids are sick so that should keep things pretty calm in here, but that means we have all the kids up and about,” Joyce said, pulling out a packet of cough drops, “Lucas, do you have any of your meds in your cabin that you need? I can have Will go grab them.”
“I’ll just go grab the kit, I’ll have to take some of that stuff with me,” Will said, moving to walk out.
“Can you grab me my phone and playbook while you’re in there?” Lucas asked.
“For sure,” Will said, leaving the room.
“Joyce, I might need a puke bin. I’m really nauseous right now,” Lucas said after a few moments of silence.
“Absolutely kiddo, anything you need within reason,” Joyce said, opening a cabinet, “Do you want the plain tub or the Superman tub?”
“Superman tub,” Lucas laughed, watching her while lying down.
“I keep the Superman in here for the campers and I think that your group is the only ones to have used it,” Joyce said, handing Lucas the tub.
“Thanks, Joyce. What would I do without you?” Lucas pulled the tub onto his lap, sitting up and leaning over it.
“This whole camp would fall apart,” Joyce laughed. She turned around hearing the door open. Will and Hopper walked in, Will holding a backpack in one hand.
“What’s up?” Joyce asked, stepping closer to Hopper as he gave her a kiss on the cheek.
“I needed your advice on something but I guess that now we have to reorganize the cabins for a couple of days,” Hopper said.
“Yeah, I’m pulling these two out for sure and I want Mike taking it easy,” Joyce said, “Should we just pull a counselor to cover?”
“That’s probably our best idea, should we have Jon or Steve do it?” Hopper suggested.
“Force Jon to take them,” Will said, “I’m still bitter he beat me in Pictionary last week.”
“Is this your decision to make?” Joyce asked, facing away from Will. There was a pause before Joyce turned around, realizing that Will hadn’t heard her.
“I’m guessing from the amount of awkward silence that Mom said something to me and it was probably a question,” Will said sheepishly, "I still have that microphone issue, so it's been a lot of lipreading."
“It’s our decision, not yours to make,” Joyce repeated, "And do you need to get it checked out?"
"I'll be fine, I can wait for a new pair," Will said, looking down at the floor. They hadn't had a lot of money growing up and he was used to waiting for insurance to cover a new pair. It was hard to shake that now that they had a lot more money and savings.
"Will, if they don't work, you need a new pair. It's not a struggle anymore," Joyce said.
"How about you say something at your appointment later?" Hopper said.
"Okay," Will nodded.
"Speaking of your appointment, you should probably get going. We'll figure out how to cover the kids while you're gone," Joyce interjected.
"Sounds like a plan," Will said, "Lucas, I'm emptying your stuff onto the bed, I need the bag."
"Doesn't matter to me," Lucas said.
"Lucas, do you still have your heart monitor patch?" Joyce asked.
"Um, I think so. Will, can you check in the kit?" Lucas asked, turning his head to face the other boy. Will rummaged through the bag before just taking everything out and sorting it.
"I think... there it is," Will said, grabbing the small patch. He handed it to his mom, putting his stuff back in the bag.
"You two are such a liability, why did I ever let you be campers, much less counselors?" Hopper chuckled.
"You wanted to get in my mom's pants," Will deadpanned, causing both him and Lucas to laugh. The laughter turned into a coughing fit, both boys ending up hacking.
"Will, please get going before you cause Lucas to throw up with all the laughing or make another dirty joke about me," Joyce said, shooing him off.
"Okay, okay," Will said, "Love you."
"Love you too," Joyce said, hearing the door shut behind her.
"So, I'll go let the boys decide who wants to help,” Hopper said, “Lucas, who’s watching your kids right now?”
“Actually Steve and Jonathan are down there with their kids too, but I think Will told Max to watch them. I was too busy trying not to pass out to remember,” Lucas said.
“Okay,” Hopper said, “Feel better, I’ll see you guys later.”
“Bye Jim, love you,” Joyce said, letting him leave.
“Joyce, do you want me to put the monitor on myself? I can do it,” Lucas asked.
"I'll help you, don't want to put it on wrong," Joyce said, "Can you take your shirt off?" Lucas pulled his shirt off, tossing it off to the side.
"Joyce, I, um, well... I've been having some problems recently. I told Will not to tell you but um, I just keep going into pre-syncope. It started right before camp started but I didn't want you guys to be one man down. It'll probably show up on the monitor, that's why I'm telling you now," Lucas said, sounding slightly upset.
"Lucas, has it gotten bad enough that you've gone into syncope?" Joyce asked, placing the heart monitor on Lucas's chest and turning it on.
"I think the running total is five times but Will's been there every time. I'm making sure to get to a safe space before I actually pass out," Lucas explained.
"Kiddo, you really need to tell me when you pass out, it could be a liability thing if something bad happens. I know that can be easier to hide these things out of embarrassment or shame but you need to come to me with these things," Joyce said, "Is your throat sore at all? Will and Mike have both complained about that."
"Yeah, it is pretty sore," Lucas chuckled before suddenly leaning forward over the tub, throwing up. Luckily nothing spilled out and the Superman tub kept it contained.
"Hey, hey. You're fine," Joyce said, stepping over to rub his back, "Is there more?"
Lucas nodded before promptly throwing up again. He stayed bent over the tub, trying to force anything else out. It happened again before he sat back up, feeling slightly better.
"That's it," Lucas said, sounding exhausted.
"Okay, I'm gonna grab you a washcloth to clean up and I'll take the tub out back," Joyce said, briefly leaving the room before coming back with a washcloth in hand. She handed it to Lucas and he wiped his face, getting any of the vomit off.
"Joyce, I feel like I’m gonna pass out,” Lucas said, setting the washcloth down and laying back.
“Okay, stay lying down. I’m gonna grab the fan and get it blowing on you,” Joyce said, grabbing everything that she thought she would need if Lucas did end up passing out. She kept an eye on him, making sure that he didn’t actually pass out. Lucas laid there for about ten minutes before the lightheadedness subsided, Joyce keeping a careful eye on him the whole time.
“I think I feel better,” Lucas said, starting to sit back up. He got halfway up before slumping back over, passed out. Joyce went over, making sure he was safely on his back. He woke back up within 45 seconds, groaning.
"Hey, hey. You're good, don't worry," Joyce said, making sure he didn't try to sit up too soon.
"Wha...?" Lucas said, his voice dying out.
"You passed out, you're fine. Don't sit up, just stay where you are for a minute," Joyce said. She grabbed a water bottle and brought it over to him.
"Thank you, Joyce," Lucas said, propping himself up a little to drink from the water bottle.
"I'm here to look out for you guys," Joyce said, "You can sleep for a while, okay?"
"Okay, thanks," Lucas said, laying back down and rolling over. Joyce went back to her desk, checking her phone. She saw a few texts from Will, updates about his appointment. She replied, telling him to try and call her when he got out. Joyce opened her book, deciding to get some reading done while she watched Lucas. After about an hour of peace, she got a call from Will.
"Hey baby," Joyce said, answering the phone, "How'd it go?"
"Well, Dr. Lane said she was gonna call you too to make sure you got everything but she expedited the test results so I know everything. I have mono, that test came back positive. As for my shoulder, she’s going to get a second opinion but she thinks that I’ll have to have an open shoulder surgery. They can’t do whatever the other one is, the non-invasive. It’s because they’ve already done that once and it didn’t help as much as it was supposed to. I tore some of the soft tissue and there’s a fracture, that’s why. So I have a sling right now, keep it still. Oh, and she prescribed some pain meds so I'm gonna go pick those up real quick," Will explained, not pausing to take a breath.
"Okay, do you need me to come pick you up? I can call her after we hang up to schedule everything," Joyce asked, worried for her son.
“She said that I’m fine to drive, she trusts me to know my pain levels,” Will replied.
"Did you ask about your hearing aids?" Joyce asked.
"Yeah, she said that they'll get someone to fix them while I'm at the hospital for the surgery," Will said, "And if you want to order a new pair, you can do that when she calls."
“Well, be safe and I’ll see you when I get here,” Joyce said.
"Okay, love you, Mom. See you later," Will said, hanging up.
Joyce set her phone down, checking up on Lucas. He was still asleep, just like she thought he would be. The door to the med cabin opened, Mike standing on the other side.
"What's up?" Joyce asked.
"I just feel like crap again," Mike replied, "Can I chill in here for a while?"
"You can. Lucas is resting so just try to be kinda quiet," Joyce explained.
"Why is Lucas in here?" Mike asked, not knowing that he was sick as well.
"He drank from Will's cup the other day and now he has mono too," Joyce said, walking over to the beds with Mike.
"Is everybody getting sick? I feel bad that I brought it here," Mike chuckled softly but Joyce could hear the concern in his voice.
"It's not truly your fault, you didn't know you were going to contract mono. Are you feeling better overall?" Joyce asked, motioning for him to open his mouth so she could check inside.
"Mostly. It's just the sore throat now, that and a little bit of fatigue," Mike mumbled around the tongue depressor in his mouth.
“Well that’s good, you should be fully recovered within the next few days,” Joyce patted him on the shoulder, turning to throw the tongue depressor away.
“How’s Will doing?” Mike asked, his voice quiet.
“He hasn’t complained about anything, but you know how he is with his pain. He went to the doctor’s today to get his shoulder checked out,” Joyce said.
“Did they figure out what’s wrong?” Mike asked, sitting forward.
“He tore some soft tissue and fractured his shoulder. He has to have surgery on it. But it’s the shoulder he’s already had surgery on once,” Joyce explained.
“When is it?” Mike asked. Joyce could hear the worry in his voice.
“I haven’t called to schedule it yet, but it’ll probably be in the next week or so. It all depends on availability,” Joyce explained, “He’s on his way back now.”
“Okay, so I’ll see him when he gets here,” Mike nodded to himself.
“Yeah, he should be here any minute. Don't beat yourself up about this, it's not your fault that anyone's sick. You didn't mean to bring it to camp," Joyce said, holding her arms out for a hug.
"I know," Mike said, accepting the hug. He laid his head on her chest, just like both her boys used to do when they were little. Will still hugged her like this, especially on the nights he couldn't sleep.
"Jealous," A voice said, the door to the cabin opening. Will stood in the doorway, a shocked look on his face.
"Do you want a hug too?" Mike asked, still pressed into Joyce's chest. He pulled away, noticing that Will hadn't answered. Mike gave Will a look, trying to ask why he didn't respond.
"Did you ask me a question?" Will asked, "I can't hear well right now."
"Yeah, I asked if you wanted a hug," Mike repeated.
"Always," Will said, holding his good arm out. He walked over and the two boys hugged, Mike being careful so that he wouldn't hurt Will. It was a little bit difficult with Will's arm in the sling, but they made it work. Joyce smiled to herself, these two boys were so cute together. She couldn't wait to see their relationship grow.