#ghost when its her turn to watch pickle...... hey son i love you. have fun running around in my evil plant infested caves!

[andwejust-ran]

I’m Your Man-Chapter 3

Thanks for all your kind comments and feedback. I’m so glad that you enjoy it! It’s a challenging story to write, but it’s also fun to explore!

Everyone enjoyed the impromptu Barbecue so much, that it quickly became a weekly event. Hopper even purchased a large picnic table set, to make it more official. Each week, dinner grew more and more elaborate as the trailer became a revolving door of teens. On this night, in late June, Nancy, Mike, and Dustin arrived with armfuls of desserts that Mrs. Wheeler had helped them prepare.

Joyce was busy organizing the food in Hopper’s small kitchen, when he stepped in with a plate of raw meat. “I might have to splurge on a new grill soon. This one's on its last legs.”

Joyce kept her focus on a tray of cupcakes. “We’ve got some left at the store.” The blue and red icing was melting off from the summer heat. She was determined to save them. With a frown, she added, “70% off.” Melvald’s was officially closing. By the end of the summer, she would be jobless, and with it, another weight added to her already sagging shoulders.

Hopper mindlessly grabbed a beer out of the fridge. “I’ll have to stop in before this one craps out.” His can popped open with a loud hiss. He wiped the sweat off of his forehead and then rested the can against his face.

Out of the corner of her eye, Joyce noticed Hopper staring at her. “What?” When he didn’t stop staring, she stopped to shoot him a confused look. “What are you looking at?”

Sheepishly, he darted his gaze away. “Nothing.”

“Hopper.”  She pointed an icing covered finger at him. “What is it?”

The kitchen didn’t leave much room for personal space. He tried not to crowd her, but his large frame made it nearly impossible. “Joyce, uh, when are you gonna tell the boys? You know, about the baby?” the last part of his question was almost inaudible.

The pair had spent the last few weeks blatantly ignoring her pregnancy. It was always there, of course, hanging heavy between them, but they never acknowledged it. It was easier to live in denial. His sudden mention of it annoyed her.

“I don’t know.” She went back to her task, but found herself too flustered to concentrate.

“I think, it’s gonna have to be soon.”

With a dramatic sigh, she gave up on the cupcakes and stole a napkin to wipe her hands. “What are you talking about, Hopper?” The longer she waited to tell Will and Jonathan, the harder it became. Inevitably, she had to tell them. She was well aware of that fact, but the thought of explaining the circumstances to them, left her feeling panicked.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but it’s getting kinda obvious.”

Her movements stilled. Self-consciously, she glanced down at her loose white t-shirt. She had been blessed with a petite frame that hadn’t changed much, even during her first two pregnancies. Her third pregnancy, however, was proving to be the exception. Her old ripped jeans barely fit and she was grateful that most of her shirts weren’t form fitting.

Hopper hesitated. Discussing a woman’s weight was never wise, so he opted to tread carefully. “I can see it in your face.”

Her hands went immediately to her cheeks. Then, she shot him a glare. “Don’t say that.”

Hopper shrugged “Sorry.” He wasn’t all that sorry, though. To him, she had always been beautiful, but now, he noticed it even more. “Pregnancy looks good on you, if it makes you feel better.”

Joyce ignored his compliment as anxiety built up inside of her. It was always like this. She would have moments of complete peace, where she was calm and content, and then, like a sudden bolt of lightning, it would be ruined by some glaring reminder of impending doom. If pregnancy was doing wonders for her appearance, it certainly wasn’t doing wonders for her battle with anxiety.

“I can’t tell them,” she insisted, while pulling the corner of her bottom lip with her teeth.

Hopper heaved a deep chuckle. “They’re a little old to believe that Santa left a baby under the tree, Joyce.”

Joyce swatted his bare arm, and then fanned her flushed face. The hottest part of the day was done. The sinking sun provided some relief, but their bodies acted like a furnace in the confined space. “They’re not gonna wanna hear that their mom got knocked up by some guy in a bar.”

Hopper nodded in agreement, but then smirked. “It’ll be hard to have those condom talks with them after this, that’s for sure.”

Even in the worst of times, their banter was like a comfort blanket. They slipped in and out of seriousness with skilled precision. Their shared history, once considered a weakness before the events of the past two years, now worked in their favor.

“I’m screwed.”

Hopper crossed his arms. Dryly, he said, “Just tell them it’s mine. Everyone will be thinking it anyway.” His joke was met with her disapproving frown and he was instantly confused. “What’s the face for?”

To the tiny part of her that wished that the baby was his, the joke felt like a slap in the face. Instantly, her walls went up to protect herself. “That’s the last thing I need.”

Straightening up, Hopper’s features turned tense. He was offended, but wasn’t sure why. “So telling them that I’m the father would be worse than the truth?”

Refusing to get into an argument over something that could never be, Joyce rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t even matter, Hop. John’s the father and I’ll have to tell them that, and then die of embarrassment.”

“John?” bristled Hopper. “I thought you didn’t know his name?”

“I don’t know his last name.”

Hopper crossed his arms. His entire demeanor grew dark as jealousy raced through him. “Right.” Up until now, the man was a ghost. A nobody. It was easy to pretend that he didn’t exist at all. But now, he had a name, and it wouldn’t be long before his mind started inventing a face to add to it.

Joyce noticed the obvious change in him, but didn’t want to think too much about it. Thinking too much would only lead to trouble. Instead, she glanced out the window where six teens of various ages were playing Frisbee. The air around them was tense and she was eager to end the conversation. Luckily, the smoking grill gave her an out. “I think the grill’s ready. Or it’s on fire.”

Hopper followed her gaze out the window and then cursed under his breath. Brooding in silence, he grabbed the plate of meat and let the door slam shut on his way out.

***

   Dinner with 8 people crammed around a picnic table was chaos, but it was the good kind of chaos. The kind of chaos that one misses years down the road when things are entirely too quiet and too mundane. Despite their earlier tension, Joyce and Hopper were fine together once they were distracted by the conversations around them.

During a lull, Jonathan pointed to his mother as she finished her third pickle. “Since when do you eat pickles?” He looked to Will who was seated beside him. “Have you ever seen her eat a pickle?”

From across the table, Will watched as Joyce licked the tangy juice off her lips. As if he were the parent and she were the child, he suspiciously said, “You hate pickles.”

Joyce played off her craving with an indifferent shrug. “They’re not so bad.”

Beside her, Hopper held up the pickle jar to examine it. “I’d say so. They’re almost gone.”

Surrounded by her kids, their friends, and Hopper, Joyce was in good spirits, so she didn’t take their teasing seriously. “This coming from the guy who invented the ‘Ego-Extravaganza’.”

Hopper’s mouth curved up into a guilty grin. “Touché.”

Neither adult noticed Jane’s perplexed expression. Sandwiched in between Mike and Will, she studied Joyce with hawk like focus. Then, out of the blue, Jane’s flat toned comment stunned the table into silence. “Pregnant.”

Hopper, who had just taken a sip of water, started to choke. The commotion diverted the attention away from Joyce’s blanched face. “Jesus,” he blurted, once he recovered. “What are you talking about?”

Jane didn’t understand what the big deal was. “Erica’s pregnant. She loves pickles.”

Hopper’s heavy brows furrowed. “Erica?”

It was Nancy who explained, “Yeah. Erica Kane, from All My Children.” She smiled down the table at Jane. She herself, indulged in the guilty pleasure from time to time.

“We’re talking about TV?” Hopper let out a disgruntled sigh.

“Hey, it’s a good show!” exclaimed Nancy.

Jonathan nudged her gently in the side. “None of that stuff’s real, you know. It’s not like my mom’s pregnant just because she likes pickles.” His eyes were bright with playfulness and he had a smile on his face, until he looked at his mother’s panicked expression. His face fell as he asked, “Right, mom?” Joyce looked away, but her gaze fell on Hopper, and Jonathan watched in horror as they exchanged a furtive glance.

The table was so quiet, that you could hear a pin drop. Hoping to save Joyce from humiliation, Hopper spoke up. “TV rots your brain.”

Jonathan spoke right over him. “Mom?” He got her attention by asking, “Are you pregnant?”

Without making a sound, Joyce’s mouth opened and closed. Shamefully, she kept her gaze on her son as she nodded in confirmation. She wanted to reassure him. She wanted to be the mother he needed, but in that moment, she was frozen in fear. Her vision tunneled, so that only his angry expression was visible to her.

Jonathan’s cheeks turned red. “You’re pregnant.” It was a statement, not a question. He looked away from her to stare accusingly at Hopper. “She’s pregnant?”

Hopper immediately held up his hands. “Hey, don’t look at me. I’ve got nothing to do with this.” The words sounded light hearted in his head, but didn’t come out that way. Helplessly, he looked to Joyce, only to find a hurt look on her face. Hopper tried to apologize, but their attention was soon stolen by Jonathan.

“If it’s not him, then…then who?” His body was tense with the emotions that he was bottling up. “Do you have some boyfriend lurking around?”

Everyone was waiting for an answer. Under their heavy stares, Joyce’s anxiety grew. She looked to Will and his wide brown eyes rendered her speechless. When she finally could speak, her mouth was painfully dry. “Let’s talk at home.”

Jonathan was up and standing before she had even finished speaking. Incredulously, he spat, “At home?” His mind raced, as he tried to put all the pieces together. “You’re having a baby and you wanna talk at home?”

“Jonathan,” Joyce begged.

Instead of listening, he crossed his arms and glared back at her. “I don’t wanna talk at home. I don’t wanna talk, at all.” As his emotions took over, his voice rose to a yell. He completely forgot his surroundings and the fact that they had an audience. “I don’t understand you, mom! I don’t understand what the hell you’re doing.”

It was Hopper who gruffly responded, before Joyce could. “Calm down, kid.”

Jonathan snorted and shook his head. An anti-authoritative remark was on the tip of his tongue, but he didn’t say it. He didn’t look at anyone before storming away, towards the lake.

Hesitantly, Nancy stood up. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Byers.” She looked to Joyce and then towards her boyfriend’s fleeing form. “I’ll go talk to him.” Nancy turned away, but then stopped, as if she had forgotten something. With a sheepish smile, she turned back around and addressed Joyce again. “Um, congratulations…on the baby.” With an awkward nod towards Hopper, she went after Jonathan.

Everyone at the table was quiet for so long that the silence grew painful. Dustin and Mike shared puzzled looks while Will played with his food. Jane glanced between the adults, desperately trying to comprehend what was going on around her.

Out of the blue, Joyce closed her eyes and put a trembling hand to her mouth. “I’ll be back.” Her morning sickness, that had been getting better, was now back with a vengeance. She darted away from the table and into the trailer before anyone could say anything.

Lips pursed in concern, Hopper watched her go, and then pinched the bridge of his nose. He thought about following her, but then he noticed Will and Jane’s fearful expressions and stayed put. “She’ll be okay.”

“I’m sorry,” insisted Jane. “I hurt her.”

Hopper was confused. “She’s not upset, she’s just been getting sick sometimes.”

As if Hopper knew nothing about women, Dustin advised, “Um, she’s definitely upset.”

Mike, who was sitting beside Dustin, shoved his friend in the side. “Mrs. Byers isn’t upset at her, though.” He then turned his attention to Jane. “It’s not your fault, El.” Mike and Jane’s hands were already joined, so he squeezed it for reassurance.

The girl eventually believed him, though it didn’t make her thoughts any clearer. Her brown eyes shifted to Hopper. “Joyce is having a baby. Not you?”

Hopper’s face was hidden in his hands. Dustin chuckled at her statement, but Hopper understood exactly what she meant. This wasn’t the type of discussion he wanted to have ever, let alone at the dinner table. He removed his hands and swiftly nodded. “Yeah.”

Jane’s face grew determined, in the way it always did when she was on a mission for answers. “You’ll be the dad, though?”

Her question threw him through a loop again. “No, Jane...the baby isn’t mine. I’m not the dad.”

“You will be.”

He tried not to lose his patience, but it wasn’t easy. His back ached from the picnic table bench and his mind kept wandering to Joyce. “That’s not how it works.” Off in the distance, he could just make out Jonathan and Nancy’s silhouettes as they walked towards his car. “We can talk about it more, later. Okay?” He was eager to end the discussion, once and for all. He wasn’t the father. That fact couldn’t be changed, and Joyce seemed fine with that. Her earlier words were still running through his mind.

Jane shot him an incredulous glare. “But you knew she was having a baby.”

Hopper finally lost his patience and with it, his voice rose. “Yeah kid, I knew. Alright? So what?  We’re friends. You and I will talk about it later.” In reality, he hoped that the subject would never come up again, but he knew that was next to impossible.

“Why later?” came Dustin’s outraged question. Hopper stared him down with a deathly still stare, but Dustin wasn’t intimidated. “What? It’s not like she’s gonna be any less pregnant later.”

Mike made a disgusted face. “It sounds weird when you say it like that.”

Dustin rolled his eyes. “It’s Biology. Look it up.”

“Ew. Gross. What the hell, Dustin. I’m not looking it up.”

“Mrs. Byers is pregnant.” Dustin motioned to his stomach with his arms. “As in, having a baby…as in, Will’s gonna have a baby around the house, soon. Why is no one getting this?”

In frustration, Mike threw a hamburger bun at his friend. Dustin caught it in one hand and lobbed it back at him. They kept up their antics until Hopper’s stern tone told them to quit it. His tense features kept them from continuing. His face softened however, when he noticed that Will had remained quiet for far too long.

“You okay, buddy?” Hopper’s annoyance evaporated as Will helplessly shrugged. “Hey, I know it’s a shock.”

Though he was a teenager, Will’s eyes were filled with childlike innocence. “My mom has a new boyfriend? I didn’t know that.”

“Oh.” Hopper couldn’t help him there. “Uh, well, you’ll have to talk to her about that.” He couldn’t be the one to explain things to him, and he felt bad about that.

“I thought maybe…” Will’s cheeks colored as his words trailed off. Shyly, he ducked his head down. He was too embarrassed to finish his sentence.

Jane, however, wasn’t embarrassed. She took right over where Will left off. “We thought you were her boyfriend.”

Hopper’s brows arched in surprise. “What?”

“You’re always together.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m her boyfriend,” he insisted. With a groan, he looked to the trailer and was relieved to see Joyce making her way back. He could deal with monsters, mayors, and mayhem, but when it came to four teenagers with too many questions, he had to throw in the towel. Hopper got up and met Joyce halfway.

She answered his question before he had a chance to ask. “I’m okay.”

Her face was pale and clammy. He shook his head in disbelief. “I can hold down the fort, if you wanna go sit down inside.” His eyes darted back to the table before refocusing on her. He had done a terrible job of holding things together while she was inside before, but he would try it again, for her.

“Thanks, but I should go home.” Frantically, she looked around his tall frame until she saw her son. “Will, honey, let’s go.” She had lost all control over the situation and was desperate to regain some. Hopper moved to put his hands on her shoulders, but she stepped back before he could. In a no nonsense tone, she snapped, “I’m fine, Hop.”

Looming over her, he stared her down intensely before finally giving up. Seconds later, Will was at their side. “Jonathan left with Nancy.”

Joyce let out a dejected sigh. “Okay.”

Hopper squeezed Will’s shoulder, but spoke only to her. “Call me if you need to talk later.” At her sour look, he spoke even louder, “I mean it. Call me.” She didn’t respond, but, he wasn’t surprised at that. Silently, he watched her walk away. Around him, the crickets chirped and at the table, the three remaining teens spoke in hushed whispers. Hopper stood there until the sun sank beneath the horizon and the lightning bugs began to blink.

***

        Joyce’s hands gripped the steering wheel tight on the way home. Will hadn’t looked at her, not once. Driving didn’t stop her from constantly glancing his way, though. The silence was too much. It was worse than an awkward conversation.

Finally, she had enough. “Baby, talk to me. Please.” As a family, they had been through worse. She wasn’t going to let this destroy them.

Will’s response was soft. “I don’t know what to say.” He wasn’t angry, like his brother, but he wasn’t happy, either. His unhappiness radiated off of him in invisible waves.

Joyce let out a relieved breath. At least he said something. In that moment, she would take anything. “Okay, how about how you’re feeling?”

“I don’t know. I guess I’d be cool…to have a baby around.” His words were optimistic, but his tone lacked the excitement needed to pull it off. The idea of a younger sibling didn’t scare him, like the Shadow Monster or the Upside Down, but it felt off in a way that he couldn’t put into words.

She hadn’t practiced what to say, but luckily, her many years of parental experience took over. “It’ll be an adjustment. For all of us…I know. It’s taking me a long time to process it all, too, but it’ll be okay. We’ll figure it all out, as a family. Like always. I promise.”

Will met her eyes and managed a weak smile. The idea of his mother being pregnant embarrassed him. He didn’t want to think about any of it, but he had questions, ones that his mind wouldn’t allow to go unanswered. “Who’s your new boyfriend?”

This time, Joyce kept her eyes on the road. She allowed silence to drift between them for a bit as she thought about the best thing to say. Honesty had always been her policy when it came to being a single parent. She let it guide her. “I don’t have one.” At a stop sign, she finally glanced towards Will again and her face fell at his confused expression. “The babies father...he um, well. He’s not from around here. So he won’t be involved in this.” A horn behind them honked loudly and she let out a sigh when she was forced to move her eyes back to the road in order to drive.

It took Will some time to understand the meaning of her words. His cheeks turned red when the pieces finally fell into place. “So, it, I mean, the baby, won’t have a dad?” His question was laced with disappointment. He knew what it was like to grow up pretty much without one. His throat burned with emotion knowing that his sibling would suffer the same fate.

“No.” When she stopped the car at the top of their long driveway, Joyce turned towards him and reached for his hand. “I’m sorry, honey. This is a mess, I know. It’s gonna be okay, though. I promise. And you can talk to me, like always. That’s not gonna change.”

Staring into her tearful eyes, Will didn’t have the heart to make her more upset by voicing his feelings. He was never good at hiding things from her, but with a fake smile, he tried to anyway. “It’s okay, mom. I know it’ll work out.” She pulled him into a hug then, and Will was relieved that he could let his smile fall against her shoulder.

***

“Joyce, listen to me, it’s Jonathan. Alright? He’s not gonna do anything stupid.”

Through the phone, Hopper’s voice offered little comfort. Joyce had the long phone cord wrapped around her hands as she spoke in hushed tones. “It’s after Midnight Hop, and he’s not home. He’s never done this before. He usually calls.”

“He’s probably just blowing off steam. He’s a teenager.”

Frustrated that her concerns weren’t being taken seriously, Joyce shook her head. “And what if he’s not? Hopper, Karen said Nancy came home two hours ago. Jonathan was headed home and now he’s not here. So where the hell’s my son?” Will was asleep, so she tried to keep her tone low, but it was a difficult task.

Hopper’s disgruntled sigh was loud in her ear. Despite all they had been through, it was clear that he wasn’t concerned. Still, he offered, “Do you want me to go out looking?”

Joyce almost said yes, but instead she took some deep breaths and tried to calm her nerves. This wasn’t like before. This wasn’t a crisis. This was just typical teenage parenting. She ran those thoughts over and over in her mind, hoping that it would help stall the panic attack that was slowly building up.

“Joyce, you there?”

The front door suddenly opened and closed. Overcome with relief, she peered into the living room to see Jonathan. “He’s here. He’s home.” She didn’t say goodbye before hanging up. Nervously running her hands down her sides, she locked eyes with her son for several long seconds before she rushed towards him and wrapped her arms around him. “Dammit, Jonathan. You scared me.”

With stiff limbs, he let her embrace him, but made no move to return the hug. “I’m sorry, mom.” His apology was sincere, but guarded.

“Don’t do that to me.” Joyce pulled her body away, but kept her hands on his shoulders. “Where’ve  you been? Nancy came home hours ago.”

Jonathan lowered his head in shame. “I just needed some time.”

Joyce’s tone took on a shrill quality as it rose. “Jesus Jonathan, you need to call me. You can’t just disappear.”

He finally lifted his head, letting her see the storm brewing inside his eyes. “I’m sorry, I am, but you...you can’t just drop a bombshell on us like that and expect everything to be fine. It’s not fine, mom.”

Seeing the turmoil on her son’s face broke her heart. “I know, I know it’s not fine. But I need you to talk to me. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“I don’t wanna talk about it right now.” He shrugged off her hands and stepped away. Time and space had not given him any sort of clarity. Their family, the three of them, they had barely survived at times. How was a baby going to make things easier?

Jonathan tried to move past her, but her small frame blocked his path down the hall. Desperately she begged, “Please, honey. Talk to me.”

“What are we supposed to talk about?” All night he had been holding in his emotions. His frustration and anger had slowly built up until an explosion was inevitable. His hands went into the air as his voice rose. “I know it’s been hard since Bob. I know things haven’t been easy, but you go and decide to have a baby? What the hell, mom?”

His words stung, more than she had imagined they would. Still, she was determined to make things right. Her shaky hands reached for his arms. “It was an accident, and I know it’s a lot to take in. Believe me, I know, but we need to talk about it.”

With an angry sigh, Jonathan shook his head. “I just don’t understand what’s going on with you. This is crazy.”

Joyce bit her lip. “I know…”

“Do you?” He pulled away from her again and this time he backed well out of her reach. “Because back at dinner, you and Hopper, you were just acting like this is all so freaking normal. I didn’t even know you were dating again.”

Her own frustration was growing at the fact that he wouldn’t listen to her. “I wasn’t. I’m not!” With a glare, Jonathan stormed towards his room, but she was quick on his heels, following him. He paused when he made it to his room and she used it as an opportunity to explain herself. “It was a one time thing.” Discussing the specifics with her teenage son was the last thing she wanted to do, but she owed him some honesty. “He’s not in the picture, he doesn’t even live around here. It was a mistake...one that I would take back if I could, but I can’t and I’m sorry.”

The implication of her words made his chest burn with fury. All those awkward talks, all those safe sex talks that made him want to crawl into a hole and die, and now she was the one who messed up. The hypocrisy made his blood boil. There were so many things that he wanted to say. He opened his door and shook off her hand again as it tried to reach for him. Instead of screaming at her, like he wanted to, he refused to meet her eyes and lowered his tone. “Well, the baby can have my room once I leave for school next year,” he seethed. “I’ll be gone. I won’t be needing it anymore.” Before she could object, he slammed the door shut.

Stunned, Joyce stared at the barrier separating her and her son with her mouth open. She held her hand there, touching each grain of wood as tears slipped out of her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.