Andy Hopper had enough to deal with. She hated her mom's new boyfriend, she was still grieving the death of her sister, and she hadn't seen her dad in years. The last thing she needed was to be packed up and shipped off to the small town of Hawkins...
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EVERYTHING WENT PAST ANDY IN A BLUR. One minute she was on her knees beside Will's convulsing body, the next being thrown into the back of an ambulance van beside him. At the laboratory being ripped apart from her father who was dragged God knows where and then rushing after a gurney that held Will's body as he screamed in pain.
"Will, where does it hurt?" A nurse asked as she kept up with the fast-moving gurney with a terrified Joyce Byers at her side. Will's whole body twitched, veins popping out against his skin that dripped with sweat. "All over." He screamed, muffled by the oxygen mask over his mouth.
"He feels like he's burning. Check for burns." Dr. Owens ordered. Another doctor cut at Will's shirt, ripping it apart forcefully, but there were no signs of any burns.
The bright white walls of the lab made Andy's head sear in pain. They made her feel disoriented and distressed, thankful when they barged through the doors of a calmer room. She hated seeing the young boy in such agony, but all she could do was watch on horrified.
"Where does it hurt the most, Will?" The same nurse asked. His body lifted in sharp pain. "Everywhere!" He screamed out and Andy had to resist the urge to breakdown into tears. Crying would be no help for anyone and only draw attention away from the most important matter, Will. She had to stay strong.
A senior doctor hurried over with a large needle in his hand. He plunged it into Will's arm, injecting its contents and almost immediately Will's body went limp. He was in pain no more.
Every couple of hours throughout the night a doctor would come and give Will an injection that diminished his pain and kept him asleep. Andy wished they would give her one too, sleep had deserted her for the most part. Her dad hadn't yet returned and the small hospital chair that was the only thing to sit in was exceptionally uncomfortable. Both she and Mike had been given blankets to keep warm under and sat in chairs next to one another. They would fall in and out of sleep repeatedly, hospital noises or sudden panic waking them up.
At some point in the early morning of the next day, Mike shot awake with a scared gasp. The sudden jolt of his body awoke Andy too. She glanced around the room to see the disruption that had woken her up, but other than Will's unconscious body, her and Mike were alone. With that, she realised the young boy next to her was the cause of her abrupt awakening.
"Are you okay?" She asked gently, sitting up in her seat to look at him. Andy had always had a strong sisterly nature from being an older one to Sara and more recently in a similar role for Eleven. Therefore, she often felt like one for the boy's party, especially as their babysitter. Mike nodded, not wanting to tell her the truth. Despite his assurance, Andy could see his chest still rising and falling from panic and wet glaze across his eyes. "Was it a nightmare?"
