Trauma - Hopper Fan fiction

43. Rendezvous

**Sorry for the delayed chapter. You know, midterms and a world pandemic going on. Also didn't know what I wanted to write**

"What's this?", Jamie asked from the passenger seat of the blazer as they sat outside of an office building. She held the white pill in her hand, not sure of what its purpose was.

"Take it. It'll help you relax before you head inside", he replied, passing her his near empty water bottle.

"Xanax?", Jamie read the engraving of the pill and looked at her father worryingly. "I saw someone at Jasper's party tak-", she stopped speaking as she realized who she was talking to when Hopper raised an eyebrow.

"I mean, isn't this like... drugs?"

"Not if you don't abuse it. It's for things like anxiety and... depression, that sorta stuff", he said with the twirl of a hand.

"Depression?! You think I'm depressed?!"

"No, but I can't stay here with you so I don't want you to go freaking out in there."

"Do you have to go to work?", she asked with her puppy dog eyes.

Hopper felt guilty and bit his tongue.

"I'm not working. I'm just... grabbing something from my desk and that's it. I'll be back in an hour to pick you up. Promise."

Jamie looked at him and held out her pinky. Hopper grabbed hers with his as they both interlocked fingers, and pushed their thumbs together. Jamie grabbed her bookbag and pushed the door open. She swallowed spit before placing the pill on the back of her tongue and gulping down the rest of his water.

"Look", he said as she shut the door. "If you need me, you call me."

Jamie nodded her head without giving eye contact. She stared down at her untied shoelaces before realizing that he was expecting a response.

"I will", she responded.

"Alright", he said softly, starting to relax his posture. He stretched his arm across the car and Jamie met him halfway as they both fist bumped.

"Love ya, kid", he said quickly, catching a glimpse of the time and slowly pulling off as Jamie turned towards the office building.

Hopper nodded reassuringly and watched from his his side mirror as Jamie entered the building.

"Top rated therapists in Indiana", she read the banner to herself sarcastically as an older lady at the reception desk cleared her throat.

"Hi, can I help you with something?", she called out to Jamie who still stood fairly close to the main door.

Jamie's instinct was to turn around and call for her dad, but gave it a second thought as she saw something wagging from behind the desk.

"Is that a dog?"

The lady smiled and looked down to her side.

"Why yes it is. Would you like to pet her?"

Jamie nodded and approached the desk with a different attitude from when she first entered. After watching Jamie interact with the dog, the lady figured that Jamie must have an appointment and wasn't another runaway.

"Who are you here to see, sweetie?", she asked as she checked the days schedule.

Jamie reached into her pocket and pulled out the folded paper that her father had given her eariler. She handed it to the lady who then put on her reading glasses that hung from her neck and caught a glimpse of her name plate.