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Karen's eyes moved restlessly along the hospital corridor, following the sequence of room numbers lined neatly across the pale walls. The smell of antiseptic and purell lingered in the air, sharp and clean, while the distant beeping of medical machines echoed faintly from behind closed doors.
She had already been told which room Chris was in, but her steps still felt hurried, almost impatient as if walking faster might somehow make everything better.
Earlier, when they had asked about Will, the receptionist had informed them that William Byers had already been discharged and sent home.
Mike had immediately leaned forward, his voice tight with worry as he asked about Will's condition. Lucas had followed right after, his tone no less anxious. Thankfully, the receptionist reassured them that Will hadn't suffered any serious injuries, just minor scratches and bruises.
Relief came quickly, almost like a shared breath between them. Mike and Lucas both exhaled, their shoulders loosening as the tension eased, even if only slightly. If Will was fine… then Chris shouldn't be any worse, right?
At least that's what they hoped.
But Karen… Karen wasn't as easily reassured.
Her expression remained tense, her brows drawn together despite the good news of Will. She thanked the receptionist politely, but her mind was already elsewhere, focused entirely on Chris. Without wasting another second, she turned and continued down the hallway, her pace just a little faster than before.
"Oh, Karen?"
The voice came from behind, familiar and unexpected.
Karen turned, only to find Claudia Henderson walking toward them, having just returned to the hospital.
"How is he?" Karen asked immediately, concern evident in both her voice and her eyes.
Claudia gave a small, appreciative smile at the question, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Don't worry… he's going to be fine," she said softly. The words were reassuring but the faint tremor in her voice betrayed her words. "Come on," Claudia added, forcing a bit more energy into her tone. "You guys wanted to see him, right?"
She gestured for them to follow and began leading the way down the corridor.
As they walked, Mike glanced up at her. "How did this happen, Mrs. Henderson?"
Claudia hesitated for the briefest moment before answering.
"He's been saying it was an animal attack," she said quietly, choosing her words carefully.
Mike and Lucas exchanged a quick look, one of those silent conversations only they understood, before turning back to her.
"What kind of animal?" Lucas asked, his curiosity sharpened by unease.
"It's… a bear or something," Claudia replied with a small wave of her hand, as if trying to simplify it. "He fired a warning shot, but… it seems like the bear got really angry at him."
Karen listened closely, her expression thoughtful. She wasn't entirely sure whether the explanation made sense, but Hawkins was surrounded by woods. Encounters with wild animals weren't impossible… just rare enough to feel unsettling.
That's what she chose to believe for now.
Meanwhile, Mike and Lucas exchanged another glance.
They had spent enough time in the woods to know something wasn't right. Bears? Around here? Rare. Almost unheard of. And Chris… shooting one?
That didn't sit right with either of them.
Still, their suspicion quickly gave way to something else, curiosity.
"He shot it?!" Lucas blurted out, his eyes widening. "With what exactly?!"
Mike immediately nodded beside him, equally eager to hear the answer.
"Kids."
Karen's voice cut in sharply. She shot them both a firm look, one that instantly shut them up. The boys straightened, falling silent under her gaze but their curiosity still lingering in their faces.
Claudia, on the other hand, let out a small chuckle, amused by their reaction… but she didn't answer the question.
They finally arrived at Chris's room, the quiet tension in the hallway following them all the way to the door as if it refused to let them breathe easily. When Claudia pushed the door open, the atmosphere inside already felt heavier.
Sitting beside the bed was Jim Hopper, his broad frame leaning slightly forward with his elbows resting on his knees, his eyes fixed on Chris with a serious, unreadable expression. He didn't look like someone who was simply waiting, he looked like someone who was thinking and analyzing situations.
"Oh Hello Chief." Claudia said to him before returning to sit beside Chris.
Karen, Mike, and Lucas stepped in right behind Claudia, their pace unconsciously slowing as their eyes fell on the figure lying on the bed. Hopper gave Claudia a small nod in acknowledgment before his gaze settled back on Chris, as if he had never really looked away in the first place. The boy still lay there with a face full of bruises and his left eye covered, the sight no less unsettling, even after having seen it for a while.
Karen gasped and covered her mouth with both hands, the reaction escaping her before she could stop it. Mike and Lucas grimaced at the sight of Chris, their expressions tightening as they realized this wasn't something minor like they had assumed earlier. Their eyes then drifted down to Chris's body, wrapped in layers of bandages that only emphasized how serious his condition really was.
"Oh god…" Karen said softly, her voice filled with shock as she turned to look at Claudia, as if hoping for reassurance.
Claudia could only give her a small, awkward and worried smile, one that tried to comfort but clearly showed she wasn't fully at ease herself.
Mike and Lucas then looked toward Dustin Henderson, who simply waved at them with a small smile on his face, as if he had already come to terms with seeing his brother like this, as if everything was somehow under control, even though it clearly wasn't.
"Dustin! What happened to Chris?!" Mike said as he moved closer to Dustin, his eyes still flickering back toward Chris as if he needed to confirm that what he was seeing was real.
"I am right here…why are you asking him?" Chris said to Mike and Lucas.
The voice immediately drew all attention back to him. Mike looked awkward, clearly caught off guard by the fact that Chris was awake and speaking.
"Oh you can speak…"
"…What do you mean by that?!" Chris shot back, glaring at him, clearly annoyed despite his condition, while Mike let out an awkward laugh, trying to cover up his own words.
"He's limp in the bed, he can't touch you Mike." Dustin said casually, completely ignoring Chris as if it wasn't a big deal. His tone was relaxed and full of sarcasm and insults toward his own beloved brother.
He was about to tell Mike and Lucas what really happened, leaning slightly toward them as if ready to reveal something important, but just as he was about to open his mouth, Chris's voice cut in again, this time far more firm.
"Dustin, not now."
Chris said it quietly, but the meaning was clear, giving a subtle signal for him to stop with just a single look and a single sentence.
Mike, Lucas, and Karen didn't understand what Chris meant, but they could feel it, there was something being kept from them, something important.
Dustin heard him, looking at Mike and Lucas, then at Karen, his expression shifting for a moment with hesitation and restraint all mixing together.
Finally, he let out a sigh.
"…Fine." Dustin said, giving Mike and Lucas an apologetic look.
Hopper understood what Chris meant, even without the boy saying it outright, but he chose not to comment on it. Instead, he remained where he sat, his mind quietly turning over everything he had seen and heard so far, the secrecy, the hesitation, and most of all, why this boy seemed so determined to keep things buried.
It didn't sit right with him. Not in a town like this. Not after everything. How bizarre it is… he thought, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studied Chris again, trying to figure out just how much of this was the truth and how much was carefully constructed or just nonsense.
Karen, however, ignored the tension completely, stepping closer to the bed with a warm, reassuring smile that softened the atmosphere, even if only slightly. "How are you Chris?" she asked gently as she stood beside him, her voice carrying a quiet kindness that contrasted sharply with Hopper's silent suspicion.
"I am better now." Chris replied, returning the smile, though his condition made it look weaker than usual. His attention quickly shifted as his eyes landed on the small figure in Karen's arms. "Holly!" he added, a hint of genuine warmth slipping into his voice.
Hopper finally pushed himself to his feet, stepping aside and offering his chair to Karen without a word. She smiled at him in gratitude before sitting down, carefully adjusting Holly on her lap. The little girl immediately reached her arms out toward Chris, her small hands opening and closing as if asking to be picked up, but Karen gently stopped her.
"Don't, Holly. He's hurt right now." Karen said with a soft chuckle, pulling her slightly closer.
The room gradually filled with conversation after that, the tension easing just enough for everyone to start talking. They asked about the accident, about what happened out there, and about Will's condition.
Hopper remained standing nearby, listening rather than speaking, his presence quiet but heavy as he tried to piece together the inconsistencies in Chris's story. His eyes stayed on Chris, watching the way the boy smiled, joked, and carried the conversation so easily.
Mike and Lucas leaned in closer, curiosity taking over as they began asking about how Chris managed to shoot at the bear, their attention fully captured as Chris started explaining, his voice steady as he spoke, not just to them, but unconsciously to Hopper as well.
Chris retold what Will had said, carefully replacing the word monster with bear, shaping the story into something more believable, something that fit within the rules of their world. He didn't go into too much detail about the fight itself, only giving enough to paint himself as someone who acted quickly, someone who protected.
".....you know, when you gonna die, the world will spin so slow and you can see everything at that moment right?" Chris said, lifting his right hand slightly into the air, as if trying to illustrate the feeling. "So, I grab Will tightly there. It's my responsibility after all, right?" he continued, his hand moving toward his chest, mimicking a tight grip as if reliving the moment.
"I saw my bike, screeching through the asphalt, you know, creating friction between small fires. Then I saw the night, full of stars." Chris added with a faint smile forming on his face, the memory almost poetic in the way he described it. "Then i black out."
Mike and Lucas stared at him with clear excitement, completely drawn into the story, their earlier worry momentarily replaced by awe. Karen and Claudia Henderson, on the other hand, could only offer small, awkward smiles, unsure how to react to the almost cinematic way Chris told it. Hopper remained still, listening carefully while jotting something down in his small notebook, his expression unreadable.
Dustin just rolled his eyes. "That is such bullshit! Really? Everything slowing down? Stop making the story like giving to little kids."
"You are a little kid!" Chris shot back immediately, pointing at him without missing a beat.
Dustin scoffed, crossing his arms, while Hopper finally spoke again, his eyes still locked onto Chris. "Then? The you don't see the 'animal' again?"
Chris's expression shifted slightly as he looked at him, more serious now, and both Dustin and Claudia turned their attention toward him as well. "No, I don't see it anymore. Honestly, it's a miracle they didn't attack me after the accident." he said, nodding once as if to confirm his own statement.
Hopper opened his mouth slightly, as if about to ask another question, but stopped himself. Mike and Lucas exchanged looks before nodding. "Maybe they are afraid?" Mike suggested, though Lucas immediately shook his head.
"Why? Chris shot the animal, but they didn't leave!" Lucas argued, clearly not convinced.
Karen gently placed her hand on Chris's arm, her touch soft and grounding, pulling the attention away from the growing tension. She gave him a reassuring smile before glancing briefly toward Hopper. "That's not important, Chief Hopper will do his job, right Chief?" she said calmly.
Hopper gave a small nod.
"The most important thing is you are safe." Karen added, her voice warm and firm.
Chris looked at her for a moment, then at her hand resting on his arm, before giving a small nod in return. "Yeah…You are right."
Holly's tiny hand reached out again, this time managing to brush lightly against Chris's arm as she tried to move closer to him, clearly wanting to climb onto the bed, though Karen gently held her back once more.
Suddenly, a burst of static crackled through Hopper's radio.
{Chief…Come in..}
The voice cut through the room, drawing everyone's attention for a brief moment.
Hopper reached for it instinctively, his expression shifting back into something more official, more distant. "Alright, i will investigate this further." he said, but his eyes remained on Chris as he spoke, as if the words were meant for him more than anyone else in the room.
Chris met his gaze and gave a small nod and without another word, Hopper turned and walked out of the room.