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ghostspideys-moved · 4 years

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All For The Best

Chapter Nine

A/N: This is my longest chapter yet, and I didn’t mean for that to happen. Did I casually try to explain away skipping a whole chunk of the plot that would be Hawthorne’s chapter? Yeah, but it’s fine.

Word Count: 6.6k

Pairings: Steve Harrington x OC, Nancy Wheeler x Jonathan Byers x OC

Summary: The Scoops Troop get caught and things quickly go downhill, but in the middle of the chaos, some things finally go right for a moment.

With the gate now in the equation, there was a lot for River to process. She was thankful that Steve and Dustin were on the same page. If the Russians were trying to open the gate, this could go from bad to worse.

They rushed back down the stairs again, an air of urgency hanging over them.

“I don’t understand. You’ve seen this before?” Robin asked. Her confusion and concern was valid, but there was hardly time to get into it. There was far too much to explain and so little time.

“Not exactly,” Steve said.

“Then what exactly?”

“All you need to know is it’s bad,” Dustin added.

Steve nodded and turned to Robin. “It’s really bad.”

“Like, end-of-the-human-race-as-we-know-it kind of bad.”

“And you know about this how?”

There was no chance to explain, even if they wanted to, because Erica caught their attention when she realized something was wrong. “Um, Steve? Where’s your Russian friend?”

They’d left the guy in the middle of the floor after Steve knocked him out, and now he was nowhere to be seen. River sighed. She’d expected things to go south, but not this quickly.

An alarm blared loudly, which was probably their sign to get moving. Steve rushed over to the door and peeked out. He must not have seen anything good, because he didn’t waste any time in rushing them back up the stairs. Not the best move, but it was their only escape right now.

They made the brave decision to head through the door, right into the room housing the giant laser they’d seen earlier. There was any time to doubt, only to run and hope for the best. The guards weren’t too far behind them, and Steve hung at the back of the group to make sure there were no stragglers.

They ended up right next to the laser, which was probably the last place they should be. Even over how loud it was, River could hear Dustin freaking out, which was exactly how she was feeling on the inside. Steve found a set of stairs and rushed them over, thwarting off any oncoming guards.

River rushed the others to follow after him, making sure everyone was keeping up. Annie was the last one down before she ran after them, right into another room. Steve planted his feet and pushed his weight against the door, but it was only doing them so much good. With how many guards were on the other side, he needed some help.

Dustin and Erica found the hatch in the floor as River helped Steve keep the door closed for as long as possible. They were already scrambling to open the hatch and jump in as Robin and Annie tried to help with the door. Even with all four of them, it wasn’t going so well. There were just way too many guards.

Erica was already on her way through the hatch when Dustin paused to hurry the rest of them over. “Come on!”

“Go! Just get out of here!” Steve urged. “Just go get some help, okay?”

“I won’t forget you!” Dustin finally replied.

“Go!”

Just as Dustin made it to safety, the guards finally broke through their makeshift barricade, if you could even really call it that. The four of them crashed to the floor and put their hands up as guns were being pointed right at them. Everything was suddenly much worse than River could have hoped.

Being tied up in and interrogated was not exactly how River was hoping this adventure would go. Her and Annie had been separated from Steve and Robin, and who could even tell what was happening to those two?

They’d worked together to construct a lie in the hopes they might be let go. But after being left in this bleak, featureless room for a few minutes now, it was clear none of the Russians believed them at all. Being tied in a chair with their backs together wasn’t the worst position they could be in, but River couldn’t help praying that Dustin and Erica got them some help.

“Sorry you got roped into the shittiest adventure in the world,” River sighed. She was sure this was going to traumatize Annie forever, and someone had to apologize for that. As odd of a sentiment as it was, she knew exactly what it was like to suddenly get pulled into a life-threatening mess.

“It’s fine,” Annie said. “This is a lot more exciting than anything I would be doing right now, for better or for worse.”

River laughed dryly, nodding, even though she wouldn’t be able to see it. “Don’t worry. I thought I’d be spending my summer playing with my dog and hanging out with my family. Guess I should learn better than to get my hopes up.”

There was a silence between them that hung heavy for only a brief moment, broken only when Annie finally asked, “Does this shit happen to you guys a lot?”

“Unfortunately. You should have seen last year. Almost being turned into monster food was just as much fun as any of this is.” River couldn’t help reminiscing, and thought this was an impossible situation to be stuck in, in that moment in the junkyard, she’d thought it couldn’t get worse. Clearly, she’d been wrong.

“Monsters?”

“Yeah, it’s a little hard to explain. But there were so many of these things - Dustin calls them Demodogs - and Steve…god…he really tried to take them all on himself.” The memory, while feeling like a total nightmare, almost felt like a fond one. She remembered being terrified for Steve. “You know, I spent so much time cooped up in my room, reading as many comic books as I could get my hands on, just so fascinated by the idea of superheroes. I truly think Steve is the closest I’ve seen to a real superhero.” Whether she realized it or not, she meant that wholeheartedly.

River realized just how sappy that must sound, but she couldn’t help the soft smile on her face as she remembered everything they went through together.

“You really like him, huh?” Annie had clearly caught on, not that it was hard.

River nodded. “Yeah, I do.” She’d noticed how close Steve and Robin had gotten, though, and she wasn’t holding out too much hope.

“I know I’m not one to talk, but why don’t you just tell him?”

“He probably likes Robin,” she said. “And that’s fine. I mean, I get it. Steve deserves to be happy, and if that means he ends up with her, I’m okay with that.” It would hurt, sure, but she’d get over it eventually. He really deserved for something to go right in his life.

River heard a buzz as the door opened, cutting off anything Annie might have been ready to say. The Russians returned, this time with an extra person. A doctor of some sort, though probably not the good kind.

“Let’s try this again.” The man in charge signaled to the doctor, who was holding something that didn’t look too fun. Whatever he planned to inject them with couldn’t be good.

“Wait, woah, what’s that?” Annie exclaimed.

“It will help you talk. Maybe then you will tell the truth.”

After all the things she’d been put through in Hawkins Lab, River wasn’t a huge fan of needles, so her immediate reaction was to panic. “No, no, no, wait!” She didn’t get a chance to protest further before she was being injected with whatever that stuff was, and she hissed in pain. Annie was next.

Despite the unpleasantness, it felt like nothing had happened. In fact, River felt fine. They were left alone for a while, probably to let whatever they’d been injected with take effect.

“You know, this actually doesn’t feel so bad,” River admitted.

Annie nodded. “Yeah, I actually feel really good.” She giggled.

River laughed, nodding. “This is great.”

They went into a laughing fit, probably having the best time ever despite being stuck in an interrogation room. It was hard to say just how much time had passed, but it couldn’t have been too long before an alarm blared. River and Annie turned to each other curiously, at least as much as they could while being tied up. For a moment, they sat there, wondering what was happening.

Dustin came charging in, the other three close behind. He made quick work of untying both of them, and when River finally stood, she felt a little dizzy. “Come on, let’s go!” He didn’t give them much time to get their bearings before running off again.

They had to take one of the carts, knowing they wouldn’t be very fast on foot. River wasn’t sure why they were trusting Dustin to drive them. He was in such a hurry that she’d almost hit her head a few times.

“Jesus, slow down!” Steve slurred.

“Yeah, what is this, like, the Indy 500?” Robin agreed.

“It’s the Indy 300.”

“No, dingus, it’s 500!”

“300!”

“Let’s say a million.”

They burst into laughter, causing River and Annie to join in. With how drugged and giggly they were, they almost didn’t notice Dustin crash, except for how much it hurt when they flew back.

“What the hell?” River mumbled, rubbing her head.

Dustin turned back to check on them. “You guys okay?” he asked. They very much were not okay. He quickly got out and opened up the back door. “Come on.”

River barely registered his words until him and Erica were literally pulling them out of the cart. “Okay, ow! Hold on!” She stumbled out and tried not to fall over right away.

Dustin opened up the elevator for them and hurried them back inside. The ride up felt much more fun this time around, though that was probably from being high off their asses.

Steve and Robin thought it would be pretty cool to mess with the dolly cart sitting inside. “You look like you’re surfing!” Robin pointed out.

Steve went tumbling to the floor as she laughed. River couldn’t help snickering at the spill he’d taken and how funny it looked from where she was sitting. Dustin bent over him, trying to check on him despite all of the fussing and struggling on Steve’s end.

“His pupils are super dilated.”

“Maybe he’s drugged.”

“Steve, are you drugged?” Dustin asked.

Steve shook his head. “I told you, dad. I don’t do drugs. It’s only marijuana.”

River snorted, a slight grin on her face. “Don’t forget the cigarettes. I’ve got some in my back pocket.”

“No way. You’ve had them this whole time?” Steve asked.

“Yep.”

Dustin groaned, clearly tired of dealing with them. “This isn’t funny, you two. I need to know what they did to you. Are you gonna die on us?”

Steve only responded by booping Dustin on the nose.

“We all die, my strange little child friend,” Robin chimed in. “It’s just a matter of how and when.”

Dustin had no clue how to respond and ignored her. “They’re gonna be looking for us up there, so I need you to tell me where you parked your car,” he insisted.

“Oh, can we make up a pit stop at the food court?” Steve asked.

“I would kill for a hot dog on a stick,” Robin agreed.

River gasped. “I have been dying for a burger this whole time.” She was sure her stomach growled a few times while they were stuck here.

“Alright, yeah, food,” Dustin agreed, attempting to get them back on track. “You can have as much food as you want, but only if you tell me where your car is parked.”

“Uh oh.”

“Uh oh?”

“The car’s off the board.”

“What?”

“They took the keys.” Steve flipped his pockets inside-out as proof. “The Russians, they took the keys. Like, forever ago.” Robin and Annie laughed, leaning against each other to keep from falling.

Steve laughed along. “That’s a bummer, right?”

As soon as they were outside the elevator, River sighed in relief. “Oh, good. Hello, fresh air.” There wasn’t much time to enjoy it, though, before Dustin spotted more guards and pushed them into the side door. Having to run again was the worst, and all she wanted to do was have a moment to relax and enjoy how good she felt right now. Who knew when she’d get that chance again?

Dustin snuck them into the theater and made them all sit down, quietly telling them to stay put despite the protesting on how close they were to the front. He was clearly becoming aggravated and had to be shushed by the other movie-goers.

“Whatever you do, don’t go anywhere,” he said, giving them a stern look.

“Fine, dad,” Steve retorted.

Dustin left them to find seats for him and Erica. For many reasons, River had absolutely no clue what was happening in this movie, though she was enjoying herself. She stole some of the popcorn Steve found, not really questioning where he got it, and maybe that was for the best.

At some point, they all agreed to sneak out and get some water, totally ignoring Dustin’s rule from earlier. Taking turns at the water fountain shouldn’t have been a difficult task, but they sure made it one.

“So, like, I wasn’t totally focused in there or anything,” Robin said out of nowhere, “but I’m pretty sure that mom was trying to bang her son.”

“Wait, wait, the hot chick was Alex P. Keaton’s mom?” Steve asked from where he was slumped over the water fountain.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure.”

“But they’re the same age.”

“No, but he went back in time.”

“Then why is it called Back to the Future?”

Robin groaned. “Because, he has to go back to the future because he’s in the past,” she explained. “So, the future is actually the present, which is his time.”

Steve was silent for a moment, failing to process everything she’d just said. “Wh…what?”

River was sitting on the floor, her back against the wall as Annie leaned next to her. She looked up in confusion. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

Having waited long enough, Robin finally pushed Steve out of the way so she could drink next. Now that he was letting her have her turn, Steve found himself staring up at the ceiling in awe. He grabbed their attention and gestured them over.

“You gotta check this out,” he said. “The ceiling, it’s beautiful.”

River finally heaved herself back on her feet and stood next to him, curious to see what he was going on about. She looked up and gasped, immediately noticing what he was pointing out. It was like the ceiling was shimmering.

“Oh, that’s pretty,” River agreed.

It was almost too much, and soon enough, they all ran to the bathroom, finding the nearest stall. River sat hunched over a toilet, puking her guts out. Her throat burned, and her head was pounding way too much. She let herself get everything out of her system until she was sure she had nothing left. Flushing the toilet, she slouched against the wall, suddenly feeling gross.

Once she was feeling better enough to move, she slid under the stall to check on Annie, who was thankfully done vomiting. “How are you feeling?” she asked.

Annie groaned. “Like someone ran me over,” she said. “Again, and again, and again.”

River gave her an apologetic smile and leaned back against the stall wall. “Yeah, sorry this has been the worst day ever.”

“Well, for what it’s worth, nothing’s ever gonna top this.” Annie was silent for a moment, thinking. “You really should tell Steve.”

Not wanting Steve to hear, River lowered her voice. “Okay, no. Not happening,” she whispered. “I told you, he probably - no, definitely likes Robin. It’s cool. I’m fine with it.” She sighed, resting her head in her hands.

Annie placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring look. “Hey, I get it. You don’t think you have a chance. But you’ll never know if you don’t try.”

“Sounds like you would know.” She mostly meant it as a joke, but the look on Annie’s face said she was right. “Holy shit, there is someone, huh?”

She sat up straighter and let Annie take her time before explaining. “Okay, I’m really trusting you here with this one, but…I really like Robin.” She kept her voice low.

“Oh, shit.” River was surprised, but wasn’t trying to make it a huge deal. “I mean, yeah. I get it. I just guess I didn’t see that one coming.”

“I have for a while now,” she admitted. “We’ve hung out a lot since we have Drama class together.”

River nodded. “I guess we’re both stuck in the same shitty situation, huh?” Despite her dashed hopes, she felt maybe Annie had it worse. Having to hope someone like Robin wasn’t straight must have been torture. And she understood that. There had been a few girls River felt that way about, but she never would have been brave enough.

“I get it, you know?” she finally said. “When I first started high school, I was so lost and hopeless. But there was one girl I remember having the biggest crush on her. Carol Perkins.”

Annie scrunched her nose in disgust. “Seriously?”

River shrugged. “Yeah. Obviously that didn’t last too long, considering Carol’s kinda the worst sometimes. But I guess it was at that point I realized the whole gender thing didn’t really matter to me that much. I can’t even begin to tell you how many crushes I’ve had.”

“Steve’s different, though, isn’t he?”

He was so different than anyone else. As much as she said she’d be fine, knowing he didn’t return her feelings might hurt the most. More than it hurt when it came to anyone else. But she’d managed through so much pain her whole life, emotional and physical. She’d make it through this one.

“Yeah, he is.”

They were silent for a moment, only really catching the last bit of conversation between Steve and Robin. It was enough to give them both some hope, though. Not wanting her to waste this chance, River urged Annie to go over and talk to Robin.

Just as she finally got her to leave the stall, River sat back, watching as Steve slid under the stall to join her. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

Neither of them really knew what to say right now. River’s brain was still muddled from her high, but she felt better at least.

“You know, I think today marks the second time now that you’ve saved me,” Steve said. “First the Demodogs, and now I’ve gone through a door.”

She’d been so proud in the moment for managing something like that, especially when it might not have worked. “Someone had to.”

With all of the chaos, River hadn’t truly had a moment to look at him. Steve looked awful. His face was bloody and bruised, and his uniform was stained with what she could only assume was his own blood.

“How are you feeling?” she asked. “And I mean really.”

Steve sighed, knowing better than to lie through the pain to her. It was obvious he wasn’t in a good state right now.

“Being tortured by a bunch of evil Russians isn’t the highlight of my life, but it could be worse.”

“Worse? Steve, they really put you through a beating.” She took his hand, trying not to get too worked up. “Look, I get that you think you have to push aside everything you’re feeling, but you don’t. Not around me.”

He looked taken aback, but he at least seemed to appreciate her kind words. “You know, if we didn’t both just puke, I’d kiss you.”

Those were certainly not the words she imagined coming out of his mouth. It threw her off, and she was sure she looked as shocked as she felt.

Steve gave her hand a small squeeze, mustering up the courage to go on. “Look, I know everything is kind of a mess right now, but I really do like you, River. Maybe it took me a while to realize it, but you’ve stuck with me through everything,” he said.

“Steve-”

“No, no, just listen, okay? I thought I was so expendable, but you were always there worried about me. And I don’t know anyone else who would deal with a loud, obnoxious Christmas party just to keep me company, or come to my basketball games.” Steve smiled softly, and he looked so genuine, even with his face beaten up as much as it was. “If things don’t get a thousand times worse, I really wanna make all that up to you.”

River was trying so hard to process that this was all very real. It seemed like such a dream, and she was almost tempted to pinch herself to find out. “How do you plan on doing that?” she asked.

“I figure a date would be a great place to start. And, if you’ll give me a chance, maybe more than just the one.”

Admittedly, that sounded like a great plan. She could never turn that down after all her hoping and dreaming the last few days.

“I think I’d really like that.” She smiled and pulled him into a hug. It would have to do, because as ecstatic as she was right now, they really had just puked everything up a few minutes ago.

Dustin finally burst in with Erica close behind him. “Okay, what the hell? I told you guys not to go anywhere.” As soon as he got over his initial irritation, and maybe a small lecture, he hurried them out again.By the time they were sneaking out, everyone was just coming out of the theaters. It was the perfect chance to blend in.

River stuck close as they joined the crowd, trying not to look suspicious, as hard as that felt. Dustin planned to get them all to his house where they could make a plan from there.

“Uh, Dustin? We might not wanna go to your house.”

“Why”

“Well, I might have told them your full name,” he admitted.

Dustin turned, his eyes wide. “What is wrong with you?”

“Dude, I was drugged.”

“So? You resist. You tough it out. You tough it out like a man.” Steve and Dustin argued back and forth until they spotted the Russian checking everyone a few yards away.

“Abort.”

They ran back the way they came, dodging people as they headed towards the escalators. Just their luck, they were powered down. They went with the next best thing and slid down between the escalators.

Now that they’d been spotted, they had to hide, and the first good place they could find was behind the counter of one of the shops in the food court. It was nerve-wracking having to wait as the mall was closed down. The Russians locked up the entrances, and they had to stay as quiet as possible.

River was trying to think of anything she could do to help them, but it was hard to think when her brain was still getting used to not being drugged anymore. It was clear they’d caught onto them, and the pressure was making it harder for her to come up with a plan. Just as they thought they might be done for, a car alarm went off, making quite the commotion. It seemed to serve as enough of a distraction, and River barely peeked her head over the counter when the car went flying, taking out all the Russians.

Standing on the balcony above them was El and the rest of the party. River had never felt so relieved to see her sister. She quickly ran around the counter as they were coming down the escalator.

River pulled El into a tight hug. “Thank you. Oh my god, I’m so glad to see you.” They held each other for a moment before she let Dustin come in for a hug as well. She was equally relieved to see Hawthorne was okay, at least physically. Seeing Rex trailing along beside him was a surprise, but she didn’t question it right away.

Without saying anything, she pulled him in for a hug as well. “Are you guys okay?” he asked. “Because I’m panicking on the inside, but it seems like you’ve been up to a lot, too.”

River knew his anxiety could get the best of him, and she was quick to reassure him that she was fine, at least for the most part. “I’m fine. I promise.”

“I don’t understand what happened to that car,” Robin chimed in.

“El has superpowers,” Dustin explained.

“I’m sorry?”

“Superpowers. Like River has. She threw it with her mind, catch up,” Steve said.

There was so much explaining to be done. Dustin’s code red has only partially gone through, so everyone was just a little confused. In the middle of catching everyone up, El collapsed, and they rushed over to see what was wrong. “El, are you okay?” River asked. “What’s wrong?”

“My leg,” she groaned, seemingly on the verge of tears. “My leg.”

Jonathan was quick to undo the wrapping around her leg, which looked awfully bloody and maimed. River nearly gagged just seeing how awful her wound looked. Even worse was the fact that it looked like something was moving around. El’s pained screams broke her heart, and she took her hand, trying to keep her calm. It looked really bad, though.

“Keep her talking. Keep her awake, okay?” Jonathan ran off to find something that would help.

River swallowed down her worries and tried to keep El as calm as possible. “You’re gonna be okay, sweetie. Just hold on a second okay?” She only received more wails of pain in response, and she prayed Jonathan would find some way to help. They tried to move her carefully in the meantime.

Jonathan came back with a wooden spoon and a knife. “Alright, El. This is gonna hurt like hell, okay? I need you to stay real still.” Handed her the spoon. “You’re gonna wanna bite down on this.”

River looked away, knowing she was only going to be sick if she watched. Jonathan hesitated for a moment before cutting an incision in El’s leg, earning more screams as she bit down on the wooden spoon. River felt terrible just hearing how much pain she was in, to the point of tears starting to form in her eyes.

At some point, the pain just became too much, and El cried out for Jonathan to stop. She was a sobbing mess and could only weakly hold herself up, but she wanted to do it herself. Though she was worried, River sat back and gave her some space to give it a shot.

El focused her powers on pulling that thing out of her leg. While she wasn’t in any less pain, it seemed, she was having much more success on her own. She was exerting so much power that the glass from the display case behind them shattered. River took cover and watched as El pulled it out, throwing it as far as she could.

Whatever that thing was, it tried to squirm away but was quickly stopped when Hopper stepped on it. When he’d arrived, River had no clue, but she felt so relieved to see him.

River ran to Hopper and gave him a big hug. “Dad!” She just barely caught the surprised look on his face. She’d never actually called him anything but Hopper, and she’d only done it by accident, but the smile on his face was unmistakable.

Hopper patted her back, equally relieved to see she was mostly fine. “Hey, sweetheart.” She finally let go of him as everyone was grouping up again. It would give El some time to rest while everyone else talked.

Now that everyone was together again, they had some time to catch up and make sure everyone was on the same page. Hopper was holding El as River leaned against him. Despite not having used her powers nearly as much as El, she felt mentally exhausted. She wondered if it was too late to return to how she felt when she was drugged up.

Mike was explaining the situation with the Mind Flayer when Lucas mentioned that the cabin got destroyed in the process. River turned to Hawthorne, a concerned look on her face.

“Don’t worry,” he said. He let them continue their story as he quietly reassured her. “Not much happened on my end. I wasn’t very useful because I freaked out too much.” She could tell he wasn’t very proud of it, but she wrapped her arm around him, silently letting him know that it was okay.

She tried to tune back in as they explained their plan, or at least what they hoped would work. Closing the gate had been hard for El to do the last time, so she hoped they all knew what they were doing. By that time, Murray came back with some papers. Hopper left El to River and Hawthorne while they worked out their plan, and Max joined them to keep El company.

“You okay?” River asked, holding El close. “I can’t imagine how much that must have hurt.”

El nodded. “A lot,” she said.

“When this is all over, you deserve some rest. And maybe I’ll make your favorite triple decker Eggo extravaganza.” That at least earned a hopeful smile. “Sounds nice, huh?”

El grinned weakly and nodded, though she looked excited despite her exhaustion. River gave her a light pat on the back. As soon as Dustin explained their new plan to get to Cerebro, she handed her over to Hawthorne, wishing them both luck.

Apparently, they were borrowing the car Hopper had been using, which she really wasn’t going to question.

“Now this - this is what I’m talking about,” Steve exclaimed upon finding the car outside the mall.

Robin raised an eyebrow. “Toddfather?”

“Oh, screw Todd. Steve’s her daddy now.”

River almost wished she hadn’t heard that, but it was too late now. “Did you really just call yourself daddy?” She sighed and shook her head, hopping into the car.

“Alright, where are we going?”

“Weathertop,” Dustin said.

“Weather-what?”

“Just drive!”

“Okay! Jesus.”

Steve drove away from the mall, following whatever directions Dustin was giving him. They’d made it pretty far from Starcourt when River started to wonder just how far out they needed to be. Hopefully Hopper and the others gave them enough time, because they were taking longer than she’d hoped.

“How far is this place, man?” Steve asked, equally worried.

“Relax, we’re almost there,” Dustin promised.

Robin waited for them to calm down before she asked, “Suzie must be pretty special, huh? I mean, if you built this thing and lugged it all the way to the middle of nowhere just to talk to her?”

“I mean, no one’s scientifically perfect, but Suzie’s as close to being perfect as any human could possibly be.”

“She sounds made up to me,” Erica said. “She sound made up to you?”

Steve paused, unsure what to even say.

“Why are you hesitating, Steve?”

“I’m - I’m not! I’m not!” he exclaimed. “I think she sounds real. You know, totally, absolutely real.”

River wasn’t buying it, so she could imagine Dustin wasn’t either. He didn’t argue, though, and instead told Steve to turn. River braced herself as they crashed through the fence, driving through the field and up a hill.

“We’re not gonna make it,” Robin said.

Steve persisted anyways, though the car got stuck part way up the hill. The more he stepped on the gas, the worse he was making it. They had to get out and walk the rest of the way up, or they’d never make it in time.

Thankfully, Cerebro was waiting at the top, already turned on and ready for them to use. Dustin called in to help Hopper and his group - or Bald Eagle, as Dustin decided to refer to them - navigate through the base. He’d done a fairly good job of remembering the layout with Erica’s help.

As he was helping Murray through the vents, River noticed Steve wander off, and she got up to see what was wrong. “Hey, guys?” he interrupted. It was hard to miss the flashing coming from Starcourt, which couldn’t have been good at all. They probably needed help.

Dustin immediately tried to get a hold of everyone at Starcourt, but there was no response other than the harrowing roar that was unmistakably the Mind Flayer. Clearly, no one was going to answer.

Steve rushed down the hill, presumably to help, and River chased after him. There was no way she’d let him go without her. Dustin tossed Robin a walkie-talkie as Steve told him, Annie, and Erica to stay put and man the radio.

As soon as they hopped back in the car, Steve started it up, though it was still pretty stuck. He cursed under his breath and tried to get it out, but the car wasn’t budging.

“Hold on, let me try,” River insisted. She tried to focus on the car, using her powers to move them back just enough. It took a little longer than she’d hoped, but it worked. She cheered and scrambled back into her seat as Steve took off, hurrying towards the mall. Her attempt had been just a bit straining, but thankfully not much, and River wiped at the blood trickling from her nose.

Despite how far away they were, they must have made record time. Billy’s car was heading right towards everyone when Steve gunned it, crashing right into the car and sending it veering in the other direction.

River held on tightly until they came to a stop. “Holy shit.”

“Are you guys okay?” Steve asked.

Robin turned to him. “Ask me tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I think I’m ready for the world’s longest nap,” River said. She paused when the Mind Flayer roared, crawling along the mall roof. Jonathan’s car pulled up beside them, and they jumped in the back, not wanting to waste any time with a monster coming after them. Once everyone was mostly seated, Jonathan drove off as quickly as possible.

While they were being chased by the Mind Flayer, Dustin’s voice came in through the walkie-talkie in Robin’s hands, followed by another voice. “Suzie,” they realized immediately.

River listened as Dustin tried to ask Suzie for Planck’s constant, though she didn’t give in so quickly. There was some back and forth before the craziest thing happened. Dustin started singing. It was confusing, but certainly not the weirdest thing she’d experienced today. She shared a confused look with Steve and Robin.

At least Dustin finally got the answer from Suzie as soon as their little musical number was done with. Not that River was complaining.

Something must have happened, because the Mind Flayer suddenly stopped chasing after them and turned around. Jonathan made a sharp turn and headed back to the mall. River tired to hold on as they raced back.

Billy wasn’t where they’d left him, which must have been why the Mind Flayer turned back. They all worked together as soon as they made it back to Starcourt, taking all of Lucas’s fireworks and tying them together. The new plan was for everyone to use the fireworks in the hopes it would at least distract the Mind Flayer long enough. Meanwhile, River was supposed to help their efforts with her powers. It had been Lucas’s call; no one argued seeing as it was the best plan they had right now.

Just as they were finishing, Steve pulled River away from the others. “Hey, be careful in there, okay? Don’t wear yourself out.” They’d seen what a toll it had taken on El, and even though she hadn’t strained herself as much, it could easily happen to her.

“I will,” River promised. “You too.”

This might be the end of it, really. They were headed right into danger again, and it could go bad so easily. River didn’t have time to react much before Steve pulled her close, pressing his lips against hers. She was caught by surprise but gave in all too willingly, her fingers tangled in his hair. If she thought about it too long, she knew she’d be grossed out.

“What happened to waiting?” she teased, pulling away long enough to look up at him.

Steve chuckled and shrugged. “Just in case something happens, you know?” Neither of them even tried to lie. Something bad could happen at any moment, and they knew that. They broke away and finally rejoined the other as they finished with the fireworks.

River had almost forgotten Rex was with them. The last thing she wanted was for him to get in the middle of everything and get hurt. Jonathan let her keep him in his car for a bit. Hopefully she wouldn’t have to leave him for long, but she made sure he was calm and as comfortable as a dog could be in a car by himself. “I’ll be back, okay, buddy? I won’t be long.” Rex licked her hand and sat in the backseat obediently. She left him, as hesitant as she was, and went to help put their plan into action.

By the time they made it back inside, the Mind Flayer was already there. They grouped up on the second floor, throwing the fireworks right at it. They seemed to be working, at least long enough to keep it occupied. They were quickly running out of ammo, though, and there was only so much they could do. River tried to use her powers to help out, as they planned, but it wasn’t so easy with how worn out she felt. It had been the longest, maybe even craziest, day of her life, and she was having a hard time being of any use. She’d been positioned much closer to the Mind Flayer than everyone else, using her powers to throw anything and everything she could, but it was barely slowing it down at all.

For just a moment, she’d been distracted when she caught Billy with El. Her initial reaction was to help, but in that split second of letting her guard down, she’d been knocked over by the Mind Flayer, sending her skidding across the floor. She tried to sit up but found that the movement caused her way too much pain. Particularly in her arm. God, she’d broken it. Great.

Hawthorne rushed over as soon as he saw her go flying. “Shit, are you, okay?” She nodded, though he could tell that wasn’t true at all. When she tried to sit up, a sharp pain ran up her arm again, confirming her suspicions There was no way she could do anything more in this state.

She suddenly had an idea. Clearly, she wasn’t going to be much help with how tired she was, but maybe he could help.

“Thorny, I need you to do me a favor,” she said.

“Yeah, what is it?”

River held her hand out to him. “I'm in way too much pain to focus and help anyone anymore, but maybe you can use my powers,” she explained.

“What? No, I can’t-”

“Yes, you can,” she insisted. “I’m obviously not going to force you, but I trust you, okay? If something happens, if it doesn’t wear off, I’m not gonna blame you. But that won’t happen, got it?“

He hesitated, but seemed to get that it could be helpful. “Alright.” He took her hand, focusing as he drained whatever powers she had. River felt dizzy for a moment before passing out right in his arms, the ruckus of the fight quickly fading to silence.

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theconservativebrief · 6 years

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RENO, Nevada — Locked away in a Nevada county jail for failing to take care of her traffic tickets, 27-year-old Kelly Coltrain asked to go to the hospital. Instead, as her condition worsened, she was handed a mop and told to clean up her own vomit. She died in her jail cell less than an hour later.

Despite being in a video-monitored cell, Mineral County Sheriff’s deputies did not recognize that Coltrain had suffered an apparent seizure and had not moved for more than six hours. When a deputy finally entered her cell and couldn’t wake her, he did not call for medical assistance or attempt to resuscitate her. Coltrain lay dead in her cell until the next morning when state officials arrived to investigate.

Details of Coltrain’s death 13 months ago came to light this week with the release of a 300-page report compiled by state investigators. The investigation found that Coltrain’s jailers violated multiple policies when they denied her medical care after she informed them she was dependent on drugs and suffered seizures when she went through withdrawals.

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The investigators also asked the Mineral County District Attorney to consider criminal charges in the case, after finding evidence the Mineral County Sheriff’s Office may have violated state laws prohibiting inhumane treatment of prisoners and using one’s official authority for oppression.

To avoid a conflict of interest, the investigation was forwarded to Lyon County District Attorney Stephen Rye for review. Rye declined to press charges in the case.

“The review of the case, in our opinion, did not establish any willful or malicious acts by jail staff that would justify the filing of charges under the requirements of the statute,” Rye said.

Coltrain’s family feels otherwise.

On Wednesday, Coltrain’s mother, father and grandmother filed a wrongful death lawsuit, accusing the sheriff’s office of ignoring her life-threatening medical condition despite knowing that she was suffering withdrawals and had a history of seizures.

“(Jail staff) knew Kelly Coltrain had lain for days at the jail, in bed, buried beneath blankets, vomiting multiple times, refusing meals, trembling, shaking, and rarely moving,” lawyers Terri Keyser-Cooper and Kerry Doyle wrote in the lawsuit. “Defendants knew Kelly Coltrain was in medical distress.”

“Kelly Coltrain’s medical condition was treatable and her death preventable,” the lawyers wrote. “If Ms. Coltrain had received timely and appropriate medical care, she would not have died. Kelly Coltrain suffered a protracted, extensive, painful, unnecessary death as a result of defendants’ failures.”

‘The worst I have ever seen’

Keyser-Cooper, who has a decades-long career of successful civil rights lawsuits against Northern Nevada police agencies, said this case is “the worst I have ever seen in 33 years. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Mineral County Sheriff Randy Adams referred questions to the county’s lawyer but did say he is in the process of updating the jail’s policies.

“Obviously it’s terribly unfortunate and it’s tragic,” Adams said. “That’s really all I can say.”

Kelly Coltrain sits in a cell at the Mineral County Jail in Hawthorne. She died about an hour after her jailer asked her to mop her vomit from the floor. (Photo: Mineral County Sheriff)

The county’s lawyer, Brett Ryman of Reno, also described Coltrain’s death as a tragedy, and said the sheriff has hired the Legal and Liability Risk Management Institute to update the jail’s policies and provide training for deputies. He declined to answer any specific questions about the investigation because of the family’s lawsuit.

“It’s just really difficult for a small rural county like this to handle what is just a massive problem,” Ryman said. “There are so many people addicted to substances who end up going through withdrawal in the jail.”

Mineral County is a tiny rural county southeast of Washoe County. Its population is just under 4,500.

Keyser-Cooper described Coltrain as a “successful student, a friendly outgoing girl, and an exceptionally talented soccer player,” who was close to her family. She developed depression and a drug addiction after a knee injury as a teenager living in Las Vegas, the lawsuit said.

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The day she was arrested

Although she was living in Texas, Coltrain had visited Reno and Lake Tahoe for a family reunion to celebrate her grandmother’s 75th birthday.

After the celebration, Coltrain was pulled over for speeding outside Hawthorne on July 19, 2017, according to the investigation by the Nevada Division of Investigation. Because she had failed to take care of previous traffic violations in Clark County, the officer who stopped her decided to book her into the Mineral County Jail.

While being booked, Coltrain initially refused to answer questions about her medical history and next of kin. But soon after she learned she wouldn’t be able to make bail, she informed Sgt. Jim Holland that she was dependent on drugs and had a history of seizures when she went through withdrawals, according to the investigative report.

More: Prison staff in Ohio and Pennsylvania treated after exposure to unknown substances

After Coltrain came forward with her medical history, Holland did not follow a jail policy that requires inmates with a history of seizures to be cleared by a doctor before being held at the jail. Nor did jail staff follow medical protocol of carefully monitoring the vitals of a person undergoing withdrawals.

In fact, the jail had no on-site medical care, relying instead on the hospital across the street to attend to inmates’ medical needs and prescriptions.

Deputy denied her access to hospital

About four hours after she was booked into the jail, Coltrain told the night deputy she needed to go to the hospital right away for medication. Instead of following the jail’s medical care policy, he told Coltrain she couldn’t get help unless he determined her life was at risk.

“Unfortunately, since you’re DT’ing (referring to the detoxification process), I’m not going to take you over to the hospital right now just to get your fix,” Deputy Ray Gulcynski told Coltrain, according to the investigation report. “That’s not the way detention works, unfortunately. You are incarcerated with us, so … you don’t get to go to the hospital when you want. When we feel that your life is at risk… then you will go.”

Coltrain spent the next three days in her cell, eating almost nothing and drinking a little bit of water. She spent most of her time curled in the fetal position underneath blankets.

Early on July 22, 2017, her third day in the jail, Coltrain began vomiting, trembling and “making short, convulsive type movements,” according to the investigative report. A little after 5 p.m. that day, Holland brought Coltrain dinner and water and tried to talk her into eating a little bit of food. She ate a few bites.

This still taken from Mineral County Sheriff’s Office surveillance video shows Sgt. Jim Holland asks Kelly Coltrain to mop her cell. (Photo: Mineral County Sheriff’s Office)

Holland then brought her a new set of jail clothing to replace her soiled uniform and a mop, asking her to clean the vomit from her floor, according to the investigative report. Coltrain sat still for a few minutes until Holland returned and asked her again to mop.

According to video reviewed by the Reno Gazette Journal, Coltrain then began mopping her floor while still sitting on her bed. She was trembling during the process and stopped often to rest. A few minutes later, Holland returns to point out the spots she had missed. Coltrain wipes up the spots and Holland leaves with the mop.

Holland later told an investigator that he thought it was odd Coltrain didn’t get out of bed to mop the floor.

“Sgt. Holland advised he thought Coltrain was just ‘lazy’ and that she just didn’t want to stand up to clean the floor,” the report said. “Sgt. Holland advised he just wanted the floor to be cleaned and he didn’t care how it got done, just that it got cleaned up.”

This was the last time Coltrain was seen alive.

Hours pass before deputies realize she is dead — paramedics not called

Less than an hour later, Coltrain was shown on the video lying in the fetal position when her body suddenly goes rigid and her legs straighten. While on her stomach, her face slowly rises toward the back wall and her arm stretches out and hangs off the bed. Her head lowers back onto the mattress and for the next several minutes her body appears to go through periodic convulsions.

Coltrain then stops moving entirely about 6:26 p.m. The video shows her lying still in the same position until about 12:30 a.m. when Gulcynski arrives to move her to a different cell and finds her unresponsive.

According to the investigation report, the 20-minute section of video depicting Gulcynski entering her cell was missing entirely from the files the state obtained for its investigation from the sheriff’s office. But a Reno Gazette Journal reporter found the video in files provided by Keyser-Cooper.

The video shows Gulcynski walk into the cell and nudge Coltrain’s leg with the tip of his boot. When she didn’t respond he enters the cell, looks at her face, briefly touches her arm and then quickly exits the cell.

This still from Mineral County Sheriff’s Office surveillance video shows Deputy Ray Gulcynski tapping Kelly Coltrain with his boot and finding her unresponsive. (Photo: Mineral County Sheriff’s Office)

According to the investigative report, Gulcynski notified his supervisors that Coltrain appeared dead and was cold to the touch. The video then shows him re-enter the cell and check for a pulse on Coltrain’s neck before leaving again.

The sheriff’s office then left Coltrain’s body locked in the cell until a Washoe County forensic technician arrived at 5:48 a.m. to begin the investigation.

No one on staff called for paramedics after finding Coltrain lying unresponsive and cold on her bed, according to the investigation. The lawsuit said the sheriff’s office had no policy for what to do after discovering an unresponsive inmate.

The Washoe County Medical Examiner labeled Coltrain’s death accidental, caused by “complications of drug use.” The toxicology results showed she had heroin in her system.

Investigator: Had deputies followed policy, she may not have been in danger

Gulcynski told investigators that he had periodically looked at Coltrain from the video monitor outside her cell but thought she was asleep. The sheriff’s policy requires deputies to physically check inmates under observation at least twice an hour if they are lying under blankets. That didn’t occur, according to the investigation.

Holland told investigators that Coltrain “never looked good,” but that he couldn’t “force medical attention” on inmates.

The state investigator assigned to the case, Detective Damon Earl, noted in his report that had Gulzynski and Holland adhered to some of the department policies in place, Coltrain may have not have been in as much danger.

“There were a limited number of times where Coltrain had actual contact with the staff,” Earl wrote. “This may be significant because had more contact been made with Coltrain, indicators of Kelly’s medical condition may have been observed. These indicators may have alerted staff therefore prompting medical attention to be rendered to Coltrain.”

At one point in his investigation, Earl timed his walk from the jail to the hospital across the street. It took “a little over two minutes.”

More: Thousands of students are forced into restraints or seclusion each year in Virginia schools

Ryman, Mineral County’s lawyer, said he couldn’t comment on the specifics of the investigation, including why no one called for emergency medical help when Coltrain was discovered unresponsive. He also wouldn’t comment on whether any disciplinary action was taken against either Gulcynski or Holland.

The lawsuit, however, said both men were disciplined but that Holland opted to retire early.

In June, the Mineral County Commission voted unanimously to buy Holland an additional year toward his service for a cost of $17,853. The buy-out allowed Holland to retire with a higher annual pension and health care benefits than if it had been denied.

District Attorney didn’t find ‘cruel, oppressive or malicious treatment’

In reviewing the case for criminal charges, Rye, the Lyon County District Attorney, said he couldn’t find evidence that the two jailers acted maliciously.

“Based on my review, they did not notice any signs warranting any medical intervention based on their training or experience,” Rye said. “They were provided information related to her, and it appeared to me that was taken into account in her housing and monitoring. The officers did not ignore information provided to them. And, based on the reports by NDI, it did not appear that they exhibited any cruel, oppressive or malicious treatment.”

A family photo of Kelly Coltrain. (Photo: Provided by Carole Fesser)

Keyser-Cooper, however, believes policies and training are less than adequate at the Mineral County Jail. The lawsuit by Coltrain’s family seeks not only compensation for their loss, but also for Sheriff Adams to improve the conditions at the jail. Keyser-Cooper said the family won’t settle their lawsuit without that.

Ryman said such changes are already underway, but within the small county’s limited resources.

“The policies of the jail in regard to people who have addictions and are undergoing withdrawals have the full attention of the sheriff and the county, despite the fact of the lawsuit,” Ryman said. “Even outside the lawsuit, the sheriff will go forward with this kind of training. Everything will be done to the best ability of this small county. They don’t have the resources of someone like Washoe County.”

via The Conservative Brief

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estelagellison9 · 6 years

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Woman lay dead in Nevada jail cell for hours after deputy found her unresponsive

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