Eddie couldnโt blame Hopper for being surprised at by the respect - because truly, who would have expected that heโd be the one to show it? It it just felt like the best way to go about all this, though. The right way. Even if he didnโt need the manโs help, even if he had never been personally clued in to the Upside Down and all that sprung from it - itโs not like he would have been indifferent to Hopperโs survival.
The chief wasnโt stupid - if he wanted to, he could have sent him away to with Reefer Rick. Maybe he felt bad for him, being Al Munsonโs son and everythingโฆ or maybe he thought he could still turn his life around. Regardless? All Eddie had ever gotten from the Hawkins PD (much to Callahanโs chagrin) was a slap on the wrist.
So, yeah, not that he would have admitted it before now - but. Despite the disregard for authority, he didnโt completely disregard the particular authority figure before him. Mikeโs little girlfriend, El (or Jane, he still wasnโt sure which she preferred) had mentioned something about the Soviets. That the mall fire had been a result of them trying to make their own gate in Hawkins (along with the antics of a Mindflayer?) - and that while they thought Hopper had perished, he was really taken prisoner. Apparently Jonathan Byerโs mom went over there to bust him out of a gulag, only to find out he had kinda busted himself out already?
Sure, why not? It wasnโt the most out there thing he had heard in all of this, not by a long shot. There had been a sort of unspoken heads up, though - that Jim himself had been through a lot. Both mentally and physically. It was yet another factor in why Eddie didnโt want to cause him any grief, butโฆ was that condescending? Would ignoring the winces be condescending, or telling him to take it easy while he worked? They all knew how strong the guy was, how strong he had to be - to endure whatever he endured. Right?
It wasnโt any of Eddieโs business what that entailed through, and he had no intentions of touching that subject. Any speculation he had was brushed aside by Jimโs inquiry as to his own trauma. โI mean, I donโt want want to dump it all on youโฆโ
I donโt want to have to go through it all again, rather. Still. Maybe talking would help?
โIt all sort of snowballed. Chrissy Cunningham, the first person Vecnaโฆ or Creelโฆ or whatever weโre calling the guy attacked. She, uh, had been going through a tough time. I mean, Iโm guessing they told you they all were - butโฆ she came to me for help.โ
What kind of help? He didnโt need to say. Again, Hopper wasnโt stupid.
โI left her alone for only a few minutes, and when I came back she justโฆ was catatonic. Unresponsive, eyes all gazed over. She floated up against the ceiling, her bones started snapping, and her eyesโฆโ
Eddie gave his own wince, weighing the hammer in his hands before turning his attention to the lumber. โIt happened in my trailer, so of course people thought it was me. The way I look, actโฆ the fact I ranโฆ didnโt help. The second attack was a friend of Nancy Wheelerโs, I didnโt see that one. She apparently was talking to my Uncle, before the Feds moved him. I still havenโt seen him since all of this. I was, uh, hiding out at Rick Liptonโs place. Chrissyโs boyfriend Jason started a little vigilante manhunt for me, they found meโฆ his friend Patrick. Was the second attack, out on the lake. After that, Powell had no real choice but to go on the news and name me a person of interest. I mean, I donโt blame him, I know heโs just doing his job, but. Yeah. My lifeโs pretty much over now. Even if he believes Iโm innocent, Carver took over a town meeting and sort of rallied more people to join his angry mom. They broke my buddy Garethโs fingers, threatened to break Erica Sinclairโs sisterโs arms. Now after the quake, I wouldnโt be surprised if itโs even worse. If they make Carver out to be some kind of martyr, blame all this on devil worship.โ