The roads into Westerville were icy, but Wes needed to get home. He needed to see everyone. Nick and Jeff wanted him to go see Sherlock with them. Trent wanted to record the duet they had arranged last time they had seen each other. Thaddeus… wanted to be alone. Wes had explained to him, that they needed some air for a while. Until he graduated high school, the world really didn't see him as an adult. It was for the best, really, he didn't want people looking down on Thad at Dalton. Even with the No Tolerance policy about bullying, you could still tell those few people who were bothered about things.

The roads were clear from traffic, as it was pretty late. Early. Whatever. Glancing down at the neon green display, Wes saw 2:57 blink up at him. Was it really nearly 3? Perhaps he should have spent the night somewhere. A redbull in his cup holder sat empty. His fingers drummed across the steering wheel as he felt the energy he once had slip away from him. Fifteen minutes, and he would be home for Christmas. Twenty minutes and he could sleep. Above him, it began to snow. Fluffy flakes fell downwards and he dove into them. They felt like a vortex. Bouncing off the windshield lightly, the snowflakes were a bit distracting. A few stuck to the windshield, and Wes flicked the wipers on. Between the snowflakes and the windshield wipers, it didn't take long for Wes to get a little mesmerized. As the car skated towards a ditch, Wes tried turning and over corrected, sending himself into it anyway.

It felt like hours later when he awoke, hanging in his seat. It was dark, and he was feeling very unbalanced. A liquid was racing up his face, and by the smell in his nose, it was his blood. Both of his shoulders were aching, and his leg felt like it was on fire. It was moments like these he wished they had OnStar. Moving his arm made it burn in the cold temperature of the car, but Wes felt along the ceiling. His hand hit the can of redbull, which rolled away from his light touch. Just at the edge of his grasp, he found his phone, which luckily turned on without a problem. Dialing 911, his head began to be a little fuzzy. The voice on the other side of the line sounded so distant. "This is 911, what is your emergency?"

"I've been in a car accident coming into Westerville, I flipped over. It's so cold. I… I'm bleeding, I think, and I'm so tired." The voice on the other line urged him to stay awake, by asking questions but he was so tired, and it was just so hard, the phone slipped out of his grasp, and he felt his heavy lids slip over his eyes.

Blinding white greeted his eyes as he awoke, Thad coming into view above him. "Is this heaven?"

"Shut up. I thought I lost you. I still might."

"What?"

"The snow, you were in it a while, you've got pneumonia, and an infection from the accident, and your ribs are all… Gods Wes, you're so doped up you can't even tell."

"Can't even tell what Thaddeus?"

"They… they amputated your leg. The door had crumpled around it, and there was nothing they could do."

Wes tried to look down at his leg, but his head was heavy, and he didn't feel up to it. "How'd you get in?"

"I lied. Called you… my husband."

It was strange, how with all the afflictions he had gained overnight, that the pain from that statement hurt more than all of the other pains. Of course that was due to the swill of pain drugs in his system. It felt more like a dull roar in his entire body than pain. But those two words cut him through the heart. "I'm fine Thad. You should go home. Or to school. Do you have school today?"

"Gods, Wes. It's Saturday. It's the 17th."

"It's still December, right?"

"Yes mi dulzura, it's December. Now I'll go and let you rest up. I'll let the nurses know you're up." Thad left through the door, and Wes looked around. He didn't move his head, as it still felt too heavy, but he saw that the curtain was drawn on his left side, and there was a television set on the wall in front of him displaying no picture. A pretty blond nurse came in to look at Wes's vitals.

"You gave your husband quite the scare. He's been in here every day this past week." She took his temperature, and tsked. "You're still running a fever, that's not good. We need to get that infection gone."

"I'm not married."

His days were devoid of any differences. He faded in and out of fevered dreams, and Thad wasn't allowed to visit anymore, since he had lied about his relation. It was for the best, Wes decided, as he knew that it was worse for Thad to see him suffering.

It was another Saturday when he was awake for his parents to be there. He slowly realized that it was Christmas Eve. They shoved presents into his hands, and he tore clumsily at the first two. Tired, he set them on his table. A picture frame, with the three of them at his graduation, and they also got him a book. There were more gifts, but he slipped quietly into sleep again.

The first time he flatlined, they panicked for a moment. He was so young, he shouldn't be this ill. But they stabilized him quickly.

The second time, it took longer, but it was still in the time of safety, and his brain should have been relatively unharmed.

The third time they couldn't revive him.

He hadn't awoken since Christmas Eve, but he hadn't seen the new year through his body's eyes.

On the first day of Angstmas, My Thaddeus gave to me… A warbler fatality.