"Stiles bring the wheelchair here please." he rolled the wheelchair next to her bed and she slid into the low seat and pointed toward the door "Onward and outward." she called and Stiles shook his head, she had no idea what she was talking about.
"Onward and upward mom." she laughed as he pushed her out of the room dad was at work and Stiles had no school so he was dropped at the hospital early in the morning. Early afternoon now his mom liked going for a lap around her floor of the hospital and sometimes a longer trip. Outside of her room he rounded a corner and caught sight of Ms. McCall and her son Scott. Scott smiled and came over and him and Stiles exchanged a creative hand shakes as their mothers watched on.
"Going for a trip, Ms. Stilinski?" Melissa McCall asked fluffing her sons hair as he backed into her side.
"Mom." Scott whined fixing his hair she rolled her eyes grunting a little. Stiles was pulled to his mother's side, it was almost like they did this stuff on purpose he wiggled free and stood next to her as she spoke. A giggle interrupted her sentence as she pulled at Stiles hoodie. "Yeah, Melissa- as long as you don't squeal." she said as her son finally gave in and stood next to her. He looked down at her as Scott looked up at his mom, the difference between the two woman made Stiles sad a little. He never really looked up to his mom anymore- she was either in bed or in the chair and he was taller then.
"Mom can I go?" Scott's word made Stiles look up.
"Of course you can." she said and then looked at Stiles mom, "Anything to keep you busy for an hour until your father comes." she winked and the two boys pretended not to hear it. Stiles watched his mom rock a little in her seat uncomfortable probably. Stiles his mother and Scott said goodbye to Melissa McCall and headed for 'Windows Wall.' as his mother called it, the long hallway of windows looked out at the yard of the hospital and the forest behind it, his mother sat here for hours one day Stiles thought she went missing when he came straight from school alerted Ms. McCall who walked the boy around the hospital until he found her. Pushing her up to the window he sat with his back to the windows with Scott and she told them stories about stuff he figured she was making up. She fell silent after awhile and Scott started talking about school starting soon and Stiles listened for a moment before he started to notice his mother push her thumb into her palm. She was in pain and he could see it in the upper corner of her eyes a small twitch here and there every time she did it. But when she glanced down at him and gave him a small wink Stiles smiled slightly and took her hand when she held it out to him. His mom held his hand staring out the window and Stiles focused on Scott once again.
"Man this year are we still trying out for lacrosse- yeah junior varsity but once we get to high school we should be shoe ins for first line." his friend wheezed at the end of his sentence and Stiles watched him take his inhaler and end the wheezing within a few seconds. Stiles could feel his mother rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb he wished she could get relief that quickly like Scott but she wasn't that lucky. Looking up at her again she was watching the window like always playing with her hair with her free hand and humming to herself. Sighing Stiles looked back at Scott who was still talking, "If we get to pick our numbers what do you want to be?" Scott asked and Stiles brain zoomed through all the numbers he could take.
"Twenty-four." his mother chimed in almost like she was listening to their conversation though Scott was talking quietly. Scott didn't ask he just kept talking but the squeeze of her hand Stiles smiled, he knew that number was her favorite because two made four and there were twenty-four hours in the day and she always said to him 'If there were anymore hours in the day I'd have to time to look at the rest of the beautiful things in life- but with twenty-four I can look at you and be just fine." Stiles could almost hear her say it as they sat there.
"Scott?" he heard from the end of the hall, his pal's dad was standing at the end of the hall and waved his hand for the boy to hurry up. "Let's go I don't have all day- if you want dinner let's go now." he was joined by Scott's mom who rolled her eyes and held her hand up for Scott to slow as he ran toward them. She knew her son's breathing was difficult during the spring months and his father didn't care and tapped his foot. Stiles watched his mom roll her eyes, she hated Mr. McCall and for all the right reasons he wasn't the nicest person in the world. Scott waved as his dad pushed his head as he past him, Stiles looked up at his mother, "Can I say, that man needs a chill pill- and a smack to the head?" he loved his mother's laugh so any chance he had he'd crack a joke and this one she cracked up.
"Oh- Stiles- ow." his mother held her side as her laughing faded, Stiles out of nerves called over Scott's mom who was at her side in a matter of moments. "Jeez! Should that hurt like that?" she asked and the nurse checked things and nodded.
"Your sore- It's probably time to get back to bed so I can do my rounds?" Melissa nodded to Stiles who stood. "I got it hun- go get a candy bar. On me ok?" she said and Stiles stared into the woman's eyes something was wrong but when she spun him around and pushed him slightly he turned to look back his mother who waved to him and shooed him off. "Get a Kit Kat- I want half!" his mother called as she turned the corner. Something was wrong but he went off and bought the candy like he was told. By the time he got back from taking the long way visiting the older woman on the other side of the floor. His father was in the hall sitting in a chair- looking at his watch it was about time he showed up so he wasn't worried. Chewing on the kit kat bar he walked up to his dad and started into his mother's room. "Stiles- sit." his father's arm pushed him back from walking inside.
"She wants half?" he said holding out the candy. His father took it and took a bite, that was mom's candy, Stiles could only think how rude his father was being and sat down across the hall from him. Ms. McCall rushed out and around the corner before Stiles could stand up and say anything she walked back past him caressing his cheek quickly before walking back inside. But she poked her head back outside the door and tapped on his dad's shoulder and waved him inside. Stiles was left in the hallway alone and he took the chair that his father sat in just beside the door and listened to the sounds from inside, he heard a beeping sound which was new and Ms. McCall.
"I could take him home, John I'm off duty?" she said he could only see his father's back.
"I don't want him home alone- he'll destroy the house." Stiles pouted he wasn't that bad.
"He can come home with me, Scott loves the company?" she asked and Stiles watched his father nod.
"I'll bring him clothes- when I can." he watched her wave a hand.
"Him and Scott wear the same size and I stock up on tooth brushes- last week I found Scott's being used to clean Marcus's tennis shoes. Mr. McCall was sounding worst and worst every time he heard about him, and the man was only in town just this week from a long business trip. The door opening made Stiles jump and he picked up the magazine closet to him holding it in front of his face.
"Did you find your spring color, Stiles?" he heard Melissa ask. Looking at the cover to the magazine. 'Women's Health' he smiled and put it down.
"Come on, you and Scott can have one more sleepover before school starts up again. I'll even make pancakes with chocolate chips tomorrow." and with that Stiles jumped up and went along, her pancakes were rivaling his mothers but the memory of his mother's pancakes was starting to fade with the distance between the last time he had any and now becoming larger. The drive to Scott's house Stiles sat in the back seat humming the same song his mother was singing earlier in the day.
"That sounds so familiar what is that?" Melissa asked and Stiles looked up at her in the rearview mirror she'd glance at him and down at the road every few seconds.
"Autumn Leaves- Eva Cassidy." his mother loved that song and artist and it put him to sleep if he let his imagination take him back to his mother singing it to him the week before she moved into the hospital the last time she tucked him in. Stiles mind drifted and Ms. McCall didn't say anything but he could feel her eyes on him. That night he watched and watched an old Anime cartoon Scott had on dvd and when Ms. McCall put them to bed she in Scott's room a little longer and turned on a cd and he heard her tell Scott to just go to sleep but Stiles couldn't hear them over the music as he tuned them out letting his eyes close as the woman on the cd sang to him. Scott may have been in the room but she was singing right to him and he drifted as she sang.
Stiles dream world consisted of endless soda and popcorn in which he jumped into and swam around as he ate. Playing video games that came to life, meeting Spiderman- and his mother sitting beside him running her hand through his hair as she sang him to sleep. But he felt himself being lightly tapped awake, and at first he swatted Scott's hand away but the hair on his arm made Stiles open his eyes, there was no way Scott grew hair that quick. His dad was standing over him and looked down at Stiles, "Dad?"
The window in the car Stiles watched the rain race down it, he wasn't heading for home like he hoped he wanted to sleep but back to the hospital. His dad let him walk resting his head on his arm nearly dragging him as John Stilinski held up his sleepy son. "Come on Stiles." and Stiles stood and pushed up the familiar door and walked inside his mother's room. She was laying down staring out the window, but turned to look at him.
"Hey bug." she said and Stiles straighten up she only called him that when something was wrong. The beeping beside her worried him and he backed into his dad trying to get out. "Come here bug." she said again and Stiles moved beside her. She took his hand and she was colder than normal the warmth of her hand wasn't the same it was faded and faint. "My son." she said running a chilly hand down his cheek. "Oh- John I-" she started before Stiles was turned to face his dad thirteen and he felt smaller than normal but his father bent down to start directly to him.
"Stiles your mother- isn't…doing that well." he said between deep breathes. Stiles whipped around to look at his mother again. The smile on her face smile and hiding something and Stiles panicked eyes looked between her and his dad. "We have to- say our…jesus." his dad turned away from Stiles hiding his face.
"Bug- I've asked them to let me go in my sleep." she said, and Stiles let his inside freeze. His eyes still darted from one corner of the room to his mother and round again. Being turned back to his dad Stiles caught the tear moving his hand to wipe it away still blank in the face but inside he was planning his escape out of the room and out of the hospital. "I wanted you here with me, bug," he heard his mother say as he turned back toward her. "Come here." she said moving out slightly and Stiles slipped next to her and her head rested ontop of his own. "I love you bug. Every twenty four hours I love you a little more." Stiles against her chest was still sorting things out in his head, his feet hanging over the edge of the bed and he felt his mother reach for his dad's hand across his back and their hands rested on his side warming the area around it.
Again being shaken out of his sleep Stiles blinked and listened- silence, like he didn't hear his mother's heart beat and he moved his head to see if he wasn't in the right spot. "Mom?" he said looking up at her. "Mom?" he asked again sitting up her arm falling off his side. "Mom!" he said scrambling off the bed- the beeping stopped. Stumbling backward Stiles blinked- this was a dream. "…mom." he said quietly this time backing away again right into his dad spinning around his head into his father's shoulder Stiles scrambled again trying to get out. The sound in his father's breath was surprised, "It wasn't supposed to happen that quickly." came almost in a mumbled. Stiles was still pushing his father back only moving a few steps each time. Upon realization Stiles crumbled his knees giving out and his father catching him reduced to kneeling as Stiles couldn't even sit up. Though he was being rocked Stiles felt still and frozen, the door flew open and through tears he saw Scott's mom once again in her pajamas and Scott followed right behind her she grabbed her son and pressed his face against her chest blocking him from what she was staring at a lifeless body. Holding her son close she stepped forward and pulled the curtain so now she was blocked from few. "Scott take Stiles- out into the hall would you please." and Scott lifted Stiles limp body out into the hallway and into a chair and he kneeled in front of him as Stiles slumped into his seat.
"Oh god!" he heard from inside the room his father's voice shook him and Stiles jumped up again but Scott grabbed his arm because Melissa had him and again Stiles knees buckled. She was really gone and he was in a state of numbness, he could feel Scott lift him back into the chair and he felt his father back out and take Scott's place sitting in front of him. But at the same time Stiles felt completely numb and his head dropped forward and it swayed a little as he wiggled his toes and fingers staring down at the tile in front of him. The murmurs from his father were ignored and the gentle hand against his back was also push to the side, he could hear Scott pace slightly next to him before dropping into the seat next to him. The things his mother would miss slid into his head- making the lacrosse team, high school, prom, his first date, making first line, his first game.
Stiles mom would never see her son score a goal and that hurt him more than it probably should have out of all things. But Stiles wears that twenty four proudly even on the bench because he knows that her favorite number.
Stiles mom past away at twelve am and for the rest of those twenty-hours Stiles sat and listened to the same song, repeatedly- just trying to get to sleep, unsuccessful as it was.