AN: So here we go. New story, new beginning. There won't be another update for a little while as I'm very busy for the next few weeks, but I felt like New Year, new chapter. So I hope you enjoy, and please R&R! X
Disclaimer: I own nothing but Skyler
It was dark when Skyler woke up, and she immediately began to panic. The last thing she remembered was nearly bleeding out from the hole in her side and collapsing quite painfully. What if she had lost her sight?! She then realised that it was only dark because she hadn't actually opened her eyes yet. Feeling like a complete idiot, she peeled her eyelids open. They were sticky with sleepy dust and it made her wonder how long she had been asleep. She was in a hospital room, surrounded by harsh white walls and beeping machinery. She could feel an IV drip running into her arm and gagged as she glanced down at the needle underneath her skin. It reminded her with a sickening jolt that the last time she had seen Lydia, she had also been lying in a hospital bed. She sat up straight, swinging her legs over the side of her bed, standing for a few seconds before collapsing back, unable to keep herself upright on her shaking legs. Sky contemplated for a second and gripped the pole that her IV bag was attached to and pulling herself up again. She used it as a walking stick, making her way almost to the door before she leaned on it just a tad too hard and it went skittering across the floor on its wheels, sending her onto the ground with a surprised shriek. The door opened next to her and she could hear the worried voice of Melissa McCall calling her name worriedly.
"I'm fine, Melissa, really." Her throat felt like sandpaper whenever she spoke, and she had to cough harshly several times. "I just tripped. I'm okay, it's okay. How's Lydia?"
"She's fine, it's you we have to worry about right now," Melissa bent down next to her, sliding her arm around Sky's waist and helping her back to her feet. "You're going to tear your stitches."
"What stitches?" Sky asked, furrowing her eyebrows as Melissa helped her back into the bed, laying her on her back and crossing the room to stand the IV pole upright.
"In your side, honey," she explained, dropping into the chair next to Sky's bed. "You nearly bled out. You had to have a blood transfusion and ten stitches."
"I needed a blood transfusion?" Skyler stared at her incredulously, fingertips resting on her abdomen, where she could feel the thread holding her skin together.
"You had lost just about two liters of blood, that's almost enough to be classed as a hemorrhage, Sky," Melissa told her, watching the girl's expression of horror with pity. "You had to have a massive transfusion, and we ran into a problem." She sighed, rubbing her eye with a fist. "Your blood type is O Negative, y'know. And it means that you can only receive O Negative blood. There was a very serious car crash a few days ago, we used nearly all the O Neg blood in the hospital's blood bank, we only had three quarters of a liter left when you needed the transfusion."
"So I'm still down by a liter and a quarter of blood?" Sky wasn't quite sure how that was possible. She probably wouldn't have been so alert if she was still low on blood.
"No. When Allison and her father, Scott and Stiles brought you in, you were completely unconscious. After we gave you the blood we had on store, you were down by one and a quarter liters, that's just over two and a half pints." Melissa ran a hand through her hair, looking weary. "You needed an emergency transfusion, and people aren't meant to donate that much at a time. But Stiles is O Negative too. He offered to donate. If he hadn't, Sky... You could've died. We had to make an executive decision, and he talked his dad into letting him. He's okay now, but you must have made a pretty big impression on him to make him do something like that."
She was stunned into silence. Stiles had actually saved her life. Melissa had said it herself, without it she would've died. Her heart pounded as she thought of him. They hadn't had any real time to talk about the kiss since it had happened, and she wasn't sure where they stood with each other. She wasn't all too eager to find out.
"Sky, Sky?" Melissa poked her gently in the arm, tone worried. "Are you okay?"
"I'm just tired," she murmured, picking at her duvet cover.
"You shouldn't be, you've been asleep for almost three days," Melissa pushed herself out of the chair, patting Sky on the knee.
"Three fucking days," Sky ran a hand down her face. "Did I miss anything?"
"The woman who stabbed you, Kate Argent, they found her body in the woods," Melissa paused at the door, smiling sadly over her shoulder at the girl. "They've charged her for burning down the Hale house and all the recent murders, Derek's been exonerated. He's been to visit you a few times, the Sheriff's not too happy about it though. And Stiles hasn't left the waiting room since you got here. We had to let him shower in one of the private bathrooms, 'cause he's refusing to leave until you do."
"Am I allowed to see him?" She asked, and a small part of her hoped that she wasn't, so that she could postpone the inevitable 'What are we?' talk for as long as possible.
"I'm not sure, I'd say that you will, as long as Rebecca agrees and she'll want to see you first."
"What about my dad?" Sky knew the answer before Melissa had even opened her mouth.
"He left for New York yesterday, but he'll be back as soon as possible," she looked down sadly. "He called earlier to see how you were doing."
"He came into see me, knew that I had been stabbed and left again?" Sky could feel a lump in her throat. She wasn't usually so emotional, but fathers were meant to be caring, and he had left her unconscious in a hospital bed after she had been stabbed. Melissa was watching her warily as she wiped her eyes.
"D'you want me... D'you want me to get Rebecca for you?" She moved forward, placing a hand on the foot of Skyler's bed.
"When can I go home?" Sky asked, ignoring the question completely.
"Tomorrow, if you're cleared. I think you will, but we'll have to wait and be sure," Melissa patted her foot comfortingly and opened the door. "All you need is some rest, and to not worry. I promise you, you're safe here. There are cops outside in the waiting area around the clock, for you and Lydia."
"Why would I need..." Sky bit her tongue as she realised that their cover story was obviously that she had been stabbed and she should probably act at least a little nervous. "Ah, of course, thanks."
The woman nodded at her, and slipped out of the room, letting the door click shut behind her. Sky flopped back on the bed, cuddling down into the pillows. She wasn't in very much pain, she just felt weak and tired. She wanted nothing more than to go home and curl up in her bed, listening to some soothing music. It was only then that she remembered that the last time she had been in her room, she had dropped her Formal dress on the floor without even rinsing her best friend's blood off of it. Skyler slipped her hand under her dress, running her fingers over the stitching in her side. The thread felt thick and ugly and coarse under her touch, and it made her squirm to feel the torn skin underneath. She jumped as the door opened again, wincing as her fingers pressed harshly against her cut. Becca was in the doorway, the Sheriff, Stiles, Scott and Allison hovering awkwardly behind her.
"Well come in if you're going to come in, I got stabbed," Sky rolled her eyes at their hesitation. "I'm not dying."
"Are you... Are you okay? Melissa said you asked for visitors." Rebecca stepped into the room, moving slowly towards the seat by her bed, holding one arm out as if she was afraid that she would somehow spook Skyler.
"No, I'm not okay," she rolled her eyes again in response and pushing herself up onto her elbows. She knew that this was going to happen, and wondered how long it would take for them to stop treating her like she was fragile and breakable. "I got stabbed by her psycho aunt, and nearly died." She waved a hand at Allison, who looked down in shame. "And now I'm tired, but I'll get over it." It was all quiet for a very long time, and Sky smiled internally, delighted that she could still shock them into silence.
"I'm sorry," Allison blurted out suddenly, causing everyone to turn and stare at her in surprise. She realised what she had said and backtracked quickly. "Y'know for what happened with Kate. I had no idea she was capable of anything like that."
"I don't give a flying fuck," Sky glared over the shoulders of the little group to glare at the huntress. "Get out."
"Skyler, it's not her fault," Scott told her softly, stepping into the room.
"Don't you start making excuses, or have you just forgotten the last few weeks," she snapped coldly, making him jump in surprise. "All the freaking out and the trying to get drunk, the crying and the whinging, and now it's all better 'cause she loves you, so you can forgive everything?" She snorted in annoyance. "Well, guess what? I'm not in a particularly forgiving mood due to the stab wound in my side!"
"Alright, Allison, even if it isn't you fault, I think you should go," Rebecca advised, shooing the girl away. "Maybe you just shouldn't have visitors, Sky."
"I have no problem with you or Stiles or Scott or the Sheriff coming in, but I don't want to see her!" She glared pointedly at Allison who was backing away from the door with tears in her eyes. "And not to be rude, Sheriff, but I'm really not in the mood for answering questions, is there any chance we could talk another time?"
"Of course," he smiled warmly at her. "I just want to make sure that you're doing better, kid."
"Tired, that's all, but thanks." Skyler dropped back onto the bed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I just didn't want her in here."
"Well, Sky, y'know it's not her fault. She can't control the actions of her family." The Sheriff entered the room slowly, wandering up to stand beside Rebecca. His face flushed and he looked down awkwardly as he continued. "And you did tell me that...that you kissed her boyfriend."
Stiles, Scott and Rebecca all looked around the room uncomfortably, Scott's hand reaching up to rub the back on his neck. Stiles glared gently at the back of his dad's head, still smarting from that particular occurrence. Skyler's mouth twitched slightly, greatly regretting her split second decision to offer that as an excuse for their animosity.
"Yeah, well..." she trailed off, picking at the blanket. "How's Lydia?"
"She's good, awake anyway," Scott told her, the three of them making their way to the bed and perching gently on the edge. Stiles was the only one who stayed by the door, hovering uncertainly and watching her face carefully. "She asked about you, wanted to get out of bed and come and see you the second that she found out you were in here."
"She's a hell of a lot worse than I am, she should stay in bed but I could go and see her," Sky suggested, wriggling to sit upright in the bed.
"No, if you tear your stitches, they're not going to let you out tomorrow," Rebecca reached out a hand and decided to smooth down Sky's hair, which she was sure was greasy and falling all over the place. "I'll wheel you down tomorrow when we're leaving. You need rest, honey."
"But she's okay? Yeah?" Sky asked, pulling Rebecca's hand off her head gently. "She's alright?"
"She's healing, slowly." Scott raised his eyebrows at her, trying to convey his very obvious message. "But she's not going to die. But she's healing at a normal, human rate."
"Well that's very interesting." Sky narrowed her eyes, looking down. If Lydia hadn't died, and wasn't a werewolf, what was she? "Have they run tests?"
"Why would they need to run tests if she's perfectly alright?" Rebecca asked suspiciously, looking between the two friends.
"Well, she's perfectly fine, apart from the big gaping hole in her side," Skyler replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes good naturedly at Becca. "It's bigger than mine. I'm quite jealous. Anyway, there could be anything in there. She might need a CAT scan."
"Do you know what caused the big gaping hole in her side?" The Sheriff cut in, fingers twitching towards the notebook and pen tucked into his belt.
"No, sir," Skyler told him, looking down again. "I went outside to get some air and Jackson was bringing her to the ambulance."
"D'you know how Jackson knew where she was?" He asked, obviously disbelieving everything she said.
"No, sir," she repeated, rubbing at her eyes again.
"Dad, I told you," Stiles interrupted, speaking for the first time. "I found her and called Jackson, then I went looking for Skyler. I didn't find her, so I came here, that was when I met you. Can you leave it, please, dad?"
"I'm sorry if I was being intrusive," he held up his hands defensively, smiling at his son.
From there on they slipped into easier topics of conversation, but Skyler's eyes kept travelling back to Stiles, still standing in the doorway. He was watching her intently, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. He was the epitome of discomfort. It was equal parts frustrating and adorable. They spoke for nearly an hour, the conversation mostly consisting of Rebecca, Mr Stilinski and Scott talking over each other about nothing too important as Stiles came and went, bringing drinks and snacks to the little group, but never really interacting. Sky just leaned back on the pillows, letting the chatter wash over her and allowing her mind to wander. Melissa returned when the hour was almost up, letting the visitors know that they had to be gone soon. The Sheriff stood up first, brushing down his uniform and ruffling her hair.
"See ya round, kiddo," he said as he walked to the door, sidestepping his son on his way out. "Call me if you need anything."
Scott followed him soon after, making some excuse about needing to some study but they both knew that he was going to see Allison. Skyler didn't care, she really didn't, if he wanted to screw the vindictive murderous bitch that had shot both of them, that was fine, but he was not the one who had ended up in hospital. The room fell uncomfortably silent as Rebecca, Stiles and Skyler were left on their own. She yawned quietly, rolling her shoulders back and stretching her arms above her head. She was ready to go back to sleep now, it was strangely tiring to even sit up and listen to other people talking around her.
"Becca, could you do me a favour please?" Sky asked, wrapping the blanket tighter around her.
"Of course, honey," Rebecca shifted on the bed to face her directly. "What d'you need?"
"Could you pick me up some stuff from home? Just some pyjamas and my iPod and clothes for tomorrow." She glared down at the ugly blue hospital gown that she was wearing. "This feels like it's made of cardboard."
"Yeah, but I might be a little while, sweetie," Becca stood up, picking her handbag off the ground and slipping it over her shoulder. "I'm gonna stop and pick you up something to eat. What d'you fancy?"
"Wendy's, please. Chili cheese fries and a soda float pleasey?" Sky grinned, the promise of greasy food immediately making her feel better.
"I'll see you in about an hour then," Rebecca told her, leaning down and kissing her forehead. "You try and get some rest." She stopped on her way out of the room, patting Stiles on the arm as she passed him. Once she was out in the hallway she glanced back at Sky, giving her a thumbs up and a wink over Stiles' shoulder.
"Are you going to come in?" She asked softly, tugging the bedside chair closer to her. "You've been standing there for like an hour, surely you want to sit down." He walked into the room quietly, never taking his eyes off her face, and threw himself onto the chair. He placed his hand on the blanket, splaying his fingers wide and examining them for a few seconds before sliding his hand across to rest over hers. She reveled in the familiar warmth, all the uncomfortable tension draining from the room. It was easy to pretend that nothing had happened, to push the 'What Are We' talk out of their minds for the time being. Both were worried that the other was regretting what they had done, but neither was brave enough to broach the subject. "So, what's the cover story?"
"Kate attacked Lydia, I found her, called Jackson and the ambulance and went to find you," Stiles sighed, running a hand over his face. "Kate then went to the Hale house to kill Derek to stop his from telling the truth about the arson. Chris and Allison followed to stop her, you and Scott went after Allison to make sure she was safe and Jackson and I followed you two." He squeezed her hand gently before carrying on. "Kate got angry, stabbed you and then when she was confronted by what she had done, she killed herself."
"And they bought that?" Sky furrowed her eyebrows incredulously.
"Well, it's not exactly watertight, but if we all stick to it, they're not going ask too many questions," Stiles slumped back in the chair, still holding onto her hand. "Skyler... I should never have left you in the school like that."
"Stiles, it's not your fault," she replied automatically. He was such a martyr. Someone thousands of miles away could die of old age and Stiles would probably blame himself. He needed to understand that not everything that went wrong in their lives was his fault. "Stiles. Do you understand? You couldn't have stopped anything that happened the other night."
"I could've stopped you from getting stabbed," he shot back, scratching the back of his neck in irritation.
"If you hadn't gone when you did, Lydia might have died, do you realise that!?" Skyler snapped, digging her nails into the back of his hand to draw his attention. "She survived because you found her when you did, Stiles."
"And I left her there," he finished, pursing his lips. Sky was tempted to smack him, she was sick shit of him blaming himself and they had only been speaking for a minute or two.
"Did Peter threaten to kill you if you didn't go with him? Because that's who I assume you were with," Sky asked, glaring at him.
"No." He shifted uncomfortably, evidently disliking the idea that he was not to blame for their misfortune. "But he did threaten to kill Lydia," he admitted grudgingly.
"So she would've died if you hadn't done what you did," she pointed out. "And nothing else that happened that night had anything to do with you."
"Sky..."
"I'm serious, don't start that shit with me," Skyler interrupted, reaching up her free hand to turn Stiles' face towards her. "It took the combined effort of two werewolves and three werewolf hunters to stop him. There was nothing you could've done, Stiles."
"I could've done something if I was a werewolf." Stiles sighed and removed her hand from his cheek, letting it fall back onto the blanket. "Peter offered me the bite, the same way he offered it to you. I wanted to. I wanted to be someone. I really, really wanted to, but I didn't."
"Why?"
"Because you didn't," he explained simply, shrugging his shoulders. "Because you didn't need to be like them to be strong. You're perfect the way you are."
"So are you, Stiles," Sky sighed, running her hands up his arms until she was cupping the back of his head. "You don't need to be a werewolf to be someone. You're my someone." He pulled his chair closer to her bed and she shuffled towards the edge until they were nearly forehead to forehead. "And I care about you. I care about you a lot, you know that, right?"
"I care about you, too," he whispered gently. She loved the way his voice sounded whenever he spoke to her. It was as if she was the only person worth talking to and he cherished every word that passed between them. "And obviously know that you care about me," Stiles's voice took on a more confident and joking tone, smiling wryly at her, "Seeing as you practically assaulted me at the dance. Throwing yourself all over me."
"I threw myself at you?" She responded incredulously, leaning away from him and raising her eyebrows. "Well, that's not quite how I remember it. I remember you starting it."
"That's obviously not true, anyway," Stiles corrected her, pulling his chair forward until he was nearly on her bed. "I quite vividly remember being trapped with absolutely no escape possible."
"If you didn't enjoy, all you have to do is say the word, and it'll never happen again," Skyler shrugged halfheartedly at him. She felt goosebumps break out across her body as Stiles inched closer, and she could feel his hands trembling on the duvet next to her leg.
"I don't think I ever actually said that I didn't enjoy it," he murmured quietly, sliding off the chair until he was kneeling on the edge of her bed.
He slipped one hand onto her knee, trying to keep it steady as the other hand moved to her neck. He was barely touching her, fingertips hovering over her, like he was scared to let his hand rest on her in case she shattered. He dipped his head forward, leaning it against Skyler's and closing his eyes. She reciprocated, sliding her hands around to rest on his cheeks as her eyelids fluttered shut. She could feel his breath dancing across her lips as he hesitated, unsure of whether or not to close the gap between them. She rolled her shoulders, running one hand up to the back of his head and down to his cheek again.
"Stiles..."
Skyler leaned in first this time, resting her lips against his. He tipped his head downwards slightly, drawing back before pressing in again. It was unlike their first kiss. That was jealousy, the heat of the moment, and a tiny bit of fear. This was sweet and caring and light, and it gave her butterflies. Stiles tilted his head to the side, cupping the base of her neck and letting his fingers play with a few strands of hair. She dropped her hands to his shoulders, fisting her hands in the fabric of his plaid shirt to pull him closer. He was nearly lying on the bed at this point, still hovering just far enough away so that there was still a gap between them and his hand was still resolutely resting on her knee. Their lips were moving in sync, applying just the right amount of pressure before one of them would draw back, pulling the other with them. It was exhilarating and Skyler could faintly hear the steady beeping of her heart monitor growing more and more erratic. It was the perfect moment, until the door opened.
"Wahey, kiddo."
Zach stood, smirking, in the doorway, looking surprisingly happy for a guy who had just walked in on the girl he said that he liked three days ago, making out with a guy in her hospital bed. She grinned back at him, trying to ignore the embarrassed flush creeping up her neck. Stiles, on the other hand, flailed madly, windmilling his arms and sliding off the bed, hitting the floor with a sickening thud.
"You all right down there, Stilinski?" He asked, rolling his eyes and stepping over Stiles, who was still on the floor, to take the now empty seat next to her bed.
"Fine," he snapped back, head popping up at the side of the bed, and trying desperately to smooth his shirt out as he stood up.
"And what about you?" He turned to Skyler, leaning back in his chair and stretching his legs out, crossing them at the ankle. "Heard you got stabbed."
"Eh, just a tad," Sky shrugged one shoulder and screwed up her face. His bluntness was refreshing. Everyone else had skirted around the subject but Zach couldn't care less about how delicate her feelings were at the moment.
"So, what happened?" Zach slid off his brown leather jacket and slung it on the back of the chair as Stiles hovered awkwardly at the foot of the bed.
"She was a bit of a bitch and then she stabbed me," Sky explained as simply as she could manage. "That's about it."
"I should- I should go," Stiles piped up, scratching his arm, eyes dancing between Skyler and Zach.
"You can stay if you want," Zach waved an arm at the bed, motioning for him to sit down. "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."
"You didn't," he replied, completely unconvincingly. "And I should let you two catch up anyway. Zach's been coming and going the past few days while you were unconscious. Y'know, just coming and going." His voice took on a slightly superior note and Sky could clearly the hear the message.
"While you didn't leave for three days," she smiled sweetly at him as he shuffled to her bedside, watching Zach warily. "Melissa told me." She reached a hand up to rest on the back of his neck, trying to reassure him that Zach was not a threat. "Thank you for that, but you need to go home and wash yourself and get some clean clothes."
"Are you sure you're gonna be okay?" He asked, dropping his head down to her level.
"I'll be fine, go," Sky grinned fondly at him, reaching up to brush the tip of her nose off of his. He blushed furiously, glancing up at Zach for a second before letting his gaze fall back to Skyler. He closed his eyes and leaned in, pecking her gently in the lips for a few seconds, letting his hands cup her cheeks. She was flushing red when Stiles pulled back, trying to keep her smile in check.
"So, bye," he gave her an awkward salute as he pulled away from her. He attempted to back out of the room without turning around so he could keep a warning eye on Zach. It was almost working until he collided painfully with the door frame and stumbled out of the room, swearing angrily. Sky and Zach chuckled as they heard his voice recede down the hall, still wishing doom upon the door.
"So was that the first time you two kissed?" Zach asked with a smirk, placing one foot on her bed and crossing the other leg over it at the ankle.
"No," Sky admitted, still feeling the delighted colour in her cheeks. "We had a pretty intense kiss at the dance. Y'know, before I got stabbed."
"Tell me everything."