Chapter 9


Note: The usual disclaimers apply. Don't own anything. All characters and recognizable contents belong to their respective owners. Not making any money from this.

All medical details are either made up or googled.

Not betaed so all the spelling and grammatical mistakes are mine. Let me know if you spot them.


Stiles woke up slowly. The drugs in his system making everything seem fuzzy and far away. He smelled chlorine and disinfectants and guessed that he was in the hospital even before opening his eyes. The eye opening part came later and the first thing that he could clearly see was his father slumped uncomfortably in one the chairs near his bed. This scene reminded him of a few weeks ago in this same hospital but this time around their positions were swapped. Stiles was here lying on this bed instead of his father. Those were a horrible few days. Stiles wishes that he never has to go through them again. He has already lost his mother in this same damn hospital; spend a part of his childhood here when his mother was sick and as of recently, nearly lost his only living parent here. God! He hated this place. If it was in his power he would avoid this place like it was the plague itself, but the life that he leads now puts him with a close relation with the hospital, him being a puny human and all.

God why was he thinking all this?

He forced himself out of all these thoughts and focussed his wandering attention to his surrounding. He was definitely in a hospital. The walls were a bare while, his sheets white,(what's with hospitals and their aversion to some colour). He was surrounded by various machineries and equipments and there was a freakin' tube coming out of his chest... gross!, half of his face was covered with a oxygen mask and most of his chest and abdomen were covered in bandages. He tried poking the chest tube with his free hand that wasn't being used as a pin cushion for the IV's and the blood bags but stopped immediately when the movement caused the pain that was in the background up until now to flare up... pain that was manageable thanks to the awesome drugs that he was definitely being given. He must have made some distressed noise because the next thing that he knew was his dad by his side, alert and awake and worried.

"Stiles? Hey son you OK?"

Stiles looked at his dad and gave him a reassuring smile and said, "M Ok dad" his voice sounded disused and croaky. "Just moved the wrong way."

The sheriff gave Stiles some ice chips and helped him swallow. The cool ice made Stiles feel better immediately.

"So..." Stiles began tentatively, "what did I miss? Is everyone alright?"

The sheriff huffed a disbelieving sigh. Leave it to Stiles to worry about everyone else when he was the one lying in the hospital.

"Everyone's fine. Well apart from you anyway." The sheriff said shortly.

"I'm fine dad. I'll be up and about in no time."

"Do you even remember what happened to you this time?" the sheriff said angrily at the dismissive tone of his son towards his own injuries.

"I was shot?" Stiles said simply like it was no big deal.

"Yes Stiles, you were shot. You coded on the table.I nearly lost you son. You can't keep doing this to me."

"Dad", Stiles said softy, "it's Ok. I am fine. I'll be fine. You won't lose me. I promise."

"I'll hold you to that." The sheriff said defeated. There was no point arguing with his son. He was as stubborn as they came.

The sheriff let the doctor know that Stiles was awake. He came and gave him a thorough check-up.

"Sooo... Doc, when can I leave the hospital?"

The doctor looked disbelievingly at Stiles and the Sheriff huffed in resignation. He knew his son far too well and his aversion to hospitals but he wasn't going to let Stiles dictate the terms this time around.

"Stiles..." he started

"I'm just asking dad."

"Mr. Stilinski, you do know that you are in the ICU right?"

"Uhh Yeah?"

"and that you were shot as well as stabbed and have a chest tube to re-inflate your lung?"

"yeah?" Stiles said knowing where this was going.

"You'll be moved later today from the ICU to a private room where you'll be monitored. Your lung needs to inflate. That would take about seven days and your injuries need to heal. Even if we let you go after we remove the chest tube, you'll have to take it easy for a few days until the injuries heal."

'Ok." Stiles said dejectedly knowing full well that there was no way his dad will let him leave early.

"You should rest now. The more you rest, the quicker you heal and the soon you leave the hospital."

Stiles agreed. He decided he could do that if it means he'll get to leave early.

He fell into a slumber and the next time he opened his eyes Scott was there in place of his father.


TBC.


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