The next morning was a blur of uncomfortable meetings.
First a Social Worker showed up and tried for an hour to get Jess to give them her real age and birthday. Jess flat out refused. They would call her by her chosen name or she wouldn't respond to them. After nearly an hour of being badgered with questions she refused to answer the Social Worker told her she would be staying with the McCall's when she left the hospital and would be going to school starting on Monday. After warning her that any attempt at running away would land Jess in juvenile detention the Social Worker left telling Melissa that the girl was her problem until Melissa got sick of her.
Then the doctor came in lecturing her about how serious her injuries had been and telling her not to be afraid to call an ambulance for help next time. Staring at them in disbelief Jess asked if they had missed the entire thing about her being a run away trying to avoid Social Services? Then pointed out that coming to the hospital led to Social Services being called and they were forcing her back into the system. The doctor had the good grace to look a bit embarrassed and had sheepishly handed Jess a handful of suckers from his pocket. Quickly leaving the room to escape the laughter that his gift had elicited in the girl and her new guardian he had called over his shoulder that Jess would be able to be discharged after lunch.
Through out the meetings Jess had been getting a steady stream of texts from Derek, Scott, Dr. Deaton, and an unknown number that introduced itself as Scott's friend Stiles. Stiles was a constant fount of interesting trivia, riddles, and jokes. Scott was more prone to sending funny memes and short videos. Derek gave a running commentary on what he was doing and sent pictures of him taking her truck through a car wash and replacing her first aide bag. He made threats about throwing away the pain killer and sedatives if she didn't promise to never use them on him again. But then sent pictures of a bunch of new medical supplies he had bought to replace the things used or ruined the night on the Incident.
When the local Sheriff had shown up to question her Jess had been nervous and had been hesitant to answer the man fully. Then Melissa McCall had come into the room and greeted him warmly, asking him how Stiles was doing. Looking up from where she was answering a riddle Stiles had sent to her Jess waited to here the Sheriff's response.
"That son of mine is going to give me grey hair with his shenanigans." The Sheriff replied ruefully. When he turned back to Jess and asked another question about what had happened he looked surprised to find her suddenly smiling, relaxed and eager to answer his questions. When he finished questioning her he closed his notebook and pulled a card from his pocket. "Everything you said matches up with how Argent described the Incident. Argent hauled the man who attacked you to the station himself and reported the entire thing hours before you showed up at the Animal Clinic. He saw the bandages on the dog and figured the local vet might be able to identify you by a description of your dog to the vet. We were all surprised to find Dr. Deaton waiting up at the Clinic worrying what was keeping you out so late. We were planning a search party and arguing over where to begin searching when you pulled into the parking lot. Argent's man is under arrest and Argent and the other men with them are facing some stiff fines for running around with weapons and hunting without a permit. Argent was pretty upset about the whole thing. Kept mentioning that he had a daughter around your age and how no one had done anything wrong until the one man snapped and attacked you and how sorry he was about the whole thing. Asked me to give you this." The Sheriff said handing Jess a buisness card. "Said he was desperate to make it up to you in whatever way possible. And is hoping you will call him when you are feeling better." Looking at Jess sitting in the hospital bed, bruises around her throat, arm bandaged and strapped tightly to her side. With an I.V. in her other arm, sitting back against the pillows, face unnaturally pale, with big black bags under her eyes. The Sheriff shook his head. "Not sure how in the world he could possibly make it up to you. But he did seem sincere about wanting to. Up to you if you decide to let him try." Giving Jess one last smile and nod the Sheriff left the room. Leaving Jess alone with Melissa.
Before Jess could decide what to do about the card there was a knock at the door. Melissa walked over and opened the door and smiled widely. Backing up she made room for a trio of delivery men to enter the room. Each man was carrying a large gift basket. Setting the baskets down on the foot of the bed the men smiled and handing Jess a card wished Jess a speedy recovery before leaving the room. Carefully opening the envelope Jess pulled out a simple white card. The front saying in large cursive letters I Am Sorry. Opening the card Jess looked at the handwritten message inside.
Miss Black,
I am so profoundly sorry for the actions of my employee when we encountered you the other night. He has been dismissed from my company and was delivered to the Sheriff and charges pressed. The other men and myself all gave statements against him. I was horrified that you passed out due to your injuries and barely made it back in one piece before needing to be rushed to surgery. You are an amazing young women to have been able to make the journey back without having an accident. If there is anything I can do to aide your recovery or earn your forgiveness for my part in the actions that led to you being injured please let me know. You will find my contact info listed on the back of this card. I asked my daughter who is around your age to ask her friends for a list of things that they thought would help make the time stuck in bed recovering from an injury more enjoyable for a fellow teenager . The list they gave me was a long one and since I don't know your tastes I decided to simply include everything on the list. I hope that you get some enjoyment from at least some of the items included in the baskets. Again I will say how truly, truly sorry I am that you were injured in any way.
Yours regretfully Chris Argent.
Turning to Melissa Jess simply handed her the card and sat back staring at the baskets.
"Well, he actually sounds like he might really be sorry about it. And from the looks of these baskets he put a good bit of effort into gathering these things to gift them to you. Kind of nice how he asked his daughter to ask her friends to get an idea what a teen might like." Melissa said glancing at the three huge baskets pilled high with items.
"Who else is bringing you presents?" A voice spoke from the doorway. Turning to the door Jess saw Derek standing in the doorway holding a stuffed black toy wolf with a dark green bow wrapped around it's neck.
Melissa smiled at Derek and handing him the card as he walked past her to get to Jess, she headed for the door. "Don't open the baskets yet. Lunch will be served any minutes and then after lunch we can get you discharged and take you home. You can dive into the baskets once we have you settled at home. I am going to head out to run a few errands while you have lunch and wait to be discharged. I told the nurses on call to call me when the doctor starts doing his after lunch rounds on this floor so I can be back by the time he gets to your room." Giving the pair a bright smile Melissa left the room.
Sitting down on the edge of the bed Derek handed her the stuffed wolf. Reaching up he brushed the hair out of her face gently before looking down at the card. Reading it quickly he frowned down at it and started growling softly. "Bastard thinks he can just throw money at a problem and make everyone just forgive and forget." Folding the card up several times Derek shoved it angrily into his pocket and turned to look at Jess. "Don't contact him! He and his entire family is made up of werewolf hunting psychopaths." Derek snarled the words eyes flashing blue, fist clentched tightly, and his breathing spreading up.
Reaching out Jess placed her hand on Derek's arm and started to rub it gently. "Ok Derek. I won't talk to the Silver Psycho." Jess said softly rubbing small circles along his arm until he unclentched his fist and his breathing slowed slightly. "But there is no way I am going to give back those gift baskets." Leaning forwards Jess peared at the baskets. "Pretty sure I see a new laptop and phone in one of them."
Still scowling darkly Derek snorted and shook his head at her. "Does that mean you don't want this?" He asked lifting the stuffed wolf from the bed.
Gasping in outrage Jess snatched the wolf and hugged it tightly to her side. "Don't you even think about stealing Lancelot!" She cried, curling protectively around the stuffed wolf.
"Lancelot?" Derek asked tilting his head to one side.
Laughing happily Jess held up the wolf toy. "Yes, clearly this wolf is a brave and loyal soul. So the name Lancelot is perfect." Sitting back against the pillows Jess leaned heavily against Derek's side. Someday I will have a real home of my own that I can decorate any way that I like. The walls will have wood paneling and dark green paint."
"Won't that make for a dark, dreary home?" Derek asked.
"Shhh, don't interrupt! Unless you have decorating ideas for what our house is going to look like." Jess scolded. Noticing the way the man froze when she said 'Our house' Jess quickly continued describing her dream home.
"To answer your question, no it will not be dark and dreary because it will have entire walls made up of windows and will have high vaulted ceilings with skylights. There will be massive bookshelves full of books and big leather couches. All the floors will be tile and wood, no nasty carpet. And I will have an entire collection of wolf figurines spread out all over the house. And each one will have a name." Stopping her description of the house when an orderly came in with her lunch tray Jess waited until he left before making a face at the sad sandwich on the tray. Grabbing the milk and the fruit cup from the tray Jess pushed the tray with the rest of the food towards Derek. Staring at Derek silently until he picked up the sandwich and started eating, Jess smiled. Nibbling at the fruit Jess continued describing her dream home. "The kitchen will be gigantic with huge counter tops that can be used for rolling out dough and kneading bread and it will have a big walk in fridge and freezer and a massive pantry for all my canning supplies and canned goods." Finishing the fruit cup Jess chugged the milk and placed the empty fruit cup and milk carton on the tray. "And it will have multiple ovens and a giant cooking range with more burners then most people would know what to do with."
Seeming to get into the spirit of things Derek smiled and asked. "Where will this wondrous house be? In the middle of town somewhere? Close to the Animal Clinic maybe?"
Jess made a face and shook her head. "Never! If I get to choose where my house is then I will always choose a place out in the forest. It just needs enough clear land for a giant vegetable garden, orchard, and berry patch. Oh and room for the chickens." She finished seriously eyes blinking as she slowly snuggled closer to Derek's side.
"Oh! We are going to have chickens are we?" Derek asked her softly staring down at Jess as she fought to keep her eyes open. "Are we going to gave pigs as well?"
Jess made a face. "Only if you are going to take care of them. Pigs have a very short window of cuteness before they turn rude and smelly. They can be kept sweet and easy to handle if you spend lots of time with them. But then you end up so attached to them you feel bad anytime you pull some pork from the freezer."
Derek smiled. "I think there is a fairy tale or two that warns against a wolf being around pigs. He joked.
Sighing heavily Jess murmured so quietly Derek could hardly hear her. "So no sheep either I guess..." As she fell asleep she never heard his reply.
"We could get a few goats." Derek offered. "Don't think I've heard warnings about wolves and goats." Looking down at the girl sleeping against his side Derek once again found himself stuck in a hospital bed waiting for his honorary sister to wake up.
An hour later when Melissa showed up with a Doctor to discharge the girl Derek argued quietly against waking her but was over ruled by Melissa and the Doctor. Scowling at the two adults Derek turned and gently woke the girl from her nap.
Opening her eyes and seeing the three others in the room Jess groaned. "So me being injured in the hospital is still not a dream?" She joked. Thanking Derek who helped her to sit up fully on the edge of the bed Jess turned to the Doctor standing beside him. "You here to spring me from this joint?" She asked hopefully.
Looking up from Jess's chart with a smile the Doctor pulled a stethoscope from his pocket. "That is the idea. I just need to give you a quick exam first." Stepping towards the bed he reached towards the hospital supplied pajama shirt Jess was wearing, but his arm was grabbed before he could touch her. Looking up at Derek who was clutching his arm and scowling the Doctor frowned and angrily pulled his arm back. Turning back towards Jess he seemed surprised to find Jess was shrunken back against the pillows with her legs pulled up against her chest and her eyes blown wide with fear. Taking in the hand shaped bruised around Jess neck the Doctor paled and stepped back away from the bed. "Perhaps it would be easier to have Nurse McCall do the examination?" He offered holding his stethoscope towards Melissa.
Stepping up to the bed Melissa smiled warmly at Jess and pointed at the I.V. in her arm. "If we get this exam over with we can get that I.V. out of your arm, get you into some real clothes, and take you home."
Getting herself back under control Jess swallowed and shifted forwards until she was once again sitting on the edge of the bed. This time she reached up and grasped Derek's hand before nodding to the nurse. A few tense minutes later the nurse had taken her vitals and undone the bandages on her upper arm to check the injuries there. Seeing everything was doing well the Doctor had signed the discharge papers and wished the girl a speedy recovery before hurrying out of the room. Jess had a feeling he had been a little frightened of Derek's constant scowling. Melissa laughed as Jess cheered happily when the I.V. was removed and pouted when her arm was bandaged even more heavily then before. Though this time it was not bandaged firmly to her stomach. Happy to have her arm free again Jess waved at Derek as he was gently pushed out of the room by Melissa carrying two of the three gift baskets. Melissa closed the curtain around the bed on her way past it and carried the other basket past the curtain to a table by the door. Jess closed her eyes and resigned herself to the painful struggle that woukd be changing into real clothing. Even the soft elastic sweat pants, sweater, baggy t-shirt, slippers, and robe that Melissa had bought for her would be a struggle. Taking a deep breath Jess started unbuttoning the buttons down the front of the short sleeved pajama shirt and was startled when a second pair of hands pushed her hand away and took over. Looking up in surprise Jess saw Melissa standing infront of her quickly unbuttoning the buttons. When they were all undone Melissa gently helped Jess shrug out of the shirt and grabbing the t-shirt from the stack of clothes she helped Jess to struggle into the shirt.
"Sorry there is no bra. But with how banged up your back is I didn't think you would want something pressing on the bruises." Melissa murmured as she helped Jess finish getting dressed in the new clothes. Zipping up the sweater Melissa smiled. "There almost done. Just one more thing." Melissa said as she picked up a heavily padded sling contraption that she used to firmly strap Jess's arm to her side. Scowling darkly Jess glared down at the straps holding her left arm firmly to her side. Helping Jess put on the robe and slippers Melissa smiled. "You need to keep that arm as immobile as possible if you want it to heal properly." Melissa warned Jess handing over the phone she had found in the bed while stripping the bedding. Gathering it all into a pile she paused and looked from the bed to Jess. "Wait a minute. I am here as a mom picking up my kid, not as a nurse prepping the room for the next patient." Smiling she motioned to an empty wheelchair sitting off to one side. "Hospital policy means you need to sit in that thing on your ride to the door." She said firmly. Rolling her eyes when Jess grumbled in disgust at the idea.
"The sooner you sit in the chair, the sooner you get out of the hospital." Derek said from the doorway. Picking up the remaining gift basket he stood in the doorway smirking while Jess grumbled and grouched but eventually sat down gingerly in the wheelchair. Any effect the fierce scowling and angry glare may have had was ruined by the sight of the stuffed wolf toy clutched firmly under Jess's right arm.
Placing her hands on the wheelchair handles Melissa pushed Jess out of the room and down the hall to the elevator. Smirking down at the still scowling teen Melissa recalled a comment Scott had made that morning about Jess loving Doctor Who enough to paint her truck Tardis Blue and call it the Tardis and had an idea. As the elevator doors opened onto the first floor Melissa leaned down and whispered to Jess. "Alonzè!" Before rushing down the hall at a walk so fast it was almost a run.
Breaking out in giggles Jess looked up at Melissa and quoted "I do so love the running."
Sighing heavily from where he had effortlessly been keeping pace with the two, Derek shook his head. "I am surrounded by nerds."
Snorting, Jess smirked at Derek. "That makes you a nerd by association."
All three were smiling as they left the hospital. Melissa started to turn and show Jess the way to the staff parking but stopped when Jess gasped and pointed to a big blue truck parked in the patient loading zone.
"My Tardis!" Jess cried happily scrambling out of the wheelchair and speed walking over to it. She was followed by a grinning Derek. Looking all over the back driver's side back door Jess was amazed to see zero damage to the truck. "I could have sworn that psycopath left a big scratch right here." Jess said running her fingers over an area that was just at her shoulder height.
"I could have sworn that truck was parked safely in my driveway and the keys were hidden inside my house." Melissa said scowling at Derek suspiciously.
Ignoring Melissa, Derek reached over and opening the back door he placed the basket he was carrying in the back seat beside the other two baskets. Taking the stuffed wolf from under her arm he tossed it onto the front passenger seat. Smiling at Jess as he closed the door he ran his fingers over an area on the door. "The guys at the Auto Shop were happy to fix up the door for you. I didn't want you to have to look at an ugly reminder of the Incident every day until you were healed up enough to fix it yourself." Turning to the still scowling Melissa he gave her a big charming smile and asked. "Don't you agree?"
"I agree with the sentiment. But I still want to know how you got the truck keys." She said sternly.
"That's easy." Jess replied. Stepping close to Derek and leaning into his side. "I told him where the spare key was hidden when he was visiting me yesterday."
Realizing that the explanation made perfect sense and that no harm had been done Melissa sighed. "Next time, just ask me." She said sternly to Derek. "If you had told me what you planned I would have gotten the keys from the house for you. It was a sweet thing to do. But if Scott or I had passed the house while the truck was gone we would have thought it was stolen and called the police." Turning to Jess she smiled at how happy the girl was to see her truck. "Come on kiddo. My car is over this way. Your brother can drive your truck home. I want you to ride with me so we can talk." Walking towards her car Melissa paused and turned back when she didn't hear Jess following. Standing leaning against Derek with her eyes closed tight Jess looked like a stiff wind would be enough to blow her away.
Wrapping one arm around Jess's back, Derek suddenly bent his knees and reaching down swept Jess's legs out from under her. Then he walked after Melissa, holding Jess in a classic bridal hold. "Lead the way." Derek said when he reached the place where Melissa had stopped walking to check why Jess wasn't following.
Startled by the sudden change in position Jess considered complaining for a single moment before deciding she was too tired to care and layed her head on Derek's shoulder. By the time they reached Melissa's car Jess was playfully calling out. "Left, left, left, right, left. March soldier!"
Smiling at the pair Melissa opened the passenger door and moved out of the way as Derek settled the girl in the seat. Going so far as to buckled her in place and fuss over weather she wanted the seat reclined or not. Clearing her throat from her place in the driver's seat Melissa laughed as Derek jumped slightly at the noise and blushed as he finally backed away from the car after gently closing the door. Maneuvering through the parking lot Melissa watched Jess fidget nervously with the zipper on her sweater. "I don't plan to talk about anything scary." She said gently as if trying to reassure the teen. "I just want to go over a few house rules." Frowning as the teen stiffened beside her Melissa continued. "Any food in the house is considered free for the taking at any time of the day or night unless it is labeled with a sticky note and someone's name. So if you bring food home to save in the fridge for later put a sticky note on it. There is a giant stack beside the fridge with a mug full of pens. If you use the last of anything add it to the grocery list hanging on the door of the fridge. If you leave the house leave a note on the fridge telling me where you are going and and for how long. There is a big calendar on the fridge. Once you start working again list the hours you are scheduled to work on the calendar. If you want to go somewhere after work send me a text to tell me where you are going and when you expect to be home. I know you are used to living on your own and being your own boss so I won't ask you to ask me for permission to go places. But I need to know where you are when you aren't at home, school, or work. If your plans change just send another text so I know what is going on. Keep your phone charged so you can call for help of you need to and so I can call you if I need to talk to you. Put in an honest effort when you start school. You don't have to get straight A's but you do have to actually try and do your best work. Once you are feeling better we will start worrying about you keeping your own room clean and putting your own laundry away after it is washed and folded. For the next week or two I will help you out with that. If your arm is hurting too much for you to sleep or enough to make you not want to eat let me know. I have some pills for the doctor that you can take. I also have a bottle of extra strong Tylenol that you can take as you need them. Just be sure to read the bottle and not take more then the recommended dose. I have a little pill sorter that I put your antibiotics in and you can keep those in your room beside your bed. Just make sure to set an alarm on your phone to make sure you take them every 8 hours." Melissa paused and tapped her fingers against the steering wheel. "Food, schedule, chores, school, medication...I think I covered all the basics." Melissa said happily smiling at the teen. "Do you have a question about anything?"
Jess fiddled with her zipper for a few moments longer before ducking her head slightly and asking quietly. "Punishments?" Unsure if Melissa had heard her when she didn't get a reply Jess cleared her throat and asked a little louder. "Um...what is the punishment when I do something wrong?"
"Do you plan to break one of the rules I just gave you?" Melissa asked seriously.
Jess chuckled darkly. "Plans have nothing to do with it. Doesn't matter how hard I try to follow every rule. Something ALWAYS happens and I mess up and get in trouble." Scowling out the window Jess continued. "I just want to know what to expect for a punishment when I do get in trouble."
Melissa frowned as she drove down the road waiting a minute before she answered. "If you do something, and I feel that it is something you shouldn't do. We will sit down and talk about it. You will have a chance to argue your side and try to convince me that it was OK to do.
If you can't convince me. Then that thing will be added to the list of rules. I will make an actual list with all the rules and hang it on the fridge. If I come up with a new rule because of something you do I will tell you about it and add it to the list. With the rules I already told you there will be one warning given if you break the rule. If you break it a second time then you will get in trouble. The new rules made in response to bad behavior will not get a warning...because making the rule is the warning. If you end up in trouble you will get grounded. No TV, or computer, and having friends over." Melissa frowned when she saw the way Jess clutched her phone almost frantically when she heard the no visiting friends part of grounding. "When you are grounded you can only spend time with family. I am sure that doesn't sound so bad with your family including both Scott and Derek." Seeing the girl sag back against the seat with relief Melissa smiled. "But I am sure once you start school you will make other friend's and not being able to talk to them except during school hours will suck. Trust me. Grounding sucks. So follow the rules so I don't have to ground you. Please." Turning on to a new street Melissa pointed at a house midway down the block. "There she is, home sweet home." Seeing a big blue truck in the driveway with a dark figure standing leaning against it Melissa frowned. "How the heck did he beat us home?" Pulling into the driveway Melissa saw that all the gift baskets and a large duffel bag were lined up on the porch. Jumping out of her car she scowled at Derek. "How fast did you drive to have gotten here so long before us that you could have time to unload all of that?" She scolded.
Ignoring Melissa Derek stepped forward and opened the passenger door. Smiling at Jess he opened his coat and pulling out the stuffed wolf toy he handed it to her. Unbuckling Jess's seatbelt Derek helped her out of the car. Leaning close he asked too softly for Melissa to hear. "Are you feeling up to all those stairs or do you want me to carry you up to your new room?"
Smiling Jess shook her head and tucking the stuffed wolf into her sling she tucked her arm through Derek's and turned to walk slowly towards the house. "You can help carry the baskets." She said loudly. Watching Melissa pick up one of the baskets and head inside she quickly said very quietly under her breath. "Remember you aren't supposed to know anything about the inside of this house. So make sure to let Melissa lead. And the spare key for the truck is in a small magnetic box hidden in the undercarriage of the truck on the frame. If you didn't make a spare key you may want to return mine while I distract Melissa." Taking a deep breath after her rushed sentence Jess carefully started climbing the porch steps.
Leaning closer while he picked up a single basket to carry with his free arm Derek whispered to Jess. "Course I made copies of the keys. Once you get a house key I'll copy that one as well." Using his foot to hold the door open Derek followed Jess inside the house. Looking around at everything he smiled at Melissa. "Beautiful place you have here." He complimented. "I love how you have it decorated. I would love to have a look around some time. But Jess here looks like she is likely to fall asleep where she stands. And I promised I would get her settled in her new room before I left to run some errands I need to get done this afternoon." Derek said.
Smiling at the compliment Melissa took the large basket Derek was holding. Staggering under the sudden weight Melissa had to hold it in both arms when she nearly dropped it. "Wow, that is a lot heavier then you made it look. Um. Jess's room is up this way." Melissa said leading the way up the stairs.
Leaving Jess holding the banister at the bottom of the stairs Derek ducked out the door a moment slung the duffel bag on to his back and picked up the last gift basket. Smiling he came back in the door and turned to Jess. "Lead the way. I'll follow right behind you to keep you from falling all the way down the stairs if you slip or faint."
By the time they got to the top of the stairs Melissa was waiting and offered the tired girl her arm. "Come on. Let's get you to bed before you faint on us. Maybe you should have stayed an extra day at the hospital." Melissa said feeling the girl trembling slightly as she walked the last few steps to the room. Throwing open the door she helped the girl stagger over to the bed and quickly turned back the deep emerald green covers and motioned for the girl to lay down. Turning she gestured around the room pointing to things as she talked about them. "The closet is empty except for a bunch of empty hangers for you to use, the desk there has a power bar attached to the back of the desk that is already plugged into an outlet, we left some pens and sticky notes in the drawer of the desk, the bathroom is through that door and has a small linen closet stocked with a few towels and cloths. Let me know if you need any toiletries." Melissa said running a hand through her own curly hair she motioned at Jess's frizzy curls. "I can grab you some of the same shampoo and conditioner I use if you like and a hairdryer if you want one. The dresser here hidden beneath your gift baskets is empty but we can leave the unpacking until layer. You need some sleep." Walking over to the desk Melissa grabbed a stack of sticky notes and a pen. Scribbling something on the top note Melissa handed the pen and the stack of sticky notes to the girl. "My number is on the top note. If you need anything you can text me or just right it on a sticky note and leave it on the nightstand. I will check in with you a few times through the day and be sure to check for any new notes if you are sleeping when I come in for a check." Smiling Melissa watched as Derek set the last gift basket on the desk and carried the duffel bag over and set it beside the bed. Pulling a pill sorter from her pocket that could hold a weeks worth of pills she placed it in the drawer of the nightstand.
Standing beside the bed Derek took the pen and sticky notes from her and set it on the nightstand. Next he pulled Jess's phone out from where it was stashed with the stuffed wolf in the sling and without saying anything held it up to her. The girl immediately unlocked the phone for him. Once it was unlocked Derek grabbed the sticky note with the number and entered the number into the phones contacts. Reaching into the drawer he pulled out the pill sorter and taking notes of the times she was due to take pills he started clicking away on her phone setting up an alarm for each time pills was due with a written note telling her which pill she should be taking. Sliding the note with Melissa's number into his pocket he set the phone on the nightstand beside the sticky notes and turned back to Jess. Giving her shoulder a gently push he waited for her to lay down and pulling the stuffed wolf out of her sling he laid it beside her and covered her with the blankets. "Is there anything else you need from the truck right now?" He asked her softly brushing the hair out of her eyes. "I need to run errands for a few hours but if you need me call and I will be back ASAP. If I don't hear from you I will be back later tonight to check up on you." Turning to Melissa he added. "If it is still OK with your foster mother..."
Smiling Melissa nodded. "You can come and visit her anytime you like Derek. We already spoke in the car about house rules and punishments and agreed that even in the unlikely case that Jess gets grounded she will still be allowed to speak to you and have you come and visit her. Grounding is for limiting a kids time with their friends. But I would never limit her time with her family. For now we should let the poor girl get some sleep." Gently taking Derek by the arm Melissa pulled him away from the bed and led him out of the room leaving the girl to relax.
Looking around the room in wonder Jess settled back into the mound of pillows and hugging Lancelot the stuffed wolf close she closed her eyes and let herself fall asleep.
Waking up a few hours later Jess opened her eyes to see a figure moving around by her desk. Freezing in place Jess clutched Lancelot tightly her heart beating madly.
Suddenly the figure spun and rushed towards the bed eyes flashing blue. "What's wrong?!" Derek snarled crowding close to the bed and reaching up to turn on the bedside lamp.
Clutching her chest and taking deep slow breaths to get her wildly beating heart back under control Jess groaned loudly. "You scared the bejebus out of me. That is what's wrong you numbskull." Jess groused struggling to sit up. Turning to Derek she was surprised to see his eyes were still bright blue and his fists were clutched. Looking at the deep bags under his eyes and the tension in every muscle of his body Jess shifted to the leftmost side of her bed and patted the space beside her. "You can make it up to me by sitting here with me for a while." Jess offered patting the space again.
Shaking his head Derek scooped up her duffel bag and dumped it out onto the bed. "I need to do something. I need to move and work and not think about the things I don't want to think about. So just tell me where you want things and let me be your arms and legs. Melissa already checked on you for the last time for the night and Scott is off hanging out with his friend. Stupid little idiot." When all her clothes was put away in the drawers and closet it barely made a dent in the available space. "You need more clothes. Once you are feeling a little better I can take you to get some things." Turning to the desk Derek grabbed the gift basket the had the phone and laptop and carried it over to the bed. Setting it down beside Jess he turned to the dresser and grabbed a basket that appeared to be made up entirely of snacks and drinks. He ignored the third basket which was full of puzzle books, fidget toys, small puzzle toys, and art stuff. Bringing it with him to the bed he placed it beside the first basket and settled down on the foot of the bed. "I brought in your laptop case and plugged you laptop in on the desk. I also got your phone charger from the desk and have it plugged in and charging your phone on the nightstand there. What do you want to open first?" He asked his eyes finally shifting back to their normal color.
Reaching for the basket of snacks Jess removed the big ribbon and peeled back the plastic. Looking at the ridiculous amount of food she grabbed an apple and started munching on it while she pulled items from the basket to look at. Tossing a package of beef jerky to Derek she finished her apple. Looking around the room Jess noticed a small garbage can tucked under the nightstand. Tossing the apple core she grabbed a bunch of grapes from the basket and set it to the side before moving the whole basket off her lap and pushing it towards Derek. "Help yourself, please, there is no way I can ever eat all of that before it goes bad."
Smiling Derek tucked the bag of jerky into his coat pocket and grabbed an apple. Shinning the apple on his pant leg he took a huge bite out of the apple and pointed to the second basket. "Want some help opening that one? It's pretty heavy." When Jess nodded he set down the apple and shifted closer to the basket. Removing the ribbon he handed it to Jess and folded back the many layers of plastic. Picking up the top item he handed it to Jess and waited while she looked it over.
"It's a Kindle." Jess said happily flipping it over a few times to read different areas on the box. The next item Derek handed her was a Kindle cover that worked as a protective case. Next came a tablet, then a case for the tablet, then a new phone with a case to let it double as a camera, a portable printer for printing photographs, a hand held game system with a case and a bunch of prepaid cards to use for game downloads was next, the last big item was a high end laptop with a fancy carrying case. Looking at all the fancy electronics Jess turned to Derek with a smirk. "How much do you want to bet that his daughter's friends are all rich kids? Last time I had a long recovery I had books from the hospital library, and stuff to color or draw. I couldn't even play video games for most of my stay in hospital because my one arm was so damaged. Piling everything back into the basket Jess pointed at the desk. "All of those things can go over there. Finish eating your apple and then if you still need something to do you can take all those things out of their boxes and put them in their cases and plug them in to charge. I am too tired to mess with them tonight but I will likely have enough energy tomorrow to start trying to figure them all out. Put any instruction booklets in the boxes and put the boxes in the desk please. I like to keep the boxes for electronics until I have them all set up. Then I put the warranties and instruction in a drawer and put the boxes together in a bigger box and keep them until the thing breaks." Watching as Derek carried the basket to the desk and started undoing everything Jess stretched and looked around the room.
Seeing the open bathroom door Jess got up and headed to the sink. She had managed to avoid looking at the bruises on her throat before now but was beginning to wonder just how bad they were. Standing at the vanity Jess stared at the dark hand print shared bruise around her throat. With how dark it was Jess guessed she was going to have to wear a neck scarf to school on Monday, that or wear a turtleneck. But she didn't think she owned any turtlenecks. She didn't need to show up on her first day looking like the cover child for domestic abuse awareness. Noticing a new unopened toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste set beside the sink along with a cloth and a bar of soap Jess took them as a hint and started getting herself cleaned up a little. Everything takes a lot longer with just one hand. It was nearly 20 minutes later that Jess finally exited the bathroom and meandered back towards her bad.
Finding a bag on a chair beside her bed Jess grabbed it and climbed back into bed dragging it along with her. Once she was settled against a mound of pillows on the leftmost side of the bed with Lancelot tucked into her sling Jess opened up the sealed plastic bag. Catching a whiff of blood she gingerly peeked inside. Inside was the things she had been wearing the night of the Incident. Seeing her watch in a smaller clear bag along with her wallet Jess plucked the smaller bag out and tossed it onto the nightstand. Peering down into the bag Jess saw that the only things left inside were ruined bloody clothes. "Yuck. I think these are all destined for the trash. Could you toss them in the garbage can for me?" Getting no response Jess looked up to see Derek standing right up against the righthand side of the bed. One of his hand was gripping the headboard so tightly it was creaking and the other hand was clenched at his side as he glared at the bag in her hand eyes flashing Blue and teeth bared slightly. Looking from Derek to the bag Jess quickly rolled it tightly closed and shoved it in the garbage can beside the bed. "Never mind. I'll have Melissa get rid of it properly tomorrow." Reaching up to grab Derek's clentched fist Jess started tugging on it softly. "Forget about all that Derek. It's over now. Come and sit with me. You still owe me for scaring me earlier." Tugging repeatedly until Derek slowly gave in and sank down onto the bed beside her Jess turned slightly to face him and frowned at the tortured look on his face. "Hey. It's alright. It's all over. I'm fine. You're fine. Scott's fine. Everyone if fine." Reaching up Jess started to rub up and down Derek's upper arm watching as he wrapped his arms around his stomach and slowly curled forwards over them.
"It's not." Derek growled the words his entire body beginning to tremble. "It's not over. You're hurt and defenseless. You almost died before I even got a chance to get to know you, Scott is an idiot and is going to get himself killed by a hunter if he isn't more careful. Somewhere in this town there is an alpha werewolf. It was them who bit Scott and made him a werewolf. And it was them who killed and ripped apart the young women whose body the hickers found in the woods." Pausing, Derek's next words came out as though each word was killing him the words becoming less like talking and more like a sob. "And my sister isn't fine. My sister was the last sane member of my blood family. And the alpha killed her and left her to rot in the woods like trash." As the last word was said Derek shoved his fist in his mouth and curled around it.
Gasping with horror at the things Derek had just revealed Jess took one look at the trembling man and started to fumble with the buckles of her sling. This was definitely going to be a job for two arms. Managing to free herself from the sling Jess tossed it carelessly aside. Scrambling across the bed Jess wrapped her arms as tightly around the dark figure as she could and started to babble and coo at him. "Oh, you poor baby. Having to hold all of that in for so long. You poor, poor baby." Shifting slightly so she was sitting with her back against the headboard Jess pulled hard and tipped the ball of distraught Wolfman so that he was leaned against her side with his head on her shoulder. Wrapping her arms around him she continued to croon to him. "Let it out baby. You just let it all out. I'm here. Your not alone anymore. I've got you. Let it out baby. Just let it out." Running her fingers through his hair and hugging him tightly to her side Jess lost track of how long she held the man. He was trembling hard and her shoulder was soon soaked with tears but he never made a sound. When he finally seemed to have cried himself out Jess continued to hold him. Alternating between rubbing his back and running her fingers through his hair. At some point Jess had managed to coax him into switching from biting his fist to biting down on a pillow and he had latched onto her left hand and clung to it like it was a lifeline as he cried into the pillow on her lap and she carded her fingers through his hair.
Sometime in the early early morning Derek finally sat back up but didn't let go of her hand. "Promise me you will be careful." He pleaded his voice cracking slightly. "Promise me you will be so careful people think you are paranoid." He begged tightening his hold on her hand and starting to tremble slightly again. "I can't loose another sister. Not so soon after burying Laura. I couldn't bare it. Please..."
Turning slightly Jess reached up with her right hand and wrapping it around the back of his neck she pulled him into a tight hug. Feeling him burying his face tightly against the side of her neck and sniffing deeply she cuddle him close rocking his gently. "I will baby. I will be so careful people ridicule me about it. Don't worry. I'm OK and I know that the danger is out there now so I will be careful all the time." Looking out the window and seeing that the sky was beginning to lighten ever so slightly Jess reluctantly loosened her grip on the man.
Pulling away Derek wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt and glanced out the window. "I need to be going. I know Mama McCall said I could visit anytime. But I don't want to test just how serious she was about that until she gets to know and trust us a little more." Leaning forwards Derek pressed a lingering kiss to the top of Jess's head. "Thank you. Thank you for letting me get that out of my system. If I hadn't I think I would have snapped and taken Scott's head of the next time the punk mouths off to me." Grabbing his jacket from where it hung on the footboard of Jess's bed Derek pulled it on. Grabbing the discarded sling from the ground he gently helped Jess to put it back on before dropping one more quick kiss to the top of her head before whispering. "Lock the window after I leave. When I come back later today I will use the front door." Turning Derek climbed silently out the window and disappeared into the early morning darkness.
Remembering her promise to be careful, Jess closed and locked the window and walking over checked that the second window was also locked. Opening her bedside table she pulled out a can of pepper spray and returned to bed. Jess fell asleep with Lancelot in her arms and a can of pepper spray concealed in her sling. Returning to Foster Care had not been what Jess wanted but this place seemed like a decent sort of placement. Maybe not a forever home and family like she had dreamed of when she first entered Foster Care but at least a home for now and a relationship with someone who really seemed to be serious about the pair becoming family.