Finding a shivering, wet boy on her doorstep had been a bit of a surprise. Not the highest on her list of surprises in recent history, but still enough to get a few questions whirring in her brain. He'd asked in a very quiet voice if Scott was home and she'd pointed him toward the stairs, her voice not having caught up with her brain in time to do more. The boy had painstakingly wiped the bottom of his shoes on the outside mat before stepping into the house, another move that had surprised her. It was oddly considerate for someone his age, especially while so out of sorts.
Scott crept down the stairs a few minutes after Isaac went up, asking if his friend could spend the night. Melissa had agreed, of course, because what mother could turn away a child who was obviously in need? She told Scott to send Isaac down to her while he got the guest room set up. It was more like a storage room with an old pull out couch, but it would do for a night. If that was all this ended up being.
A very timid looking Isaac reappeared in front of her a few moments later, and she beckoned him to follow her into the kitchen. Melissa needed to know what was going on if she had hope of getting any rest that night. And she had to make sure the boy was okay. Melissa put some water on in her kettle, figuring a hot drink would be a good idea.
"Ms. McCall, thank you for letting me stay the night," Isaac said softly, staring at the floor in front of his feet. She hadn't had many interactions with him, but he seemed like a nice enough kid. His name didn't come up much in her conversations with Scott, but her son tended to be distracted by all things Allison and Stiles, so that wasn't too surprising.
"Of course. Scott's friends are always welcome," Melissa assured him, frowning when she saw him trying to hide his chattering teeth. "You need to get out of those wet clothes. We don't want you catching a cold."
"I'm not sure I can even get sick anymore," Isaac mumbled, plucking at the shirt that was plastered to his skin. Had he walked here in this mess? It was a nightmare out there. "And isn't that a myth?"
"Maybe, but it's an excuse moms use to try to keep their kids dry," she chuckled, grabbing a towel from the basket of laundry she'd been folding earlier.
"Oh," Isaac said, staring down at the towel she was holding out for him as if he didn't know what it was for. Melissa patted it against the exposed skin of his arms, soaking up the water there. She kept at it for a few seconds until she heard a quiet sniffle and lifted her eyes, seeing a single tear rolling down Isaac's cheek.
"Oh honey," Melissa soothed, wanting to do nothing more than pull him into a hug.
"I'm sorry, it's just been a really long day," Isaac whispered, swiping at his face.
"A bit longer than a day though, right?" Melissa pointed out. "You were just in the hospital not too long ago."
"That's all healed up now. Not an issue," Isaac insisted.
"Maybe the wound is, but that's not the only way you can hurt. Scott told me a bit about what's been going on. You've all been having a rough time," Melissa said knowingly. Isaac was shifting uncomfortably in front of her, obviously not used to people who were concerned with his well being. She remembered how he had no one else to call while in the hospital besides Derek and Scott. A young man needed more support than that in life. And where was Derek now? He didn't seem to be the most dependable person these days.
"I'm okay," Isaac said weakly. Melissa hummed in response, resuming her work drying him off. She moved the towel up his shoulders, reaching up to run it across his curls. He stood patiently through her ministrations, but then she noticed a slight wince that he couldn't quite hide.
"Are you hurt?" Melissa asked in alarm. She pulled the towel back and noticed a tiny spot of blood on the previously white material. All of her instincts kicked in at once and she gently guided Isaac into a kitchen chair so she could get a better view of the tall boy's scalp. She didn't have to search long before something shiny caught her eye. "Is this glass?"
"Um-"
"What happened?"
"It was an accident," Isaac said quickly, roughly dragging his hands through his hair. She could see the superficial cuts he was making in his skin and she grabbed his wrists to try to make him stop. There was no way she could stand here and watch him hurt himself.
"Isaac, stop!" Melissa exclaimed, feeling him tremble with restraint instead of wrenching away from her like she knew he could.
"It'll heal. It did before," Isaac murmured, pressing his lips together and looking away once he realized he'd said more than he planned.
"This isn't the first time this has happened, is it?" Melissa asked carefully. She could see his lower lip trembling and she knew he was close to breaking. When was the last time someone comforted this boy and just let him cry? Melissa let go of his wrists to gently cup his face. "You didn't deserve this."
"I don't know what I did wrong," Isaac whimpered, and the sound cut her like a knife. He tipped forward suddenly and Melissa caught him against her chest, cradling him as his body was wracked with sobs. "He didn't even give me a chance to fix it."
"Oh honey, there is nothing you could've done to justify someone hurting you," Melissa insisted, rubbing soothing circles into Isaac's back.
"If that's true, then why does it keep happening?" Isaac sniffled. Melissa had seen more than her fair share of abusive parents and she had to admit that she hated them all. There was no excuse to hurt a child and she saw too many cases where the kids had to go back into unhealthy homes and continue in a vicious cycle of abuse. It wasn't right and it was the part of her job she hated the most. People would assume that the hardest part was when her patients didn't make it, but it was really when the ones who did had to go back to where they'd been hurt in the first place.
"You listen to me," Melissa said, kneeling down so she could be level with Isaac who was slumped in his chair. His eyes were red and he looked like he was teetering on the verge of exhaustion. "No one has the right to hurt you, no matter the circumstances. If they do, that's because something is wrong with them, not you."
"But- but I-"
"Putting your hands on a child in anger is never appropriate, no matter what. Even in a world of werewolves and kanimas and other things I'm sure I haven't heard of yet."
"I'm not a child," Isaac mumbled, although his whole appearance could've fooled her. All she could see right now was a little boy who needed to be taken care of.
"Agree to disagree, but my argument still stands. And since you came here, I'm making it my job to take care of you."
"You don't- I just came here for the night, to get out of the rain. I'll be gone in the morning," Isaac insisted weakly.
"And where will you go?"
"I'll figure it out."
"I think you already did," Melissa said knowingly. "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say it probably isn't easy for you to ask people for help. Am I right?"
"Yes," Isaac admitted softly.
"Well, since you already did the hard part, I'll make the next bit easier and just offer. How about you stay here, for longer than just the night? We have the room and I know Scott and I would love to have you."
"I couldn't."
"Why not?"
"I don't want to be a burden."
"Oh honey, you've never been a burden in your entire life," Melissa soothed, reaching out and cupping one of his hands in hers. She could feel the little tremors he couldn't quite suppress. "I'm offering because I want you here, not because I have to."
"But you don't even know me. And the people who do usually realize soon enough that they don't want me around. And they show me, violently," Isaac muttered, reaching up with his free hand to pluck another shard of glass from his hair.
"I know a promise from me right now will sound empty, but I'll give you one all the same. I will never lay a hand on you, no matter what. I never have with Scott and I don't plan on starting now," Melissa stated firmly. "How about we give this a chance? And I'll show you every day that I keep my word." Melissa could tell that he wanted to argue further, but the exhaustion seemed to be winning out. And there was a tiny spark of hope in his eyes that this could be a good thing. Melissa knew it would be.
"Okay," Isaac whispered, biting his lip. "I'll try."
"Great!" Melissa said brightly, letting a mischievous glint flash across her eyes. "Although, I may have to amend my promise."
"How?" Isaac asked, looking a bit worried.
"I said I would never lay a hand on you, but I should've said in anger. I'd really like to be able to hug you. With your consent, of course," Melissa replied with a soft smile. Isaac let out a sad laugh, nodding his head. Melissa carefully wrapped him up, ignoring the new, warm wetness that was pressed against her neck. She would hold him as long as he let her, then stay ready for the next time.
Scott tiptoed into the room, setting a change of clothes on the counter before leaving just as quickly as he came. He probably heard everything they said and knew that Isaac needed a bit more time. She knew that he would do everything he could to make Isaac feel welcome in their home. In his new home.
Melissa waited until Isaac pulled away before directing him toward the stack of clothes. She told him to change while she went upstairs to grab a couple things she needed from her bathroom. She made sure to give him enough time to change, because walking in on him half naked wouldn't be the best way to make him feel comfortable.
"Is everything okay?" Scott whispered, peeking his head into the bathroom as she looked over her supplies.
"Everything is fine. There's just something I need to help Isaac with before he can go to sleep. Is his bed ready?" Melissa asked, ignoring Scott's request for more information. She didn't want Isaac to hear them talking about him and get upset. Privacy was already hard enough to come by in this house.
"Yeah, it's ready. But what do you have to help him with?"
"Goodnight Scott. I'll send Isaac up to you when we're done and you can show him where everything is," Melissa replied, shooing him out of her way as she walked out of the bathroom. She made enough noise going down the stairs so Isaac would know she was coming, then stepped back into the kitchen.
Isaac had finished changing into Scott's spare clothes, but they didn't fit very well. The shorts were fine, but the shirt was riding up in the back a little bit. But that could've also been due to the position he was in. Isaac was sitting at the table, slumped over with his cheek resting on his arm, fast asleep.
Melissa crept over to the counter to set down her stuff, not wanting to startle the boy awake. She had to wake him up because sleeping like this would wreak havoc on the body, werewolf or not, but it needed to be a gentle awakening.
She took a moment to really get a look at him, now that she had a chance. Every other time she'd been around him, a lot of other stuff had been going on. From the insane lacrosse game and aftermath, to when he'd been wheeled into the hospital covered in blood. Did he ever get moments of quiet where he was able to be a normal kid? Melissa knew he wasn't exactly normal anymore, but he still deserved some sort of peace. And from his reactions to certain things earlier, it didn't seem like he was used to getting them. But now that he was here, she was going to see to it that he got everything he deserved.
"Isaac, want to wake up, sweetie?" Melissa said softly, kneeling down to cup his face and run her thumb back and forth across his cheek. Isaac took a deep breath before slowly blinking open his eyes, locking onto hers immediately. "Hey."
"I thought I was dreaming," Isaac murmured, tipping his face ever so slightly into her hand even further. "Glad I wasn't."
"I'm glad it wasn't either. At least when it comes to you being here," Melissa agreed. "And while I'd love to let you get some rest, there is still work to be done. But don't worry, all you have to do is lie down." Isaac looked at her in confusion as she coaxed him up from his chair. She led him over to the kitchen sink, where she had a towel resting along one side.
"What?"
"Up you go."
"What?"
"I have experience helping patients who have gotten glass in their hair after car accidents. It should only take a couple minutes," Melissa explained, patting the counter. Isaac was still too groggy to understand. "I need you to lay on the counter."
"What?" Melissa chuckled at Isaac's befuddled look. It was easy for her to forget this wasn't a very common thing to do. Her mom had washed her hair like this as a girl, after she was too big for baths but not quite big enough to take care of her own wild mane in the shower.
"Trust me?" Melissa knew it was a lot to ask, especially since she'd already asked Isaac to trust her enough to believe that her home would be a safe place for him. Now she was asking him to get into a bit of a vulnerable position in front of her. He bit his lip, raising his hand to run through his hair before stopping himself at the last second. That seemed to remind him of the issue at hand.
"Okay," Isaac murmured, hesitantly sliding his tall body onto the narrow countertop. Melissa helped guide him into as comfortable of a position as she could, adjusting the towel under his neck. He blinked owlishly up at her, succumbing to her ministrations.
"I'm going to put some shampoo in your hair to help make things slippery, then when I rinse it, the little pieces of glass should just slide out," Melissa explained, squirting a healthy dollop along Isaac's hairline. "Most of my stuff has a floral scent, but I found this one on the very back of my shelf. It's strawberry."
"It's nice," Isaac mumbled, closing his eyes as Melissa carefully worked the liquid into a lather. His hair was thick, but she was a pro by now when it came to dealing with curls. She grabbed the extendable faucet and ran the warm water along his scalp. It was hard to see, but there were tiny shards of glass slowly being worked out. Each one she saw made a flash of anger erupt in her stomach at Derek Hale. She was going to have a long overdue talk with that boy.
"I think I got it all," Melissa declared, parting Isaac's hair at different points to get the clearest look she could. Isaac hummed in response, but didn't make any moves to get up. She decided to take a chance, squirting some conditioner onto her fingers and massaging them into his scalp.
"Oh," Isaac moaned, melting further onto the counter. His body was turning into a puddle of relaxation.
"The best part of a trip to the salon," Melissa agreed, leaving no spot untouched. Isaac reacted the most when she got behind his ears, but she was sure to not make any puppy jokes. Those could come when Isaac was more comfortable with his place in the house.
After a few more minutes, Melissa finally started giving Isaac his last rinse. She would've gone longer, but he was falling asleep and she was nervous he would roll off the counter. She gave his hair a couple of squeezes with a dry towel, getting rid of the excess water.
"Up we go," Melissa coaxed, helping Isaac back into a seated position, then onto his feet. She kept rubbing his hair with the towel, watching closely for any signs of discomfort. If there was even the idea of glass in his hair still, she wanted to know about it. But as far as she could tell, it was all gone. She was about to ask Isaac if he was ready to head upstairs to his room when he suddenly surged forward, wrapping her up in a hug.
"Thank you," Isaac said sincerely, sniffling as his emotions got the best of him. "Even if this doesn't work out, you've given me the best night I've had for a long time." Melissa nodded against his shoulder, not able to find her voice. It would probably come out all blubbery if she had. Isaac pulled away, giving her one last appreciative look before turning and disappearing up the stairs. She heard Scott loudly pretending to casually bump into Isaac in the hallway and she shook her head in amusement.
The night had started off like any other, but now she'd gained a new teenager. And she had to say, she wasn't at all upset about it. This was already practically Stiles' second home, what was one more? And the fact that the boy so obviously needed someone to care for him made the decision that much easier. There were no limits on love and Melissa was going to show Isaac just that.