Hey everyone! There have been some issues with fan sending out alert emails about new chapters, so if you are reading this chapter and feel like you might have missed something, check to see if you read chapter 11!
"So what's the plan? Why isn't he waking up?" The Sheriff asked Melissa, who had just come in to check Stiles's vitals. It had been a month since Stiles was shot and he still hadn't shown any signs of waking up, except that he had been taken off of the ventilator a week earlier.
"We're still monitoring him. The good news is that his condition has not deteriorated, but the bad news is that his condition hasn't necessarily improved either. We are remaining hopeful that he will wake soon, but even when he does, the doctors say that he will have some form of brain damage."
His mother's words made Scott's ears prick up from his seat in the corner of the room. He hadn't even considered that before. "What kind of brain damage?" He asked.
"It's called an anoxic brain injury. It occurs in patients who have suffered from prolonged oxygen deprivation." Melissa was using her nurse voice to talk to Scott and Stilinski because she didn't think she would be able to have this conversation if she let her emotions get in the way. "There are a wide variety of symptoms from this type of injury ranging from memory loss to a loss of motor function or problems processing words or visuals. He could also suffer from a loss of coordination or an inability to concentrate."
"Loss of coordination and an inability to concentrate? That doesn't sound much different than normal, right Sheriff?" Scott interjected, attempting to lighten the mood a bit. Stilinski tried to smile at Scott to show that he appreciated his attempt at finding humor in the situation, but he was too exhausted to manage even that.
Melissa squeezed Scott's shoulder. "We won't know the extent of his injuries until he wakes up, but I just want you guys to be prepared for the reality that there is practically no chance that he came out of this ordeal unharmed."
"As long as he's alive, we can work around a disability." Stilinski said confidently. Scott nodded vigorously in agreement just as Derek walked in with sandwiches for everyone.
Stiles didn't wake up for another month. By that point, all of the kids had been sent back to school. Scott fought it for as long as he could, but when the principal threatened to make him repeat the grade, Melissa put her foot down. Scott tried to reason with her by saying that Stiles was probably going to have to repeat the grade too and that he wanted to graduate with his best friend, but she would have none of that. So, Scott went to school. He paid attention as best as he could in class, even though his mind was far away from what they were currently learning about. After school he would run home to quickly change clothes and organize himself before heading to the hospital to spend the rest of the night there until he had to go back to school in the morning. It didn't allow for the best nights sleeps of his life, but he wouldn't have it any other way.
The Sheriff, too, had to go back to work eventually. The hospital bills were beginning to pile up, and he needed to continue making money if he had any hope of paying them off. It pained him not to be around Stiles 24/7, but he knew that if his son was awake this is what he would want him to do.
Lydia was more conscientious about her grades than Scott and was determined to maintain her straight A average, so she started spending more and more time away from the hospital. She could never focus in that place, and she felt confident that if Stiles was going to wake up, her banshee powers would pick up on it.
Derek checked in every once in a while, too, but even he had given up after a while, so when Stiles finally did wake up, Scott was the only person in the room.
He was busy reading for history when his ears picked up a sudden change in Stiles's heartbeat. He was out of his chair and by Stiles's bed so fast that his textbook went sprawling across the floor.
"Stiles?" Scott gently shook his brother's shoulders. "Can you hear me?"
After a few minutes Scott still didn't see a change. He was about to give up and retrieve the book he had thrown across the room when Stiles's hand twitched slightly.
"Oh my god!" Scott screamed. "Stiles?"
"Mmurfrehg" Stiles whispered, his head moving slightly to the side. He opened his eyes very slowly and blinked against the bright lights. "S-Scotty?" He finally said, struggling against the heavy medication coursing through his body.
"Yeah, buddy, it's me. I'm here." Tears sprang up in Scott's eyes and he couldn't help but hug his best friend.
"Ugh, Scotty careful." Stiles's words were very slow, but Scott couldn't care less. He was awake! Scott could cry with joy.
Scott tried yelling for his mother, but after he realized that she couldn't hear him, he resorted to pressing the call button over and over again instead.
A small group of nurses came storming in, Melissa at the front, looking around for the emergency.
"What is it Scott? What's wrong?" She asked frantically searching her son's tear-soaked face for answers.
Scott just smiled at his mother and moved to the side so that she could see the bed. When Melissa saw the chocolate brown eyes of her second son looking up at her she couldn't keep her tears in either.
The nurses were shocked as they checked all of his stats. The room was buzzing with excitement. Melissa wiped her tears and noticed the weary look in Stiles's eyes. She herded the other nurses out of the room with the task of getting a doctor to check his functioning.
Melissa smiled and gave both of her boys a kiss on the forehead. "As you can see, this is a very exciting moment for all of us, Stiles, but I can't imagine how exhausted you are. I'll leave you two alone now and go call your dad and the rest of the pack." She started to leave and then turned around once more. "I'm just so happy that you're awake baby."
Even after his mother left, Scott could not stop staring at the miracle that was Stiles.
"Dude, stop staring at me like that." Stiles laughed slightly. "Speaking of which, what is up with everyone? Why are they so emotional? How long was I out? What even happened?"
Scott frowned. "You don't remember?"
"I remember that we got in a fight at Derek's apartment. I went home and felt bad about it so I was going to try and call you but I don't remember anything after that." Stiles's face was scrunched up in concentration when his heart monitor suddenly began speeding up and his breathing quickened.
"Stiles? Are you okay? What's happening?"
"Scott," Stiles turned to his best friend with fear plastered across his face. "I wasn't possessed again, was I? Did I hurt anyone? Oh god what did I do?"
Scott's heart broke at those words. He had no idea just how much the nogitsune was still affecting him. "Hey, stop that. You did not get possessed again. You are safe from the nogitsune. It can never hurt you again. You have to believe me."
The heart monitor began slowing back to a normal pace and Stiles swallowed loudly. "Okay, so what happened to me?"
Scott took a deep breath, not sure exactly how much to tell him. In the end, he decided the truth was probably the best. It fit with his new resolution to be a better friend. "You were kidnapped by an alpha named Adorjan. He wanted to use you to get me to join his pack so he trapped me and you in a ring of mountain ash and-" He didn't want to say the rest. He didn't think he could relive those memories without going crazy.
But Stiles was vaguely beginning to remember. "He shot me, didn't he?" he whispered.
"Yeah buddy, he did." Scott tried to focus on the very much alive boy in front of him instead of the dead one that was plaguing his mind. "You died in my arms, Stiles. You were dead for over 10 minutes."
Stiles's eyes widened and he broke out into a huge goofy grin. "Woah, was it cool? Like in the movies? All dramatic and stuff? Did you cry? Oh my god I bet you cried!"
"It was not cool and it was not funny Stiles!" Scott snapped. He could not believe Stiles was trying to turn this into a joke. "You were in a coma for 2 months. We thought you were brain dead!"
Stiles's smile was quickly replaced by a look of horror. "2 months? I missed so much! How am I going to get caught up in school? What about my dad? How is he paying for these hospital bills? I have to get out of here!"
"You're not going anywhere." Stilinski walked in the room with the pack in tow and hugged his son. "You scared the hell out of me, Stiles."
Each member of the pack took their turn welcoming Stiles back and Lydia even kissed him on the cheek, making him blush madly.
Soon after, the doctors came in to check Stiles's brain function and decide what rehabilitation therapies he would need. Scott took that time to look around at his pack that was once again complete, and in that moment he knew that no matter what mental deficiencies they found, they would find a way to work through them. Everyone was going to help Stiles get better. He also decided then and there that he was never going to leave any member of his pack that vulnerable again. He was determined to be the friend and alpha that they all deserve.
So there you go, that is the end of the story! I loved writing this so much that I am thinking about writing a sequel to it. If that's something you would like, then either follow me or follow this story and I will update it if I write a sequel. And if you think that a sequel is a horrible idea, feel free to tell me that too! Again, thank you so much for reading, favoriting, reviewing, all that jazz. It means a lot to me.