Stiles is still bedridden in the hospital. Derek is there, but Stiles is not alert enough to appreciate it. Melissa McCall, in her capacity as a nurse, discover the truth and her reaction surprises Derek.
This is a very confusing chapter, sorry. No progress, but essential to the rest of the story. Fluff and...smut will follow. Hang in there.
Stiles felt like he was flying, or rather, floating. He had a constant but dull pain in his shoulder, and every time he drew his breath, it felt a little restricted. It was like his mind didn't want him to take in all the air that he craved. It still felt comfortable. It was like he was sailing away on silver-lined clouds.
He could see his dad in the distance, smiling and waving. Scott was standing next to him with a concerned expression on his face. When Allison came into view, Stiles got startled. She was holding her bow, and her face was scarred and dirty.
Stiles wanted to wake up, but something held him back in this twilight zone. "He's in pain. Check the morphine drip." An unfamiliar voice entered his ear and suddenly he managed to draw his breath properly.
A faint throbbing was all that was left of the pain in his shoulder, but his arm was still immobilized somehow. He wanted to lift his other hand because there was an itch on his neck. He managed to move it slightly, but then someone grabbed it. "Stiles? I'm here. Are you okay?" It was Derek's voice. Stiles got surprised by that fact and tried to answer, but when he opened his mouth to confirm, nothing came out.
"I love you." The whisper reached his ear and it pleased him. Stiles didn't understand why he could not see Derek. He didn't understand how he could hear the words and feel the touch from up there in the skies if Derek wasn't there with him.
He remembered that after the surgery, he'd been sure that he was dying. Stiles wondered if it was just slightly postponed. This was probably it. He'd made it through the fight, he'd made it through surgery, but now he was slipping away. Derek telling him he loved him was just a figment of his own imagination. It was just wishful thinking in his moment of passing.
When he felt a set of lips on his cheek and actually smelled that it was Derek, Stiles felt tears well up in his eyes. 'There is a God. There has to be a God,' he thought as he smiled to himself. There was a God, and this God wanted him to have this moment of joy before death took him. He didn't want to die, but if he had to go now, it would be sort of okay.
There were just a few things that disturbed this picture. One thing was that he could still not manage to scratch that annoying itch. Another important issue was that Derek's stubble seemed to be tickling his skin. It was as if the guy was rubbing his cheek against his. 'How vivid could a last dream be?'
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Derek was tired. He knew he could stay awake for hours on end, but the quietness in the room was slowly getting the better of him. It wasn't completely silent. The air-conditioning gave out a soft hum. Noises, like footsteps in the hall and an occasional message over the intercom trickled through the closed door. A car was idling on the outside and Derek could hear a faint buzz from the traffic on the highway.
When a couple of nurses came to check on Stiles a while ago, they'd had not been satisfied with the strained expression on his face. "He's in pain, check the drip." One of them gestured for Derek to get out of the way as she looked at the venous catheter on Stiles' hand. She nodded and then they both looked at Stiles. It didn't take long before his facial expression had softened and he looked at peace.
After that, Derek and Stiles were again left alone. Derek worried a little about the morphine. He wondered how bad shape Stiles was in. Morphine was heavy-duty and often used to sedate cancer victims in their last hours.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Derek stretched his body and tried to get comfortable in the chair next to the bed. He'd had a little nap, but it was hardly enough for comfort. Nobody had even blinked when they walked in on them, but then again, there wasn't really nothing to see but a guy caring for his friend.
The few hours that had passed since the nurses where there had mostly gone by in silence. Stiles had been sleeping most of the time, and Derek had made time pass by flipping through an old magazine. The quietness was broken during the visit from the doctors. Stiles was woken up, and they asked him all sorts of unnecessary questions.
They didn't even look at Derek, just asked him to stay out of their way while they tortured his mate. After they were done checking him – poking and prodding, making the boy moan in pain – Stiles fell back to sleep almost instantly.
Seconds later, a nurse's assistant came in with a bedpan, Derek practically pushed her out. "He's sleeping, I'll call if he needs anything." He slumped back down on the chair by the bed and looked at Stiles. He seemed to be at peace, but ever so often his brows twitched.
Derek didn't even know for how long they'd been alone when the door again opened slowly, he was ready to give whoever it was a piece of his mind. He almost choked on his tongue when he recognized Scott's mom. "How is he?" She whispered as she tiptoed over to the bed and looked at the clipboard hanging by the foot of it.
"Where's Mr Stilinski?" Mrs McCall was still whispering. "And what the hell are you doing here?" Derek felt slightly uncomfortable under her stare and he shrugged a little. "I, Stiles wanted... I mean Stiles' dad didn't want him to be alone. He, uh, went home to... uh, sleep and... I don't know, he asked me to come."
It felt weird that he was unable to speak without stuttering. "I think, I think he's doing good, under the circumstances, but I don't... I don't even know what kind of injuries he sustained." Scott had told him, but thinking back Derek didn't remember much of it. A peek over at the bed told him that Stiles was still sleeping peacefully. "Can you, will you tell me?"
Mrs McCall looked at him curiously. "It's not that you are anywhere near being next of kin, but I guess... if Mr Stilinski felt it was appropriate to invite you to sit with Stiles, I could give you the gist of it." Melissa skimmed through the paper in front of her before she cleared her throat.
She explained the injuries and after looking at Derek curiously, she left them alone again.
After all the visits, Derek was utterly fed up. He just wanted to be there for Stiles, and not have to deal with anybody else. He was extemely tired, but didn't want to go to sleep. Resting his head on Stiles' good shoulder for a moment wouldn't be too bad. He just needed a little bit of peace and quiet.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Stiles didn't know how much time had passed, but suddenly he wasn't in the clouds anymore. He knew for sure that he was still alive because the pain was back. It wasn't excruciating, but it was definitely annoying. One of his shoulders was bothering him somewhat, and the other was weighed down by something.
He turned his head a little. The pain in his chest as he drew his breath was soon forgotten when he got Derek's head of hair into view. He didn't even have time to ponder over it before the door to the room open a crack. Embarrassed and confused, he pretended to be asleep.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Melissa opened the door quietly and peeked into Stiles' room. She knew Derek was still in there, but she was not prepared for the image that caught her eyes. Stiles seemed to be at ease. On the far side of the bed, Derek was sitting in a little awkward position with his head on Stiles' shoulder. His face was buried into the boy's neck and his lips were touching skin.
Derek's hands were clenched around Stiles', and the intimacy of the situation made Melissa feel slightly uncomfortable. Remembering what she'd learned about werewolves – that they could heal themselves – she worried for a second that Derek was about to bite Stiles. If he tried to save him by turning him, she would have to stop him. That thought went away as soon as it had entered her mind.
The scene in front of her was not that of a werewolf and his prey. It was an image of a boy trying to comfort a loved one – a lover.
Suddenly, Derek lifted his head and looked straight at her. Then he practically jumped back and let go of Stiles' hand. "I, it's not what it... eh, looks like. I fell asleep, I didn't..." He blushed and was clearly uncomfortable under her stare.
Melissa lifted her index finger to her mouth. "Shh. It's okay." She wasn't sure if it was okay, but Derek's expression almost made her chuckle. "I don't know what I saw, but you clearly care about him." Derek nodded a little tentatively. "I do, but I... Yeah, I do." His customary broody look was back, but softened slightly as he turned his gaze to the bed. "I really do."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
The embarrassment was almost overwhelming. Personally, Derek didn't feel that he'd done anything wrong, but he wasn't sure what it had looked like for Mrs McCall. First of all, it was essential to his own freedom to keep the relationship a secret, but it could of course look like he was about to bite.
"I'm pretty sure Mr Stilinski doesn't know about... your kind, and he's not your biggest fan." Mrs McCall sighed. "He is on his way, be happy it was me coming through the door." She was now at the bed checking the drip and the bandages. "If there's something going on between you and Stiles..." She shook her head but didn't finish the sentence.
Derek got up from the chair and rounded the bed. "No, it's, it's nothing. I fell asleep, I just fell asleep." He picked up his jacket hanging over the foot-board. "I should probably leave. If the sheriff is coming, Stiles will be in good hands."
Mrs McCall tilted her head. "Do you think I'm stupid?" She shook her head and as Derek was about to ease himself out of there, she stepped in front of him. "Why are you here really? I know that Stiles asked for you specifically. Tell me why!" She lowered her gaze to the floor, but she didn't move out of the way.
Derek looked at her and realized that he couldn't get away. Melissa McCall was not a hunter; she was worthless in a fight, but the look he got from her made him crumble. She was a mom; she was acting as if she was Stiles' mom. "If you play with him I'm gonna... There's not much I can do, I realize that, but...I love this kid as if he were my own."
Derek stepped back and watched as Melissa did her best to compose herself. When he was sure that she'd managed, he threw a peek at Stiles before he turned to her. "Believe me or not, but I love this guy. It's not... for me it's forever. For him it is for now, or maybe I'm lucky."
Derek squeezed his eyes shut. This was the first time he'd admitted it to anyone. It was the first time he'd even admitted it to himself. The three words whispered in despair didn't count. They didn't count because nobody heard them. It wasn't done on purpose, but Derek knew that Stiles had passed out before the words were uttered.
Mrs McCall cocked her head and stared at him. "You love him? Just like that? Do you really know love?"
It took a while before Derek was able to respond. The way Scott's mom reacted to this was surprising. She looked totally calm and collected and there were no resentment in her eyes, just curiosity. "I do love him, Mrs McCall. I believe it's mutual, but I can't speak for Stiles."
Derek waited as Melissa seemed to measure him. He wondered what she was thinking, and tried to be ready for anything. He was still not prepared for what came. "Maybe you shouldn't tell his dad right now. I'm not sure he's ready to hear it." She smiled and threw a peek at Stiles. "I believe you, and I'll do my best to wrap my mind around it, but if you hurt him, I'll make sure you never set foot in this town again." The sincerity in her voice could not be misconstrued and Derek knew she would do her best to make it happen if he screwed up.
With a sigh Derek followed her line of view. They were quietly watching Stiles for a few moments. "I won't hurt him." Derek shook his head. "I could never..." He felt a tear in the corner of his eye, and turned away a little embarrassed when he realized that his voice was breaking. Melissa reached her hand out and touched his sleeve. "It's okay. It's okay to be emotional right now." She smiled. "He'll make it. He'll be fine."
After a few minutes – the two of them just standing there – Mrs McCall shrugged a little and walked towards the door. "As I said, his dad is on his way. You can stay, of course..." She looked at him as she cocked her brow. "They have to change his bandages. Maybe he needs to... you know... have a bathroom break. I would think he wants a little privacy for that."
Derek nodded, but didn't turn to her. He approached the bed and gave Stiles' hand a quick stroke. "I'll be leaving now, but I..." He knew that Stiles was still sleeping and couldn't possibly hear him, but he had to tell him. A quick peek at Melissa made her understand, and she opened the door and left before he continued. "I love you, I'll be back."
-o-o-o-o-o-
Later in the afternoon, Stiles was awake and alert. He was slightly disappointed that Derek had left without waking him up. He remembered that Scott's mom came in, but after that, it was all a blur. He was probably still affected by the drugs they'd given him, and the few seconds of alertness was soon drowned in oblivion.
Melissa had explained that Derek decided to leave before Mr Stilinski came and that he didn't want to disturb his peaceful sleep.
She'd behaved somewhat odd and all through her short visit, she'd seemed to be sending him curious looks. Stiles suspected it had something to do with Derek, but he didn't dare to ask.
He'd finally got something to eat and even though the pain bothered his somewhat, it was bearable. They'd asked him if he needed something to ease the discomfort, but he'd declined. He wanted to be awake now.
The sheriff had been there for a few hours, but eventually he had to go to work. He'd provided Stiles with some reading material, but urged him to rest as much as possible. Stiles knew that Scott was on his way, and he looked forward to that visit. His friend could probably tell him what really happened yesterday.
Everybody told him he was a hero, but he didn't understand why. He remembered very little from the events, but had decided not to share the few memories with anyone until he had the whole story. That had actually not been much of a problem. He'd been sleeping most of the time and when he got a question, he pretended to be less alert than he really was.
During Derek's visit – which had lasted for more than seven hours – he'd been sleeping for the most part. Stiles could vaguely remember the vivid dreams he had during that time, and he wondered if some of it was real.
He knew he'd told Derek that he loved him, but he wasn't completely sure if the words were said out loud. Derek's reply was even more blurry and could of course just be pure fantasy. Stiles tried to remember, but gave up when the headache threatened to come back.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Eventually Scott came and he finally got the whole story. "So I am a hero, sort of?" He chuckled a little and stared into the ceiling. "I did save him." Scott huffed and looked at him with a frown. "Yeah, sort of. Okay, partially you did." Scott didn't seem too comfortable with Stiles' focus on Derek. "The little things you did helped save everybody. Although it wasn't much, without you we could have all died."
Stiles learned that Allison and Chris had been the real heroes, but the scene would have been quite different if Stiles hadn't been there at all. "Chris was the one who chased them away, but I'm pretty sure Isaac and Derek would have died without you there." Scott sighed and tried on a smile. "It was just scary how you almost sacrificed yourself for... for him."
As soon as Scott had told him the official version of what went down – the story they've made up to avoid mentioning werewolves – Stiles gave Scott a bright smile. "So, I'm even more of a hero now?" He lifted his head from the pillow and stared straight at Scott. "They think I saved Allison all by myself? That's so cool."
In the back of his head, he still had the knowledge that he'd help save Derek's life.