Chapter 4

Liam:

I looked back for the umpteenth time and still no Theo. He had gone to guard Stiles while he dressed out for the game. Stiles had an appointment earlier and was just getting here. I had been keeping a comfortable distance from Theo while still being close enough to talk to him since yesterday.

I was so close to just kissing him. If Hayden hadn't shown up when she did I might have followed through. Not a good idea in school where anyone could have walked in on us. I should have been grateful for the interruption but really I was annoyed that she had come in at all. There was no way she could have heard me from the hall unless she was listening at the door. We weren't talking that loudly.

Today, I had been extra vigilant with him. Hearing that his dad and possibly Kate were after him and seeing him caught up in a memory, a horrible one, just made me want to be near him, touching him in some way. Just to make sure he was okay. maybe it's a wolf thing. Maybe I should ask Scott about it.

Right now, I am worried. He left 10 minutes ago, it shouldn't have taken more than 5 minutes to change, especially since Stiles was already here. So where are they? Malia shook her head and then started down the bleachers. I jumped up and went to her.

"Anything?" I asked feeling anxious for some reason.

"No. this feels wrong, right?" Malia said looking back towards the locker rooms.

"It does. I feel like I need to lay eyes on Theo, but I don't know why. Instinct maybe?"

"I texted them both and I got nothing. I'm worried something happened." She said, gnawing at her bottom lip. I was feeling the same way.

"Me too. Let's go check it out. Maybe we are just being jumpy."

Isaac caught us as we started for the building.

"Liam, Malia, what's going on?"

"We don't know. just a feeling that something is wrong." I said. He nodded and followed us.

I was the first to smell blood and burst into the locker room scared of what I would find. I didn't have to look far to see Theo on the ground, bleeding.

JACJACJAC

I entered the hospital right on the tail of the gurney. My mind is taking me to so many places, Stiles, Malia, Corrine, and Kate. But mostly I have an overwhelming, panic induced fear for Theo. He had coded in the ambulance and the paramedic's couldn't figure out why. They could only keep him breathing until we got here.

My instincts were telling me two different things. The first was that I needed to be here to make sure he was okay. The other side was telling me that I needed to hunt down whoever did this to him. But I couldn't leave. Not until I knew if he was okay. It was starting to affect my control.

My skin was crawling but not in the full moon approaching way and I don't understand what that means or why? I tried to push back the feeling of anger at what happened. I felt like I was barely hanging on by a thread and that scared me.

"Liam?"

I snapped out of my spiraling thoughts when I heard my dad call me. I almost felt relief at seeing him.

"Dad, you have to help him." I said rushing to him. if anyone could it was my dad. he helped Lydia and Scott. He could help Theo too.

"Who? What's going on? Why are you covered in blood?"

"Theo. I'll explain later, but please dad. You have to help him." I pleaded.

He nodded and followed the paramedics to a room, getting the details of what was going on. I could only watch them go, running a hand through my hair before remembering why that's a bad idea. I was still in my gear and I'm sure I looked like a murder victim or a serial killer with blood streaked over my hands, pants, and jersey. And probably now in my hair.

"Liam, honey. What's going on?" Ms. M. asked when she spotted me. Her brow crinkled in worry as she looked me over.

"Uh… " I wasn't sure what to start with.

"Liam?"

"I, uh… there's..." my eyes kept straying back to the room they took Theo too and I tried to curb the urge to go back there. I need to be there, not out here. Ms. M. placed her hands on my shoulders drawing my attention back to her.

"Liam, what happened?" She asked calmly, probably sensing my panic.

"Stiles was taken from the locker room at school." I started.

"Oh God." She gasped.

"And Theo got hurt trying to keep him safe."

"Okay, who's Theo?"

"That's a long story. But something happened in the ambulance on the way here. He stopped breathing and they don't know why, and-."

"Okay, okay. Is your dad with him?"

I nodded, reaching up to run my hand through my hair again but stopped.

"Alright, let's get you cleaned up. I'll find you some scrubs or something to put on so you're not caked in blood anymore and then I will go check in with your father. Okay?"

She guided me to an empty room and into the bathroom. I stripped down and stepped into the shower. Washing in a daze, watching the water run red then clear down the drain. A towel and some toiletries were set on the counter next to a set of scrubs and hospital grade socks, and a bag for my ruined clothes. I dressed quickly and shoved my uniform in the bag before stepping back into the room. Scott was standing by the door when I exited.

"You okay?" he asked standing in front of me.

"No." I answered honestly.

"Come on." he said leading me out of the room and back to the waiting area.

"Has my dad been back out here?" I asked as we sat.

"Not yet. I know my mom went in though. Someone will let us know."

"Where is everyone?"

"I took Lydia home. Allison and Isaac went back to the school to grab something. Malia is staying at Stiles' tonight, and hopefully getting some rest." Scott sighed.

"How is she?"

"Wrecked."

"How are you?" I asked him, knowing Stiles was his best and oldest friend.

"The same. It's Stiles." He said and I understood what he meant. If this had been Mason we were talking about I would feel the same way.

"What are we going to do?"

"That's what the meeting tomorrow is for, to figure out what we can do. It's hard since we don't know where or an exact time or anything."

"Malia must be going out of her mind."

"She is. All her instincts are telling her to find him, but we just don't know where to start. I felt the same way when Lydia was taken."

"Does that mean that Stiles is her mate? Can werecoyotes have mates?" I asked.

"I'm not sure, but I guess it's possible. Isaac and I actually had this talk with Deaton back when Lydia and I officially got together. He said that wolves can have potential mates, it wouldn't be on the same level as a true alpha mating but still the connection would be there. I don't know if it works the same for coyotes, but it could."

"So, wolves, any wolf, can make a connection to a potential mate, not just alphas?"

"Yeah, they can." He said eyeing me. I could feel my face heat up. "What's on your mind?"

"A lot actually. I've been having weird instincts lately that I don't really understand."

"What kind of instincts?"

Now my face felt red hot.

"You don't have to talk about it. But I'm here if you want to." He said.

"I do. I'm just really confused. Maybe I'm just overthinking it or seeing something that's not really there." I admitted.

"You mean about Theo or in general?"

"Both. I've… noticed guys before, but never did anything about it. It's easier to just stick with girls, you know. But I really like Theo. I wasn't sure I would. Not with how we all met. Plus, he's so cocky." I laughed and Scott snickered.

"But he's also funny, sweet, and understanding. He didn't judge me when I explained about having I.E.D.."

"Okay, that's good."

"Yeah it is. He's willing to go at my pace. I can't shake the feeling that one day he will get tired of it. But he seems sincere about it."

"I think he is."

"Lately though. I can't seem to not think about him. When he's not around, something just feels off and whenever I am around him I feel more settled if that makes sense. And I always want to freaking touch him. Especially when he's upset, like yesterday. It's like I need to touch him, and it feels like it's as much for me as it is for him. Like, I know it will make him feel better, but something in me calms down if I do."

Scott nodded.

"Then today as soon as I realized he was hurt all my instincts… went wild. It's like I shifted automatically, like a reaction to seeing him bleeding and hurt. I couldn't stop it, even if I wanted to. I'm not sure if I even wanted to stop it. I tried to keep it under control so I wouldn't hurt him more but… it's like the blood lust was higher or something. All I could think about was-."

"Finding the one that hurt him and making them pay?"

"Yeah. My mind was pulling me in two different directions. On one hand I was all for helping Malia track down Corinne and Kate. But the fact that he was right there, and he was hurt, I couldn't leave him. Not until I knew he was okay."

"Yeah, that sounds familiar." He chuckled.

"Yeah." I huffed a laugh. "It reminded me of how you were when Lydia was in that car accident. The panic and fear, the anger and rage. Now I'm scared of how angry I got. I don't…"

"You're not him anymore Liam. Not at all. Your response is normal if Theo is your mate. I can't tell you one way or the other. I'm not an expert on any of this. But the fact that you feel this way already is a good indication, I think. And if you are already feeling this way and he is, it will only get stronger if or when you get together."

"I don't know what to do or how to do this or anything. This is all so confusing."

"Relationships usually are. They are also overwhelming and sometimes stressful. Adding in what we are makes it more so. But they are also so worth it, especially if you find someone special that understands you and your instincts."

"But we're not in a relationship. Not yet. I don't even know if we will be. I mean, I'm not out and he is. Am I being stupid? By not just coming out?"

"No, you're being cautious and that's not a bad thing. You have already seen how it can be for Mason and Theo when others know and don't accept or tolerate. I don't think that's something you can just overlook and leap into headfirst. It's good of you to think about that. But at some point, you will have to decide. Don't let what other people say or do hinder you too much. They don't matter in the grand scheme of things. Anyone that knows you and loves you will be behind you and support you and Theo. You're family and friends won't judge you."

"I never needed to think about it before let alone say anything."

"Do you plan to?"

"I don't know. Maybe? If things work out with him. I don't like the idea of hiding."

I stood as soon as I saw my dad come around the corner, just as the ER doors opened and Isaac walked in, holding my bag.

"Dad, how is he?" I asked. Scott came to stand next to me on one side and Isaac on my other. Dad looked at the three of us and sighed.

"I feel weird doing this. He's a minor and usually we can't give out information to non-family members. I would need permission from his parents to even discuss this with you all." He whispered.

"He doesn't have parents. Not really. His mom is dead, and his dad is a complete asshole." Inwardly, I cringed at having cursed in front of my dad, but I didn't have time for protocols.

"He only has me, I mean us. Dad please." I pleaded. Scott put a hand on my shoulder, and I tried to relax. I really tried, but I needed to know he was okay.

"Dr. Geyer-." Scott started but my dad gave him a look. My dad insisted Scott use his first name after he saved my life, twice. "David. Theo isn't normal. There's a lot going on that we can fill you in on later. But for right now, can you tell us anything?"

My dad regarded Scott then his eyes flicked to me, studying me before nodding. He waved us back and we followed him to a private room in a closed off section of the hospital that was meant for ICU. Theo was lying in bed hooked up to a few machines, the discoloration that had started to appear in the ambulance looked better but hadn't disappeared completely.

I twitched in his direction, but Isaac and Scott stopped me. I looked at my dad who was looking at me as if figuring out something and though I dreaded the conclusion he came to, I didn't have the patience or energy to dwell on it. That was tomorrow's problem.

"We had to do an emergency surgery, whatever he was stabbed with chipped off inside of the wound and was poisoning him."

My breath caught and I felt my heart trip. It was only Isaac and Scott's grip on me that kept me in place and not rushing to his side.

"We got it out." My dad hurried to say. "Thank God it was one solid piece. We are giving him antibiotics to combat the infection. He's responding to it but its slow going. We are weaning the sedation so he should be awake soon."

"Is he going to be okay?" I asked.

"I believe he will. We won't know more until he wakes, and we can examine him again."

I nodded in relief. But my mind went back to the attack on him in the locker room. Watching him bleed out on the floor. If he had been just a normal human this could have been much worse. Even still, the fact that they poisoned him… I closed my eyes and tried to push back the urge to do something. Getting angry wouldn't help right now.

"Hey." Scott said and my eyes opened. He moved me away from everyone and watched me. I could see gold reflected in his. "He's okay. He's safe now. He's going to be fine, okay?"

"Yeah, okay." I nodded and refocused, taking a deep breath and calming myself down. I felt my eyes switch back.

"I'm good." I told him. Scott quirked a brow at me. "I promise." He nodded and let me go.

"Can I stay with him?" I asked my dad.

"I'm sorry but not tonight. He needs rest, and this is ICU. Not even family members can stay. I'm on a double tonight so I'll be here, and I will check in on him as often as I can and so will Melissa. If he improves more overnight we can move him to a regular room and I can pull some strings for you stay then, okay?"

I nodded, disappointed but I understood. He's already broken enough rules tonight for us.

"I'll bring you back tomorrow before the meeting." Scott offered.

"Okay. Thanks." I stared at Theo, feeling helpless. I had to keep reminding myself that for right now he was okay.

"Can I just have a minute?" I asked. My dad hesitated but nodded.

"I'll get the keys from my mom and take you home." Scott said.

"Okay." I told him as I walked over to the bed.

I heard my dad ask Scott what was going on as they left the room. As soon as they were out, I took Theo's hand. I could feel a trace of pain there, not much. I took what I could. I snorted when I noticed his hair. He would be so pissed that it was so disheveled. I tried my best to smooth it back, cringing at how teen drama-ish I was being.

"I'll be back tomorrow." I gave his hand a squeeze and felt a bit of pressure in return.

Theo:

The feeling of being groggy and hungry woke me. I wasn't surprised to see I was in a hospital room. I don't remember much after feeling dizzy and extremely tired in the ambulance. I remember closing my eyes and Liam shouting my name, but darkness won out.

I tried to sit up and groaned as I felt the pull on my side. Raising the sheet and gown I saw I had been stitched up. The door opened and an older dark-skinned man came in, smiling when he saw me.

"Good, you're up. Liam will be relieved." He said.

"Is he here?" I asked.

"No, he had to go home but he will be back soon. If I know my son, he will be rushing to get here as soon as possible." He chuckled.

"You're son?"

"Yes. Sorry, I'm Liam's dad, David Geyer." He introduced himself.

"Oh, uh, nice to meet you." I said, feeling surprised and nerves kick in. This was not how I expected to meet his dad.

"You too, well properly at least. How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess. A bit groggy but not as tired as I was last night."

"Sedation can have that effect. It should wear off more over the day." He said checking the machines.

He wrote something in my chart before putting it back in the holder by the door. He started to leave but stopped and looked back at me. He didn't say anything, which was making me even more nervous.

"Something wrong sir?" I asked.

"Oh, please don't call me that. My father used to make all my friends call him sir all the time. I hated it." He laughed and pulled up a chair next to my bed. "Just call me Dr. Geyer if we are here at the hospital or Mr. Geyer outside of here, okay?"

I nodded.

"I have a feeling I'm going to be seeing a lot of you soon." He smirked.

"You are?"

He nodded.

"Liam likes to think he's good at hiding things. But he's not, at least not from me. My wife on the other hand. I love her but she sees what she wants and ignores the rest. His face gives it away though, all the time."

I couldn't help but smile because it was true. It's why I loved making him blush so much.

"I will say the wolf thing took me off guard but once I was able to process it, I learned how to read him on that as well. Take last night for instance. When Liam came in last night, covered in blood, he begged me to help you. I would have anyway, I'm a doctor it's what I do. But last night he was frantic about it. It was like everything depended on you being okay. I have never seen my son so worried about someone before, outside of me, his mother and Mason. Of course, he was also just as worried about Scott when he was injured."

I'm not sure if I should be worried or not right now. I definitely didn't want to say anything. As far as I know, Liam isn't out with even his parents. He chuckled when I didn't respond.

"His worry about you was something very different though."

"I think maybe he was just worried because he was the one that found me." I shrugged.

"He almost lost his control last night."

My eyes widened and he nodded.

"Once I brought him to you, once he saw you lying there. He almost lost control. I don't think he realized how close he came to doing so. If Scott hadn't been there to get him to calm down then I don't know what he would have done."

I opened my mouth to say something but not sure what. Liam's been so good at keeping control. I'm not sure why he would lose it now.

"I didn't understand at first why, but then Scott explained to me about the attack, and I got it."

"Got what?" I asked.

"You're important to him. Last night there was an intensity in his eyes I have never seen before, and it was for you."

"He's important to me too." I whispered. He nodded, smiling.

"I don't need confirmation on anything. When Liam is ready to talk to me I will listen, and I will love him just the same as I always have." He stood up and put the chair back.

"Get some rest and page if you need anything." he said before leaving.

JACJACJAC

The sound of the TV woke me up next. That and the feel of a strong yet soft and smaller hand in mine.

"If I had known that all I needed to do to get to hold your hand in public was to get stabbed, maybe I would have done it sooner." I said opening my eyes to see him roll his but not let go. Progress.

"I would not recommend that, 0 out of 10 stars." He snorted.

"How long have you been here?" I asked. He hit mute on the TV.

"Only a couple of hours. How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. It doesn't hurt anymore. How was the meeting?"

"I didn't go."

"Really? Why?"

"I needed to be here." He admitted, with a blush.

"So, I'm stuck with you all day, huh." I teased.

"Yeah I guess you are." He chuckled.

"What time is it?"

"It's going on noon now." He said checking his phone.

"When do you have to leave?"

"I don't. Why would I leave?" he had the most adorable look of confusion on his face.

"Full moon. The lake house."

"Oh. Yeah, I don't think any of us are going today."

"Are you going to be okay if you don't go?"

"I'll be fine. I can feel the effects of it coming up, but I don't have the same urge I did before. I think I can control it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I checked with Scott this morning; he's going to have Isaac stay with me." He shrugged. "Just in case."

"Well, I'm not going to complain about you staying. I wonder how many times I can make you blush tonight." I grinned.

"Are you keeping score?"

"Absolutely."

He huffed a laugh just as his phone dinged.

"That would be Mason. I texted him and told him what happened." He said pulling out his phone and nodding.

"Mason says he hopes you're doing better and…" he stopped, turning bright red.

"And what?"

"Nothing."

"Oh, he said something. Why are you blushing?"

Groaning he dropped his head back.

"He said…" then he muttered the rest so low I could barely hear him. I smiled widely.

"What was that?" I couldn't keep the amusement out of my voice.

"He said that if all else fails, I should kiss it better." He sighed dramatically and I cracked up.

"I knew I liked him."

The door opened and Liam snatched his hand back, then gave me a guilty look. I just smiled at him, I understood.

"Boys, just checking on you." Liam's dad came in.

"Hey dad." Liam said his voice cracking. I tried not to snicker and even Dr. Geyer tried to hide a smile.

"Theo, did you eat?"

"A little." I took one bite and decided against the rest. Hospital food is horrible.

"You need to eat. Especially with the medication we have you on. We will do one more blood test later to make sure the infection is gone but eat something, so it has something to feed on."

"Hospital food is equivalent to the cafeteria food at school. Mystery meat is not really my thing." I told him. Both he and Liam rolled their eyes.

"Maybe I can get Isaac to bring us something from the diner." Liam said pulling out his phone.

"Something healthy Liam, no junk." His dad said. Liam scrunched his nose, and I fought the urge to touch him.

"Fine. Healthy food. I'll just have him stop by the store as well." he muttered.

"No candy." Dr. Geyer and I said at the same time.

"Fine." He sighed. He sent a quick message and put his phone away. Dr. Geyer shook his head at him.

"I'm almost off shift. Melissa will be on soon so she will check on you. Liam are you going to be okay tonight? I forgot it was a full moon."

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Okay. You boys have a good night." he said before leaving. As soon as he was gone Liam grabbed my hand again and the guilt came back.

"I'm sorry about that." He said.

"Why are you sorry? I told you I understood what I was getting into before. Stop worrying you're going to offend me."

"I know, I just… I don't know."

"Liam it's okay. I'm not upset."

I debated on telling him about the talk I had with his dad. I didn't want to panic him, but I wasn't sure I should keep it to myself either.

"I actually had a talk with your dad earlier." I said, watching him.

"About what?"

"He said he had never seen you so worried as you were last night. Not for anyone outside of your parents and Mason."

"Well yeah. You were stabbed and then got an infection of some kind. Of course, I was worried."

"He also said… that you almost lost control last night."

Liam looked away.

"That if Scott hadn't been there to calm you down he wasn't sure what would happen. He wasn't upset about it. He just said he understood."

When Liam said nothing I squeezed his hand to get him to look at me.

"He wasn't mad Liam, or scared. He said that after Scott explained what had happened he got it."

"Got what?" he said turning back to me.

"He got why you were so upset that you almost lost control."

"He does?"

"I'm not going to push or anything. This is your decision. But I don't think this would be as big a deal to him that you think it would be." I said holding tight to his hand. He gnawed at his lip as he thought about it.

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Like I said, I'm not pushing. Take all the time you need or no time at all. It's your choice. I just thought you should know."

He looked at me with the puppy eyes again. He really needs to stop doing that. One day I won't be able to hold back from just kissing the hell out of him.

"So, let's go back to discussing Mason's form of medical attention." I said, grinning.