Not even a Lannisters Send their Regards

[fadingspark]

The thing about winter is that the sun still sets early, leaving a person to leave their job in darkness. The parking lot outside of Stilinski Designs was lit only by one street lamp. Stiles, having worked later than normal, was jiggling his keys as he stood with Bill and Lyle for 20 minutes, working out a coding problem they were having before he finally left the office for his car.

"Of course the day we have code issues is the first Monday of the year," he muttered, shaking his keys as he tried to find the right one for the jeep. Just as he finds it, there is a shadow from the light that falls over him, making him look up.

Someone stood there, all in black down to the mouth-less ski mask. The gun aimed at him made Stiles gulp, and he went to raise his hands. "Okay, just take it easy... I'm not going to..."

The gunshot rang out, and Stiles shut his eyes a moment before he felt the impact in his stomach. Time seemed to slow down as his keys slipped from his fingers, and then he fell to his knees He looked back up at the masked person, and they just watched a moment.

"What... not witty line?" Not even a Lannisters send their regards. The masked person just walked away moments before the door to the building opened and Billy and Lyle came running out. Stiles tried to call to them, but he instead looked down at where one of his hands had gone to touch the sore part of his stomach and it came back red.

"Stiles?" Billy took a few steps forward, looking to see if there was anyone else there but the parking lot was now empty. "Stiles!" At that, they both ran to him, and Billy pulled Stiles into him as they knelt beside him, hands going to press into the bleeding wound. "Come on, buddy, stay with us."

Lyle was calling 911, and then while he was talking to them on headset, his fingers were playing on his phone and he knelt down to show Billy the wiki-how on treating gunshot wounds. Billy nodded, going through the checklist and doing his best to keep Stiles conscious and talking to him.

But as the pain started to overcome him, even as he heard the sirens approaching, Stiles gripped Billy's arm. "Tell Dina... and Cora..."

"Nuh uh, you're going to tell them anything themselves," Billy said as he nodded for Lyle to wave the ambulance down. "Just hang on, Stiles."

"Tell them... I love them..." he said, and then he just passed out to the pain.

-------------

Once they were at the hospital, Billy and Lyle were on their phones calling the others. But first, they make the calls to the emergency contacts: Sheriff Stilinski, and Talia Hale. They are both told the same thing: Stiles was shot. Stomach. Didn't see who did it. He's in surgery. Doctors won't tell them anything more. Santa Clarita Midtown Hospital. The cops are coming to talk to them, so they will wait.

And the two will wait, shaken to their bones as they wait for someone to arrive who can get more news.

They had all thought this was over. Was it? Or was it just Stiles being in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Comments

[impetere]

"Whoa, whoa." She places her hands on his shoulders gently, trying to keep him back in bed. "She's not here. She's home. What is it?"

[fadingspark]

He swallowed a bit, scared. "The ringing in my ears. When I woke up last time. What if... what if that's what that was?"

It was easy for her to push him back into the bed - he didn't have a lot of strength. Plus his stomach wasn't really all that happy with him moving at all, and he hissed a bit as he relaxed and the stitches shifted a bit back into their spots.

[impetere]

Cora hadn't really thought about that. Hadn't really considered at all that things might have gotten worse than they were. His dad had said there was a close call, but she hadn't thought that he had really died. That he died enough to trigger Lydia's scream.

There's something about it that claws in her gut, but she keeps it off her face for now.

"I'll ask her to come by later with Scott. You can talk to her then."

[fadingspark]

He just nods, and without even thinking he reaches out to grab her hand, holding onto it. He doesn't need to see her thoughts on her face. He knew what she was thinking.

It was what he was thinking too.

"But obviously she was wrong, right? I mean, I'm sitting here talking to you. So not dead."

[impetere]

"Exactly." She gives his hand a squeeze as she turns back to him with a smile. "You're fine. So don't worry about it. Just focus on getting better so we can take you home."

[fadingspark]

He nods, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes a moment. "I can do that. Even if it means I'm stuck on the jello diet."

[impetere]

She smiles softly. "Just think of it this way. The sooner you get better, the sooner you go home and the sooner you have my mom cooking for you again."

[fadingspark]

"I just hope I'm not stuck here too long. I hate hospitals."

[impetere]

"I know," she says softly. "But hopefully they'll send you home soon."

[fadingspark]

"Think I can bribe the doctor?"

[impetere]

"Your doctor is Jason," she says with a small smirk. "I'm not sure that's the kind of bribe you want to pay."

[fadingspark]

He groans. "But he's usually good for house calls on an out patient basis, right?"

[impetere]

"Usually. But just give it a little time, okay?" Especially if Lydia was right and he did die, she doesn't know how precarious this is. "I'll stay with you as long as I can."

[fadingspark]

"You have school, Cora. I don't want you to risk your job just sitting here."

[impetere]

"I have sick days and personal days I could use. It's not like I usually need them."

[fadingspark]

He couldn't really debate her on that. And honestly, he felt better having her there. But still - he knew she had to be bored just sitting there watching him sleep.

And then there was a high pitched squeal of a 4 year old in the hallway running down the hall. "Looks like Dina's here."

[impetere]

She is. And before she can get through the door Melissa is blocking the entrance with her body, putting on her "stern Grandma" face. Which she used to use on Stiles with varying degrees of effectiveness.

When he was younger, it worked. As he got older? Ehhhh not so much.

"Now, remember the rules. We don't jump on Daddy. If Uncle Scott pulls you back, you listen. And he can't pick you up so just be patient with him, okay?"

[fadingspark]

Stiles moved to try and sit up a bit so he wasn't laying flat on his back. He knew that face. Melissa still used that face on him sometimes but no, it didn't work at all at this point.

Dina, however, nodded solemnly. "I promise I won't jump on Daddy, Grandma, and I will listen to Uncle Scott."

Scott just shook his head, taking her hand to guide her into the room so she didn't get excited and break grandma's rules.

[impetere]

"Good," she nods before taking a step back and letting them both pass her freely. She's going to stick around to supervise, but for the most part she'll just let Stiles be with his daughter.

Cora moves to find the button to help raise the back of the bed, moving it slowly so that she doesn't strain his stitches too much. "Hey Dina."

[fadingspark]

"Hi Auntie Cora." She waved, and then climbed up onto the chair by Stiles' bed, putting her hands on the bar that was up to keep Stiles from rolling out of the bed. "Hi Daddy!"

"Hi, baby." Stiles waiting for Scott to carefully lower the bar, and then he leaned over a bit to pull his daughter into his arms to hug her. He felt the stitches complain a bit, but he wasn't going to not hug his daughter. "Everyone taking good care of you while I'm getting better?"

"Uh huh. Ryan and I sleep together at night. He makes funny noises in his sleep like a puppy." Scott laughed at that, just leaning back against the wall for a bit to let Dina have all of Stiles' attention. "When are you coming home?"

"I don't know, baby. I'm still not feeling good. But maybe you could talk to uncle Jason and see if he will let me come home?" He is not above using his daughter's pouty face to get himself out of the hospital quicker.

[impetere]

Cora cringes slightly. "I think he might be immune to that particular kind of bargaining."

"I also don't think he deserves it when he's making judgments about your dad's medical health." Melissa pipes up. "Just pointing that out."

[fadingspark]

"You both are ruining my escape attempts. Come on, Scott, back me up on this."

Scott just shrugged. "Honestly, man, I'm with Mom. I'd rather have you back 100 percent and not hurting yourself more."

The look of betrayal between best friends. "Whatever happened to us helping alibi the other?"

"Sorry, Stiles. I don't want to see you suffer more just because you think it's worth it."

Dina moved to kneel on the bed. "Grandpa said that a bad man hurt you, Daddy. Can I see it?"

[impetere]

Cora sighs softly at Stiles trying to negotiate his way out of this before her attention his drawn to Dina. "Not this time, sweetie. It's all bandaged up so that it doesn't get hurt more."

[fadingspark]

"But how can I kiss it and make it better?"

Stiles chuckled. "Well, you can kiss my heart. Because what does the heart do?"

"It makes the blood go wooosh all over the body!"

Scott chuckled at that, hiding his grin behind his hand. Stiles ignored him - traitor - and nodded. "That's right. So if you can't kiss where I hurt, you can kiss my heart and it'll take all the magic and carry it there."

Dina thought on that a moment, then nodded. "Okay!" She leaned over and carefully kissed Stiles' chest over the shirt. She waited, and then looked up at Stiles worried. "Did it work?

He licked his lips a moment, then grinned. "I think so. It's starting to tingle. But it's a big hurt so it's going to take some time and a lot more kisses to fix it."

[impetere]

Cora just sits there smiling and watching them. She's gazing. Don't judge her. She just loves seeing them together. She doesn't even have to say anything.

Yep. This tag is pointless.