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

[fadingspark]

John nodded. "Yeah, which should help her too. We kept her out of preschool today since it's Melissa's day off. She really misses him." He looked over at Talia. "We just need to figure out where he's going to go after he's released since he's going to be down for a good month."

[impetere]

"Having him at the house shouldn't be a problem," she replies, straightening in her chair a bit. "I can rework one of the downstairs rooms as a bedroom."

"I can move back home for a little while too. Extra hands can't hurt."

[fadingspark]

"I'll come help too. Lord knows I have enough vacation time I never take." John nodded, patting Stiles' leg gently. He was just grateful his son was still here to take care of - his constant fears playing with him again.

Scott sensed it and went over to put a hand on his step-father's shoulder. "You know he's going to complain about all the coddling and will spend half the time on his computer catching up on work anyway. As long as he's comfortable, he'll be fine."

[impetere]

"He can complain all he wants. It's not like it will stop us." Talia's tone is a bit dry as she says it, but she's still serious. She'll coddle him until she's convinced he doesn't need to be coddled anymore.

Cora nods a bit in agreement. "I think he'd secretly enjoy it anyway. There was a long time where he didn't have it."

[fadingspark]

John laughed at that. "Yeah, he spends so much time taking care of everyone else, I don't think he really ever even let us take care of him beyond the few times he had to. He gets that from me."

[impetere]

Cora nods a bit, giving his hand a soft squeeze. "He'll be fine. He'll just have to get used to it."

[fadingspark]

"We won't give him a choice," Scott added in.

[impetere]

"We should at least make it seem like he has a choice." Lydia tips her head to the side slightly, resting her chin in her hand. "Just to give it the illusion of fairness."

[fadingspark]

"I can see if mom can get him a wheelchair or something?" Scott shrugged. "When he's at a point that he can be a bit more mobile, obviously, and until we figure out the hamster ball bubble wrap plan."

[impetere]

Cora nods a bit in agreement, giving Stiles's hand a soft squeeze as she does. "We'll figure it out."

Talia nods in agreement. "But for now, I think some of us should be focused on getting some rest." She's looking at you, Cora. Cora glances back at her with a frown of concern, and is about to protest, but all Talia has to do is raise her eyebrows and she sighs, slowly releasing his hand.

"I'll try and be back before he wakes up again."

[fadingspark]

"Most of you could probably head back to Beacon Hills. He should be transferred back home around three so he can be in the new room and settled in time for dinner." John rubbed Cora's shoulder.

[impetere]

Lydia nods as she takes Cora's hand. "C'mon. Let's check out and go home."

Cora nods a bit in agreement, giving the sheriff a small smile, before turning to her mom with a nod. "I'll see you at home."

Talia nods as well, before getting to her feet. "See you there."

[fadingspark]

Scott went with them, leaving John alone with Talia. The worried dad face finally came out as he took Cora's chair. "I swear, one more of these and I'm going to be the one in the hospital bed."

[impetere]

Talia slowly makes her way closer, one hand coming up to rub his back gently. "I know what you mean." She's quiet for a moment, eyes wandering to the boy in the bed for a moment. "But I wouldn't be too worried. I have a feeling that there are those here that are just as determined to not lose him as you are."

[fadingspark]

John nodded, taking a deep breath. "The ballistics came back on the bullet and it's a common bullet - nothing special about it. Chris confirmed it wasn't like any of the ones from the shoot-out or what a hunter would use. All that's left is that he just was in the wrong place at the wrong time. And I don't know if I should be as relieved as I feel about that knowing it still almost killed him."

[impetere]

"No, relief is good. If the Graysons were back, we would have had a much larger problem." She still has her doubts that it was completely random, but since she has no evidence to the contrary, there's no use worrying him.

But there is something else that's bothering her.

"Sheriff ... when Stiles was in surgery. Did he flatline?"

[fadingspark]

John shut his eyes at the question, then nodded. "When I ran back there, he had just started. It lasted about four minutes before they got him back."

[impetere]

"Huh."

There's a soft sympathetic squeeze on his shoulder - not overly sentimental as Stiles is clearly going to be fine, but for right now the wheels in her head are turning, trying to process what she saw in the hallway of the hospital and the information that's just been given her.

[fadingspark]

John rubbed at his jaw. "But if he woke up and was interacting with everyone, that should alleviate any concerns from the time without oxygen."

[impetere]

"Mmmmm," She glances back to him before shaking her head. "Oh, no, that's not what I'm worried about. Once he's off the drugs, I'm sure he'll have no trouble getting back to normal."

[fadingspark]

He looked up at her, concerned. "What are you worried about then?"

[impetere]

"Lydia."

There's a pause, before she realizes there needs to be more of an explanation than that.

"There's still so much we don't know about banshees. And she was in the middle of an episode when it happened. I'm starting to wonder how much power she really has."

[fadingspark]

Now that he had been at this game for a few years, and Peter having helped advise him often, John was able to put two and two together quickly.

"So you think that the screaming I heard as I ran through the ER was her predicting Stiles..." He took a deep breath. "Wow... is she okay?"

[impetere]

"Hard to say." Lydia is impassive at best, she's hardly one to be emotional. Talia is also still getting to know her, so she isn't as easy to read as Stiles or Scott.

"But I suppose it's just something we'll have to delve into more."

[fadingspark]

"If I can help, let me know. I may not be the best at all this... werewolf stuff... but I'm good at solving things once I understand it."