Weight of the World

58

Stiles and Molly got to the hospital and were sitting in a bed. He was protesting. "I'm completely and totally fine."

Melissa shook her head. "Uh-uh-uh. You completely and totally have a concussion, Stiles. Lie back down. The doctor said you're not leaving the CT scan. Molly, you're getting a CT scan as well. Don't make me tell your brothers."

Stiles frowned. "We still haven't paid for the last one."

"Oh, no, no, no. Meredith is at the station. Your dad said it could take some time, but he will get her to talk. Even if I let you go, what would you do?"

Stiles let out a sigh. "Okay, fine. Can you do me one little favor?"

"Anything."

"Can you get me a tape player?"

"Like cassettes?"

"Yes. Tapes."

"Yeah, I'll see what I can do."

"Okay, tapes, though, please."

"Cassettes," Melissa and Molly corrected as Melissa left.

Molly glanced at Stiles. "What do you want with cassette tapes?"

"I'm working on that as I go. Are you okay, Molly?"

She looked away and nodded. "Yeah."

"Molly. How are you? Really?"

Molly was looking away, blinking back tears.

Stiles took her hand and said, "I'm here, Molly."

At that moment, Melissa walked back in. Stiles looked up at her. "You find a tape player?"

Melissa shook her head. "No. But I found someone looking for you two."

Malia walked in. "I heard you two almost got killed."

"I heard you almost got killed," Stiles returned.

"You two okay?"

Stiles and Molly nodded. "Brunski punched me in the face. Molly's okay. Turns out he was a serial killer."

Malia nodded. "Makes sense."

"What about you, Malia?" Molly asked.

"We almost got set on fire."

"Everyone okay?" Stiles inquired.

"Basically."

"You okay?"

Malia nodded. "I'm fine. I'm gonna go."

Molly stood. "Malia, I'm sorry we didn't tell you about Peter being your father. We thought we were trying to protect you, and we should have told you. It was a dumb thing to keep it from you. Can you forgive us?"

Malia nodded. "For you, I think I can, Molly." She glanced between them and walked away.

"Thanks, Malia."

Malia smiled briefly as she left and told the two she'd meet them later.

Stiles and Molly got a CT scan and were fine, so they headed to his house.

Inside his room, they played the tape Brunski made when he killed Lorraine.

"Let's go, Lorraine."

"Listen to me. Please listen. There's something I have to do, something I have to stop," Lorraine said. The volume increased and Lorraine continued. "No. No. I don't think you're gonna be taking me anywhere. I can hear the recorder in your pocket. It's on now, isn't it? You're making a tape. Just like you taped the others. How many others have you taped, Brunski? Ten? Twenty? A hundred?"