Stiles wakes up slowly. He's numb. But he can feel the dull ache deep down that is a hint that he is injured.
His eyes slowly blink open. It's hard to focus. One of his eyes don't open fully. He must have a black eye. He tastes old blood in his mouth. Nasty.
Gross. He can also smell the old tang of blood in his nostrils.
There is a sound to his left. A beeping. He tries harder to focus. He is lying in a bed. There is something warm against his hand and a steady beeping. Something is on his face. Tickling his nose.
Oxygen? Hospital? Why was he in a hospital? He cant really remember just now. Blinking his eyes finally focus.
He is in a hospital room. A private one. There is a heart monitor beeping quietly. There is an IV in his right hand. And ... Someone is there.
They are asleep. Their head is lying near his leg and they are sitting in a chair right next to his bed.
Stiles opens his good eye wider as he realizes it is Derek.
His scruff is thicker. Like he forgot to trim it. He is asleep. Why was he sleeping beside him? Waiting for him to wake up? Was he guarding him? Was something after him?
Then a small piece came back to him.
They were in the jeep. They were driving. Stiles was driving. They were headed to the loft. Derek was telling him something important.
Then as they went through the intersection... a big truck ran the light and plowed into them.
Stiles remembered that second that he saw it and he didn't have any time to react. There was nothing that could have been done. He had tried. He had stomped on the gas trying to get them past it. But his old jeep hadnt picked up speed intime.
Stiles remembers flinching away turning towards Derek and seeing fear in the wolf's blue eyes.
He remembers Derek lunging trying to get to him. The truck had hit Stile's side of the jeep.
The only thing he can remember was Derek roaring his name then nothing.
Seeing Derek sleeping beside him made more sense now.
Stiles smiled. He reached out slowly. His fingers caressed his soft warm dark hair.
Derek made a soft growling noise then he pressed into the touch.
Stiles grinned. Derek liked to be petted. He was enjoying finding this out. Caressing behind Derek's ear he heard Derek make a groaning sound before he turned and bit softly at his wrist.
Stiles gasped at the feel of Derek's warm mouth and teeth softly biting him and that wet tongue grazing his skin.
The sound must have woke Derek as his eyes blinked open suddenly as he jerked up and away from him. "Stiles! Shit I am sorry. Did I hurt you?"
"Nope." Stiles held back the grin that wanted to play across his face. "Dude how long have I been here? You were asleep. I thought that you didn't sleep."
Derek's face went very serious as he looked him over. "You've been ... asleep for two weeks..."
Coma. Derek hadn't wanted to say Stiles had been in a coma. "No wonder I feel so well rested." Stiles tried to joke.
Derek frowned. "I should get a nurse."
"Wait." Stiles touched Derek's hand that was still on the bed. "Derek... what happened... I remember the truck... but nothing after that..."
Derek's deep hazel eyes turned bright blue. His jaw clenched and he shook his head slowly. "... The truck hit us... It... I tried to get to you in time... But it was so fast... It was bad Stiles... We flipped a few times... I am so sorry. I should have grabbed you... We ... the jeep was upside down... You looked... I thought you were dead but your heart was still beating." Derek looked away. "I didn't want to move you. But the jeep was on fire... I had to pull you out. I am so sorry Stiles. You have to know how sorry I am..."
Stiles was frightened. Derek was looking at his legs. Please no.
He tried to wiggle his toes.
Nothing happened. He reached down slowly and pulled the blanket off his legs. He had a large cast on one leg and the other was bare. He tried to move them. Nothing.
"I'm so sorry Stiles..." Derek's voice seeped through the shock.
Derek was crying silently beside him. He was staring up at him and crying and telling him he was sorry.
Stiles reached out and touched his hand again. "You didn't do this to me... You didn't cause the wreck. If you hadnt of pulled me out I'd be dead." His voice was shaky.
Derek held his hand. "If I was still an alpha... I would have given you the bite Stiles. I would have bitten you." He told him seriously. "I begged Scott to... but he said the risk of losing you was too high..."
"What do the doctors say..." Stiles motioned to his legs.
"There is swelling in your lower spine. They are not sure if it will go down... There is nerve damage... They say... you have a 20% chance of regaining use of your legs..."
Stiles suddenly felt sick. Derek got up fast and got the bucket beside the bed and helped Stiles lean over as Stiles started to wretch.
There was nothing in his stomach. So he just threw up bile. Dry heaving for a few moments.
Then he stopped and Derek wiped his mouth with a napkin and Stiles fisted his hand in Derek's shirt as he started to cry.
Derek wrapped his arms around his slender body and held Stiles as he cried and sobbed into his chest.
It seemed to take forever. And then it slowed and stopped. And Stiles was laying back in the bed and his hand was still gripping Derek's shirt.
"I wont leave you. I want you to know that..." Derek said in a pained voice.
Stiles looked down realizing that Derek was pulling pain from him. His hand was on his arm. That was why he couldn't feel any pain. Derek had been pulling it out of him.
"Stop... You could hurt yourself like that right?" Stiles asked pulling his arm away.
Derek took Stiles hand and laced their fingers together. "No Stiles..." He continued to pull his pain.
"This isn't your fault Derek."Stiles sighed tiredly.
Derek was just silent as he watched him with those deep hazel eyes.
Stiles just shook his head and squeezed Derek's hand as he felt his eyes slowly close and he fell asleep holding Derek's hand. The last thought he had was of a little information flash through his brain. K9's often gently bite to show affection.
