Protect || Stiles Stilinski DISCONTINUED

Protect || Chapter One

          The Sunday afternoon after Scott, Annie, Stiles, Allison, and Jackson defeated Peter, Katarina sat on her hospital bed with no pain in her shoulder and the feeling that everything would be okay still fresh in her mind.  It was the most content she had felt in two months, surprising her because she was in a hospital room.  She would be getting released as soon as Melissa signed her out.

          Annie had brought her a change of clothes and even her makeup.  She wanted her to feel gorgeous when she left the hospital.  Annie's mother always said that it was never a bad time to wear makeup, even if you're being discharged from a hospital.  She was grabbing the pair of them lunch down in the cafeteria.

          Scott and Stiles had been visiting frequently, and much to Kat's relief, what she had whispered to Stiles the night he brought her to the hospital was not a topic of conversation.  She didn't know if she was quite ready to have that talk with him.

          Stiles had not left the hospital once all weekend, using the bathroom attached to Kat's room to shower.  Somehow, he had been able to convince Scott to bring him a new change of clothes each day as well.  Kat enjoyed his company late at night when she couldn't sleep.  She enjoyed that they didn't talk about the supernatural or anything related to it, not once.  Instead, they binge watched Star Wars and discussed different theories about it.

          Even though she wasn't ready to talk about what she had told him, it didn't mean that she didn't want him to bring it up.  She would rather face the rejection or embrace the reaction now instead of finding out from Scott or even Annie.

          Annie entered the room, carrying sandwiches in plastic boxes and chips.  Two bottled sodas were tucked under her arm as she made her way to the bed. "I have a turkey and cheese sandwich with baked barbeque chips and a Cherry Coke for you, and a ham and cheese sandwich with regular potato chips and a Dr. Pepper for me."

          Kat smiled, taking the food Annie had grabbed for her and opening the plastic box, "Thanks, Annie." She took a bite of the sandwich, sighing at the taste of normal food.  It was a wonderful change from the hospital food that the patients got instead.  She swallowed her bite and asked, "Is Stiles still here?"

          Annie slyly grinned and opened her soda, sitting beside Kat on the hospital bed, "He's asleep outside.  He's been mumbling weird things about you in his sleep."

          Scoffing, Kat took another bite of her sandwich, "I sincerely doubt that.  He still hasn't gone home?"

          "Don't think he will until both you and Lydia get discharged.  He still feels guilty," Annie said.

          Kat nodded, "What about Scott?  Where's he been?"

          "Finding any time alone with Allison that he can.  He's going to be dead before the end of sophomore year." Annie laughed, opening her bag of chips and stuffing a few into her mouth.  Even Annie, who hated wearing makeup, had hers done nicely and was even being careful not to smudge her lipstick as she ate.

          "I don't doubt it." Kat laughed.

          Just then, Melissa opened the hospital room door with a giant smile, "You ready to go, Kat?  You're all set."

--

          As it turned out, Annie was right and Stiles wasn't leaving the hospital until Lydia was discharged.  Annie had gone home to check on Kota, insisting that Kat stay and talk to Stiles (she told her what Stiles had said the night they defeated Peter).  With reluctance and slight anger towards Annie for making her stay in the hospital longer than necessary, she sat on the chairs outside of Lydia's room, her eyes locked on the nurse's station and Stiles strewn across her lap as he slept.  He started mumbling incoherent sentences, which Kat found utterly adorable if she was being completely honest, and making kissy faces into the air.