Series Rewrite (A Teen Wolf Fanfiction)

Riddled Part 4

Stiles, with his hair spiked up in all different directions, sat on the MRI scanner in a blue hospital gown, his legs dangling over the sides as Scott and I stood next to him. To my left, the doctor was talking with Melissa and Sheriff. My arms were crossed tightly over my chest as if it would keep the pieces of my heart together.

"I'm not sure I know how to pronounce this...or if it's not actually a misspelling," Dr. Bowerman said. I almost chuckled at him. Stiles' real first name was something I couldn't pronounce until I had already been talking for five years. Neither could Stiles, though, considering the best he could get was the word 'mischief'. How appropriate.

"Just call him Stiles," Sheriff said unhappily.

"Okay." Dr. Bowerman turned to face Stiles. "Stiles, just to warn you, you're going to hear a lot of noise during the MRI. It's due to pulses of electricity going through the metal coils inside the machine. Uh, if you want, we can get you some headphones or earplugs."

"Oh, no. No, I don't need anything," Stiles replied, scratching the side of his face. I could taste his nerves, though he hid it well. I wondered if he was doing that for my benefit.

"Hey. We're just on the other side of that window. Okay?" Sheriff told him. Stiles nodded and Sheriff smiled as Stiles pat his shoulder gently. The doctor, Sheriff, and Melissa walked out of the room, but Scott and I stayed behind. I fidgeted with my fingers, staring at the ground and trying to keep the lump in my throat from becoming actual vomit.

"You know what they're looking for, right?" Stiles asked. I nodded lightly, unable to look up at him, mostly so he wouldn't see me so close to tears. "It's called Frontotemporal Dementia. Areas of your brain start to shrink. It's what my mother had." I glanced up to see Scott with the same expression I had, except he was hiding it a lot better. "It's the only form of dementia that can hit teenagers. And there's no cure."

I sniffled quietly and turned my head away so I could discretely wipe away the tear that had fallen. Stiles grabbed my hand gently, pulling my arms away from my chest. It felt like someone was ripping out my heart.

"Stiles, if you have it, we'll do something," Scott said, quickly wiping away his own fallen tear. When Stiles didn't answer, Scott looked up at him. "I'll do something." They looked at each other for a knowing second before Scott stepped in to hug Stiles tightly. Stiles released my hand to hug him back, his eyes blinking rapidly as he tried not to cry. When Scott pulled away, he smiled at me lightly and walked out of the room.

I stood a foot away, staring at the ground. Stiles stayed quiet, letting me have the time I needed, so I looked up at him, my eyes filled with tears, and stepped between his legs to cover my face with my hands. He immediately wrapped his arms around me, pressing his lips to the top of my head.

"You know I love you, right?" he whispered. I nodded, sniffling as I sobbed into my hands. He pulled back just enough to lift my hands from my face so he could look at me.

"I love you, Stiles. No matter what this stupid machine tells us, I love you," I whimpered.

"Hey, it's you and me forever, okay?" he comforted. I knew he was just trying to make me feel better, and I know I should probably be the one saying it and being strong, but the thought of him ending up like his mother, Claudia, terrified me. "Remember that."

I nodded and he pulled my face to his for a sweet, but longing kiss. His lips told me how much he loved me, and mine told him how much I needed him. I pulled away, resting my forehead against his as I panted breathlessly. His fingers curled between mine. I let the moment last before sniffling and pulling back.