Claire:
I huff out a breath and only just manage to open my apartment with one hand. "Alright um...let's get him into the guest room."
I lead the way trying not to let the unconscious Derek slip out of my wavering grip. We painstakingly set...okay accidentally drop, him onto the bed. With quick feet I run into the bathroom and come out with the first-aid kit before placing it down besides the bed.
"I'm Claire by the way." I manage a smile as I remove my jacket and look over at the young woman who was carrying Derek in the parking lot.
She looks like she can't be that much older then me, maybe twenty-four at the most, with matching brown hair and eyes. And judging by her attire she could possibly be a teacher but I'm no Sherlock Holmes so I wouldn't know.
Her own small smile slowly erases the awkward look of not knowing who I am, and being in my apartment with a passed out guy infront of us, from her face at the mention of my name. "Jennifer." She offers.
"So are you a doctor?" She asks quietly. I search through the kit for some scissors and nod my head in response. "Do you think he's going to be alright?"
I bite the inside of my cheek and look over at Derek who seems to barely be holding on. "I hope so but I've never seen someone this bad, not since..." I trail off and shake me head. Now is not the time to compare that situation with this one.
"He'll be alright." I respond with a tone full of as much hope as I can muster. But I think it's to reassure myself more then Jennifer.
As steady as possible I use the scissors and cut his shirt to be able to look at his chest. I gulp at how bruised, bloody, and cut it looks. "Alright I think the best thing I can do right now is—"
He hands randomly launches up, causing Jennifer to emit a surprised yelp and me to have a minor heart attack.
"Claire?" Derek mutters, trying to blink away his unconscious state. I hold a hand to my chest, feeling my pounding heart underneath and look over to share an embarrassed smile with Jennifer.
Man we're such chickens. "I'm here, Derek. Just go back to sleep and you'll be all better soon." I promise, earning a very small nod in return.
He looks like he wants to fight the sleep but eventually the toll on his body is too much until his chest is raising slowly up and down. "So...you have any experience in the medical field?" I turn my head away from Derek.
"Besides papercuts from grading homework, no, none that I can think of." She responds as she rolls up the sleeves from her cardigan. "But I've hauled him around this long so I'm not about to let him die either."
I smile in gratitude and with her help I'm quicker in stitching Derek up.
Making the last knot on the string I look over Derek and make sure we cleaned up all his wounds. The exhaustion is starting to weigh down my eye lids but I shake it away, remembering that I still have one other conscious guest.
Speaking of which, she steps out of the restroom having gone in to wash her hands. Jennifer's gaze lingers on Derek as I pull the blanket over him—and even after.
"Hey are you alright?" I ask. She flinches away from my outstretched hand, but I try not to take offense. I shouldn't blame her for being on edge especially after having to drag a beaten up and black blood oozing person around town.
"Do you like hot chocolate?" I question and catch her attention. "Cause I don't mean to brag or anything, but when you babysit as often as I use to you learn how to make a good mug." I lead us out but leave the door open incase Derek needs anything.
"So how long have you two been together." She blurts out, almost instantly an apologetic look forms on her face. "Sorry not really my business since I don't even know either one of you well."
"No it's fine. And we haven't been together for much time." I pause, swirling around the contents of my mug before stuffing another couple mini marshmallows in my mouth.
"He didn't say anything since he was unconscious and all." She answers the question lingering in my head. "But when a person on the brink of death refuses to go anywhere else but with a certain someone—I just kinda assumed."
We talk for awhile more but eventually she has to leave. I close the door behind her and walk back towards the kitchen. Turns out Jennifer was the teacher that Derek ended up saving the night they tried to trap Boyd and Cora in the boiler room of the school.
I think we bonded over having gone to therapy for supernatural reasons, although I think she still doesn't realize they're werewolves, and also because she has some really nice shoes.
A pair of sluggish footsteps draws my attention towards the guest bedroom door. "Oh no you don't." I rush over and stand infront of Derek, trying my best to block him from taking another step.
"Claire, the others still think I'm dead. With the stitches you gave me I'm more then capable of healing faster." Derek argues, only to let out a small groan of pain. I frown and lift up the corner of his shirt to show that two of the wounds reopened.
"So much for convincing you to let me leave." He lets me lead him back into the room while a victorious smile settles on my face. Derek sits on the bed and removes his shirt, which if I wasn't in super worried doctor mode then I'd be as red as fruit punch.
"You promised you'd be alright, Derek." I break the stuffy silence once I finish. "Do you even know what it did to me thinking that I lost you?"
He lips press together as his eyes start to fill with guilt. Derek pats the spot next to him on the bed and I move over to sit there. "I'm sure it was as horrible as when I saw the look on your face right as I fell over the ledge. But maybe it was that look that gave me the extra push to be able to hold on longer."
"Ya Jennifer told me how persistent you were in getting to my apartment." I mention as I lean my head on his shoulder. His lips presses against the top of my head and I almost drift off — but my eyes snap open when I remember that we haven't called anyone else to let them know Derek's alive.
"Alright how about I call them and you stay here and not reopen your wounds." I get up, not giving him the chance to answer as I walk out of the room with my phone in hand.
The other end rings the first time, but the second and third times it just goes straight to voicemail. I try calling each one of the teens but it's strangely the same thing every time.
Alright well if they don't get the voicemail then I'm sure they'll read the texts I left. Who knows maybe they're sleeping and they turned of their phones...all of them?
I send the last message before walking back to the room. "They won't answer but I left messages on all their phones." Derek lifts up his head from where he's thankfully already laying down to go to sleep.
At least if he's asleep then I won't have to sedate him to not move.
"Hopefully at least one of them sees the message." His eyelids droop down from exhaustion.
As soon as he breathing is slowed to a sleeping rate I take it as my cue to leave to my own room. I change into some pjs before searching for a book to read.
A heavy weight of uncertainty settles down in my stomach just as I pull the comforter of the bed over me. I try to read my book, but I just keep on reading the same line over and over again not being able to concentrate.
Fine then brain! You win this time. I throw my blanket off of me, making it land in one huge unruly heap, and quietly make the short journey over to he guest room.
I glance inside and find a safe and sleeping Derek despite what my gut is trying to get me to feel. It must just be the fear of this all being a dream and that he didn't really make it from the fall.
Tiptoeing my way inside the room I lay down on the bench at the end of the bed. Which because of my height, and being as how it's not all that big to begin with, well half of me is dangling off of the bench.
With the flick of my wrist I open my book to the last page I was on and I'm actually able to read this time around.
"If you wanted to sleep in the same room as me then you could have just asked." Derek's voice causes me to drop my book on my face and accidentally fall face first off the bench.
"Holy—you scared the heck out of me, Derek." I lift myself up and try not to show my face of embarrassment as I pick everything up that fell down with me. He starts to laugh but is cut off by a yawn.
"Just lay down, I'm tired and I know you're too worried to sleep. I'm half-asleep right now but I would still be able to sense it for miles." He counters before I even have the chance to say anything.
I rub the back of my neck and move over to the empty side of the bed. Within a couple of seconds my eyes close and I finally fall asleep.
▪▪▫▫
"Haven't you two ever heard of closing the goddamn door?!" Stiles' screech of embarrassment is the first thing I wake up to in the morning.
I open one eye to see that my face is pressed against Derek's chest while his arm is wrapped over me. And I guess since the sheets are up to my chin that it might look like—
Both my eyes fling open, the sleep fully gone out of my system now.
"Stiles we didn't do anything!" I call out as I tap Derek's arm to get him to let go. He does just as the front door slams shut. Oh come on. I'm in plaid pajama pants and a dark pink t-shirt.
"I bet you can just sense my embarrassment right now?" I question as I look over at Derek. He nods in response, not having to say anything else. There's a soft knock on the door and I get out of the bed to open it.
"Whatever Stiles told you just ignore it." I say, earning a nod now from Scott while he obviously tries to advert his eyes to the room behind me. "Oh god, well how about we go to the couch and you tell me how the track meet went."
"That's what I came here to tell you, besides seeing if Derek's really alive, the Darrach attacked us on the trip." My younger brother tells me as we walk to the living room.
I take a seat and watch as he struggles to get the words out to explain what happened. "If you want I can just use my sight to see what happened." I suggest warily.
He thinks it over before nodding his head, deciding that it'll be easier to let me know what happened this way. I take his outstretched hand before making eye contact and asking him if he's okay.
His memories from the last few days pass before my eyes. I blink a few times to stop myself. Letting go of his hand I instead bring him into a tight hug. They almost killed themselves-- I almost could have lost them.
"I don't want you thinking any of those things ever again." I pull back from our hug and hold him at arms length.
"Trust me I don't plan on getting poisoned by wolfsbane any time soon." He replies with a grin. Which makes me grin seeing that he's not letting what could have almost happened bring him down.
Honestly who does these type of things to not just innocent people, but teenagers?
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A/N:
Claire really needs to learn not to talk to people with the name Jennifer. You can probably all think why...like with the fact that she's the Darrach and all.
Well I'm beyond glad that I keep on being able to update once a week like I said I would. With being a junior in college trust me when I say that it's a huge ass achievement.
I'm on spring break this week and I'm unfortunately not going anywhere this year -_- But who knows maybe I'll be able to update twice this week??
Until next time...
~Shazam