Stiles POV
I wake up hours later, feeling very refreshed. As much as I denied it back at the animal clinic, I really needed that sleep. Somehow, it took some of my stress away. I get out of bed, grab my phone and keys and run out to my jeep. I jump in and drive back to Deaton's. The sun is starting to set, the sky a beautiful orange color. Once I get to the veterinarian's place, I jump out of the jeep and race inside. Everyone else is still there. They all greet me in a friendly way, even Samantha. "Hi guys," I reply.
"We'll give you some time alone with Scott." Melissa smiles. She pats my shoulder before she leaves the room. Everyone follows in suit. Samantha is the last one to leave. "Good luck with your quest. I hope you make it." She genuinely compliments me with a smile. I nod in acknowledgement. This is a side to her I haven't really seen before. I watch as Samantha leaves the room. I walk over and sit down in the chair next to the metal table. I pull it slightly closer to Scott, if that was even possible. One thing I noticed as soon as I walked into the room was the heart monitor that's now right by Scott's bench. He is connected up to it and I can hear the steady beeps of the machine, representing Scott's heart. I guess Deaton and Melissa got really worried and wanted to keep an eye on his heart rate. I grab Scott's hand and squeeze it comfortingly. "Hey, buddy. How are you doing? I bet it sucks not being able to wake up and move, even though you might be able to hear everything, huh?" I ask, even though I know Scott isn't able to answer. I look over at his pale and sweaty face, eyes still closed. His breathing is still short and long between. I can also hear his breathing, which is loud and it sounds like he is having a constant asthma attack. Scott still doesn't have a shirt on and his torso is still drenched in sweat, but at the same time, he is shivering. The wound looks even worse now. The veins are growing further across his body and the colors around the wound darken and spread out more. I bite my lip, trying to keep myself together. I know that Scott wouldn't want me to cry about this. "You look terrible," I comment with a small chuckle.
"But that's understandable, considering you've been shot and you're... Well, dying." I say. I wonder if Scott can actually hear what I'm saying and will remember it when he wakes up. I kind of remember what happened when I was unconscious and dying, but that is only because of the very vivid flashbacks, and that's a merfolk thing. "I'm really sorry, man. I wish it was me instead of you." I sigh.
"I know that you wouldn't like me for saying that. You'd probably frown and tell me to never wish that." I smile as I picture Scott healthy and awake. "Anyway, I promise you that you are not going to die. I won't let you." I continue with assurance. I squeeze Scott's cold hand tighter. "You are my best friend. You can't leave me now. Just hold on a little longer so I can fix this. Please," I continue, my voice a little shaky.
"Wow, haven't our positions changed, huh?" I chuckle to myself.
"It's only been a night, but things felt like they have changed so much without you around. I wonder what school will be like without you." I add.
"But Scott, if you can hear me, please don't give up. You need to keep fighting to stay alive. The pack needs you. Samantha needs you. Your mom needs you. I need you. I honestly don't know what I would do without you. I think I would be lost. Even though we've had some arguments recently, we have always been strong. We have always been there for each other when we needed to be. You've given me so much since the day we first met. If you die, it'll all just come crashing down." I continue pleadingly. Scott remains unresponsive, showing no signs that he has heard what I said. It doesn't surprise me, but it's nice to get this stuff off my chest. "I wish I could take your pain, but I can't. There are just some things that you can do and that I can't, which really sucks." I shake my head sadly.
"I hope you're not in too much pain." I tell my best friend.
"I'm going to find the Emerald Sea. I'm going to find some elken. I will bring it back here so that we can save you. I don't care what dangers I face. They are not important." I say in determination.
"All you need to do is hold on for a little while longer to give me time. I will be as quick as I can, I promise." I tell the comatose werewolf. I think back to all the things Scott and I have been through over the years. I decide that I will try to share some of the memories with Scott, even though he is in a coma. Maybe he will be able to see them. It might be my only way of communicating with him. I continue to hold his hand and concentrate, thinking back to the first day Scott and I met. The memory starts off by him and I playing video games, Scott 'secretly' letting me win. The memory jumps to the two of us laughing. Then, the memory changes to where Scott throws a baseball to me, but it goes right over my head and smashes into the window of his house. We were a few years older then. Our faces were full of shock and fear. We ran inside and tried to clean up the evidence. The memory disappears and is replaced by the first day in middle school. Scott had braces at the time. We stuck by each other the whole day. When one of the other boys in our grade started to pick on me, Scott stood up for me. When one of the boys turned to Scott and started tease and even push him, I pulled him away from Scott and shoved him into a wall. I told him not to mess with me or my best friend. We never had a problem from those kids since. Then, the next thing I see is myself at home, having a panic attack. Scott was there at the time and managed to calm me down after several minutes. The scene changes again to when Scott and I are running around the school oval after school, trying to build up our fitness for lacrosse. Scott started getting a really bad asthma attack, so I helped him back to our lockers and I gave him his ventolin. However, that wasn't enough, so I had to call 911. I rode with him to the hospital and I assured him that it would be okay. The scene fades away and is replaced by the memory of when Scott was standing in a puddle of gasoline, a flare in his hand and ready to drop it. "There's no hope. Not for me. Maybe I should just become a no one again. No one at all." Scott cried, looking so broken and lost.
"Scott, listen to me, okay? You're not no one. You're someone," I hear myself say.
"And I need you." I tell Scott.
"So, if you're going to do this, I guess you're going to have to take me with you then." I hear myself finish. Scott says nothing in reply. I watch as I walked into the gasoline puddle and slowly pulled the flare out of Scott's hand. He doesn't stop me. I quickly threw away the flare. Then, the emotional memory dissolves into a more recent one. It's where I just found out my mother had died. Scott had pulled me into a tight hug and never let me go. Then, the final memory appears; Scott jumping into the water and finding out that I am a merman. I smile as I hear Scott tell me that he and the others would never abandon me. The memory ends with me pulling Scott into a hug. The animal clinic comes back into view again, the heart monitor continuing to beep away. I look down at our intertwined hands. "See? We've been through so much together. I can't lose all of that." I say as I start to stand up, but I don't let go of Scott's hand. I feel like if I do let go of his hand, I will lose him forever. "And, I suppose, if this really is my last chance to say it..." I begin nervously.
"I love you, Scott. I love you more than anyone else in the world. You mean everything to me, Scott McCall. If you die, I think I would die too. I don't think anyone could love you as much as I do. Not even Samantha." I admit honestly. I smile, happy that I have finally let my feelings spill out, even though Scott is still in a coma. I lean down and kiss Scott on the lips and time slows down. Scott's lips are warm and for some reason taste like cinnamon and wood. It's a very earthly taste and I love it. My heart melts as I kiss the person I truly love. Eventually, I break away and time reverts back to normal. I feel a little breathless and flustered. After another moment, I start to walk away, finally letting go of Scott's hand, placing it on the table. I walk to the edge of the room. Just as I'm about to exit, I turn around and look at Scott again. "I will see you soon and you will be alive and well." I promise to the both of us in a quiet voice. I spin back around and walk out of the room.
When I walk out into the waiting room, I am greeted by anxious faces. "How is he doing?" Samantha asks worriedly.
"Well, he's not getting better, but he's not getting worse." I answer honestly. I then glance around at everyone else.
"Are you ready?" Kara asks uncertainly.
"Yes. I'm ready to do this. I'm ready to find the antidote that will save Scott." I nod bravely.
A/N: So my exams are almost over. I have only one more to do, which is math. I'm doing that exam tomorrow morning. Don't worry, I've written down all the formulas I think I need 😀. As for my others exams, I would like to think that I have done well enough. I'm 90% sure I have at least passed everything, so that's a start 😂. Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. As I want to keep things moving for certain reasons I won't say yet, I will probably update again very soon, so keep any eye out for that 😀.