They sit there together in comfortable silence for nearly an hour before Stiles starts talking.
"You're more quiet than usual." Stiles states glancing across at Derek who shrugs his shoulders.
"I don't have anything to say." Derek simply replies and Stiles rolls his eyes.
"Well I have some good news. Jackson has lost his licence for three months." Stiles informs and Derek snorts.
"Serves him right for driving a Porsche that his parents bought him." Derek responds and Stiles laughs with a nod. "The old air seeder is working again, so tell your dad there's no need to rent one."
"My dad is gonna start loving you more than me if you keep fixing stuff around here." Stiles responds as he leans against Derek's shoulder while a sheet of lightning fills the sky around them. He reaches down and grabs Derek's hand but quickly lets go when he feels some sort of material wrapped around it. "What the hell is around your hand?" Stiles asks sitting up straighter as he grabs Derek's wrist trying to look at his hand but it's basically pointless in the dark.
"It's nothing." Derek tries to lie, pulling his hand away but Stiles grips onto it tighter. He pulls his phone out turning the flash light on and he gasps seeing the bloodied bandage wrapped around his palm.
"Derek!" Stiles says in shock, looking at his boyfriends face who shakes his head. "What happened? Please tell me you didn't do this purpose?" He asks but by the sad look on Derek's face Stiles knew he did and his heartbreaks.
"Why?" Is all Stiles can ask, unable to find the words he is looking for as he looks up at Derek who turns away.
"Just don't." Derek replies softly turning away more but Stiles shakes his head grabbing Derek by the shoulder.
"No. Derek, talk to me." Stiles says as Derek clenches his jaw shut before turning to face him. The light from his phone only lighting up Derek's features slightly but it is enough to see the darkness around his eyes and how red they are.
"I've been having hallucinations!" Derek suddenly says a little louder than Stiles expected as he jumps slightly but not taking his eyes off Derek. "It's not just nightmares anymore... I see her everywhere, I see them everywhere." Derek adds softly resting his head in his hands.
"Who are you having hallucinations of?" Stiles asks carefully not taking his hand off his boyfriends shoulder.
"Kate. Laura. Mum. Everyone." He sounds calm but Stiles can tell he is anything but calm.
"Why did having hallucinations make you slice your hand?" Stiles asks squeezing Derek's shoulder for comfort.
"Pain makes them disappear. When I cut my hand on the saw, Kate stopped talking and vanished." Derek explains as he stands up suddenly, leaning his forearms on the railing in front of them. "I don't know why they are happening. I know they aren't real, but it screws with me. I'm not going crazy but there's something wrong with me..." Derek shouts before stopping, not knowing what to say.
"I know you aren't crazy Derek, you have PTSD and that is nothing to be ashamed about. There is nothing wrong with you. You are Derek Hale. You have been through hell and back and you don't take shit from anybody! You are my boyfriend. You are apart of our family. Nothing will ever change that! I love you to the moon and back and there is absolutely nothing wrong with any of that!" Stiles says sternly as he stands up and wraps his arms around Derek's stomach resting his head on his back. "There's gotta be another way to deal with the hallucinations, we will find another way to deal with them. Just promise me you won't do anything stupid, alright?"
"Yeah, I promise." Derek replies in a soft voice turning around grabbing Stiles and pulling him into a proper hug. "I love you." Derek whispers kissing Stiles on the forehead before hugging him tighter.
"I love you more. But c'mon lets go to bed, it's freezing out here." Stiles says softly and Derek nods letting Stiles lead him inside. "My dad would be at work by now so he won't know I slept here tonight."
"Your dad doesn't have a problem with me sleeping in your room in the farm house." Derek responds as he takes his shirt off and begins unbuckling his belt.
"Yes, that's because his room is across the hall from mine and our walls are paper thin."
Stiles says and Derek nods not needing anymore information as he pulls his jeans off leaving him in his boxers.
"I never get tired of this sight." Stiles comments watching as Derek climbs into bed.
"Get into bed." Derek replies rolling his eyes and Stiles nods taking Derek's hand before crawling into his bed. They don't always sleep with each other, most nights Stiles sits under the huts veranda with Derek until late at night before they both go into their own beds. Mainly because the Sheriff is still a bit funny with them sleeping together. But when he has night duty the two of them usually stay up late watching movies or playing PlayStation before going to sleep together in Stiles' room.
Stiles leans forward turning the bed side lamp off before snuggling back into Derek's arms closing his eyes when his phone vibrates and lights up. He ignores it figuring it's just some pointless notification from some game he hasn't played since the day he downloaded it.
"Stiles." Derek mumbles shaking his shoulder softly. "You're phone keeps going off, it might be important."
"Sleep is important too." Stiles mutters tiredly as he pulls the blanket up higher and Derek sighs.
"Fine. I will get it." Derek says kissing Stiles on the forehead before climbing out of bed. He grabs his knee, rubbing the side of it trying to dull the sharp pain that suddenly spiked when he stood up before walking over to the table.
"This is Stiles' phone." Derek says as he puts the iPhone to his ear not recognising the number that was on the screen.
"I'm Deputy Clark from the Beacon County Sheriff's Station. Am I speaking to Stiles Stilinski?" The woman responds and Derek glances over at Stiles not liking where this conversation was going.
"I'm his boyfriend. Stiles is currently unavailable." Derek simply replies.
"Oh okay. Well I'm sorry for the one to tell you this but Sheriff Stilinski has been injured during a robbery at the local bank. He's been sent to the Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital." She explains and Derek heart begins to beat faster. The Sheriff has been injured.
"Is he going to be okay?" Derek quickly questions running his hand through his hair nervously.
"I'm only the messenger, that's all I know. I got told to call his son and tell him." She replies and Derek sighs.
"Okay. Thank you." Derek says shaking his head as he ends the call.
"Stiles. Get up we need to go to the hospital. Your dad has been hurt." Derek says shaking Stiles' shoulders afraid he has fallen asleep again.
"What? How badly?" Stiles quickly questions as he jumps out of bed suddenly wide awake.
"I don't know." Derek replies quickly putting clothes on as he hands Stiles his boots. He grabs whatever car keys he could find first before throwing Stiles his jacket as the two of them walk out the hut.
Derek looks down at the keys in his hand and points towards the Jeep before climbing in the drivers side knowing Stiles is probably on the verge of panicking and shouldn't drive.
"Did you not ask whether he was okay or not?" Stiles questions as Derek speeds down the driveway.
"I asked. But all the Deputy knew was that he has been injured during a bank robbery." Derek explains and Stiles sighs rubbing his face with his hands. Derek looks over at him and even from a quick glance he could see the panic and worry in Stiles' face. The way Stiles bites the corner of his lip and the way he's fiddling with his fingers, Derek knows he's anxious. Over the past year of being at the Stilinski farm... well nearly a year anyway. He's learnt to read the farmhands and Stiles, he knows the little things they do indicating whether they are worried or angry or nervous.
"Fuck." Stiles mutters running his fingers through his hair as Derek grabs his hand squeezing it gently.
"It'll be okay. Alright? Stiles look at me. He will be okay." Derek says calmly looking Stiles in the eye for a few seconds before concentrating back on the road as he turns off the Stilinski's driveway and onto the road.
"You don't know that." Stiles replies as he checks his phone again making sure he hasn't got a miss phone call.
"Yes I do. If it's really bad then the Deputy would have known about it but she didn't, so it can't be bad." Derek says and he hopes like hell that he is right. Stiles can't lose his father, not after his mother. He can't lose both of them, the Sheriff isn't just Stiles' father he's basically Scott's father too and if he dies it will destroy both of them.
"I hope your right." Stiles replies as he fiddles with the buttons on his jacket watching as Derek changes gears slamming down on the accelerator. They arrive in Beacon Hills 20 minutes earlier than they should have but Stiles was never gonna tell Derek to slow down to the speed limit.
They pull into the car park to the hospital, Derek hitting the brakes as Stiles points out a cop car driving around. He slows down to the speed limit parking in the first park he finds. Within minutes they are walking through the hospital doors. Luckily it was close to 2am so there was barely anyone there other than the few nurses walking and behind the front counter.
"Where's Sheriff Stilinski?" Derek questions as the two of them rush towards the front desk to be faced with a confused young nurse.
"I can't give client information-" The nurse begins to say before Stiles cuts her off.
"I'm his son! Where is he? Is he okay?" Stiles cuts in.
"He's okay. He came in with a bullet wound. He's in room 208 on level two." The nurse explains and without any further words Derek grabs Stiles' hand and leads him to the elevator.
"Gun shot wound!" Stiles states shaking his head as Derek keeps pressing the second level button in the elevator impatiently.
"The nurse said he was okay." Derek reminds him staring at the elevator doors which can't open quick enough. Stiles squeezes his hand gently causing Derek to look across at him giving him a soft smile as the elevator doors open.
They reach room 208 and without hesitation Stiles opens the door to find his father sitting on a bed with Melissa standing in front of him.
"Dad?" Stiles calls as he takes a few more steps into the room while Derek closes the door behind him but doesn't move, wanting to give the Stilinski's some space.
"Stiles?" The Sheriff asks turning his head and a smile appears on his face as he spots his son walking towards him.
"What happened? Are you okay?" He asks looking back and forth between his dad and Melissa.
"Bank robbery went south." The Sheriff responds with a smile and Stiles rolls his eyes with a sigh of relief, knowing if his father is making light of the situation then he is okay.
"The bullet went all the way through his shoulder. It was a clean shot and hasn't damage any major nerves or tendons so all we had to do was stitch up both sides." Melissa informs as she finishes wrapping the Sheriff's shoulder with bandages. "He'll need to take these painkillers once a day for a week and he shouldn't do any heavy lifting or farm work for three weeks." She adds handing the Sheriff the bottle of painkillers.
"So he's okay?" Stiles asks carefully and Melissa nods. "Thank God." He mutters before pulling his dad into a hug.
"I'm fine kiddo, I ain't going anywhere." The Sheriff reassures, patting Stiles on the back with his good arm. He glances up at the door spotting Derek leaning against the wall with a very tired but relieved expression. The Sheriff gives him a nod of thanks and Derek nods back with a half smile knowing what the older man was trying to say.
"I'll go get the last of the paper work and then I'll be able to sign you out so you all can get some sleep." Melissa says with a smile as she walks out the room.
"Don't ever do that again!" Stiles shouts but by the happy expression Derek can tell he isn't angry.
"Do what? Get shot? Trust me it wasn't my intention." The Sheriff responds and Derek chuckles.
"I got a call in the middle of the night from one of your Deputy's saying you have been injured during a bank robbery and are at the hospital! You could have been bleeding out, you could have had dislocated your shoulder, you could have been stabbed and on your death bed! I didn't know what to think." Stiles quickly says as his dad puts his hand on his shoulder giving him a look that Stiles knew all too well. He nods taking a few deep breaths and then smiles. "I'm so glad you are okay."
"You and me both, kid. Now let's go meet Melissa by the front desk so we can go home." The Sheriff says climbing off the bed ignoring Stiles' hand for help. "I may not be able to lift my left arm very high at the moment but I can still walk and do stuff myself." His father says and Stiles rolls his eyes but nods anyway.
"Good to see you alive, Sheriff." Derek says with a soft smile. He's had too many people close to him die. When Laura died he thought it was the end, he couldn't handle it, couldn't live knowing that everyone he loved and cared about were now gone while he was still living. Her death broke him, he hasn't been the same since that day and he knows he never will be. He can't handle anymore people dying. He hates even the thought of someone else he cares about dying, especially someone who means the absolute world to Stiles. They have both seen enough death to last a life time, they don't need anymore.
The Sheriff looks over at him as he walks towards him noticing the hint of sadness in his expression that Derek's trying to keep neutral but he can see right through him, he isn't the Sheriff for nothing. He gives Derek a smile before he notices the way the younger man is holding sleeves down over his hands, it wouldn't have meant much if it wasn't for the tiny part of bandage that was sticking out and the Sheriff sighs knowing exactly what that's from.
"Come here." The Sheriff says holding his arm out with a sad smile as he gives Derek a tight hug. "You're a good kid, don't let anyone dead or alive tell you otherwise."