Chapter Text
Laura could hear Katya’s heartbeat from the hospital waiting area. Cancer had been weakening Mama Stilinski’s rhythm for months. The pounding of the grieving girl’s heart, as 4 sets of heartbeats in the room stilled to 3 forever, made Laura’s skin itch. She wanted to run to her best friend’s arms; to cuddle and stroke her hair and murmur soft words in her ear. She stood and began to pace. Her werewolf hearing honed in on the Stilinski room down the hall. She could hear Stiles sniff and Katya clear her throat. Laura could tell Katya wanted to cry. That it was caught in her throat, pushing at her lips to escape but she was strong and Stiles needed her.
There was not a sound from the Sheriff. The moment his wife’s heart stopped, he froze as if his stillness could will it to beat again.
Laura couldn’t handle it. Her agitated movements started to draw the attention of a pair of kind eyes from behind the nurse’s station in the lobby.
“We’re ok.” Katya’s gentle voice caught on ‘ok’ as it forced itself past her throat. It was quiet and directed to the hospital room at large: to Stiles in her arms, to their father whose eyes saw nothing but middle-space from shock, to their mother’s spirit or body...
But Laura knew it was for her.
She realized she had been growling low in her throat and clenching her fists so hard she broke the skin as her claws started to come out.
“Let’s go get some sleep, bro” Laura could hear shuffling as Katya directed her 10 year old brother away from the shell of their mother.
“Are you ok, dear?” Laura snapped back to the waiting area as the nurse with the kind eyes addressed her. “Have you hurt your hands?” She hadn’t noticed the nurse approach her. The owner of the eyes had dark curly hair and pastel scrubs and a concerned look on her face.
Laura mastered her features, though her eyebrows betrayed her by staying in their stubborn concerned drawn-together position.
“I’m fine” Thankful the nurse couldn’t hear the lie in her heartbeat, she tried to subtly hide the quickly healing punctures on her hands. “My friend’s mom just died”
Katya lead a dazed Stiles around the corner. They were both wearing pajamas. Their tennis shoes looked out of place out from under pink stripes and spider-man print respectively.
“Mrs.McCall..” Katya addressed the kind nurse as Laura noticed the name tag reading ‘Mrs.McCall’ with happy stickers of whales and smilies around it for the first time, “Dad is staying here tonight. Will you make sure he eats something? Laura is going to drive us home” She gestured to Laura with her free hand. The other was occupied holding up her brother. He looked dazed but determined and seemed to be holding up his sister as much as she was him.
“Sure, Katya. You guys go get some rest.”
-
They walked silently out to Laura’s 1986 Bimmer. Katya handed Stiles in to the back seat and closed the door with a rusty squeal. Laura’s arms were waiting for her when she turned around and the grieving girl melted into them.
“Let’s go home” Laura said.
They drove to the Stilinski house. Some of its lights had been left on in their haste to leave earlier. Laura carried Stiles in as Katya unlocked the door. She deposited him on the couch then went to the kitchen to make some tea. Katya closed and locked the door then did the circuit checking all the windows and the back door.
When she returned to the living room she found Laura on the couch, Stiles curled up next to her and 2 mugs of tea steaming on the coffee table. Katya settled in next to Laura and buried her face in the crook of her friends neck. Laura put an arm around her. She guarded the young Stilinskis as their pain, grief and exhaustion overtook them.
At one point, Laura moved to drink her tea and Katya awoke.
“Thank you...” her voice raspy from crying and sleep. It reminded Laura of Demi Moore, “... for what you did...” she pressed her forehead against the Laura’s shoulder, “for taking her pain. It was easier... she didn’t suffer at the end”
“You did.” She set down the mug and stroked Katya’s hair with a hand still warm from the cup. “I wanted to save you the pain. I would take yours now if I could; if it would help.” She leaned her head against Katya’s “but it won’t...” She breathed in the soft scent of Katya’s hair. It still held the faint tinges of grief and hospital and the tiniest floral hint of their mother. “I never want you to hurt”
Laura kissed the top of the girl’s head and rubbed the back of the sleeping boy.
A little smile appeared on his face.
They slept fitfully that night, draped over each other. Holding on for dear life.