ANOTHER STORY ANOTHER TIME

CHAPTER FORTY THREE * TIME

Melissa walked out of recovery room. At Noah's request, Stiles, Michael and Max were all placed in the same room. It had been five days since the incident. Melissa sat at the nurse's station; she recorded all three men's vitals; she continually checked them over and over to make sure she was correct. She looked up from her pad, the Sheriff and Jordan were walking down the hall together. Melissa looked at Jordan, she walked over and stood between the two men,

"Noah, I told you to go home and get some rest. And you Jordan you're supposed to be watching him making sure he's taking care of himself." Jordan smiled at her, 

"I'm doing what I can after all he is still the boss." Noah looked at both of them with his polite attitude. 

"Any change yet?" She smiled, "No, none at all. Their bodies are working perfectly fine and it's not like they're in a coma. It's like they're asleep, the melatonin levels are really high in all three men."

After visiting his son and the other men, Noah joined Natalie in the waiting room where the General was sitting quietly across from her with Derek seated next to her. Derek stood and nervously wiped his hands on his pant pockets. As he spoke the three returned to the patient's room. 

 "We almost have the pack house done... I chose the attic, it's quite nice. I placed a king size bed on both ends, with the middle wall set so if they want their own room, they will move to create two separate rooms." Derek looked down at Max laying there quietly, ignoring the two standing there he spoke to Max calmly. "Max, I need you to come back, there is so much I want to show you about the world that you never knew about or have seen. Plus, we need you to help wake up Stiles and Michael, okay.?" Derek placed his hand under Max hand and squeezed it. Lydia walked to the door and tapped. 

"Hey Derek." She said with a smile. Derek nodded and smiled a fake smile. She sat next to him but facing Stiles. 

"He literally has no one, I know how much it hurts to have no one." Derek said solemnly to Lydia as she turned and put her hand in his. 

"Derek, you were never alone, you always had us, but you always pushed us away, you pushed him (as she looked at Stiles!) away even harder than anybody else, and it hurt him, but you have changed so much these last few years." Derek looked at her,

 "I lost so much trying to protect everyone's future that I had forgotten to live for the present." Lydia glanced at Max,  

"Was he really hidden away for over twenty years." Derek sadly looked at her, "Not hidden, imprisoned." Lydia looked at Max, her feelings were changing towards him.

Then she looked at Michael, she still was angry with him. Their argument a few days earlier was still fresh in her mind, he had been one of a few people who had ever put her in her place. She had thought about it though, and she didn't take Stiles's feelings into consideration, or how it would affect him phycologically. 

"I kinda owe Michael an apology, He made me see how I treated Stiles, but I was pissed when he did it. I was only thinking of myself" She walked around Stiles's bed to Michael's, she laid her hand on his, before she spoke.

 "I can't be mad at you anymore, Michael I'm sorry for how I acted when we last talked. You are good for him." As she smiled, he lightly squeezed her hand.

 "Apology accepted." He whispered with a raspy voice. Derek stood,

 "Michael, Michael, thank God, we are so happy your awake." He squeezed Michael's shoulder as he turned and quickly went to the nurse's station.