Old Scars, Future Hearts

58

Stiles and Marika got to the hospital and were sitting in a bed. He was protesting. "I'm completely and totally fine."

Melissa shook her head. "Uh-uh-uh. You completely and totally have a concussion, Stiles. Lie back down. The doctor said you're not leaving the CT scan. Marika, you're getting a CT scan as well."

Stiles frowned. "We still haven't paid for the last one."

"Oh, no, no, no. Meredith is at the station. Your dad said it could take some time, but they will get her to talk. Even if I let you go, what would you do?"

Stiles let out a sigh. "Okay, fine. Can you do me one little favor?"

"Anything."

"Can you get me a tape player?"

"Like cassettes?"

"Yes. Tapes."

"Yeah, I'll see what I can do."

"Okay, tapes, though, please."

"Cassettes," Melissa and Maggie corrected as Melissa left.

Marika glanced at Stiles. "What do you want with cassette tapes?"

"I'm working on that as I go. Are you okay, Marika?"

She nodded. "I'm fine."

"Marika... How are you? Really?"

"Stiles, just don't."

Stiles took her hand and said, "Whatever it is, I'm here."

She yanked her arm away and nodded slowly.

At that moment, Melissa walked back in. Stiles looked up at her. "You find a tape player?"

Melissa shook her head. "No. But I found a couple someones looking for you two."

Malia and Dmitri walked in and the former said, "I heard you two almost got killed."

"I heard you almost got killed," Stiles returned.

"You two okay?"

Stiles and Marika nodded. "Brunski punched me in the face. Marika's okay. Turns out he was a serial killer."

Malia nodded. "Makes sense."

"What about you, Malia?" Marika asked.

"We almost got set on fire."

"Everyone okay?" Stiles inquired.

"Basically."

"You okay?"

Malia nodded. "I'm fine. I'm gonna go."

Marika stood. "Malia, I'm truly sorry we didn't tell you about Peter being your father. We thought we were trying to protect you, and we should have told you. It was a stupid thing to keep from you. Can you forgive us?"

Malia nodded. "Yeah, for you, I think I can." She glanced between them and walked away.

"Thank you, Malia."

Malia smiled as she left and told the two she'd meet them later.

Stiles and Marika got a CT scan and were fine, so they and Dmitri headed to his house.

Inside his room, they played the tape Brunski made when he killed Lorraine.

"Let's go, Lorraine."

"Listen to me. Please listen. There's something I have to do, something I have to stop," Lorraine said. The volume increased and Lorraine continued. "No. No. I don't think you're gonna be taking me anywhere. I can hear the recorder in your pocket. It's on now, isn't it? You're making a tape. Just like you taped the others. How many others have you taped, Brunski? Ten? Twenty? A hundred?"