The untold story of Claudia Stilinski

MOM! Stiles woke up screaming, he was sweating his heart racing and his pulse rising, he was having a nightmare.
" Stiles? Sweetie, what is it, are you ok?" Claudia said as she ran into Stiles's room.
"Mom, I was so scared I was having a bad dream, I dreamt, I dreamt you left me."
"Aww sweetie it's ok, mummy is here now, and I'm not going anywhere."
Claudia sat there with Stiles, hugging him, she looked up with a look of fear on her face and a tear slowly rolled down her cheek, "I love you Stiles." she said as she kissed her son on her forehead. "I'm not leaving you, not yet." she said softly, almost like a whisper.

For a while now Claudia had known she was ill, she had a sickness called frontotemporal dementia, it affected her brain, and it didn't look like she was getting any better, she was staying strong for her husband and her son, but she was slowly breaking down.

The next day after she dropped Stiles of at school, she made her way to the hospital. She was meeting with her doctor,
"It doesn't look good" the doctor said.
Claudia was silent for a while before she finally got the courage to ask, "How much time do I have?"
"A couple of months at most."

After leaving the hospital she headed to the police station where her husband, the sheriffs deputy worked. She walked through the station and when she saw him it took everything she had to not cry right there. When he saw her he knew, he knew what it was about and he dreaded what came next.
"Um, how much.. how much time?"
"Just, a couple of months."
"I can't live without you Claudia, I can't."
"I know sweetie, but you have to. I know this is hard but you have to stay strong, for Stiles and for me." she said sobbing.
He looked at her with tear filled eyes, then he pulled her close and hugged her.
He pulled himself together and said "You have to tell him Claudia, you have to tell Stiles."
"No, I'm not telling him, please don't tell him, I don't want him to live his life knowing his mother is going to die, wondering if each day with me may be the last. Maybe when the time is right, but until then, I just want him to be happy."
"Then you need to spend as much time with him as you can, he will never be ready to loose his mother, but at least he'll get a chance to say goodbye."
He stood there hugging his wife and kissing her and crying with her.

The next few months were especially difficult for Claudia, because of her illness she was getting weaker, and it was getting harder and harder to hide it from Stiles.
Stiles saw his mom lying on her bed, he walked to the door and slowly peeked into her room and asked "Mom? Are you alright?"
"Stiles, honey what are you doing here? I thought you were going to the park with Scott."
"I was but then I thought I'd spend the day with you instead." he said smiling as he walked into his moms room.
"Aw honey that's so sweet of you." Claudia said smiling.
"Mom are you ok?" Stiles asked looking worried as he climbed onto her bed.
"I'm fine Stiles, but I want you to promise me something."
"What?" he asked eagerly
"Promise me that no matter what happens, you will be a good boy, and you'll take care of your dad for me."
Stiles looked at her and he was silent for a bit, then he said "Anything for you mom, I promise."
Stiles lied down on the bed beside her and she held him in her arms, she started crying.
"Mommy why are you crying?"
"I'm just, happy Stiles, you are such an amazing boy, you're so smart and brave, you are the bravest little boy I have ever known." she said.
"Braver than batman?" He asked smiling.
Claudia laughed, "Yes, you're my little batman Stiles."
Then she just lay there with her son in her arms she placed a kiss on his head and they both fell to sleep.

The next night Stiles woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of sirens, it was an ambulance here to take his mom to the hospital, Stiles was scared he called for his mom but no answer. His dad heard him he ran to his side to comfort him.
"Hey Stiles its ok, listen mom isn't feeling well so we're just gonna go to the hospital for a little bit ok?"
Stiles was to afraid to reply so he just nodded in agreement and left with his dad.
When they got to the hospital they were sitting in the waiting room when Stiles started to cry, "Dad, what's wrong with mom?"
"Stiles I knew I should have told you months ago, but nothing I said could've prepared you for this."
"What? Dad what is it?"
"Stiles, you're mom, she's very sick son, she has been for a long time."
"But she's gonna get better right dad? That's what hospitals do."
His dad looked at him not knowing what to say next. He shook his head,
"No son, she's not."
Stiles started to cry, he ran out of the waiting room shouting for his mother.
"Stiles!" his dad yelled running after him, "Come back here!"
Then Stiles stopped in the middle of the hallway, he fell to the ground and broke down sobbing his little eyes out. His father finally caught up to him. He saw his son on the ground and he started crying as well. He picked Stiles up and took him into an empty hospital room to calm him down.

A little while later Stiles and his dad walked into his moms room, she was lying on the hospital bed, wires all around her connected to machines, monitoring her heartbeat, her pulse and her brainwaves. They were her life support.
"Mom?" Stiles asked still crying as he walked up to her bed side.
"Hi sweetie." She said forcing a smile.
"Mom why aren't you getting better?"
"Oh sweetie come here." She said slowly stretching her arms open "Now listen to me Stiles, sometimes people get so sick that, there is no getting better, and there's nothing we can do."
"No! Mom no! You have to get better, you have to come home!" Stiles cried out. "You promised me you'd never leave me! Please don't leave me!"
"Sweetie, I don't have a choice, oh Stiles I love you so very much, and I want you to know how proud I am of you."
"But mom-" Stiles was cut of by his mom grabbing his hand and saying,
"Listen to me Stiles." Tilting his tear stained face up so she could look into his eyes. "I want you to remember the promise you made me, you need to be strong Stiles, for me and your dad." Claudia said as she reached for her husbands hand as well.
"Please don't leave us mom, I'll be all alone."
"Stiles, you will never be alone, you have your dad and Scott and people who love you very much. I may no longer be here Stiles, but I will always be with you, right here." She said placing her hand on his heart.
Stiles jumped into his mothers arms and started sobbing. His dad sat by her bedside and hugged the two of them. There wasn't a single dry eye in the room.

Stiles spent the next few weeks by his mothers side in the hospital, sometimes he missed school, but he didn't care. Scott would drop by at times to check up on his best friend, but all Stiles really wanted was to be alone with his mom.
One day when he was alone at the hospital and his dad was at work Stiles sat by his mothers bed and started talking to her.
"Um, hey mom, I need to tell you something, I think I'm in love. Her name is Lydia Martin, she's a beautiful blonde, well more like strawberry blonde, and she's got these with gorgeous green eyes and every time I see her in school I feel like butterflies are flying around in my chest!" He said forcing a smile. "I promise you mom I'm gonna marry her one day." Stiles paused for a second and took his mothers hand in his. "So I know you told me to stay strong, but it's really hard. Scott has been an amazing friend even though he's got his own problems to worry about, and dad, well he's not doing so good, he needs you mom. I need you."
Suddenly the machines around him started beeping Stiles was so afraid he started calling out for help, them he turned to his mom "Mom!" Claudia opened her eyes one final time and looked at Stiles, and with her last dying breath she said her sons name and the words, "I love you."

Stiles was still in shock sitting in the waiting room his face soaked in tears when his dad came rushing in. He saw Stiles with his head buried in his hands, he rushed to his side and put his hands on his back, Stiles lifted his head up and saw his dad kneeling by his side he started crying as he jumped into his arms and buried his face in his jacket and started sobbing all over again. "Stiles look at me." His dad said, "We are gonna be ok, you hear me, it's you and me buddy." He said as he pulled his son into a tight embrace.

The very next day was Claudia's funeral, Stiles was standing in his bedroom getting ready, his tie hung from his neck, his mom was always the one who tied it for him, he had no idea how to do it. His dad walked in, he smiled at him and then he started tying his tie for him and showing him the ropes. "You look very handsome son." his dad said with a choke in his voice. Stiles smiled at his dad, then he took his hand and they left for the cemetery. Stiles stood above his mothers grave with his dad, he held his hand tightly as if he would never let go and they stood there watching Claudia's coffin being buried beneath the earth. Stiles kept his promise to his mother, he stood strong, but a tear rolled down his cheek and into the ground. His mother was gone.

A week after the funeral, Stiles woke up in the middle of the night screaming for his mother, he was breathing fast and sweating, he was having a panic attack. His dad rushed into his room and grabbed ahold of his son to calm down, "Stiles! Stiles!" he screamed "Stiles it's alright, look at me it's gonna be ok." Stiles was still hyperventilating, but slowly he calmed down. His father took a deep breath, a look of worry and despair appeared on his face.
"Dad, I miss mom, I miss her soo much."
"Me too son, me too."
"She told me should always be with me, right here." Stiles said pointing to his heart.
"She is Stiles, she's always with you, she's always watching over you." he said getting up from Stiles's bed "Everything's gonna be ok Stiles, I promise. Now go to sleep son"
"Dad?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you. Don't go just yet."
His father smiled at him, he climbed onto Stiles's bed and held his son in his arms. "I love you to son. we're gonna be alright."