A Traveling Love

Chapter Twelve

When Derek wakes up his hand is warm and wet. He finds Stiles lying over it, crying his eyes out. He's confused why he's hear. He remembers leaving the hospital not that long ago, so why would he be back so soon? Then he remembered.

The heart attack. The pain and the blackness. It all came back at once. Stiles only sobbed harder when he saw that Derek was awake.

"Derek..." he says in a wretched and broken voice.

Derek looks around the room to see the sheriff and his wife sitting together off to the side, holding on to each other for dear life. Derek couldn't blame him. Claudia was sick. Not just mentally, but physically. Her brain was deteriorating painfully slow and her family was left to watch the slow motion wreck. It was awful. And not the kind of awful that comes with being wounded because of the war and never being right when you come back. But the real kind of awful. The awful that tore families apart, that homes split over, that people gave up for. Just plain awful.

"Derek..." Stiles said again, more unsure his time. Derek looked up at him just when the doctor came in.

"Mr. Hale," he said in a loud voice. "Not too glad to have you back, if you know what I mean." Derek snorted out a faint sound that kind of almost sounded like a laugh. But hey, it was an improvement. "Ok, your chart says that you suffered a heart attack this morning. We think it was most likely caused from stress. I'm just going to take a little listen to your chest here for a minute. Do you... mind?"

The doctor remembered how Derek didn't like to be touched. Derek looked to Stiles. He knew he shouldn't. Shouldn't trust Stiles, let Stiles touch him, even get involved with Stiles. But he really did trusted him. Even after being kicked out, Derek still trusted Stiles with his life.

"I can hold the end that goes on his chest," Stiles told the doctor. Stiles also strapped and unstrapped the blood pressure sock.

"Ok, Mr. Hale, you heart sounds good but your blood pressure is a little high, which is to be expected. Your pulse is also a little fast but that's normal too. We've already got you hooked up to a heart monitor and IV. What's your pain level from zero to ten. Ten being the worst."

Derek held up three fingers. He felt a slight discomfort in his chest but everything else was fuzzy.

"Yeah. That's the morphine. In another hour I'll have a nurse administer you another dose to keep the pain low. You'll be okay, Derek. You're strong, you'll pull through." The doctor nodded his head and left.

Stiles stroked Derek's hair back while the sheriff and Claudia made an excuse to leave. "I'm so sorry, baby."

Derek stopped Stiles before he could continue on any further. "I've been thinking that I should come back home. If you'll have me," Derek held up a hand to signal Stiles to not talk. "I want to do it on my terms though,"

Stiles nodded.

"We have to sleep in the same bed. Even if I want to sleep on the couch, you have to make me sleep in the bed, I'm tired of being alone. And you have to take me to my appointments and not complain when they are over. I'm trying to get better for myself and you, Stiles. And last, do not ever kick me out again. I couldn't take it..."

Derek lost a few tears. He really couldn't take it again.

"Of course, baby. Anything. I need you back. Roxy misses you too."

A/N: There will probably be one or two more chapters after this. Please comment and tell me what you think :)