No Good Deed | Hale - TVD/TO/TW [3]

17 | Fight for the Couch

By the time Lexi arrives back at the school, red and blue lights cover the building as ambulances and police cars fill the parking lot. After quickly speaking with the Sheriff and compelling an EMT to ignore her slow-healing wounds, she walks over to a familiar vet sitting in one of the ambulances.

"You must be Dr. Deaton," she says with a hint of mischief in her eye.

Deaton looks up and grins. "Yes. And you must be the teacher I saw before," he replies. "Thank you for letting me escape. I may owe my life to you."

Lexi shrugs, wincing as the gaping holes in her gut expand. "He wouldn't have killed you. We were all chasing the same thing."

The EMT listening gives her a look.

Deaton frowns. "You seem confused, maybe from all that blood loss." He sends her a disapproving look. "The kids accused Derek Hale of this—being trapped in the school and that poor janitor."

Lexi's expression goes slack. "The teenagers said that?"

Deaton nods.

"Well, I hope you get some sleep, Dr. Deaton," Lexi says as she backs away. "We'll find the culprit soon enough." She sends him a weak smile before she lets her eyes wander over to the beta and his human friend.

She does not walk over to them. She simply watches and waits for them to notice her. Blood flakes off in her hair as the cool wind blows. She stuffs her hands into Derek's leather jacket.

Scott turns around; his face pales. "Dude," he says, hitting Stiles with the back of his hand. "Look."

When Stiles sees the glare resting on Lexi's face, he too loses color in his face.

"Throwing Derek under the bus?" Lexi asks, knowing he can hear her. "Not a good choice, Scott."

And she walks away.

It takes her about an hour to get back to her apartment. She does not turn on the lights when she walks in, cautious of the barely conscious Derek Hale lying face down on her couch. She drops her keys on the counter before producing a first-aid kit from the cabinet. "Hey, sleepyhead," she says when she notices Derek's open eyes. "You're not healing, so I got something to help."

"Keep those goddamn needles away from me," he mutters.

"Fine." Lexi closes the first aid kit and settles on the table so that Derek does not have to move to see her. "You have four giant holes in your back."

"I'll heal." His eyes roam her torso as he frowns. "Is that my jacket?"

"I was cold." She shrugs it off, laying in beside her. "I'll pay for it to be cleaned—"

He jerks upwards when he sees the giant blood stains on her blouse. "You're hurt." He ignores the pain radiating from his back as he sits up.

Lexi shakes her head, "I'm fine."

That's when he sees the long scratch across her cheek.

Without thinking, he runs his thumb over the one remaining mark covering her face; without thinking, she just sighs and lets her head dip closer to his hand. "You can stay here for a few days," she says quietly. "The whole state's looking for you."

"Why?" He shifts closer to her.

She lets her eyes flutter open. "Scott's stupidity."

Derek clenches his jaw. "Blamed me for it, didn't he?"

Her silence is answer enough.

After a moment, Derek pushes himself off of the couch. Lexi jumps to her feet and places her hand against his chest. "What are you doing? You need to lie down."