Liquid Silver

Two

Jem left her legs dangling off the edge of the counter top at the hospitals reception. Under normal circumstances she never would have sat up here, but things were so chaotic none of the staff bothered to tell her off.

She was sucking a lollipop Melissa had instinctively given her when they arrived, making Jem smile because apparently old habits really did die hard. She still felt weird whenever they came into the hospital.

Now she was older the waiting room seemed so much more sinister. The memories she had of playing building blocks with a six year old Liam waiting for his dad to finish work were tainted with the reason she was there. She and Stiles had spent hours upon hours here when they were little, doing their homework and waiting for their dad to tell them it was okay to come see their mom. 

Many days would go by where she wasn't well enough for them to visit at all and they'd leave the hospital with a sour taste in their mouths and the smell of hand sanitiser on their skin.

Today there seemed to be patients blowing in the door every minute. People with head bandages, or broken bones, all soaked from the rain or shell shocked from having run their cars over banks on the slippery roads, or worse into another car. Melissa was trying her best to file paper work over the counter and Jem considered the idea of studying nursing. This was putting her off.

Scott had gone with Liam to drop him off to his dad. He hadn't seemed overly keen on the idea of being left at the hospital but both Scott and Stiles agreed it was best he stayed with family. He'd be calmer with his parents, especially once they got a chance to bring him home. Unfortunately it looked like Liam's dad might be caught up over time on surgeries tonight with the constant stream coming in through the door.

When Scott and Stiles rounded the corner to reception again they both seemed jittery. 

"Malia" Stiles started, his girlfriend sliding off the counter top where she'd been sitting waiting beside Jem. "If you were going away and I told you, don't worry, go have fun. What would you think?"

Malia pondered his question for a second. "Fun like bowling? Or fun like sex with other guys?"

Jem almost choked on her lollipop as Scott winced. She couldn't help but laugh, but tried not to show her face to Scott when she did so. Someone was apparently finally cracking under missing Kira. "Okay yeah now I'm worried" he mumbled.

Melissa stood up from behind reception when yet another stretcher was rolled through the front door, a young man writhing in pain on top of the blankets, blood flowing steadily from a gash in his leg. 

"Hey mom, where's all this coming from?" Scott, asked as Melissa went to follow the new patient, nurse instinct taking over.

"Jack knifed truck and trailer on one fifteen, causing a major pileup" She didn't comment any further, disappearing into the emergency department with a few other medical staff. 

Stiles face fell as he put the pieces together, and Jem's heart hurt for him. "There's only one way back into Beacon Hills from the airport"

"The one fifteen" Scott sighed. 

"Kira's never going to make it" Stiles concluded pitifully as the night continued falling apart around him. 

"I'll get her" Scott started walking to the exit, surprising the three of them. "You guys head to the school, we'll meet you there before midnight" he promised.

Stiles shouted after him just before he was about to duck outside. "How are you gonna get through the middle of a traffic jam?"

"I'll make it"