Ficlet | End of Life Care | Deputy John Stilinski/Claudia Stilinski, Nurse Claudia McCall | Teen
Author: thisnewjoe
Title: End of Life Care
Rating: Teen
Pairing/s: John Stilinski/Claudia Stilinski
Character/s: Melissa McCall, Deputy (John) Stilinski
Summary: Melissa helps John cope with the final hours of Claudia's life.
Warnings: Imminent canonical character death
Content Notes: None
Submission Type: Ficlet
Word Count: 581
Prompt: #233, "luck"
Author's Notes: I keep returning to the time around Claudia's death, and wondering how the characters deal with it in each moment. This is only lightly edited, so there are certainly some errors.
"Melissa! What's going on with my wife?"
He came sooner than they had all hoped. He'd stormed through the hospital doors, startling the guests in the waiting room. Melissa pulls herself from the knot of worried nurses. She takes a breath, uncertain how John is going to respond.
Barely more than two paces from him, she stands tall and stares John in the eyes. She draws from a waning inner reserve to speak confidently and carefully to the sheriff's deputy, hoping that she's not about to make a difficult thing much worse.
"Her condition is deteriorating much sooner than we expected." Specific, clear, just the fact. "She can't speak. She can't recognize anyone." While she feels turmoil inside, she projects experienced confidence to the deputy. "It will be quick and quiet for her."
With more than a decade in police and sheriff offices, John was reacting as a skilled professional at the news before he realized she'd disarmed his fear so effectively. He looked at her newly, seeing her for the first time.
She wasn't calm, she was warring against falling to the ground. Claudia was her best friend. The McCalls and Stilinskis had developed quite a bond, echoing the quick kinship that grew between their young sons a few years before.
She steps closer to him, voice quavering as she loses some of the control she has over herself.
She whispers, "Has Stiles said his goodbyes?"
John closes his eyes. He had debated whether or not to bring Stiles in when the time comes. He still doesn't know. He shakes his head and exhales shamefully.
"I don't know if I should."
Melissa knows a few things about grief and regret. "I've seen families working through this before. It will matter to him, to be able to say goodbye to her. Unless you have a strong reason not to, I think you should." She worries her thumbs in circles over the fingers of her loosely clenched fists, grounding herself in this moment. John tilts his head back, breathes deeply, and sighs again. He's about to speak when she interrupts: "Raphael will bring him here, and then Raf and Scott will be in the waiting room while you and Stiles spend time with Claudia."
John can hear the grip of tears in her voice and he looks at her again. She's pleading with him, and the tears gathering in her eyes are about to spill.
"Yes. Please bring him."
"Thank you, John. We want to do this. Your family has done so much for ours, and it's important to us to be here with yours."
"Yeah. It's something like luck." John gives her a sad smile.
Melissa remembers how Claudia used to joke about bad luck, and how people tend to notice the back luck more than almost anything else in their lives, even love. She knew what it meant for John to be reminded that love is around even in death.
"Let's take you to Claudia and I'll make sure the boys get here as soon as possible."
"I love her." It's quieter than anything she's ever heard him say.
"Yes." She sets a hand on his shoulder, and tugs him gently toward the corridor that would lead them to Claudia's room for the last time. "You always have." Claudia sets a comforting hand on his shoulder, and tugs lightly. "Come."
Title: End of Life Care
Rating: Teen
Pairing/s: John Stilinski/Claudia Stilinski
Character/s: Melissa McCall, Deputy (John) Stilinski
Summary: Melissa helps John cope with the final hours of Claudia's life.
Warnings: Imminent canonical character death
Content Notes: None
Submission Type: Ficlet
Word Count: 581
Prompt: #233, "luck"
Author's Notes: I keep returning to the time around Claudia's death, and wondering how the characters deal with it in each moment. This is only lightly edited, so there are certainly some errors.
"Melissa! What's going on with my wife?"
He came sooner than they had all hoped. He'd stormed through the hospital doors, startling the guests in the waiting room. Melissa pulls herself from the knot of worried nurses. She takes a breath, uncertain how John is going to respond.
Barely more than two paces from him, she stands tall and stares John in the eyes. She draws from a waning inner reserve to speak confidently and carefully to the sheriff's deputy, hoping that she's not about to make a difficult thing much worse.
"Her condition is deteriorating much sooner than we expected." Specific, clear, just the fact. "She can't speak. She can't recognize anyone." While she feels turmoil inside, she projects experienced confidence to the deputy. "It will be quick and quiet for her."
With more than a decade in police and sheriff offices, John was reacting as a skilled professional at the news before he realized she'd disarmed his fear so effectively. He looked at her newly, seeing her for the first time.
She wasn't calm, she was warring against falling to the ground. Claudia was her best friend. The McCalls and Stilinskis had developed quite a bond, echoing the quick kinship that grew between their young sons a few years before.
She steps closer to him, voice quavering as she loses some of the control she has over herself.
She whispers, "Has Stiles said his goodbyes?"
John closes his eyes. He had debated whether or not to bring Stiles in when the time comes. He still doesn't know. He shakes his head and exhales shamefully.
"I don't know if I should."
Melissa knows a few things about grief and regret. "I've seen families working through this before. It will matter to him, to be able to say goodbye to her. Unless you have a strong reason not to, I think you should." She worries her thumbs in circles over the fingers of her loosely clenched fists, grounding herself in this moment. John tilts his head back, breathes deeply, and sighs again. He's about to speak when she interrupts: "Raphael will bring him here, and then Raf and Scott will be in the waiting room while you and Stiles spend time with Claudia."
John can hear the grip of tears in her voice and he looks at her again. She's pleading with him, and the tears gathering in her eyes are about to spill.
"Yes. Please bring him."
"Thank you, John. We want to do this. Your family has done so much for ours, and it's important to us to be here with yours."
"Yeah. It's something like luck." John gives her a sad smile.
Melissa remembers how Claudia used to joke about bad luck, and how people tend to notice the back luck more than almost anything else in their lives, even love. She knew what it meant for John to be reminded that love is around even in death.
"Let's take you to Claudia and I'll make sure the boys get here as soon as possible."
"I love her." It's quieter than anything she's ever heard him say.
"Yes." She sets a hand on his shoulder, and tugs him gently toward the corridor that would lead them to Claudia's room for the last time. "You always have." Claudia sets a comforting hand on his shoulder, and tugs lightly. "Come."