CHAPTER SIXTY:
TAKEN

ELAINE QUICKLY HELPED A PATIENT to their bedroom. The hospital was absolutely crowded, and she had been requested to come in if she had the chance to which she gladly accepted. She walked down the halls, finding her mother just in time to see Scott walk through the hospital doors, holding up food for the both of them.

"Oh, thank god." Elaine breathed.

"I'm starving." Melissa agreed. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Thank you for bringing us dinner."

"You don't get a thanks from me." Elaine shrugged, a joking smile on her face as she accepted the food from her brother.

"Is everything okay?" He questioned.

"Just dandy." Elaine replied.

"Except for half the accident victims in a ten-car pile-up being rerouted here from downtown, and the ER attending not answering any of his pages. . . Yeah, I'm okay." Melissa sighed, nodding her head.

"What does not answering pages mean?" Scott frowned.

"It means that nobody can find him, so now we have to wait for the on-call to get here." Elaine told him. "I've never worked so late before. This is fun."

"You'll regret that." Melissa told her child.

"Miss?" They turned to look at woman who walked up to them.

"Yes?" Melissa quickly asked.

"Excuse me, can I kind of please have something for the pain?"

"Okay, I'm sorry, I know, but actually, giving you something could complicate things, so we really just need to wait for the doctors, okay?" Melissa apologized. The woman nodded her head before sitting back down. Melissa quickly turned to another nurse. "Okay, how much longer on Dr. Hilyard?"

"Ten minutes."

"Great." Elaine groaned before glancing towards her brother, a small smile pulling up at her lips as she watched him take the pain away from the patient that had walked up to their mother not moments prior.

"Someone! Someone help me!" Elaine immediately snapped her head at the sound of Ethan's voice. "I need help!"

"Ethan!" Elaine called the boy's name and she nodded for him to follow her. Elaine and Melissa were quick to lead Ethan who was carrying a very sick Danny in his arms to a hospital chair. Ethan carefully sat the boy down on the chair.

"What did you do to him?" Scott questioned.

"Nothing! He said he was having chest pains and trouble breathing, but it just kept getting worse." Ethan panicked.

"This is not good." Melissa shook her head, checking over the boy. "How much longer on Dr. Hilyard?" The nurse shrugged. "His larynx has shifted to the side. I think it's a tension pneumothorax." That's when he shot forward, throwing up. Scott looked down at the substance he had thrown up, only to look up at Elaine.

"Mistletoe." Ethan mumbled. Elaine quickly helped her mother take Danny to a hospital bed, and pushing it through the double doors.

"Can you two please go back to the waiting room." Melissa requested, looking towards Ethan and Scott.

"Where are the nurses and doctors? Where is everyone?" Ethan quickly asked.

"Why do you think I'm here?" Elaine questioned. "It's a full house tonight. They're tending to other patients."

"Okay, well, Mom, how can we help?" Scott asked.

"Honey, you can't. His lung is collapsed. His heart is being pushed against his chest cavity, so―︎"

"He's gonna die, isn't he?" Scott frowned.

"No." Elaine shook her head. "No, he isn't."

"Scott, you grab the tape." Melissa ordered. "You, grab those scissors and cut his shirt open."

"Mom, he's not breathing." Scott said as Ethan cut open the boys shirt.

"I know, I know."

"Needle." Elaine handed the giant needle to her mother who took it from her, quickly stabbing it into Danny's chest. Elaine handed her mother the other needle which allowed her to pull substance from the boy's body, allowing him the chance to breathe. The girl let out a breath of relief.

"Thank you." Danny weakly spoke.

Melissa looked up to see Scott and Ethan looking at her. "What?"

"That was awesome." Scott smiled, glancing towards his sister who smiled in response.

"It was no problem. You know, I mean, it wasn't a big deal." After that, Ethan and Scott walked out. Elaine continued to help the patients that she could, doing as much as her knowledge allowed her and as much as she was allowed to do as a volunteer nurse. That's when her mom had come to get her, telling her about the accident that took place. Once finishing with her patient, she quickly ran outside and down the steps, joining Stiles and Scott's side as Noah talked to Scott.

"So what are you saying?" Scott questioned.

"Hang on, hang on. . .They were both in the car?" Noah asked.

"No, Dad, they're trying to tell you that it was two separate kidnappings, okay? Two doctors, both gone." Stiles told his father.

"So, whose car is this?"

"Dr. Hilyard, the on-call doctor. The ER attending is the one that never made it back in." Melissa answered.

"Let me just focus on getting your story first, all right?" Noah said, looking towards Melissa who nodded her head. "Boys, and Elaine, give us a second."

"What's happening?" Elaine asked, looking between the two.

"These are definitely sacrifices, right?" Scott looked towards Stiles.

"Yeah, it's the one Deaton mentioned―︎ Healers." He looked towards Elaine for a moment, narrowing his eyes. "You can't volunteer at the hospital anymore."

"Stiles, I'm not gonna become a sacrifice." Elaine sighed.

"Technically, you count as a healer!" Stiles argued. Elaine gave him a look and he huffed in defeat before Scott quickly got back to the topic at hand

"What about Danny? He threw up mistletoe. That's not a coincidence, and if he hadn't been with Ethan, he probably would've died. Danny's not a healer. I. . ." That's when Stiles interrupted him.

"Can you hear that?"

"They found a body." Scott breathed.

"You're staying with me tonight." Stiles pointed to the girl.

"Well, Isaac is still borrowing my bed, so I was planning on it anyways." Elaine told him. "But, I gotta finish here first."

"No." Stiles shook his head. "Absolutely not."

"Stiles―︎"

"I will carry you away."

"I have to help."

"They'll figure it out."

"Stiles―︎!" But before the girl could finish, Stiles was quick to pick her up, making his way over to his jeep and placing her inside. And before she got the chance to get out, he quickly drove off. She sighed, shaking her head. "Let me text my mom and tell her I've been kidnapped."

"By your own boyfriend." Stiles added.

"Can we at least stop by my house to get clothes?"

"You have left over jeans at my house and you can borrow one of my shirts."

"You just don't want me out of your sight." Elaine narrowed her eyes.

"Correct."

"I'm still not a healer." Elaine told him.

"You still volunteer at a hospital, I'm not taking a chances." Stiles told her. Elaine scoffed, rolling her eyes and turning her face away from him before he could see the smile pulling up at the corners of her lips.

━︎━︎━︎━︎━︎

They sat in their chemistry class, Elaine sitting in front of Stiles and Scott as she glanced up towards the teacher who had placed a book on her desk. "Good morning. As you all know, Mr. Harris is still missing―︎I mean sick. Anyway, I'm filling in while we all hope and pray for a more qualified substitute to take my place. Okay, so let's get started, shall we?"

"Hey, my dad said that the ER attending wasn't strangled but did die from asphyxiation―︎they just don't know how." Stiles whispered towards Scott, Elaine having been there when the information was given.

"Do you think the on-call doctor could still be alive?" Scott questioned.

"I don't know. . . But Scott, there's got to be at least twenty other doctors in that hospital at least, you know? Any one of them could be next." Stiles answered, that's when Scott's phone rang. He glanced towards Ms. Blake before answering it.

     "Hey Doc. Sorry, I'm in class right now―︎can I call you back later?"

"Unfortunately, no. . . I honestly thought I might never have to burden you like this, but I'm afraid, at the moment, you're my only hope." Deaton stated. "I'm going to be taken. I need you to find me."

"Doc. Doc, doc, doc―︎what's happening?" But the line went dead.

"Scott?" Elaine frowned.

"It's Deaton." Scott told her. "El, we gotta go."

"Leaving now." Elaine nodded before raising her hand. "Ms. Blake, I'm not feeling so well. Is it alright if Scott takes me home?"

"Yes, that's fine. Just be sure to come back, Scott." Ms. Blake told him, and Scott nodded his head before the two quickly walked out. They quickly hopped onto Scott's motorcycle, making their way to the animal clinic. They quickly entered the clinic, only to find Stilinski and his deputy there. The two turned to face the siblings.

"How did you know?" Scott asked.

"Stiles called me as soon as you two left the school. I'm sorry. Your boss' car is still here, and the back door was wide open. Scott, Elaine, I need you two to tell me everything." Stilinski told them. And so they did. They told him as much as they could without exposing the supernatural part of it. Stiles even showed up during his free period.

"All right, we're doing everything we can. Right now, the best thing you can do is go back to school." Stilinski told them. Scott looked towards Stiles, nodding his head and the duo followed him into a room that wasn't filled with police officers.

"We have to tell him." Scott told the boy.

"You mean, like, tell him? Or, tell him something else that isn't telling him what I think you want to tell him?"

"You know what I mean."

"You remember how your mom reacted? She didn't look you in the eye for, like, a week!"

"Two." Elaine corrected, earning a look from Scott making her put her hands up in surrender.

"And she got over it! And―︎and it actually made us closer." Scott said.

"I don't know, dude." Stiles sighed. "I mean, look at him. Come on, he's completely overwhelmed as it is!"

"Stiles, he's overwhelmed because he has no clue what's happening. He's got people dying in his town―︎the town that he's supposed to protect―︎and it's not his fault that he doesn't know what's happening. He's gonna find out sooner or later." Elaine gently told her boyfriend, placing a hand on his arm.

"Yeah, but is now really the right time?" Stiles questioned her.

Elaine shrugged her shoulders. "Is there ever really a right time to tell someone that the supernatural exists?"

"What if not telling him now gets someone else killed?" Scott tried.

"What if telling him gets him killed, huh?" Stiles shot back. "I mean, okay. Look, I get that Deaton's been like a father to you―︎I get that, okay? But this is my―︎Scott, this is my actual father. I can't. . . I can't lose both of my parents, all right? Not both of them."

"Yeah, I know what that feels like." Elaine muttered. "Except a completely different scenario."

"You're right." Scott sighed, shaking his head.

"No, I'm not. I'm not right." Stiles denied, sighing. "I'll tell him."

"And we'll help you."

They opened the door, walking out of the room only to stop when they saw their school guidance counselor standing there. "Please, whatever you need. However you can help find my brother."

"Will you excuse us for a moment?" Noah asked before walking away from the woman.

"Brother?" Elaine whispered, looking between the two who both shrugged their shoulders. That's when Marin walked up to them.

"Okay, listen closely, all three of you―︎no sheriff, deputy, or detective is going to be able to find him."

"You don't have to ask us for help." Scott assured her.

"Actually, I'm trying to help you." She informed. "Because if you're going to find my brother, then you need to use the one person who might actually have an ability to seek out the supernatural."

Elaine sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Lydia."

━︎━︎━︎━︎━︎

Stiles and Elaine walked down the hall, Elaine making sure to stay out of sight of Ms. Blake seeing as she was supposed to be sick. A fire alarm was going off and the students were making their way out of the school. That's when Elaine noticed Lydia standing there with Cora Hale, the two having a conversation. Cora grabbed onto the girl's wrist.

"Let go." Lydia told her. But she didn't. "I said―︎"

"Let go." Elaine snarled, Cora almost immediately dropping her grip. "She said let go."

The four entered an empty classroom with Stiles slapping down a board on the table in front of Lydia. The girl rolled her eyes. "A ouijia board?"

"Also called a spirit board. And, it's worth a shot." Stiles plainly answered.

"A shot in the dark." Lydia retorted.

"Could you just try it, please?" Stiles requested, making Lydia look up at him. "Okay, let's not forget who this is for―︎Elaine and Scott's boss, the guy who has saved our collective asses on more than one occasion."

"Oh, wait. Should we all do this?" Cora asked.

"Yeah, yeah. You guys ready?"

Both Cora and Lydia answered yes, whilst Elaine answered no making them all look at her. "I don't mess with demonic boards."

"You're literally a witch that draw demonic symbols and draws blood from her own hands in order to cast spells. You practically do it everyday."

"Wow." Elaine's eyes widened. "Glad you thought so low of me."

"Just put your hand on it!" Stiles exclaimed, making Elaine rolling her eyes before doing as he asked. " Where's Dr. Deaton?"

They all looked towards Lydia. "What?"

"Aren't you gonna answer it?"

"Oh, I don't know the answer. I thought we were asking some sort of spirit."

"Well, do you know any spirits?" Cora questioned.

"Is she for real?"

Elaine sighed. "Next option, please?" Stiles removed the board before pulling out Deaton's keys.

"Okay, these are Deaton's keys for the clinic. Close your eyes, and I'm gonna put 'em in your hand, and then we're just gonna try and see if you can feel out for his location. It's called psychometry."

"I'm not a psychic." Lydia told him.

"You're something!" Stiles huffed.

"Can't Elaine do a locator spell in order to find him?" Lydia questioned.

"Ever since what happened at the motel, my magics been a little unbalanced lately." Elaine sighed.

"You didn't tell me that." Stiles frowned, immediately becoming concerned.

Elaine shrugged. "I didn't think you wanted to know."

"Just, Lydia, put out your hand, and. . ." Stiles dropped the keys in her hand and Lydia hummed in response. "What?"

"They're cold." Lydia answered. Stiles looked at her in disbelief.

"Lydia, concentrate, please? Trying to save lives here, for the love of God." Elaine placed a hand on Stiles' shoulder, giving him a small pat. Lydia furrowed her eyebrows for a moment, immediately grabbing their attention. "Yeah, what is it? What do you see?"

"Nothing."

"It's going to be a long day." Elaine sighed, running a hand through her hair. Stiles then offered something else, and Lydia looked up at him with raise eyebrows.

"Automatic writing?" Lydia took the pencil from his hand and started drawing.

"Lydia, what are you doing? What. . . what the hell is that?" Stiles sighed.

"A tree."

"A tr―︎Lydia, you're supposed to be writing words―︎like, in sentences, something like a location, something that would tell us where he is."

"Well, maybe you should've said that." Lydia shot back.

"Isn't she supposed to be some kind of genius?" Cora sighed.

"Genius? Yes. Psychic? No." Lydia answered. "Honestly, I don't even know why you're bothering with me, anyway. . . I mean, especially since it's obvious you should be talking to Danny."

"What? Why Danny?" Elaine frowned.

"Because." That's when Scott walked through the door, grabbing their attention. "Last night, he was a target, but he wasn't a sacrifice."