Winnie woke in a fog, sound and sight blurry as she came to.

"Easy, easy," a voice softly said in a muffled tone. "Take it easy, Win."

Winnie mumbled, a deathly white room coming into focus around her. "Wh-" She went to sit up, a pain spiking through the right side of her torso.

Aaron, although blurrily, put a hand on her other shoulder to help her back down.  "Careful, Winowna."

"Dad, what happened?" Winnie questioned with furrowed eyebrows.

"You got shot, hon."

She then heard the beeps, monitoring her own heartbeat. She was in a hospital, strung up like a ragdoll.

Winnie looked to her right arm, bandages peeking out from the sleeve of her hospital gown. "Oh, right," she quietly said.

"Win, do you remember what happened?" Aaron asked as he sat next to her.

Winnie glanced out the large window, night cloaking the sky. "I - I went to the woods, for a walk." She looked back to Aaron, not implicating Isaac. "I remember the sound, just not...anything after."

"Nurse McCall said you came in by yourself, unsure of what was going on," her father told her.

"By myself?"

"Yes," Aaron hesitantly said. "Why? Were you with someone?"

"No," lied Winnie easily, "I'm only trying to figure out what happened."

Aaron watched Winnie carefully, able to tell she knew slightly more than she was saying. "Well, they don't know who shot you, but they can figure it out."

Winnie, however, knew who it was. In a brief flash of memory, she could see him over Isaac's shoulder. But she stayed quiet on the matter.

"It was more a graze than anything," Aaron told her as he flipped his phone around in his hands absently. "Barely any muscle damage, which is fantastic, and with a few days rest - without ripping your stitches - you'll be just fine."

"Can I go home?"

Aaron hesitated if she meant their house in Beacon or Colorado, but even he had sensed the change in her. "I'll go get Nurse McCall, I'll see where you're at."

Winnie softly smiled as Aaron stood, "Thank you." She waited until he was gone, reaching with her good arm for her phone on the night stand. She hadn't even noticed the flowers until then.

It had already hit midnight, most of the members of the town asleep and anticipating the lacrosse match to come.

She'd lost six hours of her time; not remembering anything beyond 6 p.m. in the Preserve with Isaac.

Gun shot, white burning pain, then waking in a hospital bed.

Melissa poked her head in, smiling as she did so. "Hey kid."

Winnie had herself sit up a little more than before, "Mrs. McCall, what happened to me? My dad said I came in alone, but I was-"

"You were with Isaac, don't worry. I only told him you were alone because Isaac and I agreed it would be best." Nurse McCall went around the left side of Winnie's bed, checking on all the machines. "You were unconcious from shock and the bullet was still clinging to your arm."

Winnie let out a sigh of relief, "Thank god."

Melissa lifted an eyebrow, "What's that for?"

"He's okay," Winnie said.

"A little blood on him when he brought you but it may have been yours," Melissa told her. "He wouldn't say much, he just wanted to make sure you were taken care of."

"Did he say where he was going?" Winnie asked.

Melissa lightly shook her head, keeping unnoticeable distance."No, he didn't say. What happened in the woods?"

"One of the hunters attacked us. Shot me, I guess, and I don't know what happened next. It goes dark after that. I only got a glimpse of the guy before I hit the ground."

"So you know who shot you?" Melissa asked with a questionable look.

"Yes, but it doesn't matter," she replied with half a wave. "I need to know what happened, I need to see Isaac."

"Winnie, sweetheart, you need to worry about healing," advised Melissa. "You can go home nad sleep in your own bed, but you've got to wear a sling for a week and then come back for a checkup." She helped Winnie sit up, holding a medical arm sling. "Change back into your shirt, then we'll get this on."

Winnie let the nurse help her once she slowly put on the shirt Aaron had brought for her. "Do I really need one?"

"It'll help with weight on your arm," Melissa answered. "Your shoulder nearly got knicked so too much movement could potentially make it worse, simple arm swinging included." She adjusted the straps, "One week, that's all."

Winnie hesitated before sitting back down on the edge of the hospital bed, having managed to put her jeans back on. Pain seared through her arm, causing her to wince.

"There's a prescription for painkillers, and," Melissa put Winnie's shoes on like a mom would, "you'll get used to doing things with only one arm."

Winnie stood, but she saw the look on the nurse's face; fear. "What is it?"

"You're a part of this," Melissa quietly said. "The craziness that's going on. You were at the station with the boys."

Melissa stepped back when Winnie stepped forward.

"I'm not someone to be afraid of," Winnie calmly told her. "Neither is Scott, I promise. I know it's scary, I understand it's a lot to take in at once."

"I was pinned to a wall, held by a tail around my throat only hours ago!" Melissa yelled in a whisper. "The principal of my son's school was controlling it. So what am I supposed to do?"

"Give Scott a chance. Let him explain what's happening. He's still your son, you don't need to be scared of him. We're the good guys, and Scott, Scott's the best guy."

"I - I don't know if I can," she quietly said to Winnie.

"Do it on your own time, in your own way, but do it." Winnie pocketed her phone, knowing their conversation was coming to a close. "We only want you safe, that's all." She held eye contact with Nurse McCall for a moment, backing up and leaving the hospital room.

Aaron lowered his phone from his ear when he saw her surface. "Are you good to go?"

"Yeah, let's get the hell out of here," replied Winnie as she joined Aaron in the hall. "I hate hospitals."

"Me too, kid," Aaron agreed as they headed for the exit. He glanced over to her, "Do you want to report or no? The police haven't been notified."

"No, no don't. I'll take care of it," Winnie told him with a tired sigh.

Aaron removed his car keys, narrowing his eyes. "Care to share?"

"No, I'll handle it." Winnie pulled out her phone, calling Isaac as Aaron went to the pickup pharmacy near the entrance of the building.

It rang and rang.

And he declined her call.

¥ ¥ ¥

The vet clinic remained calm the next morning, animal chatter surrounding Scott and Dr. Deaton.

Deaton filled a syringe, the overhead bell chiming to signal a new arrival. He glanced to Scott, "Would you mind seeing who that is?"

But then the dogs started to bark.

The white poodle mix on the exam table started whimpering, Deaton tending to him as Scott went around the corner.

Isaac waited on the other side of the gate with his hands in his pockets, looking up as both Scott and Deaton surfaced.

The vet walked past Scott, "It's okay, Isaac." He moved the gate, "We're open."

Isaac hesitantly went through, joining the two in the back. He stayed quiet, Deaton and Scott going to work on the dog. He leaned his hands on the table, an odd look crossing his face. "Why does it smell like that?"

Deaton and Scott exchanged a look, both lightly laughing.

Isaac looked up, confused. "What?"

"Scott said almost the same thing to me a few months ago," Deaton told Isaac. "One day he could somehow tell the difference between which animals were getting better and which were not."

Isaac's eyes went down to the dog, hearing him whimper as he laid on the his side on the table. "He's not getting better, is he?"

Deaton lightly shook his head.

"Like cancer?" questioned Isaac.

"Osteosarcoma," the vet replied. "It has a very distinct scent, doesn't it?" He got an idea, motioning for the beta, "Come here."

Isaac walked around to Deaton's side of the table, trusting the vet as he pocketed his hands.

"I know you're well aware of what your new abilities can do for you. Improved strength, speed and healing." Deaton looked over the the curly furred pup, "You ever wonder what it could do for others?"

A quiet moment exchanged between the three, Scott aware of what Deaton was about to teach.

"Give me your hand," Deaton said as he held out his own. He moved Isaac's hand to Othello, saying "Go on," as he placed it on the dog's side.

Isaac watched in disbelief, black tracing up the veins in his left hand. After a few moments he slid his hand away, pulling up his sleeve as the black moved up his arm gracefully. He looked down to Othello, a glimmer in his eye. "What did I do?"

"You took some of his pain away," Scott said from across the table.

"Only a little bit," Deaton told Isaac as the boy held his arm. "But sometimes a little can make quite a difference."

Isaac put his wrist up to his face, his eyes watering.

"It's okay." Scott lightly smiled, "First time he showed me, I cried, too."

Isaac laughed softly, his heart touched.

A little while later, the clinic had let a few clients come and go, but Isaac remained. He leaned on the lab table, Scott cleaning up while Derek's beta explained the situation of Erica and Boyd.

"They're leaving tonight, during the game."

Scott shut a cabinet door, looking back to Isaac. "So, why are you telling me?"

"I'm not telling you," said Isaac. "I'm asking you. I'm asking you for advice."

Scott stopped, having moved a tray over to another counter. "From me? Why?"

Isaac met eyes with Scott, "Because I trust you."

"Why?"

"Because you always seem to want to do the right thing."

Scott only hesitated briefly, "I usually have no idea what I'm doing. Actually, I always have no idea what I'm doing."

Isaac made a thoughtful noise, "Do you want to let me know what you're doing right now?"

Scott tapped his fingers on the counter, looking over to Isaac. "I'm not going anywhere, if that's what you mean. I have too many people here who need me." He saw the look on Isaac's face, "And don't say you don't have anyone, Isaac. You would break Winnie's heart if you left."

"I'm no good for her," Isaac said quietly as he shook his head. "I'll only get her hurt."

"You might hurt her more if you leave," Scott told him.

"She would still be alive, though," Isaac pointed out.

"Are you gonna go with them?" Scott asked as Isaac moved to leave.

"Yeah," Isaac said after a moment. "Yeah, I think I will. Good luck with the game, though."

"Well, thanks, but I'm not going either," Scott replied. "I can't even think about playing some meaningless game right now."

"You weren't at practice last week, were you?"

Pensive, Scott looked up to Isaac, "No, I skipped it. Why?"

Isaac was turned in the doorway, facing the arch with his head towards Scott. "And you didn't hear?"

"Hear what?" Scott asked, alarmed.

"Jackson was there."

Scott's expression completely changed, "What do you mean there? Like, he was-"

"As if nothing had happened," finished Isaac.

Scott briefly stumbled for a response, "That means...the game tonight?"

"Yeah," said Isaac, "he's playing."

Scott followed Isaac when he moved to leave, "Isaac, wait."

Isaac had gotten out of the gate, looking back to Scott without a word.

"If you're really going to leave, say goodbye to her first. If you care about her, you'll know it's the right thing to do."

"I don't just like her, Scott. I think I love her." He opened the front door, glancing back to Scott. "And that's why I'm not going to - I can't."