Welcome to my new story 'Nothing Left to Fear'.

The title comes from the song by Slash featuring Myles Kennedy.

I will caution that no more of this will post till at least 'Tears in Heaven' has concluded and perhaps one of my other stories too.

Chapter 1: 'Call Me Maybe' by Carly Rae Jepsen


"Dr. Gilbert, there's a patient in exam room four who's in need of a few sutures I think," Ruthie, one of the RN's says to me as soon as I step back into the emergency room after my lunch break. After she hands me his chart, I take a breath and walk into the exam room. Immediately I'm mesmerized by the unworldly hue of his blue eyes.

"Mr. Salvatore, I'm Dr. Gilbert. Can you tell me what happened?"

"Um.. Yeah, I was riding my bike. A kid stepped right in my path. I had to swerve sharply so I wouldn't hit the boy. And I took a tumble right onto some broken glass," he explains, raising his left arm for me to see. He has lacerations on his hand and forearm.

As soon as I put on a pair of gloves, I take his arm to examine it more closely, immediately feelings pops and crackles along my nerve pathways. When our eyes meet, I feel a bit of a shiver, take a breath and look at the damage to his arm. In the back of my mind, I wonder if he felt that too.

"We're going to have to clean it up before I can suture it. We need to get all of the gravel, dirt and grime out of the wounds before I stitch you up."

"I kind of thought that I'd need some stitches but I was hoping that I was wrong," he says, laughing a little inappropriately.

"Well, no one likes being on the receiving end of sutures, Mr. Salvatore."

"Tell me about it," he says, dropping his eyes to his wounds.

Once I get a basin, I fill it with warm water, instructing him to put his arm in it to soak for a little while.

"We'll irrigate it with some warm saline solution before I close the wound. And also, do you know how long it's been since you had a Tetanus shot?"

"I honestly don't remember."

"You'll need one if it's been more than ten years."

"I'm sure it's been at least that long."

"I'll be back in a little while. Do you need something for pain?"

"Maybe some Ibuprofen?"

"Sure. I'll have my nurse bring you something and that Tetanus shot."

After sharing a smile with him, I step out of the room, slamming my palm against my chest to calm my chaotically thrumming heart.

"Bonnie, can you give Mr. Salvatore a Tetanus shot? If he has a ride home, give him two Norco, if he has to drive, just give him 800 mg of Ibuprofen."

"Sure, Elena. What size suture do you want?"

"4-0 and I'll be in shortly to numb him up."

Nodding, she walks back into his room, our gaze broken when she pushes his exam room door closed behind her.


After I step back in his room, I instruct Bonnie to irrigate the wounds while I get ready. Once she finishes, I put on a new pair of gloves and draw up some 1% Lidocaine in a syringe so I can numb the areas that need to be sewed up.

"This is going to sting," I explain, taking his hand in mine and injecting the anesthetic into his skin. I smile a little when he grimaces and closes his eyes. As soon as his wounds are sufficiently numb, I put on a pair of sterile gloves, carefully taking the suture in hand, I make horizontal mattress sutures which is best for high tension wounds such as his hand.

"So, Mr. Salvatore, what is it that you do?"

"I work construction for my father. He's a good guy but he's also a bit of a slave driver," he laughs, staring at his hand as I place stitch after stitch.

"Well, you're not going to be able to work for several days. I don't want you to get these wounds wet or dirty."

"But doc?"

"No buts. If these stitches pop, you'll be left with not only nasty scars but probably a nasty infection as well. Do you need me to give you a work slip?"

"Yeah, I suppose that would be best. He doesn't like to show favoritism amongst his employees."

"Listen, more harm than good is often the result of the unnecessary use of antibiotics. If you develop a fever, redness, swelling or drainage from the wounds, you'll need to follow up with your doctor. As far as having the sutures removed, you can come back here in two weeks or you can go to your own doctor too. They'll be able to do that."

"You mean I can't go to work for two weeks?" he asks, staring at me when I walk to the sink to wash and dry my hands.

"We use our hands for everything so we usually leave the stitches in for ten to fourteen days. I want you to take at least a week off. But when you go back to work, you'll need to be careful."

"I've been asking my dad for some time off but we're really busy right now so he's not been amenable to that idea. What about swimming?"

"I would advise against it for the first forty eight to seventy two hours at least."

"I'll write you a work slip and Bonnie will go over your discharge instructions with you. Do you have a ride home?"

"Yes, someone is coming for me. Thank you, Dr. Gilbert." he says, his eyes meeting mine. For a moment, I feel like I'm drowning in depths of the depths of a deep blue sea. Snapping myself out of it, I give him a smile.

"You're welcome. Good luck now and take care of that hand," I tell him, giving him one last look before I step out of his room. Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes for a moment, opening them only when Ruthie hands me another chart.

"Busy day?"

"It really is Dr. Gilbert. This is a little girl, high fever and a rash. Oh and your son called. He asked that you call him back when you have a moment."

"Thanks Ruthie." As soon as she walks away, I pull out my phone to text my son, telling him I'll call him as soon as I can. I walk over to the window to look outside for a moment, my eyes widening when I see Mr. Salvatore walking with a girl. For whatever reason, she turns her head and oh my, she's very pretty. Sighing, I shove my phone into my pocket and step into the next room to examine the little girl.


After another long and busy day in the ED, I finally get home around seven thirty in the evening. Once inside my house, I put my purse and car keys down before taking off my jacket and hanging it on the coat rack.

"Are you home, Tag?"

"I'm in the kitchen, mom," I hear him yell.

Following his voice, I walk in, smiling when I find him standing in front of the stove cooking something.

"What are you making?"

"There's some rice in the cooker. I'm just finishing up the hamburger gravy. I don't know about you but I thought it sounded good."

"Yes, it does. Thank you," I tell him, giving him a kiss on the temple.

"Mom, must you always kiss me?" he asks, sarcasm lacing his tone.

"Yes, Tag, I must always kiss you. I'm so proud of you."

"Well, I'm proud of you too, mom. We had some tough times but you always made sure I had something in my belly and a warm bed to sleep in."

"Tag..."

"You're the strongest person I know and I love you, mom."

"Tag, thank you. And I love you to the moon and back," I tease.

"And Not to change the topics but do you have any plans for the summer? School is out soon."

"Given the fact that I want to be an architect when I grow up, I was thinking about applying for a summer job at one of the construction companies so I can see what goes into building something. I mean it's one thing to draw up the plans but I also want to know what goes into putting a structure together."

"I think that's a wonderful idea as long as you're careful."

"Don't get scared already. You're going to have to let me fly one of these days, mom."

"Are you saying that I'm not letting you leave the nest?" I ask, a smile on my face.

"That's exactly what I'm saying. I'm seventeen. I'll be leaving for college in another year."

"Don't remind me. It makes me feel old."

"Really, mom!? You're thirty four years old. I mean, it's not like you're ancient," he laughs, shaking his head.

"You're right. I'm going to go upstairs to shower and change clothes. How much time till supper is ready?"

"I'll put it on simmer. We'll eat when you're done."

After giving him a smile, I walk out of the kitchen and into my bedroom. After stripping out of my clothes, I step into the shower, turning the water on hot. As I wash away the remains of the day, I can't help but think of how lucky I am to have my son. Despite the hardships, he's grown up to be a fine young man.

"Oh my God, Caroline, it's positive. I'm sixteen years old, I can't have a baby," I blurt out, tears filling my eyes.

"Elena," she whispers, pulling me into her arms.

"You'll have to tell Kol and your parents."

"I'm scared."

"If you want, I'll go with you to tell your folks."

"I was so stupid to sleep with Kol that night. He hasn't called or anything since that night. How could I be so naïve, Caroline?"

"We all do stupid things sometimes, Elena. I'll do anything you need me to do," she says, taking my hand in hers.

"I know but he said all the right things and before I knew what was happening, I was naked in his bed. Not that I have anything to compare it with but it wasn't that great."

"Oh, Elena," she says, her voice sympathetic as she squeezes our entwined fingers.

As soon as I finish washing my hair, I get out of the shower. Once I wrap it up in a towel, I cover myself and walk into my bedroom and into my closet to find something comfortable to wear. I take out an old tee shirt and a pair of pajama pants. I'm tired tonight. Fortunately I have tomorrow off so after I get Tag off to school, I can crawl back into bed to get some much needed shut eye. After drying off, I slip into the clothes and go back downstairs to join my son for supper. He's setting the food on the table just as I step into the kitchen.

"I guess we timed that right. Thanks for making supper."

"No worries, mom. It's the least I can do when you work so hard."

"Now you're going to make me cry," I reply softly when our eyes meet.

"I thought Aunt Care was coming over today?"

"She called before you got home from work. I guess Uncle Tyler is a little under the weather."

"Did she want me to call or anything?"

"No, she said she'll come over tomorrow."

With a nod of my head, I pick up the bowl of rice and put some on my plate, followed by a spoonful of hamburger gravy. Picking up my fork, I dig in, savoring the flavors that burst as I chew.

"This is really good. Who taught you to cook anyway?" I tease, knowing how much my parents took him under their wing while I finished high school and then college and med school. I never would've survived without them. It wasn't so in the beginning but eventually they came around and did everything they could to make things easier for me. Right now they're off on an around the world tour. I contributed to the cost as did Jeremy. It's the least we could do considering all the sacrifices our parents made for us. I now live and work in St. Augustine, Florida.

When we moved here, Caroline was still single and shared an apartment with me and Tag. Although I did go to college nearby, I went back home after graduating till I got the job offer to work in emergency medicine at our local hospital, Caroline said what the hell and relocated with us. We love it here. She met Tyler a year or so after we arrived. They married two years later. I was the maid of honor while Tag was the ring bearer. He was so adorable in his little suit and tie.

My brother lives in Los Angeles now, working as a cameraman for the motion picture industry. From what I know, he's very happy doing what he's doing. But he and I have never been exceptionally close. My unexpected pregnancy embarrassed the hell out of him. Even so, he did make an effort to help me with Tag once he arrived, even staying home sometimes to babysit. I'm lucky to have a supportive family.

"Mom?"

Snapped out of my thoughts, I look at my son.

"I'm sorry, I was just thinking about your grandparents."

"I know we never talk about it but can I ask you something?"

"I'd like to think you could ask me anything. What's on your mind?"

"Sometimes, I wonder about my dad. Do you know much about him or where he went?"

"Oh Tag.. I'm sorry, I really don't know much. I stupidly got drunk at a high school party and I let him take something important from me. Although I regret having sex with a stranger, I don't regret you in any way, shape or form, Tag. I tried to find him after learning that I was pregnant but whether his friends kept him hidden or if he was really someone who wandered into the party, I don't know. I never saw him again."

"I'm sorry to bring up bad memories for you."

"Stop it. You're not a bad memory. I just mean that I wish I would've given something so important to someone that I loved. I've never been in love, Tag. You're all I need."

"Thanks mom. I love you too. Do you care if I hang out with Ben for a couple of hours?"

"If you promise to be home by ten thirty, you can go."

"Fine, I'll be home by ten thirty. But you do know that I'm seventeen, not seven, right?"

"Yes, I do know that," I laugh, giving him a light shove with my palm.

Getting up, we put our dishes in the sink. He gives me a kiss on the cheek before taking off. Fortunately Ben lives only a couple of houses down the street. As soon as I hear the door close, I wash, dry and put the dishes away, after which, I throw in a load of wash. Once all of that is taken care of, I walk into the living room, get comfortable on the couch and turn on the TV. Clicking through the channels, I find some shark shows on 'Discovery'. While I'm watching the show, I can't help but think of the man I stitched up today. That man was quite the looker and the way he made my heart flutter. Just thinking about him sends a shiver up my spine. With absolute certainty, I know that I've never felt anything close to that before. Sure I've dated but as soon as most of them found out I was a mother, they couldn't back away from me fast enough.

"Hi Mason, come on in."

"Mommy, who's here?"

"Mommy?" he asks, raising his eyebrows disapprovingly.

"Yes, I have a son."

"Mommy?" I hear Tag say again. When I turn around, he flies into my arms.

"Who are you?" he asks, his eyes on Mason.

"Um.. um.. I'm Mason."

I can see by the look on his face that this will likely be our only date. When he swallows uncomfortably, I turn away when I hear Caroline's voice.

"Sorry, Elena. I was talking to Tyler."

"No worries, Caroline."

After handing Tag to her, I grab my purse and follow Mason outside. By the time the evening is over, I think this one needs to go into the annals of bad dates. He barely said two words to me after learning that I have a young child. Although he does walk me to the door to say goodnight, he also informs me that this was our one and only date because he has no interest in someone whose loyalty and attention wouldn't solely lie with him. After I watch him practically run away, I can't help but think about what an arrogant buffoon that man was. Really, I'm supposed to be loyal to his majesty. I'm very glad Tag happened to make his presence known.

After that fiasco, I made sure to meet any dates at the restaurant or whatever venue it might be. I just have never met the one that I used dream about as a little girl. My knight in shining armor is nothing but a figment of my imagination I think. But that man today.. Just forget about him, Elena. Someone that good looking has to be taken and he did leave with a beautiful women. Suddenly feeling very tired, I grab the fleecy throw, cover myself up and close my eyes, hoping to dream about Mr. Hottie with the heavenly blue eyes.


I just couldn't wait to share this with you all. I am very proud of the fact that I've never abandoned a story. Whether you love or hate them, at least you're assured that you'll always get to read the final chapter.

Thank you so much Eva for everything. We wouldn't be here without you. I love you, my friend.

Thank you, Jarka, for the wonderful plot idea. I do hope you'll like what Eva and I did with your idea.

Thank you so much, Kate, for the perfect cover image. Love you.

I really hope you all liked the introduction to this story. Please hit that 'REVIEW' button to let me know your thoughts. They're powerful motivation to keep writing more DE stories.

'Dig' and 'Angels Fall' and 'Tears in Heaven' are still in progress. Please give those a look and review too.

Be safe and have a wonderful day. Until next time.