One: The Lucky Ones

And if you're still breathing, you're the lucky ones.
'Cause most of us are heaving through corrupted lungs

Elena's POV

The sun was shining through her bedroom window like it usually did in spring time, she had taken the day of to help her aunt Jenna, who needed to call everyone involved in her wedding (that was supposed to happen in a week) and cancel, it was such a mess and Jenna was on the verge of losing her mind. All she really wanted to do was go find Alaric Saltzman and kick his ass big time, for being such an enormous jackass, but she promised her aunt she wouldn't make it any worse that what is already was.

Elena was still lost in thought when she heard a loud noise coming from down stairs; she hurried down and found her dad laying in the living floor apparently unconscious.

"Dad? Are you okay?" She said trying to get her father to respond, he didn't move one inch he was knocked out. "Mom Call an ambulance right know! Dad is not breathing!"

After that everything happened so fast she didn't even realized what was going on until they arrived at Mystic Falls General, Grayson was now getting helped by every doctor in the E.R., everyone was trying to get him to breathe, they had to intubate on him and his heart rate when back up. Elena sighed, at least he was okay, it was just a scare, he would be fine she thought.

"Elena I need you to get out of here" Said Dr. Salztman getting her out "Let us do our job and as soon as I can I will go out and talk to you alright?" She saw Alaric moving his lips but wasn't really sure what he had said. He didn't wait for her to respond before he was back on the E.R. Elena looked inside for a bit seeing every doctor and every nurse available, walking around like crazy. Her mother stood there holding his father's hand all the way through until Alaric told her something and she too, had to step aside. She looked away from the E.R for a second and spotted him near the nurse desk he was all smiles while playing around with one of the girls from the dayshift. Her father was dying and he was out here finding someone to hook up with. What was wrong with him? He absentmindedly looked around and when he spotted her he held her stare for a little while, maybe trying to decipher what she was doing there. But he didn't bother asking. He just stood there and turn his gaze back to the girl she was talking to like he hadn't seen her in the first place.

"Sweetie, I came here as fast as I could. How is he?" Asked Caroline hugging her tight followed closely by Tyler who just gave her a quick squeeze and went on to the waiting room, looking a tad out of place.

"I don't know Care" She trembled "I just found him laying in the living room floor, he wasn't breathing I don't know what's wrong" Caroline began doing small circles in her arm, trying to get her to calm down "Alaric and my mom are inside with him" Elena felt like everything was standing still around her except from the people inside the E.R.

"Calm down, look your father is a very strong and healthy guy I'm sure he's going to be okay" Caroline remarked

"Let's hope so"

"Elena your mom says she doesn't want to leave your dad side, so you should come with me" Explained Alaric coming out of the E.R.

"Alright"

They walked past Damon and the slutty nurse he was flirting with, but he just stood there ignoring her again. Not even giving Alaric a glance to show interest on the situation. Soon they we're on the third floor in Alaric's office.

"Elena I need you to take a sit please" He stated while gesturing for the chair in front of his desk. Elena was trying to cope with everything that just happened, her father was still being tested and her mom was with him, Jeremy wasn't allowed to leave school for a few hours so that left her being scared for her father's health and completely alone.

"What's going on with him? He was just laying there when I got to the living room and I thought he was gone, I truly just want you to tell me that he's going to be ok"

"We're still testing him, and for now I can't really say what's going on for sure, what I do know is that his lungs collapsed and since he's not an asthma patient and has never suffer respiratory problems before today is very rare that it happened to him" He reported looking through her dad's chart.

"So that's it? You don't know anything?" She said starting at him in disbelieve, how was that supposed to help? To make her feel better? He was useless.

"There are a lot of things I still have to check out, but he will have to spend the night here until we know what caused this" He explained looking back at her.

"You're going to be his doctor?" She demanded.

"Until we know was wrong and we can have a specialist that can treat him, yes I'm he's doctor" Alaric muttered giving a soft smile.

"That's my only option?" Elena snapped at him, she knew she was being a tad unreasonable but this was her father's live, and she didn't trust him one bit.

"Look Elena, I know you and I have some issues, but I assure you I'm going to do all that I can to help Grayson"

"You better save him or at least get someone who can, let me know when you know more" She hissed looking him straight in the eyes, he better keep his word.

When Elena left Alaric's office she felt almost more worried than before she came in, he didn't know what was wrong, he just knew that is was not normal, apparently he was great at being obvious. She wasn't pleased at all that Alaric was the doctor on the case; she didn't believe he was the most competent doctor so she hated having to put her father's life in his hands.

Walking by the hallway she saw Damon in the distance, lead on yet another nurse and giving her that famous look that made every girl go crazy for him, she chuckled what was it with everyone and the Salvatore boys? She acknowledge that the we're both very easy on the eyes and of course Stefan was a gentleman but Damon was just too egocentric, too much of a jackass she still didn't understand why on earth was he a doctor, he was the less humanitarian person she knew.

As if she had called him with her mind Stefan appeared looking preoccupied "I'm sorry it took me so long to get here" Her fiancé said taking her in his strong arms, she had always felt safe every time she was near him, he made her calm and that was exactly what she needed right now, to take a breather and relax at least for five minutes, but apparently this time it wasn't working out so well.

"Don't worry about it Stef, I'm just really glad to see you" He kissed her then signaling that he was too, very glad to be there with her.

"How is he?" He asked holding her tight

"They're testing him, Alaric said that this is not normal, as if that wasn't clear when I found him passed out" Elena wasn't able to let it go.

"Baby I know you are not exactly Ric's fan right know, but he's a good doctor and I'm sure he's doing all he can" He replied with a soft voice

"It's not just that I don't like him Stef, it's my dad we're talking about and I really have trust issues when it comes to live or death situations"

"Yeah nothing to do with Jenna's big wedding fall out right?"

"Don't even get me started with that, he's a complete tool for leaving her and I'm trying really hard to not get angry at him for the wrong reasons but is not really working as you can see"

"It's a messed up situation, I could talk to my brother, maybe he can help out"

"Good luck with getting him to care" She responded

"I'll talk to him later; maybe he's in a good mood and wants to help"

"Damon it's not exactly my dad biggest fan, but it wouldn't hurt to give it a try" Elena stated and Stefan immediately made the question she knew he wanted to make for a while now.

"Actually now that you bring that up, do you know what that's all about? Damon and your dad not liking each other?" I'm sorry Stef but I have enough in my plate as is, she thought.

"I'm not really sure; you should ask your brother about it" She lied. Again.

"Every time I try he just gets mad and walks away"

"I'm sorry but I don't know the story very well" Elena said thinking how messed up it was for her to be lying to Stefan about Damon. But if they had come this far without him knowing, now what definitely not the time to change that. She didn't want to argue about the past, besides Stefan had nothing to worry about when it came to her relationship with the oldest Salvatore, or the lack of one.

"Well forget I even asked, is there anything that I can do for you?" He said quietly looking at her with those big green eyes that soothed her.

"Just stay with me for a while, okay?"

"That I can do" He said smiling at her and holding her tight, he was such a caring loving person, she never thought she could love him like more than a friend, but she eventually got over her issues and did fall for him, because who wouldn't? He was supportive and patient never asked her for more than she could give him and never left her, that was the main thing in his favor, he stuck around through it all.

Elena snapped out of her thoughts when she saw her mom approaching then, looking tired and scared.

"How is he doing mom?" She said holding her mother to give her a bit of strength.

"Not so good honey, they putted him in the ICU he's not waking up" She declared with her eyes filling with tears, she had been crying for a while she could tell by the swelling.

"What is Alaric doing about it?" She hissed.

"Elena he's doing the best he can okay? He just doesn't know what's wrong just yet, be patient" Her mother commanded.

"You think the best he can do is enough for me? That's my dad in there mom, your husband's not some John Doe, so I'm sorry but he needs a better doctor" Elena was close to crying, she felt like she couldn't help her father, and she couldn't take it.

"I'm going to talk to Damon, see what he can do for us. See you in a bit" Said Stefan leaving the Gilbert women standing in the middle of the waiting room with teary eyes.

"We both now he is not going to agree" Stated Miranda glancing at the disappearing figure of Stefan.

"I will have to making him them" Added Elena trying to reassure her mom.

She didn't missed the humor in the situation, she need him, after everything they had put each other through, he was the only one that could help her, strangely he was the only one he trusted with the life of the man that one way or the another separated them. Damon hated her father even more that he hated her, but it didn't matter, because she would beg if necessary, she would do anything until she got him to agree to help her, she knew that Stefan wouldn't be able to convince him, it had to be her…

Flashback

"There's no way in hell I'm going to the party dressed like that" Damon commented looking at the costume Elena had laid in bed for him to wear "Lena don't give me that look, it's ridiculous do you want me to be the laugh of the party?"

"It's just a stupid costume babe, and this way we match" She said pointing to her own costume that was hanged in the closet door "See, we are going to look so cute"

"What has gotten into you? Since when do you dress like a cartoon character for Halloween? I was hoping we could pull off something a lot sexier" He said hugging her from behind and kissing her neck slowly.

"Stop trying to distract me!" Elena yelled at him but he wouldn't go away "Is it working?" He whispered in her hear giving her earlobe a lick "Damon Salvatore, you are wearing that or I'm taking back your sex privileges" She said moving around the room from him.

"Oh come on! That doesn't make any sense, you know how I hate it when you threaten me with the sex thing" He said more serious than before "Just give me a reason as to why we are not wearing the sexy priest and nun costume I bought for us"

"It's the hospitals party Damon, my dad works there, I just thought we could be a little more conservative, you know out of respect" She stared at him with her best smile, trying to change his mind.

"Babe he's not going to like me any more just because I look pathetic, he thinks I'm not good enough for you and that's not going to change no matter how many Mickey Mouse costumes I put on" He declared entering the bathroom

"He never said that" Elena said standing in the doorway

"He didn't have to, he told you to stop seeing me and he's treating me like crap, so I don't really need him to utter the words" Damon was getting busy washing his face, pretending he didn't really care but she knew deep down it hurt him to know that Grayson was not on board with their relationship, after all he had been like a father to him, and he looked up to him as a man and as a doctor, Elena didn't know how to deal with the situation, the two most important men in her live couldn't agree in one of the things that connected them the most. Her.

"Look we are going to change his mind okay? Whatever it is that he doesn't like, we are getting through this, so just bear with me and put the costume on, please?" She said kissing him softly, he was one of the most strong minded people she knew, but every time she tried to convince him of something and followed it up with a kiss like that, he would agree, every time and of course this was not exception.

"Never say I didn't embarrass myself for you Gilbert" He said kissing her once again and throwing her inside the bathtub "And since my sex privileges still exist I think you should pay me upfront" He began talking her t-shirt off and she laughed letting him take control, after all it was a win/win situation for all the parties involved.

…It always had.

To distract our hearts from ever missing them.
But I'm forever missing him.