Elena woke up with a start and then she blinked at Stefan. "Stefan?" she said.
"Elena, hi," Stefan replied. "How are you feeling?"
"Weird," she told him. "Like I'm thirsty for blood."
"You're in transition," Stefan told her. "When you hit your head, Meredith lied to Jeremy when she told him how bad you were."
Elena understood why Meredith had done that; she didn't want Jeremy to worry anymore than he had to. In the span of a little more than a year, they've lost both parents, Aunt Jenna, Uncle John, and now Alaric. "So I'm essentially dead unless if I drink blood," Elena said remembering the rules of being a vampire.
"Elena, it's your decision," Stefan said. "If you drink blood, you turn into a vampire." He took her chin and he let her see how concerned he is. "I'm going to be here every step of the way if you do decide that being a vampire is what you want."
"Of course, she's going to do it," Damon said from the doorway. "What are you talking about, Stefan?" He held an IV bag that held blood in it.
Stefan ignored Damon and looked over at Elena. "It's your decision, Elena," Stefan told her.
Elena looked at the bag of blood as she thought about it. If she did decide not to transition, she'd be leaving Jeremy behind and alone. "Give me the bag, Damon," Elena said.
"Are you sure?" Stefan said.
Elena looked straight into Stefan's eyes. "I'm doing this for either of you," Elena said. "I'm not leaving Jeremy behind or alone; I'm doing this for him." She looked from one brother to the other.
Damon passed the bag over to her and she drank from it rapidly. When she was done, she realized what all had happened and what all Damon had done for her without her knowing or remembering for that matter.
Elena still sat on the autopsy table when she was through. She looked over at Damon, and she knew he was thinking about it. "Stefan," Elena said, "could you give me and Damon a moment?"
Stefan nodded and then walked out the door.
"This why I didn't pick you," Elena told him evenly. "You didn't let me choose for myself. You took the decision out of my hands." She got up and kissed his cheek. "You should've just let me be myself, Damon."
"I wanted to preserve your life," Damon told her. "You were bound to turn sooner or later, but it should've been later. There's no way getting around that fact."
"The thing is, Damon," Elena replied. "I still don't know what I want." She sighed. "What I've just remembered is something else to consider." She walked out the door, but Damon was faster.
Damon grabbed her arm. "This time," he said. "You'll have centuries to do it." He let her go, went down the hallway, and then said going down the hall, "You may want him now, Elena, but that can change."