1. I need you to be my miracle
Life in the oncology field is no simple task. Nobody realized what they go through. Nobody realizes what Damon Salvatore goes through on a daily basis. He treats patients, young and old who have been diagnosed with cancer, leukemia to be more precise. It is especially hard to watch little children who are barely old enough to walk come into his clinic, fighting for their life. Over nearly a decade of study and nearly five years of work experience, he's become immune to feeling for his patients; no longer distinguishing any difference between them. When he should feel pain, sympathy or regret, he doesn't. He feels nothing, he won't let himself. Damon arrives at work, performs his daily tasks and then leaves. It was never anything more, anything less. Not since his first year of work anyway.
Damon knew what he was signing up for that warm April day in his second last year of university when he stepped foot into the hospital as an intern doing his residency. At first, it wasn't so bad. He just checked in newly diagnosed patients, studied the doctors' ways and acted as the assistant he was. But as time progressed, Damon realized what oncology was all about. He walked into work one day and his assigned doctor was working with a patient, a little girl whose name was Lily. She had gone through the chemotherapy, that he was certain of. She had lost all of her precious blonde hair, her little face was as pale as snow and her eyes contained black pockets underneath them that made her look constantly tired. Lily had been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia just six months before Damon had arrived and she was near the peak of her cancer. The day he first seen her was the day they had discovered her white blood cell count to be atrocious.
The bone marrow transplant she had received weeks prior to the appointment had rejected, worsening her symptoms to the point of no return. He had heard the other doctor mention a girl with leukemia who wasn't responding well to treatment a couple days before. He hadn't imagined it to be like this though. Exactly one week after her check up that Damon had been to, little Lily passed away.
It was a heartbreaking event for Damon. He had witnessed his first out of many deaths, and it been a little girl; a little girl who hadn't had the time to live at any extent. She was five, Damon was in his mid twenties at the time and he felt as if he had hardly lived. So much hurt had passed through his body that day, he had cried when he got home later that night unable to do anything else. He secluded himself in his apartment and simply stayed on the couch all night, little Lily never leaving his thoughts for a second.
After that night, it took him nearly a week to even conge up the nerve to return back to the hospital. He knew it would have been like this, he knew being a doctor this is what he signed up for. There was the responsibility of being strong. He just didn't fathom the fact that he could not deal with it. But he could, and he would. And then his heart grew cold.
It took him a while but he built himself up stronger and stronger as patients blurred into a population and he didn't bother remembering their names. Children would come in, with no hair and bruised eyes. The compassion would begin to surface from within and before it had the chance to overwhelm him, he would ignore it; refusing it to appear. That made it easier. That made him the excellent doctor he is that allowed him to perform his job to the best of his abilities. Damon still cared in a sense; he just chose not to care about the people around him that he was treating. It was easier to feel constantly numb than to feel either bit of pain that lurked through his body.
That had worked for nearly five years until a certain fear filled, mahogany haired, chocolate doe eyed young woman walked into his clinic for testing to hear that she had recently diagnosed leukemia. Her name was Elena Gilbert.
Damon Salvatore, both doctor and lover sat in the visitor chair next to the hospital bed, his eyes puffy and pink from crying and rubbing. Next to him in the hospital bed, lay Elena, his soul mate—his wife. She no longer looked the way she had when he first met her and to a new set of eyes, she was not the same person; externally anyway.
Her mahogany hair that he had grown to love had disappeared. There were no traces of hair left on her pretty little head. Her body weight went from approximately one hundred and twenty pounds to one hundred pounds, and her being a fairy tall women, her decrease in weight was very noticeable. Her face had sunken in, every single rib was visible, and her hipbones popped out in a very disturbingly way. But it was hidden, hidden by the plain white hospital gown that had shielded her body for weeks now and the blankets. The blankets that covered her delicate body. She was always either very warm or very cold, but never getting out of those blankets.
At first glance looking around the room, it would look like a typical hospital room occupied by an ill patient. But to Damon and Elena, it was a prison, death row perhaps. The ways were the color of paste, and bare. Situated in the middle of the room was the single hospital bed. To the left of the hospital bed was Damon, the visitor chair and a little table filled with flowers and get well soon cards. To the right of the bed were the heart monitor and the intravenous machine, connected to the shell of a woman in the bed beside it. Tubes flowed into Elena's wrist which leaked in the clear liquid that relieved her most of her pain. And that was it, nothing more claimed a space in the room other than a picture frame, and inside that frame was a picture taken almost two year ago of Damon and Elena on a beach completely consumed in each other's love.
The picture had such meaning to both of them. It had been where they confessed their love to each other. And they say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well that couldn't be truer with this photo. It truly captured their love as her hair blew gracefully with the wind. Eyes twinkling and locked, they stared into each other's soul, their hands intertwined, and their bodies like one. A true smile was on Damon's face for what seemed like the first time in years. There was a beautiful pink and orange sunset in the background, a one that reflected off the water and the white sand perfectly. There were no words for this picture other than perfect and it was the only bit of happiness or joy left inside that white hospital room.
While Elena continued to remain in a deep slumber, recovering from her earlier sickness attack, Damon remained at the hospital, on her beside. He refused to leave even though he should. His hands rested on the edge of the bed with his head lodged upon them. His eyes were closed as he listening to the constant beeping of the heart monitoring machine. The rhythm had been the same for a few hours now because of her relaxation.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
He felt her stir beside him so he sat up, examining her features. She had shifted from lying on her back to turning in the direction of Damon. He admired her beauty despite how visible her sickness really was. When she was asleep, she looked at peace. There was no longer a twisted face from pain or nausea. He wished she could feel this content all the time while she were awake, never experiencing another drop of pain for as long as she lives but he knew that wasn't the case. If she survived this, there would always be the constant struggle of recovery. But that was a major if, it was an if that Damon wanted to think of as a when so bad. Her chemotherapy would seem almost easy compared what life had left to throw at her which she didn't deserve. Damon watched how over the years her cancer consumed her. For nearly two years she showed no symptoms, which were the time of their bonding but ever since there it has been going downhill at a rapid rate.
Damon was forced out of his thoughts due to the instant increase in her heart rate. He glanced toward the monitor which was now in full tilt, the beeps going at a way faster velocity than normal. He jumped up moving over to Elena shaking her calling her name.
"Elena" He pled. "Elena, wake up!" His calls grew more urgent and desperate but she refused to move. Her heartbeat only continued to speed as Damon grew more and more frantic, shaking her harder and harder. He couldn't get her to wake up.
Suddenly, her eyes shot open and the machine returned to normal, slowly down gradually. Damon sighed in relief as he stood by Elena's side, grabbing her hand with the two of his being very gentle because of her IV. He began massaging her ring finger with his middle one fondling with the ring.
The ring was exquisite; of course it was with Damon being a doctor and all. Her ring was a 14 gold caret diamond wedding ring with embroiled diamonds throughout the band. The ring showcased a unique princess diamond in the center that was shaped like a square. Elena had squealed when she first laid her eyes upon it, Damon could still remember that day as if it were yesterday. It was one of the best days of his life.
"Thank god." Damon said still recovering. "You nearly scared me to death."
"I'm sorry." She chuckled as best she could, her weakness overcoming her.
"No you're not." Damon said confused. "You have nothing to be sorry for Elena. Everything is going to be alright." He squeezed her hand a little in reassurance giving her a quick smile. It was hard for Damon to smile lately, especially since she's gotten worst.
"It doesn't hurt anymore." Elena said smiling more to herself than to Damon. She could not even remember the last time she was free from some kind of sickness whether it be her temperature, her nausea, her chemo, a bad stomach, any kind of sickness. Elena always had one or the other, or all.
"I'm glad it doesn't."
"I actually feel really good. There isn't any nausea, any pain nor am I hot or cold." She said still smiling. Elena couldn't recall the last time she felt this normal.
"All the better, kitten." He agreed calling her by the nickname that he'd given her long ago. She loved when he called her that and he loved calling her that. She didn't really have a nickname for him; she always said she loved the name Damon so she refused to call him anything else.
"I'm feeling a little tired though." Elena added softly.
"It's crazy how much you sleep you know that right?" Damon smirked. "Take another nap kitten; I'll be right here when you wake up."
She smiled at him locking her eyes with his. "I love you, Damon".
"I love you too, Elena. I always will." He promised placing a kiss on her hand right on top of the ring and then in the middle of her palm before letting it go and then giving a sincere kiss on her lips before she closed her eyes and slept, a love struck smile still plastered on her face.
Her heart beat had finally slowed down, and was now beating at its normal pace but Damon noticed that it continued to slow down. He watched the monitor move along, and makes its waves but his vision locked on the numbers.
Sixty
Fifty
Forty-five
Forty-two
Thirty-five
Twenty-three
Twenty
Fifteen
Ten
Nine
Eight
Seven
Six
Five
Four
Three
Two
One
Zero
A single tear rolled down Damon's face as he freaked out crying out her name. The nurses rushed in with a defibrillator and Damon took over from there. He screamed her name while he shocked her body. Everything seemed to be in slow motion. The cringing beep carried out for what seemed like forever as a life slipped away. Her life. His life.
AN/ So here's the beginning of my new idea. I don't know what else to say other than I hope my writing did justice to what I have planned in my head and I can't wait for all of you to start this new, wonderful journey with me. This was probably the hardest thing I have had to write but I think it turned out fairly well.
A huge shout out to my girl who was like my beta for this chapter. Thank you LiveBreatheVampire , so so so much. Everybody go check out her stories, she's currently writing a few and they are all simply AMAZING, just like her :)
Let me know what you thought of this chapter by leaving a review :)