HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY: I hope you'll all, mothers or not, enjoy this peek into Damon, Elena and Mellie's life.
"I want you to come home, Mommy," Mellie blurts out, her bottom lip quivering as tears begin to form in her big blue eyes. Damon smiles at his wife then lifts their little girl onto the bed so she can sit beside her mother. Pregnant with their triplets, Elena has been hospitalized since she went into preterm labor a few days ago. At thirty three weeks, she's done very well but Dr. St. John wants her to try to keep them in utero till she's at least thirty five or thirty six weeks along. Fortunately they were able to stop it this time but she wants her to remain hospitalized for a few more days.
"Sweetheart, mommy wants to come home too but the doctor says that I need to stay here for a few more days so the babies will be okay when they're born."
"But I miss you," she cries, burying her face against Elena's very big belly.
"I miss you too but daddy is taking good care of you isn't he?" Raising her head, her eyes dart back and forth between her parents. She bobs her head up and down.
"Why can't you stay in bed at home? I can help you."
Elena smiles and brushes a kiss to the crown of her head. "I know that you can help me, baby girl. But I have to do what the Dr. Enzo says. I love you so much, Mellie, please don't cry," she whispers when the little girl's body starts shaking as tears begin to trail down her cheeks. Elena extends an arm around her daughter and sings to her softly. Before long, her breathing evens out, her little chest rising and falling as she sleeps.
"I'm going to take her home and tuck her in," Damon whispers. Leaning forward, he kisses Elena on the forehead and on the lips. Next he brushes a strand of hair out of Mellie's eyes and then lifts her into his arms. She awakens long enough place them around his neck and bury her face against it. Moments later she's again sleeping soundly. "Goodnight, sweetheart," Damon says softly so as not to disturb their daughter.
"Goodnight, Damon." Elena raises her hand to wave goodbye. When he pauses at the door, she presses a kiss to her fingertips and blows it at him. With a huge smile on his face, Damon cups his cheek with his free hand and mouths back, "caught it." He winks at the love of his life then walks away, pulling her door closed behind him.
As soon as he carries Mellie into the house, Damon helps her put on her nightgown and then tucks her in. After kissing her forehead, he turns her nightlight on. Rascal always sleeps at the foot of her bed. He ruffles his fur a bit and then leaves the room, closing the door softly. Walking down the hall, he opens the nursery door. They have three cribs, stacks of swaddling blankets, three car seats, a changing table and two rockers. Running his hand along one of the crib rails, his heart bursts. He can hardly wait to meet the new additions to their family. The walls are painted a very pale, pastel mint green. One of Jenna's friends is a painter so the walls are painted as to resemble a zoo. There are polar bears, monkeys, lions and tigers, elephants along with trees and water. It's really a work of art.
They know what they're going to have but they want to surprise Mellie so she doesn't know if they're all boys or all girls or if there's some of each, Damon chuckles, anticipating her delight when she meets them. This is so new to him too. Sometimes when he thinks about her and missing her as a newborn, he feels melancholy still. But he quickly brushes the thought away. What happened was beyond his control. He has a beautiful relationship with his daughter and nothing can take that away from him. When he feels his phone vibrate in his pocket, he pulls it out, smiling when he sees it's his bride.
"You should be asleep."
"I know. I'm worried about Mellie."
"She's sound asleep with Rascal. I'm taking her to the horseback riding tomorrow."
"She'll love that," Elena agrees, covering her mouth so he won't hear her yawn."
"Goodnight, I love you, Mrs. Salvatore."
"You caught me. I love you too, Damon. Goodnight."
"Bye now." As soon as he hears the phone click off, he stuffs it back in his pocket. Yawning himself, he leaves the room and retreats to their bedroom. After putting on his pajamas, he goes downstairs. Opening the refrigerator, he reaches for a bottle of beer and then walks outside onto the porch. Their log home faces the forest and there's a small lake not far. He sits down on the stairs and watches the fireflies. When he hears the mournful cry of the Loons, he takes a long pull from his bottle. He loves this place so much. Standing up, he walks down the path, pausing when he reaches the waters edge. He has to swat a couple of mosquitoes. The porch light is off so it won't attract more bugs. It's a moon bright evening, the light is glimmering off the smooth surface of the lake. It's as smooth as glass tonight, the only noise being the locusts and the loons and the light gentle lapping of the water against the shore. Stooping down, he picks up a flat rock and skips it across the water, creating a ripple. When he yawns again, he finishes his beer and then goes back inside, locking the door behind him. With fatigue getting the best of him, he goes to bed, falling asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow.
Waking up to a few cramps the next morning, Elena carefully sits up in bed. She's allowed to go to the bathroom but's that's about it. The nurses check fetal heart tones three times a day, sometimes a little more often. Pushing back the covers, she sits up just as Dr. St. John walks in to start his morning rounds. When Elena points to the bathroom, he smiles. "Hang on, I'm going to have the nurse check some urine to see if you're spilling protein." Elena forces a smile cause she really has to go but Enzo returns shortly with a hat and pee container. He hands them to Elena with raised eyes.
"You're lucky I like you," Elena laughs, then walks into the bathroom. Moments later she comes back, holding the cup of in her hand. Enzo slips on a pair of gloves then calls the nurse in to send it to the lab. As soon as Elena is back in bed, he places the Doppler on her belly and locates each of their heartbeats. Elena can never get enough of that magical symphony. Before he finishes, Damon and Mellie walk inside. Wasting no time, Mellie bounds over to the bed and crawls up by her mommy.
"That's my babies?" she asks, her eyes darting from her mommy to Dr. St. John.
"That's your babies," Enzo replies, smiling at the little girl.
"I love that sound," Damon adds, leaning over to meet his wife's lips. When he stands up, he hands her a cup of orange juice and a sack. As soon as Dr. St. John is finished examining her, she opens it up to find an omelet. It has ham, vegetables and cheese. Licking her lips, she pulls out the plastic fork and takes a bite.
"Why are you two up so early?" she asks, sticking another forkful into her mouth.
"Daddy is going to take me to ride the horsies," Mellie explains, taking a swallow of her mother's orange juice.
"Horseback riding?"
"We're going to take the ride to Josephine Lake. The water is as blue as the sky and so crystal clear that you can see the lake bed. The wildflowers should be blooming and there's pretty rocks that we can find."
"We'll bring you some flowers, okay, mommy?"
"You better, Elena adds, taking another bite of her eggs. While she eats and chats with Mellie, Damon sits down, his eyes taking in the room. The walls are a soft white, her bed seems comfortable enough. There are some pictures of flowers on the wall. Still, it's not home. He brought in a framed picture of Mellie and one of the three of them to make it a little more homey. She has her laptop as well so she can entertain herself a bit. Still he misses holding her in his arms at night. This is the first time they've been separated since her accident and the miraculous return of his memories. Glancing up at the clock, he stands up and lifts their daughter off of the bed.
"We have to go if we're going to get there in time to take the ride. We'll stop back later. I have my phone if anything arises," he tells her, tapping the pocket that he has his phone stuffed into.
"Have fun," Elena says, Mellie crawls up once more so she can give her mommy a goodbye hug. Damon does the same, capturing her mouth in a steamy yet innocent kiss. Their daughter is present after all. Taking her hand, the two of them leave the room. Elena cradles her belly, her thoughts on her family till the ringing of her phone disrupts them.
Damon makes sure that Mellie has a safety helmet on her head before he lifts her onto the horse. Because she's a tiny little girl, they're sharing one. They follow the guide along the well worn dirt trail that leads them towards Josephine Lake. There are trees and green grass everywhere the eye can see. A plethora of wildflowers are blooming. Birds, bees and butterflies are visible no matter which direction they look. Towards the ridge, Mellie points to a couple of mountain goats as they climb the craggy rock outcropping.
"Daddy, look at the mountain stream," Mellie says, pointing it out to him. "You can smell it."
"Yes, you can baby girl," Damon adds, his eyes meeting hers when she looks up at him with her big blue ones, almost the perfect match of his own. He smiles at her and then points to the lake in the distance. Before long they reach it. After dismounting, he lifts his daughter off, then takes her hand and the two walk to the water's edge. Bending down, she picks up several striated stones. They're smooth as glass and very pretty.
"Can we take some home for mommy?"
"Sure," Damon replies, taking the stones she hands him and slipping them in his pocket. Mellie leads the way as they walk around the lake, stopping occasionally to pocket a few more of the pretty rocks. Mellie squeals when she sees some fish breach the water, making a splashing sound as they do. When she sees a cluster of cattails, she gets very excited because she knows that her mommy loves them. Pulling out his jackknife, Damon cuts down enough to make a bouquet. With his pockets full of stones and her arms full of cattails, they head back to their horse. The guide and the others are just starting to get back on their own by the time, Damon lifts Mellie onto Chester's back. Damon then mounts him. He gives the reins a tug and then they lazily head back down the trail to go back to where he parked their vehicle. Damon smiles, knowing how excited both his daughter and his wife will be when she is presented with a vase full of cattails.
"Daddy, you don't braid my hair as good as mommy does."
"I know that little girl but mommy isn't here. But I have a surprise for you. The doctor is letting mommy out of the hospital for a little while so she can hear you sing."
"Does she get to come home?" Mellie asks, her face brimming with excitement.
"I'm afraid not. After the program, we'll have to take her back to the hospital."
"But daddy?" she pouts, tears forming in her eyes.
"Mellie, I want mommy to come home too, more than anything. But she needs to do what the doctor tells her so the babies will be okay when they're born. I know it's hard not having mommy here to tuck you in and play with you. I'm sorry, sweet pea," he says, pausing his braiding for a moment to kiss the top of her head. After he finishes her hair, he walks with her into his bedroom. With his mom's help, he bought her a new dress to wear for her first grade concert.
She's still in her bathrobe but Damon chuckles when he sees her rocking back and forth on her feet. "I need to get dressed."
"I know that," Damon replies, thumbing through the hangars till he reaches the dress. He buried it deep so she wouldn't find it by accident. Sometimes she goes into their walk in closet to look at her mommy's things and to play dress up. When he steps out of the closet with the dress in his hands, her eyes light up and her smile widens from ear to ear.
"Daddy, is that for me?"
"Who else would it be for?" he laughs. She takes her robe off and then Damon slips it over her head, being very careful not to mess up her hair. It's a multi-patterned dress. The bodice is a blue flowered pattern. Then there's an orange polka dotted sash. The next tier is yellow checks, followed by another one of the blue flowers and then the last tier is a tan pattern. Next Damon pulls out some bows for her hair. Once they're secure, she runs to her room to get her anklets and her white patent leather Mary Jane shoes. When she comes back, she smiles and curtsies for him. Damon bows then takes her hand to lead her out to the car. After she's safely secured in her seat, he runs back to lock the house. Jogging to the car, he slides behind the wheel. With a wink at his daughter through the rearview mirror, he ignites the engine and drives towards the hospital to go pick up Elena.
By the time they reach her room, Elena is dressed. Damon's whole face lights up when he sees her sitting in the wheelchair waiting for them. He bends forward, stealing a kiss from her lips. "You look beautiful," he gushes
"Seriously? I look like I'm wearing a tent," she scoffs, looking down at her big belly and her pale blue maternity dress.
"You look pretty, mommy," Mellie interrupts, raising on her tiptoes to give her mother a kiss.
"Thank you baby. Where did you get your new dress?"
"Daddy bought it for me. Don't I look pretty?"
"You'll be the prettiest girl there. But we better get going now or you'll be late."
"Did you sign your release form?" Damon asks. When Elena nods, he steps behind her to take a hold of the chair handles. With Mellie walking beside her, Damon wheels her outside. He helps her into the car and then folds up the wheelchair to put it in the trunk.
As soon as they arrive at the school, Damon again helps Elena out. As soon as she's safely in the chair, they go inside. Mellie runs over to her classmates while her parents take a seat. Before long the program starts. They sit patiently waiting for the kindergarten class to finish. Then Mellie's class take their place on the stand. Damon leaves Elena's side to start to film her portion of the concert. When he walks down the aisle, he notices Stefan and his wife Caroline. Nodding, Damon moves forward and out of the way but still in a place where he can record her. The music starts and he smiles, watching his little girl. He's so proud of her. Damon turns back to look over his shoulder when the first song ends. It's then that he sees the funny look on her face. Brushing it off, he starts recording again when, capturing Mellie's solo on the film. When her class is finished, he walks back to his wife, now alarmed when he sees her grimacing, her hands clutching her belly.
"Elena?"
"My water broke," she whispers, grimacing again.
"Are the contractions starting already?" he asks, his eyes meeting hers.
"Yes," she whispers. He can hear the fear in her voice. She's a little over thirty four weeks now.
"Stefan and Caroline are here. I'll go ask them to take Mellie home and then we're getting back to the hospital as soon as we can." She nods. Damon hurries over to where his brother is sitting. After whispering to him what's going on, Stefan shakes his hand and wishes him good luck. He thanks him and then rushes back to his wife. Although his heart is pounding against his chest, he knows he has to stay calm for her. He happens to notice Mellie just as he's about to push Elena out of the auditorium. Leaning over, he whispers into Elena's ear and then approaches his little girl.
"Sweetheart, mommy is going to have the babies. Uncle Stefan and Aunt Caroline are going to take you home okay?"
"I want to go with you," she protests, tears forming immediately.
"I know baby. Mommy and I would like that but you can't," he says softly, taking her in his arms for a hug. As soon as he lets go, Stefan is beside him and lifts her into his arms, promising that he and Care will take her out for ice cream. Her lower lip is still sticking out but she nods. Leaning forward, she gives her daddy another kiss and then buries her face in Stefan's neck. Although he had a rather weird introduction to his daughter all those years ago, Stefan has really grown into being an uncle. They have a good relationship now, all of them. Damon thanks his brother once more then hurries back to Elena. He rushes her as fast as he can to the car.
Many hours later, Elena is sound asleep having birthed three babies. They're all healthy but need to gain a little weight. Their neonatologist, Dr. Maxfield, explained to them that they'll have to stay in the NICU till they do. The babies are all breathing on their own but are receiving a little supplemental oxygen. They're fraternal triplets, each having their own amniotic sac. They have two new daughters, Emma Claire and Lily Kate. Elena chose their son's name, Zachary Damon, named after himself and his uncle Zach. Barely awake, Damon brushes a kiss against her forehead then leaves her room to get some coffee.
Not wanting her to worry, he tells the nurse where he's going in case Elena wakes up while he's gone. Yawning, he rakes his hand through his hair and then gets in line to get something to eat too. After paying for his food, he looks around the dining room, his heart nearly stopping when he sees someone from his past sitting alone. Smiling, Damon walks over to his table, hoping to join him.
"Damon? What a nice surprise?" Elijah says, standing up to shake his hand. "Have a seat."
"It's really good to see you too, Dr. Mikaelson. I hope everything is okay?" Damon takes the lid off and takes a long swallow of his much needed coffee.
"I'm just here for a conference. But you look exhausted Damon."
"I am but I'm on cloud 9. My babies were born overnight." he starts to say, pausing when he starts to feel overwhelmed with emotion. He's so in love with his wife and their children. "I'm sorry," Damon says, dropping his eyes for a moment to regain his composure. When he does, he smiles again, a big wide teeth filled grin. "I got to experience everything this time. I'm so in awe of Elena. I don't know how she did it by herself with Mellie. Her strength never fails to astound me. I've never experienced anything so profound in my entire life."
"Congratulations, Damon. I happen to agree, nothing tops watching your child being born. Eva and I have done it three times now. I have twins, Tom and Barbara and our oldest son is Martin. How is Elena?"
"Exhausted, she managed to push all three of them out. She was sound asleep when I left."
"And the babies?" Elijah asks, taking a bite of his sandwich.
"I have two more daughters and a son. They're doing great. When I finish eating, I have to go to pick up Mellie so she can meet her new siblings," Damon adds, taking a bite of his hamburger.
"I'm sure she'll be very excited."
"I think so too but she's also had mommy and daddy to herself for six years. However, I think she's going to be a big help to Elena and I. I'm on leave from work because Elena has been hospitalized the last few weeks. I don't know what we'll do when I have to go back to work."
"It will all work out," he says, glancing at his watch. "As much as I'd love to continue visiting with you, I need to get back to my conference." Standing up, he shakes Damon's hand, adding that he should keep in touch. After he tells him to say hello to Brady for him, Elijah nods and walks away. Smiling and happy, Damon finishes his meal and then heads back upstairs to his family.
Sitting beside his wife in the bed, holding their little ones, Elena nurses two at a time before she hands them off to Damon to give baby Zach the same attention. She astounds him with her capacity to love and her inherent strength. He knows he put her to the test when he was ill but for reasons that still confound him sometimes, she never let him go. Just as he's about to put the girls in their cribs, Mellie bursts into the room and into her daddy's arms followed by uncle Zach. Since his son Scotty has a cold, Jenna didn't want him to be around the babies.
"Daddy, the babies," she says, her mouth parted. Damon kiss her head and sets her on the bed beside Elena. Very carefully he lifts Lily into her arms since Emma is already asleep. Mellie squeals, her smile growing when her little sister wraps her tiny fist around Mellie's finger. "She likes me."
"Yes, Mellie, your sisters and brother love you. Zach points at the shirt she's wearing, It says BIG SISTER on it. There's a bigger girl surrounded by three babies.
"Where did you find that?" Damon asks, shaking his uncle's hand and pulling him into a hug.
"Jenna found it. I gave it to her when I picked her up from Stefan's place. He and Caroline will be over after he gets off work. I on the other hand, took the day off," Zach laughs, looking over the babies. When Elena finishes feeding their son, she carefully hands him to Damon who places him in Zach's arms.
"Uncle Zach, I would like you to meet our son, Zach." Both he and Elena feel so much joy at his reaction, he's literally speechless. Before he can speak, Emma starts to fuss so Damon picks her up and hands her to her mom. After holding his namesake for a little while, he hands him back to Damon.
"I'm going to leave for awhile so you can be alone with your family. I'll be back in an hour or so to pick her up," Zach says, pointing at Mellie. After he walks around to Elena's side of the bed to look at the two girls, he drops a kiss to Elena's cheek then leaves, pulling the door closed behind him.
With baby Zach in his arms, he sits on the bed, squeezing Mellie between them. They're each holding a baby. Their oldest daughter is literally beaming when she reaches over and her baby brother also squeezes her finger. "He likes me too." She seems to contemplate a little bit and then she looks up at her daddy. "Did you see me when I was this little?"
Damon's breath lodges in his throat. Fighting back tears he brushes a kiss to the crown of her head. "No Mellie, that's when daddy was so sick. I never got to hold you when you were a new baby. That breaks my heart, baby girl but...," he pauses, his emotions overwhelming him. Reaching over with her free hand, Elena wipes one of his tears away with her thumb.
"Sweetheart, remember how I told you that daddy got hurt real bad when you were in mommy's tummy. It's not that he didn't want to be there, he couldn't."
"I remember mommy." Looking up at her daddy, she lets Elena take Lily from her arms. Raising up on her knees, she wraps her tiny arms around Damon's neck and squeezes hard. When she lets him go, she kisses him. "I love you daddy."
"I love you too, little girl," he says softly, his tears flowing freely. When she sits back down, he places little Zach in her arms. He stares for a moment, almost looking through her.
"What are you thinking?" Elena asks, tilting her head slightly.
"I just realized how very lucky we are. It didn't matter that I had no memories at the time, somehow I found my way back to you, Elena. I fell in love with you all over again without them."
Smiling through her own tears, her eyes drift to their four children and when they meet his, she knows he's right, their love is and has always been Perfect.
Huge thank you, Eva. I love you so much.
And thank you, all of you for making the original "I Can't Escape Myself" such a success. I do hope to bring their family back again for a short story when the holidays roll around again.
Song title courtesy of Bon Jovi.
I would love to hear your thoughts.
I hope all of you that are mothers have a terrific day and those of you who aren't, have a fabulous day too.