Damon's POV:
Elena wasn't doing too well. Religion wasn't in the slightest his forte, but all Damon could do was sit by her bedside and pray for the best. Elena had taken her recovery with equanimity, but ever since her first hallucination of Jackson she had been going down hill. The bastard had been choking her, and now she was reliving it three times a day.
The finger bruises on her neck weren't helping the matter whatsoever. When there weren't hallucinations, those bruises were a constant tattoo of mockery. The doctor said it could be from her coming off the drugs or simply her memory starting to resurface. She claimed the bruises on her neck should be completely gone by next week.
Damon just hoped the bruises would heal faster than what the doctor claimed. He despised hearing her weep in the bathroom after a shower while she was trying to fix her hair or brush her teeth. It just reminded Damon that he played a role in doing this to her, and it nearly destroyed him.
Not only was her neck bruised on the outside, but Jackson had used so much of his strength that her esophagus was bruised. Trying to eat something as simple as applesauce or ice cream would drive her to tears which would only make it more excruciating. Jenna and Jeremy took turns consoling her, attempting to help her calm down. It had only been two days, but Damon could tell her face was a little thinner. The doctors had placed an IV in her yesterday to give her fluids after she refused to drink water. Damon didn't blame her.
Elijah Mikaelson showed up the morning after Elena was admitted with flowers and a stuffed bear. He claimed he would have been there sooner if he hadn't had to take his parents to the airport. Damon didn't know what her acquaintance was with Elijah, but he didn't like it. The two men had never really gotten along. Of course Damon was good friends with Nik and Kol, but he never really meshed well with Elijah. He was the noble brother, just like Stefan.
However, Elena was rather appreciative of the things Elijah brought for her. The bear sat in the nook of her arm while she slept. She looked like a child sleeping with it. So innocent... however the marks on her body proved otherwise.
It had been two days since the incident, and no matter what, Damon refused to leave the hospital. He slept out in the waiting room. His back and neck were killing him, and all he wanted was one night to sleep on his ten thousand dollar bed. Damon was sure God himself had made that bed. The pure and utter comfort it provided was calling out to him while he sat on the hard satanic surface of the chairs in the waiting room.
Monday was tomorrow, which meant classes. He had been thinking about not going back until she was better.
Damon knew he played no part in her injuries, but he couldn't help but feel guilty. The two bastards had offered her to him because they had overheard Damon complaining about not getting any ass from her. Now he was racked with guilt.
He and Elena rarely talked, and if they did it was mostly awkward conversation, but he stayed none the less. Damon had to make sure she would end up alright.
"Damon?" Elena called from her bed. Damon looked up. Jenna and her boy toy Ric had just left the room to go get them all coffee.
"Yeah?" He asked standing. Damon closed his criminology textbook setting it down on the couch.
"Damon.." she said again as if she were worried. Damon walked over to her. Elena's eyes were closed, and her knuckles were white as she clutched the teddy bear Elijah had given her and the sheets with the other hand. "Damon.." her voice was now frantic. She was dreaming. Another nightmare. "Don't let them hurt me!" She mumbled as a tear escaped her shut eyes.
He was used to this. She had nightmares every time she closed her eyes, but never once did she call out his name for protection. She usually called out for her father for protection. One time it was even Jeremy she called out for, but never his name. He knelt down beside her placing his good hand on her shoulder.
"Damon.." she mumbled again.
"Elena..." he shook her gently. "Elena wake up," he said a little louder. Elena screamed on her sleep. "Elena!" He shook her once more. A doctor rushed in looking at the both of them. Elena's eyes fluttered open. "Another nightmare," Damon explained.
"I remember..." her voice shook. "I remember.." she looked up to Damon. "I remember." Elena began to cry loudly cowering into Damon's chest for consolation. This was the first time she had ever looked to Damon for protection. His breath caught out of surprise, but Damon's arms wrapped around her giving her as much comfort he could possibly give. She was trembling like a small purse dog. Damon recognized the feeling all too well.
His mind shot to Rose and how he held her when she broke down and trembled. He remembered what calmed her down the best after a bad day at the house. With Damon's prominent charisma and skill, he knew he would calm her down. She would trust him. He knew exactly what to do.
Out of instinct, Damon lifted the white, scratchy sheets off of her, and scooped her up like he did two nights ago. He could tell right then she had lost weight for sure.
"Um-" the doctor began before Damon shot her a glare. She shut up.
Elena wasn't in a hospital gown anymore. Instead she wore long grey sweatpants and a black camisole. Bonnie and Caroline had brought her comfy clothes to wear just yesterday. Doctors claimed it was perfectly fine.
Her legs draped over his bad wrist resulting in a painful shock up his arm and into his shoulder. Damon hissed in pain, but shrugged it off carrying her to a nearby rocking chair.
Elena's face was buried in the crook of his neck still weeping as he sat down with her on his lap. This was the only thing that calmed Rose down, maybe it would work with her..
The doctor left the room after he had sat down with her. She curled up against him not really caring about the pain of her broken rib. Elena's adrenaline was probably so sky high from the dream and remembering, she didn't even feel her rib. Her unsteady breathing was rapid and uneven every time she sniffed.
Wrapping his arms around her, Damon rubbed her back with his left hand and kept the other on her shoulder.
"It's okay.." he whispered. "Let it out if you want. It's just you and me," he urged gently. Elena's arms were still wrapped around his neck. "No one's gonna hurt you. Especially not those idiots," Damon coaxed.
Those "idiots" were on their way to court as soon as their internal injuries sufficed. He still had to talk to Elena about testifying. Damon and Enzo both decided to go, along with Bonnie.
Damon had even talked to Jenna's husband, Alaric Saltzman, or Ric, about being her lawyer since he was one of the best in the state of Virginia.
Pretty soon, Elena's breathing evened out, and her cries fell silent. Damon rocked her in the chair stroking her soft hair until they both dozed off peacefully.
•••••
"Damon.." he felt a tap on his shoulder. Damon's eyes peeled open to the fluorescent hospital lights only to see Enzo towering over him. His left leg was asleep and fuzzy. Elena was still on him. Her breathing was so slow and steady, there was no way she would be awake.
Looking around, Elena's family had snuck in while they had been sleeping. Jenna and Ric were both sitting on the couch: Jenna asleep on Ric's shoulder and Ric looking through Elena's charts. Her uncle stood beside him talking quietly about the case. Jeremy was in the other chair on his phone with headphones in.
"What?" He asked with a yawn.
"I need to talk to you.." Enzo claimed urgently. Damon nodded standing with Elena in his arms. He laid her down in the hospital bed covering her up with blankets. As her body left his, Damon got the chills. The cool hospital air hitting his warm body in the absence of hers.
Exiting the room with Enzo, Damon walked with him to the waiting room. Elijah sat there talking to Caroline and Bonnie. Stefan had gone back a while ago with Kai and Nik to clean up the house. Tyler and Matt only stayed for a couple hours until they knew Elena would be okay.
She had way more people who cared about her than Damon would ever have. Elena had Jenna, Jeremy, Ric, John, Bonnie, Caroline, Tyler, Matt, Elijah and of course Damon. She probably even had an impact on Stefan, Nik and Enzo, cause they were here to make sure she was alright.
Damon really only had his brother, Enzo and Nik on occasion. His parents were another story.
His father hated Damon since day one, and he never knew why, well maybe he did. His mother loved him. She was just too much of an introvert to stand up for herself. She let Giuseppe push her around. Damon remembered laying his father out after he slapped his mother while drunk. He guessed that's why he hated him. Or the fact that he asked if Enzo could live with them. Or the fact that he refused to take over the family business... he couldn't recall. It just added up into one big ball of hatred directed like a gun at Damon's head.
His father was extremely old fashioned. Giuseppe only tolerated respect, not only from his children but his wife as well. He had to be the alpha male driven by acrimony, and Damon challenged that greatly. Damon was beyond intelligent, school and street smart. He wouldn't hide it either. That was until his father came into the picture. Correcting Giuseppe would only end in a cigarette burn on his forearm or a beating with Giuseppe's favorite belt. Therefore, Damon learned rather quickly to conceal his intelligence.
Damon was cunning, and not to mention a smart mouth. A troublemaker little boy who would sass the elementary teacher and pick fights with other boys.
"You're an embarrassment to this family, you pathetic excuse of a son," Giuseppe's one famous sentence he used dozens of times on the boy. The angst in that house was indescribable.
That boy had grown up, though, and he was planning to win in the end. Salvatore's didn't like to give up, and Damon was no exception. He was in law school. He didn't need his father's legacy to be successful, and he would prove it. Damon would still be set for life if he didn't go to law school anyhow, but he craved to be something more than his father ever could be. Damon's grandfather on his mother's side had left him and Stefan some money.. okay a shit ton of money. He was the second wealthiest man in the world in his time, and didn't like Damon's father at all. Damon strived to be the wealthiest man in the world. He would look down to his father with a proud raise of his chin.
Enzo pulled him into a deserted corner and looked around to make sure no one was watching or listening.
"What?" Damon sighed.
"You're leaving." Enzo claimed.
"Excuse you?" Damon crossed his arms.
"I'm not letting you do this to yourself a second time." Enzo paused trying to think of a gentle way to say his next sentence. "I watched you go through this with Rose, and it destroyed you. I watched you drink yourself to bed every night for almost a year after she was taken from you. I heard you call her name in your sleep across the hall. You and I... we look out for each other, Damon. After my family left me... I had nowhere to go. I flew to America looking for them until I was broke living on the streets, and you saved me. You saved my life. You helped me when I was homeless and needed a place to stay. You're my brother, and that means I look out for you too." He crossed his arms back at Damon. He had never called Damon his brother before.
Damon was speechless.
"Enzo.."
"Don't you dare try to fight me on this you stubborn ass," Enzo pointed to him with a warning.
"I'm staying. End of story. I was there for Rose when she needed me. I know what to do. I have experience. I was the only happiness in her life, and I know she left, but she was happy. I owe Elena everything I have to offer. She could have died because of the idiot ass loud mouth that I am. I couldn't keep my mouth shut about wanting to screw her. I owe her anything and everything... so lay off. It'll destroy me if I'm not there for her and you know it," Damon replied trailing off.
"And you were there for your brother as a child when your father beat you for claiming mistakes Stefan made, and you were there for me when I needed a home. Don't be dilettante, Damon. This is more than you think it is. Focus on yourself and what you want for once," Enzo's face relaxed slightly with a sigh. He took a step forward placing a hand on Damon's shoulder.
"Ive been doing what I want to distract me and keep me sane since Rose disappeared. I can't be selfish with Elena and leave when I did this to her," Damon could feel tears welling in his eyes, but refused to let them fall.
Enzo opened his mouth to protest, but Damon kept going.
"I'm doing this whether you like it or not." Damon stood tall. Enzo sighed pausing for a minute before his face relaxed.
"Don't fall for her. I mean it Damon. She's broken. She's shattered glass and you're picking up the pieces way too quickly. It'll only get you cut. Be careful..." Enzo said more gently.
Damon nodded merely to get him to shut up. He couldn't take any more of this cacophony.
"Damon." A voice behind him called. Damon rolled his eyes. He was too exhausted to be bothered.
"Yes?" He sighed turning to face Ric.
"I have some things I'd like to talk to you about with this case," he held up the manila folder with Elena's first, middle and last name typed in fine print across the front. "There's a bar across the street," He suggested.
"Can we do that tomorrow? I'm exhausted.." Damon sighed.
"It'll be fast I promise. Drinks on me," Ric smiled. Ric was closer to Damon's age than Elena was, which was more than strange, but then again her aunt had just graduated from Whitmore two years ago.
"Fine," Damon agreed walking with Ric out of the hospital and to the bar. He hadn't really been out in two days, but wow did the air smell so much better. Anything was better than the smell of hospital, though, especially alcohol. It soothed him, especially not having to pay for it.
He had a strange camaraderie with Ric, and he didn't know why, but with the vibe he got, Damon figured they would get along.
•••••
"Ric I mean it," Damon said with a straight face. Ric burst out laughing. "I'm the best darts player you will ever fuckin' meet." Ric laughed harder.
They had been at the bar for about three hours, discussed the case, and now they were merely having fun.
"I beat you last round you cocky motherfucker, and I suck at darts!"
"We never played?" Damon hit him on the arm beginning to smile as he brought the beer to his lips.
"What's that in your left hand?" Ric slurred. Damon looked down to find three darts in his hand.
"Oh," Damon began to roll into a fit of laughter causing people to turn and look at them. "I should probably stop drinking. How many beers have I had?" Damon looked to Ric and then the sexy blonde bartender.
"One more and somebody will be getting naked," Damon smirked at the bartender. She blushed slightly before holding her palm out to him. "You wanna go already, sexy?" Damon took her hand.
"No.. I need your keys... both of you. You've each had seven beers and are clearly hammered. I'm not having anyone drive their car into a tree or over a bridge on my watch," she raised her eyebrows. Damon fished in his pockets for his keys before handing them to her. Ric didn't have any keys to hand over because Jenna drove him to the hospital.
"I need to go to the hospital.. where is that?" Damon thought for a moment.
"It's right across the street," the bartender laughed pointing out the window to a neon sign across the street that read "Emergency Room".
Damon got up stumbling a little bit. The bartender grabbed his arm bringing him in close.
"Don't you dare get hit crossing the street. You can't lose your hotness," the bartender winked at him letting go as Damon stumbled into Ric's arms before straightening up.
"Oh hunny, I couldn't lose this sexiness even if a fuckin' train hit me," Damon wiggled his tongue at her before turning around and stumbling out the door.
"You're wasted," Ric laughed at him shoving his arm. Damon stumbled into a rather large man. Laughing and apologizing, Damon shoved Ric back.
"You are too, bitch," Damon giggled as they crossed the street toward the hospital. As soon as they stepped in, a nurse rolled her eyes and grabbed Damon by the arm ushering another to grab Ric.
"Come with me Sir," the nurse sighed before sitting him down on a cot next to Ric.
"No I need to see Elena. She's a patient here. I'm not a patient. I'm just-"
"Drunk." She finished his sentence filling out a chart. "I know. We have a policy here. You need to go through a banana bag to help sober you up before you see anyone. I'll be back don't move," she ordered the two of them. Ric widened his eyes.
"She's hot," he wiggled his eyebrows.
"You're with Jenna you fuck," Damon raised an eyebrow.
"I mean for you," Ric rolled his eyes. "Im perfectly happy with my life. You however seem to need some happiness," he slurred. "Go get laid." Ric nodded.
"This is the worst fucking advice I have ever gotten," Damon laughed. Ric joined until he turned white.
"Hey nurse lady!" Damon shouted slurring his words together. "My friend here is going to throw-" he was interrupted by Ric vomiting all over the bedsheets. "up," Damon finished. He giggled. "You pussy," he laughed laying back on the cot.
He could hear the nurses grumbling about them, but Damon could care less. He could hold his booze. Closing his eyes, Damon swore he could sleep here overnight. Being drunk, it felt like he was sleeping on his ten thousand dollar bed. He felt a poke in his arm and figured the nurse had put the banana bag IV in him.
He dozed in and out. He could hear bits of conversation from the nurses. Some of it was about him. They were talking about how cute Damon was. One girl was protesting and claimed he was probably a fuckboy. I mean... was she wrong?
Eventually one of the nurses woke him up. It had only been an hour, and Damon still felt a little dizzy. Ric was already sitting up looking like shit.
"Your banana bag is empty. You can go be with Elena now," she half smiled at him. Damon stretched and then stood grabbing Ric by the arm.
"Let's go buddy."
"Oh," the nurse claimed grabbing Damon by the wrist and handing him something. "Here's my business card if you need another banana bag. You still look a little queasy. My work number is right here," she pointed before flipping it to the backside. Another number was scribbled in pen on the back. "And this is my cell number.. if you want to get a coffee sometime," she smirked up at him. Damon smiled shortly down at her.
She was gorgeous. He thanked her kindly and drug Ric off upstairs to Elena's room.
He looked to the card glancing at her name. Meredith M. Fell.
Damon thought about calling her before entering the room. He slid the card into his front pocket of his jeans smiling down at the sleeping form of Elena. A wash of guilt took over Damon.
Why was he feeling guilty about wanting to call Meredith? Was it because of the bad timing or was it because he might be falling for the woman sleeping in front of him?
*Hey guys. I hope you like this update! Got questions? Predictions? Just review! I love talking to you guys it's my favorite part about being on here! It's been a while I know. College is sooooo time consuming. I try to write a little bit in my free time. If you want something to read while you're waiting for an update I would love for you guys to check out my other stories! Thanks a ton guys! Leave a review please! -Syd*
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