Chapter 10
After Mystery had let them know her intentions Damon noticed her exhaustion and carried her up to bed. He wanted to stay with her terrified that she'd just quit breathing while she slept. Not that he would ever admit to fear. Except he realized he had admitted his fears to her more than once. If fact he told her things and showed her a side of him no one else ever saw not even Elena.
What was going on with him? He'd never been so confused, but Mystery needed him right now so it would have to wait he had time to figure it out later. He had eternity after all. Stefan called his name, and as reluctant as he was to leave he made his way back down stairs.
As soon as he entered the library Elena rushed over to him.
"Is she ok? Her breathing and everything is normal right?" Elena worried.
"Her breathing is a bit labored, but I would assume that's to be expected and it not that bad." He replies.
Tyler gets up for where he's sitting on the couch and goes to pour everyone drinks.
"Does anyone know how she's paying for all this because she hasn't worked since she got here?"
Damon waves him off "I'll take care of it no need to worry about that it's not important."
Stefan asks "So what are we going to do about her care because she can't stay here."
"What are you talking about?" Elena glares at him. "This is her home now of course she'll stay here."
"I don't have any experience taking care of someone recovering from something like that Elena, and the rest of you have school." He says uncaringly.
"Wow you really don't like each other I get that, but I thought you'd at least be kind to her when there's a possibility she'll die. Jesus Stefan stop being such a jackass." Elena yells.
Damon decides sarcasm is a better choice than killing his brother he might wake Mystery with the noise. So he says "Besides bother dear you don't have to worry about it I'll take care of her."
Stefan scoffs "You have no experience either Damon."
Damon rolls his eyes at Stefan's stupidity "So I'll learn. No big deal."
Elena smiles at him "thanks Damon that's really sweet of you."
Damon shrugs it off "no else can" he looks at Stefan "or is willing so I'll do it."
Elena hugs and kisses him. "I still think it's sweet."
Damon is so wrapped up in his worry that the fact that Elena just willingly kissed him doesn't even register. Just then he hears coughing coming from upstairs and he zips up to Mystery's room as fast as possible. She sitting up coughs wracking her body, and he rushes over to the bed. She has a Kleenex in her hand, and he smells the blood before he sees it when she pulls it away. Elena and Jeremy have made it up now and their on the other side of her.
"I'm ok this happens sometimes. It's nothing to worry about." She reassures them all.
"Damon offered to take care of you after the surgery since the rest of us have school, and he can be here with you." Elena tells her.
"'That's fine as long as it won't bother you." She's already falling asleep again.
"It's no bother Mystery You could never be a bother to me." Damon tells her sincerely.
She's asleep again before he finishes speaking. Elena talks Damon into returning to the library so they can finish talking. Although it takes some convincing on her part. He only agrees when she points out he can hear everything in the room from downstairs so he'll know if she needs him.
"Ok so Damon is going to take care of her while she recovers from the surgery, but what are we going to do if the surgery doesn't work?" Jeremy asked.
"I'll make sure she always has my blood in her system." Damon says with determination.
He' selfish enough that he'll do it with or without her permission. He won't lose her even if she says she ready to die he's not willing to live without her. He needs her no one understands him the way she does, and he's not willing to give that up.
Elena and Jeremy stay at the boarding house that night. They don't want to leave Mystery. He can see how worried everyone is, but he'll make sure she gets through this one way or the other.
He spent the rest of last night in her room watching her sleep. He'd never been around someone who was ill like this before. When people died around him it was usually because they were killed, and most likely by him. He didn't like it he felt helpless. He certainly didn't understand why she wouldn't let him turn her into a vampire. She would never have to be sick again if he did, and she wouldn't leave him.
Elena came in early and grabbed Mysteries phone off her bedside table.
He stared daggers at her "What the hell are you doing?"
Elena met his eyes with her own "calling her other friends they should be here."
He narrowed his eyes further "she's not going to die Elena there's no need for a deathbed vigil."
"Maybe not but she's really sick Damon and the more people around who care about her the better. Besides what happens if you need to hunt or run errands when no one else is here? You might need help so I'm calling in reinforcements." Elena elaborated.
Elena proceeded to scroll through the phone until she found a number she wanted and hit send.
"Lexi hey its Elena I know you normally only come to visit on Stefan's birthday, but if you can make it to Mystic Falls we could use some help."
Damon hears Lexi on the other end of the phone.
"Why what's going on Elena?" Damon notices she sounds concerned.
Elena takes a deep breath trying to hold back the tears that are threatening to fall and tells her.
"Jessica has cancer Lex and she's having surgery to remove tumors on her lungs, and she told us if this doesn't work they can't do anything else for her."
The other end of the phone is completely silent Lexi isn't even breathing.
After a moment Elena says "Lexi are you still there?"
"Yeah I'm here. Why aren't one of the guys just turning her?" Lexi sounds really upset, and it surprises Damon he didn't know they were close.
It amazes him that no matter how much time he spends with Jessica or how well he thinks he knows her she's still a mystery to him. He chuckles internally at his pun and tunes himself back into the conversation.
"Damon offered, but she said no. I'm not sure why but she doesn't want to be a vampire." Elena can't stop the tears anymore and they run down her face.
"I'll be there in two days. Don't worry Elena she'll pull through this. I have to go make arrangements see you soon." Lexi tries to reassure her.
"Bye Lexi and thanks." Elena hangs up.
She take a several minutes to stop crying, and another few to pull herself together before she starts scrolling through the Mysteries cell again. Damon is curious when he hears her gasp.
"What Elena it's just a list of names. It can't be that surprising." Damon rolls his eyes.
"Did you know she is still talking to Elijah?" Elena asks him.
"No why would she talk to him I thought he left town after he killed Klaus?" Damon is puzzled by this revelation.
"He did but her call log shows her calling at least once a week." Elena seems just as confused as Damon.
"So call him and ask." Damon suggests.
Elena presses send and it rings twice before Elijah answers.
"Hello lovely this is a surprise you don't normally call again so soon."
Elena is stunned by the affection in his voice. Damon can see it written all over her face. She shakes it off and replies.
"Elijah its Elena, Elena Gilbert do you remember me?" Damon can tell she's nervous.
"Elena of course after all we went to a lot of trouble to keep you alive. Tell me though why are you calling me and on Jessica's phone?" Elijah sounds curious, but not angry, and Elena relaxes some.
"I didn't know you and Jessica still spoke. I don't want to offend you, but I have to ask. Are the two of you close?" Elena asks hesitantly.
"We've become friends yes Elena why?" He sounds guarded now.
"Did she tell you she's sick? That she might die." Elena rushes out.
"No I was not aware of that. I assume that's why you're calling and not her. Is she alright?" Elijah sounds concerned now and a bit angry.
"She has cancer. She won't let anyone make her a vampire, and she has to have surgery. She's sleeping right now Damon says her breathing is labored, but not badly."
"I see. Well it would seem a trip to Mystic Falls is in order. Thank You for calling and informing me Elena I'll see you soon." Elijah doesn't wait for a response just disconnects the call.
Elena looks at the screen and then scrolls through again.
"There isn't anyone else in here that doesn't already know." Elena places the phone back on the table.
Damon nods and focuses his attention back on the woman in the bed. Elena sits in the chair next to him. She had Tyler bring it in for her earlier because like Damon she couldn't bring herself to leave. They sat in silence each lost in thoughts that centered on the woman sleeping in the bed in front of them.
The next few days are nerve-wracking for Jessica everyone hovers and its driving her insane. Damon rarely leaves her side, and everyone else is there any time they're not busy with school. They coddle her as much as she will let them, Damon and Elena are the worst about it. She's not use to being taken care of, and it's disconcerting.
Then Lexi arrived she waltzed into the room took one look at her face and told everyone "ok break time I need to talk to my friend here.
Damon protested "Hey I'm not going anywhere. I'm the one who's supposed to be taking care of her."
Lexi looked at him "I'm not going to let anything happen to her Damon go take a break."
Damon stared hard at her for a minute but then nodded and rose to walk out of the room.
"Lexi took the chair Damon had just left and started speaking.
"So want to tell me why the phone call to tell me you might die came from Elena and not you." Lexi asked
"I didn't really want to tell anyone. I don't want any of you to worry about me. If I didn't have to stay in the hospital I wouldn't have told anyone." Jessica answers tiredly.
"So why not just let Damon give you his blood no one would worry then?" Lexi looks honestly curious.
"I have my reasons for not wanting that, but I'm not going to explain them so don't ask." Jessica responds.
"Fine I won't ask, but it would ease everyone's minds." Lexi attempted to cajole her.
"Maybe so, but it's my life not everyone else's." Jessica replies determination evident in her face and her voice.
"Well then we better get you in to top shape before your surgery then so you have a better chance to pull through." Lexi concedes.
Elijah arrives the next day. He doesn't lecture or ask her why she doesn't want to become a vampire. He just stays nearby supporting her, and talking to her about book, music, movies and anything else that comes to mind. He treats her like everything is normal. Which helps her more than anything anyone else is doing for her.
One night Lexi drags everyone out of the house to the grill so that Jessica can finally have some time to herself. She's very grateful for that. She's not used to people around all the time. Even living at the boarding house she was left alone more often than not. The influx of people all the time was stressing her already frayed nerves. Lexi noticed this and she and Elijah decided to make sure she got the break she needed.
She took a relaxing bubble bath and then settled in front of the fire with her favorite book. She thoroughly enjoyed the peace of having the house to herself for the first time since everyone found out she was sick. She was halfway through her book when she heard the front door open and shut. A few minutes later Elena came into the library.
One look at her crumpled and anguished face had Jessica at her side in an instance.
"What happened? What's wrong?"
"It's Stefan I just don't understand why you and he hate each other so much." Elena cries
Jessica sighs and pulls Elena in for a hug "I don't hate him Elena I'm just upset with the why he acts sometimes. He rubs me the wrong way when he does things to hurt Damon, when he acts without thought for who will get hurt."
"What did he do? I mean other than when he told us all how you felt about Damon." Elena demanded.
"He pushed me into talking to him about how I felt about Damon. He did it knowing Damon could hear everything, and he also knew that I had no intention of telling Damon how I felt when he did it." Jessica explained.
"Are you sure he knew you didn't want Damon to know?" Elena looked more angry than upset now.
Jessica turns to stare into the fire again "Absolutely since I just finished telling him so."
"Ok so I get why you're upset with him, but what reason does he have to not like you?" Elena seemed puzzled.
"That you'd have to ask him because honestly I have no idea." Jessica shrugged.
"Did you and Stefan fight about this is that why you're upset? I wish you wouldn't fight with him because of me." Jessica said earnestly.
"He's was acting like an ass about you being sick again. No matter how I feel about him he doesn't get to do that." Elena vehemently protested.
"It fine Elena he can be however he wants about it. I don't like him so his opinion on things doesn't matter to me." Jessica turns to face her again.
Elena wrinkled her forehead in aggravation. "Why do you always act like you don't matter? You should tell people when they're hurting you. Which reminds me why didn't you tell me about your feelings for Damon? At the very least I would have quit going on about him to you."
Jessica just shrugged again. "I've told you before I want you to be able to come to me with anything. That includes your feeling for Damon."
Elena becomes even more upset with her. "You love him and I'm not sure I do. I would have stepped aside.
Jessica gets angry when Elena says that. "He's not some kind of pet you can shuffle to a new master Elena. It's his choice and he loves you. He chose you. You love him too you know. I can see it when the two of you are together. Whether you love him more than Stefan or not only you know, but you do love him."
Elena's confusion is plain to see. She opens her mouth a few times before finally saying "but it's not fair to you."
Jessica smiles thinly "life is rarely fair Elena, and when you love someone truly love them their happiness become the most important thing to you. I love you, and I love Damon all I want is for the two of you to be happy. What I want and what will make me happy doesn't matter."