Stockholm


Day Four. 07:01am

It had been three days and nothing. Three whole days, seventy-two hours and Damon didn't show any sign that he'd wake up any time soon… or ever. And it was breaking Elena's heart. She had been released the day before but she never left the hospital. She visited other victims, found out who died and committed herself to go to their funerals, starting today.

She had also spent some time with Caroline. The blond had also been really wrecked about everything and though she wasn't injured she didn't leave the hospital either. Visiting people, Damon included, and talking to Elena. They were becoming friends quickly and one helped the other to get over the horrible events they witnessed while they were held hostages for a few hours.

But that morning neither of them were the first to arrive at the hospital to visit one of the victims. After some convincing, she was finally there and the moment she saw him lying in the hospital bed, she ran to his arms and embraced him.


"Won't you sleep or eat anymore?" Elijah asked seeing that it was well after midnight and Katherine didn't leave her position on the couch. It had been like that since she found out what happened to Damon. He had offered even her favorites, for free, but she didn't take anything.

"It's your fault he's there" she mumbled.

"Now that's not true, is it, Love? I guess Damon wouldn't risk spending the rest of his life in jail because of me, would he?" he sarcastically asked.

"If he survives at all" Katherine held her legs against her chest and cried. It actually hurt Elijah to see her like that.

"I'm so sorry things had to be this way, Love" he approached her and brushed off the bangs falling over her face.

"Please, Elijah, let me visit him. This might be the last chance I'll ever have to see him alive again. As soon as he…" she sobbed hard and the man in front of her felt his heart breaking inside of him and he reached for her and pulled her against his body "When he's not here anymore you can do whatever you want to me. It's not like I'll have a reason to live anyway" she admitted.

"It's okay, Kat, I'll take you there tomorrow in the morning and you stay there for as long as you want. I'm sorry I caused you so much pain. I never expected it to end like this. And if you want to go back to his house, it's okay, I won't keep you here anymore. You're free to go Kat" Elijah finally said. The truth was ever since he found out about Damon and all the pain he caused to her, he had been feeling guilty and he knew he owed her this.

"Thanks, Elijah" she embraced her captor in thankfulness for his mercy.


"Oh Ry, I need you so much. I'm sorry you're here. I'm so sorry. I should be here, I belong here, not you. You're special, amazing, you're the biggest person here and I'd give everything I have to be in your place" she sobbed as she held him for her life.

"I love you so much. I love you so much" she said over and over again, her tortured and shrieking voice showing her pain and desperation, in addition to the truth those words had.

"I should be here. He should have sent me to the bad guys, he shouldn't have sent you. You did nothing but love and protect me and keep me safe and what did I do in exchange? I put you here in this bed. You don't deserve it, Ry, you don't deserve it" she murmured as she rested her head on his chest.

The sobbing subsided and she started to contour his body with her hands, seeing the many bandages that she hadn't noticed when she threw herself over him. She panicked a little thinking that she had been so careless – as usual – and didn't realize that she could hurt him and worsen his condition even more by being all over him.

She lay by his side and checked if none of the bandages had started to bleed but thankfully to her small frame, she didn't seem to have caused any damage, especially because the other side of his body seemed to have been more damaged, not the one where she had been at first.


She was still crying, but now silently by his side when someone walked in. Actually they stopped on their tracks the moment they saw it and retreating a couple of steps they observed the couple in the bed.

Kat got his arm wrapped around her. She needed the comfort knowing that she was losing him, especially because she was the one who put him in such position anyway. She didn't notice the person standing in the doorway, actually her whole world was the man lying by her side and she couldn't think or see anything else.

"What am I going to do with my life now, huh? You're my everything, you're all I have and I don't know where I go from here. I never deserved you and I don't deserve what you did for me" she repeated the words she had said so many times since she arrived, except that this was the first time someone else was listening.

She was still going on her commiseration when she felt something on her stomach. It was like something was brushing her skin. She opened her eyes and turned to his face so see him fighting with his eyelashes

"You're alive" she cried throwing herself over him all over again. "You're alive, oh my God, you're alive"

"Of course I am, I wouldn't leave you alone. I promised you I wouldn't" his voice was weak and he had yet to open his eyes. "Can you get me some water" his throat was dry and it hurt to speak.

"Of course" she said and the figure in the doorway took a few steps back hiding behind the wall of his room.

Kat took him a glass and a straw and helped him to get the water.

"I'm so sorry, Ry" she hugged him trying her best to do not touch the side of his injuries. "All of this is my fault"

"I'm sorry too, Angel, but now it is over" he cried while he held her and kissed her hair "I love you, Kat, I would do it all over again for you"

"I love you too" she mumbled in a mix of tears and smiles.


Elena was shocked and somewhat broken at the scene unfolding in front of her. Damon had someone. Someone that seemed to have been the reason why he was there in the first place. She was happy because he was awake but she honestly didn't see that coming. Why it took three days for the beautiful woman that was lying in the bed with him to finally make herself known? How could she not be there in the first day? Especially as she kept repeating she was the reason for him to be there? Elena felt a hint of jealousy when she saw the woman all over Damon but now all she felt was anger.

Of course someone else had to be the reason why Damon was there. He wouldn't be there because he was not a criminal that she was sure from the moment she got to know him. And having the big heart that she already knew he had, it had been out of love that he did everything he did. But now she found out that he had been there because of his girlfriend and God knew if the woman in his arms now wasn't more than this. All the doctors that followed Damon knew Elena was supposedly his girlfriend but now she had to leave because the real girlfriend had finally arrived, even if she was three days late.

On her way out Elena let out a bitter laugh. Of course he'd wake up the moment the love of his life held him. Wasn't it always like that in the movies anyways? But she hated the curly hair girl, for being responsible for this whole mess and for not even showing up until three days after it. Damon certainly deserved someone better than that. Someone that wouldn't put him in that situation to start with and that would be by his side the moment he entered the hospital.

She was heartbroken but what did she expect? That he didn't have anyone? That he'd come back from death to be with her? She, the one who actually also had a boyfriend and had ignored him the best she could in the past three days, though he was devastated and also feeling guilty for everything that happened to her? How could she have been so stupid and selfish? What was she doing? She had lost her sanity along with some blood because that was the only explanation left for her actions ever since she woke up from surgery.

She tried to get herself together before she stepped out of the hospital. She hasn't noticed until now but she was crying while she made the so familiar way through the corridors that at first seemed like a maze.

People had died and although she didn't know them, she felt like she needed and wanted to go to the funerals. She had only decided to spend a little more time with Damon before she finally went but she wished she had never had that idea.


The next day had been worse than she imagined it would be and although having Caroline with her helped a lot it was still too much to see all those families crying over their loved ones coffins. It was heartbreaking and somehow she had let go of all the rage she felt towards the girl holding Damon the previous day. It was nobody's fault that those monsters had such cruelty and coldness in their hearts. Regardless of Damon and his lady, it'd happen the same way and she was sure the result would be much worse if he wasn't in the picture.

It wasn't her place to judge the woman Damon chose to love and what other things he did in the name of said love and though the rage left her heart, the jealousy never did. Actually it only seemed more intense now because that just proved how amazing Damon was. He risked his life, his dignity and all things she was sure were important to him because of the woman he loved. It'd make any woman in the world jealous but especially a woman who had been so intimate with him and lived through some intense moments by his side.

She felt an urgency to see him again. Girlfriend, fiancé, wife or whoever the girl was, Elena still cared a lot about the man that saved her life and she wanted to see him one more time.

She was surprised to find Katherine still lying on his chest. It seemed like the girl never left as she wore the same clothes and it somehow broke Elena again. But how could she be so selfish? She had a boyfriend for God's sake and the important thing was that Damon was awake. How could she be hurt because he had someone? She had no right to feel like that especially because his life was on line.


He thought of her. He thought of her the whole time since he had been awake. It was odd that she had come to visit him every day but missed the one day when he woke up. He knew he shouldn't be thinking about her. He did his best to try to keep her away from his thoughts but sometimes he didn't listen to what the doctors, nurses and not even Kat was saying because he was lost in his thoughts about her.

He had barely slept that night. Not because of Kat's body against his. She was so light; actually he noticed she was even smaller than she was the last time he had seen her. He was worried about his little Angel because it wasn't healthy to be that thin but that could wait until he was released. He'd make sure to take care of her diet when they were back at their place.

His eyes were closed but he heard the footsteps of someone approaching. He didn't open them because he knew it was probably a nurse that was going to give him more medication but the closeness never came and he finally opened his eyes to see her standing in his room's doorway looking elsewhere.

"Elena?" he called out not too loud because he didn't want to wake up the girl in his arms. He could only imagine how devastated she was. She didn't look like she was okay. He still had a picture of her face in his mind when he first saw her at the store and the many hours that came after their first encounter. She was terrified by them but she looked so beautiful but now as she stood there she just looked broken and her face wasn't anything like the one he had memorized in his head.

The brunette was too busy telling herself what a horrible person she was for thinking about his girlfriend that she couldn't listen to his low voice.

"Elena" he tried a little louder and Kat actually stirred in his arms but Elena was still looking to nowhere as if she was in a trance. He tried for a third time and though it had been enough to wake Kat up it hadn't brought Elena's attention.

"Hey" Kat's hoarse voice came out quietly and though it had been much lower than Damon's last attempt somehow it got Elena's attention that looked at the couple on the stretcher. Her eyes locked with Damon and instead of answering the girl in his arms he kept his eyes on the one that stood in the doorway of his hospital room. "Hey"

Kat also realized the other woman in the room and seeing how Damon was looking at her she knew she wasn't the one he was talking to.

"You're awake" Elena offered him a small smile and looking briefly to Kat in his arms she looked down to her hands.

"Would you give me a few minutes?" he finally acknowledged the curly haired woman lying with him.

"Sure. I'll get us something to eat" she said kissing him lightly on the cheek and standing up. As she passed by the brunette she nodded shyly and left the room. Elena watched carefully their interaction and only a blind couldn't see how it was filled of love. The way he looked at her and the way he touched her showed Elena enough of his feelings to the woman that just left the room.

"How are you?" he asked concerned seeing her arm taped up.

"I'm okay and you?" Elena looked everywhere but his face. She was still debating with herself for caring so much about the man in front of her.

"Sore" he offered a soft smile.

"And the others?" he asked some seconds later breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"I don't know yet" she lied "I know a couple of them were shot too and so were the robbers but I don't know how they are" she didn't know how stable he was to get the horrible news of the many deaths. When she left in such a hurry the previous day she didn't think about looking for doctors to let them know he was awake and today she had been extra careful to not be noticed by anyone in the hospital's staff. They probably already knew she wasn't his girlfriend and some would probably be thinking about admitting her to the psychiatric wing of the hospital. She knew she didn't seem sane when she cared more about the man that had sex with her in front of another one and who was part of the gang that kept her captive.

"Oh" was all Damon said. He truly hoped nobody else had died. Not even the criminals, because they had to pay for all the pain they caused to their lives. Why would he be the only one to pay for it? But as he looked to Elena looking so broken in the doorway he knew that he was the one that deserved the most horrible punishment, in addition to Donald, who caused it all. What he did to her wasn't human and he shouldn't be allowed to leave the hospital except if they meant to take him to the jail. He was responsible for breaking someone as special as Elena. He didn't need to know a lot more about her but he had learned enough in those few hours. He had learned how loving and lovely she was. He had seen her heart and it was even more beautiful than she looked, if anything could be more beautiful than she was. She was also forgiving and warm. He couldn't understand how she could forgive him. If that was Kat he knew he would make sure to torture the guy that raped her while a sick man watched. He would torture the guy until he begged to die and after stretching it for a few more days he would finally kill him. That was how he felt, that was what he thought should happen to him.

"I just came to check on you, I better get going" she said after some minutes, still avoided his gaze.

"Thanks for coming" he answered thinking for a moment that she didn't know about the others but still checked on him, not only today but every day except the day before. He had been able to listen to her voice as she talked to him. The doctors later explained to him that he was out only because of the shock and the stress his body had been under. There wasn't any brain damage as he never really injured his head and that was why he had been able to listen to everything around him while he was 'awake' although most time he was asleep. Still his body took three days to finally find strength to allow him to open his eyes, move and speak.

Elena only nodded looking at him pretty quickly and turned around to leave but as she took the first step he called her. "Yes" her voice was soft and low and she only turned her face back, still not looking at him and with her back to him.

"I heard you" he simply uttered and it made Elena turn her body towards him. Was it what she was thinking?

"What?" she asked shocked.

"I heard you every day and I really tried to answer but I guess my body couldn't do it" he admitted and she felt her heart fluttering in her chest. It wasn't only about the words but how they were spoken. It was about his eyes. And how she loved those eyes. She had become attached to them to an extent that she couldn't rationally explain. Actually she couldn't rationally explain anything that happened between them and how she felt about him. But now those eyes showed how desperately he wanted to be able to speak, just to answer her.

"You saved my life and so many others, Damon, you may not know it yet but you're a hero to this city" and for the first time since they left the store Damon could see a glimpse of the girl that had shaken him.

"I'm anything but a hero" the memories of what he had done to her rushed through his mind, leading him to look away. He knew that he wouldn't ever be able to look at her and not remember her broken face as he raped her. He would never forget how she cried during the whole ordeal and even more brokenly after it. Those images would haunt him for the rest of his life and he just hoped they had a very big punishment for him at store.

Elena saw the pain in his eyes and she knew what was crossing his thoughts even if she barely knew him. Ignoring how vulnerable she felt in that moment because of the woman he proclaimed to love walked to his bed and reached for his hand and face. "Damon, don't"

He only shook his head and moved his hand slowly to the one that held his face, removing it.

"Damon" Elena tried to reach out to the man that changed her life so drastically but it didn't seem to work so she cupped his face with her hands and turned it to her "You are my hero" she whispered and looking into his tearing eyes she leaned down and brushed her lips on his softly and briefly but the small and tender contact had been enough to fuel the anger and jealousy of the person that was now standing in the doorway.


AN: Thanks a lot for the reviews and to my beta May.

xoxo, Babi