When I feel someone poking me in the chest, I wake up with a groan, feeling my brain throbbing inside my cranium. Seconds later as I struggle to open my eyes, she pulls the curtain open, letting the sunlight intensify the pounding in my head.
"What the hell, Katherine?" I murmur, burying my face in the pillow. The next move she makes is to pull the covers off of me. Exhaling heavily, I reach down to pull them back up as I'm only wearing my boxers.
"It's nothing I haven't seen before," she scoffs, pulling the covers down again, this time taking my pillow too. Having had enough, I fly out of bed, but nearly collapse as my brain continues to pound inside my head.
Crossing her arms over her chest, she levels a continent-destroying stare at me. "Serves you right." Staring up at her from my end of the bed, I just shake my head.
With my brain in a daze, I barely remember anything from last night. "How did I get here?"
"Ric called me well after midnight to come to get you."
"Why? He usually lets me crash at his house." Grimacing, I reach up to press my palms firmly against my pulsating temples.
"Sloan had friends over. He didn't want those little girls to see you like that. So here's the way it's going to play out, Damon. I'm going to leave so you can shower and dress and then the two of us are going to have a serious conversation. Do you understand?" Unable to hide my eye roll, she gives me a knock upside the head, causing me to groan as I slide off the bed and onto the floor.
"What the fuck?" I yell, slowly rising to my feet.
"You will not use that kind of language in my home. Now get into the shower, you stink!" After giving me another caustic stare, she walks out of the room. Once I shower and put on a pair of Enzo's jeans and a tee shirt, I swallow thickly and head downstairs to face the music. With a very slight shake of my head, I push open the kitchen door and walk inside. She's sitting at the table with a cup of coffee.
"Have a seat." She stands up to grab another cup of coffee, practically shoving it in my hands before sitting back down.
"Talk," she demands.
"Katherine, come on, I don't want to talk."
"I called Elena this morning. Unfortunately she had plans and couldn't join us. I'm not stupid, Damon. Whatever caused your spiral last night has something to do with her. Now talk."
"I will only tell you that yes, at one time, Elena was someone that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with." Unable to maintain her stare, I drop my eyes to the coffee cup in front of me.
"Damon?" she whispers, reaching over to give my forearm a squeeze.
"But that's all over now. That's all I'm going to say about it." I raise the mug, finishing off what's let of my coffee. Standing up, I put it in the sink.
"You can talk to me about anything. You know that, right?" she adds, getting up to stand beside me.
"I can't, not about this, not today." When I see understanding in her eyes, I drop my chin to my chest.
"Damon?" She then reaches over, raising my face with her fingers.
"I'm sorry, Katherine. I'm going to go home now."
"Your car is at Ric's place. I'll take you over there to get it." I watch as she walks out of the kitchen to get her purse. When she comes back, I realize that I haven't seen Hannah yet.
"Where's Hannah?"
"She went with Enzo to set up the wedding flowers. I'll pick her up after I drop you off." Nodding, I follow her outside, climbing into the passenger seat.
"Buckle your seatbelt," she says, raising her eyebrows at me. I do so, turning to stare out of the window as we drive along, my thoughts on her. Even as angry as I was yesterday, I know they were just words. I know that I could never hate Elena.
By the time I get back to my place, it's early in the afternoon. I talked to Ric for a little while then drove around to try to clear my head. What I didn't expect was to have Meredith waiting in my driveway when I pulled in. She's the last person I need to deal with today. Dropping my forehead against the steering wheel, I just sit there for a few moments till I hear her rapping on the car window. When I look up, she has her hands on her waist, her stance antagonistic. Although I really didn't want to get into this with her today, there's no sense in putting it off any longer. I take a second to steel my nerves before finally getting out of the car. Our eyes meet for a long few seconds, the reverie broken only when I hear a bird chirp. After sucking in a needed breath of air, I step around her to walk into my house. I hear her huff aloud and then I hear footsteps as she follows behind me.
Sighing heavily because I know what I have to do, I pull open the refrigerator door to get myself a bottle of cold water. "Do you want something to drink?"
"No, I want to know what's going on between you and that, that woman?" I don't miss the angry tone of her voice.
"Nothing is going on between Elena and me." Looking into her eyes, I continue, "But I can't say the same about us. Have a seat Meredith." I pull out one of the kitchen chairs for her before sitting down myself.
"What do you mean?"
"We can't tip toe around this anymore. I like you, Meredith, I do, but I'm not in love with you. There's never going to be a future with us together."
"What are you saying?"
"Meredith, don't make this any harder than it already is. I don't want to hurt you, I really don't but I can't be with you anymore." As hard as it is, I keep my gaze focused on her.
"I..I don't believe you. We were just fine till that woman came into the picture," she scoffs. When she reaches for my hands, I pull back not wanting to give her any false hope.
"Maybe seeing her again was the spark but I've never been in love with you. We had fun while it lasted but it's over now. I'm sorry, I really am but I can't keep up the charade."
"Who is she to you?"
"She's the one who will always hold my heart. Whether she and I will ever be together, I don't know, but what I do know is that I still love her." Seeing no benefit in lying to her, I tell her the cold hard truth, holding nothing back. I think she finally understands because I see her eyes welling up with tears. I get up to hand her a tissue.
"I should leave," she blubbers, crying harder now.
"Calm down first okay? I don't want you to have an accident. One more thing, Meredith. I would like to talk to Charlie myself. Can I take him for pizza after the game tomorrow? I'll bring him home afterwards." I don't miss how her shoulders visibly sag at the mention of his name. After giving me one last look, she nods.
"I'll tell him that you'll bring him home tomorrow. Goodbye Damon," she somehow manages to say through her tears.
"Goodbye." I drop my eyes as she walks away, raising my eyes only when I hear the door open. After pulling it open, she pauses, turning to give me one last, now scathing glance before slamming the door shut behind her.
Needing to talk to someone, I pick up my phone to call him. He's always been there when I needed him. After dialing the number, all I can do is wait for him to answer. Relief flows through me when he picks up on the second ring.
"Hello?"
"Hi dad."
"Hello son. How are you?"
"Truth be told, I'm kind of a wreck."
"How can I help?" I can hear the concern in his voice.
"I broke up with Meredith. Um.. I talked to Elena. She told me everything before was all a lie, that she never really loved me. As much as it hurt in that moment, I think she was lying. She couldn't fake what we had, dad. I can't explain it, it's just a gut feeling I have." Closing my eyes tightly, I wait a few seconds before continuing.
"I don't know what to do next?"
"Whatever she's hiding, maybe she's afraid of telling you the truth?"
"I don't know dad. I mean, we shared something really special and beautiful. I want that again but I don't think she wants it anymore," I utter, raking my hand through my hair.
"If you want my advice, don't give up on her unless and until she tells you with absolute certainty that she doesn't want anything to do with you. You're a Salvatore, we aren't quitters. George fought every step of the way. You know that," he reminds me.
"Yeah he did."
"Damon, your mom is calling so I have to go. I'm here whenever you need to talk, okay?"
"Thanks dad. Goodbye." After clicking off the phone, I sigh heavily, collapsing onto the couch behind me. I drop my face into my hands, trying to relax. Once I do, I lay down onto the couch, covering my eyes with my forearm, my mind swirling with everything Elena as I drift off to sleep.
"Damon, Stop," she laughs hysterically as I tickle her unmercifully.
"You want me to stop?" Not waiting for an answer, I start to nuzzle her neck with my lips, knowing how sensitive she is there. As she squirms and writhes beneath me, I tease her ribs with my fingertips till she's nearly convulsing with laughter.
"Please stop," she pants. Finally relenting, I still my fingers and raise my face from her neck. When she turns those fiery chocolate eyes on me, my dick twitches. Shaking off a shiver, I drop my lips to hers, kissing her till I the need to breathe forces me to pull back. After staring into her eyes, I lower my lips to her ear, sucking the lobe into my mouth, nibbling on it with my teeth. Letting go with a plopping sound before whispering, "I love you, Elena."
"I love you too. Reaching up, she cradles my cheeks with her palms, forcing me to look directly into her eyes.
"Make love to me, Damon." Sucking in a heady breath, I lift another blistering kiss from her lips before standing up, lifting her into my arms and carrying her upstairs to my bedroom.
"Great game, Charlie," Mason remarks when he and Meredith walk onto the field towards the two of us.
Smiling at his son, he gives his shoulder a squeeze. "Are you ready to go buddy?"
Charlie looks at me for a moment before turning to face his dad. "Um, Damon is taking me out for pizza. He's going to bring me home when we're done."
After glancing at Meredith, Mason turns back to Charlie. "Your mom didn't say anything to me."
"I'm sorry. It slipped my mind." Although her eyes stay focused on Charlie, she tells me not to keep him out for too long.
"We're just going to have something to eat. We shouldn't be more than an hour, hour and a half."
"Okay, I'll see you later, sport," Mason adds, ruffling his hair.
"Dad?" he scoffs, reaching up to straighten his hair.
"Bye now," they tell Charlie as the two of them walk off together. Charlie decided he'd rather have Chinese food so I took him to my favorite place. Once we place our orders, I turn to look at him.
"I want to talk to you about something."
"Okay?"
"Charlie, your mom and I broke up. I'm not going to be hanging around your house anymore. Obviously, I'll still be your baseball coach but more than that, I'd still like to be your friend."
"You and my mom aren't going out anymore?"
"No Charlie, we're not but I really hope we can still be friends."
"Do you promise you won't get mad at me?" he asks, looking a little pensive.
"I promise, why?"
"I was kind of hoping you would. I want my mom and dad to get back together," he confesses, dropping his eyes from mine.
"You wanted us to break up?"
"Is that bad?"
"No, it's not bad, not bad at all. There's nothing wrong with you wanting your folks to get back together," I reassure him, giving his forearm a light squeeze.
Holding my hand out to shake his, I tilt my head slightly. "Friends?" Nodding vigorously, he smiles and shakes my hand.
"Friends." Just then our food arrives. We talk about baseball and the coming football season, he doesn't mention his mother at all which makes me happy. When we finish, I pay the bill and take him home.
Katherine:
"Hello?"
"Elena, it's Katherine. I was wondering if we could talk?"
"Um.. What's this about Katherine?" she asks, her voice sounding anxious.
"It's about you and Damon. He was drunk to the point of passing out the other night. I had to get up at one in the morning to pick him up from Ric's."
"Oh no! I hope he's okay?"
"He is, Elena. He did mention that you two had something once?"
Although her voice now sounds distant, I still hear her. "I'm sorry Katherine but that's rather personal."
"Elena, please? I just want to help."
"I know, Katherine but sometimes things can't be fixed."
Sighing, I pull the phone away from my lips for a second. "Are you absolutely sure? He still cares, Elena, so much."
"I'm sorry, Katherine but yes, I'm sure. I was going to call you anyway. I'm not going to be available for a few days because my brother flew in from Las Vegas. He's staying with me and Brady. We're going to take him sightseeing so he can see the 'Stanley Hotel' in Estes Park. 'The Shining' is Jeremy's favorite movie."
"Alright Elena. Have a good time with your brother and I'll see you when you get back."
"Thank you, Katherine. Um, before you hang up, thank you for being there for Damon," she whispers just before ending our phone call.
Damon:
"Damon, about Mrs. Keeler, I want a CBC, CMP, PT and PTT along with a D Dimer. I also want a Chest CT with PE protocol and a venous doppler ultrasound of the lower extremities to rule out a DVT. I'll be up to see her in an hour or two. The ED is really busy," she explains, hanging up the phone.
After entering all the orders Meredith gave me in the computer, I go about taking care of my other patients. Once I get all of my evening medications passed, I go back to the nurse's desk, just in time to see Meredith take a seat at one of the computers, holding Mrs. Keeler's chart.
"How are you?" I ask, taking a seat at the computer next to the one she's on.
"Actually Damon, I really don't want to discuss anything personal with you. From now on, our relationship is strictly professional. Do you understand?" After she flashes one of her trademarked phony smiles at me, she turns her attention back to the computer.
"I never wanted to hurt you, Mer."
"Don't," she adds, no turning her attention to Mrs. Keeler's chart. Looking around when I hear a call light sound, I stand up.
"I'll see you at Charlie's game Saturday." When she raises her eyes haughtily, I suck in a breath as I turn away from her and walk down the hallway to answer the call light.
A few months later:
Elena:
"Thank you so much for inviting me along, Hannah. It was really nice of you to think of me."
"You're welcome." Taking my hand, the three of us walk through the exhibits at the 'Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls and Toys'. It's kind of off the beaten path. I didn't even know this place existed till Hannah asked me to join them today.
"Look at this, Elena." Grabbing my hand, she tugs me along till we get to a miniature circus display. She points out the carousel and the Ferris wheel and the train the hauls the animals when they move from town to town. There's a big top tent and the nine yards. It's really magnificent.
"Can you imagine how much time and artistry and imagination one has to have to build something this intricate? It's really outstanding."
"It is Elena. They probably need to have a whole drawer full of magnifying glasses too," Katherine chuckles, urging us to move forward. I was pleasantly surprised when I was asked to come along today. I haven't seen Damon for several weeks now. The times we have seen each other, we have kept our distance. I've seen him with other women but he's never been overly affectionate with any of them, at least not that I've seen. I know I hurt him badly and in hindsight, I would've done things differently but unfortunately, I can't turn back the clock.
"Elena, look at these." Smiling, I walk over to Hannah to look at all of the pretty dollies. I have loved dolls my entire life. My mother used to buy me the 'Madame Alexander' collectible dolls for my birthday and Christmas every year. I still have them displayed in a curio cabinet in my house. They're precious keepsakes of the all too short of time that I had my parents. They were so good to me and Jeremy. I miss them everyday as I do Damon. When Katherine squeals excitedly, Hannah and I look around till we find her, mouth hanging open at a poster for an upcoming 'Star Wars' toys exhibit.
"Oh my gosh, your father is going to have to bring me over here to see this."
"Are you a 'Star Wars' fanatic, Katherine?"
"I am indeed." I can't help but laugh at her exuberance. It's heart warming really to see her so giddy.
"There's a movie that will be showing when the toys are here to display too. I can hardly wait. It's called, 'Plastic Galaxy: The Story of Star Wars Toys'. It's a documentary that explores the groundbreaking and breathtaking world of Star Wars toys. Through interviews with former Kenner employees, experts, authors, and collectors, it looks at the toys' history, their influence, and the fond and fervent feelings they elicit today.
It says that when Star Wars landed in the theaters, it introduced audiences to a galaxy filled with heroes and villains, robots and space ships, and a dizzying variety of alien life. But when the lights came up, they all disappeared...Unless you had all the toys. In which case, the adventure never had to end. In backyards, playgrounds, basements, and bedrooms, Star Wars toys helped kids re-enact scenes from their favorite movies, and create entirely new dangers for Luke Skywalker and his friends to face." Turning to face me, her smile is as wide as Gibraltar.
"Hannah, I'm so excited."
"Momma has a whole room full of Stars Wars.. me.. mem.. stuff," she finally settles on.
"I think the word you're looking for is memorabilia, Hannah."
"Is that the word, momma?"
"It is. I'm hungry, how about you two?"
"I could use a bite to eat."
"There's a 'Panda Express' down the road. Let's go there. I love their String bean chicken."
"That does sound tasty." After we finish touring the exhibits, we go to Panda to eat. My arm feels achy and a bit warm so I dig my bottle of Advil out of my purse and swallow three of them quickly.
"Are you okay, Elena? You do look a little flushed."
"I'm fine. I just have a headache. Once we finish eating, they drop me off at my place. When I see Brady comfortably ensconced on the couch, I walk over and drop down next to him.
"Did you have fun?"
"I really did. But I've got a headache so I'm going to take a nap," I add, yawning deeply.
"I'll wake you up in a couple of hours so you'll be able to sleep tonight."
"Sounds good. I get up and walk down the hall to my room. After slipping into a tee shirt and sleep shorts, I climb into bed. Grimacing when I lay on that side, I quickly turn on my other side. My arms is a bit reddened and a little more swollen than usual. I use the extra pillow to elevate it before setting in and closing my eyes, drifting off to sleep in mere moments.
Meredith:
"Miss Gilbert, I'm Dr. Fell," I introduce myself when I walk into her emergency room bay. I stop when I realize it's that woman, Damon's woman. I smile on the inside knowing I'm about to get my revenge.
"It's you?!" I give her a look lbefore I notice the guy that's in the exam room with her.
"Excuse me," she murmurs, her eyes looking glazed. When I look at her chart I see that she has a 104 degree fever, along with redness and swelling in her left arm. It looks like she has cellulitis.
"How long has her arm looked like this?" I walk over and touch it lightly, feeling how hot it is to the touch.
"It started getting red a day or two ago. She didn't mention anything about having fevers. When I got home from work, she was delirious so I brought her in. She's been hospitalized with cellulitis in that arm before."
"I'm going to order some labs and blood cultures. I'm also going to have the nurse start an IV so she can get some antibiotics after her cultures are drawn. She's going to need to be admitted," I explain to the guy.
"She has a port implanted in her chest from when she had chemo."
"The nurse will be able to access her port. Then we can use it to give her fluids and medication. I'm also going to order an ultrasound just to be sure she doesn't have a clot because it's very swollen."
"She has lymphedema. It developed after her cancer treatment."
"I don't see that in her history. How long ago was that?" I ask him, rubbing my hand over my small bump. I smile on the inside when I see Elena's boyfriend staring at it. I'm sure he thinks it's Damon's. Far be it from me to dissuade him of such a notion.
"She went through treatment a couple of years ago. Plus she gets regular checkups to make sure she stays cancer free. Are you going to give her something for her fever?"
"I'm going to get her nurse to give her some Ibuprofen and also have her get the IV fluids started. Then we can start her antibiotic and get her into a room upstairs." I give him one last look before walking out of their exam room.
Brady:
By the time we get upstairs to a room, it's nearly three thirty in the morning. Once the nurse's aides get Elena settled in and her vital signs taken, a nurse named Natalie steps into our room. After introducing herself, she does her assessment, listening to Elena's heart and lungs and stuff. Grabbing an extra couple of pillows, she uses them to elevate Elena's arm. Her fever is still quite high and she remains delirious. When I walk out of the room to get a cup of coffee, I gasp slightly when I see Damon standing at the nurse's desk talking to someone.
Obviously he's given up on Elena. I recognized Dr. Fell as his girlfriend. I was more than a little surprised to see that she's pregnant. I don't want Elena to find that out till she feels better. She doesn't need the extra emotional overload right now. After getting my coffee, I go back into Elena's room. I press a light kiss to her forehead before setting into the recliner, elevating my legs. In no time, I fall asleep.
Damon:
It's nearly four forty five. Not quite three hours till I get to go home and get some sleep. I walk into the break room to get a fresh cup of coffee and use the bathroom. Once I finish washing my hands, I refill my mug then walk back out to the nurse's station. After giving Mrs. Keeler some pain medication, I take a seat at the nurses desk.
"How's your new patient, Natalie?"
"She's a sick puppy. Poor thing has almost 104 degree fever. They did give her some Ibuprofen in the ED though."
"I'm sure they did blood cultures. What about a cooling blanket if her temp doesn't come down?"
"If it doesn't, I'll call to ask for an order to use one. Dr. Fell saw her downstairs."
"Her name is familiar though, do you recognize it?" she asks, pointing to the name on the computer screen.
"Elena?" Jumping out of my seat, I practically gallop down the hall to her room. The room is dark so I use the tiny flashlight in my pocket, tiptoeing inside to see for myself. My heart sinks when I see her curled up on her side, her arm elevated on a pillow. I'm relieved to see her chest rise and fall with each breath she takes. Not knowing what to do, I just stand there for a moment, my heart thrumming chaotically against my rib cage as I stare at her. Knowing she needs her rest, I shine my flashlight one last time, my mouth dropping open when I see her boyfriend, Brady, staring back at me.
I know many of you suspected that she had cancer. I can assure you that she isn't going to die. No more Damon & Meredith!
Thank you Eva so much for everything. I love you lots.
chapter title: 'Wake Up' by Plan Three
Thank you all so much. I appreciate so much that you take the time to read, follow and favorite my story/stories. And a big thanks to those of you who take the time to review for me. Your reviews are what keep my DE muse alive.
'Tears in Heaven' is still in progress. I did post the first chapter of 'It Came Upon a Midnight Clear' so please give that a look. My other Christmas story, 'When You Wish Upon a Star' isn't as long so I'm not going to start posting that till later into December. Please watch for it.
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