Chapter 14

Playing pool seemed like the best way to distract me from my thoughts. Screw Stefan, he can think what he wants; Elena is old enough to make decisions for herself without being compelled. Turning my back on him, I needed to keep my calm, the last thing she needed to see was me snapping a pool cue over his head. I sensed that he was alert and had noticed the bartender eyeing him off. This could get interesting, but I doubt he would even go there not even for a snack. I warned him that I had already tapped the vein on that one. Stefan began a conversation with the girl, telling her of some of the evil deeds I had done and what he wanted to do to me. Subtleness was never his thing; he preferred to lay the plan out and had the audacity to be shocked when his actions were predictable.

"Oh how sad Stefan, airing out our dirty laundry to a human, does that make you feel like your problems matter now and sleeping with your girl?, let's not forget who was with her first little brother". I turned to stare at him. "Yes, let's not Damon, I WAS with her first, remember the night of her arrival?" Thinking back, I had been distracted with Father who was insisting that I join the confederacy. I couldn't believe Stefan; of course he was with her first. The thought made me angry, too angry. Channeling my annoyance at the fact that Elena had stood me up alongside it.

I headed straight towards him; he has been testing me since we walked in the door. Before I got there the bartender returned, before Stefan could respond I compelled her to get lost. He stood up in front of me in a confronting way, ranting on about compelling people. I shouldn't have to explain myself; I have these gifts for a reason why NOT use them. He clearly has a delusional view on how we are supposed to treat the humans. He started getting personal with the mention of our parents; he was really sporting to be punched. How dare he have the nerve to mention them to me, he was the reason they both were dead. Stefan seemed intent on forcing me to cause a scene, what was his game. I was not going to be a pawn in any kind of scheme he was planning. I took off without another word. I wanted nothing more than to liquor up and go on a pub crawl and sample the local talent , the little bite I had from the bartender was not nearly enough to fill me.

Pondering on tonight's events, I was drawn towards the Gilbert house. I pull into the curb and kill the engine. I listen in to what was happening inside the house, I could hear three heart beats. All seemingly calm and relaxed. I listen to the conversation. It was Caroline, a boy and a woman. I frowned, where was she? It didn't take me long to sense his presence; consuming human blood gives me the jump on him. I get out of the car, watching him. "Is there a reason you are here?" I ask. He gave me a look of having said something stupid. "You honestly can't believe that I would let you do the things that you want to do to her and standby". "Whatever, evidently she is not here", I had no patience for his broody nature tonight. Things were not going the way I had planned, and that annoyed me.

Stefan gave me a confused look and proceeded to listen to the companions in the house. "Caroline, Jeremy and Jenna" he said as if checking off a mental list. Because I was staring at him in expectation, he went on to say "Jenna is her aunt and Jeremy is her brother". Before I could give him some smart remark, we heard the phone ring inside the house. I listened in hopes of possibly finding out where Katherine had gotten too. I frowned, I meant Elena. Her appearance may only be on the exterior but it still meant I forgot sometimes.

"Hello …. Hang on I will get her" Jeremy answered the phone. "Jenna it's the hospital". I heard Jenna get up because she stood quickly and kicked the coffee table, cursing silently and then hurried to the phone. No sooner had she been handed the phone, that she dropped in stunned shock "….oh no" Jeremy was there to grab her to make her speak. "Elena's been in an accident". I glance in Stefan's direction and he was already gone. I could get there faster on foot but leaving my car might send off too much of a stalker vibe. I get in and floor it towards the local hospital, hoping that on Stefan's diet my car would get me there first.

What was I going to do when I got there? What kind of accident was she in? I realized I cared, I cared what happened to her and if she was hurt. When did that happen? I push faster in my car, making a near miss alongside a passing car. He hit his horn at me. If only they knew who they were possibly trying to make angry. I landed my car out the front of emergency, not caring about the no parking signs. Clearly I don't have to worry about paying parking fines. I walk straight up to the desk and compel right off the bat; I didn't want to have to worry about being messed around with not being family.

"Tell me which room, Elena Gilbert is in" her face showed recognition. "She is in room 14 on level 2". I was off, choosing to use the stairs to avoid waiting for the elevator. I notice the sign on the wall outside the ward says 'intensive care', well that can't be good. I find her room and see that she has the room to herself. Entering the room, I can see that she has two IV's connected to her forearms and a nasty gash across her forehead where she has hit it relatively hard with force. She had bandages across her neck and left arm. She looks really beat up but her face shows peacefulness. She must be under heavy sedation or in a coma. I pick up her chart at the end of the bed, when Stefan came rushing in.

He took in the sight of her in astonishment, "What happened?" he asked. I flicked through the chart and came across where the paramedic had written down how they found her. "It says that she was in a vehicle accident and that she lost control and slammed into a power pole" I frown, and then I look down at the woman in front of me. How can she look so peaceful when she has been through so much? I watch as Stefan walks up beside her and runs his index finger across her forehead, near where her face had been wounded. I felt anger rise up but then I glanced at his face, he was upset. A small part of me thought I should take joy in this moment, but another larger part of me remembered I used to care about him when he was my younger brother, the human. A nurse bustled into the room to administer a new IV bad and stopped when she saw us.

"Excuse me, but are you her next of kin?" she looked expectantly at Stefan. "No I am" I answered, I just wanted to find out what was happening. "Okay, Miss Gilbert sustained a dangerous head injury and a fractured elbow; she had been travelling over 100 on the freeway and skidding across the road and landed across a power pole. She hit it at such force that the pole fell across her car, we don't know the full extent of her head injury yet , she has not responded to our response tests" She looked grimly at me and then at Elena. "I am sorry, the doctors should be around soon" She moved into the room more and replaced the empty bag with a new one. "This is keeping her under sedation; she is not in any pain"

Stefan pressed a kiss onto her hand and then put it down. When the nurse left, I closed the door. "Stefan keep an eye out" he looked at me in confusion. "Hurry up we don't have time, her family will be here shortly and unless you feel like a scene then do what I say" He moved from the side of the bed and stood so he could see outside the room. I walked to the side of the bed and bit into my wrist, but before Stefan could voice his protest, I had my wrist up to her mouth. She didn't grab onto me like they always do, the blood started running down her chin and onto her chest. I attempted to wipe it off when I looked briefly glanced at Stefan who thought I was touching her inappropriately. "What? You think it would look suspicious that she has blood running down her face with no source, and the fact that it's not even her blood" He just rolled his eyes at me.

I saw her fingers twitch and decided that it was enough, she would already make the doctors scratch their head, didn't want to make her a miracle. I cupped her cheek and brushed my lips on her forehead, "see you soon sweetheart". Without looking in Stefan's direction, which would only disapprove, I exited the room and was at the ward's exit when Jeremy, Jenna and Caroline came out of the elevator. I think I will go get a bite and come back to check on her later when there are not so many prying eyes on her. Looking around, I wondered where Stefan had gotten too, when I remembered he knows her family. I suppose I could have done some better recon so Stef didn't have the advantage, how he loved to rub that fact in.

This chapter took me ages, it could have gone in a couple of different directions..

LOVE!