Guest: *mwah* - so happy you liked last chapter. I was a bit worried about it. It wasn't an easy one for sure…

Jade: oh my gosh, yes! MM in a suit is ridiculously handsome. I keep thinking he and his wife have the greatest chins and cheek bones, too, their kid's gotta be so handsome with those genes. lol. Love that they're such a gorgeous happy family. *Swoon*. lol

I also really want to see him in that show. (Plus, Aidan Gillen is a great actor, too…)

I'll have to ask: what're your favorite songs of his? I'm an idiot and got myself obsessed with some of them lately. I've already secretly declared a few of them the soundtrack to this fic. lol ("Feed the Flames", "Uncomfortably Numb", and "I Just Want You"…)

And as for the fic: yeah, it's good Enzo has Bonnie and doesn't have to go through it all alone anymore. Didn't exactly go so well before…

Thanks as always! :)

…

Damon poked his head into Enzo's room, ready to walk in when he stopped in his tracks just watching the kid with Bonnie for a brief moment before pulling back, behind the wall. Neither Enzo nor Bonnie had seen him, which was probably for the best because the scene he had witnessed… had been hard to watch. Exhaling on a sigh, he leaned against the wall, catching himself.

He and his best friend, they didn't usually let each other see more than some surface emotions, with the rare exception here and there, and all those instances were edged into his brain, there to stay. As this one would be.

It was a good thing Bonnie was there, because he wasn't sure he would have known what to do, how to handle this. He couldn't have done what she had done. If Enzo had started to leave, chances were Damon would have ended up helping him. And then…

Yeah, he'd have probably gotten the kid in even more trouble. Like he always did. Involuntarily or not, it kept happening, and he was beginning to realize that he was not good for his friend. Because he wasn't a good friend.

Swallowing, he pushed himself off the wall again, deciding it was probably best if he left, but then he peeked into the room again, seeing Bonnie and Enzo still clinging to each other, and he couldn't tear his gaze off of them for another few minutes.

He was a bit jealous, there was no denying that. A part of him was upset that he hadn't made a move on this gorgeous caring woman himself. There had been a chance for that once, he was quite certain of it. But that chance was gone, and Bonnie… had moved on.

He huffed. His thoughts were ridiculous, stemming from his ever present urge to be the best at everything, the winner. Whether it be basketball or the girl, he wanted it all. It was the crux of the matter. Maybe it was time to take a step back and actually be a friend for once. Which included being happy for Enzo that he had finally found a good girl. Not someone like Lily. At least with Bonnie the kid had a chance to finally heal. And that was good, right?

Then why did he feel this sting in his heart at seeing them together? He shook his head, sniffing. With a quick motion, he took his phone and pulled up Rose's number.

~ Coffee in 15? ~

His message was short as usual, nothing too obvious, nothing too desperate, but when she replied within seconds with an affirmative, he broke into a relieved smile. Because he was kind of desperate now, for someone's arms around him, for someone to have eyes just for him, like these two in there...

Sighing, he went on his way, not wanting to disturb the moment Bon and Enzo were having, and deep down he knew that that was a step forward for him too. Realizing when to back off, when to step away and not be the center of attention for once…

…

"You really need to rest some more…" Bonnie smiled at Enzo, gently nudging him to lay down again after they had spent a long time just holding each other.

He looked ready to keel over, raising his chin to take a shuddering breath as he ran his hands over his face wearily.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, but she shook her head.

"Nothing to be sorry for. Come on, let's get you to lie down."

He rolled his eyes, clearly trying very hard not to repeat what he had said so often already: that he didn't want to stay.

Her smile grew wistful, almost too much sympathy washing over her as she looked at him, how he resignedly tried to get a bit more comfortable.

"How about I lay down with you for a bit?" she asked, holding onto his arm with both hands. "Like you did when I was at the hospital? You didn't seem to mind the place too much then…"

The corners of his mouth moved up the smallest bit, an almost smile. "That's because it was your bed…"

She wagged her eyebrows. "Then pretend it's my bed now. Come on, wanna cuddle with me? Like a cheesy old couple?"

"I want to become a cheesy old couple with you, Bonnie Bennett…"

She took that to be an invitation and slowly climbed into bed with him, mindful of the IV and other cords and monitors he was still hooked up to. Nuzzling up to him, she muttered, "Good, because I intend to stay with you until we're both old and gray and wrinkly."

"You'll always be beautiful, love."

When she looked up at him, she had to smile to herself. His eyes were already closing, his head slightly resting against the crown of hers, and he was falling asleep again, and aside from the fact that he was indeed extremely exhausted, it told her one thing:

He did feel safe with her, safe enough to allow himself to fall asleep.

Intertwining her fingers with his, she snuggled up some more, just allowing herself to forget the world for a bit, forget all the troubles lying ahead…

...

He didn't want to fall asleep, didn't want to let that spiral drag him down again to where awful memories could assault him. But for some reason, sensing Bonnie beside him, her warm touch, the scent of her shampoo, her slender arm wrapped around him… all that made it somewhat bearable. Because he wasn't alone.

That she had been there before, maybe he should feel more awkward about it and part of him did, but...

It had all been too much, and while deep down he had been terrified he'd lose her after all, she had reassured him she would stay, and she really had. She hadn't left him, she was still here. After that. And it made him feel… all the things.

.

He had no idea how long he had slept, but when he woke up, she was still lying beside him, fast asleep. Smiling, he stroked her face, her hair, before he let his gaze wander, spotting Damon sitting casually in a chair in a corner.

"He's alive," his friend now said with a grin on his face. "You two looked mighty cozy in there…"

"You were creeping on us."

"Hey!" Damon's shit-eating expression only grew as he raised both arms in mock-surrender. "Can't a guy watch over his friends in a caring, non-creepy way?"

Scoffing, Enzo pushed himself up a little, mindful not to wake Bonnie. She needed her sleep, after everything she'd done for him, staying with him through all of this…

"No."

"Brought you some clothes, unless this is a fashion statement." Damon indicated Enzo's "outfit" of sweatpants and bare upper body and Enzo rolled his eyes.

"I still look better in this than you on your best day."

"I beg to differ. I have a great sense of fashion, Lorenzo. "

"Didn't realize v-necks and jeans are considered fashion…"

"They are. Besides. It's about who's inside those clothes, and frankly, you my friend, have seen better days. At least you have some color back in your face."

Enzo grimaced, their banter abruptly stopping as Damon had to bring that up. He shrugged it off as he slowly peeled himself out of the bed.

"You gonna hand those over?" he asked as he began turning off the monitors by his side, taking off the various patches on his chest, moving on to the IV drip next, making Damon squint at him.

"You sure know your way around those. Think it's a smart idea to do that?"

"Just hand me those clothes. I need a shower."

"Okayyy. Just don't pass out on me or anything, yeah? BonBon would probably kill me if anything happened to you."

Enzo stared at him, biting down hard to keep his expression neutral. But Damon's words made him want to smile. Because a woman like Bonnie cared about him. Everything suddenly felt almost worth it for that.

Slowly, he walked over to Damon, who had gotten up to pick up a bag, handing it to Enzo now.

"Yeah," he muttered, sniffing and wrinkling his nose, "you do need a shower. It's a good thing Bon isn't up yet… You don't want to repel her with that manly, musty smell."

Enzo decided to not grace the comment with a reply and just grabbed the bag, making his way into the small adjacent bathroom. Once he could close the door behind him, he put the bag down, grabbing the little sink to steady himself and took as deep a breath as he could muster. Yeah, he wasn't feeling too hot yet. Which sucked. He still needed to get out of this place, needed to get back to practice. There was a game coming up tonight.

He snorted, shaking his head at himself. Who was he kidding? In no way was he going to be able to make it to that. He'd keel over before he'd ever make it onto the court. Besides, coach wouldn't even allow him back. Neither would Bonnie…

.

After a nice warm shower that hadn't been as long as he would have liked because at some point he had felt like he was about to pass out, he slowly walked back into the room, half hoping that Damon had left. But no such luck. The man still sat there, idly tapping his foot, massaging his injured leg, and when Enzo sat back down on the bed, needing a moment to just breathe, he felt his friend's probing gaze on him.

When he looked up at him, Damon's chirpy attitude was gone, all trace of a grin wiped off his features. This was a Damon he didn't see all that often anymore, a serious and worried Damon that he associated with even worse times in his life, and he had to avert his gaze so as not to get dragged down by the memories now. Sniffing, he rubbed a hand under his nose, shooting a glance at the still sleeping woman in his bed. She looked so relaxed, so peaceful that he had to smile, the expression wavering as Damon began to speak again.

"Enzo… I know you don't want to, but we'll have to talk about this."

There it was. Sighing, he shook his head, just a small motion, before he ran a hand over his face.

"Klaus wants you to see a therapist. He's not gonna let you back on the team otherwise, and you know he's desperate for you to come back. Which should tell you just how serious he is. How serious this is."

Enzo swallowed, his throat too tight to reply. His hands were clenching into fists as if of their own accord, and he was ready to lie back down, but not while Damon was still here. He didn't need him to see just how bloody exhausted he still was, after hours and hours of sleep.

"I know after last time you probably don't want me to make any arrangements, but I could-"

Abruptly, he looked up to stare at Damon with heated anger. "No."

"The hospital is gonna send someone over, probably today. I heard them talk about it. You'll be getting a psych eval, whether you want to or not. But if there's one thing I'm sure neither of us want to ever see again is restraints around your wrists and ankles, so… might as well try to grin and bear it. Trust me, Lorenzo, this will be good. And me and Bon, and Klaus, we'll all make sure no one is gonna just lock you up again."

"Lock me up again?" He couldn't believe the casualness with which Damon spoke. Scoffing, he raised his chin, defiance surging through him. They hadn't talked about this in forever. Ever, really. But he wasn't going to let Damon trivialize it now. "You remember why I was there before, Damon, don't you? Because you made them lock me up. You made them keep me there."

"I was trying to help you, and I didn't know how else to do it. I didn't know the place was such a horror house…"

That was true, Enzo knew that, he knew that Damon would have never knowingly allowed to happen what had happened there, at the Augustine hospital, under Dr. Whitmore's "care." And yet.

"They were supposed to be good there, top notch in care for athletes, Lorenzo."

"Yuh," Enzo scoffed, "everything they do is supposed to be top notch. And cruel. Like their schools…" He trailed off, talking to himself more than to Damon anyways. With a sigh, he decided to lay down after all, too exhausted to care what Damon might think. The glance his friend shot him said it all, and Enzo looked away, at Bonnie.

"I'm sorry," Damon suddenly muttered, "I dropped the ball on you before, but not this time, alright? We'll find someone to come see you at your place if that's what it takes, but with everything that happened, you can't deny that you need outside help. You almost friggin got yourself killed with the way you kept pushing through. Even someone who doesn't suffer from asthma would have-"

"Stop, Damon. I don't want to have this conversation."

"Well, sorry buddy, but we're going to have to have this conversation-"

"Not with you." Enzo glared at him, holding Damon's gaze for so long until the other one looked away with a huff.

"Fair enough, I guess…" Damon sighed. "Just… talk to someone-"

"Why does everyone seem to think talking is gonna help? Talking accomplishes nothing. It's not gonna reverse what happened." He sighed, running a hand through his hair, noticing Bonnie stir a little beside him. "I should have never come to stay with your family, Damon. If I had stayed in England, or at someone else's place, your family would have stayed intact-"

Damon shook his head, interrupting him with a shrug. "Guiseppe always had a mean streak, and Lily was always going to end up doing something batty because of it. I'm just sorry you had to be the one getting hurt by her…" He paused, sighing loudly. "I can't stop seeing her face, man, or the lack thereof…"

Enzo clenched his jaw. He could still feel the blood spattering over from when Lily had shot herself. Like a million tiny boiling droplets burning themselves into his skin as constant reminders of what she had done. It still hurt.

Someone who had pretended to love him had only wanted to eternally scar him... Not a good feeling - which was probably the understatement of the year.

The people in his life seemed to all just abandon him, use him first if he was lucky, then discard him. His parents… Lily. Even Damon. Klaus would do the same if he couldn't meet the expectations the man had in him; if he couldn't somehow bring the Hybrids to the playoffs.

"Hey…" He looked to the side where Bonnie's green eyes were staring back at him, a frown growing on her face as she seemed to realize something was going on. She pushed herself up a bit, her hand coming up as she smiled at him before turning her head. "Damon," she said, her frown back, "Is everything alright here?"

She focused back on Enzo just as Damon said, "Yeah, absolutely. Just trying to get Enzo to go see a therapist as the big bad wolf - and I'm guessing the hospital, too - are both requesting. But surprise, turns out homeboy doesn't want to go, just like I already told you yesterday-"

"Damon." Enzo stared daggers at him, done talking about any of it, but then he felt Bonnie's hand against his face, the gentlest pressure making him look at her rather than at Damon, an earnest expression on her face as she said, "Remember what I said? I'll be here for you. Through all of it. You're not alone, okay? Damon is right, the hospital will send someone over to check on you."

He tensed involuntarily, ready to balk, like some strange and strong impulse to get away despite her being here with him, but then her touch filtered into his conscience again, and he stayed put, locking his gaze on hers so he wouldn't run. Because he really wanted to run and all that kept him from doing so was her. Bonnie Bennett.

"But if you want me to, I'll stay here for that, too."

Couldn't he just go home, pretend it all never happened? Take a week off from practice and then…

"Listen to the lady, Lorenzo. It'll just be a talk, right Bon? Can't hurt. And if you're a good boy and stay put to get some more rest, you'll be home in no time. - No one's gonna force you to stay."

Enzo scoffed. They kind of already where. Giving Damon a pointed stare he said, "I'm not here because I want to be…"

"Yeah, well. No, you aren't. You are here because you were stupid and thought you were a supernatural being needing no sleep or food or water, or air to breathe. Reality check: you're just human like the rest of us. The sooner you accept that and that you need help, the better."

Bristling, Enzo was ready to jump up and at Damon, but before he could do that, Bonnie's hand on his chest made him focus back on her right in time for Damon to slap his own thighs loudly, and Enzo looked to him before his gaze fell on two figures walking toward the open door to his room, one of them the gray-haired doctor from before.

"Guess that's my cue." Getting up, Damon addressed Bonnie rather than Enzo. "You'll stay with him?"

Her soft "yes" made Damon nod and smile, then he came over to give Enzo a pat on the shoulder, and he made a face.

"Finally got a good one there, Lorenzo," Damon muttered, "Do me a favor and try not to ruin it by being your usual stubborn self."

Scoffing, Enzo rolled his eyes, but Damon shrugged it off with a grin.

"I'm here for you, too, you know that, right? I screwed up in the past, but I'm not going to this time. Trust me."

Except, Enzo was the one who couldn't be trusted, the one who had screwed up… Raising an eyebrow at Damon, he therefore didn't say anything in return, just kept quiet, staring ahead as his friend left and the two doctors walked in.

"I'm right here," Bonnie suddenly whispered beside him, squeezing his hand, "I love you, Enzo St. John."

As he looked at her again, he jolted out of whatever darkness had threatened to swallow him and smiled. There was something good in all of this. This gorgeous woman by his side with her too big heart.

If she loved him, then maybe he was really worth it. Maybe he really was…

…

Bonnie was acutely and uncomfortably aware that she hadn't taken a real shower in two days, that she was lying in bed with a man who was both her boyfriend and her patient, and that Dr. Collins was hiding a smirk rather badly.

Part of her wanted to vacate that stupid bed immediately and stand up, facing him and the other doctor - a curly haired woman who had to be the psychiatric counsel - head on. But then she could feel the tension coming from Enzo, the way his grip on her hand tightened, could see the way he stared hard at the two doctors, as if he was ready to just up and leave, and she knew there was only one place for her to be. It wasn't enough to be here in the same room with him, she had to be beside him, literally beside him.

Realizing just how much his past had taken a toll, she pressed her lips together as she faced Dr. Collins with a wry expression, squeezing Enzo's hand affirmatively as she did.

"Dr. Collins."

He wagged his eyebrows. "Your dedication is impressive, Dr. Bennett."

She clicked her tongue, but he was kind enough to gloss over what he had meant and just went on to introduce his colleague.

"Mr. St. John, this here is Dr. Emily Rosen. She's here for a psychological evaluation to make sure you're getting the care you need. Your recent destructive behavior gave us cause for some worry…" He smiled, stepping a bit closer, examining the monitors next to Enzo and only then did Bonnie notice that they weren't recording anything anymore, that Enzo must have taken the patches off. She gave a soft sigh, swallowing the urge to berate him because now clearly wasn't the time. Meanwhile, the other doctor was reattaching the patches, motioning for Enzo to extend his arm.

"You don't like being monitored, do you? I'm afraid we'll have to do this for another 24 hours, though, make sure your heart rate stays at a healthy level, and your lungs are doing okay too. I'll have to put the IV back in place, too…"

Thankfully Enzo didn't fight the man, shooting Bonnie a glance instead, and she smiled, proud of him.

"Mr. Mikaelson was kind enough to clue us in on the fact that your quite obvious discomfort about being here is strongly related to a rather unfortunate experience in the past," Collins went on conversationally, looking at Enzo while putting the drip back in place.

He paused then, looking from Enzo, who was clenching his jaw, to a smiling Dr. Rosen, then to Bonnie, who was trying to figure out whether she was angry at Klaus for divulging that information or grateful. It had to be tackled, she knew that. Still, it should have been Enzo's decision to mention it.

"Augustine Society, right?" Collins continued. "Dr. Rosen here can assure you that you're not the first to come to her with signs of post traumatic stress after a stay there." He gave Enzo a pointed stare and for the first time, Bonnie could see something work behind Enzo's hardened facade. Nudging him lightly, she smiled at him encouragingly as Collins went on.

"But I'll leave you to it. Just know that Dr. Rosen is good at what she's doing. She can help you, if you let her… - I'm guessing you're staying, Dr. Bennett?"

She nodded, looking from him to Dr. Rosen. "I hope that's okay… Because if not-"

She raised her chin, making her point, but Dr. Rosen smiled at her as Collins waved his goodbye, making his way out.

"Absolutely," the woman said, "Like Andrew said," she pointed behind her at the man, "You're not the first former Augustine patient I've spoken to. It might interest you that I'm actually currently putting together a case against them. - But don't worry, if you're not comfortable with it, we won't include any of your experiences in the files. I'm just here to talk a little bit now. See how you're doing."

She smiled, and Enzo kept staring at her warily. Even from where Bonnie was sitting beside him, she could feel his heart beating rather fast, could hear his breathing pick up a little bit, and she put a calming hand on his chest briefly, noticing him fiddle with the hem of the long sleeve shirt he must have changed into at some point.

"I'd be doing better if I could go home," he allowed, a bit of fight back in his voice, and Dr. Rosen chuckled.

"I can imagine. But why don't we talk about why you're actually here for a bit… I don't think the Augustine Society is the only issue here, is it?"

As she looked at Enzo, Bonnie squeezed his hand again, with her other holding his arm, making sure to show him that she was here as best as she could, to show that he wasn't alone. That he could talk.

"Whenever you're ready," the woman said, her expression open and kind.

He gave a half shake of his head, making a face before looking from the doctor to Bonnie. "I just wanna play ball," he suddenly said with such a defeated tone that her heart almost broke, and she shot Dr. Rosen a brief sideways glance before she leaned against him, foreheads touching yet again.

"And you will," she muttered. "Just… you need a little bit of help first, so you can begin to focus back on the game, too. Okay? If you need my help at any point, just say the word..." She smiled, trying to keep up the expression even when she was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed by it all. She hadn't known this feeling before, and it was both empowering and a little terrifying. That someone needed her, actually needed her to be strong, that he needed her.

A long moment passed in which they kept gazing at each other, Enzo quite obviously trying to build up the courage for the task ahead, and eventually, with a sigh, he pulled away a little, just a little, never letting go of Bonnie's hand, and he turned his attention toward Dr. Rosen…