Chapter Twenty
Can't Run Forever
"Lost but now I am found. I can see but once I was blind. I was so confused as a little child. Trying to take what I could get. Scared that I couldn't find all the answers honey..." ~ Lana Del Rey
"Oh, her eyes, her eyes. Make the stars look like they're not shinin'. Her hair, her hair falls perfectly without her trying. She's so beautiful and I tell her everyday..." ~ Bruno Mars
"If ever your world starts crashing down. Whenever your world starts crashing down. Whenever your world starts crashing down. That's where you'll find me..." ~ One Republic
I poured myself a cup of coffee and sat down to take advantage of the ten minutes I had free. I pulled a magazine closer reading three week old celebrity gossip. My feet were throbbing in my shoes, my legs tired and prickly. I've been on my feet for nearly six hours, operating on a young woman, in her mid-twenties. She finally got approved for a heart transplant. But, like most things these days there were complications.
I nearly lost the patient. I took another sip from my coffee, turning the page.
"That man! I swear I feel like slapping him," Sasha said walking in heading to the counter, pouring herself a cup of coffee. I looked up smiling, meeting Sasha's big green gaze. "What did he do?" I asked her, closing the magazine.
She rolled her eyes, giving a resigned sigh. "Benjamin is such a jackass," she said.
I raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue. "You'd think wearing this," Sasha jammed her wedding ring under my nose, making sure that I saw the sparkling diamond. "Would discourage ass grabbing and sexual remarks."
Doctor Benjamin Joseph was a short balding man in his late-forties. He's the most arrogant and probably the most off putting man I have ever met. And believe me I've met my fair share of men. None of them even compare to Doctor Joseph. Well, I did meet this French guy once, who thought he was God himself. "Some people never change," I said, shaking my head, taking another sip from my coffee.
"Talking about people!" Sasha said excitedly, changing the subject. "Matt from Oncology slept with Sue from Paeds, and they were caught in bed by Hannah!" Talking to Sasha was like talking a talkative teenager. She had a whole lot of energy, and didn't always know what to do with it. That's why there was never a dull moment when she was around. "Are you serious?" I asked, putting my cup down, and looking behind me. Whenever we gossiped the people we were gossiping about would just show up. It was like a magic trick. The coast was clear and I leaned in, actually interested in the latest staff news. What can I say; I'm a sucker for good gossip.
I'm a girl after all; it's what we strive for. It was no secret that Hannah Smith, a nurse, was dating Doctor Matt Rzewski. How Doctor Sue Jones got dragged in (well...seduced is more appropriate), I couldn't quite grasp. I mean, it was no secret that those two could never see eye to eye. I guess when it came down to carnal pleasure they had some kind of understanding.
"I've always said there was sexual tension between those two," Sasha remarked sitting back in her chair, feeling content with her own observations.
"So, what happened?" I asked in anticipation. I could sense there was more to the story. Sasha wouldn't just bring it up if it didn't have more to it. "Rumor is," Sasha leaned forward her voice a mere whisper. "Hannah merely looked at the two of them in their compromising position, laughed, and told Matt she's expecting his best friend's kid!" Sasha exulted. "No!" I breathed. Sasha looked like a kid in a toy store, pleasure glistening in her eyes. This was the gossip of the week. The cream of the crop. Sasha was in her element, excitement bubbling inside her. She was a real drama junkie. It was no wonder she loved working in the Emergency Department.
"I know!" I wasn't sure if she enjoyed the story because Sue got caught with her pants down, or because Matt got what he deserved. I don't think it really mattered who was more humiliated by this. It gave people something to talk about.
It was a nice warm day outside and I took the opportunity to take Abel for a walk. I had the day off and was planning on spending the time running errands, but I couldn't pass up the day to enjoy the sun. After our walk I fed Abel and put him down for his nap. I opened all the windows and the doors, letting in the fresh air and sunlight.
I sat down at the dining room table and pulled the box of wedding invitations and envelopes towards me. I have been putting off doing this for a long time, the reality of my upcoming nuptials a bit overwhelming. I started putting the invitations into envelopes. In six months I will be Mrs. Ava Marie Teller. Just thinking about it made me a little uncomfortable. I loved Jax, I really did. I just don't know how to be this. Be a mother and a wife. If you told me a year ago that I would become a wife and a mother in a year's time I would have told you that you were crazy.
But here I was about to walk down the aisle. Jax and I have only been together eight months, and we might be rushing into things, but you only live once right. Except when you're me or any other supernatural being. I put another invitation into an envelope and stopped. I turned the envelope over the name on the front a cold wake up call. Stefan Salvatore was inked in gold calligraphy on the front of the envelope.
The Salvatore's (Stefan and Damon) were the only people I had that were like family, except for Sasha and Dave of course. Jax's family, Club members and acquaintances were all invited to the wedding. I only had Sasha, Dave, Stefan, and a couple of nurses and a doctor who were invited. It wasn't till we made the list of people to invite that I realized just how alone I was in the world. I had no real family left.
It was only me. That's why I wanted to ask Stefan if he'd walk me down the aisle.
He was my closet friend and the closet person I had that has known me almost as long as I have been on the run. I put the sealed envelope to one side and just sat there staring at it. I have been putting this off for a while now. I knew that sooner or later the day would come that I'd have to tell the Salvatore's. I just wanted to wait for the right time. But I was kidding myself, because it was never going to be the right time.
I moved on putting the last ten invitations into envelopes, and stacked them all neatly putting a ribbon around them. My eye caught the invitation made out to Stefan and knew without a doubt that the time was now. It was time to go back.
Go back to where it all began. It was time to face reality. I had to break the news to Stefan and Damon. I wasn't scared of the prospect of telling them. I was absolutely petrified! Not of telling Stefan. But telling Damon. I wasn't sure how he'd react to the news. It's been eight years since I last saw him. The memory of our encounter still burned into my mind. I took a deep breath, just the thought of it making my heartache.