Chapter Twenty-Five

When Ella woke up later in the hospital it was dark. She could tell before she opened her eyes. Everything was quiet in her room; the only sound she could hear was the beeping of the heart monitor she was hooked up to.

Even though the room was quiet, she knew that she wasn't alone. Someone was holding her hand. Opening her eyes slowly, Ella could just make out Jeremy in the dark. He was asleep; his head resting on his left arm, his right hand clutched hers as he slept.

A smile pulled at the corner of Ella's lips as she watched him sleep. Tears filled her eyes, but for once they were tears of joy. Tearing her gaze from the boy she loved Ella looked around the small hospital room and found that Jeremy wasn't the only one still there.

Caroline slept in a chair opposite Jeremy, her head slumped forward, chin resting against her chest. At the other side of the room, in a chair in the corner Elena was curled up like a cat, her mouth hanging open slightly in her sleep.

Ella's smiled widened; her friends had stayed with her. They had chosen to sleep in uncomfortable hospital chairs instead of going home to their own beds. Not wanting to wake any of them, Ella leaned her head back against the pillows and closed her eyes, but she didn't sleep.

Instead she thought about her friends, how each of them were good and had their own strengths and how she loved them all. As she lay their thinking of them she got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She couldn't quite place what the feeling meant; all that she knew was that it wasn't good.

"Ella?"

Opening her eyes, Ella sat up and looked at Jeremy. He was still holding her hand, but he was sitting up in his chair. A smile filled his face when he saw that she was awake.

"How are you feeling?" he whispered, not wanting to wake the others.

"Better," Ella answered. "Jeremy I'm so sorry for everything that happened tonight, and for not being honest with you."

The smile vanished from Jeremy's face. "Ella, I just don't understand why you didn't tell me the truth, and please don't tell me it's because you wanted me to have a choice. We both know that's bullshit."

Ella had to take a few calming breaths before she could answer to stop the tears from falling again. "I was scared," she whispered, looking down at the blanket covering her legs.

After another deep breath Ella looked up at Jeremy. "What did Damon tell you?"

"He told me a little, but I'd rather you explain it."

"All right," Ella nodded. "From the first time I saw you I felt this instant connection. I thought you were the hottest guy I had ever laid eyes on and the more time I spent with you the more amazing I realised you were. Whenever you were near, whenever you are near me I feel calm. I didn't understand it, not until Damon explained to me what it meant.

"He told me that the feeling could eventually lead to me falling in love with you and if that were to happen it would be irreversible. Then he explained that if the person I was in love with ever hurt me or left me it could have devastating consequences."

"Like what happened tonight?" Jeremy asked when Ella paused.

"Yes. I felt something like it before. The day I was having lunch with Damon at the Grill, I tried to talk to you and you were just so cold. It felt like my veins had been flooded with ice, I felt like I'd never feel again. That's when I decided that I needed to put a little distance between us. I never wanted to feel that again."

"I'm sorry about what happened that day. I've never liked Damon and walking in there and seeing you like that with him. I should have let you explain. He was helping you, and you have the right to choose who your friends are."

Ella shook her head as he spoke. "I completely understand your reaction. I wish you'd let me explain, but I understood. Caroline herself thought I was on a date with Damon, it didn't surprise me that you jumped to that conclusion as well."

"Still, I should have just talked to you about it."

"It doesn't matter anymore," Ella smiled. She reached forward and took Jeremy's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "The rest of it is my fault. I shouldn't have ran out like that, I should have told you how I felt about you and explained what that could mean for us. Instead I got scared and used your reaction as an out."

"Well…you could tell me how you feel about me now," Jeremy grinned.

Ella smiled, her cheeks burning red. "I…I'm…I love you Jeremy."

Jeremy's face lit up. "I love you too."

"You shouldn't, I'm a mess, I can't fully control what's going on in my life right now. You saw what happened to me when you walked away…"

"I will never walk away from you again," Jeremy interrupted. He lifted their interlocked fingers and kissed the back of Ella's hand gently. "I love you and I'm not going anywhere, but like I promised before we'll take things slow. The important thing right now is for you to get some rest so that we can take you home in the morning."

"I don't think I could sleep," Ella beamed. Her chest swelled with joy and she feared she might burst. Her face was beginning to hurt from smiling.

"Ok, well maybe we could just talk for a while," Jeremy suggested instead and that's what they did.

The newest couple in Mystic Falls talked all night, only stopping when Caroline and Elena began to stir. Ella's father arrived a short while after that and her friends left so that they could talk. Before leaving however Jeremy promised to call her later to find out how she was. Ella of course already knew how she'd be…happy.

TBC…