STEFAN'S POV:
I sat on the other side of Liz's bed, watching Caroline as she slept, her head resting on the bed, her hands still entwined with her Mom's. Sighing heavily, I ran my hands over my face and made my way out of the room, desperately needing coffee…
CAROLINE'S POV:
I was awoken by someone gently shaking my arm. Lifting my head, I saw that it was a nurse…
"Sorry to do this to you, Miss, but do you mind if I move you?" she questioned "I have to check your Mom's obs."
"Sure." I replied, standing up and moving out of the way "Can you tell me how she's doing please?"
"As far as we can tell, she's doing okay." she informed me "But we won't know until she has another scan."
As I was about to reply, I turned as I heard the door open and saw Stefan walk into the room. Smiling at me, he shut the door behind him…
"What's going on?" he asked as he walked over to me
"She's just checking her obs," I replied "where've you been?"
"I needed coffee." he admitted, holding up his cup
"No, you need food," I sighed "why don't you get out of here till morning? I'll be okay…"
"No, I'm not leaving you." he informed me "Anything could happen."
"And I'll be in contact if it does," I replied "you need proper food, Stefan. Why don't you go, maybe head back to Mystic Falls and get us some fresh clothing, do what you need to and then come back?"
"I hate the thought of leaving you…" he admitted "Especially when things are like this."
"I'll be absolutely fine, I promise." I assured him "You need to do this."
"Are you sure?" he inquired
I nodded my head and smiled at him warmly. Reciprocating my smile, he pressed his lips against mine softly...
"I'll see you in a few hours then, okay?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me
I nodded my head… "Yep, I'll be here."
Smiling at me sympathetically, he pulled me into him and held me tight to him, my hands running up his back, inhaling his scent before pulling away…
"Go on, go!" I proclaimed
"Okay." he replied, pressing his lips against my forehead "I'll see you later."
STEFAN'S POV:
I arrived back in Mystic Falls after a hunt and pulled into the driveway of the house, climbing out of the car and making my way up to the door, unlocking it and letting myself in…
"Brother, nice of you to grace us with your presence." Damon greeted me as I shut the door behind me
"Don't start, Damon." I sighed "I'm really not in the mood."
"I thought you having a rendezvous with Blondie?" he questioned
"What did I say? Don't start!" I proclaimed "Just stop asking questions."
"What's going on?" he asked "Why are you in such a bad mood? Did something go wrong?"
"Is Elena around?" I inquired
"Yeah, she's in the kitchen." he informed me
Nodding my head, I made my way down the hallway into the kitchen, Elena turning to face me from the oven…
"Hey," she greeted me "what's wrong? You look wrecked…"
"Caroline's Mom and step-dad have been in a car accident," I informed her "they're both in a pretty bad way. Do you think you could come with me to hers and help me get together some things she'll need and want?"
"Of course," she replied "how's Caroline?"
"You know Caroline," I sighed "she's trying to put on a brave face but I can tell she's not handling it well."
"What hospital are they in?" she questioned
"Emory University Midtown." I replied "They were on their way back from the airport when a car hit them. Do you mind just giving me a few minutes to get my stuff together and then we'll go and then I'll drop you back here before I head back?"
She nodded her head… "I'll meet you at your car."
Nodding my head in agreement, I headed out of the kitchen and up the stairs…
CAROLINE'S POV:
"I won't be long, Mom." I whispered, pressing my lips against her forehead as I stood up
Making my way out of the room, I made my way down the corridor and looked at the hospital map for directions to the canteen, Stefan having text to tell me he was close to being back. Arriving at the canteen 5 minutes later, I collected some drinks together and ordered us a bacon roll each, making my way back up to Mom's room…
"Hey," Stefan greeted me as he walked in a few minutes after I arrived back "any change?"
I shook my head, signalling no as he set two bags down in the chair on the other side of the bed… "Did everything go okay? Did you manage to get some food?"
"Yeah, I'm all good." he replied "How're you? You look exhausted…"
I smiled at him weakly as I took another bite of my bacon roll… "I am, but I'll be okay."
"Why don't you try and get comfy on that sofa and I'll take over for a while?" he suggested
"I can't ask you to do that…" I sighed
"You're not asking, I'm offering." he informed me "You need rest, Caroline, or else when your Mom and John wake up you're going to be no use to either of them. Go on, just have a rest and I'll look after things."
"Okay." I replied "Well there's a bacon sandwich here for you, wake me up if anything changes, please."
He nodded his head and leant across the bed, pressing his lips against my forehead before I stroked my fingers through my Mom's hair and moved away, making my way to the sofa in the corner of the room…
STEFAN'S POV:
Caroline was finally asleep after tossing and turning, trying to get herself comfortable. Smiling weakly, I glanced at Liz, a machine she was hooked up to beginning to beep…
Sorry for the cliffhanger (not really), but what's going on with Liz? Is she going to be okay?