Chapter 53

"Hello?" Stefan answered the phone, mildly annoyed to receive a call from his brother when he knew he was on a date with Caroline. It had taken Stefan ages to summon the courage to ask her out after what had happened with Elena, and he didn't appreciate being interrupted.

"Stefan, it's me. She's awake, she just woke up!"

Stefan jumped up from his seat at the grill in surprise, meeting Caroline's delighted eyes as she'd overheard Damon's words with her vamp hearing and was already collecting her things together to leave.

"We're on our way!" Stefan said, excitedly. "Is Lexi there?"

"Yeah, she came over earlier to bring some stuff I needed. See you later."

Stefan took Caroline's hand and put some money on the table to cover their drinks. "Sorry to interrupt the date like this but…"

"Stefan, I get it! Come on!" Caroline dragged him from the grill and as soon as the coast was clear, they vamp sped to the hospital, arriving and walking at a more human pace up to Ottilie's room, a journey they now knew well, after over a week of doing it.

When they arrived, they were met at the door by a very tired but relieved looking Damon, who, somewhat uncharacteristically, hugged them both.

"She's okay?" asked Caroline, trying to look past Damon to get a glimpse of the young girl through the glass window in the door.

"Yeah, she's alright. She's really tired but wanted to stay awake until you'd had a chance to come and see her. She's mad at me for interrupting your date though…" he grinned at them both before opening the door to Ottilie's room and beckoning them in.

"Otti!" cried Caroline, delighted to see her sitting up in bed after so long. She rushed to her and hugged her gently, mindful of the wires and stitches from her surgeries hidden beneath the oversized hospital gown.

Stefan stayed back, taking a moment to let the relief of seeing his niece awake wash over him, before stepping forwards and gently untangling Ottilie from his girlfriend's arms to take her in his own. "I'm so glad you're okay," he said softly, kissing her head gently. "I'm so, so glad you're okay…"

Damon looked over at Lexi who was standing in the corner of the small room, having made space for Stefan and Caroline. He grinned happily at her, which she readily returned, mouthing 'I love you' at him. God he adored her, he thought, as he walked over to her to kiss her lovingly whilst his brother and Caroline were preoccupied with Ottilie.

"I'm very sorry that I interrupted your date," said Ottilie, quietly, to Stefan and Caroline, who quickly burst out laughing. Trust Ottilie to wake up from a coma and then feel bad about her timing.

"This is the best date I could have hoped for," said Caroline generously, smiling shyly at Stefan who blushed.

"Are you okay, Stefan? You're all healed from the bite?" asked Ottilie, her worry evident in her tone.

Stefan nodded, quick to reassure her. "Yes, completely fine thanks to you. We all are."

She smiled, her worries appeased for now, and nodded, yawning.

Damon sped over to her, back into protective father mode. "I think Otti should get some rest now; we don't want you to get overtired, okay?"

She nodded and Lexi, Stefan and Caroline said their goodbyes, promising to stop by the next day.

"Will you stay?" asked Ottilie, in a quiet voice, and Damon looked at her with a smile as she drifted off, fighting to stay awake to hear his answer.

"Of course, sweetheart. As long as you want."

"Love you"

"Love you too, little otter."

Another week later and Ottilie was finally allowed to be discharged from hospital, and she couldn't contain her excitement. School had already started back after the summer break and she was anxious to not fall behind, despite the fact that she'd already been well ahead of her peers.

"Lexi will help you get changed, okay?" said Damon, handing his girlfriend a bag of some of Ottilie's comfiest clothes as the young girl nodded, smiling widely at the thought of getting out of the hospital gowns she'd been in for over two weeks. Kissing her gently on the head, Damon took his leave to go and sign the forms Jo required him to whilst Lexi unfolded Ottilie's clothes.

"Do you think it'd be safe to give her some blood to speed along her healing?" Damon asked Jo in a low voice as he signed the forms she'd given him on a clipboard.

"I'm obviously not going to recommend it officially, but I don't think she's in any danger medically, so if you can keep her safe for the next 24 hours until it's out of her system, then it may be something you'd want to consider" she replied, diplomatically whilst avoiding eye contact with Damon, but failing to miss the smug look that crossed his features.

"She's very frail, Damon," she added, wanting to make sure that he was under no illusions when it came to her condition. "She will get stronger, but it's going to take time and a lot of care and rest. The surgery took a lot out of her and she's going to need you."

Damon nodded, "of course" he replied simply. "We'll take good care of her, make sure she's resting, feed her up and all the rest. She always gets weaker in hospital because she hates the food."

Jo laughed, "well she's certainly not alone there!"

Damon handed the clipboard with now completed forms back to Jo and thanked her for everything she'd done for his daughter before he left to go back to her room, hoping that she'd be changed and ready to by now.

Lexi was waiting for him outside the door, her face showing concern. "What's wrong?" he asked, suddenly worried.

"Nothing really, it's just when helping Ottilie, I couldn't believe how thin she's gotten. She's literally wasting away – I could see every bone in her body. Do you really think we're doing the right thing to take her out of hospital?"

Damon nodded firmly. "Absolutely. She needs her own bed, her own things around her, and some good home-cooked meals and she'll be back on her feet in no time. We're doing the right thing, Lexi, I promise."

She nodded, trusting him completely to know what was best for his daughter and followed him as he went into Ottilie's room, noticing how he tried his best to hide his shock at how frail she looked, now that she was no longer smothered in a huge hospital gown.

"Ready to go, little lady?" he asked, pulling himself together and clearing his throat. She nodded excitedly and he lifted her into the wheelchair that was beside the bed, noting how weightless she felt in his arms, before gently pushing her out of the room that he hoped never to have to set foot in again. "Time to go home, sweetheart"