A/N: This is my second attempt into the VD fandom. This time it's a one-shot cannon fic. The pairing Damon/Elena
Summary: When Elena wakes up in hospital, she finds the world has changed around her. It's Damon she suddenly looks to for help. Follows ep 22.
Belonging to Elena
Elena stepped into the kitchen and then the world went dark. The blow to the back of her head was hard and fast, and she dropped down into something warm and wet. Her eyes closed a second after, and when she awoke, there were bright lights overhead and someone talking in a loud voice.
The voice was painful, cutting into her peaceful oblivion, making her wince. Her head hurt, and the more the voice spoke, the more the world started to come flooding back.
"Elena, can you open your eyes for me? Elena. Come on, open your eyes. Elena, can you hear me?"
She groaned, wishing the voice would go away. The more she came round, the more the world sounded harsh and loud. There were other murmuring voices, and beeps and whirring sounds. Slowly she opened her eyes and found someone holding her hand, and a man standing over her trying to shine a light into her eyes.
"Elena, oh thank God," someone said to the side of her. Elena felt her hand being squeezed, and she turned to see Jenna, tears in her eyes, but a smile on her face.
"Jenna," Elena croaked, then stopped and swallowed down her dry throat. She licked her lips and tried to find her voice again. "What happened?"
"I shall let you explain."
"Thank you doctor," Jenna replied.
Elena watched him put away his torch, smile at her, and then collect some notes and leave the room. As she became more aware she found that she was connected to a heart monitor and there was a blood pressure cuff on her arm. Very slowly a memory came back to her, of walking into her house, and heading for the kitchen. Beyond that she couldn't remember seeing anything. She reached a hand up to her head, and found her hair was wet.
"They had to wash your hair, or at least, the best they could. You were covered in blood," Jenna explained.
Elena looked at her alarmed.
"Some of it was yours, there are stitches at the side," Jenna explained, touching the side of her own head to show Elena. "But your uncle was attacked, and as you came home the police think you must have disturbed them. They struck you as you walked into the kitchen, and you've been unconscious until now."
"John was attacked?" Elena asked, struggling to sit up. "By what?"
"That is a odd question Elena," Jenna replied, concerned the damage to her head was more than the medical staff had anticipated.
"I mean, who…" Elena amended. She lay back down feeling dizzy. "Why?"
"The police are investigating… Your uncle was air lifted out of town, he was stabilised here, but they've taken him to a more specialised intensive care unit. He lost a lot of blood, but he's doing OK…" Jenna talked them into silence, and Elena could think of nothing to say.
"Elena, there is something I think we need to discuss… I know you didn't want to talk about it before, but I think you need to," Jenna said.
Elena stared at her confused, but said nothing to stop her.
"When I saw you and Damon tonight," Jenna began, but Elena stopped her.
"Saw us what?" Elena asked. She didn't like Jenna's tone, it was the one she used when she needed to set the rules, or try to instil some discipline into the Gilbert house.
"Elena, you were kissing him on the front porch!"
Elena tried to remember. She tried really hard, concentrating until she felt tension in her head. Why couldn't she remember that? No, she didn't believe it was true. She wouldn't do that to Stefan, she'd made a promise to herself that she would never be like Katherine.
Her thoughts stopped and she felt a cold fear sinking into her stomach. It couldn't be.
"I don't remember that," Elena whispered, before feeling tears welling in her eyes. Why was her life always such a mess?
Seeing how she had distressed her niece, Jenna changed her tone.
"Listen, Elena… I've made many mistakes in my life, been around the wrong men, been confused. I just don't want to make them too, and I don't want you to get hurt. If there is something between you and Damon, you need to end it now, or you need to finish with Stefan."
Jenna didn't like to cause the tears in Elena's eyes, but she couldn't ignore what she had seen. She knew Elena would not have wanted this to happen, to be caught between confusing feelings, and not know what way to go. But she also knew Elena couldn't continue this way, she was too honest, too kind, and a secret such as this would only cause her pain.
"Is Stefan here?" Elena asked, hoping to change the subject.
"They're both here. So whom do I send in?" Jenna asked, standing.
"That isn't fair," Elena replied. Jenna paused.
"Maybe you don't think so, but I suspect they will want you to choose," Jenna said, sorry that this had had to creep into this already fraught situation. "So, which one?"
Elena took a deep breath, knowing she was never going to be able to explain her answer to her aunt, but she didn't have time to be diplomatic and appease Jenna.
"Damon," Elena said, knowing she wasn't imagining the disappointed look on her aunt's face. "Please ask Damon if he'll come in."
Jenna closed the door and looked at the two young men waiting outside. Stefan had stood immediately, whereas Damon merely looked up at her from his uncomfortable plastic chair. They had been forced to wait in the corridor ever since Elena had been brought in.
What Jenna had not told Elena was who had found her, who had sounded the alarm, and who had managed to stop John Gilbert bleeding out onto the kitchen floor until help had arrived. Jenna didn't know what had made him come back, but there he had been, pulling Elena out of a pool of blood and staunching its flow.
Jenna had not told Elena, as she didn't want Damon to have anymore of a hold over her. Their relationship was already confused as it was, let alone adding feelings of gratitude.
"She wants to speak to Damon," Jenna said.
"She's awake?" Stefan asked, as he sat back down.
Jenna nodded. She didn't understand how he could be so calm about Elena's first request. Could he not see what she could see? Or maybe he had already known. Jenna watched him nervously as Damon left them without a word.
Elena had tried to make herself look presentable in the short time she had been alone. But with lank hair, a hospital gown and what she expected was a very puffy face, she didn't think she had succeeded. However the way Damon looked at her didn't appear to have changed. But something else had.
"Elena you shouldn't have asked me to come in," he said, standing just out of her reach to the side.
"Why?" she asked. Maybe he was right, maybe this could have waited. But she couldn't face Stefan knowing that there were secrets between them. Jenna was right, this couldn't go on.
"Because I failed to look after you," Damon replied. Still hung back, afraid to move any closer to her, even though Elena stretched out her hand for him.
"I'm OK, see," she said trying to touch him, but knowing she couldn't.
"No, you're not. Elena Gilbert should not be lying here broken, she's strong and she beautiful, look what I did to you!"
Elena watched him sink into a chair and cover his face. For a moment she realised she wasn't the only person hurting in this room. Whatever Damon was torturing himself with, it wasn't fair. He had not done this to her.
"You didn't do this…"
"No, but I could have stopped it. She was right there, in front of me, in my hands, I could have killed her right then. But I couldn't," Damon said, looking at Elena as if he had never seen her before. "I wanted to believe she was you."
Elena thought she had never been so honest with her. He'd never allowed her to see him like this, unnerved, no jokes, no teasing. It was if Katherine had managed to destroy something between them, and all that was left was a longing for what once was. It was true then, Elena thought, Damon did love her.
"Damon," Elena said, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She found she could get no further with all the leads that were attached to her. She pulled at everything with a fury.
Damon stood to help her, and try and calm her. He could see she was starting to panic, tears coming to her eyes, and her movements erratic. He helped her remove the leads from where she could not reach.
"I'm so sorry for what she did Damon," Elena said in a shaky breath. She tried to reach for him again, but he moved. "Why won't you let me touch you?" this time she was accusing, and her voice harsh.
She looked down at her hand, and found something else that had invaded her in her sleep. A small needle, protected by a dressing. Without thinking she picked at it, until it unexpectedly came away in her hand.
"What are you doing?" Damon demanded, trying to stop her, but already the blood was starting to drip onto the bed.
"You hate me," Elena sobbed. Watching the blood drip through Damon's hands, where he was failing to stop it. "Why?"
"Jenna!" he called, alerting those outside.
Jenna appeared immediately, and then swore.
"What the hell is going on?" she challenged, grabbing a nearby towel and pushing Damon out of the way. "Go get a nurse, now."
Elena was sobbing now, her whole body shaking with a mixture of emotions. She didn't even know why she had done this. She'd just wanted so kind of reaction from Damon, to know that he still cared. She knew she was selfish. She just couldn't loose him to Katherine.
But it was Jenna and Stefan that she opened her eyes to later, both concerned, both trying to smile.
"The nurse explained to us that a lot of people can act irrationally after waking up. It's the shock. You didn't know what you were doing," Jenna said stroking Elena's hair back from her face.
It was partially true, Elena thought. She hadn't been quite in her right mind. But she didn't dare ask for Damon now, but she wondered where he was. She smiled at Stefan instead.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "But I think I'm OK now."
They had to leave her then, visitors were not allowed to stay overnight. Elena smiled and promised them that she would be all right, but there was dread in her stomach. She was alone.
As the lights in the corridor were dimmed, and the noises outside became muffled as the hospital staff lessened and all who were left settled into to be wakeful through the night. A nurse checked in on Elena, taking some final observations before appearing satisfied with them.
"If you need anything during the night, please press your bell and someone will be with you. I'll look in on you from time to time, to make sure you're OK, but otherwise I'll leave you to sleep."
"Thank you," Elena said wriggling down into her pillow. "And I'm sorry for all the mess and fuss I caused earlier, someone must have cleaned it all up… I never thanked them."
The nurse smiled.
"I'll make sure they know," she said before turning out the light.
Elena lay in semi darkness, her eyes adjusting until she could see the room again. Suddenly she felt a chill across her skin, and then the door opened once more. Elena sat up alarmed; she had not seen anyone come in. She saw someone move in the corner of her eye and she jumped.
"Damon! How did you get in? They made Jenna and Stefan leave."
"And you expected me to stay away too? I suppose you don't know me very well Elena," Damon said, his smile returning to his face.
Suddenly she didn't feel so frightened anymore. She hadn't scared him away. He made her smile also.
"Damon I'm sorry…"
"Sorry for dripping blood all over me? Surprisingly, not a problem," Damon replied, and then his expression changed. "Everyone knows."
Elena did ask what everyone knew. Just closed her eyes and reached her hand out the blankets. This time he reached back, and held her now bandaged hand. He saw her let go of her held breath, and he bent forward to kiss her forehead.
Katherine couldn't win this time. She couldn't exist here. The Salvatore brothers belonged to Elena.