Caroline was counting out Klaus' medication when Kol entered the room and sat down in the chair next to the bed as Caroline opened the drawer. The first pills from above were opioids, antidepressants, anti-inflammation, anti-nausea.
"Carebear, what are you doing here so early? Nik and Elijah aren't even here, they left since morning for Nik's appointment."
"Elijah asked me to arrive just before they do, I'm preparing your brother's pills."
Kol just nodded with a lost look on his face.
"Take care of him." Kol said, looking her straight in the eyes, and then all Caroline could see was a little brother worried about his big brother. But something was wrong...
"I will."
"You know, after Nik got sick, Elijah wouldn't let him move a finger. Before he moved here, 'Lijah even hired three valets to bring him all the things he needs." Kol laughed.
"Anyway, that's not the point, now he's thinking of hiring someone to give him massages, he heard it helps with the pain. He asked me to find someone. Do you know anyone?"
"Um, no, I don't think so, but I can give you the numbers of some of my colleagues at the hospital, maybe they know someone..."
"What about Elena Gilbert? You know her, right?" Kol's voice was indeed curious, but his grin showed otherwise.
"I don't have to tell you anything. I heard that Elena is a good masseur, yes, but that's all. What are you after, Kol?"
"I know about the kiss. Nik is on his dead bed, did you really think he would be keeping secrets right now?"
There was something desperate, sad in Kol's eyes...
"I don't want him to die with a broken heart and trust, don't do to him what you did to Elena."
"You don't know the whole story."
And it was true, Kol didn't know it. But Caroline couldn't condemn him for that, because right now she was looking at him and seeing the definition of the "Always and Forever" promise that Klaus had told her so much about. Right now she was looking at him and all she saw was a protective brother worried about his older brother's happiness.
So she told him. Told him how Elena played with the Salvatore brothers, how she broke Stefan's heart, Caroline's best friend at the time, how Elena was using her and Bonnie, and how she started spreading rumors that Caroline had abandoned her in New York on her birthday and ended the friendship for good.
"Wow, that was a long story, she's awful. Are you sure you don't want me to find her and burn her alive?"
"Kol! No!" Caroline was laughing, but still a little concerned, not knowing what the college student in the leather jacket could do.
Niklaus was in "critical condition", Marcel had declared on Wednesday. At the end of the checkup, he left Klaus lying on the checkup table for a few minutes to recover, then handed them a list of pills that might help his brother's fatigue, and sent three nurses with them to help Niklaus get to the car to can rest more. Each hospital check-up meant an afternoon spent sleeping non-stop due to the energy expended, and Elijah woke up very often without sleep in the middle of the night, with the constant worry that Niklaus was no longer breathing, that he had died in his sleep during the night...so he ended up staying in Niklaus' room most of the time, waking up from ten in ten minutes just to check if his brother's chest is still moving or not. He was looking at his brother, sleeping peacefully in bed, now on pain pumps, looking just like the boy just a little over eighteen who he had to told day and night that everything was going to be okay, that he was going to be okay. But he was not, and he grew worse and worse day by day, until one day he was pronounced terminal. Elijah stroked Klaus' hair slowly, noticing Klaus' difficulty breathing. The sun had already risen in the sky, but the room was dark, morbid.
"Nik... Wake up. Nik..."
Caroline's voice came as she walked through the door with Klaus' morning pills in her right hand:
"Elijah...I can wake him up and take care of him so that you are not late for work. I mean, that's my job."
Elijah nodded.
"Thank you, I didn't want to leave him alone until you got there. Call me if anything happens." Elijah added, kissing Klaus on the forehead and walking out the door.
"Klaus...Klaus, wake up." Caroline said, walking over to the bed after Elijah closed the door. "Klaus, Klaus!"
For a moment, Caroline worried what was the worse, but then she noticed the slight rise in Klaus' chest and calmed down. After a few moments of his caregiver trying to wake him up, Klaus finally opened his eyes.
"You're fine, I'm glad. Good morning, king. Do you want me to start the breathing apparatus?"
"No...I'm fine."
"Alright, here" Caroline lifted the pillows and helped Klaus lean against her as he stood up, then handed him the stack of pills and the glass of water. "I'll help you up and get to the bathroom."
"No, I can do that myself."
"I saw you completely naked, Klaus. I don't see how not letting you lose your balance and fall to the floor would be a problem."
Klaus just gave her a grin and said:
"You have a point, love."
"Kol and Elijah were looking for a masseur for you."
"Yes...the doctors recommended it for the pain... I refused the acupuncture, I know it doesn't seem like it, but I don't like pain. It reminds me of my childhood."
Klaus's eyes darkened as he shifted his gaze to an always closed door next to his closet.
"You know…you can talk to me Klaus, that's why I'm here."
Klaus was at his lowest point: knowing he was going to die, Mikael being free...he lost himself in his own mind far too often, creating a ball of loneliness and sadness around him. But it was Caroline's job to break it.
"The kiss…I didn't want to spoil…I didn't want to lose you, Caroline. If it was found out, you'd be fired." Klaus said, looking into her eyes and taking her hand in his. "You're beautiful, you're strong, you're smart, you're caring, Caroline, I fancy you. but I don't want you to lose your job for me or be heartbroken in a few months for meddling with a dying man."
"It's not about my job or what's next, it's about us. I know I'm in love with you, and we have the present, right now we have each other. for example...how about going on that walk in town we talked about?
"Elijah, can we talk a moment?"
"Rebekah, what are you doing here? I'm about to meet my client." Elijah said, standing up from his desk to meet his sister.
"I want to talk to you about Nik."
"Niklaus? What happened? How's he feeling?" Elijah asked worriedly.
"Oh, no, nothing like that, he's fine! But...Elijah, you keep him under your boot...he's no longer a child, none of us are, except Henrik. Niklaus dies, he's weak, yes, but he's not made of glass. Let him enjoy the life and it's true potentian, even if it's dangerous or jot, let him live his last months to the fullest."
"You're telling me I'm to protective with him...? He has an terminal illness, little sister."
"Yes, but all he wants is to walk for a few hours with Caroline in his wheelchair, nothing that could aggravate his condition. He needs fresh air, he needs to do what he likes and outside the house, to be free. Your rules aren't helping him as much as you think, and as painful as it is for all of us to admit it, he'll be gone in a few months, no matter what he does."
"I guess you're right... I couldn't protect Niklaus as a child, so I did my best to try to protect him now, forgetting that his illness doesn't make him helpless. I'll let him go with Caroline, there's no doubt about that."
Two days later, the scorching sun beat down on the window, threatening the arrival of true summer, as Caroline put on her shoes and stocked her bag with medical supplies, waiting for Elijah to finish dressing Klaus. The brunette went a little overboard, dressing Klaus in five jackets and four pairs of scarves, despite the sun outside.
"Elijah, I'm not a child, I can put on my shoes myself."
"I know, but as long as I'm here, I'll try to make everything more comfortable for you." Elijah said, leaning in front of Niklaus and tying the last knot on his slipper. "Caroline have extra water bottles and blankets if you want, and if you're not feeling well~"
"I will be alright, thank you, 'Lijah.'