Chapter 13

Ottilie had been living with the Salvatore brothers for over 8 months now, and was loving every minute of it. She was doing very well in school, and was a kind, popular and generous friend. She was keeping her heart condition under control and was able to manage the side effects well enough.

Damon called up to her as she was in her room doing some homework. 'Otti, I'm going into town. Do you want to come?' She shouted down her reply and starting packing up, getting ready to go. It was still warm out and she was dressed in a light blue cotton dress and sandals. Her brown hair was longer than ever and curled prettily at the ends. She bounced down the stairs to Damon and they left to get into the car. She got in and Damon tucked the seatbelt safely around her. They sat in happy companionable silence, and Damon smiled down at his daughter, taking his eyes off the road for one second. Suddenly, a figure appeared in the middle of the road, and Ottilie screamed, and Damon snapped his eyes back up and slammed the brakes. He managed to put his arm out to stop Ottilie flying forwards, but the car began to roll and spin across the road and into the ditch at the side. He tried his best to hold on to Ottilie, but it seemed like a lifetime before the car came to a stop, landing the right way up. Damon immediately turned to Ottilie. She was unconscious with blood pouring out of a large cut on her head. 'Otti?' he called to her. He felt for a pulse, and breathed in sharply when he felt it racing. 'No, no, no, Otti, come on' he urged, unbuckling himself from his seat, exiting the car and racing over to her side. He opened the door undid her seatbelt. He lifted her gently from the wreckage and laid her onto the ground. 'Otti, wake up, please!' he said, desperately. Her eyes stayed firmly shut and Damon gathered her back into his arms, careful not to hurt her further, and vamp sped home. He ran into the house, shouting for Stefan. 'What the hell?' shouted Stefan, as he ran into the room, having been rudely interrupted from some time with Elena. 'Oh my god, Otti,' he gasped, as he saw her, lifeless, in Damon's arms. 'Quick, put her down!' he ordered Damon, who gently laid her on the rug. 'What happened?' he asked. Damon didn't take his eyes off his daughter, but answered through gritted teeth. 'Car accident – someone appeared on the road and I swerved and the car rolled.' Stefan nodded, grimly.

'Okay, go and get me some cloths and water to wipe the blood away. We need to see what we are working with here.' Damon sped off, and found Elena sitting in the kitchen, reading a magazine. 'What's going on?' she asked, seemingly not at all distressed by the panicked voices coming from the other room. 'Otti and I were in a car crash,' he said, whilst hurriedly getting everything Stefan wanted. Elena's mouth opened in shock, 'Oh god, are you okay?' Damon paused, looking at her strangely. 'Yes, Elena, I'm fine, but Ottilie isn't.' She shook her head, 'Oh dear,' was all she said. Damon looked away, exasperated, and sped out the room, back to Ottilie and Stefan. He set the bowl and cloths down and the brothers started to gently clean away the blood, just as they had when Ottilie had appeared into their lives all those months ago. 'Her heart is still racing, Stefan,' said Damon, urgently, as he focused in on the sound of the tiny heart straining and thumping. Stefan nodded, 'I know, brother, but I don't know what we can do about it except keep an eye on it.' They turned Ottilie's head to one side to clean her injuries, and suddenly, she started gasping for air. The brothers sprang into action, gently turning her head, and tipping her chin back to open her airway. Her chest still heaved, trying to get air in as her heart beat frantically, but it was easier for her now. 'We need to take her to the hospital, Damon,' said Stefan, grimly. 'We can't look after her properly on our own.' Damon just nodded, and picked Ottilie up, carefully making sure that she could still breathe. They made to leave the house when Elena appeared. 'Where are you going, Stefan?' she asked.

'I'm taking Damon and Otti to the hospital' he replied.

'But why do you have to take her?' she whined, 'can't Damon take her?' Stefan looked baffled. 'She's practically my niece, Elena, of course I have to take her!' Elena rolled her eyes and huffed, moodily. 'Fine…' she said, but the Salvatores had already left.

Damon sat in the back of Stefan's car with Ottilie cradled on his lap. 'Is she still breathing?' asked Stefan. Damon checked her gently, putting his ear to her face and feeling the gentle puffs of air. 'Yes, she is. And I think her heartrate is going back down now,' he added, feeling slightly more optimistic. They arrived at the hospital and Damon carried her in. He was ushered by a nurse to put Ottilie on a bed, and he had to stifle back tears as he looked at her tiny, pale body dwarfed by the huge trolley bed. 'What happened to her and what's her name?' he heard someone ask. Stefan answered for him. 'She was in a car accident. The car flipped and she was trapped inside. She also has Long QT syndrome and she's just coming out of an attack now. Her name is Ottilie Salvatore.' The nurses nodded, before wheeling her away. Damon made to follow but Stefan took his arm. 'No Damon, we have to let them do their jobs. She won't be long.'

Within 20 minutes, a kind faced nurse was calling into the waiting room. 'Any family of Ottilie Salvatore?' Damon and Stefan jumped up.

'Yes, we're her…' Stefan looked at Damon, 'father and uncle,' he finished, shrugging at Damon's raised eyebrows. The nurse just smiled at them and asked them to follow her. She lead them to a small room in which Ottilie was lying in a small bed. She had a big bandage around her head and was attached to lots of different monitors. 'She's okay, Mr Salvatore,' she said, looking at Damon, who'd rushed over to take her small hands in his. 'She has a concussion and some stitches but no long term damage as far as we know.' Damon lowered his head onto Ottilie's arm in relief. 'What about her heart?' asked Stefan. The nurse shook her head, 'she's okay. Her heart rate was going back to normal as we treated her and she's perfectly fine now. It's not surprising it happened when being in a car crash. That kind of stress is the perfect trigger. Try not to worry too much.' Stefan thanked her, and went to join Damon when she left. Damon looked up at him. 'This is my fault, Stefan,' he whispered. Stefan sighed. He knew this would happen. 'Damon, it was an accident. There's nothing you could of done. You probably stopped her getting more injured by holding as you said.' Damon shook his head. 'I can't believe this has happened.' Stefan placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. 'It's life, brother. And she's fine – look, I think she's starting to wake up.' Ottilie's eyelids started to flutter, and she blinked, confused up at Damon and Stefan. 'Hello, little lady,' whispered Damon, kissing her cheek, gently.

'Damon?' she murmured. 'The car! Are you okay?' she tried to sit up to see whether he was hurt and he laid her back down gently. 'Don't move, Otti' he said. 'I'm perfectly fine – see?' He stood up and twirled around, trying to make her laugh. He was rewarded with a small giggle. 'Otti,' said Stefan. 'You hit your head pretty hard but you're okay. The doctors will want you to stay here for a little longer, but then we will take you home.' She nodded slightly, wincing as it hurt her head. 'Will you stay?' she asked, scared of being alone.

'Of course we will, sweetheart', answered Stefan, soothingly. She soon fell asleep and the brothers gazed over her. 'So,' said Damon, 'Father and Uncle, huh?' Stefan shrugged, smiling sheepishly. 'Well what would you describe us as?' Damon chuckled,

'Father and Uncle is perfect, Stefan. I wouldn't change it for the world.'