Here is chapter 2
I'm not sure how far i'll go with this story, until it's no longer bouncing around in my head I guess. I've been thinking about some of the things I would like to change, and would appreciate some input. Things you would or wouldn't want changed and why. I already know that i'm gonna try and write a way to save Lexi, and Mason, but i'm debating if Jenna should be saved. And as much as I am firmly a Delana shipper I also know its important to some of the storylines for Elana and Stefan to have a relationship so I know Stelana will make an appearance for a bit.
The night was a confusing mix of lights, sounds, and flashes of faces none of which she could recognize. Ava had never had this much trouble waking in a new body before, but then she had never nearly drowned within moments of entering a new life before. The first sense to fully to return to her as she woke was smell, the sterile scents of ammonia, alcohol, and cleaners that hospitals used to sterilize everything, and just a hint of the water she had nearly drowned in still clinging to her nose. Next came touch, she could feel the hard bed beneath her, the thin pillow under her head that offered no true support. The even thinner blankets atop her meant to warm but barley keeping the chill at bay. Finally sounds started to filter into her consciousness, the beeping of the monitor, the murmur of voices behind a closed door. Not yet willing to open her tired and gritty feeling eyes, she thought back to what she had seen. She tried again to place the faces, the man and the woman fighting to escape the car and the water. Nothing, she then tried to place where she was, what world, but as in the car under the water a thick immovable fog covered and surrounded the memories of the girl whos' body she now possessed. This had never happened before, the girl's memories didn't bombard her to show who she was now meant to be. She couldn't tell what story or life she now was living, the innate knowing didn't fill her as it had in past lives. She simply knew that she was no longer Ava, she would now be someone else with a new name and face.
The opening of the door finally forced her eyes to open. She watched a young nurse enter to take her stats, as the nurse wrote the information on a small note pad in her hand she glanced up to see Ava's eyes open and looking at her. "Hey there" She greeted with a gentle smile "you had us worried, I'll let the doctor know your awake." She walked out the room, leaving the door open as she went. A few moments later the nurse returned followed by a doctor in a white coat. He gave her a sad smile as he looked at her, sadness and compassion filling his eyes and Ava knew that he knew her and not as a patient, he was not supposed to be a stranger to the girl she now was, but still Ava had no recognition of the faces in front of her or the faces of the man and woman she knew had to have died in the car under the water.
"How are you feeling?" the doctor asked
"Confused" Ava replied simply, her voice just slightly ruff and unfamiliar to her ears.
He nodded his head in understanding "What do you remember?" He asks.
She decides in that second to just be honest she wouldn't be able to know who she was supposed to be unless told at this point. "Nothing." She says "Could you please tell me who I am?"
The doctor's eyes widen slightly, and he steps forward. He takes a second and then asks "Do you remember anything at all? Perhaps my name?" She shakes her head slightly, the movement causing pain to start ricocheting around her head, her hand involuntarily reaching for the spot the pain started from. She winces as her fingers touch a tender lump there. The doctor takes a final step forward noticing Ava's wince to examine the lump. He starts giving the nurse orders, and the next hours were filled with tests and scans, and a pile of questions she couldn't answer. She never seemed to get a chance to look in a mirror. They never answered her questions only asked their own. What is your name, what is your date of birth, who are you parents, who is the president, what is the days date, on and on they went. Basic questions they asked she knew the answers to do you know the alphabet, what's 2+2, what are the colors of the rainbow. But she supposes the answer to those questions never really change no matter what world your in.
Finally they placed her back into the room she had started in, now complete with their tests, and scans they seem unwilling to tell her the diagnosis, somehow even being able to avoid saying her new name. But unknown to them she had spent a life in the world of tv medical drama as a doctor, she already knew the what the diagnosis would be. This was the first time she had been alone longer than 5 minutes, she glanced towards the door of the bathroom wondering if she could trust the strength in her legs to carry her there to look into the mirror and see her new face. She had discovered bits and pieces of her appearance. She had long brown hair, mostly straight although seemed to have dried with a small wave. She had tan skin, and a small waist, she was sure she was almost the same height in this new body that she was in her own, but as she had not fully stood up yet couldn't know for sure. As she was gathering her resolve to make her way to the restroom the door to her room opened. Standing in the doorway she saw the first person she recognized in this world so far, and now she knew what world she was in and what life she now had. Ava was now Elana Gilbert and she was in the world of the tv show The Vampire Diaries.
Jeremy Gilbert stood in the door, looking relived to see her. He rushed to her bed side, tears ready to spill from his eyes, eyes already red and puffy. He had obviously been crying and had not had enough sleep. "Elana" he says emotion thick in his voice as he wraps his arms around her. She looked toward the door over his shoulder as she hugs him back and saw no one, Jeremy must have slipped away to find her as Jenna or Sheriff Forbes spoke to the doctors. She couldn't show recognition now, not just as the doctors had decided she had amnesia. With none of Elana's memories she had no way to slid herself into the role she had been given. Better for everyone to thing she knew nothing so she could slowly chip away at this fog covering the memories. As Jeremy pulled back his hand found hers gripping it as if she would disappear if he let go, she smiled softly at him. "What happened?" she asked.
Jeremy stared at her, a confused look on his face. Before he could reply Jenna and Liz followed the doctor into the room. Jenna too looked as if she had not had enough sleep eyes red ready to start tearing again, and Sheriff Forbes looked as if she wished she could be anywhere else in the world at this moment, her face falling into a mask of sadness and sympathy. Ava look towards the three of them "Hello again doctor, any decisions made about that wrong with my head yet?" she asks him.
"Yes," He starts "It appears you have amnesia. During the accident you were in you must have hit your head, causing a sizeable lump, we are lucky that the it didn't cause a concussion. The trauma seems to be the cause of the amnesia We believe it is only temporary, and you will recover your memories in time."
Jeremy's face swings back to Ava's as the doctor finishes, his hand still holding hers squeezes slightly. "You don't remember anything? Not even me?" the questions fall from his mouth as is if he couldn't stop them from escaping, he seems to frown even more then he had been. Ava holds his hand just a bit tighter unwilling to let him pull away. She bit her lip slightly as she shakes her head no. Pain flashes across his face, and then resolution settles in its place. He looks back at the doctor "You said its temporary. When will she get her memories back?" He asks the doctor, that Ava still don't know the name of. The doctor shook his head "We don't have any specific time or way to know that, each case is different. Sometimes it takes hours, in other cases it can take months and even years for all the memories to return to someone with amnesia. And in rare occurrences the memories never fully return. There are some therapies we can try to help with the recovery of her memories."
Ava's heart hurt for Jeremy, not only had he lost his parents, but he had lost his older sister too. In Elana's place was Ava, she only knew what his future held from the show not the memories that formed the sibling bond she knew Jeremy and Elana had before the accident. A bond that she knew was at risk of deteriorating within the year. As Ava looked at Jeremy's face she felt a stirring of emotion she knew to have been Elena's, a protectiveness, and love. "I care for you." Ava spoke. Hope sparked in Jeremy's eyes as they swing back to hers. The doctor spoke up before Jeremy could respond "Could you explain that please Elana." She looked toward him. That had been the first time he had used her name since she had woken up, Jenna was no longer standing behind him, instead she had moved to sit in the seat on the opposite side of the bed that Jeremy was occupying. Liz stood closer to the door, still looking like she didn't think it was her place to be in the room.
"I don't remember anything, but when I'm looking at him I can feel it. I can feel that I love him, and that I want to protect him. I know that they are my emotions, but I don't know the reason for the emotions." Ava stated trying to explain as the emotions slowly coming lose from the fog in her mind. The doctor smiled and nodded his head, "That's good, a really good sign." He says. "I'm going to release you, and I believe the best way to bring the memories back is for you to be around the people you care about. Photo albums, and family videos might help, possibly even hearing about times you have spent with people. Just be careful to not over tax yourself, we don't want you to get overwhelmed, that could cause more issues then it helps." Everyone in the room nodded their understanding. "Ill get the release papers." The doctor said then he turned and walked from the room.
Jenna reached over and touched her other hand as a way to get Ava's attention. No she had to stop thinking of herself as Ava, she was Elena, she had to think of herself as Elana. If she didn't she wouldn't respond to the correct name, she had learned that the first time she had taken over another life. She looked to Jenna. "I can stay for tonight, but I have to go back to school and my apartment to settle things so I can be here full time for the two of you." Jenna spoke, glancing between Elena and Jeremy, still looking as if the wrong word would start a flood of tears.
"They can stay at my house as long as needed." Liz finally spoke from her position by the door.
"Okay," Elena spoke up knowing she wasn't supposed to know who they were yet. "but first could you all please tell me who you are? I have figured out that I'm Elana, but I don't know your names or why things need settled or why we need to stay somewhere else."
At her words everyone seemed to freeze, Jeremy's eyes drop to the bed staring at their hands still clasped together. Jenna and Liz look at each other seemingly trying to silently decide who would say what. Finally Jenna looked back to Elana and took a deep breath trying to gather the strength to explain. She hating doing this to her, forcing her say what had happened to her sister just hours after loosing her, but having amnesia meant Elana couldn't yet know what had happened.
"Well I'm your aunt Jenna my sister is... was your mother, Jeremy is your younger brother, and Liz is the Sheriff and the mother of one of your best friends. She was also one of your mother's best friends. The accident you were in, your parents were in the car with you." Jenna finally said her voice shaking slightly. "You were the only survivor."
"Oh" Elana said, knowing she could say nothing at this point that would help anyone in the room.
The Doctor returned then with the discharge papers and a prescription for some pain pills for Elana. Jenna reached for the bag she had brought and pulled out an outfit for Elana to wear. She gave her a small grateful smile. Liz cleared her throat "Give me a call tomorrow Jenna when you need me to come get them." Jenna and Liz nodded to each other, and the sheriff took her leave.
Still yet unwilling to release his hold on her hand, Jeremy helped her from the bed. She stood slowly making sure her legs were going to support her. She remembered that Elana had been a cheer leader before the accident, but after a trauma you could never gage how a body would respond and she still felt week. She adjusted the uncomfortable hospital gown around her to ensure she didn't expose herself to either Jenna or Jeremy. He walked with her slowly to the restroom so she could relieve herself and dress. Jenna following behind carrying the clothes she had brought.
They reached the door to the bathroom and Elana released Jeremy's hand, reaching for the clothes in Jenna's hands. She took a step further into the small room, closing the door behind her. She faced the mirror finally able to take in her new appearance. Her hair was a mess of wavy brown hair, having yet to be brushed. The tan skin she knew she was supposed to have, had a paleness to it, she knew a little bit of sun and fresh air would help. She smiled and then ran her tongue across her white even teeth, she definitely needed to brush, but she wasn't sure Jenna had thought to bring much more then the pair of clothes folded laying on the edge of the sink. She would just have to wait till they reach the Gilbert house. She relieved herself and started dressing, her mind running threw her memories of the tv show. She contemplated what she new was coming what was starting in just a few months. She wouldn't have much maneuverability, Stefan would be watching her this summer, and was a possibility Damon would be as well. Waiting for his chance to meet her on the first day of school. When She got a chance, she would have to make a list to try and sort what she would do, what changes she would try and cause in this story she was part of.
She finished dressing and opened the door, they had been hovering and jumped slightly as it opened. She gave them a small smile and asked "So how do I look?".
They both return her smile with small ones of their own. Jeremy nodded his head, and Jenna replied "Good". As one they made their way back to the bed as a nurse brought in a wheelchair, citing it was policy that Elana had to be wheeled out of the building in it. As Elana sat on the bed to start putting shoes on Jenna spoke "I'll go pull the car up to the entrance." And walked from the room after seeing nods from both Elana and Jeremy. Elana finished tying her shoes and walked to the chair. "Feel like pushing me around?" She asked looking at Jeremy as she picked up the papers the doctor had left and siting in the chair. "Sure" he nodded back reaching for the handles of the chair.