She made him good
Chapter 23
This chapter is dedicated to TvdLitt and Salvatoreboys4ever
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This is the second last chapter!
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"I told you I would make it" she breathed. He chuckled lightly as he pressed a kiss on her forehead. "Where is Dylan?" she asked weakly. "He is in the nursery we gave him first bath after his Apgar test" he replied excited to share his experience.
Elena narrowed her eyes. "How long was I out?"
"Twenty hours. Don't worry. Rose is with him he isn't alone" he added.
"They gave him first bath without me" Elena pouted.
"You were knocked out and he smelled weird and well he had been inside you for like eight and half months I figured it's okay if I took this one baby moment without you" he replied smiling. "It was actually the nurses who gave our Dylan bath…I just stood there and made sure he doesn't fall"
"I wanna see him" Elena insisted as she tried to shift. A sharp pain echoed through her body. "Baby…they just stitched you up. You can't move much" he scolded her. She stayed still and waited for the pain to numb.
"Do you feel better now?" he asked rubbing her palms. She nodded, smiling. "Caroline visited you while you were sleeping, I told her I will inform her once you wake up but then she wanted to meet Stefan so I asked Sage to take her to meet Stefan. She will be back in a while" he informed her playing with her hand.
"And…And Matt?" she asked as soon as she remembered.
"He is fine. I took my orders back." He replied still not looking at her.
"So! I want to see Dylan?" she asked, impatiently. They could discuss everything later. She needed to see her son first. She haven't even seen him once yet.
"So impatient" he chuckled.
"Please" she pleaded.
"Okay. Okay. Let me call Rose" he submitted to her pleading eyes. She waited as he called Rose and asked her to bring her baby. Her son. It sounded so surreal. She was a mother now. The very thought brought tears to her eyes.
"When will they take me for my surgery?" she asked.
His playful mood dropped that very second. Yes, she was still in danger. The idea sunk in. He just got her back. He wasn't ready for it, yet. But with every passing second she was drawing closer to her death.
"Tomorrow morning" he answered looking away.
"Baby,It will be okay" she grabbed his hand. He laced his fingers through hers and brought her hand to kiss. She could sense his fear. She changed the topic. "They are gonna cut all of my hair" she whined. A smile appeared on his face but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Care said that I could implant hair extensions after the surgery? Can we?" she asked.
"Anything you want, Baby. You can have everything you want. All you have to do is come back to me "he whispered against her palm.
"I have scars on my body now because of the C-section" she informed with a hint of vulnerability in her voice. "Will that bother you?" she asked.
"Why would that bother me? Baby, you are the most amazing woman I have ever met. Your scar is evidence of dedication and love to me. It's a proof of your willingness to do whatever it takes to bring my child to this world and I can't thank God enough to bless me with you. I would love you even more with those. You have given me everything Elena." He spoke softly .
"You're so selfless, it surprises me. What did I do to deserve such an amazing and kind person? You are risking your life for me so I can get the life that I always wanted" he added as his fingertips grazed her forehead lovingly. "I just hope that you come back to me after the surgery. I promise you that I will prove myself worthy of you and our son" he added.
"So sappy"
"Only for you, Baby" he replied as he nipped for a kiss. She smiled against him as she kissed him back. A knock on the door startled them.
"Yes"
A nurse entered holding their baby in her arms wrapped up in a blanket. A wide smile broke on Elena's face. She looked at Damon. He too looked like Christmas came early. He looked at her with a grin on his face. "Here he is. My Champ" Damon said proudly as he lifted from the seat beside her and walked up to the nurse. He eagerly took his son from nurse's hands and cradled him close to his chest as he smiled.
His gang members wouldn't recognize him in this moment. The once power hungry and ruthless mobster was now completely different in presence of his son and his wife. "Help me up please" Elena pleaded. He handed Dylan back to the nurse as he rushed to her.
Slowly and very carefully he wrapped his arm around her waist and lifted her. She hissed as pain from the stitches shot through her body and Damon swore he felt her pain too. "I love you so much" he whispered in her ear and she smiled. Once, she was sitting comfortably. He walked back to the waiting nurse and took his son from her. He smiled as he saw his son's sleeping face. Placing a kiss on his newborn he walked toward her.
He handed Elena their son carefully, still not removing one hand from Dylan's back. Elena looked at her son in awe. She had never seen him before but as she saw him she felt like she had known him her entire life. It was like all her life she had been living in fog and now suddenly sun burst out in full glory. "I love you" she murmured as bent down to kiss her son's forehead. He had her husband's hair and his eyes. She could see her features in him too. Her nose and her lips. She let out a happy squeal which nearly caused Damon a heart attack as his mind jumped to the worst conclusions. Was Elena okay? Was she in pain? Was something wrong with Dylan? But the next moment Elena smiled and looked up at him. "He has dimples" she beamed and he let out a sigh of relief. "Which is surprising because both you and I don't and neither does anyone in our families" he said mock tone. "and look at this" he said as he excitedly as offered his index finger to Dylan. Dylan's tiny fingers clasped his father's finger tightly. He grasped his father's finger with his hand like his life dependent on it. Elena laughed her magical laugh. Damon's eyes shot to the mother of his newborn. She looked so beautiful when she laughed. This was the laugh he fell in love with when he saw her in the mall the second time.
Never in his life did he imagined he would get to share this moment with her of all people. He pressed a kiss on her temple. "Please God! Just this one girl" he murmured to himself. " She is so perfect. I am going to love her, hold her, and keep her safe until my last breath on this earth. I am going to grow old with her and I am going to die in her arms." He thought. His eyes shot up. "Fate can't be so cruel as to snatch her from me" he thought.
Elena smiled at him as she cradled her son to her chest, eyes closed in great reprieve as if she was in heaven. "He is mine…I can't believe this our baby" she whispered.
"Have anyone fed him yet?" she asked in a concerned filled tone.
"Yes, since you obviously can't breastfeed him as your already very weak. We are using infant formula" he answered. She knew she could trust him when it comes to Dylan. He was very over protective of Dylan even before he was born.
"I missed the first feed too? I am a terrible mum already" she whined and he stifled a laugh. "I knew you would be upset about that so I videotaped them for you" he answered immediately and a smile broke on her face. He was so considerate. He knew her so well. This man beside her was just love. She pecked him quickly on lips and whispered "and that's why I love you so much"
"you do?"
"Yes, I love you so much. Even more now that you're my baby's Dad"
"I love you too, more than anyone can ever love you" he whispered back. How he loved when she confessed her love to him. He could never grow tired of them. Every pain in the world he suffered, every heartbreak and every deadly wound was worth this moment with his family. His family. Now didn't that sound like his biggest fantasy. A dream. The negative part of him screamed at him that he was going to lose all this soon.
But they still have so much do to. He wanted to take her and his son away from all this chaos. He wanted to take them back to Italy where they would be safe. There were so many moments he haven't shared with her yet. They had so much to do.
He wanted to take her to Redentore festival in Venice and watch her face lit up when she watches the fireworks in front of the San Marco square. He knew she loved fireworks. And there was another place he knew she would love. The city of Naples. It was filled with art work and historic sites. He knew Elena would love to explore that city. He would take her to The Gaia fountain in Siena. She would love it. He just knew it. A smile crept on his face as he imagined holding her while she is mesmerized by the beauty of the fountain. They had so much to do yet. He started panicking again.
"And I am going to hold, inspire you , protect you and make you a good person and I will love you forever" he smiled as he heard Elena promise their son. She beamed at him. He smiled back but the smiled didn't reach his eyes.
What if she didn't come back to him?What if she died? He flinched as he thought about that. What would he do then? He would be all alone with his son. His desperate need to hold her increased. He circled his arm around her as he sat next to her on her bed and watched her interact with their son.
The way she was holding him didn't look like she was holding him for the first time. She looked like she was made just to be a mother. And he was so lucky she got to be the mother of his child. She laid her head on his shoulder as she relaxed.
Elena watched Damon as he ran his fingers through Dylan's soft hair to calm himself down. He was lost in thought. "I am sorry" she whispered. "For what?" he replied , his eyes still on Dylan. "For not telling you about…about my tumor. Dad was right. Throwing it on you on the last moment was wrong move but we had so much to deal with and…" she trailed off when she felt his lips against her. "I am just sad that you had to go through all this alone. Weren't you scared?" he asked. Elena nodded. "Yes! I was aware that I could die and not to mention the dying process is scary. But if I had to choose between my life and my son's life I would always choose him."
"How can you be so selfless and brave and stupid at the same time?" he asked, his voice shaking.
"You would have done the same for us" she shrugged.
"but now your life is in danger"
She smiled sadly. She knew what the thought of losing her did to him. If the situation were reversed and if it was him in her place she would feel the same. Life without him would not be life at all. She would live for their son but she knew she would never give his place to anyone. Her heart, body and soul would belong to him and him only.
They snuggled together with their son on her small hospital bed. "I am sorry" he whispered. She looked at him, questioning him with her eyes. "I accused you of cheating me with Stefan. That was very low of me. I should have known better." He said looking down in embarrassment. "I am sorry that I got you arrested but my main concern was to save you" she rambled. This was an uncomfortable topic but she knew they would eventually have to talk about this.
"He gave me an out. You know. Zach, he gave me an out" Damon said and Elena looked at him alarmed. "but you got me arrested and now that chance is gone"
"I didn't wanna do it. But I didn't have a choice. Matt was blackmailing me and he promised to save you if I helped him. I was trying to save you" she repeated holding his hand.
"Why? Why is Matt trying to save me?"
"I told him it was my last wish in case I…I die. I want my son to have at least one of his parent. You and I both know how much it's tough for a child out there in this cold world. I was lucky that I found Mum and Dad. Unfortunately you weren't. I don't want Dylan to go through that. I want him to grow up in a house full of love and never experience what both of us had to go through " she whispered. "Matt understands. He does. But he has duties too. He loves me enough to let you go for me."
He looked down. Matt must love her a lot if he was ready to do that for her. He felt embarrassed now. How could he kill someone who loved Elena? He wouldn't let that happen. Anyone who loved Elena was in his good list.
"Damon! This has to stop. You have to end this for good. For us. For our son" she whispered.
"I will. I promise"
"Did you meet Zach after your release?"
He couldn't lie to her. He nodded. Elena stiffened. "He wanted me to kill you" Damon voiced. Elena knew Damon wouldn't harm her even if his life depended on it. "Who were you meeting back at the club?" she asked.
"Klaus"
Elena stiffened. "Hear me out okay" Damon hurriedly said. "I…I made a deal with him. I told him if he help me put down Zach I will hand him over all the territories and…and Kol"
Elena looked at him. "Just trust me on this one Elena. I know what I am doing"
"Promise me this is your last deal? Damon, We have Dylan to think about now" she reminded him.
"I promise…just trust me"
She nodded as she laid her head back on his shoulder, closing her eyes, savoring the moment. This might be the last chance she is with her family. Her husband and her son in her arms. She might never come back. The thought of that scared her. Everything was so uncertain now.
Grayson Gilbert studied his daughter's reports. Years ago when he operated his niece not officially his daughter, emotions weren't much involved. Yes, he was attached to Elena but he was sure he wouldn't let his dad mode cloud over his professional doctor mode. He wasn't so sure this time. He knew he could trust Dr Hampton with his daughter's life. He couldn't even phantom the idea of Elena gone. Miranda on the other hand was in panic.
Two months ago, when his daughter's husband got arrested. Miranda went ballistic. And now that he told her about her tumors she stopped talking to him. These past two months had been tough on her. She still didn't know about Damon's reality. She did know Damon was involved in some illegal activities. He wondered his wife's reaction if she finds out who Damon really was.
While he was here in the board room discussing Elena's SBS. His wife went to meet Elena. Jeremy accompanied his mother. He didn't know what they would do if Elena didn't make it. What would happen to Elena's baby? He and Miranda were more than ready to take her baby's responsibility. Jeremy would help too even though he had his daughter to take care of. One thing was for sure, in case Elena didn't make it he would move heaven and earth but he wouldn't allow that criminal to take Elena's baby.
A knock on the door startled her. Damon hasn't slept last night. She had made space on her bed for him to sleep. It didn't take much time for him to sleep on her side. She rested against him , still holding her sleeping son even after the nurse asked her if she wanted them to take him back to nursery. She refused naturally. If this was her last day she wasn't letting him off her sight even for a second.
"Yes"
The door opened reveling her mother and her brother. "Mom" Elena greeted. "Oh my baby!" Her mother rushed to her side but stopped when she spotted Damon on her side, sleeping soundly. "He…He has been awake all night. He just slept" she said weakly.
Her mum gave her a soft smile. "Hey sis" Jeremy greeted. He looked uncomfortably at Damon. He knew about Damon. He wasn't very okay with him here either.
"Hi! Where is Anna? And how is My lil Doll" she greeted and asked about Ellie, her niece and Jeremy's new born.
"She is okay. Unlike you Anna had natural birth so she is healing quick" Jeremy replied.
"Is this him?" Miranda asked, eyeing the baby in her daughter's arms.
"Yes…Mum. Meet Dylan Salvatore" Elena said as she handed her son to her mum. Miranda carefully picked him up.
"He is so cute" she squealed. "He has Damon's eyes" Elena said excitedly. "He has dimples" Her mum added in awe. "Let me…" Jeremy asked. Damon shifted on his side as he heard the noise.
"What's all the noise?" he said in his raspy sleepy voice. "Oh…We have guests" he said as he got up rubbing his eyes.
"Hi Miranda!"
Miranda acknowledged him by nodding. It was clear she wasn't so fond of him anymore. Not that he blamed her. "Your father will be here in a while. He is discussing your case with other surgeons" her mum said casually but she knew her mother better than anyone.
"Mum…Mum…Hey...I am sorry" she said as she tried to get her mother's attention. "Don't. I will scold you after your surgery. You made it once. You have to make it again" Her mum said as she cradled her daughter's son.
"I will"
They talked about other things. Elena noticed Jeremy was continuously tensed due to Damon's presence. He hasn't gotten over what had happened last time. Damon remained silent throughout the time, playing with her hand the whole time. Neither Miranda nor Jeremy addressed him.
He only looked up when Miranda directly addressed him. "Huh?" he asked looking up. "I said who would be taking care of Dylan during and after Elena's surgery since you would be busy here?" Miranda asked.
"We haven't decided that yet" Elena answered.
"I can do it" Miranda volunteered.
"That's a great idea. Mum can take care of him. She is an expert on babies after all" Elena said looking at him.
"Will you be taking him to Mystic Falls?" Damon asked, the thought of his son so far was very discomforting for him.
"Of course not, I will be staying with Jenna and Ric's until my baby recovers" Her mother said lovingly.
"Mum can take care of him…" Elena assured him. He nodded, though he made a reminder to put some guards outside Jenna and Ric's house. He wasn't taking risk.
Another knock diverted their attention. Grayson Gilbert entered with a team of doctors. He gestured for Jeremy and Miranda to leave. Miranda kissed Elena on top of her head. Jeremy smiled at her and handed her son back to her. They left. Grayson marched up to Elena. "Dr Scott! This is my daughter Elena Gilbert"
"Salvatore. Elena Salvatore" Damon corrected him. Grayson glared at him before a fake smile plastered on his face. "Yes. And this man right here is her "husband"." Grayson Gilbert couldn't help but add venom in that last word. Oh! How he despised that man. Elena was still holding Dylan. Damon took him from her arms carefully and placed him in the crib near her bed.
"Dr Scott is a renounced surgeon. He will be assisting Dr Hampton" Grayson continued.
"Pleased to meet you. I am such a fan of your work. I have read all of your books. I always wanted to meet you. Never knew we will be meeting under these circumstances…" Elena rambled excitedly.
Damon let out a chuckle. She surprised him sometimes. Death was lurking around her and yet she could smile like nothing was wrong. He could learn a lot from her. He did learn a lot from her. For starters, he learnt how to live and laugh. He learnt how to love.
"Your case is complicated Elena. I am not going to lie when I say that there is a chance you might not make it. Your body is awfully weak to tolerate such a major surgery." Dr Scott informed her professionally. Elena felt Damon stiffen. His fingers laced against her as if holding her from slipping away.
Grayson's Gilbert eyes reflected the same pain but he remained professional. They examined Elena. Damon stayed there as they examined her stitches. They took her vision tests. They examined her CT scans and discussed various symptoms with her.
"I feel constant pain over here" Elena voiced as she put her hand on her temple. "I can't see things clearly and I feel like floating whenever I walk." She explained her symptoms. Damon looked down. How could he not notice? He was the worst husband ever. He never noticed she was fatally ill. She had been in pain and he never noticed. True, he did but if he had been more observant he would know all this. He wasn't good enough for her he knew that before but now he was even more sure. He wondered if Matt Donavan would have been better for her. He was honest. They had friendship and she obviously trusted him enough to share the news of her illness with him.
He listened to the surgeons as they discussed with Dr Gilbert. "Yes but that might cause Respiratory failure. In that case we might lose her. "
"Yes and lack of oxygen surely would cause Anoxic encephalopathy" One of the surgeon said. "Resulting in stroke"
He noticed Elena shift in discomfort. " Can you please take this discussion outside?" Damon wasn't requesting them he was ordering them. Wasn't it enough that she was suffering this pain? Did she have to hear this too?
"It's okay" Elena grabbed his arm to restrain him from lashing out at them.
"No! It's not." He hissed but then his eyes softened when he saw how scared she looked.
"I am really sorry. We should have been more considerate. We will revisit in awhile for final check up" he said as he motioned the group of surgeons to leave. Doctor Gilbert stayed behind studying the couple. Damon looked like seconds away from dying while Elena kept comforting him. He noticed that they have been holding hands throughout her examination. It was his way of assuring her he wasn't going to let anything happen to her and her way of assuring him everything would be okay.
Grayson could not phantom how a criminal could even feel an emotion so pure as love. But everytime Damon turned and looked at Elena. It was like he was breaking into pieces watching her in pain. It was like he could feel her pain. And the same went for Elena. She didn't get uncomfortable in his presence like normal people would. She looked at him with so much love and adoration in her eyes as if he was all she could see. She kept beaming at him to calm him down.
"I will be back in awhile" he told Elena before he left.
Damon's phone buzzed as soon as Grayson left. He almost growled as he saw who was calling him. "Klaus" he spat before he picked up.
"Just received the most wonderful news. Congratulations! I would be sending a gift basket soon" he could hear Klaus's mocking voice.
"However if you're free we have more important to discuss"
"I am busy for a while. I will meet you by four tomorrow" he replied in a cold tone.
"Yes but let me remind you Damon, betray me again and I will kill everyone you know even the baby Salvatore"
"I will watch my mouth if I were you." Damon spat.
"Just reminding you who is in charge this time" Klaus chuckled as he hung up.
Elena squirmed uncomfortably. "Just trust me this time, Baby"
"I do"
He kissed the top of her head. "You should rest now" he advised. "I am fine…"
"No…You heard the doctors. You aren't suppose to over exert yourself" he said as he helped her lay.
"Hold me" she pleaded.
"You don't have to ask me twice" he said as he relaxed.
He held on to her like a lifeline. She talked to him and kept his mood light. "We will paint his room blue. Like for his eyes. We made a nursery for him back at Care's place. Stefan and Caroline helped me. We bought him so much stuff." She explained. He felt a bit sad that he couldn't be a part of that. He felt a bit left out.
"Why there? Why not in home?" he asked.
"I…We didn't know how long would that go on so…It was Stefan's idea. He wanted to keep me busy. I had been crying my eyes out since you refused to meet me"
"I am so so sorry" he apologized. "I was scared that…that you wanted to leave me"
She snuggled into his neck as he held on her to more tightly. They were different from all the other couples. They love ran to deep for other people to understand. They were messy , complicated but what they had was real.
She fell asleep in his arms. He looked at the clock on the wall. Just four more hours before they would take her for surgery. He couldn't sleep. This was the toughest night of his life. Of course , he couldn't sleep.
He felt nauseous and the constant anxiety was killing him. It was painful to even breathe. His hand sneaked upto her chest to feel her heartbeat. This could be the last time he was hearing and feeling this heartbeat. He brushed her hair off her face as he snuggled closer but making sure she won't get hurt. She was already in pain. He didn't need to cause her more pain.
This was all because of him. This was karma. He did a lot of bad things in his life. He bit his lip as he remembered all the evils he did to save his brother. At some point he had enjoyed them. But not anymore. He would give himself up now if it weren't for the fact that he needed to keep her and Dylan safe. He knew he could never redeem for what he did. But he would try. For her and for his son.
Her breath became ragged and his heart dropped. "Elena!" he said, alarmed. She shifted a bit then she snuggled closer to him, her lips touching his neck. "I am ok" she whispered before she went back to sleep.
His heart was still pounding against his chest. He had been acting calm all day but in this very second he realized how really panicked he was. For one second when he thought something was wrong with her, he nearly died.
He just wanted this day to be over. He just wanted to fast forward to a time where she was okay and safe and happy in his arms. His pain stricken eyes loved watching her as she sleeps, as the moonlight plays against her tanned skin, making her seemingly glow. He wouldn't miss that sight for anything in the world. He prayed to anything out there, any positive force, call it God or anything to save her. He would gladly give up his life in exchange.
He felt guilty for all the pain she had to suffer. He felt guilty with her every wince, every whimper, every cry and every tear that came out of her. "God! I love you so much" he whispered to her sleeping figure. She did so much for him. She gave birth to his son knowing fully she could die doing so. She loved him so much and he knew what he had to do in return.
He didn't sleep all night. He played with her soft short hair and savored the touch of her skin. It was nine now. Just an hour to her surgery. Her eyes fluttered open. "You didn't sleep" she said in her raspy tone.
"I couldn't"
"You're gonna get sick if you keep starving yourself"
"I will eat when you come back to me"
She shifted a bit to look at him. His eyes were red rimmed , swollen and anxious. And she knew he had been crying for her. Her eyes shot up to his face, grazing his skin. His eyes closed in content at her touch, he bent down to kiss her finger tips.
She was about to kiss him when the cry coming from the crib interrupted her. She smiled as he got up walking toward Dylan. "He woke up like four times last night but I kept him quite" he explained changing the topic. "Give him to me" she said as she spread out her arms. He carefully placed his son in his wife's arms. Elena smiled. "It's time to feed him"
"I will get the nurse" he said as he rushed outside coming back the next second. The nurse took her son from her but not before Elena placed a kiss to his forehead. Damon rushed to her and held her hand tightly.
"It's going to be fine"
"What if…What if it isn't? I can't lose you. You…you don't know how it feels. I…I…Should we wait? We should double check with better surgeons" he voiced his fears.
"These are the best surgeons. I know how this stuff works. Even I have assisted in two. It's really easy. All they will do is open slightly here and remove the tumor." She said as she gestured to slightly above her eyes.
His eyes widened in reaction and she could sense fear clouding his senses. "Okay! I should not have said that" she said. He never thought about it that way. They would be cutting her skull open. What if they were inexperienced? What if they weren't good enough? For the surgeons she might just be some patient but he will be losing his world if she didn't make it.
"It's better than craniotomy. The benefits of skull base surgery include less risk of infection and damage to cerebral structures and nerves plus short recovery time" she explained. "there might be a scar here though" she pouted.
"Ohh! Screw that. I don't care how you look okay. I just want you alive and fine." He spat back. This was the first time her complaining about her looks had annoyed him.
He paced around the room mumbling something she couldn't make up. "Damon! Damon! Baby, I will be fine" she assured.
"That's just what you say. Everyone else keeps telling me that you're not going to make it and I…This is all my fault. I..." he fumbled to find words as to how hopeless he felt. He wanted to tell her he would die if something happened to her.
"We talked about this last night" Elena groaned.
Ever since he got her he left no stone unturned to keep her safe with him. But it was like fate was set on ripping her from him. At this point, he didn't even care if she left him. He just wanted her alive. He just wanted her breathing. Life won't be life without her.
The worst part of losing someone wasn't their death. The worst part was before and after that. The constant anxiety that your loved one will be ripped away from you. He had to watch his love wither in pain until she didn't exists anymore.
He wondered if he caused the same pain to someone else. Yes, defiantly. At that time he didn't even think twice. And now he had to suffer the same heartache, the same pain. He remembered how Kol had begged him not to tell Zach about Davina's betrayal.
"Damon! I have a medical condition. You didn't do anything wrong" Elena said as she held his wrist.
"I did Elena. I am a bad person and you are suffering because fate wants me to suffer"
"Damon, This is ridiculous"
"No, It's not…I was an animal. I was a monster and I…I hate myself so much because now in order to punish me fate is snatching you from me" he said in a tortured tone.
"Yes, you were a terrible person but you're not that person anymore,Baby. Everyone changes. You did too" she comforted him.
"You don't know what I did to people...You don't know what I did to my friend. I destroyed him to save my skin. Elena, I know I don't deserve any sort of happiness but you don't deserve this. You're only going through this because you are getting punished for loving a monster like me" he said as he gasped to breathe. His anxiety was taking over him.
"Hey! Hey…Baby Relax. You're only panicking"she said as she opened her arms. He settled himself in them, hugging her, burying his face in her neck. She felt him kiss her neck to her chin.
"Are you talking about Kol?" she asked.
His intake of sharp breath answered her.
She pulled back, cupping his face.
"I promise I didn't want to harm him. He was a friend."
"What happened?"
"This happened three years ago, long before I met you, long before I even had hint of humanity in me. Kol had met Davina and had immediately fallen in love with her. She was beautiful and bright just like you. Davina wasn't what she seemed. Her meeting with Kol wasn't a coincidence. She was on a sting operation from a newspaper."
He stopped.
"I found out about that. Instead of informing Kol I informed Zach. I was too selfish back then. I wanted to save my own skin. I informed Zach about it. We have a rule, Elena. We don't tolerate deception. Zach ordered Kol and Davina to be killed." He stopped when Elena winced.
"Somehow Klaus convinced Zach to let his brother go. I…Kol begged me to save Davina but I didn't care. He didn't care if she cheated him. He didn't care if she had been lying to him. He just wanted me to save her. I didn't budge. Going against Zach is death sentence itself. I stood there as Klaus made Kol kill her" he whispered.
"He let Kol go but he made sure Kol suffered" he added.
He looked up to see any signs of disgust and hatred on her face but there wasn't. She didn't look disgusted at all. She brought him closer to her and ran her fingers through his hair.
"That's why he wanted me dead so bad" Elena said.
He nodded.
"but Karma is a bitch. I left no stone unturned to keep you safe. I…I hired the best security team for you. I made sure you're protected all time. Because I was always scared of this. I was scared that you will be ripped away from me. But jokes on me because you were fatally sick all this time" he groaned in frustration.
"Relax…Relax" she cupped his face as her forehead fell on his.
"I will make it. I promise I will come back to you" she promised with determination in her eyes.
She leaned in to capture his lips in hers. His lips moved slowly with hers as if it was their last kiss. She felt wetness on her face. She pulled back. His eyes were closed and when they open she could see the pain and desperateness.
"I love you so much" she declared.
He didn't say it back but she already knew. She didn't need him to say it back. "Promise me you won't go back to that life whether I live or not?" she whispered.
"I promise I won't"
There time was up when there was a knock on the door. The team of surgeons entered for her final check up. Damon stayed closed to her. He looked like a scared kitten eyeing all the surgeons as if they were here to snatch her. She kept holding his hand to assure him everything was fine.
The nurse brought back her son so she could meet her son one last time before her surgery. She cradled her son close to her chest as she pushed back her unshed tears.
This could be the last time she might be holding him. She fought back her tears. "If I don't make it. I want you to take Dylan and go back to Italy" she murmured. " Don't say that. You're not dying" he said determined now. She kissed her son one last time before he picked her up in his arms to take her to surgery room.
Stefan and Caroline were holding hands sitting on the chairs near the waiting area of the surgery room. "Do you think he is okay?" Caroline whispered in her boyfriend's ear.
Damon had allowed them to visit Elena before her surgery. Almost all of his guards were here to keep an eye on situation. From the corner of his eye, Damon noticed Matt Donavan signal him. He nodded, telling him to wait.
Matt Donavan disappeared. After reasonable amount of time Damon followed where Matt Donavan recently went.
Matt was waiting for him, leaning on to the wall once Damon closed the room that recently belonged to Elena.
"Why did you call me?" Matt voiced.
"I want you to help me"
"there is no way I am helping a criminal"
"for Elena. She is in danger"
That stopped Matt.
"Zach wants to kill her. Obviously I don't want that. I can easily get rid of Zach but then Klaus will get control and I don't want that either because with all that power he can easily have me and Elena killed since he hates my guts. The only other way I can save her will be to stay like this. But I promised Elena that I would leave my world behind. So This only leaves one way for me to save my son and Elena"
Matt listened intently.
"I will make you a deal. I will help you catch both Klaus and Zach. You can put both Italian mafia and Mexican mafia in jail. I will help you with that" Damon tempted. "Hell…if you want you can arrest me. I will accept all my crimes. I just want her and my son safe" he added.
Matt smirked. All his life he had been working on getting this circuit caught and now the culprit himself was on his knees begging him to arrest them all to save his son and his wife.
Love worked in different ways. It turned a cold ruthless mobster into a human.
"You have got yourself a deal. So what's the plan?"
Damon knew this was a suicide mission but he didn't have any choice. This was the only way he can assure his wife's and his son's security. While they were inside operating on Elena. He was out here working on a plan to keep them safe and sound. He had put Stefan and Rose in charge of Elena, Dylan and Elena's family.
He checked his wrist watch again. He was suppose to be here by now. "where is he?" he muttered when he spotted his best friend. Enzo looked around before approaching him.
"I had to beat the shit out of one of his guards that had been tailing me" Enzo growled as he made his way.
"I can't believe he is stupid enough to put you to put me down" Damon said as if feeling humiliated.
"Yup…He even offered to make me Don" Enzo replied.
"So…I talked to Matt. He will be releasing Bonnie soon. I have my lawyers working on her bail as we speak"
"How is Elena doing?"
On this question Damon's composed face scrunched up in pain. "They are operating her right now"
Flashback
Damon wasn't allowed to stay inside the OP room. He stared into her eyes as they injected her with anesthesia. He was supposed to go out immediately after she is knocked out. The lights in her eyes were dimming as she was drifting to sleep.
He never felt so desperate. "I am scared" she whispered softly to him.
He wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her and make a run for it. But he reminded himself that she would be in more pain if he tried that. He stifled a sob. "I am here, Baby…I am here"
She struggled to stay awake but the anesthesia kicked in and her eyelids were closing slowly.
He dove in for a kiss. One taste. One taste of those beautiful lips. He just wanted one taste. He had never loved someone like he had loved her. He was crazy about her ever since he saw her. Her eyes, her laughs and her childish banter. He was in love with her innocence and her pure heart. Tears slipped from his already wet eyebrows. He couldn't seem to stop them. He felt like breaking into pieces when she kissed him back weakly. "I love you" she whispered against his mouth. "I love you too…" he said as her eyelids closed completely.
"We are ready" Chief Surgeon Doctor Scott announced.
He gulped. He wasn't ready for it yet. He wasn't ready to let her go. His eyes stayed on her as he felt one of the nurse push him out of the surgical room.
Over
"She will be fine" Enzo assured him with doubt in his tone. Sure he wasn't fond of Elena after Bonnie got arrested but Damon loved her. He knew his friend wouldn't be able to live without her that's the only reason he wanted her to live.
"and I am sorry that I threatened her."
"I understand but don't pull that kind of shit ever again if you know what's good for you" he threatened. He wasn't in a very good state right now. His life was on stake.
"Once we go through our plan. You and Bonnie make a run for it. Just get out of here" he said. He had already explained his plan to Enzo.
Enzo nodded.
This was it. The plan was set.
Damon called in once again to check in how she was doing? Just one more meeting then he could go back to her. He told himself she will be fine. She won't die. He assured himself. Because she was an amazing person. This world needed people like her. His beautiful wife that could light up the room with a mere smile. The woman that managed to bring out the good in him. The world needed people like her and not him or Zach or Klaus. She deserved to live and spread happiness like an angel she was.
Even the thought of her pained him and he had to gasp for breathe. It was like something was broken inside him. And he knew only she could fix this.
He dialed Klaus's number as he entered Zach's building. "Hello?" he could hear Klaus's voice puzzled.
"Zach" he said aloud so Klaus can hear him on the other side of the phone.
"Damon! Just the guy I wanted to see. First and for most, I just got the news of your son's birth and I am delighted. Someone has to keep our line running No? Besides after us it will be your son who would be taking control of business. What's his name?"
"Dylan. Dylan Salvatore" he said proudly.
"What delighted me more is the fact that we won't have to waste bullets on that damn wife of yours. I just heard she has some sort of tumor. Did you know about that? Ahh well! Karma is a bitch. That bitch got what she deserved" Zach continued, carelessly, without noticing Damon's fuming posture.
It took all his self control to not to pull his gun out and kill Zach right there and then. His jaw clenched. "Now…I know. You had some sort of obsession with her. Wouldn't blame you? She had even me thinking about her at nights if you know what I mean"
And that was it. He snapped. He launched himself on Zach, pushing him toward the wall. "SHE IS STILL MY WIFE. IF YOU SAY ONE WORD AGAINST HER OR ABOUT HER I WILL FUCKING DESTROY YOU and I am not kidding. I don't care what you do to me. I will tear your limb from limb and kill you in the most inhumane way possible"
"I knew it. You still love her. She is like a cancer to you. she needs to die to bring you back to us"
Damon backed away. He knew he had caused damage. For his plan to work Damon needs his trust.
"Look Zach! I do love her. Crazily. She was the best thing that ever happened to me but every good thing has to come to an end. Elena is going to die." He said it almost painfully but he hid his pain behind a scoff. "and I prefer her that way…because you are right she is toxic to me and to my work." He added in a cold detached tone.
Zach didn't look convinced. "Oh come on! She is dying there while I am here with you. What more proof do I have to give you regarding my loyalty to you" he added as he laughed a humorless laugh.
"First order of business. Finish Klaus Michelson. So I have a plan. You already know that I killed Kol. Klaus wants me dead more than ever. Call him now and offer me in exchange for truce. He won't deny the offer since it would be beneficial for him business vice to be have your alliance as well. I will get my base and Enzo's base ready…we will attack him once he is out in open here" Damon explained. He knew Klaus was listening on the other line.
"Once he is down we can easily take over his territories. That is an excellent plan" Zach seemed excited. He had been really annoyed ever since Klaus came into power. He wanted Klaus gone.
"I will call him now" Zach smirked as he signaled his secretary to call Klaus.
Yes, Zach was falling right into his trap.
There was no room to doubt him since this whole idea was Klaus's but Damon still need to be sure. He had made sure he had some of Klaus's men on his side as well. He knew the game he was playing was dangerous but this was his only way. His car halted in front of the hospital.
He rushed down the hall to where the surgery room was. His heart dropped when he saw they were still waiting. He had been out for three hours now and they weren't still done with her.
"Everything okay?" he asked Rose.
Caroline rushed to him. "She flat lined a few minutes ago but they managed to revive her but it's not going well"
"She…She…nearly died once." He felt the need to hold onto to something as the dread took over his body.
He fell on one of the chair as his head fell in his hands. Caroline noticed him look up at the roof as if pleading or praying.
"No…No…No" he mumbled.
Life without Elena. He didn't want that. He didn't want to live in a world where she wasn't breathing. He felt his heart split into pieces. Mind numbing pain rushed to him. He could feel it. He could feel her pain. "Breathe…Elena…Just breathe…You said you have been through this before. You told me you will come back to me. We still have so much to do. You have done so much for me , Baby. Just come back to me and I swear I will never ask for anything else. I will spend the rest of my life making up for everything you had to go through because of me" he mumbled to himself. "Just breathe…I know you're in pain and I wish I could take it from you. I wish I could kill it and make it go away. But I can't do anything to stop it"
Flashback
Last Night
6 hours before surgery
"It's my fault you are in pain…I have done so much bad in past and now you have to suffer the pain for what I did" he rambled as his he ran his fingers through his hair.
"Why couldn't it be me instead? Why you?" he covered his face with his hands. It was the night before her surgery just six hours before she would go to that surgery room and he was dreading every second.
"don't say that. Dylan needs you. I need you" Elena said as she tried to remove his hands from his face.
"Damon! Why do you feel like you're not redeemable?" she asked.
He finally looked up. "Are you seriously asking me that?"
"Stop thinking about the past. You're not that person anymore. You were victim of situation. You didn't have a choice."
"I should be locked up and I should die" he mumbled and he noticed her flinch.
"So…just like that. You're gonna give up?" Elena asked.
He didn't answer. "Look at me. No one is gonna get any sort of benefit by you getting locked up or dying. I admit you were a terrible a person but you have a chance to redeem and to fix things. Bring some betterment into the world. Yes, I admit that the person you were before should have been locked not this you. You are desperately trying to save me. Old you would have never cared about that"
"Baby, I am only doing that for my own selfish needs because I will die without you" he said.
"Damon…own up to what you did"
"that's what I will do. I will accept my crimes. I will ask Matt to arrest me"
"Damon! I forbid you to do that" she almost shouted. "I know this is selfish of me but if you love me you won't do that"
"When you think about the past, you focus on things you think you did wrong or things you think you should have done, which ultimately ends up making you feel bad about yourself.
You spend time wishing you made different choices and you end up being ashamed, and depressed and stuck. Ironically, it can even cause you to continue making the same mistakes over and over again." She explained as she grazed her fingers through his face, calming him with her touch.
"Own up to your deeds and fix them. You can help Matt arrest them all. But I don't want you to turn yourself and I know that makes me a selfish bitch but I need you and Dylan needs you. After the surgery I would take a lot of time to recover. I need you Damon."
"but this is wrong Elena"
"I am going to take a leaf from your book and be selfish this one time. Stay with me for me. Please" she begged and he nodded. "and in return you will come back to me?" he asked.
She nodded.
Over
His head shot up as the surgery room door opened. "Please tell me she is okay…" he almost begged.
"We are trying our best…Your wife is a fighter Mr Salvatore. There was an episode of respiratory failure a few minutes ago but she is considerably better now" The nurse informed before she went in again.
Grayson Gilbert was pacing around like a mad man. He noticed Damon ran his fingers through his hair again, roughing his already disheveled hair more out of anxiety. In between all of them, he looked the worst.
He kept mumbling to himself. Clenching and unclenching his fists. It felt like his world was crumbling around him with every passing second. Never in his life had he seen a man who looked like he was going through inhumane torture. He thought about it. In case Elena died, they all had someone to turn to for comfort, Damon didn't. Elena was all he had.
"He loves me , Dad. He never had anyone to love so he gives all his love to me and I don't have to share his heart. Love means more to him than anyone because he never felt that type of emotion. If he is capable of love then surely he has some good in him. He is not a lost cause." His daughter's voice boomed in his ear.
Torture. This anxiety was torture. Damon paced around again. He wanted to lash out at someone and hurt him just like he was hurting right now but Elena had told him Violence wasn't answer to everything. So he controlled himself.
"I was such a bad person but you changed me that's why I chased after you so I could stay by your side. I need you Elena. I need you to breathe…please…please come back to me" he whispered to himself. And just when he thought he couldn't bear it anymore. The OP theater doors opened. The chief surgeon and his assistant came out.
"We are happy to announce the success of the surgery. The tumor hasn't grown much which made it easy to remove. However we will be keeping Mrs Salvatore in intensive care unit for a week. But I assure you she is safe now" Dr Scott announced slowly.
"We will be needing you to discuss treatment options. Please come to my office after an hour" The assistant doctor addressed Damon but he was in another world.
She was safe. She was okay. He sighed in relief. It was like a weight lifted off his chest. She was okay. He let out a silent laugh. Now, he just had one thing on his mind. He had to finish off Zach and Klaus.
He followed as Elena was transferred to Intensive Care Unit. She looked like she was sleeping. Her surgery had went on for seven hours. Her head was bandaged. Her face looked swollen. But at least she as alive.
The next five hours passed in blur. He discussed follow up checkups with surgeons. Elena didn't need to go through another surgery. But they advised him to watch out for signs which may be concerning if left untreated. He didn't need to be told twice. Elena haven't woken up yet. He was worried at first but the surgeons told him it was normal. A SBS is very tiring and patient usually sleep through days.
Grayson and Jeremy Gilbert never approved of him but even they could see how much he loved her. He stayed by her side all the time, talking to her sleeping figure. He would come visit Dylan too at Rick's home to make sure his son was doing okay. He hardly slept or ate. HE didn't even care about his plan with Klaus and Zach anymore. That could wait.
Zach wasn't happy about Elena's survival in surgery but he didn't say anything. Damon had promised him Klaus's territories. He needed Damon. And Damon needed Elena. He would allow that but as soon as Damon grows out his usefulness he was planning to kill him once and for all. The same went for Klaus. He couldn't possibly harm Damon since Damon was holding Kol captive.
Elena did wake up after the second day of her surgery but she wasn't in her senses to Damon's utmost horror. Grayson had been there for him at that time.
"She went through a skull surgery. What else did you expect? It's not some TV show that she will wake up and everything will go back to normal." Grayson scolded him.
"but she didn't even open her eyes. She isn't talking back to me" he said in almost a child like tone.
"It will take time before her brain starts properly functioning again."
Damon knew he need more information than that. So he brought Elena's old books to her hospital room and read in detail about her disease. He wanted to be prepared now. There were a lot of medical terms he didn't understand since he never took Biology even in high school but Elena side notes on her books made it easy for him to understand.
Time went by slowly and Dylan was a month old now. Elena was getting better too with his help. Grayson would never admit it out loud but Elena was right. Damon loved her so much that he had lost himself in her.
Elena couldn't talk much. She couldn't eat much. She even needed help using washroom. At times, even he, her own father got frustrated by her slow progress but Damon seemed patient. The cold hearted ruthless mobster never ever even showed a glint of irritation and annoyance when it came to Elena. He stayed by her side all day and took care of her. He handled everything. From her clothes to her bath time. He was dedicated to her. The only time he left her was when she slept. Then Damon would disappear with Matt and would come back right before she would wake up as if he knew she will be awake at that time. In the end, Elena couldn't have asked for better husband.
Matt stood by her as he watched Damon clean sweat off sleeping Elena's forehead. She wasn't too responsive. She had slight listening disorder as a side effect to surgery. Her swelling was coming back to normal. She didn't look like the very beautiful Elena she once was. But Matt noticed it didn't matter to Damon. He looked at her as if she was the most beautiful and precious thing in the world.
"I told you I will attack when Elena is a little better…I can't risk her" he snapped him out of his daze.
"Damon! Klaus and Zach will get suspicious" Matt tried to convince him.
"This is "FOR" Elena. Do you want any of those two to get their hands on her? Need I remind you that she is on your boss's must kill list"
Damon visibly fumed but controlled his anger. "they will have to go through me to reach her and that's not happening any time soon"
"but we gotta attack Damon."
"Give me one more month. Dr Scott says she will be well enough to travel. Once, Stefan and Caroline take her and Dylan to Italy. I will act on our plan" Damon replied as he sat beside her.
Elena 's eyes fluttered open. She didn't even have to say it. He already knew what she needed. He helped her sit. And brought the ready glass of water to her lips. Once she was done he pecked her slowly before helping her lay back again. Elena was far from attractive or beautiful anymore. But he still caressed her face like she was the most beautiful woman on the planet.
"You're beautiful" he complemented.
Elena rolled her eyes. She didn't have much energy to talk. "I love you" Damon said.
"I love you too" she replied in a very weak and barely audible voice.
"Once you're done…you will be free" Matt revised their plan.
"You're not gonna arrest me?" Damon asked.
It had been a month now. Elena was recovering fast. She couldn't walk but she could talk and eat by herself now. Every small accomplishment was a victory.
"I promised the girl that I love that I would let her husband free if she helped me put the other criminals behind the bar. Now you're helping me. I guess you kinda deserve your freedom. Besides we already cleaned all the records against you when I arrested you four months back" Matt replied as they left the surgeon's conference room. Matt was wearing a surgeon costume so anyone who were following Damon wouldn't recognize Matt. Their meetings were super secretive.
"Wouldn't that be against your moral integrity? I mean I am a self reformed mobster."
"Like you said "Reformed" besides I have to prove that I love Elena more than you do" Matt replied smirking.
Damon rolled his eyes.
"Now…it's up to you to make it back alive"
"I will"
Elena was getting discharged tonight. She had made better progress. It took a lot of patience and hard work but she was okay now. She was still very weak. Her skin was still pale. But her face was now back to normal. She had a huge scar on her forehead , a sign of her surgery but atleast ( and to Elena's happiness) they didn't cut her hair.
Her scar was the first thing he kissed when he woke up. She had suffered so much pain because of him. She had risked her life so she could give birth to their son. He loved her even more if it was possible.
He couldn't believe it. He had saved a life now. Given, this was for his own selfish desire but he had saved her. There were times that he would be tired he and would feel hopeless but she was his wife. She was the love of his life. Her pain was his pain. And he wasn't lying when he said that he could feel it.
He cradled her in his arms and she snuggled closer to him. Once, Rose gave him green signal, he walked out of hospital. She still couldn't walk. She had serious imbalance problem.
"Is Dylan home?" she asked weakly once they were inside the car.
"Yeah. Miranda is with him"
Elena's family had been very supportive through this time. Even Jeremy managed to forgive him for what he did almost an year ago.
She closed her eyes as she snuggled in his neck and he sighed in content.
Once, they reached he carefully picked her up and carried her to their bedroom. He slowly placed her on his bed. "I…I wanna see Dylan" she pouted.
He nodded. Once he brought back Dylan to their room , he placed his son slowly to her side. He watched as her face lit up as she studied their son. Her head fell back as she played with their son's fingers. He laid on the other side of the bed and watched them silently interact with each other. Tomorrow would be the day, they would be parting again. Stefan and Caroline would take Elena and Dylan to Italy. While he had one last unfinished business before he joined them.
He didn't feel bad for not turning himself in. Elena and Dylan needed him. Yes, he regretted his actions in past but he didn't owe anyone anything. He had been victim of situation. To be honest, the only reason he wanted Klaus and Zach behind the bars was because he was protecting his family.
He looked at Elena. He loved the light in her eyes. She was so beautiful. The glow on her face was returning. He knew it would be long before she would be back to normal but he didn't care. If Elena depended on him all her life, he wouldn't care.
Once Dylan was asleep, he carried him back to his crib placed in one corner of their room even though Elena insisted he stay on bed.
He walked back to her and crawled on bed next to her before scooting closer to her. Lacing his fingers with hers he brought her hand to his lips.
As he buried his face in her hair, he thought about the worst possible outcomes. What if he died on his mission tomorrow. He didn't want Elena to go through more pain. No. He would stay alive. He would fight death for her.
Just one more day.
I hope you enjoyed.
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