Chapter 5
The end of June stretched into July and the hospital seemed busier than ever. Stefan, still unable to find a job, had begun writing his own articles in an attempt to score some freelance work. So far however, he'd been pretty unsuccessful save for a couple of political pieces and a feature piece on an up-and-coming leather worker who had started his business in his native Stockholm, and was now looking to replicate its success in Brooklyn.
Elena found herself spending more and more time at the hospital. There were the odd shifts where she qualified for overtime pay and what with Stefan bringing in very little, she took on as many of these extra shifts as she could. Besides, they meant she could afford the odd night out with Caroline, Tyler and Matt without feeling too guilty.
"You are so not working that extra shift." Caroline told Elena, snatching the pen from her hand. "It's my birthday and you're coming to The Loft for drinks and dancing. And cake. And did I say drinks?"
"You said drinks." Elena laughed as the blonde offered her best puppy-dog eyes. "Fine, I'll come."
"Yay!" Caroline clapped her hands as though she was in first grade. "So obviously there's a dress code because this is the perfect excuse for me to wear that new Valentino my mom got me. Oh, and I want to see Tyler in a suit." She winked conspiratorially and Elena couldn't help but laugh with a roll of her eyes. The blonde really was ridiculous. "Obviously Stefan can come too."
The two friends spent the rest of their shift pretty much running from patient to patient, checking stats, dressing wounds, giving injections and practically using every ounce of energy they had. When seven pm came and they could finally go home, all Elena could think about was a large bowl of spaghetti and how much she'd like a long, hot bath. Since she'd moved to New York, she hadn't had a bath. The apartment she shared with Stefan was so small - just like most other apartments rented by people like them - that all the bathroom had room for was a shower, sink and toilet, and even the space between the three was severely limited.
As she turned the key in the lock of her apartment door, Elena felt a pang of disappointment at the lack of cooking scent coming from the kitchen. She was starving and Stefan had been home all day. Sure, he was writing, but would it have taken much to pop even a frozen pizza into the oven?
"Hey." She greeted him, dropping her purse onto the floor as she shut the door. "How was your day?"
"Pretty much sucked." Stefan replied. "I had nothing to write about."
The television was on and his feet were resting atop of the coffee table surrounded by a handful of empty beer bottles. Elena swallowed a sigh and made her way to the cupboards for ingredients. Damn it - they were out of spaghetti. Resigning herself to junk food, she reached for the box of mac and cheese.
"Have you eaten?" She asked Stefan.
"Made a sandwich earlier. I'd have made you one but I wasn't sure what time you'd be home."
"That's ok."
"Oh, and we're out of bread. Try and remember to get some from the store tomorrow will you?"
Elena rubbed her eyes tiredly and turned her attention to the box in her hand. She was too tired to pick a fight tonight. All she wanted to do was eat, shower and go to bed.
When she had finally done the first two of the things on her list, she found the television off and Stefan undressing in the soft light of their bedroom. Sighing, she picked up the empty bottles lying on the coffee table and stood them beside the other recycling to take out in the morning.
Getting into bed was like heaven - that was, until Stefan climbed in naked beside her. He reached his arm across her body, moving his fingers from the curve of her hip up towards her breast. He kissed her wetly with breath that smelled strongly of stale beer and Elena turned so that she was lying on her back.
"Stefan, I'm really tired." She said softly. "Can we do this another night?"
It wasn't a question really, more like a statement. Either he hadn't heard or he chose to ignore her because she felt him move his hand back down from her breast to her bellybutton and towards the waistband of her shorts.
"Stefan." He followed with a kiss behind her ear and then another on her neck. "Stefan!"
"What?" He sighed, frustrated.
"I'm really tired and I just don't want to tonight."
He said nothing, but simply rolled over so his back was now towards Elena, before flicking off the lamp.
As exhausted as she was, sleep just wouldn't come and Elena spent the majority of the night staring at the wall in front of her, her back facing Stefan's. She thought about their relationship when they were still in high school back in Mystic Falls - their sleepy little midwestern town. She'd been a cheerleader and he'd been on the football team and life between them was pretty much everything she'd wanted. She used to love game nights the most, when she could wear a red ribbon in her hair and then his jacket over her shoulders. When he used to score, he'd look at her like she was the only thing in the world and in those moments, she'd thought she might pass out from sheer happiness.
Moments like those though weren't even few and far-between any more; they were non-existent. Elena had found herself lately looking forward to nights with Caroline, Tyler and Matt simply to be out of that apartment for a few extra hours. It wasn't that she didn't love Stefan any more because God, she loved him more than anything. But...it wasn't the same and she wasn't sure how to fix it.
Stefan's confidence was low, she told herself. He was struggling to find a job, had moved away from his family and friends to a huge city - for her nonetheless - and now she'd knocked him back when he only wanted affection. She wondered how Damon's wound was healing. Fuck! Where did that come from?! Elena felt a stab of guilt as she turned her head to look at Stefan's now sleeping form. Attempting to brush off her thoughts, she turned her body so that she faced Stefan's back, wrapping her arms around him as she snuggled closer to his skin. He smelled like beer and a little of stale sweat and it made her feel a little queasy. She shut her eyes anyway.
X
"I can't believe Klaus is making us work today!" Caroline moaned as Elena joined her at the nurses' station. "I mean, maybe I get why he hasn't told you to take the day off, but it's my birthday! You only turn 25 once!"
"Well we're off tomorrow and you know what that means." Elena grinned.
"I hope it means you lose you inhibitions." Klaus drawled into Caroline's ear, making her shriek, jump and drop her clipboard all at the same time. "And then maybe some of your clothes."
The blonde stamped her foot. "You are literally the most inappropriate boss ever!"
"It's always nice to win a title." He smirked before glancing in annoyance at his cell phone which was now ringing. "What?" He snapped. "Just perfect. I suppose we'll have to be ready then." Ending the call in his ever-abrupt manner, Klaus shoved the phone back into his pocket. "Don't you just love re-admissions?"
The two girls looked at him quizzically.
"That was Donovan. Put your gloves on Gilbert - loverboy is coming back for another visit. Oh, and arm yourself with some Alprazolam. I'm pretty sure he's going to need it."
"What are you talking about?" Elena asked.
"Damon Salvatore is on his way back for another visit. Turns out getting shot once wasn't enough."
"What?!" The girls asked in unison.
"What I just said. Damon Salvatore has been shot. Again. Perhaps he should consider a bodyguard. Or make better friends."
"How far away?" Elena asked, feeling a rise of panic building inside her chest.
"Five minutes. Wound to the chest and dangerously close to the heart. Missed by millimetres."
The brunette released a breath she hadn't realised she was holding. It didn't go unnoticed by Klaus, who cocked an eyebrow. "He'll need a room after surgery. Make sure it's private and as far from the nurses' station as possible. There's obviously someone out there who wants him dead - or at least severely injured - and the last thing we need is a shooting in our department. Be aware of anyone suspicious and keep yourselves safe."
Caroline stared at the man in front of her, a little taken aback at his concern.
"Oh come on now, love." He said, ghosting a hand on her forearm. "I'm not exactly heartless. Just call me a protective supervisor. And after all, I couldn't have you getting hurt on your birthday."
X
The chances of everyone making Caroline's birthday drinks at the scheduled time of 8pm was looking increasingly unlikely. They'd pretty much had the day from hell: above average admissions, two doctors calling in sick and of course, the readmission of a certain dark-haired gunshot victim.
Damon had returned from surgery only half an hour previously, and on her way to grab what was probably her eighth coffee of her shift, Elena snuck a peek at the unconscious man at the end of the corridor. She allowed herself to linger just long enough to take in his appearance: slightly messy hair, porcelain skin, long, dark eyelashes sweeping over his eyelids. He looked so peaceful that she couldn't imagine anyone wanting to shoot him. The peace was, of course, a result of the Alprazolam but Elena figured peace under sedation was undoubtedly better than those nightmares he clearly suffered agonizingly from.
"Elena," Caroline's voice called. The brunette took a last glance at Damon before leaving his room, closing the door quietly behind her - not that it mattered. He'd be out for the count for a good few more hours at least.
"Everything okay?"
"Yeah - Klaus says one of us is free to go but he needs one of us to stay and cover seeing as Dr Maxfield isn't here."
"You go."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course," Elena replied. "It's your birthday and I was going to sign up for the extra shift tomorrow anyway."
Caroline hugged her friend. "God I love you."
Elena giggled and rolled her eyes. "Have fun, and have a drink for me."
"Done." The blonde smiled.
"And have several for me." Klaus added, passing the duo with a smirk and a clipboard.
"Creepy," Caroline muttered, "But also, done."
X
Elena was on her third coffee in two hours when she got the call to say Damon was awake. Her increasing fatigue momentarily forgotten, she rushed along the corridor to his room, almost forgetting to scan for the threats Klaus had reminded her of a couple of hours previously. There were none however, and she knocked lightly before entering his room.
Gone was the peaceful man that she'd seen a few hours ago. Instead, he'd been replaced by someone who looked as tired as Elena felt.
"Hey," She said softly, offering a smile.
"I just liked this place so much I had to come back." He rolled his eyes and attempted to curl his lip into a smirk but Elena didn't buy it.
"How are you feeling?" She asked.
"Aside from the new hole in my chest? Just peachy."
Elena took her torch from her pocket and bent closer towards Damon, moving the beam from the edge of his vision towards the centre.
"Although," he continued, "The view just got a heck of a lot better."
This time, it was her turn to roll her eyes and she did manage to catch a genuine smirk playing on Damon's lips. She was surprised to find herself involuntarily smiling.
"Just follow the light with your eyes Damon."
Elena completed her test and begun to test Damon's reflexes, reassuring him that - bullet wound aside - he seemed physically fine.
"You gave me a sedative."
"We didn't want you to rip the stitches."
"I asked you not to."
"We're under orders from Dr Mikaelson."
"I sign whatever form I need to. I don't want to be sedated."
"Damon…" She faltered at his tensed jaw, deciding against pressing the issue. "What happened?"
"Wrong place, wrong time."
"Twice?"
"Guess I'm just unlucky."
"You should know, the department is on alert for anyone suspicious."
"Incredibly unnecessary." He replied. "Like I said, wrong place, wrong time."
"I find that hard to believe."
Damon shrugged, then tried to hide the wince that caught him off guard as the wound in his chest burned."Your choice," he gritted out.
"I should check your old wound to see how it's healing."
For the first time since Elena had entered the room while he was awake, Damon visibly relaxed as he lifted his gown for her to inspect the healing wound on his abdomen. She traced the fading bruises delicately with her fingertips and smiled as she saw his eyes close. Figuring it was helping him relax, she smoothed over the pulled skin which was still red, using the soft pad of her thumb to repeat the motion, checking for signs of lumps of infection.
"Even with gloves, you have the softest hands."
Damon's gravelly voice caught them both off guard. Fuck. He hadn't meant to say that out loud. He eyed her warily but she seemed to be smiling genuinely and he offered her one in return.
"Guess all that money on L'occitane was worth it."
She finished her gentle examination and removed her gloves, stifling a yawn.
"You look exhausted."
"Gee, thanks."
"How many hours have you been here today?"
Elena checked her watch. "Fifteen."
Damon let out a whistle. "I hope they're paying you well."
She rolled her eyes. "Not nearly enough."
"Shouldn't you be out on a Friday night drinking overpriced cocktails on some rooftop bar?"
"That's Caroline - Dr Forbes' - jurisdiction. I'm more of a stay-at-home kind of girl."
"Is that what you are?" He asked "Or is that what you do?"
She shrugged, stifling another yawn. "Maybe a little of both."
He watched her as she studied his face, a small frown etched onto her forehead. "What?"
"Are you in trouble, Damon?"
"No."
"Are you in danger?"
He looked at her wide eyes and saw the concern there. It was confusing. But also kind of...nice? Stretching his fingertips, he rested them on the top of her hand ever-so-lightly. Elena's throat seemed to constrict. "No."
"Then you should get some rest," she said, managing to keep her voice level when her skin was burning up. "I'll redress your chest wound in the morning before the end of my shift."
"I'll look forward to it." He winked, and she pulled her hand from underneath his. It felt unnaturally cold. And tingly.
"You sure I can't give you anything to help you sleep?"
"If by anything you mean Alprazolam, then yes - I'm sure."
"Okay," her voice was soft. "Goodnight Damon."
"Goodnight Elena."
X
Pretty much the only thing that made Elena's legs walk the length of corridor between the supply cupboard and Damon's room was the thought of her bed in only a few hours and the fact that she had the following day off and could eat brunch in the little cafe just down the street from her apartment.
He wasn't peacefully sleeping when she reached the door - like he should have been. Instead, Elena could see the sweat pouring off of his forehead even before she entered his room.
"Damon," she called softly, closing the door gently behind her so as not to make him jump. He didn't wake though, just clawed at the sheets with a pained expression on his face.
"Damon," Elena spoke again, setting the dressing, cotton wool pads and dish down on the tray. Her voice was louder this time, yet it still didn't wake him.
Gently but firmly, she placed a hand on his forearm and shook him. "Damon."
The sheer terror on his face as he opened his eyes frightened Elena. Whatever he'd been dreaming about had clearly been excruciating; his knuckles were white. Quickly though, his features softened upon realisation of where he was and who was touching him.
"Please let me give you the Alprazolam." It was almost a plea. Her hand was still on his arm and that fact wasn't lost on Damon. It wouldn't make him give in though.
"No."
"Why?"
"I just….can't."
She removed her hand from his arm, reaching for the supplies she'd brought in with her.
"You look exhausted."
"I am."
Perhaps she shouldn't have been so honest. But she was exhausted and her eyes were beginning to droop.
"There's a chair there with your name on it." He raised an eyebrow, nodding toward the empty chair. "Surely you can sit to redress the wound?"
She shouldn't have accepted the offer. But pretty much all of the other patients were asleep now and her legs were just so tired. Sitting down, she closed her eyes and let out a brief sigh of satisfaction. It was the comfiest she'd been all day.
"I've never seen anyone look at a chair like they want to have sex with it before." Damon mused.
Her eyes snapped open. "I was appreciative of the comfort."
"Yeah, yeah," he smirked. "Don't forget the injured party." He gestured to his chest and now it was Elena's turn to roll her eyes.
And so their routine from those weeks ago began again: her gentle wipes warming his skin, their fingertips touching as he held the dressing for her to tape it down. Strangely, Elena thought, it was comforting.
Pulling off her gloves after sticking down the final piece of tape, Elena made to gather all of her equipment, but Damon's fingertips on her hand stopped her.
"Do you have other patients to see right now?"
She hesitated. "No..."
"Then you could stay? You clearly need the rest."
"I can do that in the break room."
"But does it have a chair that you eyefucked since the minute you sat in it? Or the soft lullaby of a beeping heart monitor?"
Elena couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her lips. "Ten minutes."
X
"Dr Gilbert!" Klaus' voice made her jump up and after a few seconds of trying to figure out where she was, Elena brought her gaze up to her boss guiltily. Shit! Falling asleep in a patient's room was definitely not in her job description.
"Sorry," she mumbled sleepily, rubbing at her tired eyes with her left hand. Klaus simply smirked and closed the door behind him, making his way back along the corridor. Glancing at her watch, she realised that she'd been asleep for way longer than ten minutes; almost thirty, to be exact. When she looked back at Damon, she realised he was now also awake and smirking at her with a cocked eyebrow and sleep-trussed hair. He actually looked calm - like he hadn't had a nightmare. Her hand was still under his and she snatched it away as if she'd been burned. Elena didn't miss the frown cross his features before he composed himself.
"You should go back to sleep," she told him, making her way to the door.
Damon eyed her now slightly messy hair and hazy gaze. "So should you."
Offering a small smile, she shrugged her shoulders. "Duty calls."
A/N - If you could hit that little review button, I'd be incredibly appreciative ;) x
