Loved all the reviews! Thank y'all so much!
This chapter is a nice wind down after all the drama, and deals with more of the emotional aspects.
Hope y'all like it!
When Chris woke up, all he could register was the lack of light that surrounded him.
It took a moment for his mind to catch up and realize where he was.
He blinked, adjusting his vision, and came to the conclusion that it was night, because all the lights in his room were dimmed.
He tried sitting up, but immediately, a pair of hands were on his shoulders, stopping him.
"Easy there, buddy," Damon's voice filled his ear, "You're strictly on bed rest."
He settled back and a lamp turned on next to him, casting a radius of pale yellow around the room.
Damon was the only one present, and had grabbed the bed's remote, setting the angle to one where Chris was prompt up straighter, instead of flat.
He adjusted to the change, feeling sore all over as he moved.
Damon noticed him wince, "How are you feeling?"
Chris fiddled with the sheet at his waist, "Like an idiot."
Damon's low chuckled filled the air, "I meant physically. I can go get the nurse if you're sore; get you some pain meds."
Chris shook his head, "No, I'm alright."
And he was, despite a little stiffness.
Besides, the medicine made his head feel groggy.
And he didn't want Damon to have to leave.
"So, where's Mom?" He asked, glancing around.
"She went to get some food with Caroline," Damon told him.
Chris groaned, "Aunt Care's here?"
Damon nodded, "She came up earlier. You've actually had a few visitors in the past few hours, but we decided to let you sleep. Grayson and Miranda went home about an hour ago. Stefan's still out in the waiting room, but I think he and Caroline are heading out once she and your mom get back with the food."
Chris sighed, "What time is it?"
"It's a little past ten."
"Oh."
Silence followed, and Chris could have said a million things, but nothing seemed good enough.
He'd really screwed up this time.
"Is April okay?" He asked suddenly, the memories of the evening coming back to him.
"She's fine," Damon assured him, "A little more banged up than you are, and she'll have to spend a few more days here, but she'll pull through."
Chris swallowed, "She probably hates me right now."
Damon moved the chair he'd been occupying a little closer to the bed, then sat down.
"I don't think she hates you," he corrected, "But she might be a little ticked off."
"I don't blame her...I was pretty stupid."
Damon nodded, "Yeah, but she loves you. So she'll forgive you."
"What about you?" Chris forced himself to ask.
Damon rose a brow, "What about me?"
"Your car," Chris flinched, "I know I shouldn't have-"
Damon raised a hand, stopping him, and he fell silent.
"Listen Chris," he said slowly, holding his gaze, "I love my car, I do, but it's a material object. It can be replaced. You can't. And you could have died today. You or April. So yes, taking the car and running off was foolish, but I don't blame you. A lot's been going on and I wasn't here to help you deal with it."
Chris shook his head, "No, what I said to you wasn't fair. I know that I can't blame the past on you. You didn't even know I was alive. I get that now. It's just...I was scared, Dad."
"Of what?" Damon pressed quietly.
"Of everything," Chris explained, "It was so easy to hate you growing up, to pretend you were the bad guy, but when you came back...You weren't. You actually tried to get to know me, you made mom laugh, you were there. And it scared me to trust you. To trust that I could have a normal family. It felt like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, or for someone to give me the punchline," he swallowed, "But when nothing bad happened, I started to think that maybe we'd be okay. And when I saw how much you and mom loved each other...I hoped it would work out. But then that guy showed up, and you had to leave, and everything got crazy. Like suddenly we were this big secret, and I was worried about him writing about Mom, and then April got involved and I didn't know what to do. Half of me wanted to deal with it, to prove that I could handle being your son, but another part of me was scared that you'd never come back. That we wouldn't be enough to make you stay in Mystic Falls when you had an apartment in Hollywood."
Damon sat straighter, placing a hand on Chris's knee.
"I'm sorry," he started, "I'm sorry that we didn't have the years that we should have had to build our relationship. But don't think...don't you ever think that you have to deserve to be my son. You don't have to prove anything, Christian. I love you and your mother, and that's why I'm staying. I went back to Los Angeles to handle this all coming out, but also to make arrangements for our future. I gave up my apartment, and reset my contract so I could be here. Nothing is more important than you and your mother, okay?"
Chris nodded, swallowing back some tears, "Yes sir."
"And you don't have to be afraid anymore, Chris. I'm not going anywhere, and I'll prove that to you for as long as you need it. I want the same thing as you; for us to be a family. I want the holidays, the breakfast in the morning, and sitting in the stands at your ball games. I want to see you graduate and go to college. I want your mother to be able to relax and not have to stress about money. And we will have all of that, I promise. Because come hail or high water, I'm here to stay. And I need you to believe that."
Chris nodded, "I do."
"Good," Damon squeezed his knee, "And I also need you to know that I'm proud of you. You've gone through a lot lately and I know it's hard, especially with this media shit, but it should cool down soon. Stories change fast, and as I'm sure Garrison will discover, his magazine has been banned from printing about you."
"They have?" Chris asked, surprised.
Damon winked, "You aren't the only one looking out for their family, Chris. I told you I'd handle it."
"Thank you," Chris told him.
Damon nodded, "Of course."
Their conversation lost the heaviness as Chris's thoughts soon turned back to April and he began asking more questions about her care.
Damon told him everything he knew so far, and it seemed to ease the kid to know that she'd be covered by Damon's medical.
It thrilled him to know that Chris trusted him to make sure she was cared for.
A nurse came in soon after to refill his IV with fluids, but Chris turned down the offer of pain medication, joking that he wanted to remain sober.
He didn't seem to be hurting too badly, so she'd agreed to hold off on them.
They thanked her and she left, promising to return later if they needed her.
Chris settled back against his pillows, and lifted his casted hand.
"Guess I won't be pitching for a few weeks," he muttered.
Damon smiled, "Well, lucky it's just fractured. A broken bone wouldn't be healed before your first game."
"True," Chris allowed, "Won't stop the coach from killing me though."
Damon chuckled, "I think he'll understand."
Chris smirked, but didn't retort.
Damon decided to use this time alone with his son to address a thought he'd been considering.
"Chris, can I ask you something?"
The boy relaxed his arm and looked up, "Sure."
"If I found us...a bigger house, would you be okay with moving? Still in Mystic Falls, obviously, but I just feel like the one we have now is...well, meant for two people."
Chris smiled, "It's tiny. But it's what Mom can afford."
Damon nodded, "That's what I figured, but if the two of you were alright with it, I'd really like to look into getting something with more room."
Chris nodded, "Trust me, I'm more than fine with it. Mom might take some convincing though. She kinda has this thing about not wanting to splurge. No need to have it if it's not absolutely necessary."
Damon nodded, "Yeah, I kind of realized that when I saw she'd recycled old jam jars for cups."
Chris smirked, "She does stuff like that. But I think it's because she's always been worried about money. She didn't want to have to ask for help if she could avoid it."
Damon could see that in Elena.
She was very independent.
"Well, what if we just didn't tell her?" Damon joked, "You and I will pick something out and just move everything into it while she's at work, and surprise her."
Chris laughed, "The first part would work, but if we move her stuff into a new house without letting her know, she'd probably ground us both!"
"Fair point," Damon agreed, "We'll just look then."
Chris nodded, "Sounds like a plan."
A knock sounded on the door then and Damon got up to open it.
Elena walked in, carrying a fast food bag.
"I got you a burger," she said, leaning up and giving him a quick kiss, then looked over at Chris.
"Oh you're awake!"
He smiled. "Yeah, finally."
She gave Damon the bag and hurried over to their son.
She sat on the corner of his bed, "How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay," he assured her.
"The nurse has already been in," Damon added, looking through the bag as he once again took his seat.
"Good," Elena sighed, "I'm glad you're okay."
Damon pulled out all the food, placing it on the over tray.
"Please tell me there's something in there for me," Chris begged.
Elena nodded, "I got you a burger too, just in case."
Damon read the description on each and passed them the two without pickles.
"So how long do I have to stay in bed?" Chris asked.
Elena seemed to read something in his face, "You can see April tomorrow Chris."
His face fell, "I know, but I just wanted to make sure she's-"
"She's fine," Elena assured him, "I stepped in and checked on her earlier. But she needs to sleep, and I think her dad needs this time to be alone with her."
Chris nodded, but was still a little unhappy with the restrictions, "Tomorrow then. I get to check out then, right?"
Elena nodded, "As long as everything looks good, and your swelling has gone down."
"Good," Chris took a bite of his burger, "Cau I ate ospiolz."
"Chew your food, then talk," Elena laughed.
Damon smiled as he watched them interact.
God, this was his family.
Pride and happiness filled him, despite their grim location.
This was his life now, and he would enjoy every moment of it.
Morning came early.
April had been constantly awoken all through the night so her vitals could be monitored, and in result, had gotten little sleep.
Now that the sun had risen, she didn't see the point in even trying.
Her father was still passed out next to her in his chair, the steady stream of sunlight coming in through the window hardly phasing him.
She had a feeling that his night had been just as long as hers.
He deserved to rest.
As she looked out the window, it hit her that she was actually going to be alright.
Sure, she was sore all over, thanks to her surgery casted leg and cracked rib, but she was alive.
And Chris was alive.
The whole incident had been one giant nightmare.
The bridge came up too fast, Chris turned to hard, and the car had rolled.
She remembered the feeling of being tossed until finally hitting the freezing water.
Chris had been unconscious as water had began pouring in, so she'd screamed.
It had felt like hours before a pair of hands had pulled her from the seat and dragged her to the bank of the river.
She'd lost consciousness as a blanket was placed over her and sirens had filled the air.
That had been her last memory until after the surgery on her leg.
The medicine had kept her from being too lucid, but the numbness was so welcoming, so she hardly cared.
It wasn't until later into the night she'd been told of everything that was wrong.
But at least she was alive.
Chris, her father had said, was in even better shape than she was.
She was glad to hear that, though she wished she could see him for herself.
Surprisingly, her father hadn't broken into his usual rant about Chris, insisting that this incident proved true everything he'd ever thought.
Instead, he'd just insisted that they discuss it later.
She'd been alright with that, not really feeling up to the argument that would surely follow.
A knock on the room's door called her attention from the window, and her father stirred.
It opened and Chris's mom stepped inside.
"Hey, Sweetie," She addressed with a smile, "You doing okay?"
April nodded, "Better than yesterday."
Her father stretched then, awoken by their voices.
"Goodmorning, Byron," Elena said, and he nodded at her, "Morning."
He straightened, looking to April, "Hey baby, you feeling alright?"
"I'm okay," she stated for his benefit, managing a smile.
"I just came to check on her," Elena told him, "And to see if you wanted to run down to the cafe and grab breakfast before they shut it down."
Byron ran a hand over his eyes, "Yeah, guess I could use some coffee. Will you be alright, sweetheart?"
April nodded, as Elena spoke, "I'll stay with her until you get back. Damon's still with Chris, so I don't mind."
Again, Byron nodded, "Alright, thanks."
He left, shutting the door gently behind him.
"I'm okay," April assured her, "You don't have to stay."
Elena smiled, reaching over and taking her hand, "I want to. Besides, Chris wouldn't shut up until I promised I'd come check on you."
April chuckled, then winced as the laughter made her rib hurt.
"Sounds like him," She answered, breathing the pain off.
Elena nodded, "Yeah, he feels pretty horrible about getting you hurt."
"I don't blame him for this," April insisted, "He didn't do it on purpose, and the whole situation yesterday was pretty messed up."
"That it was," Elena agreed, "I'm just sorry that our drama dragged you in."
"Meh, I always knew dating Chris would be a challenge," she joked, "Family drama is just the price you pay when you love someone."
"That article was a little more than the regular drama though. Chris told me last night about what happened at school. It's not fair to you."
April sighed, leaning further into her pillow, "It's not fair for anyone, but it'll pass. Gossip usually does. I just have to ride it out."
Elena squeezed her hand, "You're a strong girl, April. If anyone can pull through this with their head high, it's you."
April grinned, "Well I have to. Who else is gonna keep Chris out of trouble?
Elena laughed, "I wouldn't trust anyone to do it better."
But then she grew serious, "Christian really loves you, April. And I really appreciate you being there for him through everything lately. I'm just sorry you got hurt because of it."
April smiled, "It does kinda suck, but I'd do it again. I'd do anything for Chris."
"I know," Elena assured her, "And I'm glad he has you. And in thirty years when he's finally ungrounded, feel free to come around any time."
April smirked, "Hopefully by then my dad will have cooled off some."
"One can hope," Elena nodded as the door opened and Byron entered with some food, followed by a nurse with April's tray.
Elena stood to give the family time together, but hugged April before moving out of the way.
She addressed Byron then, as the nurse gave April her food, and set her medicine, "We're checking Christian out in a few hours, but he really wants to come see her...is that alright with you?"
The pastor stared at her for a moment, then looked at April.
Finally, he sighed.
"I suppose that'll be alright, but if you don't mind, I'd like to have a talk with him after. You know I'm not crazy about him dating my daughter, but I also know I can't stop it. And I won't lose her over this."
Elena nodded, "I understand, I do. And you deserve to say your peace. But I don't agree that they shouldn't be together. April a good kid; smart, funny, strong, and I think she's been good for Chris. You raised an amazing girl, Byron. But you have to trust her."
The pastor sighed, "I'm trying. It's just hard to let go, especially when something seems to go wrong every time I do."
Elena smiled, "Life's good making that happen. But she might surprise you."
He nodded, "I think life was easier when we were the teenagers."
"No argument there," Elena winked, "But it'll all work out. I'll swing by again later?"
He nodded, thanking her, and Elena slipped out into the hall.
She ran into Damon half way to Chris's room.
"Everything okay?"
Damon nodded, "Yeah, the nurse just came in to check on Chris and everything looks good. We can check him out as soon as Meredith signs off on his chart. I was just coming to find you."
Elena grinned, letting him take her into his arms, "That's great! Maybe then we can put all this behind us."
"We will," Damon promised, "Chris will get better, the insurance for the car is dealt with, and Garrison is over 2,000 miles away. There's nothing ahead but family time."
She laughed, kissing his cheek, "I like the sound of that."
Nothing too heavy in this chapter, but still, can't wait for y'all's opinions!
Till next time! :)