Stefan & Elena IV
John pulled the car into the emergency parking area at Williamsburg Memorial hospital.
Elena was careful to sit motionless in the back seat, cradling her arm. Her face showed no emotion the only signs of her suffering were the beads of perspiration on her face.
"You may get out of the car now Elena, Isobel turned to carefully watch her."
Elena was careful to keep her movements slow and robotic, meekly following Isobel into the emergency room.
Isobel spoke to the receptionist and they were immediately led back to the exam room. A nurse entered and looked at John.
"Only one visitor with a patient please."
"I'll be in the waiting area, John said as he left the room."
The nurse asked Elena a few questions that Isobel answered; taking the chart she let them know the doctor would be with them shortly.
A few minutes later a knock sounded at the door and a short portly man with thick glasses entered. The name tag on his scrubs said that he was from radiology.
"Ms. Gilbert? " He asked checking paperwork.
"Her, Isobel nodded.
"Okay then, if you'll get into the wheelchair we'll take you down for x-rays and be right back."
Isobel started to follow them.
"I'm sorry Miss but you'll have to stay here, only patients are allowed." The tech continued perusing his paperwork not looking directly at Isobel.
"Of course, she said there were too many people around to try compulsion."
"Elena I'll be right here when you come back." Isobel's tone was so sugary she could have been selling syrup; it was obvious she thought Elena was still under compulsion.
Isobels cell rang and she turned to answer it as the x-ray tech wheeled Elena away.
Elena waited until the little man had completed her x-rays, he was polite and chatty.
A nurse ran in and asked him to hurry to the E.R. for a trauma patient and Elena saw her chance.
"Ms. Gilbert can you wait right here and I'll have an aide wheel you back up to emergency?
"Yes, I'll wait right here, Elena smiled reassuringly.
The moment the tech left Elena shot out of the wheelchair, she hurried down the hall, looking frantically for an exit. Elena knew she needed to put as much distance between herself and Isobel as possible.
Finally she spotted the glowing exit sign she was looking for, Elena had her hand on the door when she saw John coming down the hallway behind her. He was looking down at his phone as he walked down the hall directly toward her.
Elena threw herself out the door and into the brightly lit parking lot. Running to the front of the building she hailed a taxi and gave them Jenna & Ric's address.
The taxi pulled away from the curve and Elena breathed a sigh of relief, she felt safe for the first time in hours.
In the excitement of the past few minutes she had been able to push the pain from her mind as adrenaline kicked in. Now it came radiating back, tears seeped from the corners of her eyes as her swollen arm began to throb. Pushing up her sleeve she noticed that the skin had went from angry red to dark purple and that her arm seemed to be getting bigger.
It seemed to take an eternity for the cab to get to Ric and Jenna's, finally it pulled in front of her old home.
"I'll be right back with your fare, Elena said easing out of the cab so as not to jostle her arm. As she stepped on the porch,
Caroline opened the door before Elena could turn the knob."
"Pay the cab please, Elena said".
Caroline took one look at Elena's pale tear streaked face and trotted down the steps.
Ric came around the corner as Elena's vision began to get hazy, she saw him hurrying toward her as the room went dark.
Ric caught Elena before she could fully hit the floor, he immediatley noticed the bulge under her left shirt sleeve.
"Caroline, Ric yelled, call Stefan and get some scissors and Jenna."
Stefan…..
Back in the car Stefan and Damon headed back to Mystic Falls, Stefan wanted to rip the car apart with his bare hands.
"We're going to find her Stef."
Damon was giving him that worried look again.
Stefan caught a glimpse of his eyes in the rearview mirror and saw that his eyes had changed. He took a deep breath to calm himself. He was so tied up in knots he hadn't even noticed his fangs descending.
"We've gotta find her, Damon." "I know she's hurt I can feel it." I have to find her."
"We're going to fi- Damon was interrupted by the blaring of Stefan's cell.
"Hello, just a minute Caroline let me put you on speaker."
"Stefan, she's here. Caroline was breathless. "She's hurt and you need to get here now, her arm is broken and it looks pretty bad. "She fainted and Ric's working on her now."
"We'll be right there.
Damon matted the accelerator and the car flew down the highway. But it seemed to Stefan they were moving at a crawl.
The car hadn't fully stopped before Stefan jumped out and flew through the front door. Elena was lying on the couch in the living room. Jenna was sitting in a chair pulled up next to her holding Joey.
"Stefan, it hurts."
Elena's eyes were glazed and she was shaking, classic signs of shock.
Stefan walked toward her and saw the grotesque swollen mass of her left arm.
Caroline brought a warm blanket from the dryer and draped it over Elena.
"St-t-efan it was I-i-sobel and J-j-ohn, Elena said teeth chattering.
"Ric's on the phone with Dr. Adams, we need to get her to the hospital for surgery."
Jenna said as she tucked the blanket more snugly around Elena.
Joey picked that moment to start crying and Jenna got up to walk him.
Stefan sat in the chair she had just vacated and placed his hand on Elena's clammy forehead.
"You scared ten years off my life you know that?" Stefan said replacing his hand with his lips.
"I-I w-w-as a-a-fraid I'd never see you and J-joey again." Elena grabbed him with her good hand.
"Sh-she tried to co-compel me, but I didn't let h-her." Elena was shaking.
"It won't happen again, I'm not leaving you alone." I'm taking you to the hospital, we're getting your arm fixed and having Joey's first Christmas together".
"Stefan, they're ready for her at the hospital Dr. Adams got her x-rays from Williamsburg and everythings set." I'll stay here with Jenna and the kids you take care of Elena." Ric turned and handed them the keys to his SUV.
"My car's bigger, call us when you get there."
"Ric you know Isobel may come here are you prepared to deal with her? "
"I'm ready; Ric nodded and patted the small stake gun hidden in his sleeve.
"You take care of Elena; I've got Bonnie, Caroline, and Jenna. Isobel hasn't been invited in we'll be fine."
Stefan passed Damon the keys and picked Elena up blanket and all. Damon helped them into the backseat and shut the door.
"I think we've done this before, but last time you were pregnant with our beautiful son. Stefan lightly kissed her lips. Frowning at how cold they were.
"I'm giving you some of my blood; you need it to stabalize you right now."
Stefan bit into his wrist and forced a few drops into her mouth.
"Elena you will drink, he met her gaze and she instantly stopped resisting.
Stefan hated using compulsion but saving her life was more important right now.
He stopped her, satisfied that she had stopped shivering and her face had a healthier color.
"I'm sorry, but I can't let anything happen to you. Stefan took her good hand and brought it to his lips.
"It's alright Elena said her eyes showing how tired she was, just don't leave me."
At the hospital Damon went inside for a wheelchair and they helped Elena into it.
"Thanks Damon. Elena said.
Entering the hospital Stefan told the receptionist who they were and Dr. Adams took them right back to the O.R.
"I'm going to check the hospital, make sure we don't have any visitors.' I'll see ya later."
Damon said strolling away.
Stefan stayed with Elena until she was asleep and they wheeled her back for surgery. The nurse escorted him to outpatient waiting and for the next two hours he and Damon sat waiting. "Ric called once for an update but Damon told him there was no news.
Finally the doctor stepped into the waiting area.
"Mr. Salvatore, he waved and directed Stefan and Damon into a conference room just off the waiting area.
"The surgery is finished, the bone was badly fractured and we had to wire some of it together." One of the pieces knicked an artery that's why there was so much swelling. I expect a full recovery but she'll need physical therapy to regain her strength in that arm. She did give us quite a scare though, she reacted badly to the anesthetic and we lost her for a minute or two, we'll see in recovery but I think she'll be fine. I want to keep her for a couple days just to be safe and to manage her pain."
"Thank you doctor, Stefan shook his hand as he and Damon exchanged a worried look.
They both had the same thought, would Elena awaken human or a vampire?
To be continued…