'I don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs but by how high he bounces when he hits bottom' General George S. Patton
"Mr. and Mrs. Salvatore, I'm Dr. Munson, the emergency room physician. I have called in a trauma surgeon. Damon is being prepared for surgery now. He has internal bleeding as well as several broken ribs, a fractured femur and a collapsed lung. We did insert a chest tube in the emergency room. Dr. Anderson, the surgeon will do an exploratory lap to find out where the bleeding is coming from and repair it. An orthopedic surgeon will join him in theatre to repair the femur fracture.
"What are his chances, Dr.?" my husband asks anxiously.
"Mr. Salvatore. Damon is young and very healthy. You were able to get him to the hospital very quickly. They talk about the 'golden hour' in trauma cases. It's ideal to be able to get a trauma victim to the hospital as quickly as possible. Fortunately that's what happened with your son. All of these factors are in his favor. However, I must caution you, he is critically injured. After surgery he'll be sent to intensive care where they can monitor him very closely. The first twenty four to thirty six hours are crucial," Dr. Munson explains.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I have other patients to take care of but please if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask," he adds before walking away.
My husband pulls me into his arms holding me tight. "He's going to be okay, Gracie. I feel it."
My tears dampen his shirt as I hold on tight. "Did you call Stefan?" I blubber.
"Yes, he's on his way. I also called Rose so she could fill Ric in. That way he can talk to Elena. I know he'd want her here. Our boy is really taken with that young lady," he says, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.
Before I can answer him, we see Stefan and Meredith scurrying down the hall towards us.
"Mom, Dad, how is he?" Stefan yells as he and Meredith practically run to where we're standing. Stefan hugs me, then turns to Sep, "What happened dad?"
"They were cutting down trees. Apparently he and Elena had a bit of a tussle so maybe his mind wasn't on the job. He either didn't hear or wasn't paying attention when Jake and others yelled for him to get out of the way."
Stefan takes a deep breath, lowering his eyes for a moment before raising them to me. "He has to be okay. I need my big brother," Stefan says, pulling Meredith into his embrace.
With our attention on each other, we don't even notice when a young lady walks up to us. "Mr. and Mrs. Salvatore, my name is Kate. Dr. Munson asked me to take you all to the surgical waiting area."
"Do you have any idea at all how long it will be?" I ask anxiously.
"No, I'm sorry Mrs. Salvatore. It'll depend on how serious his internal injuries are. When Dr. Anderson and Dr. Jefferson, he's the orthopedist, are done with your son's surgery, they will come out and talk to you. Please follow me," she says, gesturing for us to follow.
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"Hi Mom. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Ric asks, holding his arm out for me to enter his home. He looks at my face curiously. "Is there something wrong?"
"I have some news and I suppose the best thing to do is just tell you. There was an accident at the mill today. Damon was badly injured. Gracie texted me as I was driving over here. They've taken him to surgery, apparently his condition is dire. I thought maybe you'd want to come to the hospital with me."
"Oh my God. What happened?" he asks, clearly in shock.
"I don't know any of the details."
"Mom..., Is he going to be okay?"
"Gracie said he's listed in critical condition," I reply, then reach into my purse to grab a Kleenex to wipe the tears beginning to form in my eyes. Ric wraps his arms around me, hugging tight.
Just then Jenna steps into the room. "Is everything okay?" she asks.
"No Jenna. Damon was badly injured in a logging accident today. He's in surgery. I'm going to go along with mom to the hospital."
"What did you just say, Ric?" Elena asks, having wheeled herself into the room right after Jenna.
Ric turns to her, "I didn't hear you come in Elena."
"Hi honey," I say approaching her. "Damon was seriously hurt in an accident at the mill today. Would you like to come along with us to the hospital?"
"Oh dear Lord. Yes, of course, I need to come along. I have to tell him I'm sorry," she whispers, her eyes glossy.
"We'll meet you at the hospital, mom. Drive carefully," he cautions.
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Everything hurts. Where am I? What's this tube I have down my throat? When I try to scream, no sound comes out. When I try to raise my arms to signal for help, I can't move them. They're tied down. I hear my mom and dad talking to me. Someone's fingers are brushing the hair off my forehead but I can't open my eyes. I have no idea where I am or what has happened to me?
"Son, it's mom and dad. The nurses have you all settled in your room now. We just want you to know that we're here with you," she weeps, pressing a kiss to my forehead.
"Damon, it's dad. You're going to be alright son. You have to fight okay? There's a young lady who's desperate to see you so you need to get better not just for her but for all of us. We all love you so much. Please hang on," my dad pleads.
"I'm here dad," I scream but no sound comes out. I can feel panic surging through every molecule of my body. My heart is thundering against my ribcage. I hear a bunch of alarms begin to sound. A nurse runs in to check everything. I watch as she injects something into my IV line. No, I don't want to sleep aga...," I screech just as darkness begins to creep over me once more. Sometime later, I feel someone press a kiss to my hand before lacing their fingers with mine.
"Damon, it's Elena," I hear her say softly. "Please wake up Damon. This is your third day in the intensive care unit already. I need to see those staggering blue eyes of yours. I'm sorry I didn't give you a chance to explain that picture. Ric told me what happened. Can you ever forgive me for doubting you? I made you promise not to run my heart through the wringer. In truth, I guess it was me who should've promised not to hurt you. Please come back to me Damon," she pleads, dropping her head onto my hand. Soon I feel her tears.
"I hear you sweetheart. There's nothing to forgive. I'm trying to wake up but my body won't cooperate with me. I love you Elena," I whisper anguished, knowing she can't hear me.
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I'm laying here with my head on Damon's bed holding his hand. He just has to wake up soon. I miss him so much. Sometime later, I'm awakened when I feel someone clutching my shoulders gently. Raising my head, I look up to see his mom smiling but it's a pain filled smile. She bends over and embraces me.
"He'll come back to you Elena," she whispers then presses a kiss to the top of my head.
I entwine my fingers with hers and squeeze tightly. "I hope so. It's the waiting that's so hard you know?"
"I know sweetheart, but his body needs time to heal. Dr. Anderson told us that they're going to start cutting back on his sedation so he can begin to wake up. He'll be so happy knowing you've spent so much of your time here with him."
"I love him," I tell her honestly.
"I know you do. He loves you too," she assures me. "I've met some of his old girlfriends, Elena. None of them made him as happy as you have. Don't doubt that."
"Thank you. I'll let you alone with him for awhile. I need to take care of some of my bodily things," I tell her, my skin heating up, flushing with embarrassment.
She smiles as she helps me out of his hospital room.
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Now I find myself sitting in the waiting room talking with everyone that's come to see if there's been any change in his condition. Jeremy stopped by earlier to see how I'm doing. I tell him that I'm okay and that when Damon wakes up, I intend to show him just how much I care and want us to work. I swear I've said more prayers in the last few days than I have in nearly my entire life.
Soon I'm left alone as they all go to the hospital cafeteria to get themselves something to eat. I'm just not hungry so I decided to stay here. The nurses are busy bathing Damon but I'll go back to him when they're done.
My head is buried in a magazine when I hear someone behind me. I look up, shocked to see 'that' woman here.
"Well, well. What are you doing here Elena? I would've thought you'd run for the hills knowing that Damon and I have rekindled our romance. You wouldn't know anything about that though would you? Do you really think you can keep a man like him interested given the fact that you can't feel when 'that' happens?" she taunts me, her voice filled with derision.
I wheel myself directly in front of her. "You have no idea what you're talking about," I tell her angrily.
"Oh don't I? It doesn't take an expert to know a paraplegic can't satisfy a man like Damon," she sneers, her voice dripping with contempt.
Unable to control my anger any longer, I bring my arm around and slap her across the face, so hard my handprint is visible. "Now you listen to me you, 'Almira Gulch' or whatever the hell your name is. Whether you like it or not, Damon loves me. Despite your evil intentions and sinister scheming, he wants to be with me so you need to leave this town and never come back. Damon doesn't want anything to do with you," I tell her confidently.
"Why you little bitch," she yells, coming at me, hands fisted. She's nearly on top of me when Finn Mikaelson runs in, grabs a hold of her and stops her in her tracks. She's kicking and screaming at him to let her go. In no time, hospital security shows up to escort her off the premises. Finn gives me a nod before running after her.
Before long Finn comes back. "She's gone. Trust me when I tell you she won't be bothering you anymore. Is Gracie around? I have to go back to Miami but I wanted to check on Damon before I leave town."
"Whatever you did, thank you," I tell him with all sincerity. "Damon, he's still unconscious."
Damon's mom happens to walk in a few moments later. Finn walks over to her and wraps her in his arms, giving her a hug. He whispers something in her ear before sayings his goodbyes. Once he gets to the waiting room door, he turns around, focusing in on Damon's mom. "Gracie, if you need anything, please don't hesitate to call me." he tells her candidly before making his exit.
"Sep and I are going to go home to shower and change clothes. Would you like me to wheel you into his room before we go?" she asks me.
"Yes, please."
"Hello Jeff, how's the patient tonight?" Gracie asks Damon's nurse. Jeff is really thorough and has great people skills.
"We're weaning him off the sedatives. I've already given him his last dose. With any luck, he'll be awake in a few hours. Once he's awake and depending on his respiratory status, we'll start to wean him off the vent too. His lung has re-expanded but Dr. Anderson wants to keep his chest tube in for another day or so. We've placed it to water seal which means we turned the suction off. It's just draining by gravity. His fever has been down for the last twenty four hours," He informs us, displaying his professionalism.
"Jeff, why do his arms need to be restrained? I mean, he's unconscious," Gracie asks him, clearly concerned.
He turns to me, then Gracie. "We restrain their arms so they can't extubate, or remove the breathing tube, themselves. When they begin to wake up, sometimes they feel panicked when they feel that tube down their throat and pull it out. We don't want to extubate him until we're sure he can breathe on his own."
"Oh, that's understandable. Thank you for explaining it to us, Jeff," Gracie replies gratefully.
"Jeff, Sep and I are going to go home for a bit. Elena will be staying with Damon. Our phone number is written there on the white board if you need us."
He nods, then turns to me, "If you need anything, pull the nurse call light," he reinforces before leaving the room.
Gracie whispers something in Damon's ear before turning her attention back to me.
"Just talk to him Elena. Hold his hand, just let him know you're here," she instructs me.
After wheeling myself to his bedside, I take his hand in mine and stroke it softly whispering, "I'm here Damon."
Digging into my bag, I find the book I brought along to read to him. Damon let me in on a little secret once. He's an avid student of history. Although he told me if I ever let that fact slip to Ric, he'd never forgive me. I picked a book about the battle of Gettysburg called 'The Killer Angels' by Michael Shaara.
I read three chapters to him before my drowsiness gets the best of me. It's starting to get dark outside. Everyone has left for the evening. Since I got the okay from Damon's parents, I'm going to stay here with him tonight. Jenna is coming back before visiting hours are over to bring me some supplies for my evening routine. Exhaustion is weighing heavily on me so I lay my head down on the bedside clutching his hand in mine. Soon sleep claims me.
"Oh Lord, Elena. Where did you learn to do that?" he asks breathlessly, gazing down at me as I tease him with my tongue. In no time at all he's squirming and fisting his hand in my hair. "Ahhh..." just as his body begins to tremble, he arcs off the mattress momentarily before collapsing, his face radiant with ecstasy. He helps me pull myself up his body so I'm resting on his chest. He circles his arms around me holding me close before dropping a kiss to my temple. "I love you, Elena."
"I love you too," I whisper back.
Suddenly, I'm awakened when I feel my hand being squeezed. I raise my head, rejoicing when I see him struggling to open his eyes.
Thank you all for reading and reviewing. Big thanks to Eva as always. Please take a look at 'Pieces of Eight' and 'Nothing Else Matters'. For your weekend reading pleasure, my friend Morvamp updated her brilliant 'Claiming Hearts and Spaces' today. She definitely spikes the feminine hormones with her newest chapter.. She is good. I will NEVER be one of those writers that holds their works hostage for reviews however, all of you that follow along and never review, it would be nice to hear what you think once in awhile. Hope you all have a wonderful day and weekend. Happy Easter and Passover to those of you who celebrate.