"Whew! I'm exhausted," Elena blurts out, dropping onto the couch. I follow behind with Chris, sound asleep in my arms. The three of us spent the day at 'Six Flags Hurricane Harbor'. Chris especially loved 'Hook's ship' and 'Hook's Lagoon Treehouse. We spent most of our day at those two rides. Elena slathered both Chris and me repeatedly with sunscreen. Despite her precautions, I still got sunburnt, my face especially. I take Chris into his room, pull back the covers and lay him on his bed. After carefully slipping his shoes off, I cover him up before tip toeing out of the room before carefully pulling the door shut.
For whatever reason, so far Chris has done really well with Elena. Maybe it's his young age or maybe it's because he was neglected by the Blake's? I just don't have an answer although I am grateful for it. Elena tells me that he has woken up scared a few times. She usually lays in bed with him till he goes back to sleep. Somehow though, I think it's the calm before the storm. He's bound to have issues after such a monumental upheaval of everything he has ever known.
He's been with Elena for a little over two weeks now. I have mentioned to her that I thought she should consider taking him to a counselor because there's no doubt in my mind that the pressure cooker is going to blow. It almost feels as though Elena is wearing rose-colored glasses. After some prodding on my part, she has admitted that he's had a few nightmares. I just wish I could make her see reason. She thinks I have no experience with kids but she's wrong. I was in the boy scouts for a long time and mentored some of the younger cub scouts. I would babysit for Stefan when my parents went out. I'm not completely wet behind the ears where kids are concerned.
After using the bathroom, I go back downstairs only to find Elena asleep on the couch. Looking around, I see an afghan laying atop the rocking chair. Grabbing ahold, I use it to cover her up. Blowing out a puff of air, I pinch the bridge of my nose in frustration. I'm still a wreck myself but I have to hold it together because she needs me right now. I do love her but I have so much resting on my shoulders, I don't know how to be all things to everybody. Finding a piece of paper, I write her a note, telling her that I went home. Pressing a light kiss to her hair, I quietly leave, locking her door and pulling it closed. I wander around aimlessly for awhile before finally turning around to walk home.
"Hi dad."
After closing the front door, I walk further into the house, stunned when I see that he's entertaining a lady. And it's not just any lady, it's Caroline's mother, Liz.
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you had company. Hello Liz."
"You didn't interrupt anything, Damon. I made some homemade lemonade. Would you like some?"
"I don't think so. I'm just really tired."
"Hi Damon. You look like you had a little too much sun," Liz says, smiling at me.
"I did. Sometimes too much sun just saps your strength. I'm going to shower and take a nap." I take a deep breath and walk out of the room. Just as I'm about to walk up the stairs, dad steps behind me.
"I asked Liz to stay for a late supper. I bought some steaks to grill. Is that alright with you?" Exhaling, I turn around to look at him.
"Dad, this is your home now too. I only want you to be happy and if Liz gives you some companionship, I'm fine with her being here."
"Thank you son. What time do you want me to wake you for supper?"
"It's four o'clock now. How about seven?"
"Sure. If you don't come down by seven fifteen, I'll wake you."
"Sounds good," I tell him, then continue up the stairs.
Feeling someone's hand jostling my arm, I roll over, not wanting to get up yet. When I hear my dad telling me to wake up, I raise my weary eyes to see my dad standing over me.
"What time is it?" I ask, using my forearm to cover my eyes.
"It's about six thirty but Elena is on the phone, sounding rather frantic."
"Did she tell you what's wrong?" I ask, throwing my legs over the side of the bed, sitting upright.
"No."
After taking a moment to wipe the sleep from my eyes, I stand up and follow him downstairs. Wondering why she didn't just call my cell, I pull it out of my pocket, only then remembering that I turned it off so I wouldn't be bothered while I slept. Exhaling a breath, I pick up the land line. Hearing her crying, I ask her what's wrong.
"It's Chris. He hiding under his bed. He won't come out and is crying for his nanny. I've tried to coax him with a popsicle but he threw it back at me. I don't know what to do, Damon. Can you come over?" she blubbers, her voice hard to understand through the sobbing.
"Yeah, I'll be there in a little bit."
"Thank you," she whispers, hanging up.
"Chris is acting up. Frankly, I'm surprised it took this long," I explain to my dad, grabbing my hoodie.
"I'll wait a little bit to grill the steaks. You could bring them back with you if you want, there's enough meat."
"Thanks dad. I'll let you know what we're going to do."
Turning to Liz, I offer my apologizes. "I'm sorry but I have to run."
"No worries, Damon."
Nodding, I give my dad a one armed hug before walking out of the door. I jog down the sidewalk till I get to Elena's house. She's standing at the door waiting for me. Her eyes are swollen and red. Mascara is trailing down her cheeks making her look a fright.
"Elena?"
Wasting no time, I pull her into my arms and rub my hands up and down her back. Her whole body is just trembling. With care, I lead her over to the couch and sit her down. She's dead on her feet.
Stooping down in front of her, I give her knee a squeeze. "Is he still in his room?"
"Ye.. yes..yes."
Immediately she's sobbing buckets again.
"Why don't you go to wash up a little bit. I'll go talk to Chris okay?"
After a slight nod, she reaches for a tissue to blow her nose. Standing up, I walk down the hall to his room where I knock on the door to alert him that someone is here. I don't wait for an answer before stepping inside. Getting down on my hands and knees, I crawl over to the bed, laying flat on my belly when I reach the edge so I can see him.
"Hi Chris. It's Damon. Do you want to come out from under there and tell me what's wrong? Your mommy is very worried about you."
"Damon?"
"Yes, it's me buddy. Come here."
I extend my arm hoping he'll latch onto it. Although hesitant, after a long minute or two, he finally takes a hold. I shimmy backwards on my belly so I don't hurt him when I pull him out. Once out from under the bed, I sit on the floor, patting the carpet beside me. He's so smart, he immediately sits down in front of me, legs crossed just like mine.
"I want to go home," he whines, rubbing his eyes with his little fists. When he looks at me, I gesture for him to have a seat on my lap. I take a moment to give him a hug and drop a kiss to the crown of his head.
"I know you're just a little boy and that this is so hard for you to understand. This is your home now and Elena is your mommy. Both your mommy and me care about you a lot."
Although I can't begin to imagine what's going on inside that little head of his, I hold him close, rocking him in my arms. Soon I hear his breathing even out, signaling sleep. Very carefully, I get up, lay him on his bed and cover him up. After fingering the hair out of his face, I stoop over to give him another kiss. Taking a deep breath, I turn on the night light then carefully walk out of his room, pulling the door closed softly.
Once I get back into the living room, Elena, now wearing a bathrobe, is sitting on the couch, her face in her hands. Exhausted myself, I walk over to her and drop onto the couch beside her, resting my head against the back of the couch. Using my hand, I press it onto her thigh, caressing and squeezing it gently.
"He's sleeping."
"I'm such a failure. Did I do the right thing?" she asks, tears falling anew.
"You're not a failure, Elena. He's just a little boy, you have to give him time to adjust. Everything he's ever known is different suddenly. I know I've brought it up before but I really think you should look into some counseling for him, maybe for both of you."
"I can't afford that in addition to day care. I have to work to pay my rent."
"Has Ric ever brought up suing Happy Dale? Perhaps you could get enough money so you wouldn't have to work. Hell, they'd probably settle with you out of court. It's a disaster there right now. The city has taken control of the place. Carol and Richard Lockwood and April are all in jail awaiting trial. Ric told me the judge considers them a flight risk and as such, he denied their bail requests.
The FBI is going over their books with a fine tooth comb. Selling babies across state lines is a federal offense. That's why the FBI is involved. Elijah has a few contacts at the police station. They're going through all of the cold case files related to the girls that died there. The three of them and their predecessors may be charged with more counts of murder."
"I never thought of filing suit against the place but that's a good idea. I'll have to talk to him. But until then, I need to work. All I do is take, take, take from you and I can't do that anymore. I need to learn to stand on my own two feet plus you're still on the mend yourself."
"I'm fine, Elena. And it's not all take, take, take. I love you and I want to help."
Standing up, I reach for my jacket, slipping it back on. Standing up herself, I grab ahold of her when she starts to sway. Obviously exhausted, I take her hand and lead her into the bedroom.
"Do you want to stay?" she asks, rubbing her eyes.
"Not tonight. You need to get some sleep and so do I. I doubt that either of us would sleep if I stayed," I whisper, giving her a wink. After helping her get her pajamas on and tucked under the covers, I press a kiss to her lips. I whisper goodbye before walking out of the bedroom. I take a moment to check in on Chris, smiling when I see that he's sound asleep, his little stuffed bear in his arms. I walk home slowly, remembering a life once lived.
Once I get in the house, I do a double take when I see dad kissing Liz. Quickly they pull apart, my dad flushing red.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. Um, I'm just going to go to bed. Carry on," I add, winking at my dad before turning away and jogging up the stairs.
Over the course of the next few weeks, I had to run over to Elena's several times to help her deal with a temper tantrum throwing little boy. Either he was angry or sullen and withdrawn. I think I finally have talked Elena into taking the two of them for counseling. With Chris in her life now, Elena has focused all of her attention on him. As much as I do understand, I have to admit that I'm feeling a little neglected. I really am starting to care for her little boy a lot but I'm afraid that I'm setting myself up for a fall. Especially since Elena mentioned that Jeremy has brought up the idea of relocating so that she would be closer to him and Lexie.
With all of this weighing heavily, I have started to distance myself somewhat. While the thought of letting her go kills me, somehow I manage to keep it inside. She needs to learn how to take care of him for herself when he acts up. I won't always be there for her, especially if she follows through on Jeremy's suggestion. I love Elena, more than I ever thought possible.
"Damon?"
"Huh?"
"Where were you?"
"I'm just thinking about Elena and Chris. Her brother wants her to move. I don't want to lose her, dad."
"I don't doubt that she loves you, Damon. She's not going to go anywhere."
"How can you be so sure?" I ask, not taking my eye off of the road. Anna is sleeping in the backseat. We're taking her to the 'Dallas World Aquarium'. There are all kinds of exhibits. They're not limited to just fish. There are animals and birds. I'm certain Anna will love it. Happy Dale seemed like a completely different place when we picked her up today.
The staff were friendly and helpful. Anna was outside playing with a balloon and a caregiver when dad and I found her. The young aide that she was with gathered her things for us. When Anna saw me, she ran into my arms. I felt pure joy when she did that. When she was done giving me sloppy kisses, she ran to dad to give him some of the same. I'll never forget the smile on dad's face when she squeezed his lips together with her little hands before kissing him.
When we get to the aquarium, we first go to the restaurant to get something to eat. Anna loves her chicken nuggets. Dad and I have cheeseburgers. I can't help but smile when I look at her with ketchup all over her little hands and face. Picking her up carefully, I take her into the bathroom to get her washed up. When we're done with that chore, she tells me she needs to go potty.
I take her into one of the stalls, help her onto the toilet, then step out of the stall to give her a little privacy. When she tells me she's done, I open the stall door and lead her over to the sink, picking her up so we can wash our hands. As soon as we finish, we go back to the table.
"Where's Ewena?" she asks, looking up at me.
"Um, she's at home with her little boy."
That seems to satisfy her because she doesn't ask again. Once we rejoin dad, we go through all the exhibits and just enjoy spending the day together. I enjoy spending time with both of them. I can put all my troubles on the back burner for a few hours at least. We'll have to leave pretty soon because dad has a date with Liz tonight. I'm happy for him yet I feel a bit of melancholy too when I think of my mom. I shouldn't, I know that. She's been dead for several years already. He's not doing anything wrong but whatever reason, the feelings are there. That said, I do want him to be happy. If Liz fulfills that need whether for a little while or for the long run, I'm glad he's found someone. He is only fifty two years old after all. He's still a relatively young man. It wasn't very realistic to think he'd never be with another woman.
As we stroll through the last exhibit, Anna is asleep in my arms. Her mouth is agape with her little head lying on my shoulder. She's so precious. I'm going to have to make a point of spending time with her more regularly. Now that the Happy Dale management issue has been resolved, I'm free to go there whenever I choose. I have been told that I may have to testify when the case goes to trial. I never saw who kidnapped me. I can only say what happened leading up to that moment. I still have no recall of those events. After dropping Anna off, promising that I'll see her very soon, dad and I go home. Once inside, the two of us drop onto the couch. Tired, I throw my head back and close my eyes. Feeling his hand giving my knee a squeeze, I open my eyes.
"You seem troubled?"
"You could always see right through me," I utter, throwing my forearm over my eyes.
"Do you want to talk about it?" After taking a deep shuddering breath, I raise my arm, turning my eyes to his.
"I love both of them dad. But a part of me feels like I'm betraying those memories of what I once had."
"Damon? You can't think like that."
"Easy for you to say," I snap, immediately regretting lashing out at him.
"Son, I only want to help you."
"I know that dad. But isn't it time for you to get ready to go to Liz's house?" Immediately he picks up on the fact that I don't want to talk about it any longer. Nodding, he gets up and starts to walk off, stopping when he gets to the threshold of the living room.
"We're not done talking about this, Damon."
When our eyes meet, I nod slightly, knowing that he'll do everything in his power to keep me from spiraling again. I know I'm lucky to have my dad in my corner but sometimes I just need to be left alone. I hear him exhale sharply before turning his back to me and disappearing up the stairs.
"Damon, could you put Chris down for bed?" Elena asks when she picks up her phone to speak to whomever is calling her.
"Sure. You ready, Chris?"
Offering him my hand, I smile when he takes it. With out hands clasped together, I tell him that I'll read him a story after he gets his pajamas on. When we get to his room, he quickly peels his clothes off and slips into his jammies. He runs across the hall to the bathroom before dashing back into his room, stopping in front of his book shelf. He pulls out a book and hands it to me before pulling back the covers and crawling in.
Glancing at the book, I see it's 'The Big - Little Dinosaur' by Diane Geis. I Inhale sharply, realizing that I've read this book before. Closing my eyes, I try to get my bearings for a moment, opening them up when I feel Chris giving my arm a light jostle. Smiling at him, I open it up, reading each page with as much vigor as I can. After finishing up, I stand up, put the book back on the shelf and turn on his nightlight. Stooping over, I give him a light kiss when he surprises me by wrapping his little arms around my neck, squeezing as hard as he can.
"Goodnight Chris," I whisper, hugging him back. I give him one last look before turning off the ceiling light and stepping outside of his room, pulling the door closed. Exhaling a sharp breath, I collapse against his door, dropping my face in my hands. Not wanting Elena to see me like this, I sit here a long time before finally getting up to walk downstairs. Finding that she's still on the phone, I grab my jacket and walk over to her. Pointing to the door, I blow her a kiss and get the hell out of her house.
Running as fast as I can down the block, I fly into my house, slamming the door shut behind me, not stopping till I get to the safety of my room. Locking the door behind me, I go into my closet. Pulling the clothes apart, I breathe a sigh of relief when I see my bottle sitting there. Grabbing onto it, I walk over to my dresser and pull the picture out like I often do. Pressing it against my chest, I stumble over to the bedside, dropping down onto it. Setting the picture on my bedside stand, I stare at it as I raise the bottle to my lips, stopping only when I hear pounding on my bedroom door.
Throwing my head back, I screw the top back on and slide it under my pillow. Sighing heavily, I get up to answer the door, meeting my dad's eyes when I pull it open. Stepping back, I start to pace back and forth in my room, jumping when dad puts his hand on my shoulder.
"Talk to me, Damon."
"I have to get out of here, dad. I can't forget."
"Of course you can't."
"Can I go home for a few days? Please dad," I beg him, my voice trembling.
"Yes, you can go home. I'll call the realtor first thing in the morning to tell them to get it ready for you. Do you want me to come along?"
"I love you dad, but I need to be alone."
"As long as you promise me that you'll stay away from the bottle?"
Nodding, I walk over to my bed, pull it out from under my pillow and hand it to him. He inhales sharply, taking it from my hands. Walking into the bathroom, I watch as he pours it down the sink. I'm almost hyperventilating by the time he drops the empty bottle into the waste basket. Just as I'm about to collapse, he catches me lowering me gently to the floor, dropping along with me. Then he pulls me into his arms, his hand caressing my back as he tries to lift the weight I carry just as he always has.
Damon is hurting. Answers forthcoming.
Thank you so much, Eva. I love you.
My dad used to read that same storybook to me when I was little.
Thanks so much to all of you who did take the time to review. I would love to reach the 200 review mark with this chapter.. They are powerful motivation to continue to write.
Chapter title: 'St. Elmo's Fire' by John Parr
I finished the epilogue to 'Nothing Left to Fear' yesterday.. Yeah! However, I won't start posting it right away. Although we are closing in on the end of this one, 'Dig' and 'Angels Fall' still have a lot left to unfold. Please give them a look as well.
I'm enjoying 'The Doppelganger Diaries' by a-and-afan413.
Please remember to click the *review* button.
As always, stay safe and have a lovely day. We'll see you next week.
Here is a little peek at 'Nothing Left to Fear'
"Dr. Gilbert, there's a patient in exam room four who's in need of a few sutures I think," Ruthie, one of the RN's says to me as soon as I step back into the emergency room after my lunch break. After she hands me his chart, I take a breath and walk into the exam room. Immediately I'm mesmerized by the unworldly hue of his blue eyes.
"Mr. Salvatore, I'm Dr. Gilbert. Can you tell me what happened?"
"Um.. Yeah, I was riding my bike. A kid stepped right in my path. I had to swerve sharply so I wouldn't hit the boy. And I took a tumble right onto some broken glass," he explains, raising his left arm for me to see. He has lacerations on his hand and forearm.
As soon as I put on a pair of gloves, I take his arm to examine it more closely, immediately feelings pops and crackles along my nerve pathways. When our eyes meet, I feel a bit of a shiver, take a breath and look at the damage to his arm.
"We're going to have to clean it up a bit first. We need to get all of the gravel, dirt and grime out of the wounds before I stitch you up."
"I kind of thought that I'd need some stitches but I was hoping that I was wrong," he says, laughing a little inappropriately.
"Well, no one likes being on the receiving end of sutures, Mr. Salvatore."
"Tell me about it," he says, grimacing when he drops his eyes to the wounds.
Once I get a basin, I fill it with warm water, instructing him to put his arm in it to soak for a little while.
"We'll irrigate it with some warm saline solution before I close the wound. And also, do you know how long it's been since you had a Tetanus shot?"
"I honestly don't remember."
"You'll need one if it's been more than ten years."
"I'm sure it's been at least that long."
"I'll be back in a little while. Do you need something for pain?"
"Maybe some Ibuprofen?"
"Sure. I'll have my nurse bring you something and that Tetanus shot."
After sharing a smile with him, I step out of the room, slamming my palm against my chest to calm my chaotically thrumming heart.