~Chapter 18

3 weeks later

Elena POV

I woke up early next morning at about 8 o'clock and with a grunt; I got up from my creaky old bed. I sighed and set off for the bathroom. I lazily brushed my teeth and stared into space for a few moments. Then I entered Alex's bedroom.

I sighed happily at my, now 9 month and a half old, son. He was softly poking his hanging mobile with his fingers and also his tiny toes, while softly humming something under his breath. His blue sky eyes were staring at his toys and then they found mine.

"Hi baby," I whispered softly to him as I walked near his crib and stood there gazing at him.

"Momm…" he mumbled from behind his blue dummy. I smiled at his attempt to call me.

"It's time to go and see Daddy buddy," I told him with a sad smile before tears slowly crept from my eyes and down to my chin.

It's been like this everyday since the accident. He had not woken up from his coma yet. Alex and I would go to see him every morning, then return home in the afternoon and go right back in the early evening. I would talk to Damon, sometimes get him some beautiful flowers for his room for the moment he will wake up, stuffed animals, a get well soon banner and even got him three picture frames. One of the frames showed me pregnant with Alex at the boarding school. My favorite teacher had taken that one. I was wearing some loose jeans and a fitted hoodie while sitting on a sofa staring happily at my tummy.

The other one was me and baby Alex, some days later after he was born. He was still hairless and I was still a little bloated from after birth. We were in my boarding school's room, ready to get back to Jenna's. I was cuddling him and I remember I took that picture myself, from above.

The last frame was one of my all-time favorites. It showed Damon and me at his house, before I was pregnant and during our wild days. The picture showed a shirtless Damon, with his messy black hair who was smirking at the camera from behind me, while I was in the front and probably sitting on his lap. I was the one taking the picture from above with my own hands and I was wearing one of his black buttoned up shirts. We both looked happy in our own twisted ways, and it wasn't the first time that I've seen the photo since that day. I remember having it beside me on the bed-side table back at the boarding school and it was the only thing that managed to get me up every day when I was there.

I finally picked up Alex from his crib and started to dress him up, ready to take him to visit his father.

I walked into his hospital room while I pushed Alex in his push chair. I placed the push chair just beside Damon's bed while I walked towards the windows and in one swift movement opened the curtains.

"We're back," I told the breathing figure with a sad smile as I turned around to face him.

"Say hello to Daddy buddy," I whispered to Alex with a soft nudge.

"D-d-d," he managed to stutter, just like every single time.

"When are you going to say it?" I asked him with a pout as I kissed his little nose.

"It goes like this honey, Da-da," I told him with a little smile.

"D-d-d-ddd," he stuttered again, in an angry tone this time. I could see that he was trying to get it right.

"You better practice that little man. He'll be wanting to hear it as soon as he wakes up," I continued with another sad smile.

It was about 4 in the afternoon and I just gave Alex his yogurt, had an apple myself and I was once again walking briskly through the corridors of the hospital, while pushing Alex in his pushchair.

"D-d-d," he was still mumbling while I smiled to myself.

I finally neared his hospital door and slowed down. I opened it gently and went in. Damon was lying on his hospital bed in the same position he was that damned day about 3 weeks ago. His raven black hair was sprayed on his forehead just like always and he still hadn't moved an inch.

"Hey…" I whispered to him as I once again put Alex beside Damon's bed and I sat on the same chair.

"How are you my love?" I asked him as I leaned forward and placed my forearms on my thighs and clasped my hands together.

"I really miss you, you know. Actually we both miss you," I whispered softly to him. Then I reached out and touched his hand.

"Come back to us," I whispered again as I held up his hand to my lips, clasped it with mine and kissed it with all my might. I shut my eyes hard not wanting to cry as I did every day for the last 3 weeks. Everytime I try to hold it in, but I've always managed to fail. The thought of losing him for good, scared the hell out of me. I did not want Alex to grow up without his father, and I did not want to grow old without him by side. I loved him. I always have and I probably always will. He invaded my body, my mind and my soul. He was the only guy I ever let in, the only one I've ever loved and the only one who I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I knew that I should not be with him after all that he did to me, but I did not know how to express it, I just knew that I had to be with him.

He was my drug. I knew he was bad for me, I knew that at the end of the day I should not have him, after all that I went through because of him, but I still wanted him. I still needed him. And if I did not, my heart would surely ache for him.

"D-d-d-d-d…..aaa," Alex was still trying to say. He almost said it. I smiled sadly once again. Damon was going to miss it. He would call him and he was not going to hear it. I cried again as I lifted Alex from his pushchair.

"Wake up," I softly told him as I kissed his knuckles once again.

"You have to. You need to," I told him again, my tone a little angrier this time.

"Your son needs you," I whispered to him as a single tear escaped my eye.

"I need you," I added in a small whisper.

"I know you're strong enough to fight this," I begged him as I once again leaned over his bed and threw my hands around his neck, crying for him.

"Damon…" I breathed. "I love you so much," I mumbled in his neck as I continued to sob. Alex then reached forward too from my lap, jumped onto the bed and then hugged the complete stranger who was lying on the bed. I gasped as Alex buried his head in Damon's neck.

I knew that both Alex and I looked like complete freaks hugging and holding on to a comatized person, who might or might not be waking up again.

But then I heard his voice.

"I love you too Elena," his deep voice whispered hoarsely before his eyelids fluttered slowly and I could finally see his ocean eyes. I sniffed and brought my head up from his neck.

He strained his neck to face the side of the bed that I was sitting beside and smiled weakly at his son who was still sprawled on his chest. He kissed him softly on the forehead.

"Oh my god," I whispered with a gasp as I realized that he had finally woken up.

"You're back, Oh god, oh god. I can't believe this," I murmured, not knowing what to say as I reached out to him and hugged him with all my might.

"Be careful you might just send me back," he added with a weak chuckle.

"I love you," I repeated this time to the conscious figure. He sat up in his bed so that he was in a sitting position. Then he weakly pushed me from the nape of my neck and into his chest.

"I missed you so much," I whispered to him as I cried, soaking his ugly ass of a pajama.

"I know," he whispered back with a smile as he kissed me on my forehead.

"And I love you too son," he added with a weak smile as he hugged Alex back who was still lying on his chest, eyes closed.

"D-d-da, d-da, da, da, da," Alex mumbled softly. Both Damon and I gasped simultaneously and also smiled at Alex's new phrase.

"Oh Alex," I whispered as I hugged both Damon and Alex to me.

A/N: Hope you're enjoying the story and the chapter! :) Some little twists will be coming up soon, so be sure to review and i'll be able to update ASAP!

Shannon x