"Hey Damon…It's me." Elena sighed into the receiver of her phone "I'm just calling again because I'm really sorry and I didn't mean what I said earlier. I'm a total bitch and you don't deserve it. Please call me back Damon, you haven't answered any of my calls and I'm really worried. Just to let you know I went to the doctors this morning and you're right, I was being irresponsible. Please, call me."

She hung up and sighed. She was close to tears again. Her gut instinct was telling her something was wrong because Damon didn't seem like the petty type; she knew he wouldn't hold a grudge…so why wasn't he calling her back? Maybe he got lucky with a younger girl a nasty voice called in her head, or maybe she'd just pushed him too far and he'd made his lucky escape.

Unable to bare it any longer Elena grabbed Jenny and drove to Damon's apartment.

She banged on the door for a minute.

"Damon!"

She heard footsteps inside

"I know you're in there!"

The door opened suddenly and Damon's housemate, Morris, stood in the door way. He looked like he'd just been woken.

"Elena? Hey, what's going on?" Morris said rubbing his eyes

"I need to speak to Damon." Elena said loudly

"Go ahead. I think he's asleep too. I just got in from my night shift a few hours ago and had just gotten to sleep…" he added acerbically

"Sorry." Elena said "But this is important."

Morris yawned and stepped aside. "Hey Jenny!" he said shaking her tiny hand

Elena walked through the hallway and went to Damon's room. She knocked once and then opened the door. The room was empty and to her disappointment his bed was un-slept in. She choked back a fresh sob and walked back to the living room.

"He isn't in there." She said to Morris.

"Really?" Morris said frowning "And if he's not a work with you then…this isn't like him. I'll give him a call."

Elena hoped he'd pick up.

"D-man, it's Morris. Give me a call when you get this message. Bye."

Her heart sunk.

"Thanks for trying." Elena said defeated "I'll go and let you get some rest. Sorry again."

"I'll send him your way when he gets back." Morris promised

Elena called Damon's cell three more times that day but had no luck in tracking him down. Defeated she went to bed early.

She tossed and turned throughout the night, having nightmares that Damon had disappeared and that Jenny was missing too, she awoke with a jump. Someone was banging the front door and Jenny was crying. She scrambled out of bed and ran to the door first praying it was Damon. She looked out the peep hole but it was-

"Morris?" she said as she opened the door, "It's five in the morning!"

Jenny's cries continued but Elena didn't make a move because the look on Morris' was scaring her.

"What? What is it?" she said in a low voice.

"Elena…" Morris said slowly. He was white as a ghost, "It's Damon…"

"Please, don't." Elena called over the baby's crying "don't tell me something's wrong…" she felt nauseated

"I just got a call… from Stefan." He took a deep breath, looking like he was about to be sick. "Damon's in hospital, Elena, it's bad…"

She held onto the door for support. Her head was spinning. "Don't tell me he's dead. Please…" she began to cry

Morris shook his head "No, he's alive but it's bad. Elena, Damon was stabbed in the stomach on Tuesday night… he lost a lot of blood."

"No!" Elena cried, her hand flying to her mouth

"He was mugged; they took his phone and his wallet. The cops and paramedics had no idea who he was until someone handed in his driver's licence that they'd found in a bin in the park. They contacted his next of Kin, Stefan's with him now. The cops tracked me down in work and I came right here. I've got my car, get Jenny ready and let's go."

"Oh my god." Elena cried "He's been all alone and no one knew him… it's Thursday morning, he's been alone for a day and a half…"

"That's why we need to go." Morris said. "Can you leave Jenny with someone? A neighbour maybe?"

"I can ask Mrs. Goodman next door." Elena hiccupped

"I'll go and explain to her, you get Jenny dressed." Morris said as he swept back into the hallway.

Leaving Jenny with a very understanding Mrs. Goodman Elena rode in the car with Morris. They made it to the hospital in half an hour due to his lunatic driving and they practically ran through the hospital wards looking for the right one.

When they eventually tracked someone down who could answer their questions a middle aged nurse explained to them that Damon had undergone emergency surgery and after a blood transfusion he seemed to be over the worst. He was now in intensive care with his brother. The kind nurse directed them to Damon's room.

Elena stood outside, now she was here she was afraid to go in and face the reality of it all.

"Go on." Morris encouraged "He needs you."

Taking a deep breath she pushed open the door and timidly walked inside. Her heart was hammering in her chest as she saw him lying there, broken. Tubes sticking out of him and helping him breathe normally.

A guy was in the chair next to the bed. He was asleep, his upper body leaning forward onto the bed; he was still grasping Damon's hand. This must be Stefan.

Elena quietly walked around the bed and roused him.

He woke with a jerk. His eyes looked blotchy and puffy.

"You must be Damon's brother, Stefan?" Elena asked

"Yeah." Stefan answered, looking at her

"I'm Damon's girlfriend." She said, her eyes falling onto Damon again, filling with fresh tears.

"You're Elena?" Stefan asked

"Yes."

"Have you spoken to the doctor?" Stefan asked

"We did." Elena said nodding to the window "Damon's friend Morris is outside."

"Morris, I met him last Christmas." Stefan said nodding

"I can't believe this is happening." Elena sobbed "I didn't know where he was." She added guiltily

Stefan patted her with his free hand "Let's just thank the lord that he's going to be okay."

She nodded and wiped her eyes.

"I'll give you a minute. I need some coffee." Stefan said kindly, getting up and letting Damon's hand go gently.

"Thank you." Elena said. She waited until the door had closed behind him.

"Hey there." She said, taking Stefan's place and cradling his hand, she tried to sound bright and cheerful. "Damon, I hope you know you're going to be fine, the doctor says you'll make a full recovery…" She cleared her throat. "I'm going to look after you…" she said but then her voice failed and her chest was heaving "that's if you'll let me! Damon this is all my fault! Please, wake up. You need to be okay. I should have gone after you and then you wouldn't have been… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…" her head fell forward onto his arm and she cried harder than ever.