Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries. I'm just borrowing.

Note: Previously, in "Hunter's Moon," Elijah and Katherine have a steamy interlude in the congual visit room.

Yeah, I know that I'm a little behind with the updates (the last time being November 30), but I wasn't really inspired lately. Hopefully, tonight, I'll be able to provide you with an update. No spoilers, just follow along.

Southside Regional Medical Center – That Same Moment...

Elena walked down the hall toward Damon's room, hoping that he was awake so she could visit him before she had to go to work. She hated the fact that he wasn't going to be with her, especially since they made such a good team together. However, she reminded herself that she had told him that she was going to see the case through to the end and it wouldn't be right to just quit now. Besides, she owed it to both of them. Hell, she owed it to their children, especially the new baby that she was carrying.

When she got to his room, she was greeted by her husband's warm smile, which she gladly returned. He looked a lot better than he did yesterday, which was a good thing.

"Hey."

"Hi," he replied. "I was hoping I'd see you today."

"Yeah, well, I have a little time before I have to be at the station, so I thought I'd come and see how you were doing." She saw the look he was giving her and her smile faded. "Okay, I'm lying. I don't want to go in, because I know that you're not with me, like you always are."

Damon heard the disappointment in her voice and lifted his good arm. "Come here." He watched as she approached the bed and climbed in as he put said good arm around her, while she wrapped her arms around his waist. "I know that it's not fair that I'm stuck in this damn hospital while you're out there. But, I want you to know that even though I won't be there physically, I'll be there in spirit."

Elena nodded. "I know, but it won't be same."

"Elena, I want you to promise me something."

"What?"

"I want you to promise me that you'll be brave, like I know you can be," said Damon. "Think you can do that?"

Elena nodded. "I promise, Damon. I'll be brave."

Damon smiled and kissed the top of her head. "That's my girl. I love you so much, you know that, right?"

"I do, and I love you too," said Elena. "I love you more than woman has ever loved a man. I don't regret falling in love with you because if I hadn't, we wouldn't have the beautiful family that we have right now."

Damon nodded, thinking about Christian, Ana, and the baby. He wouldn't trade being their father for anything in the world. He hoped that he would eventually get out of the hospital so that he could be out there chasing bad guys, as well as being with his children. Elena looked up at him and kissed him, framing his face with her hands. She heard him moan and pulled away. "Am I hurting you?"

"No, love, you're not hurting me," he replied. "I'm actually enjoying it."

"Okay," said Elena. "If I'm hurting you, just tell me. I know that you're not exactly in the best of shapes right now."

"Don't worry about me, just keep going."

Elena nodded and kissed him again. This time, Damon returned it and moaned again as his tongue collided with hers. He then felt himself getting hard and wished that they could go further than kissing. Shit, these damn bandages, he thought. I'm tempted to be romantic with my wife, and I'm restricted as what I can do.

They were still kissing when the heart monitor Damon was attached to started going crazy and the nurses rushed into the room to see what the commotion was, startling the couple out of what they were doing. One of the nurses, a heavyset Hispanic woman named Sofia, gave Elena a look that resembled that of a mother scolding a child.

"Is everything all right in here?" she said. "We heard the heart monitor going off."

"Everything is fine," said Elena. "My husband and I were just kissing, that's all."

Sofia raised an eyebrow and then, shooed the other nurses out of the room, looking over her shoulder at them, as though she couldn't believe that the hospital she was working at for the past fifteen years would suddenly turn into a place where people made out like teenagers. Once they were out of the room, Elena looked at Damon.

"I guess fun time's over."

Damon pouted. "I know, but I was enjoying it."

"Me too," said Elena. "I really hate to leave you. I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too, mia corazone."

Elena smiled at the way he said "my heart" in Italian. She liked the way he would say random things to her in his ancestral language, because it made him sound more romantic than he already was. She reluctantly got up from the bed and just before she left the room, she turned toward her husband, looking at him longingly.

"I love you."

Damon smiled at her. "I love you too, Elena. Have a good day."

Elena nodded and then, after blowing him a kiss goodbye, she opened the door and left the room, closing it gently behind her.

Note: Yeah, thought I'd give you a bit of Delena tenderness to make up for not updating for a while. Stay tuned and have a very Merry Christmas!

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