[𝐈] 𝕽𝖊𝖘𝖘𝖚𝖗𝖊𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 | 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕱𝖎𝖋𝖙𝖊𝖊𝖓: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗳 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲

Chapter Fifteen
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The Pain Of Losing What We Love

Heavy lids hesitantly blink open, the steady beeping of a machine seemed to screech and rattle inside my brain as my senses finally returned to me. Lolling my head to the side, the hunched-over figure of Bonnie Bennett slouched in an armchair was the first image I focused on, the poor thing looked like she'd been crying when she slipped asleep, a vase of flowers were stationed at the bottom of my bed with a 'get well soon' card leant against it in Caroline's writing - she had fully customized the front of the card. Straightening my back, it pops in various places before I manage to sit completely up, my shifting waking Bonnie in the process. She softly grunted before lifting her eyes towards me, soft exuberance filling her eyes as she pulled me into a tight embrace. She releases me to clamber to her phone, quickly texting somebody before discarding it, returning to my bedside.

Stefan was already long forgiven, even when he couldn't forgive himself. Bonnie had alerted me to the fact Stefan had been locked up in our cellar, she knew no more than that as she wished to not be involved in the Salvatore business. I had convinced her to leave for school, assuring that I'd be alive by the time she finished up, she notified me that Caroline would be harassing me after she finished up with Matt at the Grill, she'd also received texts, calls and multiple visits from Elena during my week-long period in the hospital. My drinking had caused a problem with my recovery, my body wasn't healing as quickly as it was supposed to and the suppression of my other 'abilities' had also slowed down the alleviation of my wounds. A knock at my door tears my concentration away from a book I was reading, Damon stood at the door with another large grimoire in his hand.

  "Brought you a gift." He said, slowly edging into the room before placing it at my bedside table, sitting in the armchair where Bonnie once resided. He takes a moment to look at me, just staring at the bandage on my neck, the tiredness in my dulled grey eyes, everything.
  "Why'd you do it?" he questions after a while, sitting back in the leather armchair as he awaits an answer.
  "I had to save that girl, Damon. I knew that somewhere deep down he wouldn't kill me, although you're a predatory species, I at least hoped he had a sliver self-control." I admitted truthfully, turning towards Damon to place my book down, using a discarded piece of paper as a bookmark.
  "When I saw you, it reminded me of-"
  "I know, for that, I want to apologise but I did what I had to do to save that girl, it's already in my statement," I interject, reaching for my brother's hand as I lock our fingers, a light squeeze comes from both ends before separating.
  "I heard you're being forced onto a detox." he gestured to the documents on the table at the end of the bed,
  "Like hell." I joke back, swinging my legs off the side of the bed. Plucking an unopened bottle from the depths of a duffel bag Elena had prepared for me.
  "He's in the cellar if you want to speak to him that is. I know you're raring to get out of here." Damon informs as he pulls the release form from his jacket which sends me into a rare state of glee. Bonnie had been overjoyed to hear I was out of the hospital, I'd meet her at Rudy's house tomorrow morning before heading to the mall for some quality time together since the 'accident' - as Sheriff Forbes called it. Damon had also informed me of a job he and Alaric were going to, gathering more information about a contact of John Gilbert's (a man I had yet to meet, although I'd heard he was a dick, so I wouldn't be overjoyed to meet him). An apartment where some of his recent phone calls had been coming from.