Distance [Derek Hale]

Chapter Twenty-Six

Everything was quiet.

Everything was cold.

Everything was so empty.

She'd been sat at the end of the bed for around seventeen hours. Seventeen hours filled with absolutely nothing. She hadn't changed; she was wearing one of Derek's t-shirts and a pair of shorts. She hadn't brushed her hair and tear streaks were staining her pale skin. She was hungry but she couldn't bring herself to eat.

Everything was just gone.

Cora had left but she didn't realise. So had Boyd and Isaac but they were at a cross country meet. They were all reluctant to go but they had to and their presence wouldn't have made a difference to them anyway. She was left with nothing but herself and the ghosts which already lingered throughout the loft. Everything was so bright and sunny; it was disgusting to know such a tragedy had happened and the weather didn't even care.

Everything was repeating itself.

It reminded her of the grief she'd felt when Paige had died and this time she didn't have to hide her cries in the shower. Instead, she was just left blankly staring at everything trying to figure out how many people she'd lost to "animal attacks". Then came the darker thoughts; was he alone, was he scared, was he in pain, what was he thinking about. His touch still remained on her hand and for a moment she contemplated never to wash it. His touch had to be remembered but the thoughts of it made her skin go cold.

She couldn't tell you how long she'd been sat there; it felt like time itself had frozen for her but the reality was that was far from the truth. Seventeen hours of absolutely nothing and it felt like barely a few minutes at all. Ringing through her head, Boyd's words traumatised and tortured her soul not allowing her to have any time to breathe or think.

"Oh, God..." a women's voice groaned out and her brows furrowed as she tried to work out where the voice was coming from. Surely it couldn't be in her head, "this is a bad, very bad idea. I should be taking you to a hospital."

"No...no hospital..." she knew that voice. Pushing herself up from the bed, she stumbled through to the main area where Jennifer was carrying Derek.

"Derek, I can't-- I can't hold you anymore. I'm losing you! Derek?" She asked just as Derek fell from her grip and down a couple of steps that led from the door to the main room. He fell down to the floor and all over again she couldn't breathe as her chest tightened. He wasn't dead. "Derek. Derek!"

Despite everything which told her to run to him she could only walk slowly. Falling down to her knees beside him she pressed her hand against his neck feeling new tears from falling. He was alive and his skin was warm beneath her touch. Releasing a sob her eyes fell on the large gash in his stomach; he looked like he'd been mauled by a bear.

"Derek? Derek, can you hear me?" She asked her voice barely functioning for her. What if what she was seeing now was in her head and not real? What if it was all in her head and he was lying dead somewhere?

"W-wait, who are you?" Jennifer asked looking over to Margo who frowned as she looked to Jennifer. Another woman even as a friend had never been mentioned to her and whilst she didn't particularly care if he had a female friend but this female friend knew about the supernatural world. Thus they must have been close. It was a logical explanation in her head which didn't make sense to her in reality. Usually, if something impacted the supernatural world he would tell her; she supposed that had changed recently though.

"Who are you?" She countered her voice much slower.

"Jennifer."

"Margo....er, help me get him to the bed," she urged and Jennifer nodded helping her haul Derek up and take him over to the bed. Once they were there she commanded Jennifer to go and get some towels before she grabbed onto Derek's shirt where the tear was and pulled it apart. Pushing it away from him, she grabbed onto the towels once Jennifer got close enough and began to clean the wounds.