surrogate

Chapter X

Florence a year and an half ago

"If you feel the need to break her heart so much, let the doctor handle it. They're overly qualified and will probably do a better job" Stefan gave her a side eye in response to the statement. The younger Salvatore did not understand what his brother still expect from that selfish bitch. He never liked her to start with but right now, he was comforted in his opinion. Damon passed his hands through his hair, he was exhausted and he was incapable to understand. Where did he go wrong with her? How was he supposed to get her more invested in the health of their daughter?

"Please correct me if I am wrong, you want our daughter, our precious child to have to sit through a conversation about her frightening medical condition with a stranger? You want her scared in a cold room, with medical appliance and listening to an overused speech. Rose do you hear yourself?" Damon raised his voice and Stefan glared at him, his younger brother was trying to buffer the tension and protect his niece. Ashamed from his growing loss of control, Damon let his head fall, and he faced the next room's entrance.

Leila was there waiting, he needed to hold his words and avoid scaring her. No more argument, he had promised his daughter to stop arguing with Rose.

"That is not what I mean. I am not able to do it yet. How are we supposed to explain cancer to a child? I think the best option will be to let the doctor handle it." Unwilling to go to the entanglement it was sure to be, the brunette girl argued. She looked at Damon and let her eyes lingered on his expression. She tried to emphasize her distress. He was not warming to her words, he did not understand. Since when was he able to understand, she chastised herself.

"You really don't see anything wrong. You are not escaping it this time and you are running away from your maternal responsibility just because you have more functional children." Whispering angrily, Damon could not hide his rage. He was tired of her way of acting; it has been three weeks since they last visited the doctor. He had given her three weeks to make her peace with the situation; he has given her three weeks so she could get ready as she asked.

However, looking at his ex-wife, he felt resentful. He too was not ready but he did not get to ask for time to prepare. He did not promise her to be there when need arise and he obviously did not break said promise. He has called her every day, he has tried to console her, talked about their pain but she was out of it all. He suspected that she was making it all about her. It was always about her. She needed time to get use to their daughter coughing blood; she needed to cope with the fear of losing Leila. He gave her all of it, all the time she needed because he needed the same courtesy but knew he could not have that. He sympathized and understood.

He filled her empty spot at every visit but it did not change anything. It always had been about her, today, five years ago. I need to get use to the idea that you will have a child with another woman. Yes, I wanted a child we could have adopted; you don't understand my feeling you can have children. Those words echoed back to him. He took a deep breath and went to close the door.

"Is it because it is some other woman child? Is it because she is my blood and not yours? Is it because she is of no use to you now that you don't need her to hurt me anymore? What is it Rose? What is it, what change in her that now you can be a proper mother?" Damon delivered a flow of questions, He stared at his ex-wife, a woman who not so long ago he loved. With certainty, he knew one of those questions hid the truth. Those questions echoed her own words; it reflected the being who at time, he had come to hate.

He felt her finger parting from his cheek; he raised his hand to smooth the hot spot and soften the blow. He looked at her incredulous, she was furious. She slapped him another time and he let her do it. If it were her way of finally reacting to the situation then he would take it. If he could reach her, broke the shell she decided to hide behind by striking her pride then be it. Supposedly, Rose was the only other person who could understand his pain; she was supposed to suffer as he did.