The End Is Only The Beginning (A Vampire Diaries Fan Fiction)

Hospital Proposals

Chapter 24

 

Stefan’s P.O.V

 

I held the bunch of  pale pink roses tight in my right hand, a couple of thorns breaking the skin, producing a couple of drops of blood. I paced nervously back and forth, debating whether I should go through with it or not. I don’t want to, but I should. I should be honest, and if the truth hurts both of us then that’s something I’ll have to learn to live with. I love Elena just as much as I loved Katherine, but her heart will always be Damon’s. Just like she’s got a hold on him for the rest of eternity. They will eventually come to realise this themselves, and I’d rather I cancel myself out of the equation now, rather than then so at least it was my choice and not theirs.

I looked at the hospital door, which held a softly sleeping Elena beyond it. I knew Damon was in there too, but he was silent so far.

“Why don’t you come on in, brother?” I heard him say, his voice sounding utterly bored, but with his usual amount of contempt.

I shuffled in, desperate not to make a sound, and was shocked to see Damon lying on the bed next to Elena’s motionless body, except for the slight movement of her lungs, even perceptible by human eyesight.

I stopped in my tracks, but even my visible tension didn’t make Damon look up from watching her. He winced every time she breathed a pained breath, smiled every time she mumbled his name, frowned every time she muttered mine.

I knew then that this time he wouldn’t be the one to leave her side, she would have to be the one who walked away.

“What do you want, Stef-Stef?” He asked me, grudgingly ripping his eyes of off Elena, to burn holes into mine,

“I came to talk to Elena, and to give her these.” I replied, placing the roses onto a bed side table. I looked at Elena fully for the first time. Her whole face was a lot paler, her lips looked dry and her hair looked lank. She looked like death itself. Yet, Damon lay there, barely inches away from her, and stared at her as though he was witnessing the most beautiful thing in the world. Elena was definitely beautiful, but even I, who loves her more than the world itself, will admit that there are slightly more wondrous scenes to witness than Elena Gilbert lying half-alive in a hospital.

“I need to go hunting anyway, so I’ll be back soon.” Damon said, nervously, glancing down at Elena, before slowly inching off the bed.

Elena’s eyes suddenly started to flutter open.

“Damon…?” She murmured, her eyes not opening fully, her lazy gaze not really seeing anything.

“I’m just going out, Elena. Stefan’s here. He wants to talk. I’ll be back soon, and then Gilbert the Second, and the wicked witch of Mystic Falls will arrive to annoy and pester.” He looked exhausted, and starving, yet he managed to keep up his usual level of sarcasm. He smirked at me half-heartedly, before striding out of the room, gently closing the door behind him.

“Stefan? Do you wanna come sit next to me?” Elena asked, rather innocently.