No Strings Attached

Day 2

"Honey? Is that you?" Damon calls through the house, his ears picking up the sound of rattling keys. He'd been up all night, a drink in his hand as he sat in the dark and waited. This wasn't the first time Elena had left in the middle of the fight, but it was the first time she didn't come home.

"Yeah, Damon, it's me," Elena says loudly, almost praying he didn't hear her. She had hoped he would be out of the house by now, already sitting in the back room at his bar. Her plan had been to get in and out, spend the day at the hospital and come home long after Damon had passed out. That plan was ruined as Damon came slowly down the stairs, his eyes wide with fake regret. "Good morning."

"You didn't come home last night," Damon states, stopping at the bottom of the stairs. Elena continues to move about, not trusting herself to stand still. She moves into the kitchen, clicking several buttons on their old coffee machine. "Where were you?"

"I spent the night at a colleague's house. You don't know her," Elena lies, keeping her back to Damon. "Did you sleep well?" Elena is acting now, her guilt and shame buried deep under layers of proper-housewife material. Sighing, Damon leans against the kitchen table.

"No," he says simply, causing Elena to pause. Her heart swells, awaiting his apology with open arms. She was dependant on his love, her entire body aching when she didn't receive it. Elena should know better, but she still believes Damon is the man she fell in love with. Not the violent alcoholic he has become. "Baby, I'm sorry I got so mad last night. I didn't mean it. It was the alcohol, I swear."

"I forgive you." Elena turns around with two cups of coffee, her arm outstretched to hand Damon his. When he doesn't get up to take it, Elena crosses the room and places it beside him. "I have to go to work. I'll probably get home late. Can you figure something out for dinner on your own?"

"Yeah, I got it," Damon mutters. Ignoring his mood, Elena kisses his cheek before heading out the door. The second the front door is closed she lets out a sigh, guilt twisting her stomach to the point where she's afraid she might throw up again.

Once she's sure she'll be fine, she heads down the steps and gets back in her car. It isn't until she's halfway to the hospital when she realizes she forgot to change out of her sex-smelling clothes.

The hospital was a welcomed distraction for Elena. She never once had a moment to herself, never once had a moment when she had to think. With her head held high she went from patient to patient, working overtime as she attempted to forget the previous night.

But the problem was, she couldn't. No matter how hard she tried, the color green followed her everything. It was there in her patient's rooms, random splashes of the color causing her stomach to twist. It was there in the hallways, each vibrant patch bringing a smile to Elena's lips. It was strongest when she closed her eyes, the color bringing back the memories she's trying desperately to repress.

"Elena! Come on, we need you!"

Her eyes fly wide at the sound of her name, her heels spinning toward the voice. One of her colleague's ushers for her to follow, the sound of a code blue sounding through the hall. Elena doesn't hesitate to run toward it, shoving down her personal drama to help someone in need.

Elena continued to ignore her feelings, letting the distraction of other people's pain mask her own. The people in this hospital kept the guilt and the memories at bay, preventing her from drowning in it.

That is, until she had an unexpected visitor.

~

Dean slumps up the porch steps, relishing in his last moments of freedom. Once he steps foot inside that house, Elena will just be a bad memory. His life will return to normal. He'll go back to work and kiss Lisa goodnight, just like he would any other day. He'll pretend like nothing ever happened.