The Beginning Of Our Forever [1]

25. Neither Dead Nor Alive

"Damon, I need you to place the heal of your hand on Elena's breastbone and then the other one on top. Give her 30 chest compression's using your body weight and then two rescue breaths after. Can you manage that?" The nurse was trying to remain calm, yet assertive, whilst also trying to keep Damon from having a breakdown at the same time.

Damon had arrived at the hospital screaming for a doctor, with Elena huddled in his arms, dipping in and out of consciousness. There were times that her heart had given out completely, and then suddenly started beating again. He had no idea what to do to save her and that broke his heart. He felt like he should be the one able to protect her no matter what, but right now, he was useless. A nurse heard his screams straight away and rushed out to help him, telling Damon to place her on the floor and start chest compression's whilst she ran to get a trolley to take her to a room.

"Don't you dare give up on me Elena, forever hasn't even started yet. You hear me? I will NOT lose you now!" Damon gritted his teeth as he spoke, compressing Elena's chest with hard, powerful pushes. Tears streamed down his face and dripped onto his hands, falling over his knuckles and then onto Elena's skin.

"Please don't leave me here baby, I can't do this without you..." Elena heard Damon's voice, but was powerless to stop it trailing off as the battle within her subconscious took over her conscious mind.

**

'Elena... Elena... Can you hear me honey?'

'Mum is that you? Where are you? Why can't I see you?'

Elena heaved her eyelids open, before closing them suddenly after the white light stung her retinas. She pulled herself up into a sitting position as she tried to make sense of her surroundings. But she didn't understand. The room she was in was bright white, and completely empty. The four walls all merged into one, and the lack of windows and doors only indicated that there was no escape.

'Mum?' Elena shook her head, knowing that the voice she heard earlier must have been in her imagination. Then, before her eyes, Miranda Gilbert walked through one of the white walls and knelt down in-front of Elena, her hand resting on her leg.

'Hi honey. You're in a right mess aren't you?' Miranda smiled, but her eyes were filled with sadness. Elena was in tears, unable to believe that her mum was here. Somehow.

'Is this real? Are you really here?' Elena whispered, placing her hand on-top of her mums.

'It's as real as you want it to be honey. I'm only here to help you choose," Miranda continued.

'Choose what? Where am I?' Elena knew that this wasn't good. The look on her mum's face said it all.

'You have to choose whether this is the life you want or not. You will always be at risk as long as the cure is in your life. Just look at yourself. You've been back for less than a week and your already dying. As long as you or Damon have this cure, neither of you will ever be safe,' Miranda tried to smile to reassure Elena that this was for the best, but Elena pulled her hand away, refusing to acknowledge what her mum was saying.

With that, Miranda disappeared.

**

"Nurse quick, I think she's conscious again!" Damon shouted to the nurse, who arrived quickly through the doors with a trolley. Damon lifted her up onto the trolley and held her hand.

"Damon, are you real? Is mum here?" Elena croaked, before slipping into unconsciousness again.

**

Elena was back in the white room again. Alone and crying. Her mum was gone. Again.

'Maybe mum had a point about the cure,' she whispered, wiping the tears away from her eyes.