CONTROL ➳ D. HALE [2]

16 ; triathalon

16 ➳ TRIATHALON

Derek stared at the hand he held in his own. The steady noise filtering from Elise's heart monitor was only adding to his unease. He felt as if at any moment, the monitor would begin beeping incessantly, and Elise would slip away. He knew that it was foolish to think something like that- Elise wasn't even close to death- but he couldn't help it. First Cora, and now Elise.

As he sat there, watching Elise lay in the hospital bed, he couldn't help but wonder if this was what she'd felt like when she'd brought him back to the loft after he'd nearly died. It felt strange to be on the other end of one of those situations. Elise was always the one helping Derek to get back on his feet.

I have to tell her, he thought. He hadn't known for sure, but after Scott had told Derek that Elise was in the hospital...

A slight noise sounded from the unconscious brunette, drawing Derek out of his thoughts. "Elise?" he asked, moving to sit at the foot of the hospital bed, tightening his grip on her hand.

➳

Elise groaned slightly, cracking open an eyelid. The light above her was blindingly bright, causing her to wince. Her head pounded incessantly as she tried to gather her senses. She smelled bleached bed sheets and hand sanitizer. Instantly, she knew that she was in a hospital. Her lips felt dry and stuck to her teeth. All of her limbs were sore, despite the brunette not remembering doing anything to strain them. She heard a chair move and felt a sudden weight near her legs as a warm hand grasped her petite one.

"Elise?" Derek's voice floated to her ears. "Are you awake?"

"Wishing I wasn't," the brunette managed to mutter as she lifted her free hand, rubbing her temples. "I have a killer migraine."

Suddenly, the memories of everything that had happened before her collapse came flooding back into Elise's mind and the brunette shot up, the world tilting slightly from the sudden movement. "Derek!" she gasped, wrapping her arms around him. He returned her embrace, wrapping his arms around her waist before she pulled away. "What are you doing here? You need to be helping Cora! And you need to tell them that I know where Jennifer is keeping our parents and-"

"Elise, slow down," Derek replied, placing a hand on the brunette's arm. He flashed her a look that resembled both humor and concern. "All of that is over."

"Wait, what?" Elise gasped, her eyes wide. Her hazel eyes flicked toward the window of the room, finding that light was flooding in through the open blinds. Only when Elise turned her head to the window did she catch sight of the sleeping boys in the chairs against the walls. Stiles, Scott, and Isaac all snored, dozing off in the uncomfortable looking chairs. "How did- what happened?"

Derek's brows furrowed. "Don't you remember?"

Elise shook her head slightly, eyes aimed at the sheets of the hospital bed as she struggled to recall what had happened after she'd performed the tracking spell. "I remember saying the incantation, and then..."

As if on cue, Stiles jerked awake, waking himself up with a particularly loud snore. He looked around, seemingly confused until his eyes landed on the pair before him. "Guys!" Stiles exclaimed, nudging the other teens with his foot. "Elise is awake!"

In a matter of seconds, the three teens were all on their feet, groggily smothering Elise in a giant hug. "Guys," Elise muttered, barely managing to make herself heard over the commotion. "I'd kind of like to breathe now."

The boys all nodded, shuffling away from the bed and dropping back into their original seats. Elise shook her head slightly as they all trained their eyes on her. "So, what happened?" she asked. "I mean, is everyone okay? Did you stop Jennifer?"