Elijah Mikaelson & the Dragon's Salvation

Chapter 22

There was no way to predict how long Henrik Finn would remain in dragon sleep and Elijah knew that Angelica would want to stay by her son's bed side so Elijah came up with a solution. Rafe, Albee and Charlie worked quickly and turned the sitting room adjacent to Elijah and Angelica's room back into a nursery for the twins. They also moved in a bed for Henrik Finn and two chairs, one of them being suitable for Angelica so she could nurse the twins and still be by her son's bedside.

"I'm sorry, Elijah," she said, and he looked at her, puzzled by the apology. "This is torturous, waiting for him to wake up even though I know that he will be better once he awakens. I am sorry that I put you through this." Elijah leaned down and kissed his wife on the top of her head, then kissed her hand, "My darling, I would sit by your bedside for a thousand years if that is what you needed, I love you, and the dragon way of coming to terms with devastating heartbreak and loss is infinitely better than the vampire way of shutting off one's humanity. It is certainly a far less deadly solution."

She nodded her head, "But I fear he is distancing himself from his children. We must ensure he connects with them once he awakens. I'm preparing bottles for him so that he can feed the twins breastmilk during at least one of the feedings. He feels he has nothing to offer his children, but we must show him that he is their world and he matters. He needs to name the babies, too. No names only makes it easier for him to keep them at a distance."

Elijah sat down on the edge of his son's bed and touched Henrik Finn's shoulder as they spoke. He knew she was right. They were going to be in this for the long haul. The twins would need to be breast fed until they were at least eighteen months old. This meant they would stay in Connecticut with them. The idea of being so near his grandchildren pleased Elijah but not if it meant his son's abandonment of his own children.

Elijah rose from the bed and told Angelica that he would sit with their son while she took a break. She had not given herself a rest alternating between taking care of the twins and taking care of Henrik Finn. But Angelica hesitated to leave his side. "I thought you might say that," he said, and walked into their bedroom. He returned moments later with a glass, bit into his wrist and let it fill with his blood. He handed her the glass and waited until she finished the entire contents. He took the glass from her and then asked her, "Please, my darling, take a break. The twins are sleeping and won't need to be fed for a little while, our son is not going anywhere, and there is plenty of hot water in the house for you to take a nice, relaxing hot shower. I'd like for you to get some sleep, but I realize that is probably not going to happen." She smiled and looked toward their bedroom. Elijah had been smart indeed in moving everything adjacent to their bedroom. She did not have to go far, and everything was in ear shot. "Alright, I won't be long," she said as she kissed Elijah on the cheek before slipping away into their bedroom. Moment later he heard the shower turn on. Elijah soon saw the tell-tale steam making its way into the room from her scalding hot shower. "Success," he said to an unconscious Henrik Finn, as Elijah settled into the chair with a book and waited for her eventual return, then added, "Next we will see if I can actually convince your mother to get some sleep in our bed while I stay up with you and the children tonight. I knew she had bottles ready, so she will not have a leg on which to stand."

When Angelica returned to the room, Elijah made his move. She resisted but he had truly left her no argument to win. He would sit up with Henrik Finn and the twins. He would handle the nighttime feedings with the bottles she already prepared. And the connecting door would remain open so if anything changed, he would wake her. He took a moment to tuck her into their bed, kissed her on the forehead and then turned off the light. The light from the connecting room intruding into the darkness of their bedroom. "I love you, my darling," he said, then added, "Sweet dreams." Angelica had not realized how fatigued she truly was and fell asleep quickly. Elijah settled in for the night in the chair, happy that for once he had out-maneuvered his wife who was usually several moves ahead of him.

For three weeks Angelica and Elijah traded off caring for the twins and Henrik Finn. She would take the day shift and he would take the night shift. As the sun rose on the twenty-first day of dragon sleep, Henrik Finn opened his eyes. Angelica was awakened by her own son, and she threw her arms around his neck. Henrik Finn was better, he had dealt with and reconciled his grief. He was in a better frame of mind to care for his children and took over the night feedings using the bottles Angelica prepared for him during the daytime. The nursery was restored next to Henrik Finn's bedroom and as he leaned into the crib to gaze at his children, he announced to Elijah and Angelica that he had selected the babies' names: Jace for his son and Kellan for his daughter.