The Devil In Me

Chapter 23

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When Caroline next awoke, she surged upright in bed, already turning to the side to check on Klaus's pulse and breath. Her hands met cool, empty sheets and she cried out. Her eyes dazed and wild, she struggled to take in the new surroundings, a plush bed, sitting in a light and airy chamber. A plush empty bed... except herself. Panic shot through her, and she pushed the covers back and stood, feeling the thick, soft carpet under the soles of her feet, it was disorientating. She looked harder at the room, she was certain she had never seen it before. She suddenly felt faint, and sat back down on the edge of the bed. Her whole body felt limp, and wrung out. She noticed a window, and pulling herself out of her daze, she limped toward it, holding on to the wall as she went.

The street below was a mix of grey pavement, white marble houses and wrought iron fencing. There were trees lining the pavement of each side of the street, and a couple of carriage moved sedately along the way. London. She was back in London, in an unknown house, with no idea where her husband was. Wincing that the light she pulled the curtains shut and swayed against them, trying to calm her pounding heart. Elijah, and Kol and Bonnie.. they had come for them. She had thought them fever dreams of a dying woman. She remembered nothing of the carriage ride back to London, or even how they had gotten from the cabin onto a more stable road.

Klaus. His name a whisper of worry behind every heartbeat. Where was he? Was he recovering? Had he eaten? Was someone taking care of him? The questions bombarded her and she groaned covering her face with her hands. What if he had not been able to be saved? What if she hadn't had a chance to say goodbye? The thoughts drove her to a warm looking dressing gown, lying by the bed. She carefully put it on, the heavy fabric settling on her diminished frame like a weight, and slipped her feet into slippers. She started toward the door, and then stopped in shock, as she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. A stranger stared back. One with eyes too big for a gaunt face, cheek bones a mantle over deep hollows. Her neck poked up from her dressing gown like a stick, and she wondered how it could support her skull, the shape of which had become uncomfortably obvious.

She turned away from the mirror and left the room, coming into a wide and gracious hallway, decorated in light tones, full of plants and art. She thought how it reminded her of Westmere, and she realised how much she missed that secluded place, how much it had come to feel like home. She stayed close to the hall, walking along, she found herself at the end of a corridor, and started in the direction of more doors. The house was quiet, a heavy, expectant sort of quiet, only interrupted by the calm ticking of an enormous clock half way along the hall. She came to another door, and gently, turned the handle, peaking in. It was a lady's dressing room, complete with a bathtub. She brought her head out, and closed the door, and kept on going. Suddenly, she heard voices downstairs, they seemed to come from directly below her, and she froze, straining to hear.

"He sustained a serious injury. It is a miracle they survived as long as they did. Over ten days, it is an impressive feat. That young woman must have worked herself to the bone to see them through it."

"Will they recover?"

"Lady Mikaelson should make a full recovery, she is suffering from lack of food, and prolonged strain. She needs rest, for her mind and her body. However, she is very frail at present, if she were to catch an illness... I could not guarantee her health."

"And Lord Niklaus?" the voices moved away, and Caroline recognised Elijah's soft timbre. She moved to the railing at the top of the stairs in an effort to hear.

"His recovery is less certain. He has been fighting infection, that much is clear, though it has not made itself manifest in the body, which is good. He is very weak, the conditions and lack of food hardly aiding his body in the fight. He seems to be hanging on through sheer will, and there is a lot to be said for that-" the doctor hesitated, and Caroline dug her finger's into the bannister, listening intently.