Edgewalkers

Something is off and it's not just my health system

I started to increasingly feel worse throughout the day, holding back coughs more and more often and disturbing class by sneezing loudly. My classmates started to be annoyed, except for Rebekah, who was not only sympathetic but furthermore concerned about me. There was still no word from Stefan and on top of that, my head had started pounding. It was like my body was trying to wear me down and it worked pretty well.

"Elijah said that I would have to make dinner this evening because he had to talk to a business partner, and I was like: You know what, how about we just grab dinner at a restaurant or visit Cami at the bar?" Rebekah rambled on.

We were working in pairs and had already finished our task. However, I wasn't really present, I could barely concentrate. My stomach had started acting up ten minutes ago and my only thought was to lie down and get some rest. Gently, I rubbed my temples in circular motion.

Rebekah shook her head at me. "You know what, Caroline! That is it!" she declared and snapped me out of my doze-like state.
"What do you mean?" I asked confused.
"You are clearly not feeling well, and I will not have it any longer. Go home! Get some rest!" she stated and seeing my displeased face, she added, "That's an order!"

"I'll miss class," I complained quietly.
"You already kind of are. You cannot concentrate anyways." She was right about that one. "And you have to be fit on Saturday! You're not standing my brother up!"
With a sigh, I gave up. "Fine. I'll go."

To be completely honest, I was happy she forced me to leave. I would probably never have gone on my own.
With an aching stomach and another cough attack, I excused myself and soon enough, I was home.

As I had already planned, I first of all got some sleep. After I had woken up again, I felt just a tad better and decided to make some tea for my sore throat. Snuggled up in blankets and pillows, I made myself comfortable on the sofa. With a snuffle, I took my phone out of my bags and put it screen up next to me. Softly, I blew onto the tea to help it cool down faster. Then, I set it on the table in front of me and took another look at my phone.

Still no message from Stefan, Elena, or Bonnie. So, what now? I could read something. Most definitely, I shouldn't push my head too much. But if I used my phone for a short period of time, I should be fine, right? Because I had just seen that Tyler was online. I decided to chat him up since our last conversation hadn't been that informative and it would be good to catch up with the boy abroad.

A second later, I was on the phone with my friend.

"Stefan? Hey, oh my god, why are you just now contacting me?" I greeted him hastily. "I have been worried all day!"
"Hello to you too. I'm sorry, but I was needed elsewhere," he replied, his voice calm and tired yet a bit worked up as if he had been stressed since our last talk.

"At the hospital? Are the girls alright? What is up with Jeremy? Elena said something about him a few days ago!" I spit out words as fast as I could, longing for answers.

"Did she? She didn't mention that to me. Maybe she talked to Damon about it," Stefan only whispered the last part, causing me to question whether or not the two had some relationship trouble at the moment. I sincerely hoped not since those two were couple goals for me. "Jeremy was in an accident."
"He was what?"

"We don't think it was entirely one though," Stefan revealed. "Elena and Bonnie both said he was acting weird a few days before, apparently he blabbered on about some trade he thought he witnessed but didn't fully remember. Then, suddenly, a truck rolled backwards and hit him. The driver fled the scene of the crime without hesitation. Jeremy is in critical condition, which is why he was put into a coma."

I almost chocked on my own breath. Jeremy was in a coma? No wonder Elena and Bonnie were out of their minds.

"How are the girls holding up?" I whispered, almost not daring to speak in the face of the heavy information I had just received.
"They are worried, understandably so. Both haven't left his side for days. Alaric got them to catch some sleep for a few hours, afterwards they were right back at his side."

Alaric was a good friend of Elena's family. He had dated Elena's aunt until she had sadly passed away.

"Just a bit over half a year after Jenna's incident," I said quietly. "And I'm not even there to be by their side."
"Don't blame yourself for this. That doesn't help anyone," Stefan rightly reminded me. "The best thing you can do is to get better yourself, you sound a bit sick. I'll tell them your with them in thoughts."

"Okay," I sighed sniffing. "Please also let them know, I love them."
"I will," he promised. "I will keep you updated as good as I can. Take care, Caroline."
"Sure. Send my regards," I once again repeated. I couldn't stress this enough. How could this have happened? What trade did Jeremy remember?

I put away my phone after having ended the call. No doubt, I'd had enough of bad news for today. With my tea and blanket, I tried to keep my thoughts positive by watching comedy stand-ups on Netflix. I wasn't feeling healthy enough to go to school tomorrow, which meant I would stay home until my headache and constant sneezes had vanished. Hopefully, staying home wouldn't make me go crazy

Clean Version Chat Conversation:
Caroline: Hey Ty. How are you? I'm sorry I ended our conversation so abruptly last time, I was really tired.
Tyler: Hi Care! I'm fine, how about you? And no worries, I get it. Time Zones and all.
Caroline: Exactly. I'm sick, unfortunately. Caught a cold.
Tyler: Oh no! I hope you get better soon
Caroline: Thank you. Please tell me you have some interesting news to distract me from my misery?
Tyler: Usually, I'd say, it's just good ol' Germany over here but this last week was crazy!
Caroline: As in how?
Tyler: We were just out chilling and drinking some beer, and I already thought that this one dude who stood rather close to us was behaving strangely. Suddenly, the police rolls up and the dude's face drops. He tries to play it cool but then, they approach him and he starts sprinting! They caught him easily. Police found quite an amount of drugs on him, though he claims he was pressured into selling them. Couldn't remember who he was given them by apparently. It was super bizarre.
Caroline: Holy shit! That's quite a story.
Tyler: Tell me about it! Never have I ever seen such an arrest before!
Caroline: How crazy would it be if there was an entire drug network?
Tyler: Right? But I don't think so. Authorities said the drug wasn't yet know on the market in Germany. It has got to be something foreign. Noone even know what the drug does to you.
Caroline: Maybe just get you high?
Tyler: Could be. So, that's my big news! You got any?
Caroline: Not like you. New Orleans is nice, I found a few friends here though they are pretty loaded.
Tyler: Ia it a well known family?
Caroline: They are here at least. Their last name is Mikaelson.
Tyler: Mikaelson... I think Stefan mentioned that name once.
Caroline: Are you serious?
Tyler: Yeah, but I could be mistaken.
Caroline: Oh my god, speaking of the devil! He just texted me if I was free to call now. I'm sorry, I don't want to cut you off again but this is important, I got to call him asap!
Tyler: Okay, I'll talk to you soon. Got to sleep now anyways. See you!