The Promised One (Klaus Mikaelson/The Vampire Diaries)

Chapter Seventeen

Madeline opened her eyes to once again find herself laying in a hospital bed, with Jenna reading a magazine beside her. This time, however, she was hooked up to a drip.

As she opened her mouth to demand that she be discharged, she stopped herself however. Something in her mind clicked, "I need help."

Jenna looked up at her eldest niece, and put the magazine on the trolley slash table at the side of the bed.

"I'm scared."

"I know, Maddie. We are too." Jenna replied honestly, "We've been worried about you for a long time now...but we didn't quite realise how bad this had gotten. It's my fault-"

"-It's no one's fault, but my own." Madeline sniffled as she interrupted her Aunt. "I thought I was handling it. But now I know, I can't do this alone."

"What do you want to do?"

"I don't know." Madeline took a deep breath and rubbed the tears from her eyes, "Where are Lee and Jem?"

"I made them go to school this morning." Jenna replied, "They left the hospital a few hours ago. Elena must've called Damon, I passed him in the hall after I went to the cafe to get a coffee."

Madeline shook her head, "I don't remember seeing him."

"You must've still been asleep."

The younger woman nodded in agreement, "Have the doctors said anything? Anything they can suggest to help me?"

"I was waiting for you to wake up." She explained, "You're twenty-one this year, so I wanted you to make the decision. I know that's what you've been wanting to do."

Madeline smiled at her aunt, appreciative, "Thank you."

"Do you want me to get the doctor, for a chat?"

"Yes, please."

As Jenna left the hospital room, Madeline contemplated on the reason that made her want to change her mind about the situation she had found herself in. But she just couldn't put a finger on it! For the life of her, she didn't know. Perhaps it was just time to do it.

Jenna arrived with the doctor, and returned to her seat as the man smiled towards Madeline.

"Miss Gilbert, I'm Doctor Greene."

He asked her a few questions on how she was feeling, how long she had been going through her anorexia before he got down to business.

"There's a clinic a few hours outside of Mystic Falls," He began, "For the anorexic and bulimic. They are patient, helpful, and understanding. With an incredibly high success rate." He handed the brunette a leaflet, "They don't pressure you into anything, nor do they tell you what to do. Everything they do here is to help you and support you. They have a team of counsellors, nutritionists, and other staff there to ensure you have the best help."

Madeline nodded, "How long would I be there for?"

"It's for as long as you need, Miss Gilbert." He reassured her, "You can be there for a month, you can be there for a year - it's up to you." He looked between the two. "I would advise that you take this opportunity, I believe it would help you immensely."

Madeline looked to Jenna, and something within her mind clicked with positivity, "I need to do this." She said, "I want to get better."

"If you're sure, I'll sign the paperwork."

Madeline nodded without hesitation. She couldn't think of a single excuse to postpone the clinic. "I'm sure. How soon can I go?"

"It'll take a couple of days for the paperwork to go through." The doctor replied, "We like to ensure that all of our patients can start their journey to recovery as soon as possible."