˖*°࿐chapter twenty four.
xxiv. SOMETHING WICCA THIS WAY GOES
———
"Kai," Janelle whispered in a rough tone.
Her mind was all over the place as she continued to cough uncontrollably from the smoke she was inhaling. Her eyes began to droop as her will to break the chains, and strength grew weaker.
There was a faint pounding coming from the door, but Janelle wasn't sure it was real, or not. It was like someone was trying to break in. Janelle swore she heard someone yell out her name, but once again she wasn't entirely sure.
The noise stopped for a second, and then the door was busted down to reveal Kai.
"Janelle," he said in relief, rushing in to get her, but his path was blocked. Kai used a spell to put out the fire and avoided stepping on the broken glass that was spread out all over the floor.
He unlocked Janelle's chains and pushed her body up. "Come on, Janelle. Wake up."
"Kai," she croaked, reaching out to grab his hand.
"Yeah," he assured her. "Yeah, it's me. I'm right here. Can you walk?"
She nodded, feeling the oxygen getting to her lungs, "Just get me out of here."
Kai urgently wrapped Janelle's arm loosely around his neck and got her onto her feet. He helped her get past the floor in the room, and the two of them made it out to the hallway.
"Your brothers are downstairs waiting," Kai told her.
Just as they were about to turn the corner, Davina appeared in front of them. "Motis."
Janelle flew out of Kai's grip, and she was thrown into the wall beside her, landing on a small table that broke underneath her.
Kai was at her side in an instant as Janelle groaned and rolled onto her back. "Janelle, are you okay?"
She felt something wet on her fingertips, and there was a sharp pain in her lower abdomen as she tried to sit up. Janelle knew it was blood, but the only problem was she didn't feel her wound healing.
"M-My baby," Janelle trembled as her hands shook in worry. "What did you do?!" she screamed, scrambling to get to Davina.
Damon heard his sister's voice just as he was extracting a werewolf's heart. He dropped his current task and flashed up the stairs. He stood behind Davina, and before she had the chance to turn around, Damon had already snapped her neck.
"Damon, she's bleeding," Kai told him, and Damon was quick to bite into his wrist.
Janelle clutched his arm and gulped down the blood. But the large cut on her stomach wasn't going away, and that made Damon panic. "Why isn't it working?"
Stefan vamped right in beside his sister. "I'll call Cassandra."
"You can't," Janelle's eyes glazed over as she shook her head. "She's dead. Your best bet right now is to get me to the hospital." She breathed out, becoming lightheaded all of a sudden. "I-It's to save the baby."
"Janelle?" Damon shook her shoulders. When she didn't respond, he cursed, "Damn it."
Damon took Janelle into his arms and carried her out of the house that was now full of dead bodies.
They didn't come this far just to lose her now.
———
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Janelle's eyes fluttered open to the constant noise that was going off beside her. Her head was throbbing, and the slightest movement hurt. She blinked a couple of times, hoping to see something, but unfortunately, she didn't.
Janelle was still blind.
"Nelle?" There was a tight grip on Janelle's hand, letting her know that she wasn't alone. "Oh, thank God," Kai's voice was groggy due to the exhaustion of what he went through the other day and staying up all night by Janelle's side.
He wanted to be there when she woke up.
Janelle wondered how long he was here with her, but she couldn't build up the courage to ask, "Am I in the hospital?"
"Yes. Can't you —" Kai paused, furrowing his eyebrows. He saw that Janelle's eyes were open, yet he didn't understand how she didn't know where she was. "You can't see?"
Janelle shook her head, sadly, "Esther cast a spell that took away my vision, and only she can reverse it. Please tell me you guys got her."
"No," Kai said, disappointed. "She escaped before your brothers could grab her."
"Well, you need to find her," she said. "I don't want to be like this forever."
"Hey," Kai whispered. "We'll get her. I promise."
Janelle sighed, trying to push herself up from the pillows, but she ended up wincing from the pain. She almost forgot about the large scar she had on her stomach.
"Careful," Kai warned. His hand was cold, which caused a shiver to run down her spine. "I'm gonna go get Jo, okay? Maybe she can give you some painkillers."
Janelle nodded, relief washing over her because Jo was the doctor who would be attending to her. She wouldn't have wanted someone else that would throw a bunch of questions at her that she couldn't necessarily answer.
Just when Janelle thought Kai was about to leave, he leaned down and pressed his lips against her cheek. Her breath hitched in her throat, and then he was gone.
Janelle hated getting nervous around him. It was embarrassing.
She sat in her hospital bed for a few minutes by herself and just waited. There was a soft knock on the door, followed by footsteps. "Stefan?"
"Yeah," Stefan replied as he came in closer, taking a seat in the chair Kai was previously in. "How'd you know it was me?"
"Well, you shuffle your feet," Janelle shrugged. "You're a shuffler."
Stefan chuckled and grabbed her hand. "Looks like your other senses are already taking over for your vision." Janelle brought her head up in question. "Kai told me," he added.
"Um," she cleared her throat. "Where's Damon?"
"He, uh —" Stefan opened his mouth to answer, but then closed it, not knowing what to say to his sister. "He just needed to take a minute to himself. He'll be here soon."
Janelle could sense the hesitation in Stefan's tone. He was hiding something from her, and she didn't like it. She knew Damon would eventually tell her, but it still made her upset not to know now.
"And Klaus?" she asked.
"On his way."
"Janelle?" Jo smiled as she entered the room. "I'm glad to see that you're up. How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay. For the most part," Janelle tried to laugh as she fiddled with Stefan's daylight ring. "Did you bring me those painkillers?"
"Yes, and I also got the results back from your blood tests and x-rays. Aside from a few stitches and two broken ribs, you should be fine. I've set up a prescription for you to help with the healing process, but it's up to you if you want it. I wasn't too sure if you were going to opt for taking vampire blood."
"I think I'll take my chances with the pills," Janelle commented.
"And as for your vision —"
Janelle cut her off, saying, "You don't need to explain that Jo. I'm well aware of what happened to me and how I can fix it."
"Right," Jo nodded. "But you should know, there is a rehabilitation center just down the road that specializes in helping people adjust to these kinds of disabilities."
"Jo, I'm not an invalid. I'm pretty sure I'll survive on my own."
Jo scribbled some notes down onto her clipboard. "Well, I'll be back in about 30 minutes to check your vitals. I advise that you rest up for now."
"When can she go home?" Stefan asked Jo just when she was about to leave.
Jo turned to him, "Most likely tomorrow. I want to keep her overnight though for observations."
Janelle didn't like the sound of that. She wanted to go home today. She hated hospitals, and all the blood tests, and waiting, especially when it came to the food.
A thought finally came to Janelle as she just now realized something. Something that she only now remembered and was very important.
"Jo, wait," Janelle stopped her again. "What about the baby? Is she okay?"
Stefan sent a look to Jo before putting his head down. "Uh, Nelle —"
"Don't 'Nelle' me, Stefan. I want to know if she's okay."
Stefan went to protest again but decided not to. He sat back in his chair with a deep sigh.
Jo bit the inside of her cheek. "Janelle, I hate having to be the one to tell you this, but..." She trailed off, struggling to find a way to say what she had to.
"What?" Janelle demanded. "What, Jo? Tell me."
"Janelle, I'm so sorry." Jo had only just begun, but Janelle had already stopped listening.
She already knew what Jo was going to say.
Her chin was warbling as her eyes grew wet and foggy. Janelle's breathing became uneven, and she was no longer paying attention to reality. She was crying, but Janelle couldn't even feel the tension in her jaw, or the tears sliding down her cheeks. They burned, but she was completely numb.
Janelle couldn't even hear herself over the pain that took leadership over her body. She clutched the side of the bed as she felt this heavyweight being pushed onto her chest.
Her heart was breaking.
After everything she's done to get to this point, it was all suddenly being ripped away from her. From the risk of stripping away her vampirism to learning how to be a witch and adjusting to a human life again, to almost getting killed every other day once she was pregnant.
Everything Janelle fought to get the child she always wanted, was all for nothing.
There was this void in Janelle's heart now.
She felt like a part of her was now missing.
She felt empty.
"Wha — What," Janelle stammered as she shut her eyes to blink away the tears that ultimately kept coming back. "W-What happened?"
"You were in that burning room for a long time, Janelle. The fire overheated your body and raised your temperature. You weren't getting enough oxygen in your lungs, and it.."
Janelle felt like she was being chipped away. Slowly, cracks were appearing on her surface, getting broader and deeper, but she didn't break entirely until Jo uttered the words that she never thought she would be unlucky enough to hear.
"The baby is gone, Janelle."
And that was it.
That was all it took for Janelle to breakdown.
She covered her mouth with her hand, screaming as she fought to let go. The pain wracking at her heart was too much to bear. Jo and Stefan begged Janelle to calm down, but there was no point. Their words were unable to be registered.
All Janelle could think about was the baby she would never see.
Never get to hold.
Never get to touch.
Never get to kiss.
Never get to watch grow old.
Stefan wrapped his arms around Janelle's shoulders, pulling her up against him as he brought himself next to her on the hospital bed. Janelle buried her head in Stefan's chest, grasping onto his jacket as her nails dug into the fabric of his shirt.
Janelle let out her frustrations and anguish on her little brother while he rubbed her back, still trying to calm her down. "Shh. It's going to be okay."
"No, it's n-not," Janelle disagreed, her voice cracking a bit at the end. "This is all my fault. If I w-wouldn't have been so reckless —"
"You told her," Damon frowned as he stood in the doorway.
Jo sadly nodded and then excused herself to them all a minute to themselves.
Damon went around to the other side of Janelle's bed and hugged her close. "This isn't your fault, Janelle. It's Esther's. She's the one who's responsible for this, not you, all right? I know how badly you wanted to have a child, but you can't blame yourself for something you had no control over."
"I-I have to tell Klaus," Janelle mumbled.
"He knows already. Don't worry; he'll be here," Stefan assured her.
"Actually, he's won't," Damon piped in. "I just got off the phone with him. He's tracking down Esther."
Janelle sniffled. "I don't care if he's in some revenge fantasy right now. I need him."
———
a few days later
Janelle, still heartbroken over the recent loss of her child, had stayed in her bedroom all day and all night since she returned home from the hospital.
The only time she got up was to use the bathroom or shower. She refused to eat, sleep was out of the question, and she barely worked up the effort to talk to anyone.
As for Klaus, he was still out looking for Esther. He visited Janelle in the hospital and comforted her, but by the next morning, he was gone. Janelle hadn't seen him since. She's not even sure if he was still in Mystic Falls.
At the moment, Janelle was curled up on her loveseat by the window with a blanket wrapped around her. She kept trying to imagine what the view looked like, even though she had stared out that window a hundred times before.
There was a soft knock on the door when Damon came in. "Hey. I brought you something to eat."
"If it's pancakes again, I'm gonna throw them at you," Janelle said. "And trust me when I say, I don't need my vision to get a good aim."
Damon chuckled, happy to see that his sister was slowly getting back to being her normal self. She was obviously still upset, but it wasn't as bad as the days prior.
"I was just letting you know I was gonna be heading out soon. Is there anyone you want me to call, so you don't have the house to yourself?"
"Stefan's not here?" she asked.
"Nope. He didn't come home last night." Damon replied.
Janelle began to wonder if she should tag along with Damon, but she didn't want him to feel like he had to babysit her because of her condition continually. Then again, she just recently learned her way around her own room, Janelle didn't want to risk getting lost throughout the big house.
She didn't want to bother any of the girls, and Klaus wasn't exactly an option right now. Jo was probably working, so that really only left one other person.
"What about Kai?" she suggested.
Damon furrowed his eyebrows, "Seriously? I thought you didn't want him around."
Janelle shrugged her shoulders, "That was then. I kinda need to talk to him anyways."
"I'll send him up." He kissed her head and left.
Wait, he's here? Why was he here? Janelle thought as her eyes widened.
It wasn't more than three minutes before Kai showed up in her doorway. He smiled when he saw Janelle just gazing out the window with a look of concentration set on her face. He watched her for a few moments, just admiring her very presence.
Kai placed a hand on her shoulder, signaling that he was there before lifting her feet and laying them in his lap. "Damon said you asked for me. Is there anything you need? Something you want me to get?"
"No," Janelle slightly laughed. "I just wanted to talk. And to say thank you for saving me. You know, again."
"As I said before, letting you die isn't an option for me," he reminded her. "I just wish I could've done something to save the —"
Janelle shook her head while reaching for Kai's hand, "There wasn't anything you, me, or anyone could've done. As much as I wanted to prevent having to go through something like this, I've also come to learn that everything happens for a reason." At this point, Janelle finally realized she was crying when she felt a single teardrop fall onto the sleeve of her sweater. "I just haven't figured out what it is yet."
Kai thumb brush over her cheeks as he whispered, "I'm so sorry."
"Don't be. I've had enough people tell me that for the past few days now. Saying sorry isn't going to change the past. What's done is done."
Kai bit his lip as he moved his hand away from Janelle, "Right."
"But since we're already on the topic of the past, there is something you should know. For the last week, I've been getting these flashbacks of you... and me — when we were together," she clarified. "I didn't get why at first, but then it started to make sense. So I have a question to ask you. But I need you to be honest with me. No games, no running away, just the truth."
"Okay," he nodded.
Janelle took a deep breath and then exhaled, "Why didn't you tell me we were engaged?"
"I-I didn't think it mattered," he replied. "You moved on with your life; I wasn't going to deny you of that. It probably wouldn't have even made a difference if I did decide to tell you."
"You didn't think it mattered?" Janelle scoffed, feeling somewhat offended. "Well, it does matter — to me, Kai. I think I have the right to know that our relationship was a lot more serious than you led on. Why couldn't you just tell me?"
"Because I couldn't tell you," he shook his head.
"Why?" she repeated.
"Because I wanted you to be happy!" Kai suddenly shouted, standing up from his position on the couch. "That's all I've ever wanted for you. It may sound stupid, but it's how I feel. Yes, I'm in love with you. And yes, I want you to pick me instead of him, but I'm not going to force you to make that decision because I love you. It breaks my heart to see you with someone else other than me, but that doesn't mean I want you to give up on that happiness, especially when you're not even sure of your true feelings for me." Kai paused to catch his breath as Janelle gaped at him. "There, I said it. Is that what you wanted to hear, Janelle?"
"I-I..." Janelle was beyond speechless. She had no idea that this was how Kai truly felt, and now that she did, she didn't know how she was meant to process all of it at once. "I don't know what you want me to say."
"Then, don't say anything," he whispered.
Janelle gasped when she felt his warm lips meet her own. She was taken by surprise, but she responded almost immediately.
Kai was now back on the couch as snaked his arms around Janelle's waist to pull her on top of him. She gripped his shirt tightly with her fingers and brought him closer if that was even possible.
Janelle knew she shouldn't have been doing this, but at that moment she didn't care.
She needed someone.