Stefan had spent the next two weeks in the hospital recovering when the doctor finally agreed to let him go home and finish recovering. Stefan was ecstatic while Elena was dreading it. He had good, professional care at the hospital. Elena on the other hand had no idea what she was doing. What if she missed something and he died right there in front of her? What if he got worse and had to go back to the hospital because she was such a terrible caretaker?
Lily had been more confident than Elena when hearing the news that Stefan could go home. Lily got to sit on the doctor's desk and he let her play with his stethoscope and taught her how to use it even. He went over all of the signs that she should look for and what to do if she thought something was wrong. Then the doctor had given her a sticker and Lily jumped down from the desk acting as if she had just graduated from medical school - top of her class.
Elena almost wished that Lily was over at the house with them. Being alone with Stefan when he was still pretty weak was horrifying. Stefan continuously tried to ease her worries and told her they should come up with a code word just in case he felt like he was dying so that she would know when to call 911. This had only made Elena want to cry and he felt so bad about it that Lily had suggested he buy Elena ice cream to make up for it. Stefan ended up buying Lily ice cream too which he was not quite sure how that happened, but it did. Elena hadn't wanted her ice cream so Lily got two.
That wasn't the only thing Elena was stressing about. The company she worked for was being extremely flexible and understanding with her, allowing her to get her work done from where she was. But she could tell that they were starting to wonder if she could keep up with everything going on. She had been hired to do work in LA. That was what was in her contract. It was only a matter of time before they brought this up.
Elena hadn't discussed any of this with Stefan, deciding to keep the conversation light when she did spend time with him. She knew that she loved Stefan and that she wanted to be with him, but the thought of giving up her new job was troubling her. She figured there wasn't much of a chance that the company would allow her to remain in Mystic Falls and continue to do her work over the internet and the phone.
So, it was either give up Stefan or give up her new job. Neither of which she wanted to do, but Stefan meant more to her. She sighed as she carried the glass of water back upstairs so Stefan could take his medication.
Stefan was lying on his bed propped up against a few fluffy pillows. He had changed into a clean pair of sweats and a new t-shirt. Although she was stressed and worried about him being home with only her, she had to admit, he looked a lot happier. He was so miserable at the hospital, being poked and prodded all day long. Not to mention, he told her the hospital food would kill him faster than his liver. Elena wondered if her cooking might kill him faster though. Takeout would be their new best friend until he could cook again. He smiled even more when he saw her. "It's time to take this" she said, handing him the glass of water as she opened up a bottle and dumped a tiny pill out.
Stefan took the pill without any complaints, mainly because he had sworn up and down that he would do anything and everything Elena said as long as he could come home. So, he took the pill quietly, all the while enjoying the fact that he was home with Elena. "Thank you" he said.
"Do you need anything else?" she asked, placing the back of her hand on his forehead to check for a fever. She had done that about ten times since they had been home. But Stefan didn't say anything.
Stefan grabbed her hand and tugged her forward on top of him. "Yes" he said, his hands wandering down and holding on to her hips. He leaned up slightly and kissed her with much need.
While Elena quite enjoyed the attention he was seeking, she knew better. And so did he. He was eagerly trying to remind her of what he wanted when she pulled away from him. "You are supposed to be resting. Doctor's orders" she warned.
"Then we can take it easy" he said, smiling even more as he reached for her again.
Elena shook her head and grabbed his hands to stop him. "Not until the doctor says you are well enough" she said.
Stefan pulled his hands out of hers and crossed his arms. He looked past her and was clearly silently pouting. "You'll survive" she smiled lightly, leaning in to kiss his forehead quickly before she got up. "I'm going to try and get a little work done. You should try and sleep" she added, crawling off of him and the bed.
On her way out, she turned to look at him and saw that he was still pouting. She shut the light off and shut the door, all the while shaking her head at how ridiculous he was being. Though she knew quite well that Stefan was used to getting his way.
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"Elennnnnnnnnnnnnaaaaaaaaa!" Stefan yelled a few hours later. He was perfectly capable of getting up out of bed and getting her, but he was told to stay in bed and rest, so that was what he was doing.
Elena came into the room a few minutes later. "Is something wrong?" she asked, sleepiness present in her voice.
"It's almost eleven o'clock" he stated. "Are you coming to bed?" he asked.
"I'm aware of the time, Stefan" she said with a long sigh. "I have some more work to finish up" she added, walking over to the bed. "You should be sleeping right now" she told him, pulling the covers up and tucking them under his chin.
Stefan sighed. "I can't sleep" he told her. "This bed is too empty."
Elena took a turn to sigh. She really wanted to get her work done. "Just give me a few minutes to shut everything down" she told him. Stefan smiled. He always got his way eventually. She turned and began to leave. "Wipe that smile off of your face or I'll be sleeping across the hall" she called over her shoulder. But Stefan continued to smile.
When Elena did return, she slipped into her favorite pair of pajama bottoms and a tank top. Stefan watched her closely, trying to decide on how best to seduce her and to prove that he was just perfectly fine to do certain bedroom activities. Elena opened the covers and crawled in to bed. Stefan immediately put his arms around her and pulled her close. He began slowly kissing the back of her neck and occasionally moving to the back of her shoulder. Elena really wasn't surprised. She knew he would try as hard as he could to get her to forget all about what the doctor had said. "What are you thinking about?" he asked, resting his chin on her shoulder finally when he realized she just wasn't into his advances.
Elena sighed. "I have to go back to Los Angeles for a few days" she stated. She felt Stefan's arms tighten around her so she turned to face him. "I think I have to quit" she said, looking at him for some sort of reaction. "It isn't working" she sighed again.
Stefan just stared at her for a moment. He wanted nothing more than for her to stay put in Mystic Falls with him. But at the same time, he wanted her to be happy and her job seemed to make her happy. "I don't want you to quit because of me" he told her quietly. "You love your job. And if I have to fly out there during the week and fly us back here for the weekend, I'll do it" he promised.
Elena smiled at his attempt to sacrifice so much for her. But she shook her head. "I appreciate that, Stefan. But that's no way to live" she said. Elena grabbed his face in her hands and looked at him closely. "That's not the way I want us to live" she said, leaning in and kissing him softly.
"You love your job" he stated, resting his forehead against hers.
"I love you more" Elena corrected. "You should try and get some sleep" she added before he could say anything. Elena rolled back over and faced away from him, though she didn't pull away from him. She closed her eyes and tried to will all of the stress out of her mind.
Stefan couldn't fall asleep though, not when he felt like he was holding her back from doing what she really wanted to do. She had a degree now and she needed to put it to good use. Elena was so different from Katherine. She didn't want to his little housewife who spent every day spending his money. Although Elena did not have to work for the finances, she needed to work to keep from going crazy.
He made a mental note to call his uncle the next day and see if there was any way the company could work Elena in. He had to do something because he refused to be that husband that made his wife so unhappy that she would end up hating him.
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Elena felt something warm on her forehead. She stirred slightly before opening her eyes slowly and seeing that it was Stefan, kissing her good morning. He was smiling down at her from where he was leaning over her. "Good morning" he said, placing his next kiss on her lips ever so slowly.
"Morning" Elena smiled, feeling extremely happy for the first time in a while. All thoughts about her job went out the door for the moment by seeing his smiling face smiling down at her. "What are you doing up out of bed?" she asked, sitting up slightly.
"I made you breakfast" he told her. He saw her eyes narrow and knew that a lecture was coming. "And then I thought ..." he said, leaning back down and kissing her neck slowly. Anything to distract her, he thought. "We could spend the morning in the hot tub" he whispered just under her ear. It was a beautiful spring day and he figured spending the day outside, with Elena, would be the perfect start to his recovery at home.
Elena shook her head. "First" she said, pushing on his chest so that he could no longer kiss her. His kisses could make her cave far too quickly. "You should not have made me breakfast because you are supposed to be in bed" she reminded him. "Second, you do not need to be outside in a hot tub when you should be inside resting like the doctor said" she told him. "How do you expect to get better when you are up running around?" she asked him.
Stefan sighed. "Spending time with you. Being able to be close to you. Touching and holding you is what is making me feel better" he told her, looking so deep into her eyes that she half thought about forgetting all about the doctor's orders and pulling Stefan on top of her. "I miss you, Elena. I just want to be with you" he said with the most sincere eyes she had ever seen.
He held her eyes with such intensity that it was making her melt. Right into the puddle that he wanted her to be. "Damn you" she breathed out.
Stefan smiled triumphantly as he reached over and grabbed the tray of food he had prepared for her. "I'm so glad you came around to the idea" he said, continuing to smile.
Elena took a small bite of her pancake sitting before her. She wished she could cook as well as him. "I don't have a swim suit though" she said.
"I never said you needed one" Stefan grinned. She smacked his leg. "That only turns me on more when you smack me" he told her.
Elena playfully glared at him as she took a drink of her orange juice. "Maybe Lily wants to come over and hang out with us" she suggested playfully.
Stefan's excitement seemed to diminish instantly. He loved his niece more than anything, but with her around, there definitely would be no sexy time between him and Elena. "She's got a play date today" Stefan lied.
"Oh" Elena said. "How about I call and make sure it wasn't canceled or something" Elena said, reaching over for her phone on the nightstand.
Stefan's hand quickly caught hers and she gave him an amused look. He leaned over her again, careful to avoid the pancakes, and kissed her with so much passion that she thought he quite literally might have taken her breath away. Elena had dropped her fork by this point and was clutching tightly to his shirt just to make sure he wouldn't move. Stefan had his hands behind her back, lifting her up slightly so that he could get her as close as possible. When he ended the kiss, he rested his forehead against hers and smiled at how breathless she was. "I want you all to myself today" he whispered, just as breathless.
All Elena could do was nod because no words would have come out even if she had tried to talk. The things that man could do to her. Screw the kid. Elena wanted Stefan all to herself today too.