Damon walked through the hospital corridor, his footsteps echoing against the polished floor. The sharp scent of antiseptic filled the air.
"Liz, I came as soon as I got your massage. Is everything ok?"
Liz looked exhausted, her face pale and tight with worry.
"She is in the surgery. It's.... they are doing everything they can. And the doctors don't know what is wrong with aaron. They are saying his body is dropping ice cold. I need your help damon."
Damon didn't hesitate,"sure anything, Liz."
Liz swallowed hard before continuing.
"mayor Lockwood is dead. When John's device went off. He dropped like other vampires. So he was thrown into the basement with other vampires."
Damon's eyes narrowed.
"mayor Lockwood was a vampire?"
"no no. I have known this man for my entire life. But now carol Lockwood is gonna want answers and all I can think about right now is Caroline and aaron"
Her voice cracked.
"And I'm"
Liz broke down.
"It's ok.", damon said softly, pulling her into a hug.
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Elena rushed into the hospital, her breath uneven.
"Bonnie, how's Caroline."
Bonnie looked drained, dark circles beneath her eyes.
"she's weak. They don't know if she's gonna make it."
Elena's face became pale,"what? And what about aaron."
Bonnie: "the doctors said his body is becoming ice cold and they don't know why it is happening. He still hasn't because conscious."
Elena shook her head in disbelief.
"is there anything you can do? A spell or something?"
Damon stepped into their conversation.
"she doesn't know how. Do you?"
Bonnie's jaw tightened."no i don't."
Damon: "no you don't cuz it took Emily to learn spells like that."
Bonnie crossed her arms, "yeah it can take down a vampire. That spell was easy to learn."
Damon:"i can give Caroline some blood"
Elena :"no. No way."
Bonnie:"do it. This is Caroline. We can't let her die. Do it."
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I walked into my room.
Confusion clouded my thoughts.
Shouldn't I be in the car right now?
Wait. I was in the car.
The last thing I remembered was Caroline being taken into the hospital. The accident. Yes our car had an accident.
I looked around slowly.
How am I in my room then?
The window creaked open.
Damon Salvatore stepped inside.
"Damon?", I said, taking a step back.
He moved closer, his expression unreadable.
"hello little forbes. You see i had a fail proof plan tonight to kill lexi and make this town's counsil attention divert from me. But your little fight with me ruined all my plans."
Fight?
What fight?
"Damon. What Fight are you talking about? We never fought.", I said in confusion.
He continued as if I hadn't spoken.
"You see Aaron forbes I did not like the fact that I've failed tonight. So, I have come here to have a little fun with you. Maybe you will not be a great fan of what I'll do with you but that will be a great lesson for bratty kids like you."
"Damon?", I reached out and touched his shoulder.
In a flash, he threw me onto the bed. His eyes darkened. Fangs descended.
"What the fuck"
I tried to push damon away.
But he sanked his teeth on me.
.
My eyes flew open.
Bright lights. Beeping machines. Doctors surrounding me.
One doctor leaned over, checking my pupils.
"do you feel ok?"
I nodded weakly.
"yeah"
He exhaled deeply.
"thank God. You didn't had much injuries. But your body was ice cold. And getting more colder second by second. We didn't knew what was wrong or what's happening."
I suddenly had a thought of Caroline.
"Wait where is Caroline?", I asked the doctors.
Before the doctor could answer, Mom rushed in and wrapped her arms around me,"oh my God, baby you are awake."
I hugged her tightly,"yeah. Yeah, I'm fine now. But mom where is Caroline?"
She tried to stay strong but she looked like she will break into tears in any moment.
Liz: "Caroline is in surgery. The doctors doesn't know if she could make it or not."
Aaron:"What?"
She held me as if I might disappear too.
I gently pulled back,"mom can I see her?"
She hesitated.
I squeezed her hand,"please?"
After a long breath, she nodded,"ok".
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I stood outside Caroline's surgery room.
My heart pounded painfully.
I wasn't sure if I could handle seeing her like that, Lifeless.
Just as I reached for the door, it suddenly opened.
Damon stepped out.
The memory of my dream — him biting me — rushed back, making my stomach twist.
"What are you doing here damon?", I asked firmly.
He looked almost amused.
"so you woke up? That's great for me. At least one task less"
Then he brushed past me.
One task less?
What did that mean?
I pushed the door open.
Caroline lay motionless in the hospital bed.
Seeing her like that — so pale, so weak — shattered something inside me.
I took her hand gently.
"I hope you recover quickly care."
Suddenly, her eyes jolted open.
I took back a few steps due to being surprised.
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(A few moments later)
Doctors rushed in.
Mom and I stood back as they checked her vitals.
"it's miracle. She is recovering quickly."
Mom stepped forward anxiously,"you mean she is safe now?"
The doctor turned,"yes. She is safe."
Relief flooded me.
I walked to her side.
"you feeling better?"
Caroline smiled faintly,"yeah."
Everyone came to visit.
Everyone except Tyler. I heard his father had died.
Jeremy came running when he learned about me and Stefan was behind him.
I was lying in bed when Jeremy walked in.
"how are you feeling now?"
I sat up slightly.
"fine actually but they kept me here for supervision. They said after a while I can go home."
Jeremy stood beside me and held my hand.
"hey Aaron, I lost too many people. Mom , dad, Vicki even now Anna."
His voice trembled.
"I can't handle losing you too."
I hugged him.
He held me tightly,"I just can't handle. I don't think I'll ever be recover if I lose you."
We stayed like that for a long time.
When we pulled apart, I tried to lighten the mood,"hey I saw stefan was babysitting you. What happened?"
He gave a guilty smile.
Jeremy: "I tried to do something stupid and now he is making sure I don't do it again."
I looked at him with confusion, "What did you tried to do?"
He avoided my eyes,"well I'll tell you after you recover."
I gave him a stern look, but let it go.
Aaron: "well doctor said I am welcome to go home after tomorrow."
He nodded.
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That night, I walked out of Caroline's room. She was already asleep.
I was texting Jeremy — he was checking on me in every hour.
As I walked down the hallway, a girl passed me.
Wait.
Was that Elena?
I turned slightly, but only saw her back.
No.
Elena has straight hair.
This girl's hair was curly.
I shook it off and looked back at my phone.
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(Caroline's room)
Caroline opened her eyes and saw someone approaching,"elena? What are you doing here at this late hour."
The girl smiled faintly,"we haven't met. Hi I'm Katherine. Would you give the Salvatore brothers a massage?"
Caroline frowned weakly,"what massage and what are you even talking about"
Katherine's eyes turned cold.
"game on"
She pressed a pillow over Caroline's face.
And strangled her.
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(Background summary)
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Jeremy had tried to die.
After losing Vicki… after losing Anna… the pain became unbearable. He drank Anna's blood and overdosed, hoping it would end everything.
But it didn't.
The attempt failed.
Stefan found out. And from that moment on, he refused to leave Jeremy alone. Anna's blood was still in his system, unpredictable and dangerous. Stefan stayed close, watching him carefully .
Jason Lockwood came back in the town.
Meanwhile, chaos moved quietly through Mystic Falls.
Katherine Pierce had returned.
She slipped into town wearing Elena's face like a mask. No one noticed the difference .
she severed John's fingers — removing the Gilbert ring.
John was later forced out of town by Stefan. Before leaving, he handed the Gilbert ring to Jeremy.
And while all of this unfolded, Bonnie made a deal with Damon.
Caroline and Aaron were dying.
Bonnie told Damon to give them his blood.
He agreed — reluctantly.
But when he entered Caroline's room and saw how close she was to death, he chose her first. He fed her his blood.
When he left the room, he saw Aaron walking, conscious, seemingly stable.
So he didn't give Aaron any.
Later that night, Katherine returned to the hospital.
Aaron saw her briefly in the hallway — but not clearly enough.
Inside Caroline's room, Katherine dropped the act.
"Would you give the Salvatore brothers a massage?"
Caroline was too weak to understand.
"game on."
The pillow pressed down.
The room filled with silence.
And Caroline was dead.