32. Sailing.

Adam and Charles swiftly dialed Colin's number. Charles was still at work, in the mission so he could not make it yet. Adam would be first. His hurried footsteps echoed through the dimly lit corridors of the Mississippi house. With urgency in his stride, Adam reached the basement first, his heart pounding in his chest.

The scent of damp earth and musty air mixed with the blood, anxiety, and suffering of his one wife, whom he loved more than he could ever have believed possible. All those scents filled his nostrils as he entered the room, his eyes immediately drawn to Mimi's motionless figure. The silence was deafening, broken only by the sound of Adam's racing breath.

As he stood there, time seemed to stand still. A tremor ran through the pile of blankets, jolting Adam into action. Fear and determination etched on his face, he rushed to his wife's side, his hands trembling with a mixture of tenderness and anguish. The toll of ten agonizing weeks of torture was evident on her worn-out body, and it pained Adam to witness her suffering.

Despite being a doctor, Adam struggled to maintain his clinical composure. The profound connection between their souls made it nearly impossible for him to distance himself emotionally. All he desired was to break open the cage, gather her fragile form in his arms, and offer her solace, assuring her that everything would be alright.

The intensity of his love for her was so overwhelming that it manifested as a throbbing headache, a physical manifestation of his anguish. His teeth reacted, causing sharp throbbing pain between his eyes as they wanted to help too. The taste of sweet pear in his mouth told him that his teeth were full of velvet, ready to put Mimi to sleep, but his clinical mind knew that was not yet the right decision.

Suddenly, the cellar door creaked open, jolting me awake from my exhausted slumber. Weariness washed over me, pulling me back into the embrace of sleep, but an instinctual sense warned me against it. A faint scent of pears wafted through the air, mingling with the unmistakable presence of Adam.

I stirred, my gaze meeting his as he unlocked the cage, concern etched on his face. There was a raw vulnerability in his expression, a battle between his desire to sweep me into his arms and his unwavering self-control, striving to approach the situation clinically and minimize any further pain.

His voice, gentle and calm, washed over me as his hand tenderly caressed my hair. "Hey, honey, you're in pretty terrible shape again. Let me assess your condition first."

He told me that Colin and Charles were on their way, and Mirella, Mimosa, and Mimosa's magic hide with Charles as they were coming. Adam assured me I would be more comfortable once he wrapped me in warm blankets.

I moistened my lips, my voice weak as I recounted the events. "Damon ambushed me at the opening, and Bran knew. But he turned a blind eye, convincing Damon to suppress his instincts. We need to talk to Damon and make him understand not to listen to Bran. Bran never learns, always offering me to Damon when he reeks like a wet dog."

Adam continued to stroke my trembling form, his touch conveying both empathy and understanding. He was groping me through, trying to get some sense of what shape I was. Through our unbreakable bond, he could sense the extent of my pain, my vulnerability laid bare before him.

He attempted a reassuring smile, his lips curling upward as his eyes crinkled with warmth. "For now, let's focus on getting you to the Medbay," he said, his voice calm and soothing. Just hold on for a moment. I'll fetch some blankets."

Adam stomped off, his footsteps echoing faintly in the background, while I lay there waiting. The air felt heavy with anticipation as I anxiously wondered if I could make Damon believe in his good side. Determined, I reminded myself to understand and forgive, to go with the flow.

My wedding vows echoed in my mind, reminding me of the love we shared. Despite being allergic to him at the moment, I desperately tried to convince myself that there was goodness within him and that I needed to forgive and give our love a chance to redeem him.

I am just who I am and maybe there is some whiff of truth that my actions can trigger him, so I might need to look for my own behavior, too. Try to make that side go into hiding. I was an expert on finding blame in myself, too.

But I had no idea how long I had been manipulated and programmed over the years. This evil side of Damon, his actual evil twin brother, had used Damon's telepathy to program from quite early on, and my life just reinforced that programming. I just thought that was me, always finding blame in myself, and even for now, that programming, or teaching is still on. I am so good at finding blame within me, so I can't change anymore that part of me.

I have sometimes wondered if Damien used to have some sort of connection to that experiment that created me or if was it just his evil plan. Could he have seen what they had been doing and just continued there, reinforcing my memory, my way of experiencing things, and also my sense of uniqueness and loneliness? Damien had been dead for centuries, and these are just questions that I will never get answers to. They will remain my wonderings.

Moments later, Adam returned with a bundle of blankets, their soft fabric providing a comforting touch against my skin. He carefully placed them next to me, gently guiding me to lie down on them before wrapping me in their warmth. He lifted me to them, as I was too weak to move myself. 

As he lifted me, his movements were fluid and silent, as if he didn't want to disturb the fragile form of mine. He walked to the medbay fast, but not jolting me at all, keeping me tightly against his strong, warm body. I could hear his slightly elevated pulse, smell his pheromones that told me about his worry over me, and his rage for Damon, too.

As we got into Medbay, there were lights already, a smell of antiseptic lingering in the air. The sound of approaching footsteps grew louder, signaling Colin's arrival. He came from the drug cabinet that he had been looking at. Adam looked up, his eyes meeting Colin's, silently communicating their intentions.

Colin approached, his presence exuding confidence and expertise. I could see the flash of worry in his eyes, too. He had his normal clothes on, meaning he had just arrived. Not yet had time to change into scrubs, same as Adam too. Colin kept his expression clinical but not cold, but warm and comforting, but still, there was underlining authority there.

With a swift motion, he lowered the side of a nearby bed and beckoned, "Bring that lady over here, and let's have a look at you."

Adam gently lowered me to the bed, not yet unwrapping me. The harsh lights of the medbay hurt my eyes, and I tried to keep myself awake. I did not yet want to sleep. I felt vulnerable and weak, and I wanted to see Charles. 

Colin had his bag with him as he opened it. He rummaged through his bag, the faint scent of medicinal drops wafting through the air, before dripping and rubbing them into my mouth. I obediently lifted my tongue, allowing him to administer the drops. He kept looking at me, then putting another drop or two, maybe rubbing them into my gums and insides of my cheeks, trying to get them absorbed into me.

He took a little jar, and with a small spatula, took a dollop of some sort of paste that he put inside of my lower lip, between lip and gum. I fought to use my tongue in and let it just absorb.

"I see you have your glands on again," Colin remarked, his tone filled with a mix of concern and determination. "Well, I'll have to burn them off sometime, but I'll start to unwrap in a minute and a half after I go and change."

He turned to say something to Adam, their expressions serious as they exchanged words. They walked away to change into scrubs, I could feel that paste had almost absorbed, and maybe I felt a little perkier, but this bone-deep tiredness and pain was still present, this weakness that I somehow knew was because I was low in straps too.

Soon, both men reappeared, clad in scrubs, ready to attend to me. They untied the blankets with gentle precision, revealing my weary form. My skeletal, torn, bruised body, was full of wounds, and gashes, and still that allergic reaction had done more damage. The worst of the nausea had passed by Colin's drops though, but the pain was still there.

Colin inserted a cannula into my neck, my central vein, his movements deft and practiced. The men seemed to communicate with each other effortlessly, their thoughts intertwining as they worked together. Occasionally, I caught snippets of encouragement amidst the hushed whispers.

It was somehow a little irritating when these two were talking in their minds, not their mouth so I had no idea what they were discussing. I knew Colin was a doctor, who did not want to scare his patients, and he normally did not be as blunt as Damon was, so I could understand from the silence that my condition was far from good. 

Despite the sterile environment, I felt a wave of warmth washing over me, shielding me from the cold. Exhausted and worn out, I fought against the pull of sleep, unwilling to let go just yet. And as I observed the two men, it became clear that they were in no rush either.

Colin retrieved one bag after another from the medicine cabinet, their contents releasing faint drugs or other scents into the air. He put them swiftly in my IV. Adam skillfully squeezed the bag, expertly administering its contents into my body, the sensation of a gentle pressure that offered a glimmer of relief.

Sometimes Colin took a few bottles and mixed something in one of of bags that Adam then squeezed into my body as fast as possible.

As they were tending to Mimi, Colin had his work cut out. He knew that he could not withhold the truth from Adam, but he was not gonna say anything to Mimi, as her straps were fickle enough without her worry of stressing them anymore.

Colin said to Adam. "We have a very tight spot. There are 11 straps at the moment. I've got them to stay on now, but it's going to be another hell of a fight. We'll have to see if the mimosa pelt helps, but apparently, I've got to keep doing something all the time. Interestingly, Mimi didn't lose her straps nearly as efficiently as when Damon gave that lesson. It's weird. Like this side of him did not really care in what shape Mimi would end up. But that lesson, it had been cruel, long, and it took forever for her to get better, but it was not this lethal, so to speak. "

Adam nodded. His expression was neutral, and he had suspected that Mimi was in a dire state, but hearing the truth was still quite an ordeal for him to process. 

They fought against Mimi losing her straps the whole time with Colin so that Mimi would actually keep her straps and not weaken anymore. They relived her pain, her distress, her agony, one symptom at a time. Colin tried to ease them, lowering the stress in Mimi's body. To get those straps a little more stable and less fickle.

Soon, they had gotten Mimi to the point where she could sleep, but Adam knew that Mimi would want to see Charles first, and whether that would be wise again, how Charles would react. Charles could be quite shocked too, and he might have even nesting instincts or defending instincts. It would not be good for Mimi if Charles would not let Colin come near Mimi. 

Charles phoned to say that he, Samuel, Mimosa, and Mirella would be there in half an hour. When Adam told him that Bran knew, Charles said nothing. Adam told him how it had happened and how Lady had been a victim too. Charles still did not respond any more than grunting a few times.

He had gotten to know Lady, and he loved that cat very much. He would even play with her, wrestling with her outside, just in his human form, and let her scratch, as he healed fast. The thought of Salvatore hurting that cat made his blood boil, but he was in the car with Mimosa and Mirella, so he controlled himself fully.

I struggled to stay awake long enough to see Charles. I missed him so much, and somehow, he and Adam were almost my security now. I knew that my state was not good; I had seen that expression more than once on Colin's face during these few hours, but I needed to see Charles, hear him, smell him. I needed his security, too. Then I could sleep when he was near me. Then I heard footsteps, and Adam went to meet him first, and I heard them talking excitedly.

Adam went to Charles. Charles had told him about Salvatore and Adam had not said anything, but he would let Charles tell that to Mimi. Adam had communicated all the time with Charles, so he knew how weak Mimi was and how much she wanted to see him. He wanted to see her too, to be with her.

Then Charles came up to me in a hurry and said, " Oh honey, my goodness, what a state you are in again. I am here now. I'd like to go to the Salvatore, but we'll see what comes of that now. "

I said, " Why do you say that? What happened to Damon?"

Sudden worry squeezed my heart, causing Colin to come to me and put five drops of something in my mouth. He looked at Charles, with a little frown on his face. disapproving frown.

Charles sighed and said, "Damon went to Dresden and blew his mind. He's with Nick and Elias now, and we'll see what happens. There's nothing we can do about it. It might help him to control that side of him. Dresden had been cautiously optimistic, but it takes time for his mind to reassemble. "

I sighed. So, I might have already lost Damon. No one could know what would happen when an old creature like that got his mind blown off. Charles's faint reassurance did nothing to this squeeze in my heart. I could not lose him. How can I carry on, knowing that I am the reason he destroyed his brilliant mind? No way. Charles was stroking me, and Colin came back to give me drops. He looked at Charles very sharply again.

Then Charles stood up and said, " Don't worry, honey, we'll get you fixed up. You will be fine."

Colin said, "You can go to sleep if you're tired; don't fight to stay awake. Just let sleep come. You require rest, young lady, and your straps don't like you straining yourself too much. So go to sleep. "

Charles nodded and said, "I'm here. It's all right—just sleep. Just close your eyes, that's it. You are perfectly safe, honey."

I could smell his somehow now calming apple smell, feel his hand touching me. He had still had his jacket on; he had not had have take his clothes off as he came to me. I let my eyelids close and fell asleep with Charles next to me, stroking me.

Colin continued to struggle to keep the straps on. They were using a mimopelt, but it always had to be recharged, so you had to kill bad guys in it. Mirella had to do it now and then, and then Adam and Charles had to do it. Mirella was not happy about doing that all the time as she got bored and wanted to do something else than kill. 

Adam and Charles had to do it if they wanted to use that pelt, and they just did not trust Bran. They told Bran every day in what state Mimi was and brought him many times to see her. To see what his little approval got Mimi into. Bran had been confused, too. He had no real recollection of that talk, but he could not be sure if Damon had compelled him to forget it. Or something else.

Mimi was sleeping off her exhaustion, and Colin and Samuel were working round the clock to keep the few straps alive. Samuel did what Colin told him, but it was mostly up to Colin to make Mimi keep her straps. Two straps and Colin was fighting to keep them. This state of her had been now three weeks.

Mimi was the weakest that she had ever been in this state she was not absorbing much nutrition, her body was so close to shutting down and Colin was all the time doing something, not caring to eat, sleep, or think much else but those two faint, beaten straps. 

Then, a week later, came the third, and Charles did not want to wait anymore. Something in their bond called him to her, so he took Mimi in his arms. Mimi started to get the straps a little faster. Charles or Adam had to be with Mimi all the time so that she could be in their arms, and although she was still extremely fragile, she had 60 straps with the treatment. She had been a nearby treatment for two weeks. She needed closeness and safety, and somehow she could sense that she was alone and things get better once security was there. 

Then, it was time to operate and fill Mimi with the now Adam's and Charles's bump that both had been producing steadily since they had seen Mimi. Colin would add more nutrients to the bump, and Mimi's feeding gland and sublingual gland were burned and dug out again.

Mimi slept without medication for four weeks. Then Colin added an anesthetic so the 29-kilo spent skeleton wouldn't even try to move. Adam and Charles had gone to Colorado, Grand Canyon, to run as wolves for a month when they had become a bit possessive of Mimi, and started planning the nesting.

Mimi still had metals to bind, and her condition needed to be improved; her straps were still temperamental, and Colin had to adjust constantly. Colin had worked around the clock now for weeks and he had lost weight himself, but that was not important. He was sitting in a dim medbay, looking at Mimi's sleeping form, his pupils sometimes four-leaved clovers as his leprechaun was on the surface. The smell of clovers was still faint in the air. 

When the men came back a month later, Colin said, "Now the lady can start to wake up, no more metals, keep her straps; she's still a weak 32 kilos, but I hope you can get her in better shape. "

He had been caring for her now for 14 weeks and the worst was over. Now it was just time to get her in better shape, but there was no medical crisis in her. Colin was very worn out, but happy. He had won, and this fight had been hard won.