The attending allowed  one person only to enter the ICU room. Both Esther and Rebekah decided that it should be Sophie.

"You're his mom" Sophie said. "I mean- I get it if you want to"

Esther took Sophie's hand, "I am his mother, but you gave him strength that I could never. You go."

"Yeah" Rebekah slipped and Sophie nodde a little walking then to the ICU area.

Esther turned to Rebekah,"I saw Elena last night. When did she come back?"

"Last night." Rebekah said."I don't know all the details. I had no time to speak to them"

"I hope things will finally sort themselves out now," Esther said,"this family suffered enough"

"Something tells me it will be all right" Rebekah sighed, her heart beating hopefully.

***
In the Elejah residence, time seemed to stood still as Elijah heard  Elena mention the pregnancy. It was not something he would have thought he'd be hearing at all. And he looked at Elena speechless.

Elena looked back at him nodding in confirmation, putting her phone on the counter,"I am. I am pregnant!"

"You are?" Elijah said still not grasping the reality of it all.

"You're not happy?" Elena uttered tearing up a bit now.

"Oh, Elena," he came towards her feeling a bubbly rush to his head,"how can you think that? I am. Of course, I am,"  he caressed her face,"I am. Very."

She could see exhaustion but also bliss in his eyes. She glued herself onto him as they locked in an embrace.

"For a moment there I thought" Elena started but stopped.

He stroke her head gently."For a moment I - it was unreal. So much had happened lately-"

Elena still locked in his embraced gulped a bit."Yes. Like we were on a spinning wheel. You try to get off it but you can't."

He moved out of the hug a little and looked at her streaming a mix of different emotions.

"A carousel- yeah- the one that is beautiful at first but then it looks like it turns into horror. This is the most amazing news- and it's like the light that I had been waiting for such a long time, and it had already come to me when you woke up. When you were will still mine even though you looked at me with the eyes seeing a stranger in front of you. And I will come out as the most unsensitive asshole right now- today of all days- after this great news-" he paused for a second. "No, not now."

He caressed her face gently again. But Elena was no fool, she messed up, she acted on a misguided impulse and hurt the person she had loved more than life.

Flashback

A few days before, in California

Elena sat down the beach and opened randomly a page of a book with different quotes from movies, books, essays. And there was one

"Consider what o'clock it is" Elena uttered in a low voice. The words acted like magic.  And like Alice she got up and felt like she was walking through a dark, nasty Wonderland ruled by the horrific Queen of Spades. Something inside click as if she heard knocking at the door and seeing the White Rabbit rushing by her all nervously because he was tremendously late.  Having noticed her,"Remember what the Cheshire cat said"

"I am not mad" Elena said.

"No. You are hurt. But you are not the only one. And you have forgotten all about him."

"I want you to tell me all. Everything that is inside of you. Everything you feel -the good. The bad. We always talked. And if you hated me for  cutting myself off from you, I wouldn't blame you." Elena said taking hold of his arm."You were amazing. You are amazing. Bearing up. For both of us. No one can go through this without being emotionally scared."

When things were extremely serious, Elijah's face turned dark. His eyes would blacken exhibiting pain coming from the deepest corners of his soul. She knew his inside world was crushing- and he would get even more silent, dealing with whatever came his way in his own manner, but not this time. It was to let everything out. "It's true. I was bearing up. It was either that or fold completely. The pain of being told that your wife might never wake up was excruciating. The pain after they said there was a baby, but they could not do anything - was devastating. Not that I loved it more than you. I loved you equally. They after day I would be given a glimmer of hope that you would be fine. It kepte going. Then they said you have gone from what they consider coma into vegetative state, where there was not knowing how long for. And the chances of you being ok again if you wake up. And you did. And - " he stopped, now breathing very shakily.

Elena reached to him, taking his hands in hers,"I am so sorry - I acted selfishly"

"No - please. You didn't - I feel bad because- I don't want you to feel that way. You were left for dead, and then you didn't know who you were at all - and - the realization that you had lost the baby- it could drive anyone to the brink. How could I hate you. I could never- but," he paused again and tremendous pain transpired from his eyes," I watched you leave and I didn't know if I would see you again. And it felt like someone ripped half of me away"

"Oh, Elijah! I am sorry, I am so sorry. I love you!" she wrapped her arms around him firmly, squeezing hard.

He buried his hands in her hear, whispering,"Please- don't apologize. You're back and everything will be good"

"Yeah, things will be good. I promise" she moved a little out of the hug and  now kissed him. And the kiss was like the sweet release making both of their souls lift up as one. 

He looked in her eyes and he forgot all of the hurt.

Elena caressed his face with both of her hands needing to say what was in her soul.
"Running away is never a good answer and I was never that person before. I was the one who would face whatever came her way. The one who thinks of others first."

"Don't. You are a good person- please" Elijah said.

"Maybe. I guess she is emerging back again.  And she will do everything to have us back on track. And I need you to know- I realized what ridiculous mistake it was to shut your out. It's like woke up all over again. And - was coming home to put things right and tell you that I can't do without you and I was stupid for have done this. Because we are ALWAYS. And I love you and I am so sorry that I hurt you. And - I had a ticket to get back tomorrow, but then I had felt badly and Vicky said that I couoldn't fligh if I don't get the all clear. And - well, the tests confirmed that I was pregnant"

"Oh, yes. And is everything all right?" he asked as they both looked at her belly.

"So far everything is fine. They did a quick ultra sound. It was fine." Elena said curling up a happy smile.

"I love you" Elijah said placing another kiss on her lips. And it seemed they could not stop. It felt like they had been apart forever and if it wasn't for both of their phones going on and on they would never come down from the stars.

Elijah picked up his as it was Rebekah calling  first Elena and then Elijah

"Yes, Rebekah?" he picked up the call.

"Kol is going to be fine! He made it!" Rebekah shouted with a tearful voice.

Both Elena and Elijah rejoiced.

"Elena!" Rebekah then said and they were expecting a very sarcastic comment coming through as she was mad at her sister-in-love abandoning her brother."It's good that  you're back."

"Shall we tell her?" Elena looked at Elijah,"she deserves to know first- cuz she'always been there"

"Yeah- but you will have to keep it to yourself till we get to the hospital!" Elijah said.

"What is going on? Tell me what? I can't handle bad news just so you know" Rebekah warned.

"We're pregnant." they both shot out nearly in one voice.

And there was silence on the other side.

"Are you crying?" Elijah said as he heard sniffles.

"Of course I'm crying. What a question. Oh, you guys. It's like a miracle."

"Kinda is" Elena said smiling.

"It is" Elijah said."I love you"

"I love you, too"

"Ok now" they could hear Rebekah in the background as they got into another session of kisses,"When you finish with your soppiness get here ASAP. Rebekah out"- "Oh, and I am so happy for you guys. Ok, you probably are not listening to me at all"

Elijah ended call and took Elena by the hand scampering out  out of the kitchen.