Sincerely Yours [Stefan Salvatore]

[26. Killing Katherine]

[2x07; Masquerade]

Lucy held onto Joel's waist as he helped her up the porch steps while Matt, Elena, and Jeremy helped Jenna through the door. She grunted in pain as Joel went a little too fast and the stitches in her stomach tugged.

"Sorry, sorry," Joel apologized; he helped Lucy walk through the door and then closed it after them.

"Hey, stop fussing!" Lucy heard Jenna say from the living room. "I'm fine."

"The doctors said that you both have to take it easy," Elena said sternly, looking back at Lucy for emphasis.

Lucy groaned in frustration; she didn't want to take it easy, she wanted to go to the masquerade ball. She was a little bundle of rage at the moment; her compelled aunt stabbed her, she had to have surgery to get her spleen removed, and now Joel was refusing to give her vampire blood so she could heal. All of which meant that she was missing the party that she worked so hard on and had a decent outfit for.

"Do you want to go in the living room with Jenna or your bedroom?" Joel asked her, noticing her frustration.

"My bedroom."

She just wanted to be alone.

"All right."

"Hey, don't forget about your medicine!" Elena told Lucy, having heard her request to go to her bedroom.

Lucy grumbled angrily but Joel nodded at Elena as he lifted Lucy into his arms. "I'll give it to her!"

Joel carried her up the stairs and pushed into her bedroom, gently setting her on the bed. Lucy grunted uncomfortably but rearranged herself so her incision wouldn't hurt when she laid down.

"There you go," Joel covered her with her comforter and then went to dig the pain meds that the doctor prescribed her out of her bag. "I think you're getting a little grumpy, Luce."

"I've earned grumpy," Lucy huffed, wincing from the pain that shot through her stomach at the action. "I was stabbed by my aunt and now I'm missing the masquerade."

"Well, it could be worse," Joel said lightly, finally finding the orange medicine bottle.

"Yeah, I could be dead," Lucy clenched her eyes shut to prevent tears from welling up. She was just so frustrated and angry and tired and sad. Altogether, it wasn't the best combination.

Joel frowned at the waiver in Lucy's voice and brought her meds over to her. "Are you okay?"

"I guess," Lucy took the pills from him and swallowed them down without any water, cringing at the taste. "It's just...Stefan hasn't visited yet. I thought...I thought that he would."

Joel frowned. "I'm sorry, Lulu," he brushed her hair from her forehead. "I can call him."

"No, he's probably busy," Lucy sighed. "I'm just gonna go to sleep."