Upon Turbulent Seas

by CuddleFae

Bo and her sister Kenzi are pro surfers. Bo is striving to win a world championship. Lauren is headed to the 2016 Olympic games in Beach Volleyball with Tamsin as her teammate. After a chance encounter one night, Bo and Lauren are absent from each others lives until their lives collide once again in a life and death situation.

1. Chapter 1

A/N: As promised, here is the next story. I hope you enjoy. I hope you will find this entertaining. Please let me know what you think!

Best wishes and thanks to those who continue to read and review Finding Our Way. I read every review and PM even though my replies are slow right now due to writing this new story and work. As for the sequel, I'm taking a break from the Martini Clan for now. The sequel would appear at the earliest in July.

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UPON TURBULENT SEAS

Chapter 1: Entering Rough Seas

"Damn! Dude that girl is rippin' the curls!" The raven-haired girl banged her hand on the bar, eyes glued to the TV.

Bo groaned, not really wanting to watch, "I know, Kenzi… could you please stop singing her praises? While I'm sitting here, her lead over me is growing to 3,000 points in the World Surf League standings!"

Kenzi scoffed, "Hey! Her lead is growing to 10,000 points over me, so stop preaching to the choir!"

"Ugh! I can't believe I'm sitting here in the states with my little sister, watching the damn Roxy Pro on TV in a bar!" Bo whined.

Kenzi spun around, her eyes coming to bear on her sister, "It's not my fault the damn Australian border patrol confiscated our passports before we could get on the plane!"

"Not your fault? You guaranteed me your girl Lyudmila would handle it! This is NOT handled, Kenzi! This sucks!"

"I know it does, Bo-Bo, but we'll get 'em at the Rip Curl at Bell's Beach."

"But not before Courtney's lead grows by a margin I may not be able to get back, Kenzi! This is our life here!"

"Come on, Bo. First, Tyler's right on her ass… she may not win this event. Second, we always agreed we would never get to the point where our surfing careers became more about the money than the waves."

"Yea, well first, this may put Tyler ahead of me too and second, I was young and naïve when I agreed to that point of view. Now we have bills to pay and I promised Mom and Dad that you would have a college education if anything ever happened to them."

Kenzi sighed, "You never promised them anything, Bo."

"Well, it was in the letter, Kenzi… I made a promise to them when I read the letter and that's the same as making the promise in person."

"Fine! If you want to run around making promises to a piece of paper, you go ahead, but I'd rather honor the fact that they gave us the religion of surfing." Kenzi slammed her glass down on the bar top, waving at the bartender to give her a refill.

The two raven-haired sisters turned to the woman next to them at the bar who had let out a laugh in response to Kenzi's comment. The younger surfer couldn't help herself as she turned to the blonde,

"You got something to say, blondie?"

"Not at all." The blonde replied holding her hand up.

"Oh really?" Kenzi challenged, but Bo gripped her forearm.

"Kenzi…" She warned.

"No, Bo. I want to know what blondie here thinks is so funny."

The blonde turned to face Kenzi and got her first look at the woman behind the younger girl. Her face blushed as her mind ran wild with ideas about what she could do to the ample cleavage that had immediately captured her attention. As her eyes slowly traveled upward, she fell into eyes so dark she swore she could get lost in them.

"Hey! I'm over here… and my eyes are up here! Eyes off the girls!" Kenzi snapped her finger in the blonde's face causing her to snap her eyes to the Goth's attention,

"Uh… sorry." She mumbled, ripping her eyes away.

Kenzi laughed, crossing her arms across her chest, "Yea. I doubt that. You seemed to be enjoying yourself. Now, back to my question… you found something funny?"

"You called surfing a religion. The only thing religious about surfing is praying to Poseidon that he'll save your life if you're stupid enough to do what those women are doing on TV."

"Excuse me?" Kenzi asked, standing from her bar stool.

"Leave it alone, Kenzi. She's entitled to her opinion." Bo said, looking up at the TV and shaking her head, "This sucks." Bo mumbled, turning away from the argument she knew her sister was about to enter into with the blonde… Bo turned her head and stole another glimpse at the blonde… she really was beautiful. She turned back to the TV when she heard her sister dive into the already lukewarm waters of a heated debate.

"Not if it speaks badly about our religion!" Kenzi raised her voice.

"Religion? Surfing is at best, a sport. There is nothing religious about it." The blonde replied, equally the younger surfer's volume.

Kenzi huffed, "No one makes a comment like that unless she's never been on a surfboard. How 'bout you stick to things you understand, like… hair bleach and sitting on ice!"

"Hey!" Bo intervened. She loved her sister, but she could be ridiculously judgmental and completely inappropriate some times.

The goth looked at her sister, "I can't sit next to this. I'm going to go pee, then catch up with the guys on the large screen in the back."

Bo nodded as she listened to her sister rant as she walked away. The brunette sat there in silence for a minute, her eyes glued to the screen as she watched the clock on the screen tick down to the end of the competition. She sat up as she watched Tyler take another wave, making it just before the horn… the points would count if she could stay up… Courtney would lose and Bo could keep her position… maybe. The bartender walked over to Bo and picked up her glass,

"You okay, Bo?"

"What do you think, Mark?" She asked, not taking her eyes from the screen.

"My dad has been sending me updates… apparently Tyler's spill on that first wave banged her up pretty bad, but it looks like she may recover… we'll know in a few seconds, right?"

The pair watched as Tyler finished her ride, fist pumping the air, "Well, that's it… now we just wait for her score." She looked up at Mark, "Did your Dad say anything about being able to help us with the passport situation?"

Mark shook his head, "He's trying, Bo. He knew you would ask that question and he told me to tell you 'that's why he wanted you to pick a team', yadda, yadda, yadda."

"Yea, yea… I've heard that before. He knows how I feel about teams." Bo replied, picking up the new drink Mark laid down.

"I know he does, Bo. But you could be surfing for Team USA in 2020 if you'll just play ball with these guys." Mark urged his Father's point of view.

"Look, Mark… I know you and your Dad think joining a team will set me up for more money, but I'm not in this for sponsorships."

Mark shook his head, "Bo, you don't have to use any boards other than Kenzi's. I told you that they just want you to wear their gear."

Bo chuckled, "And as your dear Father said, show a little cleavage while I do, right?"

Mark laughed, wiping down the bar top, "What can I say? Sex sells."

Bo turned to where she heard the blonde slam her glass on the bar. She looked closely at the woman, seeing that she was shaking her head,

"Something wrong?" Bo asked.

The blonde looked up at the woman, "You're really going to let them use your female assets to make money?"

Bo smiled, noticing the blonde's eyes had again dropped to admire said assets, "Actually, I'm going to let them use my… assets… so I can make money off of them… the sponsors, that is."

Lauren nodded before Bo added, "Besides… you don't seem to mind my assets. Is there really any harm to putting them on display? I'll bet you would enjoy seeing them on a billboard out on Kamehameha Highway."

Mark looked confused, "What highway?"

Bo laughed with the blonde, "Kamehameha Highway." Bo repeated.

"Kame-what?"

The blonde turned to Bo and smiled, "Not from here originally, I take it?"

"Nah. He moved here with his Dad after he graduated from college. He's trying to find a job as a Marine Biologist and until then, he tends to his Dad's bar when his Dad is off with my sister and I at surfing competitions."

The blonde nodded, "I see."

Bo turned back to Mark, "All of our highways have names but people new to the island know that particular highway as Route 99."

"Ooohhh…" Mark sighed, nodding, "I don't think I'll be using the names anytime soon. I am much better with numbers."

Bo laughed before turning to the smiling blonde, "So… what is it you have against surfing?"

Lauren paused, pushing back the urge to step up onto her soapbox, "I guess you could just say I've seen a side of it that surfers would rather not talk about."

Bo's brow furrowed, "Oh? And what side is that?"

"Look… I meant no offense. I just…" The blonde sighed, "I guess I just don't understand why anyone would do… that." She nodded towards the flat screen where the men's heats had begun."

"Well, I'd be happy to show you sometime..." Bo smiled, realized she'd missed the final scores. She'd see them tomorrow in the paper. Right now, she had her sights on another win, "You might like it."

The blonde gave a shy smiled, "No, I don't think that's for me… well… I don't think that's for anyone."

Bo smiled, "Come on, little waves are for everyone. All fun and no danger."

"Yea, until that little wave upends your board and you land head first in the shallow of a wave and break your neck." Lauren cringed inwardly at her own statement, staring down at her glass.

"Wow… live in fear much?" Bo asked.

"No, I live in reality most of the time."

"Whose reality is that?" Bo asked.

The blonde sighed, "My reality, but who cares about that? Let's talk about yours."

"My reality is that I was born and raised in waves. I could never feel threatened by them." Bo answered.

"Born and raised?" the blonde asked.

Bo nodded, "I was born here, moved to California and raised in California big surf. I moved back here years ago to… well… it really doesn't matter."

The blonde sensed some distress in the brunette, so she didn't press, but rather changed the subject, "So are you going to join a team?"

Bo smiled, "Teams are stupid."

"Not if you find the right one." She replied, smiling.

Bo smiled and extended her hand, "Hi… I'm Bo."

The blonde smiled and took the brunette's hand, pausing for a moment when she felt a wave of excitement run through her body at the warmth of the woman's touch, "Lauren."

"Well, Lauren… would you like to join Team Bo?"

The blonde smiled, lowering her eyes to their joined hands, "Hmmm… we'll see. I don't usually join surfing teams."

"Well, maybe if you come with me some time, I could give you a new point of view… a new religion?"

"Come on, do you really see surfing as a religion?"

"Well, if you join my surfing team you'll find out why. Besides, I can't say I'd mind having you ride my… board."

Lauren blushed, "Hmmm… that sounds like… something."

Bo smiled, "You wanna get out of here?"

Lauren smiled, nodding towards the TV, "Don't you want to watch the men?"

Bo looked up for a moment, and then looked back to the blonde, "While the surfing is great and I can learn a lot of tips and tricks from watching them, they don't have much else to offer in the form of… entertainment."

Bo stood and offered her hand to the blonde. Lauren stared at it for a moment before taking the offered hand, dropping a twenty on the bar and following the brunette through the exit.

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"Dude! You so left me at the bar last night! What the hell?" Kenzi came into the kitchen of their beach shack to see her sister drinking a cup of coffee and eating some eggs.

Bo smiled, "I had an opportunity to seize the day and I did."

"Don't try getting out of ditching your little sis by using one of Dad's favorite sayings." Kenzi replied, pouring some cereal into a bowl.

"But it's such a great saying… and it's true." Bo replied with a smirk, flipping the newspaper over and opening it to the sports section.

"Well, I'd hardly call what you were doing was seizing the day… I'm guessing it was more like seizing that blonde's sweet ass."

"And what an incredible ass it was." Bo replied with a smile, "Shit."

"What?" Kenzi asked coming to sit next to her sister.

"Tyler didn't score enough on her final ride to beat Courtney." Bo replied.

"Shit."

"Yea." Bo replied standing up.

"Where ya goin'?"

Bo replied, "Down to Laniakea. Vex is gonna tow me in since Dyson's still in Australia trying to deal with getting our passports fixed."

Kenzi watched as her sister grabbed her gear, "Give me a minute. I'm coming with you."

Bo smiled, "I knew you couldn't quit me."

Kenzi smiled, shoveling the last of her cereal into her mouth and standing up to toss the bowl into the sink, "But damn how I wish I could."

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FIVE HOURS LATER… LANIAKEA BEACH

Kenzi sat on the back of Vex's wave runner watching her sister paddle into her next set. They sat bobbing up and down like a cork in the safe waters, watching for any trouble, Vex constantly adjusting their distance to the surfer.

"Shit, Kenz… your sis is in a groove today. It's too bad this was all lost for the Roxy yesterday."

"Yea, well do me a favor and don't remind her. I screwed up, Vex."

"Don't worry much, love. Dyson will get your passport woes fixed and the two of you will be in the land down under for the Rip Curl."

"I sure hope you're right, Vex. They shut off our electric again last night and it's all my fault." Kenzi replied.

"Time to take a little something out of that savings account of yours?" Vex asked.

"You know I can't do that without Bo's consent and she won't let me touch a dime of that fund. Guess we're back to camp cooking, cold showers and sitting by the fire to stay warm." Kenzi replied.

"Right… the almighty college fund." Vex replied, shaking his head.

"Unless I can prove to her that I can make it on the pro circuit, she's not going to stop pushing the college thing… hell, even if I was number one in the world rankings, she would probably still make me go to college."

"Gas prices are low right now, so there's extra money in the training fund. I'll head down to the electric company later today and pay your bill." Kenzi started to protest, but Vex put up a hand to silence her, "Don't worry about it Kenz. You and Bo gave me a job after my injury forced me off the circuit. I can breathe again because of you two, so I'm not taking no for an answer when you need me."

"Looks like Bo's taking a rest. Let's scoot over into the shallows until she hits the pipe again."

Kenzi nodded, holding on to Vex while he steered away from Bo.

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Bo sat watching the curls in front of her, watching the current and thinking about her next approach. In truth, her mind was focused on the cliff before her and the blonde woman she'd met in the bar. She was pretty sure this was the very cliff where her home had been… of course, it was dark out and she couldn't really be certain.

Bo desperately wished she had time for a partner in life… if she was honest, it was the one thing that really made her the way she was these days. She wanted someone who would love and understand her… someone who would pull her from this merry-go-round she'd been on for so long. Regardless if it was Lauren's house or not, she looked up at the home set back away from the edge almost out of view, she thought of her,

"Lauren…" She whispered, "You haven't called me yet… I wanted to call you this morning… I feel… connected to you somehow… even though you hate surfers… or surfing, maybe. Will we ever see each other again? Would you ever be willing to come out here with me? Well… not here, but maybe some nice spot to learn like Waikiki where the waves are calm and the waves are reeling, giving you long spots of whitewater to play in all the way to the beach. You'd love it, Lauren… I know there's an adventurer in there just dying to come out. You just need someone to show you how to relax and smile… sort of like you finally did the other night with me."

She moved her eyes to focus on her hands in the water, a surge of want finding its way between her legs when she thought of her fingers touching Lauren… her lips, warm and wet… her skin, soft and fragrant… her breasts, round and firm… her nipples, hard and erect… her folds, soaked with need… entering her, bringing her to climax again and again while she did the same.

She shook out her thoughts, looking up at the cliff, "No, Lauren… we're far from over… I miss you too much to let this go. I just wish… I wish I had time for your kind of distraction… but you're much too good to be treated like a sex toy." She sighed, "One day soon when my life is free of a surfing calendar… we'll meet again… when you least expect it."

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Vex looked over his shoulder to see that Bo was preparing for another set, "Hang on, Kenz… we're up again."

They blasted through the waves towards the surfer only to see Bo hanging on the peak of a wave that broke too soon. The brunette went down hard,

"BO!" Kenzi yelled, hitting Vex on the shoulder.

"I see her, Kenz… watch for the board... that's all we need is to lose another one of her best rides, too." Vex said as he steamed towards the waving hand.

They pushed into the whitewater, Kenzi grabbing the board while Bo gripped the sled and pulled herself up for the ride to shore.

"Wanna go again?" Kenzi yelled above the combined sound of the watercraft's engine and the crash of the waves.

Bo gave her a cutting action across her throat in response, telling them she was done for the day. Vex nodded heading up shore on a diagonal out of the worst of the waves until they were finally back on the beach. Bo stood up, walking onto shore,

"Damn! If I had surfed that well at the Roxy, we would have been up big points, not to mention have the money to pay our electric bill!" Bo grumbled, walking away from the pair.

Kenzi cringed, looking up at Vex with a pout. He wrapped his arm over her shoulder and led her towards the beach, pulling the towrope along behind him and pitching the stake deep into the sand with his foot to anchor the wave runner to shore. Kenzi went ahead, picking up Bo's extra board and carrying both boards overhead to the car while Bo stripped out of her wetsuit on the beach.

Vex came to sit beside her, "You might want to cut your little sis some slack there, lovey. She knows she screwed up. Couple that with your electric being turned off last night, she's feeling like a total shit."

"Not now, Vex." Bo replied, pulling her T-shirt over her bikini top before standing and pulling on her shorts.

"Then when, Bo. Someone has to tell you. Kenzi isn't your personal punching bag. The life you dropped into isn't her fault… it's no one's fault, Bo. You're both doing the best you can and she's trying to do what she can for the both of you surviving on the shoestring budget you've put the two of you on because you insist on not touching the college fund!"

Bo rounded on Vex, her face just inches from his own, "You have no right to question the way I choose to prioritize my family finances. You have no idea the job my parents left for me when they… forget it. You'll never understand."

"Then make me understand." Vex said, placing a gentle hand on Bo's shoulder.

"She has to go to college, Vex. I promised them. I promised her. This is no life for her. Hell, if I didn't have to surf for money, I wouldn't! I would go out in the morning on the nice long waves of Ke'ei Beach and tack on a little snorkeling for kicks when I was done, not risking my ass at a dicey shallow reef spot like this!" Bo gripped her side, pulling up the hem of her shirt, "Shit!"

Vex leaned forward looking over to see the angry brush burns on his friend's side, "Dammit, Bo… why didn't you tell us?"

He pulled the first aid kit from his backpack, "Lay down."

"I'm fine." Bo argued, but Vex was having none of it.

"Coral cuts are nothing to mess with and you know it. Let me clean that out." Vex tended to the wound while he spoke, "Bo, you're going to have to get your head right, love. You're short with Kenzi, you're short with me, with Dyson… everyone who's in your corner. I don't know what's going on with you lately, but you are so tense and anxious all the time…"

"I have to win, Vex… it's that simple. When everything is working against me except the way I'm surfing, I get frustrated. I'm at the top of my game when I'm on my board… I can compete with the big girls… but funding problems and now this passport issue are the things holding me back."

Vex nodded, "Noted. What if I took on the passport and PR stuff?"

Bo shook her head, "Vex, we can't afford to pay you any more than we already do."

"I'm not asking you for any more money, Bo. I'm fine now… you and Kenzi helped me right my mortgage and my debt. My club is a gold mine... it's because of the two of you helping me get back on my feet. It's my turn to help the two of you. Just… please, Bo… say yes."

"I don't know, Vex… I…"

"Put your pride aside and do what's best for Kenzi." Vex reminded, placing a bandage over her wound and pulling her shirt down.

"Fine." Bo replied, sitting up, "PR and travel are all yours."

Vex smiled, "Great… I'll start making calls today. You'll have sponsors on your doorstep in the morning."

"No boards, Vex." Bo reminded.

"I know, I know… you ride your own boards. I've got it. Are you sure you don't want to sell your concept, Bo? You know they could…"

"No… my board… my brand… I'm not selling, Vex."

He smiled, "Your board… your call. Got it. Come on, Kenzi's waiting."

The pair walked up the beach to where Kenzi was leaning against the outside of the car, hands in her shorts pockets, head hanging low. Bo walked up to her,

"Come on… Vex is buying us lunch at his club."

"And you're letting him?" Kenzi asked.

Bo nodded, walking around the car and getting into the driver's seat. She watched as Vex gave her little sister a hug before opening the back door for her. Kenzi climbed in, getting a smile from her big sister before the three pulled out of their space.

"Hold up, Bo." Vex said, rolling down his window and leaning his head out,

"Hey big guns!"

Bo and Kenzi watched as a blonde haired woman approached Vex, "Hey Big Kahuna!"

Vex smiled, "Yea, they don't really call me that anymore."

The blonde smiled, "Well, I grew up watching you in the middle of some of the most severe waves known to man, Vex. You have a place in surf history. You'll always be my Big Kahuna! You taught me everything I know!"

"On a board, I'll have to agree. Now this thing you're doing now… totally foreign to me." Vex replied, nodding towards the volleyball courts.

Tamsin's eyes went wide, "Hey! You're Bo Dennis! Damn girl! You can really rip!" She held our her hand, "Name's Tamsin… one of Vex's many protégés."

Bo smiled, "I didn't know he had protégés… and thanks for the compliment, this is my sister Kenzi."

Tamsin smiled, "Bummer you didn't make it to the Roxy."

Bo nodded, "Yea."

"Well, I've gotta get to practice. We should catch up soon, Vex!"

"I'll tell you what… my place is a restaurant and bar by day, a hot club at night. Why don't you come down for dinner and dancing… maybe you'll find… I don't know… something you could take home to warm up that cold lonely bed of yours?"

Tamsin glanced over at Bo, "That sounds like a plan. Maybe I'll bring my teammate… she needs a little loosening up."

"Sound perfect. Still got my number?" Vex asked.

"Sure do! See you soon!" Tamsin replied, "Later, Bo… Kenzi." She waved and was on her way.

Kenzi smirked, "She seems… nice… right, Bo-Bo?"

Bo replied, "She's attractive enough, but my focus is elsewhere right now." She didn't mention Lauren's name, but if she was going to take anyone to bed, it would be her. She shook off her thoughts, what was wrong with her? She barely knew this woman and here she was obsessing over her. Maybe bedding Tamsin would be a good thing.

"All surf and no land play makes for a very dull and uptight Bo-Bo." Kenzi replied.

"Right… well… my love life is mine to deal with. Let's get lunch… I'm hungry." Bo changed the subject in reply, pulling out of the parking space, glancing back once to see Tamsin heading towards the volleyball courts.

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LATER THAT EVENING…

Sitting in the tall grass of the overlook, the blonde woman lifted the warm cup of liquid to her lips and took a long sip. She sighed, savoring the taste and warmth of her favorite tea before pulling her sweater around her torso and crossing her arms around her legs. She stared out across the vast expanse of light blue seas, the rhythmic crash of the waves and subtle winds relaxing her at the end of a long day. This was the only show in town as far as she was concerned. She had been juggling so much lately and this was exactly what she'd needed.

She had hoped to be home much sooner than today, but at least she still had two days to spend in her haven away from the chaos of the big island and she was going to enjoy every minute of it. She sighed, finishing off the remaining liquid in her mug and then twisted it into the sand.

Lying back, she placed her hands behind her head and stared up at the sky, watching the clouds drift by in the subtle wind. She thought back to her childhood when she would lay with her Dad and pick out animals and other objects amidst the billows of clouds scattered across the sky. She laughed and began to seek out the first thing she could find… rabbit… eagle… horse.

She lay there awaiting the start of the second show in her evening triple feature… the moment when one of the beautiful sunsets she'd grown accustomed to on this perch would begin to reveal itself. She watched as the brilliant red, orange, purple and yellow hues streaked across the atmosphere like ripples on a pond. Gradually, the sky dimmed and the clouds vanished into darkness until one by one, tiny lights began to appear.

This view was one of the many reasons she had purchased this home several years ago. The daily stress of surgeries, the frustrations of making her way through the city during rush hour, making sure to visit her Dad at least once a day and now the added time crunch of morning workouts and evening practices had her at the breaking point. But in the end, she knew that this was what she asked for… what she wanted… wasn't it?

Her mind drifted to the one-night stand she'd had with a raven-haired girl named Bo a few nights before. It wasn't the first time she'd had one, but this had been different… felt different. It started off in a frenzy of limbs with pure lust leading the way, but gradually became soft touching and sincere glances… shared orgasms and small talk. They'd had sex and moved to making love until the early hours of the morning parting with promises that they'd have to get together again… an exchange of phone numbers with neither being the first to make the call since.

She lay there allowing her mind to take her back to the intimate moment's they'd shared, laughing at the fact that she'd actually allowed herself to sleep with a surfer girl. But there was just something about her… she couldn't put her finger on it.

It was a short time later that she realized she was watching the grand finale. Looking at an explosion of lights against the pitch-black backdrop of night she waited…

Finally, it came… the cool wind from the north that would chase her back into her home where she would light a fire, curl up with a good book and fall asleep on the couch in the silence of her home… peace at last. Dr. Lauren Lewis was a creature of weekend habits and she wouldn't change a thing about it… except maybe… one day… she would make a call to a certain brunette…

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A MONTH LATER… BONZAI PIPELINE, BONZAI BEACH

Dyson and Bo left Kenzi and Vex lying on the blanket in the sand. Kenzi had a great workout with Vex and now it was her big sister's turn,

"Remember, Bo… have fun… no competition… just fun… remember why we do this." Vex advised.

In the past month, Vex had been working on helping Bo remember why she surfed… not money, not fame, not fortune… but because it was in her blood… it was her religion. The change in her performance had been amazing. She looked so comfortable and relaxed on her board in contrast to the past months where it seemed she was fighting an angry battle every time she went out. Vex had insisted she begin meditating on how it felt to surf before every practice and competition and today had been no different. Once her little mental preparation was finished, she stood up from the shade and walked to the group signaling Dyson she was ready to go out.

Giving Kenzi their traditional handshake and Vex and fist bump, she walked with Dyson down to the water.

"Five events down, five events to go, Bo." Dyson said as he and Bo prepped to head out for her morning workout.

"Still sucks that I missed the Roxy." Bo replied, pulling on her wet gear.

"I thought we were done with that, Bo. You can't get the points back, so let's move on. In the first five of ten events, you took first in the Rip Curl and Drug Aware Margaret River Pro, then second in both the Oi Rio and Fiji Pro. You've got five events left with a month off… you're in it, Bo… let's just stay focused on what's in front of us. You're still number two in the standings and the best part… you've kept the lights on at your beach shack… although I think I speak for all of us when I say getting a beach shack with better walls would be nice now that you have money in the bank."

"Hey! That money is for Kenzi's education. After she's finished school, we'll deal with housing... whether separate at that point or together. Besides, we like our shack! It's got… character."

"You say it has character, I say it should have a condemned sign…" Dyson laughed.

Bo replied, "Tomatoes, tom-ah-toes," before sticking out her tongue.

"Real mature." Dyson said, pushing the wave runner into the shallows and straddling the seat.

Bo checked the knots on the sled, and then checked to be sure her strap was secure before hopping on behind Dyson and heading for the surf beyond the shore.

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It was early morning when Lauren was pulling on her sneakers not far from the water along the shore. She sat, pulling up the zipper on her team jacket before getting to her feet to begin her stretching routine.

"Yup… I'll never get tired of the morning view from behind your ass, Lewis. If I wasn't so damn professional, I would go for those hot pants in a second."

Lauren looked over her shoulder, shaking her head, "You're late, Tamsin."

"Oh chill, Lewis. It's a beautiful morning and you have no where to be, no medical crisis to be paged to and no love life to speak of, so let's talk about your ass some more."

Lauren turned to her partner and standing, placed her hands on her hips, "Keep your horny thoughts to yourself. The only thing I want to talk about is how far we're going and what our goal time is this morning."

"Well, how far do you want to go, Lewis?" Tamsin asked suggestively.

"Tamsin!"

"Fine, but you know, all work and no play is not going to get us any closer to that gold medal."

"Can we just run already?" Lauren asked.

"Damn girl, what the hell crawled up that fine ass of yours and died?" Tamsin asked, drawing a glare from Lauren, "Fine! Two miles to the training courts."

"Fine!" Lauren replied.

"Hey! What's your problem?" Tamsin asked, reaching out towards her teammate.

"Arrgghhh! I'm going." Lauren swatted the other blonde's hand away, turned up the beach and headed up the coastline at a quick pace.

"Okay then… I guess we're going." Tamsin shrugged and followed her partner's footprints along the shore.

Lauren Lewis and Tamsin Torrent were the most recent team to come on to the professional beach volleyball scene. They'd been digging up the tour for the last two years, finally qualifying for Team USA and the Rio 2016 games. It was only two months until the games were to begin in Brazil and the pressure was beginning to mount. Tamsin had taken it in stride, but Lauren was starting to show signs of breaking.

"You know, you really need to find a way to relax before you burst, Hotpants." Tamsin said, casually once she had caught up with her friend.

"Stop calling me that and this is what relaxes me." Lauren said, the edge in her voice having dissipated into frustration.

"No, what relaxes you are overhead smash drills… endless overhead smash drills." Tamsin chuckled.

"What can I say? I love hitting the shit out of the ball."

"You mean you love picturing the face of one Dr. Evony Fleurette Marquis on the ball. You be smacking that bitch down!" Tamsin laughed, clapping her hands together as she spoke, "And then there are those asshole surfers down near where we train, especially that Dyson creep… although some of the women are… nice… to look at." She mumbled the last part, thinking of one Bo Dennis sitting in the car a few weeks ago. She really needed to call Vex.

"Well they're all idiots. Every time one of them goes into the water, they end up in one of my ER rooms."

"Well you should thank them." Tamsin replied with a laugh.

"What? Why?" Lauren asked, shocked.

"For giving you a reason to keep your job!" Tamsin smiled.

"Believe me, there are plenty of people all over Hawaii giving me plenty of business. I don't need any help from our local surfing community going one-on-one with Mother Nature."

Tamsin replied, "Well, I don't know. It is exciting to watch."

"It makes me nervous when I watch. I just know it's only a matter of time until someone's yelling 'help' because someone out there has lost a battle with a massive wave they had no business trying to ride to begin with. If they don't bring them up on the beach with lungs full of water, then they're cut, concussed, unconscious or some combination of all three. It's ridiculous that anyone would think they could battle the power of the sea on piece of wood."

"Actually, they're made of polyurethane or polystyrene foam that's covered in layers of fiberglass cloth and polyester or epoxy resin." Tamsin corrected, immediately regretting it.

"Who cares! They're still committing suicide by stupidity!" Lauren argued.

"Geez, Lewis! What's with all the tension? It's coming off of you in waves! You need to get laid, woman!"

Lauren's mind flashed to Bo's face mid-orgasm before she suddenly pulled to a screeching halt and grabbed her teammate by the hand, "Wait… how do you know so much about how surfboards are made?"

Tamsin looked out at the ocean, shaking her head before leaning down on her thighs, trying to catch her breath after the blistering pace Lauren had set, "I talk about getting laid and all you can hear is that I know how surfboards are made."

The taller blonde sighed, deciding to come clean, "Look Lauren, you know I was born and raised in California. I lived on the beach and… well… my Mom and Dad were pro surfers when they were younger. They actually own a surf shop in Half Moon Bay near Mavericks… which they surfed daily… still do, on occasion."

Lauren's eyes went wide, "Those massive waves off the coast of Northern California?! Those people are crazy!"

Tamsin sighed, "Yes and they are not crazy, Lauren. You don't understand. Surfing is like a religion to them. It's like… being one with nature in the most intimate way. You have no idea what it feels like… your fingertips on the wall of a curl…" The blonde allowed her mind to drift, but pulled herself back, remembering who she was talking to, "Hey, are we going to have a problem here?"

"No. Sorry. I mean no disrespect, it's just that my perspective…" Lauren said, running her fingers through her hair.

"I know… you've seen the train wrecks in the ER. Look, Lo… I was a child of surfing parents who grew up in a surfing town. I'm a product of my environment."

"You're an engineer… one with a great reputation. That's hardly being a product of a surfing environment, Tamsin."

"My parents make surfboards, Lauren. That has everything to do with engineering… and they're not what you think. They both have Master's Degrees in Engineering. Damn, Lewis… stereotype much?"

Lauren sighed. She knew Tamsin was right, "I'm sorry. You're right. I just… well… the long hair, dreadlocks, eternal clothing style of jams, T-shirts and flip-flops… I'm sorry."

Tamsin sighed, "Right. You do know not all of them dress that way?"

She turned away from her partner and stared out to where the surfers were starting to gather. Tamsin heard Lauren's sigh before her teammate spoke,

"Here they come." Lauren said, throwing a handful of sand at her feet.

"They're not bad people, Lauren."

"No, but I've had enough of them in the ER to know they're not great people."

"Did you ever think that the way you talk to them might have something to do with it?" Tamsin asked, calling Lauren out on her judgment of the surfing community.

Lauren pondered Tamsin's comment for a moment as she watched the first of the guys run head first into the water, launching themselves onto their boards, "I'm very professional in my handling of my patients. As for the 'sport', I just don't get it."

Tamsin watched the group for a while, knowing it would double in size by the time they were finished practicing, "Well, I've seen your professionalism when you don't approve of how someone's gotten injured… you can be a bit abrasive. And as for 'getting' the surfer's mind, I do get it… it's truly an amazing experience, Lauren. You shouldn't knock it 'til you've tried it."

"Like that'll ever happen." Although she knew that she had been thinking about it ever since Bo suggested it. She just couldn't imagine she would ever do it. But Lauren was curious about her partner's life now, "So you used to surf?"

Tamsin nodded, "I was practically born on a board... meaning my mom surfed all through her pregnancy. Once I was born, they would take me out in the whitewater to ride on the front of my Mom's board from about two years of age. Eventually I struck out on my own. They made me my first board when I was three. I named her Lola."

Lauren laughed, "Okay, now that's adorable. So what made you stop?"

Tamsin didn't want to tell Lauren that she never had stopped, but she saved that information for later,

"I had a bad wipeout when I was about ten years old. I got cut on the forehead by my own board, but managed to make it to the surface after getting tossed around pretty badly by the surf. My Mom hauled me up onto her board, got me to shore, cleaned up my cut and then put me right back on the board for two more rides. She didn't want me to be afraid of the waves. Later when we were back on shore, she bundled me up in her arms on the beach. While we were sitting there watching my Dad and the other guys surfing, I saw a group of people playing volleyball on the beach. Well, long story short, I was hooked and here I am."

Lauren looked up ahead at the courts that were the site of their morning session with their coach. She had stopped them just short of the training grounds where she noticed their coach was now getting out of the car.

"I'm surprised your parents weren't disappointed." She said stripping off her jacket and sweatpants to reveal her Team USA tank top and shorts.

Tamsin smiled, sitting down to stretch, "I didn't say they weren't. I mean… I kept surfing recreationally, but volleyball and work take up a lot of time. Playing volleyball didn't end my love of surfing, but I just didn't have as much time for it."

"Tell me about it." Lauren said with a sigh. Their schedule was hectic to say the least. Neither of them had the kind of jobs that they could quit. Most of the other players were playing volleyball full time relying on spouses and parents to support them while they focused on the team. She and Tamsin had no one… and that thought alone, led Lauren to think yet again of the brunette from the other night… Bo.

Tamsin looked out to sea, smiling as she thought about the thrill of catching a tube and being surrounded by water, "I miss it sometimes… and when I do, I get on my board and go catch a few waves."

"You still surf?" Lauren asked, looking at her partner.

"Chill, Lo. I would not risk our shot at gold come August sixth, but if you really do retire after the 2016 Games, I may go for Team USA Surfing for the Tokyo team in 2020. Surfing is supposed to be an exhibition sport that year." Tamsin said, placing a reassuring hand on Lauren's forearm.

The blonde looked down at the hand, then looked up and gave her partner a soft smile, "I know, Tamsin. You've worked just as hard and just as long for this opportunity as I have… I know you're in it to win it."

"And don't you forget it." Tamsin replied, offering her fist to the other blonde.

Lauren gave her the bump and smiled, "Well, coach is setting up the net with the guys. You ready?"

Tamsin shook her head, "Not until you tell me what's up with you this morning."

"I just… it's nothing." Lauren lied. She lowered her head thinking back to her beach workouts over the weekend and the real reason she was so anti-surfing in their conversation today… Bo…

Flashback…

Following her usual weekend routine, Lauren had gotten up for her early morning run, plyometrics and sprints. Since she had to work twelve-hour ER shifts both Saturday and Sunday to have practice time off during the week, she had driven to the hospital and jogged to the beach to do her workout. She would go back, shower and go straight to work rather than workout at home. The sand was packed a little tighter on Waimea Bay, so her legs were less likely to feel like jelly during the long shift.

As she turned down the shoreline, she remembered that the trade-off was that she was also headed towards the famed Banzai Pipeline, one of the most dangerous spots for surfing on the entire island. Everyone there was a professional, so she wasn't likely to encounter any emergencies, but there was always that one idiot who could be out there as a novice that would lead to her having to render emergency care. They were too close to their goal for her workout to be interrupted, so she prayed to the surfing Gods that the idiots would sleep in today.

She pressed her ear buds into place, adjusted the music volume on her phone, settled it into the holder on her upper arm and settled into her pace. As she ran, she allowed her mind to relax, focusing on the music and the beauty of the ocean. There was something about running on the beach that really motivated her. She felt like maybe the power of the ocean fed her energy and strength somehow. It sounded corny, but she knew that when she ran here, she had her best runs.

She was about thirty minutes and about four miles into her run when she saw the group in the water ahead. The closer she got, the louder the roar of the engines of the wave runners became. Here, the only way to catch a wave was to be towed out and dumped beyond the breakers. As she closed in on the North Shore courts, she slowed her pace and pulled out her ear buds. She couldn't hear the music anyway now that she was right where the machines were motoring in and out from the coast as needed.

She stripped off her jacket and sweats, folding them and placing them neatly next to the right side post of the net. She pulled the necklace over her head that held the lockbox of Team USA gear and walked over to pull out the bag of balls, plyometric boxes and sprint hurdles.

She lined up the three plyometrics boxes and began her jump sets over the staggered heights. Up, down, up, down, up, down,

"One."

Up, down, up, down, up, down, "Two."

She continued her rhythm, focusing on double-footed jumps up and off each box, turning and repeating the action in the opposite direction. Fifteen minutes later, she had completed her reps and moved on to the sprint hurdles after putting the plyometric boxes away. She carefully lined up the hurdles to be precisely one foot apart, marked her start and end line in the sand and began with a sigh, pushing a few loose strands of hair behind her ears,

"Go hard, Lauren… No missed hurdles… quick feet… high knees… work harder than your opponent."

Again, she focused on the task at hand, pushing hard to keep her speed up while moving with great agility through the raised bars. Twenty minutes later, she was finished and picking up the hurdles. After storing them away, she moved back to the endline of the court where she had put the balls. She pulled out the five targets and moved beneath the net to the opposite side of the court.

She spoke to her absent partner just like she normally would if she were present,

"Okay, so where are our opponents weak spots today, Tam? How about we go back corners, mid-court sidelines and center endline?" She moved to each spot and dropped a marker before returning to her side of the court and the bag of balls.

She took a moment to stretch, wondering if Tamsin was doing this drill right now. They planned out their workouts for the weekends every Friday so they knew they were doing the same thing each day. She would do straight sprints at lunch and hill sprints tonight before dinner. That was their plan for this weekend.

Her shoulders and upper back adequately stretched, she picked up the first ball and stepped back from the service line. Getting herself set, she eyed the first target on the back left corner of the opponent court. Running towards the line, she made a perfect toss, concentrated on her form… elbow back, firm hand, contact at peak height, 'SMASH'!

"YES!" She pulled her fist into her waist, excited to hit the mark on the very first serve, "Take that Brazil!"

She and Tamsin had gone through the schedule several times. Each practice, they played a game against a specific team. Today they were 'playing' Brazil who would likely be their toughest opponent… if they made it that far…

"No, Lauren… when we make it that far, not if… there are no if's… we're doing this. Positive thinking… will it to be so."

Tamsin had convinced Lauren that she needed to talk to herself more and had helped her to engage in positive self-talk. Truth was, it was working, so Lauren was doing it more and more. She did it through her entire workout, every run, every sprint, every jump, every drill and she was getting better with every word.

"SHIT! BO! BO!" Kenzi jumped to her feet with Vex by her side.

"DYSON! DO YOU SEE HER? DYSON, DO YOU SEE HER?" Kenzi was calling out to Dyson through their headset.

"NOT YET! DO YOU SEE HER KENZ? I NEED HELP SPOTTING!" Dyson's panicked voice came through the coms.

"NO! VEX? DO YOU SEE HER?" Kenzi asked her friend, gripping his hand for dear life.

Lauren looked up at the sound of a hysterical voice. She looked up to see a man on a wave runner riding in and out of the dangerous surf while a petite woman stood holding her board at the water's edge with another man. Other surfers, all of them scanning the water, soon joined them.

"Shit!" Lauren said to herself, walking to the right post of the net and picking up her towel. She wiped her face, shoulder and forearms before looking up to see if they'd found the missing surfer.

"THERE! I SEE HER BOARD! YOU SEE IT?" The woman called from shore. The driver waved to her and moved to retrieve the board, his eyes keying on the surrounding water for any signs of the woman who belonged to the board.

What happened next, sent Lauren into overdrive. She saw something wash up on the shore, taking about five seconds to realize it was a body. She ran, calling to the woman on the shore,

"HERE! DO YOU HAVE A FIRST AID KIT? I'M A DOCTOR!"

The young woman called back, "GOT IT!"

Lauren moved quickly to the woman, gripping her under the arms and pulling her onto the shore safe from the waves. She rolled her over onto her back, pushed the dark hair from her face and gasped,

"Bo… oh God… Bo…"

She shook off the panic and checked for responsiveness and breathing, with the recommended five to ten second count,

"One-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand, four one-thousand, five one-thousand…"

"Thank God you're here! What do you need?" The raven-haired girl asked.

Lauren lifted her eyes to meet the face of a panic-stricken young woman with the bluest eyes she had ever seen, then realized it was Bo's sister she had argued with. Kenzi pulled back,

"You!"

"Later, Kenzi." She took the key from around her neck, "Up there near the volleyball net. This key will open the box that says Team USA Volleyball. Inside is an AED. Get it, please."

"Shit! Really?"

"GO!" Lauren insisted as she began chest compressions. She was hoping that the woman just had too much water in her lungs and she would respond quickly without the AED, but she'd sent the young woman regardless. She didn't want to delay use of the machine for more than two minutes if compressions didn't work.

Thirty compressions later, she administered two rescue breaths, and then returned to chest compressions. She'd completed three cycles of compressions and breaths when the woman suddenly began to cough. Lauren quickly rolled her onto her side to assist her in evacuating the water from her lungs and encouraged her to keep coughing,

"You're okay, just keep coughing… that's it, get it all out. You're okay, I've got you… that's it… you're okay." She reassured until the woman began to vomit. She felt the spasms through her surf shirt.

"Oh God, is that normal?" The young girl returned, placing the AED next to the doctor.

"She's… yes, that's normal. She has to get the seawater out of her lungs and stomach. Can you call 9-1-1 for me, please?"

"But, she's conscious… isn't she okay?" Kenzi asked.

"Kenzi, she wasn't breathing and her heart had stopped. She needs to go to the ER."

"No hospital!" Bo coughed.

"Bo, it's the woman from the club the other night… she's a doctor and she says you have to go!"

"No! I'm fine! I just need… (cough)… to catch… (cough)… my breath." Bo replied, her face near the sand as she dry-heaved.

Lauren looked at the younger girl, "Call. She is in no position to make this decision for herself."

The raven-haired woman pulled out her cellphone and made the call while Lauren monitored the woman's condition. She watched as she began to lose consciousness again,

"Bo!"

The woman only moaned, barely conscious.

"Bo, I need you to stay awake. Can you do that for me?"

"So… tired…"

"I know, Bo. You just had the oxygen to your brain cut off, but I need you to fight it. If you think you're strong enough to go out in those massive waves then you must be strong enough to stay awake, so come on… stay with me!"

Lauren clapped her hands loudly over the woman's face, causing her to snap her eyes open quickly.

"What!" She barked.

"Awake! I need you awake. If you go to sleep again, I'll do that again."

The woman began to close her eyes again, "Bo! Awake!"

"I'm awake." The woman said, her eyes and voice drowsy as Lauren slid behind her and sat her up, holding her between her legs, her head back so her airway was open.

"Tell me what you remember about what happened, Bo. What happened?" Lauren asked, now noticing the gashes on the back and side of the woman's head, "Looks like a concussion might be the cause of your drowsiness and possibly the nausea as well."

"I think some asshole rookie cut me off."

Kenzi nodded, now finished the 9-1-1 call, "They're on their way." She said to Lauren, "It wasn't a rookie, it was that idiot, Evony! You had the wave moving right to left and she came in moving left to right. I don't know what the hell she thought she was doing. Everyone was yelling at her. I'm sorry we couldn't stop her, Bo. She has no business surfing pipe."

Bo nodded, "It's okay, Kenz… hey, you had a nice ride."

Kenzi smiled, "Yea, you remember?" She looked up at Lauren, "That was hours ago."

Lauren nodded, expecting her memory to be a bit foggy.

Bo mumbled more about Kenzi's ride, "Nice pipe… rode it in and out to the shore. Where's Dyson?"

"He's waiting on Ciara. She was the last one in the lineup."

Bo heard voices down the beach, "Who's yelling?"

"Makani is yelling at Evony for the stunt she pulled on you. They're on their way over." Kenzi replied.

"Keep her the hell away from me. She's such an idiot!" Bo said, her anger causing her heart rate to go up.

"Bo, I need you to stay calm." Lauren spoke quietly, as she thought to herself, could there possibly be more than one Evony?"

"Sorry." Bo replied, lowering her head, "My head kills."

"Do you feel like you can sit up on your own or lay down without feeling dizzy?" Lauren asked.

"I think I can lay down." Bo said, leaning back as Lauren slid out from behind her, "Whoa… maybe on my side."

"However you're comfortable." Lauren said, opening the first aid kit, pulling on some gloves and opening several packs of gauze. She moved in to look at the damage, taking only a moment to know that she didn't like what she saw. The cuts were deep and would require stitches. She pulled her phone out of her armband and called the ER.

"Who ya callin', Doc?" Kenzi asked.

"I'm calling ahead to the ER so I have a bed for her when we get there." Lauren held up a finger to Kenzi who stuck out her tongue when she saw all of the blood on the gloved hand, "Yes, Helen? This is Doctor Lewis. I'm going to be bringing in a patient in about ten minutes. The ambulance is in route. Female, approximately twenty-five years of age?"

She looked at Kenzi for confirmation. Getting a nod, she continued, "Her name…"

Kenzi whispered her full name,

"Bo Dennis… surfing accident… submerged for at least three minutes… no breathing, no pulse for at least five minutes… yes, resuscitated on site without an AED. She coughed and vomited water for several minutes. She is complaining of fatigue, dizziness and headache. I'd like an X-Ray, MRI and CT Scan when we arrive and I'll need to suture the wounds."

Kenzi watched as the doctor nodded several times, "Thank you Helen, see you soon." Lauren shifted her attention to the coming emergency crew, "Okay, they're all ready and here comes the ambulance. Can you meet us at the hospital?" Lauren asked.

Kenzi nodded, "Do you have any stuff you need?"

"If you could put the AED, my gear and ball back in the team box and grab my jacket and sweats from the sand next to the post, I'd greatly appreciate it. I have my keys and phone right here on my arm."

"Will do, Doc… and… I know I wasn't very nice to you the other night… so… uh… thanks. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been here."

Lauren just nodded wondering where the hell Evony was and why she hadn't come to the scene of an emergency. Maybe she had seen her tending to Bo? Anyway, thinking of Kenzi's words, she shuddered knowing all too well what would have happened if she hadn't been here. Looking down at the brunette whose blank stare told the doctor she was clearly concussed, she said a prayer to the medical Gods that she was here or it is likely she would have been another statistic at the Banzai Pipeline.

Bo's eyes seemed to gain some sense of reality as she looked at the blonde, "Lauren?"

"I'm here, Bo… you're going to be okay. Just stay awake."

"Stay awake." Bo replied, her eyes never leaving Lauren's as she was pushed into the ambulance.

PRESENT DAY…

"LAUREN!"

"What? Sorry… I was… a… well…"

"You totally zoned out, Lewis. Come on, you can tell me later. We've got an angry coach over there. The nets were cut again." Tamsin said, walking towards the court.

"Yea, surfers are really nice people… they never steal our gear or cut our nets… nice people." Lauren mumbled as she followed her partner.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

TWO DAYS LATER… HOSPITAL

Lauren sat on the bench in the women's locker room, pulling her scrub top over her head. She was sore. The workout had been hard and coach had been tough on her today. She really didn't mind since she deserved it. Her concentration had been off thanks to her thoughts of Bo coming to the front of her mind right before they'd started practice. She sighed, pulling her lab coat on, wrapping her stethoscope around her neck and closing her locker, she headed for the ER floor.

She arrived at the Nurses' Station, "Good morning, Helen… all quiet?"

"Actually, you have a visitor." She nodded towards the waiting area where Lauren spied the young Goth girl sitting in the waiting room, her fingers roaming over the screen of her phone.

"Do you know what she wants?" Lauren asked.

"She would only talk to you." Helen replied.

Lauren sighed, "Okay. Do you know if Miss Dennis was discharged?"

Helen's fingers worked quickly across the computer keyboard, "Not yet. She's in Room 314."

"I'll be…" Lauren began but the nurse waved her off,

"I know where to find you if all hell breaks loose."

Lauren smiled and headed towards the young girl. She had a Goth style, that much was apparent. The other day her hair had a streak of pink and today it was purple. She was an interesting one that was for sure.

"You wanted to see me, Kenzi?"

The younger girl looked up, "Oh, hey Doc! How's science?"

Lauren laughed, "It's fine, thank you. What can I do for you?"

"I was hoping you could talk to Bo for me."

"Oh?"

"She wants to discharge herself against doctor's orders. You see, there's this big competition coming up and it's a lot of money and…"

"A surfing competition?" Lauren asked.

"Is there any other kind?" Kenzi replied.

"There are many, many other kinds of competitions, but I'm guessing that was just a sarcastic question and she really does have every intention of surfing in a competition."

"Look, Doctor Fancy Pants. Not everyone has a big degree, a big title and a big job that pays a big salary. Bo relies on placing in competitions to make a living. Winning means endorsements and endorsements mean big money which means she'll be able to retire with enough money to survive a few years after her body can't take the beatings anymore."

"If she goes out there now, she may just end up retired before she can make any more money at all. Haven't you heard that money isn't everything?"

"Easy to say when you have it." Kenzi mumbled.

"You know, you seem to think you know an awful lot about my bank account. You might also have heard you shouldn't judge a book by its cover."

"I know you banged my sister and never called her again. Besides, what are you? A quote-a-day calendar?"

"No, I just don't appreciate being called away from work to be judged by someone who wants me to… well, I'm not sure exactly what you want me to do. It seems we've gotten off the subject here and, for the record, Bo has my number too."

"Fine. Anyway, what I want… well… as much as I want Bo to be able to go do what she does best, she looks like hell. She's gonna sign herself out and there won't be any way for me to stop her. I was hoping you would go talk to her?"

"Of course." Lauren nodded, and then turned to walk away.

Kenzi called out to her, "Doc?"

Lauren paused, heaving a big sigh. This judgmental little shit was going to get on her last nerve. She turned around,

"Yes, Kenzi?"

"I'm sorry for being such an ass. It's just… Bo's my sister and I wouldn't know where to begin if I lost her."

"Can I ask you something?" Lauren spoke quietly, feeling a little friendlier now that the young girl had apologized.

"I guess."

"Why do you guys surf? I mean… I'm not judging… I'm trying to understand. Why would anyone take on the Banzai Pipeline? It has some of the most dangerous currents in the world and… well… you are only human. I just… I get so many patients from that damn pipeline and… I can't save them all. I just wish…"

"I understand, Doc. Your job is to protect life and you can't understand why anyone would want to risk their life. Well, I can't speak for everyone, but for me… I was raised in these waters… it's in my blood. I was surfing before I could walk or speak in complete sentences. I can't imagine waking up and spending an entire day on land."

Lauren stood still with her hands in her lab coat, "And your sister?"

Kenzi laughed, "Bo was raised like me only she has twice the talent and half the desire. Personally, I think if she could stop fighting waves tomorrow, she would. I mean… don't get me wrong… she loves surfing… but putting her life on the line? Not so much."

"So why doesn't she quit?" Lauren asked, now feeling a little bit hopeful about the possibility of starting something beyond the one nighter she'd spent with the brunette.

Kenzi smiled, "Promise this stays between us? Bo doesn't like when I tell people about our life."

"Promise." Lauren said, crossing her heart with her finger.

"My parents sent us both to college. Bo did her undergraduate degree in business and had gone back to school to get a second degree in engineering. In the same year, our Dad was killed here surfing the pipe and our Mom died in a car accident six months later. That was it."

Lauren's brow furrowed, "That was it? So… how did you end up surfers?"

"Uh… news flash… no parents, no money. Bo dropped out of her Master's Program with one year to go so I could finish my undergraduate degree, but we ran out of money so I had to drop out after my freshman year. We had school loans to pay, so we sold our house to pay off our debt and bought the little beach shack we live in now. We've spent the last four years surfing full time trying to pull enough money together between us to finish our degrees… well… my degree anyway as Bo puts it." Kenzi said.

"Why wouldn't Bo finish her degree?" Lauren asked.

"Because she wants to live her dream. Our parents dying changed her perspective on life."

"Oh?" Lauren was interested to know what drove Bo Dennis. She didn't understand why an attractive young woman who was clearly very intelligent wouldn't find a way to finish her degree… especially in engineering. Maybe Tamsin would introduce her to her boss and help her get an internship at her company?

"Bo believes that life is to short to spend cooped up in a classroom… especially since she already knows enough to do what she wants. She just needs a little capital, ya know?"

"And what is this dream of hers?" Lauren asked, curious about what would get her away from the danger of surfing.

"Well, she makes her own surfboards. I mean… how cool is that? How many surfers make their own boards? They're sweet rides! Well… I mean, she doesn't actually ride her board. She has to ride her sponsor's board… you know… Vex just set her up with these endorsement deals and she finally caved in and started using their boards, but when she's not in a competition, her own boards are still her favorites. I ride her boards. We're trying to get the name out there, but I have to place to get a chance to get the name on camera."

"So, that's her dream? Make surfboards?" Lauren asked, surprised that someone who had the motivation to go for a Master's Degree in Engineering just wanted to make surfboards for a living, although her teammates parents had done the same.

"Oh, more than that. She wants a whole line and the chain of surf shops to go with it."

"You mean like Ocean Pacific?" Lauren asked.

Kenzi laughed, "Yea, but with the boards as the main focus." Kenzi replied, "She wants it to be full service. Provide lessons, tours of the island, clothing, boards, everything."

Lauren's eyes went wide, "Well, that's ambitious."

"Bo's other new life philosophy… go big or go home." Kenzi smiled.

"And that's exactly where I'm going!" Bo called to her sister, "Let's go Kenz. We're outta here."

Lauren turned to see her former patient sitting in a wheelchair being pushed by a volunteer. The two locked eyes, pausing for a moment before Bo finally broke the silence,

"Hey, Doc. I just want to say thanks again for saving my life. Uh… well… yea." Bo wanted to ask Lauren to call her, but she'd already asked her to do that once and the blonde had never called. She'd stopped in to check on her a few times, but wasn't that because it was her job? Technically she was no longer her patient, but… well… she just didn't know.

Lauren replied, "Bo, I'm just glad I was there. So, uh… where are you going? Doctor Alakai said he wasn't discharging you for another forty-eight hours."

"Well, he's wrong. I'm fine, so I signed myself out. It's a free country no matter how far away from the White House you get." Bo said with what Lauren could only describe as an unsteady confidence in her own words. It seemed Bo was trying to convince herself she was fine. Maybe she really could talk her into staying.

"That's true, but you do realize that not only do you not have a medical degree to be able to make the decision yourself, but you are clearly lacking the perspective to make the right choice here."

"And how is that, Doc?" Bo asked, seemingly offended.

"Well, if you realized the truth of why Doctor Alakai would not discharge you, then you would still be in your bed."

Bo crossed her arms over her chest, "And what truth is that, Doctor?"

"You died, Bo." Lauren said, quietly but with all of the sincerity she could muster.

"Well, I didn't really die." Bo said, "I'm here, aren't I?"

"No breathing, no pulse for at least five minutes is death, Bo. You were dead and you want to get out of here, get out of that chair and get back on that damn pipeline. Just remember, I don't workout in that location every day. My being there was pure damn luck. Sooner or later, every surfer's luck runs out. I know… I've seen it first hand. There have been plenty just like you that haven't come off of my table alive. If you leave now, you're a fool."

The blonde's anger took Bo by surprise, "Lauren…" Bo called out to the blonde who instead turned to her sister and spoke,

"The rest is up to her, Kenzi. If she is stubborn enough to go home, at least make sure she follows the discharge order. I'm sure she's not cleared to surf for at least two weeks."

"That's not happening." Bo grumbled.

Lauren's head snapped towards Bo, "You do what you want and remember… I did my job. If you want to waste all of my hard work and go out there when you are not well enough to surf, fine. Go ahead and get yourself killed. Just remember that I warned you."

"I'm not getting myself killed." Bo insisted.

Lauren sighed in frustration, "Well then, may the surf Gods be with you while you practice your religion. Just remember… this isn't just about you. How do you think your sister would feel if anything happened to you because earning some cash prize meant more to you than being here on this earth for her."

Lauren looked back to Kenzi, "I'm sorry. I really hope she at least stays out of the water for your sake, but it would be best if she went back up to her room and got back in the damn bed where we can monitor her head injury and her lungs. She really isn't out of the woods yet. Take care, Kenzi."

Kenzi's eyes welled up as she watched Lauren walk away. She looked down at her sister, allowing the tears to flow freely before she turned and walked towards the exit. Bo reached up to try to grab her hand,

"Kenzi!"

The younger girl kept walking as her arms waved and she yelled, "The Doc is right! You care more about your damn bank account than your life or mine!"

She stopped, wiping her tears before she turned around, "Have you thought one minute what I felt watching her do CPR on you, Bo? Do you have any idea what it was like for me to sit in this ER… the very same hospital where we both sat waiting for the bad news about Dad and then Mom, too? I thought I was going to be left here all alone and now… now you're going to go right back out there and try to compete when not one, but TWO doctors are telling you it's not safe for you right now!"

Bo hung her head, knowing her sister was right. She looked over across the hallway where the doctor was doing patient charts. Moving her hand to her lips, she remembered the feel of the doctor's mouth on hers as she awoke from the darkness... she remembered the sound of Kenzi screaming… the sound of the engine from the wave runner on the surface… Dyson's voice screaming for her… the memory of panic as she was rolled over and over again, unable to find the surface… a rock… pain… more pain… no air… Kenzi… I'm dying… I'm sorry…

"Miss Dennis?" The volunteer called to Bo, but got no response, "Dr. Lewis?"

Lauren looked up, noticing Bo was not moving. She walked quickly to her side, kneeling down in front of her, "Bo?"

She lifted a light to her eyes, "Pupils reactive."

She clapped her hands loudly in front of Bo's face, "BO!"

The brunette's eyes moved to Lauren's face, tears welling in her eyes, "I died, Lauren."

Lauren sighed, "You did. But you're alive now."

Bo moved her eyes towards the exit, "Kenzi."

Lauren looked up at the redheaded volunteer and nodded towards the exit. The woman smiled and moved to go get Kenzi, while the doctor looked back at Bo,

"Bo? The volunteer will go get Kenzi. Do you want to go back to your room?" Lauren asked, holding her breath.

The brunette looked up at Lauren, a tear trailing down her cheek,

"You brought me back from the dead. I… I remember everything. I… I was in the pipe… it was the ride of my life… I was surrounded by water… it was so quiet… I mean, I've been inside the pipe before, but this was different… it was… calm, quiet, blue-green, my board felt like it was on glass… and then… Evony..."

Kenzi's voice pulled her from her thoughts, "Yea, that ass wipe didn't give up the wave."

Bo looked at her sister, "I almost hit her… I steered out of the pipe so I wouldn't cut her in half… broke through the wall, into the whitewater… I tried to ditch back into the wave, but lost my board. It got caught… I was in the washing machine…"

Lauren looked at Kenzi, "Hallucinations?"

"No, Doc. The washing machine is something my Dad called it when you landed in the white water of a big wave. You just go around and around without being able to tell which way is up and which way is down. The current pulls you wherever it wants. We were taught to avoid the washer at all costs… people die in the washer."

Bo's eyes were glazed over as she spoke, looking at the floor, "It was just like Dad described. Next thing I knew, I saw a rock or reef… I'm not really sure. There was no way to avoid it. I was just like a rag doll. The current threw me into the rock once, then twice. I finally saw the light and tried to swim up, but the rip was too strong and I was too tired. I had no air left… I knew… I knew then and there… that was it… it was over…"

She looked up at her sister, "I thought of you, Kenz… I was so sorry… I… I didn't want to leave you alone… I…"

Kenzi knelt down in front of her sister, "You didn't. The Doc here saved the day. You're here and we're still together. Livin' the dream, right?"

Bo gave her a half smile, "The dream… right." Her voice was quiet as she looked up at Lauren, "Can you take me back to my room, please?"

Lauren smiled, "Of course, Bo. Just stay here with Kenzi and let me make sure it's still up for grabs."

"Right. Thanks." Bo replied.

Lauren turned to walk away as she heard Kenzi talking to her sister, "This is the right decision, Bo. You can recover fully before you get back out there. Better safe than sorry, right?"

Bo looked at Kenzi, "Get back out there. Right."

Lauren looked over at her patient, then to the desk nurse, "Violet, Miss Dennis will be staying after all. Is her previous room still available?"

"No, Doctor Lewis. We're almost up to capacity right now. That's how she ended up on the cardiac floor to being with."

Lauren noticed that Bo was quiet… withdrawn even, "It's okay. Do we have anything on the 2nd floor?"

"You want to put her on the psych floor?" Violet asked.

"I think so. I think I'm going to have her see Doctor Santiago." Lauren replied.

"That new guy that's working with your team?" she smiled, "I saw him in the gym the other day… I may be older, but I'm not dead yet." She fanned herself with a patient file grinning ear to ear.

"I know, he's hot but he's also a great psychiatrist and the work he's doing with athletes shows great promise. I have a feeling Miss Dennis is going to need a little help getting back on the proverbial horse."

Violet's eyes went wide, "Why, Doctor Lewis, you're actually going to help a surfer get back out on the waves?"

Lauren sighed, "Against my better judgment…" She looked over at the surfer sisters, "… yes. Far be it from me to stand between a girl and her dream."

In the few short discussions she had managed to have with Bo the last two days, Lauren had learned that surfing was a part of who Bo was and to take that away from her would change the very essence of the woman. Despite her own fears, Lauren knew she needed to support Bo's journey back to the waves. She took a deep breath and turned to the station nurse who was handling a new bracelet for the re-admitted patient. As she went to go towards Bo, Lauren stopped her,

"I've got this Violet. I think I'm going to stick with her for a bit. When she woke up at the accident site, she remembered things with some degree of clarity. Now it seems as though she's waking up to the events all over again. I want to make sure there's nothing going on with her brain that we missed."

Violet nodded, "Of course, Dr. Lewis. Would you like me to page Doctor Santiago?"

"Yes, please. I'll meet him in the room. If you could please have him review her chart before he comes in?"

"Yes, Doctor Lewis."

"Thank you, Violet."

"No problem, Doctor."

Lauren smiled and moved to the two sisters. She leaned down and placed the new bracelet around Bo's wrist, "Welcome back, Miss Dennis."

Bo looked up, "Thank you… and… Doctor Lewis?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you… really… for being there when I needed you."

"I'll always be grateful that I was, Miss Dennis." Lauren replied.

Bo smiled, "Please. I like it when you call me Bo."

Lauren blushed, "Whatever makes you comfortable. Now, let's get you settled. I hope you weren't too terribly fond of your room. I'm afraid its been taken."

Bo gave her a sad smile. She wasn't really feeling much like herself, but she didn't want to be rude, "Well, I was pretty attached to the scenic view."

The doctor smiled, "Well, speaking of scenic view, the room you're going to actually has an oceanfront view. You'll be able to see those waves you love so much right from your bed if you crank the blinds open."

Bo froze, thinking about the wave that had given her such peace one moment, then absolute darkness the next. She nodded politely as Lauren wheeled her towards the elevator with Kenzi following behind.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kenzi unpacked Bo's suitcase while her sister changed back into a hospital gown and settled into bed. Lauren had gone out to the nurses' station to get everything set up for her re-admitted patient.

"You okay, BoBo? You've been awfully quiet."

Bo stared out the window at the huge waves of the North Beach surging onto shore. It was high tide… she'd know that surf anywhere, "You know, the term killer waves has taken on a whole new meaning for me."

Kenzi looked up at her sister, and then to where she was looking, "High tide brings killer waves. You're remembering a lot of Dad's lessons today."

"It seems fitting, right? I survive what killed him in the same month of the year?"

"Whoa. Are you talking about Karma? Bo, the ocean didn't reach up and grab you. Evony fucked up and you paid the price."

"Yea, almost with my life." Bo replied before turning to look out the window. She looked out at the large waves of the Banzai Pipeline about two miles out. Maybe the Doc was right. Lying here now, it did look kind of crazy that anyone would go floating around out there on a piece of wood. She turned back to Kenzi. Looking up at her little sister, she spoke without making eye contact,

"Can you close the curtain?"

"You have this gorgeous view and you want to sit in the dark?" Kenzi asked.

"Uh… I… uh have a bit of a headache. Concussions and light sensitivity, right?" Bo smiled softly, laying back in bed and turning on her side away from the window.

"Okay." Kenzi replied, doing as she was asked.

Bo exhaled a deep breath, "Thanks. I think I'm going to sleep for a bit if that's all right. I feel a little tired."

"Sure thing, BoBo. I'm gonna go hit the cafeteria. I'm a little hungry." Kenzi said, leaning down to kiss her sister on the side of her head, "Sleep tight. I'll be back soon to check in on you."

Bo chuckled internally at her sister's appetite, but she didn't have enough energy to speak. She listened as the door shut, and then closed her eyes wanting to block out the world for as long as she could.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lauren had stepped out to give the sisters some privacy while she waited for her friend and colleague, Doctor Hale Santiago. As he approached, she smiled,

"Hi Hale! How are you?" Lauren asked.

"Well, I'm fine, my fine sideline swinger." Hale smiled, giving Lauren a hug.

Lauren laughed, "Actually, I wasn't hitting the sideline at all this morning at practice."

"We'll work on that at this week's session. Was that stubborn ass partner of yours bitchin' at you or was she using her words when you missed?"

The blonde laughed, "What do you think?"

"Change takes time but with Tamsin, I'm afraid it's going to take more time than have years in my life."

Lauren laughed again, "You may be right about that. So, I was hoping you could help me with a patient. I brought her in via ambo a few days ago. She tried to discharge herself against Doctor's orders but about thirty minutes ago, she checked back in voluntarily."

"That's a pretty bad case of whiplash there." Hale said, scratching his head, "So, what was she in for originally?"

Lauren sighed, "Well… uh… she's a surfer and she went under down at the pipe. I pulled her out, did CPR, she came back, transported her, stitched her up and transferred her to neuro under Doctor Alakai. Lab results demonstrated the cause of cardiac and respiratory arrest was hypoxemia resulting in wet drowning with approximately 3.5 cc's of water in the lungs."

"Well, since about 80% of drownings are wet drownings, I'm not surprised about those test results." Hale replied, nodding, "How are her lungs? Any signs of pneumonia or acute respiratory distress syndrome?"

"So far, her lungs are recovering nicely considering she drowned in salt water." Lauren replied.

Kenzi chose that time to walk out of Bo's room, "What does it matter that Bo drowned in salt water or a glass of water? Isn't drowning just drowning?"

Lauren sighed, kicking herself for not taking Hale to a private area to talk, "Actually, there are many differences between drowning victims. Didn't Doctor Alakai explain that to you?"

"To tell you the truth, Doc he was speaking a foreign language and I didn't have the heart to tell him to speak normal English like the rest of us. Now, who is this fine looking specimen of a man?" Kenzi eyed Dr. Santiago up and down shamelessly.

Lauren almost coughed, caught off guard by Kenzi's blatant actions, "This is Doctor Hale Santiago."

"All Hale the great Doctor Santiago!" Kenzi raised her hands over her head and bowed, "See what I did there? All Hale? Get it?"

"I've got it." Hale smiled, "And you're not too bad a specimen either little one."

"Hey! I'm not a little one. I'm at least as old as you!" Kenzi replied before turning to Lauren, "Now will you please tell me if my BoBo is okay? In English please?"

"Kenzi, your sister was a victim of what is called wet drowning. In short, it means that when she went under, she held her breath voluntarily. Eventually, her larynx or windpipe would have gone into spasm and she would develop hypoxemia, which means there wasn't enough oxygen in her blood. Without oxygen, she became acidotic causing her brain, heart and lungs to shut down. Once that happens, the larynx will either relax allowing water into the lungs or remain in spasm preventing water from entering. Do you remember that Bo coughed up water and then vomited?"

"Yea, I was so relieved to see her take a breath." Kenzi said quietly.

"Well, when water gets in, it's called wet drowning and when it doesn't, it's dry drowning. It doesn't take much water to cause problems in the lungs. Now, Bo drowned in salt water. The smallest parts of our lungs are called alveoli and they're covered in a chemical called surfactant. This chemical helps alveoli to open and close easily when we breathe. In fresh water, surfactant is damaged and then alveoli break down and can't open and close to breathe."

"And in salt water?" Kenzi asked.

"The surfactant is washed away all together, so…"

"There's no way for oxygen to get in." Kenzi finished for Lauren, "So is the damage permanent? I mean, can BoBo get her chemical back?"

"The risks for Bo are numerous, Kenzi. First, the hypoxemia may have caused damage to brain tissue that we have not recognized yet. Extreme fatigue, repeated headaches, seizures, memory loss, concentration difficulties and other symptoms may develop later and may become persistent. Right now, we just can't tell what is from the grade three concussion and what is from the loss of oxygen to the brain."

"She's been sleeping a lot." Kenzi replied.

"Well, that is to be expected. Another concern is the lung damage. As I was telling Doctor Santiago, we haven't ruled out pneumonia or ARDS."

"What's that?" Kenzi asked.

"Acute respiratory distress syndrome. There are some things that can result from this condition such as fluid in the lungs and blood clots, but hopefully she will recover without either of these conditions."

Lauren looked up at Hale who sighed, turning to Kenzi, "The truth is, if your sister had left the hospital today, she probably would have ended up right back here in a few hours… possibly for the last time, little one. Her condition is serious. The brain doesn't like not having oxygen and our lungs don't like having water in them. She may have a few hours where she feels okay and think she's fine, but then she'll do a one-eighty and feel like she can't get a breath."

Kenzi nodded, "Like she did before you put her back in here."

The blonde nodded, adding, "She needs to be here, Kenzi. We can treat her with breathing therapies, medicines and rest. Most of all, if she should have a seizure, a breathing emergency or a cardiac event, she is in the right place to have the best chance for survival."

Kenzi looked between the two doctors, "So, she really isn't out of the woods yet? You weren't just saying that to scare her into staying?"

Lauren shook her head, "I'm sorry, Kenzi. I wish we could say that she'll be fine, but the truth is, we need time to know that for sure. The very worst place she could be right now is in the water. She could have an event that would lead to her having problems breathing or losing consciousness and… well, I don't have to tell you what could happen if any of that occurred while she was surfing the pipe."

"I think we've done that already… no reruns needed, Doc." Kenzi looked up at Hale, "So, are you some kind of lung doctor who's going to help my sister?"

Hale smiled, "Actually, I'm a psychiatrist. I'm here to help your sister's mind. She's got a rough road behind and ahead. I'm here to help her handle both directions."

Kenzi looked up at Lauren, "She's not gonna like having a shrink walk into her room."

Lauren nodded, "Maybe so, but when you came back into the hospital, did you notice that she had sort of… well… zoned out?"

Kenzi paused for a moment, "I thought she was just pissed about staying."

"She was remembering what happened, Kenzi…. details about her accident… about the moments before she experienced darkness. It's quite traumatic for anyone. I don't care who you are or how brave you may be… the realization that you've died and come back is never easy."

Hale smiled, "That's where I come in, little mamma. I'll get your sister's head back in the game."

Kenzi's eyes went wide, "You think my BoBo's lost her mojo?"

Lauren looked confused, but Hale just smiled, "You just leave her mojo to me. I helped the doc find hers and I'll do the same for your sister."

"The doc's got mojo?" Kenzi said, looking curiously at Lauren.

"The woman's got a sideline smack down like you've never seen. She's gonna bring home a gold medal to the good 'ol U.S. of A!"

Kenzi looked at the doctor, "You've been holding out on me, Doc! You're an Olympian?"

Lauren shuffled her feet, shoving her hands deep into the pockets of her lab coat, "Why yes, yes I am."

"What sport? Figure skating?" Kenzi asked.

Lauren's brow furled, "What? No! I play beach volleyball. Don't you remember me giving you the key to the gear box to get the first aid kit and AED?"

"Wow. So… you can get me and BoBo front row seats to the gold medal match?" Kenzi asked excitedly.

"Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. We haven't even gotten to Rio yet." Lauren replied.

"Rio? We're going to Rio?" Kenzi asked.

Lauren wasn't sure what she was supposed to say to the young woman. Yes, she was going to Rio, but she wasn't sure how Kenzi was getting there. On the other hand, it would be nice to have someone there to cheer her on. Her brother was on the run thanks to some questionable acts with an environmental group and her parents had been gone since she was young.

She thought back to what Kenzi had assumed about her wealth. The young woman had no idea that she had been left to live with her Aunt when she was ten years old or that her Aunt worked three jobs to pay rent, put food on the table and keep the lights on. She had no idea that it was endless hours of studying that had earned her the scholarships that had gotten her into college at age sixteen, or that those scholarships were from the ROTC with the promise to be a physician in the military for five years after medical school. She had come home, gotten a job, tried out for Team USA and bought her house all in about a month.

"Doc? You okay?" Kenzi tapped Lauren on the arm.

"Uh… yes, sorry. I was just thinking."

"Doctor Lewis? You're needed in the ER." Violet called out.

"On my way, Vi." Lauren replied turning back to Kenzi and Hale, "I take it you can introduce Doctor Santiago to your sister? I've got to tend to an emergency."

"Go save lives, Doc. It's what you do best." Kenzi smiled, "And thanks."

"You're welcome, Kenzi. I'll check in on Bo later."

"Thank you. I'm due at the beach in an hour or so." Kenzi replied.

Lauren froze, "You're going to go surf?"

Kenzi raised her hands over her head, "Have you not been listening, Doc? I don't have a choice! I'm in the same competition Bo was going to. If I don't place, we have no money to pay her hospital bill. Look, I don't expect you to understand, but Bo will and that's all that matters."

Kenzi went to turn away, but Lauren grabbed her forearm,

"Bo needs you here, Kenzi. The last thing she needs right now is you getting injured too. She stayed for you… don't you think you should stay for her?"

Kenzi shook her head, "No, I think we should both do what we can do for Bo. I'm leaving so she can afford to stay here so YOU can make her well. So, take your fancy lab coat and your fancy degrees and save my sister. I'm going to take my fine ass out to the pipe and use my fancy moves to pay your fancy salary."

Lauren didn't get a chance to reply. She could only watch as Kenzi stormed away to Bo's door so she could say goodbye to her sister. Lauren huffed and turned back to Hale,

"I have to go to the ER." She ran a hand down Hale's arm, giving him a nod, then turned towards the elevators.

"Don't worry about all that, Doc."

Lauren nodded to Hale who watched her head for the lift. When she turned around after stepping on, he smiled and said, "See ya later, Doc," before the doors closed.

Hale stood scratching his head, "Women are more complex than I'll ever understand." Doctor Santiago turned towards his new patient's room, "Well, here goes nothing."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kenzi sat on the chair with her head on Bo's bed, watching her sister sleep. She looked up at the monitors Lauren had attached her to, wondering what all of the lines, numbers and sounds meant.

"You know, when Mom and Dad were here, you sat in the waiting room with me and held my hand… it's only me now, Bo… I'm here all alone. Doc told me some scary stuff and… well… I'm scared, Bo. I can't lose you. You're all I have left. You've got to get better, all right? I've got no one to hold my hand."

Kenzi turned her head, placing her face in her hand as she choked back the tears of worry. It was only a moment later that she felt a soft hand in her own,

"You're not alone, Kenzi. Dr. Lewis and I are going to be right here with you fighting to help your sister recover, okay?"

The young raven-haired woman raised her eyes to meet the young doctor's, "Thanks."

She looked back at Bo, "Do you really think that you guys can fix her?"

Hale laughed, "She's not a car, so she doesn't need fixing. She's a person and she needs healing. Having and feeling love around her will do nothing but help the healing process."

Kenzi looked at the time on her phone, "I really can't stay. I know Lauren doesn't understand, but I hope you will. I really have to go and do this. We really have no money, Doctor Santiago. I mean… Bo's made some big bank the last four events, but we have expenses and we feed these two funds – a business fund and college fund – with not option for using the money even when things are tight. Everything we have is invested in hopes of growing our money to start Bo's dream business and put me through school."

Hale nodded, "I really wish you wouldn't worry so much about the bill, Kenzi. Some things are more important than money."

"Easy to say when you're a doctor and you have it." Kenzi replied.

Hale shook his head, "You know, it's not my story to tell so I won't say much but you really should give Lauren a break. She's not who you think she is."

Kenzi propped her head up on her hand, "And who do you think I think she is?"

"Well, you called her fancy more than once and mentioned paying her fancy salary. So you obviously think she is wealthy… so… like I said, she's not who you think she is."

"Fine." Kenzi replied, looking back to her sister who had started to move, "Is she in pain?"

"I don't know. When she wakes up, I'll ask her. If she is, I'll give her what I can but with her particular injuries, we need to be careful about using pain meds because of the condition of her brain."

Kenzi nodded, "Okay, well… I've gotta go to work." She stood and smiled, "Thanks for looking out for her."

"You're welcome. I'll do everything I can to help your sister heal."

Kenzi placed a light kiss on her sister's forehead and walked to the door. Looking back, she opened the door and then left. Hale turned to his patient, opened the chart and recorded the numbers on the monitor. Sitting back in the chair, he looked down and noticed five surfing magazines. He knew Bo's medical file, but he didn't really know much about Bo's world. He picked up the top magazine and settled in to begin his education in one Bo Dennis, Professional Surfer.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Two Weeks Later…

"LEWIS! That's the fourth time you've missed that line! That is your kill shot! Drop and give me twenty!"

Lauren picked up at handful of sand and threw it down, "Fudge!"

She dropped to the sand and did twenty push ups, feeling her coach's eyes on her the entire time.

"Count 'em out!" He yelled.

Lauren began to count while Tamsin watched from the net, hands on her hips wiping the sweat from her brow. Her partner was really off her game today and she wasn't sure why. The last two weeks Lauren had been unwilling to talk about whatever it was that was bothering her. Tamsin had called the team psychiatrist, Dr. Hale Santiago and asked him to speak with her. She had grown frustrated when he told her that he had been talking to Lauren and that Tamsin just needed to be patient with her because she was dealing with a rough case at the hospital.

Tamsin watched as the coach walked over to Lauren who was on her knees, brushing the sand off of her body.

"Get your head in the game, Lewis! I don't know what's going on with you, but whatever it is has no place on this court. You are too close to your goals to let anything interfere with this now. Let's go… up on your feet and lay those hits down that line like I know you can!"

The assistant coach on the other side of the net moved the ball carrier to the net and tossed the ball over to Tamsin. The blonde set the ball to Lauren who focused on her approach, jumped and powered through the ball.

"OUT! Come on Lewis!"

Lauren walked back her sideline and watched for the next ball, set… spike… miss… set… spike… miss.

"AAAGGGHHHHHH!" Lauren screamed, her fists in her own face as her frustration grew.

"Coach? Can you take five so I can talk to Lewis?" Hale's voice sounded across the sand. Lauren hung her head, knowing that her team doctor had probably seen every miss.

"Well, she's not doing us any good like she is. Sure… take her… and fix her damn head!"

Tamsin approached her partner, "Lauren…"

"Save it, Tamsin." Lauren turned and walked to Hale who handed her a towel and led towards the bench.

As Lauren moved to sit down, Hale spoke up,

"Let's walk… you don't sit well."

Lauren only nodded and moved to walk next to Hale. It was quite a while before Hale finally spoke,

"So are you going to tell me what's going on? It seems like you're frustrating the hell out of coach."

Lauren shook her head, "I can't seem to hit the line shots today. Everything goes out of bounds. I did my mental check of my take off, ball height, strike point, follow through… I don't know."

"Now you know I'm not talking about your skills, Doc. I'm talking about your head. Where are you?"

The blonde was at a loss, "I don't know, Hale. I'm just… I don't know. I'm just so… so… angry!"

"About what… or who?" Hale asked.

"I don't know." Lauren said quietly.

"Really? You have no idea?"

"None."

"Interesting, Doc, cause I coulda sworn you've been angry and off your game ever since a certain brunette washed up on your beach… about… right… here."

Hale came to a stop in the exact spot where Lauren had pulled Bo from the water… or at least he thought it was the spot based on what Kenzi had told him. Over the last two weeks, Kenzi and Hale had grown closer, as the younger Dennis sister shared Bo's life story so that her psychiatrist could get a better handle on what was holding the older sister back in their sessions.

Hale watched Lauren carefully as she stood watching the largest waves of the pipe curling, rolling and crashing a good distance from where they stood on the shore. She looked down at the spot where Bo had washed up and crossed her arms over her chest, closing her eyes.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on in your head, Doc?" Hale asked, remaining by her side.

"They're going to get themselves killed, Hale."

He shook his head, "Kenzi just took third place in the last two competitions and fifth in the one before that. She's making good money and the two of them are happy. Their bills are paid including the hospital bill for us 'fancy doctors' and Bo's condition is improving steadily. The blood clot scare from two weeks ago is handled, her physical therapy is progressing nicely and she is feeling like she may be ready to get back on a board."

Lauren shrugged, "And you think that's okay?"

"What? Bo getting back on a board?"

"Of course!" Lauren snapped.

"It's who she is, Doc. It's what she does. Who am I to tell her she shouldn't do what she loves?" Hale asked.

"Because it's not safe!" Lauren said, turning to face her team's sports psychologist for the first time.

Hale had to admit that he was surprised to see tears in the Doc's eyes, but it also confirmed his suspicions.

"Doc, talk to me. Please. I want to help you, but I can't do that if you continue to walk around in this state of silent doom."

Lauren stared down at her feet, then raised her eyes to the water, "She died here, Hale. I mean… I've had a lot of surfers in my ER, but it was the first time I actually saw one wash up on the beach. If you could have heard the panic in Kenzi's voice… the roar of the ocean that day… the feeling of utter emptiness in her chest as I did compressions… I just… I can't get the look of her blue face and lips out of my head. I know she's alive, but I just can't shake it."

Hale nodded, "Lauren, what you are failing to realize is that while we're treating Bo for her Post-Traumatic Stress, you went through the same ordeal. It was a shared experience."

Lauren shook her head, "It wasn't shared! She wasn't with me that day! She was somewhere else! We were two people separated by darkness!"

Hale's face held nothing but confusion as his friend turned away. His gut feeling was telling him that there was something more to what was going on here. Lauren's reaction had hints of some event from her past, but what? They had shared their life stories and he knew everything… didn't he?

"You said you were set on helping Bo get back on the board… that surfing was a large part of what made her who she was. Are you saying you don't believe that anymore?"

Lauren's eyes filled with tears as she stood in silence.

"You love her, don't you." Hale asked, though it was more a statement of fact.

Lauren turned to him, "I… I've only known her for two months, Hale."

"But you've spent a lot of time with her when Kenzi was away. I'd love to say the two of you have become very close friends, but I sense there's more than that. Care to share?"

Lauren hesitated, "We had a one night stand… it was before her accident. It really surprised me that I'd slept with a surfer let alone spent an entire night into the morning with one… Hale… it was amazing. We promised we would call each other, but… well…"

"Two stubborn women with two very hectic training schedules equals no further contact." Hale summarized.

Lauren nodded, "I care about her, Hale… I don't know how to label it… I just know I don't want anything to happen to her."

Lauren turned to face him, her eyes full of tears and fear, "I'm terrified of losing her and she's not even mine."

She watched as Hale waved his hand and then pulled out his phone. Lauren looked at him confused as his cell phone rang,

"Hi Bo… hold on a second…"

Hale held out his phone, "Did I mention that I bought Bo a pair of binoculars last week so she could watch the pipe surfers… well, Kenzi… and it just so happens that she can see Team USA training as well."

Lauren's eyes went wide as Hale wiggled the phone in the air, urging her to take it, "She's waiting, Lauren."

The blonde sighed before holding the phone up to her ear, "Hello?"

"Hey, Doc! Taking a little break from training?"

"Uh… well… I a…"

The sounds of Bo's laugh brought a smile to Lauren's face, "You're missing your line shots and your coach is grinding your ass. When are you going to lay that shot down and put it in his face? There is no better player out there, Lauren. Show him, okay?"

Lauren's eyes welled with tears. She'd never had anyone in her corner who wasn't attached to the team.

"Lauren?"

"Yea?"

"Did you hear me?" Bo asked.

"I did… I just… I don't know what I'm doing wrong, Bo. I just…"

"Lauren, why do you play volleyball? I mean… look over at the court and think about it. Why do you play?"

"I've been playing since I was a kid… I love it. The suspense of the play until a final hit settles the point. To do that point after point… getting down and dirty in the sand, going for saves you don't think you can get and then you do… I don't know… I just love the game."

"Okay then… look over to your left down the beach… do you see the group that is barbecuing?"

Lauren nodded, "Yes."

"I want you to pretend they are all your friends and you're out there for a beach picnic. You're just gonna play a little volleyball against some friends."

"There's no one on the other side of the net, Bo." Lauren replied.

"There will be. Come see me after practice?" Bo asked, shyly.

Lauren smiled, "I'd love to, Bo."

"Good. Se you then." Bo said, hanging up the phone.

Lauren suddenly realized what Bo had said before asking her to come and see her, "Wait! Bo? What do you mean there will be?"

The phone was dead. She looked up at Hale, "She's invited people to play against us?"

Hale smiled, "Bo Dennis is a big name in the surf world, Lauren. And you may not believe it, but not all big name volleyball players are anti-surfer. Some actually follow the sport… especially some of the big name retirees."

Hale nodded towards the two people now walking towards them. Lauren's mouth dropped open as they extended their hands, to shake hers. She stood still, causing them to laugh and withdrawal their hands.

"Well, well… we finally get to meet the owner of the Lewis smackdown! Let's see how much power you've really got, little girl."

"Ignore my former USA teammate. We're just looking for a little game and we hear you and Tamsin can use a scrimmage."

Lauren's mouth was hanging open, her ability to speak seemingly gone. Hale laughed, "I think she's totally fan-girling right now. Maybe introduce yourselves first?"

The taller man held out his hand, "Hi Lauren. I'm Casey Jennings."

"I-I… know…" Lauren took his hand, shaking it, "I've watched about every match you ever played in. You helped me develop my hit."

"I'm Misty May Treanor, Lauren."

"I know… I just… this is like a dream. I mean… you're the reason I'm even on Team USA. If you hadn't retired, I wouldn't have had this opportunity. Thank you so much!"

Misty laughed, "Well, I guess you're welcome then. You just make sure we hold onto that medal podium, okay?"

Lauren smiled, "We'll do our best."

Casey smiled, "So, we're friends with Bo Dennis. We just stopped by to see her in the hospital and she was watching you play with binoculars. We saw you were having problems with that massive hit of yours, so she asked us to pop over here and give you a little scrimmage. She thinks too many drills and not enough playing is getting into your head. Wanna give it a try?"

"You mean… play against you guys? Oh. My. God. That would be a dream come true!" Lauren said, excited, but then frowned, "I'm not so sure my coach would…"

Misty placed a soft hand on Lauren's arm, "Let us worry about coach. Go tell Tamsin to get herself ready to play. One game to twenty-one, winner buys dinner."

Lauren smiled, "We're having dinner? But I told Bo I would stop by…"

"She knows and you're going to bring her a plate. She said she's sick to death of hospital food."

Lauren smiled, "I know. I snuck some ice cream into her the other day, against my better judgement."

Casey smiled, "She told us. She's really sweet on you, Doc."

Lauren's eyes went wide causing Misty to smile, "Oh come on, you had to know."

The blonde smiled, "I guess I suspected, but we really haven't talked about it. I'm really just trying to focus on her recovery."

"So… we know you can't talk much about her case with HIPPA laws and all, but can you give us a hint about when we'll get to see her back out there?" Casey asked, nodding towards the ocean.

Lauren looked at Hale who replied, "We think that's pretty much up to Bo now. As for her discharge, it should be the end of the week as long as her physical therapist and respiratory therapist agree to discharge her."

The pair smiled as Casey responded, "Good to hear. Hopefully her team will be able to get her back on her board soon."

Lauren gave a less than enthusiastic, "Yea, right."

"Come on then, let's play!" Casey said, jogging towards the court with the two women and Hale right behind.

The pair headed straight for the coach shaking his hand and giving him hugs while Lauren moved to Tamsin,

"We have a scrimmage, partner!" Lauren smiled.

"Oh. My. God. Casey Jennings and Misty-May Treanor? Are you shittin' me?"

"I'm not! As long as coach doesn't rain on our parade… and… we have dinner afterwards! Winner buys!"

Tamsin smiled, "That either means they know how financially strapped Olympians are so they know we'll let them win or they know how much better than us they are so they're going to win and then buy for us because they feel sorry for us."

Lauren smiled, "Or… they could be nervous about playing Team Slamsin and they're set on us buying and earning our Team USA stripes by buying the old folks dinner?"

Tamsin smiled, "Good idea, Lewis. Let's beat these old folks and send 'em back to the home. We can buy them some Ensure for dinner."

Lauren laughed looking forward to the scrimmage. The coach walked over to them, "Okay you two… let's see what you've got. Lewis, let's see if you can finally hit a line shot today."

Tamsin had enough, "Hey coach, why don't you just go over there and sit down and relax. Let Lauren and I play our game and focus on each other."

The coach frowned and began to speak, but Tamsin gripped his arm and waved Hale over, "I'm not asking, Coach. I'm telling you. If you don't stop riding Lewis' ass at practice, I'm going to report you to the staff office for harassment. She's going through a rough spot… she is actually excited about playing this match and you walking up to her and talking down to her about one of many shots she has to make in a match is not going to help her head at all. Stick to coaching mechanics and leave the mind coaching to her partner and the guy the USA Head Office hired to do the job."

"I…" He went to speak, but Hale placed a hand on the man's forearm,

"I agree with Tamsin, coach and I will support such action. You are a detriment to the team in your coaching tactics right now. Considering you are coaching all three USA teams, I'm beginning to get a bit concerned that you may intentionally be trying to sabotage your number two team here."

"I would never…" He began, but Tamsin interrupted.

"Oh yes you would. You've been coaching those girls for almost a decade now. We're the new kids and you clearly favor your veterans. Well, guess what… all veteran players eventually get replaced… just ask the two on the other side of the net. At least they bowed out gracefully and didn't try to have a coach try to stack the odds in their favor… of course, I don't think our number one pair is doing that, are they? As a matter of fact, I think if you invited them to one of our practices, they'd be pretty appalled by the way you treat Lauren, wouldn't they?"

The man remained silent as Tamsin added one final point, "Look. It's quite obvious that you don't like having to run practices around Lauren's hospital schedule, but for crying out loud, she's saving lives. It's not her fault that her bitch of a boss won't work with Team USA. Have you even tried asking her?"

The man cringed, lowering his head, "Okay, let's play."

Tamsin and Hale looked at the man, shouting to him, "Lachlan! Get back here."

He walked back, eyes downcast as Tamsin asked, "What does Evony have on you?"

"She's my ex-wife. She scheduling Lauren to make my life miserable!" He replied.

Tamsin laughed, "Now I see why you're divorced. And just to see how tangled the web really is… what has Lauren so tied up in knots is a patient that your ex-wife almost killed while she was surfing. Lauren's got a little PTSD from bringing a world famous pro surfer back to life."

The man almost choked, "Wait… Lauren is the one who saved Bo Dennis? Evony hates her guts because she and her sister pushed her out of the world qualifying events."

"And the puzzle pieces begin to come together." Tamsin sighed, running her hands over her hat before pulling her sunglasses down over her eyes, "What a tangled web we weave indeed. Let's play."

Everyone turned and walked towards the court where Lauren, Casey and Misty were laughing about something at the net. Tamsin smiled knowing her partner was already visibly loosening up. She joined them at the net, shook hands, played rock, paper, scissors for serve and started the game.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lauren carefully opened Bo's door, carrying a plate of food and a bottle of iced tea. She noticed Bo's bed was propped up a bit in a position she had only been using if she'd had a headache. She was immediately concerned and rounded the bed to find the woman's eyes filled with tears as she stared out at the ocean.

She sat down and took the brunette's hand, "Bo? What's wrong?"

Bo looked at Lauren, "I… I thought you weren't coming. I… I'm sorry. It's silly of me."

Lauren smiled, "It's not silly at all. Of course I wouldn't forget you. It was just… it was an eventful day and evening after we hung up the phone." She looked at the position of the bed, "Do you have a headache?"

"I did, but it's better now. The nurse gave me some regular strength Tylenol which luckily worked."

"You may just be a bit dehydrated, but I'd like to check you out, just in case."

Bo smiled, "Check me out?"

Lauren blushed, "Well, what you're suggesting will have to wait for another time. The type of check I was referring to involves a stethoscope, bright light and a blood pressure monitor."

"So… you're suggesting you will check me out in other ways at another time?"

Lauren smiled a shy smiled and looked down at Bo's fingers now entwined with her own, "You know… I never stopped thinking about our one night stand… not one day has passed since that I didn't think about it."

Bo smiled, "I'm glad. It's been the same way for me."

"Bo… about today… I can't thank you enough for…"

"Hey, they stopped by to visit and I happened to be watching your court. It broke my heart to see you struggling with your shots and your coach… wow, what an asshole… and, well, they offered to go down and put a stop to it once they saw what was happening. They were going to talk to him, but I think Misty actually called her old partner and asked her to look out for you guys since she's on the number one team. Kerry wouldn't go for a coach doing that crap to a player."

"Well, apparently, Tamsin called him on his shit and it turns out that my coach, Lachlan Marquee, is the ex-husband of…"

"Oh, shit! Your coach is Evony's ex-husband?"

Lauren and Bo laughed as the blonde nodded, "Now that's a pair made in paradise." Bo said, "I can't imagine what could have possibly ended that marriage."

Their laughter died down, "Anyway, Tamsin and I lost by three with extra serves, 24-21. We thought we were going out to dinner, but it turns out we were all just going to the barbeque you had pointed to on the beach. I brought you a plate."

"Oh, please tell me you brought me a beer!"

Lauren shook her head, "Sorry, but that's a negative. I did bring you homemade iced tea made by Misty's Mom. She said you love it."

"I do… that's better than a beer. What else did you bring? I'm starving. I rejected the food tray… well, I ate the applesauce because Sharmaine said they won't discharge me if I'm not eating. She ate my meal while we watched HDTV together. Don't tell… I don't want her to get in trouble."

"I won't tell a soul. Scouts honor." Lauren replied with a smile, handing Bo the plate.

"Misty's Mom made up your plate. She said it's all of your favorites. A couple of her ribs, a couple pieces of chicken, a piece of corn on the cob, her pasta salad and…"

Lauren unveiled another small plate, "Her dutch oven chocolate cake."

Bo's eyes went wide, "Yes! They buried the dutch ovens in the sand? This is gonna be so good."

Lauren nodded, "Everything was so moist, it was amazing."

"We cook like this all the time at the beach. Throw it into the sand, night surf for a few hours, come out and eat, then sleep until the sun comes up… do it all over again." Bo explained while pulling pieces of chicken easily from the bone, "Ohmagod, this is SO good."

Lauren smiled, "Sounds like a lot of fun."

"It's really relaxing, actually. No dishes to clean, no kitchen to clean… I mean… not that Kenzi and I use ours much beyond cereal, soup and beer."

Lauren frowned, "That's hardly the diet of a professional athlete."

Bo smirked, "Then I guess you'll have to bring me more plates like this."

"I see… now you just want me in your life for food." Lauren laughed.

Bo held her fingers out, looking for a napkin, "Actually, I have many reasons for wanting you in my life, Dr. Lauren Lewis. Food is merely one of many."

She looked up when she felt Lauren take dirty hand in her own. Slowly, the blonde pulled it towards her mouth and took each finger, one at a time, into her mouth, sucking them clean before repeating the gesture on the other hand,

"Sorry, I forgot to bring you napkins." Lauren blushed.

Bo sat there staring at while Lauren licked her lips clean, "You can forget napkins every time you bring me a plate if you will serve as the replacement. Don't go anywhere. I'm not finished yet… I still have ribs and corn-on-the-cob to be eaten with my fingers."

They talked as Bo ate, the conversation filled with laughter, flirting and shared history before the laughter died down a bit. Lauren leaned back to turn on the TV. It had become part of their nightly ritual when she was here to visit,

"So, what do you want to watch tonight? Another classic movie from TCM?"

Bo hesitated before she replied, "Actually… the Vans Pro is on… would you want to watch it with me?"

Bo's question was asked quietly since she was unsure if Lauren would be willing. She knew it might make her anxious to watch, but hoped that seeing close ups would help her to explain how it felt to be on the peak of a wave or in a curl.

Lauren smiled, "Uh… sure."

Bo clarified, "If it becomes to much, we can change the channel, okay? I know it makes you nervous."

Lauren nodded, watching Bo change the channel. The brunette moved her plate to the table, then turned back to the blonde,

"Would you lay with me?"

Lauren stared at the open space on the bed, almost speaking before she stood and crawled into bed next to Bo. The brunette adjusted the pillows and lowered the bed a bit so they were in a position closer to horizontal before putting her arm up and inviting Lauren to lay on her chest. Lauren blushed as she moved into Bo's arms, her head settling between her breasts where she could hear her heartbeat.

It didn't take long for the sound of Bo's heartbeat to bring about the memories of her body washing up on shore. Lauren struggled with her warring emotions as she watched the very sport on TV that almost took this moment from her.

"Lauren? Are you okay?" Bo asked.

"Sure. I'm fine." Lauren lied.

"Well, for someone who is fine, you sure are tense, not to mention, you've got a death grip on my hospital gown and part of your grip has my nipple included in it."

Lauren sat up, letting go quickly, "I'm so sorry."

Bo looked up to see the tears that had been flowing down Lauren's cheeks, "You're not okay. Do you want me to change the channel?"

Lauren shook her head, "No… I really don't. I…"

Bo sat up a little, "Lauren… please… full disclosure?"

Lauren sighed, "I was… I was listening to your heartbeat and watching the surfers and… well… it reminded me of…"

Lauren laid her head down on Bo's chest again, allowing the brunette to wrap her in her embrace, "And it made you think of the day you had to save me."

"It reminded me of the silence… the vacant eyes… I can't unsee it, Bo and… I'm scared… I'm scared of you going back out there." Lauren said, her eyes filling with tears for betraying Bo's love of surfing.

Bo looked down and saw the tears falling, "Why are you crying? It's okay to be scared."

"I know how much you love surfing. I don't want to say anything bad about it… I don't want you to think I want you to quit or that I would ever try to take it away from you."

Bo smiled, "Well, that's good to know because I wouldn't allow it. Lauren, if you want to be in my life, you're going to have to find a way to reconcile yourself to my sport. I know it's easy for me to say because you're hardly placing your life on the line playing volleyball, but I still have to deal with your schedule, your workout routine and your work schedule. We both have stuff to deal with if we want to be together."

Lauren turned her eyes up towards Bo's, "You want us to be together?"

Bo nodded, "I do, Lauren. I mean… I think that every relationship I've ever been in has been all about the sex first, the important stuff later. But with us… well… of course we had that one incredible night and morning together, but since then, it's all about the important stuff… we've laughed together, cried together, supported each other through our respective careers and training or recovery, in my case… I just… I feel like you're my partner in everything that matters. You're the one I can't wait to see every day. You're the one I couldn't wait to tell when I finally walked twenty-five yards in a straight line because my brain finally figured it out."

Lauren smiled, "That was a very special day. Of course, I was just elated the day you were able to stand for one straight minute."

Bo nodded, "It was scary for a while there after that blood clot. In my head, I knew what I wanted to do, but it was like someone turned off the messages to the rest of my body. It's funny, because I thought I was fine and then all of a sudden, I wasn't. Thank goodness you talked me out of going home."

Lauren nodded, "So… where does this leave us? Something beyond friendship?"

Bo smiled, "Way beyond. Lauren, I want us to do this… be together as a couple. I want everything with you… well… when I'm cleared for the physical exertion stuff."

Lauren laughed, "I have to be honest, Bo. I've never been very good at relationships. In college, my studies were my priority. After college, I owed the military five years and after that, I got this job, bought my house and moved into my professional volleyball career. I've never really been able to find anyone who would put up with my schedule or my focus on… well… other things."

Bo nodded, "But I think that's the beauty of us. We both have professional sports careers and training. You have a job and I have a Kenzi… see?"

Lauren laughed, "Kenzi is quite the job, isn't she?"

Bo smiled, "She is. So… what do you think? Can you find a way to reconcile yourself with my high-risk sport? I swear I won't compete any longer than I need to for my financial goals to be met, Lauren."

"You'll be smart out there?" Lauren asked.

"I promise." Bo replied.

"And you won't surf anywhere near Evony?"

"I double promise." Bo smiled.

Lauren sighed, "I can't lose you, Bo. I'm falling for you… please tell me you'll be here to catch me."

"I will do everything in my power using all of my experience and knowledge to be here for you, Lauren. I'm not going to re-enter this season if I can't get comfortable on my board. So… together?" Bo asked, extending her hand,

"Together." Lauren replied, taking the hand and laying her head on Bo's chest, "Take care of this heart… keep it beating… and you'll take care of my heart."

Bo smiled, kissing the top of Lauren's head, "I will take care of our hearts, Lauren."

Lauren looked up at Bo who lowered her head and captured her lips in a soft kiss. The blonde raised a hand to Bo's face, pulling her closer as her tongue begged for entrance. The brunette opened her mouth and welcomed the deepened kiss before the blonde slid up and onto her body, her thigh sliding between Bo's legs.

The heart monitor alarm started to sound, causing Lauren to pull back, "We'll have all of the nurses in this room if we don't stop."

Bo frowned, "I can't wait to be cleared to make love with you again. Lauren that night was… I mean… I just… I knew then… I've never had a one-night stand like that. It's always been one orgasm and then get the hell out of dodge. I didn't want to… I couldn't leave you. I just wanted to keep on loving you… not fucking you, although that was fantastic. I wanted it to be soft, intimate, caring… I felt love for a stranger that night. It was amazing."

Lauren smiled, pushing a strand of hair behind Bo's ear and placing a soft kiss on her lips, "I felt it too, Bo. I've thought of that night every day since. I knew in my heart that you were special to me… and since then, I've looked forward to coming to see you ever day. I think I would usually be frustrated by not having sex, but with you, it doesn't matter… it almost like it's enough just to lay here with you… almost."

Bo smiled, "I know exactly what you mean. So, doctor… when are you going to clear me for sexual activity?"

Lauren laughed, "As soon as we have had you off the blood thinners for more than a day and you don't have a clotting issue."

"I heard I have a scan every day for the next three days?" Bo asked, wanting confirmation from her doctor.

Lauren nodded, "Bo, you should know that at the beginning of the week, I brought Dr. Alakai back in on your case. I can no longer be objective and our relationship now makes it even more appropriate that I did so. Doctors cannot treat family and… well… you're my family now. So from now on, the final decisions lay with him. Okay?"

Bo sighed, "Everything you just said makes total sense ethically, but will you still be my second opinion?"

Lauren smiled, "There is no way I will let him take a chance with my girlfriend's life."

Bo smiled, leaning down to kiss Lauren softly on the lips, "Okay then. I accept your resignation as my doctor."

"Good, because you didn't have a choice." Lauren smiled as Bo slapped her playfully on the arm.

The blonde rested her head on Bo's chest again, this time focusing on the event being televised, "So… give me the play-by-play here, okay? I know nothing about this sport."

Bo gasped, mocking offense, "Well, you cannot very well parade around as the girlfriend of Bo Dennis if you don't know anything about her sport."

Lauren looked up at her, "And do you know Volleyball?"

"Actually, I do. I grew up with Casey. We used to play when we were kids." Bo replied, turning her attention to the event on TV,

"Now… that girl paddling is Courtney and she is currently ranked number one in the world. See how she paddles ahead of the wave? You don't want to come in on the shoulder, it's a sign of fear or weakness… everyone will tell you to grow a set and quit taking off on the shoulder. See? She's up on the peak of the wave now. It's a perfect A-frame because the beach where they're surfing has a good sandbar that helps the swells build."

She could feel Lauren tense, "Relax, sweetie. She's a very experienced surfer so she would never go over the falls intentionally."

"Over the falls?" Lauren asked.

"Sorry. It means you pop up to a stand too late or too soon and fall over the peak of the wave to the ground below – which, by the way, would be really shallow water. But see, her pop up is timed perfectly and look where she's working the tip of her board… you see… across the top of the wave… it sort of feels like being on a lift that's slowly bringing you closer to the ground. See how she's picking up speed going across the top?"

"That's what you fell from?" Lauren asked.

"It is… but mine wasn't an over the falls situation. Mine was an error in judgment by another surfer."

"Evony."

Bo nodded, "Right. She came out of nowhere from the other direction and to avoid her, I tried to cut back and nose into the wall of the wave, but I caught the front edge and it rolled me over right into reef before it broke and landed right on top of me. That won't happen to Courtney because everyone out there is a pro and there are judges that are watching your every move. Evony pulled something just like what she did to me at a competition back in December and the judges didn't approve. She never gained enough points from then on to stay in the running for Worlds."

"Why would she try to share a wave? That seems really dangerous." Lauren replied.

"Well, we do split the peak on occasion, but it's planned and you both go in different directions. Evony doesn't plan with anyone and that becomes obvious when one person turns one way and she turns into their line. The massive sound of the surfers screaming at her doesn't help her case either."

"Sounds like she's as much of a pain in the ocean as she is here." Lauren said, flatly.

"She also tends to have a lot of pullbacks." Bo said, then noticed the confusion on her girlfriend's face, "That means she starts to paddle for a wave and then decides she's not going to take it, leaving everyone mad that she wasted a good wave. Think of it as there being eight slices of pizza and eight surfers, but you throw a slice away. Someone isn't going to get pizza that day."

Lauren shook her head, her eyes remaining fixed on the next surfer, "Who's that?"

"That's Tyler. She's right behind me in the standings… well… she's actually ahead of me now since Kenzi didn't beat her last event. Every time my little sis manages a top three finish, she keeps me in the running. She had a fifth place finish last event, so Tyler slid in ahead of me, but she's only up by about a thousand points. A top three finish would still get me to my goal for the season financially. I just… I had always dreamed of being a champion one season."

Lauren squeezed Bo's hand, acknowledging her dream, "Well, hopefully we'll get you cleared and back on the board soon."

"It's another month until the next event, so we'll see."

They watched as Tyler dropped in on a beautiful wave, "Ah, that's a nice one. See the nice flat wall? She can surf right down that and into the curl… let's see if she makes it…"

Lauren could feel Bo leaning into the wave as if she was riding it herself, the smile on her face a tell-tale sign that Bo could literally feel the wave that Tyler was riding, "I wish you could feel what that's like, Lauren. To be inside that curl where she is right now you're surrounded by nature, the blue of the water all around you in a perfect cone of silence. Right now, she's squatting lower to gain as much speed as she can to clear the curl before it collapses on her. There you go… they changed the camera angle… see her coming out? How cool is that!"

The heart rate monitor went off again, causing Bo to sit back in the bed, "She made it!" She threw her arms up over her head in celebration, "Amazing!"

Lauren looked up with a huge smile on her face, "And this is your competition? Do you always cheer for your rivals?"

Bo smiled, leaning back again, and giving Lauren a kiss on the forehead, "We cheer for each other. Our biggest competition is nature, not each other. Any time we can beat the wave, it's cause for celebration. That ride was a thing of beauty. She'll get really high marks for that."

They waited and Lauren listened as Bo explained the scoring then turned up the volume on the TV, "Okay, Kenzi's up next. Let's see what she does."

Bo sat up, pulling Lauren's arm over her shoulder. The two watched as Kenzi paddled into a nice peak with yet another flat wall. Kenzi pumped her board across the top before giving it a little wiggle and dropping down the face of the wave,

"Shit, Kenzi! I thought she was going to screw around on the peak for too long and miss the face… yes! Look! She caught the curl! Ride it, baby sis!"

Lauren's hands gripped her girlfriend's bicep as she held her breath, waiting for Kenzi to appear at the end of the curl, but it was closing up, "Oh no."

Bo shook her head, "Wait for it… wait for it… just… wait…"

"Bo!" Lauren was starting to panic as she watched the wave crash down, but Bo's arms pushed her back as they flew up in victory,

"YES! She's out! That was incredible! Did you see that?" Bo asked, looking at Lauren's pale face.

Bo lay back with the blonde, "She's okay, baby. Remember, she's a tiny one. She likes to hold back… she has a flair for the dramatic. I guarantee you that she was right near the edge of the back door the entire time and then pushed through when there was just enough room for her to squeak through."

"Okay. Well, warn me about it next time. I thought she was crushed."

"Even if she was, at that point in a wave, you get rolled over into soft water most of the time. Not too tough to come up from there. Now here at the pipe, it's a bit different until you get closer to shore."

Lauren could only nod. She was getting tired. It had been a long day and Bo could see the fatigue on her girlfriend's face,

"Do you need to leave?" Bo asked, her voice holding a sadness in it, "I mean… I'm going to stay up and watch this. I've been asleep since after your game."

"You watched?" Lauren asked.

"Of course I did. I had to see if my plan worked… and it did. You were nailing those line shots just like Casey bragged you could."

Lauren smiled, "I'm shocked that they even knew who I was."

"Well, apparently, you are very well known in volleyball circles. Some people think that you and Tamsin are the ones to beat."

Lauren smiled, "You know I leave for the training center in three weeks."

Bo nodded, "I know."

"I won't be here when you start surfing again. I wish…"

"Shhh… it's okay. I'll be fine. You can watch me on TV and I'll definitely be watching you. Kenzi and I already have plans to rob the business fund if you make it to the medal rounds."

"Wow. Bo Dennis, taking money from one of the funds?"

Bo smiled, "Well, Kenzi's winnings have solidified her college fund, my winnings paid off our debt and have me about fifty grand from my business fund goal, so… we're good."

"Fifty grand?"

"One more event, Lauren… if I can place in the top three, it's all there. Everything I need to start the business."

"Wow… I can't imagine what it's like to have fifty grand in any account." Lauren replied.

"The deal I have with the manufacturer is one million up front and they'll begin manufacturing my gear and my boards."

"That's great, Bo. I had no idea it took that much money."

"It actually takes more than that because I have to buy the store, signage, marketing, materials, staffing, flights, accounting… it's a lot to get it started, but I've been planning this for… well… what seems like a lifetime."

"And I'd say you've earned it, Bo. I'm happy for you." Lauren replied.

"Well, how about you? You've got that nice house up on the cliff, your job as a doctor… you're pretty much set too, right?"

Lauren lowered her eyes, "I pay my bills, but… well… your sister seems to think I'm the stereotypical rich doctor. You see, my parents died when I was young. I was raised by my Aunt who worked three jobs to keep a roof over our head and food on the table. I went to college at sixteen and… well… you know the rest. The ROTC paid my undergrad and part of my med school. My residency was in the MASH tents of Afghanistan and then the hospitals in Germany. I sunk every penny I had into the purchase of my home and now I live paycheck to paycheck like most Americans, paying what's left of my loans and anything Team USA doesn't pay for my training."

Bo nodded, feeling badly that she had assumed the same as her sister about Lauren's financial situation, "I'm sorry about your parents. I didn't know you'd lost them both so young."

"It's okay, Bo. I'm sure you can relate having lost yours as well. At least I had my Aunt."

"I guess that doctor stereotype is always out there, huh?" Bo asked.

"Seems to be a common theme, but I tend to ignore people who make assumptions about my socioeconomic status. It really isn't any of their business, right?"

Bo nodded, "You're right. It isn't, but… to be honest, I'm really nervous about you seeing where Kenzi and I live."

Lauren chuckled, "I already have, Bo. I went with Kenzi before she left for Australia. She had to pick up some gear for her trip and we were sharing a ride."

"Oh." Bo replied, feeling Lauren settle in on her chest again, "What did you think?"

"I think it reminded me of living free and in touch with the world around you… the real world… not the world of cell phones and iPads and all sorts of electronic devices. To tell you the truth, it was refreshing. Your home is full of things that matter. Your surf boards, photos of your parents, you and your sister doing what you love most, little knick-knacks from your family and the life you've built here. It's not a shack or a house… it's a home, Bo. I loved it."

Bo smiled, "Thank you, Lauren."

"Nothing to thank. It's just how I feel." Lauren replied, "Now, if you're going to stay awake, could you wake me in about five hours so I can go home and get ready for work?

"Can't you just shower in here and then grab scrubs from some closet somewhere?" Bo asked.

"I need clean underwear, Bo."

"Why don't you go without for a day? Your girlfriend would find it super sexy to know that you didn't have any on all day."

Lauren laughed, "Fine. Wake me in eight hours."

Bo smiled, "It's our first sleepover."

"Technically, it's our second. We were just occupied through the entire night into the morning on our first one."

"I stand corrected." Bo replied.

"You're not standing."

"Go to sleep, Lauren."

"Good night, Bo." Lauren lifted her head and kissed Bo's lips.

"Good night, Lauren." Bo replied, pulling Lauren's hair from her face so she could watch her sleep before she whispered to herself, "I love you."

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