A/N: Writing this story was a little weird but I hope I'm able to tell it properly and that the ending makes sense. I wrote it in one sitting which is very rare thing. Hope you like it.
Thanks for reading.
Lauren dusted off her hands on her jeans. Her parents had run in to town to do groceries and had instructed her to clean up the garage. While all her friends at school were out enjoying the day goofing off, she had spent the entire morning pushing around heavy boxes and giving her arms a work out.
Having finished the job, she was just about to head inside when she heard screaming and a sweaty little boy with blonde hair coming up to her.
"My friend tripped," he told her. "She's bleeding." He looked a little bewildered and Lauren could sense that he was a little guilty.
"Where is she?" Lauren asked, following him as he jogged to the street.
Sitting in the middle of the road was a crying little girl, her left knee a bloody mess. Blood dripped down her leg and she was sobbing loudly. Lauren felt a sympathetic twinge in her chest seeing the chubby cheeks wet with tears.
Another boy wearing a hat stood next to her, trying to calm her, "She fell."
"Hey," Lauren said gently, crouching to the ground next to the girl. "My name is Lauren. What's your name, honey?"
"Bo," the little girl sniffled and rubbed her eye with a fist. "I'm bleeding!"
"Where's your mom?" Lauren asked.
Bo only cried.
"Bo, can I pick you up? I live right at that house," Lauren pointed to the white house just a few steps away, "I'll clean your knee and put on a cool band-aid. Is that okay?"
"Will it," the girl hiccuped, "will it hurt?"
"Maybe a little," Lauren said honestly. "But we have to clean it up so it won't get icky germs, okay?"
The blonde little boy crouched closer while his friend in the hat leaned over as well. They tried to see if they could actually see the germs on Bo's leg.
"Dyson, go away!" the little girl yelled, upset. She cupped her hands over her knee as if the boy was about to touch her wound.
"Shh, it's okay," Lauren soothed. "I'll pick you up now, okay?"
"Okay," Bo nodded and cried harder, pressing her face against Lauren's shoulder.
Lauren gently moved a hand under the little girl's knees, wrapped an arm around her body and lifted her. To the boys she said, "Come on, boys, follow me."
Kicking the front door open with her foot, Lauren carried the sniffling child to the hall bathroom with the little boys right behind them. She sat both herself and the little girl on the tub's rim.
"I'll need to wash your knee," Lauren said.
"No! No!" Bo cried, clutching Lauren's neck. Her curly hair bouncing as she shook her head no. "It's gonna hurt."
"We have to," Lauren explained calmly, "You don't want rocks and dirt to get stuck in your knee, do you?" She didn't mention that she also needed to wash off the blood to see the extent of the wound.
The little girl agreed reluctantly.
Lauren sat up slightly to reach for the detachable shower head. She turned the shower knobs so that the lukewarm water flowing out wasn't too fast.
"It hurts," Bo cried again as Lauren gently washed off the blood.
"Almost done," Lauren murmured softly. She worked quickly and calmly so as not to upset Bo any further. The boy named Dyson peered at Bo's wound curiously as Lauren worked. Blood flowed down the drain until only clear, clean water dripped down the girl's leg.
The wound wasn't bad and Lauren guessed that it wouldn't even scar.
"Now we have to clean it one last time and we'll put on a band-aid," Lauren mumbled to the brunette. Again, there were more tears and more protests but Lauren soothingly explained each process and the little girl was reasonable enough to accept Lauren's suggestions.
Lauren lifted her again and placed her on the sink. Reaching above Bo's head, she opened the medicine cabinet and grabbed cotton and hydrogen peroxide.
"This is going to hurt but there will be bubbles," Lauren Lewis was consitently truthful thus far so Bo looked at her dubiously but let her pour a little peroxide.
"Ah-OW!" Bo cried, "It hurts so bad! Mommy! Mommy! It hurts! Please!" Her teeth were chattering and she was crying even harder which Lauren didn't think was possible. Tears were pouring from Bo's clenched eyes, her cheeks were red.
She blinked in surprise when she felt cool air on her knee.
Lauren's lips were pursed, blowing gently on the stinging wound. Bo's eyes were wide. She'd have to remember that trick for future preference, she told herself as she stared at Lauren.
"Your eyes are pretty," Bo said, "They have stars on 'em."
"Hey! There were no bubbles," Dyson accused.
"S-shut up, Dyson," Bo glared. He had been teasing her even as she cried on the pavement with her bloody knee. She was not happy with him.
"Pick band-aids," Lauren opened up a tin full of different kinds of band-aids with different colors and different designs. It was her own little collection. Bo picked one with a Scooby-Doo design and another that was blue. Lauren placed them gently on the light abraisons.
"All better?" Lauren asked.
"You hafta kiss it," Bo pouted petulantly with wet lashes.
Lauren hesitated awkwardly and placed a quick kiss on Scooby-Doo's face.
"Now what do you say?" Lauren prompted with a grin.
"Thank you!" Bo smiled with a full set of baby teeth.
"That wasn't too bad," the boy with the hat said and grinned, too.
"Hey," Dyson said, "I have a scratch, too." He pointed to his scabbed elbows. Lauren rolled her eyes but offered him the tin full of band-aids. He picked one with flames and refused Lauren's offer to help him put it on.
"Want me to kiss it better?"
"No!" Dyson said, "Kisses are for babies." He nodded assuredly to himself.
"Yeah," the boy with the hat agreed. "Crying's for babies, too," he added to tease.
"You're both mean," Bo said. "I don't want to play with you no more."
"Alright, alright," Lauren said to stop the arguement, "Can anybody help me walk Bo to her house."
"I can do it!" The boy in the hat volunteered. "My name's Hale."
"Nuh-uh," Bo protested as Lauren helped her from the sink, "His name is Haley." She tugged on Lauren's shirt so Lauren bent down. "That's a girls name," Bo whispered, hands cupped to Lauren's ear.
Lauren laughed. "Okay, okay, let's just get you home. Your mom is probably looking for you."
Lauren held Bo's hand as they walked down the sidewalk with Hale held onto Lauren and Dyson's hands.
"How old are you?" Bo asked the older girl.
Lauren smiled. "Me? I'm fifteen. How about you guys?"
"I'm almost six," Bo said proudly, "I go to school." She already thought of showing Lauren her drawings and her letters. "I can count to a hundred, too."
"Well, we're seven," Dyson boasted and Hale nodded. He stuck his tongue out to Bo who blew him a raspberry.
"Play nice, you guys," Lauren admonished lightly.
"How far is six from fifteen?" Bo asked Lauren curiously.
"It's nine years," Lauren answered the little girl.
"Is that a long time?" Bo asked in wonder.
"Hm, I guess it depends on what you're waiting for," Lauren shrugged. "I think it is. Don't you think so?"
They all nodded.
Bo tugged on her hand when they four houses down from Lauren's. "We're at my house!"
"Don't run, you might trip again," Lauren said, jogging a little to watch the girl's pace.
Bo ran straight through the front door talking a mile a minute, leaving Lauren and the boys on the porch, "Mommy! Mommy! We were playing and I fell and Lauren helped us! She cleaned my boo-boo, see?"
A woman who looked like she walked out of a 1950's catalog came out of the house in a polka dot dress and an apron. Lauren only ever saw red lipstick like that on magazines.
"Is that right?" the woman tsk'ed at Bo's knee and inspected the band-aids. She grinned at Lauren, "Lauren Lewis, what a surprise."
"Hello, Mrs. McCorrigan," Lauren replied, falling back into her manners. " I didn't know Bo was yours. Sorry I didn't bring her home immediately, she wouldn't stop crying."
"Oh, no! Thank you for helping her," Aife said. "She really needs more girls her age to play with but all we have is Dyson and Hale over here." She rubbed their heads as they stood shyly. "Your mothers called looking for you," Aife told them and they scurried along. "Ask them if you can come later for cookies!" They waved good-bye before running off.
Turning her attention back to Lauren, Aife asked, "Why don't you come in for a bit?"
Lauren wanted to refuse but was too polite.
"Can't believe you grew up like a weed since I saw you last, Lauren," Aife lead them to the kitchen. Bo held on to Lauren's hand once again. "Have something to eat, it's the least I can do for having you help my baby."
"Wait, wait, Mommy, can I take her to my room?" Bo asked, "I want to show her my drawings." She was already tugging on Lauren's arm.
"Go on, dear. I'll bring up something for you to nibble on."
Lauren looked up from her own drawing and coloring.
"And this is the monster that Dyson and I beat up," Bo said, holding up a drawing of something Lauren couldn't identify.
"You beat it up? That's really brave of you," Lauren complimented and poked Bo's round tummy. The little girl giggled.
"Wanna see what I drew?" Lauren asked as she held up her piece of paper. "It's you. See? That's your eyes..."
"And my nose, and my ears," Bo exclaimed, "You're a really good drawer, Lauren."
"Artist," Lauren corrected gently and laughed, "Drawers are what you put your clothes in."
There was a knock on the door and Aife came in carrying a tray of peanut butter and fluff sandwiches and juice boxes. She primly sat down next to them on the floor.
"Look, Mommy, Lauren's a good artist," Bo said, "She drew me!"
Aife ooh'ed and ahh'ed as expected, complimenting Lauren and Bo's art skills as they chewed on their sandwiches. Bo beamed at both of them.
Bo wiped her sticky fingers on her shirt and sat on Lauren's lap, hugging her neck.
She looked at her mother. "Mommy?"
"Yes, baby?"
"Can I marry Lauren?"
Aife laughed and Lauren blushed, mortified.
"Bo, you can't marry me," Lauren stuttered into wavy brunette hair.
"B-but, you're pretty and nice," Bo said with conviction. "I like you, Lauren. I really like you."
"But, Bo, you can't-" Lauren looked at Aife for help.
"Of course you can, baby," Aife reasurred, grinning at Lauren's embarrassment.
"But Mrs. McCorrigan-"
"It's Ms. McCorrigan. And, remember that I didn't take my husband's last name." She was waiting to see how Lauren would squirm out of this situation. Awkward as it was, Aife knew it was harmless and innocent because Bo was very young and she knew Lauren to be a sensitive, intelligent girl.
"I can't marry you, Bo," Lauren repeated.
"Why not?" Bo tearfully asked, clutching at Lauren's shirt collar. She was starting to get frustrated by Lauren's refusal.
"I'm a girl," Lauren pointed out. "Are you sure you want to marry a girl?"
"Mommy says I can marry whoever I want to," Bo blubbered, tears beginning to pool in her eyes. "Right, Mommy?"
"On the condition that they want to marry you, too, Bo," her mother pointed out.
"Don't you like me?" Bo asked Lauren again, her eyes full of tears.
Lauren rubbed the preschooler's tears away with the pads of ther thumbs. "Of course, I do, Bo. You're super cute and super smart but that doesn't mean I want to marry you."
"Why not?" the girl asked stubbornly.
"You're only five."
"Nuh-uh, I'll be six soon. I really want to marry you," she was starting to whine and cry in earnest.
"That's enough, Bo," Aife said, seeing that Bo was becoming very upset. "Come here, baby," she cuddled Bo on her lap and rubbed her back.
"I really want to marry Lauren," Bo cried loudly. Lauren was a little flustered but Aife knew the real source of the tantrum.
"Why don't you ask her again after your nap, hm? What about that, baby?" Aife suggested just to stop the tears.
"O-okay," Bo agreed with a sigh and yawned loudly as if "nap" was a magical word that triggered sleepiness. Aife cooed at her and Lauren sighed in relief.
"Can Lauren tuck me in?" Bo requested with another yawn, her swollen red eyes feeling droopy.
"Uh," Lauren looked at Aife who nodded encouragingly, "Sure." She stood up and got Bo from Aife's arms. She deposited the girl on her princess bed, tucking a pink unicorn under her arm and pulling the pink sheets over the little girl.
"I'll just bring these down to the kitchen," Aife said pointing to the tray of food. Lauren nodded and was about to follow her but Bo tugged on her t-shirt.
"Please stay," Bo pouted cutely. She was already half asleep. "Lie dooown," she requested.
Lauren tried to adjust her long legs to fit on the tiny pink bed. Bo turned to face her.
"Kiss unicorn good night," Bo said, lifting her stuffed animal. Lauren obliged, kissing the horned horse on the snout.
Bo reached across and started playing with Lauren's hair with a chubby, dimpled hand. Lauren's hair was really soft and long.
"Lauren?" Bo whispered.
"Hm?"
"How old will you be when I'm ten?"
"I'll be about twenty years old," Lauren said, looking at the tiny face that peered back at her.
"When I'm twenty, how," she yawned, "old will you be then?"
"I'll be thirty, Bo."
"Can I marry you, then?" Bo couldn't find off the sandman's powers, her eyes were slowly opening and closing.
"What if you find somebody else you want to marry?" Lauren asked, still uncomfortable with Bo's proposal.
"I won't find... an'body else," Bo said stubbornly. She was speaking softly, and lethargically. Her eyes were finally shut because she could not longer keep them open.
"What if I find somebody else to marry?"
"No," Bo mumbled, breathing softly.
"Why not?" Lauren smiled. She found Bo's stubbornness somewhat adorable even as she tried to fight off sleep to finish the argument.
"'Cause... you're... gonna... marry... me," Bo breathed and snored softly.
When Lauren was sure that Bo was fast asleep, she crawled off the princess bed and grit her teeth as she tried to regain the feeling back into her cramped legs. She gave one last glance and closed the door gently behind her.
Bo's eyes widened at the click of the door shutting close.
"Lauren?" she called out loudly.
Lauren winced from the hallway and peered back inside the bedroom.
"Yeah?" She asked hesitantly.
"You're leaving me," Bo pouted from under the nest of sheets.
"Just for a little while," Lauren explained guiltily.
Bo glared, "You're always trying to run away from me."
"No, I'm not," Lauren replied.
Bo looked at her dubiously as she sat down on the bed.
"I don't have a choice, honey, I have to go," Lauren explained reasonably. "I still have a lot of boo-boos to fix," she added with a quirk of her lip.
Bo acquiesced halfheartedly, not really wanting her to go. "Can I, at least, have a kiss first?" she requested of Lauren.
Lauren raised a brow and lifted a hand to Bo's cheek who shivered at the press of a platinum band on Lauren's finger. Their lips met softly in a tender kiss and they shared a small smile when they pulled apart. "Now go back to sleep."
Pediatric surgeon Lauren Lewis tucked her sleepy wife in before going to her shift at the hospital.
Bo stretched unconsciously in her sleep, scratching at a small faded scar on her knee.