"No, no she is still asleep…" Joe looked over tenderly to the girl in the bed, her hair splayed around the pillow, her arms clutching a stuffed unicorn.
"Now? Alright, I will see you in a bit then… Bye, Juls!" pressing the 'end call' button, the tall man walked to the other side of the room.
"Rise and Shine, Birthday Girl!" He pulled the curtains back from Lauren's small window, "It is time to get out of bed and seize the… not so bright and sunny day!" He voice cheery, juxtaposing the cloudy weather.
""Ughhhhhh…. Stop talkinggg…" Lauren groaned into her pillow.
"Come on, Lo! What's that song you always sing to me? Oh yeah, You've gotta get up, gottta get back, get back up!...", he lazily sang the Starship tune, before getting a unicorn to the face from Sleeping Beauty.
"It is eight in the morning, Walks! What are you doing here?", she demanded, her soprano voice still laced with sleep.
"Visiting my best friend on her birthday, is all…", he lied, and she knew it.
Lauren cocked her head to the right like a puppy. Joe shook his head playfully and told her to "hurry up, I got a surprise for you!", and smiled a lopsided grin.
Lauren scooted to the edge of the bed and then shot him an expectant look.
"What?" He inquired as to why she was looking at him and not getting out of bed.
"Joe, these robes cover nothing. Turn around! ", she said slowly, as though she were speaking to a small child.
"Oh, right…. Sorry." He turned around quickly to hide his rapidly reddening face. Awkward. He heard her feet pitter-patter over to the extra chair that her light blue robe hung off of.
"Now what's the surprise?", her voice curious. He turned back around to see her tying the robe at her small waist, her large brown eyes looked up beneath dark lashes.
"Come with me!" He grabbed her hand, and slowly led her out the door, walking slow enough for her to travel comfortably on her braced foot. The doctors told her it was a small fracture, and as long as she was sure to wear the brace, and let it rest every once in a while, it would be fine to walk on. Joe led her down the hall and around the corner to the nurse's station. Lauren's day-time doctor was there signing off on some papers. The doctor looked up when he heard the footsteps approach the counter.
"Ah, Ms. Lopez," He smiled at his patient, "happy birthday!" With this well-wish he handed her a clipboard with a blue pen attached. Lauren took the board and looked up questioning to the friend at her side. Joe was smiling ear to ear, waiting for her to look down at the paper she held.
Lauren's eyes grew wide and a bright, a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
"Really?" She looked first to Joe and then to the doctor confirming that this wasn't a cruel joke, then down at the paper heading "Patient Release Form".
"I thought I wasn't getting out until the ninth!" She looked bewilderedly at the doctor.
"Arrangements had been made.", was all he said.
Without questioning who or what changed his mind, the small actress scribbled her signature on the provided blanks and thrust the clipboard back into her doctor's hands.
"Let's bounce, Walker. I'm blowing this joint!" she shouted behind her as she turned and began hobbling back to her room to collect her things.
"Lo, you can't 'blow this joint' if you were given permission…" He began, a playful squabble ensued.
Joe pulled his friend's worn purple dance bag, that was now filled with various clothes and belongings from her stay at the hospital, on to his broad shoulder and watched as Lauren emerged from the bathroom wearing her favorite black leggings, and a white tee covered by a loose hanging wool sweater. She had whipped on a bit of eyeliner mascara and looked much more like herself, minus the half healed cuts and mending injuries.
The smile she wore as she signed out was still fully intact as she practically skipped over to the door, holding it open for Walker as he carried her things.
Julia Albain looked up from the book she had been reading when she heard the muffled giggles and teasing chatter of two of her best friends. She got up and opened the front door of the apartment, and peered down the hall to see her roommate perched comfortably on Joe's back, her bag now slung across her own back.
Julia watched them like a mother would her children as Joe hiked her further up his back, and Lauren shouted "Mush, Joseph, mush onward!" in an exaggerated British accent, before breaking into a fit of giggles and burying her face in the crook of his shoulder. It wouldn't be long now, Julia decided, it will happen by next week.
"Hey, Juls! I'm home!" Having finally noticed her roommate standing in the doorway a few doors down, Lauren gave an excited shout of hello. Julia backed up into the apartment as Joe entered slowly, careful not to bump his passenger into the doorframe. Lauren clambered down his back and into her female friends arms.
"Happy birthday, Kiddo!", Returning her friends hug and smiling into her hair, "I'm glad your home! Oh, Jaime called earlier! She has some stuff for you at her house and wanted us to go get it when you got home!"
"How did Jaime know I was going to be home…"
"She didn't!" Julia spoke quickly, mentally berating herself for nearly exposing the secret.
Lauren just gave her friend a 'you're crazy' look before speaking again, "Ooookay, well, let me just but my bag away in my room.."
"NO!" Julia and Joe shouted simultaneously, the pair looked at eachother then back at Lauren. Who was fed up with her friends keeping secrets from her.
"I mean, you sould probably get off the ankle, Lo. I will get it for you" Joe tried to cover up the obvious slip ups.
"No it's okay, I got it." Lauren was determined to find out what was going on.
"No, Lauren, no don't-" the tiny brunette had already turned and was walking down the hall to her bedroom, Joe ran around the couch and followed after her. He caught up just as she was turning the doorknob, he attempted to warn whoever of his friends that were inside hiding of the small, and slightly fired up girl about to enter the room.
"Okay, Lauren. You can go put your bag inside your room." He spoke loudly, projecting his voice through the wooden door.
Lauren flung the door open hoping to catch whatever they were trying to hide. She drop the bag down onto the bed before turning to the closet. She whipped those doors open too, and peered behind the variety of clothes. Walking over to the bed once more, Lauren laid herself gentlt on her stomach and peered beneath. Nothing. Giving Joe a hard look she turned and walked out of her bedroom.
"Okay, Juls! I am ready to go… Just let me organize my prescriptions real quick." She called out as she left the room. Joe followed her out, after looking around her room once more; he too wondered where they were hiding.
"Bye Joe!" Julia called as she walked out of the apartment door.
"I will see you later, right?" Lauren stopped in the doorframe, turning around to face the tall man, her voice hopeful.
"Of course, I still need to give you your present after all!" He teased her.
"You didn't! How many times do I have to tell you? Your friendship is present enough!" She sighed exasperated.
"Always once more!" He said, tugging playfully on a lock of her hair. She poked him once in the stomach and turned to leave.
"Rest your ankle when you get there!" He reminded her as she closed the door behind her.
"Thanks, mom!" She shouted back sarcastically through the heavy wooden barrier.
Joe chuckled and looked around the girl's apartment. It was obvious that Lauren hadn't been home for a while because the place was clean. He loved how Lauren didn't even question why he was staying at their place while they went to Jaime's. Joe whistled as he walked down the hallway once more. He opened Lauren's bedroom door again and looked around the room,
"Guys?" He called out.
Soon enough he saw Darren's cropped, but still wild, curls pop into view. Outside the window. Joe walked over and opened the glass pane up to let in her friends who were hiding on the fire escape.
"Took her long enough, we were freezing out there!" Joe Moses complained as he stepped back into the room, followed by Tyler Brunsman, Brian Rosenthal, and Devin Lytle. They all froze in fear as they her the front door open.
"Hello?" It was only Meredith bringing in more supplies.
"Coming!" Rosenthal shouted back. The group of old friends all congregated in the kitchen and set to work on decorating the apartment top to bottom for the birthday/welcome home celebration.
"So what was her reaction when you told her you convinced the doctor to let her check out early?" Dylan asked Walker, curious to hear how his easily excitable friend responded.
"Well… I didn't tell her I just took her to the desk and her doctor gave her the form."
Dylan stopped halfway through blowing up the balloon. "She doesn't know it was you?"
Joe shook his head no.
"Dude, you sacrificed yourself to an entire weekend of physical labor in order for her freedom, and you didn't tell her."
"You are making it sound like it is a big deal! I am just helping the guy move into his new house, and the only reason he agreed was because, I assured him I would make sure she was taking her meds and resting a lot. Besides… She's worth it." The last words were said so quietly Dylan had to strain himself to hear them. Dylan smiled and patted his friend on the shoulder, Joe knew what he was saying just by the small gesture.