Speed looked at his watch. The time was now one o'clock in the morning. He had been at the hospital well over eight hours. He was tired and hungry.
While he waited for Lauren, Speed decided to check on Horatio one last time. He knocked on the door and walked in. Speed half excepted Horatio to be asleep, but to his surprise he wasn't. He was awake and holding something in his hands. "Horatio, what are you doing? You should be getting some rest," Speed said.
Horatio set the photo of his daughter face down on his lap, and looked up at Speed. He half smiled and said, "I'd get more rest if I was at home." Somehow Speed didn't believe him. "What are you still doing here? Go home and get some rest, and Calleigh is overseeing the lab tomorrow so take your day off. There's no need to come in."
"H, it doesn't matter. I can come in. It's not a big deal."
"Speed, take the day off. Go home." Horatio picked up the photograph of his daughter and looked at it.
Speed was curious. "Who's the picture of?"
Horatio looked up not wanting to say much about the photo. "It's nothing to worry about right now, Speed. Okay? Go home."
Speed did argue with Horatio. Just as he was about to leave the room the door swung open and Lauren walked in. "Horatio, I'm leaving. If you nee-" Lauren said as she bumped into Speed.
"You might want to watch where you're walking, Miss," Speed said jokingly.
Lauren was slightly embarrassed. "Why don't you watch where you're walking, Officer Speedle."
Speed chuckled. "I'll wait outside, Nurse Raburn."
Lauren turned a bright shade of red. "How embarrassing," she said once Speed left the room.
"It happens," Horatio said with a smile.
Lauren shrugged her shoulders. "My shift is over… well it was over a while ago, but I just wanted to know if you needed anything before I left."
"No, I think I'm good, sweetheart. Thank you though."
It was Lauren's turn to smile. "Okay. Don't give your night nurse any trouble. I'm not scheduled to work tomorrow, but I'll stop in at some point in the afternoon to see how you're doing."
"Sounds good…" Horatio trailed off then asked, "Actually there is one thing. Is there any change in my brother's condition?"
Lauren frowned, and said, "No, I'm sorry." Lauren reached out and squeezed Horatio's hand. "I have a good feeling about him. He'll pull through."
"I hope so." The two said their goodbyes and Lauren exited the hospital room.
Speed was outside waiting for Lauren. "Let's go! I'm starving, and ready for some greasy burgers, French fries, and a strawberry milkshake," Lauren said grabbing her bags she had left just outside of the room. "Maybe a glass of wine too."
"Sounds good to me," Speed said following her out of the hospital.
The local twenty-four hour diner was disserted when Speed and Lauren arrived at two o'clock in the morning. The sign read, 'please seat yourself,' so they did. They picked a booth near the back of the restaurant.
Lauren plopped down on the bench. Instead of sitting up she laid down in it. Exhausted was an understatement. "I am so exhausted to the point where I'm not even tired anymore," Lauren said as she covered her face with her hands, and started laughing for no apparent reason. Speed couldn't help it. He started laughing too. She had a catchy laugh.
"You okay over there?" Speed asked peeking over the table.
Lauren sat up, and laid her head on the table. She had her laughter down to a chuckle. She said, "Yeah, I'm just… it's been a long day. I've been up since five in the morning."
"I know what you mean," he said. He found himself still laughing with her. The both of them had had a long and exhausting day. This dinner was a nice break in such a hectic and heartbreaking day.
Their waitress, Maria, arrived. She took their drink order: a strawberry milkshake for Lauren and a chocolate one for Speed. They both asked for a glass of water too. The last thing they needed was caffeine.
The newfound friends made small talk until Maria brought their milkshakes and waters. Lauren unwrapped her straw and dropped it in her milkshake. She took a sip. It tasted like heaven. She hadn't had one in what seemed like ages. Lauren smiled to herself remembering back to her early teen years when her brother, Brett would take her to get milkshakes after school almost every Friday.
"This takes me back to my childhood. My brother and I would go get one almost every Friday after he got his license," Lauren said taking another sip of her milkshake.
Speed smiled at Lauren. Her beautiful blue eyes sparkled. He could tell family meant everything to her, which was something he was still struggling with. "Do you have any other siblings?" Speed asked.
The sparkle left her eyes. Lauren shook her head and said, "No, just one brother. His name is Brett. He's actually my adopted brother, but we don't look at it like that though. When I was about ten years old I found out that I was adopted. Brett is the only family I have. Our parents weren't really around. We were more like a tax write-off for them." She paused for a moment then continued, "It's been pretty hard these past couple years without him here in Miami. He got drafted into the NHL. He's back in our home state of Michigan playing for the Detroit Red Wings. I'm so proud of him though. He's living his dream."
"That's awesome. Have you ever thought about finding you biological parents?" Speed asked taking a sip of his water.
Laruen sighed. "Yes absolutely! I actually found my mom before I moved down her. Let's just say she was less than thrilled to see me, and when I asked about my father she screamed at me a told me to, and I quote, 'stay the fuck out of my life. You were the worst mistake I've ever had.' Then she threw this at me." Lauren grabbed a hold of a silver chain, and pulled out a necklace with a gold band on it from under her shirt. "It was my father's. It's not a wedding band or anything like that. I think it was from his mother because it has, 'to my son' inscribe in it." Lauren positioned the ring so Speed was able to see the inscription.
Speed frowned. No child should ever have to hear that from her mother. "I'm sorry, Lauren."
Maria made an appearance again. She took their order: a large basket of chili cheese fries and some cheeseburgers. For desert they ordered 2 slices of apple pie. They weren't holding back tonight.
When Maria left, Lauren asked, "So what about you? You from Miami? Any brothers and sisters?"
Speed downed the last of his chocolate milkshake and said, "No, I'm not from here. I'm from New York, and I have a brother who is thirteen years younger than me. We actually don't get along that well, which has put a strain on my relationship with parents and family. They weren't happy when I just got up and moved to Miami. At one point they didn't know where I was for almost a year. I just took off."
Lauren's eyes went wide. "Oh my gosh! What happened that made you just get up an leave?" she asked. Speed didn't seem like the type of guy who would do that.
Speed sighed. "My best friend, Andrew died on the operating table. He had a snowmobile accident during our senior year in high school, and became a quadriplegic. A few years later, during my second year at Columbia, he had a surgery that could potentially help him walk again. Instead it killed him. That was the worst day of my life. I got up and left, and I ended up down here in Miami where his uncle lived and worked at the police department. I ended up going back home to finish school a year later. Once that was finished I moved back down here."
It was Lauren's turn to frown. She reach out, and grabbed a hold of Speed's hands. She gave them a little squeeze. "I'm so sorry, Tim. I can't even imagine."
Speed and Lauren's food came shortly after, and they continued to share life stories. Lauren mentioned her wild and crazy roommate situation. Speed offered Lauren a good night's sleep at his place, and after much consideration Lauren took it. Speed wouldn't take no for an answer.