The sick blonde sat in her bed, as the nurses moved patients from Lauren's room. She smiled, feeling helpful and satisfied.
"I want to call my puppy Belle, if it's a girl," said the little curly haired girl who sat on the bed next to Lauren.
The brunette leans over to Lauren to whisper in her ear. "Why did you promise her a puppy? What if her parents don't want her to have a puppy?"
"I thought she would forget me promising her anything. I thought she would be more worried about her parents than a puppy."
"She doesn't understand what's really going on, she just thinks her parents will come and get her. No little girl would forget that someone has promised her a puppy. Kids love puppies," Bo whispered back into the blonde's ear, which she really wanted to nibble on. Bo shakes her head and sees Nadia outside of Laurens door, holding a few charts and talking to a nurse. Bo studied Nadia. Lauren could have been a doctor if her father hadn't become ill and then we would have never met and I would have never fallen in love with her. Lauren and Nadia could have still been together, married with two or three children and living happily ever after. Bo's thoughts were interrupted when Nadia came in.
"Bo, can I please speak to you for a moment, please?" Nadia asked, positioning her body at a slight angle which pointed towards the door, which meant it was going to be a private conversation.
"I'll be back right back, Lauren," Bo said.
Lauren was curious but she didn't say anything.
They both left Anna and Lauren in the room and headed down the corridor a little so Anna and Lauren wouldn't hear their conversation.
"We found Anna parents, her father is still in surgery and her mother is in the ICU."
"How does it look? Do they look like they're going to make it?" Bo asked with a deep concern for the little girl's parents. "I'll help any way I can. I want them to have the best care possible," Bo added.
"I can't exactly say that at this stage and they are already in the best hands, I assure you. All I can say is it is touch and go at the moment and I need to find out if any of Anna's grandparents are alive. The odd's aren't great, I'm afraid, they both sustained serious injuries in the wreck and I think we need to prepare ourselves to have someone here for Anna, just in case. Can you see if you can ask Lauren to ask Anna. She won't talk to anybody else. Anna has grown quite attached to her.
"I think Lauren has become quite attached to Anna as well," Bo said with a tinge of concern for Lauren. Bo was concerned about how Lauren's mood would be when the little girl left her side and wasn't distracting her from her own health issues.
Nadia nodded in agreement.
"I see what I can do," the brunette finally replied.
"Thanks. I appreciate it." Nadia gave Bo a nod in dismissal and turned on her heels and grabbed another chart and Bo headed back down the hall to Lauren's room.
"Would you like to get a drink from the vending machine down the hall? Kenzi will take you." Bo held out money for the little girl to grab.
Anna first looked at Lauren to see if it was all right to go. Lauren nods her head and the little girl jumps down off the bed and grabs Kenzi hand. Kenzi didn't complain about doing it, she kind of liked the little one.
Bo sits down in a seat next to Lauren. Lauren looks at her waiting for the words to pop out of the brunette's mouth. Bad news, good news, anything would be better than the awkward silence that filled the room at that moment.
"How you are you feeling, Lauren?"
"I'm fine, Bo, please don't worry about me. Have you heard any news about Anna's parents?"
Bo shakes her head and looks down. Bo grabs the blonde's soft hand and held it tight. Lauren loved Bo's touch, her warm, gentle hands. Lauren wished that those fingers would touch her in other places than just her hand, but this wasn't the time or the place. The way Bo's touch made her feel, however caused her mind to drift to the possibilities, to the need and want that Bo's touch produced within her.
"It doesn't look good," Bo responded sadly.
"Sorry?" Lauren shook her head to focus on Bo, instead of thinking about the women beside her naked in bed, pleasuring her, loving her.
Bo shakes her head before looking down at their joined hands. "It's not looking good, for both parents."
"Oh no! How bad?" Lauren asked, turning her head back to the Tv, which was still showing cartoons as she fought the tears that threatened to come. Poor Anna, she thinks to herself. Lauren silently prayed for the little girl that she had formed such a quick bond with.
"Mum is in the ICU, I'm sure Nadia will tell us when she awakens and Anna's father is still in surgery. Can you ask her if she has any grandparents?"
Lauren didn't need to ask why Bo wanted her to ask, she knew already. They were preparing for the possibility that Anna would be an orphan soon. She nods, giving Bo a sad smile, "I can do that."
Quick footsteps sounded in the hall moments before Kenzi and Anna arrived back into the hospital room.
"I bet you, " Anna calls out excidedly.
"You sure did, kiddo" Kenzi said a little out of breath trying to keep up with her.
Anna Laughs, then shows Lauren what she got from the vending machine down the hall.
"That looks very unhealthy for you, but you can have it seeing as it's your birthday soon."
"Yay!" Anna said excitedly as she opens the chocolate bar and takes a massive bite.
"Hey, Anna?" Lauren asked in a sweet voice. "Do you have any nanna's or grandpa's who can come and….." the blonde paused. She couldn't just say because you parent might not make it so they need someone to take you away, or the child services would be notified and take her to foster care.
Bo quickly jumped in. "Who would come and see you on your birthday, who gives you presents."
"We have Nanna B, but mum said she doesn't speak to her anymore, because she didn't like daddy," Anna said taking another bite of her chocolate bar.
"Do you know where your nanna B lives?"
Anna shakes her head.
"Hale!" Bo said sharply.
"Yes, Miss Bo?" Hale stands at the ready from his place beside Kenzi.
"Find anything that you can on Jenny Thomas and Ryleigh Thomas," Bo ordered in her firm and business like manner.
Anna's head turns to Bo as she hears her parent's name.
"Did you want to see your mum?" Bo asked once she was finished with Hale.
The little girl nodded, then hopped off the bed and turned to Lauren waiting for her to get out of bed as well.
"I cannot come, sweetheart. I need to stay here, and I'm connected to this" She showed Anna the IV drip coming out of her arm. Remember when the nurse put it in."
Anna was saddened, but nodded.
"Bo Bo will take you," Keniz said quickly.
"Bo Bo, really?" Bo questioned with a quirk of her eyebrow.
"Bo Bo," Anna copied smiling.
"Your new nickname" Keniz said.
Lauren eyes filled with tears, trying to giggle quietly, trying to hold it in, before finally she just burst into laughter. It's not even that funny, she thought to herself as she managed to calm herself down. Bo was often so severe and moody though, and the nickname was just so..so... playful. Lauren had seen Bo's softer side and she knew it was there behind her tough as nails, no bullshit exterior, but something about Kenzi's new nickname for the ever so intense and serious Bo managed to strike her funny bone.
Everyone looked at her with concern. "Bo Bo" she whispers, causing another burst of laughter to come out. The blonde's face had tears rolling down as she continued to chuckle and Bo so loved to hear Lauren laugh. It was filled with warmth and happiness. Bo smiled a smile that she hadn't used since her wedding day with Ciara, the happiest day of her life.
"Sorry to interrupt," Nadia said hastily running in. "Anna's mother is awake!"
Anna jump in joy with glee, then went to Bo and grabbed her hand. It startled Bo as she looks down to see Anna is holding her hand.
"Bo Bo." She smiled.
Bo looked at Lauren, "I'll be back."
The bed bound blonde nodded.
Bo and Anna leave and follow Nadia to the ICU. The doctor stops and kneels down so she was Anna height.
"Anna, your mum has just had brain surgery. Do you know what that means?" The girl nodded her head, but squeezes Bo's hand tighter. "Okay. So your mum will look a little weird with all the tubes and wires attached to machines to monitor her condition." Nadia stands up and gives Bo a smile.
She turns and enters the room. "Glad you are awake Jenny." The women had a bandage around her head and the heart monitor played in the background with a consistent heart rhythm.
"I'm glad to be alive," Jenny said, still sounding a little weak and groggy from the anaesthetic.
"You have a visitor" Nadia stated.
Bo walked Anna into the room.
"MUMMY!" she squealed and let go of Bo's hand to run up to the bed.
"ANNA! I'm so glad you're alright. Mummy loves you, so much!" They gave each other a long hug. Jenny kisses her daughter's forehead. "I am so happy that you are all right," she repeated, tears streaming down her face. "I was so worried."
"Mummy, I want you to meet, Lauren and Kenzi and Bo Bo.
"Who are they?" Jenny asked, concerned for her daughter.
Anna jumps off the bed and went to Bo, who still stood near the end of the bed, off to one side silently watching the reunion.
"This is Bo Bo." Anna said.
"Bo Bo?" Jenny smiled, obviously at the name.
"A nickname," Bo smiled. Anna jumps back on the bed and sits next to her mother.
"Nice to meet you, Bo Bo." Jenny responded and then looked at her daughter as an unusual feeling overwhelmed her and she motioned to her daughter to get off of the bed. "Hop down, honey," Jenny said. Anna listened, hopped down and stood back to where Bo was standing.
"Can you tell me what you are feeling, Jenny?" Nadia had stepped forward after noticing the abnormalities that had just started to show on the monitors.
Jenny couldn't reply as her eyes rolled back into her head and she started to seize. Nadia ran to her patient to restrain her by holding down her shoulders as Jenny continued to thrash about uncontrollably.
"Mummy! Mummy!" Bo held onto Anna as she tried desperately to go to her mother's side.
Then came the shrill sound of the monitor as the seizing woman's heart stopped and Jenny became still. Nadia reaches over and presses a blue button which was near the head of the bed.
"Code blue! Get me a crash cart in here!" Nadia yelled at the nurses that entered the room. Nadia's eyes found Bo, "Get her out of here!"
Bo picked up a fighting and distraught Anna and leaves the room as fast as she could as more personnel poured into the room.
Bo held on to Anna tightly and rocked her as she wept into Bo's shoulder.
"What's happening to mummy?" Anna said through her tears.
"I don't know, baby" Bo replied softly. Bo held the sweet child tighter.
Bo just stood there waiting, rocking the bundle in her arms back and forth like her own mother used to do when she was younger and upset. Bo arms were getting tired, but she refused to put Anna down when she needed the comfort of her arms. Nadia exited the room and made her way towards them and the expression of the doctor's face said it all.
"I'm sorry, we did everything we could."
Anna lifts her head from Bo's shoulder. She sniffs, her eyes all puffy and red, but she is no longer crying.
"Is mummy all right?" Anna asks.
"Why don't we take a seat?" Nadia looked at Bo and then moved towards some chairs which were near Jenny's room.
Anna sat in the middle of the two and faced Nadia while she gripped Bo's hand with her smaller one.
"Remember when I told you mummy had brain surgery"
Anna nodded.
"Well, the brain is a very complex thing and sometimes we can't always find all the problems. I'm sorry, Anna. She's gone... your mum... she's..."
"I don't understand, she was fine! Why couldn't you fix her?" tears streamed down the Anna's face and she leapt up from her seat and ran down the corridor and rounded the nearest corner, out of sight.
"ANNA!" Nadia and Bo called after her, both standing.
"I will go and find her. Don't worry. Take care of your other patients." Bo quickly sets off in search of Anna leaving Nadia alone in the corridor. Bo slowed down her pace as she realised where where Anna would go. She saw her assumption was correct when she entered Laurens room and found Anna clinging to a pale and sickly looking Lauren. The room was filled with sadness and the sounds of crying.
Lauren looked saddened when Bo entered the room. "What happened?"
Anna lifts her head up from Laurens chest. "Nadia said Mummy's gone, and I don't understand why or where she has gone. Bring her back, please," she said through her tears.
Lauren couldn't say anything. She just pulled Anna closer and held the sad, confused little girl tightly in her arms and made soothing sounds as she rocked her gently as silent tears streamed down her own face at the fate of this poor, sweet girl. God, let Anna's father come out of his surgery safely, Lauren silently prayed to herself...
