Chapter 20
Frank arrived at the station the next morning. He made his way to his desk, and was looking over his paperwork, as Mallet walked up to his desk, "Frank, the chief wants to see you in his office first thing."
Frank pushed his chair away from his desk, and stood up, "Well I guess I'd better see what he wants." Frank headed to his office, and found the chief sitting behind his desk.
"You wanted to see me?" Frank said as he walked in the door.
"Sit down Detective."
Frank took a seat, "What's this about?"
"I think you know. You're here because of you conduct yesterday with Olivia Spencer and her family. You were a disgrace to this force. Calling a civilian a bitch and threatening to arrest a son because he was protecting his mother are not behaviors I will tolerate. You were out of line."
"I was just trying to get her statement, and none of them were cooperating with me," Frank said.
"Yes and you were told by both of her children it was not a good time. And yet you continued to push. You are not the kind of officer I want on this force. So you have a choice here, you can either resign or I can fire you."
"You've got to be kidding me," Frank said as the anger flashed across his face.
"I'm dead serious detective. Now I'll take your service revolver and you're badge. The patrolman outside will escort you to your desk so you can get your personal effects."
"Fine," Frank spat as he got up, laying his gun and badge on the chief's desk.
"And Frank, you need to stay away from them. If you go near Ms. Spencer, Ms. Rivera, or any of the children, you will be arrested. You got it?"
"Yes," Frank said as he left the office.
The patrolman escorted Frank to his desk, and then out of the bulding once he finished getting his things together. He put his things in the trunk of his car, and then got in. He sat there for a minute, I can't believe this. I've lost Natalia, my job and now Rafe has turned against me. And all because of her. I can't go anywhere near her right now, so I'll just have to wait, but I will make her pay for this. Frank started his car and pulled away from the station.
Natalia woke up and found green eyes gazing at her, "Good morning. How long have you been awake?"
"Not long. I was just enjoying watching you sleep. You stayed with me all night," Olivia said as a smile came across her face.
"I know. It just felt so right holding you."
"Promise me it will always be like this," Olivia whispered.
"I promise," Natalia said as pulled the older woman closer.
"Will this be enough for you?" Olivia asked, her eyes searching Natalia's.
"Yes it will be. You are all I want, all I need," Natalia said as she stroked Olivia's face with her hand. "I love you."
"I love you," Olivia whispered.
Ava and Rafe walked into the hospital room at ten minutes till 10. Oliva looked at the two of them, "I was beginning to think you two weren't going to make it on time," Olivia said with a smile on her face.
"Don't blame me. I was at the Beacon an hour ago, but someone had a hard time deciding what to wear this morning," Rafe said as he nodded towards Ava. "Can't wait to see how long it takes her to get ready for her date tonight."
"Hey," Ava said as she shoved Rafe. "It did not take me that long."
"What didn't take long?" Lauren asked as she walked in the room. She looked at Ava and their eyes met, "Good morning," she said softly.
"Good morning," Ava replied with a shy smile on her face.
"Are we ready to get started?" Lauren asked as she moved towards the bed.
Natalia looked at Olivia, "I think we're ready. Olivia?"
Olivia took a deep breath, "I'm ready."
"Okay, I'll need all of you to come and stand around the bed so you can see how I massage and move her legs."
Rafe walked over next to Natalia, and Ava stood next to Lauren.
Lauren moved the covers back from Olivia's legs. She began to show the three of them the way to move and massage Olivia's legs. She worked with them for an hour, showing them the different movements and the proper way to massage the muscles, then they each took turns with Lauren working with them.
"Am I doing this right?" Rafe asked as he moved Olivia's leg.
"Yes, Rafe, that's exactly what you want to do."
Rafe looked up at Olivia, "You doing okay?" he asked.
Olivia smiled and nodded, but Rafe could see the sadness in her eyes.
Lauren caught the look as well, "I think that's enough for the first day. We don't want you to get too tired," Lauren said as she smiled at Olivia. She covered Olivia back up, "I'll be back tomorrow morning, same time," Lauren said as she got ready to leave.
"I'll walk you out," Ava said.
"I'd like that," Lauren said softly, as she and Ava walked out into the hallway.
Natalia sat down on the bed next to Olivia, "Sweetie, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Olivia said as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
Natalia studied her face for a minute, then looked over at Rafe, "Rafe, would you mind giving me a minute with Olivia?"
"Not at all Ma. I wanted to run to the house and see if Josh needs my help with anything. I'll be back later," Rafe said as he kissed Natalia on the cheek. He leaned down to Olivia, "If you need anything, just have Ma call me, okay?"
Olivia reached up and touched his face, "I will, thank you Rafe."
He smiled at the older woman, "Anything for my Mom," he said as he kissed her on her cheek and headed out the door.
"Did he just call me Mom?" Olivia asked with tears in her eyes.
"Yes he did," Natalia said as a tear slid down her cheek. She took Olivia's hand in hers, "So are you going to tell me what's wrong?"
"I think it's all sinking in, the fact that I may never walk again. Watching all of you working with Lauren, was extremely hard for me. I could see my legs moving, but I had no control over them. It's just so hard," Olivia said as the tears fell down her cheeks.
Natalia moved up and wrapped her arms around Olivia, "I'm not going to say I know how hard this is for you, because I don't. All I know is I love you and you love me, and together we will figure this out."
"Are you absolutely sure this is what you want?" Olivia asked her eyes pleading with Natalia.
"I want you, and I've never been more sure of anything in my life," Natalia replied as she looked deeply into Olivia's green eyes. "You are my everything," she whispered as she leaned in and kissed Olivia, softly, sweetly, pouring all of the love and emotion she felt for Olivia into the kiss.
Once they were out in the hallway, Lauren looked at Ava, "I know we have plans for dinner, but I was wondering if you would like to have some coffee with me now?"
"I would love to have coffee with you," Ava said softly.
Lauren smiled as the two headed cafeteria.
Chapter 21
Lauren grabbed two cups of coffee, as she and Ava made their way outside. They found an empty table and sat down.
"How long have you been in Springfield?" Ava asked as she took a sip of her coffee.
"I moved here about a month ago," Lauren answered.
"Where did you live before?"
"I'm from Baltimore. I worked in the P.T. Department at Johns Hopkins."
"Why in the world would you leave Johns Hopkins to work here at Cedars?" Ava asked with her eyebrow raised.
"I was offered the job at the head of the department here. And I was ready for a change," Lauren answered. "It's a long story."
Ava reached over and placed her hand on Lauren's, both women feeling the electricity passing between them, "I've got time," she said softly.
Lauren gazed into Ava's eyes, "I want to tell you, but I would rather wait until tonight. And I want to hear all about you."
Ava looked deep into Lauren's blue eyes, "It's a long story too. So I guess we'll have a lot to talk about tonight."
Lauren smiled, it was sweet and sad at the same time, "I guess we will."
The two sat there for a while longer, making small talk, holding hands, "I guess I should let you get back to work," Ava said as she got ready to stand.
"You're not keeping me from working. Olivia was the only patient I had scheduled today, and since I'm the boss, I thought I would take the afternoon off. Would you like to start our date early?" Lauren said with a sexy smile on her face.
"I would, but could you give me a little time to check on Mom and Natalia?"
"Sure, I need to stop by my office and take care of a few thing. How about I come by Olivia's room when I'm finished?" Lauren said as she stood up.
Ava stood up as well, "Great, so I'll see you in a while."
Lauren moved closer to Ava, "I'm really looking forward to spending time with you today," she said as she stopped short of kissing Ava.
"I'm really looking forward to spending time with you," Ava said as she touched Lauren's face with her hand. "But right now, I need to go or I'm going to kiss you,"Ava whispered. "And I would prefer that our first kiss be in a more private setting."
Lauren looked deeply into Ava's eyes, "I like the way you think," she said with a quick smile. "I'll see you in a while," Ava said as she pulled away from Lauren. She turned to go, and stopped, looking back over her shoulder, "And we will continue this later," Ava said as she flashed Lauren a sexy grin.
"Yes we will," Lauren said softly as she watched Ava walk away.
Rafe pulled up at the farmhouse. He walked up and saw Josh going over the plans with his crew. "Hey Josh," Rafe said as he walked up. "How's it going?"
Josh looked up at the young Latino, "It's looking good. We're getting ready to start on the stair case. We decided to do that first. How's Olivia?"
"I think she's having a hard time this morning. We all started working on her physical therapy, and I could see in her eyes it was hard for her," Rafe said as tears came to his eyes.
"You want to talk about it?" Josh asked as he put his hand on Rafe's shoulder.
Rafe looked around and the workers, "Can we take a walk?"
"Sure. Guys, go ahead and get started on taking down the rail. I'll be back in a few."
Rafe and Josh walked down to the pond. Rafe picked up a stone and threw it at the pond, "It's just hard, seeing Olivia like that," Rafe said as he looked out over the water.
"I know, but Olivia's strong and she's stubborn. It may be hard on her right now, but now matter what happens, she'll come out okay. She always does."
"I know, but if it wasn't for me," Rafe started, but his voice cracked.
"Rafe, you didn't pull that trigger. And you had no way to know this guy was going to do something like that. It was a horrible thing, but it's not your fault. Olivia is fiercely protective of the people she loves."
"I'm learning that about her," Rafe said with a half smile on his face. "I hated her after Gus died, and even more after I found out about her and Ma. Then after she stepped in front of me, I began to see a side of her, the good side of her."
"And instead of hating her, you began to like her," Josh added.
"Yea, I do like her. You know Ma has always wanted us to have a family, and for me to have a dad, but we do have a family. Ava and Emma are my sisters, and Olivia is more like a mother to me. And I guess there's worse things in life than having two mothers," Rafe said as he looked at Josh.
Josh smiled, "I guess you're right."
"Well I should let you get back to work," Rafe said as he looked towards the farmhouse.
"Do you want to help?" Josh asked.
"I would like that a lot," Rafe said.
"C'mon," Josh said he started walking towards the house.
Rafe smiled, as he started towards the house.
Ava walked into Olivia's room, smiling to herself.
Olivia was sleeping and Natalia was curled up in the chair next to the bed, watching Olivia. She looked up as Ava walked in, "There you are. I take you and Lauren spent a little time together?"
"We had coffee and she's taking the rest of the day off. We're going to start our date early. Do you think Mom will mind?"
"I don't mind at all," Olivia said as she opened her eyes.
"Are you sure?" Ava asked as she sat down on the bed with Olivia.
"I'm sure. You don't have to be here all the time."
"I know, but if you need me to stay, I will."
"I want you to go and have fun. Don't worry about me. Besides I have Natalia here to keep me company," Olivia said as she looked over at Natalia.
"That's right," Natalia said. "We'll be fine, you go and enjoy yourself."
"I want to talk to the two of you," Ava said as she took her Mom's hand.
Olivia looked at Natalia, then at Ava, "Okay, you know you can talk to us about anything."
"I've been thinking a lot the past few days, and with everything that's happened, I really want to move back to Springfield. I've missed so much, not being here. I want to be here for Emma and Rafe, and for the two of you. I was thinking about this even before you got hurt."
Olivia reached up and touched Ava on her face, "Baby, we would love to have you come home. And I'm going to need help with the Beacon, so you'll have a job."
"Great. I was thinking I could move into your suite since you and Emma are going to be living at the farmhouse, if that's okay."
"I think that's a great idea," Olivia smiled. "What do you think Natalia?"
"Well, I love the fact you'll be working at the Beacon, but wouldn't you rather live at the farmhouse with us?" Natalia asked.
"Sweetie, Ava's a single woman, and I think it would be awkward for her to bring someone home to the farmhouse," Olivia said with a smile on her face.
Natalia blushed, "I guess I hadn't thought about that."
Olivia reached over and took Natalia's hand, "You are so adorable when you blush."
Before Natalia could say anything, there was a knock on the door, "Come in," Olivia called out.
"Hi," Lauren said as she walked in the room.
Ava turned to greet her, "Hey you. You look amazing," she said softly.
Lauren had changed from her scrubs, into a pair of jeans, a white tank, with a jade green over shirt. Her hair was down and she had on a touch of makeup.
"Thank you," Lauren said with a shy smile, gazing at Ava. She looked over at Olivia and Natalia, "How are you two this afternoon?"
"We're good," Natalia said as smiled at Olivia.
"I'm glad to hear that. So you two don't mind me taking Ava out for a while?"
"Not at all," Olivia said.
Lauren shifted her attention back to Ava, "Are you ready?"
"Sure, do you mind if we swing by the Beacon for a minute?"
"Not at all," Lauren said as a sexy smile played on her face.
Ava smiled at the blonde, then turned her attention to Olivia and Natalia. She leaned down and kissed Olivia on her cheek, "I'll call in a bit and check on you."
"Okay sweetie, go have some fun," Olivia said as she winked at her daughter.
Ava turned to Natalia, who stood up to hug her, "Have fun. If I need anything I'll call," Natalia told her.
"Thanks," Ava said as she pulled away from the hug. She walked over to Lauren, who reached out for her hand, "Let's go."
"Bye," Lauren said as she and Ava headed out the door.
Natalia crawled on the bed with Olivia, "I think we're going to be seeing a lot of Lauren," she said as she put her arms around Olivia.
"I think you're right," Olivia said as she snuggled into Natalia.
Lauren and Ava pulled up to the Beacon. The two headed to Olivia's suite. Once they were inside, Lauren pulled Ava close to her, "I'm really glad I decided to take the afternoon off and spend it with you," she whispered.
"So am I," Ava said as she wrapped her arms around Lauren's waist.
Lauren reached up and stroke Ava's cheek with her hand, "You are so beautiful."
"So are you," Ava said as she leaned in closer, "And I feel so comfortable with you."
"I know, I feel the same way ," Lauren said as she leaned closer to Ava. She moved her fingers along Ava's jaw line.
"I should go change," Ava whispered.
"Yes you should, because if I start kissing you right now, we won't make it out of this room for the rest of the day," Lauren said with a husk in her voice.
"Lauren," Ava said a she moved as close as she could to the blonde.
"Yes, Ava."
"Just shut up and kiss me," Ava whispered.
Chapter 22
Lauren pulled Ava to her, capturing her lips. The kiss started slowly, but quickly became heated, as their tongues danced in each others mouths. Lauren moved her hands to Ava's hips, pulling them against her.
Ava let out a soft moan in Lauren's mouth, as she move her hands under Lauren's shirt, feeling her skin for the first time.
Lauren shivered when Ava touched her, and she felt the wetness flood between her legs. Lauren moved her tongue from Ava's mouth, down her jaw, to her neck, as she moved her hands under Ava's blouse.
"Jesus," Ava moaned as she started unbuttoning Lauren's shirt. They quickly moved to the bedroom, undressing each other along the way, leaving a trail of clothes.
"You really are so beautiful," Lauren said as she gently pushed Ava down on the bed.
Ava looked into Lauren's blue eyes, "I feel beautiful when you look at me that way," she whispered.
Lauren strecthed out fully on top of Ava, and began kissing her neck. Their bodies began moving together.
Lauren trailed her tongue down Ava's neck, to her chest until she reached her breast. She captured a nipple in her mouth as she moved her hand between Ava's legs.
Ava let out a moan, and arched her back as Lauren touched her, "Oh God Lauren," Ava moaned.
"Jesus Ava," Lauren whispered, as she trailed her tongue down Ava's stomach, while her fingers stroked Ava's slick folds, "I need to taste you," the blonde said softly as she nestle her face between Ava's legs. She flicked her tongue across Ava's clit, and trailed it down her folds before entering her.
Ava threw her head back, "Oh yes. God that feels so good."
Lauren moved her tongue in and out of Ava, she then moved inside with two fingers, moving her tongue to Ava's clit, gently sucking on it as she moved her fingers deeper inside Ava.
"Oh Lauren," Ava moaned as she grabbed the sheets with her hands, and thrust her hips to meet Lauren's fingers. Ava opened her eyes and found blue eyes gazing at her. Their eyes were locked on each others.
"Ava, sweetie, cum for me," Lauren whispered. "Just let go."
Ava knew she was close, "Oh God Lauren," Ava screamed as the first wave of her orgasm hit her, her body shaking as Lauren continued to move her fingers in and out of her. "Don't stop, please, don't stop," Ava gasped.
"That's it Ava. God you feel so amazing," Lauren husked as she brought Ava once again to the brink of orgasm.
Ava screamed Lauren's name as she exploded into the most intense orgasm she had ever experienced.
Lauren slowly moved her fingers out of Ava, and wrapped her arms around the brunette. Ava reached up and stroked Lauren's face with her fingers, "That was amazing. You're amazing," Ava whispered.
"I think your pretty amazing yourself," Lauren whispered as she moved her hand up and down Ava's body. "And I love the way your skin feels against mine."
Ava took her hand and moved it down Lauren's side then across the blonde's stomach, "You have a beautiful body."
"I'm so glad you think so," Lauren whispered as she kissed Ava's neck.
Ava rolled Lauren on her back, and straddled her. She leaned in and captured Lauren's mouth with hers. Ava lingered on the blonde's lips for a moment, then moved her tongue down Lauren's neck.
A soft moan escaped Lauren's lips as Ava took one of her nipples in her mouth, as she moved her hand between Lauren's legs.
"Oh God Ava," Lauren moaned. "Please baby, I need to feel you inside me."
Ava entered Lauren with her fingers as she moved up to look at Lauren, "Is this what you wanted?"
"Oh God, yes," Lauren gasped as Ava moved her thumb across Lauren's clit. She moved in and out of Lauren, going deeper with every thrust. Ava pulled completely out of Lauren and she immediately felt the loss. She looked at Ava with a puzzled look.
Ava smiled, with her eyebrow raise, "Can you roll over on your stomach for me?"
Lauren smiled at Ava, as she rolled over for Ava.
"I need you up on your knees, please," Ava said playfully as she moved behind Lauren.
The blonde raised up on her knees as Ava entered her from behind. Ava kissed her way up Lauren's back and began to move her thumb over Lauren's clit, "God you're so wet," Ava said softly as she pumped in and out of Lauren.
"God Ava, that feels so fucking incredible," Lauren moaned.
Ava playfully nipped Lauren's ass, "God you're body is amazing."
"I'm so close," Lauren whispered. "God yes that's it."
Ava increased the depth and speed of her penetration, as she felt Lauren tighten around her fingers, "That's it baby, give me what I want," Ava said her voice thick with desire. She felt the blonde's body begin to shake as her orgasm hit.
"Oh Ava," Lauren screamed as the orgasm ripped through her body.
Ava kept moving in and out of Lauren as the first orgasm subsided, and the second one wracked her body.
Lauren collasped on the bed, her breathing labored. Ava slowly moved her fingers out of+ the blonde and moved to lay down beside her.
Once Lauren caught her breath, she propped up on her elbow and looked down at Ava, "Oh my God. That was beyond words," Lauren whispered.
Ava smiled up at her, "I've never experienced anything that comes close to what we just shared."
"I know what you mean," Lauren said as she laid her head on Ava's shoulder. "That was really intense."
"A good intense, or a bad intense?" Ava asked as she wrapped her arms around Lauren.
"Oh this was a good intense, a very good intense," Lauren said as a playful smile came across her face for a minute, then Ava noticed a look of sadness pass across her face, "It's been a very long time since I've wanted anyone the way I want you," Lauren said softly, as tears filled her blue eyes.
Ava sat up, and took Lauren's hand in hers, "What's wrong?"
"Just memories and I don't want them to get in the way of what may be happening between us," Lauren said as she closed her eyes.
Chapter 23
Ava looked at her, then gently cupped her face, "What's her name?"
Lauren opened her eyes, and looked into Ava's dark eyes, "Her name was Ally."
"Tell me about her."
"We met while we were in college and we fell in love. It was great, we had a great life. Once we graduated I went to work at Johns Hopkins and Ally was getting ready to start law school. We decided to get away for a few days with my parents before Ally started school. They were going to drive to our cabin early that day, and I was going to follow after I got off work. About an hour before I was supposed to get off work, my boss called me into her office. I knew something was wrong, I could just feel it," Lauren said as a tear ran down her cheek. She took a deep breath, "She looked at me and told me there had been an accident. The three of them were being brought into Johns Hopkins and that was all she knew. I ran down to the emergency room and got there as they were brigning them in, Mom and Dad died enroute to the hopsital. Ally was in critical condition with massive head injuries. The only reason they let me in with her is because I worked there. They worked on her for 2 hours and in the end, there was nothing that could be done for her. I crawled in the bed with her, and pulled her into my arms, as they took her off the machines. Ally took her last breath in my arms. In the course of one day, I lost the three people I loved the most," Lauren said as she broke down completely.
Ava laid down next to Lauren and took her in her arms, "Oh God, Lauren, I'm so sorry," she whispered as she held the blonde. "Let it go, I've got you."
After a while, Lauren's sobs subsided. She rolled on her side, facing Ava she reached up and touched Ava's face, "Thank you for listening," she said softly.
Tears formed in Ava's eyes, "Thank you for sharing that with me. I could see how hard it was for you."
"It's not something I've shared very much. The only person I've told about that day was my boss. She was my rock during that time. But it still didn't stop me from going into a downward spiral. I did some things I'm not very proud of," Lauren said as she looked away.
Ava took Lauren's face in her hand, "Look at me Lauren. You have nothing to be ashamed of, we both have done things we're not proud of. Those things have made us into the people we are now."
"You're right," Lauren said as she sat up. "And I know I can't go back and change anything that's happened. It's taken me a long time to get where I am today. I wouldn't let anyone inside. I was so afraid of being left again and feeling the pain of the loss,so I put up walls and became a person I didn't recognize. I became this cold, non-feeling person, and all I cared about was seeing how many women I could sleep with. It was all about the physical, no emotional attachments. So for the first 4 years after Ally died, that's how I lived. On the 4 year anniversary of her death, I was in the attic looking for something, I don't even remember what, and I came across the bag she had pack for me to take to the cabin. After she died, I couldn't bring myself to look in it and I had just thrown it in the attic. I decided to look in it and I found a note from her inside the bag. She told me in the note that she was so lucky to have found someone like me, loving, caring and generous, to spend the rest of her life with, and that even though we were busy with our day to day lifes, she wanted me to always know she loved me and was proud of me and proud to be my wife. And she said if anything ever happened to her, she wanted me to find love again. I remebered thinking at the time, it was like she knew something was going to happen, and I lost it. Completely, lost it. I realized I needed some help, so I began therapy and slowly starting putting the pieces of my life back together. That was 2 years ago. Now I'm happier, I'm not the same person I was before Ally died, but I'm more like that person than I've been in a very long time."
Ava sat up, facing Lauren, "So you came to Springfield to start over."
"Yes and it's turned out to be one of the best decisions I've made in a very long time."
"And why is that?" Ava asked shyly.
"Well not only do I have a job that I love, I wouldn't have met you," Lauren said as she leaned in and gave Ava a soft kiss.
Ava pulled away from the kiss, a sad look washed over her face, as she turned away.
"Hey, Ava, what's wrong?" Lauren ask as she moved to look at Ava.
"Just thinking about some of things I've done in the past, and things about my life in general, and hoping that once you hear them, you'll still be glad you met me," Ava said softly.
"I don't think there's anything you could have done that would chagne that, so why don't you just tell me, becaue I know one thing and that's I want no secrets between us. I want to know everything about you. "
Ava took a deep breath, and began to tell Lauren all about her life. How she was conceived, about coming to Springfield, and how she met Olivia. Then she told her how she met Jeffrey and watched how Olivia was able to forgive him for everything. Ava didn't leave anything out, and after she told Lauren about Max, and how she moved away to San Francisco, she broke down and started to cry.
Lauren wrapped her arms around Ava and held her while she cried. Finally after a while, Ava's crying subsided, and she looked up at Lauren, "I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry for. And I know it was hard to tell me about everything, but I'm really glad you did."
"So it doesn't change anything between us?" Ava asked as she searched Lauren's blue eyes.
"No it doesn't, I still think you are an incredibly beautiful, amazing person. The only thing that scares me, is knowing you'll be leaving once Olivia's doing better," Lauren said with a hint of sadness in her voice.
"Well actually. I'm moving home. I told Mom and Natalia today. I've been away from my family too long, and with this happening to Mom, I just need to be here. And now that I've met you, it just tells me I've made the right decision."
"So you're staying?" Lauren said as a big smile washed across her face.
"Yes. I'm staying," Ava said as she pulled Lauren closer, "But I need to know something."
"What's that?" Lauren asked as she leaned closer.
"Are you going to be able to let me in, to give us a chance to see where this could go?"
Lauren looked deeply into Ava's eyes, "This is the first time I've made love to anyone since Ally. With all the others, it was just about sex, and with you, there is so much more. And I know we just met, but the first time I saw you, looking at you took my breath away. I knew then I had to get to know you, and I want very much to see where this could go. So to answer your question, I've already let you in," Lauren said as she captured Ava's mouth with hers.
Chapter 24
Rafe got back to the hospital at 5 that afternoon. As he walked in, he was greeted by both his mothers. He smiled and walked over giving both of them a kiss on their cheeks, "Is everything okay here?" he asked as he looked at the two women.
Olivia smiled, "Yes, I think it's better than okay."
"Did I miss Ava? I wanted to give her a hard time before she and Lauren went out on their date," Rafe said with a grin on his face.
Olivia and Natalia both laughed, "Yes you missed both of them. They left together about an hour after you left," Natalia said. "Lauren took the afternoon off so they could start the date early."
"Really? How interesting."
"And I would lay you odds they haven't left the Beacon yet," Olivia said with a raised eyebrow and a huge smile on her face.
"Olivia," Natalia said as she swatted her arm.
"What? You saw the way those two were looking at each other."
Rafe laughed, "If I were Ava, I would still be at the Beacon too."
"You two are terrible," Natalia said as she grinned.
Ava woke up and found blue eyes gazing at her, "Hey there," she said her voice still thick with sleep.
"Hey you," Lauren said as she ran a finger across Ava's jaw.
"What time is it?" Ava asked as she sat up a bit.
"A little after 5. We slept for a couple hours."
"I need to call and check on Mom. Do you mind?"
"Not at all," Lauren said.
Ava grabbed her phone and dialed Natalia's number.
"Hello."
"Hey Natalia, it's me. I was just calling to check on Mom. Is everything okay?"
"Yes sweetie, everything's fine. Hang on Olivia wants to talk to you."
"Be nice," Natalia mouthed as she handed the phone to Olivia.
Olivia rolled her eyes as she took the phone from Natalia, "Hey sweetie."
"Hey Mom. How are you feeling?" Ava asked as she reached out for Lauren.
"I'm feeling better this afternoon. So how's the date going?"
"We're having a wonderful time," Ava said as Lauren leaned in and nuzzled her neck.
"You're brother just got back, and was very disappointed he didn't get to see you before you left for your date," Olivia said as she winked at Rafe.
Ava didn't say anything, lost in the kisses Lauren was placing on her neck and chest.
"Ava? Sweetie, are you there?"
"Um, sorry, I'm still here. I got a little distracted," Ava said as she looked at Lauren with her eyebrow raised. Lauren let out a stiffled giggle.
"Why don't you go and enjoy your date. I'll see you in the morning," Olivia told her as she tried not to laugh.
"Okay Mom. I love you. Call if you need anything."
"Love you too sweetie. Bye."
"Bye Mom," Ava said as she got off the phone. She looked at Lauren.
"What? I could not help myself. You are just too damn sexy."
Ava grabbed Lauren, pulling the blonde close, "Why don't you show me?"
"My pleasure," Lauren whispered as she moved on top of Ava.
"So are they having a good time?" Natalia asked as she took her phone from Olivia.
"Yes I think they are," Olivia said with a smile.
"Well not meaning to change the subject, but Josh offered me a job with him once we're finished at the farnhouse," Rafe said with a shy smile on his face.
"Oh honey, I'm so proud of you," Natalia said as she took Rafe's hand.
"I think that's a great idea," Olivia said. "Josh is a good guy, and he can teach you a lot."
"I'm pretty excited. You wouldn't believe how much we got done today. I'm really glad to be helping him. We have the new staircase installed and tomorrow we're putting the lift in."
"You really are enjoying doing this aren't you?" Natalia asked.
"I am Ma," Rafe replied. He paused for a minute and looked over at Olivia, "I really wanted to help him get everything ready for you," he said as tears came to his eyes.
Olivia reached out for Rafe. He came and sat on the bed next to Olivia. She put her hand on his face, "Do you have any idea how much you mean to me?"
Rafe swallowed hard, as a tear slipped his cheek, "I know how much you mean to me, and to Ma. I never thought I would be saying these words to you, but I love you, Mom."
Olivia swallowed the lump in her throat, as tears fell from her eyes, "I love you too son."
"I'm starving," Lauren said as she sat up in the bed.
"Me too," Ava said as she sat up facing Lauren. "So do we want to go out for a while or should I order room service?"
Lauren smiled, "Well I did ask you out to dinner, so what would you like to do?"
Ava crawled up and sat in Lauren's lap, "I want to order room service. While we're waiting on room service, I want to take a shower with you. Then after dinner I want to make love all night," Ava husked.
Natalia crawled into bed with Olivia, "You know I should probably have them move that extra bed out of here."
Olivia smiled as she laid her head on Natalia's shoulder, "I know because this is where I want you to be, next to me. I love falling asleep in your arms."
"And I love falling asleep holding you," Natalia said as she kissed Olivia on top of her head. "You were amazing with Rafe today."
"I meant what I said. I love him, just like I love his Ma."
"He loves you and so does his Ma, very much," Natalia whispered.