Raven and Drew

by WonderChaser

Police Officer Ysabeau Dennis and Dr. Lauren Lewis met for the first time in 2005. Nothing happened but both felt a connection that either one of them never felt before. After a year, a 911 call set the stage for their unexpected but eventful meetup. Now that they met again, will they act towards each other on their own or do they need the help of their friends?

14. Chapter 14 - Fall 2006

Author's Note: I'm so sorry about the long delay. The usual reason, real life happened. And I want to thank you all for reading my story, following it, putting it as one of your favorite stories and reviewing it. From the bottom of my heart, maraming salamat (that's Filipino for 'thank you very much'). And to the reviewer that has mentioned about Vex being called as Vaughn, the reason is because his full name in this story is Vaughn Exequiel for Vex. I can't just let Vex be his full name. The people who will call him Vaughn in this story can be all of them but it will be Lauren, Dyson, Ryan, Trick, Ciara, Vex's mom that will call him that more frequently than the others. Sorry but I really need to clear that.

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost Girl. I just used them for my story. Doccubus forever!

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Chapter Fourteen

Yale New Haven Hospital

Miranda Hamilton is running for her life. She just found out from Nurse Henderson that Percy Saunders was already in the custody of New Haven police, that he was actually caught at the scene of the crime. She knows that in no time, the coward will eventually divulge her name to them just to save his face. And because of this she needs to act now but she needs more information. Entering the elevator, she pulls out her cellphone from her pocket and types in a message to her contact at the police station. It's time to retaliate. She will do this for Nadia. She will do this for the woman whom she fell in love with, the one she didn't mean to hurt but hurt nonetheless.

She is walking towards the hospital lobby when she heard someone calling her name. She immediately freezes. She recognizes the voice of Nadia's best friend, Dr. Adam Carlo. Shit, I shouldn't have come back. And why is he here on a Sunday afternoon?

"Nurse Hamilton there you are!" The tall doctor jogs towards her. "Miranda, I've been looking for you since yesterday. Where have you been? Do you know what happened to Nadia?" He asks her in a soft voice.

"Yes I already knew. She was one of my patients in my rounds last night." She starts to fiddle with the handle of the bag she's holding.

"And? Did you talk to her?"

"Uhm..." The sound of an incoming message saves her from answering the doctor. She looks down at her cellphone, reads the text and sighs. "Sorry Adam but I need to go. Talk to you later." She hurried walks towards the exit.

"Okay." Dr. Adam Carlo frowns, looking at the retreating figure of his best friend's lover. She seems distracted. I need to talk to Nadia.

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Westville New Haven

"Lo, Lo are you ready to go?" He looks at his watch. "It's already quarter to five." The cake has been placed inside the box, the lasagna has been sealed and wrapped nicely and he's raring to go. "Bo won't love you any less if your hair's not perfect." He shouts out, laughing.

"What?" Lauren asks while walking down the stairs and folding her sleeves.

"Nothing." Vex looks at the doctor and smiles. "I knew it. The color of your shirt really enhances your eyes. And nice pairing of the tops and shoes." He looks down at the blonde's high top white Chuck Taylor's.

"Is it okay?"

"Yes, you look wow!"

Lauren laughs. "You're exaggerating. But okay, you just mean well." She stops and stares at Vex. "You look sharp, I mean are we going to the same party?"

Vex looks down at his white shirt, blue jeans and black denim jacket ensemble. He also wears his white Chuck Taylor's. "Hey we wear the same shoes."

"Indeed. Great minds think alike."

"Let's go then. We need to pass by a liquor store. We need to buy booze and the best Irish whiskey for Trick. After that, we go and pick up Ciara then we'll see your beloved." He winks.

"You know what, one day you might slip up in front of mixed company... I don't know if we can explain that."

"We'll manage."

She sighs. "Just don't say it out loud."

"Agreed."

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Downtown New Haven

Kenzi shakes her head when she sees Bo straightening the banners, balloons and decorations for the umpteenth time. She walks towards the older brunette and pokes her. "Bo, you are starting to really annoy me! You have been touching the decorations for how many times for the past hour. We already outdone ourselves. They are perfect! Look at the balloons, they are the colors of the flag of Ireland. And the party hats! Pops will be delighted. C'mon Bo, relax!"

Bo sighs. "Okay! What about the flowers?"

"I've spoken to old Gertrude a while ago over the phone. She said she'll make sure that the flowers will be delivered at five thirty. She also said she'll attend her darling Trick's birthday party." The younger brunette grins. "And oh, the young Gertrude will be coming with her. Someone is so eager to see you!" Kenzi winks.

The officer laughs. "It's okay, little G is harmless. On the other hand, looks Mrs. G is creeping her way to Pops' good graces. She gave me a discount on the flowers and told me to tell Pops afterwards and also to put in a few good words for her."

"Really? That's hilarious."

"It's actually cute."

"What's up?" Tamsin sidles up to her best friends.

"Oh we're just talking about the double G's." Kenzi replies.

"Huh, the young redhead who has the hots for Bo and the much older brunette who's smitten with Trick!" The blonde snickers.

Bo slaps Tamsin's arm. "Little G is harmless Tam. She doesn't have the 'hots' for me. She's just a shy kid who has a crush, that's pretty normal and nothing serious."

"She's not a kid anymore Bo. She's already in college." The blonde points out.

"I know but still, she's very young for me. She's what, 18? 19? And besides Tam, she's like our little sister." The older brunette blanches.

Tamsin starts, "So if she's not..."

Bo interrupts. "Nothing Tam. And she's a good kid, helps her grandmother in their flower shop. That's all. Why would I interpret her actions towards me as malicious when she's just simply admiring? Nothing wrong with that. And besides, all she ever do is smile and talk to me when I pass by their shop. How do you interpret that as having the 'hots' for me?" She frowns. "I can also read people."

"Well you know Tamsin Bo, every person that looks at her for more than three seconds means a whole lot of meaning to her." The younger brunette snorts.

"That's not true."

"True."

"Not true."

"Truer than true. If not, can you explain to us how you pick up the men and women that you were sexing up each and every day of your life?"

"Hey stop! I don't want to know. I'm not interested." Bo looks at her watch. "It's already five and our guests will be here soon so please stop the bickering and behave." She stops her lecture when her cellphone alerts for a new text. She pulls it out from her pocket and hurriedly opens the message. She smiles widely when she sees that Lauren has sent her a message.

"Uh look at that smile and the sparkle in her eyes. You know who texted her. What does she say?" Kenzi tiptoes, trying to have a view of Bo's phone.

The officer's dazzling smile fades when she reads the end of the message and is replaced by worry. "Oh no!"

"Why? What happened?"

"They will be here in twenty minutes!" Bo taps her forehead.

"But you told them to be here at six right?" Tamsin asks.

"Yes but she said they will be picking up Ciara at Yale Hospital at five then they will go straight here. So that's what, ten minutes from here!" Bo looks down at her purple button down shirt, black jeans and black boots. "Am I looking alright?"

"You're smoking hot!" The blonde exclaims.

Bo glares at her.

"Well do you want an honest opinion or what? I'm just telling you the truth. But I'm hotter than you." Tamsin winks.

"I don't care. What matters is that I'm presentable enough."

"Purple is your color BoBo! For once, I like what you have decided to wear today."

"Just once? I'm still learning Kenzi!"

"Yeah well, you still have some questionable choices so..." The younger brunette shrugs.

"Fine. But I'm okay?"

"As Tamsin said, you're smoking hot. Just open up another button then you'll be hotter than Tam."

"Oh no! This is fine, don't have to do that." Bo shakes her head.

"Spoilsport!" Kenzi sticks out her tongue.

Then Bo's phone starts to ring. Her eyes widen. "Silence! Lauren is calling!" She clears her throat.

Kenzi and Tamsin look at each other and chuckles. They are loving how their best friend reacts to the doctor. They are now more eager to meet the woman. Although they already have an idea how she looks like, they want to know why Bo is acting like a love-struck teenager whenever the doctor's name is mentioned or she did something simple like sending a text message.

Bo accepts the call with a dazzling smile.

"Hello! Bo?"

"Oh hi Lauren! Why are you calling? Are you already on your way here?"

"We just left the house. We are on our way to the hospital to pick up Ciara. We'll be there in twenty minutes."

"Okay."

"Bo, is it okay if we'll be there earlier than six? We thought we could help you on whatever you will do for your grandfather's birthday."

"Yes, that's fine Lauren. Just come here as soon as you pick up Ciara from the hospital. And well, we are already done with the decorations." Bo is thankful that she remains calm and collected while talking to the doctor. The reality is, her heart is beating fast. It also doesn't help that her two best friends are watching her like hawks.

"Okay. Well, Vex wants to know if..." Bo hears Vex's muffled voice after the pause. "... you need us to..." Another pause, followed by a muted conversation. "... I'm sorry Bo. Vex is being pesky with me right now and he wants to talk to you but he's driving so I told him he can't. I wish you could see his face now." Lauren laughs. That laugh is music to Bo's ears. She can't help smiling although she knows the doctor can't see her.

"Tell him he can't drive while talking to the phone. If he insists, I'll arrest him."

"I'll tell him that." Bo hears Vex's muffled voice, just a little bit louder than usual. Her eyes widen when she heard Vex said 'beloved'.

"What did he say?"

"What?" The officer sensed a change of tone in the doctor's voice. "Oh he said beveled."

"Okay."

"We ran through a beveled road. Vex didn't anticipate it because he's not looking at the road." The doctor continues her explanation, her voice still has that weird intonation.

"Are you two okay?"

"We're okay! But Vex is a little bit staggered because a cat suddenly crossed the road when we ran through the beveled road. Bo, I need to cut this call off. I'll just send you a message when we already pick up Ciara from the hospital."

"Yes, please do that. And tell Vex to drive safely and watch the road."

"Okay Bo. See you. Bye!"

Bo looks at her phone, frowning.

"Bo, what happened to Lauren and Vex?" Kenzi asks.

"Lauren said they ran through a beveled road because Vex is not looking while driving."

"Maybe he didn't see that he's already driving them to the edge then bang, they ran to a ditch." Tamsin points out.

"Yeah. And Lauren also mentioned about a cat crossing the road."

"Is the cat black?" Kenzi asks. Bo raises her eyebrow. "A black cat crossing the road means bad luck Bo."

Tamsin snorts. "Do you really believe that Kenz?"

"No, but some people do." The younger brunette shrugs.

"Okay, enough about black cats and bad luck. Guests will be starting to arrive." Bo looks at the women. "Where's Bruce and Steve?"

"I told them to come at quarter to six."

The older brunette nods. "That's fine. How about Nate Kenz?"

"He'll be here at six."

"Good. So all we can do is to wait. I'll call Pops and ask if he's really going home by seven." Suddenly, they hear a car honks.

"I'll check who our first guest is." Tamsin volunteers.

Bo just nods. At the back of her mind, she's still thinking about the word that Vex uttered. Was it really beveled? Yeah, I think it's beveled and nothing else. Why would Lauren lie to her right?

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Vex stops the car at the side road. "You think she heard?"

"Yes I think so." Lauren shakes her head and sighs. "I told you, you will slip up! And you slip up while I'm talking to her. Yey goody!" She rolls her eyes. "What will I do with you Vex?"

Vex shows his best pouting face. "I just wanted to ask if she needed us to pick up anything while we are still on the road. Lo, please forgive me!"

"Okay! And please, erase that word from your mind when we get there! Did you hear me reasoning out to her? What if she thinks that I'm lying? Beveled, for goodness sakes!" The doctor covers her face with her hands while shaking her head.

"But Lo, it's a stroke of genius! Beloved, beveled – they sound alike. Thank God you think fast. And the cat crossing the road? Perfect!"

"Well, they might just think you're an incompetent driver, that you're easily scared. We need to tell Ciara about the beveled road and the crossing cat."

"Let me do that okay?"

"You should. For now, she doesn't need to know about your slip up. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am." Vex salutes.

"Pushing it Vex."

He grins. He starts the car and safely maneuvers them back to the main road. "Lo, since you're not driving can you call Hale for me please? Ask him if he's on his way to Trick's."

"Sure." She opens her phonebook and dials Hale's number. "Hello! Hale, this is Lauren."

"Hi Doc. How are you today? Feeling good because you're going to see Bo?" Hales laughs softly.

"Haha Hale. I'm okay. Are you already on your way to Mr. McCorrigan's house?"

"I just left our house. I'll be on my way in a few minutes. And you?"

"We are on our way to pick up Ciara from the hospital. And then we'll go straight to Bo's. We are going to be a little early so if you could also be there as well, your buddy here..." She looks at Vex. "... who is the designated driver will be very happy to see you."

"Okay Doc. I actually wanted to talk to you about what Bo and I discussed on our drive way home early this morning..."

"About what?" She looks at Vex. Vex raised his eyebrow.

"Don't worry, I already discussed this with Vex and Doc Ciara. You're the only one who's not in the loop Doc. You were having a deep discussion with Bo that time but it's all good."

"Oh."

Hale laughs. "It's okay Doc. We know that you are getting to know each other. Looks like just a little too well." The officer can't help but to tease the doctor, his statement delivered with a sing song voice.

"Hale!"

He laughs a little bit louder. "On that note, I got to go Doc. I'll see you all there! Tell Vex to drive safely and get you to Bo's house in one piece."

"Okay I'll tell him. Take care Hale!" She smiles at her best friend. "Hale wanted to tell you to drive safely and get me in one piece to Bo's house."

"Uhhh special cargo!"

"Yes, that's me." She wiggles her eyebrows and laughs.

"I know. Suddenly, you have us all wrapped around your fingers huh! Charming little bugger! How do you do that?"

"Really? I'm not sure that I agree with you." The doctor frowns. "Nobody notices me."

Vex laughs. "That's where you are wrong darling! Everybody notices you. You are the one who doesn't realize that. You know why? Because you don't let everyone in, you are on your own little world. Sometimes you have a tunnel vision. But I tell you this, not because I am your best friend okay? You are a beautiful person and you are charming when you really put an effort into it. Remember last night Lo? Do you want me to remind you what happened, hmm?"

The doctor huffs. "Fine. But I will be turning a corner very soon. I promised myself that." She smiles at her best friend. "And thank you for telling me I'm beautiful. I need the ego boost."

"You're welcome. And I'm happy for you."

"Thank you. So ready to pick up Ciara?"

"I am." Vex smiles at Lauren and drives the car to the road that will lead them to the hospital.

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Yale New Haven Hospital

Ciara is outside of the hospital near the waiting area when she sees Dr. Adam Carlo and Nurse Miranda Hamilton talking on the lobby. She's thankful that she is partially hidden at that moment and she can gaze at them without been seen. It looks like the meeting is sudden and unexpected but there's a certain familiarity between them, like they've been doing it for a long time and in a regular basis. In her place at the waiting area, Ciara looks at the redhead nurse. She is quite tensed and distracted and is holding her cellphone like a lifeline. She's also holding a large gym bag. On the other hand, the doctor is cool and collected although not oblivious at his companion's emotional state at that moment. The conversation is quick and awkward and Ciara is quite shocked that the redhead nurse passed by her and is already entering a taxi cab. "That was quick." Fortunately, it looks like her ride has already arrived. For a quick moment, she looks at the lobby if Dr. Carlo is still there but it seems that the doctor has other plans too. She enters the car as soon it stops in front of her.

"Thank God, you're already here." She exclaims.

"Why, what happened?" Lauren asks her.

"I just witnessed an awkward reunion of sorts between Dr. Carlo and Nurse Hamilton."

Vex turns around from his seat and looks at Ciara. "Really? So it seems Percy was telling the truth."

"And from what I've seen, they know each other very well."

Lauren nods. "You need to tell Bo and Hale of what you've seen. Do you see anything suspicious other than they seem to know each other well?"

"Huh, now that you ask yeah. I was already outside waiting for you guys but then I heard Dr. Carlo calling Nurse Hamilton."

"What did he call her?"

"He called her Nurse Hamilton. Nothing suspicious about that but when I looked at her, she was frozen in her place. It's like a deer in the headlights reaction. And she was holding her cellphone tightly, like a lifeline. She didn't want to be there. And she's holding a large gym bag."

Vex frowns. "Yeah that was suspicious."

"Oh and she was fidgeting, she was making these small movements with her fingers. She actually ran from Dr. Carlo. She just entered a cab when you arrived. It was a quick exit."

"Hmmm."

Vex looks at his best friend. "What are you thinking Lo?"

"Well I was thinking that if it's really true that Nurse Hamilton has something to do with what happened to Nadia and she was really Percy Saunder's spy and at the same time, Nadia's lover... all her actions, all what Ciara saw... it's like she's running for her life."

Ciara and Vex widen their eyes.

"Well if it's true so she can be imprisoned too?" Ciara asks.

"I think so. We can ask Bo and Hale."

Vex honks twice and quickly drives out from the hospital premises.

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"They're on their way." Bo blows a breath while looking at her cellphone.

"Well it's already 5:20 so I think they're on time." Kenzi looks at her watch.

"Yeah. Hale is with them. Looks like they talked before coming here. They met somewhere and are now having a convoy. Hale said he and Vex are transporting special cargo." The officer smiles at the sentiment.

"Special cargo?" Tamsin looks at Kenzi. "Oh I got it." She then slaps her forehead.

Kenzi rolls her eyes. "Oh thank God you got it. I thought I will have to explain it to you."

The blonde slaps the younger brunette's arm. Kenzi grins.

Their eyes diverted to the front lawn when they heard a couple of honks.

"Looks like our special guests are already here." Tamsin winks at Bo.

Bo hurriedly exits the front door to welcome the guests but she suddenly stops and lets out a breath. Then she freezes when the door of the Audi's passenger side opens and out comes the woman of her dreams. Her breath hitches as the doctor runs her fingers through her hair, checks herself at the side mirror and puts a dashing smile into her face. Bo looks up and down the blonde's attire and can't help but to admire how the jeans fit her, making her long legs longer if that's possible. And that ass, wow! She also looks at her top. Bo can't imagine the doctor wearing that but she definitely rocks it. Well for her, Lauren is perfect so where can she go wrong right? Then finally looking at the shoes, she shakes her head and smiles. She's wearing a high cut white Chuck Taylor's, that's cute! She's adorable. Maybe I should kiss her again. She smirks.

Although not as excited as Bo, her two best friends also come out to meet their guests. Kenzi whispers to the tall blonde, "Are we already looking at the special cargo?"

Tamsin stares hard at the woman who comes out of the car. She immediately knows who she is. "The Lauren Lewis we saw on the website grew into that! Oh my God, she's hot hot hot!" Tamsin exclaims, her jaws dropping. "Bo's very lucky."

"You're drooling Tam. Stop it. If Bo sees you like that..." Kenzi warns. "Ewwww you're like a hungry diner looking at a medium rare steak." She punches Tamsin's arm.

"But look at her Kenz, look at her!" She hisses.

"I know! I have eyes. I can see that she's beautiful and very attractive even though I don't swing that way. But yeah I can't blame Bo being gaga over her!"

From the moment she came out of the car, Lauren feels the scrutiny and suddenly likens herself to a fish inside an aquarium. Although she's not the only fish in it, she feels that she's the only rainbow fish in an aquarium full of gold fishes. She breathes deeply and looks up. You can do this Lauren! She's not surprised when she sees Bo already looking at her, smiling widely and eyes sparkling. Why is she that happy to see me? She stands straight and starts to walk towards the officer. Her focus is on Bo that she doesn't hear the other doors of the car open simultaneously, Vex and Ciara coming out of them. She doesn't hear Hale calling out to Vex, doesn't hear them laugh, and doesn't hear Ciara quips that she abandon them just to see Bo. At that moment, nothing is more important than to see and be with her beloved.

So when she finally comes to her cherished destination, she thinks of her mantra – Go big or go home! She engulfs the surprised officer into a hug and kisses her on the cheek, lingering her lips on Bo's soft skin. The moment she feels that the officer returns the hug, she closes her eyes just to capture the moment in her mind, counts up to five and slowly leans back from the embrace. When she turns her head to look at Bo, what she sees amazes her. Bo's eyes are closed but her mouth is curved into a wide smile, her dimples in full force. She can't help herself but to utter, "My God, you're beautiful."

Bo opens her eyes when she hears what Lauren says. "What did you say?"

"I said you're beautiful." She smiles, her thumb removing the remnants of her lip balm.

"Oh, thank you." The brunette blushes. She clears her throat. "You look amazing as well."

"Thank you Officer Dennis." She holds the officer's arm, suddenly feeling confident. "So how's your day? Been busy decorating and all?"

"You got it. We were all busy arranging the furniture, putting up the decorations and making sure that all our preparations are not done in futile. We have been planning this party for months now!"

The doctor grins at the brunette's enthusiasm, has something to say about it when suddenly Vex speaks up. "Hey Bo, we're also here. Can we come now or are you two going to be at it until it's time to party?" He then turns to Hale laughing and they do a high five.

Both women's faces redden like they were caught doing something naughty. Lauren glares at Vex. Vex raises his hand with a peace sign.

Ciara raises her eyebrow. "Did I really see that earlier, when Lauren hugged and kissed Bo on the cheek?"

"Yes Doc. It was actually Lauren's way of manning up after Bo's shenanigans early this morning. Bo did that too but in her case, she kissed Lauren on the temple." Hale relates.

"Really? Oh my God these two!" Ciara claps her hands.

Vex shakes his head. "So while they are still on it, Hale did you bring our betting table? We need to talk about it when these two are not looking."

Hale nods. "I'm thinking about that. I will need to recruit Trick into this. We need him to distract them later." He points at Bo and Lauren.

"Hey that's a good strategy." Ciara agrees.

"I agree. So Hale, can you please help me carry the items that we brought? Ci, can you take hold of the bottle of Tullamore Dew please?" Ciara nods. "Thank you." Vex smiles at her. "I'll carry the lasagna while you..." He looks at Hale. "... carry the cake."

"Wow what?! The doc made lasagna?" The officer widen his eyes.

"Yup." Vex slaps Hale's shoulder. "Lucky you, you will taste her best pasta ever! She already perfected it. She can make lasagna with her eyes closed." He chuckles.

"Oh wow. They are really a perfect combination!" The officer exclaims.

"What, the pasta and the cake?"

"No dude, Bo and Lauren! Bo has a list of her favorite pasta dishes and her numero uno is lasagna! Bo will be over the moon! The doctor's carbonara has already eased on her top 5 pasta dishes, she told me. Ask her about it."

Vex grins.

On the other side, Tamsin and Kenzi are shocked beyond belief when they saw the doctor hugged and kissed Bo.

"Whoa! Did you see that? Looks like our BoBo is not the only one going gaga but the doctor as well." The young brunette chuckles.

"Yeah I know! I was like maybe I need to change my bet to an earlier date because these two are obviously smitten with each other. I didn't expect that." Tamsin pokes Kenzi. "Let's go there so we could take a closer look at the doctor."

"Oh so now you like a closer look huh! Tell me, are you going to be like this today? Or do I need to tell Bo that you are ogling at Lauren? I saw how you look at her." Kenzi glares at the tall blonde.

"No I'm not. I'm just admiring, nothing else." Tamsin looks away. "Maybe just a little tiny crush, that's all."

"Oh my God!" The young brunette taps her forehead. "You and Hale!"

"What do you mean me and Hale?"

"Hale is also crushing on the hot doctor!"

Tamsin chuckles. "So how do you feel about that?"

Kenzi frowns. "How does it relate to me?"

"Hale..."

"Tamsin, I am with Nate now. I thought you are Nate's friend." The young brunette slaps her best friend's arm. "Please don't let him hear you say that!"

The tall blonde puts her hand across her heart. "Promise Kenz." She smiles. "C'mon."

They walk towards Bo and Lauren, who at that time are talking animatedly to each other. Then the officer suddenly laughs. And the doctor follows.

"Uh Bo." Kenzi pokes the officer, who is still laughing while holding her stomach. "What's happening here?"

"Oh Lauren is telling me some doctor jokes. I just can't..." She laughs again. "I'm so sorry..." She looks at the doctor. "... but that's really funny."

"Thank you," the doctor replies, smiling widely.

Kenzi clears her throat and looks pointedly at Bo.

Bo's eyes widen and sobers up. "Oh yeah! Lauren, here are my best friends Kenzi and Tamsin. They are my annoying and hard headed younger sisters. Kenz, Tam this is Lauren."

Lauren shakes both women's hands and smiles. "Hi Kenzi, Tamsin I'm happy that I finally meet the two of you."

"Me too Doc. Bo has been talking about you incessantly. She said your carbonara is one of the best that she has ever eaten and she really loves your pies, especially the pumpkin custard one. Our Bo here really loves food. I think you know that now Doc since you've already seen her eat." Kenzi grins. "Aren't you turned off? She really eats a lot especially when she's tired and hungry."

Bo glares at the younger brunette. "Oh thank you Kenzi for ruining my image to Lauren!" She looks at the doctor. "Annoying, see?"

Lauren laughs. "Kenzi, I already saw Bo eat when she was tired and hungry so I have an idea. I'm not turned off. I actually find it cute, especially when I saw her devour those three choco butternut doughnuts in one sitting." She winks at the officer, who is blushing profusely.

"Oh I already like you Doc!" The younger brunette claps her hands. "I'm liking this day more and more!"

The officer scoffs. She then turns her head to Tamsin. "What, are you not going to join them?"

"Later! I'm enjoying the banter." The taller blonde turns her head, smiling dazzlingly at the other blonde. "Hey Doc, we are glad that Bo has invited you to Trick's birthday party."

"Thank you Tamsin. I'm also glad to be here."

Bo raises her eyebrow. She looks at Lauren and Kenzi. "Excuse us for a minute." She pats Tamsin's arm and signals the tall blonde to follow her. She then signal Kenzi to distract the doctor for a while.

"What, I'm just being nice." Tamsin shrugs.

"You're not that nice to new people." She stares at her best friend. "Oh please don't tell me..." Bo hisses at her.

"Don't worry, as I told Kenzi, it's just a little crush."

"What?!" She faces the blonde, placing her arms across her chest.

"It's not my fault that she's looking like that... Dr. McHottie wow!"

Bo can't believe what she's hearing right now.

"Hey the two of you, stop that. We have other guests." Kenzi hollers while walking with Lauren towards Vex, Ciara and Hale.

The older brunette reluctantly stops the confrontation, telling herself to behave and be a good host. She treads fast to follow Kenzi and Lauren. Upon seeing Vex, Ciara and Hale she smiles widely. "Hi Vex and Ciara, thanks for coming. I really do appreciate it." She hears Hale clear his throat. "You too partner of course." She pats Hale's shoulder. "Vex, Ciara meet my best friends. This one is Kenzi. The one approaching us is Tamsin." She waits for Tamsin to join them. "Kenz, Tam this is Vex and Ciara, Lauren's friends and housemates." Then she sees the box and container that Vex and Hale are holding. "What are those?"

"Hale is holding the cake that I baked for Trick. And this one..." Vex looks down at the container he is holding. "...is Lauren's gift to your grandfather. And I think we need to enter your house right now so we could put these in your kitchen."

Bo turns to look at Lauren. "You shouldn't have. The cake is enough."

The doctor smiles at the officer. "It's okay Bo. And besides, it's your grandfather's birthday. And you invited us."

Vex interrupts. "And Bo, you will be happy to know that it's your favorite."

"Really?" Bo's eyes widen and claps. "How do you know it's my favorite?"

"Hale told me just now. Do you want to know what it is?"

"I want it to be a surprise. So let's go inside the house. C'mon. You are the first guests to arrive."

Hale sees Kenzi, smiling shyly while trying to catch her attention. "Hi Kenzi."

"Hi Hale. How are you? You've been busy, we haven't seen each other much nowadays." She punches his arm lightly.

"I know. I'm so sorry." He looks down.

"It's okay." She sighs. "Can I talk to you later, just the two of us please? I have something to tell you."

"Okay Kenz, just give me a signal and I'll be there." He can sense the trepidation coming from his friend. It is also frightening for him but he hides his fear with a grin.

"Talk to you later." She lets him walk ahead of her. She waits for a while, looking down at her shoes. I need alcohol for that talk later. With a frown, she walks towards the house.

Lauren immediately notices the grand piano in the living room when she entered the house and asks, "Who knows how to play the piano?"

"It's Kenzi Lauren." Bo replies.

"Really? That's nice. Does she play often?"

"Yes but she's usually in her room when she does. That piano hadn't seen the light of day until now."

The younger brunette enters the house and notices Lauren is eyeing the piano. "Do you also play Doc?"

The doctor turns to face Kenzi. "Unfortunately no. But my twin brother does. How old are you when you start playing?"

"I was six years old when my parents enrolled me at the music school. At first I thought I wouldn't like it but I learned to love it as I played my first few pieces. I appreciated it more when I realized that I am good at it."

"That's great. My brother started to play when we were five years old. He also learned to love it especially when he started to play in recitals."

"I also loved recitals. Doc, how come you didn't learn to play the piano?"

"Well since my brother had chosen to learn to play the piano, I chose to learn to play the violin instead."

"Wait, you're telling me you know how to play the violin?" Kenzi's eyes widen and grins.

"Yes I am and yes I do." The doctor's eyes sparkle when she sees the excitement in the younger woman's eyes.

"Oh my God, you're like heaven sent Doc!" She looks at Bo and exclaims, "Bo, Lauren knows how to play the violin!"

Bo smiles at the younger brunette's enthusiasm. "Yes I heard you talking about it." Then she looks at the doctor. "That's great Lauren. How old when you started playing it?"

"The same as my brother did with the piano. We were five when we persuaded by our parents to learn how to play an instrument."

"Do you love it?"

"Yeah. I think Kenzi, my brother and I shared the same sentiments about recitals. I love it especially when I started to play the sonatas and concertos. They were hard at first but I practiced almost every day so it's very rewarding when I hear myself play and I liked what I'm hearing. I used to record myself."

"Hey me too! My piano teacher taught me to do that. He says it's one way of measuring yourself with your own standards, your mentor's and the audience."

"Yeah I think it is just normal for musicians to record themselves. I used to do that too." Bo points out.

Lauren turns her head to Bo when she heard the officer's statement. "And what instrument do you play Officer Dennis?"

"Well Doctor Lewis, I have been playing the guitar since I was nine years old. And yes I love it! Every time I try to play a new song or piece, there is this burning desire that I feel inside you know..." She looks at the doctor and her best friend while pointing at her chest. "... especially when I watched or heard someone play this particular song or piece that I liked and I wanted to learn how to play that song in that very minute. But the problem is I can't so what will I do?"

"You need to stop for a minute. Take a deep breath and ask yourself – how much do you like the song?" Lauren answers seamlessly. "Then if you really like it, what's next? You will ask yourself, is the song popular or not? Because if it's not then you need to research further. But if it's popular, you can just go to a music shop and buy the music sheet."

"Or go to a website where you can download the music sheet for free." Kenzi points out.

Bo and Lauren looks at her, aghast.

"What? I know a few sites where I can do that." The younger brunette grins.

"Blah, blah, blah. What are you talking about?" Vex asks while sitting at the couch near the grand piano. He looks at Lauren and says, "Lo, when are you going to heat up the lasagna? The cake is already safe inside the refrigerator, thanks to Tamsin." He smiles at the tall blonde. "The whiskey is placed on the gift table. All is set."

"Wait what?! Lauren's gift to Pops is a big container of lasagna?" Bo's eyes widen.

"See Vex? I told you!" Hale laughs. "And the cake looks good too. Good job bro!" He high fives Vex.

"Baking chocolate cakes is my expertise just like Lo's is making that delicious cheesy lasagna."

"Vex's chocolate cakes are better than mine so yeah, he's the expert. Oh the lasagna, heating would take twenty minutes so maybe six thirty? We just need to melt the cheese." Lauren nods.

"Can we stop talking about the food? Because I'm already salivating here." Tamsin grins.

Ciara chuckles then quickly sobers up. "Yeah maybe we should talk about something else." She looks at Vex and Lauren. They both nod at her.

Upon hearing Ciara's statement, they decide to sit at the couches. Bo strategically sits beside Lauren, the action not missed by Kenzi and Tamsin. Kenzi just shakes head while smiling. Tamsin snorts. Bo is cheering inside her head.

"Oh yeah. Bo, Hale..." Lauren looks at the police officers. "... Ciara has something to tell you about Dr. Carlo and Nurse Hamilton. I know this is Mr. McCorrigan's birthday party but I think it's important that you know what Ciara saw earlier at the hospital." She says apologetically.

Bo dismisses Lauren's apology while patting the doctor's arm. "It's okay Lauren. We are here to socialize and talk among ourselves. And I'm really curious about what Doc Ciara saw at the hospital."

"Me too." Hale leans forward on his seat.

"Us too." Kenzi points to herself and Tamsin. "But we don't know who Dr. Carlo and Nurse Hamilton are."

Hale looks at Bo, asking for her permission. "Tell them Hale." Bo smiles.

Hale tells Kenzi and Tamsin about Dr. Adam Carlo and Nurse Miranda Hamilton and how they are involved with his and Bo's current case.

"Wow BoBo, your case seems to be getting more complicated! And I'm intrigued with those two. There's something fishy about them."

"I know. And I can feel that this is just the start. So Doc, what did you see earlier?" The brunette officer looks at Ciara, encouraging her to tell them the story.

"Well while I was waiting for Lauren and Vex to pick me up from the hospital, I saw Dr. Carlo and Nurse Hamilton at the hospital lobby. I was partially hidden from them so I think they didn't see me." She then relates what she saw. She concludes her narration by saying, "And as Lauren said, Miranda looked like she was running for her life. She seemed very agitated."

Bo leans forward, obviously in her serious police persona, and turns to her partner. "What do you think Hale?"

Hale nods. "Yeah I agree. And partner we can now conclude that they know each other very well. That kind of familiarity with each other was not developed over night but was formed and created by constant talks and meetings right?"

"Yeah. So why did she dismiss Dr. Carlo at the end? And why did she refuse to talk to her friend? I'm using the term 'friend' loosely here because I don't know how to label their relationship for now." Bo shrugs.

"Why not co-conspirators?" Vex suggests.

"Yeah, that's a good term. Very good Vex." Bo smiles at him.

"Thank you Bo." The businessman tilts his head and bows.

"Now Doc Ci, what else did you see that made you suspicious?" Bo continues to question Ciara.

Ciara just stares ahead, thinking hard.

Lauren turns her head to her friend. "Ci, tell her about what Nurse Hamilton was holding in her two hands."

"Oh yeah! She was holding a large gym bag. And then when Dr. Carlo was talking to her, I think she received a text message because she looked down at her cellphone for a moment. Then after doing that, she just ran towards the exit. She didn't look back. Then a taxi came and she hurriedly entered it, like someone was chasing her. When I looked at the hospital lobby again to see if Dr. Carlo was still there, he was gone."

"A large gym bag?"

"I think what happened was she gathered all her things from the locker and shoved them in the bag." Tamsin points out. "Yeah, she's going to run." The others nod in agreement.

"And the message in the cellphone? I think she has a contact that she recently reached out to and she was waiting for the reply. And I think it has something to do with this case, I can feel it." She looks at Ciara. "Doc, when she was talking to Dr. Carlo did she look guilty?"

"Yes. She was fidgeting with the handle of the gym bag and she can't look at Adam's eyes. She spoke to him because I saw her lips moved but she really was focused on the cellphone in her hand."

Bo nods. "I think Dr. Carlo ask her about Nadia. So if we follow that train of thought, it means she and Nadia already talked. Her demeanor shows guilt over something that she did." She looks at her partner. "Hale, we need to inform Sergeant Smith about this. We can't afford not to talk to Nurse Hamilton first thing tomorrow. She really is a big player on this case. And she may run."

"I'm afraid of that too. I'll call Sergeant Smith now. Excuse me." Hale pulls out his phone from his pocket and exits the front door.

Vex frowns. "If I were her, I'll clear my name. I'll come clean to the police. If she really was Percy's spy, I'll tell all the details and turn myself as a witness to the prosecution to further indict Percy to his crimes. Can she do that Bo?"

Bo leans back, mulling over Vex's question. "Prosecutors will give immunity to a person who has committed minor crimes in order to compel that person to testify against someone who has committed more significant offenses. If ever Nurse Hamilton will go forward as a witness to the prosecution, she isn't necessarily in the clear. The prosecution can still go after her. Even if she is granted immunity, it is limited in how the prosecution can use her testimony in the future. What if she change her mind and refuses to testify after being given immunity? She can be held in contempt of court and subjected to fines and jail time. Even if she testifies, the prosecution must prove that the testimony given by this witness is related to the current charges. In other words, this immunity has a catch and certain rules can come into play."

"Bollocks! Okay, I change my mind. I'll run too!" Vex scowls.

"If Nurse Hamilton is really on the run, then I'm sad for her family." Lauren mumbled. "From what I know, she has four siblings and she's the eldest. Her mother is the only living parent. Her father died when she was still young. And she's the breadwinner of her family. I think the reason why she became a spy was because of them."

"Yeah that's kinda sad." Tamsin adds.

The group fall into companionable silence when Hale joins them, a frown on his face.

"What did Sergeant Smith say?" Bo asks her partner.

"Well thank God, the higher ups is focusing on this case. I think Lieutenant Jenkins has something to do with it. When Percy Saunders mentioned Miranda Hamilton's name, Sergeant Smith, together with Detective Wilkins, confronted him further and that led him to tell the sergeant that she is his spy. After that, he started a 24-hour surveillance on her. Doc Ci, you did not notice him because he's on plainclothes but one of ours is posted in Yale Hospital." He looks at his partner. "It's Torres." He also looks at Lauren and Vex. "He's the officer that accompanied me in the basement at Nadia's house." He then continues his story about the talk with Sergeant Smith. "He saw the interaction of Nurse Hamilton with Dr. Carlo and was already reported to Sergeant Smith. But because I told him that we theorized that she may be on the run, he will add another body to the surveillance. The spy may slip, he said. And partner, he's hinting an out-of-state work for the two of us." Hale relates.

"What? Why?"

The tall black officer sighs. "It's confirmed Bo. Percy Saunders has another wife. She's currently living in Dover, Delaware. We may need to go there to talk to her. Her name is Michelle Mathis. She and Saunders are already married for 6 years."

"Son of a bitch!" Vex exclaims. "Percy Saunders is really a piece of shit, scum of the earth. Poor Nadia!"

Lauren turns to Bo. "Bo when you talked to Nadia, did she ever give you a hint that she knew Percy has another wife?"

Bo thinks hard. "No she did not. Right Hale?"

Hale shakes his head. "No. Why Doc?"

"Well I'm just thinking that if she knew Percy has a wife in Delaware and she still married him, will she be liable for that?

Bo's eyes widen. "I'm not sure. All I know is that the act of bigamy is a crime and the marriage to the second spouse is subject to annulment, as well as civil and criminal consequences in some cases. But the laws and punishments regarding bigamy vary by jurisdiction. I'm not sure about Connecticut. I need to review that. But one thing is for sure, once the marriage of Percy Saunders to Michelle Mathis is proven legal and binding, the first wife can file a case against him. He can face up to five years in prison for that." She then stops, a detail in the case gnawing in her brain. "Maybe that's the reason why they are secretly married! Percy Saunders looked like he convinced Dr. Woods that they married secretly without her knowing the true motive behind it." She sighs, looking at her partner. "Hale, I think we need to talk to her again."

Her partner nods. "Yeah. Maybe tomorrow? But we also need to speak to Dr. Carlo, Nurse Henderson, Nurse Hamilton and Dr. Woods' parents."

"Just thinking about it makes my head hurts but it's inevitable." She closes her eyes. "Oh the reports that needs to be encoded and signed!"

Hale sighs. "And one more thing..."

"What?" Bo asks incredulously.

"We are going to meet the prosecutor tomorrow for the briefing of the case with the District Attorney's office. And yeah Percy Saunders will be finally transferred to the correctional center first thing in the morning."

"At least I heard some good news!" She sighs.

Then they heard a car honk outside.

"Those are the flowers I think!" Tamsin exclaims. "And the two Gertrudes!"

"Are there many of them? Can we help?" Vex stands from the couch and taps Hale on his shoulder to follow him outside.

Kenzi gasps while looking out from the window. "BoBo, did you buy all the flowers in old Gertrude's shop? That's a lot of flowers!" She waves her hand at the delivery van parked in front of their house full of different kinds of flowers that one can think of.

"Of course not! I only ordered the flowers that we need, just enough to decorate the living room..." Bo's surprise is palpable. "What the hell!" She hurriedly exits the house towards the van.

Lauren, Tamsin, Kenzi and Ciara follows her.

They see Vex and Hale hauling large bouquets of roses, sunflowers, daisies, peonies and lilies.

"I didn't order sunflowers! And what are those big ones?" Bo exclaims.

"Those are peonies Bo." Ciara answers. "Peonies are my favorite flowers."

"Did you know that partially cooked and sweetened petals of a peony are consumed as dessert in China? Fresh petals can be consumed in the form of salad or used as garnish for lemonade." Lauren points out.

"That's good to know Doc." Kenzi pipes in. The taller blonde doctor smiles at her.

Kenzi then whispers to Bo. "She's beautiful but still a nerd." Bo glares at her.

Tamsin looks at Lauren. "Doc, what is your favorite flower?" She then winks at Bo. The brunette crosses her arms across her chest, throwing stink eyes at her blonde best friend.

Oblivious to the tension between Bo and Tamsin, Lauren replies, "Tulips and calla lilies are my favorite flowers. What are yours?"

"Uh not really into flowers Doc but you can give me roses anytime and it's fine with me."

Lauren just smiles at her.

Bo huffs loudly, her temper flaring but decides not to comment.

Ciara notices the tension so she smiles and asks, "How about you Bo, what is your favorite flower?"

"Unlike Tamsin, I don't like roses..." She glares at the tall blonde. "...because I find them very ordinary. I love orchids and irises though."

Lauren grins at the brunette officer. "Oh those are lovely choices Bo! Did you know that the vanilla flavoring is derived from orchids? There are 110 species of orchids that belong to the genus Vanilla, but the primary source of the flavoring comes from the Mexican species, flat-leaved vanilla or Vanilla planifoli. On the other hand, the iris flowers are named after Iris, the goddess of the rainbow in Ancient Greek mythology. I think it is appropriate because these flowers come in all the colors of the spectrum, except for red. Some irises have a dark, red brown color but there are no bright red irises." She suddenly stops. "And for the record, I also don't like roses. I specifically don't like their smell."

"That's good to know Doctor." Bo's statement echoes Kenzi's earlier remark but this time, she says it with a wide smile. The smile fades into a frown when the tall blonde turns to Lauren again.

"Oh, oh yeah I agree. Roses don't smell good. Doc, you can give me sunflowers instead. The colors are vivid and they look alive. Look at them!" Tamsin waves her hand to the bouquets of sunflowers.

"Yeah I agree, those sunflowers look good." Lauren nods her head.

Kenzi shakes her head, leaning on the tall blonde's personal space. "You really like living on the edge Tam. What are you doing? Look at her! You know what will happen to you if you keep on badgering her right?"

Tamsin looks at Bo's rigid stance. "Nah, I'm just messing with her! She'll get over it."

"Don't say I didn't warn you girl."

Lauren finally notices that Bo is tensed and not smiling so she walks towards the officer. She puts her hand on the brunette's shoulder. "Bo are you alright?"

Bo sighs. "I'm okay. I just got overwhelmed with the flowers. I didn't order those! Then Tamsin..."

"Well you told me they are your annoying little sisters. And I think she's just being nice to me."

The officer smiles a little. "I know she's just messing with me... but this is not the day to do that!" And of course, you don't know that she has a crush on you! Hale then Tamsin... who else?

The doctor rubs the officer's back. "Okay relax. Close your eyes Bo then take slow, deep breaths." When she sees Bo is doing what she says, she turns to Kenzi, Tamsin and Ciara. "Guys, do you have a gum or maybe a piece of chocolate that Bo can chew on? Both can lower the cortisol level, a hormone that causes stress."

Kenzi elbows Tamsin. "Give up a piece of your gums. You cause her stress."

"Sure, here Doc."

Lauren nods her thanks, gives the gum to Bo and says, "Chew on that then we can walk for a little while or are you ready to talk to the old lady who is eyeing you right now?"

Bo nods while chewing the gum and smiles at the doctor. "I'm okay now Lauren. Thank you. So yeah, let me introduce you to the crazy old lady who is delivering the flowers and the owner of the flower shop." They both walk towards old Gertrude Abbott.

"And they are gone!" Kenzi turns to Tamsin. "What are you trying to prove here?" She looks at Ciara. "Doc, sorry about this one. She's really annoying sometimes, stress on annoying."

Ciara laughs. "Looks like she really loves messing with Bo."

"I do because I always get a reaction from her... stress on always!"

"Yes you do. But now, she has the Doc to help her relax so I don't think you can do that again unless you can separate them from each other because look at that, Bo is going to introduce the Doc to the double G's. I want to see this." Kenzi rubs her two hands.

"Who are they?" Ciara inquires.

"We call them the double G's or double Gertrudes. The old lady is the owner of the flower shop named Gertrude's Garden. The shop is just around the corner. The younger one is her granddaughter, whose name is also Gertrude, her little helper." Kenzi explains.

"And both Gertrudes have soft spots for both McCorrigans too." Tamsin grins.

"Doc Ciara doesn't have to know that." The young brunette shakes her head.

Ciara laughs. "No it's okay. Bo is crushable."

"Don't tell me Doc..." Kenzi narrows her eyes.

"No. I'm just saying that Bo is totally crushable. Look at that swagger! But still no. I won't go there unless I'm single which I am not! Besides, I don't swing that way so... Tamsin, I understand you crushing on Lauren, she's been a heartthrob since our early Yale days! She just refused to notice those people gawking at her you know? If she has noticed them all, I don't think she'll be single right now. But she's not that kind of person. She's easy on the eyes. And so does Bo!"

The young brunette nods. "I actually understand why Lauren is such a heartthrob, you could see it from afar. Aside from her physical attributes, she has this open and friendly personality. I thought she will be intimidating. But all I can see is quiet confidence on every action she makes and every word she speaks. And Bo, yeah she's my best friend and she's beautiful but she has this badass demeanor that makes people afraid just to look at her." Kenzi declares.

"I think that's part of her being a cop. Especially when she's talking to a suspect, the badass personality surely is taking over every time. And I know the police station in District 9 is full of male cops. I think Bo is just protecting herself. Although she has a protective partner in Hale, she still wants to let them know that she's not that easily intimidated by her male colleagues." Tamsin points out. "But other than that, Bo is easy to talk to when the company is friendly and familiar."

Ciara looks at Bo's best friends. "Kenzi, Lauren is not always that confident. She can still be shy and awkward sometimes. I remember when we first met in Yale. We were assigned to the same residential college so we basically see each other every day for our first four years here in New Haven. She's only 16 years old that time and she's this pretty but scrawny girl with such innocence that I hardly believe has three boys for best friends." She laughs. "That's the reason why I stuck to her. I thought I need to protect her. Then we became very good friends. She outgrew herself. She became this beautiful woman with a sense of calm self-confidence and authenticity who others are drawn towards instinctively. But then again, even when she's still the shy and awkward teenager back then, people wanted to be near her. That's the reason why she didn't go out much. She studied on the college's library and she just went out if she's with me, Vex and Emily."

"Who is Emily?" Tamsin asks.

"Oh she's one of our very good friends when we were still living inside Yale. Vex and Emily were on the same residential college. It's just the four of us then – three 18 year old and one 16 year old adolescents." The doctor remembers wistfully.

"How was it back then?"

"Well since I was with Lauren and she's really heavy on studying, oh my God..." Ciara chuckles. Kenzi and Tamsin grins. "...we usually study in the library and in our room. Really, with the heavy books and stuff. She's already highly intelligent, really cerebral but God, she still study and read that much! But I am really thankful that I stuck with her because she's a planner. She knew the schedule of my exams so she knew when I had to study for every subject. She had always reminded me when I forgot. We had different pre-med degrees but on the first two years, we basically had the same subjects so we had the same classes. It was very challenging but I got through those four years, thanks to her. She was the best study partner ever."

Ciara's story is interrupted when she sees Vex and Hale approaching them.

"So what are you talking about you three?" Vex asks while rubbing her arms.

"Why are you rubbing your arms?" The doctor asks in return.

Hale replies with a frown. "Uh Doc, those flowers are really heavy. Good thing Bruce and Steve already arrived. They said we leave the task to them and they will continue what we're doing. They carried them like they're nothing. They are still hauling them though." They all look towards the van and see the imposing twins still doing the job of carrying all those flowers out of it.

"So they are doing it again?" Vex groans.

"Who's doing what again?" Tamsin looks at him, puzzled by his question.

"Oh them!" He waves his hand towards Bo and Lauren. "I'll explain in a meanwhile. But can we go inside so we could also talk about the betting table? Time is ticking guys. We need to talk among ourselves while the 'lovebirds' are still busy. C'mon." He turns his back from them and they all follow him towards the house.

"What betting table are we talking about?" Kenzi asks Hale while reaching out to his arm, stopping his stride.

"Vex and I will explain it to you guys. We need to go inside now." He touches her back to encourage her to move.

On the other side, Bo is introducing Lauren to the two Gertrudes. "Mrs. G, Little G this is my friend Lauren Lewis. Lauren, this is Gertrude Abbott. She's the owner of the flower shop where these amazing flowers came from. The flower shop's name is Gertrude's Garden. And this is her granddaughter, Gertrude Hardy."

"Hi Lauren. It is really nice meeting you. I am looking forward to meeting new and young people like you." Mrs. G grasps the doctor's hand. "My, you have warm hands." She stares at the blonde's eyes. "And your eyes, they are exquisite. You are a beautiful human being dear."

Lauren blushes while shaking the old woman's hands. "Oh I... thank you Mrs. G. It's also nice meeting you. I love the flowers. But how come you have these flowers when it's already fall and they appear so fresh?" She frowns, curiosity evident in her face.

"Trade secret." The old woman winks at her. "But I will tell you later."

The doctor's smile widens. "Okay Mrs. G, we'll talk about that later." She turns to the younger woman. "Hi Little G." She shakes her hand. "Uh do you prefer that or do you have other nicknames?"

The young brunette just stares at her while shaking the doctor's hand. Her grandmother takes notice of her behavior and starts chastising her. "Gertrude Hardy, when a nice lady asks you a question you need to answer right away and not just stare at her. That's a no no, young lady! And you've been shaking her hand a little bit too long. Give her hand back!"

The young Gertrude gasps, drops Lauren's hand and pouts. Her face is flushed while looking down at her feet. "I'm so sorry about that Ms. Lauren."

"It's okay Little G. Just call me Lauren. And nice meeting you."

"Nice meeting you too. How do you become friends with Bo? Are you also a police officer?" She asks shyly.

"No I am not, although we met because of our jobs."

"She's a doctor in Yale Hospital, Little G." Bo tells the younger brunette.

"Oh maybe that's the reason why your hands are warm. Doctors have warm hands." Mrs. G points out.

"I don't know about that Mrs. G but not all doctors have warm hands." Lauren smiles at the old woman. "Maybe it's the hand cream that I'm using that causes them to be warm."

"Really? Can I hold your hand?" Bo asks Lauren, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Really Officer Dennis? Any excuse to hold my hand?" Lauren teases Bo.

"I just want to know if I need to change my hand cream, that's all." Bo teases back, while reaching out for the doctor's hand.

Old Gertrude smiles at the two ladies while little G is looking at their smiling faces and joined hands.

Little G clears her throat. "Lauren, are you Bo's girlfriend?"

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Author's Note: I live for review. I know I promised it will be Trick's birthday but the story has written itself.