Authors Note: I am SOO sorry it's taken me so long to update. I was on vacation and hates iPad's. More updates to come shortly I promise.
Chapter 21
" I love you." Smiling in her sleep when she heard the words whispered against the back of her ear Lauren snuggled back into Bo's body. Neither of them wanted to get up, to leave their cocoon and return to their pre-war planning. Their bed was the refuge from all of that.
" I love you too." Lauren replied turning to face Bo.
" Let's stay here, and only come back when the war is over." Bo suggested.
" You always say that."
" I mean it."
" I know you do."
" We have to go soon." Looking at the clock Bo saw that it was already past the time. When they should have been up and they would need to hurry.
" You have to go soon. I can stay in bed for a while longer." Lauren teased pulling the blanket over her head. Laughing when Bo dipped under the covers with her and they were facing each other.
" But the champion needs her girlfriend." Bo insisted, pressing gentle kisses to Lauren's neck. Relaxing under Bo's weight Lauren's hand rested on the curve of Bo's hip.
" Don't start something you can't finish." Lauren warned feeling Bo smile against her skin.
" I never do. I can be quick." Bo said already pulling at Lauren's clothes.
" We need to go." Lauren protested but her tone lacked no real conviction. Bo had her convinced when she first started to kiss her.
" Five more minutes." Bo said bringing their lips together in a heated kiss. Passion and love filled their kiss. Moaning softly as Bo's tongue parted her lips to deepen the kiss Lauren's hands slipped lover until she was cupping Bo's backside. Bo growled against Lauren's lips.
Interrupted by the loud ringing of Lauren's phone Bo groaned disappointed when Lauren pushed Bo off of her and grabbed her phone.
" Dr. Lewis." Lauren answered breathlessly. Bo watched as Lauren's eyes got wide and she sat up. " Is he okay? I'll be right there."
" What happened?" Bo asked watching Lauren hurry to get ready.
" Hale's been injured."
" Is he okay?" Bo asked throwing off the covers and starting to get ready. Throwing on clothes without really looking at them.
" I don't know. They are bringing him to the Ash." Lauren said almost tripping over her pants as she struggled to get into them.
" I'm coming with you." Bo insisted.
Bo didn't have the same medical know how that Lauren did but walking in and seeing Hale on the exam table writhing in pain. Attendants taking away handful upon handful of gauze soaked in blood.
" Where are we?" Lauren demanded walking into the thick of everything.
" Abdominal injury. Looks like a stabbing." One of Lauren's nurses said while another held out a surgical gown for her to slip on.
" But he's going to be okay right?" Kenzie asked her voice carrying over the rest of the chaos. Lauren pulled back some of the bloodied clothing to see the torn skin that she needed to repair. She had seen all sorts of injuries like this in the course of her medical career. She could generally tell based on the look of the wound if the patient would survive it. This one wasn't looking so good. Whatever struck Hale had nicked the large intestine, stomach, and the liver. The cut had been meant to kill.
Placing her gloved hand over the open flesh Lauren heard Hale whimper. With the blood flowing as openly as it as they would need to stop it if they wanted to save him.
" Get me as much blood as you can." Lauren commanded to which ever assistant could run the fastest to the fridge.
" Doc, you have to save him." Kenzie begged.
Closing her eyes Lauren tried to focus as she had seen Amara do when she healed Hale before. Focus all of her attention on the wound. Imagine it healing. Lauren didn't even know if it would work but medicine couldn't save Hale. His wounds were beyond anything she could fix without some Fae intervention.
Lauren knew that it was working when she began to feel it. There was no preparing for it. Nothing except the sudden, severe pain that took root in her abdomen. It was so bad that Lauren almost stopped. It took all her willpower not to stop as the pain began to mount more and more until her head was spinning. Beads of sweat poured from her face as she felt the warmth of blood spread across her shirt and the tearing of flesh.
Everything else melted away, out of her range of focus and all Lauren did was pray. Wish with everything that she had that Hale wouldn't die. And then it was done. Her hand now rested on unmarred flesh and instead the identical wound now bled from her.
" Dr. Lewis!" one of the assistants caught Lauren before she could fall. But Lauren was already tearing at the surgical gown and her gloves. Pressing her hand against the open wound waiting and hoping that it would heal soon.
" Lauren baby? What did you do?" Bo asked kneeling before Lauren. She didn't have the best view when it happened. Lauren looked down, the wound was healing quickly but that didn't mean that it wasn't the worst pain that she had ever remembered feeling. Lauren looked down, the wound was healing nicely even if the pain was dizzying.
" I had to help him. Or he was going to die."
" Jesus Doc." Hale said sitting up gingerly. Still expecting that he might feel pain and delighted when he didn't.
" I didn't know you could do that." Bo said watching Lauren heal and slowly stand up.
" Surprise." Lauren said with a groan as she leaned heavily on one of the counters. Aware that her entire staff was watching her intently. Most of them were at a loss of words, those that could talk were whispering among themselves. Their theories on what Lauren had done and how.
" We're going to talk about this when you're fully recovered." Bo said.
" I'm not fragile anymore Bo." Lauren said strongly.
" I know you're not. But doing this, so soon after what Thane did to you?"
" That was days ago. And we shouldn't discuss this here." Lauren said nodding towards Hale. Bo looked where Lauren was gesturing and found that it seemed hale and Kenzie were engaged in a very heated lip lock.
" Oh." Bo said with a smile.
" Guess she just needed an extra push." Lauren said.
" Yeah I know how she feels."
" I'm going to go change and I'll be back to check on him."
Standing under the hot spray of water, watching as the blood swirled around the drain mixing with water. Lauren traced her abdomen with her fingers, it was still tender. Probably would be for a while. Changing into a pair of scrubs Lauren walked back out to find Kenzie sitting on the bed next to Hale. And Hale looking very much recovered.
" You know those beds are designed for one." Lauren teased.
" Yeah well. Thank you Lauren." Hale said with the smallest hint of a tear in his eyes.
" You're welcome."
" Mighty kick ass power you got there Doc." Kenzie said, though words couldn't really express the level of gratitude she felt towards Lauren. She would thank Lauren in the only way she knew how.
" Yeah. Didn't know it would work. But I'm glad that it did."
" So you absorb injuries. And then heal from them?" Bo asked still trying to wrap her mind around it all.
" In a nutshell."
" Any injury?"
" I don't know the extent of it. This is the first time I tried."
" And the last."
" Bo…"
" No, I almost lost you to Thane. I'm not going to let you take a risk like that again." Pulling Bo aside Lauren knew this was going to dissolve into an argument and she didn't want to do that around Kenzie and Hale.
" Do you think I enjoyed doing that. I didn't, believe me. But Hale needed it. But I'm glad that I did because he is alive." Lauren argued.
" I'm glad to but…dammit Lauren don't take risks with your life like that." Lauren should have been offended that Bo was making demands on her but there was still something sweet that Bo was concerned for her.
" Bo I love you. But you don't have to handle me with kid's gloves." Lauren said gently.
" Please just let me be overprotective of you for a bit. I know you're capable I just…" Bo stopped knowing that words weren't going to do justice to what she was trying to say.
" Okay." Lauren said taking pity on Bo.
" Still that was pretty impressive." Bo complimented running her fingers over Lauren's stomach.
Releasing hale after checking to make sure there were no lingering injury. Leaving Bo and Lauren alone again, the two lovers knew that there was an argument looming in the air between them. Lauren knew that Bo was just trying to protect her.
" Bo, when Dyson, Hale, Ciara, and Amara are incapacitated. Who do you think is going to help you fight?" Lauren asked.
" I don't know. Kenzie?"
" And I'll be what?"
" No, Lauren I'm not going to let you fight."
" Why not?"
" It's dangerous."
" You know that argument makes no sense right? It's dangerous so that I can't help you? But Kenzie can? You can risk her life but not mine?" Lauren asked her tone portraying how much she thought that was ridiculous.
" Yeah." But even Bo didn't believe it.
" Your best friend. Someone you care about. You are letting her fight next to you. Do you realize how your logic is lacking?" Lauren asked crossing her arms defensively. Bo had to realize that she as not making a good case for her argument.
" It's not what you think Lauren. It's not that I think you can't fight…wait can you fight?" Bo asked changing the subject.
" I know enough. Bo I'm not saying that I want to be down in the trenches with you. What I am saying, as disappointing as that may be, is that without Dyson, Hale, Ciara and anyone else who is able to fight. Kenzie and I are all you have."
Lauren watched Bo battle with what she was telling her. It wasn't exactly what a champion wanted to hear. That her best fighters were going to be sidelined and humans were all that she had.
" Hey, I'm sure that if the time comes then you will make one Hell of a fighter. Let's just hope it doesn't come to that."