It's a bit short, but we fnd out Lauren's answer.

Thank you everyone for the reviews, follows, favorites, it is much appreciated. I haven't had much time to write the last few weeks...too much working. I have a little bit more ahead for our girls and will continue until I am satisfied, join me won't you?

Nothing but the mistakes are mine

Chapter 29

Previously

Smiling and speaking through her teeth as Bo directs her away from her conversation with Lars, "Bo, what are you doing?"

Remaining silent, Bo just steers Lauren to the elevator and up to the deserted fourth floor lounge. Sitting on the short couch, patting the seat beside her, "Please, sit."

Reaching out, placing her hand on Bo's knee, "Are you alright?"

Waving her hand, "I'm fine, but I kind of had a run-in with Avery."

Her old friend, fear makes its presence known, swelling in her chest as her blood runs cold. Thoughts of her own encounter with Avery running through her mind, gritting her teeth, "What did she do?"

Tilting her head to the side, looking down at Lauren's hand on her knee, and Bo being Bo, flying by the seat of her pants, "She made me realize," picking up Lauren's hand and kissing her knuckles, "Even though I've said it's enough that we know what we are to each other, what we mean to each other." Swallowing hard and mumbling, "I hope I get this right." Bo looks up from her and Lauren's linked hands, tears in the corners of her eyes, "I never imagined someone like you would ever fall in love with someone like me. I know how the outside world sees me as, a rough and tumble chick who's sexy or beautiful or a talented artist, because that's what they tell me. I'm not embarrassed by it, I look the way I look and I am who I am, but you? You, Lauren make me feel sexy and beautiful and talented and smart. You make me feel like I matter, like I'm worth something. No one has ever made me feel the way you do." Sighing in frustration at not being able to express what she feels coherently, Bo drops Lauren's hands, balls her hands into tight fists, "What I'm trying to say oh so inelegantly is, the feeling of being loved by you is unlike anything I have ever felt before and I want you to love me like that for the rest of our lives, because you want to and need to because the thought of not loving me is unbearable to you; not because a piece of paper says you have too."

Tears of her own forming and nodding her head, "I will love you for the rest of my life because I can't imagine not loving you, not because an official and legal document tells me I have to." Reaching out to grip Bo's shoulders, "I love you with my whole heart, you love me with your whole heart and it's enough if it's only us that know what we are to each other."

Un-balling her fists and reaching up to hold Lauren's face between her hands, smiling, "The thing is...I realized, around Christmas actually, it's not enough. I want the rest of the world to know, I want everyone to know what we are to each other, what we mean to each other."

Her heart pounding, "What are you saying Bo?"

Smiling as she takes both of Lauren's hands in hers, "Marry me?"

Week 28 February 2nd

Break Through Prize Awards Dinner, Fourth Floor Lounge

Eyes wide and full of tears, heart racing, did she hear Bo right, "What?"

"I can't exactly get down on one knee, well, I can, it's the getting back up part and I don't have a ring, but marry me Lauren. Marry me….."

Squeezing her eyes shut and holding Bo's hands tightly in both of hers, she hesitates, only for a second, but it's long enough for Tamsin to find them, "Doc! I have been looking everywhere for you. You're category is up, they're doing bios on everyone and you and Kat are next and then they'll announce." Pausing just long enough to take in the tears and the hand holding and Bo's expression of worry and Lauren's look of surprise, "What'd I miss?"

Bo answers for both of them, "Nothing Tamsin. Go ahead; Lauren will be down in time for the award presentation. We need a minute. OK?"

"Bo, are you both ok?"

We're fine, just give us…."

Nodding and heading towards the elevator, "A minute. Got it."

Standing, but not letting go of Lauren's hand, "I sprang it on you kind of quick, I had no plans to ask you, not today anyway, but I would have, eventually, because I get it now and not just because Avery was looking at you like a tall drink of water after spending 40 days in the desert…"

Lauren interrupts in a tone of bewilderment, "Avery was what?"

Waving her freehand, "Never mind Avery. I set her straight." Running her free hand through her hair, Bo continues, "Listen, you've got a lot going on right now, take your time. No pressure." Leaning in to kiss her cheek, "I love you Dr. Lewis, and I know you love me. Marinate on it, my love. I'll wait as long as you need me too."

"Ok." She is feeling a bit overwhelmed, a spur of the moment marriage proposal is not something that happens to her, Lauren Lewis, geek extraordinaire, every day or…. ever. Her heart is exploding with joy and screaming: Yes! Yes! Yes, I'll marry you! Her big brain on the other hand is overthinking again and is hesitant to shout yes! She needs more time; more time to plan!

Lauren walks in a daze as Bo leads them to the elevator. Riding down, Bo squeezes Lauren's hand, bringing them together, kissing Lauren's knuckles, "You are my love, my forever; no matter what you decide, I'll be with you, always." Bo leans in, placing a gentle kiss on her doctor's stunned lips; smiling and pulling back as the elevator comes to a halt, "Now, let's go get your award."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tapping her index finger nervously on the table top, the linen cloth muting her tapping, Lauren is completely inside her mind. The announcer's voice a simple droning in the background, along with everything else being said at her table. She is completely immersed in marinating on Bo's proposal. She wants to be married to Bo; so much so had made a plan to bring up the topic again, but hadn't gotten any further. It would make sense legally and financially and all of those stuffy reasons, but she wants to be married to Bo, for far more selfish reasons, not only the logical ones. Her mind churning with what to do, she is completely oblivious when the announcer says, "For the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, the award goes to: Dr. Katherine Castelone and Dr. Lauren Lewis, collaborators."

Oblivious until Bo is squeezing her hand, Kat squeezing her shoulder as she whispers, "We did it Lauren, we won."

Lauren smiles and rises, walking behind Kat in a daze, allowing Kat to accept on their behalf, or that's what she wanted Kat to do. Kat didn't get the memo, she relents when Lauren whispers, "Alright, but you first." Kat nods and stands behind the podium, thanking Lauren and going on about Oliver's case.

Lauren stands behind and to the right of Kat, as she runs through her acceptance speech in her mind, she realizes, if she said yes to Bo and if she happened to be awarded this prize again or a similar one, she'd have to make some tiny changes. She'd thank her wife rather than her partner, for putting up with her long hours at the lab. Small changes, subtle changes, but changes she wanted. Fidgeting with the Breakthrough Prize sculpture in her hands, picking at the thin metal of the spherical shape, with a spiral tunnel running through the middle, much like a 3D image of a black hole or a DNA strand, she doesn't realize Kat is finished and the applause are for her. Kat steps from the podium, holding her hand out, motioning for Lauren to step up to the podium and give her speech.

Lauren acknowledges Kat's gesture with a nod and steps behind the podium, pacing her sculpture on the flat surface. "This is a completely unexpected honor. When I heard Dr. Castelone and I had been nominated, I thought it was an error and then I thought it should be only Dr. Castelone. I didn't think I had done anything out of the ordinary to garner such attention, but my colleagues", pointing towards her table, "Made me see things in a different light. I didn't get to save Oliver, but there will be many others for which I will have the opportunity to do so. I thank the foundation for acknowledging our work and I hope to one day be standing here accepting this award for curing these types of cancer."

Thunderous applause erupts at the end of her sentence. The speech she had written went on much longer, but she really had nothing more to say except thank you. Smiling and nodding, waiting for the applause to quiet down, she was only going to say thank you and leave it at that, but as she looks over to her table, her friends and colleagues on their feet applauding, she sees her beautiful Bo, beaming and clapping along with everyone else.

Leaning into the mic, "Thank you, thank you everyone." The applause dwindles out enough for her to be heard, as it eventually fades away. "I had planned on saying a bit more about my research and the processes I used and how I figured out this approach would work, but I have decided to keep it short, well shortish anyway and I seem to be leaning in a different direction." Folding her hands on the podium to keep them steady and not waving around, she continues, "One of the reasons I love research so very much is the routine process of it. I enjoy the fact every experiment begins the same, follows the same protocols, there are certain steps to be followed and so on. All very predictable, all very routine, until you get to the end. The results. One subtle difference in the components or the method of compiling them can make a vast difference in the results. It's really quite fascinating."

Lauren pauses as she looks down at her hands folded on the podium before her, mulling over what to say next, "I have made my career by looking for those subtle differences and how to use them, whether I'm in the lab or with a patient. I didn't become the premier pediatric diagnostician by chance." She hears chuckles sprinkled throughout the audience, "There's a saying in medicine, 'If you hear hoof beats, think horses not zebras'. I've always done something a bit different; I think zebras, but expect horses."

Pausing to gather her thoughts, "I had a young patient who changed my life..." Doing the math in her head, "going on 3 years ago now. She had been to almost every pediatrician and specialist in Philadelphia before she came to me. I was not in the habit of seeing patients at the time; she was in fact my first after many years in the lab, researching and diagnosing other doctor's patients when they ran out of ideas or hope." Smiling and looking out at the crowd, she sees a knowing grin on Bo's lips, dimple showing, eyes shining bright; she knows Lauren is talking about Charley.

"Every doctor she had seen before me was thinking horses and when they found none, they were stumped. I looked for the subtle differences in her case, the ones that pointed away from a typical diagnosis and found the zebra lurking in the shadows, saving her life and ultimately my own."

She looks down once more at her folded hands, gripping each other so tightly her knuckles are white. Opening her hands, forcing them to lay flat on the podium and taking a deep breath, "You see, if I had overlooked those differences I would have missed the clues as to what was causing an otherwise healthy 6 year old to become quite ill and the end result would have been much different, for Charley, her mother and yes, me."

She can feel the audience hanging on her every word and she is suddenly unsure about proceeding with what she wanted to say, to be so public with her thoughts and emotions, looking to Bo she sees a subtle nod, all the encouragement she needed. "All the pieces of Charley's puzzle were gathered together by chance, me practicing medicine again, rather than hiding in a lab, her mother's unwillingness to accept 'We don't know what's wrong with her' as an answer and of course that damn zebra hiding in the shadows."

She chuckles and shakes her head, "The only difference between the other doctors' results and mine was what I did with those pieces. How I put them together, the questions I asked myself about that puzzle." Lauren sighs and looks down again at her hands, imagines what they will look like in 20 or 30 years with a well-loved and worn ring on her left hand. Any subtle changes in Charley's treatment plan or the way she put the pieces together and she'd be looking at very different results; both for Charley and herself. Something far different than a well-loved and worn ring on the third finger of her left hand, a delightful now 8 year old waiting for them at Kenzi's and a newborn 12 weeks away. And of course a prize second only to saving Charley's life, finding Bo. An almost imperceptible nod as she looks up at the crowd, "All of this is simply to say, a small difference or a subtle modification can change the outcome of any experiment, either in the lab or in your life."

Taking a deep breath, "That young patient and all of her puzzle pieces, led me to find not only that pesky zebra, but the love of my life: her mother. Who happens to be here with me tonight and I'd ask her to join me for this part, but she's rather pregnant and did not listen when I, as a doctor mind you, mentioned heels were ill advised." She can hear the murmurs of laughter floating through the audience and smiles, "When I give her advice such as that or ask her about situations, she typically questions, 'Doctor or girlfriend and then it became 'Doctor or partner?' My answer has remained the same, 'Both, Bo, always both.' But after tonight her question will have a subtle modification, it will be 'Doctor or fiancé?' and then finally, 'Doctor or wife?'"

Stepping from behind the podium, one hand holding the Breakthrough Prize sculpture, the other hanging at her side, smiling as wide as she ever has in her life, Lauren thanks the crowd and exits the stage, heading in a straight line to the open arms of her Bo, surrounded by applause.

Her arms open, eyes filled with tears, Bo holds her once quiet and shy doctor, kissing her cheek, murmuring against her ear, "I love you Lauren, I love you so, so much." Lauren pulls back, her arms around Bo's swollen belly, whispering in her ear, "I've marinated long enough Bo. Yes. My answer is yes. I love you." Turning her head to capture Lauren's lips as she hears the words she longed to hear. Ending the kiss, Bo whispers in Lauren's ear,"Let's get out of here. What do you say?"

Nodding and licking her lips, "Oh yes."


Kenzi's NYC loft February 3rd early, early morning

Tiptoeing through Kenzi's living room space, trying to make it to the room Kenzi assigned them without being caught, proves difficult after an extremely late night spent at 1 Hotel Central Park, talking, making out like teenagers and a lot of reconnecting. A perfect evening and one for the record books. They manage to make it to their room at Kenzi's, luckily without being caught.

Shedding their clothes for comfy jammies and crawling into the bed for the rest they didn't get the night before, wrapped up in each other, Bo asks, "So, do you have a date in mind? For the wedding? That's one thing we didn't talk about last night. Because I kind of do."

Yawning and snuggling in closer to Bo's back, her hands just above her belly, "What date have you picked out?"

"Tomorrow."

Sitting up and running her hands through her hair, "Tomorrow!?"

"Yes."

Lying back down on her side, "Bo, what are you thinking?"

Rolling over and onto her left side to face Lauren, kissing her nose, she gives her reasons, "I'm thinking, I want to be married to you before Emma is born, so your name can go on her birth certificate as Parent, we'll still have to have your lawyer figure out if we have to do anything more to establish your parental rights, like we did for Charley and…" running her finger from Lauren's chin, down her neck and between her breasts to rest on Lauren's hip, "selfishly, before my show coming up at the end of March." Squeezing Lauren's hip, "I want to show you off as my trophy wife."

Raising her eyebrows, "Trophy wife?"

Nodding, "Mmmmhmmm." Supporting her head on one hand, the other reversing the trail from Lauren's hip to her cheek, smirking, "And you can do the same when we go to your many stuffy medical dinner thingys."

Laughing and throwing her head back, "When you put it that way, I'd love to marry you tomorrow, but my mother will not be pleased." Rolling onto her back, "She missed Thanksgiving and Christmas with us and will not be back in the country until April 18th to be here for your due date, only 10 days before your due date, mind you, and if Emma is early, which I suspect she will be, she'll miss that and a wedding too?" Holding her hands out, palms up, "I'm sorry Bo, I can't do that to her." Lauren leans down and kisses Bo's forehead, sees her lips pursing into a pout, "No, no pouting."

Rubbing her hand along Lauren's arm, "Ok, I won't pout." She pauses for a second, they agreed last night, no more holding back, they will tell each other everything they are thinking, "I really, really, really want you to be listed as Emma's Parent on her birth certificate; the trophy wife part is bonus." Reaching over with her free hand to cup Lauren's cheek, "And I think it means more to you than you're letting on. No holding back remember? All cards on the table." Bo searches Lauren's eyes as she waits for an answer.

"It does mean more to me than I've said." Closing her eyes, hand on Bo's, "I can't, I can't do that to her. She's been my biggest advocate, when it came to my career, who I love, starting a family; she's supported me in everything I've ever done." Opening her eyes and turning to face Bo, "It would break her heart to come back from Europe to find out we had gotten married in her absence."

Sighing deeply, "I know my love." They sit in silence for several minutes, each lost in thought. Bo has an idea, "How about the day after your parents' return? We'll go to the courthouse, they can be our witnesses and then you can be on Emma's birth certificate, your mother and father will be there and I can post your picture on my website with Trophy Wife underneath it. There." A shrug of her shoulders and a smirk on her lips, "problem solved."

Chuckling as she leans down to kiss Bo's smirking lips, hand on her cheek, "Oh Bo. Bo, Bo, Bo, so naïve. My mother will not settle for a court house wedding. She will want us to have an extravagant affair, worthy of My Fair Wedding with David Tutera. She'll want to decorate it, choose the venue, the guest list, the flowers, the dresses, everything, right down to our vows. According to my Sherlock skills the first time she met you, she began planning our wedding." Running her hand down the middle of Bo's chest, up and over her ever growing baby bump, stopping on the spot she can usually feel Emma kicking, sighing as she feels Emma softly bumping against her hand, "I can't deny her, Bo."

Closing her eyes, her hands atop Lauren's on Emma's favorite spot, "I know and I won't ask you to." Squeezing Lauren's hand she sighs, "What do we do?"

Leaning over and kissing Bo's belly where Emma was kicking, "We marinate on it, Bo. Take the next few days, we'll figure it out. We always do, right?"

"We do." Picking Lauren's hands up, kissing each finger, stopping on the third finger of her left hand, "Tell me doctor, what ring have you been imagining wrapped around this finger?"

Lauren blushes from her neck to her forehead, "I haven't been imagining any rings."

Raising her eyebrows and smirking, "I doubt that." Playfully pushing Lauren onto her back and snuggling in as best she can, big belly and all, "My love you always have a plan and this," kissing Lauren's ring finger again, "is no different." Nodding towards Lauren's purse on the table at the end of the bed, "I have the feeling it's in the Tiffany's catalogue you and Kenzi were pouring over yesterday."

Rolling her eyes, Lauren moves out of Bo's embrace and crawls to the table at the end of the bed, grabbing her purse and the Tiffany's catalogue within it to share with Bo. Crawling back up the bed, sitting with her back against the headboard, holding the catalogue on her knees, "Guilty." She dog eared the page and flips right to it, "It's beautiful Bo, the Tiffany's Novo engagement ring."

Bo sits up, leaning against Lauren's shoulder, eyes widening, "Oh Lauren, it will look perfect on your finger."

Ducking her head and even after all of this time and all they've been through, still she blushes, "I was thinking this one would be for you. Since I was going to ask you."

Leaning into Lauren even further, this time it's Bo's turn to blush, smiling shyly, "You were going to ask me?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"Ummm, your birthday."

Laughing, "My birthday is like a year away."

Chuckling and nodding, her blush deepening, "Yeah. I had it planned for this birthday but…. I chickened out. You had been so adamant about it not being a big deal, but it is to me. I agonized over it for days leading up to your birthday, I even sent Kenzi to Tiffany's to pick up the ring and then I called it off at the last minute," Running her free hand through her hair, sighing "Then Tamsin pulled me off the edge of the abyss of my over thinking and told me to go with the flow, but you know I can't do that…ever; I'm a planner. I subsequently decided on a plan to bring up the idea to you again, but I didn't get much farther. And then you," poking Bo in the shoulder, "beat me to it."

Chuckling and sliding her arm through Lauren's as they sat side by side, "I kinda stole your thunder huh?"

Laughing, Lauren throws her head back, her hand resting on Bo's, "Kinda? How about completely?"

Ducking her head and laughing, "Sorry my love, I flew by the seat of my pants, I'm an expert on that," Bumping her shoulder, "But, you can ask me at dinner tonight anyway. Does that work?"

Raising Bo's hand to her lips, "Ok, but we have to make a trip to Tiffany's this afternoon; I have something to pick up."

Smirking as she leans in to kiss Lauren's smiling cheek, "Is that so? I wonder what it might be?'

Before Lauren can answer, a lively 8 year old bursts through the door, jumping up on the bed and crawling towards them, "Momma! Ren!" She knows she can't throw herself on top of her Momma, but nobody said she couldn't dive onto Ren. Straddling Lauren's waist, "Did you win? Did you win?"

Nodding and smiling, "I did."

Clapping her hands, "Can I see it?"

"Yes, of course, it's on the dresser over there, can you get it for me?"

Jumping off of Lauren's lap and running to the dresser on the other side of the room, Charley picks up Lauren's award, "Wow, its heavy. Momma says if it's heavy, it must be expensive, and I should put it down."

Both Bo and Lauren chuckle as Charley reads the plate on the bottom, "Dr. Lauren Lewis, 2017 Breakthrough Prize: Life Sciences." Looking back and forth between her moms, "I want to win this prize one day."

Lauren sits forward, arms around her knees, "Is that so? Do you want to be a scientist Charley?"

Pursing her lips, Charley pauses as she ponders Lauren's question, "No, I want to be a doctor, just like you."

Lauren feels tears spring to her eyes; how did she ever get so lucky? Holding her arms out, "Come here Charley, I need a hug."

Carefully placing the award back on the dresser Charley climbs back onto the bed and falls into Lauren's open arms, "Why are you crying Ren? Did I say something wrong?" Laying her head down on Lauren's shoulder, squeezing her tight as her Momma rubs her back, "If I did, I didn't mean to."

Lauren turns her head, wrapping her arms tighter around Charley's back, kissing her cheek, "No sweetie, you didn't say anything wrong. You just make me happy. And sometimes it overwhelms me."

Looking to her Momma, confusion written on her face, "Momma?"

Smiling and brushing Charley's curls from her forehead, "It's ok Bear; sometimes you have that effect on Ren and me."

Grinning and sliding off Lauren and onto the space between her moms, "Whew, I was worried there for a second." Placing one hand on Bo's belly, in Emma's favorite spot, the other holding Lauren's hand, "Is Bean awake?"

Pressing down on Charley's hand on her belly, "She was, but not so much right now. Let me try to wake her up." Moving her hand from Charley's, Bo pushes down from the top, trying to shake Emma awake as Charley giggles. "Not having it this morning are you Bean?" All three place their hands on Bo's belly, a recent ritual to wake her up. Shaking her head, Bo can feel her, but, "She's moving around, but that's about it, too faint to feel it on the outside. She'll wake up after I eat breakfast, for sure." Wrapping her arm around Charley's shoulders, "Come here Charley, Ren isn't the only one who needs a hug." Charley leans into her Momma, hugging her the best she can with Bean between them. "Do you want breakfast Momma? AK has the cereal you like? Leaning into Bo, whispering in her ear, "The kind Ren doesn't like us to eat. I can get us some?"

"You are the sweetest kid on the planet Charley, how did Momma get so lucky?"

"I don't know." Laying her head on her Momma's shoulder and placing her hand on Bean's favorite spot. Bean kicks for her almost every day, it makes her feel special and she misses it when it doesn't happen. "How did I?"

"Fate I guess. So Bear, I was thinking….maybe I'll make some Vex worthy waffles for breakfast? How about it Lauren, waffles?"

Rolling off her side of the bed, Lauren grabs a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, a sweater, throwing them on the bed, "While I do love your waffles Bo, I suddenly have something else in mind. Everyone get dressed, we'll get some coffee and pastries…," Smirking at Bo over the top of Charley's head "and have breakfast at Tiffany's."

Bo smiles as she stands, coming around the end of the bed towards Lauren, hands on her shoulders, lips on her cheeks, "Sounds wonderful."

"Ren, is Tiffany's a restaurant?"

Both chuckling, Bo ruffling Charley's hair, "You'll see."


More to come, not sure when and as always, thank you for reading