After another twenty minutes, Tanya declared that it was time for them to go home and that Lauren had had enough excitement for one day. She told them to pack up their things and say goodbye to Lauren as Lauren needed to get some rest.
Joey had stepped out of the room to get some more water for Lauren when he bumped in Doctor Roberts. 'Everything okay Joey?' he asked him
'Yeah, I just need a bowl of water, Lauren's little brother and sister have drawn pictures all over her belly' he told him
'Well maybe Lauren would like a shower?' he suggested to him 'I know she's eager to go home, and I would like to keep her in for a little while longer and I also know that she is a very stubborn young lady so how about you and I prove to her that she's not quite ready for home?' he suggested to Joey. 'Nothing major just a few little pushes' he said to him
'Okay' Joey nodded
'I'll find you a wheelchair'
'She's not going to like that' Joey told him
'That's the idea' he replied 'But she's going to be grateful that you have it after the shower'
Oscar blew a raspberry on Lauren's belly and she giggled and then stopped suddenly. 'Oh! I need to pee' she said and she smiled,
'Max why don't you and Abi go the car and I'll be along in a minute. Get Joey to help with Oscar' she told him 'And I'll help Lauren in the bathroom' she scooped Oscar off the bed and put him on the floor and then helped Lauren off the bed and they went into the bathroom.
Tanya took advantage of the time that she was in the bathroom with Lauren to have a chat with her. 'So how are you really feeling? Just between us hey?' she asked her as Lauren sat on the toilet. She flinched when she started to wee
'I'm fine' Lauren told her
'Yeah what was that then?' she asked her 'You flinching like that?'
'I've had a catheter in for a month and they removed it today, it's a little sore when I first start to pee but the nurse told me it will feel more normal in a day or two' she told Tanya
'And you on the bed when you reached behind you to get the present for Oscar, when Joey squeezed you this morning when he was asleep?' she asked her
'I have little twinges every now and then' Lauren said 'I broke my collar bone and some ribs' she told her
'I know what injuries you had Lauren' she told her 'I was here when Joey reeled them off one by one' Lauren finished on the toilet and Tanya watched as she tried to pull some toilet paper off the roll but couldn't. Tanya reached forward and pulled off some sheets and handed them to Lauren. Lauren flinched in pain as she wiped herself and Tanya saw her face pale. 'You need some pain relief Lauren' she told her
'No I don't' Lauren shook her head 'I just spent 30 days not feeling anything, I can handle a little pain' she told her
'You might be able to but that boy out there can't' Tanya told her as helped Lauren stand up and then pulled up her boxer shorts for her 'He's exhausted Lauren, he's mentally and physically exhausted' Lauren blinked at her 'And I'm not saying that's your fault darling, but he hasn't left your side since you came in here. The one time he does, you wake up. And that hurt him and he knows that he shouldn't be hurt that he should be grateful that you woke up and he is, but he's hurt that you chose that time to open your eyes, when he wasn't here' she told her and he brushed her hair behind her ears and she rested her hands on Lauren's shoulders. 'I know that you are in pain Lauren and trying to be strong, pretending you don't need painkillers isn't helping him. You're hurting him Lauren because he sees that you are in pain and he can't help you' she said 'That boy worships the ground that you walk on darling .. do you know he cried tonight in your father's arms. Sobbed his heart out because he is so worried that you are going to relapse or do something stupid because you won't do what they doctors are telling you'
'Joey .. Joey cried?' she asked in a small voice
'Yes' Tanya nodded 'I know you want to go home baby and we all want you to come home. But two days ago you were in a coma. A month ago you were in a serious accident that almost killed you' she said to her 'Did you know the doctors told Joey that he had to choose? Choose between saving you or saving the baby?' Tanya asked her
Lauren nodded 'He told me' she nodded
'Did he tell you what he decided?' she asked her. Lauren shook her head
'He said that was an impossible choice, asked me how could he choose?' she told her
'He refused to at first' she said to her 'He told the doctors that he didn't want to be responsible for making that choice' she looked at Lauren 'After you came out of surgery, after they told us that your heart had stopped on the operating table twice, he made his choice. He chose you' Tanya told her 'He told the doctors that if worse came to worse, then they were to forget about trying to save the baby because he hadn't lived with it so he wouldn't know what it would be like to live without it, but that he had already lived without you and he wasn't prepared to do that again, because it almost killed him the last time'
Lauren blinked at her through her tears 'I didn't know that' she said softly shaking her head 'He didn't tell me that'
'No doubt because he feels guilty about that too' Tanya said to her and she wiped Lauren's tears away as they fell. 'I'm sorry that I have upset you darling' she told her 'But the doctors want to keep you in here for at least another two weeks, maybe three' she said 'Joey didn't know how to tell you because you want to go home so badly, but right now, I think this is the best place for you' she told her daughter 'Don't you?'
Lauren chewed on her bottom lip and she nodded 'Yes' she told her mother 'I mean I can't even go to the bathroom by myself' she sighed
'So will you let me ask Doctor Roberts to give you some pain relief?' Tanya asked her 'Because I'm your mother and I can't stand to see you in pain either' she told her
AN: Will Lauren admit that she needs to have some pain relief?
Should Tanya have told her what she did?
Is Lauren trying to push herself too hard and too fast?
Let me know what you think.
R&R as always
