SNOWSWEPT

by CuddleFae

Dr. Lauren Lewis has been assigned to oversee the opening of a new hospital. Overwhelmed by all there is to know and learn in an unfamiliar land, she crosses paths with a mysterious woman with a dark past - a past that has caused her to live by one rule. Trust no one. Thrown into a desperate struggle, can they overcome the barriers between them in their fight to survive?

51. Chapter 51: The Life I Never Imagined

A/N: SECOND chapter of double chapter post – Chapters 50-51

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CHAPTER 51: The Life I Never Imagined

The Homestead, Earlier that day…

"Girls? Breakfast!" Mary called, handing LJ and Kyle the plates for the table.

"Quiche? Is it family breakfast?" Rudy asked.

Mary smiled, "We have guests, so I made a little… comfort food… I believe our Boston girls call it. Not the least bit healthy, but it hits the spot."

Rudy cocked her head, "What spot, Momma?"

Faith chuckled, "The spot way down in your belly that craves sweets and foods that aren't good for you."

"Quiche is bad for us?" Elise asked.

Mary shrugged, "Well, some of the ingredients aren't great for us, but there's eggs and greens in it, so there are healthy bits too."

Kyle smiled, "Eat up, kids. You're young. With all the candy you two eat, this is the best thing you'll eat all day!"

"Hey! We don't eat candy! We just eat cookies and cupcakes! Candy will rot your teeth!" Rudy protested.

LJ laughed, "Right. Cookies and cupcakes are much better for you."

Rudy nodded, "The way my mom makes them, they are! They've got fiber and dark chocolate. Lauren says that dark chocolate is good for your blood and fiber is good for your belly. It makes you poop regular."

The entire table busted out laughing, Kyle spitting out her Quiche. Rudy frowned,

"Stop laughing at me. I'm right. You can ask Lauren," she picked up her plate and went into the living room with Elise following behind her after pausing to reprimand the group,

"You're all mean. Now she's upset. You better apologize."

LJ sighed, "Roo! Elise! We're sorry! We were just joking!"

Mary shook her head, "Leave them be, LJ. They're having a rough spot. They'll work through it."

Faith picked up her plate, "I think this would be a good time for me to get started."

Mary nodded, "Agreed. Good luck."

Faith wandered into the living room, finding the girls sitting in the far corner at their game table,

"Mind if I join you?"

The two girls shared a glance and then shrugged. Faith took that as an invitation and took a seat.

"Personally, I love Quiche, cookies and cupcakes."

Rudy looked at the doctor, "You do?"

"I do. And Lauren is right. She's also right about this being a great comfort food. Even though I know that at my age, this isn't something I can eat frequently, it's too delicious to pass up when someone offers it for any meal of the day."

Elise nodded, "It is really good."

Faith smiled, "Better than Molly's stew?"

Rudy paused, "I don't think so. I mean, I'll eat cookies and cupcakes before stew any day, but if I have to eat dinner, Molly's stew is the best… or Bo's pit fire stew. That's really good too."

Faith nodded, "How about you, Elise? Stew or Quiche."

"Quiche."

Rudy stared at her friend, "That's not true. You love Molly's stew more than any dinner food."

"Not anymore," Elise said, taking another bite of her breakfast.

"That's just because you're mad at her right now because of the guns."

Faith feigned ignorance, "The guns?"

Rudy started to speak, but Elise shook her head, "No, Roo. You promised. It's private."

Rudy scowled, "But it's Doctor Faith. We have doctor-patent privvieledges."

Faith smiled, "Rudy's right. You do have doctor-patient privilege. I can't tell your families anything you don't want me to, although you've both given me permission to tell Bo and Lauren everything in the past."

"We have a no secrets policy with them," Rudy said, looking at Elise who took a deep breath and picked up another bite of quiche.

"So, can I ask about the guns? Did something happen?"

Elise looked at Rudy and shrugged, so Rudy spilled her guts, telling Faith everything about Elise's fears since the bear, her dreams about Molly accidentally shooting her family, how she buried the guns but was careful not to point the gun at herself, how she didn't want to live with Molly anymore, how Lauren was the one who her mom and dad wanted to have her and how she wanted to live with Lauren now.

"And you told Bo and Lauren about all of this?" Faith asked.

Rudy nodded, "We talked to all of them out there last night plus Bo and Lauren. But my mom is best friends with Molly and LJ is Molly's nephew, but almost a son and Kyle has known Molly for a real long time, and Bo is my mom's daughter and Lauren is married to Bo, so we sort of think they'll all side with Molly and no one will care what Elise wants."

Faith nodded, "I see."

"So, what should Elise do, Doctor Faith? She's so sad and I can't stand to see her like this," Rudy said.

Elise finally spoke, "I can't go back there. I just can't. I only feel safe with Lauren. Lauren hugs me and takes care of me and talks to me and reads to me and teaches me a lot of stuff and plays with me and my toys and takes me on her sled and takes me shopping and takes pictures with me. She cares about the stuff that I care about and Molly just works and cooks and cleans her guns. She does all the mom stuff, but she isn't like a mom to me."

Faith nodded, "I think I understand. Lauren is like Rudy – an adult best friend, but she does Mom things too."

Elise nodded, "We talk about dog bodies and medicine and photography and movies and sledding and our family and she helps me with how to deal with the bad boys at school and she helps me and Rudy too. We're learning fly fishing together and she's teaching me new ways to tie my knots. Bo is teaching me about growing my own food and planting and stuff."

She looked out at the kitchen to be sure no one was coming, then turned back to Faith,

"Lauren talks to me about my parents when I want to talk about them. She doesn't mind and she understands that I miss them and sometimes just want to look at the pictures of them in the box under my bed."

Rudy smiled, chewing her quiche as she spoke, "She keeps them here under my bed now since Molly gets weird when she finds her looking at them."

Elise nodded, "Lauren likes helping me with my hair," she pulled up a handful of curls on each side of her head, "I mean, this stuff is hard to deal with," she held up her long hairs, "I mean, come on! What do you do with all this! But Lauren knows what to do."

Rudy giggled, "Lauren straightened it with her fat iron."

"Flat iron, Roo."

"Right. Elise looked funny. Her hair was really long and straight!"

Elise frowned, "Hey!"

"What? You said you looked funny too!"

Elise laughed, "And you looked funny too! We both look better with our big hair."

Rudy laughed with her friend before turning to Faith, "Shannie calls it big hair. She showed us pictures of how they dressed back in the 80's. Their hair was super big. Even straight-haired people had big hair. It was funny."

Faith smiled, "I remember it well."

"You had big hair?"

Faith gave a nod, "It was the trend and I was very trendy."

"You were?" The girls asked in unison.

"I was young and such things are always important in a young girls' life."

"Not my sister. She's never into fashion. I showed her like a hundred dresses for her wedding, but when she saw Hale trying on a tux, she told Aunt Kenzi that's what she wanted. Then, we had to wait for her to try on like fifty of those until she finally picked the one she wore."

"I thought she looked regal," Faith smiled.

"What's regal?"

"Majestic or royal? Like your Disney characters."

Rudy and Elise considered Faith's opinion and then nodded. Elise gave voice to her reply,

"She did. They both did. Only Lauren didn't wear a poofy princess dress. Bo said Lauren's dress was perfect and definitely not poofy. I think she looked really pretty too… I think Bo looked really pretty too – even in a tux. I love her make up and Rudy did her nails. She looked great, huh, Roo?"

"She did and we used Tahiti Sunset on her nails. They were perfect for the color of her accents," Rudy said, "Uh… what were the accents?"

Elise counted on her fingers, "The thing around her waist, her socks, her tissue thing in her jacket pocket, the trim on the sides of her pants and her bow tie."

"Right," Rudy said.

"So, my girls, what are we going to do about this situation with Elise and her adoptive mother?"

Elise frowned, "She's not my mother."

Faith shook her head, "According to the courts, she is your legally adopted mother and you her adopted child. You haven't mentioned Mark in all of this."

She shrugged, "He's not around much. He works all the time and, well, he hasn't been talking much lately. He sits out back and stares at the mountains a lot."

"I see," Faith said.

"The papers said my mom wanted me with Lauren. Why aren't I just allowed to be with Lauren?"

Faith shrugged, "I'm sure she could go back to court and make that happen, but maybe she wants to see if you can work things out with your adoptive parents first. It's not like Lauren to go back on her word to people. You both know that. Taking you away from them could cause a bit of a ruffle in the family. Are you prepared for that?"

Elise frowned, "I don't want to make trouble. I just want to make us all happy. Maybe if Molly and Mark could visit me and I could do overnights with them sometimes, they would still be happy."

"Would you be willing to do that?" Faith asked.

"I just don't want to be out in public when she carries her guns and I don't want to live in the house with her guns. I don't like the guns. They killed the bear and the bear had babies. I know the bear could have killed my friend but we both agree that the bear shouldn't have been killed because we got too close to it."

Rudy nodded, "I've been watching what happened like a movie in my head that plays over and over again. If I had been paying attention, I would have stopped and used my mace. It was a rookie move."

Elise nodded, looking at Faith, "That's what Bo calls it when you do something on a sled that you know not to do."

Faith nodded, "I see."

"So, what do we do, Doctor Faith?" Elise asked.

"Well, the first thing you have to do is tell Molly and Mark how you feel and what you want."

"Can't someone else tell them?"

Faith sighed, "Elise, if you had come to love a little girl like yourself as your daughter, would you want to hear the news from someone else?"

Elise lowered her head, "I guess not. I just don't want to hurt them."

"Is there a way to avoid that?" Faith asked.

"I could stay with them, but then I'll have to be unhappy…. and afraid."

"I see," Faith said, nodding as she turned to Rudy, "Child? Could you take the plates to the kitchen and get started with the puppies? I believe you'll have to leave for school, so there is much to be done before you do. I would like a minute alone with your friend."

Rudy nodded, looking at Elise, "You okay?"

Elise nodded, "I'll see you in the garage."

Rudy took the stack of plates from Faith and headed out to the kitchen. Faith turned to Elise,

"May I ask, do you want to live with Bo and Lauren so you can be closer to your friend?"

"I see Rudy all the time and I don't live with Bo and Lauren. Do you think they wouldn't let me see her?"

Faith smiled, "No child, of course not. I just want to be sure that you're sure about why you're asking for this break from Molly and Mark. I'm curious – would you consider a temporary arrangement with Bo and Lauren, visiting your adoptive parents several times a week?"

Elise shrugged, "If the guns aren't there."

"I see."

"Can I ask about the dream you've been having?"

Faith watched as the youngsters' head sunk, her hands crossing over each other. The doctor could see the child's lips quiver as she began to speak,

"Someone comes into the house through the store. They come up the steps. Mark gets his shotgun. Molly pulls her pistols. I'm in my doorway. Molly tells me to hide, but I don't. The door jiggles, then it jiggles again. There's a bang against the door and it opens. They shoot. It's really loud. There's blood on the door. There's blood on the wall. There's blood on the lamp. There's blood on the curtain. They walk to the person they shot. Molly screams. Mark yells no and starts shaking him. I walk out."

She looked up at Faith, tears streaming down her cheeks, "It's LJ. It's my brother."

Faith nodded, placing a hand on Elise's back, "It's a dream, Child. LJ is here out in the garage with the dogs."

"If I leave, I won't see him die. But if I stay, maybe I can stop them from shooting my brother."

"Bad dreams rarely come true, Child."

"My Dad got sick with a disease that was killing people in my town. I dreamed that my daddy died and then he did. After he died, I started dreaming that my mommy would die. She said she was fine, that she wasn't sick but then she was and she died too. My bad dreams come true. They always come true."

Faith nodded, "I'm so sorry that your Mommy and Daddy died, Elise, but if you tell LJ about your dream, maybe he can take steps to be sure what you've dreamed doesn't come to pass."

"Do you think so?"

Faith smiled, "I do."

"I wanna go talk to him then. He'll go home tonight and I won't have a chance to warn him because I'll be at school."

Faith smiled, "I think he's staying at his house tonight."

"Can't I go there with him?"

Faith shrugged, "We can ask him."

"Okay."

She wiped her face, "May I be excused now?"

"Yes, Child. Go have your chat with your brother, then help Cassie with the dogs. We'll talk again soon."

"You'll talk to Lauren?"

Faith nodded, "I promise."

"Thank you, Doctor Faith," Elise said, hopping down from her chair and hugging the doctor, "You make me feel better."

Faith smiled, "I'm glad."

She watched as the youngster hurried off before turning towards the large picture window, "Snow flurries. Will winter never end?"

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THREE DAYS LATER (Thursday Morning)

"Roo! Elise! Molly's here to pick you up! Come on, girls – you don't want to be late!" Bo shouted from the couch, turning to Molly, "Sorry they're not ready. Elise left her bookbag at the kennel, Rudy forgot to pick up the puppies from Kyle and Lauren had to go into the hospital. Mom was already out delivering the fish order to Kenzi and…"

"Bo! Your knee!" Molly said, rushing off to the kitchen. She quickly grabbed a towel and the cold sleeve from the icebox before heading back into the living room.

"What did you do to yourself?"

Bo shrugged, "I guess I overdid it when we were painting the gazebo. The girls were painting the roof, so I had them on belay in harnesses and they were having so much fun, they asked if they could climb a tree, so… well, I had to set the top rope…"

"You climbed a tree?" Molly asked, planting her fists on her hips.

"It's not what you think. I put hold on the way up so that I could keep the pressure off of my left knee. I think sitting on the ground and maneuvering them while on belay just made me contract my quad more than I thought," she sighed, feeling the cold surround her knee, "That feels so good."

Molly shook her head, "Bo, you have to take care of yourself first. The girls can find a million ways to entertain themselves. Why didn't you call me to come and help?"

Bo sighed, "You helped me set up my storefront all day yesterday, so I knew you needed to get caught up at the General Store before we leave tomorrow. Are you guys all set?"

"I can't say any of us are too fond of the idea of flying on those big planes, but we'll be ready to go."

Bo nodded, "And Lauren spoke with you about the gun laws?"

Molly sighed, "We're leaving everything home in the safe," she lifted her jacket, "…as I did today. As I said, Bo, if I had known the effect this was having on that child, I would have talked to her sooner."

"I know, Molly. For what it's worth, Lauren is very grateful you have been so understanding."

Molly shrugged, "Well, we've had the conversation, so you know where Mark and I stand. She belongs with you and Lauren right now. If a day comes when that changes, so be it. If not, we'll continue as thing are."

She gave a sad smiled, "Honestly, we're having much more fun together now than we ever did. I think I was so caught up in my routine with two teenage boys that I didn't adapt to account for her needs… to put her first. I was very aware of her at first, but once we got into a routine, it became a daily checklist. That's no way for a child to live their formative years."

Rudy and Elise ran into the living room, running straight to Molly and wrapping their arms around her. Elise looked up,

"Did you bring extra paddles for us to help?"

Molly smiled, "We can't paddle all the way to LJ's house, girls. We're using the motorboat. Mark is putting it in the water out back right now."

She held out two lifejackets, "Let's get these on you."

"What are these?" Elise asked.

"They're life jackets," Rudy smiled, "I'll help you."

"Do you know what to do?" Molly asked.

Rudy smiled, "I grew up in Hawaii, remember? I was surrounded by oceans. Wearing a life jacket was kind of my thing."

Molly smiled, watching Rudy work on Elise's vest, taking no chances. Once Elise's was on, she watched Rudy buckle her own and then snugged all eight straps on both vests. She turned to Bo,

"Okay. I think we're good to go. LJ said you had some things you were sending to his house?"

Bo nodded, "The big waterproof duffle at the door. Mom sent him a dutch oven with a recipe book inside, a set of utensils, a mug and a few glasses. Everything is wrapped in bubble wrap. She just wanted to give him a little housewarming package after Lauren told her about the housewarming parties they have back east."

Molly smiled, "That was very kind of her."

Bo nodded, "She wanted him to know she was grateful for all of the help he's given us around here this week. Me being… well, this… is not helping us get things done before we leave."

"Be patient, Bo. We're all here to help you," Molly turned to the girls, "Bo was a bad girl today."

Rudy frowned, looking at her sister, "You were?"

"We had fun, right?"

"We had so much fun!" Rudy smiled looking up at Molly, "We climbed a big tree and she bladed us down."

Bo smiled, "Belayed you down."

Molly shook her head, pulling back the towel and opening the Velcro on the brace, "Bo did too much."

"Ohmagosh! It's like a big balloon!" Elise said, "Lauren's gonna be so mad at you!"

Bo sighed, nodding at Molly to close the brace, "Well, with any luck, the ice will take the swelling down before she sees it."

"Does it hurt?" Rudy asked.

Bo nodded, "A little bit."

"But Doctor William said it's not supposed to hurt."

"I know. I have to be more careful."

Rudy nodded, "Elise and I are gonna make sure you behave from now on."

Bo smiled, "Okay."

"Well, girls? Are we ready to go?" Molly asked.

"Yup!"

"Cold gear. The wind will be kicking up on the way there."

"We're coming back in the truck, right?" Elise asked.

Molly nodded, "We're leaving the boat with LJ so that Bo can have her truck back."

The girls gathered up their gear and then ran out back. Molly walked to Bo, "I feel bad leaving you here alone like this. Can I get you anything?"

Bo nodded, "Just two more logs on the fire. That should last until Lauren makes it home."

"Can I get you some water or tea?"

Bo shook her head, "I think I'm just going to sleep. Thanks, Molly. Travel safely."

"Sleep well, Bo. See you when we get back. It should only be two to three hours."

Bo nodded, "Kyle has all of Lauren's bags packed, right? And she talked to Shannie and Lynnie about what she needed for her meetings and hospital work?"

"Actually, she talked to Stephen, Betsy, Patrick, Penelope and the nurses. She didn't want to take any chances on missing anything. Stephen already took their meeting materials since he left with the first group this morning. They'll have everything ready when we get there."

Bo sighed, "Great."

Molly smiled, "Are you ready to earn your acting award?"

"I still don't understand why Stephen didn't just drag her off on the plane with him."

"He tried, Bo. She wouldn't leave you because of your knee."

"Oh."

Molly nodded, "You'll do fine."

"What time do you guys leave?"

"Ten fifteen," Molly said.

"Tosh is good to go?"

Molly nodded, "The girls said his bloodwork looks good. They're not worried about anything flying private. Thanks again for arranging that."

Bo nodded, "It's good to know pilots."

"Are you packed?"

"Mom helped me today. She put my bag in her truck so they're ready to go. Kenzi has their room ready. You're all meeting at the hotel, right?"

Molly nodded, "Okay, well if you're sure you don't need anything, I'm going to get going so we get there in time for the girls to take sunset pictures."

Bo smiled, "Great. They'll love that."

"Safe travels, Bo."

"You too, Molly. Have fun."

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THE NEXT MORNING…

Lauren rolled over, stretching her arms over her head before looking over to find Bo staring back at her. She pushed herself up onto her elbows,

"You're awake?"

Bo smiled, "I had to pee, so after I got off the bucket, I was washing my hands and there you were… my beautiful wife, the sun rising over your head. I waited to see how the light would look when it got high enough and sure enough, you looked even more beautiful."

Lauren shook her head, "You can be the corniest woman in the world sometimes."

"I try my best."

Lauren smiled, leaning over and kissing her wife, "Good morning. It's Friday. I have off."

Bo smiled, "I know you do and I'm very excited for the day."

"You are?"

"I am."

"What do you have up your sleeve, Bo Dennis?"

"Well, currently, I have a knee up my sleeve and it's wet."

"Wet?" Lauren asked.

Bo nodded, "I had a feeling the bag would leak."

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I just wanted to make sure there would be a good thirty minutes of cold to get that swelling down. Does it feel any better?"

"It doesn't hurt like it did last night. It's just wet."

Lauren shook her head, "Okay, okay! I can take a hint!"

She unwrapped the blanket from Bo's leg, finding an empty bag, "Yup. There was a leak."

Dumping the towel on the floor, she tossed the bag on top, then ripped open the Velcro on the sleeve. Looking at the knee, she smiled,

"Swelling is gone. That's a good sign."

Bo smiled, "Excellent. What time am I seeing William?"

Lauren shook her head, "He had an emergency, so said he pushed your appointment to Monday."

"Oh. Okay," Bo said.

"You have no pain, right?"

Bo shook her head, "Nope. But I think I'll stick to crutches today."

Lauren nodded, "Okay, well start your exercises and I'm going to start breakfast. Then we'll get cleaned up and… maybe watch a movie?"

Bo smiled, "Sounds perfect."

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NOON, THE HOMESTEAD…

"Bo?"

The brunette opened her eyes, looking up at Lauren, "What's wrong?"

"Kurt just texted you. He's making an emergency landing… here… now."

"What?" Bo said, sitting up, "Help me?"

Lauren lifted Bo's leg, lowering it gently to the floor, "Stiff?"

"Yes."

"Okay, let's get you up."

Bo took the crutches that Lauren held out for her, "What's wrong?"

"Mechanical something or other. You know I don't know these things. He said he's going to need your help, then said he couldn't talk."

Bo nodded, "Is Kelly with him?"

"No. She's off today."

Bo nodded, "Okay. Let's get out there."

Lauren helped her dress and then rushed outside at Bo's direction to raise the large flag Bo had rigged in the clearing after the last time Kurt had been forced to land here. The wind sheers coming down into their valley off the mountain made it difficult to predict without a flag as a visual.

Bo worked her way out to the clearing, grateful the snow had begun to melt so was not as deep as it had been. Once the helicopter landed, she climbed into the back where Kurt had his repair manual open. Lauren stood, hands on hips, unsure of what to do to help,

"Can I get you something to eat? Drink?"

Bo smiled, "You're adorable."

Kurt grinned, "Actually, do you have any of your oatmeal raisin cookies?"

Bo slapped him, "They're my cookies!"

Lauren shook her head, "Bo, he is a man in need. You can share two cookies with him."

Bo sighed, "Fine. But I want one too. There's a little milk left. I'm claiming it as mine."

"Fine," Lauren said.

"I've got coffee, Lauren. No beverage for me."

They waited for Lauren to head off, then picked up the radio, making a call to Kat at Denali. She would call him in ten minutes. They ended the call and Kurt quickly ran around to open the engine while Bo shouted out random instructions. It didn't matter. Lauren wouldn't know the difference.

By the time Lauren came back out, Kurt's hands were greasy and Bo was cleaning off bolts with a rag, a bit of grease on her cheek for show. She wrapped them in the towel and handed them to Kurt,

"Okay. Hopefully we've got it. Cookies, then engine check?"

Kurt nodded, sitting with Lauren and Bo in the chopper. They caught up with Kurt on how things were going with him and Kelly, their plans to move to the farm and how the new group of trainees were doing. Finally, they heard the radio click twice,

"Medic 1, Medic 1, this is Denali Base. Do you read?"

Kurt looked at Bo, "That sounds like Kat."

He scrambled forward, grabbing the radio, "This is Medic 1 to Denali Base. Reading you five by."

"We've got a climber down with hypoxia… HAPE. Need you here pronto."

Kurt looked at Lauren, "I don't have a medic."

Lauren looked at Bo, "We've got to go, Bo."

The brunette nodded, "Let's go, Kurt. You've got me and Lauren."

"Enroute. ETA ten minutes."

"Roger that. Denali Base out."

"Medic 1 out."

Lauren closed the doors, helping Bo into the jump seat behind Kurt while she crawled into the front. They all pulled on their helmets and fastened their harnesses, doing a mic check. Kurt ran the emergency pre-flight and lifted off,

"Hopefully we did a good job on the repair or this will be the shortest air lift ever."

They took off, Kurt allowing them to gain enough altitude, before he began to pretend to struggle to control the craft,

"Kurt, we're not going to make it there," Bo said.

"Options?" Kurt asked.

"My plane behind Kenzi's. You just tuned it up yesterday, right?"

"I did them all, actually."

Kurt looked at Lauren, "Five-minute delay or we don't get there at all."

"Go for the plane," Lauren said, "Or do we have another medic in the area?"

Kurt shook his head, "I was the only one up today."

"Plane," Lauren said.

"I need both hands. Bo, can you call Kat?"

Bo nodded, "Connect me."

He did as asked, "Denali Base, this is Medic 1. Come back, please."

"Medic 1, this is Denali Base. Bo? Is that you?"

"Hey Kat. I was helping Kurt with a repair that apparently didn't take. We're flying over to Kenzi's airfield. We're coming in one of my planes. ETA now seventeen minutes."

"Roger that. Does your medic recommend DEX?"

Bo handed the radio to Lauren, "Kat, this is Lauren. Has patient been dosed during descent?"

"Hold."

Lauren waited until Kat came back, "Yes."

"How many times and at what altitudes?"

"Once - about five hundred feet from the summit."

"Bo? What altitude is that?"

"About nineteen thousand eight hundred."

Lauren nodded, "Was patient acclimatized at altitude?"

She could hear Kat explaining what it meant to acclimatize and shook her head as Kat came back on, "No."

"Shit," Lauren said, leaning on her hand, the mic beneath her chin as she contemplated her next move,

"Kat, administer oxygen. Do you have Nifedipine on hand?"

"That's affirmative."

"Administer. We're arriving at the plane now. ETA…" she turned and looked at Bo, "Ten minutes."

"Roger that. Nifedipine is in. Denali base out."

"Medic 1 out."

Lauren handed the mic to Kurt who put it into the holder before setting down the helicopter where Kenzi had directed him to leave it. He waited for Lauren to leave the chopper with Bo before lifting the mic and giving it three clicks. He heard three clicks come back,

"Hey Roger. The chopper is parked. Keys are under the seat."

"Roger that, Roger. Safe travels."

"Thanks for covering, Roger."

"Roger that."

The radio went silent, Kurt smiling at his friend on the medic staff. He shifted the radio frequency and called Kat,

"Denali Base. Kat, got your ears on?"

"Roger that. Transfer complete?"

"We're on our way. Thanks for your help. I'll nominate you for an Oscar."

"For that performance, you better! Safe travels, Kurt."

"Thanks, Kat. Bo's grateful for your help in pulling off this surprise."

He heard Kat chuckled, "Yea, well I wouldn't want to be Bo when Lauren finds out what's really going on!"

"I'm glad I have headphones!"

"Denali out."

"Medic 1 out."

Kurt put the mic in the saddle, tossed the spare keys under the seat and closed the chopper. He locked all of the doors except the escape hatch and headed to the plane that Bo was already warming up. Hopefully the pre-flight was done or they were going to miss their flight.

He climbed into the back of the plane, taking a seat, and harnessing up before he put on his headset,

"Good to go, Bo."

She navigated to the runway and within seconds, they were airborne.

"We're running a little late, so don't spare the fuel, Bo. The fluids and fuel are topped."

"Roger that. Thanks for taking care of my baby, Kurt."

Lauren spoke, "I've never been in this plane. What is it?"

An enthusiast, Kurt spoke before Bo had a chance,

"You are lucky enough to be in Bo's prized possession. A Piper Chieftain, aka, a Piper PA-31 Navajo that has a total fuel capacity of 190 US gallons and a max speed of 227 knots at fifteen thousand feet. This puppy can fly you almost to the top of Denali."

"I'm not sure what any of that means, but I'm glad that it can get us to Denali right now."

Kurt shrugged, "Oh, I forgot to mention. Kat called after you got out of the plane. Another medic heard the call and responded. We don't have to go to Denali."

Lauren turned confused, "But you said there were no other medics up here today."

Kurt shrugged, "I lied. Bo made me."

Lauren looked at Bo, seeing the smirk on her face, "What are you up to?"

"Well, you see, there's this traditional thing that married couples do called a honeymoon. This, my love, is the start of ours."

"Really?" Lauren asked.

"Really," Bo smiled.

"But… what about luggage and clothing… my meetings! Bo, I have meetings!"

Bo raised her eyebrows, "I guess you don't."

"Bo!"

She laughed, "Lauren, relax. Stephen and his team have it all under control. We've thought of everything… I hope. You'll be at your meetings. Trust me."

"Bo, some are in person."

"Stephen took care of that too."

Lauren sighed, "Are you sure?"

"I am. Now, enjoy the view, Doctor Dennis. This is the start of a two-week vacation for you."

Lauren smiled, "I love the sound of that. Where are we going?"

Bo saw the landing strip up ahead, "ANC this is flight 265, Piper PA-31 Navajo on approach."

"Flight 265, this is ANC. We see you. Turn right to runway niner and begin your descent. Hangar Storage 3."

"Roger that ANC. Turning right to runway niner. Descending."

Bo brough the plane in for a perfect landing, continuing the hangar,

"Flight 265 on approach to Hangar Storage 3."

"Roger that, Flight 265. We're clear."

"ANC tower, thank you for the assist. Clear."

Bo followed the mechanic's instructions, cutting the engine when she came to a stop. She waited for the sound of the blocks under her wheels and then went through her full shut down. She opened the door, handing the clipboard that held her flight plan to the attendant,

"Hello, welcome to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, Miss Dennis."

She heard the 'Miss' and cringed, taking it as a reminder to have her license and registration updated. She needed to be sure to add Lauren's name to all of her planes. She didn't know that the blonde would ever learn to fly, but she wanted her name on all of her possessions… just in case. She gave the gentleman a nod and a smile,

"Thank you and thank you for the assist. It's nice to be here."

Kurt came to the door with Bo's crutches and helped her from the plane.

"So, you're the pilot with the bad wheel, huh?"

"I'm the one," Bo said, as he added a page to her clipboard and handed it back to her, "Thank you," she said, raising her sunglasses up so she could see the page to sign it before sliding her clipboard back into the plane. She pulled a bag from beneath the seat and then closed the door, locked it and handed him the keys.

"If you need anything done…" he began before looking up and eyeing the pilot of a long moment, "Wait… you're Bo Dennis! I just saw you on TV!"

Bo smiled, her face reddening, "I am and I'll tell you what - you take good care of my baby while I'm gone and I'll give you five autographs for you and your family."

He smiled, "Make it six you you've got a deal. Can't leave out the mother-in-law."

Bo laughed, thinking she would be happy if she never saw her mother-in-law again, "Deal. Can we get a lift to the terminal?"

He pointed to a cart, "Your chariot awaits, Ma'am."

"Why thank you," Bo smiled, throwing her bag over her head and shoulder before readying her crutches and moving to meet Lauren at the front of the plane.

"Can you take this?" she asked the blonde.

Lauren took the bag, "What's this?"

"Our go-bag. It has everything we need – Kenzi style."

Lauren grinned, "This is it?"

Kurt held up two bags, "And these."

"And the backpack?" Lauren asked.

Kurt smiled, "That's mine."

"You're coming with?"

He nodded, "I'm your transportation… um… chauffeur, if you will. Bo hired me since I have the next two weeks off. I'm buying Kelly a truck and need the money."

"I hope she's paying you well," Lauren said, surprised he had taken the job, "I take it your job back home is covered?"

He grinned, "Of course it is."

Lauren cocked her head, "I see. So, you're willing to leave your lovely woman behind, a job you love, the choppers, farm and garage in someone else's hands to drive us around on our honeymoon? My curiosity is peaked. What are you getting out of this? I can't be just a paycheck."

He smirked, "She's paying for my lovely woman's truck even if I don't do enough hours to earn the money."

"And," she stressed, "He's also helping me to restore Lynnie's truck for free."

Kurt grinned, "Rust removal and all."

Lauren smiled, "I love how thrifty my wife is."

"I knew you would approve. Of course, he wants us to have privacy on our honeymoon which is why he hesitated in taking the job but with me unable to get around easily, he understood the need. So, Kurt wants to keep his distance, only coming when we call."

He nodded, "I have no desire to be the unnecessary third wheel on your sexy honeymoon…" he looked at Bo's leg and shrugged, "… I mean, as sexy as that thing can be."

He and Lauren laughed while Bo pouted, punching him on the shoulder and losing her balance. He caught her, shaking his head, and righting her in the seat again.

"Easy there, Mrs. Graceful Dennis."

She scowled at him again, this time, keeping her feet beneath her. He looked at Lauren, "I thought it was better I take the job rather than having some stranger drive you around."

"So, we're going where strangers would be driving us? Strange enough that you would be worried?"

Kurt looked at Bo who smiled and shrugged, "You'll see."

"Come on, Bo! Give me a hint!" Lauren said, looking at her bag, "Wait! I'll look in my bag. If there's a bikini…" she found the zipper before her head slowly turned back to Bo, "A lock? Really? You locked my bag?"

Bo grinned, "And mine – so you wouldn't snoop while I'm asleep on the plane."

"Okay, so we're getting on a plane. This is big. This is my island vacation, isn't it? Am I right?"

Kurt laughed from his place in the third row, as he leaned back and closed his eyes. Bo smirked and did the same from the middle row, her leg up across the seat,

"You'll see."

Lauren turned away from the two climbing into the front seat and crossing her arms. She pursed her lips, her brow knit together, "No fair."

The driver climbed into the front next to Lauren and smiled, "So, off on a vacation?"

"Apparently," Lauren sighed.

Bo chuckled, loving how her wife had suddenly regressed to the maturity level of her little sister. She imagined the frustrated frown on Lauren's lips and grinned wider, thinking how much happier she would be when they arrived at their destination… or so Bo hoped.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

AIRPORT TO BOAT

"Kurt, just let me peek, please? Seriously. This is the second airport we've walked through, and I can tell this one is national because it's noisy and Bo needed a cart to get to the gate before we took off, so please tell me where we are!"

Lauren moved her hand to the blindfold Bo had tied over her eyes, but Kurt was there to take her hand in his own,

"I told you, Lauren – just a few more hours. You have no idea what Bo went through to set up the next two and a half weeks for you, so please, humor her – just a little while longer. And above all, she's excited to be traveling. Do you hear me, Lauren? Your wife, the same woman you struggled to get on a plane six months ago, has now been on two flights and is about to board a boat with you – all public transportation with a lot of other people around – and she's not having an anxiety attack. That's how excited she is to do this for you."

Lauren shook her head as the realization struck her, "Oh my… I didn't realize. I mean, being blindfolded and… I just didn't think about what she was… oh my gawd! I'm a self-centered asshole!"

Kurt laughed, "It's okay, Lauren. Bo's also enjoying that part too. She loves that you can't stand not being in control of what's happening."

He looked up to see Bo waving him over, "Okay, we're on the move again. They're letting Bo board with her party early because of her leg. In about an hour and a half she'll let you take the blind fold off, so for now, just enjoy the time with her."

"I can't see her, Kurt," Lauren pouted.

Kurt grinned, "You know, Kelly did this to me. She took me on a romantic picnic last summer and kept me blindfolded through dinner."

"Through dinner?" Lauren asked.

He smiled, "I had to guess what everything was as I ate it or she… well, used it on my… skin. About halfway through, I started to realize things about her that I'd never noticed before. Her smell, the sound of her heartbeat, the shape of her arms, her fingers, the sound of her voice – especially the Boston accent that she hides so well…"

"She hates her accent," Lauren smiled, but she could now feel the ramp beneath her feet.

"Why don't you have one?" Kurt asked as they reached Bo and took her bag.

Lauren shrugged, worried about Bo getting down the ramp without a mishap,

"My parents wouldn't allow it. I had a speech therapist and an etiquette teacher," she laughed, "I wasn't gonna talk like no Southie. Not proper enough for them."

"Southie?" Kurt asked.

Lauren nodded, "My great-great grandparents settled in South Boston from Ireland a long time ago. My dad was born here. Anyway, there's history there and apparently, it's not good. At some point, the stories were lost but the anger remained. My dad was always so afraid of failing…"

She stood, suddenly aware of the darkness brought about by the blindfold and thoughts of her parents. She forgot where she was until she heard Bo whisper,

"Stay with me Lauren. Here… now."

The blonde felt strong arms wrap around her, a hand pulling her head to the muscular shoulder that was so familiar to her. The scent was unmistakably Bo. She became aware of the heartbeat inside her chest and the sound of Bo's breathing before she felt her pull back,

"Okay?"

Lauren nodded, "I just…"

Bo smiled, "I heard and I understand. For a long time, I had a lot of words and phrases that triggered memories of my mom and dad. Faith said I used repression to stow away the bad memories so that I could survive to get through my day-to-day life. So, we're not going to repress your memories, Lauren. We're going to let them happen and take a beat when they do. Anything you want to talk about?"

Lauren shrugged, thinking about her parents. Part of her was grateful they were where they were. Part of her was sad that they couldn't have been better people – as parents and as professionals. Then, there was another part of her who just wanted to leave them where they belonged… in her past. She had a life now. A darn near perfect life. And she was going to live it. She smiled,

"I'd like to talk about where we're going, but I know you're going to deny me any information. So, let's get where we're going."

"Are you sure?" Bo asked.

Lauren nodded, "Take me away, Mrs. Dennis. I'm yours – no matter what you have planned."

Bo smiled, "Sadly, I'm a bit immobile. But if you hang onto my shirt tail, I'll do my best to lead you where we're going with Kurt's help."

They headed down the ramp to the dock where Lauren held tight to Bo's shirt on one side and Kurt's arm on the other. She paused for a moment, whispering to Bo,

"Any chance we have a private cabin on this boat? I've never been blindfolded while we… you know."

Bo chuckled, biting her bottom lip as a grin spread across her face at the thought, "Sadly, not that kind of boat. It's more a ship… or maybe a ferry? I'm actually not sure what this is called."

"Oh," Lauren said, "Really?"

Bo shrugged, "Really."

"Okay. So, we're somewhere unfamiliar to you."

Bo looked behind Lauren to Kurt and winked. He grinned, "It's definitely completely unfamiliar to me."

Lauren laughed, "Yea, well considering you've only recently left Alaska to make it as far as Seattle General Hospital's helicopter pad on the roof, I'm not surprised."

Kurt grinned, "Alaska to Washington makes me a world traveler in my family."

Lauren shook her head, "I guess that's true, although Rudy has traveled further than you have."

"And the squirt is just now pushing eleven!" he laughed, "Step up, Doc."

Lauren stepped up carefully, releasing Bo as she passed her, but holding on to Kurt, "And one more. There we go. Now we're walking straight ahead and… do you want to sit inside or outside?"

Lauren shrugged, "Well, it was warmer on the dock than it is in here."

Bo nodded, "It's only noon, so it's going to get warmer as we go and you can put your cold weather gear back on if you want to."

"Let's sit outside then. I want the sun. It's been so long."

Kurt smiled at Bo who nodded, "No argument from us."

Lauren smiled, "You know, I just realized that it will be a regular day of light and dark when we get back to Alaska."

Bo nodded, "You're right and we'll just keep pushing on into endless light."

Lauren stopped, following Kurt's lead as he pulled her into a seat and described the scenery,

"We're on the back of the ship and you're facing the water. There's a table in front of you with four chairs. Bo is on your right, leaning towards you as she props her foot up on the chair to her right. I'm sitting on your left but will come and go to take pictures. I promised Kelly I'd document the trip."

"She wants to do her honeymoon here?" Lauren asked.

Kurt smiled, "If we ever set a date, yes."

"When are you going to set a date?" Bo asked.

He shrugged, "She doesn't want any other couple to be the focus of attention at our wedding. She thought we would get married after the Iditarod, but when we found out what you two were doing, she pushed it to April, but then remembered that Kate and Anna were getting married. So, we pushed it back a month and then Lynnie and Shannie decided they were finally going to get married instead of just repeatedly getting engaged like they've been for the last year… Kelly's words, not mine. I didn't know this was the third time they got engaged."

"Actually, it's the fourth. Twice, Lynnie was so mad at Shannie she broke it off. So, after they get married, Kelly will set a date?" Lauren asked.

He nodded, "Well, as of now, she wants to get married in the summer, so if no one else decides to get married, I think it will be July."

"Where?"

"That's the other issue. She wants to get married in our back yard – if our lake house is built by then. She wants to set up a big thing called a pergola. I didn't know what that was until she showed me pictures. Anyway, she wants one of those covered in these white flowers on a vine that weave in and out over the top to give us shade when we stand under it. I never knew someone to be so picky about a flower."

Lauren laughed, "She's been dreaming about her wedding since she was a little girl. She used to plant Black-Eyed Susan's with her grandmother when she was a little girl and has wanted them in her wedding ever since. She wants a black and white theme to match the flowers."

Kurt nodded, pulling his ballcap from his head and giving it a scratch, "A black tux in July. I'm sure it won't be hot at all. But just in case I pass out…"

Bo laughed, "So wear white like the bride."

"Can I?" He asked.

Lauren nodded, "Why not? You can wear a black cummerbund and wear a black rose with a black tie and onyx cuff links… maybe even a black fedora. I'm sure Hale has one you can borrow."

Kurt smiled, "A black hat. I never thought of that. Hale always looks so cool in his hats."

Bo grinned, "I think you would look very handsome, and wouldn't Kelly be surprised if you didn't go traditional?"

He nodded, "I like it."

Lauren agreed, "Well, I'd keep it a secret. Tell her if you can't see her dress, she can't see your tux. It's only fair."

He turned to Bo, "Well, just so you know, she asked your mom about growing the flowers for her. She bought this huge bag and gave them to her already. She said they need six weeks to grow, but that doesn't sound right to me. Mary said she was going to make some calls just to be sure, so Kelly gave her the number of a grower… um… back in Boston."

The blonde nodded, "Alexis, her friend from college. She was a horticulture major and promised Kelly she would do her wedding. Of course, her friends will all be very surprised to hear Kelly is getting married."

Kurt smiled, "I'm not surprised. We had a heart-to-heart early on in our relationship about our respective pasts. She wanted to know if I would have a problem being with someone who was 'well-traveled' in the dating world. I was honestly surprised to hear she was a…"

He turned to Bo, "What do they call it in the lower forty-eight?"

She shrugged, "It depends on the person, but Kelly identifies as bisexual."

"Right. So, I guess there are times where I realize that she could suddenly find herself interested in not just another guy, but another woman too. It's kind of… well, intimidating. I wonder if I'm enough."

Lauren pulled down her blindfold and placed a hand on Kurt's shoulder, her eyes set on his, "She loves you, Kurt. I've known Kelly for a very, very long time and I've never seen her fall so hard or so fast for anyone – man or woman. She always said that she didn't like putting labels on her relationships or her love for someone… that when she fell in love, that would be it. The way she explained it to us… to me, Shannie and Lynnie…"

She closed her eyes, pulling the blindfold back up as she remembered the night at the hotel when they sat together at dinner,

"She said that her dating life was just about sex and fun. It was about her and what she got out of it. With you, she said the first time she saw you, that you took her breath away… that you were different. She saw your heart and the way you looked at her first, your ingenuity and talent when you helped me save a patient second, your kindness third, your shyness fourth and your passion for helping others… well, she saw that when she started to work with you."

Lauren smiled, "It was when she started to work with you, that she found a bond to another person for the first time in her life. She found someone she wanted to take care of and trust me, before she met you, Kelly barely cared enough to take care of her patients. You've changed her in ways I can barely explain. She's a better person because of you, Kurt. And she told us that being with you is easy. She doesn't care if you're working together or having a day off together – she just wants you to be together even when it's not for sex, a meal or for fun."

Lauren chuckled, pulling down her blindfold again and winking at Kurt,

"Mind you, Kelly has never talked seriously about anyone she was dating until you. When she talked about her other dates, she talked about them like she was going to get groceries or go for a run. They were part of a to-do list. You, Kurt, are the entire to-do list and she said you do her sooooo good."

The two women laughed as Kurt shook his head, pulling Lauren's blindfold back up over her eyes, "My sex life is not on the conversational menu and you, Doctor Dennis, are not to remove that blindfold again until Bo gives you permission."

She laughed, "You know, I was so caught up in your life, that I didn't even take a peek at where we were. Okay, so let me see what I noticed."

She paused, looking down while Bo and Kurt watched. Finally, she lifted her head,

"I saw a white railing. I saw water… dark water, so we're not on an island… at least not yet. It's very bright out, so very sunny. That tells me we must be in the south, though I'm not sure if it's closer to the southeast or the southwest since I've lost all track of time."

Bo smiled, "Then you know exactly what I want you to know at this point."

"Why won't you tell me how long we slept? Or at least what time we landed?"

"Because you're too smart and you would figure out where we are."

Lauren laughed, "I'm not a GPS system, Bo."

"No, but you're as close to a human computer as a person can get."

"There are smarter people than me in the world, Bo." Lauren smiled.

Bo shrugged, "I know, and his name is Stephen and he was your mentor, but he says you're more creative than he is and that makes you smarter."

"He said that?" Lauren asked.

Bo nodded, "He did."

"Well, if you ladies will excuse me, I'm going to go find the facilities and then take some pictures from the dock. I'll be back before we leave."

He gave Bo a wink, pulled his backpack on and headed off the ship. Bo watched as Kurt stopped and gave the first mate a nod before heading up the dock. The young man turned to Bo who gave him a nod. He released the chain and allowed the rest of the passengers to board the ship before the engine started and the ship got underway.

"So, how long until I can take off my blindfold?"

Bo smiled, "About forty-five minutes or so."

"I'm going to have terrible tan lines," Lauren said.

Bo grinned, reaching into her jacket pocket and pulling out what looked like sunglasses. She placed them on Lauren's ears, allowing them to come to rest on the tip of her nose before she reached behind her head and released the knot to the blindfold. She carefully pulled the piece of silk free, then nudged the glasses into place on the bridge of her wife's nose,

"Better?"

Lauren's shoulders dropped, "I still can't see."

Bo laughed, "They're Kurt specials. He put leather around blackened lenses so you can't see. Of course, they'll also be nice if you're lying on a beach on your island."

"So, we are going to an island?" Lauren smiled.

"I said if you were lying on a beach on your island. Not that we're going there now."

Lauren sighed, leaning forward, "Nap time then?"

Bo smiled, "Whatever you want, my love."

"Will you read to me?" Lauren asked.

"Of course," Bo smiled, pulling their book our of Lauren's computer bag, "Let's see… where were we…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Forty-five minutes later…

Bo smiled, turning to the sound of Lauren's voice,

"Isotopes… Michael Snood…"

She laughed, recognizing the name of the man who had forged his paper and got caught for his unethical work by the members of some committee. It was how Lauren ended up the recipient of some award that was very important to her, though Bo couldn't remember what it was or why she got it. Something about radical isotopes, maybe?

"It's amazing what sticks like glue in our minds over the course of a lifetime, isn't it? I hope that one day we can both put the past behind us. We deserve that, Lauren. I never felt I did before, but you helped me to see the good in myself. I hope you see the good in you too."

She smiled as the blonde's soft, deep breathing resumed, her hair flowing in the breeze as the shoreline came into view. She turned to her right and saw familiar faces coming into view. She grinned, knowing the time was near. For a moment, the dread poured over her as she wondered if Lauren would be upset that she hadn't taken her away to an island, but she hoped that she would enjoy what she had planned even though it wasn't the remote sandy beaches she had suddenly been dreaming of over the last two weeks.

It was just too much money to change the plan at this late date and with her knee injury, she didn't want Lauren to be bored having to go have fun on an island by herself.

She watched, eyeing the lighthouse in the distance as she had been instructed until finally, the inlet came into view beneath. This was it. She turned and gave a nod, two youngsters dressed in white tuxedos with red accent pieces rolled a cart over that held a bottle of champagne on ice, two glasses and a plate of chocolate covered strawberries. The one closest to Lauren tapped her on the shoulder,

"Excuse me, Doctor Dennis?"

She looked at Bo who nodded to try again, so she did,

"Excuse me, Doctor Dennis?"

Lauren lifted her head, looking left, as she wiped some drool from her chin, "Remove your glasses, Doctor Dennis."

Doing as told, the blonde pulled the glasses up and over her head, squinting at the bright light that suddenly surrounded her. She rubbed her eyes, looking at Bo,

"Wow. That's so bright."

Bo smiled, "I'm sure."

She waited for Lauren to look further to her right, "Oh! Champagne!"

"Yes, Ma'am," said the first waiter.

Lauren turned, "Thank… oh my… what are… both of you! What are you two doing here?"

She looked at Bo, then back to the two girls, standing up and pulling them both to her,

"I was just thinking… or dreaming about the two of you! Two and a half weeks without you would be too much!"

Lauren knelt down in front of the girls, "Oh, my girls! Look at you! Look at these super sharp tuxedos! Oh, I love you!" she squeezed them again before pulling back, "How on earth did you get here?"

Rudy smiled, "We took two planes and then this boat!"

"And we got to take a limousine too! Have you ever been in a limousine!" Elise asked.

Lauren smiled, "I have, but I'm glad you got the experience too!"

Elise smiled, "The adults had champagne like this, and we got to have grape juice. I never had grape juice before."

Rudy smiled, "Me either. I had grape soda, but never grape juice. We had some of these too. They're really good! Try one!"

Rudy held up the plate of strawberries, "The chef that made them said adults are supposed to eat them with the champagne on special occasions like New Years and stuff. I asked them if a family honeymoon was a special enough occasion and he said it was, so we got you each two of them! Go 'head! Eat 'em!"

Lauren smiled, joining Bo in a champagne toast and a strawberry, both women relishing the flavors before clearing the plate,

"We'll need more of those this week," Bo smiled.

"Agreed," Lauren laughed, "Wait… you said family honeymoon? Does that mean that you're going to…"

"Judge Payne, Molly and Mark talked and they agreed that I should come and live with you and Bo… if that's okay."

Bo smiled, "It's more than okay, Elise."

Lauren nodded, "It's what your Mom and Dad wanted, so as long as you want a home with us, you'll have one."

"Molly and Mark said the same thing and they said if I ever want to come back, I'm welcome there any time. I asked if I could still spend some nights with them and they said we would set up a schedule. Is that okay?"

Lauren and Bo nodded, Lauren answering with a smile, "Of course. When we get back, we'll get a schedule set up. Do you want to stay with them until we're moved into the cottage so you only have to move once?"

Elise nodded, "That's what Rudy thought I should do, and I think I agree with her."

Bo grinned, "She's a smart one, our Roo."

"But not as smart as Elise in science and math," Rudy smiled.

Lauren laughed, "Well, you'll always challenge and support each other, so you'll both grow in your strengths and you'll both get better in your weaknesses because of that support."

"Huh?" Rudy asked.

Lauren laughed, "It's not important. What's important right now is that you're here!" she turned to her left, "Where's Kurt? Oh no! Did he miss the boat?"

Bo shook her head, turning to the group now approaching, "Here he comes."

Lauren turned to see the entire family and many of their friends approaching, all holding glasses of champagne,

"I chartered the ship," Bo said, "I'm sorry if you really wanted to go to an island this week, but there would have been a lot of plane tickets and reservations to cancel or transfer."

Lauren laughed, "I can only imagine. This is fabulous!"

Bo smiled as Rudy held up a finger, "We promise that you will have plenty of kissy face time away from all of us, but there will also be some serious family fun time too!"

Lauren grinned, "I'll look forward to both."

Elise and Rudy made sour faces at each other, Elise shaking her head,

"Just do the kissy face stuff away from us."

Bo grinned, "You'd better get used to it, kiddo. You're gonna live with us."

Elise covered her face, "Oh no! You're gonna be worse than my parents!"

Lauren smiled, "Your parents were kissy facing a lot?"

"Oh, they were the worst! My dad used to dance my mom around the living room to this old music and then he would dip her and kiss her neck and her whole face!" she said, twisting her lips, but then shrugged, "But it was fun when they would pick me up and dance with me between them. Then my dad would kiss me all over the face too. Yuck!"

Bo smiled, "Well, I'm glad you have that good memory of them."

Elise nodded, "Yea, I guess it's kinda cool even if it was kinda gross."

Lauren laughed, "One day you'll understand, Sweetie."

The blonde stood, turning to her family and friends. She topped off Bo's glass, then her own and turned to the group,

"To family and love and a fabulous honeymoon and vacation for us all!"

They held up their glasses, Elise and Rudy shouting, "Cheers!" before glasses clanged and everyone cheered.

"Okay, Sisters! There it is!" Rudy said, pointing to the coastline, "You're home, Sister Lauren!"

Lauren turned, her eyes going wide at the sight of the Provincetown Ferry parked at the dock, "My… God…"

Her eyes filled with tears as she turned to Bo, "You brought me home for our honeymoon?"

The brunette smiled, "Well, you have meetings – sorry, there was no way to cancel them all – so I thought you should be able to spend some time at your vacation house. At the end of the week, we'll go to our second destination of three, but for now, this seemed perfect."

She leaned towards Bo, "But Sweetie, my house is pretty big, but not big enough for all of these people. Where are we going to put them?"

Bo smiled, "Tosh, Shannie, Carolyn, Kelly, Kurt, Patrick and Jake are all staying in the guest house. Mom, Rudy and Elise wanted to stay with us in your house. Stephen and Betsy will stay with us when they come here, but they really wanted to stay…"

"In the city," Lauren smiled, "I'm sure they miss it – Penelope too. Did she come?"

Bo nodded, "She'll be here in a few days with Kenzi. They both had some loose ends to tie up. Kenzi wants to see the big city with Hale, so they're staying with Stephen and Betsy so Penelope can go spend some time with her friends."

"Understandable."

"The rest are staying in two houses down the beach from you. Penelope arranged them – they're apparently properties owned by the hospital?"

Lauren's eyes went wide, "I completely forgot about those. We own five houses and a small hotel to board various doctors and board members when they come to town. I had one converted to a Wish House for terminally ill patients."

Bo nodded, "She told me. I think it's a great. You have young nurses staying there rent free as long as they keep the house a sterile hospital-appropriate setting."

Lauren smiled, "We've only had one incident of a nurse turning it into a frat house and she was given the boot right away."

"Really?" Bo asked.

Lauren shrugged, "She violated her lease and her employee contract as a residential caregiver, so yes. Her guests broke two vases and a window at a party held the day before a patient was to arrive. We had to transfer from Michigan to the hospital here before we could move her into the house. She only had days to live, Bo."

"Oh. Well, then… I see."

Lauren nodded, "Okay. Can we not talk about work?"

"Please, Gods yes!" Bo smiled.

"Welcome to Provincetown, Massachusetts, Passengers! Things will get a touch bumpy as we go from this section of the inlet to port thanks to some historically conflicting currents. Imagine an old married couple under the surface arguing over whose turn it is to wash the dishes and you have an idea of what we're about to go through."

They all laughed, Lauren shaking her head, "Captain Merriman. He's been using that joke for years."

Bo smiled, "He insisted on piloting this ferry in honor of our marriage. He's very happy for you."

"You spoke with him?" Lauren asked.

Bo nodded, "While you were sleeping, we had a chat a few tables over. Rudy and Elise wanted to meet the captain."

The two girls pulled up their jackets, revealing anchors on their cummerbunds, Rudy explaining, "He gave us these because he was in the Navy. He said he knew you?"

Lauren nodded, "When he retired, he came and drove this ferry. I used to ride it from Boston every Friday and Monday."

"You rode on this that much?"

Lauren smiled, "Well, there's not enough waves to surf here. Boston's back that way."

The girls nodded, Elise explaining, "Shannie and Lynnie pointed to the hospital where you worked from the limo."

Lauren looked up, spying her two friends and Tosh. She smiled, giving them a wave before turning back to the girls,

"You should sit down now. We don't want you falling when we come into port."

"Are we gonna crash?" Elise asked.

Lauren shook her head, "Nope, but sometimes the sandbar around here shifts, and we scrape bottom a bit. That can make the boat move left or right a bit suddenly."

"Oh."

Lauren turned, checking each table to see who was here, sometimes making eye contact, sometimes not. She would spend time with each and every person on this boat at some point over the next week so that she could tell them how grateful she was to have them in her life. She turned back to Bo,

"Just in case I forget to tell you, this is the greatest surprise of my life. Thank you, Bo. I'm so happy right now and I just can't imagine I could ever be happier in this moment."

Bo smiled, "How about this?"

She turned giving Cassie a nod, the vet looking at Tamsin and Kyle who bent down and opened up three transport kennels.

Bo gave a whistle, and four dogs came running to the table. Lauren's eyes went wide, as she stood and held out her arms to Harper, Anna, Elsa, and Belle,

"My girls! Oh, my girls you're here!" Lauren smiled, trying to rub each excited pup as they moved around her with fervor.

Bo smiled, "I had to bring Harper since she's a high-risk pregnancy and you and I know that if she came, her girls had to come too. I couldn't very well leave her three besties behind."

Lauren grinned, watching Harper go to Bo knowing she wasn't going to have Lauren to herself. The other three then pushed Lauren to the deck, jumping all over her as she laughed and rolled around with them until they settled in her lap,

"Okay. Now I really can't imagine being any happier," Lauren said, smiling up at Bo.

"I'm glad you approve. Cassie thinks the salt water will be good for Harper's leg."

Lauren nodded, "Oh, Cassie came! That's awesome!"

Bo nodded, "She's the doggie daycare handler, but LJ, Kyle, Tamsin, Mom, Molly, Mark – well, they're all going to help out."

"Oh, they're going to love the beach," Lauren smiled, taking Belle's face in her hands, "You're going to love the beach! Yes, you are! You all are," She smiled, rubbing every head as the ship hands tossed the lines to the dock, "Time to go?"

Bo smiled, "They have to go back into their crates to go in the pick-up truck we rented for them."

"So, Kurt isn't our chauffeur?"

"Of course not. I just wanted him with us just in case I had any problems. I didn't want my knee to spoil the surprise. Kelly will be flying back with us since we won't have to worry about you being suspicious about her presence on the return flight."

"Look at those big huge black things!" Rudy said, "The ones on my dock are just little metal hooks!"

Lauren grinned, "Well, this boat is much bigger, don't you think?"

Rudy looked up, using her hand to shade her eyes from the sun, "It's got three decks on top of each other! It's huge!"

Lauren nodded, "Well, normally there are a lot of people on the boat."

"Did Sister kick them all off?"

Lauren shook her head, "There's a really, really big ship that goes between here and Boston, so they won't miss this little thing."

"Oh! The big red boat?"

"I'm sure that's the one. I couldn't see. Your sister had me blindfolded."

Rudy smiled, "That was my idea – so it would be a surprise. Were you surprised?"

Lauren grinned, "I was, Roo. This is a great surprise."

Elise nodded, "You look happy."

"I am, Sweetie. I'm very, very happy."

"Good," Elise smiled, "Does that mean we can have ice cream for dinner?"

Lauren laughed, "How about we have ice cream before dinner?"

Rudy's eyes went wide, "We don't have to wait?"

Lauren stood and turned to the group, "I'm not sure what you had planned, but for tonight – just this once – can we please have dessert before dinner? I would love to take you all to my favorite Ice Cream Parlor!"

Lynnie shouted, "Where do you think we're going right now, Mrs. Dennis? Bo said that was the happiest place on earth when she was here last!"

Lauren looked at Bo, "Really? You have…"

"I told you that whenever we came back, that it would be our first stop, not our last."

"A woman of your word."

"I am," Bo smiled.

"Passengers, it is time to bid you farewell! The crew and I wish the happy couple a long, healthy life together. Enjoy your honeymoon and please, everyone, be careful departing the ship. There is a step up and a step down before you hit the gangway. Thank you, everyone."

Lauren could see her wife pull an envelope labeled P-town Ferry from her pocket, "Bo? Allow me? Please?"

Bo smiled, handing her wife the envelope, "He'll be waiting for us in the wheelhouse."

Lauren nodded, extending her hand to Bo and helping her to her feet. She turned to the girls, "Okay, go take Mary and Molly's hand. It is very important that you hold an adults hand from now until we get to my house unless we're seated at a table, okay?"

"Shannie and Lynnie gave us the safety speech. She said this isn't Alaska or Hawaii – that little kids get lost and sometimes bad people take them from their families, so we need to make a lot of noise if someone tries to mess with us, but to hold tight to someone in our family so it doesn't happen."

Lauren nodded, "That's right, Roo."

"Can't we stay with you?" Elise asked.

"Sweetie, I have to help Bo, so it's best if you stay with Mary and Molly or Kelly and Kurt."

"Not Shannie and Lynnie?"

Lauren shook her head, looking at Bo, "I think they have to stay with Tosh."

Bo nodded, "They do, but Kelly knows her way around Boston really well so she's a good person to hold onto."

Rudy nodded, taking Elise's hand, and calling out to Kelly, "Can we come with you? We have to hold an adult hand!"

Kelly nodded, waving to Bo and Lauren as she took Rudy's hand and Kurt took Elise's hand, the two girls holding hands between them. Kelly gave a wave to Mary so she would know she had the girls.

"Okay, let's get going, my love," Lauren said, handing Bo her crutches and picking up their bags, throwing one over her head and shoulder so she would have a hand free for Bo.

"I can't wait to lay on the beach," Bo smiled.

"Is that code for sleep on the beach?" Lauren asked.

Bo laughed, "Probably."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

THE BEACH HOUSE, THREE HOURS LATER

Rudy and Elise came running into the house, the young blonde running to sit beside Bo at the breakfast bar while her bestie ran straight to Lauren, carrying a surfboard bigger than her, banging it off the cabinet and refrigerator.

"Whoa! Whoa there, Roo! No surfboards in the house!"

Rudy put the board on the floor, "But… do you know what this is? I mean… oh… my… gosh! The collection of boards in your surf hut is… ridiculous! But this… I mean… this is an actual Greg Noll Balsa Gun! I mean… what the heck!" she said, her hands exploding off of her head, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Bo looked at Elise, then to Lauren, "Um… you have… a gun?" she asked, nodding towards Elise.

Lauren smiled, "Of course not, Bo. She's talking about a surfboard."

"Oh," Bo said, returning to her breakfast plate as her sister continued her discussion with her wife.

"Do you know how much this cost? My friends… you know, Johnny, Camie and Sanjo… they've been trying to buy one of his boards for-EVER! There are these things… I think they're called actions or something… they go to them but Johnny and Sanjo's wives won't let them bid high enough to win one… whatever that means and Camie, well, I told you his girlfriend is what my mom calls self-absorbed, so she says she won't let Camie spend money on anything but her but… seriously! You have a Greg Noll board! And you didn't tell me!"

Elise leaned over and whispered to Bo, "She's been going on and on about all those pieces of wood out there. I don't get it. I thought we were gonna build a sandcastle and so we went into the hut to find toys and that's it, my friend is gone."

Bo slid her plate over between them and handed Elise a piece of bacon,

"I guess it's just you and me, kid. I have a feeling the two of them are gonna be off on a surfing adventure any moment now. I can't walk, but I can definitely sit in the sand with you and build castles. Have you done that before?"

She shook her head, "Nope. But I saw a video online of this competition where people build houses and animals and people out of sand. You have to get the sand wet and make sure it's not too close to the water, so the waves don't wash it away. Then you use buckets and cups and stuff to pack the sand in and then flip them over real quick and you have a building. It's kind of like making building blocks out of sand. You should be good at it since you're a builder."

Bo shrugged, "Well, let's finish off this food and then give it a try. Are you hungry yet? You and Roo left the house really early this morning."

Elise smiled, "Aunt Mary said we have to get up really early to collect the good shells on the beach. We got a ton of them. They're out on the deck out back. We had to rinse them off with the hose. Did you know little sea creatures live in the seashells?"

"I think I might have learned that, but most of them are empty, right?"

She nodded, "But we found this big huge… I think it's called a conk shell or something. It's so cool and Aunt Mary said the little creature lives all the way in the middle of it. If we didn't get it out, it would start to stink when it died. Aunt Molly said she didn't think you and Lauren would appreciate a smelly seashell in your new house."

Bo smiled, "So you're going to call her Aunt Molly now?"

Elise nodded, "She never really felt like my mom. Is that bad for me to say?"

Bo shook her head, "Of course not, Sweetie. How you feel is just how you feel. Feelings aren't wrong or right. They just are. They change and evolve your whole life."

"Do you hate your dad for all the bad things he did to you?"

Bo shrugged, "You know, for a long time, I thought it was hate, but over time, I think I figured out that I was really angry and now, I'm sad that I never had the kind of dad you seemed to have. Every child deserves to have good parents."

Elise nodded, "My parents weren't good. My parents were great. That's why I think I can't call Molly anything but my aunt. I mean, you and Lauren will be my parents now, but I don't know if I'll ever call you moms. Does that make you sad?"

Bo smiled, "Not at all. It makes me happy that your heart knows that no one can replace your real mom. I'm sure you'll figure out what to call us as your feelings change. Maybe someday you'll call Lauren mom. For me, I hope I'm always just the Bo that's always there for you."

"I love you, Bo."

Feeling the sudden pang behind her eyes, Bo smiled, "I love you too, Elise."

She looked up at the brunette, those big eyes hopeful as she asked,

"Do you think you could come up with a nickname for me just like you did for Rudy? I mean, sometimes people call her Roo, but she said she really only likes it when you, me, Lauren and Tosh call her that. It makes her feel special."

Bo nodded, "I'll keep that in mind. So, you want to feel special too, huh? Let's see…"

Elise nodded, her eyes on the piece of bacon she was staring at.

"Well, I'm going to have to think about it. It can't be just any nickname, you know."

"It can't?" Elise asked tearing her eyes from the bacon to look at Bo.

Bo shook her head, "It has to fit you… it has to fit us. We have to be patient and it will just come to us."

"Like Shannie and Lynnie calling her Squirt?"

Bo smiled, "Exactly like that."

"Now everyone calls her Squirt, but she feels really special when Shannie and Lynnie do it. They thought of it first."

Bo grinned, "It fits her, don't you think?"

Elise giggled, "It does."

"She's the 'get her hands dirty and get into everything' kid. You… well, you're a little more regal – like Lauren."

"I am?"

Bo smiled, "Oh yes. I think that's why your Mom picked her. I think she knew the two of you would be a lot alike and that you would get along like two dogs on a sled team."

"I like that I'm like her."

"I know you do, Sweetie," Bo said, sitting up straight, "Now, let's finish up here so we can go build something cool on the beach."

"A castle!"

Bo smiled, "With a moat around it!"

"And a whole village around the castle's moat!"

"Ambitious!" Bo smiled, "I like it!"

"Can I have the last piece of bacon?" Elise asked.

Bo took a small bite, "The rest is yours."

She giggled, "Sharing is caring! Thanks!"

Meanwhile, Rudy and Lauren were examining the board and talking waxes and the east coast waves. The waves weren't typically as big here, but with the storm and the undertow common to east coast beaches, Lauren knew she needed to test Rudy's knowledge before they headed out past the breakers.

Mary and Molly entered the house, Mary immediately looking horrified, "Rudy! You brought a surfboard into Lauren's house?"

Rudy sighed, "I know, Mom. Lauren already reminded me. But look! It's a Greg Noll!"

Mary's eyes went wide, "My goodness! That's a beautiful board, Lauren."

"Thank you, Mary. I happened upon it at a charity auction and just couldn't turn it down. I make it a point to use it once a week to keep it well conditioned."

"Do you happen to have a long board in your collection?"

Lauren smiled, "I have several. Rudy and I were just going to go out. Are you interested?"

Molly smiled, "I'll hang out with these two unless Elise is going to get her first lesson?"

Elise shook her head, "I'm gonna wait so that they can surf while the waves are big from the storm. Bo and I are gonna build a sandcastle village. Wanna help?"

Molly smiled, "I'd love to."

"Where are Mark and the boys?" Lauren asked.

"Fishing with Stephen and Betsy. They left early this morning. They were all very excited. Stephen rented… I think it's called a charter?"

Lauren nodded, "Fishing charters are like guides in Alaska. You can rent a boat and the guide for up to five days around here. Shannie and Lynnie have us scheduled for a Whale Watch Tour at four o'clock so the men will have to handle their own dinner."

Bo smiled, "Does Stephen know how to handle a grill?"

Lauren laughed, "No, but Betsy and Penelope do and they'll both be here."

"That man has none of the typical man skills," Bo laughed.

"Well, Stephen never believed in the stereotypical male roles. That's why I'm shocked that he's not gay – although, that would be a stereotype too."

"Sure enough," Bo smiled, "Well, let's get this show on the road!"

Elise nodded, "Can I have the rest of the English Muffin?"

Bo sighed, "You are hungry! Roo? Are you hungry!"

Rudy looked down as her stomach growled, "Uh… I forgot to eat!"

"Okay – food, then activity. Hop up here next to Elise, Roo. I'll cook something up for you two while Lauren goes out and gets the boards ready with Mom."

Molly shook her head, "Please – you sit and keep your leg up. You'll be on your feet the rest of the day. Save your strength for now. I know nothing about surfboards."

"But you promised you would take lessons with Elise!" Rudy countered.

Molly smiled, "And I will… on your mother's long board."

"That's cool! Hang ten, Aunt Molly!" Rudy flipped her thumb and index finger back and forth, her tongue hanging out of her mouth as Mary and Lauren laughed.

Lauren moved over to Bo and kissed her cheek, "See you soon."

"See you soon," Bo smiled.

"And see you outside, my little surf rat!"

Rudy giggled, reaching across Bo to grab a piece of bacon, right after Molly pulled it out of the pan, but her sister grabbef her hand, pulling it away,

"Hot grease makes very hot bacon. Wait a minute."

"But I'm starving!" Rudy insisted.

"Yea, well don't forget to eat then!"

Elise giggled, "I can't believe you forgot to eat because of surfboards."

Rudy shrugged, "I like surfboards as much as you like taking pictures."

"Ohmagosh! I gotta get our camera and take pictures of you guys surfing! I just watched a whole Tube video of how to take pictures of people when their moving!"

She rushed off to grab the camera bag, then ran back, "This is Lauren's old camera. She taught me all about it when we didn't have another book to read from the library."

She pulled out the camera manual and handed it to Bo, "We read this! Rudy fell asleep cause it was boring but I learned how to do this!"

"You see?" Elise said, holding up the camera, "This is the cap to the lens, this is the lens, this is the F-Stop, this is the speed dial, this is the aperture, this is…"

Bo smiled at Elise's enthusiasm, her eyes wide and bright as she talked about the Lauren's old camera and how it worked. She may not have been born of her wife, but it was uncanny how alike they were.

"Now, this is called film. You open… just…" she handed it to Bo, "Can you open that for me?"

Bo smiled, popping open the film canister before watching Elise pop open the back of the camera,

"Now, you take this end of the film and you stick it through this winder thing and the can end sits in here. Then you close it and you pull this to wind the film around the winder until the window says one and… there! It's ready to take a picture!"

She ran off and grabbed another bag, "Now this one is the digital SLR camera. I forget what the SLR means, but it's just like this other old camera but it doesn't use film. Lauren didn't read me this book, but she said it works like the one she bought for Rudy and me, but has feet… or something like this film one does."

"Feet?" Bo asked.

"Uh… it sounded like… oh… Feet-ors?"

"Features?" Bo asked.

"That's it! What's features?"

Bo smiled, "It can do some of the same things that the other camera can, but without film."

"So do you think I can take fast people pictures with it?"

"I'm sure you can," Bo smiled.

"We'll build sandcastles first though, right?"

Bo nodded, "Castles first."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

TWO HOURS LATER, OUT PAST THE BREAKERS…

Surfing had always been something Lauren did on her own. She thought she'd enjoyed the peace, quiet and solitude of surfing alone. When friends came, it always turned into a party, though Lynnie, Shannie and Kelly had all been respectful of her space.

Now, she sat straddling surfboards with Rudy and Mary as ripples slipped gently beneath them. It had been a great day of surfing and Lauren had been pleasantly surprised by the talent of the newcomers to her beach. They were her family now after all, so the emphasis was on welcome, and Lauren found that they were. Surfing alone had been overrated. She just needed the right company.

"You're really, really good, Roo. Although growing up in Hawaii was probably the best place you could be for surfing."

Rudy smiled, "These are like little sister waves compared to the waves on our beach. I fall all the time there."

She laughed, and Lauren joined her, but Mary shook her head, "I never thought I'd say this, but my daughter is being quite modest."

"Modest?" Lauren asked.

"I know. I'm as surprised as you," Mary laughed, looking at Rudy who was looking between the two women, not understanding what was so funny.

"So, she's better than she's letting on?" Lauren asked.

Mary grinned, "She's a junior surfing champion two years running."

Rudy shrugged, "It might have been three years, but we left three weeks before my last championship. I even broke the all-time junior points record in my last qualifier and Billabong asked to talk to Mom about sponsoring me!"

Lauren's eyes went wide, "Really?"

Rudy smiled, "Yup. It woulda been so cool!"

Lauren looked up at Mary who smiled and nodded, "It would have been cool indeed, Child."

"I had no idea…" Lauren said, shaking her head. She was sure if Bo knew, she would be even more upset than she was. They would never want Rudy to give up a dream of surfing. To be sponsored would have solved any money issues they were having.

"But we wouldn't have been able to have the sponsor anyway. Mr. Agent Man said we had to keep a low pro-fill?" She looked at Mary who offered a sad smile,

"Profile. The bad people were still looking for us, so a sponsor would have brought too much attention. The feature article they wanted to do would have revealed too much information publicly."

Lauren nodded, "But with that whole faction gone, you should be able to resume surfing without concern. Is that something you want to do?"

Rudy shrugged, "There's nowhere to surf in Alaska and it took us six hours and a train ride to get to Talkeetna from home. I don't think surfing is my future anymore."

Lauren sighed, looking up at Mary, who turned to her daughter, "Are you sure?"

Rudy looked towards the shore, her eyes panning left, then right. She smiled,

"My future is with all of them. I'm not leaving Sister or Elise. I don't want to leave Molly and Mark or LJ. I love my friends Shannie and Lynnie and Kate and Anna and Doctor Stephen and Ms. Betsy. I like having breakfast with Kenzi at her hotel and I love the dogs and sledding. I like my new school and my teachers and I can't wait to have puppies. I like Rudy's house… I mean, how many kids my age own a house!"

Lauren smiled, paddling her board next to Rudy's. She took her hand,

"You're sure?"

She smiled, "I had a lot of fun surfing with you and Mom today. Maybe Elise will like it too. The next time we come here, we'll get Sister on a board and maybe we can all surf together. Shannie and Lynnie surf too so it's something we can all do on vacations. Mom said we'll come here for vacation sometimes, right Momma?"

Mary smiled and nodded, "Any time Bo and Lauren want to invite us, we'll come unless you have a schedule conflict."

"Cool," she said, her eyes traveling back to Lauren, "Wanna take one more wave to the beach? I think I want to help them with the sandcastle village."

Lauren smiled, "Me too, Mom? You with us?"

Mary smiled, "I think I'm going to stay here a while. I miss feeling the calm of the ocean beneath my board."

They laughed as Mary laid back, lifting her feet from the water and propping her hands up behind her head. She closed her eyes and exhaled a great sigh.

"She'll be like that for at least another hour. We just have to watch and make sure she doesn't drift too far away!"

Lauren chuckled and turned towards shore, "I'll be in soon. You can take the first one. I'll watch and see what you do. Get some air if you have the chance but be safe!"

Rudy smiled, "Always… with a side of cowabunga, dude!"

Mary shook her head, "She's incorrigible."

Lauren grinned, "She's happy."

Mary sat up, nodding, "She is… very, very happy."

They watched as Rudy looked back for the perfect swell. When she caught it, she screamed with delight as she carved back and forth over the wave, riding it to the tip of the swell before launching her board into the air and landing it on the downside face, working every last bit of boost from the surge. Once out of the water, she lifted her board, tucking it under her arm and running over to her friend and family.

"She really is amazing," Lauren said.

Mary nodded her eyes following her daughter until she was safely next to Bo. She watched the two interact, sure the animated body language from the younger sibling was accompanied by the story of the big wave she'd caught an hour ago,

"She is," Mary said, answering Lauren, "I was quite the proud surf mom. But now…"

She sighed, laying back on her board once more,

"Seeing the pain your wife experienced from being ripped from the home and stability she once had was my greatest regret, but now, it seems I've repeated my mistake. I am, again, the one who prevented my daughter from realizing her full potential in the sport she loves so much. I can only hope she is telling me the truth about preferring Alaska and her family to the only home she's ever known."

Lauren nodded, "Would you like me to talk to her… with Bo? Maybe we can… dig a little deeper?"

Mary smiled, "She's your sister too, Child. It's up to you and Bo."

Lauren nodded, taking a moment to try to formulate the question she wanted to ask,

"If she wants to go back to Hawaii, would you go?"

Mary sat up, looking to where her daughter was now planting her surfboard in the sand behind Bo and Elise,

"If it's what she wanted, I would… without hesitation, but under the condition that we travel between our two homes once a month," she lowered her eyes to her board, "I cannot be away from Ysabeau… not anymore. I won't leave her unless she asks me to, so I would compromise to accommodate both of my daughters."

Lauren nodded as Mary continued with a surprising announcement,

"Honestly, I've looked into the satellite school just in case the issue ever came up again. I've also looked into travel… that man that I was introduced to at your wedding, Troop Windam, he apparently owns some long-distance aircraft."

"So, Rudy could maintain her education while traveling back and forth?"

Mary nodded, "We could keep in touch through those video chats we've used before and I could ask around or hire someone to handle my work while I'm away. Surf season never ends, but there are less events in the traditional winter months than others, so Rudy could also keep up with her mushing."

"So, we could make this happen for her if she wanted us to," Lauren concluded.

Mary nodded, "It wouldn't be easy, but it can be done."

They looked to shore when they heard the group calling Lauren's name. She saw the hands and waved back,

"I'm being summoned."

Mary smiled, "Have fun."

"You're not coming?" Lauren asked.

"I want to enjoy this while I can," Mary smiled.

"Fair enough," Lauren said before turning her board to shore and catching the next wave in.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

WHALE WATCH TOUR

"Whoa! Did… look!" Elise shouted, pointing to a whale breaching, "Rudy, look!"

Rudy ran to Elise, waving when her mother reminded her yet again not to run onboard ship. She lifted her camera and immediately began taking pictures.

"Look at them all, Roo! This is amazing!" Elise said, "I know you've seen whales before, but I never saw anything like this. They're so cool!"

Rudy smiled, "I've never seen Humpbacks. They're much bigger than my whales. Do you wanna take some?"

Elise shook her head, "I just wanna watch."

"I'll take pictures for you two. I've seen this show before," Lynnie said, taking the camera from Rudy and turning it towards the action.

"Where's my big brother? Is he not feeling well?" Rudy asked.

Shannie nodded, "He's okay. He's sitting under cover. He can't be out in the sun right now."

Rudy frowned, looking around to be sure Lauren wasn't nearby before she asked,

"What will he do next week?"

"We're going to look for big golf umbrellas tomorrow so he can be covered outside."

"Oh. That's a good idea."

Shannie smiled, "Yea, we've got a bit of experience."

"Right. Nurses – I almost forgot!"

"Wow," Shannie said, pointing towards the water, "What are they doing?"

Rudy shrugged, "That's the whole pod. We were probably just seeing the ones that were playing or fishing before this group."

Their eyes went wide as six whales all surfaced in a circle together, "Yup – it's a whole pod," Rudy said.

"What are they doing, Roo?"

Rudy smiled, stepping up onto the railing and leaning forward. Shannon stood behind her, one arm wrapped around her torso,

"Easy there, Squirt. Let's not lose you overboard."

Rudy laughed, "Shannie, they're bubble-net feeding! Humans don't usually get to see this! It's so cool! Pictures! Take pictures!"

Shannie chuckled, snapping away before she grabbed Rudy as she leaned forward again, "They look like they're having a top-secret meeting on the surface. Why are they in a circle like that?"

Rudy used her hands to explain,

"They start out way down low in a circle and then they blow tons of bubbles into a big ball and all the little fish get stunned by the bubbles because… well, you know fish sort of swim on radar since their eyes are on either side of their heads… anyway, then the whales all push up to the surface like an explosion forcing all the water and the big ball of stunned fish to the surface and they come up like that – together with big mouthfuls of water and krill and anchovies and whatever other little fish got sucked into the ball. See? See?"

She pointed, "Now, the water will filter out and then they'll close their mouths and go back down with a full belly. Of course, if they're still hungry, maybe they'll do it again!"

Lauren shook her head, leaning over to Elise who was being held up on the railing by Lynnie, "Your bestie really knows a lot about whales."

Elise nodded, "She's super smart. She thinks she's stupid in math and science, but she's not. She doesn't even know that all the stuff she's explaining right now is science and it's science I don't know. She thinks I'm smarter in science, but I think we just know different stuff. That's why we go together like peanut butter and jelly. What I don't know, she knows and what she doesn't know, I know. What both of us don't know, we learn together."

Lynnie looked at Lauren, smiling as she whispered to Elise, "I wish I had a friend like you. Rudy's pretty lucky."

Elise nodded, "I'm lucky too."

She turned to Lauren, "Is Bo okay?"

Lauren looked around, finally laying eyes on her wife. She was sitting with Tosh under cover, her leg propped up.

"Her knee may be a little sore, Sweetie. While standing on a moving boat, we use all kinds of muscles to stay balanced and upright. A lot of those muscles attach to the knee, so…" Lauren realized she was babbling, so she sighed and smiled, "I'll go check on her, Sweetie."

Elise nodded, "Check on Tosh, too. I don't think he feels so good."

Lauren turned to Molly, waving her over, "I'm going to borrow Lynnie then, Sweetie. Molly will be here to make sure you don't lean too far forward. We wouldn't want you to go for a swim with the whales."

Elise giggled, "Not while they're eating! They might bubble net me!"

"I won't let that happen," Molly said, moving in behind Elise and wrapping an arm around her, "Now, what is a bubble net?"

Elise smiled, "Rudy explains it better. Hey Roo…"

Lauren grinned, walking with Lynnie into the large, covered area where the snack bar and tables were. They took a seat with the brother and sister,

"How are we doing?" Lauren asked.

"We are doing fine," Bo smiled.

"Tosh, you look a little green," Lauren suggested.

He grinned, "I didn't have a chance to congratulate you on marrying my uncoordinated sister. Congratulations, Lauren. Maybe you'll not spend the rest of your life patching up this spastic excuse for a musher."

Bo slapped her brother, "I kept the sled upright, didn't I?"

"After you steered it into a rock face and screwed your knee."

"Well, I'm sorry, oh wise one. I didn't realize you had a trophy case filled with race awards," Bo said sarcastically.

"Neither do you. They're all buried in a cardboard box like you're ashamed to have won. Why aren't they on display, Sister?"

Bo shrugged, "People don't already have enough reasons to break into the kennel with a champion bloodline of dogs in there?"

He smiled, "You know that's not the reason."

"Fine. I don't want the attention. Happy?"

"Nope. I'll be happy when they have a proper showcase. We're proud of you and your accomplishments, Bo. Why aren't you proud of yourself?"

She looked up at Lauren then back to her brother, "I guess I'm just accustomed to my town not believing I'm a champion no matter how many races I've won."

"Well, if your wedding is any indication, I think that sentiment has been put to bed – permanently."

He leaned forward, using the vomit bag Lauren didn't realize he'd been holding. By the time he was finished, Lynnie had a fresh bag and a cool cloth on the table in front of him.

"Thanks, Nursie."

Lynnie shook her head, "Stop keeping stuff from us, Tosh. I mean it."

Lauren smiled, looking from her friend to her brother-in-law, "Trust me, Tosh. She'll have you on the first plane out of here if you withhold information about your condition. Why didn't you go fishing with the guys?"

"They're on a much smaller boat and much further out. It would have been twice as bad."

"So, this is sea sickness?" Lauren asked.

Tosh shrugged, "Never been seasick before, but that's my theory."

Lynnie stood, shaking her head, "Well, let's not work in theories here. Let's make a proper diagnosis."

Lauren watched as Lynnie pulled out a medical bag from under the table. She used a touchless thermometer first,

"Ninety-seven point five. Are you cold?"

He nodded, "A little."

Lauren pulled off her coat and draped it around his shoulders, "I'm sweating, so clearly your thermostat is off. Not unusual for a chemotherapy patient."

"God, I can't wait until this last treatment is over," he said.

For the first time, Bo noticed how weak and thin her brother had become since the race. Lauren had warned her, but she had no idea it would get this bad. He should be in the hospital.

"Do you want to go back to the house or to the hospital?" Bo asked.

"I'm fine, Bo."

"House or hospital," Bo repeated.

Lynnie pulled the stethoscope from her ears and handed it to Lauren,

"Double check me?"

Lauren wiped off the earpieces and checked Tosh's lungs and heart, shaking her head, "Pulse oximeter?"

Pulling the device from her bag, she placed it on Tosh's finger and looked to Lauren,

"Should I make a call?"

Lauren looked at Tosh, "We can have a home healthcare aid take care of you for the next several days until you're through this last treatment. We have people who specialize in chemotherapy."

Tosh nodded, "If it will mean that Lynnie and Shannie can enjoy this vacation, I'm on board… literally and figuratively."

Lauren gave Lynnie a nod and off she went to make arrangements.

"Why did she have you check my chest?" Tosh asked.

"There's a distinct crackle in the lungs of patients who have pneumonia…"

"I'm crackling?" Tosh asked.

Lauren nodded, "You need to spend a few days in bed… or at least laying on the beach in the sun."

He smiled, "My vote is for the beach."

"Beach it is, then," Lauren smiled, "As long as you're covered, prone and sleeping as much as possible."

Tosh nodded only now seeing the look of concern on Bo's face, "I'll be fine, little Sis. Don't you worry. You just keep those kids happy. Besides, I'm really looking forward to all the surfing lessons that will be going on tomorrow… and really grateful I've got an excuse to get out of them."

Bo gave a weak smile, "Me too. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Bo, I swear the vomiting is a combination of the chemo and the rocking of the ship. I should have just stayed home, but I didn't want to disappoint Rudy."

"Well, from now on, please remember that both my mom and I had conversations with her about your health and the need for you to go at your own pace on this trip. Just tell her you don't feel well enough to do whatever it is she wants you to do and she'll understand."

"Bo, she was ready to sit at the house with me so I wasn't alone."

"She's seen whales before, Tosh. Let her establish her own priorities, okay?"

Tosh sighed, "Understood."

"Good," Bo smiled, looking up at Lauren, "Thank you."

"Of course."

Tosh smiled, "Now go back out there with the kids and have some fun. I've got my sister with me, a glass of water, a vomit bag and a clean-up rag. I'm good and I can watch them from here."

Bo shook her head, "I'll come get you if we need you."

Lauren smiled, "Okay. Are you alright?"

Bo nodded, "A little sore. The boat…"

"I understand. You use a lot more muscles on board a ship than you do on dry land."

Bo smiled, "We still saw that group of whales and all the breaching. It's very cool. Roo must be having a blast."

Lauren grinned, "Actually, she's giving everyone out there a lesson about whale behavior. The kid is sharp."

"Are any of us surprised?" Bo asked.

"I guess not," Lauren smiled, "See you soon?"

"See you soon."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

BEACH HOUSE, TWO HOURS LATER

The door flew open with a bang followed by the familiar voice, "SISTER! SISTER! WHERE ARE YOU?"

Lauren quickly turned and used a loud whisper, "Rudy!"

"What?" She asked, before seeing the look on Lauren's face, "I'm sorry. I'm not sure why, but I'm sorry."

Lauren waved her over, her shoulders relaxing immediately. She hated stealing the moment of Rudy's joy and excitement, but it had been a long and hectic hour getting Tosh settled and then getting Bo into her cold cuff. She said the treatment helped, but there was swelling in the joint that had Lauren concerned. She could only hope it was just from overuse and that she hadn't done any real damage.

"Bo's sleeping, Sweetie."

"Does she still have pain?"

Lauren nodded, "Yes, but I did her treatment and gave her the anti-inflammatory drug to help her sleep."

She pointed to the sofa where Bo was sleeping with her leg up on two pillows. Rudy tip-toed towards her, moving around to check to see if she was awake and found her sister staring back at her.

"I'm sorry I woke you up, Sister."

Bo smiled, "Yea, I know, Roo. But you really can't slam Lauren's door, okay? You could break the window or cause the door to move out of alignment."

"I'm sorry," she said, "Can I lay with you?"

"Well, that depends. It sounded like you were very excited about something when you came in."

"We started a bonfire on the beach. It's huge and Patrick brought hot dogs that you put on this stick, and you hold it over the fire to cook it – but you have to be careful not to burn it or it won't be cooked inside – and then you put it on a bun like we do with the reindeer dogs. Then we're gonna have S'mores for dessert! And he and Jake made these things called homemade fried pickles and Stephen and Betsy brought this other stuff called clam chowder. It's made from clams and it's spelled c-h-o-w-d-e-r but it's pronounced chowda in Boston… at least that's the way Shannie says it."

Bo looked up at Lauren who had joined them in the living room,

"Shannie's accent is really coming out since we've been back here."

Lauren nodded, "If we stay long enough, it will come out in all of them… I'll slip sometimes too, I'm sure."

Bo smiled, looking at Rudy, "Well, if it's okay with you, I'm going to stay here so I can keep my leg up, Roo. I do want to try to get a little more sleep too. I didn't sleep much for the last few days."

"Were you really excited about getting married and our honeymoon?"

Bo and Lauren laughed as the brunette responded, "I was very excited. Are you having a good honeymoon so far?"

"It's awesome! I can't wait to get married so we can have a second honeymoon!"

"Whoa, slow down there, Little Sis. How about you graduate high school before you start talking marriage."

"I know. I have to wait until Elise graduates from dog medical school anyway," Rudy smiled, "Can I lay with you?"

"Don't you want to go outside and roast hot dogs on the fire with the rest of the family?"

Rudy frowned, "You don't want me to lay with you?"

Bo smiled, "I would love for you to lay with me, Roo. You know I love our cuddle time, but I also want you to have fun on our honeymoon, not miss out on the fun because of my knee. I'm fine, kiddo – really I am. You don't have to feel bad about my situation… or Tosh's for that matter. We're both just happy to be here with everyone even if we do have to take it easy."

Rudy sighed, "Are you sure? I don't want you to be lonely."

"Lauren's here with me, Roo. And once she's finished cleaning up from her video call, she'll come out to have dinner with you and Elise, okay?"

Rudy looked up at Lauren, "Promise?"

The blonde smiled, "Promise. I've got two emails to send, then I'll log off, check on Bo and as long as she's okay, I'll be right out."

"Okay. I love you, Sister."

"I love you too, Roo," Bo said, watching Rudy take off running, "Don't slam the door!"

She pulled the handle, turned around and tip-toed through the exit, carefully holding the door as it slowly closed. Lauren and Bo just shook their heads as she disappeared from view.

"More ice?"

"Would you hate me if I said yes?"

Lauren smiled, leaning down to kiss her wife on the lips, "I could never hate you."

"Good to hear because I think maybe I tweaked my knee."

"What?" Lauren asked, her head snapping up.

Bo shrugged, "I don't know, Lauren. Maybe it was when I was sleeping or maybe it was when I boarded the ship. It didn't hurt and then all of a sudden, it started to hurt like a bitch. That's why I went and sat with Tosh."

Lauren grabbed her phone, holding it against her shoulder as she filled Bo's cold pack with ice again,

"Hello. This is Doctor Lauren Lewis from…"

"Lauren! It's Tina Savoy! How are you! Are you back in town?"

"Hi Tina. It's so nice to hear your voice! I'm actually back in town with my family."

"You're speaking to your parents again?"

Lauren sighed, "No. I mean… my new family. I have… I got married…"

There was a squeal so loud that even Bo heard. She laughed as Lauren pulled her ear from the phone and shook her head,

"She's very excited." Lauren explained.

Bo laughed, "Really? I couldn't tell."

"Lauren! Lauren!"

"Sorry, Tina. I'm here."

"Is that her? Put her on the phone. I want to hear her voice. You can tell a lot about a person from their voice."

Lauren smiled, "I'll do you one better. She just had surgery and right now, she's in a lot of pain. She thinks she might have done something to it earlier today, so I wanted to get her an MRI. Any chance you can squeeze her in before closing?"

"If it means I get to meet her, definitely! I was just about to clean up for the day, but I'll get the machine ready for her. Which knee?"

"Right. She had an ACL replacement, meniscus and LCL repair."

"Whoa. Really did a number on it, huh?"

"Yup. Well, we'll be there in about fifteen minutes, okay?"

"Great. I'll be ready for you. See you then!"

Lauren hung up the phone and pulled the cold sleeve onto Bo's leg, "Can you get up?"

Bo nodded, "How are we gonna do this? I really don't know about walking, Lauren."

"I'll be right back."

Bo sighed, laying back and putting the back of her hand over her forehead. The pain in her knee hadn't been this bad when she was at the race. Why did it hurt so bad?

Lauren came back in with Shannie, Lynnie, Kelly and Kurt in tow, Kurt carrying a surfboard.

"What are you gonna do with that?"

Lauren folded Bo's arms over her chest, "Just relax."

Kurt moved to the bottom, flipping over the board, "Oh. No fins?"

Lauren smiled, "I use this board as a backboard."

Shannie laughed, "When Lauren invited a few friends over from the hospital, they usually brought uninvited guests who got a little out of control, so backboards were sometimes required to move the drunks to a place where the tide wouldn't drown them by morning."

Kurt shook his head, "I can't even imagine the mischief you four got up to in this place."

Kelly smiled, "Wait until we take you out in the city."

"I'm still nervous about that trip."

"Uh… patient here?" Bo interrupted.

"Sorry, Bo," Kelly said, looking up at Lauren and mouthing sorry again.

Two rolled Bo away from board while two slid the board beneath her, then rolled her back

"Okay, Sweetie. Just lay there and we'll do the rest."

"What about the family? Do they know…"

"I told your mom. She'll handle it, Bo. Besides, Rudy and Elise are hosting a Q&A by the fire. They're asking questions faster than Stephen and Betsy can answer them. I have a feeling our day in the city is going to have a few new stops on it by the time we get back."

The four lifted the board, carrying Bo out to the back of Kurt's rental truck. Lauren, Shannie and Lynnie hopped in the back with Bo while Kelly rode in the cab with her fiancé. The Cape Cod Imaging Center was just down the road, so it wasn't a long ride. Kelly ran in and grabbed a wheelchair from the lobby and brought it out,

"Chair carry," Kurt said, "Actually, if you don't mind, I can pick you up, Bo."

"I'm in your hands, gang. Whatever works. Just don't drop me, please."

Kurt smiled, picking her up, "Now you can say I swept you off your feet."

"You're adorable, but my wife beat you to it."

Kurt grinned, "And a lucky woman she is."

"I'll drive," Kelly said, "Trust me, Bo. I've never crashed a patient yet."

"Just don't run my foot into a door, please," Bo said.

"We won't let that happen," Lynnie said as she and Shannie moved ahead of Bo's extended leg to be sure she was steered around any obstacles.

"Where did my wife go?" Bo asked.

Kelly smiled, "Relax. She had to go fill out the order for you to have a scan. You don't get to just walk in and say you want an MRI. You have to have a doctors' order."

"Sorry. I didn't think of that," Bo nodded.

"Really hurts, huh Bo?" Kelly asked.

"What if I hurt it again, Kelly?"

"Let's not worry until we know, okay?"

"But William is back in Alaska and…"

"Actually, William is coming in on Tuesday to speak at a convention. His wife and kids are coming too, so they're staying for the week. If there's a problem, he'll handle it, Bo."

She nodded, "Okay."

Kelly pushed Bo into the room and Shannie could instantly see the look on Bo's face, "It's okay, Bo."

"What is that?"

Shannie came to squat by Bo's chair, "That's just another version of the machine we've used on you four times now. The one at the race was portable, the one at our hospital is called an Open MRI and this one is a regular MRI machine."

"You're sticking me in that tube?"

Shannie smiled, "Only your leg, Bo."

Lynnie could see Bo's gaze move from the machine to the room, so she immediately stepped in front of Kelly, took the wheelchair handles and moved Bo into the hallway. She could see her shoulders visibly relax before she set the brake on the chair and came to squat in front of her friend,

"Okay, so now you've seen the machine and the room. There's plenty of air in there, Bo. You'll be in that room for maybe fifteen minutes at the most. Now, we can give you a mask and headphones to help you through it. There's lots of people who don't do well with this machine."

Lauren came to stand behind Lynnie, "Actually, you were the one who reminded me why it was so important to have portable and open MRI machines at our hospital in Talkeetna. If I hadn't met you, I never would have thought to buy anything for our hospital other than what's in that room."

Bo looked up at her wife, "I don't know if I can do it, Lauren. I don't think…"

Lauren placed a hand on Bo's, "I'll be right there with you, Bo."

"You will?"

"I'll be talking to you in the headphones and the sound of the beach at our house will be playing in the background. You'll just close your eyes and focus on the sound of the waves on the shore and my voice. Every once in a while, I'll ask you to hold your breath and stay really still. When I tell you to release your breath, I want you to blow out all of the air and relax like releasing a big sigh. Okay?"

Bo nodded, unable to form words.

"Is this the lucky bride?" Tina asked, coming into the hallway, "Oh my God, Lauren! She is beautiful! She is… well, she's a beautiful, sexy, woman that's what she is,"

She turned to Bo, "You have the most incredible eyes… oh listen to me ranting on and on," she extended a hand, "I'm Tina Savoy, former bestie of Miss Lauren Lewis before she became a famous surgeon. We went to undergrad school at Yale, but I wasn't as famous since my healthcare goals stopped at Radiology… well, technician, actually."

Shannie laughed, "That's code for she got knocked up by her fiancé when the condom broke."

Tina wailed, throwing her hands up, "And then, I broke off the engagement when I realized I had a thing for the girl in the bridal shop. I had my gown adjusted three times just so I could see her."

Lauren shook her head, "Left the poor guy at the alter and two days later was hooking up with the bridal shop girl in my apartment since her ex lived with her."

"And I'm still with the bridal shop girl to this day!" Tina smiled, "She owns the boutique now and she can still do no wrong in my eyes. She rocks my world."

Lauren grinned, seeing that Bo's smile was polite, but not enthusiastic. She was in pain,

"Well, can we get this MRI finished? We'll have time to catch up while we wait for it to be read."

Bo frowned, "Can't you just read it?"

"Sweetie, you know it's not my area of expertise. I've called William and he's at the hospital. Tina will send him the images and he'll have a look right away. He's already told me that one of his former colleagues is willing to do the surgery tonight if something was damaged. He said to tell you that this guy is better than him."

Bo chuckled, "Wow. I can't believe he would admit that even if it is true."

"Are you ready?"

Bo sighed, looking at the door to the room and giving a nod, "Blindfold first?"

Shannie held it up, handing it to Lynnie who pulled it over Bo's head, looking to Lauren. The blonde moved in front of Bo,

"See you soon?"

"See you soon," Bo replied, closing her eyes as the blindfold came down over her eyes. She felt Lauren's lips settle gently on her own, taking their sweet, sweet time before leaving them cold and alone. That was when Bo heard the whisper,

"I love you, Mrs. Lewis. You are my strong, Athabascan warrior. I know you can do this. I'll be with you every step of the way. Listen for my voice and imagine us laying on the beach together."

Bo felt her body relax, a small smile forming on her lips before the chair moved. She could smell Kurt before she felt him pick her up, laying her gently on the firm surface. She heard Lynnie,

"Bo? Tina's going to position your leg. Try to relax."

Bo felt a hand behind her thigh and one at her foot as her leg was lifted into a flexed position.

Lynnie spoke again, "Okay, listen for Lauren, Bo. You're going to feel the table you're lying on move throughout the scan. It's perfectly normal. Just remember to listen to her voice and do exactly what she says, okay?"

"Listen to Lauren's voice," Bo said, "Do what she says. I'm okay. There's plenty of air. Plenty of space. Wide open space. Lots of air."

Shannie and Lynnie looked at Lauren who shook her head, "This is going to be the longest fifteen minutes of our lives."

Tina moved closer to Bo, "Okay. I have to take your earrings out. Do you have any other metal on you? Underwire bra, any metal on your clothes?"

Bo thought about what she was wearing. T-shirt, tights, socks, sneakers…

"The metal things around the holes in my sneakers?"

Tina moved to Bo's feet, "Okay. I'm going to slip these off… carefully."

She walked the sneakers out of the room, then returned, "Any other piercings on your body? Nose, belly button, chest, other… uh… areas?"

"None," Bo replied.

"Okay. No metal in your mouth? Braces or implants?"

"These are real."

Tina giggled, "Oh, I can tell they're real, honey. I meant real teeth."

Bo blushed while Lauren sat, palming her face and shaking her head,

"My teeth are all real too. Does the metal in my knee from my surgery matter?"

"No darling. That's fine," Tina replied, "Okay. We're good to go. You relax and focus on the voice of that beautiful doctor of yours."

She leaned down and whispered to Bo, "You are a lucky woman, Mrs. Dennis. Women all over Boston will be crying their eyes out when they hear the recently divorced Doctor Lauren Lewis is now a very, very happily married Doctor Lauren Dennis. Well, done, Bo. Well done."

Bo smiled, "Thank you."

"I'm going to put the headphones on you. Lauren is getting ready. You'll hear her familiar voice soon. Okay?"

"I guess," Bo said.

Tina reminded, "Remember – there's broken hearts all over Boston, Bo. Focus on her voice."

Tina left Bo grinning in the room, closing the door. She entered the control room, sitting next to Lauren who leaned over and whispered,

"What did you say to her?"

Tina winked, "The truth! That hearts are breaking all over Boston tonight with the news that she won over THE most eligible Bachelorette in our fine city! The now Doctor Lauren Dennis!"

Lauren shook her head, smiling as she looked out at Bo.

Bo laid still, anxiously waiting for Lauren's voice, but the blonde was delayed in the scan room.

"Lauren, I have to ask – the metal in her knee?"

"Her surgeon used non-metallic hardware, you took out her earrings, took off her sneakers."

"No other piercings?" Tina asked, "I want to be sure. She's a little out of it in there."

"None."

"Okay. Here we go."

Lauren pulled on her headphones, "Hey Sweetie. It's me. We're going to get started, so for now just breathe and relax. I want you to focus on the ocean sounds around us and imagine yourself on the beach at my house. What do you see?"

Bo didn't respond, so Lauren asked again, "Bo? Stay with me, Sweetie. We're sitting on the beach at my house. What do you see?"

"Sky… blue sky. Really blue."

Lauren smiled, "Good. What do you hear?"

"Waves on the shore… Rudy and Elise laughing… laughing a lot."

"What are they laughing about?"

"They're trying to fly the kite, but they can't get it up in the air."

Lauren smiled, "They did struggle with that, didn't they."

Tina gave Lauren a nod, so the blonde spoke carefully to Bo, "Okay, Sweetie. You're going to take a big deep breath in… and now out. Another deep breath in… and out. Now, take a deep breath in and hold it for ten seconds. Hold very still. The noises are normal. You're safe with me. Okay, blow out all of your air and feel yourself relax. Are you laying in the sand or sitting on a chair?"

"In the sand."

"Do you feel how warm it is?"

Bo smiled, "Really warm."

"And is it soft?" Lauren asked.

"Yes, really soft. Really warm."

"Okay, let's take another deep breath in… and out… deep breath in… and out…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

BEACH HOUSE

When they arrived at the house, Shannie, Lynnie, Kurt and Kelly went right back to the bonfire while Lauren and Bo headed back into the house,

"I can't believe how much better my knee feels," Bo said.

"Well, we're still going to ice it. Doctor's orders," Lauren said.

"So, I didn't want to admit it while we were there, but I really didn't understand the whole scar tissue thing. Can you explain to me what just happened?"

Lauren smiled, pulling the cold sleeve out of the freezer, and taking it over to Bo. The brunette reached down and pulled it on herself, then laid back on the couch as Lauren came and sat beside her with two balls, a few rubber bands, and some rubber cement.

"Okay, so here's what happened. This ball is the bottom of your femur – your thigh bone and this ball is the top of your tibia or your shin bone. In between the two bones are two… let's say… scallops. Are you with me so far?"

Bo nodded, "Speaking of scallops, I'm hungry."

Lauren smiled, "Demonstration first."

"Right."

"So, you laid with your knee bent on the plane, through last night, then got up this morning and sat out on the beach with your knee in the same position while you had your cold treatment. Then, you skipped your afternoon exercises because you were sitting with your knee bent about forty-degrees while you sat in the sand and built a sandcastle village for almost three hours with Elise. Then, you sat on the way to the whale watch and sat during the whale watch, then went back into the bent knee position when we got home."

"So, my knee was bent too much?"

Lauren nodded, "So, this ball got stuck to this scallop…" she ran a line of glue between the two balls, "…then this ball got stuck to this scallop…" she ran another line, then put two small round seashells in the middle of the glue, "So the glue got stuck to the scallops…"

"They're seashells."

Lauren rolled her eyes, "But your menisci look like scallops, not seashells, so pretend the seashells are scallops."

"So, the glue got stuck on the scallops."

"Yes, the glue is your new ligament. Remember, your body uses calcium to grow that ligament and if you don't keep moving the joint, the calcium acts like glue."

"So, my ligament got stuck where it wasn't supposed to because I sat for too long?"

Lauren nodded, "And the calcium built up on the scar tissue and spread to the meniscus. When the doctor moved your knee around…"

"You mean when he tried to rip my knee apart," Bo said.

"The scar tissue broke free, giving you back your full range of motion… well, the motion you had back since surgery."

"It was excruciating."

"Well, you'll go through it again if you don't do your exercises four times a day and keep yourself on your walking schedule. Okay?"

"Okay," Bo said, "But you have to admit, that pop was sickening."

Lauren smiled, "It was. I'm just glad you're feeling better."

"Believe me – I'm glad too. I was terrified I was going to have to go back into surgery."

"Well, we don't have to worry about that now," Lauren said, leaning in and kissing Bo soundly, "So, do you want to go out with the family or are we going to have some alone time?"

Bo smiled, "I'm voting on alone time."

Lauren grinned, "Me too. Can you make it to the bedroom?"

Bo nodded, "Yes. Where are you going?"

"To let the family know we're going to bed – that you're exhausted from a very long treatment session."

Bo smiled, "You're not going to tell them that I have another treatment session tonight?"

Lauren grinned, "They don't need to know about all of your needs."

"Are you upset that I brought the whole family on our honeymoon?"

Lauren shook her head, "They seem to be making plans on top of the plans you've already made."

Bo smiled, "I told them that all plans once we got here were fluid – that they needed to remember that this was still our honeymoon. They all understood. Kate and Anna are playing blocker for us if anyone tries to push the issue when we're clearly needing some alone time. They're all going to work to intercept the girls."

"When are you going to tell me about next week?"

"What's the rush? We've only been here for two days!"

Lauren nodded, "Sorry. Control freak here."

"Well, save that for the meetings you have to attend. Otherwise, just relax and do what you feel like doing when you feel like doing it. It's a vacation. There are no rules… at least, that's what Tamsin told me."

"Good."

They both stood to move to the bedroom when the door flew open,

"OLA BITCHES!"

Bo shook her head, "Kenzi."

The raven-haired girl dropped her suitcases and took Hale's hat off her head, putting it on his,

"Did you miss me, Ladies?"

"You're early," Bo said.

"Nice to see you too. Our flight was overbooked, and we were there early, so they shifted us to an earlier flight. We don't have a room until tomorrow. Is there a place we can camp out?"

Lauren nodded, "Third floor, bedroom on the right."

"This place is like a dang hotel, Lewis!"

Bo crossed her arms over her chest, "That's Dennis."

"Whatev's."

"It's important, Kenzi," Bo said, cocking her head.

"Right. Evil parents. Burn the family name. Dennis it is. We're gonna go settle in, then head out to the big bon-sha-bang out there. You comin' out, Sweet Cheeks?"

Bo shook her head, "Ask around and they'll explain. Long day. I'm heading to bed. Thanks for coming, K-Star."

"Wouldn't have missed it, BoBo."

They watched as Bo headed back to the room, Kenzi scowling,

"She's back on crutches without putting her foot down?"

Lauren nodded, "We just got back from the hospital. Rough knee day. The nurses can explain. I'm going to go let them know we're heading to bed. There's a bathroom in the hallway and towels in the linen closet inside. Hale, nice to see you too."

"Nice to see you, Lauren."

"Please, make yourselves at home."

Lauren headed out to tell the family they were heading to bed. Rudy and Elise rushed in to say goodnight to Bo before coming back out to say goodnight to Lauren. Then, the blonde headed in for the night, grabbing two glasses of water and Bo's anti-inflammatory meds.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

KITCHEN, NEXT MORNING

Rudy peeked her head in the door, then tip-toed across the floor. She looked around, but didn't see anyone, just like over at the guest house. She was hungry and no one was awake. She thought to herself,

'I've watched Mom and Aunt Molly make breakfast like, a thousand times. How hard can it be?'

Rudy opened every lower cabinet until she found two big pans, "One for eggs and one for bacon."

She placed them on top of the stove and then went to the refrigerator, "Hmmm… bacon I think was in this drawer…"

She found the package and pulled it out, "And eggs are… whoa… way up top."

She ran over to the bar and dragged a stool to the refrigerator, "Okay… the chair spins, so be careful…"

Carefully balancing, she grabbed the eggs with both hands, and slowly moved to put her knees on the chair. She put one leg down and the chair spun, sending her to the floor and the eggs into the air. She could only watch as they came down, smashing into a pile of mush.

"Oh no! I'm in so much trouble!" Rudy said, her eyes welling with tears, "Okay… clean it up."

She grabbed a towel and began wiping the pile of yellow goo to the middle of the floor and then threw the eggs in the trash. She put the towel in the sink

"Raw eggs can make you sick, so wash your hands," she said, climbing onto the counter and leaning down into the sink to wash her hands, "Rinse the towel and hang it up."

She rinsed the towel, then hung it on the dishwasher, "Oops. Forgot to squeeze it out."

She squeezed out the excess water, leaving a puddle on the floor under the dishwasher, "Oops."

She grabbed a towel from the drawer and wiped up the water, then tossed it into the sink. She moved to her sister's backpack,

"Okay, she'll forgive you when she knows it was for breakfast. She's always hungry."

She pulled out a twenty-dollar bill and headed for the door. She hurried back out through the door, careful to be sure it closed quietly, then ran across the yard to the shed. She found a bike that was a little big for her, but since it was a girls' bike, she figured she could handle it. She felt the tires,

"Oops. They're flat," she looked around the shed until she found the pump hanging on the wall, "I've got this."

She had seen Manny do this a bunch of times to her bike. She unscrewed the little caps and, pushed the hose on and then started to pump, feeling the tires until they were full.

"Cool! I did it!" she smiled, screwing the caps back on, "Hit the road! Eggs for breakfast!"

Rudy walked the bike out of the shed and then straddled the frame, "It's bigger than I thought."

She put one foot on the peddle and pushed off, the handles wobbling until she got her other foot planted on the free peddle. She peddled harder until she was fast enough to keep the bike steady. Of course, she couldn't reach the seat to sit down, but she didn't mind standing up to ride,

"Wait. Maybe I can put the seat down."

She pulled over to the side of the driveway and put down the kick stand, "Okay, so the flippy thingy is there. I pull it out and… whoa," she said, as the seat felt down almost pinching her hand. She flipped the lock back and then got started again,

"Okay. That's much better," she said, heading down the driveway. When she got to the main street, she stopped, looking left and right, "Wow. Nobody's out of bed."

She thought for a moment, "I know we passed the store. We turned right into the driveway, so I guess I go right."

She headed off down the road, not realizing she was going the wrong way. She peddled and peddled, looking for the store, but couldn't find one. Finally, she found a bookstore that was open. She laid her bike down outside and walked in, smiling.

"Wow. This is like my library in school."

She saw a bright colored rug with a checkboard floor and headed to the area, immediately finding a book called 'How to Babysit a Grandma'.

"That's a funny title," she said, taking the book and sitting in a beanbag chair, "Wow. This is an awesome chair."

She opened the book and began to read, getting lost in the story.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Bev Turk had owned Two Sister's Bookstore for twenty years. She loved four things – her wife, her town, her store, and her books. Sure, there were other things she loved, but getting to turn people on to her favorite stories and even some of her not so favorite stories… well, that was just something that made her day – every day.

She left her office and headed out towards the front. The store was always quiet at this time of day but in another hour, customers would start to trickle in, looking for a good read for bedtime, the beach or even something for their little ones. She loved the kids' circle area. She could spend all day there if it weren't for the other customers that needed her attention – after all, kids always had their parents with them.

She headed to the register, adding the tray with the starting cash, then closed it. She was straightening the items out front when she thought she heard a sound. She walked around the last stack of books to the children's area where there was a little girl sitting, reading a book in a beanbag chair,

"Hello?"

Rudy looked up, "Hi. This is a really good book. You should read it."

Bev sat down in the rocking chair and smiled, "I've already read it and I agree."

"You read a book that's for little kids?"

Bev smiled and nodded, "I've read every book in this store. A book doesn't go on these shelves unless I've read both the book and read every review, I can find from everyone who has ever read the book."

"What's a review?"

"It's the opinion people have of a book… some more qualified to offer an opinion than others, but I read every review."

"Why?"

"Because a book that one person or even twenty people like, another person or twenty other people may not. Writers build a story from their imagination because they have a vision of a life or a series of events outside of their own. Some people will want to dive into that world and some people won't."

"Well, I love what this writer wrote. It's a cool idea to think of me being my grandmother's babysitter… not that I have a grandmother, but I babysit my sisters' dogs a lot."

"Oh? Your sister has dogs?"

Rudy smiled, "She has one super special dog and about a hundred other dogs."

"A hundred, huh?"

Rudy smiled, "And they just got done making more babies! We're gonna have puppies!"

Bev frowned, "So your sister runs a puppy mill?"

"I don't know what that is. She runs a kennel with a bunch of other people and a team of veterinarians and a bunch of families. They train the dogs to pull sleds in races or to transport people to and from work or grocery shopping or to harvest vegetables or whatever."

Bev nodded, "Where do you live, Sweetie?"

Rudy smiled, "My sister's wife calls me that. I like it."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't want to take a special name from you, but I don't know your real name."

"Rudy. I'm Rudy Dennis," she said, standing up and offering her hand.

Bev smiled, "Well, it's nice to meet you, Rudy Dennis. I'm Beverly Turk, but you can call me Bev. I'm the owner of this bookstore."

Rudy smiled, "I love books more than anything… well, except Snow and Cinder… and Harper and Belle and Elsa and Anna and…"

"I suppose you're a fan of Disney Princesses?"

Rudy shrugged, "I like Disney movies, but my sister loved them when she was a little girl."

"But you just said you loved…"

"Oh. Those are the names of my favorite dogs in my sisters' kennel. Well, Snow is my friend Elise's puppy and Cinder is mine. We named them in honor of two dogs that my sister had when she was younger, but a bad man… well, he killed them and a bunch of my sisters other dogs. The FBI came and took the bad man away, so now my sister is happy again and our dogs are all safe. Well, as safe as they can be considering they're champions and so people might try to steal them to either raise their own from sister's champion blood line or to sell them. It's kind of confusing and I don't really understand it all, but my sister has a lot of responsibility."

"Where did you say you were from?"

"Alaska. Well, I lived in Hawaii until last year… with my mom. She was in hiding from the bad man and the FBI was watching over us. Then, it was time for me to finally meet my sister. My mom had to leave her when she was really young so that the bad man would follow her instead of my sister. Now, my sister and I are together all the time with my mom and we found out we have a brother too. We all came here for our honeymoon."

Bev's eyes went wide, "Honeymoon? Is that so?"

"Uh-huh. My sister got married and my new sister lived here all her life… well, maybe not all her life but since she was old enough to buy her own house here. She's some big important doctor, but to me, she's just my new sister. Ohmagosh! Eggs! I forgot the eggs!"

"What? I mean… Rudy, how did you get here?"

"We flew, silly. It's not like we could take a sled from Alaska to here."

"Are you alone?"

"Of course not. My family and all our friends are back at the beach house. You see, they were all asleep and my stomach was growling and growling. I tried to stay in bed, but my belly hurt, so I got up and went to sisters' house and… well, I watched my mom and Aunt Molly make breakfast hundreds of times and I watched sister cook breakfast on an open fire so I thought I could do it too."

She shrugged, "I got out the pans and the bacon, but when I stood on the stool that had the spinning seat to reach the eggs, the seat spun and I fell and the eggs went all SPLAT on the ground and on me."

She heaved a big sigh, "I cleaned up my mess, but I needed to get eggs so that we could still have family breakfast. I think I made a wrong turn on the bike though because I couldn't find the store and then I saw this store and… well, my mom calls me a book worm cause I kinda can't put a book down once I start reading unless someone tells me it's time for dinner."

Bev laughed, "Only dinner will stop you from reading?"

Rudy nodded, "Or when my sister takes me out on the trail with my team and her team, but now the snow is melted so we'll be planting in the garden. We have the best garden ever."

"Out on the trail?" Bev asked, her mind set firmly on anything Rudy had to tell her. She wanted to help this lost little girl, but she was truly the most enthusiastically speedy talker she'd ever encountered.

"The sledding trail? You know, mushing?"

Bev was starting to understand, "Dog sledding?"

Rudy nodded, "Uh-huh. Sometimes the snow is too deep where we live to get a truck through, but the dogs never fail us. I got sick last year and we had to get me to the hospital. The truck was buried, but the dogs made it through using a kind of plow idea that sister had. She hooked two teams of eighteen dogs together and… well, I guess I'm talking a lot. We made it and I'm okay. Sister says that's all that matters."

Bev smiled, "Well, your sister is absolutely right."

"I guess I'd better go get eggs. Can I buy this book and still have enough money for eggs?"

"That depends. How much money do you have?"

Rudy dug the twenty-dollar-bill out of her pocket, "I have this."

"Well, let's take a look, shall we?"

Bev took the book to the register and scanned the code, "The book is nine dollars and fifty cents, so you'll have plenty of money left for eggs."

Rudy stared at the money,

"Actually, Sister was asleep when I took the money from her for eggs. I probably shouldn't buy the book without asking her first. I'll come back if she says I can use her money to buy it. My money is back home. Momma said I should leave it there because the adults were paying for everything. But they already paid for my plane and another plane for next week and the whale watch and then sister had to go to the hospital last night and... well, that's a whole 'nother story."

Bev nodded, "I see. Rudy, you said you left without asking your sister for money. Does anyone in your family know where you are right now?"

She shook her head, "They were all asleep and I didn't want to wake them over some broken eggs."

Bev nodded, "But don't you think when they wake up and find you gone that they might be worried?"

Rudy froze, "Um… uh… well, I didn't really think… oops. My mom will be worried and she'll tell Sister and then they'll all worry and… I think I'd better get back."

She started to run for the door, but Bev called to her, "Rudy! Wait! Why don't I drive you? Do you remember the way back?"

Rudy looked out the door, "Um… I think… maybe that way? Or… no, maybe that way. Um… oh no! I don't… I don't know!"

Bev ran to her, kneeling down in front of the youngster whose bottom lip was quivering as her eyes filled with tears,

"It's okay, Rudy. We'll get you back to your family, okay?"

"Okay."

"Now, you said you're staying at your new sister's house?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Good. Can you tell me her name?"

"Lauren."

Bev smiled, "Do you know her last name?"

"She has my sisters' last name now."

"Okay. Did you know her name before?"

"Lewis! She's Doctor Lauren Lewis."

"Lauren?" Bev asked, "Lauren married your sister?"

Rudy nodded, "Yup. She's my sister now too. She's Doctor Lauren Dennis. Dennis is my last name too."

Bev's eyes went wide, "Well, how about that! I happen to know your new sister. She used to come in here to buy books all the time. I haven't seen her for a little over a year."

"Well, it's a long way from Alaska to your store."

Bev nodded, "It sure is. Let's give her a call."

"You have her number?"

Bev nodded, "Sometimes, I don't have the books she needs – you know, doctor books."

"They're super thick... and super heavy!"

"Yes, they are. So, she special orders them and I call her when they arrive so she can come and get them."

"That's nice of you to order her a special book.",

"Why thank you, Rudy," Bev said, holding the phone to her ear.

"Bev?"

"Lauren! It's nice to hear your voice."

"Yours as well. I'm kind of in the middle of an emergency, but did I forget to pick up a book order? I'm so sorry! I was transferred to a hospital in Alaska and…"

"Lauren, it's okay. You didn't forget to pick up a book, but I have a feeling I can help you with your emergency. Do you want to come by and pick up your new little sister?"

"Rudy is with you?"

"Yes, she is and we're having a wonderful time getting to know each other."

"How on earth did she end up with you?"

"Apparently, she woke up hungry and no one else was awake, so tried to make breakfast for you and your new family – congratulations, by the way – but she had a little mishap with the eggs."

"Well, that explains my floors and my towels."

"She knew there wouldn't be enough eggs for family breakfast, so she took twenty dollars from your wife's backpack and headed out on a bike to buy more eggs before anyone woke up. She got turned around and came in here, then found the children's circle and…"

"Say no more, Bev. You found her reading?"

"Yes. She'd like to buy a book and eggs."

"You're selling eggs now?"

Bev laughed, "No, but we do still have our chickens and a good supply that I'll be happy to give you as a wedding present… book included."

"Bev, that won't be necessary…"

"Lauren, I insist. For one of my best customers and the fun I've had over the last little while talking to this brilliant little one, it's the least I can do."

"She is a special little girl, isn't she?"

"She is. So, we'll go gather some eggs and she'll be ready to go when you get here."

"Thank you, Bev. This time, you've really gone above and beyond as a bookstore owner and friend. Is Ronnie around?"

"You know what? She was in a session when I left, but she has off from ten to twelve. I'll send her a text and let her know you're coming in. I'm sure she'll want to come around to the store to see you, even if you can only stay for a little while. Bring the new wife by too. We'd love to meet her."

Lauren smiled, "I'll be bringing Rudy's best friend… our adopted daughter… as well. She'll be picking a book also."

Bev nodded, "Okay, so we'll need to hear that story too."

Lauren nodded, not wanting to have to explain that she wasn't quite adopted yet but would be. She felt ashamed that she had ever rejected her to begin with. She sighed,

"Well, we'll see you in about twenty minutes. I need to call off the search party first."

"Understood."

Bev hung up and turned to Rudy, "They'll be here in about twenty minutes. You said you rode a bike?"

Rudy nodded, "It's out front. Am I in trouble?"

Bev smiled, "I think they're just happy to have found you, Rudy. Lauren and your sister and your best friend are coming to get you."

"Not my mom?"

"Not that Lauren mentioned, but maybe your mom was out with the others looking for you."

"They're all out looking for me?"

Bev sighed, "Well, my young friend, when adults wake up and one of the little ones has gone missing, it tends to cause the adults to panic, thinking the worst."

"That I got eaten by a bear?" Rudy asked.

Bev's eyes went wide, "Now why would they think that?"

"Because a bear attacked me when I was on my sled a few months ago. I didn't see him, and I must have gotten too close to the cubs, so he came running out and I flipped my sled, and he was batting me around like I was a ball until my Aunt Molly distracted him."

"Oh, my. Well, we don't have any bears around here, so I think they were just worried because they didn't know where you were. Lauren's house is right on the beach, so with the current in the water sometimes…"

"They thought I drownded? My mom knows I never go into the water without my surfboard and my life jacket."

Bev smiled, "A safety first, girl, huh? I like that."

"Well, in Hawaii, there's super big waves. I started surfing when I was three, but I'm still little compared to the waves."

"You're a surfer too?"

Rudy smiled, "I gave it up to live with my sister in Alaska. She's more important than surfing."

"My, what a sacrifice. That's a very grown-up decision."

"Lauren says I'm wise beyond my years."

Bev smiled, "Well, have you ever collected eggs from chickens?"

"Like the kind we get at the store?"

Bev nodded, "My wife and I have chickens out back. I told Lauren I would give her eggs for your family breakfast and since you came out to get eggs, I thought you might want to be the one to get them."

Rudy smiled, "I did smash a whole container."

Bev walked to the door and flipped around the plastic clock, moving the hands to let customers know when she would be back, then closed and locked the door.

"You're closing your store? But what if a kid like me wants to come and read?"

Bev smiled, "They'll be back. We won't be gone long. Follow me."

Rudy followed Bev down the hallway to the back of the store where there were boxes stacked all over the place,

"Wow. Are these all books?"

Bev nodded, "Yup. Some are just stock to replace our most popular ones and others are new."

"I wish I had a bookstore," Rudy smiled, "Sister and Lauren and I are reading Captain Nemo right now. We're almost finished. I love it," she stopped when they stepped out into a beautiful garden, "Wow. This is… it's like a fairy tale land."

Bev smiled, "We're lucky that we get full sun in our backyard and the fencing helps to keep the cold breeze out, so things just usually start popping up in late March like this."

"So, what happens in April if it already looks like this?"

Bev grinned, "We'll find out next week, I suppose."

"We won't be here next week," Rudy said, suddenly covering her mouth, "But you hafta promise not to tell Lauren. I don't know if she knows or not. Sister and my mom and Aunt Molly and my friend Elise made this whole plan for our honeymoon and the next part isn't here but it's a surprise."

"But she knew she was coming here?" Bev asked, taking the winding path around the cottage.

"Nope. Sister had a blindfold on her and headphones so she wouldn't know where she was going. It was so much fun. We all surprised her on the ship from Boston to here. We're going to the city tomorrow. I can't wait!"

Rudy peeked in a window, "Is this your house?"

Bev smiled, "Yes, it is."

"It's like a fairy cottage."

"I've never thought of it that way, but I suppose it is."

"And is that where you grow seeds?" Rudy asked, pointing to the shed.

Bev shook her head, "Seeds?"

"We have a building something like that and we grow seeds in there all winter to plant in the spring."

"Oh, I see. Well, we get our plants from a nursery who grows seedlings in their greenhouses."

"Then why do you have a growing shed?"

"That's called a she-shed. It's my wife's office where she sees her clients and does her work."

"But then she comes over to this cottage when she's done?"

Bev nodded, "Or she comes to the bookstore if I'm still there."

"Do you have kids?"

Bev smiled, giving a nod towards the chicken run, "These are our kids, and my wife has a daughter from a previous marriage who's all grown up. She works in the city."

"Oh goodness! They're so funny… and cute! Do they have names?" Rudy asked, walking along the fence while saying hello to each of the birds.

"There's Silly Simple, Chattie Lou, Miss Cackleberry, Suz Springsteen, Prima Donna, Lucille Ball and of course, Chicken Little – but we call her Little for short."

"It's like a whole family in there."

Bev nodded, "Yup. They have their own house and their own lives back here."

"Do they mind that people take their eggs?"

Bev cleared her throat, searching for an answer. Thinking of Lauren, she decided honesty was best,

"Well, there aren't any male chickens, so the eggs aren't fertilized."

"What's fertilized?" Rudy asked.

"Well, that's what has to happen for a baby chick to be born."

"Oh. So, it has a sperm in it."

Bev was surprised, but she nodded, "That's right."

"I'm glad we're not eating eggs with sperms in them. That would be gross."

Bev laughed, "I'd have to agree. Okay, let's grab a carton… we order these online… and start picking your eggs."

Rudy looked under the chickens and all around the coop, "Where are they?"

"Open those little doors. There's a chute that leads to a little room and when you open the door, you'll see them."

Rudy did as she explained, her eyes going wide when she saw three eggs under the first door, "Wow! It's like magic!"

Bev chuckled, "Now, handle them with care. Eggs break."

"Tell me about it! That's how I got into this mess!"

Bev smiled, "Well, frankly, I'm happy you got into this mess."

"You are?"

"I never would have met you if you didn't get lost and find my bookstore."

"I guess that's true," Rudy smiled, "And I never would have known about my sister Lauren's bookstore!"

By the time they had gathered up the eggs, Ronnie and her client were walking out of the shed. Bev asked Rudy to stay put for a moment until the two parted ways, then stepped out from behind the coop to say hello.

Ronnie saw Bev first, "Hey! Got your text. So, Lauren's back in town? Did you find out where she's been?"

Bev smiled, "She'll be here soon, so we can both get the scoop."

Seeing the young child step out from behind her wife, Ronnie smiled,

"And who is this little one?"

Staying true to form the youngest Dennis stepped forward, extending a hand, "I'm Rudy Dennis. It's very nice to meet you."

"Well, hello Rudy. I'm Ronnie, Bev's wife. I see you're gathering some eggs. Are you a new hire?"

Bev laughed, "She's Lauren's sister-in-law."

"In-law? Lauren's married?"

Rudy nodded, "She married my sister, Ysabeau Dennis, but they call her Bo. I just call her Sister since… well, she's my sister."

Ronnie looked at Bev, "I've heard that name before… I think it was online a few weeks ago."

Rudy smiled, "Probably when she won the Iditarod. She set a record for the highest number of consecutive wins ever by a musher and the highest for a female."

"The Iditarod? That sled dog race in Alaska?" Ronnie asked.

"Yup. She's a professional musher," Rudy replied.

Bev smiled, "So that's why you have all the dogs?"

"Uh-huh."

Rudy's head snapped up when she heard Lauren's voice, "Bev? Ronnie?"

Putting the eggs down in the grass, Rudy took off, running to see her sister-in-law, "Lauren! I picked eggs!"

Lauren knelt down, wrapping her arms around her precious little sister-in-law, "Roo, I'm only going to say this once and then we'll drop it, okay?"

"You're mad at me."

Lauren pulled back, watching as Rudy's eyes lifted to meet Bo's, "And you're mad at me too?"

Elise ran to Rudy's side, throwing her arms around her, "I love you, but I was so scared. I thought you drowned in the ocean!"

Rudy hugged her friend, then looked up at the two women,

"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to worry anyone. I thought I would be right back and after I broke all the eggs, I knew Mom would be mad at me, but I was hungry and… I'm really sorry. I got lost and this was the only store that was open, and Sister always said that if I'm lost, to stay put and she would find me. I'm sorry, I worried you."

Lauren nodded, "Well, sorry isn't going to be good enough this time around, Roo. There will be no surfing today. You're beached."

"But…"

Bo put up a hand, "Roo, don't… just don't. When Mom woke up and couldn't find you, she ran into the house screaming for us. Lauren and I were terrified and Elise thought you went out to surf alone. We were searching the water and the beaches for you, then we started wondering if you went out to the beach and someone took you. So Tamsin called the police and they sent out an Amber Alert. Do you know what that means, Roo?"

Rudy shook her head as tears began to fall. Lauren wanted to hug her, but Mary had made them promise they wouldn't go easy on her, so she stilled her will and spoke,

"An Amber Alert goes out to every phone Rudy. It's a national alert. For the last hour, people all over the country were searching for you and your family and friends were walking in and out of the water and up and down the beach. Even Tosh who is very sick right now was out searching."

Rudy looked up at Bo, "You went out on your crutches?"

Bo frowned, "Well, I sure as hell can't drive a sled on the beach, Roo."

"But I was just trying to make up for what I did wrong."

Bo walked to a bench and sat down, putting her crutches on the right of her while patting the seat on the left. Lauren next to her while Elise hugged her leg,

"Roo, lately, you've made a lot of mistakes that you've had to make up for and you've done a lot of apologizing. We know that you're super smart and super skilled and that you want to do things that you think you can do by yourself, but you really have to start thinking about the consequences of your actions before you act."

"Like with the bear?"

Bo shook her head, "Rudy, even I might have driven my sled into that bear, so no, that's not a good example. When you took Lauren's surfboard out of the shed yesterday and ran into her house with it, banging it off of doors and cabinets, did you stop and think about what carrying a surfboard into a house might do to the house? Just walking into the entrance, she has two glass vases, two lamps, a ceiling fan, three wall-hangings in glass frames and several pieces of furniture."

Rudy nodded, "I know it was wrong. I didn't mean to…"

"Rudy, the Iditarod trail is paved with Mushers who said I didn't mean to and left their dogs buried out there. Thinking before you act is something we are going to work on as a family because where we live, things can go horribly wrong when you do something without thinking."

"Like when I drove my sled across the lake in September and the ice cracked?"

"Exactly like that."

"And when I took the penis book to school for show and tell."

Bev and Ronnie had to turn away as laughter threatened to pour from their mouths.

"Exactly like that too."

"And when I tried to cook brownies in the pit by the lake and set the fence post on fire?"

"Now you're getting the idea."

"And when I flipped my sled but didn't drop my brake before dropping my anchor?"

"Rudy, I don't think we have enough time to list them all…"

Elise chimed in, "How about when she tried to climb up onto the arch for your wedding to put the flowers up there and got her foot stuck in that lattice stuff and ended up hanging upside down yelling for help."

Rudy scowled while Lauren's eyes went wide. Bo could only shrug as she turned to her knew charge,

"That's enough, Elise. You've had your moments too and while you aren't being beached today, let this be a lesson to you. No more I'm sorries. Period. There will be consequences when you do things that can get you seriously injured, killed or cause the adults to lose their minds. Now, I hate to do this to you, Roo but Mom made me promise."

She pulled out her phone, dialed Mary and handed her the phone,

"She'll discuss it with you over the phone and you won't hear another word about it from us when you get back. I can't make any promises about the rest of the family. I'm sure Tamsin will have something to say… and Kurt… and you should probably just stay quiet when Shannie gets hold of you."

Rudy sighed, holding the phone to her ear. The tears rolled down her face as she repeatedly said she was sorry, eventually, launching her head into Bo's lap. The brunette rubbed her back, doing her best to sooth her as their mom read the youngster the riot act for running off without telling anyone.

Lauren walked over to her friends, "Well… hello, you two."

Bev and Ronnie each held out and arm, pulling Lauren in for a hug sandwich. When she pulled back, she sighed, looking at the therapist,

"Don't judge. That one's a handful."

"She actually did all of those things that she said?" Ronnie asked.

Lauren smiled, "One of these days, you two will come to visit us and see where I've made my new home. We live off the land and live in the wild right on a riverfront beneath an amazing view of Denali."

"Denali the mountain?" Ronnie asked.

Lauren nodded.

"Well, guess where this one has been nagging me to go for a vacation?"

"Really? Alaska?" Lauren asked.

Bev nodded, "One of our state picture books came in about Alaska and I just have to go. Everything looks so… majestic."

Lauren smiled, "Wait until you see it in person."

Ronnie gave a nod towards the group, "I think the call is over."

Lauren turned to walk away, but Ronnie pulled her in and whispered, close enough for her wife to hear,

"Just remember, my wife is a bookstore owner and book addict. She's going to have to read this penis book."

The three laughed, "Her teacher was mortified. She started reading the book in front of the whole class and turning it around to show the pictures…"

Laughing hard at the memory, Lauren couldn't finish. She wiped her tears, calming herself before turning back towards the three on the bench,

"That's my family, Ladies. I had no idea I could love deeper than the ocean."

"It's a beautiful thing, Lauren," Ronnie said.

Bev shook her head, "Poor kid. She's got such a great heart from the short time I spent with her."

Lauren nodded, "She does. A huge heart, but her mom was terrified. She's just so spontaneous and you never know what she might do. She's very trusting of adults because she's been surrounded by… well adults she could trust all her life…"

"Like Federal Agents?" Bev asked as Ronnie looked at her, shocked, "What's going on, Lauren?"

"Look – why don't we plan to get together for dinner one night this week?"

"And you'll get us all caught up?" Bev asked.

Lauren nodded, "I promise. Can we go out or do it here?"

"I heard you have quite the group at your house," Bev smiled.

"I do and… well, come meet the most important women in my life."

Grinning, Lauren walked over to the bench, "This is my wife, Ysabeau Dennis…"

"You can just call me Bo. It's nice to meet friends of Lauren's."

"Hi Bo, I'm Bev."

"The one who found our Roo?" Bo asked, grabbing her crutches.

"One and the same, please – no need to stand."

Bo nodded, "We can't thank you enough for looking out for her. She's lucky she ran into a friendly adult."

"I'm glad it all worked out."

"I'm Ronnie, Bev's wife."

Bo shook the other woman's hand as Ronnie smiled, "I had nothing to do with the rescue of your sister since I was with a client, but I'm glad she's okay. Congratulations on that Iditarod record. I read your name online a few weeks back. You were trending on Twitter."

Bo looked at Lauren, "What's a twitter?"

Lauren smiled, "A form of social media, Sweetie," Lauren said, turning to her friends, "Tech takes a big back seat where we are."

"Well, you never were big on social media anyway."

Lauren nodded, "I'm still not. I hired people at the hospital to handle all of our marketing."

"So, we heard a lot of rumors, but none clarified. You opened a hospital and sent Evony and Nadia to jail?"

Lauren hung her head, "Actually, Nadia died in Boston while crossing the street towards her girlfriend, but yes, Evony is behind bars. Stephen Archer and I now own the hospitals she used to own including the one that she sent me to Alaska to oversee. While I was there, I met Bo and… well, for the first time in my life, I'm completely and utterly in love. We got married two weeks ago and she surprised me with a trip home as part of our honeymoon, though she has other tricks up her sleeve, apparently. At least this part comes complete with all of our family and friends."

Bev smiled, "So, Rudy is Bo's sister, but I don't believe we've met this lovely young lady."

Elise shot her hand out, "I'm Elise Valaria, soon to be Elise Valaria Dennis."

"Valaria?" Bev asked, looking up at Lauren, but Elise jumped in to explain,

"My parents died during a disease that killed a lot of people. Lauren and my brother… well, my adopted brother who I guess won't be my adopted brother anymore, but Lauren and him… LJ is his name, short for Little Jon… came out to rescue us and take my parents to their hospital by tin dog…"

"Tin dog?" Ronnie asked.

"Snow machine," Bo explained.

"Oh. We went on a snowmobile riding adventure last year…" Ronnie began, but Bo shook her head,

"Snow machine or snow bike, not snow mobile. Snow mobiles have runners like skis. They don't work well where we are. We ride snow machines. We have two types in our family. One is skis in the front and what looks like the tread of a military tank in the back. The other has that same tank tread front and back rather than side by side so it's more like a motorcycle."

"Why do you call them tin dogs?" Ronnie asked.

Bo shrugged, but Rudy answered, "We use sled dogs. They don't make loud noise, don't cause avalanches, and don't need fuel that messes up the environment. When you put an engine on it, you turn the dog sled into a tin dog. Get it?"

Ronnie nodded, "I do. Thanks for the explanation."

"Sure!"

She turned to Elise, "So Lauren and LJ came to get you and your parents on the snow machine because you were sick?"

Elise nodded, "I wasn't sick yet because my parents made me stay away from them except when I went in to give them their medicine, water or soup. By the time Lauren found us, they were already dead. My mom had read about Lauren in a local newspaper and researched all about her online. She decided that I should live with her."

She lowered her head, "I mean… she was still trying to live. She called our doctor at our clinic and he was supposed to come, but I guess she just waited too long. The doctor at our clinic died and it took a while until anyone realized it. By the time my mom called a second time, my dad had died and by the time they got Lauren there, well, it was too late for her too."

She looked up at Lauren, "For a while, Lauren was super busy trying to get the new hospital ready. She gave me up to Molly and Mark who adopted me but now that she and Bo are married and she's more settled, they're going to adopt me and we're going to be a family. Rudy and I will be sisters and Rudy's mom will be my aunt. So, it all worked out."

Lauren smiled down at the youngster, "We still have those days where she really misses mom and dad, but…"

"I know that it's okay to miss them because that's just my heart remembering how much I love my parents and always will."

Lauren nodded, leaning down and kissing her forehead before she looked back up at her friends who were clearly shocked.

Bo smiled, "I'm sure this is the last thing you expected to hear about Lauren's life…"

Ronnie interrupted Bo's clear inability to find words,

"You mean since most people saw her as some stoic, all-work, no-play wasn't-really-into-marriage-or-kids-the-first-time-around bachelorette for life type? Nope. Definitely not the expectation, but now, she chose this."

Bev smiled, "Oh, that's obvious from the smile on her face and the twinkle in her eye."

Ronnie agreed, "I'm just shocked to see you so happy. I mean, I'm sorry Lauren but when you were with Nadia you always seemed to be holding your breath. You only seemed relaxed when you were alone or with Shannie or Lynnie. I heard they're here too?"

Lauren nodded, "And Kelly. They're all engaged."

"I thought Lynnie and Shannie would have been married by now," Ronnie said.

Lauren shrugged, "They just weren't in any hurry. Now they said they're going to do it."

"And we're planning their wedding just like we did our Sisters'," Rudy smiled as Elise nodded.

"Wedding planners, huh?" Bev asked.

Elise nodded, "Yup!"

Bev smiled, "Well, I believe Elise still needs to pick out her book, right?"

"Can I?" Elise asked, looking up at Lauren.

"Yes. One book."

Rudy looked up at Bo, "I have to make one of those confession things."

"Oh?" Bo asked.

Rudy nodded, "I borrowed twenty dollars from your wallet in your backpack."

"Is that considered borrowing?"

Rudy hung her head, "It's stealing since I didn't have permission. I'm sorry."

"What about that word sorry?" Bo asked.

"I should have stopped myself from stealing before I stole."

"Correct."

"But I didn't have money for the eggs."

Bo shook her head, "Then you should have woken me up to ask for the money."

Rudy pleaded, "But you told me not to open your closed bedroom door and Lauren got mad at me for waking you up when you were sleeping yesterday!"

Bo nodded, "I understand that's confusing for you, Roo but neither of those things included you hopping on a bike that was too big for you and peddling that bike through a town you know nothing about. Do you see the difference?"

"Yes."

"Do you really?"

Rudy nodded, "We were home yesterday and there were other people around who were awake for me to talk to instead of you."

Lauren added, "Roo, keep in mind that if you had opened up the cupboards, you could have eaten any of the groceries we bought to avoid ever having touched the eggs."

Rudy sighed, "And none of this would ever have happened."

"That's right. You could have sat down with a bowl of cereal and read Nemo on your own," Bo said, "I would rather you read ahead without us than have us sit and worry about you laying in a ditch on the side of the road."

"Okay," Lauren said, cutting Bo off, "Rudy, show Elise where the children's circle is and we'll be right in."

"Okay," Rudy said, "Bev, should I open the store for you?"

Bev smiled, "I'll be right behind you, Rudy, so no need. Just walk around back. You know where to go. Show Elise where everything is and just enjoy your time in the store."

Lauren looked down at the time, "Well, thank you again so much for watching out for her."

Bev smiled and nodded, "That's one smart cookie you've got there. Elise too."

Ronnie grinned, "It's a great little family. So, Bo's mom is living with you?"

Bo nodded, "My mom and I were…estranged for a while…"

"Rudy shared the story with me – I mean, a bit of a confusing version, but she said the FBI kept you apart?"

Bo looked at Lauren, giving her a nod, so the blonde explained, "We can talk more about it at dinner this week. Let's just say that Bo's past is similar and much different than mine in many ways. We've all got our burdens to carry, but Bo's father was a dangerous man. When the FBI decided to blow the case open, they brought Bo's mom and sister back, putting all of us into protective custody until he and his gang of evil doers were all behind bars."

Bo nodded, "I only met Rudy last spring, but she means the world to me… Elise too."

Lauren smiled, "She also learned that her dad had another life complete with another family, so she has an older brother and his family now as well. We've got a wonderful life."

Ronnie threw her arm over Bev's shoulder, "Well, we're very happy for you. Let's make a dinner plan."

Bev nodded, "Feel free to bring Shannie and Lynnie too."

"I'll ask."

"How about tonight?" Bo asked, shocking Lauren that she was so willing to put herself in a social situation with strangers.

"Are you sure you can swing it on such short notice?" Bev asked.

Bo nodded, "They're all going into the city today since Rudy is beached. They don't want to take away all of her fun. When they get back, they're ordering pizza and watching a movie at Lauren's. They'll never miss us."

Bev smiled, "I'm sure that's not true, but sure. That works for us. How about we make reservations, and you meet us here? We can walk… I mean… Bo obviously…"

Lauren smiled, "We'll pick you up at 7pm? Reservations for 7:30?"

"Sounds perfect," Ronnie said, "My last client is at five, so that gives me an hour to shower and change."

"And I'll shower at lunch so we're not crammed into our tiny bathroom together trying to get ready," Bev smiled, handing Lauren the eggs.

"Thank you for the eggs," Lauren smiled, "How much do I owe you?"

Bev shook her head, "Nadda. I gave you eighteen since you have a big crew at the house and consider the girls' books our wedding present to you."

Ronnie smirked, "She'll also wrap up a book about lesbian sex for tonight, so you have an actual wedding present."

Bo laughed, "My kind of friends."

Ronnie grinned at Lauren, "I knew I liked her."

Lauren smiled, wrapped her arm into Bo's, "What's not to love?"

Bev looked at her wife, "Hearts are breaking all over Boston tonight. Lauren Dennis, aka Lauren Lewis, is officially off the market, Ladies!"

Ronnie threw a fist up, "Hallelujah!"

The four women laughed before turning to the backyard and into the bookstore. They weren't surprised to find Rudy and Elise laying on a beanbag chair together, a stack of books on their laps as they tried to pick just one.

Lauren shook her head, "Okay. Two books each. You have ten minutes. Your family is hungry."

Lauren turned and handed Bev twenty dollars, "Let us at least pay for two of them."

"Fine. Now, where do you want to go tonight?"

Lauren looked at Bo who shrugged, "It's your territory. Something great from the sea would be nice though."

Nodding, the blonde turned to her friends, "Is Alicia's restaurant open for the season yet?"

Bev smiled, "Two weeks ago. Great idea. We'll give her a call as soon as you leave. She'll make us something yummy. We'll have to work for it, but the whole concept of her restaurant is fun. I mean if Bo doesn't mind having to trust a fisherman-chef with our meal?"

Bo shrugged, knowing that it seemed to classify her daily life,

"Fine by me."

"No allergies we have to worry about?"

Lauren shook her head, "None."

"Great. So, tell us all about the wedding," Bev smiled.

Lauren launched into an explanation about how Bo surprised her by crashing her hospital gala with their wedding and how the entire town came. Rudy and Elise laughed and talked about their books while Bo just took it all in.

This was a life she'd never imagined, and it was good… really, really good.

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