Hey Everyone! Thanks for continuing on with this one - sorry the updates are so far apart - here's a short one to keep it going :) Enjoy!

xxxx

The following month

Lauren checked the thermostat for the third time in an hour. She turned the central air conditioning to a colder setting yet. The constant opening and closing of the sliding glass doors to the back patio had warmed the entire house way too much for Lauren's liking. The heat wave baking the city had permeated into her own home, and there was no escape from the hot summer air despite the air conditioning running without fail. Unfortunately, the inside of the home did little more than provide shade from the sun's direct rays.

"Yikes it's as steamy in here as it is outside!"

Wide eyed, Kenzi shook her head in dramatic fashion as she stepped through the open sliding doors from the back patio. She pushed the door shut quickly before fanning herself with one hand while carrying Charlotte with the other.

Lauren smiled and wiped the back of her hand across her own forehead, feeling too warm for comfort. She proceeded into the kitchen as she replied.

"I know Kenz. I just adjusted the a/c. If it doesn't cool down in here, I'm literally going to stand in the kitchen with my head in the freezer."

Lauren laughed as she said it, knowing the sight would be rather silly and something Kenzi would never let her forget. But instead of proceeding to the freezer, Lauren grabbed handfuls of silverware from the nearby drawer to be used in the dining room. As lovely as it was to have the extended family over for a Sunday cookout, it was entirely too hot to eat outside and their dining room would be getting much use that day.

Kenzi walked across the living room to the kitchen archway, bouncing Charlotte in her arms until she was standing near Lauren. She was smiling at Lauren's statement and instantly pulled open the freezer door, glanced inside and then glanced to Charlotte still in her arms.

"Did you hear that peanut? Your mamma wants to stick her head in the freezer."

Charlotte giggled. Her eyes widened as she stared at the box of freeze pops propped near the front of the freezer. She reached her hands outward as Kenzi stared at her curiously.

"Pop."

Kenzi glanced inside the freezer, not quite versed in Charlotte talk. Lauren, however, knew exactly what she wanted. Gripping a dozen forks and spoons, Lauren bumped the drawer shut with her hip as she explained.

"She sees the popsicle box, Kenz. I'm sure she wants one. Hell I want one. It's like a thousand degrees in here."

Kenzi looked at Lauren and scrunched her brow.

"Oh a popsicle? So should I give her one then? Or is that for dessert?"

Lauren hustled to the dining room and tossed the pile of silverware on the table. She preferred Charlotte not have one before dinner, but the warm air made Lauren comfortable with breaking her own rules for a change and did not hesitate to give permission.

"Go ahead and give her one now. Maybe it will help cool her down until the air conditioning takes the edge off."

Kenzi bounced Charlotte in her arms and smiled.

"Oooh mamma said you can have a popsicle now. Aren't you the lucky little one?"

Kenzi grabbed a popsicle and carried it, with Charlotte, to the dining room. She settled into a chair next to Charlotte's booster seat, carefully maneuvering the sticky wrapper off the cherry flavored freezer pop.

Lauren shifted a few piles of plates and dishes around on the table, making sure there was plenty of space for the food Bo was finishing on the grill. She glanced over to Kenzi, patiently babysitting her own daughter while she and Bo tried to handle all the necessary components needed for a cookout.

"Thanks Kenz," Lauren offered.

"For what?" Kenzi asked.

"For watching Charlotte. I'll take her in a minute. Just gonna grab the condiments."

Kenzi handed the popsicle wrapper to Lauren on her way from the dining room to the kitchen.

"Well I am an awesome aunt, thank you. But no rush, doc. Charlotte is good practice for me. Isn't that right, peanut?!"

Kenzi made silly faces at her niece, helping the little one enjoy the sugary popsicle treat in hand. She held it carefully while Charlotte tried to lick the cold dessert, which served up quite a bit of entertainment for Kenzi in return.

Lauren tossed the sticky popsicle wrapper in the trash and stood in front of the refrigerator for a moment. She used the moment of silence to replay Kenzi's words in her head. Good practice. That needed a bit more of an explanation despite the assumptions already formulating in the doctor's mind.

Lauren yanked open the refrigerator door and collected the necessary condiments for Sunday supper. With hands full, Lauren finally turned away from the refrigerator and walked back into the dining room. She dumped the plastic containers all over the table and stared at Kenzi.

"Practice, huh? So are you and Hale…trying?"

Lauren didn't want to pry, but that was exactly what she was doing. This was the first she ever heard Kenzi mention children. She picked up her nearby glass of iced tea and gulped it, waiting for Kenzi to reply.

Kenzi shrugged as she held the popsicle for Charlotte, who was trying to eat the entire thing in one bite.

"Not technically, but the subject has come up a few times. I guess you could say it's an ongoing discussion. Hale likes the idea of having kids near the same age as your kids."

Lauren swallowed her drink too quickly, causing her to cough as she heard Kenzi refer to her children in the plural sense. She covered her mouth and swallowed.

"My kids plural? As in more than one? You realize we only have one child and you're currently holding her, right?"

Kenzi took a lick of Charlotte's popsicle and grimaced.

"Ugh Lauren this thing tastes like cherry flavored medicine. Sick. And for the record, yes I know that you only have one. For now anyway."

Kenzi tossed Lauren a wink as she let Charlotte have the popsicle again. Lauren shook her head.

"For the record, I don't like the cherry popsicles either but they're Charlotte's favorite flavor. Anyway, Bo and I have discussed this. We only want Charlotte and no other kids. For us, there is no need to worry about a surprise baby number two. If that happens, there is surely something in the universe that has gone astray."

Kenzi laughed in agreement with Lauren's statement as the doors to the back patio slid open again. Both women glanced to the doorway, watching Bo enter and lead a parade of other guests and more hot air inside their home.

Before that group was within earshot, Kenzi ended her private conversation with Lauren with one final statement.

"I give you both another year before you're planning number two. And that's all I'll say about the matter."

It was all that Kenzi said about the matter, for the entire group of Sunday supper participants filed into the dining room and brought other conversation with them. The commotion of the moment was typical for their weekly gathering: Lauren finally took Charlotte out of Kenzi's arms so the proud aunt could open up the bags of hamburger and hot dog buns, Hale was passing out more cold beers from the fridge, Cassie and fire fighter Ty Sanders handed out plates around the table, Bo was trying to make more room on the table for the platter of grilled food, and fire fighter Ryan Lambert carried in two giant bowls of chilled side dishes from the kitchen.

Lauren simply sat down in her chair, watching melted cherry flavored popsicle run down Charlotte's chin and soak into her own yellow shirt. Lauren rolled her eyes. That stain would never come out, and she made a mental note to never buy red colored anything ever again.

"Doctor Lewis, do you want me to hold Charlotte while you make a plate?"

Ryan was standing at her side, smiling wide. Despite knowing Lauren for years, he insisted on calling her Doctor Lewis. She supposed it was similar to how he always called Bo "Chief".

"Thanks Ryan but this shirt is already lost to the stain gods. No sense putting you through that."

"Okay. Well if you change your mind just let me know," Ryan replied as he grabbed a plate, starting his own food assembly.

All the other guests claimed seats at the dining room table and began to fill their plates as well. Salads and ketchup bottles were passed around the table as the family settled in for another Sunday supper. The guests moved about the dining room comfortably until all but Bo was seated and getting ready to dig in.

Bo placed a plate of food in front of Lauren. She leaned down and kissed Charlotte on the head, winking at Lauren in the process. The doctor smiled, whispering a heartfelt "thank you" for assembling her plate of food. Bo simply nodded her acknowledgment of Lauren's thanks as she began to take her own seat next to Lauren.

It was then that the front door swung open. A quick glance across the dining and living room allowed Lauren to see none other than Evony stroll in fashionably late. Lauren watched carefully as did Bo, wondering if Evony was alone again. Unfortunately, Lauren set herself up for disappointment as she hoped Tamsin would follow behind Evony, and the doctor was visibly disappointed when Evony closed the door without anyone else behind her.

Evony sauntered into the dining room. "Sorry I'm late. Some of the traffic lights are out. Must be this damn heat."

Bo handed an empty plate to Evony as she handed Bo a bottle of wine in return.

Bo shook her head and replied, "No problem Evony. You're actually right on time. I just took the food off the grill. Hope you're hungry."

Bo looked over the wine bottle once before immediately placing it in front of Lauren. With a crumpled napkin, the doctor wiped Charlotte's chin of another red sugary drip as she eyed the bottle. Lauren knew the label by heart. It was her favorite wine, and despite Evony's best intentions of such an expensive peace offering, Lauren was still unhappy with the detective.

Lauren glanced from the bottle to Evony, who was standing there with an empty plate in hand as Hale offered the detective a beer. Evony declined his offer but kept her eyes trained on Lauren, waiting to see if the blonde would accept her gift as a gesture of good faith.

Lauren took a deep breath, shaking her head at Evony but smiling all the same.

"Thank you for the wine, but I'm still mad at you."

Evony smiled. She took an empty seat near Lauren and began to fill her plate with some of Bo's fabulous cooking.

Evony relaxed her shoulders, grateful for Lauren's statement. At least they were still on speaking terms. "I know, and you can be mad at me for as long as you need to be. Just know that she is safe."

Fire fighter Sanders placed his beer bottle on the table and formed a confused expression on his face.

"Who is safe?"

Kenzi was the first to reply. "That would be Tamsin. She's Lauren's BFF, and actually she's one of mine too. She's also a police detective. Has been doing some super, secret work since the holidays and we haven't seen her in forever. So Evony here, who is Tamsin's partner on the force, is in the shit house because she won't tell us a damn thing about Tamsin's whereabouts."

Bo returned to the table and handed Evony a corkscrew before placing empty wine glasses in front of her and Lauren. The detective immediately began to open the bottle of wine.

Evony spoke up as she pulled the cork from the bottle. "It's not that I don't want to tell you all. I just can't."

Bo passed a stack of napkins to Ryan as she jumped into the conversation.

"Everyone understands, Evony, including Lauren. It's just weird that Tamsin is not around. We all miss her."

And it was true. Everyone missed Tamsin. Lauren missed her best friend and all the wonderful daily components of having a best friend nearby. Bo missed Tamsin as her jogging buddy. Kenzi missed Tamsin because of pizza and video game nights. Just having Tamsin in their lives was missed. No one made that a secret.

Evony nodded her understanding as she handed Lauren a glass of wine, which the doctor immediately reached to accept. The detective did not release the glass from her own grip until Lauren looked her in the eye.

"She'll be back soon."

Lauren nodded her understanding, triggering Evony to finally let go of the glass.

With a mouthful of food, Ryan spoke.

"So what kind of case is she on?"

Hale laughed as he waved his finger in the air.

"Lambert she'll never tell you that."

Ryan shrugged and swallowed his bite.

"Why not?"

Evony placed her wine glass on the table and answered him.

"Because it's undercover work. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."

She followed her statement with a wink, pulling laughter from everyone at the table. Everyone except Lauren, who still missed her friend dearly. The doctor did smile though, which was progress. Bo noticed Lauren struggling with the conversation. She slid a hand on Lauren's thigh under the table and squeezed, offering her love and support.

Bo took a sip of her cold beer and decided this was a good time to change the subject from Tamsin's absence to something more positive.

"On another note, the fire fighter ball is coming up later this summer. And you know what that means…"

Kenzi bounced up on and down in her chair. She raised her hand high in the air like a student in a classroom. Bo smiled and nodded in her direction. She used her best teacher-type voice.

"Yes Kenzi?"

Kenzi lowered her arm and smiled.

"It means me and hotpants are going shopping for new dresses so you and Hale can take us ladies out for a night on the town!"

"That would be correct!"

Laughter resumed. The conversation change lightened the mood considerably, allowing a few walks down memory lane with stories from prior black tie events. Several stories surfaced from around the table, including one when Kenzi drank so much that she fell backwards over a fire hydrant on the sidewalk two years prior. Bo never would let her live that one down. Ryan reminded the gang about a bad storm that knocked the power out during that very event several years prior. And even Lauren, who was hell bent on staying in a positive mood despite her earlier gloom of missing Tamsin, offered up a story that very few at the table had heard...yet.

"After our first fire fighter ball together, I thought Bo left me."

The entire table fell silent as all eyes shifted to Lauren, who smiled to Bo before continuing to tell the story.

"The night was just wrapping up when Bo excused herself for a moment to speak with someone. I was gathering up my purse and the program booklets from the table when she walked away. I didn't think much of it really. The program ran long and we had both consumed our fair share of drinks that night. I was ready to head home, with Bo, and enjoy the rest of the night: just the two of us. Ten minutes passed and Bo was nowhere to be found. Most people had left by then and the cleaning crew was out and starting to disassemble the room set up. I tried to call her but was reminded that her phone was in my purse, so I walked outside to see if she was still talking to anyone."

"And was she?" Kenzi asked.

Lauren shook her head. "Nope. In that moment, I saw her Camaro roar down the street away from the event."

Firefighter Sanders glared at Bo. "You drove away without Doctor Lewis, Chief?"

Bo's face turned red, shaking her head "no" as Lauren continued the story.

"Well I thought she did, so I grabbed one of the waiting taxi cabs to take me home."

Bo put her fork down and jumped in to the conversation.

"Except that wasn't me or my Camaro roaring down the street, was it Lauren?"

Lauren laughed so hard that Charlotte bounced on her knee. When she finally calmed enough to speak, she agreed with Bo.

"It was not Bo, nor her Camaro. It was someone else completely. Apparently I had consumed way too much alcohol and clearly could not tell one Camaro apart from another!"

The group sitting around the table echoed the laughter for several moments, until Kenzi posed another question.

"Well wait, where was Bo?"

Lauren looked to Bo, allowing her to answer the question directly.

"I was in the bathroom and the stall lock jammed. It took me twenty minutes to get out."

Bo's response brought forth further laughter from all, including Lauren who blew a kiss to Bo as the memories flooded through them both.

"That's a great story guys," Cassie chimed in.

"It really is," Ryan stated.

"Sounds like one hell of a party," Evony replied.

"It is. I think it's one of the most fun nights we have out every year," Hale added.

"Sounds like a fun night, but the real question: how is the food?" Cassie asked.

"Ehhhh," echoed from all corners of the table.

It was true. Like many large events, sometimes the food just wasn't spectacular. And for Cassie, it was all about the food."

"Well, you all know how I like to eat, and no offense, but I'd rather get asked on a date to have this amazing mac and cheese."

Cassie scooped up a huge amount from her plate. "Who made it? It is seriously the best thing I've ever eaten in my life."

Cassie held her fork like it was a rare, expensive gemstone. The expression in her eyes matched the tone of her voice. She made no secret of her appreciation for the food, pulling a round of laughter from the table.

Hale finished his bite of food, cleared his throat, stood from his chair and bowed twice over his folded arm playfully.

"That would be me," Hale replied.

Cassie quickly stood up and faced Hale across the table. She extended her arms outward and bowed down to him in an equally as playful act.

"You, sir, are the master of the mac and cheese. Kenzi, you are one lucky woman."

More laughter erupted, especially from Kenzi who was hunched over her plate in a giggle fit. She took a moment to regain her composure before she replied.

"Yes, Hale is quite the cook. Thankfully so, because I am quite the eater. I can totally go for seconds on that."

Without hesitating, Sanders passed the dish of macaroni and cheese over to Kenzi, who took two giant spoonfuls of the cheesy goodness and dumped it onto her plate.

"So Cassie, maybe there's a guy out there, besides Hale of course, who can make a killer mac and cheese. Hell maybe there's another firefighter out there that can take you to the ball and then take you out for better food afterwards. Seems like a win-win, right?" Lauren asked.

Cassie nodded.

"True, but there just aren't that many good ones out there, period. Fire fighters or otherwise, too many guys are into showing off their money or they think they are a gift to women."

Bo wiped her mouth and looked down the table toward Cassie.

"So Cassie, does that statement mean, if we find an available man who can make macaroni and cheese but doesn't care about money, you'll give him a chance?"

Cassie nodded again.

"If he picks mac and cheese with plastic utensils over those fancy, black napkin joints with no prices on the menu, then I'll marry him."

xxxx

Later that week

Lauren was barely awake enough to stumble out of bed. Her alarm clock buzzed three times before she finally found the strength to leave the comforts of fluffy pillows and soft sheets. She stayed awake far too long spending time with Charlotte earlier in the day while Bo slept, and when the doctor finally did hand her daughter over to Cassie, she tossed and turned for a solid hour before dozing off. That was only three hours ago.

It helped that Bo was already out of bed, making the task of waking up a bit easier for Lauren. Otherwise she would have conceded to using a sick day and curling into Bo's arms for as long as the Fire Chief would have allowed. With two feet firmly planted on the floor, Lauren made her way to the bathroom before dragging herself down the hall to the kitchen. The house was extremely quiet, affording Lauren to hear the sounds of a riding lawn mower humming from the back yard.

She crossed the living room and pushed the curtain aside, glancing to perfectly mowed lawn. The evening sky was still bright as mid-day, and the sun's reflection bounced off the decorative ceramic gnomes dotted throughout the flower bed lining the back patio. But the sight that put a huge smile on Lauren's face was that of Bo, driving the riding lawn mower at quite possibly the slowest speed possible, with Charlotte on her lap. The two of them sported their matching black sunglasses, and Charlotte's clapping told Lauren everything she needed to know about her daughter's enjoyment of the ride.

She closed the curtain and crossed through the living room to the kitchen, recognizing Cassie at the dining room table as she poured a large glass of apple juice. The babysitter had books sprawled out across the table, and her frustrated expression made Lauren question what she was looking at.

"Hey Cassie."

Cassie looked up quickly. She hadn't even heard Lauren wandering through the house until she spoke her name.

"Hey Lauren. Good morning. How was your sleep?"

Lauren swallowed a mouthful of cold juice, kicking her senses awake just a bit further.

"Eh, could've been longer but I'll survive."

Cassie glanced toward the back windows before returning her line of sight to Lauren.

"Bo woke up early. She decided to mow the grass, and then decided to give Charlotte driving lessons on the lawn mower. I thought I'd try my hand at a little studying until you two head off for work."

Lauren smiled at Cassie's choice words for Bo and Charlotte's "driving lessons." She glanced over the books open on the table's surface, pulling one closer so she could see the content.

"Looks like they are having a blast out there too," Lauren replied.

Cassie nodded as Lauren looked over one open book on the table.

Lauren's eyes widened. "Ahhh, medical terminology."

Cassie placed her elbows on the table, dropping her head into her hands with a sigh.

"Yes it's awful."

Lauren laughed, remembering her own years back in medical school and the challenges it presented. "Tell me about it."

"I know you totally understand. And the terminology isn't too bad, but I just can't get past looking at some of these pictures."

Cassie slid a text book toward Lauren. The page was flipped open to a rather gruesome image of an injury, and the sight even made Lauren cringe.

"Eww, that's a horrible picture."

Lauren sipped her juice as she pulled out a chair, sitting across the table from Cassie.

"I know, right? I keep thinking that if I see this in real life, I would simply throw up."

Lauren laughed but covered her face quickly to quiet it. It wasn't that she found Cassie's stress funny, but she had seen many people throw up from seeing gruesome injuries.

"Well it is rather gross at first, but you need to just step back from it and focus on what you are doing to save the person's life."

Cassie leaned back in her chair, giving the books a break as she began to pick the doctor's brain.

"How do you do it?"

Lauren scrunched her brow. "Do what?"

Cassie pointed at the gruesome picture and replied.

"Save people and not get grossed out? Or feel sad because they are bleeding to death right before your very eyes? How do you function without panicking?"

It was the first time someone had asked Lauren that type of question in a very long time. Handling the emotional and physical reactions to injuries was something Lauren had to learn how to handle very early on in her medical career. The only thing that ever got Lauren through all the really nasty injuries was to compartmentalize all her feelings so that she could mentally focus on using her training to help someone. She could not think about the fact that the patient could be someone's mother or father, someone's sister or brother, child or grandchild. No, Lauren had to intentionally forget that the patient was even a real person so that she was not impacted by their humanity. She literally pretended each patient to be a fake body, with fake blood and a fake heartbeat. It was the only way Lauren could ignore sadness from the patient's pain and suffering.

Lauren placed her juice glass on the table as she replied.

"Well, in an emergency, I pretend my patients are all fake bodies. It helps me avoid emotional attachments to them and it allows me a clearer focus on using my training and knowledge to save them."

"Fake bodies?" Cassie repeated.

Lauren shrugged. "I know it's weird but it works for me."

Lauren's confirmation pulled a loud laugh from Cassie's throat. It caught the doctor by surprise.

"What's so funny?" Lauren asked.

Cassie quieted her laughter and shook her head.

"I'm sorry I don't mean to laugh, but the more I think about this EMT career, the more I think I should just become a full time babysitter. How about it? A nanny for Charlotte until she turns eighteen?"

Lauren finished the last of the apple juice in her glass. She felt more awake now and a shower was in her near future, but that didn't stop her from continuing this conversation with Cassie.

"Well you know Bo and I would love to have you as our full time nanny until Charlotte turns 87, but we also want you to follow your dreams. Finish your EMT schooling. Have faith, you can do it."

Cassie nodded and smiled. "Thanks. It's just hard."

Lauren was now the one laughing.

"Oh trust me. I said the same thing at least six thousand times in medical school. But stick with it. And I'm happy to help you study anytime."

That offer made Cassie's smile even bigger.

"Really? Thanks Lauren. That would be a huge help."

The glass patio doors slid open, pulling both their attention to Bo and Charlotte returning inside. Charlotte was giggling uncontrollably and Bo was muttering her own version of baby talk to the little one. The sight gave Lauren's heart a tug. Bo was sweating and her shoes were covered in grass stains. Charlotte kept grabbing at Bo's sunglasses, trying to pull them off her face. The brunette carried the little one into the dining room where Lauren instantly reached for their daughter. Without words, Bo simply passed Charlotte over to her. The fire chief placed a very sweaty kiss on Lauren.

"Morning hon," Bo announced.

"Good morning. Thanks for mowing the grass."

Lauren bounced Charlotte in her lap, quickly realizing that the little one's skin felt slimy from all the sunblock she was wearing.

"You're welcome. I thought I'd give Charlotte a little ride around the yard before I put the mower away."

"I saw that, and it was utterly adorable."

Bo entered the kitchen and returned to the dining room quickly with the entire jug of apple juice in her hands. With one quick turn of her wrist, she pulled off the lid and began chugging the cold beverage right out of the jug. Charlotte's eyes widened.

"Juice."

Lauren rolled her eyes at Bo's bad example but smiled at Charlotte. She bounced the little one in her arms as she spoke directly to her daughter.

"That's right. Apple juice, and mommy is clearly going to drink that whole container because there is no way she is putting it back in the fridge after she drank out of the jug."

Bo blushed, not that anyone could really see it because she already had pink cheeks from being out in the sun. Lauren could see it though; in the way she stopped chugging the drink and slowly lowered the bottle; in the way she looked at the jug and realized there was enough remaining juice to fill four glasses; in the way the fire chief silently contemplated if she could drink that much juice; and in the way she formed a fragile, innocent smile as she looked to Lauren for forgiveness without ever asking for it.

Lauren smiled and shook her head, pulling a bigger smile from the brunette. Charlotte was grinning with her eyes still wide and staring at the container of apple juice. Even Cassie was smiling; apparently she had been around Bo and Lauren long enough to read those unspoken conversations between the two of them. She closed the books on the table one by one, stood from her seat and walked around the table until she was next to Lauren. With ease, she scooped Charlotte out of the doctor's arms as she glanced at Bo and Lauren.

"You two are sickening with all your googley eyes for each other. It's so stinking adorable that I'm forever jealous. Until I find the man of my dreams, or he finds me."

Cassie shifted Charlotte to her left arm, realizing the little girl was covered in a rather thick layer of sunblock. She glanced over the child who was clearly in need of a bath.

All the while, Lauren and Bo remained silent, appreciating the moment as they did on so many occasions.

Cassie looked at them again and shook her head. Their mannerisms really were adorable, but she still took to teasing them about it any chance she could get.

"Okay you two need to get in the shower immediately, because even I know that look, which means you'll be running late for work afterwards."

It was a fact neither Bo nor Lauren could deny. Their smoldering attraction to one another was evident to any who knew them both, and Cassie's statement was completely on point.

"Yes, I think we should get cleaned up and ready for work."

Bo pushed her shoulders back a little as her smirk formed, pulling a blush from Lauren that instantly raised her body temperature. She said nothing, fearful that an aroused, crackling voice would be completely inappropriate in front of the babysitter and her daughter.

Cassie however, just shook her head at the exchange. She smiled, playfully shoving Lauren toward Bo as they walked toward their master bedroom.

"Go you two, now. Peanut and I have a date with unclogging her pours of all this sunblock. Isn't that right, Charlotte?"

To which the little one giggled and simply replied, "Juice!"

xxxx