Author's Note: Howdy! You all are a patient group, so thank you for waiting while life gobbles up my free time. This is a short update but I need to fill in some gaps to keep it moving.
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Mountains of notebooks, text books, and research remained stacked twelve inches high across Lauren's desk. Multiple piles of information culminated over three days' time as Lauren shuffled through countless medical books, websites, notes, and journals. Her focus on Bo's injury never tired. Her drive to elevate the amount of knowledge she already held in that brilliant mind propelled her forward with hopes of finding better odds; no, finding the best odds, for Bo's outcome.
For the first moment in hours, Lauren closed her eyes. She inhaled deeply, sighing on the exhale as her shoulders dropped slightly. Her muscles were tense. Sitting at a desk without much movement otherwise would stiffen any human body. Lauren leaned back in her chair as her mind replayed countless images in her head. Her mind coursed through three solid days' worth of information as if it were a filing cabinet: filtering, categorizing, and shifting data here and there as to formulate a better picture of the research she had read. She was hopeful, and while that was a good start, it was simply just the beginning.
Lauren opened her eyes and glanced at the time. It was almost morning. She should have felt exhausted as she lacked sleep since Bo's accident, but on the contrary, Lauren was easily riding an adrenaline wave that had yet to end. Her alert status was speckled with a jittery hand or a yawn here and there, but Bo was her priority and sleep could wait.
Lauren stood from her desk and walked out of her office. She moved with ease through the hospital corridor and up the elevator. The pre-morning hours of the day were rather quiet as she traveled to Bo's hospital room. Not that she was complaining, but silence forced her brain to think, and Lauren was desperate for any time that allowed her to relax in whatever capacity she could. She stepped inside the doorway leading to Bo's room and walked quietly around the drawn curtain. Bo was still sleeping, and while Lauren wished desperately to be at home with Bo waking in their own bed, the doctor was forever grateful that Bo was alive. That, in itself, put a smile on Lauren's face.
She moved carefully to the chair positioned next to Bo's bed and sat down to wait for her love to wake. Lauren stared upon Bo for several minutes, committing the image to memory. She listened to the softness of Bo's breathing that created a repetitive comforting sound in the space surrounding them. Without thinking much of it, Lauren leaned back in the chair and thought she'd close her eyes for a few minutes until Bo woke. It was less than a few minutes later that Lauren drifted off to sleep.
xxxxx
When her eyes fluttered open, Lauren was staring at a wall mounted television. An old game show was airing but remained muted, reminding her of childhood on a sick day from school when she used to watch all the various game shows on tv.
"Good morning, beautiful."
Lauren blinked her eyes as she turned her head. Bo was propped up in her hospital bed, smiling and looking radiant despite the bulky support covering part of her upper body. A laptop computer sat on the small table resting on Bo's lap. Lauren smiled bigger. It was for just a brief moment her heart felt light, lacking all the worry she had for the past few days. Unfortunately, Bo scooted her body just a little to sit up more when she winced from the pain in her arm, causing Lauren's heart to drop once again.
"Morning. You okay?" Lauren asked as she quickly sat upright.
Bo nodded. "Yes. Just sore. I stopped taking pain medicine so I think I'll feel this a bit more now. How was your nap?"
"Good, I think," Lauren replied as she rubbed her neck. "What time is it?"
"Eleven thirty," Bo replied.
Lauren jumped out of her chair. "Eleven thirty?! Shit!"
Bo raised her uninjured arm.
"Slow down, doctor. I spoke with Cassie and she has Charlotte all day. You are to sit back down in that chair and breathe for a bit."
Bo's tone was calm and soft. It was laced with love and appreciation, and without hesitation, Lauren sat down. She remained on the edge of the seat however, quick to reach her hand over to Bo and place it gently on her blanket covered thigh.
"Are those doctor's orders?" Lauren joked.
Bo nodded. "Why yes they are. Doctor Bo Dennis instructs you to stay in that chair and relax."
Lauren chuckled as she nodded her understanding.
"I can't believe I slept that long," Lauren whispered.
"Not nearly long enough. I can tell by the dark circles under your eyes that you haven't been sleeping at all."
Lauren could not deny it, but her heart and mind justified it all the same.
"I can sleep next year. The present has other priorities."
Bo tilted her head and gave Lauren a stern glance. She grabbed the television remote, shutting off the old game show before she spoke.
"Baby, please don't wear yourself out. We can't both be confined to a hospital bed."
Lauren squeezed Bo's thigh and smiled. "I won't. I promise."
Bo didn't respond but Lauren didn't need her to. The doctor never made promises she couldn't keep, and this would certainly not be the first one she planned to break. Rather than get into any heavier conversation about it, Lauren changed the subject as she nodded to Bo's laptop.
"What are you working on?"
"The new firefighter candidate trials. I got all the written scores sent to me so I'm just looking those over. I hope to be at the practical tests, but it will depend on how quickly I can heal. I'd really like to see how they perform, not just read it on paper."
"How soon?" Lauren asked.
"Couple weeks from now."
"Well I guess we better get you healed by then," Lauren said with a smile.
A voice echoed from behind the curtain. "Healed by when?"
Lauren and Bo looked to the curtain being pulled back as Doctor Miller came into sight.
"A few weeks from now," Bo replied. "I'd like to get back to work."
Doctor Miller stepped closer to the bed, looking at Bo while he held an iPad in his hands. "No physical work for you right now. It's still too soon to tell, Chief. However, I do have some good news. You're free to go home."
Doctor Miller pointed to Lauren and continued. "And you have to keep her from doing any physical activity with that arm except for getting her to physical therapy. Deal?"
Bo blurted out, "Deal!" before Lauren could even respond. Their laughter carried through the room. Bo was desperate to get home and be with her family. She hated that Lauren had to balance everything on her own while Bo was laid up on the hospital. Even though it had only been a few days, Bo knew Lauren's workaholic self could overload. Getting home was actually good for them both.
"I'll have the nurse come in with your discharge papers and you'll be all set. Call me if you need anything. Either of you. Okay?"
"Will do. Thank you Doctor Miller," Lauren replied.
xxxx
It was not until late afternoon when Bo was finally released from the hospital. It took a little maneuvering to get Bo into the car comfortably. Bo joked that she should have waited to stop taking the pain medicine because the pain was making her stomach start to feel worse than the medicine. Yet her "tough girl" persona was something Lauren knew extremely well. That solid, outer shell simply covered the most tender of hearts. Lauren knew Bo would always try to hide any bit of discomfort, whether physical or emotional. While Lauren always wanted Bo to be honest, the doctor learned all the signs to know what Bo was feeling even when she wouldn't necessarily say it aloud.
"We'll get you home and get something to calm your stomach. I'll make the drive as smooth as possible."
Bo smiled. "Thanks babe."
The drive home was better than Bo had expected. The Fire Chief didn't feel too bad once the car began to move. She remained quiet for most of the ride, watching the clouds float across the sky. Bo felt incredibly loved and incredibly lucky. While she was not yet ready to face the possibility of a career ending injury, she had the best family and friends any woman could ask for.
She had Lauren. The most compassionate, talented, gorgeous woman who loved her. She had Charlotte. The most perfect bundle of joy Bo was graced to call her daughter. Her sister, her firefighters, her friends: they gave her heart endless reasons to be happy. Bo's emotions swelled as they drove toward their home. She thought of how much worse the accident could have been, and there was a nagging feeling deep inside that made her realize how unprepared she was for what had happened. The thoughts flooded her mind. "What ifs" and "what thens" formulated quicker than she wanted. Her biggest concern was, and always had been, Lauren and Charlotte. They were her world, and the possibilities of where the accident could have taken her made Bo's chest tighten. She felt ill prepared to care for them in the event of tragedy, and that was simply not good enough for the Fire Chief. Her breathing started to escalate, but not wanting to show Lauren that her thoughts had gone to such a place, Bo shook the notion off quickly. She took a calming breath. Bo loved her life, both her personal life and her career. While she could not always control the future, she could certainly steer it in the direction she wanted.
"Lauren baby?"
Lauren smiled as she steered the car into their driveway. "Yes, love?"
"I've been thinking..."
Bo paused, quietly considering the million thoughts and feelings flooding through her.
Lauren remained quiet, simply waiting for Bo to continue whenever she was ready. She pushed the garage door opener and carefully maneuvered the vehicle inside, shutting off the ignition and closing the garage door. She could feel an intensity radiating from Bo despite their lack of words. Rather than sit in the car and wait for Bo to voice whatever she was thinking, Lauren spoke up.
"Hold that thought, Bo? I'm going to help you get inside first."
Bo nodded. Lauren walked around the car and grabbed the passenger door handle of the BMW. She was surprised that Bo actually waited for her to circle the vehicle, since the brunette was usually not one to ask for help. With a gentle tug, the door opened to reveal a humble Fire Chief waiting patiently for Lauren's help. The doctor smiled and offered an outstretched arm to Bo.
Stepping out of the car was actually easier than sliding in it, but Bo took the offered hand despite wanting to do things on her own. She spent her time in the hospital trying to prove she didn't need a lot of help, failing miserably each time her pride got in the way of accepting any form of assistance. It took the unexpected jarring motion of her arm during a hospital gown change that sent a searing painful jolt through her to finally get Bo's ego to fold. After that, she was more than willing to accept help.
Standing in the garage, Bo glanced over the pristine row of muscle cars parked next to Lauren's BMW. She smiled at seeing those beauties. While the fire chief never wanted to have an injury to either arm, Bo was grateful it was her left one that was hurt. She needed her right arm to shift gears on the manual transmissions. It was a glimmer of a silver lining in an otherwise darkened incident.
Bo shifted her gaze to Lauren, who was pulling a hospital issued bag carrying some of Bo's personal effects from the back seat. She was thrilled Lauren had brought her clean clothes to the hospital a few days back. The clothing she had worn under her fire fighter gear was all but cut off her by the medics while in the ambulance.
The brunette was grateful for all of Lauren's pampering over the past few days, and while they still didn't know the full extent of Bo's injuries, Lauren made each and every moment much more tolerable and hopeful than Bo could have made independently. Even something as simple as Lauren carrying her bag from the car to the interior of the house was appreciated, and Bo made certain to voice it.
"Thanks hon," Bo whispered as the doctor shut the car door.
"For what?" Lauren asked.
Bo smiled and motioned toward the bag in Lauren's hand.
"For carrying my stuff. For taking care of me, for holding down the fort while I lay trapped in the hospital, for making me hopeful that things will work out, for being your beautiful, loving self and all the good that comes with it. I'm sorry for being such a pain in the ass. I really could not do this without you."
Bo's voice quivered as she finished that statement. Hearing Bo's emotion laced in those words caused Lauren's reply to catch in her throat. She placed the bag gently on the floor before sliding her hand over Bo's cheek. She rubbed her thumb over Bo's skin, pulling the chief's apologetic expression into one containing a smile until Lauren found her voice.
"Hey, we may not have ever said 'for better or for worse' but it has always been implied. I'm always here for you and I always will be. Always."
Bo's heart pounded hard inside her chest, not because Lauren's statement was something new to her but because she felt the same way. Without any hesitation, the brunette took one step into Lauren and kissed her. She wrapped her functional arm around Lauren and held her with the strength she always had. The kiss was full of love and appreciation. Slow but passionate, that kiss expressed Bo's feelings more than words really ever could.
Since their relationship began, Bo never cared much if she and Lauren were married or not. The dedication to one another; taking care of one another was something they did anyway. Bo felt like she was already married to the doctor and had acted as such for as long as she could remember. Never before did Bo feel the need for a piece of paper exclaiming it so. At least, not until now.
There were occasions during the past three years when Bo sustained a minor injury. A broken finger or broken toe, a cracked rib even from that one winter she had a bitter cold and coughed so hard she had broken it. But in all her years, Bo never had an injury that scared her or Lauren as much as this one. Three days in a hospital made a person think a lot about a lot of things, and one of those things was how Lauren and Charlotte would have moved forward had Bo not been so lucky in that fire. It made Bo's fierce protective nature explode into a massive storm of thought.
If Bo's injuries would heal well enough that she could continue her career, there would always be the possibility of another accident. It was a risk associated with her career. And while it wasn't a particular thought Bo wanted to put out into the universe or dwell on too much, it was still one that made her think about planning. Part of that planning included taking care of her family.
Focusing on the warmth of Lauren standing so close to Bo, the Fire Chief broke off the kiss slowly. She lingered in Lauren's airspace as she licked her lips, memorizing the overwhelming swell of love filling the moment. A smile formed as Bo's eyes fluttered open, staring at Lauren who had been caught off guard by the unexpected encounter. Never had Bo imagined this type of love was possible, and yet here she stood: staring at the very woman who was proving every day that it was a reality.
Bo looked over the doctor's facial expression: one of pure love with a hint of surprise from the welcome kiss. Bo could have stood there for a lifetime and drown in the sight, considering every moment with Lauren as time well spent. There really was no great way to grasp the swell of feelings flooding Bo's chest. They were all so powerful and fulfilling that the brunette's mind associated such amazement with profound respect. Despite the potential issues with her arm, Bo knew she had everything in the world literally at her fingertips. Lauren was the love of her life. She had come into Bo's world with everything the brunette could ever want. Love. Compassion. Laughter. Appreciation. Respect. Devotion. Family.
The spontaneity of this moment did not undermine Bo's next thoughts. It may have been unique timing that lacked any plan, but the moment felt perfect. Bo didn't care that they were standing in a dimly lit garage surrounded by muscle cars and a BMW. She didn't care that she was going to be off work for a while as she healed, quite possibly longer if this injury was worse than she hoped. She only cared that Lauren stood with her, and in the end, that would be the only thing that mattered any way.
"Marry me," Bo blurted out.
Her words came forward quickly and loudly. She spoke them intentionally with conviction, so much that Lauren smiled and formed a curious expression on her face.
"What?" Lauren replied.
Bo smiled wider this time.
"Marry me. I know we are standing in the garage and I don't even have a ring, and maybe this is the least romantic thing I've ever done, but I want you to marry me. It can be as big or as small as you want. Hell we can just run downtown and sign the paper or we can plan the biggest, most elaborate party you could possible dream of. All I know is that I want to be married to you."
"You want to get married?" Lauren asked.
The surprise on her face was mixed with a smile, and Bo pressed on.
"More than anything, Lauren. I…I don't know why we haven't done it sooner, but I want it. I want you to marry me. I will spend the rest of my life loving you, so yes, yes I want us to be married and I want it on that piece of paper. I want the world to know that I am yours and you are mine and no matter what, we are a family."
Bo's words quivered slightly. The gleam in Lauren's eyes grew brighter as her eyelids held back the tears welling up, and Bo watched her carefully in the hopes of memorizing every minute of this moment.
With one deep breath, Bo continued. "I'd kneel, but I'd likely struggle to get back up, so I'll just stand here and ask you: Doctor Lauren Lewis, will you marry me and do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
Lauren's expression remained full of shock but it quickly showed a swell of emotion. Like many couples, the subject of marriage had been discussed once or twice before. It only really had taken a serious tone when Charlotte was born. Truthfully it was something they thought to do more so of convenience and legality to protect their daughter than for any other reason. But like so many other things in life, the idea was placed on a shelf to be visited when there was more time. And ever since, it had simply sat on that shelf and collected a bit of dust.
Lauren could not stop the tears that crested her eyelids and rolled down her cheeks. Three days ago, Lauren had been served a bitter reminder of fear. She spent almost every moment since overthinking everything: from what if's to what now's. She had retreated to the deepest corners of her heart and mind. And for three days, Lauren made silent promises she knew she would never break. Now more than ever, her emotions were running high. She had always maintained an intense connection with Bo, one that had only forged into the strongest of bonds as time passed. Hearing Bo's words, feeling her love and seeing the sparkle in her eyes as they stood in that space made Bo's question the easiest one she would ever answer.
"Of course I will marry you, Bo."
That sparkle in Bo's eyes brightened the moment Lauren replied. Her emotions overwhelmed her, so much that her tears of joy quickly formed. Her throat felt dry and she was choked up on the moment.
"Are you sure? Even without the ring? And even though we're standing in the garage?"
She sniffled as she laughed gently, and Lauren laughed with her. Their embrace tightened and both women smothered the other's cheek with kisses. Through happy tears and a hug that would linger at length, Lauren replied with a whisper against Bo's ear.
"Of course I'm sure. I love you Bo Dennis."
Bo buried her face in Lauren's neck. She held her tight, enjoying the swell of emotion between them. "Good. Because I love you too. Always."
xxxx
