Author's Note: I realized that I made a mistake last Friday. I was going to update the story but the formatting has errors but when I was about to upload the next chapter, my internet connection broke down. So I wanted to say I'm sorry to those who received a notification that I updated but didn't see a new chapter. Although it's unintentional, I thought it was rude. I should have come back and fixed it. I'm so sorry guys! But here it is now! Maybe you all thought I'm already dead but I'm not. I just decided to write longer so I could add some chapters in this story. Please bear with me. I read a review stating that the pace is so slow. Yeah, it is but it is what it is. I can't do anything about it. I'll try to improve. I will really really try. But if you don't like it then don't read it. I can't force you. Just my two cents. I'm not being rude. I'm just giving you a choice.
Disclaimer: I don't own Lost Girl. I just use the characters in my story.
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Chapter Fifteen
A minute of silence follows, like you can hear a pin drop. Mrs. G glares at her granddaughter who is currently scratching her head and asking herself why she blurted out that question.
Lauren recovers quickly and replies, "What? Well no..." Not yet. The doctor frowns and then suddenly, she smiles. "...yes I am her girl friend. Got it? Girl friend, two words. Her friend who is a girl." Right, Lauren. How spontaneous! She then looks at Bo. "Right?"
Bo's shock on little G's question is evident on her face, her mouth slightly open. She looks at Lauren. "Yes you are." She then turns to the young lady. "Why do you ask that question, little G?"
The young Gertrude fiddles with her fingers, her face red with embarrassment because it looks like she made things awkward. But her voice is strong when she explains herself. "Well it's just that I can see that you're so comfortable with each other. You are smiling fondly at each other. You are holding hands like you've been doing it for a long time now." She waves her hand between the two women.
You can do this Bo. "Oh well what you have said is true. We are very comfortable with each other because we are friends. Do you have friends who are girls in school little G?" Bo asks sweetly.
"Yes I have."
"Then you understand how this works right?" Bo stares hard at the young lady.
Gertrude Hardy acquiesces. "Uhuh." But their eyes sparkle when they look at each other. I bet they don't know that." She looks at her grandmother and sees her knowing smile. So these two are not aware that they are showing the world how special they are to each other. Or they are aware but they just don't want to believe it for now. She looks at Bo and nods. I should respect that. "I have friends who are girls whom I'm really comfortable with. And yeah, I know what you're talking about."
"That's it." Bo breathes deeply. She looks at the doctor and smiles at her. But deep inside, she is anxious, very anxious. Fuck, I don't need this right now. I need Lauren to be comfortable with all of these. First Tamsin, then little G. Am I being punished? I think I need a drink!
Lauren smiles back at Bo. Then she turns her attention to little G. "I'm really a comfortable person to be with little G so it's not surprising that Bo is like that with me." She rubs Bo's back, silently telling her there's nothing to worry about. Bo nods, acknowledging the gesture.
She then turns to old Gertrude, pulling the plug for further discussion of the previous subject. "So Mrs. G, I see that you have fill up the van with different flowers. But I didn't order the sunflowers and peonies. What are those for?"
"Oh dear, your grandfather ordered those flowers two days ago. He wanted them to be delivered today."
"I see. That solves my dilemma about the flowers." She sighs, finally breathing freely. "The flowers are beautiful Mrs. G, as always. Thank you."
"No problem dear. Just don't forget to mention it to your grandfather." The old woman winks at Bo.
Bo laughs good-naturedly. "No problem Mrs. G. I got your back."
"Thank you. Little G and I will go inside now." The older Gertrude looks at Lauren. "Lauren, we'll talk later about the flowers dear."
"I'll sit with you any time you want Mrs. G." The doctor agrees. She turns around, looking at Bo. The brunette has a faraway look in her face. "What are you thinking about now Bo? If you don't mind me asking you that. I know it's kind of personal..."
Bo interrupts. "I don't mind Lauren." She looks at the doctor. "As you told little G, you are a comfortable person to be with. I agree with that. But I just wanted to know if you feel the same with me. Are you comfortable with my company? I mean..." Her voice quivers a little. She clears her throat. "...is it okay with you to be seen with me?"
The sudden change in the officer's voice captures the doctor's attention. She stares at the brunette, wondering about the last question. The brunette looks back at her, waiting for her answer. Because the need to console the woman in front of her outweighs the need to satisfy her own curiosity, she replies immediately. "Of course Bo. Why would I be here with you now if I'm not?"
Bo's heart beats loudly when she hears the doctor's answer. "Thank you Lauren. That means a lot to me." A ghost of a smile appears on her lips. She shakes her head and exhales deeply. Then she suddenly laughs, somewhat bitterly.
Lauren raises her eyebrow, puzzled by the officer's laughter. "Are you alright Bo?"
"I'm sorry Lauren. Maybe now you're thinking that I'm weird and crazy because yeah I know, I'm acting weird and crazy. Am I alright? Yes I am because you are here with me."
"Oh so you're okay." The doctor doesn't expect that answer. "But..."
"As I said, I'm a little bit weird and crazy right now." Bo shrugs.
"Just a little bit? That's not what I heard. I heard full blown weird and crazy." Lauren stares at the officer.
Bo's eyes widen. "Well I..." She suddenly turns somber.
"Is this your normal mood every day?"
The brunette wraps her arms on herself. "What if this is really my normal self? Are you going to run for the hills now?"
The blonde tilts her head. "Do you want me to?"
"No. But I can't blame you if you do..." A lump is already forming in her throat. "Because who would want weird and crazy right?" She looks down at her shoes.
"Yeah, who would want weird and crazy right?" The doctor echoes playfully, wanting to lighten the mood. "Then add control freak to the mix, wow!" She shakes her head and sighs.
Bo looks up, mixed emotions intermingle on her face – hurt, confusion, dejection, heartache.
When Lauren catches a sight of the brunette's face, she momentarily has a freak out. "Bo, oh my God I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to... I'm just messing with you!" She walks closer to Bo but she's afraid to touch her. "I'm so sorry. It's just my sense of humor sometimes is way out of line. I... I..." When the brunette still doesn't respond and just looking at her, Lauren turns her back to Bo and touches her chest near her heart. I hurt her. It's way too soon. Her left hand turns into a ball.
Bo starts to say something when she sees the blonde is walking away from her. "What the... seriously?!"
Lauren walks towards her car, touching the door handle to open it. The handle doesn't budge. She realizes that the car is locked and the key is with Vex. Shit! She then hears Bo's voice and it is very near from where she is.
"Seriously Lauren, are you walking away from me? I thought you're okay with all of these?" Bo nearly shouts but she doesn't want to scare the doctor more.
"I'm not walking away from you."
"Really? I just saw you walk away. What are you planning to do huh? Just sit there inside your car or are you going to drive away and never come back?" Her voice hitches as she waits for the doctor's answer.
"No." A tear escapes towards the doctor's cheek. She wipes it that instant.
"Then what are you trying to do?"
Lauren clears her throat. "I'm just going inside, wait there until your grandfather arrives for the party." Her heart is beating fast.
"What? Are you serious?" She softens her voice. "Lauren, can you turn around and look at me please?"
The doctor doesn't turn around.
Bo huffs. What? Is she more stubborn than me? "If I am weird, crazy and control freak then you are stubborn with a way out of line sense of humor!"
"What?" Lauren sniffs.
"I said if I am weird, crazy and control freak then you are... wait... are you crying?"
"No, I just teared up. I did not cry. It's different. I just almost cried. If I cried then I should have shed a copious amount of tears but I did not so..." The doctor crosses her arms on her chest.
"Okay fine." Bo sighs, reaches out to Lauren's arm and says, "Can you please turn around and look at me please?" Her voice has pleading lilt to it. "I'm sorry if I made you cry... uh tear up. I really hate this!"
The doctor finally turns around and slowly lifts her head to look at Bo. "No it's okay Bo. It's just that I'm easily embarrassed when I cry. I don't want people to know. That's why I walked away so you can't see." She puts her hand on Bo's hand and squeezes it gently. "And to answer your question earlier, you may be weird and crazy today but I won't run for the hills Bo. What kind of a friend am I if I do that just because you're having a bad day?"
"Still... I almost made you cry and..." The brunette is having a hard time looking at the blonde's eyes, which are tinged with uncertainty.
"Again, you're just having a bad day... and I'm sorry for my sense of humor. I was just hoping to make you smile but the opposite happened. I actually had a freak out." The blonde looks down.
"I really appreciate the effort Lauren." Bo slightly smiles. Just knowing that the doctor made an effort to make her smile, although it failed, means a lot to her.
The doctor sees the sparkle is back in the officer's eyes so she releases the breath that she's holding. "Maybe we can go inside now..."
"No." The brunette shakes her head, her voice unwavering.
"Why?"
"Your eyes are slightly red. They will know something happened. All the people in there are nosey. They will surely ask a thousand questions about what happened." She frowns. "We need to sit down first, catch some breeze. There..." Bo points the bench in the garden. "So... are we okay now?" Her voice is conspicuously hopeful.
"Yes. Just think about it as momentary lapse of judgment for both of us. "
"Okay. We are okay a while ago then it just escalated quickly." Bo shakes her head. "Can we just forget about it?"
Lauren smiles sadly at Bo. "As much as I want to, I can't. My eidetic memory won't let me."
Bo stops walking. "I'm curious, if I may ask about this memory of yours. If you want to forget about something horrible, how do you do it?"
"As I told you, even if I wanted to I can't. But I do my best to extract that memory and keep it in a box. Then I'll bury it deep into my subconscious. It's called compartmentalization."
"Oh! That works?" Bo asks, concern evident on her face.
"Yeah, sometimes!"
"Sometimes? What about the other times?" Bo scrunches her face, fearful of the doctor's answer to her question.
"That discussion requires a lot of alcohol Officer." Lauren winks at Bo, trying to lighten the subject. The doctor then looks around the bench when they reach it, halting further questions about her compartmentalization skills. "Hey, your garden is pretty. We can stay here for a little longer."
Bo just sighs, letting the doctor dictate the flow of their conversation. "It is pretty right? This is actually a joint project by me, Pops and Tamsin. Pops told us what he wanted. He described his and my grandmother's garden in Ireland and we go from there. We want to add a gate but we are still in quandary on what color it will be. What do you think?"
Lauren roams her eyes. "Well you can go with green since it is the natural theme of the garden – the grass and the leaves. But you can also go with the natural color of wood, no paint color. Just like this bench. This is a very good idea." She looks up at the arbor that goes with it. "It is a very practical use of space."
"Exactly. It goes well with flowers that climb these kind of structures." Bo points out the plants at the sides of the arbor bench. "We already planted bleeding hearts and clematis."
"Really, there are flowers named bleeding hearts?"
Bo looks at the blonde and smiles. "Yeah. I also didn't know it at first but Mrs. G said they are beautiful. Obviously, they are heart shaped flowers; their colors are red, pink, fuchsia pink and white. Clematis flowers, on the other hand, have big and colorful petals. They can be purple, maroon, pink and combination of purple and maroon. The bleeding hearts that Mrs. G got for us are red and fuchsia pink while the clematis are purple and maroon."
"Wow that would be awesome! I can't wait to see these flowers bloom in spring." The doctor looks at the pots and flower boxes. "What about the flowers in there?"
"For the flower boxes, our flower lady recommended red verbena hybrid. The flowers are red of course and she said they attract butterflies. We also have summer snapdragon which are purple in color and they smell like grapes, she said."
The doctor crosses her leg and leans on the side of the arbor. "It seems you are favoring the flowers with the same colors."
"You realized that huh?" Bo grins. "Yeah okay, I told Mrs. G I like flowers that are red, purple, fuchsia pink or any colors that are vivid. I want this garden to be alive when all the flowers bloom in spring."
"Maybe you should consider the idea of the gate with either the color green or the natural wood color so that the flowers will be the center of attraction in your garden and not the gate. And maybe you should add some yellow and orange flowers, just to balance the colors."
"Pops already thought of that. He said there should be orange flowers because it is one of the colors of the Irish flag and yellow flowers will make the garden really stand out in summer. So yeah, we also planted alstroemeria, buttercup, tulips, freesia and a whole lot of other flowers." The brunette waves her hand to the flower boxes and pots that line up the sides of the fence. "You should also look at what we did at the back garden. That's so different from this one."
"How was it different? Tell me."
"Well we made it as a vegetable and herbal garden. We planted basil, sage, mint, thyme, oregano, rosemary, parsley, dill and other herbs. There are also peas, radishes, lettuce, tomatoes..."
Lauren interrupts. "Tomatoes are fruits."
"Okay, so it's a fruit, vegetable and herbal garden." Bo winks. "Still, isn't it a good idea Doc?"
"I'm actually impressed and excited to see it."
"It will be a great idea to tell Tamsin about your proposition while you take a look at the back garden so she can further explain to you how she plan all these."
The doctor sighs. "I should have brought my scrapbook."
"You have a scrapbook?" Bo raises an eyebrow.
Lauren blushes. "Yes. Well I can't help myself. I love planning and I read online blogs about landscaping and it said that in order for me to have an idea of what I like my garden to look like, I need to make my own scrapbook. Landscaping and gardens are not my strong suits so I bought an armful of home and garden magazines. I cut the pictures of fences, arbors, gazebos and other garden structures out of the magazines and arrange them in the scrapbook. Then sometimes in weekends, I bring my scrapbook while I got acquainted with our yard by walking its perimeter all the way to the edges."
The officer's eyes widen then eventually grins, showing her dimples. "Wow Doctor Lewis, you're really serious about this."
"I am! You saw our front and back lawn Bo! It's bare. I really like to see something beautiful when I go out there every morning or when I eat on the table overlooking the front lawn."
"But you've been living in that house for 7 years... what happened?"
"I know right? But we are so busy these past years – medical school, clerkship, internship then residency." The blonde uses her hand as she counts off. "I think if Vex didn't go back to California, there would be some pots or flower boxes. But well since he was not here for four years, Ciara and I just didn't have the time to search for a landscaper. And now since I have some spare time, I like to do it for us."
"How come you have spare time? I thought you'll be busy since you still have a year on your residency." The officer's face becomes pensive.
"Technically yes I still have one year because both parts of my specialty, the clinical and laboratory can be finished in four years but I finished them in three years." The doctor looks down at her shoes.
"Wow! You're amazing Doctor." The officer's eyes widen in delight. "But if you already completed your residency, then why are you still going to the hospital?"
"I'm doing a special project for Dr. Ellis."
"So you're not a regular resident anymore?" Bo asks.
The doctor nods. "Well since I'm not board certified yet and I can't start another specialty, I'm stuck in the laboratory doing research and experiments. Yeah I'm not a regular resident. I am special." The doctor smiles smugly, slightly pushing back her shoulders.
"Yes you are special." The officer says affectionately while staring at the woman beside her. She can't help herself but to admire how beautiful her face is and how her golden locks frame it. She takes her time appreciating the doctor's honey-colored eyes, pink supple lips, straight edged nose, dimpled chin and defined jawline. "Really special."
The smug smile turns into a shy one when she realized that the brunette officer is staring at her like she's the most beautiful woman in the world. Wow what is she doing to me? Her heart is beating loudly and it's overwhelming her. "Bo, you are staring."
"What?"
"I said you are staring. Do I have a dirt on my face?"
The officer just shakes her head.
"Then why...?" A drop of water on her skin captures the doctor's attention. She looks up and sees the accumulation of cumulonimbus clouds. "Uh Bo, I think it's going to rain."
Bo lets out a breath. Saved by the rain. She smiles widely. "Oh I love the rain."
"You love the rain just now or you really love the rain?"
"I really love the rain since I was a child Doc. When it rains, it brings me back to my childhood in New York. I love to play in the rain with my childhood best friends." The officer's eyes become wistful. "I share the love of rain with my father. I remembered one time when I was eight or nine I think, it was raining then and we were outside. My father was carrying me because he said he didn't want my shoes to get wet. Then suddenly, a song erupted from a car and he swayed with the music while I was still in his arms. I looped my arms on his neck and he danced me until the song ended. It was really a happy memory. I still have the picture of me and my dad looking at each other. My mother captured that moment with her camera while she was under an umbrella."
"That was indeed a happy memory Bo. What was the song?"
"It was You Are the Sunshine of My Life by Stevie Wonder."
"Really?"
"Really."
Lauren looks up again. "It seems the rain won't stop although it's just a drizzle."
"We can now go inside if you want. I don't want you to get sick. C'mon."
"Bo, I won't get sick just because of the rain." The doctor rolls her eyes.
"I know but if you stay wet and you catch a virus then you will get sick. Am I right or am I right?" The officer winks at her.
"Hmm maybe you just need to wear a lab coat and a stethoscope and you're good to go."
Bo pouts. "I don't know. I'm not sure if I could get away with that uniform." She laughs good-naturedly. "Why not you keep on wearing the lab coat while I turn my swag on with the police uniform."
"Turn my swag on, really?" Lauren raises her eyebrow but there's a hint of a smile in her lips.
The officer blushes. "Yeah, I got that from Hale." Suddenly, she leans towards the doctor. "Hey, you see that man over there? That's Nate, Kenzi's boyfriend."
"Oh, so that's Nate. He's heading towards us."
"Yeah. Lauren, we need to go inside now. I don't know how Hale will react. We need to be there in case something will happen. I'm not sure if Kenzi already told him." She stands from the bench, waiting for the doctor.
"Okay, let's go."
Nate waves at them, smiling. "Hi Bo." He looks at the doctor. Then he looks at Bo.
Lauren elbows the officer.
"Oh sorry, where's my manners? Nate, this is Lauren. She's my friend and she's a doctor at Yale. Lauren, this is Nate. He's Kenzi's boyfriend and one of Pops' employees at The Dahl."
The doctor shakes his hand and smiles. "Hi Nate, nice meeting you."
"Me too Doc. Kenzi already told me about you."
The blonde raises her eyebrow. "Really?"
"Yes Doc." He looks at Bo.
Bo clears her throat. "We should go inside now."
Nate nods. "I'll go ahead ladies. I can't wait to see Kenzi." He jogs towards the door and opens it.
The officer sighs. "Well there goes Nate." Her shoulders slump. "I'm nervous about Hale. What if he gets mad at me Lauren?"
"Bo why will he get mad at you?"
"Because I didn't tell him that Kenzi and Nate are together now. He's really in love with my best friend."
"Well it's not your secret to tell. I mean, will Kenzi appreciate it if you tell Hale about it?"
Bo bites her lip. "Oh no, of course not. Kenzi will surely be mad at me. So it's Hale or Kenzi." She shakes her head. "But thank you for pulling me off the ledge. I need to speak to Hale later."
"Sure you do. I think he will understand Bo."
Bo nods but uncertainty lingers in her eyes. "Let's go."
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Inside the house, Bo and Lauren's friends are busy looking at the betting table that Hale made.
"Listen guys, this is the betting table that I made based on the supposition that Bo and Lauren will be together some time this year or early next year. Vex and I thought, as Doc Ci here agreed, that we give them a leeway of two months to know each other very well. As you can see, I divided the table by week. Week 1 will be from November 12-18; Week 2 from November 19-25 and so on and so forth." Hale explains while pointing at the important details of the table.
"Wait, why November 12-18 is Week 1?" Kenzi interrupts.
"Because they met last Friday, which is September 15. And since we are giving them a leeway of two months, November 15 is the D-day and this day will fall on this week."
"So if I bet on Week 1, I have all these seven days for myself correct?"
"Correct."
"So if they get together on November 18 then I win."
"Correct."
"Awesome. So who are the participants?"
"Of course the five of us and Doc Ci I think you said Dyson will also participate right?" Hale asks the blonde emergency doctor.
"Oh yes. He's very excited." Ciara grins.
"I'll convince Nate to join us. He won't refuse me." Kenzi shares.
Hale frowns when he heard Kenzi's statement.
"So I have some questions." Tamsin raises her hand, oblivious to the officer's discomfort. Hale sighs then nods for her to continue. "How much are we going to cough up for this bet and how are going to know who will place his bet first?"
Vex replies. "Of course dear, we are going to have a set of rules. But to answer your questions, we can talk about the amount. We are open for suggestions. And for your second question, we can use playing cards. We'll just use the cards with numbers so the cards with aces, jacks, queens and kings will be removed. We'll choose the suit later. Then we randomly pick a card. The person that will pick the highest number will choose the first bet and so on and so forth."
"But choosing your bets can be done today or tomorrow or thirty days from now. It's your choice but if you fail to choose your bet up until the 16th day of October, we will randomly select your bet for you. On the vacant weeks, of course. Think of your own strategy." Hale continues seamlessly.
"Why thirty days from now? It's too long. I think we should shorten the days, let's say two weeks from now. The first person to place his bet should choose after a week. So the placing of the bets should be done in two weeks. No more, no less. That will ensure the fairness of this bet." Kenzi suggests.
"Two weeks? Yeah okay. But I would like to know the opinion of each of us. Tamsin, Hale, Ciara?" Vex asks.
"I'm okay with two weeks." Ciara nods.
"Yeah same with me." Tamsin acquiesces.
"Looks like we are outnumbered buddy." Hale grins at Vex.
"Fine, two weeks." Vex shrugs. "Another rule and this is exciting." He rubs his hands while grinning. "Each bettor can place two bets – a first choice bet and a second choice bet. The amount to be placed in your first choice will be higher of course. Is it okay with you guys?" The other four nod their agreement.
"Of course, the first choice should be different from the second choice. You cannot place your first choice and second choice bets on the same week." Hale points out. "We have 14 weeks to choose from guys. And we only have seven people to bet. What do you say, can we double bet?"
"I'm okay with it as long as we already choose the first seven bets." Ciara agrees.
"Yes why not? That means there's more chances of winning." Tamsin points out. "But what if someone wants to join after the first two weeks, are we going to let them in?"
"Well who else will join? I mean I think it's just the seven of us." Kenzi asks.
"I think Tamsin's question is valid. But what if someone will join? Do we have a rule for latecomers?" Ciara looks at Vex and Hale. "Guys?"
Hale turns to face Vex.
Vex sighs. "If someone will join later, we need to talk about it. I mean we are the main bettors here. We need to reconvene if something like that will happen."
"Okay fair enough. So still the main question – how much is the bet?" Tamsin smirks.
"Well I think $ 100 for the first choice and $ 50 for the second choice." Vex relays. "What do you say?"
"I'll be coughing up $150 for those two?" Tamsin snorts.
"C'mon Tam Tam, you'll earn that money from your tips. And I know you. You're sucker for these kind of bets." Kenzi laughs at her best friend. "Don't mind Tamsin guys." She looks at Vex, Hale and Ciara.
"So are we okay with $100 and $50?" Vex asks. All heads nod. "Okay. Before we proceed, I would like to tell you the most important rule of this bet."
"What is it?" Tamsin raises her eyebrow.
"The most important rule is that Bo and Lauren shouldn't know about this bet or else, all hell breaks loose." Vex implores.
"Of course, Bo will have our heads. She abhors gambling especially when it involves money. And we are betting about her and Lauren being together. It's a big no-no for her." Kenzi shudders with the statement. "So guys, we have to be discrete okay? We can't just talk about this when they are around. I suggest that we exchange phone numbers. We only talk about this in text messages. We also can't have a paper trail of this. I'll try to create a simple mobile app so we can save the betting table in our mobile phones. Is that alright with you?"
"It's okay Kenzi. That would be very helpful." Vex smiles at her. "So are you ready to pick a random card and know if you are the first one to place your bet? I have a deck of playing cards ready. But I have to choose a suit so we can avoid duplicate numbers. Here, let's use the card with hearts since we know the nature of this bet." He lays the card face down on the table. "Pick your card now please. Ciara, pick for Dyson after yours then Kenzi for Nate."
Each of the participant picks his/her card. After a while, a shout of joy is heard from Ciara while Vex growls. Ciara's card is the 10 of hearts while Vex ends with the 2.
"Guys, I decided to go ahead and pick my bet now, for both my primary and secondary choices. Dyson's too. We already talked about this so we are sure about our bets." Ciara relates.
Vex laughs. "Oh my God! I thought I was the only one who's excited about this." He looks at the doctor. "Okay Ci, go on. Place your bets."
"Wait, I need some clarifications first. Who's going to control the betting table? And who's taking down the notes on the rules?" Tamsin asks.
"Good questions. I'm taking down the notes on the rules. In controlling the betting table, for now as we wait for Kenzi's mobile app, I think it would be me and Vex. Right buddy?" Hale turns to Vex for clarification. The latter nods.
"Okay Ciara, go on and place your bets." Vex prods his friend.
"Wait, I also need some clarifications." The doctor frowns. Vex groans. "Hey this is valid concern. Stop groaning, you're like a 12 year old hormonal boy when you're doing that."
Vex throws stink eyes at her.
The doctor just laughs. "Anyways, my question is the 'together' part of this bet. I already asked this last night..." She looks at Vex and Hale. "...but since Kenzi and Tamsin are here I will ask it again. When we say 'together', as in just dating or really together like girlfriends?"
"Well there's a possibility that they will date first before really going to that 'girlfriend' status. It will just depends on how long they will date before they get to that. So we should really establish how we define 'together' for our bet because this information is really crucial." Kenzi points out to her co-bettors.
"Right. So how are going to define it guys?" Vex frowns. "Are we going to vote on this? C'mon, the choices are easy – just dating or girlfriends status?"
"I go with the latter. Who's with me?" Tamsin raises her hand.
The other four raise their hands.
"See? It's simple." Vex shakes his head. "Before Ciara places her bet, are there any other questions? None? Okay so please, pretty please Ci..." He looks at the doctor. "...tell us your primary choice. Who has the 9 card?" Kenzi raises her card. "Huh lucky. You're next. How about 8?" He looks at Hale. "Please buddy, list the sequence."
Each of the bettors raises his/her card while Hale lists down the sequence. "So in order from the highest card to lowest, the sequence is Ciara, Kenzi, me, Tamsin, Dyson, Nate then last, Vex."
Ciara looks at Hale. "Please place my bet on week 2, that's November 19-25."
"Oh shit, Doc you ruined it!" Kenzi groans. "There goes my bet!"
The doctor laughs. "Really, you're going to place your bet on the same week? Why?"
"Because that's Bo's birthday week."
"When is Bo's birthday?" Vex asks.
"November 19..." Kenzi looks at her mobile. "...it is actually a Sunday."
Hale writes down Ciara's bet. He looks at Kenzi. "Kenz, are you going to place your bet now?"
"Yeah. I don't want to wait. This should be my secondary choice but since the Doc has already bet on my primary choice so yeah, I'm placing my bet on the Christmas week – Week 7 I think."
"Okay, written down. Mine is on week 8. That's the New Year week." Hale grins.
"That's my bet!" Vex taps his forehead and glares at his friend.
Tamsin looks at the betting table. "There's nothing much to go on. When is Lauren's birthday?"
"It already passed, July."
The blonde bartender frowns. "Okay, I'm placing my bet on Week 6, that's before Christmas."
"Nate's would be on Week 3. That's after the Thanksgiving." Kenzi tells Hale.
"Dyson's would be on Week 9, after the New Year." Ciara follows through.
"Finally, I can place my bet. Yey!" Vex shakes his head. "I decide to be fearless. I'm placing my bet on Week 1." He pounds his fist on the table.
"Wow very brave indeed!" Kenzi claps her hands.
Ciara rolls her eyes. "Okay, I'm ready for my secondary choice." She smiles. "I'll go with Week 7."
The rest place their bets for their secondary choices.
Vex sighs. "So we're finished. Buddy, who's going to keep the betting table? And Kenzi needs a copy."
"No, I'm okay. I already saved your bets on my mobile. I'll keep you informed when I'm going to finish the app. I also need your mobile numbers so I can include the contact list."
Vex has something to say when the door suddenly moves. All of them have the 'uh oh' face, their eyes are looking at the door. Their bated breaths are released when the two people who entered the house are not Bo and Lauren but the two G's.
"Oh my God, I thought I'm going to die!" Kenzi laughs while patting her chest. "Hi Mrs. G, hi little G!"
Both Gertrudes wave at Kenzi and walk towards the group.
"Hi Kenzi, Tamsin and Hale! I see that you have new friends. May I know your names my dears?" Mrs. G asks while looking at Vex and Hale.
"Shit where are my manners?" The young brunette shakes her head. "Mrs. G, this is Vex and Ciara. They are Lauren's housemates and friends. You already met Lauren right?" Mrs. G nods at her. "Vex, Ciara this is Mrs. Gertrude Abbott. She's the owner of flower shop that delivered the flowers earlier. And the little one is Gertrude Hardy, her namesake and granddaughter."
"Hi guys!" Little G waves at Vex and Ciara shyly. "It's nice to meet you. I already met Lauren too."
Vex stares at the young Gertrude. "How old are you little one?"
"I'm only 18 Mr. Vex."
"I'm just Vex little G. Are you studying? Where and what is your course?"
"Yes I am at the University of New Haven taking up Business Management."
"That's nice. So you're going to conquer the business world. It's fascinating really." Vex encourages the young lady.
"Uhm, it's just the flower shop Mr. Vex. Nothing fancy."
"Oh don't belittle the flower shop young lady. It's not 'just' a flower shop, but 'the' flower shop if you consider the enormity of flowers that you deliver here today. I think your grandmother won't tolerate that kind of attitude." Vex points out. "Right Mrs. G?"
The old lady smiles at the businessman. "That's alright dear. My granddaughter does not fully understand the ins and outs of the business yet because for now her only jobs are to take the customers' orders accurately, to know our products very well and then to deliver the orders in a sufficient manner. I think it's a good start. And I always tell her that in this way, customers will return to us and we make good business."
"Ah wise words from the owner itself." Vex winks at the old woman.
"I've been in this business for a long time now dear. My husband and I started with just a little flower shop because I really love flowers and bless him, he indulged me with my hobby. Soon after that, we both realized that this hobby of mine was not just an everyday past time but a source of livelihood. Alas, he passed away ten years ago. I loved my husband very much and this flower shop was his greatest gift to me." Old Gertrude eyes tear up a bit while remembering her husband.
"Grandma is always tearing up when she remembers grandpa." Little G relates. "I asked Lauren a while ago if she is Bo's girlfriend."
"What?!" Kenzi exclaims. "How did your brain go from one topic to another?"
"It's just that Grandpa used to look at Grandma the way Bo looks at Lauren, you know." The young lady shrugs. "I saw it. Right Gran? You saw it too."
"Oh I like how you think kid." Tamsin taps Little G's shoulder. "How intense?"
Old Gertrude interrupts. "It's not just Bo, Gerty but the doctor seems to be looking at her like Bo invented the loaf bread."
Vex and Hale look at each other and chuckles. "Buddy, looks like this bet thing that we started is really a good idea." Hale points out.
"Oh yeah and I'm feeling good about my bet." Vex rubs his hands.
Ciara looks at little G. "Little G, I'm curious... what was Lauren's answer to your question?"
"At first she said no but changed her answer to yes. But she explained herself that yes, she is Bo's girlfriend because she's Bo's friend that is a girl."
"I kind of expected that answer from her. She's my friend after all." The blonde ER doctor just shakes her head.
"And what was Bo's reaction?" Kenzi raises her eyebrow.
"She was so shocked I thought she's going to be mad at me but she agreed with Lauren's answer. But I saw in her eyes that she really didn't expect that question. She was really anxious. So I didn't push."
"You're one intuitive young lady. I like you. But yeah, don't ask them about that again any sooner. It's really going to be real awkward especially now that they are still in the stage of getting to know each other." Vex sighs. "You will have that opportunity again little G. Don't fret."
"Okay Mr... err Vex."
"Hey it's already six o'clock. Kenzi, we still need to arrange the flowers. C'mon. Mrs. G, Little G can you help please?" Tamsin stands and starts looking at the flowers.
"I can help. Just tell me where to put the flowers." Ciara volunteers.
"Actually Doc, there's a concept that we need to discuss first in order for us to arrange the flowers." Kenzi walks towards a side cabinet. She opens the drawer, picking up a paper. "Here's the plan. Since Pops is very loyal to Ireland, well because he's an Irish, we thought that the color of flowers should represent the flag which is orange, white and green. Mrs. G here thought of the flowers that we should order - green daisies, white roses and orange lilies."
"Interesting choices Mrs. G but they are very pretty. I didn't know that there are green daisies." Ciara declares. "What about the sunflowers and peonies?"
"Oh dear, those are ordered by the birthday boy. He mentioned a shindig that he will attend and they need yellow and pink flowers so I suggested why not sunflowers and peonies, right?" Mrs. G asks while pruning the stems of the flowers. "Let me cut the stems ladies and I will tell you where to put the flowers." She looks at the men. "And you gentlemen, just sit there and observe."
Hale smiles at her. "Okay Mrs. G. We can just sit here and look at you ladies. My arms are still hurting." He looks at Kenzi. "Where's Bruce and Steve, by the way?"
"They went to The Dahl to fetch the drinks."
"Okay."
Suddenly the door opens and there's Nate standing at the doorway.
"Hi everyone!" He waves at them. "Why are you all staring at me like I'm a ghost?"
"Hi Nate. Well you didn't knock and announced yourself so we are just jumpy or whatever." Tamsin admonishes him.
The young man just laughs it off and walks towards Kenzi. "Hi babe. I'm here now and I'm right on time." He then pecks Kenzi on the lips.
Hale's eyes widen when he heard the term of endearment and saw the kiss. He looks at Kenzi and Nate then to Tamsin. Kenzi is avoiding his eyes while the other two are talking to each other. He looks down, thinking about Nate and Kenzi until a painful realization hits him right in the heart. Oh shit! He shakes his head and starts to chastise himself in his head when the door opens and Bo enters. Lauren follows closely.
The brunette's eyes go straight to her partner. When she sees the slump on his shoulders, she knows that he finally knows the truth. She clears her throat. "Hey we're here."
"Oh hey finally you two are joining us." Vex hollers.
"Well it's raining so we are forced to come inside." Lauren deadpans.
"Haha. Thank you for joining us your majesty." The business man quips. Then he looks at Bo. "And you, are you okay now?"
Bo raises her eyebrow. "Yeah I am. How do you..."
"I have eyes on my back." He looks at her then looks at Hale, still looking down at his shoes.
The officer just shakes her head. Vex looks at her and sighs. Then suddenly his eyes light up. "I'm parched. I need a drink." He looks at Hale. "Buddy, I think we need to go to The Dahl and see how Bruce and Steve are doing. Maybe we can snag a drink or two." He looks at Bo. "Is that okay?"
Bo tries to catch Hale's eyes. Her partner finally moves from his catatonic stance when he heard Vex mentioned drinks. He glances at her and smiles with conflicted and sad eyes. Then he turns to Vex and nods. "Yeah okay, I need a drink." They both stand, walking towards the door when Bo interrupts them.
"Wait." She looks at Vex. "So before I forget, Nate this is Vex..." She waves her hand to where the business man is. "... and this is Ciara. They are Lauren's friends and housemates. Vex is a businessman while Ciara is also a doctor at Yale. Vex, Ciara this is Nate."
"Hi Nate." Vex smiles at him. "Excuse us please, me and my buddy here need a drink." He taps Hale's shoulder.
Ciara stops arranging the flowers and shakes Nate's hand. "Hi Nate. It is nice meeting you." The bartender nods with a smile.
"So what do we have here?" Bo looks at the flower arrangement. "Uh green daisies, really?"
Lauren perks up. "Oh wow green daisies! I heard about them but this is the first time that I've actually seen them."
"Well dear, green daisies become famous because of their unique color but they were already planted and bred since time immemorial. There are many types of daisies and these greens are called gerbera daisies. The more common and popular colors are yellow, pink and orange." Mrs. G relates.
"I love daisies. Hopefully I have them planted very soon in my garden." She looks at Bo. "Bo, can we talk to Tamsin now?"
Tamsin looks at Bo and Lauren when she heard her name. "Why do you want to talk to me?"
"Yeah well, you've been pestering me earlier so now that I'm already over it, we need to tell you something." Bo put her arms across her chest, trying to intimidate the taller woman.
The taller blonde holds up her hands defensively. "What is it Bo?"
"Bo..." Lauren admonishes.
The officer sighs. "Lauren and I spent some time in the garden and she loved what she has seen so..." She nods at the doctor to continue.
"Tamsin, Bo told me that you did the landscaping of the garden at the front. I loved it. She also told me that you have a vegetable and herb garden at the back. I haven't seen it yet but I'm excited to take a look at it." She looks at Ciara. "My housemates and I want a garden of our own. We have been living in that house for seven years now but we never had the chance to search for a landscaper or someone to work on it. So when Bo mentioned to me that you did the landscaping of your garden, I really wanted to hire you to do the job in ours." She looks at the bartender. "I know you have a job at night but you can work for us in the weekends or as your schedule permits. We just wanted our front and back lawns to look like something decent. What can you say about it?"
"Are you sure Doc? Our garden was my first project. While I'm proud of it, I have to admit that I'm still lacking in skills." The taller blonde frowns.
"Yeah well they say practice means perfect right? If you'll accept, our garden will be your second project." Lauren sees that Tamsin is thinking hard. "I don't need your answer right now. You can sleep on it. Or just tell me your answer in two weeks. And then I'll show you my scrapbook."
"You have a scrapbook?" Tamsin's eyes widen. "I'm impressed."
"Landscaping is not my strong suit so I gather all the details that I can get. I also read online blogs and magazines."
"Wow! Ok Doc, you got me. I'll do it. I need to see your scrapbook and the areas you want me to work on."
"Oh thank you, finally!" Lauren claps her hand. "Are you available next weekend?"
"Sure Doc. I work on Saturday nights but I have Sunday and Monday free for you." She winks at Lauren. Then she looks at Bo and smirks.
Bo breathes deeply while willing herself not to react to Tamsin's antics.
Again, oblivious to the taller blonde's actions, Lauren answers. "I'll be there on Sunday but on Monday, I need to go the hospital but you can come and talk to Vex. He'll be there all day. He knows what I like. Ciara too."
"You got yourself a date Doc!" Tamsin points to Lauren and laughs.
Kenzi glances at Bo with a concerned gaze, waiting for her negative reaction but the officer just shakes her head and smiles. That's interesting. "Can I come with Tamsin on Sunday Dr. Hotpants? I like to see your house."
Lauren turns to Kenzi and asks, "Dr. Hotpants?"
Nate raises his eyebrow. "Babe, I didn't know you are into that."
The young brunette slaps her boyfriend's arm. "Of course not but she's hot and she wears her pants very well. Look at that ass!"
"Kenzi..." Bo says her best friend's name in a low voice.
Ciara taps Lauren on her shoulder. "Looks like Kenzi christened you with an apt nickname. Dr. Hotpants! Way to go Kenzi. I love it!"
"See, the other blonde doctor loves it!" The forensic science student claps her hands. She then sees the blushing face of Lauren. "Don't mention it! You'll get over it and you also gonna love it too!"
Laurens sidles up beside Bo and whispers, "Is she really like that?"
"Like what?"
"Uhm creating nicknames for people that she just met?"
Bo laughs. "Not all the time. It means she likes you."
The doctor raises her eyebrow. "Likes me as?"
"As a person, as a friend."
"So it's her way of telling me that she's accepting me as her friend."
"You got it Doctor." Bo winks at her.
Lauren taps Kenzi's shoulder. "Thank you Kenzi."
"You're welcome! So is it okay for me to accompany Tamsin on Sunday?"
"Yeah sure, no problem."
"We're finished." Little G declares. The young lady is beaming with pride as she and her grandmother show the others the arrangement they did with the flowers. The green daisies, white roses and orange lilies are scattered neatly on the wall adjacent to the table. It looked like a tableau or a graphic representation of the Irish flag.
"Wow! It's beautiful Mrs. G." Bo's eyes widen at the sight before her.
"Thank you Bo. This is what do best. I've always been fascinated with flower arrangements so I learned how to do them. They are our bestsellers especially on Valentine's Day. Several flower shops are opening up here in New Haven and they are producing new kinds of flower arrangements so we need to keep up with what's new in our industry. They are crazy, our competitors, but we are doing good. Gerty here is my researcher." Mrs. G smiles at her granddaughter. "And she promised me that she will learn too."
The conversation is interrupted by the shrill of a mobile phone.
"Oh that's my phone." Bo pulls out her phone from her pocket. "It's Pops. I need to take this outside so he won't hear our voices. Excuse me."
When Bo steps outside, Kenzi walks towards Lauren. "Hotpants, I have to something to ask from you."
"What is it Kenzi?"
"Uhm it's really a big favor but I really need to do this. Well as you can see, my piano is brought down here specifically because of tonight's event, which is Pops' birthday. I want to play something for him but I need a partner. This partner is someone that also plays an instrument. And I want my partner to be you."
Lauren nods in understanding. "So you want me to play a song with you for Mr. McCorrigan's birthday?"
"Yes."
"I wouldn't refuse you Kenzi if I could but unfortunately I didn't bring my violin with me."
"Don't worry about that. I have my father's violin with me. Well that is, if it's okay with you to play with someone else's violin." The young brunette quips.
The doctor nods. "Okay. So what are we going to play?"
"Are you for real?" Kenzi's eyes widen. "Uhm okay, wait Hotpants. Don't move. I'll just get my father's violin from my room." She hurriedly climbs up the stairs to her room.
"Why did Trick call?" Tamsin asks Bo as the bartender saw the officer return.
"He just wanted to know if I already called the restaurant for our reservation. He also told me that he's enjoying the party that his friends organized for him. And he will be coming home with Mr. Strickland." She looks at Mrs. G, grinning.
"Oh dear, another round of nonstop arguments over backgammon! Good thing I already sharpened my gaming skills at home. I'm ready for him."
Bo laughs. "What's the running score between the two of you?"
"It's 10-9. I think he'll be trying to even it up."
"Good luck." She winks at the old lady. She then turns around to look at Nate. "Where's Kenzi?"
"She went up to her room to get her father's violin."
Lauren moves beside her. "She wants us to play something for your grandfather."
"Okay?" Bo's eyebrows furrow.
"I think it's a good idea but since I didn't bring my violin, she said she will let me play with her father's instead."
"Oh. That's a good thing then. Are you up to it? I mean I didn't invite you just so you can do this..."
The doctor interrupts her, smiling. "It's okay Bo. I like to do it because I haven't played duets with a pianist for a long time now. Relax, okay?"
"Hotpants, here it is. This is my father's violin." Kenzi hands the instrument to the doctor.
"Oh we have the same violin, it's Stentor." Lauren brings it out from the case. She looks at Kenzi.
The pianist winks at her. "I'm giving you free reign. Go ahead and do what you usually do."
"Thank you Kenzi." She removes the bow from the case and checks if the hair of the bow is tight. She puts it down once she's sure that it is. Next she picks up the violin by its neck, bringing the butt of it up to her neck. She rests it on her collarbone, holding it in place with her jaw. Once the bow is in her hands, she slides it across the strings. She stops and then slides it again. She repeats the action two times more. "Well, no need to tune the violin. It's ready." She looks at the pianist. "So what are we going to play for Mr. McCorrigan?"
"I have some music sheets with me. They are all violin and piano duets. But maybe before we decide, can we play a simple piece together? It's like a practice of sorts." Kenzi beams at Lauren.
"Sure, why not? Is Canon in D alright with you? It's the piece that I usually play when I'm going to perform with someone I've never play with before."
"Perfect Hotpants." She heads towards the piano and sits. "Ready Doc?"
Lauren nods.
What happens next is so surreal the audience of six can't do anything but to sit back and imagine that they are in a theatre watching a concerto. If someone will ask Bo what made it captivating is that these two individual musicians, who plays side by side for the first time, make it look like that they are doing this their whole lives. For her, the combination of her beloved and best friend's performance is unbelievable and it has caught her off guard. The first few notes have clued the audience of how the piece will go. Canon in D is a classical baroque music. In these modern times, this kind of musical piece is not among the normal ones that people will listen to. But the pianist and violinist make their audience listen and indulge in it. The culmination of the piece makes them hitch their breaths. Bo is already a goner when Lauren and Kenzi play their last notes. Her mouth forms an O especially when the doctor winks at her. Even Tamsin who can't appreciate classical music is floored.
"Whoa, that was amazing!" Little G exclaims. The others clap their hands except for Bo who's still frozen at her place.
Lauren and Kenzi bow at their audience, both humbled by the praises given to them at that very moment. The pianist hugs the violinist and says, "Hotpants, you're incredible!" She quickly removes herself from the embrace. "Uh sorry about that, I am just so happy!"
"Kenzi, it's okay. Thank you. You're an amazing pianist! My God, I have to keep up with you!"
"I played it very well because you are intense!" She notices that her best friend is not moving. "Uh Hotpants, looks like BoBo can't move because of our awesomeness." She pokes the brunette. "BoBo, you can move now."
"Uh what?"
"Where you have been? You've been staring at us the whole time!"
"Sorry about that but wow Lauren, Kenzi that was wow! I've never heard something like that for a long time. It was intense and amazing. You are both passionate musicians. It was a sight to behold. And the music, it was wow!" Bo stares at the doctor with veneration. "Sorry, I can't find a more appropriate word to describe it."
"Thank you Bo." The doctor is blushing, moved by the open admiration the officer is throwing in her way. It goes straight to her heart. The feeling is warm like a cocoon surrounding her whole body.
The brunette is still staring at the doctor when Kenzi decides to burst the bubble. She clears her throat and says, "Hotpants now that we have proven that we are an A team - what are we going to play for Pops?"
"That's the question isn't it?"
"If it's okay with you, we can play two pieces – a fast one then a love song. Pops loves them. We can choose from my music sheets."
"Let see what we have here." Lauren glances at the titles. "Do you want to play the theme from Phantom of the Opera? Then for the love song..." She smiles at the blue-eyed pianist. "...here, I love this one. I play it too sometimes."
"Where Do I Begin? Yes, it's a good choice. I like it." She nods vigorously. "Do you need the musical sheet for the Phantom of the Opera? How about the other one?"
"Phantom of the Opera, yes but the other one, no I'm good."
"Okay Hotpants." Kenzi pulls out her mobile phone from her pocket. "Oh Alicia's already here so it means the food has arrived." She signals to Nate and Tamsin. "Bo, let us take care of Alicia and the food. Stay here and talk to the doctors and the double G's."
Ciara walks towards her friend and exclaims, "Lo what was that? I mean I agree with Bo. That was an amazing performance."
"The reason is Kenzi Ci. You saw her. As I said I need to keep up with that." She looks at Bo. "Bo, she's an amazing pianist. My brother is very good but she's something else."
"As far as I know, her musical flair is genetic. Her father was a violinist and her mother was a cellist. They actually met in an audition for a choir."
"Was?" Ciara inquires.
Bo sighs. "Kenzi's parents both died in a car accident when she was still a child."
"Oh that's sad."
"I know."
The three of them are still contemplating about what happened to Kenzi's parents when Vex and Hale arrive bearing bottles of gin and vodka.
"What's the fuzz all about? Is it the music we heard when we are in The Dahl? That was brilliant." Vex declares with a smile.
"That was Lauren and Kenzi playing Canon in D." Bo replies.
"What? And I missed it!"
"Don't worry, they will be playing again for Pops later." She looks at her partner. "Hale?"
Hale looks at Bo.
"Can we talk, as in now please?"
The tall officer nods and smiles. His partner walks towards the dining room and he follows.
Bo turns her back from the wall and faces her partner. "Hale I know that you already know. I'm sorry if..."
Hale interrupts her. "Bo, it's okay. I'm not angry or mad at you."
"But..."
"It's my fault."
"What? Why?"
"Well if I have just told her what I really feel then maybe she won't be with Nate now." He notes with a tight smile. "I thought that waiting is the better option. I guess I'm wrong."
"I'm so sorry Hale."
"It's okay Bo." He lets out a deep breath. "I will try to move on and be happy for them. But for now, maybe I can wallow for a while and feel the pain." He shakes his head. "I should have been steadfast. I should have shown her how much she means to me. But I've been sloppy. I've never shown her that I'm here, she has another choice." He looks at his partner. "So partner, I'm telling you this. In the near future, if you feel that it's time to tell her what you really feel, I say go for it. Don't let it pass." He looks up, his hands inside his pockets. "There was a time in the past when I really wanted to tell her but I let it pass and now, look at us. And you are always reminding me to call or text her. You've been very supportive. So don't beat up yourself about this okay? I know you will but don't. This is all my fault."
"I just want you to be happy, you and Kenzi. Together."
"For now, I think 'together' is not option for the two of us. Or maybe forever." Hale sighs. "She asked me earlier if she can talk to me later so I said yes. I think she will tell me about her and Nate."
"She did?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure you're up to it?"
"The sooner that I bite the bullet, the better Bo. It's inevitable." He looks down at his shoes. "Even if she didn't choose me, I want this to be easy for her."
"You really love her, don't you?"
"You know I do." He hears voices coming from the back door. "I think they're here Bo. C'mon, I don't want Kenzi to see us talking." Hale stands straight, waiting for his partner.
"Go on. I'll wait for them here. I need to check the food."
"Okay. But I need to get supplies for the gin and vodka that Vex and I brought."
"What do you need?"
"Lemon, lemon juice, lime juice, triple sec, cranberry juice, sugar, carbonated water, tonic water, ice, cocktail glasses, regular glasses..." Hale enumerates.
"What the!? Are you going to get drunk?"
"Of course not Bo. I'll drink just a glass or two. We have work tomorrow. But I think it's Vex that wants to be drunk. He likes gin, lots of it."
"Okay. I'll just tell Nate and Tamsin."
"Alright." He walks towards the living room.
In the living room, Mrs. G has been monopolizing Lauren's attention. She's been regaling the doctor about the history and inner workings of their family business, the flower shop.
"Mrs. G, that's quite a story." Lauren says, a small smile forming on her lips.
"Oh dear but it's all true. You can go with me so you can see for yourself. My greenhouses are in Woodbridge and Hamden. I'm visiting them every third week of the month. So my next visit would be on the 23rd or 24th. Are you available on those days?"
"I am but if it's okay with you Mrs. G, I'm leaning towards the 24th. I would also like Tamsin to be with me since she agreed to do our landscaping. I think she's only available on the 24th."
"Can I come with Lauren Mrs. G? My reason is rather personal but I also want to see the greenhouses." Vex looks at the old lady with puppy dog eyes. "Please, I beg you!"
"You don't need to beg. You can come!" Mrs. G turns to Lauren. "Yes dear, we can do it on the 24th."
"Yes! I can come with, I can come with!" He leans closer to his best friend. "I just want to be away from New Haven for a little while you know." He whispers.
"Well you need a bodyguard." Hale looks at Mrs. G. "Can I come too?"
Lauren laughs good-naturedly. "It is going to be an excursion isn't it?" She looks at Vex and Hale doing a high five. She then turns to Ciara. "What about you, can you come? It's a great opportunity to unwind after those grueling hours at the hospital."
"You got me at 'unwind'." Ciara nods. "So we need to know if Kenzi and Nate will come too." Hale frowns.
"What about Bo?" Lauren asks.
"Uh Lo we don't need to ask her. She will come. Trust me." Lauren's face is skeptical. "Oh my God Lewis, you're adorable but frustrating." Ciara shakes her head.
"Really? And you called me Lewis. You're only calling me that if I did something horrible!" She looks clueless. She is in the verge of asking Ciara but an alarm erupts. She glances at her watch. "Oh it's already 6:30. Vex, I need to re-heat the lasagna. Can you come with me to the kitchen?"
Vex stands up and follows her to the kitchen where they find Bo, Kenzi, Nate, Tamsin and an unknown man and a woman standing around the table. They are arranging big plates of food. Kenzi looks up and sees Vex and Lauren entering the kitchen.
"Vex, Hotpants!"
The businessman speaks up. "It's already 6:30 and Lo here wants to re-heat the lasagna. I think she needs 20 minutes to do that." He looks at his best friend. "Right?"
Lauren nods. "Yeah. So where is it?"
Tamsin answers. "Uh Doc, let me get it for you." She heads towards the refrigerator, bringing out the big container of lasagna.
Lauren then walks towards the oven. Vex follows. They both look at the mechanisms of the oven. The doctor turns around, looking at Bo. "May I?"
Bo, who is staring at the doctor, jerks up. "Oh yeah sure, of course. What else do you need?"
"Uhm I need aluminum foil to cover it." The doctor preheats the oven.
"Aluminum foil, got it." The officer then walk towards a kitchen cabinet, getting a rolled up aluminum foil. "Here." She hands it to the doctor while Vex is removing the lid of the pasta's container.
"Wow that smells delicious." The unknown woman exclaims. She looks at Lauren. "Did you make it?"
"Yes I did."
"She made it with freshly made lasagna pasta sheets, very tasty and homemade beef and pork ragu, also homemade béchamel sauce and lots of Italian cheese." Vex declares.
The woman raises her eyebrow at Vex.
"I'm just telling the truth." He shrugs.
"Well maybe because she's talking to me and you interrupt." Lauren gently admonishes her best friend and looks at the woman. "I'm sorry, he's just very protective of me. But yes he's telling the truth. He has eaten lots of that so he knows."
"No problem. It looks delicious."
"Thank you."
"I'm Alicia by the way. I cook for Trick and The Dahl. I was requested by Bo to cook for her grandfather's birthday."
"I'm Lauren, nice meeting you." She shakes the woman's hand. "The lasagna is actually a gift for Mr. McCorrigan's birthday."
"That's a nice gift." Alicia looks at Vex.
"Oh I am Vex. I baked the cake. It's also a gift." He shakes her hand. "How long have you been cooking at The Dahl?"
"Well when you say cooking, just the appetizers and some short orders okay? To answer your question, may be 5-7 years now."
"Then you are making those delicious chicken wings that I always order when I'm at The Dahl?" Vex looks at her skeptically.
"Yes I make them. It's my own recipe."
"Good for you. So now Lo, let's get this lasagna inside so the re-heating will start." Vex stares at the unknown man. "You look familiar. You are a bartender at The Dahl, correct?"
"Yes I am. I am Paul, Alicia's husband."
"Oh lucky man Paul, if we are just going with the chicken wings you know. Your wife knows what she's doing with wings." Vex laughs. He opens the oven and places the container of lasagna.
Lauren takes over, pushes the oven's button. "Now we wait." She looks over at the table. "Wow this is quite a spread. Did you cook all of these?"
"Yes I did, thank you." The cook answers.
The doctor smiles at her, while pointing at a dish. "This is a pot roast. Can you tell me how you cook it?"
"Certainly." The cook then regales the doctor of the roast's ingredients, methods of cooking, etc.
The others just watch them interact.
"So you used sage and added a dollop of whiskey? You used chuck roast?" Lauren asks the cook.
"Yes to all of your questions."
"That's good to know. This dish will be very delicious, I can't wait to try it. Thank you for telling me about the dish and answering my questions."
"No problem at all. I know a fellow good cook when I see one." The cook beams at Lauren. "Maybe you can teach me how you make your lasagna some other time."
"Sure no problem."
"So Lo, you already have coaxed Mrs. G to go to an excursion now you got a cook out with Alicia? You're really not too busy, aren't you?" Vex chuckles. Lauren just shrugs.
"What excursion?" Bo asks.
"Oh next Sunday, we will all go to Woodbridge and Hamden to see Mrs. G's greenhouses."
"We are?" Tamsin inquires.
"It was actually just you and me with Mrs. G and little G because I want to look at the flowers but Vex wants to come, then Hale of course. He said we need a bodyguard. I invited Ciara to come along because it's already an excursion. Then she volunteered Bo." Lauren looks at Bo. "She said you will come with us. She's adamant, she wants you to be there so I didn't ask why."
"Really? Well do you want me to be there?"
The doctor frowns. "We are all going so yeah sure."
Bo doesn't relent. "It looks like you don't want me to be there." Oh God, listen to yourself. You sound like a whiny kid.
The doctor shrugs. "Okay you will be left behind. We are all going to be there. Kenzi, Nate you'll come with us?"
"It's Sunday, the 24th? Well why not? It's time to smell the flowers. Nate and I are going."
"See?"
"Well, Pops will be here with me."
"We'll invite him." Lauren challenges her.
Bo pouts. Tamsin looks at Kenzi. They burst into laughter. "She'll be going Doc. She can't resist it." The blonde bartender remarks.
Lauren looks at Bo. "I want you to be there okay? So don't pout."
"Okay." Bo grins.
Kenzi clears her throat and whispers, "Whipped." She then laughs.
"Interesting excursion." Vex notes, sidling up next to Bo.
Bo looks at him. "We need two cars."
"I agree. Let's talk about the logistics later. You know, who's going to car A and who's going to car B."
"I'm already planning right now, in my head. But we can finalize it later. Agreed?" Bo raises her eyebrow.
"Agreed. Looks like we are the designated drivers?"
"Of course. I won't let Lauren drive, promise."
Vex puts his hands on his hips. "Why would you think that she'll be riding with you Officer Dennis?"
"If I'm betting person, I will bet on it but I'm not so… I just know. And besides, why would she ride with you when you are easily scared by a cat crossing the road? She said that's the reason why you ran into a beveled road right?"
"Oh right. You remembered that." Vex frowns.
"Of course. So what happened? A cat really scared you?"
Ok this is it. Bite the bullet Vex. "Lo was on the phone with you then I was trying to tell you something. I was blindsided by a cat. I avoided it but then, I ran into a ditch or the infamous 'beveled' road."
"Where did this happen?"
Really, an interrogation? How hard is it to lie to a police officer? "Somewhere in George St."
Bo mulls over Vex's statement. "Okay. What are you trying to tell me?"
"I'm just want to ask you if you want us to pick up something that you need since we are still in downtown earlier."
"Oh ok. Well we have everything here. Hale told me you need lots of ingredients for your drinks. Why don't you ask Nate and Tamsin about them?"
"Oh yeah, thanks Bo. My buddy Hale needs a glass or two..." Vex holds up his hands. "...I know you have work tomorrow. Let me handle it. He badly needs it. I know what's happening and a broken heart needs some numbing. Alcohol will help even for a short period of time. I know the feeling Bo." He looks away and sighs. "Haven't you experienced getting your heart broken?"
"I experienced it but I was still in high school back then so I can't just drink it away." She taps his shoulder. "Okay, just don't let him get drunk. I trust you."
He salutes her. He walks towards Nate and Tamsin.
After a while, the food and decorations are all set. All of the invited guests are all there. All they can do is wait for the birthday celebrant. Bo received a text, telling her that her grandfather is already on the way home with his best friend Robert. They decided to turn off the lights so that Trick won't see the people inside the house.
"I didn't know that having a surprise birthday party is a waiting game and the anticipation is really killing me." Tamsin reacts to the darkness and silence that surrounds the living room.
"Ssssh shut up Tam!" Kenzi admonishes her. "Just keep on drinking."
A car stopped in the front of the house.
"They are here!"
The door opens and Tricks steps into the house. "Why are the lights off?"
"Maybe you didn't pay your bill." His best friend Robert notes. Trick frowns.
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Author's Note: Thank you for reading.