Chapter 7
Tanya rushed across the square, Fatboy and Abi close to her heels. She saw an ambulance parked out, the lights flashing. She stumbled into the pub and saw two paramedics tending to her daughter. She could see Lauren was starting to drift in and out of consciousness. She saw Derek been restrained by Jack and marched over to him.
'What happened?' She demanded a hip on her hip. Derek looked at Tanya.
'She tripped over and hit the table, head first' he lied. Tanya narrowed her eyes at him, then turned to Jack.
'What happened? Really?' she demanded again.
'Derek and Max were having a fight… Lauren got up to see if her Dad was okay and Derek flung his arm out to stop her… only she fell and hit her head' he replied. Max re entered the pub and Tanya rushed up to him.
'I'm alright. Howse Lauren?' he asked, hugging his fiancée. Tanya pulled back, wiping her tears away.
'I don't know the paramedics were blocking my view'
'Come on' said Max, moving past Derek and Jack and heading for his eldest daughter…
Two hours later, Max, Tanya and Joey were still at the hospital. Cora had come by and picked Abi up, giving Tanya the house keys. Joey was sat with a cold cup of coffee between his hands, while Max and Tanya were talking quietly. Joey was lost in his thoughts. When he saw the fight erupt, he knew what it was over, but his Dad should have got the message that he didn't want to know by now. But he wasn't expecting Lauren to get involved in the crossfire. He looked down at his t-shirt, the blood stain from her head where he had supported her before the paramedics had arrived. The door to the waiting room opened and a doctor stepped in.
'Howse is she? Howse my baby?' said Tanya, trying not to sound tearful.
'Your lucky, Ms Branning. Lauren suffered a serious blow to the head, but there's no sign of head trauma or bleeding on the brain. We've stitched her up but we do want to keep her in over night to keep an eye on her'
'That's fine. So will she be allowed home tomorrow?' asked Tanya
'Hopefully, all been well' smiled the Doctor, then she turned her attention to Joey.
'Are you Joey, by any chance?' she asked him. Joey frowned
'Yes. Why?'
'She's asking for you. Room 18, on the left hand side' replied the Doctor. Joey cast a Max and Tanya, who nodded and sat back down. Joey smiled and left the room, the Doctor behind him…
Joey entered Lauren's hospital room and she smiled weakly.
'Hey' she whispered. Joey walked up to the bed and smiled at her.
'Hey yourself. You should be sleeping' he said, as he sat down in a chair next to her bed. Lauren smiled and cupped his cheek with her hand.
'Thank you. For what you did in the pub…' said Lauren
'No worries. I'm always going to protect you, no matter what happens… I'll always be here for you' promised Joey. Lauren smiled and Joey leaned across the bed to kiss her gently. Lauren made a sound of disappointment when he broke the kiss. He chuckled.
'Get some sleep, you look shattered' he said. Lauren grabbed his hand.
'Will you stay with me? Be here in the morning?' asked Lauren. Joey thought about Max and Tanya, but Lauren's puppy eyed look won him over.
'Of course I will' he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead and watching her while she fell asleep…
The next day, Tanya was cleaning the house, more specifically the bedrooms. She was currently in Abi and Lauren's room. Abi barely had anything to tidy, but Lauren had. Tanya grabbed the washing basket and started picking up clothes to throw in the washing machine. She got to her knees and grabbed a handful of clothes from under Lauren's bed. She sighed and got back to her feet, then frowned. She bent down and picked up Joey's boxers shorts and t-shirt from the floor. Tanya stared at them. Why were they in her daughter's room? Under Lauren's bed? Was Abi right about raising suspicions? She heard the door go and quickly threw them in the washing basket and headed downstairs. She spotted Lauren and Max in the living room. She walked in, planting a smile on her face.
'Hey darling. You feeling better?' she asked as she put the washing basket on the table.
'A little. Although, I've got a headache. I think I'm going to go and lie down for a bit' said Lauren. Tanya nodded and watched as her daughter made her way upstairs.
'Max…' said Tanya, waiting for him to turn his attention to her.
'Yeah?' he said, wondering why Tanya was holding up Joey's boxer shorts and t-shirt.
'I found these in the girls' room, under Lauren's bed'
'So?' asked Max. Tanya dropped the items of clothing back into the washing basket and rolled her eyes.
'There Joey's' answered Tanya, like it was obvious
'So?' Max asked again
'MAX! Listen… why would Joey's clothes be under Lauren's bed?'
'You tell me' said Max, not really getting the point what Tanya was trying to make. Tanya scoffed and stormed into the kitchen, not seeing Joey leaning against the wall, having heard everything. He quietly crept up the stairs to Lauren. He walked in and saw Lauren looking round her room.
'Lauren.. What are looking for?'
'Your boxers and shirts… They were under my bed and now they're gone' said Lauren. Joey scratched the back of his neck.
'Yeah, Lauren.. your mum found them. She must have been tidying your room and found them. Didn't you hear the argument downstairs?' Joey said. Lauren's eye widened.
'That's what it was about? Oh god'
'We're going have to be more careful if your mums onto us' whispered Joey. Lauren nodded in agreement
'So we play it cool?' she said
'Yeah. Howse your head?' Joey asked. Lauren grimaced.
'It hurts and its tender'
'Come on. Try having a sleep. It might better then' said Joey, pulling back her quilt cover and letting Lauren slip in.
'You going to be okay?' he asked. Lauren nodded, before letting out a huge yawn. He chuckled and kissed her head, before leaving her to sleep…
Two days later, Laure had gotten up to find Abi's bed not been slept in. She frowned and then she saw a note on her bedside table. She picked it up and read:
Loz, Gone out for the day with Mum, Dad and Oscar.
Be back in time for dinner.
Be careful with your head and have fun with Lucy and Whit
Love Abs
Lauren frowned. Have fun with Lucy and Whitney? What did that mean? She hadn't even planned anything with them. She climbed out of bed, grabbed her dressing gown and headed downstairs. She heard the Big Bang Theory playing and she stopped dead. She bolted for the living room and opened the door to find Joey sat with a bowl of cereals.
'Morning babe, want breakfast?' he asked smiling at her. She smiled and sat down next to him.
'So… What we going to do today seeing as we have the house to ourselves?' Joey asked, not taking his eyes off the screen…
A few hours later, Lauren and Joey were sat on the sofa, curled up together. Lauren smiled as Joey stroked her hair slowly, occasionally dropping kisses on her head and her face.
'You okay? Howse your head?' he asked
'Bit better, still get the occasional headache, but it's better than before' she answered, moving her head to look at him, her eyes locking onto his.
'Good. I don't like seeing you in pain' said Joey, leaning down and connecting their lips. Lauren responded fiercely and moved so she could straddle his lap, not breaking the kiss. Joey groaned and lowered her gently onto her back on the sofa, kissing her deeply. He felt Lauren's hand under his shirt, making him shiver. He crushed her to him gently, his arms supporting her head and her back…
'WHAT IN HELL IS GOING ON?' shouted Cora. Lauren and Joey shot up, like they had been electrocuted, terror etched on their faces…
Dun Dun Dun :D R&R X