The return trip was easy, and Bo wanted desperately to forget her job and run straight home once she was back in familiar territory. If she tanned better, she would have a hell of a tan after spending the week out in the Middle East sun. She was glad that Lauren forced her to pack sunscreen, because the idea of sunburn right now did not sound appealing, either. Plus, a sunburn would not be conducive to the reunion party she hoped was planned for her in Lauren's pants.
Despite her want to ignore her duties, Bo still made her way to see Evony first to drop off the crystal. The woman still acted strangely, but she seemed relieved that Bo did not stay for long. Bo had since realized that anything she asked the woman for, even if she didn't directly ask but had a need to know something, the Morrigan gave her. If she thought there was any real validity to her theory, Bo would toy with the woman to see how far it went. Knowing Evony, though, there was an endgame to the nicety. She knew Bo craved to be in the loop more with the fae world, so it was the perfect tactic if she wanted something.
Bo arrived at the clubhouse to find nobody around. She hadn't really had time to call anybody to tell them she was back yet, in all fairness, but she knew Lauren sensed her return. There was a happiness and panic from the other woman at this knowledge, which concerned her, so she picked up her phone to send a message to her wife.
Lauren was still at Gram's farm, working in the lab and treating patients. Bo wished she could give her girlfriend more answers to help her solve the blood fever, but she actually did feel the lack of guilt at the situation now. If she had known that she could spread this, she would have controlled her succubus needs better. Since she didn't know and technically Trick's writing had brought this disease into existence, so she didn't pass it to her partners during the act itself, there was no reason to even feel guilty. With a clear mind, guilt seemed like such a silly emotion. Why was she so afraid of this? She still had her control.
Bo could sense Lauren's tenseness, but she was surprised at the strong revelation of guilt and despair from the doctor. It was no doubt because Lauren was so worn from working. Since Bo wasn't here this week, Lauren probably rarely went inside the house to sleep unless Kenzi reprimanded her for sleeping in the loft office. The couch was comfy in there, but it was not the best tool for getting a decent rest or night's sleep.
Plus, Lauren was pregnant now. She needed to take better care of her body, which meant regular sleeping patterns despite work needs. The thought made Bo suspect that Lauren wasn't as invested in the pregnancy, even though she knew better. Lauren was a workaholic; she had other lab technicians to do the blood work, tests, and treatments for her, but the doctor was such an obsessed scientist that she had to do and see the work and results for herself. There could be no mistakes, especially with finding a cure for the blood fever. Dyson and Ciara had it, and even though Dyson was not showing many outward symptoms, Ciara had been struggling.
It felt odd not to feel guilty for that. Before, she would have made herself sick from the guilt. Now, she just believed it was an unfortunate side effect of being a succubus with an insane family.
Now that she was alone in the apartment, with no mission and no guilt occupying her every second, Bo had time to truly and completely process what Lauren being pregnant meant. Not only were they starting a family, but they were possibly creating the first documented hybrid/fae offspring. She wondered if the baby would be more fae or more human. Would it have powers? In fact, would the baby have succubus powers?
Number Two had mentioned a son. Did that mean Lauren was carrying a boy? The priest hadn't really confirmed or denied. Bo did want more children than just this one, so the firstborn son that he mentioned could just mean that they eventually would have a son. If that were the case, then did he get succubus powers? Would he be an incubus? How did Lauren's fae genetic strands play a part in deciding what the baby was?
Bo never did like biology dictating who she was, so she did know for certain that they would raise this baby, and all of their other babies, with human ideals instead of crappy fae political ones. There was no doubt Lauren would still teach the baby those politics, but that didn't mean the kid had to keep with those ancient rules. This was one way Bo knew she would change the world: She was going to teach her children how to respect everyone, human or fae, dark or light.
Thoughts of Lauren turned to thoughts of sex a little slower than Bo expected. Then again, they had been together for a while; the honeymoon phase was bound to end eventually. Regardless, Bo was hungry. She hadn't fed this past week, living off the reserves from the mind and toe numbing feed and sex that Lauren had given her the night before she left. Bo wanted to recreate that and give her wife a chance to release her own tension and stress. Maybe she could convince Lauren to sneak out to the cabin for a day. They hadn't played strip poker in a while; Lauren said it was because Alexie was around and she didn't want Kenzi to feel like she couldn't move freely to get what she needed in her own home since their makeshift strip poker games usually happened in the living room or kitchen without much planning. Poker wasn't always involved.
Lauren was so selfless and caring and loving. She was going to be an excellent mother to their children.
Bo's smile seemed to be permanent since she returned. Well, not permanent, as there was that uncomfortable silence with Evony earlier, but she did find herself less broody.
Why hadn't Lauren started making her way home yet? Bo knew the doctor sensed her return, which usually at least got a phone call, but there was nothing, which was unusual. She tried calling her wife since there was no text response, but the call went to voicemail. There was a panicked sensation from both of them now. The phone ringing in her hand caused her to come out of her Lauren-centric focus and worry.
"Hello? Lauren? Is everything okay?" Bo pulled the phone back to confirm it was her wife. Lauren had been getting some Unknown calls lately, and Bo was not in the mood to start getting them now, as well.
"It's Kenzi. Lauren's in the lab doing an autopsy. She's…Bo…" Kenzi cleared her throat, obviously trying to hide her emotions. Bo felt her own panic increase. "Lauren left her phone up here, but when I saw it was you, I had to call. Are you back?"
"Yeah, for a few hours now. I figured you and Lauren would already be on your way back home. Is something wrong?" Bo swallowed hard, feeling the tension building in her stomach as various scenarios came to mind. "Is the baby okay?"
"The baby is fine. I've been watching over your high strung wife for you in your absence. As much as I do that, I think I deserve a fancy, expensive ring, too." Kenzi was deflecting, which meant that something was seriously wrong. Bo could hear the saddened undertones her best friend was trying to hide. "At least get mama a new pair of boots. You know I don't have time or money to go shopping anymore. My boot fund somehow turned into a bottle fund."
"Happens when you have kids." Bo smiled through her breath, relieved that everything was okay with her family. "How is Alexie?"
"He's sleeping in the pack and play now. It's been a long day, BoBo, and I doubt anyone will convince Lauren to leave the lab now." Kenzi went silent, which always unnerved Bo. "You should get here as soon as you can, Bo. Something…" Kenzi cleared her throat, back to trying to hide her emotions. "Ciara died, and Dyson went on a rampage."
"Ciara died." Bo tried to let that process, as she made the statement more to convince herself that it was true than actually having it register in her mind.
"Yeah, it happened a few hours ago. She was fine when Lauren left her, but then, she just…was gone. It was a good thing the doc had her hooked into all kinds of machines, or we wouldn't have known until Dyson came back from wherever he disappeared to." Kenzi had mentioned he went on a rampage, which concerned Bo since Ciara was in Lauren's care. Dyson was not a Lauren fan. If he had laid a hand on her wife, Bo would have known, though. He could keep his wolf balls this time. "Lauren had to tranq him to get him to stop howling and terrorizing the lab."
"Is she okay? Did he…hurt her?" Bo knew her wife was tough and good at hiding her emotions, even within their bond. Bo was not surprised that Lauren managed to hide Dyson hurting her. His wolf balls were back in question.
"Lauren? Nothing she couldn't patch up with some personal doctoring." Kenzi sounded like she wanted to smile but couldn't. "You should get here ASAP. Dyson is out cold in one of the exam rooms, and Lauren has locked herself in the autopsy room with Ciara. She's been down there too long. I'm starting to wonder what she's doing, but I'm too afraid to bother her."
"She's probably trying to figure out what happened." Bo shrugged her boots and jacket back on before heading to grab her keys in the front entryway. She made sure to lock the door, since she doubted they would be back home today.
"I think Dyson blames Lauren for not saving her. He doesn't want to blame you or Trick, so he's grasping and desperate." Kenzi was whispering, which was strange if she was the only person there in Lauren's office. "Bo, I think he did something monumentally stupid and worthy of a good kick in the wolf junk. If he wakes up before you get here…"
"I'm on my way now." Bo started her car and wasted no time peeling it back onto the road. "I'll be gunning it, so I'll probably need an oxygen mask when I get there."
"Be careful and stay under 60 kliks. The last thing we need is you to die, too." Kenzi did sound emotional then, which obviously made her uncomfortable. As close as they were, Bo knew it was still hard for Kenzi to show emotion to even her. The young girl did not like to sound vulnerable or weak at all; it was how she survived all those years on her own. "You can't leave me here alone with Lauren to deal with that aftershock."
"I'll get there in one piece, I promise." Bo looked down at the odometer and temperature gauge. All she could do now was pray and maneuver. "See you soon."
"You'd better, or I'll kick your ass." Kenzi took a deep breath. "Drive safe. I can hear the engine on your car is already mad at you. Both hands on the wheel, babycakes. Concentrate and get here soon."
"On it. Bye, Kenz." Bo hung up the phone and tossed it in the passenger seat next to her wallet. Bo hated these drives. While she didn't mind driving to Gram's farm, Bo was not a fan of drives where she was left alone for several minutes to ponder the situation. This one wasn't as bad as usual, though. She wasn't blaming herself for Ciara's death, but she felt like she should be. The tiny bit of guilt she had at realizing this made her comfortably aware that Number Two had been accurate that she would still accumulate guilt; it was just the guilt from her past that she sacrificed. She was still capable of feeling guilt, much to her relief.
Lauren did not know what happened. Ciara had been fine. Her blood work even showed that the blood fever had become dormant and the treatments were working. So, why did the woman suddenly die? What happened in those few hours she had left Ciara to rest? What did she miss?
The autopsy showed nothing out of the ordinary, so Lauren did it again even though it was not protocol, believing wholeheartedly that she missed something. The large gash down the woman's torso showed how desperate Lauren was during the procedure. She had never had trouble staying clinical and professional before, but this was different. A friend had died because of something she and Bo had done. Sure, it was Trick who had triggered the blood fever, but if they hadn't mated and potentially gotten pregnant that first time, then the old blood sage would have never tried to help his granddaughter.
Lauren had locked herself in this room not long after Dyson returned and slammed her into her lab workstation. The broken beakers and test tubes had only cut her hand slightly but didn't need stitches. The bruise and knot on her forehead, though, where her head had hit the steel table was still throbbing. Dyson had only pushed her back onto the ground when she tried to stand. It was a very bully move, which did not surprise Lauren. What did surprise her was that she was not mad at him for doing it. She probably would have done worse if it was Bo who had died.
His feelings for Ciara were strong. Not as strong as his obvious feelings for Bo, but he did love the woman. Well, maybe love was too strong a word. Lauren wondered if Dyson was actually capable of love, from her observations. Bo and even Kenzi mentioned that he was in love with Bo once and wanted to mate with her. Lauren was glad that Bo didn't go through with it, though. Dyson was an alpha wolf shifter, so he would have mated for life. He hadn't mated with Ciara, but they were together and making plans to move into some new house together. That was a big deal for a lone wolf, so Dyson was no doubt reacting through his pain.
He had just gone out to run some errands. When he left, Ciara was fine. When he returned, she was dead.
Lauren felt herself want to cry and scream and punch the wall and fall apart all at the same time. She was trying to fight her emotions and work through them. She needed them to drive her to the answers. She needed to solve this. She needed her wife, who she felt had just arrived at the farm, to take her in her arms and give her physical confirmation that Bo was alive and well.
If she could make love to Bo, Lauren knew that her glowing focus would get her closer. Death and despair were the ultimate mood killers, though. If only Bo had gotten home a day sooner, they could have made love, and Lauren could have saved Ciara.
She knew it didn't work that way, but she needed something to keep her grounded.
Lauren sensed her wife inside the lab and looked to see Bo in the window. She couldn't enter because the door was locked, and Lauren was standing over Ciara's dead body. Out of respect and professionalism, she should have covered the body back up by now, but Lauren had kept staring at the body, willing it to give her answers.
Bo's soft knock and muffled "let me in" brought Lauren back again. She moved to unlock the door, and Bo wasted no time in pulling her into a tight embrace. It took Lauren a few seconds to respond and wrap her wife in an equally strong hold.
"Are you okay?" Bo leaned back from the embrace to scan her face, placing a tentative touch on the bruise and knot on her forehead. "Did he hurt you?"
"It's okay, Bo. I'm okay. It's fine." Lauren took a deep breath, but it wasn't relaxing. "He reacted normally given the situation; it's nothing I haven't experienced before."
"People hit you?" Bo's shocked and angered expression went away only when Lauren kissed her and forced her wife's brow to relax with her fingertips.
"They don't hit me. They just need someone to blame for their grief; the doctor who treated the loved one is usually the easiest and most logical target within their emotion-fueled reaction." Lauren brought her hands down Bo's face again to cup her cheeks and pull her in for another kiss. "I've missed you."
"Still, Dyson hit you. He doesn't get a free pass for that. You're pregnant, Lauren. He knows that." Bo moved out of the tight embrace but kept their forearms entwined between their bodies. "If he did anything to hurt you or the baby…"
"He wouldn't hurt us, Bo. Like I said, he just reacted."
"I beg to differ that he would not hurt you." Bo reached up and ran her fingertips softly against the knot. Lauren only winced slightly from the light pressure disturbance.
"You finished the mission? Anything I need to know?" Lauren pulled her wife back into the embrace, needing that physical confirmation again.
"We can debrief later. Nothing bad happened; I never even needed to heal because the fights were so easy." Bo went to release the embrace again, but Lauren squeezed tighter, not wanting to let go. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Fine. I just…I miss you when you're not there." Lauren was never the best at expressing her emotions, but Bo already knew as much, so it wasn't like she was telling her anything new. She wasn't normally so clingy, but right now, she needed Bo there. She could admit that. "I was worried about the Temple grounds. Did you really go? Was that what I sensed earlier? I expected more panic, but you just felt…calm and a little scared."
"Yeah, I did, but like I said, we can talk about that later. It can wait." Bo looked over at the body lying on the autopsy table. Lauren allowed her to release the embrace this time, as she followed her wife to stand next to the dead woman. "She looks so…calm. How did this happen?"
"I'm not entirely sure. Nothing in her autopsy suggests anything strange. It was the blood fever, I am sure, but it must be a new symptom: sudden death. I had her hooked up to a heart monitor, and her readings don't suggest anything was wrong. It was like she was fine…and then she was gone. It makes no sense." Lauren leaned her head back, staring at the ceiling again, before it became too hard to swallow fully so she was forced to bring her attention back to the scene in front of them.
"If anybody can figure it out, it's you." Bo had steeled her jaw, which made her declaration less convincing. "There's nothing you can do now, though. So, let me help you…put her up, so I can make sure you eat something and sleep."
"I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep, and my appetite isn't going to be friendly." Lauren wasn't positive how long she would have stayed in here staring at the body if it weren't for Bo arriving when she did.
"Physician, heal thyself. You're not the only one in your body right now." Bo rolled her eyes in amusement. "I mean that in the baby sense; not the sexy sense. As much as I am always up for taking you any way and anywhere, I'm not entirely sure this is the right time."
"Do you need to feed?" Lauren decided that switching to a patient and problem she could solve would help her mindset right now.
"It's not a pressing hunger. I'd rather make sure you were okay first." Bo went to grasp their hands together so she could squeeze lightly for reassurance. "Let's close up shop for the night. I saw Kenzi on my way in; she was taking Alexie inside for Gram's late dinner to make sure we're all fed before we go to bed."
Lauren just nodded, not really wanting or having the energy to argue.
