Hello, everyone. How are we doing today?
Have I talked to you about lynedele77? No? Well, let me tell you, she is AMAZING. Like, it's so crazy, people. AMAZING. Have you read Fae to Fae? Yes? Well, read it again. IT'S THAT GOOD. Also, she posts updates, which is great lol.
Hope everyone has fun with this one - I'm going to be away next week, so these lightning quick updates might slow down. I know everyone is having a hard time keeping up with my one chapter a month pace right now lol
Enjoy!
"I need a shower." Bo jumped startled by Lauren's voice. Lauren glanced over at her. "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you," she commented, a light smile playing across her features. "I didn't realize you had gone to sleep."
Bo rubbed her left hand across her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose slightly as she shook of the remnants of sleep. "No, it's fine, I'm awake," she answered.
Lauren chuckled lightly. "Yeah, I can see that."
Bo stretched slightly and glanced over at Lauren. "Are you allowed to take a shower?"
"As long I keep the incision relatively dry," Lauren responded.
"Isn't that going to be hard? Your incision is on your stomach."
Lauren shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. I'll just be careful. I can't wait for it heal before I shower – I'll smell like a landfill."
"Okay. Are you sure we shouldn't check with a doctor first?"
"I am a doctor," Lauren replied, with a smile and eye roll.
"Yeah, but you're a terrible patient. So maybe get another opinion on this."
"I'll have you know I'm an excellent patient," Lauren said, sitting up in bed. Upon doing so, she froze, her face contorting in pain as her body responded to the motion. She sucked a sharp intake of breath, waiting for the pain to subside.
"Uh huh," Bo nodded. "Yeah, you're right, you're totally fine. I'm going to find a doctor or a nurse, alright?"
"I'm fine," she replied through clenched teeth, her eyes closed against the pain that was slowly beginning to ebb.
"I can see that," Bo smiled, echoing Lauren's earlier comment.
Lauren opened her eyes and gave Bo a withering look. "You're hilarious," she commented, dryly.
Bo stood up and gave Lauren a quick kiss on the forehead. "I know I am," Bo answered as she turned toward the hall to find a nurse.
A few minutes later Bo returned with a nurse. Lauren sighed deeply, looking at Bo. "I'm fine," she repeated. "You don't need to bother the nurse."
Bo glanced at the nurse. "See what I mean?" she commented.
The nursed nodded and smiled. "Yeah, doctors are the worst patients."
"You two know I can hear you, right?" Lauren asked, her voice grumpy.
The nurse chuckled. "Alright, so you're right, you can take a shower as long as you're careful about keeping the incision dry. Also, you're going to be sore after moving, but we recommend that you get up and walk around a bit. When you're done we can give you some more pain meds if you need them."
"I know all this," Lauren groaned. "Bo, seriously, it's a splenectomy. I know the recovery information."
"It was an emergency splenectomy," Bo corrected.
"Doesn't matter," Lauren replied with a wave of her hand.
"Actually, it does," the nurse commented.
"Ha," Bo said, looking triumphant.
Lauren sighed deeply. "Alright. Fine. It was an open procedure – that's more significant. But it was still just a splenectomy. In a few days I'll be fine."
"A few weeks," Bo corrected.
"Six, to be exact," the nurse added.
Lauren groaned. "Can I just get a shower, please?"
"I should probably get you some shampoo and stuff," Bo noted.
Lauren nodded, trying to hide the look of pain on her face as she shifted in the bed.
"Maybe you should take the few minutes I'm gone to take some painkillers?" Bo suggested.
"I'm fine," Lauren answered through gritted teeth.
"You know, you don't get a special prize for being in extra pain."
"I don't like pain killers. I can't focus when I take them."
"Counterargument? You're sitting in a hospital. What do you need to focus on?"
"I just want a shower," Lauren whimpered imploringly.
Bo walked back over to Lauren, took her face in her hands, and kissed her. "Alright. I'll go. If you're good, maybe I'll bring you a toothbrush, too."
"That would be nice," Lauren smiled.
Bo returned a short time later with a bag from a local drugstore. When she walked back into Lauren's room, she found Lauren grimacing in pain, sitting perfectly still. Bo dropped the bag onto the chair she had vacated earlier and hurried to Lauren's side.
"What? What's wrong? Are you okay?" she asked, worriedly, placing a hand on Lauren's shoulder as if her touch would relieve the pain.
"Yeah," Lauren ground out. "I just…tried to get up. I'm okay."
"You're clearly not okay…"
Lauren drew a deep breath. "I just need to get up. It'll be fine." She shifted again, trying to turn her body to climb out of the bed, and froze with pain.
"Alright, enough. You need help," Bo said, reaching down to move the blankets off Lauren's legs.
"I'm fine," Lauren answered weakly.
"Come on, I'm going to help you," Bo continued, ignoring Lauren's protest. Bo placed a hand on Lauren's lower back, holding Lauren's hand with her other. "Alright, how do you want to do this?"
Lauren sighed. "I just…it hurts when I bend. Or move. Or breathe."
"Okay, so we'll avoid all of that," Bo said with a smile.
Lauren looked at Bo with defeated eyes. "I'm not sure I'm going to be able to do this right now," she admitted.
"I'll help you," Bo replied, softly.
"No, I mean…I don't know that I can move the way I need to so I can wash my hair, or –"
Bo cut Lauren off. "I said I'll help you. I can wash your hair. Come on."
Lauren sat still for a moment, looking at Bo. "You would do that?"
Bo glanced up into Lauren's eyes. "What do you mean 'would I do that'? I love you. Of course I will."
Lauren turned her eyes away as she felt tears gathering behind them. She swallowed, trying to push away the motion that was bubbling up in her throat.
Bo used her finger to gently lift Lauren's face back to look at her. "I will use any excuse to see you naked."
Lauren couldn't stop the laugh that came from her, breaking the tension, as a tear escaped down her face.
Bo and Lauren took their time in the shower, making sure to keep Lauren's incision as dry as possible. Bo tried to ignore the cuts and bruises marring Lauren's skin, but she found her eyes drawn back to them time and again, wincing on Lauren's behalf each time.
Once the water had been turned off, Bo helped Lauren step out of the shower and retrieved the paper thin towel to begin drying Lauren off.
"This is so pathetic," Lauren groaned as Bo dried her.
Bo, standing behind Lauren, dropped a kiss to her shoulder, near her neck. "Shhh," she said. She grabbed a new hospital gown and draped it around Lauren.
"I really wish I had clothes here," Lauren sighed.
"I could go back to your hotel room and get you pajamas?" Bo offered.
"Good thought, but I actually have no idea where my room key is. Probably somewhere in that wrecked cab."
"If it helps, your ass looks great in this," Bo supplied with a smile, running her fingers through Lauren's hair to dispel any knots.
"I'm sure," Lauren said, rolling her eyes.
Bo stepped around so she was in front of Lauren, facing her, and gently put her hands on Lauren's cheeks. "You're alive, and you're okay. That alone makes you look perfect." She kissed Lauren softly. "Now, come on, let's go get you in bed and get you drugged up."
Lauren laughed lightly, letting Bo lead her out of the bathroom.
"This is a right shithole," a voice said as they reentered the room. "Lo, did you know this hospital doesn't even have a bar in it?"
"Vex?" Lauren said in confusion, looking at Vex who was draped across a chair at the foot of the bed.
"In the flesh, darling," he answered, standing up. "Christ, you look like shit."
"Always so supportive. Thanks for stopping by. Sorry you're leaving so soon," Lauren teased.
Vex reached down and grabbed bag he had left on the floor. "Perhaps this will make you want to let me stay," he commented, holding it up.
"What's that?" Bo asked.
"Well, being the supportive, wonderful, dashing friend I am, I took the liberty of going by your apartment and bringing you some things," he answered, offering the bag to Bo.
"You broke into our house?" Lauren asked.
"If you say it like that you lose the beauty of the gesture," Vex defended.
Bo opened the bag and found it to be filled with tee shirts, yoga pants, clean underwear, and other essentials. "Do you want to change?" Bo asked Lauren.
Lauren glanced at her. "Do you even have to ask that?" She looked back at Vex. "Thank you so much. Do you mind waiting outside for a second while I change?"
"Darling, it's nothing I haven't seen before," he said, rolling his eyes.
"So, you want to see me naked?"
Vex thought for a moment. "I'll be outside," he commented. Lauren laughed as he exited the room.
Once Lauren was changed and settled back in bed, Vex came back in the room, dropping back into the chair at the foot of the bed.
"We probably need to figure out how to get into your hotel room," Bo commented.
Lauren nodded. "If I call the hotel and tell them what happened I'm sure they'll make a new key. The problem is I'm not exactly in a position to go pack."
"One of us can go," Vex supplied. "If you call and tell them we're coming, I'm sure they'd let us in to gather things."
"Yeah, probably." Lauren glanced at Bo. "Would you mind?"
Bo looked conflicted for a moment. "Yeah, I can," she said.
Lauren looked at her, quizzically. "Do you mind?"
"No, of course not. Just…Vex, you're going to be here, right?"
Vex glanced at her, a smile playing across his features. "I promise to watch her," he said, trying to keep his face serious.
Bo looked at Lauren, appear as though she wanted to ask a question, but she stayed silent.
Lauren smiled at her slightly. "I promise not to get into a car accident until you get back," Lauren said.
Bo leaned down and gave Lauren a kiss. "Please don't joke about that."
Lauren smiled again. "Okay, I'm sorry," she answered. "I'll call the hotel." Lauren quickly gave Bo the information for the hotel and set her off with one more quick kiss. Once she had gone, Lauren called the hotel and communicated what was happening.
Once everything was settled, Lauren relax back in bed, letting her body recover from moving. She glanced at Vex. "So, what are you doing here?" she asked.
"What do you mean, what am I doing here?" he asked with a grin. "It's New Orleans."
Lauren nodded and smiled. "Thank you for coming."
He smiled genuinely, warmly. "I'm glad you're okay. My fragile constitution couldn't take it if something really seriously happened to you."
"So, why are you here and not with Dave?" Lauren asked with a grin.
Vex rolled his eyes. "And here I thought we were having a nice moment."
"So, he was busy?"
"He had to work," Vex answered with a nod.
Lauren laughed. "How's that going? How's being in loooove?" she sing-songed.
"I notice Bo isn't wearing a ring yet," Vex quipped.
"Withdrawn."
Vex smiled broadly. "No, but in all seriousness…why isn't Bo wearing a ring?"
Lauren looked down at her hands and shrugged slightly. "The time hasn't been right," she said lamely.
"Mm," Vex hummed in his throat. "Why really?"
Lauren looked at him. "Our relationship is fine. We don't need to take that step. Neither of us is ready for that yet."
"Conversely, you bought a ring. So, no. Next argument?"
Lauren sighed slowly, giving no reply.
"Lauren," Vex said, calmly, all joking gone from his voice. "Why haven't you asked her?"
"Because…I don't know," Lauren said, looking down again. "I just haven't."
"What, are you worried she's going to say no?"
"No," Lauren answered, honestly.
"Then what?"
"I'm worried…I guess I'm worried that she'd say yes."
Vex looked at her with a note of confusion.
"I mean…I love Bo. And things with us…we're moving forward. And I know she's committed to me. But marriage…if I asked her to marry me, she'd say yes, because I know she sees a future with me, and I know she'd do…well, anything, I guess, if she thought it would make me happy. I mean, she bought a house for me, we've talked about kids…she'd probably say yes if I asked her."
"Okay…" Vex said. "So…what's the problem?"
"I just…I don't want her to say yes just to make me happy. I don't want to push her toward something she doesn't really want. Marriage…it's different. Right now things are good. I don't have to do anything to secure a future with her, you know? I feel like…I mean, I already have what I want, right? And marriage…I guess I just don't want to risk anything over a piece of jewelry."
Vex nodded. "Okay."
"So, I don't know. I mean, yeah, part of me wants to ask her, but then I think…maybe I don't need that. Ring or no ring, the way we feel about each other won't change, right?"
"So, you aren't going to ask her?"
Lauren shrugged.
Vex sat quietly for a few moments. "That's bullshit."
Lauren looked up, surprised. "What?"
"You bought the ring. You've been thinking about this. It's clearly something you want. It's bullshit that you're thinking about giving it up."
"Vex…"
"No, stop. Listen, I've known Bo a long time. If Rainer had been in a car accident, do you think she would have come here for him?"
"She probably would have –"
Vex put his hand up to stop Lauren. "I'll answer this. No, she wouldn't have. When Nadia called her, she was going crazy, Lauren. She called Kenzi and Kenzi said she was so crazy that she called Bo a cab, because she didn't think Bo could even drive. Think about that. The thought that you might be hurt – she stopped functioning. That isn't Bo, at least, that isn't Bo pre-Lauren. She's different with you. So, yeah, if you had asked me a year or two ago if Bo would ever get married, I would say hell no, but with you…" he shook his head. "If you don't want to get married because you don't want it, fine. But if you don't want to ask her because you're afraid of something, that's bullshit."
"It's just…I love her, Vex."
"I know you do."
"And I want her to be happy. I don't know if marriage would make her happy."
"But it would make you happy."
Lauren shrugged. "I don't want her to do it just to make me happy."
Vex was quiet for a moment, nodding. "Have you ever considered that she doesn't want you to do things just to make her happy either?"
Lauren leaned deeper into the thin pillow behind her, sighing. "When did you become the relationship guru?"
"I have loved many," Vex said, his playful grin returning. "I have much knowledge." They were quiet for a few moments, the sounds of the television quietly cutting in in the background. "So, are you going to ask her?" Vex inquired.
Lauren hesitated for a moment. "I don't know."
Vex nodded. "If you had to guess?"
Lauren thought a moment more. "I love her. I want to be with her. But, honestly, I don't know if this is right for her. If I had to guess…no, I don't think I'm going to ask her."
Vex continued to look at her, giving no reply.
"It's just, this car accident…it's given me some perspective, I guess. Being with her is what matters to me. Not jewelry. So, no, I'm not going to ask her. Because, really…I think I have everything I need."
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