Hey, everyone! Thank you so much for all your feedback - you guys are the best, thank you so much for reading.

A lot of you are reviewing from guest accounts, so I can't message you back when you have questions. To answer just a couple that I was asked - about whether I planned on giving this story a real title: I don't know. I'm not opposed to it, but I really haven't thought of a title I like. About how long this story will go: I don't know that either, for now I'm just planning to write until I run out of things to say, or until you all tell me to stop - which, by the way, please do when you all get sick of this story. Also, let me know if there is something specific you would like to see me add, or if there is anything that needs clarification.

This is a pretty long chapter - my daycare was closed, so I was at home with my two girls and had extra time to write while watching the Olympics. My 4 year old hung out with me while I was typing, casually saying "wow, that was impressive" about everything the athletes were doing. Yes, those were her words. To be fair, it really was impressive.

This chapter references something that happened in chapter three, but it's just a small moment from that chapter.

Enjoy!


Lauren held Bo close to her. She felt smaller to Lauren somehow. She was clearly exhausted, her eyes were sunken and rimmed with dark circles. Lauren knew that seeing her just walking up had probably been a surprise to Bo, but when Lauren had seen her, the only thought Lauren had was that she needed to hold her.

When she pulled back, Bo looked at her, bewildered. Lauren slid her hand down to Bo's and started pulling her away, walking her down the hallway.

"What are you doing here?" Bo asked.

"I couldn't leave you here alone," Lauren replied simply as they continued to walk.

They made their way downstairs to a small café in the hospital. Lauren sat Bo in a booth and walked to the counter, buying them each a cup of coffee. After preparing them each with the appropriate cream and sugar, she returned to Bo.

"Thanks," Bo said, accepting the cup.

Lauren nodded. "How are you doing?"

Bo shrugged, taking a sip of her coffee. "You didn't have to come here."

"I know."

"Why did you?"

Lauren smiled, cocking her head at Bo slightly. "Come on, do you really have to ask that?"

"I told you that you didn't have to," Bo said, looking down at her cup.

Lauren nodded. "I know." They were quiet for a few moments. Lauren fiddled with the lid of her cup, and then spoke again. "You don't need my permission to leave," Lauren said, referencing their phone call, "but I don't need your permission to come."

Bo didn't look up, but Lauren could see tears starting to form in her eyes. She got up and pulled her chair to the other side of the table, sitting beside Bo and pulling her in so Bo was resting against her chest.

Lauren reached up and brushed Bo's hair off the side of her neck, touching her lightly. "You're tired," Lauren said. It wasn't a question.

Bo nodded. "I'll be okay."

"You don't have to be, you know. Not with me."

Bo sat up and looked at Lauren for a moment, and then pulled Lauren in, kissing her. When they broke apart Lauren noted that Bo almost looked more like herself. Lauren ran her hand through Bo's hair, brushing it away from her face. "So, do you want to tell me what's been going on?"

Bo sighed. "She's been calling me more," Bo said. She sat back in her chair, angling herself slightly so she and Lauren were facing each other as she played with the side of her cup. "Do you remember that night when Vex invited us all to your house without telling you? The night we met?"

Lauren smiled and nodded. "I remember."

"She called me when I got to your house that night."

"I saw you," Lauren said. "When you were on the phone. You were standing in the yard talking to someone. You looked…tired."

Bo smiled slightly. "That's accurate." Bo sighed. "She and I have never been close, you know? Too much shit in our history, I guess. But for a while she was talking about getting clean, about moving on, and I wanted to believe it. That night when I got to your house she was calling because she'd talked to my dad and he'd 'changed'." She laughed derisively. "If I had a nickel for every time he's 'changed' I could retire already."

Bo took a sip of her coffee, and Lauren sat quietly, waiting for her to continue.

"Jack – my dad – has been locked up for a while. Drug distribution. She called me a few months ago to let me know he was getting out. He was in and out of jail when I was little, and when he was out it was worse than when he was in.

"She started talking about how he was different now, how she was clean and so was he, and he was going to move back in and this time it was going to work." Bo shook her head. "It's always the same. She's done this so many times.

"He was released a few weeks ago. At first she was calling, wanted me to know how good things were, but about two weeks ago the calls stopped. I know what that means. They were using, he was beating her – the same old story.

"Friday night, at your house, he called me. That was what made me seem so weird – he never calls me. I know now it was because he'd taken off and he wanted me to do something, I guess to call 911 from home so someone would find her. I didn't take his call, of course. Some neighbor heard something, though, and when they found her she was in the bathroom. He'd beaten her to a pulp, and she had overdosed."

Bo took another sip of her coffee, while Lauren sat still, not knowing what to say.

"I'm amazed they were able to bring her back around, honestly. When I left your house Friday night I got a call from the local police here. I know a few of them. They told me it took two doses of Narcan before she really started taking real, deep breaths. I didn't bother to go home or tell anyone, I just drove here. They're still looking for Jack. He'll turn up in a few days, deny he had anything to do with it. Mom will cover for him. Hopefully he'll have drugs on him when they find him and he can get a parole retake warrant and a probation violation."

"I'm so sorry, Bo," Lauren said. She didn't know what more to say – she was genuinely heartbroken at the nightmare Bo had been dealing with. "Will he be prosecuted?"

Bo shrugged. "Only if they find something on him. No one saw him do anything to her, she'll refuse to testify, they're married so she has a spousal privilege, and so there's no way to prove it without her. For this, for what he did to her? No, he probably won't be."

"I'm sorry."

Bo nodded. "I'm sorry you're stuck here in the midst of this shit." She sighed. "I really…I never wanted you to see any of this. You deserve better than this, than a crappy hospital in the middle of nowhere, than sob stories about abuse and heroin addicts." Bo ran a hand through her hair. "How did you get here so fast, anyway? It's 6:00a. Did you drive all night?"

"When Dyson and Kenzi left, Nate, Ciara, Tamsin, Vex, and I took care of the bar. When it closed, Vex and Tamsin stayed behind to clean and Nate and Ciara came with me here."

"So you've been up all night?"

"We drove in shifts, we each got a little sleep."

"Where are Ciara and Nate?"

"Nate called Kenzi and she told him where you all were staying. We went there, and Dyson told me you had come to the hospital, so I left to find you."

Bo looked like she wanted to cry. "God, I'm so sorry, about all of this. Now I've dragged five extra people into this shit show."

Lauren leaned forward in her seat, wrapping her hands around Bo's. "We're here because we care about you," Lauren said.

Bo sighed. "Can I be selfish for one more minute and tell you I'm really glad you're here?"

Lauren squeezed Bo's hands tighter. "I'm glad, too."

Bo laughed. "Really? You're glad you're here?"

Lauren smiled. "Well, maybe not here, specifically, but glad I'm with you. Have you gotten to talk to a doctor yet?"

"Not today, they told me she was coming in around 8, so I guess I'll go back up."

Lauren nodded. "Do you want me to go with you?"

Bo sat up and looked at Lauren. "You would do that?"

Lauren shrugged. "I mean, I don't want to be in the way or anything."

Bo leaned in and gave Lauren a kiss. "Thank you."

Lauren smiled. "You keep thanking me for no reason."

Bo smiled back. "You keep being you."


Lauren and Bo kept talking for a bit, drinking their coffee and each ordering a second. Around 6:45a, Bo's phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw a text from Kenzi.

Just got here. Where are you all?

Café, first floor Bo texted back. She looked up at Lauren. "Kenzi's here, I don't know who is with her." Bo tapped her finger on the table, chewing her lower lip. "She should be here."

"Of course she's going to be here, Bo, she's your best friend, she loves you."

"This isn't a healthy place for her. This town…" Bo shook her head. "She shouldn't be here."

"Neither should you," Lauren pointed out.

"Yeah, but I kind of have to be."

Lauren rubbed her hand across Bo's leg. "We're here with you, baby. Everything else will be fine."

Bo smiled as Kenzi walked into the café. "Hey, what are they saying this morning?" Kenzi asked as she walked in. She was followed by Dyson, Ciara, and Nate.

Bo sighed. "Seriously, guys, you don't all have to be here. It's a Sat…wait…" Bo thought for a moment, looking at Lauren. "What day is it?"

Lauren smiled. "It's Sunday."

Bo nodded. "Right. You all shouldn't spend your whole Sunday here."

"Oh, we don't? Well, alright, then, I guess we'll just head back, then," Kenzi said, rolling her eyes.

Bo smiled. "Always a smart ass."

"Better than a dumb ass," Kenzi replied.

Bo laughed. It was something they had been saying to one another since they were kids. Kenzi smiled back at Bo. "Alright, but seriously, what's happening?"

Bo sighed. "The doctor is supposed to be here in about an hour or so, so I guess we'll know more then. Basically she had a bunch of internal injuries, and she had overdosed. They dealt with the overdose first, of course, and when she got stable they took her to surgery to repair some of the other stuff. She came through it fine, but she's been groggy and out of it. I talked to her a little bit this morning."

"What was she saying?" Nate asked.

Before Bo could answer, Dyson said, "wait, don't tell me, let me guess – Jack didn't mean it. It was all a misunderstanding. She walked into a door, repeatedly, and he wasn't even there."

Bo nodded. "More or less. I mean, he loves her, right?"

Dyson rolled his eyes. "Good to know she hasn't changed."

"Yeah, really," Bo replied.

"Are you doing alright? Can we get you anything?" Ciara asked.

Bo smiled at her, warmly. "I'm good, thanks. Thank you all so much for coming, you really – it means a lot. But you really don't have to stay. I'm just probably going to talk to the doctors and find out about when she might get discharged, and then, I don't know, maybe I'll leave, too."

"You aren't going to stay?" Nate asked.

Bo shrugged. "I don't know. She doesn't really want me here. I guess I'll just play it by ear."

"If she had surgery yesterday they're going to want to keep her for at least a day or two, depending on what they did. Also, with the overdose, they're going to be monitoring her for any signs of abnormality or additional damage. It could be at least a couple days," Lauren commented.

"Who do you have covering the bar?" Bo asked.

"Vex and Tamsin said they'd work tonight. We haven't figured it out much farther than that," Dyson answered.

"Really? Vex offered to work?" Bo said.

Kenzi smiled. "We're family, babe."


Bo bought everyone another round of coffee, and then the group left the café and found a waiting room where they could sit and wait without being in anyone's way.

"I abhor hospitals," Ciara commented. "They seem so desolate."

"I've always liked them," Lauren replied. "They feel like their own worlds, like little cities."

"I always get lost in them," Nate said. "It never seems like the hallways line up right. I always end up wandering around."

"I think the last time I was in a hospital was when Bo had her appendix out," Kenzi said. "I'm pretty sure I got lost trying to find her that day."

"Yeah, well, we wouldn't have if Bo had let you drive her," Dyson said.

"What do you mean?" Lauren asked.

Kenzi laughed. "Well, your girlfriend, Wonder Woman, got appendicitis and decided not to tell anyone. She drove herself to the hospital. They offered her pain medicine and she said no, because she had to drive herself home, and then they told her she needed surgery, and she told them to hurry up because she needed to be home later that day."

Lauren turned to Bo. "Are you insane? You needed surgery, and you were talking about driving yourself home that same day?"

Bo shrugged. "I was fine, it was just a little surgery."

"A little surgery?!" Lauren exclaimed.

"Oh, LoLo, this is just how Bo thinks. It's always 'not a big deal' if it's happening to her. When I broke my toe, though, she threatened to call an ambulance," Kenzi said.

"You had a broken bone," Bo pointed out.

"Did you just call me LoLo?" Lauren asked.

"What were they going to do for a broken toe? All they can do is tape it to the one beside it and give you an aspirin!" Kenzi answered Bo.

The gang continued to talk back and forth until Bo glanced at her watch and saw that it was almost 8:00a. Lauren saw her look at the time and leaned toward her. "Time to go up?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Bo answered.

Dyson looked at Bo. "Do you want us to wait here, or go up with you?"

"I bet your mom would love to see me," Kenzi said with a sarcastic smile.

Bo laughed slightly. "Yeah, Kenz, I'm sure that would make everything better. No, why don't you guys just relax, or maybe go get some breakfast. I'll deal with this and find you later."

"Are you sure?" Ciara asked.

"Yeah," Bo answered. "Really, it means so much to me that you all are here, but I can do this part." Lauren squeezed Bo's hand, and Bo turned to her. "Do you still want to come? I doubt I'm going to understand anything this doctor says."

Lauren nodded. "Absolutely. Let's go."


"You're still here?" Bo's mother said, dully, when Bo entered the room. "I thought you told me you were leaving."

Bo nodded. "I just came to see what the doctor has to say, Mom."

Lauren walked into the room behind Bo. "Who is this?"

"Mom, this is Lauren, Lauren, this is my mother," Bo said, waving her hand between them.

"Hi, Ms. Dennis," Lauren said.

"So, this is 'Lauren', hm?"

"Mom, stop it," Bo said with a sigh.

"No, I'm just interested to meet the woman who has taught my daughter so much about relationships. Apparently being married for over thirty years doesn't make me an authority."

"Wow, right out of the gate," Bo said. "Lauren is a doctor, Mom. I thought it might be helpful to have her hear in case we have questions about what things mean."

"If you're uncomfortable with me being here, Mrs. Dennis, I can wait in the hall," Lauren said.

"I'm sure Bo would rather you stay here. She obviously doesn't want to be alone with me."

Bo sighed. "Stop it, mother."

"I'm a burden to my daughter, you see, Lauren."

"Mother…"

"I'm an embarrassment to her. That's why she had to move so far away from here. She doesn't like to be associated with me. I'm surprised she let you meet me, actually. I suppose it's because she –"

"Mother," Bo said, firmly, cutting her mother off. "Please. I just want to hear what the doctor has to say. Please stop antagonizing me and dragging Lauren into this."

Lauren put her hand on Bo's back. "Why don't I give you two a minute?" Lauren said, softly. "I think my being here might be making things harder."

"You don't have to go anywhere," Bo answered.

Lauren smiled at Bo. "I'll just be in the hall. I'll come back when the doctor gets here."

Lauren ran her hand down Bo's back in reassurance before she stepped out of the room.

"She's pretty," Mrs. Dennis said flippantly when Lauren had stepped out.

"She's smart and she's kind," Bo shot back. "Unlike Jack."

"Don't talk about your father that way."

"I'll talk about him however I want."

"You were always so stubborn."

"I wonder where I got that," Bo said, under her breath.

"Why does it always have to be like this with us? You're always so cold."

"I guess talking to you while you're lying in a hospital bed just takes away the warmth."

"You may not believe this, but one day you'll regret us not being close. One day I won't be around anymore, and you'll regret all of this."

"Oh, I know one day you won't be around anymore. Jack will see to that."

Bo's mother sighed and closed her eyes. "Just because you happen to be in love with a doctor, that doesn't mean that your relationship is better or has more value."

"No. The fact that I'm in love with someone who doesn't abuse me and encourage me to use drugs makes my relationship more valuable. He's killing you, mom. One day he'll finish the job. And you're right – I will regret that we weren't closer. But the fact is that we won't be close until you make some changes. My whole life has been spent watching you do this to yourself. Do you know it took me years to even get to a place where I could have a normal relationship? I'm lucky I found someone like Lauren. She makes me healthier, Mom, do you get that? She's the person who helped me understand that relationships can be more than just shit and pain."

"Life is shit and pain," Bo's mother answered. "The people we love are just the people we slog through it with."

"Cheery." Bo sat quietly, glancing at the clock. "The doctor should be here soon. Maybe we should just sit quietly until then."

"Yeah, maybe we should."


The doctor arrived around 8:45a. After Lauren re-entered the room, the doctor reviewed Mrs. Dennis' condition and told her she was lucky – a little bit longer before the ambulance crew arrived and she wouldn't have survived. She told her that it would be a few days before she was released. After going over a few more details, the doctor left.

"Well, there you go," Bo said when the doctor had left the room. "You made it out this time by the skin of your teeth."

Bo's mother closed her eyes, sinking back against the pillow on her bed. "Just go," she said. "I need to rest."

Bo nodded and walked out of the room.

Lauren hesitated. "Mrs. Dennis?" she said. Bo's mother opened her eyes. "I'm glad you're going to be alright. I know Bo is, too."

Bo's mother hesitated for a moment. "I…thank you, Lauren. And I'm…sorry, for before. My daughter and I have a complicated relationship."

Lauren nodded. "Okay. That's okay."

"Take care of her." Lauren nodded again, and Bo's mother looked at her harder. "She cares about you. That's a dangerous thing, to care about someone. I should know."

"I won't hurt her," Lauren said.

Bo's mother laughed. "You say that now. Life isn't as pretty as people want to believe."

Lauren hesitated. "You don't have to stay with him, you know. There are people who can help you. You can make a clean break, stop the cycle."

Bo's mother made no reply. Instead, she closed her eyes and slid down slightly in the bed, preparing for sleep. Lauren was about to walk out when Bo's mother spoke again. "Love is dangerous. Love is pain. When you get to be my age, you understand that."

With a sigh, Lauren left the room.

When she made it to the hallway, Bo was leaning against the far wall, waiting for her. Lauren approached her. "Are you doing alright?" she asked.

Bo shrugged. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"I've seen worse," Lauren said. "I'm a doctor; I see plenty of battered women."

"He'll kill her, eventually."

"She may be stronger than you think. Don't give up on her."

Bo sighed in frustration. "Why not? She's given up on herself."

"She's your mother, Bo. You obviously care about her – you're here."

Bo wanted to argue, but she knew she didn't have anything she could really say. Lauren was right – she was here, and that meant something, even if Bo didn't want to admit it. Lauren watched Bo fighting with herself, and reached out, taking Bo's face in her hands, and kissed her.

When she pulled back, Bo looked slightly dazed and surprised. "What was that for?"

Lauren shrugged. "I felt like you needed it. Come on, you need to get some sleep." Lauren took Bo's hand and pulled her off the wall, leading her out of the hospital and back to the hotel.


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