mending the pieces ~ camren

chapter nine

Camila's POV

I was going a hand through my hair, trying to calm down and not look suspicious. I'm sure Lauren and her mom think I'm crazy. Why wouldn't they?

Ugh, how much time has it been since "I went to the loo"? as I checked the wall clock, I decided I should go back to the room. I mean, how long can a person pee?

The second I turned around, I noticed Clara and my mom. Shit, have they been watching me? Did they see I never went to the toilet? Fuck! They are looking at me, great. Wonderful.

"Uh, hi there," I said, trying to sound as normal as I could ever be. "Everything okay?" I gave it a try again.

"Hey! Yeah, it is." Clara answered and smiled at me reassuringly.

"We were about to get some coffee, Clara wants to take a walk, she's a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing."

"Oh yeah, that's understandable." I replied, wondering what she was getting at, because I could hear she wasn't done talking yet. But I focused on the fact that they didn't mention my behavior from earlier. My mom looked at the other woman specifically. She nodded once and I heard my mom's voice. What the heck?

"We would like you to go back to the room, though. I know you've been there for a while already, waiting for Lauren to wake up, but I don't want Clara to be by herself and Lauren doesn't want that either. She said she needed company not to get scared or something."

Did she mean me? Does she want to spend time with me?

"Ok, sure. You two go, can I go in now or..?" I asked timidly.

"Actually, no. At the moment a nurse is taking care of her wound and no one else is allowed inside, but you can go in when she's all done."

"Alright then, enjoy your coffee and walk." I sent them both a smile, feeling much calmer, surprisingly.

"Thanks, baby."

"Yeah, thank you. Let us know if you need us." Lauren's mom said as they started walking towards the exit.

I sat down since I thought the nurse will be there for quite a while, but in fact, she was done within a minute.

Here it goes, I thought as I reached out for the door handle.

I peeked in the room and once again saw Lauren in the hospital bed. She seemed so small and fragile.

I couldn't stop questioning the girl, she was so intriguing.

She'd been watching a bird outside when I almost tripped over a chair. She jumped abruptly and looked in the direction of the noise.

Way to go, Camila. You scared her when you were supposed to keep her from getting scared.

"Oh hey, it's you." She sounded somehow relieved and sent me a gentle smile.

"Yeah, hi. I heard someone was scared to be alone, so I came." I joked to diminish the tension.

Her face changed from relaxed to confused. "What do you mean?" she asked unsurely.

"Our moms told me you didn't want to be alone and wanted me to come here, since they had to leave. Is that right?" I wanted to make sure.

Lauren was taking time to think about it, her puzzled expression betrayed her. And all of a sudden, realization washed through her features. Her face was so expressive, I could see so many emotions show up that I wouldn't need her to talk. But I want her to, her voice is one of my favorite sounds. That's what I decided on.