Coming Home (camren)

Chapter 36

"That is incredible, I'm glad you changed your mind about kids." In high school vero claimed to everyone she'd never have kids, she wasn't a fan of them.

"Me too. After everything that happened with Lucy, she was told she could never have children of her own. I never wanted kids of my own so we figured we wouldn't have any. We hardly ever talked about it but when we met ivy, when I saw the way Lucy looked at her, I knew she wanted children. I still don't want to get pregnant and give birth to a baby but I love the kids we have." She explains.

"I thought I could only ever love my children, because they were biologically mine right? But A year ago we found this little boy living in the streets and we took him in and it took all of one day for me to fall in love with him. Just as we were going to start the adoption process his father got custody of him. I felt like a piece of my heart was being ripped out. We still get to see him every once in a while and that helps. I love him just as much as I love my biological children and it should seem crazy but it's not." Camila shared with her.

"Three kids right?" Vero asked.

"Yeah, the twins just turned 6, and I had Kelsea almost 6 months ago." She confirmed.

"So you had them when you were 19?" Vero did the math in her head.

"Yeah, I found out during my first summer break of college and I was completely terrified." Camila said, cringing as she remembered those moments.

"Why? I mean you were head over heels in love with Lauren. Weren't you happy to be having her kid?" Vero asked, a little confused she thought this was a good thing. It was a way to get Lauren to commit right? Boy was she wrong.

"No. I mean sure I loved Lauren but having a kid at 19 wasn't in my 5 year plan. On top of that, the mother of my child was in the middle of a war zone. I was afraid she'd die and not get the opportunity to meet or even know about her child." Camila indulged.

War zone? Wait what? "Wait, I'm not following? What do you mean war zone? Didn't Lauren get full ride baseball scholarships to the university of her choice, didn't she attended Duke university?" Vero was thoroughly confused.

"That was the plan, but the summer after graduation she enlisted into the marines. We're actually near the two year mark since she got out." She explained and vero was shocked.

Camila went on to tell her about, life when Lauren was still enlisted and about life after.

--

Lucy and Lauren spent the first few minutes they were left alone in silence. Well up until Lucy repeated her question from earlier. She wanted to know what Lauren was doing looking for her, after all those years of not hearing from her.

"I figured it was time." Was Lauren's answer.

"What's it been 10 years?" Lucy asked, Lauren nodded. "Why did you wait this long? Why did you even wait at all?" By her tone, Lucy was upset. With good reason too.

"I was scared. I felt guilty." Lauren admitted. She sighed, "I was a coward."

"It wasn't your fault, I was driving that night. I chose to get behind the wheel." She huffed. "I was scared Lauren! It was maddening to find out I was paralyzed from the waist down, I needed my best friend there with me but you disappeared on me. We were friends since childhood, I thought you'd be there for me! I thought my life was ruined, I thought about just ending shit there and then and nobody was around to talk me off that ledge. Not my parents, not my friends and not you!" She yelled at her.