fierce ↠ sweet pea [1] [✔]

|| THREE ||

A few days and a lot of stolen hospital moments later, Lauryn was finally ready to be discharged, not just from the hospital, but back into normal life. She woke up early due to the anticipation, with Sweet Pea already waiting by her bed for when she'd wake up.

"Are you ready to stand?" he asked her when the time finally came, but she looked oddly panicked.

"I don't know," she bit her lip, shrugging. "Last time I tried, it really hurt."

"That was days ago," Sweet Pea cupped her cheek. "You're way stronger now. If you weren't, you wouldn't be going home today. Trust me, I know you can do this."

Lauryn let out a sigh. "Fine."

Letting her count to three on her own, Sweet Pea helped her to her feet, not letting go of her until she pushed his hands off of her herself.

"See?" He kissed her on the cheek. "You're a fighter."

Lauryn smiled half-heartedly, maintaining her balance as well as she could despite the fact that she was still worried she'd suddenly drop to the floor. "Yeah. Uh, could you help me get dressed?"

"Of course." He opened the bag which Fangs had brought from home. "You direct me, because I have no idea how girls get dressed, and I don't want you leaving here with your shirt on backwards. They might think we've been up to somethin'."

She laughed audibly. "It's not that hard to find the tag, Sweet Pea."

With help, Lauryn managed to tug on her clothes without reopening her stitches. She winced a couple of times due to the discomfort and stiffness of her limbs, but in the end, she was okay.

Her Serpent jacket was lifted up over her shoulders, the cold leather encasing her in its most comfortable fashion. She glanced in the mirror, looking like her old self but definitely not feeling like it. She sighed.

"What's the matter? Something hurt?" Sweet Pea frowned, gently pulling her hair out of where it was caught under the leather of her jacket, letting it hang over the emblem on her back.

Lauryn shook her head. "No, I just... didn't get the feeling I imagined I would when I put my jacket back on. I guess I expected to be a little more self-assured."

"It'll come to you," Sweet Pea assured. "The Lauryn I know doesn't let a filthy Ghoulie knock her down to last place. It's probably the meds, just give it time. You'll bounce back."

She turned around to face him, pecking him on the lips lightly. "I sure as hell hope so."

"So, you wanna go back to your trailer or...?" Sweet Pea asked after getting caught up in her eyes which had become a habit, picking up her bag for her as she finished brushing her hair.

"Ugh, no, I don't wanna go home just yet, I know I'll end up falling asleep. Can we stop at the Wyrm for a bit?" Lauryn requested. "I miss it. I miss tequila."

"Sure," he let out a laugh. "But, no alcohol or cigs for you. You're still on the meds and if you wanna go school on Monday, you gotta behave. You can't give the new kid a tour from a hospital bed."

"Oh, shit," Lauryn realised. "That's Monday?"

"Yup."

"Wow, okay. Time flies when you're dead."

Sweet Pea screwed his face up. "Shut up, you didn't die. Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I guess, she replied meekly, latching her arm onto his as they exited the room, checking to make sure they hadn't left anything behind.

After Angel Face was discharged, they made their way out of the hospital doors. Meeting with the light of day after what felt like weeks, she could see all of the Serpents perched on their bikes outside and her drowsiness faded away. They stood up, raising their hands in the Serpent formation.