I'm sorry for the sadness.
+=+=+=+=+
"I'm so sorry Mrs. Cabello," Rose held onto Lauren's arm, for fear that the young woman might pass out. "Let me take you to your family."
"Camz," Lauren whimpered her name as the tears flooded down her cheeks.
"It's alright dear," Rose helped Lauren walk out the door where Alejandro, Sinu, and Sofi were still waiting, smiles on their faces ready to see their daughter and sister.
"Oh god," Sinu cried as she saw Lauren's face. "Oh god, oh god no!"
"I'm so sorry," Rose told the four again.
"Alejandro," Sinu sobbed as she clutched onto her husband's shirt for dear life.
"I...I," Alejandro was speechless as he felt his own eyes burn with hot tears. "She's...Camila's de..." he couldn't even finish it, he felt incredibly sick in the pit of his stomach. Camila couldn't be dead. Not his baby girl.
Sofi felt like she was going to be sick herself, leaning against the wall as she absorbed the news. Her big sister. Her best friend. Dead.
Lauren looked to Sinu and Alejandro and felt terrible, absolutely terrible. As much as she was hurting, she was hurting too. Her daughter had died, her pride and joy. No matter the age, no parent should ever have to bury a child. "I...I need to sit down."
"Of course," Rose strengthened her hold on Lauren as she led her to the waiting room where Mike, Clara, Dinah, Normani and Ally had been anxiously awaiting their return. The Cabello's followed slowly, still holding onto each for dear life.
"Hey, how'd it..." Dinah stopped when she saw everyone's somber faces enter the room. This is not what they had been expecting, they were hoping for a happy report from Lauren, Alejandro, Sinu and Sofi.
"What...what happened?" Normani asked slowly as she reached for Ally's hand, afraid of the answer.
Rose glanced at Lauren, Sofi, Alejandro and Sinu and knew they were at a loss for words, "I'm afraid that Mrs. Cabello did not make it," Rose said solemnly only causing Lauren, Sofi and Sinu to sob even harder.
"What?" Clara was in shock as she rushed over to her daughter, taking her in her arms.
"Mrs. Cabello needs to sit down," Rose said quickly seeing Lauren waver on her feet.
"Oh my baby girl," Clara and Rose helped Lauren to a chair while Alejandro, Sinu and Sofi continued to hug each other by the door.
"Mani," Ally let out as her own tears flooded her eyes, she hugged her girlfriend knowing how broken she felt. Her best friend, a girl she considered a sister, passed away.
"I...I have to go...get some air," Dinah pushed past the hugging couple and quickly ran out of the room. Ally was at a loss for words as she looked at her friend and her shattered family. She wasn't sure if she should go after Dinah or stay to support Lauren.
Mike quickly joined Clara and Lauren. Clara sat down next to her daughter and continued to hold her as she bawled. Every part of Lauren was in pain, extreme pain that didn't feel like it would ever end.
"I....I don't want to be here anymore," Lauren cried on her mother's shoulder.
"Its alright sweetheart," Mike choked back tears as he rubbed her back.
"No...no it's not alright," Lauren whimpered. "It's all a dream, it has to be a dream!"
"Here," Normani reached for a box of tissues off the nearest table, still embracing Ally. She didn't know what to do but she couldn't stand to see her best friend in so much pain.
Dr. Cohen walked into the small private waiting room, looking somber. "I'm so sorry, we did everything we could," he said as he approached Lauren.
"Clearly you didn't," Lauren cried, finding her voice. "If you did my wife would still be alive!"
"Lauren, honey," Clara rubbed her arm.
"Again I'm sorry Mrs. Cabello but there was too much bleeding," Dr. Cohen stated. Dr. Cohen felt horrible, it was hard to lose a patient.
"But...but she was okay! I was talking to her, she told me she loved me," Lauren bawled into her hands.
"I'm sor..." Dr. Cohen placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Stop it! Stop saying you're sorry and get your hands off of me!" Lauren hissed, anger rising inside of her. She needed someone to blame and Dr. Cohen was it. "You don't give a damn about us! You're probably more worried about what everyone will think when they find out that you let one of the best singers in the world die!"
"Lauren," Mike tried to quiet his emotionally distraught daughter; yelling at the doctor wasn't going to bring Camila back.
"You're a doctor! All you had to do was fix her! That was your only job!" Lauren screamed. "Fix her...fix her....you can't fix her, she's dead," Lauren began to cry again, sadness washing over her. "She's dead....oh god! What am I supposed to tell the girls?"
"Don't worry about that now baby," Clara kissed her daughter's forehead as the doctor left them alone.
"The baby...I can't have a baby without her," Lauren looked to her very expanded stomach. "He'll...he'll never know how much his mother loved him."
"Yes he will," Sofi replied as she walked slowly to her sister-in-law who was falling apart. Camila would want her to be strong and to take care of her wife. "He'll know his mother, he'll know how much his mother loved him and the girls will too. We're not going to let Camila's great memory die with her too." Lauren managed to nod her head before Sofi sat down on her other side.
A little while later, Lauren and her family were ready to go home. She had to fill out some paperwork and the hospital needed to give her Camila's belongings. Alejandro, Sofi and Sinu had left a few minutes earlier, after making arrangements to send Camila's body to a funeral home. Sinu just couldn't bear it anymore and Alejandro forced her to go home. They promised to come see Lauren and the girls later in the day after they all rested.
"Are you sure I can't take you home sweetheart?" Clara questioned her daughter as they sat, awaiting the arrival of Camila's things.
"No I want to stay," Lauren replied, staring straight ahead.
"You should go Lo, we can get Mila's things," Ally volunteered, they had been at the hospital for a little over twelve hours now. It was already Christmas Eve morning, a day that was normally reserved for celebrating families not for mourning ones.
"No I'll do it myself," Lauren snapped back, although no one could blame her. She was a thirty three year old widow and mother of the three; it just wasn't right. "Finally," Lauren stood up when she saw the hospital administrator carrying a clear plastic bag which contained Camila's clothes, shoes, and wedding and engagement rings.
"I'm sorry for the wait Mrs. Cabello," the administrator apologized.
Lauren didn't say anything, instead she grabbed her wife's things and turned away from the administrator who promptly left, knowing she wasn't wanted. Lauren opened the bag, making sure that everything was there. She reached in picking up Camila's most coveted possession, her wedding and engagement rings and placed them on her right ring finger. Lauren looked up, knowing that her mother, father, and friends were all staring at her. "I want to go ho...," Lauren stopped, she couldn't finish the word because she didn't have a home anymore, not without Camila. "I want to see the girls," she finished, clearing her throat.
"Of course," Clara rushed to her daughter's side.
"I'll get the car started alright honey," Mike stood up and kissed Lauren on the cheek. "Its so cold outside and you don't have your coat," Mike said before heading out of the waiting room.
Lauren nodded to her father but she didn't think she would feel the cold winter temperatures anyway; she was completely numb.
"Do you think we can get a ride?" Ally questioned.
"We um came with Sinu and Alejandro," Dinah added, she'd been pretty quiet the last couple of hours. She still wasn't quite able to process that Camila was no longer with them.
"Of course girls," Clara forced a little smile at the younger women, they'd come in Lauren's SUV so there was enough room for all.
"I talked to Taylor a little while ago, the girls are dying to see you," Normani spoke up, not quite knowing what to say to her friends.
"Oh god," Lauren whimpered suddenly.
"Normani," Ally shot daggers at her girlfriend.
"What...oh I'm sorry," Normani hit herself in the head, she hadn't meant to say dying. "Laur I'm sorry, that was totally insensitive of me. I just wasn't thinking and..."
"No, not you," Lauren panted. "I...I think I'm in labor!"
"What?" Clara exclaimed.
"Now!" Dinah, Ally and Normani quickly made their way to Lauren's side.
"I...oh god, it hurts," Lauren closed her eyes as the pain took over. She knew that going into labor was painful but she wasn't expecting it too hurt this much. "It hurts so much."
"Let me get a doctor," Normani made a beeline for the doorway, hoping to get help as fast as she could.
"Mom," Lauren dropped Camila's bag and reached for her mother's hand.
"Its aright Lo, you're a pro at this now," Clara squeezed her hand. "I'm right here honey. Dinah go tell Mike we are not going anywhere; this baby is coming now."
"Ok!" Dinah responded. "I'll be right back Laur," Dinah explained to her friend, although she wasn't paying any attention to her.
"Do you want to sit down again sweetie?" Ally asked.
"It hurts so much," Lauren was breathing hard, clutching her belly with her free hand. "I just can't take it." The pain wasn't just in her lower back and stomach but it was racing through her whole body.
"Sweetheart," Clara noticed Lauren's color paling. "Lauren."
"I...," Lauren couldn't speak as her eyes fluttered shut, the pain was too intense.
"Lauren!" The last thing Lauren heard was her mother and friend shouting her name before her whole world turned black.