Before signing out, the nurse and Doctor go over a few things with Lauren.
"Do not submerge yourself in hot water if you plan on breastfeeding, do not insert any items into the vaginal area , no exercising and most importantly no sex." The nurse says.
"You may experience some contraction like pain on and off for a few weeks until everything shrinks back up." The doctor adds.
"When will all of this bleeding stop?" Lauren asks.
"1-2 weeks." The doctor says.
"Okay now read through these and sign here then you'll be released." He says as he hands a paper attached to a clipboard to Lauren.
Just as Lauren is finishing up, Clara re enters the room after putting Lauren's bag in the car and bringing it around the front loop.
Lauren hands the papers back to the doctor and they shake hands.
"She will be escorting you to your vehicle." He says as Lauren gets into the wheelchair being pushed by the female nurse.
The women pile into the elevator , with Lauren in a wheelchair since it's a hospital requirement.
They get out of the elevator and the nurse rolls Lauren to the car.
"Thank you." She says as she gets out of the wheelchair.
They all get into the car, and head home.
--------
Lauren greets her father and brother and they exchange a few quick words.
"Back to this place again." Lauren says sounding unenthusiastic as she turns into her room where Camila is waiting.
"Wanna go on another vacation?" Camila questions.
"I would love to do that but you know I have to stay for Rey's purpose." Lauren says.
"But really you don't because honestly the hospital is taking excellent care of her, plus like you said yourself you can't even hold her." Camila says.
Lauren thinks for a bit.
"I don't know you'll have to let me think about that for awhile." Lauren says.
Camila dismisses the topic.
Clara knocks on the wall for permission to enter the room.
"Yes mother." Lauren says.
"No actually I'm here to ask Camila something this time." Clara says.
"Oh really?" Camila asks.
Camila steps into the hallway with Clara as if she was in school being talked to by a teacher who didn't want the other students to hear.
"Yeah what's up?" Camila asks energetically.
"Have your mother or father tried reaching out to you?" Clara asks out of concern.
"Sadly no." Camila says.
"I'm not trying to get rid of you or anything, but I just know a family bond is very important especially at your age and all." Clara says .
Camila nods attentively.
"I was thinking that maybe I could arrange a dinner or lunch or something with your folks , without you or Lauren and try to get them to be more understanding." Clara suggests to Camila.
"Yes that's a great idea." Camila says.
Clara pats Camila on the back as they part ways.
"What did she want?" Lauren asks.
"She wants to help me get back on good terms with mi familia." Camila says, slipping into Spanish for some reason.
"When is she planning on doing this?" Lauren questions.
"She didn't say." Camila says.
Lauren nods.
"You're not feeling tired or anything?" Camila asks.
"No not at all , I feel like I could run a couple of miles!" Lauren says very energetically .
Camila laughs at Lauren's comment.
"You know you're not allowed to though." Camila states back.
"Yeah I know." Lauren says with a sudden shift in her mood.
"The day is still young, and I feel like I've been reborn." Lauren says.
"What do you wanna do?" Camila questions her.
"I don't wanna go out because the stalkers ... I mean fans will find us." Lauren says.
"True - true." Camila says.
Lauren grabs Camila's hand, "I have a better idea." She says as she drags Camila to the basement, but taking her time getting down the stairs since she's still recovering.
"When we were down here before, I didn't show you what's behind this curtain." Lauren says as they walk over to the other half of the basement.
"Well what's behind it?" Camila asks anxiously.
"My studio... Art studio." Lauren says.
Lauren pulls apart the two curtains to reveal a bunch of easels with canvases , a table for sketching , an array of paints and pencils and brushes and so much more.
"Woah this is amazing!" Camila says as she looks around the area.
"What's behind this thing?" Camila asks as she approaches the canvas covered by a sheet.
"Oh uh uh uh..." Lauren says not giving a direct answer.
Meanwhile Camila had already taken it upon herself to pull it off .
"No - no" Lauren says but it was already too late.
"Is - is that me?" Camila asks sounding touched.
"Yes - yes it is." Lauren states.
"Wow when did you have the time to do this?" Camila asks.
"A couple of weeks ago I was going through a lot of emotions, and this was the outcome..." Lauren says.
"Do you like it?" Lauren asks.
"I don't like it - " Camila starts with , causing Lauren's face to droop in disappointment.
"I LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT." Camila continues.
"That makes me feel so good because honestly I thought it was bad." Lauren says with a smile beaming across her face.
"You know what else I love?" Camila asks through a smile.
"What?" Lauren says , with an inkling to what Camila is gonna say.
"YOU." Camila says.
Lauren rubs Camila's head in a childish manner , "I love you just as much." She says as she leans in to kiss her.
The two make out passionately for a good three minutes.
"How about we open up some paints, get a blank canvas and see what happens." Lauren suggests with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm down with that." Camila says.
-----
Next Day
"Camila stop fooling around, Ally said they would be here soon." Lauren reprimands Camila.
Since the girls didn't get to see Rey or Lauren before she got checked out of the hospital , they agreed to pick her and Camila up to visit Rey.
"How is it that I'm the one that gave birth nearly 48 hours ago but I'm able to get myself together in a timely fashion?" Lauren questions as she peers into the bathroom , where Camila is blow drying her hair.
"I don't know I have coordination problems." Camila says sarcastically.
"Here give me that." Lauren says as she snatches the dryer out of Camila's hands.
Lauren takes it upon herself and fixes Camila's hair.
She starts by drying it, then she brushes it then she parts it into two halves to make two braids, one on each side.
"There you go babe." Lauren says.
The doorbell rings.
"Lauren or Camila , door!" Mike shouts.
"I got it ." Camila announces.
Camila hugs Ally.
"Where's the new mama?" Ally asks.
"Here she is." Camila says as Lauren approaches.
Ally hugs her as well.
"I'm going out!" Lauren shouts back into the house to whoever is listening as she closes the door behind her and Camila.
They get into the vehicle and they're greeted by Normani and Dinah.
"Aww look at the happy couple." Dinah says teasingly.
"Wow you're doing well it looks like." Normani states to Lauren.
"Yeah the doctors were really impressed by how fast I bounced back." Lauren tells her.
Ally begins backing out of the driveway.
"So let me get this straight, you can't bring her home until a couple of months?" Dinah asks.
"Yeah, well right now they're saying a month at most." Lauren says.
"So what's exactly wrong with her?" Normani asks.
"Her lungs aren't large enough to support her, so they have to keep her until she can breathe on her own." Lauren says.
"I just feel so bad for her, that she had to be brought into the world fighting." Lauren continues.
"Well she will grow up to be a strong independent woman." Dinah throws in.
The car fills with light chuckles .
------
As Ally turns the corner of the street where the hospital is, they see about five paparazzos lined up on the opposite side of the street.
"Shit! How the hell did they know I'd be coming here?" Lauren says out loud.
"Those fans I met the other day probably leaked it." Camila says.
"Don't let it bother you, they want you to get upset like this so they have a story." Ally says to Lauren.
"You're right let me not buy into it and let's just go and see that little ball of sunshine." Lauren says.
Ally puts the car in park , and they all get out.
They walk through the sliding doors.
The receptionist smiles at Lauren already knowing what she's there for.
"Hello there Ms. Jauregui." She says happily.
"You and your band mates will need to sign in right here, it's a new requirement." She tells her.
Lauren signs first, then she hands the pen off to Camila who passes it to the others.
"You know the floor right?" The receptionist asks.
"Yup 6th floor maternity ward." Lauren says to prove that she knows.
The receptionist gives a thumbs up.
The girls head over to the elevators and get in. Camila does the honor of pressing the big button labeled 6.
The ride up is instantaneously .
As they get off, Lauren runs into the doctor who delivered Rey.
"Hello there Lauren." He says.
"Have you worked with her today?" Lauren asks.
"Yeah , she's improving but very gradually." He says.
"Why don't you all walk and talk with me." The doctor says as they follow him to the NICU to see Rey.
"You all are gonna have to wash your hands over here and put on these gloves and masks before entering." The doctor tells them.
They each take turns washing their hands and passing around the box of gloves and masks.
Lauren enters the room first, with the others following slowly behind.
"Her eyes are open!" Lauren says excitedly at the site of Rey.
"Oh my god she's so precious." Ally says looking at the offspring of Lauren.
Rey laid there in content , she had a head full of dark colored hair, a chubby face highlighted with big green eyes, just like Lauren's.
"At least she doesn't look like the monster who made her." Camila states.
"True to that- and oh crap I just-." Lauren says but cuts herself off.
"You just what?" Dinah asks.
"No I just remembered that now that she's been born , I'm gonna have to appear in court." Lauren says solemnly.
"What!? You didn't tell us about this." Normani says.
"Yeah I know , it just stresses me out thinking about it." Lauren says.
"Long story short , my mom brought it on because she says that it's a legit case since he forced himself on me and he's refusing to be in her life even though I don't want him in my life or her life anyways." Lauren explains.
Lauren sticks a hand in the side of the incubator and begins caressing Rey's hand, which causes something like a smile to form on Rey's face.
A/N
Terrible ending I know :( and boring chapter :(
But anyways for the next chapter I'm gonna jump in time so I don't drag out the hospital visit stuff , then I will finally get to the "good stuff" 😈
What did you think?