"What the hell have you done Lauren?!" Dinah whispered, falling to her knees next to Mike as she radioed the EMT's she had the good sense to call before arriving with frantic orders to hurry.
"Not now Dinah. Daddy, helps here okay? You're going to be fine." Lauren assured her father, ignoring the look her best friend was giving her.
Mike was straining to keep his eyes open, his gaze never leaving his daughters as he nodded slowly. Medics rushed through the door soon after Dinah's arrival with a stretcher ready to take Mike with them.
The gently asked Lauren to move away, and quickly loaded him up as she stepped back, setting up their equiptment at a lightning speed, Mike was eventually strapped down and being transported quickly. One medic had asked if Lauren was injured, but Lauren demanded they worry about her father and she would be fine. After Lauren had glared at him for wasting time, he quickly hopped in the ambulance, and it drove to the hospital sirens blaring as the sped past.
Both women were just exiting the house that was currently surrounded by officers trying to keep the neighbors and spectators at bay when something unexpected happened. Lauren was following her Dinah to her car, hoping to see her father soon, when she tripped feeling woozy and lightheaded, landing on the grass of the yard on hard her front.
"Lauren?!" Dinah yelled rushing forward, sliding to her knees next to Lauren, panicking when she saw a thick piece of banister sticking out of her side almost hidden by her shirt.
Dinah and another officer gently turned Lauren on her uninjured side to check if she was still breathing, and much to Dinah's relief, Lauren was just unconscious.
Seeing the ambulance had left, Dinah radioed the distance of the next one coming.
"We're coming from across town Detective. We have at least ten minutes arrival time. It's rush hour and people aren't moving fast enough for us. There was a shooting on fifth, so we're the only available unit."
Dinah cursed, and motioned her men to help her pick Lauren up and take her to her car. Just as she was running to open her door, Camila, Rose and Leah pulled up, having been informed of what had happened by the undercovers in the restaurant.
They were blocked by officers as soon as they had scrambled out of their cars running straight for them, and they fought the officers hysterically once they saw Lauren's bloody body being carried. Dinah ushered her officers to gently put Lauren inside the car quickly, then turned towards the hysterical women shouting, "Meet me at the hospital!"
Once Lauren was secure, she jumped into the front seat, and turned her car on, sirens blazing as she pulled out of the driveway.
Dinah was internally panicking as she sped through lights, the sirens of her car making her more tense than they normally would. It took her three minutes to reach the hospital, and when she sped up to the emergency door, she threw her door open, unbelievably grateful she had called ahead and the nurses and doctors where ready and on standby waiting for her.
They unloaded Lauren quickly, and rushed inside, Dinah shakily trailing behind them until she was stopped outside the doors and was irritatingly directed to the waiting room.
"I want an update soon on both Jauregui's!" She shouted defiantly, as she paced the waiting room, making its other occupants give her a wide birth, eyeing the gun on her hip wearily.
Dinah caught their worried eyes on her waist and rolled her eyes saying, "I'm a cop so chill with the crazy scenario's going on in your heads."
Less than five minutes later, Leah, Rose and Camila were rushing inside the E.R. demanding information from the receptionist, when the nervous woman pointed towards the waiting room where they saw Dinah waving them over.
"What the hell happened?" Rose demanded, her eyes glassed over as she stood before Dinah. Camila and Leah both were next to her anxious to hear why Lauren was in the hospital.
Dinah was about to open her mouth when Ally came through another hallway holding Jesse's hand, approaching them wearily. Unsure if the little boy should hear this.
"I got to the station and noticed Lauren's guards there doing paperwork, and when I asked them why they weren't at the house, they said Lauren had told them I ordered them there. I don't know why she did it. I knew something bad was going on so I gathered my guys and called an ambulance just in case. When I got there, Brad was dead, and Lauren was trying to stop Mike from bleeding out. I don't know what Mike was doing there, but we sent him to the hospital because he was losing a lot of blood fast. Lauren looked fine, showed no signs of being seriously hurt besides a little bloody and bruised. But she must have fallen down the stairs with Brad because when the ambulance left she fainted and when I got closer she had a piece of wood stabbing her side. She lost a lot of blood, and I couldn't wait for another medic, so I brought her here. I don't know anything else, but my men are searching the house and documenting everything. Once I know more you will too." Dinah rushed out, reaching for her phone to text her men at the house.
She noticed she had a few messages, and looked through them, ignoring the family's freak out.
"But I thought mom was safe and he was only after me?" Leah whispered, crying heavily as she wrapped her arms around herself.
"We all did sweety.. I didn't even think of anything happening to Lauren." Rose added, wiping her eyes as she gave the teen a sympathetic look.
"We should have. Today of all days, we should have." Camila mumbled, shaking as she felt bile rise in her throat, afraid to ask the one thing that was plaguing her mind.
Gathering her courage, Camila asked quietly, "Did he rape her again?"
Dinah's head shot up at the question, seeing Rose stiffen, Ally gasp and Leah cover mouth in horror, she rushed out, "I don't think so. She had her shirt off when I got there, but I think that was just to use on Mike. She was still wearing an undershirt. It was black so no one noticed the blood right away, she was already bloody anyway so it may not have been caught unless she said she was experiencing pain or was examined. She probably was using a lot of adrenaline to fight Brad and didn't notice the injury if she was already in pain from the fall. It happens..."
She relaxed a little at the relief on their faces, and she felt so guilt of the tears pouring down Leah's face. Camila tried comforting her, but Leah moved away not feeling like being touched right now.
Unoffended, Camila understood that this was all hitting too close to home for the teen.
They eventually calmed and took seats around the room, waiting anxiously for any word on their friend. The room quickly started filling up with the rest of Lauren's family was called and had arrived in a flurry of panic. When Dinah filled in Clara, Taylor and Chris on the situation, all three were shocked and appalled that Brad had gotten to Lauren again, and we're grateful that Mike had been there to help. The worry on their faces was easy to see, and even Clara who had the most strained relationship with Mike, next to Lauren, was also scared for the father of her children.
When Normani came in an hour later with the doctor, they stood anxiously unable to hear bad news.
"How is she?" Rose, Clara and Camila asked jumping up from their seats, giving them their full attention.
"Both are alive and well for now. Miss Jauregui lost a lot of blood but we were able to remove the piece of wood from her side, with little problems. Fortunately nothing was damaged, and the piece completely missed any vital organs. She was really beat up though, and probably has some break in her shoulders, along with crack's on her spine and legs from the fall. We sent her to x-ray right now to be sure. Her jaw also seems inflamed, we won't know till after I see the x-ray films, but she has some damage to her body that will take time to heal." The doctor informed them, smiling sadly at the utter relief in their eyes as the tension in the room lessened considerably.
"And my dad?" Taylor asked tearfully.
The doctor gave them a small smile as she said, "He's okay. The knife he was stabbed with luckily missed his heart, but unfortunately nipped his lungs. We have him stabilized, but it will be a day or so before he can wake up. He'll be monitored closely, but we believe he is going to be just fine."
Taylor stepped forward hugging the male doctor in gratitude, and pulled away slightly embarrassed after a few moments, but felt better when her mother did the same.
Leah stepped forward and asked quietly, "When can we see my mom?"
The doctor looked at the teen, and a pang of sympathy filled him when he saw she was a younger version of her mother. "Soon. I can have Normani here take you to her room, and she will be right there when she gets back from radiology."
Nodding thankfully, she gave him a small smile, and followed Normani to the room, Rose and Jesse trailing behind her as Camila stepped closer to Dinah.
Seeing them alone, Camila turned to Dinah and asked, "Will Lauren be in trouble?"
Sighing, Dinah winced when other eyes met hers anxiously, and she straightened up and firmly said, "I'll do anything I can to make sure she isn't. But I've known Lauren my whole life, and if she knew this was going to happen, she planned for everything, even making it out alive. When she wakes up, we'll have our answers."