Almost a week passed before Lauren had even a moment to consider making good on her threat. During that time, she worked eighteen hours a day and admitted thirty-two more patients with acute hepatitis. Close to three hundred new cases were diagnosed in the greater Philadelphia area. Unfortunately, there were also two deaths.
At the height of the outbreak, the CDC epidemiology team interviewed patients, constructed demographic charts, and investigated dozens of potential sources of the contagion. Lauren was constantly on call, interfacing with her own emergency room physicians as well as the out-of-town consultants. She and Camila saw each other in passing at work, but by the time Lauren got home, there was barely enough time to sleep before she needed to be back at work.
By Friday evening, the number of new cases had dwindled, and it appeared that the source of the infection—a contaminated delivery of scallions from Mexico—had been identified. With the crisis waning, Laurenwas able to leave the hospital by seven p.m., and the first thing she did when she walked out the ER doors was to punch in Camila's number on her cell phone.
"Hello?" Camila said.
Lauren smiled just to hear the sound of her voice. "It's me. Are you free?"
"Well, not really."
"Oh." Lauren worked to hide her disappointment as she fumbled her keys from her briefcase and leaned to open the door of her car. "Well, then..."
"Hold on a second."
A new voice came on the line.
"Mom? Are you on your way home now?"
"Honey? What's going on? Where are you two?" Lauren slid into the front seat of her car and tossed her briefcase beside her. She hadn't seen Kyle all week, because her daughter had been asleep by the time she'd gotten home. As far as she knew, Kyle should have been with Phyllis.
"Home. Cami and I are making pizza."
"You are?" Quickly, Lauren dispelled the image of pizza sauce all over her kitchen. "Is there enough for me?"
Lauren heard a giggle followed by mumbling, but she could not make out the words. She keyed the ignition and started to drive as Kyle came back on the line.
"Cami says it'll be ready in twenty-five minutes. But we're awfully hungry."
"Well, you tell Cami that I'll be there in five, and I'm hungry, too."
Kyle laughed. '"Kay, Mom. We'll share with you."
* * * * *
Camila waited on the back stairs. When Lauren pulled into the driveway, she walked around to the driver's side door, opened it, and leaned in to kiss Lauren. "Hi. Dinner will be ready soon."
"This is a nice surprise." Lauren grasped her briefcase and slid out.
"You haven't seen the kitchen yet."
"No, but I can imagine." Lauren smiled and wrapped an arm around Camila's waist as they walked toward the house. "I'll just have to keep my eyes on you."
"The chef's upstairs getting ready for a bath," Camila informed her. "I thought that would be smart before you saw her."
"Where's Phyllis?"
"Another hot date." Camila brushed her lips over Lauren's temple. "And don't even think about thanking me. I missed Kyle this week. I missed you." Every second.
Lauren dropped her briefcase at the bottom of the back stairs, turned to Camila, and put both arms around her neck. She pressed against her and kissed her lingeringly. She kissed her until she could feel her in every cell. "I missed you, too."
"Oh, yeah." Camila sighed contentedly, then reluctantly backed away. "I'd better get upstairs and give Kyle a hand with her bath."
"Let me change, and I'll help."
They linked hands and climbed the stairs together.
* * * * *
"Mom," Kyle said over pancakes and bacon the next morning, "are you and Cami going to live together soon?"
"That's a very important decision, sweetie, and Camila and I haven't really talked about it yet." Lauren glanced at Camila across the table. This was the first time that Camila had spent the night and been there the next morning when Kyle got up. The three of them had made breakfast together, and Kyle had seemed to take it all in stride. Phyllis, interestingly, had called to say she would be "detained."
"How would you feel about that?" Lauren asked her daughter.
"I think it would be cool. Then I'd have two moms like Kim and Denny, right?" Kyle looked from Camila to Lauren expectantly.
Camila cleared her throat. "Remember when I told you that we would tell you as soon as we could?"
"Uh-huh."
"Well, it really helps to know that it would be okay with you if we wanted to do that," Camila said carefully, looking from Kyle to Lauren. "But your mom and I need some more time to think about it. So we need you to be patient, okay?"
"Okay." Kyle finished the last of her orange juice. "How long do I have to be patient?'"
Camila smiled. "Well, sometimes you have to wait until just the right time, like when you don't kick on goal until you see the perfect opening and you know it will go in."
Kyle nodded seriously and then looked at her mother. "You're coming to the game today, right?"
"I'll be there." Lauren smiled as her daughter ran from the room to gather her gear. She sighed and glanced at Camila with a wary expression. "Sorry. I have a feeling we're going to hear these questions again."
"Do they bother you?" Camila asked quietly. She was very aware of the fact that Lauren had consistently avoided the discussion of any kind of commitment. She wanted to be part of Lauren's life, and it took every ounce of willpower not to push.
"No," Lauren said softly. "They don't bother me. What about you? My life is a bit complicated."
Camila had to smile. "You mean because of Kyle?"
"Among other things."
"She's terrific. I...I'd love to be a part of her life." Camila met Lauren's gaze. "And yours."
"God, you're better than a dream come true." Lauren reached across the table and stroked Camila's cheek. "I hope you know I care. Can you be patient a little longer?"
Camila turned her head and kissed Lauren's palm. "I've probably got just a little more willpower than a seven-year-old." When Lauren laughed, Camila added, "But not much."
"Mmm, I seem to remember you weren't all that patient last night."
"That was different," Camila replied, leaning forward to kiss Lauren on the lips. "I hadn't seen you all week. Of course I couldn't wait."
Lauren's blood ran a little hotter just thinking about the relentless demands of Camila's mouth and hands and... She shivered and pushed back from the table. "I have to get away from you. You do...things...to me. Scary, wonderful things."
Camila laughed as Lauren walked away. "You can run, but you can't hide."
Lauren stopped in the doorway and regarded Camila tenderly. "I think I'm done with both. Now, I'm going to shower and get ready for the game."
Heart pounding, Camila watched her go. I love you.
* * * * *
"I saw you, Camila, and Kyle leave the house together this morning," Ally said as she sidled up to Lauren on the sideline. "Uh-huh." "The three of you looked cute together."
Lauren turned and gave Ally a piercing glare. "Whatever it is you want to know, just ask so I can watch the game."
"Okay," Ally said accommodatingly. "How serious are the two of you? Is she wonderful in bed? Has she told you yet that she loves you?"
"I don't know. Definitely." Lauren hesitated and glanced at Camila, who stood only yards away, her attention riveted on her young players. "Yes, she's told me."
"It sounds like things are very serious, then." Ally's tone was serious as well. "Do you love her?"
"I—" Lauren broke off as Camila turned to her with a stunned expression on her face. She saw Camila press her right hand to the center of her chest just before she collapsed abruptly to the ground. Even as she started to run, Lauren snapped to Ally, "Call 911 and keep the kids away from here."
In less than five seconds, Lauren was kneeling on the ground by Camila's side. Camila lay motionless on her back, eyes closed. When Lauren pressed two fingers to the carotid artery on the right side of Camila's neck, her stomach seized, and for an instant, her mind went completely blank. She couldn't feel a pulse. Then, with instinct born of years of training and motivated by a resolve that burned through her with white-hot fury, she brought her closed fist down sharply in the center of Camila's chest. You will not die. I will not lose you. God damn you, you will not do this to me.
Just as Lauren, preparing to start CPR, pressed both hands to the center of Camila's sternum, her eyes fluttered open. The breath stopped in Lauren's chest as unfocused brown eyes met hers.
"Lauren?"
"It's all right, baby. You're all right." Lauren, almost weak with fear and relief, fought desperately to keep her voice steady. "Just lie still."
"What happened?" Camila tried to push up on her elbows but found that she was light-headed. "I'm a little dizzy."
"I know." Lauren wrapped her fingers around Camila's wrist, enormously comforted by the strong, steady pulse. "You fainted. We need to take you to the hospital so I can evaluate the situation."
She didn't see any point in telling Camila that she'd had a cardiac arrest. It had been a brief episode that had responded immediately to the "cardiac thump," and in all likelihood, no heart muscle damage had been sustained. Still, the danger remained that she'd have another arrhythmia that Lauren would not be able to convert so easily again. She needed to get Camila into the EMS van where she would have a defibrillator at hand.
"I think I'm okay," Camila said quietly, slowly realizing what must have transpired. Lauren was white as a sheet and her eyes were huge, all pupil. God, please, don't let me lose everything now. Not now. "Sweetheart, I'm okay."
"You seem to be, but I still need to run some tests." Lauren brushed her fingers over Camila's forehead but kept one hand on her shoulder to prevent her from trying to rise again. "Baby, please don't argue."
"No," Camila replied, catching Lauren's hand and holding it firmly. "I won't. Can I see Kyle before we go? Or do you think it would be better not to let her see me now?"
The sound of the siren grew nearer. Lauren glanced around and saw that a ring of adults had enclosed them, keeping everyone else away. Ally stood nearby, her attention on Lauren and Camila.
"I'll get her if you promise not to move." When Camila nodded her assent, Lauren motioned to Ally. "Will you stay with her while I get Kyle?"
"Sure." Ally took Lauren's place and automatically grasped Camila's wrist. "How you doing, honey?"
"I'm all right." Camila turned her head and tried to follow Lauren's movement through the crowd. "Listen, will you take care of Lauren? Just in case I have another problem. She shouldn't be the one running a code if this goddamn defibrillator misfires again."
"She's not going to let anyone else take care of you," Ally said quietly. "You'll both be fine. Now here comes Kyle, so look sharp."
"Cami? Are you sick?" Kyle hunkered down next to Camila between her mother and Ally. Her expression was concerned, but she wasn't afraid, because her mother had told her not to be.
Camila shook her head, "I didn't feel very good a few minutes ago, but I feel much better now. Your mom wants me to go to the hospital so she can check me out. So we're going to go for a ride in one of the medical vans, okay?"
Kyle nodded intently and glanced at her mother. "Can I come?"
Lauren rested her hand on her daughter's back. "I'm going to be busy for a while taking care of Camila. Ally will bring you over later, I promise."
"Okay."
Camila patted Kyle's knee. "I think you should get back to the game now. I'll see you in a little while."
"Come on, honey," Ally said, taking the child's hand. "Perrie is going to need you back on the field."
"Is she going to be okay?" Camila asked as Kyle disappeared.
Lauren nodded, waving the EMTs over. "Yes. She understands that I'm a doctor, and she trusts that I'll take care of things. She'll be fine as long as she can see you later."
"Good," Camila said with a sigh and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry about this."
"Don't ever say that to me again." The words were delivered gently, but when she stood and addressed the first EMT on the x scene, her command tone was in evidence, "I'm Dr. Jauregui. We need transport to PMC. She has an unstable arrhythmia and needs to be monitored all the way."
"Yes, ma'am," the technician said as he and his partner started an IV in Camila's arm and attached EKG leads to her chest.
While holding Camila's hand, Lauren observed everything the EMTs did, even though she knew they were well trained to handle that kind of emergency. She walked alongside the stretcher and climbed into the back of the van, and, despite her anxiety, she allowed them to do their job as they traveled the short distance to the hospital. Once in the ER, she directed members of her staff to get the equipment she needed as the EMTs wheeled Camila through the hall to the procedure room.
As was so often the case after the event was over, by the time Camila was settled onto the exam table, she felt close to normal. The IV that the EMTs had started was taped to her right arm. Her shirt was off and EKG leads were spread across her chest. The portable monitor by her bedside beeped with comforting regularity, and the tracing appeared normal. But just as Lauren walked into the room, the EKG monitor gave a series of rapid beats, and Camila felt a fluttering sensation in her chest. The same flutter that had preceded her collapse at the field. Both she and Lauren stared at the monitor. Several misplaced beats skittered across the screen, and then the steady pattern returned.
"Something's wrong, Camz," Lauren said quietly, a rhythm strip from the electrocardiogram in her hand. "And I'm not so certain it's your heart. You are having irregular beats, but they look almost as if the defibrillator and not your cardiac muscle is triggering them. I think you're going to need the device replaced."
"It certainly malfunctioned this afternoon." Camila took a deep breath and met Lauren's troubled gaze. "I felt the run of V-tach, and I could tell the defibrillator didn't fire. I only had a few seconds before..." Before I went out. She shivered. "It didn't pace me."
"I know, baby." Lauren reached for Camila's hand and squeezed it gently. "But you're being monitored now, and we'll keep monitoring you until we get this fixed." Then she said what she knew Camila wouldn't want to hear. "I want to admit you to a telemetry floor until I can get one of the cardiac surgeons in to see you."
"I'd rather go back to Manhattan and let my cardiologist there deal with it."
"I understand, but you're too unstable to travel." Just saying the words was enough to bring a surge of nausea roiling through Lauren's stomach. Now that the immediate crisis was over, she couldn't prevent the enormity of what had nearly happened from penetrating her consciousness. She almost died. I almost lost her out there.
"I don't intend to lose you, Camz," Lauren said quietly. "I love you."
"You certainly can pick your moments, Dr. Jauregui." Camila's voice was gentle, her eyes soft with longing.
Lauren bit her lip, suddenly terribly afraid that she would cry. She swallowed and forced a smile. "You tend to disrupt my timing."
"Would you agree to me going to Manhattan if I went by ambulance?" Camila took a deep breath, wishing she didn't have to explain. "If they need to reposition the leads, it's going to be tricky. They had problems with that the first time."
"What kind of problems?" Lauren's voice was flat, her eyes betraying none of her apprehension.
"They triggered a run of V-fib and I...ah, Christ...I arrested during the procedure."
"I see." Refusing to allow the horror of that statement to penetrate her consciousness, Lauren calculated the options. The period when Camila might suffer a potentially fatal arrhythmia was the time up to and including the surgery. "All right. I'll call your cardiologist now and find out if he can line up the surgeons for you right away, if he can, we'll transport you this afternoon. But if he can't, and there's going to be any kind of delay, we're not waiting."
"Agreed." Before Lauren could turn away, Camila grasped her hand. "I love you, Lauren. I love you, and I love Kyle. It's going to be okay."
Lauren leaned down and kissed Camila tenderly on the mouth. When she drew away, she whispered, "I love you. And we're going to get through this."
AN: Just two more chapters and we're done guys. 😊