"You missed a fun day." Camila says softly as she sat down beside Lauren.
Lauren shrugged, she remained quiet.
"The kids wanted you to go with us." the soldier says softly.
Lauren looked at Camila. "I need help."
"I know, I've been calling around." Camila says softly, running a hand through Lauren's hair.
"And?" Lauren whispered.
Sending her a soft smile, Camila leans in and kisses Lauren gently. "I found someone."
"Who?" Lauren asked with a small frown.
"Dr. Carson, she's one of the best." Camila says softly.
"Best in what?" Lauren asked.
The soldier shifts on the bed and looks into Lauren's eyes. "Dealing with depression and everything you're going through."
"I don't even know what I'm going through." Lauren mumbled. She dropped her head. "So how do you? How does she?"
"She's helped with families that have lost soldiers before." Camila says softly.
Lauren closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"I can call and get you in for a session tomorrow." Camila says softly, kissing Lauren's forehead.
Lauren shrugged. "Sure." She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.
"Okay." the soldier says, kissing her gently.
Lauren kissed her back for a brief moment before pulling away. "I'm sleepy."
"Get some sleep." Camila tells her before moving to stand up.
Lauren nodded, she curled up on the bed and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep.
Kissing her forehead, Camila quietly leaves the room. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialled the number for Dr. Carson's office.
"Dr. Carson's office, she's with a patient right now. What can I do for you?" the assistant asks softly.
"I'd like to make an appointment for my fiancé for tomorrow." Camila said calmly.
She could hear typing on the other end. "Dr. Carson has an opening at two in the afternoon."
"That sounds perfect." Camila responds softly.
"Okay. I just need their name and date of birth." The woman said.
"Lauren Jauregui, um June 27th, 1996." the soldier says.
"Okay. And will you be accompanying her to the appointment?" The assistant asked as she typed the new information into the computer.
Camila runs a hand through her hair. "If she wants me to then I will be there."
"Okay, I'll put that down as a yes." The assistant said.
"Alright, is that everything?" Camila asks softly.
"Yes, we will see you tomorrow." The assistant said. "Goodbye." She ended the call.
****
Three months later
"How do you feel?" Camila asks softly as she wraps her arms around Lauren after one of her therapy sessions.
Lauren swallowed, turning her head to look at Camila. "I don't know."
Kissing Lauren's forehead, the soldier leads her to the car. "What's wrong?" she asks softly.
Lauren shrugged. "Is this helping me? I feel worse."
"You're going to feel worse before you feel better." Camila responds, opening the passenger side door for Lauren.
"It's been three months." Lauren mumbled. She climbed into the car and closed her eyes as Camila closed the door. She leaned against the window.
Sighing, Camila runs a hand through her hair before getting in the car. She started the engine and drove them home.
"We have the house to ourselves tonight." the soldier comments softly.
Lauren only hummed in response.
"Wanna do something?" Camila asks, reaching over and placing her hand on Lauren's leg.
Lauren shrugged, her head resting against the window. She didn't feel up to doing anything because of the session but she didn't want to disappoint Camila.
"We can watch a movie if you want." Camila says softly with a smile.
Lauren shrugged again. "Sure." She mumbled half-heartedly.
"I love you." Camila says softly.
Lauren turned her head to look at Camila. "I'm broken."
"I know." Camila says softly, squeezing Lauren's hand.
Lauren dropped her head and closed her eyes. She wanted this all to end. She wished Camila had let her jump in front of those cars.
Pulling into the driveway, Camila shuts off the engine and pulls Lauren into her arms. "I've got you."
Lauren was silent, she stared blankly at her hands.
"Please let me in." the soldier says softly, kissing Lauren's forehead.
Lauren only blinked in response.
Lifting Lauren's head, Camila kisses her slowly and passionately. The older girl just sat there. She didn't understand why Camila cared so much.
"Please Lauren, I'm begging you to come back to me." the soldier breathes out.
"Why do you care so much?" Lauren muttered.
"Because I love you." the younger girl breathes out.
Lauren pulled away. "I can't do this anymore." She looked down at her hands.
Confusion fills Camila's eyes and she frowns. "Can't do what anymore?"
"Life." Lauren muttered. She got out of the car and walked away from Camila.
Swallowing thickly, Camila gets out of the car.
Lauren continued to walk away from Camila, digging her nails into the palm of her hands. It was all getting too much for her.
"So that's it? Make me feel like we're getting somewhere and then tell me you want to die? Like me and the kids don't matter?" the soldier calls out.
"I can't do this anymore." Lauren mumbled.
Grabbing her arm gently, Camila turns Lauren to look at her. "Please just stop."
Lauren just stood there, breathing heavily.
"Please Lauren." Camila breathes out.
"I need Chris." Lauren mumbled.
"Laur, he's in a far better place." Camila says softly.
Lauren sobbed. "I know that. I need him. He knew how to help me."
"I know, but I'm here for a reason." Camila breathes out, leaning their foreheads together.
"You're not him." Lauren wriggled her wrists out of Camila's hands. "You don't know how to help me." She pushed Camila away.
Pain fills Camila's eyes and she shakes her head. "Whatever."
Lauren turned to walk away, shaking her head. She didn't realise there was a car coming into the driveway.
Camila didn't even notice the car either until it hit Lauren and the older girl was lying unconscious on the ground. The driver got out with a worried look on his face.
Turning around, Camila rushes over to Lauren and drops down beside her body. "Laur!" She shook the older girl.
The man dropped down on the other side of Lauren. "I'm so so sorry, I didn't see her." He said quickly. "I'll call an ambulance." He said after noticing the blood on Lauren's forehead.
Camila doesn't look at him, trying to stop the bleeding.
The man pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialled 911.
The soldier takes a deep breath as she continues to gently wipe away the blood.
Lauren looked peaceful, like she was sleeping, apart from the blood running down her cheek.
The man continued to talk on the phone.
After a few minutes, Camila manages to stop the blood. Just as the ambulance arrives.
The paramedics jumped out of the ambulance after parking it and ran over to them. "What happened?" The man asked while his partner dropped down beside Camila. She began checking Lauren over.
"I don't know, she was suddenly hit by a car." Camila breathes out.
"I didn't see her." The man chimed in. "I'm so sorry."
****
Camila was pacing back and forth in Lauren's hospital room, waiting on her fiancé to wake up. She had called Dinah, Normani, and Ally a few hours ago and they had just shown up.
"Camila, what happened?" Ally asked as she came into the room, seeing Lauren's unconscious body on the bed.
"We were talking and then I started to walk away, I didn't see the car and suddenly she was on the ground." Camila breathes out as she continues to pace.
"She got hit by a car?" Normani breathed.
"Is she okay?" Dinah asked.
Swallowing thickly, Camila looks at them. "I don't know."
"Where's her doctor? Hasn't he told you anything?" Normani asked.
"He has." Camila breathes out.
"What did he say?" Dinah asked immediately.
"That she has a broken leg, a few broken ribs, and a concussion." The soldier responds softly.
"Who hit her?" Ally asked.
"I have no clue." Camila responds softly.
Ally turned to look at Lauren. "I hope she's okay."
"Me too." Camila whispers softly. She moved to sit beside the bed and took Lauren's hand in her own.
"I want to know who did this." Dinah mumbles under her breath.
"It was a guy in a black car. He got out and said he was really sorry." Camila responded.
"Sorry doesn't cover it. She could have brain damage for all we know." Dinah responded.
Nodding her head, Camila takes a deep breath. "I don't know what to do."
Dinah sighed. "He'll pay for this."
The soldier sighs and kisses Lauren's forehead. "I'm sorry."
"She'll be okay." Ally said softly, resting her hand on Camila's shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze.
"I hope so." The soldier mumbles, she blamed herself.
Ally squeezed Camila's shoulder again.
Laying her head on the bed beside Lauren's head, Camila takes a deep breath. She reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair out of Lauren's face and tucked it behind her ear.
"Please wake up." Camila whispers, she didn't know what to do. "I'm sorry we argued. I'm sorry I don't know how to help you. I'm sorry I'm not Chris." She wiped tears away from her eyes.
Lauren didn't move.
The soldier broke down in tears and buried her face in Lauren's neck.
Ally rubbed Camila's back softly to comfort her.
"Mila, she'll be okay." Dinah says softly, she'd never truly seen Camila cry.
"Will she?" Camila sobbed. "Like you said, she could have brain damage."
"She's strong." Dinah responds softly.
"No she's not." Camila said. "She's in the middle of a break down."
Frowning, Dinah looks at Lauren and then Camila. "She just needs us."
Camila sniffed. "We have to find the guy that did this. Get justice."
Dinah nods her head slowly.
"Ally, will you stay with her?" Camila asked. "While we go find the dick that did this to her."
Ally bites her lip and slowly nods.
"Thank you." Camila said. She turned to Dinah and Normani. "Let's go."
****
Three weeks later
"Is mommy comin' home soon?" Charley asks softly as she climbs into Camila's lap.
Camila swallowed. "I'm not sure, princess." She pushed Charley's silky black hair out of her face.
"How come?" the little girl asks, tilting her head to the side.
"She's not very well at the moment." Camila said softly, she didn't want to tell her youngest daughter that her mother was in a coma because she'd been hit by a car.
Charley frowns. "Oh, her get better soon?" she asks, looking up at Camila.
"I'm not sure." Camila admitted.
"How come?" the little girl asks in confusion.
"Because, she's really not well." Camila said softly.
The little girl frowns and lays her head on Camila's shoulder. "Can we see mommy?"
"Um... sure but she might be sleeping." Camila said softly.
"Okay, I go get dressed." Charley says quickly.
Camila sighed heavily, she got up.
****
Charley rubs at her eyes as she lays on Camila's lap.
Camila ran her fingers through Charley's hair and kissed the top of her head.
Shifting in Camila's arms, the little girl yawns and closes her eyes.
Camila sighed heavily and looked up at Lauren. "Please wake up. She needs you. We need you. I need you."
Lauren remained motionless.
Taking a deep breath, Camila lays Charley on the bed beside Lauren. "Please."
Lauren still didn't move, only her chest rose and fell as she breathed.
"She'll wake up on her own in time." a soft voice says from the doorway.
Camila spun around. "Who are you?"
"Names Daya." the woman responds..
"Are you a nurse?" Camila asked. "Her nurse?"
"I am." Daya responds softly.
"Why won't she wake up?" Camila asked.
Daya sighs and runs a hand through her hair. "She's not ready."
"Why not?" Camila sniffed, she slumped down on the chair. She was desperately trying not to cry.
"I don't know." the nurse says softly.
"It's been three months." Camila whispered. "I can't lose her."
The nurse sighs softly. "Stop thinking like that."
Camila looked up at the nurse. "How?"
"You have to be positive about her waking up." Daya responds softly.
"I don't know how to do that... I don't even know what's wrong with her..." Camila mumbled weakly, she looked down at the floor.
The nurse sighs softly. "She will be fine."
"I'm finding that harder and harder to believe as the days go on." Camila muttered.
"Well you need to believe." the nurse responds softly.
Camila sighed heavily. She rubbed her face with her hands and ran her fingers through her hair. "I'm trying." She whispered.
"I'll be back to check on her in an hour." Daya responds g the room.
Camila lifted her head and looked up at Lauren and Charley on the bed. "I'm so sorry this happened to you." She whispered.
Charley shifts on the bed and releases a soft yawn as she curls closer to Lauren.
Camila leaned back in the uncomfortable chair and sighed. She watched her fiancé and daughter.
"Mama," Charley mumbles in her sleep.
A soft smile crossed Camila's face and she stood up. "I'm here princess." She bent down and kissed the top of Charley's head. "I won't leave you." She brushed the little girl's black hair out of her face.
Charley literally relaxes on the bed, closing her eyes tiredly.
Camila continued to run her fingers through her daughter's hair.
****
"She's awake." Camila hears someone say as she makes her way to Lauren's room. She frowned.
"What?" Camila asked.
The nurse turns and smiles at Camila. "Lauren is awake."
Camila's breath caught in her throat.
"She's disoriented and keeps mumbling 'I'm sorry'." The nurse said.
Nodding her head, the soldier walks into the room and can't help but smile upon seeing Lauren lying awake on the bed.
Lauren's eyes were half closed but she was awake.
"Hey beautiful." the soldier says softly, sitting down beside the bed and kissing Lauren's forehead.
"I'm sorry." Lauren mumbled. "I'm sorry."
"Shh, don't be sorry." Camila whispers.
"I'm sorry." Lauren mumbled again.
The soldier kisses Lauren's forehead again. "Shh. I've got you."
"Miss, can I get through to her IV? She's in pain." The nurse asked softly.
"I'm sorry." Lauren whispered again.
Nodding, Camila moves over slightly to let the nurse through. "Stop apologizing."
"I'm sorry." Lauren repeated. It was like she was stuck in a trance, the moment before she was hit by the car.
The nurse put some morphine into Lauren's IV drip.
"Laur, look at me." Camila says softly.
"I'm sorry." Lauren repeated, her eyes landing on Camila. "I'm sorry."
Shaking her head, Camila kisses Lauren's forehead. "Don't apologize."
"I'm sorry." Lauren's muscles began to relax as the morphine began to take over. She began to feel sleepy.
"Just rest." the soldier tells her softly.
"I'm sorry." Lauren mumbled one more time before she drifted off to sleep.
Closing her eyes, Camila takes a deep breath.
"She'll be okay." The nurse said.
"Will she?" Camila asks softly.
The nurse nodded. "She's just confused and scared. She woke to a bunch of strangers staring at her."
The soldier sighs and lays her head on the pillow beside Lauren's.
The nurse left the room.
Camila slowly fell asleep.