Page 70 of Loving Lauren
Her throat burned. If she lost them now, she didn’t know who she would be. Salem would wait at the door for footsteps that never came. Thalia would hold her in silence, because there would be nothing to say. Her parents would offer practical advice that landed like weather reports.
Her heart felt like a dam about to burst, every second straining harder against the weight behind it.
She inhaled slowly. Exhaled even slower. “Hold on. Please just hold on.”
“Sierra Turner?” a voice called.
She stood so fast the chair skidded back. “Yes.”
A nurse with kind eyes gestured down the corridor. “You can come back now.”
The walk felt endless. Doors, curtains, monitors, the quiet thrum of machines. When the nurse drew the curtain aside, Sierra’s breath caught.
Lauren lay propped against white pillows, skin pale and damp, an IV snaking from their arm. The monitor beside them kept a steady beat that sounded like a lifeline. Their lips were cracked. Their eyelashes stuck together at the tips.
Sierra’s hand flew to her mouth. “Thank God!”
Their eyelids fluttered. They found her through a fog of anesthesia and managed a faint smile. “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same.” She sank into the chair and took their hand, fingers fitting like they always had. “You scared the life out of me.”
“They took it out,” Lauren whispered. “My appendix. It ruptured.”
Sierra brushed damp hair back from their forehead. “That is terrifying. I’m so glad you’re okay.”
Their eyes filled, but the drugs tugged them under before any tears could fall. The monitor kept time. The nurse smiled at Sierra in a way that felt like mercy.
Sierra sat with their hand in hers and let her own breath even out. The room hummed with soft machine sounds and the distant roll of a cart. For the first time all day, the panic let go of her throat.
She pulled out her phone with shaking fingers and opened the group chat.
Sierra:Lauren’s appendix ruptured. They are stable now. Thalia, can you get Salem, please?
Responses arrived in a quick flicker. Shock. Hearts. Promises to be there the minute visiting hours are allowed. Thalia said she was already in the car to get Salem.
Sierra set the phone face down again. She turned back to Lauren, watched the slow, uneven breaths, the way their chest rose and fell like a tide. The hospital lights bleached everything pale, but the sight of Lauren breathing steadily was vivid enough to outshine it all. Alive felt like a miracle.
She leaned forward until her forehead rested against their joined hands. Her voice came out as a rough whisper. “You are not doing this without me. Not again. Not ever. Boundaries can wait. I just need you alive.”
Lauren stirred faintly but didn’t wake. The words fell into the quiet like a vow only the walls would keep.
Sierra let the tears come. She didn’t try to swallow them or pretend they were anything else. They slid warm over her cheeks and into the space between their hands. She closed her eyes and pictured the frame of their life widening again, imperfect and real, the image strong enough to hold.
Chapter 45
The first thing Sierra registered was the weight of a hand tangled with hers. Her neck ached from the awkward angle of the chair, but when she blinked awake, she realized Lauren’s eyes were open, watching her through the fog of morning light.
“You stayed,” they whispered, voice rasping.
Relief punched through her chest so hard it almost hurt. “Of course I did.”
A nurse swept in, brisk and efficient, tugging at wires and checking monitors. Sierra’s grip tightened instinctively on Lauren’s hand until the nurse smiled. “They’re doing well. Once we get your discharge papers sorted, you’ll be able to go home. Rest is key. No lifting, no exertion.”
Sierra leaned forward before Lauren could speak. “They’re not going to be alone. I’ll stay with them until they’re healed.”
Lauren’s protest came out hoarse. “Sierra, you don’t have to—”
“I do,” she cut in, firm. “Thalia’s got Salem, so don’t even argue. I’m not taking no for an answer.”
