Heartless People

NINE

The business of murder took time, patience, skill, and a tolerance

for the monotonous.

—J.D. Robb

LAUREN

Neither of us spoke. Neither of us really knew what to say, nor where to even begin. A lot had happened in the last forty-eight hours. Too much in fact, and I was still trying to sort through it all in my mind. I
tried focusing on her breathing, the beating of her heart as it beeped on the machines around us. I tried to calm myself down and just clear my mind, but then it hit me. It hit me like the car that hit her. I
almost lost her....then. Everything would have been over.

"Ahh" Camz groaned, forcing me to sit up quickly.

"Whats wrong?" I scanned her body, but other than the obvious, I couldn't find anything wrong.

"Nothing," she lied, making herself comfortable once again on the hospital bed.

Ignoring her, I went to look at her chart, Chris had already been moved to another room.

"You're not a doctor, put my chart down," she snapped, throwing her pillow at me.

Catching it, I handed it back to her as I read.

"You declined all painkillers?" She was white-knuckling the pain.

What the hell was wrong with her? "When did you decline meds? I've been with you since I got here."

"You were in the bathroom. Plus the doctor said it was fine."

"After you probably threatened him. Have you lost your mind? You have two shots in your shoulder and one in your thigh. Not to mention the countless bruises I can see up and down your legs and
arm. Take the damn drugs, Camila." I tried not to snap at her, but I was only working on two hours of sleep. This was not the fight I wanted to have with her.

She glared and I glared back.

"No drugs," she hissed.

"You're in pain. You're getting drugs if I have to shoot you up myself."  When I reached over to call for the nurse, she grabbed my wrist.

"No drugs, Lauren," she whispered. "They increase the chances of miscarriage and still birth. I can't lose this one. If I do, I'm done, I can't—"

I stared at her for a moment, not saying anything. I hadn't even thought about the baby; I hadn't had time to process it all.

"Okay. Okay, no drugs."

Once again, we fell into silence. I wasn't sure what was going!through her mind. I still couldn't believe she was pregnant. I mean, yes, it was more than possible. We jumped each other whenever we
were alone. I was addicted her.

She glared at me and I wanted her, she sneezed and I wanted her. She was everything, and it had been more than a year since we lost but the science behind how made sense. It was just a lot.

"What do you want to do, camz?" I asked.

She didn't answer right away.

"Do we have to tell them?"

"No, we can wait. Until we were more comfortable with the idea until I knew what to do. I had so much to plan and think over."

"Camz," I whispered, walking over and taking her hand. "I love you. I love who you are and what we do, but it has to be different. You cannot fight this battle. You can't go up against Aviela. Not now. Not like this. I cant lose our child again. You have to step
back"