Signs

Chapter 20

The sound of a car speeding forward.

Her scarf wrapped around Lauren's neck.

Green eyes and a sad smile.

The feeling of urgency as she flung herself forward not knowing if she would make it in time.

Camila's eyes flew open.

She was breathing heavily, a panicky feeling in her chest. It was just a bad dream. Lauren was safe, curled up next to her on the bed. The heart rate monitor was beeping fast as Camila tried to calm herself down. Everything was okay.

She closed her eyes, trying to quietly steady her breathing and heart rate. Exhaling slowly, Camila opened her eyes, looking up at the ceiling. Her glasses were still on her face, having fallen asleep listening to the gentle rhythm of Lauren reading out loud.

She turned her head as much as she could with the neck brace, trying not to jostle the bed too much so she didn't wake up Lauren. It was the first proper night's sleep she'd had in days. Her head was resting against Camila's shoulder, her eyes flickered side to side beneath closed eyelids. A tiny crease between her eyebrows was the only thing marring her peaceful face.

Camila wasn't sure how long she lay there, listening to Lauren's slow breaths and feeling the gentle rise and fall of her chest pressed up against Camila's side. Morphine coursed through Camila's body, numbing the pain and making her feel drowsy. It was quiet as Camila lay there, thinking things over.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of Lauren's breathing speeding up. Her eyebrows were knit together and a low moan fell past her lips. She was having a bad dream too. Camila tried to lift her arm to shake Lauren awake, but the morphine made her body feel loose and her arm was too heavy to lift. A quiet gurgle sounded at the back of Camila's throat, not loud enough to wake Lauren up.

"NO!" the frightened shout tore out of Lauren's mouth as she shot up in bed. Turning to look at Camila, she visibly relaxed. Her eyes were wild and her chest rose and fell in time with her heavy breathing. She ran her fingers through her hair, brushing it out of her face as she gasped for air. Once she had calmed down, she gently brushed her fingertips along the side of Camila's face.

"I dreamt that you died in my arms," she sobbed quietly, staring at Camila's face as if she couldn't believe she was actually here. Camila made a small sound in indignation; she didn't like the fact that Lauren was having nightmares too.

Settling back down on the pillows, Lauren curled up next to Camila, relaxing as she felt the warmth of her beside her. Right now, she was wishing that she could feel Camila's arms wrapped around her, making her feel safe. But it was enough to know that she was here.

They lay next to each other in silence, taking comfort in the fact that they weren't alone, until the nurse came in on his rounds. It was breakfast time, and for Camila that meant a watery porridge that could be dribbled in through the gaps in the wires. Lauren insisted on feeding her herself, and the nurse left, informing them that he'd be back later on to check on Camila.

Sinu showed up as Lauren was scooping up the last spoonful. Camila and Lauren both looked over at the door as it opened and Sinu poked her head in. She smiled at the two girls, getting a bright smile off Lauren and what resembled a grimace off Camila.

"Hi sweetheart, how are you feeling" Sinu said, walking over to the bed and placing a kiss of Camila's forehead. She leant even further forward, placing a kiss on Lauren's forehead too. Camila tried smiling again, letting Sinu know that she was feeling fine.

"You look tired honey," she told Lauren, rubbing her thumb along one of Lauren's cheekbones, just under the dark circles under her eyes.

"Oh I'm fine Sinu, really," Lauren waved away her concerns, "I haven't slept as well as I did last night in months." Lauren's eyes flickered to Camila's for a second, before she smiled at Sinu. She put the empty bowl on the tray, pouring a cup of water and taking a sip.