Camila and Lauren received the call that they were down to two viable eggs the next day. Lauren's worry increased as Camila seemed to become numb to the news. Camila didn't get angry or cry – she was quiet the entire ride to work. When they arrived, Lauren asked if Camila would join her for lunch and Camila nodded, still staying silent as she headed toward the lab. Lauren walked into her office and sat behind her desk. She dropped her head into her hands, trying to hold back tears. She heard a soft knock on her door and quickly composed herself.
"Hey, it's me," Normani said as she walked in and closed the door behind her.
"You got the text," Lauren said, her voice flat.
"Yeah," Normani said, motioning to the couch, "Come here."
Normani sat and patted the cushion next to her. Lauren let out a huff and walked over to the sofa and sat next to her best friend. Normani slung her arm over Lauren and Lauren laid her head on Normani's shoulder.
"I know it's got to be almost impossible to keep up hope," Normani said softly, "But I'm saying every prayer I know that one of these eggs makes it."
"So, what – that's one or two prayers?" Lauren asked teasingly, chuckling at her own joke despite the situation.
"You're an ass," Normani replied, giggling.
Lauren let out a long sigh and looked at Normani.
"I'm so worried about Camila," Lauren said, "She barely said a word after the call."
"Isn't that kind of how she is when she gets upset?" Normani asked softly, without any judgment in her voice.
"Yeah, we've been working on communicating and giving each other space," Lauren said, "I didn't push it. I asked her to have lunch with me and she agreed."
"Okay, that's good," Normani said, rubbing Lauren's shoulder gently, "This is a lot to process. Is there anything I can do?"
"Is it too early for us to open a bottle of Scotch?" Lauren asked with a smirk.
"Unfortunately, I feel like I have to be the voice of reason here...," Normani said, looking at Lauren with a small smile.
"Fine, if you're not going to drink with me then just give me a big hug and let me get to work," Lauren sighed out, standing up from the couch.
Normani stood and pulled Lauren into a tight embrace.
"I'm right down the hall if you need me," Normani said.
"Thanks, Mani," Lauren answered, holding tightly for a few seconds before releasing the hug.
Lauren sat at her desk and got to work. She had a lot to do and was quickly engrossed in reading and revising reports. When she looked up at the clock it was nearing noon and she felt a rumble in her stomach. She realized that she hadn't eaten anything before leaving for work. She picked up the phone and paged Camila's office. Camila picked up on the first ring.
"Hey hon," Camila said, sounding distracted despite answering.
"I'm getting hungry up here," Lauren said, "You almost ready?"
Lena heard movement on the other side of the phone for a few moments until Camila's voice came back.
"I didn't realize what time it is," Camila finally said, "I got distracted with work."
"Probably a good thing," Lauren said.
"Yeah, I'm hungry too," Camila said, "You wanna get out of here and maybe eat in the park?"
"That sounds lovely," Lauren answered immediately, "I'll meet you in the lobby."
Lauren hung up and grabbed her purse. She let Anya know she would be out of the office for lunch and headed to the elevator. When she reached the lobby, Camila was there waiting. They walked outside together and Lauren breathed a sigh of relief as Camila took her hand in hers.
