FULL CIRCLE

Did You Think Of Me?

A week and a half later.......

While Lucy, Vero, and Alexa were busy working to gather as much evidence for Austin's pending trial, along with the many cases now falling behind, Lauren had more serious problems to deal with. At least she thought so.

Lauren was picked up from the hospital by an excitedly eager Camila and Leah. They had marched in that Saturday morning with suitcases and bags for all the things she had accumulated during her stay. Since Lauren was immobile for at least another month, the two rushed around the room, picking things up and packing them away with smiles on their faces.

Lauren was trying to appear calm when she felt anything but. She detested the idea of having to rely on others for things that felt incredibly private to her. Years ago she would have laughed at someone having to give her a sponge bath, especially since she had been used to showering in the locker room after practice. But since Brad, she had problems exposing her body to anyone. She had only been with a total of three women, and only in the past eight years.

Even then, she had quirks that had annoyed her lovers, like only making love with the lights off, or being covered by a blanket. It wasn't that she had body issues, it was just she tended to have the worst flash backs when she had sex with her skin fully touching skin. She had hated it, but the only person she even come close to being able to do it like that was with Lucy. They tried it once, and she had freaked out, locking herself inside her bathroom for almost an hour, before apologizing for her episode. The next day the couple had broken up, having realized that if she hadn't trusted her girlfriend after almost three years of dating and five of being best friends, they weren't right for each other.

She hadn't even tried having sex again after that, allowing work to swallow her whole, not even caring at her lack of social life.

So the idea of Camila helping her bath terrified her. For a moment she even contemplated hiring a nurse and staying somewhere else, until she caught her daughters smiling face that is.

From her bed, she could see how happy her daughter was to have her come live with them in her childhood home. Lauren couldn't find it within herself to take that happiness away from her, so she bit her lip and tried to calm her racing heart.

She slowed her breathing, which helped, and gave Leah a small smile when her daughter approached the bed with a wheelchair.

Both Camila and Leah helped her into it carefully, and Lauren couldn't help the warmth spreading her heart at how gentle and careful they were being.

Once she was completely in, Normani came in to help them to the car as the two carried all of Lauren's belongings.

"Now you have to come in two weeks from now to get your stitches removed, so only sponge baths till then, okay? Afterwards, you will be able to shower, but due to your heavy sprains and cracks in your body, baths are mandatory with assistance, until the doctor clears you." Normani told them kindly.

Camila and Leah nodded enthusiastically, and Lauren held in the groan that had been building since the nurse arrived. She would deal with it. She was a grown woman after all.

It took them five minutes to sign out, and reach the parking lot, the three placed everything in the trunk of the SUV, and Lauren was surprised to see a wheel chair clamp in the back for her chair.

"When did you get this?" asked Lauren, looking at Camila curiously.

"Mom got it about a week after you got to the hospital, after hearing your injuries. She figured you would need it." Leah answered automatically, not realizing the implications she was making.