His Forever Flame

15. A Really Bad Week

Once Lauren got home, things were ok; nothing was extraordinary. Her mom was giving her hell over Jay and how all she did was go to Chicago. She said she barely recognized Lauren anymore and she didn't like it. Lauren tried tuning her out, but honestly it was driving her crazy the way her mom was acting.

She managed to make it through the week by talking to Jay all the time. She occasionally would talk to Wes. They were still friends, good friends, but ever since she and Jay had been back together, things were different. He constantly offered to let her stay the night, but she couldn't. She'd promised Jay that the sleepovers were done, and she was going to keep that promise.

The next week, things got worse. She had a tripped planned to go to Chicago not this coming weekend, but the next. Her mom and Michael were on her case about being at home and staying away from Chicago, and she couldn't take it. Of course they had all these threats of what they were going to do if she didn't listen, but she had heard enough. She was reaching her breaking point, and it was only Monday morning.

By lunch, her mom text telling her that her "great-uncle," someone that she wasn't really related to, but she'd been close to all her life, was in ICU and wasn't expected to make it. Later that night, Wes called out of the blue. He told her that his ex-boss, someone he'd worked for for three years and Lauren knew pretty well in those three years, had passed away. He wanted to know if she'd go with him to the funeral; he didn't want to go alone and she understood.

She was feeling so overwhelmed. She just wanted Jay, wanted to feel his arms around her, but he was almost six hundred miles away. That night, he let her cry it out on the phone. He couldn't hold her but he listened. He told her how much he loved her and wanted to be there with her.

On Thursday, Lauren had a really bad day at school. It just added to what had already been going on that week. She called Jay from school in tears. He was at work and when he heard her practically sobbing, he couldn't stand it. He was in the middle of making her feel better, when Kelly started calling. It was unusual for Kel to call that early so she told Jay she'd call him back.

Kelly's call wasn't good; he was calling to tell her that Benny had been in a fire and was at Chicago Med. Will had been the ER doctor in charge, which Kelly and Lauren were both thankful for, but he couldn't give them good news. He said Benny's lungs had inhaled way too much smoke and things weren't looking good. Right then, he was getting 60% oxygen, but Will had a feeling the percentage would increase steadily.

Lauren felt the weight of the world crushing her. Even though he didn't have anything to do with her, he was still her father. Lauren told Kelly she had the funerals to go to this weekend that she didn't think she could come up; she was torn. She needed to go to the funerals, but this was her father. Kelly told her not to worry; the funeral for her "great-uncle" was more important. He'd been there for her more than Benny ever had been.

That night, Jay skyped her. Seeing her so upset, so hurt and sobbing, broke him; broke his heart right in two. He should be there with her; should be holding her and promising to make everything better. It was almost enough to make him take the day off and come down, but she told him it would be ok; next weekend she was coming up. Jay didn't like it, but he needed to work. He was paying most of the bills (that Kelly wasn't) because she couldn't work, so they really needed the money between the two of them.

Halfway through the conversation, Lauren got sick, so sick. Jay was really worried about her. This had been a really hard week, and now she was sick without anyone to take care of her. He was really beating himself up for not being there. He stayed on skype with her until she fell asleep. It didn't take her long after throwing up; she was exhausted and Jay knew it.

Friday was visitation for both people. She went to her "great-uncle's" by herself. Wes was just getting off work when she got there. It was one of the hardest things she'd had to do in a while. She held it together until she left. Then in the car, the whole way to Wes's she cried, sobbed her heart out. It probably wasn't smart to be driving, but she made it safely.