"I should've tried to protect you more but I didn't want to smother you." Mitch said in a low tone as he looked down at Lauren laying down on the hospital bed.
"I know you hated me when I tried to keep you safe so I let you do your own thing. What hurt was that someone you used to love could shoot you with no hesitation." His eyes watered.
"I kind of know what the feels like. A terrorist shot the love of my life right in front of me. I watched the life drain out of her eyes as the people around us screamed and ran away." Tears streamed down his face.
"Seeing the same thing happen to you, It brought back memories. Maybe you can wake back up and tell me that everything will be alright?" He sadly smiled as he pinned a strand of her hair behind her ear. His hand dropped to where hers was and he interlocked them, running his thumb over her fingers.
"Come on Lauren. You have to wake up. I don't think I can do this without you. I don't think I can let this happen again." He whispered.
"That's enough." Stan commented from the door.
"We need you in the field Mitch." He leaned against the door way.
Mitch kissed Lauren's hand and set it back onto the bed before standing up.
"I might be a little distracted on the field sir." Mitch stood up straight, clearing his throat.
"I'll give you an hour to get ready. This mission will interest you." Stan nods at Mitch and then walks down the hall.
Mitch jumped, startled by the sounds of the machines going off.
Mitch runs to Lauren's side as other nurses rush into the room. Lauren's eyes shot open and her ran immediately gripped on to Mitches arm as she gasps for breath. He
"Oh my god am I dead?" Lauren freaked out as she looked around the room frantically.
"Lauren calm down I'm here." Mitch calmed as he softly pushed her back onto the bed.
"Mitch?" She questioned tiring her head to the direction of his face. Her eyes scanned his face and she smiled.
"Ok Lauren how do you feel?" One of the nurses asks as she clipped a heart rate monitor to her finger.
"I-I feel." She stopped and looked down at her into her shirt, seeing the bandage that was wrapped around her left shoulder and back around under her right boob.
"not dead?" Mitch laughed through the tears streaming down his face.
"Yeah." She smiled looking up at Mitch.
"Lauren you need to breathe, your heart beat is too quick you need to slow it down." The same nurse began to stare at the heart rate machine.
"Laur it's okay, you're fine now." Mitch continued to hold her hand as the nurse took out her stethoscope and listened to her heart. The other people walked out leaving the nurse the only medical person in the room.
"I think you're having heart complications. The bullet may have skimmed your heart. I'm going to get a-"
Mitch grabbed Lauren's face and leaned in, his lips brushed against hers as the nurse stared at the heart monitor which was rapidly slowing down.
His hand rested below her ear; his thumb caressing her cheek.
Mitch's lips were on hers in a split second and Lauren held her breath, her heart beat at a normal rate as he pressed his tongue to the seam of her lips. Her hands reached up and became tangled in his shaggy hair.
"I'm just gonna go. You seem fine." The nurse said but they barely noticed what she had said.
They slowly broke apart to catch their breath; their foreheads pressed against eachother.
"I'm so glad I'm not dead." She laughs.
"I'm glad you aren't dead too Lauren." Mitch and Lauren runs their heads to see Elena at the door standing in front of Irene.
"Elena!" Laur held her arms out as Elena rushed to her side.
"I missed you sis." She engulfed her little sister into a hug.
"Brandon told me you were okay though so I didn't worry much." Elena broke the hug, smiling at her.
"He what?" Lauren questioned.
"He talked to me about a lot of things that I had to tell Irene." The eleven year old said.
Lauren looks at Irene as she gives her stern look back.
"You'll be discharged this evening and then CPS will be coming by." Irene informs.
"Woah wait why?" Mitch stands up.
"Elena's dad past away and Lauren doesn't have the right to look over her. I tried to convince the dad before he died to sign her to you, but he signed Elena to someone named Riley Allen?" Irene walked into the room, standing beside Elena.
"I'm going to live with Aunt Riley?" Elena smiled, and basically jumped up and down.
"She cant live with Riley, shes an unfit guardian for El." Lauren shakes her head.
"Unfit? She's rich and has a big pool." Elena argued.
"And how'd she get the money huh?" Laur asked as Elena remembered.
"Drugs." She huffed as her smile turned into a frown.
"So you know Riley?" Irene questioned.
"Yeah. She's used to be basically family until I found out she was in the drug business. She might have even been involved in Brandon's shit." Lauren informed.
"I'm calling off CPS and having Riley investigated. Mitch take them to the safe house and Lauren invite your friends over they might be suspicious." Irene gave Lauren a reassuring nod before she walked out of the room.
"What just happened?" Mitch questioned confused by the whole situation.
"It's nothing now, no one is taking El away from me."
