It's A Long Ride Home, I'm Afraid. {Camren} ✔️

~{22}~

Camila's POV:

When I finally came to, I realized I was still in the hospital.

I tried to move, but I did so gently since I figured I would be hooked up to a bunch of machines.

There was a nurse in the room organizing things so I decided I should probably ask her the first question on my mind.

"What day is it?"

The nurse turned around and looked at me with wide eyes.

"Glad to see you're awake." She said. "You've only been out for two days, which is a good sign that the transfusion worked properly."

I groaned as I tried to sit up. I hadn't moved a muscle for a while, so naturally I should've expected them to be a bit tight and achy.

"When will I be allowed to leave? I really am on a tight schedule."

I knew I already missed a show, but I feared that maybe Lauren's management would leave without me if I didn't heal up in time.

Oh fuck. I thought to myself. I haven't even explained anything to Lauren yet...

I'm so fucked.

"Yes, actually." The nurse replied. "You seem like you've recovered nicely, and you've gotten plenty of rest, so I don't see why not. Is there anyone you'd like to come pick you up?"

"Lauren Jauregui." I answered. "She's my girlfriend. I'll probably need to borrow a phone or something, because—"

"She actually should be dropping by soon." The nurse butted in. "She's been coming to visit you for the past few days around this time."

I shrugged. "Alright then. I'll just wait."

If she was coming to visit me, that must mean that she didn't exactly hate me, right?

The nurse seemed like she was ready to leave, but I had one last question I needed to ask her.

"What exactly did the doctors do?" I questioned. "Like, was it anything really serious, or?"

"They removed the clot blocking your arteries." She explained. "And they did a blood transfusion. It was necessary since there was so much build up of sickle shaped red blood cells that you desperately needed healthy ones."

"Oh." I replied. "Who's blood did they use?"

I mean, whoever gave their blood up for me basically saved my life, so I probably at least owed the person a thank you if I could find them.

"That would be me."

I turned to look at the door to the room, and I noticed that Lauren had been standing there the whole time.

Before I could speak, the nurse hurried out.

"I'll leave you two to yourselves." She told us.

As soon as she was gone, Lauren and I were staring at each other in awkward silence.

"Wow. If it isn't my knight in shining armor?" I spoke with a nervous smile, unsure of how this was about to go down. "You saved my life."

"Mhm." Lauren dragged out. "I couldn't just let you die. I mean, I wouldn't have gotten the chance to be angry at you for keeping such a big secret from me."

I sighed. This wasn't going to be easy, but I definitely deserved whatever I had coming.

She was right to be angry, I reminded myself.

"It was selfish, I get it." I mumbled. "But I didn't need anymore people knowing. I'm sick and tired of peoples pity. And I—"

There really was no plausible explanation behind hiding my sickle cell anemia. How could I even begin to explain it to the fullest extent?