Red lights on the highway

Chapter 8: conversation with Amber

Laurens POV-Late October

It's been a few weeks since Lisa and Chris were both here. Apparently Lisa got a boyfriend, kath is visiting hers more, dani is practically married but not actually, Chris and Amy visit me the most. I'm doing my normal morning talk to nat hoping she'll wake up soon.

"Hey lauren." I fimilliar voice called out.

"Oh, amber, uh hi." I'm only slightly surprised, most of Natasha's siblings didn't want to see her like that.

"I know" her head sinks holding Natashas other hand and rubbing her baby sisters' face.. "I didn't think I'd be here either, i just felt bad leaving her here and not coming to talk to her." Her gaze hadn't left Nat's face.

"I- I can leave if you want a minute alone." I'm a little hesitant though but i start to stand anyway.

"No- i" she took a deep breath before shaking her head "i-i need to tell you something, since we don't know if she's going to be able to talk ever again, and you haven't left the hospital since she got here"

"Uh ok?" I'm quiet concerned she's going to say something really bad like nats in a relationship already or she's moving out of the country, ok thats not necessarily a bad thing but right now, to me it would be.

"I don't know you at all but for the longest time all my brothers and i have heard about is you for the last 3 years. 'You should of seen what Lauren was wearing today.' 'Lauren bumped into me and i made a stuttering fool out of myself again.' Lauren this, Lauren that, years of the same thing." She laughed a little, her eyes fixed on her sisters face.

"Natasha has had a really hard life, yea she has-had a nice car, and she has a decent size family. I don't know if she told you what happened to our mother?" I nodded and hummed yes "for the first 3 years of her life everything was perfect, our parents were happy together. But I don't know what happened with our dad but he took off, he said the pressure of caring for 7 people was to much, 6 was a lot but he could almost make it work." Her eyes were filled with tears.

She turned to face me as she continued talking, "he left because of Natasha. She doesn't know that, our mom tried to hide the pain of knowing that her youngest daughter was the reason her husband left. She started taking pain killers to hide how she felt, then it got out of hand. Dakota our oldest brother made a promise to all of us but mostly to Natasha that we would always feel wanted and loved. I don't know why I'm telling you this, i just hope if you choose to stay in her life is even if you decide you don't want to be in this relationship for one reason or another, please don't make her feel the way our parents did."

I just stared at this poor girl, trying not to cry "she really likes you, she doesn't latch onto someone like she did with you. Don't break her heart please" i promised her and we sat in silence, I don't know when she left but i sat in the comforting silence i became accustom to, nothing but the sound of nats oxygen, heart monitor.

It's about 4:30 when nurse Emily came in to do her rounds. "Afternoon mrs lauren." Her soothing voice brings me out of my daze.

"Afternoon Emily." I smile back at her

"Hello mrs Natasha, would you like to join us today?" I know she's just talking to her because it helps with coma patients but sometimes i wonder if she'll wake up because of it.

"Any updates" i beg to get an answer for the question I've been asking everyday since she got our of surgery.

"Her last brain scan showed something positive but I'm not sure what, they expect her to wake up within the next 2 months"

"2 MONTHS?"

"I-i know hone but they cant give you a definitive answer" she sighs knowing its one of the few things i want, others being a more comfortable chair and above all else Natasha awake.