I Built This Home For Me, For You

Chapter 13

She woke to a startled shout the next morning, an indication that Camila's day wasn't off to a good start, but Lauren didn't expect the call she got that afternoon. Stuck at home again with Clara, Lauren spent her day pottering around the house, until it was nearing the time when she expected Camila to arrive home with the girls. Her phone started vibrating on the kitchen counter, and Lauren reached for it as she opened the oven door to check on the roast beef cooking in the oven, swearing as she fumbled with answering the phone and closing the door again.

"Hello?" Lauren said, the phone pressed to her ear as she threw the dish towel onto the counter and checked the potatoes boiling in the pot - they were almost ready.

"Mom? Mom! It's mom!" Daisy's breathless voice came through, and Lauren froze, pressing the phone harder to her ear.

"Daisy? Honey, what's wrong?"

"There's something wrong with mom," Her daughter panicked, "She's not moving and she- she's not listening to me. I don't know what to do."

Biting back a curse as her heart leaped, Lauren swallowed the lump in her throat, "Where are you? Tell me where you are and I'll come and get you."

"We're like ... five minutes away. We're just- we're just sitting in the car."

"Okay, just sit tight. Don't do anything. I'm on my way," Lauren assured her, hanging up as she hurried out of the kitchen.

Skipping her coat and shoes, Lauren grabbed her car keys, ignoring Clara's questions as she appeared at the top of the stairs, and ran outside. It was bitterly cold, and snow blanketed the driveway and the front of the house, numbing Lauren's feet as she cursed her way down the front steps and made for the garage. Her feet were burning from the cold, and her frozen fingers fumbled with the keys as she unlocked the Ferrari and climbed into the driver's seat. Then she was speeding down the driveway, heedless of the ice on the road as she made her way to Camila as fast as she could.

They weren't far away, and Lauren spotted the idling Range Rover a few turns from the gates to their estate, making a hasty u-turn and throwing the car into park, before she climbed out. Running barefoot over to the car, Lauren tore open the passenger side, looking at the pale face of her eldest daughter, before her eyes flickered to Lily, who was crying in the backseat.

"What happened?" She hoarsely asked, her gaze landing on Camila, who was breathing erratically, both hands tightly wrapped on the steering wheel and her eyes unfocused.

"I-I don't know," Daisy said, her voice breaking as she looked up at Lauren, "We were- we were just driving and everything was fine. A-a truck went past and i-it backfired and then-"

She didn't have the chance to explain further - she didn't need to - and Lauren grabbed her arm, tugging her out of the car. Pressing the keys into her daughter's hands, Lauren gave her the most convincing smile she could manage, "Drive your sister home and put the kettle on. Tell grandma to keep an eye on the beef in the oven. I'll be right behind you."

"But-"

"Just do as you're told," Lauren bluntly told her, pulling open the back door, and peering in at her youngest, "Come on, Lils, Daisy's going to drive you home. Mom and I will meet you there, okay?"

She gently coaxed her other daughter out of the back, giving her a gentle push towards the Ferrari, and with a stern warning about being careful on the ice, she climbed into the passenger seat. The ostentatious red car pulled around them, and Lauren watched it disappear as she turned to Camila, reaching out with a shaky hand.