I Built This Home For Me, For You

Chapter 30

Weeks passed by in ease, with old casts being changed for clean new ones until they were eventually cut off and both mother and daughter were freed from their wheelchairs and itchy prisons of plaster and bandages. A little stiff from weeks of sitting still, it took Lauren a few days to get back into the feeling of walking, and Camila even took her to a few physical therapy appointments to help with her stiff joints and ease her back into moving around a lot. Daisy bounced back instantly, already itching to get back onto the track field, and Lauren and Camila were both relieved at how she'd been over the past few weeks. Everything had practically gone back to normal, and without the wheelchairs and casts, it made it all look like it was normal. They were getting complacent in their avoidance of talking about everything, happy to ignore it while Lauren and Daisy healed, and trying to ignore it completely now. It still hung over them though, and a week after losing her casts, Lauren cornered Camila and told her to pack a bag.

Sofi and Maggie had volunteered to look after Clara while they were gone, but Sinu ended up flying in to stay on the estate with her and take her to her next chemotherapy session, leaving Lauren feeling a little less guilty about shooting off for the weekend. Camila hadn't been back to work since the crash, and Lauren had been on strict bed rest while Dinah ran her company, which meant that they only had to pull the girls out of school for the Friday, which they were pleased about. They were less pleased about the early flight on Friday though, and Daisy grumbled the whole way to the airport, while Lily dozed against Lauren's shoulder, being gently shaken awake to get onto the private jet, and promptly falling back to sleep before they had even taken off. It was still cold in the mid-March weather, and Lauren draped thick knitted blankets over both girls as they leveled out thousands of feet above the ground, while Camila made them both coffee in the small kitchen area, filling the inside of the jet with the smell of it, which was enough to perk Lauren up in itself.

Handing her a steaming cup, Camila sat down beside her, and Lauren turned to look at her, taking in the dark circles under Camila's eyes, and the slightly pale look of her drawn face. Reaching out, Lauren placed a hand on her knee, giving it a reassuring squeeze and smiling slightly as Camila turned to look at her. "You don't have to do it, you know," Lauren murmured, listening to the whirring of the plane as they bobbed slightly with the air currents, "I can tell them for you. I know you don't like to talk about it. It's been so long since you've told me."

Camila's lips quirked up into a small smile, and she ran her hand down Lauren's arm, squeezing slightly to reassure her. "No, I should do it myself. I could've let you tell them years ago if I was never going to do it myself. I owe it to them now. And you're right, it's been a long time since I told you, and I've never told anyone as much about it as I told you, so I don't know if it'll be easier or harder now, but I'll do it anyway."

"Are you sure-"

"Lauren," Camila gently interrupted her, "I wouldn't be on this plane if I wasn't on board with our plan. I've got the photo album, I've got the letters and the keys to the apartment. And the parts that aren't written in all of that ... I can manage it. I promise. I do need you beside me though. I don't think I could do it completely alone."

Leaning over to kiss her temple, Lauren softly sighed, "I would never let you do it alone. It'll be okay though, and you don't have to go into detail about the hard parts. They'll understand, just as long as you're telling them yourself. I think Daisy just wants to hear it from you, more than anything."

Sighing, Camila took a sip of her coffee, and Lauren copied her, savoring the warmth and bitter taste as she cast a look at her daughters. Lily was already out cold, stretched along the seats opposite them, while the only visible part of Daisy was a black boot dangling over the edge of the two seats in the back corner, where Lauren had left her listening to music.