The Donor

Chapter 28

Camila's POV

With a mug of coffee in hand, I hear a phone alarm go off in my bedroom. I knew Lauren would set that damn thing on a weekend, she always does. Today, I'm kind of glad she did. Though it's been only ten minutes since waking up, the time has dragged and it's been horrible waiting for the woman to wake up. The alarm turns off and I know she's finally come around from her deep sleep, probably stretched over grumpily to turn it off and falling onto her back, lazily rubbing at her eyes and kicking her legs out to stretch them.

I don't hear anything as I make my way down the corridor of my apartment, toward my bedroom. The door's still closed, and I know Lauren's awake. But I don't hear anything. My heart thumps as I near the bedroom door.

I hear crying; soft whimpers.

Opening the door slowly, my head and my heart are erratic. Lauren sits up in bed, duvet bunched around her waist, holding the first picture of our baby in her hand. Her body shakes as she weeps into her other hand, still keeping her eyes on the ultrasound. She hears the door creak as I close it behind me and finally her eyes steer away from the image and toward me. The tears come harder.

With blotchy cheeks, a red face and still streaming tears, the corners of her mouth finally twitch and set her lips into a smile. The whimpers now come between small laughs, smiling and giggling as the tears continue to flow. Lauren holds out arms and without hesitation I walk round to her side of the bed. She throws her legs over the side of the bed and I stop walking when I'm standing between them.

Lauren's hold maintains on the picture as she moves to clutch onto my t-shirt; her head dropping to my stomach as she cries harder. My arms fold over the back of her neck and I attempt to lean over and cuddle into the thick main of hair, my own tears now trickling into the sea of black. Moments of silence later, and Lauren's sobs subside just enough for her to speak.

"Is this for real?" She asks into my stomach, carefully placing the picture onto the bed before tightening her hold back onto the sides of my t-shirt. Lauren moves away just enough for me to loosen my own hold on her and I look down to finally see those damp, emerald eyes staring into mine.

"It's for real." A smile makes its way onto my face and my hands slide around to the back of her neck, fingers moving into her hair and massaging gently. Closing her eyes again, she takes a deep breath against my stomach, resting her forehead against me again. She's not sobbing anymore, she's laughing softly to herself. "Are you happy?" She nods emphatically against the t-shirt before her hands slide beneath the material, lifting it with her thumbs and connecting her lips directly to my skin.

"Wow." My tummy is smeared with dampness and I know she's started to cry again. Her lips press against my skin for the second time and they stay there for a while, Lauren closing her eyes in disbelief while mine glow with love. She continues to kiss my tummy, quickly moving around the area as her hands keep my shirt raised and I giggle when she tickles my sides with her lips, provoking the similar sound from her mouth.

"Baby, that tickles," I whine, the both of us starting to laugh as I gently push her off by pulling at her messy hair.

"Oh my God," Lauren breathes out. Her hands leave my stomach to move around to the back of my thighs, tugging at my body so I sit on her lap, legs either side of her body in a straddle. "I can't believe this." Her eyes look up at me, wide and teary, and she shakes her head gently to the side. She looks so innocent, too vulnerable to have such a crazy life. But she's never known simple, and that's exactly the problem.