I Heard Your Voice In A Dream

Chapter 21

A/N: Trigger warning for mentions of alcohol usage, slight violence, and mentions of death.

Camila, Dinah, and Normani we're sitting in Lauren's room. After Lauren's hospital visit, it was confirmed officially that Lauren paralyzed form the waist down. It took her a couple of hours of crying in Camila's arms to realize that there was nothing she could do about it. She just had to learn how to live with nonfunctioning legs.

Lauren was sitting up on her bed, coughing and wheezing into a handkerchief while Camila rubbed her back and murmured comforting words.

"Fucking hell." Lauren rasped out when her coughing fit finished. "I sound like a drug addict, don't I?"

Dinah shrugged. "Well that chemo shit is drugs, might as well classify you."

"Dinah, stop being a dumbass." Normani rolled her eyes before turning to Lauren. "You sound like the high class drug addict, if that makes you feel better."

"There's high class drug addicts?" Dinah raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, those rich kids that feel misunderstood in those shows and movies so they turn to drugs." Normani shrugged.

Dinah snorted. "And I'm the dumbass."

"Well, you are." Lauren chuckled. "But that's okay, it's okay to be stupid. Trust me, I know a lot about being stupid."

"You mean your angstier days? They still exist Lauren, shut up." Dinah teased. "Literally the other day weren't you complaining on the phone about how this—and I quote—"she cleared her throat. "This bitch ass nurse doesn't know how to stick a fucking needle in my veins. This bitch is sticking poison in my body, yet I need to be patient. Let me tell you Dinah Jane, I'll be patient enough to stick that needle up her ass." Dinah imitated Lauren and smirked.

Lauren laughed loudly, coughing afterwards. "I was tempted to tell her that but Camz taught me to 'whatever' things. So I did." She smiled. Camila blushed and leaned her head against Lauren's shoulder and Lauren rested her head on top of hers with a smile.

"Lauren Jauregui has some serious character development going on." Normani chuckled.

"You know how people say bullshit like, 'Never change'? Poor things don't realize that change can be a wonderful thing sometimes." Lauren told her.

"We've all changed a lot since we all became friends, I think." Dinah shrugged. "I mean...take me for example." She paused and gulped. "I've been homeless since New Year's. I live in a homeless shelter." She confessed, looking down at her hands. "I didn't think I'd be without a home, but you know what? That's okay." Dinah smiled softly as she looked back up to face her friends. "Ms. Michele told me that home isn't a physical place, it's an emotional one. It's the people that make a home, and that's you guys and my family...so yeah. I may be homeless but I'm not home less if you know what I mean." Dinah laughed.

Normani hugged Dinah and smiled. "You're never going to be homeless while we're around. You can crash at my place anytime if gets too much."

"Mine too." Camila chirped. "I know how obsessed you are with my room." She winked.

Lauren raised an eyebrow, blinking. "Are you guys having a secret love affair that I'm just discovering?" she chuckled.

"You caught us Lauser. Took you long enough. Now you can join our threesome." Dinah joked.

"I can barely sit up." Lauren snorted.

"Aye, as long as everything still tingles down there you're good." Dinah laughed.