Lightning (Camren)

Chapter Forty-Seven

After many more days of packing up her stuff, Lauren was finally on the plane back to Los Angeles with Annabelle and her family. She couldn't believe that she was actually leaving her home in Miami to live somewhere that was on the opposite coast of the United States. Los Angeles would take time adjusting to, since it was so culturally different from Miami. Not only that, Miami is the only city that Lauren had ever had the pleasure of living in. It was the only place that she had ever known, and the idea of changing that almost frightened Lauren. 

"Are you okay, Lauren?" Susanne, Annabelle's mother, asked her. "You look worried about something."

Lauren sighed, not knowing how to really answer the question. She didn't want to make it seem like she didn't want to go, because she did. It was just that she didn't know how to deal with such a big change in her life. She finally answered, "I'm terrified of change. Miami is the only place that I've ever known, and I don't know how I'm supposed to cope with leaving it all behind. I'm not saying that I don't want to go, I'm saying that the thought of leaving behind everything is a bit scary. Do you get what I mean?"

"Oh, of course! I'll be honest, the thought of change terrifies me too. But in my years, I've learned to just take it like a woman and power through any obstacle that stands in your way. This move is just a hurdle in your path, and once you jump it, you'll be back on track. Think about it, you're getting married, going back to school to pursue something that you have your heart set on, and you have two beautiful twins in your arms." Susanne explained this with a warm smile, which instantly made Lauren feel a lot better.

She looked down at the sleeping twins in her arms, then realized that everything for the longest time had just been one major change. Lauren was finally settling into adulthood for real, and she hadn't realized that till now. All that had happened since she was hired on as Camila's nurse was just a major change to how she lived her life. Her hiring was the door that lead to her adult transition.

Prior to being a nurse, Lauren had so much free time that she had no idea what to do with. She read too many books to count, went to parties with friends, and managed to always keep her house nice and tidy. Her young adulthood had been nothing but good to her, and now it was changing to a different and more mature version of that good. She learned about responsibility, love, and what she wanted to actually do with her life. It was then that she realized that she would take this change as a great one that would just lead her to an even better direction. She knew that life was all coming together now.

"Thanks, Susanne. Maybe I'm also a little worried about how well things are working out for me." Lauren told her, literally thinking of everything and anything that could get in her way.

Susanne raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What are you going off about, Lauren? Everything is working out perfectly fine!"

"That's the point, though. Usually when I'm having a streak of great things happening to me, something really bad happens to ruin it all." She paused, then gazed back down at Laurie and Cameron. "I'm probably going too far into it all, this I know, but I honestly can't help but feel this way. I hate to be a negative nancy in such a positive situation, but I just can't help but to think that something terrible is going to take place."

"Oh, Lauren!" Susanne exclaimed. "I know exactly what you're going through, as these things have happened to me over the years. The best thing to do is to not think about it. It's good to embrace yourself for the worse outcome, but never bet on it happening to you. For now, just focus on what is happening in the moment. Don't think about anything negative, for there is not a thing to worry about now. Think about what your new life is going to be like."

Lauren looked back up to Annabelle's mother and simply smiled at her. "I can see where your daughter gets her intelligence and kindness from. You both know how to literally make all of my worries diminish into nothing."

Susanne returned a warm smile back to Lauren, then laid back in her chair as the airplane began to take off. The whole ride was smooth sailing, yet boring at the same time. Lauren wished that she could have listened to music or got started on a new book, but she knew that she had to give her full, undivided attention to the two twins in her arms. Cameron and Laurie were her priority, so she knew that she'd have to give up any aspect of her social life if it meant keeping them healthy and safe. 

Ding dong! A noise sounded from the airplane's intercom as they approached the LAX airport. "This is your captain speaking. We are coming up on our destination within the next five minutes. Prepare for arrival to the LAX airport. Thank you for choosing Jet Blue for your travels today! We hope to see you soon!" The captain spoke.

"Eek!" Annabelle screeched with her arms stretched towards the ceiling. "I'm excited to start my brand new life!"

This caused Lauren and Annabelle's parents to smile. It was great to see the little girl so optimistic about moving all the way across the nation from her hometown. Because she was so young, it was easier to make such a big move since she hadn't been around long enough to really establish any solid friendships or make a place for herself in the community. 

The young girl began to talk about all of the things that she was excited for when starting school and moving into her new home. "I can't wait to make new friends, start school with entirely different kids, move into a bigger and better house, and to be able to play with Lauren, Cameron, and Laurie whenever! This is so exciting, I feel like I'm going to burst!"

"But if you burst, then you won't be able to do all of those things!" Annabelle's father joked.

Everyone ended up laughing. They didn't laugh at the dumb joke, but they laughed more about how silly the little girl was acting in regards to it. This really helped Lauren to forget about all of her negative thoughts from before the flight had even started. She thought about how she could actually learn a thing or two from Annabelle, the young girl who had already been to Hell and back so early on in her life. Annabelle was so optimistic about every little thing that was going on in her life. She took every change, no matter how big or small, like a real champ.

Suddenly, Lauren began to think about how great her life was truly becoming. Her fiance could see, she had Camila's parent's blessings, she was going to have a chance to start over, and she was finally going to do all of the things that she had always wanted to do. Soon enough, she was going to be able to help more people like Camila, in turn making the world a better place. She wanted to improve the operation's efficiency as much as she could, so it would be nearly perfected when it was Annabelle's turn to be able to get to where Camila was. 

"Lauren?" Annabelle questioned her. "I just wanted to let you know how happy I am that you are coming with me on this journey. You are truly the best friend that I could ever ask for." She paused. "Can you make me a promise to always stay in my life no matter how hard things may get? I don't know what I'd do if you weren't in my life anymore, Lauren. You're like the sister that I've always wanted. You protect me, play with me, and always make sure that I'm a happy little Annabelle."

This put a smile on Lauren's face that stretched from ear to ear. It always made her so happy to have made such a positive impact on someone. "Of course I can make you that promise! Big sister Lauren will always be here for you, no matter how rough things get."

The little girl cheered with a smile that was even larger than Lauren's, causing everyone to laugh. There was literally no way that Lauren could be any happier about the situation that she was in.