Page 41 of Madness

Lauren reaches out, taking my hand and squeezing it gently. "Stay," she says simply. "I'm tired, but I want to see you too."

After putting the flowers in some water, she leads me to the couch, and I can see the mix of exhaustion and happiness in her eyes. I know, without a doubt, that this surprise visit was the right call.

We settle onto the couch, Lauren curling into my side as I drape my arm around her shoulders. She grabs the remote, flipping through Netflix options.

"Something light?" she suggests, stifling another yawn. "I don't think my brain can handle anything too complex right now."

I chuckle, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Sounds perfect. How about something classic?"

As we scroll through options, a comfortable silence falls between us. Lauren's warmth against me is soothing, and I find myself relaxing for the first time all day.

We settle on an old episode of "Law & Order." It's familiar enough that we don't need to focus too hard, but engaging enough to keep us awake. As the episode progresses, it becomes clear that it's about a pair of seemingly unrelated deaths that turn out to be connected.

The episode unfolds, and Lauren shifts against me, her body tensing slightly.

"You okay?" I ask softly.

She nods, then hesitates. "Yeah, just... this episode. It made me think of something."

I raise an eyebrow, encouraging her to continue.

Lauren takes a deep breath. "It's probably nothing, but... You know how we both mentioned losing Miles and Chloe about three years ago?"

I nod, recalling our previous conversations. "Yeah…"

"Right," she confirms. "I was pregnant with Roman at the time. Miles and I... we were fighting a lot."

A thought strikes me. "You know, I don't think we ever actually compared dates. I know it was May 6th for Chloe, but..."

Lauren's eyes widen slightly. "May 6th? That's the same day Miles died."

My heart rate picks up, but I try to keep my voice calm. "Really? That's a coincidence."

Lauren nods slowly. "Yeah, it is. I never got many details about what happened. Since we weren't married, I wasn't really considered family. And in LA..."

"People OD all the time," I finish for her, a bitter taste in my mouth. "Not a lot of investigating goes into it."

"Exactly," Lauren says softly.

"I always assumed Chloe was at our dealer's house when it happened. I was on tour, and..."

"And I was staying with Shannon," Lauren finishes. "I never knew exactly where Miles was that night. I just got the call from a friend of his that said he died at St. Francis Hospital."

“St. Francis?” I ask, the coincidences becoming too real. “That’s where—” I don’t even say it. Of course, that was where Chloe died, too. Or, at least, where she was pronounced dead.

We fall silent, the weight of these realizations hanging between us. The TV drones on in the background, forgotten. My mind is racing, curiosity burning inside me, but I force myself to remain outwardly calm.

"It's probably just a coincidence," I say, trying to sound convincing. "I mean, what are the fucking odds, right?"

Lauren nods, but she looks uncertain. "Yeah, probably. With everything going on with the pregnancy and the grief, I guess I never questioned it too deeply."

We sit in silence for a moment, both lost in our thoughts. I'm itching to ask more questions, to dig deeper, but I don't want to upset Lauren or disrupt the peace we've found.

"Do you think it matters?" Lauren asks softly, her tone more uncertain than anxious.

I shrug, pulling her closer, even as my mind whirs with possibilities. "I don't know. Maybe it's just a sad coincidence. But if you ever want to talk more about it, about Miles, I'm here."

She smiles up at me, gratitude in her eyes. "Thanks. Same goes for you, about Chloe. When you're ready."

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