Page 57 of Only for Tonight
He sighs. “It’s going to be okay, son.” His voice is calm. “Everything is going to be okay. Ariella is going to be fine and the baby is going to be okay.” I don’t say anything, the lump in my throat is like a golf ball. “Women throw up all the time when they are pregnant.”
“It’s been twenty-four hours, Dad. I think she even passed out.” My voice is shaking at the end.
“She’s where she needs to be,” he reassures me. “They are going to get some fluids in her and she and the baby are going to be okay.”
“Promise?” I ask him, exactly like I used to ask him when I was a kid. Knowing that if he promised it, it would happen.
His own voice sounds like it’s trembling when he finally says, “I promise you, it’ll be okay.”
twenty-one
Ariella
“We’re going to get some fluids into you,” the nurse says, wheeling me away from Jaxon. If I had any energy left in my body, I would stop them and tell Jaxon to come with me. The tears now roll down my face and I have never been more scared in my life.
They wheel me into a room and then I close my eyes. I don’t even know if I’m sleeping or if I’m passing out. I hear everything around me and then I feel like I’m being lifted and then placed on a bed.
“We are going to have to take off your sweatshirt,” the nurse states. I feel myself being put in a sitting position and then the cool air hits my arms when the sweatshirt is away from me. I reach out my hand, or at least I think I’m reaching out my hand to bring the shirt back to me so I can feel him near me. “Jaxon,” I mumble his name and then I’m laid back down. “Jaxon,” I call for him again.
“We’ll get him in a minute,” someone says as there is movement all around me. “We need an OB to get down here.” Then I hear the voice next to my ear, “Ariella, we are going to have to get you undressed.”
“Okay,” I mumble, trying to lift myself up, but I’m just lying here like a fish out of water. I couldn’t move even if I tried.
“We’ve got you,” the nurse assures me as she peels the pants off of my legs and then they’re replaced with a nice warm blanket. “We are going to get some fluids into you.”
“Jaxon,” I say his name. “Can you get him?” I don’t know how much of that they even understand.
“Let’s take care of you first and then we’ll get him.”
“I think I’m going to be sick again,” I announce, trying to get up but my whole body feels like it has shut down.
“We’ll get you a bowl,” the nurse states from beside me, walking out as another one hooks me up to an IV.
“Jaxon,” I say his name weakly. “Where is he?” The sob rips through me, the fear that I’m all alone is too much for me right now.
“He’s in the waiting room,” she says. “Now, this will pinch a bit.” I hiss out in pain as she sticks a needle in my arm. “We’re going to get you hooked to an IV. Then we’ll get him, I promise. We just need you to relax a bit, okay?”
“Okay,” I answer her softly. “Is the baby okay?”
“Have you had any cramping?” she asks me, and I shake my head, the lone tear running down the side of my head and into my hair. “Bleeding?”
“No, nothing like that.” I lift my arm to wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. “I just started throwing up and I haven’t been able to stop.”
“That’s good,” she says.
“Can you get Jaxon?” I ask for him and she smiles at me.
“I’ll get him right away,” she confirms, walking out of the room. I turn on my side, my hand going to my stomach. I can’t help the tears that run out of my eyes and down over my nose.
She comes back in with Jaxon behind her. My eyes find his and I see that his are red also. “Hey.” I try to pretend I’m okay as he comes over to the bed.
“Hey, baby.” He bends and kisses my temple. His hand goes into mine and I feel so safe. “How are you doing?”
“Amazing.” I smile at him. “I haven’t been sick in about two minutes.” He looks in my eyes and I can see he’s been crying. My hand comes up to cup his cheek. “It’s going to be okay,” I reassure him.
His hand comes up to my face. “It’ll be okay,” he tells me softly before coming and kissing my forehead.
“She’ll start to feel a lot better once we get some liquids into her,” the nurse explains, “and we have given her something for the nausea.”
