Page 36 of The Storms Between Us
thirty
When I finally wake up,I'm alone with a splitting headache. I shuffle into the bathroom and splash some cold water on my face, hoping to liven myself up a bit. I feel my stomach turn and I barely have time to make it over to the toilet. What the hell did I catch? I’m rarely ever sick, but when I am, I feel like death. I want to crawl back under the covers and sleep until I feel human again. But I know I have a doctor’s appointment in about an hour, so I take a quick shower, put on my comfy yoga pants and a t-shirt and head downstairs. Rory is sitting at the bar, scrolling through job postings on her laptop. She turns to wave, but her face drops when she sees me.
“Good god, you look terrible,” she says.
“Thanks so much, love you too, Aurora,” I say light-heartedly.
“I mean… that’s not what I meant… you just look like youfeelterrible is what I meant,” she says, trying not to hurt my feelings.
“Oh, I know. I feel worse than I look, trust me. I made a doctor’s appointment so I’m hoping Eli will be back in time to take me because I’m so exhausted and I’m not trying to crash my Jeep,” I say, lying my head down against the cool granite countertop.
She pulls her t-shirt up over her mouth and nose like a make-shift mask. “Keep your germs to yourself, girl! I have a job interview later and I cannot be sick,” she says, backing away from me.
I laugh and fake a cough in her direction. “Oh no, better stay away,” I say, inching closer to her. She grabs her coffee cup and takes off upstairs, running into her room and slamming the door. I laugh, sliding into her chair and eating the toast she left on her plate. I hear the garage door open, signaling Elijah’s return, but I don’t budge. The two small bites of toast have already threatened to revolt, and I don’t want to risk moving. He comes into the kitchen, tossing his bike keys onto the table by the door and coming straight to my side.
“Babe, you look awful,” he says, kissing my head gently. He holds his hand up to my forehead to check for a fever and the cool temperature of his skin is so soothing.
“Yeah, I feel worse. I’m pretty sure I’ve got the flu. Hopefully, the doctor will be able to give me something to help me at least keep some food down,” I say, leaning into his shoulder. “This is probably a bad time to reveal that I have doctor phobia, huh? I almost want to say fuck it and go back to bed.”
“It’s gonna be fine. I’m going to be there the whole time,” he says, gently pulling me off the stool and guiding me out to my Jeep. He helps me into the passenger seat, buckling my seatbelt before walking around to the driver’s side. Sometimes the little things he does to take care of me are just too adorable. I can’t imagine any other guy taking the time to make sure my seatbelt was buckled before pulling out of the driveway.
By the time we pull into the parking lot at the clinic, my anxiety is through the roof. I wish I could say I had some traumatic experience in a doctor’s office as a kid and that’s why I feel this way, but I didn’t. I've just never liked them. Before I can plan my escape, Elijah is opening my door and helping me down. He grips my hand tightly all the way inside and while I check in. We take our seats in the waiting room and he continues to brush his fingers across my knuckles reassuringly.
“It’s ok, Sunshine,” he says, kissing my head. “It's just a little bug. They can give you something to help you feel better and we can go home and get back in bed.” I smile up at him because that sounds like heaven.
“Ember Blake?” The nurse calls from the door. My eyes dart to Elijah, but he exudes a calming energy that is almost infectious. Almost. We walk through the doorway and she takes my vitals quickly, then directs us to the exam room.
“Ok, I have to ask you some personal questions now, Ms. Blake. Are you okay with your husband staying in the room?” She asks.
“Oh, I'm not -“ Elijah begins to say something, but I interrupt him. There’s no way he's leaving me alone in this room.
“Yes, he can stay,” I say, grabbing his hand and squeezing it tightly. He beams over at me with that beautiful smile of his and I realize she just called him my husband and I didn’t let him correct her. Honestly, it felt completely natural and I actually kinda like the sound of it.
“Ok, no problem,” she continues. “How long have your symptoms been going on?” She asks.
“I guess about a week now. I’ve been having headaches and feeling tired for about a week. The nausea and vomiting just started,” I reply.
“Ok. Are you sexually active?” She asks.
Elijah barks out a laugh next to me, and I roll my eyes at his outburst.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” she says, smiling at me humorously. “When was your last menstrual cycle?” She asks, and suddenly the air is sucked out of the room. My periods have always been irregular, so I’ve never really thought to keep track of them. I know I’m horrible at remembering to take my damn pill, but I’ve tried to be more careful. I count back the weeks since my last cycle and realize I've missed one entirely and I should be in the middle of one again right now. But I'm not. That’s almost 10 weeks since my last cycle. All the blood drains from my face and my body feels flush and heavy all at once. I know the nurse and Elijah are both staring at me, waiting for my reply.
“Babe, you okay? You look like you’re gonna pass out,” he says, but his words barely register. I look over at the nurse and she looks at me with knowing eyes.
“It’s been about… 10 weeks.” I whisper, as if I don’t want to believe it myself. I look over at Eli and I see the exact moment he connects the dots. His eyes convey his shock and he squeezes my hand tightly before schooling his features completely. His emotions become unreadable, which brings me even more confusion and panic.
“Ok,” the nurse says calmly, “we’ll need a urine sample then, so we can run the test.” She leaves to gather the supplies and shuts the door.
I nod my head absently, already knowing what the outcome will be. I can’t believe I didn’t realize it before now. My hand instinctively drops to my flat stomach and Elijah’s eyes follow. We both sit in complete silence, neither of us daring to moving or speak.
“I love you,” Elijah says, breaking the silence. I look over at him and see his focus is still on my stomach. That brings a small smile to my face. Maybe he won’t freak out and run. This isn’t at all what he signed up for, but it’s too late to turn back now. All I know for sure is by the time we leave here, we won’t be the same people we were this morning.
