Page 11 of The Baby
Kid. She’d added it to thebannedlist.
I was about to say something about her ridiculous ban on these words, and confronting her to face her fear head on, but she was already worn down and I had a bigger battle to fightrightnow.
“No, I mean you’re doneworking.”
She glared at me. “We talkedaboutthis.”
“No, we didn’t. I suggested you pull back and yousaidno.”
“Jake, the ranch isn’t going to runitself.”
“Drink.” She did. “No, it isn’t. But we have enough manpower to take on your chores for a while. It’s the benefit of living where you work. You can sleep in, stay off your feet. We’re in a good place and there is no reason to push yourself when you don’thaveto.”
“I like working,” sheargued.
“Ellie, the ranch isn’t going anywhere. If you had the flu would you insist on working?Drink.”
She did. “But I don’t have the flu, I’m the p word and… and what if this goes on for…months?”
There it was. The fear again. As if suggesting that she was going to be pregnant for nine months would somehow jinxthebaby.
“So what ifitdoes?”
“Cody and Rich will wonder why I’m not working. They will askquestions.”
“Ellie,theyknow.”
“You told them!” shescreeched.
“No, I didn’t tell them. In fact we’re all playing a ridiculous game of pretending we don’t know. But you haven’t ridden Petunia inweeks.”
“I get dizzy when I’m on topofher.”
“Right. And you turn green at the slightest smell. And Rich and Cody aren’t stupid when they see you drop a bucket only to rush inside the house to puke your guts out. I’m sure they know or have at least suspected it, but they’re not going to say anything until I do.Drink.”
Shedid.
“So you’re done even attempting to put on a show. I want you sleeping until you’re ready to get up. Then if you want to do some light chores when you’re feeling better, great, but if you need to nap during the day, then you do that too. We’ll handletherest.”
She sighed but she took another sip and thenanother.
“Can Ibedone?”
She’d made it through about half the bottle, which was actually pretty goodforher.
“Yes.”
Then she settled down on my chest and I was happy to have the weight of her. Sex had been off the table since she started getting so sick, and don’t get me wrong, I missed it, but this was nice too. When she huddled against me as if I was some magical source of strengthforher.
“This blows,” shepuffedout.
“You being sick blows.This,” I said gently resting my hand on her belly, “doesnot.”
She didn’t say anything to that. I knew she didn’t like me to directly address the pregnancy, but sometimes it was hard not to talk about it. I kept thinking we just had to get past week ten. That’s when it had happened last time. If she cleared that hurdle, which she would in the next few weeks, then the fear would go away. Then we could be like any other normal excited couple who was expectingababy.
Turns out I was wrong about that. Dead wrong. So wrong it resulted in the worst fight weeverhad.
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