Shatter (True Believers #4)(22)
Author: Erin McCarthy

Without even thinking about it, I bent over and kissed the top of Kylie’s head. “Does everything look okay?” I asked the nurse.

“Everything looks great. There is the amniotic sac forming and I’m just doing some measurements here. It looks like your due date is August twenty-third.”

For whatever reason I actually pulled out my phone and put it on my calendar. What, like I was going to forget? Kylie didn’t notice, too busy staring at the screen, but the nurse gave me a look of amusement.

“Why am I so sick?” Kylie asked.

“It happens to some women. You’re just lucky, I guess. The doctor will be in soon to talk to you. He’ll probably admit you for a few days to stabilize you.”

“So this isn’t dangerous for the baby?” I asked, staring at the flickering on the screen.

“Baby will be fine, don’t worry.” The nurse gave me a smile. “You did the right thing bringing her in. Dehydration isn’t good and she’ll be much more comfortable once we get the vomiting under control.”

I nodded. The nurse removed the wand, printed out the image on the screen, and handed it to me. Then she efficiently put all the equipment away and said, “Doc will be right in.”

We were alone again and I held up the printout for Kylie to see. “That’s pretty cool, huh?”

“It’s so tiny.” She touched the paper then glanced up at me. “It doesn’t seem real, does it?”

“No. But then, yes.” I laughed. “It’s surreal, I guess. Yet so real it’s terrifying.”

“I’m scared, too.” She sighed. “And tired.”

Something tight happened in my chest when she said that, and I squeezed her hand. “Close your eyes, Kylie. You deserve to sleep. I’ve got this.”

I did. I had it. I was somewhat amazed that I did, but it seemed once I was pried forcibly out of the lab, I could handle more than academia.

I wondered if Charles Darwin had kids.

Charlie was a good name.

Huh.

* * *

The next day I was feeling a little better, propped up in my hospital bed, my IV dripping away with many, many things that different nurses kept injecting into it. My stomach felt a little more settled and I texted Jessica and Rory, who insisted on coming up to see me. I asked them to bring dry shampoo and facial cleanser. One glance in the bathroom mirror when the nurse had helped me use the toilet had made it clear that I was a natural disaster in desperate need of a hairbrush. Jonathon had said he would stop by around four to see how I was doing between class and his lab and I was feeling recovered enough to not want to look like total ass.

My friends came in around three thirty, Jessica carrying a big satchel. “OMG, I can’t believe you are in the hospital and you didn’t tell us until after the fact! I almost died when I read your text.”

“I didn’t think it was something to go to the ER for, you know,” I said, shrugging. “I mean, I’m pregnant, I figured suck it up, bitch, right? But Jonathon was worried I was dehydrated.”

“Jonathon gets a thumbs-up,” Jessica said, dropping the bag on the foot of the bed.

“How are you feeling?” Rory asked.

“Better. But I look like crap. I haven’t showered in five days, and Jonathon is supposed to be here in thirty minutes.” I held my hand out for the bag. We were short on time here.

Jessica grinned. “You like him, don’t you?”

I made a face. “Of course I like him.”

“No, I mean you have a crush on him. I knew it.”

Probably. But it was too embarrassing to admit. “Harass me while you brush my hair, please.” I pulled the rubber band out of it and shook my head a little, suddenly feeling dizzy from the motion. I gripped the handrail. “Shit. I hate this dizziness.”

Jessica looked contrite. Rory had the bottle of dry shampoo in her hand and she worked it into my hair, then Jessica brushed. “I feel like a princess. A hideously greasy and pregnant princess.”

“You don’t look hideous,” Rory said. “And FYI, Tyler and Riley are packing your bags as we speak so you can come back to our apartment. You’re not going back there alone until you’re feeling better because you scared us, big-time.”

“You could ask me, you know,” I protested. “I’m not helpless.”

“No. But you’re not Wonder Woman either, so quit acting like you are.”

I knew their hearts were in the right place, but I felt put out. “Fine.” Of course I preferred to stay with them instead of by myself, but at the same time, I wanted to make my own choices. I wasn’t stupid, even though everyone seemed to think I was most of the time. But I couldn’t be a total brat about it when they were grooming me.

Jessica handed me a facial cleanser wipe and it was glorious to scrub my nose free of oil. My hair felt a thousand times better after the shampoo and brushing, and Rory produced a toothbrush, getting a cup of water from the bathroom. “Don’t use any toothpaste, it might make you feel queasy again. Just brush.”

It did make me feel better even just to brush my teeth and my tongue and swish the water around in my mouth. Jessica even had a razor in the bag so I quickly shaved my armpits in bed and then used the stick of deodorant she handed me. Finally, unscented lip balm went on, and I felt almost human again, instead of like something dredged up from the bottom of the river. A glance in a compact mirror showed a marginal improvement in appearance but that my skin was still pale, dark circles under my eyes prominent.

The toiletries disappeared into the bag and Rory placed a stack of fashion and gossip magazines on the tray that rolled over the bed. “I thought you might get bored.”

“Oh, cool, thanks. Yeah, the doctor said I’ll probably be here for three days. I have like no idea what I’m going to do about my classes. I’m going to be so behind.” Just the thought made me start to feel sick again.

“Hey, don’t stress yourself out. Your professors will be understanding.” Rory pulled out her phone. “Give me your schedule and I will go and talk to them for you.”

“Really? You’re awesome sauce.” My friends were the best, seriously.

There was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” Jessica called.

The door opened and Jonathon’s head peered in. “Is this Kylie Warner’s room?”

“Yep. Come on in. I’m Jessica.”

He came into the room, a bouquet of flowers in his hand. Oh my God. He’d brought me flowers. That was hot. A flush came over me. “Hi,” I said. “Thanks for coming. This is Jessica, like she said, and Rory. This is Jonathon.”