Broken Inside

75 - The Growth

Alex finally agreed with Paul to stay in Switzerland until the doctor said she was fit to travel back to London. Well, she was too weak to argue anyway. She couldn't finish a conversation without finding the need to hurl.

Paul moved them to a bigger and more comfortable suite. Now Alex can throw up in one of the two bathrooms available in the suite. She was able to rest on the sofa instead of being in bed the whole day.

Dr Keller came by every couple of days to ensure she was hydrated and well nourished. Whenever he was not happy with her condition, he would order an IV for her to deliver fluids directly into her bloodstream, other than her daily intake of prenatal vitamins.

By the end of two weeks, Alex was losing her mind. With Dr Keller's permission, Paul took her for short walks around the hotel area. There wasn't much to do there but being able to get out from the room helped Alex kept her sanity.

Paul found a little craft place near the hotel. So they went there a few times to make their own snow globes, Papier-mâché arts, and painted some mugs. It was a stupid fun activity to kill time. 

Another two weeks and Alex was getting stronger. Her morning sickness was limited to nighttime. They went for short drives, visiting nearby attractions and having picnics on the foothills of the Alps.

At the end of the six weeks, her morning sickness was gone completely. She was back in the pink of health and her appetite has returned to normal. The baby was growing healthily too.

During the last checkup with Dr Keller, he printed out the sonogram for them. He wished them good luck and promised to send Alex's medical files to Weymouth Street Hospital so that she could continue her prenatal checkups there. Alex gave him a big hug and thanked him for his service.

They returned to London the next day.

*****

Alex had entered into the second trimester. Her breasts have grown a size bigger, but her baby bump was barely visible. It just looked like she had a big meal. 

Paul was being very attentive, but she was worried he no longer found her attractive. She thought about it long and hard, and realised that the last time they had sex was before she left for Switzerland. Perhaps all the vomiting had turned him off? She didn't know how to raise the subject.

The temperature was rising as summer came. Because of the hormones overload, Alex found herself quite heated, so she wore mini dresses, shorts and tank tops to beat the heat.

They were lounging in their room, reading, sitting across from each other, when Alex noticed Paul's eyes on her chest. She was wearing a low cut cotton summer mini dress and she knew her cleavage was showing.

"Are you staring at my boobs?" Alex asked him.

Paul looked at her face, surprised that he was caught, and turned his focus back on the leadership book he was reading. He cleared his throat and said, "They were staring at me first."

Alex chuckled and set down her book on the coffee table. She leaned forward in her seat, showing more of her cleavage at him. "Who won in that staring contest?" she asked amusingly.

Paul smacked his lips, refusing to look at her, and said, "Them."

Alex sighed deeply. Then she asked directly, "Do you find me appalling?"

Paul's head snapped up instantly and he had the biggest frown on his face. "What on earth makes you say that?"

"You haven't touched me in weeks," she said, matter-of-factly.

"That's not true," he said softly.

Alex sighed and asked, "You don't find me sexy anymore, do you?"