Always Us

surprise surprise

"You okay, baby?"

Olivia shook her head, shoving her plate back across the counter. The rancid smell was making her head throb. "It's not an egg day."

"Okay," he let out slowly. "Waffles?"

An indifferent shrug. "Maybe."

"Let's try it." He nodded encouragingly—more to himself than to her—as he walked away to grab the waffle maker.

Olivia crossed her arms against the cold marble and laid her head to rest. It was her third pregnancy, and it was not going as smoothly as the first two.

"Sawlbewies."

From the booster seat next to her, Jackson held up a half-bitten strawberry with his sticky fingers.

"Thank you baby." She accepted the fruit, but immediately gagged on the overly sweet taste of syrup that lingered. "No waffles," she called out, pushing away from the table.

Jackson turned over his shoulder to tilt his head at her. "Mommy, no feel good?"

She smiled softly, not wanting her son to sense anything wrong. "Just a little tummy ache."

"Rub, rub, rub," the three-year-old sang as he drew large circles around his own stomach.

A sour taste filled her mouth, and her vision grew blurry. Somehow she managed to stumble into the nearest bathroom, kneeling just in time for her body to throw itself over the toilet. Catching her breath, she groaned.

A heavy hand landed on her back. Then a smaller one.

"Rub, rub, rub," Jackson sang.

She retched again.

_____

Jackson kicked against the seat in front of him. "Where SiSi?"

"At school, Jaxie," Spencer answered. His eyes flickered from the rear view mirror to the passenger seat, where his wife was pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Oh."

"Can you please stop kicking? Remember mommy's sitting in front of you."

The three-year-old shoved his fists between his thighs and tried his best to hold still. For five minutes, the car remained silent.

Spencer considered asking how Olivia felt again, but she didn't seem to be in a talking mood today. His hand hovered over the radio button on the touchscreen stereo, but then he thought better of it and put both hands back on the wheel.

A silent drive was good every once in a while.

It gave him room to think. There was definitely a lot to think about with another baby on the way. Setting up the nursery, meeting with his financial planner, monitoring his wife. With it being the third time around, he felt like a pro. His ducks were all in a—

Thump.

His mind went empty. He braced himself.

Thump.

His wife didn't react.

Thump.

"I swear to God, Spencer."

He didn't have to look over to know that she had gotten that whole statement out without unclenching her teeth.

"Jax, buddy. Remember what I just—"

"Pull over."

"Baby, we're almost there."

She didn't bother looking at him. "I said pull over or I will get out of this moving car in the middle of the highway."