"Urgh. Some start to Christmas Day." I muttered to myself. I rested my head against the cold porcelain of the toilet. I hated throwing up. As I contemplated standing up and leaving the bathroom, my stomach heaved and I threw up again. I had been in here for almost an hour, and every time I went to move I was sick again. I was trying to be quiet, I didn't want to wake Brian up, but at the last bout I started sobbing. God, I really am pathetic. A couple of seconds later, Brian burst through the bathroom door and was at my side. Pulling my hair out of my face and rubbing my back.
I rested my head against him, my breathing ragged. "If this is morning sickness, it can get fucked." I mumbled.
"You think that's what it is? Not a bug or anything?" Brian asked, the worry evident in his voice.
"No, I don't get sick sick, like throwing up, when I'm ill. I never have. Except when I got my drink spiked. That was horrible. I don't feel ill, just exhausted now." We sat on the bathroom floor, me in Brian's arms, until I was sure I wasn't going to throw up again. I cleaned my teeth and went and sat on the end of the bed, my head in my hands. "Would it be really messed up if I said I was hungry after all that?"
Brian chuckled. "Get back into bed, I'll bring you something up." He kissed my forehead as I climbed back under the sheets. I was just starting to drift off when Brian came back with a tray of food. I smiled at the sight of the fluffy scrambled eggs, but as I took the first bite I heaved and ran back into the bathroom.
I came back out a few minutes later. "This is getting really boring really quickly." I moaned. I dressed quickly, noting that the plate of food was now empty, and we made our way downstairs. "I'm hungry. What can I eat that isn't going to make me sick?" I asked Oli as we walked into the kitchen.
"Morning sickness started?" She asked and I nodded.
"Eggs are a no go, apparently." Brian said, dumping the plate in the dishwasher.
"Try some toast, something plain for now. We can work the rest out as we go." Oli suggested. I hugged her.
"I knew I loved you for a reason." I smiled. Brian handed me a slice of toast and I wolfed it down. After about 5 minutes, I hadn't brought it back up. "Well, I've got toast if nothing else."
Oli refused to let me help with any of the food preparations, instead insisting that I go and relax. Sal, Murr, Joe and Bessy were due shortly and she said they could help instead. I was lay with my head in Brian's lap, watching TV when everyone arrived. "Morning sickness?" Joe asked knowingly.
I grimaced and nodded. Bessy came and sat beside me, giving a few suggestions of what worked for her.
I must have fell asleep at some point, because when I woke I was alone on the sofa with a blanket over me. I could hear laughter from the kitchen so I stumbled my way through.
"Heeeeey!! Here she is, sleeping beauty." Sal shouted as I walked through the door.
"Go fuck yourself, Vulcano." I grumbled. I turned to Brian and smiled. "S'up bro." I teased. "Hmmm...something smells good."
Brian circled me with his arms and started backing me towards the counter, kissing me deeply. As he started to lean me back over the counter, Oli slapped him causing me to laugh and Brian to spin around with a shocked look on his face.
"Dude, I'm trying to cook here. Can you go hump your girlfriend somewhere else please?" Oli waved a gravy covered spoon in his face.
Brian laughed and picked me up, wrapping my legs around his waist. "Gladly." He smirked before walking outside with me and laughing. We curled up under a blanket on the porch swing until Oli called us back in.
She and the guys had produced an amazing feast. I was glad I had the stomach to eat it because it looked and smelled so wonderful, I may have cried if I couldn't. After dinner, we exchanged gifts. Brian had bought me a tonne of different little things, but my favourite was an amazing limited edition Black Keys vinyl. It was perfect. I sat on the floor, leaning back against Brian's legs and watched the others open their presents. It was like watching a bunch of kids. After a while, I grabbed my camera and started taking some photos. I realised that after the first few days, I hadn't really taken any photos and I wanted to remember this day. I felt myself getting tired around midnight so I made my excuses and went to bed, the sounds of laughter downstairs helping me drift off to sleep.
The next morning started the same as the day before, with me throwing up and Brian bringing me some toast. I sat in the lounge with Brian's laptop and my camera for most of the morning. I uploaded a few photos to Facebook and chatted to a few friends online. As I typed, I wondered idly what the reaction would be when the jokers fans found out that Brian had a girlfriend, let alone that he was going to become a dad. We could hide it for a while, but eventually it would come out. That's going to be fun I thought to myself.
