Where We Left Off (A Hunter Hayes Fanfiction, Book 2 of the HunTia Trilogy)

Chapter Twenty-One

*TWO MONTHS INTO THE PREGNANCY: AUGUST, 2013*

HUNTER'S POV:

I wake up to the sound of retching coming from the bathroom.

"Oh, crap," I sigh, rolling out of bed and rushing to the bathroom. Sure enough, Tia's hugging the toilet bowl and throwing up spectacularly. I hold her hair away from her face, and she heaves.

"I hate morning sickness," she gasps, coming up for air.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" I ask, as she retches again. When she comes up, she looks sickened by herself.

"I've been waking you up early just about every day for two months now. I felt bad for you."

"Silly Tia," I sigh. "You know I wouldn't have minded."

"Yeah, but have you looked in the mirror recently? The shadows under your eyes look permanent."

I look around behind me, and sure enough, the dark circles under my eyes aren't exactly natural looking anymore.

"Oh."

"Exactly," she says, before coughing and throwing up again.

"Let it out," I say soothingly, rubbing her back. "You'll be okay."

"You try puking into a toilet for half an hour, see if you'll be okay," she snaps, retching again.

"Somehow, I feel like that was sarcasm."

"Shut up," she groans.

Fifteen minutes later, I carry her, bridal style, up to our room, and make her lie down.

"No recording today?"

"No. We should go to the doctor's, see if there's any progress on the baby. Can we get an ultrasound yet?"

"Don't think so."

"Do you want water?"

"Coffee," she says, "would be amazing right about now."

I smile. "Coming right up."

I brew us both coffee, and add two spoons of sugar with cream, the way she likes it. I hand it to her in her favourite mug. She takes a sip and sighs.

"Sorry I snapped before."

"That's okay. It isn't your fault."

She laughs softly. "When are we going to the doctor's? I want to ask about something..." She seems a little worried.

"What's worrying you?" She just stares at her coffee, avoiding my eyes. "Tia, you can't drop something on me like that and expect me not to worry."

"I'll tell you at the clinic, okay?"

I stare at her for a full minute, before sighing and nodding. "Breakfast?"

"Nothing. I feel kinda queasy."

"That's not good for you."

"I'll eat later."

I sigh. "It won't be good for the baby either, and we don't want anything happening to her."

Instead arguing that it was a boy, not a girl, she looks like she's about to cry.

"Tee?"

"I'm so scared, Hunt."

I climb into bed and hold her head against my chest, stroking her hair. "What's scaring you?"

"Ashley will be back by the time that our baby is old enough to go to school. That man, the man who keeps trying to get me, he's still after me. I'm not cut out to be a mother. I-" she breaks off, crying.