the ways

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"I only passed out, I didn't die."

"Well, yes ma'am, but-"

"Can I get off the floor now?"

The exasperated paramedic, no doubt used to dealing with difficult people, puts away the equipment he was just using to monitor your blood pressure. Truthfully, you're annoyed that you couldn't finish your food and you're annoyed that you feel nauseous as all hell at the thought of touching it again.

Your butt feels like it's permanently flattened with how long you've been sitting on the floor as they checked you over, and when it's concluded that you don't need to be rushed to the hospital they bid you farewell. But not before telling you your blood pressure is a little high and that you should go in to see your doctor soon just in case.

You hate that phrase. 'Just In Case.' It implies entirely too much and it's not what you needed right now. Truthfully, this whole ordeal has kind of scared you because so far your second trimester hasn't had anything like this happen to you. Only the occasional pain from a kick or from the weight of your stomach. No fainting or no gut-churning nausea that has you dizzy as N'Jadaka helps you to your feet. 

And just like you expect, he's tailing you on the way to the couch with a violent demand you go in to the doctor tomorrow. 

You flinch, glaring up at him for his tone before grabbing the remote control and turning on the tv.  If he knew that you were actually pissed the hell off because you can't finish his good ass food, he'd laugh, but you suppose the two of you need a little laughter. 

"How long you been doin' that?" he asks, roughly sitting next to you.

"Today," you say honestly. "My mom had high blood pressure when she was pregnant with me, too...But hers was bad. Everytime I get a headache I think about her preeclampsia and I get nervous because this is my first baby and i'm young and-"

The more you ramble the more you feel yourself getting riled up and before you know it N'Jadaka is trying to calm you down with one hand on the back of your neck. You like when he does that, love it even more when he puts one hand on the back of your head and just rubs his fingers on your scalp like your stylist does when she shampoos your head. He can't do it now because of your sew in, and it makes you wanna yank the shit out just so he can. 

You just prefer his rough, calloused, hands to be all over you.

Preferably your sore chest, your newly sore behind, or maybe your belly but in the meantime you move to your feet.  You decide in the end against watching tv in the living room, knowing you should just brush your teeth and get back to bed now that your nerves are shot. 

N'Jadaka is on your heels again, and you stop in the hallway to bump him with your butt in response. "Go finish eating! I'm going to sleep. And wrap mine up please."

You say the last bit with a glare down at your stomach, because you know She's halfway behind the way your insides churned after a couple bites. 



-

Your sleep is a little restless, dreamless and light enough that you wake up at the slightest noise from around you. It started thunderstorming at some point during the night and usually the noise has you out but now you flinch with every clap of thunder or every flash of lightning. The storm isn't very close, so the noise is a faint rumble if anything, but by the fifth time you give up to roll over and bug the man next to you. 

To your surprise he isn't asleep, squinting down at the light from his phone that is still too damn bright to be good for his eyes. It's like he turns it to max in the dark and you keep telling him to stop. 

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