“Okay. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” I said and kissed her cheek.
“Bye, Mommy. Love you,” Brax mumbled.
“Love you, too. Have a good day,” I said while I hugged and kissed my little man.
Mom placed my drinks on the end table beside me, as well as my cell phone. “Call the doctor as soon as they open and let me know what they say.”
“Will do,” I promised and fell asleep right after they left.
When I woke, I was covered in sweat and vomit was already on its way up and out. I leaned forward and barely managed to get my hands on the little trash can my children affectionately named Hurley.
Something was different. I usually threw up once and that was it. But this time, I kept heaving and heaving and couldn’t seem to stop. And there was a new pain in my stomach that felt like someone was squeezing something inside of me. I screamed in frustration before I started to cry.
Grabbing my cell phone from the end table, I called Savior. Just as he answered, another round of heaving hit me hard.
“Avery! Answer me!” he yelled into the phone.
“Sick,” was all I managed to say while dry-heaving and gasping for breath. There was a strange pressure on my chest that made it hard for me to catch my breath.
“I’m on my way. Stay on the phone with me,” he said.
“Yeah,” I choked out and pressed my hand over the place where it hurt.
When the pain finally eased off, I collapsed into a heap on the floor, clinging to Hurley and crying hysterically.
The front door crashed open and Savior stepped into my living room with a look of sheer panic on his face. “Oh, Avery. Fuck! What happened, baby?”
“Sick,” I cried. “I’m so sick.”
He scooped me and my disgusting trash can off the floor and started walking. “Where are your keys?” he asked.
I pointed to the hook by the front door where I always hung my keys. He grabbed them and closed the door behind us. “I’ll have one of the guys come by and fix the door.”
I honestly didn’t care at that point. I just wanted to feel better. He maneuvered the seat belt around me and Hurley and got into the driver’s seat. Before I could ask where he was taking me, he was on his phone. “Hey, man, did River work last night?” There was a pause, and then, “Will you call her and see if she’ll wait for me? I’m on my way there now with Avery. Thanks, brother.”
“Who’s River?”
“My brother’s girl. She’s an ER nurse, and I trust her,” he said.
She was waiting by the door when Savior carried me inside. “What’s going on, Savior?”
“She won’t stop throwing up and it’s getting worse.”
“Follow me and we’ll get you checked in. How long has this been going on?” she asked.
“For about six weeks,” I said.
“What?”
“I’m pregnant and have HG. But this is different.”
“When did the different stuff start?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe a few days ago.”
“All right. I’m going to get an IV started and get some fluids going. Then, one of the doctors will be in to see you.”
