A Dance of Life

13

"Where is he?" Patricia snaps, tapping her feet on the concrete. I really wish she would stop that; it rained the previous night and there are still puddles littered here and there. "If it starts raining again I'm going to give him a piece of my mind."

"Pat, there's no sign of rain in the sky and we wouldn't even be late if he shows up in 10 minutes." I'm tired and although the sun is out, the coolness of the rain is still hanging in the air and I would rather be under my warm covers.

A car speeds into the lot and screeches to a halt in front of us. The window winds down and a nervous looking Nathan is in the driver's seat. "I'm so so sorry," he says, mainly talking to Pat who's shooting daggers at him. "I brought donuts, though."

I smile and enter the back seat, wanting space to stretch out. Nathan really knows the way into a woman's heart.

"Those better be from The Donut Hole," she snaps.

"Yup and they just opened for the day so they're more than fresh."

"Hmm, Annelise has actually had breakfast so-"

"Hey!" I protest. "You had breakfast as well!"

"I'm only joking," she laughs but I can tell that she was being a little serious.

"Coffee?" Nathan offers.

"Nope, it's bad for the baby," I say proudly.

"Wow, look who's been doing her research."

"I want to be as prepared as I can be for the meeting. I'm not trying to come off as an unserious mother."

"The fact that you're going for the appointment already disqualifies you from that category," he tells me, smiling at me through the rearview mirror. I feel myself blushing and lay down before he notices.

"If you guys are done talking, let's go," Pat says with her mouth full of donuts.

The ride to the clinic is a moderately long one and I try not to think too much about the reality of it. I start to feel queasy and I pray I don't throw up.

"Hey, Ellie, do you know that the baby is about the size of a blueberry right now?" She's holding her fingers a few inches apart with a look of pure joy on her face. "I've been doing my own research as well."

Instead of sharing in her joy, my mind goes back to how I used to pick and squash blueberries as a child and I feel sicker. "Stop the car," I tell Nathan, hitting the back of his chair.

"Huh?" He asks but slows down nonetheless.

I jump out before he can come to a stop and run to a trash can, throwing up my breakfast. Thankfully I ate only toast and eggs so it's not too disgusting.

I hear the car doors open and close, and Pat stands in front of me in a few seconds. "Are you okay? Do you know what triggered it?"

"Nerves?" I suggest. She hands me a tissue and bottled water. I rinse my mouth and wipe my face before throwing the tissue in a way that covers the vomit. "Sorry."

"Stop apologizing for things that aren't your fault. But I hope you're happy now," she says, guiding me back to the car, "You get to have more donuts."

"You good?" Nathan asks when we reach him. I give him a thumbs up while he helps me with the car door and I lay back down.

"Maybe you should drive a little slower," Pat suggests to him.

"Hey, don't fall asleep without eating at least one," she tells me, passing me the paper bag.

I take the bag and bring it to my nose. My stomach gives no reaction so I grab a random one and slowly eat it.