Chance Encounters

6.6

September (2 months pregnant)

I sat back against the wall in the bathroom, the coolness of it helping to ease my clammy skin as I swallowed hard before letting out a shaky breath. I rested my elbows on my knees and dropped my forehead into my hands as I gave a small groan. I never remembered being sick like this with Liam before, mornings were always so easy and if anything I had more energy when I was pregnant with him than less. Now, I couldn't even open my eyes without the first thought in my head being how fast will it take me to get to the bathroom. The worst part about all of it was that it hit me throughout the day, it didn't show it's ugly head in the morning and then leave me at peace for the rest of the day, no it always had the element of surprise.

I let my head fall back against the wall again, my eyes gazing up towards the high ceiling as I took in a deep breath and let it out slow. I rested my hands down onto the cool marble floor just getting ready to push myself up to a standing position when my body decided to laugh at me devilishly as another wave of nausea rolled through my body like a tidal wave. I fell forward quickly grabbing onto the toilet with my right hand and holding back my hair with my left as I let one of the most unpleasant things of pregnancy wreak havoc on my already aching body. I let out another groan, my hand dropping my hair as it blindly snaked its way towards the handle as I flushed down the evidence of another rough morning when I heard footsteps coming towards me.

"Sweetheart, how come you didn't wake me?" Austin asked with a mountain of concern built up behind his words as he instantly crouched down next to me and started to rub my back, his left hand reaching out to swipe the curtain of hair away from my face as he looked at me with sympathetic eyes. I gave him a shy smile as I sat back on my knees using my right hand to wipe the tears away from my eyes--I hated puking more than anything and for some reason it always upset me--as I gave him a small chuckle.

"It's okay baby, no one really wants to wake up to this" I said with a laugh, my eyes glancing towards the toilet as he gave me a shy smile and gently pulled me into his arms, his lips pressing against my head as he slowly rubbed my back. This was exactly what I needed, he was exactly what I needed right now and I'm glad that he showed up like my Knight in shining armor yet again.

"I agree, but I don't want you to do this alone sweetheart I know how much you hate it" he said pulling away from me as he scrunched up his face as shook his head making me break into the faintest string of giggles. "Let's get you cleaned up okay?" he said, his hands coming up to cup my cheeks as he softly ran his thumb over my now scorching skin. I nodded my head at him as he stood himself up, his hands held out for mine as I gently laid mine in his allowing him to slowly and extremely gently pull me from my resting spot that I had never thought I would leave this morning.

He walked me over towards the sink, his hands resting on my waist as he playfully struggled to sit me up on the counter as I started to laugh, my hands resting on either side of my thighs as I slowly started kicking my feet back and forth--a habit whenever I couldn't touch the floor--while he grabbed a washcloth from the cabinet. I rested my chin on my shoulder as I watched him and wondered if the people who thought they knew him ever imagined that he would get up at six in the morning to run a warm washcloth over his pregnant girlfriends face, or if he would go out of his way to wake up at three in the morning because she really wanted just two pretzels and couldn't go back to sleep without them. It was this side of him, these little things that I sometimes wished he would share with the world, but at the same time I wanted to be selfish and keep them all to myself.

"Still tired sweetheart?" he asked stepping closer towards me as he gently swiped the white cloth over my face, the warmness of it relieving all of the stress and even the headache that was slowly starting to sneak up on me away.