Blooming Passion •• Ryan Tedder {1}

Chances

Ramona's P.O.V.

Ramona woke up at around six in the morning, but in the least pleasant way possible. The first thing she noticed was how blurry her vision was, and how she could hardly breathe, and thought that she was about to cry due to a nightmare she couldn't quite remember. But no, it was far different.

Her stomach was clenched tight and she felt it before she really knew what it was. Nauseous and feeling her dinner coming up her esophagus with a burning sensation, Ramona threw herself to the floor. Her blankets came down with her, as her body had been wrapped tightly in the soft comforter. As she hit the ground and felt the carpet scrape her elbows and knees, she cried out, "Oh god!"

Ramona scrambled to get the comforters, hanging halfway off the bed, down her body before she vomited everywhere. As she lunged into the bathroom and and at the toilet in the dark, she knew what it had to be. It was not dinner, unless Ryan's cooking was bad enough and he was sick too, so it had to be exactly what she feared.

Ramona grabbed at the porcelain and her sweaty hands rushed to find the lid and lift it, and then everything she had last eaten came up and out. She still felt the tears coming down her face, probably from the force of her sickness, but she still feared for her body and what could be inside her right now.

Despite her thoughts, she felt like she was dying physically. The nausea was one thing, but her whole body was warm and sweaty, and she felt her whole self trembling. It was much like what she remembered from last having the flu a couple of years ago, but different.

As what remained of what she had last eaten came out of her body, Ramona fell from the toilet and scooted herself to the edge of the bathtub, which was only a foot or two away from her. Her back hit the cold porcelain of that too and she sat there a long time in the dark, breathing heavy and still feeling sick to her stomach. She wanted to get pregnancy tests, to make sure, but also tell Ryan. Though she feared both.

Ramona thought she heard something out in the hallway, but thought nothing of it. She examined her surroundings. From inside the bathroom, she saw a bit of the bedroom. It wasn't pitch black, but still dark. The sun was approaching the horizon, so the sky was a very dark blue and gave them a very dim light. Ramona knew it would get lighter with each minute, so the darkness wasn't too much of a problem.

She also saw the mess she made with the bed. Though it was very dark, she saw as a pillow had fallen with at least three quarters of the covers, all in a pile on the floor. She felt stinging on her knees and elbows, knowing she had gotten a bit of carpet burn where she fell. The tiled floor of the bathroom was cold on her hot skin. She was reminded of when she sat on the floor of the bathroom after Shawn raped her and the tile felt just the same.

Ramona tried not to cry. Then, as a consequence of that horrid night, she thought of how there could be a living thing inside of her. Morning sickness is one of the common symptoms of early pregnancy. This is probably it. This is the beginning of Ramona's suffering. What would she possibly do with a child? She wouldn't abort the thing. She didn't have the heart to even consider that.

Then her door opened and Ramona jumped. She knew it was Ryan, though, and wiped off her mouth, in case there was vomit still left on it. Then she reached for the toilet and flushed it, right when she saw Ryan's silhouette appear in the doorway of the bathroom. Then there was the click of a light switch and Ramona was almost blinded as a yellow-ish light flooded the room.

It took her eyes a moment to adjust as she looked up, squinting, but then she saw Ryan standing in gray boxers and a white t-shirt. His hair was messy, but above all, his eyes were concerned. It seemed they often were, but this time it was more blinding than the light.