Medley

42: I TURN TO YOU.

I wake up feeling like my stomach has been put in the clothes washer at full speed spinning nonstop all night.

I try working for about two hours but my constant need to run to the bathroom thinking I'm about to throw up, makes it very hard to get anything done.
Talia convinces me to go home and take care of it.

I didn't even consider breakfast this morning, maybe some tea will help. Yikes, I hate tea! But I always have some at home because Jasmine likes it.

I make myself a cup of lemon tea and eat two crackers to disguise the flavor. The desired effect was to make me feel better but all it does is send me on my knees in the bathroom to throw it all up.

At least I get some relief out of it, but once I'm able to vomit one time, it happens twice, three times and nothing I try seems to work stopping it.

Close to noon, when I'm in bed watching T.V. hoping it will distract me from the constant nausea, my phone gets a text notification.

HARRY: Is it too late to say Good Morning?

EMI: No, it's morning for another half hour.

HARRY: Then good morning, beautiful! How are you today? Any better?

EMI: Good Morning, handsome! Emotionally I am fine, physically not so much... I've been hugging the toilet all day.

HARRY: Hungover?

EMI: I wish! Stomach virus, probably.

HARRY: Go see a doctor.

EMI: I'll be fine, it's nothing.

HARRY: Are you running a fever?

EMI: Comes and goes.

The phone rings automatically.

"Hey." His voice is becoming my favorite sound in the world.

"Hello, mother."

Correction: his voice AND his laugh are my favorite sounds in the world.

"Is there anyone that can stay with you tonight? Keep an eye on you in case the fever gets worse?" ...Not even my own mother would worry this much over a stomachache.

"There are four people that would do that for me, but, my brother has an exam tomorrow so I won't bother him, Jasmine is leaving on business this afternoon, it's Jackson's day off so he's in DC visiting his parents and Kai..."

Kai would normally be someone I could count on, but after the episode from yesterday I'm not sure anymore.

"Oh, no!" Harry speaks before I finish the sentence. "Anyone but Kai, please!" His reaction pleases me more than it should.

"Why not? He's not available either, anyway." I lie.

"I don't like him."

"You don't know him."

"I don't need to." I'm glad he doesn't know about yesterday! "And by the way, you miscounted. You have five people that would do that for you."

There's a brief silence after this sentence. He's waiting for me to ask and I'm internally melting but decide to prolong the satisfaction.

"Well, my father is not really an option. One of us might not make it to the next day if kept in the same room too long."

"I didn't mean your dad. I meant me."

IS IT FRIDAY YET? I NEED TO KISS THIS MAN AGAIN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!

"But you can't." The silence this time is the result of both his frustration and my disappointment. "What city are you in today?" I say, looking to distract him from my unintentional accusation.