All Fucked Up//Jahren ff

Chapter 18

~a week later~

Bel woke up before everyone else again, but not to clean or make breakfast, because her morning sickness had kicked in.

Clutching her stomach and running to the bathroom, her loud footsteps shake Joel awake.

He, too, then rushes to the bathroom to see what happened. He sees Bel with an arm around her stomach and spilling her guts into the toilet.

Joel quickly pulls her hair back out of her face and rubs her back.

"You okay?" He asks.

Bel takes a short, sharp breath. "Just dandy." She says sarcastically.

"Sorry. Do you need anything?"

"Something to wipe my mouth with?" She asks as she spits into the toilet.

"Sure thing." Joel rushes off and gets a rag then hands it to Bel.

"Thanks." Bel shakily pulls her hand up to her mouth, wiping up the saliva and vomit from around her lips.

She stands up, not nauseous anymore.

"Baby's giving you some trouble I see?" Joel smiles.

"Yeah, a bit, but that's just nature." Bel's hand moves to her stomach again, the baby not even making a bump yet.

"Surely you're not working today?" Joel says.

"I still have to work, Joel. Just because I'm sick in the mornings doesn't mean I can't work in the afternoons. I still have to support the house and the baby." Bel smiles. "And I appreciate that you want me to relax but I can't just drop everything because I'm sick in the morning."

"I know, I know. I just worry about you and the baby. I don't want either of you being unhealthy, I just wanna protect you guys." Joel sighs.

"Well, I've got to get ready for work now." Bel pulls her hair to the left side of her shoulder.

Joel rolls his eyes. "Okay then. Do you want me to make you breakfast or something?"

"No, Joel," Bel giggles, "I'm fine." She steps off to change into her uniform and throw her hair in a messy bun at the middle of the back of her head.

"Bye, Joel, have good day." She waves her fingers at Joel as she walks out the front door, being hit instantly by the crisp fall air.

"Goodbye, Bel!" Joel shouts as the door latches shut. He turns around, being nearly hit by Ahren standing behind him.

"Morning, sweetheart. How was your sleep?" Joel asks, pulling away to see Ahren's beautiful morning expression.

Ahren groans and doesn't respond.

"Woah, you're so pale." Joel's expression turns from happy to worried. Ahren was pale, paler than usual. His blonde hair was messy, but he didn't care.

Joel lifts his hand slowly to Ahren's forehead, his hand quickly being covered in sweat. "You're burning up, baby, are you feeling alright?"

Ahren shakes his head and wraps his hand around his forehead.

Joel takes another moment to observe Ahren's condition. "Your eyes, they're red, and purple all around them. You look dead, Ahren."

Ahren opens his mouth as if to say somethin, but nothing comes out except a very light whisper. "It feels like I'm dying."

"Oh God, Ahren, okay. Just sit down on the couch, settle down and I'll look up your symptoms and see what I can find."

Ahren nods and places himself on the couch, holding his stomach with one arm and covering his eyes with the other, shielding his hurting eyes from the brightness of the morning. His stomach churned from some type of sickness Joel had not yet determined yet.