"Morning, handsome." I say lovingly as I open the doors onto the large balcony. Daniel is sat on the brown wicker furniture in his bottle green swim shorts, staring peacefully out at the white powder beach and crystal blue ocean. The morning sunshine caresses his freshly shaved features perfectly. Droplets from the shower he must have recently taken still gleam on his hair in the light. He looks much younger without his trademark stubble, I think with a small smile. He's lost deep in thought, but for once he looks completely at peace. However, my words draw him out of his head and into the present.
He grins up at me as the door fully opens, and I cannot help but mirror his expression. As we fell asleep wrapped in each other last night, I prayed that we have turned a corner. Once we had made love and I had reassured him, Daniel seemed much more content. As I meet his blue eyes now, they still appear relaxed and happy. God, I hope it lasts.
The full heat of the Mexican morning slaps me in the face when I step onto the balcony. Feeling the heat engulf me, for the first time I don't think I can catch my breath. The world unexpectedly spins a little and I reach for the chair to support myself.
"You OK?" Daniel springs up and takes my arm, guiding me into the seat. His expression is one of pure panic.
"Just a little lightheaded." I explain calmly as the beautiful view comes back into focus. I place my hand across his to show him I'm OK. An unsettled feeling rests in the pit of my stomach as I suddenly feel beads of sweat begin to drip down my back. I've been lucky so far in my pregnancy with how well I've felt, but suddenly it's like the nausea is finally catching up with me.
"Shall I get you a cup of tea?" He asks when he kneels before me. It's clear that he wants to do something to help me, but he's unsure what I need.
I shake my head, the thought of drinking tea makes my stomach roll violently. "Water, please."
Daniel is back in a flash with a glass of ice cold water. Gulping it down, my stomach settles a little.
"You want me to call a doctor?" He asks, worry lacing his voice. He places the palm of his hand gently across my forehead. "You feel warm."
"No." I shake my head again slowly. A feeling of nausea ripples through me before rising up into my throat. I feel the burn of acid rising up without warning, and swiftly race to the toilet.
Without even having time to close the door behind me, I expel everything from my stomach before continuing to heave until there is literally nothing left. Tears stream down my face as my stomach continues to painfully contract. Daniel remains right behind me, holding my hair away from my face and rubbing my back softly. "That's it babe, get it all out." He murmurs.
Once the feeling of nausea has passed, I sit down on the cool tiled floor, resting my head back on the wall. Daniel sits next to me, watching my every move intently.
"So it begins!" I smirk tiredly.
"I've been waiting for the morning sickness to start, especially what the nurse said about carrying twins. I'll get you some water." He stands up and turns to hold out his hand to pull me up.
"Not yet." I remain perfectly still, enjoying the coolness of the tiles on my overheated skin.
By the time Daniel returns I feel more human. I drink the cold water slowly, but remain seated until I'm certain I feel better. Then, carefully I stand, wash my face and and brush my teeth.
"Better?" Daniel asks once I'm dressed, looking and feeling like Lizzie again. He's sitting on the sofa in the room with his laptop open before him.
"Better." I nod dramatically. "Now, I better go and see Harrison. It's time I actually did some work. We've got a lot to do." I cautiously look over to Daniel, dreading his reaction.
Surprisingly, he smiles brightly and nods from his seat. "Thought you would want to get things moving as were only here for five days. Just promise you will take it easy, yeah?" Daniel raises his eyebrows.
"Promise." I return his smile. "What are you going to do this morning?"
"Chris has emailed a new script for me to take a look at. Chris has also amazingly arranged a Skype call with the woman I want to buy the rights of her book to turn into a movie. Now I've got the studio behind me, I just need to convince her that I'm the right person to turn her creation from pages to the big screen." Daniel's tone is full of doubt.
"I'm sure she will say yes once you've charmed her. I mean, how could she say no?" I lean down and kiss him softly on the forehead.
"I hope so!" He bites his thumbnail nervously.
****
"Mr Banner is waiting for you." A stunning young woman informs me as I approach Harrison's office.
I knock hesitantly, still angry about Harrison's behaviour yesterday. Without waiting for a reply, I open the door and take a deep breathe. "Good morning, Harrison."
"... daddy's gotta go sweetheart, the lady I'm meeting is here now. I'll FaceTime you tonight before bedtime to read you a story, OK?" Harrison's voice is relaxed and lighthearted.
"Promise?" The sweet voice of a little girl responds hopefully.
"Cross my heart and hope to die." Harrison playfully crosses his heart and the little girl giggles. "Tell your big sister I hope she enjoys her violin lesson and I'll listen to her play tonight."
I walk round to see the screen as Harrison grins at me. A little girl of around five with a mass of auburn curly hair looks back at her father with enormous brown eyes. "She's beautiful." I whisper to Harrison who nods proudly.
"Whose there, Daddy?" The little girl asks inquisitively.
Harrison turns the iPad to face me and I wave with a smile. "Hi."
"This is my friend, Lizzie. She's helping daddy with a new advert for our Hotels to go on the TV and on the internet." The smile on Harrison's face is so sweet as he talks to his daughter.
The little girl leans forward, so close to the screen that I can only see one rosey cheek. "She's really pretty, Daddy. Hi, Lizzie."
"Well... thank you. You are very pretty too." I grin widely at the screen.
"I like her." The little girl says sincerely to Harrison.
"I do too, sweetheart. Now, you go and let mommy get you ready for your swimming lesson, and I promise I'll FaceTime you at bedtime. I love you and Molly."
"Forever and ever?" She asks with doe eyes. My heart melts at the sight of her.
"Forever and ever and ever and ever." He bobs his head animatedly as he talks.
"Me too..." the little girl beams at her father.
"Mia... you're going to be late for your lesson! Harrison, I'm sorry to interrupt, but we really need to go. Bye." The woman speaks curtly.
"Fine, Lilly. I'll call later." He turns the FaceTime call off and places the iPad down on his desk.
"How cute is Mia!" I exclaim while taking the seat opposite him.
"She's my baby!" He grins happily.
"Two girls?" I ask.
Harrison nods. "For my sins!" He chuckles. "Molly is eight and Mia is five."
"You're very lucky." I say honestly while thinking about not only Charlotte, but these babies inside of me.
"I know I am. Do you think you will have children?"
Shit! What do I say? Can I trust him? "One day." I answer simply, then choose to divert the conversation. "I just wanted to talk to you again about what happened yesterday."
Harrison places his hand up in the air to stop me. "I want to apologise. I honestly thought I was doing the right thing and I meant every word I said. However, I should have spoken to you first so you could have been prepared for the questions."
"Apology almost accepted." I respond seriously.
"What do you mean, almost?"
"You should have obtained my approval to make such a statement to the media... not just have informed me. From now on Harrison... if we are to continue to work together... I need to be on the same page as you, especially when it comes to the media." I speak firmly, wanting him to be clear about my feelings.
"I understand... I'm sorry." He pauses and leans forward on his desk. "Also, I won't mention my opinion of Daniel again. I thought about what you said last night and I did overstep the mark. It's just I consider you a friend as well as a business colleague, so I aired my thoughts... when I should have kept my mouth shut."
"Yes, You should have! Now, let's get on with some actual work." I flip open my laptop and load up my designs.
-hey guys!
What did you think of this chapter?
So morning sickness has finally caught up with Lizzie! I remember the feeling well!!!
I hope you enjoyed seeing a different side of Harrison?
Thank you for still reading and please tick the little star. Love T x -