Page 54 of Trial By Fire
My head whirls the majority of the time because the scents are so strong, and I find myself ducking into the bathroom or outside to breathe, but of course doing so is only a Band-Aid. I inevitably wind up christening Mary Elizabeth's beautiful downstairs bath as only a pregnant woman can.
The party goes on without me, thankfully. But when I emerge, I see the Babes and Zoey and Bronwyn watching me with concern. I manage a smile and join Madi, who is passing out pens for the last of the bridal games. "Madi, thank you so much."
"You okay?"
"I am, because I know you're doing such a great job."
Madi beams at me. "It's been fun. I've never been to a party like this."
I've basically missed the entire event and hogged the downstairs bathroom and feel awful about it. But I'm also so very grateful the Babes and Madi have kept everything going while I was indisposed.
With flare I now associate going hand in hand with the Babes, we wrap up the games amid laughter and toasts. Bronwyn opens her gifts as the ladies eat their cake and cookies, and then…it's over.
As the guests disperse, Zoey joins me where I'm cleaning up left-behind plates and cups.
"So how are you?" Zoey says to me.
"Fine," I say for what had to be the millionth time. "Even though I spent most of the party in the bathroom and missed the fun."
Zoey leans close and nudges my shoulder with hers.
"Are you sure you're okay? Have you been to the doctor yet? I think you've lost weight since I last saw you."
"Not yet. I've called," I say when I see her about to protest, "and I have an appointment scheduled. It's just morning sickness. Or I should say, it's just morning, noon and night sickness. I'm fine, though. Really."
I must not be very convincing, given the expression on Zoey's face.
"Just don't overdo it, please. Your body is going through a lot and so is your mind and emotions. That’s massive amounts of change in a very short amount of time. Be easy on yourself."
"Trust me, once the Babes learned my plan to throw a shower for Bronwyn, I barely had to lift a finger."
She laughs at that.
"Well, my mother and her friends do tend to take over. They've got a reputation for party snatching."
I smile at the description and gather what I can before moving to the kitchen. Madi leaves Dani playing with the Babes' abundant grandchildren. I recognize some of them from their visits to the bookstore.
In no time flat, the house is back to rights, and I find myself under scrutiny once again as the ladies turn from the bride to—me, the expectant mother. My secret is out thanks to my bathroom-hogging and Dani's candor.
"Lindsey, are you feeling better?"
I turn to see Allie Blackwell staring at me, concern etched into her features.
"Yes, everyone, please. I'm fine. Stop fussing. It's just…"
"Nonstop morning sickness," Bronwyn answers for me.
I notice a few gazes slip to my left hand, as though looking for a ring, but the news is greeted with nothing but smiles and words of congratulations. "Thanks. It was a surprise. One I'm still getting used to, frankly."
"I remember morning sickness all too well," Allie, the mother of four, says. "And I had the weirdest cravings."
"No cravings yet," I say.
"Because she can't keep anything down," Bronwyn adds.
The next ten minutes are filled with the ladies' tips on how to combat morning sickness and a few tales from the Babes' days as new or expectant mothers.
"It's been hard to keep food down," I agree. "But, really. I'm fine." I feel like a broken record. Gabe and Kace both made the same observation about my appearance earlier when Gabe showed up to stay with Kace and keep him company during the festivities. I'm starting to feel like a circus freak because of the stares I'm receiving, and it's unnerving.
