Feels Like Falling - Kristy Woodson Harvey Page 0,92
was not.
He squeezed my shoulder. “Lose your lunch before you had it?”
I nodded. “Please take me home.”
I didn’t even care where his mother was. I was to that point where the sickness was all I could think about. Frank tucked me into bed and brought me a Sprite, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep it down.
The next day, I was still getting sick sporadically. “Twenty-four-hour bug, my ass,” I said, as Frank hoisted my weak dish towel of a body into the T-bird.
“You will go to the doctor today,” he had insisted. “At the very least, you need some fluids and some Phenergan. This is ridiculous.”
I had finally agreed because I was too miserable not to.
A few minutes later I was climbing up onto the doctor’s table. Evidently this bug was spreading like wildfire, and they were making special arrangements to get patients seen quickly so they could go back home and vomit in private.
“I’m going to run a few quick tests,” Dr. Gold said when he came in the room, looking exhausted and flustered. “I’m sure it’s just this virus, but we need to be certain we aren’t looking at a bigger culprit.”
I dutifully followed him for testing, and was back in the exam room a few minutes later, lying on the crinkly white sheet. Frank kissed my hand and said, “You’re the bravest woman I know. Do you know that?”
I smiled weakly and heard my phone ding. I motioned for Frank to see who it was. He laughed. “Gray sure does feel bad about how sick you are.”
“It is her fault,” I mumbled. But I didn’t mean it. How many times had she told me to stay out of that house? Stubborn old mule, I was.
A soft rap on the door immediately preceded Dr. Gold flying back into the room. He sat down on a stool with his clipboard and said, “Well, Diana, it is definitely something bigger than a virus.”
I sat up, alarmed. “What do you mean? Do I have E. coli or something? A parasite?”
He shook his head gravely, and my heart sank. It was cancer. I had stomach cancer. I had finally gotten Frank back after all these years. I was finally living the life I had always dreamed of, and now I was going to die.
“Kids,” he said, “you’re having a baby.”
My head spun to look at Frank. I know I looked shocked. He, on the other hand, looked like how I imagined him to on the day he got that check for his land.
“Oh my Lord,” he said.
“Dr. Gold, you know I can’t get pregnant.”
He shrugged. “Evidently you can.”
“Dr. Gold,” I said. “I’m forty years old.”
“Indeed you are,” he said, “which is why we’re going to need to monitor you extra closely to make sure this pregnancy goes well. We’ll need to go ahead and get some initial blood work.…”
He was still talking, but I couldn’t even hear him. Pregnant. I didn’t know how to feel. After twenty years of knowing I would never be a mother, of knowing this would never happen for me, it seemed impossible, like the obvious truth wouldn’t set in.
Frank hugged and kissed me and said, “I think we’ve finally got it right, babe.”
We walked out into the parking lot, and I put together the first coherent words since I’d heard the news: “They ought to put some sort of warning sign on that sand dune.”
CHAPTER 17
gray: bitter divorcée territory
The bar at the Spectator was utter perfection. Trey had invited me out with some friends of his who lived in Charleston, but I wanted to get some rest. I was feeling up to eating and drinking again, so I decided to pop down to the hotel bar and grab a cocktail. I felt terribly guilty because Diana had texted that she had been struck down by the throw-up bug too. This one was intense. I hoped Trey didn’t get it—or Heather, for that matter.
When I glanced down to see We need to talk pop up on my phone later, I assumed it was from Andrew. My heart felt a little heavy, but then I saw it was from my sister. This was her turf, but surely she didn’t know I was here. I’d done a couple of Instagram posts, but, as one could imagine, Pastor Elijah didn’t allow social media.
I flicked my phone across the bar. I caught the bartender’s eye and said, “Yeah. I’m definitely going to need another.”