Just to be safe. That, and we want to tell the grandparents first. This in-law thing was new to me, but I think I liked it.
We'd started talking about names the other day. I was on the morning sickness struggle bus, sitting on the bathroom floor with my head against the claw-foot tub and Will across from me, and he said, "If it's a boy...what about James?"
I lifted a shoulder in agreement. It was the greatest amount of movement I could handle without rocking my stomach. "And if it's a girl?"
Will chuckled, and drew my feet into his lap. "I already know what you're thinking, Peanut. I like it."
We had a lot of bathroom floor conversations these days, and while they were good talks, I hated being off my game like this.
"I'm not chronically ill or dying or anything that requires special treatment. I just feel like I'm could sleep until June and my stomach is definitely sailing the high seas, but I'm going to be fine. Totally fine."
"It's good to see that you're also delusional," she muttered.
"Let's start upstairs," Matt called. "We'll make our way back down here, and review priorities in the kitchen—"
"We can review priorities over corned beef hash and scrambled eggs at Filabuster or Cozy Corner, too," Riley said. "You know, places where they have light and heat for those of us who aren't cyborgs, Matt."
Mentioning two of Riley's favorite greasy spoons was enough to have me choking back bile. I turned away from the group and covered my mouth, breathing with my eyes squeezed shut until it passed.
"Say the word and we leave," Andy whispered. "Even bitches get sick sometimes."
I brushed off her suggestion and followed the group upstairs. I was ready for a nap when we reached the third floor, and asleep on my feet when we reached the fifth.
Instead of listening to Matt discussing the structural overhaul involved with merging two brownstones, I wandered through the attic apartment. It functioned as the servant's quarters when the home was built over one hundred years ago, and it adapted to fit various needs over time. Storage. Home gym. Playroom. More storage.
The evidence of a leaky roof was apparent, and though Matt had tarps preventing further damage, I wanted to show him the water spot blossoming from the moldings. He had plywood and more tarps covering spots all over the floor where water and time eroded the floor into a virtual marsh.
Another wave of light-headedness hit me as I turned to join the group, and I barreled straight into Riley's chest. He brought his hands to my forearms and held me while I wobbled.
"You okay?" he asked, peering down at me with a frown.
"Yeah," I said. "I think I need some air though. Maybe some water."
"Let's go outside then," he said, gesturing toward the stairs. "That way, we can sneak off and get some breakfast."
I grimaced. "Can we not talk about breakfast?"
He took a step back, watching as if I'd wobble again. When he took another big step, his boot connected with a thick twill tarp. He glanced over his shoulder, but the tarp shifted, and before I could reach out, he was falling through the rotted wood.
I didn't realize I was screaming until Patrick shook me, hard. When the dust cleared, we saw Riley, two floors below, buried beneath a heap of splintered wood, broken glass, and crumbled brick.
I watched in horror as a team of paramedics wheeled Riley into the ambulance.
"I'm going with him," I said, but this time, the nausea was too much to choke back. Sam rushed to my side and pulled back my hair as I vomited on the sidewalk. This was about as awful as it could get: Riley unconscious, me puking in public, and there was nothing I could do to fix either.
"That's not happening. I'll go," Patrick said. He pointed to Matt. "You'll call Nick?"
Matt gestured toward the phone pressed to his ear and asked, "Do you think I'm ordering a pizza?"
He rolled his eyes and climbed into the back of the ambulance. "Patrick!" Andy called. "Give me your keys. We'll follow you there."
She caught the green Walsh Associates lanyard as it sailed toward her, and she towed us in the direction of Patrick's Range Rover.
The ambulance pulled out, and our doors were barely shut before Andy swung away from the curb. I groaned into my hand as another wave hit my stomach. I knew Matt was talking to Nick, and Sam was saying something while handing me