“How the hell do you expect me to leave you? Look at you! I can’t walk out of here after seeing you like this! It goes against bloody everything in me to do that.”
“But I told you I’d call if I needed you.” My head pounds and I close my eyes. “You shouldn’t have been here in the first place, so just forget you ever came.” I push past him and pull two Tylenol out of the drawer.
And stare at the glass dumbly because I can’t fucking keep anything down.
I throw the glass in the sink and it drops with a smash. I rest my forehead against the fridge, the tears spilling over my eyes.
“Liv,” he whispers.
“I’ve never been in so much fucking pain in my life. My head is thumping and my stomach hurts so bad, but there’s nothing I can do, because I can’t keep a single fucking thing down!” I turn to face him. “I haven’t eaten in four days and I’m lucky to keep water down. That’s how fucking sick I am! I am so weak and exhausted and I really need you to just go, please.”
“What the fuck? Why didn’t you call me?”
“Because I don’t need you.” I push off the fridge, blinking to clear my vision. “Because you make it worse. You just make it worse.”
I sway and grab the table to steady myself. Spots float in front of my eyes and I blink again, harder, faster, swallowing.
“Liv?”
“Go!” I beg, my head spinning.
“No.”
I open my mouth to argue but no sound comes out, and my legs buckle.
“Shit, Liv!”
And—
Beep. Beep. Beep.
I squeeze my eyes shut before dragging them open. White ceiling. I blink slowly, getting my bearings, and roll my head to the side. I look straight into the face of a sleeping Tyler.
He looks peaceful. The frown from earlier isn’t marring his forehead anymore, and his lips aren’t turned down anymore. And he’s gorgeous. Even if there is still pain etched on his face and his fingers are gripping my sheet. He’s so handsome that it breaks my heart a little.
I lift a heavy arm to touch his face, but a big clip on the end of my finger cancels that plan.
I look at it and run my eyes up my arm to the point where an IV is in me.
Shit. Am I in the hospital?
“Liv? You’re awake?” Tyler says gruffly, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.
“Where am I?” I whisper, my voice scratchy.
He leans onto the bed and rests his hand on my cheek. “You’re in hospital, in a private room. Don’t you remember what happened?”
I shake my head.
Worry fills his eyes and he sighs heavily. “You passed out trying to get me to leave. Good thing I didn’t.”
I passed out?
“You’re dehydrated,” he explains softly. “They put the IV in and pumped you full of water, vitamins, and anti-sickness. You’ve been asleep for hours. It’s one in the morning.”
I swallow. “Can I have some water?”
He stands and pours a cup from the jug on the table. “Here.” He presses a button next to the bed and it sits me up.
He feeds me a few sips of water, and it feels like heaven. It slides down my throat in a cool wash. I nod when I’m done and rest my head back against the pillow.
“The nurse told me to get her when you woke up. I’ll be right back.” He leans over and tenderly presses his lips to my forehead.
I watch him go, still sleepy despite apparently being out for around ten hours. At least my headache is gone and my stomach isn’t hurting anymore.
“Well, hello, honey!” the nurse chirps happily. “Good to see you awake. How are you feeling?”
“Like crap,” I whisper as she grabs my notes and checks the monitor.
“I expect so. I promise they’re worth it in the end!” She gives me a bright grin and checks the IV bag. “Do you feel sick?”
I shake my head. “No. Just thirsty.”
“Little sips every few minutes, okay? Take it easy. If you’d prefer, I can get you some ice chips to suck on.”
“Yes, please.”
“Okay. This all looks good. I’ll page the doctor and she’ll come and talk to you quickly.” She smiles again and glides out of the room.
“Shit. How can anyone be so happy at one in the morning?” I ask Tyler, meeting his eyes.
He sits on the side of the bed and smiles. It soon drops though, and he doesn’t reply.
“What?”
“Shit.” He leans forward and hugs me. His hand slides up my neck into my hair, and his other arm is firmly around my waist. He buries his face into my neck and inhales deeply. “Don’t ever faint on me like that again. You scared the crap out of me,” he says in a thick voice.
“It wasn’t intentional,” I mumble into his chest.
He laughs lamely and sighs. “Never a dull second with you around.” He pulls back and looks at me. Tears I never want to see hint at his eyes.
“I like to change things up. What can I say?” I shrug and offer a small smile.
He runs his thumb across my cheek. “Don’t. I’m starting to like it better all the same.”
He dips his head and lightly touches his lips to mine. They’re soft and warm and taste like tea. I lean into his gentle kiss, only pulling away when the door opens.
I look around him and into the face of my OBGYN. “Hi.”
“Hello, Liv,” Dr. Peters smiles. “How are you feeling?”
“Like crap,” I say, answering the same as I did to the nurse.
“I’d imagine you do.” She perches on the end of the bed and flicks through my notes. “Now I’m not in the practice of working with private patients, but since it’s you and I’m angry at you, here I am.”
I cringe.
“Now, why did you cancel our appointment and not call me after four days of not being able to stomach water?”
Both she and Tyler stare at me. Tyler’s gaze is scarier. I fidget.
“I…thought it was normal,” I admit quietly. “I figured I could sleep tonight then call you in the morning for an appointment and it would be okay.”
“And it would have, but you still would have been incredibly dehydrated and I would have had you admitted immediately.” She closes the file. “But no, Liv. Sickness this bad isn’t normal. What you have is an illness called Hyperemesis Gravidarum. You are much sicker than most pregnant women who suffer with nausea. This probably won’t be the only time throughout your pregnancy you’ll find yourself unable to keep any liquids down, and if this happens, you must call immediately so I can provide you with meds to stop it.”