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“Let me just hold you for now.” I said, not ready to let her out of my arms just yet.
“No, I’m about to throw up on you if you don’t move now.”
I stepped away just in time as she turned and threw up by the tree. I held her hair back as she continued to be sick. Althaia had reached her breaking point. She was visibly exhausted; she had gone through so much without a moment’s rest.
“Let’s get you inside so you can rest.” I told her. She gave a small nod as I led her inside to one of the bedrooms on the other side of the house to make sure she wouldn’t bump into her mother for now.
Althaia slumped tiredly on the bed, closing her eyes, and took deep breaths to keep the sickness down. I went back downstairs to grab a few things, a bottle of water and electrolytes to keep her hydrated.
I paused for a moment, closing my eyes and clenching my jaw as the first twinges of pain made themselves known. I pulled out the painkillers Ellie had given me, well aware that they wouldn’t do a lot to relieve the pain.
As I made my way back to the staircase, Jacinta appeared, glancing around in search of Althaia.
“How is she?” She asked. Her eyes flickered upstairs, unsure if she should go to her or stay away.
“She will be okay. She needs some time before seeing you again.” I told her.
Jacinta nodded as she let out a heavy sigh. I climbed the stairs when I halted by her words that came out next.
“She lost the baby that night, didn’t she?”
I glanced at her over my shoulder, seeing the sadness etching deeply on her face.
“Yes.” I replied, and she closed her eyes with guilt consuming her. “You have another visitor. Alexei Vasiliev.” Jacinta snapped her eyes open in shock before quickly transforming into a cold glare.
“What is he doing here?”
I scoffed at her question.
“You have a lot of shit to explain. What the fuck did you expect?” I countered and made my way to Althaia.
I shut the door behind me, hearing her throw up again in the bathroom. She came out after washing up, and I sat her on the bed and gave her the bottle of water.
“Take this one too.” I said quietly. Althaia stared at the pregnancy test in my hand before looking at me, a mixture of emotions crossing her face. “I heard you get sick at the hospital, too. Take it so we can be sure.”
“Okay.” She finally agreed. I had been wanting her to take a pregnancy test for a while, but she insisted it was too early to tell, especially since it hadn’t been long since we decided to try for a baby.
I couldn’t shake the strange feeling, and even if the test was negative, I would know it was because she was exhausted and overwhelmed.
Althaia drank the water and went to the bathroom. The second she went inside, I paced the floor. I couldn’t stand it. I checked my watch, wondering why she was taking so long, only to see she had only been in there for a minute.
I had to take in a deep breath and exhale slowly to calm down my racing mind.
The door swung open, and I rushed to her side, waiting for her to tell me anything.
“It says to wait three to five minutes.” Althaia said, wrapping her arms tightly around herself.
“Okay.” I nodded, keeping my eyes fixated on the clock.
We sat together on the bed, her head nestled on my shoulder, and I gently rubbed her back in silence. The three minutes dragged on, feeling like an eternity as I continued to watch the time with my impatience growing with each passing second.
“It’s time.” I finally broke the silence, and Althaia bit her lip in nervousness.
“Do you mind checking?”
“Are you sure you don’t want to?” I asked. With a nod from her, I made my way to the bathroom, spotting the test on the counter.
A whirlwind of emotions rushed through me, and I took a deep breath before picking it up. Staring at the result, I closed my eyes briefly before turning back to Althaia.
