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Ranger:Not feeling great? What’s wrong?
Me:Not sure. My stomach feels off. I’ll probably just head home and lie down. Sorry.
Ranger:Don’t apologize. Wish I could do something to help.
I slide my phone back into my pocket just as a wave of nausea hits and has me sprinting for the bathroom. I make it just in time to release the contents of my stomach into the toilet.
By the time I get home, I’m sweating, my knees feel weak, and I’m praying I can make it inside before I throw up again. I grab some water, chugging a bottle before practically crawling to the shower. I sit on the floor of the tub, the water turned to cool. It seems to be helping, so I stay in longer than normal until I feel stable enough to stand back up.
My phone buzzes a little while later, and I pick it up. This time, Ranger’s calling.
“Hello?”
“Hey, beautiful. Man, you sound rough. What’s going on?” I can detect concern in his voice.
“I dunno.” I flop back on my bed, the towel wrapped around me. “I felt fine at brunch, but I started throwing up a few hours later. I just feel so shaky and can’t seem to settle my stomach. Probably just a bug.”
“Can I bring you some soup? I’m worried you’ll get dehydrated.”
I smile against the phone. “I’d like that.”
“Okay, be there soon.”
I pull on my pajamas, brushing out my wet, tangled hair before lying down on the couch until Ranger arrives.
“It’s open!” I yell after he knocks.
“You really shouldn’t leave your front door unlocked like that, babe.”
I smile at the endearment. “I just did it after you said you were coming by. I don’t normally do that.”
“Good. Okay, brought you some chicken noodle soup, crackers, and ginger ale.” He places the items on the coffee table then heads into the kitchen to grab me some utensils. “No idea what brought this on?”
I shake my head as I pull myself upright. “No, just hit me out of nowhere.”
“The others didn’t text saying they’re sick, did they?” He takes a seat on the couch next to me, pulling out the soup and handing it to me.
“No.” I open the lid, the smell hitting me and making my stomach curdle. “Oh God,” I groan, pushing it away as I turn my head.
“Damn, that bad, huh?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” He reaches over, brushing my hair behind my ear. “You don’t think you’re . . . ?”
I stare at him, confused. “Pregnant?” I ask in shock. “No, no way. Morning sickness doesn’t hit that quickly, and it’s usually in the morning, hence the name. Besides, I’m on the pill.”
“Yeah, but don’t they say it’s not 100% effective?”
“Yeah, but that’s usually because of human error, like you’re not taking it consistently or you take it at weird times. I take it every single day, like clockwork.”
“Okay,” he says, not sounding convinced.
“You want me to take a test to be sure?”
“No, I’m sure you know better.” His eyes shift away from mine and he removes his coat. “Okay if I stay a while? Look after you?”
“Yeah. I’ll try to eat the soup in a little bit. Maybe I can at least get a cracker or two down and drink the soda.” I reach for the items as Ranger grabs the remote.
