Carrying His Baby

Chapter 5

Hallie woke up with the queasy stomach at the crack of dawn.

Well, if she’d had any doubts at all, they were gone now.

She ran to the bathroom and heaved. She hugged the toilet, and lay on the mercifully cool tiles of the floor. She dozed off for a while, until she heard a knock on the bathroom door, and got up groggily. She had hazy thoughts of finding a weapon and bludgeoning to death whoever had broken into her apartment before she’d had her coffee.

“Hallie, honey?”

Of course. Not an ax murderer. Bridget. Bridget had stayed over.

“Man, you’ve started early. Wait, I’ll get you something that’ll make you feel better.”

“Sure, go ahead. Not like I’m going anywhere,” said Hallie weakly.

Was that psychological? Seriously, she’d had absolutely no nausea until the day before. She gets the positive test and the next day, wham. She’s hugging the toilet, without the usual benefit of having had an extremely fun time the night before.

Though, she revised, this was happening because she had had an extremely fun night. The bi*ching part was that she’d had a hangover the next day, too. She should at least be spared the hangover if she was going to end up knocked up.

Bridget came back.

She had a tray of toast and jam, and, Hallie hoped, coffee.

She grabbed the mug and took a big gulp.

She swallowed.

“Where’s my coffee?”

“Caffeine’s bad for the baby.”

“I haven’t even decided if I’m keeping it!”

“Well, in case you are.”

“What’s the worst that can happen?”

“I don’t know, caffeine addicted baby?”

Hallie glared.

“Any child of mine is bound to be a coffee drinker anyway. So what’s the point?”

“Hallie…”

She drank the tea again.

“This isn’t even proper tea!”

“It’s peppermint tea.”

Hallie upped that glare quotient.

“You gave me peppermint tea.”

“Yes, I went out and got it now.”

“Why do you hate me, Bridget?”

Bridget chuckled.

“Look, if you don’t keep it, it’s just till you’re sure about that. If you do, you’ll have to switch to decaf anyway.”

“That could be the deciding factor in the equation,” muttered Hallie, draining the cup of peppermint tea desperately.

A thought struck her.

“What else would I have to give up if I decide to keep the baby?”

“Well….”

Bridget was wondering whether Hallie could handle it. Hallie could see the wheels turning in her head.

“Bridget…” It was a warning.

“Well, some kinds of cheese, some kinds of fish, all alcohol, and you don’t smoke anyway so that’s fine, and quite a bit of junk food, and some people give up processed sugar.”

Hallie’s jaw dropped.

“I make desserts.”

“Well, yes.”

“I’d have to give up desserts?”

“You could have some sugar, I’m sure…”

With a moan, Hallie shoved the toast in her mouth.

“Waiwhuda,” said Hallie.

“What?”

Hallie swallowed.

“What’s in the jam?”

“Oh, I got organic preserves with no processed sugar.”

Hallie glared at it.

“It’s not too bad,” she admitted grudgingly. “But,” she went on, “something’s going to have to give as far as the coffee is concerned. I cannot survive without coffee. And neither can the world. You know I get mad enough to destroy the world without coffee.”

Bridget winced. The one morning Hallie hadn’t had coffee was legend in the office. She had yelled at every supplier until one poor young kid had hidden in the closet.

“Well, darling,” said Bridget, gathering her courage, “you’ll just have to figure out a way to deal with it.”

Grumpy, Hallie got up to stalk over to the bed and plop down on it.

“Hallie…”

Hallie looked up grumpily.

“Never mind, maybe this isn’t the best time to ask you about this.”

“You know how much I hate having something brought up and not finished. It makes me curious and I can’t focus on anything else. It stays and niggles at my mind all day. And,” added Hallie, her tone ominous, “I haven’t had coffee.”

“Yeah, that’s why I… Okay, okay,” she hastened to add as Hallie glowered. “Well, the thing is, are you going to tell Aldous Banks about this?”

Hallie scowled.

“I’ve been thinking about it,” she admitted.

Bridget waited a beat.

“Well, what have you been thinking?”

Hallie shrugged.

“I would have to get through his admin to even talk to him.”

“You don’t have his number?”

Hallie glared at Bridget.

“We were drunk and more focused on putting his thing in my thing than his number in my phone.”

“Oohhkaaay,” drew out Bridget.

“How the hell am I supposed to let him know he knocked me up when I have to go through his admin?”

“Well, you kind of liked his admin. Or so I seem to remember. I’m sure she’ll put you through to him?”

“Layla is… super competent. I haven’t the slightest clue if she’ll put me through to him when I can’t give her a business reason to do that.”

“Well, we can come up with a business reason?”

“Won’t work. She wouldn’t fall for anything. The woman has a sixth, seventh and eighth sense of some sort for bullshit.”

“You have to try, Hallie. I mean, it’s his baby, too. If you decide not to have it, then that’s your call. But if your reason for not having it is financial, he deserves to have a say, too, don’t you think?”

That made sense. But…. But, thought Hallie.

“It’s not all about money, Bridget. I honestly don’t know if I’m ready to have a baby. To raise a child. I don’t know if I’m ready.”

The tears, to Hallie’s mortification, started again. Bridget just pulled her into her arms and held her close again.

“Shhh… It’ll all be all right, Hallie. One way or the other. Most of the crying is just hormones, so don’t beat yourself up about that. For the rest… Well, you’ll figure it out.”

Hallie hoped Bridget was right as she waved goodbye.

She had to get ready and go to work.

She didn’t want to. She wanted to stay at home and wallow. Surely she was entitled to a bit of a wallow.