Linda's Story

Maybe Next Time

All day long, Danny had had a sense of dread, and he couldn't figure out why. It had started when he woke up that morning, and a little voice inside him whispered "watch out". He had no idea what he was supposed to watch out for, but all day the feeling had stuck with him. All day, the voice kept telling him to watch out because something was coming. He didn't discover what that something was until one in the morning.

Danny woke up with that seem feeling of dread. Nothing had happened during the day, so maybe he had a nightmare he couldn't remember. He shrugged it off and reached for Linda, frowning when his hand hit cold sheets.

He sat up, "Linda?"

The coughing in the bathroom told him she was in there. So he got out of bed and walked into the en-suite.

Linda was in what Danny mentally referred to as her "crying corner". She had a pile- more like a mountain- of used toilet paper next to her and her sobs were breaking his heart.

"Linda, what's wrong?" He kneeled down next to her, only to have her cry harder. He held her while she choked on sob after sob; soon he was worried she wasn't breathing properly.

********

Linda knew she needed to pull herself together. After all, "a grown woman doesn't act this way". Bullshit, she thought. Those women weren't experiencing what she was right now. She heard Danny come in, she heard him talk, but she couldn't make out the words.

She knew she needed to calm down- her head was feeling light and, even in the dark room, she could tell her vision was blacking out. She needed to get it together or she was going to pass out. So she held her breath and bit her lip.

"What are you doing?" Danny's voice penetrated her ears, even though it sounded far away. "Are you holding your breath?"

She nodded incredibly too quickly, causing her to slump further on the floor. She felt Danny's hands on her, steadying her.

"For Pete's sake, Linda, take a breath before you pass out!"

She did, but at the same time, nausea hit. She coughed and gagged, her head throbbing, and crawled on her knees to the toilet.

"Are you sick?" Danny kneeled next to her, his hand on her back.

Yes, she was sick- sick with despair. She shook her head, gagging over the toilet bowl. She coughed and gagged for a while before she gave up and collapsed against Danny.

It was extremely uncomfortable for him in the position he was in- he had to move. "Would it be better if we moved to the bed?"

She only nodded, not feeling up to using her voice.

"You gotta stand up first. I'll help."

Linda moved so Danny could stand. He helped her up and to the bed, as promised. He thrust her thermos in her hand, and once she had half the ice water swallowed, he started talking.

He felt her forehead- clammy, but not feverish. Besides, she had just had an intense crying episode- she was going to be warm.

"What the hell happened, baby? Was it a nightmare?"

"No, worse," Linda managed to say after clearing her throat. Her voice was still gravely.

"Worse? Did someone die? What happened?"

Her lip quivered again, and fresh tears slowly fell down her cheeks. "I... I g- I got my... my p...period."

His heart dropped to the bottom of his stomach. "Oh, baby..."