| Content warnings: pregnancy if that's a warning, tooth-rotting fluff, mentions of vomiting due to morning sickness, one mention of a period but it's not graphic,
| Author's Notes: 1) I'm a day late posting and I'm sorry about that; 2) for context, this is set between the first fourteen chapters and the epilogue of Ocean Eyes- specifically, about 15 months after Chapter Fourteen/Smooth Sailing.
| Word count: 1,159
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Claudia sat with her back to the bathroom wall, the inactive radiator heater along the baseboard pressing into her hips. One hand was resting on her unsettled stomach, and the other was wrapped around a glass of room-temperature apple juice- the only thing she could keep down at the moment. Even the go-to stomach-settlers, like crackers or plain toast, had her barfing into the toilet.
A gentle knock at the door had her opening her eyes. "It's just me, Claudia." Charlotte Quinn's voice came softly through.
"Come in." Charlotte slipped through the door, closing it behind her and crouching next to her friend. "Did you get it?"
"Yes." Charlotte confirmed, reaching into her purse and producing a box. "Smart idea, having me get it. If anybody else had gotten it and been seen, she would've had to let him down."
Claudia gave her a sad smile, accepting the box. "You're an angel."
Her brother-in-law's sister-in-law rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "You've been hanging out with my husband too much." Eyeing what Claudia now held, she asked, "Do you want me to stay with you?"
Claudia looked down at it as well, deliberating for a moment. "If you don't mind, I'd like that. Just step out so I can pee."
"Yeah, we're not that close."
Claudia chuckled, and Cameron stepped into the bedroom to give Claudia her privacy, apple juice in hand. Claudia sat down on the toilet and opened the box, tipping it so the slim sticks inside would slide into her hand.
She'd been afflicted by nausea and mood swings for two weeks now, and now she had missed her monthly cycle. Claudia wasn't some naïve YA heroine- she had put two and two together, and was making doubly sure that it made four. So she'd asked Charlotte, her friend and the only woman who lived at the Inn who couldn't have children, to buy her a box of pregnancy tests.
Taking a fortifying breath, Claudia popped the caps off the tests and did what was necessary for them to work. She set them on the vanity countertop, flushed the toilet and washed her hands, then opened the door to admit Charlotte back in.
Before she could shut the door, however, a knock came to the bedroom door. "Who is it?" Claudia called nervously.
"It's just me." A voice almost identical to her own responded.
