Moonlit Awakening

Chapter 26

Alice

Later that night, Alice is awoken when her stomach gurgles. She groans softly as nausea builds up in her stomach. "L...Liam?" she whispers. She glances at him, noticing that he's fast asleep. She untangles herself from his grasp before hobbling into the bathroom. She kneels down and vomits into the toilet. Afterwards, she curls up on the bathroom floor and falls asleep again.

She's woken up again by Liam. "Alice?" he asks, "Why are you in the bathroom?"

"L...Liam?" she mumbles.

"Alice, answer my question."

"I...I threw up."

His eyes bulge out of his head. "You threw up? Why are you vomiting?"

"I...I don't know."

"Come with me." He gently helps her off the floor and downstairs. "Margaret!"

"Liam?" Margaret answers, "Why are you shouting?"

"Alice threw up!"

Margaret glances at Alice, who still looks unwell. "Alice, dear, are you feeling alright?"

"No..." Alice mumbles.

Margaret sighs. "Well you are thirty four weeks pregnant."

"I know..."

"Come here, my dear. Let's get you situated on the couch and then I'll bring you something to eat."

"O...okay." She hobbles over to the couch with Margaret's help.

Once she's comfortably on the couch, Margaret leaves the room to grab her something to eat. "Alice, eat," she says when she comes back into the room. Alice takes the food, and nibbles on it unhappily. Tears begin to fall from her eyes again. "What's wrong, my dear?"

She sniffles. "I...don't...know..."

"There, there, it's okay to cry."

"A...Alice?" Liam whispers, "Is there anything I could do for you?"

Alice shakes her head, too upset to actually answer him. "Liam, do you mind leaving the room for a few minutes?" Margaret asks, "I'm going to try and figure out what's upset her so much."

"O...okay, let me know if I can do anything." He leaves the room.

Margaret turns back to Alice. "Alice, tell me what's wrong?"

"I...I...l...look like...a..."

"No, Alice, whatever you're going to say, it isn't true."

"B...but..."

"Alice, you're pregnant. You need to gain weight so your baby is born healthy. Did Liam say something to you about your weight? I'll kill him!"

She shakes her head. "N...no, he didn't..."

"What brought this on then?"

"E...Ember...she..." She sniffles, trying to calm down.

"Did Ember say something to you? Do I need to scold her?"

She shakes her head again. "I...I can't fit into my c...clothes anymore."

"Alice, that's normal."

"Ember...she's p...pretty than..."

"No, she isn't Alice."

"Yes she is! She doesn't look like a fat, ugly cow! She doesn't have scars like I do! She..."

"Alice...Alice...Alice!" She cowers away from her. "I'm sorry, my dear. I know you don't like it when people yell at you. Listen to me. You are beautiful. Anyone who says otherwise is an idiot."