In Just One Night

Call me by my name

The grumbling sound of Yasmine's stomach scattered the fog of silence that had settled over them. "Would you like to eat? I brought chicken soup and rice?" James awkwardly asked.

Yasmine's face lit up with a wide smile as she looked at James. "Are you a psychic or something? I was literally just about to make the same thing," she exclaimed with laughter, marveling at how James had unknowingly fulfilled her craving.

"I'm glad." James opened the paper bags and brought out the food that still had steam oozing out of it. "Here you go."

"Thank you, sir."

"We're not at work. There's no need to be formal... You can call me by my name."

Yasmine hadn't realized she was still being formal with him - she was used to referring to him as 'sir'. Old habits die hard after all. "Al- alright... James." She nervously mumbled, his name still sounding foreign to her.

James chuckled lightly at her reaction to saying his name, but he spoke no further on the issue. "Are you living alone?"

"Yes and no," Yasmine paused to finish chewing the food in her mouth, "My best friend has been staying with me for a while now, but she traveled out yesterday."

"When will she be back?"

Yasmine had an idea of why James was asking all those questions, and it brought a warm smile to her face. "She'll be gone for two weeks... but I'm capable of taking  care of myself."

"I know you are," James quickly replied, "Just let me know if you need any help or anything at all."

"I will." Said Yasmine. "Aren't you going to eat?" She asked James. While she was nearly done eating, his plate remained untouched.

"I ate before coming here." James lied. "You can have mine if you want."

Yasmine nodded excitedly as she switched her plate out for his. She hadn't eaten properly the whole day, and her portion of food alone wasn't enough to fill her. "Thanks." She shyly said.

Dinner was going well until Yasmine's intestines decided to fight each other in her stomach.

"Is everything ok -" James's words hung in the air as he rushed off after Yasmine into the bathroom. "It's okay, it's okay." He worriedly tried to soothe Yasmine, who was doubled over the toilet bowl for the third time that day.

Yasmine was too tired to reply. Just like her breakfast and lunch, she watched her dinner go down the drain.

James stood close to her, his arm around her shoulders, offering as much comfort as he could without overwhelming her. "Do you think we should go to the hospital?" he asked softly, his voice tinged with uncertainty, not wanting to alarm her but clearly concerned for her well-being.

Yasmine desperately wanted to reject his offer, but she found herself physically incapable of doing so. Overwhelmed by her weakness, all she could manage was a faint nod of agreement. As James hurriedly rushed her to the hospital, she felt helpless.

"How are you feeling now, miss?" The doctor asked Yasmine, who was just recovering from the shot she was given.

"Much better."

"Your nausea and vomiting, how frequently does it happen?"

"For about a week now I keep throwing up after every meal I've had." She answered without hesitation.

"Is that so?... Do you necessarily feel the need to eat or do you do so out of necessity?" The doctor asked another question.

"I've been feeling hungry nearly every second of the day but my body just can't hold the food in for more than ten minutes so I end up throwing it all up."

During the Q&A session, James stood idly, lingering in the corner. His eyes betrayed a sense of concern as he tried to mask the impact of learning that Yasmine had been struggling to keep food down for the past week.

"Some women go through this during their pregnancy so there's no cause for alarm yet." He reassured Yasmine, "Mr. Lee," The doctor turned to James, "I will prescribe an additional dosage of medication to help prevent nausea but in addition to that, It's important for your wife to avoid foods and scents that might trigger her nausea. I recommend that she takes it easy and avoids putting too much stress on her body for the time being. I will also provide you with a preferred diet plan that you can try to implement to help manage her symptoms."

"Ah- Yes... I'll make sure to do all that." James stuttered, he was visibly thrown off by the doctor referring to Yasmine as his wife.

Yasmine too, shyly bowed her head to try and hide the blush that crept onto her face.

The doctor who was oblivious to what his statement caused kept on going. "For the first few months, I strongly advise you two to abstain from sexual activity while her body is trying to get used to the changes of pregnancy... As for you, Mr. Lee, occasionally giving her massages and foot rubs can help trigger a positive emotional response in your wife." He turned to Yasmine who was trying her best to hide in the corner, "Mrs. Lee, you should try to refrain from doing manual labor or anything that would cause you stress and pain, even some household chores... I hope your husband helps around the house?"

If Yasmine didn't feel like crawling into a hole before, she certainly felt like it now. "Y-yes, he does." She just said yes. That was easier than explaining their messed-up situation to the clueless doctor.

"Have you gone for the ultrasound yet?"

"Not yet," Yasmine replied, her tone tinged with resignation. "But I finally managed to secure an appointment for Wednesday morning." The chaos of the day had overshadowed the appointment completely, and it wasn't until the doctor mentioned it that Yasmine's mind snapped back to it. She couldn't shake the dread that had settled in the pit of her stomach. "Will I be able to go home today?" she asked, her voice betraying her desperate hope. Hospitals held a turbulent mix of emotions for Yasmine, and the memories of her childhood experiences there still haunted her.

"Of course, there's no major reason to stay overnight. You can leave after I give Mr. Lee a rundown of what to get."

James's inner turmoil was evident as he struggled to contain his desire to protest. Despite his strong urge to keep Yasmine at the hospital for peace of mind, he couldn't ignore the visible relief that washed over her when the doctor announced that she was free to leave. "Okay," he begrudgingly agreed, torn between his concern for her well-being and the need to respect her wishes.

Once he had his chat with the doctor, he quickly got the prescription and diet plan before taking Yasmine back to the car, much to her delight.