Damaged Hearts

Chapter 30

Zach

The house is extra quiet this morning. Nicole's not up, she called out today. She's been pretty sick all week. Mainly in the middle of the night. She wakes up, stomach churning, throwing up whatever's in her system. I can't sleep when she's like that, so I just sit with her, trying to comfort her as best as I can. I bring her water, hold her hair, rub her back, whatever I can do to make it a little easier for her. It's hard to watch, harder than I thought it would be. I didn't know symptoms started this soon. She only found out she was pregnant 2 weeks ago.

I wish there was something I could do for her, but for now, my job is to make sure the kids get off to school without a hiccup. They know the routine, but today feels a little more delicate than usual.

Audra's sitting at the kitchen table, a bowl of cereal in front of her, half-eaten. She's staring at it like she's got something on her mind. I'm sure she's worried about Nicole. She's always up, getting them off to school and today she's not.

I lean against the counter, keeping my voice low and gentle. "You good, kiddo?"

She looks up, "Yeah, is mom okay?"

"She's fine. She's just tired."

"But is she still sick?"

"I don't think anymore."

"Well is she gonna be like this everyday?"

"I hope not." I sigh and glance toward the hallway where Landon's bedroom door is still half closed.

He's still in bed. I enter and gently shake his shoulder, trying not to wake him too harsh. "Landon, wake up. You got school."

"Five more minutes," he mumbles into his pillow.

I chuckle quietly. "I think five minutes are up, bud, c'mon."

His eyes flutter open, a little confused at first. He rubs his face with the back of his hand. "Where's Mom?"

"She's resting today," I tell him, keeping my voice calm, trying to make it sound like it's no big deal. "She's not feeling good, so we're gonna let her sleep in."

"Okay," he says, his voice still heavy with sleep. He throws the covers off and swings his legs to the side of the bed.

Before I leave to take the kids to school, I peek in on Nicole. She's still asleep, wrapped up in the covers.

Quietly walking over to her with the note I wrote for her in hand, she wakes up before I manage to get it on the nightstand.

"Hey." She blinks.

"Hey sweetie. How you feel?" I sit on the edge of the bed. Brushing her hair away from her face.

"Like I haven't slept in a week."

"That tired?"

"Mhm." She groans.

"I'm sorry." I kiss her forehead. "I'm gonna get the kids to school then I'll be back. I go in after lunch, work the night. You think that'll be okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah. I'll be fine."

"Cause if not, we could ask your mom to get the kids, bring them home?"

"No no. It's good. I'm fine."

"Okay." I take in a breath. "I'm just worried about you."

"Don't be worried about me." She insists.

I laugh, "you are my wife. I'm always going to worry."

She sits up a little and touches my arm. "Honey, I'm fine."

Kissing her once more, I stand back up and leave the room, leaving the door cracked this time.
•••
I'm leaning against the hood of the patrol car, taking a break after chasing down a couple of assholes who thought they could outrun Trent and I. The night's been chaotic, and I'm running on adrenaline more than anything else. I'd kill for a couple of hours of sleep, but there's something eating at me—Nicole.

Trent snorts as he stretches out, cracking his neck. "So, how's the ol' lady holding up? Still puking her guts out every morning like a fucking champ?"

I let out a tired laugh, rubbing my forehead. "Yeah. It's bad, man. Worse than I thought it'd be. She can't even keep a cracker down without getting sick."

Trent raises an eyebrow, looking over at me like he's about to spill some money making wisdom. "That's a rough start, but listen to me, once she gets through that shit? You're gonna need to strap in, man. It's like flipping a switch. She's gonna want you so goddamn much, you won't know what hit you."

I snort, shaking my head. "What are you talking about?"

Trent grins, that familiar shit-eating smirk plastered across his face. "I'm talking about the horny-as-fuck stage. You know—when she's past the nausea and the cravings and everything else, and all of a sudden, she's gonna be all over you like a fucking cat in heat."

My eyes widen as I realize what he's getting at, but I can't help the chuckle that escapes me. "Man, what? Really?"

Trent laughs, slapping me on the back like he's breaking some kind of sacred man-code. "Hell yeah, you better be prepared. Cassidy was fucking crazy. She wanted to fuck like it was her job. I'm telling you, once that switch gets flipped, she's gonna be on you harder than a damn freight train. You won't even have time to breathe before she's throwing herself at you."

I raise an eyebrow. "Seriously? It's that intense?"

"Are you kidding me?" Trent grins, pulling a bottle of water from the front seat. "You're gonna be the one begging for a break."

I laugh, shaking my head. "Man, you're something else."

Trent just shrugs, completely unfazed. "Yeah, well, get your shit together. Trust me, it's a hell of a lot more fun than hearing her puke every morning."

I shake my head again, smiling despite the exhaustion in my bones. "Well, shit. Guess I've got something else to look forward to then."

Trent pats me on the back, chuckling. I would love nothing more then to get through this part of pregnancy. I can't even imagine what it would be like if she was horny all the time instead? That seems intense but I'm all about it. Bring it on baby.