About Time

Chapter Seventeen - Hospital

The next morning, Cal took Gillian to the appointment at 9am. A nurse came in and asked the preliminary questions and then left.
"Cal, I feel horrible."
He knew she did. She'd felt horrible for the last week. Every day she felt worse. She still managed to walk around the office with a smile on her face and she could shop till she dropped and for some reason could keep down chocolate chip cookies, but everything else always came back up and Cal could tell it was wearing on her.
"Hi, Ms. Foster. I'm Dr. Allen. Dr. Ryan had to take a sick day." A man said as he walked in. "We're going to do some blood work but I suspect you're suffering from hyperemesis gravidarium. Or extreme morning sickness."
"How long does it last?" Cal asked.
"It usually improves around 20 weeks of pregnancy."
"Great." Gillian moaned sarcastically.
"Depending on how bad it, you might hospitalized until we get you back to normal."
"Cal-"
"It's okay, Gill."
Dr. Allen drew her blood and took it to the lab. Cal and Gillian chose to go sit in the waiting room rather than stay back in the exam room.
Gillian laced her fingers through Cal's while they waited. They sat and talked quietly and to anyone who didn't know them, they would've thought they were married. Hell, they practically were. They fought and argued and said I love you when they hung up the phone, they always had. The only thing they were missing was a shared home and wedding rings. Though the first one seemed to be changing and both secretly hoped the second would too.
They waited for an hour and a half. Finally, Dr. Allen came back.
"You do indeed have hyperemesis gravidarum. You're in ketosis and you're very nearly dehydrated. We are going to go ahead and admit you to the hospital for a few days. After that, we'll give you a prescription to help with the nausea."
He walked away and Gillian looked at Cal.
"What about work and Sophie and-"
"Gill, you've got to stop worrying about work. It's not like I'm going to fire you. And Sophie can stay with me."

A few hours later, Cal picked Sophie up from daycare. Gillian had been admitted and gotten settled in her room. Or as settled as she could get anyway. She was continuing to stress over nothing, and Cal had no bloody idea why.
Sophie was currently asking for ice cream in the backseat.
"Please!"
"No, Sophie, it's almost time for dinner."
"Please!"
"After you eat. We're going to see your mama right now."
"Ice cream!"
"No. Not now."
Cal's phone rang as Sophie started crying. It was Gill. Great, she was never going to leave him alone with Sophie, or any child for that matter, ever again.
"Hello?"
"Did you- Why is she crying? What did you do?"
"You automatically assume that this is my fault?"
"Cal..."
He could tell by her tone that Gillian was not messing around and that he better tell her why her daughter was crying now.
"Bloody hell, Gill. I just told her that she can't have ice cream until after she eats."
"Oh. Well take her somewhere before you come here then. I mean, you can go by your house and feed her if you don't want to buy-"
That was quite possibly the dumbest thing he'd ever heard come out of Gillian Foster's mouth.
"Gill, you think I'm worried about money? You've been doing my finances long enough to know that I'm not. I'm going to take her to eat and get ice cream and then I'll bring her to come see you."
"I didn't-"
"Bye, Gill. I'll see you later, love."

Gillian sighed as he hung up the phone.
Why was this so complicated? All of it- Sophie, this pregnancy, work, her relationship with Cal, her entire life at the moment basically.
If she was being honest with herself, it was mostly Cal. She didn't know where they stood. This was they had created the line. So they didn't up in a situation like this. A situation where they weren't a couple but they weren't just business partners and best friends anymore either. A situation where they could kiss each other every once in a while but the moment they said I love you to each other, it grew awkward. Even though they both knew the other meant it.
She was drawn out of her thoughts by someone knocking on her door.
"Come in!"
A man who probably in his late twenties came in.
"Are you Gillian Foster?"
"Yes."
"I have two flower deliveries for you."
The first one he brought in was filled with daisies and carnations and dahlias. He placed on the small rolling table beside her bed. Gillian read the card as he went to retrieve the other.

"Get well soon!

Ria, Anna, Eli, and the rest of The Lightman Group"

Gillian smiled. Sometimes her employees drove her insane but then moments like this made her realize they were the best and she wouldn't trade them for the world.
The second bouquet was huge and was made of red and pink roses. Gillian thanked the delivery man as he left and reached for the card though she was pretty sure she already knew who the roses were from.

"Feel better, darling.

Cal, Sophie, and Emily"

She stared at the roses, admiring their beauty and Cal's thoughtfulness. It was his handwriting, she'd know the messy yet elegant script anywhere. It was no doubt Emily's idea but the fact that Cal had carried it out spoke volumes.
There was a knocking on the door that made Gillian jump.
It was only Cal and Sophie. Gillian realized she must have sat there much longer than she thought.
"Mama!"
Sophie ran and practically jumped on the bed.
"Calm down, Soph. I'm right here." Gillian laughed. "Did you eat?"
"Yeah, chicken nuggets and ice cream!"
"No macaroni?"
"That twoo!"
"I asked and that's what she wanted." Cal said.
"Did you eat?"
"She wanted me to eat what she did. So I got chicken nuggets and macaroni."
"Oh no, how did you survive?"
"It went against my no-eating-meat-not-cooked-in-front-of-me policy."
Gillian rolled her eyes. He missed out on many delicious things because of that stupid rule.
"I see you got my flowers."
"I did. They're beautiful. Thank you."
"Well, Sophie picked them out. I just paid and signed the card."
"They're very pretty." She told Sophie.
"Thank you!" Sophie answered with a huge grin.
"I called Emily. She wanted to come back but I told her I would call her with updates and that I signed the flowers with her name too."
"It was your idea?"
Cal pretended to act offended.
"I am capable of good ideas every so often."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
"You bring out the best in me, love. You always have. But I can see where you thought this might have been Emily's idea."
Small pause.
"So who sent the others? Do I have any competition?"
"You've never had any competition."
Gillian realized what she'd just said and covered her mouth. Cal just grinned.
"Not even Rader?"
Gillian giggled.
"Definitely not Rader. They're from the office."
"Right. I called them to let them know that you won't be in for the rest of the week or next week either."
"Next week? Why next week?"
"You're going to stay home and relax. And don't argue with me. I can handle the bills and payroll this once."
"Cal, you don't even know how much you get paid every week."
"When it comes to the Group's money, you're meticulous, darling. You write down everything. It can't be that hard to figure out."
"If you need help, promise you'll ask."
"Of course I'll ask. You're staying with me after all."
"Mama, are you sick?" Sophie asked, interrupting the conversation.
"Just a little bit. I already feel better. I'll be home soon."
"Meanwhile, you get to stay with me." Cal told her.
"Yay!"
Gillian thought that maybe her life wasn't that complicated after all.