Roses and Sonatas [Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns]

Chapter 48

We spent our honeymoon at the Bed of Roses Inn, a century-old monstrosity on the outskirts of my hometown. It had been a private home when I was a child, but it had been sold and converted into an inn. Despite the garish exterior, it was a lovely place, and the innkeepers were friendly and welcoming. It was surrounded by lavish gardens that featured, naturally, an impressive variety of roses. Our room was a little on the small side, especially furnished as it was in heavy old Victorian furniture, but it was comfortable and quiet. We spent most of our time at the inn, but we ventured out for a few excursions. I showed Cam all around the area, and we visited a few of my old friends. We even joined my parents and brother for dinner one evening, after a tour of the farm and a short ride through the nearby hills. All too soon, it was time to return to our home on the mountain.

Eileen had been busy in our absence, finishing the final renovations and repairs to my farm. So a little less than a week after we returned, I closed up the farmhouse in Konohana and we moved back to Bluebell. Soon afterwards, Ash proposed to Laney, who joyfully accepted—to both Howard's and Jessica's delight and to Cheryl's dismay. Georgia and Kana were dating by then, as were Nori and Hiro—finally. I had not seen Mikhail since my wedding night, though I had heard that he was still residing in Konohana.

The Sunday after our move, I woke up feeling very out of sorts. My head ached, and I felt strangely irritable, even going so far as to snap at Cam once or twice at breakfast. He seemed surprised, but he didn't say anything about it, just gave me an odd look.

After breakfast, I got up to clean up the kitchen when suddenly the floor seemed to shift under my feet. The next thing I knew, I was doubled over, heaving up my breakfast onto the kitchen floor. Cam came running, and held me up until I was done. Then he helped me to bed and brought me a damp washcloth, and he even cleaned up the mess on the floor. Afterwards, he came and checked on me, asking how I felt and peering closely at my face. I guess he didn't like what he saw, because the next thing I knew, he was telling me to stay put—he was going to get Dr. Ayame to take a look at me.

While I waited, I wondered if I could have picked a bad mushroom, but then I remembered I hadn't eaten any mushrooms recently. I wondered if I could have caught a virus, though I couldn't think where—no one else in the area had been sick lately, that I knew of anyway. I couldn't come up with any other possibilities, so I just lay in bed waiting for Cam to return. I was so tired, much more so than usual, and before long, I dozed off.

I was awakened some little while later by the doctor gently shaking my shoulder. "Alice? Wake up, kiddo. Cam says you're feeling under the weather." I struggled to sit up, but I suddenly felt ill again. Dr. Ayame saw it coming, though, and managed to grab a bin just in time. When I was finished, she sent Cam to wait out on the porch with Hiro and proceeded to examine me—took my temperature, listened to my heart and lungs, the usual things. Then she asked me a bunch of questions—where I'd been lately, if I'd eaten any strange foods, and so on. Finally she asked when I'd last had a pelvic examination. She was a little shocked when I told her I'd never had one, so she performed one right then and there, despite the less than ideal situation.

When she was done, she packed up her black bag and called for Hiro to bring Cam back in. He hurried over and sat next to me on the bed, holding my hand as he turned to the doctor with a worried look. "So what is it, doctor? Is it a virus? Food poisoning? How long until she feels better?"

The doctor gave him a serious look, then looked over at me and back to him. "Well, it's not a virus, nor is it bacterial. As for when she'll be better.... When was the first day of your last period, Alice?"

I blinked, wondering what that had to do with it. "Ummm, I'm not sure. They... they're not very regular. I think it was just before I went on my trip a couple of months ago? Yeah—I remember now, it ended just before I left."