The Crying Bridge

The Crying Bridge--Chapter 28

 Del had grilled some chicken breasts on the gas grill before Evan got home and had made chicken salad with it. She had planned on them having chicken salad sandwiches with slices of fresh tomato but had gotten terribly ill after making it, so she was eating pretzels and cheese while Evan enjoyed the other food.

"So Lana is getting married, too?" Evan asked around a mouthful of tomato.

"That's what she said," Del replied. She was resting her head on her hand while she ate a pretzel and sipped some iced ginger ale that Evan had brought home for her. She felt awful and the worst part was that she was truly hungry but couldn't stand the thought of eating anything more than the meager dinner before her.

"Well, good for her, I guess," Evan said, not really caring what Lana did. "Now tell me what the doctor said."

Del shrugged. "She can see me next week on Thursday, the day before we leave. I'll be exactly six weeks pregnant and she said we may or may not be able to see the heartbeat on the ultrasound. Six weeks is the earliest it can be detected."

"And did she say anything about how sick and exhausted you've been?"

"Well, that's just part of pregnancy," Del said. "Hopefully it will improve as I get out of the first trimester, but there's still seven more weeks of that. She gave me some tips and I did some research on things that can help. She told me if it gets worse, she can prescribe me something, but I'm not taking any drugs, no matter how bad it gets. There's lots of natural remedies I can try," she raised the ginger ale. "Ginger is one of them. I'm going to Whole Foods Market tomorrow to get some prenatal vitamins and I'll look into some different things there."

"Did you ask about your appetite?" Evan asked her. He was worried that she and the baby wouldn't get what they needed if Del continued to eat pretzels and cheese cubes for dinner.

"She said to do my best, to eat frequent, small meals and try to get in all the food groups," Del told him. "But she also said that the baby will take what it needs from me, regardless of what I eat. She said the biggest danger is dehydration if I continue to throw up frequently, so I have to make sure to stay hydrated. But no more caffeine."

"And she's okay with you running everyday?" The internet research was not enough for him. He needed to know both Del and the baby were safe.

Del nodded. "Yes, she said it was good to continue as long as I felt like it. And the exercise does help me feel better. I'm always less nauseous and have more of an appetite afterwards. I have to be careful not to get overheated, but that's it. And as soon as we get back from our trip, I'm going to look into some prenatal exercise classes, yoga, maybe a pool class."

"There's a gym in Amesville that offers things like that," Evan said. "I used to have a membership there before I started working at the youth center. It's a nice place. I think you'll like it."

Del knew there was one other thing he was still concerned about. She smiled at him. "And she said we can have as much sex in as many different positions as we want."

Evan smiled back. "Yeah?"

"Mmm hmm," Del said, eating a piece of cheese. "And if you get me a scoop of that raspberry sorbet from the freezer, you might just get lucky."

"I would be happy to get you some sorbet," Evan said. "But I know you aren't feeling well, so we can just watch television and go to sleep early if you want."

Del was suddenly feeling better. She took one last sip of ginger ale and moved to his lap. She kissed him slowly and thoroughly. "I think I'd rather have sex," she whispered seductively. "And the sorbet, of course."