The Guard To My Sanctuary

Chapter 22

Elm

I ran to the toilet, almost tripping on a pair of shoes I had left on the floor, and spilled my guts out. I had been throwing up violently for three days. I knew morning sickness sucked for everyone, but it was almost unbearable for me. I felt like my body was trying to regurgitate sand whenever I ran to the bathroom. Suffice it to say, I was not enjoying my first month of pregnancy and was scared this would be the norm for the duration. I was experiencing the worst insomnia I had ever dealt with in my life. I was always tired; it felt like I couldn't get enough sleep no matter how long I lay in bed.

I had to eat so much because my metabolism made it hard for me to gain the weight that I needed to, and I was constantly dehydrated despite drinking around a gallon and a half of water. I went from hating Marco's Dominican ass to becoming a complete baby and not wanting him to leave me due to the mood swings. I was really feeling out of control of my body in ways that reminded me of how I felt when I was trapped in Trenton.

"You shouldn't be causing me problems yet. You're barely a clump of cells. Why are you causing Daddy so many problems? We are going to have to figure something out because this is not going to work for me, and it's best that you learn now that what I say goes," I spoke to my fetus. I got up, brushed my teeth, walked out to my room, stripped of my clothes, and changed into a pair of sweats and a T-shirt. Walking downstairs, I laughed at a stupid joke I thought of when I noticed I had no shoes on.

"Barefoot and pregnant."

"What are you laughing at like that?" my dad asked, coming in from outside, his phone in his hand.

"Nothing," I said, walking to the kitchen, not wanting to give him any fuel for his corny jokes.

"Yeah, right. How are you feeling?" he said, putting his hand up to my forehead concernedly.

"I'm fine, Daddy," I said, moving away from his touch.

"Alright, just checking. I don't want you to hurt yourself or the baby," he said, sitting down on the couch.

"I promise you I'm fine, just a little tired. If something was wrong, I would tell you, or Marco would tell you," I told him in between a yawn.

"Elm, I need to ask you a favor. You know how you said you wanted me to get back to dating, right?" he asked, obviously about to ask for a favor.

"Yes, I remember," I responded, sensing a questioning tone.

"Well, how would you feel about meeting her tonight for dinner?" he asked, his head still turning to the television he had turned on.

"I'd be thrilled to meet her," I said honestly. I wanted my dad to be happy and healthy as much as I wanted the same for me.

"Great, because I just invited her over around eight. Also, I need you to do me a favor," my dad said.

"Yeah, sure," I said inquisitively, knowing I was about to be put to work.

"Well, could you cook dinner for tonight? It will just be the three of us. Pine and Alder already met her, but I wanted her to get to know you in a low-threat environment," he asked, knowing I would do it. I had always been the type to do or give without asking for much in return.

"Sure, that's not a problem," I told him. I wanted to stay and talk more, but my gut had another idea. I briskly walked upstairs to my room, shutting the door, and went directly to my bathroom, where I threw up again. When I was done, I flushed and just sat there, waiting for myself to calm down. I was starting to feel something was off, but I wasn't sure what was happening. I was so tired that all I could do was swish a capful of mouthwash around in my mouth and walk to my bed. I checked my phone and responded to texts from my brothers, uncle, Thalia, and Marco before setting an alarm for five so I could take a much-needed nap. When my alarm went off, I jumped up, not feeling much better than before I went to sleep. Yawning, I crawled out of bed and walked downstairs to find myself alone in the house, which confused me because I was never left home alone. Then I heard the sound of metal clinking together, so I walked to the back deck and saw my dad lifting weights.