After Ever After

12. Fever

"Where's Zara? There she is!"

Zara shrieked and giggled with glee, thoroughly enjoying the game of Hide & Seek with Harry, despite the fact it involved nothing more than Harry throwing a blanket over her head and pulling it back off again.

Tom had been right. He'd got you onto a private plane and annoyingly you liked it, though you felt slightly less guilty sharing it with the others. Sam and Paddy were busy playing cards, Dom asleep in his chair. The only person doing any kind of work was Nikki, who was writing up a new post for The Brother's Trust.

The plane dipped, taking your stomach with it, and you groaned softly as another wave of nausea washed over you.

"Are you sure you don't want to take something, dear?" Nikki asked, expression full of motherly concern.

As soon as the plane had left the tarmac you'd been overcome with motion sickness, fuelled by the recent increase in morning sickness. It was as if somehow knowing you were pregnant gave your body the thumbs up to make you feel as ill as possible.

A positive of the private plane was that you didn't have to share a bathroom with countless strangers and you'd been able to lie down for the majority of the flight, though sleep eluded you. It also eluded Zara, who enjoyed the freedom that came with a private plane, crawling up and down the length of the cabin, laughing maniacally as her Uncle's took it in turns to 'chase' after her. Despite having her Uncle's and grandparents undivided attention, she continued to seek you out, insisting that you play with her.

You shook your head, closing your eyes as you pinched the bridge of your nose. "No, thanks Nikki. We're nearly there" you sighed heavily.

You had a feeling that Nikki knew, though Tom had sworn he hadn't told her; fortunately she wasn't inclined to give you up. However, you had noticed her and Dom share a few knowing looks. It was a good thing you were telling them soon.

"Mama"

You cracked open an eye and smiled as Harry carried Zara over to you, placing her next to where you lay.

"Hey Possum. Were you playing with Uncle Harry?" you asked, gently running a finger down her spine, other hand moving to rest against her chest in case she tipped too far forwards or the plane dropped again.

Zara nodded, smiling at you. "Mama"

"Yes baby, I'm here" you mumbled, another wave of nausea washing over you - except it wasn't just nausea, it was the real thing.

You sat up, grabbing the nearby sick bag just in time to expel the meagre contents of your stomach. Your sudden and rather violent expulsion startled Zara, who promptly burst into tears. You were about to reach out to her when your stomach flipped again and you were left doubled over, retching into the bag.

"Mama!!" Zara wailed, and you as much as you wanted to comfort her, you were preoccupied with the quickly filling sick bag in your hands.

"Mama's okay, she's okay" Harry mumbled, quickly scooping Zara into his arms and walking her to the other end of the plane where he and the others did their best to console her.

"Here Y/N" Nikki said, holding out a fresh bag. You took it with shaky hands, grimacing as she took the nearly overflowing one. "It's alright, I've dealt with a lot of vomit in my time" Nikki said kindly, patting your shoulder gently as she went to dispose of it.

Dom, awake thanks to the commotion, rubbed his sleepy eyes and looked at you. "You pregnant or something Y/N?"

You froze, not daring to look at him.

"Y/N's had motion sickness before Dominic" Nikki said, the not-so-hidden message loud and clear - SHUT UP BIG MOUTH.

"Oh yes, that's right. You had it really bad when Tom took you on that river cruise in Verona, yeah?" Dom awkwardly covered in the wake of his wife's fearsome glare.