Kate & Ann

Not here

*Vomit Warning*
*Emetophobia Warning*

Love public puking 🙃

Kate was sick.

She was perched on the edge of her desk at the front of the lecture hall, legs crossed. Listening to her students discuss soldiers' experiences in Vietnam.

Except that she wasn't listening, not completely. Too much of her attention was focused on disguising the signs that she was ill. Difficult, considering how tight her dress pants were around her waist, how hot she felt in the jacket that typically kept her from freezing in this drafty room. How much her stomach was churning.

She swallowed. Bit her tongue gently as she shifted her position, looking at Tom as he articulated his opinion on the unreliability of first person accounts in extreme circumstances.

His voice sounded muffled, filtered through a haze of white noise.

Then. A pause. Eyes on her.

Another swallow, as she fought building nausea. She shouldn't have eaten oatmeal this morning. Shouldn't have had coffee. Frankly, shouldn't have gotten out of bed at all. She knew she was going to throw up; it was just a question of when.

Not now.

"Alright, thank you, Tom. That's an interesting point you raise." Another swallow; speaking required an open mouth, which only seemed to alert her stomach that more than words would be allowed to come out. No.

"What do we think about that, about the utility of reading soldiers' accounts of war? How does it affect our understanding of a conflict? What can we do to broaden that understanding to account for those not in uniform?"

Heads turned, eyes looked away. Thinking, or trying to dodge being called on. Kate swallowed a groan. Oh god. The nausea was almost unbearable now. She could feel the color draining from her cheeks, her heart beating hard and fast in her ears. Her fingers found a pen on the desk; she gripped it, fighting for control over her body, determined not to lose the fight.

Not here.

Somehow ten minutes passed. She wasn't sure how and wasn't sure what was said. But the moment she saw someone start packing up, she dismissed everyone as politely as was possible on the brink of vomiting.

Her hands were trembling as she slid her laptop into her shoulder bag, lips pressed tightly together. She couldn't swallow anymore, couldn't speak. Couldn't do anything other than silently pray she would make it to the bathroom without interruption.

The brief walk was torture. Everything in her stomach seemed to be collecting, preparing for ejection. Nausea had stopped coming in waves and was now simply clinging to her like sweat. Suffocating.

The vomit was in her throat as she pushed open the standalone gender-neutral bathroom, locking it with a shaky hand before dropping her bag to the floor and taking two quick steps to the toilet.

Hair collected to one side, she braced herself with her hands on her knees, leaning over the bowl that was thankfully, mercifully clean. The gag was immediate. Her stomach jerked, sending up a wave of partially digested breakfast that tasted acidic and bitter. She started coughing, almost choking on her breath. She was shaking now, properly.

A minute passed. A whole minute, which felt like an hour. Her stomach felt sicker than before, saliva continuing to collect in her mouth and yet... she couldn't bring anything else up. She unbuttoned her pants, pushing on her swollen stomach, but all it did was hurt.

Finally she gave up, spitting one final time before flushing the toilet in resignation. Her belly was still tight, bloated, churning. Kate washed her hands, glancing at the mirror and wincing. She looked like a sweaty ghost.

And now she had to drive home. Well, at least she was done for the day; she wouldn't have to miss a class or cancel office hours. Ugh, I hope I don't get sick in the car... She was fishing her keys from her bag, squinting in the sunlight that only made her feel warmer and worse, when she heard the voice.

"Happy birthday, babe." Ann. Kate looked up to see her girlfriend leaning against her car, holding a box wrapped in blue paper. Saw her joyful smile vanish as she took in Kate's appearance. Kate's weak, quiet "you're back..." was drowned out by Ann's agitated "Oh my god, what's wrong?"

Kate stopped walking several paces from the car, breathing shallowly through her mouth. She looked at Ann, trying to disguise how ill she was, knowing she was failing.

"Kate, shit, oh my god." Ann moved to Kate's side, touched her cheek. Looked her up and down, eyes full of concern. "Are you alright? What's going on?"

Kate looked away, swallowing. "I'm... I threw up. I'm sick, you shouldn't..." Ann shook her head. "I can get myself home. I'm sorry, I'm so happy to see you, it's just..."
"No, no, it's - don't apologize, you're sick, I'm not leaving." She felt Kate's forehead— fever.

"I'll drive, come on." She took Kate's keys before she had a chance to resist, unlocking the car and opening the passenger door. Kate hesitated before getting in without a word, accepting a plastic bag that Ann found in the back seat. Ugh. "Just in case," Ann explained unnecessarily.

Starting the car, Ann side-eyed her sick girlfriend, restless with worry. Kate wasn't making eye contact, wasn't speaking... she was just sitting, rigid, trembling a little. The plastic bag crinkled in her lap as she shifted, her breathing ragged and heavy.

"I'm sorry," Ann said softly, reaching across to take one of Kate's hands in her own as she drove off campus. Kate squeezed tightly, a gesture of unspoken gratitude. "Did you... did you make it to a bathroom?"

Kate nodded, swallowing thickly. Ann made a noise of approval, her eyes returning to the road. After a minute of silent driving, Kate moaned softly. It was obvious, now – she was going to barf in this car. The motion had pushed her nausea back to its peak, loosening her grip on Ann's hand.

Ann heard the moan, looked at her. "Okay, it's okay, hold on..." She pulled the car onto the grass at the edge of a large forest. Fingers pressed to her lips, Kate exited the vehicle as quickly as possible, running several steps before bending over and throwing up all over the pine needles.

She felt Ann's fingers in her hair, pulling it away from her face. "You're alright, darling. Here..." Ann reached around Kate to lay a hand on her stomach, which felt slightly swollen beneath her clothes. Kate nodded shakily, granting permission.

Ann pressed down, forcing up a gurgling burp. "It's okay, babe..." More pressure, and a horrible belch brought up a massive amount of thin liquid, triggering wet coughs and making Kate lose her balance. Ann steadied her, rubbing her back, waiting for it to be over.

Finally Kate swallowed, straightening as she turned to face Ann. "I think I'm done. Thank you, ohhh... thank you." She leaned into her girlfriend, weak but deeply grateful to be rid of the nausea. "I missed you."
"I missed you too, my love."

For a minute they simply stood there together. Kate's breathing slowing down, birds chirping in the trees. Ann's chest rising and falling gently against Kate's cheek. "Happy birthday," Ann said quietly, a trace of amusement in her voice.

Kate managed a smile, pulling away and looking at Ann with tired eyes. "Will you take me home?"
Ann kissed her hair. "You know the answer is yes."