Page 41 of Zone Protection

I slide my hands up her thighs, which are resting on my legs. I keep one hand on her leg and move my other around her waist, pulling her in a little more. I’m about to pull her completely onto my lap when she breaks the kiss, covers her mouth, and jumps up.

“Emma, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” I get up and follow her down the hall to the bathroom.

She barely makes it to the toilet before throwing up. I kneel behind her and pull her hair back with one hand.

After a few minutes, she leans back against me, and I let go of her hair.

“I’m so sorry. That’s gross.” She reaches over and pulls off a piece of toilet paper and wipes her mouth.

“It’s okay, darlin’. You’ve been feeling pretty good, right?” I rub up and down her arms.

“Yeah, I haven’t thrown up in a few weeks, but maybe I ate too much tonight. I was sitting, a little bent over, and I just felt a wave of nausea. How embarrassing.” She leans her head against my shoulder.

“Don’t apologize. I should be the one apologizing. I did this to you.” I place a kiss on the side of her head. “Can I get you a water or something else that sounds good?”

She shakes her head. “Nothing sounds good, but I should probably drink something.”

I move my hands down to her waist and wrap my arms around her. “You feel like you can get up, or do you want to stay still for a few more minutes?”

“It feels like it’s passed now. I should be fine. I’m going tobrush my teeth though.” She places her hands over mine on her stomach.

I give her one more kiss on the side of her head and unwind my arms from around her and stand. I hold out my hand for her to take as she gets off the floor.

“Why don’t you brush, and I’ll go grab you a cold water?”

We walk over to the sink.

She looks up at me and smiles softly. “Thank you for holding my hair, Archie. That was really sweet.”

“That’s what I’m here for, darlin’. Here to spend time with you, yeah, but I want to take care of you and the baby.” I kiss her forehead and squeeze her hand. “I’ll meet you on the couch when you’re ready.”

She nods, and I walk out and into the kitchen. I don’t see any bottles of water in the refrigerator, so I nose around through the cabinets, looking for a thermos.

I find a Stanley and pull it out of the cabinet. I put ice in first, then fill it with water from the door on the refrigerator. Then I think about the weird mixture she likes with the 7UP and blue Powerade and grab another thermos from the cabinet and mix that for her too. As I walk over to the couch, I see her coming down the hall.

“Feel a little better?” I wait for her to come closer and let her sit down first. When she sits, I hold out both to her. “This is water, and this one is the mixed drink you like. I wasn’t sure which one you’d want.”

“Thanks, Archie,” she says as she lifts the cup with the mix slightly, then shifts her body so her knees are bent and she’s angled.

“Not a problem, darlin’.” I set the other one on the coffee table and take a seat and turn toward her. “Why don’t we pick a movie and you get some rest?”

She nods, then rests her head on the back of the couch cushion.

I pick up the remote control off the coffee table and lean back.The television is playingHocus Pocus, but it looks like it’s almost over. Yes, I’ve seen it before, and I know when the ending is near.

“Do you want to watch the rest of this or find something new?”

“It doesn’t matter to me. I had this one on because my sister and I had watched it the Halloween before her last surgery.”

I haven’t wanted to ask too many questions, but since she’s giving me an opening, I’m gonna take it.

“Tell me about your sister. What was she like?”

I look over at her. She has a soft smile on her face, so I don’t think she’s upset that I asked.

“My sister’s name is—was Sunny. She was only six when she died, but in the short time she was with us, she was just special, you know?” She looks at me.

I reach over and put my hand on her knee. “So, she was a happy kid?”

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