Page 55 of Halfway to Hell
“Doll, Mom’s gonna sit with you,” he said softly. Sunday nodded, shifting slightly so he could stand.
“I’ll be right back.”
As he passed his mom, Kathryn touched his shoulder and gave him an encouraging smile. When Texas closed the door behind him, Kathryn smiled warmly at Sunday and settled onto the bed beside her, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face.
“How long have you been feeling sick?” she asked quietly.
Sunday thought for a moment, recalling the only recent time she’d felt off. “I threw up a few days ago,” she said slowly, “but it was after I had a cup of caffeinated coffee.” She shrugged faintly, as if trying to explain it away.Kathryn looked at Sunday curiously. “No other time?”
“No,” Sunday said emphatically.
“Have you felt okay otherwise, besides being physically sick?” Kathryn asked, ticking off the boxes in her mind. She hoped Texas and Sunday would come to the same conclusion on their own.
Sunday didn’t have to think long. “I got dizzy earlier when the nausea hit me. That’s been happening a lot.”
“The dizziness?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Sunday.”
“Hmmm?”
“When was your last cycle?”
Sunday heard the question but felt confused by what Texas’s mom was asking. She didn’t cycle. “What?” she whispered.
“Your period. When was your last one?” the older woman repeated gently.
Sunday lay there, miserable, trying to remember. As she searched her memory, her stomach twisted again. When she tried to sit up, Kathryn was faster, pushing the small bedside trashcan toward her. Sunday clutched it tightly as she began to throw up once more.
“About eight weeks ago,” she managed to say between dry heaves.
Texas walked back into the bedroom to find his mom holding Sunday’s hair back as she hugged the small trashcan. Setting down Kathryn’s tea gently, he went straight to the bed.
“Mom, should we take her to the hospital?” he asked, worry tightening his voice.
His mother shook her head slowly. “No. But I think you should run into town and get a pregnancy test.”
“No,” Sunday said, laying her head back on the pillow. “My cycle runs weird.”
Jerking upright, she barely got the trashcan under her mouth before throwing up again.
“It’s unpredictable,” she added, wiping her mouth with the damp cloth.
Kathryn shook her head, memories of Helen’s morning sickness flashing through her mind. “If you don’t want Texas to go get the pregnancy test, then we’ll take you to the ER.”
“If I don’t feel better in an hour, we can go to the ER,” Sunday groaned, her face still pressed over the trashcan.
Texas stepped into the hall, trying to keep himself together. He couldn’t lose it in front of his mom and Sunday—not now. He hadn’t even thought about the possibility of her becoming pregnant. They hadn’t talked about babies. Hell, he felt way too old to be a dad.
Sliding down the wall, he sat hard on the floor, head bowed.
The bedroom door creaked open behind him, and his mom stepped quietly into the hall.
“She doesn’t have food poisoning,” he told his mom.
“No, baby, she doesn’t. I think you should go pick up a pregnancy test—maybe multiples.”
