Page 61 of 5+Us Makes Seven

“You filtering the water?”

“Through a sieve and over a fire if it comes from the river. But I’ve been sticking to bottled water ever since the nausea set in,” I said.

“What do you mean?”

“I think I’ve picked up a virus somewhere. The headaches are getting worse and my nausea hasn’t really gone away since the campfire. I haven’t thrown up, but it’s been rolling my stomach.”

“That’s enough for me to warrant some blood tests. Your blood pressure is a little low, but that might be because you’re constantly burning the

candle at both ends and you can’t do that shit here.”

“Don’t get upset with me, Clark. You know how I am.”

“Full speed ahead. But your body’s giving you signs that you need to slow down. Listen, or you can’t stay here to do your job.”

And as much as I hated it, he had a point.

He gave me a bottle of water and handed me a meal bar. I snacked on it as I sat in the tent, waiting for his basic blood testing to be over with. He wasn’t allowing me to go back to work until he knew exactly what was going on. Probably because he wanted to escort me wherever I went. I laid down on the medical cot and closed my eyes, allowing myself to slip back into a dream world.

I could see Carter’s smiling face before my arm was jostled.

“Natasha?”

“Hmm?”

“Wake up,” Clark said.

“What?” I asked.

“I have your blood tests back. We need to talk.”

“I have a parasite, don’t I?” I asked.

“If you want to call it that, sure. But I think you might feel better calling it a ‘fetus’.”

I shot up off the cot before the room began to spin.

“The nausea. The headaches. The fatigue. Your skin being more sensitive than usual. Natasha, you’re pregnant.”

“What?” I asked flatly.

“Judging by your hCG levels, you’re very pregnant. Two and a half to three months along,” Clark said.

“I’m what?” I asked.

He snickered and shook his head as he helped me up from the cot.

“We have to get you started on prenatals, and you’re lucky I have some. We’ve made it a point to start handing them out to women who come and see us who are pregnant.”

“I’m pregnant?” I asked.

“Do you want to see the blood work yourself?”

“No, no. I’m… okay?”

“Was that a thought? Or a declaration?”

“I don’t know?”

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