Sunday Snippet: Morning Sickness

Well, March definitely enters the year with a roar. We've had the crazy weather that hops back and forth between warm and cold along with snow showers, thunderstorms, and thirty-degree temperature changes in twenty-four hours. Weirdly, it's somehow fitting that March is my birth month. Volatile and a wee bit mercurial.

 

My focus is still all over the place, but I have multiple work projects, which helps when I need a change of scenery. It drives me batty when I read the same paragraph over and over because I keep getting distracted by everything. Being able to hop from one manuscript to another helps in a weird way.

 

Had a decent week of viewing. Still not quite getting a full slate in, but I'm happy with the shows I'm keeping up with. I'm having issues with one of the streamers on a device, but I got the show watched despite the tech glitches.

 

Started out with the finale of Agatha Raisin. I have a bonus behind-the-scenes episode to watch then it's on to a new show. I'll miss this one. I've had so much fun watching the characters interact and solve mysteries.

 

Caught another Silent Witness episode. So sorry about Jack's dad. And the whole deal with his mom is beyond sad. Very nice to see Nikki be there for him. I'm wondering about Simone at the moment and Sam is playing a very cagey game.

 

Enjoyed another Death in Paradise. I'd seen most of this one and enjoyed it the first time. I love Martha to bits and can't wait to finish Humphrey's run to start Beyond Paradise in the near future.

 

Watched another episode of Elementary. Interesting episode and I'm almost sorry the FBI lady will live to show up again in the future.

 

Caught an episode of The Batman. I had vague memories of watching this the first time but not everything. I'm still not sure how I feel about Batgirl. I think I end up liking her better once Robin enters the show.

 

Enjoyed another episode of Classic Rugrats. I didn't remember either of the vignettes, which I'm kind of happy about. The later seasons were kind of hit or miss for us when the kiddos were young.

 

Finished the second season of The Secret Life of Amy Benson and I'm really hoping we get a third. I'm invested in the characters and want to see what happens next.

 

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Morning Sickness, a novella that explores what happens when a couple isn't quite ready for parenthood.

 

Here's the miniblurb:

 

Dava Whales has all the classic signs of pregnancy, except she can't possibly be with child—she's a solider in the middle of a war and religiously takes her mandatory birth control shots. When Warren Carter suggests Dava get checked out, the pricklier than usual officer goes ballistic—especially since Warren is the other half of the parental equation.

 

And a sneaky peek…

 

Warren braced for anything when Dava waved a paper in front of him. "What are you giving me here?" He took the sheet but didn't look at it.

Her lips twisted. "Not a kid, so you can relax." She plopped down into a chair across from his desk and slumped against the backrest.

Warren didn't visibly react, but relief filled him … and maybe a twinge of disappointment. "Then what's going on with you?" A kick of worry crawled down his spine.

Did Dava have some kind of serious illness?

A vice tightened around his heart at the thought. He couldn't lose her … Wait, no, he couldn't lose his friend and pilot. They weren't anything more than that, with the exception of the benefits package they took advantage of.

Dava waved a hand toward the paper she'd handed him. "It's all right there on the page. I'm one of the lucky three percent of the entire population with a very specific reaction to the new birth control shots." Her shoulders slumped. "They make my body think it's pregnant … hence the morning sickness and crazy symptoms." She grimaced.

Warren finally glanced at the fitness report. "So, the mood swings, bouts of fatigue, and throwing up are because of the shots?" Damn, it sucked to be her right now.

Dava snorted. "Let's not forget the whole crazy impulse to jump you whenever you're within five feet of me. I mean—" She broke off, her eyes welling.

Warren put the report down, backed away from the desk, and rounded the edge to kneel in front of her. "Talk to me, Dava. Come on, let's work through this." He caught her hand in his and tugged her up and over to the small couch in the corner. "Tell me what's wrong." He got her settled then eased down beside her.

Tears spilled over lashes, and she shook her head. "Nothing. Everything. I have no idea." She rubbed at her cheeks.

Warren wrapped his arm around her, and she buried her face in his shoulder. He stroked his palm over her head, letting her cry because he could only imagine the emotional roller coaster she couldn't stop. Hell, his head spun, and he didn't have the excuse of pinging hormones.

When she finally exhausted the waterworks, her head lifted. "Geez, I'm such a mess." She dabbed at her eyes with her shirtsleeve.

Warren huffed out a laugh. "At least we know why." He hugged her close. "I'm sorry you're going through this. What can I do to help?"

She raised her chin and held his gaze. "Brace for impact. Because Kellerman said it'll be three months before they can get the old version of the shots." She patted her pocket. "I have meds to keep me from throwing up, but everything else…" She exhaled on a long sigh. "Is still going to be a problem." Her lips twisted in a wry smile.

Warren let out a low whistle. "So … the mood swings and fatigue…" Damn … for three months.

Dava gave a nod. "Yeah, they aren't going anywhere for a while." She flashed a smile. "On the flipside, neither is the impulse to get you naked so there's that." Her eyebrows waggled.

Warren's lips quirked. "I'll try very hard to be accommodating whenever the urge strikes." The least he could do.

Their life would be rather interesting over the next ninety days…

 

Warren is in for a bumpy ride, but Dava is worth the rollercoaster experience.

 

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

 

ML Skye