Chapter 19

The next morning, I woke up satisfied and hungry. Those stupid books I read said that an increased appetite is a common pregnancy symptom, but I had to start watching what I eat. I didn’t want to look like a whale.

I slept as peacefully and as innocently as a child. I stared at the curve of her belly as my thoughts repeated themselves in my mind.

A child.

A wild leap of something like joy jumped unexpectedly in my chest.

A child!

And not just any child. This was Ray’s child.

No matter what the circumstances, the procreation of life was always a miracle.

An hour later, I showered, dressed, and went to work. I dropped by the office first thing. After checking the emails and answering machine to find no one had left us any pressing matters to attend to, I decided to head out and spend the day in the field. For some reason, I wanted to be active today.

“Why the long face, Kara?” Paul Olson asked me, as soon as he stepped inside the office.

“Do I need a reason? I’m pregnant. I feel like felt like an overfilled water balloon.”

Paul raised his hands in a peace gesture. “Just checking on you?”

“I miss my husband and feel pathetic for wanting to be with Ray nonstop. There, I said it. Happy now?”

“You’re a newlywed. Of course, you want to spend every waking hour with your loved one. I could barely stand being away from Mary when we got married,” Paul shared with me. “It will get worse when you have your baby.”

Paul surprised me because he was usually very reserved about his personal life.

He was right, I was, indeed, a newlywed, it suddenly struck me we’d totally bypassed a honeymoon. I should ask Ray tonight if he wanted to go away for a few days. We had a long weekend ahead.

I grinned. Ray would probably want to see a NASCAR race, which was perfectly fine by me. Maybe I should tell him I wanted to attend the craft fair.

“Do you know what we need?” I asked Ray that evening, as soon as he entered our place.

“What’s that?” he asked, leaning down to give me a kiss.

“A short honeymoon. We have been riding an emotional roller coaster since you came back to Middletown. We deserve some days of rest and relaxation.”

Ray laughed. “That’d be nice, but what about my job”

“There is a four-day holiday weekend soon. I think we should go somewhere and just relax.”

“I don’t know, Kara. You’re pregnant.”

“So? Being pregnant doesn’t mean I’m sick. I’m just a bit plump, and I need to pee a lot. Come on, Ray, we can see a NASCAR race.”

“Tempting, but I don’t feel like being around noise and crowds.”

“Then, let’s fly to Florida. We can sit on hammocks while waves crash onto the beach around us. I can go to the spa and get pampered and we can take moonlight walks and dinner under the stars.”

“Not a bad idea. Let me make some calls. I’ll handle it.”

I always hated flying. All these people packed into a sardine can soaring high in the sky.

Ray helped me off the flight. His arm was cinched tightly around my waist, holding me up. I spent the majority of the flight in the small overly cramped bathroom throwing up. It was the food. That’s what I told Ray. But in all honesty, the moment I smelled the processed chicken in First Class I knew it was going to be a long flight. He tried to comfort me. He even held me while I tried to sleep.