Long Day

The following morning, Lucy woke up when a sharp wave of nausea rolled through her, jolting her fully awake.

She clutched her stomach and sat up quickly, her breathing shallow. The queasiness grew worse, forcing her to stumble out of bed and rush to the bathroom.

Tom stirred as he heard her footsteps and the sound of retching from the adjoining bathroom. Concern etched on his face as he hurried out of bed and went after her.

"Jewel?" he called softly as he pushed the bathroom door open. Lucy was hunched over the toilet, her hands gripping the edge of the seat as her body convulsed.

"I'm fine," she managed weakly, waving him off between bouts of vomiting.

Tom crouched beside her, gently pulling her hair back and rubbing her back in slow, soothing circles. "This doesn't look fine to me," he said, his voice soft with worry as he filled the sink cup with water and handed it to her to rinse her mouth.