The nausea kept it all from feeling surreal.
In no small part, this was because she was tired in a way she had never been before. She caught cat naps at work and at home. She fell asleep by 7 on the couch with Joseph. She had to all but drag herself out of bed, a brand-new experience for her.
And of course, when she wasn't nauseous at the smell of some of her favorite things, like fresh-baked bread, or chocolate, or apples, or water, she was absolutely ravenous. Basically, it was like having the worst flu ever while also recovering from the worst flu ever and coming down with the worst flu ever.
It was therefore unsurprising that she had trouble thinking clearly -- except during her lunches with Victoria. Then, her mind felt clear and bright, and everything made enormous sense, and she felt like the fog didn't so much lift as evaporate in the morning sunlight.
Which made it a real shame that it seemed to come back to the point that she couldn't remember much of what they'd discussed as soon as they parted. Perhaps most worryingly of all, that was beginning to seem normal.
But Victoria kept reassuring her it would get better, and Victoria was not only the best friend she had ever had, she was always right -- sort of like her mother, who had said the same thing.
All of this was how she came to be in the expansive and expensive office of a luxury doctor Victoria had recommended and whom she still couldn't believe was fully covered by her insurance, surrounded by what seemed to be a room full of supermodels in various stages of pregnancy. The big upside to her condition was that everything seemed so dreamlike that she didn't even have the wherewithal to feel self-conscious.
"Karyn Story?" a gorgeous, visibly pregnant nurse with skin like a caramel macchiato asked from inside a doorway that opened to what looked like a luxury suite. "Doctor Hernandez will see you now."
Karyn sprang up, the fog clearing. It was important to see her doctor. It was important to take care of the baby within her. Her whole life was in front of her, and it was time to do everything just right.
