Be Careful What You Ask For

Beth stared into the toilet bowl as her stomach churned.

Why is it that now that I finally have what I've been praying for since I fell in love with Mick, I can't stop throwing up?

Ever since Josh's funeral and the realization that Mick was human again, Beth had felt terrible. She was elated about Mick's humanity, but physically she felt terrible. Her stomach was constantly upset. She hadn't had more than an hour or two of sleep at night.

I should be enjoying this. Mick and I can be together as we've never been before. A human woman and a human man. He asked me out on a date, for Pete's sake. He's going to cook for me!

The thought of food brought a fresh round of the dry heaves. Beth's stomach ached and cramped. Spittle hung from her lower lip in a long strand. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and flushed the toilet. Not that there was much there to flush.

I should be the happiest woman on earth, but instead here I am, a sleep-deprived mess, praying to the porcelain goddess.

Beth's mind couldn't process the incapacitating fear she'd been feeling since Mick became human.

What if he gets hit by a car? What if he falls down the stairs and breaks his neck? What if someone shoots him during a robbery while he's paying for his Big Gulp at the 7-11?

She finally had what she so badly wanted, and it was driving her crazy. Her days were filled with sickness and fear. Her nights were filled with bad dreams. The incident with the candidate's daughter on the roof had nearly been too much to handle. Beth had been brave in front of Mick, but seeing him nearly plunge to his death to prevent the girl from jumping off the building had brought tears to her eyes and her stomach into her throat. It had prompted her to question whether they could make it work as a human couple.

Maybe the only way we can be together is on his terms - both of us vampires.

Beth thought she could live with that.

So to speak.

She stood up slowly. A wave of light headedness came and passed. She washed her face in the sink and brushed her teeth. If she didn't get going she'd be late meeting Mick and Talbot at the plastic surgeon's office.

I hope I can hold myself together until after my date with Mick.