Immediate Danger

(Chapter Fifty: Bad Luck)

The next morning Olivia stretched in the hotel room bed. She reached her arm across to where Elliot had been laying, but he wasn't there. She sat up and noticed the bathroom light on and tapped lightly on it.

"El. Baby, is everything okay?" She stood there for a second and he opened the door to look at her. He looked like Hell. All pale and covered in sweat and she could tell he had been vomiting again. "Oh, honey." She said softly as she brushed her hand across his forehead again.

Elliot stood up, flushed the toilet and started to brush his teeth. "Where are you going?" He asked as she slid on her jeans and shoes and pulled her purse over her shoulder.

"To get you some kind of medication. This is crazy! Elliot it is our honeymoon, you shouldn't have to be sick! It wont take but a few minutes."

"Liv, I will be okay. It will pass."

Elliot put down his tooth brush and she wrapped her arms around him as he held he for a moment. "I think I need to lie back down." He said still feeling a little woozy.

Olivia helped him to the bed to rest. "What time do we board?"

"Noon."

She looked at the clock across the room. "It is nine o'clock now. I still need to get a few things before we go. Why don't you get some rest and I will run out and get my shopping done. I will be back here in a few hours and if you are feeling better we can grab some lunch downstairs before we check out." She grabbed a pen and some stationary from the nightstand drawer to make a list. "I still need a bathing suit. Sun block. And a few other things. Do you need anything?"

"I need some razors, I managed to forget my good one." Elliot groaned.

"And I am getting some kind of medication for this….whatever it is. If you want to be stubborn and not take it, that is your choice. But at least we have it if you change your mind."

Elliot just stared at her as she smiled a warm smile.

"Now, you lay down here." She said pushing him slowly back into the bed and turning off the light. "And try to sleep for now. I will be back in a little while. If you need me or think of anything I forgot to put on my list, I have my cell." She placed a soft kiss on his lips. "I love you."

"I love you too, baby." Elliot said surrendering to her plan. It wasn't going to be any use arguing with her, she was too stubborn and he didn't have the energy for it anyway. He closed his eyes as he heard her close the door and was soon sound asleep.

Olivia took a cab across town to a shopping center. She had gone there in search of a bikini, but walked out with a lot of other stuff as well. She found more clothes that were perfect for the trip, some really cute sandals, a couple of cute toe rings to wear with her sandals, nail polish for her toes, Sunglasses for them both, some Miami souvenirs for the kids, three bikini's, some dressy dresses to wear to dinner on board and even a couple of sexy lingerie items to wear for her husband, just in case they actually did get to have sex while they were on their honeymoon. Then she went in to a local pharmacy to get the rest of the items on her list.

She headed back to the hotel a little earlier than she had thought and found Elliot still sound asleep in the bed. She took this opportunity to shower and pack their bags so they were ready for check out. She crawled across the bed and gently kissed Elliot's lips.

"Baby, it's time to wake up." She said with the voice of an Angel. "Elliot. Sweetheart, we have fifteen minutes until check out."

He rolled over and looked into her eyes. "Yeah, yeah," he said softly, "I'm awake."

Olivia smiled at the thought of being able to wake him every morning for the rest of their lives. Elliot placed his arm around her and kissed her. They just stared at each other for a few moments, then he got up and they carried their things down to the front desk and checked out. They grabbed a quick lunch in the hotel restaurant before leaving to go board the cruise ship.

The cabin on board was the most beautiful suite Olivia had ever seen. It was large and had an open living area with a wet bar and a refrigerator stocked with everything you could ever dream of. There were flowers everywhere and a bottle of champagne iced in a bucket waiting for them courtesy of the crew for their honeymoon. The living area had a flat screen television that raised up from a mantel and each of the two Honeymoon Suite's had it's own private balcony, not viewable from the other rooms. The bathroom had his and hers showers and an oversized hot tub, plenty big enough for two. And the king sized bed had little heart shaped chocolates on the pillows. This place was so romantic. She could not believe that Elliot had gone through all of the trouble of setting this up for her.

It was a shame he was still feeling sick or she would attack him right now, she thought as she pulled her bags from the luggage cart and Elliot tipped the young man who had brought up their luggage. Olivia heard Elliot clear his throat and turned around to see the kid jump and turn his head. Her husband was not too pleased with the teenager when he was caught staring and almost drooling over his new wife. Olivia smiled as she walked around the cabin and explored all of the wonderful things she found.

This was going to be and amazing trip and they hadn't even set sail yet. The brochure with the tickets had said that once a day on their seven day cruise the ship would dock an island for six hours to allow travelers to explore the islands as well. Olivia had never strayed too awful far from the city, except on business and she found the idea of the trip exciting and exotic.

Elliot took Olivia's hand in his and kissed her lips. "What do you think?" He asked gazing into her eyes.

"I think this is the most wonderful place I have ever been in my life. And it is even more wonderful, because I get to share it with my husband." She leaned in to him staring up into his eyes as he placed a soft kiss against her lips.

"I'm glad you like it. I was thinking we could take a walk around the deck and check it out. There is a gym and a pool and three different restaurants and dancing and orchestra music every night at dinner. Then during the day we can get off the boat and see the islands and walk on the beaches. We could watch a romantic sunset together on some island in paradise."

Olivia smiled, he was the most wonderful man in the entire world. And he was hers and only hers, for the rest of her life. She was glad to see him finally getting in to this trip and feeling well enough to stay upright for a couple of hours to enjoy it with her.

They walked around the ship hand in hand, just walking and talking and exploring their surroundings as the boat set out to sea. It would be another several hours before they were actually in the Bahamas, but they didn't care. They were in paradise together and in love. That afternoon as they strolled along one of the upper decks hand in hand Olivia lead them over to the railing to look out across the water as dolphins seemed to chase the boat. Unfortunately, it was this moment that brought back Elliot's nausea. They soon returned to the cabin and settled in front of the large television in the living room.

Olivia sat in the floor studying the 24 hour full room service menu as Elliot groaned on the end of the sofa. "I'm going to order. Do you want anything?"

Elliot gulped and turned three shades of green as he ran for the bathroom.

"I guess not," she mumbled as she listened to the awful noises he made in the other room. She pulled the medicine from her bag and took it to him, but he still insisted he would be fine and refused it.

The next day was pretty much the same. Elliot was sick as a dog, but insisted she go out and enjoy her vacation. Vacation, she thought to her self. The only thing that separated a vacation from a honeymoon was the lack of constant sex. Olivia sat a little depressed as she gazed from the balcony out over the water. The blue reminded her of his eyes. She couldn't believe he was missing all of this. She exhaled softly and stepped off the boat onto the snowy white sand of one of the islands and was off to spend a day on her own once again.

Olivia returned that evening to find Elliot slumped on the sofa with the remote in his hand and a warm glass of ginger ale and saltines on a plate beside him. She felt awful for the poor man, who in the last three days had probably vomited his body weight as a result of eating a single sandwich. She sat the plate and glass on the table near the couch and snuggled in to him. Elliot welcomed her by wrapping her in his arms tightly.

"I missed you," she said softly.

"I know honey, I am so sorry."

"There was this guy on the island, he sold me this stuff for seasickness. It is supposed to work really well." She opened her hand to reveal a small bottle of really bad smelling liquid.

"That is awful. How does it cure nausea if the smell makes you sick?"

"I don't know. It is all natural, root extract and stuff from the islands. The locals swear by it. I figured it couldn't hurt. Baby, you have been miserable for three days now."

"I know," he said peering into the bottle once more.

That night before bed Elliot pulled the sheets back and laid beside her wishing to God he had the strength to make love to her the way she needed right now. He was really letting her down. He laid on his stomach and stared across the bed at her then slid his hand up to meet hers.

"I am sorry things have turned out this way."

Olivia folded up the map of the islands the was looking at and laid it on the night stand. "It's okay, it isn't your fault. It just kind of sucks."

She climbed from the bed and walked into the bathroom to brush her teeth and change for bed. A few moments later she returned. "Hey El, what did you do with the little purple compact that was laying next to my tooth brush in the bathroom?"

"What?" He asked distracted by the fact that the light behind her made it possible to see every curve of her body through the gown she wore.

She walked over to her purse and pulled out a purple compact. "It looked just like this one. I left it next to my tooth brush so I wouldn't forget it when we left for Jersey, you packed my things. Do you know where you put it?"

"Oh, I didn't bring it. I knew you had one in your purse and didn't think you needed more make up."

Olivia just stared at him for a minute. "You are kidding, right?"

He looked up at her. "No, why? Baby, if it is that important we will get you more make up. There is a pharmacy on one of the lower decks."

She just stared at him as tears began to fill her eyes. She sat on the end of the bed and gasped. "Elliot, that wasn't make up. That little purple compact was my birth control pills."

Oh shit! Elliot thought as he scratched his head. He was not fully sure what that meant, but by the look on her face it was bad. Really bad.

"Um, baby what exactly does that mean?"

"That, Elliot means that I just took my last pill a this morning and we are here for six more nights with no birth control pills."

He looked a little confuse as she started to cry. "Liv, sweetheart calm down. I am so sorry, I honestly had no idea. I thought it was make up, I swear." He brushed some tears from her cheeks and looked at her. "I screwed this one up pretty bad, huh?"

"You didn't know," she sobbed.

"Baby, don't cry. Please."

But she couldn't stop. "I can't help it. I am starting to feel like we are cursed. Or like we are being punished for something. First the storm and we almost miss our flight, then you get sick and I have spent the last two and a half days of my honeymoon practically alone while my violently ill husband tried to sleep…."

"Honey, I know how you feel. I have been married to the most beautiful woman in the world for almost three days now and we still have not even consummated our marriage."

She looked at him and her tears continued to fall. "I almost feel like we are on the honeymoon from Hell."

"Honey, it will get better. It will work out. I promise."

"How?"

"Well first of all. I, right now am going to take some of this medicine." Elliot picked the bottle up and swigged a large portion of it's contents almost choking on his reflex to gag because the stuff was so disgusting. "I mean what have I really got to lose, right?"

Olivia smiled a little at the face he made when he forced himself to swallow the nasty stuff. Elliot sat beside her on the bed. "And there has to be something we can do about this other issue, also. I am not really familiar with this birth control thing, explain it to me. What are exactly are we looking at here?"

"With out my pill, I am not protected against pregnancy when we have sex. I just took my last one today, so the hormone will still be in my system for tonight, but you are still sick. After that…."

She just looked at him.

"Well, there are other ways, right. I will get condoms. I mean it sucks that we have to use condoms on our honeymoon, but it is better than no sex at all, right?"

Olivia nodded her head. "But Elliot, if I don't take the pill I will also get my period. I just filled a brand new prescription, because I knew I didn't have enough for the entire honeymoon. I can't even try to call another one in, I don't have any more until I see my doctor."

"Baby, I am going to do my best. Okay, tomorrow I will get condoms. And I will spend the night making love to my wife if it kills me. And we will just have to try to do whatever we can until you get your period. Look, I am so sorry."

"I know. You didn't do it on purpose. I just kind of freaked out. Lately it seems like we are running into a lot of bad luck. It is just a little scary, you know."

Elliot cupped his hand against the side of her face. "I know, but if we stick together. Baby, you and I can make it through anything."

She smiled at him and Elliot pulled her into his arms. He may not have had the energy to make love to her right now, but he could hold her tight and show her he would make everything okay.