A/N

Thank you, Hannah (grahamlecter) for Beta-reading my story, finding my mistakes, and tagging them for me to fix. I am truly grateful.

After taking two days off, I'm feeling better. And I've got a few more chapters to post within the next couple of days.

Please enjoy the chapter.

G-Girl

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Chapter 51 - Ginger Tea and Pretzels

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Driving home from the restaurant, Spencer asked, "You have the self-defense class tomorrow, right?"

"Mm-hmm. And I've asked one of the Karate teachers, Anne Marie, to take over. I'll talk to the class, directing only, not joining in."

"No flips?" He grinned.

"No flips, Love, I promise. Talking only. Maybe some vigorous pointing, but that's it. Gonna keep my workouts easy. More walking, less power-lifting." She burped and grimaced. "Ugh. Excuse me."

Using the remote, Spencer drove up the side driveway and backed into the garage.

Climbing up the front steps, he asked Betty to lock the gate and the garage as the lock on the front door disengaged. Inside, he set the keys in the wooden bowl on top of the table and Susan put her purse on the shelf under it.

He slid his hands up her arms, over her shoulders, to the sides of her neck, and kissed her. "You should get some rest. I'm going to read for a while and I'll be up later."

"How about some tea? I'm tired, but not sleepy yet. And my stomach feels… kind of iffy. "

"Some of that Good Earth herbal tea—please?"

"You got it." Susan went to the kitchen, filled up the kettle, set it on the stove and turned it on. She set two mugs on the counter and told him on the way to the stairs, "I'll be down in a few," as Spencer sat down on the sofa with a book.

She came back down in a knee-length robe as the kettle started whistling and brought both mugs of tea to the sofa, setting them down on the coffee table. She sat beside him to write in her notebook. "What are you reading, Love?"

"One of your books, The Physics of Star Trek." He smiled, reached over, gently patting her thigh.

It felt like a burp coming on at first. Then Susan realized it was going to be more than that; her stomach lurched. She jumped off the couch and ran into the small bathroom, with barely enough time to lift the toilet lid before everything in her stomach came up. She sank to the floor, with her forearms on either side of the seat, groaning. Spencer bent over her, rubbing her back. After a few more minutes, she stood up on shaky legs. But he wasn't behind her or in the living room. So she flushed, washed her hands, and rinsed out her mouth, splashing some cool water on her face. She looked around for him and went up the stairs slowly to the bedroom.

He was sitting on the chaise, wearing his robe, and taking off his socks. Standing up, he took her hand, silently leading her to the tub as it was filling. The mugs of tea sat on the back ledge of the tub enclosure.

Susan sniffled. "I got barf on my robe." With her holding his shoulders, he gently took off her slipper socks; one, then the other, letting them drop to the floor. He slid her robe off, laying it across the counter, holding her hand for support as she stepped in, her legs still shaking. After she sat down, he hung up his robe and sat in the tub next to her. She looked up at him with wide eyes and murmured, "Are you angry with me?"

He put his arms around her, answering quietly, "No, Honey, I'm not. Why would you think that?"

"You rubbed my back, then you were gone..."

"Aww, sweetheart, I'm sorry. I wanted you to rest, not stress you out. There's not much room in that half-bath, not enough for two adults, anyway. So I did what I thought would be the most helpful. I was about to go back downstairs to get you when you walked in. I even put two drops of ginger and lavender in the bath, making sure it was the right temperature for you."

Whispering, she leaned against him, "Thank you, Love." She tilted her head up and sighed. "This feels nice."

Spencer leaned against the back of the tub and slid his hands over her hips. "After we get out… I'll get you some mouthwash."

"Sorry. I know… I have barf breath." She drank her tea, hoping it would help. I'll brush my teeth after we get out of the tub... and use the mouthwash."

He kissed her hair. "It's no problem, Sweetheart." He simply held her. After the water cooled, he reached over and turned the drain knob. Standing up, he wrapped a towel around himself, then helped her up and gently pulled the other one around her.

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Susan came out of her closet wearing her large blue robe, hung up her towel, and came back out to find Spencer in his robe, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Feeling any better?" He held her close, feeling her shake as her arms wound around his shoulders.

"Besides surging hormones and barfing? Better, except now, I'm hungry." She sighed, brushing her lips against his neck. "I'll start here." She made nibbling noises, making him laugh. "Hmm. It's gonna be one or the other, for another month or two."

"Then let's go find something in the kitchen and I'll top off the tea. Try adding some lemon juice to yours. Remember the lemons Mrs. Petrakis gave you in Athens? Adding the juice to your water and food seemed to help. It made the last day there easier for you. Well, a little easier, anyway. Hmm. How about pretzels?"

"Pretzels sound good. Or, better yet, pretzels dipped in peanut butter…"

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A/N

Coming up, Chapter 52 - Happy Wife, Happy Life

Before I post it, make sure to read the following chapters in Side Stories after you read this one. Cheeseburgers and Onions, Wicked, and The Cardigan.

And, if you have any comments, reviews, or constructive critiques, I'd like to hear from you all.