Life carries on as normal with the obvious exception for the next couple of weeks, no sign of Christian and I have only fleetingly seen him at the office. My nausea has been getting steadily worse especially in the morning and it is starting to get me down. Work kind of takes my mind off it for a while but even that is getting difficult to focus on. As it is Friday I decide to leave early once I can be sure I am not going to be sick long enough to get home, I do manage but only just get into the apartment in time. I slump over the toilet bowl, heaving and heaving some more, I feel so weak I can hardly lift my head to wipe my mouth. I am not sure how long I am leaning against the toilet before Kate comes in. I can hear her calling out but can't respond.

"Ana, where are you?" she calls, I hear my bedroom door open and close and then my en-suite door opens

"Oh my god Ana, what's going on?" she tries to move me but I can't even help her. She pulls out her phone and dials 911, asking for an ambulance to our address. She throws a blanket around my shoulders as I feel so cold.

I hear her talking to someone else but I can't make out whom, only her voice sounds a mix between anxious and cross. The EMT's arrive and Kate is explaining about the accident and the fact I am now 10 weeks pregnant, how my vomiting has increased in the last week.

They kneel down beside me and try to reassure me that all will be ok but they have to do a few things to check what's going on. I feel blood pressure cuff, a prick on my middle finger tip and a sharp scratch to my right arm. They pick me up between them and put me on a wheelie chair, wrap a blanket around me and we leave the apartment to go to the hospital.

"I will be right behind you honey" I hear Kate yell but I can't respond.

I never realized how noisy ambulance sirens were inside the cab, the last time I was unconscious for the journey. The EMT sitting with me checks my vitals again and smiles.

"How are you feeling now?" he asks. I shrug and force a smile but if feel so tired I struggle to keep my eyes open. I think I must have dozed for a while as the next thing the back doors of the ambulance open and I jump awake. I am wheeled into the ER and the first face that greets me is Grace.

"Hello Ana dear" she begins "let's see what's going on" she is listening to the handover from the EMT. I see her face change when he tells her about my pregnancy. She dismisses the EMT's and walks over to my bedside.

"Ana dear, what a pickle, why didn't you go and see your doctor when it started getting bad?" I feel like a scolded child.

"I thought I was doing ok but obviously not" I smile weakly

"I think you are suffering from Hyperemesis Gravid arum, it's a fairly rare but treatable complication of pregnancy that causes excessive vomiting and dehydration. It can be triggered by a variety of things including smells, noises and stress so we will admit you to the observation ward and rehydrate you. Stop the vomiting with anti-emetics; don't worry though the drugs are the safest we have for pregnancy sickness. Then see how we can reduce the risk of this happening again" she squeezes my hand "I will come and see you when you have settled into your room" she writes some notes on my chart, speaks to the ER nurse and leaves the ER.

Kate comes in a moment later, absolutely flushed and panicked.

"I got here as fast as I could but I had to park a mile away Ana, oh you look a little better" the relief is evident on her voice.

"I feel a little better. Grace was here, she knows I'm pregnant and is coming to see me later" I heave again into the bowl the nurse quickly gave to me.

"Miss Steele, please try and stay calm otherwise you will feel worse again" the sister warns me.

I mouth sorry and Kate is rubbing the top of my hand.

"I told Grace you were being brought in but I never said why and she said she would meet you here. I thought you could trust her with everything including Christian, I am sorry she found out this way" she looks guilty.

"It's ok Kate; she would have found out at some point, I was just hoping Christian would have told her" my voice gets quieter "what if she doesn't like what is happening? What if she hates me now?"

"Don't be silly Ana, that's her first grandchild you are carrying. Why would she hate you?"

"She might think I have got pregnant to trap Christian into being more committed or even marriage" I whisper.

"Don't be silly Ana, she is a smart woman, anyone could see the chemistry you two have, and it wasn't a one way street. I think she will be disappointed when you tell her about Christian's response but nothing more than that" I think Kate is probably right but I am still apprehensive.

The nurse comes over and tells me I am going to the room now, two porters wheel me along the corridor, good job its quiet, I feel a little exposed being pushed along and I am squeezing Kate's hand all the way. The ward is fortunately quiet, only one other patient walking in the corridor. I shift in the bed, hospital gowns are just wrong and I can't help but laugh at that thought. I can see Kate smile and she tells me she will bring in some clothes and toiletries tomorrow for me.

Grace comes over a moment later, tells Kate she would like to speak to me alone.

"Bye Ana, don't give them too much grief" she giggles.

"I won't and don't forget my clothes tomorrow" I wave her goodbye.

"Grace, I want to apologise for the way you found out about my pregnancy, I was really hoping that Christian was going to tell you" I say quietly.

"Ana dear, I am thrilled you are pregnant, this will be my first grandchild and my son is being very silly. He has never been good at being confronted by situations and often takes him a while to think through them. I do realize this is difficult for you as support from people is essential during pregnancy and I hope he will come around. I will talk to him and see if I can knock any sense into that brain of his"

"Thank you Grace, I don't know what to do for the best. I so want him to be with me and our child. I think I love him" I admit.

"I can tell Ana and do you know what, he is in a state, he cares for you deeply but this is totally out of his comfort zone. Before you came along, he had never brought a girl home, the way he looks at you is different to anything else I have seen and he is struggling to understand what he is feeling about you and now the little one in the future" Grace always manages to put me at ease.

"Thank you Grace, I hope he comes around and soon" I say honestly.

"Even if things don't work out, please know you can call on us at any time Ana. For anything, support or financially or babysitting" she laughs "Anything Ana"

I nod and a tear falls down my cheek, I wipe it away with the back of my hand and smile reassuringly at Grace.

"Rest and I will come and see you tomorrow" she waves as she leaves the ward.

I settle down in my bed, it's not too bad, comfort wise but nothing is like your own bed. I shuffle the pillows and fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.

The nurse wakes me up to do obs. I ask her "what time it is?"

She replies "Nine thirty, sorry I left you asleep as late as possible, you looked very peaceful but I need to do your temperature and blood pressure before the doctors come on rounds"

"That's ok, I understand" as the familiar feel of the cuff wraps around my arm "I feel quite sick again this morning"

"I have your medication here ready to go" she injects it into the drip port and the nausea starts to subside almost immediately "Would you like some breakfast?"

"Yes please" she writes on my chart and tells me she will be right back. Five minutes later she is back with toast, tea, juice and pastries.

"Here you go Ana, enjoy" she is a lovely nurse and very helpful.

Grace comes in as I finish my toast "That's what I like to see" I smile.

"Well your obs look good, hydration is almost normal and you are eating, all good signs but you will be staying with us for a couple of days at least" my face falls.

"That long?" much as I hate feeling ill, I don't like hospitals either.

"Ana dear, if we let you go too soon you will be back here in two to three days tops with the same problem. The ultra-sonographer will come past at some point today or tomorrow to do another scan but until then you must rest, only out of bed for the bathroom" I am so glad Grace is looking after me.

I check the time, only a couple of hours until visiting time and I hope Kate remembers my clothes, this gown is driving me mad.

I rest back, close my eyes and drift. I am awoken to Kate trying to quietly move a chair to sit down next to the bed.

"Hey Kate" she jumps.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you, I was trying to be quiet" she leans over and hugs me "you look much better today"

"I feel better thanks" I really do.

"Here you go" she puts four magazines, two paperback books and a puzzle book on the bed, along with some grapes "this should last you for a few hours when I am not here" she chuckles "I brought your sweat pants, t-shirts and slipper socks as know you always say your feet are cold. Toothbrush, paste, shampoo, shower gel and hairbrush, oh I couldn't find your deodorant but I figured you wouldn't be running any marathons to get sweaty"

"What would I do without you Kate? This is perfect, I really need to take a shower, will you wait for me?" I ask.

"Of course, take your time and enjoy" she replies.

I could have done with a bath, relax back, soak until I shrivel but a shower is the only choice as I have to be careful with the drip line but it feels very refreshing never the less. I wrap my hair in a towel and put on my sweats and t-shirt which instantly is a big comfort step up from a draughty open back hospital gown I have been wearing. I step out of the bathroom and Kate is flicking through the magazines she brought in for me.

"Much better" she giggles "would you like me to braid your hair so you don't have to worry about it until you come home?" I nod in agreement. She brushes my hair through and gathers it up to start; she takes such a little time whereas if I do it myself, it takes an age.

A knock on the door stops our chatting, the untrasonographer is here to do another ultrasound, and I ask Kate to stay if she wouldn't mind. She wheels the machine to the side of the bed and I lie back and wait for the chill of the gel to hit my abdomen. She moves the probe around and takes more measurements.

"Well that all looks good, measurements fit with gestation so far but there is one thing I should make you aware of" she comments.

My heart beats faster; I can feel a wave of nausea washing over me and a rising level of panic building from my toes.

A/N:

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