Aric walked into the bedroom and sat on the side of the bed. “How you feeling?”
Fred rolled over onto her back. “I’m tired of throwing up.”
Aric glanced down into the bucket he’d placed beside the bed for her. “Looks like you’ve been busy.”
With absolutely no effort, she slapped his shoulder. “Shut up. Don’t remind me. I wish I had some crackers or something.”
Aric patted her thigh under the sheet, “I do too.”
A knock at the door got his attention. “Let me go see who that is.”
“Whoever it is, tell them I’m not here.”
Opening the door, Aric was surprised to see Miss Kay and Jess standing on the porch. Kay held a large bowl with a plastic lid and Jess carried a pan covered with a towel. “Hey,” was all he could manage.
Jess cocked her head to the side and asked, “You going to invite us in?”
Stepping back and pulling the door open, Aric replied, “Oh sure, come in.”
As Kay passed Aric, she stopped to hug him, having to go up on her toes to do so. “Good morning, sweetheart. How is your wife this morning?” Kay couldn’t help but smile as she asked.
“She’s still in bed I’m afraid,” Aric replied as he hugged her.
Jess set the pan on the kitchen counter and asked, “She still getting sick?”
Aric nodded. “Yeah. She’s having a rough time with it.”
Kay made her way to the kitchen, placing the bowl on the counter. “This should make her feel better,” she said as she pulled the lid off the bowl. Aric leaned over to see a clear broth in it.
“What is that?” He asked.
“It’s bone broth. It’ll make her feel better,” Kay replied.
“So will these,” Jess said as she pulled the towel off the pan. It was filled with small thinly sliced pieces of bread. Jess picked one up, “Not quite as good as crackers, but it’s the best we can do.”
Aric took the piece from her and took a bite. He nodded his head, “It’s like melba toast.”
Kay was filling a bowl with broth. “Exactly. I can’t make crackers, but I can make melba toast.”
Aric motioned with the last bite of the toast, “She’s going to like this. Thank you for bringing it over.”
Kay smiled and replied, “Let’s go check on our mother-to-be.”
Fred was sitting up in the bed when they walked in. She smiled when she saw Kay and Jess, trying to look upbeat. “You didn’t have to bring that over here.”
Kay shooshed her. “You need your strength and something to help your tummy out.” She set the bowl on the nightstand. “You drink as much of that as you can.”
“And these should help too,” Jess said as she handed Fred a small stack of the toast.
Fred immediately ate a piece of the small bread. “Thank you for this. I really wanted some crackers, but, you know something, these are better than crackers.”
“I’ll make sure you have some every day. You just pick them up at supper time and bring them home, so you’ll have them in the morning.” Kay sat down on the edge of the bed. “And don’t worry. This nausea won’t last forever. It’ll stop soon.”
Taking another bite of toast, “Not soon enough.”
Kay laughed and patted her leg. “You’ll be alright.” “And what are you doing today, Aric, besides taking care of Fred?”
“We’re getting the water drums installed on the roof today.”
“Good!” Kay excitedly replied. “You’ll have to have running water when it’s time for the baby.”
“That’s the plan,” Aric responded.
Kay stood up and announced, “Alright. I’ll leave you alone.” “Take care of yourself, Fred; and if you need anything, anything at all, you just let me know.”
Fred held out a hand and Kay took it. “I will.” “I’ll send Aric if I need anything.”
“Good.”
Fred looked at Jess and asked, “Can you stay a while?”
Jess looked at Miss Kay, who gave her a dismissive wave. “You stay here. I can get myself back. I still know how to drive a truck.”
“Ok. I’ll stay here with Fred for a while then.”
Kay said her goodbyes, gave Aric another hug, and left. Aric had a real soft spot for the older woman. Growing up, his own mother had worked a lot. She was very focused on her career and he was often left to fend for himself. It was how he’d developed a love of the outdoors, spending most of his time outside to be away from the empty house. His father was very much like his mother, also consumed with his career. Aric had often wondered as a young boy why they’d even bothered to have a kid. Was he a mistake? An accident?
But Miss Kay was so unlike his own mother as to be her total opposite. He imagined her as a mother, always there, looking out for her children. He couldn’t imagine her any other way. He almost thought of her as being smothering, very active and engaged in the lives of her kids. And it made him smile. He loved the old woman and was thankful that his son would only know her as his grandmother. And what a fine one she would be.
“Hey, babe. I’m going to go out and work on the water system,” Aric said.
“Ok. Just be careful. I don’t need you falling off the roof.”
He smiled and leaned in and kissed her. “Don’t worry. I won’t.”
Since their house was so far from the others, he’d taken one of the four-wheelers as his own. Not that anyone cared. There were plenty of them around. Gas was certainly an issue, but for now,
