Little Paws

chapter 6

Theo wasn’t sure what he hated more. Throwing up or the immediate need to eat afterwards, causing him to throw up again. It’s like the baby was being picky at what they wanted to eat, and refused to let Theo keep anything that they didn’t like down. It seemed like so far the baby didn’t like meat of any kind.

Melissa woke up to the sound of retching. She figured Theo had woken up with a bit of morning sickness. She sat up and checked the time to see it was only two in the morning. She remembered waking up like this when she was pregnant with Scott. It sucked.

She got up and went down stairs. Looking through her cabinets she grabbed a pack of saltines. At this point in his pregnancy it was the best to settle his stomach. She went back upstairs to find Theo on his knees, head in the toilet. She could smell the vomit and hear it hit the water. “Oh hun.” Melissa kneeled down next to Theo and rubbed his back in soothing circles.

“I didn’t mean to wake you.” Theo mumbled, feeling bad for waking the woman. “It’s fine. C’mon, let’s get you up.” Melissa helped the chimera stand, using her free hand to flush the toilet. “Brush your teeth and try some crackers. It should help.” She held up the package with a small smile. “I uh, I don’t have a toothbrush.” Theo blushed in embarrassment. Melissa opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out a new toothbrush, still in the package. Theo took it with a grateful smile.

Melissa left the chimera alone to wash up. She decided to make them both a cup of tea, chamomile for her and ginger for Theo. Crackers didn’t always help with morning sickness but maybe the tea would sooth the baby. She grabbed two cups and placed them on the counter, grabbing the tea bags while the water boiled. She grabbed some honey for her tea.

Theo came down stairs to find Melissa on the couch with a cup of something steaming. “Sit.” She patted the spot next to her and pointed to the other cup of hot liquid. Theo did as he was told and took the cup. “I’m not a tea kind of guy, but thank you.” He blew on the liquid to help cool it down a bit faster. “It’s ginger tea, good for morning sickness.” He nodded slowly and took a sip.

“I remember, when I was pregnant with Scott, I had the worst morning sickness. I swear, the smallest smells made me sick.” Melissa chuckled with a small shake of her head. “I made myself sick with my own perfume.” Theo smiled knowing what she meant. “I hate Scott’s after shave and apparently so does my kid.” He admitted, his hand moving to rest over his stomach. “He does use a bit much.” Melissa’s nose scrunched at the memory of the smell.

“From the way your pregnancy works I’m guessing you’ll be entering your second trimester soon. The morning sickness should go away, but then the cravings start.” She gave him a pointed look which fell away to an amused smile. “I craved oreos dipped in ketchup.” She laughed at the betrayed look on the chimera’s face. “And pizza with hot fudge. I also loved apple juice in my captain crunch.” Theo was not looking forward to his cravings at all.

Melissa continued to tell Theo about her pregnancy. It gave him an idea of what to expect and some ideas on how to handle it. After his tea was finished he had trouble keeping his eyes open. He didn’t even object when Melissa tugged on his arm till he was laying with his head in her lap. He just moved around till he was comfortable. He may have even purred a bit when she started running her fingers through his hair.

Melissa knew the boy needed sleep and she was determined to let him get it. Even if that meant sleeping on the couch with his head in her lap. He looked to peaceful to wake up and there was no way she would be able to get up without waking him. She would just sleep where she sat.

“Mom?” Scott shook his mom’s shoulder lightly, careful to not wake up Theo. “Hmm? What time is it?” Melissa rubbed her eyes and looked to see her son crouching behind the couch. “Just a bit passed four thirty in the morning. Mom, what are you doing down here? What’s Theo doing down here?” Melissa looked down to see Theo was still asleep, using her lap as a pillow.