Unplanned Problems

(Part 1)

Her stomach contracted so violently that she had no time to reach the bathroom. Chunks of food covered in the creamy chyme from her stomach were propelled into the air and splattered the carpet and wall of the hallway that led from her room to the bathroom. She heaved again and once more the carpet was sprayed. Now she could not move forward without stepping on her own puke and she was feeling weak. Maria sank to her knees and retched until only clear liquid was coming up. Her throat felt sore from the stomach acid that was layering it and her mouth tasted of vomit. There was no-one to fetch her a glass of water or offer to clean up the mess, but she needed help. The stomach-acid stench of vomit filled her nostrils and she surveyed the mess with watery eyes, her stomach dry-heaved again.

Taking a deep breath that almost made her throw up again, she leaned against the wall and stood up, her legs wanting to buckle underneath her wobbly stature. Grabbing her phone from a nearby side table, she slowly but surely made her way to the bathroom, the world starting to spin. Plopping down in front of the toilet, Maria turned on her phone and clicked on a friend’s contact picture. Holding the phone up to her ear, her lungs on fire palms sweaty as she gripped the small device.

"Jake! G-get over here!" Maria stuttered between breaths, sitting on the ground next to the toilet. "Don't ask why, just get your ass over here!" she sobbed, tears dripping down her flushed face. Setting the phone on the floor, she grabbed her hair and brushed it to the side of her head so it wouldn’t get in the way. Leaning over the toilet and vomiting, her throat stung from the sour poison that still clung to it.

Still sore from her spar with Cayden plus this weird bug made everything hurt and she wanted to die. It was painful to breathe, her muscles ached, and now she had to deal with the flu or something, just her luck. Continuing to sit on the uncomfortable bathroom floor with her head resting on the toilet seat, everything hurt. Maria jumped when Jake came bursting through the dorm door. Finally.

"Maria?" the tall student called, frantically looking around the dorm room. Puke was in the hallway in front of Maria’s room and everything was silent. Becoming worried, his eyes fell on the bathroom that was off to the side and he could see her leaning over the toilet. He’d ran as fast as he could when she’d called, being only a few rooms down, but sitting on the cold tile floor in pain, those few minutes felt like ages. Letting out a weak cough and getting the horrible feeling like she was going to hurl again, leaned over the white bowl once more.

"T-took you long enough," she stuttered, half choking on her frothy spit that she didn’t want to swallow, but soon forced it down. Lifting her head, she looked to Jake with a grin, although it was much too obvious that any playfulness on her queasy and tired face was fake. Laying her head back on the white seat, Maria closed her eyes and took a deep breathe, listening as the help hurried over to her.

"What happened?" the low voiced student asked in an overly worried tone, standing over her. Maria gave a simple wave of dismissal, not being in any mood to verbally reply, much less explain her embarrassing little predicament. Jake placed a hand on her hot forehead and Maria flinched at his cold touch. ”You have a fever,” he commented and Maria didn’t say anything, but replied with an annoyed huff. 'Way to state the obvious.'

Seeing that she needed to get some rest and sitting on the hard tiled floor wasn’t helping, Jake leaned down and easily scooped her up into his arms. Walking out of the bathroom, he gently placed Maria on the dorm sofa so that she laid on her back and her head rested on the arm of the couch like a pillow. "I’m going to make you some tea, don't die on me," he said lightheartedly as he looked down to his sick friend. Planting a soft kiss on her forehead, Jake made his way to the kitchen and started searching through the cabinets and cupboards for a mug and hopefully some sort of calming tea. He remembered that ginger tea was a decent remedy for nausea, and upon finding some in a cupboard, he was glad that Maria had roommates that somewhat cared about their health and had all natural food instead of junk. 'Ginger, peppermint, honey,' he checked off the ingredients in his head, trying to work fast. Hopefully his homemade herbal tea would help her feel better.

With one violent contraction, the congealed contents of her stomach emerged again, nothing digested since the evening before. Maria wiped at her mouth, acidic residue forming a shiny patch on her PINK sweater sleeve, and she retreated to lay her head back down on the sofa arm, letting out a low groan.

'What the hell caused this sickness?' Was all she could wonder over the splitting headache that made her head throb as if it was about to explode. Was it food poisoning? Or maybe it was from… it couldn’t be, could it? Thinking of this sudden revelation, Maria sat up with a jolt and looked to Jake who was shuffling around in the kitchen. Oh God. Was he the… no, they hadn’t done anything since the mission… well, that was a lie. They’d done something, but they’d been careful and it wasn’t like it had lasted long, her still being a little uncomfortable in doing stuff like that since her and Freya had been captured.

Head spinning and eyes blurry, she leaned forward and grabbed a pad of paper that was sitting on the couch’s side table. Gripping a dull pencil so much that it hurt, she quickly scribbled down some chicken scratch, her hands shaky and tears started to make her eyes swell up again. It couldn’t be, please no, anything but this. She’d made it so far without… this happening, why now?

"Go get this," the girl muttered, wiping tears off of her cherry red cheeks with her sleeve, and holding the piece of paper up in the air for him to take and keeping her eyes to her lap. Like any normal human being, his reaction was most likely going to be shocked, and for one of the first times in forever, Maria wished that she could shrink into a turtle shell and hide from the world, not able to embarrass herself anymore. She would’ve killed for this day to be over already.

Done with making her tea, wetting down a washcloth with cold water and wringing it out, he made his way over to the girl who’d called him and set the items down on the coffee table. Standing behind the couch, he was curious as to what she wanted him to go get for her, and grabbed the piece of paper that she held up to him, noticing that she wouldn’t meet his eyes. Geez, what was up with her today?

Turning the paper over, Jake’s chest tightened and his breaths became shorter as if his heart had stopped. She wanted what? Looking from the paper to Maria, he didn’t know what to say. Did she really think that was what this sickness was, something that extreme? Rubbing the back of his neck and staying silent, he stuffed the note into his back pocket. Although he highly disapproved of this idea, he wasn’t going to harass her with questions, already being sick and in pain, it probably wasn’t the time to bombard with her his concerns, though he was admittedly scared. Was he going to be a... no, this wasn't his fault, he was sure of it.

Sighing, the tall student looked down to Maria who was still sitting up and staring to nowhere in particular. "Alright, but you need to get some rest," he replied sternly, his brows furrowed and a frown on his face. Putting his palm on the area below her neck, he lightly nudged her down towards the couch until she was laying down again. Grabbing the damp washcloth from the short table, he set it on her forehead, wincing as he let out a soft whimper from the sudden cold. It was evident that she was lost in thought and he hated seeing her so... dazed.

"Try not to think too much, okay?" he asked, rubbing her shoulder in a reassuring sort of way and watching as she closed her eyes, looking more peaceful than when he’d first arrived. Other than when she returned from her mission, he’d never seen her in such a mess and although he wasn't usually the nicest of guys, she was his friend and he wasn’t going to leave her to suffer, especially when he was a possible part of it.

Stepping away from the couch, he wasn’t very excited for the task ahead of him. Knowing what Maria wanted was found in the infirmary, he would most likely have to ask one of the staff members for it, and although he tried to deny the fact that all of this could've been because of him, he didn’t look forward to the awkward conversation that lied ahead. Opening the dorm door, Jake closed it quietly when he was outside of the room and let out a deep sigh, running a hand through his dark, gelled, hair. Well, maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t because him... or maybe, it was...

(Part 2)

It’d taken him almost a half an hour to find what Maria requested and he prayed that by the time he returned, she wasn’t dead, covered in her own vomit and misery. Not only was it hard enough to get through the crowds of bustling students, but the nurses at the infirmary didn’t seem in a particularly good mood. When he’d showed an older woman what Maria had chicken scratched onto the piece of paper, she’d simply rolled her eyes and pointed to another lady who directed him to the far reaches of the infirmary which held the undesirable object in which he needed.

Grabbing the good, he stuffed it in his pocket and hustled back to the dorm room as fast as he could, not wanting to waste anymore time. He’d shoved a few kids to the side, plowed over a janitor or two, but shrugged it off, since causing a ruckus in the hallways was the least of his problems for the time being.

Slamming open the door to the dorm, Jake tore off his sneakers and hurried over to the couch where Maria still laid, her arm resting over her forehead. Good, not dead, yet.

"I got what you requested," he spoke softly, still breathing heavily from his run through the school. "And let’s just say the infirmary ladies were not very happy to see me grabbing it," the tall student added with a slight chuckle as he walked over to the coffee table, and placed the object down. Taking a seat on smaller chair, he looked to the side table. Maria still hadn’t eaten anything and barely any of her tea was gone, though he understood that eating probably didn’t sound very appetizing to her right now.

Even death sounded better than the nausea that overwhelmed her throat and the splitting headache that made her ears ring. Listening as Jake returned, ever sound of his heavy footsteps, every clatter and clank, it was practically torture. Taking her arm off from over her eyes, she turned her head to see the dreaded object in which Jake had managed to acquire for her. Softly moaning as she sat up, Maria shakily reached for the small, white item. Jesus, after all she’d been through, did it really come down to this? Unfortunately, there was only one way to find out.

Closing the door behind her as she entered the bathroom, the Autumn closed the toilet seat and sat down. For what could’ve been ages, she simply stared at the small box that rested in her hands. She didn’t want to, and would’ve honestly rather have jumped off a cliff to her death, but she needed to do this, it was the only way to know. 'Please, please, please,' she prayed and started to open the box, her quivering hands making it difficult to steadily read the instructions. Here goes nothing, well, more like, here goes everything.

Doing what the somewhat vague instruction sheet told her to do, her heart raced and almost didn’t want to look, but alas, her dreaded curiosity took over and opening her squinted eyes, she looked down to the pregnancy test meter.

Positive.

Covering her mouth and dropping the pregnancy test so that it fell to the ground and slid a little ways away from her, Maria was unable to hold back a sob and half choked on it. Backing up against the wall, she leaned against it and slid down to the floor, tears streaming down her flushed cheeks. This couldn’t be happening, it just couldn’t. She wasn’t ready for something like this, to care for a living being, to spend all of her days with her… her… bastard of a child. She wasn’t ready and although it was all too real, she didn’t want to accept it.

"Maria? You alright in there?" Jake asked behind the closed door with a knock. In the time that she’d left him to do whatever needed to be done, he’d successfully cleaned up the vomit in the hallway that lead to her room and a happy feeling of accomplishment filled the Autumn, though the feeling wasn’t going to last very long.

Hearing the soft yet audible sobs from the bathroom, he immediately knew what the outcome had been and although he probably should’ve stayed quiet, it didn’t feel right to just leave her without at least asking and being available if she needed him. Receiving only a snivel for a reply, he turning the knob. It felt kind of weird just walking in on her, especially when she was in such a mess, but whatever, maybe she’d thank him later.

Looking from Maria who had her head resting against the wall, he turned his head to the test that sat a little ways away from her. It read positive. Oh shit, please let this not be his fault. He remembered them having some fun a while back, but even so, it wasn’t like what they used to do, and yeah, maybe they had been a little high, but he was sure that if anything serious had gone down, he would’ve remembered it.

"I never thought this of all things would happen," Maria mumbled softly as he sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around the back of her neck, and pulling her into his embrace. She was so distraught and seeing her like this, it honestly scared him. The tough, vicious, devious, girl he once knew was nothing more than a frail, broken soul, now with yet another burden to carry on her shoulders, and although this should’ve been a joyous occasion, the circumstances didn’t make it so.

"I… I’m so sorry," Jake started, his arm still around her shoulders. Him of all people knew that when in a slump, having a friend to support you was a blessing, and hopefully she would accept his offer. "If there is anything I can do to-" he continued, though was quickly cut off.

"Get out" was all that she said and was willing to say.

"Uh, okay…" he spoke, unsure of what to do and didn’t move.

"I said get out!" she screamed suddenly, nudging his arm off of her back. Tears started to stream down her face once more as she smacked away his hand that tried reaching for her again, and turned her head, not willing to meet his gaze. She knew that Jake had good intentions, but for the time being, she was in no shape to have anyone as company and all she wanted was to be left alone to wither away in her sorrows.

"Al-alright," Jake whispered in a defeated sort of way, not really wanting to leave, but knowing that he probably should anyway. Standing up, he made his way to the bathroom door and with one last look to Maria, who was sitting curled up in a fetal position against the wall with her head buried between her knees, he closed the door. Apparently she wasn’t the type to want a friend around. Putting his shoes on, he winced at the faint sounds of her anguish filled cries, unable to imagine what she was going through.

Opening the door to the main dorm room, Jake slipped out of room and quietly closed the door with a click. 'Good luck,' Jake wished his friend as he started to head down the hall towards his dorm, his spirits low with a depressing feeling clinging onto him. Seeing that there wasn’t much that he could do for her, or much that she would let him do for her, he had no choice but to leave her be, even if it felt weird just "abandoning" her like that.

Well, even so, she was a tough cookie and could handle this whole ordeal on her own, right?