[bhdire8]

"If breakfast goes well, I could release you before noon. I guess you wouldn't want them to come to the hospital?" Martin had checked the fetal monitor results, all were fine and he was convinced the baby, though slightly underweight, was in good condition.

[lxcttrll]

"I don't want them to, but I'm sure my mom would want to hear that I'm okay from you," Alex smiled, moving to sit on the couch, holding his belly as he went.

[bhdire8]

"I could give you a lift back home. You could settle down first, I wanted to pick up something from a nearby store. I would return to your apartment afterwards, to answer any question your mother could have." Martin said. Grinning he added "wow that's a meet the parents moment!"

[lxcttrll]

"My dad isn't as bad as my mom, she's very protective of me. My dad knows I can handle myself, so he won't be much of a bother," Alex explained, smiling at Martin's excitement.

[bhdire8]

"Hmm how come that's contradictory to my concept of meet the parents. It's always the dad that is difficult." Martin pretended to be considering, teasing Alex. "Alright enough of that. Let's get breakfast done. Now... tea first?" Martin was in fact still a bit worried. Breakfast was always the most difficult, it was called "morning sickness" for a reason.

[lxcttrll]

"Tea first," Alex nodded, taking the cup of tea and beginning to sip on it, becoming nervous when he felt little flutters in his stomach. He knew it wasn't the baby moving, either.

[bhdire8]

Martin saw Alex's face paled. He knew immediately his stomach was starting to unsettle. He got close to Alex and warmed his stomach with his palm. "Ok deep breathes now. Relax. Get your mind off food first." He instructed Alex. "Let's talk about something else. Hmm have you decided how to decorate the nursery yet?"

[lxcttrll]

Alex covered his mouth with his hand as he started to take deep breaths, setting the tea aside. He shook his head at the question, having no idea what he would do foe the nursery.

[bhdire8]

Martin rubbed Alex's back soothingly. He tried to distract him further. "You know I always imagined if I am going to have kids, the nursery would be decorated like a jungle. It would be painted with trees, animals could be seen through, some would be more obvious like elephants and rhinos, then there would be some that are half concealed, like monkeys within the leaves and butterflies. When the baby gets older, we could teach her to identify the animals and search for them together." He continued on with a soothing sound, unaware that he had used "we" in his recital.

[lxcttrll]

Alex nodded, catching onto the 'we' in Martin's sentence. He'd be an amazing father to Rosemary, exponentially better than Chris would be. After a few moments, Alex shook his head, pulling himself from the couch and going to the bin near his bed, emptying the contents of his stomach into it. It was mostly liquid and bile, causing Alex's throat to burn. "Gross," he grumbled after he was finished.

[bhdire8]

Martin handed Alex water to rinse his mouth. He rubbed on his stomach to prevent it from cramping further. "Do you want some of the hot tea? It could lessen the foul taste in your mouth."

[lxcttrll]

Alex rinsed his mouth, trying not to gag again. "Sure, we can try that again."

[bhdire8]

Martin guided Alex to sit down on the couch. The tea was on the table, ready for Alex to sip whenever he felt ready. Martin continued on with the rubbing, letting Alex take the time to recover.

[lxcttrll]

Alex tried to relax again, letting Martin rub his stomach as he hesitantly sipped his tea. "I'm gonna be here for longer, aren't I?"

[bhdire8]

"Well, that also depends. If you manage to keep the breakfast down, it is still doable to dismiss you. I could also areange for you to return here after your parents' visit." Martin said, not wanting Alex to feel too much pressure.

[lxcttrll]

"My parents have seen me worse," Alex mumbled, laying his head on the armrest of the couch.

[bhdire8]

"Well, it all comes down to be your decision. Which option do you prefer?"

[lxcttrll]

"I'd rather stay here. For Rosemary's safety."

[bhdire8]

"Ok good. I could consider hook you up with another nutrient drip then. It could do you good." Martin said. Personally he was a bit relieved at not needing to risk dismissing Alex. His condition this morning wasn't as good as he had hoped.

[lxcttrll]

"Go ahead," Alex sighed, closing his eyes. He was so tired of being sick, but he knew it was from stress. Chris kept ridiculing him, causing him to stress out.