I Know I Was for a While

Squeezing her eyes closed, Camila rested her head back against her pillow, trying to her hardest to swallow the sensation of nausea that had been quick to wash over her. It had happened to her a lot, with her pregnancy having reached the end of its first trimester, the feeling of waking up with the urge to throw up was one she had grown accustomed to, but still she was hopeful she could stifle it, even if it was likely to be a futile endeavor. The last thing she wanted was to spend the morning crouched over the toilet.

Taking in a deep breath, she let it out slowly before the sound of a light knock against the bedroom door reached her ears, causing her to let out a quiet sigh as she gently turned her head, her dark eyes staring up at the door. Hesitating for a second, she briefly contemplated staying quiet before she shook her head. “Come in, Leo” she murmured.

Lionel, who’d been waiting on the other side of the door, pushed it open slightly before he peeked around it, offering her a small smile. “Did I wake you?” he asked quietly “I mean, I wasn’t trying to disturb you, I just thought I’d check in on you, but if you want me to go...” he trailed off as he spotted a weak smile on Camila’s lips, something which caused him to shake his head, mumbling a quiet apology beneath his breath.

Camila shook her head, her faint smile not fading, before she gently rolled onto her back, allowing her eyes to close again.

Lionel watched her, a small frown playing at the corner of his mouth, before he tentatively sat down on the side of the bed, allowing a few seconds of silence to pass between them before Camila let out a small groan, hurrying herself back to her feet before she jogged into the bathroom. Lionel blinked a couple of times, surprised by her sudden movement, before he hesitantly followed, stopping a couple of paces outside of the bathroom. “Mila?” he noted “Is it OK for me to come in?” he asked. He wanted to comfort her, since he had arrived at her apartment the previous night, he hadn’t wanted to do anything other than make her feel better, but he didn’t want to overstep the mark, not wanting to make things worse for her.

Camila was quiet for a moment before she let out a soft ‘yes’, something which caused Lionel to gently nudge the bathroom door open before he stepped inside, his dark eyes settling on where Camila sat against the bathtub, her knees pulled to her chest. Taking a couple of steps inside, he perched on the edge of the bathtub before he lowered his hand, gently tracing circles against her back. “You OK?” he asked quietly.

Camila shrugged. “The nausea isn’t new” she mused “I’ve woken up feeling sick most days for a few weeks. Sometimes I am lucky, and I don’t throw up, but other days, I do. It should get better now that I am passed twelve weeks” she added, sparing a soft glance down towards the front of her shirt.

Lionel followed her stare down towards her stomach before he shook his head, a soft sigh falling out of his mouth. “What happened, Mila?” he murmured, disturbing the momentary silence which had settled over the two of them.

Camila, who’d been quietly staring down at her stomach, sighed a little at his question before she shrugged, her brown eyes looking up at him softly. “Honestly?” she murmured “I’m not quite sure” she added, a shaky smile passing over her lips.

Lionel noticed the smile, but didn’t say anything, instead opting to lower himself into the spot at her side before he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her softly.

Camila let out a small sniffle before she cuddled into him slightly, allowing him to rest his head on top of hers. “I found out a couple of weeks ago” she mumbled after a few long seconds of quiet “I wasn’t quite feeling myself and when I realized that I was late, I did a test pretty quickly. It was a positive, and after a couple of appointments with my doctor and my midwife, I thought it was about time that I told Noah. He’d been busy with work, and last night was supposed to be our date night, so I spent a little while planning out how I’d tell him, only I got a little ahead of myself and just showed him the picture you found” she added, a snuffly laugh falling out of her mouth.

Lionel merely squeezed her gently.

“I was so excited” Camila fussed “I mean, it was a surprise, but it was a good one to me and I thought...I thought it’d be a good one for Noah too, but he was...he told me that he didn’t want to be involved with the baby that I am carrying, and that if I was going to keep it, that he didn’t want me to stick around and then told me that I should pack up my stuff” she explained, her words rushed and shaky as she cuddled into Lionel a little more, a few loose tears seeping into his t-shirt.

Lionel held onto her, allowing her to cry into his shirt for a few seconds, before he gently leant away, his thumbs gently brushing a few tears off of her cheeks. “I’m sorry, Mila” he murmured softly “I mean, I have no idea how much you’re hurting right now, but I am sure of one thing. If Noah doesn’t see how amazing you being pregnant is, then he is absolutely not worth you crying over. It’s incredible news, Mila, you’re going to be mama” he added, a warm smile on his lips.

He knew that he couldn’t make her feel better about what had happened between her and Noah, with them having been together for a year, the sudden end of their relationship and its circumstances were going to be something which hurt her for a while to come, but he wanted her to know that there was at least one other person who was excited about the news of her pregnancy, even if it had surprised him. He had no doubt that she would be a wonderful mother when her son or daughter came along.

Camila, who’d moved to wipe a few more tears off of her cheeks, admired his smile for a second before she shook her head, diverting her stare back down towards her hands which she had moved to settle on her stomach. “I really thought he’d be excited, Leo” she mumbled quietly.

Lionel watched her hands for a couple of seconds, allowing her words to hang around the two of them, before he shook his head. “I’m sorry that he wasn’t, Mila” he muttered “You deserve someone who’s as excited about this as you are” he added before he gently pushed himself up to his feet, offering a hand back towards her.

Camila hesitated for a second before she placed her hand in his, allowing him to help her up to her feet. “I’ve got to go soon” he noted “But, if you’re feeling up to it, I’ve probably got time for some breakfast. I could probably manage to cook us something” he added as he dropped his hold on her hand, stepping out of the bathroom.

Camila followed after him before she stepped across the room, collecting a sweater from its place on top of the pile of bags which sat in the corner of the bedroom. “You know that you don’t have to do that” she noted as she turned back to look at where he stood in the doorway.

Lionel nodded. “I do know that” he mused “But I’d still like to do it” he added warmly.

Camila shook her head, trying to hide the little smile that he’d brought to her face, before she stepped towards him. “If you’re sure” she noted “I mean, I can probably eat something. I probably should” she added, her hand subconsciously settling on her stomach.

Lionel watched her shift her hand before he nodded, offering her an encouraging smile. It wasn’t going to be easy for her, with a baby on the way, and things with Noah having ended as suddenly as they had, he knew that she was likely to struggle for a while, but he wanted her to know that she had him if she needed him.