Nausea

Lying on the bed next to the idol, Lois felt full—too full. There was a strange taste in the back of her mouth, and it was almost like she was still hungry but couldn't possibly eat another bite. She shifted onto her back, suddenly breathing a little harder, a sudden feeling of heat beneath her skin...and when the shakes started, and the back of her throat seemed to itch, the pieces clicked into place. Lois sat up and staggered from the bed to the toilet.

She made it just in time.

As she often did while emptying her guts into the bowl, Lois reflected on what had brought her here. But she didn't think she'd had that much to drink tonight, at least not enough to cause her to get sick. Overeating might have done it, she supposed, but chicken and cookies shouldn't have been anything to set her off. Maybe she'd picked up a bug...a twenty-four hour stomach flu or something.

Lois waited until she felt better. Then waited another ten minutes to be sure. When at last she felt well and truly better, she flushed the toilet and staggered to her feet, feeling a little shaky. She probably needed to hydrate—but first things first. Lois flushed the toilet, then went to the sink to brush her teeth.

The reporter examined herself in the mirror as she scrubbed her molars. She looked about as tired as she felt, but her skin actually looked great. Normally she was very careful about keeping up with her regimen of beauty creams and moisturizers, but even plain as she was right now her skin looked perfect. Her eyes drifted southwards on the reflection...and paused on her breasts. They looked a little swollen. Lois gave her left boob a gentle prod...definitely a little sore and sensitive, a little more firm than usual. Lois frowned, spat, and rinsed.

It was while bending over the sink, tits hanging down, looking into the mirror, that Lois noticed her belly.

She stood up straight and glanced down at it. Lois had never maintained washboard abs, but she exercised and watched her diet, keeping her midriff toned and trim. Yet there was a...it wasn't a potbelly, she told herself. Yet it definitely looked a little more prominent than normal. The reporter turned sideways and looked at her profile in the mirror. Most women's bellies had a slight curve to them, and Lois was no different, but was it just how tired she was or was hers more pronounced than it had been this morning? Her fingers probed the belly, finding it soft as ever...but there was a little hard spot, just below her belly button. Probably just bloating, unless she really was sick.

"Overeating," Lois said aloud. "Or maybe bloating. If I'm sick, that could cause it. Hell, maybe I'm retaining water..."

She let a lot of unspoken thoughts hang in the air, as she meditated on her appearance, on the sudden bout of nausea. Then she opened up the medicine cabinet.

Lois was an adult woman; even if she hadn't been sexually active recently, she liked to keep certain things on hand. Male and female condoms. Her birth control pills—currently an empty package. Small vials of lubricant. Spermicidal jelly.

A box of pregnancy tests.

She hesitated, thoughts swirling. Lois knew she hadn't had sex in...some time. Her period had been about two weeks ago. Right on time.

"Ludicrous," she said aloud. The mirror reflected the open doorway behind her, and Lois could see into her bedroom. To where the idol lay on the bed. "Just being paranoid, Lane." she said to herself. Her stomach fluttered.

Five minutes later, Lois sat on the toilet. She held the pale plastic stick, and read the simple instructions for the third time. Wait five minutes, and if the line turns blue...