[Milliways] OOM: Lakeside

[his_sarah_jane]

Sarah hadn't felt well when she woke up this morning. It wasn't the first time in the past week that she had stumbled out of bed and to the loo, needing to empty her stomach of everything that she had ate the night before. Sarah Jane simply feels horrible, and to make matters worse, James isn't around for her to complain to.

So much for the twenty-four hour bug. It's lasting far too long for her tastes.

Sighing, Sarah tucks her knees closer to her chest as she stares out into the lake. She had thought some fresh air would make her feel better. So far, it hasn't.

Comments

[fighting_mad]

Plourr is moving through the grass down toward the lake, barefoot, her hair pulled back into a loose braid. She wears knee-length shorts and a fitted purple cap-sleeved tunic, and she moves fairly quietly, her lips moving as she reads to herself from a datapad.

When she glances up, though, to be sure she isn't going to walk into the lake, she spots a sort-of familiar figure. The expense reports can wait; she makes a detour.

"Well, you look like you're having a good time," she says dryly, leaning against the big flat rock that Sarah is sitting near.

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

"Absolutely wonderful time," Sarah mutters dryly.

She smiles weakly at Plourr. No matter how sick she feels, company is always a rather welcome distraction. Although she does have to close her eyes for a few moments as another wave of nausea starts up.

"I picked a fine time to come down with the flu, what with James back in London and all."

[fighting_mad]

Plourr sits in the damp grass beside her.

It's a bit of a production and takes a long moment, as well as a good deal of relying on the rock for her balance, but she manages it.

"Oof," she says, once she's down. "Still feeling sick, huh?"

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

She nods, unable to hide her small smirk at Plourr's difficulty to sit. It's a rather rude thing to do, and she's well aware of that. But Sarah really can't help it.

"Horribly," she replies. "If James was still here, I'm sure he'd be marching me to back to bed right now."

[fighting_mad]

Plourr narrows her eyes at her, at the smirk, and just for that-- "Throwing up, huh?"

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

"What?"

Sarah blinks, looking very confused (and very surprised). It wasn't the response she expected at all. She's certain she doesn't look all that sick, no matter how badly she feels. Then again, Sarah Jane hasn't exactly looked in a mirror of late.

"How did you know that?"

[fighting_mad]

"You said the flu," she points out. "Tired, too? I saw all that yawning at the party."

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

Sarah nods, frowning slighlty. "Rather. For the past week or so now."

[fighting_mad]

"Headaches?" she inquires.

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

"At times."

She rests her head on her knees, staring out at the lake.

"And a horrible stomach ache last week."

[fighting_mad]

"Uh huh," she says. "And utter exhaustion; bone-deep weariness? A loss of appetite?"

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

Sarah turns her head slightly (and carefully) to look closer at Plourr. Her eyes narrow, partially curious and partially annoyed.

"I'm quite aware that I have the flu, thank you."

[fighting_mad]

"I don't think you have the flu," she says. "I think you do have a particular epidemic that's been going around these parts lately, though."

Beat.

"It starts with 'knocked' and ends with 'up.' "

She is not laughing, at all.

That is Sarah Jane's imagination.

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

Sarah pales visibly. Her eyes widen and she looks at Plourr with confused fear. She must not have been hearing correctly. Or maybe the other woman is only joking. It would explain the laughter, at any rate.

After all, there's absolutely no possible way she could be pregnant. They've used protection, haven't they? Well, most of the time at any rate. And there are those pills and... oh, this has to be a joke. It's just the flu. That's all.

"I... I'm sure that isn't the case."

[fighting_mad]

"I said the same thing to the woman who told me what I just told you, six months ago," says Plourr. (It was considerably less politely, of course, but, bygones!) "I was exhausted, I wasn't eating, I was crabby, I got pounding headaches, and eventually, I puked my kriffing guts out."





She points wordlessly at her belly.

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

Quietly, Sarah looks down at her own stomach. She cautiously places a hand there and shakes her head. The action makes her dizzy and achy, so her hand goes to her head instead.

"That would mean a child," she says quietly, almost asking. "It would mean that James and I would be having a child. That's impossible."

In fact, the whole discussion is making her want to throw up all over again.

[fighting_mad]

"Unless there's some level of biological impossibility I don't know about -- it's not." Dryly, and certainly not without sympathy: "Trust me."

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

Sarah begins to nod but the nauseous feeling over takes her and she scrambles to her feet to run to the nearest bush. A minute or so later, she returns.

As she sits, Sarah Jane wipes at her forehead, brushing away beads of sweat. She closes her eyes for another moment to take a deep breath.

Weakly, "It isn't the flu?"

[fighting_mad]

"It could be," allows Plourr, not unkindly, digging in a pocket and coming up with a napkin from inside, which she offers to Sarah Jane. "But if I were you -- I'd get kriffin' tested."

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

She accepts with a grateful smile, wiping at her mouth. Sarah sighs as she rests her head back on her knees. It's easier to hide the tears.

"He isn't even here right now to see me through this," she mumbles. "What am I supposed to do?"

[fighting_mad]

"First step's probably to go to the infirmary," she says, and she pats her, once, on the shoulder. "Or ask Bar for a home test."

That's not what Sarah Jane was asking, she thinks, but it's what she's got.

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

"I already have one," Sarah mumbles. "From the last time I thought I was pregnant."

She got lucky once. She isn't the sort to believe that the same sort of luck can happened twice in a row. "We were trying to take things slow for once. Being pregnant would complicate that horribly."

[fighting_mad]

"Unexpected pregnancy--" She shakes her head, once. "It sucks, yeah." She glances at the other woman. "Don't punch him. It doesn't help things."

Not that she has ever done any such thing.

"Try not to worry too much about it til you know for sure, Sarah Jane. Maybe I'm wrong."

(But she doesn't think she is.)

Plourr isn't very good at this whole comforting thing, especially when she doesn't really know the other woman.

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

Sarah nods again, not really wanting to be comfort. The oner person she wants to be here isn't. And he's the only one that can help her with the decisions that will have to be made.

"I should go. I need to..."

She's not sure how to finish that sentence. "I better go check."

[fighting_mad]

"You want company?" she asks, dark eyes steady on her. She doesn't know Sarah Jane, but nobody wants to be alone in a situation like this, and Bond is her friend.