Early dawn.
Ren woke up with the sound of repeated retching coming from the bathroom. He instinctually opened his eyes as his arms felt empty. Ren rubbed his head, he quickly sat up and peered his eyes towards the slightly open bathroom doors.
"Sweetheart? Are you in there?"
There was no her sweet voice answering to him. He could only hear the sound of coughing and vomiting.
Ren pushed away the quilt covering his body as he immediately got off the bed. His steps were frantic as he ran toward the bathroom. His long arms pushed the doors wide opened. His dark eyes fell on the frail-looking figure crouching in front of the toilet seat.
"Tsubaki!"
Ren quickly went to her side. Tsubaki coughed badly as her throat felt sore after vomiting for a long time. As she felt the gentle patting on her back, she lifted up her head and looked at the man sitting beside her.
Ren was startled once he saw how pale her face was. Her eyes were moistened with tears, beads of sweat forming on her forehead and her lips quivered. Tsubaki swiftly turned her head away, she weakly swatted his hands off her back.
"Don't look at me..."
She felt she was so dirty right now and she didn't want him to see her in such a sorry state. The unpleasant smell of her vomit lingered in the warm bathroom, making her felt further uneasy. Without waiting for him to react, Tsubaki quickly stood up and pushed the button to flush the toilet. As she spun around to walk to the sink, a wave of dizziness suddenly hit her.
"Tsubaki!"
Ren immediately caught her falling body. He wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders while the other one brushed aside her bangs that were stuck to her forehead. He gently scooped her up and placed her on the countertop.
"Don't look at me..." Even when she was dizzy, Tsubaki was still waving his hands off her. She lowered her head and covered her face with her hands. Her long black hair fell below her chest, obscuring her face from his worried eyes. She appeared so pitiful, his heart ached with pain.
Ren knew she was feeling self-conscious at this moment. She looked so fragile in front of him. He quietly filled a cup with water and brought it to her lips.
"Rinse your mouth first, sweetheart. Wash the bitter taste away," He gently persuaded his wife. At this time, it would be bad if he forced her.
Tsubaki hesitated for a while before she took the cup from his hands. As she gurgled to wash her mouth off, Ren gathered her long hair into one hand and tied it using a hair band he found inside the the small drawer on the countertop. Tsubaki twisted her body slightly as she spat the water into the sink beside her. Her body doubled over as she coughed again.
Ren wetted a towel. He gently wiped her pale face and neck. Tsubaki was still hiding from his eyes, her head hung low the entire time. Ren sighed inwardly. He put the towel beside her, his wide palms cupping her face as he lifted it up so he could meet her eyes.
"Sweetheart, it's nothing, okay?" Ren locked his gaze with hers. There was helplessness in his voice as he tried to coax her, "I can't stop you from feeling like this but remember that I'd always help you, alright?"
He didn't find her dirty even though her self-consciousness told her otherwise.
Tsubaki pursed her lips. She weakly nodded her head as she didn't have the energy to argue with him.
"I'm sorry..." Her voice was so tiny and laced with regret, aching his heart. Her small hands fisted balls on the hem of her nightgown.
"You don't have to be sorry," Ren smiled faintly. He let go one of his hands from her cheeks and placed it at the small of her back. "Are you still nauseous? Your stomach must feel empty right now. Do you want anything?"
It was already close to 5 AM so if she wanted an early breakfast, he could prepare it for her. Tsubaki paused for a moment, thinking of what he had asked.
"Could I... have your strawberry pancakes?"
Ren lifted his brows in amusement. He chuckled faintly as he nodded. "Alright. You could lie on the bed first. It'd take a while. I'll call you once I'm done, alright?"
Tsubaki quickly shook her head. With her doe eyes, she looked at him. "Could I accompany you in the kitchen? I..." Her sentence fell short. She pursed her lips and once again she lowered down her head.
Ren eyed her pitiful face carefully. He understood what she wanted to say.
I don't want to be alone right now.
"It's my pleasure to have your company," Ren placed one hand below her knees and another one on her back. He was being so careful when he carried her off the countertop. "Come, sweetheart. Hang onto me."
Tsubaki quickly wrapped her hands around his neck. She rested her forehead on his chest, a contented smile curled up on her pale face. Ren smiled softly when he caught a glimpse of her relieved expression.
Ren placed Tsubaki on a stool as he started to work his way in the kitchen. There was a batch of fresh strawberries inside the fridge, each one of them was big and juicy. Tsubaki was just silently watching him made the pancakes. In no time, a stack of strawberry pancakes was served in front of her.
"I'll warm the milk for you first," Ren untied the black apron from his waist, he hung it on the hook beside her pink apron. "Please wait for a moment."
"En."
As her stomach felt empty after vomiting earlier, Tsubaki felt extra hungry. Her eyes twinkled as she looked at the pancakes with bits of strawberries in front of her. Ren chuckled deeply once he saw her expression. He placed a mug of warm milk on her side of the table before he took a seat beside her.
"Let's eat," Ren reached out for a fork and a knife, he cut through the fluffy pancakes and dipped them into the sweet maple syrup. "Here, sweetheart."
Tsubaki opened her mouth and she immediately took a bite of the pancakes. Her smile widened and her eyes gleamed. It was so delicious!
Ren once again smile in relief because she could eat without her stomach churning again.
After their early breakfast, he carried her toward the sunroom because Tsubaki didn't want to return to their bedroom yet. Both of them lounged comfortably on the couch, their feet were resting on the coffee table opposite the couch.
"Do you feel better, sweetheart?" Ren glanced at her face. He played with her bangs as she leaned her head on his shoulder.
"Uhuh." Tsubaki nodded, she suddenly felt sleepy again. "I felt nauseous all of a sudden. I'm sorry for waking you up so soon."
This was her first time feeling so nauseous. Tsubaki knew every pregnant woman's symptoms of morning sickness varied so she couldn't really expect the changes in her body. She was just hoping it wouldn't turn so bad until she needed to be hospitalized.
She remembered one of Aunt Touko's story. A friend of hers got a really bad morning sickness until she needed to be admitted to the ward frequently. The lady was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum.
Tsubaki shuddered at the thought of it.
Ren brushed his lips over her forehead. Her eyelashes fluttered at the soft touch. His slender fingers were gently caressing her face. She lifted up her eyes, his gaze was so soft she felt like she could melt into it.
"Sweetheart, please don't keep it from me," He lazily traced his fingers over her plump lips. A faint smile curved up on his handsome face. "I might not be the one carrying our baby but I could still accompany your pregnancy journey. Whenever you're sick, let me take care of you, alright?"
His knowledge about pregnancy might just be a drop in the ocean yet he understood he needed to be prepared for various circumstances. He heard that besides constant vomiting, a pregnant lady would always suffer with aching limbs and back as well as fatigue. If only by being sick for a day had made him felt uneasy, what would become of his wife who had to suffer for 9 months?
Their little brat should be grateful that he or she would get a loving mother. If their little bean dared to misbehave, he would surely teach them a lesson.
Tsubaki bit her lower lip as she heard him. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. She didn't answer him, instead, she nodded once.
Ren smiled as he played with her hair.
The sun finally rose over the horizon, enlightened the summer sky. The husband and wife were back in their bedroom. Ren was getting ready to go to the office. As much as he wanted to stay by his wife's side, he still shouldn't toss his responsibility away. He had an urgent meeting this morning.
"Are you sure you still want to go to the bakery?"
Ren peered at Tsubaki's face, she was helping him to knot the jet black tie around his neck. Her deft fingers moved skillfully as she was tying the knot.
"I promised to meet Kanako for lunch at Spring City," Tsubaki answered slowly. She smoothen his lapels once she was done. "I'll go in a bit later. I'm still sleepy."
"Alright." Ren knew he shouldn't talk her out of this matter. He bent down and skimmed her lips with light kisses. His warm breath gently caressed her small face. "Kaede would be on standby. Be careful okay, sweetheart? I'm worried leaving you alone inside our home."
"Please don't worry," Tsubaki smiled as she tried to ease her husband. "I'll be careful. I promise."
"Alright." Ren once again pecked her lips. "I'll be going first. You don't have to send me to the door. Sleep well, sweetheart."
Tsubaki nodded. She waved at him as he walked toward the door of their bedroom. Ren smiled faintly. He gave a gesture for her to lie on the bed quickly, earning Tsubaki's laugh. He closed the door. She could hear his footsteps faded away as he went downstairs.
Tsubaki landed on the bed, she hugged the cat toy in her arms. She threw her gaze at the clear sky outside the glass walls. It looked so peaceful. Her eyelids drooped and eventually she fell asleep.