Marie intended to exchange pleasantries with the couple, but as she watched Estrella dash to the
restroom with a hand clamped over her mouth, she hurried after her in a
fluster.
“What’s the matter, Ms. Estrella?” Marie asked, just as Estrella retched, suggesting, “Maybe it’s food
poisoning!” No sooner had she spoken than she was bent over the toilet,
vomiting.
Jason soon appeared with a glass of warm water. After Estrella rinsed her mouth, she felt a smidgeon
better.
Jason was at her side, gently rubbing her back while Marie muttered, “The grub from outside just ain’t
reliable. We should have Mr. Lee deliver lunch to you guys.”
Estrella managed to nod in agreement, attempting to stand, only to be hit with another wave of nausea.
As Estrella staggered back to the toilet, Marie’s eyes sparkled with realization. Shel glanced at Jason,
then back at Estrella, her mind racing. Mr. Jason had been around more often lately, and the lovebirds
seemed pretty cozy, often all lovey-dovey in front of
others.
Connecting the dots, Marie asked with a hint of excitement, “Ms. Estrella, are you by any chance
expecting?”
The question caught both Jason and Estrella off guard.After a recent all-clear from the doctor and a previous bout with food poisoning, pregnancy was the last
thing on Estrella’s mind. Given her relationship with Jason, it wasn’t something she had considered
likely.
Jason, momentarily stunned, turned to Estrella. He had assumed it was just a stomach bug, having no
prior experience and never having played the role of a dad. Watching Estrella, Jason’s grip on her arm
unconsciously tightened, his gaze filled with unspoken.
concern.
Estrella, half-amused, reminded him, “Jason, you’re hurting my hand.” Upon her words, Jason quickly
let go.
Marie couldn’t help but laugh. “Mr. Jason is just over the moon at the thought of becoming a daddy,”
she teased. “I’m pretty sure this is it. I’ll accompany Ms. Estrella to the clinic tomorrow to check.”
Without hesitation, Jason blurted out, “I’ll take Estrella.”
Marie’s smile widened. “If you can take Ms. Estrella, that would be perfect.
Congratulations to you both,” she said, offering her support to Estrella’s other arm.
10:40
Jason, noticing Estrella’s pallor, asked, “Are you feeling unwell anywhere else?”
“Just a bit nauseous,” Estrella replied.“That settles it then. You’re definitely pregnant,” Marie concluded confidently. Hearing this, Jason held
Estrella even closer as if afraid she might fall or stumble.
Back in their room, Estrella noticed that Jason wouldn’t let her do anything, even something as simple
as fetching clothes from the wardrobe. He insisted on doing it for
her.
When it came time for her shower, Jason insisted on joining her, citing his worry that she might slip and
fall alone.
Estrella, finding it impossible to argue, reluctantly agreed to let him help her bathe. She found it
amusing that Jason had become uncharacteristically anxious since Marie’s pregnancy suggestion. She
had known him for years and had never seen him so on edge, so careful with her as he was now, even
while helping her bathe.
After her shower, Estrella sat at her computer desk, and Jason’s mood darkened. “Who said you could
turn on the computer? Get back to bed, now.”
Feeling a mix of amusement and frustration, Estrella turned to him. “Jason, we don’t even know for
sure what’s going on. Don’t be so tense. Besides, even if I am pregnant, working women still go to their
jobs.”
“You are my wife,” Jason stated firmly.
His declaration of “my wife” silenced Estrella.
Then, Jason approached and, with a tenderness she wasn’t accustomed to, lifted her from the chair as
if she were a precious gem and placed her gently on the bed.As he tucked her in and brought her a warm glass of milk, Estrella reminisced about the time she fell ill
in eighth grade. Jason had watched over her for 72 hours. He did not leave her side except for
bathroom breaks, and he even missed school to care for her.
As she watched him fussing over her, Estrella teased, “Jason, you’re making me feel guilty. If I’m not
pregnant, I’ll feel like I’ve let you down, let down the entire Nelson family ancestry.” Jason, normally so
self-assured, was attending to Estrella’s every need, and it made her feel guilty.
noveldramaSitting on the edge of the bed, he reassured her, “If you’re not, then you’re not. It’ll happen eventually.”
She smiled at his words. “I thought you didn’t want kids.” After nearly three years of marriage, his rare
visits home, his avoidance of her touch, and his secretive contraception use had convinced her that
Jason never wanted to be a father.
The room fell into a comfortable silence as Jason stroked her face gently, “I never said!
didn’t want kids.”
10 40
Jason had just finished speaking when Estrella turned to face him and said, “Jason, I need to discuss
something with you.”
“What is it?” Jason asked, his tone open and approachable.
Estrella’s hand emerged from the comforter, reaching out to gently clasp his. “My court date is next
Monday, and I was thinking of postponing the hospital check-up until after this whole Lexi case iswrapped up.”
The upcoming trial was weighing heavily on Estrella’s mind, and the last thing she wanted was an
additional distraction. Plus, she knew that if the pregnancy test came back positive, Jason would
probably insist on her taking leave from work immediately.
She also preferred to handle the hospital visit on her own, without Jason’s company.
Predictably, Jason was not on board with her plan. “No, we’re going to get that check-up
done tomorrow.”
“Okay, okay, we’ll do the check-up tomorrow,” Estrella conceded, not one to pick unnecessary fights.
She snuggled deeper into the covers and closed her eyes, signaling her intention to sleep.
“You haven’t finished your milk,” Jason reminded her.
“You drink it,” Estrella replied, her voice muffled by the blanket.
“Estrella,” Jason said, his hand sneaking under the covers.
Estrella had always been ticklish, a vulnerability Jason was well aware of. So the moment his hand
crept in, she wriggled out of bed like a startled rabbit, laughter, and protest mingling in the cozy twilight
of their room.