Chapter 18

A series of events that began the next morning started adding up to a worrying conclusion.

Sarah was back in charge of working on Gabi's dilation, so Ellie and I gave them some nice kisses and then left them to it and headed downstairs for breakfast. Over the last few days, I had started noticing that I was getting a metallic taste in my mouth. I suspected that I was coming down with something and was expecting a sore throat or stuffy nose, but so far that hadn't happened. It did seem to affect my sense of taste and put me off my coffee in the morning. I had switched, reluctantly, to a herbal blend, chamomile while I waited for my taste to get back to normal.

This was the first morning when the coffee pot that Wendy always started first thing in the morning, bothered me. The smell was way too strong and rather than enjoying it as I would normally it made me feel a bit yuck. I stuck to toast and left the kitchen area to eat it outside, enjoying the view of the backyard and then forgot all about it.

Getting ready now also involved us playing with Gabi's new hair. Gabi was happy to let us decide how she was going to present to the world and we all enjoyed helping her to look pretty, with lots of compliments. Despite the swelling, I think our comments were heartfelt, as we had all fallen for her inner beauty which shines through everything.

Wendy and John were very accepting of our unusual arrangement and we all enjoyed our time there, even with Gabi's surgery and inability to talk. Gabi did smile a lot albeit with a more careful expression and smaller than usual so as not to hurt the incisions in her mouth or the swelling on her cheeks. And if smiling was not enough Gabi was very liberal with her hugs. She showed more genuine physical affection than all of us put together. Wendy lapped it up. I think the distance Ellie tends to put between herself and everyone else resulted in Wendy feeling a little deprived of mother-daughter hugs that Gabi happily rectified. There is no question that by the time we left Gabi had completely won them over.

That's not to say Gabi was permanently happy. There were times when something would trigger her grief. Being around a relatively happy family probably meant there were a lot of possible triggers. Gabi being unable to talk was probably a bonus. We had no idea what would set her off and she wouldn't have wanted us to change our behaviour because of how she was feeling. Her emotions were clearly written on her face and talking about it wasn't going to change anything, she just needed time to process and people around her who loved her and she had that. Some of the hugs were for support and caring. That was possibly why it was more powerful. She gave hugs in gratitude and happiness and received them in sorrow and sadness.

Surgery wise she was recovering well. She was also now wearing this compression wrap to help with her liposuction healing. That fitted in well with the corsets that she was measured for the next day. That morning I couldn't even go into the kitchen because of the excessive coffee smell making me feel uncomfortable. Ellie happily got me some toast and tea with a shrug of her shoulders. I couldn't explain myself very well and we had other things to think about so we dismissed it and moved on like yesterday.

The corsets were quite fun, surprisingly. I tried one on and it made my bust look humongous, almost over the top so I wasn't interested. On Gabi, there wasn't really anything up top to exaggerate, but it did slim her waist very noticeably and we could all see that glint of satisfaction in her eyes when she was wearing it. The ones she was wearing were only to give her an idea of what it would be like since they needed to be made to measure. We bought three corsets and three sleep corsets, two as she was sized now and one slightly smaller for each type. They would be ready in about a week so we organised for them to be delivered at the hotel we were staying at. Trish had managed to get us great rates at the hotel that the band would be staying at a week later. We only needed one room with a large double bed although there would be four adults staying. I'm glad Trish was responsible for that explanation rather than me.

Once we were finished there we moved on to Sarah's house. Sarah's parents were less obvious about their affection but it was still there. Smiles, touches and brief squeezes were very much in evidence. Gabi was a bit more restrained but still more naturally touchy-feely than the three of us.

The next morning I was relieved to be able to enter the kitchen. They had an espresso machine rather than a coffee percolator, so there were no strong smells to keep me out. Or so I thought. I opened the fridge to try and work out what I fancied for breakfast, caught a strong smell of rank old sweaty socks and barely made it to the sink before I started heaving.

Sandra was in the kitchen and gently rubbed my back while I helplessly dry heaved.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

I had to wait for my stomach to settle before I could answer her. “Who put sweaty socks in the fridge?” I asked.

She went to check out the fridge and came back to me with a confused expression. “We have some cheese in there, but it is grated cheese in a sealed bag, you can barely smell it.”

“It's probably me. I've been feeling off the last few days. I thought I was coming down with a cold. Probably food poisoning or a tummy bug, I guess.”

“No one else is ill, so probably not food poisoning and thanks for the compliment,” she replied with a smile. She had cooked for us last night so I could see how it could be seen as an insult, but she was only joking with me. Then her face turned serious. “You couldn't be pregnant could you?”

“No, I've never had sex with a man, so that's not possible.”

“So you never did anything with Drew, before he became Gabi?” she asked.

“Nothing like that,” I replied, dismissing it initially.

She gave me a long look and then changed the subject, suggesting I see a doctor before we rejoined the tour.

I didn't go near the fridge again, just in case, and she made me some egg on toast that I appreciated. There was still a slight nausea there but I didn't think I would start heaving again. Her words though did start me thinking. Could I be pregnant?