Free Loneliness Trilogy Bundle Boxset by Alison Cole Page B

doctor opts to hook me up to a couple of I.V.s so I can start to feel human again. The second I.V. has the medication in it, which knocks me for an absolute loop. I fall into a heavy sleep, which lasts until about two hours before we have to get to the concert venue. When I wake up, the doctor is there. He’s in a better mood now, thankfully. He tells Marcus and me that, whenever I’m not practicing or performing, I’m to be resting or napping for at least the first trimester - preferably prone. I ask the doctor how long I’ll feel sick and he tells me it should be ending any time soon.
    When we get back to the concert hall, Marcus tells everyone what the doctor ordered.
    “Then, that’s it. Johanna, you’re on bed rest except for practices and performances,” says Tim.
    The next day, we fly to Phoenix, Arizona. The lower altitude is much easier on me - too bad the heat’s so intense! When I’m not sitting in front of air conditioning, I’m spread out in bed, trying to keep cool. Ice water - whoever came up with it, should have won the Nobel Prize. I guzzle the stuff like it’s going out of fashion until I realize the coldness of the water will affect my vocal cords - then I switch to room-temperature water. Thankfully, the water helps me keep the nausea from hitting me. Both the practice and performance go very well - our band is very well received in this awfully hot city.
    Next, we fly to Los Angeles and prepare to perform there - the big one, says Tim. After our practice, we go to the beach and walk on the hard, wet sand. Marcus has added his own prescription to those of my doctors - relaxation and lots of it. As a result, when we get to the concert hall that evening, I am lightly sun tanned and feeling very good. As we perform, I glance over at Marcus, to see him smiling and enjoying our music.
    Over the next few days, I realize that my nausea is starting to retreat a little more every day. Even if I smell a strong scent, I’m better able to handle it than I was earlier in my pregnancy. Of course, I have to work to get my clothes around my slowly growing belly. Marcus sees me struggling to fasten my pants one morning. After I give up, he tells me, “It’s time for maternity wear for you, mum.”
    He calls Tim and lets him know we have to find a maternity shop so I can buy a few things. Practice is postponed until late morning and we find a cute little maternity store in downtown Eugene, Oregon. When I see the prices, I’m floored. Even with the conversion factor, they are not very expensive. I buy tops, pants and, when I see the perfect formal, I buy that as well. The shop assistant recommends that I start stocking up on maternity bras and underthings, so I follow her recommendation. When we leave, Marcus is loaded down with several bags. In our room, I immediately change to a new maternity outfit. Oh, so much more comfortable! After I show the formal to Tim, he approves of it for our performance that evening.
    “If you find a few more, you may as well stock up on more formal gowns, because I’m hoping you’ll be able to stay with us through as much of your pregnancy as possible,” he tells me.
    “Well, I’d love to go back and check on other formal dresses they have in stock. What time do we have to be at the airport tomorrow?” I ask Tim.
    “Not until noon for a one p.m. flight,” he tells me.
    “Then it’s settled. I’ll stop at the shop tomorrow morning, first thing. If I find anything, I’ll buy it. And, yes, I’d love to continue with the group for as long as my pregnancy allows me - and after the baby is born,” I tell him.
    In return, I get a big hug. That night, I wear my new, much more comfortable maternity formal dress. While it gives my growing belly more room, it doesn’t look like a maternity dress. I simply look like I chose to wear a loose dress. It makes singing so much easier. Now, I can expand my diaphragm much more easily and I don’t get dizzy during the longer notes.