Hollow

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Agony... She felt as though she were in agony...

Her stomach roiled and lurched, until she finally spilled forth its contents into the commode before which she knelt.

She'd never felt quite so sick before. The heaves were so violent, she nearly passed out.

It went on and on, and upon the final sickening retch, she discovered she had nothing left to give. Slowly, weakly, she made her way back to her feet, her legs shaking beneath her. She flushed the toilet, refusing to look at the previous contents of her stomach lest she vomit again.

Quickly closing the lid on the porcelain bowl, the young woman moved over to the sink and ran the cold water. She rinsed her mouth out thoroughly, then grabbed one of the clean white washcloths placed on the side. She ran it under the cool moisture, then pressed the cloth against her face, a soft, now nearly contented sigh escaping her. When she removed it, she caught her reflection in the mirror, noting the burst blood vessels in her left eye. Her violent retches no doubt had caused them, but that was not what had her feeling so worried...

What was she going to do? *How* was she going to deal with this? And, more importantly, how was *he* going to react?

As she continued staring at her own terror-filled eyes, she ran both hands through her long hair, worrying further.

Damn it... They hadn't even been a couple for too long at all, only three months. Well, unless you count the month prior to WrestleMania, when they'd gotten together to plot and scheme against Chris Jericho. But that *still* wasn't a long time - their relationship was still so new.

On the other hand, she loved him. She knew that. And she knew that he loved her as well. Maybe he would be excited about the prospect of becoming a father. Maybe...

She shook her head, wondering why in hell she was allowing this to get the best of her. She hadn't been to see a doctor, nor had she even taken a home pregnancy test - so why was she making herself crazy?

'Because I know my body...' the young woman thought. She very rarely got sick to the point of throwing up, unless she had a stomach virus or the flu. She knew it wasn't the latter, or else she would have a fever and plenty of other symptoms. And if it were the latter, that would pretty much be the same.

Not to mention the fact that she was late...

The woman squeezed her eyes tightly shut, willing the tears she felt forming in them not to fall. She had to pull herself together and deal with this. And the first step she needed to take to do that was to go out and purchase a home pregnancy test.

Taking one quick last look into her own eyes, she willed herself to straighten her shoulders and be strong. She'd always been strong, and never had there been a better time than now to prove it.

Just as she exited the bathroom, the door of her hotel room opened, and the man who entered smiled at her.

"There's my girl..."

"Hi," she said, forcing herself to smile and not falter.

He moved quickly toward her, dipping his head as though to kiss her. Damn it, if he smelled the vomit on her breath...

"No..." She pulled away almost violently, leaving her boyfriend bewildered. "I... I've got a toothache," she lied, hoping he would buy that.

"Oh... in that case, you'd better get a checkup soon."

"I will, Christian..." Trish Stratus replied, her gaze unfocused as she thought about her true situation. "I will..."
 
 
 
 

Part 2

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