Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1607

Janelle suddenly chuckled. "Well, if it's really morning sickness, then there's nothing to worry about. It's not a serious illness. It's awful, I'm sure, but it's better you feeling sick than Winona." Huh?! Keaton stared at his own mother in disbelief. What did she mean, 'better him feeling sick than Winona'?! A second later, Richard added, "Winona's a young woman. It would be too hard on her to go through this, especially after all the hardships she's already faced. It's only right that Keaton shares the burden." Keaton: "..." He pressed his lips together. "So it's not hard on me? I'm supposed to suffer?!" He regretted it the moment the words left his mouth. Winona wasn't even pregnant. What was he even arguing about? By arguing, he was just playing into their delusion. Before he could backtrack, Janelle said, "Of course it's hard on you, sweetie, but you can't compare it to what Winona would go through. I've been there. A woman carries a baby for nine months. Life becomes so inconvenient and uncomfortable; it's awful!" "And childbirth itself is risky," she continued. "When a woman gives birth, she's putting her life on the line." Richard chimed in, "Winona is carrying the next generation of the Huber family. That makes her a true blessing to us. It's your duty to take on some of her morning sickness for her." Keaton: "..." Good Lord, were these really his parents?! Keaton couldn't help but retort, "When Mom was pregnant with me and my sister, did you suffer for her?" Richard put his hands behind his back, looking at his son with disdain. "I'm not a playboy like you, jumping from one girlfriend to the next. Your mother is the only woman I've ever been with! I'm telling you, this morning sickness is divine intervention, a punishment for your past indiscretions!" "You endure this suffering for Winona, and maybe then you'll finally be worthy of her." The jab from his own father was the most brutal of all. Keaton was floored. "Mom, are you hearing what Dad is saying?! Am I even his son? He just said I'm not worthy of Winona!" Janelle playfully slapped Richard's arm. "Why are you telling him the stone-cold truth right now? No matter what, our son has thrown up so much he's lost a ton of weight. Have some pity on the boy." The stone-cold truth... The truth... His own mother had just twisted the knife. Keaton felt completely defeated. Janelle had Richard pour a glass of water and handed it to Keaton. "Here, drink some water. Later, Mom will get you some ginger chews to help settle your stomach. I heard there's a great holistic doctor downtown who's an expert on pregnancy-related issues." Keaton took the water. "It's not morning sickness. I don't need it." The moment the water hit his stomach, he started retching again. "Ugh..." It was so bad now that even a sip of water made him sick. Janelle quickly patted his back gently. "If I had known your morning sickness was this bad, I wouldn't have pushed you to go find Winona. You just disappeared on us without a word. Your father and I were so mad at you." "You can't do that again. If something's wrong, you have to tell us!" "We may nag you, but we love you. You're our son!" Keaton’s stomach gave another violent heave, the strain leaving him breathless and stinging his eyes with tears. He rinsed his mouth and leaned back against the bed, panting. All he could think was, how on earth was he going to explain this pregnancy situation to his parents? Seeing he'd settled down a bit, Janelle asked, "Keaton, be honest with me. Did Winona leave for this job because you two had a fight?" A flicker of something crossed Keaton's face. They hadn't fought, but Winona had indeed left because of him. She was avoiding him. A heavy sigh escaped him internally. One second he was feeling sentimental and melancholic, and the next...