Children of the Fall (The Fallen World Book 19) by J.P. Chandler

Author:J.P. Chandler [Chandler, J.P.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Blood Moon Press
Published: 2023-04-03T16:00:00+00:00

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I woke in the dark and found the ship rising and falling in long, slow movements, rocking both side to side and bow to stern. I worked my mouth against an unfamiliar sweet taste, and moisture began coating the back of my mouth. Small muscles deep in my abdomen clenched. My stomach danced. More moisture flooded my mouth. I charged from the berth and ran down the corridor to the head, bouncing off the rocking bulkheads as I went. I hit my knees and ejected the contents of my stomach into the toilet. The noise of my retching echoed in the tiny steel room. The bowl blurred to my watering eyes.

I couldn’t recall the last time I had felt nauseated to the slightest degree, much less actually vomited.

Without warning, I retched again, surprised to find I had anything left. I gasped for breath between contractions.

A gentle hand touched the back of my head. I didn’t recognize the uniformed woman who knelt next to me.

“Hell of a storm, huh?” Her voice was thick with sympathy. “You’re not alone, sweetie. It’s getting a bunch of us, even some of the old hands. Even Grimsby’s down.”

I nodded then retched yet again. Only a sample of bile came up now.

“Poor thing.” She stroked my hair again. “I’ll go to sick bay and see if they have anything that will help. They’re saying it’s a big storm. Love your hair, by the way.”

She left me to my misery. The storm continued its merciless assault on the ship. I didn’t think I could get motion sick, but this storm had overcome that resistance. I thought of Chelsea and how much she was probably suffering. The thought quickly disappeared under a new wave of vomit. No matter how hard I tried to calm my breathing and my stomach, there was more retching.

The woman returned with water and a small white pill, both of which I promptly ejected into the head. I couldn’t read the woman’s name through blinding tears. She wiped my lips with a soft wet cloth before turning her attention to my hands, arms, and chest to clean up splatter I hadn’t noticed.

“Don’t talk. Rinse your mouth and try to drink. We need to keep you hydrated.”

I nodded to acknowledge her instructions. Big mistake.

“I’m not going anywhere.” She laid something icy cold on my neck.

My entire world shrank to the toilet in front of me and my quivering tummy. It was going to be a long night, but I had no attention to spare for the passage of time.

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