Chapter Text
Jensen glances at Gina in the passenger seat and reaches for her hand. “We don’t have to do this tonight,” he says softly.
She musters up the semblance of a smile before turning to look at him. “I’m okay,” she lies. Gina hates doing it; it only serves to sour her stomach further, but she knows it’s really no use to postpone.
After three glorious months of dating actor Jensen Ackles, tonight, Gina has been invited to his parents' house for dinner.
Her stomach has been in knots for days, though, leaving her feeling shaky and nauseous.
The absolute worst part of it all is that she doesn’t even know if the nausea is from her nerves or Jensen’s recent bout of stomach flu.
Since she’s currently staying at his place, she had the glorious job of nursing him through it. Endless trips to the bathroom, replacing buckets by the bed when he was too exhausted to move, and attempting to keep everything from Pedialyte to lukewarm water in his belly left her tired out and scared to death she would catch it from him.
As such, Jensen is really looking forward to tonight’s dinner. His mom promised to provide all the fixings for fajitas and even said she would make a pitcher of margaritas.
Gina, on the other hand, is dreading tonight.
Last night, a friend of hers drove into town to hang out, and the two of them ended up going out. She only indulged in a couple of drinks, but the hangover hit her hard. Until it was actually time to leave, she laid around in bed and felt awful.
Jensen tried to be a helpful, loving boyfriend, but after the third time Gina called herself an idiot for going out, he retreated to his office and told her to call if she needed him.
When the car rumbles off the road, Gina opens her eyes to see that Jensen has pulled over. She turns to him, confused. “What’s going on?” she asks, worried his illness is making an unexpected revival.
“You look like your gonna puke, sweetheart. I thought maybe you’d like a minute.”
She bristles. “I’m not going to puke. I’m fine.” Gina feels bad for snapping at him, but she can’t even think about the possibility of getting sick right now. Her gut is in such turmoil, it won’t take much to send her over the edge.
Jensen purses his lips and turns to look out the window before sighing. “Alright. Then, I need a minute. I’ll be right back.” The keys jangle aggressively before he gets out and slams the door shut.
It’s not his fault. It’s her. Gina knows it, and he does too. If it wasn’t for her irrational fear of throwing up…
But Gina hates it. Every minute of it. Before, during, and after. It is gross and unpredictable and leaves her feeling helpless and weak.
Nausea is an irritating tease, retching wrenches muscles you don’t even know you have, and bodily fluids somehow always end up somewhere they should not be.
Jensen is understanding of Gina’s...condition. He gets it.
As an actor, he has to do hundreds of appearances annually, yet, he has a thing about public speaking. He learned tricks over the tenor of his career, but he still needs reassurance before he gets on stage.
He confessed to his new girlfriend early on that he usually feels queasy and gets gassy before a big award show.
The car door opens much more gently than it closed, leading Gina to believe that Jensen’s breather was effective.
Slipping into his seat, he buckles his seatbelt and turns the car back on before speaking. “You ready?”
Determined not to embarrass him, Gina nods.