Chapter Text
“It hurts, Mama!” Grace wailed. “It hurts!”
As she gave voice to her misery, Grace was lying in her bed, still in her pajamas and curled into the fetal position, her eyes screwed shut and her face twisted in clear agony. Eva stood to the side of the bed, a bottle of Advil in one hand and a paper cup of water in the other.
“I know it does, honey,” she said, her own voice gentle with empathy. “But I’ve got some painkillers right here; they’ll make your stomach feel better.”
Grace blinked her eyes open. “Really?” she asked, looking at her mother as if she didn’t quite believe her.
“Really,” Eva promised. “Do you want to take one now?”
Grace paused, considering, then gasped and shut her eyes again, her arms tightening around her drawn-up legs. “Uh-huh,” was all she said before uncurling herself and gingerly sitting up in bed.
Eva set the cup on Grace’s night stand and quickly twisted the bottle open and spilled out one Advil pill into her palm. With that done, Eva set the bottle on the night stand, picked up the cup again, and handed both it and the pill to Grace.
The sad thing is, Eva couldn’t help thinking as Grace put the pill into her mouth and chased it down with the water, this isn’t the worst a first period can be. She remembered her own first period, how, at age twelve, she woke up one morning with horrible stomach cramps and her underwear, pajamas bottoms, and bedsheets a bloody mess and was terrified she was about to die. At least she’d made sure that Grace knew exactly what to expect beforehand, including pre-period spotting, so when her first period arrived, it wouldn’t be a complete, awful surprise.
Even if it was still pretty awful.
“How’re things in here?”
Neil’s voice broke Eva from her musings. She turned her head in time to see her husband walk into the room and join her at their daughter’s bedside.
“About as well as can be expected,” Eva said.
“She means it hurts,” Grace cut in, gloomily staring at her empty cup, which she now held in both hands.
“Aw, I’m really sorry, princess.” Neil sat down beside Grace and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Would breakfast help? I can make you pancakes and chocolate milk if you want.”
Ordinarily, Eva knew, just the mention of Grace’s favorite breakfast would be enough to get her beaming, but right now, only a grimace was forming on her daughter’s face.
“Thanks, Daddy,” Grace said, “but I think I’ll just die instead.”
Neil’s jaw dropped at those words. “You’re dying?!” he exclaimed, removing his arm from Grace’s shoulders as he stared at her in horror.
“No, she isn’t,” Eva told him patiently, “but—”
Grace yelped at that moment, clutching at her stomach. “I gotta go,” she blurted out, and Eva stepped back a bit as Grace sprang up and hurried out of the room.
Neil shook his head. “I can’t believe Grace got her period,” he said as they heard the sound of the bathroom door being thrown open and slammed closed. “I mean, isn’t she too young for that?”
“She’s twelve,” Eva reminded him. “It’s the average age for when girls start having periods. So, no, she’s not too young.”
“She would be if this was the nineteenth century.”
“We’re not in the nineteenth century, moron.”
“Yeah, but if we were, Grace wouldn’t feel like she’s dying right now.”
Eva sighed. “Unfortunately,” she said, getting back to what she’d been about to say earlier, “it’ll take a few years before it’s less painful.”
Neil gaped at her. “Years?!” he squawked.
“Yes, Neil, years,” she confirmed grimly. “And even then, periods are never entirely pain-free.”
“Please tell me that’s a horrible excuse for a joke.”
“I wish I could.”
“Shoot.” Neil paused, looking around Grace’s room as though he was searching for something, then returned his gaze to Eva. “Ya know what?” he asked rhetorically. “Once Grace’s out of the bathroom, I’m bringing Maizie to her. Petting cats helps with stress, right?”
It took only a few seconds of thought before Eva found herself smiling slightly. “Actually,” she said, “that doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”