my new beta

Question
i'm a college student, and on a whim i went and got a female beta this
afternoon. she is the only fish i own and i currently have her in a crystal
flower vase with about a half gallon of distilled water. i havent even fed her
yet because the girl at the store assured me i wouldn't need to until
tomorrow.
anyway. on the drive home i noticed that the area under her gills was swollen.
i took her to a science teacher at my school and she told me my fish was
carrying eggs. so i freaked out.
i really have no idea how to care for a fish carrying eggs, but i am already
very attatched to her and want to make her as healthy as i possibly can. i was
hoping you could help me out and explain to me how i can best care for her.

Answer
First of all, distilled water is not very good for fish, because it contains no minerals whatsoever, and they need minerals. Switch over to tap water with tap water dechlorinator as soon as possible, but transition the fish slowly as to not shock her.
I doubt your fish is carrying eggs, but you need a male to fertilize them and squeeze them out of her anyway for her to have them, so it's not really something you have to worry about.