Chapter 3
Three
Jessie tugged her jacket tighter around her chest as she stopped in front of the clinic.
Guilt ate at her for leaving her mom to handle the lunchtime rush, but in true Dolly Ford fashion, she wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Especially after Jessie mentioned getting sick.
And although her mom wanted her to head right home, Jess knew she couldn’t do that.
Jake would be able to prescribe her something, and a quick trip to the pharmacy, and maybe even a nice little nap back in the office at the diner, would mean she’d be right as rain to run through closing.
Jessie pulled her cell from her pocket. Closing the diner meant telling her brother she wouldn’t be back in time to run through her ranch chores.
I’m closing the diner for Mom tonight.
Beau:
You’re telling me this because…
I need you to take care of Lucky and the littles. I won’t be back in time to give them their dinner.
Jess, that fucking goat hates me.
Suck it up. Aren’t you supposed to be tough and rugged? How would Dad feel knowing he’s handing the ranch off to someone afraid of a sweet, old goat?
If he’s so sweet, do it yourself when you get home.
The sidewalk swirled in front of her, and Jessie stumbled, trying to find her footing.
I wouldn’t ask you to cover if it wasn’t important. Please.
Fine. I’ll take care of it. You owe me though.
Jessie slipped the phone back in her pocket, opening the doors to the small health clinic and sighed in relief as she felt a burst of warm air flow over her from the vent above the doorway.
It had been a colder than usual winter for Clarence County…
maybe that was why everyone’s immune system was in the toilet.
Her eyes stayed trained on the linoleum tiles until the three people waiting in line in front of her completed their sign-ins.
When she was done, Jessie finally brought her eyes up to look at the waiting area.
Nearly every single seat was filled. Great.
Maybe it wouldn’t be a quick wait. And forget getting back to the diner with time to spare for a nap. Her heart sank.
Until her eyes landed on Lily and Sage, and a very gray-looking Gunner.
“Oh no. Not you too?” Lily smiled as Jessie sank down into the chair next to her, Sage lifting her head off Lily’s shoulder to offer a smile.
“Yep. I think this is officially the worst flu season I’ve seen in Silver Springs since I was a kid,” Jessie admitted. “It seems like half the town is feeling as bad as your hubby looks.”
“He’s a trooper. I have a hard time seeing this one sick.” Lily hugged Sage tighter. “He was up with her in the middle of the night while she got sick. Thankfully, it passed by morning, but I think I’m about to have to put on my nurse’s hat to make sure he gets some rest too.”
Gunner, who had been resting his head against the wall with his eyes closed, chuckled. “If you put on anything nurse themed, you know I won’t be getting any rest, Lily Kate.”
“Hush.” Lily’s cheeks flushed. “Ignore him. He’s just riled up because we’re trying for baby number two.”
Butterflies erupted in Jessie’s stomach. She was a long way away from having kids, but when she let her mind wander… blonde hair and sea blue eyes and dimples for days always filled her vision.
“How is it going?” Jessie asked, her eyebrows raising up and down to tease her friends.
“It’s been fun trying, but nothing so far.” Lily’s eyes unfocused slightly, and Jessie felt those butterflies turn to a pang of empathy.
“It’s only been since the vow renewal, right? That’s such a short amount of time.”
“I know.” Lily smiled. “Honestly, it’s probably a good thing I’m not pregnant right now. With the amount of sickness going around Silver Springs, I’d never take my head out of the toilet.”
Jessie shivered. Yeah, having a stomach bug was definitely exhausting. Being pregnant on top of it… no. She didn’t think she could do it.
The door to the waiting room opened and a nurse, tall with dark brown hair and a soft smile, walked through.
“Sage Brooks?”
Lily and Gunner stood, Sage tightening her hold of Lily’s neck.
“Hope you feel better, Jessie.” Lily squeezed her arm as she walked by.
“Yeah, I hope you guys do too.”
As her friends disappeared down the hallway, and the door closed softly after them, Jessie crossed her arms, sinking back into her chair.
The waiting room was warm, and she felt her eyelids growing heavy.
What would it hurt to close them for a minute?
Maybe she’d feel better and that missed nap opportunity in the office back at the diner wouldn’t matter after all—
“Jessie Ford!”
Shit! Jessie’s eyes popped open, and she reached up to wipe the warm drool off the edge of her mouth. Oh god. Her stomach rolled as she swallowed down extra saliva.
She smiled at the nurse, who took her to get weighed before sending her off to do a urine sample and then plopping her quite unceremoniously into an exam room with the promise that the doctor would be in to see her shortly.
Thirty minutes later when the knock finally came at the door, Jessie was ready to bolt.
“Hey, Jessie. Sorry about that wait. What brings you in today?” Dr. Jake Rahni sat on the stool next to her and rolled towards his laptop.
“I’ve just been feeling awful this last week. Really tired. A bit dizzy. I don’t want to be serving at the diner if I’ve caught something. But I don’t have a fever or a cough.”
“Alright. Let me listen to your lungs and heart, and we’ll go from there.”
Jake stood, his stethoscope sliding off his neck.
“So, how are things at the diner?” he asked.
“Good. Busy. My mom is trying to pull back on the hours she works. So I’m trying to step up as much as I can.”’
“That’s got to be stressful.”
She just shrugged. “It’s not like things aren’t usually stressful.
I’ve got diner duties, I’m taking business classes at night, and helping Lachlan with his shop.
I make dinner on Saturday nights for Colt so I can make sure he isn’t falling back into the depression he dealt with after his divorce, and don’t even get me started on ranch duties.
Now that my dad is wanting to turn the reins over to Beau, they need me to step up even more.
I can’t afford to be sick. I’m hoping you’ll be able to prescribe me something that’ll get me back on my feet quickly. ”
“I’m sure every member of your family would want you to rest, and to feel better.” Jake moved his hand to her back. “Tell me about the symptoms. All day? Coming in waves?”
Jessie shuddered, remembering the pure tidal wave of nausea that nearly knocked her over in the alleyway.
“Waves. But they’re frequent. I’m not the best about staying hydrated.
When the dizziness kicked in, I thought maybe it was an inner ear thing that was getting worse because I keep throwing up. ”
He stepped back from the exam table, turning to type something she couldn’t see into his laptop.
“Well, we already have some answers for you, and I think I may know what’s going on.”
“Oh, good. Do you think a z-pak will take care of it? I can’t be on amoxicillin. I’m allergic.”
“I saw that in your chart. But, no. I won’t be prescribing antibiotics today.” Oh, so it wasn’t an infection. Or, Jake didn’t think it was. “You’re pregnant, Jessie.”
All of the air left the room. Her eyes burned as her brain seemed to completely forget how to blink. Because… no. No. She’d done everything right. Her IUD was good for another three years. She hadn’t messed up… Had she?
“Sorry?” God, she could hear the panic laced in her voice. “I was thinking about why you wouldn’t be prescribing antibiotics for my symptoms and I… I must have misheard you. Could you…”
The condom broke.
Jake nodded. “The urinalysis we performed showed a positive result for pregnancy.”
The IUD failed.
“Oh god. I’m a big cliche aren’t I?” she groaned.
“What do you mean?”
“I have an IUD. I don’t sleep around. I swear, I don’t. The one time I let myself… The condom broke but I-I thought that…” God, why was it so hard to freaking breathe?
Why? Why had she thought she could have her cake and eat it too?
Why did her cake have to be a six foot five, tattooed, hulking viking of a man who was so fucking sweet to her that she felt like the most precious treasure in the world?
And why the fuck did all the birth control in the world have to fail! !
“You don’t have to explain anything to me.
This is a judgment-free room.” Jake was still typing into the computer while her whole world came to a screeching halt.
“Jessie, I feel like the answer is pretty clear from the information you just shared, but is it correct to say that this pregnancy wasn’t planned? ”
“Planned?” Her shriek was completely mortifying, but she couldn’t feel anything other than the wave of dizziness that washed over her body in a bolt of electric heat.
“Okay. Here,” Jake grabbed her elbow and placed his other hand on her shoulder, pressing back. “You’re going to lie down for a second.”
Panic clawed at her throat. “Why? Is something wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. Everything’s going to be okay. I just think you could use a minute to wrap your mind around what I told you, and to take a couple deep breaths.”
Deep breaths. Right. Breathing. It wasn’t just about her getting oxygen.
It was important for the baby. Oh hell in a hand basket.
Her baby. Her baby with Hawk. His worried face floated through her mind as she laid back, closing her eyes and willing herself to wake up in her bed, leaving that whole day to start over again.
Letting one eye pop open, she groaned. Still at the clinic. Still pregnant. Fear spiked through her as her hand brushed over the tender spot on her hip.
“God, Jake. I hit my stomach today. On the edge of one of the tables at the diner.”
He nodded. “Have you had any cramps? Bleeding? Any pain in your lower abdomen since?”
She shook her head. “No. It was a little sore. But I guess that makes sense. It was more on the edge of my hip.”
“Babies are very well protected. I was already going to suggest taking it easy, but that goes double now, just to make sure everything’s okay.”
She sighed and closed her eyes again.
“Jessie, you know, there are options. I have some pamphlets that can help you make a decision. Resources too, if you need help.”
Jessie nodded, holding out her hand. Jake slipped the shiny paper into her outstretched palm.
“What happens next?” she asked, already knowing what she needed to do. She needed to tell Hawk.
“You’ll need to schedule an appointment with your OB/GYN. You can go over your options again with them, and they can answer any questions you might have.”
“Okay.”
“Are you feeling a bit more stable? Do you want to try sitting up?”
Jessie nodded, and Jake was right there, again, to help her sit up that time. Reaching over his shoulder, Jessie watched as he grabbed something off the counter behind him and held it out to her. A box of apple juice. She took it, surprised by how cold the box was in her hand.
“What is this for? Where did it even come from?” A humorless laugh escaped from her tight smile.
“Oh, all of the exam rooms have mini-fridges in them.” Jake rolled his stool out of the way, pointing to the small appliance under the counter.
“Fainting is a lot more common than you would think. There’s also orange juice, but you said you’d been feeling nauseous and I thought that might not be the right call. ”
Jessie fiddled with the straw before poking it through the small foil covered opening. “Thank you.”
“It’s no problem. I’m going to let my staff know that this room is occupied and you can sip on that apple juice for as long as you need.”
Jessie stood, her hand grasping onto the exam table for stability. “I appreciate that, but I have to get back to the diner.”
“I’m sure your mom would understand if it took a few more minutes for you to get back.”
Panic seized her again. Maybe she needed to talk to Sloane about some anxiety reduction techniques because good lord, at this rate she was headed for a heart attack.
“You can’t tell her!” Jessie blurted out as her heart rate doubled. “I mean, it’s protected information, right? Even though I have insurance through my parents, and god… she normally still schedules my appointments for me. You can’t tell my family, right?”
“No. I can’t. And I wouldn’t. Not even if Dolly set down an entire key lime pie in front of me.”
Jessie smiled. “Okay. That’s good. And I’m good.” Knowledge was power, and now that she knew, she could form a plan. She could face it head on. She would be okay.