"Oh, Jocelyn." Sarah sighed. "You must have been so afraid." Her eyes filled as she reached past Alex and pulled me into a hug.
"I wanted to tell you," I whispered.
"I know, but you were in a hard position, weren’t you?" she asked.
I nodded, trying to hold back tears.
"It’s going to be okay, sweetie," she whispered into my hair. For the first time in my life, I felt like I had a mother. I sobbed against her shoulder.
She gently rubbed my back for a few minutes, then released me and turned to Alex. She pulled him into her arms. "We’ll figure this out, my baby." She kissed his cheek. "But right now, Jocelyn is freezing, so put her in front of the fireplace, and get her warmed up."
He took my hand and sat me down on the couch in front of the fire. He settled in beside me and wrapped his arms around my body, trying to keep me warm. I closed my eyes and reveled in having him so close to me again. Lord, I'd missed his touch.
"I told you to wear a coat," he said as I rested my head against his shoulder, trying to absorb some of his body heat.
"You let her out in November without one?" Sarah asked.
"She gets overheated." He sounded defensive.
"Alex," she said. "It’s freezing outside."
"It’s not Alex’s fault, Sarah. I don’t have one that’ll zip."
"Why didn’t you tell me that?" he asked.
I shrugged. I was too ashamed to tell him the truth, that I couldn’t afford one. I’d been saving all my paychecks to pay for things the baby would need.
"It’s not a problem," Sarah said. "We’ll get you a coat and whatever else you need." She looked at Alex. "Tonight, make sure she wears one of your jackets home."
He nodded.
"Jocelyn?" Jack took a seat in the chair across from us. "Is everything okay with you?"
"I’m healthy, Jack, and so is the baby." I smiled. "I’m six months along, and I’m due in February."
"I see," he said. "This is why I saw you at the clinic a few months ago."
"The clinic?" Alex asked.
"Um, yeah, I didn’t want to see a doctor from around here." She couldn't stop the little defensive tone that crept into her voice.It made sense at the time.
"Is there something we can do about that, Dad?" Alex asked. "Can you refer her to someone closer to home?"
He nodded.
"That’s not necessary." I intervened before they could go further. "My doctor is very nice."
"I’m sure she is," Jack said. "But you won’t be able to deliver at my hospital; you’ll have to go to County. You might feel more comfortable closer to home."
"Plus, if you deliver with a practice affiliated with the hospital, my dad can be there," Alex said.
"In the delivery room?" I asked.
"No, not if you don’t want me to be." Jack smiled. "I can just be around if you need me."
"You don’t have to decide this tonight," Sarah said. "We’ll let you think about switching doctors, and if you want, I can go with you to meet potential candidates."
I nodded, but I was feeling uncomfortable about having to change physicians when I was this far along.
