A knock sounded at the door.
“Is everything okay in there?”
Gunner. Fuck. He’d completely forgotten about that dickhead the second he’d seen how sick Jess looked. Hawk stood and opened the door.
“Look, man. I didn’t mean to come off so aggressive. I just want you to know I have your back, nomatter what.”
Hawk nodded. His eyes bounced to his sister, who was standing at the front desk with worry written all over her face. “Can you get Doc for me?”
Gunner’s brows furrowed as his face switched from remorse to worry as he looked past Hawk. His eyes went wide as soon as they landed on Jessie. “Emergency?”
“Could be.”
“Yeah, I’ll be right back.”
Hawk kicked the door stop under the door to help hold it open and went back to Jess. She was still pale and in the throws of trying to bring up anything left in her stomach.
Fuck.
“Hey.” Stone knocked on the door frame. “What’s going on?”
“I picked Jessie up at the ranch this morning, someone tried to run us off the road and now she’s getting sick. The baby…”
Stone’s eyes shot up to look at Hawk, and he could see his friend questioning how to play the information he already knew.
“Stop telling everyone,” Jessie protested.
“He already knew. Remember, I told Mae and Stone.”
“Yeah, but now Gunner knows…”
“And everyone else will know soon enough. We agreed to tell your family soon. We need to also tell mine.”
“You’re still in your first trimester then, Jessie?” Stone asked, his question breaking through the tension.
“Yes.”
“Nausea is pretty common during these weeks, unfortunately.” Stone placed his hand on her shoulder but before Hawk could go possessive bulldog on his ass, she had her head over the toilet again, heaving up nothing but bile. “Does something specific trigger it? Or is it just all the time?”
“All the time,” she whispered when the spasms stopped,and her raspy voice punched Hawk in the gut. He should have made her see her doctor when she started throwing up more. He should have at least talked to Stone before now.
“How many times a day are you vomiting?” Stone grabbed her wrist, looking at his watch.
“A few.”
“Jess,” Hawk scolded. “She threw up on the side of the road. And now, that’s three times she’s had her head over the toilet.”
“Have you brought this up to your doctor?”
Jessie shook her head, before placing her head down into her hands. “I haven’t had another appointment yet. I’ve been really busy and they don’t really see patients before twelve weeks.” The desperate moan that followed ripped him apart. Jesus, he hated feeling so helpless.
“Phoenix, you need to take her to the hospital. They can treat her dehydration and give her something for the nausea.”
“No! No, I can’t go to the hospital. I can’t afford it, and we might run into someone I know there. I just have to wait it out. I’m almost out of the…” Her eyes closed and he watched as she swallowed roughly. “I’m almost out of the first trimester. It’s supposed to get better then.”
“Hey.” Hawk sat on the floor next to her, running his fingers over her arm. “You can’t keep going like this. You’ve nearly passed out a few times.”
“You’re being dramatic. I was only dizzy?—”
