‘I’ll be right back.’
I raced out of the door, then down the stairs to where Glenda was handing over the keys to her new guests.
‘How’s Sarah doing?’ she asked.
‘She’s in a lot of pain. I’m going to get some supplies to help.’
‘Great. I’ll check on her in a minute and just ring the bell when you’re back and I’ll let you in.’
I nodded, then shot out the door.
I’d get her some ibuprofen. I think I remembered that was better for period pains, right? I was out of practice. I used to be really good at this stuff, but it’d been a while since…
Anyway, I’d figure it out.
Half an hour later I was back at the B&B. Glenda let me in and told me that when she’d checked on Sarah shortly after I’dleft, she was still in pain. She knocked on Sarah’s door, then let me in.
‘I’m back,’ I said softly. ‘And I bought a few things.’ I hauled the big bag off my shoulder and put it on the floor beside Sarah’s bed. She opened her eyes slowly, still clutching her belly. ‘How are you feeling?’
‘Still in pain.’ She winced, ‘but a little bit better.’
‘That’s good. The painkillers will get to work properly soon, I’m sure of it.’
‘What’s all that?’ she said.
‘I got you a spinach and kale smoothie.’ I pulled it out of the paper bag in my other hand from Sweet Treats. ‘According to the internet, dark leafy greens have iron and magnesium, which help to ease cramps. Here. Please. Drink some.’
Sarah sat up, faster and smoother this time than she did before, which was a good sign.
She winced at the first few mouthfuls but continued drinking.
‘I got you some ginger, chamomile and also peppermint tea too, because they’re supposed to relax your muscles. I know it’s only breakfast time, but I asked Maddie to make a fresh chicken salad. I know you prefer ham, but chicken’s supposed to be good. Oh, and dark chocolate is great for cramps too, apparently, so I got you two bars of that.’
Sarah’s eyes widened and she blinked several times like she was trying to take it all in.
‘Wow, you didn’t have to?—’
‘I have some other stuff too, for the pain,’ I said, accidentally cutting her off. I was anxious to tell her everything I’d bought as soon as possible so that she could let me know if she needed anything else. ‘The supermarket didn’t have a hot water bottle, so I got some heat patches. Will those work?’
‘Yeah,’ she groaned. ‘I thought I brought my hot water bottle, but I didn’t have the energy to find it.’
Sarah was talking in longer sentences now. That was good. She must be starting to feel better.
‘I can look for you. I know you said you didn’t need anything, but I got some other stuff too. Just in case. I wasn’t sure if you used pads or tampons’—I started emptying the bag onto the bottom of the bed—‘so I got a selection. There were so many different brands and I didn’t know which one you liked, so I just got one of each. If there’s something I’ve missed, tell me and I’ll go out and get it for you.’
‘This is… wow. You really did get one of everything.’ Her brows shot up.
As I began arranging the dozens of boxes into rows, I started to think that maybe I’d gone a little overboard. But although I’d obviously never used any of these before, I guessed that, like everything, Sarah must have a favourite brand. And if I’d just bought two or three, I might have missed getting the one she wanted.
‘You didn’t have to do all of this, but thanks. How much do I owe you?’
‘Nothing.’ I frowned. As if I’d ask her for any money.
‘But this must’ve cost a fortune!’ she said before taking a few more sips of her smoothie.
‘It was nothing.’ I waved my hand dismissively.
‘I’m so sorry about the videos,’ she said. ‘I wanted to message, but my battery died and I didn’t have the energy to find the charger.’
