Her queasiness only grew more noticeable with those thoughts.
Okay, it was best to get up and face the day.
With a groan, Jenna pushed herself from the warmth of her bed, walked to the window, and pulled back the curtains.Warm sunlight poured in, blinding her for a moment and then she smiled at the sight of the horses grazing contentedly in the pasture.It felt good to see that the morning chores were underway.
She felt good about this room too.It was going to be perfect for her baby.She’d have a rocking chair right here by the window and watch the horses while nursing.
Since her stomach had no intention of allowing her to eat breakfast, she quickly decided what she would do with her morning instead of eating or tending the horses.
Chapter Twelve
Over my dead body.
Jenna grinned, recalling Axel’s protests.
When she’d stepped out of the shower, feeling so much better where her morning sickness was concerned, she had dried herself off and dressed in a light, airy blouse, and jeans.Then she’d faced Axel and Nick, who were devouring bacon and eggs and coffee, and announced that she would skip breakfast and go to town for groceries and other supplies.
Alone.
Axel hadn’t liked the alone part, and she’d joked that arranging his “dead body” could be managed easily enough.He had backed down just a bit, no doubt remembering just how stubborn she could be.
Nick had smiled at their banter and cut in by filling her in on the morning’s accomplishments.He and Axel had been up at the crack of dawn.
Knowing the horses had been inside for so long due to yesterday’s storm, they’d released the animals into the pasture, then mucked the stalls.
Axel had tended to the chickens, and Nick had taken the trip to Sam’s with Daisy, leaving her there for the day so she could keep an eye on things.The hardware store had been called, and a truck with supplies was due that afternoon.
Axel had followed her in Tim’s truck until they’d reached the highway.Any further mileage would have triggered his ankle bracelet and Jenna felt relieved when he turned around and headed back down the dirt road.
Now she was on her own and still had a half-hour drive to the nearest town.She reassured herself that there had been no suspicious vehicles on the way out and the highway was busy enough to feel safe.
At least, she hoped she would be safe.
The drive was uneventful, and upon reaching town, Jenna went straight to the clinic to hopefully get a morning appointment to see Charlotte, her nurse practitioner.
She needed answers, and she needed them badly.Thankfully, Charlotte had just entered the parking lot when Jenna had arrived, and she’d told Jenna she would see her right away.
Charlotte was a couple of years younger than Jenna, slim and so likeable.She was dressed in a pretty pink uniform that was enhanced by her pale pink nail polish, glittering pink lipstick and a dash of pink eyeshadow.
“Well, from what you're describing it sounds like you have Widow’s Fire,” Charlotte told Jenna.
The unfamiliar term hit her like a splash of cold water.It was startling, oddly relieving, and embarrassing all at once.
“Excuse me?”Jenna asked, not sure if she’d heard right.
Charlotte shook her head, her dark brown shoulder length curls bouncing.
“It's nothing bad and it won’t hurt you or your baby.It’s a physiological and emotional side effect of grief that some women experience after losing a spouse.It’s not very common, but it’s completely normal.”
Jenna’s shoulders sagged, the tension she’d been carrying loosening just a fraction.
“It can happen weeks or months after a partner’s passing.With Tim gone, there’s a void in your life, and you’re likely craving intimacy.This doesn’t diminish your love for Tim, even though you did tell me you had had enough of him and were going to ask him for a divorce before you got pregnant.Despite that you are still grieving and it’s a normal response.It happens to both widows and widowers,” Charlotte said in a gentle tone.
A flicker of guilt tightened Jenna’s throat.Grief was never simple, and hearing Tim’s name tugged at her emotions.
Jenna had told Charlotte everything that had happened since Axel and Nick had shown up unexpectedly at her place yesterday morning.
Her passing out had been Charlotte’s biggest concern and after quite the thorough checkup, Charlotte said it had been something called vasovagal syncope which due to all the stress she’d been under had caused her temporary low blood pressure making her faint.All was well with the baby and herself.Relief had washed through Jenna so fast her eyes had stung with tears.She hadn’t realized how tightly she’d been holding her breath too.
