She couldn’t bear the thought of another person she loved slipping away in pain.She didn’t want Sam to have suffered like Tim had suffered.
“No, he didn’t suffer.He passed away on the operating table, during the surgery.They had decided they were going to give him a pacemaker, which he had agreed to, if needed.During the surgery they felt his heart would benefit from him having one.But his heart just stopped and they couldn’t revive him.”
The words “heart stopped” echoed in her skull, distant and muffled, as if she were underwater.
Oh my God.
Fear gripped her as she considered the string of losses she’d endured.Her parents, Tim, now Sam.
Who was next?Her breath hitched, a cold wave of dread sweeping through her.Loss was stalking her life like a shadow she couldn’t outrun.
Oh God.
Her hand automatically splayed over her abdomen.Over her baby.Her palm pressed hard against her abdomen, as if she could shield the tiny life inside of her from the world’s cruelty.
Please, not my baby.Don’t take my baby.
Her stomach lurched violently.Grief and fear and the woman’s overwhelming perfume were tangling with each other until she couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began.
A sudden bout of nausea hit her.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” she gasped.
Before she could stand, Axel was there.
“I’ll help you,” he said as he wrapped his arm around her waist, and he quickly led her down the hall to the bathroom.She made it to the toilet just in time, crouching on her knees on the plush carpet.
Thankfully, Axel swept her hair back off her face, preventing any vomit from getting stuck in her strands.
“This is becoming a habit,” he grumbled lowly, but she could hear the amusement in his voice.
“One I hope not to keep,” she muttered, as embarrassment washed over her in waves.She wondered how long before he suspected she was pregnant.Her heart thudded at that thought.How long before he put the pieces together?Before everything became even more complicated.
Suddenly she did feel better after her pukefest, until she thought about Sam.
Oh my God.She just couldn't believe Sam was dead.Maybe she was having a really bad nightmare?
No, no, this was not a dream.Axel was here.
“Better?”he asked.
“Yep.”
“I'm going to get you a wet washcloth and a glass of water.Stay put.”
She nodded.
He grabbed a washcloth from the shelf over the toilet, and she listened to his hurried footsteps as he went down the hall toward the kitchen.
A moment later, Sally's concerned voice floated into the bathroom as she spoke from the kitchen area.Jenna couldn't hear what she was saying but then everything got quiet.She heard the kitchen door open and close.Then the kitchen water tap creaked as it was turned on.She closed her eyes and steadied her breathing.
Sam was dead.How was Daisy going to take this when she realized Sam was never coming home?
Poor sweet Daisy.
She almost allowed herself to cry but heard Axel’s footsteps coming down the hall.
A moment later he returned with a luxuriously cool washcloth that he handed to her.
