‘Nothing. I washed up for Corrine, and I did some hoovering upstairs, but she didn’t even let me carry the hoover up there.’
Corrine hovered at the doorway as Zoe and Fern went over the events of the previous day and then that morning. ‘Can I get you a sandwich, Zoe?’ she asked. ‘I bet you haven’t managed to have lunch.’
‘No thanks.’ Zoe turned to give her a brief smile. ‘I’m going to call at Hilltop after I’ve finished here, so I’ll get something with Alex.’
Zoe asked Fern to lie down and lifted her smock top to gently feel around her bump. Then she got out a plastic, hand-held device and switched it on. ‘I need to have a good listen to baby’s heartbeat. We might be a while, so try to relax and be quiet for me. If you feel any movement, let me know.’
Fern took a deep breath to settle while Zoe held the listening part of the device to her bump. From out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Corrine slip out.
After ten minutes of silence, apart from the tiny, rhythmic beat coming from within Fern’s belly, Fern yelped.
‘There! It moved!’
Zoe looked up.
‘And again!’ Fern cried.
‘I’ll just have another listen to be sure, but all sounds OK here. And if baby is active again…’
Another few minutes passed and Zoe turned off the device. ‘I don’t have any immediate worries. I wonder if you being quite active this morning had something to do with it – a combination of you forgetting to notice what was going on in here, and baby being lulled into a longer sleep than normal because you were moving around a lot. Can you keep a more accurate track for the next couple of days? Maybe even write down when you feel movement, keep a little log of what time and what you were doing.’
Fern nodded as she sat up and fastened her shirt. ‘I feel silly for phoning you now.’
Zoe wagged a finger with a smile. ‘What did I say? No worry is too small, and you should never feel silly for putting your baby’s well-being ahead of everything else.’
‘Everything’s all right, Corrine!’ Fern shouted.
A second later, Corrine was at the door. ‘That’s good to hear! Thank you so much for coming up, Zoe, love. Are you sure you won’t have that sandwich? I’ve just made some to take over to Victor, and there’s plenty spare.’
‘Honestly, I’d love to stay, but I need to check on Alex before I go back to work. He wasn’t well this morning.’
‘Oh dear. Nothing serious, I hope.’
‘I don’t think so.’ Zoe stood, and the moment she straightened up, the room began to tip. Before she could do anything about it, she’d lost her balance and was crashing into a display cabinet filled with antique china. She was aware of the sound as some of it broke, and the corner of the cabinet hittingher thigh, and the next thing she knew, she was on the floor, Corrine and Fern kneeling next to her.
‘Are you all right?’ Corrine asked.
Zoe pushed herself up to sit, though the room was spinning, and she was bathed in a sheen of sweat. ‘I’m fine…’ She glanced at the cabinet – still standing but some of the contents in bits on the bottom shelf. ‘Oh God…Corrine, I’m so sorry!’
‘Never mind that – it’s only old stuff.’ Corrine dismissed the damage with a wave of her hand. ‘You’re more important than some silly old cups and saucers.’
‘But there’s so much…’
Corrine and Fern helped Zoe onto the sofa.
‘I’ll get a glass of water,’ Fern said and rushed into the kitchen.
Corrine studied Zoe closely. ‘That was a funny turn, wasn’t it?’
Zoe nodded.
‘And not the first time, I’ll wager.’
Zoe winced at her neighbour’s shrewd expression. ‘Is it so obvious?’
‘You didn’t seem very surprised by it. Not very alarmed either. So I reckon you’ve had one before. You don’t have to tell me anything, but I hope you’re getting whatever it is looked at. I’d hate to think this was happening and you were ignoring it, love. I know what it’s like to be a young woman and too busy to spare time to take care of my health.’
‘I am,’ Zoe said. The spinning of the room had slowed, but she was burning up.
