When it's Not Right

Chapter 16

Jayler stared at her hands and tried to see the phone that she was holding. She had to make this call. This was an important call and she had to make it. She dropped the phone on her parents' kitchen table and burst into tears again. Trench wiggled his head and whined a bit as a reminder that he'd kept it right there on her lap and he wasn't planning to go anywhere. His big eyes stared up at her, full of uncomprehending concern, and she cried harder as she dropped off the chair to sob onto his fuzzy shoulder.

        Her parents' dogs circled around uneasily, knocking into chair legs as they weaved around under the table, wanting to help but not being her dogs so not knowing how to. Thankfully her folks were still at work, she had two days to pull herself together before she had to be at the courtroom, and maybe she could talk herself into waiting a few days – or months – before needing to make the call that she had to make. The thought of simply not making the call and disappearing flitted through her mind, but it didn't stick at all.

        Her phone dinged a notification and she ignored it, choosing to just lie down with Trench for a couple minutes and let herself panic.

        She hadn't been feeling well for weeks, but was coming to stay with her folks so just booked an appointment with the family doctor she'd grown up with and who had all her medical history rather than going to a clinic. Tests she would've had to wait days or weeks for in the city had been rushed through the small-town system in a matter of hours, and she had picture proof of the little life that had been making her feel sick from the ultrasound an hour ago. She was almost at the end of the first trimester. Her doctor had squealed excitedly and hugged her. She'd known that Jay had wanted kids before and that the tubal pregnancy and infection and scar tissue had been devastating a few years ago. Somehow, in spite of all the statistical impossibilities, one of her tubes had healed enough for an egg to get through and the one, tiny spot in her womb that was safe to attach to now had an umbilical attached to it. The pregnancy looked healthy, but was classed high risk because of the scar tissue that could become a big problem.

        Trench squished against her and whimper-grumbled his version of verbal comfort, the heavy weight of him pressing close and acting like a full-body soother. Jay's crying sniffled to a stop as she tried to figure out what to do now.

        Her phone interrupted with a call and Cory's profile photo was on the screen when she reached up to the top of the table to grab it. The message notification that blocked out part of the photo was also from him, and just asked "Got a minute for a people question?" She answered the call and put the phone to her ear.

        "Hey," she said.

        "I think this is an easy one," he jumped right into it. "Lou said it's just flirting, but Karen – that new waitress at The Brew – she keeps asking to come up to the house to meet Sir and then giggling. It's weird."

        "She wants to have sex," Jay shrugged.

        "I figured that. Why does she keep talking about the dogs, though?"

        "Probably because that's all she knows about you," Jay offered. "Do you like her?" she asked carefully, trying to keep any emotions out of her voice.

        "No. She's weird." Jay heard the jeep start on Cory's end of the call. "You sound like you've been crying. You okay?"

        "I... um, I guess... no. I'm not," she admitted, her voice hitching as soon as she admitted it. The jeep turned off again and Penny yipped in the background.

        "What's wrong?"

        "I, uh... I found out why I've been feeling sick." Jay tried to keep from crying over the phone, and Cory getting quiet made it harder to fight the urge to start sobbing again. He only got quiet when he was listening close and waiting for bad news. He was quiet enough now that she could hear Penny whining, the dog's concern coming over the connection loudly and making Trench look at her phone. "It's not... I guess not terrible, but..."