AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Gemma put a hand to her face. It would be pale. Her heart palpitated under her ribs, and her vision blurred. A halo of light from the ceiling appeared first then the untidy desk, and finally she was back in the room with the sensation she had been wandering somewhere else.
“I’m fine. Sorry,” murmured Gemma, her clammy hand locked amongst Jason’s slender fingers. He crouched down by her chair, his sharp eyes assessing her. She must have drifted away; she hadn’t even seen him move from his seat. Tears welled as disappointment replaced fear.
“Sure?” he whispered.
She massaged her forehead, sniffed, and gave a small but energetic nod. “Yes.” She reached over to the desk and picked up the leaflets. “I’ll read these through carefully.”
Jason sat back down, watching her like a hawk. “Did you tell Mrs Henderson about your assault—”
“Yes,” she interjected.
Maggie, her new friend and confidante, put the conversation into context, and her mouth formed a circle. “Ah. If there is a problem with blood, we can deal with that nearer the time. Don’t trouble yourself about it now. We’ll book you for a dating scan. Three weeks’ time. In the meantime, there is nothing much to do. Perhaps avoiding lapsong souchong would be a good idea.” She smiled. A nervous attempt with twitchy lips and a glance at Jason. His focus of attention remained on Gemma.
“I probably should take my own tea bags in to work. Labelled for use by pregnant neurotic women only.” Gemma laughed half-heartedly. Another, more exciting thought buzzed through her head. They could start to tell people now. She could wallow in the congratulations and hugs.
Jason stood up. “Come. We both have to get back to work. You can enjoy the adulation when you let everyone know why you’re running to the toilets every time they give you a cup of tea.”
Gemma waved a small farewell to Maggie over her shoulder as she slipped out of the door. She would e-mail her obstetrician with an explanation of her anxieties about the birth sooner rather than later. She didn’t want to dwell on the issue throughout her pregnancy, determined to enjoy the tiny thing inside her, to feel it grow and thrive in her belly.
***
Jason dropped Gemma back at work after their appointment. He hadn’t been happy with her state of mind, at first, but she perked up in the car, clutching the ultrasound picture. She couldn’t stop staring at the little tadpole. Was it a boy or a girl? Did she mind which?
“You’re all right?” he asked one more time, pulling up outside her office, a nondescript building off a side street.
She fingered the stitching of the leather seat. “Yes.” She glanced at him and gave him a small smile. “I’m sorry I tried to humiliate you. It kind of backfired, though, didn’t it?”
Jason trapped a loose lock of her hair between his fingers and tucked it behind her ear. “You were up against a master, my dear. Bound to fail.” He drew her head nearer.
She puckered her lips and he leant forward to kiss them.
“Go to work, babe, and glow for me.”
She did bloom for a while when she went into Daniel’s office and told him her news. The word quickly spread around and there were lots of congratulations and jokes about bumps, nappies, and baby sick. She didn’t mind, happy to revel in the attention.
Jason and Gemma spent the evening on the phone talking to their respective parents and siblings.
Gemma’s mum and dad couldn’t hide their ecstatic delight. “I’m going to be a granny,” her mother exclaimed.
“Or nanna. You might have to compete for the title with Jason’s mum.”
“I don’t mind. I’m so pleased for you both.”
Her brother, John, was next in line for the news.
“Well done, sis. Going to be a mum, eh? So, was it Sublime that created this one?” He chuckled .
“Possibly, more likely on land in Venice, I think. You’ll be pleased to know the baby was probably conceived vanilla style. So I can avoid mentioning bondage when the poor child asks later on in life.”
Her brother laughed even louder at the comment. After many misunderstandings and burying his head in the sand, John had come to terms with his sister’s preferred lifestyle.
By bedtime, her mood had deflated again. The moment the lights went out, her wretched disappointment in having had a panic attack brought out the sobs. Jason, stuck at his study desk, couldn’t comment on her despondency. Tears had dampened her pillowcase by the time he came into the darkened bedroom. He slipped into bed and dragged her over to his side for a cuddle.
“Don’t cry. I know you’re upset. There is no miracle cure. Little steps, some forward, some backwards. I’ll be with you for each one, babe. Right here next to you.”
Chapter 6. Rules
Jason picked up the blister pack of folic acid tablets. Gemma had unpacked them from her handbag when she arrived at Blythewood House earlier in the day, Friday morning, excited to tell Mrs Harris the news. The housekeeper had thrown her arms about her, smacking a hefty kiss on her cheek. The woman had no children and hadn’t ever given a reason why.
