by Pj Fiala
Emily patted Joci’s hand. “We were on our way home from church and wanted to see how you were doing.”
Joci smiled warmly. “Thank you, Emily.”
After making comfortable small talk and assuring themselves that Joci was okay, Emily and Thomas left. As soon as the door closed, Jeremiah picked her up in his arms. She squealed and wrapped her arms around his neck to hang on. “I’m sorry I ruined your night last night, Jeremiah.”
He walked with Joci in his arms into the living room, reclined on the sofa with her lying on top of him.
“I told you—everything I needed to do, I did last night. You didn’t ruin anything. And I didn’t properly thank you for the video. You did a fabulous job putting that together, Joci. Blew me away. I want a copy of the last picture for my office and my computer and my phone.”
She giggled. “Is that all?” She sat up and tucked her hair behind her ears. “They’re your pictures. I have the video and the pictures on a zip drive for you to load on your computer. Let me know what else you need.”
Then she took a deep breath before confessing, “I have to tell you, I cropped a few of them to make them look nicer. And I cropped you out of one because LuAnn was looking at you like she wanted to eat you.”
He sat up and cradled her in his arms. He took a deep, shaky breath.
“You have nothing to worry about with her, honey. I saw her follow you to the bathroom. What did she say to you?”
“Just more of the same. You’ll get sick of me. I’m plain compared to her, won’t be able to keep you happy for long. The usual.”
He took a deep breath and let it out slow. “It’s not true. None of it.”
“I know.” Joci sighed. “It hit me last night while I was talking to her.” She turned to face him. “I know. It’s freeing.”
He squeezed her and kissed her temple.
“Do you think you might be pregnant, Joci?”
She took a deep breath.
“Joci. We need to talk about this. Do you think you might be?”
“I don’t know, Jeremiah. I’ve never missed a day of my birth control pills. This is so different than when I was pregnant with Gunnar. I had morning sickness until about the end of my third month. I was tired but not so emotional. My periods have been different, which is why I went back to the doctor. She just thought I had been on the same pills for too long and that sometimes that happens. She switched my prescription. I thought she did a pregnancy test. I’ll call tomorrow and find out.”
“If you’re pregnant, I don’t want to wait until the end of September to get married. I want to do it right away. I don’t want to risk anything happening.”
“Jeremiah, let’s wait until we know for sure.”
“I want to be your husband. I want you to be my wife. Dammit, I don’t want to wait. And if you’re carrying my child, I want it legal that you’re both mine. And I don’t want you to have too many stresses while you’re expecting. It should be a happy time for you to grow a happy, healthy baby. I can’t even process all the emotions. I have to marry you, because if I don’t, my life will be empty and meaningless.”
She turned in his arms and straddled him. Her tummy growled, and she giggled.
“Let’s go and get you two something to eat,” he said.
“Jeremiah. Don’t get too emotionally attached until we know for sure. I would hate for you to be let down.”
“Too late. I already feel it. Mom does, too. That’s why they stopped by this morning. You know the ginger tea she made you last night was the same tea she made all of her daughters-in-law when they were pregnant. It’s helped them with their morning, or evening, sickness. It has to be, Joci. All of your symptoms lead right to you carrying my child.”
“At my age, having a baby will be difficult. Losing the weight afterward will be impossible. Jeremiah, you don’t understand the toll this will take on me and us. We’re at a point in our lives where our kids are self-sufficient. We can come and go as we want when we want. With a baby, we’ll be starting all over again.”
“Yes. We’ll start over together. We have my sisters-in-law, my mom, Jackie, all of the nieces and nephews, and three strong, loving boys. Plenty of babysitters and help.”
He pressed his lips to hers. “You worry too much, Joci. I’ll love you no matter what. The little things, a few pounds, being tired—those are all meaningless in the whole scheme of things. What matters is that we’re together. I’ve never been happier.” He chuckled. “If you need me to gain a few pounds to make you feel better, you got it.”
She burst out laughing.
35
Tragedy
Monday morning, Joci called her doctor. The nurse took the information and said one of them would call her back. She tried to work, but her mind kept tossing things around. She called Jackie and talked to her about her symptoms along with her thoughts and her fears.
Jackie laughed at her. “Joci, it’s different this time. You’re in a great relationship, and you’re getting married. It isn’t like last time. Try and enjoy this time for you two. You didn’t get to when you were pregnant for Gunnar. If Jeremiah wants to get married right away, we’ll all pull together and get everything done for you. To be honest, I’m pretty excited to be an aunt again. What does Gunnar think about having a little brother or sister?”
“I haven’t said anything to him yet. I don’t want to until I know for sure. He called this morning to tell me my bike is ready, and it was hard not to say anything. I’m waiting for Doctor Wan to call back. I’m on pins and needles.”
They finished their conversation, and Joci tried getting a few things done around the house. Jeremiah called three times to see if Dr. Wan had called back. He was nervous and excited. She hoped he wouldn’t be disappointed.
Finally, at three thirty, Dr. Wan’s office called and asked if Joci could come in for a pregnancy test. She called Jackie to come with her then Jackie could drop her by the shop so she could bring her bike home. Nothing could clear Joci’s head like a great motorcycle ride.
After the doctor visit, the two sisters were headed to the shop. The ride seemed endless, she was nervous about the whole thing. Jackie chattered all the way about everything, which gave Joci a headache.
Pulling up to the back door, Jackie turned to her sister. “Call me when you get home. I want to hear all about it.”
“I will. Wish me luck.” Without waiting, she turned and walked into the shop.
She said hello to Janice and Angel and walked up the stairs to Jeremiah’s office. She opened the door to see LuAnn sitting in a chair in Jeremiah’s office, crying. “Well, look, Joci’s here to gloat,” she spat.
“What are you talking about?” Joci looked at Jeremiah, her brows furrowed.
Jeremiah stood. “LuAnn is just leaving. For good.”
Joci held his eyes with hers for several heartbeats.
“You two piss me the fuck off,” LuAnn exclaimed as she rammed Joci with her shoulder and stormed out the door.
“You fired her?”
“Yes. You’ve had enough; I’ve had enough. If we’re going to have a baby, I don’t want her anywhere near you. Speaking…”
A loud crash sounded down in the shop, and somebody screamed. Jeremiah ran to the door, Joci following close behind. As they landed on the bottom step, Jeremiah ran across the shop just as LuAnn grabbed one of the bikes on the floor and pushed it over.
“Goddammit, LuAnn, what the fuck are you doing? Get out. Get the fuck out now,” he roared.
LuAnn flipped him off and headed to the shelves and began throwing the stock onto the floor. She picked up an oil can and flung it toward Joci. She had moved out of the way before it hit her. Jeremiah grabbed LuAnn’s arm before she threw another can of oil, getting hit in the arm himself. He pulled both of her hands behind her back. Everyone else in the shop scrambled around.
LuAnn screamed, while leveling her eyes at Joci. “You fucking bitch; you ruined everything.”
She kicke
d back at Jeremiah, who held her hands tighter while trying to dodge her feet.
“I hate you, you bitch. I hate you! I hope you die,” she shrieked.
Jeremiah yelled to Joci, “Go home, okay? I’ll be there as soon as I finish here. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Jeremiah’s gaze held Joci’s. LuAnn’s heel landed on the top of Jeremiah’s shin, and he bellowed and hopped to the other foot, “Fuck, LuAnn. Knock it off. “
Chase ran from the back to see what was happening. “LuAnn, what the fuck? Cool it, for crying out loud.”
“This fucker fired me. Can you fucking believe that? His girlfriend is jealous as hell, so he fires ME!” she yelled and squirmed trying to get away from Jeremiah.
Chase walked closer, never taking his eyes off of LuAnn. “LuAnn, honey, please calm down.” His hands held out in front of him, imploring her to calm down.
Deacon had been getting ready to leave for home, but he rushed in and picked up the bike LuAnn had pushed to the floor. He turned towards Jeremiah. “Deac, get Joci out of here.”
Jeremiah’s eyes flicked over to Joci. He jerked his head toward the back door; she nodded and backed out of the shop toward the garage. Deacon followed her out.
Joci glanced back and saw JT and Ryder each grab one of LuAnn’s arms to help Jeremiah.
As she zipped up her jacket, her hands shook. She had never seen anyone lose it like that.
“You okay, Joci?”
“Yeah. That was disturbing, though.”
“Yeah. She’s one fucked-up bitch. Can you ride?”
She took a deep breath. “Yeah. That’ll help me clear my head.”
They saddled up, and Deacon nodded his head to her. She rolled on the throttle and headed toward the front of the building, Deacon following her out.
Several minutes later, two police officers came into the shop and relieved JT and Ryder of their burden. Jeremiah, out of breath, walked over to where the boys stood when his phone rang. He tapped the answer icon and barked into the phone. “What?”
“Dog, you have to come now. Joci’s been in an accident,” Deacon huffed, out of breath.
His heart sank. “Where?” His voice cracked, his head began to spin, and the contents of his stomach began to rebel against him.
“We’re at the end of the road by Benson’s Bend. Fuck, Jeremiah, Joci flew into the corner. She didn’t even hit the brakes. She slammed into the tree at the end of the road. It’s bad. You’ve got to get here.”
Jeremiah took off toward his truck, yelling at the boys. “We have to go. Joci’s bike went down.” He shoved his phone into his pocket as he headed to the door. Speaking to the cops, “I’ll come to the station later and deal with this.” He glanced at JT and Ryder, and they waved him on.
Gunnar jumped into the truck with him and raced down the road. They arrived as the ambulance sped toward them. Jeremiah’s heart sank when he saw the wreckage. Joci’s bike was in pieces all over the road. There was a huge mark in the tree about three feet off the ground where she must have flown into it. He groaned as the fear and panic threatened to choke his oxygen off.
They jumped out of the truck and ran over to where Deacon crouched down alongside Joci in the ditch. She was lying on the ground, not moving. He was holding her hand with tears in his eyes. Deacon looked up when he saw Jeremiah and Gunnar. He scooted away to allow them room.
Deacon shook as he spoke. “I’m sorry. So sorry, Dog…Gunnar. I was behind her, but she came into the corner. It looked like she hadn’t slowed enough. She’s a good driver, so I didn’t worry. She wasn’t speeding. But she never hit the brakes. I don’t know why. She tried turning on it, but she couldn’t get low enough. She flew off the corner into the air and hit the tree. When I got here, she wasn’t conscious. I couldn’t feel a heartbeat. I was shaking so bad. I called 911, and then I called you. I’m so sorry.” He babbled.
Jeremiah leaned down close to Joci’s head. “Baby, please don’t leave me. Joci, baby, please wake up. Please.” He touched her forehead. There was blood everywhere. Her right arm was laying at a weird angle. The right side of her head was bloody and raw where it had hit something—the tree or the road. Her jeans were ripped open at the hip, and there was blood running from the tear.
The rescue workers moved in with equipment. “Excuse us, sir; we need to get to the patient.”
“Joci. Her name is Joci,” Jeremiah croaked. His lip trembled as he tried not to think the worst.
“Are you her husband?”
“Yes.”
In his mind, he certainly was. The rest was a technicality. Gunnar knelt with Jeremiah. Tears streamed down his face. The EMTs quickly put a brace around her neck. They promptly assessed all of her injuries, vitals, pupils.
“Is she allergic to anything?”
Gunnar and Jeremiah both shook their heads no.
“She’s pregnant,” Jeremiah hissed. The EMTs, Gunnar, and Deacon all looked at Jeremiah with stunned expressions.
“She might be. I’m not sure yet.”
The rescue workers started shouting about her possible pregnancy and what they could and couldn’t give her. They loaded her onto a gurney and ran with her to the ambulance. Jeremiah wanted to come with her, but they said they couldn’t allow him in. They shut the door on his protests and headed out, lights flashing and sirens wailing.
“Deacon, take care of having Joci’s bike brought to the shop after the police have finished with it. Lock it up.” Jeremiah and Gunnar jumped in the truck and flew to the hospital.
He watched from the corner of his eye as Gunnar pulled his phone from his pocket. His hands shook, but he swiped and found the number he was looking for.
“Aunt Jackie.” His voice cracked and he swallowed. “Mom’s been in a bad accident. We’re…” A strangled cry escaped as he ran his hand down his face. “Dad and I are on our way to the hospital.” He sniffed loudly, his voice still shaky, he asked, “Can you come?”
Jeremiah watched as Gunnar listened to his aunt. He struggled to stay sane enough to follow the ambulance. He flew along the road, navigating the corners a bit faster than he should, but not wanting to lose sight of the vehicle carrying Joci to help.
Gunnar’s splintered voice broke into his thoughts. “I know. Dad just said, well, he said he wasn’t sure.”
Gunnar tapped his phone and dropped it into his lap. He glanced at Jeremiah. “What the fuck?”
Jeremiah flicked his gaze quickly at Gunnar and then back to the road. “Well, you know about LuAnn. I fired her. She didn’t take it well. We thought that your mom might be pregnant on Saturday night. She went to see the doctor this afternoon. She was coming to tell me the results. We didn’t get the chance to talk about it.” His eyes welled with tears. He blinked rapidly to keep them from spilling over. He ran his thumb across one eye, then the other. He let out a deep breath as he continued to navigate the road and calm his fears.
“Aunt Jackie said she was pregnant,” Gunnar said in a quiet voice.
They sat in silence for a few minutes. Jeremiah sucked in a breath, “Is.”
Gunnar slowly turned his head toward Jeremiah, his brows furrowed. “What?”
Jeremiah’s voice softened. “Is. She is pregnant. She isn’t dying, and neither is our baby.”
Gunnar turned his head and watched out the window of the truck.
Jeremiah, Gunnar, and the others waited in the emergency room visitor’s area for what seemed like hours. Every time a nurse, orderly, hospital worker, even someone from housekeeping, walked into the room, Jeremiah hit them with questions. All they knew so far was that Joci had been taken into surgery. Her right arm was broken. Her right shoulder and collarbone were broken. Her hip was damaged but not broken. Apparently, the way she hit the tree had been a “good” way, if there was one.
The bike had taken the brunt of the hit. She’d been leaning the bike away from the corner to try and make it. That meant the bottom of the bike probably hit first. The seat hit before her hip, which
helped. Her head slammed into the tree, giving her a concussion. It could have been worse. Right now, Joci was in surgery to repair her arm, her collarbone, and her shoulder. No one could tell them if she would miscarry. The doctor told them that their priority had to be Joci, but they would do whatever they could not to harm the baby.
36
Healing
During the several hours Jeremiah and Gunnar had been anxiously waiting, other family members had gathered at the hospital. He looked around, grateful for their support as they all waited to hear about Joci. She had so many people who wanted her to get well. God needed to hear their prayers. Thomas had led them in prayer when he and Emily had arrived; Jeremiah kept praying.
Finally, the doctor walked into the visitor’s waiting room. “Mr. Sheppard?”
“Yes.” Jeremiah stood. Gunnar followed.
The doctor walked over to them and shook their hands. “I’m Dr. Jerzek.”
Dr. Jerzek motioned for them to sit down. He took a seat right in front of Jeremiah.
“Ms. James has come through surgery fine. We found no internal injuries. We put four pins in her right arm. Her shoulder was broken, but we were able to set it. Her collarbone was broken and has been set. Her hip was not broken; however, her skin was split open in several places. We stitched her up. She has deep bruising, which is going to cause her quite a bit of pain for a while. She should be out of recovery in about an hour then she will be taken to a room close to the nurse’s station so they can watch her.”
“What about the baby?” Jeremiah asked in a hoarse whisper.
Dr. Jerzek looked closely at Jeremiah. “We’ll have to wait and see. She’s badly injured, Mr. Sheppard. With her trauma and her age, there’s a good chance she will miscarry. Only time will tell.”
Jeremiah dropped his head in his hands and prayed again that both Joci and the baby would be okay. They just had to be.
Gunnar wiped at his eyes. He got up and walked over to Jackie.
