“Why can’t they eat what they want?” one of the younger guests asked the doctor.
“It’s impossible for horses to vomit. The muscle in their stomach entrance only opens in one direction. If they get a stomach ache it can be fatal,” she explained.
A couple of their guests seemed surprised to see Allyssa carrying a pistol on her hip. Her mother strongly disapproved. “It’s part of my outfit, like my belt and my shoes. I don’t even realize it’s on, but when I need a gun I’m always prepared,” she argued. She put it on automatically every day; it was part of her routine. She checked the round and put it on safety every time too.
“I mean, you don’t have to wear it to the party,” her mother tried to reason with her now headstrong younger daughter, “and you could wear a dress.” She didn’t know this woman. This wasn’t the daughter she had raised. This confident and self-assured woman was not the girl she had bullied and intimidated for years. Still, she was learning to respect her and her…wife. She watched as the women’s neighbors wholeheartedly welcomed them and greeted them. She was surprised how many held the doctor in such high esteem. She wasn’t much to look at in her opinion. but she had to admit she must know her stuff if this many people used her services. She watched her daughter for a while as people assured her how brilliant the young woman was. They told her how Allyssa’s blog had helped them watch for certain things, including snakes, of all things. She’d also apparently written articles about poisonous plants and other calamities that could befall their livestock and provided links where the readers could learn more. She learned a lot about her daughter that day and none of it was bad. She saw Allyssa quietly leave the party a time or two during the day. When she returned, she looked pale and her mother wondered at that.
The party went well into the evening. Some ranchers and farmers had to leave early, depending on their livestock, whether they had cows to milk, how far they had traveled, and other considerations.
“Well, you two sure showed all them,” Margaret, their gossipy postmistress confided gleefully.
“Who?” Fiona asked, glancing around and wondering if there had been an incident she hadn’t known about that got ugly.
“Those who thought you’d brought a city girl out here, who couldn’t cope. I’m so proud of you, I could burst. Wouldn’t you say so, Keith?” she asked, bringing Fey’s father into the conversation.
Proving he had been listening, Keith nodded enthusiastically and saluted his daughter with a beer he had been drinking. “You’ve done more here than I could ever do,” he admitted with a smile. He had seen Rosemary trying to be friendly to people, but at the first word putting down her stepdaughter, she had been quashed like a bug. People around here loved his daughter and rightfully so. She was one of them. She was raised here and returned home with a delightful woman as her wife. She was a respected member of the community as was Allyssa, and they both deserved it.
As the party wound down and they waved farewell to their guests, Allyssa went around picking up sparklers that some of the kids had been playing with. She had confiscated all fireworks that made noise, explaining it would scare the animals, and she had accumulated quite a bucketful. She threw out the burnt wires of the sparklers in a recycling bin, but the fireworks she stored away, unsure what she would use them for and when.
“Come on, you can leave that for tomorrow,” Fey told her, trying to urge her to go to bed. She had noticed that Allyssa wasn’t feeling well. She’d barely eaten enough to sustain her through the long day and party.
“I just want to make sure the fire is…” she began protesting, feeling responsible.
“I watered it myself. It’s out,” she promised, urging her wife to the house. Her father and stepmother were already in bed. Helen had also turned in a while ago. Carmen and Derek had left the party about two hours ago, citing her pregnancy, and her brother and sister were ensconced happily in the RV. Many people had taken a tour of the RV if they hadn’t already seen it on their ranch or farm. Some were extremely envious.
“Mrs. Feldman and the 4-Hers are coming over tomorrow to help look for more of the rescues, give them apples, and choose some projects,” Allyssa told her as they headed for their own bed.
“What’s this I hear about Christmas caroling?” Fey asked, amused at the prospect.
“Mrs. Feldman, I mean Brianna, heard about a rescue back in Wisconsin where Christmas carolers rode their horses through the streets. She asked if it would be okay if those 4-Hers who wanted to get involved in the rescue could choose an animal, train with it, learn how to do everything including care and upkeep and saddling, then use the horse they chose to go caroling at Christmas.”
“That sounds like fun,” Fey smiled as they walked upstairs to their room.
“It does, doesn’t it?” Allyssa answered, looking forward to the project and barely able to contain her enthusiasm.
“That way, anyone who doesn’t own a horse could possibly use the horse for the fair too,” Fey mused as she began to get undressed for bed.
“What if that particular horse gets adopted?” Allyssa worried as she too began to undress.
“Well, we aren’t a charity. We do need to get rid of some of them eventually,” she pointed out.
“Those that have horses could use their own for the caroling. Could you imagine about fifty carolers riding their horses down the street? I’m going to have to get banners made. Maybe we could take a wagon for those who don’t ride or for those who are handicapped,” she planned.
Fey laughed at her enthusiasm. She knew it would be a huge plan by the time her wife got done with it, but she was pleased at how many friends her wife had made and all the new plans she was making. It showed that she was willing to get out there in their community and that was good. “I’ll watch for a wagon. If we can’t find one, we will hitch some horses up to a hay wagon. You’ll have to figure out how to transport the horses into Sweetwater.”
“Brianna is already thinking along those lines. Enough 4-H members have horse trailers, so we should be able to do this. Think of how much that will mean to the old folks’ home? Margaret said most of those who live there used to live on ranches and it will be perfect for them.”
They cuddled in close after they showered, washing away the dirt and the sweat of the day. But they were up early to say goodbye to their family members, who had been staying with them.
Rosemary made it plain she was eager to be on their way, sitting in the car as she waited for Keith and her children to say their goodbyes.
“I don’t want to leave,” Traci said mournfully, giving Allyssa a hug.
“I’ll be coming down to Portland for my exams in January,” she told her little sister-in-law. Her online courses were culminating in some practical exams she couldn’t take online.
“You’ll stay with us when you do,” Keith assured her staunchly, already anticipating the fight with Rosemary.
“Please don’t sell Sarge,” Sean pleaded with his sister as he reluctantly gave her a hug. He was getting too old for this stuff and looked embarrassed.
“Well, then, you have to come up more often,” she teased him, smiling at his obvious love of the horse. The horse liked him too, and they had bonded in the few, short days they had visited. She was pleased the horse had won out over the ATV.
“I’ll try,” he promised, giving Allyssa a hug too as he smiled up at the tall blonde. He liked this sister-in-law of his. She was so nice to them. He didn’t understand the hatred his mother held for them both. What did he care if they were both women and loved each other?
“Bye, Dad,” Fey said to him as she gave him a peck on the cheek and a hug.
“You take care,” he said and then lowered his voice, so Allyssa couldn’t hear. “Get her to a doctor. I think she has the flu.”
Fey nodded to show she understood. She’d heard Allyssa throwing up in the bathroom that morning and wondered about that. It wasn’t the first time, and it couldn’t be from anything she ate at th
e party since the vomiting had been going on all week.
They waved the Herriots off first, but soon enough, the Websters were ready to begin their long drive back to Denver.
“I’m so glad I came,” Helen told Allyssa truthfully. “I needed to see how you were doing,” she admitted.
“I’m fine, Mom.” She hugged her mother hard, the first time in a long time she wanted that kind of contact with her. She realized now how much she valued her mother as an adult. Her childhood and growing up years hadn’t all been bad.
“You get that tummy of yours straightened out,” she advised.
“I will.” She had a niggling thought, and she suspected Fey was thinking the same thought, but she wouldn’t say anything until she was sure.
“You stop and stretch a few times,” Fey was advising Carmen as she gave her and a surprised Derek hugs goodbye.
“Yeah, that’s a long drive. Hope I don’t go into labor on the way,” Carmen teased, and she and Fey laughed as Derek blanched.
“Call us when you have the baby,” Allyssa teased her sister. “Not while you are having it though,” she warned, smiling as she hugged her sister.
They all agreed it had been a terrific party and a good visit. The only bad thing had been Rosemary, but everyone just ignored her childishness and pettiness. As they left, Allyssa and Fey waved them off, a happily panting Rex standing beside them, his tail wagging. Another truck pulled into their yard and offloaded several 4-Hers. Fey went to get them organized.
Allyssa was going to help them look for the horses, but then she found she felt too ill. She’d given her horse to one of the girls and Fey had given hers to one of the boys. She thought perhaps, she should stay near the farmyard. She watched as Fey and Mrs. Feldman left with Brianna on the ATVs. Several kids rode on horseback and several more were on foot as they went to search for horses to bring in. They’d been discussing other parades they could attend in addition to the Christmas caroling. Some were talking about knitting and sewing projects and making Halloween costumes for the horses.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“Well?” Fey asked the following week after Allyssa had thrown up her breakfast for the fifth day straight.
“I have to wait to see. I just peed on the stick five minutes ago, and it takes seven minutes.”
“Maybe I should have bought a more sensitive test,” Fey murmured sullenly.
Allyssa chuckled, ruffling her wife’s hair. “Maybe I should have taken one of your tests,” she teased, indicating the veterinarian’s pregnancy tests.
“Oh yeah, I want you to have a foal or a calf,” she teased in return as she crossed her legs, trying to relax.
Allyssa laughed again, imagining that and then wondering if those tests would have worked. She knew the only true way to tell was a blood test, but she hadn’t wanted to look for a gynecologist. They both needed to get their annuals and had been putting it off for a while.
Fey must have been thinking along the same lines. She said, “You know, if this is positive we are going to have to find you a vet.”
“A vet?” Allyssa sputtered, still laughing.
“A doctor of your own,” she teased, joining in the laughter.
“Well, we have to see if we get a plus or a minus…” she began and then heard the ding go off on the timer she had used. They exchanged a glance as she went to check the stick sitting in the bathroom.
Fey tensed, waiting as she watched her wife. If that first insemination worked, they were extremely lucky. And it would mean she was well over a month along. She’d have to check the dates if that was the case….
“It says negative,” Allyssa said sadly, turning around and holding up the stick.
“Damn,” Fey muttered under her breath. Standing up, smiling tremulously at her wife, she said, “Well, we can try again.”
Allyssa nodded, staring at the stick and feeling her heart plunge into her stomach…or maybe that was all the crackers she had been forced to eat. The negative result meant she had a flu bug or something. “Wait…look…” she said, bringing the stick out of the bathroom and showing her wife. “Is that changing to a plus or….”
Fey looked at the stick. She’d bought a mid-priced test after they decided to check just in case. Maybe it wasn’t as accurate as the more expensive tests? But there had been a dizzying array of tests in the pharmacy aisle of the store and they all claimed to give accurate results. There was a minus sign in the indicator box, but it did look like the line through it was darkening as they watched it. “I think it’s trying?” she asked, wonderingly.
“It worked,” Allyssa said quietly a moment later, realizing the impact of what she was saying.
“It worked,” Fey echoed, looking up at her wife as she rose slowly from where she was sitting on the end of the bed, trying to see how her wife was feeling.
They were both quiet for a time and then Allyssa asked, “What now?”
“Now, we find you that vet,” she smiled and gave her wife the biggest smile she could. “We’re pregnant!”
“Oh, God,” she said, pulling away and running to the bathroom as a wave of nausea hit her.
Fey followed and pulled back the long, blonde hair, so her wife didn’t get yuck on it, feeling sorry for how she was feeling. She rubbed her back with her other hand after she put the pee stick down on the counter, soothing her. The plus sign on the test stick was obvious now.
Much later, after Allyssa finished with the dry heaves, she sat at the kitchen table. Fey’s calls would have to wait until she took care of her wife. She handed her the saltines.
“What if I’m sick like this for the whole nine months?”
“Well, it’s more like only seven or eight months,” she pointed out. It explained some other things too, like her lack of interest in making love. But, with her feeling nauseous and throwing up, the thought of making love didn’t appeal to Fey either.
“Still…” she said, sipping on some water and hoping it stayed down.
“We can ask after I find you a doctor,” she answered as she reached for the phone book. For a rural area, the book was quite thick.
“Don’t you think we should ask for some recommendations rather than go through the yellow pages?”
“What do you think would happen if I asked our clients or friends to recommend an obstetrician?”
After considering that question, Allyssa nodded. “The gossip would be county-wide in hours.”
“Good thing we don’t have a party line.” She laughed as she started going down the list of doctors in the section for OBGYN. “This one sounds familiar, and it’s a female name,” she said, pointing to it.
“Yeah but is the name familiar because someone recommended her or because someone warned you about her?” she asked as she took a bite of cracker and sipped some more water. She just wanted her stomach to settle; the dry heaves had been hell. “And the name Leslie doesn’t ensure it’s a woman,” she pointed out.
“True,” she admitted, looking farther down the list and checking how far away some of the listed offices were.
“We have to find out if that test was right too,” she continued, nibbling ravenously on the cracker and finally stuffing it all in her mouth. She took a drink of the water, which made it soggy, and chewed it up before swallowing.
“Yeah, I would hate to get our hopes up too high and find out it was a false positive.”
“Do you get that with your patients?”
“False positives?”
Nodding, she waited.
“Yes, I’ve even had them looking for babies they thought they had given birth to. They’ve even tried to confiscate the babies of other mothers. But we have to stop comparing you to my patients.” They shared a laugh and Fey could see Allyssa was already feeling better.
Fiona finally called the clinic that was located outside Sweetwater and asked if they had a female OBGYN. They both knew they would feel more comfortable having their checkups with a woman. “Yes, there’s Doctor Stoward, w
ho is relatively new to our clinic,” the receptionist told Fiona.
“I would like to make an appointment for my wife and me to see her,” she said as she nodded to her wife, who was listening and nodded in reply.
“And this is for?”
“We believe my wife is pregnant, and we would like an examination to confirm that.”
“Okay, what is your wife’s name? And has she been seen in our clinic before?”
“Allyssa Herriot. And no, we have never been in the clinic before.”
“I have an appointment…” she began but it was a month out.
“I don’t think you heard me,” Fiona began, exasperated already. She wondered if her clients got this way when they phoned her clinic. “We think she is pregnant and need to confirm that. A month from now is too long to wait.”
“Well, if you don’t mind coming in and waiting…” she intoned, obviously immune to the exasperation of her callers.
“We don’t,” she agreed. They had to know, and they had to get Allyssa on meds for the nausea as well as prenatal vitamins if she was pregnant. They were both trying not to get too excited by the prospect.
They set up an appointment for the next day. She would arrive at the clinic at nine in the morning, pee in a cup, and then, they would wait for the results and a time when the doctor was free to see them. The wait could be up to two hours, but Fey would do anything to make sure Allyssa was okay. They were both feeling anxious.
“What about your patients?” Allyssa asked, practically.
“You are more important than my patients. I will just tell them I have a more important case ahead of theirs,” she looked deeply into her wife’s eyes to let her know she was the most important one to her.
Allyssa smiled at the compliment, feeling better with something in her stomach. It looked like these crackers were going to stay down.
Fiona left her to catch up on her rounds. Her last case of the day was a foaling and she was stuck there late. She let Allyssa know she would be staying out tonight. She was fortunate to reach her on the CB since the phone wouldn’t connect. “Damn service,” she mumbled. She kept it short in case anyone was listening on the open CB. She washed up in the bathroom, luxuriating in the hot shower that both cleaned and relaxed her. Laying in the bed of the RV, she wondered if Allyssa was indeed pregnant. They hadn’t seen the signs and had resigned themselves to using the second vial of semen. She didn’t think she’d sleep wondering if…if…if….
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