Past Forward- A Serial Novel: Episode 16 (8 page)

At four, Willow finally dragged herself from the bed, grabbed the instructions, and padded toward the bathroom.
Chad barely stirred.
Though woozy from lack of food and fuzzy from too much rest, Willow felt nearly well.
She grabbed test number two and reread the instructions carefully.
Instructions for saved urine seemed easier so she retrieved a pint canning jar from the pantry and followed directions step
-
by
-
step.

The clock never moved so slowly.
As the thought flitted across her mind, Willow realized that it was also a strange thought.
How would she know?
She
’
d read the comment repeated times and finally understood the meaning in more than a theoretical sense
,
but the fact of the mat
t
er was, she rarely noticed the passing of time unless it was one of those odd occasions when she realized that something was unusually swift.
This was the opposite feeling.
If it could go any slower, time would cease.

Finally, the clock in Mother
’
s room insisted that ten minutes had passed.
She picked up the test and examined it carefully.
In the
“
control window
,
”
a nice bold line stood out from the damp background.
In the
“
results window
,”
nothing.
She wasn
’
t pregnant.
Chad would be so disappointed.

Laying the test on the sink where he could see it and tucking the instructions behind the faucet for easy reference, Willow crept slowly downstairs, out the back door, and sat on the porch whistling softly for Portia.
“
No baby, girl.
I couldn
’
t imagine so soon
,
but then again, when we bred Dandy, it only took the once so…
”

Portia rested her head comfortingly on Willow
’
s leg.
Together, woman and dog, sat on the back porch of Walden Farm
,
and while the woman imagined life with a tiny baby, a toothy toddler, or an inquisitive child, Portia slept dreaming of chasing butterflies that turned into steak.
Or at least, that
’
s what Willow assumed.

Being as observant as most males, Chad
’
s hands were washed, dried, and he was on his way out the bathroom door before he glanced at the back of the toilet.
The test was gone.
He hurried into their bedroom and
eyed the bedside
tables
,
but nothing was there.
Back to the bathroom, he glanced in the trash and found the wrapper but no instructions and no used
—
the test at last.

Comparing instructions to test, it was obvious to Chad that the test was negative.
Disappointment washed over him.
He
’
d been so sure.
Why was she so sick if she wasn
’
t pregnant?
Willow was never sick and had little opportunity to catch anything anyway.
The sound of the back screen door banging softly against the doorjamb told him she was up and dealing with her own discouragement.

She sat on her heels stuffing the stove with wood and mumbling something under her breath.
“
You
’
re awake
.”

“
I think we
’
re a pair of geniuses.
I was just about to make the same observation
.”
Chad
’
s heart constricted at the pain in her eyes
,
but he didn
’
t move closer.
“
Lass, it
’
s not the end of everything.
There
’
s always next month, or the next, or even next year or so
.”

“
You were so excited…
”
She reach
ed
for another handful of kindling.
“
It feels like I failed
—”

Chad
’
s hands, on their way to his pockets in his characteristic frustrated stance, reached for her instead.
“
Oh Willow, I
’
m sorry.
I didn
’
t want you to feel like that!
I jumped the gun.
I
’
ve never seen you sick so I just assumed
—”

“
But I
’
m late
.
I am sure of it.
Normally I don
’
t pay really close attention
,
but your mother said
something
about our wedding date
needing to fit around it
,
and I wanted to surprise you so
—”
She
buried her face in his shoulder.

She sagged in his arms limply.
“
I
’
m dizzy…
”

Chad hoisted her over his shoulder and carried her to the couch.
“
Put your head between your legs and breathe normally
.”

“
What happened?
”
Her voice was a little weak and confused.

“
You said you were dizzy
.”

“
That
’
s right
.”
She glanced back up at him but
shoved
her head back down between her knees.
“
I want to
lie
down
.”

As he rolled the quilt from the back of the couch into a ball, Chad began thinking aloud.
“
Maybe you
’
re dehydrated.
Have you been drinking enough?
”

“
I
’
ve not been able to keep much down
,
if you
’
ll remember
.”

“
I wonder if I should take you into the clinic…
”
His voice trailed off in the general direction of his thoughts as Chad considered their options.

“
Maybe,
”
she said obviously feeling better having lain down,
“
you should consider getting me something with which to hydrate myself first.
Water works
.”

Absently, Chad poured her a glass of water and brought it back
,
stuffing a straw in it as he handed it to her.
“
Drink up
.”

“
It
’
s stuffy in here
.”

Her complaints brought a smile to his face.
Willow must be feeling better if she noticed stuffiness of all things.
While she rested, sipping water and resting her eyes, he threw open all of the windows
,
knowing that with the coming storm, he
’
d just have to close them again later.
“
Is that better?
”

“
I smell a storm
.”

“
Yep.
The forecast is for heavy winds, rain, and possibly hail
.”

“
Hail?
”
She sat up abruptly looking visibly woozy.
“
It gets cold in here when it hails.
We
’
ll need more wood for upstairs tonight
.”

“
I
’
ll get it.
You rest
.”

“
Can you open the windows up there too?
The breeze just before a storm smells so good…
”

With shades drawn to keep the sunrise from slowly filling the room with sunlight, Willow crept from the bedroom
,
closing the door behind her.
Downstairs, she opened the front door and groaned at the sight of her front yard.
Tree branches littered the grass
;
one large one
had
crashed through the porch railing, and some of her flowers
were
battered beyond recognition.