Page 48 of The Hitchhikers

“If you put a coin in the clock, Happy Hans comes out and yodels.” She laughed and glanced up from bagging the groceries like Jenny was supposed to say something.

“Why do you have a cuckoo clock?”

The girl gave her a confused look, which made Jenny worry that she was supposed to have already known the answer. Her head was spinning. She rested her hand on the counter.

“We’re the Bavarian City of the Rockies,” the girl said. “When the mine shut down, they wanted to do something to get tourists.” She shrugged. “It’s fun.”

“Fun.”

She was just repeating what the girl said. Like she couldn’t find her own words. She was so stupid. Jenny’s stomach cramped along the side. She flinched and dropped her hand to her belly. What was that pain? The cashier looked down at her stomach with a confused expression.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just an upset stomach.”

The girl gave Jenny the total, and she gave the girl a handful of money and let her count it. She hurried with the cart out to the parking lot and realized that she’d made another mistake. She had too much food to carry. The pavement was so hot.

She pushed the cart around the edge of the building, movingso fast she nearly tripped on her sandals, and smacking her chest into the handle of the cart. She righted herself.

The RV was in sight. She looked over her shoulder again. No one was watching. But other shoppers were getting out of their cars. Did they see the silly girl running with her cart?

She stopped the cart behind the building and lifted as many bags as she could. The RV door was opening. Alice was walking toward her, helping with the rest of the bags. She was looking at her strangely. Her eyebrows pulled together. Jenny didn’t give her a chance to ask anything. She climbed into the RV, set her bags on the table without speaking to Simon, who’d gotten to his feet. His hand grazed her arm as she rushed past him to the bathroom.

She closed the door and pulled down her underwear.

Blood.

CHAPTER 18ALICE

Jenny had been in the bathroom for a long time.

Alice put away the groceries, wondering at some of the items Jenny had purchased. Hamburger Helper—but no hamburger meat. Pink Panther Flakes cereal, two spray cans of cheese, and a box of Ritz Crackers. Spam and SpaghettiOs. Three flavors of Jell-O.

The bathroom door clicked open, and Jenny emerged with her head bowed. Alice turned and leaned against the counter, first looking toward Tom to make sure he was okay and receiving a small smile in return. Simon was sitting at the table, studying the map. He glanced at Jenny.

“Babe, next time we get gas, we need to buy a map of Alberta.”

Jenny slid into the seat across from him. Her eyes were red-rimmed and her face splotchy. She took a shuddering breath and wiped at her nose.

“I think something’s wrong with the baby.”

Simon straightened his upper body, giving her his full attention now. “What?”

Jenny’s face had gone from splotchy to a flush so deep it looked as though she’d been out in the sun for days. “I felt pinches…” She touched her belly. “So, I checked, and there’s blood.”

In direct contrast to his girlfriend’s, Simon’s face drained of allcolor as he looked from her to Alice, back to Jenny, then again to Alice. “What does that mean?” he asked her.

“I’m not a doctor.” Alice had no idea what color her own face was at that moment, but her stomach was lurching and she really, really wanted to sit down. This was too much. Jenny was watching her, scared and worried, waiting for an answer, and all Alice wanted to do was scream.You shouldn’t be doing these crazy things. You are so lucky to be pregnant!

“You have to know something,” Simon said. “You’re a woman.” Alice had a lot of contempt for Simon, but never more than in that moment.

She looked at Jenny. “Is it a lot of blood?”

“I don’t know! Am I losing the baby?”

“You need to see a doctor.”

Her face twisted. “I’ve never had an exam.”