Car

“Do I need to start the car,” Jessica yelled into the bathroom.

“What’s the temperature,” Dylan yelled back over the roar of the shower.

“Seven.”

“Yeah, you should probably let it warm up for a little bit.”

Jessica grumbled as she piled on coat, gloves, scarf, and hat.  She hated starting the car.  It meant she got snow on her shoes and then had to pace around the house in all her cold weather gear while the machine got it’s oil flowing.  Getting bundled up was not an easy chore when you were as big as a house so she didn’t want to do it more than she had to.  Hopefully the baby would come soon and her body could get back to normal.

Only her eyes were showing when she finally pulled the back door closed behind her.  The morning was already blindingly bright.  And cold.  Even through the scarf, it hurt her lung to inhale.  She moved quickly toward the garage.

The old Honda growled and groaned as she turned the key.  It took a moment, but the engine caught.

Her toes were already icy and her teeth chattered as she rushed back toward the house.  She was almost there when she slipped on a sheet of ice hidden under a thin layer of snow.  Her legs flew out from under her and she fell backward, screaming.

Dylan rushed from the house.  His hair was dripping and steam rose from his naked chest.  He was only dressed in boxers.  He rushed toward her.

Her left wrist hurt badly and her tailbone was probably broken, but she didn’t dare move.  What about the baby?  No, no, she kept repeating in her head.  No.