Chapter 8
Shaky, Bailey rinsed her mouth out and sank down on the commode, resting her forehead on the edge of the sink.
The wave of nausea had hit hard; she’d barely made it to the bathroom in time.
She still didn’t feel very good, but the urge to be sick had passed.
Placing a hand on her belly, she straightened and took several deep breaths.
Was this a response to the stress she’d been under?
Or was there something going on with her pregnancy?
Lifting her gaze to the ceiling, she begged God to protect her daughter.
“Bailey? Are you okay?” Trevor’s concerned tone reminded her she wasn’t alone.
“Yes.” She slowly rose to her feet. A quick glance at her reflection made her realize she still looked incredibly pale. “I’m coming.”
The image of the two men on the computer screen flashed in her mind. They’d seemed familiar, but she hadn’t had time to study their faces. Trevor likely wanted her to do that now, so she opened the door to step into the hallway.
“You’re not feeling well.” His gaze searched hers. Then he took her hand, leading her toward one of the bedrooms. Archie followed, as if he was concerned about her too. “I think you need to lie down and rest.”
“No, really, I should keep searching the computer.” Her protest was weak, as the idea of resting held a definite appeal.
“Not now. You can do that later when you feel better. Here, you should take the master suite.” He pushed the door wide. “Having quick access to a bathroom is important.”
The way he stated the obvious almost made her smile. “Thanks.” She moved toward the bed, sinking down onto the edge. “I don’t understand why I was sick.”
He hovered in the doorway. “Was it the photograph on the screen?”
She slowly shook her head. “I don’t think so, but I’m honestly not sure. Maybe I should take another look at it.”
He hesitated. “Let’s hold off on that. Try to get some sleep. I’ll make some soup for you when you wake up.”
She gave up trying to argue. Soup sounded good, but sleep sounded even better. “Okay, thanks again.”
“Sleep well.” Trevor stepped back. “Come, Archie.” The K9 followed him into the hall so Trevor could close the door behind him.
Remembering the man who’d crawled into her hotel room, Bailey decided to sleep in her clothes. She kicked off her shoes, pulled back the covers, and climbed in. Resting her head against the pillow felt wonderful. Yet as exhausted as she was, she didn’t immediately fall asleep.
The abrupt nausea concerned her. She must have had morning sickness early on in her pregnancy, but she couldn’t remember. Was this morning sickness now? It seemed too late for that. Then again, she had been in a bad car crash. Maybe the nausea was related to that.
It has to be stress, she thought wearily.
Too much fear and anxiety over her lost memories while dodging the man who’d kept trying to kill her.
Even now, she found it hard to believe they were truly safe.
She trusted Trevor. He’d done a good job of getting her out of harm’s way over the past twenty-four hours.
He would keep her safe.
She smoothed her hands over her belly, doing her best to relax. Sleep would help her feel better.
Yet deep down, she was worried there was something wrong with her pregnancy. And silently vowed that if she didn’t feel better after a nap, she’d ask Trevor to take her to the hospital.
Hoping and praying that leaving their cabin refuge wouldn’t put them at risk of being found by the killer.
Trevor finished eating and cleaned up the kitchen. He found some canned soup in the cupboard, and while it wasn’t as healthy as Anna’s homemade chicken noodle, it would suffice for Bailey once she woke from her nap.
He sat at the table, staring moodily at the image of Clark and Max.
Bailey hadn’t mentioned her memory returning, but he was convinced this picture may have caused her abrupt onset of illness.
Maybe, deep down, she had recognized either Clark or Max and had been afraid of them on some subconscious level.
The other possibility was that the stress of the past few hours had caught up to her. He kicked himself for not getting her to a safe house like this cabin sooner. He knew the doctor had suggested she rest.
Instead, he’d dragged her from one place to the next, including the police station to provide their statements. He needed to do better moving forward.
He rose and paced the length of the room. Archie looked up at him, his ears perked forward. A glance at his watch indicated it had been a while since the dog had been outside, so he shrugged into his coat and stepped into his boots.
“Come, Archie.” He opened the front door. A blast of chilly air hit him in the face. It wasn’t as cold as it normally was in January, but it was bad enough that he hunched his shoulders against the wind.
Archie leaped through the snow with enthusiasm, his tail wagging.
His K9 might be a lab, but the goofy dog loved snow as much as Maya’s husky, Zion, and Chase’s Norwegian elkhound, Rocky, did.
Along with Kendra’s Alaskan malamute, Smoky, the three dogs were equipped with thick fur to protect them in the winter.
“Get busy.” He scanned their surroundings, glad to see the snow around the property was still undisturbed. Well, except for his footprints and Archie’s.
Archie got down to business. Trevor eyed the dark clouds, practically tasting the threat of snow in the air. November was often a gloomy month in Wyoming, and he hoped that they didn’t get dumped on by a foot of snow.
After cleaning up after his K9, he headed back inside.
He refilled Archie’s water bowl, then glanced down the hallway.
Bailey’s bedroom door was still closed, and as he shed his winter gear, he considered calling Maya or Jess.
Both of his sisters were pregnant and could maybe shed some light on Bailey’s sudden nausea.
Maya answered on the first ring. “Hello?” Her voice was cautious, and he belatedly remembered he was using a disposable phone.
“It’s Trevor.”
“It’s good to hear from you.” There was a pause, then she asked, “What’s going on? Do you need more backup?”
“No, we’re safe,” he hastened to assure her. Chase had obviously filled her in on what was happening. “I’m calling with a pregnancy-related question.”
“I’m not an obstetrician,” she protested. “I only know as much as I’ve experienced firsthand. Well, and in talking to Jess and Wynona about their experiences too. By the way, we suspect Libby is pregnant. Pretty soon the ranch will be full to bursting with the next generation of Sullivans.”
“That’s great news about Libby. I understand you’re not an expert but give me your opinion anyway.” He stared out the window at the wooded landscape beyond the cabin’s clearing. “Bailey is seven months pregnant and just experienced a sudden onset of nausea and vomiting.”
“Did she eat something that didn’t agree with her?” Maya asked. “I used to love some foods, like bacon, but once I became pregnant, the mere scent of Doug cooking it sent me to the closest bathroom.”
“She was having a chicken breast sandwich with lettuce, cheese, and tomato. She didn’t even add mayo.”
“Hmm. That doesn’t seem like the type of food to cause that reaction,” Maya admitted. “Maybe she has the type of morning sickness that lasts all day.”
“It’s possible. But this is the first bout I’ve witnessed since yesterday.
And she hadn’t mentioned suffering from all-day sickness before.
” He turned away from the view. “Granted, she may not remember her pregnancy symptoms. She’s been under a lot of stress.
We’ve basically been on the run since yesterday. ”
“Absolutely, stress could be the cause of her nausea and vomiting.” Maya paused, then said, “Chase mentioned she was in a car crash, right? And has lost her memory? Maybe there’s something else going on with her pregnancy.”
“I thought of that, and the doctor told us to be on the lookout for bleeding. He didn’t mention nausea and vomiting.”
“I get that, but everyone is different. Since you asked for my opinion, I’ll say that if it happens again, you should take her to the hospital to be evaluated. Best to let the experts tell you if there’s something to be concerned about.”
“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.” He was glad to have his sister’s perspective. “I appreciate your insight. She’s resting now, and I’ll see how she feels when she wakes up.”
“Has she gotten much rest?” Maya asked.
“No. And that’s my fault.”
“I doubt that, Trevor. From what Chase said, you’re doing an admirable job of keeping her safe. This is the bad guy’s fault, not yours.”
He didn’t necessarily agree, but he let it go. “The good news is that I think we’re safe here.”
“Good. That may be all she needs,” Maya said. “That level of stress isn’t good for her or the baby.”
“I know. Okay, thanks, Maya. I’ll be in touch if anything changes.”
“Be safe, Trevor.” There was a hint of concern in Maya’s tone. He knew she was worried about him, the same way Chase was. Maya just handled it differently.
He ended the call and tucked the disposable phone back into his pocket.
It was too early to follow up with Griff on what he may have found, so he returned to the computer to see what he could learn about Plymouth Properties.
Unfortunately, he didn’t uncover anything more than what he’d already been told.
They were incorporated in New Jersey, which he found odd.
Companies on the East Coast didn’t usually venture this far west to invest in property.
A good day at the Sweet Water Pub and Grill likely didn’t bring in much cash compared to restaurants in the bigger cities.
So why had they come all this way? He tried to find a list of other businesses in Wyoming to see if they were also owned by Plymouth Properties, but a simple search didn’t reveal anything helpful.