Chapter 10 #2
She woke abruptly, turning toward him while shoving her hair from her eyes. Seeing him with his coat and holding her things, her eyes widened with alarm. She scrambled from the bed. “What’s going on?”
“I think someone is out back.” He gestured to her shoes. “Please hurry. We need to get away from here.”
With a nod, she shoved her feet into her shoes and walked toward him. He helped her with the coat, handed over her purse, then grabbed her hand. “Stay behind me. We need to be as quiet as possible.”
“Okay.” Her voice was barely a whisper. He led the way down the hall, glad he hadn’t used any lights. To be honest, the snow outside provided enough illumination for him to see well enough.
And that worried him because he knew the same could be said for whoever was lurking outside.
At the front door, he paused. Leaning in close, he whispered into her ear. “I need you to get into the passenger seat. Don’t slam the door, close it quietly. I’ll take care of Archie, then drive us out of here.”
She nodded, her face pale. He squashed a flash of guilt—nobody should have been able to find them there—but didn’t waste another second.
He opened the front door and swept his gaze over the area.
He didn’t see anything alarming, but he knew the moment the car made any sounds, the guy lurking out back would charge around to the front.
The snow muffled their footsteps. Bailey hurried to the passenger-side door. He opened the driver’s side, then the back for Archie. The rear hatch made a clicking sound, but it didn’t seem too loud.
The moment Archie was in the back, he closed the hatch and rushed to get in behind the wheel.
He pressed the start button, knowing the noise of the engine would draw attention.
He quickly shifted into drive and hit the gas.
The SUV lurched forward, the tires grinding into the fresh snow thanks to the four-wheel drive.
The crack of gunfire wasn’t entirely unexpected. He kept driving without glancing at the rearview mirror. He hadn’t heard the thud of a bullet striking the vehicle. The SUV fishtailed a bit, but he pushed the speed as much as possible, desperate to get away.
When he hit the road, he swept his gaze both ways. There wasn’t another vehicle nearby that he could see. Had the intruder gone in on foot from another location? And how on earth had they been found?
There were no ready answers to the questions rolling around in his mind. Fighting them back, he concentrated on putting distance between them and the gunman.
“Are we safe now?” Bailey’s voice cracked. “I don’t understand. I thought we’d be safe at the cabin!”
“We should have been.” He couldn’t imagine how they’d been found. And if not for his inability to sleep, the gunman may have gotten inside. He swallowed against the bitter taste of failure. “I don’t know how he found us. I’m sorry.”
Bailey buried her face in her hands, clearly struggling to maintain control. He kicked himself up and down for not doing a better job of protecting her.
Was it time to take her to the Sullivan ranch?
He didn’t want to put his pregnant sisters and sisters-in-law in harm’s way, but it seemed like the safer option.
At least with his other siblings there, they’d have strength in numbers.
Not to mention ten dogs to alert them to trouble.
Eleven dogs, if he counted Joel’s newest puppy, King.
He focused on driving, then abruptly tapped the brake when he saw deep tire tracks veering off the road. Peering into the trees, he tried to spot a vehicle, but it was too dark to see anything beyond the trees.
The black truck was likely back there, somewhere. If he was alone, he’d have driven in to get a better look. But he couldn’t take that risk with Bailey in the car.
No, his job was to keep her safe. He pulled out his disposable phone and held it toward Bailey. She was still sitting with her head down, so she didn’t see him.
“Bailey, please call 911.” At his voice, she lifted her head and swiped away her tears. “Let the dispatcher know a car went off the road, about a mile down Hawthorn Drive.”
“Okay.” She sniffed, took the phone, and made the call. In the back, Archie rested his chin on the back of the seat, watching them.
Trevor would have felt better with a crate compartment for his K9. Especially if the black truck appeared behind them. He pushed their speed as high as he dared over the slick snow-covered roads. The plows hadn’t made it this far.
“Put the call on speaker,” he whispered when she began to speak.
Bailey nodded and did so. “Yes, we’re on Hawthorn Drive. We heard gunfire and noticed tire tracks going into the woods. Please have someone come and check the area.”
“I will send officers to the area. Please give me your name and is this phone the number I can reach you at?”
“I—um, I’m just a concerned citizen.” She ended the call and dropped the phone into the center console cupholder. “I don’t know why I said that.”
“It’s okay, I should have anticipated the dispatcher would ask. She may call back too.” When the phone rang, he sighed. “Just ignore it. I have a bad feeling the gunman will be gone long before the police arrive.”
That made her turn in her seat to look behind them. “He might follow us!”
“There’s nobody back there. We’re in the clear.” For now, he silently added. Considering it was three in the morning, their options were limited. He considered heading to Greybull but wasn’t sure that would work. Not when he didn’t know how they were found in the first place.
“I don’t feel very good.” Bailey’s low voice concerned him. “My head hurts, and I feel sick to my stomach again.”
“Like before? When you got sick in the bathroom?” He tried not to show the extent of his panic. “Do you think we should go to the hospital?”
“I don’t know.” She rested her head against the window and closed her eyes. “Give me a few minutes. I’m sure this is just stress related.”
He swallowed hard and took the long way into town. More to avoid the black truck than anything else. Heading to Greybull wasn’t smart. Not when they may need to go to the hospital at any moment.
He focused on driving, silently praying for God to protect Bailey and her unborn child.
“I’m not sure what to do,” Bailey whispered a few minutes later. “It could be my imagination, but I feel as if something is wrong.”
“We’ll go to the hospital.” He decided this wasn’t the time for a debate. “It can’t hurt for you to be checked out. Besides, the doctor told you to return to be seen if your condition changes.”
“I think he meant bleeding, but yeah, maybe that’s for the best.” She shifted in her seat. “For one thing, I need to use the restroom. For another, I just don’t feel good. It’s weird, because sometimes I feel normal, and other times, like now, I feel terrible.”
Since he knew next to nothing about pregnancy, he couldn’t argue. “The worst that can happen is that the doctors say you’re fine and discharge you out of there.” He forced a smile. “At least that will buy us some time until I can figure out where to go next.”
“Yeah.” She rubbed her temples. “I guess feeling like a fool is no big deal. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
“They won’t think you’re being foolish.” He eyed the rearview mirror.
Still no sign of the black truck. Or any other vehicle for that matter.
Taking the next right-hand turn, he headed toward Main Street.
The hospital wasn’t far from the Hitching Post and the Elk Lodge.
Maybe this change in their destination would shake the gunman off their tail.
The guy wouldn’t anticipate they’d head back to the hospital.
Or so he hoped.
The parking lot to the north side of the emergency department entrance was almost completely empty.
Only one car sat out there, and it was covered in snow, as if it had been there for hours.
Pulling into the closest spot to the door, he shifted into park and glanced at Bailey.
“Can you walk? Or should I get a wheelchair?”
“I’ll walk.” She pushed open her driver’s side door and looped her purse over her shoulder. He opened the rear hatch for Archie and slid out from behind the wheel. Archie bounded toward him, tail wagging as if anticipating the search game.
“Sorry, buddy.” He bent to stroke the dog, then hurried around to take Bailey’s arm. “Go easy, it’s slippery.”
She didn’t answer but stepped carefully through the partially plowed driveway.
He escorted her through the glass doors, glad there was no sign of the black truck.
He hoped the police had gotten to Hawthorn Drive in time to find the driver.
Yet he also knew the town of Cody only had two squads on duty during the midnight tour.
It was well past bar time, though, so maybe one of the officers had gotten there quickly.
“My name is Bailey Adams, and I’m not feeling well.” Bailey rested her hand on her abdomen. “I was here yesterday after a car crash. The doctor told me to return if there was a change in my condition.”
“Of course, we’ll get you back right away.” The woman behind the desk jumped up. “Follow me.”
Trevor was surprised there wasn’t anyone else in the waiting room. He trailed after Bailey, with Archie at his side. Thankfully, the hospital staff didn’t ask him to leave with the dog, because that wasn’t happening.
“Sit down here and a nurse will be with you soon.” The woman flashed a smile, then left. True to her word, a nurse came in to see Bailey. It wasn’t Emily Ross this time; he didn’t recognize this caregiver.
“My name is Harper. I understand you’re not feeling well?” Harper raked a gaze over Bailey. “Have you noticed any bleeding or abdominal discomfort?”
“I’ve been having weird flashes of nausea along with episodes where my headache gets worse.” Bailey rubbed her temple. “Like right now, it’s bad.”
“I’m going to get a set of vital signs.” Harper glanced at him, then turned her attention back to Bailey. “We’ll start with a blood pressure.”
“Okay.” Bailey held out her arm. Harper put a stethoscope in her ears and pumped up the blood pressure cuff. After a long two minutes, Harper frowned and pulled the scope away. “Let’s get you lying down with your feet up.”
He sensed the tension in Harper’s voice. “What’s wrong?”
“Her blood pressure is pretty high.” Harper moved to the cardiac monitor. “I’m going to get you hooked up to our equipment.”
Trevor turned away to give Bailey privacy. He hoped the blood pressure issue was temporary, a result of his waking Bailey in the middle of the night to get her out of the cabin.
“Okay, your pulse is a little fast, so take some deep breaths for me,” Harper instructed. Trevor risked a glance over his shoulder to see the rapid clip of Bailey’s pulse dancing across the heart monitor.
“What about my baby?” Bailey asked. “Will you check her heart rate too?”
“Yes. In a moment.” Harper took another blood pressure reading. This time, there was no mistaking the concern in her expression. “Still pretty high. Just relax for a bit, I’m going to get the doctor.”
Harper hurried away. Trevor stepped up to take Bailey’s hand. She gripped it tightly. “I think something’s wrong.”
He was getting the same impression. “You’re in the right place, Bailey. Help is on the way. Deep breaths now. Close your eyes and relax.”
Bailey’s eyes flashed with anger, but then she did as he’d suggested. Ten seconds later, Harper and a female doctor wearing a long lab coat came into the room.
Releasing Bailey’s hand wasn’t easy, but Trevor pulled away and stepped back to give them room. “I’m Dr. Schaffer. When did you start feeling poorly?”
“I haven’t felt great since the car accident,” Bailey confessed. “But the nausea and vomiting started earlier this afternoon.”
“Vomiting?” Dr. Schaffer gently palpated Bailey’s abdomen as Harper got a fetal monitor device ready. A few minutes later, the rapid beat of the baby’s heart filled the room.
“Yes.” Bailey seemed calmer upon hearing the baby’s heart rate. “I threw up once. But I feel sick to my stomach again now.”
“Hmm.” Dr. Schaffer turned to Harper. “Let’s get a urine protein test. I’d like to rule out preeclampsia.”
“What’s that?” Bailey asked.
“It’s a condition some pregnant women suffer, characterized by high blood pressure, sometimes nausea, along with spilling protein in the urine.
” Dr. Schaffer put a hand on Bailey’s arm.
“I don’t want to alarm you, but it’s something to be concerned about.
We can try to keep you on bed rest for a while, see if that helps. ”
“What if it doesn’t?” Trevor asked. “What other treatment options does Bailey have?”
“The most effective treatment is to induce labor,” Dr. Schaffer admitted.
“No! It’s too early!” Bailey’s horrified gaze clung to his. “Please, don’t do that.”
“We’ll see what your urine test shows,” Dr. Schaffer said. “If you have a mild case, bed rest and medication may do the trick.”
Bed rest and meds or inducing labor. Trevor battled back a wave of panic. He wasn’t sure how he would keep Bailey and her baby safe under either of those conditions.
Feeling helpless, he bowed his head and silently prayed. Dear Lord Jesus, keep Bailey and her baby safe in Your care!