Chapter 11 #2
“But you mentioned your sisters are pregnant.” She wanted nothing more than to be safe, but the thought of putting others at risk didn’t sit well with her. Their babies were just as important as hers. “I don’t think exposing them to danger is smart.”
“I don’t like it either, but I don’t see an alternative.” His expression turned grim. “You need to stay on bed rest long enough for your baby to grow and develop. If the doctors don’t keep you here, the ranch is the only viable option.”
She stared at him. “I think you better run that past your brother, Chase. If this guy follows us to the ranch . . .”
“He won’t.” Trevor sounded positive, but she wasn’t convinced. After all, this guy had found them at the cabin where they were supposed to be off the grid. How had he managed that anyway?
Her head started to throb, so she closed her eyes again and focused on breathing. If this was her blood pressure spiking up, she was determined to bring it down naturally. She’d also take the medication he ordered for her too. Anything to keep her baby safe and growing stronger.
Dr. Clayton returned a few minutes later pushing an ultrasound machine.
“Down, Archie,” Trevor said.
Archie stood and leaped off her gurney to the floor. He stretched, then trotted toward the door. Bailey knew the dog probably needed to go out and gave Trevor a nod. “Go ahead. I’ll be fine.”
He hesitated. Dr. Clayton glanced at him, then said, “You can stay. This will only take a few minutes.”
She shrugged, indicating that was fine with her. He took a step back to make room for the additional equipment. Archie came over to stretch out beside him.
“Cold gel,” Dr. Clayton said as he bared her belly. She felt self-conscious about her belly showing until Dr. Clayton put the probe in the gel and moved it around. Then her gaze was fixated on the ultrasound screen.
“See, here’s the head.” He moved the probe in a slow circle. “Here’s the body.” He manipulated the probe easily, using markers to indicate spots on the screen. Dr. Clayton continued with the exam, then finally lifted the probe. “Good news, your baby is already three pounds.”
Three pounds sounded so small! She tried not to show her dismay. “But most babies are born at seven pounds or more, right?”
“Some full-term babies are born at six pounds.” He removed the goop with a paper towel and then covered her abdomen.
“This is a period of growth for your baby, all her organs are functioning well. If we can hold off four to five weeks, your baby will be five to six pounds. That’s a reasonable size for a preemie. ”
She tried to share his optimism. But she kept thinking about how her baby was still only three pounds. That her young daughter would need to double in size over the next few weeks seemed almost impossible.
And she prayed again for Lord Jesus to protect her baby girl.
“I’m going to order blood pressure medication for you,” Dr. Clayton said.
Trevor knew the guy assumed he was the father of Bailey’s child, and he didn’t bother to correct the man.
For the moment, he was the only support system Bailey had.
And it surprised him how much he wanted to be with Bailey.
Not just now, but after this nightmare was over.
“I’d like you to be monitored here for a while before discharging you. ”
“You’re not keeping her?” Trevor tried not to sound disappointed. “Shouldn’t she have close observation?”
“If the medication works, she’ll be fine resting at home,” Dr. Clayton said. “But you need to follow up with your doctor in a few days. It will be important to continue checking your urine for protein.”
“Okay, thank you,” Bailey said.
Trevor wasn’t sure how they’d manage a doctor visit so soon, but he was determined to find a way. He really needed the Cody police to step up their game. Black Hat guy needed to be found and arrested ASAP.
He crossed to Bailey’s bedside. Seeing the baby on the ultrasound screen had filled him with awe. He reached for her hand. “Will you be okay alone for a few minutes? I need to take Archie outside.”
“Of course.” Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m fine.”
He knew she wasn’t, but he didn’t argue.
He had been encouraged by the doctor’s words, but apprehension still lingered in Bailey’s eyes.
“Hey, you’re going to be okay. So will your baby.
Just hang in there. I’ll make some phone calls.
” He glanced at the time and grimaced. “Although I’d rather wait until a more reasonable hour to contact my family.
They tend to be up early, but it’s only four twenty. ”
“Sounds like they’ll watch me for an hour or so after I take the first dose of medication.” Bailey shifted on the gurney. “That gives us some time.”
“Yeah, that’s a good thing.” He released her, noting that Archie was standing by the door again, his K9’s signal that he needed to go out. “Rest now. I’ll be back soon.”
She nodded and closed her eyes.
Resisting the urge to kiss her, Trevor went to open the door. Archie padded out, instinctively heading through the department to the main entrance. He glanced at the nurses and doctors chatting in the center of the room, but they didn’t pay him or Archie any attention.
Even the OB doctor hadn’t seemed to mind Archie’s presence. He bent to pat his dog on the head. “You’re a good boy, Arch.”
His K9 wagged his tail in agreement.
As he passed the front desk, he saw a Cody police officer standing there with a man sporting a bruise on his temple. Trevor recognized him as Heath Anderson. He frowned, remembering his recent call to Tom Howell. “Hey, did you guys find anything off Hawthorn Drive? Maybe a black truck?”
“Not me, I was breaking up a fight in town.” Anderson jerked his thumb toward the guy standing beside him. “Two brothers slugging it out, can you believe it?”
He could, although his fights with his siblings had rarely escalated to physical blows. Yet they had wrestled a lot when they were younger. The guy standing beside Heath was old enough to know better. “Did someone else respond?” he asked.
“Yeah. Jeff Riley went out to investigate. I haven’t heard him respond with an arrest, though.”
Trevor’s hopes plummeted to the soles of his feet. “Do you think you can check with him? I’d really like to know if this guy is in custody.”
“Yeah, sure.” Anderson lifted a hand to his radio. “Unit 8, I’m at the hospital with Sullivan. Do you have anything on the reported vehicle off Hawthorn Drive?”
There was a long silence, before Trevor heard a male voice respond. “Negative. Tracks indicate the vehicle left the area.”
Left the area. Trevor swallowed a groan. The chances of the cops finding this guy were shrinking.
How long before this guy discovered where they were and tried again? Trevor still hadn’t figured out how they’d been found at the cabin in the first place. They’d only gone online with a clean laptop and used disposable phones. What else could he do to protect Bailey?
“Ten-four, Unit 8.” Anderson glanced at him and shrugged. “Sorry, Trevor. No sign of your guy.”
“Yeah, I heard. Thanks for asking.” He moved toward the doors. “Come, Archie.”
The cold air was a brutal slap to the face. Not that Archie seemed to notice. The dog bounded across the parking lot to the closest snow pile to get busy.
Anderson’s police car was parked near his rental SUV. But there were still no other cars in the lot. He supposed it was a good thing the hospital wasn’t too busy.
Hunching his shoulders, he waited for Archie to finish, then called the dog over. He debated feeding him, but it was still early. “Let’s go, boy.” He turned to head inside. Anderson and his bruised perp were gone, already taken back to a room.
Staying in the empty waiting room, he pulled out his phone and sent a text to Chase. Need a safe place for Bailey to be on bed rest. Call me.
He wasn’t sure how his oldest brother would feel about Bailey staying in Trevor’s cabin on the ranch. There were now four pregnant women on the ranch, including Chase’s wife, Wynona, and Shane’s wife, Libby.
The cabin should have been safe, but it wasn’t. The Elk Lodge certainly hadn’t worked. He couldn’t imagine another hotel would be any better.
He lifted his gaze to the ceiling, praying for answers.
When his phone rang, Chase sounded grumpy and sleepy. “What happened to staying at the cabin?”
“We were found.” Trevor paced the length of the room.
Archie was stretched out on the floor, watching him.
“I don’t understand how, Chase. We used disposable phones, a clean computer.
Kendra made the reservation, but I can’t imagine this guy has the ability to hack into the rental property website to find us. ”
“We may need someone other than family to find a place,” Chase said.
A flash of anger hit hard. That was not what he wanted to hear.
“We’re at the hospital. Bailey has been diagnosed with preeclampsia.
It’s a condition that requires medication and bed rest to protect the baby from being born too early.
If her condition worsens, they’d deliver her despite the fact that her baby is only three pounds!
” Realizing his voice was rising, he did his best to dial it back.
“This is serious, Chase. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t. I need to bring Bailey to the ranch.”
“Preeclampsia?” Chase sounded wide awake now. “I’ve never heard of it.”
“It’s not something we were taught in EMT training either.
Our focus was always on emergency situations like when the placenta breaks away from the uterus.
” He stopped pacing and sighed. “Listen, Chase, I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.
If you’d have heard this doctor talking about the risk of a premature baby, along with the possibility of Bailey having seizures if her blood pressure doesn’t get under control, you’d understand.
I can’t keep waking her up in the middle of the night to go from one hotel or rental property to the next.
She needs to be on bed rest while we keep her safe. ”
“Okay, fine. I hear you. Bring her to the ranch.” Chase sounded resigned. “At least we have plenty of people here to help her. And the dogs will let us know if anyone gets too close.”
The wave of relief was overwhelming. “Thanks, Chase. I appreciate your willingness to do this for her.”
“Hey, I’d want someone to do the same for anyone in our family.” His gruff older brother’s voice softened. “Adding one more pregnant female to the bunch shouldn’t be a problem.”
But it was a risk, and Trevor knew it. He stared out at the hospital parking lot.
Anderson’s squad was still parked out there, and knowing the police officer was inside the emergency department gave him an added sense of security.
“I’ll call you when we’re able to leave,” he said.
“Sounds like they’re going to start her on a blood pressure medication and want to watch her for a bit afterward to make sure her level comes down. ”
“That’s fine. I’ll make sure Anna knows you and Bailey are coming. She’ll want to make breakfast for you.”
“That would be great. See you soon.” Trevor disconnected from the call. It felt good to have a plan. He didn’t love placing his family in danger, but Bailey deserved to be safe.
It dawned on him that he should let Miles know about Bailey’s diagnosis. His buddy wasn’t scheduled to return to Wyoming until Christmas, but if she had the baby early, Trevor was sure Miles would cut his contract short. Even if that meant sacrificing his bonus.
Later, he decided. It was too early to call Miles now. Besides, he really wanted to talk to Tom Howell again. He didn’t like treating the sergeant as his personal source in the department, but there had to be something more they could be doing to find the black truck or the shooter.
Frowning when Tom didn’t answer, he left a message. “Hey, call me when you get this. I spoke with Heath Anderson. Jeff Riley didn’t find the truck or the shooter. I need to know if you got any tire impressions. Maybe that will help us narrow down the make and model of the vehicle. Call me.”
With a sigh, he pocketed the phone. He didn’t like feeling as if he were running the investigation. Jeff Riley had probably already asked for the crime scene techs to come out to look at the tire tracks.
He turned to head back into the emergency department when a pair of high, square, bright headlights caught his eye. Moving closer to the glass doors of the emergency department, he narrowed his gaze, watching them approach.
They belonged to a truck—of that much he was certain. His heart thudded painfully against his sternum. A black truck?
Without thinking it through, Trevor ran outside. His feet slipped on the slick surface, but he didn’t go down. He stared hard at the truck as it rolled past. It was dark in color. Hard to say if it was black or a dark gray.
As it went by, he stared hard at the license plate, hoping to get a number. Only there wasn’t one. He caught a glimpse of a paper taped to the back window above the truck bed.
A temporary plate. But the writing was too faint for him to see it clearly in the dark. Trying not to overreact, he turned to rush back inside. He needed to find Anderson to let him know.
Maybe it was nothing. But at that point, he couldn’t afford to leave any stone unturned. He wanted that truck found, identified, and the driver brought in for questioning as soon as possible.