Chapter 31
CHAPTER
DID I FALL asleep again? My pregnancy just made me so tired sometimes. This is my third nap today! I struggled to open my eyes. For some reason it seemed unusually difficult.
I blinked a few times in the dimly lit room. I was sprawled out on a bed, my head facing a salmon-colored wall I didn’t recognize. Where did I fall asleep?
I tried to turn my head so I could see the rest of the room, but whimpered—moving even an inch triggered an explosion of pain inside my skull. I squeezed my eyes shut and let my head fall back onto the pillow, facing the wall again.
A strange hissing sound was coming from somewhere to my left.
“Savannah! Psssst! Savannah!”
Someone was whisper-screaming my name. I couldn’t see who. I groaned.
“Thank God you’re awake! Savannah—over here. It’s me, Jenna!”
Jenna … Jenna’s here?
Wait. Something about Jenna was tugging at the back of my mind. What was it? I couldn’t remember …
“Savannah! Can you hear me?”
Got to wake up … need to talk to Jenna … and Mom. My eyes fluttered open for a second, but the blinding pain returned so I shut them tightly again. I felt something wet trickle down the side of my face.
The pain became too much, and I felt myself slip back into the black again.
A familiar voice hovered as I floated back and forth, in and out of consciousness.
“Savannah, please—wake up! Savannah!”
Whoever was calling out to me sounded panicked. Upset. I need to wake up.
I opened my eyes. I saw the same wall as before. I tried lifting my head just an inch; it still hurt, but the pain had dulled to a more bearable throbbing. Finally, I managed to roll my head back so I was facing the ceiling. The new position allowed me to look around.
The room was unfamiliar, decorated in a rustic, woodsy theme, in mostly neutral tones with an all-wood accent wall.
Artful framed photographs of forests, deer, and campfires hung on the walls.
Luggage and cardboard boxes were stacked up against the wall opposite the bed.
As I tried to focus on the boxes, I realized what they were—newborn diapers, wipes, canisters of formula.
Was I in the hospital? Had I gone into labor?
My eyes moved down to take in my lower body. I gasped. My arms were tied to metal bars on either side of me. My belly loomed large; as my eyes traveled farther down I saw that my feet were tied into stirrups. I appeared to be in some kind of raised, adjustable bed.
My heart thundered in my chest as I pulled feebly against the restraints.
This doesn’t look like a hospital. Why would they tie me to a bed? Panic sped up my breathing, and fresh tears welled up in my eyes.
“Savannah! Shh. Savannah, look at me. Over here. It’s Jenna.”
I slowly turned my head to the left, toward Jenna’s voice—and then I couldn’t help it. I let out a small scream.
Jenna was slumped in a corner. Her wrists were bound in front of her, deep red indentations in her skin visible around the ropes. Her ankles were also tied. She was pale, with chapped lips and dark circles under her eyes, and her hair and face looked dirty. How long had she been here?
“Jenna? What’s happening? Where are we?” My voice came out weak and raspy, but at least I was able to form words.
“Shh—Savannah, try and keep your voice down, or they’ll come back. I don’t want them to drug us again.”
“Drug us? Who? What are you talking about?” I whispered, my panic continuing to rise.
“Max and Madison—and Nora Clark.” Jenna’s eyes were wide, darting around the room.
“They did this? They kidnapped you? And me?” My head swiveled around the room, triggering another wave of pain. “Why does my head hurt so bad?” I spotted a few dots of red on my shoulder. “Is that blood?”
“They must have hit you to knock you out. They chloroformed me, but maybe they didn’t want to use it on you, since you’re … pregnant.” Her voice caught on that last word, and suddenly, I remembered what I’d been trying to recall about Jenna.
The lie about her pregnancy—her pregnancy with Max. And the new knowledge that she had been following me, spying on me, just like Jamie the nurse.
“Jenna … is it true? What the police told me? Were you lying about being pregnant?”
Jenna released a shuddering sigh. “I was pregnant … a long time ago. I was having Max’s baby. But I lost it.”
“Jenna, why didn’t you tell me? And why didn’t you tell me about Max? Were we ever really friends? Or were you just spying on me, like Madison?”
“No—I didn’t know what was really going on, in the beginning.
” She took a deep breath, then spoke at a quick whisper.
“Max and I were seeing each other last year. When I told him I was pregnant, he was so happy. I thought we were going to be a family.” She uttered a small, bitter laugh.
“Then, when I lost the baby … he completely disappeared. Just ghosted me. I had no idea why. Between losing my dad and losing the baby, I was hurting so much, and I … um, I started following him. I—I just wanted to see what he was doing, why he was ignoring me. Savannah—he was picking up women. At bars. Like, constantly. And then spending the night with them.”
A sick feeling started to grow in my stomach as I listened.
“He never told me about Madison. I thought I was the only woman in his life. Then I saw him with her one day, and they were both wearing wedding rings, and I figured out they were married. But even then, I didn’t know the whole story.
I didn’t know if he was just cheating on her with all these women, if she knew, or what.
Then he met you, and you look so much like her. And you got pregnant, just like I did.
“I was so shocked when he told you about Madison—and then introduced you. At first I thought, maybe he finally decided to come clean with his wife about all the cheating. But eventually, I realized they had a plan, all along.”
“Plan? What plan?”
“Madison can’t have children of her own … some kind of condition. Madison’s family doesn’t want her to adopt … and I guess, somehow, they were rejected from doing a traditional surrogacy … so they decided to make you their surrogate.”
Suddenly, I heard voices—just outside the door.
“Pretend you’re asleep!” Jenna whispered, and I closed my eyes, trying to relax my body.
The door opened. I peeked between my eyelashes.
Madison and Nora.
It was all I could do to keep myself calm as my situation started to sink in. They’ve kidnapped me! And Jenna! What are they going to do with us?
Flashes of memories started coming back to me: I had been at my apartment, waiting for my mother to arrive … the intercom buzzing … then, blinding pain on the left side of my head, and blackness.
My pulse quickened and tears burned my eyes. Stop! You’ve got to stay calm. Don’t let them know you’re awake!
“I think we have everything we’ll need, right? I used the checklist in the back of the pregnancy book,” said Madison. There was a shuffling sound, like they were moving boxes around.
“Yes, honey, I think this is more than enough. It’s not like you won’t be able to go shopping, but this will get you through at least the first few weeks with the baby while you lie low,” said Nora.
“You told the nurse to arrive at eight, right?”
“Yes. Hopefully she doesn’t get lost. I told her what to say at the front gate and how to find our cabin.”
I fought to keep my breathing under control as I listened to them. Front gate? Cabin? Where are we?
“Do you really think this is going to work, Mom?”
“Why shouldn’t it, darling? People have home births all the time. It’s perfectly safe.”
“Yes, but home births don’t usually involve inducing labor. What if it doesn’t work? It’s not like we can keep her here for another three or four weeks without anyone noticing she’s gone.”
Alarm bells clanged in my head. Induce labor?! It was all I could do to keep from having a panic attack. In and out. Keep it together.
“I really don’t think that will be necessary. Just stay positive—in another day or two, you and Max will be far away from here, with your darling Charlie. After a while, your father and I will come visit, and eventually, you’ll be able to come back to Sausalito, once things die down.”
“Oh, thank you, Mom. I can’t believe this is finally happening!”
A knock on the door.
“That must be Max,” Madison said. I heard the creak of the door opening. “Hi, babe!” Her voice sounded gleeful. I heard the happy couple kiss. A slight, chilly breeze floated into the room before the door closed again.
Nora interrupted. “The nurse is due to arrive soon, so we need to move Jenna. Let’s get her into one of the back bedrooms.”
My heart pounded as I heard Max approach Jenna. I tried so hard to keep quiet and feign unconsciousness, but I was losing the battle.
As Max got closer, I heard Jenna scream. “No! Leave me alone! Don’t touch me!”
My eyes flew open. Max was trying to lift Jenna, but she was fighting with everything she had despite her bound arms and legs.
“Ow! Jenna, stop! Please just cooperate so I don’t have to hurt you!” Max yelled, trying to dodge her swings.
Her feet connected with Max’s head. The blow knocked him off his feet.
“Stop this nonsense!” Nora bellowed, like she was disciplining an unruly child. Jenna stopped kicking and withdrew into a ball, eyes wide.
“Max, sweetheart, are you okay?” Madison ran to his side and took his face in her hands, turning his head so she could see the spot where Jenna had kicked him.
“I’m fine,” he said, standing up. All of a sudden, his eyes locked onto mine. Shit. He’d seen that I was awake. “Savannah.” He said only my name, as if no other words were needed.
“Max … what is going on?” I gasped. “What have you done?”
“Savannah—look … I’m sorry it all had to happen this way. I wanted you to be somewhere where you can give birth in peace, and then … Madison and I are going to raise my son.”
“Max—this is my son too. You can’t do this.”
“Savannah, you’re not fit to raise a child alone, as a single mother.
You’re just not cut out for it. My son needs a mother and a father, and a stable home life, with a family that can provide for him and give him everything he could possibly need or want.
That’s not you, Savannah. That’s me and Madison. ”
“So, this what you would have done to me, too?” Jenna shrieked. “If our baby had lived?”
Max’s face twisted with contempt. “Jenna, you don’t even have a job. You haven’t worked in over a year now. And you’re much too unstable to raise a child.”
“I was grieving for my father, you asshole!”
“Besides … it was never supposed to happen with you, anyway. You were an accident.”
“An accident? Oh, right—just a little distraction from your split with Madison?” Jenna retorted.
Max’s face twitched for a second, taken aback by her words.
“Yeah, I overheard everything you two said at the for-sale house. Good thing I lost my baby, right? Otherwise, how would you explain to all your rich friends why your child has pale blonde hair and looks nothing like you?” Jenna’s eyes threw daggers at Madison, standing behind Max.
Nora scoffed, and rolled her eyes. “This is a waste of time.”
My eyes darted back and forth between them. What is she saying?
“Wha … wait. Max … did you target me because … because I look more like her?” My chin jerked toward Madison.
Max opened his mouth to answer, but Madison elbowed him aside and stepped forward.
“It doesn’t matter, Savannah. This is happening.
That is Max’s child—and no one is going to raise my husband’s child except me, his wife!
You are not a mother, you worthless, drunk skank!
Sleeping with another woman’s husband does not mean you get to raise his child! ”
“Wha …? He never told me he was married, Madison! He talked about having just broken up with someone!” I shouted, the exertion sending new waves of dizziness through my head. “Besides, you don’t get to decide that we’re not fit to be mothers!” I turned to Max. “Who the hell do you think you are?”
“I was going to tell you everything, Savannah,” Jenna spoke through sobs. “I never wanted this to happen to you.” Her eyes, red-rimmed, turned on our captors. “I tried to stop them. I tried, Savannah—”
“Quiet, Jenna,” Max hissed.
“I will not be quiet! Not anymore! Savannah—they’ve been planning on taking your baby all along. Everything they did … the liquor store, and the fake DCS investigator …”
“I said quiet, Jenna!” Max shouted.
“Enough!” Nora bellowed. “We don’t have time for this nonsense. The nurse is going to be here soon, Max. You need to shut her up.”
Jenna’s voice was frantic. “And now they’re going to kill me, and try to pin it on you—”
“We said shut up!” screamed Madison, marching forward with a white cloth in her hand. Jenna jerked her head back and forth, holding her breath, trying to avoid the cloth, but after a few moments, she went limp.
“What are you doing to her?” I cried.
They ignored my question. “We can’t just keep drugging her forever,” Nora said to her daughter, hands on her hips. “Why don’t we just get rid of her now?”
“No, mother. Just a little bit longer. Her time of death has to line up just right. Once the baby is born, then Savannah takes her out. Remember? Then dear little Savannah goes to jail. Where she belongs.”