Page 13 of Tangled
Honestly, she was feeling a little woozy. She didn’t think it was from the baby, though. “Maybe some fresh air would help,” she said, rising. Brad hopped up and held his hand out for her. She slid her fingers into his palm, and he steadied her.
“I need to gather a few things if I’m going to stay with you. I don’t need much. Not right now, but a few things.”
“Anything I can help with?” he asked.
“Can you grab my bag from the top of the closet?”
“Are you good?” he asked, looking at their joined hands. She nodded and stepped away. He watched her for a beat, then, once he seemed satisfied that she wasn’t going to collapse, he made his way to the closet.
A few minutes later, they walked down the stairs to a waiting ATV. Ryan sat in the front, talking on his phone as he futzed with the heater. Brad helped her into the front seat, then climbed into the back. She hated feeling so weak, but it was what it was. She’dbeen told by the doctor whom she’d seen in LA before she’d fled that it would eventually pass. She looked forward to that day.
“Are congratulations in order?” Ryan asked as he started them back toward the main lodge.
Scarlett flickered a glance in the overhead mirror to see Brad give her a look that let her know it was up to her what they told people.
“Yes,” she said on an exhale. If she was in, she was going to be all in with the Warwicks. She and Brad would figure their relationship out, but no matter what, Ryan and all the others would always be the baby’s family. “But we’d appreciate it if you didn’t spread it around. I think Brad and I have a few things we need to work through first.”
“Of course,” Ryan said. She looked in the mirror again, and Brad gave her another nod. She knew from Kara how much the family talked, but Brad’s gesture assured her that Ryan would be true to his word.
“How did you know?” she asked.
“Olivia was pretty sick in the first trimester. I don’t think she was as sick as you, but you have the same sort of gaunt, exhausted look she did. No offense.”
She chuckled. “None taken. Believe me.”
“So how far along are you?” Ryan asked.
Scarlett heard the question, but another telltale wave of nausea was currently having a debate in her stomach as to whether to erupt. “Um, would you mind if we turned the heater down?” she asked, leaning closer to the window and resting her cheek on the cool glass.
“December fourth,” Brad answered as his hands reached over the seat and he started massaging her temples.
“So about eleven weeks,” Ryan calculated. “Yeah, that’s a sucky time. Or at least it was for Olivia.” As he spoke, he adjustedthe heat and slowed down to little more than a crawl. For which she was very, very grateful.
She managed to keep the minimal contents of her stomach inside for the duration of the trip. But the second she stepped into Brad’s apartment she made a beeline for the first bathroom he pointed her to.
Tuning out the voices of the men, she heaved into the pristine toilet. She wanted this baby. She really did. But sometimes she wondered if it was trying to kill her.
By the time she felt that brief moment of wellness that immediately followed a purge, Brad was at her side. She didn’t love the idea of him seeing her like this, but she felt too crummy to care too much.
“I put your stuff in a room and brought you this.” He knelt beside her and held out a toothbrush and toothpaste. The sight of the toothpaste had her stomach clenching again, but she managed to breathe through it.
“Thank you,” she said, reaching for both. “This isn’t pretty.”
“I wish I could take some of it from you. I have no idea how you’ve been managing it while working full-time,” he said as he helped her up.
She didn’t miss the guilt in his voice. But even if he had been around, there wasn’t much he could do about it.
She brushed her teeth, then let him lead her to the guest room. “I think the only way I managed is because I clean hotel rooms all day. Lots of bathrooms nearby,” she said with a smile. Although admittedly, probably a wan one.
“I know you’re a nurse. Why work here?” he asked as he pulled the blankets back.
“I grew up in a part of LA that most people never leave. Because I managed it, people tend to know my name. They know Scarlett Nesanet Mitchell, the girl who became a nurse and made it out.”
“And whoever is looking for you would be looking Scarlett Nesanet Mitchell, the nurse, the girl who made it out. Not someone on the cleaning staff of a hotel,” he finished. She nodded as she lay down.
“I just need a few minutes to rest, and then we can talk to Ryan,” she mumbled, her eyes already drifting closed.
“Ryan can wait,” Brad replied, pulling the comforter over her. “Rest as long as you need.” She thought he might leave, but she heard a rustle, then felt his fingertips brushing her hair from her face. She opened her eyes to see him kneeling beside her. She recognized the concern in his expression, but sleep called to her, and her eyes fluttered closed.
