“Not since the night at the bar. He hasn’t even stopped by. Why?”
“He’s out of town. I was wondering if he told you where he went.”
“I don’t have a clue. When it comes to Bishop, I have a lot of questions.”
“I’m sure you do. I’m not going to give you any answers.”
“Why don’t I feel anything for him?”
Preacher shrugged. “I’ve spoken to Randall. I won’t be feeding you any answers. Are you hungry?”
“A little bit. Can I go and see my old room? You said I stayed here with you for a short time. I’d like to go and see it.”
“Of course.” He took the lead and she followed close behind him. He opened a door. “There’s your room. The only things that have changed are the items I’ve brought to you. Everything else is the way you left it.”
She stepped into the room and noticed the light floral colors and the lemony scent. “This is how I left it?”
“Yes.”
She sat down on the edge of the bed. “It feels comfortable.”
“I’m going to go and cook. I’ll let you know when dinner is done.”
She watched him walk away even as she wanted him to come back. He closed the door behind him, and she stayed in her old room, with her thoughts.
Staring across the room, she saw a vanity table. It was plain white, but she noticed there was no makeup, just a box. She stepped closer and realized it was a black box with a lock in place.
She tried the catch, only for it to not work. The box didn’t remind her of anything.
Walking around the room, she went toward the closet, then back again, pacing the length of the room. Again, nothing jumped out at her or screamed for her to know what was going on. None of this made any sense to her.
I want my memories back.
Leaving the bedroom, she came to a stop at a door.
Again, this feeling washed over her, and she tried the door handle, opening it. She stepped inside, and on instinct, she found the light switch, flicking it on.
It was a neutral nursery.
There was no baby.
The curtains were drawn closed.
She spun in a circle and saw the large drawn tree with wild animals from deer to bunnies on the far wall.
“Dinner is done,” Preacher said, coming to a stop within the bedroom.
“Did I have a kid?” she asked, looking at Preacher. “Is that why I don’t love Bishop? He and I were having a kid? Where is he or she? No one told me about a baby.” She touched her stomach. “I don’t understand what’s going on.”
“You need to calm down.”
“I am calm!” She yelled the words. There was no way she was calm. In fact, she was freaking out.
She’d been pregnant and for some reason, she wasn’t pregnant anymore. Why wasn’t she pregnant? What had happened to her baby? Why wasn’t she pregnant?
“You’re having a panic attack. I need you to breathe.”
The world started to get fuzzy around her. She couldn’t breathe.
Where was her baby?
What was happening?
Where did it all go wrong?
Everything suddenly went black.
****
“Is she okay?” Preacher asked as Randall came out of her bedroom. He hadn’t called Bear as he didn’t want him to worry.
“She will be.”
“What happened?”
“She had a panic attack. The memories, possibly. I don’t know. I’ve given her a mild sedative. There won’t be any lasting damage but clearly, a child, it changes things for her.”
“I’ve never seen her act like that. Not even when she lost our little girl.”
“It will be hard for her at first. There’s a past you don’t know about. A lot can happen in two years. We’re all just going to have to be patient with her, give her time. Let her come to all of this.”
“How long will she be out?”
“Only a couple of hours. Long enough for her to rest. Call me if you feel she needs anything else.”
Preacher showed him out. “With her reaction to the nursery, does this mean she’ll remember?”
“It’s a possibility. Again, I can’t stress enough how powerful the human brain is. Everyone reacts differently. You can never give two patients the same outcomes. It just doesn’t work that way. Robin’s strong. I only hope she’s strong enough to deal with whatever pains her. There is pain there, Preacher. You must be aware of it.”
“I am. Thanks for coming.” He closed the door and stared up at the stairs. His food was long cold but after seeing the way she reacted, he wasn’t hungry. He took the steps two at a time and went into her room. She was still out cold but at least she looked peaceful.
He grabbed the chair from the corner of the room, bringing it closer to the bed, and took a seat. There was a lot of stuff he could be doing, like hunting his suddenly elusive son, but there was nowhere else he wanted to be than with this woman right now.