“Bull?”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“How did you know I was having a nightmare?” she asked.
She had been. Julio had been alive, and she’d been back in that chair. He had a knife, but he hadn’t stopped at one slash, or her knee. He’d kept on hurting her as she begged Bull to save her.
In her dreams, Bull never arrived. She was always alone with a mad man.
“You don’t want to know the answer to that.”
To what?
Oh.
“Grant gave you his key?” She’d been asking him for the key back.
“Yes.”
“You’re watching me?”
“Maddie, I have always been watching you. There’s not a day I’m not watching you.”
She looked around her room. Her body shook with a fever, and she pressed her palm to her temple.
“I’m going to let you go now. Please, don’t hit me.”
She nodded. “I won’t.” Her stomach hurt. Maddie was on fire. She whimpered.
“What’s the matter, babe?” Bull asked.
“I don’t know. I think I’m sick.”
“Running soaking wet and in freezing weather will do that for you.”
“No, I was feeling sick before this.” She groaned. Her stomach turned and then she had no choice but to push Bull out of the way as she ran to the bathroom. She only just made it as the first wave of sickness hit. Throwing up everything she’d tried to eat today, which wasn’t a whole lot, made her feel even worse.
Her whole body tightened and convulsed as she threw up more.
Bull was there, holding her hair as she vomited, rubbing her back.
It shouldn’t feel good him being there, but she liked it. Damn her, she did like it.
“I’m here, Maddie.”
She didn’t want him here, and at the same time, she did, so much.
When nothing else would come out of her, she flushed the toilet, reached for some tissue, and wiped her mouth. She felt even worse.
“Maddie, have you taken a pregnancy test?” he asked.
“I’m not pregnant.”
“I wasn’t careful.”
She groaned. “I’m not pregnant.”
He pulled out his cell phone, and she sighed. “What are you doing?”
“Getting Grant to get a pregnancy test.”
“No, you can’t do that.”
“I can.”
“No. I’m not pregnant.” Hellen had told her at the animal shelter there was a sickness bug going around and the flu. This felt very much like that. She told him that.
“Maddie, you were feeling fine.”
“No, I wasn’t. I haven’t felt great all day. I didn’t realize this is what it is. Hellen was sick yesterday. It’s at the animal shelter, and I’ve been there most days.” She released a cough, then held her stomach as pains rushed through her body. “Pregnancy doesn’t cause this.”
“You know that?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been pregnant before. I’m assuming.” Talking was giving her a headache. “I feel so sleepy.”
“You’re not going to sleep,” he said.
She sighed and moved to the bathroom floor. Why did people need beds when the bathroom floor was so nice and cold and comfortable? Maddie pressed her cheek to the cool surface.
Bull pulled some of her hair out of the way.
“I need to cut it.”
“No, you don’t.”
“It looks a mess.”
“You’re not cutting your hair,” he said.
“You’re not the boss of me.” She huffed. She heard the door being rapped, and she groaned. “Tell him to be quiet. He’s way too loud.”
Bull chuckled. He left her alone, and Maddie hated how she missed him. It was on the tip of her lips to call him back, but she stayed silent. There was no point in telling him to come back.
“Oh, bathroom floor, you feel so good.”
“Last time I checked, a pregnant woman isn’t shivering, and enjoying the bathroom floor as if it is a comfort blanket.”
Maddie smiled and looked up. “Hey, evil Grant, you’re back.”
“Evil Grant.”
“You were always so cruel to me in high school. You’re evil. You know my not-mom would say you were always telling the truth. I was an ugly, fat girl. No one would want me.” She sighed. “Good times with my not-mom.”
“I think it is time to call the doctor,” Grant said.
“Nope, no doctor. Bull wants me to pee on a stick to prove I’m not pregnant with his babies. He doesn’t want to have babies with me because I’m too fat. He wants those other women at the clubhouse.” She sighed. “You two need to leave.”
She was babbling and knew she’d regret even opening her mouth if she didn’t get them out.
“Get out,” she said. She got to her feet, but the ground was spinning under her. “Tell the earth to stop moving.”
She groaned, seeing the ground coming toward her, but she never touched it. Instead, she was floating, and then some nice soft ground swallowed her up.
“This is nice. I like this.” Maddie opened her eyes, and Bull was there, his hands on her forehead.
“I love you so much, you know. It hurt to see you. I … I’ve never been so upset about a person telling me I was fat and ugly than with you.”