Please Stand By

Chapter 13

More time passed as Jade kept hearing Trevor sneak out at night, not daring to go out as she opened her eyes to the sight of Cain sleeping and the sound of Trevor closing the back door. She debated telling anyone in the house about Trevor. She did not want Trevor to hurt her or anyone else, but at the same time, she did not want Trevor to infect anyone. This had been eating her from the inside for weeks. She had stopped eating properly and could not sleep without feeling a sense of dread, having to take medication at night in order to get a full night's rest. It had made Cain worry about her. He constantly checked up on her and made sure she ate. Each time she ate she wanted to vomit, not only from the pressure but from the pregnancy. She made herself eat for the sake of the baby. The baby and Cain were all she cared about.

The other thing that worried Jade was Cain. His headaches had turned into bad migraines. Light affected him and he claimed it made his migraines worse. He had trouble finding an appetite, much like her, not due to anxiety, but he physically felt like he would vomit if he ate anymore. This only made Jade's anxiety worse, making it a never-ending cycle. She was able to get her appetite back, waiting for the day Cain would get his appetite back. One night, anger took over Jade and she stomped downstairs, greeting Trevor at the back door. "You seriously want to keep going out with Cain being in the condition he's in?" Jade asked, trying not to yell, angrily whispering through gritted teeth.
"He's already sick. Why is that affecting what I was doing?"
"He hasn't been on a supply run in weeks because he's been at home with me, and his migraines have been too bad to go on any runs. You've been seeing your boyfriend since before he got sick."
"How do you know he didn't get sick from going on a run?"
"He told me that he didn't see any monsters on his last run that were close enough to get him infected."
"How do you know he isn't lying?"
"How do I know you didn't get him sick?"
"I'm not ruling it out, I'm just exploring all of our options."
"I think we both know which option is the real one."
"No, Jade, we really don't." Jade was taken aback. Her family used to use a similar tactic with her. They would make what she said seem stupid, claiming that they just want her to think about every option, then make her feel bad for suggesting or saying such a thing, then gaslight her into making her feel like she was being disrespectful and hurting their feelings. Jade was too frustrated that Trevor would try something like this and stormed back to her room.
"What I said still stands, nobody can know." Trevor said before she was too far away. 

                                                                                         ***  

Jade sat in the kitchen, mulling over what to do about Trevor. She heard footsteps and looked up from the table as her head lay on her hands. Cain walked into the kitchen and sat next to her. 

"Hey babe, everything ok?" He asked, gently rubbing her back. His voice sounded deeper and more husky. She could tell he was getting worse.
"Yeah, everything's good." Jade's voice was quiet, and it sounded as though she were nervous.
"You sure?"
"I have a few things on my mind. I'll let you know if I need anything." 

They both perked up as the door to the office opened and Trevor walked into the kitchen the couple being greeted by the smell of smoke. Cain did not seem to mind it, Jade, however, looked paler than before. 

"What's up with you?" Trevor asked.
"The smoke." Jade said flatly.
"Is it that bad?"
"No, I'm just more sensitive than usual. You're fine."
Trevor walked over to the counter. "Maybe if I make some coffee it'll mask up the scent."
Jade nodded. "I don't need any, but I do like the smell."
"Cain, you want any?" Cain nodded in response, saying that he wants hot coffee, where Trevor always likes iced coffee.
"How'd you two love birds sleep?" Trevor asked as he made coffee and popped two bagels in the toaster, handing an apple to Cain.
"I slept like a log in a coma." Cain joked with a smile. "I felt really good when I woke up." Cain had been having trouble sleeping. It put Jade at ease to hear that he had slept well.
"I slept fine." Jade said. 

Trevor had been right, the smell of coffee had masked the smoke. Trevor set Cain's coffee in front of him and continued to make his coffee, the bagels popping up from the toaster a moment later. The girls and Deshawn came in one by one a moment later, all checking in on Cain, making sure that he felt alright. He told them all the same thing, that he felt good and got good sleep. Cain munched on his apple slowly. He had an appetite, but he wanted to be easy on his stomach, which still got upset easily. 

Cain's family also asked how Jade was as well, as they cared about her too. Jade had decided to stand up against one of the walls, saying that her legs felt stiff. She stood and observed Cain and his family enjoy breakfast. She fidgeted with her hands and after a moment, walked away. She felt too uncomfortable and like she was going to be sick again. She walked upstairs to her and Cain's bedroom and sat at the edge of the bed holding her belly, rocking back and forth. She looked up when she heard a knock at the door. 

"Cain?" She asked, seeing her fiancé at the door.
"Hey," he said, his voice filled with concern. "what's wrong? You never walk away from breakfast like that." Cain's eyes furrowed with concern.
"I just..." Jade paused. She seemed to be having trouble finding the words to express what she wanted to say.
"Do you feel sick?"
"No..."
"Do you wanna talk?"
Jade paused, wondering if she should come clean about Trevor. "Let me ask you something."
"Shoot."
"If someone you knew was... doing something bad... bad enough to cause problems for others... but they told you not to tell or else, would you?"
Cain thought about it for a second as he sat down next to her. "Is this a real scenario? Jade is someone threatening you?"
"That's not-"
"Don't you dare tell me it's not important!" Cain said sternly, startling Jade. "Your safety is my number one concern. Yours and the baby's."
"I know..."
"Then tell me."
Jade's eyes filled with tears as she muttered a pitiful little "I can't."
He shifted to kneel down in front of her. "Is it someone-"
"I said I can't tell you!" Jade sputtered out. The frustration in her voice made Cain scoot back, becoming scared as he looked at Jade. She never raised her voice at him. Hot tears streamed down Jade's face. Cain got up and began to walk away.
"I'm not..." Cain started. "I'm not mad or anything. I just want to give you your space. I'll be downstairs if you need anything at all." Cain walked back downstairs as Jade let out a small whimper and began to cry, covering her mouth so she would not make any noise. She would hate it if anyone else came up here and saw her in the position she was in. It hurt so badly that she could not tell others about Trevor.