We arrive in Brindleton Bay, and it’s freezing, just as I guessed. I’m unsure if Maia is feeling any better, but she looks happy to be home. I miss Tartosa already, but being home early gives me a chance to upload the footage I took with my drone. A nice payday brightens almost any situation.
Maia is downstairs eating leftovers from the refrigerator when Hiro walks over, holding a box in his mouth. Maia can’t imagine what it could be. Is it something from Dub? She takes another bite of her hot dog and immediately regrets it as the nausea she’s been feeling all day overtakes her. Once her stomach settles a bit, she opens the box. It’s a strange toy. It isn’t from Dub. Did Hiro find it outside? Perhaps the Universe is trying to tell her something she’s not ready to hear right now.
This off-and-on stomach bug is starting to get to Maia. She feels hungry, but everything she eats threatens to come back up. She wonders if maybe going outside for some fresh air will help. Unlike Tartosa, it’s freezing in Brindleton Bay, so Maia bundles up in warmer clothes and goes outside to spend time with her frogs. Visiting with them has never failed to improve her mood.
I’m putting some finishing touches on my video when Maia comes upstairs.
Maia: Have you seen Luna? She’s been missing since we arrived home.
Wade: No, I’ve been here the entire time. Maybe she’s with Hiro.
Maia searches the house for Luna and Hiro, hoping that Dub is right. But that hope dwindles when she finds Hiro alone near the front door.
Maia: Hey boy, have you seen your sister, Luna?
Hiro whines softly. Maybe he’s missing Luna too. Maia tries not to worry as she remembers that Luna was originally a stray, so she knows how to take care of herself. Still, Maia would feel much better if her cat was home with them. She pulls out her phone and posts an alert to her neighbors to be on the lookout for a white cat in a yellow sweater.
I finish my video and upload it to the delight of the advertising company. I can expect a nice payday from them. But I was wrong; even the thought of money doesn’t help my mood. I get up from my computer to use the bathroom, but when I go to wash my hands, the sink practically explodes. Living on a farm has taught me basic handiness skills, so I begin the annoying task of fixing it.
But my thoughts aren’t on the broken sink or the money I’ll earn from my video. I’m thinking about Maia and what her sudden, mysterious illness might be. Right on cue, she enters the bathroom.
Maia: I can’t find Luna anywhere! I think she might have run away.
My first thought is ‘good,’ but saying that would devastate Maia, so I keep it to myself.
Wade: Are you sure she’s not hiding under the bed or standing on the refrigerator again?
Maia: Yeah, I looked everywhere. I posted an alert on the neighborhood site.
Wade: I’m sure she’ll turn up soon.
Maia: I hope so. *pause* I’m going to bathe Hiro and try not to worry.
I wish I could alleviate my worries so easily.
Maia grabs Hiro and takes him to the tub, and my thoughts return to the uncomfortable place where it had been lurking moments ago. I think back to the trip and everything we did in Tartosa. I mentally list everything we ate at Aunt Lia’s restaurant, the wedding, and the rental. I can’t think of anything Maia consumed besides champagne that could make her sick like she’s been. And when I think about it, it probably isn’t the champagne because she didn’t drink enough. It could only be one thing if not the food and drinks.
I turn to Maia and take a deep breath.
Wade: I think you should take a pregnancy test.
Maia’s expression crumbles immediately.
Maia: Why? I’m not pregnant.
Wade: How do you know? We’ve been at it a lot, and –
Maia: *quick response* We’ve used protection.
She’s right; we used protection here at the house and in the shower at the Bed and Breakfast in Henford and – oh, Watcher, the hot tub! We used nothing in the hot tub the night before the wedding.
Wade: Not in the hot tub.
Maia: But it’s a hot tub, with hot water, and – it…
Maia’s words fade with realization.
Wade: Are you okay?
Maia: Yeah, of course. *dismissive* I know my body, Wade. I’m not pregnant, and that’s it. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.
Maybe she’s right. She knows her body, so who am I to say what’s going on with it?
Wade: Okay, you’re right. Let’s drop it.
I can only drop it in conversation because my mind has grabbed the thought and won’t let it go. I mindlessly gather the trash to take out, giving myself a good excuse to leave the bathroom. Then I go straight to my computer and type, ‘What are some causes for nausea in female sims?’ The results immediately give me a headache. Unless Maia is stressed, has motion sickness, or a migraine – she’s most likely pregnant.
Maia doesn’t mention our conversation when she joins me downstairs. Instead, she sits at the table with her dinner and eats it successfully without gagging. Is the nausea gone? Maybe she’s right and had a short-lived stomach bug. But then she says something that makes my blood run cold.
Maia: I just had a hot dog. How can I still be hungry?
That doesn’t sound like a stomach bug. I lean into my computer and type, ‘causes of increased appetite in female sims.’ Guess what showed up.
Searching for medical symptoms online leads me down a rabbit hole of panic. I close the laptop and go to the kitchen for food.
Maia: It’s been a long day. I’m going to bed.
Wade: Yeah, okay. See you upstairs.
I sit down to eat but can’t taste anything because my mind is occupied with the things I read. Maia is already asleep in the short time it takes me to eat, go upstairs, and remove my clothes for bed. As I stand there watching her, I realize that I need to convince Maia to take a pregnancy test, or I can wait until her condition is so obvious that she can no longer deny it. Hopefully, that won’t take long.
(Generation 4 Chapter Summaries)
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