Elysia Thorne: "...Do you eat this much every time you have a snack?"


    "Yep!"


    "But I don''t see you gaining any weight."


    Winona Newsom grinned proudly. "It''s amazing, right? God must love me! I eat all I want and don''t gain a pound! The girls at the office are practically turning green; they''re dying to know my secret!"


    Elysia asked, "Have you noticed any other changes in your body? Can your stomach handle all that food?"


    Winona spoke while eating. "Totally. I haven''t felt the slightest bit of difort. In fact, I think I''m probably healthier now than I''ve ever been."


    "I used to always feel run down. I didn''t sleep well, my appetite was just okay, and I had a lot on my mind."


    "Now, I could eat a horse, and I''m out like a light within half an hour of my head hitting the pillow. I wake up the next morning bursting with energy. I feel like I''m eighteen again!"


    As she spoke, she slurped up a huge mouthful of noodles. "The spicy ramen from this ce is incredible, especially their handmade noodles. If you and Blossom ever get a chance to visit, I''m definitely taking you to the restaurant to try it."


    Elysia was speechless.


    Tarquin Bradford narrowed his eyes at the phone screen. Seeing Winona eat with such gusto gave him a lot to think about.


    Keaton Huber hadn''t been eating or sleeping welltely. He''d even wake up in the middle of the night to dry heave, and he''d lost five or six pounds in a week. He waspletely listless.


    Then he looked at Winona: eating well, sleeping well, full of energy.


    He was starting to wonder. Could what Benjamin Lawson''s cousin said be true?Was he experiencing her pregnancy symptoms?


    Was Winona pregnant?


    And was he suffering from a case of sympathy pregnancy?


    Tarquin yed it cool, quietly pulling out his phone to search: *how long after sex to get pregnant?*


    Just as he took out his phone, Winona suddenly greeted him. "Oh, Mr. Bradford is there too. Hello!"


    Tarquin looked up again. Elysia had moved her phone, and the camera had caught him in the frame.


    "Hello," Tarquin replied.


    Elysia asked him, "Did you take Keaton to the hospital?"


    At the sudden mention of Keaton''s name, a strange look flickered in Winona''s eyes She kept her head down, pretending to eat, but ber ears were pricked up, listening intently.


    Tarquin said, "We went. He''s a bit malnourished. When I left, he was on a nutrient


    drip at the hospital. Richard and Janelle are there with him."


    "Still can''t keep anything down?" Elysia asked.


    Tarquin nodded. "No, he has no appetite. If he forces himself to eat, he just throws it back up. If he-


    doesn''t eat, he dry heaves. They ran tests, but couldn''t find anything Wrong."


    Winona couldn''t help but chime in. "It''s impossible for someone to just stop eating


    for no reason. Are you sure they checked for the right things?"


    "They did a full workup," Tarquin said. "Everything came back normal."


    Winona frowned, her expression tinged with worry. "That doesn''t make any sense. You should get a second opinion, try a few different hospitals."


    Elysia was also getting concerned. "If things don''t improve, I''ll go see him tomorrow. I''ll give him a check-up myself."


    "That could work. Benjamin mentioned that environmental or psychological issues could also cause these kinds of symptoms."


    "That''s a possibility. Psychosomatic nausea is different from pathological nausea. You shoulde with me to the hospital tomorrow."


    "Okay."


    Elysia then turned back to Winona. "Winona, don''t you have toe back at the beginning of next month?"


    November 6th was Caroline''s birthday.


    Winona nodded. "Of course. I have to be back for my mom''s birthday."


    "Let me know when you book your flight. Blossom and I will pick you up from the airport."


    "Okay!"


    They chatted for a little while longer before ending the video call.


    Elysia asked Tarquin again, "Is Keaton really okay?"


    Tarquin managed a small smile. "I''m not lying to you. He just can''t eat and keeps throwing up, which has led to malnutrition. Other than that, there''s nothing wrong with him."


    Elysia pressed her lips together. "He and Winona are pr opposites, then. You saw Winona she''s eating like a champ."


    Tarquin said, "Benjamin''s cousin told


    me that Keaton''s symptoms sound


    like morning sickness. She said some women have a huge appetit during pregnancy, while their husbands are the ones throwing up day and night."


    Elysia''s immediate reaction was to ask, "Is someone pregnant with Keaton''s baby?"