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Royce had waited, for what seemed like hours, but in fact had only been a matter of minutes before he learned Kelly had suffered only reat that it deth he possessed not to reach for the phone and call Catherine then and there and assure her everything was all right His hand shook as the realization washed over him like cold November rain

Still he wanted Catherine with hienerosity, her support The man who needed no one, needed her

She must have known, must have sensed his desperation because she'd come From out of nowhere, she'd walked into Kelly's hospital room like an apparition When he'd first looked up and seen her standing there, Royce was convinced she wasn't real His anguish had been so overwhel that his troubledhe had for her touch

Then her eyes had slid so hungrily to his, and she'd bit into her bottom lip and battled back the tears Ghosts didn't cry, did they?

This one did So toward her He half expected her to vanish when he reached for her Instead she arrateful, so engulfed with gratitude that he hadn't been able to speak His heart, which he'd taken such , his throat had grown thick with e in her strength, her love, her concern

When he had been able to speak, he didn't knohat he'd said was the least bit intelligible Catherine had started asking questions; soth she'd lent hi it

Then they'd heard a noise outside the room and realized their perilous position He'd had to send her away He'd had no choice

"Daddy" The fragile child voice rose from the bed as delicately as mist on the moors

"Hello, sweetheart"

"I fell asleep"

"I know" He lifted her s to be all right"

"What about Missy?"

"Her, too"

"Did I ruin my new jacket?"

How like a woman to be concerned about her clothes, Royce noted, ahtened enough to offer hiht I heard Catherine Did she couess I was too tired"

Royce nodded "Don't worry, Catherine will be back later"

Kelly's soft blue eyes drifted shut, and she yawned "Oh-h-h good, I like her so ic "I know you do, and she likes you a whole bunch I can tell Remember what I said, okay?"

"About what, sweetheart?"

"A baby sister," she reet"

Royce hesitated Noasn't the ti to Catherine, it"Let ht"

Within a few minutes, Kelly was sound asleep once , her arht flowers

"Catherine!" Kelly greeted His child was sitting up in bed, looking very ht The ten-year-old held out her arh she and the lieutenant commander were close friends

If the truth be known, Royce was having so out his arms as well Catherine looked beautiful, but then he couldn't re less

Catherine set the vase of pink, red and white carnations next to the flower arrangeht

"Dad said you were here earlier, but I was asleep" She hugged the panda bear and Catherine in turn "Thank you I didn't expect everyone to buy ifts just because Mrs Thompson's brakes didn't work"

"We're all so pleased you weren't hurt worse"

"It was real scary," Kelly ad "I tried not to cry, but it hurt too bad"

"I probably would have cried, too," Catherine confessed She stood across the bed from Royce, who remembered the tears in her eyes as she'd rushed into the room earlier in the day

"Wohat happened to this place?" Catherine said with a grin, adaze briefly ht e sheet of brightly decorated butcher paper "Everyone in the class wrote e" The ten-year-old paused "Everyone except Eddie Reynolds He's never forgivenhih to say men were all fools

"Your friends did a beautiful job"

"Did you see the flowers Dad got me and the new cassette player?"