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"Please do what you can," Lindy added her own plea "This child reat deal to her"

Dr Stewart nodded "Carol’s sleeping now, but you can see her for a couple of minutes, if you’d like One at a tio in first He srandfatherly doctor into Carol’s roo soundly She looked incredibly fragile with tubes stretching down from an IV pole to connect with the veins in her ar her coed his throat and he turned away He loved her; he alould No ine a future without Carol

"How is she?" Lindy asked when he came out of the roo more than a short nod

Lindy disappeared and returned five minutes later By then Steve had had a chance to form a plan of action, and he felt better for it

As Lindy stepped toward hiaze with newfound deterht they could stay apart It wasn’t going to work Without Carol he was only half-alive And she’d ad their year’s separation

"I’ to marry her," Steve informed his sister brusquely

"What?" Lindy looked at hiet the chaplain to co to marry Carol"

Lindy studied him for several moments "Don’t you think she should have soht… Carol told me you didn’t believe the baby is yours"

"It isn’t"

Lindy rolled her eyes, then shook her head, her features tight with i you’ve ever said Honestly, Steve, where do you come up with these crazy ideas?"

"What idea? That the baby isn’tCarol?"

"Both!"

"Whether or not I’m the father doesn’t make one bit of difference I’ve decided it doesn’ther child as mine"

"But…"

"I don’t care I love Carol and I’ll learn to love her baby That’s the end of it" Once the decision had been ame for over a year, but noto put up with any arguments from you or fro ever to have gone through with the divorce All I’ a mistake that should never have happened," he told his sister in a voice that est his words "Don’t you think you should discuss this in a rational matter with Carol? Don’t you think she should have some input into her own life?"

"I suppose But she needs h she isn’t likely to ad that fact yourself"

"Not anymore"

"When do you plan to tell her?"

Steve didn’t know He’d only reached this conclusion in the last five ain

"Well?" his sister pressed

"I haven’t figured out when---Before the surgery, I think, if it can be arranged"

"Steve, you’re not thinking clearly Carol isn’t going to want to beall sickly and pale"

"The sooner we get this settled the better"

"For whom?" Lindy prompted

"For both of us"

Lindy threw up her hands "Sos you say utterly shock me"

"They do?" Steve didn’t care – he felt as if he could float out of the hospital, he was so relieved Carol would probably co would fall into place the way it should have long ago This had certainly been a crazy day He’d bought a sterling silver rattle, followed Carol around a shopping ent, driven her to the hospital, thentheir happy future Steve sighed deeply, feeling suddenly weary

"Is there any other boly

Steve paused and then surprised her by nodding Some of the happiness he’d experienced earlier vanished There was one other decision he’d made – one not as pleasant but equally necessary

"Should I sit down for this one?" Lindy asked, still grinning She slipped her arm around his waist and looked up at him

"I don’t think so"

"Well, don’t keep arded her soberly "I’ the Navy"

Chapter Thirteen

Carol opened her eyes slowly The room was diaze fell on the IV stand, and she tried to raise herself

"You’re in the hospital" Steve’s voice ar

She lowered her head back to the pillow and turned toward the sound Steve stood at her bedside Frouessed he’d been standing there all night