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He started to ed him deep within her She whiain and again and again, bringing theether they cried out, their hearts sailed and they soared into a new shining universe as their voices shouted in joyous celebration

Still sheathed inside her, Rush whispered urgently, " You’re mine, Lindy Mine"

"Yours," she whispered in return "Only yours"

Lindy had never seen so athered in one place in her life It seeboats tow the Mitchell out of Sinclair Inlet

Susan Dwyer stood at Lindy’s side on the long pier, looking at the huge aircraft carrier as it sliced through the dark green waters Helicopters from the local television stations hovered overhead and set pictures of the carrier as it was tugged away from the Bremerton shipyard

"How do you feel?" Susan asked, shouting above the noise of the cheering crowd

"I don’t know" Lindy shook her head, feeling a little nuoodbye, she’d felt the reluctance and tension in hi As ed for the to leave her because it was his duty, his destiny He belonged to the navy, and she had only been granted second rights

"I’irl" Susan was dry-eyed herself "You’re going to do just fine We both are These six months will fly by Just you wait and see, and before we know it they’ll both be back, randy as hell and – " She stopped abruptly and heaved in a deep breath "Who aaze clouded and she bit into her treain"

Lindy didn’t knohat to say "Does Jeff know?"

"Nope I went off the Pill last month when they left the first ti theot to take the stupid things half the time anyway Then Jeff was ho"

"Why then?"

"I threw up"

"Oh, Susan Are you going to be all right?"

"If I said yes, would you believe hed "Well, don’t I haveto be pleased, either We’d agreed to wait at least another couple of years"

Lindy found a tissue in her purse and handed it to her friend, who quickly wiped the moisture fron with me"

"I’d better keep track of these symptoms," Lindy muttered absently

Susan paused, blew her nose and turned to face Lindy "What do youany birth control, either---It wasn’t the right time of the month for me to start the Pill, and well, to be honest, we didn’t discuss it"

"Oh, Lindy, hoe let these things happen?"

Lindy didn’t have an answer to that Not once during the last two nights had she given any thought to the fact that she could becoedy, but she would have preferred to wait a year or two before they started a family Rush hadn’t said a word, either It seeht of the possibility

"You want to coe sundae and a jar of pickles?" Susan asked seriously

Lindy shook her head "My brother arrived yesterday We haven’t had much of a chance to talk"

"Keep in touch"

"I will," Lindy pro the newscast that showed the Mitchell pulling out of Puget Sound when Lindy entered the apartment He didn’t so much as look away fro roo the worst

"If you’re going to yell atjust inside the roo more to dampen her already low spirits

Her brother leaned forward and pressed the re off the television set

"Dear God, Lindy, what have you done?"

"I just said goodbye to my husband," she answered him, in a steady, controlled voice

"Why’d you marry him?"

"For the usual reasons, I assure you" Steve wiped a hand down his face "I wish to hell I could say how happy I am for you, but I can’t I know you too well, Lindy Thisto work You’re not the type of wo to accept the life-style the navy deh toI need to"