Doctor Lucien Blake watched Danny Parks escort the suspect from the flower shop where he had been purchasing highly poisonous flying duck orchids to use on his next victim. With the case now closed, Lucien took a moment to look around. Such a profusion of flowers could not help but remind him of his beautiful Jean. He frowned. She had been somewhat out of sorts when he left the house that morning, and he had wracked his brain trying to figure out what he had done this time. He would do anything in his power to make her happy, but he was all too aware that he could be thoughtless and arrogantly selfish at times.

He decided that he would apologize for whatever he had done, and a bouquet of flowers might help his cause. He walked back inside and quickly assured the proprietor that he was not there to further disrupt the man's business. "I'm just looking for some flowers for my wife," he insisted.

Mr. Glass took that as a personal challenge. "Well, now, Doctor, did you have anything specific in mind?" Jean Blake's green thumb was well-known, and putting together a bouquet to impress her was no easy task.

"I'll leave it up to your professional judgment," Lucien told him.

"And is it a special occasion, sir?"

"I seem to have done something to upset her, which I'm afraid is a regular occurrence," Lucien admitted. "So I need to show her how absolutely wonderful she is."

"I'll see what I can do."

The florist disappeared into his back room and emerged sometime later with an arrangement that even to Lucien's unpracticed eye looked spectacular.

"Perfect," he assured Mr. Glass, and he took out his wallet to settle the bill.


At home, Jean was putting together some cold meats and a salad for lunch. Lucien had promised he'd be home in time, and he had become much better at keeping such promises in the month since they'd returned from their honeymoon. She had decided she owed him an apology anyway, after how cross she'd been with him that morning. How was he to know she hadn't been feeling well when she'd assured him she was fine? Rather rudely, she could now admit.

She heard his car pull up to the house. He was actually early, which pleased her no end. Extra time alone with her handsome, loving husband. Maybe they could talk now instead of putting off the discussion until after dinner. She wasn't sure she could wait that long anyway. He would surely notice.

"Jean, love?" he called out as he closed the door and hung up his hat.

She wiped her hands on her apron then took it off, placed it over a chair back and went to greet him with a big smile.

When she saw the bouquet he held, tears welled in her eyes. Oh, how she loved this man!

He kissed her first, and she returned it eagerly. When they separated he wore a grin but raised a questioning eyebrow.

"I love you very much," she explained, "and I'm sorry I was so cross this morning."

"I was trying to recall what I'd done," he admitted.

"It was nothing you'd done," she began, then stopped. "Well, yes, it was something you'd done, but nothing bad. In fact it was good. Very, very good, actually."

She could see she had him totally confused now.

She set the flowers on the hall table and pulled him closer. "The nearest I can figure, you did it about six weeks ago, but you do it so often, that's only a guess. In fact, I'm hoping I can entice you to do it again tonight." She walked her fingers up his chest and further until she reached his cheek, where she rested her palm and pulled him close for another kiss.

Then the penny dropped. "Jean, my darling, are you trying to tell me..." His hands reached down to circle her waist, then smoothed forward to her lower abdomen. "Are you...?"

"Pregnant?" Her smile was brilliant as she nodded.

For a moment his mouth hung open, and then he pulled her into his arms and spun around joyously. He felt as though his heart might burst with all the love he had for this woman who had brought his world alive after so many years in bitter darkness. His life had been perfect, he thought, and now she was to give him this new gift.

"So you're happy about it?" she asked, although she had never really doubted he would be. Lucien had so much love to give.

"Happy doesn't quite cover it," he assured her.

Then the medical reality of the situation struck. "Have you seen a doctor?" he asked. "We need to take especially good care of you, make sure nothing goes wrong."

She again rested a hand on his cheek. "I'm healthy, I'm strong, and I have a wonderful doctor to watch over me," she assured him. "Nothing will go wrong - we won't let it."

He refused to allow anything to spoil their joy. "You're absolutely right. This new, wonderful adventure we'll share, and at the end of it, a new life."

"Yes," she smiled. "A new life we've made together, Lucien. I can hardly wait."