Chapter 1

Lee wrapped his hands around his wife's rounded belly as she was washing the dinner dishes. "Amanda, dinner was delicious," he whispered against the back of her neck, his lips tickling her skin.

"I'm glad you liked it. It was a new recipe Mother found in a magazine. You checked with Billy and you're not on the Duty Roster for Christmas, right?" Amanda asked.

Lee rubbed her belly again and nuzzled her neck once more as he whispered, "I'm not on the Duty Roster, don't worry. I know how important Christmas is to you and the boys. But I've got other plans in mind for tonight."

"I'm sure you do," Amanda replied as she tried to wiggle away from his embrace. "Hey, if you keep that up, I'm going to end up all wet."

Lee chuckled in her ear, waggled his eyebrows as he whispered, "Isn't that the point?"

"If I'm not mistaken, it was that kind of teasing that resulted in the condition Amanda is in right now," Dotty called from the kitchen doorway. She was holding a few dishes in her hands, smiling at her pregnant daughter and son-in-law snuggling at the sink. "I don't mean to interrupt, but I found Philip's stash of snack dishes in his room. I never would have ventured in there, but I've been looking for my bowling bag since we've moved and I can't seem to find it anywhere." She crossed the room as Lee stepped back from Amanda, his hands lingering just a few extra seconds on her belly.

"Soon enough, Lee, that baby will be rolling around and you'll be able to feel it," Dotty stated as she placed the dishes in the soapy water. "I remember when Amanda was pregnant with Philip. It seemed like it took forever for him to move enough to feel it. But that day! OH, I remember it like it was yesterday. It's the oddest, most incredible feeling!" Dotty punctuated her words with a clap.

Lee bobbed his head. "I know, I know. You've both been through this before, I'm just… anxious, I guess. And not knowing what we're having is killing me. I don't understand why you don't want to know," he groaned. He stepped back, folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the counter.

"There aren't too many surprises in life, so I want to wait until our baby is born," Amanda replied as she turned and wiped her hands on a towel. "The dishes from Philip's room need to soak, I'm sure. Mother, I think I saw your bowling bag on the top shelf in the closet in the hall. Sweetheart, do you think you could help her reach it?"

"Of course, lead the way," Lee said, waving his hand toward the doorway.

"I'm going to go down and check the laundry then," Amanda declared, tossing the towel onto the counter. She kissed Lee's cheek as she walked past him before heading down into the basement.

"I don't know who would have put my bag in the closet in the hall," Dotty rambled as they crossed to the other side of the house. She opened the door and stood on her tip toes, trying to get a glimpse of the missing bowling ball bag. "I think that's it, way in the back," she pointed before planting her hands on her hips. "Why on Earth would anyone push it way back there is beyond me!"

Lee reached his hand onto the shelf and even he could barely reach the back. With a "Hmph," he stood and reached further back into the deep closet. "How did…" he mumbled before catching the strap of the bag with his fingertips. He gently tugged on the bag but it was lodged tight and barely budged.

"Let me get the step stool from the kitchen," Dotty exclaimed, watching Lee struggle to get a grip on the bag.

"I don't need the stool," Lee insisted as he tugged again, feeling the bag move a bit.

Dotty shook her head, "No, no, I'll get it! No need to get hurt trying to pull that old thing out of there! I'd love to know who put it there and what they were thinking!" She turned and headed back into the kitchen as Lee gave the bag a solid yank. He felt the bag jerk loose, heard an odd thump, and almost immediately felt a shooting pain in his head before everything went black.

Dotty heard a loud crash behind her followed by a quiet thump. Confused, she turned around to find Lee, unconscious, lying on the floor, the bowling ball silently rolling away on the carpet. "Amanda!" she yelled as she ran back to kneel beside Lee. "Amanda!"

"Mother?" Amanda called back from the steps as she carefully carried the laundry basket on her hip.

"Amanda! Lee's hurt! I think you need to call 9-1-1!" Dotty yelled again, panic rising in her voice.

Amanda dropped the basket and ran toward her mother's voice. She gasped when she saw Lee in a crumpled puddle on the floor. "What happened?" she asked.

"The phone! Get the phone!" Dotty commanded.

Amanda found her senses and quickly dialed the emergency number. "My husband is unconscious on the floor," she explained to the operator. "Do you know what happened?" Amanda asked. When Dotty didn't answer right away, Amanda demanded, "Mother! What happened?"

Dotty was looking at Lee's head, gently feeling the lump that was rapidly forming on his head. "I think… I think the bowling ball hit him," she gasped. Her eyes were large as she looked up at Amanda, still holding the phone.