"I can't lose you again!" Vicki's scream came from the cabin she shared with her husband.
"Shhh, shhh," Judd said, trying hard to calm his hysterical wife. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "You're not going to lose me."
Vicki was in tears. She shook her head and clasped Judd's hand, leaning her forehead on Judd's chest before lifting her head slightly. "You can't know that, Judd. If you get arrested, I'll be watching you lose your head on national television."
Judd tilted his head so he could look his crying wife in the eyes. "Now what makes you think I'll get arrested?"
Vicki stomped her foot, and Judd knew that he had not succeeded in calming her down. "I'm a woman, Judd!"
"No surprise there," Judd mumbled, looking away briefly.
Vicki sniffled and Judd looked back at her. "Go ahead, make fun of me. But Judd, God gave women a gift of intuition. I mean, we have to be, considering that most women turn out to be mothers!"
"How…?"
Vicki waved a hand, signaling that it was not important to know how women's having such great intuition relates to motherhood. "I also happen to know you, Judd, and I know for a fact that you can be reckless, especially if I tell you to be careful."
Judd shook his head in denial. "Oh, come on, honey, I'm not that childish."
"I care about you too much. And besides," Vicki said, looking up with her sad green eyes, "we have a family to make."
Judd smiled softly at his wife with her tear-stained cheeks. "Vick, you're not going to lose me."
Vicki had stopped crying, but a few tears still stained her cheeks. Judd wiped them away with his thumb.
"I promise, Vick. I promise you won't lose me."
Vicki nodded, biting her lip. Judd pulled her into a hug and Vicki buried her head into his chest. "I just… I just don't want this to be the time where you are arrested and killed."
"It won't be," Judd said, his chin resting on Vicki's head. He held his wife closer. "It won't be."