Claire unconsciously wrung the trim of her sweater with her hands. She glanced at the clock across the crowded waiting area. It was nearly time to board the plane. She'd ridden on planes before, but this was different. It would be a long flight, and she wasn't too keen on the reason WHY she was taking it.

Richard Mulkin had promised her a good family would take her baby. But what if he was wrong? What if she got all the way to Los Angeles, and found the family not to her liking or even worse, didn't find the family at all. All these scenarios bounced around in her head like the inside of a pinball machine. Wherever the ball hit, it was painful.

She tore her eyes off the clock, and jumped finding a person suddenly appearing beside her in the next seat. "Oh dear, I'm sorry," Claire said, holding a hand over her belly and gripping the seat arm. "I didn't notice someone had sat next to me."

The older man smiled. "That's all right, miss. No one really notices me anyway."

Claire cocked her head. The man was probably in his sixties with dark gray hair covered by a black fedora. His smile was friendly, making several lines on his face. He wore a gray twill jacket over a white shirt and gray pants. "Are you catching Flight 815 too?" She rolled her eyes. "Silly question, I know, since you're sitting right here."

"Actually," the older man shrugged his shoulders. "I'm seeing someone off."

"Oh really? Where is the person you're seeing off?"

"She's around. I've known her since she was born."

"Awww…is it a niece or something?"

The older man shook her head, shrugging again. "Well, I consider her family."

"That's nice."

"How many months are you?" the older man asked, pointing to Claire's enlarged belly.

Claire smiled shyly, patting her stomach. "Eight months. Crazy for me to fly this late in my pregnancy, but I got to get to the States."

"You're worried how it'll turn out." It was a statement instead of a question, and that made Claire sit up straight.

"Yeah," she replied, hesitantly. "I am."

The older man patted her hand. "It'll be all right, child. There will be some rough times, but trust that in the end, everything will work out. God is watching over you."

Before Claire could respond, a shout caught her attention and she craned her neck to see down the terminal. A dark skinned man was being taken away by security. "Oh no, I wonder what's going on?" she asked then turned back to the older man, but he was gone. Claire peered around searching for him, but didn't see him anywhere.

"That's odd," she murmured, thinking how he couldn't have walked away that fast, in just mere seconds, right in front of her. Claire frowned. Talking to the older man had soothed her nerves about the flight. She rubbed her belly, and murmured to the baby, "It'll be okay. We'll be okay."