As Brad picked up the phone and dialed, he reflected on how much his and Janet's lives had changed in the last few months. They had gotten married on February 7. He remembered how beautiful and happy Janet had looked as she walked up the aisle toward him, her long white dress concealing the small bump that had begun to show. If anyone was suspicious about the reason why Brad and Janet had decided to get married much sooner than they had originally planned, they kept it to themselves. Everyone had a wonderful time that day.

Before they knew it, it was August 16 and Brad had just spent lots of time on the phone with various friends and relatives. Exhausted, he stifled a yawn as he put the phone to his ear and waited.

"Hello?"

"Dr. Scott? Hi! This is Brad Majors."

"Hello, Brad! How are you?"

"I'm great, Dr. Scott. I'm just calling to let you know that Janet had the baby early this morning, around 1:00!"

"Congratulations, Brad! Boy or girl?"

"It's a boy. We've decided to name him Timothy Everett Majors."

"Everett?" Dr. Scott sounded touched.

"Of course! If it weren't for you, Janet and I might never have met, and Tim wouldn't exist. You should see him, Dr. Scott. He's just seven hours old, truly beautiful to behold." Brad beamed with pride.

"Well, I'm happy for you, Brad. All of you. I know you must be eager to spend more time with your new family, so I won't keep you. Give my love to your wife and son!"

"I will, Dr. Scott. Bye!"

"Goodbye, Brad."

Brad hung up the phone. Whistling, he started walking back to Janet's room. He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice two nurses walking in his direction. He nearly knocked one of them over as he passed by.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" She yelled as she steadied herself.

Embarrassed, Brad mumbled an apology and scurried down the hall.

The nurse sighed and turned to her colleague. "Now I've lost my train of thought. Where was I?"

"You were starting to tell me about the patient in Room 235. The one who's been in a coma since November."

"Right. Well, when I went to check on him this morning I got such a shock!"

"Did he finally wake up?"

"No, nothing's changed except his facial expression."

"What do you mean?"

"He had a wide grin on his face. Reminded me of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland."