"Achoo!" was the first thing Adrian heard the next morning. He turned his head to see Natalie sitting on the side of the bed, blowing her nose.

He sat up. "Are you okay, sweetheart?"

"Id's just a liddle code," Natalie said before blowing her nose again. Adrian rolled his shoulder at the sound.

She gathered her tissues to take them to the wastebasket, but before she could stand, Adrian was in front of her, Ziploc baggies in hand. After her used tissues were properly disposed of, he held a thermometer to her temple and waited for it to beep. Once it beeped, he held it up.

"98.5, so no fever. That's good, but you look a little flushed," he said, placing the back of his hand to her cheek. Do you have a sore throat?"

"A liddle."

"Hmm, obviously congested. Headache?"

"Gedding one."

"Here," he said, fluffing her pillow, "lie back down. I'll go make you some tea with honey and some toast."

"Adrian, I'll be fine," she said, trying to stand up.

He took her by the shoulders and guided her back down. "No, you rest. I'll bring it up to you." He lifted the covers, tucked her legs under them, then pulled them up to her chin.

"Adrian.…"

"Not another word. You took care of me when I was sick. Now, I'm going to take care of you. Where did you put my humidifiers and de-humidifiers when I moved in?"

Natalie sighed as she heard him go downstairs. There was no use fighting it. She might as well take advantage of the excuse to stay in bed. Then she heard a sneeze, followed by coughing from the room next door.

Adrian returned to his bedroom to find Natalie sitting up in bed with a fussy Sophia resting against her chest. He set the tray with the tea and the toast beside her and reached to take the toddler, but Natalie pushed his hand away.

"She's not feeling well either, babe. If you'll bring me some juice in her sippy cup, I'll hold her here while you shower and get ready for work."

"I'm not going to work."

"What?"

"I'm not going. I called Leland while I was downstairs and told him I am going to stay home and take care of you today."

"You are in the middle of an investigation. You have to go."

He sat down beside her. "You are more important."

"What about your appointment with Dr. Bell?" Natalie asked, adjusting to a more comfortable position.

"I'll reschedule." He pushed a curl off Sophia's forehead. "She's warm." Before Natalie could stop him, he was back with the thermometer. He held it up to Sophia's temple like he had Natalie's. "99.3. She has a fever. I'll get the medicine."

"That's not a fever. She's probably just warm from laying against me. I'm a walking incubator right now."

"I'm getting it anyway, just to be safe."

Before he could get off the bed again, Natalie grabbed his arm. "Adrian, look at me."

He turned his head, and she noticed the lines in his forehead, which showed up when he was thinking hard or worrying.

"You are getting worried and worked up for no reason. It's just a little cold, nothing to worry about. We need a couple days of rest, and we'll be fine."

He furrowed his brow and placed his hand on the swell of her belly. "What about this little one?"

Natalie coughed, then smiled. "He's just fine, been kicking up a storm."

"Well, I'm still going to stay home and take care of you…all of you."

"No, you're not."

"Natalie.…"

"Adrian, you are not going to stay home because we have a cold. We have plenty of leftover soup from last night. Sophia and I will watch her favorite videos and nap. That's all we need to do for a cold. Your fussing around here isn't going to help."

Adrian sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I know you are too stubborn to change your mind, but I don't like it. It is my job to take care of my family."

She put her hand on his cheek. "And you are wonderful at it, but you have another job you are equally good at, and Leland needs you more than we do right now. Go get the guy, my brilliant detective."

A small smile graced his countenance, but his eyes reflected the worry he couldn't shake. "I'll keep my phone on and the volume up. Please call me if you get worse."

"I will."

"And, if you two are not better by tomorrow, we are going to the doctor."

"Okay, but try not to worry."

Try not to worry…try not to worry. That's easier said than done, he thought as he drove to Dr. Bell's. How could he not worry? His pregnant wife and baby girl were sick. Maybe it was just a cold and nothing that a day or two of rest couldn't cure, but then again, maybe it was more. How does she do it? He thought. How does she always talk me into doing things I don't want to do? He almost turned his car around to go back home. He wasn't sure how he was going to concentrate on the case anyway if they were all he could think about, but he also knew Natalie would have a fit if he showed up, and in her condition, that's the last thing she needed. He continued to debate with himself as he drove to Dr. Bell's office.

Natalie and Sophia were lying on the couch together, watching Sophia's favorite Baby Einstein video when they heard a knock on their front door. "Now, who could that be?" she said. She moved Sophia off her lap, and the toddler laid back down with her favorite blanket and stuffed bear. Natalie walked to the door, looking through the peephole before opening it. "What on earth?"

"Hello, dear," said Peggy Davenport, who stood on her doorstep, looking almost regal.

"Mother, what…?"

"Well, aren't you going to welcome me in?" Peggy said, interrupting her.

Natalie, who was slack-jawed at this point stepped aside and allowed her mother into her house. "What…what are you doing here?"

"I'm in town for a luncheon at the Fairmont, so I came by to drop off this box of things," She placed a large box on the floor beside the door. "I didn't expect you to be home. I thought you would be off sleuthing or whatever you do with your husband. I was just going to leave it on the porch, but when I saw your car in the driveway, I decided to knock. You are obviously taking the day off," she said, eyeing Natalie's bathrobe and disheveled hair.

Natalie tried to smooth her hair. "Sophia and I have a cold, Mother, so we are resting today."

"Hmph, a cold never stopped a Davenport. We soldier on. Now, where's my granddaughter?"

"She's on the couch. What's in the box?"

"Just some baby things of yours I found in a trunk recently. I would have given them to you when Julie was born, but you were on the other side of the country." Peggy sat on the couch beside Sophia.

"I had to be there, Mother. Mitch was stationed at the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida," said Natalie, moving to turn off the video and tidy the coffee table.

"Yes, yes," Peggy said, with a wave of her hand. "I suppose you wanted to stay with him. Now, let me see this granddaughter of mine." She reached over to pick Sophia up from her position on the couch, but the toddler let out a cry when she did. "Natalie Jane, you've kept the child away from me for so long, she doesn't even recognize me."

"I'm sure she recognizes you. She just doesn't feel well." Natalie sat down and gathered Sophia into her lap, so she was facing Peggy. Sophia found her thumb and buried her face in Natalie's shoulder.

"I see," said Peggy. "Maybe I should just go. I could do some shopping before the luncheon."

"It's okay. You can stay if you'd like."`

Natalie was quiet while Peggy rattled on about the Davenport toothpaste business, her friends, most of whom Natalie had never met, and her social calendar. After a while, Natalie began to cough. When she realized her teacup was empty, she lifted Sophia off her lap. "Mother, could you hold her while I get some water?"

"Of course, dear. Are you sure you just have a cold? That cough sounds awful."

"I'm fine," said Natalie just before she was thrown into another fit of coughs.

Natalie took a few sips of water, but feeling rather weak and tired, returned to the living room. When she did, she was surprised by the sight before her. Her mother was rocking and singing softly to Sophia, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully in her grandmother's arms. Natalie sat down beside them. "I can't believe she fell asleep for you."

"I haven't completely lost my touch." She glanced at Natalie's belly. She started to touch it, but then pulled back. "How…how are you feeling, dear? You must be getting pretty far along by now."

"I'm fine." Natalie paused, surprised that her mother would show any concern at all after their last conversation. "I'm at thirty weeks. He's due January 23rd."

"You say 'he'," said Peggy. "So the baby is a boy?"

Natalie chuckled. "No, we don't know for sure. I just have a feeling."

"Hmm, I was that way with your brother. No one really knew until he was born, but I insisted he was a boy from the moment I knew I was pregnant. I just knew."

Natalie smiled at the mention of her brother, Jonathan, but then her face turned serious. "Mother, why are you here?"

"I told you. I wanted to bring you those baby things I found."

"No Mother," Natalie said, finding her mother's eyes. "Why are you really here? In all the years I've lived here, you've never just dropped by unannounced."

Peggy lifted her eyes to her daughter, and they softened a little. "You haven't called since we last saw you, and when I try to call, I just get your voicemail. I have missed my granddaughter," she said, caressing Sophia's back.

"I suppose I shouldn't have kept her from you, but you hurt Adrian and me deeply when we came to tell you about our pregnancy. You can't expect us to just pretend those things were never said."

"Natalie, don't you understand? You are still my daughter. You will always be my daughter, and therefore, I worry about you."

Natalie's eyes narrowed and her lips formed a tight line. She put out her arms to take Sophia. "There is no need to worry, Mother. My family and I are just fine. Thank you for your concern and thank you for stopping by, but I am quite tired. I would like to take a nap with my daughter."

Peggy handed the sleeping toddler to Natalie, then stood and smoothed her skirt. "It was.…" She cleared her throat. "It was nice to see you both." She quickly turned and walked to the door, but she turned back before opening it. "Call me when you feel better, dear, and let me know what you need for the baby. I'll take you shopping."

As soon as Peggy left, Natalie collapsed back onto the couch, letting Sophia sleep against her chest. She could barely comprehend what had just happened. Natalie understood her mother missing Sophia. The little girl had quite an effect on everyone she met, but for Peggy to go out of her way to bring the box of baby things and visit, was something else entirely. Perhaps she felt at least a little guilty over what was said the last time they had seen each other.

Natalie recalled the unpleasant memory like it was yesterday. Peggy invited them for dinner when Natalie told her they had some exciting news they wanted to share in person. Natalie naively thought they would be thrilled to welcome another grandchild into their lives, especially since they had warmed up to Adrian over the course of their engagement and marriage. Natalie couldn't have been more wrong. Peggy raked Natalie over the coals for carelessly getting pregnant at her age. She went on to list all the possible things that could go wrong in a pregnancy with advanced maternal age. If that wasn't enough, she also, in no subtle way, questioned if Adrian's so-called problems would be inherited by his offspring. No amount of arguing or reassurance could change her parents' minds that night, and until today, she had not spoken to them since. Adrian, who had nearly conquered his own fear of his child inheriting what he considered to be defects, required extra sessions with Dr. Bell to reassure himself that he and Natalie were capable of handling whatever issues they might encounter with their children. She was deeply hurt…just another wound added to a lifetime of wounds. She sighed, wondering if she would ever have a normal relationship with her mother.

Natalie would have pondered it more, but Sophia's steady breathing and warmth were making it difficult for her to keep her eyes open. She gave in and let her eyes close, but before she was fully asleep, she was overtaken with a series of hard, wracking coughs which left her gasping for air. She reached towards the end table and fumbled for her water bottle. She drank a few sips, which helped the cough subside, but she was so cold and tired. She laid down. Holding her daughter against her, she pulled a blanket over the two of them before she gave in to the sleep her body was begging for.

Adrian paced Dr. Bell's waiting room in frustration. He had made calls to all of Natalie's friends before coming in, hoping to find someone to stay with her while she was sick, but no one was available. He stopped pacing just long enough to check his phone to make sure he hadn't missed a call or text from her.

"Dr. Bell will see you now," said the receptionist.

"Thank you," said Adrian as he walked into the office, the phone still in his hand.

Dr. Nevin Bell took off his reading glasses when he saw Adrian approach. He knew Adrian had a cell phone, but he also knew he avoided using it except for when it was absolutely necessary. It was strange to see him now, so engrossed with whatever was on the screen. "Good morning Adrian," the doctor said in greeting.

"Morning," said Monk with a wave of his hand, not looking up.

Adrian walked to his chair but stood still, his eyes still on his phone.

"Would you like to sit down?" asked Dr. Bell.

Adrian sat without saying a word, eyes glued to the device in his hand.

"Are you expecting a call?"

"Huh?" asked Adrian, glancing up briefly before looking back down.

"Are you expecting a call? I've never seen you so attentive to your phone. It must be something important."

"It is important, but I'm hoping she doesn't call."

"Who? Natalie?"

Monk nodded.

"So, let me get this straight," said Dr. Bell. "You are expecting an important call from Natalie, but you are hoping it doesn't happen?"

Adrian looked at his psychiatrist, then shook his head. "No."

"Adrian, I don't understand. Is everything okay?"

Adrian sighed and set the phone on the arm of the chair. He laced his fingers together and looked at them for a moment before speaking. "Natalie is sick, and so is Sophia. I didn't want to leave them alone, but Natalie insisted, so I told her I would keep an eye on my phone in case she needs me."

"I see," said Dr. Bell, putting his glasses back on and writing on his notepad. "Do you think their illness is serious?"

"She says it is just a cold, but I don't know…." His voice trailed off as he rolled his shoulder.

"What makes you think it could be more? What are her symptoms?"

Adrian's brow creased. "Well, she seems more tired than usual, even with the pregnancy, she has a cough and congestion…and a headache."

"Any fever?"

"No, not when I took her temperature this morning."

"And Sophia is the same?"

"Yes," said Adrian, looking at his phone again.

Dr. Bell took off his glasses and leaned forward. "Well, I'm not a medical doctor, but it sounds like a mild cold. I wouldn't worry."

Adrian shifted in his seat and tugged at his jacket. "That's what she told me."

"And you are finding that difficult?"

Adrian didn't answer. He looked at his hands before slowly turning his head towards his psychiatrist. "Isn't it natural for a man to worry about his family?"

Dr. Bell put his hand on his chin. "Yes. Yes, of course, it's natural, and I would even say good for a man to have concern for the members of his family, and when they don't feel well, even more so, but worry is something more than concern, especially if it becomes uncontrollable fear."

Adrian's brow creased again. "I don't understand."

"Let me ask you this. How have you been sleeping at night?"

Adrian rolled his shoulder. He was quiet as he looked over the doctor's head at the bookcases behind him.

Dr. Bell leaned back, waiting for Adrian to speak, but when he didn't, he called his attention. "Adrian."

"Yes," said Adrian, jerking his head back to look at the doctor.

"I asked you if you have been sleeping well."

Adrian sighed. "No, not really. How did you know?"

"Well, besides the dark circles under your eyes, difficulty sleeping is a symptom of worry. Can you tell me what's been on your mind at night? What occupies your thoughts that make it difficult to sleep?"

"I worry."

"What do you worry about?"

He was quiet again as he looked around the office. He figured he should be used to his psychiatrist digging deep, and he should be grateful because he knew these probing questions were important for Dr. Bell to be able to help him, but they still made him terribly uncomfortable. This baring of the soul was not something that came easily for him. He looked at his doctor and friend, a man whom he had learned to trust. "I worry about Natalie and the baby. I can't shake the fear that something is going to happen to them."

"I see," said Dr. Bell. "Is there any indication, medically speaking, that Natalie or the baby is in danger?"

"No. Natalie has been healthy until yesterday. The baby is healthy."

"But, you still fear something will happen before the baby comes?"

"Yes." Adrian frowned as he looked down. He looked back up and directly at his doctor. "Why, Dr. Bell? Why can't I shake it when there's no logical reason for my fear?"

"Adrian, you have struggled with a lot of fears in your life. How many of them would you say are rational?"

"Germs, snakes, heights, dentists…yes, I think those are all quite rational."

"What about milk?"

"Do you know where milk comes from?"

"Yes, but does your family drink it?"

Monk rolled his shoulder and adjusted his neck. "Unfortunately."

"Has it hurt them?"

"I suppose not."

Dr. Bell took off his glasses and leaned forward. "The point I'm trying to make is, everyone is surrounded by things which could have potential harm or situations with a potentially unpleasant outcome. Fear is a normal, human response to those stressful situations. These fears are very rational, and we should all have those fears for the sake of our own safety, but sometimes our minds manufacture fears which are not rational. For some of us, those fears are very real no matter who may say they aren't. Now, that becomes a problem when they prevent us from living life to the fullest or when they affect our relationships. Would you say that is true with this fear?"

Adrian was quiet for a moment as he looked at his entwined fingers, then he began slowly, taking time to gather his thoughts. "I…I know this is a special time for Natalie and me, for our family. I think I would enjoy it more if I didn't worry so much."

Dr. Bell made a note, then looked at his patient and friend. "Has living with this fear affected your life in any other way? Would you say it has affected your relationship with Natalie or anyone else?"

Now Dr. Bell was really getting personal. Adrian remained silent, choosing instead to look at the floor.

"Adrian," said Dr. Bell, "this is important. I know you don't like to talk about personal relationships, and normally I would respect that, but I can't help you if you won't talk to me."

After a moment, Adrian looked up. "She says I've been fussing and I'm annoying. Dr. Bell, I only want to take care of her. Can't she see that?"

Dr. Bell smiled as he imagined some of the exchanges that must have taken place between the two. "Natalie is a very independent woman who took care of herself and her daughter for many years. Do you think your fear of losing her has made you a little overprotective with her pregnancy? Maybe your fussing, as she calls it, causes her greater anxiety than if you treated her more normally. Perhaps it would be wise to trust her to let you know if she needs extra help or care instead of always assuming she needs it."

"She asked me to rub her feet."

"And did you do it for her?"

Adrian rolled his shoulder. "Yes."

"Adrian, that's wonderful. I know that wasn't the easiest thing for you to do since feet tend to be quite germy, but you set aside that fear to help her. Now, you have this fear of losing her and the baby. It is no different than your fear of germs. You would say it is rational while others might say it is irrational, but just as I have seen you do time and time again, you can learn to control this fear, or you can let it control you."

Adrian looked down again. "I…I don't know if I can."

"You like history, don't you?" asked Dr. Bell.

"Yes."

"Well, Winston Churchill once said, 'Fear is a reaction. Courage is a decision.' If I know you, you have done your homework, and you know all the risks of pregnancy, especially for one with someone a little older than average, like Natalie. I think your reaction to that knowledge has been fear. Let's change that to courage, courage to fully embrace this wonderful blessing, even with its risks and challenges."

Adrian rubbed his eyebrow as he looked at his psychiatrist. "I don't want to be afraid Dr. Bell, but what do I do?"

For the rest of the session, Dr. Bell helped Adrian identify the thought patterns that led him to fear the loss of Natalie and the baby. He then showed him how to change those thought patterns, along with some good, practical coping behaviors to help reduce the anxiety should he begin to fear again.

Adrian left Dr. Bell's office with his head held a little higher, confident with the knowledge and strategies the doctor gave him. Dr. Bell had helped him tremendously with many of his other fears, and though he wouldn't say he was completely free of them, he had a better handle on them than he had in years. This one would be put to rest as well. He sat in his car and pulled out his phone, excited to tell Natalie about the session, and he thought, it wouldn't hurt to see how she was doing. When Natalie didn't answer, he left a voicemail and ended the call. He sat looking at the phone for a minute, tempted to try again, but then he remembered Dr. Bell's words. No, he wouldn't worry. She had told him she would be okay. She was okay. He needed to trust her instincts. She was probably napping and to call her again might unnecessarily wake her or Sophia. He put his phone back in his pocket and smiled at his newfound ability to do so without fear.