Clay watched as the orderly wheeled Emma away through the double doors to the surgical area. He dropped into the chair in the corner, his head falling into his hands. Being strong for her had helped him to keep his fears at bay, but now on his own they all came rushing in.

What if Emma did have breast cancer? Foolishly, he spent time googling last night. According to one website he read, breast cancer in younger women could be more aggressive and less likely to respond to treatment. The thought of that haunted him. Now he understood why Trent always told the team to never go to the internet when they didn't feel well but to speak to him instead.

"Are you okay?" A comforting hand rested on his shoulder.

Lifting his head, his gaze met the gentle eyes of Nurse Sydney Chan. "I'm worried about her, you know?"

She patted his arm. "I'm sure, but they'll take good care of her, so you don't have to worry about that. And if the results come back with bad news, just know we have the best doctors here, and they'll do everything in their power to make her well."

The caring nurse's belief in her coworkers and their abilities reassured Clay. Her confident words reminded him of the trust he felt for his teammates and their support people. Although nothing the medical staff did would change the results of Emma's biopsy today, he did find encouragement in knowing their skill would be there for her if needed.

"Is there someone here to wait with you?" Nurse Chan's concerned voice interrupted Clay's thoughts.

He nodded, wanting to reassure her as well. "Her father is in the waiting room."

"That's good. It's better not to wait on your own." She picked up the bag with Emma's things and handed it to him. "Why don't you take these for safe keeping and head out there? I promise we'll contact you the minute Emma is finished."

Standing, Clay squeezed the bag in his hands. "Thank you. I really appreciate it."

Turning away from the nurse's kind smile, he left the pre-op area and headed back down the hall to the waiting room. When he arrived, he found Jason fidgeting with his phone and jiggling his leg. He dropped into a chair by his future father-in-law and placed Emma's bag on the seat beside him.

Jason let his phone fall into his lap with a sigh. "Is she all set?"

"Yeah, they gave her the sedative and wheeled her right back." Clay ran his hands through his hair. "I'm not sure how long this will take. I should have asked."

"I bet it's not more than an hour or so, since they didn't put her under." Jason stood and shoved his phone into a back pocket. "You hungry? I could use some coffee."

"No, I'm fine." A growling noise came from Clay's stomach, belying his words.

Jason's eyes narrowed, and his face took on the firm expression he often used as Bravo One. "Uh huh."

"I don't think I could eat anything."

"I'll bring you coffee and something to go with it. You need to keep up your strength if you're going to be any help to Emma. Okay?"

Knowing Jason was right, Clay gave in. "Okay."

"Shouldn't be gone long. Call me if you hear anything."

Watching Jason walk away, Clay slumped in his chair. His lack of sleep the past few nights was taking its toll. He let his mind wander as he studied the other people in the waiting room. He decided the woman engrossed in a book waited for someone having an easy surgery, whatever that could be. She wouldn't be able to concentrate on a book if things were serious.

On the other side of the room an older couple sat together. The woman kept dabbing at her red-rimmed eyes with a tissue while the man held her hand and stroked her arm. From their wedding rings, Clay assumed they were married. He wondered who they waited for, and why.

Whatever their situation, and he hoped it turned out okay, seeing people their age still in a relationship and supporting each other, unlike his own parents, gave him hope. He wanted the same for himself and Emma. When he asked her to marry him, that's what he envisioned, having her beside him long into the future.

He couldn't, didn't want to, imagine his life without her. Apprehension at the outcome of today's biopsy nagged at him, worse than the nervousness he had felt the night he proposed. Until today, the anxiety he experienced as he prepared to ask Emma to marry him had been the biggest worry he ever underwent. Becoming a SEAL and going through Green Team had been easier.

He had barely been able to swallow his dinner at Stanton House as he continually reviewed in his head his proposal plan. A few times he caught Emma looking at him speculatively as if she wondered what he was thinking.

After dinner, they went for a walk on the beach. This had become something they did every year around the anniversary of their first official date, making it the perfect time to pop the question. As they walked holding hands across the sand towards the water, his thoughts raced, going over what he wanted to say and do.

Not sure where to begin, he shared with her a thought he'd had since their relationship began. "This always feels like the start of summer for me."

Emma turned to smile at him, the moonlight illuminating her features. "It does, but it's strange to think that when summer ends, I'll stay here with you instead of going back to school."

He supposed it would be strange come September to not lose her to New York City again, but he looked forward to that. "Strange but good," he said before giving her a gentle kiss.

After the kiss ended, she smiled up at him. "Very good."

His own smile grew into a wide grin. Their conversation was leading right into what he wanted to say. He took both her hands in his. "Em, I want you to know how happy I am you agreed to live with me now that you graduated."

"There isn't any place I'd rather be."

Her answer opened the door for the question he needed to ask before he would feel comfortable proposing. He took a deep breath. Everything depended on this one. "Not even in New York, going on auditions?"

She paused before speaking, her gaze on their linked hands. His heart sped up as he waited for her reply. What if she'd rather be trying out for shows on Broadway, or working to get a recording contract? He never wanted to stand in the way of Emma chasing her dreams.

Finally, her eyes met his and she spoke. "No. There was a time when I thought that's what I'd do, but things changed. I fell in love with you." She punctuated her declaration with a brief kiss on his lips. "And I watched people I know graduate ahead of me and live that life. Some of them have made it into choruses but no one's gotten a lead, and most of them work low paying jobs while they continually get rejected. I realized that even if we weren't together, that's not the life I want." She released his hands and put her arms around his neck. "The life I want is here with you. I'm lucky. I get to have that, and with my publishing contract, I can make music too. Not everyone can say that."

Her words were everything he needed to hear. "I'm the lucky one."

Their lips met in a passionate kiss, and Emma threaded her fingers in his hair. She ended the kiss, and he gazed down into her beautiful face. He caressed her cheek, and all the plans he made for his proposal flew out of his head. "Emma Hayes, will you marry me?"

Emma's eyes grew wide, but she gave no response to his question. A frisson of panic ran down his spine. She was going to say no. Why didn't he do this the way he planned, with the ring? "Wait, I have a ring. Really, I do." He began searching his pockets. Where the hell did he put it?

"Clay." Emma stopped his frantic search by taking his face in her hands. "You don't need a ring to convince me. Of course, I'll marry you."

"Yes?" He forgot the ring as her words penetrated through his distress.

"Yes!"

Relief swept through him, then joy. He picked her up and twirled her around in the surf. She held on to him and laughed as they spun. Stopping, he eased her back down until her feet splashed in the breaking tide.

They kissed, and Emma lifted an eyebrow at him. "So… can I see this ring?"

"Shit! Of course." Searching his pockets again, he berated himself for doing such a poor job with this proposal. No one would believe he was experienced at making plans and executing them. "I am completely screwing this up."

He glanced up to see Emma give him a tender smile. "No, you're not. This is just right."

At last, he found the correct pocket, and pulled out the worn black velvet box. "It was my grandmother's, so maybe it's too old-fashioned for you. If you don't like it, we can go look for something new."

"I'm sure I'll love it."

"If you don't, I won't be insulted." He wouldn't be. He didn't go to the store and pick the ring out himself. But he hoped she didn't want something new. This ring held a lot of sentimental value for him and having her wear it would feel like a link to his grandparents and the happiest time of his life. Happiest until now, anyway.

Opening the box, he held it out for her to see. As Emma gazed at the ring, her eyes filled with tears. "Clay, it's beautiful."

"You're sure? I know it's not like what you can buy now." Her reaction made him believe she did like it, but he wanted to be sure.

"That's a good thing. They sell the same five rings, and practically the only difference is how big the diamond is. Besides, I like that your grandmother wore it."

He grinned as she held out her left hand and wriggled her fingers at him. Worried he might drop the ring in the water, he cautiously took it out of the box. "She kept it locked up most of the time in Liberia. It wasn't safe to wear it there." Returning the box to his pocket, he held the ring to the end of Emma's finger. "My great grandmother owned it first. She gave it to my grandfather when he wanted to propose to my grandmother."

The ring fit perfectly. He only needed to give a small push to get it past her knuckle. The diamonds sparkled in the moonlight on her hand.

"That makes it even more special." Happiness glowed on Emma's face as she smiled at Clay. "Someday we can give it to our son when he wants to propose to someone."

"I'd like that." Pulling her in close again, he kissed her.

"Kid! Hey, Clay!" Jason shook Clay's shoulder to gain the younger man's attention.

Surprised from his reminiscences, Clay quickly sat up, snapping his eyes to Jason. "Sorry, Jase. Lost in thought, I guess."

"I'll say. I said your name about three times." Handing Clay a to go cup of coffee, Jason sat back down. He rummaged in the bag he held, pulling out a jelly donut and giving it to his future son-in-law. "Here eat this. You need to put something in your stomach."

Knowing any argument would be ignored, Clay bit into the sugary pastry. He did have a weakness for raspberry jam.

Jason placed his almost empty coffee cup on the table beside him and rested his hand on Clay's shoulder. "It's going to be okay."

"You don't know that," Clay muttered between bites of the donut.

"I do know that." Jason gave Clay's shoulder a squeeze. "Because whatever happens today, my girl is a fighter, just like her old man."

"Never out of the fight."

"Exactly." Pulling a second jelly donut out of the bag for himself, Jason crushed the paper in his hand and launched it at the garbage can across from them. The balled-up bag landed right in the opening.

Clay felt some of his former team leader's confidence growing inside him.