Steve woke up the next day and Catherine was no longer in bed. Steve found her sitting in the chair on the balcony and she was looking out to sea. He stood up and kissed her neck sensuously. "Good Morning."

Catherine smiled as he kissed her neck. "Good morning, Steve."

He sat down next to her and asked what she was thinking about. "Are you missing the world outside?"

"I miss the freedom to come and go, but there's no other place I'd like to be right now. I'm loving our private world. Our night was wonderful," Catherine whispered in his ear.

"You give me the creeps," Steve kissed her. "Shall we go back to bed?" He asked.

"Let's. It's so nice to love each other without being interrupted, isn't it?"

"It's wonderful," Steve replied and held out his hand to her. "Come on!"

Catherine smiled, got up and went with him.

Three months later...

Steve swam for almost an hour and then went into the house. Catherine was sitting on the couch and looking half paralyzed at the TV.

"Catherine, turn that TV off," Steve ordered her.

"It's surreal what's going on, Steve."

"I know," Steve kissed her head. "And that's why I want you to turn it off. Okay?"

"OK," she replied still numbed by the news.

A year later...

Catherine arrived home and Steve was waiting anxiously for her. "You took so long to come back, Cath. Did you take care of yourself? Things are better but..."

Catherine placed her index finger over his lips gently. "I'm fine."

Steve was distressed. Life was returning to "normal", or the "new normal", and he was afraid she was leaving and she knew it.

"I'm not leaving, Steve. I just went to the doctor." She put both hands on his face. "You took such good care of me during that dark time."

"No, it was you who took care of me." He sought her lips a few times.

"It is what I feel for you that encourages me to take care of the three of us and our love. Wherever I go, whatever I do, without you it's no fun," Catherine told him.

"Huh?" Steve's eyes widened.

"Yeah, I said the three of us," she smiled hopefully.

Steve looked down at her belly. "Is it serious?" He asked excitedly.

"It's serious. Aren't you happy?"

"Of course I'm happy, Cath. I never imagined that you could make me happier than you already do. You are special, you complete me and you give meaning to my life. I love you! I love this baby!"

Catherine was thrilled by his love declaration. She knew he was not of many words, but he surprised her. She took out of her purse the ultrasound results and showed them to him. "That's our baby."

Steve stared at the first image of his baby. "Yes, it's our baby. It's our fresh start, a new chapter in our lives."

"END."