"What's wrong with Momma?" James asked when Spot carried Rae into the house the next morning.

"She's sick..."

James frowned and followed Spot up the stairs. "Is she... gonna be okay?" he asked carefully.

"We'll talk in a few minutes...tell Sam and Robert to wait for me in the study."

James nodded. "Yessir."

While James ran downstairs, Spot carefully tucked Rae into bed. "Do you need anything?" he asked her.

"Stay with me 'til I fall asleep?"

"All right." he took her hand. She closed her eyes and fell asleep almost instantly. Spot watched her for several minutes, stroking her hand absently. Finally he kissed her hand and headed downstairs to talk to his sons.

They sat in the study, looking nervous. "What's wrong, Dad?" Sam asked.

Spot sighed and walked over to the window. "Dr. Trent gave us some news yesterday...it's good news, but at the same time it's not very good at all."

"Is it about Mom?"

Spot nodded. "Yes."

"What is it?" Robert asked.

"She's going to have a baby."

"Isn't that good news though?"

"Yes..." he sighed. "And no..."

"What's gonna happen??" Sam asked.

Spot sat down. "Everyone is made differently. Some women just aren't able to handle having babies..."

"Momma can't have babies?"

"Dr. Trent said that she might not live through another one..."

The boys frowned. "You mean... she might die?" Sam asked quietly.

Spot took a deep breath. "Yes."

The boys looked solemnly at one another.

"Dr. Trent doesn't know for sure...she might not. I think it might be best if we keep that in this room and not say anything to anyone else."

They nodded. "Yessir," they murmured in unison.

He sighed. "She's going to be fine," he said, trying to convince himself that what he said was true.

"Promise?" Robert asked worriedly.

"I can't promise that Robert...but I wish I could..."

He nodded.

THREE WEEKS LATER

Marty moaned softly as she felt another sharp pain.

"Marty..." Jackson said sleepily. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know... I think...the baby..."

"Do you want me to get Noelle?" She nodded, wincing. He fumbled for his crutches. She whimpered. "I'll hurry, sweetheart."

"Please."

He kissed her forehead and hobbled from the room, hollering as he went. "NOELLE!"

A moment later, Noelle appeared in a night coat. "What is it?"

"I think it's time..."

She nodded. "All right. Stay here, I'll tend to her."

"But..."

"No buts. I'll let you know when the baby is born."

Spot walked down the stairs. "It's no use, Jackson. She won't change her mind."

Jackson sighed.

"Come on...we may as well go to the kitchen and make some coffee."

Jackson sighed. "Yes but... I hate to leave her alone..."

"Noelle can handle everything...believe me."

He frowned. "All right..." But he still looked worried.

"It's going to be a long night," Spot muttered.

Jackson bit his lip. "But she'll be okay?"

"She'll be fine."

He sat down in a nearby chair. "Is this what you felt like??"

Spot laughed. "Yes...with the triplets China told your brother to throw me in the lake...and he did."

Jackson laughed a bit. "Sounds like Beau, all right."

"It was darn cold that night."

Again, he laughed.

"I wasn't even here when Sam was born."

"Why? Where were you?"

"I was in Brooklyn hiding."

"Hiding?" He looked surprised. "Did I know this?"

"Very few people knew the real reason I was there."

"Why were you there?"

"The people here thought that I murdered someone...and they tried to kill me."

Jackson blinked. "You? My gosh, did they really?"

"Yes. But I was warned in time to get out of town."

He blinked in surprise. "I would have never guessed.

"Rae was amazing through the whole thing. She stayed here and took care of Chris and his sister Julie, Molly and Kendra, Ann and Andy...and on top of that she was pregnant..."

He nodded. "Rae always seemed amazing to me."

Spot sighed and stared out the kitchen window.

"Are you okay, Spot?" Jackson asked quietly.

"We haven't told anyone, but I guess I may as well tell you...since you live here and all..."

"Tell me what?"

"Rae's gonna have another baby..."

"She is? But...I thought..."

Spot nodded. "So did we..."

"So...is she...going to be...okay?"

"We hope so."

"I'll pray for her."

"Thanks Jackson."

Andy woke slowly. When he opened his eyes everything seemed fuzzy except for a nurse that was leaning over his bed straightening his covers. It took him a minute before he recognized her. He reached up and pulled her down, kissing her.

"Excuse me!?" she exclaimed, pushing him back. "Who do you think you are!?"

"Don't you recognize your brother's best friend?" he whispered just loud enough for her to hear.

She slapped him and stormed out of the ward, amid catcalls and whistles.

Andy rubbed his cheek. Well, he hadn't expected a nice reaction, but that hurt!

The man in the bed next to him laughed. "Nice going, Conlon...you sure picked the prettiest nurse here...and the feistiest."

Andy laughed a bit. "That's Jackson's sister. I guess I should've warned her before I kissed her."

"It figures that Jackson Wayne would have a sister that good-looking."

He flopped his head back on the pillow with a bit of a wince. "She's beautiful."

"You sure made her mad."

"Yeah..." Andy said sheepishly.

A few minutes later she stormed back in. "Get up!"

"Tell them to give me my pants back and I will!" Andy retorted. She flung his pants at him. "Turn around, woman!"

She harrumphed and turned her back to him.

He quickly struggled to pull his pants on with his good hand.

"Are you finished?" she asked impatiently.

"I can't button my pants with only one hand," he snapped back.

She sighed and turned to him. "Fine. Hold still."

He glared at the top of her head while she buttoned the pants for him.

"Stop that," she said with a frown.

"I'm being laughed at."

"Well, that's not my fault, now is it?"

"It was your idea for me to get up."

She made a face at him and seized his good arm, hauling him from the ward.

"What is your problem?" he asked once they were outside.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing! I thought you were some stranger! And even though you're not..." She smacked his head.

"Watch it, woman!"

"Don't you tell me to watch it! I have every right to be angry with you! How dare you!"

"I was just following orders from your brother!"

"Well don't listen to him!"

Grinning mischievously, he put his good arm around her and kissed her again.

She pushed him away. "Andrew Conlon! Honestly, I swear that wound has gone to your head..."

He grinned at her. "Admit it...you enjoyed it..."

Her cheeks flushed. "Mm, you'd like to think so."

"Should I try again?" he asked, cupping her cheek with his hand and leaning toward her.

"Not if you don't wanna get slapped."

"It might be worth it," he said, resting his forehead against hers.

She blushed. "What about Marty?" she asked.

He took a step back. "She's married."

She blinked. "She is?"

"It was right after you left. She and Jackson got married just before he shipped out."

"Well... that's a big surprise. I was certain you would marry her." She glanced at him. "So, I'm the last resort?"

"Nah...Guys like me like to chase after girls like her, but that's not the type of girl we want to marry."

"You settle for the dumpy ones who will mother you?"

"Didn't say that..."

She looked down and caught sight of his injured hand. "Oh, right...you should be resting..."

"It's just a scratch...and don't change the subject..."

She made a face. "You wouldn't be in here if it was 'just a scratch'. And I'm not..."

"Virginia..." he said softly, gently caressing her cheek.

She blushed a bit. "What?"

"Guys like me marry girls like..." he kissed her gently.

"MISS WAYNE!" a sharp female voice cried out.

Ginny nearly jumped out of her skin. "Oh dear..."

Andy kept his arm around her. "It's my fault, Nurse Austin," he told the older woman who was the head nurse at the hospital. "My bride-to-be and I haven't seen each other in some months and I just couldn't resist..." Ginny flushed and elbowed him discreetly. He gave her a squeeze.

Nurse Austin snorted. "And when is the happy day?"

"Er.... We aren't sure yet- we had to cancel when he came out here," Ginny explained quickly, though she wasn't quite sure why.

"We've been trying for months to arrange leaves at the same time, but we haven't been successful," Andy added.

Nurse Austin looked at the two of them. "You are being returned to your unit next week, Sgt. Conlon. I will give Miss Wayne four days."

Ginny blinked and looked at Andy. "What did you just do?" she hissed when Nurse Austin left.

"I was trying to keep you out of trouble!"

"Yes, but now she expects us to get on, Gin...let's do it..."

"Excuse me?"

"Why not? I like you...you like me...what's the problem?"

"Yes but...."

"But what?"

She stared at him for a moment. "Fine!" she hissed. "But name only! Then when this is all over and we return to the states, we can have our marriage quietly annulled."

"You don't want to be married to me?"

"After what you just did to me? NEVER!"

"What do you mean what I just did to you?"

"You gave me no choice but to marry you! You don't realize how much trouble I'll be in if I go and tell Nurse Austin that we lied to her!"

"Well, you were in on it too so don't say it's all my fault! You could have said 'This man cornered me. He's a dirty, rotten liar. Kill him for me, okay?' but you didn't, did you?"

She glared up at him. "I haven't had leave since I joined up. Get your things or I'll go without you."

He gave her a snappy salute. "Yes ma'am!" he barked.

It was a very unhappy couple that stood in front of the chaplain an hour later as he pronounced them man and wife and told Andy to kiss his bride.

Ginny gave Andy a look that expressly said "Do we have to?" but she let him kiss her anyway. "Did we have to get married so SOON?" Ginny asked as they left the hospital.

"I can only afford one hotel room..."

"Well, I could've paid for one for myself," she said with a sniff.

"You're getting what you want. A marriage in name only. I'm sleeping on the floor."

"Fine!"

He took her arm and they walked to the hotel in silence. Once in their room he took a pillow off the bed and threw it in the corner. "I don't feel so good," he said. "I'm taking a nap. Do whatever you want."

She made a face at his back and stalked over to the window and looked out.

With a groan of pain, Andy carefully eased himself to the floor and stretched out to take a nap.

Ginny cast him a quick glance. "Are you going to be all right?" she demanded, with a touch of concern in the impatience.

"Does it matter?" he asked, his good arm thrown over his face.

She huffed. "Well yes, if you're going to moan all night, I'd like to know."

"My arm is killing me..."

"I told you it wasn't just a scratch, but you didn't want to listen, did you?" she pointed out.

"Alright...so it's not just a scratch...but it's doing well enough that they're sending me back..." he sighed. "At least Jackson got to go home."

She gave him a look. "You want it to be amputated?" She pushed up her sleeves. "Find me a knife. I'll do it right here. Take that blasted arm right off!"

"Come on, Ginny. You know that's not what I meant."

She frowned. "I have some medicine in my purse. I figured it might bother you."

"I'm surprised you thought of me."

She glared at him. "Not funny." She walked over to her purse. "Get up off the floor and get in the bed."

"Well, I'm certainly not going to deny you the bed..." Andy said. "I'll survive here."

She stomped her foot and put her hands on her hips. "I'm the nurse here...you're the patient. GET OFF THE FLOOR!"

He yelped. "Ma'am, yes ma'am!"

She rolled her eyes and pulled the medicine out of her purse.

Gingerly, he climbed onto the bed. "Where will you sleep then?"

"In the chair...or on the floor."

"That's ridiculous." He sat up.

She shoved the medicine and a glass of water toward him. "I'll be fine."

"Ginny..."

She folded her arms. "I'm not letting you sleep on the floor...not with that wound..."

Andy frowned. "Well, I don't want you to sleep on the cold hard ground either..."

She glanced at the bed. "I suppose we can share the bed...I'll just sleep on top on the quilt...and you better stay on your side, mister."

He sighed. "You don't have to worry about me."

She nodded. "Take your medicine and get some sleep."

He nodded and did as he was told. "Um... goodnight, Ginny."

"Goodnight," she said, standing and walking back to the window. He watched her for a long time before he fell asleep.