Jo didn't hear from Doug for a couple of nights in a row after that. She was beginning to worry when he called her on the third night, which was Friday.

"Well, I told him," he said.

"And?"

"And he said it was the stupidest thing he'd ever heard of. We haven't really spoken since then."

"Oh, no!" Jo moaned. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's all right. He'll come around eventually, once the shock wears off. Say, I was wonderin' whether you and Jamie would like to go to Frontier City tomorrow."

"Frontier City? I've heard of it, but we haven't been there yet."

"Aw, it's great! You'll love it! They got roller coasters, bumper boats...everything!"

"Do they have a double Ferris wheel?" Jo asked hopefully.

"I don't think it's double, but they got one."

"Well, that sounds like fun!"

"Great! I'll pick you both up at nine tomorrow morning, then."

Jamie was excited at the prospect of going to Frontier City. She'd looked forward to visiting the amusement park ever since she and her mother had moved to Oklahoma City.

"Where's Clay?" she asked when Doug arrived to pick them up the following morning.

"He didn't want to come," Doug said shortly.

"To Frontier City?" Jamie was very surprised.

"I feel really bad about that," Jo said softly.

"It's not your fault," Doug told her. "It's his."

"You mean he didn't want to come along because me and Mom are going?" asked Jamie.

"It's not that," Doug replied. "He's just having a hard time getting used to the way things are now."

"You mean the baby?" asked Jamie. "I think it's great!"

"So do I, but Clay doesn't," Doug said. "He accused me of trying to pretend like we're the Brady Bunch."

Jamie laughed. "We could never be the Brady Bunch. They had six kids!"

Doug chuckled, and that seemed to break up the tension.

When they reached the amusement park, Jamie immediately wanted to go on the roughest and wildest rides that were there. Doug rode a couple of them with her while Jo watched.

"That roller coaster sure looks like it would be fun," Jo said wistfully after Doug and Jamie had gone on a couple of rides together.

"We'll come back sometime after all this is over with," Doug promised, patting her belly affectionately.

Jamie rode a few things alone while Doug and Jo rode some of the gentler rides such as the carousel and the Ferris wheel together, and then they ate lunch in a cozy little cafe and then walked around looking at exhibits. Much later, there was a country music concert. Doug, Jo, and Jamie sat on the grass together listening to the music. Jo felt the warmth of Doug's hand covering her own and thought about how right everything suddenly felt.

"Are you girls having a good time?" Jo thought Doug sounded just a little bit anxious.

"I'm having a blast!" Jamie exclaimed.

"I'm enjoying myself very much," Jo told him with a yawn. "Thanks for taking us."

"Aw, it was my pleasure!" Doug gently stroked her cheek. "But I'm thinkin' maybe we better leave soon. I don't want to tire you out too much."

Stars were twinkling in the sky when he drove them back home. Jo dozed lightly with her head slumped against the car's window. Doug had to gently shake her awake when they got to her apartment.

"Boy, I really did tire you out, didn't I?" he asked.

"That's all right," Jo replied. "It was lots of fun."

He kissed her good-night and drove back home. She was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Jo was too tired to get out of bed at all the following day. A little before noon, Doug came over, and Jamie let him in.

"Who's there?" Jo called from the bedroom.

"It's me." He knocked lightly on her bedroom door. "Can I come in?"

"Sure, but I'm not very presentable right now," she told him.

"Are you all right?" he asked as he stepped into the room. "I missed you in church this morning." He looked very concerned as he came to her and sat on the side of the bed.

"I don't feel sick or anything," she told him. "I'm just really, really tired."

"We shouldn't have made the trip yesterday," said Doug. "That was just too much."

"Oh, no, I don't think it's because of that," Jo said quickly.

Gently his hand brushed the hair back from her face. "Can I get you anything? Some soup, perhaps?"

"Soup would be nice," Jo told him.

He made the soup and fed it to her, then visited for a couple of hours. He offered to spend the night until she assured him that she really would be all right.

She was at work the following afternoon when the vomiting began, waves of nausea sweeping over her in torrents. She'd never felt so sick before in her life.