Accompanied by her husband, Ginger went for her pre-op appointment the following day. She held Igor's hand tightly as the nurse explained the procedure, how long it would take, and possible complications, then asked if Ginger had any questions. The redhead shook her head.

"You see, it will not be so bad," Igor said on the way home. "Couple of hours, and cancer will be gone."

So will my femininity, Ginger wanted to say, but didn't.

Roy, Mary Ann, and Roger were the first to arrive. Igor, Ginger, and Audrey went to the airport to meet them.

"Ginger, honey!" Mary Ann hurried to embrace her long-time friend. The two women held one another and cried.

"Good to see you again, Igor." Roy shook the taller man's hand. "I only wish it were under better circumstances."

"As do I," Igor replied. "I will be very happy when this is all over."

"We all will be," Roy agreed.

Roger took one look at Audrey and gasped. He thought she was the loveliest young women he'd ever seen. She was tall and slender, with Ginger's facial features and Igor's dark hair and eyes.

"My name is Roger Hinkley," he said shyly, shaking her hand.

She smiled. "My full name is Audrey Elizabeth Igorevna Grant-Rubichenko," she told him. "But you can just call me Audrey. Everyone else does."

"Wow, what a name!"

Audrey giggled. "You can blame my Dad for that. Until I was twelve, I was just plain Audrey Elizabeth Grant."

"Was that how old you were when you were rescued?"

"Yeah. My Mom and Dad got back together right after that."

"It seems so sad that you didn't know your Dad until you were twelve. My parents have both always been there for me since I was born."

"It was all right. Roy was a great father figure. He's the one who first got me interested in science. Gilligan was such a big kid himself that he was more like a big brother to me, and the Skipper and Mr. Howell were both a lot older." Audrey turned pensive. "I slept in the same hut with Mom and Mary Ann for my whole life on the island. Mary Ann was like a second mother to me. I really missed her for a long time after we were rescued, more than the others, even."

The Hinkleys went back home with the Grant-Rubichenkos. There were enough extra bedrooms for everyone.

"Your house is really gorgeous!" Roger exclaimed, suddenly feeling terribly insecure as he wondered what Audrey would think of his own parents' modest home back in Ohio. "And it's so big!"

"It's not my house," Audrey replied. "It's my Mom's, but thanks. I wonder why Roy never told us about you."

"I was only a baby when he was shipwrecked," Roger told her. "I'm his nephew. I'm living with him and Mary Ann and their kids while I'm in college. He's actually the professor for one of my classes."

"Neat! What are you majoring in?"

"Biology. You?"

"Astronomy. I want to be an astronaut like my Dad used to be, and if I can't do that, I want to be some kind of engineer."

"So you're smart as well as beautiful, then."

Audrey blushed furiously.

The Howells arrived the following morning. "Oh, you poor dear!" Mrs. Howell exclaimed as she rushed to hug Ginger. Mr. Howell didn't say much, pacing back and forth with a lost look on his face.

Gilligan, Cindy, and their brood arrived that evening. Both Gilligan and Cindy gaped in wonder at the sight of Ginger's house. April and Heather had a blast running up and down the hallways and staircases. Ginger held baby Patrick and gushed about how darling and sweet he was, then reluctantly handed him back to Cindy.

That night, Igor was awakened by the sound of his wife softly sobbing. He put his arms around her and held her close. "Are you in pain, moya lyubov?"

"N-no," she stammered. "I just can't get Patrick out of my mind. He's such a precious little baby. I just can't help but wonder what it would have been like to have had a son."

"We have beautiful daughter, sweet Ginger," Igor said softly. "One day, we will have beautiful grandchildren as well."

"If I'm still alive by then," Ginger sniffled.

"You will live," Igor assured her. "Doctor will get all of cancer out, and you will be well again."

Skipper Jonas Grumby arrived at the airport the day before Ginger's surgery was scheduled to take place. All the former castaways except the Howells were staying with Ginger and Igor. The Howells had rented a luxury suite at a local motel.

"Skipper!" Ginger cried, hugging him fiercely. Even after six years, she still called him by his title instead of his name.

"I got here just as fast as I could," Jonas told her. His eyes wandered to just beyond her, where Claudia stood looking on.

"Hey, I'm the Skipper!" he exclaimed in his usual enthusiastic manner as he moved to shake her hand.

Claudia smiled. "I am Claudia. I have been Ginger's maid for six years now. It is nice to meet you, Mr. Skipper."

"Uh, my real name is Jonas Grumby," Jonas said awkwardly. "When we were still on the island, the others always called me the Skipper and Roy the Professor."

"Oh yes, I remember reading about that," Claudia replied. The two were soon deeply engrossed in conversation, as Ginger and Igor went to check on their other guests.