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After arriving in Miami later that week Emily began to plan her trip to the doctor's office. It wasn't too far from their hotel, so she decided to get up early and sneak out before Jiyong woke up. If he even sleeps, she mused, watching him pace the room. Maybe I should slip him a sleeping pill or something.

Her phone rang and she answered it without looking.

"Hey sis!" Mandie sang out, "how's the tour going? Anything exciting happen?"

You have no idea. "Everything's fine here. How's Dad?"

"Complaining about his physical therapy as usual, but the doctor's hoping to take him down to once a week soon."

Emily's heart jumped at the word doctor and she cleared her throat. "And the boys?"

"They're all fine. Silas is working more shifts at the auto shop, Tom is breaking in a new horse down at Carol's ranch, and Mattie is taking the SATs tomorrow."

Emily arched an eyebrow. "Aren't you taking them too?" she asked.

"At the same time as Mattie? He's been so nervous about it he's been reading textbooks in bed. I'd rather wait until he's calmed down."

There was a knock on the door and Jiyong waved her over. "I've gotta go, Mandie, but tell everyone hi for me, okay?"

She hung up and followed Jiyong out into the hallway, where Seong Do was waiting for them. "You've got a TV interview, then a few hours before sound check," he reminded Jiyong, then he pulled a large manila envelope out of his jacket and handed it over. "What's this?" Jiyong asked.

"For you, from the military. They faxed it to the hotel this morning."

A queasy feeling gurgled in Emily's stomach, but she couldn't tell if it was morning sickness or the unwelcome reminder of Jiyong's looming enlistment. Jiyong started to open it, then changed his mind and handed it to her. "Will you hold onto that for me?" he asked.

"Of course," she said automatically, and before she could blink the envelope was stored safely in her satchel.

"Are you okay?" he asked concernedly. "You look a little green."

"We should go," Emily said, pulling him down the hallway. Seeing the envelope had made her realize Jiyong wouldn't be around for much of her pregnancy, let alone the baby's first year, and this was devastating to her. It was one thing to be alone while he's away, but becoming a parent too? He'll miss so much and there's nothing we can do about it.

"Emily!"

"What?"

"You're going to pull my arm out of its socket," he complained.

They came to a stop in the middle of the hallway and Seong Do drew back respectfully. "What's going on? You have this weird look on your face," Jiyong said in a low voice.

"I'm fine, I think I'm just jet lagged," she lied, pretending she wasn't blinking back tears. Jiyong scrutinized her face and frowned. "The last time you acted this way you were being threatened by a stalker," he whispered. "Is there-"

"Goodness no!" Emily exclaimed. "I wouldn't keep anything like that from you ever again!"

Jiyong seemed cautiously relieved and he took her hand again. "Good," he said, "because I want you to confide in me, about anything."

Emily nodded and resisted the urge to press a hand to her flip-flopping stomach. Tomorrow's going to be a surprising day, she thought to herself.

******

The next day Emily carefully slid out of bed and dressed in the dark while Jiyong slept, then crept down to the hotel lobby. It was just after 5 a.m. and the sky was still a dirty grey-blue when she slipped out and went to an all-night cafe to wait for her appointment. As the hours passed she tried to write, but every few minutes her stomach would twist and she finally gave up on work. Guess you're nervous too, she thought, putting a hand on her belly.