He half smiled. “Other than an empty crib and a baby Falcon flapping around the apartment?”
Her eyes widened. “Are you kidding me?”
“Yes.” His eyes twinkled, letting her know he was teasing.
She growled and gestured as if pulling out her hair.
His expression turned more serious. “Sorry. All kidding aside, I was told my brother and I didn’t show any signs of it for a few years. My mother said we were five or six. I think I’d just lost my first tooth.”
“Oh, good. I was wondering how that would impact early childhood development. According to—”
Jason’s cell phone rang.
“Hold that thought.” He answered it with his usual business-like greeting. “Falco.”
She watched as his face slowly fell.
“Crap. Are you okay, Mom?”
Merry pushed her heavily pregnant body to a sitting position and waited for what seemed like bad news.
Eventually he said, “Yeah, we’ll be— Oh, wait a minute. Merry was told not to fly this late in her pregnancy.”
“What is it, Jason?”
“My dad had another heart attack. This one seems more serious.”
Jason didn’t say, ‘he might not make it this time,’but he didn’t have to. His furrowed brow said it all.
“Oh, no. You go ahead. I’ll be fine. Roz is all prepared to be my back-up birth coach. If anything happens, I’ll call both of you right away.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
“But what if she can’t get here quickly enough?”
“Then we have a whole building full of tenants I consider friends.”
He nodded, then turned back to the phone. “I’ll be on the first flight I can get, Mom. Where will you be?” After a short pause, he said. “Good. I’ll meet you at Mayo Clinic as soon as possible.”
When he hung up, Merry threw her arms around him and squeezed. “I’m sorry about your dad, but if he’s at Mayo, he’s in the best possible hands.”
“I know. Are you sure you’ll be all right?”
“Positive.”
“Good. Can you pack my bag while I call the team’s travel agent?”
“Of course.” She smirked. “I’m just glad you’re using the airlines.
Sly appeared at Morgaine’s door that evening. “Are you all packed and ready to go?”
She sighed. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Something about her expression concerned him. “Look, you don’t have to do this for me. I’ve lived this way for two and a half decades.” He shrugged. “What’s a few more?”
She straightened her spine and put a determined smile on her face. “No, it’ll be good for me too. I need to know I can face challenges and succeed.”
