She smiled and put her hand on her stomach. "Five months along. I can't wait." I impulsively walked up to her and gave her a hug with my free hand. She was stunned at first, then hugged me back. I got the feeling she didn't get a lot of hugs in her line of work.

We all followed Black Ker up the stairs and into the plane.

It was quite an elegant décor; rich cherry woodwork, supple black leather seats, and white carpeting. I put Charlie into a seat near the door that reclined back into a bed and buckled him in. One of the pilots came back, not even...