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"He didn't have much of a childhood," reminded her mother.

"That might explain it," sighed Abby. "I have to get running, Mom, or Mr. Winkler's going to call," she announced, getting up from the bed.

"Abby?" called Izumi, as her daughter was about to leave. "How does the mural in the triplets' room look? I've asked John to take a picture of it, but they all want me to wait until after it's finished before I see it."

"So do I," smiled Abby. "See ya, Mom."

As Abby got into her jeep, Jake waved to her from across the way.

"Don't forget!" he called to her.

Dennis looked up and smiled as the young woman entered the tackle store, ready for work.

"You've got a busy day ahead of you," he warned Abby. "Mr. York is scheduled for three-thirty, and he insisted on you as his instructor."

"But, he was here, yesterday," sighed Abby. "That man can talk a blue streak about fly fishing! What's worse, I get caught up in it! Dennis, would you do me a favor?"

"Sure," he shrugged. "What is it?"

"I promised Jake to be home on time, today," she explained. "If I get involved in another conservation with Mr. York, would you remind me of the time?"

"Sure thing," said Dennis, hanging up the appointment clipboard and heading outside with Abby to the dock where their first students of the day were already waiting.

As the morning wore on, Abby noticed a strange feeling coming over her. The sensation continued until about ten o' clock, when Dennis at last pulled Abby aside in concern.

"I hate to be the one to tell you this," he observed, "but you're looking a little pale. I'm not kidding, Abby, you should take a look at yourself in the mirror."

"I'm all right," she denied, trying to shrug it off.

"Do you want to cancel your next lesson?" he pressed.

"Whatever for?" retorted Abby. "It's probably only a stomach bug, or something."

"Bug nothing," disagreed Dennis with a smile. "You've got morning sickness, Abby. My twin sister was sick as a dog for three months straight when she had her first kid. I'd say you look about as bad as she did then!"

"Morning sickness?" she asked in surprise. "Is that what this is?"

"If you can't make it to the bathroom in time," laughed the head instructor, "just hang your head over the end of the dock!"

"Thanks a lot," she smiled greenly.

At lunchtime, Abby stopped by the Bayfront Restaurant and sat down to order lunch, as was her routine. The smell of food, however, soon turned her stomach, so that she hastily left and retreated to the dock until her lunch break was over. Mr. Winkler, who sometimes ate his meal on the empty dock, was surprised when Abby returned so soon.

"This morning sickness kind of came out of the blue," she confessed, sitting down on an overturned barrel as the old gentleman ate his meal.

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