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"A BOY!" he exclaimed. "Say, we haven't had one of those, yet! Well, well! Our little Abby is going to have a boy! Come next year, we're going to have a bumper crop of babies!" Terry laughed at the thought, and joyfully leaned back in his chair. "If I'm only finding out now, then I suppose you haven't told your parents, yet," he guessed.

"Not yet," replied Abby. "I wanted Jake to be the first to know."

"How did he take the news?" grinned Terry.

"I guess he was happy," shrugged Abby, a little sadly. "Jake is afraid he'll hurt our child the way his father hurt him."

"Give it some time, Sweetheart," consoled her uncle. Just then, Terry looked up at the time and frowned. "I'm going to be late for church," he observed. "John and Izzy were going to stay home anyway, and I suppose you'll want to remain by the phone in case Jake calls."

"I don't think he'll call," replied Abby, toying with Jake's note until the edges of the paper frayed. "But, I'll stay, just in case."

As Terry stood up to leave, Abby asked him not to tell anyone what had happened between her and Jake, for it might embarrass the young man.

"Tell them what?" cried Terry. "You never told me anything! I was the one who did all the talking!"

The days slipped by, and before Abby knew it, Thanksgiving was staring wide-eyed at her, with timid hopes of a family holiday, together. Dr. Jacoby had kept in touch with Abby, constantly encouraging her to give Jake time to work things out for himself. She shouldn't go against her husband's wishes by intruding on his recovery. This was one instance where the psychiatrist actually encouraged her to keep her distance. When Jake was ready to talk to them, he'd let them know.

Abby struggled to be patient, but it wasn't easy. However, she realized that if Jake was ever going to return home, it would have to be in his own time, and on his own terms. As much as she didn't want to, Abby knew she must wait.

Thanksgiving wasn't the only event that November heralded. In just days, bass season would end. This would signal the snowbird in Mr. Winkler to make his annual migration to Arizona where the winter climate would be decidedly warmer. It also meant that the tackle store would be closed over the long, cold months that lay ahead. If that wasn't enough, Dennis would also be leaving soon, for his contract with Mr. Winkler was nearly over. It wasn't like Abby to feel sorry for herself, but she was already devoid of Jake, now only to lose two more dear friends-- it was almost more than she could bear.

Abby wasn't the only one going through personal hardship. Izumi had ten more weeks to go, before undergoing a cesarean that would deliver her from the months of bed rest that she had been enduring. The doctor had warned that to wait any longer, might endanger the babies' survival. As Izumi's size steadily grew, so did the prayers of her family. The expectant mother's petite frame was beginning to strain under the stress of carrying three babies, and with her previous medical history, there was a very real danger that something could go wrong. This was a high-risk pregnancy, and never did Izumi feel that to be more true, than now.

Two days before Thanksgiving, Dr. Jacoby was called to the Doyles' house in Watertown. The snow had once again melted, but the weather forecast had predicted more of the white stuff for the next week, so these blue skies were fast coming to an end. As the psychiatrist drove to Watertown, he wondered why Jake had suddenly asked for him, after weeks of refusing to even speak on the telephone. However, his questions were soon answered when Dick met him at the front door.

"Did you hear?" the balding man cried excitedly.

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