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"Just tell me," insisted Jake.

"It's in my purse," she shrugged, pointing down the hallway to her room.

Without any explanation, Jake disappeared into her bedroom.

"I can't find it!" he shouted a few minutes later.

"I'm coming," said Abby. She quickly located the object under a pile of clothing in her closet, and opened the bag. "Here's the number," she said, handing a slip of paper to him. "Why do you want it?"

Jake looked at her and said nothing. His eyes were deep and thoughtful, but Abby was unable to read them as she usually could.

"All right," she smiled, "go ahead and be mysterious. I need to get back to work."

Jake waited until he could hear Abby typing, before he stole into the kitchen and quietly picked up the telephone. He had one question for the obstetrician, and one question only. His decision would rest on that answer.

Abby paused at her keyboard. She was unable to get her mind back on the blinking cursor in front of her. Dennis was waiting for a response, and all she could think about was Jake's odd behavior. It wasn't so much the question itself, but the way in which he had asked it. There was a hint of desperation in his voice that unsettled her. What was going on?

Unable to fight her curiosity any longer, Abby got up and found Jake in the kitchen, talking to someone on the telephone in a hushed voice. When Jake saw her, he hastily ended the conversation with,

"Thanks, you've answered my question."

As he hung up the receiver, Abby looked at him curiously.

"Were you just talking to my OB?" she inquired.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, obviously trying to change the subject.

"What did you ask her?" she pressed.

"I needed to know something," Jake mumbled under his breath. He opened a can of mushroom soup, and emptied it into a small pan.

"What did you need to know?" she asked, baffled as to why he was being so vague.

Jake briefly looked up at her, and then quickly returned his eyes back to the pot that was simmering with their soup. With a sigh, Abby folded her arms and shook her head. This was going nowhere. She couldn't make him talk, if he didn't want to. As Abby turned to go to her computer, Jake suddenly stopped her.

"Do you have to work right now?" he asked. "You've been at it all day."

"Dennis and I are setting a lot of things up," she explained, "and it takes time."

"I know," he sighed, "but do you have to work all evening? I'm sure even Dennis needs a break." The last remark had a bite to it that surprised Abby.

"He's my boss," she argued. "Dennis is under a lot of pressure right now, and he needs my help."

"He's not the only one who needs you, Abby," said the young man, his brown eyes flashing at her. "I need you, too."

"I'm right here, Jake," replied Abby. "I've been here all day."

With a groan, Jake returned to the stove and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. The answer from Abby's obstetrician had been a positive one. But, could he go through with it?

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