Seventy days. Hannah's mind went blank. Spring was when their baby was due. Alarm gripped her chest, and she struggled to conceal the apprehension. It was bad enough being cut off from her father and friends and from all that was familiar to her, but knowing she'd be facing the birth of her baby without Riley terrified Hannah. She pushed her fear aside, determined to deal with it later.
"I wish I could be here Friday night," Cheryl added, downing the last of her tea. "I would have been content to meet you then, but I'm scheduled to work. The next time the guys get together for poker, the two of us will have our own night out."
Hannah managed a smile and nod. "That sounds like fun."
They spoke a few minutes more, then Cheryl had to leave for the hospital. Hannah saw her to the door and impulsively hugged her, grateful Steve's wife had taken the time to stop by and introduce herself. Their conversation had been a fruitful one.
For hours afterward Hannah felt numb. A disquieting, uncomfortable knot lodged itself in her stomach. In three short days Riley would be leaving for a lengthy patrol, and he had yet to say a word to her about it. Nor had he mentioned it was likely he'd be at sea during the birth of their child. Surely a wife should be entitled to such information. Hannah felt she had a right to know. Every right.
She was frying up hamburger for chili when Riley walked into the house two hours ahead of schedule. He hesitated when he saw her. "You're not ready," he said, his tone lightly accusing.
"For what?" She had a difficult time burying her sarcasm. Perhaps there was something else he'd purposely forgotten to mention. He seemed to think she was a mind reader.
"The doctor's appointment."
"Oh… dear." After her conversation with Cheryl, her appointment with the Navy physician had completely slipped her mind.
Flustered, she headed toward the bathroom. "I'll only be a minute." She ran a brush through her hair, applied a fresh coat of lip gloss and changed her top all within five minutes. When she returned to the kitchen, she found Riley adding the cooked meat to the simmering kidney beans. He replaced the lid on the Crockpot