The moon circled the planet in a far orbit. Nevertheless, its gravity pull seemed to have a firm hold over the once natural satellite of Earth. The distance between "Nova Canaan" and the Moon imposed by that far orbit trajectory would prove its advantage in a proper time. The physical interaction and influence between the satellite and this planet was not as notable as the one that would influence even tides of the oceans of the old and dear Planet Earth, nevertheless, the orbiting process around the new planet seemed to be permanent by all the indications and astrophysical studies. Once again the former inhabitants of Earth would be able to relish in exuberant full moon nights.

           Prof. Victor Bergman had suggested a partial colonization. The old scholar could not accept or feel comfortable with the idea of depleting and deactivating the Moonbase totally. The Moonbase facilities could function as an outpost, once lunar conditions had long proved to be a valuable asset to the development of scientific and technological research. Commander John Koenig totally agreed to his long-time friend, although he believed that, for a long time, their technological efforts would be focused on the development of the environment and of the new society on the planet. After five years wandering through space they had finally found their ‘promised land’.

           All the spirits were high. There would be alternate service of the personnel between the planet and the Moonbase until they deemed that unnecessary. Three fourths of the Alphans would be living on the planet, while the other fourth would be serving duty time on Alpha. The lunar facilities would undergo some changes in order to function properly with the reduced equipment and the smaller staff needed to operate it.

           Commander John Robert Koenig and Doctor Helena Susan Russell were specially happy for not only had they reached the long-expected home with the Alphans but a couple of weeks ago they’ve learned they would become parents. That was, they thought, perfect timing !

           The other half of Koenig’s attention was on Operation Exodus. Needed down on the planet, John was in Medical Center to say his good-byes to Dr. Russell.

           Inside her office he dashed to her side gathering her in his arms.
           "Now, you just take care and get back as soon as possible, okay?" Helena said into John’s ear as he held her tightly, already missing her.
           "Even sooner than that. I can’t stand being away from the two of you for a long time."  He cupped her face in his hands looking deeply into her eyes before a lengthy kiss covered the smile constantly engraved in their faces since they both learned about Helena’s pregnancy.

           Dr. Russell watched the Commander stride out of her office and sat behind her desk, distracted for some moments as she let her eyes linger on her wedding photo, taken a year before. An overjoyed John Koenig was embracing a not less exhilarated Mrs. Helena, once Russell, now Koenig. She had been ‘Russell’ for so long that people would not call her "Dr. Koenig". That didn’t bother either of them for they both knew in their hearts that they belong to each other -- mind, body and soul -- forever. "A year -- already!!" she mused. Helena Russell had the feeling that the wheels of destiny were rolling really fast lately, at least for John Koenig and herself. In the span of a year they managed to begin a family, getting married - after living together for years - and generating a new life as well as coming across a new home-planet. Seized by her old habit of talking to herself, Helena breathed, "C’mon, Helena, enough of daydreams. You’ve got work to do. Snap to it!" Yes, some work indeed! Life Support was being re-planned. They would have to decide what was to be left on Alpha, what was to be taken to the planet. And that would be the same for the Medical Services.

           Forty-eight hours later Koenig was back on Alpha, satisfied to see how efficiently Alphans were working to complete Operation Exodus. This time, they have really made it. Home, at last!

           Amazingly as it could seem, the command couple was having a "quiet" night in their quarters. Well, at least, Base concerns were not in focus this time. Cradling his somewhat pale lady, John ruefully smiled down at her. She was having some difficulty in keeping food down these last few days. One of the ‘joys’ of motherhood as she herself would put it. "Sweetie, let me get you something. You can’t just stop eating…"

           "John, please, Darling!" she moaned softly, interrupting his plead, "I can’t even think about food right now. I’ll have something later, I promise you. But now…"

           "Okay, okay, sorry! Just relax, we’ll think about it later. It’s that I get nervous seeing you like this." Conceded John, as he began to gently stroke her hair and cheeks.

           Helena smiled and snuggled deeper into her love’s arms. "I know you do, hon. But it will pass. I’m already beginning to feel better. Just keep up what you’re doing right there. It helps a lot!". With a quick chuckle John bent down to place a light kiss on her temple. Helena sighed drowsily, reaching for John’s hand; she kissed his palm and drifted off to sleep, in the best ‘bed’ she could wish for: John’s arms.

           The planet was in feverish human activity. The Alpha Community was being efficiently and eagerly settled. Living and technical facilities were being assembled and put to service.

           Dr. Russell was excited with "her" new Clinic . With all her responsibilities on Alpha, by the time she could get down to the planet the Commander had already begun to set up their new house, but the nursery, he decided, they would do together. And that was exactly what they were doing right then, once they had managed to get themselves some coinciding off-duty time.

            John had existed the nursery for a few minutes and Helena decided to begin fixing the blinders. As she just got perched on top of the ladder, she felt a grip to her belt and around her waist. It was John.
            "And just what do you think you’re doing up there?" He brought her gently but firmly down.

            "John, I’m not sick nor incapable. I’m just pregnant. I still can manage to perform some tasks." Answered the CMO, trapped into the Commander’s secure arms. Not really annoyed, she delighted herself in her lover’s over-protective gesture.

            Nibbling into her neck, he ignored her complaints, "Just try to obey your Commanding officer AND husband, for once, will you?"
           "How dare you…" her fake offended reply was cut short.
           "Oh, shut up, Helena. I’ve just got a great idea." Planting a searing, long kiss on her mouth John made his point clear. Surrendering in his embrace, she silently and eagerly agreed, "that was indeed a great idea!"

           The next day, leaving Helena on the planet, John flew back to Alpha to tend to some more details concerning the Moonbase continuing operation. That, he believed, shouldn’t take long. None of them could ever expect what happened next.

           Helena Russell woke up with a splitting headache. As she began to sit up, Dr. Vincent went to her bed to keep her there. "Now, take it easy, Helena. How are you feeling?"
           "My head is killing me…what happened?…the last thing I remember was that the instruments readings in the clinic were going berserk…"
           "We had an earthquake. You lost balance and hit your head on the edge a table. You’ve been unconscious for quite sometime."
           "Is the baby OK?" Helena cut in, fear edging her voice.
           "Yes, Helena. The baby seems to be perfectly safe, but we’re doing a sonography, anyway. Also, I don’t want you making any extra efforts during the next forty-eight hours. Just to play it safe, agreed?"
           "Agreed, Ben. Is John already back from Alpha? He won’t like to miss the first sono." She asked leaning back on the pillows, closing her eyes and gently rubbing her temples.
           That was the question Ben Vincent was not looking forward to having to answer. But somebody had to. He prepared a sonic sedative and began to tell his supervisor the dreadful news. The Moon had broken away from the planet’s orbit. Many of their friends who were on Alpha were lost for them. John Koenig, Prof. Bergman, Maya, Tony Verdeschi, Pat Osgood and Dr. Mathias were among the crew on duty on the Moonbase when the breakaway occurred.

           Back on Alpha, Tony Verdeschi had been in command of the Base for the past 3 days, since John Koenig was committed to sick bay. As tremendous G-forces hurled the moon out of its orbit around Nova Canaan, everyone in the Moonbase were thrown from their feet. Koenig fell quite awkwardly. It took him almost three days to regain full consciousness. And, honestly, as Tony thought about it now, it would be, at least, three days less for him to hurt over the big loss they all would have to face from then on.
 

          He heard, again, the sound of the cup splintering as  his foot descended on it. And then he saw, again, Helena’s delighted face approaching his to a slow, lovingly  kiss. The first one as his wife. He thought she was ‘drop-dead’ beautiful and that he loved her more than life. He remembered that his mother would be pleased to see him marry, this time, according to the family’s religious rites. To his surprise, Helena Russell loved the idea for she had always found ‘that’ wedding ceremony particularly beautiful...but, he knew something was wrong…AGAIN…as they were raised on chairs according to the traditional costume in wedding parties and turned around in a frantic dance…she was taken away, farther and farther…away from him.  Jolted awake by the echoes of Helena’s voice calling out for him, John sat up on his bed struggling in anguish for breath. He rushed to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. From the mirror the image of a bearded weary man with sad blue eyes reminded him of his reality for the last 5 years. He was still the leader of a smaller group of Alphans who had, unbelievably, been cast away, once more.

           She heard, AGAIN,  the sound of the cup splintering as  his foot descended on it. And then she saw, again, John’s happy face approaching hers to a slow, lovingly  kiss. The first one as her husband. As they embrace she could feel the softness of the ‘tallit’ he was wearing over his shoulders and the warmth of his breath into her ear as he whispered his love for her… but all these sensations, his touch, the look of his eyes, everything, began to disappear  as he was drawn away from her by some unknown force. Helena was jolted awake by a strangled cry calling out John’s name… it was her own voice.

           She rushed to her children’s bedroom just to look at them, to remind her desperate pounding heart of the reasons it should go on beating.
 

           John Koenig had compared himself to Moses, so many times, that he no longer considered the irony of his ‘existence’ away from Nova Canaan. Moses died before setting foot on his promise land. Koenig’s lust for life was gone, transformed into a fight to put the needs of the Moonbase and its people in focus, as much as possible, so he would not feel or care for his own needs and feelings, his endured existence. That way, he assumed, that pain would hurt a bit less. He felt dead too, again, like Moses.

           The Commander didn’t dare to hope or didn’t even imagined that this last space warp that the moon had undergone could bring him back to life.
 

           All the kids were camping and wouldn’t be back for at least four days. Sandra had just contacted them and let Helena talk to her twins, just after talking to her husband and the girls. Fortunately, Paul was one of the adults with the camping party. The two mothers were worried for the communication links were really bad these last days. The reason was about to become clear. After eight years the Moon was back, approaching Nova Canaan again, and that was the cause of all that interference. But - they didn’t know yet.
           Sandra exchanged a look with the blond doctor who had been her best friend for so long. The feeling was the same. A content relief. The two mothers were now at peace.
           "Are we still set for tonight, Doc?" asked Sandra, reaching for the comforting touch of her friend.
           "Sure. I’m looking forward to it." Assured Helena with smile.
           "I didn’t want to impose myself but I hate being alone. So I intend to hang around with you until Paul and the kids come back." Sandra’s tone was almost apologizing.
           "Oh, c’mon, Sahn. Believe me, it’s a pleasure to have you over. We will have some lovely nights to spend with girl talk, just like the old days in those college dorms." Helena shook off her friend’s reservations.
           "Let’s meet with Annette and Kate for lunch, later. I’ll drop by at the Clinic to pick you up." Said Sandra as the doctor stood to leave.
           "Deal! See you then." The doctor waved with a smile and was off, going back to her duties.

           Sandra sat back with a sigh and pondered that she could, after all this years, spot a hint of sadness in Helena’s eyes even when she was smiling . Most of the time the gentle doctor managed to hide it quite successfully…but not all the time. Sandra considered herself to be awfully lucky to have Paul and her kids with her. She wished it could be the same for Helena. Loosing the Commander would have killed her if it were not for Jonathan and Vicky. It was like some important part of her soul had been taken away with him. It was a strange feeling but -- Sahn had the impression that Helena had the Commander constantly with her. Sometimes she would move as if he was by her side… or she would enter a room and wait for him to catch up with her pace. Or maybe it was only everybody’s wishful thinking that the two of them would be together.

           Sandra’s thoughts were interrupted by the blinkings and bleepings of her console. Someone was trying to establish contact and Sandra was in for a BIG surprise.
 
 

            >From the Command station Tony Verdeschi was watching Maya’s excited demeanor. She was checking, with Yasco, the last contact recorded from the fourth planet. Three days ago, the long-range  scanners had begun to pick up signs that would indicate the existence of civilization down there. Leaving Tony in charge, Koenig was in Victor’s lab to discuss their first findings about that world. Yasco and Maya looked at each other in complete disbelief. Then, the Psycon stood and started toward Tony. ‘That must be something really big,’ he thought to himself- -" Maya?- - What?"

            "Tony… We have recorded some radio transmissions from that planet- - land-to-land transmissions - - Tony, I think I’d heard bits of conversation. It’s our people down there. Those voices … I’m pretty sure they were Helena’s and Sandra’s voices. I heard their names. This just adds up to the data we’ve gathered so far. Too many similarities! This cannot be a coincidence. That planet must be Nova Canaan!" Now it was Tony who was wearing the same astonished look as Maya. Fifteen minutes later John Koenig would also be wearing that look as Maya’s report was personally delivered to him. The mere mention of Helena Russell’s name and the chance to see her again made John’s mouth go dry.

            Commander Koenig had already begun to issue a whole set of orders that would eventually culminate with the implementation of Operation Exodus II. Among those orders there would be one to try to establish immediate contact with the planet. The Commander was all business when Tony Verdeschi and Victor Bergman pulled him aside. "John," Victor began, "you should go down to the planet with the first group as soon as possible ."

           "Victor, my responsibility,…" he could not finished. "Your responsibility, John, had been carried out fully for the past 5 years." Victor cut him short.

           "Victor is right, John," Tony concurred, "it’s high time for you to take a vacation. You’ve been on duty for the last 5 years. We can manage Operation Exodus by ourselves. Get down there and meet your family!" Wordlessly, the Commander looked at their old friends in grateful defeat.
 

           "Maya?!" Sandra cried in complete disbelief, when the image of her old friend appeared in her terminal.
            "Sandra! We are approaching the planet’s  orbit. Are you OK down there?"
            As Sandra was confirming that they were all very well, the anxious feature of the Commander filled her screen.
            "Hello, Sahn. How’s Helena? Is she there?" Koenig said, down to the point.
            "Commander! … yes, yes …. And she will flip when…" Sandra Benes-Morrow stared at her Commander. After eight years, the bearded man in the  screen looked a bit different but that well-known energy flashing in those hopeful blue eyes was unmistakable.

            Having talked to her kids, Dr. Helena Russell had left the Monitoring Center much more relaxed and headed back to Medical. Not long after she got to the Clinic she was summoned back to get a new contact at Sahn's station. Alarmed, Helena hurried back, aware as always, how quickly accidents could happen. At Helena's arrival, Sandra’s excited voice announced: "They’re back, Helena! Alpha is contacting us!"

            Engulfed in a cloud of hopeful disbelief, the Doctor astonishingly hurried to a comm terminal desk to sit beside Sandra, paling at the sight of John Koenig staring at her after eight long years. For him, due to the inexplicable time warps, it had been only - only ? - five years since the second and more devastating Moon breakaway had torn his life apart. They both had forgotten to breathe overwhelmed by that unthinkable moment. They had also forgotten they were not on a private channel.
            "John! … I…I cannot believe it is you…" Touching John’s image on the screen, Helena forced her shaking voice pass her throat.
            "It is I, my love. And I’ll die if this is just one of my many dreams of you… if this is a dream I don’t want to wake up ever again," Koenig answered her in a wild grin, trying hard to control his tears. "My God! She’s knock-dead gorgeous! Even more than in my dreams! " John mused dazedly to himself.
            "Neither do I, John". Helena barely noticed her own tears streaming down her face.
            "I’m leaving now. I’ll be there in seven hours…Helena… can’t wait to be with you"
            "I’ll be right here. Hurry, will you?" Helena’s smile matched John’s when he mouthed ‘I love you ’ before cutting the link.

            Helena and Sandra stood together and gazed at each other blankly, then hugged each other. Sandra could feel Helena’s silent sobs against her shoulder. "Well, I guess we won’t be spending the next few nights together on girl talks, will we, Helena?" Sobbed a trembling Sandra, through a flood of tears.

            "No, I guess we won’t, Sahn. I guess we won’t." Came Helena’s reply, through tears of her own.
 

            That evening they were cuddling in front of the fireplace holding each other tightly as if someone would, at any moment, tear them apart There were photographs of the kids that Helena had taken over the years scattered on the coffee table.

            She had missed him so much that she could hardly breathe. She missed his love, the way he looked at her, his touch, his care. She needed to be held by him again as she was now and she had missed making love to him as they had just done.

            With his face buried into her hair, breathing her fragrance he spoke, "Helena…I thought I’d loose my mind from missing you, thinking about the life we were about to begin, our family, and finally, a home on this planet…"
            "I know …I know… and that makes two of us. I’m sure the only thing that prevented me from loosing it was ‘your’ life growing inside of me. And after the kids were born, I wanted to live for them…because it was almost like having you with me…but only almost…"

            "I’m dying to meet them!" Said John, pulling away to touch her forehead with his.
            Matching his soft smile and savoring his breath, Helena spoke with closed eyes: "Oh, John, they are marvelous. I think Jonathan looks so much like you that is almost ‘torturing’. He has your eyes. Vicky has all your energy… well,…" Helena chuckled, remembering how their twins could make anybody who would be looking over them pray for some peace and quiet, well before sunset, "…they both do. They are curious, bright and very loving children."

            His lips caressed her neck and shoulders and kissed her temple. "All these years when I was not dreaming of you, I’d dreamed of our child, sometimes it was a boy, sometimes it was a lovely, smiling blond girl with your green eyes who would come running to throw herself into my arms, and… as I spun her around, suddenly, it was you, there, smiling at me, looking into my eyes and clinging to me…and… I would wake up in despair…missing you like hell."

            "Well, as you saw in the photos, she is a lovely, smiling green-eyed brunette who will surely be utterly delighted in throwing herself into your arms. And brace yourself because they both will. And Jonathan is quite impetuous. He is very generous in kissing and hugging as is his sister. Thank God."

            "Fine with me. That’s exactly what I’ve been needing for much too long."
            Holding him closer, bringing his face to rest on her chest, she was loosing her fingers into his hair and continued, "I, too, lost count of how many times I was awaken to the sound of my own sobs calling out your name…But, that’s over now, we’re together again. We belong into each other’s arms. Just like you, I’m finally back home."

            He fell asleep with his head on her lap, clasping one of her hands as she fingered his hair and smoothed the beard that wasn’t there the last time she watched him sleep too long ago.

            As he opened his eyes, a peaceful smile graced his lips when he saw his woman watching him and caressing his cheek. "Where did it come from?" Helena asked quietly smiling.

            "The beard? …once I read, somewhere, it was a indication of mourning…I was mourning…but not anymore." John pulled Helena down to kiss her soundly.

            "Not anymore, my love. And so, you might have also read about physicians/barbers…" She said, as they parted, with a twinkle in her eyes.

            "I think I’m getting the picture"

            "Come on, John. Let’s go to the bathroom…"

            Then she sat the man she loved in a stool and begin to shave him. From behind him, she laid his head back against her chest to run the razor through his soaped face. Relishing in Helena’s soft touch John reached back to caress her legs. "Watch it, pal. I’m trying to be careful and not to cut off your nose, here." Came her playful warning as she felt the excitement shooting through her entire body, at his touch. Fighting the urge to leave the job unfinished she hurried her apt surgeon's hands to conclude her task. John was already driving her crazy. When she finished his shaving, she slid her cheek against his, testing the softness left by her job. Feeling her skin against his and the scent of her hair John breathed to himself, "That does it!". No longer able to resist her nearness, he took the razor from her hands and pulled her to his embrace, "That’s enough, Doc." He was already sliding his hand beneath her blouse, kissing her breasts and pulling her to his lap where she held him tightly, trailing eager kisses all over his face, eyes, cheeks and neck….
 

            Six months of parenthood experience were proving to be the most challenging task John Koenig could ever imagine. And he was loving every minute of that. He would be quite a gullible prey if it weren’t for Helena’s expertise to help and coach him. Vicky could convince her father of almost anything, just like "somebody" else with those same green eyes. He doted upon her. On the other hand, John never tired of listening to and talking with Jonathan who was always eager for those opportunities when he could have his father’s undivided attention as well as have him engaged in some ‘strictly man stuff’ - for a change!

            The two younger Koenigs could argue indefinitely, disputing for both parent’s attention.

            "Jon! You have this stupid idea that Mom belongs only to you!" From the kitchen, John heard his daughter shout at her brother.

            "Well, Sis, you know, I AM her first-born and only son AND ‘her prince’, as she herself always says!". Came the boy’s answer, a mischievous and teasing smile intended to rib his sister.

            "Ha-ha-ha! Big deal! Another stupid idea of yours! Lame logic! I am her only daughter, for that matter!

            "- Lame logic -(!)". John marveled at Vicky’s high level vocabulary. But now it was time to break that argument and restore some peace AND quiet!

            "Now, come here the two of you" John irrupted from the kitchen to the living room to pick up his kids, one at each of his arms and take them to the porch. "What’s the matter with you, guys?" He whispered earnestly and calmly . "All this dispute and professed love for Mommy and nobody remembers she’s upstairs trying to rest and relax a bit before dinner. I want to hear no more shouting tonight, have I made myself clear enough?

            The twins faced their father who sat down of the steps of the porch and pulled them down to sit beside him, Jonathan and Vicky joined in an almost simultaneous and apologetic "Sorry, dad." To that Koenig couldn’t help himself. He cracked an understanding smile to his kids, gathering them into his arms and kissing their cheeks. "That’s okay. Let’s go back inside and finish to prepare dinner together, eh?" Koenig got back inside towed by his two trotting kids.

            With the kids put to bed, John and Helena were enjoying some small talk in their porch. John perched on the rail and Helena leaned back against his chest. From behind her, John touch her cheek with his own and then kissed her temple as they both gazed at the moon above them. John looked down at Helena as she sunk deeper into his embrace. "Getting sleepy, Beautiful?" John whispered into her silky hair.

            "Not really, but I had a tiring day. I guess I’ve been feeling kind of strange today - - maybe a bit dizzy…" Helena confessed as she begin, again, to see the moon as if it were going round and round. John tightened his grip around her as she went limp in his arms and barely conscious by the time John eased her down to the couch in their living room.

            Shortly, Ben Vincent was there making a house call and tending to an already conscious and impatient doctor. " I’m all right now… it was just a dizzy spell…"
            "Yeah, sure," cut in a no less impatient and concern John Koenig, "…and since when do you go around fainting and having dizzy spells out of the blue, Doctor ?"

            "Oh, John! It’s really nothing…much" said Helena exchanging a quick but meaningful glance with her colleague. Koenig did not miss the silent dialogue. "And just what is that supposed to mean, is there something I don’t know about?

            "I’ll tell you what. Just to put everyone’s concerns to rest, let’s run some exams, OK? I’ll get everything set up, tomorrow, first thing in the morning, right? See you both then. Good night, Chief, John..." With that Ben Vincent stood to leave. And John accompanied the doctor out. "Ben," Koenig began worriedly. But Ben cut in, "John, I don’t want to jump to conclusions before I have all the facts. For now I don’t see anything serious to worry about. If it makes you feel better, come with her to the Clinic, tomorrow. No breakfast until after the tests…I mean for her. But she knows that. Good night, John."

            "Good night, Ben. We’ll be there - first thing in the morning. And, Ben, thanks for coming."

            "Anytime, John, anytime."

            Back inside Koenig sat beside his wife. At least, she didn’t look so pale anymore. John took Helena’s hands as she gave him a comforting smile and kissed his cheek. "Don’t worry, hon. It’s really nothing serious."

            "But, Helena, aside from alien attacks and Eagle crashes you don’t usually fall unconscious due to many other reasons." Quipped John with a hint of concern obviously showing.

            "I know, Darling, but are you really sure I don’t?" She smiled coyly at her husband, a teasing tone in her voice.

            "What you mean? Aside from the reason I just mentioned, the last time I saw you displaying symptoms like that you were expec…" his voice trailed off as realization sunk in. Raising a brow,  he breathed: "Oh, boy!"

            "Well, that’s one of the possibilities, yes." Helena chuckled loosing her fingers through John’s hair in a soft and calming gesture.
 
 

            In a few months, John sat on the couch happily cradling Helena in his arms. His hands were caressing her protruding stomach. Feeling the moves of their unborn child, he was utterly delighted. He had missed that wonderful pleasure when she bore their twins…but this time he would stick around like a mother hen. Wild horses wouldn’t take him away from her -this time around!

                        Helena had her duty hours cut to a minimum and  was ordered to be off her feet as much as possible. It had been a long while since her last pregnancy. And this one was proving to be a bit more complicated than she was expecting.

            The blond doctor could distinctly recognize the differences between the two pregnancies. Save from the Braxton-Hicks contractions she seemed so prone to have, the twins’ pregnancy was quite uneventful. The worst part was not having John with her. This time he was with her and worried sick with the false labor episodes, although she had been assuring him they were perfect normal and that she had had those same contractions throughout the time she bore the twins. Nevertheless, what she wouldn’t admit to John was that these ones were more painful. But he would worry anyway. She would never forget the first time he witnessed one of these ‘episodes’. He had been over to pick her up at the Clinic. She was just crossing from the wards to get her things at her office. John was waiting for her in the doorway watching as she approached when the contraction hit her, too suddenly and sharply for her to manage soothing his shock. Drained of color, she stumbled lightly to the wall gasping in painful surprise. As pale as his wife, John Koenig darted to her, frantically gathering her in his arms. Bob Mathias ran to the couple as he heard John’s tense tone calling out Helena’s name. After the pain eased away, it took quite awhile for both doctors to convince John those symptoms were ‘perfectly normal’.
 

            Another difference: the morning sicknesses were more constant. She was also inflicted by dizzy spells which had not been such a problem by the time she was expecting Jonathan and Victoria, and she began to tire more easily.

            It was a real blessing when the delivery turned out to be quick and relatively easy.
 

            Jonathan and Vickie were thrilled by the new addition to the family and were gracefully coming to terms with the wee bits of jealousy over their parents’ attention towards little Jason.

            For that night, Jonathan was pretty happy to have his mother hugging him and doting on him for awhile. In the couch opposite theirs John was rocking Jason in his arms with Vicky by his side, reading a book her father had brought her earlier.

            "Jace seems to be asleep." Helena changed the subject of their chat as she saw Vicky suppressing a yawn.

            "And so does Jonathan." John replied and Helena looked down at her older son sleeping with his head pillowed on her lap. She smoothed his dark hair, smiling fondly in silent adoration. "Two down, one to go. " At this Vicky raised an amused look from her book towards her father. "Ready for bed, Princess?"

            "Oh, no, Dad. Not yet."

            "Oh yes, Sweetheart. It’s late. Come with me to put the baby in his cradle and then is bed for you too. Mom will be right there to kiss you good night" Turning from his daughter to Helena he motioned towards Jonathan "I’ll be right back to get him. Stay put!"

            In a little while, John and Helena were lying in a hammock on the porch, softly rocking and delighting in the cool breeze of the night and in each other’s nearness. John Koenig felt himself at peace and as happy as he could have never dreamed possible. Not only had he reached their ‘promised land’ but holding Helena in his arms and looking into her eyes now, he knew they truthfully agreed that life couldn’t get any better.