"God, I'm lucky that I have such a smart wife who prepares for anything," John said as Fred put the ice in the bag for him. He took the pain pill with some water and then took the bag from her, holding it against his hand. He wanted to make a joke about not using his fists next time, but that was too morbid, even for him. Instead, he leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Thank you."
Once they had eaten, John sat back on the bed while Fred called her friend in Las Vegas. It was obvious from her side of the conversation that she knew this Nick well. When the conversation turned to being there tomorrow evening, he furrowed his brow, wondering what was going on. This whirlwind tour that they were going on was just about to add another leg it seemed.
Before he could ask what was going on when she hung up the phone, she explained to him what her friend had found. "A fourth relic?" he asked, shaking his head in amazement. "To quote Alice in Wonderland, 'Curiouser and Curioser'. Of course, I don't mind. Do you think you'll be up to it, though."
He placed his hand over her stomach and looked into her eyes. "You'll let me know if this becomes too much for you, right? I don't want you feeling you have to keep going, just because all of this is going on. You and the baby are more important to me than anything else."