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"Thank you," was all she could say. Susan sat on the sofa, surrounded by all the paperwork detailing his worth, more than she ever imagined, still unsure of what to do.

"Susan, I love you..."

She put the notebooks down on the coffee table and looked at him, his face just as truthful as the day he said he loved her for the first time when she suddenly passed out, falling back against the sofa.

"Susan... Susan... oh, damn... Mom, call for an ambulance!"

*****

"Well, Mr. Congers, it's been a shock to her system, what with her amnesia and what you've told me you told her. She's been calling for you; let me take you to her." The doctor led the way to the hospital room where Susan was resting.

"Jerry," she said, "I remember... I remember it all." She put her arm up to reach for him and he took her hand in his.

"You remember?" What he had prayed for had happened yet he couldn't believe it.

"Yes. I was sitting on the sofa and you were showing me some notebooks and then it was all black and when I woke up here it all came back. It was a lovely wedding and now I remember it, I'm so glad. I thought it was lost forever. And, another thing, we're going to have a baby. I'm so happy."

Jerry was astonished; he had his wife back and now a baby, too. He sat down on the room's visitor chair and took a deep breath. It had been a day of surprises.

*****

Jerry hired the same nurse again to help with Susan's pregnancy, not wanting to take any chances with her or the baby's lives. The woman drove Susan to Crystal's house each morning and back again each afternoon.

Jerry drove to the high school, wanting to talk to his friend, Vince. He parked in front of the school on the street and walked up to the main door. This time there were plenty of students waiting for classes to begin.

"Good morning," Vince said, immediately offering a chair to his largest benefactor. "Would you like a Coke?"

"No, thanks, I'm good; just dropped by to say 'hi' and drop off another check." Jerry pulled it out of his pocket and handed it over the desk to Vince who was amazed at the amount.

"Are you sure?" he asked, not believing his eyes.

"What goes around, comes around. You know, I will take that drink."

Vince jumped up and practically ran into the faculty room to get a selection of drinks as well as six donuts which he brought in with help from the librarian who had just arrived.

"Good morning," she said, putting the dish of donuts down on the desktop, waiting to be introduced.

"Um, this is Mary, our librarian, just out of college, USC. She also proctors the speech and debate team."

"Nice to meet you," said Jerry, shaking her hand. "I spent many an afternoon in the library. Brother Charles was here, then."

"I've heard many things about him," offered Mary to the conversation. "It was nice meeting you." She left the two men and headed toward the library, talking to several girls along the way.

"Cute... and smart, but you're married."

"Right, and I want to stay that way," he laughed, taking a bite from the Krispy Kreme donut that was coating his fingers with glaze. "Man, this is good."

"Have another."

"Thanks, don't mind if I do."

*****

He quickly drove home and parked on the street, leaving the driveway for his wife's car which was noticeably missing from the house and then he remembered she was at Crystal's for the end of the month reports.

At Crystal's house, the two women were yelling at the printer which refused to work and then Crystal went into the baby's room to change the diaper while Susan continued to yell at the printer, needing the reports to be finished. She touched the cable leading from the computer to the printer and then there was the welcome clatter of the printer as it eased into printing mode.

One after another, the papers slid out of the machine waiting for her signature which would have to wait for Jerry to arrive. She was glad that it worked without having to have her husband fix it, something that would have been embarrassing considering it was only a loose cable. Maybe there was something wrong with the cable, she thought, for how could the cable have gotten loose?

The rumble outside announced the arrival of her husband and she went to open the door as he came up the walk. She greeted him with a kiss and open arms, asking how his visit to the school had gone.

"It was fine," he answered, "except the librarian... well, never mind. I had some donuts and so I went over and got you some. They're really good." He laughed, holding out the bag of sweets to his wife.

"Thank you, sweetheart, just what I needed. Crystal, we have donuts!"

Taking the donuts into the kitchen, she set the bag down on the table and then went back to the office where the report was waiting. "Some of the renters are in arrears and there's nothing we can do about it because of the COVID regulations so we're going to have to watch that carefully. I made the mortgage payments from the outstanding balance we have for the houses."

"I was expecting that," he said, "nothing we can do about it now, just keep ahead of it. Fortunately, we're in good shape regardless of what happens. How about some donuts?"

Susan laughed. "You and your donuts... might as well have one, I guess."

"Like you don't like them. How's the baby?" He listened for sounds that the child was awake.

"She's fine, growing like a weed."

"That's good; I'm glad." He went into the living room and sat down on the recliner he had bought; it was easier on his back and easier to get up from. Susan brought him the report, all twenty-six pages of it and he spent the next ten minutes carefully reading it, skimming those that he knew were the same as last month and gazing intently those pages that were having financial difficulty.

"There's not a lot we can do right now, just hope that people will be honest when the time comes. I wonder how the state expects mortgage payers to make their payments when there's no rent coming in." He signed the report and handed it to Susan.

"Fortunately, we're in a good position that others don't have, thank God."

"That's true," he answered. "Crystal! How are you, today?"

"I'm fine, thank you. And, yourself?"

"I had an interesting morning at my old high school... got some donuts, have some."

"Thanks." She reached into the bag and brought out one of the sugary sweet donuts, taking a bite and getting sugar on her mouth. "Mmmm. These are so good."

The phone rang.

"South Bay Properties..." answered Susan. "Yes, that's right. Uh, huh... not at the moment... may I have your name and number? ...thank you for calling." She hung up the phone and turned to Jerry. "Prospective tenants, but we don't have anything right now." She wrote down the information and filed it away.

The nurse came out of the bathroom, still combing her hair. "Good morning, Mr. Congers."

"Good morning... how are you?"

"Fine, thank you." She moved to the living room and sat on the couch, picking up the magazine that she had been reading.

Susan returned from filing the report and sat down next to Jerry, reaching across and holding his hand. She smiled at him, wishing his pain would disappear.

"I suppose you might as well hear about it. I gave the school a million dollars for scholarships."

She was amazed at his generosity but then realized she shouldn't be surprised, he had always been generous to those who needed it. "That's very nice of you," she said, knowing whatever she said would pale in comparison to what he had done.

*****

He wasn't going to ask her to get sandwiches anymore, the accident had left permanent psychological scars in the back of her mind and she was afraid to drive. He wasn't sure how to address that. He called Subway to have sandwiches delivered by Doordash, getting Susan's and Crystal's favorites. He hoped it would be enough.

A half-hour later the sandwiches arrived and they sat in the living room eating them with the television on in the background. His mother preferred to eat her own cooking for lunch so he didn't feel so guilty about not getting her anything to eat.

He wanted to take Susan to the Charthouse in Redondo Beach but it still wasn't open for dinner. He wondered how much longer would the pandemic continue; it was driving everyone crazy and the new world was as unpleasant as possible without it being all out war.

*****

Susan was bent over the toilet, wiping her mouth as she finished vomiting for the third day in a row. "Owww," she moaned as her breakfast had come back. The nurse was with her, holding her back for support. "I feel miserable."

"You'll be OK in a few weeks. For some women it's normal to have morning sickness, sort of a rite of passage."

Susan stood up, then leaned on the sink for a moment as her stomach settled. "Thank you," was all she could say, this morning the worst of the three. "A few weeks... oh, I don't know if I'll live that long."

"You'll be OK," repeated the nurse, hoping there was enough 7-UP to settle Susan's stomach. She took the uncomfortable woman into the bedroom and helped her change into her clothes for the day.

Jerry's mother walked in, asking if she could do anything to help. Both Susan and the nurse answered "no." Clara walked back into the living room and turned on the television news but soon grew tired of the depressing events happening across the country.

Jerry was outside, looking at his car shining in the morning sun, wanting to go for a ride but knew his wife wasn't feeling well and so gave up on that idea.

His neighbor, Phil, walked over for their usual Saturday morning talk. "How's married life treating you?" he asked, offering a beer.

Jerry was always amazed at how someone could drink beer at eight in the morning, no matter how hot it might be. "It's fine. Susan is going to have a baby, that's good. But, she still is afraid to drive. I hope that goes away. She needs to get back to normal. I worry about her every day."

Phil didn't know what to say, not expecting more than a simple "good" to his question. He also didn't know Jerry's financial situation, something that Jerry had kept quiet, figuring it was nobody's business but his own... and Susan's.

Phil thought about inviting Jerry to go golfing but each time remembered his war injury and decided to not say anything. "Want to go fishing, sometime?"

"I'd like that but not right now. Susan's having it rough with her pregnancy and I want to be around in case there's something wrong."

"OK, maybe some other time."

"Thanks." Jerry shook hands goodbye and walked to his car, opening the hood to look at the engine. He loved that car and the sound that it made as he drove down the street.

He heard a noise and turned around to see Susan standing there. "Can I sit in the car?" she asked, putting her hand on his arm.

"Of course, anytime." He handed her the keys and walked her around to the driver's side, opening the door for her as she got in. He was happy that she was trying, fighting her fears.

He went around to the other side and sat down, leaving the door open so that the car wouldn't heat up. Surprisingly, she started the car and put her hands on the wheel, turning it slightly left and right as she felt the rumble vibrate to her fingers as she gave it some gas, pressing the accelerator down and the car shifted a bit.

"I'd forgotten how it was," she said, taking the brake off and putting the car into gear, speeding down the street, causing Jerry to reach over and slam his door closed, amazed at what she was doing.

"Eeeehaww," she said, slowing down for the stop sign, coming to a halt and then swinging around to the right heading to the main street. Jerry quickly buckled his seatbelt and started to pray that she knew what she was doing. Soon they were on the boulevard traveling south. "I want some of those ribs," she said, going faster until they were speeding toward Torrance. Jerry hoped there weren't any police around, he hated the idea that the Challenger would get impounded.

A half-hour later, they arrived at the Del Amo shopping center, thankfully without getting a ticket or worse. Jerry wondered what had gotten into Susan. He wanted to ask but was afraid of spoiling the moment.

Susan parked the car in the handicapped reserve and got out to help him leave the car. She heard the chirp as she locked the car and they walked toward the restaurant until she realized they had forgotten their masks and she hurried back to get them. They entered and had to wait for a table, Jerry's leg starting to bother him until they sat down.

"Let's split the ribs, OK?" she asked. They ordered ice tea and asked for a split order of beef ribs. Ten minutes or so, the food arrived, a dish in the middle of the table and two empty plates, one for each of them.

"Smell that food," Jerry said, looking at the ribs. "I forgot the gloves; I guess we'll have to use the warm towels."

"That's OK; this is more fun."

They bit hungrily into the succulent meat, both glad they were back to normal, as much as could be following everything that had happened.

"I think," began Susan, "that we're going to have trouble with the rents for a while."

"You're right. I was thinking the same thing. At least we have the money to cover any shortfalls."

"After we leave, I want to go bed."

"It's only three o'clock... oh." Jerry blushed.

*****

Later that day, they lay on the bed, holding hands. She took his hand and kissed it. "When the baby comes," she started to say, "it's going to change everything."

"For the good, the better, you know what I mean."

"Yes, I do," she answered. "Are we keeping the nurse?"

"Yes, we are, just like I did for Crystal. Why, is there something wrong?"

"Oh, no, just asking... have you thought about a bigger house?"

"Yes, I have. There aren't any in this neighborhood, unless we add on, maybe a second story. I've seen a couple that have been done on the next street."

"Well, we won't need the nurse forever; maybe it won't be necessary to do anything." She took her hand and rubbed his chest, tousling his hair, then reaching lower, bring him to hardness once again. Susan moved on top and guided him in, feeling his warmth against her own as she began to move the best she could.

The room was warm, the windows closed due to the smoke from the fires and soon they were wet with passion. She laughed. "This room smells of us." She helped him up from the bed and into the bathroom shower after waiting for the water to warm up. They stood together, the water cascading down through their hair as she soaped him carefully, not wanting him to fall on the slippery tiles. She reminded herself to get a mat for the shower, wondering why she hadn't thought of it before.

After their shower, they went into the living room where the nurse was sitting, watching television. "How are you feeling?" she asked, enjoying the easiest job she's ever had.

"Fine, thank you," answered Susan, sitting next to her on the sofa. Whatever was on television was lost to her, not really paying attention. "I think I'll fix some spaghetti."

She got up and went into the kitchen, pulling out a large pot and a sauce pan. After the water was boiling, she put in the pasta and watched the clock on the stove. The sauce was warming and in the oven was a loaf of bread getting toasty.

Mary, the nurse, came into the kitchen and got dishes for the table and began to set the table. Soon, everything was ready to eat and Susan called her husband and mother in law.

"Smells good," said Clara, sitting down and being waited upon for a change, usually doing the dinner cooking. She put her hands together to say grace. "Thank you, Jesus, for watching over Susan and Crystal and everyone."

After dinner, they all watched Netflix although Susan wasn't really into it and went to bed at nine o'clock, looking at Jerry who followed her into the bedroom. "Are you OK?" he asked, worried.

"Just tired," she answered, "hold me, please."

He held her to him, folding her into his arms, warming her with his heat.

She finally stepped back and took off her dress, getting into bed and pulling the covers over her. Jerry put her dress into the hamper, took his own clothes off and got into bed, reaching for his wife and holding her to him. "I love you," he whispered into her hair but there was no response, she was already asleep.

*****

Susan was still in bed when he left the house, driving over to Crystal's house to ask about some things. "So, how are things going?"

"As well as can be expected. We have those houses that aren't paying and there's nothing that can be done about that, but other than that, things are good."

"How do you see Susan? Is she tired, or what?"

"Yes, she's more tired, tiring easily now, what with the baby coming. I remember how it was with me."

*****

The next day, he hired a cook and a housekeeper to take care of things. The house became a little crowded with the extra help but he didn't care, it was something he should have thought about earlier and felt stupid that it took this long. Maybe it was time to look at a bigger house although he liked the neighborhood.

"How would you like to move? I mean, to a bigger house, with the baby coming and all the help and everything."

She nodded her head and soon the couple, the mother and the nurse got into the Malibu and drove out towards Palos Verdes to see what was available. They met with the real estate agent that Jerry had called and were taken around in her van, soon finding one that Susan fell in love with, an eight bedroom house overlooking the bay to the north; the view was fantastic.

The asking price was six and a half million and had not sold thanks to the epidemic. Jerry wrote out a check and asked for a quick escrow.

*****

The three women he had hired to help Susan were ecstatic about the move, much to Jerry's relief and a month later they were all moved in to the new house. New furniture came with the new house, something that Susan was happy to get delivered, making the house truly her home.

With the move, more responsibility came to Crystal who got a raise commensurate with her new duties. Although she missed Susan, she was grateful for the opportunity.

The sea breeze alleviated somewhat the thick smoke that had blanketed the Los Angeles area and the windows were all closed as the air conditioner ran to clear the house air.

"Are you happy?" he asked, looking at his pregnant wife for the hundredth time as he sat up in bed.

"Yes, are you?" she replied, gazing back at the man she had found again.

"Yes, I am. I was so worried," he said, knowing that it could have all been lost so easily. He put his hand on her stomach, feeling the baby move beneath his fingers as he massaged her skin.

"Oh, look at the time," she said as she got out of bed. "It's ten o'clock, oh, my..."

"So what?" said Jerry, reaching for her and bringing her back to him. "Come here."

Susan snuggled against her husband, feeling his arms surround her as his fingers massaged her breast. "Mmmmm," she whispered.

*****

Not too much later they fell into a routine that suited them, the nurse taking daily temperatures of everyone and then looking after Susan's health and monitoring the baby's progress.

"Everything looks good," she said, writing in her journal the results and comparing them with what was expected. She put away her equipment and helped Susan up from the chair. Once a week she did a sonogram and printed out the picture, putting it into an album.

Several months later, Susan gave birth to a sweet baby girl who she named Clara after Jerry's mother. She found an internet channel that played oldies and had it in the baby's room, giving the child something to listen to when she wasn't being held by her parents.

Jerry had left his old house empty so that it was available when they returned to the neighborhood to see Crystal. The drive was too long to do on a daily basis but they made the journey every couple of weeks. She kept them apprised every day through emails and phone calls.