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eyes to the sky. “In addition to the goldfish and turtle, we have two dogs, a cat, and a parakeet. I don’t think more animals is the answer.”
    “May I make a suggestion for Will?” Carolyn offered.
    “Please do,” Marilyn said promptly.
    “Well, when I was growing up, the boy next door was a real animal lover,” Carolyn told her. “Like Will, he really enjoyed looking after his pets. So his father arranged for him to work on the weekends, without pay, for the local vet. That boy is now the town’s veterinarian. You could talk with your vet and see if he can arrange a similar position for Will.”
    “What a wonderful idea!” Marilyn exclaimed. “Thank you so much for that.”
    “You’re very welcome,” Carolyn replied.
    “Both of you are becoming so special to me,” Marilyn said warmly. “We’ll have two bottles of Dom Pérignon around seven tonight. Is that convenient for you?”
    “Perfect,” Carolyn and David responded almost simultaneously.
    “And thank you for agreeing to look after Sol if the need arises,” Marilyn said to David.
    “No problem,” David said.
    “See you two at seven then.”
    David watched Marilyn walk away, her husband’s illness still on his mind. Sol Wyman required medications to control his angina, despite having undergone coronary bypass surgery. And that meant he continued to have coronary artery insufficiency and was an ideal candidate for a full-blown myocardial infarction.
    “What’s causing that faraway look on your face?” Carolyn broke into his thoughts.
    “I was thinking what would happen if Sol blocked off his bypass and had an acute myocardial infarction,” David answered quietly.
    Carolyn shuddered to herself. “We’d never be able to handle it. The sick bay hasn’t got any monitoring equipment and no anticoagulants or antiarrhythmic drugs.”
    “And if he went into shock, he’d be dead,” David added.
    “A nightmare,” Carolyn thought aloud.
    “We’d better hope it doesn’t happen.”
    Carolyn took his arm and hugged it. “This ship is turning into another ER for you, isn’t it?”
    David nodded. “It seems like it so far.”
    “This was supposed to be a vacation away from all that stress,” Carolyn said wistfully. “A nice, relaxing time. But then again, doctors are never really off duty, are they?”
    David shrugged. “It comes with the territory.”
    ———
    Munching on a giant bag of potato chips, Kit and Will carefully studied the list of movies available on the Grand Atlantic . The luxury liner had two large theaters as well as a library filled with DVDs of the most recent hit shows.
    “Look!” Kit called out. “They’ve got the newest Spider-Man !”
    “I saw it,” Will told her.
    “Is it any good?”
    “Real good.”
    “Want to see it again?”
    “Sure,” Will said enthusiastically. “We can get a big box of popcorn and some sodas on the way in.”
    Kit checked the listings, then her watch. “Shoot! It doesn’t start for over an hour.”
    “I know something we can do to pass the time,” Will said, and looked over to the pool area to make sure no one was within earshot. “It’ll be really cool.”
    “Like what?”
    Will hesitated as he glanced around once more. “Can you keep a secret?”
    “Of course.”
    “Even from your dad?”
    “Yeah,” Kit said with uncertainty. “I guess.”
    “You’ve got to promise,” Will insisted.
    “Okay,” Kit said and crossed her heart. “I promise.”
    “Let’s go!”
    They hurried past the pool and lounge chairs, and through a door that opened into a narrow passageway. The area was hot and humid, with a staircase that went down at a sharp angle. Carefully, they descended the stairs, watching their every step. Will led the way while he held Kit’s hand.
    “We’ve got to go real slow,” Will cautioned. “Everything is covered with moisture and really slippery.”
    “Okay,” Kit said in a low voice. She was excited to be on a new adventure with Will, but