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    “Come on, Kate,” I heard Billi say, encouragement clear in her voice.
    I looked at her and she nodded at me and I was finally able to respond. I peeled his pinky away from his fist, holding it with my whole hand, then pulled it backward until his hands released me.
    Then he had me face him, my body in a defensive stance. As he approached me, I saw Trevor’s face superimposed over his and panic engulfed me. The instructor must have seen the fear in my eyes, because he stopped short and didn’t touch me. I stared at him, his face coming into focus as Trevor’s face faded. Steve must have been able to tell that I had gotten control over my fear because he asked if I was ready to try it again. I nodded and he backed up a couple of steps, then walked quickly toward me. I used my arms to deflect his attempt to grab me, then used one hand to push him in the chest and force him to take a step back.
    “Very good,” he said.
    Proud that I was able to successfully execute the moves I’d learned, I felt even happier that I had been able to push Trevor from my mind.
    But what if it had actually been Trevor? All good feelings fled as I realized that a real encounter with Trevor might end up differently than my brief encounter with my instructor, which had been in a controlled environment.
    I suddenly wanted to practice more. Fortunately, Steve told us to find a partner and take turns being the assailant and victim. Billi and I worked together perfecting our movements. Steve came around to each pair, correcting where needed and praising when deserved. Billi and I were doing pretty well. He only had to make a few suggestions to help us get it right.
    At the end of class I was exhausted. I said good night to Billi and we went our separate ways.
    The next morning I put the last coat of paint on the walls of the baby’s room. While cleaning up, I thought about the baby. He or she was still kind of an abstract idea. I couldn’t feel any movement yet and I hadn’t heard the heartbeat. I knew I needed to go to a doctor for a checkup to make sure everything was proceeding normally. I had been taking over the counter prenatal vitamins though and trying to eat healthy, so I didn’t think the doctor would tell me to do anything different.
    Now that I was feeling settled in, it was time to find a doctor and make an appointment. I guessed I was about ten weeks along, so I knew I should go to a doctor soon.
    As I stood at the kitchen sink patting the paint brush dry on a paper towel, I gazed out the window into the backyard. Mary had told me I could plant flowers or vegetables. I had done a little gardening with Dad and had enjoyed the result. I decided I’d buy some plants and beautify the yard.
    I had let Greta out of her crate before I started washing out the paint brushes and now she was jumping on my leg, trying to get my attention. As I looked down at her, I wondered if she would destroy anything I planted. I decided I would figure that out later.
    I took Greta out back to play for a while, then I put her in the crate before driving to a local plant nursery. Walking up and down the rows of flowers, I enjoyed the process of selecting colorful flowers that pleased me. I bought some hand tools to help me with the job, then took my purchases home.
    I had lived in the house less than a week, but was quickly beginning to feel at home there. I still had several things I wanted to do to make it my own, but I felt good about all that I had accomplished so far.
    Opening the side gate, I made several trips to bring all of my purchases into the backyard. Once done, I latched the gate and went into the house so I could let Greta into the backyard while I worked. She pranced around, anxious to have me toss the ball for her. I threw it a few times, then set it at my feet.
    “I’m going to plant these flowers now, girl. You’re going to have to keep yourself entertained for a while.”
    She picked the ball up and looked in my direction, a