"I'm sorry. You can't come in here." I explained hurriedly who I was. "Why of course, Doctor," she said. "Here's a gown and mask ... but hurry ... she's well into the second stage now." I pushed open the door of Delivery Room number three. The doctor looked around and his eyes widened in surprise above the mask as he recognized me. It was Ray Thorne. "Pat, look who's here!" he said. Her hair was wet and her upper lip moist from the strain and the warmth of the room. I bent over her and her eyes were big as she recognized me. "Darling, you got here! You got here just in time!" In that highly emotional moment she was not her usual stoical self. She began to cry. I dropped my mask. The hell with so-called sterile technique! These bugs were all in the family. I kissed her. She smiled even though a hard pain was beginning. "Now it will be all right," she whispered. I hung on to her hand and looked up at the mirror that pictured the other end of the delivery table. "Push hard now," Ray said, as the baby's head came down. She strained and gasped, her face reddened with effort. "OK, I've got it ... easy now ... easy now," Ray was saying. Her mouth opened as if to scream but no sound came. "Gently does it. Don't push any more." She squeezed down on my hand and the nails bit into me. I stroked her head. Her body tensed with one last spasm and then I heard the suction going as the baby gasped. She loosened her grip and went limp. "It's a boy ... a boy!" Ray shouted, his eyes twinkling with pleasure over the mask as he held the child up by the feet. The sharp wail of my first-born son was loud in the room. I put my face down to Pat as she cried for joy. * * * * * Back in the Laboratory I passed by the offices until I came to the electron microscope room. Polly was busy setting up for a picture but turned at the noise. "John, darling! Oh, I'm so happy to see you." She came over to me, put her hands on my shoulders and kissed me. "Have you seen Pat yet? But of course you have. How is she? Has she had that baby yet?" "Yes I have. She's doing fine. It's a boy." "Wonderful!" she exclaimed, and kissed me again. "That's for good luck," she explained. "You three will make such a nice family." Her smile faded as the sun goes behind a cloud and for an instant her eyes, though still on my face, seemed to look far away beyond me into infinity. "And what about you Polly?" I said quietly. "Harry's dead!" she said abruptly, her mouth held firm to still the trembling of her chin. "God! No!" I reached out and took her hands. "Polly!" I shook my head. I couldn't think of a thing to say. She took a deep breath and tried to relax, to shake off whatever terrible picture she had imagined of his ending. "Pat tells me she wrote to you about Harry getting to the Chinese mainland," she said at last.