Thad laughed and pushed the lounge room door open for her, leaned past to hold it as she went through. He nodded to two men deep in discussion near the door, waved to a group across the room. It was cheerful and late-afternoon-feeling inside. A handsome red-haired girl detached herself from a knot of white-coated technicians at the tea table and approached them. “Hi, Ree.” His voice held a special warmth that made Lisa look again, more closely, at the girl. It was astonishing, really, how many of these girl scientists were lovely women as well.... _Well! How quaint! Shades of great-granddad!_ ... but it was true, all the same, she thought stubbornly. You just _didn’t_ see this particular kind of--well, loved-loveliness--in most busy-brain career types on Earth. But here, even the plain ones seemed to have that sort of _glow_.... _So?_ There were at least as many men as women here, she reminded herself--and no fluffy chicks to grab off the men from the brainy types. So why shouldn’t they look loved-and-lovely? They _were_, that’s all. As to wit, Thad’s voice just now.... _Oh, Johnny! Johnny, come back! Wherever you are, all the rest of you, darling--come back!_ The three of them sat together, drinking hot tea and talking: the dance, and biology, McLafferty and psychosomatic cures, the current topics of gossip and news in the Dome--all but one, Lisa thought. None of them mentioned John Wendt. _He’s down by now, I guess._... “What time does the rocket get down to Earth usually?” she asked. “Oh, six, seven, eight, maybe nine--depends on the Belt and ionosphere conditions, mostly.” She nodded, sipped tea. It was nearly six now; he’d be on Relay, or on the way down. What was he thinking? What had he been thinking...? Nothing, of course. He’d been asleep all this time. Four days in her life that had simply _not-been_ for him: it was a strange thought, and an unpleasant one. * * * * * She was up in her room, just done changing for dinner, when Chris phoned, to tell her he’d received clearance on the Earth landing. “I just wanted to let you know,” he said a bit awkwardly. “Everything’s fine....” “Johnny--?” She took a firm grip on the words this time: “Johnny was all right? He wasn’t upset, or--anything?” “He’s fine. Tell you the truth, Lee, I asked for a special call on it. He came out of it fine. Calm. Sent word he’d meet you at Baja next week.” “Oh thank _God_!” She had not meant that to be said aloud; she was not even _certain_ that she had. But the words stayed in her brain like a refrain for hours afterward: _thank God, oh, thank God!_ “... told them I’d ask you, and see what you....” “I’m sorry, Chris. I was wandering. I missed something.” “The World Dome call.” “Which World Dome call?”