Impregnation occurred immediately, and the three months of that first pregnancy were the best they had ever known. Katherine looked and felt beautiful and even traveled to the Far East at her husband's side. The pregnancy ended in the lavatory of an airplane, blue water washing away her hope as she cried.

The second pregnancy took two years to accomplish and all but destroyed the sex life that had once been a pillar of their relationship. The fertility specialist had pinpointed the right moment in her estrus cycle at a time of day that was difficult for Thorn to be with her, and he had felt foolish and used as month after month he left his office to perform the perfunctory, mechanical task. It was even suggested that he masturbate so that his semen could be injected artificially, but here he drew the line. If a child were that important to her, she could adopt. But she would have none of it. The child had to be their own.

In the end one lonely cell found another, and for five and a half months hope again bloomed. This time the pains began in a supermarket and Katherine doggedly continued her shopping, trying to deny it until it could be denied no longer. It was a blessing, they said, because the fetus was impaired, but this only furthered her despair and she slipped into a depression that took six months to relieve. It was the third time now, and Thorn knew it was the last. If something went wrong this time, it would be the end of her sanity.

The plane touched down on the runway and there was a spattering of light applause, an open admission that the passengers were delighted, even somewhat surprised, to have made it back down alive. Why do we fly? wondered Thorn. Is life all that dispensable? He remained in his seat as others groped for their carry-ons, crushing toward the door. He would be VIP'd off, taken quickly through customs, into a waiting car. It was the nicest part of coming back to Rome, for here he was something of a celebrity. As the President's economic advisor, he was chairman of the World Economy Conference which had been moved from Zurich to Rome. The initial four-week agenda had droned on now for close to six months, and in that time the paparazzi had begun to notice him, the rumor spreading that in a few years hence he himself would be a U.S. Presidential hopeful.

At the age of forty-two, he was in his prime, having carefully paved the way for what now seemed inevitable. His appointment as chairman of the Economy Conference put him in the public eye, providing a stepping-stone to an ambassadorship, a cabinet position, then, probably, elected office. That the man who was now President of the United States was once his college roommate was no hindrance, but actually Thorn had done it on his own.