Perfect Partners

“Step back from the situation emotionally and make a logical decision matrix.”
    “I’ll try that, Dad.” Letty slumped in her chair, glumly aware that she was in too deep to make a rational, unemotional, logical decision about anything that involved Joel Blackstone.
    “I’m ready,” Stephanie said as she came down the hall. “Shall we go, Letty? It should be a very interesting class tonight. Dr. Marklethorpe is a renowned expert on infant and early childhood development. He’s done some important research on psychological and motor function in the first six weeks of life.”
    “His own life or someone else’s?” Letty asked blandly. When she saw the grimness in Stephanie’s eyes, she regretted the words. As usual. “Sorry. A poor joke.” She got up. “Let’s go or we’ll be late.”
    “Drive carefully,” Morgan called after the pair. “Oh, and Letty?”
    “Yes, Dad?”
    “Don’t forget to make that matrix. When you do, I think you’ll discover that an emotional entanglement with Joel Blackstone is probably not the wisest move at this particular point.”
    “Yes, Dad.” Letty stifled a sigh as she followed Stephanie out the door.
Easy for you to say
, she thought.
    Outside in the car Stephanie glanced at her. “You’re involved with Joel Blackstone?”
    “Sort of. Yes.”
    “Do you think that’s wise, Letty?”
    “No.”
    “Then why are you doing it?”
    “It just sort of happened,” Letty said.
    “Nonsense. I know your father. You’ve been raised with better self-control than that.”
    “Okay,” Letty said, feeling goaded. “I wanted it to happen.”
    Stephanie switched on the Porsche’s ignition. “Is this a physical thing?”
    “Oh, very.”
    “I meant is it entirely physical or is the bond intellectual as well as emotional?”
    “I don’t think you could say there’s a lot of intelligence involved,” Letty admitted.
    “Then it would probably be best to end the affair immediately,” Stephanie advised. She eased the Porsche out of the drive.
    Letty gazed out at the streetlights and wished she had never mentioned her affair to her father. So much for asking for paternal advice.
    She had known ahead of time exactly what Morgan would say. It was the same thing he had been saying since she was a child: “Make a decision matrix, Letty. Weigh all the crucial factors and enter them on a grid. The appropriate conclusion will be obvious.”
    An hour later, midway through a set of slides showing infants in various stages of rest and activity, Letty realized Stephanie was getting increasingly tense. She leaned over and spoke softly.
    “Are you all right, Steph?”
    “Yes.” Stephanie stared straight ahead at a slide of a six-week-old infant stretching its arms and legs.
    Dr. Marklethorpe’s voice droned in the darkened classroom. “As you will see, the infant is capable of communicating a great deal of information even at the age of six weeks. When accompanied by yawning, this stretching activity signals the infant is sleepy.”
    “Gosh, I would never have guessed,” Letty murmured in an aside to Stephanie.
    “Quiet,” Stephanie whispered.
    “Sorry.” So much for trying to lighten the mood. Letty concentrated on the screen.
    “You will notice in this slide,” Marklethorpe said, “that the infant is alert and tracking with her eyes. This means she is in a data assimilation mode. This is an excellent time to introduce a new element into her environment. Think of this as learning time.”
    “Brilliant observation,” Letty mumbled.
    “Now, then, compare the development at six weeks with the development of the infant at birth. Here we have a slide showing a newborn with a very high APGAR rating. The APGAR system rates the strength of the baby’s cry and its general physical condition at birth. It’s an excellent indicator of…”
    Letty saw Stephanie lean forward and clutch her stomach. “
Stephanie
. What is it?”
    “Nothing.” Stephanie’s voice was a painful, strangled whisper.
    “Stop saying that. Something
is
wrong. Come on, let’s get out of here.”
    Much to Letty’s surprise, Stephanie did not resist. Letty led her along the back row of seats and out into the hall. Stephanie’s face was pale in the harsh glare of the fluorescent lights.
    “I’m going to call your doctor,” Letty said. “I’ll tell her we’re on our way to the emergency room and we’ll meet her there.”
    “No. Wait.” Stephanie grabbed at her arm as Letty made to