Late in the afternoon on New Year's Day, Logan and Soo Ryeon flew home to Seoul. Hoping to avoid the airsickness that had plagued Soo Ryeon on the last several flights they'd taken, Logan gave her a dose of motion sickness medicine to keep her comfortable. Consequently, she spent the majority of the flight asleep, with her head in Logan's lap. He watched the landscape out the window as he idly stroked his hand through her thick curls, but as they neared their destination, the clouds below them grew thick and dark. The seatbelt light blinked on, and the pilot's voice came over the intercom, advising them that they would be experiencing some turbulence. Logan glanced out the window again, and then down at his wife, remembering that she'd undone her seatbelt so she could stretch out more comfortably. His hand dropped to her shoulder, preparing to rouse her, when the plane suddenly shuddered and her eyes flew open.

"What's going on?" She sat up quickly, her eyes scanning the cabin for trouble.

"We're flying into a storm," Logan told her calmly. "Put your seatbelt on."

Soo Ryeon was not terribly fond of storms, and that, coupled with her adverse reaction to flying under normal circumstances, caused her to grip her right armrest tightly. Since Logan had raised the armrest that divided their seats, her left hand gripped the next best thing: his thigh.

"Hey, hey, take it easy," he soothed, covering her hand with his as he pried her fingernails out of his flesh. "We'll be fine." He laced his fingers through hers to protect his leg from further damage, and gestured out the window. "We're almost to Seoul. Once we descend below the storm clouds, we'll be home free."

She didn't answer, but squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face into his side as the aircraft swayed and rocked in the wind.

"It's okay, Soo Ryeon," he comforted, though he couldn't stop the chuckle that rose from his throat.

"Are you laughing at me?" she demanded.

"Never," he fibbed, tucking her head back into his body so she couldn't see his failing attempts to stifle his grin. The plane continued to rattle and bounce, and she nearly jumped out of her skin when lightning streaked past the window. Another chuckle slipped out.

She sat up to glare at him. "It's not funny, Logan," she insisted, trying to pull her hand from his indignantly.

He refused to relinquish his grip on her hand, and turned on the full force of his charm. "I know, baby, you're right. I'm sorry." He smiled his heart-melting smile at her, and she couldn't stay upset with him. Especially when he suddenly turned an unflattering shade of green and reached for the airsick bag in front of him.

Abruptly the tables were turned, and she sat up to help him. Temporarily forgetting her own fears, Soo Ryeon ran her fingers sympathetically through the sweaty hairs on the nape of his neck as Logan leaned forward, groaning, holding the bag to his face. Somehow he managed to ride out the turbulence without losing his dinner, and they both sighed with relief when the plane broke through the clouds and descended toward the runway.

Once they were safely on the ground and taxiing toward the gate, Soo Ryeon couldn't resist the urge to tease him. "Isn't there some expression about 'she who laughs last'?" she questioned with a coy grin.

Logan nodded slowly, still clutching the bag in his hands even though his nausea had passed.

"Yeah, so who's laughing now, flyboy?" she giggled.

"You are a cruel, heartless woman, Soo Ryeon Shim," he teased, his eyes twinkling as his face gradually returned to its normal tanned hue.

"But you love me anyway," she replied.

"That I do, sweetheart," he answered easily, draping an arm around her shoulders. "That I do."

...~«ώ»~...

Logan wanted to make sure that Soo Ryeon's wrist was healing properly, so when he returned to work the next day, he scheduled an appointment for her at the hospital's sports medicine clinic. He was on rotation in a different part of the hospital, but she met up with him in the cafeteria for lunch with Yoon Cheol and Yoon Hee. Logan grinned broadly when he spotted her weaving her way towards them, and pushed to his feet to take her tray from her hands. After he deposited her food on the table, his arms circled her waist and he gave her a lingering kiss on the cheek.

Yoon Cheol snorted. "Geez, Logan Lee, I know you two just got back from your romantic mountain retreat, but some of us are trying to eat here!"

Yoon Hee linked her arm through her fiancé's. "Hush, Yoon Cheol. I think they're adorable. Would it kill you to admit it once in awhile?"

"It might," he argued. "Don't forget, I've had to witness all their lovey-dovey interactions since college."

Logan pulled out Soo Ryeon's chair for her before reclaiming his seat next to her. He cleared his throat, his cough sounding suspiciously like the word "jealous," and winked at his wife.

"How's your wrist, Soo Ryeon?" Yoon Hee asked, deftly changing the conversation as Yoon Cheol glared at Logan.

Soo Ryeon held up her newly-rewrapped wrist. "Dr. Overman agreed with the initial diagnosis and said to keep doing what I'm doing. He said Logan could do a few strengthening exercises with me once the swelling goes down." She leveled her gaze at Logan. "See, I told you it was fine."

He shrugged. "It's always better to be safe than sorry, especially when you're involved," he told her, lifting her hand to his lips for a light kiss. "And if I'm going to be doing your physical therapy, you'd better be nice to me!"

Soo Ryeon pretended to consider that. "Hmm… Maybe I should go back and tell Dr. Overman that my physical therapist is threatening me. I'm sure he'd be willing to assign me to a different therapist." She smiled sweetly at Logan. "Then I can pick on you all I want!"

"Unbelievable!" Logan protested lightly. "I take you to a romantic chalet in the mountains, and this is the thanks I get?"

"Sorry, honey," she apologized, biting her bottom lip to try to hide her smile. "I know it was a big sacrifice for you, having to bite the bullet and go snowboarding."

Yoon Hee picked up where Soo Ryeon left off. "Yeah, and I'm sure all the sex was a major chore as well."

Logan actually reddened a bit, and the women got a good laugh at his expense. Yoon Cheol simply rolled his eyes at their banter.

"You guys are both off next Saturday, right?" Soo Ryeon rescued Logan by changing the subject.

"Yeah," Yoon Cheol answered first. "I was just telling Logan about an alumni event they're having at the Hanyang University basketball game next week. We're totally going!"

Logan put up a halting hand. "I hadn't agreed to anything yet," he told Soo Ryeon with a wink. "Why? Were you hoping to subject me to another weekend of unbridled passion?"

This time Soo Ryeon blushed as Yoon Cheol made obnoxious gagging noises from across the table. "Yoon Hee and I were talking about going wedding dress shopping," she told him.

Yoon Cheol grinned. "Perfect! You two can do your girly, frou-frou stuff while Logan and I party and relive our glory days."

Yoon Hee rolled her eyes. "Your 'glory days'? Please!" she scoffed. "Besides, that 'girly, frou-frou stuff' is for our wedding, and if you can't behave yourself while I'm gone, then you're going with me!"

"Ooh!" Logan taunted, earning a withering look from Yoon Cheol. "The basketball game sounds like fun," he added with a look towards his wife, "but I think I'll pass on the drunken reveling afterwards."

"Boring!" Yoon Cheol coughed into his fist.

Yoon Hee folded her arms and leaned forward. "Yoon Cheol, if you plan to continue carrying on like a college frat boy once we're married, then perhaps you should stay single. "

Yoon Cheol contritely reached over and took his fiancée's hand. "I'm sorry, babe. You're right." Then he couldn't help but add a mischievous aside: "That means I still have five months to party…"

Yoon Hee managed to glare at him for only a few seconds before they both dissolved into laughter.

...~«ώ»~...

Later that afternoon, Logan was standing at the nurses' station, adding notes to a patient's chart, when someone sidled up next to him. Glancing up, he saw Coo Min Hwan, a resident at the hospital who Logan was not particularly fond of. He was a trouble-maker, and his obnoxious personality grated on Logan's nerves. Logan gave him a polite nod before bending his head back to his paperwork.

"Saw your wife here for lunch today, Logan Lee," Coo Min Hwan began.

"Yep," Logan agreed without lifting his head.

"She can't get enough of you, huh?" Coo Min Hwan continued. "Or do you just prefer to keep her on a short leash?"

"She was here for an appointment," Logan replied evenly, knowing Coo Min Hwan was just trying to incite a reaction from him. "My wife is free to come and go as she pleases."

"Man, if I was married to a woman like her, I'd never let her out of the house alone," Coo Min Hwan continued.

"Well then, it's a good thing you're not married," Logan told him. "And the female population thanks you as well."

Coo Min Hwan's eyes narrowed, but he kept his voice level. "Heard you went to Colorado this past weekend. Romantic getaway for the Lees?" he asked.

"Something like that," Logan answered.

"Dude, you sure have to go to some elaborate lengths to screw your wife," Coo Min Hwan observed cockily.

"Excuse me?" Logan asked, dropping his pen and leveling his gaze on the other man.

"Don't get me wrong, I'd certainly say she's worth the effort," Coo Min Hwan continued to push. "But if that's what it takes to get her legs open, you'd better think about getting a second job to be able to afford it."

Logan's anger boiled to the surface, his fists clenching at his sides. He took a step toward the other doctor. "Say what you want about me, I don't care. But if you keep talking about my wife like that, then you and I are going to have a serious problem. My marriage is none of your concern, and I'm not going to stand here and allow you to degrade Soo Ryeon like that."

Coo Min Hwan raised his hands in poorly-feigned innocence. "Sorry, Logan Lee, I wasn't trying to raise your hackles. Just curious, that's all."

Logan scoffed. "Whatever, Coo Min Hwan. I'll see you later." With that, he dropped the clipboard onto the desk and strode away before he did something he'd regret.

Behind him, Coo Min Hwan grinned with self-satisfaction, knowing he'd gotten under Logan's skin. That, in Coo Min Hwan's opinion, made it a very good day.

...~«ώ»~...

The following Saturday, Yoon Hee and Soo Ryeon picked their way through three bridal shops before Soo Ryeon insisted that they take a lunch break. Dress shopping with Yoon Hee was not easy. She didn't have a clear idea of what she wanted, but she was very sure about the things she didn't want. Soo Ryeon was beginning to wonder if a dress that met Yoon Hee's standards even existed. Yoon Hee, who was normally a laid-back, go-with-the-flow kind of girl, was in danger of becoming a Bridezilla. Yoon Hee's and Yoon Cheol's families lived in Guri, so Yoon Hee's mother helped with the wedding planning in spurts, whenever she could squeeze out a free weekend to come to Seoul. On days like this, Soo Ryeon couldn't help but think that Yoon Hee's mom had the best of both worlds that way. Stop it, she chided herself. At least her mom is willing to help. Kim Yeo Hee had been in Chicago when Logan and Soo Ryeon were planning their wedding, and had done little to help other than provide some financial assistance.

The women stopped for lunch at a nearby deli, and as they found a seat and tore into their meals, Soo Ryeon was relieved to note that Yoon Hee had relaxed considerably.

"I swear, Soo Ryeon, I don't know how you planned a wedding by yourself," Yoon Hee commented. "I'm exhausted already, even with you and Mom and Yoon Cheol's mom helping."

"Logan helped some with ours," she replied.

"If Logan's 'help' was anything like Yoon Cheol's, then you did plan the wedding by yourself," Yoon Hee persisted. "While you were finishing law school, too. That's pretty impressive."

Soo Ryeon shrugged. "Logan was going to medical school and working to pay his tuition. We did what had to be done."

"Well, I'm glad to have the benefit of your expertise," Yoon Hee responded. "In fact… Well, I've been meaning to ask you if you'd be my matron of honor."

Soo Ryeon's head snapped up from her food. "Are you serious?" she asked. "What about Yoon Cheol's sisters? Or your friends from back home?"

Yoon Hee laughed. "Are you trying to convince me to choose someone else? Or are you afraid of a little hard work?"

Soo Ryeon raised her chin determinedly. "Of course not. I just wanted to make sure you've thought this through."

"It's not rocket science, Soo Ryeon. You're one of my closest friends," Yoon Hee told her with a grin. "Besides, I have it on good authority that Yoon Cheol's planning to ask Logan to be his best man. Yoon Cheol's sisters and my brother and our friends will be in the wedding, but you two are the ones we want to stand up with us."

"Wow, I'm… I… don't know what to say," Soo Ryeon stammered. "I've never been a maid… matron… of honor before."

"Well, now's your chance," Yoon Hee answered. "Please, Soo Ryeon, say yes! It'd mean so much to us!"

Soo Ryeon blinked back tears that burned her eyes. "I'd be honored," she whispered.

"Yay!" Yoon Hee exclaimed, launching out of her seat to throw her arms around her friend. When she settled back in her seat, she pulled a small notebook from her purse. "Okay, now that that's settled, we have a lot of work to do!"

Soo Ryeon shook her head. "My first order of business as the matron of honor is to ban all wedding talk for the next thirty minutes. You've been in hyper wedding mode all morning. Your brain needs a time-out."

Yoon Hee laughed. "See, I knew you'd be the perfect person for this job."

Soo Ryeon laughed with her, but suddenly her eyes widened and her hand covered her mouth. "Oh my gosh, what if I'm pregnant for your wedding? We'll have to find a bridesmaid dress with a maternity panel!"

"And I'm the one in hyper wedding mode?" Yoon Hee teased. "You just broke your own rule!"

"Well, it's something to think about," Soo Ryeon argued. "Maybe you don't want a hippopotamus bridesmaid taking up all the space in your wedding photos."

Yoon Hee laughed so hard she snorted. "First of all, I have a really hard time picturing you as a hippopotamus. You're fit, slim and perfect. Second, I hope you are pregnant by then. It'll be another reason for us to celebrate. And third, I want you in my wedding." Her eyes twinkled. "I'll just make sure the photographer brings a wide-angle lens, just in case."

Soo Ryeon's jaw dropped at Yoon Hee's ribbing before both women dissolved into a fit of giggles. When they managed to regain control, Yoon Hee set her fork down and eyed her friend. "So with all this pregnancy talk, are you trying to tell me something?"

"No, I mean, not that I know of," Soo Ryeon answered.

Yoon Hee shook her head. "If I was the one trying to get pregnant, I'd be taking pregnancy tests every other day!"

"I did, at first," Soo Ryeon admitted. "I was buying so many that Logan threatened to buy stock in the pharmaceutical company. But you're a nurse… You know that even if I am pregnant, the test won't show a positive result that quickly after conception."

"Which week of your monthly cycle are you on?" Yoon Hee asked. "How long has it been since your last period?"

"That's a good question," Soo Ryeon sighed. "Since I went off birth control, my cycles have been all over the place. They used to be like clockwork, but now it's like my whole body has gone haywire."

Yoon Hee leaned forward. "How long since you've taken a pregnancy test?"

Soo Ryeon thought for a moment. "Last week, right after Logan and I got back from Colorado."

Yoon Hee nodded and pulled out her notebook, jotting a note before nonchalantly picking up her fork and resuming her meal. She took a bite, then chewed slowly as Soo Ryeon watched her curiously. Finally she set her fork back down to reach across the small table and cover Soo Ryeon's hand with hers.

"I just added another errand to our agenda for the day," Yoon Hee told her. "We're stopping on the way home to pick up a pregnancy test."

...~«ώ»~...

When Logan got home from Hanyang University that evening, he found Soo Ryeon sitting at the desk in the spare bedroom, her fingers flying over the keys of her laptop. His hands settled on her shoulders, and he placed a gentle kiss in her hair.

"Hey, gorgeous," he greeted. "How did dress shopping go? Any luck?"

She shook her head, never slowing the pace of her typing. Logan frowned slightly.

"What are you working on?" he asked, leaning forward to read over her shoulder. "Is that stuff for the Daegu high school reunion?"

"Yeah," she answered softly. "Since we've been back from Daegu, Seo Jin's sent me at least fifteen e-mails. She's 'delegated' so much of the work to me that I can't imagine what's left for her to do."

"You could tell her no," he offered, kneading her shoulders to try to ease the tension that he felt beneath his fingers.

"I told her I would help," she answered flatly. Logan's frown deepened, and he pulled up a chair by her side, pulling her frantic fingers away from the keyboard and into his lap.

"Soo Ryeon," he murmured, forcing her chin up to look at him. He was surprised to see tears pooling in her eyes, and he leaned forward, wrapping his arms around her comfortingly. "Baby, what's wrong? Did something happen?" She shook her head against his shoulder. "Talk to me, sweetie," he urged.

She drew a shaky breath before pulling back to meet his eyes. "I'm not pregnant, Logan," she told him sadly. A lone tear broke free and slid down her cheek.

He gathered her close again. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. We'll just have to keep trying."

"I know," she murmured into his chest. "I just wanted… I was hoping…"

"That we'd conceive our baby in Colorado," he finished for her, and she nodded. "Me too. But it'll happen when the time is right." He eased her away from his body to offer her a gentle smile. He traced his finger along her cheek, wiping away the remnants of her tears. "I love you, Soo Ryeon, and we will make a baby together. It's just going to take some time, and I for one am willing to keep at it until we get it right."

She giggled. How did he always know what to say to make her feel better? "Well, if you're willing to make such a sacrifice, then how can I refuse?"

He smiled briefly before growing serious. "One condition, though… From now on, we take the pregnancy tests together. I don't want you putting yourself through this alone. Pregnant or not, we'll find out together, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed.

"That's my girl," he replied with a wink. "Now that that's settled, have you had dinner?"

She nodded. "Yoon Hee and I stopped on the way home. How about you?"

"Same for Yoon Cheol and me," he replied, reaching for her hips to pull her into his lap. "How on earth will we occupy our time this evening?" he asked with a waggle of his eyebrows.

Her body began to tingle with anticipation. "Didn't you mention something about keeping at it until we conceive?" she murmured.

His arms tightened around her, and his voice was husky in her ear. "Why, Mrs. Shim Soo Ryeon, I thought you'd never ask." He lifted her effortlessly and carried her to their bedroom, where they found a multitude of ways to occupy their time for the evening.