Merlin's wife, Josie, was wearing an apron and doing the dishes.

Merlin had just gotten off the phone with Charlie and his uncles, and he returned indoors to tell her, "Hey, dear. I'm heading to Australia in a couple of hours."

"Australia? So soon?" Josie exclaimed in surprise. "Joy's due soon—what's so important that you have to leave now? Does it really have to stop you from meeting your grandson?"

Ultrasound scans suggested that Joy was expecting a boy, and the delivery date was soon.

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