After a long, rambling run around the island to see what had changed over the past year, Ben stopped for milkshakes at Chilly Boulder (and was greeted as a long-lost relative) and returned back to the hotel.

"Kreetle? Anything from the clinic yet?"

He only asked Ender about ten times a day if there was any news about Valentine's arrival. It was down from fifteen, and he was Quite Proud of Himself for it.

[OOC: ...and now NSFW...]