Elizabeth walked to town by herself, fighting tears the whole way. She wasn't mad at Jack for bringing up Rosemary, she knew he hadn't meant anything by it.

She was fighting feelings that she had kept inside for a very long time. Feelings she didn't think would ever come up again. Her hatred of guns, went way back to her childhood.

Jack waited a few minutes before following Elizabeth to town. He didn't understand why she was so against learning to shoot a gun. He wanted his wife to be able to protect herself and their family when he couldn't. He walked into town and saw her walk into the café.

"Morning Elizabeth. How are you?" Abigail asked.

"Fine, thank you. I was wondering if I could talk to you?"

"Can you give me just a couple minutes? I need to cook some eggs for Mr. and Mrs. Gaines. Then I can sit."

"Ok. I'll just get myself some coffee." She went to get a cup and then some coffee when Jack walked in.

"Elizabeth?"

"Jack, I said I needed some time."

"For what? I don't understand what's going on."

"I know but I need to be by myself for a little while."

Abigail was standing at the stove trying not to listen, but they were in the same room. "I'm going to leave you alone for a bit. You sound like you need to talk to Jack, not me."

"Need to be alone? You came to talk to Abigail, but you won't talk to me? I'm your husband."

"I know, Jack, but I needed to talk to her."

"Will you come with me?" He held his hand out and waited for her to make her decision.

She stared at him and then took his hand. He led her to the jail and his old bedroom so they would have privacy. They sat down on the bed to talk.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?"

She nodded and squeezed his hand. "Its hard to talk about."

"Take your time, Sweetheart."

"You know pretty much everything about me, Jack. Except…"

"Except what?" She looked down and took a deep breath.

"When I was a child, eleven years old, Julie and I were at our friends house, the Kensington's."

"Charles' family?"

"Yes. He invited another friend over to play with us. I don't even remember his name, now. We were trying to decide what to do, what game to play. He said he had an idea. He pulled a gun out of his bag. He heard his older brother talking one time about a game you could play with a gun, so he took his Father's gun and wanted to try it."

"What? Oh my goodness."

"He was showing us how to load it and set it so it would be ready to shoot. What he didn't know was there was already a bullet in it. When he pulled the trigger, all I heard was an ear shattering boom and then I felt cold. The next thing I knew, I was in the hospital."

"He shot you?"

"Accidentally. He had no idea there was a bullet in it."

"Where did he shoot you?"

"Here." She pointed at her lower left abdomen. "Julie told me that when it happened, I passed out which was good because there was a lot of blood. They rushed me to the hospital and they operated on me. They removed one of my ovaries and there was a little damage to my uterus."

"What does that mean?" Elizabeth stood up and walked across the room, staying silent.

"Elizabeth?" She took a breath before she said it.

"It means it will be more difficult to get pregnant and harder to carry a baby to my due date." She felt him put his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before we got married. I should have, but I was afraid you would change your mind."

"Its not important that you didn't tell me." He gently turned her around. "What's important is that you know that I would have wanted you no matter what. I wouldn't have changed my mind. I didn't marry you so we could have children. I married you because I loved you."

"What if I can't give you a baby, Jack?" She blinked, letting a tear slide down her face.

"At least I have you. I need you, more than anything else." He held her close, rubbing her back. "Have you seen a doctor about it since then, Elizabeth?"

"No, I didn't see the point, until now."

"Is that something you would want to do?"

"Yes, I think so. Would you come with me? I don't think I could do it alone."

"Of course I would."

"Thank you."

"Hey, where did he shoot you again?"

"Right here."

"I don't remember seeing a scar. Do you have one?"

"The scar from the bullet is small. The surgery scar is there, it's about four or five inches long."

"I wonder why I haven't noticed it?"

"I've been careful to hide it."

"Well, you don't have to hide it anymore."

"Its ugly, Jack."

"You are beautiful. Nothing about you is ugly."

"You haven't seen it."

"Show me."

"When we get home, I will."

"Elizabeth, come here." He pulled her over to the bed. "I understand how you feel about guns and why you feel the way you do."

"But…?"

"I want you and our family safe when I'm not here."

"How could you ask me that after you know what I went through?" She walked out of the room. "Guns hurt people. I almost died, Jack. I don't ever want to touch one. I just don't."

Jack followed her. "Look, we'll talk about it some other time."

"There's nothing to talk about. I'll see you at home, ok? I'm going to buy a washboard and then go home." She went to walk out the door but he stopped her.

"Hey," he stepped closer to her, grabbing her hands. "I love you, Elizabeth, no matter what."

"I know. I love you too."

Elizabeth picked up the washboard from the mercantile and headed home to do her piles of laundry. She walked up to the porch and saw a beautiful dark haired woman sitting there with Jack's clothes.

"Mrs. Hampton?"

"Yes, and you are Mrs. Thornton?"

"Yes. Thank you for dropping off Jack's clothes."

"Its no trouble. I've been washing his clothes for a long time now."

"Yes and thank you. I will take care of them now."

"Very well, it was nice to meet you, Mrs. Thornton."

"You too." She picked up the basket with her husbands clothes and the washboard and went inside.

Two hours later, Elizabeth had finished her laundry except for what she was wearing which now was a sweaty mess, ironically because of doing laundry. She chuckled to herself as she walked in the house to change. She then realized she had no clean clothes to change into. So after washing up, she put her robe on and tied it around her waist. "Well, I can't go outside in this," she mumbled to herself. So she went to the kitchen sink and hand washed her shirt and skirt and hung them over a chair to dry.

Jack walked in and found Elizabeth sitting at the table in her robe, his favorite, because it fell to just above her knee and was made of a thin silky material. "Hey, Sweetheart."

"Hey, Jack."

'I see that you got the laundry done."

"Took me two hours, but yes." He walked over and gently squeezed her shoulder.

'How are you?"

"Fine, I guess." She got up to put her coffee cup in the sink, brushing past him as she walked. "I'm making sandwiches for dinner, if that's ok." He sat down in a chair at the table, watching his lovely wife making dinner. "Mrs. Hampton dropped by with your clothes."

"Good."

"She's beautiful, Jack."

"I hadn't noticed."

"Come on. Her gorgeous dark hair and well everything. How can you not?"

She put the plate down in front of him. He took her hand and held it and then pulled her onto his lap.

"You want to know why I hadn't noticed? Because you are the only one I'm looking at. You are unbelievably beautiful and always have been. I just appreciate it more now that we're married," he said as he kissed her neck.

"Thank you," she whispered. She took a deep breath and untied her robe to reveal her scar.

Jack looked at it and ran his thumb along the smooth but jagged mark on her skin. "I was right."

"About what?"

"Nothing about you is ugly. Even a scar looks beautiful on you."

She leaned in and kissed him. "I love you."

"I love you too." She got up from his lap and tied her robe.

"I think I'm going to make an appointment to see a doctor that specializes in women's medicine. Maybe he'll have good news for us. The only downside is I may have to travel to go see him."

"If at all possible, I want to go with you."

"That's good. I want you there."

He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "Please don't worry about this. Whatever happens, we're in this together." She turned around and looked deep in his eyes.

"I feel like a fraud. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you, Jack. Maybe you should have married…."

"Don't finish that sentence." He put his hand on her lips. "I married the right person." She nodded and walked into their bedroom, letting the tears come again. She was tired. Maybe if she took a nap, she would feel better. She removed her robe and got under the covers, relishing the warmth and comfort of the bed, but wishing Jack was the one holding her. As if he could read her mind, Jack walked in, got undressed and joined her. He pulled her into his arms, kissing her worries away.

A little later, she looked over at her sleeping husband, grateful for every moment they've had together. Grateful he wasn't angry for keeping such important information from him. Grateful that he loved her with so much intensity and was willing to go through life with her, no matter what. She reached over and touched his face, lightly running her fingertips over his lips and chin. Oh, how she loved him. She leaned in and kissed him very gently, letting her lips linger on his. She felt him smile while she was kissing him, which made her smile too.

He opened his eyes. She was so close, he could see little gold specks in her blue eyes. He could feel her warm breath on his face. "Promise me, Elizabeth," he whispered.

"Promise what?"

"That you'll never stop waking me up like that, for as long as we live."

"Promise."

About a month later, Elizabeth and Jack were on the way to Union City to see a doctor at the hospital. She had sent a telegram requesting an appointment and there was one spot available. As they walked hand in hand through the hospital door, they almost bumped into a beautiful blonde haired nurse.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Nurse. I wasn't watching where I was going," Elizabeth apologized.

"That's ok. Can I ask who you are here to see? Perhaps I can point you in the right direction?"

"Dr. Brower, please."

"Great, I'm his nurse. Are you the Thornton's?"

"Yes, we are."

"I'm Faith Carter, it's a pleasure meeting you."

"You too."

They followed Nurse Carter down the hallway to a waiting room. "Mr. Thornton, you can wait here. Mrs. Thornton, please follow me."

"I thought I was coming with you," Jack said, looking worried.

"I know. Maybe it's better if you wait here, Honey."

"Mr. Thornton, I will come get you when the doctor finishes."

Jack looked at Elizabeth, the picture of calmness. She nodded. "It'll be fine, don't worry." She kissed him quickly and walked away. Jack watched her walk down the hall and then sat down to wait.

After about a half hour, Nurse Carter came to get him. She led him to an examination room and shut the door to give them privacy. Elizabeth was getting dressed behind a curtain. "Jack?"

"Yes, Sweetheart. I'm here." She came out from behind the curtain still buttoning her shirt. "How did it go?"

"Fine. He asked a lot of questions and poked around a bit."

"Did he say what he found?"

"No, I told him to wait until you were here. He'll be back soon to talk to us."

About ten minutes later, Nurse Carter walked in and took them down the hall to the Doctor's office.

"Mr. and Mrs. Thornton, please take a seat." The doctor gestured to the two chairs in front of his desk.

They sat down and immediately held hands, trying to be calm.

"As you know, Mr. Thornton, your wife had experienced severe trauma to her abdomen about ten years ago."

"Yes, I know."

"As a result of that, Mrs. Thornton, there is a lesser chance that you will be able to get pregnant than you normally would. If you do actually conceive, it will be difficult to carry the baby full term."

"Is there a chance at all, Doc?" Jack asked. He was not concerned with himself, but for Elizabeth. She needed good news.

"It is possible, but it will be a test of your patience."

"Let's say she does get pregnant. Is there anything she can do to make it safer for the baby?"

"Staying off her feet as much as possible. Very little exertion or excitement. Those things won't guarantee a safe pregnancy, but they may assist."

Jack nodded. He looked at Elizabeth. She was quiet but appeared to be handling it well. He squeezed her hand gently. "Do you have questions, Sweetheart?"

"No. Thank you for your time, Dr. Brower."

"Of course, Mrs. Thornton. Please contact me here if you have any questions."

"Thank you, Doc." Jack shook his hand. "Are you ready to go?"

Elizabeth nodded. She was a bit disappointed that there wasn't better news, however, it also wasn't worse than it had been before.

Jack and Elizabeth walked from the hospital to their hotel. When they got to their room, Elizabeth started unpacking.

"Elizabeth? Are you hungry? We could go to a restaurant."

"I'd rather stay here, if that's ok." Jack nodded and gathered Elizabeth into his arms.

"I love you, Elizabeth."

"I love you too." She pulled him closer. "Thank you for coming with me, Jack."

"You're welcome, Sweetheart. Are you doing ok?"

"Sure. He didn't say anything that I didn't already know, so…"

"You're disappointed."

"Of course, I was hoping for better news. I was actually hoping he would say I was already pregnant."

"We just have to be patient."

"I know, it's just hard. I feel like I'm letting you down."

"You could never let me down. I would love to have a family with you, and we will, someday. One way or another."

"What do you mean?"

"I've been thinking. If we can't get pregnant, maybe we could adopt?"

She stared at him for a moment, then sat down on the bed. "Maybe," she answered quietly.

"Sweetheart?" He kneeled in front of her. "It was just an idea, we don't have to…"

"Its wonderful, Jack. I never thought about adopting. There are so many children that need parents."

He watched as she got excited about the idea, loving the new light in her eyes. She reached out to hug him, smiling and happy.

"It's a perfect idea. That's what I want, Jack. I thought I had to have a baby that we made together, which would be amazing, but it doesn't matter where the baby comes from. We could be parents to anyone." He nodded and smiled.

"I think so too."

The next morning, Jack and Elizabeth traveled home with smiles on their faces.

Elizabeth was so happy, thinking of being a mom. She knew it could be awhile, but she could be patient knowing it would happen somehow.

Jack loved seeing Elizabeth come back to him. He felt like he lost part of her heart when she had to relive the pain of her story and the horrible realization that they might not have a baby, but now, there was hope in her eyes.

He looked at her and squeezed her hand gently. "Love you."

"Love you too."

That night, the coach made camp along the side of the road, near a field. The drivers made a fire but Jack and Elizabeth walked away from the group to make their own camp. "Sweetheart, I'm going to go find us some berries or something to eat. I'll be right back."

"Ok, Jack."

While he was gone, Elizabeth tended to their fire, making sure to feed it so that it didn't die out. She wasn't much of a camper, but she could do this part. She moved a few blankets next to the fire so they wouldn't have to sleep directly on the ground. A few moments later, Jack came back with berries and they had their dinner. After they ate, Elizabeth scooted closer to Jack for extra warmth. He gladly put his arm around her and pulled her close, hearing her sigh. "What are you thinking about, Elizabeth?"

"Babies and you," she chuckled. "That seems to be all I think about the last few weeks, but now, I'm happy about it." She put her head on his chest, wrapping her arm around him.

"I'm glad you're happy. I am too." She reached up and kissed his cheek.

"Goodnight, Honey."

"Goodnight."

Two days later, they were back home, resuming their lives, looking forward, not behind. Elizabeth went to school everyday and Jack, to work. At night they would eat dinner together and discuss their day. Time flew by. Two months after their trip to Union City, Elizabeth suspected she was pregnant. She was nauseated, exhausted all day long and a little dizzy from time to time. There wasn't a doctor in town, so she walked to Abigail's one day to ask her advice.

"Abigail?"

"Good morning, Elizabeth. How are you?"

"I'm ok, but I really need to speak with you, privately. Do you have a moment?"

"Of course. Let me tell Clara I will be gone for a few minutes." She went in the dining room and then they went upstairs to Elizabeth's old room. "What is it, Elizabeth? Is something bothering you?"

"No, not exactly. It's a long story."

"I'm here to listen."

Elizabeth told her about her past and being worried about having babies. Then she told her about what the doctor said in Union City and what she and Jack had decided about adopting.

"That's wonderful, Elizabeth. I'm glad you made that decision."

"Except…."

"What?"

"I think I might be pregnant."

"That's wonderful! Isn't it?"

"Yes, but I'm worried. The doctor said it would be harder to carry the baby to my due date. I don't want to lose our baby, Abigail."

"Of course you don't. What did the doctor say that you should do?"

"Stay off my feet as much as I can and not get excited or do too much. I don't know if I should keep teaching."

"What does Jack say?"

"I haven't told him yet."

"Elizabeth, go over to that Jail and talk to your husband. He needs to know and whatever happens, you have each other."

"Ok. I'll go."

"Good, and Elizabeth? Congratulations!"

"Thank you, Abigail."

Elizabeth walked over to the Jail, trying to be calm, but she was getting more excited with each step. She rushed through the door making Jack jump out of his chair. "Elizabeth? What's wrong?"

She shook her head and smiled. "Nothing. Can we talk for a moment?"

"Sure, what is it, Sweetheart?"

"Let's go in here," she said as she pointed to his old bedroom. She grabbed his hand and pulled him in. She closed the door and took a deep breath. "I think I might be pregnant." Jack raised his eyebrows and sat on the bed. "Honey? How're you doing?" she asked with a giggle.

He opened his mouth and no words came out. She sat next to him and held his hand.

"Let me help you. You may be wondering why I think so?" He nodded. "I've been nauseated and exhausted and a little dizzy. I also missed my monthly about two weeks ago. I didn't think much about it, because since my surgery, I can't count on being on time. But with the other symptoms, I'm pretty sure."

He took her into his arms and kissed her. Since he couldn't form words, he would show her how he felt.

"Are you happy, Jack?" she asked with a smile. He nodded.

"Are you ever going to talk again?"

"I love you," he whispered.

"That's better. I love you too. We need to decide what to do."

"About what?"

"The doctor in Union City said I needed to stay calm and off my feet. I can't do that if I'm teaching."

"True. Are you ok with that?"

"If it means, keeping this baby safe, I'll put up with anything."

"So you need to talk to the school board to get a replacement?"

"Yes I do. I was going to do that now. I think if I tell Gowan, he will let the rest of them know. I think that it's perfect timing really. Christmas is next week, so kids are on break after tomorrow anyway."

Jack stared at her, not speaking again.

"What?"

"I just can't believe it's happening."

"Me either. It may be a long nine months, Honey."

"But completely worth it."

She nodded. "Completely."