"Julie, would you send a telegram to Mother for me? I want her to know about Ben."
"Of course. I'm going to town to say goodbye to Tom, so I'll head to the mercantile and send it."
"Thank you." Elizabeth got up to put Ben in his crib that Jack had made. The last two days had been a blur. Little Ben Thomas Thornton was born three weeks early, but on her and Jack's first wedding anniversary. He was tiny, but strong. He loved to eat, so she felt like she was feeding him every hour, and sometimes she was. She didn't know how she could possibly love someone as much as she did her husband and her son, but it happened and it was overwhelming, really.
Julie went in to town as promised and sent the telegram. However when she walked back toward Abigail's café, she saw the stage coach dropping passengers off. One of the passengers was her Mother.
Julie hurried over to the stage. "Mother? What are you doing here? I just sent you a telegram."
"Julie, dear. I'm here to see Elizabeth and my new grandbaby whenever he or she arrives. Can you take me to Elizabeth's and Jack's house?"
"Of course. Do you want to get a room at the saloon, or did you want to stay with me at Elizabeth's?"
"I'll stay with you."
"Ok, let's go, then." She decided to surprise her Mother with the fact Ben was already born. They walked out of town, sharing the load of Grace's two bags and suitcase. When they finally got there, Julie and Grace walked in and found Elizabeth sitting on the couch, reading under a blanket. She didn't look up so she wasn't aware Grace was with Julie. "Um, Elizabeth?"
"Yes, Julie?" She was still reading.
"I brought a visitor for you." Elizabeth looked up and gasped.
"Mother! It's so good to see you!" Elizabeth got up slowly and walked over and hugged Grace.
"Elizabeth? Should you be up?"
"Of course, why not?"
"I thought you were supposed to take it easy and stay off your feet."
"I did that for almost nine months. I'm so glad I'm done."
"Done? Oh, wait. What do you mean?"
"Julie? You didn't tell her on your walk over here?"
"I wanted it to be a surprise."
"Tell what?"
Jack walked in the room with Ben in his arms. "Mrs. Thatcher! It's good to see you again." He walked over and kissed her cheek.
"Jack, you too. Who's this?"
"Mrs. Thatcher, meet Benjamin Thomas Thornton. Your new grandson."
"Julie Thatcher! You kept this a secret from me?"
"Like I said, I wanted to surprise you."
"Would you like to hold him?" Jack offered.
"Yes, I would." She put her bag on the floor and reached out to take the tiny bundle from his Daddy.
"Oh my! He's so tiny."
"He was three weeks early, but he's strong, " Elizabeth said proudly.
"I'll put your bags in Julie's room, Mrs. Thatcher."
"Oh, thank you. Call me Grace, dear." Jack nodded.
Elizabeth sat on the couch and watched her Mother hold her new grandson. She put him on her lap and unwrapped him, counting his fingers and his toes. Ben woke up, maybe because he wasn't wrapped up anymore, but more than likely because he was hungry. He started moving around and getting progressively unhappy. Then he started a tiny whimper which became an all out cry within a minute.
"I'll take him. He's hungry." Elizabeth took him from Grace and sat back down, unbuttoning her nightgown.
"Elizabeth? Are you going to feed him out here? Shouldn't you go in the other room?"
"I feed him here all the time."
"Well, Jack is there…" Grace said, pointing at Jack sitting at the table.
"Yes, he's my husband. He's allowed to see me, Mother. Would you like me to cover up?"
Grace frowned. "I guess not." She looked away. Elizabeth was surprised that it made her uncomfortable. She took Ben's blanket and covered her partially exposed chest to make her mother feel better.
"Mother, how is Father?" Elizabeth asked.
"He's just fine, Elizabeth."
"That's good." Jack looked up from the table and looked at his wife. He knew she must miss her Father. She wanted him to meet his grandchildren and even though they weren't speaking, he knew that Elizabeth was saddened by the whole situation.
Elizabeth wanted to cry, but she didn't want to upset her Mother. She really wished he had changed his mind about their marriage, but apparently not. He was missing this little boy, missing holding him and getting to know him. Elizabeth quickly wiped a tear from her face, hoping her Mother hadn't seen her.
"Elizabeth? What's wrong?"
Elizabeth shook her head. "Nothing. Everything is perfect. My son is perfect. You and Julie are sharing this with me. Nothing's wrong." She took a peek under the blanket and Ben was still eating, although his eyes were closed. Jack knew she was fighting her emotions. He came over and sat next to Elizabeth, putting his arm around her and kissing her forehead. She looked at him and gave him a brave smile. He knew that any second, she would lose the battle with the tears. He grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes, telling her it would be ok. She nodded.
Later that night, Julie had gone to bed and Elizabeth, Jack, and Grace were catching up by the fire. Jack had Ben on his chest, one hand covering his back, one hand holding Elizabeth's hand. "Grace, I'm glad you came to visit."
"So am I." She looked down at her hands, like she wanted to say something, but didn't know how.
"Mother? Did you want to tell us something?"
"Yes, many things, but mostly, that I'm sorry for how things ended with your Father."
"I appreciate that, Mother, but you are not the one who needs to apologize." Jack lightly squeezed her hand, as if to keep her calm. He knew she was getting tense.
"I know, Beth, but he isn't willing, so I needed to say it. I've told you before, his feelings don't reflect my feelings."
"I know." She shook her head. "I'm going to bed." She stood up. Grace stood up and hugged Elizabeth. "Goodnight." Elizabeth looked at Jack.
"I'll be in soon. I'm just going to sit here with Ben for awhile." She nodded and walked off.
"Maybe this was a mistake? Maybe I shouldn't have come."
"Grace, I think you being here is a blessing because Ben is getting to meet you and Elizabeth knows that you care."
"I feel like I am just upsetting her."
"Just keep in mind, she just gave birth two days ago. Her emotions are not stable right now. It really is good you're here."
"Thank you, Jack." She sat back and watched the fire.
Ben started waking up, moving around. His fist was near his mouth and out of instinct, he started sucking on it. Jack moved him so he was laying in his arms. "Hey Buddy. Are you waking up?" He was making grunting noises and then he opened his eyes and looked straight at his Daddy. Jack ran his fingertip gently along his cheek. He leaned down and kissed his forehead. "Daddy loves you so much, Ben, and Mama loves you, and Grandma Grace…" He stopped and looked at Grace who smiled. "…and Aunt Julie and Grandma Charlotte. So many people love you. You were born into two wonderful families." He picked him up and put him in Grace's arms.
"Hi, Ben. You're Daddy's right. I love you very much. I wish your Grandpa William was here to meet you." Grace started tearing up. Jack squeezed her hand gently.
"He will. We just need to give him time."
"You don't know him well, Jack. He is a very stubborn man." She wiped the tears from her face.
"I don't know him, but I know he is set in his ways and opinions. I also know that everything he does, it's because he loves his family."
"Very true, but I think he went too far this time." She kissed Ben's cheek and handed him back to Jack.
"I'm going to turn in, Jack. I'll see you in the morning."
"Ok. Goodnight Grace." He got up and hugged her, surprising her, but she needed a hug, so she welcomed it.
Jack and Ben walked into the bedroom. Elizabeth was lying down but not sleeping. Jack changed Ben's diaper and put him in his crib then he went over and sat next to Elizabeth. "Sweetheart?"
Elizabeth sat up and looked at him. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying. She leaned forward into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair and rubbed her back for a few minutes. She pulled back looking at him. "I hate to see you so upset." He put his hand on her face. "Are you ok?" She shook her head. "Just hold me," she pleaded. He pulled her close again.
Ben started crying in his crib. "I'll get him, Elizabeth." He picked him up and bounced him gently to calm him, but he really just wanted to eat and Jack couldn't help with that. He handed him to his Mama and watched as she fed him.
She calmed down as she watched Ben eat. He was so amazing and she loved him so much, she just wished her father could be a part of it. How could he not care? He was always very caring to her and her sisters as they were growing up. Could her falling in love with a Mountie really cause him to be so cold to her, to withdraw from her life, to alienate her by suggesting she just forget about Jack?
"Elizabeth, Ben's asleep, Honey. I'll take him. You need to rest."
She had been so lost in her own thoughts, she hadn't even noticed. She gently pulled him away from her chest and gave him to Jack. She sat back and buttoned up her nightgown. Jack climbed into bed after putting Ben in his crib. "Come here, Sweetheart." She moved closer and put her head on his chest. After a few minutes, Jack fell asleep. She listened to his breathing, even, steady. She could hear his heart beat in her ear. These things normally soothed and relaxed her, but not tonight. She was restless and a little sore and now her face hurt from crying so much. She got up and went to make some tea and sit in front of the fire.
A few minutes later she sat down on the couch with her tea, pulled a blanket over herself and stared at the fire, enjoying the quiet.
"Elizabeth? What are you doing up, Honey?" Jack came over and sat on the couch next to her.
"I can't sleep." She sipped her tea.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No. I just..no. Can we just sit here?"
"Yes, but it might help if you told me what is hurting you so much."
"I don't want to cry anymore and if I talk about it, that's exactly what will happen."
"Elizabeth…."
"Jack, I'm going to bed. I'm exhausted and if I can fall asleep, maybe I'll be better in the morning."
He stood up with her. Before she could walk away, he took her in his arms and held her. "I love you. Please remember that we are in this life together. Please don't stop talking to me, or it won't work."
She pulled back, blinking back the tears that she had been fighting. He kissed her gently and leaned his forehead against hers.
She sighed and hugged him again, pulling tight against him. "Jack, I miss him so much. Why doesn't he love me?" She started crying again, as much as she didn't want to.
"He loves you, I promise you that. He is trying to protect you, the only way he knows how."
"Since when are you on his side?" She pushed away from him, anger in her eyes, and crossed her arms. "I'm your wife."
"Elizabeth, you know I'm always on your side. I'm just saying I understand what he's doing." He stepped closer to her, reaching for her, but she kept her distance. She wasn't done being mad. He knew she wasn't mad at him, only at the situation, but it was hard to be pushed away.
"How can you understand? He told me to leave you and forget about our marriage!" She was yelling, forgetting about Julie and Grace and their newborn sleeping in the other room. "He told me you were a mistake, Jack. How can you understand that?"
"Elizabeth..please calm down," Jack pleaded. Julie and Grace had walked out to see what was going on, but kept out of the way.
"I can't! He pushed me away, out of his life. I'm his daughter, how can he do that to his own daughter? To his grandchild?" He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight, not letting her push him away again. Eventually she quit fighting it and surrendered to his arms, burying her face in his chest, soaking his shirt with tears.
Julie and Grace found the whole exchange very hard to watch, hearing how William had treated Elizabeth and how hurt she was. She apparently felt abandoned by her own Father, and she couldn't get past it. Grace wished he could watch, that he could see his wonderful, strong son-in-law comforting and loving and taking care of his wife. This was what he needed to see, to realize that she was where she needed to be. Grace pulled Julie back in the bedroom to give Jack and Elizabeth privacy.
Jack walked Elizabeth to the couch and held her close. A few minutes later she calmed down and started falling asleep. He stood up, picked her up and carried her to bed. She wore herself out and he was concerned about it. As he lay next to her, stroking her hair, rubbing her arm, he wondered if a letter from him would help the situation with William, or would it make it worse? He would talk to Grace in the morning and get her input.
Jack woke up early and went to make coffee. He was standing at the stove and didn't hear Elizabeth walk in behind him. She put her arm around his waist and leaned on his shoulder. "Morning, Honey."
"Hey. How are you this morning?"
"Much better." She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "I'm sorry about last night."
He turned toward her. "Don't apologize, Elizabeth. You had every right to be angry."
"I took it out on you, and I am truly sorry." She stepped closer to him and put her arms around his neck.
"I also want to thank you."
"For what?"
"For being so patient and for helping me get through it. Thank you so much, Jack."
"I will always help you get through hard things. It's my job as your husband."
"I'm very glad you're my husband." She kissed him, pulling him closer.
"Me too." He hugged her tightly. "Are you sure you're ok? I was pretty worried about you."
"Yes, I'm ok. I guess I need to just remember that I'm lucky to have my Mother and Julie here with me and just forget that my Father isn't and probably won't ever be."
"I'm sorry, Sweetheart. I know how hard it is for you."
"Let's talk about something else. I don't want to cry anymore."
"Like what?"
"Like, our anniversary. I think we should plan it for about a month from now. We should have the house to ourselves by then."
"That sounds good. I can't wait." He leaned over and kissed her.
"What can't you wait for, brother?" Julie interrupted as she walked in the room.
"Nothing, Julie. Do you want coffee?"
She frowned, realizing she was out of the loop. "Yes, please."
"I'm going to go get dressed and feed Ben. I'll be back soon." She kissed Jack's cheek and walked out of the room.
Grace walked in to the kitchen. "Morning Grace. Want coffee?"
"Yes, please." She sat down and stared at the cup he put on front of her.
"Doing ok this morning?" Jack touched her shoulder.
"I think I'm going home."
"Ok, when were you thinking?"
"On the next stage."
"This afternoon? Why so soon?"
"I need to speak with my husband."
"About that. Can I speak with you a moment, privately?"
"Ok." Jack took her outside to the bench he built and sat down.
"Grace, after last night, I'm worried about Elizabeth."
"I know. I don't know how to make it better, or if that's possible, but I'm going to try. That's why I'm going home. I need him to realize how horribly wrong he has handled this. It may be a waste of time, but Beth is worth it."
"Do you think it would help if I tried to talk to him, in a letter?"
"I don't know. I can't see how it would. He's so unwilling to see reason."
"I need to try, but I don't want Elizabeth to know, in case it doesn't help. If I wrote a letter, would you take it to him?"
"Of course, Jack."
"Thank you. When you're ready to leave, let me know and I will take you to town."
"Thank you, Dear, for so many things, but mostly for being such a good husband and Father. It is very comforting to know that we don't need to worry about Elizabeth or Ben."
Jack reached over and hugged Grace. "Then I guess I need to thank you too, for your support of our family. It means so much, Grace."
Elizabeth was standing at the window watching the conversation between her husband and her Mother.
"I wonder what they're talking about, Julie?"
"I don't know. I guess you'll need to ask them." She was sitting at the table holding her tiny nephew in her arms. "You are getting more adorable every day, Ben. Aunt Jules loves you." She kissed his head. "He smells so good, Elizabeth."
Elizabeth smiled at her sister, while still watching Jack and Grace.
Jack and Grace started walking back inside so Elizabeth quickly turned around and sat at the table.
They walked back in and sat down to drink their coffee. Elizabeth scooted closer to Jack and put her hand on his leg, getting his attention. He looked at her and raised his eyebrows, really glad there was a table there, blocking Julie and Grace's view. "Hi," she said innocently.
"Hi, yourself," he said with a smile.
"What are you doing today, Jack?"
"I'm going to do some paperwork and then head to town. Why do you ask?"
She shrugged. "Just curious." She leaned over and kissed his cheek.
Julie was watching, pretty sure there was something the two of them were discussing without actually saying the words. Grace, uncomfortable with displays of affection, got up and went to the spare room and started packing.
Julie decided to concentrate on Ben who had fallen asleep in her arms, but every so often sneaking a peek at Jack and Elizabeth.
Jack shook his head slightly at Elizabeth, mouthing the word, "No," as she continued getting his attention. She chuckled and leaned in front of him to kiss him. After a moment, Jack moved her hand and pulled away. "Sweetheart, can I talk to you for a moment?"
They walked into their bedroom and he shut the door. He looked at her. "What was that?"
"What?" she asked innocently.
"The leg thing and your hand and the kiss, in front of Julie and your Mom?"
"It was a kiss and they couldn't see my hand." She smiled.
"I'm pretty sure Julie caught on."
"Maybe but does it really matter?"
Jack sighed. "What did you need?"
"What were you and my Mother talking about?"
"That's what you wanted to ask?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't you just ask?"
"It was more fun this way." She walked toward him, a smirk on her face.
"Freeze Mrs. Thornton," he said with a laugh. "Are you trying to torture me? You gave birth three days ago. Don't start something you can't finish."
"Ok, I'm sorry. I'll be good."
"I have some work to do. I think you might want to spend some time with your Mom. She says she's leaving this afternoon." He kissed her cheek and left the room.
Later that afternoon, Grace left for Hamilton with a letter from Jack in her suitcase. He had poured his heart out and hopefully it would help the situation.
That night, Elizabeth laid on bed, writing in her journal while Jack snuggled with Ben next to her.
"His hands are so tiny, Elizabeth and he smells so good. He doesn't cry that much either."
"Mmhmm," Elizabeth responded as she continued to write.
"What are you writing about?" He leaned over to peek at the page, but she moved it away.
"Nothing much."
"Then why hide it?"
"They are my thoughts, Jack. Things I don't share with anyone. I need to be able to express them without anyone judging me."
"I would never do that."
"I know, but I need to keep it to myself for now, ok? "
"Ok, as long as you promise to discuss the important things with me."
"Promise." She put her journal on the table and looked at her husband holding his son.
Jack looked at her and smiled. "What?"
She laid down close to him and wrapped her arm around his waist. "I love you, Honey."
"I love you too." She yawned and kissed his cheek, closing her eyes.
Jack closed his eyes too and fell asleep with his family safe in his arms.
The next morning, Jack made breakfast for Elizabeth. "Morning, Sweetheart," he said as he walked in the bedroom with their food on a tray. Elizabeth was sitting up feeding Ben. "Good morning, Honey. What did you bring?"
"Breakfast. Eggs and toast with butter and some tea."
"It smells wonderful. Thank you!"
"My pleasure. I figured breakfast in bed would be nice. We haven't done this in a long time."
"You're right, it has been awhile." She grabbed a piece of toast and took a bite while she kept feeding Ben. "Your son has such an appetite, Jack."
"That's good. We want him to get big and strong."
They continued to eat their breakfast and talk about whatever came to mind. Eventually Jack decided he needed to head in to town to check on things, so he kissed Elizabeth and Ben and left.
Later, the sun was shining and it was pretty warm for September so Elizabeth bundled up the baby and went to sit on the bench outside. She had been stuck in the house for basically the last year, so she needed some air. She was hoping by next week, she could go with Jack to town and see Abigail and Debbie. Elizabeth closed her eyes and leaned back letting the sun warm her face.
"Elizabeth?" Her eyes popped open and she saw Molly Sullivan and Lee Coulter walking up.
"Lee, Molly! It's good to see you. What brings you here?"
"We wanted to see you and the baby, of course," Lee mentioned.
Lee and Molly were courting and had been for the past four months or so. Lee had started out trying to make Rosemary jealous by spending time with Molly, however as time went on, Lee realized Rosemary was not the type of woman he could see himself marrying. He, however, got along very well with Molly and so they stayed together.
"That's very nice of you. Here he is. Ben Thomas Thornton."
Molly and Lee joined her on the bench and peeked at Ben. "Congratulations, Elizabeth. He is so adorable," Molly commented.
"Thank you, Molly." Elizabeth watched as Molly and Lee held the baby, marveling at his curly dark hair and tiny fingers.
"Is Jack around?" Lee asked.
"No, he went to town. He had to check on things at work. Bill has been filling in but he was getting behind on paperwork."
"Maybe I will go see if I can catch up with him at the jail." He leaned over and kissed Molly's cheek. "I'll see you later, ok?" She nodded.
"Would you like some tea, Molly?"
"Yes, I would love some, thank you."
Elizabeth led the way into the house while Molly followed with the baby. "So things seem to be going well with Lee."
"Yes, he's wonderful."
"He is a good man. Jack's always liked him."
Elizabeth and Molly continued to talk about Lee and Jack and the baby for the rest of the afternoon.
"Do you and Lee have plans tonight? If not you can stay for dinner, if you want."
"We do actually. Lee won't tell me what we're doing, but I have some ideas what he might be planning."
"You do?"
"Yes, he's been hinting about getting married, so I'm hoping he will ask me tonight."
"That would be wonderful, Molly."
"Yes it would."
An hour later, Jack and Lee walked in the door. "Hey Sweetheart," Jack said as he bent down to kiss Elizabeth.
"Hi, Honey."
"Where's that boy of mine?"
"He's sleeping in his crib."
"Lee said he and Molly could stay for dinner, if that's ok with you."
"He did?"
"Yes, is that ok?"
"Of course, but…." She glanced at Molly who's face showed her disappointment.
"Actually, I'm not feeling well," Molly said. "Thank you, Elizabeth for the tea and congratulations to both of you." Lee stood up and stopped Molly. "Molly? What's wrong?"
"I'm going home, Lee. I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Of course." He watched her leave and stood looking confused.
"I guess, I better go walk her home." Lee shook Jack's hand and left.
"What was that about?" Jack asked.
"I don't understand it either. Molly said they had plans and he had something big planned. She was hoping he would propose tonight."
Jack nodded. "I wonder why he said he would stay for dinner then?"
"I don't know, but Molly seemed pretty upset."
"Well, Lee will fix it. Oh, and I saw Julie in town. She's eating with Abigail so it's just you and me tonight." He walked over and hugged her, kissing her cheek.
"Oh ok. That sounds good to me."