AN: Hello my readers! Here is the next chapter for you! Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry this hasn't been updated in SO long, but I really have had a bad case of writers block! I'm back now, and I hope to update every sunday!
When she woke the morning after Rosemary's wedding back in her old bed above Abigail's Cafe, she briefly thought that the last six months she had spent with Jack had been nothing more than a very good, very realistic dream; she had even started to cry over it when the baby made it's presence known with a sharp kick to her pelvis, and Jack strode across the room to see why she was crying. He'd woken up early to go back to their house to fetch them both a change of clothes, and had returned to find her almost openly weeping.
"It's nothing this time, really- I just- It's really stupid this time Jack. I was afraid, when I woke up here alone, that the last six months, that none of it had happened." She sighed, wiping away her traitorous tears.
"Oh, that's all? Thank God, I thought something was seriously wrong." He said, kissing her gently. He brushed away the stray tears on her cheeks, and held her again.
"We should get dressed. I just want to go home." Elizabeth sighed, then laughed. "It's funny that this used to be home...now I can't imagine any other home, Jack. Our house is so perfect. Though, honestly, I think I'd love anywhere that I get to live with you."
"Then we can go home."
"After we have breakfast? I can smell the apple turnovers from here." Elizabeth sighed dreamily.
"How could I deny you something so simple?" Jack asked, pressing a kiss to her temple. He handed her a blouse, and they quickly dressed in their new clothes. She grabbed an old ribbon she had left in the nightstand, and quickly tied up her hair in a feeble attempt to look presentable. She glanced in the mirror and fretted. "I know what you're thinking, and you're wrong."
"Hm?"
"You don't look a mess, you don't look horrible. You're the most beautiful woman in the entire world, any time of the day or night, no matter what you think your hair looks like." He put his hands on her shoulders as he spoke, and then kissed her neck softly.
"What did I ever do to deserve you Constable?" She turned around, and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you so much."
"I love you." He smiled, and accepted her quick kiss.
"Shall we go get breakfast then?" She asked. She started to walk out the door, but Jack quickly scooped her up in his arms. "Jack!"
"Did you really think I was going to let you walk down the stairs when you're supposed to be on bedrest?" He asked skeptically, causing her to frown. "What, do you want another repeat of last night?"
"No!" She gasped, and buried her face in his shoulder. "Fine, I see your point. From now until the baby is born, I'll be on my best behavior, I promise."
"Really?"
"Believe me, if last night was any indication, labor isn't going to be very pleasant...I think I'd like to put it off for, oh, as long as possible." She laughed as he reached the foot of the stairs. Abigail was quick to pull out a chair for her, and Jack set her in it.
"Well, you certainly look better this morning- better color, smiling, you've got light in your eyes." Abigail smiled. "Tea? Water? Lemonade?" She asked, already knowing what her young friend would say.
"Lemonade please and thank you!" Elizabeth laughed as Abigail handed her a tall glass of the sweet yellow juice. "You're so good to me!"
"What are friends for?" Abigail smirked and placed a plate of potatoes and two apple turnovers on the table in front of her. Elizabeth, grinned, took a bite of the fresh turnover, and let out a soft moan.
"Sounds like I have competition for Elizabeth's favorite again." Jack laughed. Rip barked from the top of the stairs, and then bounded down them, past Jack, and to Elizabeth's feet, where he sat as if on guard.
"And for Rip's too!" Abigail giggled, and handed Jack a plate with heartier fare on it.
"Thanks Abigail- you're the best." Jack grinned.
"It's no problem. A slow morning. I think everyone's still in bed recovering from "The Wedding of the Century!", as the bride called it- oh, speaking of the bride….She left this note for you before she and Lee left for the honeymoon. She wanted to go up to see you, but you were already sleeping, so I kept her downstairs." Abigail said as she passed off the note. Elizabeth smiled as she opened it, and read,
Dear Elizabeth-
Oh! I'm so glad you're alright! I was terribly worried you know, and would have come to see you directly if we hadn't been in the middle of cutting the cake! The rest of the reception went off without a hitch, but I will admit I was a bit distracted with my worry for you! Promise me you'll take it easy while I'm gone- I would hate to have baby Thornton make their grand entrance before my return!
With all of my love,
Rosemary Colter!
Ps:Look! Don't you just love the way that looks? Rosemary Colter, Rosemary Colter, Rosemary Colter!
"Well, I'm glad she doesn't think we ruined her wedding." Elizabeth laughed and handed the note to Jack. "Now, where's Cody?"
"He fell asleep at the table last night, So I moved him to the sofa." Abigail gestured over her shoulder to the boy who was still sleeping soundly. "Poor thing was exhausted."
"Did you get any more of his story out of him?" Jack asked.
"I'm afraid not. Every time I asked, he'd try to go, but I had a lot of food to coax him into staying, and then he was so tired, he just fell asleep right at the table. He was so skittish, and scared, not to mention he's too thin. I'm worried about him." Abigail said, gazing over at him. "You know, he reminds me of my Peter when he was that age."
"Oh Abigail." Elizabeth sighed. "We'll figure it out, we can help him." As if on cue, he began to stir, and Abigail quickly went to his side.
"Goodmorning sweetheart." She said softly, brushing the hair from his eyes. He smiled, but then gasped.
"Morning? Oh no!" He sat up, and began to get up. "I've gotta go, Becky is gonna be so worried!"
""Woah, woah, slow down honey. Who is Becky?" Abigail asked grabbing both of his hands. He looked conflicted, and bit his lip. "Cody, honey, remember how hungry, how cold you were yesterday? Don't you think that Becky feels that way too?" He still looked conflicted. Elizabeth rose from the chair very slowly, and walked over to him.
"Sweetheart, we just want to help you. I promise that if you talk to us, you won't get in any trouble. We just want to help." Elizabeth said as she took her seat on the sofa. Cody sighed and sat down.
"Becky is my sister. Our parents, they died, and we're all alone."
"Oh honey!" Abigail said, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"They said they were going to have to split us up, so we ran away, and we've been running for a long time." Cody said. "And Becky, she's real sick, and we were so hungry, I had to come by myself to look for food, and that's when Mrs. Thornton found me- I've gotta go back to her, she's sick, she's probably really worried too, cause I didn't come back."
"Cody honey, if your sister is sick, then she should really see a doctor." Elizabeth said.
"She said that if we got help, they would take us back to the orphanage, and they'd try to split us up again." Cody said warily. "I'm scared she's gonna be so sick that she's gonna die too. But she said that she didn't want to risk it."
"Cody, if we promised you that we would help make sure that you and Becky got to stay together, would you let us help?" Abigail asked.
"Do you promise?" He asked.
"Yes, I promise." Abigail said. "Now, please, if she's sick, you've got to let us help her."
"Okay." Cody nodded.
"Abigail and I will go, and we'll bring Becky back here. When the doctor comes around to see you, tell him we're going to be bringing around a very sick girl." as Jack spoke he grabbed his coat. "Promise me you're going to keep off of your feet?"
"I promise. Now go on, and hurry back." he leaned down to kiss her, and then looked to Cody.
"Alright, Cody, lead the way."
"Miss Abigail, are you coming too?" cody asked hopefully.
"Of course I will honey." In fact, she had already put on her wrap. Cody took her hand and pulled her out the door.
"We've gotta hurry to the campsite! Becky's never been alone all night before, Im worried shes gonna be even sicker!" " they followed him out, and left Elizabeth alone. She let out a sigh and settled further into the sofa. She still ached a bit, but compared to yesterday, it was nothing. She realized that she might have been a little more apprehensive about being left alone, but her concern for Cody had outweighed anything else. Rip came and sat at her knee, and looked up at her with his big eyes.
"Hello there boy." She smiled, and rubbed behind his ears. "You're worried too, huh? I'll bet that you're going to love this baby, aren't you? How could you not? How could anyone dislike something that's a part of Jack? I love him too. And I really love this baby. You're going to keep an eye on her, aren't you? I don't think I've ever seen you have so much energy before." The dog let out a small bark. "What do you think we ought to name the baby? Josephine?" the dog began to growl. "Ill take that as a no. What then? We certainly arent going to call them Rip… what about Elsie? Nothing to say? I'll take that as a maybe then. Hm...talking to a dog; does that make me crazy? No crazier than talking to myself I supposed." There was a knock on the door, and Elizabeth looked up. "Come in Doctor Ryan!"
"Mrs. Thornton, I hope you haven't been going up and down these stairs all morning?" He asked.
"No, actually, Jack carried me down this morning." She laughed.
"Have you had anymore pains?"
No, I haven't."
"And has baby been moving?"
"Quite a lot- I almost thought she was going to break my ribs earlier!" Elizabeth chuckled.
"Now that does happen sometimes, But I think you'll be alright on that account." The doctor gave her a smile. "As a pregnancy progresses, it's only natural for the baby to start to feel a bit cramped when they stretch out. Mind if I take a listen?"
"Of course not." She said, and he pressed the stethoscope to her stomach.
"Very good. Exactly what you want to hear!"
"I'm so glad- I was very worried yesterday!" Elizabeth laughed, and pressed her hand to her heart.
"You don't need to be scared, Mrs. Thornton, I promise that this is all natural, and there are many women who experience labor or false labor early. The worst thing you can do is get too worried." Elizabeth nodded, and stroked her stomach again. "As far as I can tell, Mrs. Thornton, you and the baby are in fine health, and if you stay off of your feet, and get a fair amount of rest, there's no reason to expect baby to make an early appearance."
"I'm glad to hear that." Elizabeth sighed in relief. "Oh- please, don't leave yet! I don't know exactly what we're in for, but my husband went out with a young boy who said his sister is quite sick, he's going to bring her back here, and they should be back any time now- I wish I had more details for you, but I'm really not sure what to expect."
"Well then, of course I'll stay." The old doctor smiled and nodded. Elizabeth pushed herself up from the sofa, and walked back to the table where her second turnover was waiting for her. "Can I get anything for you? Abigail makes the best turnovers in the world- at least, baby and I think so."
"It sounds as if you've got cravings."
"Oh yes- Apples, apples with everything, on everything, in everything. I've got it good- my sister Julie is pregnant as well, and all she ever wants is onions." Elizabeth laughed. She took a sip of her lemonade, and that's when the door swung open. Cody came in first, walking backwards as he kept an eye on his sister, who was nestled in Jack's arms, wrapped in Jack's coat and Abigail's shawl. Even so her lips were a bit blue.
"Hypothermia, early stages." Jack said as he passed the doctor on his way up the stairs.
"Right then. We'll need blankets, dry clothes, sweaters if you have any. Hot tea, as well if she can swallow, time will tell." The doctor said over his shoulder.
"I'll go upstairs and get her dry clothes and blankets, if you'll put the kettle on?" Abigail asked.
"Yes, of course." Elizabeth nodded. Cody stood at the foot of the stairs, his eyes misting with tears. "Cody honey, Do you think you could help me fill the kettle? I'm not supposed to do any lifting." Cody nodded and picked up the kettle at once.
"It rained last night. She let the fire go out- she was already dozing when I left. It was my job to get food, and keep the fire goin"He set the kettle on the stove. "It's my fault shes sick."
"No! Cody, you can't blame yourself for this. You're both tired, you both need food. She is going to be alright darling. You both are. You're in the best place possible for help- you see, Miss Abigail is always ready to help anyone in need. When I first got here, I was a mess. She took care of me, and now we're all going to take care of you." Cody nodded, and Elizabeth gently brushed the hair out of his eyes.
"Miss Abigail is real nice. She reminds me of my mom." He said softly. Elizabeth gave him a soft smile, and kissed his forehead.
"Here sweetie, are you hungry?" She filled a plate with potatoes and bacon.
"I shouldn't." He shook his head.
"Oh, Cody, you can't not eat just because you feel badly about Becky. She would want you to eat so that you can stay healthy...and when she gets all better, you wouldn't want her to see that you were wasting away." Elizabeth said. She set the plate on the table, and grabbed the plate of apple turnovers which she set on the table as well. "Plus, if someone doesn't eat some of these turnovers soon I'm going to eat them all myself!" Cody smiled a bit, and took a seat at the table. He began to eat, and Elizabeth smiled as she sat down and took another turnover. They sat in silence until the kettle whistled.
"I've got it!" Abigail called as she was coming down the steps holding the hem of her skirt up to her knee.
"Abigail how is she?" Elizabeth asked.
"She's started to shiver- but that's good! It means her muscles are warming up!" Abigail explained as she poured the hot water into a cup. "She's got a little more color too."
"Miss Abigail, is she going to be okay?" Cody asked.
"I think so honey. She's going to be stuck in bed for a while, she might even have to go away to a hospital, but she is going to be okay."
"She's going to go away?! But you promised you would help us stay together!" Cody protested. Abigail set down the tea, and knelt next to his chair.
"We are Cody- she's not going to go away forever, but she is very sick. She needs more help than we can give her here." Abigail said softly. "But I promise you, no matter what, I will make sure that the two of you stay together." He nodded, and Abigail kissed his cheek, and handed him the steaming mug. "Here, why don't you carry this upstairs so that you can see her?"
"Okay." he smiled, and went up the stairs. Abigail sighed and took his seat. Elizabeth handed her a turnover, and Abigail smiled as she took a bite.
"Doctor Ryan said that they'd have to be turned over to the authorities, that there would be a good chance they would be split up unless…"
"Unless?"
"Unless someone was willing to take them both." Abigail said with a sigh.
"What are you thinking?" Elizabeth asked.
"I'm thinking that I have to take them in." Abigail said. "I mean, I don't know why, but I think God is telling me that I have to. Maybe it's because I lost my son, and they lost their parents, but it's like we're pieces of a puzzle. I have to take care of them, I just have to."
"Oh Abigail." Elizabeth took her hand.
"I mean, I don't know what I'm going to tell Frank-"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, he started courting a childless widow, is he going to want to continue our courtship when I tell him that I'm adopting two children?" Abigail said nervously.
"Of course he is!" Elizabeth said. "Abigail, I've seen the way that Frank looks at you. "Dont you dare doubt yourself." She clutched Abigail's hand tightly as Jack descended the stairs.
"Elizabeth, are you ready to go home?"
"We're leaving? But what about Becky and Cody?" Elizabeth asked.
"You need your rest, Elizabeth. I can handle everything here." Abigail insisted.
"Will you let me walk?" Elizabeth asked, arching her eyebrow at her husband. "
"I'll let you walk until we're out of town, but I'm absolutely going to carry you up the steps at home." Jack said, giving her a hand to help her rise from her seat.
"Well, that's more than I thought he'd allow." She laughed. "But seriously, Abigail, if you need anything at all-"
"Then I know where to find you. Now go home, get some good rest. I don't want my little godchild making an appearance before it's time! I haven't finished the blanket yet." Abigail smiled. "Oh, and please, take the rest of the turnovers- I'd hate for them to go stale, and I'm going to close for the rest of the day." As she spoke, she dumped the contents of the pan into a wicker basket.
"You're too good to me!" Elizabeth laughed as she embraced her friend. "One of these days I am going to find a way to repay you for all of this."
"You repay me every day just by being my friend, Elizabeth. Now, go on you two. You both look like you hardly slept last night, and I know it wasn't for the fun reason." As soon as the words had passed her lips, a blush painted Elizabeth's cheeks, and Jack let out a guffaw. "I'll see the two of you later!" Elizabeth mumbled some semblance of a goodbye, and walked out the door with Jack right behind her.
"Don't tease me about being modest again Jack." Elizabeth cautioned as they made their way down the road.
"I wasn't going to!" He said a little too innocently. She eyed him dubiously, and took his free hand. "I am going to have to make some rounds later today, Elizabeth. I've got to check in on some of the settlers by the river, and then i'm going to see if I can't help Abigail get custody of those two."
"I know you have to work- I know you enjoy working, But I'm going to be so lonely without you." Elizabeth pouted. He took great joy in kissing the pout off of her lips, and brushing a wayward strand of hair out of her eyes.
"I'm going to get you all settled in first, and knowing how tired you've been, you'll be asleep before I've even left the house, and when you wake up, I'll have dinner on the table. Nothing fancy, mind you, but I think I can manage to whip up some soup." Jack said as they resumed the slow pace of their walk.
"I almost forgot, I had a letter from Viola yesterday." Elizabeth said.
"Oh?"
"She's doing well. Marriage is suiting her just fine, she says." She sighed. "I just can't help but feel that she isn't as happy as she should be- but then, not everyone is lucky enough to marry their best friend, their true love- but any how, she's going to be going to London for Christmas, but she'd like to visit before she goes, especially because she would like to see the baby before it's grown too much. I thought perhaps she and sir Lionel could come to stay for a week or two at the end of November, and hopefully by then it'll be time for baby to make it's appearance."
"That's fine with me Elizabeth." Jack nodded. "I think it'd be good for you to have your sister here to keep you company for a while."
"Of course." Elizabeth smiled. "I'd very much like to have them here. They can use the room we set up for Julie and Tom's visit- Oh, Jack, we really do have to finish the nursery! Now I'm just scared to death that the baby is going to come early, and we aren't going to be ready."
"Hey, now, don't you worry Elizabeth. I'm going to take care of everything." He insisted.
"I feel so useless right now- like you're doing everything for me." She sighed, and Jack could hardly stop his jaw from going slack. He stopped her, conveniently very near to the school he had built for her, and put his hands on her upper arms.
"I'm doing everything for you? Elizabeth Thornton…" A shiver of pleasure still ran up her spine every time he called her that. "Don't you realize that you're literally creating a new human being? My baby- our baby. It's hard work, it's taking a lot out of you. So what if I have to cook a few meals or do more cleaning than you think is my fair share? Elizabeth what you're doing right now...It is everything, and I would do anything for you."
"Oh Jack!" She sighed, brushing away a few dreamy tears. She stood on her toes to press a kiss to his cheek, and wrapped her arms around him as their child moved between them. "I love you, I love you so much!"
"I know you do- because I feel exactly the same for you."
AN: So there it is! Another chapter! Another to follow! Thanks for your patience!
