A/N I promised you another Thornton baby, so here you go :)

...

I smiled as I slowly walked around the room. The students were all making Christmas cards and decorations for the Christmas Eve festivities. Even Jane was doing her part, squeezed on the bench between Hannah and Opal as she scribbled on a piece of paper.

"Mrs. Thornton, is your baby going to be born soon?"

"I hope so, Hannah. Dr. Shepherd thinks the baby will be born sometime in the next couple of weeks."

"Does that mean you'll miss the Christmas Eve program?"

"I might. It will depend on if the baby has been born by then or not."

"How long will it be before you come back to teach us?"

I rested my hands on my stomach. "I'm not sure. I came back when Jane was almost three months old, so it will probably be at least that long again. You'll be in good hands with Mrs. Sullivan and Mrs. Blakely, though."

"Are you and Constable Thornton going to have more babies?"

I laughed softly, silently wondering when the questions were going to stop and how far they would go. "I'm not sure about that, either. We'll see how we feel after this one is born." I smiled when the baby hiccupped inside me a couple of times. "Okay, that's enough questions for now. Keep working on your crafts."

...

Jack picked up Jane and turned to me. "Ready to go?"

"Mhmm." I nodded and finished doing up the buttons on my coat, grabbing the basket off my desk.

He took my hand, and we headed away from the schoolhouse. "How was your last day?"

"Bittersweet. It's a little strange knowing that I won't be back here to teach for at least a few months."

"With the new baby, those months will go by so quickly. You'll be back teaching before you know it." He squeezed my hand.

"Jack, I don't know that I ever thanked you for letting me to continue working after we got married and after Jane was born. Not every man would be okay with that. So, thank you."

He stopped walking and pulled me close. "I wouldn't dream of asking you to stop teaching. That's your calling." He brushed his lips against mine. "I think you do a wonderful job of balancing being a wife, a mother, and a teacher. You really are amazing, Elizabeth."

I felt a flush rise in my cheeks. "For someone who never planned on being a husband, you sure are good at it." I kissed him softly. "I love you, Jack Thornton."

"I love you, too." He shivered. "Okay, it's cold out here. We'd better get to Abigail's before we freeze."

...

I set down my basket, and Jane immediately starting rummaging through it.

Jack pulled out the chair for me, and I took a seat.

"What are you looking for, Janie?"

She held up the "cards" she had made earlier, showing them to Jack. "Chismas!"

"Kiss? Okay." Jack crouched down and kissed the top of her head.

She giggled. "No, dada. Chismas!"

"Oh! You want me to kiss your mama?" He leaned over and pressed his lips to mine.

She laughed even harder. "No! CHISMAS!"

"Oh! Christmas!"

I lifted her into the chair beside me. "She wanted to be like my students today, so she made some Christmas cards with them." I smiled and brushed my fingers through her hair. "You should've seen her. It was so sweet. She even sat on the benches with them."

Jack took a seat across from us. "You're getting so big, Jane Elizabeth."

She wiggled her legs. "Nee Nee big!"

"I can't believe she'll actually be one of my students in a few years."

Abigail approached our table, a grin on her face. "Well hello, you three. It's good to see you. Did you stop by for food or warmth?"

Jack chuckled. "Both, I guess."

"And to see you. Jane wanted to give you something." I turned toward her and pointed to one of the cards in her hand. "Janie, why don't you give Auntie Abigail the card you made her?"

Jane gave her a toothy grin and held up the slightly crumpled paper covered in scribbles.

"For me?" Abigail took the card from her. "Thank you so much, Jane. I love it."

"I had the children making Christmas crafts today, and Jane wanted to make cards for everyone."

"Such a sweetheart." Abigail ruffled her hair. "Now, is anyone hungry? I just baked a fresh batch of vanilla scones, or there's a roast in the oven that's just about done."

"I think I'll take a scone."

"One for me and Jane as well, and some raspberry jam if you have it."

"I keep a jar in the back just for you," she winked. "Anything to drink?"

"Three hot chocolates, please."

"That'll be right out." She gently squeezed my shoulder before retreating to the kitchen. She returned a few moments later with our order, giving us a smile before leaving us alone again.

"I'm interested to see what Jane thinks of hot chocolate."

"Well, if she's anything like her father, she'll love it." I smirked and lifted the cup toward Jane. "Want to try some hot chocolate, Janie?"

She nodded and reached for the cup.

"Let mama help you, Janie. It's hot."

She took a sip, and her eyes lit up. "Num!" She eagerly reached for the cup again. "Mo, pease!"

I laughed. "Just like her father."

...

Jack carried a sleepy Jane into the house. "I think that might have been the best Christmas Eve celebration Hope Valley has ever had."

"You should be sure to mention that to Rosemary the next time you see her." I chuckled. "I know I wasn't a big fan of her when she first arrived, but I don't know what this town would do without her."

He laughed. "Our lives would be far less exciting, I'm sure." He shifted Jane in his arms, and she mumbled against his shoulder. "I'll go put her to bed."

I gave her a quick kiss. "Good night, Jane. I love you."

I shed my coat and hung it by the door while Jack headed up the stairs. I stood in the middle of the room, looking around at all the decorations. Jack had brought home a tree the previous week, and we had spent that evening decorating it. A strand of garland was wrapped around the banister, and a few handmade decorations from my students were in various places around the room.

I startled a bit when I felt Jack's hand on my back.

"Hi."

"Hi. Did she give you any trouble?"

He shook his head. "I think that's the easiest she's ever gone down. She was asleep before I even got her pajamas on."

"Good." I leaned my head on his shoulder. "We should probably head up to bed soon, too. I think I could fall asleep standing up right now."

"Well, we can't have that when there's a nice warm feather bed waiting upstairs."

He kept his arm around me as we walked up the stairs.

Within a few minutes, we were snuggled up under the quilt, his hand resting on my stomach and my head tucked beneath his chin.

I put my hand on top of his. "Merry Christmas, Jack."

He kissed the top of my head. "Merry Christmas, Elizabeth."

...

"Merry Christmas, Janie." Jack set the wrapped package in front of her.

She giggled as he helped her unwrap the gift and open the box. She reached in and grabbed the box of crayons.

"You can color with those, Janie." I pulled the stack of paper from the box. "And we got you some colored paper to draw on."

"Dwa!"

"I know. You like to draw, just like your dad." I met Jack's eyes and smiled. "She's still a little Jack."

He rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Should we do our gifts now while she's distracted?"

"Probably a good idea."

He handed me a small, flat package.

I peeled back the paper to reveal a leather-bound book. My fingers traced the words printed on the cover. "A Collection of Frontier Stories: Volume Two, written by Elizabeth Thornton." I looked up at Jack. "Thank you, Jack. This is beautiful."

He shrugged. "I figured it was about time we had a book in this house written by Elizabeth Thornton."

"It's perfect. Okay," I set down the book and picked up Jack's gift, "your turn."

He ripped the paper off. "A box. Just what I wanted." He gave me a wink, and I rolled my eyes. He lifted the lid from the box and pulled out everything inside: a few canvases, a new set of paintbrushes, and some oil paints. "I've been needing some new paints. Thank you."

"I have another gift for you, and another for Jane. I didn't plan on these, but I had so much extra time in those few days when I wasn't teaching, so they just kind of happened." I made my way over to their stockings and pulled out the items: a hand-knit scarf for Jack, and a sweater for Jane.

"Thank you, Elizabeth. Whenever I'm on my rounds this time of year, I always wish I had a warmer scarf." He wrapped the scarf around his neck.

I laughed. "You're going to boil if you wear it inside."

"It's from you, so I'm never taking it off."

...

After Jane was in bed, Jack and I settled onto the sofa.

"I was kind of hoping that we'd get to celebrate Christmas with a new baby." I cradled my stomach and glanced over at the fireplace, where I had insisted we hang four stockings, just in case the new baby arrived before Christmas Day.

"So was I, but think about it. By next Christmas, she'll be almost a year old, so she can actually enjoy her first Christmas instead of sleeping through it."

"That's true." I smiled. "I can't believe there are going to be four of us. Our little Jane is going to be a big sister."

"I have a feeling she'll love having a baby around." Jack reached over and placed his hand on my belly. "Hopefully we'll get to meet this little one in the next few days."

"Tell me about it. I'm ready for her to be out of me."

He leaned in and kissed me softly. "Thank you for carrying our babies."

...

Jack headed to town, hoping to find Carson or Faith. He took Jane with him and was planning on leaving her with Abigail, so I wouldn't have to worry about keeping an eye on her. I had been experiencing sporadic contractions for a few days—since the day after Christmas—but they had grown more frequent and consistent overnight.

I leaned back against the headboard and breathed through a pain. I could see tiny snowflakes falling outside, and I silently prayed that Jack wouldn't get stuck in town and leave me to deliver the baby on my own.

After an hour, Jack still hadn't returned, and I was beginning to worry. I slowly made my way down the stairs. I looked out the window, hoping to see Jack. Instead, I only saw snow gently swirling through the air. Another pain hit, and I leaned against the wall, my hand on my stomach. Once it passed, I lowered myself onto the sofa.

A few minutes later, Jack burst through the door, followed by Carson, Faith, and Abigail, who was carrying Jane.

"Elizabeth, what are you doing down here?" Jack sat beside me and took my hand.

"I was feeling restless. I just needed to get up and move."

"Let's get you back upstairs." He helped me up to our bedroom. Carson and Faith silently followed. Abigail remained downstairs with Jane, keeping her occupied.

Carson's face grew concerned as he examined me. He pulled Faith aside and spoke to her quietly. I saw her eyes grow wide, and she cradled her own small belly. Jack seemed oblivious to what was going on, but my stomach was in knots.

"Carson, what's going on? Is the baby okay?"

"The baby is breech."

My heart dropped. I knew enough about childbirth to know that there were risks to delivering a breech baby. If the baby didn't come out fast enough, we could lose her. If the baby was in a dangerous position, Carson might be forced to do a caesarean. We were too far from town to make it to the infirmary if—God forbid—an emergency were to arise.

"We can try to turn the baby, but there are no guarantees that we can get the baby to move. If that doesn't work, we can still try to deliver the baby naturally. A caesarean will be the last resort. I will try to do everything in my power to avoid that."

I felt tears stinging my eyes. Jack squeezed my hand.

Carson and Faith stood on either side of me. "This may hurt, so just bear with us for a moment."

They pushed on my stomach, trying to turn the baby around inside of me. I bit my tongue, holding back a scream. Jack cringed; I knew he hated to see me in pain. They stopped trying after a few minutes.

"I'm sorry, this baby isn't moving an inch, but it feels like the baby is in the safest of the breech positions. I have delivered a few breech babies before, though, so I know what I'm doing, Elizabeth. Don't worry."

Faith brought me a glass of water. "We'll continue to monitor the baby, and if anything changes, we'll go from there."

"For now, just try to relax. It looks like it'll still be a little while yet."

"Thank you both for being here."

They both stepped out of the room, leaving me alone with Jack.

"You've been quiet."

He climbed into the bed beside me. "I don't know what to think right now. I thought I wouldn't be as scared as I was when Jane was born, but now this is happening."

My voice broke. "I'm scared, too." I wiped my eyes. "But I trust Carson. He's not going to let us lose this baby." I took a deep breath. "Jack, if anything happens to me-"

Jack cut me off. "Elizabeth, no. I'm not having this discussion with you."

"Jack. We need to have this conversation. I know what Carson said, but this has the potential to be a risky birth. If anything happens to me, make sure they save the baby."

We were both in tears, teetering on the edge of completely breaking down.

"It's not going to come to that." He pulled me closer, putting his hand on my stomach. "You're both going to be fine."

"But Jack, if something were to happen-"

"Elizabeth, no more. We're done talking about this."

I placed my hand on my stomach beside Jack's. "Julie was breech. I was only a few years old when she was born, but I don't remember my parents being too worried about it." I don't know why I felt the need to mention that to Jack. I was really just trying to make myself feel better.

I needed a distraction from the situation, so I requested that Abigail bring Jane up for a while. Jack and I snuggled with our daughter, enjoying our last moments as a family of three. Carson and Faith continued to monitor me and the baby. Nothing had changed, so Carson was hopeful that we wouldn't have to do a caesarean.

It was a few more hours before the baby was ready to come. Like he did when Jane was born, Jack stayed with me the entire time, coaching me through each pain, rubbing my back, praying for our family.

It took longer than Jane's birth, but as dusk fell, another Thornton was born, safe and healthy.

Jack carried the baby from Carson over to me, smiling through the tears in his eyes as he lowered the little bundle into my arms. "We were right."

...

A/N You'll get the name in the next chapter, but if you read carefully, someone (indirectly) mentions the gender of baby E :)