"Hi, Elizabeth." Faith invited her into the house, giving her a quick hug. "It's good to see you."

"You, too. You look great." She passed Micah to Faith briefly while she took off her coat, hanging it by the door. "How are you feeling?"

Faith sighed. "Exhausted. Sore. You name it."

"Well, get used to the exhaustion. It's not going away anytime soon." Elizabeth chuckled, taking her son back.

"So I've heard." Faith joined in her laughter. "Now, let's go introduce you to Micah's new best friend."

They headed down the hall to the nursery. Faith smiled as she reached into the crib, lifting her son into her arms.

"This is Ezra Alexander Cantrell."

"He's beautiful, Faith."

"Isn't he? I think he looks just like Shane." Her smile widened as she brushed her finger across his cheek.

"What do you think, Micah? You think you'll be friends with Ezra?" Elizabeth shifted him to her other hip. He just stared at the baby, obviously unsure what to think. "It's hard to believe Micah was that small just a few months ago."

She nodded. "It is amazing how quickly they grow."

"How is Philip handling being a big brother?"

"Oh, he loves it. He helps out with anything he can. He keeps asking when he'll start eating from a bottle so he can help with feedings. And he even changes diapers—only wet ones, but still."

"That's wonderful."

"We really lucked out. I know my older brother wanted nothing to do with me when I was born," she chuckled, "so I was just hoping Philip wouldn't ignore him. I never dreamed he would do so well with this transition."

Elizabeth smiled and looked at Micah. "I wonder if Micah would like being a brother."

Faith lifted Ezra to her shoulder. "Are you thinking of having another? Perhaps with a handsome professor?" She gave Elizabeth a mischievous smile.

She shrugged, feeling warmth flood her cheeks. "I don't know. Maybe someday. Certainly not while Micah's still so young. Truthfully, though, I haven't really thought about it." She touched Micah's face, and he tucked his head against her shoulder. "Anyway, is Shane doing okay? I know you had mentioned he was pretty nervous about the birth and everything."

"He's doing better. He kept insisting that the nurses check on me every half hour the entire time I was in the hospital."

"Oh dear."

"Yeah, it was…a lot." She smiled sadly. "But as annoying as it was, it wasn't hurting anyone, so I just went along with it. It gave him peace of mind."

"Well, I'm glad everything's okay. And I'm glad this little guy is doing well." She smiled, reaching over to touch Ezra's tiny foot.

"Me too."

...

A week later, Jack sat in his car in Elizabeth's driveway, trying her phone one more time. It went straight to voicemail, the same as it had every other time he called her that morning. Rosemary and Lee had said they had the same results when they tried to call.

He let himself inside and quietly padded through the house. "Elizabeth, love, are you okay?" He found her curled up in the center of her bed, fast asleep, a pile of tissues on the nightstand. Even with her eyes closed, he could tell she had been crying. "Oh, Elizabeth." He brushed the hair back from her face and dropped a kiss on her forehead.

Micah was beginning to stir in the crib against the wall.

"Hey, little man," he spoke quietly as he lifted the baby into his arms. "Are you hungry? Let's go see if there's a bottle for you somewhere."

He carried him down to the kitchen and found a full bottle already made up in the refrigerator.

"Perfect. Let's get this warmed up for you."

A few minutes later, he settled on the sofa, Micah situated in his lap. He eagerly took the bottle Jack offered.

"Wow, you must be really hungry, bud." Jack watched him in silence for a few moments as he gulped down his milk. "So, your mama's not feeling well, huh? Today is a tough day for her, little man. It's been a year since your daddy died. We all miss him very much, but it's different for your mama." He sighed. "I still remember that day like it was yesterday."

"Rosie, what's up?"

"Jack."

He could immediately tell by her tone that something was very wrong. His stomach dropped. "What happened?"

"It's Pat. They said it was an aneurysm or something. I can't remember exactly what they said, but I guess he was bleeding into his brain and…" she sniffled. "They don't think he'll wake up."

"Oh God." Tears welled up in his eyes.

"Elizabeth and Marie and Leland have to decide if they want to take him off of life support."

"What hospital?"

"Mercy, but I don't know if they'll let you see him since you aren't family."

"That's crap! He's basically my brother."

"Jack." Her voice was soft, broken.

"I have to say goodbye. They have to let me say goodbye." He lost it then, sobs wracking his body.

Within the hour, Jack found himself on the elevator in the hospital. Rosemary was standing in the waiting room when he arrived, her face streaked with tears.

"Rosie." He pulled her into a hug.

"They're saying goodbye. Lee said he couldn't be in there anymore." She nodded toward her husband, who was sitting in a chair against the wall, his head in his hands.

"How's he taking it?"

She shrugged. "He doesn't want to talk."

"I just can't believe it. I can't imagine a world without Pat in it."

Rosemary shook her head. "Me neither."

They moved across the room to sit with Lee.

Jack lost track of time while they waited in silence for news. Eventually, Marie and Leland came into the waiting room, looking completely exhausted. Jack squeezed Rosemary's hand; they knew then that Patrick was gone.

It was even longer before Elizabeth appeared. She saw Jack right away, crossing the room to get to him. He stood, taking a few steps toward her.

"Jack." She walked into his arms and immediately broke down.

"I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I'm so sorry." He kissed the top of her head, his tears soaking into her hair.

"That was a really bad day for all of us." He felt tears in his eyes. Micah just stared up at him as he finished his bottle, blue eyes wide. "Goodness, you look so much like him."

Jack set the bottle aside and lifted the baby to his shoulder, gently rubbing his back. Micah relaxed against him, sighing quietly.

"What do you say we get your diaper changed and then read a story?"

He headed up to the nursery, peeking his head into Elizabeth's room on the way to check on her. She was still sound asleep.

Once the baby was freshly diapered, Jack settled into the glider. He flipped through the book that he and Lee had put together for Micah, looking for a particular page.

"That's your daddy, Micah. The day he graduated from high school." He pointed at the picture of Patrick in his cap and gown, Marie and Leland standing on either side of him. "You know, he was really smart. He was in the top ten percent of his class. And he studied engineering in college." He flipped to the next page, where there was a photo of Patrick at his college graduation. Elizabeth stood beside him, a bouquet of tulips in her hands. "That's where he met your mama, where we all met your mama. Not at the graduation, I mean." He chuckled. "Goodness, I miss him. We had some really great times together in college."

When he glanced back down at the baby, he noticed he had fallen asleep.

Jack sighed, brushing his thumb across his cheek. "I love you, Micah Coulter. So much."

...

Elizabeth woke as Jack was cleaning up the tissues beside her.

"Jack? What are you doing here?"

"You weren't answering your phone. I was worried. Everyone's worried, actually."

"I turned my phone off. I'm not in the mood for pity today." She grabbed the blanket from the foot of the bed and pulled it up to her chin.

"People just care about you, Elizabeth. They want to know you're okay." He sat on the edge of the bed and reached out to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear.

She shrank away from his touch. "I'm fine. How long have you been here?"

"A little while. Micah was awake when I got here, and he seemed hungry, so I gave him a bottle and changed his diaper. He's sleeping again. Have you eaten today?"

"I'm not hungry."

"Elizabeth, you need to eat."

"You should go home, Jack. I'm not going to be good company today."

"Are you at least taking care of Micah?"

"Of course I am," she raised her voice. "You think I'd neglect my own son just because I'm having a crappy day? It's the anniversary of the worst day of my life, so naturally I must be forgetting about my baby." She turned away from him. "Go home, Jack."

"Beth…" He touched her shoulder.

She jerked away from him. "Just leave."

"Elizabeth, please."

"Go. Now."

He sighed, hating to see her so upset. He wished there was something he could do, but he knew there was nothing he could say to help. He walked away, turning back for a moment before he left her room. "I love you."

...

"Hey, Pat." Jack knelt down beside the stone. "I can't believe it's been a year since we lost you. So much has changed. Lorelei turned three, you have two nephews on the way, and your son… Gosh, I wish you could've met Micah. He's amazing. I think every time I see him, he looks even more like you. He's getting so big; he's smiling and laughing now, and it's only a matter of time before he's crawling and sitting up by himself. And Elizabeth," he shook his head, smiling sadly, "she's absolutely wonderful with him."

He shivered as a breeze blew through the cemetery.

"It's like she was made to be a mother. Everything she does, she does for that boy. Even when she has hard days, her priority is always Micah. The more I see her with him, the more I fall in love with her. I never meant to fall in love with her, Pat."

He rubbed his hands together, trying to warm them.

"I never expected her to fall in love with me, either. She was so in love with you—she still is. It's all so complicated. I'm trying to make her happy. I know that's what you would want—for her to be happy." He touched the stone, tracing the carved letters. "I miss you, Patrick. I wish you were here."

...

Jack hugged Lee as he came through the door. "Hey. How are you doing?"

Lee shrugged, following Jack into the living room and sinking down onto the sofa. "I'm okay, mostly. I definitely feel his absence still, but it's getting easier. It's just hard to think it's been a whole year without him. He's missed so much."

Jack nodded in agreement. "I still hate that he never met Micah."

"Have you talked to Elizabeth today?"

"I was just at her house a little while ago."

Rosemary walked into the room, carrying Lorelei. "You saw Elizabeth today? How is she? I tried calling her a bunch of times, but she never answered."

He sighed. "She's not doing great. I expected her to be sad, but she was so angry. She made me leave."

"Wow." She took a seat beside Lee. "Maybe you and I should drop by later and check on her."

"I don't know, Rosie. If she kicked Jack out, I'm sure she wouldn't appreciate us being there. It sounds like she wants to be alone today."

"Well, you can stay here, then. I'm going to bring her some dinner."

"Are you sure you're feeling up to it?"

Her eyes widened, and she gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head.

Jack glanced between them, confusion covering his face. "Okay, what's going on here?"

"You might as well just tell him, sweetheart."

"Fine. I guess you'll find out soon enough, anyway. But someone doesn't know yet so…" She covered Lorelei's ears. "I'm pregnant."

"Really? That's great, Rosie. Congratulations, you guys."

"We're happy about it, but," Lee gave a sad smile, "it's just one more thing Pat's going to miss. He loved being an uncle."

"What you say, mama?"

"Nothing, baby."

"Daddy, you sad?" She reached over and touched Lee's face.

"Yeah, honey bun. I am sad. I miss your Uncle Pat."

"Mama, you sad?"

"Yes." Rosemary kissed the top of her head. "It's okay to be sad sometimes."

"Have you talked to your parents today?" Jack asked.

Lee shook his head. "Not yet. I'm going to call them later. And I think we're going up there next weekend. Let them spend time with Lorelei, tell them about the B-A-B-Y."

"What's that, daddy?"

"We'll tell you later, sweetheart."

"You know," Jack stood up, "I should get going now. I just wanted to see how you guys were doing."

"You don't have to go."

"No, I need to get home and let the dog out, anyway."

"Well, thank you for stopping by." Lee got up to walk him to the door.

"Bye, Rosie. Bye, Lorelei."

She smiled and waved at him. "Bye, Uncle Jack!"

...

At the sound of the doorbell, Elizabeth groaned. She pulled the blanket over her head, hoping the visitor would go away.

"Elizabeth?" Rosemary called out. "Please open the door!"

She groaned again, keeping the blanket wrapped around herself as she made her way to the door. "Rosie, I really don't want visitors today."

"I'm not a visitor." She squeezed by Elizabeth into the house. "I brought chicken and dumplings."

"I'm really not hungry."

"Nonsense." She walked into the kitchen. "You don't need to make yourself sick by not eating."

"Eating isn't going to bring Patrick back," she mumbled, following Rosemary.

"Elizabeth." Rosemary set down the dish and put her hand on Elizabeth's shoulder. "I'm so sorry. I can't even imagine how today feels for you."

She sank down into a chair. "I'm starting to forget him. Little things, inconsequential things, but I can't remember them anymore."

"Elizabeth…"

"I can't remember." She broke down, burying her face in her hands as she cried.

"Hey." Rosemary crouched down in front of her, resting a hand on her back. "Let it out."

It took nearly half an hour for Elizabeth to stop crying. Rosemary just sat with her the whole time, saying nothing. Once she had calmed down, Elizabeth talked through her thoughts and concerns, glad to finally get things off her chest.

A little while later, Rosemary gave Micah a bottle while Elizabeth ate.

"Are you sure you don't want any? You did a great job with it; it's delicious."

"Of course it's delicious, but garlic and onions aren't getting along with me very well at the moment."

Elizabeth set down her spoon. "Rosie…"

"Elizabeth…" A smile played on her lips.

"Are you pregnant?"

"Yes. Eleven weeks tomorrow."

"Congratulations, Rosie. That's great." She smiled sadly, tapping her spoon on her bowl. "I'm really happy for you."

"Hey. What's on your mind?" She set down Micah's now-empty bottle and lifted him to her shoulder.

"Nothing. I'm fine." She sighed. "I was just reminded recently that I'll never have another baby with Pat."

"Oh, Elizabeth, I wasn't thinking. I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, it's okay." She shook her head. "I asked. And I would've found out soon, anyway. Please, don't feel guilty for telling me, or for being happy about it, or anything. I don't want you—or anyone—to feel like you have to watch what you say around me."

"Okay."

"I really am very happy for you guys. Now Micah's going to get three new cousins this year."

"Did you hear that, Micah?" Rosemary bounced him on her knee. "Three new cousins. That'll be fun, huh?"

"Rosie? Thank you for coming over tonight. I needed this."

"Of course. You know I'm always here for you."

...

Elizabeth sat in silence for a while, staring at the gravestone.

"Hi, Pat. I miss you. I keep thinking I'm ready to move forward, and then something reminds me of you, and I'm pulled backward again." She let out a harsh breath. "I hate living this way. It's not fair to me, or to Micah, and it's especially not fair to Jack. He's been nothing but patient with me, but surely he'll reach a point where he's not willing to wait any longer."

She sighed, tugging Micah's hat back onto his head. He looked up at her and touched her chin, babbling some nonsense syllables.

"I don't want to forget you, but I need to stop living in the past. As hard as it is for me to accept, I know you aren't coming back. And I know you wouldn't want me to wallow forever. You would want me to keep living, to be happy." She shook her head. "I'm trying. I'm really trying."

Micah kept babbling, reaching toward the stone.

"Micah gives me a reason to keep going. He's wonderful, Pat, and as much as I don't like that I'm having to raise him without you, I'm so incredibly grateful to have a little bit of you in him. And Jack…" her lips curled up into a smile, "he's reminding me how it feels to be truly happy. I really never thought I would feel that again when I lost you. I never thought I could love someone again."

...

Jack smiled shyly when Elizabeth opened the door. "Hey, I know we haven't really talked in a few days, but I thought—"

"Jack." She cut him off. "I'm so sorry about how I treated you the other day. I feel horrible about it."

"There's no need to apologize. I get it. It was a hard day for you."

"No." She shook her head. "There's no excuse. No matter how I'm feeling, I have no right to talk to you like that."

"Well, in that case, I accept your apology."

"Thank you." She leaned into his chest and wound her arms around him. "I can't believe he's been gone for a year."

"Me neither." He kissed the top of her head, leading her inside and over to the sofa. "I miss him."

"So do I." She sighed. "I love you, Jack. I hope you know that."

"I do."

"Good. Sometimes I worry that, when I say I wish Pat was here, you'll think that means I don't want you here."

"I don't think that at all. Of course you wish he was here. He was your husband, he's Micah's dad."

"I went to see him." She draped her legs across his. "The day after the anniversary. I took Micah with me. I was just talking to him and praying, and it's like everything suddenly clicked."

"What do you mean?"

"It's hard to explain. I guess I just felt…a peace. I still miss him—I'll always miss him, I'll always feel a hole in my life—but instead of feeling sad because he's gone, it's like my focus has turned to how lucky I was to have him in my life, even for a short time. I feel like I can finally move forward with my life—with you—without any guilt. That's not to say there won't be hard days in the future, because I'm sure there will be, but I'm tired of living in the past. It's not healthy. I'm in this, Jack. You and me."

"You're sure? Because you know I don't want to push you to move faster than you want."

"I'm positive, Jack. I love you, and I want a future with you."

He leaned over to kiss her. "I love you."

...

Rosemary and Lee stood on one side of Elizabeth, Jack on the other. Jack kept his hand on her back as they watched the pastor sprinkle water over Micah's head.

Elizabeth's parents had flown in for the weekend and were seated in the front pew. Marie, Leland, Lorelei, and Charlotte sat beside them.

The pastor invited all the family to come forward, and they surrounded little Micah.

Elizabeth felt tears in her eyes as they laid hands on her son and prayed for him. Even though he would grow up without his father, he would never be wanting for love.

After church, the family all had lunch together before Marie, Leland, and Charlotte had to go back to Tulsa. Rosemary, Lee, and Lorelei returned home as well, leaving Elizabeth with Jack and her parents.

They all sat in the living room, watching Netflix. Grace held a sleeping Micah, and Elizabeth was snuggled up next to Jack.

"Why are you pausing it?" Jack brushed his hand up her arm.

"Normally, there's a commercial break here, so we all take that time to try to guess what the answer is just based on the category."

"Before they reveal the clue?"

"Yes. So, do you have a guess?" She looked at him expectantly.

"Hm… 'American Authors.' Harper Lee, I guess."

"Dad?"

"William Faulkner."

"That was going to be my guess! I'll go with Fitzgerald, then."

"I'm going to say John Steinbeck."

"Now we see if any of us were right?"

"Mhmm." She hit play, leaning back against Jack again. "Ha! I was right!" she shouted when the answer was revealed.

"You win this time," William conceded.

"I've never seen this side of you before. I've got to say, it's a little scary," Jack joked, nudging Elizabeth with his shoulder.

"Oh, this is nothing. You should see how intense it gets when my sisters are around, too."

"Just take her word for it, Jack. You don't want to see that." Grace chuckled.

"I just can't believe you never told me you're a Jeopardy nerd."

She shrugged, giving him a mischievous smile. "I can't let you know everything about me." She kissed him. "Okay, next episode. You need to practice if you want any chance at beating me."

He laughed and kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Beth."

...

A/N If anyone is curious, the episode of Jeopardy they're watching is the first semifinal game of the 2015 Tournament of Champions