Four and a half years later
Jack dropped Lorenzo and Sophia off at preschool before heading to The Bistro. He had big news for Lee and he couldn't wait to run it past him.
"Bye, Daddy!" the twins said in unison as they walked through the door to their classroom.
"Bye, guys. Love you!" he said before walking back out to his truck.
Elizabeth left her gynecologist's office feeling overwhelmed and excited all at once. They had been trying for a few months and finally she had a positive test. Now she was confirmed pregnant and she couldn't wait to surprise Jack with the news at their 5th anniversary party the following week.
She nibbled on crackers and sipped ginger ale as she drove to Cambridge Pediatrics. When she parked behind the building, she shoved her crackers and soda into her bag and headed inside.
"Good morning, Doctor Thornton," Hazel greeted from her receptionist desk.
"Good morning, Hazel."
"You've got three appointments scheduled for this morning. Doc Hammond will be in at noon."
"That's when I'll take my lunch then."
"Are you actually going to eat today?"
"Sassy, I see."
"Well, what can I say? You bring it out in me."
"Mm hm."
"I mean, truthfully, I'm beginning to wonder if we are having a repeat of a few years back."
Elizabeth put her hot pink stethoscope around her neck and smiled innocently.
"You know, when you would sleep in your office on lunch."
"I was tired."
"And pregnant."
"True."
Hazel leaned against her door, a smile on her face. "So, are you?"
"Yes, but you can't tell, Hazel. Promise."
Hazel squealed like a woman half her age. "Yay! My lips are sealed."
The Bistro
"Hey, bro. How's it going?" Lee asked.
"Good. Just dropped Soph and Enzo off at school and now I'm here. How are you?"
"Good. Rosie is home with Shawn today. His ears are bugging him. Looks like he might be going to see Dr. Thornton before the day is up."
"Poor Shawn."
"Yeah. He's had a cold so usually that affects his ears."
"Okay, Lee, I have big news and I need your input, being my partner and all."
"Alright. Lay it on me."
"They accepted our offer in New York City. The Bistro is officially going to have restaurant number two by next summer."
"Wow."
"That's all you got? Wow?"
"Well, yeah. Right now, that's all I got."
"I thought you'd be excited. You said you and Rosie wanted a change. That you'd run it."
"I know. I guess I may have spoken too soon. Any chance you and Beth might want to make a change?"
"I don't know. The kids have their friends and cousins and aunts and uncles here. I'm not sure moving is the best idea."
When he got home, he heard the usual chatter from his four year olds as they "helped" Beth cook dinner.
He walked in and held a bouquet of daisies out in front of him. "Hey guys."
"Daddy!" they yelled, running over to him and tackling his knees.
"Whoa! How was school?"
"Fun! We painted with our fingers!" Lorenzo said excitedly. "And we made a biiig mess. And nobody got mad!"
He chuckled. "Oh yeah?"
"Yup." He climbed back up on his chair.
"And you, little miss? What did you do?"
"Ummm...I made a picture. Of us." She took his hand and led him to the refrigerator where it was hanging. "See?"
"Yes! Very good, sweetheart. I see me and Mommy and you and Enzo but who is this?"
"That's our dog."
"We don't have a dog, baby." Jack's dog Shrimp had died a few years back.
"Not yet! Can we get one? Please?" she begged.
"I'll have to talk to Mommy about that."
"Okay. I'll go over here and you can talk." She climbed up on the chair next to her brother.
Jack walked over to Elizabeth and gave her a lingering kiss. "Hi, hon."
"Hey."
"After the kids are in bed, we need to talk. Fire and a glass of wine?"
"Make it tea and I'll be there."
"Okay. Tea it is." He kissed her again and headed to take a shower.
"Mommy?"
"Yes, Enzo?"
"My tummy doesn't feel good!"
She rushed over with a trash can and barely made it before he threw up. Then he started crying.
"Its okay, Enzo. I bet you feel a little better now, don't you?"
"Noooooo," he wailed.
She picked him up and carried him to the bathroom he and Sophia shared.
She lifted the toilet lid and put him down beside it. "If you need to throw up again, do it in the potty."
"I don't wanna do it again!"
"I know, bud. I'm sorry you're sick."
Jack and Elizabeth didn't get to talk that night because by bedtime, neither kid was feeling good.
The next few days were filled with illness and eating bananas and applesauce and exhaustion for Elizabeth.
Thankfully, having worked in the public with sick kids, she had a strong immune system and didn't catch it.
By the time they had a chance to talk, a week had passed and they were at The Bistro for their anniversary dinner.
Vi, Matthew and their two year old daughter Sidnee were at Jack and Elizabeth's with the twins.
Elizabeth hid her secret well in a flattering striped blue and white sundress while Jack looked handsome in his dark pants and a light blue button down.
As they sat down in a secluded booth in the corner, Jack put his arm around her and gave her a kiss. "Happy Anniversary, babe."
"Right back at you." She kissed him back and smiled. "Handsome."
"So, I thought maybe we could talk about something."
"Okay. I'm all ears."
"Um, well I got word from the realtors in New York."
"Oh! About the restaurant site?"
"Yes and we got it."
"Oh, honey! That's wonderful. Is Lee excited? I can't believe Rosie hasn't said anything."
"Well, that's the thing."
"What?"
"They don't really want to move."
Elizabeth's stomach churned. He couldn't possibly be suggesting what…
She stood, took his hand and led him through the kitchen to his office.
"Beth? What's happening?"
"Are you saying that we are going to move?"
"Well, no. Not exactly. I mean I wanted to talk…" he stopped talking as she rushed to his trash can and vomited. "Oh no! Did you catch the flu?"
"No. I'm not sick." She sat down and took a few breaths. "I'm overwhelmed. I mean I'm about to be a mother of four and my husband wants us to move to New York where we have no family or friends!"
"I'm sorry, what, babe?"
"I'm pregnant, Jack!"
"Pregnant?! That's great! We are going to have another baby!"
"No."
"No? I'm confused."
"Two, Jack. I'm having twins. Again. Apparently we can't do something normal like have one baby at a time."
"Whoa." He sat down too, holding his head in his hands. "Wow, I can't believe it."
"Happy Anniversary."
He looked up at her expression. She didn't seem happy. He moved his chair next to hers and took her hand. "Babe? I thought you wanted another baby."
"I do! I want two, even."
"So what's wrong?"
"Do you really want to move?"
"I may have thought about it for a minute but now...with two more babies coming I'm not so sure. I'm going to be working long hours and you'd have to find a position somewhere and we'd need a bigger house and sell this one. And by the time we move, the babies will be here."
She knew it wasn't an ideal situation but the twins would be in kindergarten next fall and she didn't have to work right away. She could be home with the babies. It would be cheaper than daycare.
"Beth?"
"Let's pray about it and see what happens."
Praying helped and before they knew it, other things kept falling into place. For instance, Vi's husband Matt was hired in at the NYPD so they were moving too. That sealed the deal for Beth.
Also, as the summer turned into fall, Charlotte and Bill decided to retire closer to family so they took the suggestion Jack made and decided to move to New York too.
Jack made the four and a half hour trip to the new restaurant a couple times a month and while there, he scoped out a four bedroom brownstone that seemed perfect for them.
So as they tied up her job duties in Cambridge and she became closer to her due date in early spring, they put their house up for sale.
In late February, Beth went into early labor, a month before the scheduled C-section.
Rosie and Lee took the girls home with them while the Thatchers and Jack took Beth into the hospital.
By that afternoon, Matteo Joseph and Antonio David were born, holding to the italian name theme.
The babies grew fast and by May, Beth was healed enough and ready to make their final trip to Brooklyn where they would be living.
Jack carried the two car seats up the steps of their home while Beth and the older kids walked behind.
"This is our house, Mommy?" Enzo asked.
"Yes it is. What do you think?"
"Its big! And tall!"
"Yes it is."
"And I get my own room?"
"Yes you do. You get a room, Soph gets a room and the babies too."
"What about Grammy and Papa?"
"They live right next door."
"Cool!"
Thankfully, the movers disbursed all the boxes to the correct rooms so that unpacking the three floor home didn't seem quite so daunting.
Jack walked into the living room, the twin boys in his arms. "So what do you think, Beth?"
"Its perfect, Jack. Our life is exactly what I'd always dreamed it would be."
She was grateful that she had met the handsome diner chef that day about six years before and he was grateful for the beautiful pediatrician that loved his food.
THE END
This is the end of this story! Thank you for your support and encouragement as I shared my musings with you.
Also, thanks to my good buddy Kristine for your help and brainstorming sessions.