"Elizabeth?" Jack wandered over to the bathroom. He knocked softly on the door. "Are you okay? You've been in there a while." When she didn't respond, he opened the door a crack and found her sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. "Elizabeth?"

She blinked slowly, looking dazed. "Jack?"

"What's going on?" He crouched down beside her, brushing the hair back from her face. "Talk to me."

"Dizzy."

"You're dizzy?"

"Yes. Hurts." She brought her hand to her head.

"Did you hit your head?" He started feeling around her head gently to check for bumps.

"No. Just feel sick."

"Okay, we're going to the emergency room." He pushed down the fear that crept into his mind and lifted her from the floor.

He loaded her and Micah into the car, dropping Micah off with Tom and Sarah on the way to the hospital.

It felt like hours passed before she was seen by a doctor and hooked up to IV fluids. It didn't take long before she started perking up.

Jack took Elizabeth's hand. "You had me so worried."

"I'm sorry."

"I guess I didn't realize you've been so sick today."

"I haven't been, really. At least, I haven't been any sicker than normal." She sighed. "I skipped lunch today—not intentionally, I just got busy with paperwork and forgot about it—and I probably should have been drinking more water."

"You can't be doing this, Elizabeth."

"I know, I know. These babies need me to take care of myself. It won't happen again. I promise."

"Okay." He lifted her hand to his lips, kissing her fingers gently. "I love you, you know that?"

"I know." She smiled weakly. "I love you, too."

"I need to go call Tom and let him know we'll be here for a little while longer."

"Hurry back."

He kissed her forehead. "I will. Do you need anything?"

She shook her head. "I'm fine."

He wandered into the lobby before he pulled out his phone. "Tom?"

"Hey, big brother. What's the update?"

"Elizabeth is fine, but she was really dehydrated. They've got her on some fluids, but it'll still be a few hours before she's discharged."

"Don't worry about Micah. He's doing fine over here. We'll keep him overnight, and you can just pick him up in the morning."

"Are you sure? I mean, you have Opal, and Alec is still a newborn."

"It's fine, Jack, really. Sarah doesn't mind, and Opal loves having Micah here. You just worry about making sure Elizabeth and the baby are okay."

"Thanks, Tom. I owe you one."

"Don't mention it."

When Jack returned to Elizabeth's room, the doctor was setting up some more equipment.

"What's that for?" he questioned, suddenly worried that things were worse than they had originally been told.

"It's a fetal Doppler, to listen to the babies' heartbeats."

"Is something wrong with them?"

"No, we don't think so. We're just checking on them. Okay," the doctor tapped Elizabeth's shoulder, "I need you to lift your gown up over your stomach and then lean back."

She got situated, and the doctor started moving the wand around her stomach, searching for a heartbeat.

"There's one of them." She watched the screen for a few moments, observing the waves indicating the heartbeat. "That one sounds good. Now, let's find baby number two." A second heartbeat was heard a few seconds later. "Another strong heartbeat."

Elizabeth squeezed Jack's hand. "They're okay?"

"They sound perfect." She gave Elizabeth a towel to wipe the gel from her stomach. "You can just rest for a while now. We want to observe you just a bit longer to make sure everything is okay before we send you home."

"Okay. Thank you."

Jack sighed once the doctor left the room, finally able to relax after an evening full of worrying.

"You okay, hon?" Elizabeth asked as she watched him sink heavily into the chair beside the bed.

"I'm better now that I know you and the babies are all going to be okay."

"How's our boy?"

"Tom said he's fine. He and Sarah are just going to keep him overnight for us."

"They don't have to do that."

"That's what I said, but Tom insisted." He reached out and put his hand on her belly, laughing softly. "I still have a hard time believing we're really going to have two more little ones running around."

"They won't be running around for a while."

"True. And who knows? By the time these two are running around, we might have another one on the way."

Her eyes went wide. "Um, can we please wait until these two are out of me before we discuss having any more?"

He chuckled. "Okay."

She put her hand on his. "I love you, Jack."

"I love you, too."

...

Jack packed Micah's little costume in a bag while Elizabeth slipped her shoes on. "Are you sure you don't want to come trick-or-treating tonight?"

She nodded. "I'm sure. I don't want to ruin the night by getting sick."

"I thought it hasn't been that bad the past couple of weeks since the hospital. You said you've been feeling better."

"I have, but I'd still feel better staying in. Besides, Sarah said she'll hang out with me, because she'd rather keep Alec home, and I think Rosie might stay with us, too."

"Okay, if you're sure." He kissed her forehead. "I'll go get Micah and start the car."

"I'll be out in a second."

Fifteen minutes later, they pulled up to Tom and Sarah's house.

"Are you excited to go trick-or-treating, little bug?" Elizabeth turned to look at Micah.

"Twick or tweat."

Jack chuckled. "You're getting good at that, little man."

"Let's get you inside and into your costume, Micah."

Opal came running as soon as they walked in the door. "Uncle Jack! Aunt Elizabeth!"

"Hi, sweet pea." Jack hugged her. "You're dressed as a vet again?"

She nodded emphatically. "It's what I'm going to be when I grow up. I'm going to be a bear doctor. I wanted Alec to dress up as a bear, but mommy said he's too little for trick-or-treating."

"Maybe next year." Elizabeth stroked her hair.

She reached up and laid a hand on Elizabeth's stomach. "Will my baby cousin be big enough to trick-or-treat next year?"

"Probably not, sweetheart."

Jack touched her arm. "I'm going to get Micah changed."

"Okay."

"Aunt Elizabeth, come see baby Alec. Mommy says he looks like me." She tugged on Elizabeth's hand, pulling her into the living room.

Sarah sat in the recliner with the baby resting on her chest. "Oh, look, Alec. There's your Auntie."

Elizabeth smiled. "He's getting bigger."

"Looks like he's not the only baby who's been doing some growing." She shot a glance at Elizabeth's belly and raised her eyebrows.

She chuckled and put her hands on the little bump. "Yeah, I forgot how sudden it can be. One day, it just looks like you had a big dinner, and the next, none of your clothes fit."

"And just when you think you can't get any bigger, you do," Sarah added with a laugh.

"Mama!" Micah ran in, interrupting them.

"Look at you, you handsome little astronaut."

He grinned at her and tugged on the sleeve of his costume.

"Hey, Micah," Jack ruffled his hair, "can you show mama how you've been practicing saying 'astronaut'?"

"Astwonaut!"

Elizabeth laughed. "Good job, little bug. You're so smart." She kissed the top of his head. "You be good for daddy and Uncle Lee and Uncle Tom, okay?"

"Be good," he repeated.

Shortly after the Coulters arrived, the men left to take the kids trick-or-treating, leaving Elizabeth, Rosemary, and Sarah alone with baby Alec.

Rosemary sipped her water. "Are you two going to find out what you're having?"

"We haven't officially decided, but I think so. I have the big anatomy scan next week, so we can find out then. Jack is convinced we're having a girl." And another girl, too, she thought.

"You know, if you have a girl, we'll all have one of each."

Elizabeth chuckled, rubbing her hand across her stomach. "I didn't even think about that."

"Are you hoping Jack is right? That it's a girl?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "I can honestly say I don't care either way. Had you asked me before Micah was born, I would've said one-hundred percent, I wanted only girls. I think because it was just me and my sisters growing up, the idea of having a son kind of terrified me."

"I was the opposite." Sarah shifted Alec in her arms. "I only wanted boys. I even refused to choose a girl name when I was pregnant with Opal."

"I don't think I've heard this story before." Rosemary set down her glass.

"Me neither."

"Well, we didn't find out she was a girl until she was born, all because I wanted to stay in my little bubble believing I was having a boy. And then she ended up being nameless until about an hour before we left the hospital since we hadn't even discussed girl names."

"It's funny how everything changes once they're born. I was like Elizabeth; I only wanted girls. When I was pregnant with Leo, I so wanted him to be another girl, but now I can't even imagine what it would be like to have another girl instead of him."

...

"Jack?"

He poked his head through the door. "Everything okay?"

"I can't reach my feet." She looked defeated. "Can you help me with my shoes?"

"Of course." He hurried over and tied her shoes for her. "Are you ready to go?"

She nodded. "Let's go see our babies."

He reached over and squeezed her hand. "I still can't believe there are two of them in there."

"I can believe it. I'm not even halfway yet, and I feel like I'm already as big as I was in my last trimester with Micah."

"You still look beautiful."

"Tell me that in a couple of months, when I look like a whale." She pouted, wrapping her arms around her stomach.

"You won't look like a whale."

"I have two babies inside me, and they're going to keep growing for the next four and a half months. I'm going to be huge. Will you still love me then?"

"That shouldn't even be a question. Of course I'll still love you. Yes, you're the most beautiful woman I know, but that's not why I love you. So big pregnant belly or not, I will always love you, Elizabeth Thornton." He kissed her softly. "Now come on. We don't want to be late."

She wiped her eyes. "Well, now I need to compose myself before the appointment. I don't deserve you, Jack Thornton."

They sat in the car outside of the medical office.

"Before we go in, we need to decide for sure. Do we still want to find out what they are?"

"I still do, but I think you should make the final decision."

"I want to. Then we only have to pick two names instead of four, and we can start decorating the nursery and buying clothes and everything."

"And we can know for sure that I'm right." He smirked.

"Yeah, yeah." She rolled her eyes.

"Then let's go find out what our babies are."

...

The ultrasound technician entered the room, a clipboard in her hands. "Elizabeth Thornton?"

Elizabeth nodded. "That's me."

"Great. Hop on up there, and let's take a look at these babies."

Jack helped her up on the exam table. She leaned back and lifted her shirt over her belly.

"Now," the technician squirted gel on Elizabeth's stomach, "I see here that you're having twins."

"That's right."

"And you've had a baby before?"

"Yes."

"Good. So you should have a bit of an idea of what to expect with this scan. I'm going to be checking the growth and development of the babies and their organs, so just sit tight. With two babies, it can take a while."

Jack stared at the screen as the image popped up. "And you can tell us the sex of the babies during this scan, too?"

She chuckled. "Depending on how they're positioned, yes. I'll let you know when I get to that point."

She narrated what she was doing as she went along, pointing out the brain, heart, and kidneys of each baby, as well as their arms, legs, feet, and hands.

"Well, those are two very healthy-looking babies. They're both measuring at around half a pound, which is right on track." She looked over at Jack. "And now is the time that I ask if you want to know the sex."

"Yes," he blurted.

"That's a yes from dad. Mom, you want to know, too?"

Elizabeth laughed softly. "Yes, please."

"Do you want me to tell you, or write it down?"

She looked at Jack. "I don't think my husband is going to leave here until he knows, so you can just tell us."

The technician chuckled. "Okay. Let me just get at a different angle here and see if these babies will cooperate with us." She moved the wand around on Elizabeth's stomach. "Perfect positioning. We're back to baby A, and it looks like this one is…a little girl."

Jack squeezed Elizabeth's hand. "A girl," he mouthed to her silently.

She found the right angle on the second baby much more quickly. "Baby B over here is also a girl."

"Are they identical? I know that was still in question at the last ultrasound."

"Yes. They have separate sacs, but they share a placenta, so they're identical. The technical term is monochorionic-diamniotic." She gave Elizabeth a towel to wipe off her stomach. "I'll get some pictures printed for you two, and then you can head to the front desk and schedule your next ultrasound."

"Thank you."

...

They stopped beside their car.

"Two girls. You know this means I was right."

"I know, and I'm preparing myself to hear about it all the time."

Jack grinned and put his hands on her stomach. "Our little princesses."

"I love you, Jack." She touched his cheek and leaned up to kiss him.

"I love you, too." He laughed. "Gosh, I just can't believe it. We're going to have twin daughters."

"Identical twin daughters."

"I'm fully prepared to get them mixed up all the time."

Elizabeth chuckled. "I've heard it's easier to tell identical twins apart when they're your own."

"We'll see. I don't have a lot of faith in myself."

"How about we don't dress them alike? Or at least put them in different colors."

"Good idea." He kissed her again. "Now, I need to get my girls—and my little man—home."

"Can we stop by the store and get some ice cream after we pick up Micah?"

"Anything you want."

...

Elizabeth looked at the ultrasound photos spread on the table in front of her, tears filling her eyes.

"What's wrong, love?" Jack stepped up behind her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Nothing. Just hormones." She wiped her eyes and sighed. "Lately, I've been thinking a lot about when I was pregnant with Micah—for obvious reasons," she touched her stomach, "but I've also been thinking about what I missed out on because I didn't have Pat with me."

Jack just kissed her temple, sensing that she wanted to say more.

"I didn't get to see his face when I told him he was going to be a dad. I didn't get to have him by my side holding my hand when I found out Micah was a boy. I didn't have him to help me pick out clothes or things for the nursery. The whole time I was pregnant, I just kept thinking about what Patrick was missing, but now I'm realizing everything that I missed." She turned to face him, placing a hand on his cheek. "Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to have all those experiences this time around, but I guess in a way I'm mourning the fact that I didn't have this before."

"I understand." He kissed her softly. "Or, at least, I understand as well as I can without having actually gone through that myself."

"It seems silly, I know. I wasn't alone during that time; I had you and Rosie and Lee and our families. And I had a healthy pregnancy and birth, and Micah is amazing and perfect. There could have been far worse things."

Jack wiped away the remnants of her tears with his thumb. "Hey, aren't you the one who's always saying all feelings are valid, even when they seem silly?"

"So you do pay attention when I therapize you." She chuckled.

"Only when you say insightful things like that." He winked. "Now, how about I run you a bath, and then afterward, we can have more of that ice cream."

She kissed him softly. "How on Earth was I lucky enough to end up with you?"

...

In the middle of the night, Elizabeth woke to an empty bed. "Jack?" She glanced around the dark room. He wasn't there. She groaned as she rolled out of bed. "Jack?"

She padded down the hallway, finding him sitting in the still mostly empty nursery.

"Honey? What are you doing in here?"

He looked up at her and smiled. "I couldn't sleep, and I didn't want to disturb you."

"What's keeping you up?"

"Nothing, really. I guess these pictures are just really provoking a lot of thought for us." He looked back down at the ultrasound pictures in his hands. "I've just been thinking about how happy I am we're having girls. Of course, I would've been happy with more boys, too, but I was really hoping for girls."

"Really?" She carefully lowered herself to the floor beside him. "Why?"

"I just don't want Micah to feel left out because he's not biologically mine and these babies are. I guess if we were having boys, I'd be worried that Micah would feel like he needs to compete with them." He shrugged. "I don't know."

"Hey, Micah has never known anything but love from you. I can't imagine you treating him any differently than you'll treat these babies."

"I do love that little man," the corners of his lips turned up into a smile, "so much."

"He loves you, too." She kissed his cheek. "And so do I. Now," she groaned as she sat up straight, "I'm going to need your help to stand back up."