Chapter 60
As winter began to slowly encroach on Hope Valley and the days began to get shorter, Elizabeth and Nathan were getting busier and busier. Nathan spent a lot of his time helping newcomers to the area who were ill prepared for the cold weather and snow. When he wasn't out on his rounds, he could usually be found either in his office getting warm and filling out paperwork or in his workshop working on the crib and some Christmas presents. He always tried to be home for supper or at least before the children went to bed. During the school day he tried to stop by the school house to eat lunch with Elizabeth and Allie. The school house was always warm and he made sure there was plenty of firewood every time he stopped by.
Elizabeth loved Nathan's visits to the school house to check on her throughout the day. It gave her a chance to catch her breath. She was so busy with her students, planning the Christmas concert, helping the students make ornaments for the town tree and small gifts for their parents. She was also trying to get all the presents that Nathan wasn't making ordered from Dottie's or the mercantile. Rosemary was also starting drive her up the wall with so many details regarding the wedding. Who knew blue could have so many shades and the wrong one could set the wrong tone? Elizabeth was also frantically trying to knit a few gifts and baby items before Christmas as well.
Both Elizabeth and Nathan wanted their first Christmas together in the new house and as a family to be perfect so they decided after church that Sunday they would go hunting for the perfect Christmas tree. Lee, Jesse, and the rest of the town's men were going to set up the town's tree on Saturday and the tree lighting would be later that night. The ladies would help decorate the tree using the ornaments the town collected over the years and the new ones that her students made. The was less than two weeks of school left before school would let out until after the new year. Her sister and parents would arrive on the twentieth. Everything was coming together nicely and both the town and their house looked festive and ready for Christmas minus the trees.
By that Friday, Elizabeth was exhausted and she started feeling woozy. Allie got worried when Elizabeth sat down hard in her chair during class. She told Opal to run and get Carson and her dad before going to see if her mother was ok. Elizabeth told Allie that she was fine that she had just been on her feet too long and the baby was very active at that moment. Carson arrived quickly with Molly in tow. He checked her pulse and blood pressure. He listened to her breathing and listened to the baby's heart beat as well. Elizabeth assured him that she had just been on her feet too long and that she would try to remember to sit down more often. She said that with only five more days of class she would be fine. She would take it easy that weekend to be ready for the final week of school. Nathan burst in just after Carson finished checking her vitals. Carson told him that everything was fine but Elizabeth had to rest more frequently and that she would have to remember to get off her feet more often.
Unlike the doctor in Hamilton, Carson had predicted that the baby would be born mid to late January not early February. Carson suspected that Elizabeth had become pregnant on her wedding night or shortly after. Love worked in mysterious ways but science was definite and could easily be calculated. He asked Nathan to take Elizabeth home for the rest of the day and that he would finish out the rest of the school day. It was already almost two so he could do a science experiment and lecture before letting the children go for the day. Allie helped Elizabeth gather her basket and coat and then she helped her uncle by riding Newton while he drove the buggy home with Elizabeth. When they got home, Nathan carried Elizabeth upstairs to bed and told her to stay put. He then asked Laura to stay until he returned to make sure Elizabeth would have everything she needed.
Nathan then returned to town to finish his paperwork and rounds. He had been so scared when Opal had come running to find him. He knew that in trying to make everything perfect for their children and for themselves they were wearing themselves out. He went through the list of things left to do before Christmas and wondered what he could eliminate or delegate to someone else. He thought of Julie coming from Hamilton and wondered if she would be able to come earlier. He knew that the house had been rented for them for the entire month even though they weren't arriving until the twentieth. If Julie came early, she would have a place to stay. He would just need to get things moved in quicker. He knew that Bill, Lee, and Jesse would help. He picked up the phone and asked Florence to connect him to Hamilton. When Julie came on the line, she agreed to pick up the few things that he asked for and said she would trade in her ticket for the next train heading to Hope Valley. She would just need time to pack but knew that she should be able to get a train within the next day or two, which would have her arriving almost a week early.
When Nathan returned, he could smell supper. He walked in and saw little Jack playing quietly by the sofa where Elizabeth sat with her feet up on the coffee table. Laura and Allie were in the kitchen preparing the meal. He looked at Elizabeth and she said, "I had to go to the outhouse more than once so I needed to get up. The baby is sitting on my bladder. I didn't want to do the stairs more than I had to so I stayed here with my feet up. I feel so much better." He nodded and then told her that Julie was coming early to help with the last week of school and the final preparations for the Christmas concert. Elizabeth wasn't happy that he called in reinforcements but she knew he did it because he cared not because he was trying to take over.
That night Elizabeth just couldn't get comfortable. The baby was not settling down for sleep. Just when she had found a comfortable position the baby would start kicking and the process would start over again. Every time Elizabeth moved, she would wake up Nathan who could fall asleep in seconds. He sleepily said, "have you tried to sing the baby to sleep with a lullaby?" Elizabeth nodded and said I sang one to little Jack and Allie but that seemed to just make the baby more active. Nathan then did something that surprised her. He put both his hands on her belly and put his head closer and quietly started to sing. The sound of his rich baritone not only lulled the baby to sleep but his wife as well. He left one hand on her belly and fell back asleep knowing morning would be coming sooner than later.
The next morning, they all slept late and knew that they had no time to waste because they were all expected in town for the tree raising and decorating. Nathan hitched up the buggy and tied Newton to the back before they rode into town. While Nathan helped the men lift the giant tree into place Elizabeth and the children went to Abigail's and ordered breakfast. Elizabeth asked Clara not to prepare Nathan's food just yet because she didn't want it to get cold while he was busy. Clara told Elizabeth that she would get the children their breakfast first so that hers wouldn't get cold either while she helped little Jack. True to her word Clara came back with little Jack and Allie's food and Elizabeth focused on making sure they both ate. Just as Nathan walked through the door Clara slid two plates on the table piping hot. Allie then played with her brother so that her parents could eat without interruption.
After breakfast, Nathan went to his office and changed into his uniform. He would still need to do his rounds but he would make sure he was back in time for the tree lighting and to keep an eye on his wife to make sure she didn't overdo it while helping decorate. Before going outside to help with the tree Elizabeth went into the kitchen to ask Bill a favor, "Bill, would you be willing to make little Jack's birthday cake this year? I'm not sure that I have the energy and Carson has told me to take it easy because I almost fainted yesterday." Bill nodded and said that it would be his privilege.
Once all the ladies arrive with the decorations Elizabeth went outside to help. Robert and Allie had brought all the ornaments from the school house and the children were waiting for their turn to attach their ornaments to the branches. Everyone in town had about Elizabeth's fainting spell so no one was letting her do much, to her dismay but she was allowed to help with the lower ornaments and pointing out the perfect spot for most cherished decorations. The tree looked lovely and the whole town would gather later that night after the potluck to light the tree.
Elizabeth joined Clara and Bill in the kitchen to help prepare her contribution to the potluck. They hardly let her lift more than a finger. They had her sitting doing the tasks that she could do sitting with her feet up. Everyone was acting like she was a China doll ready to break at any moment. Just then she heard Carson's voice and yelled, "Carson, get in here now!" He came running only to have Elizabeth berate him and asked him tell everyone to back off that she was still capable of doing everyday tasks as long as she sat down and rested more frequently. Carson agreed and did as he was told because she looked like she was about to blow a gasket. That would cause added stress to her and the baby. Bill then handed her the potato masher and said, "take your anger out on the potatoes. They need a good smashing." Elizabeth laughed and knew Bill was trying to lighten the mood.
As the sky darken the community gathered in the saloon for a feast. With exactly two weeks before Christmas eve, the town continued their tradition of eating together before the tree lighting. They would gather once more before Christmas after Christmas eve mass. After the food was enjoyed everyone surrounded the tree and put their wishes on the tree before Lee flipped the switch lighting the colored strands of bulbs. Elizabeth and Nathan felt so blessed because the wishes they had written the previous year had come true. This year they both wished for a healthy baby and a long life as a family. Their lives were blessed and felt like they had everything they needed when they were in each other's arms.