Sorry for the long delay in posting a new chapter. Thanks for your patience.
It was three weeks into the new school year at The Jack Thornton School and Allie was thriving in Miss Whitcomb's class. The expected influx of students had come to fruition and it seemed as though Allie talked about another new friend she'd made every evening at the dinner table. Sarah was thankful for her enthusiasm as she seemed to carry most of the evening conversations relieving her of the need to offer any dialogue. By the end of the day Sarah's exhaustion left her barely able to string two words together. She did her best to stay engaged during dinner so to that end, Sarah asked how Miss Whitcomb and Mrs. Thornton were working together. Allie responded that the two classes didn't spend any time together so the two teachers were together only before and after school. "Even when they're together they don't seem to talk to each other very much." Sarah regretted that she'd not been better able to support her friend during these first few weeks of school and vowed that she would do better.
Nathan and Sarah both began the habit of bringing work home in lieu of staying late at their respective offices. It was important for both of them to be home with Allie to help with school work and for dinner with the family. The possibility of Nathan needing to leave town for some investigation was never far from Sarah's mind. She felt selfish praying that he wouldn't be called away but the memory of his extended absences over the summer weren't far from her mind.
After dinner one evening Allie asked Sarah if she could help her with her math homework. Helping Allie with her homework was something Sarah loved to do but she was so tired she wasn't sure she could keep awake. As hard as she tried to stay engaged Allie noticed Sarah starting to nod off. "Mom, are you okay?" Allie worried because she'd noticed how tired Sarah had been the last couple of weeks and her young mind immediately went to the worst case scenario remembering when Archie was sick and one of his most obvious symptoms was that he was tired all the time.
Sarah wrapped her arm around Allie's shoulders. "I'm sorry sweet girl, I'm fine, just tired. Work has been busy, that's all." Sarah hated hiding the truth from Allie and realized she and Nathan could no longer put off telling Allie and Archie about the baby.
Later that evening Sarah lay next to Nathan, his arm wrapped around her and his other hand making gentle circles on her stomach which still showed no evidence of the life growing inside. She broached the subject with him. "Nathan, I think it's time we tell Allie and Archie about the baby. Allie's a smart girl and very observant. She's noticed a change in me. I could barely stay awake helping her with homework tonight."
"You're right. I just wanted to wait and make sure you were ready for everyone in town to know we're having a baby because once Allie knows she's not going to be able to keep it to herself. It's only a matter of time before Florence finds out and once that happens it will be all over town in a matter of minutes."
Sarah laughed. "That is true. I would expect no less. Besides, it will be nice to share the excitement with our friends. Let's take Allie for a picnic on Sunday after church and tell her. I want to do something that makes her feel special." Sarah and Nathan were sure that Allie would be excited but they still wanted to ensure that Allie didn't feel she was being replaced by the new baby.
Sunday was a beautiful fall day with the temperatures crisp but the sun providing a warmth that balanced the coolness. The trees surrounding the creek were ablaze in a myriad of colors and following services Nathan, Sarah and Allie gathered their basket and made their way to have a picnic under the canopy of trees. Allie was a bit suspicious that her grandparents weren't coming with them. She'd been concerned about her mother for a while now knowing she hadn't been herself. In typical Allie fashion she didn't wait for her parents to speak but spoke first. "I know there's something you're not telling me." She looked at Sarah. "Mom, are you sick like Grandpa was?"
Sarah was taken aback at Allie's question. Never did she imagine that her mind would have wandered to that suspicion. She pulled Allie close to her and put her arms around her. "Oh, sweet girl. No, I'm not sick. I'm sorry if that's what you've been thinking."
"Then why are you so tired all the time? I know you go to bed right after I do. I can hear you." Allie's gaze shifted between her mom and dad.
Nathan finally responded wanting to quickly quell her fears. "Allie, it's okay, your mom's tired because she's going to have a baby."
Allie jumped up and threw herself into Sarah's arms. "Really? When? Oh my gosh, this is the best news ever!"
Sarah looked over at Nathan and exchanged glances, both relieved that Allie was as excited as they'd hoped. When she finally calmed down Allie sat back down and during lunch Sarah tried to answer all of Allie's questions, her most pressing question was when. "The baby is due around the end of April." Sarah tried to explain to Allie what they could expect based on the information Faith had given her. "I'll probably be more tired for the next few weeks but hopefully after that I'll start to feel more like myself."
Allie promised that she would do whatever she could to help around the house and get things ready for the baby. She also asked if she could tell her friends. Nathan and Sarah both laughed at this because they knew that Allie would have a hard time keeping the news a secret. Nathan gave her a smile. "Of course, Allie, we knew you would have a hard time keeping this to yourself."
When they returned to the house that afternoon Nathan told Archie who shook Nathan's hand and gave Sarah a big hug. He admitted he'd had his suspicions and was thankful to finally have them confirmed. He asked Sarah how she was feeling and told her she needed to take it easy. Sarah appreciated his concern but told him that other than needing more sleep she was felt fine and intended to keep her regular schedule as best she could.
Allie was up early the next morning eager to get to school. She couldn't wait to share the news of the baby to everyone she encountered. Soon it was common knowledge around Hope Valley that Nathan and Sarah were expecting a baby. Sarah let Anna and Betsy know first thing Monday morning not wanting them to hear it from someone else. They were beyond excited for her and Nathan and promised to do whatever they could to help either with the store or with preparations for the baby.
Laura left school early Monday afternoon wanting to catch Sarah before she left the store for the day. As soon as she saw Sarah, she pulled her into a hug so excited for her friend. Sarah had wanted to tell Laura herself but knew that Allie would beat her to it. "I'm sorry I couldn't say anything earlier. We were waiting until I started feeling better and until we told Allie." Laura shook her head telling Sarah she understood and was just thrilled for the whole family. She told Sarah that Allie stood on the steps to the school telling everyone about the baby as they got to school that morning.
Rosemary also stopped by the dress shop pushing a pram carrying Thomas and Frannie who were now four months old. Sarah, Anna and Betsy couldn't resist gathering around excited to see the babies and, of course, Rosemary. Rosemary laughed and admitted that she knew the babies were the center of attention and, though she still had a theatrical flair, she was more than happy to take a back seat to her children. Her real purpose in being there was to congratulation Sarah. "You come to me if you have any questions. How are you feeling?" Sarah explained that she was tired but fortunately didn't have too many other symptoms. Rosemary told her that shouldn't last too much longer and hopefully she would start to feel better soon.
By the end of the week both Nathan and Sarah had received more visitors than usual all wanting to congratulate them on the baby. Nathan called Gabe in Brookfield to give him the news and they had a lengthy conversation about impending fatherhood. Gabe and Lillian's baby was due a few months before Sarah and Nathan's so Nathan joked that he was going to rely on Gabe for advice about getting through the next several months. It wasn't that Nathan expected Sarah to have any troubles, it was that he didn't know what to expect at all. It had been many years since his sister had been pregnant with Allie and even then, he was in Mountie training so he had very little experience with pregnancy.
Allie was having a sleepover with Emily on Friday night so dinner was unusually quiet without her to carry the conversation. Caroline decided now was a good time to bring up an idea that she'd been ruminating for quite some time…even before she knew about the baby. "Nathan and Sarah, there's something I've been wanting to discuss with you for a while now. The last several months I've spent here in Hope Valley have made me realize how much I've missed my family. I don't wish to lose any more time with all of your so I've been thinking about staying in Hope Valley…permanently."
Sarah and Nathan had a feeling that, given how long Caroline had stayed and with the new baby on its way, she may want to stay. Archie didn't appear to be fazed by Caroline's revelation and it was obvious he and Caroline had discussed it between themselves. Sarah took Nathan's hand in hers and squeezed it. They didn't need to have a discussion; they both knew their answer.
"Caroline," Sarah quickly looked to Nathan and saw the smile slowly spread across his face, "I think we would feel more than blessed to have you stay in Hope Valley, here with us." Nathan squeezed Sarah's hand again and leaned over and kissed her cheek. He was so thankful that his wife had developed such a special relationship with both of his parents.
Caroline, who wasn't prone to displaying a lot of emotion, blinked back the tears pooling in her eyes. She'd been worried it might be too much with the new baby coming. The house would certainly be full.
Nathan sensed his mother's concern. "Mom, there's plenty of room for everyone. We would love for you to stay." Nathan looked at Archie and noticed his lips curving into a subtle smile and saw him put his hand over Caroline's in a reassuring way. The look being exchanged between his parents caught him by surprise and he wondered if he was seeing what he thought he was. He glanced at Sarah and when she noticed him, he gave the tiniest of nods toward his parents silently encouraging Sarah to look, wondering if she saw what he did. She looked at Caroline and Archie as they seemed to be carrying on their own private conversation with their eyes.
Nathan's arms were wrapped around Sarah as they lay in bed talking about the events of the day. As was becoming a regular routine for Nathan, his hand rested on Sarah's stomach. Tonight's conversation focused on the exchange between his parents at dinner. "Do you think there's something going on with my parents? I know I saw something. My father put his hand on my mother's. Why would he do that?"
Sarah could tell that Nathan was bothered by what he saw. Sarah? Not really. She and Caroline had gotten quite close and though Caroline was a private person she had shared enough with Sarah that the exchange with Archie didn't surprise her nor did her news that she wanted to stay. Sarah tried to explain it to Nathan, whose concern was that his mother would be hurt again. As much as his relationship with his father had improved Sarah knew he still felt the heartache from his youth when Archie left the family. Sarah took Nathan's hand in hers, caressed it and interlaced her fingers with his before bringing it to her lips and kissing it softly. "Nathan, I understand why you're concerned but you have to trust that your mother knows what she's doing."
"I know, I keep telling myself that but, having watched the pain she went through when he left us, I can't help but think it could happen again."
"Nathan, we can't predict what will happen but your dad has been in Hope Valley for almost a year now. I think he's connected to the community and I don't see him leaving. All we can do is pray and trust that it will all work together for good." Sarah pulled Nathan toward her and looked into his eyes. She wrapped her hands behind his neck and pulled him to her. As their kiss deepened, Nathan forgot all about his parents and focused completely on loving his wife.