(Carson's POV)

Elizabeth had an appointment in the morning, going over quite a lot, so I had to block out a good chunk of time for it. It had been a year since she was diagnosed with cancer, so I had to check her blood work to stay on top of that. It was also more likely than not our last appointment before she had the baby, so I needed to make sure everything looked good and that Elizabeth knew what to expect.

"Elizabeth! Good morning! How are you feeling?"

"Nervous I'll say. Yesterday was rough, but I'm just hoping for nothing but good news today."

"I understand completely. Of course, I wasn't around a year ago, but it seems to me like you had quite a miraculous recovery, given your situation."

"Lucky doesn't even begin to explain it. I can't even believe I made a full recovery and now I'm able to have this little one." She rubbed her belly and smiled at her future child.

"Go ahead and have a seat on the table. I pulled your old files for today and sent your blood work out after our last appointment… and it looks like you are still in the clear. If you develop any symptoms, come in as soon as possible though, okay?"

"I mean, we see what happened last time I thought my cancer had come back. I ended up with a baby instead." She chuckled, and it was nice seeing her spirits lift. I hadn't heard of any patients coming back from cancer before, so having her deal with it so well was inspiring and gave me hope as a doctor that maybe someday I could help someone get through it too.

"In any case, let's check on your little one, shall we?" I checked Elizabeth's heart rate and blood pressure and then put the stethoscope to her belly and listened to the baby. I also took a look at her cervix, so see if everything looked okay there as well. Throughout the appointment, we talked about recent gossip in town, how the school and library were holding up, and we also talked about Baby Colt.

"Alrighty Elizabeth, last thing before you leave. We should discuss birth. You'll probably start by having contractions, which will feel like bad cramps. I recommend not doing what Rosemary did and push them off. Keep track of them. Remember the 5-1-1 rule. Five minutes apart, lasting one minute each, for about an hour. Once you reach 5-1-1, then come find me.

"When your water breaks, that's when labor really starts as well, because all of the fluids that are protecting your baby won't be there anymore, so we'll need to make sure the baby gets out shortly after. If your water breaks before you reach 5-1-1, come find me as well. Contractions are going to get worse as they progress, especially after your water breaks. Walking around and moving can help speed up labor and help with the pain." I handed Elizabeth some papers, and I could tell she looked nervous. "I've written everything down on what to expect, so you can look over it and so Jack knows too. There's nothing to be afraid of."

"Rosemary looked like she was in a lot of pain, and wasn't there trouble with her baby?"

"Rosemary & Colt were both okay in the end, and that's what we wanted. Rosemary also had trouble conceiving, so that just seemed to also transfer into labor. I don't suspect you'll have the same problems. In the end though, you'll come out the other side with a baby, right?"

"This is true. Oh, I can't wait to meet the baby. Jack & I have names picked out, but we want to meet the baby first to make sure whatever name we choose is just the right fit."

"I have no doubt that whatever happens will fit the two of you perfectly." I stood up and helped Elizabeth off the table. "I think we covered all of our bases, but as always, if you have any questions, please let me know."

"Will do. Thank you for everything Carson."

"I should be thanking you. You believed in me from the start and gave me the confidence to continue my profession and stay in Hope Valley."

"I'm so thankful that my baby is going to grow up knowing that they have a loving community backing them up, just like you do."

(Rosemary's POV)

It had been almost a month since little Colt was born. He was getting so big already and doing so well, according to Carson. I took some time off from the dress shop and Lee was trying to only work part time at the Sawmill, and with Jesse's help, he was able to stay home more often and help with Colt.

I had heard mixed stories from the other mothers in town, some who said newborns were easy and slept soundly, and others who disagreed completely… and I could tell that Colt was really making his presence known, much like his momma. He was awake 24/7 it felt like. Lee & I were able to sneak in naps here and there, but mostly, we were completely restless. We were so tired, we were getting into nit-picky arguments, but we'd eventually laugh if off. Most likely because Colt would burp or spit up on one of us, making us laugh so hard, we'd forget what we were even fighting about.

Even though I was completely exhausted most of the time and Lee & I weren't at our best, I still felt strangely better than ever. This was the time more than ever to love Lee to my fullest potential, and here we were, getting to experience raising a child together. It kept me going and in those rare moments of stillness in our house, it felt like pure bliss.

"Lee? ...Lee… Lee!" Lee had fallen asleep and I needed his help with Colt.

"What? What's going on?"

"He's crying again and I feel like I've tried everything." Colt was upstairs in his crib, while I talked to Lee. Some of the mothers in town said to just let the baby cry it out, but I couldn't stand to know something was wrong.

"Okay, okay." Lee sat up and rubbed his eyes. It was the middle of the night, and I felt horrible for waking him up. I knew we were both tired and bickering, but I just needed his help. I needed him. It was also times like this that I wished Jack & Elizabeth still lived next door. Of course, Elizabeth was about to have a child of her own, but they'd still be right next door if we needed help… like right about now.

We headed upstairs and Colt's crying and screams startled Lee at first, but then we settled into our routine. Taking turns trying everything, Feeding, burping, rocking, singing, giving him a warm bath, changing his diaper. This had become the new normal. One of us would get some shut eye, only to get woken up by the other, while we took care of Colt like zombies. It was getting really tiring, and I didn't know how much longer I could go on like this.

"Wait, I have one more thing we could try. Will you hold him for a second?" Lee handed Colt to me and pulled the ladder down to get into the attic. He was gone for a few moments before returning down with a wooden box. "Let's go sit downstairs."

We then got settled on the couch together. I held Colt in my arms and rocked him gently while Lee turned the box around and began to wind it up.

"It's a music box?"

"Shhh, just listen." He opened it up and the most beautiful melody played before us and I watched as our son slowly closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. When the music finally stopped, Lee slowly shut the box and set it down beside us. "My mom gave that to Patrick when he was born. He always played it when he was sad, scared… really anytime he needed to be cheered up." He sighed and I could see the emotion behind the story in his eyes. "I almost forgot I had it. I stole it when I moved out. I think he would've wanted me to have it."

"Well I am certainly glad you have it. I have a feeling that the worst is behind us now." I kissed Lee briefly, then we drifted off to sleep as a family, and didn't wake up until we heard the birds chirping.

Author's Note: I am really happy with the way the second half of this chapter turned out. I thought seeing the Coulters still finding a way to make things work when Colt is bringing out the worst in them would be interesting, as well as adding the extra element of Patrick's memory. I'm trying to write more on all three of my stories, so let me know your thoughts, they keep me going!