Disclaimer: I do not own the characters within this story. All rights and much respect go to Crown Media, Hallmark, Brian Bird, Michael Landon, Jr., the actors, creators, and writers of the show "When Calls the Heart."

Chapter 29- Can We Talk?

Jack pulled his truck into the driveway, "You sit right here and I'll help you inside."

He rushed around to the passenger side, opened her door and picked her up from the truck seat.

"Jack, I'm not an invalid. I can walk…just slowly," she stated as he carefully placed her feet on the ground.

He helped her up the steps, into the house and onto the sofa. He placed a pillow under her ankle and covered her with a blanket. "Can I get you anything?"

Elizabeth stared off into space.

"Honey, can I get you anything?" he asked again.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you," her voice was soft as she responded without looking in his direction.

He grabbed a bottle of water and Tylenol and placed them on the coffee table beside her. "I'm going out to the barn to take care of the horses. Onyx is right here on the floor. I'll be back inside in a few minutes," he stated before kissing her forehead and heading out the back door.


"Girl, what am I going to do?" she stated to Onyx with her hand on her stomach, knowing that there would be no answer, but wishing that she was able to provide some pearls of wisdom. "What, no answer?"

Onyx wagged her tail but never lifted her head off the floor.

"I can't tell him what should be the best news of our lives. He's so sure he doesn't want kids now," she stated. Her voice was soft but became louder as she began to ramble, "I can't tell him that I'm carrying his baby. Don't look at me like that; he'll say I trapped him. Trapped him? We're already married; he's already trapped, right?"

Elizabeth wiped her eyes, "He'll think I didn't take The Pill like I was supposed to, and apparently he's right. It's my fault," her voice wavered; through her tears she had difficulty catching her breath.

Onyx stood up hearing the emotion in Elizabeth's voice and rested her head on the middle sofa cushion. Onyx's eyes were intent on Elizabeth as she assertively nudged her arm.

"He's going to be so angry with me; how can I tell him?"

"Tell me what?" he asked as he quietly closed the back door.

"Are you a ninja or something? How long have you been standing there?"

"I just walked in. What did you need to tell me?" he asked as he walked over, slipped between Onyx and the sofa and took a seat.

"Oh, just that Sophie will be staying with us longer than I thought," she quickly stated.

"You already told me that the other day," he reminded her.

"Oh…"

Sensing that there was something else on her mind he continued to push, "Elizabeth is something else bothering you?"

"Jack, I'm just tired. I'm gonna go to bed," She stated as she threw the cover over the back of the sofa and attempted to place her feet on the floor between him and Onyx.

"Let me help you," he stated as he stepped away before taking her hand.

"I'm fine, no, I will be fine, just give me some time to rest," she stated as she slowly hobbled down the hall.

"Elizabeth, what's wrong? Besides the obvious, I mean. I feel like you're keeping something from me," he asked as he began to follow her down the hall. "Did the doctor say something to you?"

"Jack, we need to talk…" She stated just as his phone rang.

**Ring, ring**

"Yes Captain, I'll be right back in," he stated before becoming quiet while he listened. "No sir, my wife was at the emergency room and I had to leave." Jack was again quiet.

Jack watched as Elizabeth started back down the hall to their bedroom. "No sir, she has a severely sprained ankle; no other injuries, so she'll be just fine."

Elizabeth reached her bedroom and stepped inside. She turned around and glanced in his direction. She found him pacing while looking down and apparently engrossed in the information provided by his Captain.

Elizabeth curled up in bed, shut off the light and closed her eyes. She was nearly asleep when she heard the door open, the bedside light click back on and felt the weight of his body on the side of the bed.

"I need to go back to the precinct to finish some paperwork I was working on when I got your message. Do you need anything?" he asked.

She didn't open her mouth or her eyes, fearing that she'd be unable to keep from crying. She simply shook her head back and forth before she felt his lips gently kiss her cheek.

"I'll be home in a little while. I'll bring dinner with me and maybe we can snuggle on the sofa later, okay?"

Again she said nothing but this time she shook her up and down, and in an instant the door closed, and he was gone.

She took a frustrated breath, rolled over on her back, her eyes opened and just as she feared, her tears began.


She lay quietly for several minutes hoping that her body would give up and allow her to sleep. She soon realized that with her mind spinning and her ankle throbbing that rest would not come easily.

She sat up in bed, pulled out her journal from the bedside table, flipped on the light, and leaned her back against the headboard. She glanced over at her dresser and weakly smiled at hers and Jack's wedding picture. As she opened her journal, she flipped to the next blank page, hoping that writing down her thoughts would help to organize them. However, she soon realized that she needed to stop them from racing in order to dissect and make sense of them.

She moved up in the bed, taking a moment to allow her ankle pain to ease. She flipped to the next blank page, clicked her pen and willed herself to make sense of the hodge podge of feelings and emotions running rampant in her head.

"Relationships, both platonic and romantic can place a strain on one's heart. Wanting to be honest and share everything, the good; the bad; the challenging and the unexpected, leaves you assuming that your partner will accept that which you have to say. However, when their thoughts and plans don't mesh with yours or the reality before you, is there truly a right or wrong side?

Each person has a right to their own opinion. Actually as the saying goes, it's what makes the world go round. Oh wait, maybe that's supposed to be Love… Anyway, no two people are alike and although their dreams, thoughts and desires may be similar, their feelings are their own and they shouldn't be forced to compromise them for another.

Anticipation of the things to come…the promise of today and the dreams of tomorrow in reality should be able to drown out the fears of yesterday. However, when one questions the possibilities of the future while the other is adamant that things remain as they are, a stalemate occurs.

Are we ready for what's ahead? Will the end result bring us closer or will trust issues and suspicion of my intentions lead us down separate and unforgiving paths? At this point none of that matters, not your mistrust of my actions, or my guilt at the unintentional outcome. For what is meant to be, will be. Whether we're ready for this blessing or not, time is no longer on our side. For the only thing that matters in the grand scheme of things, is this precious gift from God that I carry within myself."

Elizabeth closed her journal and slipped the book back inside the drawer of her bedside table. Her ankle was finally pain free as she placed a pillow underneath to elevate it slightly. She carefully slid down in the bed and laid her head on the pillow. In a matter of minutes she was asleep. Approximately an hour later, she woke and glanced at her phone. Observing a text message from Jack she quickly sat up in bed…

"Tried to call but u didn't answer. Feeling better…?"

A few minutes later a second text came through…

"Call me. I'm stuck here at work…"

Elizabeth dialed the number to his cell phone and he answered on the first ring.

"Honey, are you okay?" he asked with a sense of urgency in his tone.

"I'm sorry. I was sleeping. Why are you so late?"

"I was trying to call you to tell you that one of the guys had to rush to the hospital…"

"Oh no, how did he get hurt?"

"No, he wasn't hurt; his wife was having a baby. I don't know what happened, but they rushed her to the hospital in an ambulance and he met her there," Jack explained. "I'm taking his shift. I hope that's okay."

"Of course it's okay. But Jack…"

"Yea honey…"

"I need to talk to…"

"Elizabeth, I'm sorry; I've got a call. I'll try not to be too late…"

"Please be careful…" she stated before realizing that the phone had already disconnected.

As the night wore on, she worried and wondered about Jack. She hated to call or text, because he generally kept in close contact with her when he could.

She wasn't sure why, other than assuming it was attributed to her pregnancy, the Tylenol and anxiety, but she was tired; no, actually she was exhausted. She had the TV on and began watching a lighthearted sitcom, but was sound asleep before the show broke for its first commercial.

At 2am she woke again and not feeling Jack beside her she grabbed for her phone.

"Didn't want to call. Still at work but b home soon…" his text read.

Elizabeth pulled his pillow into her chest, inhaled deeply and was flooded by his woodsy scent. She again closed her eyes, finding it impossible to keep them propped open.


Several hours later she woke to find him in bed beside her, her back to his chest with his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. By this time the sun was beginning to peak through the window coverings and it was time to start her day.

She carefully moved his arm and slipped out of bed. The moment her feet touched the floor it was as if a champagne bottle was in her stomach simply waiting to explode.

Her ankle was no longer painful; she had the Tylenol to thank for that. However, she carefully maneuvered her way to the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before the visual of an old sea movie and "Thar she blows" came to mind. She collapsed on the floor in front of the commode wondering how on earth the twenty-something's found drinking to this point to be worth the fun of the previous night.

She was never one to drink to excess, and never experienced a moment of intoxication that went to this point. So she had to say that right now, the effects of her pregnancy and hugging the porcelain throne seemed to be much like what her friends talked about the morning after a frat party.


Thirty minutes later she walked out of the bathroom, showered, hair washed, and feeling much better than before. However, with morning sickness she knew that it could hit at any moment, so she was a bit nervous about leaving the safety of her bathroom.

She glanced over at the bed and observed Jack; ordinarily a light sleeper, she was surprised that all the noise she'd made in the bathroom went completely unnoticed.

She walked over to the bed, kissed his forehead and pulled the blanket up over his shoulder. She slowly walked out to the kitchen and fixed a cup of coffee to carry with her to the barn.


Once the barn chores were done she stepped back inside and found that not only was Jack still asleep, but it didn't appear that he had even moved since she'd left. She made a phone call, left a note on her pillow for Jack and walked out the front door.

"What's the matter Elizabeth? You don't look well," Rosie inquired as Elizabeth sat at the kitchen table she'd eaten from on many previous occasions.

"I have some news to tell Jack, and really I should be home telling him now, but I'm scared. Besides, he's either working or sleeping," she admitted.

"Scared? What on earth could you have to tell Jack that you'd be afraid to say? Did you get a ticket?" Rosie asked.

Rosie observed tears filling Elizabeth's eyes and she reached for a tissue. "My word, what is wrong?"

Elizabeth swallowed hard, "I'm pregnant."

Rosie initially said nothing but immediately wrapped her in a hug. "That is wonderful news. Why are you afraid to tell him?"

"You don't understand…"

"Enlighten me…"

"Jack and I want kids. Well, at least he said he did before we were married."

"Okay, so what's the problem?"

"We've talked about having a baby recently…well, let me rephrase that, I've talked and he has shut me down. He doesn't want a baby now…"

"I'll bet if he knew you were pregnant that he'd change his tune."

"That's just it; I want him to want the baby because…well, just because he does, not because it's thrown at him," she started to ramble as her tears quickly soaked the tissue. "Besides, he already questioned me about taking The Pill. I don't want him to think I trapped him into this."

"Were you on The Pill?"

"Not you too. Do you want to see the pack of pills?" Elizabeth dug in her purse and slapped the pill box down on the table, opening up the contained to find rows of missing pills.

Rosie took her hand, "No, that's not what I meant. We haven't talked in a while and that is something personal that you hadn't shared with me, so I didn't know what type of birth control you were taking. I completely trust you."

"But then again…"

"Then again what, Rosie?"

"I thought that The Pill was very effective," Rosie stated as she contemplated her own birth control choices.

"It is, but apparently you have to take it at the same time each day. And before you ask; no I didn't. But in my defense, I didn't know that I had to."

While Elizabeth attempted to gain control of her breathing her phone chimed signifying a text. Actually, her phone repeatedly chimed with rapid fire comments sent by Jack.

"Hi honey. Saw your note. Everything OK…?"

"Since u r out ankle must feel better…"

"I'm off 2day. Hurry home. I want 2 spend the day w/ my beautiful wife w/o interruptions…"

"Keeping the bed warm 4 u…"

"See…" Elizabeth stated as she showed Rosie the text. "He wants me, without interruptions. Children…babies are an interruption. What am I going to do?"

"Well, I'm going to tell you what you aren't going to do…"

"What's that?"

"You aren't going to continue to allow this to eat you up inside. It's not good for you or the baby. You're going home and talk to him."

Elizabeth got a whiff of the bacon that Rosie had previously fixed for breakfast. "WOW, that bacon smells wonderful."

"You sit here; I'll get you some," she stated.

Elizabeth grabbed a few more tissues and attempted to wipe the sadness, fear and doubt from her face.

"Here you go," Rosie stated as she placed a plate and a cup of coffee in front of Elizabeth.

Staring back at her were two, sunny side up eggs sitting at the top of the plate beside the bacon. Without saying a word, Elizabeth covered her mouth and ran toward the bathroom, barely making it to the commode before the remaining contents of her stomach made an abrupt appearance.

"Are you okay?" Rosie asked from the safety of her hallway.

The commode flushed and Elizabeth replied, "I am now."

She exited the bathroom and made a beeline to the front door. "Thanks for the talk, maybe not so much for the breakfast, but I guess I need to go home and talk with Jack. Really, I mean what's the worst case scenario? He doesn't want the baby and we're on our own," she stated as she stepped out into the hall. Her voice was soft, "It's not like I haven't been on my own before…"

"What did you say?" Rosie asked as she grabbed her Lysol spray to sanitize everything Elizabeth touched, just on the chance that it wasn't "baby related."

"Nothing, I'm sorry about getting sick. I have a feeling that it is now my new normal…"


Elizabeth carefully walked to her Jeep, suddenly feeling the need for another Tylenol dose. She found it quite intriguing that as quickly as she felt sick, she suddenly felt fine, energized even.

She slipped behind the wheel and immediately pulled out her phone to call Jack. The connection beeped as if Jack were on another call, so she texted him instead assuming that he would contact her when he became free.

"On my way home. Can we talk…?"

She did not receive a response but shifted her Jeep into drive and headed home anyway.


Once home she reached the door as Jack was stepping outside.

She smiled, "Coming to greet me?" she asked.

"I wish. I promised one of the guys at work that I would help him move today. Since you didn't text me back, I assumed you were busy with Rosie, so I'm going to play furniture mover for the day." He bent down to kiss her but having been sick, she turned her head and he brushed her cheek instead.

As he took the front porch steps two at a time she commented, "We need to talk…" However, through his whistling, her words went unnoticed.

Before she entered the house he called out to her, "Hey, I don't know what it is but you are absolutely beautiful today. It's almost like you have a glow about you…"

To be continued…