"So," Grace began. "Have you two decided what to do about Vivian?" It was Tuesday night, and all the kids were finally asleep. Lee and Rosemary had only meant to stay until Monday, but they had been having such a good time that they wanted to stay longer. After much talking, they had decided to leave the following morning.

Lee and Rosemary looked at each other, both of them smiling. "We'd like to adopt her." Lee said.

Rosemary just nodded, a huge smile on her face and her hand clutching Lee's. "We really want her to be a part of our growing family."

"That's wonderful. We'll put in the paperwork right away for you, but are you sure? You're gonna be pretty sick soon, and you might not feel up to it. Don't you at least want to wait until after your morning sickness is over?" Lillian asked.

"No," Rosemary shook her head. "We want to do this right away."

"Alright." Lillian nodded. "We'll do it right away. It'll probably take about three or four weeks for everything to get sped up."

"Can we tell Vivian right away?" Lee asked.

"We'd rather you don't." Grace began. "We don't want to get her hopes up, and as much I'm sure the paperwork will go through, if it doesn't it wouldn't be good. You'll have to leave her here for the time being."

"Oh." Rosemary's face fell.

"We understand." Lee said softly. "We'll do whatever we can to get the paperwork to move faster."

"Good. I'll start in the morning."

In the morning, Rosemary and Lee ate breakfast with Grace, Lillian, and the kids. Then it was time for the kids to go to school. "Are you gonna be here when I come back?" Vivian asked.

Rosemary and Lee turned towards her. "No sweetheart, we have to go home today," Rosemary said.

"Oh." Vivian's face fell. "When will you come back?"

"I don't know." Rosemary answered, trying not to give her own feelings away. "Hopefully soon." She knelt down and opened her arms.

"I'm gonna miss you," Vivian said sadly as she gave Rosemary a hug.

"Me too." Rosemary held her tightly.

Lee knelt down too. "Hey, do I get a hug too?"

"Of course." Vivian turned to him, giving him a big hug too. "Bye, Mister Lee."

"Goodbye sweetie. Have a good day at school." Lee let her go and he stood up.

"Come on Vivian, we have to go." Grace tried to sound cheerful.

"Bye," Vivian waved as Grace closed the door behind her.

"Bye." Lee and Rosemary said together.

"I wish we didn't have to say goodbye," Rosemary said sadly as the orphanage disappeared behind them. "I hope the paperwork won't take too long."

"Me too." Lee turned onto the main road to take them back to Hope Valley. "It was a wonderful visit though."

"It was. She's a perfect fit with our family." Rosemary smiled at the memories they had of them together. She put her hand on Lee's leg and moved closer to him. "Let's hope it goes by really fast."

"Absolutely." Lee nodded. "At least you didn't get sick."

"Yes." Rosemary chuckled. "I am so glad I didn't. It would have ruined the whole trip, but instead, we got to stay even longer."

"It will be nice to go home."

"As long as you're there, anywhere can be home." Rosemary declared. "But you're right, it will be nice to sleep in my own bed."

"And not be constantly bombarded by children." Lee finished with a chuckle.

"Six kids are a lot!" Rosemary laughed. "I'm glad we're only getting one."

"Soon to be two," Lee reminded her.

"True." She smiled. "Soon to be two." She looked up at Lee. "Let's go home," she said quietly. "I'm ready."

They pulled in front of their own house and Lee parked. He got everything out of the car and upstairs in two trips, then came back down to say goodbye to Rosemary before he left for town. "I've gotta go now, sweetheart." He said as he walked towards her.

"Go? Where are you going?" She turned from the stove with a frown on her face.

"I'm going into the office. I need to check on the lumber mill and do some financial stuff for the town. The budget is due in two weeks."

"Oh. But I thought you'd have some time off."

"I already took more time off than I should have," Lee kissed her cheek. "I really have to go. Bye!"

"Bye." Rosemary said dejectedly as the door closed behind him. She heard the car drive away, and then it was quiet. She didn't really feel like doing anything, so she started making coffee and while she was waiting, she worked on some sketches. When the coffee smelled like it was done, she walked over to the stove and inhaled the coffee smell. Instant regret. Her stomach roiled in nausea and she knew what was coming. She dashed outside and lost most of her breakfast. When she got back inside, she got rid of the coffee as soon as possible and then she went to lay down on the couch. So it began.

She slept on and off for a while, and was just about to fall asleep again when there was a knock on the door and Elizabeth walked in. "Good afternoon Rosemary," she stopped when she saw her friend lying on the couch. "It's started, hasn't it?"

"Yes." Rosemary forced herself to sit up. "I threw up at the smell of coffee, and now I feel terrible. Any time I think about eating, I feel even worse and I am so tired." She fell back down.

"Oh boy." Elizabeth felt sympathetic towards her friend, knowing exactly what she was going through. "Do you want me to get you some ginger or mint? That really helped me when I sick with Little Jack." She walked over to sit down across from Rosemary.

"Maybe." Rosemary began to nod, then stopped. "Ooh yeah, that makes me dizzy too." She looked over at Elizabeth. "I was really hoping that I wouldn't get sick at all this time, that it'd just pass by." She shrugged. "I guess not."

"It'll pass." Elizabeth began. Rosemary's face brightened. "In about three months." She finished. Rosemary's face fell, and Elizabeth chuckled. "And it will all be worth it. Tell you what, I'll go get that ginger and mint for you right now."

"Thank you." Rosemary replied weakly.

"Not a problem. I'll be back soon," Elizabeth promised. She headed right to town with a few purposes in mind. First, she was going to get Rosemary some mint and ginger. Then, she was going to update Lee on what was going on and suggest that he should think about bringing home supper. "It's for Rosemary," she explained to Florence at the mercantile.

"Ah." Florence nodded. "So it's begun?"

"It has." Elizabeth nodded. Then, she headed over to the lumber mill. Lee wasn't there, so she assumed he'd be at the mayor's office. She found him inside at his desk, working hard.

"Hi, Elizabeth." He stood up. "What can I do for you?"

"Hi Lee. I came to tell you that Rosemary's morning sickness has officially started. I got her some mint and ginger, but I figured I should maybe warn you."

"Is she alright?" Lee looked concerned.

"She'll be fine, she's just not feeling good."

"Thanks for the heads up. I was actually planning on leaving shortly. Do you want me to bring the mint and ginger to her?"

"Sure, that'd be great." Elizabeth handed over the small bag.

"Is there anything else I should know?"

"I'm sure you know best how to care for Rosemary." Elizabeth smiled. "And she will be fine, no matter how she's acting. What she's got is perfectly normal."

"Alright. Thanks Elizabeth."

"Not a problem. Have a good evening."

"You too." Lee replied.

Elizabeth nodded as she shut the door behind her.

Lee worked for a few minutes, then he got up and left after making sure everything was locked up. A little while later, he arrived home. When he got there, Rosemary was lying down on the couch. "Hey sweetheart," he said quietly, coming over to her. "How are you doing?" He kissed her forehead.

"Not good. The whole world is spinning and I feel so sick. I just want to sleep, but closing my eyes makes it worse." Rosemary groaned.

"I'm sorry. I have the ginger and mint from Elizabeth, do you want me to make you some tea?"

"That'd great."

"Okay. I'll do that." He gave her another kiss, then walked over to the kitchen. He started the water, and when it was boiling, he poured it into a cup and then brought it over to Rosemary. "It's hot." He said, setting it down on the table in front of her. "You should probably sit up."

Rosemary pushed herself up, then leaned her head back against the couch. "The world is spinning." She said softly. Lee sat himself beside her, then picked up the cup and handed it to her. She drank a little bit and then laid her head back again. "That feels better." She smiled a little, then drank a little more. So she continued for a while until the cup was empty.

Lee put it back on the table, then sat back against the couch and put his arm around Rosemary. She moved around a little bit, but eventually got comfortable. "Thank you," she murmured softly. "It really helped."

"Not a problem." He put the blanket around both of them. "I hope you feel better soon."

"Me too." Rosemary could feel her eyelids closing. She let them fall gently, thankful for Lee's tender care.

Lee saw her fall asleep, and he kissed her forehead again, then made sure she was as comfortable as possible. Then he leaned his head against hers. Oh, how he hoped she would feel better soon. He missed her spunky spirit, and even though he knew that this sickness would only last for a time, he already wished for it to be over for her.

When Rosemary woke up the following morning, she was asleep on the couch and Lee was gone. She saw a note on the table, and so she picked it up and read it. "Gone to work, be back at lunch. Lee." She closed her eyes for a second, feeling the nausea roil up in her. She hoped it would stay down, but nope, in a few seconds she was running outside again.

The next few weeks fell into a similar pattern. Lee worked half-days most of the time, and Rosemary tried to get better. The first two weeks were difficult and Rosemary was on the couch for most of them. It drove her crazy that she couldn't be up doing things, but she when she tried it just made her feel even worse. She felt bad that she couldn't be preparing for Vivian's arrival. Everyday she thought about Vivian and how excited she was to welcome her into their home. It would keep her busy for sure, but she liked being busy. Now if only she could get up and be actually busy. Lee was a saint. Between working hard at the office and the lumber mill, putting up with Rosemary's moods, and doing a lot of cooking, he had still managed to keep everything together.

One morning, a month later, Ned burst into the office. Lee and Rosemary had mentioned to a few people about their plans to adopt Vivian, but for the most part they had kept it quiet. Ned dropped a telegram on Lee's desk. "I think it's important." He spoke.

"Thanks, Ned." Lee picked it up.

Lee and Rosemary,

The paperwork is finally finished and you can come pick up Vivian whenever you wish. We're so excited to have you both come!

Sincerely,
Lillian & Grace

Lee smiled and jumped up. He had to reply to them and tell Rosemary as soon as possible. This was the best news they had received in a while. It was finally here!