"Daddy." Laurel toddled into the bedroom, arms raised.
Jack scooped her up, dropping a kiss on her cheek. "Good morning, birthday girl. How old are you today? Are you three years old already?"
"Yeah. And Eva fwee."
"That's right." He tickled her belly. "Eva's turning three today, too, because you girls are twins. Can you believe that you and Eva used to be in mama's belly together? You were so tiny."
"Yeah."
"Why don't we go find Eva and then go down and see what mama is making for your birthday breakfast?"
"Otay."
A few minutes later, he came down the stairs, carrying both of the girls. "I don't know how much longer I'll be able to carry these two at the same time," he observed as he stepped into the kitchen.
"They certainly are growing up." Elizabeth turned from the stove and approached her husband and daughters. "How are my beautiful birthday girls?" She greeted each of the girls with a kiss on the cheek before taking Eva from Jack. "Are my big three-year-olds hungry for some pancakes?"
"Yeah. I weally hungwy, mama."
Elizabeth chuckled, lightly pinching Laurel's cheek. "Well, then it's a good thing I made lots and lots of pancakes this morning."
...
"Look how big they are." Elizabeth leaned into Jack, watching Laurel and Eva laughing as they played with Audrey. "When did that happen? They used to be so tiny."
"I do miss having babies in the house."
"No, no." Levi stopped, having overheard Jack as he was walking through the room. "Not this again. We don't need more babies in this house."
Jack chuckled. "Don't worry, son. We aren't having any more babies."
"What about more babies?" Benjamin wandered in, sipping from his glass of orange juice. "Mom, you aren't pregnant again, are you?"
"No, I'm not. Dad and I were just talking about when the girls were babies, and Levi was worried that we were going to decide to have another one. But we're more than happy with the eight of you we have already."
Daniel spoke up, having set aside the book he had been reading. "Did you always want so many?"
Jack put his arm around Elizabeth. "I don't know that we ever had a specific number in mind."
"After you boys were born," she glanced between Daniel and Benjamin, "we actually thought we wouldn't have any more babies."
"But then I surprised you!" Audrey grinned, having heard the story many times before. "'A wonderful surprise.'"
"You were a wonderful surprise, Audie Lu," Jack confirmed. "As were Laurel and Eva."
"Just as long as there aren't any more surprises." Levi shot his parents a look.
Elizabeth laughed softly. "I think we're too old for any surprises to happen now."
"I hope Janie has a baby soon," Audrey stated. "I want to be an aunt."
Jack crossed the room, lifting her into his arms. "Let's not rush her, Audrey. She and Patrick both have school to finish up. They may not want to have babies yet."
She frowned. "But I like babies."
He chuckled. "I know. I'm sure you'll get to be an aunt someday."
The phone rang, breaking up their conversation. "I've got it." Elizabeth picked it up, smiling when she heard Ellie's voice on the other end of the line. "Hi, sweetheart. It's good to hear from you."
"I just wanted to call and wish the babies happy birthday. And to tell you that I won't be coming home for Easter after all."
"Oh no. Is everything okay?"
"Everything is fine. I just don't want to leave grandma alone."
She took a seat, still holding the phone to her ear. "I thought Aunt Julie and Uncle Tom were going to Hamilton for Easter."
"They were, but Aunt Julie called grandma yesterday and said they had to change their plans because Philip broke his leg."
"Poor thing. Well, we'll miss you here."
She sighed. "I miss you, mom."
"Hang in there, sweetheart. We'll see each other again soon."
"Can I talk to the babies now?"
"I'm not sure how much longer you'll be able to get away with calling them babies, but yes." She smiled, calling Laurel and Eva over. "Girls, say 'hi' to Ellie."
"Hi, Lee Lee!" Laurel shouted into the phone, giggling when Ellie replied.
Jack set Audrey down, joining Elizabeth on the sofa. "What was that about?"
"Philip broke his leg, so Julie and Tom aren't going to Hamilton for Easter anymore. Ellie decided she wants to stay there so mom isn't alone."
"Poor Philip, but good for Ellie."
She leaned her head on his shoulder. "I'll miss her, though. I was so excited to have everyone together again."
"We'll all be together again soon." He kissed her temple. "I promise."
...
Patrick kissed Jane softly. "I'll see you in a couple of days."
"Are you sure you can't just come with me now?" She stuck out her lower lip. "Please?"
"If I didn't have a test tomorrow, I would." He took her hands. "I love you, Janie."
She sighed. "I love you, Pat."
"Hey." He touched her cheek. "It's just two days, and then I'll be in Hope Valley with you, in our house."
"I can't wait." She leaned in to kiss him again, clinging to him tighter when she was hit with a slight wave of dizziness.
"Jane." He pulled back, looking at her with concern in his eyes.
She gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm fine. You just make me woozy sometimes," she teased.
"Okay." He tightened his arms around her. "You'd better get to your train. Unless you want to wait and travel with me on Thursday."
"Don't tempt me. But I want to make sure everything is ready with the house so we can just relax when you get there."
"I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you more."
With a final kiss, he handed her bag to her. "Two days. We can do this."
...
"Mom?"
Elizabeth pushed aside the blanket hanging on the clothesline in front of her. "Hi, Janie. You're early."
"I decided to come a few days early so I could make sure the house is clean and ready when Patrick arrives. Why aren't you at the school?"
"I stayed home because Laurel and Eva are sick."
"Oh no." She glanced back toward the house. "Are they okay?"
"It's just a little bug, but it's really tearing through our house. Audrey had it first, then Daniel and Ben, and now Laurel and Eva. I'm not sure how Levi and dad and I have managed to avoid it."
"Wow. Well, if you need any help while I'm here, let me know."
Elizabeth smiled. "Thank you, Janie."
"I'm going to go see the girls, if that's okay."
"Just don't wake them up, please." She clipped a shirt to the clothesline. "I just got them down for their naps about fifteen minutes ago, and they need to sleep."
"I'll be extra quiet." She tiptoed toward the door.
"Jane?"
"Hm? She turned back around.
"It's good to see you again."
She smiled. "You too, mom."
...
Jane held a tissue to Eva's face, helping her wipe her nose. "All better?"
"Uh huh."
"Hey, I brought home a new Braille book to show you, Eva. Would you like to read some of it?"
"Yeah."
"Let's go sit at the table." She took her sister's hand, carefully leading her into the kitchen, where she had left the book on the table in anticipation. Taking a seat, she lifted Eva into her lap. "Okay, here it is." She opened the book, helping Eva find the page with her fingers. "Do you know any of your letters yet?"
"E!"
Jane grinned. "That's right, Eva. That's an E. This says, 'For Eva.' And guess what. This is mama's book."
Jane had been learning to write Braille in her classes, and she decided to create a Braille version of A Collection of Frontier Stories, so Eva could enjoy reading the stories as she grew up, just like the rest of her siblings.
"I'm not completely finished with it yet, but this is one of my favorite stories in it."
A few minutes later, Elizabeth entered the room with Laurel. "That sounds familiar."
"The library in Edmonton has a Hall Braille-writer, and they've been letting me use it to translate your stories into Braille for Eva."
"That's wonderful, Jane. I'm honored that you would choose my stories for that."
She shrugged. "I always loved reading them when I was younger, and I wanted Eva to be able to do that, too."
Elizabeth smiled. "If you're half as good with your future students as you are with your sister, you're going to be the most amazing teacher."
"I learned from the best."
"Nanie." Eva tapped on the book. "Wead pwease."
She chuckled. "Sorry. Let's see where we were."
...
"Jane, I'm here." Patrick came into the house and closed the door behind him. He hung up his jacket, glancing around the room. All the lights were out. "Jane? Are you home?"
Still receiving no response, he grabbed his bag and headed up the stairs.
Figuring Jane must be out of the house, he was surprised to find her curled up on their bed, the blanket tucked up under her chin.
"Janie? Are you okay?"
She shifted slightly, ruffling the sheets. "I'm not feeling well. I'm sorry that I wasn't at the train station to greet you."
Patrick sat on the edge of the bed, brushing her hair back from her forehead. "That's okay. Have you been in bed all day?"
"Yes. My head throbs every time I try to get up."
"I'm sorry, sweetheart. Is there anything I can get for you?"
She shook her head. "No. And I'm sorry I don't have any food ready for you. I'm sure you're hungry."
"Don't you worry about that. I can find something. Are you sure you don't want anything? I know I'm not great in the kitchen, but I can probably make you some toast or heat up some soup."
"I'm sure."
"Okay. I'm going to make something for myself." He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Let me know if there's anything you need."
"Pat." She reached out, her fingers grazing his arm.
He took her hand, brushing the back with his thumb. "Hm?"
She gave him a weak smile. "I'm glad you're here."
"Me too, Janie. Me too."
...
Patrick woke early, just as the sun was beginning to peek over the horizon. In the dim light of dawn, he could just make out Jane's face beside him. She finally seemed to be sleeping soundly after tossing and turning all night.
He smiled as he watched her, still in awe that she was his wife, that he got to wake up to her every morning. He gently brushed his fingers across her cheek. "I love you, Janie," he whispered.
She quietly moaned, but didn't wake. Instead, she just snuggled into him, tucking her head into his shoulder.
Patrick held her for a while, slowly moving his hand up and down her back. The sun was high in the sky before she woke.
Immediately, she groaned, pulling the blanket up to cover her eyes.
"Good morning, sweetheart." He cupped her cheek in his hand. "How are you feeling?"
"Not good." She rolled onto her back.
"I'm sorry." He kissed her forehead. "Maybe you should go see Dr. Shepherd."
"I'm fine, Patrick. My brothers and sisters have been sick, and I spent the past couple of days helping my mom out. I'm sure I just caught what they've all had. I just need to rest, and it should go away in a few days."
"Well, since you're planning to rest all day, will you be okay if I go into town for a bit? I can get some groceries, and I need to check in with my dad about some things at the saw mill. Unless you'd rather I stay here."
"I'll be just fine, Pat." She pulled her legs up, curling into herself. "Go to town."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Do you need anything before I go?"
"Maybe a glass of water."
"Okay." He kissed her once more before slipping out from under the covers. "I'll bring that to you before I get changed."
...
Jane looked over when she heard the door open. "Patrick?"
"No, it's me," Elizabeth replied. She closed the door behind her and stepped further into the house, immediately noticing that her daughter looked unwell, just as Patrick had described. She had dark circles under her eyes, and she seemed pale. "Hi, sweetheart. How are you feeling?"
"Not great, but it's nothing. I think I just caught whatever Laurel and Eva had. Did Patrick send you?"
Elizabeth nodded. "I ran into him in town, and he asked if I could stop by. He said you've been sick in bed since he arrived yesterday, but you won't go see Dr. Shepherd."
"Because I'm okay. It's not that bad. I was able to get out of bed and come down here."
"You look pale, Janie. This seems like it could be different than what your brothers and sisters had." Elizabeth sat on the sofa beside her, placing a hand on her daughter's leg. "Now, tell me the truth."
Jane brushed away a tear. "I don't know what's wrong, mom. I've been feeling off for a few days now. Now that I think about it, I was feeling strange before I even came here."
"Nauseated and a little dizzy?"
She nodded. "And I've had a bad headache, worse than any I've had before."
"Could you be pregnant?"
"I don't…" she paused, thinking. "Do you think I am?"
Elizabeth shrugged. "Well, you're married now, so if you've missed your cycle, it's possible. Those are the same symptoms I had when I was pregnant with you and most of your brothers and sisters."
She counted on her fingers, her eyes growing wide. "I missed last month, and I'm late this month, too."
Elizabeth smiled. "Well, congratulations, sweetheart. It looks like you're going to have a baby."
She sat up abruptly. "I need to tell Patrick. Where is he?"
"Jane, wait." She put her hand on Jane's arm. "Just take a moment, breathe."
She relaxed into the sofa again and burst into tears. "Mom."
"Oh, sweetheart. What's the matter?" Elizabeth rubbed her arm.
"I don't know. I just," she paused, catching her breath, "I don't even know if he wants a baby right now. I don't know if I want a baby right now. This is happening too fast. It hasn't even been four months since we got married. He's still in school. I'm back and forth between here and Edmonton so much."
"Everything will be okay, Janie." Elizabeth kissed her hair. "Give yourself some time to process this, then talk to Patrick."
"Please don't tell anyone yet. Not even dad."
"I won't. This isn't my news to tell. And I know it might take you a while to get used to the idea, but you're going to be a wonderful mother, Jane."
"Thank you, mom."
"I'll come by later and bring you some ginger tea and peppermints. Those worked wonders for my nausea whenever I was pregnant."
"And the headaches?"
She shrugged. "Dr. Shepherd always just told me to make sure I was drinking enough water. I would go see him, or Faith, if you would be more comfortable with her. They can give you more information than I can."
"Okay. I'll have Patrick drive me into town tomorrow."
"Good. Now, as much as I would love to stay with you for a while longer, I left the girls with Abigail, and it's getting awfully close to the lunch rush. Let me know if you need anything." Elizabeth gave Jane's arm a gentle squeeze and excused herself.
...
"Jane?" Patrick stepped into the bedroom, finding Jane sitting in the cushioned chair, facing the window. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was sending your mom over. Are you feeling any better?"
She continued to stare out the window, still trying to process everything she had discussed with her mother.
"Janie?" He put his hand on her shoulder. "Are you mad at me?" When she still didn't respond, he came around the chair, squatting in front of her. "Jane, what's wrong? You're worrying me."
She finally met his eyes. "I'm pregnant."
"What?" He stumbled backward and sank onto the bed, clearly not expecting that news. "Are you sure?"
"Pretty sure." She nodded. "We're having a baby, Patrick."
"We're having a baby?"
"Yes." She drew her hands to her stomach. "What are you thinking?"
The corners of his lips turned up. "This is amazing, Jane." He took her face in his hands, kissing her deeply. "I love you so much."
"So, you're happy about this?"
"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"
She shrugged. "We haven't really had any serious talks about children since before we got married. I just wasn't sure where you stood on it right now."
"I'm absolutely thrilled about this, Janie. We made a baby together! A perfect little baby. This is amazing!"
"You aren't upset that it happened so fast? There's a chance this baby will be born before our first anniversary."
"Sure, it's fast, but I don't see that as a bad thing. Weren't you born before your parents' first anniversary?"
"Yes, but we aren't them. We're so young, Patrick. We'll only be nineteen when this baby is born."
"Are you not happy about this, Jane?"
"I am, it's just…it's not the best time. We're both still in school. I'm back and forth between here and Edmonton."
"I'm only in school for another month and a half, and then I'll be here all the time. You can't be that far along, so we still have what, seven, eight months before the baby comes? And we'll have so much help here. I'm sure so many people would be willing to watch the baby for a little while so you can get your schoolwork done."
"Are you sure we can do this, Pat?"
"I'm positive we can." He kissed her again. "You're going to be an amazing mother, Jane Coulter."
She finally cracked a smile, allowing herself to be happy about the news. "We're having a baby, Patrick. You and me."
He put his hands on her stomach and grinned. "Our little miracle."