As promised...I didn't keep you waiting too long.


January 28th, 2011 – Hope Meadows Ranch

Jack dropped his phone and took off running from the barn as fast as he could. Throwing the front door open and not bothering to close it, Jack ran through the house shouting her name. Not seeing her in the front room or the kitchen, he ran up to their bedroom, taking the steps two at a time. Unable to find her, he searched the entire second floor before returning to the kitchen. Heading for the back door, Jack noticed the carton of eggs broken across the floor and then saw the blood. Slowly stepping around the corner of the island, he saw Elizabeth passed out on the floor.

Running to her side, he pulled her head onto his lap. "Beth?" He said, pushing the hair from her face. "Beth, can you hear me?"

With no response from her, Jack leaned forward and grabbed her phone that was laying on the floor and dialed 911 and then his mother.

A few minutes later, Jack heard two trucks pulling into his drive and sliding to a stop across the gravel.

With the front door still open, Charlotte, Frank, Sam and Tom all burst into the house to find Jack still cradling Elizabeth's head on his lap, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"There's so much blood," was all that Jack could say, over and over, repeating those words.

Sam knelt next to him and carefully picked up Elizabeth's wrist, feeling for a pulse. "It's faint, but it's there." Assessing the scene, she laid her hand on Jack's shoulder. "We need to lay her head down flat Jack."

Unwilling to let go of his wife, Jack had to be pulled away by Frank and Tom, fear and tears taking over his entire body as he uncontrollably began to sob.

Sam continued looking over Elizabeth, checking her pulse continuously, making sure she was still with them. "Can you guys please step in the other room. I need to check her."

Frank and Tom, practically carrying Jack, moved to the dining table where they each took a seat.

"Where are your kids?" Frank asked Tom.

"They're with Sam's parents."

Charlotte and Sam removed Elizabeth's pants to see that she was still bleeding. Sam's gaze moved to Charlotte, their eyes locking, panic, fear and sadness filling them. Charlotte quickly retrieved a blanket from the next room and returned to drape it across Elizabeth's bottom half, to cover her and the blood.

"You guys can come back over but someone please watch for the ambulance," Sam stated, checking Elizabeth's pulse once more.

"I will," Frank stated before stepping outside into the cold, brisk air.

Jack ran back to his wife's side. Afraid to touch her, his hands hovered above her, trying to figure out what to do. Finally, carefully placing a hand on her arm, Jack noticed that her skin was clammy and cool to the touch.

"Sam."

"What is it, Jack?"

"Is she supposed to feel like this?"

Sam moved her hand to Elizabeth's arm, shaking her head, she replied, "No." Standing and peering out the window, she asked quietly, "where is that ambulance?"

Just as she said the words, a siren could be heard coming down the driveway. Running to the door, Sam waited so she could fill in the EMTs on Elizabeth's current status.

With Sam leading the EMTs to Elizabeth, they quickly began their routine triage and prepared her for transport. Once she was strapped to the board, they carried her out to the ambulance, followed closely by Jack, and loaded her into the back of the truck, Jack climbing in after her.

…..

Jack sat off to the side, watching in horror as they inserted an IV, took vitals, and charted each step, as the ambulance rushed to the emergency room.

"How far along is she?" One of the EMTs asked Jack.

"What?"

"How far along is she?"

"Ummm...she's...ummm."

The female technician laid her hand on Jack's arm. "Take a breath."

Jack drew in much needed air, then answered, "She's 34 weeks with twins."

Once at the ER, she was rushed into a room and Jack was instructed to wait in the family area. Pacing from one side to the other, rubbing his temples, trying to control his pounding heart, he waited impatiently for an update on his wife.

As soon as his family stepped into the room with him, the dam opened and he fell to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably. Charlotte rushed to his side, kneeling beside him, holding him in a tight embrace. Tom knelt on Jack's other side, wrapping his arms around him and their mother.

Frank sat in the chair next to them, laid his hands on Jack's shoulders and began to pray aloud as Sam took the seat next to Frank, the group praying together, praying for a miracle.

Lee and Rosie burst into the room, Noel in Rosemary's arms, to find the group still surrounding Jack on the floor. Thinking the worse, Rosie began to cry as Lee pulled her into his arms. Seeing this, Sam stood and went to them, explaining what had happened.

A nurse entered the room, looking at a name on the clipboard, "Elizabeth Thornton family?"

Stumbling to his feet, Jack rushed to her, closely followed by everyone else. "I'm Jack Thornton, her husband," he answered, wiping his face.

"Elizabeth has suffered what's called a placental abruption. What that means is the placenta has separated from the uterine wall and that's what caused all the bleeding. It was severe and she's lost a lot of blood. She's being rushed up for an emergency C-section."

"Will she be alright? Are the babies okay?" Jack asked, feeling as if the contents of his stomach would hit the floor.

"I'm sorry, that's really the only information I have right now. I know the babies were still alright when she came in. The doctor wanted to come explain everything but due to her continuing blood loss, the surgery couldn't wait. I'll keep you updated as the babies are being delivered."

"Thank you," Charlotte said as the nurse turned to leave.

Jack moved to the closest chair and fell into it, holding his head in his hands and firmly rubbed his temples. The voices constantly repeating themselves.

"How far along is she? ...placental abruption. ...she's lost a lot of blood. ...surgery couldn't wait...emergency C-section."

Jack couldn't silence the voices and quickly stood, walking to the other side of the room. Tom was at his side in a second, grabbing Jack's arms.

"Jack, what do you need us to do?"

"I need to get out of here," Jack answered, running from the room.

"Should we follow him?" Tom asked, concern showing in his face.

"Give him a little time alone," Charlotte answered, lowering down into a nearby chair. "Can someone call the Thatchers please?"

….

Jack walked the halls, searching for signs of Elizabeth, not knowing what room or even what floor she was on.

"Can I help you?" A voice asked.

Jack turned to find an older nurse staring him down.

"Where would someone be if they were having an emergency C-section?"

"I'm sorry, Sir, but you can't go up there."

Feeling the tears welling up once more and a lump forming in his throat, Jack continued, "My wife was rushed off. I have no idea if she or our twins are even alive. Please, I...am...begging...you...please help me find her."

Letting out a breath and seeing the fear in Jack's eyes, she replied, "Come with me."

She led Jack to an elevator and took him up one floor. Stopping at the nurse's station, she moved behind it and began typing something into the computer. "What's your wife's name?"

"Elizabeth Thornton."

Typing in her name and searching over the screen, she found what she was looking for. "She's in OR 3. You can't go in there, but I will see what I can find out."

Jack leaned onto the counter to hold himself up, "Thank you so much."

"Please wait in here," she said, kindly guiding him to a family room.

The nurse stepped into the OR to a fury of activity. Bloodied rag after rag was pulled from Elizabeth's abdomen as the doctors tried frantically to get the bleeding to stop. One baby was crying as a team worked over him, while the other one was silent, another team working fervently trying to save her.

"Did you need something, Caroline?" One of the NICU nurses asked her.

"The father is frantic and wanted an update."

"There is no good news to tell him yet."

"I can see that. What do I tell him?"

Just as she asked, the baby boy went silent. "Call Dr. Redmon!" The nurse called out.

"Baby girl is turning blue!" Another one shouted, as the team began moving even quicker around her.

"What about mom? What's going on with her?" Nurse Caroline asked.

"We are struggling with getting the bleeding under control. She's not clotting," one of the doctors answered. "Hang another unit of blood!" He shouted. "If we can't get this stopped, we're going to have to do a complete hysterectomy."

The other doctor glanced up to the first, adding, "If we don't get this under control, she could go into organ failure."

Alarms began to sound from the multitude of machines that filled the room, machines keeping track of each of the three patients.

"There is no way I can take this news back to him," the nurse said quietly to herself.

"Caroline, I need another set of hands. Please scrub in," one of the doctors called out.

….

Jack dropped to his knees and began to pray as an overwhelming feeling washed over him; one of loss, a familiar sensation that Jack had experienced eleven years prior. He prayed, asking the Lord to spare his wife and children, to not take away his purpose for living.

….
"We need to go find Jack," Tom blurted out. "He shouldn't be alone."

Agreeing, the family left the room and proceeded to look for him. Splitting up, they covered several floors and outside before a text from Sam gave everyone his whereabouts.

"Thank you, Suzie," Sam said, hugging her colleague.

"I'm so sorry to hear about your sister-in-law. I hope everything turns out alright."

"Thank you. So do we." Turning to look at Jack through the window of the waiting room, seeing him kneeling on the floor, she continued, "I'm going to go check on him now."

Sam quietly approached Jack. As she neared him, she could hear that he was praying.

"Jack?"

At the sound of his name, Jack shot up to his feet, expecting to see a doctor to give him news. Seeing it was only Sam, he dropped down into the chair behind him.

"Have you heard anything, Jack?" She asked, taking the seat next to him.

Jack just shook his head.

Everyone else began to arrive. Tom was first, quickly going to Jack's side and wrapping his arm around his shoulder. Charlotte and Frank walked in next; taking in the scene of her two sons, Charlotte began to weep as Frank held her. Lee and Rosemary joined the group, Noel still fast asleep.

"What did the Thatchers say?" Charlotte asked, once she regained her composure.

"They were on their way out the door before I even hung up the phone. They are catching the next flight out," Rosie answered.

"Does someone need to go pick them up?" Frank questioned.

"No, they are renting a car. Said they wanted their own transportation in case Liz was in here for a while."

"Where is that nurse?" Jack asked loudly, aggravation filling his voice.

Sam and Tom, each still sitting beside him, Sam holding Jack's hand and Tom keeping his arm across his brother's shoulder, tightened their grips.

"They will come as soon as they have something to tell you, Jack," Sam responded. "This means she's still with us and they are working on her."

Jack turned his eyes to Sam, looking for truth and assurance in her own expression.

Another hour passed as the family impatiently waited, paced, prayed. Jack sat with his head in his hands, a migraine having taken over him, rubbing his temples in hope for some relief. He ran his hands across his face, then returned them to his temples, thinking about how happy Lee had been when Noel was born, how quickly the labor had gone, how easy it had been for Rosemary.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," Jack said under his breath.

"What was that, Sweetheart?" Charlotte asked.

Raising his gaze to his mother, he repeated, louder this time, "It wasn't supposed to be like this. Shit, I'm supposed to be by her side, holding her hand, cheering her on. I'm supposed to be seeing my babies born, damn it!" Shaking his head, he repeated once more, "It wasn't supposed to be like this," he raised his voice and slammed his hand against the arm of the chair.

Charlotte took Jack's hand in hers, holding it tight. "Son, you cannot control how certain things go. You can't control the weather, you can't control who gets sick, you can't control who lives or dies. But you can control how you react. You can control how you choose to respond to the situation in front of you. We pray for God's help, His healing. We lean on one another. I know that you're anxious and angry and scared...of course you are, Dear. But getting mad isn't going to help Beth and the babies."

Charlotte's voice was stern yet filled with love, a skill she had learned early on in motherhood.

Knowing his mother was right, Jack relaxed and squeezed his mother's hand.

As they waited, word from the Thatchers came, their flight would be landing in two hours, with a forty-minute drive from the airport to the hospital.

A doctor in green scrubs entered the room, "Elizabeth Thornton's family?"

Everyone quickly stood, allowing Jack to approach the doctor first as they filed in behind him.

"I'm her husband," he cleared his throat, "Jack."

"Hello, Jack. My name is Dr. Bringham. I'm one of the surgeons that worked on your wife. First, I'm pleased to say, she's stable."

Multiple breaths of relief could be heard throughout the room.

"The babies?" Jack asked.

"They are stable as well and in the NICU."

Jack felt as if his legs would give way, sending him crashing to the floor. Mustering up every ounce of strength he had, he straightened and listened as the doctor spoke.

"Your wife suffered a severe placental abruption. She lost a lot of blood and we had a difficult time stopping the loss due to her blood not clotting. We eventually were able to get it under control and your wife is stable now. She's being moved to intensive care. You'll be able to go see her in an hour or so. She's still unconscious and we won't know when she'll wake up. Her body went through something very traumatic and it will need some time to heal."

Dr. Bringham paused, giving the group time to absorb the information before giving them more.

Jack lowered into the closest chair, feeling thankful and heartbroken at the same time.

"Mr. Thornton?"

Jack raised his eyes to the doctor.

"Your babies."

Jack drew in a deep breath and nodded his head.

"During the abruption, blood flow and oxygen were cut off to the twins. When your daughter was born, she wasn't breathing. They quickly got her on a ventilator and got her stats back up where they should be."

Jack was having a hard time wrapping his head around all the information he was receiving and all he wanted was to run to his wife.

Charlotte and Sam, both with their hands covering their mouths, had lost the ability to hold back the tears any longer; Rosemary had been crying since the doctor began to speak about Elizabeth.

"When your son was born, he was breathing at first, but then his heart stopped. After several attempts, they were able to get it started again. He's on a vent as well. Both babies will need to remain on ventilators until their respiratory system starts working normally. This could be a few days or a few months."

"Are the babies okay now?" Charlotte asked as Frank wrapped his arm around her.

"They're stable with the help of machines. In all honesty, we won't know the extent of the damage from lack of oxygen for a while."

Getting to his feet, Jack stared at the doctor. "What does that mean?"

"Jack, both of your babies were deprived of oxygen. We got them out as quickly as we could, but we have no way of knowing how long they were deprived. They could be just fine. But they could also have neurological issues that could arise that we won't be able to see until they get a little older."

"Neurological issues? You mean my children might have brain damage?" Jack felt as if someone was squeezing his heart, his chest felt tight and he was having a hard time breathing.

"Jack, are you okay?" The doctor asked.

Everyone turned their attention to Jack as the doctor lowered him back into his seat and knelt in front of him.

"Jack, breathe in through your nose. Deep breath. Now slowly blow it out." The doctor breathed with him. "Good. Do it again." He breathed with Jack once more. "Very good. Your children could be just fine. I'm sorry I don't have better news right now." The doctor patted the top of Jack's hand.

"Thank you, Doctor," Jack finally said.

"Would you like to go see your babies?"

"I can?"

"Of course. I'll have a nurse take you up to the NICU in a few minutes."

Nodding, Jack reached out his hand to shake the doctor's, "Thank you so much for saving my family."

"You're welcome. You have a very strong wife."

A small smile formed on Jack's face, "Yes, sir, I do."

…..

Jack was fitted with a pink protective cover to wear over his clothes and shoes, his mind still reeling with disbelief of the day's events.

Led to two small incubators, Jack got his first look at his children, covering his mouth, tears rolling down his cheeks. Lowering his hands to his side, Jack looked back and forth between the two small babies. The little girl had a tube in her mouth, along with another tiny one, and wires attached to her chest. His son, also with tubes in his mouth, and wires going to his chest, appeared slightly larger than his sister.

"Baby girl weighed 5 pounds, 1 ounce, and baby boy weighed 5 pounds, 6 ounces. She's 16.5 inches and he is 17 inches."

"Is that good?"

"Yes, they are both doing great. As soon as their lungs are stronger, we'll remove the breathing tubes."

Jack laid his hand on the plastic that separated him from his daughter, tears still falling.

"Would you like to touch her?"

"Can I?"

"Of course," the nurse said, stepping up beside Jack. Opening the small round doors, she showed Jack what to do and he carefully reached in. His daughter immediately gripped onto his finger, causing Jack's tears to spill over once more.

"Hello, Baby Girl." Jack choked. His eyes ached from crying, his throat was raw, but his headache had subsided as soon as he saw his children's faces.

"Does she have a name?" The nurse asked.

"My wife and I were still discussing names when..." Jack's voice faded off, unable to complete the sentence.

"Sometimes parents don't choose the name until they see their baby."

Nodding, Jack looked back at his daughter. "My daughter," he whispered, still trying to comprehend the fact that he was a father.

Carefully removing his hand, he moved to his son's incubator and reached inside. Afraid to hurt him, Jack barely grazed his finger across the soft skin of his son's belly. "My son," he whispered.

After spending forty minutes with his babies, Jack left to go see Elizabeth. As he walked into her room, he wished his family was with him. Almost unrecognizable, Elizabeth's hair was matted down to her head, a breathing tube was in her mouth, more wires than he could count was attached to her body, multiple bags hung from poles and were attached to tubes that led to two IV ports in her hand and arm.

Jack stopped at the foot of the bed, staring at all the machines that appeared to be keeping his wife alive. Drawing in a deep breath through his nose, he closed his eyes and lowered his head slightly. Opening his eyes, he was staring into his wife's face; her skin was pale, her closed eyes appeared dark.

As he moved to her side, he carefully brushed his fingers along her arm, feeling her skin, the cold clamminess now gone. When they first arrived, her skin had gone grey; Jack could see that her color had returned, although pale, giving him the slightest feeling of relief.

"Beth?" He spoke as he took her hand in his.

His voice was raw and scratchy, unrecognizable to even him. Swallowing hard, and clearing it, he spoke to her again.

"Baby?"

Reaching up, he pushed her hair from her forehead, smoothing it down.

Leaning closer to her face, he tried again.

"Beth, can you hear me?" He brushed his knuckles along her cheek. "Please, Baby. Wake up. I need you. Our babies need you."

Hearing footsteps behind him, Jack turned to find his mother walking toward him.

"Ma, she won't respond."

Wrapping her arm around her son, she softly spoke. "It's still early, Jack. She's been through so much. She's healing. God is healing her."

Returning his gaze back to his wife, he ran his fingers along her arm and into her hand, squeezing it, praying for Elizabeth's normal response with squeezing it back...but nothing.

"I hope so," he replied.

Holding him at his shoulders, she tightened her grip and tipped her head against his, as they both watched Elizabeth, willing for her to open her eyes.

…..

William and Grace sprinted through the airport, frantically searching for the car rental counter. Finally finding it, William begged the attendant to hurry so they could get on the road.

Eventually leaving the airport and entering the interstate, William began speeding, much to Grace's surprise, reaching the hospital in thirty minutes.

Finding her room, they walked in, the room was empty except for Elizabeth.

"Oh, my gosh," Grace said, covering her mouth.

They slowly crossed the floor to her bed, one on each side. William took her limp hand, holding it between both of his.

Grace ran her fingers down the edge of her daughter's hairline, smoothing down the flyaways.

"Hi, Dear. Your dad and I are here."

"Hey, Sweetie," William added, bending down and kissing her forehead.

Staring at the tube that was in her mouth, he followed it up to the ventilator, watching the machine do the work so her body could heal. Looking back to his wife, he saw that she was crying and trying to comb through her daughter's hair with her fingers.

"Grace, Honey. Why don't you go find Jack and his family and let them know that we're here. Maybe you can go see the babies."

Nodding, she turned away and left the room.

William pulled a chair up next to Elizabeth's bed, sat down, and took her hand in his again.

"Beth, Dear, I hope you can hear me. You've got an army praying for you. I hope you know that. We're all here waiting for you to wake up." William looked down at their hands.

With Grace gone, being alone in the room with just his daughter, William could no longer hold his emotions at bay and the tears began to flow. He laid his head on their hands, allowing his feelings to roam freely, soaking the bedding beneath.

Jack walked into the room, surprised to see William. Just as he was about to speak, he heard the sound of William sobbing. Having never seen this man in any state other than that of strength and reserve, Jack's heart ached for him.

William felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to find Jack looking down at him. Standing, he wrapped his arms around Jack and pulled him into a tight embrace, tighter than William had ever hugged him.

"She's going to be just fine, Sir," Jack said softly to William, not sure he believed his own words.

"Yes, she is," William replied, trying to convince them both.

…..

Jack sat next to Elizabeth's bed, alone, only the sound of the machines filling the room. Hours had passed as Jack remained by her side, while family members alternated visits. Sam had just left to join the others in the dining room. Jack wasn't hungry and didn't want to leave his wife.

Holding her hand in his, he just sat and stared at their fingers as he wove his with hers. Her wedding ring had been removed, resting safely in his pocket. He pulled it out and carefully slid it onto her hand, returning it to the place it belonged.

As he moved the diamond of the engagement ring back and forth, he saw her fingers twitch. Getting to his feet, he leaned over her.

"Beth? Beth, Baby?"

Her eyes fluttered slightly.

Jack squeezed her hand with his right and laid his left hand on her shoulder. "Beth, can you hear me?"

Elizabeth's eyes opened, then closed just as quickly.

Jack brushed his knuckles down her cheek, and she began to cough and choke, fighting the breathing tube.

Jack rushed to the hallway, calling out for help.

Two nurses and the doctor quickly entered the room and immediately began preparations to remove the tube.

"Elizabeth?" The doctor began.

Elizabeth opened her eyes wide, obvious fear filling them.

"Elizabeth, my name is Dr. Bringham. You have a breathing tube going down your throat helping you breathe. We're going to remove it now, but I need you to try to remain calm. Okay?" The doctor's voice was extremely gentle and soothing.

Elizabeth nodded.

Once they were ready, the doctor bent over her again. "When I say, I'm going to need you to give me a big cough so we can get this out. Okay?"

She nodded again.

Removing the tape that held it in place, the doctor gripped the tube and said, "Cough."

Elizabeth did as she was told, and the tube was removed. Continuing to cough, she clutched her stomach from the pain. Noticing the size of her belly, her eyes widened, and she glanced down, tears falling from the corners.

Seeing this, Jack was quickly at her side.

"Baby," his own tears blurred his eyes as she looked at him. "Beth, the babies were delivered this morning."

"What?" She tried to say, her voice hoarse and cracking.

"Elizabeth," the doctor began, "you suffered what's called a placental abruption. Are you familiar with what that is?"

She nodded.

"Your's was quite severe and you lost a substantial amount of blood, but eventually we were able to get the bleeding stopped. Your body went through a lot and it's going to take some time to heal. Do you have any questions for me yet?"

With Jack still holding her hand, Elizabeth cleared her throat and asked, "How are the babies?"

"Well, Baby Boy was born first. He was breathing at the beginning, but then his heart stopped. After several attempts, they got it restarted. He was 5 pounds, 6 ounces, a very healthy size. Baby Girl wasn't breathing when she was born. They immediately inserted a breathing tube and got her vitals back up to normal. She was 5 pounds 1 ounces. Currently, both babies are on ventilators until their lungs mature, they have feeding tubes and are on heart monitors."

The doctor paused for a while, allowing Elizabeth time to process the information before giving her more.

"Elizabeth, there's something you need to be prepared for."

She felt Jack tighten his grip on her hand and looked up into his eyes, seeing heartbreak staring back at her. Looking back to the doctor, she nodded and prepared herself.

"Your babies were deprived of oxygen. There is no way for us to know at this time if they suffer from any neurological disorders; that is something we will just have to wait and see. We'll monitor their growth and track their progression through the months to watch for anything that might be a concern."

By now, the tears were streaming down her cheeks as Elizabeth listened to the doctor, not sure she was hearing him correctly.

"Do you have any questions about your babies?"

Swallowing hard, Elizabeth shook her head.

"Do you have any questions regarding your own health?"

Elizabeth thought for a moment, then looked up to the doctor, "Will I be able to have more children?"

Dr. Bringham sat on the edge of her bed, laying his hand on hers. Jack had never thought to ask this question and leaned in to hear the answer.

"Elizabeth, during your surgery, your blood wasn't clotting and there were many times that we weren't sure you were going to make it. At one point, we were ready to perform a complete hysterectomy to save you. Thankfully, the bleeding stopped before we had to make that choice. That being said, your chances of this happening again are very, very high. And if it were to happen again, I'm not so sure we would be able to save you or the baby."

Jack looked to Elizabeth and she to him, both with tears rolling down their cheeks. He rubbed her arm with his free hand as they both looked back to the doctor as he continued to talk.

"Jack and Elizabeth, I can't express to you how dangerous it will be if you get pregnant again. I recommend that you get a tubal ligation sometime in the near future once you're healed."

"A tubal ligation?" Jack asked.

"Get her tubes tied," the doctor replied.

Jack nodded in understanding.

"I'll leave you two alone to talk. Please let me know if you have any questions." The doctor smiled; a gentle smile full of empathy.

"Thank you, Doctor," Jack said as Dr. Bringham left the room.

Jack turned his full attention to his wife. Sitting on the edge of the bed, pulling her hand up to his lips, wiping the tears from her cheeks, sitting with her in the loudest silence they have ever been in.

Finally breaking the silence, Jack asked, cautiously, "What do you need, Beth?"

Slowly moving her eyes to Jack, she answered, "My babies, I need my babies."

"I'll borrow Tom's phone and go take some photos of them for you."

"I want to hold them. I want to feel them. I want to see what they look like and not in a photo."

Jack ran his fingers across her temple then cupped her cheek in his hand, "I know, Baby. And I would bring them to you if I could."

Letting out an aggravated breath, she closed her eyes and pushed her head back into her pillow.

"There is something else we need to discuss," Jack said, rubbing his thumb across her hand.

Raising her head, she looked at Jack. "And what is that?"

"What are we naming the babies?"

Shaking her head, she laid back into the pillow. "I can't talk about this right now."

"Okay. I understand." Looking out the door, he added, "I'll be right back. I'll only be a minute."

Without looking at him, she nodded to let him know she heard him.

"Is Dr. Bringham nearby?" Jack asked the nurse at the desk outside Elizabeth's room.

"Yes, I can page him for you."

"Yes, Ma'am, thank you."

Jack waited just outside the room, pacing, unit the doctor returned.

"How can I help you, Jack?"

"Is there any way we can get Beth down to see the twins. She really needs to see them."

Crossing his hands in front of himself, drawing in a deep breath through his nose then letting it out, the doctor finally replied, "Let me see what we can do."

"Really?" Jack asked, startled yet smiling.

"Yes, give me a little bit to work on it, and I'll be back."

Jack stuck his hand out to shake the doctor's, "Thank you so much, Sir."

Returning to Elizabeth's side, Jack sat on the edge of the bed and leaned into her, kissing her.

"Baby, I have some good news for you."

Opening her eyes, looking at him with an expressionless face, she waited for him to continue.

"Dr. Bringham is working on a way to get you in to see the babies."

A slight flicker of light entered her eyes, "Really?"

"Yes, he'll be back shortly."

Looking around the room, she asked, "Where's my phone?"

"Ummm...I'm not exactly sure."

"What do you mean? I didn't have it when I came in here?"

"What's the last thing you remember?"

Thinking hard, Elizabeth began, "I went to town and bought some groceries. When I got home, you helped carry them in, then you went out to the barn. I was putting the food away and..." Elizabeth's voice trailed off and her eyes dropped to her hands on her lap.

"Yes, Baby. You called me but you passed out before you could tell me what was wrong. I dropped my phone in the barn and ran into the house. I found you and grabbed your phone to call 911 and Ma. But after that, I don't remember what I did with it. It must still be on the floor in the kitchen."

"Liz! You're awake!" Rosemary called out after entering the room. "When did this happen?" She hurried to her best friend's side, carefully hugging her, her tears flowing, mixing with Elizabeth's.

"Just a short while ago, Rosie," Jack answered.

"Liz, you had us all scared to death." She hugged her once more, careful not to hurt her incision, but holding her tight. "I'm so glad you're alright," she whispered in her ear.

"Thank you, Rosie. I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Okay, folks, let's get this momma to her babies," Dr. Bringham said as he walked in with a wheelchair, followed by two orderlies.

"Rosie, she needs to see the babies. Can you go let everyone know that she's awake. I'll come get her parents when she's back from the NICU."

"Of course, Jack. I'll see you soon, Liz."

Rosemary hurried back to the waiting room where everyone had been waiting for news.

"Liz is awake," she blurted out, barely in the room.

"What?" Grace asked, standing, followed by everyone else.

"She's awake. I just saw her and talked to her."

"Oh, thank you, God," Charlotte said as Frank slid his hand across her back.

"I want to go see her," Grace added.

"She went to see the babies."

"What, but she can't be moved yet," Grace exclaimed.

"The doctor was there. He seemed like he had a plan so I wouldn't worry about it. She really needed to see her babies."

Everyone nodded in understanding.

"Jack will come get you when they get back, Grace."

"Thank you, Dear."

…..

The doctor inserted a syringe into Elizabeth's IV port, "This is for the pain, to take the edge off." Moving the wheelchair to the side of her bed, he pulled her blankets back and organized her IVs. "We are going to move you into the chair very slowly. You call out if anything starts to hurt."

Elizabeth nodded, nervous about what was going to happen; nervous about the pain, nervous about what she will find when she sees her babies.

"Okay, guys, one on each side."

The three men worked together, moving her slowly, inch by inch, until they had her safely seated in the wheelchair. Dr. Bringham moved her IV bags onto a pole attached to the chair.

"How are you doing, Elizabeth?"

"Good."

"Any pain?"

"It hurts a little, but it's tolerable."

"Very good. Now, let's get you to your babies."

A nurse wheeled Elizabeth down the hall to an elevator, Jack at her side holding her hand. Reaching the NICU floor, they stepped off and turned to the right through two double doors and into a large room that housed many tiny incubators with babies safe inside.

The nurse stopped the chair in front of one and Elizabeth leaned forward as much as her incision would allow.

Jack laid his hand on top of the plastic box, and watched his wife's expression.

"This is our son, Beth," he said softly.

Tears flowed down her cheeks as she tried to memorize the features of her baby boy. Jack opened the small round door and motioned for her to reach in.

"You can touch him."

The nurse pushed her chair forward until it was touching the legs of the table. Elizabeth placed her hand inside and carefully touched her son's hand. The breathing tube was still in his mouth, along with a feeding tube, wire leads attached to his chest, wires were attached to bands around one wrist, while an IV was inserted into his other wrist.

"Oh, my goodness," she cried.

Jack moved closer to her side and put his arm across her shoulders.

"Isn't he perfect?" Jack asked.

"He is." Elizabeth held the baby's hand, brushing her thumb across his tiny fingers. "Colton."

Jack leaned forward, "What, Honey?"

"Colton. Colton Thomas."

"That's perfect, Beth," Jack said, a tear rolling down his cheek. "I love it."

Elizabeth pulled her hand out and leaned back into the chair, "Where's our daughter?"

The nurse pushed the chair up next to the incubator. Cradling her stomach, Elizabeth leaned forward, opened the door and reached inside.

The little girl gripped onto Elizabeth's finger just like she'd done with Jack. With all the same wires and tubes as her brother, she also had a small knit beanie on her head. Slightly smaller than her brother, her grip was quite strong and surprised Elizabeth.

"She's beautiful," Elizabeth said, unable to take her eyes off her daughter.

"Yes, just like her momma. What do you want to name her?"

Elizabeth tipped her head to the side and looked at her daughter's face. "What do you want to name her?" She asked Jack.

Jack thought for a moment, then answered, "I think she looks like a Peyton."

"I think so, too. Peyton Grace."

"That's beautiful. Your mom will love that."

…..

The doctor returned the IV bags to the tree attached to her bed as Jack adjusted Elizabeth's pillows. After spending thirty minutes with her babies, her pain began to get worse and she was quickly returned to her bed.

Dr. Bringham pulled down her blanket and lifted her gown to inspect the site. Carefully pulling back the large bandage, he revealed an eight-inch incision. Jack winched when he saw the length of it, picturing the worse scene in his mind of the surgery.

"How are you feeling now?" The doctor asked Elizabeth as he gently felt around the area.

"Much better."

He replaced the bandage, gown and blanket then made some notes in her chart.

"Well, we're going to leave you two alone for a while. Someone will be back in a few hours to check on you."

"Thank you, Doctor," Jack said, shaking his hand again.

…..

Jack walked into the waiting room to find everyone engrossed in a news report regarding a 34-car pileup on an interstate in the northern part of the state.

"I hope that snow storm doesn't reach down here," Rosemary commented. Turning to look at Lee, she spotted Jack, "Jack."

Everyone jumped to their feet and were by his side. He filled them in with Elizabeth's current condition and everything the doctor had told them.

"She can't have any more babies?" Grace asked, heartbreak in her voice.

"The doctor said that he highly recommends that she doesn't. Her chances of this happening again are extremely high and next time they might not be able to save her or the baby."

"She just can't take that chance," William said, taking Grace's hand in his.

"Well, I agree with you, Sir, but Beth and I haven't discussed it yet."

"She saw the babies?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes, she spent some time with them, touched them...we named them."

"What?" Charlotte exclaimed.

"What's their names?" Sam asked.

"Colton Thomas and Peyton Grace."

Grace and Charlotte both covered their mouths, fighting to keep the tears back.

"Those are great names," Tom said, putting his arm around his mother.

"Beautiful names, Jack," Sam added. "They're perfect."

"Thanks, everyone." Turning to his in-laws, he asked, "Would you two like to go see Elizabeth?"

Nodding, they both followed Jack down the hall to her room.

…..

"Jack, you need to go get some sleep," Tom said, taking the seat beside his brother.

"No, I can't leave Beth."

"Jack, she's okay now. Your babies are stable. We can all take turns staying here so there's someone here at all times for her. You will not be any use to her if you're exhausted or if you get sick."

Thinking over what his brother was saying, Jack agreed, "Maybe just a couple hours. But you promise me that you'll call if anything happens."

"Of course, Jack. Someone will be with her at all times."

Remembering their phones, Jack added, "Oh, both mine and Beth's phones are at home and probably dead. I'll have to find them and get them charged."

"Beth's is in the kitchen."

"How do you know that?"

"We stopped by a few hours ago to check on the animals and to get Wyatt. He's at our house."

Grabbing Tom's shirt at the shoulder, Jack pulled him into a tight embrace, hugging him, tightening his arms even more. "Thank you, Tom," he said quietly. "Thank you for being here."

"Jack, we wouldn't be anywhere else."