Chapter 17: Earlier than Expected
Rosemary and Lee were leaving the newspaper/sawmill office a little later on Wednesday evening. As Rosemary was about to get into the car, she felt a sudden gush and when she looked down, the road below her was flooded. She called for Lee, and he ran over to her side immediately and saw what had happened. Knowing that this meant that her water had broken, they knew it was time to contact Faith. Lee helped Rosemary in the car and then ran back into the office to phone Faith about what to do next. Wanting Rosemary to be as comfortable as possible, Faith said that they would initially start the labor and delivery process at the Coulter home since everything appeared to be right on track. So, Lee would focus on getting Rosemary home and settled while Faith got her materials together and met them at their house. On her way out, Faith saw Nathan leaving the Mountie office. The two walked towards the rowhouses together. They said good night as they approached the Coulters.
Nathan stood outside for a moment, looking at the Thornton home. Then, he approached the door and knocked. Elizabeth opened the door with Little Jack on her hip. He told her that Rosemary's water had broken, and he continued by offering to watch and feed Little Jack dinner if she wanted to go be with Rosemary. Elizabeth thought for a moment, taking in all of the information, then smiled and nodded. She asked Little Jack if he'd like to have dinner and spend some time at the Grant house while she helped Auntie Rosemary next door. In response, Little Jack smiled real big and reached out to Nathan. Both adults chuckled, and Elizabeth stepped out and closed the door behind her. She thanked Nathan as they went their separate ways, and Nathan simply smiled and waved as he and Little Jack made their way to the Grant home.
Faith was grateful for the extra hand to help as Rosemary was to have her friend there with her. Rosemary's contractions had come on pretty intensely during the transition between the newspaper/sawmill office and getting settled in for delivery. For the time being, Elizabeth sat by Rosemary's side, holding her hand through her contractions and wiping her brow with a damp rag. She simply sat with her, keeping her calm as well as chatting with her about all the things they hadn't gotten a chance to talk about lately. Elizabeth looked at her dear friend at one point and smiled tenderly. She was thankful for this time with Rosemary, to be here with her. Elizabeth was thankful that Nathan had offered to take Little Jack for the evening so that she could be.
Meanwhile, down the road, the Grants had finished up their dinner, and Allie was playing with Little Jack on the floor with some toys while Nathan was washing the dishes. When he finished, he turned and watched Allie and Little Jack for awhile. He sighed and smiled, remembering the dream that he had seemingly not that long ago. This, what he was observing right now, was his dream. A family with Elizabeth It seemed like just yesterday that he was hopeful that it could become reality. But then, it wasn't. Elizabeth chose Lucas last year, and he had to respect that. She was his friend no matter what, and he would be here for her, for them, because to be honest, he loved them both, her and Little Jack. And it was better to have them in his life, in their lives, his and Allie's as friends, than nothing at all. Besides, he made a commitment and a promise to watch over this little family, even before he fell in love with both of them. He took a deep breath and mentally pushed those feelings aside, and joined his daughter and Little Jack in their playtime on the floor.
A couple hours later, with the help of Faith and Elizabeth, Rosemary delivered a healthy baby boy. Elizabeth sat with Rosemary, complimenting her on a job well done. But then Rosemary started contracting and again looked at Elizabeth in confusion. Elizabeth alerted Faith, and the two women changed positions. Elizabeth took the baby, and Faith went to check on Rosemary. After a brief exam, she stood up with a shocked smile on her face and stated, "Rosemary, you, my friend, are having twins. You are ready to deliver your next little one right now. Elizabeth, would you go introduce the proud papa to his son and then join me again? "
Elizabeth and Rosemary looked at one another, shocked as well, and then smiled at one another. Rosemary nodded at her and Elizabeth took baby Coulter down to meet his daddy. She introduced Lee to his son and asked him to sit down. As he did, Elizabeth informed him of the news of the upcoming twin and then the need for her to go back upstairs to assist. Lee took his baby boy from her and nodded. He was shocked but thankful; not only were they blessed enough for one little one, but now they were getting two. He smiled down at his son and held him close. Elizabeth watched the scene for a moment before she joined her friend and Faith again upstairs.
A little while later, Rosemary delivered a healthy baby girl. Despite her exhaustion, Rosemary was beaming with pride. She was a mother. While Faith was checking out their baby girl, Elizabeth went to get Lee from downstairs. Lee joined his wife upstairs with their son as Faith handed Rosemary their daughter. There the couple sat with their children, in awe. Faith and Elizabeth offered their congratulations to the new little family.
Elizabeth went downstairs and made a light dinner for all four of them. It had been a long night and none of them had gotten a chance to eat anything. She took a tray up, and as the Coulters ate, Faith and Elizabeth held the babies. They talked about what the Coulters would name their son and daughter.
Rosemary and Lee had a name for both a girl and a boy, just in case, depending on what they had, and they were thankful for that now. Their son would be Ian Patrick. They found out that the name Ian was a Gaelic name which meant "gift from the Lord," which he was, and Patrick would be named after Lee's brother. Their daughter would be Evelyn Rose. In their name search, they discovered that Evelyn in Hebrew meant "wished for a child," which they had, and that Rose would be partially after her mama. But they would call her Evie.
Once Faith and Elizabeth cleaned up and felt confident that Rosemary and Lee were settled in enough with baby Ian and Evie, they left for their respective homes. Elizabeth walked over to the Grant house to pick up Little Jack. Elizabeth apologized for the late hour. Nathan answered the door, and since Little Jack had fallen asleep while Allie was reading to him, Nathan offered for Elizabeth to come in and have a cup of tea before she went home. She thought for a moment and agreed, thinking a time of tea and conversation would be nice before bed. As they sat in the living room, Elizabeth filled Nathan in on the Coulter twins' births. Nathan just shook his head and chuckled softly, amazed at God's gift to this lovely family who had waited and prayed so long for a family of their own. When Elizabeth finished her tea, she took her tea cup to the sink as Nathan went upstairs to get Little Jack. Since he was already in Nathan's arms, he offered to walk them back to their home and put him to bed, and Elizabeth nodded appreciatively.
Their walk back to Elizabeth's was a quiet one. She opened the door for Nathan and he slipped inside. They took Little Jack upstairs, and Nathan laid him in bed as Elizabeth took out his pajamas. Then they switched positions as Elizabeth put his pajamas on him and then leaned over to kiss her son goodnight. When she moved out of the way, Nathan leaned over and tousled the boy's hair and said his own good night as well. They descended the stairs together and went straight towards the front door.
Elizabeth looked up at Nathan, and they held their gaze on one another for a moment without speaking. Then Elizabeth smiled and thanked Nathan for watching over and caring for Little Jack while she was with the Coulters. Nathan smiled back and said, "Anytime Elizabeth, Allie, and I, enjoy that little guy. Thank you for letting us have the time with him. Have a good night and I hope you rest well. We will see you tomorrow. " And with that, he opened the door and headed home. Elizabeth watched him thoughtfully as he traveled down the path to his home, and then she turned, walked into the house, and closed the door.