AN: So, as I promised a couple reviewers who wanted me to not wait long to post the next chapter, you get a Friday evening update! Hope you all enjoy!
"That is it, Elizabeth," Gabriel said, confidently and encouragingly to the woman as the baby started to make her appearance. "She is almost here."
Elizabeth's only reply was a yell of pain as Rosemary held Elizabeth's hand. Other than asking about where the doctor was, Elizabeth had put up no protest when Gabriel had told her he would be delivering her child. After delivering a child in a cabin, during a snow storm, with just her two friends to help her there was nothing daunting about delivering a child in her home with a Mountie who at least had some training. Still, the fact that Rosemary and Abigail, who Lillian had gotten when leaving the saloon, were also both with her again helped her feel calmer.
Soon, the newborn's cries filled the room, announcing her own arrival. The baby seemed healthy enough in appearance and there was clearly nothing wrong with its lungs. Gabriel took the towel Abigail handed him and wrapped the baby in it.
"It's a girl," Gabriel announced as he tied off and cut the umbilical cord.
"Ally gets her baby sister," an exhausted, but content, Elizabeth murmured.
Gabriel started to clean off the baby when he noticed there was more blood then there should be coming from Elizabeth. Turning on the stool he was sitting on, he handed the baby to Abigail. "Can you clean her up and wrap her in a blanket?" he instructed.
Abigail nodded, as she took the baby.
"Gabriel is something wrong? Is the baby okay?" Elizabeth asked, picking up on the Mountie's concern even through her pain and exhaustion.
"The baby is fine, Elizabeth," Gabriel assured her, hearing a sigh of relief from Elizabeth. He was already examining her, trying to determine where the extra blood was coming from. Gabriel felt relief himself as he determined the blood was coming from an exterior tear of the tissue rather than from an internal source. He used a damp towel to clear away blood to get a better look. "However, it looks like you tore some skin in the birthing process. There is more blood then there should be. I am going to have to do some stitches after the after birth comes through," he said, as he saw the signs of the contractions as Elizabeth's body began the process of expelling the after birth.
The infant was still crying even as Abigail took care of her. As Rosemary was still sitting beside Elizabeth holding her hand, Gabriel suggested to Abigail that she ask Lillian to come care for the baby as he could use a second pair of hands soon. Abigail nodded, as Gabriel kept his attention focused on Elizabeth. Once the afterbirth was through, Gabriel instructed Elizabeth to try to relax. Lillian had now joined them, cradling the baby close, as Abigail asked Gabriel what he needed. Giving Abigail instructions of what to give him from his first aid kit, Gabriel set about numbing the area, stitching up the tear and applying medicine to help stop the blood flow.
After cleaning his hands, Gabriel checked Elizabeth's pulse as she lay resting on the pillows. Rosemary was bathing her face with a cool cloth. Lillian had gotten the baby to calm down as she continued to walk in a small circle by the room's fireplace.
"How are you feeling, Elizabeth?" Gabriel asked.
"Exhausted and a little light headed," Elizabeth replied. "The baby?"
Gabriel smiled. "Nothing like a mother's love," he commented. "Baby Grant is doing fine. Did you and Nathan ever settle on a name for a girl?"
Elizabeth shook her head. "We discussed some but never settled on one," she admitted.
"Well, until Nathan gets home, I guess we stick with Baby Grant. She is probably hungry. Do you think you can nurse her before you get some sleep?"
Elizabeth nodded.
"I think I will let you ladies help Elizabeth with that," Gabriel said, to Rosemary, Abigail and Lillian. Looking toward Elizabeth, he added, "you stay in bed and rest. Not only is the blood loss a concern but you also need to be careful with the stitches."
"How long?" Elizabeth asked.
"I am going to say until a doctor is able to examine you," Gabriel replied, getting to his feet.
"I think I will wait until Faith and Carson get back to see a doctor," Elizabeth said, able to feel a little anger toward Dr. Shaw now that the ordeal was over with.
"I see no reason you cannot do just that," Gabriel said. "I am going to ride into town and see if I can't get a hold of Carson or Faith by telephone just to check in with a doctor." He paused and then added, "a sober doctor."
Gabriel looked to Abigail. "Will you be okay here?"
Abigail nodded even as Lillian handed the baby to Elizabeth. Rosemary still sat next to Elizabeth and was admiring the baby as much as Elizabeth was.
"She's beautiful," Elizabeth said softly, to which Rosemary agreed.
Abigail walked to the bedroom door with Gabriel. "Is there anything we need look for?" she asked.
"The only worry would be if she starts bleeding again, but as long as Elizabeth does not pull the stitches she will be fine. If you can get Elizabeth to eat something, even soup, it would be good but if she wants to sleep let her. She needs her rest as well. Let her hold the infant but you, Rosemary or Lillian should be the ones placing it in the basinet and changing her for now."
Abigail nodded.
"I'll stop by and let Lee and the children know that the baby arrived safely before heading into town."
"Be careful," Abigail told him.
"I will," Gabriel said, finally slipping from the room.
In Union City, in room 203 of the Belvedere Hotel, Faith sat alone in the bed, blankets pulled around her. Looking down at the gold ring on her left ring finger, she smiled. Carson and she were now husband and wife. It was why they had taken the trip to Union City. As Carson had no family to celebrate with, and her father would not have been able to travel from Hamilton, they had decided to get married quietly. They had been married by a judge, with a Mountie volunteer bearing witness, at the courtroom that afternoon. Afterwards, Carson had arranged for a peaceful carriage ride around the city. They had then had dinner here at the Belvedere before retreating to their hotel room.
They had simply been lying in one another's arms after consecrating their union when there had been a knock on the door. Carson had put on a robe, and reluctantly answered the door. The hotel employee had apologized for the interruption but said they had an important phone call for him. Carson told him he would be down shortly.
That was ten minutes ago. Now Faith was waiting for Carson to return as her mind wondered what the phone call was about.
The door opened, and Carson slipped in.
"Is everything okay?"
Carson nodded. "It seems so," he told Faith, walking over to the bed. "Elizabeth had the baby. Apparently Dr. Shaw was drinking tonight and Nathan was out of town so Gabriel ended up delivering the baby. She had a little girl."
Faith smiled. "Are Elizabeth and the baby okay?"
"The baby is fine, though apparently still waiting for a name," Carson said.
Faith giggled. "They were so certain it was going to be a boy. Everyone except for Ally, at least."
Carson nodded. "There was a minor complication with Elizabeth, but from what Gabriel told me, he handled it fine and Elizabeth is doing okay. I told him to make sure Elizabeth stays in bed for the time being, and that we would leave first thing in the morning. I hope you do not mind," he added, apologetically.
"Of course not," Faith replied. "Though perhaps we should make the most of what time we have left of it just being the two of us," she added.
"I will not argue with that suggestion," Carson told her, quickly removing his clothes again and slipping back under the blankets that Faith held open for him.
In the bed, Carson pulled Faith's warm body close to his. "Have I told you lately that I love you, Faith Carter?"
"You have," Faith admitted as she cuddled against Carson, one hand on his bare chest. "However, there is one thing wrong with that statement."
"There is?" Carson asked confused.
Faith nodded, as she looked into his eyes. "The last name is now Shepherd not Carter," she told him, pride in her voice. She was proud to taken Carson's last name, proof that their lives were now united.
"That it is," Carson acknowledged. "You know, our patients are going to be a bit confused by having two Dr. Shepherds," he mused.
Faith laughed. He made a good point. However, it was a problem she was happy to have. "We'll figure that out in the days to come," she told him, shifting so that her lips could reach his as the top part of her body lay across the top of his. "Right now, it is just you and I," she said before pressing her lips against his, the deep and passionate kiss cutting off any reply that he might have had.
Nathan felt a warmth move through him as his home came into sight. Seeing home in the early morning light, made the ride through the night worth it.
Nathan and Tyler had located the runaway on his way to Red River Falls. The lad had been sitting on a log beside the road, a few belongings wrapped up in a bundle made from a blanket sitting on his lap, and bundled up in his winter coat, hat, scarf and mittens. As soon as the boy had spotted the two Mounties, he had gotten to his feet, and hurried into the woods, his bundle clutched closely. Handing his reigns to Tyler, Nathan had dismounted Newton and given pursuit. The undisturbed snow of the woods had made the lad's footprints easy to follow. It did not take long for Nathan to catch up to the boy.
The runaway stated he did not want to go back. Instead of telling him he had no choice, Nathan asked the boy why as they walked back to the road. He allowed the lad to express his feelings, which had less to do with his stepfather's lecture about hanging out with his friends instead of doing his chores first and the boy's fear that when the new baby came, his stepfather would give that child his full attention and not care about him.
After the lad had been able to express himself, Nathan had told the boy about his own family. About adopting Ally and Jack and about the expected baby. He assured the boy that he would love all three children, despite how they had become his. Nathan told the boy that he was sure his stepfather would feel the same way, especially as his stepfather was one of the many people out looking for him.
Though he did not look completely convinced, the lad had consented to go home. Tyler had offered to take the boy and let Nathan had home but at the lads panicked expression, Nathan had declined the offer. It had been dark for a while by the time the trio made it to Red River Falls. Most of the other searchers had returned, planning on heading out again at first light. The town's Mountie had been in the office with three other Mounties from surrounding towns. They were mapping out what area had already been covered and making a plan for the morning when Nathan walked into the office with the runaway. The boy apologized to the Mounties for the trouble he had caused by running away. While the other Mounties set out to tell would be searchers than going out in the morning would not be necessary, Tyler joining them, Nathan had taken the runaway home. Tyler asked if Nathan minded if he spent the night in town, knowing full well that Nathan would want to get back to his wife under the circumstances. Nathan assured him he would be fine heading back to Hope Valley alone.
The lad's parents, the mother visibly pregnant, were ecstatic to see the boy. The boy's mother had even hugged Nathan instinctively. He had been invited to stay not only for a hot meal but overnight as well. Though he had accepted the offer of a warm meal and time to warm up, Nathan had decided to head home that night, wanting to get home to Elizabeth.
Now, he was finally home. Ally hurried from the house to meet him as he approached.
"I have a baby sister!" Ally exclaimed as she rushed toward Nathan as he dismounted Newton.
"Excuse me?" Nathan asked, as Ally threw her arms around his waist. Nathan wrapped his arm around her even as he waited for her explanation.
"Mama had the baby last night. Mr. Gabe ended up delivering it and I was right. The baby is a girl," Ally told him looking up at him. "Of course, because you and Mama were convinced it was going to be a boy, my baby sister is still without a name," she accused.
Nathan smiled. "We will correct that shortly," he assured her. "Can you settle Newton in the barn for me so I can go see your Mama and sister?"
Ally nodded her consent, taking a step back from Nathan. "Yes, sir," she replied taking the reigns from Nathan.
As Ally led Newton toward the barn, Nathan hurried toward the house. He took the porch steps two at a time and opened the front door to find Gabriel standing in the foyer, a blanket-wrapped bundle in his arms. The smell of coffee and cinnamon told Nathan that someone, probably Lillian, was making breakfast.
"You have a pretty, baby girl," Gabriel told his friend, as Nathan closed the door behind him. "Elizabeth is happy that she has your eyes."
Nathan stepped close to his friend, looking down at his new daughter. Tiny blue eyes looked up at him and took his breath away. The little girl might have his eyes, but Nathan could see Elizabeth in the other features of the little face.
As Gabriel went to hand the baby over to him, Nathan hesitated to take her. "I am still cold from the ride home. I don't want to give the baby a chill."
Gabriel smiled. "When Ally yelled you were home, I wrapped Baby Grant in a second blanket so you could hold her as soon as you walked in," his friend informed him. "Just don't touch her face with your cold gloves."
Nathan accepted the precious bundle from Gabriel. His breath caught as a feeling of love and joy washed over him. He had remembered feeling something similar the first time he had held Ally, but it had not been this intense. At least not then. It had been a different story when he had gotten the official adoption paperwork.
"Hey, there little one," Nathan said, looking down at the baby. "I am your, Daddy. You just could not wait for me to come home, could you?" he told the infant, regretting that his job had taken him away when she had come into this world. The thought made him remember what Ally had told him. He looked up at Gabriel. "Ally said you delivered her. Where was Dr. Shaw?"
"Drinking and playing poker," Gabriel told him. "I wasn't about to let him even try to deliver the baby. I could not tell you for sure if he is even aware of the baby's birth. However, Ally came and got me, Baby Grant is safely here, and Elizabeth will be fine. There was a minor complication with some tearing, but a few stitches stopped the bleeding. She'll need to take it easy for a while. I talked to Carson, he expects to be home this evening and he or Faith we be out to check on Elizabeth. Until then, he wants her on bed rest. Rosemary and Lee kept Jack with them last night."
Nathan nodded. "I should go see her," Nathan said, a bit concerned by the new information but knowing that if Elizabeth was in any danger, Gabriel would still be at her side and not out here talking to him.
"She's waiting for you," Gabriel told him. "Bill told me to tell you that when you got home, you are officially on the leave you asked for when the baby came. He said he would take care of letting Constable Randall know that he will be filling in as Hope Valley's Mountie when he got back from Red River Falls."
Nathan smiled not at all surprised by Bill's message. "I will go get Jack after breakfast," he said, knowing that the boy was fine with Lee and Rosemary. Nathan looked down at his daughter. "And we need to decide on a name for you, little one. Baby Grant is not a good name for you."
Gabriel chuckled as his friend headed for the downstairs bedroom.
As he approached the bedroom, Nathan heard Gabriel call to Lillian that he was going out to give Ally a hand. Reaching the bedroom, Nathan opened the door slowly. Elizabeth was sitting up in the bed, propped up by pillows. She had a book in her hands, which she set aside as soon as she saw Nathan.
"You are already home!" Elizabeth said, surprised, relieved and happy all at the same time.
"Tyler and I got lucky and came across our runaway on the way there. The boy and I had a chat, I took him home, got a warm meal from his grateful mother and came home to you," Nathan said, walking over and sitting on the side of the bed. He leaned in and pressed a kiss against his wife's lips, the baby still safely in his arms. Pulling back, he looked down at the bundle in his arms. "I was not expecting you to be waiting for me."
Two blue eyes stared up at him but there was no other reaction. Nathan smiled and looked back at his wife. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired and sore, but so very happy. I got a second daughter and my husband is home."
"And barring an emergency, I will be home this whole week to help care for you and our daughter. Gabriel informed me that Bill has already informed headquarters my leave is occurring now."
Elizabeth laughed. "Bill is so thoughtful," she said. Reaching out, she pushed the blanket back a little so she could see her daughter's face. The infant was starting to drift back to sleep. "We need to settle on a name for her," Elizabeth said. "I was thinking we could let Ally suggest names. She was the only one who insisted this baby was going to be a girl."
Nathan nodded. "I think that is a wonderful idea," he told Elizabeth. "I just hope your big sister can think of some pretty names for you," he told his now sleeping daughter.
Elizabeth reached out. "Hand her over, and then you can go get Ally. This little one needs a name before breakfast."
Nathan chuckled as he handed their daughter to Elizabeth. "Yes, ma'am," he told her lightly, getting to his feet he headed for the door to find Ally.