Elizabeth cried out as another contraction gripped her. Carson was talking to Nathan in the corner, and from the looks on their faces, the news wasn't good. Elizabeth grabbed Faith's hand, trying not to panic. "It's too early, Faith," she said, sweat beading on her forehead. "My baby won't survive if she's born now."

Faith pressed her lips together. "Babies have survived being born at six and a half months," she said. Elizabeth knew she was trying to reassure her, but she saw the worry in her friend's eyes. For the last hour, Carson had tried everything he could to stop her labor, but the contractions just got stronger and more painful.

Carson put a hand on Nathan's shoulder, then came to Elizabeth's side. "We're going to keep trying to stop this baby from coming now," he told her. "Whatever you do, don't push, Elizabeth. Not unless I tell you to. Do you understand?"

Elizabeth nodded through the tears that wouldn't stop pouring from her eyes. Nathan stood by her side, gripping her hand in his. She had never seen his face look quite so ashen. "Nathan…" she whispered, looking up at him through her tears.

He held her hand tightly, smoothing her hair back from her face. "I'm here, sweetheart. I'm not going anywhere."

And he didn't. He stayed by her side for the next twelve hours, as Carson and Faith worked as best they could to prevent the Grant baby from coming. In spite of all their efforts, in the thirteenth hour Elizabeth's water broke.

"No," Elizabeth moaned as the water trickled down her legs. "No! She can't come now!"

"Look at me, Elizabeth," Carson said, his tone firm. "This baby is coming, and I need you to focus. I need to check you again and see how much time we have. Okay?"

Elizabeth nodded, her breathing labored. Nathan watched Carson's every move, searching his face for any signs. Carson looked up. "You're almost fully dilated. In about half an hour it's going to be time to push." He went over to Faith, the two of them discussing something Elizabeth couldn't hear.

"Hey," Nathan said, placing a hand on her cheek. "We're going to get through this, Elizabeth." He smiled, though tears shone in his eyes. Neither of them had spoken the words out loud, but both thought their time with their baby would be short.

"Jack and Allie…" Elizabeth choked out. "They're not going to meet her…"

"Don't think that way," Nathan said, the tears finally escaping his eyes. "Maybe we'll get a miracle. Maybe our baby will survive. Carson said it's happened before."

"So did Faith," Elizabeth said with a sad sniff. "But how many, Nathan? How many babies survive being born in a town without a hospital this early?"

"I don't know," Nathan said heavily, pressing his forehead against hers. "I honestly don't know."

Another contraction seized Elizabeth, more painful than the previous contractions, and she yelled loud enough for Carson to come back and check her again. When he looked up, his eyes shone with compassion and determination. "You're fully dilated now. At the next contraction, push as hard as you can."

She did. Within three more contractions, their baby girl was born. Her tiny wails filled the infirmary as Carson whisked her away to the examination table. Faith stayed with Elizabeth, gently massaging her stomach for the afterbirth to come through. Once it did, she cleaned up the area and looked over at Carson, where they could still hear Kathleen's cries. "I'll see what's going on," Faith said softly, leaving Nathan and Elizabeth holding fast to each other's hands.

"She's alive, Elizabeth," Nathan said, his eyes glued to Carson.

Elizabeth couldn't stop crying. "But will she keep living?" she whispered, tears streaking her cheeks. Nathan looked at her, tenderly wiping the tears away.

"I hope so," he said, raising her hand to his lips. "Our Kathleen has been strong in the womb; now let's hope she's strong in the world too."

Elizabeth clung to his words, holding onto hope even in the midst of her terror. Their baby had to be okay.

It felt like an eternity before Carson came back to them, holding Kathleen tightly swaddled in a blanket. He handed her to Elizabeth. "You can try to nurse her," he said. "It might take her a little bit to get the hang of it, though." He turned to give her some privacy.

Elizabeth quickly situated herself to allow her daughter to nurse. Kathleen tried to latch on several times before she finally figured it out. Her sucking reflex was weak, but got a little stronger as she continued to nurse.

Nathan's eyes were wide and fixed on his newborn daughter. Carson stepped back, allowing the new parents time to bond with their baby. "I've never seen such a tiny child," Nathan whispered, laying a hand carefully on Kathleen's back as she nursed. "And she's beautiful."

"She is," Elizabeth murmured, feeling a sense of awe as she looked at her new daughter. She finally looked up at Carson. "How is she?"

Carson smiled, looking weary but hopeful. "Her heart and lungs sound strong, and everything seems to be working fine. The only issue I can find is that she's premature, which puts her at risk for several things like hypothermia or infection. She still needs some time to continue growing and developing in ways she should have inside the womb, but she'll be fine if you follow these directions carefully."

"What directions?" Nathan asked.

"She needs to be kept as warm as possible," Carson said. "Because she's premature, she won't be able to regulate her own body temperature as well as full term babies would. You will need to keep hot bricks or a hot water bottle in her crib at all times when she's in it. When she's not, you will need to keep her tightly wrapped in warm blankets, though I recommend skin on skin warmth as much as possible."

"What does that mean?" Elizabeth asked.

"It means her skin against yours or Nathan's," Carson replied. "And whoever is holding her needs to be covered in a warm blanket to keep the body heat in. That would actually be my preference for her."

Kathleen finished nursing, and Carson reached for her. "May I?"

Elizabeth nodded as Carson handed Kathleen to Faith. "I'll let Faith explain this part," he said, once again turning to give them privacy.

Faith unwrapped Kathleen. "You'll need to expose your chest," she said. Elizabeth complied, and Faith lay the naked baby on Elizabeth's bare skin. Kathleen was crying softly, protesting the cold, but as soon as she was nestled against Elizabeth and the two of them were wrapped in a heated blanket, her whimpers stopped. Within seconds, she was fast asleep.

Elizabeth looked up at Faith under the heavy blanket. "Is that all?" she asked. "Skin on skin, wrapped in a blanket?"

Faith nodded. "That will ensure she stays warm and at a regulated body temperature." She looked at Nathan. "It would be the same for you. Place her on your bare chest, and wrap yourselves in a blanket. It's simple, but effective."

With Elizabeth being fully covered again, Carson came back. "I'll hold you here overnight," he said. "But you should be able to go home tomorrow." He hesitated, looking between the two of them. "It might be best if Jack and Allie could stay in Hamilton for another week or two. It's going to take a lot of adjustment to having a premature infant at home."

Nathan rose, looking a little dazed. "Of course. I'll call William now."

Elizabeth felt tears form in her eyes. "A whole month without seeing our children?" she asked, sniffling slightly.

Carson put a hand on her shoulder. "I know that sounds hard, Elizabeth, but you need time to rest and recover, and Kathleen needs time to grow stronger. Trying to care for two other children when your focus needs to be on her is a lot."

"I know, but…" Elizabeth's voice trailed off. "I miss them."

"Your parents will take good care of them, Elizabeth," Faith assured her. "You and Nathan need to focus on Kathleen."

Elizabeth bit her lip, nodding slowly. Once Nathan returned, he took his place by her side again. "Your parents said they would be happy to watch the kids for another two weeks," he said. "They are going to tell them what's going on, that their new sister will be fine but that she needs time to grow. And they want us to keep them updated. It sounds like they both will be coming with the children in two weeks, and they were talking about staying in the rowhouse if that's alright with us."

"Of course," Elizabeth whispered, overwhelmed. Her parents had always loved her, she knew that; but she was feeling it in a whole new way since their visit to Hope Valley. As she lay there with her newborn daughter sleeping on her chest, all the emotions of the past twenty-four hours threatened to overwhelm her.

Nathan saw the tears in her eyes and pressed a tender kiss to her forehead, his hand resting lightly on Kathleen's back. "It's okay, sweetheart," he said gently. "Let it out."

Elizabeth looked at her husband, feeling waves of love for him wash over her. He had stayed at her side throughout the entire labor and delivery, and he had been there through every step of her pregnancy. Words couldn't describe how much that meant to her. "Thank you, Nathan," she whispered, reaching up to cup his cheek. "Thank you for being with me."

He took her hand gently in his, smiling at her tenderly. "Always, Elizabeth."

"Thanks for letting me borrow your car, Lee," Nathan said, shaking his friend's hand.

Lee nodded. "Of course. Anything for you and Elizabeth." His brow furrowed. "How are they today?"

"So far so good," Nathan said. "Elizabeth is sore from her labor and delivery, but otherwise fine. Kathleen seems to be doing well so far too. Either Elizabeth or I have held her nonstop since she was born. We're trying to keep her warm and stable."

Lee nodded. "Good. Do you think Elizabeth will be up for guests a little later? Rosemary made a casserole for the two of you that should last a few days, and I know Molly and Florence were talking about bringing over some food as well. You two shouldn't have to worry about cooking for over a week."

Nathan felt tears prick his eyes at the generosity of their friends. "That's very kind. And yes, I think Elizabeth would be up for seeing you and Rosemary. Bring Fred too, if you like." He got into the car. "I'll get them home, and then you can take the car back when you come over."

"Sounds perfect," Lee said, slapping the hood of the car. "See you in a bit."

Nathan waved and drove to the infirmary, where Carson helped Elizabeth to the car as she cradled Kathleen close. Nathan slowly drove them home. Once there, he helped Elizabeth out of the car and walked her to the settee, where he helped her lay down. "I'll make a fire to get it nice and warm in here," he said, bending to the task with single-minded determination.

"Thank you, Nathan," Elizabeth said. Her voice was strong, and she looked like she was recovering well. If she hadn't winced slightly as he'd helped her sit on the settee, he wouldn't have known she was still in some pain.

He placed the grate across the fireplace, then sat beside her, laying her feet across his lap and methodically beginning to massage them. Elizabeth let out a little groan, sinking further into the pillows. "That feels heavenly," she said, smiling gratefully at him as she held their daughter close to her chest. Kathleen began mewling, and Nathan moved so that Elizabeth could sit up. As she adjusted her clothes to feed their baby, he continued massaging her feet.

Elizabeth sighed in relief as Kathleen latched on right away and began nursing. "She's gotten the hang of eating," she said, smiling down at the baby. "We shouldn't have any problems there. Hopefully she'll gain some weight quickly. I've never seen a baby this small before."

"I'm almost afraid to hold her," Nathan admitted. "My hand covers most of her little body."

Elizabeth smiled. "You're her protector," she said, admiration shining in her eyes. "And mine." She reached out her free hand to him, and he took it, engulfing it in his. "I love you, Nathan."

"I love you too," he said, pressing a kiss to her hand. "I can't believe you're upright after all you went through yesterday, sweetheart. You're the strong one. I would be flat on my back if I had to give birth."

Elizabeth chuckled. "I'm sure you would rise to the challenge if you had to." They sat in a companionable silence as Kathleen finished nursing, and then Elizabeth held her out to Nathan. "Want to hold her?"

Nathan nodded, unbuttoning his shirt quickly and then resting his daughter against his chest, wrapping the heavy blanket around the two of them. Kathleen quickly fell asleep, safe, warm, and snug in her father's arms. Nathan couldn't help looking at her in wonder. The perfect rosebud mouth. The pink cheeks. The head of wispy dark hair that was already curling like Elizabeth's. The blue eyes that looked just like his. He was head over heels in love with his daughter and felt a fierce protectiveness toward her. He would do everything in his power to make sure she was cared for and safe.

He looked at Elizabeth. "Did I mention Lee and Rosemary are coming by in a little bit? Rosemary made dinner for us so we don't have to cook, and Lee said some of the other ladies are going to be making food as well."

"Oh good," Elizabeth said, stretching a bit before settling herself into a more comfortable position. "It'll be nice to see them." She glanced at the bassinet Nathan had picked up from the mercantile. They hadn't had a crib ready yet, and this way they could move her bassinet anywhere they needed it to be.

"I've got a couple of hot water bottles ready," Nathan said. "They're in the kitchen. I thought we could try that today to see how Kathleen does with them."

Elizabeth nodded. "Let's try that. I'll go boil the water."

Nathan watched her stand, feeling concern shoot through him. "Should you be walking?" he asked.

Elizabeth laughed. "I'm fine, Nathan. Just sore. But I can walk." She shuffled to the kitchen, and he could hear her moving around getting the water boiling. When she came back, she was holding the water bottles in towels to avoid burning her hands. Nathan laid Kathleen in a blanket on the settee, then carefully swaddled her the way Carson had shown them. He laid her in the bassinet, then tucked another blanket around her as Elizabeth put the water bottles close by. Nathan put his arm around Elizabeth, and the two of them stood there watching their daughter sleep.

"She's precious," Elizabeth said, leaning her head on Nathan's shoulder. She smiled. "I'm so glad she looks like you."

"Me?" Nathan said, surprised. "I know she has my eyes, but I think she looks like you."

Elizabeth chuckled. "We're going to have to get our friends to weigh in on this," she said.

Nathan kissed her gently. "Maybe she's the perfect combination of both of us," he said, smiling down at her.

Elizabeth pressed against him, wrapping her arms around him. "That sounds good to me." The minutes passed by quickly as they gazed at Kathleen. "I could stand here all day," Elizabeth said. Nathan could see the awe on her face and knew it matched his own.

"We've been blessed," he said quietly. "The road might be rough for a time, but she is here and she is going to be okay." He hugged Elizabeth close. "That's all that matters."