Three and a half months later….

Elizabeth sat in the nursery folding tiny baby clothes in green, blue, red, and various other hues appropriate for a boy.

She laughed as she watched her belly move as the baby changed positions. "Settle down, buddy. It's time for a nap."

"Mommy!" Autumn yelled from downstairs.

"In the baby's room!" she yelled back.

Elizabeth heard Autumn clomping up the stairs in her boots. Which meant there was more than likely snow on the wooden steps. She needed to be extra careful going downstairs now.

"Hi!" Autumn said, still fully clothed in her snow pants, winter coat, mittens, scarf, and hat.

"Sweetie, you are making a mess on the floor. Can you take your boots off please?"

Autumn sat down on the floor and tried to pull off her boots but it wasn't working.

"Mommy…help?"

"Baby, I can't bend over right now and if I got down on the floor, I'd never get back up."

"I'll get Daddy." She ran out, spreading more dripping water on the hardwood.

Elizabeth sighed and finished folding the onesies. When Autumn returned, she was out of her winter clothes and had Jack by the hand.

"What's wrong, babe?" he asked.

"Nothing. Why?"

"Autumn said you couldn't help her because you couldn't get up."

Elizabeth chuckled. "First, I'm just fine. Second, our lovely daughter came in here with her boots and outside clothes on and dripping everywhere. I asked her to take her boots off and she couldn't and I couldn't get down there to help because I couldn't get back up if I did."

Jack laughed. "Alright. I'm glad you're okay."

"I am but would you be able to help Autumn dry the wood floors where she tracked in snow? I really don't want to fall."

"On it. Come on, pumpkin. Let's get a towel."

Brady walked in a moment later. "Mom?"

"Yeah, sweetie."

"I need help with my homework."

"What are you working on?"

"Long division."

"Alright. Will you help me up so I can use the bathroom?"

He smirked and held out his hands for her to grab. "On three. One, two, three."

"Thank you. As soon as I go, I'll come help you." She looked at him. He was still smirking. "What?"

"Are you just going to keep getting bigger and bigger until you explode?" he asked, laughing.

"Oh shush." He laughed louder. "Maybe I'll just let you figure out long division yourself."

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry." She shook her head at him and walked past to head to the bathroom.

He laughed again as he walked past the bathroom. "I heard that, young man!"

"Are you pestering your mother?" Jack asked as he entered the kitchen.

"Its what I do best. I only asked a question."

"Mmhm. And what was that question?"

Elizabeth could hear everybody laughing from the bathroom. She walked out and fought not to laugh too. "Brady Thomas Thornton!"

"Yes, Mom?" he asked innocently.

"Did you tell them what you asked me?"

"Mommy….gonna plode?" Autumn asked with a smile.

"I'm not going to explode. Your brother is being a pest."

She could see Jack's back shaking as he stirred the food he was preparing. "And you, husband." She poked his sides making him squirm.

"I didn't do anything."

"You laughed. I can't help it if I'm huge. If anything it's your fault!"

"Mine?"

"Its your son I'm carrying around." She glared at him, her hands on her hips.

"Would it help anything if I told you I don't think you're huge? I think you're absolutely gorgeous and the fact that you are carrying my son makes me love you even more than I already did?"

"I suppose that helps a bit."

"And if I tell our oldest son that he can't tease you anymore?" he asked, looking straight at Brady.

"Sorry, Mom. You're not huge. I'm sorry I said you're going to explode."

Everyone looked at everyone else and then after a moment of silence, they all laughed. Even Elizabeth.

….

The next week was filled with making extra meals and freezing them, getting her hospital bag together, and celebrating Thanksgiving.

Charlotte and Tom and Tom Jr and Katie came down for the occasion so the house was full of people.

Elizabeth woke up feeling normal but as the day progressed, her back started hurting, forcing her to rest while others made the meal.

She sat in the recliner in the living room and listened to everyone chat as she rested, monitoring the minutes between the pains she was having.

"Jack?"

He looked over at her from the couch. "Yeah, babe?"

"Can you help me upstairs? I'm going to lay down for a bit."

"Sure." He stood and helped her up. "You okay?"

"I'm not feeling good. I'm tired and my back hurts and I'm nauseated."

"And you're having contractions," he said quietly. She looked at him, surprised. "I pay attention. They are about ten to twelve minutes apart, right?"

"Yeah, but not consistent yet. We have time."

He wrapped his arm around her back and walked with her up the stairs. As they walked up, she felt a popping sensation and then water running down her legs.

"Um….maybe we should go back down. My water broke."

He carefully turned her and gave her a kiss. "Ready to meet Carter?"

"Yeah. I'm ready."

Jack walked her back into the kitchen. "Ladies, Elizabeth's water broke so in a bit we are going to head to the hospital."

Grace and Charlotte gasped, clapping their hands in joy. "This is so exciting!"

"Yeah it is."

Amidst the family's excitement, Jack grabbed Elizabeth's hospital bag, a pair of dry stretchy pants for her, and Julie cleaned up the mess on the stairs.

Everyone decided to follow them up to the hospital after dinner was finished per Elizabeth's and Jack's insistence.

Elizabeth's contractions picked up as they drove to Portland. She tried to remember the breathing techniques they learned in the birthing classes they took but it was hard when the pain took her breath away.

Jack held her hand so she could squeeze when she needed to. "You are doing great, baby. Just breathe nice and slow."

"You breathe nice and slow," she mumbled.

"Sorry," she said, after she could relax again. "I didn't mean that, honey."

"I know. It was the pain talking."

"I love you, Jack. Please forgive me if I say anything else mean."

"Of course I will."

"I wonder what he's going to look like," she thought, rubbing away his kick to her ribs.

"I don't know but I really want to find out. It feels like we have been waiting forever."

Elizabeth fingered her bracelet, the one with all the charms representing her babies. She thought about Autumn first. How immediately upon meeting the little girl, she had fallen head over heels. Her grin lit up any room she was in. Her blonde hair and love of pink. Even with her challenges, she was still smart and loving toward everyone she met. Her heart was huge.

Then Mercy popped into her mind. Beautiful coffee colored skin and big, gorgeous eyes. The effect of her charms hadn't been immediate but it hadn't taken long to welcome her into her heart. She wondered how she was, now almost two and a half. She hoped she was happy.

As a contraction seized her breath again, she thought about Aiden and Addy. Both of their chipmunk cheeks and adorable smiles. Jack had been bitten by the love bug first that time and it had broken him when they had to leave.

Finally, as the contraction let up, she fingered the "B" on the book charm that Jack had given her about a week before.

Brady was amazing and smart and such a tease. He was a great big brother to Autumn and had no doubt he would be to Carter too. She was so proud of him and how well he was doing in school.

"Ow ow ow!" she cried out as a really hard transaction hit. She felt like she was ripping in two.

"We're almost there, baby. Hang on." Jack sped up a little bit more and prayed that there were no cops around.

They made it about ten minutes later and as soon as they were in the doors of the hospital, they whisked her away to a room to see where she was at.

He parked the truck and then rushed in, not wanting to miss any part of it.

When he found her, the nurse had just attached the fetal monitor to Elizabeth's belly. "I'm going to see how far along you are, Elizabeth."

"Okay."

After a brief moment, the nurse rolled back and took off her rubber gloves. "Well, you are at about three."

"That's it?"

"Yep. Got a while to go, my dear."

"Okay. Thank you." The nurse said she would come back in about an hour and then left the room.

Jack took out his phone and let the family know not to come right away. There was no use in them sitting in the waiting room for a really long time when they could be comfortable at home.

When it got closer to bed time for the kids, Grace and Julie decided to stay at home with them. Tom Jr. and Katie headed to the Riverton Inn and Charlotte and Tom drove to the hospital with some food for Jack.

They texted when they got there and he came out to see them and eat some food.

"Ma, Elizabeth said you can go in if you want. It's room 202."

"Alright, I think I will."

"How you holding up, son?" Tom asked Jack.

"Good. I'm ready to meet him."

"I bet you are."

"I'm nervous too."

"You are a great father, Jack. Why are you nervous?"

"We've never started from scratch. Day one is scary."

"It is but it won't take long and you will know what cry means he's tired, which means he needs a new diaper, and which one means he's hungry."

"If you say so."

"I do."

"Pop, you are a great dad. I'm not sure I told you that before but you are."

"Thanks, Jack. Sometimes I wondered, but the most I could hope for was that you would find someone to share your life with and you would treat her well. Beth is wonderful and you are great with her and the kids. I'm very proud of you."

"Thanks, Pop."

Charlotte came back out a while later and switched back with Jack once he was done eating.

"Go meet your son, dear," Charlotte told him, giving him a big hug. "Its almost time."

He hurried back and prepared himself for what was coming. "Hey, baby." He kissed her forehead and smiled. "How are you doing?"

"Good. I'm at six. They said I should be able to get up and walk in a few minutes. That might help get it moving faster."

"That's great." So that's what they did. For the next hour, they walked slowly down the hall, stopping every three to four minutes to contract.

When they returned, a nurse checked her again and she was at eight. So Elizabeth laid back down and the nurses hooked the fetal monitor back up.

"Almost there," she panted through the pain.

"Yeah, good job," he told her, giving her another kiss. "I love you so much."

"I love you too."

An hour later as she pushed, he prayed, asking for a safe delivery and thanking God for giving them a perfect family. He was grateful for all the babies they had had a hand in raising, even if only for a few weeks.

His heart was healed from the pain of losing them and it was full with the love of Autumn, Brady, Elizabeth and now Carter.

A cry filled the air as Carter was born, making both his parents cry too.

"A boy! Congratulations," the doc said, putting Carter directly on Elizabeth's chest for the all-important skin to skin contact all babies thrived on.

The nurses cleaned him up a bit, rubbing his skin with soft towels as he cried against her.

"Hi, Carter. I'm your mama. I love you so much." He quieted and then his eyes found her. "Hi." She couldn't hold her emotions in. "You are so loved, sweet pea."

Jack snapped a few pictures for the family and for himself but he would never forget this moment as long as he lived.