"She's pregnant. At fifteen," Jack whispered as they chatted on the couch that evening.
"Yeah and she wants to keep the baby."
"How does she plan on doing that?"
"She wants to get her license and get a job."
He covered his face with a pillow and groaned. "She has no idea."
"No. We can't expect her to. She's fifteen. That's why she needs us."
"Elizabeth, sweetheart, are you telling me what I think you are telling me?"
"I think she should stay here with us. We can teach her what she needs to know. Help her get on her feet and through high school. She has a few years left. I know it's asking a lot, but I feel strongly about this."
"You know, it will be weird to be grandparents in our twenties."
She stared at him, a twinkle in his eyes. "Are you saying yes?"
"We signed up to help foster kids. She's a foster kid and she needs help. I can't say no."
She leaned over and gave him a long, slow kiss. "I love you, Jack Thornton."
"I love you more."
"Um….I'm sorry to interrupt," Dani's small voice said from nearby.
"That's okay, sweetie. What do you need?"
"I don't feel well. Do you have any antacid?"
"No, but I have peppermint tea. It saved the day multiple times when I was pregnant."
"If you tell me where it is, I can make it. I don't want to bother you."
"No bother. But I will show you too." They walked into the kitchen together.
"I'm sorry that I interrupted, I just…." she sighed.
"Dani, it's okay. We were just chatting."
"You were doing more than chatting, if you don't mind me saying so," she told Elizabeth, her cheeks turning pink.
"May I ask you a question?"
"I guess," Dani told her, shrugging.
"Is the father of your baby in the picture?"
"No." She rubbed her tummy, a sad look on her face. "I thought he would want this, you know? He was so nice to me and he told me he loved me. He has a funny way of showing it."
"I'm sorry, Dani. That must have been hard."
"I loved him. Or I thought I did. Maybe I was just in love with the idea of having someone love me back for a change. That's why I want to keep my baby. My baby will love me back."
"There is more to raising a child than just love."
"I know."
"Jack and I discussed it and as long as you are with us, we are going to help you. Just to let you know though, you will be going to school in the fall. The best thing you can do for your child is to get a high school diploma. After that, the sky's the limit."
"How can I take care of the baby and go to school?"
"We are going to figure it out. You and me and Jack. We are a team and we are in this together."
Elizabeth handed her a cup of tea. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. It should help. If not, maybe sleep with an extra pillow."
"No, I mean for offering to help me. It's really nice of you."
"You're welcome."
Two days later, Elizabeth left Carter, Autumn, and Brady with Grace and took Dani to the obstetrician.
"I'm a little nervous," Dani admitted when they pulled in the parking lot.
"It will be just fine. Dr. Anderson is very nice."
"What's going to happen?"
"Well, she will probably weigh you and take a urine sample, I'm guessing. She will probably measure your belly and do an ultrasound."
"Does that hurt?"
"Nope. It's actually really cool. You will get to see your baby and hear the heartbeat and if you want to know, you can find out if it's a boy or girl."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. Will you come in with me?"
"Of course I will."
About twenty minutes later, Dani was lying on the table listening to her baby's heartbeat for the first time. Tears were rolling down her face. Elizabeth dried her tears and smiled at the screen.
"Do you want to know what the baby is, sweetie?" the technician asked Dani.
"Yes, please."
"It's a girl. Congratulations!"
"Thank you!"
"Do you have any names picked out?" Elizabeth asked.
"No. I guess I haven't thought much about it."
"Well, you have about seven more weeks to decide. I have a book at home that you can look through."
"Okay."
After she was dressed, they met back in the examination room and the doctor came back in.
She handed her a bag. "Dani, I have two bottles of prenatal vitamins for you. Since you haven't been taking them up to this point, I want you to start right away. I would suggest doing it with a meal or your stomach might get upset. Also, I need you to eat more protein and veggies. The baby needs to put on some weight before it's born."
"Is she okay?" Dani asked, her hand protectively on her stomach.
"She is but she is pretty small. The vitamins and eating more protein will help a little."
"We will make sure she eats more," Elizabeth offered.
"Also, I want to see you every two weeks until you give birth. I want to make sure that everything is going well."
"Okay," Dani agreed.
Dr. Anderson rolled forward, closer to Dani. "I know this is scary but I'm going to do my best to make you comfortable. And Elizabeth is with you too. I would suggest maybe taking childbirth classes. There's one starting tomorrow at the youth center."
Dani looked at Elizabeth who nodded. "I will go with you."
Dani stood and hugged Elizabeth. "Thank you."
After they left the clinic, Elizabeth and Dani went to pick up Autumn and Carter. They were going to Walmart to buy things for the baby and Dani.
Autumn slipped her hand into Dani's as they walked through the store. "You are…having a baby?"
"I am," Dani told her.
"When?"
"Seven more weeks."
"How long...is that?"
"Well, it will still be summer."
"Oh ok." She seemed satisfied so Dani just kept walking. "How old…are you?"
"Sixteen."
"Are you…married?"
"Autumn, not so many questions, baby," Elizabeth told her.
"Sorry."
Dani squeezed Autumn's hand and smiled down at her. She was adorable and inquisitive and always seemed to be happy. She could learn something from Autumn.
As they stared at the huge display of baby clothes, Dani had no idea what she needed. It was overwhelming, really.
"Okay, so we need to think practically here," Elizabeth told her. "I have onesies from when Carter was little. I have white ones mostly. You are welcome to those."
"Don't you want to keep them? You know, if you have another baby sometime?"
"No, that's not in the plans, actually. We have a full house."
"Mama!" Carter yelled, from the cart.
"Plus, this one keeps me on my toes." Elizabeth bent down and grabbed the cracker Carter had dropped from his baggie. Dani picked up a tiny pair of overalls and a pink shirt. "You like it?" Elizabeth asked her.
"Yes, but I don't want you to have to buy me things."
"Dani, what we are going to do is buy you just a couple things here and then go to a thrift store for the rest. Sometimes you can get brand new clothes and things there for very cheap. I think it will be a great option for you."
They added a package of newborn size diapers to the cart, a package of wipes, and two pairs of maternity jeans and shirts for Dani.
After checking out, they wandered out to the car and headed to the thrift store that was just down the street. "Okay, so this is the perfect place to get things like baby clothes. Sometimes cribs and strollers are gently used and are reasonable."
As they pushed the cart around the store, Elizabeth picked up some cute items.
"Mommy?" Autumn said, pulling on her hand.
"Yes, sweetheart."
"Look!" She showed her a little brown bear with a red bow.
"You have lots of teddy bears, sweetheart. You don't need another one."
"Not for me….for Dani's…baby."
Elizabeth smiled at her daughter. It was only two dollars and it was pretty adorable. "Do you want to spend your allowance on that, Autumn?"
"Yes, Mommy."
"Okay. That's very sweet of you."
"I love…Dani and the baby."
Elizabeth gave her a kiss. "I love you."
Dani was wandering over towards the cribs. She was looking at a white one, almost vintage looking. She felt a kick as she stared down at the crib. "You like this one, little girl?" She felt another kick. "I do too." She turned the price tag around. $40.00.
"That's not too bad," Elizabeth said, seeing it. "It looks pretty good. Only a few scratches. If you don't like the white, Jack could refinish it for you."
"I like the white."
"Let's get it then."
"You don't have to, Elizabeth. It's forty dollars."
"A brand new one can cost up to a couple hundred. Plus, your baby girl needs a place to sleep."
"I can pay you back when I get a job."
"Don't worry about it but if you insist, I will have you do extra chores around the house."
"Great. Yes. Put me to work."
That evening Dani was getting in her pajamas when she heard a knock on the door. "Who is it?"
"Autumn!"
"Come in." Dani slipped her t-shirt over her head and smiled when Autumn walked in. "Hi there."
"Hi. I have a…present for the baby."
"You do?"
"Yeah." She handed her the teddy bear.
"Oh, it's so cute! Thank you, Autumn."
"You're welcome." Autumn hugged her and kissed her belly. "Night, baby. Night Dani."
"Night, Autumn."
Dani put the teddy bear on her bed and then climbed under the covers. Then she heard another knock.
"Come in."
Elizabeth walked in with a cup of peppermint tea. "I made you some tea. Thought it might help prevent heartburn."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
"Elizabeth?" she asked, as Elizabeth was walking out.
"Yeah?"
"Do you think I am doing the right thing?"
"About what?"
"Keeping her. I am clueless. I'm sixteen for goodness sake."
"I thought you were fifteen."
"I just had a birthday."
"When?"
"Yesterday."
"I wish I had known. Anyway, I think that you are picking a hard road for both of you but it is your decision on what to do. I can't make it for you."
"What if they send me somewhere where the people aren't as nice as you?"
"I talked to Abigail just a few minutes ago. I let her know that we want to have you here permanently."
"You did?"
"Yep. So that means that when you come up for adoption, we can adopt you, if you want us to."
"Can I think about it?"
"Of course you can. I do want you to know that even if you don't want us to adopt you, you and your baby are still a part of this family."
Dani thought about that until she finally dozed off. Finally, she felt accepted. She felt what she thought was just kindness, but was it more? Could it be love? Maybe she would know one day.