A/N Thanks for all the sweet comments! I had most of this chapter already written up a while ago, so you get an extra chapter this week!

There's a tiny time jump in this one (mostly because I don't like to write about E without J), so I hope you enjoy it!

...

I sat in the breakroom while my students were at recess. Some of the other teachers tried to talk to me, but I was feeling off and wasn't in the mood to carry on a conversation. I gave them short answers and turned the conversation back to them. I should've just stayed in my classroom until lunch was over.

Jack had been gone for almost three weeks. His absence was more difficult to deal with than I had expected. The town he had gone to was in a remote area on the other side of the state, and he had only been able to call me once since he left. The stress of not knowing how he was doing had begun taking its toll on me, and I could feel myself getting sick.

I thought back to the time before we were married, before we were even engaged, when I had seen the news story about the shooting. I had been terrified not knowing how Jack was doing for twelve hours. I could almost laugh; I had been so naïve. Twelve hours seemed like no time at all compared to the two weeks since I had last heard from him.

I looked at the calendar on the wall in front of me, counting the days until Jack would return. Suddenly, my stomach tightened. I counted again.

I quickly ran to the bathroom and emptied my stomach. After I cleaned myself up, I made arrangements with the front office for my class to be cared for the rest of the day.

I desperately needed to talk to Jack, but since I couldn't, I went to the next best person.

"Elizabeth? What are you doing here in the middle of the day? Shouldn't you be at work?" Abigail approached me with a look of worry on her face when she saw me enter.

"Do you have a minute?"

"For you? Of course." She led me to the back room of the café, away from everyone. "What's going on, Elizabeth?"

I sighed. "I left work early because I got sick during lunch. I've been feeling off for a couple of days now, but I hadn't gotten sick until today. But the thing is, this doesn't seem like a normal sickness, and there isn't anything going around the school that I would've caught. At first, I thought it was just the stress of Jack being gone, but then I looked at a calendar today." I took a deep breath before I finished my thought. "I think it might be morning sickness."

Abigail gasped. "You're pregnant?!"

I shrugged. "I'm not sure. I haven't taken a test, but it seems likely with how I've been feeling lately. I'm scared, Abigail. Jack and I have only been married for a little over a month, and he's been gone for half of that."

"Have you talked to him about this?"

"About having a baby?"

She nodded.

"Kind of? We've discussed it a few times, but we weren't even trying yet. We were going to talk more about it when he got back. We definitely didn't plan for anything to happen this soon."

"Shouldn't you let him know what's going on?"

I could feel tears stinging my eyes. "I don't want to say anything to him unless I'm sure. He already feels bad enough for leaving. He doesn't need the stress of uncertainty, and he would only worry more if he knew he left me alone and pregnant."

She put her hands on my shoulders. "I personally think you should let him know, but ultimately, it's your decision. I'll just go get you some soup to settle your stomach. You go home and rest. And please take a test. You're going to worry until you know for sure."

"Thank you, Abigail. And please, don't say anything to anyone else."

"I won't tell a soul. Now you get home." She handed me a to-go container of soup and nudged me toward the door.

I drove to a drugstore in the next town over, not wanting to risk running into anyone I knew.

When I got home, I kept myself busy doing different things around the house, trying to ignore the box I had left upstairs.

...

A few hours later, Abigail showed up at my door.

"Did you take the test yet?"

I shook my head, feeling guilty. I knew I needed to take it so I could know for sure, but I already felt overwhelmed with just the possibility. The box had sat unopened in the bathroom since I got home.

"I'm not leaving here until you take it." Abigail sat on the couch, making herself at home. I could tell she was serious.

I reluctantly headed up the stairs with Bronte on my heels.

A few minutes later, I sat on the edge of the bed, watching the last seconds tick by on the timer. I took a deep breath and went back into the bathroom.

Abigail stood up when I reached the bottom of the stairs. "So?"

I shrugged. "We're having a baby."

"Oh, Elizabeth!" She threw her arms around me.

I felt tears fill my eyes as I flipped through so many emotions.

"Elizabeth, sit down." She led me to the couch. "Please, tell me how you're feeling."

"I honestly don't know. Overwhelmed. Happy. Scared. Nervous. A little bit of everything, I guess." The tears spilled down my cheeks. "We weren't trying. I'm not ready for this. I mean, we talked about maybe trying when he got back, but it wasn't supposed to happen so soon. Jack was supposed to be here when I found out."

"Elizabeth, you are going to be an amazing mother. You just need to take some time to let this sink in. And you know Jack is going to be so happy."

"I need him here."

Abigail put her hand on my back. "He'll be home soon."

I shook my head. "No. I need him here now. I can't do this without him."

"Elizabeth, you aren't alone in this."

I knew she was trying to make me feel better, but my level of anxiety kept creeping higher. I was on the verge of a panic attack. I felt my heart rate increase, and my breathing grew shallow.

Abigail put her hands on my shoulders and pulled me to face her. "Elizabeth, take a deep breath. Just breathe." She took a few deep breaths with me. "Can you call him?"

I shook my head, tears still rolling down my cheeks. "Cell service is spotty, so he has to call me when he gets a signal. We've only talked once since he left, and that was two weeks ago."

"Do you need me to stay with you tonight?"

I shook my head. "No, I'll be fine. Thank you for the offer, though. I think I really just need some time to process everything."

"You call me if you need anything, okay?"

I smiled sadly and nodded. "Thank you for being here, Abigail."

"Of course." She grabbed her bag and headed for the door. "Elizabeth, you probably want to go see your doctor soon."

I nodded.

"And remember, call me if you need anything. I don't care if it's the middle of the night or if I'm in the middle of a shift. I will be there for you."

"You're a good friend, Abigail. Thank you."

As soon as the door closed behind her, I found my hands drawn to my stomach. There was no sign yet of the tiny baby growing within me.

I took a shaky breath. "Hi there, baby." My voice was soft. "I'm your mom. I know you can't hear me yet, but I love you so much."

Though my emotions regarding my pregnancy were still all over the place, I knew one thing for sure: I already loved the baby I was carrying. I loved it from the moment I counted the days on the calendar and suspected its existence. How could I not love someone who was part me and part Jack?

I moved my hand across my stomach. "Your dad is going to be so happy when I tell him about you. He's going to be the very best dad. He'll be home in a few days, and then I can tell him."

I smiled, knowing that Jack would be ecstatic about the news. Though he had assured me on multiple occasions that he was okay with waiting to start our family, I knew he was eager to be a father.

That night, my dreams were filled with images of the baby I carried. Tiny fingers, tiny toes, tiny dimples. I woke in the morning with a smile on my face for the first time since Jack left.

...

"Hi, Elizabeth!" Rosemary waved from her driveway.

"Hi, Rosie."

"Are you busy right now?" She pulled Alina's car seat from the car.

I glanced at the papers in my hand before I quickly tucked them into my purse. "Um, no."

"Well, then, come over. I could use some adult company, and I hate that you're over there by yourself."

I sighed. "Give me a few minutes to change and let the dogs out."

"Just come over whenever. Alina and I will be here."

I pulled the papers from my purse once I was inside. I felt the corners of my mouth turn up as I read them again. The doctor had confirmed that I was pregnant and scheduled me for an ultrasound in a few weeks.

I rubbed my stomach. "Oh, little baby, I love you so much."

Thirty minutes later, I walked through Rosemary's front door. She handed me a mug of tea and invited me to sit on the couch.

"So, how have you been doing with Jack being gone?"

I tucked my leg beneath me. "It's been tough. We went from spending every single day together to not speaking for two weeks."

"You haven't heard from him in two weeks?"

I shook my head. "He's basically in the middle of nowhere. They don't have any reliable methods of communication."

"I'm so sorry, Elizabeth. I don't even know what I would do if I had no way of talking with Lee."

I shrugged. "We've made it this long. We can make it to next weekend when he comes home. Okay, I don't really want to talk anymore about how much I'm missing Jack. What's been going on with you? How's Alina?"

"Everything has been good here. I actually had Alina's one month check-up today, and the doctor said she looks perfect."

I took a sip of tea. "That's good. How are you and Lee settling into being parents?"

"I won't lie. It hasn't been easy. I feel like I haven't slept since she was born. She's just lucky she's cute." She laughed.

I smiled, thinking about how Jack and I would be in that same boat in seven and a half months. I found my hand drawn to my stomach, but I quickly pulled it away before Rosemary could notice. I didn't want to tell anyone else until Jack knew.

"But even though I'm exhausted, it's been wonderful. She smiles all the time in her sleep, and it's just the sweetest thing I've ever seen. And she's such a daddy's girl. Lee can get her to stop crying so quickly." She grinned. "He was meant to be a father. It's so fun to watch him with her."

I knew Jack was meant to be a father, too. He was going to be so wonderful with our baby. I couldn't wait.

"Well, if you and Lee ever need some time to yourselves, I would be more than happy to babysit. Jack, too, when he gets home." It could be good practice for us.

"Thanks, Elizabeth. I might take you up on that soon."

...

I took a deep breath before I answered the phone. "Hi."

"Hi, Beth."

I stepped outside and sat on the porch swing. "It's so nice to hear your voice. I miss you."

"I miss you, too."

I twisted the rings on my left hand. "How has work been?"

"It's been okay. I can't wait to come home, though."

"You'll be home at the end of the week, right?" Bronte sat in front of me, and I stroked the top of her head.

He sighed. "Well, actually…"

"Jack, please don't tell me you'll be gone longer."

"I'm so sorry, Elizabeth. They need me to stay another week. I tried to get out of it, but my superiors said no. I'll be home as soon as I can, I promise."

I could feel tears filling my eyes. I missed my husband. It wasn't fair that he had already been gone for almost four of the six weeks that we had been married.

"Elizabeth, are you still there?"

"Yes." I sighed.

"Are you okay?"

"I just want you home."

"Is there anything else going on? You sound a little distracted."

I put my hand on my stomach. It had been two days since I had found out I was pregnant. Although I wanted desperately for him to know about the baby, this wasn't the time to tell him. This was news that I needed to share with him in person. He was worried enough as it was; I didn't want to add to that. I cleared my throat. "I've just been feeling a little under the weather for the past few days." That wasn't technically a lie.

"Did you go to the doctor?"

"Yes. I'm fine, really." Just pregnant. "Abigail has been over here a lot, making sure I'm okay. Don't worry about me, Jack. Just focus on getting your work done there so you can get home."

"Make sure you're taking care of yourself, Elizabeth."

"I am." I yawned, the motion of the swing putting me to sleep.

"Oh, I didn't realize how late it was. I'm sorry."

"No, Jack, it's fine." I stood up and walked around the yard, trying to keep myself awake. I wasn't ready to hang up yet.

"But if you've been sick, you need your sleep." I could hear concern in his voice.

"We've barely been able to talk to each other since you left. I don't want to hang up yet."

"How about this? You go get ready for bed, and we can talk until you fall asleep."

"Sounds perfect." I was already walking back into the house before I finished speaking.

I put the phone on speaker while I changed into my pajamas and brushed my teeth. He asked about the dogs and Alina and my students. I asked about his work and the town he was staying in.

I set the phone on his pillow and closed my eyes. It almost felt like he was there with me, until I reached out and my hand met empty space.

"Our bed feels so empty." I pulled the quilt up to my chin, my mind growing foggy with fatigue.

"I know what you mean. I've had a hard time sleeping without you, too. But just a little while longer, then I'll be back beside you again."

"I can't wait." I sighed. "I love you, Jack."

"I love you, Beth. Now please, try to sleep. I'll stay on the line until you fall asleep."

"Okay."

I rested my hand on my stomach, falling asleep to the sound of Jack humming softly and the thought of our baby growing inside of me.