A/N Thank you all for the sweet comments! I actually wrote the last part of this chapter quite a while ago, so I'm happy I finally get to share it with you! I hope you enjoy it :)

...

It was the final day of school, and the children were all restless and full of questions when they returned from lunch. I indulged them, as I didn't have the energy to convince them to settle down.

"Mrs. Thornton, how much longer before your baby is born?"

I rubbed my hand across my stomach. "About three more weeks. My doctor said the baby should be born in the middle of June, but most babies aren't born on the exact day that the doctor says."

"Why not?"

"Well, the day that the doctor says is just a guess. There's no way to know exactly when a baby will be born. Babies are usually born close to that day, though."

"Does the baby have a name yet?"

"Yes and no. We don't know what the baby is, so we have to choose a girl's name and a boy's name. If the baby is a girl, her name will be Nora. We still haven't decided on a boy's name, though."

"So if the baby is a boy, he won't have a name?"

I chuckled. "He'll have a name. We still have a few weeks to pick something before the baby is born. Plus, some babies don't get names until a few days after they're born, so we may just wait to see if the baby is a boy before we pick a name." I moved to my desk and sat in the chair. "If you come see me when you come back in the fall, I'll show you pictures and tell you the baby's name."

The children chattered excitedly.

"Okay, that's enough questions. Now, I know you don't really want to do any work since it's the last day, but if you all go choose a book and read quietly for the next twenty or thirty minutes, we can all play a game for the rest of the day. But, you have to be quiet. This isn't time to talk with your friends. You can do that later."

By the time I left for the day, I was drained. It had been a good last day, but naturally, the children had been more energetic than usual. It would have been a tiring day under normal circumstances, but for someone who was nine months pregnant, it was completely exhausting.

When I arrived home, I wanted nothing more than to go straight to bed for a nap, but I found a group of my friends sitting around the living room.

Rosemary approached me, looking a bit guilty. "Okay, I know you said you didn't want a shower, but I couldn't help it." She took my arm as we headed toward the living room. "And in my defense, Abigail wanted you to have a shower, too."

I smiled. "Thank you for at least keeping it small." As I glanced around the room, I noticed that there weren't too many people there: Rosemary, Abigail, Becky, Clara, and Faith—who was holding Alina in her lap.

I was greeted by a chorus of "hello"s as I settled onto the sofa.

Abigail sat beside me. "Don't worry. I made Rosemary keep things simple. It's just snacks and presents. And we aren't planning on staying long. I know it was your last day of school today, and I'm sure you just want to relax."

I squeezed her hand. "Thank you." I accepted a glass of water from her. "Did you ask Jack to stay away for a while, or did he just run away when he saw all of you coming?"

She chuckled. "We told him he could stay, but he went next door with Lee."

There was a knock at the door, and Rosemary jumped up before I could move. "Stay right there and relax. I'll get it."

She returned a few moments later with Jack's mother.

"Charlotte? I wasn't expecting to see you today."

"Hi, Lizzy." She approached me, leaning down to give me a hug. "Look at you. You look wonderful." She motioned to my stomach. "May I?"

I moved my arms and nodded, allowing her to place her hand on my stomach.

I felt a few little jolts inside of me, happening at even intervals. I laughed softly. "He has the hiccups right now."

She smiled. "Jack had the hiccups all the time when I was pregnant with him."

"Does he know you're here?"

She nodded. "I let him know I was coming when Rosemary invited me. He said I could stay for the weekend. I hope that's okay."

"Of course."

"Okay, I know our dear Elizabeth just wants to relax, so why don't we get this party going?"

I gave Abigail a thankful smile and settled back into the sofa as they moved a pile of gifts in front of me.

Thirty minutes later, I was surrounded by stacks of blankets and toys and diapers and clothes. If I didn't know before that my baby was loved, I did now. Tears welled up in my eyes as it sank in just how much support I had around me.

I wiped a tear from my cheek. "I love you all so much." I rested my hands on my stomach, and the baby shifted inside of me. "The baby says he loves you all, too."

"We love you, too."

Within the next half hour, all of my friends had returned home, leaving me with Charlotte and Jack, who had come back once he knew the party was over.

They helped me carry all of the gifts up to the nursery. I sat in the glider as I folded tiny clothes to fill the dresser.

"Oh, I forgot something in my car. I'll be right back."

I looked at Jack curiously after Charlotte left the room. He just shrugged and continued stacking packages of diapers in the closet.

"Are you sure this was just a small shower?" He stepped back, looking at everything that our friends had brought.

I smiled. "This little one is very, very loved." I brushed my fingers across my stomach.

Charlotte returned shortly, a package in her hands.

"Mom, we really don't need anything else."

"Oh hush, son." She handed the box to me. "This is my first grandchild. I'm pretty sure it's a requirement that I go overboard with the presents."

I carefully opened the box, revealing a beautiful handmade quilt. "Oh, Charlotte…" Tears filled my eyes once again. "This is wonderful. I would hug you, but I'm kind of stuck right now." I laughed softly.

She walked over and put her arms around me. "And just so you know, I plan on making one of those for each and every grandbaby you two give me."

"Thank you so much."

"Thanks, mom." Jack pulled her into his arms. "I love you."

...

Charlotte returned home on Sunday, and I spent much of my time the next week with Rosemary and Alina. Jack was working extra shifts so he could take a bit more time off once the baby came. Though I enjoyed my time with my friend and goddaughter, I missed my husband. The weekend rolled around, and I just wanted to spend the day with him.

I woke when I felt Jack stirring in the bed beside me. "Jack?"

"Shh, I have to get ready for work. You just go back to sleep." He brushed the hair from my face and kissed me softly.

"It's Saturday. Do you really have to work?" I shifted closer to him. "I miss you."

"Crime doesn't take a break, and this is all so I can be there for you and the baby." He kissed me again, rubbing a hand across my stomach. "You just spend the day relaxing, and I'll be home before you know it."

I sighed. "Fine."

"I love you."

"I love you, too." I watched him slide from the bed and step into the bathroom. Nearly nine months after our wedding, it still amazed me that he was really my husband.

I closed my eyes as I listened to the shower turn on, trying to rest, when I felt a sharp pain in my lower belly. I sat up quickly, rubbing my stomach.

"Oh, baby. What was that?"

The pain felt different from anything I had experienced before. I breathed deeply, waiting for the pain to pass. After a few moments, I was hit with intense anxiety as the realization settled over me. I was in labor.

I rolled onto my side, trying to get more comfortable. I knew that it would likely be a while before I needed to get to the hospital given that I had only had one contraction thus far.

I was finally able to relax, and I fell back to sleep before I had a chance to tell Jack that our baby was coming. By the time I woke again, he had already left for work.

The contractions stalled at twenty minutes apart for most of the morning. I moved throughout the house, cleaning and organizing everything to pass the time. I put the hospital bag by the front door. I still hadn't told Jack that I was in labor, knowing that he would insist on coming home immediately even though my labor seemed to be progressing very slowly.

I took Bronte out for a bit, just down the street and back, hoping the walk would move things along.

Three o'clock rolled around, and my contractions had moved closer together—only ten minutes apart. I debated on whether I should tell Jack yet. I had been in labor for over seven hours, and he had no idea.

By four, my contractions were at seven minutes apart, and they were becoming excruciating. I finally picked up my phone, praying that Jack wouldn't be angry that I had neglected to tell him that I had been laboring all day.

"Jack?"

"Is everything okay?"

I gritted my teeth and groaned as I was hit by another pain, unable to answer him.

"Elizabeth?! What's going on? Are you okay?"

"Um, I need you to come home. We need to get to the hospital. Contractions are seven minutes apart."

"The baby's coming?"

"Yes, Jack. Please hurry."

"I'm on my way."

I hung up the phone and lowered myself onto the couch. Bronte nudged my hand. "Hey, Bee. Are you ready to have a baby around?" I rubbed my stomach.

I had been so distracted by the contractions that I had failed to notice the dark clouds gathering in the sky. Thunder crashed outside and Rip whined. I hoped Jack would get home soon so we could beat the storm. It took over half an hour to get to the hospital from our house, and a storm would definitely slow traffic.

I leaned back and breathed deeply as I was hit with another contraction. "Hang in there, baby. We'll get you out of there soon."

What seemed like an eternity later, Jack arrived home, followed by Abigail, Clara, and Faith.

"Elizabeth, you aren't going to want to hear this, but we can't make it to the hospital."

I groaned. "Why?"

"This storm is moving too quickly. The roads are already getting bad. A lot of them are closed. I can't risk us getting stranded out there somewhere." He rubbed my back. "I guess it's pretty convenient that we're friends with a midwife." He looked over at Faith, who was preparing to check how my labor was progressing. "And Abigail and Clara are here to help. This baby is going to be born here."

Jack stayed on the couch beside me while Abigail and Clara gathered things from around the house as Faith instructed them. The storm outside intensified.

"I'm sorry, Jack." Tears filled my eyes.

"For what?"

"I should've told you when I started having contractions this morning. We could've made it to the hospital then."

He wiped a tear from my cheek. "Beth, everything will be okay. We can't change anything now." He kissed my hair. "Just breathe. We're going to have a baby today."

Faith approached me. "Elizabeth, do you think you can manage the stairs? I need to check how you're progressing, and it would be easiest if you could lay on the bed."

"I can try."

She put her arm around my waist, supporting me as we slowly made our way up the stairs.

"Has your water broken?"

"Not yet." I paused halfway up the staircase as I was hit with another contraction. I took a few deep breaths when it passed, feeling warmth drip down my legs. "Um, I guess I spoke too soon."

Faith chuckled. "Well that is some really amazing timing."

We made it the rest of the way to the bedroom, and she did a thorough exam, ensuring that the baby was in a good position and that it would be safe for me to deliver at home. Thankfully, she had lots of experience delivering babies, and she had been able to bring most of her equipment.

Before we returned to the living room, I changed into dry clothes so I would be a little more comfortable for the remainder of my labor. Faith had determined that I was only dilated seven centimeters, and I still had a little while before I would be ready to deliver, though she stated that my labor may progress more rapidly now that my water had broken.

The storm continued to rage around us. Rip and Bronte were huddled up together beneath the dining room table. I paced the living room with Jack, praying that the baby would come soon. We crowded into the downstairs bathroom when the storm reached its peak and the sirens blared outside. Eventually, we lost power, and I was forced to deliver the baby by candlelight.

The sirens stopped for a few minutes, but started up again when another storm cell reached us. Jack held me while we waited.

Finally, Faith announced that I was ready to push. Abigail and Clara waited just outside the bathroom to give us a bit more room. Jack stayed by my head, holding my hand and whispering encouragements in my ear. Faith coached me for almost an hour. By the end, I felt like I didn't have the energy to continue.

Then, nearly thirteen and a half hours after my first contraction, a cry filled the small room. We all fell silent, in awe of the infant squirming in Faith's arms. Baby Thornton had finally arrived.