Epilogue to Part II

"I'm leaving you," Jack yelled for the third time. He was standing in the doorway which connected the garage to the modest but cute house with white shutters on Mon Amour Street in Liskow, Canada.

The house's window boxes, which had been flowing with cheerful flowers during the summer were now bare, except for a few fallen maple leaves which had come down in the autumn and blown into the containers.

"Did you hear me? I'm leaving!"

Thank God, Elizabeth thought wearily when she heard Jack's declaration. It's about time.

"Yes, dear. I know you are. And I will be just fine without you," she called out from one of the upstairs bedrooms. Her voice had a fake cheerfulness to it.

Jack hesitated with his car keys in his hand.

Instead of going to his car, he went back into house and sprinted up the wooden staircase.

"I thought you were leaving?" Elizabeth looked up from the clothes she had been folding on the bed. "Did you forget something?"

"I don't think I should go. I'll just stay home with you."

Elizabeth sighed and lowered her t-shirt in her hands onto the bed.

She had been spoiled by having Jack constantly with her while in space. Once back on Earth, the couple had been thrilled to have found a house just a short commute from Jack's new posting which allowed them to spend plenty of time together. The past four months had flown by as the couple easily navigated married life on their home planet.

Everything had been perfect until this week.

It was three days until her due date and Jack was driving her crazy.

Every ten minutes, he would ask her if she was doing okay. And not just that. He had taken to bringing her water and telling her to stay hydrated. And then watching to make sure she drank it. He spent his time following her from room to room to make sure she hadn't over-exerted herself. He checked her vitamin bottle to make sure she had remembered her daily dosage.

This morning, she had woken up to find him simply staring at her.

"Jack, I love you. You know that, right?"

"Of course I do. And I love you too."

Jack set down his keys, picked up a pair of undershorts from the pile of clean clothes on the mattress, and began folding them.

"Don't take this personally, Jack, but I really need some alone time. I just want to finish the laundry, and maybe take a long shower, do my hair, and relax. I'm probably going to take a long nap. I didn't sleep much last night. You should go. Please. Have fun. They've made snow for the slopes."

It was only early November but it was cold enough in the nearby mountains to allow for the resorts to blow snow and open eight runs. If Jack didn't go snowboarding now, he wouldn't have another opportunity for at least a year. Once the baby came, Elizabeth anticipated she'd want, and need, Jack close by.

"Besides, if I need you, you're only thirty minutes away," she added encouragingly.

"But you might need me sooner than that," he protested as he picked up two socks and rolled them together.

"I'm a grown woman. I can handle a few hours by myself."

"You shouldn't be alone."

"I want to be alone. Really. Between you and my mom, I have been pampered nonstop."

"Do you feel anything? Anything at all?"

Just impatience with you, she thought disagreeably.

"I feel irritable" she answered tersely but Jack didn't seem fazed.

"That's to be expected. The books say its normal this close to the due date. Because of the extra weight and swelling and everything your body is going through. Did you drink the lemon tea I made for you?"

Elizabeth nodded towards the empty mug on the dresser. "Thank you, Jack," she replied as she tried to control her resentment that he seemed to think he knew as much about pregnancies as she did.

Actually, he probably does. He's been reading every book and article he can find.

He actually answered the doctor's questions at the last exam better than I did!

After Jack finally left - promising to be home in four hours – Elizabeth put away the clean laundry, ate lunch, and tried to read a magazine but she couldn't concentrate.

Tossing the magazine aside, she headed to the bathroom.

She dropped her clothes onto the floor and stared at her naked body in the full-length mirror that was attached to the back of the door. She ran her hand along her belly.

Any day now, baby.

Elizabeth reached her hand into the shower, turned the handles, and felt the warm water stream down onto her palm.

Despite being back on Earth for four months, she still hadn't gotten bored with long showers.

The Thornton water bills would have been astronomical due to her showers which averaged twenty minutes -unless Jack was with her when they averaged considerably longer - if it wasn't for the rain collectors Jack had installed on the outside of the house.

She had been in the shower for only two minutes when she felt the water.

Not the water from the shower head.

The water from her body.

At first, Elizabeth tried to convince herself that it really wasn't her body fluids dripping down her legs, but after stepping out of the shower, and then feeling a mild cramp, she couldn't ignore it. She was in labor.

Alone.

Naked.

And with no make-up and I'm dripping wet! she thought in dismay. I'm supposed to be beautiful when I go into labor!

"You don't send your husband to go skiing-"

"Snowboarding", Elizabeth corrected her mother before grimacing from another contraction.

"You don't send your husband to go snowboarding three days before your due date!" her mother continued to admonish her. "What were you thinking?!"

"I was thinking I had three days until my due date."

"Due dates are not exact!"

"Thank you, mother. I'll remember that the next six times I'm in labor," Elizabeth said dryly. She was nervous enough going through labor without Jack. The last thing she needed was her mother harping at her.

After having wrapped a towel around herself in the bathroom, Elizabeth had quickly messaged Jack, Julie, and her mother. In that order.

Which apparently didn't guarantee that they would actually arrive in that order.

Julie had arrived first, screeching into the driveway and honking her mini-transporter's horn. Taking one look at Elizabeth's wet hair, sweat pants, and lack of make-up, she rolled her eyes at her sister's appearance.

"I suppose it's too late now," she said sadly as she ushered Elizabeth into the vehicle. "I'll give you a make-over at the hospital."

Mrs. Thatcher had met her daughters at the hospital an hour later. The impeccably dressed middle-aged woman had immediately decided that Elizabeth's room was inadequate, and insisted that she be moved to a more appropriate space.

By inadequate, Mrs. Thatcher meant it didn't have enough natural light, that it was too far from the nurses' station, and that it was too close to a woman screaming in labor from the next room.

Elizabeth was now settling into the spacious room directly across from one of the nurses' station. She had to admit that with a large window and a view of the mountains it was a nicer place to go through labor and bring their baby into the world.

"Jack will be here as soon as he can. He got my message but there's nothing he can do."

"What kind of husband gets stuck in a cable car while his wife is in labor?" Mrs. Thatcher asked in disgust.

Elizabeth had to admit it did seem highly improbable, but it had happened.

Jack had been riding to the top of the mountain when the lift had stalled half-way up the slope and sixty feet in the air due to a faulty mechanism. While Elizabeth was going through labor in the maternity ward's best room, Jack was suspended over the slopes in a crowded cable car. Trapped with fifteen other skiers and snowboarders.

"I found a spritz bottle in a little store down on the first floor," Julie announced as she waltzed into the room. She immediately went to the sink and filled it with tap water.

"Stop that," Elizabeth frowned as Julie squeezed the bottle's handle and began misting Elizabeth's face. "It's my stomach that's killing me, not my face."

"Don't get mad at me. I'm just trying to keep you cooled down and relaxed until Jack gets here."

An anxious Jack glanced at his watch as he hurried down the long hospital corridor.

Three hours. Damn it! I'm lucky that she didn't have the baby while I was stuck in that stupid cable car!

It had indeed been three hours since Elizabeth had first messaged him that her water had broken. He glanced at her later messages and found the one she had sent with her room number and an update on her contractions. They were coming much faster than he had expected.

Oh man, how could I miss the first three hours!

When Jack approached the doorway and heard a scream of pain, his pulse quickened even more. He walked inside, took a deep breath, and pushed aside the curtain.

Despite reading book after book on childbirth, he wasn't prepared for the scene in front of him.

The room was so crowded he could barely see the woman lying in the bed. But he could hear her. Even through the oxygen mask that was covering her nose and mouth he could hear her moans.

A nurse was on either side of her holding up her knees. "You're doing just fine, sweetie. Push again," one of the woman said encouragingly.

Jack's feet were frozen to the floor. He suddenly felt petrified. He was going to be a father.

How did this happen?!

Glancing around, his eyes took in the nurses, and the doctor, who sitting in the chair at the end of the bed. The bed's lower third had been removed to allow for an easier delivery. Although, from what Jack could see nothing looked easy about delivering a baby.

To the side of the bed was a fetal monitor, no longer needed now that the time of birth was imminent. An IV bag was hanging from a hook on the side of a metal pole. The beeping of other machines didn't seem to concern the medical staff who were concentrating their attention on the mother-to-be.

"Push again, dear", the nurse instructed.

"You can do it, girl," a brunette woman in a nearby chair called out. Jack had no idea who she was. Must be one of hospital social workers. They probably sent one since I wasn't around for support. Damn, how could I be late!

Jack moved forward and looked over the doctor's shoulder. He could see the baby's head crowning.

This is disgusting, was his first thought.

Ugh, there's blood and . .. stuff everywhere, was his second thought as he grimaced at the sight of the fluids on the bedsheet.

And since when doesn't Elizabeth shave her legs? Man, she's been more tired than I thought.

"You're doing great!" he called out with an attempt at enthusiasm.

When one of the nurses gave him an odd look, he realized that she was probably contemplating what kind of man shows up three hours late for the birth of his first child.

"I got here as soon as I could," he volunteered.

No one seemed too interested in him which was understandable given that the baby's head seemed stuck in the birth canal.

"Take a breath and push really hard," the doctor instructed.

"I can see the head", Jack called out helpfully. Be supportive, that's what the books all said.

Wow, Elizabeth gained more weight than I thought. Her ankles are really fat, Jack thought as he tried to avoid looking at the baby's now emerging head.

Good thing I bought that jogging stroller for her. Smart move on my part. She can lose the weight quick enough with a couple miles a day.

Stop it, Jack. Don't be so critical, he chided himself. She's having our son or daughter.

But I honestly don't remember her gaining so much weight. When did that happen? Overnight?!

"Don't forget to breath, sweetie," he said with renewed enthusiasm.

His next thought was that the male nurse at the head of the bed was being a little too friendly to Elizabeth.

Is it normal for a nurse to kiss a patient on the forehead?

That can't be professional.

I can kind of understand holding her hand, but a kiss?

Ahmm. Jack cleared his throat to get the man's attention. Now that he was here, Jack didn't need anyone else to comfort his wife. He could handle that part of the delivery just fine by himself.

I should be the one by her head, Jack decided as he moved across the room. He's being way too friendly.

The man dressed in scrubs ignored Jack and instead of moving away to give Jack more access to his wife, gave her another kiss and whispered something in her ear.

"What the hell are you doing?" a stunned Jack asked loudly, causing everyone in the room to look in his direction.

"Excuse me?" the man asked. "Who are you?"

"Who are you?!"

"I'm the baby's father," the man responded indignantly.

"The hell you are!" Jack retorted.

Julie glanced down the hallway at the uniformed man hurriedly entering one of the other birthing rooms from where loud yelling was coming.

"Looks like something interesting going on down there," she reported to Elizabeth, who was sitting up in bed braiding her hair. Julie moved towards the bed and handed her a hair tie. "A lot more interesting that what's going on in this room."

"Hush," Elizabeth snapped back. "It's not my fault my labor stopped. Besides, I'm grateful. This gives Jack more time to get here."

"I thought he messaged that he was in the parking lot. That was over ten minutes ago," Mrs. Thatcher noted.

"He probably stopped by the store to pick her up a gift," Julie offered.

"You watched another woman giving birth?!" a stunned Elizabeth exclaimed.

Jack had been escorted into her room by a member of the hospital security. The uniformed man wouldn't release Jack's arms until Elizabeth, who had just started getting a manicure from Julie, had vouched for his identity.

"For goodness sakes, couldn't you tell it wasn't me?!"

"She had an oxygen mask on and her hair in one of those surgical hair cover things!" Jack said in his defense. "And there were people all around her!"

"I'm your WIFE!"

Jack raked his hand through his hair as he tried to forget the last fifteen minutes.

"I – I should have realized it wasn't your room when Julie and your mom weren't there. But it was the number you gave me!"

"I changed rooms!"

"How was I supposed to know that?!"

"You're supposed to know what your own wife looks like!"

"I wasn't looking at her face! And there was . . . gross stuff going on!"

Elizabeth scowled in disgust. "Oh, God. You were looking at her –"

"Don't say it," a dejected Jack ordered. "It was awful."

"That bad?" Elizabeth challenged with raised eyebrows. She picked up a nail polish bottle and handed it back to Julie.

"She was moaning, and pushing, and there was . .. stuff. And then I almost got punched by her husband. Everyone was yelling. The security officer thought I was some kind of weird sexual perverted peeping Tom. I don't want to think about it."

Elizabeth looked at her frazzled and miserable-looking husband and her heart melted for him.

"Come here," she said as she tried not to laugh. She held her arms open. "You need a hug."

"I need to be coddled," he pouted.

Two hours later, Elizabeth grimaced as her stomach tightened. She leaned over and vomited into a small plastic tub which was held for her by a nurse.

After wiping her mouth on a paper towel, Elizabeth took a sip of water from a glass offered by Jack.

"I don't know why no one tells women that they'll vomit in labor. It seems like that would be important to know," Julie remarked from a soft armchair in a corner of the room.

"It's okay. I just feel a bit nauseated."

Jack's eyes lit up and he smiled happily. "Hey, you got it right!"

When the nurse raised her eyebrows at him and gave him a curious look, Jack pleasantly explained.

"She normally gets it wrong. She usually says she feels nauseous."

"Do you really think this is the time for a grammar lesson?" the nurse asked scornfully. "Your wife is in labor."

"It's okay," Elizabeth said with a wave of her hand. "I know what he means. Don't worry, he loves me."

The nurse rolled her eyes and moved to walk out of the room. "Husbands", she said with a sigh. "I'll be back to check on you later. If you need anything, just buzz me."

Elizabeth shut her eyes as her face tensed in pain when another contraction gripped her.

Julie and Mrs. Thatcher had gone to get some dinner with Mr. Thatcher, who had arrived at the end of the work day, leaving the couple alone for the first time in hours.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I got you pregnant and are making you go through this," Jack told her as he paced the room. "We should never have had sex. We should have just adopted a dog or something. We don't need kids. I'm not even sure I like them," he rambled on nervously. "I have no idea why they have to be so painful to come out. Pandas have it easy. Their cubs are only the size of a stick of butter. I'm sure you'll be a better mother than a panda. . . . Why are we having a kid? Look how painful this is. I'm not sure they're even worth it!"

Elizabeth, who had been hunched over near her bed, took a breath when the contraction ended and stood up straighter. "It's okay, Jack," she said weakly.

"We'll get a cat when we want to add to the family next time. They're even better than dogs. Cats don't need to be fed that often. Just put out a bowl of dry food in the morning and you're done. That's it. No diapers. No baths. Just a bowl of food in the morning," he continued to blather on.

The morning sun was barely up in the sky but it was already obvious that it was going to be a beautiful morning. Elizabeth smiled for no reason other than life was perfect.

"Hey, you're awake. How you feeling?" Jack asked when he walked into the room and saw that she was sitting up in bed. Her back was propped up with two large white pillows. She looked tired but happy. She had just sent her parents to have breakfast and was glad to have private time with Jack.

She had brushed her hair in an effort to regain some resemblance of being groomed, and had grabbed the nearby jar of Vaseline and run a fingertip of shiny jelly along her lips. She knew Jack wouldn't expect her to look totally put together, but she wanted to look good for him.

Now that he was here, she smiled even more.

Despite his anxiety during the first hours of labor, Jack had been wonderful as it got closer to the baby's birth. The more nervous Elizabeth had become, the calmer Jack had become. When she felt weak, he became strong. When she needed something, he had provided it.

He hadn't been disgusted by the mess, or bothered by Elizabeth's quiet moans, or turned off by her tired frustration. He didn't care how she looked.

He had fed her ice chips, and made her laugh, and encouraged her. He had rubbed her back and told her how much he loved her.

He had even asked if he could cut the umbilical cord, and after deftly snipping it in half, he had placed the slippery naked baby on Elizabeth's chest.

He really is the most wonderful man in the world. In the universe, she thought as she now looked at him.

Jack's normally neat hair was slightly messed up as if he had been in a hurry to get back to the hospital after being gone for two hours.

Elizabeth noticed that he had nicks on his face from shaving. It made her smile because she knew he had probably been slightly nervous about . . .well . . . .about the rest of their lives. Exhilarated but still a bit nervous.

"Good. A little tired and sore, but pretty good," Elizabeth responded to his question. "Are those for me?" she asked happily.

Jack set down an overnight bag on a nearby chair and then carried a huge bouquet of green stems with bright yellow flowerheads over to the bed.

"They are. And your parents think I'm a cheap husband. I saw them in the hallway," he replied with a chuckle. "I think they're worried about what kind of man you married."

Jack leaned down and gave her a tender kiss.

"I love them", she said honestly when his lips left her and she gazed at the dandelions.

She suddenly looked confused. "From our yard? In November?"

"I've been growing them in the greenhouse. As a surprise."

Elizabeth's faced glowed at his gesture. And all the time, I thought he was just in the greenhouse to avoid me. Or have a beer.

"Some lady walking by told me I should use a weed killer to get rid of them, but I told her I'm growing them on purpose. Now she thinks I'm a nut-case. She's probably wondering what kind of strange people have moved into the neighborhood. It doesn't help that after four months, I still keep looking around at everything and exclaiming how big and beautiful the world is.

Elizabeth handed the bouquet back to Jack who held them with one hand and picked up a pitcher with the other. He filled the container with tap water and stuck the weeds inside, moving them around into a full arrangement, and then placed the pitcher back on the nightstand.

"How's the little one?" Jack asked.

He leaned over the bassinet and stared at the baby who was starting to wake up. Jack's face broke out in a large grin. "We made the perfect baby," he announced in awe.

Elizabeth smiled. "We did. But our perfect baby needs the perfect name."

"I think we can rule out Halley and Cassiopeia", she added with a smile.

Jack chuckled. "I agree."

Jack reached into the bassinet and picked up the infant. He gently cradled the newest member of the Thornton family in his arms and sat on the edge of mattress next to Elizabeth.

"Well, little one, what should we call you?" he softly asked. "You're six hours old and still don't have a name. A handsome strong boy like you needs a name."

"Where's that list from the transporter?"

Careful not to upset the baby by jiggling him, Jack pulled a worn piece of paper from his pocket. It had crossed-out names, circled names, erased names, and underlined names. The ship's travelers had spent five months offering suggestions but Elizabeth and Jack knew that until the baby was born, his or her name would have to wait. They would only know the right name when they saw their child.

Jack's eyes scanned the paper and he began to read some of the names.

"Cerci?"

"Nope, sounds too much like cerclage."

"Definitely not that", Jack replied hurriedly and continued to look at the list. "How about Brian?"

"Ugh," Elizabeth replied. "Something about that name just leaves a bad taste in my mouth".

"Yeah, me too," Jack said with a grimace. "I definitely don't like Brian. How about Paul?"

"Absolutely not. That's the transporter doctor's first name. Yuck. It's almost as bad as Brian. No way."

"Someone suggested Newton."

"Like Fig Newtons? The cookies?"

"I think more like Sir Isaac Newton because of the whole gravity thing."

"That makes more sense," Elizabeth agreed with a chuckle. "But still no."

"Someone else suggested Nicholas. After Nicholas Copernicus, I'm guessing."

"Could be after St. Nick, you know Santa Claus."

"Possibly. It looks like it was written in crayon" Jack said as he looked at the paper. "One of your students must have written it."

"What else do we have?"

"Galileo, Hawkins, Einstein, Pluto."

"I am not naming our son Pluto!"

"Seems like we have a bit of a theme going on here. Scientists aren't exactly the most imaginative."

"Isn't there anything we like?"

"I was thinking Hubris," Jack said with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Hubris?" Elizabeth repeated in disgust.

"You know, you had all that hubris when we first met. It's what made you think you could make it at a far-away colony by yourself."

Elizabeth pulled a pillow out from behind her back and smacked Jack on the back.

"Hey, careful!" he protested as he laughed. "You could have hurt little Huby."

"We are NOT naming our son Hubris!"

"We could name him Omelet. After your eggs," Jack laughed.

"If you ever want a chance with another one of my eggs, you'll come up with a better name," Elizabeth threatened him.

Jack was still smiling as he moved his face towards her. When his lips brushed against hers, she enjoyed his taste. Like fresh spearmint. Only better. She would never get tired of his kisses. When he whispered he loved her, she whispered it back, and she knew it would always be true.

The baby's movement caused Jack and Elizabeth to separate slightly and they both looked down at him.

"He's perfect. He even yawns perfectly," Elizabeth said proudly. "He needs the perfect name."

"How about Aaron? There have been some great astrophysicists and astronauts named Aaron but it's not too space-related."

"In ancient stories, Aaron was a peacemaker. I like it. What else do you have?"

Elizabeth took the paper from Jack. "I like Daniel too. There have been some great planetary geologists named Daniel. And Daniel's a name associated with someone who does good deeds."

"They're both classic names. One can be the first and one the middle name."

Jack gazed at his son's face and moved even closer to Elizabeth.

"Aaron and Daniel. Dan and Aaron," she repeated. "You know, there's just something about those two names. They just seem to go together. Almost like they belong together.

"I know what you mean. When you say them aloud, they do sound like they belong together."

"Welcome to Earth, Aaron Daniel Thornton," Jack said quietly just before softly kissing his son on the forehead. "We're your parents."

Thousands of miles above Earth, the stars were aligned. But Jack and Elizabeth didn't need a telescope to know that.

They didn't need to see astrological bodies to know that their futures were blessed.

Years from now when their children asked how they had fallen in love, Jack and Elizabeth would point to the night sky and tell them this story.

Dear Readers: Thanks for following, favoriting, and reviewing my story. I hope it made you laugh and smile at times. There's more to come