With Christmas behind them, the Thornton focus switched to the coming new year. Jane and Elizabeth were busy planning a gender reveal party for Rosie and Lee. They were the only two that knew whether the baby's room would be shades of pink or blue. Not even Rosie and Lee.

Elizabeth was just finishing up wiping down the kitchen from breakfast when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!"

The door opened as Jane, Mike and Mikey walked in. "Morning!" Jane was all smiles. She had been pretty much since she and Mike Hickam had began spending so much time together.

"Hi guys! Let me get Hunter. He should be just about ready." Elizabeth moved to the base of the stairs and called up. "Hunter, love? Mr. Hickam and Mikey are here to take you to hockey practice."

"Coming!"

Elizabeth went to the garage to pull out Hunt's large hockey duffle.

"Let me." Mike rushed over, taking the heavy bag from her. "Mikey asked if we could grab burgers after practice, if that's alright with you. My treat."

"Oh, Hunter would love that. Thanks for doing this today. Jack had a meeting at the college and then he's off on some secret mission with his brother and Jane and I really need to get the let out of this party for Rosie."

"You kidding? I love being around these guys." Mike's smile showed just how much he meant his words.

"Mrs. Thornton! Dad spent Christmas with us! Isn't that cool? Just like Thanksgiving! And he gave me the best Lego set ever! We're building it together."

"That's wonderful, Mikey!" Elizabeth smiled over at Jane, but she didn't notice. She was too busy gazing at Mike. His eyes looking right back at her with such love Elizabeth knew it was only a matter of time before they made this little arrangement official.

"Ready!" Hunter bounced into the room.

"Okay, little man. You be good for Mr. Hickam, you understand? He's taking you out to lunch today after practice too!"

"Awesome!" Hunter gave a fist bump in the air. "Love you, Mom." He kissed her cheek. Then with a kiss to her belly he said loudly. "Love you babies!"

All the adults laughed.

"What? I saw Dad do it. I want them to know I'm their big brother."

"Good idea, love. Now go or you'll be late."

Mike ushered the boys out the door, giving Jane a tender kiss as he left. The women watched as Mike's SUV pulled out of the drive before heading to the kitchen table. Jane pulled out her notebook with all her notes for the party and got right down to business.

"So, what did we decide on?"

"Oh, you are so not dodging it that easily!" Elizabeth laughed.

"Dodging what?"

"Dad?"

"Oh, that." Jane blushed. "Mikey just started doing that a little before Christmas."

"How do you feel about it?"

"Honestly, I love it. I asked Mike what he thought and he said, it's what he wants for the three of us. He has a plan to ask and everything. He just wants it to be perfect."

"That's wonderful! You deserve it Jane!"

"Thank you. He's a wonderful father. Even if it's not official yet."

….

Jack's meeting with the college could not have gone better. He couldn't wait to start his teaching position there next year. The best part was that it would allow him to be around for Hunter and babies as well as allowing Elizabeth to continue to pursue her dreams as a police officer.

Now he was driving through the city to pick up Tom for what he had called "Operation: Proposal."

As he pulled up in front of the sky-high office building where Tom worked, there stood Tom with two steaming cups of coffee.

"You read my mind," Jack said as his brother stepped into the warm vehicle. "Where to?"

Tom began sharing his "secret" plan with his brother. They drove a few blocks downtown to a parking garage closest to the Art Museum, known to most people as the Rocky movie steps.

"This is where I want to propose," Tom said as they climbed the steps. "We can all be together up here for the fireworks. My plan is to ask her right before midnight. Then, assuming she says yes, we can celebrate with the new year and fireworks."

"Ambitious. I like it." Jack slapped his brother on the back. "What do you need from me?"

"Your camera. I figure if we're all here together, you could be setting up to take shots of the fireworks but really…"

"I'll be taking shots of different kind of fireworks," Jack teased.

"Exactly." Tom blushed. "So what do you think?"

"I think it's perfect, special, but not too complicated. We can do this."

"Great! Her ring is being sized now and I'll pick it up this afternoon. Everything should be all ready for New Years Eve."

"You know that's tomorrow night right?"

"Oh I know. It's a good thing too. I don't want to spend any more time just dating Julie. I want her to know for sure how I feel. She's everything to me."

"I'm happy for you! Julie's really special."

"Don't I know it. Let's just hope I deserve her."

"Trust me, you do."

Jack and Tom had loved the closeness they'd found over the last year. After a couple years of barely speaking, this was a tremendous blessing.

Just as the brothers were descending the Art Museum stairs, Jack's phone went off in his back pocket.

"Hey Mike, what's up?" Tom watched as Jack's face contorted into grave concern. "Can I talk to him?" There was a pause before he spoke again. "Hey Hunt, you okay? I know, I know, bud. I'm on my way, okay? I love you!"

"What happened?" Tom did his best to keep up with Jack as he hurried down the rest of the stairs.

"There was an accident on the ice. A kid collided with Hunt and he hurt his leg."

"Crap! How bad?"

"Not sure. Mike thinks its a break. He called Elizabeth but I want to go to the hospital too, do you mind?"

"Not at all. Lets go."

…..

Traffic was on their side as they raced to the hospital. Tom stayed in the waiting area while Jack followed the nurse back towards Hunter.

Standing in the hall was Elizabeth. She paced the floor with her hand on her little bump.

"Is he okay?" Jack asked as he ran to her, holding her firmly against his chest.

"He's in x-ray now. I couldn't go with him because of the babies. Mike's with him though."

"Okay, good." They stood there holding each other, saying a prayer together for their son.

Once he was wheeled back into the semi private area, Mike left to join Mikey and Jane in the waiting area before heading home, insisting that they call if they needed anything at all. Jack thanked his long time friend for looking out for his son before turning all his focus on Hunter.

"What happened, bud?"

"Stupid Jerry Donovan."

"Hunter, that's not a nice way to talk." Elizabeth reprimanded gently.

"But he was!" Hunter said, almost in tears again. He had been given pain meds but this whole thing was still very overwhelming for the 6 and a half year old. "We were in front of the net. Coach blew the whistle, so I pulled back. He wasn't paying attention and knocked me over! It hurt so bad. What if I can't play for a while?"

"I'm sorry, buddy. Let's wait and see what the doctor has to say, okay?"

Twenty long minutes later, Hunter was asleep as the doctor quietly entered.

"Afternoon, folks. Sorry for the wait."

"Not a problem. How's our boy?" Jack asked.

"He'll be fine. It's a clean break."

"A break?" Elizabeth sighed.

"Yes ma'am. He'll need a cast for about 6 to 8 weeks and then we'll move him into what we call a walking boot."

"He's gonna love this…" Jack muttered.

"I know. Young active boys his age are tricky when it comes to injuries like this. They tend to want to push themselves too fast."

"We'll keep an eye on him, doctor," Elizabeth assured.

"Wonderful. Now the resetting of the bone for a child this age can be quite frightening. We recommend putting him under in the OR for that and the casting. He'll wake up tired but without pain. That alright?"

"Whatever's best," Elizabeth stated as she looked at Jack who agreed.

"Great. I'll get the team prepared."

Hunter woke up then. The doctor explained everything again in a way he could understand. Tears escaped Hunter's eyes, but he stayed strong.

"What are his favorite colors?"

"Black and blue and yellow."

The doctor looked at Jack oddly. "Batman?" Jack nodded. "What do you say we do it black and blue? I'll see if I can even find you a batman sticker to put on it."

"Cool." Hunter sniffed.

…..

In the waiting room Tom was reading the text from Jack about Hunter's leg. He was bummed. Not because this put his proposal plans in a tailspin, though it did, but because of all that Hunter was dealing with. As far as Tom was concerned, that little boy didn't need any more trouble in his life. He flung his head back against the chair and prayed allowed. "Heal him quickly, God. If I can help him, let me know."

Tom looked up to see his fiery red love burst through the double doors.

"Where are they? Is he okay?"

He stood to embrace her. Feeling her heart racing against his chest he kissed her temple, letting his lips linger there. "He's okay, but his leg is broken."

"Oh no! What about the rest of the season?"

"He probably won't play again till the summer. He needs time to heal."

She sighed. "He is not gonna like that. That's kind of what I expected though. I saw this in the Lego store window as I flew past it. What do you think?" She held up a large Lego box.

"The Batcave? Julie that had to be expensive!" Tom laughed. He knew there was nothing Julie wouldn't do for their nephew.

"Yeah, I know. But I was worried. If you want, we can go halfsies on it?"

"Deal."

They sat in the waiting room, hoping to see Hunter before they left. Julie rested her head against Tom's shoulder, quietly thinking.

"I wonder if Elizabeth will be up for having us over to their place tomorrow night," Julie thought.

"What? Why? I thought we were going to watch the fireworks in the city? We can still go."

"But I promised Hunter we'd all be together. You know how much he loves it when we're all together. He certainly can't be out and about tomorrow. Besides, Elizabeth told me once you can see the fireworks from their back deck. They just aren't as loud."

Tom thought for a moment. He didn't want to disappoint Hunter, but he needed to propose to Julie. He just couldn't wait.

….

Jack's phone dinged with a message from Tom as he and Elizabeth sat by Hunters hospital bed. He was back asleep.

"Babe, how do you feel about doing a new years party at our place tomorrow?"

"Are you serious Jack?"

"Just family, but yeah." She was looking at him like he had lost his mind. "Remember Tom's secret plan? Well, we need to change things up now. Trust me. It will be worth it."

She shook her head. "Does this plan have to do with my sister and maybe a question she needs to hear before she goes insane?"

Jack couldn't stifle his grin. "It might."

With a laugh Elizabeth responded, "Bring on the confetti."

….

The next morning, Elizabeth braved the crowds and headed to the grocery store. She got sparkling cider and champagne at the store along with some snacks. This was going to have to be simple because carrying twins wore her out.

She found a cake that said congratulations and one that said Happy New Year. She knew that Julie would say yes, but what if he didn't ask her? So in the end, she bought both.

When she returned home, Hunter was laying on the couch, his cast up on a pillow, a book in his hands. Bruce was lying next to him.

"Hi, love."

"Hi, Mom."

"How are you doing?"

"Bored but fine."

"Does your leg hurt?"

"Kinda. It's ok though."

"Where's Dad?"

"Doing laundry. You might want to help him though. His socks are pink now."

Elizabeth laughed and wandered into the laundry room. "Uh, babe?"

"Yeah."

"Hunter says you have pink socks now so I thought I might come help."

"Your new red lace underwear was the culprit. I didn't see that I had tossed them in with my socks and underwear."

Elizabeth laughed. "So, your socks and your underwear?"

"The boxers are safe, but I'm just glad my white t-shirts are always under something else." She fought another laugh.

"Well, I have a bunch of stuff in the car so I'll go grab them. You seem to have things under control."

"I'll get the groceries."

"Babe, I can handle it. Nothing too heavy."

"I'd like to do it," he told her, shutting the lid to the washer and pushing start. "Please humor me."

"Do you realize that my lead vest alone weighs fifteen pounds and my belt another five pounds or so? I can handle groceries."

"Listen, Beth, the last thing I want is you or a baby to be injured when I could have prevented it. I can't prevent it when you are working so let me at least do this."

She knew this was becoming a testy subject. Yes, she was on light duty but he still viewed it as dangerous. "Ok. I'm sorry."

He shook his head and walked up to her. "I love you, Beth. I'll never stop but I just want to help if at all possible." He kissed her and left the room.

After he brought the groceries in, he gave Hunter some pain medicine and a sandwich for lunch. "Do you want a sandwich, honey?" he wondered.

"Sure."

She watched him make her a sandwich, piling on the roast beef and fat free cheese, adding a little mustard.

"Trying to fatten me up?" she joked.

He looked up at her but didn't smile. "Extra protein. You need at least double what you normally eat."

"Jack. Come here." He put the knife down and took a step closer to her. "Are you mad at me? About the grocery thing?"

"Don't make it seem like it's silly." He grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to her along with her plate. "I am going to go check on the laundry."

"Jack Thornton, the laundry is fine. Last I checked the washing machine does the work on it's own. I need you to talk to me."

He leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms. "About what?"

"This. Why are you angry?"

"You don't seem to think it's important not to lift things but it is, Beth. I read that it puts unnecessary strain on your lower back and pelvis. It could cause problems. Not losing these babies and preventing injury to you too is my concern right now. It's still early on."

She stepped forward and put her hands on his arms, uncrossing them. Then she wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him. "Thank you for worrying."

"But…?"

"No buts. I'll be careful and I'll let you lift whatever you want." She kissed him again, wanting his gorgeous dimples to appear again. "Just so you know, these babies are important to me. I was thinking that because I was doing the same thing I was before I got pregnant that I could handle it. I'm sorry that I made you upset."

She leaned into him and sighed, letting him take care with her, forcing herself to always let him. "Forgive me?"

"Nothing to forgive." His lips found hers and lingered there for a moment. "Ready for this party tonight?"

"Actually I'm going to eat and then take a nap. Then I'll worry about the party." She stepped away and took her sandwich and water to the bar and sat down.

"Would you mind if I invited Lee and Rosie?" Jack asked.

"Of course, I think you should."

"Good."

"Rosie and I can fall asleep together," she said with a laugh. "About five minutes before the big moment, just wake me up."

….

While Elizabeth slept, Jack put up streamers and blew up a few balloons. Then he got started on their dinner.

As he was making spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, Rosie and Lee showed up, walking right in.

Rosie looked radiant, glowing, as Jack had heard it called. "Hunter! Oh dear, what happened?"

"Stupid Jerry Donovan!"

"Hunter James!" Jack said from the kitchen.

"Sorry." He went on to tell Rosie about his injury and the role "Not stupid Jerry Donovan" had in it. "Now I have to be in this for a long time."

"Oh, you poor dear. I think the cast is pretty cool though, especially with the batman sticker."

"Yeah. That is cool."

Lee headed into the kitchen to chat with Jack. "Hey, Jack."

"Hey, Lee."

"Smells good. Thanks for the invite. You don't need to feed us though, we ate dinner. Rosie insisted on coming over to help set up for the party."

"I'm sure Beth could use the help."

"You seem different, Jack."

"No, I'm good.

Beth joined them in the kitchen, first walking up to Jack and giving him a kiss. "Hi, love."

"Hey."

"Hey, Lee."

"Hey, Beth."

"Is Rosie here?"

"Of course I am. Now, tell me what you need my help with. I see you have streamers and a couple balloons. What else were you thinking? Maybe some candles?"

"Sure. Just want simple."

"But the occasion calls for exquisite and perfect. I mean, my proposal was grand and memorable. Shouldn't Julie's be?"

"Of course, but it's kind of up to Tom don't you think?"

"I suppose. Let's hope he brings his A game. Those Thornton men are pretty wonderful but grand gestures aren't really their forte."

"I don't know, Jack's proposal was pretty perfect, in my opinion." She slipped his arm around his waist and blushed, thinking back to just over a year before.

"Well, I don't know. I still say…"

"Rosie, come on. Just let it be. I want simple and that's it." Elizabeth shook her head and wandered back upstairs.

A few minutes later, Jack joined her in their room. "Beth? What's going on?"

"I don't know. I guess I'll blame it on hormones."

"But really its….?"

She picked up her lead vest and frowned. "It doesn't fit, Jack. I can't buckle it." She slipped it over her shoulders and turned in the mirror. Yep still too small. "What am I supposed to do now?"

"Honey, do you really need it on light duty?"

"I guess not but, wearing it made me feel like I could still do my job if needed. Now, I'm stuck."

He slipped the vest off her shoulders and laid it on the bed. Then he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, resting his hands on their babies. "You know what I see?"

She wiped a tear from her cheek and looked at him in the reflection. "What?"

"An amazingly strong, beautiful, wonderful wife and mother. I see these babies, growing each day, and it makes me so happy and grateful to God for my second chance. I don't see you as stuck anywhere. We are moving forward and building our life." He bent down and kissed her bare tummy. "I love them just as much as I love you and Hunter. I cannot wait to meet them."