The next few weeks were a challenge. Getting used to lying in bed all day and letting others do everything for her made her feel useless. Charlotte reminded her, however, that she was doing the most important job of keeping Natalie safe and alive and that made Beth feel a lot better.

That evening, Jack was a little late but Charlotte did her best to distract her. When he finally got home, he carried a large box into the bedroom.

"A TV? Jack, we said we weren't going to put a TV in here."

"That was before you were stuck in here 24/7. I think this warrants a change to our rule." Charlotte left the room with a wave.

Beth watched Jack change out of his uniform and slip on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt before tackling the TV. "That's a big TV, Jack. And a mount for the wall?"

"Yep and a DVD player and then tomorrow, the guy from the satellite company will come to hook up the dish to this TV."

"Can you come here, before you open that box?" She opened her arms.

He sat down next to her. "What do you want for dinner, sweetie?"

"I don't know. I do want you to be right here for a few minutes though. I miss you."

"Your wish is my command." He climbed over her legs and laid next to her. "I miss you too, for what it's worth, but you know what the doc said." No intimate activities until about three months after her surgery, so he had to switch his mind to refusing to allow any thoughts that would lead in that direction.

"Hearing you say it is worth everything, babe. And thank you for the TV."

"I'll do anything for you and Nat, Beth."

"Nat? I wondered how long it would take for her to get a nickname." She felt a little movement that felt less like a flutter and more like a kick. She grabbed his hand and put it in the right spot and then pushed a tiny bit. "Do you feel it?"

He waited for a few minutes until she moved again. "Wow. That little thump?"

"Yeah."

He put his head down by her belly and smiled. "Hi, Nat! It's Daddy. Please stay in there as long as you can, ok? I want to meet you but you aren't ready to come out yet."

"I don't know if she can hear you, babe," Beth said with a giggle.

"I read it online that babies can hear from inside their mothers, so I am going to talk to her everyday so she will know my voice when she is born."

It was probably the sweetest thing he had ever done so she wasn't going to discourage it.

"A burger, Jack, with a side of onion rings. That's what I want for dinner."

"You got it. I'll order it."

They ate their burgers from the diner as they watched Love Story on their new TV. Beth ended up falling asleep cuddled into Jack's side about halfway through the movie.

"Love you, Beth," he whispered as he left her to clean up their takeout boxes and start a load of laundry. Then Jazz and Mozart reminded him that they needed food too so he did that and cleaned their litter box as well.

Lastly, he took a shower and finally joined her in bed.

She woke up, sitting up, dangling her legs to the side of the bed. "Babe? Where are you going?"

"I need to use the bathroom and brush my teeth and change my clothes."

He got up to carry her into the bathroom but she stopped him. "Jack, I need to walk once in awhile. Otherwise I might forget how." She smiled at him, kissing his cheek. "I can't wait to take a shower tomorrow." She took one every three days, sitting on a shower stool. It always felt so amazing just being out of bed.

About ten minutes later, she was back in bed and he felt better. He knew he was being overprotective but he couldn't help it. He just wanted them safe.

….

A month later, 30 weeks

"I think I will go crazy if I don't get out of this house, Jack."

"You went to the doctor last week, babe."

"Yeah. I know."

He had a plan and he was pretty sure it would help with her anxiety.

He had Chinese delivered and lit a few candles in the living room to set a relaxing, romantic mood. Then he fixed both of them a plate and went to get Beth.

"Where are you taking me?" He scooped her up and just smiled as he carried her out to the living room. He sat her gently on the couch and propped her up against a couple pillows. "Comfy?"

"Yeah. It's good. The candles are a nice touch."

He brought her a plate. "Dinner is served, my love," he told her, handing it to her.

"Mm. My favorite." General's chicken and sticky rice with an egg roll.

Jack sat down and hit play on the remote. Ever After started to play.

"Dinner and my favorite movie? Wow. It's not even my birthday yet," she teased.

"No, but you're putting yourself through bedrest to keep Nat safe. You deserve more than I can give you, babe."

"Its not a choice. She's our daughter. I would do anything to keep her safe."

"You're an amazing mother already."

"Thank you, Jack."

After dinner, Jack carried her to the back deck and set her on the lounger and then laid down next to her. "I thought we could watch the stars come out like we used to on the beach in Hope Valley."

She sighed and wrapped her arm around his waist. "This is great. Being outside…this is exactly what I needed."

They stared up as the sky turned dark and the stars gradually appeared.

"There's the Big Dipper," he pointed. When he didn't get an answer, he looked down and her eyes were closed. "Are you asleep?" he whispered.

"Yes," she muttered, making him smile.

"Should we go to bed?"

"No, I just want to stay here. Please."

"Anything for my girls," he whispered.

….

Over the next six weeks, he continued to take care of both his girls, even letting their moms, Viola, and Julie spend the night for a baby shower/adult slumber party of sorts. He, of course, stayed with Tom at their apartment and helped take care of Collin and Lane.

When Beth hit the 36 week mark at the end of September, she needed to see her OB to make sure she was ok to go two more weeks before the C-section.

However, her blood pressure was up a bit and the baby seemed a little smaller than what she wanted to see, so she admitted Beth to the hospital for monitored bedrest. They also gave her a drug that was supposed to help mature Natalie's lungs faster just in case she had surgery early.

Two days after she was admitted, Beth started spotting so they decided to do the surgery to prevent excessive bleeding.

Jack leaned down and kissed her just before they wheeled her down the hall. "I'll be right next to you. I just need to put on my scrubs and wash up before I join you."

"I'm scared," she told him, tears falling from the corners of her eyes.

"It will be ok. We get to meet Nat today, Beth. Our baby girl is coming today!" He kissed her again and then watched for a moment as they wheeled her away.

….

"You're going to feel some pressure, Beth, as we get her out. That's normal. Just try to breathe normally."

Jack sat next to her and held her hand, their view blocked by the blue drape.
"She's almost here, Beth."

"Jack, pray for us," she whispered.

"Dear Lord, please keep our baby girl safe as the doctors deliver her. Thank you for giving me Beth. What a gift she is to me." He looked up as he heard the tiny cry of Natalie Hope. The doctor held her up above the drape. "Thank you," he whispered.

"Here she is, folks. Little but strong."

"Oh, gosh, Jack. She's beautiful."

They wrapped her up quick and let Beth kiss her for a moment and then whisked her away to check her over.

After a couple minutes, they brought her back. "She's tiny, five pounds, but her lungs are good." The nurse handed her to Jack. "Congratulations, both of you."

….

While the surgeons finished with Beth, Jack held Natalie and got to know her a bit. About an hour later, in recovery, Beth was finally able to see her up close.

A nurse walked in and asked her pain level.

"I'm ok right now. Maybe a three."

"If you get to be about a five, let me know. You'll heal better if you stay medicated."

"Can I breastfeed her?"

"Sure. Her little eyes are open so it might be a good time to try." The nurse helped her hold Natalie with her tiny body in her arm instead of across Beth's stomach to minimize pain. "We need to make sure her mouth opens wide enough to latch on correctly."

Finally after a few tries she was drinking and Beth felt so much love and emotion. "Oh, she's so wonderful. Jack, she's actually here," she said between sobs.

He nodded and kissed her softly. "She is."

After feeding her, Beth and Natalie fell asleep. Jack held his daughter skin to skin on his chest since she didn't get to do it as soon as she was born. Feeling her breathe against him, the little angel that was inside Beth for all those months, took his breath away. She was his. His to support and take care of and love. He did love her. So much he felt like crying.

Instead, he decided to take her out to see their families in the waiting room while Beth slept. He laid her on his lap and wrapped her up and buttoned his shirt and then quietly left the room.

"Hey everyone," he said quietly as he walked in the waiting room. "I have someone I'd like you to meet."

….

Beth and Natalie stayed in the hospital for three more days and then were allowed to go home.

Jack drove slow on the way home, very slow.

"Babe, I'd like to get home sometime today," Beth teased from the back seat of their car.

"Listen, you just had surgery and she is tiny. I don't want to take any chances."

Beth gazed down at the second love of her life. "Yeah, she's tiny. But the love I have for her is anything but."

"I know what you mean."

When they arrived home, Jack hopped out of the car and opened Beth's door and helped her slowly get out. She winced, cradling her much smaller belly. "Ouch."

Jack kissed her lips and smiled. "You're amazing, Beth. Thank you for keeping her safe."

She winked, tearing up yet again. "I love you."

"I love you too." He opened the other door and took out the carseat so they could head inside.

Beth headed for the living room, since she couldn't climb stairs for awhile and Jack followed. She sat slowly on the couch and sighed.

"What do you need, babe? Would you like some water?"

"Yeah and there is some soup in the freezer from your mom. Can you heat that for me? I'm hungry."

"Of course." He left Natalie in her car seat on the couch and left the room. But almost the exact moment he left, Natalie woke up and decided it was lunch time for her too.

Jack rushed back in the room with a bottle of water so he could get Natalie but Beth had reached over and unbuckled her. "Thank you," she told him as he handed her the water.

"You're welcome. I'll go heat up the soup."

As Jack stood in the kitchen and heated the soup in the microwave, he listened to Nat start squawking and then quiet down as she received her nourishment. He could then hear Beth talking to her and singing softly.

His phone buzzed in his pocket.

"Hey, Ma."

"Hi, son. Make it home ok?"

"Yeah."

"Are you ok?" She could hear emotion in his voice.

"Yeah, just feeling a bit overwhelmed right now. In a good way of course."

"Do you or Beth need anything?"

"No, we are fine. I'm heating up some of your soup right now for lunch."

"When do you head back to work?"

"I took two weeks off. So I have about ten days left."

"Jack?" Beth called.

"Gotta go, Ma. I'll call later." Jack walked in to the living room. "Yeah, babe?"

"I need a diaper and some wipes, please. And maybe some more sleepers for Nat."

"You got it."

….

That night, all three attempted to sleep in the living room. Nat in the bassinet Nana Charlotte bought her, Jack on one end of the couch and Beth on the other.

Every hour and a half to two, Nat was either hungry or had a dirty diaper. Jack swore he had never seen so much poop in his life and he couldn't fathom how such a tiny thing could make so much of it, but she did and he proudly changed her diaper.

By the time the sun came up, they had each slept about four hours. Beth finished feeding her and handed her to Jack. "Babe, I need a shower. Can you please watch her for me?"

"Of course. Do you need me to carry you up the stairs?"

"No, I'll just go slow." She stood, winced, and then walked away.

"Well, Nattie, it's just you and me for a bit. What should we do?" She sighed and looked up at him. "Coffee? Yeah, that sounds perfect. Let's go make some. You can help and by the time you're six months old, you can make it for me. How does that sound?"

….

ONE YEAR LATER

"Jack, we are going to be late for the beach," Beth told him impatiently. The whole family was going to be there. It was a one year birthday party for Nat and a going away party for Tom, Julie, and Lane.

Beth kissed Nat's head. "It wouldn't do for one of the guests of honor to be late, would it, Nattie?"

"Okay, okay, let's go." He walked towards them.

"Dada!" Nat reached for him so he took her, leaving Beth to grab her bag. Everything else was already in the car.

As they drove to the lake house, Beth held Jack's hand and listened to Nat talking and babbling in the back seat. The past year had been a whirlwind. Jack loved his job as Deputy and was thinking of applying to be Sheriff because the current Sheriff was retiring next year.

Small town life was what made them happy. Beth was teaching as a substitute at the local Elementary school and Nana Charlotte watched Nat those days Beth worked.

Last week, Nat had stood up and let go of the couch, balancing for a moment before realizing it. It would only be a matter of time before she took her first steps.

"We're here, babe," Jack told her, waking her up.

"Oh, ok."

"You feeling ok today?" he asked her.

"Of course. Let's do this."

A bit later, everyone was gathered on Tom and Charlotte's deck in the sunshine. Lane, Collin, and Nat played in a sandbox Papa Tom had built in the corner.

"Well, this is a big day," Tom Sr. said, raising his glass of iced tea. "Happy Birthday to the most lovely granddaughter in the world! And to Tom and Julie, we will miss you and Lane but Houston will be lucky to have you both."

"Here here," everyone toasted.

"Plus, we have a place to visit when Hope Valley gets boring," Tom said with a laugh.

As everyone returned to their conversations, Jack slipped his arm around Beth's waist. "Hey, babe. Later, meet me at the lookout?"

Her eyes sparkled as she laughed. "For old time's sake?"

"Something like that." Really, he just wanted to revisit the place that had been so important to them, where he had first held her hand and where he had proposed.

…

Around sunset, Beth and Julie watched Viola with her boyfriend Derek who were standing out by the edge of the water. He held Collin as if he was his father and maybe he would be soon. They had been dating for nine months and you could see the love they both felt on their faces.

As if on cue, Derek pulled a small box out of his pocket with his free hand.

Julie gasped quietly and latched on to Beth's arm, not wanting to ruin the moment.

Beth smiled and watched as Derek asked the question and Viola nodded and kissed him before he slipped the ring on her finger.

"Big day," Julie said, having a secret of her own.

"Yeah," Beth agreed. "In fact, I need to go see Jack. Don't leave before we get back, ok?"

Julie nodded and gave her a hug. Julie was happy, in fact, happier than she thought possible. She and Tom and Lane were moving to Houston the next week. Tom and his boss had decided to partner in their web design business and base it in a large city, choosing Houston. Julie was willing to go anywhere.

Now, she was pregnant, about eight weeks, and was about to go tell Tom.

….

Beth walked up to the lookout after making sure Nat was being watched by Grace and William.

When she walked up, Jack sat with his back toward her, feet dangling off the edge. She was transported back to their teenage years and to the year he had proposed.

"Hey," she said, sitting next to him after removing her shoes.

"Hi." He slipped his fingers through hers. "It feels like we're seventeen again and I'm so nervous because I love you and I'm afraid you don't feel the same."

She laughed and kissed him. "But I do. With all of my heart, Jack."

"The feeling is mutual, sweetheart."

He turned and picked up something he had hidden and then gave it to her. "A white rose. Jack, are you going to propose again?" she teased.

"No." He kissed her slowly, pulling her deep into his love. Then he stood and took off his shirt. "I am going to jump though. And, I think now is the time for you to finally jump with me."

She stood and stepped back. "No can do."

"Please, Beth? Just this once."

"We have Nat and…"

"Nothing is going to happen. The water is deep."

"No, what I meant was, I don't think the doctor would like it if I jumped off a cliff at twelve weeks pregnant. Plus, there's the whole breaking my neck thing too."

"What?!" He stepped toward her and smiled. "Pregnant?"

"Yeah. It happened quick this time."

"Oh, wow."

"Are you happy?" she wondered.

"I'm the happiest I've ever been. This is the best summer yet."

"It's the perfect summer," she corrected. He nodded and then walked to the edge and jumped off, yelling as he fell, just like when they were seventeen. "That's your Daddy, little one. Always having fun. Boy are we lucky."

**** Well, that's all for this story. thank you for going along with me in this adventure. Make sure you check out my A Love of Convenience and also Trust From the Heart stories. ****