A month later, September 18th

The family gathered at Pop and Charlotte's house for dinner after the adoption ceremony at the courthouse.

Tom, Katie, Elisa, and Kyler were there. Mike, Julie, and their girls, and of course Jack, Elizabeth and Joe and Fin.

Bill, Jack, Mike, and Tom grilled hotdogs and hamburgers while the women dressed a large salad, and made dessert. Elizabeth was quietly chopping veggies for the salad when Julie stepped next to her.

"Hey, Beth."

"Hi," she said, sniffling.

"Why are you crying?"

"Onions?" she gestured.

"You don't cry over onions. What's going on?"

"I'm not pregnant."

"Oh. Well, didn't you just start trying? Like two months ago?"

"Yeah. I guess I was hoping it would be as easy as it was before, you know? We didn't try and poof. Now we are trying and nothing."

"What if you're wrong? You could be pregnant."

"No, I'm not. I know I'm not."

"Then you'll keep trying." Elizabeth nodded and forced herself to stop crying.

"Right. I'll be patient." After all, she had waited two years before they could start trying. What's a few more months?

It ended up being a few more months before Elizabeth even had an inkling she might be pregnant. In December, she noticed feeling different than usual. In fact, she felt nauseated and exhausted so she got excited and took the kids to the store to get another pregnancy test.

When she came home, she decided she would wait for Jack to come home and the kids to be in bed before she took it.

At six, he walked in the door and came over to kiss her and the kids. "Mmm. Roast pork?"

"Yeah. Hungry?"

"Starving. Do I have time to shower?"

"Sure."

About twenty minutes later, he joined them at the table. After the blessing, and the kids were eating, he squeezed her hand. "So, anything you want to tell me?"

"Oh, you mean like why there's a pregnancy test on the sink in the bathroom?"

"Yep. Let's start there."

"I feel funny. I was nauseated and I've been exhausted and two weeks ago I missed my period, so if I'm right…"

"You could be six weeks pregnant."

"Yeah. I thought I would take it after the kids are in bed."

"Sounds good."

So about two hours later, they sat on their bed waiting for the ten minutes to be up.

She wanted a baby so bad she could taste it. It was so easy to get pregnant with Fin and Joe but this one, it's been six months since they started trying.

"Elizabeth, if you're not, it's ok, you know. We can just keep trying. Mom said that usually the minute you stop trying is when it will happen. I guess there's logic in that."

"Wait, you talked to Mom about this?"

"She knew about it, so that means you told her, right?"

"Well, I…I guess. Hearing that you talked to her is so embarrassing."

"How is it any different?"

"I don't know. It just is."

Jack let it go, knowing she was nervous and probably hormonal which meant she was saying things that didn't make sense.

**Ding** the timer went off.

Elizabeth looked at Jack and stood up, dragging him with her. She was prepared if the results were negative. She had taken many tests over the previous six months.

"Oh my gosh!" she said, covering her mouth.

Jack looked at the test. Two pink lines. "Yes!"

"I can't believe it! I was prepared to be disappointed again."

He wrapped his arms around her and buried his nose in her hair. "This is good." He pulled back and kissed her cheek and then her lips. "I love you, Elizabeth."

She smiled and then cried, hormones absolutely making themselves apparent. "I love you too."

….

The next few weeks were busy and hard. Fin turned four and she dealt with nausea while working at the daycare and taking care of things at home. She and Jack went to the doctor to confirm her pregnancy and they figured a due date of August 18th.

In early March she could find out what she was having but she and Jack enjoyed that little surprise so they would go to the ultrasound but refuse the option to be told the gender.

In February, she and Julie threw a small birthday party for Joe and the twins who were turning three. Everyone gathered at Katie and Tom's house because that was where the kid's friends were.

"Look at you," Julie said, nudging her gently with her elbow as they watched the kids running around the room. Elizabeth was at fourteen weeks and feeling good. Because it was her third pregnancy, she was showing already. "You look adorable."

"Thanks, Julie."

"You look happy too, Beth."

"I am. This baby is a blessing and I intend to enjoy every minute of it."

"That's great."

"Mama," Meredith said, touching Julie's knee.

"Hi, boo. Did you have cake?" Julie asked with a giggle as she saw the frosting all over Meredith's face and hands and now her own knee.

"Yum!" she said with a nod.

"Yeah. I bet. Let's get you cleaned up."

Elizabeth smiled as they walked away and then smiled bigger when Jack walked in the door. "You're late, cowboy." He walked up and gave her a long hug. "How was work?"

"It could have been better. But, I don't want to think about it. Let's go find Joe."

Elizabeth could only imagine the sad or horrific things he must be exposed to every day. He had decided that he would choose the ER as his area to work in. He liked the fast pace because it made the time go fast. He liked having to think on his feet too.

"Coming?" he asked her, holding his hand out to her.

"Of course."

….

Elizabeth leaned back against his chest as they laid on the couch by the fire. He sighed and put his hands gently on her small belly, kissing her temple.

"Wanna tell me, babe?"

"Tell what?"

"What happened at work?"

"There was a pileup just outside the city. We were the closest hospital so the ambulances came to us. There was at least a dozen people and some were just scraped up. But there was this young girl, about Aubrey's age…" He swallowed to fight his emotions.

"Its ok," she told him as she turned in his arms, wrapping hers around him.

"No, she had been trapped in the car and the rescuers tried to get her out but she told them to get her baby brother first. By the time she was out, she had lost so much blood and…we… couldn't save her."

"Oh, honey. I'm so sorry. That is so sad."

"All I wanted to do was get out of there and get to you and the kids."

Elizabeth thought back to the party where he had sought out the kids and sat down with them on the floor. They had all climbed on him and tried to tickle him, calling him Uncle Jack. Then when he had seen Aubrey, he hugged her tight and kissed the top of her head. Now Elizabeth knew it was more than just loving her or the others.

"You are a wonderful man, Jack," she told him, cupping his cheek with her hand. "That little girl was so fortunate to have you with her today."

"But we couldn't save her." More tears rolled down his cheeks and she wiped them away.

"I know but if I know you, you told her it was going to be ok, didn't you? That her family loved her very much? That she saved her brother?"

"Yeah."

"Then you were who she needed. You were where you needed to be."

….

"Michael?"

"Yeah?" He looked up from the newspaper, looking adorable in his new glasses.

"Do you love me?"

He frowned, folded the paper, and removed his glasses. "What?"

"Do you love me?"

"Julie Hickam, that is the craziest question I have ever heard you ask me."

"Ok, so I'm crazy, but you didn't answer my question."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her to his lap. "I said your question was crazy, not you, and I didn't think you really needed me to answer it."

"I do."

He slowly raised his hand to her cheek and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Of course I love you. I love every single thing about you, right down to this freckle behind your ear," he whispered, his lips finding the soft skin where the freckle was. He smiled when she shivered, grabbing his arm as she enjoyed his attention.

"Promise?"

"Babe? What's going on?" He stopped kissing her and looked in her eyes.

"Nothing."

"Tell me."

"Tina at work. Her husband just left her. She said they hadn't been getting along and they rarely talked and they have three kids and…"

"Julie," he said, touching her lips to stop her rambling. "You are not Tina, and I am not her husband. We get along fine and we talk all the time and I will never ever leave you or our girls. I love all of you too much." He kissed her softly. "Do you believe me?"

"Yes."

His lips found hers in a passionate embrace, his hand on her waist pulling her even closer. "I will always love you, sweetheart. Please don't ever doubt that."

Julie nodded and laid her head on his shoulder, soaking in his love. "I love you so much."

"Mama!" Meredith cried down the hall.

"She's probably hungry."

He nodded and kissed her one more time and watched her walk down the hall.

He smiled when he heard her singing to Meredith as she fed her. Her perfectly imperfect voice that the babies loved, that never failed to make him fall deeper in love.

He got up and walked down the hall, checking on the twins and then joining Julie.

She looked up and smiled at him, as she brought Meredith's fingers to her lips.

"You're so beautiful, Julie."

"Thank you."

"Wanna take a bath with me?"

"Yes. I do." He smiled at her quick response, kissed her, and headed into the bathroom to get it ready.

….

The next day was Saturday and Jack had a day off so it was family day, starting with breakfast in bed.

He got up before anyone else and headed down to start cooking. Pancakes and fruit was pretty safe as far as Elizabeth's stomach was concerned so he made that. He poured tea for Elizabeth and himself, and two cups of milk for the kids.

"Daddy?"

He turned and smiled. "Hi, Fin."

"I'm hungry."

"Oh yeah? Pancakes sound good?"

"Yeah." She rubbed her eyes and yawned.

"Come here, beautiful. I need a hug." She walked over and raised her arms. He picked her up and hugged her close. "I love you, Fin."

"Love you too, Daddy." The tears almost showed up again but he pushed them back.

"Wanna help me take breakfast to Mommy?"

"Yeah." He put her down and handed her a small bowl of blueberries.

"Careful, don't spill. Bub and Nemo don't need blueberries in their diet." Fin giggled and carefully headed upstairs. Jack let the dogs out, filled their bowls, and took the tray upstairs.

As he walked past Joe's room, he noticed him moving around. "Be right back, bud."

"Breakfast in bed?" Elizabeth asked as she sat up.

"I brought you boo berries, Mama. I didn't spill them!" Fin told her proudly.

"Boo berries? Yay! I like those."

She took the bowl and Fin climbed up and crawled under the covers and laid down. Jack handed Elizabeth the tray. "Be right back. I'll get Joe."

After potty, Jack and Joe joined the girls and ate breakfast.

"So, what's the occasion, Jack?"

"Family day. No work, only fun and love."

"Sounds good."

"What are we gonna do, Daddy?" Fin wondered.

"Whatever we want. We can stay in our pajamas all day and eat whatever we want and watch movies."

"Family day sounds fun!"

"It sure does, Fin."