The morning of Aria's party

Aria tried to open her parent's door but it was locked. She tried to listen but everything was quiet still.

"Daddy?" she whispered loudly, knocking with her fingertips. "Mommy?"

Lucas opened the door and looked behind him, making sure Elizabeth was still asleep.

"Happy Birthday, baby girl," he whispered, picking her up, even though she was much too big.

"Thank you, Daddy!"

"What do you want for breakfast?"

"Is Mommy getting up?"

"She's pretty tired so what if we make breakfast and then see if she's awake?"

"Okay."

He put her down and they walked downstairs. "Nana!" Aria yelled, seeing Helen in the kitchen with an apron on.

"Shhh…bugs," Lucas shushed his daughter.

"Sorry."

"You're cooking breakfast, Mom?" Lucas asked, kissing Helen's cheek.

"Morning, son. Yes, I'm cooking. Aria, pancakes or waffles?"

"Waffles please."

"Bacon?"

"Mmmm. Yes. Can I help you?"

"Of course." Aria washed her hands and pulled a chair over near the counter so she could be taller.

"I can crack eggs, Nana. Mommy showed me how."

"Okay then. Three eggs in the bowl, please."

Lucas started some tea and toast for Elizabeth, humming to himself. It was going to be a great day. Full of fun and surprises and love. He was so excited.

He thought back eight years to when Aria was born.

…….

Eight years before

Lucas watched Clara struggling to push their baby girl out. The baby was stuck on Clara's pelvic bone and she just wouldn't come down. She'd been pushing for three hours and nothing was happening and she had been laboring for almost twenty four.

"Babe, I think we should do a C-Section," he whispered in her ear. "Its safer." He didn't want to lose his wife or their baby they had wanted so badly.

"No, I don't want surgery, Lucas. I can do this. Maybe if I get in a different position."

She had walked seemingly miles in the hallway, trying to keep her labor going, trying to move the baby who had originally been breech. Now, at least she was head down but she was stuck.

The nurses brought in two straps made of strong sheetlike material. "Okay, honey, on your next contraction, I'm going to have you hang on to these and pull as you push. Maybe help that baby come out with the extra momentum."

Eventually, after pulling and pushing and moving onto her knees, she was finally able to get the baby to get past where she was stuck. Clara had never been so tired in her life.

Lucas would never forget the relief and rush of love he felt as he watched Aria finally come out and take her first breath. Then to hear her tiny little cry, moving her arms and legs. Or the moment that she was placed on Clara's chest, she quieted, finding her mama with her eyes. Lucas had never loved two people more than he did right then.

……

"Daddy?"

"Huh? Um, yeah. Sorry," he mumbled, wiping his tears.

"Daddy? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, sweetie. I promise. Just thinking is all."

"But you're crying."

"I was remembering when you were born. It was a magical day." He kissed her forehead. "And now you're eight years old. I can't believe it. I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you, Daddy."

"Thank you, love. You brought so much love into my life and I'll always remember the very moment I met you and held you in my arms."

"Morning," Elizabeth greeted, fresh from the shower and without makeup. In his opinion, a fresh and natural Elizabeth never needed makeup. She was amazingly gorgeous.

He walked over and hugged her, kissing her cheeks and then her lips. "Hi, sweetheart."

"Hi."

"Hi, Mommy! I'm helping Nana cook waffles."

"Good morning, birthday girl! Are you excited for your special day?"

"Yes! I'm so excited."

"Great. Why don't we call your friends that are coming and ask their parents if they can spend the night?"

"Really? That's awesome! Thank you!"

"I made you tea," Lucas told her, pouring the hot water over the tea bag. "Would you like some toast too?"

"Yes please and thank you for the tea."

Helen watched her daughter-in-law, trying not to act as if she was being nosy or staring. Tea and toast though. And maybe she seemed a bit exhausted.

"Good morning, Helen," Elizabeth said, sipping her tea.

"Good morning, dear. How are you?"

"Just fine. May I ask a favor?"

"Of course."

"I could use some backup for tonight. Aria is having four friends spend the night and I'm not sure I can do it on my own. Would you be willing to help?"

"I suppose so. That sounds like it might be fun."

"I plan on asking my mom too, but the more the merrier I think."

Lucas' phone rang on the counter. "I'm sorry, I need to take this," he muttered, walking into the other room.

"This is Dr. Bouchard."

After a few moments, Elizabeth saw Lucas walk past the kitchen and head upstairs. "I'll be right back," she told Aria and Helen.

Elizabeth found him in his office, staring out the window. "Sweetheart?"

"She's going home and into hospice," he said quietly.

"Minnie Canfield?"

"Yeah. She can't fight anymore, and the chemo didn't help her this time."

Elizabeth walked up and stood by his side, slipping her fingers between his. "I'm sorry, Luke."

"Its so hard, you know. To lose someone that you wanted to help so badly."

"I know."

"Joe's wife…I feel like I let both of them down."

Elizabeth raised her fingers and placed them on his lips. "You did everything you knew how to do, Lucas. Every single thing. Also, everyday that you go to Rose and you work hard with your team to find new details about cancers and treatments, that helps so many people. You fight for those people that can't fight for themselves."

"Thank you."

She hugged him tight and let him cry, knowing that sometimes, that was what a person needed to do to come to terms with grief.

The doorbell rang about ten minutes later, kicking Lucas out of his sadness. "That's Carson, with the puppy."

"Oh my goodness."

Lucas tried really hard to make it to the door before Aria, but it didn't happen. He heard her jumping up and down and squealing. "Uncle Carson! What is that?"

"I think you know what it is, Aria."

"A puppy!"

"Yes."

"Its for you, baby girl," Lucas said from behind her.

"It is?"

"Yes."

She opened her arms and accepted the tiny thing. "Oh gosh, you are sooo sooo cute. I'm your Mommy!"

Lucas shook Carson's hand and thanked him for bringing the puppy. "You're coming back later for her party, you and Faith, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it, brother."

Carson patted his bicep and squeezed his shoulder. "Did you hear about Minnie?"

Lucas nodded. "I did."

"They are so grateful for everything you did. You have to know that."

"Yeah."

"Hang in there, bro. Go celebrate with that adorable daughter of yours."

"Right. See you later. Thanks again."

He heard Aria giggling and then say, "Uh oh."

"What happened?"

"Max peed on the floor."

"Max? It's a girl, sweetie," Lucas told her.

"Oh, well, the name is a work in progress."

"Well, so is this puppy, I guess. I'll show you where the cleaning stuff is."

"I have to clean it?"

"You bet. You said you were old enough to take care of a puppy and this is part of it."

"Okay."

After that was done, they gave Aria a harness for the puppy, a leash and then showed her where the cage and food and water bowls would be.

"This is awesome! Thank you!" Aria yelled, hugging her parents.

"You're welcome," Elizabeth told her. "Let's take the puppy outside and show her the yard."

"But she just peed."

"True but she needs to know that she should go potty outside and not inside. So we are going to be taking her outside a lot. You need to also make sure you tell her that she's a good girl every time she goes to the bathroom out there."

"Okay."

……

William and Grace brought a cake and balloons a few hours later and then Faith and Carson brought some hotdogs and hamburgers. Finally, about thirty minutes before the party was supposed to start, Julie and Vi and their husbands brought presents and soda and then Aria's parents dropped off her friends Tia, Avery, Carolina and Kayla.

Elizabeth fought her nausea as she put streamers and tablecloths on the tables that Lucas had put up outside on the deck. She wanted to lie down but there was no way she would miss Aria's party. Even if she had to run to the bathroom and throw up a few times.

"You okay?" Faith asked, giving her a side hug.

"Does feeling like I'm going to barf any moment mean I'm okay?"

"Actually, it is a good sign."

"How are you getting through your nausea?"

"I eat something every hour or two and drink water. It helps."

"I'm not sure anything will stay down, but maybe I should try it."

Elizabeth knew that was a recommendation that they had for many pregnant mothers that showed up at Charlton but being the one who was pregnant herself, it seemed all those reminders went out the window.

Faith opened a cupboard and handed her a few crackers. "Try."

Now that everyone was there, Lucas ushered everyone outside on the deck. "Thank you everyone for coming and helping us celebrate Aria's eighth birthday!"

Everyone cheered and clapped. "Carson and I are going to be cooking burgers and hot dogs and corn on the cob. In the meantime, Aria wants to play some board games and she insists that everyone have a great time."

Aria's still nameless puppy curled up on Aria's lap as she and her friends played Crazy Eights at the picnic table.

"What should I name her, you guys?" Aria asked her friends. "I wanted to name her Max, but that's a boys name. This is hard!"

Elizabeth looked over at the grill and saw the raw hamburger patties and dashed for the bathroom. Good thing she was spilling the secret today. She wasn't sure she could keep it to herself and Lucas for much longer.

Lucas watched her run away. He wanted to follow her but his hands were a mess from the raw meat so he nodded at Faith and she went instead.

As the day went on Elizabeth ran a few more times and finally, it was time for presents.

"Its present time!" Aria yelled, carrying her puppy inside the house.

She put the puppy in her cage and locked the door and then went into the living room.

Her four friends brought her their gifts first. Each had brought her either makeup, nail polish or things for her hair such as headbands, hats or barrettes. "Oh my gosh! This is so cool! Thank you so much!"

Aria put one of her new hats, a purple and black beret, on her head and smiled for a picture that Nana Grace wanted to take.

She received a variety of other things but when it came time for another gift from her parents, she was confused. "But you already got me a puppy."

"True, but we also want to give you this," Elizabeth told her, handing her a gift bag.

"Thank you, Mommy." Aria opened the bag and took out the purple tissue paper. "It's a shirt!"

"Read what it says, bugs."

"Um, it says…pro…promoted to Big Sister. What does promoted mean?"

"It means you are going to be a big sister, bugs."

"I am?"

"Yeah."

"Wait…does that mean you are going to have a baby?" she squealed. "Yay! This is the best birthday ever!"

Elizabeth hugged her daughter and then her parent's faces caught her eye. They were smiling and fighting tears. She walked over to them and nodded. "Yeah."

"Oh, Bethie. I'm so happy for you," Grace said, touching her cheek.

"We are happy for you," William said, putting his arms around Elizabeth and Grace.

"Thank you."

The rest of the afternoon went off perfectly. Aria and her friends took the puppy out multiple times and fed her dinner and now they were laying on the floor in the family room watching a movie and eating popcorn and giggling.

"Darling, go up to bed," Helen told Elizabeth. "Grace and Julie and I can handle four eight year olds."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. Get rest for that baby."

"Okay. Thank you, Helen." She hugged her mother-in-law and headed to the master to do just that.

"Hey," Lucas said quietly as she walked in and locked the door.

"Hey."

"You look so tired. Come over here and I'll give you a foot massage."

"Oh my goodness. Yes, please." She laid down on the bed and he removed her socks and started rubbing her soles. "Promise me you will always do this. Even when I'm eighty and you're almost ninety."

He chuckled. "Funny, babe. But yes, I will gladly give foot rubs to the mother of my children."

"Thank you. Now I just have to think of something to give you."

"You don't have to give me anything. All you need to do is be my wife and I'll be happy."

"If I wasn't nauseated, I'm sure I could think of a way to repay you right now."

He laughed and just continued to rub her feet. Both of them were as happy as clams that the party and the surprises had gone off without a hitch. Now, they could relax and enjoy the ride that was their life.