Elizabeth sat down on the edge of the bathtub and entered two minutes on her cell phone timer. This was going to be the longest three minutes of her life. Lately she had been experiencing nausea and vomiting, mostly in the mornings, dizziness and exhaustion. Her period was a month late. When she first realized she had missed her period, she thought it was because Jack was away on a long business trip. He was asked to take over for an instructor at Mountie Training who had been diagnosed with cancer. It was going to be a few more weeks before he returned. She thought her period was just late because she was adjusting to being alone. Since then, she had developed the other symptoms and she began to think she might be pregnant. So here she was, taking pregnancy tests. She had bought three different tests; she was taking two now and if they each came up with a different result, she would take the third.
As she waited for the two minutes to pass, she thought about how much she wanted to be pregnant. She and Jack had been married almost three years. They had wanted children right away; they were both secure in their jobs and had put enough money away to start their family immediately. Month after month had gone by and Elizabeth would be disappointed when her period came. After a year of trying, Elizabeth went to the doctor and asked to have tests done to find out if something was wrong. It turned out the painful cramps she experienced every month since she was a teenager was a sign of a condition called endometriosis, which can cause infertility. Elizabeth had gone under treatments to clear up the endometriosis, including a surgical procedure. She stopped having the painful cramps but she still wasn't able to conceive. Her doctor had suggested she and Jack may want to try in-vitro fertilization. They had spent a long time discussing it but in the end came to the conclusion that they should let nature and God decide for them. They also spent a lot of time talking about adopting. They had been planning on speaking with an adoption agency when Jack got the call that he was needed in Toronto.
Her timer went off and she stood up to check the tests. She picked up the first test; she smiled when she saw it was positive. She paused, taking a deep breath, before checking the second test. Her smile grew when it too, was positive. She debated taking the third test but then decided to call her doctor to make an appointment. They were able to get her in for blood and urine tests before school and would call her when the results. They left a message on her cell phone and she returned the call at lunch time, from her car. She didn't want an audience in the lunch room while she got the results. The results were the same as the home tests; she was pregnant. She set up an appointment in two weeks for a full exam and an ultrasound. She wished Jack could be there with her but knew he could go to other appointments later on. Now she had to decide how to tell Jack. She didn't want to wait until he got home; he deserved to know right away. Telling him over the phone was out; she wanted to see his reaction. She decided to text him and ask for him to video chat with her later. Then she would hold up one of the home tests and see if he could figure out that their lives were about to change forever.
The rest of the school day went by slowly. Right before she returned to the classroom, she received a text back from Jack saying he would call at eight that evening. He had asked her if anything was wrong and she told him nothing was. She just said she missed him and wanted to see his face. She tried to keep busy once she got home, correcting papers and working on upcoming tests. Around five, she began to feel the exhaustion take hold, so she laid down on the sofa to rest, with her cell phone alarm set for six thirty so she could make dinner and then wait for his call.
After having a bowl of homemade chicken noddle soup, made by their friend Abigail Stanton, who owned a popular café in town, she settled back on the couch with one of home tests and waited for Jack to call. When the call came through, her heart started to beat faster. She answered it.
"Hi, Jack! I miss you and I love you!" She blew him a kiss.
"Hi, Sweetheart! I miss you and I love you so much." He returned the kiss. "I have to say you had me worried all day. I don't think you have ever asked me to video chat before when I have been away. Are you sure there is nothing wrong? I hate saying this but you look tired and pale."
"Gee, Jack! You really know how to flatter a girl." She said sarcastically but with a smile on her face. She knew how she looked. "I'm just kidding, Jack. I know how I have been looking. I have been feeling under the weather lately. That's why I wanted to talk to you."
"What's wrong, Elizabeth? Are you sick?" He said with a concerned expression on his face.
"Yes, but not in the way you are thinking. Maybe this will answer your question." She held up one of the pregnancy tests.
Jack looked at it, confused at first. Elizabeth watched the expression on his face change from confused to shock. "Elizabeth, is that what I think it is?" He could barely get the words out, he was so stunned.
She smiled at him. "What do you think it is?" She replied.
He swallowed hard, all sorts of feelings running through his body. He was sure what it was and joy was what he was feeling the most. "It's a pregnancy test. A positive pregnancy test. Tell me, Elizabeth. I want to hear it from your lips."
Elizabeth felt tears of happiness form in her eyes. "We're having a baby, Jack. I went to the doctor today and had the home tests confirmed."
Jack had a huge grin on his face and his eyes were shining with love and tears. "Sweetheart, I am so happy right now. I can't believe it. We are finally having a baby! What else did the doctor say today? Will the endometriosis be a problem with you carrying to term?"
"Well, I didn't see the doctor. I only went in to have blood and urine tests done to confirm the pregnancy. I have an appointment in two weeks with my doctor and for an ultrasound. I am going to make a list of questions to ask her. Let me know what yours are and I can add them to my list."
"I am sure I will have some. I can't think straight now, I am so excited and happy. And a little sad that I am not with you at home right now. I wish there was a way I could reach through the computer screen and hug you."
Elizabeth laughed. "I wish there was a way too. I wanted to tell you when you were here but you aren't going to be home for a while and I didn't want to wait that long to tell you."
"You choose the best way to tell me since we can't be together. I wouldn't have wanted you to wait to tell me. I just wish I was with you to see the changes you are going to go through."
"I had an idea about that earlier. I thought I could take a weekly selfies of myself and send it to you. You won't see much change in the beginning but it's a way to be involved with the pregnancy until you get home."
"I would like that."
"Just make sure you don't show anyone my pictures. They are for your eyes and your eyes alone." She felt a yawn coming when she finished talking and tried to hide it. She didn't want Jack to see it because he would insist she go to bed, although she knew he would be right. She needed to listen to her body and if her body was saying it was time to rest, she needed to rest.
"I promise I won't show anyone." He saw her yawn. "Are you tired, Sweetheart?" He asked with concern in his voice.
"Yes I am, Jack. I'm sorry. I wanted to talk with you for a while longer but my body has other ideas. I get so tired now that I am pregnant. At least tomorrow is Friday. Only one more day until the weekend and then I can rest more."
"I hate to say goodnight too but I don't want to keep you up if you need sleep." He blew another kiss at her. "I love you, Sweetheart, and our baby. Sleep well."
"I love you too, Jack. You sleep well too. Goodnight." She blew him another kiss then ended the call. She cleaned up around the living room, then headed upstairs to get ready for bed. She was asleep within minutes of her head hitting the pillow.
Back in Toronto, Jack sat staring at the computer for several minutes after they ended the call. He was so happy about the baby. Their dream was finally coming true. He just wished he was in Hope Valley with her to celebrate with her. Suddenly, he had an idea. The cadets had the weekend off from drills and maneuvers. If he could get someone to cover his class on Monday morning, he could fly home tomorrow night and spend the weekend with Elizabeth, returning to Toronto on an early flight Monday. He'd have to rent a car to get home but he felt it would be well worth it. He just wanted to hold her in his arms. He opened a browser on his computer and began searching flights. He quickly found flights that would work but before he bought the tickets, he had to call Patrick Reilly to ask him to sub for him Monday morning. Jack grabbed his cell phone and called Patrick, hanging up the phone several minutes later with a huge smile on his face.
Friday morning, Elizabeth woke up very nauseous. She had read on line that eating saltines would help with the nausea, so she had put some on her nightstand the night before. She picked up the package out, took out a cracker and then proceeded to stare at it. She felt so sick to her stomach that she didn't want to eat anything but she knew she had to try. She managed to get three crackers down before her stomach revolted. She ran to the bathroom and proceeded to throw up. She was there for quite a long time before she felt like she was finished. She slowly got up, feeling dizzy as she stood and went to brush her teeth. The toothpaste reacted badly to her stomach and she was back at the toilet. After, she laid down on the cold floor wondering how she would get herself to work that day. She glanced up at the little clock they kept in the bathroom and realized she was really late. The dizziness was worse when she got up again, so she decided to call in sick. It was Friday; she could spend the day trying to figure out what would work to help with the nausea, get in a routine over the weekend and hopefully be ready to return to work on Monday. She slowly made her way back to bed, pulled out her phone and dialed work. After the call was done, she slipped back under the covers and went back to sleep.
She woke up a few hours later, still feeling a bit nauseous and very tired. She knew she needed to eat something so she tried eating the saltines again. This time it worked; her stomach settled down. She decided to stay in bed for a while longer, resting and then if in a little while she could have something else to eat. The chicken soup sounded good to her. There wasn't much left so she decided to call Abigail to see if she could bring over more soup and to tell her about the baby. She had a feeling Abigail suspected she was pregnant. Abigail arrived a couple of hours later with a chicken and wild rice soup. She was so excited to learn that Elizabeth was pregnant and promised to stop by with more soup tomorrow. After Abigail left, Elizabeth had some of the delicious soup and then went on line to search for pregnancy web sites and chat rooms. She spent a couple of hours reading and found some tips about morning sickness. At five, like clockwork her fatigue returned, so she went back up to bed for a nap.
Elizabeth was awakened by her cell phone signaling a text. She glanced at the phone and noticed it was almost 8pm. She saw the text was from Jack. There is a surprise for you outside. It said. Curious, she got out of bed, slipped on her robe then went downstairs. She stopped at the living room window to look outside and couldn't believe what she saw. Jack was standing next to a strange car in the driveway. She threw open the front door and ran into his opened arms. He picked her up and twirled her around and around, until she had to beg him to stop because she was getting dizzy and nauseous.
Jack set her down carefully, with a worried look on his handsome face. "I'm so sorry, Elizabeth. I didn't think about that. I was just so excited to see you."
She brought a hand up to his face and stroked his cheek. "It's ok, Jack. I'm fine now. And I understand your excitement. I am excited too. I can't believe you're here." She grabbed his hand and led him back into the house. Once inside, she led him to the sofa.
"After we said good night, I started thinking about how much I wanted to see you. Since there are no classes or maneuvers scheduled for this weekend, I decided to come home and surprise you. I am all yours until Monday morning."
"Oh, Jack! That's wonderful. I am so glad you decided to surprise me." She leaned in to kiss him, a slow passionate kiss. She had missed him so much since he left and wanted to show him just how much.
Jack responded to the kiss with equal passion. He had been counting the days since he started teaching at the Academy until he could take Elizabeth in his arms like this. Then he was counting the minutes since he made his plans last night. He was still finding it hard to believe he was holding and kissing her right now. Just then, she let out a soft moan and he depended the kiss.
Elizabeth reluctantly pulled away from the kiss a moment later, only because she needed to breathe. She glanced at Jack and noticed he was just as breathless as she was. "I love you, Jack." She whispered.
"I love you, too, Sweetheart. Both of you." He placed a hand on her abdomen and tenderly looked into her beautiful blue eyes. He had tears in his eyes as he spoke
"I love you too, Daddy." She replied in a childlike voice, as she felt tears in her own eyes. They stared lovingly at each for a couple of minutes, just taking each other in, when they were interrupted by her stomach growling. That broke the trance they were in and they laughed together. Elizabeth placed her hand on top of Jack's. "Ok, Little One. You are hungry. Let's go get some dinner." She got up, still holding Jack's hand.
He stood to go with her. "You haven't eaten yet? It's late for you." He said as they entered the kitchen. He spotted her pulling a big pot out of the fridge and went up to stop her. "Elizabeth, let me do that. You go sit at the table."
She sat down at the table like he asked. She could protest but she figured he wanted to pamper her this weekend since he wouldn't be back home for several weeks. She decided to let him. "Yes, it is late for me. I had a bad day today and I was sleeping when you texted me."
Jack, who had been checking out what was in the pot, turned to look at her with worry in his eyes again. He turned the burner on low to medium so the soup wouldn't burn off then went to sit with her at the table. "What do you mean by you had a bad day?"
She didn't want to tell him what had happened this morning but if she was sick again tomorrow, he would figure it out. "I had a bad bout with morning sickness this morning. I had to call out of work."
Jack looked alarmed. She almost never stayed home sick. It had to be pretty bad for her to want to stay home. "What happened, Sweetheart? How are you doing now?"
She laughed. "I am doing much better now. Remember my stomach growling was what brought us in here."
"Oh, yeah. That's right. I'm sorry. You scared me a little by saying you had to call out sick."
"Well, the main reason I decided to stay home was because tomorrow is Saturday. I was hoping I could figure out a plan that would help me Monday morning. I have been reading pregnancy web sites and blogs and have found some things I want to try."
"That's good. I wish I could be here to help you every day with the morning sickness."
"I do too, but it is what it is. I am glad you are here with me this weekend. I can't wait to spend time with you." She smiled brightly at him, the smile that always made his heart skip a beat.
Jack grabbed her hand and kissed it. "I can't wait either. I wouldn't mind if we spent the whole weekend in bed, just holding each other tight."
"I wouldn't mind either."
He got up to check the soup. "Soup is done, Sweetheart. Do you mind if I have some?"
"Not at all. There is plenty and Abigail is going to drop off more tomorrow. By the way, I told her about the baby when she came by with the soup today. She suspected I was pregnant; I was in the café the other morning getting something to drink and I got a whiff of the eggs she was cooking for someone. I had to make a mad dash to the bathroom to be sick. I guess I looked pale when I came out and then I ordered a decaf tea and that was all she needed to figure it out."
"That sounds like Abigail. She always has a sense about these things." He brought two bowls to the table, then went and got them spoons. "What would you like to drink?"
"I have some decaf iced tea in the fridge."
"You got it." He poured two glasses and then sat down to eat. They ate in silence for a few minutes. "Elizabeth?"
"Yes, Jack?"
"The whole trip here, I was thinking about making you breakfast in bed tomorrow morning. I was going to make eggs, but you just said the smell of them cooking at the café made you sick."
"Oh, Jack. That's so sweet that you want to make me breakfast and that you are checking with me about the eggs. I would love it if you made me breakfast in bed but we should wait until we know how I am going to feel in the morning."
"I can deal with that. When you get hungry, let me know what you feel like and I will make it for you."
"I will."
A little while later, after they had finished dinner and Jack had washed the dishes, they went up to their bedroom. Jack went in to the bathroom to take a shower while Elizabeth got herself settled in bed. She picked up her journal and started writing about the baby and how happy she and Jack were. She put her journal away just as Jack returned to the bedroom. He joined her in bed. She turned to him and kissed him, much like she had earlier when he first came home. She put her hands on his muscular back and started massaging him. He moaned in pleasure and kissed her with equal passion.
When they parted from their kiss, Jack pulled her closer in his arms and breathed in the smell of her hair as he ran his fingers through it. She let out a soft sound of pleasure; he knew she found him playing with her hair to be sensual. He gently laid her down on the bed and kissed her again, running his hands up and down her body, causing more sounds of pleasure to be released from her. He pulled away from her for a moment and looked into her eyes, wanting to be sure she felt up to making love. A slight nod of her head gave him his answer. Soon they were loving each other like they never had before.
I spent a lot of time working on this story. I restarted it a couple of times because I just wasn't feeling the story. I think it's better now, but I would love to have opinions about it. I decided to have Elizabeth have endometriosis because it was something I struggle with for years.