Eight weeks later, Helen flew to Massachusetts so that she was sure to be there when her newest grandchild showed up. Lucas picked her up at the airport.

"Lucas, would you take me to the mall?"

"Um…sure."

"What?"

"I don't think I've ever known you to go to the mall. Where's Helen Bouchard? I was supposed to pick her up at the airport."

She squeezed his arm and smiled. "Very funny, dear. I want to get a gift for Elizabeth and the baby and Aria."

"That's very sweet of you, Mom."

"How's Elizabeth doing?"

"She's good. Doc said any day now. The baby is head down and she's dilated to two centimeters already."

"And you still don't know the gender?"

"Nope. Elizabeth says, and I agree, that there are so few true surprises in life so she wants to choose to be surprised now."

"That's a good point."

"Did you find out what I was?"

"I did. Your father and I set up your nursery in blues and all things that said you were a boy. I loved that room. I used to rock you in it every day as you ate or right before bed."

"That sounds peaceful."

"I loved your father, Lucas."

That came out of nowhere. He looked over at her, surprised. "Of course you did, Mom."

"I mean, he was the only one I ever loved."

"Okay." He took her hand and pulled over to a parking lot. "Mom?"

"But, I'm seeing someone," she told him quietly.

"You are?"

"Yes and…he's wonderful."

"That's great, Mom."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. Does he make you happy?"

"Yes."

"Well, that's what is important. Does he treat you like a queen? Because you should be treated like a queen."

"He does."

"Tell me about him, Mom."

"He's my age and he recently retired. He likes to travel so we are planning a trip to Switzerland in a few months."

"What did he used to do for a living?"

"He was a cardiologist."

Lucas nodded and squeezed Helen's hand. "A trip to Switzerland…how long have you been seeing each other?"

"Four months."

"Have you…two…discussed the future?"

"Some but we aren't rushing that. Just doing what makes us happy."

Lucas kissed her cheek. "I'm happy for you, Mom. You deserve this."

"Thank you, dear." She blew out a breath and blinked away the tears in her eyes.

She had been worried about his reaction.

"What do you think, bugs?" Elizabeth asked, rocking in the nursery. "I think we did a great job, don't you?"

"Yep."

Elizabeth could still tell something was bugging Aria. She assumed it was just the changes that were coming soon. "Aria May?"

Aria looked up at Elizabeth from her seat on the fluffy rug in the middle of the room.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Mommy."

"Nothing will ever change that. Not even having a new baby. You know that too, right?"

Aria shrugged and put her forehead on her knees.

"Honey, come here." She opened her arms for Aria to come over.

"I won't fit, Mommy. I don't fit anywhere."

"Well, I can't get down on the floor and get back up so you're going to have to try to come over here," Elizabeth said, laughing.

Aria giggled and wiped her tears that were on her cheeks. Then she got up and walked over, attempting to climb on Elizabeth's lap.

Elizabeth knew it might not be comfortable but it was going to have to work. Aria needed extra assurance and Elizabeth was the one that could give it to her.

"You fit, see? You fit in my heart, bugs. You fit in my arms, even though my tummy is big right now. You fit in our family. You are my daughter, even though I didn't give birth to you."

"How do you know you can love me and the baby?"

"Because that is how God made Mommy's and Daddy's. He made their hearts big enough to love all the children that he provides. With each baby, the heart grows and opens just a little more so there is always enough."

"What if you had ten babies? Would everyone fit?"

"Yep. But, I'm not going to have ten babies. Just making that clear."

Aria giggled and relaxed. She could hear Elizabeth's heartbeat in her ear while she could feel her little brother or sister moving against her chest and tummy. "Hi, baby. I'm your big sister Aria. I'm always going to love you. Just like Mommy and Daddy. Cause I bet God made my heart big enough for you too."

"Oh boy. You are amazing, bugs. Truly amazing."

Right then she felt a twinge in her back, travel to her stomach and spread down her legs. "Ouch."

"What's wrong, Mommy? Did the baby kick?"

"No, um. Just a little something." She gently moved Aria and asked her to go get her cell phone from the kitchen. She rocked quietly as she waited to see if the pain returned. She was pretty sure it was a contraction but she needed her phone to log the pains.

"Ow," she mumbled as the pain started again. "Aria?"

"Here, Mommy. I got your phone."

"Thank you, sweetie. Can you do me a favor?"

"Yes."

"Will you get me a bottle of water?"

She ran out and down the stairs, returning when the pain was gone. Elizabeth texted Lucas.

"Babe, something might be happening. How long until you are home?"

He called her a second later. "Hey, what's happening?"

"I think maybe contractions. There's only been two so its early."

"Well, I picked Mom up but she wanted to make a stop so we might be maybe thirty minutes?"

"Okay."

"Babe."

"Yeah?" she asked.

"This might be it. We might have the baby. Tonight."

"Yeah."

"Its exciting."

"Very."

"I love you. We will be home very soon."

"Okay. Love you back."

As soon as Lucas hung up, he hurried to find his mom. She mentioned gifts so he headed toward the baby gift section. "Mom!" he shouted, almost running toward her.

"Lucas, what on earth….?

"Beth might be in labor. We need to hurry."

"First baby's take a while so we probably have a long time."

"I don't care."

Lucas normally wasn't so blunt with his mother but he couldn't take it back.

"I just want to be there for every minute. If I have to, I will leave you here."

Helen couldn't help but smile. "You remind me of your father. He was the same way when it was time to have you."

She put the item she was holding back on the shelf and started walking toward the entrance of the store.

"Don't you want to buy that?"

"Not when we have a baby to go meet. Hurry, son."

…….

The next 36 hours were exhausting. Her water broke a few hours after the contractions started so they headed to the hospital but she was not making much progress. At hour 35, the doctor suggested a C-section.

"I don't want that," Elizabeth insisted. "Please, I can do this."

"Mrs. Bouchard, it isn't safe. Your water broke yesterday and every extra minute, there is more of a chance to get an infection. Plus with the baby being breech…"

"Beth, listen, I'm worried," Lucas told her. "I agree with the doc. Its been so long and you are exhausted. I don't want to lose either of you."

She looked into his eyes and cupped his cheek with her palm. "Okay."

"Thank you." He kissed her and held her for a moment. He was ready to meet their baby and he was worried that it would all be too much if they didn't do something soon.

They prepped Elizabeth for her C-Section immediately, as the baby's heart rate had started reacting to the contractions, dropping too low for everyone's liking.

Within twenty minutes, she was numb and lying in a chilly operating room with a drape covering her from the chest down. "We are going to start, Elizabeth," the surgeon told her.

"Wait, I need Lucas. Please get my husband. He can't miss this."

"I'm here, babe," he said, walking in and taking a seat near her head. He wore blue scrubs from head to toe, a shower cap looking hat and a mask over his face.

"Luke, I'm scared."

He rolled closer on his stool and kissed her temple through his mask, praying in her ear to calm her and himself. "Dear Father, please guide the doctors' and nurses' hands so our beautiful baby and Elizabeth are safe and healthy. Please help us to stay calm and trust that everything will be alright. Please also give us peace. Through Jesus' name. Amen."

"Amen."

"You'll feel some tugging and pressure, Elizabeth, but you shouldn't feel any pain," the surgeon told her. "Deal?"

"Yes."

"So, Jameson William Martin Bouchard or Mackenzie Allison Bouchard, right?" he asked, trying to distract her. He dried her tears as they waited to hear that blessed cry of a newborn. The one that told them the baby was safe.

"Yeah and we will call him Jamie and her Kenzie."

"Perfect."

She felt the tugging and pressure, almost pain, but not quite. "Oh gosh."

Then, they heard it. That perfect cry.

"Folks, look up and you'll see your baby. Dad, do you want to tell Mom the gender?"

He looked up and laughed, a pink, goopy, gorgeous baby was screaming and wiggling.

Then he saw…"It's a boy, Beth. He's perfect."

"He is," she said, focusing on their son. "Absolutely perfect."

……

Lucas walked out into the waiting room with Jamie while Elizabeth was in recovery. "Who wants to meet the newest Bouchard?" he asked, quietly.

Everyone gasped and looked up. "Me!" Aria yelled, making everyone chuckle.

Lucas knelt in front of Aria who was sitting in her chair, wiggling with excitement. "Oh, Daddy! Is it a boy? It has a blue hat!"

"It is a boy. This is your brother, bugs."

"A brother? Wow. I have a brother, Nana!" she said, looking at Helen.

"He's so handsome," Helen said, watching her granddaughter holding her grandson. "Congratulations, Lucas."

"Thanks, Mom."

William and Grace held Jamie next and then Grace said that it looked like he was getting hungry so Lucas took him back to the recovery area.

Elizabeth was dozing when he walked in, likely due to the anesthesia so Luke wondered what was going to happen with the baby and feeding him.

Thankfully a nurse walked in then. "I think my son is hungry and my wife is sleeping."

"I'll bring you a bottle of formula."

"Oh, um Beth and I want him to have breast milk."

"I'm awake," Elizabeth said quietly. "I want to feed him."

After some assistance and a lot of patience, finally Jamie was full and sleeping again. Elizabeth was in a bit of discomfort so once she had been given some medicine too, both were sleeping.

Lucas wandered out to the waiting room, thinking that because it was a school night and evening that Helen would be taking Aria back home but when he arrived, he found a sobbing Aria. Helen was rubbing her back but it wasn't helping.

"What's happening?" Lucas asked, sitting down next to his daughter.

"I don't want to go home without you and Mommy and Jamie. I want to stay here! Please, Daddy."

Lucas picked her up and placed her on his knee, wrapping her up in his arms. "Bugs, we talked about this, remember?"

"I don't care. I don't want to go home!"

"Aria May. Don't yell at me. I need you to listen."

"No."

"Stop. Look at me."

Aria looked up slowly. "But, Daddy…"

"Stop. You are going to go home with Nana tonight. You have school tomorrow."

"I hate school."

"You don't but you are exhausted. You need to go home, have dinner with Nana, take a warm bath and go to sleep. I will see if maybe in the morning, we can do a video call before you go to school, alright?"

"No."

He sighed, kissed her forehead and shook his head. Boy, she was a stubborn one. "I love you, Aria. Please be good for Nana."

Aria crossed her arms and sat down, not looking at him. She knew she had lost the battle.

"Mom, you have my permission to take away her iPad tonight if she misbehaves."

They all stood up and said goodbye and Lucas headed back to Elizabeth and Jamie, hoping Aria would get some rest and everything would be great in the morning.