A month had passed since Jack felt the baby move for the first time. He was amazed every time he put his hand on his wife's belly and he felt the baby kick. Sometimes the feeling would bring tears to his eyes. The miracle of life blossoming in front of him. A life that was made from the love he and Elizabeth share for each other.
Unfortunately, Jack had been called away on Mountie business about ten days after he first felt the baby. He hated to go, but knew that it would be better to take the assignment now so he could be with Elizabeth when the baby was due. He knew it wasn't customary but he wanted to sit with her while she was in labor, to help her through the pains. He had witnessed a couple of births while he was in Mountie training and he knew it was going to be very painful. He wanted to be her rock, to encourage her through the contractions and be there for whatever else she may need. When he asked Elizabeth how she felt about him being with her while she gave birth, she cried, happy tears. She had told him she felt a little better about the pain of childbirth just knowing he would be there with her.
In Hope Valley, Elizabeth was living life day by day without her husband there with her. She was getting tired more easily as the pregnancy advanced. She was finding it exhausting to walk to school every morning, teach all day and then walk home. Fortunately, Gabe had noticed how tired she was one day and he offered to come pick her up every day in a buggy and bring her home afterwards. Elizabeth gratefully took him up on his offer and she insisted on paying him.
One morning, Elizabeth woke up feeling sick to her stomach and extremely tired. She hadn't had morning sickness in a long time; she was hoping she didn't have a stomach bug. She dragged herself out of bed and made herself some toast. It seemed to settle her stomach so she went to get changed for work. Once she started teaching for the day, she started feeling worse. By mid-morning, she began to feel abdominal pains. She started to get worried; she was afraid she they might be labor pains. She changed her lesson plan for the day slightly by asking the children to work quietly on their essays so she could sit down, grade papers and monitor the pains. She soon realized she was getting them about every five minutes. She tried to keep herself calm so she wouldn't upset the children, although she was panicking inside. She was so afraid she was going to lose the baby. She decided to call Cassandra to her desk. Cassandra was always helping her out since she found out about the baby. She trusted Cassandra to be able to handle the younger children and to get help for her.
After hearing her name called, Cassandra approached Elizabeth's desk. She could see that something was bothering her teacher. "Mrs. Thornton," Cassandra whispered. "Is something wrong?"
Elizabeth motioned for her to come closer. "Cassandra, I need to tell you something and I need you to stay calm." Cassandra nodded. "I have been experiencing pains every five minutes for about a half an hour now. I need for you to dismiss the children and get help for me."
Cassandra felt herself panicking and she could only imagine what her teacher was feeling. "Of course! I will take care of things." She turned towards the classroom. "Attention, class! Mrs. Thornton isn't feeling well. She is dismissing class for the remainder of the day. You are free to leave."
The students, while happy the school day was ending early, they were all very concerned for their teacher. Gabe noticed some of the children didn't want to leave. He quickly took care of the situation, then walked up to Elizabeth's desk, where Cassandra was holding the teacher's hand while Elizabeth experienced another pain. "Mrs. Thornton, are you ok? Do you want me to take you into town to see the doctor?"
"Yes, please Gabe. I need to see Dr. Matthews right away." She had tears in her eyes as she talked. Cassandra nodded to Gabe and he ran outside to get the buggy.
Cassandra then helped her teacher out of the schoolhouse, down the stairs and into the buggy. She climbed in with her teacher so she could hold her hand during the trip into town.
As they approached the edge of town, Bill appeared from another direction, coming back from handling rounds. When he saw Elizabeth in the buggy, in the midst of a pain, he became very worried. "Gabe? What's going on?"
"Inspector Avery, Mrs. Thornton isn't feeling well. She started experiencing pains. Cassandra dismissed school and we are taking her to Dr. Matthews."
"I am coming with you. Jack would want me close by."
Elizabeth, breathing a little easier after the pain, looked at Bill and gave him a weak smile. "Thank you, Bill."
Abigail was on the porch of the café talking to Cat Montgomery when the buggy went by. Gabe didn't see Abigail or hear her call after him, but Bill did. "Elizabeth is experiencing pains, Abigail." Both women gasped. "I am going to wait at the doctor's for word on her condition. I have to look out for her, for Jack."
"I am coming with you." Abigail said. She turned to Cat. "Could you close the café for me? I won't be serving today."
"Of course, Abigail. Let Elizabeth know I am praying for her and the baby."
"I will." Abigail stepped off the porch and followed Bill to the doctor's office.
When Gabe pulled the buggy to a stop, he jumped out and helped Elizabeth as Cassandra went to tell Dr. Matthews what was going on. He came out to help get Elizabeth into his office. Gabe and Cassandra went to sit in the waiting. Bill and Abigail came in just as they sat down.
In the exam room, Dr. Matthews began getting some of his instruments ready. "Elizabeth, tell me exactly everything that has happened up to this point. Don't leave anything out, no matter how small it is. It could lead to a big clue as to what is happening and may make it easier for me to get a treatment plan set."
"Ok." Elizabeth paused as she felt another pain. When it passed, she looked at Dr. Matthews. "I woke up this morning feeling nauseated. I was surprised because I haven't had any morning sickness since December. I was exhausted too, even though I went to bed early last night and slept right through the night. I remember thinking it was strange that I felt that tired. I ate some toast and my stomach started feeling better, so I got ready for school. As the day progressed, I started to feel worse again." She paused again as another pain took hold. "I started to feel like I couldn't keep my eyes open and then I felt the first pain. I thought maybe I was just coming down with something, but decided I needed to sit for a while and monitor the pains, so I assigned some quiet work for the children. The pains kept coming, more frequently. When they got to about five minutes apart, I decided to dismiss school and come see you."
"I am glad you did. I am afraid you may be experiencing pre-term labor. I am going to examine you now to see what is going on."
She nodded, tears filling her eyes. She watched carefully as Dr. Matthews brought his stethoscope to her belly. He listened quite intently for several minutes. Elizabeth started to get extremely worried. "Dr. Matthews? Please! Tell me what's going on!"
Dr. Matthews turned to look into her eyes. "Elizabeth, you need to remain calm. The reason I took so long listening to the baby's heartbeat was because I detected two heartbeats." He cautiously smiled. He had an idea as to what might be causing her pains.
Elizabeth felt shock run through her body. "Two heartbeats? Twins?"
"Yes, Elizabeth, twins! I distinctly heard two strong heartbeats. That's the good news. Also, I have noticed that it has been about fifteen minutes since your last pain. That's a good sign too."
Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, the pains are not as frequent now. What do you think is wrong?"
"I think your body was telling you it's time to get a lot more rest. Be off your feet more. How long are you on your feet during an average school day? Four to five hours?"
"Yes, sometimes less, sometimes more, depending on the lessons."
"I see. That's a lot for a pregnant woman and especially since you are having twins. As you know, the baby takes a lot of energy from the mother-to-be. When its multiple babies, it's even more energy. Your body was giving you signs it's time to slow down."
"I see. I have been experiencing more exhaustion lately. I attributed it to Jack being away. I don't always sleep well when he isn't home."
"Of course, that makes sense. Now, I would like to discuss a treatment plan for you."
"I can guess the first thing is for me to stop teaching. I can definitely do that. I want healthy babies."
Dr. Matthews smiled. "Yes, Elizabeth. That was going to be the first thing I was going to say. You need to be off your feet as much as possible. I don't believe you need to be on permanent bed rest but you need to be mindful of how much time you are walking around. You seem to be a bit dehydrated, which could also be the cause of your pains. I would like you to drink more water. As much as you can take. I know it's a lot to ask when you will have babies sitting on and kicking your bladder but it's for their health as well as yours."
"I understand."
"Now I know Jack is away right now. Do you know when he will be back?"
Elizabeth looked sad as she went to answer him. "No. I got a letter from him the other day saying the case was taking longer than he thought."
"I see. Is it possible to get word to him? I know the Mounties can be tough about this kind of thing but I really think he should come home to you. It would help with your recuperating."
"I hate to ask him to come home but if you think its best, I can get Bill to help me get word to Jack."
"I do. With twins, there is a good chance you may have them early."
"I see."
"In the meantime, I would like someone to stay with you at all times. I don't want you to have to cook meals or do anything strenuous for the remainder of the pregnancy."
"I understand. I don't want to do anything that would harm the babies, or myself for that matter. Do you think it would be ok for me to walk the stairs in the café? As long as I promise to stay up there most of the time? Abigail would let me stay with her and I know she will take good care of me."
"I don't see that as a problem, Elizabeth. You understand there are going to be some limits to what you can do and you are willing to do whatever it takes. Rest for a few days completely upstairs. If you are feeling better after that, I think it would be fine to have someone help you downstairs for a while. That way you don't get cabin fever."
"Thank you, Dr. Matthews. For everything. I haven't felt a pain since right after I got here."
"That's good. I am going to let Cassandra and Gabe know what's going on with you. I am sure one of them will go get Abigail for you."
"She's already here. She saw us coming into town and Bill stopped to tell her what was happening."
"That's good. I will send her in.:
"If Bill is out there, ask him to come in too." Dr. Matthews nodded then opened the door.
Everyone in the waiting room stood up when Dr. Matthews entered, closing the door behind him. "Elizabeth is doing much better. The pains have stopped." Abigail and Cassandra both let out sighs of relief. "Abigail, Bill, Elizabeth would like to see you both. Gabe and Cassandra, hang around for a little bit. I think Mrs. Thornton wants to talk to you both."
"We will." Gabe replied.
Abigail moved towards the exam room door and opened it. She rushed towards the exam table and gave Elizabeth a hug. "I am so glad you are no longer having pains. Does Dr. Matthews know what happened?"
"I am beyond relief that the pains are gone. Yes, Dr. Matthews knows what is happening." She paused for a moment, as she was still feeling some shock over what had been discovered. "I am having twins!"
Abigail looked flabbergasted. Bill just stood there, not knowing what to say. "What? Twins?" Abigail asked. Elizabeth excitedly nodded her head yes. Abigail gave her another hug. "I am so happy for you."
"So am I, Elizabeth." Bill said. He grinned. "I can't wait to see Jack's expression when he finds out."
"That's part of the reason I wanted you in here with Abigail. Dr. Matthews thinks the reason I had the pains is because the babies are taking a lot out of me. He said what happened was my body's way of telling me I need to slow down."
"That makes sense. I remember how tired I would get when I was pregnant with Peter. I can only imagine what you must be feeling, carrying two babies. Does Dr. Matthews want to you to stop teaching?"
"Yes. I am more than willing to do it. I want to have healthy babies closer to their due date. Anyway, he asked when Jack was going to return and I don't know. He thinks I should get word to Jack somehow and ask him to come home. He wants someone to be with me, especially since I could end up having the babies early. Bill, I am not sure how I would go about that. I hate asking Jack to come home but I understand why Dr. Matthews thinks it's a good idea."
"It is." Bill agreed. "If I know Jack as well as I think I do, he would want to come home. I will help you get a telegram together and I will get it sent off to him."
"Thank you, Bill."
"Elizabeth, what does Dr. Matthews think you should do until Jack comes home? We don't know how long that could be and I don't think you should be by yourself in your home. You could come stay with me, as long as it's not a problem for you to be walking up the stairs."
Elizabeth smiled. "I knew you would ask me to stay with you. Dr. Matthews said it's ok for me to walk up the stairs today and rest for a few days upstairs. If I am feeling better, I can then venture downstairs for part of the day."
"Perfect! I closed the café for the rest of the day. Let's get you settled in your room and maybe Cassandra can stay with you while I go to your home and get some things for you."
"That would be great." Elizabeth agreed.
Just then, Dr. Matthews returned to the exam room. "How are you feeling now, Elizabeth? Anymore pains?"
"No. I am still very tired but other than that I feel great. Abigail asked me to stay with her until Jack returns. I didn't have to ask her."
Dr. Matthews smiled. "Good. That makes me feel better about you. I will check on you daily. I would like for you to stay here for a little while longer, just make sure everything is getting better. Maybe another hour at the most."
"That's fine. Bill and I can work on a telegram to Jack and Abigail can head to my place to get some of my personal things." She looked towards Abigail, who nodded her head.
"I will bring everything I can think of. If I forget anything I can always go back or get it from the mercantile."
"Thank you, Abigail! You are the best friend I have ever had. I really appreciate this."
Once Abigail and Dr. Matthews left, Elizabeth and Bill worked on the telegram:
Jack,
Hate to be sending this to you, but you need to know.
Elizabeth experienced a complication with the pregnancy.
Doctor wants her to stop teaching and to go on bed rest.
He also suggested you come home.
Elizabeth is staying with Abigail until you return
She will explain once you arrive.
Wire back with your plans
Bill.
Abigail returned just as the hour was up. She and Bill helped Elizabeth up to her old room above the café, then Bill left to send the telegram, promising to come see her when he got a response. Abigail helped Elizabeth get changed and into bed, promising to come back with some soup in a little while. Elizabeth fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
The next day, in a town about three days ride from Hope Valley, Jack was feeling frustrated. He had been there over a month and he was not any closer to solving the case than he was the first day he arrived. All he wanted to do was throw in the towel and head back to Hope Valley and to his wife. The night before he had woken up from a nightmare. Something had been wrong with Elizabeth and the baby. He tried to shake it off as just a bad dream, but the feeling just wouldn't leave him alone.
After spending half the night thinking about his situation, he decided to send a telegram to headquarters, telling them the case was going nowhere and that he wanted to return home. He opened the door of his living quarters to find a young boy about to knock on the door. "What can I do for you, David?" He asked.
"Mountie Jack, this telegram just arrived for you." He handed the envelope to Jack.
"Thank you." He said as the boy ran off. Jack closed the door and went to sit down at the table. He had a bad feeling about this telegram. He saw the telegram was from Bill. His heart started to beat faster as he opened the telegram and then read it. He lowered his head to the table after he read it, crying. His dream was coming true and he wasn't there to be with Elizabeth. He felt so guilty for taking this assignment. For the first time since he became a Mountie, he hated his job. It had taken him away from his family just when they needed him most.
Jack stood up, wiped the tears from his eyes and quickly packed his things. He was on his horse and on the way back to Hope Valley without a second thought about his job or sending a telegram back to Bill. All he wanted to do was to get home as soon as he could
Jack rode almost constantly so he could get home faster, only stopping to give his horse a rest, some food and water. He needed to be doing something to keep his mind off of what was going on with Elizabeth and the baby. He wished the telegram had said what was wrong. The not knowing was driving him crazy. When he was letting the horse rest, he would pace the ground, worrying and imagining the worst.
He finally reached Hope Valley later in the early evening, the second day after he left. He practically jumped off his horse before bringing him to a stop and ran through the back door of the café, into the kitchen. Abigail turned when she heard the door open and smiled.
"Jack, you're home. Elizabeth will be so happy! She is upstairs in her old room."
Jack started to run towards the stairs, but stopped to turn back to Abigail. "Thank you for taking care of her." He then proceeding up the stairs. The door to her room was open and he ran right in. He found his wife lying in bed reading. She looked up when she heard him come in.
"Jack!" A smile lit up her face. "I am so happy you are home." She shifted slightly on the bed to allow room for him to sit.
He quickly walked over and sat down next to her, picking up her hand and kissing. "Elizabeth!" He took her gently into his arms. All the questions that had plagued him on the way home seemed to escape his mind as he held her. After a few minutes, he pulled away, with tears in his eyes. Elizabeth reached up and wiped them away. "What happened, Sweetheart?"
Elizabeth put her book aside, then took his hand in hers. "The other day I woke up not feeling well. I was nauseous and very tired, even though I had a great night's sleep. I had something to eat and was feeling well enough to go to work, but once I was there, I started feeling bad again." She paused, wanting to delay telling him about the contractions. She knew he was going be so scared but he had to be told. "I started having pains." She whispered.
"What? Like labor pains?" As predicted, he looked terrified. He then realized that the pains must have stopped because she was most definitely still pregnant. He calmed down. "What did you do next?"
"I gave the children an assignment to work on quietly and I sat down at my desk, where I monitored the pains. They started coming every five minutes, so I had Cassandra dismiss school for me and she and Gabe brought me into town to see Dr. Matthews. Bill saw us on our way into town and so did Abigail, so they waited at the office while I was examined." She smiled again, thinking about when Dr. Matthews told her about the twins.
Jack noticed her smile and for the first time since he received the telegram, he felt a weight lift off of him. "What are you smiling about?" He asked, wondering what she would say next that would make her so happy.
"Oh, Jack! It's wonderful! Dr. Matthews said he heard two strong heartbeats. Jack, My Love! We are having twins!" She carefully watched Jack's face as the news sunk in.
Jack couldn't believe what he just heard. He had been thinking the worst the whole ride back and now she said they were having twins? "Twins? Really? Two babies?"
Elizabeth laughed. "That's what they usually call two babies at once. What do you think?"
Jack reached over to her and pulled her into a huge hug. "Sweetheart, I am so happy and blessed." He buried his face in her hair, breathing in the flower sent of the shampoo she used. "But, wait. Why didn't you tell me that in the telegram? I was so worried and scared."
Elizabeth frowned. "I am sorry about that. I knew you would worry when you got the telegram but I wanted to see your face when I told you. I was so conflicted over it. Maybe I should have just told in the telegram." She looked away from him, and felt tears come to her eyes.
Jack gently moved her face back so he could look at her. He wiped the tears away. "Elizabeth, don't cry. It can't be good for you to be upset." She nodded. "You were right not to say anything in the telegram. It was better hearing it straight from your lips." He leaned in to kiss her. As he did, he put his hand on her belly. He felt a nice, strong kick, which made him pull away from Elizabeth and grin at her. He leaned down and put both hands on her belly. "Hello, kids. Daddy is home and he is not leaving again." He felt more kicking.
Elizabeth felt tears fall down her checks, but this time they were happy tears. "Oh, Jack! That's so sweet!"
He grinned at her. "So what happened after Dr. Matthews heard the heartbeats?"
"By that time, the pains were decreasing, thank God." Jack nodded in agreement. "Dr. Matthews concluded that the pains, exhaustion and nausea were my body's way of saying I need to slow down. He said that carrying twins makes a woman much more exhausted than a woman who is only pregnant with one baby. He wanted me to stop teaching for the remainder of the pregnancy and try to stay off my feet as much as possible. He also said I was dehydrated which could have also caused the pains."
"Thank goodness he has a plan. I am glad you sent word to me. There is no place I would rather be than here with you right now."
"I have to admit I was nervous about asking you to come home. I wasn't sure what having you home now would do to your career."
"Elizabeth, don't worry about that. I will handle the Mounties."
"Ok." She kissed him. "I am glad you are home. As much as I love having Abigail taking care of me, I really want to be back in our home with you. Although I think we should stay here tonight. It's a little late to be heading home. There is room for you in this bed."
"I agree. It is late to be going home. I am exhausted too. I rode pretty much non-stop to get home to you. Sleeping with you here sounds really good to me." Just then his stomach rumbled. They both laughed. "And get myself some dinner. Have you eaten yet?"
"No. Abigail brings me dinner after the café closes and she eats up here with me. She will have a meal for you too."
Sure enough, just as Elizabeth said the words, Abigail appeared in the doorway with a tray with two plates. "I thought you might be hungry, Jack." Jack got up so Abigail could put the tray down on the bed.
"Thank you, Abigail."
"Are you planning on going home tonight?" Abigail asked.
"No." Elizabeth replied. "We both feel it's too late and Jack is tired."
"I was thinking the same thing." She turned to walk out of the room. "Enjoy dinner and I will have a nice breakfast for you in the morning." She closed the door behind her.
Jack sat down on the bed as he and Elizabeth ate dinner. They talked about how scared they both were over the pre-term labor and how glad they were to be back together. Jack left the room briefly to get his bag and to take care of his horse, then returned to the room. After he changed, he climbed into bed with Elizabeth and held her close.
"You are so beautiful, Elizabeth. You are even more beautiful than the day we met."
Elizabeth blushed. "Thank you, Jack." She yawned. "I'm sorry. I get tired so easily."
"Then you should sleep. Listen to your body. I will be here all night holding you."
"I missed this." She whispered as she settled into his embrace.
"Me too." Jack replied, then realized she was fast asleep. He closed his eyes, imagining holding two babies in his arms. He fell asleep with a smile on his face.
The juices were really flowing tonight. I decided I like the idea of our favorite couple having twins so much, I wanted to use it for this story as well. For followers of The Detective and The Nurse, I should have an update this weekend.