"Sweetheart, eat your cereal please." Elizabeth asked Stevie at the breakfast table while she sprinkled some cherrios on two year old Jason's high chair table.
"But I don't want cereal! I want pancakes." Stevie whined
"Stevie, it's a school day, you know you only get pancakes on the weekend." Elizabeth sighed. She hated fighting with Henry, and Stevie's defiance was not helping matters. Elizabeth closer her eyes and tried to let it go; Stevie didn't deserve her wrath.
"I finished my cereal mommy." Allison bragged, she'd just turned 5 and kept saying how now she was a big girl.
"Good girl." Elizabeth said with a smile. Allison always did as she was told. She was so lucky with her. "Make sure you finish your juice, okay."
"Suck up." Stevie eyed her little sister. Allison stuck her tongue out at Stevie.
Elizabeth poured herself a mug of coffee and one for her husband, luckily missing the exchange between the girls. Henry had heard the conversation though as he descended the stairs and said. "Stevie, mom is right. If you finish your cereal, I'll make you blueberry pancakes this weekend instead of regular." He offered and Stevie immediately started eating her cereal.
Elizabeth sighed and handed Henry a cup of coffee, Stevie always listened to him. Henry had always had a way with Stevie, from the day she was born. The Stevie Whisperer as she would call him. She kissed him goodbye. "Have a good day."
"You too." He smiled sadly, his hands lingering on her hips a moment longer than they should have. But he was trying to show her he was sorry for their fight.
She kissed all of her children goodbye as she headed out the door. Stevie tried to pull away from her – her pre-teenage behavior of being too cool to kiss her mother goodbye had already started.
She kissed Jason's head. "Bye bye mama" he said and continued to eat his cheerios, more of them ending up on the floor than in his mouth.
As she headed out the door Allison ran to her with a brown paper lunch bag with the word "Mommy" written in red crayon. "Wait mommy! I packed you a snack."
She bent down to her daughter's level to retrieve the bag. "That's very nice sweetheart, thank you."
"It's cookies." She said. "Cookies always make me feel better when I'm sad."
"They do don't they?" Elizabeth agreed with her daughter, giving her one hug, hating that Ally had picked up on her mood. "You have a good day sweetheart. I love you."
*******Promises*********
Henry had spent a week in the hospital in Landsthul before they felt he was ready to fly home. His inability to walk had earned him desk duty for his remaining 15 months of duty. He'd be stationed in New York, working at the base there to help with special training for pilots – since he was so good at it and also dabbled in some intelligence work in helping to develop the missions.
Henry had been grateful for the assignment, although he did not like that he was not able to actually fly the planes due to his injury for a while.
Henry took his recovery very seriously; bound and determined to be the man Elizabeth married by the time he would return home to Virginia. He met with counselors and never missed a physical therapy appointment. They traded their letters for daily phone calls now that they were in the same time zone. He had been granted a weekend leave for his 1 year anniversary and Elizabeth took the train up to New York to visit him.
They met the Waldorf Astoria hotel and if she had any doubts about his physical recovery; they were put to rest when he swept her up and onto the bed the moment she entered the room. It was difficult to pry themselves from the bed and go out to dinner and to the play he'd gotten tickets for, but they did and had a wonderful time. "11 more months." He assured her as she left for Virginia 3 days later. "We can make it." And she knew they could, so impressed with his progress.
For her part, back at Langley, true to form, Elizabeth dealt with the absence of her husband by diving deep into her work at the CIA, putting in tons of OT, actively analyzing the rapidly situation in the middle east; confident that if she could figure it out – it would be a better situation for all involved in the war. And if she could continue to figure out the clues Saddam Hussein's men were providing, she could prevent a war al together. At least that is what she had convinced herself of, feeling she was doing her part to help. After seeing what the war had done to her husband, she didn't want any other families going through what they were.
When he returned home, they had the reunion Henry had imagined, although it held more meaning. He'd returned home not unscathed, but better and stronger than when he'd left. It was celebratory in a way they didn't imagine when he'd left; a testament to their commitment to one another. They'd spent the next 2 years happy and in love, making up for lost time, slowly building the foundation of their life. They had a modern townhouse in the city; so they could enjoy evening walks to the ice cream shoppe, dinners out, weekly poker games with their CIA friends, and impromptu movie dates. They furiously tried their best to recreate their college bubble, during at home time at least, where the horrors of war and the outside world were pushed far away.
During those years, Henry continued to teach flight class for Marine & Air Force pilots at Andrews while he went to finish his PhD, seeking the context of past religious conflicts to deepen his understanding of the war he participated in. He was generally at peace with it, but still thinking about it in new ways was a continued therapy. Elizabeth also took classes a few nights a week, while she finished her PhD in international relations, still having an interest in possibly teaching someday and moved through the company ranks very quickly.
By the time they reached their 4th anniversary they both had completed their educations; Henry was now teaching full time at UVA, and Elizabeth tossed out the idea that Henry had been thinking about for a while now. "I'm ready to have a baby."
******Promises******
6 months later Elizabeth angrily slammed the door as she entered their townhouse after work.
"Hi honey." Henry called; hearing the door slam from their home office as he graded papers.
"Hi." She said; unshed tears in her eyes.
"What's wrong?" he asked immediately
She reached hastily into her work bag and tossed a box of tampons on the desk.
Henry sighed, taking off his glasses. "Okay….babe…." She walked over to him, and sat on his lap. "What's going on?"
"I'm just frustrated." She confessed. "I mean, why I am not pregnant yet? It's been 6 months! We've been having sex A LOT."
"I'm not complaining about that." He winked at her sex comment.
Finally a smile. "Me either. But…"
"But what?"
"Well….what if there's something wrong? What if I have cancer?"
"Honey, you do not have cancer." He said.
"You don't know….my mother had a hard time getting pregnant, it's how they found out she had ovarian cancer. It can be hereditary you know." She said and he could tell she was legitimately paranoid about this.
"Honey, you just turned 26. You do not have cancer. But if it makes you feel better – make a doctor appointment and we'll get everything checked out okay?"
"Okay." She agreed and settled in for a hug and they shared a quick kiss.
The next week she and Henry had visited the doctor, both submitting blood samples for testing.
"Good afternoon." Dr. Miller said as he entered the room, holding her chart.
They couple smiled at the doctor. He had been Elizabeth's OB for several years and she trusted him greatly. "Elizabeth, I have your test results back and you don't have cancer." He eyed her with a slight smirk at her overreaction.
"Oh thank god." She breathed.
"Actually you are in perfect health. And Henry's tests came back fine too. Based on this I see no reason why you shouldn't be able to get pregnant."
Henry shot Elizabeth a look, hating to say I told you so, but she caught on and frowned at him.
"My advice to you is to stop worrying about it so much." He smiled at them. "I know you are very impatient. Just relax and try to enjoy this time. It will happen. Okay?"
Elizabeth offered a small smile and nodded. "Thank you."
*******Promises********
Shortly after their 5th anniversary; Elizabeth had been feeling unusually sick. It had been busy at work, so she chalked it up to lack of sleep and the fall back to school season; assuming Henry had inadvertently brought home on the flu bug. There were days she felt ok, but overall she just couldn't seem to shake it.
"Are you feeling alright?" Conrad asked Elizabeth while in a meeting in his office? She looked a little pale.
She thought about lying, but this was the CIA after all, her boss could surely tell she was not herself. "Truthfully, no. But I'm sure it's nothing. I'm just a little run down."
Conrad smiled at her, even though he didn't believe her as her face turned even more pale and she bolted from the room with a quick "excuse me", thankful she made it to the bathroom in time to empty her stomach. She sucked in a few deep breaths and splashed her face with cold water before returning to the meeting.
"Just a little run down?" George questioned when he returned.
"Maybe more than a little." She changed her mind. "I'll try and see if I can get in the doctors at lunch."
"Why don't you just go home after your appointment?" Conrad suggested.
"But I –"she protested
"Take the afternoon off. You've been working late a lot this month." He decided. He knew Elizabeth wasn't putting two and two together yet, but despite her paleness he noticed a glow in her eyes. The same glow his wife had when she was first pregnant with Harrison.
She wanted to continue to argue, but she had been putting in a lot of hours and she was feeling terrible. Maybe an afternoon in bed would do her some good. It was usually all she needed to feel better; a nap.
When she had called the doctor to make the appointment when she got back to her office she thumbed through her calendar, when they'd asked her for the date of her last period. "Umm" she said; realizing it should have been this week, but it was already Friday and there were no dots on her calendar yet. Could she be pregnant? Could it finally be happening?
"Elizabeth." Dr. Miller greeted; walking into the room with her file. "I understand you've been feeling a little sick?"
She smiled nervously, fidgeting with her bracelets. "More than a little." She admitted.
"Well my dear you are probably going to feel sick a while longer." He prefaced, not able to contain his smile any longer. "Because you are just about 5 weeks pregnant."
Elizabeth's eyes widened and her lips curled into a tearful smile. "Really? Oh my god."
"Due July 2. Congratulations." He smiled, taking a seat and handing her a tissue.
Elizabeth couldn't speak for a moment as she processed. She wished more than anything that Henry had been in the room to hear the news.
"Why don't you lay back so I can run a quick ultrasound and give you some photos to take home."
She nodded and laid back as he instructed, still unable to speak. He warmed the wand in his hand as he spread the jelly over her very flat stomach. It took him a moment, but soon a grainy dot appeared on the screen and he pointed it out to her. "There is your baby." Elizabeth was elated, but slightly underwhelmed by the photo. "I know it doesn't look like much, but it's very early on. On the next one, the dot will be bigger." He said, printing them off.
"Thank you." She said, slipping the photos in her purse.
"Now, Elizabeth. You may not realize it but right now that morning sickness of yours is actually a good sign. It means your hormones are working hard. So just try and eat what you can, when you can, and rest often. I'll see you back here in another month or so for a checkup. If you need absolutely anything or are unsure about something, call the office, okay? On your way out they'll give you a list of foods to avoid and your prescription for prenatal vitamins."
Leaving the office, Elizabeth glanced at her watch, very happy when she realized Henry should be home when she arrived. On Fridays he had only one morning lecture and office hours.
"You're home early." he looked up from his laptop from his seat on the couch, concerned "Still feeling sick?"
She nodded as she hung up her coat. "After I threw up in the middle of a meeting, Conrad sent me home."
"Babe, you should go to the doctor."
"Just got back from there, actually." She said, her ability to contain her smile was fading.
"What did he say? Did he give you something?" he asked as she took the seat beside him on the couch. When she sat he immediately wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
"He did give me something." She confirmed, reaching into her blazer pocket for the ultrasound photos and placed them on the coffee table in front of them.
Henry reached his hand out and picked up one of the photos; his eyes darting back and forth from hers to the photo. "Really?" he said, surprised in a good way.
She offered a tearful, happy smile. "Yeah."
"That's fantastic!" Henry beamed, he couldn't think of anything else he could say to express his happiness so he cupped her cheek and in to kiss her so softly. "I love you." He said, then moved his hand down to rest on her stomach. "And I love you too."
Elizabeth smiled at him and kissed his lips once more before resting her head on his shoulder. "We love you too."
Henry held up the photo and they both looked at it closely. Elizabeth had been slightly underwhelmed when the doctor first pointed out the small white dot, thinking it would be bigger. But the longer she stared at the photo the more amazed she was by it and the more it sunk in. They were finally having a baby. "It's crazy isn't it? That little dot is somewhere inside me." she said, pointing at the dot to Henry. "And it's going to turn into a baby by summer."
"It is kind of crazy." He agreed. "But it's our little dot."
Elizabeth couldn't remember how long she sat wrapped in her husband's arms, both of them staring in awe at their little white dot.
*****Promises******
A month or so later Henry and Elizabeth were packing up their suitcases to spend Thanksgiving weekend on the farm. His parents were driving down from Pittsburgh too. It was a little tradition they started when Henry had gotten home from Iraq, offering a way to spend the holidays with both sides of the family. Luckily the farm had more than enough space.
"Do you think we should make an announcement?" Henry asked, they had talked about doing it at Christmas, when she would be just reaching the end of her first trimester, just in case.
"We might have too, especially if I can't manage to eat any of my Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow."
"That's true. But I think it's okay if we tell them; they're family right?"
"It has been kind of nice though, just having it between us." She admitted. Since she'd been so sick, they had declined so many offers from friends to eat out or do things on the weekend, to avoid spilling the beans on their secret. Of course Conrad & George knew, they had figured it out, but she was glad they knew; she needed the flexibility while she fought through the all day morning sickness. She was their best analyst, and they both wanted her happy so they purposely kept her workload down without consulting her. She'd normally have argued with them and say she could handle it; but she'd been so exhausted she didn't have the energy and obediently went home promptly at 4pm daily and was usually in bed by 9 at the latest.
"It has." Henry agreed and pulled her into his arms after zipping her suitcase. "But in all seriousness I really hope you start to feel better soon. I know it's been draining."
On Thanksgiving morning Elizabeth managed a slice of toast before they hit the road. The drive wasn't long, but she had to fight through a couple waves of nausea on the way to the farm. "I think we're going to have to tell them." Elizabeth decided on the way, her stomach in knots.
Henry nodded and laughed slightly. "I don't know why this worries you, they're going to be elated."
"I know." She agreed, trying to use that thought to calm her stomach. She knew they were almost there and she tried to hold out, but when they had reached the dirt road, she couldn't hold out any longer. "Henry stop!" she cried and he did, just in time for her to open her door and empty her stomach. When she was through he handed her a water bottle, and she washed out her mouth before pulling the door shut. "Gum?" she asked
He handed her a stick, and rubbed her shoulder. "Better?"
She nodded as she chewed the gum, preparing for the onslaught of hugs she would receive when they arrived. She hoped her stomach could hold out until dinner.
Alice & Jane had spent all day cooking a feast while the Henry, Patrick & John watched football. Jane and Alice wouldn't let Elizabeth in the kitchen, but Henry helped with a few things and checked on them often. Elizabeth spent the day watching the football game for a while and then went out to the stable to visit with her first baby, Secretariat.
Luckily, Elizabeth had been the one to set the table and she was able to fill her wine glass with grape juice without anyone noticing, while filling everyone else's with real wine.
When they sat down at dinner they had been going around the table saying what each was thankful for. When it got to be Henry's turn, he turned to his wife and she smiled at him, giving him silent permission to make an announcement. He grasped her hand as he began to speak. "This year, as always, there's so much to be thankful for. I am really enjoying my new teaching job but what I am most thankful for, or rather what Elizabeth & I are most thankful for is," he began looking at her, pausing before finishing, "the new baby we are expecting this summer!"
Elizabeth smiled at Henry as he shared their news and waited for the parents' reaction. Everyone was silent for a second. Did Henry just announce that they would all be becoming grandparents? They'd all been secretly waiting for an announcement since Henry returned from the Iraq, and now it had been made.
It was Jane who spoke first, tears forming in her eyes. "Well, I think I can speak for everyone at the table when I say, I've revised my thankful statement to be thankful for my first grandchild." She said then stood to go give Elizabeth a hug.
Elizabeth and Henry both stood up, accepting hugs and congratulations from everyone at the table. Sitting back down, Elizabeth wiped at her eyes with her napkin and waited for everyone to settle back down.
"I say we have a toast." John said, holding up his wine glass. "To our wonderful children, and future grandchild."
They all reached up and clicked glasses. "Hold up. Elizabeth my darling that had better not be wine in that glass." Alice scolded.
"It's grape juice. Just a little tradecraft to get us through until the announcement." She said, taking a small sip as soft laughter emerged
"So tell us all the details Elizabeth, when is the due date? How have you been feeling?" Patrick prompted; surprising everyone.
"The due date is July 2, which is perfect. Henry will be off for the summer so we can both be home with the baby for a while."
"That will be wonderful! We can come in for a couple weeks and help." Jane offered.
Elizabeth smiled. "But as of right now I'm almost 8 weeks, so it's still pretty early, so we don't want to share this with anyone else until Christmas."
"Oh that is early dear. You must have just found out."
"No, actually we found out a few weeks ago. Super early, since Elizabeth has been so sick. But we weren't totally surprised. We had been trying for just about a year when we found out." Henry added.
"Yes, it's been quite miserable. Other than the day we found out, and today, telling you guys, I haven't felt the happy feeling I'm supposed to…"
"That will come dear." Jane promised. "And I know you might feel terrible right now, but you are certainly glowing."
"I am?" Elizabeth couldn't see it. And she sure didn't feel glowing. "George and Conrad said the same thing. They noticed it before I even found out I was pregnant. Damn CIA."
AN: Thank you all so much for the continues reviews & messages. I love hearing your feedback; it makes me so happy that you are all enjoying this! Next Chapter preview: More babies!