Elizabeth hung another little dress in the baby's closet. "Harrison, can you hand me that bag of clothes?" She pointed at a bag sitting on the floor beside him.

"Okay." He carried the bag over to her. "How much longer before Salem is born?"

"About two and a half months now. It's getting closer, bud." She smiled as she hung up the onesies from her coworkers. "Hey, have you decided what you want to be for Halloween this year?"

"A zoo vet! Since I got my shirt and hat."

"We just need to get you a white coat."

"Uh huh." he nodded. "You and daddy have costumes?"

"We thought we'd ask you if there's something special you want us to be."

"Um…" he put his finger on his chin, thinking. "You be a kangaroo."

She chuckled. "Because my belly is like a pouch?"

"Yeah."

"What should daddy be?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I gotta think."

"Okay." She continued hanging clothes in the closet until she was interrupted by her phone ringing.

Harrison retrieved it for her. "I think it's Uncle Luke."

"Thank you, bud. Hey, Luke," she said, bringing the phone to her ear. "What's up?"

...

Jack pressed the button on the steering wheel, answering his phone. "Beth?"

"Daddy?" Harrison's little voice came over the line.

"Harrison, is everything okay?"

"Mommy won't stop crying."

His stomach dropped, immediately thinking of a hundred things that could be wrong. "Did she get hurt?"

"No. She was on the phone and then she started crying."

"I'll be home in just a minute, bud." He sped up the car, just a bit. "Stay with mommy for me. Okay?"

"Okay, daddy."

Within five minutes, Jack strode through the front door, heading straight for the bedroom.

"Mommy's in Salem's room." Harrison poked his head around the corner when he heard his father come in.

"Thanks, bud. Why don't you go let Simba outside?"

Harrison came over and wrapped his arms around Jack's legs. "Is mommy gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, bud. I promise. Now go play with Simba. I'll be right there." He ruffled his son's hair before nudging him toward the living room. He quietly stepped into the nursery, finding Elizabeth seated on the floor by the closet, leaning against the wall. "Beth?"

"Jack." Elizabeth's voice broke.

"Oh, sweetheart." He took a seat beside her, sliding an arm around her shoulders. "What's going on? Is it the baby?"

She shook her head. "No. She's fine." Tears rolled down her cheeks. "Luke just called. My mom…she collapsed." She gasped, sobs racking her body for a few moments until she caught her breath again. "She's in surgery right now. They don't…they don't know if she'll be okay."

"Oh, Beth. I'm so sorry." He pulled her close, letting her cry on his shoulder. "I'll call my mom to watch Harrison, and then we'll go to the hospital."

"What if I lose her, Jack?"

"I sincerely hope you don't, but if you do, I will be right by your side through everything." He kissed her temple. "Let's go."

...

Elizabeth walked as quickly as she could to where her sisters were sitting. "How is she?"

Julie shrugged. "We don't know yet. Dad went to go see if they could give us an update."

"What exactly happened?"

"I guess she had complained this morning that she was feeling a bit lightheaded, so she went to go back to bed, but she collapsed on the stairs," Viola explained.

"Brain bleed?" Jack asked, turning toward Luke.

"Most likely. They did a CT and immediately took her into surgery after."

Elizabeth sank into the chair next to Julie, taking her sister's hand. "She has to be okay."

Jack crouched down beside her, putting a hand on her knee. "I don't personally know anyone in neuro here, but I've heard good things about all of them. Your mom is in good hands."

Luke nodded in agreement. "I've sent a couple of patients here before. They have nothing but good things to say."

"But a brain bleed," Julie stated. "Even if she makes it through surgery, she could have damage to her brain."

"Yes." Luke sighed. "That's a very real possibility."

"Let's not borrow trouble," Viola suggested, taking Julie's other hand. "We should wait until dad gets back with some answers.

As if on cue, William came back into the room, approaching his daughters.

"Well?"

"She's still in surgery. The nurse said a doctor would come out to update us when they're finished." He ran his fingers through his hair, his hand shaking. "I should've taken her to the ER when she told me she had a headache."

"Dad." Viola stood, putting a hand on William's shoulder. "You couldn't have known there was anything wrong."

Tears filled his eyes. "I'm really glad you girls are here."

Julie and Elizabeth joined them, the three girls wrapping their arms around their dad. Jack pulled Luke to the side to give them a moment.

"I know this isn't our specialty, but what do you really think?" he asked quietly.

Luke shrugged. "Could go either way. It just depends on how much bleeding there is and where it's at."

Jack sighed heavily. "God, I hope she pulls through."

"I know this is hard on all of them," he glanced over at the family, "but I can't imagine how Elizabeth is feeling."

"If Grace isn't here when the baby is born…" Jack shook his head. "I don't even want to think about that possibility."

"I wish there was something we could do."

"I guess all we can do right now is be there for them. And pray."

...

"It could still be a little while before we get any news. Why don't we talk about something else to get our minds off of it?" Luke took a seat next to his wife.

"How's baby Thornton doing?" Julie looked between Elizabeth and Jack.

"She's doing well." Elizabeth brought her hands to her stomach. "She's growing like she should be. Her nursery is almost complete. Oh, and I'm sure you've already heard from Harrison, but her name is Salem."

"I love that so much."

"So Harrison is finally on board with a sister?"

Jack nodded, chuckling softly. "Yes, he is. Thank goodness." He took Elizabeth's hand. "Elizabeth had faith from the start that he'd get there, but I was worried he'd still be upset when she was born, and he wouldn't want anything to do with her."

"You'll have to let us know what it's like to have two," Luke said.

"It's kind of funny that I was the last of the Thatcher girls to get married, but I'll be the first to have two children." She looked over at Jack with a smile. "I'm so grateful for our family."

He squeezed her hand. "So am I."

Suddenly, William stood. The group turned to see a nurse approaching them.

"Mr. Thatcher?"

William nodded.

"Your wife is out of surgery now. We'll be moving her to the ICU shortly."

"The ICU?"

"She's stable right now, but she just had emergency brain surgery," the nurse explained. "If you'll come with me, the doctor can tell you more about the procedure and recovery."

"Girls?" He glanced over at them.

"Go," Jack whispered to Elizabeth, nudging her toward her father. "I'll be waiting right here."

He and Luke watched as the Thatchers followed the nurse down the hall.

"I hope they get good news."

"She made it through surgery. That's the big thing."

...

"So what exactly happened?" Jack asked when the women returned a little while later.

Elizabeth sighed, sinking down into the chair beside him. "Apparently, she had an aneurysm. It was leaking, which is what made her lightheaded. It didn't quite rupture when she fainted, but it started leaking more heavily. They stopped the bleeding before too much damage was done, but they won't have an exact prognosis until she wakes up."

"I'm so sorry, Beth."

"She'll be okay, right?"

"The fact that she made it through surgery is a good sign." He took her hand. "Even if she has any damage, there are so many great therapies out there. As soon as she wakes up, Luke and I will start looking to see what and who we think will be best for her."

She leaned her head against his shoulder. "I'm very grateful for you, Jack Thornton."

He kissed her temple. "You know I'll do anything for you and your family. Our family. I love you, Elizabeth."

"I love you."

"I think we're going to say goodbye to William and head out," Luke stated. "Julie needs to get back to Owen and Willa, and Vi and I need to get Aaron from my parents."

"We should go, too, Beth," Jack suggested.

"But mom…"

"I'm sure your dad will call if there's any news. You're going to be so uncomfortable sitting in this chair for too long."

"I'm seven months pregnant. I'm always uncomfortable," she joked. "But I suppose you're right. Let me just say bye to dad."

"Okay."

...

Jack turned onto his side, meeting Elizabeth's eyes. "You should be sleeping."

"I could say the same to you," she countered. "But I can't sleep. Salem won't stop moving, and I can't stop thinking about my mom."

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Your mom is healthy and strong. I have faith that she'll pull through."

"I need her to make it."

"I know." He moved his hand to her stomach, feeling their daughter kick and roll. "I just keep praying for her. I have a good feeling that she'll be around to watch Harrison and Salem grow up."

"How do we tell Harrison about what happened?"

"I think we should just be straightforward with him, in terms he can comprehend." He shrugged. "He's a smart kid."

She placed her hand beside his on her stomach. "Was it hard for you not having your dad around when Harrison was born?"

"Yes, but Elizabeth, you'll have your mom to help you with Salem."

"What if she wakes up, but she's not my mom anymore?" Tears filled her eyes. "I don't think I could handle that."

"You'd figure out how to handle it, sweetheart. That's what we do for the people we love. And you have your whole family by your side: your dad, your sisters, your brothers-in-law. No matter what happens, you have each other, and you have me."

...

Elizabeth stepped into her mother's room, Jack close behind with his hand on her back. She wasn't prepared for what she would find, and tears immediately sprung into her eyes.

Grace lay in the bed, a bandage wrapped around her head and numerous tubes and wires attaching her to various machines and bags of fluid.

"She looks so sick," she whispered.

William gave a sad smile from where he sat beside the bed. "The doctor said it's a good sign that she made it through the night. Her vitals are holding steady, and the pressure on her brain has gone down."

"All good things," Jack assured them.

"Now, we just need her to wake up."

"Did the doctor say where the bleeding happened in the brain?"

"The frontal lobe, I think. Left side, maybe." William shrugged. "To be honest, I missed a lot of what he said."

Jack nodded. "Okay."

"What does that mean?" Elizabeth asked.

"Well, the left frontal lobe typically controls speech production. Depending on exactly where the damage occurred, Grace could have some problems talking. But there are speech therapists who specialize in that," he added quickly. "We won't really know anything until she wakes up, though."

"That's what the doctor said. He also said they're going to keep her asleep for at least another day, just to give her body time to recover."

"That's not uncommon after a surgery like she had."

"Dad," Elizabeth took his hand, "do you need anything?"

He shook his head. "Having you and your sisters with me is all I need." He squeezed her hand. "How are things going with you? How are my grandbabies doing? I need to get my mind off of everything here."

"Harrison is doing okay. He stayed with my mom last night, and he's staying the night with his friend James tonight. Hopefully we can reassure him now that we've seen how Grace is doing. He's pretty worried about her."

"And Salem?"

Elizabeth touched her stomach. "We have another ultrasound this afternoon. She's been moving a ton, so I assume she's doing well."

"How much longer?"

"About ten weeks or so."

"I'm so happy for you two." William smiled. "She's going to be such a blessing for your family."

"For all of us," Elizabeth corrected him. "She's a blessing to all of us."

...

"Mom." Elizabeth broke down upon seeing her mother awake and alert in the hospital bed.

"My…Beth," she said, her speech effortful.

"Hi, mom." Elizabeth sank into the seat beside the bed, taking her mother's hand. "I'm so glad to see you awake."

"I'm…sorry."

She shook her head, wiping her eyes. "Don't be."

Jack watched the exchange, a smile on his face. When William had called them that morning to let them know that Grace was awake, he and Elizabeth had jumped into the car and headed to the hospital as quickly as possible.

As he expected, the bleeding in Grace's brain had caused damage affecting her ability to speak fluently. Broca's aphasia, or expressive aphasia, as the doctor had explained to them, didn't affect her ability to understand them, so they were encouraged to talk with her like normal. Speech therapy would soon follow, and the doctor was hopeful that Grace would regain her abilities.

For now, he was just thrilled that Elizabeth still had her mother, that their daughter would know both of her grandmothers.

Elizabeth rifled through her bag, pulling out a picture and handing it to her mother. "We had another ultrasound yesterday. Salem is about three pounds now. Ten more weeks to go until we meet her."

"She…your…nose."

Elizabeth chuckled. "You think so? I think she favors Jack, especially her profile."

"Beautiful." Grace touched the picture, a smile playing on her lips. "Salem."

"Dad said you're doing really well, all things considered. He even said you might get to go home in a few days."

"Head…hurt…uh, need…speak."

"Yeah, you need to heal up a bit more. Jack said he and Luke are going to help dad find a good speech therapist to work with you."

Jack moved to stand behind his wife, placing his hands on her shoulders. "We're all so happy to see you doing well, Grace. We're going to do whatever we can to get you better."

...

"Daddy?" Harrison wandered out into the living room, rubbing his eyes.

"Hey, bud." Jack held out his arm, inviting his son to join him on the sofa. "Can't sleep?"

"Is grandma Grace gonna be okay?"

"She will be. You'll get to go visit her after grandpa William brings her home."

"Mommy said she can't talk right."

Jack nodded. "That's right. The blood hurt the part of her brain that helps her talk, but she's going to go to speech therapy to help her, and hopefully she'll be back to normal very soon. Hey," he snuggled Harrison closer. "Do you want to help me with a surprise for mommy?"

"Uh huh." He nodded. "What is it?"

"Well, next week is our first anniversary, which means it's been a whole year since we got married. I think we should make it extra special."

"Get her flowers and chocolate. Miss Rosemary said that's what girls like."

Jack chuckled. "Okay. What else? Should we make a nice dinner?"

"Yeah. Spaghetti and meatballs."

"You goof." Jack poked him in the side, making him giggle. "That's not very fancy. We have spaghetti and meatballs all the time. We want this to be a special dinner."

"Um, fancy mac and cheese."

Jack tightened his arms around him. "I love you, bud."

"Love you, daddy. When will mommy be home?"

"Tomorrow. She's staying the night with your aunts."

"Oh yeah."

"So," Jack returned to the previous conversation, "flowers and chocolates and a fancy dinner. What else?"

"Mommy likes dancing."

"Good idea, bud."

Harrison smiled. "I'm glad you married mommy."

"So am I, Harrison. So am I."