Chapter 89- A Moment of Surprise
School had finished for the school year. The Grants had made plans to visit Archie and Nellie in Rock Creek. They would be leaving at the end of the week. After their visit, Allie would remain with her grandparents for a little longer to spend some additional time with them.
That week, in preparing for the trip, Elizabeth found herself extremely exhausted. At first, she simply attributed it to the end of the school year process and all that it entailed.
In the middle of the week, she and Rosemary had lunch with one another at the cafe. When their lunch plates arrived, Elizabeth took one whiff and felt her stomach roll over. She shifted the food around, hoping that that the feeling in the pit of her stomach would just go away. Elizabeth excused herself and ran into the restroom, as the nauseousness won its battle over her body. When she returned to the table, Rosemary wore a concerned look on her face.
"Elizabeth! What on earth was that about?" Rosemary asked her friend as she reached over and grasped her arm.
Elizabeth inhaled and exhaled slowly before responding.
"I'm not really sure. Oh, I do hope that I'm not coming down with something! We are traveling on Friday and that would make things truly uncomfortable!" Elizabeth said looking concerned as she flagged Anna down and ordered a cup of peppermint tea and pushed her plate aside.
Rosemary continued to eat as she observed her friend. Anna brought out the tea and took Elizabeth's plate promising to wrap up the contents for her. Elizabeth slowly sipped the tea, still looking peeked as she did.
Finally, Rosemary put her fork down, sat back, placed her fingertip to her lips, tapping it there for a few moments.
"Elizabeth, do you think that you could be expecting? I mean you have been married for three months now." Rosemary quietly asked as she gestured towards her friend's teacup.
Elizabeth opened her mouth in realization of what her friend just asked her.
"You know Rosemary, I wasn't even thinking that originally. I've been so busy with ending the school year and preparing for our trip that the possibility simply slipped my mind. But you bring up a good point." Elizabeth responded.
She swirled the spoon in her cup, lost in thought before she looked back up at her friend.
"I had my monthly in early May, but I haven't had it yet this month. I have been extremely tired too. And then, this reaction to the smell right now, it does seem like maybe…" Elizabeth said as her voice trailed off as she looked down at her stomach, placed her hand on it and smiled.
Rosemary smiled, quietly clapped, and responded, "I think it is most definitely more than a maybe, Elizabeth Grant. Why don't we go see Faith right now and see for sure?"
Elizabeth smiled brightly as she was about to stand from her spot but then she hesitated.
"Rosemary? Shouldn't I wait and go with Nathan? What's appropriate? I didn't have Jack with me last time. Is it better to go with you right now or wait and take Nathan?" Elizabeth asked her friend in a concerned voice.
Rosemary sighed, nodded and said, "Oh! You're right! It might be better with Nathan. Well, let me ask you this question. Would you rather tell him about it if it is true or have him be there to find out?"
Elizabeth didn't have to think long before she responded to her friend's question.
"Rosemary, if I am, I want Nathan to be here for every step of this process, since this would be our first experience as husband and wife together." Elizabeth said.
Rosemary smiled, patted her friend's arm and replied, "And there, dear Elizabeth, is your answer. Let's get you to your husband so you two can go see Faith, soon!"
The pair walked out of the cafe together and down the street. Rosemary embraced Elizabeth tightly and then sent her on her way over to the Mountie office as she returned over to the newspaper office.
Elizabeth got to the steps of the Mountie office where Newton was tethered. She greeted him in a soft voice and stroked him. Then, she took a deep breath, climbed the steps, cautiously opened the door, and walked in.
Nathan looked up from what he was working on, smiled, and greeted her with a sweet and surprised, "Hi!"
He stood, walked around the desk over to her, took her in his arms and kissed her, expressing his pleasure in the surprise of seeing her there. As much as she wanted to enjoy the taste of her husband's lips on her own, Elizabeth experienced another wave of nausea that made her quickly draw away. She put her hand quickly to her mouth, ran to the back room of the jailhouse and once again, her nausea overtook her body.
Once she was finished, Elizabeth wiped her mouth, stood, smoothed her skirt and walked calmly back into the office. Nathan stood close by; concern written all over his face. He put his hands on her shoulders, looked down at her as his crystal blue eyes searched her own sapphire ones.
"Lizbeth, have you come down with the flu?" Nathan asked as he moved his hand to her cheek, softly caressing it.
Elizabeth shook her head and took the hand on the one that covered her cheek. She led him back to the desk where two chairs sat side by side. They both took a seat, still holding hands. Elizabeth turned her body to face Nathan fully as she reached out for his other hand. Nathan waited patiently for her to speak.
"My love, I think… I think that there may be a very good chance that we may be expecting." Elizabeth said with a bright smile lighting up her face as she gazed into her husband's eyes.
"You think we're going to have a baby?" Nathan asked with a look of amazement on his face.
Elizabeth eagerly nodded and smiled as her eyes glistened with tears. Nathan sat speechless for a moment. Then, his own eyes misted with tears as he sank out of the chair to his knees and placed his head to Elizabeth's stomach rubbing it softly with his hand. Elizabeth gently stroked his hair as they stayed like that for the next few moments.
Eventually, Nathan looked up into Elizabeth's eyes and asked, "How can we find out for sure?"
Elizabeth caressed his cheek and answered, "Well, it would probably be a good idea to go see Faith soon to confirm."
Nathan kissed her stomach, rubbing it once more and quietly said, "Little one, if you really are there, I'm so excited to meet you. Just know that your Mama and I love you very much."
Nathan took Elizabeth's hands into his own and kissed each one. Then, he stood, held out his hand to her and confidently said, "Well, let's find out for sure then!" Elizabeth giggled, took hold of his hand and the pair was off to the infirmary.
Faith stepped out from behind the privacy curtain to have Nathan join Elizabeth as she walked over to James and showed him the file that she held. Her husband looked over the paper for a moment, made a quick note on it himself and handed it back to her.
Faith came back to the couple with a big smile on her face and said, "Well, Elizabeth looks like your suspicions were correct. You are expecting a little one and by the looks of it, along about the end of February."
Nathan and Elizabeth sat there in absolute glee, beaming from the joyous news. Faith giggled and commented, "Well it looks like Baby McGuffin and Baby Grant will grow up together. They will only be about four months apart." Faith said smiling as she put a hand on her own growing womb.
The three of them talked excitedly about what the next steps were with the pregnancy. When they were done, Nathan and Elizabeth exited hand in hand. By the time they reached the Mountie office, they resolved to share the news with the children over dinner. Before leaving, the couple kissed, and Nathan very subtly placed his hand on their new little addition.
That evening, after dinner was finished and dishes had been washed and put away, the family sat in the living room.
"Allie. Jack. I have a story that I wrote today I'd like to share with both of you. And maybe, later on, you can illustrate it, Allie?" Elizabeth said as she went to desk to retrieve the story.
Allie and Jack took their places on the sofa next to Nathan. Elizabeth sat in the side chair and glanced up at Nathan who gave her a wink and a smile. Elizabeth smiled in response and began to read.
Once upon a time, there lived a young prince named Jacob and his older sister Princess Amanda. They lived in a small kingdom with their parents, the King and Queen.
One day, the King and Queen called the prince and princess into the royal living room with some news.
"You are going to have a brother or sister soon." The Queen told them as she wore a big smile on her face.
Elizabeth stopped reading as she watched the children's reactions.
"Mama, what bout the west of the stowe? What happened?" Jack asked curiously.
"Mom, I'm more of an illustrator than writer, but even I have to say that story seems to be missing something. It's like you didn't finish it. What happened after the queen told Prince Jacob and Princess Amanda the news about their new sibling?" Allie asked looking over at her mother.
But before Elizabeth could answer, Allie glanced over at her father and then back at her mother and noticed the unspoken conversation going on between them. They were both grinning from ear to ear and their eyes had a sparkle to them. And then, suddenly, it dawned on her and she gasped in surprise.
"Mom, you're pregnant! We're the story! This is your way of telling us, isn't it?" Allie inquired as she looked between her parents.
Elizabeth giggled and nodded. Allie squealed and ran over to hug her mother. Jack looked over at Nathan puzzled and asked, "Daddy Natan, why Awee scweam and hugging Mama wight now?"
Nathan smiled down at his young son and put an arm around him. "Jack, you're going to be a big brother. Your Mama is going to have a baby in February."
Jack studied Nathan for a moment and then glanced over to his mother. Allie had pulled away from her hug with Elizabeth and both of them were watching Jack's response.
"Mama, you gonna have a baby? I gonna be a big bwother?" Jack asked his mother quietly.
"Yes, my sweet boy, you're going to be a big brother. Isn't that exciting?" Elizabeth asked her son with a big smile on her face.
Jack gave a little pout, crossed his arms, and said, "But I your baby Mama."
Elizabeth looked at Nathan, surprised at her son's reaction to the news. She handed the story to Allie, got up from the chair where she'd been sitting and sat next to Jack. Elizabeth reached over, put an arm around her son and drew him in closer to her.
"Jack, you are my baby. My precious gift from both God and your Mountie Daddy and because of that, you will always hold a very special place in my heart. Allie does too because she is my first daughter and a gift that your Daddy Nathan and his sister Colleen have shared with me. But this baby is special too Jack. He or she is special because it's a gift to our whole family. We all can welcome this baby with all the love that we have as a family." Elizabeth said as she stroked her young son's blond hair.
"You have a special job with this baby Jack. You are its big brother and with that comes an important job. Just like Allie is your big sister and teaches you things, you can do the same for this baby. Mama needs your help sweet boy to help teach this baby. Do you think you can do that?" Elizabeth asked looking into her son's hazel
eyes.
Jack looked around the faces of his family. They all waited patiently for his answer. When his gaze fell upon his older sister, their eyes locked on one another. She smiled and nodded at him.
"Awee, can you help me be a good big bwother?" Jack asked his sister.
Allie walked over to the couch, got down on her knees to be more level with Jack. Then she said, "Jack, I would be honored to help you!"
The little boy smiled and embraced his sister in a tight hug. Elizabeth smiled, touched her heart as her eyes misted over in tears. Nathan reached over and grabbed his wife's hand and Elizabeth put her head on his shoulder as they witnessed the exchange between their children.
The summer was a mix of adventure and quiet. The same week that they found out Baby Grant would be joining them in late February, they traveled to Rock Creek. Elizabeth struggled a lot during that trip with nausea. Nellie shared some tricks to dealing with it. Archie and Nellie were thrilled about the news of the newest Grant coming in the winter. Allie stayed with her grandparents for the next month while her parents and Jack returned to Hope Valley.
In late July, after Allie had returned, the Thatchers came for a short visit. William and Grace were excited to hear the news of becoming grandparents once more. Grace insisted on taking Elizabeth and Allie shopping for furniture for the nursery in Buxton and set the baby up with a crib and dresser for the nursery.
When August came around, Tom and Charlotte came to visit. Charlotte took the children on many grand adventures around Hope Valley. Tom and Julie spent time with one another as they visited with the family in Hope Valley. Near the end of their visit, on one of their infamous walks, Tom got down on one knee and proposed to Julie with his mother's ring. Afterwards, the family celebrated at the Grant home.
Before the summer came to an end, the Hope Valley community held another bonfire. In the latter part of the evening, after the Coulters had left with Jack and the twins and Allie had gone off to spend the night at Opal's, Nathan and Elizabeth's sat on a hay bale watching the fire flicker away.
"Isn't it incredible how far we've come in a little over a year my love?" Elizabeth asked as she sat in Nathan's arms with her back against his chest.
Nathan gently rubbed her stomach and kissed her cheek before responding. "Mm-hmm. I remember last year at the first one of these you acted so oddly. Little did I know then that I was the reason why." Nathan said with a hearty chuckle.
Elizabeth swatted his arm and said, "Ha ha, Mr. Grant. Don't let it go to your head now. But yes, I finally was really allowing myself to come to terms with my feelings for you after denying them for so long. My point is though, now look at us: married with a baby on the way. And it's just the beginning of our new chapter as a family."
Nathan nodded behind her and said, "That it is, Lizbeth, that it is."
They sat there enjoying the evening, the fire, their community and simply one another.
