Trigger warning. Terminal Illness may be uncomfortable for some to read about*

About a week after returning home to Hope Valley, Lucas and Elizabeth found out the gender of the baby. What should have been a joyful time, turned into something quite different.

Lucas picked his parents up at the airport in LA the next day, eager to see them and anxious to see what was making them hurry to visit.

He pulled up to the curb and watched as they walked out, his dad looking much the same as always, tall and strong. However, his mom had dark circles under her eyes and had clearly lost weight from her already small frame.

"Oh, God," he whispered. "Please be with us." He didn't know how his dad would deal with an illness that seemed to be making Helen Bouchard waste away.

Martin opened the passenger door for Helen and then went to the back to put the bags in the trunk.

"Mom?"

"When we get home, darling," she said, patting his hand.

"I…please tell me."

"In due time."

Thankfully the drive didn't take forever and when they got home and were all seated in the living room, minus Noa who was asleep in her room, it was time to talk.

"Mom, are you ill?" Lucas asked, thinking the answer obvious.

"No, son. Your father…" she said, bursting into tears which was very uncharacteristic of Helen Bouchard.

"Dad?"

"I have cancer," he told them. "Stage 4."

"Is it treatable?"

"Its in my brain, Beth. They said its inoperable."

"What? Why?"

"Its very aggressive. Its called Glioblastoma. They said I have less than a year to live."

Helen kept sobbing so Elizabeth moved over to the couch next to her and tried to comfort her. "Have you seen a specialist, to get a second opinion? I can ask my father. He knows people here in California that may be able to help."

"I have and a third opinion. They all agree."

Lucas stood up and moved next to his Dad. He looked fine. He looked better than Helen did. "You look healthy, Dad. Its hard to believe…"

"I know, son. I have really bad days and less bad days. I'm weaker than I used to be. I need to take a couple naps a day. I have dizzy spells and once in a while, seizures. That's why it is important that we be here now, when I'm still well enough to spend time with you. After we go home, I likely won't leave again."

"No. Dad. You both need to stay here. I can take care of you."

"Lucas," Elizabeth said, wanting to talk to him before he offered something so difficult.

"What, Beth? He can't leave. I'll never see him again. At least here, I can care for him and be with him. I can help Mom with whatever he needs."

"What about your job, Lucas?"

"My job…my job doesn't matter. My father is dying!"

"Babe, Noa will hear you. Please."

"My job…I will take family leave. I can do that. I can be on leave for a year."

"And make what? 60% of your income?"

"Eighty. We will be fine."

"Lucas, after Baby comes, I won't have any income for a bit. We can't just jump into this without thinking it through. You know that."

"Lucas," Martin said quietly, putting his hand on Lucas' back. "Son, I don't want to be a burden to anyone and I want to go to finally go to sleep in peace, at my home."

"You wouldn't be a burden."

"Son, I would. You have an important job and you have a new house and a family to care for. You don't need to care for me. When the time comes, we can get a nurse to care for me."

"I will pay for it."

"Lucas, can you and I please talk?" Elizabeth asked quietly, taking his hand.

"Now?"

"Yes. We just need a moment."

She led him into the office down the hall and shut the door. "Sweetheart, I understand that you are reacting to your Dad's terrible news. I don't know exactly how you feel but I know you're just trying to help, trying to hold on." She reached for him and hugged him. "But, sweetheart, these things you're promising or offering to provide are something you and I need to discuss."

She felt him tighten his hold around her and start shaking as he let his tears flow.

"I don't know how to do this," he admitted. "He's my dad. I need him. Mom needs him. I can't believe this is happening. Why, Beth?"

She rubbed his back and they cried together for a few moments.

"I don't know why this is happening, Lucas. I just know that we will get through this." He nodded and dried his tears, taking a few deep breaths. "While they are here, Lucas, let's do a gender reveal, okay?"

"Yeah that's perfect." He knew it would mean alot to his parents.

"Great. We will do it tomorrow. I'll invite Rosie and Lee and Faith and Carson and my parents and sisters."

"Babe," he said, stepping towards her again.

"Hm?"

"Thank you. Thank you for reigning me in."

She reached up and cupped his cheek, drying the lone tear that was left. "Sweetheart, I love you. I'm your wife. I am with you always, in good times and bad."

He leaned down, pressing his lips to hers for a long moment. "I love you more."

……

Thankfully everyone could come the next day for the gender reveal and Martin and Helen had a new light in their eyes thinking of their new grandchild on the way.

Everyone was standing around the backyard with the exception of Martin and Helen who had chairs. Lucas was standing in front of them in a white t-shirt and Noa and Beth had squirt guns pointed at him. The guns had colored water so once they were fired at Lucas' t-shirt, it would be obvious to everyone what the gender of Baby Bouchard was.

"Everybody count to three!" Noa yelled, jumping up and down.

The group did as asked, "One…..Two…..Three!"

Noa and Beth squirted and squirted, turning Lucas' shirt blue.

Everyone cheered and Martin cried. "Grandpa! Are you sad it's not a girl?" Noa asked, hugging him around the neck and kissing his cheek.

"No, my darling. I'm so very happy."

"Happy tears?" she asked.

"Yes. That's right."

Martin hoped that he would be around by December to meet the little guy but he wasn't sure he would be. He didn't want to leave his wonderful family but he didn't have much of a choice. He'd fight but if the doctor's couldn't operate and remove the tumor, the fighting didn't seem necessary except to perhaps ease Helen's mind a bit.

He'd never seen her as distraught as she had been since his diagnosis. He was worried about her. She rarely ate, she didn't sleep and she cried often. It just wasn't his strong Helen.

"We just have one more announcement," Beth said. "And then we can go inside and have some food."

Everyone looked at her. "We decided that we are going to name him Walker Martin Bouchard, in honor of you, Pop," she said, reaching down to hug Martin. "We love you and no matter what happens, we need you to know that."

"Please take care of my Helen," he whispered, kissing her cheek.

"I promise."

….

Later, after Noa was in bed, Lucas and Elizabeth curled up in bed to talk.

"What if we went there?" she asked.

"Brownville?"

"You can work from anywhere, right? Even Nebraska has wifi."

"What about school for Noa?"

"Yeah. I don't know yet."

"But what if I went to Brownville?"

"Without us?"

"You could come visit. I could fly home."

"I…can I think about it?"

"Yeah, but I'd like to go back with them if you say you're okay with it."

"Lucas…"

"Tell me, babe."

"You and I have done the long distance thing…I don't like it. I feel lost when you aren't with us. I want you to be here for all the baby things. Call me selfish but you belong with us. Now, I understand going to spend time there. I need you to know that. I just…living apart from you while Noa and I live here…"

It was her turn to shed a few tears, he supposed.

"I feel like you are leaving. Like I'm losing you."

"That's crazy, Beth."

"Gee thanks." She sniffled and turned over away from him.

"Beth, please look at me." He reached around her and gently turned her so she was facing him again. "I won't leave you, babe. I do want to be with Dad. He's dying, hon. Dying, and if I don't have much time left to spend with him…I, I wish you could be there with me. I need you too. So so much. You and Noa."

"Well, what if Noa stayed with Vi for a week or so and I came out there with you?"

"That would be great. I would really appreciate it. And then we can take it one week at a time. Once school starts, I know you need to be here to teach and for Noa, so maybe I can travel back and forth."

"I'm so sorry, Luke. That this is happening. I love him too and losing him just seems entirely too unfair."

"Yes it does."

"And I think I'm going to take a year off teaching. What do you think?"

……

In the middle of the night, Martin started seizing so Lucas called an ambulance and had him taken to the hospital to get checked out. He went up there to be with his Mom and Elizabeth stayed with Noa.

Elizabeth couldn't sleep once they left so she watched television and waited for news. As she watched Property Brothers, she felt that familiar, comforting flutter and kicks from Walker.

"Hey, my love. Thank you for reminding me of all that's good. I hope you get to meet your Grandpa Martin. He's a good man and he would love you with all his heart."

"Mommy?" Noa said, climbing up on the bed. "Who you talking to?"

"Walker."

"But he's inside. How can he hear?"

"Baby's can hear when they are still inside their Mommy's."

"Can he hear me?"

"I bet he can. If not, maybe when he gets a little bigger. Why don't you try?"

Noa laid her head on Elizabeth's tummy and started talking to Walker about Daddy and Janette and Bluey and all the cool things she was going to do to his room. Before long, the room was quiet as everyone slept.

Lucas crawled into bed around 8am, exhausted but he needed to be right here, with his girls.

"Hey," Elizabeth whispered, reaching for his hand. "How's Pop?"

"He had a stroke and he's in a coma. Mom told me to come back and get some rest. She refuses to leave him."

"I would too."

"I love you," he told her, leaning over Noa to kiss her. "More than I could ever explain."

"I love you more. Later, I'll have Noa go stay with Vi and I'll go with you to the hospital."

"Thank you, honey."