Disclaimer: I am not the owner of the characters in this story. All rights go to Crown Media, Hallmark, Brian Bird, Michael Landon, Jr., the actors, creators, and writers of the show "When Calls the Heart." Any names or locations are simply for storyline purposes.

Chapter 40- From Nightmare to Blessing

Hearing someone calling for 9-1-1, Ruth Harrison, the school nurse grabbed a bag off the table in her office and rushed out into the main area. "What's wrong?" she asked as she was already on her way to the door.

"Elizabeth Thornton, her office is next to Room 702. I don't know what happened. All I know is she's unconscious and there's blood everywhere," Cheryl Hanson called out as Ruth ran out the door. She somehow fell in line behind Mike Carter, the Youth Services Officer, who had picked up the request for 9-1-1 on his walkie-talkie.

Rushing into Elizabeth's office they found her still unconscious, lying on the floor near her desk. Although blood was not "everywhere" as Barbara had frantically reported, there was quite a lot.

At this point, it appeared as though Elizabeth had most likely fainted, striking her head on the corner of her desk on the way to the floor.

Ruth knelt beside her taking her pulse and verifying that she was still alive. Elizabeth was obviously unconscious, and Ruth took over from Barbara as she placed a clean cloth to Elizabeth's head wound.

Within four minutes, the ambulance was on scene, and the paramedics, wheeling a stretcher, were entering Elizabeth's office. Her vitals (blood pressure and respiration) were taken as the situation was evaluated and a call was made to the local hospital for instructions.

"We have a Caucasian female, age…" the paramedic looked over at Barbara.

"I think she's 29 or 30…"

The paramedic continued, "A Caucasian female, age approximately 30, unconscious. There's a visible laceration on her forehead and swelling, and her lip is split open."

"Is she pregnant?" the hospital staff asked.

"She isn't obviously pregnant; she's quite slender, but let me check…"

Again the paramedic looked to Barbara, "I don't know. We aren't close friends…I'm sorry."

Cheryl Hanson rushed into the office. The paramedic glanced in her direction, "Is she pregnant?"

"No," Cheryl advised.

"Are you sure?" the paramedic asked.

"I'm just relaying what she told me a week or so ago, and her husband has been gone since January…so, no she isn't."

"According to someone who knows her the patient is not pregnant," the paramedic advised the hospital.

"Okay, stabilize the head wound, put her in a collar, set her up with ringers lactate, and transport…" the paramedic was advised.

A brace was carefully placed around her neck; the head wound was quickly cleaned enough to show that it was no longer bleeding, and the ringers were set up for fluids before she was carefully placed on the stretcher and wheeled out of her office and toward the ambulance.

Cheryl grabbed Elizabeth's purse, not wanting to leave it unattended and carried it with her.

Teachers held their students in class after the bell rang in an attempt to keep the hallways from becoming bogged down and difficult for the rescue crew to navigate. As the stretcher wheeled down the hallway, those who observed the commotion wept when they realized that it was Elizabeth, a favorite of teachers and students alike.

Barbara, Cheryl and Ruth followed the paramedics out into the parking lot where the buses were held back allowing the ambulance to pull away. The women walked back toward the front entrance of the school, each one giving their thoughts of what had happened…

"She hasn't looked good for awhile," Ruth stated. "I talked with her last week and gave her some things she could do to help her sleep."

"Gosh, I can't stop shaking. That's the most scared I have ever been," Barbara responded.

"Well, I know she wanted to finish out the school year but I think she's just missing her husband so much. She used to eat healthily, and lately she's looked drained and I just don't think she's eating right," Cheryl added in her thoughts.

Suddenly, just short of the main entry door Cheryl stopped, "Someone has to call her husband."

"Do you have his number?" Ruth asked.

"It should be on her school paperwork," Cheryl stated as they walked into school and headed for the main office.

Cheryl pulled Elizabeth's file, "No, she didn't update it."

Seeing her purse sitting on Cheryl's desk, the women went through it looking for anything that may contain Jack's phone number. Finding nothing they stood and stared at each other.

"What about her cell phone. I'm sure his number would be stored in there," Barbara responded.

Mike Carter stepped into the office, "Is everyone okay in here?"

"Hey," Cheryl called out, "Would you run down to Elizabeth's office and see if her cell phone is on her desk?"

"Sure, I'll be right back."

Mike returned a few minutes later with Elizabeth's cell phone in hand. Scrolling through her contacts, Cheryl said, "There it is…818-203-8599."

"Who's gonna make the call?" Barbara asked.

Ruth stepped forward, I'll call him. She turned away from the others in the office and while looking out the window, she pressed the button and their call connected.

Taking a break from training, Jack sat at a table with several other players drinking a bottle of water at Camelback Ranch- Glendale in Phoenix, Arizona. Hearing her specific ringtone…

"Tell the world that we finally got it all right

I choose you

I will become yours and you will become mine

I choose you

I Chooooooooose you…"

Jack pulled his phone from his pocket, "Hey beautiful. I miss you…"

"Mr. Thornton…?" Ruth called out.

"Yes, who's this?"

"I'm Ruth Harrison, the school nurse."

Jack's heart started pounding as he stood from the bench and walked a few steps away, "Is something wrong? Where's Elizabeth?"

"Mr. Thornton, we don't know yet what happened, but Elizabeth apparently collapsed in her office and she's been taken by ambulance to the hospital," she advised.

His voice became a bit louder and somewhat breathless as he stepped back and leaned against the table. Everyone at the table ceased their conversations and focused solely on Jack.

"Is she okay?" he asked, his voice sounding somewhat ragged.

"She's unconscious, so I'm not sure what I can tell you."

"What hospital did they take her to?"

"Johns Hopkins…"

"Okay, I'm leaving now…" Jack hated to disconnect the call as it felt like his only lifeline to Elizabeth. He turned to his teammates, "My wife was just taken to the hospital; I've got to go. I don't see Coach, will you let him know? I can't wait on him."

"Go Jack, we'll take care of it," several of his teammates yelled out.

Jack ran to his locker and grabbed his bag which contained his keys. As he rushed out of the locker room and toward the parking lot, he passed through groups of people waiting outside for autographs.

"I'm sorry, I don't have time right now…"

The fans looked at each other wondering why he was so standoffish.

"Not making a great impression there Thornton…" one person yelled, a comment that Jack did not acknowledge.

On his way to the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, he called Elizabeth's parents, certain that they'd want to know, and needing someone there with her when she woke.

"Hi Jack; how is Spring Training going?"

"William, I just got a call from the nurse at Elizabeth's school… and"

"Is something wrong?"

"I don't know what happened, but apparently Elizabeth collapsed and they've taken her by ambulance to Johns Hopkins. I'm on my way to the airport, but someone needs to get there," Jack's voice was emotional, and he found it somewhat difficult to drive as his eyes watered.

"I'm on my way, son. I'll let you know how she is when I get there."

"Thank you William."

Jack stood at the counter in the airport trying to find the fastest way home. Immediate flights were booked, and private airlines were short a pilot, so for the first time since he'd met Elizabeth, he felt totally lost.

"Ma'am, you don't understand, my wife has been taken to the hospital and I have to get to Baltimore; tomorrow won't do. Can't you bump someone from the next flight? You guys overbook all the time."

"I'm sorry sir; the earliest flight I have is tomorrow morning."

"Excuse me sir," a gentleman standing at the counter two windows down called out to Jack. Gaining his attention he asked, "Aren't you Jack Thornton of the Dodgers."

Not feeling like signing autographs at this particular time he simply stated, "Yes, but I'm…"

The gentleman could see that Jack was distraught, "I'm Donnie Paxton, and we're from Paxton industries. We're leaving shortly for Baltimore. We have room on our flight…come one, we'll get you home."

"Are you sure?" though still concerned, Jack felt the tightness in his chest ease slightly.

"I'm positive, come on, let's get you back home to your wife," the man stated as he followed the group out a side door and onto the tarmac where several other employees of Paxton Industries were congregating.

Before boarding, Jack called Elizabeth's next door neighbor, Brenda. He advised her of all he knew and asked if she would please get Lizzie and take her to her house for the night. She gladly agreed, willing to do whatever she could to help out.

Two hours into the flight one of the junior executives took a seat next to Mr. Paxton, "Is that really Jack Thornton over there?" Both men glanced over at Jack who had his head bowed and resting on his praying hands.

"Yes it is, but leave him alone; he's having a personal conversation with God right now, so don't intrude…"

"What happened?"

"I don't know, but his wife was taken to the hospital and he's just trying to get home."

At 9:30 pm the Paxton Industries jet landed at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. Jack quickly thanked everyone individually on the flight before sprinting to rent a car.

Standing in line he checked his messages…

"Jack, its William. Grace and I are at the hospital. She looks so pale…"

Jack became even more frantic as he heard the emotion in William's voice. He immediately dialed William's number but received no answer.

Twenty five minutes later, Jack was pulling out of the car rental parking lot, his phone glued to his ear for most of the time, trying his best to reach someone, but having no luck.

As he whipped into the hospital parking lot his phone rang, "William, how is she?"

"She's drifting in and out of consciousness, but Jack, why were you and Elizabeth hiding her pregnancy from us?"

"Pregnancy? She isn't pregnant, or at least I didn't know she was…" Jack stated as he was now in a dead run.

Jack ran up to the front desk, "My wife, Elizabeth Thornton, where is she?"

The volunteer checked her roster, "Room 422…"

Jack ran for the elevator. As the door opened onto the 4th floor the first sign he saw read "INTENSIVE CARE." If he wasn't worried before, he certainly was now.

He walked into her room and found her parents sitting on either side of her bed holding her hands. "How is she?"

Grace got up and walked over to hug him, "I'm scared Jack. She's stirred a little, but hasn't woken up."

Jack walked up to the bed and took hold of Elizabeth's hand that Grace had just released. He sat down and pulled her hand to his lips. Although she did not wake up, he felt her body flinch and noticed that her wrist was swollen. He rested her arm beside her body, but kept his hand over hers, needing to feel her skin against his.

Grace tapped William on the shoulder and motioned for them to leave, giving Jack some time alone with Elizabeth.

"We're going down to get some coffee; would you like some?" William asked.

"No thank you…"

As William and Grace stepped outside, a nurse walked in to check Elizabeth's vitals, her saline drip and to add pain medication to her IV.

"Has anyone checked her wrist; it appears to be swollen," Jack asked assertively.

"Thank you, it's hard when they come in and aren't able to tell us what happened. I'll make note of that and contact Dr. Chappell.

After the nurse walked out, leaving them alone, Jack held Elizabeth's hand in between his two, bowed his head and prayed, "Dear Lord, you can't possibly have given me this wonderful woman to just take her away from me. Please be with her, be with us; renew her strength, heal her wounds inside and out and please be with the baby she's carrying…our baby. In Jesus name and for his sake, Amen…"

He sat staring at her head; her stitches were covered by a bandage, she had a black eye and a swollen split lip. She looked gaunt and pale, and he couldn't help feeling responsible. If he'd only taken her to the doctor for a real pregnancy test, maybe all of this would have been avoided.

His thumb continued to rub across the skin on her palm, as his other hand wiped tears that slipped down his cheeks. "Please wake up; let me see your blue eyes and beautiful smile. Elizabeth, you're going to have a baby; you have to wake up."

She was in a fog; her thoughts were jumbled and swirling in her head. Possibly this was where the pain was initiated as one thought slammed into another. Pregnant…? I'm not pregnant. It's absurd and cruel for him to say that. I would know if I was pregnant…wouldn't I? The test was negative, so how…? Is he implying that I've been unfaithful? I would never, but if he's accusing me, maybe he has something to hide… Her thoughts, irrational or not were all she had to work with, and right now, in the state she was in, pigs flying would seem logical.

Elizabeth's head hurt; actually it far surpassed discomfort, it was excruciating pain. She wanted to open her eyes, she needed to open her eyes, but somehow she was powerless to do so and the lack of control scared her. Then as if a wave washed over her, the pain disappeared.

Clear visions of the past began to flood her. There were joyous memories of her finding love, their wedding, wedding night, extended honeymoon, and their first holidays together. Then sadness consumed her thoughts as she remembered being pushed aside by Jack's fans, many of them females who seemed to swoon over him wherever they went, the women who were previously in his life, the negative pregnancy test results, and what had turned out to be an extended separation between them.

She heard Jack's voice, soft and emotional and then he said the words that she thought she'd never hear come from his lips…

"How does this happen? I don't understand how …"

She stopped listening. In her mind she knew how the sentence ended… "I don't understand how you could have slept with someone else." In her mind, it seemed logical as did her thought of Jack leaving the stadium every day and having to pass through groups of women who threw themselves at him. After all they did that when she was with him, so why think things would be different while they were apart?

Painful or not she opened her eyes. She observed his tears, but sadly he received a cold stare in return.

"Elizabeth, it's okay, you're in the hospital, but you're gonna be fine," he stated hoping that he wasn't lying to her.

She pulled her hand away from him.

Assuming she was confused he continued, "Honey, it's me…Jack. Are you in pain?"

Emotional pain, physically I'm feeling pretty good right now, she thought. "How could you…?" her voice was soft and weak.

"How could I? Do you mean how did I get away from training?" he leaned over and kissed her forehead.

"You know how much I wanted to be pregnant. I'm not, why are you saying I am, and to assume that I slept with someone else? Did you say that because you have something to hide?" Her voice was weak, barely audible, but Jack heard enough to suck the air from his chest.

"Wait…what…no; I don't know what you're talking about?"

"Jack, I heard you talking."

"I don't know what you heard, but I never…"

"Never accused me of sleeping around? You say I'm pregnant, and you've been gone for months, so how did that happen? What else could that mean?"

"Elizabeth, I…I…"

"Just go back to Arizona. Go back to the women who swoon over you. I'm fine; I'll be fine without you…"

"What are you talking about? I'm not going anywhere Elizabeth."

With tears slipping from the outside of her eyes, the medication took complete effect and she drifted off to sleep. Jack just stared at her seemingly lifeless body lying in bed and he wondered what happened. Obviously the pregnancy test was wrong; he would never accuse her of sleeping around, and now it seemed as though the female attention he'd received while they were out was coming back to haunt him. How could she assume that I'd want anyone but her?

William and Grace walked back into Elizabeth's room. Seeing Jack's distraught expression, William asked, "What's wrong?"

Before Jack had a chance to discuss his concerns, Dr. Chappell stepped into the room.

"You must be Mr. Thornton."

"Yes sir; how is she?" Jack asked as everyone stood in the middle of the room away from Elizabeth.

"Well, no one saw it happen so I can only assume that she's not been eating, she's obviously dehydrated and she must have passed out and hit her head on her desk when she fell. She has eight stitches in her forehead which go right along her hairline, so there shouldn't be any visible scar. As for her lip and eye, she apparently put one hand out to break her fall, and when she landed on the floor she split her lip and her eye must have hit something," Dr. Chappell explained. "As for her wrist, I can only assume that since her left eye is bruised, she must have held out her right arm when she fell. The left arm may have been covering her stomach when she fell, because there's a bruise on the underside of her arm in the shape of the belt buckle she had on."

Dr. Chappell stood quietly to answer any questions, but continued talking when Jack, William and Grace remained quiet. "We'd like to take her down for an ultrasound to check the viability of the fetus."

"Dr. Chappell, it's not just a fetus…that's our baby!" Jack's voice was shaky as he walked back over to take a seat beside Elizabeth.

"I'm sorry Mr. Thornton; of course it's your baby. While she's down there, we'll see if we can get an x-ray of her wrist. If it's broken, we may need to wait until the swelling goes down to reset it."

"Dr. Chappell, I thought those pregnancy tests were supposed to be accurate. How do you get a false negative result?"

"That's the problem with those tests; as accurate as they are, there is still a 1% chance that they are wrong. That's good odds, but not if you are in the 1%," Dr. Chappell replied. "You can get a false negative if you take the test too early. You see, they read the hCG hormone that is produced during pregnancy, so if it's too soon and there isn't enough of that hormone in the system, it will read negative."

Dr. Chappell closed Elizabeth's chart, "Please let the nursing staff know when she wakes again. The pain meds are most likely why she's sleeping now."

Thirty minutes later, a nurse walked in to check on Elizabeth. She handed Jack Elizabeth's purse, "A woman stopped by and dropped this off. She said that she's from your wife's work, but she didn't want to intrude."

Jack took the purse from the nurse and sat it up on the table, "Thank you."

"You're welcome; did she wake up yet?" the nurse asked.

"No," Jack replied, "But she does seem to be more restful…" Thinking for a moment he added, "Is that a good thing?"

The nurse continued to take Elizabeth's pulse as she glanced up at Jack.

"I mean, being restful doesn't mean she's slipping away, does it?" he suddenly moved from thankful to alarmed.

"No sir; her vital signs are good, she's becoming more stable, and it's not unusual for the pain medication to make her sleep. So, maybe you should go home and get some rest. You look exhausted," the nurse suggested.

"I'm not going anywhere."

The nurse gathered her things and stepped back out to the station in the middle of the unit. "Hey, do you know who that woman is in 422?"

Not having been in her room the two other nurses simply looked toward the room and shrugged their shoulders.

Elizabeth's nurse, Sara, whispered, "Do you watch baseball?"

Both women looked at each other before one of them, Arlene, spoke, "I don't really follow it, but my boyfriend is a fanatic. I'll tell you what, he went into a depression when his favorite player, oh what was his name…oh I don't know, but he was traded to the Dodgers. I didn't think he was ever going to snap out of it."

"His favorite player is Jack Thornton…that's his wife in 422," Sara commented as she finished jotting down notes in Elizabeth's file.

Arlene walked toward Elizabeth's room.

"Where are you going?" Sara called out.

"I need to get a look so I can tease Timothy tonight…"

She walked into the room, filled up Elizabeth's water cup and then walked out, "Man oh man, he's a hunk. I wonder how she deals with women falling all over him."

"Did you see the way he looked at her? That guy's in love… WOW, I wish my husband looked at me like that," Sara stated as she stopped writing in Elizabeth's file and stared off into space.

"Maybe he's just looking at her like that because he hates seeing her like that," Arlene mentioned.

"Nope, you don't follow baseball; I do, and I remember all of the stories in the tabloids about him and his ex-girlfriend. Oh, Terri," she called out to the other nurse, "You'll know who he is because you follow models. He used to date Selma Bartucci."

"That gorgeous hunk is in our hospital?" Terri excitedly responded as her eyes glanced toward Room 422. "I don't know baseball, but I know exactly who you're talking about now. I used to dream about meeting him."

"Well, you're too late. He's in love, married, and look, she's pregnant," Sara advised as she flashed Elizabeth's file in their faces.

"Well, congratulations to them. Is she going to be okay?" Terri asked.

"I think she'll be okay once she heals. We're still not sure about the baby. She's having an ultrasound done sometime today," Sara responded as she stuck Elizabeth's file on top of the pile at the nurse's station.

Back in Room 422, Jack, William and Grace sat quietly around Elizabeth's bed waiting with baited breath for her to wake. Jack gently held her hand; his eyes watered as he thought about how she'd blasted him earlier. How could she ever think that I don't trust her, or could possibly find in anyone else the love I have with her…? He wiped his eyes and returned his hand to hers.

"Jack, why don't you go take a walk? William and I will stay with her."

Jack's eyes were fixed on her, even battered and bruised she was beautiful, "I'm not leaving her."

"Jack, you haven't been out of this room in over ten hours. Please go down and get something to eat, or go outside for some fresh air…" Grace suggested as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm not leaving her. When she wakes up I want her to see me; she needs to know I'm here, that she matters to me," his head rested on her arm as his tears fell.

"Jack, she's going to be fine," William interjected.

"But why is she in Intensive Care?" Jack blurted out just as Sara entered the room.

"Mr. Thornton, your wife is actually really lucky because our floor is low on patients and she was sent here because there wasn't any room on the main floor. As a result, she is getting much more attention," she explained. "I know that may not ease your worries but all indications are that she will be fine."

As Sara left the room, Jack felt Elizabeth's arm stir under him. He looked into her eyes; the left one blackened in her fall, was squinting.

She looked scared and he couldn't help but wonder what her reaction was going to be to him now. She said nothing but simply glanced around the room, frightened even more by the look on the faces of those in attendance.

Her breath quivered as her tears fell, and it was evident that she wanted to speak, but she couldn't control the breath enough to form the words.

She kept staring at Jack; her mother leaned over the bed and kissed her. "William, we need to let them be alone."

Jack was initially concerned given the whispered berating she had given him the previous night, but he knew that they needed to talk, or he simply needed to be quiet and hold her. Either way he was thankful that she was awake.

"Hi," was the first word she spoke. As she started to talk, the tears fell in a steady stream making her words inaudible.

Jack took the chance that she would welcome him and he lay in bed beside her and wrapped her in his arms. "Shh, it's going to be okay. Do you know what happened?"

She shook her head back and forth, and he felt her breathing becoming more rapid.

"Calm down sweetheart; your fine…"

Her voice quivered, "Ja-ck, I ha… had a bb…bad dream," she sat up in bed and held her left arm close to her body.

"You don't have to talk about it," knowing what she was referring to he wasn't certain that she was strong enough to confront what happened between them. He held her close as his hand gently ran up and down her back.

"But you don't understand; it was horrible, Jack. You were telling me that I was pregnant, and I know I'm not, but everything is so confusing. I think you accused me of cheating on you, or I accused you of cheating on me… I know you wouldn't have done that."

Jack leaned back slightly, wiped her eyes, and began to explain, "Honey, some of what you are talking about is true."

"What are you talking about? Did you accuse me of cheating?"

Jack looked down before glancing back and catching her eyes. He smiled, "Elizabeth, apparently you are pregnant."

Even though she smiled, her tears began again, "I'm pregnant?"

"We're gonna have a baby."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, "I'm pregnant…"

Her excitement was short lived, "Jack, did you accuse me of sleeping with someone else?"

"No," his breath caught in his throat. "I love you, and there is no doubt in my mind that you love me. There has to be a logical explanation for what happened."

"But Jack, the test…"

"Well, either the test was wrong or the condom broke."

"Jack, I don't have a lot of experience, but you'd know if the condom broke, wouldn't you?"

"Yes."

"So, did it?"

"No, so the test had to be wrong."

"Is that why I'm so tired all the time?"

"Well that could be," he stated as he allowed her a few moments to take in the information. "Honey, Dr. Chappell wants you to have an ultrasound."

"Why, is there a problem?" she hesitantly asked as the breath rushed from her body.

Not wanting to use Dr. Chappell's words of seeing if the fetus is viable he simply stated, "They want to get an idea of how far along you are and make sure the baby is growing properly," he stated as he again pulled her into his chest. "It'll be alright."

She leaned back slightly, "I'm sorry about all this; I'm sorry that you had to come home," her good arm around his waist pulled her back into his body, "But I have to say, I'm so glad to see you…"

Jack leaned back, "I'm so happy to see you too, but right now I need to go get the nurse so they can set up the ultrasound and the x-ray on your wrist, okay?"

Her mind was still racing. She said nothing further but simply shook her head up and down.

Jack returned a few moments later followed closely by Dr. Chappell, William and Grace.

"Good morning Mrs. Thornton; how are you feeling?" the doctor asked as Jack stood beside Elizabeth's bed and held her hand.

"Am I pregnant?" she asked.

"Yes ma'am, you are."

"But I took a test; it said I wasn't. How does that happen?"

"Well, as I explained to your husband, those over the counter pregnancy tests are good, but there is still a 1% chance that you will get an incorrect reading. 99% of the time they are correct, so they are good unless you're in the 1% that gets an incorrect reading."

"I did everything exactly as instructed and when I read the results there was only one line."

"Well, I wish I could have seen the test; its times like this that I'd like to be able to confront the company on the results they provide."

"I still have the test…"

Jack was surprised, "You do?"

"I don't know why I kept it, but I put it in a baggie and it's in my drawer."

Even though he didn't know Elizabeth, Dr. Chappell could tell that she was confused. "Well, I don't know if you've looked at the stick since you did the test, but it wouldn't help, because you have to check the results at the set time. Anything after that could be inaccurate."

"Oh wait, I took a picture of it for our baby book," Elizabeth excitedly stated as she again looked defeated.

"What's wrong honey?"

"My phone is in my office."

"No it's not," Jack stated as he walked over to the table and picked up her purse, bringing it back to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth pulled out her phone and started going through her photo album. "Here, this is the picture I took before I really looked at the stick. See, there is only one line."

Dr. Chappell enlarged the picture and smiled, "This is a positive result…"

"But there's only one line," Elizabeth reiterated.

"Look closely; there is a faint line. It doesn't have to be dark to be positive. If you're pregnant, you're pregnant. I mean, you can't really be just a little bit pregnant," he joked hoping to lighten Elizabeth's spirits.

Jack and Elizabeth stood in amazement and somewhat disbelief as they gazed at the picture on her cell phone.

"We're pregnant Jack," she started to cry again, only this time they were happy tears until the fact that she was sitting in a hospital bed with a headache and pain shooting up her arm slapped her back to reality.

"What about the fall…did I hurt the baby?"

"Well, it appears that all of your bleeding came from your head and your lip. Both will heal, but when injured, they do bleed profusely," Dr. Chappell advised. "Women have a way of protecting themselves when they fall, and the baby does have a cushion of fluid, but have you had any vaginal bleeding?"

"No, well yes, I had my period when I took the test."

"A full period," the doctor asked.

"Well, my periods have been extremely light, and when I did the test," she looked around the room, "I don't mean to talk about this in front of all of you. I'm sorry."

Elizabeth turned back toward the doctor, "After taking the test, I used the bathroom and there was a little bit of blood on the tissue. I assumed it was my period."

"Well, it's a shame that you didn't go to your doctor, but in case you aren't aware, after the egg is fertilized, it makes its way to the uterus. Often times when it implants itself in the uterine lining, the blood comes from broken capillaries. It's certainly not a period, but it is blood," Dr. Chappell explained.

"I guess that explains why I haven't had a period since," she remarked.

"And that didn't cause you to be concerned?" her father asked.

"I thought it was stress; with school testing, and being away from Jack, I guess I just didn't think about it," she stated as she turned to look at Jack. "I'm so sorry…"

Dr. Chappell opened Elizabeth's chart and wrote an order for an ultrasound and an x-ray on her wrist. "Let's get the ultrasound done first, then we'll get the x-ray and then we'll talk about what needs to be done after we get the results."

Dr. Chappell continued flipping pages in her chart, "I see that Dr. Devine is your OB-GYN, is that correct?"

"Yes sir."

"Okay, well she has privileges here, but I understand that she has an associate on call today that will do your ultrasound. So, are you ready to go see your baby?"

Elizabeth's tears began again. She couldn't speak but shook her head up and down. Jack stepped closer, sat on the side of her bed, wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

Ten minutes later, two orderlies entered to take Elizabeth to the second floor for the ultrasound.

Jack held her hand as they headed for the elevator. Once on the second floor, the ultrasound was in use, so the plan was changed and she had the x-ray done on her wrist first.

With the x-ray done, Elizabeth was wheeled back to the ultrasound machine. Standing at the door, one of the orderlies advised Jack that he could wait outside and Elizabeth would be done in about ten minutes.

"Jack…" she called out, obviously scared as she refused to let go of his hand.

"Absolutely not; I'm going with her…"

"Well, normally the men just wait out here. I mean the room is kinda small," one of the orderlies stated.

"As big as this hospital is and they don't have a room where I can be with her for the ultrasound?" Jack questioned.

"I'm sorry sir, but in case you haven't noticed, we have some construction going on right now and we've been crammed in this room until that new wing is finished," the orderly advised.

"But you stay in there with her? No, that's not gonna happen. You wait out here and I'll push the bed inside," Jack stated as he pushed them aside, took hold of the bed and pushed it inside.

As they waited on the doctor, Jack noticed that Elizabeth was quiet and her body was shaking. "Are you okay?"

"I want to be excited, but I'm so scared," she stated as tears again filled her eyes.

Jack squatted down beside the bed so that he was eye level to her, "I love you so much. I'm here, and whatever we see, we'll deal with together, okay?"

"Jack, I'm so sorry that I didn't read the test right."

"Honey, I saw the test stick too. I didn't see the second line either. It's going to be okay; I just know it. But I need to ask you one thing…"

"What's that?"

"If they are able to tell us the sex, do you want to know?" his question brought a smile to her face.

"Jack, I want a gender reveal party, so no, I don't want to know yet."

**Knock, knock…

"Come in," Jack called out.

"Good morning, Mrs. Thornton. I'm Dr. Matt Erickson, and I understand that Dr. Devine is your doctor."

"That's correct," Elizabeth replied.

"Okay, well she's off today and I'm taking her calls, so what do you say we take a look at this baby…"

With the sheet pulled down to her pelvis and her gown pulled up to just under her breasts, he squirted the chilly lubricant on her stomach and turned on the ultrasound machine.

"Before you say anything," she glanced up at Jack, "We don't want to know the sex, but if you are able to tell, can you write it down so we can have a gender reveal party?"

"Certainly…" Dr. Erickson agreed.

The ultrasound machine was turned on and the wand started moving around her abdomen.

"There's your baby," Dr. Erickson stated as he pointed to the lower section of the screen. "Right there is the heart, and…" he fiddled with a few buttons, "Let's check the heart rate."

On the screen, the baby's heart rate was 160, "That's a good heart rate. I don't see anything that should alarm us. Oh, look he or she is sucking their thumb."

Dr. Erickson scanned the area to get a complete view, "The baby looks as though its growth is appropriate. The only thing that concerns me is that I see you've lost some weight since the last time you were in to see Dr. Devine, about twelve pounds to be exact. Have you been sick?"

"No, just busy with testing at school, and Jack has been at Spring Training in Phoenix, so I…"

"I thought you looked familiar. I hated to see you leave the Mets, but I used to live out in Southern California; I miss that too," Dr. Erickson stated as he took a picture of their baby on the screen, shut down the machine and wiped the gel off of her stomach. "I'm sorry Mrs. Thornton, I'm a doctor but I also love my baseball."

"Well, Jack and I got married back in November, but he's been gone to Spring Training, and I just haven't felt like cooking for just myself.

"Could you tell the sex?" Jack asked.

"I could; do you want to know?"

Jack wanted to know, but he deferred to Elizabeth.

"No sir, I'd like to wait…"

Before he left the room, Dr. Erickson advised that he would provide this information to Drs. Chappell and Devine. He then closed the door behind him giving Jack and Elizabeth a few minutes to savor the news they'd just been given before she was taken back to her room.

"So, what do you think?" she asked as tears slipped from the outside of her eyes.

"I think that you are going to be the most beautiful mother ever; I love you Elizabeth," and as his own tears fell down his cheeks he whispered, "I already love our peanut."

"Are you sure you aren't disappointed?" she asked.

"Disappointed? Why…?" he replied.

"Well I know you wanted to wait…"

"Elizabeth, do you remember me telling you that when the Lord saw fit to bless us with a baby then it would be the right time. Honey, it's the right time…"

As Elizabeth was wheeled back into her room, her bright smile and the picture she was waving told her parents that it was good news.

"Everything looks good, but I need to eat more. I've lost twelve pounds since my last visit with Dr. Devine. So now I have a reason to cook; it isn't just for me anymore."

On his way home for the evening, Dr. Chappell stepped into Elizabeth's room. "Your nurse is going to tape your wrist; it's not broken, just sprained. Dr. Erickson advised me that the ultrasound looked good. We will see about setting up an appointment with Dr. Devine's office before you are discharged tomorrow."

"I can go home tomorrow?"

"I don't see any reason why not, but you will need to eat better and take care of yourself."

Mr. Thatcher spoke up, "We'll all see to it that she takes care of herself."

Jack suddenly felt at a loss as he realized that his worst nightmare had come to pass. She was pregnant, and he wasn't there to take care of her. He could only hope that with the information out in the open, and now knowing why she was tired and feeling sick, that she'd accept the assistance that so many people were offering her. But then again, maybe he could still get her to give her notice and move with him to California.

As darkness and stars overtook the sun, Elizabeth begged Jack to go home and get some rest. "I'm just going to sleep. Please go home and get some rest," she pleaded with him.

Finally agreeing, Jack, William and Grace kissed Elizabeth good night and they walked out in the hallway. Grace had to pull Jack who was still hedging on leaving Elizabeth alone.

William dropped Jack by Elizabeth's school so he could pick up her car. They waited on him, assuming that he would be staying with them for the night.

"I'm going home; I need to check on Lizzie," he stated knowing that Brenda was already caring for their four legged baby.

Jack pulled into the driveway and observed Brenda outside with Lizzie. She rushed to the car, "How is she?"

"She's going to be fine. She passed out at work and hit her head," Jack explained as he squatted down to say hi to Lizzie.

"Jack, she really hasn't been doing well since you've been gone. She's working, staying late at school, and I always fix enough dinner to include her, but she rarely eats. I've been over here and she runs to the bathroom; I hear her throwing up, but she always says that she's fine. She doesn't want to worry anyone, but I'm worried. You know, if I didn't know that her pregnancy test was negative, I'd swear that she was pregnant, but I don't say anything because I know how upset she was when the test was negative."

Jack wanted to tell her their wonderful news, but decided that he needed to give Elizabeth the joy of telling her friends, so he simply said, "Well, the doctor on call gave her a thorough exam, so I think she'll be okay."

"How long are you able to stay?"

"I don't know; I haven't talked to my coach yet. I'm probably going to have to fly back in a few days."

"Well, just know that we love both of you guys and we'll keep a watch out on her. I'll make sure she eats…"

"Thank you, I appreciate that," Jack stated as he walked inside, grabbed a bag from the closet and left the house.

Back at the hospital, Elizabeth sat up in bed, her hand on her stomach and her thoughts consumed by the strange but exciting change of events. She knew that there was no way she could sleep, but Jack was exhausted, so telling him that she was only going to sleep was just a little white lie, and it couldn't hurt.

She reached in her bag which sat on the table and pulled out her cell phone, journal and pen. She pulled her photos up on her phone and looked at the pregnancy test results again. She then placed the picture of their baby on the table and took a screenshot to carry around with her wherever she went.

Elizabeth opened her journal, stopped and read the entry she'd written just after realizing what she thought was a negative result on her pregnancy test…

"In my heart I know that things happen for a reason. It is not always for us to know or understand; we simply need to accept the cards which are dealt, realizing that the worst type of sad is the one we can't explain.

As I was growing up, I recall my mother telling my sisters and me that we were old enough for our wants not to hurt us. I'm older now; but if I'm honest, this still hurts. My tears fall; each one carries a dream I had for the new life I thought I was carrying, and now I feel so empty.

Life is so unpredictable. It's crazy; it's about trusting your feelings and not being afraid to take chances. Life is about losing and finding happiness, being appreciative of the memories, learning valuable lessons from your mistakes, and realizing that nothing stays the same.

Sometimes smiling through the pain is the greatest act of defiance and sometimes asking for help doesn't make you weak, it's actually a sign of self- reliance. Often times the best medicine for disappointment is to laugh through the tears, and sometimes, accepting that the Lord knows best will ease the pain of not knowing 'why.' Sometimes it helps to simply go to sleep realizing the next morning that you are blessed to have another day, and that life, and the love you've found is worthy of the celebration."

She laid back in bed her phone in her hand and she stared at the picture of her baby, her baby with Jack, and she was consumed with love and a strong need to protect him or her.

As tears of joy fell, she sat her phone beside her and picked up her journal. Feeling the need to document this moment, she began to convey her deepest feelings onto the paper…

"Nursery rhymes conjure up visions of what we expect to be holding in our arms at the culmination of the much awaited 9 months. Will we be blessed by snips and snails, and puppy dogs tails or sugar and spice and all things nice? Will he have his daddy's captivating eyes, and dimply smile, or will she have my nose and silly laugh?

As a child I often played with my sisters, silly games where we each had children. I remember my "child", a daughter named Meaghan, who had long brown hair and blue eyes, a birthday gift one year from my parents. Through a child's eyes, we played, going through daily life, taking care of our dolls, fixing meals for our "babies" and ourselves, eventually collapsing in bed as the sun disappeared in the distance. Truly far from reality as I know it now, and as with most things, life changes and I moved on to more realistic adventures.

There were many years when I doubted that I would ever experience this moment. Although I dreamed of children as I got older, until your daddy blew into my life, I assumed that it was simply a childhood game that would never be my reality. Bringing you into this world without your daddy would have felt as though I was cheating you somehow. Preventing you from having the experience of the most wonderful man I have ever known. My dear little one, you will know soon enough.

If you are a boy, you will learn by his example to be respectful of women, well actually of everyone, but you will realize that the love of your life will come when you are ready and the time is right. If by chance you are a little girl, I hope to impress upon you the need to respect yourself so that others will treat you accordingly.

My sweet baby, how is it possible to love so completely someone that you have never met? You are the most precious blessing from above, a culmination of the most powerful love between your daddy and me, and we will love and cherish you until the end of time.

From the moment I met your daddy, my heart ceased to belong only to me. My parents, your grandparents, always assured me that love multiplies, it doesn't divide. I now know what they mean. You and your daddy are the most important people in my life and the reason my heart beats. Just know that my heart will never again be mine alone as a piece of it will always wander wherever you and your daddy go."

Elizabeth closed her journal, and brought the picture of her baby to her lips, "I love you so much. What do you say we get some sleep…?"

Elizabeth shut off the light, rolled over on her side and closed her eyes. By allowing herself to relax, she was asleep within minutes.

Jack stepped off the elevator, his bag in hand and walked directly to Room #422. He quietly stepped inside her room, pulled from the bag the gift he'd initially purchased for Elizabeth for Christmas but meant to put away… the teddy bear with "Daddy's Little Girl" embroidered on the t-shirt, and the stuffed baseball bat with the attached teething ring and baseball.

Jack removed his shoes and carefully crawled up in bed with Elizabeth. He placed the bear and bat in front of her. Her arm immediately grabbed his, and as she pulled his hand into her chest, the stuffed gifts for their baby were held against her body.

"I'm sorry; I couldn't stay away. I miss you, and I love you so much," he whispered in her ear.

"Never apologize for that, Jack…"

The nurses, having checked on Elizabeth several times before Jack's arrival had noted that her vital signs had still been slightly elevated. Checking the monitor at the nurse's station, Elizabeth's nurse noticed that her heart rate and respiration had slowed, and was well within the normal range.

Assuming that she'd finally fallen asleep, the nurse stepped inside her room and found Jack curled up in bed with her, his chest to her back and both were sound asleep.

To be continued…

NOTE: To those who follow the facebook fan fiction pages, there will be a few pictures posted shortly!

To the "Guest" who asked about seeing the pictures without a facebook account, I can email them to you. The problem is that this program here apparently doesn't recognize email addresses. That being said, I'll try to spell out the email if you can figure it out... bbflabradors then you do the "at" symbol aol dot com