Epilogue: Part 2

...

Summer 1915

...

Elizabeth stared out the window as the train began to slow, and the familiar sights of Hamilton appeared. They had visited the previous summer, allowing her to show her family where she grew up, but that felt like a lifetime ago.

Just days before, she had received an urgent telegram from her father, stating that her mother had been hospitalized. She knew nothing of her mother's condition, only that it was serious. The final words of the telegram had been haunting her ever since she read them. Come quickly.

Jack had immediately jumped into action, explaining to the children that they would be taking a trip and needed to pack their bags. They could tell the seriousness of the situation and obeyed without question.

Everything had been a blur, but somehow they had all made it to the train station. Jack finally explained the reason for the visit to the children, and they had taken it as well as could be expected.

Elizabeth had been quiet for most of the journey, and that didn't change as they approached the station. Absentmindedly, she rubbed a hand across the small bump where their baby was growing. They hadn't yet told her parents about the baby, and now she worried that her mother would never know about—let alone meet—her grandchild.

Jack noticed a tear sliding down her cheek and reached over to grasp her hand. "I'm right here," he whispered. "No matter what."

She squeezed his fingers, but said nothing.

He watched her, feeling helpless. He hated that she was going through something painful, once again, something that he couldn't do a thing to fix. She had already been through so much more in the past few years than anyone should. He said a silent prayer that Grace would recover, that whatever ailed her wasn't as bad as they thought.

"Daddy?" Emma slid from her seat to stand in front of him. "Grandma will be okay, right?"

"I hope so, Em." He lifted her into his lap. "I sure hope so."

...

Jack kissed Elizabeth on the forehead. "I'll get the children settled in at the house. You take all the time you need."

"I love you, Jack."

"I love you." With one more kiss, he returned to the car, and Elizabeth stepped into the hospital, where her father was waiting for her.

"Beth." William opened his arms, pulling his daughter into a hug.

She broke down, feeling so much like she was a child again, pulling whatever strength she could from her father. Finally, she pulled back, wiping her eyes. "How is she?"

"She's stable, but she hasn't woken up for more than a few minutes at a time. They said the blood was cut off to a part of her brain." He shook his head. "I couldn't understand everything they were saying."

"Where's Julie?"

"I had the driver take her home to rest." He sighed. "I'll take you to go see your mother now."

Elizabeth threaded her arm through his, feeling as though either one of them might fall over without the support of the other.

She sucked in a breath when they entered the room, seeing her mother so pale, so fragile, lying on the bed.

"I've been talking to her," William explained. "I don't know if she can hear me when she's asleep, but I just want her to know…" he cleared his throat, obviously trying to keep his emotions at bay, "I want her to know she's not alone."

Elizabeth took a seat next to the bed and reached for her mother's hand. "Mother, it's Elizabeth." She swallowed a sob. "I need you to get better. Father needs you. The children need you. Your new grandchild needs you." She glanced over at her father. "We were going to tell you soon. Jack and I are having a baby this winter. And mother, I need you to be around to meet this baby. He needs to know his grandma."

William put a hand on her shoulder. "She'll get to meet him. I have faith."

...

"Now remember," Jack instructed, "grandma Grace has been sick, so we need to be careful."

"Can I give her a hug?" William asked. "Mama gives me hugs when I'm sick, and it makes me feel better."

"Sure, you can. Just be gentle."

Jack opened the front door at the sound of a car. The children crowded around him on the front porch, watching as William and Elizabeth helped Grace from the car.

It had been three days since they had arrived in Hamilton, and Grace had finally been discharged from the hospital, with—thankfully—few long-term effects from the stroke. She was still weak and needed assistance getting around, but seemed to be doing okay otherwise.

"Hi, grandma!" the children greeted her. Once on the porch, little William gave Grace a gentle hug. "I'm glad you're better, grandma."

"Me too, Willie."

"Let's get grandma settled inside, children," Elizabeth told them, allowing Jack to take over in assisting William in helping Grace inside.

Once they knew Grace was comfortable, Elizabeth and Jack left to allow the children to spend some time with their grandparents. She took his hand, leading him out to the back garden. They walked in silence for a few minutes, enjoying being back together without the cloud of Grace's health hanging over them.

"It's good to see her up and moving around," Jack finally spoke.

"Mhmm." She smiled, but it didn't touch her eyes.

"Sweetheart? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

He stopped, tugging gently on her hand to make her stop with him. "No, you aren't. Something's bothering you."

She wiped away tears before they started to spill down her cheeks. "I really am fine. I think all the emotions of this past week are just hitting me at once. All the worry I was feeling, and now the happiness of knowing she'll be okay. And I'm already more emotional because of the baby."

He placed his hands on her hips, leaning in to press a kiss to her forehead.

She slipped her arms around him, resting her cheek against his chest. "I'm so glad you're here with me, Jack."

"Haven't you figured it out by now? I'll always be here for you." He held her tighter. "No matter what. I love you, Elizabeth."

...

"Mother went to bed already. The doctor said she still needs plenty of rest." Elizabeth took a seat beside Jack on the porch swing, looking out at the children as they ran around the garden. She snuggled into his side. "Father said that if she's well enough to travel by Christmas, they might come to Hope Valley to meet the baby."

"The baby." He smiled, reaching over to place his hand on her stomach. "I know we both think the baby is a boy, but if we happen to be wrong and have a girl, what do you think about naming her after your mother?"

"Grace?"

He nodded. "It's a beautiful name, and I think it would be a wonderful way to honor your mother. And just picture it: little Gracie Thornton."

"And if your dream was right, and we're having a boy?" She put her hand on top of his. "What should we name him?"

"I was thinking, maybe…Samuel? We could call him Sam or Sammy."

"Samuel? Where did you get that name from?"

"My uncle." He shifted to drape his arm across her shoulders.

"The one who has a ranch in Regina? Where your mother lives?"

He nodded. "When everything was happening with my father, he was a big help to us." Glancing over at her, he added, "we don't have to name him Samuel. It's just a suggestion."

"I like it. Sammy Thornton."

He pressed his lips to her temple. "I can't wait to meet him."

"Beth?" William stepped onto the porch, interrupting the conversation. He fidgeted, clearly bothered by something. "The Spencers are here."

She tightened her grip on Jack's leg. "What do they want? How did they even know I'm here?"

"I can tell them to leave," William offered. "I just wanted to give you the choice."

She glanced over at Jack, and he shrugged. "It's up to you, sweetheart."

"I need to see what they want. But I need you with me."

He took her hand, squeezing it gently. "Always."

"They're in the parlor," William told them. "I'll keep an eye on the children."

"Thank you, father."

Jack kept his hand on Elizabeth's back as they walked through the house, supporting her in every way.

"Matthew. Lucille."

"Elizabeth." Matthew gave her the smallest nod of acknowledgment, completely ignoring Jack's presence.

Elizabeth cleared her throat. "What brings you to Hamilton?"

"We heard you were here visiting your mother."

Lucille touched her husband's hand. "We were hoping…you'd allow us to visit with the children. It's been so long, and they are still our grandchildren, after all."

"If you'd like to remain in their lives, I won't try to stop you." She took a step back. "They're out in the garden, if you'd like to see them now. I'll let them know that you're here."

William raised his eyebrows when he saw his daughter return with her former in-laws following. She gave him a little shrug on her way to where the children were playing.

"Emma, Willie. There's someone here to see you."

They looked up, William furrowing his brow when he saw the visitors. "Are they going to try to take us away again?"

"No, Willie. That won't happen. I promise. They just want to see you, say hello."

"Okay…" Still looking wary, William took his sister's hand, leading him over to where their grandmother was.

Watching the interaction, Jack turned toward Matthew. "Why now? It's been nearly two years since you last saw them, and as I recall, you didn't exactly leave things with Elizabeth on a good note."

"Lucille has cancer," Matthew replied, looking out at his wife and grandchildren. "They found a tumor, about a month ago. We've seen three more doctors since then. They've all said the same thing. She has less than a year." He swallowed, as though trying to get rid of a lump in his throat. "She just…she doesn't want to have any regrets."

Jack cleared his throat, unsure of how to respond to the news. "I'm sorry," was all he managed to come up with.

"Thank you." Matthew was quiet for a few moments, clasping his hands in front of him. "I think…maybe I'll go say hello to the children as well."

Jack gave him a nod, watching him descend the steps into the garden.

Allie wandered over, slipping her hand into his. "Dad? Are they going to take Willie and Emma away?"

"No, Allie." He crouched down. "Their grandmother is sick. She just wants to spend some time with them while she can."

"She's going to die?"

Jack nodded solemnly. "I'm afraid she is."

"That's sad."

"It is," he agreed. "But we're glad that she's taking this opportunity to get to know them better."

"We are? But I thought she was mean to mom."

"You're right, she wasn't very nice to mom. But sometimes, when people get sick, it can make them think about things like how they treated other people. She's trying to be nicer now, because she doesn't want anyone to be angry with her when it's her time to go."

The girl was quiet for a few moments as she thought. "Okay. Do you think it would be alright if I went back to play with Willie and Emma now?"

He smiled, ruffling her hair. "Sure, Allie-girl. I think their grandparents would love to meet you."

...

Jack slipped under the covers beside Elizabeth, quickly reaching over to brush a lock of hair from her face. "Well, that was an eventful day. How are you doing with all of this?"

"I don't know. I'm still trying to come to terms with everything going on with my mother, and then they show up. And I want to believe that they're truly trying to be better, but I just can't forget that they ignored everything I told them about James, or that they tried to take the children from me. I'm just feeling confused, and the children are feeling confused…"

"You know what isn't confusing?" The corners of his lips turned up, and he leaned in to kiss her softly. "How much I love you."

She returned his smile. "I love you, too. And I'm so grateful to have you by my side. I don't know how I would navigate any of this without you."

"You'd find a way." He kissed her again and placed his hand on her stomach. "How's the little one doing with all of this?"

"Oh." She let out a little gasp. "With everything happening today, I almost didn't notice, and I almost forgot to tell you. I felt him move for the first time!"

"That's amazing, sweetheart." He grinned and placed his other hand on her stomach as well.

She let out a little chuckle. "I hate to break it to you that it'll probably be a few weeks still before you can feel him. Plus, he isn't moving right now."

"Already a good sleeper," he joked. "Keep it up, little man."

"We should probably get some sleep, too. Who knows what excitement awaits us tomorrow?"

...

December 1915

...

Elizabeth waddled into the jail, untying her scarf as she closed the door behind her.

Jack greeted her with a smile, coming around the desk to hug her. "Hi, sweetheart. How was your appointment?"

"Faith said everything looks good, and he could come any day now." She placed her hands on her stomach. "I hope he comes sooner rather than later, because I don't think I can handle him getting any bigger. I know it's been a while, but I don't remember being this big with William."

Jack put his hand between hers, smiling when he felt a kick beneath his fingers. "There's my big boy." He leaned in, speaking to the baby. "We're ready for you out here, little one, so feel free to come any time."

"I would especially love it if he decided to arrive before Julie and my parents come to visit."

"And before Christmas," he added.

"Maybe he'll be born on Christmas. That would be the perfect present."

He slid his arms around her waist. "He'll be the perfect present no matter when he arrives." He kissed her softly. "I love you."

"I love you." She rested her cheek on his chest. "Are we still going to find a tree later? I know the children are eager to start decorating."

"If you're up for it. I know the little guy takes a lot out of you." He returned his hand to her stomach.

"I'll be fine."

"Then it's a date. I'll try to leave here a little early so we can get out there before dark."

She smiled. "I suppose I should let you get back to work, then."

He kissed her once more. "I'll see you in a few hours."

...

Gilbert ran ahead of the family, nose to the ground as they entered the forest.

"Dad?" Emma spoke from atop Jack's shoulder's. "Will we get snow for Christmas?"

"I don't know, Em." He glanced up at the sky, gray with clouds. "It's certainly cold enough for snow."

"Dad?" Allie turned, carefully walking backwards as she spoke. "Can we get a really big tree this year?"

"Not too big, Allie-girl." He chuckled. "It has to be able to fit in our house."

"But can we get one as big as you?" William asked. "You fit in our house."

Elizabeth laughed, the sound getting cut off by a grunt as she was struck by a sudden pain.

"Sweetheart?" Jack stopped walking, looking at his wife with concern.

"I'm okay," she assured him, gently rubbing her stomach where she had felt the twinge. "It wasn't a contraction or anything. I'm sure he's just getting ready in there."

"If you're sure…"

She nodded. "Let's go find our Christmas tree. One as big as you," she teased.

Allie and William chattered as they inspected each tree they passed, claiming this one was too small, that one was too thin. They wandered deeper into the forest, the children still turning down every tree.

"There!" Emma suddenly exclaimed, pointing excitedly at a tree about fifteen feet in front of them. "It's as big as daddy!"

Allie and William scurried over to the one she indicated, slowly circling around it.

"It's perfect!" Allie declared a few moments later. "Can we get this one?"

After his own inspection of it, Jack retrieved his saw, felling the tree in just a few minutes. Before they knew it, they were headed back home, Christmas tree in tow.

The children eagerly discussed decorating as they entered the house. Still lugging the tree, Jack realized Elizabeth had stopped in the middle of the yard.

"Elizabeth?"

"Um, I think my water broke." She glanced down at her feet, seeing the fluid pooling around her boots. "Jack, the baby is coming."

The next few moments were a flurry of activity, as Jack helped Elizabeth into the house and to the bedroom. The children were confused, wondering why their mom seemed to be in pain and what it all meant for their decorating plans.

"Is she hurt?" William asked, standing in the bedroom doorway, watching Jack wipe Elizabeth's forehead with a damp cloth.

"No, son." Jack gave him a reassuring smile. "The baby is coming." He waved him over. "Can you do something for me, Willie?"

He joined his parents, nodding hesitantly.

"I need you and your sisters to stay here and watch your mom while I go get some help, okay?"

He nodded again, more certain this time. "Yes, sir."

"Good boy." Jack ruffled his hair, then turned back to his wife. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

...

"Will mama be sad that she doesn't get to decorate with us?" Emma looked over at her dad, an ornament suspended in her hand.

"Maybe a little bit." He hung up the ornament in his own hand. "But she wanted us to try to finish decorating before the baby is born."

"Jack?" Faith appeared at the top of the stairs. "She's asking for you."

"I'll be right back, you three. Keep on decorating, okay?"

He quickly mounted the steps, getting back to his wife's side. He brushed the hair from her tired face.

"Hi."

"How are you, sweetheart? Faith said you wanted to see me."

"I just," she shifted in the bed, trying to get comfortable. "I missed you."

He smiled. "Do you want me to stay here? I can see if Rosemary or Abigail can come over to watch the children."

"You don't mind?"

"Not at all." He settled himself in the bed with her. "I'll stay with you as long as you want."

"Why don't I go make that call?" Faith suggested. "You just stay here."

"How are the children?" Elizabeth asked after Faith stepped out of the room. "Are they upset that our plans had to change a little?"

"They're more worried that you'll be disappointed to miss out on the decorating this year." He touched her cheek. "How are you? Did Faith mention how much longer it'll be?"

"The last time she checked, I was just over halfway there. It'll probably be a few more hours, at least." She rubbed her stomach, gritting her teeth as another pain came over her. After it passed, she spoke again, "with William, I labored for nearly twenty hours."

"Twenty?!" Jack exclaimed.

She chuckled. "Thankfully, labor tends to get shorter with each child."

"Good." He kissed her temple. "I know we've waited this long to meet the baby, but now that he's officially on the way, I don't know that I can wait twenty more hours."

...

"You're amazing, sweetheart. I already knew how strong and capable you were, but watching you bring our son into the world…" Jack shook his head. "Thank you for letting me witness that."

She gave him a sleepy smile as he sank down onto the bed beside him. "Thank you for being with me."

He looked down at the baby sleeping in her arms. His son. Their son. The one he knew would be theirs, even before they married.

Elizabeth had labored for only a few more hours after he had joined her. He stayed by her side for every moment, cheering her on when she seemed to lose steam. He watched their boy take his first breath, amazed at the loud cry that came from such a tiny body.

Faith had declared both Elizabeth and the infant in perfect health before leaving the parents to bond with their new addition.

Now, in the wee hours of the morning, Jack was still in awe. In awe of Elizabeth's strength, in awe of the little life they created together.

"May I?" Jack whispered, reaching for the baby.

Elizabeth passed the baby over carefully, trying not to wake him.

"Sammy…" Jack whispered, touching his son's soft cheek with his fingertip. "He's just perfect, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth smiled and leaned back against her pillow as she watched father and son. She thought back to nearly eight years before, when she had given birth to William. How different things were this time. Then, she'd been alone, just herself and the doctor. In the first week of William's life, James only came to see him once or twice.

But here, now, she had Jack by her side, and she had a feeling it'd be tough to convince him to leave her or Sammy even for a few moments.

"I love you," she breathed.

"I love you, too." He touched her cheek. "You rest now. I've got him."

...

A week later, Elizabeth sat on the sofa beside her husband. Sammy was fast asleep on Jack's chest, while Allie was curled up near the fire with Gilbert as she read the new book her grandparents had gifted her. Emma sprawled out in the middle of the floor, paper and crayons strewn about as she colored a picture to send to Matthew and Lucille. Little William sat on his grandfather's lap, chatting with him and Grace about everything they had missed since the family's visit to Hamilton that summer.

As Elizabeth gazed around the room, she marveled at how much had changed in the two and half years since she came to Hope Valley. She'd never felt so blessed, so loved, so happy.

She said a silent prayer of thanks for all the good things that had come into her life since the day she decided to trust that God had something better for her and her children. It was more than she could've ever imagined.

The words came into her mind, as they so often had over the past few years: Be still, my soul; the Lord is on your side.