"Thank you for taking care of me," she told Lucas, hugging him tightly at the airport a few days later. "I appreciate it."
"I love you," he shrugged. "I wanted to help."
"I love you," she said quietly, kissing him twice. "I'll see you in a few weeks."
"Okay." He looked at her for a long moment, kissed her again and walked over to check in.
She needed to grab something to eat because she was feeling lightheaded and weak. After throwing up daily for a few days, it wasn't a shocker.
Her phone buzzed and she smiled as she answered. "Julie!"
"I'm here too," Vi said, also on the line.
"Hi, sisters. I miss you both so much."
"What are you up to?"
"Just dropped Lucas off at the airport."
"I thought you were supposed to be in Michigan this weekend," Julie said as her newborn son squawked in the background. "Babe, can you grab Peter?"
"I was but I had the flu so he flew to me and took care of me."
"Oh, that's so sweet."
"Yes. He's the best. I just hope he doesn't catch it."
"So you're feeling better?" Vi asked.
"For the most part. I need to eat something soon though. I'm still weak."
"Well, before you go, I just wanted to let you know that I'm pregnant."
"Vi! That's awesome! Congratulations," Elizabeth said. One day that would be her too.
"Congrats, Vi. I'm happy for you and Charles."
Elizabeth grabbed a cup of coffee and a muffin from a local coffee shop before heading into the office. As she drove, she started feeling nauseated again. That coffee didn't even smell good and at this point, she didn't even want to think about eating that muffin.
"You look a bit green," Flo whispered. "Are you sure you're better?"
"I was. I took Luke to the airport and then I got coffee and a muffin and ugh…I can't even be near it."
Flo and Molly looked at each other.
"What?"
"Well, I mean, not to make assumptions but when I was first pregnant with Paul Jr. coffee made me nauseated."
"Me too, when I was pregnant with Rosaleen."
"I'm not…it was the flu. No need to worry there."
"Well, I mean, have you taken a test?"
"No. It never even crossed my mind." Now that they mentioned it though, she was over a week late for her period. "Oh my. What if…?"
She bolted for the bathroom and threw up. "I can't be," she muttered to herself. Though she knew anything was possible. She had taken her pill each day. Though the day she left, she had taken it late but only by a few hours.
She pulled out her phone and googled the exact kind of pill she was on. "Crap!"
"Beth?"
"Um, I need to make a phone call," she said, coming out of the bathroom.
"Sure, you could go home, if you're still sick. We both have appointments but your schedule is free," Molly told her.
She took them up on the offer but instead of going home, she bought a pregnancy test. Then she went home and put it in the drawer in her bathroom. If she truly thought she was pregnant, she didn't want to take the test without Lucas. It seemed like something they should take on together. So, she'd wait the fourteen days until she saw him again to take it.
It was very obviously the longest two weeks of her life. As the days went on, she tried to keep a normal schedule but she threw up at least once a day and the rest of the time, she was nauseated. She went to work and took on a few small clients but that was all she had the energy for.
When she flew to Michigan in the middle of June, she was still nauseated. She had other symptoms as well so she had brought the test with her and planned that that night, after dinner, she would tell Lucas.
She wasn't thrilled that she was pregnant but she wasn't upset either. Yes, she had always thought that she'd be married and settled before having her first child but things happened. Julie was a poster child for that. She wanted a family and she loved Lucas so it wasn't entirely a bad thing.
"Hi!" Lucas yelled, waving and lifting her in the air, spinning her around.
"Babe, please. Put me down? I'm not feeling the best."
"Yeah, you look pale. Do you have the flu again?"
"Its a long story. Do you mind if we go back to your house so I can lie down?"
"Of course. Let's go."
About twenty minutes later, she grabbed his arm. "Babe, please, pull over. I need to throw up." He pulled off the side of the highway and she did just that.
"Oh, honey. I'm so sorry you're sick," he said as she got back in the car.
"Thanks," she said, giving him a weak smile. "I really need to lie down."
She put the passenger seat back as far as it would go and tried to ignore the motion of the car. She relaxed and fell asleep.
"Hon? We're home. Let's go inside."
She nodded and he helped her walk slowly into his house and into the bedroom, pulling back the covers for her. He leaned down to kiss her temple. "Sleep well, Beth."
"Mm."
…..
Later, Elizabeth walked out of the master to find Lucas. "Babe?"
"Here," he said, from the couch. "How are you feeling?"
"Do you have any crackers or bread for toast?"
"I have crackers in the kitchen."
She walked in and opened his pantry cupboard. "These will work," she muttered, opening a box of saltines.
"I had some soup and sandwiches delivered. Do you want me to heat up some soup for you?"
"Sure and then can we maybe talk?"
"Of course."
She took a few spoonfuls of the soup and sighed. It felt good to have something in her tummy.
"Holy crap," he whispered.
"What?"
"You're pregnant, aren't you?"
"Maybe."
"Maybe?"
"I brought a test with me. That's what I wanted to talk to you about."
"I thought you were on the pill."
"I was. Am. Well, was. I took a pill late and apparently that was the issue."
"Wow."
"Yeah. I'm going to take the test. Would you wait with me? I bought it a few weeks ago but I felt like you should be there with me."
"A few weeks? Beth…why didn't you tell me?"
"I guess I was hoping it wasn't true. But I've seen the signs and I missed another period and with the nausea and being exhausted…"
"What if you are, Beth?"
"What if I am? What do you mean?"
"You live 582.3 miles away!"
"I know. I'm just going to take a test. Maybe its not true. Maybe we don't need to figure things out right now."
He followed her into the bedroom and sat on the bed to wait while she took the test.
"So?" he asked.
"Um, it takes ten minutes to get the results."
"Oh." She sat down next to him and slipped her fingers through his.
"Lucas, are you mad? I can't tell how you're feeling."
"I don't know how I'm feeling."
"Okay."
"I love you, Beth. I do, with everything in me. I just wasn't expecting this."
"Neither was I."
"If its positive, I'd like you to move here. As soon as we can make it happen. I should be here, to go to appointments with you and put you on my insurance."
"I want to be here. I will give my two weeks notice to Flo and Molly as a formality."
He nodded and brought her hand up to his mouth, kissing her knuckles. "A baby."
"Yeah. Its scary. I always thought I'd be married. I love my sister so much but I never understood why she and Jake never got married. Now they have three kids."
"There are different kinds of families. Not everyone does things in the same order," he chuckled. "Obviously."
"You're not going to let me do this alone, are you? I don't want to be a single mom," she told him, feeling her emotions coming on strong.
"I will be there, every step of the way. I promise you."
The alarm went off on her phone signaling the ten minute mark. She stood up and he joined her, giving her a hug and holding on, just for a few minutes.
"Whatever it says, we are in this together, Beth."
She nodded, he kissed her and they walked into the bathroom.
…..
"The website says, to calculate your due date, you need to put in the first day of your last period. So 280 days from that is…February 8th I think," Lucas said, typing on his phone.
"You're adorable," she said, kissing his cheek. After they had confirmed the positive test, they sat down, had some tea and talked in length about next steps. She then called Flo and Molly and took an extra week. She needed to find an OBGYN in Ann Arbor, preferably, and make an appointment.
"Why?" he asked.
"You just are. Thank you for not freaking out, Luke."
"Well, that wouldn't help anything. Plus, I sort of like the idea of you carrying my baby, even if it happened sooner than we thought it would."
"Sort of like?" she teased.
"I'm sure it will grow on me."
She videochatted Julie, Vi and Grace and William that evening. Well, they did, as a team.
"Hi, Bethie!" William said, a big grin on his face. "Are you calling to tell us when your wedding date is?"
"Hi, Beth, Lucas. Hi Vi and Julie!" Grace said.
"No wedding date yet, Dad," Beth told her dad.
"What's this about, Bethie?"
"Well, I'm going to be moving to Michigan very soon."
"Yay, closer to me!" Julie giggled. Everyone laughed.
"How soon?"
"Within the next month or so."
"What's the hurry?" Grace asked.
"Well, we just found out that I'm pregnant."
Everyone was silent. Not a sound. "Are you serious?" Vi asked, asking what everyone was thinking.
"Yes. We are serious. We think we are due in February."
"Congratulations!"
Grace and William were still quiet. Beth could feel the tension. "Mom, Dad?"
"Let's chat when you come home," William said. "When is that?"
"I'll be home in a week."
"See you then."
Then Grace and William were gone. Elizabeth immediately started tearing up and Julie noticed.
"Beth, you know William Thatcher. He's old school. He didn't like it when I was pregnant with Kellie or when I was pregnant with Rayna. He accepted Peter. Once he sees his precious grandchildren, he gets over it."
She knew Julie was right but she selfishly had hoped he would be different with her.
…..
Philadelphia, Grace and William's house
"Why can't she and Julie be more like Vi?" William asked, pacing the room.
"Darling…"
"Grace, I may be old-fashioned but…this is how I am."
"You love your grandbabies."
"Of course I do."
"Then just get over this. Our daughters are happy and that's truly all we wanted for them, right?"
"Yes."
"Jake and Charles and Lucas are all wonderful men who take care of our daughters. They love them and we can't really ask for more."
William sat down and ran his fingers through his hair. "I know you're right, Gracie. It just felt like Elizabeth had a good head on her shoulders."
"She does, darling. She's amazing and smart and independent and she made a choice to fall in love and now we are going to have another grandbaby. Well, two including Charles' and Vi's."
"I do love those babies."
"I love you, William Thatcher."
"Thank you for being my voice of reason, Gracie. I don't know what I'd do without you."