Love Forever and Always
by
Elizabeth C. Bireley
Hope Valley, 1915.
It felt like a knife went through my chest. I couldn't breathe, it can't be true. No, Jack, no, my beloved Jack. He can't be dead.
I Elizabeth Thornton, and my dear friend, Abigail Stanton, were just leaving Carson Shepherd's birthday party to go get his present when a Mountie rode up in the darkness. I, thinking it was Jack, ran up to meet him. I was disappointed to realize it wasn't Jack. The Mountie asked where he could find Elizabeth Thornton. I froze. Why would this Mountie be looking for me?
I spoke up, " I'm Elizabeth Thornton." The Mountie didn't say anything, he just took off his hat, with a sad face on.
I asked, "Is he hurt?"
"No ma'am, he replied.
"Just tell me he's alive."
"I'm sorry."
All I could do was scream his name. It felt like a knife was ripping through my heart. I felt like I was suffocating. I couldn't breathe. I could feel the hard dirt road underneath me. Abigail was trying to get me to stand up. I couldn't. Was he really gone? We weren't even married for two months. He couldn't really be gone. No, he couldn't. I stood up, looked at the Mountie and asked,
"Are you sure it was Jack?"
The Mountie replied, " Constable Thornton went to train new recruit in the mountains. We got separated from him and a few others. We searched and searched, but we never found them. We assume he's dead."
"No, he can't be. Jack knows how to survive in the wilderness if he needs to."
"Ma'am, with all do respect, they could have never survived in the cold."
"Constable, I would know in my heart if he was dead. Where were they last seen?"
"About twenty miles outside of Alcurt Falls."
"We will start there, then."
"Ma'am, we will never been able to find them. We already tried."
"We need to try again. I will not sit here, and believe my husband is dead, when he could very well be alive. We will leave at day break."
"Abigail, help me gather men to come with me."
" Elizabeth, I will come with you too."
" Thank you Abigail
And with that we all did what we needed to do to prepare for our journey. I, for one, went home for things that I would need to take. Abigail had suggested that I not wear a dress as it would only slow me down. I found a pair of Jack's old pants that sort of fit. They were a bit long and too big in the waist, but a piece of rope could easily fix that. Mostly, I prayed that Jack was alive and that I would find him. I didn't know how long I would be gone so I asked Rosemary to take over for me at the school where I taught. And with that I fell into a fitful sleep, we would ride out in the morning.
We rode hard all the next day. We finally stopped when we reached Alcurt Falls knowing that we needed to ride another twenty miles past the town the following day, we had to set up camp for the night. Three men accompanied Abigail and me. Bill Avery was the first to volunteer. Carson Shepard came in case we would need a doctor. And Lee Coulter, Rosemary's husband, also joined us. I thanked God that they were willing to come. I would have gone even if no one else had gone with me.
I had a dream the night before- the night I received the terrible news about Jack- of our wedding day. Oh, how I wished I could go back to that day. Then I remembered the day Jack told me he had to leave for two months. My heart had dropped at this news, but I had been relieved when he told me that he would be in no danger. As I lay there on the cold, hard ground with Abigail slumbering next to me, I prayed that I was not wrong about Jack being alive. I didn't believe Jack was dead. He couldn't be. I would have known if he was.
Morning came early for all, except me. I hadn't slept. How could I? Jack was out there, somewhere, possible hurt, and I was not with him.
It hurt. He couldn't move. His whole body was in complete agony. He laid on the rocky, frozen ground, surrounded by wet leaves. He was in the middle of nowhere. His men. Where were his men? Oh, yes the were dead. He was the only one surviving, for now. Was anyone looking for him? Possibly, but probably not. How long had he been there? He didn't know; days, maybe. He thought of Elizabeth. How would she react when they told her he was dead? He couldn't let that happen, but what if they already told her he was dead? That was why he had to get up, he had too. He needed to get back to Elizabeth.
Riding over rougher, mountainous terrain the second day, we approached the area where Jack and his men had last been seen. There was no sign of them, so we kept moving. I had waken up nauseous that morning. It had started a couple days before I was told about Jack. I had thought I was just sick or something. Then Abigail said that morning what had not even crossed my mind. I was pregnant. When I put two and two together I had realized she was right. This made me want to find Jack more than ever. He needed to know about this child. He would be so excited. He had been looking forward to starting a family, and its finally happening. We needed to find him and we would.
He had slipped into unconcousness, and he didn't know how long he had been out. But he knew that if he didn't get up he would die. It was getting colder each night with winter fast approaching. He felt peace, as if someone was coming. He didn't understand why felt like that, but he did. Was someone looking for him? Was it Elizabeth, or just the Mounties? He felt her near him. He didn't know why, but he did. Was he just imagining it, was it real? Then he heard it. Horses. Someone was coming.
At the moment I saw the read cloth in the leaves I knew it was him.
"JACK! HE IS OVER THERE!" I cried desparately. I urged my horse forward, I swung my leg over the saddle and ran to him. He had cuts all over him. I spoke softly, "Jack i'm here." I could just hear him whispering my name in a raspy voice, as though he hadnt had anything to drink in days. How long had he been here? I didn't know. All I cared about was that I had found him and he was alive. We needed to get him up and back home. Thank God he is alive. Thank God.