Elizabeth sobbed uncontrollably and eventually the mountie who wasn't her husband left. But Abigail stayed. She didn't say anything. There was nothing to say. No words could console the heart of a young widow. All Abigail had to do was sit and hug her. And even then, her heart refused to be comforted.
"Jaaack," her voice shook as tears flooded her face.
Elizabeth never wished to be able to relate to Abigail in this way. She knew from the day she realized she loved Jack death was a high probability, but she never allowed herself to accept that reality.
Five weeks. She had been Elisabeth Thornton for five weeks. Just more than a month was not the forever she had signed up for. He had promised her a house where they would raise their family and pass down the land for generations. Their future had dissipated at the literal drop of a hat.
She suddenly began to feel queasy. She struggled to her feet to stagger a few feet away from Abigail before spewing both pieces of half digested chocolate cake in the dirt in front of her.
"Are you alright?" Abigail ran over to her.
Elizabeth shook her head.
"You need to rest. Why don't you stay at our house tonight?" Abigail said. It wasn't a question.
Abigail hoisted Elizabeth's arm over her shoulders and helped her climb the stairs into the cafe and another set of stairs into a guest bedroom.
"I'll go back downstairs and get you a bowl just in case you need it in the middle of the night," she said.
"Did that chocolate cake make you sick at all?" Elizabeth asked.
Abigail shook her head. Elizabeth could tell that her old friend knew something that she wasn't ready to tell her.
After Abigail left, Elizabeth stared at the ceiling. She couldn't cry. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't close her eyes without seeing him.
This had to be a dream, no, a nightmare. She'd wake up and find a letter from Jack in the mailbox.