The ordeal seemed to be over.

Nathan was safe, and Elizabeth had never been more glad that Hope Valley had grown enough to have a full-time infirmary with not only a doctor, but also a nurse. She remembered the days when they'd had to depend on visiting doctors who traveled the distances between towns to tend to the sick and injured.

She was so grateful as she listened to Carson assess Nathan's situation.

Once Carson got a better look at Nathan's leg in the bright lights of the Infirmary, he'd had to alter his plans.

"It's been too long since the break happened," he explained to Elizabeth and Bill, with Faith standing by. "There's a lot of swelling. If I put the cast on now, once the swelling goes down the cast will be loose and it won't keep the bone immobilized."

"How long do you need to wait?" Elizabeth asked.

"Three to five days, we'll just have to see," Carson said.

"Can he go home?"

"He'll need to stay here." Carson said. "Remember, he has a broken bone in there with only a splint to protect it. He needs to stay still, and here Faith and I can do everything for him."

Bill nodded. "You don't have to do it all. The town will help, Carson. I'll put a bug in a few ears. I've been talking to folks, and people like Nathan a lot. They feel like they don't say thank you enough."

Elizabeth smiled. She was certain Nathan didn't know that.

Bill said, "And I'll call Headquarters first thing in the morning and see how quickly they can get us a temporary Constable. Three months?"

"Yes, at least," said Carson.

"Can I see him?" Elizabeth asked.

Faith nodded. "He should be waking up soon. He'll want to see you when he does, Elizabeth." Faith led her to a curtained area. "You can go on in. Stay as long as you like," Faith said.

"Thank you, Faith, for everything," Elizabeth said, hugging her.

There was a chair next to the bed, and Elizabeth sat down. She reached out to hold Nathan's hand. It was perfectly warm, and she rested her face against it. He was still asleep.

Elizabeth could see that the color was back in his face. He looked so much better than he had when she first found him.

Elizabeth took a deep breath, steeling herself for the conversation Carson was about to have with Nathan. She didn't think Nathan had any idea it was coming. Three months was a long time.

She already had a thought for part of the time he had to heal, but it depended on Nathan remembering that he'd asked her tonight to meet his mother and to see his family's ranch.

Elizabeth and Allie had their Easter break coming up in the first week of April, and there would be no school.

Elizabeth thought it might be nice to spend Easter in Airdrie. She loved spending holidays in Hope Valley, but she'd had many of them, and Nathan's mother must miss her son. Plus, Jack would love the horses...

"You're frowning," she heard beside her. She looked up to see Nathan with his blue eyes fixed on her.

She stood up quickly and said, "You're awake. How do you feel?"

Nathan nodded. He was still speaking very slowly but his eyes were clear. "A lot better than I did. And this bed," he touched the clean white sheets, "Is a whole lot better than a horse blanket. Now ask me about my pain level."

"From the sound of you, I would guess it's fairly low," Elizabeth said, softly.

Carson came through the curtain, smiling. "I'm interested in hearing that number."

"It's about a two. Much better than an eleven," Nathan said.

"It should be smooth sailing from here on out with the pain, Nathan. The bone is back together, and it fit very nicely."

Nathan looked down at the splint on his elevated leg, frowning. "But no cast?"

Elizabeth sat back down, still holding Nathan's hand. Carson explained again everything he'd said earlier. Elizabeth was watching Nathan's face.

"Three months?" Nathan said. "I can't lie in bed for three months."

"You'll be on crutches in a few days, Nathan. You can move around, you just can't put any weight on your leg."

Nathan laid back and took a deep breath. Elizabeth could see he was exhausted, but he spoke much more calmly. "Carson, first of all, thank you for everything you've done. I hope you know how grateful I am. I just don't know how I'm supposed to do my job on crutches for three months."

Carson said quietly, "You're not."

Nathan frowned up at Carson and then he looked at Elizabeth. She could see it sinking in now. Nathan took a deep breath and exhaled.

Nodding slowly, Nathan said, "So, is Bill taking over or are we getting a temporary posting?"

She squeezed his hand. He'd taken it so well, even as weary as he was. Her heart was full of love for him.

Carson said quietly, "Bill is too busy. He's calling Mountie Headquarters tomorrow morning to request a temporary."

Nathan looked sadly over at Elizabeth. Through his fatigue he gave her one of his crooked smiles that she loved so much.

"It seems I have some free time on my hands. You want to go to Airdrie and see the ranch?"

He remembered. Elizabeth laughed. "Oh, Nathan. I would love to."

She stayed with him until about midnight and then went home to Jack and Allie. Rosemary was nodding off on the sofa and holding Jack as he slept.

"Thank you so much, Rosemary," Elizabeth whispered. "I don't know what I would do without you."

Rosemary hugged her. "I won't ever let you find out, Elizabeth."

The next morning was a Monday, a school day. Elizabeth woke Allie a little early because she knew she would want to see her uncle before school.

While they were having breakfast, Elizabeth told Allie everything, without the extra color of what a close call it had been for Nathan.

Right after breakfast, Allie left to go to the Infirmary. Elizabeth said she would meet her there when Laura arrived to watch Jack.

Elizabeth hadn't anticipated the crowd.

The story of Nathan's survival adventure had circulated far and wide and everyone wanted to ask him about how he had managed to get the saddle down, how did he clean the wound, what did he use to splint his leg himself, and a hundred other questions.

Nathan must have had a good night's sleep, because he was sitting up in bed and wide awake. He actually seemed to be relishing telling the story. When Elizabeth walked in, everyone began to scatter, saying they needed to get to work, or the Mercantile, or the library, and they'd see him later.

Then suddenly, it was just Allie, Nathan and Elizabeth in the room.

Allie looked around, "What just happened?" she said, laughing.

Nathan shook his head. "I have no idea."

Elizabeth smiled at Allie. "What just happened is that this is a town that cares a great deal about your uncle and they wanted to say thank you to him for everything he does."

Nathan looked at her and smiled, saying softly, "Good morning, guardian angel."

Elizabeth sighed and blushed three shades of magenta. How he could do that so quickly to an intelligent, reasonable adult woman was beyond her. She decided she would figure it out later, because right now she had to get to school.

"Good morning," she said, trying to regain her composure. She walked around to the side of the bed, leaned down, and kissed him on his cheek. "You've made a miraculous recovery. You're just full of beans this morning."

Nathan spread his arms. "Glad to be alive," he said, and then groaned. "Except every muscle in my body hurts. I'm going to have a talk with Bear one of these days."

Elizabeth looked at him sympathetically. "Can Carson give you something?"

Nathan shook his head, "No more drugs for me. Speaking of which, did I say anything I shouldn't have last night? If I did, I apologize."

Elizabeth looked at Allie who was smiling ear to ear. "He was a perfect gentleman." She looked at Nathan and then back at Allie and whispered, "He told me his life story and I wrote it all down in my journal."

Allie laughed.

"That should be dull reading," Nathan said, winking at Allie and taking Elizabeth's hand.

"Speaking of reading..." Elizabeth said. "We have to get to school."

Nathan frowned. "Can't you stay here?"

Elizabeth raised her eyebrow, "I'm the teacher. I think they'd miss me."

Nathan said, "Turn around please, Allie. I'm going to kiss your teacher goodbye."

Allie made a face and dutifully turned. "Yuck," she said, which was not easy to say with such a huge smile on her face.

Nathan put his hand on Elizabeth's cheek. "I believe the score is one to one on the whole 'saving my life' thing. Could we just keep it there for a while?"

Elizabeth sighed, "Absolutely. I need to rest up before I do that again."

Nathan drew her face down to his. "Have a good day, teacher."

Elizabeth said, "Stay out of trouble, please." She kissed him quickly, aware of Allie tapping her toe dramatically on the other side of Nathan's bed. "Your turn, Allie."

Still grinning, Allie turned and hugged her Uncle Nathan and then followed Elizabeth to the curtain.

"We'll see you after school," Elizabeth said brightly.

"Will you bring Jack?" Nathan asked. "I want to give him his present." He looked at Allie, and said, "Yes, I have one for you, too."

Elizabeth nodded, remembering the little wooden Mountie. "We'll pick him up before we come," she said.

After school, when Elizabeth, Jack and Allie arrived at the Infirmary, Lee was there. On the table between them was a checkerboard. Nathan was just making a move.

Elizabeth smiled and said, "So, who's winning?"

Lee grumbled, "Nathan is cleaning my clock."

Nathan narrowed his eyes, "Are you just being nice because I'm injured?"

Lee shook his head. "No, unfortunately, I'm just this bad."

Lee picked up the pieces and the board and gave Nathan a light tap on the arm. "That was fun, Nathan. But I want a rematch."

"You got it," Nathan said as Lee nodded goodbye to Elizabeth and Allie and went out through the curtain.

Elizabeth said, "That was sweet of Lee."

"Yes," Nathan said, raising an eyebrow. "And it was sweet of Molly Sullivan to bring me a cobbler, and of Ned Yost to offer to teach me Italian - did you know he spoke Italian? – and of Fiona to bring her jacks and challenge me to a match, and of Lucas to play gin rummy with me, and of Clara and Jesse to ask my opinion on food for their wedding, and of Bill to bring the lunch special and tell me Mountie stories. All of them perfectly timed so one left when the other arrived." Laughing, he said, "Is there a sign-up sheet at Abigail's?"

Elizabeth smiled. "They care about you." Then she said, "And there might be a sign-up sheet. I'll have to go look."

Nathan turned serious, shaking his head, a little overcome. "Honestly, Elizabeth. I never knew towns like this existed. People are so..." he searched for the right word, "...good."

Elizabeth simply nodded. "Yes. They are."

Jack had waited long enough. He was reaching his arms toward Nathan and he wanted down. Elizabeth handed him over and Nathan immediately made a face at him. Jack giggled and said, "Again!" Or his version of it, which just came out 'gain.

Nathan knew that Jack would play that game until the cows came home, so he reached behind his pillow and pulled out the little Mountie in the red felt tunic with the tiny leather boots.

Jack went absolutely silent and still, and reached his hand out. Nathan put the wooden figure into his hand and said, "Mountie."

Jack looked at it for a moment. And although Nathan obviously wasn't wearing his uniform in the Infirmary, Jack looked at the little Mountie and then pointed right to Nathan. The look on Nathan's face when Jack did that was one Elizabeth wished she could capture forever.

The same couple who fashioned the Mounties also made other figures. Nathan had found one depicting a young girl in a peach-colored jumper just like Allie's, and an exquisite one of a woman with curly brown hair in a meticulously sewn blouse and skirt.

Elizabeth said, "Nathan, these are extraordinary! This will go on my desk at school so I can look at it all day long."

Allie hugged him. "Thanks, Uncle Nathan. Now all we need is one of Jack and we'll have all of us."

Elizabeth smiled over at Nathan, her eyes soft.

"Helloooo?" Rosemary's voice came from the other side of the curtain and she peeked in. "I thought you might like some oatmeal cookies, fresh out of the oven. Lee can't eat them because he's allergic to raisins, so I have lots... Oh! Elizabeth! Allie!" She started to back out, "I'll just leave these here." She put the cookie tin on the table. "See you later!"

Nathan shook his head, smiling. Making another face at Jack, he said, "Well, I'm not going to starve, am I?"

Elizabeth laughed. "Not in Hope Valley."

He turned to Allie and said, "Okay, same as when we're home. Tell me one thing you learned in school today. Something surprising."

She thought for a moment and then her eyes went wide. "Oh! You can only leave a tourniquet on for two hours. Otherwise it cuts off the flow of blood for too long."

Nathan blinked a couple of times and tilted his head at Elizabeth. "Really?"

Elizabeth tried not to laugh. "You never know when you're going to need information like that. It could come in handy."

"Knock-knock!" Fiona said from outside the curtain. She looked in and said, "Oh, good! This is perfect!" Opening the curtain, she said proudly, "Look what I got for Founder's Day this year." She held up a small rectangular black box and turned a lever so it opened up to reveal a camera lens.

"It's one of the new Brownies. It cost the Town Council the exorbitant amount of $2.75, and now I get to go all around town taking pictures! We're doing a side-by-side exhibit of old photos and what the town looks like now, and I'm taking lots of pictures of the people who live here." She beamed at the four of them. "I'm having the best time!"

Before any of them could say a word, Fiona said, "Okay, Elizabeth, you lean down on Nathan's left side, and Allie, you on the right. Nathan, can you turn Jack around so he's facing me? Just have him sit on your lap." She looked in the viewfinder and then lowered the camera. "That little Mountie is adorable! Yes, Jack, hold that up!"

"Okay, smile!"

They were finally left alone at dinnertime. Bill brought the chicken special to Nathan and then had Clara bring plates for Elizabeth and Allie. The four of them ate together and sat talking over the day while Jack played with his Mountie and the cloth horses that Elizabeth had brought to keep him occupied.

Nathan talked again about the ranch in Airdrie and Elizabeth made the suggestion about spending Easter there.

"My mother would be thrilled, and it's very pretty this time of year." He looked at Elizabeth. "You wouldn't mind missing Easter in Hope Valley?"

Elizabeth thought for a moment and then said, "Do you remember what I said at Christmastime? About traditions old and new?" She looked over at Allie who was listening intently. "I think it's time for us to make some new traditions. But will your mother be good with us descending on her like that? All four of us?"

Nathan laughed. "You have no idea how happy it will make her. You know I write to her every week. She wants to meet you and Jack so much that she's ready to get on the train and come down here. And she hates the train." He smoothed Allie's hair and put his arm around her. "And you, she would love to see. She misses you."

"Allie, Jack and I can stay the week and maybe you'd like to stay on a little longer since you'll have the time?"

"I'll think about it," Nathan said. "I don't know how much help I can be to her on crutches, but she always can use help. We can decide that later."

"Then it's settled," Elizabeth said brightly. "Easter in Airdrie."

Nathan laughed. "That's if I survive the good wishes of the people of Hope Valley. I have, what?... five days of this?" He shook his head. "Can't wait to see who shows up tomorrow. Henry Gowen and his harmonica?"

Elizabeth laughed and was so grateful for the joy she saw in his eyes. He was back. Nathan was definitely back.