The following morning Brian put on his Mountie uniform for the first time since the day of the accident. Looking in the mirror, the sight that greeted him was a welcomed one. He had missed putting on the uniform. He had missed doing his job. Even if he still had restrictions, this felt right. It felt like a step back toward normal.
Turning from the mirror, Brian headed downstairs. Even on the steps, he heard the voices drifting toward him. He heard Ivy's laughter.
Brian was grateful his baby sister was able to laugh. He was grateful that both Bridget and Ivy had felt welcomed both in this house and this town. Perhaps they were all finding their way back to their new normal.
Stepping off the last step, Brian took in the sight of Bridget, Ivy and the Coulter's sitting around the table. They looked like a family, which he knew was what his sisters needed. Something that he couldn't provide, at least not right now. Perhaps he never would be able to. He had no idea what his future held.
"Brian, you're in uniform!" Ivy said excitedly, getting out of her chair and hurrying to her brother. Reaching him, she threw her arms around him.
"I'm going back to work today," Brian told her. "Or at least part time."
"And full time working hours will follow shortly," Lee chimed in. "As someone who also recently had to recover from a head injury myself, I know the path."
"For now, why don't we all have breakfast together before you head into town," Rosemary said.
"It sure does smell good," Brian said, taking Ivy's hand as she let go of him. Hand-in-hand, the two of them made their way over to the table.
After eating, Brian said good-bye to his sisters and then headed into town, feeling a confidence that he hadn't felt since waking up in the hospital. He knew the uniform didn't really change anything. It didn't have any special powers. It didn't change who he was or his abilities. However, he had learned a lot about himself while going through the training for the Mounties. Those lessons seemed closer to the surface now that he was returning to the job.
Several of the town folks greeted him as he made his way to the Mounted Police Office. He wasn't surprised to see Nathan's horse saddled and standing outside of the office. As Brian walked into the office, Nathan was hanging up the phone.
"Was that work related?" Brian asked, curiosity getting the best of him.
"In a way," Nathan replied, offering no other details. "Do you think you can hold down the fort here in town on your own?"
"Yes. I should be fine. I take it your heading out of town."
Nathan nodded. "Bill and I are going out to the Crandall's place to take care of that fence."
"Okay. Don't worry about anything in town and I will stick to the town. I have no intention on giving Dr. Shepherd a reason to put me back on full medical leave."
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, Carson told me that as long as your first two days back go okay, he'll allow you to accompany on rounds Thursday, provided you're still only putting in a half day."
"And I can find a ride," Brian added.
"I already thought of that," Nathan said. "The solution to that problem should be in town by noon."
Brian gave Nathan a quizzical look.
"That is all I'm saying," Nathan said getting to his feet. He motioned to the chair he had just vacated. "Make yourself comfortable. There are some updates from headquarters there you can familiarize yourself with. The ones from the last week or so, are in the middle drawer on the left if you want to catch up on things. It should be a quiet morning, though now that I said that it probably won't be."
Brian smiled as he hung his hat up on the hook near the door. "Isn't that how it always works?" he commented as he headed toward the desk.
"I should be back before lunchtime," Nathan said, grabbing his own hat from its hook. "If you're feeling up to it, perhaps we can grab lunch at the saloon."
Brian nodded. "I'd like that."
With a nod in acknowledgement Nathan left the office. Alone, Brian stood and looked around. The office wasn't much different from the office in Unity, though it was a little bigger. The office he had occupied there only had one jail cell. However, the living quarters for the office in charge of the town were two small rooms off the back of the office. Brian turned and walked over to the posters hung on one wall of the office. He scanned the pictures and his names, trying to make himself familiar with the them, though he doubted he would come across any of them stuck in town like he currently with. However, like Nathan had said, he needed to catch up on what was going on.
A couple hours later Brian was getting tired of seeing the four walls of the office. Figuring that even a walk around town would break up the monotony, he got to his feet as the door opened.
"Oh, I was hoping my Dad was here," Ally said, spotting Brian.
"He went with Judge Avery to help the Crandall's fix a fence," Brian told her. "Is there something I can help you with?"
Ally hesitated. "You might find the request silly," she finally stated.
"Try me," Brian replied.
"Well, a group of us was playing tag out by the schoolhouse and Ana lost a ring she was given at Christmas. I guess it was too loose and fell off while we were playing. My Dad's really good at spotting things, so I thought maybe he could help us find it."
"Well, I'd be happy to come out and help you kids look," Brian replied. "An extra set of eyes might just be what is needed."
"Thank-you," Ally replied, clearly surprised that he had volunteered to help them.
As he thought about it, Brian had to admit that he had met a few fellow Mounties who wouldn't bother with the request. However, he didn't see what the harm was in lending a hand. He was helping search for lost property. The fact that the property belonged to a child, and was lost while playing didn't make the request any less valid.
Nor did he have anything more pressing to do.
Grabbing his hat on the way out, Brian followed Ally outside and up to the schoolhouse. A group of about five children, Brian noted Bridget was among them, was walking around the school yard, heads bent looking for the missing ring. The snow covering most of the ground was both a good and a bad thing. It was bad in that the ring could have sunk into the snow and not be visible. At the same time, it should also contrast against the white of the snow.
Twenty minutes later, the snow in the area was more packed down but there had been no sign of the ring. Brian was starting to think he should try to convince the kids to give up the search. Looking around the little group, his eyes feel on the girl identified as Ana. Her distress over the missing gift was clear in her expression.
With a sigh, Brian went back to searching. It was going to take a miracle to locate the missing ring. As he scanned the snow-covered ground, a glint of sunlight nearby caught his attention. Taking a couple of steps, he knelt down and looked for the source. It didn't take him long to find the ring they had been looking for. Plucking it out of the snow, he got to his feet.
"I found the ring, children," Brian called out.
All the children looked up. Ana gave a cry of delight and rushed toward Brian.
"Thank-you, Constable Peterson," Ana said.
"You're welcome," Brian said as he put the ring in the girl's hand. "Perhaps you need to find a way to make sure that ring stays on your finger until it fits properly."
Ana nodded. "I'll talk to my mom about it," she told him.
"Good," Brian said. "Now that the ring has been found, I'm going to head back to the office. Enjoy your day, children."
Brian received a chorus of good-byes from the children. As he headed back toward town, he had to admit that it was nice to help somebody. It may have just been finding a ring for a child, but the joy in Ana's eyes when he had handed her the ring reminded him of one of the joys of the job - helping someone in trouble.
Reaching the main street of Hope Valley, Brian noticed another uniformed officer outside the Mountie office. At first he just thought Nathan had made his way back from his morning outing. As he walked closer though he realized it was another Mountie. He also realized there was one Mountie and two horses.
"Can I help you?" Brian called out as he approached the office.
The Mountie stopped his approach of the office and turned toward Brian. "Perhaps. Are you Constable Peterson?" the Mountie asked.
"That would be me," Brian replied.
The Mountie nodded toward one of the horses. "I traveled down from Unity to bring your horse to you. Constable Grant arranged for it when he learned you were being posted here with him for a while."
Surprised, Brian walked slowly toward the horse indicated. "Hey Daffodil," he said softly as he approached the mare, reaching out a hand to rub her neck. The horse whinnied in response. "There was a time I didn't think I'd see her again," Brian commented, looking back at his fellow Mountie.
"Well, the folks of Unity made sure that horse was well cared for when they heard about your accident. They're still hoping you'll return."
Brian was surprised by the comment. "I didn't think I was there long enough to make an impression on anyone."
"Well, you thought wrong," the Mountie replied. "There have been several requests made by townsfolk up there for headquarters to return you to the posting when you return to duty. I had to assure them that just because I was taking your horse that it didn't mean you weren't coming back."
Brian nodded in acknowledgment of the information, unsure of what to say. He had been worried about returning to his posting ever since waking up in the hospital. What he had just learned put a lot of those worries to rest.
"So, now that I've delivered the horse to its owner, I'd like to grab a bite to eat before getting back on the trail. What's the options for food here?"
"Well, there is either the saloon or Abigail's café. Either has good food, though the café tends to be a bit quieter."
"The café sounds like a good choice. In my experience eating in a saloon always holds the potential of having to break up a fight for a Mountie."
"Either is a good choice. Thanks for bringing Daffodil to Hope Valley for me."
"Not a problem, though can you answer me one question?"
"You're curious about the horse's name?" Brian asked, having answered that question more once.
The Mountie shrugged. "Not a name a man usually picks for his horse."
"True," Brian replied. "The thing is my little sister Ivy picked the name. She was so upset when I left home that I told her she could name the horse so that I would think of her every time I was with the horse."
"You're a better man than I am. I would have changed the horse's name as soon as I left home," the Mountie told him, reaching out to clap a hand on Brian's shoulder. "Good luck with the rest of your recovery. You've got a town waiting for you."
"Thank-you," Brian said again, turning his attention back to the horse while his fellow Mountie headed for the café.
