Elizabeth waited near the phone; refusing to leave the sitting room where it sat upon the red stained side table next to the couch. The twins played on the floor with their toys, unaware of the horrible storylines that ran through Elizabeth's mind with each passing moment of not receiving a phone call. She walked back to the window that overlooked the path that led to town, hoping to see them returning. Nothing. She returned to the phone and began pacing back and forth again. Checking the time, again.

It's been forty-five minutes, she thought to herself. He should have been there long before now.What if Sergeant got spooked and threw Jack off into the snow and he got knocked out? He could be out there freezing to death right now. Elizabeth shook off the thought and sat on the couch to watch the twins play.

The phone rang and scared her half to death. She jumped up and grabbed the receiver, almost dropping it in the process.

"Hello? Jack?"

"Hi, Elizabeth. No, it's Rosemary. Where's Jack?"

"He took Sergeant and rode to town to work. He said he'd call when he got to the jail but I haven't heard from him yet. That was fifty minutes ago."

"What?! Jack went out in this snow?"

"Yes, and he hasn't called yet."

"I'm sure he's fine, Elizabeth. He'll be careful and that silly horse seems to take care of Jack."

"Yes, you're right. I need to get off the phone though in case he calls."

"Oh, yes of course. Call me when you hear from him."

"Okay, I will." Elizabeth hung up quickly and remained standing, staring at the phone, willing it to ring.

After several minutes of silence, she sat on the couch again to try to distract herself with the twins.

Another hour passed with no call from Jack. Elizabeth was beside herself with worry; pacing the floor, wringing her hands, checking every window. She had called a few people but no one had seen him. She tried Dr. Carson; Faith answered and said that no one had been seen at the jail all morning.

Elizabeth didn't know what to do. She reached down to grab the phone one more time just as it rang.

"Jack?!"

"Hi, Elizabeth."

"Where have you been? I've been worried sick." Tears began to stream down her cheeks and a knot formed in her throat.

"I'm so sorry. I called just as soon as I could."

"Where have you been?" She asked again.

"We were making our way to town when I noticed the Craig's house didn't have any smoke coming out of the chimney. I went over to check on them."

"Oh, dear. Are they okay? How's Patty?"

"Elizabeth. I'm sorry."

"Wh - what?"

"They were all dead. Frozen to death. Little Patty too."

The flow of tears doubled and Elizabeth began to really cry. Patty was one of her students; only nine years old. "How could that happen?" She barely got the words out in between sobs.

"It looks like they ran out of firewood. They were all wrapped in blankets but it just wasn't enough for that cold yesterday. I'm so sorry, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth wiped her eyes and sniffed. "I hope all the other families are alright."

"I'll be making rounds and checking all the families on the outskirts. I'll go as far as I can today and will probably have to finish tomorrow. Sergeant is having a hard time getting through this snow. He's worn out."

"I'm sure he is." Elizabeth's voice was still filled with sadness.

"Do you want me to come home now? To be with you?" Jack asked, his voice very tender and caring.

"No. I'll be alright. You need to check on the other families."

"Okay. I'll try to call in a few hours and check in but I'm not sure when I'll be around a phone again."

"Okay, I understand."

They finished their call with goodbyes and she returned the receiver to the hook. Staring at the phone, she began to cry again, thinking about sweet Patty. She had only been in Hope Valley for a year but had already became close friends to Opal. "Oh, Opal." Elizabeth thought out loud.

She picked up Joey and took Lilly's hand and took them to the kitchen. Once in their highchairs and some crackers in front of them, the twins began talking in their secret language that only each other could understand. Elizabeth watched them for a few minutes, smiling, as they blabbered back and forth and then returned to preparing lunch.

…..

Jack rode off on Sergeant; feeling guilty for leaving Elizabeth and the twins but also knowing that he must get to town and see if anything needed his attention. Sergeant trudged on through the snow; having to leap up on occasion when the snow depth deceived them and was deeper than they'd expected. When possible, Jack would guide Sergeant near tree lines where the snow couldn't build up so much. Constantly eyeing for lower heights of snow, their path zig-zagged along, making it as easy for Sergeant as Jack could. But even then, he would stop him and let him rest and catch his breath.

The harsh sunlight continued to bear down on Jack, blinding him at times when it reflected off the shimmering snow just right. The slight warmth from the sunlight however, kept the chill of the winter air at bay, making it more tolerable to be in for long periods.

Jack checked each house as they went along, ensuring that there was smoke coming out; signaling that someone was still well enough to keep the fire going. That's when he saw it off in the distance, Arthur Craig's house. Jack pulled Sergeant to a stop; a welcomed break for the horse. There was no smoke rising from the chimney and no movement outside the house that Jack could see. He turned Sergeant toward the house and they slowly made their way, pushing, dragging, leaping, until they finally arrived near the front door.

He slid off the horse's back and pushed his way through the snow to the front door. There was no sign of life, no path dug out, no sign that anyone had been outside. He knocked on the door; knocked again. Nothing. He tried the door and it opened easily; no locks could be afforded at this house.

Jack walked it, "Hello? Anyone home?" And then he saw them, the family of three were all huddled together on a single bed in the corner of the small, one room house. Wrapped in blankets and only their faces were visible; eyes closed. Jack removed his hat and dropped his head and said a silent prayer for their souls. He approached the family and reached out to touch Arthur. He verified what he already knew; they had all passed, frozen to death. Jack looked around the little house; not a single piece of firewood to be found.

Jack pulled loose one of the blankets and draped it over the family, covering their faces; there was nothing else he could do for them right now.

Returning to Sergeant, Jack pulled himself up into the saddle and started toward town again. As soon as he reached Lee's office, he ducked inside to use the phone to call Elizabeth. He knew she would be crazy with worry as it took him and Sergeant much longer to get to town than he'd thought.

Once he was done talking to Elizabeth, he returned to Sergeant, who was still breathing hard and held his head low in exhaustion. Jack climbed onto him and turned him toward the livery. He got Sergeant settled into a stall with plenty of hay and water and picked out a different horse to continue on to check families outside the town.

Just as he finished saddling the fresh horse, Bill walked into the barn and shook the snow from his boots and pants.

"Hello, Jack. I wasn't expecting to see you today."

"Hey there, Bill. I needed to get to town to make sure everything was okay." He turned to Bill with a defeated look on his face.

"What is it, Jack."

"I stopped at Arthur's house on my way in and the whole family was..." Jack lowered his gaze and shook his head.

"No heat?"

Jack looked up, "No. Not one piece of firewood inside the house that I could see." Jack returned his attention to the horse and finished tightening the cinch on the saddle. "I'm heading back out to check on the families."

Bill started toward his horse's stall, "I'm going with you."

Jack dropped the stirrup down and turned to Bill, "No, you do not need to do that. I can handle it."

Bill stopped and turned to Jack, "I'm sure you can handle it." He crossed his arms and continued, "I'm still going with you. This is my town too." Bill's voice had turned into his demanding, superior voice.

Jack raised his arms in defeat. "Alright, alright."

"That's better."

The two men prepared their horses and headed out into the deep snow and began their journey to the outlaying farms. It took them two hours to check on only five farms. So far, everyone else had been alright and were well stocked with firewood, food and water; to Bill and Jack's relief.

"I need to find a phone and check in with Elizabeth. I promised her I would try to call every couple of hours so she wouldn't worry."

"Sam lives just over the ridge; he has a phone."

"Perfect."

The men painstakingly made their way toward Sam's house and were almost there when it happened. Jack heard a snap and then a rustling sound. He turned to see Bill's horse down; kicking and thrashing around, unable to get up.

"Bill!" Jack yelled, unable to see him.

Jack jumped off his horse and climbed through the snow toward Bill's horse. As he got closer, he could see Bill's legs sticking out from under the horse. Jack got behind the horse's neck and pushed with every ounce of strength he could muster, trying to force the horse to stand. Finally, when Jack was just about to give up from exhaustion, the horse stood, only to fall over in the other direction. Jack could see that one of its legs had snapped from the exertion of walking through the snow.

"Bill, can you hear me man?" Jack gently shook Bill's shoulders.

Bill's eyes fluttered opened and a moan escaped him. He tried to get up but Jack held him down. Bill could feel a stabbing pain in his left side, as if someone had just stuck a knife in him. His head was throbbing and his left arm and leg ached.

"Don't move, Bill. Let me check you over first."

Jack began to check Bill's legs, feeling for broken bones. Then his arms and rib area. Bill winced when Jack squeezed his left rib area. "You might have a broken rib." Jack continued checking Bill for other injuries. The only other thing he could find was a small bump developing on his head just above his right eye.

"Well, Bill. I think you were very lucky. The snow softened the blow of the fall and saved you from more broken bones I believe." Jack helped him sit up. Bill's face scrunched up in pain. "We need to figure out how to get you back to town."

Bill just nodded, holding his left side.

"You've got a nasty little bump on your head, too...right there." Jack pointed at the area above his eye.

Bill moved his hand to feel the area and jerked back when he touched it. "I think the horse's head came back and hit me."

Jack reached under Bill's arm and pulled him up to stand. "Wait here, I'll get my horse."

Bill looked over at his horse who was still moving, trying to stand. "Grab your gun too."

Jack took care of Bill's horse then turned and looked at him. "So, now what? I don't think this horse can handle carrying both of us and try to get through this snow." Jack and Bill just looked at each other. "Alright, you're getting on." Jack took Bill's arm to prepare to help him up onto the horse.

Bill pulled back and looked at Jack. "What about you?"

"I'll walk along side."

"Jack, you won't be able to walk all that way through this."

"Do you have a better idea?"

Bill just stood, looking at him, then shook his head.

"Alright then. Let's get you on the horse."

The only house they were close to did not have a horse and the house with the phone was still too far away and in the wrong direction. So Jack, with horse in lead and Bill situated in the saddle, still holding his side, began their long walk toward town.

"Hey, don't the Clancy's have a horse?" Bill said as he saw a farm house coming into view in the distance.

"Yes, I believe they do."

They made their way to the small rough-cut house. Jack would stumble now and then, falling forward into the soft snow. He'd stand up, brush off his arms and hands, and begin again. He could feel the sweat running down his back under all his layers of clothes and coats.

When they arrived at the house, Bill remained on the horse while Jack knocked on the door again.

"Hello, Constable. What brings you back so soon?" Tim Clancy asked him. Jack and Bill had just been at the house checking on the family an hour before.

"We've had a bit of an accident. Bill is hurt and we've lost his horse. I was wondering if I could borrow your horse to get us back to town so I can get Bill to Dr. Shepherd quicker."

"I'm sorry, Jack. I would but we had to sell him just last month to get food to get us through the winter."

"I'm very sorry to hear that, Tim. I didn't realize."

"No problem. I just wish I could help you."

"Well, we best be off. Sorry to bother you again."

"No bother, Constable. I just hope that I can help you next time, whatever the need may be."

Jack tipped his hat to the humble man, "Thank you, Tim. Good day."

Jack and Bill began toward the town once again. Jack still losing his footing now and again, the horse struggled occasionally next to him as well, but trudged on without hesitation.

Another hour had passed; Jack was exhausted but tried to keep it hidden from Bill. He would use the horse as an excuse to stop and take a break every now and then, saying he needed to rest. Bill knew the real reason, but didn't want to hurt Jack's pride; so, he nodded in agreement with giving the horse a break.

During one of their breaks, Bill noticed something in the distance. "What is that?" He pointed to several dark shapes that seemed to be moving in their direction.

Jack squinted against the bright sunlight reflecting off the snow, almost blinding them; then his eyes widened. "Those are riders, maybe some men from town." Jack let out a long breath of relief as he bent down, his hands on his knees. His body felt like it would give out at any moment and it took everything in him to remain upright.

Henry, Hickam, Jesse and few other men from town came riding up to the pair. Without any words, the men slid off their horses and got Jack, who at this point was barely able to stand, up onto Jesse's horse. They checked Bill, who seemed okay but was still holding his side in hopes it would help lessen the painful movement from the jostling of being on horseback with a broken rib.

Jesse jumped on the back of Hickam's horse behind him and the men began their way back to town. Each of them would take turns carrying Jesse behind them to give some relief to the horses who struggled carrying the weight of two men through the deep snow. Jack would doze off now and then, almost falling off his horse, so Jesse finally just rode behind him to help keep him on the horse for the final thirty minutes until they reached town.

Once at the infirmary, the men helped Jack and Bill inside. After carefully assessing both men, Dr. Shepherd came to the conclusion that Jack was dehydrated along with the exhaustion. Faith inserted an I.V. into Jack's arm and began a bag of saline. Carson tended to Bill and tightly wrapped his mid-section to stabilize his broken rib. Dark purple and green bruises had formed across Bill's left side, as well as down his left leg and left forearm; obvious signs of that being the side he landed on. The bump on his head was small and only caused a mild headache.

"You are very lucky, Bill. This could have been much worse." Dr. Carson said as he began to put his medical instruments away.

"I know. That has gone through my mind all the way here." Bill replied. "How's Jack?"

"He'll be fine. He was dehydrated and that amplified his exhaustion. Once he gets some fluids he'll perk right up. Well, that and a long nap." Carson smiled.

"Oh, has anyone called Elizabeth?" Bill exclaimed loudly. "She's been waiting for his call.

"Yes, Faith called her and filled her in."

"Oh, good." Bill let out a sign of relief that caused a sharp pain in his side, also causing him to suck his breath back in.

"Take it easy, Bill. You'll be down for around six weeks."

"Six weeks? Hogwash!"

"Now, Bill. If you don't let that heal properly, you'll be down for longer than that. Do you enjoy breathing?"

Bill let out a long breath. "Fine. Six weeks."

…..

Elizabeth replaced the receiver of the phone back on the holder on the side of the phone and took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. She repeated this two more times before turning back to the twins who insisted that the books belonged on the floor and not on the bookshelf.

"You two." Elizabeth rested her hands on her hips as she smiled at her mischievous children. She was trying very hard to not think about all the "what-ifs" of losing Jack again. She had to remind herself that he was fine; he's back in town, being taken care of. He's fine. She could feel tears invading her eyes. She closed her eyes tightly and breathed in and out...in and out.

She opened her eyes, smiled and began to pick up the books and return them to the shelves. But the twins had other ideas and pulled them back down as quickly as she put them up. She let out a small laugh, picked up Joseph and moved him to his pile of toys then did the same for Lillian.

This seemed to keep them content and Elizabeth proceeded with picking up the books. After another half hour, she called the infirmary to check on Jack.

"He's just now waking up." Faith informed her. "We will make sure he gets home as soon as he's sturdy enough to stay on his horse."

"Okay, Faith. Thank you."

Elizabeth kept herself busy over the next couple hours; bathing the twins, scrubbing the kitchen and preparing supper. Just as she was about to add the potatoes she had just peeled to the pot of water on the stove, the back door opened and Jack stepped in. Elizabeth dropped the potatoes onto the counter and they spilled out and onto the floor. She ran to Jack and wrapped her arms around his neck and held on for what felt like an eternity.

Jack held her tight and whispered softly in her ear, "I'm okay. I'm here my love."