Another week passed slowly. Elizabeth and Nathan took Allie to Children's Hospital in Indianapolis for the start of her chemotherapy. During Allie's second round of chemo, Nathan got a call from Carson. The doctor told him that neither Nathan nor Elizabeth were a match for Allie's bone marrow transplant. Nathan's heart had dropped to his feet, but he thanked Carson for letting him know.
Now they were sitting with Allie after her third treatment. She was pale and weary, the treatment that could save her life also contributing to her feeling sick. Nathan hated seeing her in pain. He held her hand as Elizabeth held her other hand across from him.
"I never thought I'd have to be at my child's sickbed," Nathan said, his eyes glued to Allie. "I knew this was going to be hard, but I didn't realize how hard it would be."
Elizabeth reached out to take his free hand. Their joined hands rested lightly beside Allie, and Nathan could feel Elizabeth's thumb rubbing gently over his fingers. "I know," she said. "This has been harder than I imagined." She sighed. "And it's been such a short time that we've known." She bit her lip, signaling to Nathan that she had something to say. He smiled slightly, loving that he could read her through her body language. "What is it?" he asked.
She looked up, surprised. "What do you mean?"
Nathan chuckled. "Sweetheart, you always bite your lower right lip when you're thinking and have something to say. Like you're doing right now."
Elizabeth's teeth released her lip, and she smiled self-consciously. Nathan reached up to run his hand down her cheek. "So what's on your mind?"
His wife breathed in deeply, then let out her breath in a rush. "I'm planning on getting a long term sub for school," she said softly. "I want to care for Allie, Nathan. As much as I love my students, I think she needs to come first." She bit her lip again. "I've already reached out to a sub, and she's willing to take my class as long as necessary. I just have to ask Abigail if that's okay." She looked at him. "What do you think?"
Heart welling with love, Nathan stood and came around to her side of the hospital bed. He pulled her up and drew her into his arms, unable to speak through the emotion threatening to choke him. When he was able to get some words out, he whispered, "You would do that?"
"Absolutely," Elizabeth said, no hesitation in her voice.
Nathan leaned down, pressing his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. "How did we get so lucky to have you in our lives?" he asked, pressing her head to his chest. "I thank God every day that we're together as a family. That you're my wife and that you're Allie's mother in every way that counts." His arms pulled her closer and he nestled his face in her hair. "Thank you for loving us, Elizabeth."
"Thank you for loving me," she said in return. "We're going to get through this, Nathan. All of us."
He nodded, clinging to the hope in her words like a lifeline. "I hope you're right."
The buzzing of his phone made them both jump. Nathan slowly released Elizabeth and reached into his pocket. "It's Carson," he said, staring down at the number.
"Answer it," Elizabeth encouraged, seeing the hesitation on his face.
Nathan exhaled slowly, then pressed the answer button. "Hello."
"Hey, Nathan," Carson said, sounding excited. "I have good news. We found not one, but two matches for Allie!"
Tears welled in Nathan's eyes. "You did?" he said, a slow smile spreading over his face. "Two?"
"Yes," Carson affirmed, letting out a laugh. "And they're as close to perfect as matches can be. I'll notify the closest match, and then we'll figure out when to do the transplant, which will take place here at the hospital in Hope Valley. You won't have to travel to Indy like you do for Allie's chemo."
"Carson, this is wonderful news. Thank you," Nathan said, his voice rough with emotion.
"Believe me, this is one of the happy moments of being an oncology doctor," Carson said, a smile in his voice. "We'll get things rolling as soon as possible."
They said their goodbyes, and Nathan stood for a moment taking in the news, feeling hope welling inside. "They found two matches for Allie, Elizabeth," he said, wonder in his voice. "Our prayers have been answered."
Elizabeth hugged him close, a little laugh escaping her. "This is amazing! What good news!"
Nathan wrapped his arms around her once more, feeling at peace. Good news indeed.
"Mr. Thornton, we'd like you to come to the hospital for a talk with Dr. Shepherd."
Jack nodded, then realized the receptionist couldn't see him through the phone. "Of course," he said. "Is now a good time?"
"Yes," the woman replied. "We'll see you shortly."
Hanging up, Jack wondered what Dr. Shepherd wanted to talk to him about. He felt a rising hope that perhaps his test results came back as a match for Allie. So far Nathan, Elizabeth, Lucas, Rosemary, Fiona, and Faith were all negative. That left him and Lee as potential matches among close family and friends.
He quickly got into his car and made the short drive to the hospital. He was ushered to a third floor office. A few minutes later, Dr. Shepherd entered the room.
"Hello, Mr. Thornton," the doctor said, a pleasant smile on his face.
"Call me Jack," Jack replied.
"Only if you call me Carson," the doctor said with a chuckle. He sat down, a big smile on his face. "I'll get right to it. You are a match for Allie. The results came back today."
Jack felt a thrill of emotion. "Really? That's great!"
Carson nodded. "You're actually a perfect match, better than we would have expected." He chuckled. "But then, it's no surprise that a relative of Allie's would match." He raised a brow. "Though I could have sworn Nathan said he was Allie's only known relative." He shrugged. "He must have thought I meant immediate family." He glanced at the paperwork, unaware of Jack's frown. "Though you didn't mark how you are related to the family in your document." He pushed the paper Jack's way. "You can do that now." He smiled. "It's so nice to see several family members coming together for a child they love."
"Several?" Jack asked, looking down at the paper in confusion.
"Yes. You, Nathan, and Mr. Coulter," Carson said easily, leaning back in his chair. "Are there others I'm not aware of?"
Jack felt like the breath had left his lungs. He leaned forward. "Are you telling me you know that Lee and I are related to the Grants through our blood and marrow tests?"
"Yes," Carson said, raising a brow. "But you already knew that." He pointed to the paper. "So if you could just mark how you're related in that box, that would be helpful. It's not required, but I was surprised you didn't mark it. Neither did Mr. Coulter."
Jack's head was spinning. He shook his head. "Carson, as far as I know, there is no relation between me and Nathan and Allie. Or between me and Lee. Are you sure there's no mistake?"
Carson frowned, shaking his head. "There's no mistake, Jack. You are closely related to Lee and to Allie. You didn't know?"
Jack shook his head once more, his breathing coming rapidly. "I'm adopted," he said faintly. "So is Lee. I'm currently looking for…" His words trailed off as the possible implications hit him.
He was looking for Lee's twin brother. He didn't know his own family. What if…?
Jack forced himself into reality. This was circumstantial at best. "Is it possible we're not related?" he asked, keeping his tone neutral. "Is it possible we just have very similar DNA? There are matches from non-family members that are close all the time, right?"
Carson nodded, but the slight frown remained on his face. "It's possible. But considering how close these are, I consider it unlikely."
"But possible?" Jack reiterated.
"But possible," Carson said with another nod. He tilted his head, studying Jack. "Are you alright?"
"Yes," Jack said, a little too quickly. "So, about this match. How soon can we do the transplant?"
"Hopefully as soon as possible," Carson said. "I'll have to notify Nathan and Elizabeth that you are the match, and then we'll talk about the transplant itself. They know there are two matches, but they don't know that it's you and Mr. Coulter."
Jack cleared his throat. "Can you keep the relative connection between us for now?" he asked.
Carson nodded slowly. "Of course. I'm sorry I mentioned it at all. I just assumed you all knew."
"That's alright," Jack said. "It could simply be a big coincidence."
"It could be," Carson said. He stood, holding out his hand. "Thanks for coming in, Jack. And thank you for being willing to help Allie. Family or not, that is a big deal."
Jack smiled, his fondness for Allie overcoming the turmoil he felt inside. "I'd do anything for her," he said.
As he left the building, his mind was whirling with possibilities. On a whim, he pulled out his phone and texted Lee. What's your birthdate and year?
He got in his car as his phone buzzed, indicating that Lee had responded. He pulled it out. October 17, 1984.
The breath left Jack's lungs as he stared at the date of his own birth. According to the tests, the two of them were related. Lee had a twin. The two of them shared a birthday.
Jack suddenly knew. Without having one hundred percent proof, he knew.
Fingers trembling, he dialed Henry Gowen's number. He would have his friend look into this further, to confirm or to deny the proof before him.
The only other question was, how were he and Lee related to the Grants?
Elizabeth smiled as Allie cuddled closer to her in her sleep. They had just finished dinner with Jack and Faith. The small bit of socializing had worn the little girl out, and she had curled up next to Elizabeth and fallen fast asleep. Elizabeth ran a hand through Allie's hair. It had thinned with the chemo, but had not fallen out completely. At least not yet.
Her attention turned to the three adults on the floor in front of her. Allie had mentioned her mother at dinner, asking Jack and Faith if they wanted to see pictures. They had sweetly agreed, and even though Allie was asleep before they got to them, Nathan had pulled out a couple of Allie's baby albums to show their guests anyway. Elizabeth could tell he was feeling nostalgic. The photo albums were open on the coffee table in front of her. Elizabeth could see the pictures as Nathan pointed out various photos and told little stories about select ones. She smiled. Baby Allie was precious. Most of the photos were of her, though a few were scattered throughout of Nathan and his sister holding little Allie.
Jack hadn't seemed quite himself this evening, though he had perked up when the pictures were mentioned. Elizabeth wondered if he was a little nervous about the upcoming transplant. He squinted at a picture of Colleen. "She looks a little familiar," he said.
Nathan chuckled. "People say that a lot. I think Colleen just had one of those faces that people recognize without actually recognizing, you know?"
Jack laughed. "People would always say that about my brother Tom. It used to drive him crazy."
"Colleen too," Nathan said, smiling at the memory. "She hated that. I told her to take it as a compliment." He paused, swallowing. Elizabeth was amazed at the quick change in her husband's demeanor. He went from smiling to solemn in the blink of an eye. "Jack," he said, his voice thick. "It about broke me when we lost Colleen. In these past few weeks, I've been terrified that we could lose Allie. But you being a match for our little girl has given me more hope than I've had in a while. This means so much to us that you're willing to go through with this transplant in a few days. It's a sacrifice that goes beyond friendship."
Jack looked a little uncomfortable with the praise, but he smiled slightly. "It's my honor," he said. "Allie is a precious child. I've grown to love her very much." He chuckled. "To be honest, I've been thinking of her as a niece for quite some time. Especially since she calls me Uncle Jack."
Nathan nodded. "You couldn't be closer to her if you were a blood relative."
Jack frowned slightly, his brow wrinkling. Elizabeth wondered what he was thinking. The sudden change in his demeanor surprised her more than Nathan's had. "Are you alright, Jack?" she asked from her spot on the couch.
Jack looked up, blinking. "Yeah...sorry. I just remembered something...it distracted me." He shook himself, his face returning to its normal pleasant look. He wrapped an arm around Faith. "This is fun," he said, his smile back. "I love seeing family pictures. It looks like the three of you were very close."
"We were," Nathan said, turning the page again. Elizabeth peered at the picture, smiling at the sight of a carefree-looking Colleen. "This was taken right before Colleen disappeared for a while," Nathan said. "I didn't see her again until she came home pregnant with Allie."
The frown returned to Jack's face. It looked like he was trying to place a long-forgotten memory as he squinted at the picture. "So familiar…" he murmured unconsciously.
Elizabeth took in the photo. Colleen was smiling brightly, her blonde hair piled on top of her head, a light coat of makeup on her face, enhancing her features. She was holding an instrument in her hand, looking as though she was waving it around playfully. She had been a lovely young woman. Elizabeth noticed a caption underneath, but the print was too small for her to see from the couch.
"What does that writing say?" she asked.
Jack was closest to it, so he read the words out loud. "Gracie Lou and her kazoo," he said. He blinked. "Gracie Lou? Was that a family name?"
Nathan laughed lightly. "Colleen's middle name was Grace. Sometimes we'd call her that, and then it extended to Gracie Lou in playful moments. I think we wrote that since she loved playing the kazoo, and the rhyme factor was fun." He gave a smaller laugh, this time sounding a little sadder. "Colleen told me she would go by Grace in her time away from home. She liked the anonymity of her middle name while still keeping a connection to home. But she never wanted to be called Grace after she came back. She said the memories were too painful."
Elizabeth's heart went out to Colleen, though she had never known her. She must have been struggling so much inside if she left everything she had known in the blink of an eye. Looking up, Elizabeth caught Jack's expression and frowned in concern.
He looked like he was about to pass out. His face was white, his hand clenching the table so hard his knuckles were white as well. His breathing was rapid as he stared at the picture of Colleen.
Nathan noticed too, as did Faith. "Jack?" Nathan asked. "Are you alright?"
Jack didn't answer for several seconds. His jaw clenched and he bolted upright. "I...I have to go," he stammered, sounding hoarse. Without another word, he stumbled from the room and out into the night.
Too shocked for words, Nathan and Elizabeth and Faith stared at the door. After a few moments, Elizabeth broke the silence. "What in the world?" she said softly, more to herself than to the others.
Faith's brow was wrinkled. "I've never seen him like that before," she said. "I should probably go make sure he's okay." She stood, hugging first Nathan then Elizabeth. "I'm sorry the evening ended like this," she apologized.
"Don't worry about it," Elizabeth said, giving her friend a comforting smile. "You just make sure Jack isn't alone. Something is clearly wrong."
Faith nodded, then quietly slipped out the front door. Elizabeth's attention turned from the door to her husband.
Nathan was frowning, his eyes going from the picture of his sister to the door and back again. "Something about Colleen's nickname triggered him," he said softly. Elizabeth could see the wheels turning in Nathan's head. "Either he has a connection to a woman named Grace, or he knows something about Colleen." It was clear Nathan had entered into detective mode. His eyes narrowed. "Or both," he murmured, looking at the picture of his sister once more.
Elizabeth's mouth dropped. "You don't think that's actually the case, do you?" she asked, incredulous. "How could there possibly be a connection there?"
Nathan shook his head slowly. "I don't know," he admitted. His shoulders straightened. "But I mean to find out." He stood.
Elizabeth blinked up at him. "Right now?" she asked, aghast.
Nathan looked down at her, smiling slightly. "No, not right now. He's clearly torn up, and I have no intention of adding to that." He sat beside her, looping an arm around her shoulders. "But I will have some questions once Jack has had time to process whatever it is he remembered."
Elizabeth laid her head on Nathan's shoulder. Confusing as the last five minutes had been, she knew answers would come in their own good time. She silently said a prayer for Jack, a prayer for comfort and strength to deal with whatever he was going through.
She had a feeling he would need it.