The summer heat was making an early appearance and during their last day of school, Elizabeth couldn't hold the children's attention long enough to cover anything important. So, she dismissed them early and told them all to have a great summer. It sounded like a stampede through the little schoolhouse that Jack built, as the kids raced out of the building and into the school yard. She could hear them laughing and yelling for at least twenty minutes after the last one slipped out the door and into the hot summer air.

….

Jack was sitting behind his desk reading the newspaper when Ned burst into the Jail. Jack jumped out of his chair, startled to attention and stared at the heavy breathing man.

"There's..." Ned stood straighter and breathed in a deep breath. "There's someone stealing horses from the livery." He finally blurted out quickly.

"Go tell Bill." Jack said as he grabbed his shotgun and ran out the door.

With his back pressed against the outside wall of the livery barn, he quietly sidestepped to the back opening. His knuckles were white with his tight grip on the gun. He stood for a brief moment, eyes closed, taking long, slow breaths to quiet his heart. He could hear voices inside but couldn't make out what they were saying.

Jack moved to the edge of the doorway and peered into the barn, just enough to see three shadows moving around some horses.

"Jerod, I said to grab that big bay, not this dumb ole grey nag. She looks like she's about keel over of old age." Jack could hear him smack whoever he was talking to. "Now git me that big bay."

Jack saw the shadow moving toward him. He quickly moved around the corner of the barn as not to be seen. Movement from across the street caught his attention and he looked to see what it was. Bill was standing between two buildings, his shotgun up against his body. Using hand signals, Jack told him there were three men inside. Bill nodded in understanding.

He looked around the corner of the barn again to see the back end of a bay horse walking into the barn. Jack returned to his spot next to the doorway and peered around again to see where the shadows were now. He could see that two of the horses were saddled and someone had just swung a saddled onto the back of the third horse.

"Nate, how long do you think it will take us to git there?" One of the men asked, it sounded like the same voice as earlier.

"Oh, I don't know. Four days, maybe five." The older man's voice sounded very gravely and deep.

Jack checked his gun again for the third time, making sure it was cocked and ready. When he thought the men had their hands busy, he stepped into the doorway, gun up and pointed at the men.

"Hands up, gentlemen." Jack said in his stern, commanding voice.

The men all dove in different directions, pulling their guns in the process. Jack fired once and ran to the protection of the wall. Four gunshots were fired in his direction, wood splintered and hit Jack in the arm and face. He laid flat on the ground and slid his way back to the side of the barn, grass and dirt staining his bright red serge.

Bill was already making his way across the street when he'd heard the gun fire and when he saw Jack on the ground, he began to run. He knelt on the ground next to him and whispered, "You alright, Jack?"

Jack turned his head and nodded; deep scratches across his cheek from the splintered wood had begun to bleed and dark red blood was running down his face. "I shot once but I couldn't see if I hit one. They have three horses saddled already." Jack wiped his hand across his cheek, smudging the blood and dirt across his entire cheek.

Bill nodded and the two crawled along the wall of barn, to the opening where Jack had just been. Jack quietly cocked his gun, jumped into the doorway and fired. Hitting one of the men that had just mounted the big bay. He dove to the ground, grabbed his pistol and fired two more times; hitting another one in the shoulder.

Bill stepped out with his shotgun and fired, hitting the third man.

Two of the men had been able to stay on their horses and kicked them into a run directly at Jack and Bill. Bill dove out of the way just before getting trampled and Jack rolled out of the opening, taking shelter along the wall. Jack quickly sat up, aiming at the man on the big bay, he took one more shot but missed.

…..

As Elizabeth was putting the last of the books away, she heard the door to the back of the schoolhouse open. Expecting it to be Jack, she turned toward the doors, smiling. She felt all the blood leave her face as she tried to comprehend what she was seeing.

Opal was standing in the doorway, tears streaking down her face. She was crying so hard that she couldn't speak. The front of her dress was covered in blood.

Elizabeth ran to her, yelling, trying to get an answer from her; but Opal was in shock and couldn't talk. After a quick assessment and finding that the blood did not belong to Opal, Elizabeth ran out the door. She couldn't find anything outside that would explain what had happened, so she returned to Opal and tried again.

"Opal, please. Tell me what happened."

The scared little girl still could not say anything.

She took Opal's hand and led her out of the school, looking for any clue. Just as they stepped out the door, Jack and Bill were riding past at a full run. Jack turned just in time to see Elizabeth and Opal standing at the top of the steps and saw the blood. He pulled Sergeant to a halt, spun him around and ran back to his wife. Bill saw this and followed.

Elizabeth saw the blood, dirt and grass stains on Jack's face and uniform and panic grabbed at her heart for an instant. She quickly realized that Jack was okay then asked, "What's going on?"

"Horse thieves. What happened to Opal?"

"I don't know. She won't talk. She's too scared."

Jack slid off Sergeant and ran to Opal. "Is this her blood?" He looked up at Elizabeth and asked.

"As far as I can tell, no. But I don't know where it came from"

Some of the parents and towns people were running toward the school to see what was happening.

Jack turned back to Opal, "What happened, Opal? Whose blood is this?"

Opal was sobbing, but in between breaths, she finally spoke. "I don't know. Some man's."

"Opal, please tell me what happened." Jack pleaded.

She took a deep breath in then found her voice. "I was walking home when two men rode up on horses. One jumped off and grabbed me. He had blood all over his shirt and he could only use one arm." She stopped and took in a few more deep breaths and wiped her eyes. "He started to lift me up to the other man but I was kicking and he dropped me. That's when Timmy ran up and started to hit the man and tried to get me away from them. But the man hit Timmy in the face and his body went limp. He lifted him to the man on the horse and they rode away with Timmy."

Elizabeth gasped and covered her mouth, trying to stifle the tears. "Oh, Timmy. Jack, you have to go find him."

"Which way did they run?" Jack asked her.

Opal pointed toward the east.

Jack stood, faced Elizabeth and gave her a quick kiss. "I love you." Then he turned and ran to his horse. Jack and Bill were immediately at a dead run, headed east in the direction that Opal pointed.

Everyone that had gathered around Elizabeth and Opal, were asking questions about what had happened. Someone was sent to get Timmy's parents and Opal's parents and let them know what was going on. Elizabeth took Opal to Abigail's to wait and clean her up.

…..

Jack and Bill rode hard and fast, stopping occasionally to check for tracks and verify that they were still on their trail.

"What's that?" Bill asked and pointed at a large, dark shape on the ground up ahead of them.

"I don't know."

As they got closer, they could see it was a body. Jack's heart stopped for a second until he realized it was one of the men from the barn. Jack jumped off Sergeant and checked the man for a pulse. Nothing. Jack looked at Bill and shook his head.

The man's sleeve and entire left side of his shirt was soaked dark red from blood and his face was almost as white as his shirt. He had bleed to death as they traveled.

Jack got back on Sergeant and they continued on, stopping and checking for tracks along the way.

…...

Opal's parents had rushed to town when they'd gotten the news. They had already taken her home and were holding her, comforting her, thanking God that they still had their daughter and praying for the safe return of Timmy.

Timmy's parents had arrived as well. His mother had screamed and dropped to the ground when she'd heard what had happened. Carson had given her something to calm her down and was keeping a close eye on her.

Elizabeth, Abigail, Clara and a few other women from town, sat in Abigail's and prayed for Timmy, Jack and Bill.

…..

Jack motioned to Bill to get his attention, then pointed in the direction of the tree line to their left. Two horses stood along the trees, grazing in the grass. They made a wide loop and came in from the side, hoping not to be spotted.

When they reached the trees, they dismounted and took cover among the oaks. Bill spotted a flash of blue and pointed it out to Jack. He nodded and the two men quietly maneuvered their way through the trees, careful not to step on any fallen branches or anything that would give them away.

Once the man was in view, Jack could see that he'd been shot in the arm. The man was ripping his sleeve off his shirt and wrapping it around the wound. Then Jack spotted Timmy. He was sitting on the ground, his back against a tree and his hands tied together. He motioned to Bill to go around to the left and Jack would go right. Once in position, Jack crept up behind the man. A snap of an unseen twig caused the man to spin around, pulling his pistol in the process. A deafening bang of the gunshot filled the forest, causing the resident birds to scatter in the wind.

…..

Elizabeth stood on the boardwalk in front of Abigail's. She stared off in the direction that Jack and Bill had ridden, her arms wrapped around herself; protection against the fear that was attempting to take hold. Her thoughts constantly took her back to that day in the street when the Mountie rode up to give her the news of Jack's death. She continued to stare at the trees in the east, willing him to appear on the horizon; riding toward her on his black horse, Bill alongside him on Hero.

Abigail stepped outside to check on her friend. She stood next to Elizabeth, her arm around her waist.

"He's fine, Elizabeth. They will be back any time now."

Elizabeth turned her head, searching Abigail's eyes for truth, and nodded.

"Here they come!" someone yelled from the end of the street. Elizabeth shot her gaze in their direction and saw two men in the distance, riding toward town on their horses. She left Abigail's side and ran down the street toward them.

When the men were close enough for Elizabeth to get a clear look at them, she could see that Bill had Timmy riding behind him on Hero. Jack was holding his arm and was leaning forward slightly.

"Jack!" Elizabeth screamed and began to run toward them again.

Jack lifted his head and sat up a little straighter. He kicked Sergeant into a run to close the gap to his wife quicker. When he reached her however, he did not dismount but stayed on his horse, still holding his arm.

"Jack, are you alright? What happened?" Elizabeth asked, placing her hand on his leg.

"I'll be fine. I got shot but it just grazed my arm." He could see in her eyes that she wasn't convinced. "Really, Elizabeth," he put his hand on the back and her head, bent down and pulled her in for a kiss. "I'll be fine, but I do need to get to Dr. Shepherd and so does Timmy."

"Is Timmy alright?" she asked, barely over a whisper.

"Yes. Some scrapes and bruises. I think he's in shock."

Elizabeth looked at Timmy as Bill rode up next to Jack and stopped. He had some blood on his clothes; like Opal, it was probably from the man that took him. He looked toward Elizabeth but didn't look at her; it was as if he looked straight through her. Elizabeth's heart ached for him. She felt the tears wanting to surface, but she shook them away; staying strong for Timmy's sake.

Jack and Bill rode to the infirmary while Elizabeth and the other's that had gathered, followed them on foot. She watched Jack slide off Sergeant, favoring the arm he had said was grazed by the bullet. By his actions, Elizabeth could tell it was more than just a graze. Her pace quickened as she hurried to the infirmary.

Carson was evaluating Timmy first at Jack's insistent request. He and Faith removed Timmy's shirt and gave him a thorough exam, searching for any signs of injuries. The only physical marks they found were a few scratches across one of his arms, a small gash on his leg and a bruise on his left check. They cleaned the wounds and bandaged them, then tried to talk to him. Timmy would not say much but they did eventually get enough from him to piece together what had happened. Carson handed Timmy's mom a few pills to help him sleep if he was having problems.

Elizabeth stood by Jack's side as they waited for Carson to finish with Timmy. She occasionally glanced at Jack, watching his eyes. She thought they looked a bit glassy and his face looked flushed.

As soon as Timmy's parents took him outside, Jack let out a big breath and leaned forward slightly. "Carson, I think you should look at my arm now." Jack's words seemed slightly labored and Carson hurried to his side. He helped him to the exam table and removed Jack's shirt.

Elizabeth could clearly see that it was more than a graze. The bullet had gone through his arm and the blood was coming out at a small steady stream.

"Looks like it might have nicked the deep brachial artery. I'll need to open this up and repair it."

Jack just nodded his head. Obviously beginning to feel lightheaded.

…..

Bill went to the jail to make a phone call to Cape Fullerton. After the call, he began to fill out the report for the day's events. He picked up the pencil, stared at the paper, then leaned back in the chair. He rubbed his forehead with his hand, trying to alleviate the headache that had begun to creep in. His thoughts flashed back to earlier that day.

…..

He was watching Jack approach the man from behind. He could see him lifting his gun in the air, preparing to hit the man over the head, knocking him out. Then he heard the snap; Jack had inadvertently stepped onto a dried twig. The man spun around and Bill saw the pistol in his hand, raising up and aiming toward Jack.

Bill cocked his pistol and lifted his arm, but before he could get a shot off, he heard the bang of the man's gun. Bill quickly fired and the man fell forward and collapsed to the ground. Jack was holding his arm but Bill could see the blood dripping from his fingertips and the dark red blood begin to spread across his sleeve. Bill rushed over, pulled his belt off and wrapped it around Jack's arm, just above the wound.

….

Bill's thoughts returned to the forms the laid on the desk in front him. He picked up the pencil again and stared down at them, trying to shake the thoughts that circled in his mind. He had thought he'd just seen his friend killed when the gun went off. When he'd seen Jack still standing and just holding his arm, the relief that washed over him was overwhelming. He put the pencil to the paper and began to write, filling out the form quickly but thoroughly.

….

Elizabeth sat in a chair on the other side of a cloth divider. She couldn't see Jack as Carson worked on his arm, but she could hear what the doctor and Faith were saying. Their conversation was lighthearted and it sounded like everything was fine. Elizabeth relaxed and prayed; for Jack, Timmy and Opal.

Faith came around the curtain and smiled at Elizabeth. "You can come in and sit by him if you'd like. Everything went well."

Elizabeth stood and joined Carson at Jack's bedside. Jack was still under anesthesia and had a very peaceful, relaxed expression on his face. This helped Elizabeth relax even more.

"He's fine, Elizabeth. The bullet went straight through his arm and just nicked the artery. It was an easy repair and he should be back to normal in no time." Carson finished tying the bandage on Jack's arm and left Elizabeth alone with him.

A short while later, Jack began to wake and turned his head toward Elizabeth. "Hello, beautiful."

Elizabeth had been staring at the floor, thoughts of Timmy and Opal swirling through her mind. She looked up at Jack and smiled. "Hi, handsome." She took his and in both of hers and held it to her lips, kissing each of his fingers.

"I'm ready to go home." Jack said, squeezing her hand.

"As soon as you can walk out of her on your own, we will do just that."

Jack and Elizabeth visited for a while, waiting for Carson to give them the okay to leave. Jack told her about everything that happened that day; the livery, the man left in the field, and finding Timmy tied next to the tree. Then he told her about the gunshot. "It happened so fast. I was clumsy; I didn't see the twig and that's how he knew I was there. I know better. I should have been more careful."

"Jack, it's not your fault. You were in a thick forest."

"I know. It just could have been so much worse. I should have been more careful. I just saw Timmy there; scared and tied up. I just wanted to get him out of there as soon as I could."

"I understand. You did what you needed to do, Jack." She stood and bent down to him, kissing him on the lips. "I just want to get you home now and to our kids."

"Me too. I miss them."

Not long after, they arrived home where Laura had stayed late with the kids. She left to go home and Jack and Elizabeth spent some time with the twins before their bedtime. Jack's arm was wrapped against his side to keep it immobile; he was being very careful not to bump it when playing with the kids. Unsuccessful a couple times when Joey accidentally hit it with his teddy bear. Jack grimaced and forced a smile for his son.

After the kids were asleep, Elizabeth joined Jack who was already in bed; still a little groggy from the surgery. She laid down beside him and he wrapped his good arm around her and kissed the top of her head.

"I love you, Elizabeth."

"I love you too, Jack. Good night"