Chapter 70

Monday morning came bright and early on this late June morning. Sarah and Nathan, being the early risers, were enjoying their coffee on the front porch swing. They talked about returning to work, things to do at the house, his mother's trip home at the end of the week, anything to avoid the topic that was looming in front of them. Archie. Sarah knew Nathan was still, sometimes, conflicted in his feelings for his father. Most of the time he was able to push aside any lingering issues for Allie's sake. This morning Nathan was concerned about Archie's health. Even though Archie hadn't actively helped in the move the day before, it was still clear that the commotion had taken a lot out of him and he was no more rested. He knew he had to get him in to see Faith today. His job had made it second nature to assume the worst and he worried that the cancer had returned. He had not shared that thought with anyone, not even Sarah. He thought if he didn't verbalize it, maybe it wouldn't be true.

Sarah laced her fingers through her husband's knowing what he was thinking. "Nathan, you think Archie is sick, again, don't you?" Nathan didn't speak, he just nodded his head with a far-away look in his eyes surprised at the tears that clouded his vision. "Nathan, don't shut me out. You don't have to shoulder this alone. I love Archie too and I'm here to help you through whatever lies ahead. I know you're not accustomed to relying on others but you have me now. You are always the person everyone relies on but I want you to know you don't have to do this alone."

Nathan turned to his wife, her beautiful eyes glistening with the tears she held back. His hand moved through her hair and wrapped itself behind the curve of her neck bringing her lips to his. "You can't know how much that means to me. It is true, I've always dealt with things on my own. It's a comfort to know I have someone to walk this path with and that it's you by my side. I'm going to try and not jump to conclusions until we see Faith. I don't want to worry Allie though I think she senses something is amiss." Nathan took Sarah's hands in his and they bent their heads in prayer. Nathan prayed for their marriage, their family, and Archie. He prayed that whatever was ahead, they would have the strength to face it together…all of them.

Sarah returned to the dress shop and quickly got back into her regular routine, thankful for the distraction to keep her from dwelling on the what ifs of her new father-in-law. Anna and Betsy were happy to have Sarah back in the store and they spent time over tea catching her up before they opened for the day. The conversation eventually went to the wedding and reception that had taken place just a bit over a week before. It was touching to hear the recollections of her friends about the celebration and how much they enjoyed it.

Nathan got to the Mountie office early wanting to arrive before Steven did so he could catch up on what he was sure would be a stack of reports requiring his attention. He sat at the desk staring at the pile he needed to start reviewing but couldn't bring himself to get started. His mind kept wandering. He wanted to speak to Faith before he brought Archie in for an exam because he knew his father would not be forthcoming with his symptoms. Nathan tackled the first report on the top of the stack. He'd made a small dent in his work when Steven came into the office.

"Nathan, welcome back. Hope you had a great honeymoon." Steven could see that Nathan was deep in thought and waited a moment for him to acknowledge his entry.

After a moment Nathan looked up and said a brief hello to Steven and told him they did, indeed, have a great week together. "Steven, I need to run an errand. I'll be back shortly."

Nathan headed to the infirmary anxious to talk to Faith. He found her prepping the office for the day. When he explained Archie's symptoms to her, she told him she had appointments in the morning but to bring him in after lunch. Nathan asked her what she thought might be wrong and while it all sounded concerning, she wouldn't speculate without seeing him first. Nathan went back to the Mountie office not feeling any better from his conversation with Faith. He made a quick stop at the dress shop to let Sarah know what she'd said. Stepping back into her office so they had privacy Sarah could sense Nathan's increasing worry. He stood twirling his hat in his hands which was his tell-tale sign of nervousness. Sarah walked toward him and gently took his hat from his hands and placed it on her desk. She pulled Nathan close to her and laid her head on his chest as he rested his chin on the top of her head. She felt the rise and fall of his chest as he sighed heavily. The comfort he took in her arms helped the tension he'd been feeling start to dissipate. Oh, how he loved this woman and the way she could read his moods and bring him a sense of peacefulness no matter what was bothering him.

"Nathan, do you want me to meet you at the infirmary when you take Archie in to see Faith?"

"No, I'm sure you've got a lot of catching up to do here. I'll let you know tonight what she says."

Sarah watched Nathan leave and could see the usual spring in his step was missing. She, too, was having a hard time keeping herself in check and not letting her thoughts get ahead of her.

At the office Steven updated Nathan on the happenings from the week before which, fortunately, didn't amount to much. Construction had started on the school building and Steven let him know Grayson Briggs and Peter Evans were members of the crew working on the project as part of their community service. Nathan returned to the stack of reports he had started earlier in the morning and tried to keep his mind occupied. Breaking for lunch Steven asked if he wanted to go to the café. Nathan declined and explained to Steven what was going on with Archie. Steven wasn't privy to all the details of Nathan's relationship with his father but he had noticed early on how he most often called him Archie instead of Dad. Steven told him not to worry about things there and he would cover for the rest of the day. Nathan hoped the news would be good and he'd be back.

At the house Nathan found his mother and Allie in the kitchen baking some biscuits for dinner. When he asked about Archie, Caroline said he was still in his room and hadn't been down yet. Nathan went up and quietly knocked. He found Archie dressed but sitting in his chair. Nathan told him he needed to take him to see Faith but he really needed to eat something first. Downstairs Nathan was able to get Archie to eat one of the freshly baked biscuits with some homemade jam. Finally on the way to town Nathan asked Archie how he was feeling. "Oh, you know, just a bit tired. I'm sure it's nothing." Nathan didn't agree but wasn't going to argue with him.

When they arrived at the infirmary, he found Sarah sitting on the small bench out front waiting for them. She quickly went to Archie' side of the car and helped him out. Between her and Nathan, they got him inside quickly. Faith took him behind the screen to examine him while Nathan and Sarah sat in the waiting area. They could have waited outside but Nathan wanted to make sure he could hear how Archie answered Faith's questions since he knew his father would downplay his symptoms. Nathan had told Sarah she didn't need to be there but, truth be told, he was thankful to have her there.

Faith finished her exam and, while Archie dressed, she sat down with Nathan and Sarah. "I can't say definitively what is going on but I suspect that his cancer has returned and has metastasized. That means it's made its way into other parts of his body. His eyes and skin have taken on a yellowish tint which tells me something might be going on with his liver. You need to take him to the hospital in Union City for some tests that I can't do here. I'll call today and see how quickly he can get an appointment. I'll let you know as soon as it's scheduled. I'll let them know it's urgent and hopefully they'll get him in this week.

"Faith, what does it mean if it's in his liver?" Nathan's voice was low and hushed.

"Nathan, I'm not going to sugar coat this…it wouldn't be good but let's wait until he sees the doctors in Union City. In the meantime, let him rest as much as he can and make sure he eats so he can keep up his strength." Faith hated that she could be more definitive or positive but she needed to be honest about what was going on.

Nathan took Archie home and returned to his office. By the end of the day Faith had managed to get Archie an appointment at the hospital in Union City on Thursday. That meant traveling on Wednesday, appointment on Thursday, and traveling back on Friday or Saturday. Nathan contacted his superiors at Mountie headquarters to explain the situation. He expected some push back given he'd just taken time off but they were very accommodating and told him to stay in touch the best he could but to take care of his father first. Steven also told him to go and that he would take care of everything in Hope Valley. Nathan vowed to Steven that he would get some time off once things settled down.

On Wednesday Sarah took Nathan and Archie to the train station. She hugged Archie and kissed him on the cheek then whispered in his ear. "Archie, we love you and will be praying that everything turns out positively." Archie had a tear in his eye saying goodbye to his new daughter-in-law. He was so thankful that she was part of the Grant family and told her so. "I am so thankful for you." Sarah tried to contain her emotions not wanting to send him away with tears.

Nathan pulled Sarah into his arms needing the comfort only she could provide. "Are you sure you'll all be okay while we're gone?" Even in his stress Nathan worried about his girls.

"Yes, darling, we'll be fine. Make sure you call the shop whenever you have news. Actually, call the shop even if you don't have news just so I can hear your voice." Sarah reached up and put her hand around Nathan's neck pulling his lips to hers. "I'll be praying for you and Archie. Come back to us as soon as you can."

Sarah watched Nathan and Archie get on the train and waited for it to leave the station. She couldn't get rid of the sick, worried feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew the next few days would be difficult while they waited and wondered what was going on in Union City. It probably wouldn't be any more difficult than the night before when they finally sat down with Allie and told her what was happening. There were tears and lots of questions from Allie. Unfortunately, they didn't have very many answers. Nathan held her as she cried and told her they were going to think positive thoughts. He wiped her tears away and Allie, being the strong young woman she was, agreed, and put a smile on her face and promised to pray for her Grandpa.

In an attempt to cheer Allie up, after sending off Nathan and Archie, Sarah thought a dinner at the café might do the trick. After work she went and picked them up at the house and took them to Abigail's for dinner. For a while they were able to enjoy their dinner and take their minds off the family members who were missing. In an effort to try and keep the mood festive they splurged and ordered a slice of Minnie's chocolate cake to share for dessert. During dinner Caroline mentioned that her original plan was to go back home this coming weekend. "I'm wondering, if it's okay with you and Nathan, I thought I might extend my stay. You and Nathan both have work and I'm enjoying my time with Allie so much. Do you think that would be okay?"

A wave of relief washed over Sarah's face. She and Nathan hadn't discussed it but she was a bit apprehensive about Allie being on her own with Archie, given his current health situation. "Caroline, we would be happy for you to stay as long as you want. I'm sure Allie would love to have you stay too." Allie enthusiastically agreed. Her time with her grandmother had been important to her as she was learning a lot about her mother through stories Caroline had shared with her.

In Union City, Nathan and Archie had settled into their hotel and gone to the restaurant for dinner. Nathan was encouraged that Archie ordered a substantial dinner though, when his food arrived, he played with it more than he ate it. Nathan tried to engage Archie in conversation. He wasn't very talkative so Nathan told him about some of the projects he and Sarah had done while they were at the house the week before. "Dad, I know you're anxious about tomorrow. We don't know what lies ahead but I know that God has a plan for each of us and whatever happens we have to put our trust in Him."

"I know son. I'm trying my very best to do that but I can't help but wonder if the life I have lived has finally caught up to me." Archie didn't look sad but was definitely contemplative.

Nathan had wondered that too. It was hard to understand why this was happening but he had to believe what he'd just told his father. God had a plan and no matter what it was He would see them through it.