Nathan sat on one of the chairs in the cramped waiting area of the infirmary. His long legs took up most of the space between the chairs that faced each other. His head was down his hands twirling his hat as was his nervous habit.

After what seemed like hours though, though in actuality, just thirty minutes, Faith stepped out from the curtain. Nathan stood looking to her for some answers as to what was wrong with his wife. Faith didn't say much other than Sarah was resting and he could go see her while she attended to some paperwork.

As he came around the curtain, he saw Sarah lying there with her eyes closed. The color was coming back to her cheeks and her breathing seemed steady. Nathan stood next to her and took her hand in his bringing it to his lips and kissing her palm. His other hand stroked her forehead and he could feel the slight clamminess that remained after the spell she had experienced.

Slowly Sarah's eyes fluttered open and she smiled at Nathan thankful he was there with her.

"How are you darling?" he asked.

"Just a little tired but starting to feel better." Sarah responded returning his grip on her hand. "I'm sorry I worried you and, before you give me a lecture, I'm sorry that I didn't listen to you when you told me not to move heavy items. I hope you'll forgive me."

Nathan smiled and said "As long as you listen to me from now on, I think I can forgive you."

"What did Faith say?" Sarah could hear the worry in Nathan's voice.

The two kept their gaze on each other when Sarah spoke. "There's nothing wrong with me Nathan. Faith said this can happen with women in my condition."

The worried furrow of Nathan's brow returned as he searched Sarah's eyes for some answers. "What condition?"

"Sit down Nathan." Sarah could tell he was a bit confused. After Nathan was safely on his chair Sarah continued holding his hands and very softly said "Nathan, we're going to have a baby."

If Nathan hadn't been sitting down, he would have likely passed out as his wife had earlier. Nathan suddenly became the Nathan of old, speechless and having a hard time stringing two words together. He closed his eyes for a moment trying to grasp what Sarah had just said. "Are you sure?"

Sarah smiled. "Faith said I'm about six weeks along and that my overdoing it while moving furniture probably caused me to become lightheaded which is why I collapsed."

Nathan pulled Sarah up into his arms. "Oh Sarah, you have made me the happiest man in the world." He gently let go of Sarah as quickly as he'd pulled her to him. "I'm sorry, I should be more careful with you."

Sarah laughed. "Nathan, I'm not going to break. Faith said the baby is very well protected and even with my fall, it's fine."

Nathan couldn't help himself and placed a kiss on Sarah's lips that sent her stomach into somersaults. Faith came around the curtain just as Nathan was pulling away from Sarah. She smiled at both of them relishing the fact that she got to share the wonderful news with her friends. She went over several things with both of them before telling Sarah she wanted her to go home and rest for the remainder of the day. That thought didn't set well with Sarah but she was outnumbered two to one by Faith and Nathan.

During the ride home Nathan kept stealing glances at Sarah. The smile didn't leave his face. After a brief discussion the two agreed to not say anything to Allie or his parents for a few weeks to give themselves time to settle into the idea themselves. Caroline was curious why they were home so early and Sarah simply said she hadn't been feeling well and needed to get some rest. Nathan ate a quick lunch and went back to his office but not before checking on Sarah one more time. He found her sound asleep and didn't disturb her.

Later in the afternoon Sarah heard a soft tap on the door and heard Caroline asking if she could come in. Sarah sat up in the bed and called her into the room. Caroline entered with a tray of tea and some food for her daughter-in-law and set it on the table next to her. "How are you feeling dear?"

Sarah admitted she was tired and surprised she'd slept so long. Caroline sat down on the edge of the bed. She took Sarah's hand in hers and smiled. "Well in your condition, you'll be tired quite a bit. Eventually you'll start feeling better and get your energy back."

Sarah's jaw dropped when she heard Caroline. "Did Nathan say something to you?" She couldn't imagine any other way his mother could have known.

Caroline smiled. "No Sarah, Nathan didn't say anything to me. You forget, I've had two children. I know how a woman who's expecting looks in those first few weeks."

Sarah gave her a small chuckle. "I should have known we couldn't pull anything over on you. We just found out and we didn't want to say anything for a few weeks until we get used to the idea ourselves. Will you please keep this between us? I know Allie will be excited but it's so new that if we tell her now the wait will seem interminable to her.

"You have my word but I will be keeping my eye on you and if you need anything at all you make sure to let me know." Caroline reached over and hugged Sarah. "Thank you for giving me another grandchild. What a wonderful gift for all of us."

The first day of school came the following week and Mr. Landis was in Hope Valley to ceremonially open the "new" school. The school yard was filled with students and their parents. Sarah and Nathan stood with Allie who was excited to get back to school. She looked so grown up in one of the new dresses Sarah had gotten for her.

During the short program Landis introduced both teachers; Elizabeth first and he then introduced Laura as the new secondary teacher. Laura had met many of the families during the time she'd already been in town and it was nice to see so many familiar faces.

During Mr. Landis' brief speech, he spoke of the history of the school in Hope Valley and he announced that the name of the school would remain The Jack Thornton School. Applause came from the audience and from the look of surprise on Elizabeth's face it was obvious that she was unaware of the school board's decision. Following the brief ceremony, while families toured the school, Elizabeth approached Mr. Landis to thank him for keeping the name of the school.

Mrs. Thornton, I'm not the person you should be thanking. We were planning to re-name it per our county guidelines but as it was being reviewed, I received a rather large envelope filled with letters from the students here in Hope Valley. It seems they thought a letter writing campaign in support of keeping the original name would sway our decision. While the student's letters were persuasive, it was one letter in particular that convinced us.

Elizabeth looked surprised at all of this information as she'd been totally unaware of what the children had done. "May I ask what letter that was?"

Mr. Landis reached into his satchel and pulled out a letter. "I brought it with me knowing you would likely want to read it yourself." He handed Elizabeth the letter and she sat down to read it.

Mr. Landis,

I am Deputy Inspector Nathan Grant stationed in Hope Valley. My daughter Allie is a student at The Jack Thornton School. I know there has been much discussion about whether the school should retain its name. I would like to offer encouragement in that direction.

It is true, a lot of the students who were here when Jack Thornton was Hope Valley's Mountie are now gone from the school. It would be an easy transition to change the name but keeping the name goes beyond honoring a fallen Mountie. Jack Thornton was a hero in how he lived and how he died. While I never had the privilege of knowing him, the stories of him keep his memory alive not only in Hope Valley but throughout the brotherhood of Mounties.

Jack Thornton's son, Jack Jr., never knew his father. For him his father will only be a picture and whatever stories are told to him by his mother and the townspeople who remember him. Jack is not yet in school but he will be in a few years and continuing to honor his father by preserving the name of the school will serve to protect the legacy that he left not only to his family but to the town of Hope Valley.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Deputy Inspector Nathan Grant.

Elizabeth put down the letter and wiped the tears that had trailed down her cheeks. "I don't know what to say."

Mr. Landis saw the emotion the letter had evoked in Elizabeth. "Mrs. Thornton, after we received this letter, we did our own inquiries into your late husband and it is our conclusion that keeping the name of the school as The Jack Thornton School is the right thing to do…not just for you and your son but for the town.

Elizabeth stood and shook his hand before excusing herself so she could be in her classroom as students and parents visited the classrooms. She smiled and made it through the afternoon but it was hard to focus as her mind kept drifting back to the letter Nathan had written. To say that she was surprised to find out that it was Nathan's letter that convinced Mr. Landis and the school board to keep the name of the school would be an understatement. Their relationship had been so tumultuous over the last year and it had taken her a long time and a lot of self-reflection to come to terms with the fact that had she not made the horribly wrong decision to choose Lucas she might have been with Nathan now. While she still felt the dull ache of regret whenever she saw Nathan and Sarah in town she knew, from Rosemary, that Nathan and Sarah were incredibly happy. Elizabeth knew that, in the end, she wanted Nathan to be happy, even if that didn't include her and she was ready to move on with her life.

After the open house Elizabeth stood in her usual spot at the top of the stairs. Laura joined her in saying goodbye to students and parents. "Elizabeth, I'm happy they made the decision to keep the name of the school. It's only right that your husband is honored in that way."

Elizabeth looked at Laura and smiled. "Thank you, Laura. I appreciate you saying that." Elizabeth excused herself as she saw Nathan, Sarah and Allie getting ready to leave.

"Nathan, do you have a minute?" Elizabeth called after him. When the trio stopped, Elizabeth hurried over to them. "I just want to thank you and Allie for everything you did to convince the school board. It means a lot to me and it will to Little Jack too."

Nathan nodded and simply said it was the right thing to do.