Mayor Lee Coulter sat in his office waiting for the remainder of his guests to arrive. With everything that had happened in their quaint little town in recent days, he had noticed that even those who weren't directly involved in the attack on the saloon were grieving in many ways. There was a tension in the air and while everyone was certainly polite – the village seemed forever changed.

He mentioned this to Rosemary before Lucas even left and she had indicated it was understandable that people would feel that way. One couldn't visit the area without seeing a stark reminder of what had happened in the form of the burnt-out shell that was the saloon. And it wasn't just that one of the town's main businesses had gone up in flames, nor was it the terrible feeling that came when one thought of poor Lucas – a feeling that was remarkably, universal. It was more than that. In losing the saloon, they had lost the place where so many memories were forged – a place where friends gathered, where weddings were celebrated and a place that, next to the church, had been the social center for the community for nearly as long as Hope Valley was around. In short, the town was mourning the loss of an old friend and they needed to be allowed to grieve.

While all of that made sense in many ways, Lee, as Mayor couldn't help but worry about the affects of a depressed town upon the welfare of the community. The saloon didn't employee a huge number of people but it was a place where a lot of business took place and its absence was felt by all.

Beyond that, there was the issue of Lucas. Bouchard was an unknown when he came to town in 1916 and distrusted at first – just as his sweetheart, Elizabeth Thornton, had been when she arrived. But, just like Elizabeth, he slowly won over most of town through participating with them at most of the community's major events and through generous acts such as paying worker's salaries out of his own pocket when the oil company was ailing and then taking it over entirely to keep it from going under.

Some might say that he did all of this to try to impress Elizabeth but nothing could be further from the truth. While she certainly had a way of motivating him in many areas, in the end, the oil rig, the library, the Christmas festival, the petroleum company and the way he freely opened up the saloon for the use of the townspeople irrespective of financial benefit to himself…all of these things were done not for some ulterior motive but simply because "it seemed like a good thing." It was just who he was.

It was with all of this in mind that the mayor called his meeting.

Judge Avery, Ned and Florence Yost, Jesse and a still pregnant Clara Flynn, Joseph Canfield, Gustav Pepin, Mike Hickham and Fiona Miller, Molly, Bruce Weise, Richard, Robert, and Mary Wolf were all there in addition to Elizabeth, Rosemary and Allie who was being watched by the Weise's while her father was gone - which pretty much meant that Lee had himself a town quorum. Nobody but Rosemary knew why they were there, but as the town's first lady, Mrs. Coulter explained to all that it wasn't anything bad. Therefore, it was with great interest that they gathered together.

At the appointed time, Lee stepped forward and called the meeting to order. "I guess you're all wondering why I've called you here." He began.

"In recent days, this community has been through a lot, but as at other times I know we will get through it and prevail over the tragedy that occurred here a short while ago. Now Lucas is gone and will be for several months." He said, Elizabeth's eyes lowered and Rosemary reached over and patted her hand. "But just because he isn't physically here doesn't mean he isn't still a presence in our community. And just because the saloon is no longer here doesn't mean that it's influence in this community is over. We still need a place to meet and to have the occasional celebration and for visitors to stay in when they come to town. Rosemary, would you please do the honors?"

"Certainly, honey bunny." She smiled and Lee raised his hand to his forehead as she walked over to an easel covered with cloth.

"Elizabeth, would you join her please?" Lee added.

"Me?" Elizabeth stood being completely unaware of what her friends had cooked up.

"As your mayor, I've consulted with several of the local businesses in town and I'd like to announce commencement of the rebuilding of the Queen of Hearts Saloon and Hotel – courtesy the Mercantile – which will supply the nails, paint and varnish; the sawmill, which will supply the lumber and building supplies, and Abigail's café, which will supply food for all of the workers."

Rosemary withdrew the cloth revealing a sketch and blueprint of a new saloon.

"Oh, my goodness!" Elizabeth stated, clasping her hands in front of her heart as the rest of the room clapped. "Is this what you were working on the other day?"

"Yes." Lee said. "Me, Jesse and Mike…we all got together and decided this needed to be done. Weather permitting, we should be under roof and ready to serve by the time Lucas returns home."

"You are all so wonderful!" Elizabeth smiled. "Lucas is going to be thrilled!"

In Baltimore, Lucas had settled into his room and changed clothes and was now sitting on the exam table while Shepherd examined his leg.

"She did a good job." Carson said. "Very clean and smooth."

"Does that mean good news for my recovery?" Lucas asked.

"Indeed. The smoother the residual bone is and the more cushion that is provided in terms of the skin and muscle that is left, the less likely it is for you to develop sores and complications once we add the prosthetic."

"What sorts of things will I be able to do once I receive the limb? Will I be able to drive? Climb stairs? Walk for long distances?" he asked.

Carson stood at the end of the table. "Well, I don't think you'll be running any races. But, aside from that you should be able to return to most of your usual activities. Because it was your left leg, you should be able to drive, walk, climb stairs and walk for as long as you are comfortable. We will keep you in contact with your prosthetist who can make any adjustments to the leg that are needed. There will be some setbacks, but don't get discouraged. You will have to learn a whole new center of balance and you'll probably have a few falls. That's just part of the process and we will even teach you how to fall so that you don't hurt yourself. In the end, I see no reason at all that with a little hard work and dedication, you can't go back to a life that is close to normal."

Shepherd thought that this would be good news to his patient but when he received nothing more than a lackluster smile, he pulled up a chair. "What's wrong? What are you worried about? Perhaps I can help."

Lucas looked down at his hand, picking at an imaginary thread on the examination gown he'd been placed in. After several seconds, he raised his eyes toward Shepherd then swallowed. Licking his lips, he again looked down.

"I'm afraid that I will never be able to return to life as normal. Not now."

Shepherd smiled softly then touched Lucas's shoulder. "As your doctor, I say you will."

Lucas looked him in the eyes. "It's not in your hands." He paused and took a deep breath when it was clear Carson wasn't following. "What I mean to say is, when everything happened that happened with the saloon, I didn't just lose my leg. My entire life savings was kept in a safe in the building. Everything." Lucas paused again. "There was over one hundred thousand dollars in the safe at the Queen of Hearts and the fire was so intense and burned so long, it's all gone."

"Wow." Carson responded. "You didn't believe in using the bank?"

Lucas shook his head. "A stupid gamble. I've had money embezzled before in a bank in Manitoba. I just always felt like it was safer to keep it close by." He trailed off for a second then quickly added. "Don't get me wrong. My life. Allie's life in particular. The lives of Gustav and our guests – that was what was important but aside from what I had in my wallet at the time, which was just a few hundred dollars, I have nothing left. My stake in the Oil Company had recently been leveraged and a loan taken out in order to fund an idea that Fiona had. The first major payment is due in six months and I left a note for Lee to sell my house in order to pay off that loan if I can't return."

"You'll be out of here before that." Shepherd said.

"I know. But that's not what I was referring to." He stopped for a moment. "Dr. Shepherd, when I was raised, I was raised to be a gentleman in an aristocratic world. I melded my life to the societal expectations of a person of my station in life and there were just simply some things that we did not do. A Bouchard was expected to use his brains and money and not his muscles in order to get by. We employed people and sought to make lives better - and, we worked for no one. I can honestly say, I've never actually had what one would call an actual job. I was always the boss. I made decisions. I paid other people to do the work and while I'm not opposed to rolling up my sleeves and putting in hard work, I am fairly pathetic whenever I attempt to do something that's outside of my training which means – I really have very few practical skills at all."

"Therefore, you're wondering what you'll be able to do because you're going to have to be able to do something in order to make a living…" Shepherd said.

"Correct. Or else, I can't return to town." Lucas said.

"But what about Elizabeth?" Carson asked.

"Carson, I love Elizabeth completely and without reservation. In fact, I carry with me a wedding ring, that was my grandmother's, which I had hoped to propose marriage to her with, before the fire happened."

"But?"

"If I am to return to Hope Valley, I have to know that I can do so in a way that gives her the life she deserves. I know that's not all about finances, money comes and goes. But as it stands she is able to live more comfortably on Jacks' pension and her salary as a teacher than she could with anything that I'm able to provide."

"Lucas."

"Carson, Elizabeth needs a man who can stand by her, both literally and figuratively - who can care for her son and God willing, any other children that might come along – who won't slow her down from achieving her dreams and being the magnificent woman that God created her to be. If I can't…" He stopped for a moment, considering his words. "I won't put Elizabeth through that. She's been through too much already. I will never let myself become a burden to her.

I've not given up hope of still being that man, but I need for you as my doctor to help direct me in the right direction. I have such a small window to decide but I'm willing to do anything and everything to make it happen – if that's even possible."

Shepherd smiled. "It's more than possible. I'll work on a regimen tonight and we'll get started on it first thing in the morning."

Lucas smiled ever so slightly, but once Carson had left the room his dark eyes became sad once more with concern over Elizabeth and everything that was to come.

In a courtyard just inside the hospital parameter, Nathan Grant and Emily Reardon moved side by side along a path flanked by trees decorated in colorful fall foliage. Initially, his reason for their discussion was so that he could relay information back to Lucas's loved ones about how he was doing and what they should do to prepare for his return. But in reality, Lucas was right. Nathan found himself being fascinated by this woman who had literally fallen into his life from seemingly out of nowhere. Given the fact that his train back to Hope Valley didn't leave for another day and a half, he intended to take advantage of the situation and get to know her a bit more. Nothing might come of it, but the fact he was considering another woman was evidence that his heart was healing and that he was beginning to move on.

"So, tell me about Ireland." He stated, as he walked with his hands behind his back dressed in a grey jacket, vest and pants with a gun-metal-blue-colored button down shirt providing just the right casual touch so that he appeared approachable.

"Not much to tell." Emily replied with a soft smile. "I grew up a ways out of Dublin in a country village with my dad and a twin sister named Amy. Dad owned a dairy farm and we'd milk the cows and gather hen eggs and then go to market to sell them to the locals. Didn't make a lot of money, but it was enough. Amy and I used to do everything together. We took dance lessons together and went to school together and after we graduated intermediate school, we both decided to join her majesty's Imperial Nursing service."

"Did you come to North America together?" he asked.

Emily looked down. "No. Amy died." Nathan stopped walking. "It was during the war. We both joined up with the Expeditionary forces and were stationed in France lookin' after the boys there – many of which were so terribly wounded. One day, our encampment received a horrible shellin' and Amy was hit by some shrapnel. She died almost instantly."

Nathan subconsciously touched her arm. "I'm so sorry. I never would have brought it up if…"

She nodded and looked at him with a slight smile. "That's okay. No way you could have known." She began to walk again. "We buried her in the Couin cemetery in France. Five other nurses I enlisted with also died, but we all knew that was a danger. It's hard for some to understand it, but sometimes you just have to face danger in order to take care of others. It's kind of a callin'. Do you know what I mean?"

Nathan shook his head. "I know exactly what you mean."

"Butof course, you do." She smiled, punching him playfully in his arm. "You're a Mountie after all!"

Nathan laughed. "Well, I'm a bit more than that. I'm also a father."

She stopped walking. "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you weren't married."

"I'm not." He said. "Allie's mother was my sister. I adopted her not long ago."

Emily smiled. "That was very good of you. Allie is a lucky little girl to have a man like you as her father."

"I try. Not sure I always do the best of jobs. She's fourteen going on forty. Has a boyfriend/non-boyfriend named Robert that she likes. Almost got herself killed along with him…"

She stopped again.

"…That's what happened to Lucas. Some thieves were chasing her into town and Lucas protected her. He saved her life, but in the process lost his leg."

Emily shook her head. "Horrible. But I suppose the two of you are good friends?"

Nathan tilted his head to the side a little "Good friends might be a bit strong right now, but getting better. That's a story for a different day." He stopped. "Say, it's getting kind of chilly out. Would you like to go someplace and have a cup of coffee or tea with me? We can finish this conversation then."

Emily smiled and took his arm. "I would be delighted, Mr. Grant." And the two walked away.