Disclaimer: I am not the owner of the characters in this story. All rights go to Crown Media, Hallmark, Brian Bird, Michael Landon, Jr., the actors, creators, and writers of the show "When Calls the Heart." Any names or locations are simply for storyline purposes.

Chapter 12- With Love, Anything is Possible

Jack was sitting on his sofa when he heard his phone chime signaling a text from Elizabeth. He jumped up and grabbed his phone from the kitchen counter…

"The flowers r beautiful. TY. I love u, & I can't wait to c u L8r…"

Jack quickly tapped out a reply, "I can't wait to c u 2nite. I love u 2…"

Matt walked inside the house, his eyes barely drifting from his phone. He couldn't help but to be concerned because the camera he'd installed on the corner of Elizabeth's back yard fence which faced the door at her patio was malfunctioning for some reason.

Knowing that any concern he had regarding Elizabeth would be met frantically by Jack he simply asked, "Hey, have you and Elizabeth set up the meeting tonight?"

"I just heard from her…"

"You did; how is she?" Matt nonchalantly asked.

"She loved the flowers and said that she couldn't wait to see me later, so yes, everything is set up," Jack advised.

"I'm really glad to hear that," Matt replied; not because he really felt that their plan would be successful, but because he was thankful that by her texting Jack, it would imply that she is most likely okay and that the camera was simply malfunctioning. However, he wasn't about to take any chances.

"Are you really glad to hear it? I mean, I didn't think you'd be happy about our plan."

"Well, my experience with the paparazzi is that they can't be trusted, so I hope your plan works, because I'd love for you to have the life you want with that beautiful lady. But Jack, if it doesn't work out like you plan, I'm still here to help," Matt reminded him.

"Who did you call?" Matt asked.

"I contacted a few reporters I've dealt with before who've reported accurately about me in the past. I feel safe with them. It's Melanie Callahan, Adam Stephens, and Dutch Finnegan."

"Well, I've found Dutch and Melanie to be fairly upfront and as honest as the paparazzi can be. I'm not familiar with Adam," Matt stated as he headed for the front door.

"Where are you going?" Jack asked.

"Just going to make the rounds," Matt stated doing his best to keep from alarming Jack.

"Making the rounds? Isn't that why you have the guards outside?" Jack asked.

"I'm actually making the rounds off-site…"

"Matt, where are you going?"

"It's nothing for you to be concerned about. I'm just going to go by the Fort Lauderdale Bank and Trust to get a feel for Tommy in a business environment, and I'll ride by Elizabeth's house."

"Matt, what's wrong?"

"Look Jack, she just texted you; I'm sure that everything is fine. You'll see her in a few hours. Just let me do my job; I'll text you when I get there so you can rest up for the big paparazzi –fest."

Matt walked outside and before leaving, he called one of the security guards over to his car. "I'm going to check on a few things; you make sure that Jack stays here, okay?"

"Yes sir, I'll do my best."

"Uh, we need to have an understanding; you do what you have to do to keep him here. You keep him safe."

"Yes sir, I understand."

As Matt pulled out of the driveway and headed for Elizabeth's house he received a call from his confidential informant. "Hey, did you find out anything?"

"Well, Thomas Parker, AKA Tommy, was fired from the bank two weeks ago for embezzling money."

"WOW, has he been arrested yet?" Matt asked.

"My source says that the Board didn't want to charge him as it would have an impact of the price of the stocks," the informant advised. "Apparently, they gave him an opportunity to pay the money back."

"They can't sweep that under the rug. They have to charge him."

"How much money did he embezzle?"

"$875k"

"$875,000? Where did he get that kind of money?"

"From what I was told, he hasn't paid it back yet, so he is looking to score a big payday somehow, but it doesn't stop there…"

"What do you mean?" Matt inquired as he pulled his car into a parking lot and shut off the engine, feeling the need to concentrate on the information at hand.

"Apparently he misappropriated funds by authorizing mortgages for people who shouldn't have qualified," the informant began to explain.

"What are you talking about?"

"Drug dealers mostly; you know, no real job, but a great deal of money. If their monthly mortgage was $50,000, he apparently tacked on additional money and he ran it through the bank but the additional amount went directly into his account."

"But why didn't they just spend cash for the houses? You know bypass the middleman?" Matt asked.

"Well that's where the other problem comes in."

"There's more?"

"Matt, this guy laundered millions of dollars in drug money through the bank."

"How long does he have to get the money back to the bank?"

"I'm not sure, but my source said that the president of the bank has already said that 'he's not going down for this.' They're making him think he can get out of it if he pays the money back, but he doesn't know, they're charging him anyway," his informant advised. "Right now they are trying to keep it on the down low, but I would imagine that if he doesn't get the money soon, he'll be in jail."

"WOW, this information is going to surprise my client, or maybe it won't, but it's certainly got me thinking. Thanks for the information," Matt stated as he started his car again.

"Uh Matt, there's more…"

"What else is there?" Matt asked as he shut down his car engine again.

"This guy was married, but apparently his wife left him."

"No, they got a divorce years ago," Matt advised. "Oh wait; I've seen pictures in his trash where there is an "X" mark over her face."

"Right, I'm not referring to his first wife, although there is something weird going on there as well."

"Weird…how?"

"Well, his first wife apparently is the trustee to a very large trust fund for their daughter. If something happens to her, he had the paperwork done without her knowledge and he becomes the trustee of the fund…and Matt, it's well over a million dollars."

"What happened to his current wife?" Matt asked as he began to feel a tightness growing in his chest.

"I'm not sure, but my source said that she took their child, which really isn't his, and she left town right around the time that he was fired."

"His son isn't his? WOW, his world is caving in on him…do you know where she went? Do you know if she's safe?"

"My guy said that her family rented a truck and cleaned him out while he was drunk and slept on the sofa. You know, it's kinda sad, but funny at the same time. I don't know where they took her, but as far as I know, she's with family."

"So he's the only one in the house now?" Matt asked as he thought about the recent visit he'd made where Tommy was yelling and cussing.

"Yes, apparently so, but he's losing the house, so he won't be there much longer either."

Matt finished his conversation with his confidential informant, while across town Elizabeth and Tristan were dealing with an unwelcomed intruder…

"Come to daddy," Tommy stated as he sat sprawled out on Elizabeth's sofa, a case of beer beside him as a dozen empty cans littered the floor..

With glass from the shattered vase all over the floor, Elizabeth picked up Tristan and stepped to the other side of the room. Setting her feet on the ground, she held Tristan's arm and gently pulled her behind her. "What are you doing here? We're meeting tomorrow. Besides, how did you get in my house?"

"We can talk now. What's on your mind?"

"Tommy, I'm not comfortable with this situation. Please leave and we'll talk tomorrow at Reynolds' like we'd agreed upon."

She could hear Tristan whimpering as Tommy called out again, "Come here and see me."

"Tommy, she hasn't seen you in a long time; don't be so pushy," she stated as it suddenly dawned on her that he was dressed in a torn pair of jeans and a dirty t-shirt, obviously not the attire of a bank executive. "How did you get in my house?"

"Elizabeth, you're still stupid, a rock at the back door that holds your key? Not very bright; oh, and when did you get surveillance cameras?" he stated as he held up the key dangling from his thumb and forefinger.

"Surveillance cameras? What are you talking about?" she asked, clearly confused by his accusation.

Although intoxicated, he managed to bolt from the sofa, slapping her across the face before snapping at her, "Don't lie to me. You know I can't stand it when you lie. And don't act stupid Elizabeth; you know there's a camera in the corner of your fence, but I took care of it," he yelled before plopping back down on the sofa and popping the top on beer #13.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she truthfully stated as her hand covered her stinging cheek. She attempted to stall while doing her best to come up with a plan to get her and Tristan out of the house.

Where is your car?" she asked, "I didn't see it outside," knowing that if she'd seen it anywhere nearby, she never would have stepped inside her house.

"I'm gonna get another car, a better car, but I've come here to regain what's mine."

"What are you talking about? There isn't anything here that's yours."

"You and the kid; you'll always belong to me."

"Tommy, you aren't making sense; where's Belinda?"

"She's gone," he nonchalantly stated as he tried several times to get up from the sofa. "Did you know her kid isn't mine?"

"Uh no," she started backing away practically tripping over Tristan when she was too afraid to move. "Forget I asked; your life with Belinda is none of my business."

"You bitches are all alike," he stated as he finally stood up and was quickly in Elizabeth's face as the smell of alcohol on his breath nauseated her. "Are you going to be a bitch like your mother?" he yelled at Tristan before breaking out into a loud almost uncontrollable laugh.

"Tommy, please stop; she's just a little girl. If you have a problem with me, let's go outside and resolve it. Don't include her in this," although she tried to get him to step outside, he refused to take her bait.

She turned to Tristan, "Go to your room and get your things together for your camping trip."

"She's not going camping; she's going with me."

"No Tommy, I already told you that we could spend some time with you next week, but she is looking forward to this trip," she stated knowing in her heart that Jack would be angry, but she was not about to allow Tommy to have time alone with Tristan.

"Go on Tristan, get your things together," Elizabeth directed her again.

As she walked toward the hallway, Tommy reached out and grabbed Tristan's arm yanking her back and holding her in front of him with his arms around her refusing to let her go.

"Tommy, please let her go," Elizabeth called out, as she tried nonchalantly to dial Jack's number. She was doing her best to remain calm, but feeling fairly certain that she was already losing that battle as her hands shook and she was unable to find his contact on her phone.

When Tommy refused to release her, and Tristan screamed, Elizabeth stepped forward and put her hands on his trying to break the hold he had on their child. Suddenly he pushed Tristan away and backhanded Elizabeth knocking her to the floor.

"Tommy…stop, don't hurt mommy…" Tristan screamed as she ran to Elizabeth. "Mommy, are you okay?"

Elizabeth hit her head on the corner of the fireplace; it was painful, and immediately she could feel the blood rolling down her forehead and into her eye. Her lip didn't seem to fair well either. "Go to your room, Tristan," she yelled out as she slowly gained her footing again and stood up.

Her head felt much like it was preparing to explode, and she did her best to focus in on Tommy as the room spun. "What's wrong with you, Tommy?" Elizabeth asked as she dabbed the back of her hand against her bleeding forehead and lip.

"I need money and I need it now. I figure I'll just exercise my right as the kid's father to keep her."

"What…? You've never wanted her before. This is all about money, isn't it?"

Tommy laughed, the sound of which caused her head to pound harder. "It's expensive to live…I'm entitled to that money."

"Tommy, you aren't entitled to anything; that money belongs to Tristan."

"But she's my kid so therefore, the money is mine."

"What happened to the money from my trust fund?" she asked.

"It was my money to use, and well it's gone; you've got plenty; it won't hurt you to give it to me, or you can just sign over the kid to me, or better yet, you and the kid can come back home."

Having a hard time thinking straight, Elizabeth assumed that she wasn't hearing him correctly. "Tommy, we are home, and I'm not signing Tristan over to you. Take me to court, because I'm sure that the judge would love to see how you deal with people," she stated as she glanced in the den mirror and observed her split lip and the cut on her forehead at her hairline.

"Well, you could just sign over her trust fund and we'll call it even."

"Tommy, I have custody of Tristan, and besides, we had an agreement before, which apparently you have chosen not to follow, so no, she's not leaving with you; the trust fund stays with me, and you can take me to court, but she won't be taken away from me; I can guarantee that."

"I wouldn't be so sure; I have documentation from the hospital where you tried to kill me, or have you forgotten? I guess I could go to the police with that and get you arrested. Then the kid will have to come to me."

"You can't scare me anymore with your threats, Tommy. It's done; I'm done with you, so please leave."

"I'm not leaving without the kid or the money, take your pick."

"Tommy, you need to leave or I'll call the police."

"Hmm, go ahead, I have visitation rights; I'm just exercising them. The officer will tell you that I have rights."

"Tommy, it's been so long since you've exercised those rights that I don't even think you know what weekend is yours."

"I'm choosing this weekend."

"You don't get a choice," she stated as she walked toward her front door hoping to draw him outside of the house.

"You don't make the rules Elizabeth. I'm her father…"

"Then start acting like it. Stop treating her like she's a possession that you can sell or trade," Elizabeth yelled, feeling her anger rising in intensity. "You can see her according to the visitation agreement and nothing more, but just know that you won't see her alone. If you aren't satisfied with that, take me to court," Elizabeth stated. She was scared, but wouldn't admit that to Tommy.

Had Tommy been a cartoon character, she would have expected steam to shoot from his ears. His face was red, and his respiration was becoming more rapid. Totally off topic and out of the clear blue he stated, "So Jack's back, and apparently he's sleeping here with you."

As Tommy headed up the staircase she assumed to see if any of Jack's belongings were there, she scooted around him trying to keep him from going down the hall to Tristan's room. "Tommy, Jack isn't staying here. Come on let's go outside."

He pushed her against the wall, "Why do women have to sleep around?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I don't think the court would think too highly of that type of behavior, do you? Not to mention your school administrators…"

"Oh and slapping your ex-wife around would be viewed as appropriate?" she snapped back, wincing at the pain when her mouth opened as her lip stretched. She stepped backward when he turned around and approached her again.

Grabbing her by the arms he shook her, "Do you have any idea how bad it looks for your pictures to be plastered all over the paper; for you to be sleeping with him? I can't believe that you did this to me."

She couldn't deny the fear she felt, but it was more so for Tristan's safety and not her own. She pushed away from him, and moved down the hall back toward the staircase, thankful that he followed her.

She took the stairs slowly, feeling somewhat wobbly on her feet and barely held on to the railing as he began pushing her along. Back on the first floor, she stepped over the broken glass and empty beer cans in the den, and walked into the kitchen, doing her best to put space between him and her child.

With the table between them she asked, "What are you implying that I did to you, Tommy? We're divorced; what I do is my business and has no impact on you." She saw no point in telling him that she and Jack were not sleeping together, knowing that he wouldn't believe her anyway.

Tristan hesitantly returned to the den, "Mommy…"

"Come here," Tommy yelled to her. When she seemed to freeze and didn't come to him as instructed, Tommy rushed toward her.

"Tommy, leave her alone, please," Elizabeth screamed.

Tommy grabbed Tristan's arm and began dragging her to the front door. As Tristan screamed and did her best to pull away from him, Elizabeth yelled, "Okay, I'll sign over the money; please just let her go."

Tommy released Tristan's arm as she ran behind Elizabeth, grabbing onto the material on her pants leg. He laughed at their fear as he lifted his shirt slightly showing a familiar sight that she'd happily forgotten about until now.

Tucked in the waistband of his pants was the pink 9mm handgun that he'd purchased for her right after their marriage. She took lessons at the firing range upon his insistence, but never handled it after that.

"Come on…she's going with us, and so help me if you do anything, well let's just say, I have nothing else to lose."

"Tommy what does that even mean?" Elizabeth asked as she held one arm out to keep him away and the other held Tristan securely to her backside.

"Shut up and let's go…" he yelled.

"Wait, she needs her bag for camping," Elizabeth stated as she attempted to separate Tristan from Tommy. Unfortunately, he followed them back upstairs, down the hall and stood in the doorway of Tristan's room.

While Elizabeth wasted time, hoping that something would happen to stop him, Tommy stood at the door and watched as she gathered some of Tristan's belongings.

Unaware of the horror confronting Elizabeth and Tristan, Jack picked his phone up from the counter and re-read her earlier text…

"The flowers r beautiful. TY. I love u, & I can't wait to c u L8r…"

He looked again at the response he'd sent her, "I can't wait to c u 2nite. I love u 2…"and thought it was odd that she hadn't replied. He assumed that maybe she was busy getting Tristan ready for her camping trip so he sent her another text…

"I can't w8 2 hold u in my arms. U r my 1 and only…"

With Tommy standing nearby, Elizabeth's phone chimed signifying a text…

Seeing the text and knowing that it came from Jack, Tommy slapped the phone out of her hand before again knocking her to the floor. Tristan screamed as Elizabeth hit her back on the footboard of the bed, crying out in pain as she fell in a heap on the floor.

Stretched out on her belly, she scanned the floor for her phone, but not finding it she could only assume that he had grabbed it. She reached her hand under Tristan's bed and feeling something with her fingertips she stretched further.

"Hurry up. We need to get to the bank before it closes," Tommy yelled.

Doing her best to get back up, she was on her hands and knees when Tommy kicked her in the abdomen, "I said get up…"

Elizabeth cried out in pain as she lay on her side with her arms covering her stomach.

"Please Tommy, don't hurt her…" Tristan cried out as she grabbed his arm to pull him away.

He pushed Tristan and she fell up against the opposite wall. In a rage, he moved back toward her with fire in his eyes, "You don't call me Tommy; I'm your daddy, show me some respect," he stated as he drew his fist back.

Elizabeth wasn't certain how she was able to stand so quickly, but before he could make contact with Tristan's face, she grabbed his arm. "Tommy stop, if you want the money, let's go…"

Thankfully, Tommy walked down the hall temporarily leaving them alone. Trying her best not to cry in front of Tristan, she knelt down, "I need you to do something for me."

"Mommy, he hurt you;" she started to pull away from Elizabeth, "I'm gonna beat him up," she cried out as tears flooded the front of her lobster print shirt.

Elizabeth held her arm, "No sweet pea, you're going to stay in here, and I need you to do me a favor…"

"What mommy," Tristan asked as she reached out and touched the blood that was trickling down Elizabeth's face. "I'm scared mommy…" her tears continued to fall freely.

"I know you are sweet pea; but you can do this."

"What mommy…?"

"When I walk out of here, I need you to close and lock the door behind me and I don't want you to open it until someone you trust comes for you," Elizabeth spoke firmly. Her goal was to get Tommy out of the house; to make certain that Tristan was safe, and she hoped that the bank officials observing her battered appearance would do something to help.

Having told Tristan previously to leave her gel pens in her office, Elizabeth was thankful that at least on one occasion she had neglected to comply. Seeing several of her pens on Tristan's dresser next to a box of crayons and a piece of construction paper on which she'd drawn a picture of yellow flowers, Elizabeth grabbed the white pen, leaned against the piece of furniture for support and wrote out what she thought would be her last contact with Jack…

"Jack, I wish I could talk 2u. So much to say but no time. I won't b able to c u again. I'm so sorry 4 the time we lost. Please move on. U won't want 2 but u need 2. If the lady u choose doesn't mind, please check in on Tristan from time 2 time. She'll need u. She loves u…I love u…Goodbye, Elizabeth"

She folded the piece of paper and handed it to Tristan," Will you give this to Mr. Jack when you see him again?"

"I don't want you to go mommy," Tristan cried as she took the piece of folded construction paper from her mother. Elizabeth wrapped her arms around her child muffling her cries as she pulled her into her body.

Elizabeth whispered, "I don't want to go, but I'll make sure you're safe. I love you and it will be okay."

"But you're coming back, right mommy?"

Elizabeth slowly went down on her knees and pulled Tristan into her chest, "I love you, please don't ever forget that, and mommy will always watch over you," she couldn't contain her tears any longer as she feared that this would be the last time she would ever hold her child.

"Get out here now," they both heard Tommy scream from downstairs.

"I have to go," Elizabeth kissed Tristan's forehead. "You be a good girl, and know that I will love you forever…" were the last words she spoke before stepping out into the hallway.

Elizabeth felt as though her heart had shattered within her beaten and battered body as she heard Tristan crying through the closed door. However, she felt a bit of relief when Tristan did as she was told and engaged the door lock. Sadly, she also knew that if Tommy wanted to, he could bust the door down.

Elizabeth gingerly walked down the hall and found Tommy waiting at the bottom of the stairs. He looked quite irritated and antsy as his weight shifted from one foot to the other.

"Where's the kid?" he yelled.

"She's staying here," Elizabeth answered back as she made it to the landing and headed toward the kitchen, doing her best to get him to follow her. With her anger building, she knew that she'd do whatever was necessary to keep him away from her child. She walked back and stood between him and the staircase "If you want the money, we leave now."

He patted his waistband, doing his best to intimidate her, "I said that she was coming too." He pushed Elizabeth against the wall and rushed up the stairs.

He ran down the hall and banged and kicked at the door, putting a hole in the lower half as his foot went through.

Inside the bedroom, Tristan screamed as his shoe appeared through the hole in the door. She grabbed her "Ugly" doll from the floor and ran into her closet, closing the door, and hiding in the back corner.

"Tommy, if you want the money I'm leaving now," she stated as she started down the hall hoping to draw him away from Tristan's bedroom.

Knowing that his car was nowhere in sight, she assumed that they would have to take hers. Seeing her leave and assuming that he would get the money he was demanding, and apparently so desperately needed, he slammed his fist into the door one last time causing Tristan to scream.

Before walking away, he laughed at the fear he was able to elicit from both of them. Enjoying the power, he walked through the den, with his chest puffed proudly, but too intoxicated to feel the bruises and cuts on his fist from the last punch to Tristan's door.

Stepping on the broken fragments of glass on the floor, he followed Elizabeth out to the garage. Grabbing a rag out of the dirty clothes hamper and saturating it with the bottle of alcohol he found on the shelf, he handed it to her and insisted that she clean her face.

Elizabeth screamed when the first wipe across her face set her body on fire. The alcohol entered the cuts on her skin, as well as several as yet unseen nicks on her left hand that she could only assume were caused when she fell in the den, presumably landing on small shards of glass. She grabbed a paper towel and wet it at the sink, where she cleaned the dried blood on her face before heading to her car.

Tommy went to the driver's seat, opened the door and sat down behind the wheel.

"Tommy, you're drunk, you aren't driving anywhere; get out or we aren't going," Elizabeth's tone was firm as she opened her garage door hoping that someone would be in the area that could help her.

Seeing no one, Elizabeth slipped into the driver's seat and waited for Tommy to make his way to the other side of the car. She backed out of the driveway, stopping momentarily to silently say goodbye to her baby…

As they pulled out of the driveway and headed to the front of the complex, Elizabeth realized that the quiet neighborhood she was so previously thankful for, could now possibly be the death of her.

They turned onto the main road as Matt turned from the main road into the complex. Catching a glimpse of who he thought was Elizabeth as their vehicles passed each other, he turned around, punched the app on his phone engaging the tracker on her car, and within a few miles he was several cars behind them.

Elizabeth's House…

The sound of silence was deafening as Tristan sat in her closet rocking back and forth while clutching her doll to her chest. Slowly she scooted her body toward the closet door.

Looking from her closet into her room she felt wobbly when she observed the hole in her door. She glanced around her room, scared to come out of her closet, but more petrified not to.

Seeing her mother's phone under her bed, she crawled from the closet, somehow feeling that no one could see her if she was close to the floor. Grabbing Elizabeth's phone she did what she'd been taught before. Pushing the "Contacts" button, she saw pictures of teachers, Rosie, Lee, Nana, and Pop-Pop. When Jack's picture appeared she quickly pushed the button.

"Hey, I can't wait to see you tonight. I love you…" Jack quickly stated.

Nearly hysterical and with an extremely shaky voice Tristan responded, "M…M…Mr…M…M..Mr. Ja…Ja…Jack…"

"Tristan, what's wrong?" Jack asked as he jumped up from the sofa. "Where's your mommy?"

"She…She's…Go…g…gone…"

"Gone? Gone where?" he was now more than frantic as he knew that Elizabeth would never leave Tristan alone.

"Tommy hurt her, Mr. Jack. She's bleeding, and she made me lock the door…I heard her scream and I'm so scared. I'm afraid he's gonna kill her…"

"I'm on my way; you stay with me on the phone," he called out as he grabbed his keys off of the counter and ran out to his car.

"Mr. Thornton," the security guard stated as he approached. "I've been instructed to keep you here.

"I'm leaving, so step away…" Jack was firm in his demand.

The guard placed his hand on Jack's arm and pulled him away from his SUV.

"I don't have time to discuss this. I have to leave," Jack stated.

"I'm sorry, but Matt told me to keep you here," the guard advised.

Jack said nothing further; he didn't have time to reason with the guard. As the paparazzi stood in the street with their camera lens focused upon him, Jack punched the guard, knocking him to the ground. He jumped into his SUV and took off.

"Tristan, are you still there?"

"Y…ye…ye…yes…" she responded, her voice was still shaking.

Jack needed to get in touch with Matt, but he didn't want to disconnect his call from Tristan, so he raced to her house, doing his best to talk calmly. "Think about our time at the Butterfly World Gardens. That was fun, wasn't it?"

"Uh huh…" Tristan replied as her voice continued to shake.

"Do you remember the beautiful flowers?" he asked, hoping to get her mind off of the fear she felt.

"Mommy loved them," she started crying again. "Mr. Jack, Tommy hurt her so bad. I want mommy to come home…"

Jack pulled into her driveway, and into her open garage. He jumped out of the car and raced into the house. "TRISTAN," he yelled.

Hearing nothing he ran through the den. Adrenaline flooded him as he stepped on the broken pieces of glass in the carpet and over empty beer cans. He observed the rainbow blooms he'd previously picked out for Elizabeth, the stems were now broken and scattered on the floor along with his card which was ripped into pieces.

His heart pounded as he observed blood on the fireplace hearth. "TRISTAN, it's me, Jack."

"Mr. Jack…" she whispered, it sounded like him, but she was still too scared to come out from under the bed.

Jack ran upstairs and seeing the hole in Tristan's bedroom door his heart stopped. He couldn't believe the horrific scene and the fear that must have engulfed them. "Tristan, honey, open the door."

She knew that it sounded like Jack, but she felt paralyzed with fear, unable to move, unable to speak.

"Tristan," his voice was soft but somewhat insistent, "Please sweetheart, unlock the door."

Jack looked through the hole in the door and observed Tristan cowering under the bed. He reached his arm through the hole that Tommy's foot had made and struggled to reach the door knob. Barely able to reach, his fingers fiddled with the lock, eventually getting the door open.

Jack got down on the floor and moved over to the bed. He continued to talk softly trying to encourage her to open her eyes. "Sweetheart, it's me…Jack. Please open your eyes."

After being asked several times, Tristan hesitantly opened her eyes, but was still afraid to believe that it was him. "Mr. Jack, is it really you?"

Jack took hold of her arms and carefully pulled her out from under the bed. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and held on as if her life depended on it.

As she leaned back slightly, she released his neck and he observed her clutching her mother's phone and the folded up construction paper in her hand, "What's that, honey?"

She handed it to him, "Mommy asked me to give it to you when I saw you…"

He put Elizabeth's phone in his pocket and unfolded the paper…

"Jack, I wish I could talk 2u. So much to say but no time. I won't b able to c u again. I'm so sorry 4 the time we lost. Please move on. U won't want 2 but u need 2. If the lady u choose doesn't mind, please check in on Tristan from time 2 time. She'll need u. She loves u…I love u…Goodbye, Elizabeth"

"Mr. Jack, why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying," he hated lying to her.

He felt at a loss. He had to get her to a safe place, get information to Matt, and find Elizabeth. He picked up Tristan, "Let's go see Rosie…"

Without a booster seat in his car, he strapped her into the regular seatbelt in the back. His first call was to Rosie…

"Hey Jack, how's it going?"

"Rosie, I don't have time to talk. Are you home?"

"Yes, what's wrong?"

"I have Tristan with me and I need her to be in a safe place. Is Lee home?"

"Yes, what's wrong Jack, you're scaring me."

He didn't want to say a lot in the car, doing his best to calm Tristan. "Elizabeth is with Tommy…"

"WHAT? No, no, no, no, no way she'd never be with him. What happened?"

"I can't talk about it now, but I need you and Lee to keep Tristan safe for me."

"We're here; we'll be waiting."

Jack pulled into their driveway, unbuckled Tristan from her seatbelt, and carried her to the porch where Rosie opened the door. Rosie took hold of Tristan's hand and Lee walked outside, "Let's go."

"Lee you have to stay here," Jack stated as the two men stepped away from the door to talk.

"What happened?" Lee asked.

"Look, I'll explain more later, but I don't know what's happened to Tommy. According to Tristan he beat up Elizabeth," Lee stepped forward and pulled an emotional Jack in for a hug.

"I've got to go."

"Jack, let me help…"

Lee, you need to stay here and keep Rosie and Tristan safe. I don't know what he'll do…" Jack called out as he ran toward his car.

"Call us…"

Finally, Tristan found her voice, "MR. JACK," she yelled. "PLEASE BRING MY MOMMY BACK…"

"I will…" he yelled back as he jumped into his car, praying that he wasn't again lying to her.

Rosie pulled Tristan into her body and held her close. They watched as Jack pulled out of the neighborhood.

Jack picked his phone up from the passenger seat observing several back to back calls from Matt. He pushed the button to dial him back.

Hey Jack…" Matt whispered.

"Matt, we've got a problem," Jack announced.

"I know; Tommy has Elizabeth."

"How do you know?"

"I was pulling into her neighborhood when they were pulling out. I turned on the tracker and they're here at Legacy Bank on SE 7th Avenue. I'm just outside the door watching. He's nervous, and…"

"And what?"

"Jack he beat her up."

"I'm gonna kill him…"

"No Jack, you let me handle it. This is what I do…"

"He's crazy Matt."

"I know; I heard from my source, and he's in a lot of money trouble, and it looks like maybe she's talking to someone about getting it for him."

"What do you see?" Jack asked.

"Her face is bloody and he's holding on to her, so I don't think they are getting her any paperwork to transfer the money, but it looks like they are making him think they are."

"Jack, they are casually moving everyone out of the bank through a back door. Tommy and Elizabeth are in an office off to the side with I assume the branch manager," Matt stated as he moved slightly to the left to get a better view. "Oh God Jack, where is Tristan?"

"She's safe…"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I got her from the house. I think he's after Tristan's money," Jack advised. "Matt, I'll give him the money; I just want him to leave Elizabeth and Tristan alone."

"He's someone who has nothing to lose at this point, I'm afraid," Matt responded.

"I'm on my way; can't you get her away from him?" Jack pleaded.

"I would if I could, but I don't want to escalate things. Wait, I hear sirens…"

"They're passing me now," Jack stated as he followed the police cars into the parking lot.

"They must have set off the alarm; I guess I don't blame them. He's holding her pretty tight and with the marks on her face and blood on her clothes it isn't hard to see that she's being forced to do this."

Jack was held out in the parking lot and paced as he watched Matt show the officers his concealed weapon permit and security license.

Matt could see Tommy becoming increasingly nervous as he began pacing in the office, dragging Elizabeth while refusing to let her go.

Elizabeth was struggling to stand, and doing her best not to cry, but between the pain, fear, and worrying over Tristan her tears were easily falling.

Drawing even more attention to them, Tommy started yelling when it appeared that the money was not being transferred as quickly as he'd like; little did he know it was not being transferred at all. As he turned and observed the empty bank lobby the handgun in his waistband became visible and the security officers pulled their weapons.

Seeing the officers outside ducking behind vehicles, they pulled Jack aside as he became more frantic. "WHAT'S GOING ON, MATT…"

Matt's phone lay on the floor as he also drew his weapon, "Stand down," he yelled to the security officers.

Tommy reached down to pull his shirt over his gun as one of the security officers, assuming he was actually reaching for his weapon, fired. The second security guard also fired several rounds. Tommy shielded himself by pulling Elizabeth in front of him as one bullet struck her in the abdomen and the others seemed to whizz by their heads.

Tommy released his hold on Elizabeth and she fell unconscious onto the hard, cold tile floor. The two wannabe security officers with minimal training stood in terror as Tommy ran out the back of the building.

As the sound of bullets pierced the silence outside, officers rushed the building while it took several officers to hold Jack outside. Inside the lobby, Matt was found beside Elizabeth, his jacket in his hand applying pressure to her abdominal wound.

Elizabeth lay quietly, present but yet somehow hovering above herself as she watched this man she didn't know trying to save her life. If she were able, she'd write about this in her journal. This experience was so real and raw, but she couldn't, so she wrote it in her mind…

"The pain is throbbing; it's deep and warm, but not in a soothing way. It's frightening and I want to scream. It feels as though someone is squeezing my organs; the pain is excruciating, and then it subsides. For a moment I enjoy a feeling of weightlessness, only to feel the pain return just as quickly and my body seems to crash to the floor again.

Blood, my blood seems to run like a think crimson river, covering the floor, rolling along the cold, hard tile, staining; a forever reminder of what occurred here. My face, beaten and battered leaves me unrecognizable. But I am who I am, and although part of my body wants to give up and be taken away to the next life, my baby needs me, and so I fight with every ounce of energy, fire, determination and love that I have within me, and I will come home…"

"We need a bus at Legacy Bank. We have a female approximately 32 years old, with a gunshot wound to the abdomen," one of the officers standing near Elizabeth could be heard over his radio.

Jack was frantic; the lobby was crowded with a multitude of officers. He knew it was bad; it had to be bad, and he needed to be with her; to let her know that he was there, but no one would let him inside. Instead of fighting them and taking away from the care he knew she needed, Jack broke free of the officers holding him and he walked out into the parking lot.

Inside, the police sergeant called out, "Where did the perp go?"

Both of the bank security officers said nothing. They stood stunned at the outcome as the one who fired the shot that ultimately struck Elizabeth realized that he may very well have killed her.

Matt yelled, "Where's the medic? She's fading…"

Tommy made his way out into the parking lot as he went from car to car hoping to find something in which to escape. Finding nothing, he was startled by a familiar voice…

"You son of a bitch, where do you think you're going?" Jack yelled out knowing that Elizabeth was injured badly but unaware of how dire the situation was.

"Well, isn't it Mr. I Have It All…" Tommy replied, "Or should I say Mr. Has Everything That Was Mine." Tommy was obviously nervous as his eyes darted about the parking lot. "Maybe now it's Mr. Had Everything That Was Mine."

Jack couldn't help but to notice the blood on Tommy's clothing, wishing it was his, but fearing that it belonged to Elizabeth. "What did you do to her?" Jack yelled as he blocked out everything around him including the ambulance that rolled up on the scene.

"Don't you realize Jack, you took everything from me; you can't have her too…" Tommy yelled back as he leaned against a car to steady himself.

Jack was trying to keep Tommy in the parking lot, hoping that someone would come outside and arrest him. "What did I take from you? You had your chance to be a part of the music, but you decided against it. As for Elizabeth, man you know, she was never yours…"

"It doesn't look like she'll be yours either," Tommy laughed almost sadistically.

"No Tommy, what did you do?"

Tommy lifted his shirt and pulled out the 9mm handgun from his waistband and pointed it at Jack, "Well, I guess you can still be together."

**BANG**

Tommy fell to the ground with a bullet wound to the chest. Turning around Jack observed Matt behind him with his weapon drawn.

Seeing the ambulance in front of the bank, "Oh no, no, no…" Jack yelled.

"Jack, it's bad; she needs you."

Jack ran passed Matt and was at the bank entrance when Elizabeth was wheeled out on the stretcher. She was pale, clammy and unconscious, but he was thankful that at least at the moment she was breathing, unaware that only moments ago the medics had to shock her heart in order to get it beating again.

As the stretcher was loaded up into the ambulance, Jack started to step inside. The EMT stood at the door, "I'm sorry, but you'll have to follow us."

"I have to be with her, please…"

The ambulance driver called out, "Hey Adam, don't you know who that is?

Adam looked back at Jack, "Oh, I'm sorry; is that really you, Mr. Thornton?"

"Of course it's him; let him on," the driver called out so they could leave.

"It's against the rules, but come on."

Jack climbed in and stood off to the side not wanting to get in the way of Adam caring for her. "How is she?" Jack asked as his eyes watered, but his mouth remained dry.

Adam hooked Elizabeth up to the monitoring machine as all of her vitals were sent immediately to the hospital. "She's alive, so that's something, but it's bad…I'm sorry."

Jack sat against the window separating the driver from the back and he silently prayed like he'd never prayed before…

"Dear Heavenly Father, I know I'm not perfect and I've fallen short of what you have expected of me, and I know that I don't come to you as often in prayer as I should, but I am begging you for mercy. Please be with Elizabeth; give those who attend to her the strength and knowledge to heal her physically and I will always be here to help her emotionally. I love her Lord; I've always loved her, and I can't see you bringing us together to simply pull us apart. In Jesus name I pray, Amen…"

Jack turned around and glanced out the front window of the ambulance as they passed Tommy lying on the ground, a white sheet covered his body.

Knowing that he had phone calls to make he pulled Elizabeth's phone from his pocket. The first call was to her father…

"Hey honey, are you coming over today instead?" her father cheerfully asked.

"Mr. Thatcher; um, this is Jack Thornton."

"What are you doing with Elizabeth's phone?"

"Sir, I'll explain more later, but right now you need to know that Elizabeth has been shot and I'm with her in the ambulance. We're going to…"

Jack held the phone away as he asked Adam, "What hospital are we going to?"

"Atlantic Shores on N. Federal Highway…" he replied, as he returned to monitoring Elizabeth's vital signs.

"We're going to Atlantic Shores on N. Federal Highway," Jack nervously replied.

"She's been shot…? Why…? Who did it…?" he yelled into the phone.

"I don't know sir. Please just get Mrs. Thatcher and get to the hospital."

"Oh my God…Tristan…?"

"She's safe; she's with Lee and Rosie, but you may want to bring her too. I just don't know how bad it is," Jack advised as his own emotions consumed him.

Jack had never heard Mr. Thatcher's voice so emotional before. He'd heard him angry, and even joyful, but tears and deep emotion had seemed to escape him in the past.

"Thank you for calling, Jack. We'll be right there," Mr. Thatcher stated as he hung up the phone and immediately called his wife.

"Honey…"

"Hello, to what do I owe the honor of this call in the middle of the day? Are you coming home for lunch?" Grace asked.

"Honey, I'm on my way home, but you need to be ready…"

"Ready for what?"

"I just heard from Jack Thornton…"

Initially Grace smiled, assuming that Jack was calling to come clean about his relationship with Elizabeth; that is until…

"I don't know what happened, but Elizabeth was shot and she's on the way to the hospital. I'm on my way to pick you up…"

"What…? Is she okay?" she screamed into the phone.

"I'm sorry honey; I don't know…"

The ambulance pulled into the Emergency loading dock and Elizabeth was wheeled into the trauma room. Jack walked through the doors as though he belonged there, and although many of the doctors, nurses and auxiliary staff were in awe of seeing him, he was returned to the waiting area to do what he hated the most…waiting!

Jack was sitting alone with the eyes of many of those in the room upon him as Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher rushed inside.

"How is she?" they both asked as Jack stood when they approached.

"I don't know; no one has come out to tell me anything yet," he replied as Mr. Thatcher went to speak to the volunteer behind the desk.

"Jack, what happened?" Mrs. Thatcher asked.

"I don't know. Something happened with Tommy. All I know is that she left Tristan at home and Tommy forced her to go to the bank for money."

"She left Tristan alone? That doesn't sound like Elizabeth."

Jack pulled the piece of construction paper from his pocket and handed it to her. "Elizabeth wrote this out and gave it to Tristan to give to me. I think she thought he was going to kill her, and she wanted to get him away from Tristan and the house. She was protecting her…"

Mrs. Thatcher opened up the piece of paper and her heart shattered at the fear and emotion she felt pouring from Elizabeth's words…

"Jack, I wish I could talk 2u. So much to say but no time. I won't b able to c u again. I'm so sorry 4 the time we lost. Please move on. U won't want 2 but u need 2. If the lady u choose doesn't mind, please check in on Tristan from time 2 time. She'll need u. She loves u…I love u…Goodbye, Elizabeth"

Mrs. Thatcher wiped her eyes as she handed the paper back to Jack. He stuck it back in his pocket, somehow feeling closer to her by having it with him.

"I need to call Lee and Rosie. Do you want them to bring Tristan?" Jack asked.

"It's probably not the best place for a child," Mrs. Thatcher replied.

"Although I agree, and I'll go along with whatever you and Mr. Thatcher decide," Jack began to comment as he wiped his eyes, "Shouldn't she be able to be here?"

She glanced down at the floor before looking over at her husband standing at the volunteer desk. Turning back toward Jack she stated, "I know you're right. If something happens I'll regret that she wasn't here to say goodbye. Will you call them and ask them to bring her?"

"Are you sure?"

She said nothing but shook her head up and down. Jack got up and walked outside to make the call. Ten minutes later he sat back down beside Mrs. Thatcher, "They're on their way."

"I signed the consent form for surgery…" Mr. Thatcher advised as he walked up and took a seat beside his wife.

"Surgery…?" Mrs. Thatcher began to cry as her husband wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close.

"Honey, she was shot; they have to get the bullet out," he whispered.

Jack sat with his elbow pressed into his thighs as his hands were folded and his head rested on them. Silently, he continued to pray.

Breaking the silence Mr. Thatcher stated, "Thank you, Jack for calling us. When she's out of danger, we need to talk; I need to know everything. Do you know where Tommy is?"

Jack looked down, "Matt, the head of my security shot him in the parking lot of the bank."

"Is he here too?" Mr. Thatcher angrily stated as he jumped up.

"No sir; I don't think he survived," Jack replied.

"I just don't understand what happened; I never knew that she was having problems with Tommy. But then again, I didn't know that she was involved with you again, so clearly I've been kept in the dark about a lot of things." Mr. Thatcher looked at his wife, "Do you think this had anything to do with what Elizabeth wanted to talk to us about?"

"I'm not sure; maybe part of it…" she replied, actually feeling fairly certain that what Elizabeth wanted to tell them about was Jack. She was as much in the dark about Tommy as was her husband.

"Pop-Pop…Nana…Mr. Jack," Tristan cried out as she held her "Ugly" doll and immediately ran to Jack.

"Hey sweetheart. Have you been a good girl for Lee and Rosie?" he asked.

"I tried, but I'm so scared. How's mommy?" she cried into the side of his neck as she held on tightly to him while Mrs. Thatcher gently rubbed across her back.

Jack looked at Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher, not wanting to over step his bounds by answering.

Mrs. Thatcher spoke up first, "She's in surgery, but the doctors here are really good."

"When can I see her?" Tristan sat up in Jack's lap as she directed her question to Nana.

"We have to wait until the doctor gives us permission," Mr. Thatcher responded.

Rosie stepped forward, "How about I take you down to the cafeteria and get you something to eat," she asked Tristan before turning to Mrs. Thatcher, "Is that okay? I have my phone if you need to reach us."

"Thank you, I would appreciate that," Mrs. Thatcher replied.

As Rosie and Tristan walked toward the elevator, Tristan broke free from her hand and ran back to hug Pop-Pop, and Nana, grabbing Jack last. "Thank you for saving me and mommy; I love you…"

With tears rolling down his cheeks he whispered, "I love you too."

Jack and Elizabeth's parents sat quietly dealing with their own thoughts, missed opportunities and fears. Each one wanted to visit the chapel to pray, but no one wanted to leave for fear that they'd miss the update on her condition, so they prayed privately.

Several hours later, Jack stood up and started walking around the waiting area, stopping momentarily to look out the window. Watching ambulance after ambulance arrive with injured men, women and children being wheeled into the Emergency room had his stomach in knots, his thoughts running wild and his anger raging at his inability to protect her.

Jack walked over to the desk, "Is there an update on Elizabeth Thatcher?" he asked as he felt the need to rest against the counter for fear that his knees would buckle.

"Are you her husband?" a new volunteer, approximately 40 years younger that most of the woman who generally manned the desk, asked.

"Uh…"

"You aren't, are you?" she asked.

"I'd like to be," he replied.

"I'm sorry; I can tell how concerned you are about her," she empathetically responded. "Excuse me, but are you Jack Thornton?"

"Yes I am; does that help me get any information?" he asked, practically pleading.

She smiled, "I don't have anything other than she's out of surgery and someone will be out to see you soon."

Jack walked back to Elizabeth's parents and took a seat, "Apparently she's out of surgery and someone should be out to see us soon."

Fifteen minutes later a middle aged man wearing light blue scrubs entered the waiting area, "The Parker family…" he called out.

Jack jumped up followed closely by Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher and Lee and they were directed over to an empty corner.

"I'm Dr. Hardison; I performed the surgery on Ms. Parker," He turned to Jack, "Are you her husband?"

"Uh…no, I'm her boyfriend."

"I'm William Thatcher, and this is my wife, Grace; we're her parents."

"And you are?" Dr. Hardison looked in Lee's direction.

"I'm a good friend…"

Dr. Hardison glanced at Mr. Thatcher, "Are you comfortable with discussing her condition here?"

"Yes, of course; please just tell us; how is she?" Mr. Thatcher pleaded.

"She had quite a few injuries besides the gunshot wound. We were able to remove the bullet but it did some internal damage; she lost a lot of blood, so she isn't out of the woods yet. I will say that whoever attended to her after she was shot saved her life, at least did what was needed to give her the time to get here so we could help her," Dr. Hardison advised.

After they had fathomed the most serious of her injuries, Dr. Hardison continued, "We cleaned up her head wound and were able to close the gash with a few butterfly bandages. Her lip was split, but that should heal on its own, and she had several small shards of glass in her arm and hand. Her back was badly bruised; apparently from being thrown down on something and there is significant bruising on her abdomen that wasn't caused by the gunshot; it's indicative of possibly having been kicked. I don't want to upset you, but it's apparent that she went through a horrific experience. In my professional opinion, she is lucky to be alive."

"When can we see her?" Mr. Thatcher blurted out.

"She's in recovery and once we get her into a room we'll come down to get you," Dr. Hardison replied. He turned to face Jack, "However, she will be in ICU and only family members are allowed, I'm sorry."

Mr. Thatcher saw the look on Jack's face, and could only imagine how Elizabeth would feel if she were unable to see him. "Who do I need to speak to in order to allow him in to see her?"

"Well if it's okay with you, I'll go ahead and put it in her chart," Dr. Hardison advised as he pulled his pen from his pocket and added Jack's name to the visitor's list.

As Jack turned away to wipe his eyes, Mr. Thatcher observed the look of relief on his face.

Mrs. Thatcher returned to her seat with Lee as Jack and Mr. Thatcher remained to talk. "I appreciate what you just did, sir. I know I'm not your favorite person," Jack commented.

"Jack, you broke my daughter's heart, so I have to admit as a father, that I have harbored some bad feelings toward you. But I also know that two people make or break a relationship, and I don't tend to get involved in my daughters' love lives…that's their mother's area of expertise."

Before Jack could comment, Mr. Thatcher continued, "I saw my granddaughter run right to you when she came in this room. You obviously make her feel safe and loved and for that I'm eternally grateful. Sadly I've not been aware of everything that's been going on in Elizabeth's life, and I'm not simply referring to you and her being back together. I wish I'd known what Tommy was really like; what he was putting her through. It's all my fault…" he stated as he slammed his hand against the wall drawing everyone's attention to their corner.

"No sir; it's not your fault. I can't tell you everything, because it's not my story to tell, but I will say that Tommy was envious of what everyone else has or had. I think he was willing to go to any means necessary to have what others would envy him for."

"So he never loved Elizabeth? Did he just want her because she was with you?" he asked.

"I don't know what his true feelings were for Elizabeth, but I suspect that he used her and Tristan to present a perfect family picture in order to move up into an executive position at the bank," Jack advised.

"But after they broke up, why wouldn't she tell me what she was going through?" Mr. Thatcher muttered, seemingly asking the question to himself.

"I think she thought that being with Tommy was what you wanted for her and that maybe she'd let you down when they separated and divorced. She knew that you thought the world of Tommy, and if you knew what he was really like, frankly, I think she was afraid you'd kill him or die trying, and she couldn't live with that," Jack explained, telling him more information that he'd intended to.

Mr. Thatcher glanced over at his wife who was sitting quietly with Lee, "I just want her to be happy; that's all I want for any of my girls. She's probably right…I would have killed him."

"Elizabeth loves you, Mr. Thatcher; she worships the ground you walk on," Jack stated as Matt, his white shirt spotted with patches of Elizabeth's blood rushed into the waiting area.

"How is she?" he asked as he and Jack stepped to the side. Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher were horrified by the sight of their daughter's blood on his shirt, a visual of the violent experience she'd recently suffered.

"She made it through surgery, and now we just have to keep praying," Jack advised. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Before Matt started to explain, Mr. Thatcher walked back over, "Are you Jack's security guy?"

"Yes sir; I'm Matt Springer," he replied.

"I'm William Thatcher, Elizabeth's father; would you tell me what you know?"

Matt glanced in Jack's direction, moving forward to explain as Jack nodded his approval. "I was hired to help protect Jack, Elizabeth and Tristan from the paparazzi. Mr. Thatcher, some things I did, neither Elizabeth nor Jack knew about, or in Jack's case some things he didn't know about, or he found out about after I implemented them."

Matt continued, "Jack and I had concerns about Tommy Parker and I contacted an informant I've used before. I'm sure all of the information will come out, but Tommy had some serious money problems. That information, along with some things I became aware of, and the malfunctioning of a security camera I installed…"

"You had my daughter's place under surveillance?"

"Yes sir; we were just trying to keep her safe…"

"Please go on…" Mr. Thatcher replied.

"Jack had heard from Elizabeth around 12:30 and she was fine. I'd pulled up the app on my phone and the cameras on the front of her house were working. I could see the flowers you sent her on the porch, so I felt like everything there was okay, but I needed to fix the back camera. I was on my way to check the camera in Elizabeth's back yard when she pulled out of the neighborhood as I was pulling in. I had placed a tracker on her car, so I was able to follow them to the bank. Unfortunately he already had her inside before I arrived."

"Did Tommy shoot her?" Jack urgently asked.

"No, unfortunately she was shot by one of the bank security officers."

"What…?" Mr. Thatcher yelled.

"Sir, I'm sure there will be an investigation, but Tommy did have a weapon…"

"I saw it, because he aimed it at me," Jack advised. Turning his attention from Mr. Thatcher to Matt, "Thanks by the way…"

"Jack you hired me to protect you and the ones you love; I'm just so sorry that I didn't get to her in time."

"What happened when she was shot?" Mr. Thatcher asked.

"I yelled for them to stand down, but I think they thought he was moving for his gun. All I know is the guard fired his weapon and Tommy pulled her in front of him."

"He shielded himself with my daughter's body?" Mr. Thatcher leaned against the wall for stability.

"I'm sorry to say, but yes sir, he did," Matt advised.

"Do you know who attended to Elizabeth before the ambulance arrived?" Mr. Thatcher asked.

"I did sir; I'm sorry that I wasn't able to do more," Matt replied.

Mr. Thatcher held out his arm to shake Matt's hand, "Thank you for what you did. Whatever it was you gave her the time she needed to get here, so her mother and I will forever be grateful to you."

Mr. Thatcher continued, "And you shot Tommy?"

Matt glanced over at Jack, "Yes sir I did. I believe if I hadn't, he would have killed Jack."

"Uh, I think you need to give the guard that was covering me today a bonus…" Jack commented.

"A bonus; he let you get away," Matt replied.

"Well, I didn't have time to reason with him, so I sucker punched him."

"Well, thankfully he wasn't able to keep you there, so maybe a bonus, not for not doing his job but because you knocked him out."

"Just add it to my bill…"

As they processed the information just provided, they observed Dr. Hardison enter the surgical waiting area.

He approached Jack, Matt and Mr. Thatcher as Mrs. Thatcher and Lee joined them. "Ms. Parker is in her room on the 7th floor, Room #722. There is a waiting area up there that you are welcome to hang out in, but only two people are allowed to visit at a time, and only for a few minutes, okay?"

"Yes sir," everyone responded in unison.

"Is there an age limit on visiting?" Jack asked as he thought about Tristan.

"Visitors need to be 12 years or older," Dr. Hardison replied.

Jack continued, "Elizabeth's daughter is only seven and I understand that she may not need to see her now, but is there any way that an exception can be made if the time is right?"

"I think we can work something out," Dr. Hardison replied. "Uh, Mr. Thornton, my 17 year old daughter loves your music. I know this isn't professional, but as fathers," he glanced in Mr. Thatcher's direction, "We do a lot of things to make our kids happy. Would you mind signing this for my daughter? Her name is Sydney…"

Appreciative of everything Dr. Hardison had done in getting Elizabeth through surgery, he gladly took the paper and wrote… Thanks for the support, Sydney. Always remember to shoot for the stars. Best wishes, Jack Thornton.

"Thank you; I will be a very popular father as a result of this…" He shook, Jack's hand, tucked the autograph in his scrubs pocket and left the room.

Lee called Rosie and advised that Elizabeth was out of surgery and in the ICU on the 7th floor, but at this point Tristan wasn't able to see her. However, she could come up to the 7th floor waiting area and they could wait with the family.

Jack, Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher, Lee, Rosie and Tristan sat in a small area of the room along with several other families. There were two little girls, one appeared to be older and the other younger that Tristan, most likely sisters, waiting with their mother for news on their father who had been injured in a car accident.

Additionally, there were two other families, waiting on news of their elderly father suffering complications from cancer surgery, and a brother and sister who anticipated that their paraplegic brother was not going to survive this bout with pneumonia.

Jack knew the feeling, helpless and lost and he could see in the faces of those in the room that they were drained. Elizabeth's family had only arrived, but the others could have been there for hours or even days, and he could see the exhaustion on their faces.

He didn't know the financial status of those in the ICU waiting area, but he also knew how expensive it was to feed a family, and he assumed that the cafeteria couldn't be cheap. He stepped out into the hallway and made a few phone calls.

Forty five minutes later, deliveries of chicken, potato salad, cole slaw, burgers, fries, pizza (cheese, pepperoni, supreme and Hawaiian), cookies, cupcakes, soft drinks, water, plates and plastic utensils arrived and were immediately brought to the 7th floor for the families and staff to enjoy.

Tristan grabbed a cupcake and sat with Ava and Emily, her new friends as they enjoyed several pieces of pizza, their first meal of the day.

Jack sat by the window watching the parking lot as individuals and families came and went, praying that Elizabeth would survive and could return home soon. He was lost in his own thoughts, startled by Mr. Thatcher when he approached and placed his hand on Jack's shoulder, "What you did here, son, was kind and generous."

"It's about the only thing I can do right now except pray…"

"We'll keep praying," he stated before returning to his seat beside his wife. Tristan walked over to Jack and climbed up in his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered, "I'm scared…"

"Would you like to go down to the Chapel and talk to God? I'll bet it will make you feel better…"

She shook her head up and down and grabbed his hand as she climbed out of his lap and pulled him toward the door.

"We're going for a walk; we'll be back in a few minutes," Jack stated; he held her hand as they walked out of the waiting room and disappeared down the hall.

"You knew they were back together, didn't you?" Mr. Thatcher asked his wife.

"I did; he's the one she's always loved. I know that feeling, because I feel the same way about her daddy…" Grace responded as he swept away a few tears that slipped down her cheeks.

Down on the first floor, Jack held Tristan's hand as they walked into the Chapel. "Where do you want to sit?" he asked.

"Up front, I want God to be sure to hear me."

"Honey, we'll sit up front, but you can be sure that he will hear you wherever you are," Jack assured her as they stepped to the front pew and took a seat.

Tristan looked at Jack as he nodded his encouragement. She bowed her head and clasped her hands together…

"Dear God…"

She's barely started when her tears began to fall and he could feel her body shaking. Jack put his arm around her shoulders which seemed to calm her, allowing her to continue.

"Dear God,

My mommy told me to pray to you when I'm scared; that talking to you will always make me feel better. I want to be brave for mommy, but I'm so scared. I just want mommy to come home; I want her to be okay, and I promise that I'll be good, just please don't take her away from me, or from Mr. Jack, because he loves her too."

Tristan turned and buried her head in Jack's chest, "She has to be okay Mr. Jack; she just has to."

Jack held her as she cried, gently rocking her back and forth until she calmed down, only to begin crying again as she asked, "If mommy goes to be with Jesus, you won't leave me too, will you?"

"Honey, I'm not going anywhere, but I have faith that your mommy is going to be okay. We have to have faith, and keep praying."

"Do you think God heard me?" she innocently asked.

"I'm sure he did. Are you ready to go back upstairs?" he asked.

"Yes sir…"

As they stood up and turned around, Mr. Thatcher was standing in the doorway with tears in his eyes. He couldn't deny the love he observed between Tristan and Jack, established in such a short time and he had to admit he'd never seen the same connection between her and Tommy.

As Jack and Tristan approached him, Mr. Thatcher stated, "Mrs. Thatcher is in with Elizabeth now. When you go back upstairs, you should go sit with her. She needs to know you're here."

"Yes sir, thank you…"

As they rode up in the elevator Tristan asked, "Can I go see mommy too?"

"I'm sorry honey, but you'll have to wait for a while to see her."

"But Mr. Jack, she needs to know I love her," Tristan replied as they exited the elevator.

Jack held her hand and they took seats in the bright, flowery alcove just outside the elevator. He pulled out his phone and told Tristan to tell her mommy whatever was in her heart as he pushed record…

"Hi mommy, I love you and you have to get better so I can see you. Please don't leave Mr. Jack and me. We both love you…"

When Jack returned to the waiting room, Mrs. Thatcher was sitting with Rosie and Lee. Tristan ran to her, "Mr. Jack filmed me telling mommy that I love her, so now she'll know that I need her and she'll get better."

"Why don't you go see her?" Mrs. Thatcher suggested to Jack.

"Thank you, I will," he stated as he walked out into the hallway and although he was desperate to see her, he hesitantly entered her room, fearful of what he'd find.

He pulled a chair up beside her bed and took a seat. Listening to the machines as they beeped and provided necessary information that sadly left him wondering what they meant. Was it good information; was it bad information? He could only assume that since no one was racing into her room that she was at least holding her own.

Jack took hold of her free hand as his elbows rested on the side of her hospital bed. He couldn't help but to be afraid of the IV in her arm, the breathing tube down her throat and the bruises and cuts he observed on her face. He wondered about those injuries both physical and emotional that he could not see, and he could only imagine the horror she experienced at the hands of a man who had apparently claimed at one time to have loved her.

He whispered, "I'm so sorry that I wasn't there to save you, but he's gone now, and he'll never hurt you or Tristan again; no one will ever hurt you or Tristan again."

He brought her hand up to his lips, "We've waited too long to be together for you to leave me now. I'm fighting for you, but you have to fight too. There are too many people here who need you; please come back to me, to all of us…"

Having recently written this song for Elizabeth, but knowing that she hadn't yet heard it, he partly sang and partly spoke the words. His emotions were stronger than he'd ever felt them before, and his voice broke as he contemplated the truth of his lyrics.

There are days
I wake up and I pinch myself
You're with me, not someone else
And I am scared, yeah, I'm still scared
That it's all a dream

'Cause you still look perfect as days go by
Even the worst ones, you make me smile
I'd stop the world if it gave us time

'Cause when you love someone
You open up your heart
When you love someone
You make room
If you love someone
And you're not afraid to lose 'em
You'll probably never love someone like I do
You'll probably never love someone like I do

When you say
You love the way I make you feel
Everything becomes so real
Don't be scared, no, don't be scared
'Cause you're all I need

And you still look perfect as days go by
Even the worst ones, you make me smile
I'd stop the world if it gave us time

'Cause when you love someone
You open up your heart
When you love someone
You make room
If you love someone
And you're not afraid to lose 'em
You'll probably never love someone like I do
You'll probably never love someone like I do

All my life
I thought it'd be hard to find
The one 'til I found you
And I find it bittersweet
'Cause you gave me something to lose

But when you love someone
You open up your heart
When you love someone
You make room
If you love someone
And you're not afraid to lose 'em
You'll probably never love someone like I do
You'll probably never love someone like I do
You'll probably never love someone like I do

Elizabeth's nurse stood just inside the room not meaning to eavesdrop, but finding this impromptu private concert to be beautiful and moving. Once he finished, she stepped closer, "I'm sorry sir, but she needs some rest, so I'll need to ask you to step outside."

"Just one moment," he stated as he pulled out his cell phone and played the video of Tristan…

"Hi mommy, I love you and you have to get better so I can see you. Please don't leave Mr. Jack and me. We both love you…"

"Please Elizabeth…fight; fight hard, because we can't be here without you. You, me and Tristan have a lot more memories to make," he whispered before standing, kissing her forehead and walking toward the door. Before stepping outside he turned back to face her, "I love you."

Jack walked back into the waiting area as the families approached thanking him for his kindness. He took a seat in the corner needing some time alone to process everything that had occurred that day.

"Honey, let him be alone for a few minutes to think," Mrs. Thatcher stated as Tristan woke from a nap and climbed out of her lap to go see Jack.

"It's important, Nana," Tristan replied as she slowly walked toward Jack.

Jack looked up and smiled, "Come here, little one…"

Tristan climbed into his lap, "I had a dream…"

"Was it a good one?" he asked.

"The best; God told me that mommy's going to be okay."

Jack hugged her, "I like that dream."

Hours later, as the sun rose, everyone was exhausted when they heard a "Code Grey" call and screaming coming from Elizabeth's room. Jack, Lee and Mr. Thatcher ran down the hall as Rosie and Mrs. Thatcher remained in the waiting room with a sleeping Tristan.

"You don't understand; she's only seven years old and she's alone; I have to get to her," Elizabeth was frantic as the pain medication she was on had her feeling as though she was capable of getting out of bed.

Two nurses held her down as a third gave her a shot of Ativan to calm her. Jack and her father ran into the room and Jack quickly approached the bed. Hearing Elizabeth scream about getting to Tristan, Mr. Thatcher ran back to the waiting area to get her.

"Elizabeth, Tristan is fine; she's being taken care of," Jack assured her.

"No Jack, you don't understand, she didn't go camping; she's home alone; I have to get home to her," still agitated, she was doing her best to fight the medication.

"Calm down, honey…Tristan is fine; she's here…" he assured her.

Somewhat confused by the events of the previous day she asked, "Did he hurt her?"

Jack sat in the chair beside her bed as the medication took effect and she began to calm down. "No, he didn't hurt her. You'd be so proud of her; she did exactly as you told her; she found your phone and she called me."

"She called you, and you went to get her… thank you, Jack," she cried. "She's okay; you wouldn't lie to me, would you?"

"I'd never lie to you, Elizabeth. She called me and told me what had happened; she was so brave…"

Mr. Thatcher walked into the room with Tristan on his hip. "Mommy," Tristan called out; "Are you okay?"

Elizabeth's breathing calmed and she slowly fell back to sleep. As Tristan sat in Jack's lap, she leaned on the bed, watching as her mommy's hand rested in Jack's.

"I love you mommy," she cried out as palm to palm their hands touched.

Early the next week, Jack went to pick up Elizabeth's car from the police evidence lot after it was towed there for processing. Looking inside, Elizabeth's blood was splattered along the dashboard, windshield, steering wheel and even reached Tristan's booster seat in the back, leading Jack to believe that the beating at the house didn't stop there.

Knowing how much she loved this car, he made arrangements for it to be detailed, giving her time to decide if she wanted to keep it or not. As for the booster seat, it was immediately discarded.

Another day passed; Tristan stayed with Nana and Pop-Pop while Jack rarely left the hospital. Thankfully, Elizabeth was transferred to a regular room on the 3rd floor with hopes of discharge by the weekend.

Early in the afternoon Jack walked into her room; finding her crying, he rushed up to the bed, "What's wrong honey?"

"It's nothing…"

Jack took a seat on the edge of her bed, "Don't you dare tell me nothing; what's wrong?"

Her cheeks were streaked and it was evident that she'd been crying for awhile. She looked down as she searched for the words to tell him.

"What is it honey; you can tell me anything," he promised her.

"My OB-GYN came in today to talk to me about my injuries…"

"Okay, what's wrong?"

"Jack there's a good chance that as a result of my injury, scar tissue will develop and I won't be able to carry any more children," possibly more out of fear of disclosure, her tears became heavier. "I know we haven't discussed our relationship passed what the six months was supposed to be, but I also know how much you always wanted to have children of your own, and I can't hold you to a relationship where that may not be a possibility."

Jack held his phone in his hand and pulled up a picture of Tristan that he'd taken during their previous ice cream date. "Do you see this little girl?" his eyes watered.

Elizabeth couldn't help but to smile as she nodded her head.

"I couldn't feel more like her parent if I'd physically given birth to her. You and Tristan are all I need."

"Are you sure? I mean maybe you should take some time and think about it first. I wouldn't want you to regret your decision…"

"No regrets here…" he leaned down and with his hands gently cradling her face he pressed his lips to her forehead.

That evening, Tristan arrived at the hospital with her Nana and Pop-Pop. She carefully climbed into bed with Elizabeth as they held hands. Elizabeth had been advised that Tommy was shot and killed by Matt when he pulled a gun and aimed it at Jack. However, she hadn't informed Tristan.

Seeing the sadness in Tristan's eyes, Elizabeth asked, "What's wrong honey?"

"Why was Tommy so mean to us?"

Rubbing her thumb across Tristan's hand she stated, "Sweet Pea, I don't know, but Tommy won't be coming around anymore." Elizabeth swallowed hard before continuing, "He was hurt real bad when he took me, and he…"

"Did he die?" she asked.

Elizabeth shook her head up and down.

Observing Elizabeth's bruised and battered face, Tristan ran her fingers down her mother's cheek, "Mommy, I know you've told me that hate is wrong, but don't you hate him; I do," Tristan admitted as Elizabeth brushed away several perfect little droplets that fell from her eyes.

"Honey, hate takes up too much space in your heart. I don't know what happened to Tommy to make him the way he was, but I'd hate to see you spend energy on hate when you need to fill your heart with happiness and joy," Elizabeth stated as she wrapped her arms around Tristan and carefully hugged her.

"But he hurt you so bad."

Holding Tristan's hand, Elizabeth explained, "No matter what Tommy did, it's because of him that I have you. You are without a doubt the biggest blessing in my life, and I could never hate him for that. You know, with love, anything is possible. I love you sweetheart, and I'm so very proud to be your mom."

By this time everyone in the room, including Elizabeth's nurse and the phlebotomist waiting to draw Elizabeth's blood were in tears. Trying to lighten the subject Elizabeth leaned back, "Guess what?"

"What mommy…?"

"If I keep getting better, I can go home in a few days."

Tristan looked at her but it was as if she was frozen in time, having retreated inside herself, unable to disconnect from the reality she knew only a few days ago.

"Sweet Pea, what's wrong?" Elizabeth asked as her hand rubbed up and down her arm.

"I don't want to live there anymore...I'm scared."

Elizabeth quickly responded, "We aren't going back there; you never have to go back there ever again. Pop-Pop is having it cleaned out, and we'll find another place to live, okay?"

"Are we going to live with Nana and Pop-Pop, or we could live with Mr. Jack, he has a lot of rooms," Tristan suggested.

"Yes, you two could move in with me," Jack concurred with Tristan's suggestion.

"As wonderful of a suggestion as that may be, and although your house is obviously big enough, unfortunately, all of the bedrooms are on the second floor. I'm not allowed to do stairs for a few weeks," Elizabeth advised.

Elizabeth turned to Tristan, "Rosie is looking into finding us a place to rent for awhile."

"Let me find a place for all of us; a ranch style in a quiet area so you can relax and recuperate," he offered.

"Jack, you don't have to do that; you already have a home," she attempted to reason with him.

"I want you both with me…please," he took hold of both of their hands.

Seeing the relief and bright smile on Tristan's face she asked, "But what about the paparazzi…oh wait, we missed our interview. They'll have a field day with us living together."

"Don't worry about the interview; Matt contacted Dutch Finnegan, one of the reporters, and we'll reschedule once you feel better, but I do need to tell you something," Jack helped Tristan down from the bed when Pop-Pop came into the room.

Wanting to give Elizabeth and Jack some time alone, he offered to take Tristan to the cafeteria for a treat.

"What's wrong, Jack?" Elizabeth asked.

"Well, there are some unflattering pictures in the paper," he advised.

"Oh no; how did they get pictures of me?" she asked.

"They aren't of you; I punched one of the security guards outside my house when I was trying to get to Tristan. Needless to say, they snapped away and there are pictures as I drew back, as I made contact and quite a few as he hit the ground," Jack admitted.

"Oh Jack, is he okay?" she asked, concerned by the publicity, but so very thankful that he did whatever he had to in order to get to Tristan.

Jack laughed softly, "The bonus he's getting seems to have softened the blow."

Eight days after one of the most horrific times of her life, Elizabeth was in a wheelchair with Jack on one side, Tristan on the other, her parents and Rosie walking behind her as they finally left the hospital.

Although Mr. Thatcher wasn't completely onboard with Elizabeth and Tristan living with Jack, his wife made him understand that they had been apart for far too long. He knew how much his daughter and granddaughter meant to Jack and was aware that he had moved heaven and earth to find just the right furnished ranch style home for all of them to move into immediately, so he kept his preference that they stay with them to himself.

Jack helped Elizabeth into his SUV before opening the back door for Tristan. Glancing inside she was excited by the predominately pink Evenflo booster seat with two cup holders that he'd purchased specifically for her.

"Mommy, Mr. Jack got me a new seat, and it even has a foot thing so my legs don't go to sleep," Tristan excitedly commented as Jack helped her inside and buckled her in.

"That's wonderful Sweet Pea…"

Standing outside Jack's SUV Mr. Thatcher approached, "Somehow I feel as though I'm giving my daughter away." Quickly he retracted, "I mean, I know you aren't getting married, it just feels like she's leaving us again."

"I love her; I love both of them," Jack admitted.

'I know you do, and her mother and I are grateful for everything you've done, but if you need any help taking care of her please let us know."

"I will, but I know we'll be fine; thank you for understanding that they need to be with me," Jack responded as he stuck out his arm and both men shook hands.

As they left the hospital Jack advised, "I hope you like the new place, but if you don't, I'll find something else."

"Jack, I appreciate everything you've done for us; I appreciate you," she responded as her hand reached over and covered his.

Forty minutes later they turned onto Delmar Place and into the driveway of a light blue ranch style home, built on a slab with no steps. It consisted of full windows and dark blue shutters on the front and multiple full length windows and sliding glass doors along the back overlooking the pool and open canal.

There was a circular driveway and shrubbery across the front, and the back yard was moderate in size, but quite enough for a seven year old to enjoy.

There were four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a dining room, family room, and an eat-in kitchen, plenty of room with an easy and assessable floor plan for Elizabeth to maneuver.

With no paparazzi in sight, Jack helped Tristan out of his SUV before giving his full attention to Elizabeth. They stepped inside the house and he walked Elizabeth down to her room, the master bedroom with an adjoining full bath.

"This house is beautiful Jack. How did you manage to find this and make the arrangements so quickly?" she asked.

"Oh mommy, don't you remember, with love anything is possible. Mr. Jack loves us…"

"I most certainly do…welcome home!" he offered.

To be continued…

Note… To those who follow the facebook fan fiction pages, there will be pictures that follow this chapter posted soon…