Elizabeth gathered her things from her desk and headed home. As she approached the row houses she could see the light on at Lee and Rosemary's. Rosemary had always been Elizabeth's confidant and up until a few weeks ago they had a cherished friendship. After Elizabeth snapped at Rosemary and told her to leave her home the relationship had been strained to say the least. It was several weeks before Elizabeth finally apologized for her behavior and Rosemary, aware of the turmoil Elizabeth was experiencing, welcomed her back with open arms. That being said, the relationship still wasn't back to what it had been previously and Elizabeth took the responsibility for that. She recognized that she was so wrapped up in her own life that she hadn't paid enough attention to what was going on in Rosemary's life. It was difficult for Elizabeth not to knock on Rosemary's door and share with her the meeting with Nathan and Allie. While she was sure Rosemary would listen Elizabeth also knew that Rosemary would be brutally honest with her and she wasn't sure she was prepared to hear her thoughts.
Elizabeth entered her house to the welcoming laughter of Little Jack who was on the floor playing with Robert. They were building towers out of blocks and as she looked on she recognized that they were the blocks Nathan had made for Jack for his birthday last year. She felt a pang in her heart that left her sad but she needed to put on a cheerful face for her son and his babysitter.
"Good evening boys. Looks like you're having some fun over there. What are you building?"
Robert looked up and replied "Jack wants to see how tall we can stack the blocks before they fall over. So far we've made it to 12 blocks high but then he gets excited and topples them over."
Elizabeth laughed at the scene and thought to herself how easy it is to be three years old without a care in the world. She wished her world were easier but acknowledged that it was mostly of her own doing. Reflecting on her meeting with Nathan and Allie she could see that the hurt she caused them had not lessened over the last few weeks. Needing to establish guidelines regarding interactions with her seemed harsh when originally shared but Elizabeth was starting to see that if that's what was necessary for them to move on then she would abide by them.
After Robert went home Elizabeth planned to start dinner for her and Little Jack. A knock at the door left her expecting to see Rosemary on the other side. She was certain her face had a look of shock when she opened the door to find Lucas standing there arms full. Given the stress of the afternoon Elizabeth wasn't sure she was in a place to deal with Lucas and what he wanted.
"Elizabeth, I'm sorry to arrive unexpectedly but I thought I would bring dinner for you and Jack." I'm sure you have lots to do this evening so I won't stay long but wanted you to know I was thinking of you." Lucas proceeded to unpack a pot of stew, some fresh bread and apple cobbler.
While Lucas had always been thoughtful, she was surprised at his spontaneity and appreciative of his gesture. "Lucas, that is so kind of you. It has been a rough day so this is truly a welcome delight. Are you able to join us?"
"Not tonight, I need to get back to the saloon. Feel free to return the dishes whenever it's convenient." Giving Elizabeth a quick kiss on the cheek he turned and left her house.
Elizabeth stood for a moment and was touched that he'd thought of her but also realized that he didn't ask her why she'd had a rough day. That was something she was noticing more and more, that Lucas never approached the deeper conversations. He always kept things surface level. She wondered if that was due to his upbringing. Remembering conversations with Lucas's mother Helen while she was editing her book she had the distinct feeling the Bouchard family had a difficult time with hard conversations. Somehow Helen felt more comfortable talking to her, a relative stranger, about her husband leaving her than talking with Lucas.
Elizabeth recalled the many conversations she'd had with Nathan over the past few years. They'd spoken of Nathan's father and his gambling problem and subsequent prison time, his sister Colleen and how her death had affected his life, the Ft. Clay revelation that had been weighing heavily on Nathan for three years and most recently had thrown Elizabeth's life into havoc. Even though Nathan had always been reserved and sometimes stumbled on his words having deep conversations with her never seemed to be a problem. Her relationship with Lucas was just the opposite. Elizabeth knew that at the heart of any relationship was the ability to communicate with each other not just their hopes and dreams but also their hardships and sorrows. At that moment she promised herself that she would talk to Lucas about her concerns so they could continue to move forward in their relationship.