Chapter Twenty-four

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Welcomes

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In the Infirmary, Joseph sat with his cap in his hand, finishing the morning session with Elizabeth when they heard a knock. From behind the curtain, Faith emerged and unlocked the door. Bill stood with two men and introduced them to Faith. "Dr. Carter, please let me introduce Dr. Ben Marshall, the Psychiatrist who will be working with Elizabeth. Dr. Marshall, please meet Dr. Faith Carter."

The doctors held their gazes a little too long, but smiled and shook hands. "Enchanted!" Said Dr. Marshall.

Blushing, Faith looked beautiful and shyly responded, "Pleased to make your acquaintance." Later chiding herself on her overly formal greeting, Faith attributed it to a heady compliment coming from the most handsome man she had ever met. Tall, blonde curls not quite tamed, and blue eyes that made her think of Nathan Grant. Faith was mesmerized and momentarily unable to form an intelligible sentence. She just stepped aside and motioned for the men to enter.

Bill continued. "Faith? Please meet Mr. Lloyd Hudson, here to assist the Thatchers". Having been instructed when they met at the judge's office moments ago, Bill used his preferred name. "Hudson? Let me introduce, our town doctor, Dr. Faith Carter."

"Pleased to meet you, Doctor. Please call me Hudson?"

Faith nodded, then turned to the younger man. "Dr. Marshall? Let me introduce you to our patient. Follow me." Faith led the way around the curtain and stopped. "Elizabeth? Joseph? Please meet Dr. Ben Marshall and Mr. Lloyd Huds…"

"Hud!" Elizabeth stood, hurried to her old friend and encircled him in a hug. "So nice to see you!"

"You, Little Bessie, are a sight for sore eyes, although it looks like we need to entice you to eat more! "

Ignoring the comment she knew came from love and concern, Elizabeth turned to Joseph and completed the introduction, explaining that Hudson had been their butler since before she was born and he was a beloved member of her family.

Faith took over once more, introducing Dr. Ben Marshall to Elizabeth Thatcher Thornton and to Pastor Joseph Canfield and vice versa. Once introduced, Hudson excused himself to meet William at the Café and head to the row house. "I'll meet you back here later with your luggage, Dr. Ben."

Bill had brought an extra chair from the Café and shifted a couple seats so everyone could be seated.

Looking around, Dr. Marshall made note of the crisp white accents against the blue walls, "Lovely Infirmary you have here. I believe I would use the word charming, although that is not a word commonly used for medical facilities!"

Everyone laughed and relaxed, the nervous tension broken.

Bill spoke up. "We have worked out a tentative schedule to begin with. Joseph has been meeting with Elizabeth every morning and we thought that could continue, but in his office. There is a private entrance and the office is in the back of the school house, which also serves as our church... Wait! You know? Until this moment, I never thought about voices being heard through the wall or door. Maybe we better have all the meetings in my apartment, upstairs from the judge's office. Is that acceptable to you all?"

Dr. Marshall spoke up. "In my private practice days, we always had someone else present in the office, although not necessarily in the counseling room, to preserve everyone's reputation. Is there anyone who could stay in the apartment in another room, while we meet? The pastor might appreciate that as well."

"Good thinking, Doctor. Either Faith or Molly have always been in the building when I've met with Elizabeth here." Joseph agreed. "Any ideas?"

Dr. Marshall suggested. "Let me ask Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher. Either one of them or Hudson or Mr. Wright, might be willing to take shifts. Bill? Can your apartment accommodate this?"

"Sure. I have a comfortable chair in my bedroom that the person could use."

"Thank you, Bill." Elizabeth spoke quietly. She was becoming aware of the sacrifices people were making on her behalf.

"I do want to meet with you." The Doctor nodded at Bill and Joseph. "Maybe when this meeting concludes I could meet with you, Pastor? Bill, would you be available over the lunch hour today?"

Bill and Joseph both nodded their agreement..

"Mrs. Thornton, we can reserve the afternoons for our time together and be flexible to take a walk around town or interact with your son, or whatever is needful. Is that acceptable to you?"

Elizabeth nodded. "I guess so. I really don't know what to expect."

Kindly, Dr. Marshall explained. "We will talk. I will ask you questions. I'll ask you to journal, or write a letter, or point out a place and tell me the memory. We may include time with your parents or Bill, if he is willing. or Dr. Carter… There is nothing to be nervous about, Mrs. Thornton. There is no set agenda, except to help you recover and return to your true self."

Doctor Marshall looked at each one present. "Do any of you have any questions?" When no one spoke up, the Doctor asked Pastor Joseph to pray and commit their conversations to God for His healing work in Mrs. Thornton's life.

"Mrs. Thornton? I understand today is your day to move, so we will begin our meetings tomorrow. In the meantime I will make arrangements with your parents and get myself settled in the apartment arranged for me. I understand I'll be staying with the mayor!" Ben Marshall made a face to show he was impressed with this example of Hope Valley's welcoming hospitality.

"I will be glad to introduce you to Mayor Hickam as I am on my way to the Café now. Elizabeth? You father ordered lunch for you and your parents to be delivered here. After eating, Hudson or your father will drive you home." Bill stood and put his hand on Elizabeth's shoulder, patting as he spoke. "One more step on the road of recovery, dear girl."


To allow some private time for Elizabeth to adjust to being home, Laura had gladly taken Jack in to town to meet with Constable Paul. Knocking on the door, Jack held tight to his Mountie and horse toy while he waited. Hearing the invitation to come in, he hopped from one foot to the other in his excitement, and burst through the door as Laura opened it. Constable Paul was standing up and starting towards the door, but Jack made a running leap towards his legs first. "Jack! Hello there Buddy. How are you?" As he squatted to give a hug to Jack, he looked up at Laura Campbell. Her cheeks were flushed pink and her gray eyes sparkled. "Hello, Miss Campbell."

"Hello, Constable. Jack has been talking all morning about visiting Mountie Paul today. You have formed a connection!" Laura's blush became a darker pink.

Mountie Paul stood and lifted Jack in his arms. "Miss Campbell, please have a seat?" He made his way to hold the back of the offered chair and returned to his own desk chair. "So what have you two been doing today?"

Ignoring the question, Jack set his toys on the desk and pointed to the drawer. "Did you get candy for me, Mountie Paul?"

"Why don't you look and see. You may chose one, okay?"

Giggling with delight, Jack slid off of Paul's lap and pulled open the drawer. "Ohhhh…" Jack checked all the choices by lifting out each piece and examing it. "This one! It's choclit, right?"

"That it is." Paul helped to unwrap the candy. "Do you like chocolate, my little man?"

As Jack's head bobbed up and down, Mountie Paul spoke to Laura. "May I offer a sweet to you, Miss Laura?" Removing the metal tin from the drawer he held out the tin for her to choose.

"Thank you so much, Sir. Jack what do you say to Mountie Paul?"

"Thank you, Mountie Paul?"

"You are welcome. Here sit back up on my lap while you eat!"


Elizabeth sat on her sofa alone. She had declined her parent's offer to stay with her as she wanted this time of peace while Laura had Jack in town. She would see them for dinner.

Looking around her home, Elizabeth felt as though there was no welcoming embrace. Normally her home was her place of comfort, her sanctuary, but today it wasn't peaceful, it was just empty and quiet. Elizabeth felt as though she had been away a very long time and so much had happened. Yet, as she thought about it, 'There wasn't that much, was there?' She had collapsed, she was in the Infirmary for a week, she… and then the thoughts returned and they were momentous, life-changing, heart-breaking, overwhelmingly sad…Nathan was gone. Nathan and Allie both were gone. Tears filled her eyes and slowly overflowed. 'How can I live? Face these endless days stretched out before me?' The reoccurring recognition was etched across her mind in bold print, uppercase letters, like a newspaper headline… 'I've lost Nathan.' With that she grabbed a sofa pillow, burrowing her face in the soft velvet and wept, again.

When Elizabeth heard her son's little voice on the road outside, she startled and stood. Clutching the damp pillow to her chest, she ran up the stairs just as the door opened. Collapsing against her closed bedroom door, Elizabeth slid to the floor, letting silent tears continue to fall.

Overhearing Jack's question about his Mommy's whereabouts, she listened as Laura quietly explained, "Mommy's taking a nap, just like you need to, Little Man! You'll see Mommy when you wake up."

That. That she realized was the answer to her questions. Right now, Jack was her reason to live and face each day. Though pieces of her broken heart were scattered around her, for Jack's sake she had to take each next step, carefully navigating all the memories. 'I need to be here when Jack wakes up…every day.'


At St. Anne's Academy for Girls, Allie, Sally and Katie shared pieces of butterscotch from Sally's lunchbox while on the way to their first Home Economics class. The Trio was excited and expectant, although they knew little of what was ahead.

"Good morning, young ladies. Please take a seat around the tables?" The teacher greeted each student as they arrived.

Entering the Home Ec. room, the girls saw two complete kitchens, a few tables with surrounding chairs and sewing machine tables lining the side wall. A couple ironing boards were folded and leaning against one wall where a dress form stood beside a display table set-up with projects. Following the teacher's instruction they joined a few other girls around the center tables and waited for the remaining students.

Allie was watching the door when she saw the Headmistress, Miss Hills, step inside the classroom with her hands on the shoulders of a dark-skinned girl in front of her. Allie couldn't hear the conversation between Miss Hills and the Home Ec. teacher, but as soon as she caught the girl's eye, Allie waved her to come sit in the empty seat beside her and pulled out the chair. The young girl hurriedly joined Allie's table and whispered to Allie, "Thank you."

"Hi! I'm Allie Grant and these are two of my friends, Sally Samuels and Katie West. What is your name?"

"I am Naomi Best."

"Nice to meet you, Naomi." Allie grinned. "I think you have an accent. Where are you from?"

"I'm from Barbados. It's an island in the Caribbean Sea." Naomi answered softly.

"Wow. You'll have to show me on a map, Naomi." Admitted Allie, curiously. "I don't think I know where that is."

Katie giggled. "That's a long way from Saskatchewan!"

"What brought you to Canada?" Inquired Sally.

"My father serves with the Mounted Corps of the Police Force in Barbados and he is working here at the RCMP Academy for a year."

"Well, welcome to Canada, Naomi!" Sally offered.

"Yes, welcome." Allie whispered as Sally and Katie nodded in agreement.

"Attention, please? My name is Mrs. Evans. First thing, let me take attendance today? In the future I ask you to check your name on the roster, then take a seat at one of the tables." Mrs. Evans called out each name and marked her list before placing it on her desk.

"Welcome to your first course in Home Economics, young ladies. Before I take any questions, let me introduce you to the course." Mrs. Evans walked towards the dress form displaying a corduroy jumper beside a display table of sachets, small pillows, embroidered pillowcases, a glass jar of cookies, a potted parsley plant, a scrub brush and containers of Old Dutch Cleanser and O'Cedar polish, a first aid kit, and various utensils. As she mentioned the lessons included, she lifted related items to illustrate the areas of study.

As Allie listened, she observed her teacher. Mrs. Evans was pretty, with rosy cheeks and gray hair. She wore pearls and a fashionable pink dress, at least Allie thought it was fashionable! It was a style Allie had never seen in Hope Valley. She paid attention once again.

"We will be learning the use of household equipment, tools and utensils; studying food preparation, including adjusting recipes and herb gardening; basic first aid; sewing, including forming and fitting a pattern, quilting and embroidery; household budgeting; cleaning and laundry products and tips; and more! The best part is that in this class we don't just study from a textbook, we learn and practice new skills. We learn etiquette and manners. Table-setting and…" Laughing, Mrs. Evans admitted, "We will have fun!"

"For today we will have a proper British Tea! Have any of you experienced a British Tea?" She nodded at a girl who had raised her hand. "Mary, correct? Tell us where you were?"

"My mother took me to visit a Great-aunt who took us to a fancy hotel in Toronto." Mary expounded on her experience since she was the only one who raised her hand. "We had to wear dresses and white gloves and sit just so and not eat too much! My favorite part was the pretty mini-cakes with pastel icing."

"That sounds like a lovely experience and a very proper one as well. Today we will have sandwiches and cookies, but no petit-fours. That's what the tiny cakes are called." Mrs. Evans motioned at the students. "If you could all gather around this front counter I will demonstrate. Pay close attention as you will be assigned a task when I finish."

Mrs. Evans proceeded to measure loose tea into a strainer, boil water and pour it into the teapot to steep for four minutes. She collected sliced cucumbers, watercress and Neufchatel cheese from the icebox, buttered the bread, prepared some sandwiches then demonstrated cutting the bread into tiny squares and decorating with herbs and carrot curls. She plated the tiny offerings on a tiered plate stand and demonstrated how to set the table with linens, silver spoons and fine china, explaining as she worked.

"May I have two volunteers to prepare the tea, cream and sugar? Four to set a proper table and then serve the tea? The remaining ladies will make tiny sandwiches and lay out attractive platters." Mrs. Evans pointed to two young ladies who were Seniors. "Miss Browne and Miss Murphy will show you where the supplies are while I oversee the sandwich-makers. Let's prepare a proper British tea!"

While Katie offered to make and pour the tea and Naomi to set the tables, Allie and Sally chose to make the sandwiches. Allie took mental notes so she could surprise her Dad and Gramma Carol and Grampa Pete. It would be fun!

That first day, Mrs. Evans noticed two things about Allie Grant. She was friendly, kind and welcomed the newcomer. Secondly, Allie was artistic and the sandwiches she decorated were imaginative, beautiful and rivaled those of any fine chef. Mrs. Evans knew Allie's Friday assignment!

After preparing and enjoying their Proper Tea, Mrs. Evans had a surprise. "Ladies? You are fast learners and we are going to show off your sandwich-making skills at the Faculty Tea on Friday afternoon! How does that sound?"

After the round of excited applause, Allie was the first to raise her hand. When called upon, Allie asked excitedly. "Mrs. Evans? Does that mean we may attend?"

"Not this year, Allie. You can see all the platters when you prepare them, but members of the Senior class are the ones to serve. Your time will come!" Turning to the class, Mrs. Evans added. "Please encourage your parents to attend this welcome to St. Anne's Academy for Girls event. Now, let's get the dishes washed and then you are dismissed and I will see you at our next class on Wednesday afternoon."


"Hi Dad!" Allie came bouncing down the hallway at the Collins' home. "Gramma Carol fixed us a surprise. She made dinner for us! A casserole to take home with us!"

"She did?" Nathan asked, surprised.

Carol popped out of the kitchen doorway. "Welcome home. Now, don't you be upset, Nathan. I started preparing the vegetables in the Cottage this morning while I was waiting for the telephone installer, so it was no problem. Let me just place it in the basket and you can take it to the Cottage." Carol disappeared briefly, returning with a heavy basket. "Now, you enjoy your time together, my dears!"

"You already know you shouldn't have, Carol, but thank you." Nathan laughed and gave Carol a kiss on the cheek. "Smells delicious!"


"Wait until I tell you all about what I did today!" Allie quickly set the table and poured milk for herself and apple cider for her Dad. "Did you get your invitation to the Faculty Tea yet?"

"It came in today's mail, but I didn't have time to read it carefully. Looks fancy though! We'll look at it later." Nathan brought the two plates to the table and sat across from Allie. "Let's give thanks."

As they began to eat, Allie had a story to tell between every bite. "We started Home Ec., Dad. We're going to learn to sew clothes! And make patterns and fit clothes on that thing… you know…you hang a dress on it and pin it and… Oh! A dress form. That's it. So just like Aunt Rosemary and Aunt Clara, I'm going to learn to make clothes!" Allie took a small bite, chewed quickly and continued. "Mrs. Evans showed us these sweet little sachets made from a piece she embroidered and she's going to teach us how. I know Mrs. Weiss taught us some embroidery stitches, but this will be better. Umm, more advanced!" She ate another forkful, pausing to really taste it. "This is delicious, isn't it? We're going to cook and learn new recipes too. I can't wait. And grow herbs and learn about them. But guess what we did today? You'll never guess. It was so fun! We…"

Nathan reached across the table and patted Allie's arm. "Slow down, Honey and chew. You're going the speed of a runaway horse! Chew, don't gulp. Okay? Now, I can't guess so tell me, what did you do today?"

"We had Tea!" Allie grinned proudly, but Nathan scrunched his nose, not understanding.

"You had tea. What is so special about a cup of tea? You have tea all the time."

Allie threw her head back and laughed. "No Daaaaddd! We had a proper British Tea. You know, tiny little sandwiches on pretty china plates, and nuts and mints and tiny cookies that Mrs. Evans had the morning class make for us. Everything was beautiful. We had flowers in the middle of the table and linen tablecloths and real silver spoons and everything was soooo pretty!" Allie raised her hand to her heart and closed her eyes. "Oh!" Opening her eyes suddenly she teased. "And you are going to have the same Tea we had!"

"I am?" Nathan quickly interjected Allie's steady flow of words.

"At the Faculty Tea! WE are making the sandwiches and Mrs. Evans says mine were beautiful so I'll be doing a lot of the decorating. I think she said imaginative! Oh, and equal to a fancy chef!" Allie giggled delightedly. "How about that?"

"How about that indeed! I'm afraid I don't know how a sandwich can be beautiful or imaginative just by cutting it into tiny pieces though!"

"Oh, Dad. These aren't the sandwiches we have for lunch, these are cucumber sandwiches and watercress sandwiches. I love the watercress. It's spicy! And little ones with creamy cheese that I decorated. I have to think about what would make pretty decorations because we'll prepare the platters in class on Friday. Oh… and did you know you can grow radishes indoors? And if you cut them a certain way and put them in ice cold water they open and look like flowers? You make carrot curls the same way. Peeling them and winding the long strips in cold water. Hmmm… I bet I could make a rose from carrot peels!"

Nathan sat back in his chair watching his daughter's uncontained enthusiasm. He regretted that she had missed out on all this feminine knowledge. He had never paid attention. 'Maybe Mom taught Colleen things like this? As an artist Colleen loved the colors and textures of food as much as the taste…' Nathan smiled remembering how she loved to decorate a cake. 'But I've never been able to give any of that to Allie… Thank you, Lord for this opportunity for her to develop her femininity and artistry with other women. Surely this was the right move for Allie!'

After enjoying the baked apples that Carol had hidden at the bottom of the basket, father and daughter washed the dishes and retired to the front room. Nathan opened the invitation to Tea and they examined it together. "So you'll RSVP 'Yes' right Dad? I really want you to go and have everyone see you in your new uniform!"

Nathan chuckled. "I will be one of many uniformed Mounties I'm sure. Remember, there are other parents in the RCMP."

"Maybe. But none are as sharp-looking as you!" Allie nudged her father's arm.

"There's that word again…sharp! To answer your question, yes, I will RSVP and gladly attend, although I might need a big dinner later if all the sandwiches are tiny!" He winked at Allie who just rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Honey, my reason for wanting to attend is to meet the faculty and find out more about your classes and the unique opportunities available to you. I am already pleased and you are just beginning!"

"Here now." Nathan handed Allie her letter from Opal. "You've got mail!"

"Ohhh! My first letter from home! Thanks, Dad." She looked over at the letter in his hand. "Who did you hear from?"

"Your Grandmom. Go ahead and read Opal's letter, then I'll share."

Upon completing their letters, they quieted and stared into the crackling fire. "Opal says she misses me."

"I imagine she's not the only one missing you, Sweetheart."

"Maybe not. But, you know? I feel sorry for them. I mean we have all the excitement and new things to experience and they are just there. Stuck in Hope Valley. Although Opal says that Miss Yost is a really good teacher and she makes classes fun, like Mrs. Thornton used to do."

Pensive, Nathan and Allie both had a few moments of homesickness, while remembering Elizabeth Thornton, before Allie spoke again. "Is it possible that I don't miss my friends as much now as I did last week?"

Nathan studied his daughter. "I guess it is, but what changed?"

"A lot…All the new experiences, a new place, a new school and new friends. I met a new friend today, Dad. She is dark, like Angela, and comes from Barbados. Do you know where that is?"

"Yes. It's an island nation in the Caribbean Sea and a British Colony. So she just moved to Regina from Barbados?"

Allie nodded. "Umm hmm. She has a fun accent, but you have to listen carefully to understand her even though she is speaking English! Her name is Naomi Best and her father is at the Academy because he is a Mounted Policeman in Barbados. Can you show me where she's from?" Allie jumped up from the sofa and collected the Atlas from the bookcase. Handing it to her father, she giggled. "See? You are my at-home-teacher!"

Nathan chuckled. "Okay, let's see what we can learn about Barbados. Here it is..."


Nathan kissed Allie's forehead as he whispered goodnight, then quietly shut her door and went to close the rest of the Cottage for the night. He banked the fire and settled into his bed to update his journal. With all the new experiences, Nathan's journal had become even more of a daily log than when he was in Hope Valley. As a Constable, he had daily reports to log the occurrences in town, both noteworthy and mundane, but without that practice, he wanted to remember everything he could from his days in Regina. His journal therefore was logbook, prayer journal, a record of inspirational thoughts and quotes, Scriptures and lessons, poetry-in-progress and a place to share the deep longings of his heart. He even wrote paragraphs to Elizabeth, as if they corresponded, wanting to share his life with her.

Tonight he wrote his thoughts, prayers and praises to God for Allie's blossoming femininity, including his longings for her to have a mom. As was common, but not acknowledged to Allie, Nathan's thoughts drifted to a beautiful dark-haired schoolteacher with eyes as blue as the ocean's depths. He could smell the fragrance of roses and heather in her hair… 'What if you wrote to me and asked me to come home? If you promised to meet the train, ran to hug me like you once did, but this time promised to be mine forever? What if…'

Nathan shook his head, corralled his wandering daydreams and thought of Allie's day at school today, here in Regina. He made note of her new friend and his desire to get to know her father, Mr. Best. 'Maybe at the Faculty Tea?' Nathan pulled out a daily to-do-list and added, 'RSVP the Tea.'

Nathan recapped his morning meeting with Superintendent Tim. Noting another superior with whom he was on a first-name basis! He noted his excitement to see the stack of old manuals on his desk when he returned later in the afternoon. Nathan also noted how he enjoyed the easy-going comradery with his officemate, Wes Murphy. Nathan paused in his writing, noting maybe updating the first aid training manual could be done together with Wes as his medic experience far exceeded that of most Mounties. He would discuss that with Tim as a future possibility if needed.

Realizing his mind had wandered to Mountie work, Nathan decided he needed to redirect his wandering thoughts so he would sleep. As he closed his journal, Nathan's eye caught the small volume of poetry he had discovered in the Poetry section of the Academy Library. By the perspective of some entries it was obviously written by a woman, but her thoughts intrigued him. He opened the book and his eyes fell on just the poem he could relate to in that moment.

IMAGININGS

Wandering down roads of make-believe
my mind dreams "what-if…"
inventing scenes, setting stages,
placing props, designing backdrops,
scripting words and movements of a drama
in which I am both actor and audience.
Imagined conversations
fill my heart with wishes
of "wouldn't-it-be-great-if…and then…"

Turning suddenly, like a wild horse,
thoughts run at breakneck speed
towards unsuspected hazards.
Reigning them back, I stop momentarily.
I win—long enough to shoot an arrow prayer
toward heaven—before,
once again entangled in the plot,
I play the faultless tale
that has never been and will never be.

Surging with the ebb and flow of tides
I cast my net to gather my thoughts,
restrain my musings, redirect my dreams…
Yet visions and hopes escape confinement
and the battle perseveres—
reality versus illusion, fact versus fantasy,
actuality versus possibilities—
as I acknowledge God in my struggle
with faith, truth… and trust.' (EMH)

Nathan closed the volume, turned out the lamp and closed his eyes. Tonight, his nighttime prayer was a paraphrase of a favorite Scripture.

'Lord? I choose to trust you with all my heart, not just a portion of it as if anything can be portioned off from You. But I trust you fully and completely. Please help my doubts or unbelief? I don't want to depend on my assessment or understanding. I am flawed. So, I lean on You. I acknowledge You. You know my past and present. You even know my future! So, with every step Allie and I take, I recognize Your presence, Your guidance, Your leading…and I trust You for now and tomorrow for us… and healing for Elizabeth too. Thank you for all the blessings of today and for your plans moving forward into tomorrow. You promised me You would lead me by a way I didn't know. I am grateful, Lord. Thank you and… Amen.' (*6)


(*6) Paraphrase based on Proverbs 3:5-6

(EMH) 'Imaginings,' Original poem by E. M. Hunter, Self-published in 'Illuminations,' Copyright 2014, Out-of-Print.