Chapter 3: Saying goodbye
Over the next few weeks, everything seemed like a blur to Elizabeth. The Bouchards came to pick up Lucas' body and took it back home to be buried in the family mausoleum. They gave both Elizabeth and Little Jack an extremely cold reception. Elizabeth knew they were mourning as well, but she hadn't expected this behavior from them. The Bouchards told Bill that they were selling the Queen of Hearts because they didn't want any reminders of how they lost their son. The only thing that Helen Bouchard spoke to Elizabeth about was suggesting she find another publisher because it would be too hard to deal with her anymore. And with that suggestion, she turned and boarded the stagecoach along with her husband, and off they went. In more ways than one, with his passing, her chapter with Lucas was closed and put away, so to speak, forever. Elizabeth just stood there holding Little Jack's hand and felt numb. It wasn't until she felt Little Jack's tugging on her skirt, asking how they could say goodbye, that she came out of her own thoughts.
Elizabeth thought for a moment about Little Jack's question. Elizabeth bent down to his level and placed her arm around her son's shoulders and quietly said, "Jack, how about we get together a box of some of our favorite memories of Lucas and we have our own special memorial service for him out at the cemetery close to Daddy's grave?" Little Jack gave a little smile and nodded. Elizabeth gave him a little side hug as she added, "Let's find Mountie Nathan and see if he can make a special marker just for Lucas too, ok?" Again, he smiled at his mother and lifted his arms, indicating for her to pick him up. Elizabeth picked up Little Jack as she stood and turned to walk towards the Mountie office.
As Elizabeth walked into the familiar doorway, she found Nathan sitting at his desk as she had many times before. When Nathan looked up from his paperwork and saw Elizabeth with Little Jack at the doorway, he stood, greeted them, and motioned towards the chairs in front of his desk for them to take a seat. After they were settled, Elizabeth cleared her throat, took a deep breath, and asked Nathan her question. "Nathan, I know that you're handy with wood, and I was wondering if you could make a wooden grave marker for Lucas. I know his family took his body back with them, but Little Jack needs a sense of closure—a way to say goodbye. So, we are going to make a memory box, bury it in the cemetery, and have our own type of memorial service. Do you think that you could do that for Little Jack and me?" Elizabeth asked, looking at Nathan intensely as she rubbed Little Jack's back. He had fallen asleep in her arms as they had walked to the office. Nathan looked at the two of them with sad eyes, knowing what a toll these past couple weeks had had on them emotionally and physically. He sighed, smiled, and said, "Of course I can do that for you two... and for Lucas. I'd be honored. " Elizabeth smiled at Nathan and stood up to leave, and Nathan walked them to the door. Before she left, she turned to Nathan and was about to speak when he put his hand on her shoulder. "I know, he spoke, and you're welcome." Once again, Elizabeth smiled, adjusted Little Jack on her other shoulder, and walked back towards the rowhouse. Nathan watched as they made their way back home. He thought for a few moments and came to the conclusion that he knew exactly what wood he would use. There was still wood left from Lucas' little journey in the forest last month. He would use that for Lucas' grave marker. And he made his way to the place where the wood was stacked behind the saloon.
The next day, Nathan showed up at the Thornton rowhouse with two items. He knocked on the door, and Elizabeth answered it with a surprised look that turned into a slight smile as she said hello. Nathan picked up the marker from where he set it against the rowhouse and Elizabeth was stunned. She'd always known Nathan had amazing woodworking skills, but she just stood there shaking her head, touching the etching. Nathan had gracefully etched out Lucas' name along with birth and death dates. It was simple but very beautiful. But before Elizabeth could say anything, Nathan picked up the other item that he had brought over. Nathan also made a wooden box with the words "Always in our thoughts, forever in our hearts". Elizabeth gasped and put her hand to her mouth as the tears started flowing and simply wouldn't stop. Little Jack came to the door at that point, hugging on to his mother's skirt. He peered out the door, waving to Nathan, and touched the box that Nathan still held in his hands. "Mountie Nathan, you made that for us to put our memories of Lucas inside?" Little Jack asked as he continued to move his hand over the box. Nathan shook his head, and Little Jack smiled at Nathan and shifted into a hug of Nathan's legs. "Thank you, Mountie Nathan! It's so beautiful!" Jack exclaimed, and ran off towards his toy box.
When Little Jack returned to his mother and Nathan at the door, he had the toy dog that Lucas had brought home to him the year before. He motioned for Nathan to place the box on the ground and to open it, and Nathan dutifully followed his directions. Little Jack placed the dog inside and then ran back into the house for a brief moment. This time, he brought with him a handful of small rocks that he had collected with Lucas and placed those inside as well. He then looked at his mother and said, "Your turn, mama." Elizabeth smiled amongst her tears and bent down to hug him. How proud she was of her son. He had so much loss in his life but was still such a joy. She touched his head and smiled, saying, "Thank you, my sweet boy... it is mama's turn." So, Elizabeth stood and looked at Nathan, with tears filling her eyes again. Nathan smiled, nodded, and said once again, "I know, and you're both very welcome. If you need anything else, just let me know. " Elizabeth nodded and took the items from him and closed the door.
Elizabeth placed the box on the table. She looked around for a moment, thinking. Then she knew what she wanted to place in the box. She went to her bookshelf and got the original copy of her book. She opened the cover and read the dedication one last time. Then, she closed the book, hugged it, closed her eyes, and smiled. She returned her gaze to the bookshelf and the teacup Lucas had given her as a gift as she placed it inside the box. Yes, that would go in as well. Elizabeth was about to put the lid on the box to close it when she saw her ring glisten in the sunlight from the window. She sighed deeply and paused for a moment before removing her ring and placing it inside the teacup. With a renewed sense of peace, Elizabeth closed the box and looked over at Jack. "Are you ready, my sweet boy, to say goodbye to Lucas at the cemetery?" Elizabeth asked Little Jack, who had been playing with his Mountie toy on the floor. He looked up with a bright smile, nodded, and ran to his mother.
Nathan had gone ahead after he left the Thornton home and set up the marker and left a hole for them to place the box inside. Once he finished that, as Nathan was leaving the cemetery, he stopped by Jack Thornton Sr.'s grave and saluted. Then he said, "Don't worry, Jack, I'll continue to watch over them through this time."
Shortly after Nathan left the cemetery, the Thorntons arrived. Together, mother and son placed the box in the hole. "Thank you for being my buddy, Lucas," Little Jack said. Elizabeth smiled and touched her son's head. "I'll always treasure my time with you, Lucas. You were the reason I opened my heart once again. Thank you for what you gave to me," Elizabeth whispered. Little Jack hugged his mother's skirt, and she smiled. Next, she bent down and, together, they covered the hole with dirt that was off to the side. As they brushed the dirt off their hands, they grabbed one another's hands and started walking out of the cemetery. Little Jack stopped at his father's grave and saluted, saying, "I love you, Mountie Daddy!" Once again, Elizabeth bent down and hugged her son. Then, the Thorntons walked out of the cemetery hand in hand.