Chapter 36: More than Words
Nathan woke up at the first sign of the sun rising. The little house was quiet. He looked around the room and suddenly his eyes fell on his carry bag that now lay on the chair. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and whispered a prayer. When he opened his eyes again, he reached for the bag and removed Elizabeth's first letter from it. He removed it from its envelope and unfolded it. The letter itself was short and was written in her handwriting.
Dear Nathan,
I am glad that Joseph gave us this assignment because even though we can talk to one another really well, there is just so much to say. Writing has always been an easier tool for me to use to express my feelings. I think that is why journaling has helped me so much over these past several months, through my grieving and sorting out where I stand with my feelings right now.
This first letter will be short. I simply want you to know that I am thankful for you in my life as well as Little Jack's. You have been such a blessing to both of us! I am excited to see where this new chapter takes us!
I already miss you and Allie! You will be in my heart and on my mind as we are apart! I am counting down the days until we see one another again. But until then, I will look forward to hearing from you both very soon.
Take care and much love,
Elizabeth
Nathan smiled to himself as he folded the letter and placed it back in the envelope. "What was I so concerned about last night? This was nice, really nice. I must have just been really tired last night. Or the demons inside my head were just having a field day. ", Nathan thought to himself as he put the letter back into the carry bag and placed it back onto the chair.
He got up from the sofa and stretched his lean body. Nathan quietly made his way into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. Allie entered the kitchen as he was finishing up at the stove. She walked over to Nathan and gave him a hug, and he hugged her back as he kissed the top of her head. He motioned over to the table for them to sit.
"I read Mrs. Thornton's letter to me, before I came out. She talked about how she would see her sister Julie this trip, and what they usually do during her visits. She also shared some ideas for us to do together when we both return to Hope Valley. It sounds exciting!", Allie shared as she looked up at Nathan. Nathan glanced over at his daughter, admiring the young woman that was sitting before him. He thought to himself what a trooper that Allie had been over the last 2 years and how thankful he was that they had had one another. "Lord, let this new step with Elizabeth and Little Jack be the right one. I want this to go well for all of us involved.", he silently prayed as he smiled and nodded in response to Allie.
Meanwhile, over in Hamilton, Elizabeth was just stirring in her bed. She, Julie, and Little Jack had a full day of shopping and catching up the day before. She decided to get up and do a few things before Little Jack woke up. Once she made her bed and put on her clothes for the day, she went over to her bags and got out the first letters from Allie and Nathan.
Elizabeth went over to her desk and opened Allie's first. Inside there were two pieces of paper, the first a letter written in Allie's handwriting addressed to Elizabeth, and the second a drawing of what appeared to be a simple home with four people that resembled all of the Grants. On the back of the second letter, Allie wrote a note addressed to Jack, sharing that the drawing was of her, Nathan, and her grandparents in Rock Creek. Elizabeth smiled to herself and tenderly touched the pictures of Allie and Nathan before she put the drawing aside to show Little Jack later. She turned her attention back to Allie's letter.
Dear Mrs. Thornton,
I hope that you and Little Jack are having a fun time in Hamilton so far. Maybe one day, we can go see you there. I am really glad that we are able to visit Grandma and Grandpa! The time with them means so much to me, especially after this past winter. I love hearing the stories that they share with me about my mom. Plus, I'm really glad to see them both together. They really seem to be happy now. I'm glad that Grandma was open to trying again with Grandpa, kind of like Dad is with you, Mrs. Thornton. Anyway, I'm looking forward to hearing from you and Little Jack soon! I hope that he likes my drawing.
Love always,
Allie
Elizabeth smiled to herself as she held the letter in her hands. She thought to herself that she too was glad that Nathan was open to trying again with her. She placed her letter from Allie back into its envelope and placed the letter in her desk drawer. Next, Elizabeth picked up Nathan's envelope from the top of the desk. She opened it up and pulled out the folded piece of paper. As she unfolded it, Elizabeth saw a photograph of Allie and Nathan from last year's Hope Valley days. She gently stroked the faces of both in the photo, then looked around her on the desk. Finally, she decided to prop the photo up on the lamp until she could get a frame for it. Elizabeth stared dreamily at the photo, smiling for a few more moments, and then realized that she had a letter from Nathan to read as well.
Dear Elizabeth,
I hope that you and Little Jack are doing well. I thought that you might enjoy a copy of this photograph of Allie and me while we were apart. When you look at it, know that you are in our thoughts always. Have a great visit with your family!
Love,
Nathan
Elizabeth folded the letter and then held it close to her heart. Such simple wishes, but how they made her heart skip a beat. She smiled, with a slight blush on her cheeks, as she placed the letter back into its envelope and brought it to her lips. Then, once again, she opened the desk drawer and placed the letter inside. Elizabeth glanced at the photograph again and decided to shift its position on the desk slightly. In the process of adjusting it, she noticed that something had been written on the back.
May this photograph bring you many smiles
While we are apart by many, many miles,
Know how often that you are thought of
And that we are sending you all of our love!
Elizabeth giggled as her eyes filled with tears. This simple sentiment made her love this picture even more than she already did. She could not wait to respond to both of these precious souls. Elizabeth propped the photo up against the other side of the lamp and went back into the drawer for paper and a pen when Little Jack came over to her, sleepily rubbing his eyes. She stroked the young boy's hair, leaned down to pick him up, and placed him on her lap. Immediately, he snuggled right into her chest and she enveloped him within her arms. Elizabeth sat like that for a moment, savoring this precious time with her son with her eyes closed and a contented grin on her face. She loved this; this was her most favorite place to be, and she was so thankful for this gift that God had granted her when she lost Jack. She'd always have a piece of Jack within her heart and always in her life.
Elizabeth opened her eyes again once she felt Little Jack stir in her lap. He pulled away from her chest and looked down at the desk and saw the drawing that Allie had made for him. His eyes got big, and he pointed to the drawing and two of the images and said excitedly, "Mama, that's Allie and Mountie Nathan!" He looked up at Elizabeth and smiled. She nodded back at him and smiled. Little Jack looked back over at the drawing, but then gave a confused and curious look. He pointed to the other two people in the drawing and said, "Mama, who are they?" Elizabeth pointed to the picture and said, "Jack, that's Nathan's mommy and daddy and Allie's grandma and grandpa that they are visiting. That's the house that Mr. and Mrs. Grant live in too, and where Mountie Nathan and Allie are right now. Jack, Allie drew this just for you. "
Jack grinned really big, grabbed the drawing, and jumped off Elizabeth's lap. Then, with his free hand, he grabbed Elizabeth's hand and said, "Come on Mama, I want to hang this up right now please." Elizabeth chuckled, opened the desk drawer, and pulled out a thumbtack. She followed Jack to where the bed that he slept on was and took the drawing from his hands to hang it near his bedside. Jack clapped his hands in excitement.
Elizabeth thought for a moment and then decided to ask, "Jack, would you like to draw a picture for Allie?" Little Jack's face lit up as he eagerly shook his head to respond. Elizabeth smiled at her son as she took his hand and guided him over to the child-sized table that used to be hers during her own childhood. She then went over to the desk and opened the drawer to get crayons and paper for him. Once he was settled at the table, she herself went back to the desk and pulled out two sheets of paper. And there they sat, the Thorntons, writing their responses to the Grants during their separate vacations.