After Jack Jr. woke up from his brief coma, he told his mother everything that had happened between Katherine, Andrew and Jack Jr. There was a lot of crying but his mother was able to understand her son. Jack Jr. also told his mother that he was in love with Katherine but that he only kept those feelings to himself. After he woke up, Sophie did not want to leave his side. He told her stories about Maggie which cheered Jack Jr. up. He wondered what Maggie would think of him now. She would probably tell him that not opening the letter was a mistake but not to give up on Katherine.
The day he was supposed to be release from the hospital, his mother went to go get coffee. Jack Jr. worked on his sketches while in the hospital. He heard a knock on the door. It was Katherine.
"Katherine?" Jack asked.
Katherine's face was stern but then a slight smile came to her face.
"You must have been bumped pretty hard on your head if you are calling me Katherine." Katherine teased.
Jack Jr. laughed.
Katherine pulled up a chair and sat next to Jack Jr.
"I got you these" Katherine said handing him a box.
"You didn't have to get me anything" Jack Jr. said opening the box. Jack Jr. laughed when he saw what was in the box.
"Whoppers. Our favorite" Jack Jr. said smiling
Katherine nodded her head. There was a silence between them.
"Katherine, look-"Jack Jr. started.
"No. Let me say something first." Katherine said
Jack Jr. nodded to let her go first.
Jack. I'm sorry that I said you were hiding the letter to get close to me. You have been nothing but a gentleman I forgive you for hiding the letter. And I don't blame you for Andrew's death. I knew for some time that he wasn't going to come home. He would never have stopped writing me. I guess I'm grieving only the loss of hope. I need to know why you took so long to open the letter. You knew there was a widow who was waiting to hear from her husband. Please tell me why." Katherine said
Jack Jr. gathered his thoughts. "I wasn't ready to face the widow. I would have to explain why their husband was not coming home. I'm the reason why they weren't coming home. It was just easier to pretend the letter never existed. But by not dealing with the letter, I started having nightmares and episodes because of the war. I thought by opening the letter that it would make everything worse. From the bottom of my heart, I'm sorry that I hurt you"
Katherine wiped the tears away from her face.
"I forgive you. But I don't know if I can ever trust you again" Katherine said
A tear rolled down Jack Jr's cheek. "I understand"
"I'm glad you are okay. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you because you do matter to me" Katherine said.
Jack Jr. gave a sad smile.
"I better get going. I have a lot of things to figure out" Katherine said as she stood up from her chair.
"Right. Thank you for visiting me. And for the whoppers" Jack Jr. said
"You're welcome. Feel better" Katherine said as she left.
Jack Jr. looked at the whoppers and gave a small smile.
After Jack Jr. was discharged from the hospital, he decided to focus on his family. While Jack Jr. was in the hospital, everyone in town pitched in to finish his house. After a week from being discharged, the house was finished. All the furniture was moved in and it finally felt like a home. His mother had told him that she was courting with Nathan. Jack Jr. was happy that she finally found a love she deserved.
After he was discharged from the hospital, Violet came by for a visit. Jack Jr. let Violet down gently by letting her know that he wasn't interested in her and that she needs to find a love like she had with Brian. She was gracious in being rejected. Violet told him that Katherine would be taking a leave from school to process everything. His mother would substitute for her class.
Two months went by without hearing from Katherine. Jack Jr. had hoped that she wasn't going to leave Hope Valley. Since the house was built, he needed to find a job or his next project. Waiting for Katherine wouldn't do him any good.
Jack Jr. kept going to the Veterans meeting. That is when he heard the news. They were able to find Andrew's body. Since they military where he was checked in last, they were able to pinpoint a location. There was a makeshift cemetery that was made for soldiers they couldn't identify. Since Andrew didn't have his dog tags and his uniform was of no use, he was buried as an unknown soldier.
On the day of the funeral, Jack Jr. dressed in his uniform. Andrew was a fellow brother in uniform who deserved all the respect in the world. Jack Jr. put items from his nightstand into his pocket. The only thing missing was his father's compass. It slipped out during his struggle with Billy. He went back to see if he could find it, but it was nowhere to be found.
The whole town was at the funeral. The funeral was held at the cemetery. Jack Jr. stood in the back while his family sat towards the front. He didn't want to catch Katherine's eye. This was Andrew's day and all focus should be on him. The eulogies were beautiful and heartfelt. Since Andrew was an only child and his parents had passed away, most of the eulogies were from friends and Katherine's family.
The trumpet player started playing taps and then they started to do the 21 gun salute. As the guns went off, Jack Jr. started to have one of his episodes. Andrew's last words began to echo in his head. He didn't have his compass to hold on to. He slipped out of the funeral and walked away from the gun shots. Once he was out of earshot of the guns, he was able to compose himself.
Jack Jr. realized that today was the day that his father had asked him in his dream to come to his grave. He looked at his watch and walked over to his father's grave.
When he arrived at his father's grave, he asked a question out loud.
"Here I am. The date and time you told me. Show me what you wanted to show me"
Jack Jr. heard someone walking up to him. They were wearing a red serge. He thought it was his father. But it was Nathan wearing his serge.
"I wanted to see if you were okay. Those guns can get loud" Nathan said
With his hands in his pockets Jack Jr. Expressed gratitude.
"Thanks for checking on me"
There was silence while they both looked at Jack Sr.'s grave.
Nathan pulled something out of his pocket.
"I found this the day after the incident. It was broken so I had it fixed" Nathan said as he showed Jack Jr. his father's compass.
Jack Jr. smiled. "I've been looking this."
"You're welcome. And Billy Hamilton and his crew will be locked up for a very long time"
Jack Jr. smiled but after a couple of seconds it fell.
"We're the same. Billy and I" Jack Jr. said
"How so?" Nathan asked
"We were both raised by men who weren't our real fathers. I could have grown up to be Billy." Jack Jr. answered.
"But you didn't. You know why? Because you are Jack Thornton's son. He would be so proud of the man that you have become. I know this because I'm proud of the man you have become." Nathan said and put his hand on Jack Jr.'s shoulder
A memory popped into Jack Jr.'s head. When he was 14, he was sent to boarding school which was more like boot camp. It was close to Hope Valley. One night he snuck out and made his way to Hope Valley. When he got there, he went straight to his father's grave. About an hour later, Nathan found him. Jack Jr. pleaded with Nathan not to call his mother but Nathan told him he couldn't do that. They talked about Jack Sr. Nathan told Jack Jr. that he would accomplish great things in his life. Nathan put his hand on Jack Jr's shoulder. After that, his mother homeschooled him.
After reminiscing that memory, Jack Jr. had a sad smile on his face.
"I don't think he would be proud of me" Jack Jr. told Nathan.
"Here, let's sit down." Nathan said motioning to a bench near his father's grave.
"Why don't you think that your father would be proud of you?" Nathan asked. Even though his dream father told him he was proud of him, it didn't give him much comfort.
"I'm sure my mother told you all about Andrew and how he was killed was trying to save me" Jack Jr. said. Nathan nodded.
"He risked his life for me. He left behind a wife, his only family. I have been feeling guilty since that day."
Nathan nodded his head.
"First, your father would be proud of you. You also left the part out where you saved men while you were over there"
Jack Jr. nodded.
Nathan composed himself and gave a small gulp.
"I have talked about this with your mother. She has known for a long time but thinks it is time for you to know. Before you were born, there were outlaws getting away in the Northern Territories. Against orders, I went after them. I caught them but was suspended. I was supposed to train new recruits but since I was suspended so they gave the assignment to someone else. I didn't know who. I learned that there had been a landslide. I researched who was given that assignment. Jack, your father took my assignment." Nathan said
Jack Jr. thought for a moment. He put two and two together. His father would still be alive if Nathan had followed orders. Jack Jr. stood up. He wanted to punch Nathan. But when he looked in Nathan's eyes, there were tears. Jack Jr. realized that they were one in the same. He realized that he couldn't blame Nathan for what happened to his father. A landslide killed his father, not Nathan. He didn't kill Andrew, the enemy with a gun did. As he looked in Nathan's eyes, he saw what he saw every day in the mirror. Guilt.
Jack Jr. sat down.
"I felt guilty about what happened to your father that I asked to be transferred to Hope Valley because I thought it was my duty to protect your mother and you. The guilt stayed with me for many years" Nathan said
"How did you overcome the guilt? Jack Jr. asked
"It never leaves you but it does subside. Prayer helped. I honored your father every chance I got. Don't tell your mother but I'm the anonymous donor who bought the land the schoolhouse was on so they couldn't tear it down. That building was part of Jack's life and I couldn't let it be destroyed. You have to honor those have fallen the best you can but you also need to move on." Nathan said
Jack Jr. nodded his head. They both stood up. Nathan put his hand on Jack Jr.'s shoulder.
"You'll be okay" Nathan said reassuringly.
Jack Jr. didn't know what overcame him but he gave Nathan a hug. It only lasted a few seconds but both needed it.
That night, Jack Jr. prayed for a way to honor Andrew. When he woke up the next morning he knew how to honor Andrew. He got out a sketch pad and sketched. He spent the day on the phone with the bank that had his inheritance from Lucas in it. It was transferred to Hope Valley. That night, there was a town council meeting. He told them that he would fund the project and showed the sketches. His idea was approved. In the spring, the Andrew Guff Memorial park would be built.
