"I'm off, but I've arranged for someone to come sit with you since Allie isn't here to come in until I return, Nathan." Faith said. "Then I'll do a final check, and Gabe will monitor you overnight. Elizabeth has offered to let me stay in her guest room in case I'm needed, so I won't be far."
"Faith, I don't need a babysitter to sit with me in my own home. I may not feel the best, but I can be by myself until you two get back." Nathan protested.
"You had a fever Nathan, and until you go 24 hours without one, you will have someone here." Faith insisted. "You are still very weak, and it's one of the agreements to you being able to stay here at the rowhouse, remember?"
"Fine!" Nathan grumbled. He heard a soft knock, and she smiled.
"Ah, here they are now." Faith opened the door to reveal Elizabeth standing there. "Right on time, Elizabeth. Gabe and I will be back in a couple of hours."
"Take your time, Faith. Nathan and I will be fine, and I also brought some food for us to share." Elizabeth said.
Nathan just sat there looking at the woman smiling shyly down at him. "Elizabeth, shouldn't you be at the dance?"
"No, I'm where I want to be, Nathan." She said softly, feeling self-conscious and nervous suddenly. Nathan was floored, and happiness flowed through him, creating warmth and maybe a tiny spark of hope.
"Anyway, a little bird told me you are quite the chess player," Elizabeth said with a sly grin.
"Would that little bird be named Allie?" Nathan asked with a grin, silently thanking his niece.
She chuckled. "It doesn't matter who it was. The important thing is that I am too, and have managed to beat everyone in town. But we have never played before, so I think a tournament is needed to determine the Hope Valley Champion, don't you?" She stood with a brow raised in silent challenge.
Nathan couldn't believe what was happening, but he was all in. Recalling Bill and Abigail's words earlier that he had dismissed, he started considering them again. For the first time in over a year, he could see a look in her eyes that made him feel that all was not lost and that maybe a future together was possible.
"Set up the board, Thornton," Nathan said with a smirk. "But I should warn you that you are going down."
"We shall see about that Grant, because I was playing chess before I could talk." She responded with a giggle walking over to the table to set her basket down. "Before we start, I brought beef stew and apple pie for dinner."
"That would be great, Elizabeth. Besides, I wouldn't want you to have a reason for losing other than lack of skill when I beat you." Nathan teased.
"I think your hunger has confused you, and you are not thinking clearly." Elizabeth teased back. Then with a mischievous smirk said. "I fear you may be at a disadvantage, kind sir."
"I fear, my dear lady," Nathan said, affecting a similar formality, "that you are indeed mistaken, and I will walk away victorious." He chuckled as he saw the spark of competitiveness in her eyes, and it ignited his own.
"Shall we make a friendly wager then, Nathan?" Elizabeth said playfully.
"What did you have in mind?" Nathan replied curiously, wanting to see where their banter was heading.
"Oh, I wouldn't wager money or anything, but how about the winner chooses the prize?" Elizabeth said, blushing a bit.
He quickly agreed to the wager, knowing what he would choose when he won, for he had no intention of losing. Elizabeth had a similar determination and prize in mind. The first game went to Elizabeth as Nathan had underestimated her skill. However, the second one went in his favor.
"Okay, Elizabeth, this last game will decide the champion, agreed?" Nathan said with a smile. It was his crooked one, and it always drew her focus to his lips, and she was struggling to concentrate.
"Agreed," Elizabeth said, already anticipating the win. It was a close call, but ultimately, the game went to Elizabeth. Nathan was disappointed and nervously waited to see what she would choose. He was hoping that whatever it was could lead to a future together.
"Well, Grant, I guess that I remain the Hope Valley Chess Champion!" Elizabeth said smugly.
"Enjoy it now, Thornton, because I will be coming back for a rematch very soon," Nathan said good-naturedly.
"I'm looking forward to it. But for now, as to our wager, "Elizabeth began a bit nervously, "I choose that you have to buy me dinner at the café on Friday."
"I guess I can handle that, Lizabeth," Nathan said, his eyes twinkling. Before he could say another word, Faith and Gabe walked in.
"Well, since the doctor is back, I will take my leave of you, good sir," Elizabeth said with a soft smile and a wink. Then in a bold move, she bent over and whispered, "See you Friday, Constable." Then she kissed his cheek before departing without another word, a huge smile on her face and a pretty blush on her cheeks.
"Yes, you will, Lizbeth," Nathan murmured softly, just staring at the door. Faith and Gabe looked at each other in amusement at the dreamy look in their friend's eyes. They turned to go back outside and sat on the porch to gaze at the stars, happy for their two friends. They chuckled as they watched Elizabeth walk as if in a dream to her rowhouse.
"So, what do you think happened between those two," Gabe asked.
"From that kiss on the cheek and Nathan's response, I would say things have definitely changed." Faith said, "I think that kiss on Nathan's cheek was Elizabeth finally making the first move."
"You think so?" Gabe asked though he was of a similar opinion. But Faith and Nathan had gotten closer as they healed from shared heartbreaks.
"I know so because Nathan was afraid to move forward in anything other than a friendship with her. He was pretty hurt by her after she chose Lucas, you know. Nathan wasn't sure he could ever get to a place where he would feel he could open his heart to her again. She has managed to rebuild the trust, but I think his fear of rejection is as big as her fear of losing another love. But as I said, her making the move tonight that she did has managed to overcome that. Now the ball is in Nathan's court, shall we say."
As Gabe listened to Faith, he knew there was another conversation that he needed to have. He knew their basic history, including the fact that they had shared a kiss or two from talking to Nathan. On the whole, it didn't really bother him, but before he could comfortably move forward with her, he had to be sure where things stood in her heart.
"Faith, can I talk to you?" Gabe asked nervously.
"Sure, Gabe. What is it?" Faith replied.
"Well, um ..." Gabe stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Gabe, is something wrong?"
"No, Faith, it's not that; however, I wanted to talk about your relationship with Nathan and Carson." Gabe blurted out.
Faith looked confused and then anxious. "What about Nathan and Carson?"
"Faith, I have come to have strong feelings for you that aren't just those of friendship," Gabe said. Then, seeing that Faith was about to say something, he quickly moved on. "Now, I'm not asking for details of what happened between you and Nathan, Faith. But I need to know before I get closer is there the possibility of anything more between you and Nathan than friends? Have you completely moved on from Carson?"
Faith smiled and said, "In regard to Carson, I have fully healed from that heartbreak and am ready to move on from it with the right man, which isn't Nathan. I had a conversation with Elizabeth earlier, and we came up with the plan for tonight that obviously worked." She said with an amused smile.
"If I had feelings for him, that would have been the last thing I would do. I certainly would not have been happy for them to reconcile, which I am. While I love Nathan, it is the love of a friend, nothing more, I assure you." Taking a page from Elizabeth's plan, she said, "Besides, he was supposed to be putting in a good word for me with a certain Mountie friend of his."
"What a coincidence because he was supposed to be putting in a good word for me with a certain town doctor."
Suddenly the door opened, and Nathan stood there with a grin. He had been listening to the exchange after realizing when he came out of his daze that they had gone outside. "Faith, my certain Mountie friend Gabe, really likes you. Gabe, my certain town doctor friend Faith, really likes you too. I highly recommend that you two get to know one another and maybe even consider courting. There, now, my duty is discharged, and you two can stop wasting time." Then with a wink, he went back in and closed the door.
Gabe and Faith just stared at each other in shock before breaking out into laughter. Gabe raised a brow in silent question. Faith scooted closer, lifted one of her own, and nodded shyly. Together they got up and walked into the house where Nathan was sitting, drinking some Chamomile tea.
"Well?" Nathan asked, amused. "Are you both done wasting time?"
"Nope," Faith replied flatly. "You don't get to ask that question until you are ready to do the same,"
"What do you mean?" Nathan said.
"She means that unless you are ready to stop wasting any more time with Elizabeth, then you don't deserve to know," Gabe smirked, crossing his arms.
"We are going to dinner on Friday," Nathan said. "Now, what about you?"
Faith chuckled. "Sorry, Nathan, but I know for a fact that it was the result of a friendly wager."
"Which I'm betting that Elizabeth won," Gabe added smugly.
Nathan blushed and said, "She did, but I'll have you know that I had every intention of asking her to dinner. I had planned on asking her to dance if I hadn't been shot."
"Really?" Faith said. "Surely, by now, Nathan, you are ready to move on with her?"
"I want to, and I've been close so many times. The fear that she will change her mind is still haunting me." Nathan said, putting his head in his hands.
"Nathan, I think it's time to tell you something about Elizabeth," Gabe said. Seeing the look on Nathan's face, he said, "It's actually a good thing, Nathan, so stop looking so sad."
"Nathan, you know that I served with Jack Thornton in the North. But what you don't know is that we had a close, protective friendship, and I shared a tent with him." Gabe said.
"Wait, you were close with Jack when he was in the North?" Faith said.
"He was my division leader, and I was his second. After the North, I sought a quiet posting like Brookfield, but I digress. Anyway, hearing from family and friends is important for morale when you are away from home. Jack had noticed that I hadn't received any mail or packages when I was in his unit. He started out sharing bits of Elizabeth's letters and care packages. Then, he mentioned to her that he had been sharing parts of his. The next thing I knew, packages and letters from Elizabeth began to arrive for me with Jack's blessing. Getting those letters and packages from Elizabeth meant the world, as did her stories from town."
Nathan sat stunned by what Gabe was telling him. He knew they had a previous friendship because of their connection to Jack but had never asked the extent. But Gabe's description of their friendship and that he had escorted Elizabeth to Hamilton after the funeral was revealing. It indicated that he and Jack extracted Code Vows from each other. Gabe glanced quickly at Nathan and smiled as he could tell that Nathan had realized a Vow was made.
"I don't remember you at their wedding. When did you and Elizabeth first meet?" Faith asked.
"I could not attend their wedding, so I first met her in person on the day of Jack's funeral. The next day I escorted her to Hamilton at her father's request. I had to attend a trial on the things I observed while fighting in the North. Elizabeth and I spent a lot of time talking about Jack and the North on the 3-day train ride. Once I settled back in Brookfield, we continued that friendship. She became someone I could talk to because of our bond, especially when I struggled with the memories."
Once again, Nathan was stunned by another realization. The fact that Elizabeth sent letters and packages to him and continued to be there for him revealed that she was aware and was still fulfilling Jack's side. But more than that, she was reaching out to a fellow survivor in support. He was brought back to the present by Gabe calling his name.
"Nathan, she loves you, and I wish you could have seen the look on her face when she came into the infirmary with Allie. All I can say is that I would love for someone to look at me like that." Gabe said, casting a glance at Faith, who blushed.
"Not to mention that she was totally checking you out and liking what she saw while you were in your Henley." Faith said, chuckling. "Judging by the blush on her cheeks and how flustered she was, they were innocent."
"Something that you may not have processed, but Elizabeth didn't run after you were shot. Has that even dawned on you yet?" Gabe asked.
Nathan just shook his head. "Honestly, it's a bit fuzzy now."
"I'm not surprised, Nathan," Faith said. "You were in a lot of pain and weak from blood loss."
"Elizabeth calmly told you not to worry. Then she went to take care of Newton before going to find Allie." Gabe said.
"Other than being concerned, she wasn't shrinking away. Do you remember anything about this morning?"
"It's also hazy," Nathan said. Faith just nodded. "Well, she was already here when I got here, helping you to take sips of water. Elizabeth even helped me debride your wound without flinching." She smiled then and said, "Seems to me that she has proven that she's not running anymore, doesn't it?"
Nathan just sat in silence, taking it all in and allowing the memories of the past four months to flow over him. When the thoughts before that tried to surface, they were quickly drowned out by all the good ones.
"One last thing you should be aware of, Nathan?" Faith said, brow raised.
"What's that?" Nathan asked.
"You need to know that tonight was all Elizabeth's doing." Faith said. Then seeing his skeptical look, she said, "I helped arrange for the evening to be a surprise, but the dinner and game and what followed was all her."
Seeing that Nathan was finally understanding what they had wanted him to and was beginning to ponder it, Faith stood and said, "Now, Gentleman, it looks as if my job is done, at least for now."
Without another word, she walked out the door and headed towards Elizabeth's. She giggled and was suddenly glad that Elizabeth suggested that Faith stay over for the night in case Nathan's condition worsened. Faith smiled, thinking, 'oh yeah, Nathan's condition has taken a turn.
