I'll be there for you

(When the rain starts to pour)

I'll be there for you

(Like I've been there before)

I'll be there for you

('Cause you're there for me too)

-The Rembrandts "I'll Be There for You

Nathan felt...numb. There was no other word for it. It was as if time itself had slowed down and he was seeing and hearing everything through the muffled filter like when underwater. The only thing he was aware of was the pressure of something squeezing his left hand. It was that pressure that grounded him. He became aware that he was being slightly tugged in the direction of Abigail's Cafe, there was the soft click of the door closing, and then he was sitting on the settee.

"Nathan," a soft voice said from his left.

He smelled honeysuckle. Honeysuckle meant Elizabeth. He turned his head to see the concerned eyes of the woman of loved. His hand was held between both of hers.

"I'm okay, Elizabeth," Nathan said automatically and tonelessly. It was the truth and it wasn't. He could see that she didn't quite believe him, but was grateful that she didn't seem inclined to push him on it.

"You don't need to talk about what happened if you don't want to. I'm just here," Elizabeth's words were exactly what he needed to hear.

He sighed. "Thank you," he said, lifting Elizabeth's hand to kiss her knuckles. He turned to Bill, who was sitting across from him and Elizabeth, a mixture of concern and discomfort marring his expression. "Novak?" he asked.

Bill cleared his throat, but only shook his head, the dismay evident. Nathan hadn't really needed the confirmation. He'd seen the devastation on Elizabeth's face when she'd turned from the crowd around the transfer wagon. The Constable was dead and she'd clearly thought it was him. That pained him more than anything. Elizabeth had thought she'd lost the man she loved, again, and it was his fault. It was because of him that, even if only for a split second, she would've had her heart broken. He would've left Allie without a father. His heart felt like it was breaking. Not for himself, but for Elizabeth and Allie, for his mother and his father.

"Nathan, I want you to stay here with Elizabeth for now. We can get your statement later. I need to make sure Constable Howard got the O'Rourkes to the jail. I'll check on you two later," Bill said, standing.

"Bill, could you please also find someone to get Allie. I-I need to talk to her, I need her to see-" Nathan choked on the rest of his words, unable to finish. He hoped Allie didn't know what had happened yet. He didn't want her to find out from someone else. He could only imagine how scared she would be if she thought it was him and didn't want her to have those moments of thinking she'd lost another parent.

"Of course," Bill replied.

"Thank you." Nathan heard Elizabeth say softly.

The door opened and closed and then a warm hand cupped his cheek. "Nathan, I'm not going to ask if you're all right, because I can see that while you're physically fine, you're not emotionally. And that's okay. I'm here for whatever you need." Elizabeth's words were quiet and sincere.

He looked to her again and saw nothing but love pouring from her gaze. "Oh, Elizabeth," he said in a whisper. "I thought-I thought that-"

The door to the cafe was suddenly thrown open and Allie burst into the room. "Uncle Nathan!" she shouted. She looked around wildly for a moment, spotted him and threw herself into his arms, not bothering to hide her anguish, sobbing into his shoulder.

Nathan hugged his niece to him tightly. He made shushing noises of comfort and assurance, letting her express her emotions freely while desperately trying to hold his own at bay. He could see Elizabeth was also holding back tears as she rubbed Allie's back, offering her own comfort.

Nathan and Elizabeth locked eyes, and Nathan felt that they were of one mind in that moment. Elizabeth had her own fears and emotions to deal with pertaining to the situation, but she had pushed them aside to extend support and help soothe the distraught girl in his arms. Elizabeth's other hand came to rest on his back, letting him know she was there for both of them. She was telling him that they would be there for each other, good days and bad days alike, they would always have each other. He could see the love she already held for Allie as well as him. Despite the sorrow he felt, his heart swelled with love.

A few sniffles later, Allie finally pulled away from her uncle. Elizabeth pulled a handkerchief from her coat pocket and held it out to Allie, who quickly wiped her red eyes and nose.

Before Nathan or Elizabeth could speak, Allie blurted out, "I thought it was you, Uncle Nathan. I was at the pond, with Harper and Robert, and we heard all of the shouting. We came into town and there was a crowd by the infirmary. We could see the transfer wagon and the closer we got we heard that a Mountie had been shot. They said Dr. Shepherd couldn't save him. I didn't see you, I didn't know where to go, I couldn't-" Allie had begun to breathe too quickly through her rushed words, the panic of her memories coming back. Oh, my sweet girl, I'm so sorry, he thought. She was always so brave, putting on a face of someone much older, but she had finally let her composure slip.

"Allie, it's all right, I'm fine. I wasn't hurt, I'm right here," Nathan assured her, pulling her back into a hug.

Once she calmed and pulled away again, Allie's face began to redden, no doubt from embarrassment. Although she'd gotten better at letting herself express emotions more openly, she still had trouble letting others see when she was hurting, when she was vulnerable. It was still a habit to try to protect herself. Thanks to Elizabeth, and the friends she'd made, that wall was beginning to come down, brick-by-brick. Nathan was so proud of her.

"Judge Avery came up to me, said that you and Elizabeth were waiting here for me. He said he'd walk me, but I just ran," Allie said, her cheeks pink again.

"It's all right, Allie, there's no need to be embarrassed that you were worried for your uncle," Elizabeth reassured her, directing her to dismiss manners and to sit on the coffee table so she could face them and still be close. Nathan appreciated her thoughtfulness. They needed her to be as close as she needed to be to them. I am one lucky man, Nathan thought to himself.

Oh, dear, Rosemary thought as she slowly approached the cafe. She had been watching her husband help Carson and some of the other men take the poor Constable who'd lost his life into the infirmary when Bill had approached her, asking if she'd seen Allie. She hadn't, but a quick look around the gathered crowd, they'd seen her with Robert and Harper, her face white, eyes full of terror. Rosemary's heart had gone out to the poor lamb.

Rosemary had been on the verge of going to her when Bill surprised her by going to the frightened child himself. He'd spoken to her, gesturing in the direction of the cafe and the little girl had taken off running. Bill had watched for a moment, a look that was clearly a pained wistfulness, if Rosemary had to put a name to it. Then he had walked back over to her.

"Rosemary," he said. "Can I ask a favor of you?"

"Of course, Bill. What do you need?" She knew he wouldn't come to her unless it was something important, and she was more than willing to help.

"Elizabeth and Nathan are at the cafe. They need some time to be together, and with Allie, after what happened. I'll be taking care of Nathan's duties for the time being. Do you think you or Clara could go take over at the schoolhouse for Elizabeth today?"

"I'll take care of it, Bill." Rosemary could see his relief at her agreement.

"Thank you," he replied sincerely. He began to turn away.

"Bill?" she called out. He faced her again. "How-" she began hesitantly. "How close was it?" She didn't specify any further. Rosemary knew Bill understood she meant how close was it to being Nathan taken into the infirmary.

The pained grimace she received was answer enough. "I see. I'll let Elizabeth know I'll teach the class today."

Bill nodded, turned, and walked in the direction of the jail.

Rosemary just watched for a few moments, allowing herself time to gather herself. Nathan had become a part of their community. It had taken time, but she had truly begun to see him as a true friend. She would've been deeply upset if it had been him, but now, with him and Elizabeth together, it would've doubled the pain of his loss. A loss that would be incomparable to the pain Elizabeth would feel. It had only been a couple of weeks since she'd been in the position of nearly losing Lee, and that had almost broken Rosemary. The only consolation she would've had was that she'd had years, still a much too short of time as a whole, married to Lee. Elizabeth and Jack had only been together for a few weeks after getting married. And now, it hadn't even been a full day and Elizabeth could've lost Nathan. It truly was an unfair world sometimes. At least neither Elizabeth nor Allie would be the ones to suffer this time, she thought in relief, but still feeling sorrow for the family of the young Constable.

A touch to her shoulder startled Rosemary from her thoughts. She turned to see a sheepish Lee. There was a moment of the urge to chastise her husband for startling her, but considering the somber atmosphere, she decided against it. Taking a step closer to her husband, Rosemary wrapped her arms around him. He returned the gesture, both giving and receiving comfort from their spouse.

"Have you talked to Elizabeth yet?" Lee asked as they drew apart.

Rosemary shook her head. "No. She's with Nathan and Allie in the cafe. I'm about to go tell her that I'll watch the students today."

Lee nodded. "That's a good idea. It's more important that they're together right now." His somber expression told Rosemary that he was also thinking back to their own ordeal after his accident. "I don't think there's anything else for me to help with, so I'll just go to the office." He sighed dejectedly. Rosemary knew he probably wouldn't get much work done.

"Okay, sweetheart. I'll see you later." They embraced again, exchanged a longer-than-usual public kiss, and went their separate ways.

Taking a breath, Rosemary squared her shoulders and raised her hand to knock on the door to the cafe's parlor.

"Allie," Elizabeth said gently, taking one of Allie's hands. "It's okay to let people know how you're feeling."

"Even when you're scared or sad?" Allie asked, still unsure.

Her uncertainty that she shouldn't show emotions some perceived as 'weak' still worried Elizabeth a little, but today was not the time to address that particular issue. "Yes. Especially when we're scared or sad. Sometimes that's when we need people the most," she said, squeezing the young girl's hand.

Allie's answering smile was thin and still a bit watery, but Elizabeth didn't care. All that mattered was that Allie took her words to heart in the future. Before anyone else could say anything, there was a quiet knock on the door and Rosemary entered the parlor. She walked over to them, unfazed by Allie's lack of decorum of sitting on the coffee table.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to let Elizabeth know that I'll take over the classroom today."

Until that moment, Elizabeth had completely forgotten that it was a school day and she needed already be at the schoolhouse, having taken a quick look at the mantle clock. As much as Elizabeth loved teaching and her students, she was cognizant that she'd be useless in the classroom today. She felt relief that Rosemary was taking over, but also a small amount of amusement that Rosemary had not given Elizabeth the option to even protest. It was one of the reasons she loved her best friend so much.

"Thank you, Rosemary. Maybe just some reading today and drawing, nothing too serious or in-depth. You should probably let them go a little early, too," Elizabeth told Rosemary, knowing her friend wasn't exactly proficient with following lesson plans when she did teach. She almost laughed when she saw that Rosemary actually slumped a little in relief at the permission to allow the children an easy day.

To the surprise of everyone, Rosemary took a few steps closer and placed her hand on Nathan's shoulder and gave an affectionate squeeze. "I'm so glad you're all right, Nathan. Hope Valley wouldn't be the same without you, none of us would." Her slightly glassy eyes darted to Elizabeth and then Allie before she turned and quickly exited the cafe without another word.

Elizabeth swallowed the large lump that was suddenly in her throat from the building emotion. She'd desperately been trying to hold herself together, for the sake of Nathan and Allie. She knew that her, Allie, Little Jack, and Bill, who'd begrudgingly finally formed an actual friendship with Nathan, would be affected the most by losing Nathan, but it wasn't until then that Elizabeth realized that the townspeople of Hope Valley had finally stopped comparing him to Jack, completely accepting him as one of their own. It made her want to cry for an entirely different reason.

"Do I have to go to school?" Allie asked, her tone morose and snapping Elizabeth from her emotional moment.

"No, Allie. I think we should all be together today," Nathan replied to his niece.

Allie smiled. "Good," was all she said.

"Would the two of you mind terribly if we went to my house?" Elizabeth asked her companions. "I'd like to check on Little Jack. I know he won't understand what's happened, but I'd still like to see him. We'll probably be more comfortable at my house," she said, and alone, she added silently.

"Of course," Nathan said. Elizabeth could see in his eyes that he wanted to see Little Jack as much as she did. After all, he'll hopefully be like a father to him one day soon, she thought.

The trio quietly left the cafe and began the trek to Elizabeth's home, Nathan in the middle, his arms around each of them, holding his girls to him tightly.