Chapter Seventy-Five
"The Aftermath"
Elizabeth was singing "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" as she puttered around her Kitchen making Breakfast for Nathan…
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the new-born King!
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled."
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th' angelic host proclaim,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem."
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the new-born King! (20*)
"Now, that's a beautiful tune sung by a beautiful voice!"
"Oh, Carson! You startled me… Thank you! It's my favorite. But, how is he?"
"Elizabeth, just as I expected. It's a lot worse than last night. I've got him elevated. And I'd like you to keep ice packs on his entire jaw all day and into this evening. The black has settled in more and the swelling is much worse than yesterday, so I want you to be prepared when you see him. Probably best to keep him away from a mirror. I'm going to go check on Aaron, and I'll be back this evening."
"Oh, no you don't! That, my dear Doctor, is your Breakfast. Sit!"
"In that case! Can't tell you what it means to have a really good home-cooked Breakfast. Thank you, Elizabeth! It's much appreciated. Oh my, hot Biscuits too?"
"Yes, Nathan's favorite," she smiled. "Let me get you some Jam and Honey. Butter's on the Table. How do you take your Coffee?"
"Black and lots of it!" smiled Carson.
"Here, you go…" and Elizabeth poured Carson his first cup.
"You know, this is one of the things I miss most about being married," mused Carson.
"What?" asked Elizabeth curiously.
"A home-cooked Breakfast. Amber and I always cooked it together and it was the best part of our Day to sit down with each other and talk about our plans for the Day! She was such a Morning person, and of course, I wasn't. But she drew me in!" laughed Carson.
He continued, "How could your Day not be wonderful, starting out like that? And she always had some funny story to tell. We had such good times. Lots of laughter and teasing! I had almost forgotten."
"Carson, you've never mentioned Amber to me before. And look at your face! For the first time since I've known you, it's filled with pure happiness. I love that, Carson! I wish I had known Amber. But I do know she would love seeing the happiness on your face, and believe me, Faith is going to love seeing it too!"
"Everything's changed Elizabeth. Everything. You don't know how much I wish I could just scoop Faith up in my arms and tell her everything is going to be okay! That everything is okay!"
"Carson, I feel it, too! Call Faith today. She'll hear it in your voice! How much longer till she's back. I miss her so much!"
"We're not quite sure. The Medical School is talking about doing a Residency with the Union City Hospital, so fingers crossed for that. Because that's a reasonable driving distance. I'll have to get a car for sure, but that's probably not a bad idea anyway!"
"We'll pray for that to happen. That would just be wonderful! Carson, is Nathan really going to be alright, back to normal I mean," asked Elizabeth.
"Well, if you mean is that handsome chiseled jaw going to be back to normal, the answer is yes!" teased Carson, but he knew that was one of her concerns.
"You know, I think you're going to see a new normal in Nathan too, for the better. And that's my professional opinion as well as the opinion of a Friend. Something happened last night for both of us, and everything's changed for both of us. You'll see. I can even sense the same thing in you this morning!"
Elizabeth smiled a smile she thought had been lost two years ago, that never would come back, but it had, perhaps even brighter.
"You're radiant, Elizabeth. We're all starting over, and it's a very beautiful thing. No more grief, just pure love," he said softly.
Elizabeth reached and kissed her Doctor and Friend on his cheek.
"Carson, our futures are so bright. We are truly blessed beyond measure! Thank you for being you, and thank you for being our Doctor, but even more our Friend!"
"Oh, I'm the one who should definitely be thanking you and Nathan! You both have helped me more than you know!" and Carson's face was full of gratitude.
"Elizabeth, Nathan's yours for the day. Pamper him well, and that's Doctor's Orders! He's going to be feeling a lot rougher today. But knowing him, one look at you is going to make him feel a whole lot better. I should warn you though, you might want to cut up his food in tiny bites because eating's going to hurt!"
"Oh, Carson, I hadn't even thought of that!" and she got up to fix Nathan's plate and reached to get more Coffee for Carson.
After she poured the Coffee and finished filling Nathan's plate, she sat down at the table and started cutting everything up into tiny bites.
"Carson is it terrible for me to say, I almost dread seeing Nathan this morning? I can barely stand to see him hurting. And to see his face like that," she shuddered.
"I'm ashamed to admit it, but I didn't react the best yesterday when I first saw him. It was just so unexpected. Almost like a shock! I promise I'll do better today!"
"Just be prepared, Elizabeth," and Carson lightly touched her hand. "It's going to be a bit more of a shock for you today because it's a lot worse."
She nodded, "Thanks for letting me know."
"This has all been perfect, but I'd better go and check on Aaron before I have to go to the Office. Thank you, Elizabeth. For everything!"
And for the first time in a long time, Elizabeth noticed a twinkle in Carson's eyes.
"Your twinkle's back, Doctor, and it suits you! Let me walk you to the door."
"Here, I'll carry your tray… Oh, and tell him no shaving today!"
Elizabeth couldn't help but notice how quiet it was upstairs.
Little Jack was still sleeping.
When she opened the door, Nathan had drifted off.
And she was very thankful for that.
Because, even with Carson doing his best to prepare her, she couldn't help but let out a gasp! And her hand automatically flew to cover her mouth.
How could it have gotten so much worse overnight?
She set the tray down on the Bedside Table, and Nathan started to stir.
Elizabeth grabbed a cloth and dampened it with the water from the basin on the Washstand.
She then sat down on the edge of his Bed and softly patted the cloth across Nathan's forehead, which felt a bit warm to her.
He was groggy, but he slowly opened his eyes and tried to smile, although it hurt too much to do so.
"Good Morning, Love!" and she bent to kiss him very lightly on his lips.
"Don't stop…"
"One more, and that's it!"
"No, more…"
She obliged, then giggled.
"You're going to have me doing this all day! Here, I have your Breakfast ready. And it's all nice and hot. In tiny little bites. Let me help you to sit up a bit more…"
When she stood beside him to help, her eyes went to the hook with his Robe hanging on it.
"Ahh, finally, now I get to see your Robe! And what a beautiful blue Robe it is!"
"But, now, you also get to see my Pajamas. This is all rather embarrassing, Elizabeth. Not exactly how I planned."
"'Best laid plans of Mice and Men'…They're actually quite beautiful, these Pajamas. How did I not know they'd be Blue too?" (21*)
His eyes sparkled with love for her and in the exact same hue as the Silk.
"Blame my Mother for that. She sends me a new pair every Christmas. And they're always Blue Silk."
"I knew there was a reason I already love your Mother. Here," and she sat back down on the edge of the bed, scooting as close to his tray of food as she could.
"Open!" she demanded.
"It's really bad, isn't it?" asked Nathan between bites.
"It's pretty bad, Love. But Carson says it will definitely be better tomorrow. I just have to get you through the Day, and that, Darling, is my delight. I get you all day to myself! What more could a Girl ask?"
"I like that. But I'm sorry to be such a bother, Elizabeth. I had no idea I'd feel this bad."
"Sorry? Bother? You have nothing, absolutely nothing to be sorry about. And you are the furthest thing from a bother! Do you know how wonderful it is to have you here? I can't imagine anything better. Except, maybe…after…," she paused in mid-blush.
But he took her hand and finished her sentence, "After we're married, Darling!"
And his blue eyes never left her blue eyes, nor hers his.
"I love you so much, it scares me, Nathan. You are my world!" and she reached to kiss him, being exceptionally careful, but full of passion.
He wrapped her in his arms, as much as he could around her waist and he pulled her down to his chest.
"You, Elizabeth Thatcher Thornton are my everything, my world!"
He placed his good cheek next to hers, "And I promise you a proper kiss, as soon as this swelling goes down."
"I'm holding you to that!"
But for now, she was on a singular mission, and that was to make him better.
"Here, just a few more bites, Darling…"
"Elizabeth, I need to let Allie know I'm here."
"Already done. She's coming to spend the day here when she and Opal finish their little outing. Mrs. Weise is taking them to Lunch at the Café if that's alright. She'll be here after Lunch. And Laura's coming to take care of Jack so I can give my full attention to you."
"That's perfect. I really don't want the Children to see me like this."
"I'll try to have Laura keep them occupied. But you know, they're going to want to see you!"
"Elizabeth, I never told you this, because it didn't dawn on me until last night. When Colleen was pregnant with her second child, Allie was convinced it was a Brother. And she was right, it was. But there's more that Allie doesn't know. Colleen had Twins that night. Both were stillborn. First a little Boy, then a little Girl. Allie knew about her Brother because that had been in her mind all along. But I never told her about the Baby Girl. Allie was barely four, and it hit me last night, it's like she and Jack belong together. It's almost like he's her little Brother she lost. I don't know why I couldn't see that before. But now, it's so clear. It's crystal clear. I think that's part of why they're already so close, just like Brother and Sister."
"Yes, they are. And for some reason, Jack clearly feels the same about her. Nathan, I'm so sorry, I didn't know. Twins? No wonder you were so traumatized. You lost three people that night."
"It's okay, Elizabeth. Colleen had so much love, and somehow that's what my heart is filled with now. For some reason, I couldn't see it before. But I now know, she's taking care of both of her Babies in Heaven and she's happy. She's still the Mother she always wanted to be. And somehow that gives me comfort. We're going to be okay, my Darling."
"We're going to be more than okay, my Love. Everything's somehow different today, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is," and Nathan gave Elizabeth a smile full of peace and joy, even though part of it was shadowed by the swelling.
"Nathan, wouldn't it be something, if Jack were helping Colleen in Heaven? I love that idea. That somehow they're together, helping each other…"
"I love that idea, too," he whispered and they sealed that idea with a kiss.
"Everything's delicious. But, I'm sorry, I can't eat more. It hurts quite a bit every time my jaw moves."
"Let me take the tray. Nathan, what would you like to read?"
"Your novel, again!"
She beamed, "Consider it done! I'll go get it!"
And she kissed him before she picked up the tray.
"That is to remind you, that you are stuck with me today, and it's going to be so worth it! A magical day for the Constable has been ordered!" and her eyes twinkled with mischief.
He laughed, but without opening his mouth.
It was wonderful to see her so happy.
And it was wonderful to feel so happy, even if you also felt sick.
Maybe, especially if you felt sick.
Nathan had never had anyone to take care of him before, except his Mother.
This was new, and it was his Elizabeth now caring for him.
It was a part of love he realized was totally foreign to him.
But he knew inside, that he would be doing the same for her if the situation were reversed.
She helped him lie down a bit, making sure to keep him elevated as Carson had instructed, and placed the ice pack on his cheek.
She then placed her hand on his good cheek.
"I don't know what I did to ever deserve you, but I am going to spend the rest of my days loving you, taking care of you, pampering you…and yes, today's just the start, so, you had just better get used to it!"
Elizabeth took Nathan's still half-full Breakfast tray to the Kitchen.
Then rummaged through her Desk to get her Manuscript, that she had divided into two separate stacks of Chapters.
'I've got to find a better way to keep all this together!' she thought.
Then she got an idea about something totally unrelated…
She rummaged through the packages under the tree until she found a small one. She'd have to wait to find the rest of it after Laura arrived.
Then she took the beautiful Package wrapped in Christmas Red to her kitchen table and laid it there for later.
She started to fix a pot of hot Tea, then realized Nathan hadn't been able to drink his Coffee, probably due to the heat.
He needed something cold to drink, maybe some Apple Juice.
And a Straw, that's what he needed. It took her a while to find where she had last put them, but she finally did.
That's when she heard Little Jack, calling for her.
"Good morning, my Little Love! Aren't you the most handsome little guy today?"
"Mama!"
Nathan could hear them in Jack's room and he couldn't help but smile, catching himself before the pain was unbearable.
Elizabeth had barely gotten Jack dressed when she heard a knock at the door.
"Coming, Laura!"
But when she opened her door, it was both Laura and Adeline.
"Good morning! Come on in.." and she handed Little Jack to Laura after Adeline had given him a kiss.
"I'm just here to let you know you aren't cooking today. I'm bringing Lunch and Dinner from the Café. Bill and I insist. And if you need someone to stay tonight, we've got that covered, too. Anything else you need?"
"Oh, Adeline, that's so sweet. Really helpful, too! Thank you! I do need one thing. I'm just not sure where to get it!
"What's that?"
"Some small scrap pieces of wood that can be carved."
"I just passed Hickham carving something on the Boardwalk, so he'll know where to get some pieces, and I'll send him here with them. Anything else?"
"Adeline, you've already done more than enough, and now all this!"
Elizabeth hugged her close, "Thank you. You're a Godsend!"
"Pamper him, Elizabeth! And I might add, it's wonderful seeing you look so wonderful!"
Adeline gave an understanding wink and headed back to town, cheerily waving back to Elizabeth.
As Elizabeth turned, she grabbed her manuscript, kissed her Son, and explained what was going on to Laura.
"So, Laura, when Allie gets here, please tell her her Father's fine, but resting. And do your best to keep her with Jack. Nathan really doesn't want them to see him looking like this!"
"Does it really look that bad?" asked Laura.
"Afraid so. Carson spent the night with him and he tried to prepare me this morning, but I still had to gasp. It's much worse than I imagined it would be. He's in more pain than he's letting on, too. I'm going up to take him Juice, and read my book to him. If you need me, just yell and I'll be right down."
"No, we'll be fine, Mrs. Thornton. You just take care of the Constable, isn't that right, Jack?"
"Thank you, Laura. It relieves me so much to know you're here! Oh, there are Christmas Cakes and Cookies in the Cupboard. Help yourself! Jack's figured out where they're being kept, so he'll be asking in a bit, I'm sure!"
"Oh, and Mike Hickham is going to drop off some wood pieces. Just let me know and I'll come to get them! And in case you didn't hear, later, Adeline is dropping off some Lunch for all of us. So don't worry about cooking anything!"
"Darling, I have cold Apple Juice with a Straw! And a certain Manuscript you requested."
"I've missed you."
"That's a very good thing, Constable. Because I've missed you too, terribly. I hate to tell you, but you're really stuck with me now. Adeline dropped by to tell me she and Bill are bringing us Lunch and Dinner from the Café, so I can take care of you instead of cooking. And Laura knows to keep Allie and Jack downstairs."
"Sounds pretty perfect to me."
Elizabeth set her Manuscript down and reached to take off her shoes.
Nathan raised an eyebrow.
"I knew you couldn't resist me!" he teased.
"Don't flatter yourself! I can't exactly sit by you with my shoes on…"
She climbed into the bed, on top of the covers, beside him, sitting up against the Headboard to read to him.
"Nathan, here drink this first…"
"That's good. Feels so much better. And much easier with the Straw."
She noticed he had combed his hair, washed his face, and brushed his teeth. At least the half he could stand to touch.
He smelled of Leather and the Woods, and she took in his scent, loving it as she always had. The stubble of his beard had fully grown out, though he was not at all happy with Carson's orders not to shave!
"I rather like it, Darling!" and she ran her hand over his good cheek and jawline.
But now the swelling had expanded up to his left eye. And she was getting concerned.
"Darling, we need to get you to sit up a bit more. Carson said it was critical for you to stay up like this…"
"I'm sorry, I just feel so tired. And I don't know why. This is crazy."
"Let's read later. Here," and she held him so that he would still be up but be more comfortable.
He laid his good cheek against her and was almost instantly asleep.
As much as she loved having him close, she could barely stand seeing him this uncomfortable.
Forget her previous idea of carving…she realized he wasn't going to feel like doing anything today.
She held him, caressing his back and shoulders, and she kissed his hair.
He never stirred. She moved enough to stuff the pillows just so to keep him propped up. And felt his forehead again. He was even warmer.
"That's it! I'm getting Carson!"
"No, his temperature's okay. About what I would have expected. Just a little elevated, and that's alright. But I am glad you came to get me. I want you to alternate ice for an hour, followed by warm compresses for an hour. He's getting too much fluid buildup. Alternating from cold to warm will help break up all that fluid that's collected. Also, and I know this is counterintuitive, but I want you to force as much fluid down him as you can, everything from water to juice. He needs as much fluid as you can get him to drink."
"Got it, Carson!"
"Just keep alternating the ice with the warm compresses and forcing the cold fluids till I come back tonight. And still keep him elevated. In fact, I want us to prop this bed up. You think Lee might be home for Lunch?"
"I'll go check…be right back."
"And Elizabeth, tell Lee we need some blocks of wood to put under the posts."
"Oh, Nathan, you look mighty rough, my friend!"
"Thanks, Lee, just what I needed to hear…"
"Sorry, but true! Is there anything we can do?"
"Lifting up the Bed is going to help a lot," offered Carson. "Thanks for coming to help, Lee, there was no way I could do it myself."
"Here, I'll get up. Why am I so dizzy?"
"Let us help, you! That's going to pass, once we get some of that swelling down," explained Carson. "And more fluid in you."
Nathan started to help.
"What do you think you're doing?" asked Lee.
"No, Nathan. That's not an option. Lee and I have got this!" and Carson was adamant.
So Nathan reluctantly sat in the chair, waiting for them to complete their task.
Elizabeth quickly moved the blocks of wood and secured them under the Headboard's Bed Posts, as the Men lifted the Bed up.
"Elizabeth, this will help a lot. But do you have a couple of extra pillows?" asked Carson.
"Just the ones on my Bed, which is fine."
"No, Rosie and I have several extra ones. I'll bring them over. Hang in there Nathan, we'll check on you later!"
"Thanks, Lee! Appreciate it!"
"Okay, Elizabeth, let's start the warm compresses now. I want you to keep them warm, which means changing them every few minutes. You'll be able to tell by touch. Nathan, is there anything else you need from me?"
"No, thank you, Carson. I hate being such a bother!"
"You're not a bother, you're a Patient. Welcome to my world, dear Friend! Drink lots of fluids!"
Elizabeth had changed from ice to heat, exactly as Carson had said, and thankfully she could tell the heat was helping.
"Darling, be right back. Have to heat some more water…"
"Elizabeth, thank you for taking care of me!"
"You just concentrate on getting better…hold on. I just thought of something!"
And Elizabeth crossed the hall to her room.
"This is Theodore, and he's firmer than the pillows. Let's put him in behind your neck…"
"Are you sure you can spare him?" asked Nathan. "I mean if this is the famous Theodore…"
"It's difficult, but I think Theodore and I can manage to be apart for one day, at least!"
"Hmph! Well, Theodore, nice to finally meet my competition…"
She reached to kiss his forehead, "Do you need anything?"
"Just you."
"And that's why I love you! But I have given you Theodore…and I'll have you know, you're the first I've shared him with!"
"Allie, Sweetheart, how was your overnight with Opal, and your Lunch?"
Allie excitedly ran to hug Elizabeth.
"It was great. Mrs. Weise let us choose whatever we wanted on the menu. It was so much fun! And I got to see Uncle Bill! But how's Dad?"
"Looking a bit rougher today than yesterday, but doing better. I've got to go heat up some water. Do you mind helping Laura take care of Jack?"
"Not at all. We're already planning to have some fun together! The Packages look so pretty under the Christmas Tree!"
"Thank you, Allie! They do, don't they? Christmas is getting closer!"
Elizabeth smiled and went into the Kitchen to boil some water.
When the water finally boiled, Elizabeth grabbed a towel to carry it upstairs.
As she walked into the Living Room, she noticed the Children were missing.
"Laura, where are the Children?"
"Oh no, I thought they were with you!"
"Oh no!"
Elizabeth rushed up the stairs and opened the door to Nathan's room.
And there they were!
Both Allie and Jack in bed with Nathan.
Both chattering away a mile a minute!
Allie was stretched out beside Nathan and Jack was jumping up and down between them!
"Children, your Father is sick!"
She then realized what she had said, although she couldn't really take it back, because in their minds it was already true.
But the slight rebuke had silenced both Allie and Jack.
"Sorry, Mrs. Thornton, but we just had to make sure Dad was okay. He looks pretty bad, but we know he'll be better."
"Bad boo-boo, Mama! Bad boo-boo!"
The earnestness and the love and the concern on their little faces.
How could she possibly be mad at them?
So, Elizabeth changed Nathan's Ice Pack to the Warm Cloth Compress, and although she was still considering a slight admonishment for the Children, she smiled instead and climbed into bed on the other side of Allie.
"But, Jack no jumping! You lay down still beside Nathan."
"Dat!"
Nathan put his arm around Jack and Elizabeth put hers around Allie.
Then Nathan's sparkling eyes met Elizabeth's and they were home.
Remarkably Nathan was finally able to fully relax for the first time today, as he went to sleep with the slightest of smiles on his face.
But only 'slight' because of the massive swelling.
His heart was full, and his smile would have matched that fullness if it could have.
Through thick and thin, good times and bad, health and sickness.
This was the way it was going to be.
This was the way it was meant to be.
This was the way it was.
The four of them.
And it was truly wonderful…Nathan, Elizabeth, Allie, Jack, and even Theodore, all cuddled up together!
It truly was going to be the best Christmas ever!
(20*) "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" from "Hymn for Christmas-Day," Charles Wesley, 1739 and "Adaptation" by George Whitefield, 1758, both Public Domain
(21*) "To a Mouse" by Robert Burns,1785, Public Domain