Nathan poked his head into the infirmary. He could see Lucas and Fiona engaged in a deep conversation, so he gently knocked on the door and cleared his throat to announce his presence, not wanting to startle them. They both looked back at him.

"Can I come in?" Nathan asked. Lucas nodded.

He pulled up a chair next to the bed and sat. "Elizabeth will be here momentarily. She went to the cafe to get some coffee for you two."

"Oh! She's an angel," Fiona said, rising from her chair. "I think I'll go meet her and grab a few muffins as well." She quietly slipped from the room, leaving Lucas and Nathan alone.

The two men looked at each other in silence for a few moments, neither knowing quite what to say. Nathan spoke first.

"I'm glad to see you're awake."

Lucas smiled. "I'm glad to be awake."

Another silence descended between them. Nathan shifted in his chair, realizing that any kind of positive relationship between them was going to take some work. He cleared his throat. He'd never been good with words, but he knew what he needed to say.

"Thank you, Lucas. For saving my life." He looked him in the eye. "That was a very brave thing you did. I know of Mounties who would have hesitated in that situation. But you didn't even pause."

Lucas looked slightly uncomfortable with the praise, and he shrugged lightly. "Elizabeth is my friend," he said. "I couldn't let her lose another man she loved." A smirk broke across his face. "And you're not so bad either. We couldn't have anything happening to our esteemed constable. Someone has to keep this town safe."

Nathan chuckled. "You're a good man, Lucas." He folded his arms across his chest, shaking his head. "I haven't been the nicest to you over the past couple of years. I'm sorry for that. It was uncalled for."

Lucas acknowledged his words with a dip of his head. "No more than I was unkind to you," he admitted. "I seem to remember intentionally trying to make you look bad a time or two in front of a certain young lady."

Nathan smiled wryly. "So we both had moments. Can we leave the past in the past and start over? Maybe even as friends?" He held out his hand, and Lucas gripped it in a firm handshake with a nod.

"Friends it is," he said.

Elizabeth and Fiona chose that moment to walk into the infirmary. They took in the scene in front of them, and Elizabeth started to smile. Nathan knew she had already figured out what had just happened.

"Are you two finally putting your differences behind you?" she asked sweetly, handing each of them a cup of coffee.

Nathan and Lucas looked at each other, breaking into smiles. "I think we are," Nathan said, winking at Elizabeth.

"It only took two years, but we're starting to get along," Lucas joked.

"Good. It's about time," Fiona said, arranging muffins on some plates and passing them around. "It was so obvious that once you two got past your stubbornness, you'd be friends."

"Obvious?" Nathan asked, blinking. Lucas looked just as baffled. "I'd hardly say obvious!"

Fiona and Elizabeth shared a glance, then looked at the men. "It was obvious," they said in unison.

"And they're already teaming up on us," Lucas said, shaking his head. "No fair! You two have been friends for a while. You can't team up on new friends."

Elizabeth slid an arm around Nathan while smirking at Lucas. "Oh yes, we can," she said. "I've been saying for a while that this should happen. Now that it has, I'm tickled pink." She glanced at the clock on the wall and gasped. "Oh! I need to get going. School starts in a few minutes." She gathered up her things, then rested a hand on Lucas's uninjured shoulder. "I'm so glad you're going to be okay," she said, smiling at him. "You focus on healing."

"Yes, ma'am," Lucas said with a little salute, prompting laughs from Elizabeth and Nathan. Nathan stood as well and took Elizabeth's arm. "I'll walk you to school," he said softly. He nodded at Lucas. "I'm so happy you're mending," he said, meaning each word. "We'll come by later."

"Thanks, Nathan," Lucas said. "You two have a good day."

As Nathan and Elizabeth stepped off the boardwalk, he let out a sigh, relief and thankfulness warring for prominence in his heart. Elizabeth smiled up at him. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

He knew she was referring to the fact that he had gone there with the express purpose of thanking Lucas for saving his life. "You're right, it wasn't bad at all," he said in agreement. "I wasn't sure how it would go, but I'm very glad I went." He grinned at her. "And look at you, being right about me and Lucas becoming friends. I never thought I'd see the day."

"And yet here we are," Elizabeth said with a tinkling laugh. "I'm proud of you, Nathan. I'm so glad you and Lucas are able to put the past behind you and move forward." She raised a brow. "I think we should go on a double date with Lucas and Fiona when Lucas is all healed."

"Do you now?" Nathan asked, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Yes," she said, chin raised. "I think it could be fun. Fiona mentioned a concert in Union City that would be fun to attend. Maybe you and Lucas could escort us."

"Union City?" Nathan asked warily. "Isn't that where the book reading was?"

Elizabeth nudged him in the ribs, making him wince. "Yes, it is. But that's neither here nor there. It's a lovely hub of culture. I think you would like it."

"If you say so," Nathan said doubtfully. "I've never been to anything fancy like a concert."

Elizabeth stopped in her tracks, staring at him. "Never?"

Nathan shook his head, amused at her facial expression.

"The theater?"

Another head shake.

"The opera?"

"Nope."

Elizabeth's mouth dropped. "Well, this seals it," she declared as they continued walking. "We are going to one, and you are going to love it."

"I don't know, Elizabeth. That's not exactly my thing…"

She leveled a gaze at him. "And how would you know that if you've never been?"

She had a point. Nathan chuckled as they stopped at the schoolhouse. "Alright, you win this time, sweetheart. We'll go see a concert with Lucas and Fiona. If they're up for it."

Elizabeth squealed and gave him a hug. "You're going to love it, Nathan! It's not something I'd want to do all the time, but once in a while, it is a special treat."

He smiled, basking in the happy look on her face. "If it makes you happy, it makes me happy," he said. "Now you have a wonderful day at school, and I'll see you later." He leaned down to kiss her, then waited until she disappeared into the classroom. Walking back toward town, he started whistling.

Maybe a concert wouldn't be so bad after all.

A week later, Lucas fidgeted in his bed. He never spent this much time in his room above the saloon, and a week straight of bedrest was not doing anything to make him love it more. He was even tired of reading. There was only so much inactivity a man could take before he got restless, and Lucas was full-blown restless.

"I need to get my own place," he muttered to himself, counting the rafters on the ceiling for the hundredth time. His eyes roved the room, and landed on his desk, where some ledgers were sitting waiting to be worked on. Henry had brought them over for Lucas to study and approve. He was very grateful for Henry's help running the company since he'd gotten shot, and he made a mental note to talk to Fiona about asking Henry to come back on at Gowen Petroleum as an equal partner. Bringing his mind back to the ledgers, he figured he could work on those while waiting for Carson's stamp of approval to start walking around again. He eyed the distance from the bed to the desk, and figured he could easily walk there and back.

He flung the covers aside and started to rise from the bed when there was a light knock on the door, and Fiona came breezing in. She took one look at him attempting to stand and put her hands on her hips.

"Lucas Bouchard! You get back in that bed this instant!"

"Nope," Lucas said, gritting his teeth against the shock waves of pain that still went through him when he started to move. He caught his breath as he stood, taking a few shallow breaths to ease the pain. He still couldn't breathe deeply, but he was getting stronger every day. He could feel it. Starting for the desk, he felt slightly triumphant about the fact that he was walking. Until Fiona blocked his way.

Arms crossed in front of her, she acted as a human barrier between him and the ledgers. "What exactly do you think you're doing?" she asked, staring him down. Lucas suddenly felt like a schoolboy who had gotten his hand caught in the candy jar.

"I just need the ledgers," he said, pointing the two feet to the desk. "And I can get them myself. Carson is supposed to clear me today to be able to start moving around anyways, so what's a few hours' difference?"

Fiona didn't budge. "For all we know, Carson might tell you to stay on bedrest. It depends on how you're healing. And you being up before his okay is not helping the healing process."

An idea formed in Lucas's mind, and he hid a smile as he took a step closer to Fiona. Her mother hen posture didn't change, but her eyes widened as he came to a stop in her personal space. "It's sweet of you to care so much," he said, wrapping an arm around her waist. Fiona blinked, clearly trying not to let his close proximity affect her determination to get him back to resting. "You're trying to charm me right now, aren't you?" she said, tilting her head to look up at him.

Lucas smiled lazily, his eyes dropping to her lips. "Is it working?"

"No," she said, though Lucas didn't think he'd ever heard a less convincing "no" in his life.

He chuckled, drawing her closer. "Are you sure?"

Fiona's lips pressed into a flat line, though he could see she was trying to hide the amusement in her eyes. "You're not fighting fair, you know."

"Probably not." He bent and pressed his lips to hers, letting himself get lost in her sweetness. Fiona's arms slid around him as she returned his kiss. All Lucas could think of was how much he loved her, how quickly she had worked her way into his heart, and how thankful he was that she had stayed by his side for nearly two weeks. His plan to grab the ledgers while she was distracted by his kiss went right out the window.

He tasted salt and pulled back, looking down in surprise to see tears rolling down Fiona's cheeks. Concerned, he frowned. "What's wrong?"

She looked up at him, her brown eyes swimming in tears. "I just want you to stay safe," she whispered. "I was so afraid of losing you last week, and then when I saw you standing and trying to walk, it brought all that back for some reason…" She broke off with a sob.

"Hey," Lucas said, drawing her closer to him and gently pressing her head to his chest. "You're not going to lose me. I'm getting stronger every day."

"I know," she said with a muffled sob. "But it just brought back all the memories." He could feel her take three shuddering, rapid breaths, trying to control her emotions. His eyes closed, understanding filling him at her reaction. He glanced at the ledgers and decided that Fiona's peace of mind was more important than work.

"Alright," he said. "Help me back to bed."

Gratitude shone in her eyes as she carefully helped him walk back to the bed. Once he was situated, she smiled and went to the desk, carrying the ledgers to him. She held them out with a raised brow. Lucas smiled, recognizing the peace offering, and accepted them. "Thank you, Fiona," he said softly.

She leaned down, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "You just focus on getting better," she said. He could see her feelings shining through her eyes, and the wonder that such a woman could love him took his breath away. He leaned toward her, intending to kiss her again, when a knock sounded at the door. Suppressing a sigh, he called out, "Come in."

Carson opened the door. "Good morning," he said cheerfully. "How are you today?"

"Good," Lucas admitted. "Though I'm very bored just sitting here all day every day."

Carson glanced at Fiona. "Would you mind stepping out of the room while I take a look at his wounds?"

Fiona nodded. "Of course. I'll be right outside." She smiled at Lucas, then quietly slipped out, shutting the door behind her.

Carson did a full examination of Lucas's torso. He prodded the injured areas a couple of times, making Lucas wince. Clearly he still had some healing to do. Once Carson was done, Lucas buttoned his shirt and looked up expectantly. "Well? Can I be up and about again? Seriously, Carson, this bedrest is driving me crazy."

Carson laughed. "I'll bet. And yes, you can be up and about." At Lucas's ecstatic expression, Carson held up a hand. "On one condition."

Lucas sank back against his pillow, eyeing Carson. "Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to be thrilled about this condition?"

"You won't be. But it's the only way for you to resume activities with any kind of normalcy." He held up a cane. "You have to use this for a while. Otherwise you could reopen your injuries."

Lucas stared at the cane. "You have got to be joking."

Carson shook his head. "Nope." He leaned forward. "Lucas, you've been through a trauma. You're not just healing on the outside, you're healing on the inside too. This," he said, holding up the cane, "will help us ensure that you continue healing on the inside without any setbacks. You either use this cane or you stay in bed. It's your choice."

Lucas sighed. "Fine, I'll use the cane." He held out his hand. "Let me try it."

Carson handed it over, and Lucas swung his legs over the side of the bed again, trying to ignore the pain produced from the sudden movement. That alone told him Carson was right. He stood slowly, then started walking around the room, testing the cane. It worked well, helping him to favor his injuries while still getting around.

"Alright, you win," he said to Carson. "Now, can you please tell Fiona that you've cleared me to walk? She's been very concerned."

"A woman in love always is," Carson said with a gentle smile. He opened the door, and Lucas walked out with him. Fiona looked at them both, taking in Lucas's cane. "You can walk again," she stated.

Lucas nodded. Carson looked between them with a smile. "Fiona, make sure he uses that cane. I've allowed him to be out and about, but he's not to walk without it."

Fiona nodded, smirking at Lucas. "You can count on me, Carson."