Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All rights go to the actors, writers and creators of the show "When Calls The Heart".

Hi! Sorry for the delay. Sick baby means it's taken a bit to get this chapter finalised! Enjoy!

(9/9/2018)

CHAPTER 37

Recap …

"You're so lucky to have found him and for him to have found you. That is the love that everyone dreams of."

Elizabeth smiled. Cassie was right.

Jack and Elizabeth found each other once and they found their way back to one another for a second time. They were meant to be together – always.

Continued …

When Cassie and Elizabeth arrived for dinner, most of the other teachers were there already. The conversation and loud laughter seemed to take over the small restaurant. Elizabeth approached the table and a few people called out to her while others waved. Elizabeth went along the table introducing everyone to Cassie before she took a free seat down the end and Cassie sat beside her.

Two of the male teachers, Josh and Theo, sat opposite them and Elizabeth and Cassie quickly fell into conversation with them. Both of men were about ten years younger than Elizabeth and both of them were really nice, normal guys who could always make her laugh. Sometimes Elizabeth preferred to talk to them in the teacher's lunch room because at least they didn't carry on with all the gossip that some of the other female teachers did.

As they sat there chatting, she felt a man's hand on her shoulder and she turned around to see that it belonged to Charles.

"Hi Elizabeth."

Elizabeth stood up to face him, moving out from her chair.

"Charles? What are you doing here?"

He leant in to give her a hug which she received awkwardly.

"Didn't I tell you I was moving back to the area?" he asked.

"No. You didn't mention it when I saw you last."

"How's your husband's memory coming along? Jasmine told me all about the accident. It's such a shame." Charles spoke with no apparent concern in his tone.

"Yes, he is doing quite well, thank you."

"I'm sure he is."

"Is your wife here?" Elizabeth said, craning her neck to see if a woman of model material was sitting nearby.

"No. She's in Paris for a fashion show."

"You didn't go with her?" Elizabeth said in surprise.

"No. She was working the whole time and I have my job here."

"Of course, you do."

"Well maybe we can catch up one night soon. Sofia is still out of town until next week."

Elizabeth did not like what he was implying for a catch up when his wife was out of town.

"I don't think so. I'm back at work next week."

"What about tomorrow night?" he asked eagerly.

"Sorry. Jack and I are busy. Such a shame. Maybe some other time. Look, I have to get back to my friends. It was nice to see you Charles. Have a nice night."

She hastily sat back down, effectively turning her back to him. She saw Josh and Theo watching him carefully, not speaking until Charles must have walked away.

Josh leant forward and whispered. "Are you okay, Elizabeth?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. He just … gives me the creeps that's all."

"You know him though?"

"Yeah, I met him about ten years ago. A big group of us used to hang out. My husband never liked him then, let alone now" she said with a faint laugh.

Josh smiled back and he and Theo changed the subject to something lighter and had her and Cassie quickly laughing at their jokes.

After the dinner was concluded, Josh and Theo walked Cassie and Elizabeth to their car before going on their own way.

"Josh and Theo are such nice guys" Cassie said as she started her car.

"Yeah, they are two of the nicest people on staff I think."

"Do you talk to them much?"

"If I go to the staff room I would normally talk to them but they teach the higher grades so I don't have a lot in common with them in regards to my classes."

"Is Theo single?"

Elizabeth couldn't help but smile. "You like Theo?"

"No, I was just wondering" she said quickly, trying to cover herself.

"But you don't care if Josh is single?"

"No, I … never mind" she said.

Elizabeth smiled. "As far as I know before summer break Theo was single but I'm not sure right now. Josh has a girlfriend though, last time I heard."

Cassie glanced over and saw Elizabeth smiling and couldn't help but grin.

"I won't say anything, don't worry. I'm not one to talk about things like that."

"I have gathered that much about you Elizabeth. Thank you for tonight and the last few days. You have really taken me under your wing, so to speak. I hope things go well for us both next week."

"I'm sure they will. Are you nervous?"

"Just a little."

"I remember my first day there, but everyone is nice so just ask if you need help."

Cassie pulled up in Elizabeth's drive way.

"Give me a call on Monday night if you like. You can tell me how it all went" Elizabeth said as she got out.

"Thanks Elizabeth."

Elizabeth unlocked the front door and went inside hearing nothing but silence. She checked on Rip, to make sure he had enough water before she turned off the lights and headed upstairs. She checked on each of the girls, going in to gently kiss them all goodnight without waking them.

Eve had somehow managed to fall asleep on top of her covers facing the other end of the bed. Presumably she had fallen out of bed and just climbed back on in her sleep. Elizabeth couldn't help but smile, as she lifted her back onto her pillow and pulled the quilt up over her and tucked her in tightly. Eve snuggled into her pillow without waking further.

When Elizabeth walked into the bedroom, all the lights were on but Jack was sitting on the bed, fast asleep against the pillow. Elizabeth went over to him, running her hand down his face.

"Hi babe. Its time to go to bed" she said softly. He didn't wake, so she took his hands.

"Stand up, babe" she said pulling him and he groaned before standing up, still asleep and she was able to manoeuvre him back onto the bad, laying down flat.

She pulled a blanket over him and turned off the lights before heading to the bathroom to change out of her clothes. She removed her makeup and brushed her teeth before coming back to the bedroom. She slid into bed and pulled the quilt up high before rolling to face Jack, putting her hand across his chest, caressing his face.

Elizabeth had been so worried about Jack all week. He'd fallen asleep early every single night. Even the night before when they had made their way upstairs, by the time she had her shower and stepped out, he had fallen asleep across the entire bed. Elizabeth could barely even fit on the mattress because of the angle Jack fell asleep on.

Elizabeth just hoped that the half days the following week would help prevent the exhaustion. She was worried he was going to fall asleep driving on his way to or from work. She ran her hand lightly across his chin, feeling the short stubble underneath her fingers and hoping that things would improve soon.

Jack woke with a start and looked across at the time. 4 am. He glanced around, seeing Elizabeth next to him under the covers. He looked down at himself and he was still in his shorts and t-shirt from the night before and he was laying on top of the quilt.

He cursed himself. He'd fallen asleep waiting for her to come home. He'd tried so hard to stay awake. Her words still rang in his head. We can finish this off when I get home.

Jack had been waking at 4 am for the last four days and now that he was awake and thinking about THAT he knew he wouldn't be going back to sleep any time soon.

Instead, he got up and went downstairs to the gym and began his work out, in the hope that his fitness would improve drastically in the next few weeks and his practical training wouldn't be quite as hard.

Once he was done, he sat down with his paper and pencil and began to draw. More and more things had been coming back to him lately but he still couldn't remember the instances in which they returned. It seemed like the neurofeedback sessions were definitely helping the frequency of the memories but he didn't necessarily understand a lot of what he was remembering. Instead it was nameless faces and places that rolled through his head.

Occasionally there would be an instance when it all fell into place. There was one when he remembered sitting on the floor opposite Elizabeth and they were both calling out to baby Halley, seeing which one of them she would crawl to. They couldn't stop laughing when Halley sat in between them indecisively. Every time she would move she would hesitate looking back at Jack and then change course toward him and only a second later she would hesitate again and head back toward Elizabeth. In the end, Elizabeth couldn't bear to see her so confused so she crossed the room and sat beside Jack before Halley beamed as she crawled toward both of them.

Jack could see Halley's face clear as a bell. He drew her toothless smile and then he drew Elizabeth, kneeling on the ground opposite him, her hands on her knees begging Halley forward, a big grin on her face. He pinned the pictures up on the wall, staring at them before heading back upstairs.

Halley and Eve were sitting in their pyjamas watching morning cartoons already.

"Hi girls. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes" they said quietly, clearly not quite awake.

As Jack walked up the stairs, Gracie was walking down, still rubbing her eyes.

"Hi Daddy" she said giving him a smile and a quick hug.

"Hi sweetie."

Gracie continued downstairs. Jack peered in the bedroom half expecting to see Elizabeth emerge from the shower but instead she was still in bed.

He went around to her side, sitting down and rubbing her shoulder. Her eyes opened in slits.

"Are you okay?"

"Mmmm."

"Did you drink too much?"

"No" she groaned.

"You don't feel well again?"

"I'm fine. Just another headache."

Ever since she had been hit when they went out the week before, Elizabeth had been getting more regular headaches.

Jack leant in and gave her a kiss on the cheek before going back down stairs to get a bottle of water and some pain killers. This time he took the whole box upstairs to put it in her bedside table.

When he returned, Jack handed her the water. Elizabeth sat up to have a big drink before laying down again.

"Roll over" he said gently and Elizabeth rolled over.

Jack moved Elizabeth's hair out of the way, before pumping some moisturiser into his hands and sliding them along her neck and shoulders. He slid her singlet straps off before applying more pressure through his palms and fingers, kneading her skin and relieving the pressure. He rubbed his hands from her mid back all the way up to her neck, applying the pressure more carefully at the base of her skull before running his fingers through her scalp.

At first, Elizabeth had felt tense underneath him but after fifteen minutes he felt her relaxing.

"That feels so good. Thank you, Jack."

"You're welcome."

"I don't remember you doing that for ages. I forgot how good your hands are."

"I will have to do that more often then."

"I'm going to hold you to that."

"Just relax. I'm going to go for a shower."

"Jack, did you work out again? You took it easy today, didn't you?"

Jack was not telling her that he didn't. Instead he didn't answer.

"Jack, you should be resting on the weekends. You will burnout if you do too much too soon."

"Yes, Ma" he said sarcastically.

It slipped out before he realised what he said. Elizabeth rolled onto her side so she could see over her shoulder.

"You did not just say that" she said, looking at him disappointedly.

"I didn't mean it like that."

"Yes, you did. Well let me tell you something Jack Thornton. I know you better than you know yourself right now. Let me tell you a story."

Seven years and ten months before … (October 2010)

Halley was now four months old. As she had grown she had become a lot more settled although there was always good days and bad days – or rather good nights or bad nights. A bit of a colicky baby, Halley would often start grumbling in the late afternoon and by 7 pm she was screaming until her stomach would settle. This would sometimes last an hour sometimes more and Elizabeth had tried everything to ease her pain. Elizabeth kept a diary, trying to pinpoint what triggered the colic but so far there was no reason why Halley would sleep like an angel and other days turn into a monster child that could not be soothed.

One day in October, Elizabeth had been at home with Halley on her own. She usually tried to get out and go for a walk in the middle of the day before it got too cold. After her walk, Elizabeth went into the kitchen to make dinner. Getting it done early meant she could still spend the necessary time settling Halley if that day ended up being one of the bad ones.

Jack was away on a training camp for the fortnight and wasn't due home until the weekend. She had missed him terribly, even though he had really only been gone for a week. Charlotte and Grace had both been by often to help but they were usually in and out in the morning when Halley was at her best. Elizabeth was certain they didn't believe how constant Halley's crying was at night when she told them. It was the afternoons and nights that were exhausting and lonely for Elizabeth, except for the constant crying of her daughter.

Elizabeth had just finished making dinner for herself one afternoon when she got the phone call that she had always dreaded as an army wife.

"Mrs Thornton?" the male voice asked.

"Yes?"

"Private Jack Thornton's wife?"

Elizabeth's breath caught in her throat.

"Yes?"

"This is Sergeant Madigan, Jack's commanding officer. He has been involved in an accident. Your husband was shot by a stray bullet in training today. I'm not sure of details at this time but he has been taken by ambulance to the hospital."

"Where?"

The Sergeant gave her the details of the hospital and Elizabeth barely said goodbye as she hung up the phone and ran around the house frantically, gathering up things for Halley. Elizabeth ran out the door and stood at the car, checking she had everything. She was trying to think rationally but the fear of what may have happened to Jack destroyed her rational thought process. Elizabeth always prided herself on thinking well under pressure but right at that moment, it was all too much.

Elizabeth ran back inside and got Halley, taking her back to the car and putting her in her seat. She got in the drivers seat and looked down at herself. She had marks all over her top and still had her slippers on. She jumped back out of the car, running in to change her clothes, double checking the dinner was off the stove before running back to the car and hurrying toward the hospital which was on the other side of the city, at least 90 minutes away.

Elizabeth called Grace en route with tears rolling down her face.

"Mom?"

"Beth? What's wrong?"

"It's Jack. He's been shot. They've taken him to hospital."

"Is he okay?"

"I don't know. They couldn't tell me" she said crying. She pushed the tears from her eyes as she tried to concentrate on the road in front of her.

"I will go right now and see what I can find out."

"Thanks Mom. I'm at least an hour away."

"Okay. Just stay calm until we know more."

Grace went to the hospital but since she was not an immediate relative, they wouldn't tell her any information. Elizabeth came running in the front door of the hospital with Halley in her arms and saw her mother straight away.

"Is he okay?"

"They wouldn't tell me. I'm sorry."

Grace took Halley from her, who was now screaming, and Elizabeth went straight to the information desk.

"Jack Thornton. I'm his wife Elizabeth."

"Yes, Mrs Thornton. He's in room 302."

Elizabeth and Grace hurried to the lift and found his room. As Elizabeth approached, she held her breath but heard voices laughing inside. Elizabeth could see Shane was standing at the end of the bed. He looked up as she entered and seeing her face, his own fell.

"He's okay, Elizabeth" he said as he walked past her, giving her a pat on the shoulder, before leaving the room.

Elizabeth rounded the corner and saw Jack sitting up in bed looking perfectly fine with a bandage on his leg above his left knee.

"Oh sweetie. Didn't they tell you I was okay?" he said holding out his arms. She went to them, bursting into tears as his arms wrapped around her.

"No, all they said was you had been shot!"

"I'm so sorry. I just got out of surgery otherwise I would have called you."

"Surgery? You look like you just finished going for a run" she said through her tears.

"It was minor. The bullet just tore through some muscle in my leg. I'm fine."

Elizabeth couldn't stop crying.

"Hey, I'm fine. You can stop crying now."

"That was the worst two hours of my life. I thought you were going to die and I was going to have to raise Halley on my own. All of the worst case scenarios have been flying through my head" she cried against him.

Jack just held her tight until her cries turned to the occasional sob.

"I missed you. This isn't quite the way I pictured seeing you again after two weeks away though" he whispered in her ear.

"Yeah, well you shouldn't have gotten yourself shot and things could have been different" she said pulling back.

"I guess so."

"You scared the hell out of me Jack. Don't do that again!"

"I won't" he said, pulling her in to kiss her.

Jack was indeed fine. He came home the next day and after just two days he was back at the gym doing leg work.

"Jack, you need to take it easy" Elizabeth said as Jack sat down on the Saturday after his morning work out.

"Why?"

"Because if you don't, you will further hurt yourself."

"I will be fine. I know what I'm doing."

"I'm sure you do. Just humour me."

So Jack took it easy – when Elizabeth was around. When he was at the base though, he pushed himself hard. Everyone told him to ease up but Jack wasn't having any of it.

Two weeks after the accident, he was out running and lost his footing for a moment. Jack immediately felt his knee go weak underneath him. Further inspection by a doctor lead to his diagnosis of having a completely torn anterior cruciate ligament that was likely due to over working the damaged leg. Jack was devastated.

It was necessary for Jack to have surgery. Recovery was slow and frustrating. He was forced to have two weeks off work and a further four on light duties. All because he had been impatient.

In the beginning Elizabeth was grateful to have Jack home but his mood became more sour with his frustration and by the end of the second week, she didn't want to be in the same room as him for very long. With Halley's screaming and Jack's bad mood, this further injury put a lot of strain on their relationship that they didn't need right then.

After a long six weeks in total, Jack was back to doing light training and it took an additional two months of gradually increasing his training to get back to where he was.

"So you're saying it's a problem that I strive to be good at my job?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and Jack laughed.

"No, I'm saying if you hurt yourself, you get depressed and angry with everyone around you. It doesn't just affect you - it affects all of us. You're still struggling with your memory problems so I don't want you to over exert yourself physically as well."

"Elizabeth, I need to improve my fitness so that I can pass my physical and not do the early morning training again."

"You will still have to do it, Jack. It's not just about the fitness, it's about you fitting back in and remembering everything. You don't have to rush it."

"Beth, I'm a Sergeant hanging around with Privates again. They stare at me like I'm crazy. Like I don't belong there" Jack said disappointedly.

"No, Jack. You don't belong there. That's not why they're staring at you" she said quietly.

"Why then?"

Elizabeth sighed. "Jack, you are one of the best. You were being considered for promotion before this tour. The outcome of this deployment was going to be whether or not you were capable of being a Sergeant Major or not. You would have been one of the youngest to receive that rank.

"That is why they are staring at you. Not because they think you are crazy but because you have a reputation. I wouldn't be surprised if they are all trying to emulate you. That is also why Henry and Frank are focusing so much time and effort on your recovery as well. You have earnt that promotion and now because of your memory loss, they are all uncertain what to do about it.

"You have to prove yourself again. But that does not mean rushing into things. Take your time and get things right. Then there's a chance you will still get the promotion that you deserve."

Jack looked at his wife. "You are quite something" he said quietly.

She smiled at him. "You're not too bad yourself."