They arrived at the infirmary in record time, though to Nathan it felt like an eternity. Elizabeth was silently weeping in front of him. He jumped down, lifted Elizabeth from the saddle, and with his arms around her guided her into the infirmary. Carson looked up when they came in, clearly surprised by the sudden entry. Faith took one look at Jack in Elizabeth's arms and gasped, her hands going to her heart.
Carson sprang into action. He took Jack from Elizabeth and laid him on the bed. "Scissors, please," he said to Faith. She quickly handed them to him and he began cutting Jack's clothes from his body.
"Heat up some water and bring me some washcloths, please," he said next. Never before had Nathan been so thankful for this team of doctor and nurse who worked so well and efficiently together. Nathan kept an arm securely around Elizabeth. She was putting on a brave face, but he knew her heart was breaking. Her baby was in mortal danger. She refused to leave his side, watching Carson's every move, holding onto Nathan like a lifeline.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, Carson washed his hands. Little Jack had received stitches in several different areas of his head and torso, and he was now wrapped loosely in a warmed blanket. He hadn't woken up during the entire ordeal. Faith placed him carefully on a bed. Drying his hands on a towel, Carson finally turned to Nathan and Elizabeth.
"Carson…" Elizabeth said, trying to get some words out.
Carson put a hand on her shoulder. "I can't imagine what you're going through right now, Elizabeth. Or you, Nathan." He looked over at Jack. "None of his injuries are too bad, but it's going to take a while for them to heal."
"So he will be okay?" Elizabeth asked hopefully.
Carson sighed, looking grave. "Elizabeth, I won't tell you a falsehood. It's going to be touch and go for the next couple of days. Jack's injuries are cleaned and sutured, but infection is a very real danger. He's going to have to stay here for at least a week so that we can monitor him and keep his wounds clean." He hesitated. Nathan could tell there was more that Carson was reluctant to say.
"You can tell us, Carson," he said. "We want the full truth."
"He hasn't stirred since you brought him in," Carson said, his eyes worried. "He's unconscious, and that concerns me. I would feel a lot better about his chances if he would wake up."
"His chances?" Elizabeth said, her voice faint. "What are his chances?"
"Good if he wakes up and we can keep his wounds clean. Not so good if he doesn't wake up."
Tears rolled down Elizabeth's cheeks again, and she pressed her head to Nathan's shoulder. Nathan tightened his arm around her, knowing she was fighting the hardest battle of her life. Her child was in danger, and there was nothing she could do but wait and pray.
She looked at Carson imploringly. "Can I hold him?"
Now Carson's eyes took on pain and he paused before answering. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth. Not yet. For the next few days he needs to stay as immobile as possible."
A sob broke from Elizabeth, her hand at her heart. She buried her face in Nathan's chest, letting the sobs continue. He held her, stroking her hair, and his tears finally fell, mingling with hers. His heart broke for her and all she must be going through, and it broke for the little boy lying there, so small and helpless, life hanging in the balance. A fierce protectiveness rose inside of him, and he held Elizabeth tightly. There was nothing he could do for little Jack, but he could be there for Elizabeth and for Allie.
Allie. Where was she?
"Carson, do you know if Allie came by?"
Faith answered. "I saw her outside when you first brought Jack in. After Carson was settled with Jack, I took her to the Coulters. Rosemary said she would watch her for as long as you need."
"Thank you, Faith," Nathan said, both relieved and worried. His poor niece had to be panicked, not knowing what had become of Jack. He noticed Elizabeth had pulled back and was looking at him, wiping the tears from her eyes.
The courage he knew she possessed shone from her eyes. "We need to go get Allie, Nathan. She must be worried sick." She leaned over the bed and kissed her little boy, clearing aching to hold him. "Mama will be back soon, Jack. We're going to go get Allie so that she can see you."
"I'll sit with him," Faith offered. "He won't be alone."
"Thank you," Elizabeth said, giving her a hug. She looked between Faith and Carson. "I appreciate you both more than you know." Clinging to Nathan's arm, they walked together from the infirmary.
Nathan stopped and tilted Elizabeth's face up, studying her. "Are you sure you're okay with coming with me? I can go get Allie if you want to stay with Jack."
She shook her head. "Allie needs us too. Carson and Faith will take good care of Jack until we return. I can't imagine what Allie is going through right now." She put a hand to his face. "Or you. I know how much you love him."
"Like my own son," Nathan said hoarsely, the past few hours finally catching up to him. He sat heavily on the bench outside the infirmary, head in his hands. "I didn't know I could feel like this, Elizabeth. So frightened and so helpless. I hate that there's nothing I can do to help Jack."
Elizabeth sat next to him, putting her arm around him. "You're doing what you can just by being here, Nathan. I'm so thankful to have you with me through this."
Nathan looked at her. "You must be feeling frightened yourself, sweetheart." The endearment just came out, like it always did. He loved her so much, and he hated to see her so sad.
She simply nodded. "I'm more terrified than I've ever been. But I also know that worry won't get me anywhere. I need to pray for my baby boy and keep watch. That's all I can do." She took a deep breath, then let it out. "Now, let's go get our little girl."
Nathan rapped at Rosemary's door, and it flew open. Allie stood there, her face a mask of anguish. "Is he alive?" she asked, her voice breaking as she said the words.
"Oh, honey," Elizabeth said, taking Allie in her arms. Nathan wrapped his arms around both of them, the three of them holding on to each other for comfort and support. "He's alive, Allie."
Nathan could hear Rosemary's sigh of relief, and she came to join their little group. "Is he going to be okay?" she asked, her eyes searching Nathan's for the answer.
"We don't know," he said wearily. "Carson did all he could. Now we need to keep him still and clean so no infection sets in." He paused. "And we need Jack to wake up."
"He hasn't woken up yet?" Allie asked, tears running down her cheeks. "He's been unconscious since that rock hit him!"
Worried that Allie's hysteria would rise, Nathan led his little family to the settee. "Let's sit," he said. "Allie, can you tell us what happened?"
Allie's face crumpled. She hid her face in her hands, sobbing. "It's...all...my...fault!" she cried.
"What happened, honey?" Nathan asked again, placing a hand on Allie's back and rubbing gently in circles.
Allie sniffed, trying to get the words out. "It started raining a lot by the river, and Laura wanted us to go straight home. I said we should take shelter in a cave until the rain stopped. We found that little cave and were waiting, but then the thunder and lightning came. It was so loud the rocks shook. Jack tried to leave the cave, and that's when the rocks fell." She gulped back a sob, but she couldn't stop the tears. "One of them hit him. Laura and I pulled him back, but he was hurt. He didn't move." Her tears fell in torrents. "If I had listened to Laura and we'd come back home, this wouldn't have happened!"
Elizabeth put an arm around Allie. "This was not your fault," she said firmly and steadily, looking Allie right in the eyes. "What happened to Jack was an accident. You made the right decision to seek shelter. This was a dangerous storm."
Allie's eyes focused on Elizabeth. "You're not mad at me?"
"No!" Elizabeth exclaimed, hugging Allie to her. "I'm proud of you for being so brave and protecting Jack until we found you."
"I'm proud of you too, Allie. Jack was lucky to have you with him," Nathan said.
Allie's eyes lightened momentarily, but then clouded over again. "But we don't know if he's going to wake up."
"Why don't we go see him?" Elizabeth suggested. "Then you can see how he's doing and talk to him."
"Okay," Allie said. She looked at Rosemary. "Are you coming too, Mrs. Coulter?"
"I'd love to, if it's okay with your uncle and aunt," Rosemary answered, giving Allie a hug of her own.
"Of course, Rosemary," Elizabeth said. "We would love to have you come."
"Well, then, let's go," Rosemary said in her typical take-charge fashion. Nathan could see the worry and pain in her eyes, despite the brave face she had on.
"Thank you, Rosemary," he said to her softly as they walked out the door with Elizabeth and Allie in front. "Elizabeth is lucky to have you for a friend."
"That's sweet of you, Nathan," Rosemary said, patting his arm. "Truth is, I need to see little Jack for my own peace of mind. I've been worried sick about him since I found out what happened. Let's hurry."
They got back to the infirmary. True to her word, Faith was sitting next to Jack. She had found a children's book and was reading to him as Carson filled out paperwork next to the bed. They both looked up. "He's still the same," Faith said in response to Elizabeth's unasked question. Nathan put his arm around her again, supporting her as they gathered around Jack's bedside. He put his other arm around Allie. His niece was pale and sad, but she took Jack's little hand in hers.
"Be careful not to move him," Carson said in gentle warning. "He needs to stay very still."
Allie nodded. She started talking to Jack, whispering words of love and encouragement to him. "Please wake up, Jack," she begged. "We need you here with us. Remember our camping trip? We can't go on that without you. We all need to be together."
Two days dragged on in that way, two of the longest days of Nathan's life. This endless waiting and watching, not knowing what the outcome would be, wreaked havoc on his emotions. He and Elizabeth took turns watching little Jack, with Allie there every moment she could spare. Bill had offered to act as sheriff until Jack woke up so that Nathan could keep watch. He'd never felt more of a kinship to Bill than in these past two days. Bill was just as worried as they were, and he stopped by the infirmary as often as he could.
Most of the town stopped by at one point or another, always with a kind word or support for the watchers. Lee and Rosemary came by the most frequently and would just sit with Nathan or Elizabeth, their presence supporting them in their need.
On the third day, Nathan was dozing by the bedside with Elizabeth curled up next to him. A weak sound came from the bed. Nathan's eyes shot open and he sat upright at the same time as Elizabeth. Little Jack's eyes were open. "Mama?"
"Jack!" Elizabeth cried, reaching out to grasp his hands in hers. "Mama's here, baby! Mama's here." She wept, tears of joy this time instead of sadness. Nathan felt a relief stronger than anything he'd ever felt before sweep through him. Jack was awake! He was going to be okay.
"A'tan?" Jack said, his eyes moving to Nathan. Nathan ran a finger down Jack's cheek, a huge smile on his face. "Hi, buddy. We're so happy to see you awake!"
Carson heard the exchange and came over. His face lit with a smile to see the little boy awake. He did a quick examination, then turned to Nathan and Elizabeth. "This is wonderful!" he said, a laugh breaking free. "I think I can safely say that Jack is going to make a full recovery! He's awake, and there are no signs of infection in any of his wounds."
"Praise God!" Nathan breathed, hugging Elizabeth to his side. "Did you hear that, sweetheart?"
Elizabeth laughed, the first one Nathan had heard from her in the past few days. "I heard it," she said. "Oh Nathan, this is the best news ever!"
He agreed wholeheartedly.
Two days later, Elizabeth looked at Carson, itching to hold her son. He had been on medication to keep him still since he'd woken up, and Carson had continued to hold his ground against her doing so. "How much longer, Carson? How much longer until I can hold my baby?"
"Just another day, Elizabeth," Carson replied. "I know this is killing you not to hold him, but he just needs the time to recover without risk of reopening any injuries. If all looks good in the morning tomorrow, you can hold him."
A gentle snore from the bed turned their attention there. Nathan was lying there, having spent the night with little Jack. Even though they couldn't hold him, Carson had allowed one of them to sleep in Jack's bed each night to keep him company. Last night had been Nathan's turn.
Carson turned back to his work. Elizabeth sat next to the bed and studied the two of them, little Jack resting peacefully under the effects of the medication, and Nathan curled protectively next to him, one arm resting along Jack's side and the other over his stomach. Elizabeth smiled, seeing Nathan's unconscious attempt to protect Jack from any movement that could reopen his wounds. It touched her to see how much Nathan loved Jack, how he protected and cared for him.
The last few days had been some of the worst of her life. She'd never felt such terror at the unknown, even when Jack Sr had gone to the hostile Northern Territories. Her fear of losing her son was more powerful than anything she'd previously experienced. She had prayed more than ever before, begging God to protect and heal her son. Through it all, Nathan had been right there with her, holding her, caring for her, speaking words of comfort to her even though she knew he was just as terrified as she was.
He had been her rock. He had made sure she was cared for and that she didn't burn herself out. He had loved her selflessly through the whole ordeal.
Watching him now as he slept by her son, she realized all at once how much she loved him. She'd been on her way for a while, but this had sealed it. She was completely, irrevocably, totally in love with Nathan.
Elizabeth let the revelation sweep over her, one hand going to her heart. It hadn't been all at once, it hadn't been a quick or simple journey. It had stolen over her gradually as they lived their day to day lives together, as they raised Jack and Allie together, as Nathan courted her to win her heart.
And he had. She knew her heart was his, no matter what. She loved him.
She smiled to herself, her heart full. Glancing at Carson to make sure he was absorbed in his work, she leaned over the bed and kissed Nathan's forehead lightly, careful not to wake him. "You are a wonderful man, Nathan Grant," she whispered softly. "I'm so glad to have you in my life." Settling back into her seat, she decided to wait until Jack was at home again to reveal her feelings to Nathan.
But reveal them she would. Now that she had admitted to herself that she loved him, she was surprised by the depth and force of her love. It couldn't remain hidden. He deserved to know the truth.
Her love for him was unexpected and unlooked for, but it was there. For life.