Chapter 20: Lost and Found
When Jack arrived back in Hope Valley, he saw many of the townspeople out on the streets, helping others who had gotten injured during the earthquake. Some of the buildings and houses appeared damaged, but not too badly. Jack noticed Pastor Frank holding the arm of an older woman outside the mercantile and galloped over to them.
"Frank, I was out on the trail when the earthquake struck – I came back as soon as I could. How are people here in Hope Valley?" Jack asked, as he jumped off his horse and tied it to the pole.
Pastor Frank helped the woman down the steps of the mercantile, and then turned to Jack. "We're pretty lucky. It was such a nice day, many children and adults were already outside enjoying the nice weather. In fact, some of the musicians in town were having a fiddling contest, and a lot of people were watching them when the earthquake hit. We all knew to get down on the ground away from buildings and windows. I believe the worst damage happened at the saloon, because of all the broken bottles."
Jack ran into the saloon and saw Sam sweeping up mounds of shattered glass on the floor, a bandage on his upper arm where he had been cut by flying glass. Sam looked over at Jack and shook his head. "I lost a lot of money and inventory today, but luckily no one was hurt too badly." Jack pointed to Sam's arm and asked, "Are you okay?" Sam nodded and answered, "I'm fine, and most of the men who were in the saloon were unhurt – for drinkers, they sure knew how to move fast and get under the tables when the earthquake hit."
Jack checked in next with Ned at the mercantile, who was clearing his aisles of merchandise that had fallen on the ground and restocking the shelves with new items. Ned called out, "Hello, Jack. Things aren't too bad here – we were closed today, being Sunday and all, so I'm just cleaning up as best I can. Luckily, no one was in the store when the earthquake hit." Jack agreed, "That's good news – thanks."
Jack walked out into the street and saw Lee rushing out of his office. "Lee," Jack shouted. Lee stopped and came over to Jack. "Jack, I'm glad you're back. We're lucky it was a Sunday – my men weren't working today. I may have some damaged equipment, but at least none of my workers were hurt. I'm going over to the saw mill now to assess the damage. Rosemary has been helping the townswomen put things back at their homes. How are you?"
Jack answered, "I'm fine. I was out riding on the trail with Elizabeth when the earthquake hit, but we're both fine." Lee clapped Jack on the arm and said, "Good. I'll be back in a little while."
Jack was relieved to find limited damage and injuries in town, but still uneasy that Elizabeth hadn't arrived back in town yet. Jack looked over towards the trail path, but didn't see Elizabeth or her horse. Jack told himself not to worry, and then strode over to the jail to see how Rip was doing.
When Jack opened the door, he didn't see Rip at first. Jack walked back into the jail cell and looked under the cot where Rip sometimes hid – when Jack leaned down, he saw two big dog eyes staring out at him from under the bed. Jack smiled and called out, "It's okay, Rip. You can come out now." Rip scurried out from under the bed and went over to Jack, his tail wagging. Jack chuckled. "Even you couldn't sleep through that, Rip," Jack teased, petting Rip vigorously.
Rip trotted out the jail door, and Jack looked over at his desk to see what his own workspace looked like. Jack started cleaning up a few items that had fallen on the floor when he heard the word he had been fearing – someone yelled out, "Fire! Fire at the café!"
Jack ran out on the jail porch and saw billows of smoke coming out of the windows of the café's kitchen. People were already hoisting pails of water at the windows, forming long lines from the water pumps along the main road. Before Jack could run over to help them, he was grabbed on the arm by Clara, who was crying hysterically.
"Jack!" Clara screamed, "It's all my fault! Oh God, it's all my fault!" Jack put his hands on Clara's arms to calm her down. "Clara, calm down, you're okay. Tell me what happened." Clara tried to explain, between her tears, "When the earthquake came, I was putting some pies in the oven, but I was so scared when the ground shook that I dropped everything and ran out of the café to Florence's house. Once the shaking stopped, I got caught up helping Florence with her children and her house . . . I forgot all about my baking. I must have left the oven door open and the flames . . . some of the embers must have fallen out . . . Oh my God, Abigail is going to kill me!"
Jack assured her, "Clara, you're safe, that's all that matters. There was no one in the café when you were there, was there?" Clara shook her head no, wiping her nose with the sleeve of her dress. Jack took out the handkerchief that Clara had given him and handed it to her, "Here, use this for now." Jack took Clara by the arm and sat her down on the jail porch steps. "You can sit here." Jack looked over to the horse trail again. "Clara, have you seen Elizabeth?" Clara blew her nose in the handkerchief and shook her head again.
Jack ran over to the café and started helping the men who were hoisting pail after pail of water at the flames coming out of the kitchen windows. Jack felt uneasy as he worked, and kept looking over at the trail leading into town. "Where is she?" he thought to himself. "Something's not right," Jack worried.
By this point the whole town was standing outside Abigail's café, helping with the water and watching the flames. As Jack worked with the other townspeople, he kept hearing Rip barking in the background. Then Jack saw Frank leading a horse away from the back of the café – Elizabeth's horse! Jack ran over to Frank and demanded, "What are you doing? Where's Elizabeth?" Frank, surprised, answered, "I don't know, Jack. I just saw this horse tied to the post by Abigail's back door, so I thought I should get him away from the house and back to the livery."
Jack looked around wildly, and saw Rip standing by Abigail's back door, barking incessantly, and running back and forth outside the door. "No, please no . . ." Jack thought to himself. Jack ran through Abigail's back door, into the parlor, as Frank shouted, "Jack, what are you doing? Don't go in there!"
The parlor was full of smoke, and Jack immediately started coughing. Jack put his arm over his mouth, and made his way over to the stairs, trying to see through the smoke. At the bottom of the stairs, his foot hit a box of some sort, and Jack noticed bits of white paper on the floor and in the air. Jack looked up the stairs and saw a body at the top – Jack flew up the stairs and found Elizabeth, unconscious, splayed at the top of the stairs, her left arm on the landing, her right arm under her body.
Jack turned Elizabeth over and tried to call to her, but he choked on his words, the smoke was so thick. Jack noticed that Elizabeth was holding a frame in her right arm, and grabbed that as he lifted her into his arms, figuring it was the framed photo of the schoolchildren that she loved.
With Elizabeth and the frame in his arms, Jack made his way as quickly as he could down the stairs, through the parlor, and out the back door. Jack ran over to a patch of grass and carefully laid Elizabeth down on it, putting the frame aside. Florence and Clara and other townswomen, who had seen Jack run into the burning house, bustled over to him. "Jack, are you okay? What's going on? Is Elizabeth okay?" they asked. Pastor Frank, who also rushed over, gently shushed the women and held them back to give Jack some air.
Jack coughed into his arm a few times, unable to speak. Then he leaned over Elizabeth, and listened for a breath. Unable to hear anything, Jack put his hands on Elizabeth's chest around her heart and pumped up and down about ten times. Then Jack leaned over Elizabeth's mouth and, not hearing anything, opened her mouth and started breathing puffs of air into her.
Some of the women gasped. "What is he doing – he shouldn't be doing that!" Florence scolded. Another woman commented, "I've seen midwives give puffs of air to newborn babies when they come out not breathing." Frank assured the growing crowd, "It's a lifesaving technique – let the Constable work, give him room."
Jack kept switching back and forth between pumping Elizabeth's chest, listening to her airway, and breathing puffs of air into her mouth. Elizabeth continued to lay, unmoving, on the ground, her face ashen and covered with smoke smudges. Rip trotted over and lay down by Elizabeth's side, watching Jack work while intermittently licking Elizabeth's hand.
After a few moments, Samuel Corbett came through the crowd, carrying his bible, and put his hand on Jack's arm, while Jack was giving Elizabeth heart compressions. "If it's not God's will . . . ." Samuel said mournfully. Jack swatted Samuel's arm away angrily, and continued pumping Elizabeth's heart, his face determined. Jack leaned over Elizabeth again, listening for a breath. Jack put his hands on Elizabeth's shoulders and shook them a little. "Come on, Elizabeth . . . breathe!" Jack called out to her. Jack leaned over and started giving Elizabeth more mouth to mouth resuscitation.
Frank bowed his head and started saying a prayer underneath his breath. The others in the crowd closed their eyes, joined hands, and started praying as well. Rosalie came over and sat by Elizabeth and Rip. "Please come back to us, Miss Thatcher," Rosalie said quietly. Jack lifted his head from giving Elizabeth mouth-to-mouth, listened for breath, and started heart compressions again.
Suddenly, Rip stood up and started wagging his tail. Jack looked over at Rip and then at Elizabeth, who was moving her mouth, as if she was trying to say something. Then Elizabeth started coughing. Jack put his arm behind Elizabeth's head and shoulders and lifted her up a bit as she coughed.
Jack yelled, "Can someone get me a pillow and a blanket?" Elizabeth started coughing again, and Jack told her, "Elizabeth, don't try to talk, it may hurt. You're okay, now. Just relax and breathe." Jack smiled at Elizabeth and gently brushed her hair away from her face. Elizabeth looked at Jack with tears in her eyes and nodded, as she continued to cough. Florence hurried over with a pillow and blanket, and handed them to Jack, who put the pillow behind Elizabeth's head and tucked the blanket around her sides.
One of the men came running from the front of the café. "We've put the fire out in the kitchen!" The crowd cheered and clapped. Jack sat down by Elizabeth's side and put his face between his knees, shielding his face from the crowd as he tried to calm himself down.
Frank came over to Jack and patted his back, saying, "Good job, Jack." Clara sat down by Elizabeth's side, crying and rubbing her arm. Florence stood in front of Jack and, through pursed lips, announced, "I didn't approve at first, but I have to admit, what you did worked. Thank you, Constable." Jack, his head still between his knees, looked up a bit and nodded at Florence.
Rosalie, who had been sitting by Elizabeth's side, reached over to look at the frame that Jack had brought out with Elizabeth. Rosalie held it up to her face, then brought it over to Jack. "Look at this, Mountie Jack. It's a pretty picture of you and Miss Thatcher," Rosalie said, holding out the frame to Jack.
Jack lifted his head with a quizzical look, then took the frame from Rosalie's hands. Jack stared at the picture long and hard – he kept staring at it, as the crowds bustled around him. Jack said quietly, "I remember drawing this." Jack placed his index finger on the picture and traced the outline of Elizabeth's face. Jack repeated to himself, "I remember . . . ."
Jack turned to Elizabeth, who was still lying beside him, resting. Jack touched Elizabeth's arm and showed her the picture. "Elizabeth, I remember drawing this . . . I . . . ." Jack stared at the picture again and over at Elizabeth, who was watching him with her eyes. Realization spread over Jack's face. Jack looked at Elizabeth wide-eyed and said, stunned, "I remember!"