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"Christy?" David asked, poking his head out the balcony door off of Christy's bedroom.

She turned to him, still in her nightgown. "Hi, David."

"I came to tell you breakfast was ready, and when you didn't answer my knock, I worried."

"Sorry," Christy smiled. "I was a million miles away."

David slipped his arm around her waist. "Mind telling me where?"

She leaned her head onto his shoulder. "The future. Our future."

David smiled and kissed the top of her head. "I'm so happy you said yes at last."

"I am too," Christy smiled, nodding and looking up at him as she turned in his arms to face him. Her smile faded slightly as dizziness once again welcomed itself into her world. She winced, let out a breath of air and leaned her forehead against David's chest, closing her eyes.

"Are you alright?"

"Just dizzy."

David waited until she raised her head again and he knelt in front of her, his hands going to her stomach. He kissed her belly softly.

"Hello, baby. You're giving your mother a rough time, did you know that?

Christy smiled down at him with love. David grinned up at her and continued. "She loves you an awful lot. So do I. That's what makes all of this worth it, knowing that you are coming to join us in a few months. Stay safe in there, alright?"

Christy giggled, a tear escaping down her face as David kissed her belly once more. Then he stood again and Christy let passion overtake her, grabbing his face in her hands and kissing him soundly on the lips. He responded quickly, kissing her back with equal fervor.

"I love you," Christy whispered against his lips when they pulled far enough away for air.

"I love both of you," David whispered back. He kissed her once more. "Get dressed and come down for breakfast. The baby needs food."

"I will be down in a few minutes."

Christy pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders as she looked over the children's grammar practices. She bent over Little Burl, pointing out a mistake on his slate. He followed her finger and quickly erased the mistake. He fixed it without her having to say a word, and then grinned up at her. Christy smiled down at him and then moved on toward the back of the room. She glanced out the windows that filled the center of the double doors. The skies had darkened considerably since lunch, and the clouds looked heavy and full. Judging by the quickly dropping temperature, snow was coming.

"Children, I'm going to let you go a little early today. It looks as though a snow storm is coming up," Christy announced to all of them. They let out a happy cheer and started chattering about snow. Christy quickly quieted them. "I want you all to button up with all of your layers of clothing and head straight home. Don't go anywhere else or play around on your way home. Go straight there and get inside. Alright?"

The children began to move about. It was a flurry of coats, gloves and extra socks on the shoeless feet of some the children. "Don't forget your reading assignments!" Christy shouted over the noise as the children began to scurry down the steps and away from the schoolhouse.

She smiled as she watched them go, rubbing her arms in an attempt to warm them up. She reached into the wood box, planning on staying to work at her desk until the snow actually began to fall. She carried a couple of logs to the stove and poked them in. When she turned around she saw Mountie still sitting at her desk, the other O'Teale children surrounding her. Christy frowned and walked toward them.

Mountie looked up at her as Christy got to her. Her face was rosy red. "Mountie, are you sick, honey?"

Mountie nodded and Christy felt Mountie's forehead. "Oh, Mountie you're burning up. Let's get you all home, alright? I'll walk with you."

Mountie nodded once more, and Christy turned toward the other children to see that they were already bundled up and ready to go. Becky handed over Mountie's coat, and Christy helped the little girl put it on. Christy put on her own coat and gloves and then they all made their way out of the school. Mountie held tightly to Christy's hand the entire way. The wind was picking up more, and the temperature couldn't have been more than thirty degrees by the time they reached the O'Teale cabin. Christy followed the children inside, and Swannie offered Christy some tea. Christy declined.

"I really need to get back before the snow starts falling," Christy explained. "I wanted to make sure Mountie made it home and into bed."

"This tea is very good for expecting mothers," Swannie went on to say.

Christy smiled. "Maybe next time, Swannie. Thank you."

She still felt incredibly uncomfortable around the people of the cove. Most of them would never believe anything other than the fact that David was the father. Yet they continued to come to church, even though they believed their preacher to have had premarital relations with their school teacher. Christy could feel a judgmental eye constantly on both of them, especially when they were together.

As if on cue, a knock sounded on the door. Becky opened it, and David stood there.

"David, what are you doing?" Christy asked in shock.

"Hello, Swannie…" David smiled as he entered. Then he turned to Christy. "I came to get you. Ruby Mae said she spotted you leaving with the children. I wanted to make sure you got home safely."

"David, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself," Christy spat out. She received a warning look from him, in response to her biting tone.

"I offered Miz Christy some tea," Swannie informed him. "But she said she didn't have time. You must make sure you both come back and visit when you have more time."

"We will, Swannie. Thank you," David said, reaching for Christy's elbow and directing her toward the door. "Stay warm, everyone!"

They were walking briskly back to the mission when Christy sent a glare his direction.

"You didn't have to follow me. I'm expecting, not an invalid."

"I know you're not, Christy. But these snow storms are violent in the mountains. One moment there will be a few flakes and the next you can't see a foot in front of you. I couldn't stand the thought of you being out here by yourself. And I would have come whether you were expecting or not. Don't be angry, Christy. Just let me do my job and love you."

Christy sighed. "Fine. But you should know that you're constant popping up and following me around is embarrassing for me."

"That's because you're so independent, and I understand that, Christy. Truly, I do. It's one of the things I love about you." He told her, his arm linking through hers. "But you're not yourself right now. You don't have to be so independent and strong right now. You're growing a baby. That's enough to ask of you. I want to be your support system, Christy. Please."

She nodded. "Thank you."

He smiled at her and leaned over to kiss the top of her head. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Snowflakes began to fall then and Christy shivered. David pulled her closer to him. The snow began to pick up.

"I hope all of the children made it home," Christy worried.

"They should have. They had plenty of time," David told her.

The wind swirled the snow around them, and they could barely see. Christy was growing cold and tired, and she had to force herself to take each step into the wind. David continued to urge her on. She was beginning to panic, though she did her best to hide it. Suddenly she tripped over a root that was sticking up out of the ground and lurched forward. David did his best to catch her and slow her fall, but she ended up letting her body sink to the snow covered ground.

"Christy, are you alright?" David asked in worry.

She began to cry, frustrated at herself for being so clumsy and off balance all of the time. David knelt in front of her, searching her face.

"Christy?"

"I'm fine," She told him.

He nodded and stood behind her to help her up. His hands rested on her ribs as he pulled her to her feet. She took one step and cried out, leaning into him.

"My ankle," Christy told him, through her tears. "I twisted it."

David looked down to assess the situation. "Can you walk on it at all?"

"No. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, honey," David told her. "You're freezing and you didn't see it. Just calm down okay?"

She gained control of herself and David scooped her up in his arms.

"You can't carry me all the way back."

"I can, and I will," David insisted. "We're almost there."

Christy leaned her head on his chest attempting to soak up as much of his warmth that she could, but he was as cold as she was. Her skirts were soaking wet from where she had fallen in the snow, adding further to her misery.

"I'm so cold," She told him, her teeth chattering.

"I know. Just hold on, Christy."

"I'm going to sleep for a little bit," She said softly, her eyes growing heavy.

"No, Christy. Stay awake," David instructed. "You have to try to stay awake."

She tried, hard, but eventually she couldn't take it anymore and succumbed to sleep.

"Christy?" David asked. "Christy, wake up. You have to wake up."

She didn't respond, and David picked up his pace. She had gone limp in his arms, her body freezing slowly. It took too long to get back to the mission, and by the time he climbed the steps, close to four inches of snow had fallen. Alice swung the door open, her hands flying to her face as she saw them. David walked past her and straight to the living room where a fire was blazing.

"Alice," David chattered out. "Will you make her a bed in front of the fire? We have to get her warmed up."

Alice complied and David bent to place Christy on the makeshift bed. He cradled her carefully and when he was certain she was safely on the floor, he knelt beside her.

"David, let me take thy coat," Alice said.

David let her have it and then began to work to get Christy out of her coat and gloves.

"Alice, we need Neil. Now," David told her.

"Ruby Mae is calling him," Alice said. "Let's get her out of these wet clothes."

David nodded in agreement.

"David, maybe thee should let me handle this part and go get into dry clothes."

He hesitated, but then went to do as he was told. When he came back, Alice had piled several quilts on top of Christy, and her things were hanging by the fire to dry. David went immediately to Christy's side, taking her hands in his and rubbing them. He blew warm air onto them, his eyes intent on her ashen face and purple lips.

"Mrs. MacNeill said that Doc's coming straight away and her thoughts are with Miz Christy," Ruby Mae informed them as she entered. She placed a steaming cup of coffee next to David, and he thanked her, quickly downing most of it.

Alice was stationed at Christy's feet, her hands under the blankets rubbing her legs as quickly as possible. "We have to get the blood flowing again."

David looked toward the clock on the wall as the minutes passed by and he rubbed Christy's arms. The second hand seemed to freeze, and David panicked. Christy had still not moved. Where was Neil?

"Alice, we're losing her."

"She's going to be fine," Alice told him calmly. "We'll get her warmed up and she'll be fine."

"I told her to stay awake. I told her…"

"David," Alice's voice was stern. "Christy is going to be fine."

David swallowed, nodding.

"Her ankle is bruised badly."

"She fell and twisted it," David explained.

"Neil will want to take a look at it."

Pounding footsteps echoed on the porch outside and Neil entered. His face was deep with worry as he raced into the room. He knelt beside David.

"How long has she been out?" Neil asked.

"Over an hour," Alice informed him. "We're trying to get her blood flowing again."

Neil reached for Christy's hand. "They're still ice cold. What was she doing out in this?"

"She took Mountie and the other O'Teale children home. Mountie was not feeling well," David informed him. "I followed her, but we didn't make it back in time. She fell and twisted her ankle pretty badly. I had to carry her the rest of the way."

"Her selflessness is going to be the death of her," Neil muttered under his breath. "I wish I understood this woman."

Neil held her wrist, checking her pulse.

"Her pulse is weak, Alice. We aren't getting her warmed up fast enough. We need to take more drastic measures," Neil said evenly.

"What do we need to do?" David asked.

"Alice, ask Ruby Mae to heat water on the stove, but don't let it boil. I just want it warm. We're going to soak some towels in the arm water and run it over her skin until her temperature starts to come back up."

Alice left the room, and Neil pulled out his stethoscope. "I'm going to check for the baby's heartbeat."

David nodded, his hands clinging to Christy's. He leaned down and pressed his lips to her cold and still ones. She didn't respond at all, and it nearly broke his heart. Neil placed his hand on his shoulder.

"I'm going to do everything I possibly can, David," Neil promised. "But her body is shutting down. You need to pray, and pray hard."

David turned to Neil with tears welling up in his eyes. "You have to save her, Neil. She's my entire world. I have nothing if I don't have her."

Neil was silent, intently studying David's face. "I know. Believe me, I know."

David let out a shaky breath of air and watched as Neil pulled back the layers of quilts revealing Christy in only her undergarments. Christy's modesty was the least of their worries at the moment. Neil placed the stethoscope to her lower abdomen, moving it around over the thin fabric of her undergarments. His face remained expressionless, and David felt his hands shaking as he waited. Neil continued to remain silent, listening intently. Alice appeared in the doorway, her movements ceasing as she saw what was going on. David was not prepared for what would come of losing this baby. It would break their hearts.

At long last, Neil released a breath of air. "The baby has a heartbeat."

David ran a hand through his hair. "Thank God."

"It's not as strong as I would like it to be," Neil told him. "But there is a heartbeat."

That knowledge seemed to bring some life to the room, and they spend the next hour bringing Christy's temperature up. When Neil checked her pulse again, it was returning to normal. He moved to wrap Christy's sprained ankle, wrapping it with bandages to give it more stability.

"Alright, let's get her tucked into bed. I want any extra quilts that you have to be brought up to her room," Neil instructed as he wrapped the quilts around Christy's still unconscious body in a makeshift cocoon. "Ruby Mae, heat some stones and place them at the foot of her bed to keep her feet warm. David, you can take her up now."

David nodded, so incredibly glad that Neil and Alice were here to take charge. His mind was muddled with worry and he could barely think of anything but how pale Christy's face was. He lifted her into his arms and carried her upstairs to her room. Her head rested against his shoulder and David was relieved to feel some warmth in her again. He placed her in her bed, tucked her in, and then pulled a chair up at her bedside. He leaned forward, praying hard, when Neil and Alice entered. Neil placed the stones at Christy's feet, and then he and Alice placed two more quilts over her. She suddenly looked so tiny in the bed, swallowed up by quilts.

"David…" Neil said softly.

Alice's hand came to rest on David's shoulder and he looked up at Neil.

"We aren't out of the woods yet. She's in a comatose state right now, and if she doesn't wake up in the next few hours, this is going to get a lot more serious. That baby is going to need nourishment, and so will she."

"Are you telling me that there is a chance she won't make it?"

"I'm telling you that you need to pray," Neil said.

David swallowed, running a hand through Christy's hair. Neil left the room to call Margaret and to check in with El Pano to see how everyone was fairing with the storm.

"Hello?" Margaret's voice crackled over the line.

"It's Neil," Neil told her, exhaustion settling in his voice. The trip over here had been difficult, but he'd been determined to get to the mission to save Christy.

"Oh, Neil, thank God," She breathed out. "Did you just get there?"

"No, I've been here for over an hour."

"How is she?"

"She's holding on."

"The baby?"

"The same. We warmed her temperature back up and her pulse is strengthening. I…I'd feel better if she'd wake up, but I haven't been able to get any responses out of her."

"She'll wake up, Neil," Margaret assured him.

"She shouldn't have been out in this. She took the O'Teale children home. David followed her, to make sure she made it back, but they didn't get here in time and she fell and sprained her ankle and he had to carry her."

"Neil," Margaret said sharply. "Calm down. Take a breath, and clear your mind. She's back now, and she's going to be fine."

"You don't know that…I don't know that. She puts others ahead of her own needs too often and it's finally caught up to her."

"She was doing her job, Neil. She's supposed to protect those children. It's no different than you going to the mission in the middle of this storm to save her. Those are the sacrifices we make for the people that we care about."

Neil closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "You're right. Are you staying warm enough?"

"You left me with enough fire wood to last through next May," She laughed. "I'm fine."

"Alright. Call if you need anything."

"I will. I love you, Mac," She said.

He closed his eyes, soaking in the words and letting them warm his heart. "I'll call you later to update you."

"Thank you. Bye."

"Goodbye."

He listened for the line to click off, and then he replaced the receiver. Slowly he settled his body into the chair beside the stairs and listened to the howling wind and snow outside the mission. He was battling with a gripping fear, and he felt powerless to it. Sitting there, at the bottom of the stairs, he could hear Alice's hushed tones as she talked to David in Christy's room, and Ruby Mae's rattling around in the kitchen, but he felt strangely alone. He felt that no matter where he was in that moment, his heart would not feel at home. It belonged to no one, and he desperately wanted to give it to Margaret, but there was something holding him back. He had forgiven Margaret, weeks ago, before she even returned. There was something more than resentment for her, because he found that he held none against her.

"Forgiveness is a powerful thing. I don't think anyone would be capable of loving anyone else if we couldn't forgive."

Christy's words drifted over him, and he perked up to listen. They had been discussing forgiveness after Bessie Coburn had accused both of them of an illegitimate relationship, and Neil had admired her quickly mending relationship with Bessie. She'd smiled, shrugged, and proceeded to tell him why she felt forgiveness was so important.

"God forgave us when we didn't deserve it," She had said simply. "From my point of view, the least we can do is to forgive others when they don't deserve it, because we're just as undeserving of it. No one wants guilt or resentment hanging over them, suffocating them. Forgiveness is a powerful thing. I don't think anyone would be capable of loving anyone else if we couldn't forgive."

Neil nodded, suddenly able to fully comprehend what she had told him all those months ago. He may have forgiven Margaret, and she him, but there was another level of forgiveness that needed to take place. He needed to forgive himself.

"God help me," He breathed out. "I don't know how this works. I don't know how to let my guilt go. Please help me. Christy, David, Alice…they all talk about this forgiveness…about you freeing them from guilt. I need that, God. I need you to forgive me so that I can love again. Please, God…Forgive me. I know I have done so many things wrong. I've run from you, and I've hated you. But I'm done with that. God, I just want to be done with all of it. I feel like I'm suffocating, and I just need to start over. I know I don't deserve it, but if you could find a way to forgive me, God, I'll spend the rest of my life serving you. Please…please."

He broke down in sobs, but a sudden peace came over his heart, and he froze. He'd been told about it, so many times, but never believed it. He'd never allowed himself to think that he could feel it too, but he was. That peace, that lightness, the weightlessness of being forgiven was his at last. For the first time in years, he felt alive. He could start over. He could be free of his painful past. He was forgiven because of the sacrifice of God's son.

The snow had stopped falling and dawn was just beginning to lighten the grey sky as Alice stood on Christy's balcony, Bible tight between the palms of her hands as she prayed. Christy still had not moved an inch, and David had finally drifted off at his spot on the floor by Christy's bed an hour ago. His head rested on his arms right next to Christy's side, and Alice had placed a quilt over his shoulders. Neil had come and gone throughout the night, at one point asking to borrow David's Bible. This had set David on edge, thinking that Christy was dying and Neil was desperately seeking answers. He had been wrong, and Neil had confessed to them both the change that had taken place. David had even smiled, despite the situation they found themselves in, and the two men had hugged in a brotherly way. The sight had warmed Alice's heart. She wished Christy had been able to see it, but realized that without Christy's near brush with death, this likely would not have happened with Neil.

Her heart was overwhelmed. She feared that they would lose Christy or the baby, but was relying on God for strength and hope. Hope had been provided through Neil's decision to trust in God. She was overjoyed to see the man she was beginning to see as a son finally allow God into his life. She felt a strange stirring of guilt though, when she knew that Margaret was at home waiting for Neil to return, unaware of the change that had taken place. She feared that her estranged daughter would immediately reject Neil when she found out that he had been converted to "Mother's God." Alice did not trust Margaret, despite everyone's insistence that she was changing. Too many stabs had been taken at her heart.

A stirring behind the closed balcony doors caught her attention and she opened them to find David weeping as he knelt beside Christy's bed. His lips were pressed against Christy's hand, and a smile was forming on his face. Christy was blinking slowly, her eyes taking him in.

"David?" Christy's voice choked out.

"Good morning, beautiful girl," David whispered. "I'm so glad you're finally awake."

Christy smiled faintly, and Alice let her tears fall freely. Christy was fine. She was going to be fine. Alice immediately sent up prayers of thanks and then moved toward Christy. She bent and placed a kiss to Christy's forehead.

"We are happy to see thee awake, Christy," Alice whispered. "I'm going to get Neil."

Christy smiled up at her, and then turned back to David as Alice left the room. Alice glanced over her shoulder to see David kissing the daylights out of Christy, and she quickly looked away, closing the door behind her, before descending the stairs to find Neil.