The Comb

Chapter Three

Hope Valley 1919

Nathan walked up to the counter and placed the supplies he was purchasing on the counter in front of Ned Yost, proprietor of the mercantile. Ned turned from the shelf he was inventorying and greeted Nathan.

"Well hello Nathan. I almost didn't hear you there. Caught you out of the corner of my eye. Can't miss that flash of red." Ned stated obviously.

Nathan grinned, nope can't miss the red. The two men awkwardly stared at one another a moment. Nathan not being one for too much idle chit chat.

"Okay", Ned finally said. Is there anything else I can get for you Nathan?"

"Peaches, I didn't see any peaches on the shelf."

"Right peaches!" Ned repeated. I've got some right back here. I've not been putting as many cans out on the shelf these days. Let me grab you a couple of cans."

Ned went around the corner to grab the cans and Nathan grinned, laughing inwardly at his memory of the infamous missing peaches awhile back.

Nathan waited patiently at the counter for Ned's return. As he stood there idly, he noticed that it looked as if Ned had left something out on the counter he shouldn't have. It looked like a jewelry tray. Nathan stepped closer to the counter to inspect the out of place item. Nathan planned on giving Ned a scolding on leaving things like this out where anyone could take something from it. It was indeed some items of jewelry. Nathan had never known Ned to carry Jewelry in the store before. When he had bought a bracelet for Allie one Christmas, he had had to order it. Nathan was intrigued and picked up a ladies' black hair comb. He let his fingers glide across its intricate filigree work. It was beautiful and seemed to possess a certain enchantment about it. Nathan delicately stroked the shiny comb between his work worn fingers. Nathan was a happy man. He had a job he loved, a community he loved, and most of all he had Allie. He loved Allie, his daughter, with all his heart. Although she was really grown up now, she wasn't quite grown up enough for a gift like this. Nathan thought about the woman he had always wanted to buy gifts like this for. His wife, his love, the mother of his children. Once he had thought that woman would be Elizabeth Thornton. Hope Valley's School teacher, and the woman he had fallen in love with. Unfortunately, it was not to be. Elizabeth had fallen in love with another man. Or so she had said. Nathan had come to know that Elizabeth had been in love with him, as much as he had been in love with her. She was just too scared to take the leap with another Mountie after losing her beloved Jack in the line of duty. She was too scared to take that leap with him. "She should've trusted me!" Nathan thought to himself. Then there was Bouchard! He was the easier man to love. He was charming and said all the right things. He was as they say, "A handsome devil!" Of course, hefound a way into her heart.

Nathan's thoughts then fell on another lady. The only lady he had ever had a thought for other than Elizabeth. It had been almost two years now since Elizabeth had refused him, but recently he and Faith Carter, the town Doctor, had been getting along rather nicely. Nathan had to admit as much as he had always liked Faith and her company, he had never thought of her as anything other than a nice young woman and a thoughtful friend. She took care of Allie and himself. She took care of the whole town, and he admired her work ethic. Nathan could admit to himself that after he and Newton's accident he began to look at her differently. He wasn't sure how or when it happened but suddenly, she seemed much different than the young nurse he had met when he first came to Hope Valley. Now he saw her as a beautiful and accomplished woman, working in a profession not always kind to women. She was smart, and poised, and she knew how to handle him and Bill with their stubborn Mountie ways. That was very attractive to Nathan. Then there were her eyes. Big wide pools of Blue he could investigate endlessly. Nathan could not deny it. He had feelings for Dr. Faith Carter.

Nathan felt drenched in the comb's polished brilliance. Nathan squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. The brilliance from the combs lustrous surface almost too bright. He opened his eyes and the room seemed filled with brightness. As if the sun itself shone directly into the store. Nathan could feel his knees beginning to buckle and he grabbed the edge of the counter for support, his head swimming now too! Suddenly the room began spinning. It spun faster and faster and faster, and then with a strong jolt, the spinning came to an abrupt stop. Nathan could feel his body supporting itself now. There was no longer anything to hold onto. He could both hear and sense strange sounds and movements. "What was going on?" Nathan thought to himself. Nathan slowly opened his eyes and found himself in the middle of something quite chaotic. He wasn't sure what was going on. He stood on a hard surface. It seemed to be a road, he thought to himself. There were two separate piles of some sort of twisted metal and injured people lying on the ground. Most shocking of all was the rather large machine that sat just feet from him. It had some sort of blades atop it that swirled around slowly and made a great deal of noise. He began to stammer closer to it, trying to investigate when he felt a hand grab his arm and pull him back.

"Hey hey, where are you going there Constable? I don't need another patient."

Nathan looked at the woman quizzically and she pointed to the chopper blades.

"They may have begun to slow down but their still dangerous." Faith warned. She took off walking again, her hand still gripping Nathan's elbow tightly. "I need you over here Constable." Faith informed Nathan as she drug him along with her to the next patient.

"Here, put these on," she demanded and handed Nathan a pair of rubber medical gloves. Nathan took the gloves, but he wasn't sure how to put this strange pair on and he struggled a bit. Faith just assumed he was nervous and had never been on a scene quite this bad before. She then directed him to put pressure on the female patient's groin. She feared a bleed from the femoral artery and time was of the essence. Faith could feel Nathan draw back from the duty, but they had no time for proprieties now. This was Emergency medicine! She reached over and grabbed Nathan's hand and planted it down firmly on the ladies leg. "Like this Constable!" Faith directed and Nathan shook his head yes in confirmation of his newly assigned duty.