From Friendship to Love
Chapter 3
Early the next morning, Nathan saddled Newton and headed out on his rounds - feeling light hearted and hopeful. The last year had been trying, but maybe he'd had to go through that heartbreak to be able to be ready to move on at the same time that Faith was. As much as he'd loved Elizabeth, and he had loved her, he was beginning to understand that something in her was more broken than he'd ever realized and he really had to let her go. He had to acknowledge that it wasn't his responsibility to fix her or make her life easier. He'd watch over her from now on only so much as it was his responsibility in his job. Friends? Hmmm, not so sure about that, at least right now. Friendly? Yes. Cordial? Yes. He just didn't think he could be friends with her unless she admitted how lopsided said friendship had been for the last year - and an apology wouldn't hurt either, but he wasn't going to hold his breath waiting for that. He was no longer going to be fixing things for her and Bouchard. If that relationship was going to last, it needed to be able to do so on its own merit. Now, he just needed to figure out when and how to talk to her about it. He decided he'd discuss that with Faith and see what she thought. At the thought of Faith, he smiled big and continued on his rounds, whistling all the way.
At the Infirmary, Faith was equally light hearted. She was doing some paperwork when Fiona poked her head in the door, saw that Faith was alone and slipped inside - pulling up a chair near her. Faith tried to keep a straight face, but Fiona wasn't fooled.
"You're glowing!" Fiona claimed. Faith's face lit up and she blushed a little. Fiona clapped her hands together. She was so happy for her friends. "Well, it's about time! So, you mentioned wanting to ask him about his feelings for Elizabeth and how he might feel if she changed her mind - again. Did you talk to him about that?"
Faith nodded "I did and he told me he had thought about that very thing and there's just no romantic love for her left. He said that he would not have asked to court me if there was even a small chance that he still had those feelings."
"Oh, Faith! That's great! So, did anything else happen?" Fiona asked, a sly look in her eyes.
"Fiona Miller! I will never kiss and tell" Faith responded with a sparkle in her own eyes.
Fiona's eyes grew wide and she grabbed Faith's arm, "Did he?" she asked, excitedly.
"Nope. I did and it was absolutely wonderful! I'm having supper with him and Allie tonight!"
"Wow! Way to go, Faith!" Fiona exclaimed, impressed by her friend's initiative.
"Which reminds me, I need to go by the cafe and order a cake, because - well - you know..." they both laughed because Fiona did know. "Do you have a few minutes to go over there with me right now? I'm only on call for today, so I can go take care of it now. Fiona nodded and Faith put a note on the door and locked up, then they headed down towards the cafe.
Nathan arrived back in town only minutes after Faith and Fiona entered the cafe. He noticed the note on the Infirmary door, so he knew she wouldn't be there right now. He secured Newton and headed into his office, determined to take care of any paperwork, find Faith and head to the Mercantile to be sure that Allie had picked up their groceries for tonight. He was happy that he didn't have anything very pressing on his desk and made quick work of it. As he grabbed his hat to head back out, the door opened and there she was. Her golden curls barely secured in an updo and spilling out of it at will, her cheeks rosy from the slight chill in the air and her dancing eyes as bright as the blue sky. His heart lifted and he closed the distance very quickly, taking her hands in his. "Hi" he said with a crooked smile.
She grinned brightly, "Hi yourself, Constable."
He looked over her shoulder, then discreetly drew her inside where they couldn't be seen and leaned in, touching his lips lightly to hers. She responded quickly by pulling him even closer. The kiss was brief - but held an enormous amount of promise and sent both of their hearts skittering. He was really not wanting to let her go, but didn't want to draw any negative attention their way, so he stepped back into the doorway.
Faith giggled and her eyes sparkled - she was immensely grateful that he was such a gentleman. Whether right or wrong, society had dictates about public displays of affection and if anyone's reputation would suffer, it would be hers. She loved that Nathan would never do anything that would put that reputation in jeopardy - even if only to satisfy himself. And, she'd bet that he would stop her from doing it as well. This was the kind of man that she wanted to be with. She'd gotten it wrong a couple of times before, but felt that she'd learned valuable information from both relationships. She didn't want a man who wanted to own her and she'd never even consider another relationship with a coworker. She wanted a partner in life, a friend and one who lit her on fire as well. She was pretty sure that she was looking at that man right now and it sent delicious shivers right down to her toes.
He pulled her outside, never letting go of her hand. "I'm just locking up now and plan to bed Newton down and stop in at the Mercantile. Do you have to get back to the Infirmary, or do you have time to take a walk with me?"
Faith nodded and watched as he undid Newton's reigns, noticing that he was moving more comfortably than even yesterday. She weighed whether to mention it or not, but didn't want to hold anything back. It seemed important to just be who she was with him. "It looks like your shoulder is healing nicely, Nathan. How's it feeling to you?" She asked as they began walking towards the livery. She looked at him directly and without guile.
He smiled, happy that she was relaxed enough to ask him about this and not be worrying about the doctor - patient thing that she'd been so hung up on. She was the town's only doctor. He reached over and pulled her arm through his. "It's feeling very well. Only twinges and I'm being careful. Hired someone to finish the window repairs at home. No more ladders for awhile. Faith, I'm glad you asked. As both my doctor and my girlfriend."
As the pair walked towards the livery, Elizabeth was headed to the Mercantile. She happened to look up and see Nathan grab Faith's hand. It was so clear. She wanted to say that he'd looked at her like that, and maybe he had - but there seemed to be something more here. She stumbled a bit on a loose board and quickly averted her gaze. It was troubling to realize that she was feeling jealous. Not even sure that the jealousy was because Faith was now the recipient of that look or because she longed for what was clearly happening between the two - or maybe both. The shock at this realization nearly brought her to her knees. She caught sight of her engagement ring just then and felt nauseous. Oh, how was she going to get her errand done and back home without having to encounter anyone? Maybe she should just drop in on Rosemary, sure that she was at the Valley Voice office, but not sure that her friend deserved to have to deal with her drama again after all this time. How she wished for Abigail at that moment. She decided right then that she would try to call her when she arrived back at home.
Lucas stood on the balcony of the Queen of Hearts, teacup in hand and watched Elizabeth hurry along the boardwalk. She hadn't even stopped in this morning, seemed to consciously avoid even looking towards the saloon. He'd seen Nathan and Faith walking towards the livery and knew the exact moment that Elizabeth had noticed them. She'd actually stumbled. He just shook his head. Why was he even doing this? Ever since she'd practically chased him down as he was planning to leave Hope Valley for good, he'd wondered if she was really all in. All of the very public displays of affection around town didn't hurt. He'd really liked that Grant knew who'd won and was often reminded of it. He'd enjoyed pretending to be the man's friend. Then when he'd decided to 'hide' from Spurlock at Elizabeth's house and convinced her to let him spend the night - as if they wouldn't find him there - he was certain that he could take things further. He was glad that people would be able to see his car out back. I mean, how many times had he come by only to find Newton tethered outside? Maybe that wasn't overnight, but still. He never thought she'd go for it, but she did - and he was there all night. Unfortunately, Jack Thornton's kid slept between them the entire time and he was never actually able to get her alone. She was a widow, after all... Then she'd practically begged him to propose. He still wasn't even sure why he did. Not even really sure he wanted forever with her, or anyone - and this is what he needed to figure out, before any wedding plans happened. He finished his drink and turned to go inside. It might be time to start considering selling this place for good - he was growing tired of this town and playing these games.
As Nathan and Faith approached the Infirmary, she noticed a woman waiting on the bench outside. Clearly, their walk was coming to an end. They stopped and he squeezed her hand "I'll see you at five?" he asked, not really wanting to let go just yet.
She flashed a brilliant smile. "I'm looking forward to it, Constable!"
He watched as she unlocked the door and led the woman inside, then he continued on to the Mercantile. He wanted to make certain that Allie had gotten everything on his list for supper tonight. His Mountie instincts momentarily off because he was thinking of a certain fair haired doctor - and as a result he practically ran right into Elizabeth as he entered the store. She startled, dropping her basket and simply stared at him. "Elizabeth! I'm so sorry!" he leaned down and picked up her basket. She still simply stared as though she'd never met him before. Very strange. "Elizabeth? Are you alright?"
She shook her head as though waking from some sort of trance - her cheeks growing pink. "Nathan! I'm fine, really. I just need to get back home and relieve Laura. Jack's not feeling well..." With that, she turned and started for the door, Nathan still holding her basket.
He reached out to stop her "Elizabeth...your basket. Did you need to purchase something for Jack?" He held it out for her to take and could see her trying to come up with a plausible reason for seemingly wanting to get away from him as quickly as possible. She grabbed the basket handle just as Ned came out from the back room and Nathan took that opportunity to change the subject and focus from her. He knew that he'd need to have a tough conversation with her, but now was not the time or the place.
"Nathan!" Ned greeted "I know why you're here and I promise you that your girl left here with everything on your list." He glanced at Elizabeth then back at Nathan with a question in his eyes.
Nathan gave a barely perceptible nod, eyes sliding briefly towards Elizabeth, then said "Thanks, Ned! She's getting more and more responsible every day. I probably didn't even need to stop in, but..."
Ned laughed, "Understandable, really. Teenage girls! Their minds are on so many different things all at once these days. You're right, though, your girl is a sharp one."
They finished their pleasantries and Nathan gave Elizabeth one last searching look as though trying to discern if she really was okay. He had to mentally shake himself. 'Not my responsibility. Maybe Bouchard should come and take care of her...yeah, as if that's ever going to happen.' he thought. With that he departed the store and tried to shake the moment of sadness that hit him. He sent a glance Heavenward, praying for Elizabeth to get her act together if for no other reason than her son - then he turned and headed towards home.
Back in the Mercantile, Ned gently steered Elizabeth back on track and she manages to get the items that she came for. Just then, Florence took a call then says "Elizabeth? Laura is on the line. She'd like to speak with you. She says it's about Jack."
Elizabeth's heart sinks as she rushes to the phone. "Laura, what is it?"
"Mrs Thornton, Jack's fever is higher and he's complaining of a tummy ache. He's asking for you."
With a heavy sigh, Elizabeth responded that she'll see if Dr Carter can come out and check on him, then she disconnects the call.
Florence, being Molly's best friend, knew what transpired outside the infirmary a few days ago and realized that this may create some more issues for Elizabeth - thereby affecting Jack - so she came up with a plan. "Elizabeth, why don't I run over to Faith's office and let her know what's going on and you can see if Lucas, Lee or Henry can possibly give you both a ride to your house?"
"Oh, will you please?" Elizabeth asks while glancing out the window and praying to see if Lee or Henry's cars were on the street. She didn't really have the time or energy to ask herself why she didn't immediately rush over to the saloon and try to get a ride home from Lucas. With a nod from Florence, the women both set out to complete their tasks.
As Faith approached Henry's car, she steeled herself. This may be awkward, but Jack Thornton wasn't to blame and he needed her. She saw Elizabeth sitting in the back seat and let herself in the front and put on her best professional demeanor, turning to find out the pertinent details about Jack's symptoms. She tried not to be frustrated with the woman, even though she spoke clearly - she avoided eye contact with Faith as much as possible. When they pulled up in front of the Thornton home, the women thanked Henry, then went inside. Elizabeth spoke with Laura briefly and told her that Henry was waiting to take her home, then they went upstairs to Jack. Fortunately, Jack seemed to have a stomach virus and his fever was already dropping. Once he was resting comfortably, Faith gave Elizabeth some instructions and the two headed downstairs.
Elizabeth started to thank her, but Faith put a hand on her arm. They regarded one another for a moment and before Faith could get a word out, Elizabeth spoke up "You were right, Faith." in a barely audible voice.
A little surprised, Faith hesitated then nodded towards the parlor and the two went and sat down - she waited for Elizabeth to make eye contact. "I shouldn't have spoken to you that way and I'm sorry for it." she wanted to say more but believed that an apology shouldn't be followed with a 'but'. She stopped talking to give Elizabeth time to continue the conversation she started.
After a few moments, Elizabeth sighed heavily. "Thank you for the apology, but it's not necessary. Even though it's hard to admit, you were right. I've been awful to Nathan for a long time and I don't even know how to make that right or if I even can. Worse yet, I stood by while Lucas was awful to him as well, then expected him to do things for us at direct cost to himself and his principles." She wiped a tear from her cheek, looking up at Faith and surprised to not find censure in her eyes.
A war of emotions began in Faith's mind. Elizabeth had been her friend for years - even before Nathan Grant ever arrived in Hope Valley. She'd watched her go from a strong, independent woman to a broken hearted widow with a child on the way, then a lost woman being pursued by two very different men - one of them a Mountie like her late husband and the other the kind of man her husband would've sought to put behind bars - and now just a broken woman pretending so hard to be in love with the wrong man that she'd managed to lose herself. But a small part of Faith couldn't help but worry about possibly losing Nathan - even though they'd addressed this very thing last night - and he was nothing if not a man of honor; a man of his word. Taking a deep breath, she offered "Elizabeth - this is a conversation that I believe you need to have with Nathan. He needs to hear what you have to say."
"Again, you're right Faith. It will probably have to wait until Jack is feeling better, but it needs to be done."
Faith glanced at her watch, "Oh dear, I really do need to get back to town!" They both stood and started to move towards the door.
As Faith stepped outside, Elizabeth said, "Thank you, for everything. For being honest with me, listening to me and taking care of my boy."
"Well, I'll always be here to take care of you and your boy and you're welcome for the rest. Now, if you need me this evening you can reach me at the Grants." She turned and started briskly walking back towards town, not at all noticing that Elizabeth's mouth briefly opened and closed as she again processed evidence that Nathan really had moved on.