A/N: For purposes of my story, there is a James that works at the mill in Hope Valley. Even if he doesn't exist in the TV Hope Valley- he's in this one ;) It isn't really relevant to the story, I just needed an non-essential character, so ... Enjoy! :)

"Who do you suppose that is?" Mrs Thatcher asked her husband in response to the knock at their hotel room door.

"I'm certain I don't know," Mr Thatcher replied. He opened the door to find Jack Thornton at his door.

Jack stood there in his Mountie uniform, hat in hand, with a look that showed part determination and part apprehension.

"Constable Thornton? I see you've made it back to town. If you're looking for Elizabeth, however..."

"No, sir," Jack interrupted. "I was actually hoping I could have a moment of your time. With both of you." he nodded towards Mrs Thatcher.

"Well, come in, Constable," Mr Thatcher motioned.

"Just Jack is fine," he smiled.

"Well, Jack, it's nice to see you again," Mrs Thatcher said, rising to shake greet him. "I hope your trip was a good one. No troubles, I hope."

"It was, indeed a good trip. I enjoyed spending time with my mother. We hadn't spent that much time together in many years."

"It's always nice to spend time with family," she said.

Jack swallowed, nervous that she was leading the conversation in the path opposite of how he wanted it to go.

"Please, sit," Mr Thatcher motioned. "It seems you have something pressing on your mind."

"I do, sir," he began.

"Look, if this is about your brother and my daughter, I..."

"Pardon me, no, sir. I don't want to talk to you about Julie and Tom. My brother can speak for himself, and I would never dare to think to try and speak on Julie's behalf, sir."

"Well," Mr Thatcher responded. "I respect a man who doesn't meddle in other's affairs. So, what is the issue you wish to discuss?"

"It's Elizabeth, sir. And our future."

"When you say 'our', I can only assume you mean you and Elizabeth? Together?"

"Yes, sir," Jack answered. "I'm not sure I've made it clear to either of you how I truly feel about your daughter."

"And how do you feel?"

"Mr Thatcher, your daughter is very important to me. I am sure you know how special she is. She has changed my life in ways I never imagined it could change. When I came to Hope Valley I never dreamed I'd make a home here. In fact, I didn't even want to be here. I was a little angry, actually, because I thought the only thing that separated me from a posting at Cape Fullerton was a spoiled, little rich girl that wouldn't last a week on the frontier. And since that first week Elizabeth has done nothing but surprise and amaze me. Who I thought she was...well, that's not who she is. And she made me realize that who I thought I was - is not who I am."

"I must, admit, Jack. Your candor has left me a little speechless," Mr Thatcher replied, unsure how to respond to Jack's revelations.

"You must know Elizabeth thinks very highly of you, too. Her letters almost make you seem too good to be true," Mrs Thatcher added.

"I'm sure, ma'am, that Elizabeth is far too flattering of me in her letters, but I assure you, I am not exaggerating her virtues, Mrs Thatcher. Elizabeth is an amazing woman. I'm lucky to know her. I'm even luckier to have her heart," Jack admitted, blushing. "I know that Elizabeth can and will make her own decisions in life, but it would mean the world to both of us if we could have your blessing."

Jack took a deep breath. Ever since the moment he left Hope Valley to return with his mother to Aberdeen, he'd rehearsed this conversation in his head. Julie and Tom's arrival had definitely shaken Jack's resolve to finally ask Elizabeth to marry him. He knew her parents would be upset about their youngest daughter's decisions, and adding his brother into the situation did not do him any favors with the Thatchers. He knew from their previous meetings that they would not be thrilled at the idea of having a Mountie for a son-in-law. He knew they wanted better for their daughter. But this was his belief, firmly rooted in his soul, that he and Elizabeth were meant for each other. They had come too far and through too much to be separated now. But he also knew that Elizabeth's parents were very important to her, and having their blessing would mean the world to her. He wanted her to be happy and secure in their new life together. So every minute of every day since leaving Hope Valley, he had planned and practiced the speech he just gave the Thatchers. Originally, he had thought he would have to go all the way to Hamilton to have it, so he was pleasantly surprised to learn they were in Hope Valley when he arrived. At first, he thought perhaps it was terrible timing to approach them. If they had come all the way to Hope Valley, it certainly wasn't to offer their congratulations to the newlyweds. But he knew that it was now or never, and he had waited long enough to propose to Elizabeth. So, as soon as he left Abigail's he made a bee-line for the hotel. He swallowed every ounce of pride in him as he knocked on that door. As he sat there, he still wasn't sure if he'd made the right decision, but he knew that he had to try.

"You want my blessing to ask for my daughter's hand in marriage?" Mr Thatcher finally asked after moments of silence. Mrs Thatcher had gasped as he spoke the word blessing and tears had formed at the corner of her eyes. She waited for her husband's reaction before she spoke.

"Yes, sir. That is what I'm asking," Jack answered.

"You know I came to Hope Valley with the intention of taking my daughters back home."

"I assumed," Jack replied. "Is that still your intention?"

"It would seem, Jack, that my intentions and my daughter's wishes are at odds," Mr Thatcher replied, make as much of a semblance of a smile as he lips made.

"It would seem so," Jack agreed, also smiling.

Just then, there was a loud knock on the door.

"My we are certainly quite popular today," Mrs Thatcher commented.

Mr Thatcher opened the door to Hickam.

"Pardon me, Mr Thatcher, but I was told Constable Thornton was here. It's an emergency."

Jack stepped to the doorway as he heard Hickam.

"What's wrong, Hickam?"

"There's been an accident at the mill..." he began.

"Mr Thatcher, Mrs Thatcher, I apologize, but..."

"Nonsense, Constable. You're needed. Go. We can continue this conversation another time," Mr Thatcher assured him.

Jack put his hat on and nodded towards the Thatchers and followed Hickam out of the hotel.

They arrived at the mill to find a chaotic and rowdy crowd.

"Lee!" Jack called, seeing his friend admist the chaos. "What happened?"

"Jack, thank goodness you're here. The men were unloading the last of the supplies - there was a heavy crate. A bottom board of the crate broke and a heavy motor landed on James and Tom. Tom says he's okay, but his leg really needs attention. Bill is in bad shape."

"Has anyone sent for Faith?"

"We tried, Constable," Hickam answered. "But she wasn't at the clinic. Ms Abigail said she and Pastor Frank rode out to the new settlement this morning."

"Ok, I'll go find her," Jack replied.

"No, I'll go!" a voice called out.

"Tom? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Just a little cut on my leg is all. James took the brunt. It landed on top of him and he's having trouble breathing."

Jack examined his brother's leg. It was much worse than Tom let on.

"You're in no condition to go anywhere."

"I'm fine. Besides, you're needed here. You're the one can be the most help without the nurse here. I rode out with her and Pastor Frank a couple of weeks ago. I know right where to find them. I'll hurry. You tend to James."

Before Jack could argue Tom hopped on Jack's horse and thundered away. Jack was astonished to see his brother be so noble. His surprise only paused him for a moment, as his concern quickly turned to James.

"Let's get him over to the clinic. We can keep him comfortable and tend to him as best we can until Faith arrives."

The men carefully loaded him up and rushed him to the clinic.

The commotion in getting him settled led to a gathering crowd on the streets of town. Word of the accident spread and soon Julie was aware. She rushed to the clinic in search of Tom.

"Jack? Jack, where's Tom?"

Jack ushered her out of the clinic, where Hickam and Lee were doing their best to keep prying eyes outside and out of the way.

"Julie, he's okay. He rode to the settlement to get Faith."

"But I heard he was hurt..."

"Julie? What's going on?"

Julie turned to see her mother and father. After Jack rushed off they made their way downstairs to find out what was going on. As word of the accident spread through town, they, too had heard the news.

"Oh, Father," Julie cried, rushing into his arms. Mr Thatcher was startled, but recovered and hugged his daughter.

"Is Tom alright, dear?" her mother asked.

Jack answered.

"He's fine. His leg is injured, but he wouldn't give me time to look at it. He rode to find the town nurse. She went to the settlement outside town to take supplies and check on the people there."

"Why would he run off when he was hurt?" Julie pouted.

"I guess he was doing what he thought was right. James is in pretty bad shape. Tom wanted to help," Jack answered, truthfully unsure of the real answer himself.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Mr Thatcher asked.

"I appreciate the offer, Mr Thatcher, but until Faith gets here, the best we can do is keep him comfortable."

"Shouldn't he go to the hospital?" Mrs Thatcher asked.

"The nearest hospital is Union City," Jack answered. "Faith needs to examine him and make sure he's okay to travel before we try to take him that far."

He looked at his sister in law, who seemed frightened and worried. Tears had already started slowly trickling down her cheeks. He looked up and saw Elizabeth and Abigail approaching.

"Elizabeth!" he called. "Why don't you take your sister and parents to Abigail's? As soon as Tom arrives back, I'll let you know."

Elizabeth was puzzled as to what Jack meant - she wasn't even sure exactly what was going on, but she nodded and hoped Julie would explain once they got back to the cafe.

Jack headed back in to tend to the patient until Faith could arrive.

After a couple of hours, Tom finally rode up with Faith on the back of the horse. Pastor Frank was bringing the wagon back, but he was much slower than Tom and Faith on the horse.

Faith rushed in to tend to James and Jack made Tom allow him to look at his leg.

"It needs stitches," Jack said, frowning. "And you didn't clean it first. It's already started to look red."

"I'm told you're handy with a needle," Tom grinned.

"Why would you take off like that?" Jack asked, seriously. "I've never known you to be..."

"A hero?" Tom finished. "Maybe spending time with my big brother is rubbing off on me."

Tom smiled, but Jack did not share his levity.

"I was going to say reckless," he frowned. "You had no business racing off with your leg like this. You've got a wife and child on the way to worry about now, Tom."

"Which is exactly why I did it. James is hurt bad, Jack. Anyone can see that. You and I are bound to the best riders in this town. You know that. You were needed here, so that left me. If that was me in there, I'd want someone to help me. James has got a wife and kids, too. They need him. That's why I went Jack."

Jack stopped cleaning Tom's wounds for a moment. He looked into his brother's eyes and saw something he never had before - a man.

"You know, little brother," he smiled for the first time. "I think you might just be growing up."

"Shut up, Jack," Tom teased him.

Jack busied himself cleaning and suturing Tom's wounds. By the time he finished Faith came back out from caring for James.

"Not bad work, Constable. Maybe there's a future for you in medicine, after all," she smiled warmly.

"I don't think so. I'll leave the healing to you," he replied with a grin. "How is he?"

"Not good. For sure, he has a few broken ribs. He needs to get to the hospital as soon as possible. But that could also be worse for him..."

Faith groaned. They had a dilemma and she didn't know what the right answer was.

"If he stays here, there's really nothing I can do for him. I don't know the extent of his internal injuries, and he may need surgery. But, the trip to the hospital may cause his injuries to worsen. I'm afraid ..."

"He might die on the way?" Jack finished.

Faith nodded.

"What if we padded the wagon with blankets and such?" Tom asked. "Packed him nice and tight so he didn't move around. Try to keep him from feeling the bumps?"

"That's not a bad idea," Faith answered. "We need blankets and-"

Lee, who had just walked in to overhear the end of the conversation, chimed in, "What about wood shavings?"

"Wood shavings?" Faith echoed.

"We can pour wood shavings - sawdust - into the wagon. If we make a thick enough layer, it would cushion him pretty well."

"That just might work," Jack said.

"Ok. Get to it," Faith answered. "I'll round up blankets and we'll need a plywood board to put directly under him, Mr Coulter. And rope to tie him down on it. This will help stabilize him, as well."

Lee nodded and grabbed Hickam to help.

"I'll help, too," Tom said, trying to rise, but Jack pushed him back down.

"Oh no, you don't," Jack told him. "You're not going anywhere. You stay right here and keep that leg elevated."

Tom looked from Jack to Faith.

"I thought she was the nurse," he joked.

"I am," Faith replied, putting her hands on her hips. "And Jack is right. You don't move from that spot."

"I'm going with Lee and Hickam. We'll be back as soon as we can, Faith."

"Yes, please hurry. Time is not on our side," she said grimly.

Jack nodded and headed out the door behind Lee. The quickly readied the wagon for its trip to Union City. They took it back to the clinic just as the pastor arrived back into town.

"Jack!" he called. "What can I do?"

"Pray!" Jack called back.

They quickly, but carefully loaded James into the wagon and got him settled. Faith hopped in beside Lee and they took off for Union City.

After they were out of sight, Jack headed for Abigail's.

"Jack!" Julie cried out. "Is Tom..."

"He's back at the clinic," Jack answered quickly, trying to calm her down. "I stitched up his leg, but it looks pretty rough. I'm making him rest it and Faith put some ointment on it to help with the healing. He should be okay. We just have to watch his leg closely to make sure it doesn't get infected."

"Oh, thank goodness," she sighed, relieved. "I'm going over there right now."

Before Jack could respond, she rushed out the door.

Elizabeth looked at him, questioningly.

"It's alright," he replied to her unasked question. "Lee and Faith are on their way to Union City with James. They will send word as soon as they can."

"We should have a prayer service," Abigail chimed in.

"It definitely seems to work in this town," Jack winked.

"Yes, it does," Elizabeth agreed, smiling.