AN: Hello Hello Hello! Here's the latest chapter! Thank you for your kind reviews, they keep me going!
Elizabeth woke with a start one morning, and let out a little gasp. Her first thought was that it must be labor, but the sharp pain was in her shoulder. She carefully rubbed it, and noticed that it was still tender, as if she'd been poked or prodded. She let out a sigh, and stared over at Jack's side of the bed, still cold and empty. Though the sheets had been changed since he'd gone, she'd left his pillow in the same case. She brought it briefly to her chest, inhaling the scent that was so simply Jack. She could already feel that this would be a very long day. She carefully swung her feet over the edge of the bed, and pushed herself up; rising from the bed had been much easier when Jack was around to help pull her up.
"Elizabeth? Good morning!" Cassandra chirped as she poked her head into her room. "I've warmed up a bath for you, and put in a little bit of lavender."
"Oh Cassandra, that's so sweet! You didn't have to do that." Elizabeth said, putting her hand on her heart.
"Please, you've got to stay relaxed! It's especially important, Mrs. Stanton said, since the baby could come any time. My mother said a nice warm bath would do it good and fine, but that I had to make sure it wasn't too hot. I think it should be just about perfect. I'm going to read for just a bit, so I'll be across the hall if you need anything, then I'll go fix breakfast for us."
"No, Cassandra, you've done so much already, I'll fix breakfast."
"Ah ah, I don't want to hear a word about it." Cassandra said with a smile and ducked out the door. Elizabeth laughed and shook her head, and grabbed her robe. She knew that she would have to find a way to repay Cassandra for her kindness, and she would be more than happy to do so. Elizabeth went to the powder room, and slipped into the bath gently. She sat in it for a while, letting the warm water and the gentle scent of the lavender envelope her, but despite the relaxing setting she couldn't quite work the twinge out of her shoulder. She
She dressed in a maternity smock, feeling more giant than ever, and a simple skirt before slowly sinking into her seat before her vanity. She brushed out her hair slowly, recalling the times that Jack had done this for her- not very often, but a few times, when she had been too sick or tired to do it herself...he'd always loved her hair. She tied it out of her face with a ribbon, not willing to put enough effort into curling or pinning it. As she lifted her arms to fix the ribbon she felt the pain in her shoulder once again, and winced.
"How odd." Elizabeth fretted, moving her arm around in a circle to try to get rid of the sensation. "Hm." She finished readying herself for the day, gathered an armful of things, and went to the stairs, descending them very slowly.
"Mrs. Thornton?!" Gabe's voice startled her so much that she dropped the books she was holding.
"Oh, Gabe, you scared me half to death!" She gasped, and went down the stairs to meet him in the sitting room. "I don't know if Cassandra is down yet-"
"Mrs. Thornton, I didn't come for her today, I came because there was a telegram, for you, Mr. Yost said it was important, and I had to get it here straight away!" Gabe explained, extending the paper to her. Elizabeth frowned again, and took it. Upon seeing the sender, she let out a trembling breath, and tore it open at once.
"No! No, no, no!" She cried, her knees growing weak. Gabe took her arm, and carefully guided her over to the sofa. "OH no, no!" She cried again, pressing the telegram to her heart.
"Cassandra?!" Gabe called up the stairs. "Cassandra?!"
"Gabe? What on earth are you doing here- Elizabeth! Are you alright? Is it the baby?" Cassandra noticed the woman seated on the sofa, crying violently, and rushed to her, kneeling at her feet. Gabe gestured to the telegram, and Cassandra pried it loose enough to read it. "Go get Abigail. Go!" Gabe nodded and ran out of the room. "Oh Elizabeth- everything is going to be alright, you'll see!"
"I- I Dont know how it can be!" She sobbed, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. "He promised me! He promised!" Cassandra couldn't think of anything better to say, and no words of comfort came to her mind. She held her hand, and stroked her forehead, hoping it would calm her down, if even just a tiny bit. Within minutes, Abigail came running through the door, her eyes wide.
"What happened? Gabe said- Is everything alright?!" She took a knee next to Cassandra.
"Oh Abigail!" Elizabeth cried, taking her hand. "Jack- he's been- Abigail!" She handed her the telegram, and Abigail read it, letting out a trembling breath.
"Elizabeth, he's going to be alright." Abigail said firmly.
"We don't know that!" Elizabeth sobbed again.
"He's been wounded Elizabeth, but that doesn't mean-"
"He's been shot! It says that things are touch and go!" Elizabeth shook her head. "I've got to go to him, I've got to be with him!"
"Elizabeth, are you crazy? You're only weeks away from giving birth, if that! You've got to stay put!" Abigail insisted.
"I can't! Not when he's been hurt! Abigail, he needs someone there with him- what if he...what if he doesn't make it?! I can't let the last thing he hears be a stranger's voice!" Elizabeth insisted. Her breathing was rapid now, and her heart was beating wildly.
"You'd never make it far enough to find him- riding a horse or even on a wagon you wouldn't make it there without going into labor! Jack wouldn't want you to give birth somewhere on a roadside!" Abigail insisted.
"What can I do, then?" Elizabeth asked, burying her face in her hands. "And don't tell me to pray, or have faith, because that's not enough right now!"
"I honestly don't know, Elizabeth." Abigail sighed. "But you need to rest now."
"I can't! I can't rest!" Elizabeth shook her head. "But I have to rest, because if I don't I'll go into labor, and if I go into labor I don't get to see Jack!"
"Gabe, go get Frank." Abigail insisted. "Cassandra, go get Rosemary and Lee." The teens were up and running within seconds. "Elizabeth, I promise you I'm going to do everything I can to help you, to find where Jack is, and take care of him too, but you're much too excited right now! Remember, Doctor said too much excitement-"
"Could bring the baby early, I know." Elizabeth shook her head. "I don't know what to do- I feel like I'm trapped between two giant rocks; Stay for the baby's sake, go to find Jack- I have to take care of them both…"
"And that's something you'll have to learn to balance; it's a challenge every mother must face, learning to balance motherhood, and being a wife." Abigail said, rubbing her back.
"I only hope I get the chance to learn." Elizabeth said quietly. Abigail wanted to say "you will", she wanted to say it more than anything, but the words wouldn't seem to form on her lips. She opened her arms, and Elizabeth fell into them, as if she was a little girl, clinging to her mother for support when everything else around her was being blown about by a storm that no one had seen coming.
"No matter what happens, I will be here to help you, I promise." Abigail whispered, and turned her eyes heavenward. "Dear God…" She whispered, even quieter, "Please, protect them both."
"Elizabeth?! Oh you poor dear!" Rosemary didn't knock; she ran into the living room, and knelt at her friend's feet. "Cassandra told me what happend; Lee and I will do anything, just anything that we can to help!"
"Yes, we will." Lee said, falling into the room just after his wife had.
"The thing is, I just don't know what can be done." Elizabeth sat up again, and wiped away her tears.
"Well, obviously we have to find out where Jack is, and send someone to be with him!" Rosemary insisted.
"I'm way ahead of you." Frank came in. "I don't mean to barge in, but the door was open-"
"It's fine, Pastor HOgan." Elizabeth said with a nod, and motioned for him to continue.
"When Gabe came to find me, I went to send a telegram to inquire about Jack's location; Gabe's waiting for the reply. Once we know the location, we can send someone to him. It's only a question of who." Frank said.
"It has to be me; I'm his wife!" Elizabeth said again.
"Elizabeth, you can't!" "Think of the baby!" "You can't go on the road now!" Everyone exclaimed all at the same time.
"But if not me-"
"I should go- I'm his oldest friend, I could take care of him." Rosemary insisted. "Oh- but if I go, who is going to teach the children?"
"I could go; I could close up the cafe for a little while." Abigail offered.
"No, if the baby comes, Elizabeth will need you here." Rosemary insisted. "I'm sorry Elizabeth, I don't mean to speak of you as you aren't here-"
"It's fine, please, let's settle this before Gabe comes home, I need someone to be with Jack!" Elizabeth almost yelled, and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I need to be with Jack, but if I can't be with Jack, someone has to be with him, I can't have him alone if he...if he.." She choked on another sob. "I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize, Elizabeth, please." Abigail insisted, stroking her hair. "Who do you think should be with him, if you can't? I know you want to be with him, but Elizabeth, I know you won't risk the baby's health. I'll go if you want me to go, you know that I will."
"Honestly?" Elizabeth asked, sighing. "I know it's a lot to ask, to have someone go away-"
"To be with one of our dearest friends? I don't think that's too much to ask!" Rosemary exclaimed.
"Rosemary, Jack has known you the longest;"
"Of course! I knew I should go, Jack's going to need a lot of care, a woman is the only one who can really care for an injured man, or be of any comfort- of course, you'd be better for it Elizabeth, but I suppose I could be a good substitute!" Rosemary assured herself. "If Lee doesn't mind, and if we can get someone else to teach for, well I suppose it could be a few weeks!"
"Of course you can go, Rosie." Lee said at once. "Wherever he is, I'll take you to him; maybe stay for a day or two."
"And I'll talk to Florence, or even Cat about stepping in to teach while you're gone; given the circumstance, I'm certain they will be more than happy to do it." Abigail said gently.
"I'll more than happy to go, Elizabeth- maybe, you should write a letter for him? I think some of your words would be of great comfort to him; Depending on the situation, I can read it to him for you, so he can hear your voice, even if it's through me!" Rosemary said.
"That's a wonderful idea. I'll grab some paper for you." Abigail said. Elizabeth nodded, but she couldn't even comprehend what she could write to him. What she should write, for that matter! Abigail brought her the paper, and a pen, and something to write on, and Elizabeth's fingers were trembling when she took them.
Jack- darling, darling Jack,
I don't know what to write to you now, and the fact that I cannot go to you breaks my heart, but as Abigail has often pointed out to me this morning, I cannot put our baby at risk, even though I want more than anything to be by your side. I don't know how badly you've been injured, or what's happened to you exactly, the telegram sent to me didn't have many details, but you must recover, you must get better!
Jack, my Jack, You always come back for me, just in time to rescue me it seems, and so you must come back for me here; because I don't know if I can do this without you; I don't know if I can do most anything without you anymore. I've prayed for you, every night, hoping you'd be safe...Now all I can do is pray for you to come home to me. I'm scared, Jack, I'm very scared- but I don't doubt you, not for one second. You always keep your promises to me...And I will always be true to you-
Take your time healing, please, but, come home to me, Jack. Please, please, come home to me. Come home to us, Jack. We're having a baby! And soon, sooner than we might think. I've had twinges, telling me that a baby is coming sooner than later… I dream that you'll be here, that when I have your child, you'll be here to hold them first thing, and to announced the name to everyone...and I promise to hold you very close, and kiss you a thousand times over. I'll take your hand in mine, and never let you go.
All of my love, and everything that I am,
Your Elizabeth.
AN: Sorry it's been so long since my last update! I've been on a trip, and then I was very sick, but I'm back now! And I'll get the new chapter here before too long!