AN: Alright, so you are getting this update on Saturday this week because giving where this story is at, posting on Easter just seems wrong to me somehow. You will get a chapter of When Worlds Collide tomorrow evening. In the meanwhile, brace yourself, read and if you want to throw objects at me just make sure they are something soft! LOL!

Nathan kept an eye on both Spurlock and Bouchard the next couple of days. However, neither man did anything that seemed out of line. Nor did the two men have any more altercations. In fact, they seemed to be avoiding each other. In a way, Nathan supposed that was a good thing. Still, something was going on and Nathan knew he would not feel easy until he knew what that something was.

Coming in from rounds one evening, Nathan tied Newton out front of his office and headed inside. His plan was to do some paperwork and then get something to eat at the café before heading home as Ally was spending the night with Opal.

Nathan had followed through with talking to Ellen Weise about the schooling situation. She had confirmed what Ally had said that she was thinking about not sending Opal the following year. "I may not be the best teacher, but I think Opal will learn more from me staying home than she would while feeling uncomfortable in a classroom with a teacher that yells so much," Ellen had told him. She also told him there was a chance that they might be able to get the school board to send a different teacher to Hope Valley. Though they had not told their children, the parents of Hope Valley had petitioned the school board for a different teacher.

As he had told Ally to do, Nathan was going to take things one step at a time. Ally would finish this school year soon and then have the summer. Come fall, he could make a decision about her future schooling then.

Nathan hung his hat on a hook and headed for his desk. He was about to sit down when a folded piece of paper caught his eye. Picking it up he unfolded it and read the typed, short note it contained.

Constable Grant,

I would like to speak with you. Please meet me in my office at the Queen of Hearts at your earliest convenience.

Lucas Bouchard

Nathan sighed. Chatting with Bouchard was the last thing he wanted to end his day with but he couldn't very well ignore the request. Like it or not, Bouchard was a member of the community and it was his job to serve the community.

Deciding just to get it over with, Nathan walked back around the desk. Retrieving his hat from the hook, he put it on his head as he made his was to the Queen of Hearts. Strangely, the saloon looked dark for a Friday night. Reaching the main entrance, Nathan found a sign that said 'Closed for Inventory'. In smaller letters it said, 'Inquiries can be made at the side door'.

As Nathan had been asked to come, he made his way to the side door that Lucas and Spurlock had been standing in front of the a few days ago. When there was no response to his knock, Nathan reached for the knob. It turned easily in his hand and he pushed the door open.

"Hello," Nathan called out as he stepped inside. "Anyone here?" he asked, noting that lights had been left on though all was quiet. "Lucas?"

With no answer to his calls, Nathan made his way to Lucas office. That was where the man had asked him to meet him. His footsteps echoed in the quiet saloon. Nathan wondered where everyone was. If inventory was going on then Nathan would have figured a few of the staff would be on hand.

Reaching the office, Nathan knocked on the door. The knock caused the unlatched door to open slowly. Nathan stepped into the room, debating on whether to wait for Lucas or to try to catch up with the man at another time.

A soft footstep out in the hall made Nathan think that Lucas had returned. He was about to turn toward the door when a gunshot sounded followed by a sharp pain in his back just below his right shoulder. The pain sent Nathan down to his knees, even as he saw a face reflected in a glass door in front of him briefly before the face disappeared. Running footsteps told Nathan that his assailant was fleeing.

Nathan struggled to his feet. He reached for his gun with his left hand as he staggered toward the door. The simple act of walking was painful and left him out of breath. Reaching the doorway, he leaned his left shoulder against it. Closing his eyes, he tried to slow his breathing. Any thought of pursuing the man had left his mind. All Nathan wanted to do was to get to someone to get help with his wound. However, the act of pushing off the wall was unsuccessful and Nathan slid down the wall to sit on the floor.

"Help!" Nathan called out the one word the only thing he could manage to get out between gasps for air. He could feel the blood seeping down his back even as the blackness began to creep in on him.

Elizabeth and Jack had spent the day on a nature walk. She had enjoyed showing her son the different plant life and animals that they had seen. Jack had seemed attentive though Elizabeth wondered how much the boy would retain. However, learning was about repetition and practice. If kids remembered everything after hearing it once, teaching would be a lot easier.

The thought reminded Elizabeth just how much she missed teaching. As she looked down at her son, his hand safely tucked in her own, she tried to remind herself that she was still a teacher. A mother was always a teacher to her children. A father should be too, though Elizabeth knew that there were lessons that Lucas was teaching that she didn't want Jack or any kid to learn.

As her home came into view, Elizabeth suddenly felt cold. A shiver went through her body at the sight of Lucas' car in front of the house. She had not been expecting Lucas for another half hour at least.

"Are you okay, Mama?" Jack asked.

Elizabeth looked down at her son to find him looking up at her with a concerned look on her face. "I am fine. Let's go greet your Daddy."

"Lucas is not daddy," Jack told her, forcefully. "Daddy is dead and I do not want Lucas to replace him. Lucas does not treat us nicely."

Elizabeth sighed. Perhaps her son was a better judge of character than she had been. She certainly could not in good conscience argue with her son's simple statements.

"Let's just go inside," Elizabeth said, starting toward the house again.

Jack followed her without protest. As she walked up the front steps, she wondered why Lucas was home early and what kind of mood he was in. Would he be happy that she was out walking as he thought she needed to lose the weight or would he be upset that she was not here waiting for him when he got home from work?

"About time you are home," Lucas voice came from the sitting room as she walked inside. "Where have you been?"

"Jack and I went on a nature walk," Elizabeth replied, hoping her voice did not actually sound as shaky as she thought it did.

There was a grunt of what sounded like indifference or displeasure from the sitting room. Elizabeth actually hoped for the former. Looking down at Jack, she addressed her son.

"Go upstairs and play in your room until dinner."

"Yes, Mama," Jack replied obediently, letting go of her hand and heading up the steps.

Elizabeth walked into the sitting room. "You are home early," she commented hoping that Lucas did not take the question as an accusation.

"I have the staff doing a thorough inventory, cleaning, and checking to make sure we are in compliance. If Riggins left Constable Grant anything to check up on, I want to make sure nothing is found out of place. They seemed to have everything under control so I came home early only to find the house empty."

"It was a nice day. I thought it would be good to get outside," Elizabeth replied, stopping short of apologizing "Are you ready for dinner? I could go start it?"

"That sounds good," Lucas replied. "Do you think perhaps Rosemary and Lee could take Jack for a bit after dinner so we could have some alone time?"

Elizabeth shivered at the suggestion. She wasn't sure she wanted to do that but she knew not going along with it would only make things harder in the long run. "I will give Rosemary a call," Elizabeth replied, secretly hoping that Rosemary would say she would not be able to tonight.

"Good," Lucas replied, lifting the paper that had been resting in his lap.

Elizabeth slipped from the room, a feeling of relief washing over her. Part of her had not been expecting Lucas to take her not being here when he got home that easily.

Going to the phone in the hallway, Elizabeth placed a call to Rosemary. After a short conversation with her friend, Rosemary assured Elizabeth that they would be delighted to watch Jack for a few hours.

Hanging up the phone, Elizabeth started for the kitchen. She was just about there, when there was a loud knock at the door.

"I will get it," Lucas stated from the sitting room. Moments later her husband walked into the hallway.

Elizabeth knew she should just go to the kitchen and start dinner but for some reason her feet wouldn't move. She stood at the end of the hallway, watching as Lucas opened the front door to reveal a serious looking Bill standing on the front porch.

Bill immediately took a step forward, positioning himself so that the door could not be closed on him. "Where have you been this afternoon, Lucas?" Bill asked in a no nonsense voice.

"I was at the Queen of Hearts until about three and then I came home. Why?"

"Can anyone verify that?" Bill asked, not bothering answering Lucas' question. Elizabeth saw Bill's gaze find her as he asked the question.

Elizabeth shook her head. "I just got back a few minutes ago. Jack and I were out walking this afternoon. Lucas was here when we got home," she replied, not missing the dagger in Lucas' eyes as he looked back at her. Clearly he expected him to stick up for him but she would not lie, not even for her husband.

Bill nodded, and then reached out for Lucas' hand. "Lucas Bouchard you are under arrest," Bill began, placing a handcuff around Lucas' wrist.

"Whoa, shouldn't a Mountie or a sheriff be doing that?" Lucas asked. "You were a judge last time I checked."

"Well, when the local Mountie is the one who has been shot, then the judge needs to deputize someone. I deputized myself."

Elizabeth let out an audible gasp, her heart sinking at Bill's words.

"I didn't shoot anyone!" Lucas said quickly even as Bill put the second cuff around the saloon owner's other wrist.

"You will have your chance to plead your case, after a proper investigation is conducted. Super Intendant O'Reilly and Constable Kinslow are both on their way to do that investigation," Bill told him. "However, given the fact that there is a note apparently from you on Nathan's desk and he was found shot in your office, you will be awaiting the outcome of that investigation behind bars." Bill gave Lucas' arm a bit of a tug. "Let's go."

"Is someone finally doing something about Lucas hurting Mama?" Little Jack asked, drawing three sets of eyes to the boy peering through the banister about half way down the steps.

"Everything will be okay, Jack," Bill assured his god son, before casting a glance in Elizabeth's direction.

Elizabeth looked down at the floor. She knew that Bill would be asking more questions later but she did not want to answer them now.

"Let's go," Bill said again.

This time Lucas went without further protest though Elizabeth did not look up until she heard the front door close. When she did, Jack was hurrying down the hall toward her. Reaching her, the boy threw his arms around her legs and looked up. "Nathan won't die will he?"

Elizabeth wrapped her arms around the boy. "I am sure Nathan will be fine," Elizabeth told her son, with a confidence that she did not feel. She was worried about Nathan and wished she had been able to ask Bill how he was. There was also a part of her that wondered if Lucas really had been the one to shoot Nathan. "Let's get something to eat," Elizabeth told her son, trying to sound upbeat. She knew she would do something simple for the two of them.

As she led Jack into the kitchen, Elizabeth knew she should call Rosemary back and tell her she would not need them to watch Jack tonight after all. She didn't though. She might not need her friends to watch her son, but Elizabeth knew that she needed to see her friends tonight. Perhaps Lee would have more information about Nathan. Even if he didn't, Elizabeth knew she just needed to have someone give her a hug and tell her that everything would be okay, just like Jack had needed from her.

Clara filled coffee cups of those waiting for news at the café that evening. That group included Elizabeth and the Coulters as Lee and Rosemary had come over to see Elizabeth as soon as Lee had come home to tell his wife Nathan had been found unconscious from a gun shot wound in Lucas' office. Gustav had returned from the mercantile confused as to why his boss had left him a note about picking up a package at the mercantile that was not there. Ned had searched through packages twice simply to verify it. The process had taken awhile, and upon returning, Gustav had added a note of his own to the typed note left for him and went to leave it on his boss' desk. It was then that he had found an already unconscious Nathan, the gunshot wound to his right shoulder still bleeding. In a panic, Gustav had picked up the phone and told Florence that he needed the doctor immediately.

Elizabeth sat staring down at the table in front of her. Jack was cuddled up in Lee's lap across from her. The boy had fallen asleep. Rosemary sat beside her, little Aster cradled in one arm while Rosemary's free hand rested on Elizabeth's shoulder. That one hand felt like the only thing solid as the rest of Elizabeth's world seemed to be crumbling around her, just like when she had heard of Jack's death. Strangely though, it wasn't her husband that her mind was focused on. Instead, she was concerned about the man whose love she had rejected in an effort to protect herself from feeling just like she did now.

"Drink some tea," Clara said softly, placing a tea cup in Elizabeth's hand. Clara and Jesse now had a daughter who was a year old. Jesse had turned out to be a doting father and the two parents had worked out a schedule to allow both of them to work - Jesse during the day while Clara ran the café during the evening hours. In the absence of Abigail, Clara had turned to Elizabeth for guidance and comfort during her pregnancy and birth. When Elizabeth had returned from her honeymoon, Clara's weekly tea visits had turned into a bright spot of Elizabeth's day.

The warmth of the cup was the first sensation that Elizabeth was truly aware of since the hug her son had given her right after Bill had taken Lucas away. Looking up, she found Clara gazing at her with concern. It was a look that Elizabeth had seen on more than one occasion in recent months. Though she had not said anything, Elizabeth had a feeling Clara had a suspicion that things were not well in the Bouchard household.

"He can't die, Clara," Elizabeth whispered meeting her friend's gaze.

"Dr. Simmons is doing all he can," Clara replied, knowing exactly who Elizabeth was speaking about. After all the reassurance Elizabeth had given her over the last few years, Clara wanted to be that for Elizabeth now. "Drink the tea," she repeated even as Rosemary moved her hand from Elizabeth hand to rub circles on her friend's back.

Elizabeth lifted the cup to her lips, taking a small sip of the hot liquid. Its warmth felt good even as the aroma of chamomile soothed her frazzled emotions a little bit.

Clara reached out and patted Elizabeth's shoulder before leaving the table. Quite a few people had gathered to wait for news and glancing up at the clock, Elizabeth realized that they had been waiting in the café for nearly three hours now. Surely the doctor had some news he could share with them.

Elizabeth had sipped about half of her cup when the door to the café opened. All eyes turned in that direction expectantly expecting Dr. Simmons or Bill to walk into the café. It was the latter. Seeing that he had everyone's attention, Bill wasted no time giving them the information he knew they were waiting for.

"Dr. Simmons has gotten the bleeding stopped and did what he could for Nathan's injuries. Nathan has not woken up and given the extent of the blood loss, the doctor thinks it could be a while before he does. For now, there is nothing that we can do for Nathan except pray and support Ally. Ellen has taken Ally to her house for the night and I suggest that the rest of you do that as well. I will make sure an update gets released first thing in the morning."

The café was soon filled with the buzz of low voices. Soon, chairs were scraping the floor as people did as Bill suggested. Bill meanwhile, made his way to where Elizabeth and the Coulters sat.

"Let me take you home, Elizabeth," Bill said, kneeling beside her chair. "I know this must be hard for you."

"Did Lucas shoot Nathan?" Elizabeth asked, wanting Bill to tell her no. She hated herself for having doubts about her husband.

"He says no but preliminary evidence says otherwise. A thorough investigation will be conducted and Lucas has a lawyer coming from Union City. We will find out the truth no matter what that truth is."

Elizabeth nodded, realizing that Bill was being diplomatic for her sake.

Bill spoke briefly with Lee, and then taking the sleeping boy from Lee, held out a hand to Elizabeth. Silently, Elizabeth placed her hand in Bill's and let him help her to her feet.

"Jesse and I are coming out to spend the night with you just as soon as I get things cleaned up here," Clara told her, having joined them. "Neither of us thinks you should be alone tonight."

Elizabeth wanted to tell her that it wasn't necessary but realized she did not want to be home alone either. Instead, she simply nodded her consent.

"I will be by to check on you in the morning, Elizabeth," Rosemary informed her.

"I will drop Rosie off before heading into work, and will call with updates throughout the day," Lee promised.

"Thank you," Elizabeth managed, grateful for her friends though she wondered if she deserved them. She slipped an arm through Bill's as he carried Jack. The judge led her from the café, and along the road to her home. They walked in silence at first. When Bill finally did speak, it was the question that Elizabeth had known was coming since Little Jack had made his comment from the stairs.

"Has Lucas ever hurt you, Elizabeth?" Bill asked, the judge as blunt as ever.

"There have been a few disagreements but it is nothing serious," Elizabeth replied, the practiced answer coming quickly. "Probably just the same disagreements that all couples have."

"Are you sure?" Bill said. "Jack seems to think otherwise."

"He's a sensitive child. Yelling upsets him," Elizabeth replied, using the lines she had given to Rosemary on more than once occasion.

Bill sighed beside her. Elizabeth had a feeling that he did not believe those answers. She expected him to push the subject.

"When you are ready to seek help, I will be waiting," Bill told her instead, the sadness clear in his tone.

Elizabeth nodded, grateful for the darkness of the night. She knew there were tears in her eyes, and they were the last thing she wanted Bill to see.