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Chapter Twenty-six

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Health Concerns and an Emergency

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"It's the least I can do for taking an entire day from both of you. I insist."

Nathan glanced at Faith as he reached over the back seat to back up. "We have to eat somewhere, so may as well, eh?"

"Okay, Bill." Faith admonished, "But you must rest on the drive home and go right to bed upon arrival. You heard Doctor Muir. He said rest and extra sleep for a week and then gradually adding in some normal routines."

Grumbling, Bill retorted from the back seat. "I think you called in advance and told him what to say. His treatment plan was suspiciously similar to yours."

Faith laughed, but said nothing.

It was Nathan who spoke up. "Bill? Could it be that Faith's diagnosis and plan were accurate? I mean if she stated the same as an experienced, older physician, that's in her favor. We need to accept her expertise, listen and obey her instructions, right?"

"I guess." Bill paused, scowling. "Doesn't mean I have to like it."

Ignoring Bill's comment, Nathan addressed Faith, "So do you think I need to stay overnight at Bill's place again tonight or can we trust him on his own?"

"Now that we know it is bronchitis, I think he can be on his own, but we need to set up a roster of those who check-in on him and visit throughout the days, plus bring meals. I think I 'll get Molly and Florence to organize that." Faith paused, "Could you bring breakfast and check on him tomorrow morning?"

"Gladly. Bill? Are you up to walking to the restaurant from here or shall I drop you off closer to the door?"

"I am not an invalid. Here is fine."

"Maybe we should order our lunch to take with us. Bill doesn't seem like very good company right now." Nathan raised an eyebrow as he glanced in the rearview mirror. "Should we?"

"No. I want to go in and I can walk from here. Thanks." Bill opened the back door and got out as Nathan came around to open Faith's door.

Placing his arm around Faith, Nathan kissed her temple reassuringly and they exchanged glances.

Bill noticed their exchange, overheard Nathan say it would be okay and that he was right here, and felt convicted. "I'm sorry, you two. You have done nothing but show your care and concern for me and I've been unthinkingly obtuse. You deserve better. I am not keen on bedrest, nor confinement, but as it appears those are both doctors' orders, I will comply. Hoping the better I take care now, the quicker recovery I will enjoy. Let's go eat, eh?"

After ordering hot sandwiches, salads and cake for dessert, Nathan addressed the concern to Bill. "How do you feel about it, Bill? Do you think you are okay alone overnight?"

"Oh yeah. I mean you didn't do anything but get up to be sure I was safely back in bed. I can handle it. You want to bring supper tonight or shall I order it at the Café?"

"Why don't we order it for all of us? I'll even ask Gabe if he wants to join us." Nathan suggested. "We can sit around the parlor and eat off our laps if necessary. It'll be fun and we won't stay too late. Just tell me what time you want breakfast in the morning, okay?"

Plans made, Nathan, Faith and Bill chatted about the upcoming changes in Hope Valley and what to expect from the Provincial Police taking over.

"I expect it might take some time for the townspeople to trust them and actually seek them out instead of me, or us. I mean it might be awkward since I am still in town." Nathan ruminated.

"It might be, Son. I would recommend you try to stay out-of-sight for a couple of weeks, in civilian clothes in the evenings and weekends, and try not to engage in any conversations regarding Mountie matters. Folks will learn eventually if you aren't willing to engage and you refer them to the Provincial Police, especially if you aren't readily seen."

"That's probably true, Honey, but it isn't going to be easy to not see your red serge walking by and you stopping in." Faith saddened at the thought.

"I guess you'll just have to join me upstairs for our lunches," Nathan chuckled.

"Using the back door of course!" added Nathan, wiggling his eyebrows, teasingly.

"Seems a bit like sneaking around though…" Faith whispered worriedly.

"You two can join me in my office anytime. Plus, Cal is around so there's nothing inappropriate. If we hear of any comments, we'll set them straight immediately. Your reputation won't be tarnished, Faith, and we can be certain that Florence and Molly know the situation so that's four of us to defend you!"

"Also, remember I won't be as noticeable! Our new uniforms are brown, so I will blend in with everyone else!" Nathan was grateful for unanimity although not a fan of a brown uniform.

"You, Corporal Nathan Grant, will never go unnoticed! You, and Cal, both stand above all the rest." Faith giggled as she accepted her piece of chocolate cake. "Ummm, this looks delicious!"

Bill looked at Nathan, asking, "How do you feel about losing the iconic red?"

"I have mixed feelings. The red is what we aspire to and are honored to wear, you know, representing the brotherhood. On the other hand, red makes you easily noticed, a good thing when your presence might prevent criminal activity, but a disadvantage when you want to blend in with the crowd but are still on-duty. I guess the brown is good for border patrol, although driving around in a RCMP vehicle negates that! We'll see…"

Chuckling, Bill recalled overcoming his hesitancy to be in civilian clothes when promoted to Inspector. "Remember, Nathan, the uniforms don't have the tightly clasped necks so the shirts and ties are much better suited for the warmer seasons."

"Tie? Nathan! You can loosen those top buttons and feel positively free until you have to represent the RCMP in an official capacity. You'll like that, right?" As Faith looked at Nathan, she added, "I know I will miss the red, but I like the shirt and tie look!"

"Well, if you are happy then…" Nathan chuckled and didn't continue as his chocolate cake was too enticing!

"Are you okay with me stopping at the bookstore and the library? Since I'm in town, I want to see what's available about training dogs. If I note some titles in the library, I can order the volumes for reference," Nathan explained.

"Sure!" Faith readily agreed. "I love libraries and book stores. Sounds like fun!"

"I can always examine the law section, so that is fine with me." Bill interjected, chuckling. "I know, I know, I'll sleep on the way home."

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Back in Hope Valley and opening the door for Faith, Allie and Gabe to precede him into Bill's apartment, Nathan called out, "Dinner delivery and the ladies are joining us, Bill!"

Bill was prevented from answering as he began to cough just as he was ready to speak.

Faith hurried to the kitchen, grabbed a mug and poured hot water from the carafe. She found the ginger she had sliced, added honey, and hurried to Bill in the parlor, handing him the brew to sip slowly.

"Uncle Bill, you sound terrible, but you look very elegant. I would picture a Lord or Baron in a British castle wearing a smoking jacket as sharp as that one!" Allie giggled, but she was impressed. "A velvet collar and cuffs too. Wow!"

Bill smirked as he pocketed his handkerchief and took another sip from the mug. Grinning at Allie, Bill responded, "Especially for you, my dear!"

"We brought the specials from the Café, Bill. I hope that's alright with you? I think Minnie has fans in all of us now." Nathan unpacked the basket while Gabe helped Faith prepare the beverages and gather the utensils.

"Beef roast, rich gravy, and multi-colored roasted vegetables, smell wonderful. Minnie plated for each of us, and it's piping hot right out of the oven." Nathan suggested. "Everyone be seated and I will distribute the plates."

Faith suggested, "We can squeeze around this table, everyone. It is easier than cutting meat on our laps, okay? Gather around."

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After washing the dishes and packing the baskets to return the china to the Café, the group relaxed and conversed in Bill's living room, catching up on the happenings in Brookfield.

A sudden pealing of the church bell rang out, startling them all.

Nathan and Gabe immediately stood at attention and locked eyes.

"Allie, stay here with Uncle Bill, please? Bill, watch over our girl. Faith, hurry, we'll get you to the Infirmary just in case. Gabe? Let's go."

"Be careful, Dad…" Allie's admonition dissolved into worry and she held Uncle Bill tightly. As the others hurried down the staircase, Bill shut off the living room light and he and Allie went to the front window to see what was happening.

"Uncle Bill! It's a fire…"

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Grabbing their coats to throw on as they ran, the two Mounties and the Doctor burst from the downstairs door and were met by the acrid odor of burning, flames lighting the Saloon windows and a crowd gathering across the street.

Mike, Joseph, Kevin and Jed were pulling the new pumper from the Livery and beginning to unroll the hoses, while Cal was overseeing and shouting instructions to keep the crowd away, while simultaneously directing the men and the hoses, one stretched to the pond and the other towards the double doors of the Saloon.

Running towards the building, Nathan quickly assessed the crowd in search of Lucas and Gustave. When Gustave emerged from the Hotel entrance coughing, he dropped a book at his feet and Nathan ran to him. "Gustave, who else is in the building? Where are Lucas and the waitresses? And the guests?"

Amidst his coughs Gustave sputtered, "I yelled 'FIRE,'" he gasped. "I… up back stairs," Again he tried to take a breath, "I hit doors and shout… and people…" He coughed, "…escaped, but we had to use…" He gasped again, "…Saloon stairs…" Gustave gulped in air and stumbled against Nathan. "Everyone… out…"

"Where did it start?" Nathan asked distractedly while motioning Minnie to come.

Looking ready to cry, Gustave breathed out one word, "Kitchen…"

"Minnie, please help him to the Infirmary? Thanks."

Nodding, Minnie was quickly joined by Cooper who had run from the church after ringing the alert and they managed to help Gustave stumble away from the Saloon.

With a volume that surprised everyone, Nathan bellowed, "Anyone know where Lucas is?"

When no one responded, Nathan ran to join the men carrying the hoses into the Saloon, hand over hand getting closer to the nozzle. Cal continued his shouts and instructions until he saw Nathan enter the Saloon, which caused Cal to abdicate his post on the street. Cal grabbed the hose across from Lee, and quickly moved towards the front of the line following Nathan. Meanwhile Gabe took over the directives from the street while moving people further away from the inflamed building and the dangerous heat.

Out of the corner of his eye, Gabe saw a car arrive and screech to a stop. Lucas exited the driver's side, while Elizabeth, carrying Jack, and Rosemary followed him.

Gabe could hear the shouts of the women, scared for their men, and was momentarily surprised that Lucas stopped, frozen in place as a portion of the balcony above the kitchen area collapsed. The sound of cracking wood and roaring flames was quickly accompanied by the screams of the startled bystanders.

Lucas stood there, transfixed.

Leaving him to Elizabeth who rushed to his side, Gabe instructed the men outside to tug on the hose. Relying on his Mountie training, Gabe needed to alert the men inside to retreat. As they slowly backed up, Gabe searched franticly for Nathan and Cal. When the nozzle of the hose reached the Saloon entrance, dangling from Mike's hands, he was followed by Jed, coughing and grabbing on to the door.

Suddenly as Gabe rushed to the entrance, he saw what he was looking for, two red serges hobbling towards him, with Nathan holding up and dragging Cal. Pulling them through the doorway, Gabe grabbed Cal's other side and managed to get them away from the heat and smoke of the burning building and into the middle of the street where they both collapsed, gasping for breath.

"Get," Nathan gulped, "Faith." He tried again. "Cal's leg." Nathan paused again, "…under a beam…"

Rosemary caught sight of the three Mounties huddled on the street and ran, shouting for help and pointing. "Something's wrong! Get Faith… Molly… Help! Over here!"

Rosemary collapsed onto her knees, tears of fear mixed with relief that Nathan was sitting up. He was covered in black soot, coughing and gasping, but he was alive.

Moments later, a worried Faith joined them, kneeling beside the men. She reached to tenderly caress the side of Nathan's head, then took Nathan's hand and squeezed it, searching his face. "Are you okay? What happened?"

Nathan nodded his head, trying to breathe. "Cal's leg…" He coughed as she turned her attention to Cal, but he managed to explain, "…was under a beam…"

A quick assessment and Faith stood to shout, "Get the stretcher and we need a few strong men over here." Looking back at Gabe she questioned, "Are you okay to help Nathan to the office?"

"Yes," was all Gabe could respond. He noticed Nathan was favoring his left arm, holding his arm tight to his chest when he coughed, but decided to wait until they were in the Infirmary to mention it. For now, he would support Nathan on his right side.

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On the street, Elizabeth was sobbing on Lucas's shoulder, but she was watching Nathan and the men in red serge. She could see the pain in Nathan's eyes and realized she had seen that pain before, in the jail, when she walked away. This time Elizabeth couldn't take her eyes off of Nathan Grant.

Lucas was motionless as he watched the Saloon continue to collapse into itself, flames engulfing the structure. Although he flinched, the Saloon owner didn't hear the shouts and frightened cries of the crowd as each section crashed, startling them all, nor was he aware of the staff and guests who were crying about their lost jobs and lost belongings. He didn't even feel his fiancée's head on his shoulder, nor feel her shaking sobs. Anyone who had looked at Lucas though would only see a lone tear escape and roll down his face.

Yet no one had time to observe Lucas or Elizabeth. The men not coughing, had trained the firehose on the side of the closest building next door and by their quick thinking were preserving that structure by dowsing any sparks that escaped the burning Saloon.

Rosemary had rushed back to Jack grateful that Katy Yost was comforting him while walking back and forth with the crying little boy in her arms. She was trying to distract his attention from his mother's tears as well as the frightening sights.

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In the doctor's office, Dorcas had been busy attending to the men who were coughing until the door opened and Faith hurried in ahead of the stretcher. "Oh! Gentlemen? We have some more serious cases here. If you can walk, I need to ask you to sit on the porch or head down to the Café. Someone will assist you there." Dorcas directed the men out the opposite door as she spoke.

Faith was all business, calm and quiet, as she skillfully directed the men holding the stretcher on how to get Cal safely onto the bed. She briefly wondered why Nathan wasn't assisting with this as he had so many times before, but she let the thought pass and directed the men to remove Cal's jodhpurs so she could cover him with a sheet.

Molly was assisting Nathan to the other bed since she had seen Gabe nod his head in that direction. Whispering, Molly leaned in toward Nathan's ear, "What hurts, Nathan? Tell me!"

Still coughing and turning away, Nathan finally rolled back, whispering, "My arm. Sprained I think." He grimaced, but added, "Go take care of Cal."

Faith peeked around the curtain as she was drying her hands in preparation for examining Cal and saw Nathan, Gabe and Molly. "Gabe, my quick diagnosis is that Cal has broken his leg and I will probably need to splint it. Molly? Can you collect the materials as I want Dorcas by my side for this." Almost turning away, she looked back at Nathan. "Are you okay, Nathan?"

With his right hand, Nathan motioned her away, his voice raspy. "I can wait. See to Cal." Looking at his friend, Nathan added, "You need… to be out there…"

"If you are okay for me to leave you, I'm heading that way," Gabriel double-checked.

"Go…"

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Excusing himself, Gabe headed back outside, taking a turn holding the hose. They kept switching it from the Saloon to protecting the building next door.

Seeing the red serge, Gustave approached before he went to the Café, trying to shout to be heard above the din, "The register!" He inhaled and coughed. "I dropped it on my way out." Before another coughing fit began, he waved towards the Hotel exit, adding, "over there."

A quick glance from Gabe told him the book wasn't near the door, so he returned his attention to the fire hose.

Back outside and having recovered more quickly than some from his coughing, Henry Gowen observed as he sat on the steps of the Mercantile, thinking of a plan to house the displaced guests. Without any sign of Bill and with the Mounties in the Infirmary, someone needed to devise a plan. He could see that Lucas Bouchard wasn't doing anything at all. Deciding to talk to Mike or to Ned about cots in the school house, Henry waited for the men to return from the Café where Florence, Cat Montgomery, and Minnie were attending to those who had been moved from the Infirmary.

Suddenly seeing Gabriel's serge, Henry stood and hurried to speak to him, soon joined by Pastor Joseph. Gabe handed the hose to Jed and followed the men, alongside Shane Cantrell and Ned Yost. As they watched the Saloon, they came up with a plan and each hurried to do his part.

Gradually the hot fire consumed the wooden building and it became obvious to everyone that this was a total loss. Nothing was salvageable or even recognizable so they would have to let the fire burn out on its own.

After explaining what Gustave had told him, Gabriel departed and headed to where the Hotel door had been searching for the register when Cooper ran to him holding a large black book.

"Do you need this, Constable?" Cooper offered the volume to Gabriel. "I found it on the street over there."

"Yes! Yes! Thank you!"

Gabriel held up the registration book, turned and rushed to Joseph who was approaching Lucas. "Gustave was right! He brought it out!"

"Lucas!" Joseph patted the man's back to get his attention, finally pounding him. "Lucas! We need to account for everyone who was in the building or staying at the Hotel. Somehow Gustave managed to rescue the registration book, but we need you to identify the guests."

Gabriel forcefully grabbed Lucas's arm to pull him from the middle of the street and towards the front of the RCMP office. Climbing the steps, practically yanking Lucas with him, Gabriel opened the book, found the date and pointed to the page. "You need to call out the names."

Opening his mouth to speak, Lucas couldn't form a word, so Gabriel took over and let out a piercing whistle to get everyone's attention before he shouted the instructions and guest's names.

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An hour later, and with Cal's swollen leg immobilized successfully with a splint and positioned so the area could be iced, Faith returned to find Nathan behind his curtain, biting his lip. He had managed to get his serge off of one arm and was laying back on the crumpled uniform, holding his left arm.

"Nathan!"

Everyone present in the Office was startled to attention and Dorcas came hurrying to her boss.

At that exact moment, Bill Avery opened the office door and Allie rushed inside, tearful and panicked. "Dad? Where's my Dad?"

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