A few hours later there was a gathering at Elizabeth's house with some of Henry's friends trying to decide what should be done. They knew he needed help and this was the second time they had met in the past few weeks.

"He did what?" Lucas asked again in disbelief after hearing Nathan retell what happened earlier. "This was supposed to help him." Lucas suddenly felt upset at the thought of his best friend sitting in a jail cell.

"Stubborn as a mule is what he can be. I think we should give him some time to cool off. I am also trying to get a hold of his son. I tried earlier and he wasn't home." Nathan shook his head.

"Let me go talk to Lee. He may know how to get hold of Christopher. Maybe they were gone when you called earlier." Elizabeth kissed Lucas and quickly said goodbye before heading next door to the Coulter's home.

"We all know Henry. He is stubborn and is pushing everyone away. He is hurting from the mine. My guess is the mine explosion brought back some of the pain he never dealt with. A few weeks ago, he told me he would disappoint you and everyone who gets close to him." Joseph recalled back to their past conversation.

"I wouldn't walk away from a friend when they are struggling. When I came to town, he offered me friendship and support when many others were wary of me being new to town. He likes to act tough, but he is one of the most loyal friends I've ever had. He would help anyone without expecting anything in return." Lucas took a sip from his tea.

"He did the same for me as well. No one knows this but a few days after I arrived in town, he visited me in the mountie station. He told me he understood how hard it would be replacing Jack Thorton as the new Mountie in town. The best advice he could give is just to be myself. If it was hard for others to see me, it was because they were dealing with their own grief over their lost friend. In time it would get easier and if I ever needed a friend he would be there. Henry was only there about five minutes, but it helped me," Nathan remarked.

Joseph smiled as he saw the two men bonding. Henry was the bridge the two men shared with both valuing him as a friend. After the mine explosion and Henry's trial, they put aside their past differences and worked together to help their friend. Which helped them realize they had more in common than they first thought.

"Henry did the same for me. He helped my family with our house. That was right away when others wouldn't even give us a chance." Joseph thought of some of the racism he had endured before they moved to Hope Valley. "I also suspected for some time that the church donation he gave before he was sent to jail is not the only time. Any time I announce a need for a family or the church an anonymous envelope appears within a few days covering my need."

Monday

"Good morning, Henry. I brought breakfast. We can eat and you can tell me your decision." Nathan set the breakfast he brought from the café on his office desk.

"Good morning." Henry had been up for hours reading a book. He hadn't slept well the past two days. That was his fault as he let his stubbornness and pride get the best of him. Old habits were not always easy to shake especially when he was upset.

"How are you today?" Nathan asked as Henry sat down in the chair across from Nathan.

"I'm tired but that is nothing new. How are you?" Henry took his plate from Nathan and started to eat. He was suddenly starving as he looked at the food which was eggs, bacon, and two slices of toast with strawberry jam.

"You have us worried Henry. What have you decided?" Nathan asked anxiously, unable to relax until he knew what his friend decided.

"I will do community service. How long and where will it be? I talked to Christopher yesterday and I promised I would try. I will do anything for my boy. He is coming to visit me next weekend." Henry sighed knowing he didn't have a choice. Spending the weekend in the jail cell was miserable.

"Good." Nathan sighed and relaxed. "First thing is helping paint the church next weekend. If Christopher is coming that will help ease you into your community service. Then I would like you to spend Saturday afternoons with Cooper Canfield. Joseph told me he had asked this a few weeks ago. I think it's a great idea and something both of you could benefit from. "

"How old is Joseph's son?" Henry asked.

"Cooper is 12. His birthday was just a few months ago. Why do you ask?" Nathan wondered.

"I was just wondering to know some more about him." Henry thought about the similarities he shared with Joseph's son. Cooper was the same age as when Henry ran away. However, Cooper came from a good family with good parents. He could help the boy so he wouldn't have to make the same mistakes he did. Maybe Joseph was right that spending time with his son could also start to heal his pain. Even though he knew the path would still be hard filled with a few missteps along the way. Henry felt a small glimmer of hope inside him that maybe just maybe some good was also in his life.