Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:16 (KJV)

Saturday, December 11, 1920

Bill got up early the following day to check on Elizabeth and Jack. As he walked in, he saw that Elizabeth looked very unwell, and it appeared that she had caught the cold from her goddaughter and best friend.

Jack was settled in the living room while Elizabeth sat at the table dressed, trying to grade some papers. After feeling that Elizabeth was warm and determining that Jack had a bit of a cough, he called Faith. While Faith was checking on them, Bill headed back to town trying to come up with a plan for getting a tree for them. As he reached town, he spied Nathan, Allie, and Scout in a wagon in front of the Mountie office, about to head out of town to look for their tree.

"Hey, Elizabeth isn't feeling well enough to go out looking for a tree. Any chance you two would be willing to bring back an extra one for her and Jack?" Bill called out to them.

"We would be glad too, Uncle Bill."

"Is she okay?" Nathan asked worriedly.

"Faith thinks she might have caught the cold that is going around. You two have already been exposed at this point, so it should be okay. Jack was disappointed about not going out to get a tree, but maybe at least having one would help with that."

After saying goodbye, the Grants headed out to the spot Elizabeth had shown them their first Christmas in town.

"Maybe we can help decorate their tree when we get back," Allie suggested as they arrived.

"We will have to see how Mrs. Thornton is feeling, Allie," Nathan said noncommittally.

As Bill turned to go find Joseph to fill him in about the night before, he bumped into him.

"I was just coming to look for you."

"Well, you found me," Joseph chuckled. "I take it you have some news on our little project?"

"I do." Then, looking around and seeing others were looking at them, he ushered Joseph into his office.

Bill filled Joseph in on all that had been arranged already and finished up with him tasking the Grants to pick up a tree for the Thorntons while getting their own.

"That is a good start and will throw them together," Joseph mused. "Hopefully, they will see how much they enjoy being together and how easy it is between them. Now we just need to figure out what is holding them back."

"I have my suspicions, at least where Elizabeth is concerned, but no idea how to fix it," Bill muttered in frustration.

"Are you talking about fear?" Joseph asked.

Bill nodded.

Joseph didn't want to give away too much that Elizabeth had shared during their counseling sessions, so he was walking a fine line with what to say to Bill.

"What has Elizabeth told you from our sessions?"

"Pretty much everything. We talked about each session over dinner when she would come home. She is like my daughter too, so I have known of her struggles from when Jack was alive. Even back then, she feared losing Jack and him being a Mountie. I also knew that was what sent her tumbling into Lucas' arms after that failed prisoner transport. Then, of course, there was that day a few months ago when Nathan was held hostage for a bit. Henry said it had really shaken her up. I still think that the fear of losing him is still there."

"I would agree that it may have been even a month ago, but now I think it is something different, and it is the same for both of them. Given everything that passed between them, it would only be prudent to have reserve."

Bill sat thinking over what Joseph had said. "I see your point. I have tried in the past to bring up what happened with Nathan a few times since Lucas and Elizabeth ended things. I thought for sure that with Lucas moving on with Fiona under Elizabeth's encouragement, they would be courting by now. So how do we find out for sure? Do we even know for sure that they have talked everything out?"

"I had planned to talk with Nathan on our trip to Eagle Creek on Monday. Perhaps after I speak with him, something will come to me. In the meantime, why don't you try to approach Elizabeth and see what you can find out? As for whether they have talked it all out, I would say that with the way their friendship has evolved and lack of awkwardness between them, they have."

"Sounds like a plan," Bill agreed. "You know, maybe this cold going around might just be a good thing, though I'm not sure that Elizabeth will think so."

"Is there anything that Minnie or I can do?"

Bill shook his head. "Not at the moment, but if her symptoms progress the way I think they will, we may need to start looking for substitute teachers for a few days."

"We can always make an announcement tomorrow before or after the service. Just let me know if you want to in the morning."

"Let me talk to Lee since he is now the mayor, he is in charge of that now," Bill said with a smirk.

"Do you miss being Mayor?"

"Not even a little bit. Life has gotten easier since Minnie took over managing the café, allowing me to be a silent partner. With the massive increase in my caseload because of Union City Holdings, things that shouldn't have been dropped were getting dropped. I'm happy just going back to being a council member.

"Well, I can definitely sympathize with you because I was dealing with the same when I was working with Lee and trying to be a pastor for the town, too," Joseph said with a chuckle. "If it weren't for Nathan giving me a great piece of advice, I would probably still be trying to juggle it all."

"Really?" Bill asked with real surprise. Nathan giving Joseph advice sounded out of character for Nathan.

"He may not say a whole lot at times, but when he does, it's usually something worth heeding. When Minnie talked me into going camping with Nathan, Allie, and Angela, I never would have thought that I would come home a different man with a wonderful friend." Joseph replied. "Well, I best return to the house and work on tomorrow's sermon."

As they said goodbye, Bill stood watching Joseph walk away, trying to make sense of what Joseph had told him. He was brought out of his reverie when a car backfired. Frowning at the offending vehicle for a few moments, he then headed back to his office to take off a mountain of pretrial paperwork he had been neglecting. He briefly stopped to check on Elizabeth and take her and Jack some lunch. Before leaving, he helped her bring down the Christmas decorations before heading back to his office, though he was doubtful the tree would get decorated today. Returning to town, he briefly stopped at the infirmary and asked Faith to check on her.

Nathan and Allie found their tree quickly, but it took Allie longer to look for the Thornton tree because she wanted the perfect one. Then, of course, she also wanted to gather some boughs and pinecones. Thankfully, the hot bricks held up, keeping them warm along with the thermos of hot chocolate. and blankets. By the time they arrived back in Hope Valley, though, the bricks were cold, the blankets damp from the moisture, and the thermos empty.

They dropped off the two trees at their house and then returned the wagon to the livery. After setting their tree up in their house, they grabbed a quick sandwich before carrying the other to Elizabeth's.

As they knocked, Jack answered right away, his eyes lighting up at the sight of the tree. Elizabeth managed to make it over to the door, though Nathan could see she was swaying just a bit.

With a smile, Nathan said, "Hope Valley Christmas Tree Delivery. We have one Allie Grant Special ordered up for Elizabeth and Jack Thornton."

Elizabeth giggled as Jack said, "That's us! Come on," he said. Then he ran over to where the boxes of ornaments sat. "It goes here."

"May I assume then you are accepting the delivery, Ma'am?" Nathan teased.

"Who am I to turn away an Allie Grant Special? Word around town is they are the best trees to be had." Elizabeth said as she gave Allie a hug as they carried the tree in.

"Well, you know I never settle for anything less than the perfect tree for you and Jack, Mrs. Thornton."

"That's the key to proper tree hunting, in my opinion. Jack and I can't thank the two of you enough for this." Elizabeth said wearily.

"Are you okay, Elizabeth?" Nathan asked, placing his hand on her forehead. "You feel very warm."

"I was hoping our house may have been fortunate to skip the cold going around, but it appears not. I don't know how I'm going to get everything done."

"Can we decorate the tree now, Mama?" Jack asked, jumping up and down in excitement. Before Elizabeth could say anything, Nathan offered his and Allie's service to help while she sat and supervised.

"Is that a part of your Mountie training too?" Elizabeth teased him before adding, "You know that is probably one of the best offers I have received this week, Nathan. If you are sure, I would be appreciative."

"No problem. Why don't I get you some water and aspirin first? Would you like a fresh cup of tea as well?" Nathan offered while Jack and Allie began sorting the decorations out.

"I would love one, actually," Elizabeth said with a grateful smile. After getting her settled on the settee with a blanket tucked around her, the decorating began. At one point, Jack pulled out their cardinal ornament, walked over to Nathan, and asked for help.

"It needs to go near the top. Can you help me?" Jack asked Nathan.

"Sure," Nathan replied, his mind returning to a similar situation: their first Christmas in Hope Valley. After the ornament was secured on the branch, Jack turned and thanked Nathan with a hug. Nathan and Elizabeth's eyes caught as they recalled that day and the near kiss.

As the decorating continued, there were a lot of laughs as the three of them joked around, putting ornaments on their ears and garland-like boas. As they finished, Nathan glanced over to see that Elizabeth had fallen asleep semi-reclined on the settee.

While Allie and Jack cleaned up the area and organized the boxes neatly, Nathan situated Elizabeth more comfortably on the settee and tucked the blanket more securely around her. Knowing that it was almost time for Jack's dinner and that he was getting restless, he decided to take the kids to eat and maybe play in the snow for a bit. Nathan sent the kids to wait outside while he left a note for Elizabeth about where Jack was. As he headed towards the front door, he heard Elizabeth mumble his name in her sleep and giggle, making him wonder what she was dreaming.

The café was busy as the three of them entered but they were able to find a table next to where Joseph and his children were already sitting. Nathan was grateful because it gave him and Joseph time to plan their trip to Eagle Creek and make a list of items they needed to take with them.

Bill joined them a short time later, and when Jack heard him ask after his mama, to everyone's amusement, Jack said, "Mama is sick, Uncle Bill. Mountie Nathan and Allie helped me decorate our tree."

"Well, maybe I should go check on her and make sure she is okay," Bill replied to Jack. "What do you think?"

"Mama is okay. She is taking a nap. Mountie Nathan even tucked her in like Mama does me."

"Did he?" Bill said with a smirk, looking over at a blushing Nathan, who was suddenly very focused on some papers Joseph handed him. Joseph met his eyes as they exchanged a knowing look before glancing back at Nathan.

As the evening went on, Lee and Richard joined them as they ordered some building materials to make some repairs to some places in Eagle Creek. After promising to have the order ready for them on Monday morning, Lee offered to take a sleepy Jack home. Faith went with him so she could check on Elizabeth. The results of this checkup would help them decide what to do about school and possibly move Jack somewhere for a few days so his mother could get better if Faith decided it was necessary.

Nathan did a last set of rounds in town before grabbing Allie, Opal, and Angela from the library, where they were working on their stories, and heading home. As Nathan finally settled into bed, he sighed contentedly at accomplishing a full, productive day. He was looking forward to the church service in the morning and spending time with Joseph afterward, finishing up the manger and Nativity figures for the church. In the two years since Joseph and Minnie arrived in Hope Valley, it wasn't until the impromptu camping trip with their daughters back in the fall that he truly got to know Joseph. A lot of discussions between them had passed as they gave support to Eagle Creek, and it's hurting people. Joseph was now one of his closest friends besides Bill and Gabe. Thanks to Joseph's counsel, he was finally able to let go of a lot of the burden he carried; these days, his spirit felt lighter all the way around. His sleep that night was deep and restful. It was the type of sleep that always carried peace, and he relished it.

MEANWHILE AT ELIZABETH's

Elizabeth had just woken up when Faith, Lee, and Jack arrived home. Faith helped Elizabeth to her room and helped her get undressed and in bed. After a complete exam, Faith told her that she could no longer teach with her high fever and would be housebound until further notice. Out of caution, she also ordered that Jack stay somewhere else until her fever was gone, hoping that he wouldn't catch it and Elizabeth could get enough rest.

Of course, Jack immediately wanted to go stay with the Grants, but it was decided that he would be with his Uncle Bill instead. Lee packed him a bag while Faith heated the soup that Minnie had given her. The discussion turned to school, and Lee said an announcement would be made, but Elizabeth should write notes for a substitute teacher for the week. Luckily, most of the schoolwork and testing was done as there were only five days of school left. All that would be required was for the holiday preparations to be completed and practice for the upcoming Christmas Program.

For the first time, Elizabeth felt a huge source of relief at the realization that Hope Valley would be there to support her in her time of need. Jack gave her a big hug and kissed her forehead like she always did him when tucking her in and told her he loved her. She was sleeping peacefully by the time her front door closed behind Faith, Lee, and Jack.