Chapter 42 – Faith Comes to Hope Valley (long)
Jack, Bill and Lee had been out riding checking things after the morning prayer service, when Lee's horse, Miller, ended up getting spooked and throwing him. Bill and Jack were able to get him back into town, but they were concerned. He had a nasty gash on his leg from a tree branch close to where he had been hurt in the sawmill accident. Jack was also concerned that Lee hit his head despite Lee saying he hadn't. It took a few minutes to get to him and by the time that they were there, he was awake, but dizzy. Jack knew that it needed stitches, but he didn't feel comfortable doing it so near the other scar. He was worried about scar tissue and hurting Lee more than helping. He talked to Abigail and they both agreed that it was best to send for the doctor. A wire was sent to Buxton only to learn that Dr Stone was in Calgary, but they had contacted Union City and someone had been dispatched. That evening, Jack was surprised when the carriage pulled up and he saw Nurse Faith Carter. When she left Hamilton, she had gone to work for the hospital in Union City. She let Jack know that when she heard that someone in Hope Valley needed help, she volunteered for the assignment. She also admitted that she had hoped it wasn't Jack that was injured and if it wasn't she was hoping to at least see him.
Faith had been dispatched to see the patient, because the hospital in Union City was short staffed as far as doctors and she was qualified to treat patients. Jack took her to Lee, who was at the infirmary with Bill. While they walked Jack explained about Lee's previous injury and that was why he asked for the doctor. When they arrived, Bill left Lee with Jack and Faith. She looked at Lee's leg and saw the outline from the previous injury and that the current cut near the old one. Faith wasn't concerned, but agreed that Lee needed some stitches. She was able to quickly get Lee taken care of and put in ten stitches which was better than last time. She let Jack know that she would stay at the infirmary with Lee. She let Jack and Lee know that it would heal fine and she would just keep him overnight just because he had possibly hit his head. She didn't think that there would be any problems, but wanted to be careful. They would have to watch the area for infection, but Lee would be able to return to work and activities as he felt up to it. Lee was grateful that Faith was able to get there and also for taking care of him.
Jack left Faith and headed home. He was tired and knew that the next day was going to be long with the town meeting. With Lee getting injured, Jack was concerned about his plan. Not only was Jack worried about Lee being up to doing things if something happened to him and/or Bill. It was also brought home to Jack and Elizabeth how easily something can happen. Elizabeth was trying to control her fears about Jack after seeing Lee get injured again. She knew that anything could happen to anyone, but it was Jack that was the one that went into trouble spots on a routine basis. As much as Elizabeth tried to not think about Jack in danger, it was there every time she turned around lately. She started to wonder if it was the right time to start a family with everything so up in the air. She would never ask Jack to leave the Mounties, but she wished that he didn't have to be the first to run to danger. She wondered if he would work with Wynn. Then Elizabeth realized that Jack would never be happy behind a desk all day.
Abigail was worried about Lee, but she was also worried about the weather. She knew that it had been raining more than it normally did and she also knew that no matter how prepared they were, Mother Nature was an unpredictable beast. She had been out on the frontier long enough to know that anything could happen at any time. She said a prayer that things would work out. She was also concerned about Becky, the last few reports were promising, but the worker at the hospital was pushing her to make a decision and she knew what she wanted, but wasn't sure what the kids would want.
After Jack had left Faith, she looked around the infirmary and realized that there were a lot of crates and things stacked along one wall. As she looked around, she realized that there was a storage cabinet as well as a nice size linen closet that needed to be organized. Faith thought that it was a nice set up with a two room infirmary. You could have a patient that needed to stay in one room and still treat others in the main area. Since she had to stay up and keep an eye on Lee for a bit, she set about organizing things. It didn't take Faith long to get the linen closet in order. She then turned in on the cot that Jack had brought over. She planned to talk to Jack the next morning about things. She wondered why they would have all those medical supplies but no doctor or nurse. As she thought more about it, Faith wondered if they had a traveling doctor, but still why so much stuff in the infirmary. She decided that if they were setting up the infirmary, that she would talk to Union City and see if she could stay and help. She would feel better making sure that they had what they needed and that things were ready before she left. Besides, she still had at least a week before her fiance would return from his business trip and she hated being in that small apartment by herself.
The next morning, Jack stopped in to check on Lee when he got back from rounds. He found Faith had started to organize things. Before he could ask her about it, she asked him about the crates. Jack explained that he was worried about a flood that spring and possible mudslide at one of the nearby mines. Faith asked if he wanted her to organize the medical supplies and make a list of other things that they might need. Jack quickly agreed and he also asked if Faith would stay that night and attend the town meeting. Even if she didn't live in Hope Valley, at least she could answer some of the questions about the readiness of medical supplies. Faith quickly agreed and also agreed to stay in Hope Valley and help get the infirmary set-up. She said that it wouldn't take that long and she would just need to send a wire to Union City and let them know. She wanted to stay in Hope Valley, at least there was work for her there. Despite being short staffed in Union City, there were plenty of nurses and few patients for her since she had advanced training and could treat simple things that didn't necessarily need a doctor – like stitches. She really wanted to be somewhere where she could use her skills and that really needed her help. She felt that Hope Valley was that place. It helped that she knew Jack and now had met a few other people.
"I will talk to Abigail." Jack said. "Since you are staying for a bit, I think that it would be okay if you stayed in the apartment that is upstairs. I know that it is furnished. When the company doctor for the mining company used to be here for a couple weeks at a time, he would stay there. Right now the traveling doctor prefers to stay at the saloon. He only comes every six weeks or so and stays for two or three days."
"That would be nice." Faith said. "I don't mind staying down here, but it would be nice to have my own space."
"I will talk to her." Jack said. "Also let me know if you need anything."
Faith spent the day organizing the infirmary. Jack spent most of his day with paperwork. As supplies arrived, he needed to check each crate and make a list of things that had been received and report back to headquarters. Jack had wanted to have someone help him go through things, but then he quickly realized that it would just be easier to do it himself since he had to personally check each crate. Jack was getting ready to take a lunch break when he was surprised by a large supply wagon looking for him. Jack had a quick flashback, to right before his wedding. Once again it was a wagon from Hamilton addressed to Jack. The driver helped Jack unload things at Gowen's old house. Jack was then handed an envelope and then the driver left. Jack was having serious déjà vu at that moment. Jack sat down on a stack of crates and opened the envelope. He quickly learned that it was from Elizabeth's Aunt Agatha.
Apparently, Elizabeth had written to her family about the concerns of flooding and other damage that spring rains may bring and that the money that had been set aside would not be enough. Elizabeth's Aunt Agatha had taken it upon herself to talk to Wynn and Elizabeth Delaney and learned about the plan. She then took her own money and had ordered things that the town would need. It was things that could be stored if not needed that spring. As Jack started opening crates, he saw blankets, bandages, clothes of various sizes. Jack also came across splints and other medical supplies. Jack made a list and realized that they had plenty of blankets and other things. The last large crate that Jack opened that was addressed to him and not the town, Jack found a journal and with a note tied to the top addressed to Elizabeth. Inside were a few other things for Elizabeth from Hamilton which he didn't open as they were wrapped in tissue paper with a tag stating they were for Elizabeth. There were also two nice button up shirts for Jack, new warm socks and another thermos for coffee. Jack took the crate over to the jail.
Jack checked in with Faith and let her know about the additional things that had arrived. She was able to quickly cross off a number of things off her list that she had made for Jack. Jack and Faith had lunch with Bill and Lee. They talked about the plan and the town meeting. Bill and Lee were a little surprised when they learned that the latest supply wagon had been sent by Elizabeth's family. Jack agreed that he was just as surprised as the rest of them. He wasn't going to explain that it was from Elizabeth's Aunt Agatha and that her and Elizabeth's mother had money that was separate from Elizabeth's father's money. Jack didn't think that they needed to know. All Jack said was that even if they didn't support Elizabeth's decisions they did want her to be safe and that was probably all that supplies were about. Bill could tell that there was more to the story then Jack was saying. Bill had lived and worked in Hamilton and knew some about the Thatcher's and their money. When school got out, Jack headed over to see Elizabeth. He waited until all the children were gone and he pulled her in for a kiss. When he released Elizabeth, he reached into his messenger bag and pulled out the journal and handed it to Elizabeth. He looked at her and then looked at the book before releasing it.
"Care to explain." Jack said. "Not that I am complaining that you talked to your family, you didn't need my permission to contact your family."
"All I did was ask Aunt Agatha about what else we could do." Elizabeth said. "I knew that Uncle Henry always had plans in case something happens and I felt like another set of eyes wouldn't hurt. What they did after that, I have no idea. I am just glad that you aren't mad.
"Well." Jack said. "Like I said, I am not complaining since we can use all the things that were sent. Granted it was like déjà vu for a moment since I had no idea stuff was coming. You know, like before our wedding."
Elizabeth blushed.
"Sorry." Elizabeth said. "Honestly, I didn't know what they were going to do."
"It is okay." Jack said. "Like I said we can use the stuff."
As Jack waited for Elizabeth to gather her things so he could walk her to town. Jack could see that Elizabeth wasn't feeling well and really wanted her to go home, but with the town meeting she wanted to stay. He was concerned because she had not felt good a couple days before, but she refused to admit it to him. He knew that he would have to keep an eye on her. What he really wanted to do was suggest that she see Faith, but he knew that Elizabeth would resist that idea. Jack didn't know what was going on, but he was concerned about Elizabeth getting sick.
"Have you had any students out ill?" Jack asked.
"Yes." Elizabeth said. "Patrick and Nellie were out yesterday and today. Robert was also gone today. I also sent Jolene and Morgan-Rose home by mid-morning."
"I think that I will ride out and check on Patrick and Nellie if they are not in school tomorrow." Jack said. "We need to keep an eye out for extended illnesses or spreading illnesses especially since we have had so much wet weather."
"I agree." Elizabeth said. "But if this is your way of saying I need to be careful, you don't have to worry. I feel fine."
Jack and Elizabeth left the schoolhouse and walked to the cafe. Elizabeth planned to stay with Abigail until the town meeting. She really just wanted to go home, but she also wanted to go to the town meeting. The last thing that Elizabeth wanted was to admit to Jack that she didn't feel good and needed rest. As Jack left the cafe, he made a list of things that he needed to do. He knew that he needed to combine the lists of supplies and also place the order for additional supplies. He also wanted to talk to Faith about the kids being sick. Jack also wanted to discreetly talk to Faith about Elizabeth. He was worried even if she wouldn't admit that she wasn't feeling well. Jack also wanted to try and talk to Abigail quickly and update her on all the supplies that had arrived.
Jack headed for the infirmary and found Faith. She had sent Lee home and was working on cleaning the infirmary. He talked to her about the kids and she agreed that if more children showed signs of illness that it might be a good idea to give everyone a couple days off and apart from each other. If that happens, it would also be a good idea to clean the schoolhouse, top to bottom. Faith also advised Jack to just keep an eye on Elizabeth and that if he saw an increase in symptoms to make her take a day off and/or bring her in.
"So you staying?" Jack asked.
"I wired the hospital in Union City." Faith said. "They agree that I should at least help you stay and get the infirmary set up. They gave me through the end of the month to get things set up. They also suggested that I could and should see patients if needed when I explained about the current illness going around with the children."
Jack just looked at Faith
"Mrs Miller had brought her girls in earlier after Mrs Thornton had sent them home." Faith said. "Union City has plenty of nurses right now and my fiance is currently traveling."
"Congratulations." Jack said. "I didn't know that you had gotten engaged."
"Thank you." Faith said. "It was part of the reason that I moved from Hamilton to Union City. I am glad to have something to focus on right now, I wasn't getting a lot of shifts at the hospital in Union City. I hate when Adam is traveling and I am stuck in that apartment. He is making plans to build us a house, but all that we could find to start was a small two bedroom apartment."
"Well." Jack said. "I am glad to have you here even if it is only for a short time. Also please let me know if any other people start showing signs of illness. I think it will be okay, but with the wet weather. I think we need to be careful."
"I agree." Faith said. "I will keep an eye out, but I won't be able to tell you. The most that I can do is advise people to talk to you or if they are willing to sign a sheet so that you know who is sick. I will say it is so that you can check on them if they need things. I think that is reasonable."
"Thank you." Jack said. "The last thing we need this spring is any illness running rampant."
"I agree." Faith said. "But most people who live out here know what to watch for."
After talking to Faith, Jack headed back to the jail to work on things and get ready for the town meeting. He wanted to go over the disaster plan, also what supplies had been received and what was still on order. He also wanted to think about what he was going to say to the people. He just hoped that it would go better then his last town meeting.
While Jack was working, Elizabeth was helping Abigail. She wanted to make cookies and also try to get ahead for the next morning because she knew that she would be tired after the meeting. Elizabeth didn't mind helping Abigail, because they could talk while they worked. Abigail had already let people know that she would be closing an hour early for the meeting. Supper ended up being a lot busier than normal because people came in for the meeting. Elizabeth had arranged for some of the older children to have an activity at the schoolhouse for all the children so that they wouldn't be underfoot during the meeting. Elizabeth was also glad that they had the two buildings so that she could arrange for an activity at the schoolhouse for the children that were too small to stay at home alone so that the parents could go to the meeting if they chose.
Jack came over and had supper with Elizabeth before she headed to the schoolhouse to make sure everything was set up for the children. Jack had suggested that she stay at the schoolhouse, but she wasn't sure. She really wanted to be a part of the town meeting. She let Jack know that she would sit in the back and slip out to check on the children if things seemed to drag out. Jack was okay with that plan, he didn't want the meeting to drag on, but was glad that Elizabeth had thought about it. After supper, Jack walked Elizabeth to the schoolhouse and then headed to the saloon to start getting ready for the meeting. Bill and Faith arrived and helped Jack get ready for the meeting. Abigail arrived after closing the cafe. They all wanted things to go better than the last town meeting.
At 7pm, Jack started the town meeting. He first explained why they were meeting. He wanted everyone to be aware of the dangers that the wet weather was presenting and what would be done in case there were major problems, such as the river flooding or a mudslide up near the mines. Jack let the people know that since they were the closest town to the Silverton mine and the settlement that if anything happened they would be brought to Hope Valley. Jack also explained that if anything major happened at Rock Creek or its mine, they could also be brought to Hope Valley, but more likely they would be taken to Benson Hills. Jack stressed that he wasn't as worried about Rock Creek as he was about the Silverton mine, since that road had a history of washing out in the springtime. Jack went through that the schoolhouse would be turned into an additional infirmary. He also let people know that additional supplies such as blankets, cots and medical supplies had been ordered and were being stored. Jack also let them know that additional canned goods had been ordered and were also being stored. Jack stressed that he didn't want people to panic, but to just be prepared.
After Jack had gone through the basics of the plan, Abigail spoke to the people gathered. She reminded them how they had pulled together in the past and she expected the same if something happened again. It was then opened up to questions and between Jack, Abigail, Bill and Faith they were able to answer the concerns that had been presented. When Abigail dismissed the people just over an hour later, Jack and Elizabeth were both tired. Elizabeth leaned on Jack as they walked home. She let Jack know that she was heading right to bed and that she wasn't worried about grading papers. She said that she would catch up over the weekend. Seeing how tired Elizabeth was, Jack was concerned. He wanted to say something, but he also didn't want to fight. He had expressed his concern earlier and she had told him that she was fine.
When they got home, Jack helped Elizabeth upstairs. She quickly changed and crawled in bed. Jack let her know that he was going to head downstairs and make sure things were closed up for the night before coming up and heading to bed. Jack went downstairs and made sure that the doors were bolted and the fires banked. He then picked up a few things downstairs before heading up to bed. Jack changed into his night clothes and crawled into bed only to realize that Elizabeth was already sound asleep. He didn't want to disturb her, so he didn't pull her close. It didn't take Elizabeth long to realize that Jack had crawled into bed. Even though she was sound asleep, she snuggled up against Jack's side. He then wrapped his arms around Elizabeth and fell asleep. It still amazed Jack that after only a little more than three months, Elizabeth instinctively knew when Jack was close and would snuggle up against him. He wondered if other couples were like that, but he was too embarrassed to ask.
The next morning, Elizabeth didn't feel good, but pushed through and tried not to let it show. She got up and dressed. She headed downstairs and made breakfast for herself and Jack. Jack came downstairs and enjoyed breakfast with Elizabeth. Jack could see that Elizabeth didn't feel good, but he still didn't want to fight with her. He knew that she would let him know if something changed and he would keep an eye on her. He was encouraged, because at least she was eating and he knew that had been a problem the last time that she had been sick. He then encouraged her to leave the dishes and do them later. He helped her make their lunches before walking Elizabeth to the schoolhouse. He got the fire going and gave Elizabeth a kiss before leaving. Elizabeth had sat down and was working on lessons while Jack got the fire going.
Once Jack had left Elizabeth at the schoolhouse, he headed to livery and saddled Sergeant. He was going to go on rounds. Normally, he would have left earlier, but he was tired and also worried about Elizabeth. He didn't mind going on rounds later that day because he was able to get a little more sleep and also walk Elizabeth to school. Jack also wanted to check on the river and the settlement and that was better done in good light. He was concerned that he was forgetting something and/or he had forgotten to do something, but for the life of him he couldn't remember what it was. He racked his brain as he was riding. It frustrated him that it felt like he was forgetting to do something important. Finally, unable to come up with anything, he tried to reassure himself that he had done everything that he could and he was just being overly worried. Jack said a prayer that everything would be okay and if he forgot anything that it wouldn't cause problems later. He also prayed for Elizabeth and for Hope Valley as whole. He hoped and prayed that nothing happened, but he also knew that he would need to rely on other people if something did happen. As much as Jack felt that he was responsible for the valley, he also knew that he couldn't do everything, even if he only admitted it to himself.
By lunchtime, Elizabeth really wasn't feeling good. She made the decision to assign homework for the afternoon as well as the weekend and send the children home. She also had seen that a number of the children didn't feel good and felt it was best for everyone. She gave them their homework, told them to take their readers and other books before she sent the children home after lunch. She also reminded the children that if they didn't feel good that it was best to stay home and if needed they could see Nurse Faith at the infirmary. Before she let the children go, she asked them to let their parents know why they were home early and to remember their homework. Elizabeth took a few minutes to gather her stuff and then headed home herself. She quickly stopped at the cafe to let Abigail know what was going on before she headed home. Abigail said that she would either send something home with Jack or drop something off later. She also let Elizabeth know that she would deal with any parents that were upset that she had let the children out. Abigail agreed that Elizabeth had done the right thing. Elizabeth was so tired and she had a headache. All she wanted to do was crawl in bed. She left her things downstairs and headed right to her room. She laid down and fell asleep almost immediately.
When Jack returned to town after rounds, he was surprised to see a few children playing in the street. He stopped and talked to them, only to learn that Elizabeth wasn't feeling good and had let the children go home early. Jack was concerned because he knew that she didn't feel good, but he thought that since she had gone to school that everything was okay. Jack was glad that she would have the weekend, but was still concerned. He had noticed that Elizabeth had been more tired over the last month or so and now she had let the children out of school early to head home. Jack wanted to rush home to Elizabeth, but he knew that there were things that he needed to take care of before he could do that. Jack took a deep breath and said a quick prayer.
After a quick stop to talk to Bill, Jack headed home. He went home and checked on Elizabeth. He found her in their bedroom sound asleep. He didn't want to wake her, but he also wanted to check on her. He carefully sat on the edge of the bed and felt her forehead. She didn't seem to have a fever, but she also didn't stir when Jack approached. He pulled out his pocket watch, picked up Elizabeth's wrist and found her pulse. He counted and found it a little higher than it should be with her sleeping. He left their bedroom and headed back downstairs. Jack sat down for a moment and went over what he knew of Elizabeth's symptoms and what could possibly be wrong. He wondered if it wasn't what she had had before or did she catch something from the children or was it something else completely. He left a note for Elizabeth that he had checked on her and that he would bring something to eat when he came home.
Jack headed back into town, he wanted to let Elizabeth rest and he had things to do. His first stop was to let Abigail know that Elizabeth wasn't feeling well and that he would need to bring something home for supper. She let him know that she had already talked to Elizabeth and that she would have supper ready for him to take with whenever he wanted. She was also glad that he had gone to check on her. Abigail let Jack know that she didn't think Elizabeth looked all that bad when she had stopped at the cafe, but she did look a little tired. Jack thanked Abigail and let her know that he would keep her up to date on what was happening both with Elizabeth and the plan. She reminded him that he needed to take care of himself as well and they would deal with whatever happened. Jack nodded, but he didn't feel very confident at the moment about things. He wasn't sure if it was the weather or his worry about Elizabeth, but the more he thought about it realized it was just everything one on top of another.
After leaving the cafe, Jack then headed to see Faith before he went back to the jail. He relayed to Faith Elizabeth's condition and what he knew. There were questions that he couldn't answer, so they agreed that if Elizabeth wasn't feeling better the next day, Faith would stop by. Then Jack headed over to the jail to write up things from rounds. He also needed to check what he had last written about the river level and then relay that information to headquarters. When Jack had checked the information and realized that the river had risen faster than he felt comfortable with, he wrote up the information and got it ready to send out on the wire. Jack talked to Bill and Lee about the river and his concerns. Bill and Lee agreed that they needed to keep a closer eye on things and that there wasn't much else that they could do at the moment. All three men were frustrated that there wasn't much that they could do. Jack was glad that Lee was back in the office, but was still concerned that he was pushing it too hard.
