Chapter 68 – Tuesday Afternoon
By 3pm, the town was abuzz not only because of what had happened in Rock Creek and the increase in wounded, but because people had seen Rushman ride out of town, there were two new men in town and apparently one had been arrested. Even Abigail, Wynn and Dee had started to hear the talk around town. They all did their best to try to keep the gossip down, but they knew that people were going to talk. Wynn just hoped that when Abigail did talk to the town that they would listen. Wynn made a point to talk to the Mounties and let them know to not spread gossip. He also asked them to let people know that they would talk to the town when they had enough information to hold a meeting, so spreading gossip was not helping. Dee understood what his dad was trying to do, but he wasn't sure that it would make much difference. He knew that several of the ladies liked to talk and it didn't matter if they had all the facts or not. A couple of them had even asked him about the man at the jail. He had kindly told them that he wasn't allowed to talk about it. He did promise them that if and when he could talk, he would let them know. He wasn't sure if that was going to make things better or worse.
Abigail knew that she would have to address the town, but she needed to talk to the council first. Abigail knew that she needed to talk to people and see what they were feeling. She also wanted to see what some options were. Were some of the men going to be leaving? Would there be housing, even temporarily for those that stayed? How would it affect the school? Other businesses? Would the town want to reopen the mine? Little did Abigail know that Wynn and Lee were thinking about those same questions. Abigail knew that she needed answers before she could let the people in general know what was going on. She was glad that Wynn and Dee were there to help her. She wasn't sure what would have happened if they hadn't been there. Then Abigail remembered why they were – Jack was injured. She stopped and said a prayer for everyone.
To clear her mind for a bit, Abigail headed to the cafe to check on things. Being in the kitchen had always had a way of clearing her head. When she got there, she found Elizabeth downstairs having a cup of tea.
"Afternoon, Elizabeth." Abigail said. "Good to see you downstairs."
"Afternoon." Elizabeth said. "Dee stopped by and said something about a council meeting tonight. Jack was wondering if you would be able to meet here, so he would be able to attend. He doesn't think that it would be good to go out, since I refuse to let him again. I did however agree to him coming downstairs for a bit, he thinks he can handle that."
"I think that it is doable." Abigail said. "I had said the mayor's office, but I forgot about Jack. There is just so much going on, I had hoped to clear my head by doing a little baking. Charlotte and Bill found some children at the Rock Creek settlement, apparently a flash flood went through the area and they may be the only survivors. Bill is still out looking for others. Then there are the wounded from Rock Creek. Trying to figure out housing and care for everyone. There is just so much going on right now. I am glad that Wynn and Dee are here to help. The town has pulled together, but I fear it may be more than people can handle. Please don't tell Jack just yet about Rock Creek. We are handling things and he needs to focus on getting stronger."
"Oh my." Elizabeth said. "That is horrible about the kids and the settlement. You are right. I won't say anything right now, but he is going to have to know at some point. I know that Dee said that a person from the mine company is here, so hopefully he can help and get some answers. Oh, I was going to tell you. Uncle Henry is sending the money to cover Faith's salary. I know we have some time before we have to talk to her, but know that if you want to offer her the position, the money will be there."
"Elizabeth." Abigail said. "You know that you didn't have to do that."
"Like I told Jack." Elizabeth said. "I have the ability and it is something that we need now. Granted it is not something that I want advertised, but I firmly believe that it is something that I need to do, especially now. Uncle Henry had the money already set aside to help with things. He said that the fund is mine to do what I want with, I just need to let him know. Please understand that this is something that I need to do."
"I am not going to argue with you at this point." Abigail said. "There is way too much other stuff going on."
"Do you need help?" Elizabeth said, finishing her tea. "I want Jack to rest if he is going to go to the meeting tonight. I was thinking of heading to the row house to grab a few things. I want a change of clothes and Jack wants a few things."
"Why don't you do that?" Abigail said. "I think Charlotte may be sleeping at your house, well at least she was supposed to. She had a rough night at Rock Creek and Wynn had ordered her to get some sleep."
"Thanks for the heads up." Elizabeth said. "Also later tonight, if you are up to it maybe we could sit down and talk."
"Sure." Abigail said.
Abigail continued to make the dough for the cookies. Elizabeth slipped out of the cafe and headed to the row house. She ran into a few people that were glad to see that she was out. A couple of the mothers asked about school and she said that she would have to see, since they couldn't get into the schoolhouse at the moment. Elizabeth got to the row house and found Charlotte having a bite to eat. Elizabeth went upstairs, grabbed the things that she needed and when she came downstairs, she stopped to talk to Charlotte and get caught up on things. Charlotte told Elizabeth about the additional children that had been brought in and the woman. Elizabeth didn't have to ask if the woman was going to make it, she knew by the way that Charlotte talked about her.
"Charlotte." Elizabeth said. "I was wondering if you would walk me back to the cafe. Jack and I were hoping to talk to you."
"Sure." Charlotte said. "Let me just put the food away."
Elizabeth waited for Charlotte and then they walked back to the cafe together. Charlotte thought she knew what was going on, but she was going to wait until she was told. She didn't want to be wrong. Although, she thought some good news would do everyone some good. When they got to the cafe, Jack was downstairs. Elizabeth and Charlotte were both a little surprised. Elizabeth stared at Jack with her hands on her hips and her scary teacher face. Jack knew that he was in trouble, but he didn't care.
"I know that I am supposed to be resting." Jack said. "But I needed to move. All I did was come down and I was sitting."
"It is true." Abigail said. "I wouldn't even let him get his own tea."
"Well since you are both here." Elizabeth said, looking at Jack.
"We have some news that we would like to share." Jack said.
"We wanted to let you know that there will be an addition to Hope Valley in the fall." Elizabeth said with a huge smile.
It took a moment for it to register with Abigail, but she then went over and gave both a huge hug. Charlotte was right there as well to hug both of them.
"Congratulations." Charlotte said. "That is the best thing that I have heard in days."
"Yes, congratulations." Abigail said.
"We haven't told people yet with everything going on." Elizabeth said. "We also wanted you to know before it got around. Wynn and Dee know, but that is because they saw me get sick. I know that we are going to have to tell people, but we want to keep it to the family for now. I obviously haven't sent word to my family yet. I am not sure what is going on with them and things were tense when we left Hamilton. I also know that I will have to tell them at some point, but I think that I need more time."
"Understood." Abigail said.
"Completely." Charlotte echoed.
Abigail looked at the clock. She knew that they had a little bit of time before the meeting. She wanted to sit down with Jack, but wasn't sure how he was feeling.
"Jack." Abigail said. "If you are feeling up to it. I would like to sit down and talk before the meeting."
"Sure." Jack said.
"We will go." Charlotte said.
"No stay." Abigail said. "I need some input and this might affect the whole town. I would also like to hear what you have to think about this Charlotte."
Charlotte and Elizabeth sat back down around the table. Abigail tried to fill Jack in on everything that had happened. She knew that she was missing things, but she covered the high points. She purposely didn't mention much about the Rock Creek settlement.
"Do you have any questions?" Abigail asked.
"I have two." Jack said. "You may not have the answers, but you will need them before moving forward. First, do you think you can trust this Andy guy? Second, do you think that this will be good for Hope Valley as a whole? Not just some people."
"I hear you." Abigail said. "As far as I can tell, yes I think that Andy is being straight with us. Wynn and Dee also think that he is being honest, I am going to trust that, especially with those Mountie instincts of theirs. As far as what is good for Hope Valley. I don't know. I know that growth and jobs are good, but I don't want to lose what we have. I also don't want to open an emotional wound for the widows."
"Can I say something?" Charlotte asked.
"Sure, go ahead." Abigail said.
"Growth and change are going to happen." Charlotte said. "It is either that or the town will die. I don't think that the people of Hope Valley will let things change at the core. What I mean is what makes this town special is the people. As new people come in, they just need to be treated with respect and they will blend with Hope Valley or they won't. Those that don't will find it hard to get anywhere. I think that you need to think of the long term well being of the town. Now as far as the widows, give them some credit. They are stronger than you think. If there was an emotional wound to open, don't you think these last few days would have done it. I have been out there helping and yes, there have been moments where people were overwhelmed. For the most part, people are doing as well as can be expected. I think that most of the widows realize how lucky they were to have each other and their homes after what happened here.
I would ask you if this has affected you. We all know that it has in some way, but you are still doing what needs to be done, just like everyone else. Speaking as a widow myself, there is a strength that we have as you know. Maybe part of it is also being a mother, but we push through and do what needs to get done. Yes, we will have to deal with our feelings at some point, but in the long run pushing through and getting stuff done helps more than sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves. What did you do last year when the disaster happened here?"
Abigail looked at Charlotte.
"I pushed through." Abigail said. "I was helping other widows that had small children. I was helping with the paperwork that needed to be done. Then I was the one that led them into the mine to fight for our homes. I see what you mean. I was asking, because I have conflicting feelings about reopening the mine. Part of me knows that it will be good for the town, but the other part of me wonders if what I am doing is wrong. Men died in that mine. Part of me thinks it should be left alone."
"But men continued to work in the mine for over six months after the disaster." Jack said. "What difference does it make now?"
"You are right." Abigail said. "I guess that there isn't much of a difference."
"Charlotte is right, Abigail." Elizabeth said. "As long as the majority of the people are for this, then I think that we need to move ahead. Yes, there will be a time of adjustment, but that would happen anyway. New businesses and new people will come to Hope Valley. We just need to remember what is important to us and show the people who we are. As long as we have that and don't forget it, the town at its core won't change. I know that you are trying to do what is best for everyone, but I will remind you that you can't please everyone all the time. The best that you can do is make a decision that is the best for the most people with the information that you have in front of you."
"She is right." Charlotte said. "You need to look at the information that you have and then make the best possible decision that you can. Someone is always going to be unhappy. You can't worry about that. I think that some people just like to complain and they would do that no matter what you do. You have sought the advice of others. You have weighed the pros and cons. You have thought about how people are going to react. What I am going to ask you to do is set that all aside for a moment. Deep down do you think that this is the right decision? If you do, then what anyone else thinks doesn't matter."
Jack looked at his mother. He had never heard her speak as much as she had in the last few minutes. He knew that she was right and just hoped that Abigail did what she felt was right no matter what other people thought. Abigail looked at the clock.
"Elizabeth." She said. "Do you want to head over and let people know that we are meeting here?"
"Sure." Elizabeth said, getting up.
Charlotte and Abigail helped Jack into the dinning room to wait for the others. He was still weak and had trouble standing for too long. Abigail was concerned, but Charlotte waved it off, knowing that Jack had faced worse. After Jack was settled, Charlotte left. She wanted to go check on the children.
"Jack, are you sure that you are okay?" Abigail asked.
"I will be fine." Jack said. "Between the ribs, shoulder and trouble breathing, I am just feeling weak. I have also barely been out of bed in days. Some weakness is expected. I remember both times I was bedridden as a child – once with chicken pox and the other time with measles. It took me a few days to regain strength after I was able to get out of bed both times. Please try not to worry. I got a lecture from Elizabeth and I promised that I would take it easy. I also promised that I would ask for help when needed."
"Okay." Abigail said. "I just wanted to make sure. You have so much to get better for, especially now. I know that your mother waved off my concern, but you understand why I asked."
"Yes, I know." Jack said. "That was what Elizabeth lectured me about."
"Then I will leave it be." Abigail said. "I can't promise I won't worry, but I will trust that you will keep your promise and ask for help when needed. You never told me what you think about the mine reopening. You know that it is going to affect your job. There will be more people in town."
"My job will be what it is." Jack said. "Bill and I will handle it. If it comes to a point that I think that we need help, I have no problem voicing those concerns. I can also promise you that Wynn has thought about it as well. I am sure that he will be expecting both Bill and I to ask for help if we need it. Who knows with the new class of Mounties graduating soon, we might just get a new Mountie for Bill and I to train. Wynn mentioned something to me when we were in Hamilton in January. He thinks that I would make a good field trainer. I mean I took the classes when I was in Fort Garry, but then I was transferred here and have never used them."
"Well then." Abigail said. "I won't worry about it unless you give me a reason to."
Abigail was also concerned because she knew that there was an open seat on the council, but they hadn't had an election to fill it. She knew that they would have to do that, but so much had happened that she hadn't thought about it much. She wondered if Elizabeth wouldn't want to run for that open spot. Abigail couldn't think about the open council seat for long, she needed to think about what she was going to say to the members. She knew that as soon as things calmed down that she was going to have to announce a special election for the open seat. She knew that she had six months before she had to call for an election for the open seat, at least according to the town by-laws. One thing that Abigail was grateful for was that Noah had encouraged her to become involved and that she had sat on the council for the last five years. Despite women not having as many rights in the country as a whole, small town life was different and many of the women had been involved in things for years. Abigail was glad, especially with the way that the mining company and Gowen had been.
