Chapter 198 – Frank Visits Jack

The group at the mayor's office went back to work and before they knew it, it was lunch time and they had all gotten quite a bit of work done. Abigail had gotten through all the books for the cafe and even written out the order that needed to be sent. She also looked at a few things that she wanted to bring to the town council meeting that she wanted to call for the first week in May. The last thing that Abigail worked on was the plan for expanding the cafe. She knew that she didn't have the funds to do it, but she also knew that both Wynn and Jacobs had offered to invest. She had sold twenty-five percent of the cafe to Bill, so she had shares of the business that she could still sell. Bill had wanted more, but she had told him she was only willing to start at twenty-five. Bill accepted it and promised Abigail that he would prove that he was a good partner.

Abigail sat there and thought about things. She was willing to sell up to ten shares of the business to each Jacobs and Wynn, that would give her money to fund the expansion and a little extra. She would then be willing, after the expansion had been earned back what it cost, to allow Jacobs and Wynn to sell their share back to either her or Bill if they wanted. She was going to talk to Andrew about the legal pieces of it, but she had written out the proposal. She had also figured out what she wanted and wrote a one page of what she wanted in the expansion, so she could have Becky draw up the plans so she felt a part of things. Once she had the drawing, she would go and talk to Lee.

Wynn, Jacobs and Dee had all gotten through several bundles of papers that Williams had brought. They had found several answers, but also posed another page of questions. Dee had been back and forth to the mercantile sending and retrieving several more wires. They had a better idea of what Higgins and his father were up to, but no clear direction on how to handle things. Jacobs had also taken the time to make more notes in his papers about things as questions were asked and answered about things. At one point, Jacobs unrolled the map of the town and the surrounding area that had been in the jail. He also unrolled the larger map of the surrounding area that Jack had gotten from the land office. They had taken the time to mark all the maps so they were the same. Then also as they spoke, it was easy to see what people were talking about.

David and Andrew had been able to get through two full sets of books. Because of all the stuff going on with Gowen, the duo had made the decision to start with the 1903 books since that was when Gowen had arrived in then Coal Valley. They had asked several questions of Wynn and Abigail. Jacobs learned a lot more about Hope Valley and the area that he was going to be in charge of. Jacobs was impressed with all that the people had been through and yet they had stood tall. Hearing what had happened and how hard the people of his area had had it, gave Jacobs a new determination to make their lives easier. He had grown up privileged, but he also knew hard work. He had decided a long time ago that he was going to live his life to help those that had struggled to have an easier time of things.

David and Andrew were doing the audit differently than previous auditors. They went through the books – town and bank to see if they matched. They made notes about companies or things that they wanted to investigate. The difference was that they wanted to go through all the books and write out all the questions before they sat down with Abigail, Bill and Wynn to set some answers. If someone would have walked in they would have been surprised at how quiet the office was. There were six people working there and for the most part the only noises heard were scratching of pens on paper and the shuffling of papers. Abigail and the men only spoke when they needed to. In reality the five men at the table had found it easier to just pass a piece of paper to another person when an answer was needed.

David was a whiz with numbers and Andrew had a great mind for law. Several times, the gentlemen would get up and grab one of the territory law books that were on the shelf in the office. Quickly, Andrew realized that the law books that were there, were not what the town needed. He had quickly had Dee send off wires to have new law books sent from both Owatta, Calgary and Edmonton. He knew that the ones from Calgary would be there first, but it was what it was. The important part was getting the information. Dee had also, at a few times, sought clarification about a law or something. Those were mostly sent to one of Andrew's colleagues in Union City or to Jacobs' uncle and/or grandfather. Those men were chosen, because they were trusted, but also because they knew that a quick response would be sent.

The ladies at the cafe had been busy. Elizabeth Rose had put a business plan together in her head. She knew that there were things that she needed to check out before she spoke to Abigail. She also was going to use the mind of her son-in-law to help her write the plan out over the weekend at some point. By the time that the ladies sat down to have a quick bite before heading to the school, they were more than ready to go to the schoolhouse. They hadn't heard back from their morning wires, but Elizabeth Rose had assured Charlotte that Dee probably had them and would fill them later. Charlotte nodded, but she still wanted to throttle Mr Higgins.

Both Patty and Elizabeth Rose had convinced Charlotte to hold her temper and allow Jacobs and Bill to handle things. Patty assured Charlotte that if Jacobs needed anything, he would ask. Charlotte wasn't happy about it, but she agreed to allow things to be handled at least until Monday. Charlotte didn't tell them what she was going to do if things weren't handled by the time that they had finished school on Monday, but that didn't matter. Both Patty and Elizabeth Rose had a pretty good idea of what Charlotte was capable of, especially when she thought her family was threatened.

Patty, Charlotte and Elizabeth Rose made sure that Ann was set for lunch with the two cadets before they left for the schoolhouse. As Charlotte, Elizabeth Rose and Patty were leaving Abigail, Wynn, Dee, Jacobs, David and Andrew came over.

"We will talk after school." Wynn said. "Several wires came for both you and Charlotte."

"I figured that you had them." Elizabeth Rose said. "Yes, we will talk after school."

Abigail went to help Ann while Wynn, Jacobs and Dee spoke to Elizabeth Rose, Charlotte and Patty for a couple of moments. David and Andrew found a place to sit. Wynn, Dee and Jacobs took a table next to David and Andrew. They were close, but at a separate table. They had all agreed that it was best to try and maintain an appearance of not being too friendly, especially the first day. They were also trying to keep it quiet that Andrew was Wynn's son-in-law. They knew that it would probably get out, but they weren't advertising it. It helped that most people didn't know a lot of Wynn's background or family other than what had been shared.

Frank had had a busy morning as well. After helping at the schoolhouse before lessons started and then helping Bill at the jail, Frank had returned to the schoolhouse for a bit to be around. About mid-morning, he picked up his Bible, and while still having his sidearm under his coat, set out for Jack's house. Frank knew that he should have checked in with Jack before, but there had been so much going on that he had stepped back to allow Jack to heal. Frank had been praying for Jack and Elizabeth, but he still felt bad about not visiting. He had been out every day to see Mary Graves. She was still on bedrest and there was fear that she might lose the baby or worse, DeWitt could lose both of them. Frank had been there praying with her every day. Frank felt like he had failed Jack because he wasn't there for him when he was ill. Frank knew that Jack was in good hands with Jacobs, the Delaneys and Elizabeth, but that didn't help the guilt for not visiting sooner.

As Frank walked toward the row houses, he said a prayer that Jack was on the road to recovery. He also prayed for everything that was going on and that things could be sorted out soon. As much as he liked having Elizabeth's aunt, uncle and cousin there, the other Mounties made him a bit nervous. He had long spoken of his past with the townspeople, but there were still some that he thought looked down on him. He wondered if that would ever change and could he truly escape his past.

When Frank rounded the corner where the row houses were, he stopped and looked at the new houses. Even though he had been there everyday, he was still amazed at how fast they were going up. He knew that the expanding town was going to be a challenge, but he was ready to face it. Frank just wondered if everyone else was ready for what was coming. He has seen several towns fall apart as they expanded. Frank said one more quick prayer before turning toward the guards he saw every day. Frank knew they had a job to do, so he hadn't spent much time talking with them. He saw those young men and made him once again regret some of his choices when he was younger. Frank realized that he might never have been a Mountie, but he also realized that if he had stayed in school, he might have had other opportunities. He was grateful for what he had now, but he also couldn't help thinking of the what ifs.

"I think Corporal Thornton is still resting." Cadet Scott said, when Frank stopped in front of the house. "Cadet Harris is inside right now, he would know better."

"Well, if he is too tired." Frank said. "I can come back later. I know that he was expecting me."

"Okay." Scott said. "But Constable McGinty had come out shortly after Constable Delaney, Sergeant Jacobs, and DC Delaney left."

Frank nodded and went up the steps. He knocked and waited for Cadet Harris to open the door.

"I was wondering if Corporal Thornton was up for a visitor?" Frank said.

"I can ask." Harris said. "Please come in."

Frank stepped in, closing the door behind him. Harris quickly went to the bedroom and knocked on the door before entering. After a moment, Harris stepped out and waved Frank over.

"Go ahead." Harris said. "I will grab my book and head back out back."

Frank went in and took a seat with Jack, while Harris grabbed his items and headed out the back door. Jack looked up at Frank and gave him a dimpled smile.

"Glad to see you." Jack said.

"You too." Frank said. "So how have you been, really?"

"It hasn't been easy." Jack said. "I feel that I should be protecting my town. Protecting my family. I feel so useless right now."

"I know that useless feeling." Frank said. "But you have so much that you need to get better for."

"I know." Jack said. "But …."

"But nothing." Frank said. "You take as long as you need to recover. The child that Elizabeth is carrying is more important than a job. Besides from what I have heard, you have been ordered by a superior officer to take it easy."

"I suppose." Jack said.

"Tell me how things have been this week." Frank said.

Jack shared about the treatment and how hard it was on him. He talked to Frank about the pain. He shared how bad it was and how scared he had been. Jack hadn't even shared that with Elizabeth because he didn't want to scare her.

"I understand you not wanting to share some of this with Elizabeth." Frank said. "But you need to talk to Wynn or Dee or even Jacobs. Please promise me that you will do that. I mean that you can talk to me, but I have a feeling that Dee or one of the other Mounties would be able to understand better. From what Abigail has told me, Dee struggled last year with pain and things after he was attacked while on the job."

"I will." Jack said. "It is hard to talk to Dee, even though he understands. He has always been so close with Elizabeth that I don't want to put him in an awkward position. The other thing is that I know that they are all dealing with so much that I don't want to add to their burdens. They are here because I failed at my job."

"You didn't fail." Frank said. "You lost a fight with Mother Nature. The sooner that you realize that there is only so much we as humans can do to control Mother Nature the better. We need to respect the power that Mother Nature is. Whether it is weather, flooding or a landslide – we can only try our best to prepare for it and then be prepared for the aftermath. We are powerless to prevent most things that will happen on large scales like the flashfloods and mudslides."

"It is hard to accept that." Jack said.

"I understand." Frank said. "I didn't say that it was easy, I said it was wise."

"Elizabeth told me something similar when I was going through the planning process." Jack said.

They prayed together and Frank shared a few verses with Jack. They talked a little more, Frank shared about different people in town and how things were really going. He knew that Dee and Wynn were keeping Jack in the loop, but Frank saw things differently and was able to share those things with Jack. He didn't talk about what had happened at the schoolhouse that morning. Frank was not sure what he could tell him, especially since his knowledge was limited. The two sat and talked for over an hour. Before Frank left, he pulled out an envelope from his Bible and handed it to Jack.

"This was my sermon from Easter." Frank said. "I thought you might like to read it, especially after I was told by both Abigail and Wynn that I needed to share it with you. If you have questions, we can talk."

Jack nodded. He took the envelope and went to pull out the papers.

"Please wait until I leave." Frank said.

Again Jack nodded. He put the envelope on the nightstand and looked at Frank again. As much as Jack wanted to read what Frank had written and preached on Easter, he would wait and respect the man that he had come to know.

"I have a huge favor to ask." Jack said.

"I am listening." Frank said.

"I need you to go out to my land and check on things." Jack said. "I trust Lee, but he has so much going on and I haven't been able to meet with the crew personally. I asked Joe the same thing. I need people that I trust to make sure that things are moving along. It is imperative that the house and other buildings get done this summer. I can't get into all of it right now, but everything hinges on the house being done. You will also see that my plans that I had shown you have expanded. There will be a second smaller house and a larger stable/barn. I will explain those when I explain everything else.

Just know that it is all tied together and I hope and pray that you understand the decisions that Elizabeth and I have made. We know that not everyone will understand why we have made those decisions and that those decisions have led to the need for other things. I am just hoping that our friends will understand and then stand with us. We know that several decisions will be met with criticism by many."

"Then I will do what I can to help." Frank said. "I wish you could tell everything and why it is so important, but I will trust you. Just know that I know that you and Elizabeth will make decisions that are right for you despite what others may think. I will stand with you, since you stood with me when I needed to explain my past to the town."

"I will explain things in full when I can." Jack said. "We need to talk to family first."

Frank nodded. He said one final prayer over Jack before leaving him to rest again. Frank had seen what his visit had done to Jack and knew that the best thing for Jack would be to rest. He also knew that everyone was going to have a hard time keeping Jack home and resting as he started feeling better. Frank also realized that he had a perfect opportunity to help Jack – he could insist on daily meetings at the house. Jack would be able to rest and they could talk though some of the fears that Frank knew that Jack was struggling with.

Before Frank left, he made sure Jack had some water and was comfortable. He then got Harris to sit back inside. Frank left Jack's house and headed down the lane to the Graves house to check on Mary.

Elizabeth was relieved when she saw her aunt walking toward her in the schoolhouse.

"How was the rest of your morning?" Aunt Elizabeth asked.

"Busy." Elizabeth said. "I heard several of the children whispering, especially the girls. I think I am going to have to make an announcement that I am expecting. I don't think that they will come out and ask me, but I think that some of the mothers have been gossiping again."

"I know that they have." Aunt Elizabeth said. "I have heard snippets at the cafe."

"Maybe you can help me put something together." Elizabeth said. "I was going to talk to Jack and maybe we can make an announcement at services this weekend. I have sent a letter to Mother and Aunt Agatha. So it would be alright."

"We can talk about it tomorrow." Aunt Elizabeth said. "Speaking of which, do you want me to pick things up for supper tomorrow?"

"That would be great." Elizabeth said. "Maybe we can have a late lunch. It might be easier for everyone. Then Jack and I can have leftovers later."

"Then let's look at things that are needed for this afternoon so you can head home." Aunt Elizabeth said.

The two women went over the homework that the children had, which was the chapters for their history test on Tuesday. The children also had math problems and a writing assignment for the weekend. There was also reading they needed to do. Elizabeth left the children's workbooks so they could be handed out so they could do their writing assignment. She would work on grading the rest of the essays the next week as well as the one from the weekend. She had several worksheets to grade, so she put those in her basket.

"I will hand out the workbooks." Aunt Elizabeth said. "The children have plenty to keep busy. The science projects are coming along well. Go rest and I will talk to you later. I might stop by after school, but I need to also go talk to Wynn and Jacobs about what happened this morning."

"Go do that." Elizabeth said. "I will see you tomorrow. I think another quiet night in for Jack and I is a good idea. He had visits from both McGinty and Frank today."

"Then, I will be out at about mid-morning tomorrow." Aunt Elizabeth said.

"Sounds good." Elizabeth said.