Chapter 213 – Checking on Jack

Jacobs returned, knocked on the door and came in. He looked around, but didn't see Elizabeth. It was only a moment later that she stepped out from behind the wardrobe doors dressed. Jacobs carried the basket that Faith had brought as well as the steaming kettle of water. Faith took the basket and directed Jacobs to set the water near the basin of other water.

"Elizabeth." Faith said. "Why don't you come sit by Jack here. We are going to try and wake him up."

"Can I try?" Elizabeth asked as she walked over to the bed.

"Please." Faith said. "I don't want to use smelling salts unless we have to."

Elizabeth took a seat on the bed and leaned over to Jack. Faith and Jacobs stood behind Jack.

"Jack." Elizabeth said. "Come on, open up your eyes for me."

Elizabeth brushed Jack's hair back and then touched his cheek as she spoke.

"Come on, Jack." Elizabeth said. "Faith and Jacobs are here to check on you. We need you to wake up."

The third time that Elizabeth called to Jack he let out a groan and scrunched up his face.

"I know that you are in pain." Elizabeth said. "But I need you to open your eyes."

Jack blinked several times, but slowly opened his eyes. He groaned in pain again.

"Take it easy." Jacobs said.

"Jack." Faith said. "Without completely rolling on your back, can you turn to face me?"

Jack rolled a little more onto his back, but cried out in pain.

"What happened?" Jack groaned.

"Sorry about this." Faith said. "We will talk to you. But what is the last thing you remember?"

Jack closed his eyes and tried to swallow. Jacobs immediately offered Jack a drink. He took a few sips and let his head drop back against the pillow. To be more comfortable, Jack rolled back toward Elizabeth. He opened his eyes and looked at her. He let his eyes roam down her body and at the baby bump. Despite the pain, he gave her a smile.

"The heartbeat." Jack said.

"Yes." Elizabeth said.

"Okay, good." Faith said. "What else do you remember?"

"Hip pain." Jack said. "Jacobs talking to me this morning about the pain in my hip."

"Do you remember me coming out before lunch today?" Faith asked.

"Sort of." Jack said. "What happened?"

Jack tried to move and again cried out in pain.

"Slow down." Elizabeth said. "Look at me."

Jack focused on Elizabeth and tried to make sense of the pain that was radiating through his hip.

"Alright." Dee said. "What is going on? You trust Jack and he trusts me, so maybe you can trust me."

Doug thought for a moment and realized that Dee was right. If Jack trusted Dee, then he knew that he could as well. Doug knew that Jack was an excellent judge of character so he was going to trust that.

"I had requested a transfer." Doug said. "Having completed my probationary period and others I graduated with have their own posting, I requested one but mine was denied."

"Do you know why?" Dee asked.

Doug flinched when he heard Jack cry out. He looked up at the stairs. He wanted to go to his friend, but he knew that there was nothing that he could do. Dee reached out and put his hand on Doug's arm in comfort. He knew that it was hard on Doug to listen to his friend in pain. It was hard on Dee, but after having spent months in the hospital, he got good at blocking it out.

"Focus on me." Dee said. "I know that it is hard, but please try."

Doug nodded. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and slowly blew it out. When he opened his eyes, he focused on Dee and tried to let everything else fade away.

"The Superintendent said I failed part of my probationary period training." Doug said. "But he wouldn't say anything else. When I made an official request for my records my Sergeant denied it. He won't tell me what I need to do to fix it and said I shouldn't even be allowed to wear the uniform, but it was out of his hands. He made it sound like if it was his choice, he would kick me out of the Mounties. I have no idea what I did wrong.

I know that I was an excellent cadet. I graduated second in my class. I got the top horseman and top marksman awards because of Jack's help. I missed the top academic cadet by less than one point. You know that I am a good Mountie. Jack and Joe wouldn't let me be part of their group otherwise. You know that to be true. Jack has a very high moral standard and he wouldn't tolerate those that don't maintain that moral code. I have done everything that I can to be a moral upstanding Mountie and serve the people that I have been assigned to.

The Sergeant has had me on late watch for months, refuses me days off. I think that the only reason I was allowed to come was because according to what I was told my presence in Hope Valley had been personally requested, yet when I arrived this afternoon almost everyone was surprised to see me, but Joe didn't seem surprised at all. He actually seemed relieved. I don't know who sent the order for me to report to Hope Valley, but I am forever grateful that I am here and can spend some time with Jack."

"Why do you think your Sergeant has said what he did?" Dee asked. "Can you think of anything you have done to upset him."

"Right at the end of my probationary period." Doug said. "I arrested these two men for fighting in the saloon. They were both very drunk. I was going to let them sleep it off and just talk to them. Warn them about the consequences of fighting. I had left them locked in their cells and went to complete morning rounds as assigned.

When I got back the Sergeant was there, but the men were gone. When I asked him where they were, he told me not to concern myself with it. He then asked for my paperwork. I finished the report and gave it to him. I saw him put it in a file and put it in his messenger bag. A couple weeks later, out of curiosity I just looked for the case file and there was nothing. I asked one of the other guys about it and he told me to forget about it. It was then that I was glad that I had kept a copy of the arrest and my other report for myself. Jack has always taught me that if something feels off, make sure that you have a copy of all paperwork to refer to later or to back you up.

Wondering what was going on, I started talking to several of the residents I knew pretty well. It turns out the men that I arrested were a couple of traveling salesmen. They had been coming through town a couple times a year for the last few years. They would always get drunk in the saloon and start fighting, but nothing ever happened. One of the guys told me that the Sergeant did that regularly, especially in certain cases. I started asking more questions, but got few answers. People shut down and stopped answering my questions. I got the feeling that people were afraid of what the Sergeant would do. Then I started watching the Sergeant more closely. He seemed to always have the newest, latest things and money to spend."

"Are you saying the Sergeant is taking bribes to let people off?" Dee asked.

"I don't know." Doug said. "All I know is that given that and other things I don't want to be under his leadership anymore."

"What other things?" Dee asked.

"I am almost positive that the Sergeant is sleeping with a married woman and the child she just had is his." Doug said. "The husband works on the railroad and isn't home but a week here and there. He was surprised his wife was expecting again, because according to them they have barely been together. He was pretty sure she was with another guy. I asked him why they got married and he told me he didn't want to but was forced by the girl's father when she turned up in a family way."

"I doubt that you failed your probationary period." Dee said. "That would have been a big deal and I would have seen something come across Dad's desk. Let me do some checking, but the request for transfer denial sounds and feels like retaliation to me."

"I don't want to make waves." Doug said. "But I also swore to uphold the law."

"I know." Dee said. "Let me work. I know how to ask things without causing waves. People have gotten so used to me asking questions since I have been working for Dad and also on the Pacific Northwest investigation."

"Okay." Doug said. "I wouldn't mind being at the station with others, but I honestly don't want to go back to Coaldale/Lethbridge."

"Good Jack." Faith said. "Yes, Jeremiah talked to me because he was concerned about your hip pain. I came and examined you. I found a cut with a foreign object in it. I removed it, but I must not have gotten it completely cleaned out. I had given you morphine for the pain and you were going to rest."

"After lunch we heard you moaning in pain." Elizabeth said. "We checked on you, you were thrashing in pain and sent for Jacobs and Faith. I immediately laid down with you to try and calm you down."

"We found a pocket of pus near the cut where I had removed the foreign body." Faith said. "I gave you the other half dose of morphine and we cleaned the spot. You passed out from the pain."

"After we made sure you were breathing." Jacobs said. "I carried you up here and got you situated in bed. Elizabeth spent most of the rest of the afternoon with you."

Jack closed his eyes and scrunched up his face as memories of pain and the smell of burning flesh assaulted his senses.

"I sort of remember some of it." Jack said.

"We need to wash that spot and change the dressing." Faith said. "There is no way around it, it is going to be painful. I can give you some morphine afterwards to help you sleep, but it is still going to hurt."

"Do what you need." Jack said.

"First." Faith said. "I want to take your temperature and listen to your lungs. Do you think you could sit up?"

"Maybe if Jacobs helps." Jack said.

"I got you." Jacobs said.

Jack took a deep breath and nodded his head. Jacobs helped Jack sit up, but it was extremely painful. As Jack sat there he cried in pain. He was trying to catch his breath, but he was having trouble due to the pain. Elizabeth immediately came around and knelt in front of Jack. She took his hands.

"Look at me." Elizabeth said.

Once Jack had focused on her.

"Breath with me." Elizabeth said.

She started to slowly take a deep breath, then she held it for the count of three and slowly blew it out. Jack blew out his breath faster and in a harsh manner.

"No." Elizabeth said. "Breath with me."

She did it again and that time Jack breathed with her. As Elizabeth was getting Jack to focus on his breathing, Faith listened to his lungs. She agreed he was breathing better, but she still heard a bit of a rattle that you would with pneumonia.

"Alright Jack." Faith said. "I still want you to be mindful of your breathing, but let's get your temperature."

Jack opened his mouth and Faith slipped the thermometer under his tongue. While they were waiting for his temperature to register, Faith took his wrist and got a heart rate. She made notes in her notebook so she could add them to his chart later. Finally, she pulled the thermometer from Jack's mouth.

"Looks like, right about one hundred still." Faith said.

Jack let out a harsh breath.

"It is okay." Jacobs said. "Not great, but at least it hasn't increased significantly. Hopefully, it starts to go down, but it might take a day or two. We will keep cool clothes on your head and neck."

Jack nodded.

"Elizabeth." Faith said. "This is going to be easier if Jack is undressed. He can cover himself like this morning, but it will make it easier to clean and redress the wound. You know how difficult it was earlier."

"We will step out." Jacobs said. "If you can help Jack undress and lay down on his side again."

"I can do that." Elizabeth said.

Jack just sighed. He knew moving again was going to be painful, the throbbing had just started to subside. He was at the point that he also realized that modesty was out the window. He was embarrassed that Faith had seen him mostly nude, but he also realized she was trying to be mindful of his feelings.

Faith and Jacobs stepped out and Elizabeth helped Jack to stand. He slipped his underwear off and took the towel from earlier. Elizabeth helped him lay down. Jack covered himself with the towel and then Elizabeth covered him with the sheet. Once he was laying down he looked back over his shoulder.

"Please go downstairs." Jack said. "This is going to be hard enough without you seeing it."

"I saw it earlier." Elizabeth said.

"Please, Bella." Jack begged.

"Fine." Elizabeth said. "But I'm going to come back and lay down with you after."

"I look forward to it." Jack said.

Elizabeth walked to the door and stepped out.

"He asked me to wait downstairs." Elizabeth said.

Jacobs put his hand on her shoulder.

"It is probably for the best." He said. "I saw how hard it was for you before. I promise to come get you as soon as we are done."

"Since you are going downstairs." Faith said. "Can you send Dee up. We are going to try a little ether, but need another set of hands."

"Okay." Elizabeth said.

They watched Elizabeth head downstairs. They stayed and were talking about how they were going to do things.