First of all I want to say how sorry I am that I haven't been able to write...I know it's been such a long time, there has been so many things going on...My stepdaughter passed away and work is getting overwhelming sometimes.. However I'm here now and ready to continue this story! Writing this story is such a theraputic thing for me and I can't wait to start writing again!

Chapter 75

The Many Obstacles of Life

It was a good thing that there was a couch behind Elizabeth because when she heard the words come out of Lee's mouth, she got wobbly on her feet which caused her to get dizzy. Lee reached out to steady her and helped her sit down.

"What happened?" she uttered in a small whisper.

"Nathan has gone to see how he can help, but he has told me to fill you in"...he hesitated but knew that she had every right to know" So... here's what happened"

"About 10 this morning, Jack's boss, called him on the phone. He told him about a prisoner that they needed to transfer to another prison. At first everything was going according to plan, when some men, that turned out to be his friends and his brother. They climbed on top on the train car that was carrying Jack, another officer and the prisoner. Jack never knew what was coming Elizabeth, he is always so observant and knows everything around him. The first man went right to the engine car, where he knocked out the engineer, while his other friend and brother came to break him out. Fiquiring out how to stop the train was something that the men had no idea how to do so it was still moving while the break out of their friend continued." Lee noticed that Elizazeth's face was getting flushed, " Can I get you a glass of water?"

"No thank you... just tell me what happened to Jack." Elizabeth wanted Lee to keep going.

" The men found the car with the Jack and the prisoner in it and tried their best to open the door. Somehow, they managed to break down the door, Jack and the other officer did their best to make sure the prisoner wasn't going to get away. Unfortunately his brother and friend had other ideas. " Lee didn't want to go on because he knew that it would cause her pain." Elizabeth, they hurt them pretty severely and what made it worse, the 3rd man finally fiquired out how to stop the train. When the train stopped, they all got thrown into the wall due to the impact and the men all escaped. While the conductor came to a couple minutes later, he called for help on his radio.. Soon the area was surrounded was police and ambulances. The conductor made it out with just a bump on the head...but..."

"What about Jack and the other officer?" She swallowed hard, scared to hear Lee's next words.

"They were both transported to the hospital in Union City. Both of them are awake and stable for the time being. They both have broken ribs, bruises and cuts, but I wanted to let you know as soon as possible." Lee could only imagine what she was feeling. If Rosemary was lying in a hospital, hurt and he wasn't there to be with her.

"Is he going to be ok?" She was trembling now and she didn't know if she could handle the answer.

"Let's sit down."Lee led her over to the couch. "I myself haven't heard it directly from the doctors mouth,but I believe with all of my heart that he will pull through this. God didn't bring you to Hope Valley a couple years ago as our school teacher for no reason. He had you come to help us, you met a man,my "brother". You made him a better person and I have never seen him happier that he is when he is with you." Lee took her hand and continued." In just a matter of months, you will be bringing Jack's child into this world. He will be alright Elizabeth, he loves you and that baby to much to give up."

"Can I see him?" She wanted to be with him at the hospital no matter what condition he was in. She just wanted to sit by his side and let him know that she was there.

"We leave first thing in the morning. Nathan is with him right now so don't worry about him being alone. Would you like me to stay tonight? I'm sure Rosie would undestand."

"No thank you Lee, I'll be fine." She just needed to be by herself so she could think...she caught him right when he was going out of the door." Lee, would you mind terribly staying the night with us?"

"Not at all, I'm going to go grab some things from home and let Rosie know what's going on,but I'll be back soon. Maybe you could pack a small suitcase so that we can leave as soon as possible tomorrow. Try not to worry." He headed out the was glad to be alone with her thoughts for about a half an hour. The reality of being alone brought all of her emotions to a surface,the strange thing is that she couldn't cry. She was so scared, she was in shock and she had no idea what the future held for her or the family that she was growing in her belly. She seemed to have endless thoughts and she lost track of the time. The next thing she knew, Scout was barking at Lee coming back.

"Elizabeth, I'm back." He had a small suitcase and what looked like a container of food. "Rosie sends her love and prayers for you both. She made a chicken casserole for dinner tonight so you wouldn't have to cook." She couldn't help but smile, that was just like Rosemary,always thinking of others.

"Thank you for telling her what is going on. You can sleep in the guest bedroom, I think that I'm going to turn in myself." Elizabeth bid Lee goodnight and climbed the stairs to their bedroom. Scout knew something was not right so he left his spot in front of the firplace and followed her up to the room.

Lee didn't say anything, he knew that she was spent. Carrying a baby and then hearing news like this about your husband, couldn't be easy. He also knew that neither of them would sleep a wink that night. Making sure that everything was locked up downstairs, he found his way up to the already made up guest room. Knowing that he wasn't going to sleep at all this night, not when his best friend was laid up in the hospital, he laid down on the bed and just waited for morning to come.

The early hours of the morning brought lots of rain and clouds. The weather seemed to match the heaviness of that seemed to hang over Lee and Elizabeth both. They had both gotten up early, taken a taxi to the train station and boarded the 7:30 train to Union City. Being only an hour away, Elizabeth was starting to feel mixed feelings, feelings of relief that she was going to be reunited with Jack, but also feelings of uncertainty of how she would find her beloved. Lee reached over and took her hand.

"It won't be long now,we'll go see him right away. Depending on how you are feeling, later on, we can find a hotel to stay at while we're here." He knew how hard it was for her to see her husband go through this, after just being married for such a short time.

"We? You're going to stay her with us?" Her voice trembled as she asked.

"For as long as it takes. Jack is my "brother" and I would never go home knowing that he was in a hospital here. Also, Rosie would never forgive me if I left you here by yourself." Lee smiled but kept the converasation serious. "I would never leave." She joined his smile with a smile filled with gratitude, relief and hopefullness.

"Union City!" They heard the porter yell as the train started to slow. It seemed like a lifetime since the weary travelers had gotten on the train that morning. Lee and Elizabeth got off the train and right away hailed a cab. One stopped in front of them, Lee told him that they needed to get to the hospital. Rain was still falling as they arrived at Union Memorial not 10 minutes later.

"Are you ready?" Lee questioned. She nodded and they started up the stairs. They found their way to the reception desk to find out what room they had put Jack in. Thanking the nurse, they quickly made their way to Room 205, they saw Nathan talking to the doctor and Elizabeth got worried.

"What's going on?" Elizabeth rushed over to the door of the room. She turned and found the courage to open the door to Jack's room even though she wasn't sure what awaited her on the other side. There laying in the bed was her husband hooked up to a monitor and he wasn't moving. Lee and Nathan rushed into the room and saw her standing there watching Jack breath with the aid of the machine. Lee walked up and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Lee, why isn't he awake? I thought you said that he would be awake." She was so much more confused than before.

"That's why the doctor was just here. A couple of hours ago, he complained of a horrible headache. They decided to do a scan of his brain and found quite a bit of swelling there. They think it happened what the train came to a sudden stop and he was thrown against the wall. The doctor was telling Nathan that they decided to put him into a induced coma just until the swelling comes down. He seems very optimistic that the swelling will go down by itself, it just needs time."

"Then he will wake up?" She whispered. Lee nodded,hoping that he was right. Doctor Phillips had explained that the coma that he was put into would last about 30 hours...the swelling wasn't alot but the brain needed to rest for that amount of time. Then whenever those hours were up, he would be able to wake up on his own. His doctor was very hopeful that the swelling would be down enough then for his body to start to heal on it's own at that time.

Lee pulled one of the few chairs that were in the room over next to Jack's bed, and ever so gently guided his friend's wife into it. He knelt down beside her and spoke quietly to her so that he wouldn't startle her. She seemed so far away, like she and Jack were in a bubble all by themselves.

"Elizabeth, lets go get something to eat... she tried to protest...we will get it to go and come right back here. He will be ok until we come back I promise. The doctors will be right here." She agreed only because she knew that she wouldn't be and good to Jack if she didn't eat and keep her strength up. Nathan was standing by the door, her jacket in hand for her to put on.

The 3 weary Hope Valley travelers walked out of the lobby quietly. Elizabeth stood of to the side with Nathan while Lee gave the desk his number with strict instructions to be notified of any changes with Jack.

"Nathan, you have been really quiet, are you doing ok?" Elizabeth asked the deputy who was so faithful to her husband. Even though Jack was her husband and his love belonged to her, he meant alot to other people too. She was not blind to the fact that it was affecting Lee and Nathan as much as it was affecting her, but in a different way. He smiled and nodded at her. She knew and understood his thoughts.

"Ready?" Lee walked over to them and they all 3 walked down the halls together. He opened the door for them and had a plan to be back as soon as they could to be with Jack.

About 15 minutes later, the taxi pulled up to this local diner a couple miles from the hospital.

"Now I know that you are going to tell me that you are not hungry, but you really need to eat something. We are getting it all to go, so we can go back to sit with Jack. So, please get something to eat, you need to keep up your strength. Especially for my little buddy that you're growing in there:)" He smiled and she returned the smile which did his heart good. He was going to be such a good "uncle" to their child. Lee was always looking out for her and her family.

"Maybe just a roast beef sandwich please." He nodded. Nathan put in their order for 3 roast beef sandwich dinners to go. The dinner came with fries and a salad as well, which Lee was thankful for in cause they got hungry later, they wouldn't have to leave. Food in hand, they made their way back to the hospital. They were able to get settled and comfortable in Jack's room. His 2 good friends and his wife spent the evening with him, telling stories about him and talking to him. Looking over at her, both of the men were happy to see that Elizabeth's plate was just about empty.

"Well if you both will excuse me, I think that I'm going to head back to the hotel and see if I can book 2 more rooms for you both. It's been a long day so I will probably turn in after that." Nathan stood and let out a yawn.

"Nathan, thank you so much for coming as soon you heard about his accident and staying with him until we could get here." She rose from her chair and hugged her dear friend. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and shook Lee's hand, letting them know that it was his pleasure. He left and the two of them talked some more for another hour before Lee stood and was ready to turn in as well.

"Are you about ready to go? We'll come back first thing in the morning." He was a man of his word and he was hoping that she wouldn't object to them going to the hotel to get some rest.

"Lee, I'm not leaving him. He might need me in the middle of the night and I just have to be here." She started to cry, realizing that this was the first time that she had shed a tear since hearing about his accident. "Please don't make me leave."

"Alright, shhh don't worry, of course I'm not going to make you leave him. I'll just head to the hotel to call Rosie, and Nathan and I will be back tomorrow morning." He gave Elizabeth a hug and a kiss on the cheek leaving her alone in the room with her beloved.

Taking the time that she needed to talk and pray to God, she let Him know how much Jack meant to her. She was so incredibly thankful that he brought her to Hope Valley, had her meet Jack and marry him. She turned her eyes to face his and ever so gently took his hand.

"Jack, you just have to be ok. We have barely been married 8 months. I don't think that I can make it without you here with me, and what am I supposed to tell our son or daughter when they ask me about their daddy? When I first came to Hope Valley, you made me feel so safe. Whether it was rescueing me from criminals or just a little mouse in my classroom, you were always there. Please come back to us." She rubbed her stomach and was rewarded with a kick from their child. She smiled but tears soon filled her eyes. She couldn't lose him, he was the light of her life. How would she ever survive a single day without him? She climbed into his bed next to him, laid her head on his shoulder and fell asleep.

Around 5 or 6 the next morning, something woke her up. She was unaware of what is was at the time , just a feeling that something had changed. Her eyes finally adjusting to the light, she looked around the room trying to decipher what had changed. She smiled a smile so big, and her eyes filled once again. Looking down at her hand that had never left Jack's hand, she noticed that it had changed positions and he now had her hand resting on top of his chest.

"Jack, can you hear me?" Are you able to open your eyes?" He didn't open his eyes but she felt him ever so slightly squeeze her hand in response."Oh Jack! You can hear me. I'm so glad that you are still here with me:)" Eyes still closed, she heared her husband say the words that she longed to hear her whole life.

"Sweetheart, I will never leave you or our baby...not ever."