Chapter 20
Nathan was feeling good. If truth be told he was feeling more than that. This was the happiest he could ever remember being in his life. It wasn't just that he had regained more movement after the first session of treatment from Maggie, nor that the throbbing in his hand had finally ceased. Not that these didn't help. But this was something different. Finally the pain in his heart was gone and he felt almost lightheaded at the thought of what the future now held for him. For the family that he, Elizabeth, Allie and Little Jack would become.
He let the word roll around his tongue. Family. His family. The Grant Family. He almost had to pinch himself to believe that finally, after all this time, they were going to be where they truly belonged. He made a promise to himself then that he would never take it for granted. Every day he would remind himself how lucky he was and make sure that he showed them all just what they meant to him. He would whisper "I love you" to Elizabeth every chance he had, just in case she forgot in the few minutes since he last said it. Yes, Nathan thought, I am feeling good.
When Maggie had returned from speaking to Carson she immediately started what she called the "chiropractic manipulation" of his neck and shoulders. She was gentle, knowing how important it was to treat this area with care, yet there was a firmness in her actions that he could feel radiating throughout his body. It had almost a ripple effect, each motion creating a fluttering wave that seemed unpleasant at first before eventually becoming quite relaxing.
Then she had spent some time stretching his arms and legs, moving them in different motions "to keep the nerves from being trapped" she explained. It was a strange sensation, to be manhandled in this way, and he wasn't sure he liked it but if it served a purpose and got him back on his feet then he would take as much of it as was needed. He knew there were health centres where people paid a lot of money to get treatment like this, having often read in the newspapers about a miraculous recovery of someone who have visited such a place. He was positive that his name would be added to that list of people before too long.
Now he was lying on his back as instructed, letting his body heal, his thoughts calm as he looked out at the peaceful blue sky with all signs of the storm long gone. Every so often he would move his feet just because he could. Maggie had warned him not to rush things, saying that time was a necessary part of healing and if he showed patience he would be rewarded in the end. The symmetry of that with his wait for Elizabeth had not escaped him and so he was more than happy to take things slowly.
From downstairs he could hear the sound of the children playing, their voices calling out to each other as they had found renewed levels of energy after the afternoon rest time. Attuned as he was to her voice Allie's stood out clearly to him and it was a relief to hear the anguish gone from it, replaced with joy and laughter. She had been his greatest gift and the idea of her being in pain brought an ache to his heart, especially if he thought he had been the cause of it.
They had spoken a number of times about how she felt about him a Mountie. The time he spent away on missions and the inherent dangers of his job were not something a young girl should have to endure, especially when she had already been through so much in her short life. But each time she had assured him that she didn't want him to change. This was what he was, who he was, and she couldn't imagine him doing anything else. He wondered if she would feel differently once they became a family. Or perhaps Elizabeth would be the one to ask him to give it up and choose something safe to do instead.
He could hear Lillian's voice now, calmly but firmly trying to quieten them down although he could tell that her heart wasn't really in it. After the drama of the past few days, weeks for some, the children needed to let off steam before the build up again to Christmas Day and she quite clearly knew that. But an occasional tempering of the excitement level was probably needed so that they didn't get too carried away.
A knock on the door made him turn his head and the sight of Elizabeth standing there brought a rush of joy to his heart that he hoped would never stop. He wanted to feel this way whenever he saw her for the rest of his life. "Maggie said the treatment went well and the signs are encouraging. How do you feel after it?"
He raised himself up into a sitting position and Elizabeth quickly added pillows behind him for support, brushing her lips against his cheeks as she did. He caught his breathe at the feel of her lips on his skin and then the biggest grin spread across his face. "A fellow could get used to that, you know".
Elizabeth smiled back, laying her hand over his on the top of the bed as she sat down on the chair beside it. "I think we can probably do better than that in the future Constable, but for now we mustn't have you getting too excited."
As soon as the words were out of her mouth she realised the connotation of what she had said and a red flush spread across her cheeks. Nathan laughed as he cupped his free hand under her chin, "We have a whole lifetime ahead of us, I can be patient." Elizabeth felt the electricity shoot through her even with the lightness of his touch. Oh my, she thought, I'm not sure that I can.
Quickly she turned the conversation to something different. "The children are getting more excited by the minute wondering whether Father Christmas will be paying them a visit tonight."
Nathan laughed, "I wish I was going to be downstairs to see how Lucas carries it off, undoubtedly with great aplomb. It wouldn't surprise me if he somehow produced reindeer and a sleigh out of his hat. Maggie said he was arranging something special for the children and came back with boxes of things but she wouldn't tell me what it is. Do you know?"
Elizabeth shook her head. "No, apparently on a few people are privy to what he has planned, those being Grace, Maggie and Bill. But I do know that they brought something else back in the wagon that hopefully will mean you don't miss out on all the Christmas festivities. Maggie said you must promise not to overdo things and tell us when it all gets too much for you." Nathan was intrigued, happy to accept any conditions that would mean he could spend some of Christmas with everyone. He thought for a moment before saying, "If I say yes are you going to tell me what it is?"
Bill's voice answered from the hallway, the sound of wheels turning answering along with his words. "Maggie and Lucas brought you back a wheelchair. It was a little dusty and the wheels were wobbly but Gabe fixed all that." He came into the room, pushing the wheelchair in front of him but that wasn't what caught Nathan's attention. There was something different in Bill's expression, a look that he recognised, a feeling that he understood.
"That is great Bill but I get the sense that there is something more important that you have to tell me. Come on, out with it."
It didn't surprise the older man that Nathan could read him like a book. With the exception of Abigail he was probably the one person who had seem him in all of his highs and lows and yet he never interfered without being asked. They had a relaxed relationship which included a lot of joking but when it came to serious matters he knew Nathan always understood what he needed, whether that was to talk about it, grumble miserably or just let it slide. That was the ease of their relationship and so it was important to Bill that he be one of the first to hear his and Abigail's news.
Elizabeth stood, "I'll leave you both to it. Abigail and I still have more of this conversation to finish so I'll head downstairs to find her." She bent to kiss Nathan on his forehead before adding, "Little Jack has been asking to see you. Despite all the excitement of his birthday he wants to make sure you are ok. Would you mind if I brought him up here in a while, so that he can have his own time with you on his birthday?"
Nathan found it difficult to speak for a moment, overwhelmed by emotion as he thought of the little boy he had grown to love so much. "I would love that. I know Allie gave him our present but I made a promise to him a few days ago that he could have a ride on Newton, I want to let him know that I haven't forgotten. As soon as I am up and about it will be the first thing on my list."
Elizabeth squeezed his hand, then nodding to Bill she headed for the door. "Let me know when you are finished and I'll bring him up then." Turning to Nathan, her face was full of joy as she added, "You're going to like Bill's news."
They listened to her footsteps disappear down the hallway, Nathan waiting patiently for Bill turn from his position looking out the window. Finally he moved over to the chair and sat down and Nathan could tell he was having to work hard to keep a plain expression on his face. But the turning up of the corners of his mouth could not be contained and eventually a broad smile broke out. "Abigail has agreed to marry me".
"Whoa", Nathan couldn't contain his surprise. "Where did that come from? I'm happy for you both but must admit I wasn't expecting that."
Bill laughed, enjoying seeing the look of astonishment on his friend's face. "Out of the blue, if you must know. Yet not so unexpected once we sat down to properly talk to each other."
Nathan nodded his agreement, "I've discovered that talking helps too. Perhaps we should both have tried it a little sooner." He was pleased for Bill, knowing how hard it had been for him over the years as he thought that his chance at happiness was gone. But one thing Nathan knew was that there is always hope and the events of recent days had proved that many times over.
"So tell me what happened because I know there is more to this than just a simple proposal."
Leaning back in the chair Bill struggled at first to put the words in order, there was so much he wanted to say about what they had decided. Finally he began, "We were talking about the children, the Scott family, and what a difficult time lay ahead for them. Everyone knows how difficult it is to find a family for a single child, what hope was there to keep a family of seven together. Yet Abigail and I both agreed that it was important that they didn't lose contact with each other. The babies need to know about their parents, about the good times that will eventually overshadow what happened in the end. And Chloe and Joe need to have the chance to enjoy the rest of their childhoods without worrying about what has happened to their brothers and sisters. We all know what Lillian and Grace went through when they were separated. It took years and great perseverance on Lillian's part to find Grace again. As close as they are now there is still so much they missed over that time."
Nathan knew what Bill meant. He remembered when Allie started asking questions about her parents and how he had struggled at first to answer them. Talking about his sister brought back the sadness of losing her and he had to dig deep within himself to bring to the surface all the good memories he had of her. The image of her cradling Allie as a newborn, exhausted after a long labour but with the most radiant expression of love and joy on her face, was what he kept in his head and slowly the sad thoughts receded. Bit by bit he built a picture of Colleen in her mind so that she understood as much as possible about the person who had loved her so much.
He had always been honest with her and so when she asked about her father he stuck to the most basic of facts, simply stating that grief had overcome him and he was unable to cope with raising a small child. But Allie wasn't stupid and he could read the question in her eyes, but you did it so why couldn't he? She had asked very little about him after that but Nathan knew that there would come a day when she wanted to know more and he would tell her the truth then. Because he knew that him lying to her would be a worse thing for her to accept than having a father in prison.
Bill gave Nathan a moment, knowing that his own experience would be going through his mind right now. After a short while he continued. "We knew that them all staying here would be too much. It may be fun right now with all the excitement of Christmas and so many extra helping hands but the reality of caring for fifteen children is vastly different to that. There is nowhere else we could think of where they could stay together so without realising it we decided that we had to step in."
"You're adopting them?" Nathan gave an incredulous gasp at the thought of what that would mean.
Bill shook his head. "No, we're not doing that. And before you ask the next question that Elizabeth did, nor are we opening an orphanage in Hope Valley. I know how difficult that is to put into place, even though as a judge I would have no problem getting approval."
"Well you have me stumped Bill. What exactly are you going to do for the children?" he asked, scratching his head, unable to come up with another answer.
"We're going to foster them."
"Isn't that the same as adopting?" Nathan looked confused, not understanding the difference.
Bill shook his head, "No. Legally they will still be under the guardianship of this orphanage but they will live with us. We will provide everything for them. I have a big house that I rattle around in on my own and with an extension there will be more than enough room. We hope that some of the children will eventually be fostered by other families, as long as they are in Hope Valley and there is regular weekly contact between them all. I know the people there, Nathan. We will not be alone in doing this."
The more Nathan thought about it, the more he could see the sense in the idea. He knew for a fact that the community of Hope Valley would rally around Bill and Abigail and that the children would be welcomed by everyone. Then another thought came into his head and he let out a groan.
"What?" Bill asked, wondering what Nathan could possibly object to about their plan.
"You do know that Allie is going to ask for one of them to come and live with us!"
Bill laughed. "I think that perhaps she will be happy getting used to her own new family for a while as I am guessing that is where you and Elizabeth are heading. But maybe Chloe and Allie could have that thing girls do….you know…a sleepover….once in a while. The two of them seem to be getting on very well together."
"I have no doubt that will happen Bill, although why they call it that I have no idea because the thing they do least of is sleep! But tell me, whose idea was it to get married?"
Bill looked uneasy for a moment, as though unsure of how to say the next bit. "You're going to think me sad when I tell you that I still carried around the engagement ring I bought for Abigail all those years ago." Patting his jacket pocket, he continued "in here, next to my heart. I believed it was the closest I would ever get to loving her and I knew there would never be anyone else. So I brought it out and laid it on the table in front of her."
"I would imagine her reaction would have been just as surprised as the rest of us to know that you had an engagement ring with you."
Bill nodded, "It does sound crazy, doesn't it. I guess we didn't really need to discuss things as we both knew that the only way we would be allowed to foster the children was as a married couple. The minute we agreed on the plan getting married became an unspoken part of it. We spoke with Lillian and Grace then and it was clear to see the relief on their faces that a solution had been found. Now we are working together to make it all official. As soon as we can travel back to Hope Valley we will go and get the house ready. By that time everything should be in place for us to take the children through. I sent off some paperwork today about it."
Nathan was impressed. Not just by what Bill and Abigail were undertaking but how quickly they had started putting things in place. "I am happy for you Bill. Both of you. It has been a long time coming. Of course you know that we will help you in any way we can. In fact Elizabeth and Abigail are probably already sorting something out as we speak." He paused for a moment before asking, "I don't suppose you managed to do that thing for me while you were in town. I would really like to make it official tomorrow."
Bill smiled, "I have everything in place for you. Just tell me when you want to do it."