Gabriel could see the crestfallen look on the boys' faces as he told them there was a chance their camping trip would need to be rescheduled. He couldn't blame them. He remembered what it was like being a kid and looking forward to something special. He had even suggested that he could ask around and see if someone else would be willing to take them. The boys had shook their heads, insisting they wanted to go with him.

"If the doctor says I can ditch the crutches, then we will go as planned Friday evening," Gabriel promised them. "If not, then we plan for the following weekend, all right. I am not cancelling on you boys. I want to go on this camping trip as much as you do."

"We understand, Mountie Gabriel," Vincent said. Beside him, Christian nodded his agreement.

"Do you need wood stacked near either of the stoves, or anything?" Christian asked.

Gabriel thought of the wood stacked just outside the door to the living quarters on the back of the office. He had not considered how he would get it from outside to the stoves, though he was sure he would figure it out. Still, it would just be easier to accept the boys' offer of help.

"Are Miss Lillian and the other children waiting for you?" Gabriel asked.

Vincent shook his head. "They already started back. Miss Lillian is always telling us that we should offer our help if we see a need. She won't mind if we take the time to bring wood in."

Gabriel smiled. Yes, that sounded like a lesson Lillian would instill in the children in her care. "In that case, I would very much appreciate some wood being in the box by both stoves. Thank you."

The boys quickly did the task. Gabriel had to chuckle when Christian added an "and not just so we get our camping trip," to the boys' wishes for a speedy recovery. He hoped very much that he would not have to postpone the camping trip.

Having had more than enough of the office for the day, Gabriel tidied up. Grabbing his crutches, he got to his feet, being careful not to put weight on the right one. Reaching out, he grabbed his hat from the coatrack nearby. Donning the hat, he grabbed the crutches. With their aid, Gabriel made his way to the door. He had quickly become an expert at using the things, though he hoped to never have to use them again after this.

Though he had cared for Apollo this morning before his misstep, Gabriel had not been back to see the horse. He should have found someone to take the horse out for some exercise today. It would have been good for the horse. Tomorrow, he was definitely going to have to figure something out.

Reaching the livery, Gabriel hobbled into the stall with the horse. He began to take care of him, brushing him out despite not having ridden him. A little attention was deserved. Between the crutches and trying to keep weight off the injured ankle, things were taking a lot longer than normal. After managing to get feed in Apollo's trough with the use of a bucket, Gabriel left the stall again. Shutting it behind him, he was about to head to the pump just outside of the livery when he dropped the bucket. Not one to cuss much, he let a word slip out that would have had his mother washing his mouth out with soap had she heard it.

"I am sorry, Dr. Carter. There is usually not such coarse language around the livery," Chuck commented.

Gabriel looked up from the bucket to the doorway to see Chuck and Faith walking through it. "I am sorry," Gabriel apologized, his gaze holding Faith's though his cheeks burned in embarrassment.

"We did walk in on you, Constable," Faith replied. "Though I am curious as to what, you are doing. You were not planning on riding were you?"

"No, Doc. No plans to ride. I was trying to care for the horse but the crutches are making that difficult. I was going to get water for Apollo and I dropped the bucket. Again, I apologize for my poor choice of words."

"You are forgiven," Faith told him even as Chuck retrieved the bucket from the ground.

"I will go get Apollo some water," Chuck stated. "Chances are, as much water would have been on the ground as in his water trough hobbling around on those crutches anyway."

"Thank you," Gabriel said, casting a sheepish look in the direction of Chuck's retreating back. He looked from Chuck to Faith. "So, what brought you two here?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

"Well, giving the area in which I will be working, I think it is safe to say there will probably be incidents that will require me to go out to the ranches. While I did some riding as a teenager that seems like a long time ago. I asked Chuck if he would help me get reacquainted with riding. He wanted me to start by meeting a few horses and find out how much I remember about saddling a horse and all."

"Well, would you like to meet, Apollo? He has a soft spot for the pretty ladies."

"Does he now?" Faith said, a smile coming to her face at the lighthearted flirting.

Unencumbered by the bucket now, Gabriel easily made his way back to his partner's stall. He introduced Faith to the horse, just as if he were introducing her to a person. If she thought it strange, then Gabriel didn't care. There had been times that Apollo was the only company he had for days on end.

"Are you a charmer like your partner here, Apollo?" Faith asked as she reached out a hand to rub the black's nose.

"I think the horse is more charming than its owner," Chuck kidded as he returned with a bucket of water.

"You are one to talk," Gabriel ribbed back.

"Grace thinks I am charming enough," Chuck countered, even as he reached over the stall to dump the water into the proper receptacle.

Gabriel did not respond right away. Anything he could say seemed to say more about Grace then Chuck.

"Are they being silly, Apollo?" Faith asked the horse, still rubbing the spot between his eyes.

Apollo whinnied in response, causing everyone to laugh.

"So, are you two going riding tomorrow?" Gabriel asked.

"Yes," Chuck replied. "We want to make sure our new town doctor is comfortable on a horse so that she doesn't become the medical emergency while going to a medical emergency. I also thought it might be good to show her around the area seeing as our town Constable would not be able to go out looking for her."

"Don't be so sure about that," Gabriel replied, knowing that if someone, not even necessarily Faith, was lost he would probably ignore doctors' orders to find that person.

"Well no one is lost," Faith said, turning to face Gabriel. "So, you just keep weight off of that ankle."

"Yes, Doctor," Gabriel replied. "Do you have your own horse?" he asked trying to change the subject.

"No," Faith replied. "I never had a need in Hope Valley. Most people were closer to the town or came to the infirmary. I figured I would see how rusty I am before I make that decision."

"Then why don't you ride Apollo tomorrow," Gabriel offered. "He needs to be out of the stall and you won't find a better trained horse in the area."

"My mother might disagree," Chuck commented.

"It would not be the first time your mother and I didn't agree on something," Gabriel told him.

"You make a good point," Chuck replied. "Gabriel is right though, Faith. Apollo is a well trained horse. He would be perfect choice for you to get back in the saddle with and he should get some exercise while Gabriel is hobbling around on crutches."

Faith turned to the horse. "What do you say, Apollo? Do you mind if you and I take a ride tomorrow?"

Apollo's response was to nudge her shoulder gently before moving to take a drink of the fresh water that Chuck had brought him.

Faith laughed. "Not the most enthusiastic response but I guess it is better than him turning his back on me."

"Well, as that is settled, I am going to go hobble home and elevate my foot for a little while just as the doctor ordered," Gabriel said. "Thank you for your help, Chuck."

"You are welcome," Chuck replied shaking Gabriel's hand. "I am not going to tell you not to come visit your horse if you want to, but until you can lose the crutches, I can take care of Apollo for you."

Gabriel wanted to protest. He wanted to insist he could do it himself. However, thinking about this first attempt, he could see that accepting Chuck's offer was the smart way to go.

"Thank you," Gabriel said simply. Saying a final good-bye to Faith, he headed out of the livery, thankful he had already talked Ronnie into giving him a ride out to the orphanage for super.


A couple hours later, Faith left the little apartment above the infirmary and started her walk toward New Hope Orphanage. She was thankful that Lillian had extended a dinner invitation to her. Back in Hope Valley, her lack of culinary skills was well known and she almost always had an invitation to someone's super table or a friend to eat with at the café. There had been a time when a lot of those café meals were spent with Carson. Here in Brookfield, the hotel seemed to be the only choice for food, though she had made some purchases at the bakery for tomorrow's breakfast.

Faith had no doubt that word would soon get out that their new doctor could not cook but she anticipated a lot of lonely meals in her future.

Looking around her though, Faith did not feel any fear. Being in Brookfield felt right somehow. She was glad that Nathan had suggested it, whatever his motive had been. She felt like she was at the start of a new adventure and she had already met several wonderful people.

After covering about half the distance out to the orphanage, Faith heard the sound of a car behind her. Stepping to the side, Faith turned to see Ronnie bring his car to a stop near her. Gabriel was in the passenger seat.

"Where are you headed, Dr. Faith?" Gabriel asked.

"Lillian invited me to super with her and the children," Faith explained.

"I have a super invitation there myself," Gabriel commented.

"You might as well hop in," Ronnie said from behind the wheel. "I am already playing chauffeur to the Constable."

"Thank you," Faith replied, stepping toward the car and getting into the back seat.

Super at the orphanage was delightful. Faith enjoyed being in a house that was so full of life. It reminded her of her home in Hamilton before her mother passed. The children were delightful though she had a hard time remembering them all. She admired the easy rapport that Gabriel had with all of them, though especially Vincent and Christian. Having lost one parent, Faith felt an empathy for these children though she still felt lucky. At least she had still had her father to love her, even if support in her decisions for her own life had been lacking at one time.

Despite the friendly atmosphere, Faith noticed a stiffness, for a lack of a better word, in Gabriel's interactions with Lillian. She had a feeling that Lillian was the woman who had chosen another guy. Still, she admired the fact that Gabriel and Lillian were still trying to be friends, especially in light of the children. These kids, especially the boys, needed good male role models and Faith had no doubt that Gabriel filled that role in their lives.

Once again, Faith was reminded of Carson. Like Gabriel and Lillian, they had remained cordial to one another, but Faith wondered if spectators could see the stiffness that she had felt when interacting with him.

Now that there was some distance between them, Faith hoped that they could go back to the friendship they had once shared eventually. She would take comfort in knowing that Carson was there to lean on as a colleague and a friend.

"I can hitch up the wagon and drive you both into town," Lillian offered as they stood on the porch after saying good-byes. Grace was inside trying to start the process of getting the children into bed.

"I will be fine hobbling into town," Gabriel assured her. "You have the children to get settled in bed. I did appreciate the meal. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Lillian said as she looked to Faith.

"I am quite content walking. Besides I have a patient to keep an eye on," she said lightly, getting a chuckle out of everyone. "I appreciate your part, in making me feel welcomed on my first day in Brookfield."

"We are thankful you chose to come to our little town. Maggie is wonderful, but it helps ease my worries knowing we have a doctor as well."

"Well, I hope I can be a service to this community," Faith replied.

Soon, Gabriel had managed to get down the porch steps, and he and Faith were heading toward the buildings that made up the little town. The sun had disappeared beneath the tree line, and twilight had everything in shadow. Faith thought it seemed peaceful.

"I would offer you my arm, but the crutches make that impossible," Gabriel said lightly.

"It is the thought that counts," Faith told him. "So, is Lillian the 'pretty girl' who chose someone else?" she asked as they walked.

Gabriel cringed. "Was it that obvious?"

Faith shook her head. "Not really. I may have experienced with awkward interactions after a breakup even though you are trying to be friends."

"Is that breakup the reason you came to Brookfield?" Gabriel asked.

The empathy in his voice as he asked the question made Faith feel at ease. For the first time, she admitted to someone other than herself that yes, Carson was why she had sought out this new experience.

"It was," Faith admitted and then without prompting told Gabriel the short version of her relationship with Carson, her time away, and how things just felt off when she returned to Hope Valley. "Neither one of us did anything wrong, we just were not in sync any more," she finished.

"Even so, I am sure there is some heart ache."

"There is," Faith said. "However, it is getting easier every day," she said. "What about you? Is seeing Lillian going on with her life getting any easier on you?"

"The fact that she is happy, makes it bearable," Gabriel replied. "Though I can understand your desire to move to another town and start over. Part of me has been wishing for another posting to come in. Perhaps Lillian was right to be concerned about my job. Yes, she was thinking only of the danger when she said she could not be in a relationship with a Mountie but moving an orphanage is not feasible. If I got another posting, one of us would have had to give up our dream. I wouldn't have wanted that for either of us."

"If you truly love someone though, perhaps what you are giving up isn't really important."

"Perhaps," Gabriel admitted. "Still, Lillian is not the first woman who said she cared about me but could not be with me because of my job. Perhaps a long term relationship was just not in the cards for me. Finding someone willing to love a Mountie is starting to seem like an impossible feat. Nathan got lucky finding Elizabeth. Ironically, he was the one who said he never wanted to marry."

"It was not easy for them," Faith said, thinking of her two friends back in Hope Valley. She was thankful that Elizabeth had finally got her inner turmoil figured out and had embraced the love that Nathan had offered her. "Losing Jack was hard on her. I can't fault her from rebelling against the idea of loving another Mountie. However, I think Ned's brush with death because of illness helped her to realize that none of us are safe from the possibility of losing someone we love. We just have to realize that what we do share with them is worth that possibility of pain."

"Jack was a good man. He spoke often of going home and marrying his Elizabeth when I served with him in the Northern Territories. Though his death was tragic, I am glad that he got to fulfill that dream at least and that he has a son to carry on his legacy."

"I never thought about that," Faith said. "It just seemed so tragic that they had so little time together. I never considered what even that brief time would have meant to Jack. Thank you for that perspective, Gabriel."

Gabriel nodded in acknowledgment but remained quiet. The continued in silence for a few moments, before Faith spoke again.

"The year that Jack intended to take Elizabeth to the Christmas Ball, I told her to bring me back a Mountie. As a teenager I use to picture my wedding and the groom was always wearing red serge. She, however, seems content to keep all the Mounties for herself."

As soon as the words were out, Faith felt the heat rise in her cheeks. She had not meant to sound so forward.

"Well, Elizabeth has currently caught her Mountie, so perhaps there is another Mountie out there for you, Faith," Gabriel told her.

Faith looked over at him. She expected to see a smirk on Gabriel's face in the fading light. There was no smirk though, just a gentle compassion that stirred a fluttering feeling inside of her.