Silent tears streamed down Elizabeth's cheeks as Allie cried in her arms.

"What if he dies?" the girl sniffled. "Where will I go? He's all I have."

"Oh, Allie." Elizabeth hugged her tighter. "Everything is going to be okay."

Even as she spoke the words, she knew there was no guarantee. She had been in the café with the children, laughing about the cookie crumbs they were all covered in, when they heard screams followed by a gunshot outside. She had instructed the children to stay at the table while she made her way to the window, peering through the glass just in time to watch Jack crumple to the ground.

Now, she and Allie sat outside of the infirmary, where Faith and a Dr. Johnson—who was, thankfully, still in town after checking on Rosemary and her unborn baby—had taken Jack in to perform emergency surgery.

Bill had apprehended the shooter, Walter Smith, and locked him in the jail to await trial. He hoped that he could get the man to talk, giving up the whereabouts of his accomplices.

But for now, all they could do was wait.

Abigail had offered to watch William and Emma for as long as Elizabeth needed, so she could be there with Allie.

The young girl had already experienced so much loss in her life. Elizabeth prayed that she wouldn't lose someone else.

"Mrs. Spencer?" Allie's little voice was thick with tears. "When do you think we can see him?"

"Well, sweetheart, he's still in surgery," she explained. "We can't go in until they're all done, and then we might have to wait for him to wake up before they let us see him."

"What if he doesn't wake up?"

"He will, Allie. I have a feeling that he'll be just fine." She squeezed her hand. "And you can stay with me until he's better."

Allie burrowed into her, seeking all the comfort Elizabeth could provide. "I wish you were my mom," she whispered.

"Allie…"

...

Elizabeth looked out the window of the café, seeing the dim light from candles glowing just outside the infirmary. A few of the townsfolk had organized a candlelight vigil to join together in prayer for Jack's healing. She was grateful for their presence and support, to know that, despite the loneliness she currently felt, they weren't actually alone.

It had been hours since Jack had been shot, and there had been no news about the surgery. Abigail had insisted she and Allie come to the café to wait, where they could get a meal and perhaps rest a bit without being too far away.

Allie had managed to find sleep, resting comfortably upstairs with William and Emma. Elizabeth, however, couldn't rest until she knew how Jack was doing.

She needed him to survive, needed to be able to tell him just how much he meant to her, about the plans she had for their future. She wanted a life with him, wanted to grow old with him, to raise their children together, and she hadn't told him yet. She prayed that she would get a chance to tell him.

"Elizabeth." Abigail laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You should get some rest. I'll make sure to tell you if there's any news."

"I can't." She shook her head, her eyes filling with tears. "I can't sleep until I know how he is, Abigail."

Movement outside caught their attention. The crowd in the street parted, and Faith stepped through, making her way to the café.

"Faith, is he…?" Elizabeth couldn't voice the rest of her question, terrified of what the answer might be.

"He's alive," Faith assured her. "And very lucky. The bullet lodged just beside his spine. Just a few inches the other direction, and he could've been paralyzed. It missed all of his major organs, too."

"Can I see him?"

"In a few minutes. Dr. Johnson is cleaning things up." Faith sighed, wringing her hands together. "You should be prepared, though. He lost a lot of blood. We don't…" she paused, "we don't know when he'll wake up."

"I don't care. I just want to sit with him."

Faith nodded. "I'll let you know when he's ready for visitors."

...

"Dada!"

Jack squinted against the sunlight, trying to find where the voice was coming from. In the distance, he could see a small child toddling toward him, probably around two years old.

"Hi, dada." The boy had reached him, holding his arms out in a silent request to be picked up.

Jack lifted the boy onto his hip and gazed into his face. He could see himself there, in his ears and the shape of his mouth, the waves in his hair. But his eyes, wide and blue, were all Elizabeth.

"Dada, we go see mama." He pointed with his chubby little hand, indicating the direction he wanted to go. "Mama and brudder and sis-ers."

Holding tight to his son, Jack started off in the direction he had pointed, wondering what he would find. He crested the hill and saw four figures gathered a few dozen feet away, a woman and three children.

The woman lifted her gaze to him, her face lighting up. Elizabeth.

She looked radiant. "There you two are!" she called. "I've been waiting for you to come back to us."

"Yeah, dad," Allie spoke. "We need you."

He started off toward his family, but it seemed that the distance wasn't getting smaller. They were still out of reach, no matter how many steps he took in their direction.

"Come back to us, Jack. Please."

"I'm trying, Elizabeth." He sped up his steps, frustrated as he couldn't seem to get any closer.

"We need you." Her face had fallen, her voice thick with tears. "You can't leave us. Please, Jack."

"I'll do whatever it takes, sweetheart. I'll get back to you. I promise."

He sped up even more, the distance finally growing smaller and smaller until he reached her. He took her hand, matching smiles spreading on their faces.

"I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

"Good."

Jack suddenly realized the young boy was no longer in his arms. When had he put him down? Was he okay?

"What's wrong?" Elizabeth touched his cheek as he glanced around.

"The boy. Our son."

"We'll see him again soon enough," she assured him. "But now I need you to wake up. We still have so much to do, so much to discuss."

Wake up? What was she talking about?

She started to fade away, and he was suddenly aware that his limbs felt heavy, as though he were wading through water fully dressed in wool. He was being pulled down, down into cold darkness. Down, down…

A single whispered word sounded before the darkness overtook him, breaking his heart. "Please."

...

"Miss Abigail?" William came down the stairs of the café, rubbing his eyes.

"Good morning, William," she greeted him, pulling out a chair for him to sit. "How did you sleep?"

He shrugged. "Where's my mama?"

"She's still at the infirmary with Constable Thornton."

"Is Mr. Mountie going to die?" He accepted the glass of milk she set in front of him, taking a few sips. "Mama said he was hurt real bad."

"He was hurt really badly," Abigail confirmed. "But Nurse Carter and Dr. Johnson are doing everything they can to make sure he gets better."

"Good. He needs to get better, so he can marry my mama," he said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah," Allie stated in agreement as she came down the stairs to join them, taking a seat beside William. "We're gonna be a family someday. Is my dad awake yet, Miss Abigail?"

"I don't think so, sweetheart, but I'm sure Mrs. Spencer or Nurse Carter will let us know as soon as he is."

"Miss Abigail? What if he doesn't ever wake up?" she asked quietly, her voice trembling.

"Oh, Allie." She crouched down to the girl's level, taking her hands. "I believe that he's going to be just fine. We've all been praying for him."

"We prayed for my mama, but she died," she countered, tears spilling onto her cheeks.

"You're right. We don't know that everything is going to be okay. But you aren't ever going to be alone, Allie. I promise that." She gently squeezed her fingers. "Why don't we have some breakfast? And then maybe we can stop by the infirmary and see if there's any news."

She nodded, wiping her eyes. "Okay, Miss Abigail."

...

Everything hurt.

Shifting slightly, Jack groaned at the pain that had settled in his limbs. He took a deep breath, suddenly noticing the bandage wrapped around his chest, the effort that it seemed to take to fill his lungs.

He forced his eyes open, squinting at the bright morning light streaming into the infirmary. At first, he thought he was alone in the room, but then he noticed the figure in the chair beside him.

She was asleep, her chin dropped toward her chest, a handkerchief wadded up in her hands. Please.

He could hear her voice in his mind, at the edges of a memory or a dream. A hazy image appeared of a family, his brain struggling to bring it into focus.

"'Lizabeth?" he croaked, his voice barely above a whisper. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "Elizabeth."

She startled awake. "Hm?" Her eyes widened when she saw him looking at her. "Jack?"

"What happened?"

"Jack!" She cried, her tears beginning anew as she reached for him, taking care not to disturb his injuries. "You're awake!"

"How long was I out?" He struggled to get the words out, his brain seeming to move at a snail's pace.

"A few days, I think. I've lost track of time. Faith and Dr. Johnson got the bullet out, but you lost a lot of blood. We didn't know if you were going to wake up." She brushed the hair back from his forehead. "I'm just so happy you're okay."

"I'm sorry I worried you."

She shook her head. "Don't apologize. You didn't ask to be shot." She leaned down to press a kiss to his cheek. "Allie is going to be so happy to see you."

Allie. The image appeared in his mind again, more clearly this time. Elizabeth, Allie, William, Emma, the boy. His future. "How are the children? Where are they?"

"They've been staying with Abigail. We wanted to be close by." She took his hand, gently squeezing his fingers. "They've missed you."

The door opened, and a man Jack didn't recognize stepped into the room.

"Well," he smiled, "what a lovely surprise. I'm glad to see you're awake. It was touch and go there for a little while."

"Jack, this is Dr. Johnson. Faith contacted him to come check on Rosemary and her baby, and we lucked out that he was still in town to do the surgery on you."

"Well, Doc, I suppose I should thank you for saving my life." He reached for his side, fingers brushing against the bandage. "How bad was it?"

"We found the bullet next to your spine, but it missed all of your major organs. You were very lucky, young man."

"When can I go home?"

The doctor flipped through some of the notes he and Faith had taken regarding Jack's health status over the past few days. "I'd like to see you build back a little strength first."

"I can go get some food from the café," Elizabeth offered. "And maybe bring Allie by to see you, if you're up for it?"

He nodded. "Yes, please."

"I'll be back shortly."

...

The children looked up when the side door of the café opened, and Elizabeth appeared in front of them.

"Elizabeth!" Abigail turned from the stove. Taking in the smile on her friend's face, she knew immediately that she was bringing good news. "He's awake?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Dr. Johnson is doing a little examination right now. I came by to get some breakfast for him, and to bring Allie for a visit."

"I can see him?" the girl asked, hope filling her eyes.

"You were the very first person he asked about," she informed her. "He's very excited to see you."

"Why don't you two go now?" Abigail suggested. "I'll make some breakfast for him, and William and Emma and I can bring it by."

Elizabeth smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Abigail. Are you ready, Allie?" She held out her hand.

Allie took it immediately, and the two of them set off toward the infirmary. "Is my dad all better now?"

"He's better, but you need to be careful when you hug him. He's still healing."

"When will he get to come home?"

"I'm not sure. The doctor said he wants him to build up some strength before he goes home." Elizabeth pushed open the door, nudging Allie in ahead of her.

"Dad!" Allie exclaimed, hurrying to his bedside.

"Hi, Allie girl!" He grinned at her, carefully reaching over to take her hand. "I'm sorry I gave you a little scare there."

She shook her head. "You're better now. Does it hurt?"

"A little," he told her, not wanting her to know the truth—that nearly every inch of his body was in pain. He was just happy to have two of his favorite people by his side. "But it makes me feel better knowing you have Miss Abigail and Mrs. Spencer to take care of you until I'm back to normal." He glanced over at Elizabeth when he spoke her name, a gleam in his eye.

"Oh!" She suddenly recalled something. "Miss Abigail helped me and William and Emma make you a card, but I forgot to bring it."

"That's okay, Al. You can get it to me later."

"Speaking of Abigail," Elizabeth began, "I'm going to see how she's doing with your breakfast and give you two a moment alone." She leaned down to press a soft kiss to his lips, not caring that Allie was there to see them. "I'll be back."

...

One Week Later

Elizabeth took a seat on the porch beside Jack, glancing out at their children, who were busy playing fetch with Gilbert. She handed him a mug of coffee, then adjusted a blanket over his knees. "Do you need anything else?"

"Just you," he flirted, shifting the blanket so it covered her lap as well.

She smiled, her cheeks warming despite the chill in the air.

It had been a few days since Dr. Johnson had cleared him to return home, after making him promise to take things easy. He was still experiencing pain, but he was able to get around much better. He would have quickly become stir crazy if it weren't for Elizabeth and the children coming over every day to spend time with him and Allie.

"Elizabeth." He set down his mug, his tone becoming serious. "There's something I've been thinking about ever since I got shot, and I think we need to discuss it."

"Okay…" She turned slightly to face him, her knees brushing against his. She shivered at the contact.

"I've been thinking about leaving the Mounties."

She wasn't sure what she expected him to say, but it certainly wasn't that. "You want to quit?"

"Well, I don't want to put you and the children through all of that worry again. My job can be dangerous, and this whole incident proves that anything can happen."

She shook her head. "No. You aren't leaving the Mounties for us. If you leave the Mounties, it needs to be for you. Tomorrow isn't guaranteed for anybody." She took his hand. "I love you, and I'll support you no matter what you choose, but I don't want you to make a decision just because you think it's something I want."

"Mm," he hummed, taking in her words. "There's something else I've been thinking about lately." He looked out at his daughter, giggling as Gilbert and William chased her and Emma. A smile spread across his face. "If anything ever does happen to me, will you take care of Allie?"

"Of course," she replied without hesitation. "I already love her like she's my own daughter. But it won't come to that."

"You just said tomorrow isn't guaranteed."

She shrugged. "I just have a feeling. We have a future here, you and me and the children."

He slipped an arm around her, imagining so many more days like this. "I like the sound of that."

She leaned her head on his shoulder. "Me too."