You Are My Daughter – Chapter 27

Willian was shouting like a madman, as if he was going to have a heart attack from so much rage.

— I am her father, and I, only I, can or cannot allow her to marry now that she's a worthless widow to the family. She has to bring me profit; I didn't have a daughter not to make money.

Wynn, fuming with anger, saw Willian speak about Elizabeth as if she were a mere commodity for sexual exploitation or other purposes. He took charge of the situation and sternly spoke with his authoritative Mountie voice:

— With my daughter, neither you nor anyone else will meddle, Mr. Willian Thatcher. Elizabeth Grace Marie Thornton Grant no longer belongs to your family. She belongs to Mrs. Charlote Thornton, mother of her late husband. And another thing, regarding their marriage, we, her parents and her second mother, gave her to her husband, Nathaniel Grant, along with all our blessings. So, I warn you, don't come near my daughter or my grandson again.

Frankison looked at his father with tears in his eyes. Willian was taken away while Wynn embraced Elizabeth and said:

— I'm sorry, my daughter; it was the only way to protect you. But you are and always will be our daughter. We will always love you and protect you. Unfortunately, that man doesn't deserve the blessing of having a daughter like you or being called a father.

Elizabeth felt her body being hugged by her uncle and said:

— Can I call you Dad now? I've always wanted to do that… My father, you've always been my greatest pride.

Frankison hugged her from behind, messing up her hair even more, and said proudly,

— I knew it! I knew one day you would truly be my sister and not just in my games. From the day you were born, I wanted to bring you to our house to be my little sister. Leaving you in that cold crib in that house was my worst agony; you have no idea how much I cried at home.

Bill choked back tears, drawing everyone's attention. He lowered his head in an apology.

— Bill, you know that you're also my father, don't you? You and Henry are my fathers from Hope Valle. Without the two of you, I would have lost my way without guidance and without your advice. And you, Bill, with your gruff bear-like ways, welcomed me into your arms in my best and worst moments in life, giving me the support to keep going.

— It's the same with you, Lee, my older brother… You showed me that a widow could indeed move forward even as a single mother.

Everyone was crying as Nathan approached her, kissed her forehead, and gave her a quick kiss. He wrapped the blanket he had fetched from his horse outside around her body and quietly asked if she was angry that they were now married legally or that he had adopted her son. But she simply looked into his eyes firmly, the blue of her eyes dancing in a sea of love, and with a small smile, she gave him a gentle kiss on his lips and asked if that answered his question. Nathan smiled with joy as he tended to Carson's blood-stained hands, which wouldn't stop bleeding. Carson had already assessed that they needed to go to the hotel and perform surgery on her. As everyone was leaving, Nathan noticed she was turning completely purple due to the bruises from the assault. Wynn and Bill had already taken pictures of everything to use as evidence. Edward went to get Charles, who was slumping in a corner, and meanwhile, Nathan carried Elizabeth outside. That's when a loud noise was heard and Edward screamed as he was hit by Charles, falling to the ground. Charles lunged at Nathan, who was still holding Elizabeth in his arms. He looked into her eyes, sending her a silent message. She clung as tightly as she could to Nathan's neck to avoid falling while he drew his own weapon from his waist and shot Charles dead on the spot.

Nathan rushed Elizabeth to the hotel as she was bleeding profusely. Carson, Frankison, and the others grabbed Edward and also ran to the hotel. Bill and the others took all the prisoners to the local jail, asking the Mounties from the town for help until reinforcements arrived, and then they went to the hotel to assist Carson.

When Edward arrived at the hotel, he was bleeding heavily, completely pale, and said,

— My little sister, can I still be your brother even though I failed like this?

Seeing that he was giving up on his life, Elizabeth remembered her teacher's stern face. From afar, Charlote saw what she was about to do and felt immense pride in this woman. Elizabeth's most serious expression appeared, her hand resting on her waist, her cold gaze silencing anyone, because she knew that sometimes you have to take control of the situation. Carson was going to operate on Elizabeth's leg first, but she took control, saying:

— Carson, go to the room and operate on Edward now. I want him ready and alive.

— Tom, Henry, and Pastor Frank, could you please go to Charlote and donate blood for Edward? I know you're compatible with him.

— Elizabeth, but you… — Nathan began to say.

— Love, not now. Now stay quiet and let me do what I need to, Nathan. I promise never to go against your will again. But now I know I'm right. Now, love of my life, take me to Edward's room and stand me in front of him.

Nathan and Lee helped…

— Open your eyes, Edward. NOW… You have only one chance to become my brother forever. If you waste it today, I promise you'll never see me again. Your brother Philip told me that only I could be your star, so do me the favor of living. I order you, Sergeant Edward Monclay, open your eyes and fight.

Everyone was astonished by the way she spoke, with total authority. That's why the children respected her so much; they had never seen this before. It was then that Edward opened his eyes and said, saluting,

— Yes, ma'am, General…

The surgery went as Carson had expected, taking nearly four hours. Jack Junior never left Nathan's arms or Elizabeth's side, never letting go of his mother's hand, constantly looking at the blood on her body. His eyes kept going from her body to the floor at Elizabeth's feet, where a pool of blood was forming. She was already running a high fever.