.
Nathan & Elizabeth: An Epic Love
.
Chapter Sixteen
.
Promises Kept
Part II
.
"Gentlemen, I wanted us to first have a short joint conference regarding promises kept. But first, I'd like to offer a word of thanks for that heartfelt and robust welcome you've just given me! It's good to be here with you, and I'm hoping to get quite a bit done in the next two days, as you must know without knowing the particulars, as of yet, a lot is going on. Part of the reason I'm here today is to introduce you to the overall direction of those changes, many of which were driven by your concerns. Though I must admit I am not at liberty to currently give you some of the specifics of these changes, I assure you they will be coming soon, and I believe all of you will be very pleased. At the very least, I wish to set your minds at ease."
"Before we continue, I'd like to introduce six new men to you while at the same time reintroducing one of your comrades in arms. I'd also like to take this opportunity to issue new titles to all seven. Staff Sergeant Harris, can you please usher the men in so that we can continue our meeting together?"
As Staff Sergeant Harris did just that, in walked seven Mounties, one of whom the Union City Department knew very well and was very happy to see!
"At ease, Men! Allow me introductions, though I understand the Gentleman on the right needs no introduction!"
There was laughter as these twelve men, along with said gentlemen on the right, were very used to not only working hand-in-hand but considered themselves a team, above all loving to razz each other!
"And without further ado, the Gentleman on the right, as you well know, is none other than Constable Gabriel Kinslow, whom I'm told loves to have a little fun at your expense and perhaps vice versa!"
That last statement brought a flush to Gabe's face but with hearty laughter all around the room.
"Please don't believe everything you hear, Deputy Commissioner Blevins. I mean, you know these pretty boys from the city will do anything to make this poor country boy look bad!"
"I'd expect nothing less from these fine Gentlemen! I might just join them in their tomfoolery later in the day! They might need some refreshing new material, and believe me, I've heard it all (bringing much laughter from the gathered group)! But for now, let's get back to our introductions."
"I'm sure you've heard of 'The Three Musketeers,' but I'm about to introduce to you 'The Three Musketeers Times Two!' I'm told these six have banded as one and been together through thick and thin. To Gabe's right is Sergeant Finn Valen, their fearless leader, who not only does the Mounties proud, but also his Scandinavian relatives across the pond! It's thanks to the experience and wisdom of this fine man that these remaining lads actually made it through training, so for that, all of us thank you. Top Commendations, Son! Welcome Finn! (*34)
"Thank you, Sir! A pleasure to be here! Looking forward to getting to know all these fine Gentlemen!"
Warm shouts of welcome rang out, the team impressed with the obvious prowess of the Mountie in front of them.
"To his right," smiled the Deputy Commissioner, are five men who have completed their training early, so as of now they are still Cadets, but we're going to be fixing that in a few moments!
"First, meet Cadet Peyton Hubbard, and I hope he doesn't mind me sharing, a descendant of William Peyton Hubbard, the famous inventor and politician of our great country. Commendations for doing a phenomenal job in training, Son, especially out on those field exercises! Good to have you join us!
"Next is Cadet Jacques Landry, horseman extraordinaire who taught his classmates a thing or two about equestrianship that could at some point save them, their horses, or both! And I hear these lessons are now being included in our curriculum for all Mounties. Again, extremely commendable, Son! Welcome to the team, Jacques!"
"Next is Cadet Zane Morgan, who is a much-awarded athlete and prankster extraordinaire. Look out, Gabe! He's coming after your title (chuckles and laughter)! This is also the man you want on your Mountie Team, along with your Baseball team, he can pitch that ball like no other. All commendable, Son! Welcome aboard, Zane!"
"Next, we have Cadet Alex O'Reilly, a great all-around guy. You guys know how hard it is to make it through basic training. With the help of Finn, here, this guy did it all on his own, though you might see a slight resemblance to our own beloved Chief Superintendent Patrick O'Reilly! But just like his father before him, Alex has insisted on no favors – coming up the hard way, just like you and I have done! You are to be commended for fortitude under extra pressure, Son! Welcome to the real world of the Mounties, Alex!"
"And last but by no means least, Cadet Andrew Taylor, with the highest written exam scores of his entire class, he can always lift your mood with great music, but this is also a young man who stayed back to help others out of tough situations in mission training, instead of making it back to depot by himself to be first. That's the Mountie way and is always to be highly commended, Son!" (shouts of 'Go, Team!' erupted. Welcome, Andrew!"
Together, the five Cadets nodded to a slew of welcomes, all three knowing the razzing that was bound to come after these meetings were finished, though by now, they could pretty much give as well as what they themselves received!
"Everyone, please find a seat, and I promise I'll be quick and painless!"
The seven did as the Deputy Commissioner instructed, excited to be a part of whatever was big enough to require his presence.
"For some time now, Union City has been a well-oiled department, and that is in large part due to Staff Sergeant Harris and also to Sergeant Robert Johnston and Sergeant Stephen Manning, who were kind enough to man the department during my arrival – a personal and profound thank you to you three Gentlemen!"
"But a huge thanks also to the twelve men who are out in the trenches every single day bearing the brunt of our responsibilities to the world around us."
"From the fifteen of you here in Union City, we have heard time after time how isolated as a department you have been, with a Superintendent far from you in location and at times through no fault of his own, far from prioritizing your specific needs. I promised I'd look into those issues, and I have done so, finding all of you were absolutely right! So, as of Wednesday, this very week, you will be reporting to a much geographically closer Inspector who will be overseeing your needs as well as your work, and I do believe you will be most pleased with that placement: promises made, promises kept! I'm counting on that Officer, as well as all of you, to make me look good! Because in doing that, your Commanding Officers are able to continue to listen to you and act on what we hear and verify are your needs. Thank you for always being open with us. And thank you for the hard work of making it all happen out in the field each and every day. Your hard work never goes unnoticed, and all of it is very much appreciated!"
The entire team sent up cheers of jubilation.
"Next is my favorite part of this strange, strange job I have! Oh, and don't tell the Commissioner I said that!" he held up his hand with his index pointer raised and a frown covering his face as though he could get into real trouble.
Everyone laughed.
"Will our five guests please come front and center? Though Gabe has graduated previously, when the remaining six of you were first brought to my attention, I felt this was a team of six that needed to not only advance but advance together as much as would be possible. You trusted me enough to take me at my word when I promised that I would not only keep you as a team together but also that there would be bonuses coming your way in one fashion or another. And although I didn't say so, I meant bonuses in the way of promotions and increased pay, as well as the maintenance of deep friendships extrapolated to a working team out in the field like no other! Again, at the end of this conference, I'm hoping you'll all concur with what I'm saying now: promises made, promises kept!"
"First, Sergeant Finn Valen, please stand by me. By the authority vested in me as your Deputy Commissioner, it is my distinct privilege to hereby commission and promote you to Staff Sergeant Finn Valen! Congratulations, Staff Sergeant Valen!"
"Honored, thank you, Sir!"
"The honor is all mine, Staff Sergeant! Make us all proud. I know you will!"
"Next, Constable Gabriel Kinslow, please stand by me. By the authority vested in me as your Deputy Commissioner, it is my distinct privilege to hereby commission and promote you to Sergeant Gabriel Kinslow! Congratulations, Sergeant Kinslow!"
"Honored, thank you, Sir!"
"The honor is all mine, Sergeant Kinslow! Make us all proud. I know you will!"
The Commissioner placed his hand on Gabe's arm, as he appeared shaken, unlike the other four standing beside him, having not expected anything at all, perhaps except some new managerial guidelines, but most definitely not a promotion! He just had never given it a thought!
"Next will our five Cadets, please step forward. This one is a bit trickier. As of today, you all are being promoted from Cadets sequentially in two separate groups."
"Our first group of two will be made Constables, by far one of the toughest jobs that exists in our Force. You must be sharp-footed, sharp-minded, and a jack-of-all-trades, ready for anything often in a second's notice or even with no notice at all."
"Cadet Zane Morgan, please stand by me. By the authority vested in me as your Deputy Commissioner, it is my distinct privilege to hereby commission and promote you to Constable Zane Morgan! Congratulations, Constable Morgan!"
"Honored, thank you, Sir!"
"The honor is all mine, Constable Morgan! Make us all proud. I know you will!"
"Cadet Andrew Taylor, please stand by me. By the authority vested in me as your Deputy Commissioner, it is my distinct privilege to hereby commission and promote you to Constable Andrew Taylor! Congratulations, Constable Taylor!"
"Honored, thank you, Sir!"
"The honor is all mine, Constable Taylor! Make us all proud. I know you will!"
"This second group will all be made Corporals, as their job will be somewhat different from the regular ins and outs of the Field. Full disclosure: this Wednesday, after individual interviews, one of you from this second group will also be made a Special Sergeant due to complex added responsibilities, but the important part is all three of you will be moving from training to the outside world, all remaining close together, working as one defined unit in a novel setting. But even with that minor adjustment of differentiation, no one loses anything, as there are only winners in this team moving forward. I'm sure of it!"
"Cadet Peyton Hubbard, please stand by me. By the authority vested in me as your Deputy Commissioner, it is my distinct privilege to hereby commission and promote you to Corporal Peyton Hubbard! Congratulations, Corporal Hubbard!"
"Honored, thank you, Sir!"
"The honor is all mine, Corporal Hubbard! Make us all proud. I know you will!"
"Cadet Jacques Landry, please stand by me. By the authority vested in me as your Deputy Commissioner, it is my distinct privilege to hereby commission and promote you to Corporal Jacques Landry! Congratulations, Corporal Landry!"
"Honored, thank you, Sir!"
"The honor is all mine, Corporal Landry! Make us all proud. I know you will!"
"Before we proceed, I mentioned before that this next Cadet has insisted on making his own way without the help of Chief Superintendent O'Reilly. The problem is I have to work with my Colleague very closely, and I would never hear the end of it were he not able to see his eldest son commissioned into the Mounties. Therefore, I am taking full responsibility, but Staff Sergeant Harris, can you please bring our guest in!"
"Gentlemen, I give you Chief Superintendent Patrick O'Reilly, but today, more importantly proud father! Patrick, would you like to do the honors?"
"The greatest honor of my life, Deputy Commissioner! And yes, I heard your remark. Deputy Commissioner Blevins is 100% correct, as I would have done everything humanly possible to make his life miserable from my lowly position against his most exalted one!"
The entire room, along with the Deputy Commissioner, erupted in laughter!
"He's not kidding, you know!" chuckled Deputy Commissioner Blevins. Never underestimate an Irishman! Especially one who happens to be Chief Superintendent!"
And the laughter continued.
The Deputy Commissioner and the Chief Superintendent embraced, and then the Commission Certificate was placed in Chief Superintendent O'Reilly's hand.
"Cadet Alex O'Reilly, please stand by me. By the authority vested in me as your Chief Superintendent, it is my highest and distinct privilege to hereby commission and promote you to Corporal Alex O'Reilly! Congratulations, Corporal O'Reilly!"
"Honored, thank you, Sir!"
"The honor is all mine, Corporal O'Reilly! Make us all proud, I know you will, because I couldn't be prouder!"
The two men embraced both with tears, yet it seemed everyone was shedding a few.
Their love and pride for each other were palpable and so wonderful to share.
This was a sharing of an honorable legacy to which every single man in this room was fully committed.
Suddenly, an organic cheer was raised and repeated three times:
"Maintains le Droit!"
"Maintains le Droit!"
"Maintains le Droit!" (*35)
"And with these profound moments, I ask each of you to do this one thing. You see, the secret to being the best Mountie you can be is simple, personally and professionally. Don't make a promise unless you can keep it, and when you do make a promise, make absolutely certain, you keep it to the best of your ability!"
"You'll never go wrong with that mantra, Gentlemen, as we Maintains le Droit!" (*36)
The cheer resounded collectively once more in triplicate, but this time reaching out onto the streets of Union City:
"Maintains le Droit!"
"Maintains le Droit!"
"Maintains le Droit…" (*37)
As Elizabeth walked Nathan back to the RCMP Office, he could tell that her mood had shifted.
"What's wrong, Babe?"
"With the three of us together, I couldn't help but realize Allie was missing. I have to fix things with her, Nathan. But the truth is, I don't know how."
"Elizabeth, these things take time. Maybe instead of fixing, we should think in terms of letting this evolve. Keep in mind Allie has just recently been rejected by Dylan, so that magnifies in her mind what happened with you. Also, this morning the two of us were missing her mother something terrible and had an important conversation about that. I really do believe everything will eventually work out. It's just that she's going through a lot right now. Just help me be there for her. She'll come around!"
"Did that go well? The conversation about her mother, I mean."
"As well as it could have for both of us. As you know, grief often comes in giant waves when you least expect it. This morning was one of those times for the both of us. I did remind her, though, that nothing would make her mother happier than having a mother here on earth to love her and be there for her."
Elizabeth looked up at him and smiled wanly, still scrambling to think of something she could do to improve this awful situation she knew she was responsible for creating.
"I just can't stand the thought of her hurting because of something I did or didn't do. You were so perfect with Jack. I feel like I've just messed up everything. Do you mind to ask Bill to pick up Jack at daycare, I just feel like I need to talk to Allie instead of watching Jack's lesson or at least work through some things related to her."
"Of course. I'm sure he'll be fine with doing that. But you haven't messed up anything that can't be fixed," and here, he cupped her chin. "I love you, Lizbeth, and Allie does too. I give you my word!"
"I love you, Nathan, and I love Allie, too."
"We both know that, Babe. And Allie loves you, too. I need both my girls to remember that as they work through this together."
"You have complete faith that this is going to be okay, don't you."
"Lizbeth, I know it's going to be okay…"
Elizabeth, now feeling more encouraged after having discussed it with Nathan, kissed him at the door of his office.
"Hey, why don't the four of us celebrate with dinner at the Café tonight? Sound good?" asked Nathan.
"Sounds great! What time works for you?"
"Is seven too late?"
"That's perfect. Do you need me to pick up Allie and us all meet you at the Café?"
"You don't mind?"
"Not at all; maybe it will give Allie and me a chance to talk again, as Jack usually runs ahead."
He kissed her quickly once more, but she was already discovering that even his shorter kisses were most attentive as well as intentional. This man was fully present in whatever he did. And she was shocked that she hadn't realized that before.
"I can't wait to find out every little detail about you, Nathan!"
"Even the 'ooey, gooey' bad details?" he teased.
She laughed.
"I haven't found one yet! Though I do love the 'ooey gooey' part!"
"Just you wait," he winked and literally tore himself away from her to turn around and head back to work. "They're coming!"
"As is the 'ooey, gooey' when you least expect it, Constable!"
"Looking particularly forward to that part, Mrs. Thornton! Especially since I've never been able to retaliate, er 'participate' before. All I have to say is, you'd better watch out!"
Erupting in effusive giggles, she was simply filled with love.
She stood there for a few moments, marveling over the fact this was their new life.
However, her focus instantly shifted when she suddenly felt someone staring at her, and she spun around to see Lucas on the steps watching her.
"Lucas! I didn't realize you were there!"
"I didn't want to interrupt the two of you. But I do need to speak with you, Elizabeth."
"Lucas, is it really important?"
"It's more important than you can possibly understand, Elizabeth."
He could tell she was hesitant.
"I thought we might have some tea. I mean, I have tea, and you have your usual cup of coffee at the café. And I should tell you, I asked Nathan a question earlier, and since he referred me to you for an answer, I'm sure he has no problem with us talking."
"Lucas, you look pale. Is something wrong?"
"Yes, Elizabeth, it is. Very much so!"
He motioned for her to go ahead of him, offering his arm.
But Elizabeth couldn't think of taking it, even with not wanting to hurt him. It just didn't feel right. Also, what would people think, and most important of all, how would Nathan feel?
"I'm sorry, that wasn't at all appropriate of me. Shall we walk over to the Café now? They aren't normally very busy this time of day."
She nodded, wanting to get whatever this was over with, but also being careful to keep a respectable distance as she didn't want to give anyone mixed signals…
.
.
.
34. "The Three Musketeers," a French historical adventure novel written by French Author, Alexandre Dumas; published in July 1844; it if the first of the author's three d'Artagnan Romances. As with some of his other works, it was written in collaboration with ghostwriter Auguste Maquet. Public Domain.
35-37. "Maintains le Droit!" the Official Motto of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; was first advocated in 1873 and adopted two years later; it means "Uphold the Right!" Public Domain Information.