The drive to the infirmary was a blur, the only thing on Elizabeth's mind was how hot her little boy felt in her arms. Growing up, Jack had been a very healthy boy, a few fevers and runny noses here and there, but nothing like what was happening now. She closed her eyes and leaned down, placing a kiss on her son's head just as they pulled up to the infirmary.
Nathan had quickly jumped out and was opening the door, arms outstretched waiting for Elizabeth to hand him Jack, so she could exit the car. Seeing the confusion in her eyes, he gently reached out and took the boy in his arms, allowing Elizabeth to exit the car, and together they walked into the building.
After gently placing Jack on the examination bed, Nathan reached out and grabbed Elizabeth's hand. Squeezing it just enough to remind her he was there. The spark that always accompanied his touch, brought her out of her thoughts, bringing her to the present. She smiled up at Nathan and returned the squeeze. Removing his hand from hers, he placed his arm around her waist and held her tight to his side, and together they watched as Faith began her examination, worry and anxiety rolling off both of them.
Hearing her son's quiet cry, Elizabeth leaned down and placed a kiss on the little boy's forehead. "Mommy's right here, Honey Bear, you're going to be okay. I promise. Dr. Carter is going to make things all better." she whispered, using a finger to gently turn his head towards her.
Giving her a small smile, Jack said, "Love you."
Swallowing the sob that was threatening to escape, Elizabeth placed a second kiss on his cheek, and smiled back at him, "Love you too, Honey Bear" Feeling a chair touch her legs, Elizabeth looked over her shoulder and was surprised and grateful to see Nathan had pulled a chair over to the bed and was helping her sit down.
The door to the office swung open and Allie came running in, "Is he okay?" she cried.
Having finished her exam, Faith was fairly confident she knew what the problem was and unfortunately, it wasn't good news. She looked up at Elizabeth and Nathan, her eyes asking them if she could talk in front of Allie. Both nodded at the same time, while Elizabeth reached out a hand and drew Allie to her, Nathan placing an arm around her has well.
Deciding to not beat around the bush, Faith explained her diagnosis. "I believe Jack has diphtheria. It's highly contagious, as you know, and kids are the most susceptible. The good news is it appears to be fairly mild, as far as diphtheria goes, and I believe we caught it in the early stages, which is to our advantage. The bad news is we've all been exposed, which means we all must quarantine ourselves for the next week to 10 days. We can get into that later, but for now I am worried about his fever. It's extremely high and with him not wanting to drink, he is going to become dehydrated very soon. What I'd like to do is get him set up with an intravenous tube, so we can get some fluid into him, and then get him into an ice bath. Once his fever is under control, we can start the treatment for the diphtheria."
Knowing she had just thrown a lot of information at them, Faith paused before asking, "If you are okay with that, I'll get started."
Elizabeth nodded her head, and whispered, "Please just help my baby."
"I'm not a baby." she heard Jack say quietly.
Looking down at the small boy, she smiled and assured him, "No, you are not."
By this time, Faith was ready to get started, so Nathan stood up and headed to the other side of the bed, where Allie and Elizabeth were sitting.
"Okay, Jack, are you ready?" Faith asked once her supplies were set up properly.
Seeing Jack nod, she continued, "First I am going to put a cloth over your mouth, and I need you to take a breath, as big as you can, okay? That will help you relax and make you sleepy, it's okay to just close your eyes and go to sleep. Then, when you wake up, you'll have a bandage wrapped around your arm, like this." she paused to show him what it would look like. "And there will be a tube right here." She pointed to the spot where the tube would be visible. "Now it might hurt a little bit, and feel uncomfortable, but I need you to be brave and not touch it because that is how we are going to give you some medicine to help you feel better." Looking into the little boy's eyes, Faith couldn't help but see her little Lilly, lying there scared and uncomfortable, and her eyes filled with tears. Not wanting to scare the boy anymore she smiled and began getting the cloth ready.
Jack looked at Nathan. "Mountie Nathan?" he whispered.
Nathan let go of Elizabeth and Allie and leaned down, taking the little boy's hand in his, and whispered, "Yes."
Jack looked up at him, fear in his eyes, "Will you stay with me, please?" he whispered.
"Of course I will. I am not going anywhere, Slugger, and neither is Allie nor your mom." Nathan assured him.
"No, I just want you to be here." he managed to say before the tears started to fall from his eyes, the frustration and fear finally getting the better of him.
Looking up at Elizabeth, she saw the question in his eyes. What should he do?
Elizabeth leaned down, "You only want Mountie Nathan to stay with you, not me?" She could feel her breaking point crashing down on her. It wasn't possible, was it, her little boy didn't want her around? What did this mean? She looked between Nathan and Faith, hurt and confusion in her eyes.
Faith walked over and wrapped her in a hug, knowing the devastation she would have felt if Lilly had made the request. Quietly, she said, "It might be for the best, Elizabeth. We need to get some fluids in him. I know it's late, but maybe you can just wait on the bench outside. I promise to get you as soon as I can."
Nathan turned to Elizabeth, keeping Jack's hand in his, "He will want you the minute he wakes up, sweetheart, I promise." he told her.
Nodding, Elizabeth stood up and headed to the door. Feeling her emotions start to overwhelm her, she rushed outside.
Pulling the door shut behind her, Elizabeth closed her eyes and took a deep breath, grateful for the coolness of the night air as it helped to clear the confusion from her head. In a daze, she sat down on the bench, trying to figure out what just happened. "Elizabeth?" she heard a familiar voice call out.
Looking up, she saw Lee and Rosemary walking down the street towards her, worry and concern all over their faces. Remembering what Faith had said about quarantining, she stopped them from coming any closer.
"What is it?" Lee asked.
"Faith thinks Jack has diphtheria, a mild case of it, but still, it's extremely contagious, and she wants to keep it as contained as possible."
Tears welled up in Rosemary's eyes, while Lee exclaimed, "Oh no, my poor little young man, is he okay?"
Feeling Rosemary start to pull away from him, and knowing she was going to Elizabeth, he held her arm a little tighter.
"Lee!?" Rosemary questioned, unsure what he was doing.
"Rosie, diphtheria is highly contagious, you know that. Especially for kids, and we don't want Goldie being exposed." He felt awful saying that, and hoped Elizabeth would understand he was only trying to protect his daughter. Looking at Elizabeth, he was relieved to see her nodding in agreement.
"Lee is right, Rosemary, we need to keep our distance. I guess it's payback for having to stay away when you have chicken pox." Elizabeth tried to laugh but hiccuped instead.
Rosemary looked at her husband, she knew he was right, but the urge to pull her friend into her arms was pulling her. Finally, she sighed, knowing Lee was right. Turning, she looked at Elizabeth, then the infirmary door, then back to Elizabeth.
"What are you doing out here?" she asked, confusion evident in her voice.
"Jack wanted Nathan to stay with him, not me." Elizabeth cried, putting her face in her hands, finally giving into the emotions she'd been trying to hold back.
Having followed her outside, Allie moved up to Elizabeth and took her hand. Giving it a squeeze, she looked up at Elizabeth and smiled, wanting her new mom to know she was there with her.
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Letting out the breath she was holding, Faith looked up at Nathan and smiled, "The IV is in." she said. Wrapping the bandage around Jack's arm, and then placing a cool cloth on his forehead.
"Would you like to get Elizabeth, and we can start the ice bath?" she asked Nathan.
Nathan nodded, but didn't move towards the door.
"Nathan?" Faith asked, seeing the hesitation on his face.
"Faith," he began, "What you said about Jack being okay, were you being honest, or trying to help calm down Elizabeth?"
Faith smiled to herself, understanding that she would be asking the exact same thing. "I feel very confident that, as long as we get his fever down quickly, Jack will be just fine. It might be a little while for him to fully recover, but I believe he will be just fine. Now go get Elizabeth so we can get him in the ice bath."
Nathan nodded and started walking toward the door, just before his hand grabbed the handle, he turned and went back towards the doctor.
"Thank you, Faith, I didn't mean to doubt you, I just cannot bare the thought of losing this little Slugger, and I can't even imagine what it would do to Elizabeth." He told her, once he got close.
"I know, Nathan, I know. I'd do the exact same thing if it were Lilly lying there." Faith assured him.
Letting out the breath he was holding, he reached out and pulled her into a hug, whispering, "Thank you." once again before heading back to the door.
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As soon as she heard the infirmary door open and saw Nathan standing there, she hurried inside, without so much as acknowledging him. After seeing Jack lying on the bed, and watching his chest rise and fall, she sank down into the chair that was still by the bed. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at Faith and asked, "What do we do next?"
"We need to get Jack into this ice bath, without disturbing the IV tube that's in place. Elizabeth," she said looking at her dear friend, "I know you will want to carry him, but I think it might be best if Nathan does. You will need to make sure this cart," she pointed to the cart next to Jack's bed, "is right by him, and that the tube stays put."
Once Jack was in Nathan's arms, and Elizabeth took the cart, they walked the little boy over to a bathtub that had been filled with some cool water. It was shallow enough that Jack could lay down completely. Once he was in, Faith took some ice chunks from the freezer and placed them in the water, around the boy.
"I don't want to put him into shock, especially since he's under the sedative, so I'm going to slowly add the ice. Elizabeth, in the basket at the bottom of the cart there is a thermometer, can you get it and place it under his tongue so we can monitor his temperature." Faith instructed, while carefully monitoring Jack's pulse.
A moment later, Elizabeth noticed Jack was starting to feel the cold and began waking up. Faith, noticing it as well, advised Nathan to take him out of the bath back to the bed. Even before Nathan could put him down on the bed, Elizabeth placed a hand on his forehead.
Looking at Faith, she said, "He feels a little cooler, not a lot, but there is a slight difference."
Faith nodded and placed her hand on the boy's forehead as well. "Who needs thermometers when we have Mom's." she said quietly, a smile playing on her face. She placed the thermometer back in Jack's mouth and watched as the mercury began climbing. Once it had stopped, she pulled it out, "101 degrees. While that is still too high, at least it's lower than when he got here. Let's keep him rest here for a while before we do the bath again. You two stay right here with him, I'll get Allie and give you some privacy, but let me know as soon as he starts to feel hot again."
The parents nodded as Faith pulled the privacy curtain around the bed and went outside to let Allie come in.
After being taken out of the cold water, Jack had gone back to sleep. Elizabeth, sitting in the chair by his bed once more, leaned close to him and began stroking his hair, telling him how much she loved him.
Hearing someone call her name, she looked in that direction and was surprised to see Nathan kneeling beside her, reaching for her hand, looking up into those beautiful blue eyes reminded her that she wasn't alone. So instead of allowing him to take her hand, she stood up, bringing him with her, placed her head on his chest and burst into tears. Nathan's arms immediately went around her, pulling her close. He placed a kiss on the top of her head, and one just above her ear, before he whispered, "I love you, Elizabeth." He then let her cry, as long as she needed to, allowing his tears to mix with hers.
Allie, coming through the curtains and seeing Mrs. Thornton sobbing into her dad's chest, made her think the worst had happened. She rushed to the other side of the bed and smiled, seeing Jack's eyes slowly open.
"Hey Jack." Allie said with a smile.
Jack opened his mouth but couldn't get any words to come out. Not understanding what was going on, he began to panic. Elizabeth and Nathan, having heard Allie speak, turned towards the bed and gasped. Together they knelt down by the bed and Elizabeth began to sooth him, explaining where he was and why he couldn't seem to talk.
"Try whispering." Elizabeth suggested to him.
"Mountie Nathan, you stayed." he whispered, barely loud enough for anyone to hear, even though they were right next to him.
"Of course I did, Slugger. Remember, we are a family now." Nathan assured him, placing a kiss on the hand he had taken in his.
Jack smiled and whispered, "Family." before closing his eyes and going back to sleep.
Placing a gentle kiss on her son's forehead, Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief after noticing his temperature was slowly going down. Nathan, noticing Allie trying to stifle a yawn, pulled her to his side, suggesting she could go home and sleep, or stay with them at the infirmary. Insisting she wanted to stay, she was finally convinced to lie down on the other bed and sleep, after Nathan and Elizabeth promised to wake her if anything happened.
"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Nathan asked, taking Elizabeth's hand in his.
"I don't know that I have ever been so scared, Nathan. Just the thought…" she trailed off, unable to finish as tears welled up in her eyes again.
"Not exactly what you'd want on your wedding day, is it?" he asked, pulling her close.
Despite feeling completely overwhelmed, Elizabeth couldn't help but chuckle at that. "It's true."
Looking up into her husband's eyes, she once again felt herself getting lost in the world where only she and Nathan existed, and time didn't even cross her mind. Slowly, she stood up on her tip toes and whispered, "I love you." Before placing a gentle kiss on his cheek.
Trying to keep the atmosphere light, he added, "I was afraid you'd send me out once Jack went back to sleep," the smile on his face reaching up to his eyes, making them dance.
"Why on earth would I have done that?" she asked, confused about what he meant.
"The look on your face when Jack said he didn't want you to stay with him." Nathan explained, "had me in a bit of a panic, wondering how you were going to react."
"You aren't wrong there," she said, with a sad smile. Truthfully, she wasn't sure how much to share with Nathan because at the moment she wasn't even sure how she felt about it. Jack had never wanted someone, other than her, to be with him when he was sick. Even with as much as he loved Rosemary and Lee, he still preferred her to be with her. Seeing the stubborn look in his eyes, and hearing him say he only wanted Nathan, had been like a knife to the heart.
"But," she continued, "it seemed better to go along with it, considering the circumstances. However, Constable, don't for a second think this discussion is over, I would like to know how you bribed my son, but for now, let's just focus on Jack."
Nathan, seeing the hurt followed by determination in her eyes, nodded in agreement, not wanting to push the subject beyond where she was willing to go.
Walking Elizabeth to the side of Jack's bed, he suggested she lie down and get some rest, assuring her he would watch Jack and wake her if anything changed.
"Thank you, Nathan." she said, sitting down on the bed, next to Jack. "I've never had someone be by my side like this, and I am not really sure…" she trailed off, looking back up at her husband, and continued. "The Coulters were always there, always, but still, I felt so alone. Like it was all on me, and I guess I just got used to it. Now I have you," she paused and looked over at the bed Allie was sleeping on, "and Allie, and, I don't know, it overwhelms me because I don't know how to handle it."
Pulling the chair up to the bed, Nathan sat in it and reached for her hands. He looked down and smiled as he began to rub the bent horseshoe ring he had given her instead of a proper ring. "I'll get you a better one, don't you worry about that." He heard himself say, before looking up at her.
"You know it's not necessary, right? I don't care about flashy jewelry or trying to show the world I belong to you. All I need, all I want really, is you." As she was talking, she had slowly started leaning towards him, and punctuated the last word with a light kiss to his lips. Her breath caught in her throat when she looked in his eyes, and he gave her his lopsided grin, the one that sent her heart into overdrive. How could she be so lucky to have been given a second chance with this man, she thought to herself. Sighing, she placed her head on his shoulder, and together they sat like that, enjoying the closeness.
Feeling a grin starting to form from his lips, Elizabeth pulled back and looked at him, eyebrows raised in question.
"It's a good thing Allie is sleeping on the other bed, otherwise I am not sure that I could resist the temptation." he explained, keeping his face as innocent as possible.
Elizabeth snorted and lightly slapped his shoulder, shaking her head. Hearing Nathan's chuckle warmed her heart and for the first time, since bringing Jack to the infirmary, she knew everything was going to be okay.