Note: This chapter starts approximately 10 weeks after the death of Evelyn in Chapter 1 and will have some time jumps, because I needed to move the story forward, and it was getting too long to describe the situation without some time jumps. I have tried to make it clear how much time has passed each time.

Thanks again for reading!

Chapter 6

Early December

The next month, on a Sunday just before 8am, Lisa rushed into the emergency room and flew to the front desk, her heart pounding with anxiety.

"My sister, Rachel Stillman is here, can I see her?" She blurted out, feeling slightly bad for her abruptness, but her sister's panicked call 2 hours ago had sky-rocketed her heart rate and she'd driven as fast as she dared to get to Calgary. Rachel had been visiting friends in Calgary for the last week, and Lisa hadn't heard from her until early that morning. Lisa had answered the call still in bed and only half- awake, having dozed off again after Jack had headed out to the barn for morning chores. Rachel had been sobbing and screaming in pain, and Lisa could barely understand her or figure out what was happening. All she'd been able to get out of her was that a friend was taking her to the emergency room. With her sister crying and screaming, Lisa just told her she'd be there as soon as possible and hung up, throwing the nearest clothes on, and rushing out the door without a thought. She hadn't even realized she should have said something to Jack until he called her 45 minutes into her drive, having come back to the house to see her car gone. He'd been able to calm her a bit, but now that she'd arrived, she felt the worry flooding back up, wishing she'd taken him up on his offer to drive up as well. She'd told him not to, and that she'd call him once she knew more, but as she waited impatiently for the receptionist to look up Rachel's information, all she wanted was Jack's comforting arms around her.

Lisa absently handed over her ID when the receptionist asked for it, already knowing Rachel had her listed as next of kin since Ben lived in England. Once they'd confirmed who she was, an orderly came and led her to Rachel's room. She took a deep breath, not sure what to prepare for, and stepped inside hesitantly, breathing a deep sigh of relief when she saw Rachel sitting up talking with a doctor. As she stepped further into the room, she could see that Rachel's left eye was red and almost swollen shut. The doctor turned and faced Lisa.

"Hello, you must be Rachel's sister. Lisa, right?" At Lisa's nod, he reached out a hand to shake hers.

"I'm Dr. Rhodes. I was just going over some treatment plans with Rachel. Please join us." Dr. Rhodes motioned for Lisa to join Rachel, and she stepped up beside the bed and took her sister's hand.

"You ok?" She asked Rachel.

"Well, technically yes, but I have an ulcer on my eye...right?" Rachel turned and asked Dr. Rhodes.

"Yes, Rachel has developed a fungal ulcer on her eye, which is impeding her vision, and is quite painful. We just put in some anti-fungal eye drops, and if it looks good after a few hours, we'll discharge her, and prescribe them to put in every hour for the next few days, at which point we will see her again to see if there's been improvement. I already have my nurse setting up that appointment as I'm optimistic that they will help a great deal." Lisa nodded along, her heart rate coming down as the doctor spoke. She asked a few questions about eye-drops, hearing that Rachel could switch it to every 2 hours during the night, to making getting rest a little easier, but to do every hour as much as possible. Rachel had also been told she shouldn't be driving until the ulcer healed, as it would likely impede the vision in her left eye almost completely. Lisa sighed internally at that news, knowing that meant she'd likely be driving Rachel around for the next few days. Then she scolded herself internally, 'Lisa, your sister is in the emergency room, be nice.' She was trying to be more patient with Rachel these days, wanting them to have a better relationship, but the constant drama and judgement made it hard. They spoke with the doctor for a few more minutes and then he left, telling them his nurse would check in every 30 minutes to see how the drops were working. Lisa watched as Rachel sighed and leaned back against the bed, her good eye closing. She settled in the chair next to the bed and took Rachel's hand in hers again, knowing that unlike herself, Rachel liked being prodded to talk, wanting to get it all out right away.

"Want to tell me what happened?" she asked gently. Rachel rolled her head on the pillow toward Lisa and opened her eyes, the injured one still red and inflamed.

"Well, everything was fine. I had a headache last night, but just thought it was from the concert we went to. But at like 2am I woke with this agonizing pain in my eye and couldn't see. I thought I was dying and woke Jeremey in a panic." Lisa sighed yet again, annoyed that Rachel had been with Jeremy. Ben's father was still not a good guy, from the few updates Rachel had given her, and Lisa had been wishing for years that Rachel would just finally let him go. As Rachel outlined her dramatic morning, Jeremy not being the one to drive Rachel irked Lisa even more. He'd called his friend to bring Rachel on his way to work, so Jeremey 'wouldn't have to drive 10 miles out of the way'. The friend had dropped Rachel at the door of the emergency room and immediately drove off.

"Well, I'm glad you were able to get in so quickly after you got here." Lisa squeezed Rachel's hand in support, having heard panic creeping into her sister's voice again as she recounted her morning. Rachel smiled over at her, and surprised Lisa with her next words.

"Thanks so much for coming. I was panicking and just wanted you here."

"Oh honey, you're welcome, and it's no problem at all. I rushed out of the house right away and didn't even think to tell Jack before leaving. All I could think of was getting here. He called me on my way when he came back in from the barn, seeing my car gone. He was all worried about why I'd left the house so early on a Sunday." Lisa chuckled as she spoke, hoping Rachel would realize that she was fine with coming to Calgary. She was relieved when Rachel smiled as well.

"Oh, well thank you for rushing to get here. And tell Jack I'm sorry if it made him worry. He's such a gem, your husband." Lisa raised her eyebrows in surprise at Rachel. While her sister had always been nice to Jack, and liked him well enough, she'd also told Lisa MANY times that she thought it was ridiculous that she'd married a man 16 years older than her, and one that was such a homebody. Rachel waved off Lisa's incredulous look.

"I know, I know, I've always pointed out your age and lifestyle differences, but I do see how happy you are. I suppose I can accept that he's obviously good for you and good TO you. And actually, I've accepted that for a while. I'm sorry I haven't told you that yet."

Lisa shook her head in surprise and smiled warmly at Rachel.

"Thank you, he does make me very happy." They both glanced over as a nurse entered to check on Rachel. Lisa took that opportunity and stood, still holding onto Rachel's hand. "Speaking of the one who makes me happy, I'm going to step out and give him a call, so he doesn't worry, and then grab some coffee" Lisa turned to the nurse and asked, "is it ok for me to bring her back a coffee?" At the nurse's nod and Rachel's thank you, she squeezed her sister's hand again and followed the signs to the cafeteria. She grabbed a breakfast sandwich and two coffees and made her way to a small table near the window, grateful the cafeteria was fairly empty. She pulled out her phone and clicked on Jack's name, nibbling at her sandwich as the phone rang. His rumbling voice came over the line and she closed her eyes, relieved to hear his voice.

"Lise, you alright?" Lisa immediately reassured him.

"Yes honey, I'm fine, and Rachel's fine." She gave Jack a brief rundown of the situation and he asked a few questions, expressing his shared frustration in how Rachel's "friends" had handled the situation.

"Yes, I wasn't happy about that either, and I'm guessing that means none of them will be of any help to Rachel in the next few days. I'll have to figure out how to come and get her car, since she'll have to ride home with me." Lisa sighed at that, already feeling the burden. While she was happy to help her sister and felt horrible that such a weird injury had happened to her, she could envision the exhaustion this was about to bring her.

"Lise don't worry about that. I'll have Tim or one of the girls drive up with me and we can bring her car back later today or tomorrow." His offer brought a rush of moisture to her eyes and she swallowed thickly.

"Oh honey, you don't need to do that. I can try and reach out to Jeremy and make him do it."

"Lisa really, I'd rather drive up there and back myself than involve Jeremy in any way." Lisa chuckled. She'd found out from Jack, years ago now, that Tim had been friends with Jeremy for a brief time when Lou was a toddler, and that Marion and her parents had not liked him at all. Tim now hadn't been in contact with him for years, and never mentioned him, so Jack and Lisa had decided not to mention her connection to Jeremy, knowing it would likely blow up and Tim would let something slip to Ben, though Lisa had suspected for years that Ben already knew who his father was, and had decided not to pursue it.

"Well, I can't argue with that. Thank you, but I can be the other driver if needed."

"Don't worry about it, you just take care of yourself, and get Rachel home when she's ready, and I'll get it worked out."

Lisa sipped at her now appropriately cooled coffee and listened as Jack gave her a rundown of his plan for the day, knowing he was talking to distract her from the current situation and loving him for it. He'd always had the uncanny ability to know when she needed to talk, or when she just needed to take her mind off things. She heard a voice in the background on his end of the call.

"Lise, Tim tells me we've got a cow loose. I've gotta go, are you going to be alright?" She smiled and rolled her eyes fondly. Sometimes it still surprised her that she was married to a man that had to regularly go chase a loose cow.

"Yes, thank you for distracting me for a few minutes. I should be able to head out with Rachel in a couple of hours. I'll keep you posted."

"Alright, give Rachel my love. I love you Lisa."

"I love you too Cowboy." As they ended the call, Lisa dropped her phone to the table and sipped at her coffee a few more minutes. She felt much more centered and ready to get back to Rachel after speaking with Jack, but knew she could still take a couple of minutes, as Rachel was in good hands. She picked up her phone again and sent Jack a text, even though they'd just spoken.

'Thank you honey. Talking to you always makes me feel better. Have fun chasing cows. I love you so much.' Knowing he wouldn't be able to answer for a while, Lisa got up and scooped up her purse and Rachel's coffee with her own, sliding her phone in her pocket. She smiled as she walked back to Rachel's room, feeling much lighter.

A few hours later, Lisa's anxiety had spiked again. The nurse had come back again to give Rachel more eye-drops, and though they assured Rachel that the burning feeling was to be expected, Rachel had screamed in pain, and had sobbed afterward for 15 minutes, telling the nurse to just take her eye out. Lisa had done her best to keep Rachel calm, but that was usually difficult once Rachel was worked up. They were now on their way out to Lisa's car, Rachel with dark glasses they'd given her and Lisa guiding her crying sister and carrying both of their purses. She settled Rachel in her passenger seat, relieved she'd found a close parking spot when she'd arrived that morning and that it was a very mild December day.

Lisa listened absently as she drove, Rachel complaining about her eye until the moment she dropped off to sleep with her seat leaned back. Lisa sighed in relief, once again feeling torn between wanting to take care of Rachel and wishing she didn't have to at the same time. She glanced over and saw that Rachel was pretty out. Dr. Rhodes had told Lisa that Rachel's pain medication would likely make her drowsy, and Lisa could admit to herself she was glad that it seemed to have kicked in. She decided to just enjoy the quiet, knowing the next few days would be hectic with work, and helping Rachel. She turned on some quiet music and enjoyed the quiet, sunny drive home.

Before long, she was pulling into Fairfield and gently waking Rachel. She helped her sister inside, and put her to bed after another dramatic turn of putting eye drops in. When Rachel was once again sleeping, Lisa collapsed to the couch in the living room and rested her head back. She checked her watch, shocked to see it was only 2:30. She felt like it had been a week since she left home that morning. She dropped her wrist back to her lap and closed her eyes, just wanting to rest for a few minutes.

JLJLJLJL

"Lisa, I need you!"

Lisa sighed and handed Edwin the document she'd just signed for him. She looked at him in surprise when he muttered under his breath.

"Red alert!" When he looked back up from his papers and saw she'd heard him, his cheeks turned red. "Err…I mean…sorry ma'am." He awkwardly stuttered out. Lisa thought about making him squirm a little, but she knew that Rachel popping in and out of the stables the last week had been tough on her staff too, so she decided to let him off the hook and spoke quietly, knowing Rachel was probably about to enter, with how close her greeting had sounded.

"No harm Edwin, and don't call me ma'am, you know I don't like when you do that. Thank you for your patience with my sister, I know she's been…a lot…lately." She smiled when Edwin's face relaxed.

"It's really no problem Lisa. We know she's been a lot for you too. We're happy to be a buffer anytime we can." He was about to say more, but Rachel barged into Lisa's office at that moment and was talking right away.

"Lisa, I can't even believe that doctor. He called and said that my test results are "inconclusive", and I have to go in again on Thursday. PLUS, he wants to put me on a stronger dose of my medication, and I really don't think I can take it anymore…" Lisa watched in silence as Rachel paced as she spoke, throwing her hands in the air and rambled on about her medication, wanting to just cut her eye out and be done with it, and lamenting about being stuck in the house with nothing to do. Lisa exchanged a quick eye roll with Edwin and stood, stopping Rachel in her tracks.

"Rach, I'm sorry about that, and we can definitely talk about it more, but Edwin is here right now, and we were kind of in the middle of some things" she gestured over to her stable manager, and he gave a little smile and wave, and Rachel looked between them both.

"Oh, well, hello Edwin. Sorry, I'll just let you two finish" and she sauntered over to the chair in the corner of the office and plopped down, pulling out her phone and scrolling away. Edwin just looked at Lisa and she could tell he was trying to keep a straight face. She just shook her head and continued talking to him. They had an investor meeting the next morning and had finished the paperwork today. He then gave her a rundown of Scott's visit that morning to see two of their horses. Scott was checking in every day on them, as one was ill, and one was injured. Lisa rubbed her temples when Edwin stated the vet had seen no significant improvement in either horse but would be back tomorrow morning. As they finished up and Edwin gathered up the files he'd brought with, Lisa spoke softly.

"Thank you Edwin, I know it's been crazy around here, I appreciate you finding this time to meet with me."

"No problem Lisa, things will calm down. I'll let Scott know you want an update tomorrow morning."

Lisa thanked him again and choked back a chuckle when he gestured behind her to her lounging sister and mouthed "good luck".

She took a deep breath before turning back to her sister, somewhat relieved when she saw Rachel was on a phone call. She walked back to her desk and sank into her chair. The last 2 weeks had been stressful, to say the least. Rachel had been wearing her down, and work had been even worse, with two horses currently out of commission and an investor breathing down their necks about some upcoming races, as well as stressful negotiations with a couple of buyers for her most recent racing horse, Lightning. Her thoughts wandered as she watched her sister talk animatedly on the phone.

"Lisa, geez, you're totally spaced out."

"Sorry Rach, just a lot on my mind. What were you saying?" Lisa tried to focus on her sister, still attempting to mend their relationship and be there for her through her eye injury, but the last 10 days had been a roller coaster. She had been sleeping at Fairfield, so Rachel wouldn't be alone at night, and had barely been home with how busy and stressful work had been. She was tired and stressed and missed her husband.

"I was trying to tell you that was Janelle on the phone. She needs a break from things, with the divorce and all, and is gonna bring me to my next appointment and come stay with me a few days. I know you miss Jack, so you can go home and…get re- acquainted or whatever." Rachel waved her hand absently at her own words and Lisa sat there in shock for a moment. Rachel's words were a relief, but they were so unexpected, she was having a hard time wrapping her head around someone else being willing to help Rachel. Most of Rachel's friends over the years were the type of people to dip out the moment things got hard.

"Oh Janelle's gonna come stay? That sounds…like fun actually. I'm ah…glad she's got you to lean on through her divorce, and that you can lean on her a bit too, with your doctors appointments and such." Lisa awkwardly tried to make it sound like a great idea, but she hadn't liked Janelle when they were kids, and still wasn't very fond of her. But at this point, she was aching to go home and get a break from Rachel for a bit, so she decided to take it as a win.

"Yeah, it'll be great, plus she's got loads more dirt on David now, so I'm sure I'll get all the juicy details of their divorce." Lisa just sighed internally, knowing that was likely the main reason Rachel was excited to have Janelle come stay. She was a sucker for gossip.

"Anyway, I'm gonna go run and put a grocery delivery order in. Janelle and I will need some snacks, and definitely some booze, so yeah. I know you've got a lot to do today, but feel free to pop in and grab your stuff. I know you and Janelle are still all frosty with each other, so don't feel like you have to stay and make conversation with her before you head home." At that, Rachel waved and flounced out of her office. Lisa just shook her head at the turn the day had taken. She had about 3 hours of work left to do and another meeting in 10 minutes, but made a mental note to call Jack and tell him about the good news after the meeting.

JLJLJLJL

Back at Heartland, Jack was making a fresh pot of coffee, needing a warm-up after checking the fences with Tim for the last hour. They'd had a warm start to winter this year, but the temperature was dropping now and though he'd likely admit it to no one…maybe reluctantly his wife, it was harder for him to endure the cold as he got older. He decided to admit it to her, knowing it would make her smile and likely if he told her in person, she would pat his cheek affectionately and roll her eyes at him, and she needed some of that lightheartedness right now.

As he waited for the coffee to brew, his thoughts remained on his stressed-out wife, whom he'd barely seen in the last several days. He'd attempted to stay with her at Fairfield for a couple of nights, but she'd sent him home when he'd barely gotten any sleep, convincing him to go home and she'd promise to try and nap at work if needed during the day. They'd mostly kept in touch over the phone each day since then, though he'd brought her lunch the day before, which had been cut short by an employee issue she'd had to deal with. He knew she was getting to her breaking point and wanted to come home. She'd done well since the wedding, creating some boundaries with Rachel. She didn't immediately answer late or middle of the night phone calls from her sister, and didn't jump in every time Rachel called for her. Rachel was still exhausting, but Lisa had started to relax a bit before this situation with Rachel's eye had come up. He'd talked to her that first couple of days she was staying at Fairfield and did agree that Rachel would need help, so he'd unfortunately had to admit that Lisa should stay with her sister for a bit, as while Rachel had friends in town, she wasn't close enough to any of them to get help. But he'd watched, saddened, as all of Lisa's progress the last several weeks was eroded away in a few short days. He was ready to put his foot down and tell Rachel she needed to figure something else out, because he was bringing his wife home and had purposely come back to the house earlier than usual so that he could warm up and head over to Fairfield to speak with his melodramatic sister-in-law.

"Grandpa, you okay?" he startled at Amy's voice and looked over, seeing Amy holding out a cup of coffee to him. He hadn't even noticed the coffee pot beeping when it finished brewing.

"Oh I'm fine Amy. Thank you." He took the mug from her and watched suspiciously as she nodded and just raised an eyebrow at him, before leaning against the counter and taking a sip of her own coffee. He sat down at the table, and just decided to admit how worried he was.

"Alright, I'm worried about Lisa. I could tell yesterday during our brief lunch that she's worn out and stressed." He watched as Amy nodded, and then sat in the chair opposite him.

"Yeah, I kind of figured. I'm worried about her too. Do you know yet when she'll be able to come home? Is Rachel doing any better?"

"I think Rachel is improving yes, doesn't sound like Lisa is up at night as much anymore, but I was just preparing to head over there and bring my wife home today." He looked at Amy in determination and was glad when she nodded.

"Good. I know it's hard for Lisa to say no to Rachel, but she needs a break. You try to get her home soon, ok?" Amy squeezed his arm and he smiled at her, and was about to thank her when his phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and smiled at the name listed. He showed it to Amy "her ears must have been burning!" and Amy smiled as he answered.

"Well hello there."

"Hi honey. I have good news…well two pieces of good news actually."

"Well I'm all ears! Tell me the good news first." He smiled when Lisa chuckled at his silly joke, glad to hear her in better spirits, but rolled his eyes at his granddaughter when she softly "awed" at him.

"Well, Lightning's sale went through. The people that Edwin and I were hoping would buy him just gave us a great deal." Jack was so glad to hear the excitement in Lisa's voice. She and Edwin had been working hard to get a good price for Lightning, and he knew she'd been a little afraid that the buyers were going to go another direction.

"Well that is great news! I know how hard you and Edwin worked on this one. That's gotta be a big relief Lise, I'm real happy for you."

"Thanks honey. Honestly, I thought Edwin was gonna jump up and down while we were signing the papers. He was like a giddy little kid." Jack smiled as he listened to Lisa tell him about the meeting and how she and Edwin had clinched the deal. He was so glad something had finally gone right for his wife, and reveled in her good mood. They chatted over the horse deal for a few minutes before she said she had a few things to finish up, when he remembered she'd said she had another piece of good news.

"Wait Lise, what was the other good news?"

"Oh, Jack, I can't believe I forgot! I'm coming home tonight. Rachel has a friend coming to stay for a bit that will bring her to appointments and such, so she told me to come home to you." Jack sat for a moment, gaping in surprise, Amy looking at him in concern across the table. "Jack, honey?" Lisa broke in again and he knew he'd been silent for too long.

"Sorry Lise…that's the best news I've heard in weeks! You just surprised me. I ah, was just telling Amy that I was about to head over to tell Rachel that I'm dragging you home today." He smiled when Lisa thankfully chuckled, his wife knowing him well enough to know it wasn't something to control her, just that he was worried and missed her.

"Yes well, I was about to tell her that myself, but now I don't have to. I have a few things to finish up here, then I'll pop by the house to get my things and be home in about 2 hours or so and I already told Edwin I'm taking the next couple days off, so I also have a 4-day weekend, barring any work emergencies. Maybe a certain handsome cowboy could be convinced to spend part of the weekend at the cabin with his wife?" Jack chuckled at the hope in Lisa's voice.

"Lise, it'd be pretty cold at the cabin right now, you sure you want to spend a couple days there?" He took a sip of coffee as he imagined the chill at the old cabin, still not completely warmed up from earlier.

"Well honey, I wasn't really planning on us leaving the bed." Jack choked on his coffee and felt his neck and face heat up when Amy just raised her eyebrows and laughed. She pointed toward the hall, getting up to refill her own cup and then left him to his phone call as she walked out of the kitchen laughing. Jack closed his eyes in embarrassment as his wife laughed on the other end, knowing Amy had likely guessed the direction of Lisa's comment, even though she hadn't been able to hear it. He cleared his throat and wiped some of the splattered coffee off his chin as Lisa calmed down and spoke again.

"Sorry Jack, were you taking a drink of something? But to be fair, that comment was pretty tame."

"Yes, Lise, it was tame, but Amy was sitting across the table from me, and I almost spit my coffee on her." At that, Lisa just pealed into laughter again, and though he was still embarrassed, he was delighted it was making his wife laugh. She desperately needed some laughter right now, and he'd happily be the cause for it.

"Well, think about it honey, we can talk about it when I'm home tonight. While I've missed everyone and looking forward to some family time, it would be nice to have a couple days with just the two of us. I just…really need to be in your arms for an extended period of time." His heart clenched at that, glad for her lighter mood today, but knowing Lisa would need some time to feel more centered and relaxed again.

"Course I will Lise, we can figure out a time that will work."

They chatted for a few more minutes, Jack telling her of the few things he had to do still for the day, now that he wasn't marching over to Fairfield to talk with Rachel, and when they finally ended the call, Jack sighed in relief that Lisa was coming home tonight. As much as he knew she needed it and he was looking forward to helping her have a relaxing weekend, he was also glad for himself, since he missed his wife. He didn't sleep well without her, and missed having coffee with her in the morning, when he came back in from the early morning chores, and she was up starting her day. He was glad that she was coming home and was determined to make sure she was getting enough rest and could shake off some of the stress. He shook out of his thoughts, hopping up to finish up his own chores, so that he could greet Lisa when she arrived in a couple of hours.

JLJLJLJL

"Don't you think Lisa?" Lisa looked up and across the dinner table at Katie, trying to track what the conversation had been about, but found she had no clue what Katie was asking her about, and felt bad that she was about to admit that to the teenager. At her blank stare, Katie just looked at her in concern.

"Are you okay Lisa? You looked a million miles away." Lisa glanced over at Jack, and then to the rest of the table and saw they were all looking at her in concern. She propped her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand. They had all finished eating a while ago, and had just been chatting around the table, but Lisa had zoned out quickly, too tired to track the lively conversation tonight.

"I'm sorry honey, I'm okay, just really tired. I have no idea what we were talking about." She smiled softly at Katie.

"Because Rachel's been sucking the life out of you the last two weeks?" Katie asked and Lisa raised her eyebrows in surprise and heard Lou's shocked gasp of "Katie!" on the other end of the table. She watched, feeling strangely amused as Katie looked over at Lou.

"What?! That's what you said to GG and Aunt Amy yesterday." Lisa snorted in tired amusement and couldn't stop the bubbling laughter from erupting. She started cracking up, tears rolling down her face, feeling like she was losing her marbles, but also so glad to be having dinner with the family. She couldn't seem to stop laughing and saw everyone looking at her with even more concern. She covered her face with her hands as she shook in part laughter, and part exhaustion. She felt Jack reach over and rub a hand along her back soothingly. She took a few deep breaths and once she'd gained control again, looked back up, embarrassed by her strange outburst.

"Sorry everyone, I'm…ah…it's just been an eventful couple of weeks. And yes, as Katie so bluntly put it, Rachel HAS been sucking the life out of me the last 2 weeks." She raised an eyebrow at Lou. She hadn't missed Katie telling Lou she'd heard that from her. Lou just looked at her sheepishly.

"I'm sorry Lisa, that probably wasn't very nice of me to say about Rachel, but we've been worried about you. We've hardly seen you since Rachel needed you nearby the last couple weeks, and we know you've also been swamped at work. The few times you have been home, you've looked kind of…wrecked…honestly."

Lisa sighed, knowing it was all true. She felt wrecked after helping Rachel through her weird health scare, and she'd barely been home in almost 2 weeks. She'd attempted to come home to sleep the night she'd brought Rachel home from the hospital but had been rudely awakened by a panicked phone call from her sister at 1 in the morning. Rachel had been screaming and crying in pain again, and when Lisa couldn't calm her over the phone, she'd driven back over in her pajamas and stayed at her sister's side the rest of the night, and all the ones following it. She'd only been home for dinner a couple of times, or to quickly pick up clothes, and she was feeling the absence from her family, especially her husband. She missed him snoring beside her at night, though he had come to spend a couple of nights with her at Rachel's, but she'd sent him home after 2 nights when he'd gotten barely more than a couple hours sleep each night due to Rachel's chaos.

Lisa waved off Lou's apology. "Oh honey, it's ok. You all know Rachel is dramatic, and having this eye injury is not making that any better. I am utterly exhausted, and I'm very glad to be home. Rachel is doing much better the last couple of days, and she told me she won't need me to stay with her anymore since Janelle is coming to stay with her for a bit."

"I'm glad she's doing better Lisa," Amy said, "and we're glad to have you home too. It's never the same without you, you know." Lisa watched as Lou nodded in agreement with Amy'd words and added in her own.

"She's right Lisa, it's not the same here without you, plus we were worried about you. I'm so relieved you get to sleep in your own bed tonight and finally not be at constant red alert."

Lisa teared up at Lou and Amy's words, her exhausted state making it hard to hold back her emotions. She felt Jack rest his hand on top hers on the table, and she turned her hand beneath his to grip onto him. She cleared her throat, thick with all the recent emotions and sleepless nights.

"Thank you both, that means more than you can know." She smiled at them through her teary eyes and was relieved when they both just nodded at her and Lou changed the subject. As the family kept chatting, and Katie and Lyndy were instructed to start clearing the table, Jack tugged on her hand and she looked over at him.

"Why don't you go have a seat in the living room, and I'll join you once everything is cleaned up here." She nodded softly and leaned over to place a soft kiss on his cheek, thanking him quietly before pulling away and squeezing his hand again as she stood. She let go of his hand with a smile and shuffled tiredly to the couch, dropping into it in relief. She leaned her head back and enjoyed the noise of the family puttering about the kitchen as they chatted and cleaned up from dinner. She'd missed the day to day of being at Heartland. She'd grown accustomed to being home more than being away the last few years, and even the 2 weeks she'd spent with Rachel just a few miles away had eaten away at her, missing the exuberance of Katie and Lyndy, Lou being willful and opinionated about everything, Amy being kind and contemplative, and Jack being…well…being her everything.

Lisa looked up when her husband's distinctive footsteps approached and perched on the edge of the coffee table across from her. She stared at him, not thinking completely clearly. She must have stared too long because he looked at her in concern.

"You alright?" She blinked at him and smiled.

"Yes, sorry honey. Just…tired…I guess." She trailed off, not knowing what else to say. She was too tired to process much more tonight, and he just nodded and settled next to her on the couch. He pulled her into him with his arm around her shoulder and she snuggled into his side, deciding to just enjoy this rare quiet moment with him. She brought a hand up to rest on Jack's chest, and with her head on his shoulder, she spoke again.

"I'm sorry we haven't seen much of each other lately. I know I've been at Rachel's side or at work, and I really didn't want to be away from home at night…but we saw how that went when I tried to sleep here that first night." She sighed contentedly when she felt Jack rest his chin on her head before he responded.

"Lis, it's alright. I know you've been run ragged these 2 weeks, and even before that with Rachel moving here. I wasn't expecting anything from you. Just know I'm here if you need anything, alright?" When she nodded against him, he continued quietly.

"So, your earlier idea of the two of us, at a cold cabin for a couple of days, how about we head up tomorrow after lunch, and come back maybe the following night?"

She nodded again, and lifted her head, placing a soft kiss on his cheek, tears in her eyes again at his care. He really was a gem of a man, her husband. She whispered her thanks and drifted off against his chest thinking she really should find a way to show him she thought so sometime soon.

JLJLJLJL

Sometime the next evening, Lisa was curled into Jack, both of them covered by multiple blankets, and the small cabin being heated by a roaring fire. They'd arrived as planned shortly after lunch, having an early small meal of sandwiches with Katie and Lyndy, the girls a little disappointed they weren't invited along, but having lunch with them had seemed to help a bit, especially with the promise that they'd be back the next night. Lisa had fallen asleep on the ride to the cabin, and before she knew it, Jack was waking her to bring their bags in and get the cabin warmed up.

They'd worked hard for an hour or so, the cabin having been closed up since the weather had cooled. Then, when Lisa was satisfied they wouldn't completely freeze, she'd pulled her husband into bed, and they'd gotten "re-acquainted" as her sister had not so subtly put it the day before. She snorted into Jack's chest, remembering that offhanded comment from Rachel.

"What's so funny, are we that rusty?" Jack's teasing question made her laugh harder and she lightly smacked at his chest, grinning when he tangled his fingers in hers.

"No, I was just remembering that Rachel told me to come home and get re-acquainted with you."

"Ah I see. Well. Mission accomplished." She peeked up at his face at his words and saw him grinning at the ceiling and just snorted in amusement again. She wholeheartedly agreed, and snuggled further into him, enjoying the quiet and hearing her husband's heartbeat beneath her head.

Later, they sat on the small couch, Lisa's feet across Jack's lap, listening to soft music and munching on some cheese and crackers, and sipping at the bottle of wine they'd grabbed on the way out of the house. They'd been taking advantage of the uninterrupted time together, Jack having warned the girls that he wanted Lisa to be able to relax, and short of an actual emergency, they didn't want to be contacted at the cabin. They'd chatted about the family, a few stories Lisa had missed in the last couple of weeks, and Lisa updated Jack on more of the activity at Fairfield. Jack could tell Lisa didn't want to stray beyond light topics yet, so he kept things light and tried to keep her smiling as they talked.

At a natural lull in the conversation, Jack set his now empty wine glass down, and watched out of the corner of his eye as Lisa slowly sipped the last of hers, and she stared into the distance. He'd hoped they could wait on the heavier conversations until the next day, but it looked like the time was now. He knew more was bothering her than just Rachel's health chaos but hadn't wanted to bring it up until she was home. He was about to break the silence, but Lisa beat him to it, fiddling with the stem of her glass as she spoke.

"Rachel found some letters in Evelyn's things. Letters from our mother that I didn't even know Evelyn had received. Letters that accused Evelyn, and later, me, of keeping Dad and Rachel from her. They're awful Jack, the things she said about me…I knew most of it of course, but it was hard to see it in writing after all this time and have to try and explain it to Rachel." Jack took it in for a moment. While he'd been encouraging Lisa for years to talk to her sister about their mother, he'd begun to think it would just never happen, since Lisa grew less and less willing with each passing year. He was admittedly, a little glad her hand had now been forced, though he probably wouldn't yet tell her that. He just gently took her now empty wine glass and set it next to his and turned toward her on the small couch.

"I'm sorry Lise. I'm sure that was hard to discover. What…I mean…how did it go talking about it with Rachel?" Jack wasn't even sure what to ask, so stuck to a general question, knowing his wife would only give the information she was ready to give anyway.

"It went…okay, actually. She started reading them before she told me what they were. Probably got through 3 of them before she said anything to me. I think they made her realize that maybe I wasn't making things up about our mother when we were younger. She never believed me back then, but the letters are pretty damning. She…she actually told me she was sorry Jack. That she didn't realize how bad it was with me and our mother."

Jack was relieved. He'd always hoped Rachel would respond well to the truth about her mother but had never been sure how it would really go, since Rachel's temperament seemed to take more after their mother's. He smiled at the news that Rachel had apologized, but quickly frowned again when Lisa's face was still solemn. He would have thought that it would have been a relief to her as well, but something in her eyes was still lost somehow.

"Lise, I'm glad that went well. Or, as well as a conversation like that can go, but is there something else?" He tilted her chin back up, her eyes having dropped to their laps as she spoke. He watched in concern as she swallowed thickly, and tears filled her eyes.

"I ah…after we talked…Rachel asked me if that was the reason why I left when I was 17. To get away from memories of her." Jack sucked in a breath, knowing that Rachel had touched Lisa's most sensitive nerve. He was about to reassure her, but she spoke again.

"I didn't know what to say, so I just said yes, and shut her down when she asked me where I went for 2 years. She got angry at me when I wouldn't tell her and told me she must have been right all those years ago when I left. That I didn't care at all about my little sister, and just abandoned her to go run off and have fun."

Jack closed his eyes in frustration. Rachel kept digging herself into a deeper hole with Lisa. Instead of noticing that it was a painful topic for Lisa, and treading gently, she kept trying to just bulldoze through it. She'd done it the first time he'd met her years ago. She'd asked him point blank if he knew about Lisa's 2 years away from her family and had become livid when their faces gave away that answer. Rachel hadn't talked to Lisa for over a year after that eventful meeting, and then acted like nothing had happened when they finally did talk again. Jack swept some of Lisa's falling tears away and spoke softly.

"I'm sorry Lisa." He didn't know what else to say and just pulled her closer, feeling her head drop to his shoulder, and he almost missed her muffled words.

"I wish I could just forget."

"I know Lise, I know" he stroked a hand through her hair and held her while she cried. When she'd calmed after several minutes, he spoke again, resting his chin in her hair.

"Hey, I know it doesn't make it go away, but I'm here with you, no matter what happens. I'm right here, okay?" She nodded against him, finding one of his hands with hers and clutching at him. They sat as the rest of the light faded from the day, and he eventually guided his wife back to bed. It was still fairly early, the daylight ending quickly in the winter, but she had joked about them not leaving the bed, so he figured she wouldn't mind going back to bed. He slipped his worn-out flannel off her shoulders before getting her under the covers, knowing she often got too hot in his shirts in bed. She'd slipped it on earlier, winking at him as she did. Part of him wished they could go back to that flirtatious portion of the trip, but he was also glad that she was finally talking through some of this with him. He knew she'd been anxious about Rachel bringing these things up since she'd announced her move back to Hudson, and he'd always felt that Lisa should talk more about it with Rachel, especially about their mother.

After Jack tucked Lisa into the covers, she watched tiredly as he tidied up the small cabin, and shut off most of the lights. He left the lamp on by the bed, quickly shed his own clothes, and crawled in next to her. He smiled when she immediately curled into him and tangled their legs together. They didn't speak, just lay together, her softly running her fingers across his chest, and him running his own through her silken tresses. He finally felt her hand relax and her breathing even out, and reached carefully across her to flick the last lamp off. He closed his eyes, and tried to find his way to sleep, but he lay awake longer, thinking of Lisa's pain, wishing he could take it away. She'd already had a hard few months, and he was not thrilled that Rachel had yet again, caused her more stress. He finally drifted off when the light from the moon was covered by clouds, casting the cabin in a blanket of darkness.

He awoke later, Lisa wrapped even further around him and her lips edging up his neck. He turned his head to capture her lips in his and eased away after a breathless few moments. He caught her eyes in the dim light, the moon once again shining. She smiled up at him and when he saw her eyes were clear of tears, he smiled back. Though he knew this was one of the ways she liked to deal with emotional upheaval, he always made sure she was clear-headed, never wanting her to regret intimacy with him. He raised his eyebrows in surprise when she hooked one leg behind him and quickly levered herself up, straddling him before he could even blink. She leaned her torso toward him, and he lifted one hand to sweep away one side of her hair curtaining around her face.

"Well hello" he murmured. She just grinned devilishly at him and leaned in to capture his lips in another deep kiss, and he let her have her way with him.

Afterward, as they lay together, it was his turn to laugh and she tossed his earlier words back at him.

"What's so funny, are we that rusty?" He patted her hand that was resting on his chest, laughing more.

"No, I think we've proven today that we've definitely still got it. I was just remembering that you said you didn't plan on us leaving the bed. It made me realize I have no idea what time it is." He smiled when Lisa laughed too.

"Me either" she leaned up a bit, peering out the window and then leaning on one elbow and propping her head on her hand "still pretty dark out, must be the middle of the night. Guess we have to stay in bed." She grinned impishly at him, and aside from the earlier heavy emotions, he was greatly enjoying this reconnection with his wife.

They spent the rest of the night talking, laughing and reconnecting physically, finally falling into slumber again just as the dawn arrived.

JLJLJLJL

Chapter 7 coming soon!

Thanks for reading! And thank you for all the kind comments, it really makes me want to keep going. Wondering if I can get your opinion on a portion of the story: I have a part of the story where I can make Lisa's ex-husband Dan an even bigger jerk. This would still be after his death in the show, so I'm not actually bringing him into the story, just something Lisa would find out that kind of wrecks her. It isn't a necessary plot point, so I can totally leave it out if you prefer. I just never liked Dan, and kind of thought they'd go with a better story for why they divorced. Let me know.

Also, Lisa's story, that is slowly coming out, gets fairly dark, just FYI. Like abuse dark (not Dan). I'm not giving more info because well, spoilers. Just so you know.

Thanks again!