The trip home was miserable for Jack and Elizabeth. The weather had delayed their train and then later their stage as well. They had to sleep in the stagecoach for two nights because the road had flooded and they couldn't cross it with the stage. Also they were sharing the stage with two other people so there was no time to be alone. When they finally pulled in to town, they were so relieved. "Thank goodness, Jack. I am so ready to be home."

"Me too. I miss sleeping in a comfortable bed, rather than a stagecoach. I could really use a nap actually, how does that sound?"

"Great. Let's get some dinner from Abigail's and take it home, sweetie."

"Let's go." He grabbed their suitcases and she held his arm and they walked to Abigail's.

"You're back! Thank goodness. I was worried!" Abigail said as she hugged both of them.

"I'm sorry Abigail. There was bad weather and our stage and train were delayed. We are so happy to finally be home," Elizabeth explained.

"We were wondering if we could get some food to take home for dinner?" Jack said.

"Of course. I have roast beef and potatoes with apple pie for dessert."

"That sounds perfect, thank you." Abigail packed a basket for them and they went home.

Later that night, while lying in bed, Elizabeth brought up something they had both been thinking about. "Jack, there's only two days left until we both have to go back to work."

"I know. I can't believe how fast this summer went."

"I'm a little worried though. Don't get me wrong, I love teaching and my students mean so much, but it's going to be hard to be away from you all day. I mean both of us work long days sometimes and I just don't want to lose…this."

"No one said marriage would be easy. We might have to be away from each other, but that just makes the times we are together even better. We will make time, and everything will be fine."

"I hope so."

"Hey, I promised we would always find time. Have I ever broken a promise to you?"

"Of course not, Jack."

"That's right. And I never will." He kissed her forehead. "What do you want to do tomorrow?"

"Stay in bed all day."

"Well, that's good in theory but we have no food in the house. We really need to go to the store."

"Ok, sweetie, you go to the store, and I will wait for you right here," she teased.

"I will probably go and get Rip and bring him home too. And I really need to see if Lee has the supplies I ordered ready and…."

"Whoa, Constable! That list is getting pretty long. You mean you are going to leave your starving wife in bed all day, waiting for you to return from your errands, when you could just go to the store real quick and come back and join her? Keep in mind, I will look just like this while I am waiting for you."

"Hmmm…let me think about it."

"Yeah, you think really hard about it." She snuggled closer to him, kissing his neck, reminding him of what he would be missing.

"Ok, a quick trip to the store. I will pick Rip up the next day and not go see Lee."

"Aha…very good choice, my dear."

The next two days went by fast, but they enjoyed every moment. Monday arrived and they were getting ready for work, trying not to think about being apart. Elizabeth had gone to the kitchen to pack food for their lunches and Jack was putting on his uniform for rounds. He looked down at his hand, at his father's wedding ring, and let himself be sad for a moment. Then he took the ring off, put it on the necklace Elizabeth had bought and put it around his neck, under his uniform.

"Jack, it's time to go. Are you ready?" she called from downstairs.

He walked down the stairs to the kitchen, to meet Elizabeth and walk her to school. "Yeah, ready as I'll ever be."

She looked up at him, always amazed at how handsome Jack looked in his uniform, smiling at the butterflies he so often brought on, just being in the same room. "You look very nice this morning, Constable." She grabbed his hand, but realized something was missing.

Before she said anything, he said, "Don't worry, Honey. It's safe, close to my heart, just like you." He pulled the necklace and ring out to show her. "Now let's go. I'll walk you to school."

When they got to the school, they were a little early, so Jack built a fire in the stove, since it was chilly in the church. Elizabeth was hovering around, looking uncomfortable or like she didn't know what to do next.

"Elizabeth? I have to get to the jail. I will come see you at lunch, ok?"

"Sure. I'll see you later." She started to walk towards the chalkboard but Jack grabbed her hand.

"Hey, don't I get a kiss goodbye?" She turned towards him, fighting tears, but trying to be brave.

She walked over, put her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest.

"Elizabeth, I know this is hard, but it will get easier everyday. Look at me, Honey."

She looked up, and he kissed her slowly and gently, his hands caressing her face, reminding her that he loved her and everything would be okay. "I love you."

"I love you more." They broke apart and he shut the door behind him. She immediately felt his absence, like she was missing a piece of herself. But she knew she needed to take a deep breath and relax so the children wouldn't see her upset.

All morning, she was distracted. All she could think of was Jack and how she just wanted to see him. He would come eat lunch with her, but then he'd have to leave again. This was as difficult as she thought it would be. She hoped he was right, that it would get easier, because if not, she didn't think she could handle it.

"Miss Thatcher? I mean, Mrs. Thornton?"

"Yes, Emily?"

"I think it's time for lunch."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Yes, it is time for lunch. Children, you may have recess."

All the kids filed out of the class room and went to eat lunch and play. Elizabeth went and sat at her desk, waiting for Jack. Then out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of red. She looked up, and smiled. "Jack! Thank goodness. I missed you so much!" She ran to him, and kissed him for a moment and held him close, her head tucked between his shoulder and his neck. She could smell his aftershave. Oh, how she loved that scent.

"Well, that was quite the welcome. I missed you too. Do you want to eat some lunch?"

"Actually I just want you to hold me, just like this."

"Gladly." He tilted his head down and kissed her again. "How did your morning go?"

"Not as productive as I would have liked, but it will get better, and easier I'm sure."

"Yeah, it will. I hope so anyway. I came back to a mountain of paperwork that the other Constable never did. I tried to concentrate, but you know what you do to me. Let's just say, I couldn't wait for lunch to finally get here, so I could see your beautiful face."

She hugged him tighter. "I love you so much. Thank you for coming to see me. It was all I could do to not excuse my self and run over to the jail."

He laughed. "That would have been interesting. The other Constable would have gotten an eye full. Come here for a second." He grabbed her hand and they sat at one of the desks. "I need to talk to you about something."

"That sounds serious, sweetie. What is it?"

"Well I got to work today and Ned Yost brought a telegram."

"I'm beginning to hate those things, Jack. They make me nervous."

"I know what you mean."

"What did it say?"

"That I have to go to Buxton for a few days. They are having some issues there and their Constable is sick or something and they need to have someone fill in. Since I am the closest, it's expected that I do it."

Elizabeth just sat there, stunned. How can they take him away so soon after they got married? Maybe she could go too? "Jack, do you think that I could go too?"

"Elizabeth, we both know that's not possible. The school term just started. Besides I'm only going to be gone a few days, a week tops."

"A week? That's a long time!"

"I know. I have to go though. We always knew this was a possibility. We went in to this relationship with our eyes open, didn't we?"

"Yes, of course, I just wish it wasn't so soon."

"Me too, Sweetheart."

"When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow's stage."

"Ok." She nodded and vowed to herself she would be strong. "Let's eat some lunch. We still have about ten minutes left." After they ate, she walked him to the door and kissed him goodbye. "I'm making dinner tonight."

"I will try to be on time, but all that paperwork. I can't promise."

"Ok. I love you."

"Love you more." With one more kiss, he walked out the door.

The afternoon went smoothly. Even though both of them knew what was coming tomorrow, they amazingly were able to concentrate on their jobs. Jack finished his paperwork and Elizabeth had dinner almost ready when he got home. He walked in and was surprised. The only light in the place was two candles on the table and one by the stove so she could see to cook. His gorgeous wife, was standing by the stove and there was music playing in the background. "Good evening, Mr. Thornton."

"Good evening, Mrs. Thornton. What are you up to?" He came over and kissed on her on the cheek.

"Just cooking dinner for my husband. Then I have some other things planned for him," she said with a smile and a twinkle in her eye.

"Ok, well…I'm sure that will be quite to his liking."

"It will, definitely."

Jack left as planned the next afternoon. Their goodbyes were tearful but, they both realized, were necessary. Elizabeth decided to eat dinner with Abigail rather than alone. After dinner, Abigail asked how she was doing.

"I don't know. I missed him the second he got on that stage. It's going to be a long week, I think."

"It will, but imagine how it will be when he gets back."

"That's probably the only thing that will get me through, Abigail. And spending more time with you. I'm so glad I have you."

"Me too, Elizabeth."

"Marriage is a funny thing Abigail. I met this man, who infuriated me from the start. Became friends with him, fell in love with him and loved every second of it. I didn't obviously know there could be deeper feelings than that, but it is so incredible and so frustrating at the same time. I want to be with him every second, but I can't. We have to figure out how to make time for each other, so we don't drift apart, but then he goes away. It's just so unlike anything I've ever imagined or experienced."

"I know. I remember some of those same feelings with Noah. And we were considerably younger and I didn't know anyone here, or have anyone to talk to. You can always talk to me and I will always be honest with you. I won't always tell you what to do, because honestly you need to figure it out together, but I will always listen."

She had plenty of time to listen to Elizabeth over the next week. Elizabeth told her about San Francisco and the long trip to and from. She told her about what made her afraid when Jack was away and what scared her about the future. Elizabeth was so grateful to have someone to listen.

Jack came back on schedule. He didn't look well. He said he was just tired but Elizabeth wasn't so sure. She told him that he should go see Faith, but he just wanted to go to bed. When Elizabeth came home from school, Jack was sleeping but he felt feverish. She was worried, so she went back to town to find Faith. She walked into the infirmary and didn't see anyone.

"Faith? Are you here?"

"Yes, I'm here. What is it Elizabeth?"

"Its Jack. He just got back from Buxton. He is feverish and exhausted. I remember the Constable he was going to replace was sick, but I'm not sure with what. Can you please come to our house to check on him?"

"Of course. Let me grab my bag and something to help with his fever."

"Thank you!"

When they got back to the house, Jack was still in bed, but not asleep. "Elizabeth?"

"Yes sweetie it's me. I went and got Faith."

"Elizabeth..I told you I'm just tired. I don't need a nurse."

"Stop being stubborn. You have a fever too."

"No, I don't, I'm fine." He tried to get up, but he was lightheaded and weak. "Oh, maybe I'm not," he said as he fell back on the bed.

"Jack, you have a pretty high fever. Were you around anyone sick on your trip?" Faith asked as she listened to his heart and checked his pulse.

"The Constable I went to help was sick."

"Do you know what he had?"

"No, I didn't ask."

"What we're his symptoms?"

"I don't know. I was there to be briefed on the trouble they were having there, not on his condition."

"Fine. What was his name? I will send a telegram to Buxton and ask what he had."

"James Peters."

"Elizabeth, please give this medicine to Jack every 6 hours, one teaspoon. I will be back soon to check on you both as soon as I hear from Buxton. And until we know what we are dealing with, you might want to cancel school or get a substitute since you have been exposed."

"Thank you Faith. Can you please spread the word around town that school is cancelled until further notice and then ask Bill if he can fill in for Jack while he's sick?"

"Of course. I will be back later tonight hopefully."

Faith left and Elizabeth gave Jack his first dose of medicine. It made him sleepier. She kept feeling his forehead and his fever didn't seem to be going down. She put a cold rag on his head every few minutes and it kept absorbing the heat. She was so worried. She didn't know what other symptoms he might develop or what to expect. She just sat in a chair next to him and held his hand, not knowing how else to help him. After a few hours she fell asleep as well. Jack woke up and looked over and saw Elizabeth sleeping in the chair. "Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth sat up quickly. "Jack? How are you?"

"I'm so hot. And thirsty. Can I have some water?"

"Why don't you take off your shirt, you're all sweaty. I will be right back with your water."

She came back with a glass of cool water for Jack and a bowl of water and a sponge to bathe him a bit since he was so sweaty. "Jack, here's some water. Can you sit up for a second?"

"No, I'm so weak."

"Ok, I will help you." She sat on the bed beside him and gently lifted his head and poured the cool water slowly into his mouth.

"Thank you," he said and then he fell back to sleep. She began bathing his chest, neck and face with the water. She was worried he was going to get chilled so she covered him back up with the blanket.

She changed into her nightgown and lay down beside him, with her head on his chest and arm around his waist. Before long she was asleep too.

Faith came in a short time later and woke Elizabeth up to tell her what she found out about the Constable in Buxton. "Elizabeth, please wake up."

"Faith? What is it?"

"Influenza. That's what the other Constable had."

"Oh no. Is Jack going to be ok?"

"Why don't we talk downstairs so we don't bother him."

Elizabeth grabbed her robe and followed Faith to the kitchen. "Would you like some tea, Faith?"

"Sure that would be nice." She sat down at the table.

"Faith, how bad was this other Constable?"

"He recovered fully, but not everyone in Buxton was so lucky. Ten died, including four children. That number is relatively small, but it isn't the same everywhere. We need to keep both of you quarantined here for the next few weeks to keep everyone else in town safe, especially the children."

"I can't lose him, Faith. I just can't. I almost lost him to pneumonia and now this? Please tell me he will be okay."

"Elizabeth, don't panic. Jack's previous illness shouldn't have any bearing on this one. You know he's very strong. We just have to keep him hydrated and his fever down."

"I gave him some water earlier and bathed his chest and neck. I also put a cool cloth on his head every few minutes."

"That's good. You are doing everything right. Just keep doing those things, I will help you. And just give him his medicine too. He should be better in a week or so. You should know, he's probably going to get worse before he gets better."

"Its time to give him more medicine. I will go do that. Thanks Faith, for helping me, us."

"Glad to help. You know, Elizabeth, I am so happy Jack has you to take care of him. There was never anything between Jack and me. We were friends, and cared about each other, but that was it. He always told me about you and made sure I was aware of how he felt. I'm sorry if I ever gave you any indication it was anything different."

"You didn't. I was jealous of you, I'm embarrassed to say, but I wasn't one hundred percent sure of how Jack felt about me at that point. I know differently now, and I hope we can be friends."

"I would love that."

When they walked into the bedroom, Jack was sleeping, but shivering. Elizabeth went to get another shirt for him and another blanket. Faith gave him more medicine and made sure they were settled before she was going to leave.

"Faith, we have a guest room across the hall. Why don't you sleep in there?"

"Thank you, that's very kind. I think I will. Come get me if he gets worse or you need me for anything."

"I will." Elizabeth crawled into bed beside her husband and curled up beside him for extra warmth since he was shivering still. She fell asleep quickly.

Jack woke up, disoriented and weak. His joints ached, his head hurt and he was so incredibly hot.

"Elizabeth?" Please, can you wake up?" His voice sounded terrible and he started coughing.

"Jack?"

"Elizabeth, I feel horrible. What do I have?"

"Faith heard from the doctor in Buxton. The Constable there, and some others had influenza. She thinks you do too."

"What?! Why are you lying here next to me? You could catch it. Please go sleep in the guest room."

"First of all, I have been with you since you came home, so if I am going to get it, I'm going to get it. I'm not leaving you. Secondly, Faith is sleeping in the guestroom. Third, you need to stay calm. You have to rest to get better, and getting upset at me won't help. Now, let's get that shirt off and I will bathe you again and give you some water."

"Yes ma'am." He was too weak to remove his own shirt or lift his head so Elizabeth did those things. Then she bathed him again with cool water.

"Thank you, Elizabeth. What would I do without you?"

"Well, for starters, you would be lying in a sweaty shirt and thirsty. Neither of which sound very pleasant."

"No, they aren't. You being here makes me feel a little better. I love you."

"I love you more. Now go back to sleep. I will be right here in this chair."

"No, come lay with me. I need you with me to sleep."

"And yet you were kicking me out of our room."

"Shhh. Go to sleep. That was for your own good, I wasn't worried about me."

"Whatever you say, sweetie."