Parle-moi {Talk to Me}

Part Three
Author's note: Hello dear Hearties. The last part is here. I hope that it will fulfill your expectations and that you like it as much as the first two parts.

I wanted to thank you all for reading, supporting me and taking the time to leave a review. It is such a pleasure for me to read your reviews, your feedbacks and comments. I am very happy and proud to be a part of the hearties family.

A heartfelt thank to Cherylinboston and Mary Jo Vincent too for their reviews which deeply touched me.

I would like to share all this credit with Rebekahwrites without whom I never would have dared to publish my stories and without whom they won't be as good as they are because she does a fabulous job with all the edits.

That very afternoon, around four o'clock, Jack slowly approached the schoolhouse on Sergeant's back, leading Pearl, Elizabeth's grey mare. He only had to wait a few minutes before the children came out, leaving the school with smiles on their faces. Elizabeth finally appeared with her basket and her shawl. She saw him and he smiled at her.

"Come for a ride with me." He invited her, offering her his arm.

"I haven't the..." She began to protest, ignoring his arm.

"I left your riding clothes at the cafe so that you could change." He interrupted, trying to brush off her not accepting his arm that he offered.

Now she couldn't refuse.

"Alright." She sighed, walking down the stairs and heading to the cafe.

"I'll wait for you, here." He said.

It was the first move, he had to do this slowly if he didn't' want to upset her and ruin everything.

She came back fifteen minutes later; she rode Pearl in silence as she approached him. Jack took the lead since he had decided to take her to the land where they had their first picture of them taken and he told her that he was leaving Coal Valley.

When they got there, she smiled when she saw where they were. He took the reins as she dismounted. He left the horses grazing peacefully as he took the blanket and picnic basket off of Sergeant's back.

As Jack prepared the blanket and the food, Elizabeth admired the spot, facing away from him. She knew what he was doing and it reminded her of several memories in which they didn't communicate which led to them being hurt and confused. She knew that they were here to talk as much as what had to be said could break their hearts. She had to tell him!

When she turned around, Jack had sat down and looked around him, calmly, enjoying the beautiful spot. She decided to join him, but she couldn't bring herself to talk, just yet.

"What is it, Elizabeth? Talk to me." He pleaded, resting his hand on her cheek.

She looked up at him, tears in the corner of her eyes.

"Jack..." She began.

But she was unable to talk as the sobs shook her entire body. Jack instantly took her into his strong embrace, caressing her hair and her back to comfort her. They stayed like this for a while, then the spasms calmed down. Elizabeth, her face still burried into his shoulder, whispered.

"Before you left, I didn't feel well, but I didn't tell you because I knew that you would only worry about me while you were away. I knew that you would have stayed if you had known.

Several days after you left, I still felt unwell. I decided to go see Dr. Burns. I was..." She broke off, as she remembered the pain.

She hesitated a few moments and took a deep cleansing breath.

"Pregnant." She gave way as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Jack was shocked as he noticed that she had used past tense. 'Was?' Jack thought inwardly.

"I lost the baby, Jack, the day before you came back." She added, letting her pain, her tears flow freely.

He stayed there, motionless, flabbergasted. Elizabeth lifted her head to look at him. He had tears in his eyes and sadness had taken over his handsome face. She felt guiltier now.

"I am so sorry, I..." She couldn't help but hold him.

He lifted her chin and put his fingers to her lips.

"You don't have to face it alone. Do you remember what I said in the mine? Whatever the challenges we have to face out there, I believe that we can take them on together. I am sorry, Sweetheart, and so sorry that I wasn't here, but I am here now." He told her as he tried to calm his shaking voice.

They snuggled in each other's arms and cried out for their loss, their pain.

Fate and God had decided that they were meant for each other, but each time they found some peace, another obstacle, a new challenge appeared.

After a while, Jack pulled slightly away.

"I am so sorry, Sweetheart. It's my fault. I should have been here. If I hadn't gone to sort this case out in Cape Fullerton..." Jack trailed off, choking up.

"No, Darling. You had nothing to do with this." She paused.

"But if I didn't have to go take care of this Mountie business, I would have been there to take care of you. Perhaps I should consider..."

"No! Don't say it! I refuse for you to give up your career. It was your dream to be a Mountie like your father. Besides, you can't be with me every second of the day, even if you are in town." She acknowledged. "You are the best Mountie, I know. It was one of the reasons why I fell in love with you. Being a Mountie is what makes you who you are and I don't want you to change that for anything in the world and certainly not because of me. Being a Mountie makes you who you are: an honest, kind, smart man." She explained not letting him finish his sentence.
He grinned at her praise.

"I love you so much, Elizabeth. I can't bear the thought that something could happen to you one way or another because of me." He confessed.

She put her hand on his cheek and rose a little to kiss him, he gathered her into his arms.

After a while, they pulled apart. Jack then dared to ask her the question that plagued him since she had told him about the baby.

"Do you know why you lost the baby?" He asked her hesitantly.

She looked down, the guilt coming back.

"Dr. Burns thinks that maybe I wasn't ready, at least my body wasn't ready. Maybe the incident with the boys didn't help. God had decided it wasn't the right time for us." She explained.

He didn't answer immediately, feeling the guilt too. He was gone when it happened. She had to face it alone.

He got up and walked a few paces away. She understood that he needed some time to find the strength to accept it and to forgive her. She didn't go after him.

She got up as well, to refill the basket of the remains of the picnic. She cleaned the dishes and reloaded the picnic provisions into Sergeant's saddle bags. She stayed there, caressing Pearl, waiting for jack. It gave her some comfort to be here and that she had talked to him, even if they would need time to grieve and accept it.

A storm of thoughts and emotions tumbled out in her mind because she couldn't bear the idea of hurting Jack the way that she had. Then she closed her eyes and sighed deeply.

During this time, Jack was looking at their surroundings and it helped to calm him down. He blamed himself for not being there for her, to protect her. It was his fault that she had lost the baby.

Finally, he turned around and looked at her. He rushed to join her, taking her by the waist. She grinned when she felt him and opened her eyes, seeing the sadness in his eyes and on his features.

"I am so sorry for all that you went through Elizabeth..." Jack was interrupted.

Elizabeth captured his lips, silencing him for the moment.

"I am as guilty as you are. But it was no one's fault. It was not the right time for us. We can't do anything about it, except to be here for each other and through this together."

"You're right. Each of us feels like it's our fault, but we have to face it together." He stated.

She loved it when he talked like that, he was a true Mountie and it made her love him even more. He was confident and sure of himself.

"Come on, it's getting late. It's time to go home." He said as he helped her onto Pearl's saddle.

Then they headed back to Hope Valley. Elizabeth was relieved that she had told him and that he was so understanding. She thought again how blessed she was to have married Jack. Even though they were both miserable over losing the baby, they had each other. But they will face this challenge and whatever challenges they will have in the future, together. Maybe one day, they will be blessed with having a child, erasing the sad loss of their baby. Replacing this experience with a much happier one.

The End.