When Calls the Heart: Jack and Elizabeth's Reunion

The Spark

*I know that the picture is shot inside of Abigail's, but pretend it's in the infirmary. Roll with it.*

Carson walked through the door to the infirmary and saw something that he didn't expect. Faith was finishing cleaning up the mess that he had apparently made from grabbing everything that he needed to help with Elizabeth and Jack's son. She had her back turned to him and apparently didn't hear him come through the door. He quietly put his stuff down and leaned against the wall, watching her. "You didn't need to clean that up."

Faith jumped and turned around to see Carson, leaning against the wall, his hands in his pockets and smiling at her. Her breath caught in her throat, and it was like she couldn't speak for a moment. Finally she found her words. "It was nothing, Carson. It was my pleasure." She folded up the towel she was using to wipe down the counter and turned back to face him again. "Where were you?"

"Elizabeth and Jack's son. He had an ear infection."

"Oh goodness, is he okay?"

Carson smiled. "He's fine. Just really tired."

"And Elizabeth and Jack? How are they doing?"

"Same as their son. Very tired. Although, I get the feeling that Elizabeth won't let James out of her sight at night for fear something may happen again."

"You can't blame her. If I had a child that was sick and it was out of my hands and I had to trust someone else to help him and not his own mother, I'd be so scared." Faith crossed her arms and chafed them for even thinking on such a thing.

Carson straightened from the wall and took three steps toward her. "I understand, but don't you think that she could afford to trust me?" Two more steps closer and her was standing right before her. "You would trust me, right?" Before she answered, there was a look in her eyes that told him that she trusted him, completely, and it pleased him. It was true that Carson had always valued Faith as his nurse, but what had come so gradually to him was a feeling of something else toward Faith. It was what he saw in her eyes that reciprocated that feeling toward him, and that also pleased him.

Faith's heart was beating like mad! He had a way of bringing out the nervousness in her to a point where she didn't know how to act around him. Very quietly, for fear of sounding weird in her voice, she said, "Of course I would." Their eye contact had not broken yet, for he was still standing oh so close! She was even afraid of looking away because this magical spell that might break. She had always dreamed of a private moment like this between the two of them, and it was finally happening, and she didn't know what to do!

"Faith, I want to tell you how much I appreciate you, and how wonderful you've been. I want to show you how grateful I am for being here and remaining here...with me." He was nervous. He had it in his head that he was going to do it. He was firm set on it.

"Carson, what's all this about? Where did this sudden absolute appreciation come from?" Faith asked. She still wanted to have him think that this was all his plan, that she didn't know what was about to happen, here, in this wonderful infirmary, the moment that she had dreamed of for weeks. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Truly. I just..." Come on, man. Just do it. She wants it. You want it. What's the holdup?  "I was wondering if you would like to accompany me to dinner, this evening?" he asked. He blew it! He couldn't believe he had backed out, and so quickly! Everything about her seemed so inviting, and he had a really strong feeling that if he kissed her, she would kiss him back. Man, he wanted to. Then again, he didn't want to scare her, or rush anything. He was a man of honor. A gentleman. He had to keep it that way.