Jack's and Elizabeth's love story

CHAPTER XXX | "HAPPY" WEDNESDAY

Jack's POV

-Elizabeth, I have to go. They need me there.- I said trying to make her understand .

-I need you here! HE needs you here! You are his father!

-They are being attacked, they are innocent families. There are children watching their parents die right in front of their eyes. If I go there I might prevent some of their deaths . Maybe I can save a child, a parent, someone's love, a sibling, just anyone . I can save a life, more than one.

-But what if you can't save your own?! What happens then?! What do I do? What does Peter do? He is innocent too, he doesn't deserve to grow up without a father either .

-I promise I will come back safe and sound . I have to do this, I have to go, I have to help them .

-But we also need your help here! You are not alone! There are people who care about you!- She kept shouting . Her feelings were all over the place. I grabbed her arms as gently as I could, just to calm her down. She fought it.

-Elizabeth- I said looking at her eyes.

- You matter to some people! You have to...- she finally gave up .

She started crying uncontrollably . She fell on my arms exhausted, hurting . She was hurting horribly . It broke my heart to see her that way . She was always so strong, I was not used to seeing her crying . She couldn't keep it inside her any longer, she needed to get it all out . I let her cry while I stroked her hair and we sat there on the floor for half an hour . We just cried non-stop the whole time .

- We have to go to RoseMary's baby shower. - she said standing up and wiping her tears .

- We have some time left. Drink a glass of water, wash your face, wait some minutes to calm down .- I tried to stop her.

-I'm going now. She might need some help.- She said opening the door .

- Elizabeth, you can't go like...- I was interrupted by the shut of the door-... this .

3 hours later

Everyone looked so happy . Especially RoseMary and Lee . I remember how happy I was when Elizabeth told me she was pregnant . I almost started crying at that thought . I almost started crying at the thought that, if I left home, I might never live that moment when Elizabeth tells me she is having another child. We had always dreamt of having 8 little children running around the house, playing . I was not ready to leave . I had to see my kids grow up, I had to grow old with my wife, I had to stay . It was also a duty for me to stay; my duty as a father and as Elizabeth's husband. I didn't know what to do. Should I stay, or should I leave? Should I go just for some months? I was very confused by the pain.

Hours passed and it was finally over. That "pretend you are enjoying the event and not thinking about leaving" had finished. This didn't mean I wasn't happy for Lee and RoseMary, it was just too much to do. I went outside, took a deep breath and the cold air of the night filled my lungs and cleared my head. As I exhaled I saw the water vapor coming out of my mouth, due to the low temperature. I walked towards the lake and sat down on the wet grass. The only thing I could hear were the crickets and the owls hooting. The sky was almost blinding because of the moon and all the stars that shone so brightly. I enjoyed watching the reflections on the lake. Everything was so calm and peaceful. It took my mind off of the fights with my wife, the crying, the anger, the pain, the desperation, everything. It was 15 minutes of joy in the middle of the night, long after dark.

The next day...

The day started out with fights because I told her that I had to report if I was going to the northern territories or not. The first two fights were just like all the others, I shouted, she shouted, we cried and all our feelings were going through our bodies at once, but the third fight... That didn't go as expected. We were saying the usual things like "I have to go save people", "Your whole family is here, you can't leave us", among others, when, unexpectedly, Elizabeth said:

- Well, you know? Actually, you should go.

We both stood there. Neither of us could believe what had just happened or knew where that had come from. Even she was surprised at the words that had just come out of her lips. She had told me to leave, so I guess I would...

Elizabeth's POV

That was my pain talking, of course I didn't want him to go. Despite what I said, I knew deep down that he was leaving anyways. He was too kind to refuse to fight for the safety of these poor people... Maybe it was the right move to tell him that. He had to go and I was the only thing that stopped him. I had given him my "consent", so now he could leave knowing that what he was doing, was the right thing.

-Well, I will send them a telegram.- He said accepting the heart wrenching decision he had just made.

He was really leaving. I had the possibility of losing him and not seeing him ever again and I couldn't do anything about it.