Jack hung his up his coat and sat to remove his boots, Lisa had set up at the dining room table again. He paused, she was focused on her laptop and as he crossed behind her he smiled a little. A sure sign that Lisa hadn't been feeling like herself had been the way she had stayed out of the fight to get Georgie to think about school.
"You're feeling better then." He murmured, pulling out a chair as Lisa frowned at him. "Or you've got something to tell me."
"What would that be?" She straightened and stretched.
Any other day her meddling would have him worried, and his mind might change before she was done; but for now, he was relieved. Lisa had been feeling pretty rough the past few days. And with the transplant looming he'd been torn, for Katie they both wanted this to keep moving, but right after the blood transfusion Lisa had been in no shape for it.
"Well either you're getting into something, or your going back to school." He started to turn the screen around until she covered his hand.
"I am not going back to school. I'm just looking at some options." Lisa laughed, turning the laptop towards him; probably afraid he would break the thing.
She had a few days off the stronger of the medications, it was intended to get her ready for the bone marrow aspiration, but Lisa had needed it. Jack had watched as she struggled, her body had done what the doctor wanted but she had paid for it.
They'd had to wait several days to find out the result, but Katie's body had used the medicine to rally; exactly what the doctors had hoped for. They wanted to move ahead with the transplant and push the transfusions to strengthen Katie's body, Dr. Siddal was hopeful, and Lou reported that Katie's doctor was as well.
Tomorrow Lisa went back in to the hospital and Jack knew she was nervous; finding programs for Georgie was only her latest distraction. He could admit he was worried, tomorrow would be a very long day. It may be a tried and tested procedure, but the doctor was concerned about Lisa's bloodwork, the levels of medication that were not known and predictable.
His silence must have cued her to where his mind was as she took his hand. "I am fine. I will be fine."
"I know you will." The conviction behind those words revealed her nerves, she was telling herself just as firmly as she was telling him.
But the fact she was in the middle of this weighed on him a bit. It was, in part because of him, Lisa had adopted his family as her own, but it was their genes that carried a glitch that threatened Katie's life. Lisa had never been in the registry, and without their relationship they may never have met her; and a match was hard to find. The odds that his second wife was a had to be one in a million, and that she was willing to do it; that meant something he'd never quite pin down.
"Is there anything we need to do ahead of this thing?" She had the doctor's instructions in hand, he didn't question that, but she had been putting a lot of things on hold to do this.
"No, but after it there is." Lisa sighed. "We know it works now."
Blue eyes focused on him, she didn't look happy about the idea; but it sounded good to him. It was hard to keep secrets from family, especially one like this. "You're sure?"
"No." Her nervous laugh made him pause. "But Lou might be ready to listen now that they've had some good news and Georgie needs to know, she is terrified the donor will disappear. Besides she has noticed I'm not myself."
"Lou and Peter may have similar fears, it wasn't easy on you." Georgie was the only other person in the house and Lisa was right; she knew something was off.
"This isn't a conversation I want to have at the hospital. We tell them to come home for dinner and we get it out in the open and take what comes." She was right on that, it would be better to have the conversation here.
"Okay then; we'll tell them." He took her hand, this would be a good thing; he hoped the family would prove that to her.
"Tell who what?" Georgie stepped into the room and he froze.
"You." Lisa barely missed a beat, she gave his hand a squeeze before dropping it. "Sit."
"Why?" The teenager looked ready to make a quick escape.
"With everything going on I know you haven't wanted to think about going away to school. But you aren't going to work at Fairfield rather than go to school; you have to go, at least part time." He nearly breathed a sigh of relief with how easily she switched gears; he liked their plan for the real news.
"Its only a gap year." Georgie rolled her eyes on a sigh, and Jack tried not to chuckle; that answer wasn't working on anyone.
"Trust me. Once you get out it is a lot harder to go back. Better just to get it over with." Lisa passed several pages she must have printed across the table. "I know we mentioned online classes, did you do any serious looking?"
"They're all stupid, what am I going to do with a degree in English Literature, or History?" Georgie glanced towards the door; likely regretting that she had stopped. "I mean online would be great if there was anything useful."
"So that is a no." Lisa pushed the pages towards her. "I was looking at this one, it is at the university of Calgary where Ty went but you have the option of going completely online or just partially."
"So I get to choose between Psychology, Women's Issues, Liberal Studies, Political Science, all boring; and look History." Georgie gave them a dramatic eyeroll.
"Well, you could, but you can earn a general arts degree in any two concentration options, I was looking at business administration and any concentration of your choosing. Business Administration might be boring, but it is useful if you want to work for yourself and I thought the Equine Management option might suit you. Now there is some science, but there are a lot of elective options which would complement the holistic approaches you have worked on with Amy."
"That's not on the list." Georgie sat up a little straighter and Jack grinned, his wife had hit the nail on the head.
"That list is just a sample of their more popular options, you can combine any two concentrations; read the fine print. I emailed the school to confirm." As he shifted his hand to give her knee a squeeze she turned her laptop around and opened her email.
Georgie eagerly read the email exchange as Lisa explained the program options. It was a three-year program, with a part time option. And his wife knew how to make a sale, Georgie could spread the in-class portions of the equine management courses through the program, so she would only have to drive to Calgary a few days a week. Or leave all the courses until upper years and commit to the regular commute. The online courses only required her to go to the school for the midterms and final exams, and Calgary was a hike but not an unreasonable one, they were doing regularly right now; she didn't have to move. And Georgie finally looked interested in something.
"I think you better apply." Jack murmured quietly, as Georgie looked up; having poured over the pages Lisa had given her.
"But I need a credit card for the payment, Lou and Peter are…." Lisa reached for her purse as he dug out his wallet; neither of them were taking excuses now. As he handed over the card Georgie paused. "Can I still work at Fairfield?"
"I expect you to start full time at the end of June. Come September we will figure it out." Lisa promised before Georgie trotted up the stairs.
For a moment they both just sat, that was a good thing, and it had been a long time coming. "That was a win."
"Yes, it was." Lisa sighed. "And what's better is she wants it."
He frowned at that, Lou had been pushing hard for Georgie to go to school; but no one was going to force her. He understood Lou's concerns about Georgie's reluctance to go to school, and her resolutions to follow Amy's footsteps. Amy had had a few advantages at a young age, she'd had some real challenges too; but both got her name and her reputation out there. Even then, there were times when it took real work for her to keep going, Amy may like Georgie's help, but he wasn't sure her set up was big enough to support two trainers; not full time.
An education would give the girl options, help her figure out just where she wanted to settle in and a plan to get there; it would teach her little things that Amy had to learn the hard way. And it might just get her really interested in Fairfield; which he might be pulling for.
Lisa's outfit was a family operation too, and while Heartland was their home it wasn't the only horse business in the family. Someday Lisa would want to get out, and he knew should anything happen to her she wanted it to benefit the girls. It would be a much better thing if one of them took a real interest in learning to run it, and that spread had the means to support a few trainers, with the right combination of work and skill it did make good money.
Her elbow jabbed his ribs. "I know what you're playing at, but don't say a word of it to her. If that's what she wants, it is better if its her own idea; trust me."
Jack nodded, there was something there, but it was an issue for another day. Lisa was smiling and relaxed, he had missed that, and he knew in a little while they would be right back in the middle of the drug regimen.
"Why don't we take a ride?" He knew she was missing it, and he'd always enjoyed taking Lisa out on the range with him; even if she might prefer an English saddle. "It may be awhile before you will be up to it again."
"That'd be nice." She nodded.
"Besides I need to check on the cattle." He rose, and she sighed, her nose scrunching up. "Mitch has been doing more than his fair share of the checks. It's a good trip out and back."
…
Lisa laughed as she went to change, only Jack would think checking the cattle could be considered a good way to spend time together. But she didn't disagree and by the time she made it to the yard he had nearly finished saddling both horses, he'd put her on a horse Lou had bought for the dude ranch that was still getting used to being in the open country.
He hovered as she mounted, but she hadn't been quite sure her body would cooperate with her either; that it did was a nice surprise. And they headed up to the winter pasture at an easy pace, drawing up as they approached the herd. As Jack did a head count she eyed the ground, knowing it would be his next step as the herd were easy prey; especially in the winter.
She had learned a little of her husband's cattle business, it had started with a Western saddle and her first cattle drive, but now she knew a few other things too. She shortened up her reins a little as the horse beneath her tensed, scanning the ground along the treeline she pointed out a trail to her husband who swung down for a closer look; muttering something about coming back to deal with that.
There were moments when it struck her how different the were, their lives and their businesses; yet they worked. The ways they fitted together more than made up for the times their differences rubbed at the other. For a while they were quiet, the silence comfortable as they rode across the range, the frozen landscape beautiful as it gave way to the familiar buildings that had become home.
Jack drew ahead, maneuvering Buddy to open the gate and Lisa smiled, he belonged here as much as the land he loved. As she passed through the gate she asked the horse to ease it's pace and a moment later Buddy brought Jack in right next to her, the two horses so close their knees brushed; Jack took her hand.
It was hard not to worry about tomorrow morning, but she was only willing to let him see so much of it. Her situation was somewhat unique, the medications she had been taking were long lasting and even though they were breaking down in her system the doctor wanted to be careful about how many others were added. To reduce the waiting time Dr. Siddal had introduced her to an anesthesiologist who explained another option and Lisa had agreed; even though she was nervous.
But as she glanced at her husband she held to her decision not to tell him exactly how much. He hadn't been in the room at that point and she didn't want him to worry any more. He was under enough stress as it was, and whether he acknowledged it or not stress was dangerous to him.