The people of Hope Valley just got rocked by devastating news --but could there be a new little "heartie" on the way?
**WARNING: This article contains spoilers from the When Calls the Heart season 5 finale.**
Fans of When Calls the Heart were dealt a seriously painful emotional blow on Sunday's season 5 finale.
After an agonizing cliffhanger at the end of last week's episode, the finale wasted no time in confirming fans' worst fears: Jack is dead.
Just weeks after Jack (Daniel Lissing) tied the knot with the town's popular school teacher, Elizabeth (Erin Krakow), after five seasons of watching their romance develop and blossom, the handsome Canadian Mountie was killed, leaving a heartbroken wife to tend to his funeral.
During Jack's funeral, a touching eulogy revealed the star's fate.
"Jack died as he lived -- a hero. He was leading a group of recruits through the mountain, and there was a landslide," revealed Jack's close friend, Bill Avery (Jack Wagner). "He pushed two of his men out of the way, saving their lives at the expense of his."
While the emotional episode begins with the town in mourning and Jack already buried, he makes several appearances during the finale through Elizabeth's tear-jerking flashbacks.
In one of the most heartbreaking moments in the finale, Elizabeth goes out to the plot of land Jack bought for them, and reads a letter given to her by the Mountie who informed her of Jack's demise at the end of the previous episode.
The letter, which Jack wrote in the event of his own death, tells Elizabeth that she should "take comfort that I will be watching over you for the rest of your days. I will always be with you in spirit."
He also asks Elizabeth that she makes sure to open her heart to the possibility of love again in the future.
However, despite the tragic loss, it looks like the town of Hope Valley might actually get a little more hopeful next season. Late in the episode, Elizabeth discovers that she's suddenly nauseated by the smell of coffee.
Stepping outside to settle her stomach, close confidant Abigail Stanton (Lori Loughlin) joins her, and helps her realize why she's been feeling tired, run-down and sick to her stomach, and it's not just deep emotional trauma -- Elizabeth is pregnant with Jack's baby!
Throughout his final episode, Lissing took to Twitter to live tweet the emotional finale, and seemed just as heartbroken and touched as so many of the show's fans.
"This is very hard to watch #hearties thanks for sticking with it #family," the 36-year-old star tweeted, before celebrating the finale's pregnancy reveal, writing, " A baby heartie is on the way!!! #hearties."
In fact, Lissing, Krakow and Loughlin spent the evening watching the show together and celebrating the end of the five-season on-screen romance and friendship.
ET's Deidre Behar caught up with Lissing right before When Calls the Heart's big wedding episode in March, and he coyly addressed whether or not Jack and Elizabeth were planning on starting a family.
"I haven't read too far in advance, but I have a feeling. I have a feeling!" he gushed. "You can guarantee there will be a few surprises along the way, but what I would like to see is a happy family. Elizabeth's beaming smile, with a baby, in Hope Valley."
Check out the video for more from Lissing about his time on the show and his real-life friendship with his long-time co-star.
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