<p id=”par-1_72″>Family comes first. That was certainly true in the <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/when-calls-the-heart/?swcfpc=1″><em>When Calls the Heart</em></a><em> </em>Season 12 finale, which saw one Hope Valley resident forced to make an abrupt departure from town in the episode’s closing moments. The surprising turn of events has the potential to shake things up in a major way for several of the show’s characters in season 13. (During Sunday’s season finale, Hallmark confirmed it had renewed <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/when-calls-the-heart-teases-return-old-character-earl-wyatt.html/”>the long-running drama</a>.) </p>
<p id=”par-2_14″><strong>[Warning: This article contains spoilers for the </strong><strong><em>When Calls the Heart </em></strong><strong>Season 12 finale.]</strong></p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-elizabeth-must-leave-hope-valley-to-keep-little-jack-safe-nbsp”>Elizabeth must leave Hope Valley to keep Little Jack safe </h2>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/When-Calls-the-Heart-Season-12-Finale-Elizabeth-and-Little-Jack.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Elizabeth looks out the back window of a car, with her arm around Little Jack, in the ‘When Calls the Heart’ Season 12 finale” class=”wp-image-3791770″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Hyland Goodrich and Erin Krakow in ‘When Calls the Heart’ Season 12 | ©2025 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Ricardo Hubbs</figcaption></figure>
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<p id=”par-3_37″>This season, Elizabeth’s (Erin Krakow) world was rocked when she learned her son, Little Jack (Hyland Goodrich) had diabetes. <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/when-calls-the-heart-time-period-show-set.html/”>It’s 1922</a>, and treatment for the disease is in its infancy, putting the boy’s health in serious jeopardy. </p>
<p id=”par-4_96″>Elizabeth was devastated and distraught, but Mei (Amanda Wong), a pharmacist, discovered a report in a medical journal about a promising new drug: insulin. She, Dr. Faith (<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/andrea-brooks-pregnant-filming-when-calls-the-heart-season-12.html/”>Andrea Brooks</a>), and the rest of the residents of Hope Vally rallied together to get Little Jack enrolled in a clinical trial for insulin and to make sure that they could get the life-saving medicine to him in their small town. It was a harrowing experience for Elizabeth and Jack, but by the end of episode 11, it seemed that they had found a way to manage his condition. </p>
<p id=”par-5_48″>Unfortunately, things aren’t quite so simple. In the <em>When Calls the Heart </em>Season 12 finale, Elizabeth notices that Jack is once again exhibiting some concerning symptoms, such as sleepiness. Faith confirms that the latest batch of insulin was ineffective, likely because it wasn’t properly refrigerated while in transit. </p>
<p id=”par-6_42″>New insulin is on its way from Toronto, but will it get there in time to save Little Jack? Elizabeth isn’t willing to wait. She decides to leave immediately for Cape Fullerton, which has a new insulin lab at its state-of-the-art hospital. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-nathan-follows-elizabeth-to-cape-fullerton-in-the-when-calls-the-heart-season-12-finale-nbsp”>Nathan follows Elizabeth to Cape Fullerton in the ‘When Calls the Heart’ Season 12 finale </h2>
<p id=”par-7_35″>Elizabeth frantically packs up some belongings while her friends head out to find Nathan (Kevin McGarry). But the cab arrives before he returns, and Elizabeth must say goodbye to her new love in a letter. </p>
<p id=”par-8_43″>Nathan receives the letter moments after Elizabeth departs. He wastes no time in springing into action. He and his daughter Allie (Jaeda Lily Miller) rush after Elizabeth. They catch the taxi before it reaches the train station and join her in the car. </p>
<p id=”par-9_17″>“We’ll figure it out. Together,” Nathan assures a stunned but grateful Elizabeth. “Where you go, I go.”</p>
<p id=”par-10_78″>Elizabeth, Little Jack, Nathan, and Allie are all headed to a new town. And it’s not likely to be a short visit. The hospital has resources that just aren’t available in Hope Valley. And Elizabeth has family connections there as well. (Her late husband Jack’s mother Charlotte runs a boarding house in the city.) But even as Elizabeth departs, she makes it clear that Hope Valley will remain in her heart – and will remain her family’s home. </p>
<p id=”par-11_23″>“I know that everything seems uncertain tonight,” she says in a voiceover. “But no matter what, somehow we will return to Hope Valley.”</p>
<p id=”par-12_10″><em>When Calls the Heart </em>Season 12 is streaming on Hallmark+.</p>
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