For personal use and select distribution only © December 1997 by "Tiff" Amber Miller
Healing of the Hearts
by Tiffany Miller
Part 6
The picnic basket packed, coats, scarfs and hats on, the horses harnessed, and the wagon waiting, the Sully family piled into the wagon and prepared to set off for their excursion. Just as Sully was helping Michaela into the wagon, he heard the sounds of hoofbeats coming up the path to the homestead from the direction of the Chateau. He looked up just as Matthew and Dr. Andrew Cook came riding up to them.
"Sorry, I'm late. I was on my way here, when I ran into Andrew headed this way as well," Matthew apologized.
Michaela looked at them with alarm.
"Andrew, is something wrong?" she asked. "Am I needed in town, or do you need me at the Chateau?"
"Oh, no, Michaela. I was just riding out here to see Colleen and to ask if she wanted to join me for a picnic lunch, but Matthew informed me that you were already headed out on one," Andrew explained, first looking at Michaela, but shifting his glance to include Colleen, whose face had lit up the moment he had rounded the bend and come into view.
Sully and Michaela observed this exchange and shared a private look of their own, both of them silently agreeing to what would be offered next.
"You're more than welcome to join us Andrew," Michaela invited. "I assume Preston is letting you off from work at his hotel?"
Andrew turned his eyes from Colleen and back to Dr. Mike. "Well, actually, I told him I was taking a lunch break and that I might not be back for a couple of hours. I don't have any patients to see and things have been slow all morning, so I took the afternoon off. I didn't really give Preston a chance to object," he informed them.
"Well, good for you. He works you too hard, anyway," Michaela observed.
"No more than you, Ma," Colleen interjected. "How many times have we had to pull you away from the clinic and forced you to rest?"
Everyone laughed at this. "Okay, I know when I'm outnumbered. Now let's get going before we lose this beautiful sunshine."
With that, Sully climbed into the wagon and slapped the reigns to get the horses going. Matthew and Andrew followed behind them on their horses.
When they arrived at the picnic sight, everyone was in awe at the beauty they saw. Although most of the leaves had fallen from the trees, the evergreens still held their color and the sun that shone through the trees gave the area a peaceful and majestic appearance.
Sully climbed down from the wagon and reached up to help Michaela down. Matthew and Andrew dismounted, and Andrew came over to help Colleen out of the wagon. Matthew took Katie from Brian so he could jump down. The children grabbed the picnic basket and walked over to Mike and Sully.
"Come on. There's somethin' else I wanna show ya. If we don't hurry, we'll miss it."
Everyone followed Sully towards an opening in the trees. As they came nearer, they heard the sound of rushing water and a waterfall. Once they stepped into the clearing, the sight that met them put them in complete awe. Everyone stood transfixed by the beauty they beheld.
The sun was shining through the trees and onto the water at just the right angle to create a beautiful rainbow in the mist created from the waterfall splashing into the pool below. In addition, the sun cast its beams onto the splashes of water on the sides of the pool and the rocks behind the waterfall, making them sparkle.
"Wa wa!" Katie exclaimed, effectively breaking the trance which held everyone. They all laughed and then moved into action. Sully grabbed two blankets and spread them out on the ground while Brian carried the basket over to him and set it on the blanket. Matthew set Katie down on the blanket, but she was more interested in the pretty colors and the water, so she quickly stood up and ran towards it.
Michaela intercepted her and picked her up into her arms. "Not now, Katie. We're going to have lunch first. Then, you can go play." Katie squirmed a little, but when she realized that she was not going to get her way, settled down.
"Ya might as well let her go see the rainbow, since it'll be gone when we're done with lunch," Sully informed her.
"Alright." She took her daughter over to the waterfall and allowed her to put her hands in it, eliciting a giggle from the girl. As she ran her hand through the water, she tried to touch the rainbow and realized that it didn't move.
"Mama, no pretty," she complained.
"Katie, that's just water. You get wet if you touch it, but you can't touch the colors." Michaela knew her daughter wouldn't understand, but she allowed the exploration anyway. How else would she learn? Just then, the sun shifted slightly in the sky, and the rainbow disappeared.
"Mama, pretty all gone."
"I told you, Katie. You can only see the colors, not touch them. Now, let's go eat." She took Katie by the hand and led her back to the blanket. Everyone took their seats on the blankets as Colleen unpacked the basket and discarded the food.
After everyone had eaten their fill, and everything had been cleaned up, they all sat back and enjoyed the crisp winter day. Little Katie had sat patiently enough for her liking and decided that now was the time to explore her surroundings. Michaela began to get up so that she could go with Katie, but a dizzy spell hit her and she sat back down. Everyone
looked at her, questioningly.
"Ma, are you alright?" Colleen asked, worriedly.
"I'm fine. It's just a dizzy spell. I must have gotten up too soon," she assured them.
"Well, you stay put and rest. I'll take Katie exploring," and with that, she got up and took Katie's hand.
"I'll go with you," Andrew said, and stood up to join them.
Matthew looked at his little brother. "Hey, Brian, you wanna grab our poles and see if we can catch some fish before they go into hibernation?"
"Sure!" Brian eagerly agreed and jumped up to join Matthew as they went to the wagon to get their poles and head off to the stream, leaving Mike and Sully alone. Sully moved over next to her and placed his arm around her shoulders, drawing her close. He took her right hand in his and pressed a kiss to her temple.
"Are ya sure you're okay?" he asked. "You got real tired this mornin' after playin' only a couple minutes with the children, and now you're havin' dizzy spells."
"I told you, I'm fine. Like I said, it must be everything that has happened recently. I'm not used to so much activity, and my body is reacting to it. Don't worry about me. Let's just sit back and enjoy this day together." Sully gave in to her plea and laid back on the blanket, drawing his wife down with him, keeping his arm around her shoulders. She snuggled into his warm embrace and placed her head on his chest, sighing contentedly.
Colleen and Andrew had taken Katie exploring in the woods nearby, and when they came to a very shallow spot in the stream, they sat down on its banks and let Katie play in the cold water, making sure that they kept a close eye on her so that she wouldn't fall in. Andrew leaned back against a tree and simply watched Colleen as she played with Katie in the water, splashing her and getting splashed back. He marveled at how lucky he was to have met Colleen, and realized that if it weren't for Michaela's mother's insistence that he come out to Colorado Springs for the birth of Katie, he most likely never would have.
He had just graduated, top of his class, from Harvard Medical School, and was preparing to go into practice with his uncle in Boston, when Elizabeth had come and requested, no demanded, that he accompany her and two of her daughters to Colorado Springs to help one of her other daughters with the birth of her first child.
When he arrived in Colorado Springs to discover that Elizabeth's daughter was a doctor, he couldn't have been more surprised, nor so filled with a feeling of admiration for her determination to pursue this chosen field, dominated by men. As he was taken to her clinic, where Michaela's family would be staying, he had grabbed his luggage from the back of the wagon and stepped towards the porch in front of the clinic. But, his foot slipped in some mud, and he fell onto his back in the middle of it. He was momentarily shocked at what had happened, but then he became aware of a hand reaching down to help him up. As he took hold of that hand and looked up into the beautiful face of who he now knew as Colleen, listening to her melodious voice tell him that everyone takes a spill now and then he knew he was going to enjoy his stay in Colorado Springs very much.
When he learned that Colleen was going to be going to medical school as well to become a doctor, the same admiration he felt for Michaela surfaced, only something else dwelled inside of him as well.
After Katie was born, without his help, since she had been born out in the woods after Michaela had gone out there in search of Sully, who had been wounded by the garrison at the Palmer Creek Reservation, Sgt. O'Conner, he stayed in Colorado Springs to help Michaela with her practice and allowed her to go home early to tend to her daughter. A few months later, Preston, the owner of the Colorado Springs Chateau and Health Resort, had offered him a job working at the clinic there. He had taken the job and since then, there had been two doctors in Colorado Springs.
Little did he know, then, that he would eventually decide to stay permanently in Colorado Springs, fall in love with Colleen, and ask her to join him in his practice, as partners in every sense of the word, once she finished college.
As he looked upon her now, he realized what a wonderful mother she would make, and how happy they would be together. He didn't know how he would wait another two-and-a-half years for her to be done. Although he was very new at love, he knew it was going to be a real test on his patience in the next couple of years. But, at the end of that time, he would take her as his wife and be able to spend the rest of his life with her. He blushed slightly at that thought.
Suddenly, he realized that if they were going to be married, they couldn't very well stay at the Chateau. He needed to look into purchasing some land on which to build a homestead. Maybe this wait will be beneficial. At least he knew he would be able to provide a house for them both.
As he focused his attention again on Colleen and Katie, he decided that they were having too much fun for him to not join in. So, he got up and stepped to the banks of the stream to put his hands in the cold, refreshing water. Colleen glanced over at him and shyly smiled. He returned that smile and she turned away after a moment to tend to Katie again, fully aware of Andrew's presence beside her.
Nearby, Matthew and Brian sat quietly, holding their fishing poles in the water, having caught only two fish so far. Even though they hadn't been too successful, this time shared between the two brothers was special. They didn't do this very often, since Matthew had moved out, but for the past few months, he had been living at the homestead with his family.
When his homestead had been burned to the ground by Dog Soldiers, soon after the rebellion at the Reservation, and Sully had gone into hiding from the army, he moved back in with the family to help them with the chores and protect them from any attacks from Dog Soldiers or intrusions by the army. He had had his moments when he hated Sully for the trouble he caused, but when he realized that he did it because he had to, he knew that Sully had done the right thing. He promised Dr. Mike that he would help her clear Sully's name and bring him back home. When he resigned as sheriff, he delved into his law books and even found some more at the town library, trying to research old court cases involving treason and trying to come up with a possible solution to getting Sully out of this mess.
Now that Sully was back home, he really needed to think about repairing his homestead, but he wouldn't be able to do much until the Spring, when the weather got warmer. For now, he was just content to spend time with his family and enjoy being with them. He reached over and tousled Brian's hair, and Brian looked over at him and smiled. Then, they both focused their attention back on their fishing, trying to find areas where the water wasn't frozen..
Michaela sighed again and Sully shifted slightly. He glanced over his other shoulder at the waterfall, cascading softly into the pool and beckoning him to come and enjoy its refreshing feel. He slowly sat up and drew Michaela up with him. She looked up at him questioningly as he then stood up, reaching down and offering her his hand. She took it and he pulled her up to stand next to him. Still confused as to his motives, she followed him as he led her over to the pool. She turned to look at him and he grinned, communicating with his eyes what he wanted.Part 7
(Author's Warning: This part could be considered PG or maybe even PG-13 for flashback content, so use personal discretion.)
As they reached the banks of the pool, Sully sat down, pulled off his moccasins and placed his feet in the cold water, wiggling his toes at the refreshing feel. Michaela sat down next to him, but didn't make any move towards placing her feet in the water. Sully glanced over at her with a questioning look in his eyes.
"It's cold, Sully. It's December," she argued. But, Sully wouldn't be swayed. He reached over and pulled her legs over onto his lap, then took one of her feet in his hands, untied the laces to her boot and slipped it off her foot. He did the same with the other boot. When he had both of her shoes off, he reached up to pull her stockings off, exposing her legs and feet. Although her feet and legs weren't cold, he ran his hands up and down her calves and massaged her feet. Michaela relished in the feel of his warm hands on her and remembered one other time he had done this very thing.
In the Fall after they had returned from their honeymoon and school had begun again, the Sully family was sitting around the table eating supper when Colleen asked if she could go on a hayride with some of her friends. Since there would be no adults going, Mike told her she couldn't go. Sully echoed that decision by saying that she could go some other night, when she didn't have school. Colleen had gone off to be angry and Brian had finished cleaning up, then gone upstairs to do his homework. Mike and Sully had retired early as well.
In their room, Michaela was expressing her concerns over being too hard on Colleen in not letting her go, but also over how young Colleen was and how she shouldn't be going off alone with her friends like she wanted. Sully, however, was clearly not in the mood for talking, as he had taken off her boots and stockings and had begun to rub his hands up and down her legs. She had tried to deter him by saying that her feet were cold, but he assured her that they wouldn't be cold for long, and the proceeded to massage her feet against his chest.
Michaela continued to talk and voice her concerns regarding Colleen, but as Sully continued his ministrations, it became increasingly difficult for her to concentrate, at least on talking, anyway. When she again mentioned Colleen's age, Sully pointed out that she had delivered a baby and Michaela had agreed that medically, Colleen was competent beyond her
years, but in other ways she was naive, just like her Ma was. As she said this, Sully had unbuttoned her blouse and pushed it back off her shoulders, asking that they talk about this some other time. He had just leaned in to kiss her when there was a knock at the door.
It was Brian, asking for his Ma's help with an essay he had to write for school tomorrow. Michaela told him that she and Sully were tired and that she would get him up early in the morning and help him then. He had then said goodnight and Michaela looked at Sully, noticing that he had a very pleased look on his face. He told her the reason was that when the children knock and she didn't jump up, he knew he had her attention. And with that, he effectively kept her attention throughout the night.
Times like those had happened frequently in the next few days as Michaela realized how much she enjoyed this aspect of marriage. She felt guilty for feeling the way she did, but Sully had assured her that he appreciated her enthusiasm and that if she ever wanted any holding, all she had to do was ask.
At a quilting circle meeting, Grace, the owner of the town's Cafe, had warned her that they were still in the honeymoon stage and that it wouldn't last forever. Myra, the telegraph operator's wife, had told her that it would soon become part of the day's routine, like brushing her teeth. But Michaela often wondered how anything like this could ever be compared to brushing her teeth!
Now, as Sully's touch brought her back to the present, she realized that those ladies were wrong. Things never changed between her and Sully over time. Sure, they had their disagreements, and there were times when they got so involved in everything, that they didn't take time for each other, but when they were together, it was the same as when they had been on their honeymoon.
Sully paused in his ministrations long enough to slide into the water. Then, he reached for Michaela and pulled her in with him, despite her protests. The moment the water had seeped through her clothes, she let out a gasp.
"Sully, it's too cold for this," she argued again, even though if truth be known, she was feeling rather warm.
"Not for long, it won't be," he assured her as he drew her to him for a long and passionate kiss. Sully realized that his wife was looking flushed, so he scooped up some water in his hand and dumped it over her head, allowing the droplets to run down her face and neck. He repeated this a few more times, until her hair was wet and clung to her face. He then led her over to a ledge in the pool that was covered with water and sat down, pulling her into his lap. At this point, the water was now up above her waist, but she no longer felt the chill in the temperature of it, as her mind was now focused on only one thing: her husband.
As he initiated another passionate kiss, they both were reminded of two other times they had visited this same pool. The first, after Sully had been offered a job to survey an area soon to be known as Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, and the second, after his broken legs had healed from his fall over the cliff.
Sully didn't want to turn down the job offer and had asked his wife to consider it as well. He knew that she wouldn't think about it clearly, unless he removed her from her everyday life, so he arranged it with the children that they would watch Katie and Matthew would stay at the house to watch the homestead. He and Brian had found a wounded hawk earlier that week and Michaela was helping it heal in the barn, so Sully had Brian run into the house begging his Ma to come out and tend to the hawk because something was wrong with her. As she stepped out of the homestead and ran down the front steps, Sully had ridden up and scooped her onto his horse with him to take her to a campsite in the woods.
At first, Michaela had appeared angry at him for kidnapping her without her permission, but truth be known, she was overjoyed at the prospect of spending the night with her husband away from town and the children. The next morning, Sully had awoke to find the spot next to him empty, so he went in search of his wife.
When he found her, she was bathing in the pool at the bottom of a waterfall. As he approached, she looked up at him and, with her eyes and smile, invited him to join her. He obliged and soon they were kissing under the waterfall, both of them completely soaked to the skin.
Afterwards, as they were packing to leave, Michaela told him that she had decided to go with him anywhere, even if it meant leaving the only home they had together and moving to Wyoming. However, Sully decided that if was going to fight for land, he should fight for the land where they lived, so they stayed.
Almost a year later, after six weeks of recuperation, the two of them had gone to this pool again so that Michaela could massage his legs and help them gain some strength back. She had taken off her shoes and stockings, and he had rolled up his buckskin pant legs to his knees. As she was massaging his legs, he reached over and massaged hers as well. As he was doing so, he looked at her and she gazed back at him. He turned his head and motioned towards the pool and she looked back at him questioningly. Then, he grabbed her hand and pulled her with him into the water. As she submerged to her waist, she gasped with pleasure at the feel of the water and Sully pulled her close to gather her in a warm embrace, full of all of the feelings that had been pent up inside of him ever since he had begun his path towards complete healing.
They had been separated for over two months, and the emptiness of that separation had taken its toll on them both. They embraced and kissed in the pool, and later that week, he had snuck into the homestead to be with her completely.
As their thoughts came back to the present experience in this pool, they broke apart and gazed at one another, both realizing that they had been remembering the same thing. They smiled at each other and Sully drew Michaela's head to his chest. Michaela had begun to grow chilled and shivered as a result. Sully noticed this and moved to stand.
"I think it's time we got outta this water and dried off. It is too cold to be sittin' here for long and neither one of us needs to be gettin' sick."
So, they both moved towards the other bank and Sully climbed out, then reached down and pulled Michaela out with him. They walked over to the wagon and Sully grabbed two blankets for them to keep warm.
"Here, take this and dry off," he told her as he wrapped one of the blankets around her shoulders. He took the other one and did the same thing. When they both had rung most of the water out of their clothing, Sully stepped over to his wife and wrapped them both in his blanket, so that they could share their warmth.
"Why don't we go over there, into the clearin' and let the sun dry us off some more," he suggested, and led them both to the grass to sit down. Sully wrapped his arm around Michaela and opened up the blanket slightly so that the sun's warmth could dry their clothes. He leaned back against a tree stump and Michaela again put her head on his wet shirt as they both closed their eyes and allowed the warmth to seep in.
They had no idea how long they sat there, for the next thing they heard was voices coming from Andrew and their children. When they saw Mike and Sully, their mouths hung open in surprise.
"Ma, Pa, what did you guys do and why are you so wet?" Colleen asked.
"I can't believe you actually got into that water at this time of year. It must have been freezing!" Matthew exclaimed.
"Don't you know the dangers of getting wet when it's so cold outside?" Andrew cautioned.
"Mama, Papa, wa wa!" Katie exclaimed as she saw her parents.
Sully and Michaela smiled at them all. "We went for a swim, and it felt very nice," Sully told them.
"We are well aware of the possibility of getting sick, but we weren't in there for more than a couple of minutes," Michaela assured them.
"Now, come on, it's gettin' late, and we should be headin' back home. We don't wanna be caught out here in the dark. Besides, I think Andrew had taken much more than a lunch break," Sully instructed and then grinned at Andrew, who was standing next to Colleen with his arm protectively around her shoulders as she held Katie.Part 8
When the Sully family arrived home, along with Matthew and Andrew, the sun had begun to set. They gathered up the items they had taken with them on their picnic and alighted from the wagon. Matthew and Andrew tethered their horses to the fence post and helped Colleen and Brian down from the back of the wagon. Sully set the brake on the wagon and hopped down from the bench seat. Michaela handed Katie to him and Colleen took her as he helped his wife down from the wagon, and then Michaela took Katie back from her other daughter. She had her hair back up when it had dried, so that it didn't blow in her face. Together, everyone entered the homestead except Andrew and Colleen.
He drew her aside and placed his hands on her elbows as he looked her in they eyes. "I had a really wonderful time today. Although I would have loved for us to have gone on our own private picnic, I still enjoyed today very much. I know how much I'm going to miss you when you return to school...."
Colleen cut him off. "....but let's not think about that now. I still have two weeks left of my break and I want to make the most of it. So, why don't you come on into the house and we can enjoy a cup of tea together," she invited.
"I'd love that, more than anything, but I really should be getting back to the clinic. I have already been gone hours longer than Preston expected, and I don't want to make him any more angry than he already is."
"Well, alright. Will I see you in church tomorrow?" she asked.
"Of course. In fact, I'll come by tomorrow morning and pick you up. Okay?"
"Alright. Tomorrow morning then," she affirmed and then there was a tense silence that hung between them.
Colleen turned as if to go into the homestead, but Andrew held her firm. She turned back and looked him in the eyes and knew that he was going to kiss her. As he leaned towards her, she closed her eyes and leaned towards him as well. The kiss was tender and sweet, but brief. As Andrew pulled away, he smiled.
"We wouldn't want your parents wondering where you are, now would we?" he asked teasingly. With another quick kiss, he mounted his horse and rode off in the direction of the Chateau with a backwards glance and a farewell wave. Colleen waved back and turned to go into the house.
Inside, Matthew and Brian were playing with Katie on the rug in the main room, so Colleen walked over and joined them. Dr. Mike was preparing tea and cookies for everyone, and Sully was placing logs in the fireplace to make a fire and take the chill off the room. As the blaze took effect, Dr. Mike came into the room with a tray of cookies and teacups and a tea kettle. She set the tray on a little table and poured tea for everyone.
"Did Andrew have to leave?" Dr. Mike asked?
"Yeah. He said he didn't want to make Preston any angrier than he already was. He told me to tell everyone goodnight and thanks for inviting him."
"Well, we were glad to have him along," Dr. Mike assured her.
From there the conversation shifted into everyone talking about their day, each one expressing how nice it was to have the entire family back together again. A while later, Brian stood up. "Hey, anyone wanna play chess or checkers? I could get the games out," he offered.
"Sure, Brian," Sully replied.
"I'd love to play chess," Dr. Mike said.
"I'll challenge you, Dr. Mike," Matthew told her.
"You're on," Dr. Mike said, accepting the challenge.
"I'll keep Katie company. I'm not into chess or checkers all that much," Colleen told them.
With that, the games were brought out and the matches began. Sully beat Brian in two out of three games of checkers, and Matthew gave Dr. Mike a run for her money, eventually losing two out of three games against her. By the time they were finished, Katie had begun to grow sleepy. Dr. Mike stood and picked up Katie in her arms.
"I'll go put her to bed," she announced.
"I'm kinda tired, too. I think I'll go, too," Brain told them.
"Yeah, it's been a long day," Colleen agreed.
"And I'm worn out as well," Matthew said.
As the three children went upstairs, with goodnights to Dr. Mike and Sully, Michaela looked over at Sully and smiled, promising with her eyes that she would return as soon as possible. He smiled back and sat down in front of the fire to wait for her.
As he listened to the movements of his family upstairs, he sat back against the fireplace hearth, enjoying the feel of the heat from the flames on his back, and thought, for the hundredth time, how nice it was to finally be home. There had been so many days and nights that he had wished he had been there for his family to help them through their trials and to share with them their joys. He spent a lot of time wishing he hadn't done what he did at the Reservation, but now he realized that if he had to do it over again, he wouldn't have changed a thing. Cloud Dancing and the many other Indians there were now safe and free in the North, O'Conner wouldn't cause him any more trouble, the town was safe from the Dog Soldier raids, and he was safe at home with his family, where he always wanted to be.
As he heard his wife coming down the stairs, he moved to grab two blankets and spread them out on the floor in front of the fireplace. He looked up as Michaela was coming down the stairs and noticed that she was grabbing onto the railing as she was descending, so he got up and walked over to her.
"Michaela, are you alright?"
"Yes, I just had another dizzy spell, that's all. Like the children said, it's been a long day, and I'm just tired. I'll be fine. Don't worry," she assured him.
He took her hand. "Well, here, come over and sit by the fire with me." He led her over to the blankets and sat down, pulling her down with him. He leaned back against one of the wingback chairs, put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her back against his chest. He placed his arms around her waist and placed a kiss on the top of her head. They sat like that for many moments, just relaxing in each other's arms and enjoying the comfort of being together.
When Sully reached up to brush her hair from her face, he felt a little wetness on her cheek. He shifted his position and turned her around so that he could see her face. When he saw the tears in her eyes, silently falling, unchecked, he looked at her with a concerned expression on his face.
"Michaela?" he whispered.
"I'm sorry,....Sully. I....just wanted....I'm just so....I'm just so happy you're home," she sobbed.
He gathered her into his arms and rocked her gently back and forth. "Shhhh. It's gonna be alright. I'm here now. You're safe, and you have nothin' to worry about. I'll never leave you again, not like that. I promise," he vowed.
As she heard those words coming from his lips, she was comforted like she'd never been before. She felt so safe when she was in his arms, and she thought back to the time when he had said those same words to her before, only that time they had not been at home, but outside, near a cave.
Michaela had been kidnapped by Dog Soldiers after she told General Custer that they had murdered two of his men when they came to the camp to deliver supplies. There was a war being waged against both sides, and Michaela was caught, helplessly, in the middle.
She had spent about three nights with the Dog Soldiers, always hoping that Sully would find her and rescue her from them. On the fourth day, she had been sitting on the ground in their camp when she felt that Sully was near. That night, they had moved on, but had set up camp again to wait out the night. As she sat on the ground, not thinking about anything, she heard a familiar sound coming from the woods.
It was Sully's call, the one he used to notify friends that he was near, but didn't want to be seen. She looked in the direction of the sound and frantically thought of a way to escape. She announced to the leader that she had to relieve herself, and he took her to a stream. When he didn't turn around, but instead began to unfasten her skirt, Sully jumped out and knocked him to the ground, wrestling with him and finally delivering a kick to his stomach which temporarily knocked him out. Then, he cut the ropes which tied Michaela's hands together, picked her up in his arms and stepped into the stream, carrying them across to the other side and away from the Dog Soldiers.
The next day, Michaela had awaken to find that Sully had laid out their wet clothes to dry, but she was still unsure of herself, so she called out to him. He walked over to her and sat down next to her, comforting her with his words and his arms, all the while telling her that he was here and she was safe. He had found some honey and berries for her and urged her to eat, so she would gain her strength for the final leg of their journey back to town.
As Sully watched her take the honeycomb into her mouth, and saw some of it remain on her lips, he couldn't contain his feelings anymore. When she looked at him, he leaned in to kiss her, tasting the combination of honeycomb and her lips on his own. When they parted, she asked him to hold her, and he gathered her into his arms once again. He promised her that they would be back in Colorado Springs by tomorrow and told her that he would carry her if he had to.
The next morning, they were climbing up some rocks, when gunshots rang out. The Dog Soldiers had found them. They hurried up their climb, but came to a cliff when they almost reached the top. As the Dog Soldiers drew nearer, the leader, One Eye, attacked Sully and they wrestled again. This time, it ended in One Eye being flipped over the edge and falling to his death on the rocks below. Mike and Sully realized that their only hope was to jump into the water below and swim for it, so Michaela took off her skirt, and after telling each other, "I love you", they both jumped and swam to safety, returning to town by noon and getting there in time for Brian's birthday. Sully had kept his promise.
As Michaela looked up at Sully, she realized that he would keep his promise now, and always be there for her, no matter what separated them. She reached up and touched his face, running her fingers down his cheek and across his jawline, finally touching his lips. "Sully," she whispered huskily.
He shifted again, placed his left hand at her chin and drew her to him for a long, and passionate kiss. With his right hand, he reached up to release the pins from her hair, and encouraged her beautiful tresses to tumble down her back. He kept his hand tangled in her hair and pushed her back onto the blankets, reclining beside her and leaning part of his weight on top of her.
Michaela broke the kiss, temporarily. "Sully," she whispered in between his kisses, "we have church tomorrow."
"I know," he responded, but continued to kiss her. "Don't worry, we'll get plenty of rest." He smiled down at her and she returned the smile.
She reached up to tangle her fingers in his hair as well, and drew his mouth back down to hers, igniting a fire within them, that matched the intensity of the flames in the fireplace, crackling beside them. As their breaths mingled and their heartbeats raced in matched time, all thoughts of tomorrow slipped away.Part 9
Sunday morning dawned bright and sunny. As the sun slowly rose over the horizon, illuminating the sleepy town and its nearby residents, the farmers awoke to tend to their animals, the mothers and wives awoke to prepare breakfast for their families, and the children and animals cleared the sleep from their eyes, preparing to face another day.
Sully stirred from his sleep as the light, coming in through the homestead window, hit his face. He shifted on the blanket and turned his head to gaze upon the beautiful woman laying beside him. This was the second night he had spent at home a free man, and he couldn't have felt better. He leaned over to nuzzle his wife's neck and ear, effectively awakening her from her deep sleep.
"Mmmmm," she groaned groggily.
"Mornin', Michaela," Sully said as he placed a kiss on her lips.
Michaela stirred and shifted her position, realizing for the first time how hard her sleeping surface was. She opened her eyes and realized that they were downstairs in front of the fireplace. They must have spent the night there, but she didn't even remember falling asleep. The last thing she remembered was being held in her husbands arms and the overwhelming feeling of security she felt in those arms.
Glancing over at the window and seeing the sun up in the sky, she realized that the children would be getting up soon, and she had to go prepare breakfast. She threw off the blanket which was on her and found her robe hanging on one of the wingback chairs. She looked at it, not even remembering going upstairs to retrieve it last night. Then, she looked down at what she was wearing and realized that she was in her nightgown, and she looked over at Sully.
"I didn't want ya sleepin' in your clothes, so I went up and got your nightgown for ya," he said suggestively.
She smiled shyly, all of the memories from last night coming flooding back to her mind. She leaned over and gave him a sweet kiss, then got up from the floor and put on her robe as she headed into the kitchen to start the coffee. Sully picked up the blankets, folded them, and put them back in the corner, then stoked the fire in the fireplace again to warm up the downstairs. He followed his wife into the kitchen and came up behind her, placing his arms around her waist and his head on her shoulder, kissing her cheek.
Michaela leaned back into his warm embrace and smiled. "You have no idea how good it is to wake up and have you here," she told him.
"I think I got an idea," he answered, also smiling.
Just then, they heard movement upstairs. Sully released his wife and told her, "You go on upstairs and get the kids up. I'll start breakfast." So, Michaela wrapped her robe more securely around her and started to climb the stairs, a wave of dizziness falling over her again. She grabbed onto the railing as the spell passed, then looked over at her husband. He had his back to her, so he didn't see it. She continued on up the stairs, forgetting about it as she went in to wake up her children.
After their breakfast of steak, eggs, toast and milk or coffee, Colleen and Brian cleaned up, and then everyone went back to their own rooms to get dressed for church. As everyone was preparing to get into the wagon, Andrew came riding up with a small, one-horse carriage, he had borrowed from the Chateau. Colleen looked at her Ma and Sully, and they nodded their agreement that she could go with him.
On the way to town, the Sully family looked around them and saw how peaceful everything was. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and there was a gentle, cold wind blowing through the trees.
Andrew and Colleen stayed a little behind, their thoughts on the day as well, but also on each other.
As they all pulled up to the church and everyone got down, Sully realized that this was the first time he had been in the church in over 4 months, the last time being to say goodbye to Michaela and to tell her that he was going north with Cloud Dancing.
He had gone into the church and found the Reverend straightening up things for church tomorrow. When he entered, the Reverend looked up from his task and asked who was there. He had lost his sight last Christmas, and had learned to make due without it. When he heard Sully's voice, he couldn't have been more surprised.
After learning Sully's reasoning for being here, he left the church in search of Michaela and had run into Robert E., the town's blacksmith, making a new tool belt for Sully, complete with a knife and tomahawk. Knowing that Sully was there in town, he told Robert E. and they both headed for the clinic. They were only waiting inside for a few minutes when Michaela came in. She had asked them if everything was okay, and Robert E. held out the belt for Sully, telling her that he thought Sully would be needing it if he was going to be keeping himself from the army and living out in the woods.
Michaela thanked him and the Reverend told her that he suggested that she pray about Sully's situation. When she assured him that she always prayed, he insisted that she pray right now, in the church. She caught on to his meaning, thanked him, and headed for the church.
As she entered, Sully turned around and enfolded her in his arms. Michaela handed him his new tool belt, telling him that Robert E. had made it for him, and then asked him why he was here.
He told her that he had to go north with Cloud Dancing to try to arrange a peace talk with Black Moon, the leader of the Renegades who were attacking the town and burning the nearby homesteads. He didn't know how long he would be gone, but he promised to return as soon as he could. They had embraced again, and stood together for a long while, before he gave her a kiss and left.
Now, he was preparing to enter the church again, only this time as a free man. He placed his arm around Michaela's waist and walked with his family to church. As they approached the front steps, many people of the town walked over to them and expressed their thankfulness that he was home safe again. First, it was Loren, the town storekeeper, and Dorothy, the town's newspaper editor. Then, Jake, the town mayor, barber, and undertaker, shook hands with him, and Mrs. Teresa Morales, the schoolteacher, told him that she was certain that Brian was happier, now that his father was home. Next, it was Horace, the town telegraph operator, mail clerk and train station attendant, with his ex-wife, Myra, who used to work at the saloon, and their daughter, Samantha. Then, Robert E. and his wife, Grace, who owned the town cafe, came up and smiled, telling him how good it was to have him back again. Finally, even Preston, who almost always showed hostility towards Sully, came up and expressed his good wishes to him and his family.
Once everyone had said good morning, they went inside to listen to the Reverend's sermon, which would consist of the reading of the Christmas story from the Bible, as the children from school performed it. Afterwards, they sung some Christmas carols and left to go to Grace's Cafe for their usual afternoon gathering. Since it was too cold to be outside in the meadow, they gathered in the new, enclosed section of the Cafe. It was decorated for Christmas with evergreen branches garnering the fence posts and arrangements of greens and berries in the center of every table.
When the Sully family arrived, there was only one table left empty, so Matthew, Brian, and Katie went over to it and sat down. Colleen and Andrew joined them, and Michaela and Sully walked over to it as well. Once they sat down, became aware of an unusual quietness about the people, and Grace walked over to pour some coffee. She smiled at them as she backed away, smiled, then said, "You two are sittin' underneath the mistletoe, so that means ya gotta kiss."
They looked above them, and sure enough, there was a sprig of mistletoe right above their heads. As they looked around and saw the smiling faces, they realized that the town had set them up for this. Sully turned and smiled at Michaela, then leaned in to place a soft kiss on her lips. As they pulled apart, and kept their faces close together, they both smiled at each other. Then, a loud applause broke out from everyone gathered in the Cafe.
"It's good to have you home, Pa," Colleen told him with a smile. As he looked at her, he realized that she had been behind this moment. He returned her smile, and then everyone settled in to enjoy their dinners.
After about an hour, the sound of rapid hoofbeats beating against the ground and approaching the Cafe were heard loud and clear. As the horse and rider rounded the bend, everyone looked up to see Hank astride his horse, obviously out of breath from his hard ride. Jake jumped up from his table and ran over to Hank.
"What happened?"
"There's been a stagecoach accident. I was out riding and came upon the stage turned over. No one's dead, at least not yet, but none of them were fit to ride, neither," Hank explained. He cast a quick look at Michaela, and she was confused as to the meaning of that expression.
She dismissed that thought from her mind, and jumped up to head towards her clinic to get some medical supplies, calling out to some of the men to help. Sully and Colleen jumped up, as well.
"I'll get the wagon for the supplies," Sully told her.
"I'll help you, Ma," Colleen called and followed her. She cast a look at Andrew, who was already up from the table and ready to help.
Jake hollered, "Robert E., Andrew, get your horses, and we'll follow Hank to ride out to help Dr. Mike." Everyone set into action.
In the clinic, Michaela and Colleen were packing up what supplies they thought would be needed and as they loaded up the wagon that Sully had pulled up out front, Michaela turned to Colleen. "Colleen, I want you to stay here and prepare the room for any possible surgery that I or Andrew may have to do. Get out the surgical equipment and make sure that clean sheets are on the operating table, as well as on the beds in the recovery rooms," she instructed. "Andrew and I will ride out and assess the situation, and Robert E., Jake, Hank, and Sully will help us transport the people back here to town.
"All right, Ma," she agreed.
As everyone rode out, following Hank, the only thoughts were consumed with getting to the stagecoach and do what they could to save those who had been injured. When they arrived at the scene, everyone went into action. As Michaela walked up to the stagecoach and opened the door, she looked inside and froze at what she saw. Never in her life did she
expect to see who she saw lying there.Part 10
Michaela looked on in shock at the familiar faces she saw lying on the floor of the stagecoach. One of them called out to her in an anguished cry, "Michaela." She tried to move, but her feet were frozen to the ground. Now she knew why Hank had given her that odd look back at the Cafe when he had announced that there had been an accident.
Sully noticed that Michaela wasn't moving, as did the rest of the guys who came to help. Hank quickly told Robert E., Jake and Andrew what was wrong, and as Sully walked over to Michaela, he saw why she was standing there staring. He touched her shoulder. "Michaela, you have to help them. You're the only one who can."
Sully words penetrated her frozen mind and her doctoring instincts took over. She pushed away all thoughts of the possibility that her mother and sister might die and went into action. Immediately, she began giving out orders for the occupants to be carefully removed from the stagecoach and laid on the ground so that she could assess the seriousness of the situation. As she moved from one person to the next, six people in all, including the two drivers, she realized that only one was in critical condition.
"Robert E., Hank, Jake, Sully. Put everyone in the back of the two wagons and prepare to take them to town. Andrew, get me some bandages and my small scalpel. This man has a severe head wound and a piece of sharp wood has lodged itself in his right shoulder. We need to stop the bleeding and remove the wood, then bandage up his shoulder for the ride back into town. I'll ride in one wagon to monitor him and you ride in the other wagon to monitor the others."
Once everything was done, and the injured were safely placed in the backs of the wagons, Sully climbed into the seat of one wagon while Robert E. climbed into the other and they both slapped the reigns to get the wagons moving. Hank and Jake hopped on their horses and followed the wagons back to town.
When they arrived, they learned that Horace had already telegraphed Denver to let them know what had happened. The driver was immediately taken into the clinic and set on the operating table, which Colleen had prepared. The other driver, along with Elizabeth and Rebecca and the other two passengers were taken upstairs to the recovery rooms.
Dorothy came up as they were taking the unnamed couple from the back of the wagon. She let out a gasp as she saw their faces. "Oh my goodness, Julie!!! And Jonathan!!! I didn't even know they was comin'. Oh, I hope they're alright," she prayed as they were taken into the clinic. She saw Andrew coming back out. "Andrew, please tell me that they're
gonna be okay.""No one is critically injured except the driver and Michaela is preparing to work on him right now. Do you know those people?" he asked.
"Yes, the woman is my daughter, Julie, and the man is her husband, Jonathan. I haven't seen them in over ten years. I didn't even know they were coming until I saw them being taken out of the wagon. Oh, thank God they're alright. When can I go and see them?"
"Right now, if you want. They were unconscious when we found them, but they should be regaining consciousness very soon. Maybe it will help if you talk to them," Andrew suggested.
"I'll do that. Thank you Andrew," and with that she went into the clinic and upstairs to the room where her daughter and her husband were placed.
Inside, Michaela was taking charge. "Hank, Jake. Thank you both for your help." The three men left to tell everyone else, who was waiting outside, what had happened. "Colleen, I want you to take the washbasin and cloths up to the recovery rooms and cleanse and disinfect the wounds of everyone. Andrew, I want you to go upstairs and help her. Be sure to keep the other driver still as his left arm is broken. From what I could observe, everyone else appeared to be in stable condition and didn't require any serious surgery. If, however, you notice any signs of anything serious, come and get me immediately."
Andrew and Colleen left to do her bidding and she turned to Sully, who had come back downstairs after making sure that Michaela's sister was in bed. "Sully, I want you to get the lamp and hold it over his chest just below his left shoulder. I need to make sure that all of the wood is out of his shoulder before I close up the wound. Robert E. I want you to take this cloth and hold it over his mouth. It's chloroform to help him relax so he won't feel me cutting and disinfecting his wound." With that, she set to work to remove all fragments of wood from the driver's shoulder, sewed up the wound, and then cleaned and bandaged it. She checked his head wound and noticed that it was still bleeding, so she removed the bandage and pressed a clean cloth to the open area.
"Alright, Robert E., that's enough chloroform. Now, I need you to hold this cloth here to stem the flow of blood while I get another needle and more thread to sew up the wound." Robert E. did as she asked and when Michaela returned, she closed the wound and wrapped his head again. She checked the shoulder wound again, and after finding that there was no more bleeding, had Sully and Robert E. take the driver upstairs with the rest of the passengers.
She cleaned and disinfected her instruments and replaced the soiled sheets on the table. As she went upstairs to check on the rest of her patients, she ran into Robert E. who was coming back down after carrying the driver upstairs.
"If ya don't need me no more, Dr Mike, I'll be goin' back to Grace, now."
"No, I'll be fine. Thank you Robert E.," Michaela responded.
"Anytime."
Michaela continued up the stairs, and as she entered the first room, she found Dorothy sitting by the bed of the couple who had also been on the stagecoach.
"Dorothy?" Michaela asked, with curiosity.
"Oh, Michaela, this is my daughter, Julie, and her husband, Jonathan. I ain't seen them in over ten years. They musta been comin' to see me when the accident happened," she explained. "Please tell me they're gonna be alright," she begged.
Michaela walked over to them and listened to their heartbeats. "Their heartbeats are strong, so that's a good sign. From what I could tell, there weren't any external injuries, but I won't be able to see if there are any internal injuries until they regain consciousness. You be sure to call me immediately after they wake up," she commanded.
"I will, and thank you."
Michaela left to check on the other driver and found him awake and in a stable condition. Andrew was in there with Sully, and he told her that both drivers were doing fine. As she examined the one for internal injuries, she realized that he had only suffered a broken left arm and a few cuts and bruises, so she moved to the last room. When she walked through the door, she saw that Colleen was finishing with the cleansing and was placing the towels back in the water.
Elizabeth looked up at her youngest daughter as she walked over to her side of the bed and sat down on the edge. "Michaela," she croaked. Michaela poured her mother a glass of water and then placed it back on the bedside table.
"Mother, how are you feeling?" she asked.
"Fine, now that you're here. It is so good to be back here and see you," Elizabeth answered.
Michaela checked their heartbeats and breathing as well and then did a more thorough examination to ensure that there were no internal injuries. When the results came up negative, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Well, now that we have your approval that there's nothing wrong with us, how long do we have to stay here?" demanded Elizabeth.
Michaela smiled at her mother, knowing that she was never one to stay still for long. "Until I'm sure that your wounds have healed properly," Michaela answered. "It shouldn't be more than a day or two." She paused and looked at both her mother and oldest sister. "Now, why don't you tell me why you're here, and not back in Boston?" Michaela asked.
Rebecca smiled and replied, "We got as far as St. Louis and stopped off there to buy some gifts for everyone. We stayed there for about a week, and then decided that we wanted to come back here for Christmas. So, we canceled the remainder of our trip back to Boston and re-booked our tickets for Colorado Springs. However, when we got to Denver, we learned that the train was laid over for repairs, so we took the stagecoach. On our way here, the axle on the back wheels broke and the stagecoach went down. The driver was thrown from his seat while the other one fell in between the horses. Those of us inside, were just jostled around a bit, nothing too serious," she assured her sister.
"Well, I'm glad you're here, and that you're safe. So much has happened since you left," Michaela told them. Just then, she heard Dorothy's voice.
"Michaela, they're wakin' up," she hollered.
Michaela stood up and prepared to leave. "I'll be right back. I have to go check on two of my other patients. When she entered the room where Dorothy's daughter and son-in-law were, she saw that they were both awake and didn't appear to be in any pain. She examined them anyway and found that there were no internal injuries either.
"Everything will be fine. You just have a few minor cuts and bruises which should heal in a couple of days. Then, you are free to leave," she told them and Dorothy.
"Thank you, Doctor...?" Jonathan questioned.
"Quinn," Michaela supplied, "and you're welcome. Now, you two get your rest so you can go home with your mother and spend Christmas with her," she instructed.
"Yes, ma'am," they both responded and promptly closed their eyes. Dorothy smiled up at Michaela as she left and remained seated by the bed.
Michaela returned to her mother and sister to find that they had both fallen asleep and were resting comfortably, and that Colleen had left to go see Andrew in the other room. She walked over to her mother and placed a kiss on her forehead, then left and closed the door behind her.
She leaned against the wall outside the room and closed her eyes, exhausted from her frantic work to get everyone back to town and bandaged up, but also relieved that everyone would be alright. She didn't know why she was so tired. She really hadn't done all that much today. She did not hear Sully as he walked up to her and drew her into his embrace, to which she succumbed willingly.
"Ya did a good job," he said against her hair. "Now, it's time for you to rest. Let's get you home to bed."
She pulled away from his embrace and looked into his face. "But what about my patients?" she asked him.
"Colleen and Andrew have offered to stay here with 'em, and I'm sure they can handle any problems that might occur," Sully told her.
"And where are Brian and Katie," she continued questioning.
"They are stayin' with Grace and Robert E. Now, no more excuses. You're comin' home," he commanded.
"Yes, sir," she obediently replied, a tinge of sarcasm in her voice.
Sully placed his arm around her shoulders and walked with her down the stairs and out to the wagon. As soon as they came out of the clinic, everyone wanted to know what happened.
"Everyone is fine and will recover in a couple of days, with the exception of the two drivers, one of whom has a broken arm and the other who suffered a severe blow to the head and a shoulder wound. They should be recovered enough to leave by Christmas," she informed everyone.
Their curiosities quenched, everyone returned to their everyday lives, which included cleaning up from the dinner at the Cafe and getting back home. Sully helped Michaela into the wagon, then climbed up himself and grabbed the reigns. He gave them a slap and the horses went into motion. Once they were headed out of town, he held the reigns in one hand and placed his other arm around Michaela's shoulder, drawing her close to him as she laid her head on his shoulder.
They rode out to the homestead in silence, and when they pulled up outside the front door, Sully looked down and realized that his wife was asleep. He set the brake on the wagon and quietly got down. He reached up to gather his wife into his arms and carried her into the homestead and upstairs to their room.
He laid her on the bed, and helped her out of her coat, skirt and blouse, as well as her boots and stockings. Then, he pulled the covers down on the bed and moved her under them. He sat down on the edge of the bed and gently picked up his wife so that she was in a sitting position so that he could loosen the pins in her hair and let is fall down her back. Then, he laid her back down on the pillows and moved to the fireplace to get a fire going. Once that was done, he went back outside to tend to the horses and put them back in the barn.
When he returned, he removed his shirt and shoes and went around to the other side of the bed to climb in beside his wife. He gathered her close to him, placing her head on his chest and wrapping his arms around her, with one hand at her waist and the other resting on her stomach. He leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her lips, then leaned back and closed his eyes, sleep coming in mere moments.