For personal use and select distribution only © December 1997 by "Tiff" Amber Miller

Healing of the Hearts

by Tiffany Miller

Later that evening, Sully awoke from sleep to realize that the sun had completely set. When he and his wife had arrived home, the sun had just begun its downward descent in the sky. He looked over at Michaela, and saw that she was in a deep sleep, so he decided not to wake her. He quietly got up from their bed and went to sit by the hearth in front of the fireplace.

As he stared into the flames, he thought about all that had happened in just the last two days: he had returned home a free man; he had joined his family in a hay war in the barn yesterday and couldn't remember ever having more fun; they went on a picnic in the middle of December; church had been a normal affair as had the town gathering afterwards; finally a stagecoach accident had put the town into action to save the people who had been involved. He couldn't remember ever being more proud of his wife and daughter, Colleen, as they both worked to help the injured, especially since two of them turned out to be Michaela's mother and oldest sister from Boston.

He didn't question their arrival, as with Christmas fast approaching, he was glad that Michaela could have some of her family with her. He knew that she often missed Boston, and having her mother and sister here would help dispel that loneliness, especially since they had so recently lost Marjorie, another sister to diphtheria when the epidemic struck town around Thanksgiving.

As he glanced over at his sleeping wife, again, he thought about how tired she had been lately. She seemed to get worn out with the slightest taxation of her energy, and although she tried to hide it, he knew she was experiencing frequent dizzy spells. He prayed that nothing was wrong with her as she appeared to be in perfect health. In fact, the last time he remembered her having these symptoms was when......

That thought finally struck his mind. "I wonder if Michaela's pregnant?!!" He realized that she was acting in much the same way she had in her beginning stages of pregnancy with Katie, their first child. Then, she had needed to frequently take naps and rest a lot, even when she didn't have a very hard day, but when something had happened to require her strict attention and focus. In addition, she had complained and fought intermittent dizzy spells which came and went when she made sudden movements or had to climb stairs.

Putting all of that together, he was almost certain that his wife was pregnant again, and he thought about how possible it was. It had been almost a month since they had been together, excluding this weekend, and before that three weeks, when he had snuck up beside the barn and pulled her inside. At those times, they were just happy to be together, and no thought of ever creating another life had even entered their minds, especially not so soon after she had lost their second baby. He almost went over to wake up his wife and ask her, but he didn't want to disturb her rest. He also wasn't one-hundred percent positive that it was true. After all, he didn't really know much about babies, and since his wife was the doctor he would leave the diagnosing to her.

He tried to quell the excited feelings in his heart and mind at the prospect of another baby, but was unsuccessful. So, he decided he would return to bed and sleep through the night. He had plenty of time to question his wife tomorrow. He got up from where he was sitting and walked back over to his side of the bed. Again, he got under the covers and drew his wife towards him in a loving embrace, then promptly fell back asleep, a contented smile on his lips.

Back at the clinic, Andrew, Colleen, and Dorothy realized that it was getting late, so they all decided that it was time to get some sleep. The only dilemma was where to sleep.

"All of the beds are occupied by the patients," Andrew observed, "and we can't leave them here, unattended."

"Well, I'm not goin' anywhere. I'm stayin' right here with my daughter and son-in-law. I'll sleep in a chair, if I have to," Dorothy stubbornly told them.

"Actually, that's not such a bad idea, Miss Dorothy," Colleen observed. "There are comfortable chairs in all of the recovery rooms, and we could each take one. That way, there will be someone there if something should happen in the middle of the night," she informed them. "I'll sleep in Grandma and Aunt Rebecca's room. Andrew, you stay with the two drivers, and Dorothy, you stay with your daughter and son-in-law," she instructed.

With their sleeping arrangements settled, they prepared to go to their respective rooms for the night. As soon as Dorothy closed the door to her room, Andrew took Colleen's hand and held it to his lips.

"You did a wonderful job here today, Colleen. You're going to make a fine doctor," he told her softly.

"Thank you," she replied softly.

Andrew pulled her to him and placed a soft, but brief kiss on her lips. "Goodnight," he said as he released her and turned to go to his room.

"Goodnight, Andrew," she replied and went into the final room to sleep.

The next morning, after enjoying a full night's sleep, Sully and Michaela woke up and got dressed. She walked downstairs to put on the coffee, and then began to prepare oatmeal for Katie, when she realized that the kids weren't here. She heard Sully come down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"It's strange not having the children around," she told him. "It's almost too quiet."

He came up behind her and placed his arms around her waist, drawing her back against him, and said into her ear, "But, it sure is peaceful," he whispered affectionately.

"Mmmm, that it is," she agreed as she turned around to face him. "Still, I do miss them."

"Let's not talk about them," he suggested as he leaned down to kiss her.

Michaela gave in to the kiss, returning it with as much passion as he gave. She placed her hands at his back, but they soon found their way to entwine in his hair at the nape of his neck. She leaned in to the kiss more, allowing Sully more access. When they finally parted, she leaned against his chest as he stroked her hair.

A couple of minutes later, the coffee was ready, so they took their cups and sat down at the table to enjoy it before heading out to town.

"I feel so rested today," Michaela said, breaking the silence that had ensued. "How long did I sleep?" she asked him.

"Well, ya fell asleep on the way home from town last night and ya never woke up 'til this morning, so I'd say about 14 hours. Ya sure ya feelin' alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Well, ya just been so tired recently, and I know ya been havin' some dizzy spells, though ya been tryin' to hide it," he explained.

She paused before answering. "Like I said, it's just everything happening affecting me. Nothing to worry about," she assured him. "Now, let's get going. I want to see Katie before I go to work," she said as she got up and put on her coat.

Sully did the same and went out to hitch up the wagon to take them into town.

At the same time, Colleen and Andrew, along with the occupants of the clinic had begun to rise. What could be recovered of their belongings, which was mostly everything since it wasn't a serious accident, were brought to the clinic and left in their rooms. Wash basins and towels were provided for everyone so that they could wash their faces, and Dorothy left to get the breakfasts Grace was preparing at her Cafe. She ran into Michaela and Sully at the Cafe.

"Oh, good morning, Michaela, Sully," Dorothy greeted them.

"Good morning, Dorothy," they replied. "How are you this morning," Michaela asked as Sully walked off to talk with Robert E.

"Oh, fine, thanks. Julie and Jonathan slept well without any problems and are ready to eat breakfast as soon as I get it to them," she answered.

"Did you stay at the clinic all night?"

"Yes," she replied, thinking that Michaela should have known that. Then she remembered, "Oh, that's right, I forgot. You left early and went home. Andrew, Colleen, and I stayed in the rooms with the patients to make sure that there were no problems."

"Yes, I knew that Colleen and Andrew had stayed. Sully told me that. And I guess I should have known that you would want to stay with your daughter and son-in-law. Truth is, I'm glad you did. It made my worries much less and I was able to get a good night's sleep, probably for the first time in months." Michaela looked around and saw Katie and Brian sitting at one of Grace's tables, in the enclosed area, eating something from a bowl. It looked like oatmeal, but she wasn't sure.

"Well, you deserved it. You've been workin' awful hard lately just keepin' the folks around here healthy. I know you needed that rest. Besides, it was no trouble at all. It helped set my mind at ease that Julie and Jonathan would be okay."

"Mama!" Katie hollered and ran as soon as she saw Michaela.

"Well, hello, Katie! How's my little girl?" Michaela asked as she picked up Katie into her arms.

"I'll see ya later, Michaela. If I don't get this food up to the clinic, I'm sure I'll never hear the end of it," Dorothy said by way of putting an end to their conversation.

"I'll be coming over there in a few minutes," Michaela informed her and then focused her attention on her daughter. "Did you have a good time at Miss Grace's and Robert E.'s last night?"

"Yeah!" Katie replied as she clapped her hands.

Brian came over and gave his mother a hug. "Good morning, Ma."

"Good morning, Brian. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, but we missed you," he told her.

"I missed you, too." She paused as if suddenly remembering something. "Brian, where did Matthew sleep last night?" she asked.

"Oh, he stayed over at the Gold Nugget. He said he figured it made no sense for him to go all the way home, when most of his family was stayin' here, so he took a room there," Brian replied.

Satisfied that her children had been watched over, she paused as she looked for Sully, but when she didn't find him, said, "So, what are your plans for today? I have to go over to the clinic and I think I'll keep Katie with me."

"Sully told me that he had something to do today and wanted me to come along," Brian answered.

"Where is Sully?" asked Michaela.

"He's over at Robert E.'s."

"Well, when you see him, tell him I'm over at the clinic and will most likely be there all day. And make sure you let him know that I have Katie with me," she called as she began to walk away.

"Alright, Ma," Brian replied and went to find Sully.

As Michaela was leaving, she saw Grace over at her stove. "Grace, thank you for keeping the children."

"Oh, it was my pleasure, Dr. Mike," she answered. "Did you have a good night?"

"Yes, I got a much needed rest that lasted about 14 hours. I feel much better this morning."

"Well, that's nice to hear. You certainly deserved it," Grace affirmed.

"Have a nice day, Grace," Michaela said by way of parting.

"You, too, Dr. Mike. Don't work too hard."

"I'll try," she replied and left for the clinic.

When she arrived, she set Katie down in the corner and told her to stay there and play with her doll while she went upstairs to check on her patients. Seeing that everyone was doing fine and recovering nicely, she remained in her mother and sister's room. There, she found Colleen, sitting with them and talking about medical school.

As soon as Colleen finished what she was saying, Michaela interjected, "Colleen, I left Katie downstairs in the main room. Would you mind going down to watch her while I sit with my mother and Rebecca? And why don't you take Andrew with you. Dorothy brought over some extra breakfast from Grace and the two of you can have it while you watch Katie for me."

"Sure, Ma," Colleen responded and rose from the chair to leave. "Goodbye, Grandma, Aunt Rebecca. I'm really glad you're here."

"Goodbye, Colleen," they replied.

"How did you both sleep last night?" Michaela asked.

"Very well, thank you. And yourself?" her mother asked.

"I fell asleep on the way home and didn't wake up until this morning when the sun came in through the windows," she told them. "Isn't it a little warm in here?" she asked and walked over to crack the door to the balcony a bit.

"Actually, it feels nice," Rebecca answered.

Elizabeth watched her daughter and a thought crossed her mind. She was acting in much the same way as herself when she was pregnant with all five of her children. Last night, she had noticed the two dizzy spells, then to follow that with a very long night's sleep, and finally with the feeling of being warm in December, Elizabeth was sure she knew what was wrong with her daughter, or more correctly, what was right. She smiled at the thought of having another grandbaby added to her family.

Their conversation continued for a little while longer, and soon, Michaela had to go back downstairs to go over some of her patient records and to be available in case she was needed. Andrew had left for the Chateau and Colleen stayed behind to take inventory of her Ma's medical supplies and to clean the cabinets and instruments. Katie sat happily playing in the corner and the remainder of the day passed uneventfully.

When it was time to go home, Michaela and Colleen both made one final check on their patients and Colleen offered to stay there again that night so that her Ma could go home with the rest of her family. As she said goodnight to her mother and sister, Elizabeth saw again the fatigue in her youngest daughter's eyes and knew that what she had suspected this morning was indeed true. She just hoped it wouldn't take her daughter too long to realize it as well.

Sully came to pick her up with the wagon and helped her and Katie into it. Brian and Matthew were already in the back, sitting near a box or something covered with a blanket.

"What's that?" Michaela inquired.

"It's a surprise," Sully told her. "You'll find out on Christmas," he said with a grin.

Knowing that she shouldn't pry, she turned around and settled Katie in her lap. Sully tucked a blanket around them to keep them warm and protected from the chill in the air, then slapped the reigns, and they were headed for home. About halfway there, the first snowflake fell, and by the time they arrived home, it was falling at a much faster rate, swirling and blowing to the point that they almost couldn't see the homestead.

"I think we might be in for a storm," Sully stated as he looked at the sky.

"We should get inside," Michaela said.

"I'll take care of the horses. Brian, you make sure that all of the windows are shut tight. Matthew, take in some wood for the fireplaces," Sully instructed.

Everyone did as was told, and as soon as Sully finished with the horses, he came back inside and got a fire going in the main room as well as the kitchen, so that dinner could be prepared.

Afterwards, they all sat around the fireplace, listening and watching as the snow came down in what now looked like a big, white cloud. Soon, everyone retired to bed and settled in for a long night.

Last night, the people of Colorado Springs had gone to bed to the soft sounds of swirling snow covering the ground in a white blanket. The next morning, they woke up to the snow still falling, but now the blanket was almost two feet thick. They were clearly at risk of a Christmas blizzard, the last one being five years ago. The snow wasn't falling as hard as it had last night, but if it picked up any, a blizzard was sure to come.

At the Sully homestead, the various members arose from their slumber and looked out their windows. As everyone got dressed to ward off the chill that had pervaded the home, thoughts of having a white Christmas made everyone excited. Fires that had been banked last night were revived, and breakfast was prepared to satisfy the hunger.

While they were eating, Michaela looked out the window and thought of something. "Sully, if it gets much worse out there, I won't be able to get to town, and Mother and Elizabeth are at the clinic, not to mention Colleen, Andrew, Dorothy, her daughter and son-in-law, and the two drivers of the stagecoach. We need to get out there now and see how everyone is doing. If everything is going well, I believe everyone can leave today and go home."

"I think we have a little more time than it appears, but I'll go hitch up the sleigh and horses. The wagon ain't gonna do us much good in that," he told her as he motioned towards the outside, and then got up to do just as he said.

Matthew and Brian cleaned up after breakfast, and Michaela picked up Katie from her highchair, taking her over to sit in front of the fireplace to keep warm. About a half hour later, Sully came back in, the sound of him stomping his shoes on the front porch heard inside the homestead.

As he came in, he looked over at Michaela, "The sleigh's ready. We can leave anytime you're ready."

Michaela looked at Matthew and Brian, "Would you two stay here and keep Katie company?" she asked them. "I don't want to take her out in that weather and it's most likely that we will be returning soon with Grandma, Aunt Rebecca and Colleen."

"Sure, Ma," they both responded.

Michaela went over to the hooks by the door and grabbed her coat, scarf and gloves. Sully helped her with her coat and then opened the door for her as they headed out to the sleigh. He handed her into the front seat and then climbed in and took up the reigns. With a slap, they were headed for town.

By the time they had arrived, the snow had stopped completely, offering a break in the storm and causing a sigh of relief to come from Michaela's lips.

"It looks like you were right, Sully. I just hope it stays like this long enough for us to get everyone back home," she voiced her concern.

"I think it will, but we'd better move fast. We don't wanna get caught in the blizzard, should it come," he warned, and with that they both got down and headed into the clinic.

"Good morning, Dorothy, Julie, Jonathan," Michaela called. "How is everyone this morning?"

"Fine. We all slept very well, thanks to your wonderful daughter and that kind Dr. Cook," Julie answered with a smile.

"Well, let me check your bandages, and if everything looks fine, you can go on home with your mother," she told them.

As she was doing a quick examination, she brought up the subject of the snowstorm that had fallen onto Colorado Springs last night. "Did you happen to look out the window and see that we have almost two feet of snow on the ground with the threat of more still to come?" she asked.

"Yes," Jonathan answered. "I'm just as anxious as my wife and mother-in-law, here, to get going and start making plans for celebrating Christmas. Out of curiosity, where are we going to stay?" he asked Dorothy.

"Oh, you'll stay with me, of course," she told them. "I have an extra room in back of my Gazette office where you can stay. It's not very big, but at least we'll all be together."

"Yes. That's the most important thing about Christmas," Julie echoed with a smile.

Dr. Mike finished her examination. "Well, everything looks fine. You can pack up your things and leave whenever you're ready," she told them.

"Thank you so much, Dr. Quinn. I don't know what we would have done without you. What do we owe you?" Jonathan asked.

"Don't worry about that. You three just have a wonderful Christmas," she said, refuting their offer of payment.

"Thank you, again."

"Thank you, Michaela," they all said in unison as Dr. Mike left to check on the drivers. Sully was talking with Andrew when she entered their room.

"And how is everyone here?" she asked as she walked in.

"Doing well, Michaela. I've been monitoring John's breathing and checking his head wound, and everything is normal. And James here is adjusting to not having the use of his left arm, but other than that, he's doing fine as well," Andrew informed her.

"John, James?" Michaela questioned.

"Oh, that's their names. This is John Horton," he said, pointing to the driver with the head wound, "and this is James Brighton," he motioned to the other driver. "I've had some great conversations with them when they've been awake and they told me their names last night. They also told me that they were headed back to Denver to spend Christmas with their families after the stop off here in Colorado Springs, when the accident occurred. So, I booked them passage on the train this morning, in hopes that it will be able to get to Denver before the blizzard hits," Andrew told her.

"Well, it appears as if you have everything under control here. I knew you would do just fine. Thank you."

"It was my pleasure, Michaela. You've been working so hard, lately, with the diphtheria epidemic and other illnesses and accidents, that I knew you could use a break. I could see how tired you were getting."

"Yes, I have been overly tired recently, but I'm feeling fine now, after two night's of uninterrupted sleep, thank you." She looked over at Sully and urged him with her eyes to speak of what they had discussed last night.

"Uh, Andrew, Michaela and I've been talkin' 'bout you joinin' us for Christmas this year, that is if ya don't have no other plans," Sully invited.

"Thank you for the invitation, Sully. I had just planned on spending Christmas at the Chateau, but I would be honored to join you and your family for Christmas," he replied, accepting the invitation.

"Good, then if ya'd like, you can ride back with us to the homestead when after Michaela's checked on her mother and sister," he offered.

"That sounds fine. I'll just help John and James get packed up and onto their train, then I'll meet you back out in front of the clinic," he told them and moved to help John and James gather their belongings.

Sully also helped and Michaela left to go to the final room.

"Good morning, Mother, Rebecca," she called cheerily as she entered their room and saw that both of them were out of bed, dressed and sitting with Colleen in a joyous conversation.

"Good morning, Michaela," Elizabeth greeted. "I trust you are feeling better this morning?" she inquired.

"Better, mother?" Michaela asked.

"Well, yes. I saw how tired you were yesterday and Sunday, but you are looking much better this morning," she answered, giving her daughter a knowing look. "A mother can see these things, Michaela, no matter how hard you try to hide them," she said, clearly not talking about Michaela's fatigue.

Michaela looked back at her mother, and a special moment passed between them, as Elizabeth told her daughter with her eyes that she knew for a fact about what Michaela had been wondering for a few days now. Michaela broke the moment by moving to the bed to sit down.

"I'm sure you've noticed the two feet of snow we have outside," she told them. "Sully brought the sleigh into town today, and we are planning on taking everyone back to the homestead so that we don't get caught in the blizzard that's bound to come soon."

"That sounds wonderful," Rebecca sighed. "It will be so nice to sit in front of a warm fire and be surrounded by loved ones."

"Well, let us not waste any time sitting here, talking. Let us get moving. I am just as anxious as the rest of you to get home and see my other grandchildren, especially that little one, Katie," Elizabeth commanded, moving everyone into action.

After about an hour, all of the patients had left the clinic. John and James had caught their train back to Denver, Julie and Jonathan had gone home with Dorothy, and Elizabeth and Rebecca were seated in the back seat of the sleigh with a blanket around them to keep them warm during the ride back to the homestead. Just as Colleen was climbing into the sleigh's middle seat, Andrew came up behind her and gave her a helping hand.

"Thank you....Andrew?" she said and questioned as she turned around to see who had helped her.

"Your Ma and Sully have invited me to share Christmas with your family," Andrew explained with a smile.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Colleen exclaimed, returning the smile, then she composed herself as a warm, blush covered her cheeks. She moved over on the seat to make room for Andrew to sit and once seated, he tucked a blanket around their legs.

Michaela and Sully were the last to get in, and soon they were headed for home.

As they pulled up outside the homestead, the snow began to fall again. Sully and Andrew got down first and then helped the ladies down. Sully took the horses and sleigh over to the side of the barn and led the horses inside to put them in their stalls and give them some oats. As an extra precaution, he placed blankets on their backs to keep them warm, checked the rope tied to one of the posts, made sure that all of the animals had food, then closed the doors securely as he headed back to the homestead.

When he walked in, everyone was in the middle of a joyous greeting of Elizabeth and Rebecca and talking all at once. Sully closed the front door, and Katie looked over at him.

"Papa!!" she yelled and ran into his arms. Sully scooped her up and threw her into the air, causing a giggle of excitement to escape from her mouth. Then, he settled his daughter into his arms and looked at his family gathered all together. A moment of nostalgia passed through his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

"Alright, I think it's time we got some decoratin' done and make this place look like Christmas is here," he commanded. "Matthew, would you help me get the tree? Brian, would you get the Christmas decorations from underneath the stairs?"

"Tree? Decorations?" Michaela asked, surprised.

"Yep," Sully replied, smiling at the look on his wife's face. "Brian and I cut the tree yesterday while you were at the clinic with your patients and the decorations are my gift to this family," he explained, then left out the side door with Matthew to bring in the tree they had cut.

They carried it in and stood it in the stand in the corner, next to the fireplace. It reached almost to the ceiling and filled the entire corner.

"Oh, Sully," Michaela breathed. "It's beautiful!"

"It truly is."

"Yes, it is."

"It's wonderful," Elizabeth, Rebecca, and Colleen said simultaneously.

"You picked a good one, Sully," Andrew told him.

Just then, Brian walked over with the box that had been sitting in the wagon yesterday when Sully had come to pick up Michaela at the clinic.

"So, that's what that box was," she observed.

"Yep," Sully proudly agreed and then kneeled next to it to removed its contents. He pulled out various ornaments made of wood and metal. As each one came out, he handed them to each person standing around him so that everyone could look at them. Soon, each person held two ornaments, and there were still a few more in the box. As he reached in to remove these last ornaments, he looked at everyone standing around him, waiting expectantly.

He pulled out the first one, a wood carving of a steer, and handed it to Matthew. "I thought this one would bring back some great memories," he said with a grin.

"Thanks, Sully," Matthew replied and took the carving.

Next, he pulled out wood carving of a wolf and handed it to Brian. "Even though Pup's gone, I know how much ya loved wolves, so I made this on for ya."

"Thanks, Pa," Brian said and gave Sully a hug.

The next ornament was a metal replica of a medical bag, which he handed to Colleen. "For encouragement and to tell ya how proud I am of ya for goin' to college," he said.

"Thank you, Pa," Colleen said with tears in her eyes and also gave him a hug.

He handed Elizabeth her ornament, a wooden bathtub, which reminded her of her first visit to Colorado Springs when Matthew, Colleen and Brian had set up a bathtub, complete with soaps and towels for her luxury. She smiled at the memory and thanked Sully.

To Rebecca, he gave a metal replica of a sun. "To represent your bright outlook on life," he told her. She thanked him and took the ornament.

Next, came Andrew's ornament. "Since I may as well get used to ya hangin' around here, I made one for you as well," he said as he handed Andrew a wood carving of a horse, reminding him how when he came to Colorado Springs, he couldn't ride at all, but now had become an accomplished one.

For Katie, he held a metal replica of a baby sleeping in a crib, and on headboard of the crib was inscribed, "Katherine Elizabeth Sully -- 1871". He handed it to Michaela, and she took it from him.

"Oh, Sully, it's beautiful," she exclaimed.

"I had one made for everyone, but I thought it would be nice to show Katie's first," he told everyone as he reached in and handed everyone theirs. Each one was a replica of a baby and on each, the name and birth year of each person was printed.

Last, but not least, he pulled out a metal ornament of two hearts joined together and stood as he handed it to Michaela. When she looked at it, she saw that "Byron Sully and Michaela Quinn -- 1870 -- Two hearts joined in love" was inscribed into the middle. Tears came to her eyes as she beheld this precious gift.

"Oh, Sully," she breathed for no words would come to her lips. She passed the ornament around, as Sully gathered her to him in a warm and loving embrace.

He released her, but kept his arm around her shoulders. Michaela looked around the room. "How about we decorate the rest of the homestead as well?" she asked.

"Yeah!" Brian exclaimed.

"I have some leftover branches and greens from the tree outside," Sully said.

"And I brought some bright, red bows to hang," Elizabeth added as she went over to her bags and opened one to reveal ten large, red bows, wrapped in cloth.

So, everyone set to decorating the room and making it festive. The ornaments were placed back in the box until they could make the popcorn strings and paper loops, but they would save them for tomorrow.

A few branches of green were placed at each window as well as on top of the fireplace and on each of the tables. A bright, red bow was hung in each of the branches at the windows and on the fireplace. When everyone was finished, they all gathered by the fireplace.

"I think it's time we started making some supper," Colleen spoke up. "Is everyone hungry?"

"Yes!" was the resounding answer, so Colleen and Rebecca went into the kitchen to prepare supper for everyone.

"I think Katie's getting a little sleepy, so I'm going upstairs to put her down for a nap," Michaela announced as she left to ascend the stairs to Katie's room.

When she walked in, she realized that she would have to move Katie into Colleen's room or her and Sully's room, since her mother and sister would need a room in which to sleep. Since Katie was sleeping through the nights, she decided to put the crib in their room.

Just as she was leaning down to kiss Katie's cheek, Elizabeth walked into the room.

"Mother?" Michaela questioned. "What brings you up here?"

"Do I have to have a reason to want to spend some time with my youngest daughter alone?" Elizabeth replied.

"No, but I know you too well. You have something on your mind, don't you?" Michaela observed.

"I never could fool you, could I?" Elizabeth said. "You are correct. I do have something on my mind." She paused while trying to think of how to say what she wanted to say. "Back at the clinic, when I commented on the fact that you weren't looking so tired this morning, you know as well as I that I was not talking about your health."

Michaela looked away and down at Katie, sleeping in the crib. "I know, Mother," she acknowledged.

"How long have you known?" asked Elizabeth.

"I suspected it a couple of days ago, but when I saw the look in your eyes, I knew for sure," she replied.

"So, when are you going to tell Sully?"

"Oh, I thought about saving that announcement for Christmas Day, when everyone is opening their gifts."

"A fine idea," Elizabeth agreed. "I promise not to say a word and will act surprised when you tell everyone," she vowed.

"Thank you, Mother," Michaela said as she gave her a hug.

"To think, another grandbaby. What are you hoping for this time?"

"I know this one is a boy," Michaela said with confidence.

"How do you know?" Elizabeth asked.

"I just do."

"Well, I'm sure you're right. Mothers know these things," she said with a smile, repeating what she said in the clinic.

"Let's go back downstairs and see about supper before everyone starts to miss us," Michaela said and turned to lead the way out of her room.

After supper, Matthew looked out the window and saw that the snow had not let up all day. Another two feet had been added to the previous two that had gathered the night before and more was falling.

"Well, I don't think we're going to be going anywhere anytime soon," he told everyone.

"It looks like the Christmas party at the church this year is going to be canceled," Michaela observed.

"I don't think anyone is going to be going out in that weather," Sully added. "Andrew, it looks like you're gonna have to stay here since you won't be gettin' back to the Chateau tonight."

"You can sleep on the couch, down here," Michaela told him. "Mother, Elizabeth, you'll sleep in Katie's room. I've moved her into my and Sully's room."

"Well, it all appears to be arranged," Rebecca said.

"Now let's enjoy the warmth of the fire and the joy of being together," Elizabeth commanded.

Sully sat down in one of the wingback chairs and pulled Michaela down to his lap, and Colleen took the other chair. Andrew, Matthew and Brian settled down on the rug in front of the fireplace as Elizabeth and Rebecca sat on the couch. As they all enjoyed each other's company, the snow continued to steadily fall unnoticed by the family members inside.

It was getting late, so everyone in the Sully homestead decided that it was time to retire to bed. From the looks of the weather outside, it didn't look as if they would be going anywhere tomorrow. The snow had been falling continuously for the past twenty-four hours, with only a few breaks, and didn't show any signs of dissipating anytime soon. Matthew, Colleen and Brian said goodnight to everyone, and Elizabeth and Rebecca weren't too far behind them.

"You'll find extra blankets on the bed in case you get cold tonight," Michaela told them as they began to ascend the stairs.

"Thank you, Michaela," Elizabeth replied.

"I'm sure we'll be most comfortable, thank you," Rebecca added.

"Goodnight," Sully and Michaela said together.

Katie was rubbing her eyes as she sat on the floor by the fireplace, a sure sign that she was tired. She had gotten up from her nap about halfway through supper, and had been entertaining everyone with her baby antics since then. Now, she was definitely tired, since she was quietly sitting on the rug, staring at the flames in the fireplace as if in a daze. Sully reached down and picked her up into his arms and Michaela turned to Andrew, who was sitting on the couch.

"Andrew, here are some blankets and a pillow," she told him, handing the bundle in her arms to him. "Don't forget to stoke the fire once before you go to sleep. It gets very cold down here, and we wouldn't want you to freeze," she instructed him with a smile.

"I won't. Thank you Michaela, Sully," he said moving his gaze between them both. I am most grateful for you allowing me to stay here. With my minimal horse skills, I am sure I would have never made it back to the Chateau," he admitted with a smile.

"Well, just get a good night's sleep, and tomorrow you can join us in making the decorations for the tree," Michaela told him.

"I will," he replied.

"Goodnight," Michaela and Sully said as they moved towards the stairs to go to bed as well.

"Goodnight," Andrew responded as Michaela picked up the lamp and carried it with her up the stairs, leaving the downstairs completely dark except for the fire burning brightly in the fireplace.

As they walked into their bedroom, Sully went over to Katie's crib. "I'll put Katie to bed and you take care of yourself," he told her.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" she asked him.

"Not a bit. I ain't been with my little girl enough in the past six months, and I plan on makin' up for it," he assured her as he laid Katie in her crib, pulled her blanket over her, placed her bunny next to her, and began rubbing her back.

Sooner than he thought, Katie was asleep, and as Michaela changed into her nightgown and sat down at her dressing table to begin brushing her hair, he took the brush and performed the task for her. Michaela allowed herself to relax at the soothing feeling of Sully brushing her hair and thought about how nice it was to have him back home where he belonged. She could never tire of allowing him to brush her hair, and she was sure he felt the same way. It never ceased to amaze her that this man who, when she met him, preferred to live in the woods and sleep on the ground rather than in a house and sleep on a bed, enjoyed brushing her hair and taking care of their daughter.

As she sat, mesmerized by the brush being pulled through her hair, she remembered the first time that he had done that. As she slipped into rememberance, Sully did some thinking of his own.

A recurring case of the same sickness had befallen several members of the town. Once Dr. Mike had examined them, she realized that it was a case of Mercury Poisoning, and when she had traced the source to the waste dumpings from Harding's Mill, she set out to prove her hypothesis and have him shut down or forced to alter his gold-mining operation so that the water would no longer be contaminated with mercury. She knew it would be trespassing, but it didn't matter to her. What mattered was making sure that the town was safe. At this point, she and Sully had only formed a friendship with each other, but other people in town saw differently.

As she went to the General Store to purchase some supplies for going to the Mill and testing the water, Olive Davis, the storekeeper's sister, asked her if Sully was going with her. When Dr. Mike told her that he insisted that he go and that she stay there because she would only slow him down, Olive said that there must be another reason, since Dr. Mike's horse-riding skills were just as good as Sully's. Dr. Mike asked her what other reason there could be, and Olive told her that she thought Sully was afraid to be alone with her out in the woods. There was only one reason that would be, and when Dr. Mike realized it, a slight blush pinkened her cheeks and she smiled at Olive as she picked up her supplies and left.

Out in the woods, Mike noticed that Sully was being more hostile than normal towards her, and it made her wonder if there was any truth to what Olive had said. The first night, as they both lay sleeping on their bedrolls, Mike looked over at Sully, with his back facing her. He shifted his position so that he was laying on his back and turned his head slightly to look at her, but when he saw her looking at him, he quickly closed his eyes and turned his head back. She closed her eyes as well, but opened them again to see Sully quickly shutting his own again.

The next day, they traveled some more and stopped to give the horses a rest, when something spooked them and caused them to run off. Sully instructed her to take only what she needed of her belongings and to leave the rest there, and they set off on foot. They came to a rock wall, but as they started to climb, they saw some men down below, so they stayed still. Dr. Mike lost her footing and fell, breaking her wrist in the process. When they stopped to rest, she had to depend on Sully to help her do the most menial things, such as opening the canteen, or pouring a cup of water to drink, since her right arm was in a sling. When he told her that there was no shame in allowing others to help her, she told him that she just wanted to prove that she could do what he could. He told her to quit trying so hard, and she told him that it was an old habit, to which he replied, "Give it up".

He walked around behind her and she reached for her mirror, letting out an exasperated sigh as she saw how disheveled she looked. As she reached to take out the pins in her hair, Sully kneeled down behind her and took them out for her, encouraging her long tresses to fall down her back. Then, he reached for her brush and began gently working it through the tangles. Michaela sat, enjoying the feel of his fingers and the brush running through her hair more than she wanted to admit.

That night, a rainstorm had come, and Sully made a shelter to protect Dr. Mike from getting wet. As she lay inside under his blanket, keeping warm by the fire he had made, she called out to him to come inside. When he said that it would let up, she told him to stop being stubborn. He squatted beside the shelter and looked at her, telling her that it was an old habit, to which she softly replied, "Give it up". He came inside and laid next to her under the blanket, and she reached behind her with her left hand to grasp his and pull it to drape across her waist. At that moment, she realized that there was more to their relationship than met the eye.

At the same time, Sully was remembering that trip as well, but his thoughts were along a slightly different track. He remembered adamantly telling her that it was too dangerous for her to get the water samples and that he should do it for her. When they ended up going together, Sully was more worried about his behavior, alone with her in the woods, than he was about her safety.

The first night, as they both slept on their respective bedrolls, he couldn't get her out of his mind. He initially turned his back to her, thinking that it would help him get some sleep, but he found himself turning back over to lay on his back and turning his head to look at her. When she caught him, he immediately closed his eyes and turned his head back, but soon opened them to look over at her again. She opened her eyes and they shared a brief glance before he closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but it didn't come easily.

Next, after she had broken her wrist in a fall, they were resting and he helped her get a drink of water then went and leaned against a tree behind her. When she picked up her mirror to look at her disheveled appearance and then struggled with the pins, he kneeled down and took them out for her, encouraging her beautiful tresses to fall down her back. Then, he picked up her brush and gently worked it through the tangles. As he kneeled there, brushing her hair, all he really wanted to do was draw her into his arms and hold her.

That night, a rainstorm had fallen on them, so he built a shelter, but remained outside while Dr. Mike was inside, dry and warm. When she asked him to come inside, he told her that it would let up, but he was really fighting his desire to join her under his blanket. She told him to stop being stubborn, and he said that it was an old habit, to which she replied, telling him to give it up, repeating the words he had spoken to her earlier that day when she had shown difficulty accepting his help. Realizing that he was accomplishing nothing but getting soaked, he crawled in and laid down next to her, sharing his blanket, careful to avoid giving in to his desires.

What she did next, surprised him, probably as much as it did herself. She reached back with her left hand to grasp his, and pulled his arm around to rest around her waist, clasping it throughout the night. He had never spent a more difficult night sleeping outdoors than he did that night.

As Sully unconsciously placed his hand on her shoulder, Michaela reached up and grasped it with her own, drawing them both out of their reveries. He paused in brushing her hair and looked at her reflection in the mirror as she gazed back at him, a connection far beyond the physical drawing them to each other.

Keeping her hand in his, he came around to her side and pulled her up to stand in front of him. She turned her eyes from the mirror to face him and never broke eye contact with him as she stood. They both stood there, gazing at each other, for many long moments, communicating with their eyes what was in their hearts.

"Sully," Michaela breathed, her whisper full of love, passion, and desire, effectively breaking the silence.

Sully looked more intently at her. "That was the most difficult night I ever spent out of doors, Michaela," he confessed.

"Me, too, Sully," she agreed. "I was scared, and confused, and yet I had never felt more safe than when I was with you," she admitted.

"And I ain't never had such a strong desire to protect ya, no matter what happened. Ever since that first day when ya rode inta town, bringin' your Boston ways with ya, I knew you'd be meanin' somethin' special to me pretty soon. I fought it with everythin' I had in me, but it didn't do no good. I was still healin' from Abagail's death and was sure that I was gonna spend the rest of my days alone, but I was okay with that.

"I never counted on meetin' you. You turned my whole world upside down and made me think about how much I missed havin' someone around I could talk to and someone I could just sit with, tellin' my thoughts and feelin's to. I think I musta started fallin' in love with ya that day I saw ya in the General Store." He smiled at her, then continued, "Bossy that ya were, I soon realized that you were the right woman for me. And I wouldn't have it any other way," he finished as he brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it.

"Oh, Sully," she breathed for the second time. "When I first came to Colorado Springs, I never, in my wildest imagination, thought that I would meet someone like you, let alone fall in love with you. You were completely different from anything I had ever known, and that scared me and intrigued me both at the same time.

"I didn't understand how you could enjoy living outside with only a wolf for a companion, nor how you liked to just come and go as you please, with no schedules and no rules. Yet, there was a part of me that wanted to know everything about you and how you came to be out here all alone. I could see that there was more to you than met the eye and I wanted to see that for myself.

"I soon discovered what drove you to be who you are and realized that you were a very passionate person and would fight, to the death if need be, for what you believed in. The more time I spent with you, the more I wanted to. I had never had that feeling about anyone before, but most especially not about a man. It frightened me how much I wanted and needed to be with you.

"Now I have you with me, and I don't have to worry about being alone ever again. You have completed me in a way I never thought possible, and even when you're gone, I will always have you with me." She paused and smiled at him as well. "I don't know how you put up with me, but I wouldn't want it any other way," she finished, repeating what he had just said to her.

Sully leaned down and brought his face mere inches from her own, smiling as he said, "We make one good team, don'tcha think?" he asked.

"Perfect," she replied as his lips met and covered hers. Sully released her hand and placed his hands, at first, at her waist, then moved them around her back as he sought to bring her closer to him and deepen the kiss. Michaela wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in closer as well.

Sully scooped Michaela up into his arms and carried her over to the bed, never breaking the kiss. Michaela had no idea that she was even being carried until the soft mattress of the bed rose up to meet her. Sully broke the kiss only long enough to remove his shirt and moccasins, then leaned down to kiss Michaela again.

Michaela watched him and reveled in the sight of the light from the lamp flickering across his bare, muscular chest. As he leaned down to kiss her again, she reached a hand up to methodically run across his chest.

Sully sat on the edge of the bed, allowing and enjoying Michaela's exploration. He reached down to untie the strings of her nightgown and pushed the material off of her shoulders, leaving them exposed and bare. As soon as he ran his fingers down the column of her throat, she stopped and looked up at him, inviting him with her eyes to continue. He placed his one hand at her neck and leaned down to kiss her again. This one was urgent and demanding, but Michaela responded with everything inside of her.

He broke the kiss to recline next to her, then smiled down at her as he said, "Ya know it's Christmas Eve tomorrow and we got a lot to do."

"I know," she agreed. "But, let's not think about that until tomorrow. Right now, I just want to be with you and enjoy having you here with me. It's been too long since I have been able to go to sleep every night with you beside me," she paused and smiled, "and I want to make sure that I give you the attention you deserve."

"I appreciate your enthusiasm," he told her as his lips covered hers once again. He reached over and turned out the lamp, allowing only the moonlight to shine any light in their room as they lay, contented and warm in each other's arms.

The sun was up, bright and early on Christmas Eve, but it did little to warm the temperatures, which had been steadily decreasing for the past several days. The snow, which had been steadily falling since Monday, finally stopped, but left behind almost four feet of snow, with drifts up to almost six. Since the temperatures showed no sign of rising, Colorado Springs would definitely be celebrating a white Christmas tomorrow.

Although the sun was up early, the occupants of the Sully homestead were not. Hours after the first signs of daylight had peeked over the horizon, the sleeping members finally awoke and prepared for a new day. Wolf, who was sleeping out on the front porch, scratched at the front door to be let in. His scratching and whining woke up Dr. Andrew Cook, who had been sleeping on the sofa downstairs.

Groggily, Andrew rose from his sleep, got dressed, and went to the front door to let in Wolf. "Alright, alright, I'm coming," he said to Wolf. As he opened the door, Wolf pushed by him and ran into the homestead, heading right for the rug in front of the fireplace. Because of the roof over the porch, Wolf had escaped the snow, but he was still cold. Feeling the cold air coming in from outside, Andrew closed the door and went back to sit on the sofa to wait for the rest of the sleeping members to awaken and come downstairs.

Upstairs, Katie was the first to open her eyes, and she stood up in her crib to look at her parents, sleeping in their bed.

"Mama, Papa," she called to them. "Up, up," she demanded, and kept repeating it until she saw them stir.

Sully opened his eyes and looked over at his daughter. "Good morning, Katie," he called to her. "Are you ready to get up?"

"Up, up," she answered, and Sully threw off the covers to get up from the bed. He pulled on his buckskins and walked over to her crib. She reached up to him as he came near and he picked her up into his arms.

"Papa," she said and gave him a hug. Sully hugged her back, tears coming to his eyes at the sound of his daughter calling him that. "Mama, up," Katie pulled back and looked at her father.

"Yes, Katie, Mama needs to get up. So, how about you getting her up?" he asked as he walked with Katie over to Michaela's side of the bed, where she was still sleeping. He placed Katie down on the bed next to Michaela, and the little girl crawled over top of her so that she was facing her mother.

Katie touched her mother's cheek and said, "Mama, up. Mama, up," over and over again, until she saw her mother's eyes start to open.

Michaela looked up at her daughter and smiled. "Good morning, Katie. Did Papa do this for you?" she asked.

"Papa, Papa," Katie replied and Sully smiled at this little exchange between his wife and daughter as he sat down on Michaela's other side. She rolled over onto her back and looked up at him.

"Good morning, Sully," she said.

He leaned down to kiss her. "Mornin'," he replied after he broke away. He pulled the covers away from his wife and pulled her up to a sitting position to kiss her again.

Katie didn't like being ignored, so she pushed herself in between her Ma and Pa. "Up, Papa, up," she said, reaching for Sully.

Michaela and Sully broke apart, laughing at their daughter, and Sully picked up Katie into his arms again. "I'll take her in ta get everyone else up, and you get yourself dressed. I'm sure everyone'll wanna get goin' on makin' the decorations for the tree. But, first, we're gonna have some breakfast," he told her as he looked outside at the sun. "Or should we make that lunch?" he added with a smile as he walked out of their room.

As Michaela got dressed and brushed her hair, she could hear Katie's voice telling everyone to wake up, followed by her family's voices telling her good morning. She reached her hand down to stroke her abdomen and thought of the baby growing there. She was well past the point when she had lost the last baby, and everything appeared to be going normal. There was no reason why they shouldn't expect to have another little one around the house by summer.

She loved her daughter so much and wondered how Katie would adjust to not being the youngest anymore, let alone how she and Sully were going to handle two little ones around the house. She smiled and thought that knowing Sully, and how much he loved kids, they would do fine.

Sully came back into their room and walked over to his wife, sitting at her dressing table. He leaned down to kiss her cheek, then picked up her brush and began running it through her hair.

"Where's Katie?" Michaela asked.

"Your mother has her," Sully told her. "She got everyone up and Colleen went downstairs to start preparin' breakfast." He looked at his wife's reflection and noticed that she didn't look so tired today. "You're lookin' much better this mornin'. Are ya feelin' better?" he asked.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am," she replied. "I guess all I needed was a couple of good night's sleep," she said as she stood up, but grabbed onto the dressing table as another dizzy spell hit her.

"Michaela?" Sully questioned taking hold of his wife's arm and placing his other hand around her waist, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she replied. "I must have stood up too quickly. My body is not used to all of this sleep," she assured him and gave him a smile to prove that everything was fine.

"Well, if you're sure you're okay...."

"I am."

"Then, let's get downstairs before that wonderful food I smell is all gone," he said as he walked with her towards the stairs.

After breakfast was cleared away and the dishes were cleaned, Brian ran over to the corner where his Ma's sewing supplies and the craft materials were to get scissors, glue, paper, and pencils.

"I got the paper to make the Christmas rings," he told everyone. "Grandma, Aunt Rebecca, do ya wanna help?" he asked them.

"Certainly, Brian," Elizabeth replied.

"That sounds wonderful," Rebecca added and they both joined him at the table to begin cutting out the strips of paper to make the rings.

"I want to make some snowflakes," Colleen said.

"I'll help you," Andrew offered and smiled at her.

"Thank you, Andrew," she replied as they both sat together at the other end of the table to start folding and cutting out various shapes to make snowflakes.

"I gotta go check on the animals out in the barn," Sully announced.

"And I'll go bring in some more firewood to keep the fires goin'," Matthew added as they both went to put on their coats, scarves, and gloves and headed outside.

"I guess I'll get to work on our star for the top of the Christmas tree," Michaela said when she noticed that everyone else was occupied in doing something. "Katie, would you like to help me?" she asked her daughter, who was playing contentedly in her high chair with her bunny.

"Down, Mama, down," she demanded as Michaela came to let her daughter out of the chair. Katie toddled after her mother as Michaela went over to her sewing corner to get some sequins for the star. She set Katie down on the rug by the table with some paper and colored pencils so that she could draw while Michaela began to put the star together.

A few minutes later, Matthew came in with the firewood and went over to the fireplace to add more wood to the fire, then stoked it to get it roaring again. After that, he joined his grandmother, aunt, and brother to make the rings.

Out in the barn, Sully checked on the horses and the cow to make sure they were warm and had food, then walked over to the post where Brian's Christmas gift was tied to make sure it was doing okay. He grabbed the milk pail and milked the cow, then went back over to the horses and picked up the curry brush to give their coats a good brushing.

After he had finished, he went over and moved the horses out of their stalls so that he could muck them out, then put fresh hay down for them. Finally, he placed the blankets back on the horses and put them back in their stalls. Since there was no where to put the old hay, he simply used the pitchfork to put it all into the wheelbarrow, and placed the wheelbarrow in the corner.

When he was done and satisfied that the animals would be fine and were taken care of, he went and sat down on the bench by the door. As he looked around the barn, he thought back to all of the Christmases he had spent with Michaela and the Cooper children here in Colorado Springs.

The first was only a couple of months after Michaela had arrived. He had rented his homestead to her so that she and the children could have a place to live, and had planned on giving them all the gifts he had made for them, when a blizzard had occurred. Not one to be deterred by weather, he gathered up his gifts, wrapped himself up, and headed for the homestead.

When he arrived, Dr. Mike invited him in and he walked over to the fireplace to warm himself. First, he pulled out a wolf cub and handed him to Brian. Then, he handed a wooden comb he had carved to Colleen and a pocket knife to Matthew. Finally, he pulled out a wooden sign that said, "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" on it. As he turned to leave, Dr. Mike stopped him and invited him to join them for supper. He agreed and sat down next to her, never feeling more at home than on that night.

The second Christmas, he and Dr. Mike were courting and Dr. Mike helped a young couple, whose parents did not agree to their marriage, give birth to their baby in Robert E.'s barn on Christmas Eve. Since the town was having their Christmas party at the church, he kept the children there, but soon joined Dr. Mike to help her with the birth. The fathers showed up after the baby was born and patched up their differences, and the children came to the barn as well.

He had saved a candle for Dr. Mike for the tree-lighting, but when he handed it to her, she told him something that he would always remember: "You did more than save a candle for me, Sully. You gave me hope. You, and the children. And that's the best Christmas present I could ever receive."

For the third one, they were engaged to be married. It was alos the one when the Jewish family, the Frankels, came to town as peddlers, wanting only to find a place in which to settle down. When the town treated them with contempt because of their religion, he and Michaela and the children shared Chanukkah with them at the clinic.

But, a couple of days before that, he and Michaela were walking down the street, and she was telling him that Mrs. Frankel seemed to want nothing to do with her, no matter how hard she tried to be nice. He had told her that some people just don't like to mix with other people, using the fact that the Cheyenne don't like to mix with other tribes as an example. She then hypothesized that she was Arapaho and he was Cheyenne, and he told her that they couldn't get married. Then, he swung her up into his arms and told her that he would carry her off in the night.

He remembered that one well, since Michaela had become more comfortable around him with showing her feelings and accepting his love for her. She no longer was hesitant about their relationship, but willingly participated in the giving and taking of their love.

The next Christmas was the first one they shared as husband and wife, and it was a very interesting one since Michaela's mother had sent Brian a poodle, named Fifi, for Christmas. It was fun watching that mouse of a dog run around the homestead; however, they didn't have it around for long, since Brian gave Fifi to Sarah, a new girl in town from Virginia
who came with her mother.

But, that wasn't the only thing he remembered about that year. The most important event that was happening at that time, was that Michaela was pregnant with their first child. They had been trying for months to have one, and were finally successful sometime before Thanksgiving. That year was special, not only because he was married to Michaela, but also because they had created a new life together, both as a couple and as parents.

Last year was their daughter, Katie's, first Christmas, but the main event that happened that year was that the Reverend of the town lost his sight. Michaela did everything she could, but after about a week, he was completely blind.

This caused a lot of doubt to surface in Brian's life since he couldn't understand why God would allow someone who was one of His most faithful servants to go blind. Michaela couldn't understand that either. She had told him that she and the rest of the town had prayed for the Reverend to get his sight back, but when it didn't happen, they were doubtful. He had told her that maybe they were praying for the wrong thing. Maybe what they should have been praying for was for the Reverend to adjust to what had happened to him.

In the end, Brian had regained his faith, and the Reverend came to grips with his blindness, coming to the church for the Christmas service to read the Christmas Story from the book of Luke in the Bible. He realized that God knew what He was doing and would help him lead his congregation in the days ahead.

As Sully thought back of all of these Christmases, he realized how much Michaela, as well as the children and the town, had brought into his life. Suddenly, he realized that he had been out in the barn for a long while, and that he should be headed back to the homestead, or everyone inside would be wondering where he was. As he got up and left the barn, closing the doors securely behind him, he looked up at the homstead and realized how truly blessed he was.

When he came in the front door, he saw Colleen and Andrew cutting out snowflakes and hanging them from string which Michaela had provided from her sewing materials. At the other end of the table, he saw Brian, Matthew, Elizabeth, and Rebecca working together to make the rings and connect them in one long strand. In the middle, Michaela was putting the
finishing touches on the star that would go on top of the Christmas tree, and Katie was sitting on the rug at her feet, playing with her bunny. When he closed the door, Michaela looked up and walked over to him.

"I was wondering where you were. What took you so long?" she asked as she helped him off with his coat and gloves.

"I was just thinkin' out in the barn, doin' the chores and cleanin' out the stalls," he told her.

"Thinking? About what?"

"About how lucky I am to have you," he smiled and gathered her close to kiss her. She returned the kiss, and when they broke apart, she led him over to the table to look at the star.

"Would you like to help me put on the sequins to make it sparkle?"

"Sure," he replied and helped her put on the glue, followed by the sequins.

When they were finished, the rings were done and the snowflakes were ready to be hung, so everyone picked up their creations and went over to the Christmas tree in the corner. The snowflakes were hung at the windows and from the fireplace mantle, and the rings were wrapped around the tree.

"Now, the only thing left is the popcorn strings," Michaela said.

"Let's have supper first, and then we can make the popcorn and sit together around the fire to string it up," Colleen suggested.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Elizabeth remarked and everyone went to work to make it happen.

After supper, the family sat around the fire, cozy and warm and happy to be together, thoughts about the next day flowing through their minds. They would all be together, for the first time, to celebrate Christmas. They had decided to save the reading of the _Christmas Carol_ for tomorrow, and since Sully had already presented them all with ornaments for the tree, they didn't open any other gifts, but instead placed them all under the tree to be opened tomorrow. All they did this night was finish decorating the tree, with the finishing touch being done by Katie, with some help from Sully, since she was the youngest member of the family. After it wall all finished, they sat back and enjoyed watching the glitter of the star and the shimmer of the ornaments, shining their light upon everyone there.

Last night, after the popcorn was strung and the remainder of the decorations, including some extra boughs and wreaths, were hung, and everyone had headed off to bed, Michaela and Sully had stayed behind to put the remainder of the gifts under the tree. Andrew had agreed to sleeping upstairs with Matthew and Brian on the floor, since it got too cold downstairs, and Wolf was permitted to remain inside to be kept out of the cold. They placed their gifts under the tree first, followed by the children's and Elizabeth and Rebecca's.

Sully, in addition to the ornaments he had made for everyone, along with Robert E.'s help, had made some extra special gifts for everyone: a new saw for Matthew, the blade of which was done by Robert E. and the handle done by himself; two matching hair combs for Colleen; and a rocking horse for Katie. Brian's gift from him was still out in the barn, but would be on the front porch tomorrow morning.

Michaela's gifts sat still wrapped in the package in which they arrived. He had to enlist the help of Matthew to ensure that those gifts could be found, and when Matthew had brought them to him, he knew for sure that Michaela would love them. Only a few more hours and she would open them.

Michaela had hand-knitted hats and gloves for her children to match the scarves she had made four years ago, except she added a scarf for Katie, since she wasn't around four years ago. She was going to make those gifts for her three older children from both her and Katie, since she wasn't old enough to choose gifts for herself. She had also purchased a brooch for both her mother and her sister and had gathered together a special gift for Andrew, from one doctor to another.

Her last gift, which was actually from both Dorothy and herself, was a shirt for Cloud Dancing. The shirt had stones sewn into it, much like the ones on the other shirt she had made, except these stones were surrounded by the outline of an eagle with two eagle feathers on either side.

She still had hopes that he would come back for Christmas supper. Dorothy would be coming, along with Daniel, Sarah, and her mother, and Michaela hoped that Cloud Dancing would be able to join them as well. He had only been living up North for a little over a week, but it felt like months since he had left. She voiced this concern to her husband, who was sitting next to her in front of the tree, helping her arrange the gifts.

"Sully," she began. "Do you think Cloud Dancing will be coming back for Christmas?"

"I don't know, Michaela," he answered. "If he does, he'd be breakin' the pact he made with Major Morrison and Welland Smith. I'm not sure he'd wanna take that risk." He paused and thought for a moment. "If he doesn't make it, maybe we and the kids could take a trip up there to see him once the snow clears and the weather warms a bit," he suggested.

"Oh, Sully! That would be wonderful!" she exclaimed as she threw her arms around him, knocking him off balance and toppling them both to the floor. He placed his arms around her to break their fall and then looked up at her. The desire she saw in his eyes both frightened her and thrilled her. He reached his hands up, placed them behind her head and drew her face down to meet his, initiating a passionate kiss into which she participated willingly.

He rolled them both over until he was partly above her and smiled down at her. "We'll be much more comfortable upstairs in our bed, dontcha think?" he asked as he stood up and drew her up with him, eliciting a charming blush to creep across her cheeks. Then, he swept her up into his arms and carried her to their room, closing the door with his foot then laying her on the bed. He stepped over to the fireplace and added one more log to it to add some heat to the room, not they needed any more, but he didn't want Katie getting cold in the middle of the night.

Michaela didn't want to wait for Sully to return, so she rose from the bed, removed her blouse and skirt, as well as her shoes and stockings, then walked over to where Sully was kneeling in front of the fire, standing behind him in just her camisole and pantaloons. She placed her arms around his shoulder and leaned down to kiss the hollow at the base of his neck. He shuddered at her touch, then turned as she began to unfasten the buttons of his shirt, remaining still as he saw what she was wearing and as she pulled the shirt tails from his buckskins to finish the task.

Once she had his shirt removed, she ran her hands across his bare, muscular chest, placing tiny kisses where her hands left. He tried his best to control himself from responding to her touch, let alone to the sight of her, but was unsuccessful. When he couldn't take it anymore, he pulled her into his arms and stood, carrying her over to the bed again, making sure that she stayed there this time by laying down next to her. As he leaned down and kissed her neck and shoulders, she reached over and extinguished the lamp. When his mouth moved up to capture hers, their kisses ignited the fire within them, sending its warmth throughout their entire bodies to last them throughout the night.

The next morning, Christmas morning, everyone awoke later than they had planned, having stayed up until past midnight last night with the decorations. The children were the first to get up and their noise awoke Elizabeth and Rebecca as well as Andrew and Matthew. Katie stood at her crib again, calling out to her parents who got up, got dressed then helped her get dressed so that they all could go downstairs and join the family. Colleen was the first to wake up, after Brian and Katie, since she wanted to make a special breakfast for the family.

The tantalizing aromas of coffee, flapjacks, eggs, and biscuits, overcoming the pine-smell given off by the pine boughs and wreaths, drew everyone downstairs to the breakfast table, which Brian had set. As they sat around enjoying the delicious breakfast, compliments being given to Colleen, they looked out at the snow-covered trees and ground, loving that they finally had a complete white Christmas after five years, instead of the few flurries they've had in years past.

Once breakfast was eaten, Sully excused himself, saying that he had to go check on the animals in the barn. When he came back in a few minutes later, everyone moved over to surround the Christmas tree and prepare to open gifts. They were distributed by Michaela and Sully, and then each person took their turn to open all of the gifts presented to them.

Elizabeth and Rebecca opened their gifts from Michaela and immediately fastened them to the fronts of their dresses, always in the height of fashion, despite the fact that they were no longer in the high society of Boston, but in the rugged civilization of Colorado Springs.

Next, Andrew opened his gifts of a collection of herbs and wild roots from Michaela for him to use for himself, since Preston would never allow any Indian concoctions in his Chateau, and a brand new hat from Colleen, which she had purchased in Denver while she was away at school.

Colleen followed him. She received a fine porcelain doll from her grandmother and aunt, a new diary from Brian, a new shawl from Matthew, the two combs from Sully, the hat and gloves from Michaela and Katie, and a pair of pearl ear bobs from Andrew.

Brian went next and received the same hat and gloves from his Ma and baby sister, a necklace from Matthew, much like the one he and Sully wore, a tablet of paper for his writings from Colleen, and a brand new telescope from his grandmother and aunt, since his last one broke. He realized that there was nothing from Sully and looked over at his Pa.

"If you'll go look out on the porch, you'll see your gift from me," Sully answered his unspoken question, and immediately, Brian jumped up to go see it.

When he threw open the door, he looked down to see a new, baby wolf cub tied to the post and sitting on the porch. The minute he saw Brian, he began whining to be set free, and Brian untied him to bring him into the homestead to show everyone. Wolf immediately sat up and went over to sniff the new member of his family. After giving his approval, he went back over to the rug in front of the fireplace and laid down. Brian kept the new wolf cub in his lap.

Matthew then took his turn and opened up his gifts. He, too, received a hat and gloves from Michaela and Katie, a new saw from Sully, a brand new law book, straight from Boston and hot off the press, from Elizabeth and Rebecca, and a new musical box which played Ingrid's favorite melody from Brian and Colleen.

"Since you lost hers when your homestead burned down, we thought you would like to have another one as a way of remembering her," Colleen explained as Matthew help up the precious gift, unable to speak.

They decided to move on, so Katie was next. She received her hat, gloves, and scarf set from her Ma, a brand new doll from Colleen, a new stuffed animal from Brian, a porcelain doll, just like Colleen's, from her grandmother and aunt, her own set of colored pencils and paper from Matthew, and the rocking horse from Sully, which she tried out immediately.

The last two to go were Michaela and Sully. They decided to both go at the same time when opening everyone else's gifts except the ones to each other. From Michaela's mother and sister, Michaela received a new, hunter green, satin gown, straight from Paris in the latest fashion, and Sully received a brand new suit, also from Paris. They had no idea when they would use these wonderful gifts, but for the sake of Christmas they would wear them for supper tonight.

From the children, Michaela received a brand new pair of shoes to go with the gown she received, and Sully received a new necklace, since the one he had before was lost when he went over the cliff six months ago. The last gifts were the ones to each other. They weren't sure who should go first, but Michaela requested that Sully wait for the end, so she opened her gift from him.

As she untied the ribbon and pulled away the wrappings she saw that whatever was inside was cushioned very securely. She pulled out layer after layer of paper, until she finally got to the gift. As she pulled the two frames out and looked at them, tears immediately gathered in her eyes and threatened to fall down her cheeks. She was moved beyond words, and when everyone wanted to see what she had received, she turned the frames around and showed everyone.

Sully had somehow contacted Michaela's college and received another medical degree as well as a picture of her graduating class from them. He had them framed, since the ones Michaela had before were also framed. He knew it had been difficult burning these items along with everything else in her clinic when that mysterious disease had spread last year, so he had contacted her school and had new ones shipped out to him. He knew from her reaction that it was the perfect gift.

Finally, it had come time for Sully to open the last gift. As he pulled away the wrappings and the bow and lifted the lid of the box, he gasped at what he saw inside. When he pulled out the contents, everyone else in the room gasped as well and looked immediately at Michaela, who was smiling.

"Is it true?" Sully asked her, full of hope.

"Yes," she responded, overjoyed at his response.

"We're gonna have another baby?"

"We're going to have another baby, Sully," she replied, echoing his question.

All of the gifts opened, everyone gathered around Michaela and congratulated her, then thanks went around to everyone else for everything that was received. Colleen and Andrew stood off to the side and talked close together in hushed tones. The children and their grandmother and aunt passed around their gifts among themselves, leaving Michaela and Sully to talk by themselves.

Sully gathered his wife into his arms and kissed the top of her head. "How long have you known?"

"Only a few days," she replied. "I wanted to tell you sooner, but I thought since Christmas was coming up, I would make it your Christmas gift." She reached for the baby moccasins and knitted bonnet from when Katie was a baby. "I knew this would effectively tell you." She grinned, then looked up at him, love shining brightly in her eyes. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," Sully echoed and reached for a sprig of mistletoe to hold over their heads as he leaned down to kiss her, not that they needed a reason to kiss. Brian took the hint and went to stand on a chair behind Andrew and Colleen, holding another sprig of mistletoe above their heads. When they saw what he was doing, they cast a glance at each other and a blush stole over Colleen's cheeks as well as Andrew's.

Michaela and Sully broke apart and saw what was happening and smiled. "It looks like it's your turn, now," Sully told them, reminding them of the little trick they pulled on Sunday with the mistletoe at Grace's Cafe.

Andrew looked down at Colleen, cupped her face in his hand and leaned in to kiss her softly on the lips. The kiss was quick, but full of promise. Colleen looked him in the eyes and a private moment was shared between them. Brian hopped down from the chair and went over to his Ma's bookshelf to get Dickens' _A Christmas Carol_.

"Let's read this now, Ma," he told Michaela as he brought it over to her. Michaela took the book from him and everyone settled down either on the floor or in a seat. Sully pulled one of the wingback chairs closer to the fireplace and sat down in it, pulling Michaela onto his lap and nestling her in his arms in a way that was both comfortable and conducive to her reading the story.

She started out the book as she did every year. "A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. Marley was dead. There was no doubt about that." Her voice mesmerized everyone in the room for the next couple of hours as she read the story to them. Off and on, Sully would switch with her and read some to give her voice a rest. He had the same affect on them as she, but they both knew it was the story and not their reading of it that did the trick.

About halfway through, Colleen and Rebecca had gotten up to go start the food cooking so that it would be done by the time the story was finished. Near the end, everyone was so involved in the story, that they didn't hear the knock at the door, nor the entering of their four guests for Christmas supper. Instead, Daniel, Sarah, her mother, and Dorothy sat down at the table and listened intently to the rest of the story. When Michaela finished the last words, Dorothy began clapping softly, which drew the attention of everyone sitting around the fireplace.

Everyone spoke at once.

"Dorothy!" Michaela exclaimed.

"Sarah!" Brian greeted.

"Hey, Daniel," Sully called.

Greetings were exchanged and the announcement that supper was ready brought everyone to the table. Just as soon as the food was set out, there was another knock at the door. Brian went to answer it.

"Cloud Dancing!" he exclaimed when he saw their Cheyenne friend.

Cloud Dancing came into the homestead, but when he saw Daniel standing there, he had his doubts about his decision. However, the nod from the sheriff encouraged him to stay. He walked over to Sully.

"Ah, ho, my brother," he greeted as they grasped arms, then hugged. "I have missed you all," he said to everyone.

"We have missed you, too," Michaela told him.

"You are just in time for supper. Will you join us?" This was from Elizabeth, and no one was more shocked than Michaela herself.

"It would be an honor," Cloud Dancing accepted.

With that, everyone gathered around the table and the blessing was said by Sully, thanking God that he was home with his family and close friends for Christmas and asking Him to bless the food and their homes, keeping everyone safe in the snow. His final request was for his unborn, but growing baby, that it would be healthy and strong and give Michaela no cause to worry, or anyone else for that matter. At the close, everyone said "Amen" and Sully began carving the turkey.

Plates cleared and appetites satisfied, the family and friends gathered once more around the fireplace and shared what they loved most about Christmas. Andrew and Colleen were sitting next to each other on the rug, clearly showing that they were thankful for each other. Elizabeth and Rebecca were sitting on the sofa, telling everyone that they were thankful that they made it back here to share Christmas with everyone. Daniel said that he was thankful for Sarah and her mother and announced that they would be married in the Spring. Congratulations went around, then it was Dorothy's turn. She told how thankful she was that she could share this day with her special friends, and that Cloud Dancing was here with them. He echoed her thoughts. Brian was thankful for a new baby brother or sister and that Sarah and her mother could share Christmas with them as well. Matthew was thankful for family to help him through his difficult times remembering Ingrid, his first love and fiancee who had died of rabies. If it weren't for their love and support, he would probably not be alive right now.

Sully and Michaela, who had resumed their seat in one of the wingback chairs, didn't really have to say anything, since it was obvious that they were thankful for each other and that Sully was home safe and free. As conversations drifted up from various members, Sully shifted Michaela in his arms and placed one hand on her abdomen.

"I still can't believe it's true," he whispered in awe. "We've made another life," he commented.

"Yes," Michaela agreed, placing her hand over his. "This child was created out of our love for each other and will be loved by us and his family for all of his life."

"His?" Sully questioned.

"I just know it's a boy this time," Michaela told him with confidence.

"I don't know why, but I got a feelin' you're right," Sully agreed. "I love you," he whispered in her ear.

"And I love you," she echoed in his.

Sully kissed her neck, then brought his lips around to softly kiss her lips. Then, he placed her head on his chest, and she snuggled down into the warmth and comfort of his embrace, not caring for all the world how cold it was outside. She had the love of her family and friends around her and the warmth she felt far outdid anything the sun could ever do.

Truly it was a wonderful Christmas.