Tale as Old as Time:
A Modern Day Dr.Quinn
Prologue: Tale as Old as Time
I want to first start of by saying that I, like so many other fans, do not, unfortunately, own the rights to Dr.Quinn Medicine Woman, as it is owned by CBS, the Sullivan Company, and A&E. Secondly, this is my first fanfic, so if you don't like it, please tell me now so I don't bore anyone else with my distasteful writing.
The following is a basic outline of the two main characters before my story begins...
Michaela Ann Quinn: Born and raised in a prestigious yet hospitable home in Boston, Massachusetts, Mike, as her father calls her, has dreamed of becoming a doctor since she was a tot. After finishing high school two years early, she attended the University of Boston to get her bachelors in Medicine and just graduated from Harvard Medical School as valedictorian of her class (class of 2005). After 8 years of studying medicine in school, Michaela at the age of 24, along with her boy friend David Lewis (age: 25) and his best friend William Burke (age: 26), will begin their internships in various hospitals in Denver, Colorado...
Byron Sully:Not partial to his first name, so everyone just calls Byron Sully by his surname. Sully is an architect, with his specialty being in log cabins. Sully was married for two short years to a young woman by the name of Abigail Bray. Abigail along with her and Sully's baby daughter, Hannah, were killed in an automobile accident caused by a drunk driver (ended up being a Hit 'n' Run). Three years after the fact, Sully continues to grieve inside himself. (Sully is now at the age of 26).
I know this whole prologue is pitiful, but I thought you might like to know what you are getting into...
I also do not own the rights to the song "Beauty and the Beast" which I am using lines from as a main title along with lines for chapter titles. This song, to my recollection, is owned by Disney.
Chapter 1: Bittersweet and Strange
"Oh, David! David, look! You can see it, you can see Denver!" Michaela exclaimed to the man in the seat next to hers. "And see, Denver is by no means a small city..."
David Lewis took a moment to glance away from his newspaper and gazed momentarily outside at the city before him, and then at Michaela before smiling slightly, "It is when you're used to cities like New York...", he said softly and then continued to read his copy of the Wall Street Journal.
Michaela looked over at her boyfriend, smile fading slightly from her own lips, then muttered to herself, "Well it's a good thing I'm from Boston I suppose."
The flight attendants began to make their way to their own seats in the rear and front of the cabin, to prepare for landing. David quickly put away his newspaper and closed his eyes while gripping the band of his seat belt. When he was 14 years old he had been the only one home to receive the devastating news that his 23 year old brother, Tim, and his newly-wed bride, Christine, had died in a plane crash on the way back from their honeymoon. Receiving the news was hard enough to face, but then in turn, he also had the responsibility to tell the rest of his family. The act had devastate him, and caused him to fear planes for the rest of his natural life.
William, who sat on the other side of David, acted just as excited as Michaela. Having visited Colorado many a time through out his childhood on various ski trips, Will already knew the region fairly well and was ecstatic to show his friends the country side.
The plane began to jostle as the wheels were unconcealed from underneath the plane. David's knuckles had turned white from the intense pressure he put on them to relieve his stress. Bump–one of the wheels had made contact with the runway. Bump– and again the plane bounced back up before finally gliding smoothly down onto the runway.
"We're here!" exclaimed a little boy in the back.
Michaela chuckled softly at the child's antics, then turned her attention to David, who kept his eyes closed and grip on his seat belt while the plane slowed to a halt.
"Hey David, we're here...we're home..." she whispered gently as she lay her hand over his paling ones.
Upon the impact of Michaela's skin to his, David woke from his reverie and looked into her eyes which held a world of concern for him. He relaxed his features and smiled slightly at Michaela to let her know that he was ok.
In all the traffic to get out of the plane and then out of the airport, it took over an hour to get their luggage and then find a taxi to take them to each individual's apartment. While David had rented out an apartment by himself in downtown Denver, both William and Michaela had been more adventurous and rented out apartments with more than one room farther up the mountain range. Will had contacted a friend he had met on one of his various ski trips and they had agreed on boarding together. Will ended up doing the same for Michaela when he learned a good family friend of his, Dorothy Jennings, was in need of a room mate also.
After dropping off David at his apartment complex, the taxi made its way to Will's apartment. Upon seeing it, Michaela was instantly jealous. The apartment wasn't really and apartment at all, in fact it was a medium sized log cabin, made from beautifully furnished oak.
"Oh Will, do honestly get to live here?" Michaela breathed.
"Isn't it a site? My room mate, he's an architect and he specializes in log cabins...has great business going in this area." Will commented with great admiration.
"I can see why...it's gorgeous!"
Will stepped out of the taxi, grabbing his bags, and then poked his head back into the open car window. "Why don't you come over later tonight, after you get settled...we can have dinner, relax...I'll call up David, make sure he still alive after that flight."
"Will, you know his past...he hasn't had an easy life..." Michaela chastised.
"I know, I know...so, will you be coming over later or not?" William grinned.
"Oh, I will..."
"Splendid, and would you please extend my invitation to Dorothy as well?"
"Of course, I'll see you later then."
Will nodded, then walked up to the door of his exquisite home, only to be met by a man with shoulder-length, brown, hair and a tanned form. Michaela saw the two grasp hands and give each other a good slap on the back. Something about this man intrigued and captivated Michaela. As the taxi backed up down the drive way, Michaela continued to gaze that this mysterious man. Just as they were about to turn the bend, the man looked back at Michaela. In the moment that their eyes met, Michaela felt something grip at her soul; and even with the distance between them, she was able to see all the pain and resentment that the world had lay upon him in his azure-blue eyes.
Michaela walked slowly up to the door of her tutor-style apartment complex with luggage in tow. As she reached the porch steps, she turned and glance back down the mountain side that overlooked Denver. She gazed out into the brightly lit metropolis, and then up into the black, heavenly, abyss to see only the brightness emitted from the hundreds of constellations beaming down onto her face. Even though it was a late summer night, the setting of the sun and the slightly raised elevation had led to a drop in temperature. Rotating back towards the door to her new home, Michaela knocked gently on the door face. Not two seconds later, the door sprang open revealing a petite, red-haired, woman, who was no older than 30.
"Oh, you must be Michaela, am I right?" she asked as a wide smile spread on her face.
"Yes, I am Michaela, and you must be Dorothy, I presume?" Michaela returned the smile.
"Yes, yes. Here let me get those bags for you...don't tell me Will let you come out here all by yourself?"
"Oh, I insisted I wouldn't need his help...however, has asked both of us to join him at his house for a...a welcoming party, I suppose you would call it." Michaela said, instantly seeing that she would be getting along just fine with Dorothy.
"Oh, well I suppose we'd better get you settled in a bit before heading out there."
"That sounds fine to me!" Michaela grinned as she stepped into her new home.
As the beautiful cabin came into view, Michaela felt her stomach bubble a bit. She wasn't quite sure what it was, but something about that long haired man had sent tingles up and down her spine. Blushing at the ridiculous feeling, Michaela hoped he would be there tonight and wondered at how Will, coming from such a conventional family, had come to meet him.
"Now we can't be prejudice, Michaela..." Michaela thought to herself.
"...and, oh, have you seen the inside... it is just to die for..."Michaela heard as Dorothy's perpetual voice came back into focus.
"I'm afraid I've only see the exterior and only through an open window of a taxi cab." Michaela explained.
"Oh well, you'll drop your jaw when you see Sully's magnificent work..."Dorothy went on.
"Whom?" Michaela question the architect's name.
"Have you heard a word I've said? I know, I know...the view is much more desirable than anything you are used to in Boston...well, Sully is Will's room mate, he actually built their cabin with his own two hands..."Dorothy retold.
"He doesn't happen to have...oh, about shoulder length hair..." Michaela asked casually.
"Yep, that's him...wait, did Will not even introduce him to you?" Dorothy said with exasperation.
"Oh I only saw him as the cab was pulling out...I was just curious to know who he was...so he skis a lot I presume..."Michaela questioned as Dorothy's jeep came to a stop in front of the cabin.
"Sully...ski... oh yes, yes, and hikes and all sorts of things... in fact he works with the Search and Rescue Patrol in the winter, when he can't build...and he's quite the naturalist...I believe he had minored in biology...that is, before...well, anyways, no one really knows where he learned all he knows about survival in the wild...but if I was ever to go on a camping trip.. It would be Sully who I'd bring along." Dorothy declared as they made their way from the car to the front door.
Michaela wanted to question what had happened before that had made him drop out of college. But she decide it really wasn't her business, and she would probably find out sooner or later. Upon reaching it Dorothy knocked quickly on the door and stepped inside without waiting for a reply.
"Dorothy! Michaela! So good you were able to make it." Will said while walking briskly over to them and giving Dorothy a friendly hug. "Oh, Dorothy, it is good to see you again!"
"And the same to you Will...looks like all is well" Dorothy smiled after pulling out of the hug.
Michaela was standing in awe next to them, while glancing about the room. It appeared that each log had been carefully carved by hand into a perfect rounded shape and enate craftsmanship had created the elaborate leaf design on the mantel of the fire place. The entire house was like a work of art.
"Pretty amazing isn't it?" Will commented upon seeing the look on Michaela's face. "And to think that this is one of the homes he considers his rejects...I wish I was as amazing at what I do as Sully and you are..."
"Thank you Will, but I don't know if my work can compare to this..." Michaela sighed as she glanced around again.
"Of course it can compare..." David said while getting up from the leather couch in the living room and joining the others at the entry way. Upon arriving at the group, David attempted to kiss Michaela on the lips, but she turned her head slightly and he had to make due with kissing her on the cheek.
Dorothy, who had watched the entire situation fairly closely, afterward stood slightly confused at the reaction. But when Will made no signs of noticing it, she simply shrugged it off.
"Where is the master architect anyways?" Dorothy asked Will.
Will looked at her quickly before gazing down, "He said he had someone he had to see... he said he probably wouldn't be back until tomorrow morning." Will stated with a shrug and a small smile.
Michaela didn't pick up on the tension that followed between Will and Dorothy and asked before she could stop herself, "Does he have a girlfriend or something?" Michaela couldn't believe she had just asked such a question, but nothing had prepared her for the reaction she got from Will and Dorothy.
Upon hearing Michaela's question, Will burst out in laughter and looked as if he would be rolling on the ground in a fit of laughter in a few minutes. Dorothy's face went pale for a moment, and then started at Will.
"William, that is not funny at all! Just think if Sully had been here when she said that!"
"That's exactly what I'm thinking of right now." Will said as he began to control his boisterous laughter.
"Well, the reaction that would most likely come would be anything but funny! Had he heard that...well...we never may have seen him again...it took ages for him to even go back to work, how do you think he would handle a remark like that! Don't worry Michaela; it's not your fault in the least bit! Somebody shouldn't have left her out in the dark!" Dorothy said while rounding on William.
"Oh Dorothy I just hadn't gotten around to it yet...well, we might as well tell you now...lets go over in the living room." Will suggested.
As everyone made it over to the living room and made themselves comfortable on the cozy couch or armchairs seated around the elegant fireplace, Michaela grew more and more interested in the mysterious life of Sully. She knew from when she made eye-contact with him, that he had suffered something awful. But by the way Dorothy and Will had acted, she knew it was truly something devastating.
"Well, the first thing you should know about Sully, it that he lost both of his parents at the age of 10. For a long time all he had was his older brother Chris...but Chris took off a few years ago... haven't heard from or seen him since then." Dorothy began solemnly.
"Then, about five years ago, Sully married his high school sweetheart, Abigail Bray...the next two years had their ups and downs, but I don't think Sully had ever been closer to living a happy life. Then, about three years ago, during the winter, Sully had volunteered to lead a Search and Rescue mission through Pikes Peak National Park to find some poor lost girl. While he was out with the rescue group, his wife, Abigail, and his baby daughter, Hannah, went the grocery store to get some milk and other things they needed. The roads were really slick to begin with...and then...as they were driving, some lunatic drunk driver nearly crashed into their car...Abigail swerved, missing the car, but losing control of the vehicle. Their car went off the road and rolled down a hill before landing at the bank of the Colorado River...both Abigail and Hannah died instantly...the drunk got away...it was a 'Hit and Run' case...When Sully came home...well, he just wont ever be the same I guess..." William finished, swallowing his drink slowly.
"That's awful...that's...that's...unimaginable..." Michaela quaked. Then, hoping that something good may have come from Sully's actions, she asked, "What about the girl...the one Sully was searching for? What became of her?"
"They found her...but it was too late...she'd died of hypothermia long before they had gotten to her...it appeared that the poor girl was raped...her clothes were torn up real bad...it must have been an awful site to see...then to go home, only to discover..." Dorothy drifted off.
"Actually, from your description, the girl may not have been raped at all..." Michaela began.
"Uh oh, here comes the medical professor..." Will teased.
"Studies have shown that in many cases of profound or severe hypothermia, after the victim becomes delusional from the drop in body temperature, they may hallucinate that they are on fire or under some extreme heat source. Consequently, they may try ripping off their clothes to cool down, causing them to loose the little body heat they may have left, thus, they fall unconscious...but that really doesn't matter...it's just so awful, everything that happened..." Michaela wondered at how he was able to keep on living after those incidents.
"Well don't think it was easy for him to pull through...I tried to talk to him after it first happened...he sort of disappeared for a while, we were afraid he had committed suicide somewhere...then one day he showed up again...no one questioned him in the slightest...we were all just happy he had come back." Dorothy explained.
"Does anyone know where he went?" David asked curiously.
William and Dorothy exchanged looks before Will answered, "Yeah, but I couldn't explain it to you...I don't really understand what happened or why he did it..."
"What...?" Michaela began.
"Maybe some day you can ask him...maybe you can make sense of it, you got good grades in psychology, right?" William interrupted.
"Yes...but..." Michaela began again
"Speaking of you and grades...why don't you tell me a little more about yourself Michaela...you too David?" Dorothy said in an attempt to change the subject.
"Well..." Then for the next two hours, Michaela talked about her least favorite subject...herself. It wasn't that she wasn't proud of her various accomplishments, she just wasn't one to boast or really even talk about herself. After a home cooked meal, made by Dorothy, everyone decided to call it a night and head on home.
On her way out the door, David pulled Michaela aside to the porch, telling Dorothy that she would be there in a moment. As Dorothy headed for her car, David kissed Michaela firmly on the lips. This time Michaela didn't turn her head, but as David tried to deepen the kiss, Michaela backed away, and turned around while saying "Good night...call me later if you want..." But Michaela and David knew that there would be no exchanged phone calls that night...both knew it was just an excuse...to get away.
As Michaela got into Dorothy's car and drove off to her apartment David cursed under his breath and headed back inside to bid farewell to Will before heading home.
What nobody noticed, was the tall, dark, figure that had been standing near the Quaking Aspen trees, watching the entire encounter between Michaela and David.