Disclaimer: I do not own the characters who act in this story; I only borrowed them from Beth Sullivan, CBS and whoever else is holding the rights on them.

I wrote this story as a thank you to Ann. She made it possible for me to meet Jane Seymour (Michaela), Joe Lando (Sully) and Jonelle Allen (Grace) in person and gave me a week in LA that I will never forget.

The Bonds That Tie

By Kruemi

"The heart has reasons that reason does not understand." Jaques Benigne Bossuel

Chapter 1

Sully had just closed the stagecoach's door when he looked at Catherine once more. She sat on the seat at the open window and gazed at him with dread in her eyes. Recognizing it moved him deeply. His heart went out to her and he wished he could do something to ease her fears. His hand was still gripping the wooden frame of the small window, almost touching hers, when the vehicle eventually started to drive away, and on the spur of the moment he made a decision.

"Wait!" he called out and burst into a sprint. Once abreast with the two men on the box he waved up at them, yelling again, "Stop!"

Pulling sharply at the reins the driver glared down at him. "What do you want?" he demanded impatiently.

Sully didn't have a plan yet; all he knew was that there was no way he would have Catherine make the trip across the country on her own.

Resting his hand on the side of the horse next to him he wrinkled his brow, trying to think quickly. When the animal snorted and began to throw its head from side to side he made his decision.

"You gonna stop at the first swing station?" he asked the two men.

Receiving a short nod in confirmation Sully said, "I'm gonna join you there. It's safer for me to accompany my friend, but I first have to pick up some things at my place."

Acknowledging this statement with another nod and an almost imperceptible smile that spoke of relief, the driver clicked his tongue at the horses and flicked the reins. Sully had told him about this particular passenger's special condition and asked him to keep eye on her. The driver had agreed, if reluctantly. Of course he preferred having this task off his hands. He would definitely wait until Mr. Sully caught up with them.

As the stagecoach resumed moving out of town, Sully watched it for another moment before he turned around. He expected to see the family standing there as they had a minute ago, but there was only Brian, gaping at him.

"You're going with her?" the boy asked incredulously.

"Yeah," Sully said, crouching down so he could talk on eye level with the child. "I have to. You remember your trip to Boston?"

"'course," Brian shrugged, still eyeing Sully suspiciously.

"Remember how long it was? How exhausting?" Sully continued, laying his hand on Brian's shoulder, his tone becoming urgent.

Brian nodded mutely, still not acknowledging his friend's arguments.

"Now imagine you have to go on your own to the East Coast. And to top it, you are sick and don't know when the next fit is gonna hit you. Wouldn't you like to have someone keeping you company on that journey?"

As understanding dawned, Brian dropped his eyes to the ground. "I guess," he said quietly.

"Good. I gotta hurry." Sully rose to his feet again. "I don't have time to go out to the reservation. Would you make sure Wolf gets to Cloud Dancing?"

Alarmed, Brian looked up at the man that used to be his idol. "You'll come back, won't you?"

Contemplating at this moment whether to leave a message for Michaela, Sully replied absent-mindedly, "Sure."

As if reading his mind, the boy asked anxiously, "Can I tell that to ma?"

"Tell her…," Sully began and then trailed off. He and Michaela didn't part on good terms when they last talked the other night, and he was sure she would be even angrier now when she found out that he had left with Catherine.

"She'll come around 'cause she knows I'm doing the right thing," he said at last, squeezing the boy's shoulder lightly. He wasn't sure if he wanted to reassure Brian or rather himself. However, he couldn't waste one more minute or he wouldn't be able to catch up with the stagecoach. "I gotta run," he muttered under his breath and set off towards the livery in order to get his horse from Robert E.

xxxx

The waystation lay in a small valley next to the trail that had been worn into the grassy ground by hundreds of wooden wheels rolling along. When Sully reached the edge of the hollow he heaved a sigh of relief: the stagecoach was still there. It looked as if one of the horses had been exchanged, and a hostler was just finishing putting on its harness while the travelers were stretching their legs. He didn't see Catherine though, but he wasn't worried. He knew she preferred keeping to herself.

After he'd carefully led his horse down the steep slope, he arrived between two small cabins. There she sat on the steps of the porch, and the shy welcoming smile on her face was all he needed for him to know he'd made the right decision.

Ten minutes later the stagecoach was rolling towards Denver again. Sully had settled on the roof of the cabin, favored this to sitting inside of it. That way he had the solitude he needed in order to contemplate his next steps. With his money he would make it to Baltimore but it wouldn't be enough for the trip back. Maybe if things went smoother than feared, Catherine could make the train ride from St. Louis on her own; otherwise he needed to find a job in Baltimore. He preferred the former, but if need be he would do the latter.

At this point he couldn't help but wonder whether Michaela would come to look for him if he stayed away for weeks on end as he had when she didn't return from Boston. If her leaving at the stagecoach earlier was any indication. she wouldn't.

"Sully?" Catherine's voice was barely audible, drowned out by the clatter of hooves and the squeaks of the moving carriage. He still heard it though and bent over the roof. Her face was pale, and Sully instantly shifted so he could call down to the driver, "Can we stop for a moment?"

Impatiently the man shouted back, "What now?" Only at hearing Sully's suspicion that the lady he accompanied might be sick did he pull on the reins so the horses slowed to a halt.

With one swift move Sully jumped down on the ground, landing next to the window where Catherine sat.

"You feel like fainting?" he asked anxiously, searching her features for any sign of a fit that would leave her unconscious.

"It is so…," Catherine started quietly. Taking in a deep breath she explained, "I feel like in a cage and that makes me sick. Can I sit on the roof with you?"

He was so grateful that there wasn't anything seriously wrong that Sully chuckled.

"Sure," he said without hesitation, "C'mon, I'll help you up."

Everything went well from then on, until it began to rain heavily two hours before they reached their destination. With Catherine only wearing a dress made of cotton and nothing to protect her from the downpour they had no choice but continue their ride inside of the cabin.

The longer they sat in the cramped space the paler Catherine grew, and Sully began to worry that she might have a seizure. He took her hand and squeezed it lightly. "You alright?" he asked concerned.

She didn't look at him but replied quietly, "I feel strange."
"Like a new fit coming?" Sully grew alarmed. "Do you have the medicine Dr. Mike gave you?"

"It's not like that." She grew quiet again, taking in a ragged breath. Talking was very exhausting. She let her head sink on Sully's shoulder and closed her eyes.

Sully moved as little as possible for the rest of the ride, hoping that sleep would help Catherine to get over her discomfort. It was only when the stagecoach stopped and everyone disembarked but she still didn't budge that he realized something was very, very wrong. Obviously, she was having a fit and he knew she needed to rest before they could ride on a stagecoach again.

Seeing that one of the passers-by stopped to watch them, Sully asked for the man's help to get Catherine out of the coach. Once she was in his arms, limp as a doll, the man revealed, "I used to be a doctor and might be able to help. There's a boarding house right around the corner where I have a room."

Although he was aware that it was rude, Sully cut him off by calling to their driver, "Would you drop our luggage at the depot? I'll pick it up later." When the driver nodded his consent, Sully began to move along the sidewalk. "We're gonna take our own room," he informed the stranger who'd just helped him.
The man lifted his hands and stopped in his tracks. "I didn't want to intrude. I'm sorry."

Shifting Catherine's weight Sully reconsidered his decision. "No, I am sorry," he said over his shoulder. "Maybe it's a good idea that you take a look at her."