The Birthday Present

Sully stepped into their bedroom and tingled when he saw his beloved in his favorite blue dress and hat. She noticed Sully in the reflection of the mirror and smiled. It was rare when Sully dressed in his suit, but she loved it when he did.

"Hey, beautiful," Sully wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck.

"Mmm, darling," she beamed turning to face him. "You look mighty handsome tonight."

"Well, it's a special occasion, birthday girl," Sully kissed the top of her nose. Michaela giggled and met his lips with hers. She sighed with pleasure as their kiss deepened and their bodies pressed against each other. "We…we have to…we have to go," Michaela managed between kisses, and then pulled back. "They are waiting."

"We can continue this later," Sully replied grinning. Michaela blushed in anticipation for the night's events. They both cascaded down the stairs to Colleen, who was holding Katie, and Brian and Matthew, who were all waiting for them.

"Well you all look so wonderful this evening!" Michaela exclaimed noticing her children were dressed nicely for her candlelight birthday dinner at Grace's.

"Happy birthday, Ma," Brian kissed her cheek. She accepted the hugs and kisses from the others and took Katie from Colleen. They all went outside and climbed into the wagon. With Katie secure on Michaela's lap, Sully clicked his tongue and snapped the reigns to start the horses pulling the wagon.

Dinner was everything Michaela wanted for her birthday. All of her children and her husband were around her. She was thankful for all the blessings she had. "Thank you everyone for dinner and for being with me today. You all made my birthday so special. I love you all." She caught Sully's eyes that were twinkling in the moonlight. She gave him a knowing smile and he shifted in his seat waiting until he could give her his present.

"You are special, Ma," Colleen said giving her a big hug. Grace set the cake flickering with birthday candles in front of Michaela. Michaela responded with a pleasant gasp and smile. Katie squealed delightfully at the newfound lights in front of her.

"You hafta make a wish now," Grace instructed. "It's your birthday!"

Before Michaela could close her eyes, she jumped at a bloodcurdling scream and the call of her name. "Dr. Mike!" She stood up, handed Katie to Colleen, and looked around frantically. She saw a man in the dark limping hurriedly toward her carrying a boy. "Dr. Mike!" As he got closer, she recognized the long blonde hair.

"Hank?" she ran to meet him. When she caught up to him, he collapsed on the ground with the boy still in his arms.

"You gotta help him, Dr. Mike!" he cried frantically. She looked down and saw that the boy was Hank's son, Zack. By then, the family had caught up with them.

"Dr. Mike, what is it?" Matthew asked.

"Zack?" Michaela looked at the boy whose face was covered in blood from a head wound. "Hank, what happened?"

"We fell from the horse! Just help him, just help him!" he pleaded. She told Matthew and Sully to take Zack to the clinic. She started to follow but saw Hank having difficulty standing up.

"You're injured," she knelt down and investigated the blood coming from his leg. Hank grabbed her by her arms and stared her down. "Oh!" a startled gasp escaped her lips.

"Don't worry about me, you take care of my boy," he commanded. "Go!" Hank unhanded her to let her go to the clinic. She looked back down at his leg and then at his worried face. She nodded and followed the others.

At the clinic, Michaela slowly stitched one of Zack's jagged cuts on his forehead with Colleen's help. He had several deep cuts all over his head and a mild concussion which left him unconscious. She continued her work hoping that the pain would bring him out of it. She had to use small sutures to minimize the scarring but it was to take much longer than usual. "Colleen, bring some more light here," she instructed. Colleen brought the lantern closer to Michaela and continued wiping the excess blood off of Zack's forehead. She sighed deeply, with a hint of disappointment thinking of Sully. "This is going to take all night."

Day light began to shine through the clinic windows just as Michaela made Zack comfortable in one of the recovery rooms. She pulled the door shut and rubbed her tired eyes. In all the commotion, she had forgotten about Hank's injured leg. Quickly, she went downstairs to find him. As she opened the door to her office, she found Colleen bandaging Hank's leg.

"Ma," she called. "I just stitched Hank, nothing serious." She applied the rest of the bandage. Michaela was thankful to have Colleen's help while she was home from school.

"Colleen said my boy would be all right?" Hank asked.

"Yes, he woke up last night so that is good. His concussion is mild and there are no signs of hemorrhage. He should be fine in a few days." Michaela stepped closer to Hank as Colleen carried her supplies back to the cabinet. "Thank you, Colleen."

"You're welcome, Ma. I'm going to go get Katie from Grace's. Oh, and Sully is outside waiting for you," she replied. Michaela tingled in remembering that their blissful evening had been interrupted. She breathed deeply trying to focus on Hank.

"So, I didn't know that Zack was visiting," she started. Hank just stared at the floor. "How long has he been here?"

"Just a couple days. He's supposed to go back tonight," Hank replied in his usual raspy voice. He looked directly at Michaela. "But that ain't happenin' is it?"

"No, he'll need to stay at the clinic for a few days," Michaela came around and stood in front of Hank. "What were you doing when you had the accident? You both fell off a horse?"

"Yeah. I was teaching him to ride." Hank noticed Michaela's dress and her hat on the desk. "Looks like I took you away from something fancy. Like a birthday party." Michaela blushed in surprise that Hank even knew it was her birthday. She suddenly felt self-conscious and out place in her dress. She knew her hair was falling out and she looked terribly exhausted.

"It's quite all right," she finally replied, rubbing her aching neck. "Do you see Zack often?"

"Not much. He wired me asking if he could visit on his break, so he came and we went over to Manitou for the week." Michaela knew Hank did not want to be an open father, but she could tell that even through his roughness, he loved his son and that he wished he could be more of a father to him. Her thoughts turned to her own son, Brian. They were about the same age. Knowing how much Brian has grown in just a couple years, she knew Hank must have missed watching Zack grow up. "You really love him, don't you?" Hank eyed Michaela and gave her an awkward smile. He snickered, shook his head, and stood up from the table.

"Can I see him?" he asked avoiding the question. Michaela stepped back and walked over to her desk.

"Yes, that should be fine. He has to stay in bed though. And come and get me if there is any change." She gathered her hat and watched Hank limp toward the door that led to the recovery rooms. "You should tell him that you love him, Hank." With that, she exited the clinic. Once outside, she squinted in the bright sunlight and found Sully asleep on the bench. She smiled at her husband and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. "Good morning." He quickly awoke and beamed when he saw his wife.

"Good morning," Sully kissed her remembering that their evening had not yet been completed. He was about to suggest they continue it when he noticed her tired and weary face. Knowing that Michaela would not even want to think about their escapades, he slid his arm around her waist. "Come, let me take you home. Get some sleep."

"Hmm," she sighed. "They both stood up and went over to the wagon. Michaela turned to her husband and stared into his eyes.

"I believe we have an evening to continue," she prodded. Sully blinked and looked at her in utter shock.

"What? Y-you're not too tired?" he asked, excitedly.

"Never for you," she replied. She gave him a knowing glance and quickly climbed the wagon. Once they were both seated, Michaela whispered, "Besides, you still owe the birthday girl her present." Sully quickly snapped the reigns which sent the wagon racing back to the homestead.

The End