Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. The rights to those characters and to the show belong to the creators of the show, to CBS and The Sullivan Company.

"Brian's healing"

Chapter 1

Brian came in from doing chores to find his Mother finishing up supper. Michaela was looking forward to a supper with her family because the past three nights she had been busy with patients and was not able to eat with her family. Matthew is at the table writing a letter, and Katie is running around playing. Michaela looked up when she heard him come in,

"Are you finished with your chores?"

"Yea"

"Good, supper will be ready shortly. Why don't you wash up and put Katie in her chair."

"Ok."

Matthew moves his papers as Michaela sets the food on the table and Brian is back from washing up and putting Katie in her chair and they all sit down to eat.

"Brian, would you say the blessing?"

"No" – The last thing Brian felt like doing was thanking God for anything. God had done nothing good for him. He had taken his mother, his biological father had run out on him, the man he had come to see as his father was in hiding, his mother and brother spent all their time trying to free him and his best friend was dead, he was not going to say the blessing!

"Brian?!"

"I don't want to Ma."

Michaela, with a look of confusion on her face said, "Alright, I will," and she proceeded to say the blessing and the family started to eat.

"How was school today, Brian?"

"Fine" he said short and curt.

Again Michaela is taken back by Brian's demeanor. "Well do you have any homework, tonight?"

"Yea" Brian replied, thinking to himself I haven't done my homework for the past two days so probably won't tonight either.

"Has Miss Theresa started any new projects?"

"Yea, we started studying the Civil War."

"That must be real interesting and sometimes confrontational. Has anyone gotten upset talking about it?"

"There has been a couple of times that kids started getting upset," Brian's cold wall is starting to come down and he is enjoying once again having a conversation with his ma and he has been wanting to share with her the trouble he has been having with Charles.

"There still some kids who think blacks should be slaves and that the South should have won the war."

"Oh, has there been any trouble – suddenly there is a load noise followed by Katie crying – she has dropped her milk glass and spilled all over herself and the floor. Michaela quickly reacts to this. "Katie, sweetheart, it will be alright. Here mama will dry you off. It is ok." Wolf is already cleaning up the milk that hit the floor. "You needed a bath tonight anyway Kates we will just start it a little early." Katie has stopped crying but has again interrupted Brian's time to talk with his ma. "Brian will you please get some bath water ready for Katie while I get her out of these wet clothes?"

"Sure." Brian replied disheartedly. Again life step in and stomped on him.

Michaela was so busy with Katie that she did not notice Brian's body language as he headed to get the tub for Katie's bath, but Matthew noticed.

When Michaela had bathed Katie, read her a book, and put her down for the night, she returned to help Matthew finish cleaning up the supper dishes.

"Dr. Mike, I'm a little worried about Brian."

"Why is that, Matthew?"

"Something seems to be bothering him."

"What do you mean?"

"Well first he wouldn't pray."

"True."

"He left the table with some force and looked rather dejected when he went up the stairs."

"Do you know of anything bothering him?"

"No, but I think something is."

"I wonder if he and Sarah are having problems. She hasn't been by in a while."

"I don't know, that could be it, you know how much trouble you women can be."

With that both of them laughed.

"I will go up and check on him as soon as were done here. Matthew did you hear anything from that Philadelphia lawyer yet?"

"Sorry, Dr. Mike I haven't but I will tell you as soon as we hear from him. It hasn't been that long since I sent him our letter."

"Your right, I guess I am just anxious."

"We will find someone, Dr. Mike, I promise." With that Matthew kissed her on the cheek and said, "I am going to go out and check on the horses."

Michaela shook her head and continued to wipe off the table. After making sure everything was properly done she then headed upstairs. She knocked softly on Brian's door and then went in. Brian was already under the covers in bed and his eyes were closed. Michaela went over to turn down the lamp and noticed Brian's homework laying there and saw that it wasn't done. "I am going to have to ask him about that in the morning," she thought to herself. She then sat down on his bed and watched him. She thought maybe he wasn't quite asleep yet and would open his eyes, but he didn't. She just sat there for a while watching him sleep. Then she brushed his hair back and leaned over and kissed him on the forehead and left his room. When Brian heard the door close he opened his eyes. He did not feel like talking to his ma, there was nothing she could do and they would just get interrupted again. He knew he should probably tell her that he had been having trouble sleeping but hadn't. He laid there thinking back over the days events. The remarks Charles had made at school about how glad he was that Anthony was dead because he didn't want to have to listen to why blacks should have equal rights. Charles had said they are not equal. The more he talks the madder Brian gets. From that he shifted to thinking about Grace and how he had been trying to talk to Grace about how much he is missing Anthony but Grace wouldn't stop and talk to him and she was even mean to him about it. Even Robert E. was to busy to talk to him when he stopped at the livery after school. From there Brian went out to the cave to see his Pa maybe talking to him would help but as usual his Pa was not there so he returned home and did his chores. As he laid there tossing and turning growing more and more frustrated that he couldn't sleep, becoming more and more angry that Anthony was gone, and more and more frustrated that he had no one to talk to.