His Daughter's Honor
By Bratling
Disclaimer: Not mine. I hugged them, squeezed them, called them George, and gave them back like a good girl. Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman belongs to Beth Sullivan, CBS, and A&E.
Author's Note: Sully got completely shut out in Ladies' Night in regards to Colleen. Michaela knew what was going on, Becky knew, Matthew knew, and even Brian knew about the teasing if not the other. Remember, at this point, Sully and Michaela were engaged, and he had already stated that she and the kids were his family. So this breaks off there with a what if - 'What if Sully had found out how Jared MacAlister was treating Colleen?' Thanks to Wendy, my long-suffering beta reader!
I'm sure it's been done before, simply because it's logical. Not meaning to step on any toes, but any man who named his wolf "Wolf" is sure to name his horse "Horse". We were never told what the animal's name is; it wasn't terribly important. Since he got it from the Cheyenne, it only makes sense that it'd be "Mo'éhno'ha" or "Horse" in Cheyenne. (I'm betting Michaela was the driving force behind coming up with names while she was pregnant.)
"Be careful if you make a women cry, because God counts her tears. The woman came out of a man's ribs. Not from his feet to be walked on, not from his head to be superior, but from his side to be equal, under the arm to be protected, and next to the heart to be loved."
― Matthew Henry
Sully still couldn't believe that Becky, Colleen's best friend, had come to see him about what had been happening while Matthew and Brian hadn't. They were his family, and the way he saw it, it was his job to protect Colleen. It didn't matter to him that it wasn't yet official - in his heart, Michaela was already his wife, and her kids were his, too. He'd spoken to Matthew and found out exactly what Colleen had told him, found out from Brian what had happened at school, and now he was on his way to speak to the boy's father. The MacAlisters owned a farm outside of town, and Sully was hoping that Mister MacAlister would be reasonable about the whole mess. He kneed Horse to go a little faster, wanting to get the whole uncomfortable thing over with. Frankly, Jared MacAlister was lucky that Matthew hadn't known exactly what had happened... he was still alive.
The MacAlister place came into view, and he rode up to the barn and sat down harder to let Horse know to stop. He slid off and, hearing noises in the barn, knocked on the door frame of the open door. "Mister MacAlister?" he called.
A tall, brown-haired man dressed in working clothes came out of a stall. "Yeah?"
Sully walked over and held out his hand. "I'm Sully," he said.
MacAlister studied him for a moment, then took his hand. "You're that new Indian Agent," he said. "Th' one who's gonna marry that woman doctor."
"That's right," Sully shook his hand, and then released it.
"What can I do for ya?" he asked, leaning back against a support post.
"I'm here 'bout your son, Jared," Sully ran a hand through his hair to push it out of the way.
"What did he do now?" MacAlister asked with a frown. "We lef' Denver 'cause of the kids he got involved with."
Sully crossed his arms over his chest. "Are you aware that your son's been tryin' to touch my daughter someplace he shouldn't?"
MacAlister hemmed and hawed for a bit. "Boys will be-"
Sully shook his head. "Colleen slapped him good for it," he said quietly. "And he's spent a lotta of time since then tryin' ta shame her for not lettin' 'im treat her like a saloon girl." He paused and studied the man. "She's a good girl, Mister MacAlister, and I'd 'preciate it if you'd have a talk with your son about how ya should treat women with respect."
"But boys that age-"
"I know 'bout boys that age," Sully said. "Colleen's got an older brother that I helped through that age. But how would you feel if it was your little girl that was treated like that? He should be glad I talked my eldest outta comin' out ta talk to him, or he'd be nursing some bad bruises right now. I'd be obliged if you'd let 'im know that every girl's somebody's daughter an' somebody's sister. He leaves my daughter alone, and we won't have further words."
MacAlister drew in a deep breath and nodded. "Me and his ma'll have a talk with him," he promised slowly. "Even if it takes a trip out to th' woodshed. Don't need him gettin' a girl in trouble 'cause she don't stand up for herself like your daughter did."
Sully nodded and left the barn. He vaulted onto Mo'éhno'ha's back and rode back towards the homestead, where he'd been working until he'd found out what had been going on. He was well aware that sometime in the next few years, Colleen would be reaching courting age and probably a few years after that, he'd be giving her away. But that was in the future - far in the future if he had any say in it. He wouldn't be handing over his responsibility to protect her anytime soon, which suited him, because in his eyes, she was the same little girl he'd known since he'd met her family all those years ago.
The children were in bed, and while Sully knew he should be leaving, it was becoming harder and harder for him to leave at night to go to his lean to. Instead, he sat next to Michaela on the front porch, looking at the stars. He knew it had been a hard day for her with Dorothy's surgery, but he needed to talk to her about Colleen. It seemed that everyone had known except for him, and if he was really going to be part of the family, he should have known - as her father, it was his duty and his right to protect her! He held out his arm, and Michaela willingly tucked herself under it, leaning against his chest. He kissed her temple and rested his chin on the top of her head. They sat there for a while, listening to the sounds of the night and relishing each other's closeness. It was Sully who broke the quiet. "Why didn't ya tell me about Colleen?" he asked.
"Hm?" Michaela opened her eyes and looked at him sleepily.
He'd been preoccupied enough that he hadn't even noticed her close her eyes. But she looked so beautiful in the moonlight he couldn't help himself. He leaned down and captured her lips with his. She kissed him back, and he wrapped his arms completely around her. Her hands came up to tangle in his hair, holding him close. The kiss broke slowly, and he leaned his forehead against hers. "What was that for?" she asked breathlessly.
"I needed to kiss ya," he said with a mischievous smile. "And I need to know why ya didn't tell me 'bout Colleen, too."
"I- didn't think of it," she admitted. "With Dorothy and everything else that's been going on..."
Sully kissed her temple. "Ya don't have ta do it alone anymore," he reminded her. "I'm gonna be part of this family, and it's part of my job ta protect our daughter."
"She asked to handle it herself," Michaela said softly.
"And she did - after I talked to Mister MacAlister," Sully rubbed his hand up and down her back gently. "I don't think she'll have trouble with that boy no more."
"She'll think you don't trust her," Michaela pointed out.
"I trust her; it's the boys I don't trust." He looked at her and grinned. "She knows she ain't allowed to court until she's thirty, right?"
Michaela laughed. "It didn't work well with Matthew."
"Well, Matthew ain't our little girl," Sully explained. "He was fightin' to be his own man by the time you got him, an' he's still doin' that. Colleen ain't grown yet. We tell her now, and maybe it'll work."
Michaela smiled. "I doubt it," she reached up and smoothed a curl off his face. "You're the one who keeps reminding me that they're growing up."
"We could use your medical books, and put 'em on the kids' heads to make 'em stop growing," he suggested.
Her smile widened into a grin. "Won't work," she said. "I think I've fed them too well."
"Can't stop that," he said with an exaggerated sigh. "They'll complain too much if we don't feed 'em."
Michaela laughed softly. "I suppose we can't stop them from growing up, then."
"Guess not." He kissed her softly. "I'd better go." Sully stood up and helped her up as well. Together, they walked the few short steps to the door. "I'll see ya tomorrow," he promised, and then kissed her again. He waited until she was safely inside and he heard the door bolt before he whistled to Wolf and headed home. The new homestead couldn't be completed soon enough. Because the sooner it was complete, the sooner he and Michaela could get married. Then, he would finally have what he'd wanted since he'd been orphaned - his own family that nobody could take from him.
Finis.