Sully walked into town to buy some coffee. While things were still very tense between he and Loren, Sully welcomed the need for the trip as it also gave him an excuse to drop off some willow bark tea for Dr. Mike. Sully knew it was crazy that he needed an excuse, much less one other than to give her medicine, to visit Dr. Mike in the middle of the day. After all, they had been best friends for a year and a half and he had been eating dinner with the family nearly every night for some time now, not to mention the work they did at the reservation together. That being said, it seemed that the closer they got, the more nervous he was around her. He couldn't ignore his feelings for her, but he couldn't bring himself to confess them either.
Sully brought himself out of his musings when he saw Robert E. at his livery/blacksmith shop and Grace at her cafe. On any other day, this would have been normal, but considering they had been married just the day before, he couldn't have been more shocked. Deciding the coffee and Dr. Mike could wait, he walked over to talk with Robert E.
"Didn't expect ta see you an' Grace workin' taday, no rest for the wicked, huh?" he good naturedly ribbed his friend.
"Sully, believe me, nothin' about last night was wicked," Robert E. chuckled as he raised an eyebrow, making sure Sully understood his meaning before turning his head to steal a glance at his new bride as she served breakfast to her customers.
"I have no doubt," Sully agreed.
"I don't know how to thank ya Sully," Robert E. said sincerely. "If it wouldn'ta been for you, I'd probably still be starin' tongue tied at Grace."
"After the cornbread incident? I don't think she woulda let ya get away with that much longer," Sully laughed.
"You're probably right," Robert E. returned with laughter of his own. "But I sure am glad you gave me a shove."
"No problem," Sully said simply.
"So when are ya gonna take your own advice?" Robert E. asked.
Sully stared at him blankly.
"Oh, come on, Sully. Everyone knows you're sweet on Dr. Mike... Including Dr. Mike, I'd venture," Robert E. stated the obvious.
"We're just friends an' I help her out with the kids as much as I can," Sully defended.
"Sounds to me like you're more like a family. Why don't ya make it official?" Robert E. asked.
At the word "family," Sully was torn. As much as he did feel like Dr. Mike and the children were family, he was afraid to get too committed in fear that everything would be snatched from him, just like it had the first time.
"Sully, ya ain't cursed," he said, seeing the pained look on his friend's face. "Sometimes, bad things just happen. Just 'cause Abigail and Hannah died, doesn't mean Dr. Mike an' the kids will either."
"It's not just that. My parents, my brother..." Sully trailed off.
Robert E. shot Sully a look that read, "Same thing happened to me. I know exactly how ya feel."
Catching his look, Sully felt horrible. How could he have been so wrapped up in his own losses to completely forget about the horrible experiences Robert E. went through?
"Robert E, I shoulda thought..." Sully began to apologize.
"Don't worry about it," Robert E. shook his head. "I just meant that I know how ya feel, but if I'd let my past affect my life now, I wouldn't have Grace. Now that I do, I can't imagine my life without her. My first family will always be my family, and Grace understands that. But they ain't here right now. Grace is."
Sully nodded as Robert E.'s words sunk in.
"Gotta live your dreams Sully. If ya do, they become reality. If ya don't, they become regrets. And take it from me, reality is a whole lot better than regrets." Robert E. encouraged.
Sully leaned back against the fence and thought about what Robert E. had said. He was right. If he let go of the irrational theory behind his fear, what did he really have to lose? He was almost certain that Dr. Mike shared his feelings and the children had conveyed their desire for him to marry their ma more than once...
Just as Sully was going to walk to the clinic to have a talk with Dr. Mike, he heard a commotion coming from the direction of the telegraph office.
"Dr. Mike! Telegram!" Horace yelled, running frantically toward the clinic.
Hearing her name, Sully took off following Horace. He had no idea what was in that telegram, but he had a feeling that Dr. Mike would need him.