Colleen walked into the kitchen where Sully was sitting at the table with Katie and Michaela was making dinner.
"Ma?" Colleen asked and Michaela turned to face her. "I've made a decision and I want you to know about it." She sighed. "This is not easy for me to say." Sully looked at her with gentle eyes.
"Whatever you have to say we'll understand Colleen. You can feel free to say it." She exhaled.
"I'm not going to medical school." Michaela's jaw dropped.
"What?"
"Andrew and I are getting married. I can't leave for two years. I can stay here and continue being a nurse for both of you."
"Colleen? Are you sure that's what you want to do? We've been working to get you into medical school for so long."
"I'm sure Ma. Not everybody is made for college. I'm not smart enough like some of them." Michaela took Colleen's hands in her own.
"You are smart enough Colleen. You just need to believe in yourself."
"You are just like Grandma! I don't want to do what you want and that's why you aren't happy. You'll try to force me to do what you want." She ran up the stairs.
"Colleen!" Michaela called after her. Sully stood up.
"Let her be Michaela." He said. She looked up at him with tears glistening in her eyes.
"Do you think she's right?" He shook his head.
"She's upset. Colleen will calm down eventually." Michaela nodded and glanced up the stairs.
Colleen was laying on her bed crying. She loved Andrew and couldn't wait until they were married, but she loved her Ma and wanted her to be proud of her. Colleen heard a knock on her door.
"Come in." She said resting against the headboard. Sully walked into the room.
"Can I talk to you?"
"Pa, I'd prefer not to talk about it." Sully sat on the end of the bed.
"Colleen, I know how you feel." She looked at him.
"How?"
"When I wanted to marry Abigail, Maude and Loren didn't want her to marry me. Loren didn't care for me where your Ma just wants you to finish school first." Colleen turned to him.
"I can't go to school. I'm just not smart enough Pa."
"You aren't smart enough or you don't want to leave Andrew?" Sully pushed and Colleen stood up.
"I'm marrying Andrew whether Ma likes it or not. I'm grown, I can do that."
"You wouldn't break your Ma's heart."
"She won't listen to me!" Colleen crossed her arms and turned away from him.
"I meant your real Ma." She turned to look at him.
"That's cruel Pa."
"It's not supposed to be. Your Ma wanted the best for all of you. She was excited to think you wanted to be a doctor like Michaela." Colleen cried.
"If I leave Colorado Springs to go to medical school I'll lose Andrew." She paused. "I'll get my medical degree, but not right now."
"If you don't go now, you'll never go back." Sully reasoned and Colleen frowned.
"I'll make it back Pa." Colleen fought.
"Just think about it for your Ma will you? She's afraid you won't go for your dreams if you get married."
"I'm still me Sully! I still want to be a doctor, Andrew won't hinder that. He supports me in going to school." She exclaimed.
"I know he does. But you don't have to be married to support each other. I'm not against Andrew courting ya, or the idea of marriage. But it needs to be in two years once you're out of school."
"You don't really want us together, do you?" Colleen stared into his eyes and he said. "I knew it." She walked down the stairs and out the front door.
"Colleen!" Michaela called after her. Sully walked down the stairs. "What happened?" He didn't respond.
Colleen sat in the church yard. She was in front of her mother's headstone and let the tears fall down her cheeks as she spoke.
"Ma" she started with a quivering lip, "I miss you, especially now." Colleen pulled her shawl around her. "I love Ma and Sully but they don't like Andrew. I wonder what you'd think. What would you tell me about medical school and marriage?"
"The same thing Ma already said." She turned around to find Matthew standing there.
"I'm sure you feel the same way as Ma and Pa?"
"What are you talking about?" She walked out of the grave yard and he put his hands on her shoulders.
"Ma and Pa don't think Andrew and I should be getting married."
"Well," Matthew took off his hat. "You're so young Colleen. You'll have time in your life to be married. You want to be a doctor. You can do that first."
"Matthew, Andrew doesn't want to wait. He wants a wife who can be there for you and support your decisions then he isn't the person for you Colleen." She sighed.
"But he is the person for me. I don't want to go to medical school and lose him forever." Colleen walked away from Matthew. She hated the idea that she was going against her family, but she wanted to be happy, and knew she could be with Andrew. With one more sharp sigh, she headed towards the Chateau to find Andrew. She didn't want another minute to go by without talking to him and telling him she would love to be his wife for the rest of her life.