Dr. Quinn Christmas - the Early Years
Christmas was over. The children were in their beds dreaming of all of their new presents and sleeping with a stomach full of all kinds of treats. Michaela sat on the floor of Sully's old homestead by the Christmas tree with a goofy smile on her face. She knew that this was her best Christmas ever. She realized that for Christmas she had received the greatest gift of all… the gift of love.
As Michaela sat there, relaxing in the flickering light from the fireplace and the candles lighting the tree, she enjoyed the beautiful colored reflections on the walls cast by the ornaments shining in the dying flames. It had been a wonderful warm family Christmas, so very different than what she knew from her home in Boston.
When she was little her father never really was with his wife and daughters for the holidays because he stayed at the hospital to allow as many of his staff to celebrate with their families. Her mother ran Christmas formally. Everyone had to dress in their best clothes and watch as presents were opened one at a time. Michaela had found Christmas boring when she was required to sit so quietly. Her older sisters were mainly just interested in dressing up and attending the balls.
Here she had a much simpler Christmas, but it was so much better. The children were so happy with the gifts she had bought for them and even those she had tried to make. Colleen had cooked a beautiful meal with a turkey her older brother had shot and made the most delicious pumpkin pie Michaela had ever tasted. She had never seen all the steps from the pumpkin patch up to the pie. Knowing how much work it took to do that seemed to make it taste better to her than Martha's pie ever had. Martha was an outstanding cook, but eating her daughter's meal warmed her heart. Each of the three children had made her a gift. To think her sisters would make rather than buy one was ludicrous. Colleen had sewed her a red silk blouse; Mathew had made new rigging for bear when he pulled her wagon, and Brian wrote her a poem, a beautiful poem of motherly love.
Of course her thoughts of receiving the gift of love had more to do with Sully joining her little family for Christmas than the children. His deep blue eyes reflected the firelight and sparkled as he kept looking at her with such love. Sully was causing feelings inside of Michaela that she had never experienced before. Her medical books had mentioned these feelings and she knew which parts of her body caused them, but she never understood what it felt like, not even close.
Sully had eventually left to allow all of her little family to go to bed, but Michaela couldn't possibly fall asleep now in spite of having had such a busy day. After each of the children said good night to Sully, leaving the two adults alone, Sully said good night to Michaela with a kiss right on her lips. It was a kiss that sent tingles all the way down to her toes. Her former fiancée had never kissed her like that. She could hardly breathe after he stepped back from her and went out the door, walking into the darkness.
In Boston that kind of kiss meant engagement, but did Sully mean that? Here, in Colorado Springs, societal rules were different; as matter of fact none seemed to really exist. Michaela didn't know what was right here. All the rules her mother had drilled into her did not seem to be true out West. All she knew was that she had a big grin plastered across her face since that kiss. She felt loved.
When Sully reached his lean-to and lay down under some of his skins he also smiled widely. He still felt that kiss that he stole from Dr. Mike. That was just the last part of a wonderful evening for him. He felt like he had a family again, and he had enjoyed celebrating Christmas with them by the fire with a beautiful decorated tree. He vaguely remembered celebrating Christmas with his mother and brother years ago before they died. He remembered having a warm family feeling back then. He had celebrated with his wife too, but they did not have children or any extended family so they didn't have especially warm holidays. His wife, disowned by her father for marrying him, loved him, but like his mother and brother she died leaving him alone. Tonight he might have gained a family, and he had that warm feeling of being loved again. Sully wanted to belong to them permanently. He worried though that the doctor was too good for him. She was beautiful, well educated, and wealthy. He could not see what his role would be in such a family. He knew how to hunt and could supply them food, but they could purchase that. What could Michaela see in him? He couldn't even justify them including him in their family since he seemed to have nothing to offer.
Both, Michaela and Sully felt the gift of love this Christmas, but they still had a long way to go to realize that they truly shared this love for each other and the Cooper children. Eventually they would trust one another and realize their love could overcome all their differences as long as they stuck together. It could help them survive the army's treatment of the Cheyenne and Michaela's mother's disapproval of them and their lives in Colorado Springs. This love had started when they gave it to each other for Christmas, and it was destined to even grow over the years, allowing their family to grow as well.