Dead of Winter
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
Chapter One: Falling Leaves
The leaves turned bright shades of red, yellow and orange. The fields and prairie danced with gleaming shades of colors and sparkling with the hint of frost. She loved this time of year, this time when it was still fresh and not yet chilled by the dreariness of cold winter. She laughed as she thought of Brian's return for Thanksgiving, one of her favorite holidays, where he'd tell stories of life as a newspaper man in Boston. She also beamed at the idea of Andrew and seven months pregnant Colleen arriving just in time for the birth of their first child. She thought life had never been better for her as she crossed the street to her clinic. Until she got the shock of her life.. It was then as the leaves rolled along the dirt road, that time stood still.
"Dr. Mike!" Horace yelled excited and worried all at the same time. Michaela could tell that something was wrong. Not with Horace himself, or Samantha now thirteen who lived with him, but that something had happened to her own family. Sully? No, he was at home with twelve year old Katie, already the tomboy and as stubborn as her mother. Brian, Colleen, Matthew? Horrified thoughts screamed through her mind.
"A wire just came in to the sheriff. Matthew has been arrested for murder." Horace said spitting out the cold words into her face. "I'm sorry, Dr. Mike."
Michaela's mind circled. Matthew was in Denver, in law school trying to get a law degree and courting his fiancée Madelyn. He was fine, happier then he had been since Ingrid died. It must be gossip she told herself, a horrible rumor sent by Hank perhaps as a joke of some kind.
"Thank you Horace." she replied politely rushing off in earnest to find out the truth. Daniel had resigned as sheriff some years before and now Jeremiah Davis resided as the sheriff of Colorado Springs. A young thirty-something man who came from Oregon and had a tough but quiet manner that Dr. Mike liked in him. He saw justice as it came, through court and not the swing of a rope, and handled matters calm and collected not in anger or suspicion as Hank or maybe Jake would. As "progress" came and the quaint Colorado Springs grew larger and larger, a level headed sheriff was need to control the crime that went along with more people. She signed to herself still as she saw once again the larger jail that was made two years ago, and wished for the town she had known at her first arrival.
"Sheriff Davis!" she called and stepped into the building that her son had been in charge of so many years ago, that know spoke of his imprisonment.
"Ah, Dr. Quinn, I was just on my way to your homestead." Jeremiah said tipping his hat in her direction. "I assume you have heard about Matthew."
"Yes." she spoke. "So it's true then."
"I just received a wire from the sheriff in Denver, he's a friend of mine and apparently he learned that Matthew was from here." Jeremiah stated motioning her to follow him inside. "I don't know of the exact details, but Matthew's been held there since Thursday."
Mike nodded her head. Murder? Matthew? It must have been a mistake, someone else or self defense. Her son could never be a cold blooded murderer.
"I'm sorry Dr. Mike." she heard for the second time that day. "I'll let you know if I hear anything else."
"Thank you." she repeated, as she left and readied herself to mount Flash and hurry home to talk to Sully about traveling to Denver.
Numerous events that had taken place in the past ten years that led Dr. Mike into the year 1880. For Sully the past years had begun to stifle him as the wild west became civilized and the age of the frontier seemed vastly ending. But, still he buried himself into providing for national parks and protecting the land. Within that time, the couple had had another daughter, Eve, or Evie as they called her, who was three and also at the homestead with Sully and Katie. Her home as she rode up to it , looked as beautiful as when they spent their first night in it. It did not feel the torn that threaten to tear it all apart.
*~*
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
Chapter One: Falling Leaves
The leaves turned bright shades of red, yellow and orange. The fields and prairie danced with gleaming shades of colors and sparkling with the hint of frost. She loved this time of year, this time when it was still fresh and not yet chilled by the dreariness of cold winter. She laughed as she thought of Brian's return for Thanksgiving, one of her favorite holidays, where he'd tell stories of life as a newspaper man in Boston. She also beamed at the idea of Andrew and seven months pregnant Colleen arriving just in time for the birth of their first child. She thought life had never been better for her as she crossed the street to her clinic. Until she got the shock of her life.. It was then as the leaves rolled along the dirt road, that time stood still.
"Dr. Mike!" Horace yelled excited and worried all at the same time. Michaela could tell that something was wrong. Not with Horace himself, or Samantha now thirteen who lived with him, but that something had happened to her own family. Sully? No, he was at home with twelve year old Katie, already the tomboy and as stubborn as her mother. Brian, Colleen, Matthew? Horrified thoughts screamed through her mind.
"A wire just came in to the sheriff. Matthew has been arrested for murder." Horace said spitting out the cold words into her face. "I'm sorry, Dr. Mike."
Michaela's mind circled. Matthew was in Denver, in law school trying to get a law degree and courting his fiancée Madelyn. He was fine, happier then he had been since Ingrid died. It must be gossip she told herself, a horrible rumor sent by Hank perhaps as a joke of some kind.
"Thank you Horace." she replied politely rushing off in earnest to find out the truth. Daniel had resigned as sheriff some years before and now Jeremiah Davis resided as the sheriff of Colorado Springs. A young thirty-something man who came from Oregon and had a tough but quiet manner that Dr. Mike liked in him. He saw justice as it came, through court and not the swing of a rope, and handled matters calm and collected not in anger or suspicion as Hank or maybe Jake would. As "progress" came and the quaint Colorado Springs grew larger and larger, a level headed sheriff was need to control the crime that went along with more people. She signed to herself still as she saw once again the larger jail that was made two years ago, and wished for the town she had known at her first arrival.
"Sheriff Davis!" she called and stepped into the building that her son had been in charge of so many years ago, that know spoke of his imprisonment.
"Ah, Dr. Quinn, I was just on my way to your homestead." Jeremiah said tipping his hat in her direction. "I assume you have heard about Matthew."
"Yes." she spoke. "So it's true then."
"I just received a wire from the sheriff in Denver, he's a friend of mine and apparently he learned that Matthew was from here." Jeremiah stated motioning her to follow him inside. "I don't know of the exact details, but Matthew's been held there since Thursday."
Mike nodded her head. Murder? Matthew? It must have been a mistake, someone else or self defense. Her son could never be a cold blooded murderer.
"I'm sorry Dr. Mike." she heard for the second time that day. "I'll let you know if I hear anything else."
"Thank you." she repeated, as she left and readied herself to mount Flash and hurry home to talk to Sully about traveling to Denver.
Numerous events that had taken place in the past ten years that led Dr. Mike into the year 1880. For Sully the past years had begun to stifle him as the wild west became civilized and the age of the frontier seemed vastly ending. But, still he buried himself into providing for national parks and protecting the land. Within that time, the couple had had another daughter, Eve, or Evie as they called her, who was three and also at the homestead with Sully and Katie. Her home as she rode up to it , looked as beautiful as when they spent their first night in it. It did not feel the torn that threaten to tear it all apart.
*~*
