The Lady Doctor from Boston

Chapter 2: Settling In

Putting on what he hoped was an air of nonchalance, Sully casually sauntered towards the Livery. He tried to suppress a laugh as he saw the Lady Doctor struggling to control a horse that she'd apparently just bought from Robert E., named "Bear." Even to Sully's untrained eye, it looked like she'd managed to pick the oldest and slowest animal of the bunch.

"City folk," he thought, with a wry smile.

He couldn't tell whether she was more afraid of the horse, or it of her. She finally managed to get her foot in the stirrup and, with Charlotte's assistance, was trying in vain to mount Bear using her legs, which seemed to be sadly lacking any kind of strength.

Without thinking, Sully reached forward, grabbed her behind the hips, and hoisted her onto the horse. She landed in the saddle with an ungraceful thud and a shocked gasp. It was only after the task had been accomplished that he considered the consequences of his rash actions; as he tried not to think about how wonderful her rear-end had felt in his hands, even through multiple layers of skirts and petticoats. He half-expected her to haul off and slap him in a fit of righteous indignation. But, to his relief, she just looked embarrassed by her own clumsiness and inability to ride a horse. (Little did she know that he didn't ride either, due to his longstanding fear of horses!)

Sully removed the doctor's Wanted Ad from its temporary perch between his teeth, and handed it to her.

"You took it down," she observed.

For a moment, he was tempted to let her believe that, so he could back out of his harebrained idea to have her rent his homestead. But then again, taking the ad down for no purpose at all would have just made him seem downright crazy. For some reason that he wasn't much inclined to think about at the time, it was important to him for this woman to feel like she could trust him.

So, instead, he replied, "No, I'm answerin' it."

That prompted a raised eyebrow from Charlotte. But the Widow Cooper and Sully went way back, and she knew he'd never do anything to hurt the Lady Doctor. Charlotte had been one of the few people in the town who'd supported his marriage to Abigail against her father Loren's objections. And she'd thought it was wrong of Loren to blame him for Abby and Hannah's deaths.

Apparently deciding that her new friend would be in good hands, Charlotte said, "I gotta get back and start fixin' dinner. Sully, why don't ya take the Doc here over to look at your homestead; to see if she likes it? I'll see ya later at dinner, Doc."

With a reassuring smile to Dr. Quinn and a wave to them both, she turned and headed back to the boarding house.

Sully expected the doctor to turn Charlotte's suggestion down cold. After all, he was sure he looked to her like some half-wild "savage" who'd pounce on her the first chance he got. But it seemed as though the Widow Cooper's "seal of approval" had convinced the Lady Doctor that she was safe with him.

"Shall we?" she asked.

Sully was pretty sure Dr. Quinn expected him to ride with her on his own horse, but instead, he grasped Bear by the reins and exited the Livery. If she was surprised by his decision to walk, she didn't show it. With a quick goodbye to Robert E., they set off -- her, on horseback and him, on foot -- in the direction of the homestead.

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It took them close to an hour to get to their destination, as Bear wasn't the fastest horse, and Sully felt no need to hurry. Conversation was kept to a minimum during their trip out to the homestead; the silence broken only when he pointed out the occasional fork in the road or other useful landmark. Dr. Quinn seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, and he was never much one for smalltalk, anyway. In any case, it seemed like whenever he looked at her, he couldn't think of anything intelligent to say. The last time Sully remembered being this tongue-tied was when he'd been a young whelp of ten or eleven, nursing his first childhood crush.

At last, his deserted homestead came into view, and they stopped a little way off so that Dr. Quinn could get a good look at the whole property. Frankly, it looked much worse than he recalled it appearing the last time he'd walked by. Some of the sideboards had come loose, and the barn door hung off its hinges. The yard, and even some parts of the house, were overrun with weeds and stray tree branches.

Sully was pretty certain that the doctor would turn right around and head back to town as quickly as Bear could carry her. But, to his amazement, she remained still and surveyed the property. A look of disbelief -- and a bit of fear -- flitted across her face, as if she were wondering what she'd gotten herself into. But she instantly schooled her features into a calm appearance, and proceeded to dismount the horse. Or, more accurately, tried to dismount. She misjudged the distance between the saddle and the ground; and to make matters worse, on her way down, her foot got caught in the stirrup, causing her to fall onto the hard earth beneath her with an awkward thump. Wolf immediately rushed to her side, with a sympathetic whimper.

Reflexively, Sully turned around to help her up, but then, he stopped himself. When he'd helped her get onto Bear back at the Livery, touching her had had such an effect on him that, honestly, he was a bit afraid to touch her again. But still, as she looked up at him expectantly, he was a bit ashamed of his ungentlemanly behavior. Feeling the need to offer her some explanation, he tried to come up with a plausible excuse for leaving her lying there in the dust.

"Well, if you're gonna survive, you better learn to make it on your own," Sully offered. An utterly feeble justification, if he'd ever heard one.

But the plucky Dr. Quinn wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing that his indifference had hurt her.

"Precisely," she muttered defiantly. With that, she got up, dusted herself off, and rushed to bring an uncooperative Bear (who'd wandered off) back to the homestead. You had to admire her willpower.

Once the horse was all tied up, the doctor resolutely marched up the stairs to the small front porch. Without a hint of uncertainty, she looked right at her future landlord and asked, "How much?"

Truth be told, Sully hadn't even thought about how much he'd lease the place for. Deep down, he knew his offer to rent the homestead to Dr. Quinn had never been about money, even though a little extra every month wouldn't be unwelcome.

"A dollar a month?" he proposed. The property would probably be worth ten-times that in rent once it was fixed up; but right then, Sully didn't much care. Besides, if the doctor was willing to take the time to clean this filthy place up, he figured she deserved a discount.

She opened the rickety front door, and peered tentatively inside. The interior was even worse than he'd suspected; everything was caked in dust and cobwebs.

Yet, the Lady Doctor was not to be deterred. With a determined set to her chin, she replied, "I'll take it."

They had a deal. After fumbling around in her medical bag for a few moments, she produced a small metal and wooden object that Sully soon identified as a doctor's shingle. "M. Quinn, M.D.," it read.

"What do you think?" she asked. The late afternoon sun bathed her features in a warm glow, making her look like a fairy-tale heroine from one of those children's storybooks.

Such a small shingle didn't seem befitting of a woman with such a big heart and spirit. Unwilling to admit as much to himself, much less her, Sully merely muttered, "It's not much of a shingle."

He immediately regretted his sarcastic opinion when he saw the deflated look on Dr. Quinn's face. But it was too late to take the words back; and, what's more, he was a little annoyed at himself for caring so much about her feelings. Reminding himself that she was just his tenant, and a virtual stranger to boot, he walked away. He felt somewhat guilty for leaving her there all alone instead of taking her back to town, but he just needed to get away from his old homestead and all the memories it held, not to mention the Lady Doctor's disconcerting presence. So far, she'd proven to be quite a survivor, and he reassured himself that she'd figure out her way back to town, especially if she'd been listening earlier when he'd pointed out those landmarks and roads.

Without so much as a backward glance, Sully hastened into the forest, looking forward to spending some solitary time in his lean-to.

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Although he'd been around town more than usual for the treaty negotiations, Sully didn't cross paths with Dr. Quinn again until Sunday, when Charlotte took her to the town chapel for the weekly service. In hindsight, it was probably a good thing that he hadn't seen the doctor for a few days -- the woman confused him so much that he'd needed a little space to get his head together. He wasn't actually attending church himself, of course. Even though he considered himself a spiritual man, his affinity for Cheyenne customs and beliefs hadn't endeared him to the Colorado Springs congregation. So it had, in fact, been almost two years since he'd set foot in the "Lord's House," as the Reverend called it.

Rather, Sully was standing in the meadow outside the church, near the temporary Cheyenne outpost that had been set up for the Treaty Council. He was talking with Chief Black Kettle about the progress of the negotiations, when suddenly, he felt the air around him change. He glanced in the direction of the church, and sure enough, there was the Lady Doctor riding up to the chapel. She was dressed in her Boston "Sunday Best," which made her stand out from the ordinary townsfolk like a flame in a dark room. Truthfully, Sully couldn't have told you who else was there, as his eyes were fixed on the intriguing doctor. Perceiving Sully's distraction, the Chief followed the direction of his friend's gaze.

"Who is she?" Black Kettle asked in Cheyenne.

"A doctor ... medicine woman from back East," Sully answered in kind.

"Hmm," replied the Chief. "Medicine Women, like my wife, hold a special position of honor among the Cheyenne. But among Whites, women are not allowed to share their gifts of healing with others, as only men are allowed to make medicine. So this white woman is either extremely courageous or completely crazy," he commented, with an affable smirk.

As if sensing that they were discussing her, the Lady Doctor suddenly looked directly across the meadow at Black Kettle and Sully. Their eyes met, and Sully couldn't completely hide the sheepish look on his face at having been caught staring again. He quickly looked away, but not without catching another knowing look from the Chief. Once more, the Indian said nothing, but his point had been made. It was a point that Sully was far from ready to face. Seeking an escape, he decided that it was time for him to pay his weekly visit to Abigail's grave.

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Sully had no idea how long he'd sat by Abby's gravestone, thinking about her, Hannah, and oddly enough, about the Lady Doctor from Boston. Strange, that she would pop into his mind at such a time. But he brushed aside his misgivings over thinking about the doctor, not wanting to ponder things too much for fear of what he might discover about himself. He must have been at the cemetery for over an hour, because he was still sitting there, deep in thought, when he heard the sounds of the congregation emerging from the chapel.

He felt her presence, her eyes on him, even before he saw her. With her signature purposeful stride, Dr. Quinn was walking towards him in the cemetery. Not wanting her to witness his private grieving process over Abby and Hannah, he quickly got to his feet and met her halfway. From the look in her eyes, it was clear that she had something very specific on her mind.

"There are some things at the cabin that belong to you," she said in greeting.

"It's nuthin' I want," he grumbled. He wasn't prepared to divulge any more to her. Thankfully, she let it drop.

Not one to mince words, she got straight to her main point.

"What did Chief Black Kettle say to you when I rode up?"

"He wanted to know who you were."

"And what did you tell him?" she queried.

"I told him you were a medicine woman, 'come from the East. He said among Whites, only men make medicine, so you must be a crazy white woman." Sully tried his best to sound unconcerned, but the upturned corners of his lips revealed his amusement.

He walked away before she had a chance to respond.

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Sully didn't see the Lady Doctor for a couple of weeks after that, until the saddest of circumstances brought them together. Charlotte Cooper, one of his only allies in Colorado Springs, had unexpectedly died of a rattlesnake bite, leaving her three children in the custody of Dr. Quinn. He usually tried to stay clear of any type of "town meeting," but he had to make an exception for Charlotte's funeral because he'd considered her a friend. From his vantage point at the back of the small gathering, he saw the Cooper children standing numbly over their mother's coffin, with the doctor next to them. The lost look on her face tugged at his heartstrings, making him wonder for the umpteenth time why he cared so much. But he could relate to her feelings of pain, grief and confusion; he knew what it felt like when life decided to take its own course and leave you in the lurch.

The sudden loss suffered by Dr. Quinn and her new family made Sully feel even more protective toward them. They didn't know each other well enough for him to offer his help outright; and besides, she seemed like such an independent lady that she would probably have turned him down anyway. Instead, he tried to be there for them as much as possible, always at a safe distance and in the background, in case they needed anything. They didn't exchange words, and many times, he wasn't even sure they saw him or knew he was there. But he found a strange comfort in watching over them, making sure they were safe. Little did he know that the Lady Doctor would end up needing his help in the most surprising of situations ...

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Sully had been hanging around in town more than usual recently, despite the fact that treaty negotiations had ended -- fruitlessly, in his view -- and Chief Black Kettle and his contingent had returned to the Cheyenne village a few miles away. Even Sully had to admit to himself that there was no longer any apparent reason for him to be in the neighborhood, other than to keep an eye on the kids and Dr. Quinn, or "Dr. Mike," as they now called her. Brian, in his typical affectionate way, had taken to calling her that shortly after she'd arrived in Colorado Springs, and the endearment had soon caught on with his two siblings. Apparently, her late father (also a doctor), had given her the nickname "Mike" as a child, but adding "Dr." had solely been Brian's invention. The nickname fit her well, in Sully's view. It captured the warmth between her and the kids, but also her strength and determination as a pioneer woman doctor. He had to confess that he himself had begun to think of her as "Dr. Mike." Of course, he had yet to actually call her by that nickname, since they hadn't spoken in weeks. Until ...

One day, Sully was lingering near the outskirts of town when he saw Dr. Mike heading into Hank Lawson's Saloon, the local House of Disrepute. From the looks of things, one of Hank's girls had beckoned to her, and in her usual helpful fashion, the doctor hadn't been able to stay away. Sully had a sinking feeling that this was not going to end well, so he walked over and stood nearby, just to make sure. If nothing untoward happened, he could just slip away unnoticed, and Dr. Mike would never have a clue that he'd been there looking out for her. But he should have known that things couldn't possibly go smoothly in a place like Hank's.

After about half-an-hour, Sully overheard Dr. Mike's melodic voice as she addressed Hank on her way out, with some instructions about Myra, the saloon girl that she'd attended to. However, the doctor never made it to the exit, since Carl, one of the regular patrons, thought it would be more fun to entertain himself at her expense than to let her leave. To her credit, Dr. Mike did her best to hide her fear, looking him straight in the eye and demanding that he get out of her way. But, urged on by his equally-drunk counterparts, Carl moved threateningly towards her, intending to kiss her, and perhaps, do something more.

That was the last straw for Sully.

He stormed into the Saloon, grabbed Carl by the shoulders, and threw him through the front doors with more force than he ever knew he had in him. A couple of other guys decided to get involved, wanting to help their drinking-partner. The younger man threw a solid punch that hit Sully squarely in the jaw, splitting his lip and knocking him up onto the bar. Sully was able to right himself pretty quickly and fight them off with a few well-placed kicks and cuffs. Just when he went to take Dr. Mike's hand to lead her out of Hank's, he heard a loud "click" behind him, which signaled the cocking of a pistol. Carl had decided that he needed to save face by re-entering the Saloon and confronting Sully. Unfortunately for Carl, he was either too dumb or too drunk to sneak up on Sully, which would have given him an advantage. Instead, Carl stupidly announced his intentions.

"I ain't afraid of you, Mountain Man," he growled, brandishing his weapon.

The words were barely out of his mouth when Sully hurled his tomahawk straight at Carl's shooting hand, knocking his gun to the floor. The wannabe gunman yelped in pain and grabbed his injured wrist. Taking advantage of Carl's momentary distraction, Sully grasped Dr. Mike's hand and rushed her out of the Saloon. She made a beeline for her wagon, while he looked around behind him to make sure they weren't being followed.

The Cooper kids were already gathered around the wagon, having left Mr. Bray's Mercantile a few minutes before. Dr. Mike hustled them into the wagon, doing her best not to show them how terrified she was. As the wagon began to pull away, she reached out to Sully in a gesture of gratitude. He automatically reciprocated.

"Thank you," she said, looking gratefully at him as her hand grazed his.

When she touched him, it felt like a lightning bolt had shot up Sully's arm, making him too dumbfounded to answer her. Besides, there wasn't time; she and the children were already gone. It all happened so fast that, for a moment, he wondered whether the bar brawl had been a figment of his imagination. But his aching jaw and bloody lip served as reminders of just how real it had all been.

As Sully watched Dr. Mike's wagon disappear into the forest on the way to the homestead, he tried to ignore the tingling sensation where her fingers had brushed his. Pushing those bothersome thoughts aside, he turned and headed in the direction of the nearby Cheyenne village. He figured that Cloud Dancing, the Cheyenne medicine man who also happened to be his best friend, would have a remedy for his split lip, which had begun to swell into a painful, angry bruise on the lower half of his face.

Despite the warning voice in his head telling him to leave well enough alone, Sully had already decided to secretly check on the homestead later, after sundown, and to keep an eye on the place for a couple of hours, just in case Carl and his cohorts got any foolhardy ideas about repeating their earlier mischief.

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Maybe it was the leftover excitement from his fight at the Saloon earlier, but that night, Sully was plagued by vivid dreams, all of them featuring Dr. Mike. Truthfully, he hadn't had dreams like that, or responded so strongly to them, since he'd been a teenage boy. Finally, when dawn began to break, he gave up all hope of sleeping in peace. Instead, he did what he'd always done in the past when he'd needed to let off some steam: He spent a few hours splitting logs. Unsure whether physical exertion alone would totally take care of his problem, he decided to throw in an ice-cold dip in the creek for good measure.

[END OF CHAPTER 2. CONTINUE TO CHAPTER 3.]