Chapter 3

Michaela couldn't seem to take her eyes off him.

"David…" she whispered reaching out and tenderly stroking his cheek. Her fingers followed the edge of his hairline across his forehead before tracing the outline of his eyes and nose. Her heart seemed to be beating out of her chest. She could barely believe he was standing here, in front of her. He was moving and breathing. Michaela hadn't realized that she was shaking until he reached up to still her hands in his. She felt tears sting at her eyes and threatening to spill over. There were so many questions to ask, so many things to know that she had no idea where to being. "How…." She was cut off by the door swinging open.

"Hey Ma, can Matthew and I go fishin'?" Brian asked before he realized that anyone else was even in the room. Matthew noticed though, and his gaze shifted between his ma and the strange man standing next to her. He noticed the look on Dr. Mike's face and he was immediately concerned. "Hey, you're the guy what was looking for Ma today. I guess you found her." Brian had yet to tell that anything seemed wrong in the room.

"I suppose I did." David smiled at the young boy. "I must apologize for not introducing myself earlier. My name is David Lewis." He walked forward and held his hand out to Matthew first.

Matthew cast an unsure glance over at Dr. Mike as if in confirmation. He knew who this man was claiming to be, but he was still unsure of what that meant. Michaela, locking eyes with her eldest son simply nodded. Matthew took the man's hand. "I'm Matthew Cooper."

Brian too, was uncertain of what to do when this stranger had announced himself as David Lewis, but finding a reassuring look from his ma, he took a deep breath. "And I'm Brian."

"Brian, you and Matthew are more than welcome to go fishing this afternoon, especially if you promise to catch something for dinner tonight." Brian smiled.

"Sure Ma. Are you gonna be comin' for dinner?" He turned his attention back to David, who was watching the exchange quietly.

"Brian…" Matthew warned.

"I'm sure he will enjoy a nice home cooked meal after such a long trip." Michaela answered, looking at David to gauge his reaction. "We will just make sure I don't cook." She laughed, eliciting a smile from both Brain and Matthew, who were beginning to relax.

"Ok Ma." They left, shutting the door firmly behind them. David turned to Michaela.

"Ma?" He asked, allowing his eyebrows to rise. Michaela just sighed.

"Oh, David there is so much to tell, and I don't know if we have enough time. Tell me about you. What happened? How is this possible?" She watched as David took several deliberate steps 

toward her. For the first time, she noticed the cane. Her fingers reached out to touch the smooth top. When David started speaking, his words were soft and calculated.

"We were at Manassas when an explosion went off overhead, showering us with grapeshot. There was no place to go, nowhere to hide. They left us laying out on the field over night. When the Confederates came by, they took most of us with them. My leg…" He stopped long enough to shift positions so he could remove the pressure from his leg. "My leg suffered severe shrapnel damage. They weren't sure if they were going to be able to save it or not."

"Oh, David."

"But they did, with the least amount of muscle damage as possible." He stopped for a moment to clear his throat. "They took us to Andersonville…" He let his words trail off, not wanting to say any more. Michaela's breath hitched in her chest unable to control the ache there. How had he managed to survive?

"David…" she started to say, but was cut off by the ringing of the bell out front. "My patient."

"That's alright. This conversation can wait until tonight."

"You're still coming to dinner?"



"If the offer still stands." He smiled at her that same smile that he used to give her so long ago. It made her remember just how much she had missed him. It brought the pain of losing him back to the surface.

"It does."


December 24, 1860

The light burned well into the night at the Quinn Residence on Beacon Hill. It was the ever-famed annual Christmas ball and this year Elizabeth Quinn seemed to have out done herself. Every aspect was perfect, from the dinner to the decorations, everything had been criticized meticulously, and now it was paying off. Walking around the room, Elizabeth surveyed the myriad of smiling faces and dancing skirts. Yes, she was quite pleased with the way things were turning out. Even Michaela seemed to be putting forth an effort. She smiled over at her youngest daughter who was standing by the door conversing with a group of women. Elizabeth recognized most of them as being the wives of her husband's colleagues. Susan Kemper was among one of the women who seemed to be cooing over her daughter. This brought an even brighter smile to Elizabeth's face for she knew that Mrs. Kemper's oldest son was just beginning to establish himself as a young lawyer of Boston would soon be looking for a wife. Secretly Elizabeth prayed that Michaela would be on her best behavior and perhaps make a lasting impression. She made a mental note of the match before joining a group to her left to ensure that the conversation would not wane.



Michaela, on the other hand, had found herself in a desperate situation and was searching for any means to get out of it.

"Oh, and of course Julie found the most beautiful dress for her coming out." The oldest woman on her right was saying. "It just fit her so perfectly, and it even had a little bit of a train on it."

"A train? Well, when my girls were coming out trains were to be avoided at all cost. Remember less is more."

"Well, times aren't like they used to be." Utterly bored with the conversation, Michaela allowed her eyes to wander to where her father stood talking with some of their colleagues. She frowned. Oh, how she wished she could be over there. What were they talking about she wondered. Politics? The Economy? The latest research? She sighed; whatever it was, she was certain it was more interesting than train lengths on debutante dresses. Her father happened to look up and their eyes locked. He smiled at her. His wonderful smile that gave her all the encouragement she needed. "You're doing wonderful. I'm so proud of you." It said. Contently she turned back to the ladies that surrounded her to find them looking expectantly at her.

"I'm sorry?"



"We were just wondering your opinion on the subject Michaela. Did you have a train on your gown?" Michaela shook her head.

"No I'm afraid I didn't." Her voice was rather soft when she added, "But that was more of a result of Mother being too afraid that I'd trip." She laughed but found no laughter in the faces around her. It had been the honest truth. Michaela Quinn was not the most graceful daughter to have been bestowed to Joseph and Elizabeth, not by far, and the years between 13 and 18 seemed to be the absolute worse. She had been all knees and elbows. Luckily, she had grown in to her surroundings and by the time she had entered college she could move with a grace that rivaled most of the young women of Boston. To Joseph, the grace seemed to prove her natural talent as a doctor. To Elizabeth, the poise and charm of her daughter seemed to be wasted in an unforgiving world.

"Excuse me. I do believe it is rather warm in here." Stepping out of the group Michaela heard the ladies behind her. –"Poor Elizabeth. That one could be so much more." The statement seemed to knock the wind out of her chest.

Stepping out of the back door, Michaela took a few steps into the garden and tried to breathe deeply. The feeling of being trapped crept through her body as it did on most occasions like this. She felt as if she were a turtle who had grown too big for his shell. Taking another step, Michaela's shoe caught on the edge of a stone step and she felt herself begin to fall.



Before she hit the ground, however, a pair of arms reached out and caught her, setting her upright. Looking up, Michaela found herself staring into a pair of chocolate eyes. Reaching up to push and stray hair out of her eyes, she found herself lost in what she saw.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome… um you have something..." The mysterious man made a motion to her cheek, reference the streak of dirt she had left there. "Here, let me." Gently he removed a kerchief from his breast pocket and brushed the dirt from her face. "There. Do I recognize you? Oh, you work in the hospital." A smile of confirmation creased Michaela's lips, especially since she recognized no judgment in his voice.

"Dr. Michaela Quinn." She stated sticking out her hand. Without a moment of hesitation, he enveloped the small hand in his. He smiled warmly at her, finding something special in the way she held her head up and looked him in the eye.

"Dr. David Lewis. I… I wouldn't suppose you would like to join me for a dance?" He asked raising his eyebrows and offering his arm. Something held Michaela captivated but she couldn't put her finger on it. Taking his offered arm, she nodded.

"I'd like that." Together they walked toward the music.




"So what does this mean, Dr. Mike?" Colleen looked to her mother who was setting the table. She hadn't believed Matthew and Brian when they passed her on their way out of town and told her that David was back. In fact, she automatically wrote them off as trying to play an early April fool's joke on her.

"Fine, believe what you want, but he's coming for dinner tonight." Matthew had thrown his hands up and turned for the creek. That had been the moment she realized her brothers were telling the truth.

"You're not joking are you?"

"Do we look like we're joking Colleen?" Brain came out of the barn with fishing pole in tow.

" Well,what's he like?"

"Didn't get to spend a lot of time with 'em" Matthew attempted to reason, but Brian shrugged.

"He seemed kinda nice." He seemed nice. That was all Colleen had to go on. That was all any of them had to go on, but it would have to be enough. Michaela tried to steady the butterflies in her stomach as she turned to her daughter.

"Honestly? I'm not sure what this means. For now we'll just take things slowly until David and I have a chance to talk."

"He sure did come a long way to see you, Ma." Brian piped in. The young boy seemed excited about the new visitor, and Michaela was happy. David had been such a prominent figure in her life that part of her hoped that her children would get along with him.

"Yes, he certainly did." Colleen looked at her mother, having heard the whimsical tone of Dr. Mike's voice.

Outside, they could hear two horses ride up and the sound of male voices talking amicably, and within minutes, David had entered with Matthew trailing close behind.

"You enjoy working with the cattle?" David asked Matthew, finishing the last of their conversation.

"I do. Its hard work, but the pay's not that bad." David turned his attention to Michaela and her children.

"Michaela, it's good to see you again." His words were properly spoken, but the look in his eyes told her much more than words ever could. She smiled.

"David, you remember Brian, and this is my daughter Colleen." Colleen smiled, she couldn't put a finger on it, but there was something about this man that she liked. Maybe it was the friendly 

light that shone in his eyes, or his warm smile, or it could have simply been the way he took her hand in his and simply said. "It's a pleasure to meet you Colleen."

"Well I suppose we can start dinner." As everyone took their seats, David took a step back from the family. Motioning for Matthew to sit at the end of the table, he gently lowered himself into the seat next to Brian before leaning his cane against the table.

He was slightly overwhelmed by the events of the day. He realized that he was walking into a strange situation, when he had found out that Michaela had moved to Colorado. He couldn't even fathom what had led her to make that decision, and was interested to get to talk to her soon about what had happened in the six years they had been apart. However, as shocking as that was, he never had imagine to find her with a family. The Michaela he remembered had been so focused on her work, that he never imagined her ever slowing down for a family. She never seemed like the maternal type. This made her even more amazing to him, and he knew that he had been right in finding her after all these years. However, he understood that he had to be very delicate at how he broached this situation, and he had to remember that he didn't just have to win Michaela again, but her family too.

"It seems like your fishing trip was quite successful this afternoon." He nodded to Brian.

"Sure was, we caught four trout, but they weren't that big."

"Well, I suppose the more important thing is that they taste very nicely." He let his eyes wander to Michaela, who blushed.

"I'm afraid I can't take any credit for that. Colleen is much more of a cook than I am."

"Don't be silly, Dr. Mike." Colleen turned her attention to David. "I've been teaching her some of the basics."

"Yes, but I'm afraid I'm not a very good student!" Michaela laughed causing Colleen to smile with her. Michaela's cooking lessons were, shall we say, trying, to say the least. David enjoyed watching Michaela smile; he missed that smile.

"Dr. Lewis is interested in the ranch." Matthew nodded to the man on his left before taking a sip of tea.

"Oh, really?" Michaela looked up surprised. David nodded.

"I have been writing articles for the Philadelphia Eagle the past few months. I thought it would be interesting to collect some information while I'm out here and to write a series on the real American West."

"You don't practice anymore?" Michaela asked.

"I never went back to it after the war." The words were heavy and they seemed to settle on the little table, there were so many unspoken ideas in that sentence alone. Michaela however, was the only one that noticed it.

"What do ya want ta write about?" Colleen asked.

"Well I thought ranching would be interesting. Besides that I, hadn't given much thought to it, perhaps a piece on everyday life, how normal people get by from day to day. I would really enjoy writing about the landscape, and animal life of the area." Brian smiled.

"Sully could help ya with that." He paused a minute before adding, "And he could tell ya all about the Cheyenne too." David raised his eyebrow.

"Sully?"

"Sully is a good friend of ours David. I'm sure you'll meet him soon." Michaela patiently explained, wondering why she wished Brian hadn't brought up Sully at all. Of course, she wanted David and Sully to meet. She wanted them to get along and share stories. There was a lot that they could learn from each other, but for some reason she felt as if she didn't want to share that part of her life with David. It was something that seemed to be such a personal part of her, but that was silly.

"He knows everything about Colorado." Brian's enthusiastic statement made everyone smile.

"Well, I suppose I'll have to meet him then." David chuckled.


The sun had set behind the horizon, and dinner finished long ago. Pleasantries were made as the children retired to bed for the night, and Matthew, kissing Dr. Mike on the cheek, grabbed a book and headed for the barn. David sat in the rocking chair, watching as Michaela finished rinsing off the dishes- yet another domestic task he wasn't used to seeing Michaela Quinn do. She turned from the counter holding two cups of tea in her hand. Nodding to the door, she motioned for them to go outside where they could talk without waking the children. When they got outside, she handed him the warm cup.

"Dinner was good." David started unsure of how to start this conversation.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. You seemed to make a good impression on the children. I think they were especially fond of your train story."

"Brian did seem to enjoy that." They fell silent for a moment, neither sure of where to go from here.

"David, I don't know where to begin. How did you…" He cut her off.

"Enough about me. Tell me about you. It's been six years. What all has happened?" Michaela's face fell, thinking back over the past few years. There were so many painful memories, but some good ones as well. She wanted to tell him everything knowing that he would understand. He would know how bad losing her father had hurt her, and how scared she was to just pick up everything she owned and move across the country, and yet she felt the desire to keep some of these memories close to herself, and not share them quite yet. Turning to look at him, she took a deep breath.

"Father died last year." Her voice was soft. She swallowed hard as David reached out and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. Michaela turned from him, not knowing how exactly to react and continued. "Most of our patients left after he died. I hardly had anything left. That's when I decided that I would to go to where I was needed. When I first moved here I was by no means received with open arms."

"I'm sorry for that. I wouldn't have let you go through that if I were here." Michaela ignored his comment.

"Charlotte Cooper was really the only friend I had at the beginning. She helped me in so many ways. She truly gave me the essential skills I needed to be able to survive out here."

"What happened to her?"

"She suffered a rattle snake bit two months later. When she was on her deathbed, she asked me to take her children." She turned her face toward the man standing next to her. His face seemed so familiar and yet so different- was that even possible? "We've been a family ever since." David smiled at her bravery. Her chin was held high and she looked directly into his eyes. It reminded him of the first time they met, but this time there was something different in her eyes. He couldn't place it, but it was there. Looking up, Michaela realized that the moon was steadily climbing in the sky.

"I'm afraid it's getting rather late." She frowned. Unfortunately, they would have to draw their conversation to a close.

"I must be getting back to town." David turned to step off the porch, but before walking away, he turned. "Michaela…?"

"Yes?"

"I would like to stay around for awhile, if that's alright with you."

"Of course." She smiled at him. Returning her smile, he bent down to place a kiss on the back of her hand.

As Michaela watched him mount his horse and ride into the distance, she was overcome by the events of the day. Of course, she was excited, astounded even, that David was alive and back. 

However, something was settling heavily in the bottom of her chest. She couldn't place the feeling, and wasn't even sure if she wanted to. She was too tired to try tonight. Struggling to ignore the mysterious feeling, she turned to ready herself for bed.

Thanks for reading. Please let me know what you think!