Yay! Another new chapter:D

Disclaimer: To quote a friend: Whibble. DQMW does not belong to me. (Dries tears)

8

"Brian, hold still!" Michaela laughed.

Charlotte placed her hands on her squirming son's shoulders, stilling him. The towheaded boy was sitting on the kitchen table with his mother beside him as Michaela tried to inspect a gash on his knee.

Michaela frowned once she was able to get a good look at it. "Brian, how on earth did you do this?" She looked up at him.

He shrugged. "I dunno. We were playin' tag outside, runnin' an' stuff, when I sat down my knee started hurtin' an' there it was." He scowled at the wound.

The doctor shook her head ruefully as she moved over to the stove and put a pot of water on; looking over at Charlotte. "There is a rock lodged in there that I have to get out and I'm going to have to stitch it closed."

Brian's eyes went wide. "NO!" He tried to squirm off the table, but his mother held him firmly in her arms and glanced up at Dr. Mike, who was looking at him with surprise.

"He had to get stitches 'bout a year ago, from Jake." She gave Michaela a wry smile. "Not the gentlest man."

Michaela gave a sympathetic wince; then leaned over so that she was eye level with Brian. "Brian, look at me, please." He resisted at first but eventually did as she asked. "I promise, that you won't feel a thing, ok?"

He looked at her warily. "How?"

Michaela glanced up at Charlotte. "See, I'm going to make it so that you are asleep for it so that you won't feel anything."

Charlotte looked relieved at this news.

He still watched her with some distrust, but finally nodded. "Kay."

Michaela smiled at him then turned her attention to his mother. "Could you take him up stairs and put him on his bed?"

Charlotte nodded, lifting her youngest into her arms and carrying him upstairs.

When the water was hot enough Michaela removed it from the stove and carried it upstairs with her. She retrieved what she needed from her room and brought it all into Brian's room. When she arrived Charlotte had Brian on his bed, his pant leg rolled up and clean cloths under his knee. Michaela smiled appreciatively at the experienced midwife.

She placed a cloth in the hot water, to use to clean the wound, giving the frightened looking child a reassuring smile. "It's ok."

She doused a folded cloth in chloroform and handed it to Charlotte. "Hold this over his nose and mouth."

The mother complied, Brian quickly went unconscious. "That's enough." Charlotte removed the cloth. "Hold it to his face for a few seconds every minute." The older woman nodded pulling out her watch.

Michaela sterilized the forceps; then leant over Brian's knee and attempted to remove the rock as gently as possible, even though Brian was unconscious.

After a several attempts she finally was able to remove the rock; she placed it in a bowl on the bedside table. She then fished the cloth out of the pot of water, used it to clean out any dirt from the gash, replaced it in the pot and then she disinfected it with a salve, the same she had used on Sully's hands. Finally she took a needle and some thread and carefully sewed it closed to leave minimal scaring.

"There." She snipped the thread, looking up to smile at Charlotte. "Now I am going to have to talk to both you and he once he wakes up to tell him what he can and can't do."

Charlotte nodded as they began to clean up everything.

8

Brian awoke about half an hour later and Michaela went through the list of do's and don'ts with him and Charlotte, which left him in not the best mood and Charlotte had replied with saying that if he disliked it so much he should try to be more careful.

A few hours later Michaela was riding up on Shadow to the Sully farm. She was tying up the horse to the post when a soft growling caused her head to snap up. She was met with a wolf standing in front of the door, growling but not baring his teeth; Michaela went completely still, unsure what to do.

Suddenly the door opened to reveal Abigail; when she saw the wolf growling at her friend she turned a scolding look to the animal. "Wolf, stop that this instant!"

The wolf's head snapped around to her, her tone silencing him immediately.

"This is a friend." She ruffled the fur on "Wolf's" neck. "Crazy animal." There was fond amusement tingeing the annoyance in her voice. She turned her attention to the female doctor. "Sorry 'bout that. Don't worry 'bout him, that's Wolf, Sully found him orphaned as a pup, he's been protective of us ever since. He usually follows Sully 'round for the most part, but Sully often leaves him here with me, it makes him feel better 'bout leavin' me alone as often as he has to."

"Ah." Michaela nodded and cautiously went up the steps and past Wolf, into the house.

Abigail held the door open for the other woman. "Thank you for takin' care of Sully's hands the other day, by the way."

Michaela smiled at her. "It was no problem. I actually enjoyed the chance to talk to him and get to know him more."

Abigail lay down on the bed and allowed Michaela to proceed with her check up.

It had become a ritual that after every check up Michaela would let Abigail listen to the baby's heart on her stethoscope, something that the expectant mother never tired of.

"Now you are taking it easy, aren't you?" Michaela looked at her friend pointedly as she packed her things.

Abigail nodded, giving her a slightly exasperated look. "Yes. Between you an' Sully, I never have any peace 'bout restin'!"

They both chuckled.

"Well neither of us wants anything to happen to you or the baby."

Abigail smiled and took Michaela's hand, giving it a grateful squeeze. "I know. Thank you."

Michaela returned the smile. "You're welcome." She then turned to leave as soon as she was out the door Wolf had stuck his nose up to her, sniffing her. Michaela held still as he smelled her, again unsure of what she was supposed to do. Finally he nudged her hand with his nose and licked it; Michaela hesitantly raised her hand to pet him.

Abigail was smiling in the doorway. "Ya know he doesn't usually take to people so quickly." Michaela looked back at her. "Sully would say that that is a good sign because animals are very good judges of character.

A smile spread across the other woman's face as she patted Wolf's head a little more assuredly; finally turning and saying good-bye. She untied Shadow from the post, mounted and rode away.

8

Sylvie (The Fanfic Freak): Yea things are going to continue to get interesting as the story goes along, and while I pretty much know where I want it to go there are still a lot of things I am not sure about; it will be fun to see how they work out:D Thank you some much for reviewing! I was so happy to know that there was still interest in this story!