It had been two weeks since the attack and Sully was worried. Michaela was behaving strangely; she acted like nothing had ever happened and when he tried to talk to her she would dismiss him and say that she was fine. She wasn't fine and she was getting worse every day.

They'd decided that they wouldn't tell anyone about what had happened besides Loren, Dorothy, Robert E. and Grace. Michaela didn't want the town to become suspicious, so after resting for just a day she'd resumed her duties. Sully had stayed close, in case something would happen to her, but so far, everything went well. Or so it seemed.

Now he was on his way to the homestead to accompany Michaela and the kids to town. When he arrived, he was surprised to see Colleen and Brian running towards him.

'Sully! It's ma! She's been crying ever since breakfast!' He rested his hands on both of their heads for a moment, worry evident in his face. 'Why don't you help your brother with the wagon,' he gently said to them.

After opening the door and closing it behind him, he looked at her closely. She was crying, but she didn't look sad or afraid. He sat down next to her on the bed and kissed her temple, while wrapping his arm around her.

'Michaela?' he spoke gently. She just buried her head in the material of his shirt and it made him wondering even more what was going on. He placed his hands on her shoulders and carefully pulled her out of their embrace. 'What's wrong?' After allowing him to wipe her tears away, she whispered: 'I'm not pregnant.'

He pulled her close against him once more, a small smile of gratitude crossing his lips. He rubbed her lower back, knowing that she could be sore there during her monthly.

After a few minutes of gently rocking back and forth, he softly asked: 'You okay?' She sniffled, nodded and then said: 'I've just been worrying about it ever since…Well, you know since when and the relief of knowing that I'm not with child was so great…' He nodded in understanding, before she continued: '…and it brought back memories that I don't want to remember.' After a few moments of silence, she added: 'What am I going to do? I can't live like this.'

Sully carefully phrased his answer: 'I know what that man has done to you and I know the effect it has on you and I know that you can't help but think about it every moment of the day. But in time, you will be able to think of other things, to laugh with the kids and to enjoy life again, I promise. And I also promise that I will do everything in my power to help you with that.' With that, he bent forward and sweetly kissed her.

'You know what I think? I think you should marry me.' He had meant his remark as a light hearted one, but when he felt her tense, he pulled back to look her in the eyes. 'I've been worrying about how to say this to you,' she began and he could see her swallowing hard. 'It's just that, when we get married, I am not sure if I'm going to be able to, you know, share a bed with you.' Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment.

He enfolded her in his arms to silence her and then tried to lessen her worries. 'I'm not marrying you for that. I want to marry you because you're the woman I love and I want to share my life with you. I want to raise our family together and I want to start every day with one of your kisses. And I certainly don't want you to worry about a thing, okay?' She nodded and held on to him tightly. He pressed his lips on her hair for a moment, before saying: 'The kids are worried about you. I'll go tell them that you're alright.'

When he stepped on the porch, three pairs of worried eyes met his. 'She's fine,' was all he said, knowing that Brian shouldn't know the details. 'Brian, why don't you go in and give your ma a hug. I think she could use one.' The little boy immediately obeyed and after he'd gone inside, Sully softly said: 'She found out that she wasn't pregnant this morning.' 'Is she really alright now?' Matthew worriedly asked and Sully was glad to see how much he cared. 'Yes, I think so, although she still has a long way to go from here.'

He didn't get a chance to say any more, because Michaela and Brian emerged from the house, ready to leave. Sully lifted Brian on the wagon and then held out his hand for his fiancée. She gave him a small smile, and he smiled as well. He sat extra close to her this morning as he drove his family to town.

I know that it's a short chapter, but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting any longer!

Please review!