Chapter 7
Still baffled by Sully's sudden appearance, Michaela couldn't think clearly. That was why she gave the first best reason that came to her mind, "William needs some company and you won't be in town anyway..."
Her voice trailed off as she bent back in order to allow Hank putting down the plate with her breakfast on the table before her.
"Coffee?" Hank asked, still holding the mug just in case he would gain a 'no' in response.
Yet Michaela smiled in anticipation. "That would be nice, thank you," she allowed.
Sully, however, was wondering, "Ya agree with it again?"
Taking a large gulp, Michaela only nodded.
Yet Sully frowned, "Ya sure that's a good idea?"
"Hey!" Hank chimed in in mock indignation, "I'm a reasonable man and a father myself. 'Course it's decaf and without spice, and admittedly not as good as normally."
"It's wonderful," Michaela contradicted. "I only now realize how much I missed my morning coffee."
No one had paid attention to William for a moment. Puzzled by the conversation, his mind worked its way through all the information until the pieces fell in place. He hadn't been able to take in Michaela's full appearence when she greeted him, but now he knew.
"You are pregnant?" the shock was audible in his voice when he posed the question that was rather a statement. Involuntarily, his gaze went to Michaela's right ring finger, which was empty though.
As if caught in some mischief, she blushed furiously and hid her hands beneath the table. Her tone was almost defiant when she affirmed, "Yes, I am. Twentieth week. And no, I'm not married."
Whilst speaking, she grew angry with herself, having reacted as if she wasn't a grown woman who had the right to make he own decisions. Grasping the coffee mug again, she peered over its rim at William. "And no, I don't have any regrets," she added, hoping she sounded more sincere than she felt at this moment, simultaneously realizing that she still wasn't ready to face her mother who would react very similarly but never stay quiet as her friend did now.
After taking another sip, she sighed. "Maybe going to Boston isn't such a good idea."
Hank, still lingering next to their table, instantly assured, "Ya know that I always have a room for ya. It's good business," he explained to William who seemed to be confused. Turning back to Michaela, he continued, "And me and Jake takin'ya to the hospital is no big deal either."
"Somethin' wrong with your car?" Sully looked questioningly at Michaela, not having digested yet the interaction between her and the other doctor. If he had got it right, Michaela was embarrassed about her pregnancy which he thought alarming. That was why he'd rather reacted to Hank's remark.
The hotel owner snorted, "Not since the garage replaced all four tires."
"Alright," Sully said, sighing exasperatedly, running his hand through his hair, "would someone fill me in what's goin' on here?"
"Cooper's stalking her," Hank retorted, not giving Michaela the chance to explain the situation. "Flattened the tires."
Sensing that there might some tempers flare any moment, he didn't wait to see the impact of his revelation but rather made a beeline to his bar.
Having both of the other men's eyes on her, Michaela grew defensive, "We can't prove that, it's just an assumption."
"A pretty good one, I guess," Sully stated drily before he couldn't keep himself in check anymore. "How long is that goin' on? And why the hell didn't ya tell me?" he demanded, his tone rising as he glared at her.
Yet instead of feeling guilty, Michaela rather felt unfairly attacked. With her pent up emotions bursting free, she glowered back. "What difference would it have made? You were very clear about your not leaving that camp because your responsibilities and friends were there!"
Feeling on the verge of tears and embarrassed for having lost her composure, she abruptly pushed back her chair and rose. "If you'll excuse me; I'll be right back."
As she left their table as if on the run, Sully started straightening as well in order to follow her. William, however, put a restraining hand on his arm saying hoarsely, "Leave her be. She just needs a minute."
Frozen in the midst of his movement, Sully stared at him angrily, "This here ain't your business!"
Jerking his arm free he got up from his seat, yet the moment he stood, William did so as well.
It wasn't because the doctor dwarfed him considerably that Sully eventually slumped back onto his chair but the change in William who said with unexpected authority, standing his ground, "It is when it comes to Michaela."
As they at last both sat again, William shook his head. "I don't get it," he uttered, "she's so smart when it comes to her profession but never in her private life. Why does she always end up with men who treat her like trash?"
Sully instantly protested, "I ain't treatin' her like trash! I…"
"You just yelled at her," William pointed out. "Who would yell at someone he or she respects?"
Stunned, Sully looked at the other man. Not so long ago, Michaela had accused him of not respecting her, too. But he really did. Defensively, he replied, "I just lost my temper for a moment. Don't tell me ya wouldn't have been angry if she kept somethin' like that from ya."
William nodded, acknowledging the argument. Becoming wistful for an instant, he summarized the experiences he'd made during the last year because he saw a parallel here, "It's hard not being able to help. But it's even harder when you could, but your offers only meet refusal."
Astonished, Sully glanced at the doctor, wondering how much Michaela had told him about their trouble last year. However, the instant he wanted to start explaining himself, he closed his mouth again. Those were things from the past, but he needed to know what was going on right now.
As if Michaela had heard him, she returned from the bathroom to join them again.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly, averting her eyes. "I shouldn't have run away but I can't always control my mood swings lately."
Sully didn't give William the chance to speak. "That's alright," he immediately assured. "And I'm sorry I raised my voice. It's just…" He paused until Michaela eventually looked at him.
For the first time in weeks, he took in her face deliberately. To him, it was as beautiful as ever, yet although he had seen her exhausted before, the dark rings under her eyes and her pale complexion worried him. Forgetting that they weren't alone he shifted on his seat, covering her hands that lay on the table with his palm. Noticing the cold of her fingers he silently reproached himself for considering his own feelings in this matter in the first place. He hid the hurt he felt when her hands twitched beneath his as if she wanted to pull them away yet he was determined to hear the full story. "What's that about Ethan Cooper stalkin' you?"
Some color returned to her cheeks when Michaela glanced at William before she turned her gaze back to Sully.
"Charlotte can't remember what happened right before her fall, and so I'm the only one who knows, apart from Mr. Cooper, that he'd pushed her down the stairs. Unfortunately a judge decided that he can do no harm when he is released from jail till his trial will take place."
Only focused on Sully now, she took in a deep breath, stealing herself for admitting that she was frightened. "Knowing that I'm the only one who can put him behind bars, he first waylaid me in the garage of the hospital, telling me," she made quotation signs in the air, "that it would be healthier for me if I remembered that his ex wasn't pushed but had fallen."
Feeling the trembling starting again, Michaela leaned against the back of her chair, pulling her hands out from beneath Sully's in the process and crossed her arms tightly before her chest in order to keep her body steady.
Seeing the men glance at each other in mutual concern, she hurried to finish her story, not wanting them to make a fuss. "When I noticed he followed me afterwards, I stopped here, and Hank rented me a room."
She didn't know why, but she left out the argument between Hank and her pursuer but continued with the events of the following day, "In the morning all tires on my car were flat, but Mr. Cooper wasn't around. He showed up at the hospital though, when I had lunch."
As she noticed Sully's expression become angrier by the minute, she feared he might do something rushed, and thus she hastily added, "He never came close to me again."
"But his constant presence is equally frightening," William nodding knowingly.
"Alright," Sully said, "That's it."
Pulling out his cell phone from his jeans pocket, he turned it on and pushed several buttons before he held it to his ear. After a long moment he began to talk to an answering machine, "Cloud Dancing, it's me, Sully. I'm sorry but I can't come back to the camp. Michaela needs me."
Realizing what he was doing, Michaela reached out, touching his arm whispering in alarm, "No, Sully! Really, I can just go with William to Boston. Mr. Cooper isn't allowed to leave town."
Sully, however, had made up his mind. He finished his message and then said, "Ya wanna go to Boston? Then I'll go too."
"But…" Michaela objected yet he stopped her by lifting a finger. He still had to talk to someone else. This time he only pressed two numbers, and his call was accepted almost instantly.
"I can't pick ya up tomorrow," he said without preamble and reacted to the question from the other end of the line, "Nope, nothin's broken. I won't come back to the camp, that's why."
Michaela had a faint idea who he was talking to. Her first impulse was to tell him that she didn't want him to accompany her, that William's presence was all reassurance she needed. Yet as soon as this thought entered her mind she recognized the mistake she would make if she said it out loud: she would create the same situation they had earlier that year, only with reversed roles. This time it would be her putting a friend before Sully, and she knew very well what pain he would feel. But not only did she not want to hurt him, simultaneously rose the picture before her eyes that she could go back to the house, sleep in her own bed and feel safe for Sully would make sure she was. Another plus was that she wouldn't have to ask Dr. Alvarez for two weeks off without as much as a warning. And thinking about it twice, she didn't want to go on a trip at all.
She couldn't help though but tense up when she at last heard Sully, still talking on the phone, say her name. It didn't matter that his tone was impatient for right now, her brain had digested the fact that he had this woman on speed-dial. Neither Cloud Dancing's nor her number was granted this honor.
As Sully continued the conversation with growing annoyance ("Look, Catherine, I ain't answerin' ya…"), Michaela raised her eyes to William. He had obviously watched her all the time, and the sympathy on his face made her blush in embarrassment. They knew each other too well for her to be able to hide the fleeting humiliation she felt. Although she didn't have the intention to leave, a small movement of her body gave Sully the impression she would.
"I'm hangin' up now," he announced to Catherine with finality whilst he grasped Michaela's arm to hinder her from getting up.
As he closed his cell phone he loosened his grip. Sliding his chair closer to the table he bent forward so it was only him in her field of view when said, "Nothin' is more important to me than you and the baby. I'll stay with ya now, and that's final."
Seeing the sincerity in his eyes Michaela felt foolish that she had doubted him a moment ago. They didn't live in a bubble of togetherness; they both had friends and colleagues they worked with. Of course Catherine was still a sore point between them, but the truth was that Sully had never ever been interested in her. That was why Michaela eventually gave in to her desire to let herself fall and be caught by him.
The relief she instantly felt sent tears to her eyes. "Alright," she whispered, giving him the ghost of a smile.
"Alright," Sully reiterated softly, not disguising his own relief. Straightening on his chair again, he pushed back his hair, asking, "So, what do you wanna do? Go to Boston?"
Casting William, who was still only a silent observer, an apologetic smile, Michaela responded, "The thought of sitting in a plane for several hours doesn't sound very appealing right now. Actually, I'd rather go home, show William where we live."
Sully's heart skipped a beat hearing her say where we live.
He knew that they still had to work through issues, but for the first time he was positive that they would make it.
