CHAPTER 10

A week went by, during which time Sully slowly regained his strength. Michaela returned to her own quarters, but visited him often to check the progress of his healing...and to just spend time with him. She supervised all of his meals, persuading the cook to prepare especially nutritious, protein-filled meals for her special patient.

During those long, relaxing days, Michaela would often come to his door and find him pensive, staring at the ceiling or out his window deep in thought...almost melancholy. He would, however, immediately brighten upon seeing her lovely face.

She knew he was brooding over what he had done; regardless that it had been unintentional. But there seemed to be something else on his mind, worrying him, causing him considerable angst. Though she tried often to persuade him to confide in her, a tiny smile would grace his lips and he would shake his head with his customary, "S'nothin'." Then he would reach for her hand and give it a gentle kiss, his eyes smoldering as they gazed into hers, his look speaking volumes.

Yet though his eyes spoke volumes of his feelings towards her, his voice had yet to make those thoughts known. Not once had he told her how he felt or what he thought about her, though she tried every way she knew to coax it out of him. And turnabout being fair play, she hadn't voiced her own feelings, though anyone who saw the two of them together could see the handwriting on the wall. The troopers began making quiet bets on how soon the lieutenant and the lady doctor would admit they had both been shot by Cupid's arrow. No one begrudged them, as each man in the garrison could see the lieutenant deserved to win the lady doctor's hand more than the captain ever had.

At the end of seven days, Sully was strong enough to be up and about, though temporarily relieved of all duties. They spent a good part of the day together in the mess hall playing chess.

The start of the second week found Sully put back on light duty assignments. He came in to the mess hall the third morning to find Michaela alone at a table, picking at her food. Sully crossed to her, reaching out to touch her sleeve when she didn't look up at his approach.

"Hey...you okay?" he asked softly when he gained her attention.

She sighed softly and forced herself to smile up at him. "Yes, I'm fine," she answered, but he could tell the smile was strained.

"No you ain't...what's wrong? Ain't ya gonna go on your ride?" he added teasingly.

She gazed at him and smiled, shaking her head. "I haven't ridden since David..." she began, and then paused as no more words were needed. He pursed his lips and nodded.

After a moment of watching her so preoccupied, glancing around the room and fidgeting with the sleeve of her blouse, he prompted, "So...tell me what's wrong."

She shrugged and glanced at him intending to deny it. "Oh, I..." she began, but stopped at the raised eyebrow look he gave her. She sighed and gave another tiny shrug, thinking he knew her too well. "The colonel wants me to decide what I'm going to do...now that David is..."

Sully nodded and lowered himself into a seat adjacent to hers as she continued, "The problem is...I really have nowhere to go." At his questioning look, she added, "I mean, of course I could go back to Boston...but I really have nothing to go back to, other than taking up residence again in my childhood bedroom in my mother's home. I have no practice to return to...I wouldn't even be a 'returning widow'," she added sardonically.

"Well...they need good doctors in the West..." he offered, a dimpled smile gracing his lips when she glanced at him.

"Yes, but I'm a 'woman' doctor. It would be extremely difficult to just show up in a town and hang up a shingle. Besides, the West is a vast area. I would have no idea where to go to even try," she added with a tiny defeated shrug.

Sully thought for a moment, as if weighing the pros and cons of something, while watching the expression on her face.

"Colorado needs good doctors," he finally offered.

"Colorado?" she murmured, eyeing him.

"Yep. The town I lived in before I...enlisted – Colorado Springs – they could sure use one." Boy, could they ever...he added silently.

"You've been in the military two years, perhaps they have one by now," she pointed out logically.

He shook his head. "Nope. Got a friend there, her name's Charlotte Cooper. She writes me sometimes. Just last month she wrote me and mentioned the Reverend's advertised for a doc, but they ain't had no answers yet."

Michaela thought about this for a few moments. "Do...do you really think they would accept a woman doctor there?"

He smiled and shrugged. "Don't really know 'til you try...but I could testify you're a good doc. Ya fixed me right up," he teased, carefully patting his nearly healed side.

She smiled at his compliment, but added, "Yes, but you would be here, which wouldn't help me much."

"I could write 'em a letter," he suggested helpfully.

Smiling again, she automatically reached out and placed her hand over his on the table.

"Thank you, Sully. I'll give it some thought."

He nodded, and returned her smile, murmuring, "You're welcome."

Just then, the colonel and several of the majors came in the door and Sully got up from the chair to make his way across the large room, a bit of a spring in his step.

OOOOOO

The next two weeks went by in a flurry of messages and activity for Michaela. After carefully thinking it over, she made her choice. Since Ft. Lowell had not been connected by telegraph line yet, she persuaded the colonel to send a rider to Bowie, the nearest town with a telegraph. He was to contact a Reverend Timothy Johnson in Colorado Springs, inquiring if the position of town doctor were still open, and if so, she would like to apply for the job. The corporal was to sign the telegram, Michaela Quinn, MD, and to wait for an answer. The Reverend answered back within a matter of minutes that they would be happy to offer the position, but that they wouldn't be able to provide stage fare to come. Michaela had instructed the corporal how to answer for several scenarios, and he immediately sent a return message that she would accept and would arrive by the first stage she could arrange.

Next, she wrote letters to her mother and sisters, explaining that she had accepted a position as town physician in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Thankfully, she had money left from her inheritance, so she wouldn't have to ask help with stage fare.

Each day found Sully physically stronger and nearly returned to his former fitness...and both of them dreaded the day when she would say goodbye. Though they had come close on several occasions, they still had not verbally admitted their feelings to one another, and time was swiftly running out.

The day before she was to leave, Michaela was in her quarters finishing up her packing and gazing around at the place that had come to feel like home after four months. As she stood at the bed placing clothing in her trunk, an item already packed got her attention and she picked it up, gently fingering a photograph of David he had given her when they first started courting. Once again she felt guilty that she was not as brokenhearted as she should have been over his death. Although of course she was still saddened by it, she didn't feel that crushing 'loss' that she would have felt if...Sully had died.

The thought of Sully now brought a sting to her eyes, and she wiped at them with the back of one hand, choosing to not think about the fact that she would soon ride away and never see him again. But at least he won't be dead.

Just then, a knock at the door of her quarters made her repack David's picture and cross into the main room to answer it. She smiled when she saw the object of her thoughts on her doorstep, standing there with cap in hand.

"Hello Sully...won't you come in?" she asked softly, stepping back to allow him to enter.

"Thanks," he murmured, stepping inside and allowing her to close the door.

They looked at each other for a few moments, each unsure of what to say.

Finally Sully cleared his throat and offered, "Um, I asked the colonel and he said I could drive you to Bowie in the fort's wagon...with a two man escort."

Her eyes lit up – two nights on the road and hours sitting beside him in the wagon. She almost chuckled at the "Christmas gift" feeling that news gave her.

"That's wonderful!" She burst, correcting when his eyes twinkled at her amusingly, "I...I mean, that will be fine...thank you."

He cleared his throat again and they both glanced around the room, each of them staring for a moment at the table where they had played chess together that rainy day. That day seemed so long ago...

"Are...are you all packed?"

"Just about."

"Colonel said we'd leave after breakfast in the mornin'..."

"Oh, good...I'll be ready..."

Their conversation exhausted, each a little uncomfortable, Michaela bit her lip and crossed her arms on her chest.

A few tense moments later, Sully finally placed his cap back on his head and straightened the brim, murmuring, "Well, uh...I best be goin'."

"Yes..."

With that, he walked to the door and slipped outside. She closed it behind him and leaned against it with a sigh, determinedly pushing the thought of their inevitable parting aside and setting her mind to enjoy the trip to Bowie.

OOOOOO

That evening, the garrison's cook went all out making a feast for Michaela's last night.

Over the course of the four months, she had made casual friends with nearly every man there and knew them all by name. Many had come to the lovely lady doctor with ailments after her successful treatment of Sully, and for a time she had enjoyed quite a few 'patients.' Now one by one, troopers came to her table to tell her goodbye and that they would miss her presence in the fort. The sentiments touched her deeply, especially when she remembered that no one but Rebecca had taken her to the train station the morning she left to join David.

Finally, the evening wore down and it was time to retire to her quarters for the last time. Amelia, Mary, and Audrey walked her to her door, each teary-eyed that she would be leaving the next day. She hugged them each a heartfelt goodbye, later climbing in bed with an odd mixture of sadness and excitement that one door of her life was about to close for good – and another soon to open.

True to Sully's word, the wagon was all ready to go, bright and early the next morning. The cook had made sure to stock it well for their two and a half day journey to Bowie.

Michaela hugged the women goodbye again, and shook hands with many of the troopers, promising to post letters they had written to their families back home, which normally could only be mailed by the supply wagon once a month.

Then, Sully assisted her up onto the seat of the covered wagon, climbed up beside her, and soon they were off. She leaned over the side of the seat and waved to her friends as many of them stood waving back, Amelia and Audrey wiping tears with their embroidered hankies.

When the gates of the fort closed behind them, she turned and met Sully's eyes...

They both privately determined to make every moment of the next forty-eight hours count, as they would have to last them a lifetime.