Chapter 10:

Hope and Healing

"One writes of scars healed, a loose parallel to the pathology of the skin, but there is no such thing in the life of the individual. There are open wounds, shrunk sometimes to the size of a pin-prick but wounds still. The marks of suffering are more comparable to the loss of a finger, or the sight of an eye. We may not miss them, either, for one minute in a year, but if we should there is nothing to be done about it."

-F. Scott Fitzgerald

Michaela sighed and held Flash's reins loosely in her hand. Sully had only mentioned his having some work to get done, not where he was doing it before the Wilsons had interrupted. She'd checked both homesteads, his lean-to, and their tipi on the reservation. Running into Cloud Dancing and Snowbird had delayed her somewhat, so she only had one more place she could think to look - the mountain. She mounted Flash and leaned over her neck. "We're going to find him, Flash," she whispered in Cheyenne. She sat up and kneed Flash into a trot, heading towards Sully's thinking spot. She could feel him and he needed her. She could have sworn she heard him calling her name.

Michaela dug her heels into Flash's sides, urging her faster. Soon, though not soon enough to suit her, they came to the base of the mountain. Quickly, she slid off the horse and tethered it to a nearby tree, taking care there was enough room for Flash to graze. As fast as she could, she hurried up the mountain to the spot he'd shown her. It was there she found him, sitting cross-legged, staring into a fire and unresponsive to the world around him. "Sully?" He didn't answer. "Sully?" she tried again, but got no response. She dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around him. He wrapped his arms around her in return, leaning against her. She had seen remnants in his eyes of the hurt little boy he had been when the Wilsons had tried to see him. He said nothing, but moved as close to her as he could and held her for dear life.

She rubbed his back a little, just as she would Brian or Colleen when they were upset. His head was pillowed against her breasts and his eyes squeezed shut against any tears that might fall. They stayed there for so long her knees started to ache. Slowly, she sat down on the ground, bringing Sully with her. He repositioned himself so his head was in her lap and his arms were loosely wrapped around her waist. His breath was warm against her stomach. Gently, Michaela ran her hands through his hair and down his back, letting him know without words that she was there and she loved him.

Slowly, Sully began to talk. "I thought it was over, 'Chaela," he whispered, his voice cracking. "Didn't even hurt so much anymore. Maybe I shoulda told ya."

Michaela leaned down and kissed his forehead gently. "I know parts of your past are painful to you," she said, "so painful you don't talk about those times." She brushed his hair away from his face, running her fingers through it. "It's all right. I know you, Sully. If you can talk about what happened, I'll listen. If you can't, that's all right, too."

His arms tightened around her. "I don't wanna," he murmured. "But you say talkin' helps. You know my mother committed suicide by jumpin' in the Hudson River when I was ten." He took a deep breath and shrank into her as if he were trying to climb into her skin.

Michaela hugged him tightly, lending him her strength. Usually, he was the strong one, but she knew there were horrors in his past hard for even him to face. Washington had proven that to her. She hadn't told him about some things in her past either. Not that there was anything bad, mind you, but they just hadn't come up.

"I didn't tell you she did it on my birthday, or that I saw her do it," he whispered. "I ran after that. Heard the police talkin' 'bout takin' me to an orphan house, and I didn't want that. I had a job at the docks already and it was 'nough to keep me fed. I found a big old shipping crate to sleep in and I thought I was doin' okay - least as good as any scrawny ten-year-old can do."

Michaela smoothed Sully's hair away from his face again and ran her fingers through it, trying to soothe him as best she could. "We were in New York that year," she said softly. "I wonder what would have happened if I'd found you?"

"Your mother would've wanted ta send me to th' orphan house," he said dryly.

"My father probably would have wanted to keep you," she countered. "He always wanted a son.." she trailed off and swallowed the lump that rose in her throat. Other people had continuously thrown it in her face that she wasn't the son Josef Quinn had wanted, though he never had. Somehow, this mess had brought it to the front of her mind. Most of the time, it didn't bother her but...

Sully laughed a little and sat up, keeping one arm around her. "Glad I ain't your brother. Anyway, I went on like that for a while 'til the accident. I still don't remember 'xactly what happened, but I woke up in a clean bed for the first time in months. I thought it was a dream. I didn't have to work as much an' I was learnin' somethin' I liked an' treated like I had a family again."

"Is the accident where the scar on your neck came from?" she asked and then leaned in to kiss it.

Sully turned his head and captured her lips with his, kissing her softly before he continued. "Yeah - I had a lot of stitches there. It was a good time for me, 'Chaela 'til my fourteenth birthday. Aaron an' Alice fought a lot; me an' Emily an' Ben used ta overhear 'em. But it was 'bout me that time." He was quiet for a few minutes. He pulled her close and rested his chin on the top of her head.

Michaela tilted her head up and placed a kiss on the underside of his jaw. "What happened?" she questioned softly.

"Alice was goin' on an' on 'bout what a burden I was to her, an' how much I cost ta keep an' how she didn't want me 'round Ben an' Emily 'cause I was a street kid whose mother had killed herself." Sully swallowed, hard. "She said some pretty awful things and then I knew I had ta leave 'cause I'd overstayed my welcome. I lit out that night after everyone was sleepin'. I only took what I was wearin', an' felt guilty 'bout that. I left a note tellin' 'em I'd gone and why and that I'd pay 'em back for everything. My friend Daniel'd been talkin' 'bout goin' west, an' signed up aboard a ship to work his way there. They had another space, so I signed up, too. I knew from th' apprentices at Aaron's shop how much their parents had paid for Aaron ta teach 'em, so I added that in ta what I owed 'em and sent it to 'em. Always made sure I was gone 'fore th' mail went out.

"That must have been hard," Michaela sympathized, lacing her fingers through his.

"It was," Sully admitted. "I learned ta hunt an' forage ta keep myself fed, and worked at anything I could. I did carpentry work buildin' houses, slopped pigs, mucked out everything from barns to chicken houses, plowed fields, learned 'bout leather workin' and farrier work and saved ev'ry penny to send back. Those were hard years. I was always hungry, but you know how boys are at that age."

Michaela laughed. "Sometimes it's all I can do to keep up with Matthew's appetite. Your son will eat us out of house and home - I've seen him eat a half a loaf of bread covered in butter and honey and then ask me when dinner will be! Sometimes I wonder where he puts it all."

That made Sully smile. "Oh, so he's mine now, is he?"

Michaela grinned. "Why not?" she asked rhetorically.

Sully sighed and returned to the previous subject. "It took me years. I only bought clothes when the ones I had were fallin' apart an' went barefoot when it was warm enough to save my shoes. Slept anywhere I could and roamed all over workin'. By the time I started minin', I'd almost paid off the debt, an' I had when I started courtin' Abagail."

"And now they're back," Michaela said quietly.

"What do they want from me?" he asked with quiet desperation. "I ain't got no more money!"

"I stayed to find out," she offered. "Sully, they've been searching for you ever since you left, and Mr. Wilson said he opened a savings account in your name and put everything you sent to them in it."

Confusion flashed in Sully's eyes. "Why?" he asked softly. "It ain't my money no more. I paid 'em back for everything. We don't owe each other nothin' no more."

Michaela wrapped her arms around him loosely. "He says it's your money, Sully. Aaron and Ben and Emily love you. Aaron says he doesn't care that you weren't legally adopted - you're his son in his mind and heart. They all say they want to be part of your life."

"It don't make sense," Sully leaned into her. "What about Mrs. Wilson?"

"Emily told me her greatest regret was driving you away. She died a few years back, still looking for you." Michaela kissed the underside of his jaw again. "Aaron says he wants to reconnect. He wants to attend our wedding and be here when our first child is christened. He still wants to be your father, Sully."

"I - " He pulled back and looked at her and she could still see the hurt and confusion on his face.

"I'll be with you, Sully," she promised. "Your troubles are my troubles now, remember?"

Sully hugged her tightly. "It ain't gonna be like it was with Abagail, is it?"

"What do you mean?" Michaela asked. Privately, she was afraid she would forever be compared to Abagail and come up lacking. She would never be a traditional wife, would never just stay home with the children and cook, and clean, and sew.

"With Abagail, I supported us alone - did what I needed to, and didn't hafta answer for nothin'. It ain't gonna be that way, is it?" Sully kissed her forehead tenderly.

"I'd like to think we're going to be partners." Michaela tightened her hold on him. "It won't be you and me anymore, Sully, it'll be us."

"I ain't always gonna be able ta be with you, Michaela." He leaned in and kissed her gently. "Sometimes I just... lose track of time or get holed up in a blizzard." He loosened his hold on her and threaded his fingers through hers.

"Or I have to stay late at the clinic," Michaela smiled up at him and squeezed his hand.

"You're right - it ain't gonna be you and me, it's gonna be us; it already is us in some ways. This thing with the Wilsons proves that." He laid his cheek on the top of her head.

"It may not be legal to most of the world, but you're my husband now, and I'm your wife." Michaela said softly. "There is something we need to talk about before the town wedding - my name. I'm not sure I can change my name."

He pulled back to look at her and hurt flashed over his face. "My name ain't good 'nough for ya?"

Michaela kissed him softly. "It's not that," she said hastily.

"What is it then?" he asked with a frown.

"All of my medical credentials are under "Michaela Quinn," and I don't know if I can change that, Sully - female physicians are still fairly new. I want to legally be your wife, but I don't want to give up being a doctor." She leaned against him, suddenly afraid he would call off the wedding because she didn't want to change her name... wasn't even sure she could and keep practicing medicine.

Sully drew in a deep breath. "I'd never ask ya to give that up, you know that, right? I'd rather ya took my name, but I understand if ya can't."

Michaela drew in a deep breath of her own and mentally berated herself for doubting him. "I'll be Mrs. Sully for you," she said softly. "But professionally, I have to keep my name."

Sully grinned, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. "I know ya will - 'specially in our bedroom." He leaned in and kissed her, gently coaxing her mouth open with his tongue. They kissed deeply, each kiss leading to another, until they broke apart, breathing heavily.

"What are we going to do about the Wilsons?" she asked softly when her breathing had calmed. She laid her head on his shoulder and leaned against him.

"We?" He questioned her softly.

"We," she affirmed. "We're in this together, remember?"

"Where are they staying?" he asked.

"The clinic. It seemed like the only place to put them." Panic rose in her as a thought crossed her mind. "Oh no. No, no, no, no! Where are we going to put Rebecca and Richard and whoever they bring with them?"

Sully ran his hand up and down her back soothingly. "We'll figure something out, even if we have ta take 'em out to the homestead."

She gave him a pleading look. "Is it too late to elope?"

Sully laughed and hugged her tightly. "It'd defeat the purpose of havin' a second weddin' wouldn't it?" he asked with a grin. "It'll be okay, 'Chaela. We'll deal with your family and... mine and by this time next week, we'll be married in everybody's eyes."

Michaela reached in the pocket of her skirt, pulled out the picture Ben had given her, and gave it to Sully. "This is how they found you," she murmured. "Of all the ships they could have chosen, Brian and Colleen chose your... brother's ship."

"They're safe?" there was a slight crack in Sully's voice.

Michaela kissed him gently. "They're safe and at Claudette's house. Ben said he and Anne delivered them to my sister before they left to come here."

Sully tucked the picture into his turtle pouch and released a breath, sagging slightly as if releasing a great weight before turning and kissing her, conveying relief and joy and thankfulness in that one kiss. When the kiss broke, he rested his forehead against hers. "They're safe," he murmured again.

"We'll know more when Rebecca arrives with the train." Michaela smoothed a curl back from his face before he pulled back from her slightly.

He leaned in and kissed her neck before standing and pulling her up with him. "We'd better get back ta town," he said.

Michaela glanced around. "Where's Mo'éhno'ha ?" she asked.

Sully looked a little embarrassed. "I wasn't thinkin' clearly, so I walked."

Michaela just smiled. "Flash can carry both of us." Holding hands, they walked to where Flash was loosely tethered.

Sully mounted and with his assistance, Michaela got up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He didn't push Flash much above a trot, and they made their way back to town. There was no conversation, but they didn't need it. Just being together and knowing that the children were safe was enough.

Michaela hadn't arrived yet. But after the Wilsons had shown up a few hours ago, Grace figured she and Sully were still sorting things out so she might not make it to the sewing circle at all. The other members wouldn't hear it from her; it wasn't her business. Word would get around town soon enough that Sully's former adoptive family had arrived out of the clear blue sky. In the meantime, they still hadn't finished the lace for Michaela's veil. As she thought, her hands were flying making lace, just like the other women. Most of them were in on their slight deception. The dress they'd been making would be redyed into a nice blue, and given to Michaela as a wedding gift for her trousseau.

It would probably be the only sensible dress in it, Grace reflected. She'd received a telegram from Rebecca asking her to find out what Michaela liked from the fashion magazines, because her wedding gown and her entire trousseau had been ordered from Worth in Paris soon after Michaela had announced her engagement to Sully. Rebecca had said they wanted to make sure they'd chosen correctly. Mentally, Grace shrugged and made more stitches. She didn't know what Michaela would do with fancy things from Paris in Colorado Springs. It wasn't like she wore the fancies from Boston much as it was. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a look at Dorothy's face. She turned slightly. Dorothy didn't look happy - at all.

"What's the matter, Dorothy?" she asked, though she could guess.

Dorthy sighed. "I was lookin' forward to helpin' with the weddin', but..."

"You knew with the rest of us we're just makin' Dr. Mike's veil," Myra said with a little smile. "The dress is gonna be dyed and we'll give it to her as a present."

"I know, it's just, well, it is traditional for the matron of honor ta be the bride's eldest sister but..." Dorothy looked down at her own stitching and frowned.

"She never asked ya, did she, Dorothy?" Grace asked gently.

"No," Dorothy admitted. "She asked me to be a bridesmaid, even though it ain't proper with me havin' been married an' all."

"Fact is she don't know many unmarried ladies," Grace said simply. "All of us is married who're standin' up for her. An' from what I understand, her sister's had a happier marriage than you did with Marcus, so it's prob'ly better luck."

"I know," Dorothy sighed again. "It's just - this ain't what I planned for her - none of it."

Grace shrugged. She'd been writing letters back and forth with Rebecca for months now-since before the children had been taken, to be honest. She already had the menu, which they'd have to discuss when the Quinns arrived, and had made a dummy menu for Michaela with a completely different set of dishes.

"Mrs. Quinn's determined to make sure her youngest is married all proper-like, that's all," Myra said. "Surely you can understand that."

"I suppose..." Dorothy still had a discontented look on her face. "Everything's gonna be fancier than we could ever come up with, and there's no way we could have the kind of trousseau her mother's bringin'."

"She's also bringin' gowns for the bridesmaids, suits for the groom, groomsmen, and ushers, and bringin' in a seamstress from Denver to make sure everything fits." Grace commented idly. "Rebecca wrote that they ordered everything from Worth in Paris, includin' a gorgeous peignoir for the weddin' night. 'Parently, Mrs. Quinn wants more grandchildren!"

"Well, can you blame her?" Margaret Smith asked. "The ones Dr. Mike had, well they got taken, and her mother's waited a long time for her to get hitched!"

"Dr. Mike loves those children," Dorothy said softly. "I ain't never seen her as heartbroken as when Ethan took 'em. You can still see it in her eyes sometimes."

"Sully makes her happy," Grace said with a smile. "An' he thinks the sun rises and sets in her eyes. Ain't never seen a man more in love with a woman than he is with Dr. Mike. I swear, that man worships the ground she walks on."

"It ain't natural," Mrs. Barnes said uncomfortably. "For him to set his heart so much on something so worldly. There'll be a Judgment 'gainst him, mark my words."

"Amaryllis Barnes," Dorothy said sternly. "I don't think God'll punish a man for lovin' a woman the way it was meant ta be!"

"Just because your husband ain't as much of a gentleman as Sully is..." Myra trailed off.

"He treats her like she's the most precious thing in the world to him," Mary Jones said wistfully.

"It wouldn't surprise me if in a couple months we'll have an announcement of a new baby comin' from them," Dorothy said with a small smile.

"Or a honeymoon baby," Grace said with a wide smile. "With all the fancy underthings her mother's puttin' in the trousseau, it wouldn't surprise me a bit!"

Giggles traveled around the room. "What do you mean?" Myra asked.

Grace smiled and started picturing the sorts of things Rebecca had told her about. "Everything's trimmed in all sorts of fancy lace-Valenciennes, and French work, some Cluny. All gorgeous, 'parently. Her sister said there's at least a dozen gowns in there, too, all from Worth, all the latest fashion. Don't know where she's gonna wear it all, to be honest."

"We all know Dr. Mike comes from money," Myra commented absently as she worked at a tricky bit of lacework. "Wouldn't be a doctor if she didn't. I'm just glad she gave it up to come here; I wouldn't be alive without her."

There were soft murmurs of assent throughout the room. Everyone knew someone Dr. Mike had saved. By now, at least half the town owed her their lives. And they were grateful to have her - most doctors wouldn't have anything to do with their little town, especially because they didn't have a lot of cash to give her. "She'll find it'll be different once she marries him," Amaryllis said with a sour look on her face. "We may find ourselves out a doctor once she starts havin' babies, and they'll have ta live on what Sully makes. What does he do, anyway?"

"He's a jack-of-all-trades, you might say," Dorothy answered. "Ain't seen much of nothin' he can't fix or build, but he also does survey work for the government an' he's the Indian Agent for the territory."

"They'll manage," Grace commented. "I heard him say once he'd never ask her to give up bein' a doctor, 'cause it's parta who she is." As the conversation passed into other areas, she reflected on how lucky she and Michaela both were. Most men didn't seem to want wives who worked, yet neither Sully nor Robert E seemed to mind. Then again, both were uncommon men in their own ways.

Sully knelt behind Michaela, brushing her hair with long, firm strokes. She had yet to put on a nightgown, instead sitting in front of him in her chemise and pantaloons. He hadn't bothered with his nightshirt yet - instead changing only into a clean pair of drawers. As he brushed, he reflected that he hadn't been allowed to do this before the Cheyenne wedding; not since she broke her wrist when they'd been out trying to gather water samples. It was a rare privilege he hoped would become more common after their official wedding next week. She relaxed into the strokes of the brush. He peeked around to see a soft smile on her face as he continued, counting in his head. He'd helped Abagail brush her hair when she'd been hugely pregnant, but she hadn't allowed it otherwise. Being able to brush Michaela's hair felt so special, so intimate... Her hair was one of the first things he'd ever noticed about her. Long and brown, glinting copper in the sunlight. Most women didn't wear their hair down in public as it wasn't considered proper, and while she followed convention in Boston, she didn't in Colorado Springs. But he was the only one allowed to touch and he gloried in the long, silky strands as he ran both the brush and his fingers through her hair.

As he reached a hundred strokes, he put the brush down and moved her hair aside to kiss her neck and shoulders. She turned and, unable to resist, he captured her lips with his. Her hands came up to tangle in his hair, and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and almost groaning at the feel of her soft breasts pressed against his chest, only separated by the thin cotton of her chemise. He broke off the kiss and began to string kisses down her jaw, stopping to kiss the soft spot behind her ear, relishing the soft moan that elicited from her, before continuing downward to kiss her shoulders and upper chest. He was tempted to loosen the ribbon that was threaded through the neckline of her chemise but pulled back slightly, knowing he was playing with fire.

Slowly, her hand crept upwards and she laid it on his chest. Almost timidly, she leaned down and kissed it. She looked downward, a soft smile on her face and a blush rising in her cheeks. "I'd wondered what that felt like," she said before leaning in to explore his neck.

He gasped as she hit a particularly sensitive spot.

She pulled back, her mismatched eyes wide. "Did that hurt?' she asked.

"No, 'Chaela," he said hoarsely. "Felt good... almost too good." Sully sat down, his legs spread wide, and pulled her to sit down between them.

Her eyes widened again as she felt exactly what they'd been doing had done to him, but didn't otherwise react. She leaned against him and he wrapped his arms around her waist. He kissed her temple gently. "I love you," she murmured.

"I love you, too," he leaned in and kissed her gently. "Nine more days," he said with a teasing glint in his eyes.

"Three more until we'll never have a chance to be alone like this," she pointed out. "Rebecca said she and Richard would be here on the first train."

Sully kissed her neck again, smiling against her skin. "You can sneak out to the barn," he said temptingly.

Michaela laughed. "Oh, yes, I can hear my mother screaming now!"

"I thought she weren't comin'," he said curiously.

She sighed and shook her head. "I don't know," she admitted. "Rebecca said she and Richard were coming so they could discuss the children at the same time, but it's the same day as my mother's annual flower show. If she does come, it's likely she'll be in a bad mood and criticize everything."

"Long as ya don't agree with her..." He peppered soft kisses over her face and neck.

"Never." She kissed him gently. "I'm proud of the house and furniture you built, and I'm proud to be your wife."

"You could still sneak out," he suggested with a roguish grin. "Didn't ya ever sneak out ta see a boy?"

Michaela smiled. "Marjorie did, but I never did. By the time I was old enough for courting, word had spread of the 'strange Quinn girl' who wanted to be a doctor and boys ignored me."

"Glad they did," Sully kissed her forehead, then the corners of her eyes, and then moved to her mouth. "Them Boston boys weren't none too bright." They kissed languidly, as if they had all the time in the world.

He wasn't sure how long it lasted, but when the kiss finally broke, he nodded towards their bed. "We should prob'ly turn in, 'Chaela," he said.

"We're going to have to deal with the Wilsons more tomorrow," she said, making no move to stand up.

Sully sighed as he stood and pulled her up with him. "I know," he said. Their meeting with the Wilsons had been awkward and uncomfortable, to say the least. "They did volunteer ta help movin' stuff into the new house," he said thoughtfully. The matter of the money Aaron had said was his was bothering him a little but he decided to let it be for a while. Together, the two of them settled into their temporary bed. They cuddled together, relying on occasional light caresses to convey their feelings. He felt as if he could stay there together, just holding her if that's all that ever happened. On the other hand, nine days, he thought. Nine days until they could consummate their love. He could hardly wait.

Colleen sat on a thick blanket under a tree in the back garden of her Aunt Claudette's house, flipping through a book. The blanket was to protect her new blue plaid silk day dress from the ground. A breeze caught the ribbons that tied her bonnet around her head, making them flutter in the breeze. She probably should have been studying, but their tutor had given them the afternoon off, and she was feeling a bit lazy. Brian was playing on the swing her Uncle James had put up when Elsie and Samuel were younger. Samuel was almost finished with college and would be graduating soon and then going off to study engineering. Elsie was still home, but would be starting finishing school soon. In the mean time, she was sharing the tutor with them. Colleen wasn't sure what to make of her cousin - Elsie had seemed so stuck up when she'd first met her the last time they were in Boston, but she was different now. She sighed and stared unseeing at her book. Aunt Claudette's house was certainly better than Ethan's and her new tutor was better than the governess, but she still wanted to go home. She missed her mother. She missed Matthew. She missed Sully.

So caught up in her reverie was she that she didn't notice Elsie's approach. The red-haired girl plopped next to her on the blanket, spreading out the skirts of her maroon and white dress around her. "Colleen!" She snapped her fingers in front of Colleen's face.

"Huh?" Colleen looked up. "Oh. Which Elsie are you today? The snobbish one from the afternoon tea or the nice one I've seen the past couple days?"

Elsie laughed. "I should have explained," she said with a little smile, pushing her red ringlets back. "Mother expects me to be on my best behavior for functions like that, and she really wouldn't appreciate me arguing with Marguerite, even though she's wrong." Elsie smoothed her dress and looked up at Colleen. "It's always amazed me that she doesn't know women can be doctors when Aunt Michaela is one and she won't believe me when I tell her that we can be! Her mind is set in stone!"

"She seems so... conceited," Colleen said with a frown.

Elsie laughed again. "Be thankful you only get her in small doses," she said with a smile. "I'm required to spend time with her quite a bit... you probably will be too, now that you're here. Samuel is away at school, but Dudley is still at home with Aunt Maureen. He's an even bigger snob than Marguerite is!"

"What about Aunt Rebecca's children?" Colleen asked. "Ma said she had two but I've never met 'em."

"Well, Penelope is away at finishing school right now, and Randall should be starting his last year at Yale next year. He's studying architecture." Elsie pulled out a fan and waved it at herself.

"Marguerite is obviously going to make what Grandma would call a 'good match'," Colleen said with a frown. "What about you? Is all you're thinkin' about is gettin' married, too?"

"Not really," Elsie murmured. "My full name is Elsie Michaela - I was named after Aunt Michaela, of course. And part of me would like to follow in her footsteps, but I'm not as strong as she is. Female physicians aren't well-respected at all, and I'm not sure I could manage all the ridicule like she does."

"That's why she moved out West, you know, so she could practice medicine," Colleen said. "Ma said they wouldn't let her practice here in Boston."

"I cried for days after she left," Elsie admitted softly. "She and Aunt Rebecca are my favorite aunts, and Aunt Michaela used to take care of me sometimes. She really didn't know anything about children, and her way of amusing me was to take me to the hospital to see the specimens in jars, but I loved her. She always had time for me."

"She does her best to make time for us whenever we need her," Colleen admitted. "I want to be just like her... and I want more than anything to go home."

Elsie sprang up and reached for her hand. "Let's go somewhere - the library or the Common! I'm feeling restless, and our lessons are done, so Mother won't mind."

"Okay," Colleen quickly agreed. She stood up and together, they picked up and folded the blanket and then went inside. People in Boston were confusing sometimes, Colleen reflected. She'd been inclined to think they were all as two-faced as Alice, but Elsie wasn't mean like Alice was. It helped that it was temporary-the court case was set to be in early October, and if they were lucky, they could return home soon after that.

TBC...

RL has been getting in the way of writing. I can't guarantee when the next update will be because my life is crazy right now, and in another couple weeks, I have another child during the day because the almost six-year-old is getting out of school for the summer.