Chapter 11

"Can't ya just leave her alone?" Sully hissed through clenched teeth as he and Daniel hurried back to the place where a large bundle with their tent still waited to be picked up.

Daniel instantly shot back, "It looks as if ya already did a good job with that."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sully glared at his friend.

Without slowing down in his tracks Daniel demanded, "Why's she hurt?"

Sully didn't reply because, in his opinion, the answer was obvious.

"I bet ya made her walk alone," Daniel growled at his friend's back for Sully had quickened his pace.

"She's grown up and knows how to walk," Sully grumbled under his breath.

Daniel still heard him and said, "Yeah, in a city, on high heels as ya pointed out yourself."

Eaten by guilt anyway Sully had enough and stopped abruptly so that Daniel almost bumped into him.

"Ya really think Cloud Dancing would've sent her if he thought she wouldn't manage?" Sully snarled, eying Daniel challenging.

For a moment, they both glowered at each other. Daniel gave up first, circling his friend and bent down, picking up one end of the bundle.

"Ya gonna help, or what?"

This was the end of their discussion although the anger still simmered inside each of them.

xxx

Once again Michaela felt totally out of place. Daniel and Sully had put up her ridge tent in no time, without speaking one single word. Still silent, they were pitching a larger frame tent right next to hers now. Apparently they didn't need any help, less alone hers and so she decided to unpack her things.

It wasn't even twenty minutes later when she heard Sully clearing his throat at her entrance. Sitting on the ground she looked up at him questioningly, ready to jump up if he asked for her support. But he didn't.

She followed his disapproving gaze that roamed over her belongings spread around her, wondering if he would chide her again. Then his eyes lingered on her medical bag and she was about to tell him about its Contents, but he already said, "I hope it's got a strong battery 'cause we don't have power out here."

For a moment she was taken aback but then realized that he thought she had brought a laptop. "I know," she quickly assured, "it's not what it looks like. It's…"

"It ain't my business," he interrupted her, looking pretty moody again. "Just wanted to tell ya that me and Daniel are down at the creek if someone needs us."

"Alright," she nodded and tried to explain again, "but really, it's not…"

Yet Sully was already gone.

From the distance, where the others put up their tents, Michaela heard laughter and chattering. There was no doubt that the students were at peace with themselves, even though she could tell that some of them needed several attempts to erect the poles that were to support the large nylon sheets.

She couldn't help but wonder once again what had possessed her to agree to make this trip. When Cloud Dancing had suggested it to her it had seemed the logical thing to do: see the practical side of the work of an environmental group, even help with it. Apart from that, she would get acquainted with the surroundings of Colorado Springs. Apart from that she would relax, taking her time out of town as a vacation before she started to work. Whom had she thought she was kidding? Her entire body hurt from the unaccustomed exercise of walking for hours on end and spending the night on stony ground. In addition she felt light-headed as if drunken by oxygen plus there was no one who would talk to her. What a waste of time; she could be searching for an apartment by now, take a look at her practice rooms and make a list of what she would need.

Suddenly a shadow fell into her tent, and looking up she saw two young girls and two young men, all of them blond, approaching. They stopped before her open flap, obviously insecure about how to start talking to her.

Getting up she stepped outside, wondering what this was about.

"Hi," said one of the men, proffering his hand. "I'm Matthew Cooper; this here's my girlfriend Ingrid and her brother Jon, and that's my sister Colleen."

Whilst talking, he pointed at each of the others who shook hands with Michaela. When it was Colleen's turn she said, beaming at her, "It's great that you're here, Dr. Mike."

Michaela couldn't hide her surprise because she hadn't been introduced this way.

Matthew quickly explained, "Brian's our little brother." The boy had told everyone about the new doctor and didn't stop calling her Dr. Mike, so this way of addressing her was already familiar to the Coopers.

Remembering the small boy Michaela smiled, "I see." Keeping her profession a secret was obviously not an option anymore. To her surprise she realized that she didn't mind.

"So, ya really gonna work at the clinic?" Colleen spoke up.

"Sure she will, it's talk of the town." Her older brother glared at her for this stupid question.

"Then you're gonna meet our mom. She's a midwife and works with Dr. Bernard," Colleen chirped happily.

"Speakin' of Mom," Matthew chimed in, silencing his sister with a gaze, "she said to tell ya that ya can have a room in our boardin' house till ya find an apartment."

"I don't know what to say; that's very generous," Michaela replied, astonished how easily people around here offered accommodations to her. Maybe she could stop worrying about finding a place to live in.

"It's nothing," Matthew assured, laying his arm around Ingrid's waist leading her away. "See ya!" he called over his shoulder before starting to talk to Jon who was already at his side.

Only Colleen was still standing in front of her, her eyes shining with excitement. She couldn't find another topic to talk about though and thus she gave Michaela a small wave before she hurried to catch up with the others, "Talk to ya later, Dr. Mike."

As suddenly as the four of them had appeared as quickly they were gone, and the silence around her began to weigh on Michaela once more. She briefly considered stepping back into her tent but realized that this wasn't a good idea because the sun began to turn its inside into a baking oven. Going down to the creek would definitely be better. It wasn't only for the prospect of the cool water; she wanted to see Sully. He gave her a feeling of familiarity even when he didn't talk.

As his name entered her mind Michaela felt warmth coloring her cheeks, remembering how safe she had felt when she woke up in his arms in the morning. This moment, however, seemed ages away now. She was used to his quietness and didn't mind it because in a way it was reassuring, but that he didn't even meet her eyes anymore made her uneasy. She was determined not to show it though, and after taking a long sip from her water bottle she was on her way.

She found the two men on the sandy edge of the creek, right next to a big rock lying there. They were putting up something that looked like a large tripod. Between the poles, several inches above the ground, Sully was fastening a large, deep bowl with a screwdriver while Daniel held the construction.

They both heard her coming but only Daniel looked up.

"Hey," he greeted her, but before he could go on Sully straightened.

"Done," he said, glancing Michaela's way. Seeing her interest he elaborated, "Normally we would cook on an open fire in a circle of stones but that's out of the question here."

He knew she understood and so he only added, "Robert E. made it for us."

Guessing from her look what she was wondering Daniel explained, "He drove the other van." Michaela nodded, remembering the African-American who had left rather quickly as soon as his vehicle had been unloaded.

She didn't know it, but this conversation began to turn into a competition between the two friends. She didn't have the opportunity for another question or remark because after casting Daniel a wry look Sully took over again. "He's a blacksmith," he informed her.

"And his wife has the best Café in town," Daniel offered quickly.

"Grace's Café?" Michaela asked, looking from one man to the other.

"Yeah," Sully confirmed and felt his pulse quicken when she smiled at him.

"I had breakfast there," she told him. "I know I will love her coffee."

Since she had dropped the idea of hiding her profession she had forgotten that he was still clueless about her staying in town and would probably not understand her statement.

Judging his puzzled expression she was right: he still thought she would leave for Boston after the end of their time in the woods and the dinner with his Cheyenne friends she had agreed to.

Daniel, however, didn't catch the significance of her remark.

"I bet ya met Hank and Jake," he said, grinning.

Michaela rolled her eyes, "I did indeed."

All three of them regretted that their conversation was cut short when they saw the students coming down to the creek, joining them.

xxx

Although Michaela had asked for something to do, both Sully and Daniel had told her that she should go easy on her hand and take some rest. All jobs had long been given out anyway during the preparations for this excursion.

It was already bad enough for her not to have a Task, but it was even worse watching everyone else being busy. Some were taking care of lunch while others were digging a hole close to the creek that would be filled with water for keeping their drinks cold. Another group was searching for a spot for their makeshift toilet and then they would build it.

Sighing in frustration Michaela went back to her tent. The only way to make use of her time was to read another article, and thus she fetched her eBook and the blanket and began to look for a shady place. It took her only a few steps and she was already drawn in a particular direction: the cave from last night would offer her anything she needed.

For the first minutes there she read while sitting, leaning against the rock where Sully had stood in the rain last night. Yet soon her eyes grew heavy, and she stretched out in front of the mound of the cave. Before she knew it she was fast asleep.

xxx

Daniel had noticed that his friend had been growing restless over the last half hour. Although he felt a strong attraction to Michaela, actually it was rather close to enchantment, he had decided to step back for Sully's sake, at least for now. It was about time that Sully showed an interest in a woman again, no matter how fiercely he denied it. Apart from that Daniel had seen the difference in the way how Michaela looked at them when the three of them were talking earlier. Although she definitely liked him she was drawn to Sully. He could tell from the shine in her eyes and the subtle change in her voice that revealed the kind of shyness that only shows when you fear rejection.

"I've got everythin' under control," he told Sully who cast furtive glances in all directions while they were on their way from the tent down to the creek again. They had just finished giving out the tablets for purifying the water they would drink, and Michaela hadn't been there.

The two men were friends since childhood and understood each other without elaborating their thoughts. Thus Sully only mumbled, "alright," as he turned around and went back to the camp.

Although he was sure that nothing had happened to Michaela, he still had to be sure. What if she had fallen asleep in the sun? She could catch something more severe than sunburn and it was his job to keep her from harm. That she'd hurt her wrist under his care was already bad enough.

Without thinking he went to the cave, and when he spotted the red of her t-shirt he let out a soft sigh of relief. Carefully stepping closer he looked for signs that would tell him about the depth of her sleep. Her breathing was slow and even when he reached her, and for a moment he was insecure about whether to wake her or not. She slept on her side, her cheek resting in her palm. Her long braid lay along her back on the ground, and he felt his fingers twitching, remembering the silky softness of her hair. He fought the temptation to touch it again. What he regretted even more was that he would never hold her in his arms again, let alone an entire night.

Shaking his head at his foolishness, he decided to let her sleep. Then he turned and left for the creek. She would leave his life as quickly as she had entered it.

However, there was still her remark about the coffee at Grace's that made him wonder and secretly hope.