Chapter 11
Although she hid her doubts well, Sully sensed her withdrawal. He had assured Michaela that he would come to town to say goodbye to her and talk to Abby before he left. She had nodded and smiled, but her eyes told him that the small amount of trust that connected them was already dwindling.
Determined to show her that she could count on him, Sully rode to town one hour before he would leave with the Cheyenne. He hadn't been able to come sooner for he had to finish his work and pack the few things he needed for the trip first.
When he tethered his Indian pony to a post of the porch across from the mercantile, he quickly glanced over his shoulder towards the clinic door. The dreaded sign wasn't there so he could look forward to holding Michaela in his arms again before his departure.
He didn't know that his every move was watched by two blue eyes.
Abigail had immediately noticed Sully's arrival, and she didn't like what she saw. The man that was courting her stared at the doctor's door and a silly smile appeared on his face. Normally, her temper would instantly rise yet today, she rather grew teary-eyed.
She had gone with her mother to Manitou to visit her grandma who had been sick for a while now, yet they arrived too late. Around midnight the old woman passed away and although Abigail had never been close to her grandmother, she felt inexplicably sad. It had been her first confrontation with death in her own family and seeing her mother's distress frightened her.
Finally back home she had hoped to get consolation from Sully and now she was forced to realize once again that she didn't have his undivided attention. She was out on the porch sooner than Sully reached it. Seeing him approach her, she cried letting some tears run down her cheeks, "Sully, I need you so much!"
Puzzled by this strange behavior, even for Abigail, Sully let her throw her arms around his neck. As he felt her body heave with sobs he couldn't simply step away, fearing that Loren hadn't kept his word and told his daughter that he would break up with her. The next moment, however, he heard the true reason for Abby's desperation, "My grandma died last night, Sully. I'm so glad you came. I need someone I can talk to!"
Feeling Sully stroking her back soothingly, she smiled satisfied against his chest. He would stay with her and not leave her to meet the doctor. Her joy only intensified when she saw the doctor step out onto the porch, her eyes fixed on the two of them.
Michaela was on her way to the post office as to mail a letter. Spotting Sully standing in the middle of the street holding Abigail close, her heart skipped a beat. This wasn't a couple who were ending their relationship, for they both looked too comfortable with each other. She had really believed Sully when he promised to talk to Abigail. Frowning, Michaela realized that she was far too gullible, obviously having no idea about men. However, this wasn't the time to consider her personal problems. Although her next patient wasn't due for another hour, she still intended to make use of every minute of her break. First she would see Horace and then make herself some tea.
Turning abruptly as to cut her eyes from the scene before her, she met the saloon owner's gaze. Hank openly grinned at her and she knew that he had read her mind. Determined to show that she wasn't affected by his amusement about her foolishness, she glared at him before she hurried toward the post office, her chin raised.
Of course Sully felt for Abigail, and one thing was for sure: He couldn't possibly tell her that he wanted to break up with her right now. Thinking about how to handle the situation best, he shifted, straightening again. He opened his eyes in time to see Michaela step down from the clinic porch. Now it was his heart that skipped a beat, assuming that she had seen him standing with Abigail in a tight embrace. This was confirmed by the smirk Hank cast in his direction.
Taking a deep breath, Sully laid his hands on Abigail's shoulders, tentatively bringing some distance between them. "Listen to me, Abby," he started yet her tear-stained face stopped him momentarily. Well, he needed to tell her about his trip because nothing would stop him from going with his Cheyenne friends. Thus he at last went on, "I'm leavin' for a bit. I gotta go with Cloud Dancing to Fort Lyon."
Abigail
gasped, "How can you leave me now? I thought…"
"Abby!"
It was Loren calling. He had watched the scene from inside of the
store. He loved his daughter and only the thought of her getting hurt
made him cringe. Yet this time he knew it had to be. Her breaking up
with this man was only for the best and he was here as to catch her
after she received the devastating news. Seeing her starting to
protest he came to Sully's rescue. "Abby, come in, I need ya
here!"
Relieved about Loren's help, Sully agreed, "Ya better go now."
"But Sully…" Abigail didn't want to give up so easily. Yet as she started to pout she detected anger creeping into Sully's eyes and thus she rather got on her tiptoes, quickly pressing her lips against his. "I'm waitin' for you," she whispered and before Sully was able to respond, she rushed towards her father.
Sully, however, instantly turned as to find out whether Michaela had seen the kiss. Much to his relief he saw her only now leaving the post office. He knew that he was already short of time but he needed to talk to her before he left.
They
reached the clinic door at the same time. Without saying one word,
Michaela opened the entrance, leaving it open behind her. Sully could
tell that she was upset and hurried to explain, "Abby's grandma
died last night and Abby was there. She took it really hard and
I…"
"I understand," Michaela cut him off, and she really
did. Sully was a compassionate person which was one reason for her to
feel drawn to him. Yet she couldn't help but silently wonder if he
would ever be able to tell Abigail that he didn't want to continue
their relationship.
Knowing that now wasn't the time to talk about this, she changed the subject. Halting on her way to her desk, she turned looking up at him, "Please tell Cloud Dancing that he doesn't have to worry about his people during his absence. I will be there for them."
"Sure," Sully nodded, considering her. He could tell that she was still worried and didn't want to leave her this way. Running his hand down her arm he held her eyes as he promised, "I'll tell Abby as soon as I'm back."
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Loren had watched his daughter carefully all week. Sully, contrary to Daniel, hadn't shown up in town those last days and Abigail seemed to cope with the break-up just fine. Satisfied, the older man grinned to himself. This was his little girl and now it was time to reward her. He waited until she was done with putting tins on the shelf. As she turned towards him, he gave her a wide smile, "I got a surprise for ya, Abby."
Abigail loved her father's gifts and expectantly she tried to find out what it was this time. "Somethin' to eat or somethin' to wear?" Of course she would take either.
"Remember that blue dress ya admired in the catalogue? It's yours…"
His daughter's arms around his neck quenched his last words, but Loren didn't mind. "I thought if ya wear it to the ball in Denver at Christmas we can find ya a …"
Abigail's squeal of delight drowned the older man's voice again. The young woman had begged her father for several years to take her there and now she would finally go. "Thank ya, Pa!" she cried and showered his faces with kisses.
"Awe, that's enough," he grumbled at this and Abigail let go of him. She knew better than to exaggerate or her father might have second thoughts. And she still had one request, "Pa," she beamed at him, "I know ya don't like Sully very much but could he go with me to the ball?"
Her face held a begging expression now but Loren was only puzzled. "What for? He's with the doc now."
Abigail's arms dropped down at her sides. Stunned she stared at her father, "He's what?"
Insecure about this reaction, Loren replied, "I thought he told ya when he was here the last time. And since he didn't show up again…"
Abigail didn't listen anymore. Although the fear that Sully might think the doctor more attractive than her had always been on her mind, it never really occurred to her he would actually leave her. After all, they were still officially courting and Sully spent the most part of his free time with her. Well, actually the Indians still came first for him but she had thought that she could change that slowly but steadily. Another woman disturbing her plans wasn't a possibility she had considered.
Abruptly pivoting, she rushed out of the store, dismissing her father's warning to leave the doctor alone. Without even knocking, she flung the clinic door open yelling, "You have no right to just come here, showing off with you expensive dresses and turn…"
Suddenly she stopped, realizing that she had burst in on Dr. Quinn treating a patient; she was removing the stitches from Hanks hand. However, Abigail needed only a moment to regain her composure and was about to go on, but Michaela cut her off, straightening from her seat next to the saloon owner. "Miss Bray." Her tone was icy, "Miss Bray, don't you ever dare to step into this room without knocking again. And now go, I have to work."
No one had ever looked with so much ire at Abigail as the young woman had to face right now. Intimidated, she turned as to leave but reaching the door, some of her courage returned, "Just so you know, Sully will never leave me 'cause I won't let him go!"
Michaela didn't deign a reply but went on tending to the medical task before her. Even Hank's chuckled comment, "Cat fight, how nice," didn't gain a response.
The rest of the day was spent in silent torture, her mind never able to stop thinking about her relationship with Sully. It had been like this already but now even more so after Abigail's outburst. Restlessly, she searched for a distraction cleaning the same surfaces over and over yet nothing seemed to work. But that evening a distraction came that would carry her far away from her thoughts of Sully. A telegram from Boston, simply reading, "Come at once. Father is gravely ill. Mother".
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Sully rolled over as the first rays of light broke the horizon and made their way into the teepee in which he slept. He knew it was early and he felt his body protesting as he sat up. Having ridden all of the day and most of the night before, he was still exhausted but there would be time to sleep later. Sully wanted to get into town, to see Michaela and to finally make good on his promise to speak to Abby. He knew this last thought should be the first thing he did but the truth was he was too anxious to see the doctor. The few hours of sleep he'd managed were filled with restless dreams of her in his arms, those soft lips pressed to his. When he'd said yes to Cloud Dancing's request to accompany the Cheyenne, he hadn't been aware of how it would affect him. He had heard many times that absence made the heart grow fonder but now he knew the truth of these words for himself. Thoughts of Michaela filled every spare moment and he was more certain than ever that his future lie with her. Crouching, he moved towards the flap of the teepee and slowly emerged. It felt good to stand up, and he raised his hands over his head to stretch his back.
A few yards away stood Cloud Dancing and Snowbird. He too was up early but because he had duties to tend to as medicine man of the tribe. He had been glad to accept Michaela's help in his absence, yet it did not stop him from feeling a deep sense of responsibility to his people. While Snowbird looked astonished to see Sully awake already, Cloud Dancing was not surprised in the least. He had watched his white brother over the last two weeks and easily recognized the love that was growing in his good friend's eyes.
The Indian couple looked at Sully when he started his way over to them, nodding a greeting as he wiped sleep from his eyes.
"You are up early, my friend." Cloud Dancing cut his eyes over at him as he spoke, suppressing a grin.
Sully nodded and leaned down as if to warm his hands at the fire even though the morning was warm. "Got some things to do in town."
A light chuckle escaped the medicine man's throat as he considered his friend. "In town?' he asked innocently. Snowbird was now looking from her husband to Sully trying to understand this covert exchange.
Sully straightened again, shuffling his feet slightly as he avoided looking at either of his friends. "Got to stop by the mercantile, livery, clinic…."
This last word was whispered in low tones, meant to be swept away in the light breeze that was blowing. Yet when he looked up, he knew they both had heard. Snowbird was smiling widely finally seeing what her husband had hinted at just this morning when they woke up. Cloud Dancing still concealed his smile but his eyes could not contain the expression.
"I'm gonna get goin'," Sully said shaking his head. He knew questions would soon burst forth from Snowbird and he didn't want to be deterred this morning.
Snowbird started to speak as Sully turned but a gentle touch from her husband stopped her. "Safe journey Sully," she thus simply called after him.
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Sully fought with himself during the ride into town but in the end the desire to see Michaela won out. People were only beginning to stir in the streets of Colorado Springs but he wasn't concerned if he woke her. Actually the thought of seeing her as she awoke spurred him on. He could imagine what it would be like to wake up next to her and run his hands through the long flowing waves of her hair. While he knew that would not happen until after a wedding, he could not deny that he found his mind wandering in that direction frequently. As he dismounted in front of the clinic, he was smiling and even humming a little tune. He knocked on the door before he even read the sign. He knocked again thinking that she would answer in her robe, her hair loose about her shoulders.
"She's not there." The voice jarred him and he turned to see the dark eyes of Abby staring at him. "She's gone back to Boston."
Sully was shaken by her words and her expression, yet it was the word Boston that still lingered in his mind and created a panic in his heart. "Boston?"
"Read the note." She took two brisk steps forward and pointed to the sign he had previously ignored.
Sully's eyes scanned the words written in her beautiful slopping letters. Closed due to illness in family. Please go to the barber shop for medical treatment. "Who's ill?"
"Her father," Abby snarled. "But I told her, Sully. I told her to leave us alone. I think it's good that she's gone. I hope she stays there."
An anger that Sully seldom experienced rose in his chest and his eyes flashed with fire as he turned to look directly at her. "How can ya say that?" His jaw dropped open in surprise. "Look what she's done for this town. Abby, we need her."
"We need her or you need her?"
Sully could see the hurt behind her harsh words and he felt guilty. He had not handled any of this the right way. Even comforting her as he had after her grandmother's death had given her a false hope that he regretted with every fiber of his being. His head dropped and he opened his hands at his sides in a sign of surrender.
"Sully?" Her voice had softened as she suddenly realized that she was pushing him away instead of drawing him in.
Abigail stepped forward wrapping her arms around his neck, forgetting every shred of propriety that her mother had taught her. She did not care who was watching them or who would be talking about them later. "She's gone. It doesn't matter. I love you and that's what matters." One hand came up to caress his cheek but Sully grew rigid at her touch.
"I'm sorry," he whispered looking at her with saddened eyes. "Abigail, I love her."
"But she's gone."
The words haunted him as he again felt a jab of panic. "It doesn't change things." The first tear rolled down Abby's cheek as her bottom lip came out in a pout. "Don't cry, Abby."
He felt divided – wanting to be alone and figure out what to do about Michaela but at the same moment feeling as if he owed Abby some of his time.
"She's not here. I'm here." She was pleading with him now. "Sully we're here together."
He shook his head and took a step back. "No I'm going to Boston. She might need me… I have to go…. I …"
He stepped toward his horse now hearing Abby's sobs begin in earnest. The sounds pricked his heart but not nearly as much as his desire to get to Michaela as soon as possible. He was worried about her, worried about her father, worried about what Abby had said to her and most of all worried that he might lose her.
