Michaela's screams echoed through his mind.
"No!" Matthew lunged forward.
"No!" Sully bolted upright.
"Sully," Michaela drew near. "Are you alright?"
Sully glanced at her and let out a shaky breath.
"Matt…Matthew," he was disoriented.
"Were you dreaming?" She suspected.
Sighing heavily, Sully wiped a hand over his face.
"Yes," he swallowed. "I…I had a knife," he looked back at her.
Michaela frowned at him.
"O'Connor," she inquired.
"No," Sully relaxed his rigid position. "We were in the…the homestead. I had a knife…a knife to you," a tear rolled his cheek.
Michaela then recalled the incident in the kitchen.
"Sully," she put an arm around his shoulder. "You didn't know… you didn't know where you were, what was going on. "It's not your fault."
"But what if…" he paused and laid his head in his hands. "What if I do it again and…Matthew ain't there."
Michaela sighed and shook her head.
"You mustn't think like that," she said. "Matthew was there and no one was hurt."
Sully fell silent and slowly laid back down. Pulling the blanket tighter around him, he faced away from Michaela.
"Sweetheart," she put a hand on his shoulder. "I know how hard this is for you but-"
"No," Sully cut in but didn't face her. "You don't. You have no idea how…hard this is."
Michaela sighed and blinked away the tears she felt rising in her eyes.
"What can I do?" She asked, her voice low. "What can I do to make it better? To ease your pain?"
For a moment, Sully remained quiet.
"Nothing," he finally replied.
Michaela sighed and glanced over at the fire and food that was not far from them.
"Would you like something to eat?" She asked. "There's some meat and-"
"I don't want anything, Michaela," he spoke harshly. "Just leave me alone."
Michaela drew back from her husband and sat by the fire. Looking upward, she noticed the sun rising above the high mountains. She hadn't noticed it before, but the mountains look familiar.
Michaela then recollected when she had been here last.
"Oh, Sully. I should have realized."
XXXXX
Cloud Dancing walked through the woods. He wasn't going to any certain destination, he was just walking…thinking.
He walked onward for a long time, he stopped when he smelled a fire burning. Approaching, quietly he was surprised to see Michaela sitting near the burning fire.
"Dr. Mike," his voice was low.
Michaela swiftly turned.
"Cloud Dancing," she stood. "What are you doing here?"
"The spirits led me here," he replied. "My brother is not well," the Cheyenne looked over at Sully, who was asleep.
Michaela glanced at him as well and sighed heavily.
"No," she held back tears.
"He is still having dreams?" Cloud Dancing knew.
Michaela nodded.
Cloud Dancing folded his arms across his chest.
"He needs healing," he said.
"I've given him some medicine to help him sleep. But he wakes up every few hours from a dream. He sometimes doesn't remember when where is his. He yells in his sleep," her tears flowed freely.
Cloud Dancing put a hand on her shoulder.
"Come," he led her to sit near the fire. "He still dreams of O'Connor?"
"Yes," Michaela wiped the tears from her cheeks.
"Have you spoken to him about it?"
"I've tried," she breathed. "But it's as if he doesn't want me to help him. He pulls away from me."
"Sully needs to know that even if he does not talk to you, you are still there for him. He needs to feel your love, now more than ever."
"That's all I can do," Michaela wrung her hands together. "Perhaps…" she paused and glanced at Sully. "Perhaps you could talk to him. He's always been able to open up to you."
Cloud Dancing nodded.
"I will try to speak with him when he awakes."
Michaela reached out a hand on placed it on top of his.
"Thank you," she said.
XXXXX
"Michaela!" Sully sprang from sprang upward.
Michaela, who was still seated at the fire was about to approach her husband but stopped when Cloud Dancing put a hand on her shoulder.
Rising to his feet, Cloud Dancing drew near to Sully.
Sully was staring forward, eyes wide and red.
"Sully," Cloud Dancing kept his voice soft.
The younger man swiftly looked upward.
"Cloud Dancing," he was out of breath."Wha…what are you doing here?"
Cloud Dancing bent down beside Sully and put a hand on his shoulder.
"The spirits," he replied.
"Where's Michaela?" Sully asked.
The Indian motioned over to the fire.
Sully glanced at Michaela but quickly looked away when their gazes met.
"You don't need to be here," he spoke to his friend.
"You do not need to be alone," Cloud Dancing countered.
Sully sighed heavily and fingered at the beads around his neck.
Cloud Daning touched his hand.
"I a here to help you, my brother, " he said. "Find your strength."
For a moment, Sully remained silent.
"I don't want your help," he finally spoke. "I don't want anything from you…or anyone."
"You are hurting, Sully. I have seen you like this before."
Sully looked at him with questioning eyes.
"When Abagail and Hannah died, when you returned from the army… after Washita. My brother, you are not a weak person. But you are a person. And you need to heal…from within."
Sully chocked back the tears.
"Sully," Cloud Dancing gently squeezed his hand. "You do not always have to alright."
Tears rolled down Sully's cheeks and Cloud Dancing gently embraced him.
"Help me," Sully's voice was low as he wept. "Please, Cloud Dancing…I can't do this anymore."
Cloud Dancing rubbed his back and glanced at Michaela, who was approaching the two.
Kneeling beside them, Michaela touched her husband's hand. Sully squeezed it and held it near his chest.
There they remained for many hours until the sun rose.