Chapter 20
Safely Through
"Well, if the gods are to give you such a comfortable burden of old age, there's good hope that you will come safely through all your trails"
Ten Months Later
The sun broke over the highest mountain, rising higher and higher in the sky. It was late, far later than she should have slept, but Michaela didn't care, she'd hardly slept at all last night. She stretched lazily against the fluffy pillows that surrounded her, slowly slipping her hand across the feather tick before her. She found nothing but cold sheets under her palm. Lazily, she lifted her head from the pillow and looked around before finally struggling herself into a sitting position. She grabbed her robe and moved to the door.
Downstairs, the once mangled walls over the homestead had long been repaired, windows had been replaced, furniture purchased (all with the help of the money embarrassedly handed to them. The governor of the Colorado Territory himself had assured Sully and Michaela that there was never any intention to forcibly take the property in the manner in which it was attempted and they he hoped the sum was enough to pay for the damaged.) In fact, it almost looked as if nothing had changed. The large room still held the secrets of memories and promises of a happy family. Now, the soft clanking of plates echoed through the room proceeded by the ever wonderful smell of pancakes.
"I wanna wear my bwue dress today." Katie chatted away, moving back and forth against the cabinets in order to keep up with her father's movements across the floor.
"Ya sure ya don't wanna wear the green one?" Sully asked, setting a stack of plates on the counter.
"No, the bwue one." Katie replied definitively.
"I think it's gonna be too hot."
"But it's cold outhide."
"Only in the morning. By the time we get to town today it's gonna be hot." Katie fell silent, and the next time Sully took the chance to glance at her he found her arms folded across her chest glaring at him unamused. Sully chuckled, "We'll talk 'bout it." He added glasses and forks next to the plates. "Why don't ya go upstairs and wake you're ma up."
"I'm afraid that won't be necessary." Michaela spoke for the first time since she'd entered the room having enjoyed simply watching the scene before her.
"Mommy!" Katie cried rushing over to her and wrapping tow arms around her mother's leg.
"Good morning precious."
"We made breakfast!"
"I see that. It smells wonderful." She moved over to the stove, surveying the tall stack of pancakes sitting next to a skillet of eggs and large slab of bacon. She stared wide-eyed at the sheer magnitude of food.
"Had ta make sure that we'd have enough." Sully explained into her ear, moving down in order to kiss her on the cheek. Despite her pursed lips, Michaela's eyes fluttered closed as she enjoyed the nearness of her body to him. His hand moving across the curve of her hip to rest against the ever-growing mound of her belly. He could feel the soft fluttering of movement under his palm. Michaela laughed, turning her eyes down onto the bulge of her gown. "I think someone is hungry."
"Then let's eat, the train gets here at one."
Colorado Springs was bursting with life. Men and women filled the streets, travelling this way and that, each taking care of their own business. Sully pulled the wagon to a halt in front of the clinic and was the first one down, lifting Katie behind him before turning for Michaela. With gentle, easy motions, he helped lower her from the wagon, and when her feet hit the ground, she turned up to him with a shy smile. Her hands coming to rest on her most darling of cargo.
"I go see Miss Grace!" Katie called, running off toward the tent toward their right. In the distance, the faint sound of train whistle blew across the land.
"Hey Dr. Mike, Sully." Matthew stepped off the boardwalk in front of his office, falling into line next to his adoptive parents.
"Afternoon, Matthew." Sully called, leaning around Michaela's shoulder.
"How has your morning been?" Michaela asked, her attention being drug from each side in the whirl of people.
"It's been good. Got a letter from Brian."
"Yes, he said he was going to write you."
"Sounds like he's enjoying himself at school." Matthew noted with a smile, obvious proud of his little brother.
"Yea, and it don't hurt that he's got Colleen and Elizabeth close." Sully noted, stepping up to the top of the train platform. He reached down and held his arm out to Michaela to help her up.
"Oh Sully," Loren's voice could be heard before he could be seen walking from the train depot, a telegraph in hand.
"Loren." Sully nodded his head.
"Ted Nelson came by yesterday askin' if ya might want a job as builder down in Boulder. Told him I'd let ya know, but I didn't think ya'd be that interested."
Sully smiled, his hand gravitating up Michaela's back. "Thanks, Loren, but I'm gonna be stickin' close ta home for a while.
"Ah, I thought so." He grumbled, "Well, I said I'd tell ya and I told ya." Loren's shrug made Sully chuckle as he continued on his way.
The whistle grew louder as the front of the train appeared in the distance. "This is it." Michaela's voice appeared in Sully's ear, holding the excitement and nervousness that he felt in his chest.
"Yea, this is it." They shared a smile for the brief moment as the train pulled into the station.
The train gave a sigh of exhaustion as it stilled on the track, kicking up steam behind it to float up and over the platform. The first passenger arrived off the train in the smoke and fog, as if emerging from nowhere. Sully's eyes scanned the crowd and then with a jerk of his wrist he pointed. "There he is." The small, red headed boy emerged from the side of the train, looking slightly as he had almost three years ago but as though he'd grow up since the last time Sully saw him. Two green eyes searched and found him, a grin breaking his freckled face.
"Mr. Sully." James Finnegan stepped off the train and moved directly to Sully and Michaela, clasping the older man's hand. "I can't tell you how good it is to see you."
"Same here James. Same here." Sully answered, shifting his attention to Michaela, "James I'd like to introduce you to my wife Dr. Michaela Quinn." Finnegan's eyes turned to Michaela and widened, almost speechless but he quickly recovered himself, offering his hand.
"I've heard so much about you." Michaela blushed slightly, "and I you" she replied. "I'm happy to finally get the chance to meet you, and to thank you." Now it was Finnegan's turn to blush.
"James!" Matthew appeared from where he had ducked in to speak to Horace. "I'm glad ya came…."
The two men began to talk, chatting along the way as the four adults began to walk back the wagon. Michaela and Sully hung back. "So that's the man who saved your life." Michaela noted turning her eyes to him. Sully nodded.
"Yea, got a lot to owe him."
Together, the two of them stepped off the platform, but as Michaela moved to take another step, Sully stopped her, pulling her back to him. His hand lifted pointing to a shape in the far distance. "Ya see it?" He asked, a hint of excitement in his voice. Michaela nodded. "It's a Hawk." They stood there paused in the moment as the single Hawk arched against the sky moving higher and higher and then lower. Then, as if magically another one appeared, weaving the pattern with the first. It was obvious that they were partners. "No matter where one goes, the other one ain't far away. He won't let her outta his sight. He ain't gonna let her go." He whispered close to Michaela's ear. Smiling, feeling the warmth of the sunlight against her face, Michaela relished what it was to feel normal. She turned to him, to see his smile matching hers and there, she placed a kiss.
Well, there is The Shroud Unwoven, I realized at the end that it never came up what happened to Howard, rest assured, he's serving a rather long sentence in jail. Won't be bothering Mike and Sully much longer. Thank you for all of your patience, I am forever indebted to you!