Chapter 25 – Home, Sweet Home

The following morning…

"You ready?" Emily yelled down the hall to Doc as she packed up a few more supplies from the medicine cabinet in the supply room.

"Um, yeah. You sure you wanna go back to the house today? I mean we could stay here in town for another night, enjoy not having to worry about making dinner or making the bed in the morning."

Doc was little hesitant to leave the comfort of living in town. She wanted more than anything to get Emily back out to the house and begin making their life together, but the thing was, with her having a busted shoulder for the time being, that would mean Emily would have to do most everything around the house and Doc would just be a lazy lump on the porch. At least in town, she could consult with Doctor Loveless and make her way walking about through the town catching up with the town folk. The other issue with being alone out at their place, Doc wasn't so sure she could adhere to the "no sex" rule Emily had decided to enforce after hearing what Doctor Loveless had to say about needing lots of rest and less excitement. Doc thought it was totally unfair and tried voicing her opinion, but she was coming to learn that Miss Emily Fitch had one hell of a stubborn streak in her when she wanted.

"First of all, I don't mind making dinner. And second, who said we would be getting out of bed in the morning for it to be made?" Emily popped her head into the room to make sure Doc got a glimpse of that mischievous little grin that seemed to have found her way onto her lips.

"Wait, what? You said no sex. You can't tease me like that. Remember he said less excitement. That just makes me beyond excited." Doc whined out and hunched back onto the bed knowing full well that Emily was in fact just teasing.

Emily crossed the room and straddle Doc's body sitting on her lap. Doc continued to pout but did wrap her good arm around Emily's waist and pulled her in just a little bit closer.

"I don't mean to tease, Naoms. You think this "no sex" rule is hard just on you? I mean all I have to do is look at you and my heart beats faster, my vision blurs a little, and you have no idea the effect your cute little pout right now is doing between my legs. I swear, if I had my say, you and me would never leave the comfort of our bed. That's a fact!" Emily leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on Doc's lips. The pout on Doc's lips instantly turned up and became a huge grin.

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Lets get this horse moving. No time to waste. The quicker we get to our home, the quicker you can work on getting me well rested… in bed." Doc went to stand nearly knocking Emily to the floor. She caught her hand with her good arm and saved her from landing on her bum. Doc smiled tenderly and pulled her in close. Doc placed a sweet kiss on Emily's forehead. "Lets go home."

Doc wasn't completely useless. Although she only had the use of one arm, Emily still made sure that she was helping with loading the wagon and making sure the young boys from the stables fixed the horses up right. If she saw Doc get a little winded then she knew that was enough for the time being, but at least with the little help she was giving, it made Doc feel important and not just a bump in the road.

Before heading out of town, they had a few errands to do. First stop, next door at Freddie's place. Although Emily had most of what she brought with her still back at the house, she knew that she would probably be smart to get a pair of those men's trouser's that Doc wears since she knows that she will have to help with the horses while Doc is resting. She didn't think it would be useful to be trotting around in a dress out their on the land. For one, how quickly she would get it dirty, and two, she just figured something would get in the way out there. There is a lot more flowing fabric to a dress then there ever would be to a shirt and trousers. So, much to Doc's dismay, in they went to visit Freddie.

"Ah and how is our little patient doing today?" Freddie leaned down and grabbed Doc's cheek giving it a slight squeeze.

Instantly Doc swung her leg out clipping Freddie's heel and pushed him backwards with her good arm, putting Freddie right down to the ground on his ass. Doc triumphantly lifted her foot onto Freddie's chest and leaned over her knee to stare him straight in the face.

"Better than you at the moment!" Doc said with a goofy grin.

Emily came up from behind Doc, seeing the sight of Freddie on the floor with Doc pinning him down with her foot.

"Naomi Campbell! What are you doing?" Emily squealed out.

Doc jumped back a half step releasing Freddie from his capture. Freddie jumped up and stood at attention as if he were just as much in trouble as Doc and were about to receive a scolding for him self.

"What? What? We were just having a bit of fun. He's fine. He's used to being in that position." Doc couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm so sorry. I think you have met my sister, but I don't think we've formally met, I'm Emily Fitch." Emily extended her hand.

"Freddie, at your service. So you finally get this one in for her annual fitting?" Freddie took Emily's hand and gave a gentle shake, then motioned to Doc about the fitting.

"Annual fitting?" Emily questioned.

"No, no, this visit isn't for me. This little one here needs some work clothes for the ranch." Doc did her best to bring the subject back to Emily.

"Wait a minute. Do you need to get new clothes as well? If you do, we may as well get them now, rather than having to take another trip into town at a later date. We're here so lets do it now." Emily addressed Doc.

"But I hate getting new clothes. My old ones are fine. Look only two holes in this shirt. Ask Freddie. That is much better than what I usually come in with. Do I have to?" Emily knew Doc could whine and pout but really this was a new one for her. She was acting like a 3 year old about to throw a fit.

"Seriously Naomi, you're gonna throw a fit?" Emily stood with her hands on her waist.

"Now you see what I have to deal with on a regular basis with this one. I'm glad there is finally somebody else here to help me deal with it." Freddie went and stood next to Emily with his arms crossed against his chest.

"Humph!" Doc could see she was outnumbered on this one. She decided to hunch her shoulders and dragged herself into the back and over to the mirrors where Freddie had his measuring station.

Doc stood waiting for Emily to come help her strip off her pants and shirt so Freddie could get his exact measurements. Emily sauntered over and began unbuttoning Doc's shirt.

"If you're a good little girl, I'll make sure you get rewarded when we get home." Emily whispered into Doc's ear.

Doc gulped hard and refocused her attention to make sure she was the best little girl she could be. Even if there was a "no sex" rule on the table, she knew that any reward from Emily would be well worth it.

Freddie measured up Doc in record time without her squirming around. He much attributed that to Emily standing right next to her keeping her in check. Next up was Emily. Doc sat in a chair near the mirrors so she could have the best view of Emily in her undergarments. Freddie took all her measurements than left the back room to allow Emily to get dressed. Doc, of course, stayed to make sure Emily didn't need any extra help.

Once Emily was dressed, both she and Doc made their way out to the front to place their order. Doc got her usual and Emily placed her order for two pairs of trousers, two shirts, and Doc insisted on her getting at least two new dresses. Emily argued, but Doc insisted and Freddie did as Doc said. Just as Freddie was finishing up writing the order, another customer came through the door.

"What are you two doing here?" Katie asked surprised.

"I could ask you two the same thing." Emily stated back.

Miss Effy and Katie came strolling into Freddie's store, hand in hand. After their amazing night together, Miss Effy suggested that this morning they come over and get Katie a new dress or two. Miss Effy wanted to spoil Katie just a bit and she knew that this was one of the ways to do it.

"You're spoiling her, aren't you?" Doc looked straight into Miss Effy's eyes, smiling from ear to ear. She knew exactly what she was doing because she was basically doing the same thing for Emily.

"Maybe? I wouldn't call it spoiling as much as I would indulging in my woman." Miss Effy smirked. "Looks like you're doing better, Boston."

"Much better, thank you! Emily and I are just finishing up some errands then we are heading back out to the ranch. You and Katie should join us one night this week. There's plenty of room out there to stay the night and wait until you taste these girls cooking. Amazing!"

Doc chatted with Miss Effy as the two sisters chatted about the clothes they were having made for each of them. Katie was disgusted when she heard about Emily getting "man clothing," but did understand that with Doc recovering the place would still need some attending. And as Katie put it, "why on earth would anyone choose to ruin such a perfectly fine dress by doing that kind of work in it." Both Doc and Emily said their goodbyes to the two and reminded them about dinner out at the Ranch in two nights time.

Next, Doc and Emily shot over to the General Store to get the needed supplies for the next week. Food, a couple more things for the ranch, and Doc needed to send out a medicine order for her office. Lucky for Doc, the General Store was nice enough to send her order with their orders to the big city so that she didn't have to pay extra shipping costs. In exchange, she always gave the family free medical anything. Doc introduced Emily to the storeowner and added her name to the account she had with them. That way if she ever needed anything she could just come in and pick it up without worry.

Next, they headed to the bank to do the same. Doc wanted to put Emily on her accounts so she could have full access to whatever she needed. Emily also wanted to open up an account for both her and Katie that they could put their own money into. Their father left them with a little bit of money for anything they may need to start off. Although he knew that both seemed very well taken care of by Doc and Miss Effy, he still felt the need to take care of his daughters in some way. This was what he could do for now.

Doc and Emily entered the bank hand in hand. Emily could feel Doc's hand tense a little. Jack was back behind the counter looking healthier than the last time they saw him. After all was over, Jack came to and ended up with a very nasty bump and cut to the back of his head. Things appeared back to normal in the bank.

"Doc, wow you look good. How's the arm feel?" Jack asked.

"Doing alright Jack. Got to keep it in place for a bit so as not to stretch the wound, but feeling stronger and stronger day by day. How bout you? Those men didn't scare you away from the bank I see." Doc relaxed her grip a bit in Emily's hand.

"Nah, this is my livelihood. I love this town and I love serving the people. I can't be scared that easily. Although, the bump and cut was a good one. But back in the saddle I go and here I am to serve you. What can we do for ya?" Jack asked.

"Well, I'm not sure if you properly got the chance to meet the love of my life last time our paths crossed. This here is Miss Emily Fitch." Doc introduced Emily and Emily couldn't help but blush.

"How do you do Miss Fitch? It's a pleasure to meet you." Jack extended his hand and Emily graciously took it.

"Pleased to meet you Jack." Emily smiled.

"So Jack, couple things. I need to get this beautiful woman here attached to my account. She can have free access to any of it. Also, I do believe she would like to open her own account for her and her sister as well." Doc got straight down to business. No need to be in this place any longer than necessary. The more she stood there, the more memories came back of Emily screaming. She wanted out and she wanted out fast.

"Right, absolutely Doc. I just need to get a couple signatures from the two of you and I will handle the rest. What address would you like to use?" Jack asked.

"I'll be living with Doc, out at the ranch." Emily couldn't hide her excitement.

"Perfect. That makes it that much easier. And for the account for you and your sister, would that happen to be the young lady, Katie I believe it was, that came in earlier with Miss Effy? You both bare a striking resemblance to each other. If Miss Effy hadn't introduced her to me, I would have assumed you two were one in the same." Jack asked.

"Uh, yes. They were here?" Emily inquired.

"Yes, they stopped by a little earlier, deposits for the Saloon and then Miss Effy withdrew some money to "spoil her girl" as she put it." Jack said with a smile.

"We just ran into them in Fred's shop. Miss Effy has no idea what she is in for." Emily laughed.

"Well lucky for you, Miss Katie already set up an account for the two of you. She put in a little bit of money, but if you have more to add, I'd be happy to do so." Jack offered.

Emily handed over quite a bit more money to add to the account. She thought her father had entrusted her with all the money, but it looks like Rob gave each of the girls a little bit. Jack deposited the money into the account and gave Emily a receipt of her actions.

"Thank you for your help. It was very nice to meet you." Emily made her goodbye.

"Thanks again Jack. Sometime next week lets have you out to the ranch for supper." Doc offered.

"You're very welcome. And supper would be great. Have a great day you two." Jack waved back toward them as they exited the bank.

Doc and Emily headed back down to her office where she was hoping to find Doctor Loveless before they headed out of town. Just as she guessed, Doctor Loveless was sat in her office chair, feet up on her desk, hat covering his face, catching a few extra minutes of shuteye.

"Eh-hem!" Doc made her presence known.

Doctor Loveless' feet flew off the desk and as he went to stand he lost his balance and fell out of the chair onto the floor.

"Serves you right for dirtying my desk with those crusty old boots." Doc laughed.

"Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in. I thought I got rid of you already. I figured since you weren't here this morning you already took off back to the ranch and you were letting me do my thing." Doctor Loveless stood and brushed whatever dirt there was off of his clothes.

Emily stood back and watched the banter unfold. She was quite enjoying this.

"Your "thing" better be more than just catching a few winks." Doc said.

"Oh it is. I also read a little, get the town gossip from the lovely ladies down at the tea room in the Hotel, and if I'm really feeling extra ambitious, I might actually check out a patient or two, but no more than that. These bones are getting old, can't handle the up and down and bending over it takes to see patients any more." Doctor Loveless was able to hold a straight face all the way up until the last bit.

"You're too much Andrew." Doc laughed out at his ridiculous banter.

"And that's why you love me!" Doctor Loveless grinned.

"If you say so." Doc grinned back. "I put in an order for more medicine so it should arrive in the next three days or so. It won't be sent out until tomorrow morning so if you find anything you need to add, please feel free to add it to the list at the store. I know the Prescott family needs a check up this week. Just had another one. Also, you know about Pandora. As for anyone else, I was supposed to check up on the few families out on the upper rim this week. I usually spend a night out there in order to spend enough time with them all without feeling rushed. Any of the families are happy to set you up. But if you ask me, Mrs. Spencer makes the best suppers in the state."

"Eh-hem. Excuse me!" Emily playfully elbowed Doc in the ribs.

"I mean, until now that is. You should swing by our place sometime to experience the "new" best supper in the state." Doc smiled and rubbed her ribs.

"That's better." Emily smiled.

"Indeed I will. I'll go out to the rim after the medicine supply gets here. And don't worry about everything else. Just get some rest, remember less excitement will heal you faster. Emily I am trusting you can keep an eye on this one for me. She's a stubborn one." Doctor Loveless solicited.

"Yes!" Emily smiled.

"Okay, you two, off to your humble abode. Get this one to bed once you get there. I'm pretty sure this has been the most she has been up since the incident since she is starting to look a bit pale. Oh, Emily, I was wondering if maybe in a few days, once you are all settled, you would come back into town for a day so I could do a little teaching with you? I'm dying at the chance to impart my knowledge on a willing mind." Doctor Loveless said.

"Absolutely. I can't wait to learn all about this. Babe, you won't mind?" Emily turned toward Doc and asked.

"Don't mind at all. Andrew here is a wealth of knowledge. Take all the chances you get to learn from him. You know I was actually thinking, of course this would be a little later on down the line, but maybe you and I can take a trip out to Brighton and stay there for a week, you know visit your family and then maybe he could show you a little more of the stuff he has to deal with there. That is if you wouldn't mind, Andrew?" Doc asked.

"I'd be delighted to have you. Besides, then you will get the chance to meet David, my partner." Doctor Loveless had a huge smile on his face.

"What? Why is this the first I have heard of this?" Doc chimed in.

"Because I haven't seen you in a while and just after the last time you were in Brighton, he came into town. He is also a doctor, so I suggested we share the workload and he and I joined forces. Well, it turned out he needed a place to stay so I offered up my place for a bit 'til he found the perfect place for himself. After a short bit, it was clear that his perfect place was there with me. It just happened. I don't know what else to tell you." Doctor Loveless was beaming.

"Oh that is so perfect. I love it. We will definitely be visiting and I can't wait to meet him. You look so happy when talking about him, just then. He must be something so special." Emily couldn't hold back her enthusiasm.

"He most definitely is. Now get you two. I don't want to see you for at least three to five days. Doc needs her rest." Doctor Loveless began to push them out the door.

Doc and Emily said their goodbyes and hopped up onto the board of the wagon. They turned the wagon toward the outskirts of the town and off they went. It took them a little less than an hour to make it to their home. They unloaded, put the perishable items away, than headed for the stairs. Emily fixed an easy meal for the both of them and brought it along to eat in bed. Both shed their clothes and buried themselves under the covers. The rest of the day was left to themselves, eating, resting, reading, laughing, talking and, of course, kissing and cuddling.

Review please... don't worry this wasn't the end. I know I said in a chapter or two I might finish this up... but I just keep letting my fingers type to see where it goes. I'm not quite done with it yet. The chapter was a bit of a filler, but hopefully it is pointing the story in the right direction for the two couples. So there is still more to come! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks again for your support with the story!