Chapter 37

Sully sighed and ran his fingers through his hair after he let go of Catherine. This wasn't how he had pictured his reception back home, and it definitely hadn't involved his having to comfort Catherine first. She was in a worse emotional state now than on Sunday when he left. Her staying with his family hadn't helped at all, in the contrary. She was devastated because not only had Hannah run away from her but obviously Olive and Loren had also done their best to make her feel unwelcome. He had expected it from Loren but not Olive, yet what puzzled him even more was his daughter's behavior. Never before had she rebuffed the company of anyone. Hopefully Catherine had just gotten it the wrong way.

"C'mon," he said, taking her hand, "Let's get inside." When he felt her reluctance he added, "Don't worry. I'm here now and I'm stayin'."

Instantly, the young woman's attitude changed. Squealing with joy, she threw her arms around Sully's neck, hugging him tightly. Then she followed him without another moment's hesitating.

As they entered the kitchen together no one paid much attention to Sully's supposedly sudden appearance. Maude and Olive were setting the table for dinner while Loren already sat on his accustomed chair, reading the newspaper. He didn't even bother to look up while the two women at least greeted him.

As far as Hannah was concerned, she sat on her grandpa's lap, sucking on her thumb as she looked wide-eyed at her father.

Loosening his grip on Catherine's fingers Sully went to her, lifting her into his arms. "Hey, sweet girl," he said tenderly. "Don't ya wanna say hello to me?"

Halting in her movements Olive looked up. "Didn't ya already meet outside?" she asked, astonished.

"Nope," Sully shook his head as he replied, equally astounded. "The yard was empty when I drove in."

Everyone but Loren who continued reading as if he was alone turned their eyes towards Hannah.

Slowly, the little girl pulled her thumb out of her mouth. She didn't know where to look and what to say, but fortunately Auntie saved her from having to tell what she had seen.

Olive had been puzzled when Dr. Mike, after handing Hannah to Loren, had said good bye abruptly on the grounds that she didn't want to intrude. They didn't even have time to tell her that she would always be welcome when she was already out of the door again. It was only moments later that Sully and his so-called friend came in, holding hands.

Putting two and two together now, Olive sighed loudly before she took Hannah out of her dad's arms. "Ya didn't wanna disturb, right?" she asked and the little girl affirmed this assumption with a nod.

"Don't ya worry," Olive reassured the disturbed child, "I'm sure ya can see Dr. Mike whenever ya want."

A small smile crossed Hannah's face when she replied, "She said so."

"What's that to do with Dr. Mike?" Sully chimed in, still not understanding.

Olive raised an eyebrow at him. "She brought Hannah back from Grace's, coming in through the backdoor just a few minutes ago."

When it dawned on him that both, Michaela and his daughter had seen him with Catherine in the yard a momentary cold arrested his heart. He quickly recovered though, knowing he hadn't done anything wrong. Growing defensive went equally fast.

"I just comforted Catherine for she was upset," he said, feeling his temper rising.

When Loren slowly lowered his newspaper, looking at him with that expression that told he would give a piece of his mind no matter the consequences, Sully stopped himself from adding any accusations. Hannah was here, and she was already distressed enough.

"I ain't interested in arguing," he growled towards his father-in-law before he addressed Maude. "In fact, I'm starving. I've been lookin' forward to one of your meals since I boarded the plane in New York." He wouldn't tell her now that she had delivered the phone message to him the wrong way. There was enough time for that later, and he was sure by then they would laugh about it together. It was far more important to calm down his daughter and not trouble Catherine any more than she already was. He was confident he was able to manage. And maybe later tonight, after everything was sorted, he could talk to Michaela.

xxx

"Hey, look," Hank said to Jake and pointed with his chin towards the clinic across the street. The two friends were just finishing dinner with a nice cigarette, sitting outside on the patio of Grace's Café. "What's that look like to you?"

Two men were at the entrance of the clinic, one apparently tampering with the lock while the other tried to shield him with his body. Hank and Jake looked at each other, thinking the same: Only people on drugs could be stupid or desperate enough - or what was even worse both in combination - to break into a house on a bustling street in bright daylight.

This neighborhood, however, wasn't known for addicts hanging around, which meant the men must have come here because of some information. They had obviously expected that the clinic would be closed for they had apparently brought the right tools to open it, and now they were already vanishing inside of the building.

"Ya call 9-1-1," Hank said to Jake as he rose from his chair and flicked his only half-finished cigarette on the sandy ground next to the patio. "I'll take a closer look."

For a moment the friends glanced at each other, the same thought on their mind: Michaela was known for staying at her practice long after her opening hours ended.

They were right, but today Michaela wasn't in her rooms because she wanted to work late. Tonight the small office behind her examination room was a place of refuge to her. Seeing Sully with Catherine had totally thrown her off balance. Not because he had comforted and probably kissed the other woman, she'd almost been prepared for something like that after learning that Sully was the man Miss Wild was looking for in town. No, Michaela was deeply shocked because it hit her so hard. How could she have fallen so badly for a man she barely knew? She should have kept in mind that his kindness wasn't reserved only for her, that she wasn't someone special to him as she had allowed herself to believe. She had made a fool of herself, and that wouldn't happen again.

Her IPhone's ringing interrupted her scolding herself. Seeing Daniel's name on the screen she picked it up.

"Hi," he said and hearing his calm voice smoothed out the wrinkles on her brow. "Just wanted to ask if ya have Hannah for the night," Daniel went on, hoping he managed to talk some sense into Catherine last night.

Michaela was stunned for a moment until she realized that Daniel didn't know. "Sully is back," she informed him, thinking the topic was closed with that.

"He is?" Now it was Daniel who was stunned. Why hadn't Sully called him?

He was still proceeding the news when suddenly the sound of splintering wood disturbed the silence on the line.

"Michaela!" he shouted, "What's goin' on?"

Her reply came only in a whisper, "Somebody just broke the door to the examination…"

When the door to her office burst open she already stood, having put her cell on the seat of her chair in order to keep it out of the sight of the intruders. She hadn't turned it off so Daniel would know what was happening and could hopefully get help.

During her time at the emergency room in Boston she'd already been exposed to threats by drug addicts and drunks. The medical personnel were instructed to always comply until security took over, but now she was alone, having to face two people she couldn't reason with. At least it looked as if they were unarmed which gave her some relief.

Calm on the outside she stayed behind her desk, hoping she was able to give them what they demanded so they would vanish as quickly as they came. In the meantime she memorized their features so she could give the police a good description later.

The taller one of the intruders caught himself first after staring at her in surprise. They had been assured the clinic would be empty at this time of the day. "Ya give us all the painkillers ya have and the stuff ya gave that other bitch," he barked, "Now!"

Since Michaela had no idea who he was talking about she stalled for time, silently praying that Daniel would still listen. "I don't store many pills here," she said. "I rather prescribe them."

"Cathy said ya gave her the pills so don't ya take us for a ride here," the small one said in a menacing tone, stepping closer to her desk.

Desperately straining her ears for hearing any sirens from the outside, Michaela's mind raced. She had mostly said the truth; she didn't have much medicine of the kind the burglars demanded in her practice. First, because not many agents from medical companies had found their way to her yet and second because she knew it was dangerous. After all, the building wasn't guarded at night.

She was about to step around her desk when blue-red pulsing light from the outside fell into the room.

"She's called the bloody cops," the taller man hissed, and instantly produced a pistol from the back pocket of his dirty jeans.

Daniel had almost reached the clinic when the sound of a gunshot made him flinch behind the wheel of his car. His private cell phone lay on the passenger's seat so he could hear everything that happened inside of Michaela's practice. Fear for her life and anger beyond measure at Catherine almost drove him insane but he still reported to the cop he was talking to on one of his company cells. Officer McKay had heard the shot as well, and Daniel could hear how he immediately ordered reinforcement to the crime scene.

The area around the clinic was already cordoned off by the police when Daniel arrived there. Without caring whether he was allowed to leave his car at the curb he just parked there, grabbed the cell from the seat next to him and jumped out. One of the cops tried to stop him when he lifted the yellow tape in order to get closer to the clinic yet Daniel just held up the phone from where shouting and the breaking of glass could be heard. Not needing further explanation the young policeman pointed towards the officer in charge.

Then things happened very fast. Two cops had their hands full with getting Hank out of the building who insisted on staying. Simultaneously the window of Michaela's reception room was thrown open from inside and one of the burglars appeared, his forearm across Michaela's chest holding her tightly against his body. That wasn't the worst yet. The crowd that, of course, had already gathered to watch in excited horror gasped in heartfelt terror as if one body when they realized that a gun was pressed against the doctor's temple.

Michaela looked unnaturally calm. Her left eye was swollen shut by a bruise above her brow and a cut across the swelling was bleeding.

At the moment she was still maintaining her composure, knowing she had no choice but trust the police would do the right thing and get her out of this. Alive. That was all she was asking for.