CHAPTER 37

Sully walked quickly back to the clinic. Katie was asleep on his shoulder. The sun had gone down a little while ago and he was anxious to see his wife. Something wasn't right but he couldn't figure out what it was. He swung the clinic door open. Papers that had previously sat piled on the desk were now stroon on the floor.

"Brian?" Sully called out. There was no response. He grew increasingly uneasy. Sully gently laid Katie on the cot and called again, "Brian?" A low moan reached his ears. Moving to the other side of the exam table Sully saw his son lying on the floor. Bending down to him Sully lifted him up gently. "Brian what happened?" Sully began wiping away the slow trickle of blood that fell from his son's hair line.

Squinting his eyes against the throbbing in his head the young man said in a foggy voice, "He barged in, and I tried to…he was crazy….attacked me and….I couldn't….my head…"

Sully didn't wait to hear more. He turned and bounded up the stairs. The sounds of yelling and struggle reached his ears. His heart was pounding out of his chest.

The events that followed happened in rapid succession and all at once. The bedroom door flew open with a bang as Sully came into the room. He saw the gun pointed at his wife; her hair hung messily down her back and her body hunched. He saw Mr. Coldwell's finger begin to pull the trigger.

Ellie looked up from the floor to see her uncle pull the gun out of his jacket. When she saw his intentions she heaved herself from the floor with a groan. Her yell came out as nothing more then a rough whisper. "No!" She lunged her sore body in front of Michaela.

Sully ran forward tackling the intruder just as the gun went off. Ellie plunged her weight into Michaela sending both of them to the floor. Sully grappled with the large man. The gun went off again in the struggle, causing the glass in the double door that led to the blacony to shatter. Sully moved quickly causing the gun to go sliding across the floor. Sully's fist connected with Mr. Coldwell's face and the man grunted as Sully nailed him down with his body weight. "You're not getting away this time!" The man struggled against Sully's hold. With a great heave Mr. Coldwell pushed Sully away. The two men rolled around grappling for the advantage. Sully grunted as his arm was pressed into the crushed glass that littered the floor. With a swift but painful movement Sully slid his body into the glass. His opponent followed and before the larger man knew what had happened Sully had Mr. Coldwell pinned against he floor. The man cried out as the glass cut into the skin of his back. Sully hit him hard across the face and Mr. Coldwell lay still. Sully got off of him breathing hard. He tied the unconscious man's hands together then quickly made his way across the floor to his wife. He knelt beside her taking in her rumbled form and the large bruise that was forming on her cheek. He feared the worst. He watched her stir and stiffly raise herself up. "Are you alright?!" he asked worriedly.

Michaela pushed her self into a sitting position. Her whole body ached. "Yes, I think so…"Suddenly remembering what had happened and how she had ended up on the floor, Michaela turned to the girl lying next to her. "Ellie!" She gently took Ellie by the shoulder and turned her onto her back. "No, Ellie!" The side of Ellie's night dress was crimson.

The girl's eyes fluttered and her breathing was shallow. Her voice was as soft as a passing breeze. "Couldn't let him…the baby…had to ….couldn't let him…"

"Shhh, Shhh, it's alright." Michaela tried to comfort the girl as tears ran down her own cheeks. She pushed a cloth against the bullet wound in the young woman's side to stop the bleeding. Ellie gave a weak moan, and inhaled sharply as her eyes glossed over and her body tensed in pain. "Stay with me Ellie." Michaela pleaded. "Try to relax." She watched the young woman's eyes close as she slipped into unconsciousness.

"Is she going to be alright?" Sully swallowed hard looking intently at his wife. He saw her shake herself into action.

"We need to get her down stairs." Michaela buried her emotions and her exhaustion to be the doctor Ellie needed her to be. She inspected the wound, "The bullet is still inside. I need to remove it." Looking to the unconscious man in the corner she asked, "What about him?"

"He's drunk and knocked out. I don't think he'll be waking up anytime soon. I'll get Ellie downstairs and then I'll get him to the jail." Sully said. He gently picked the unconscious girl up and they made their way down the stairs.

As they entered the main room Michaela found Brian sitting on the cot holding a crying Katie. "Brain!" She rushed to her son and daughter and pulled them into a tight embrace. In everything that had happened she had almost forgotten Brian was there. Inspecting him more closely she saw the swelling and crimson gash on the side of his head. "Brain, are you alright? What happened?" She spoke quickly and urgently.

"I'm fine. He came in and I tried to stop him ma. I'm so sorry but it was such a surprise and he lunged at me and hit me with the end of his gun."

Sighing heavily Michaela said, "It's alright." She pulled him close, "The bleedings stopped, that's good. Are you dizzy?"

"Just a little. It's alright." Brian reassured her. His eyes went to the bundle in Sully's arms, "Ellie!" He jumped up quickly and moved to the table where Ellie's small form lay unmoving. Brian stumbled slightly as his head gave a nasty throb. "What happened? I heard the gun go off and…"

"You should sit down." Michaela said quickly as she laid a steadying hand on her sons shoulder.

"I'm fine. What happened?" Brian's voice held agony and fear.

Michaela silenced a groan against the pain that was growing inside her own head. She concentrated on the task at hand and spoke quickly, "She's been shot Brian. I need to remove the bullet." She moved about the room with purpose and direction.

"Is she going to be alright?" Brian pleaded.

Before his mother could answer, Katie wrapped her little arms around her mothers leg and cried into her skirt. "Oh, sweetheart…." All Michaela wanted to do was hold her little girl but she knew there wasn't time. Suddenly the door of the clinic flew open and Dorothy and Loren came barging in. "What's going on?" Dorothy asked in a panic.

"We heard gun fire." Loren announced.

"Dorothy will you take Katie?" Michaela asked. It killed her not to be able to comfort her daughter but right now someone else needed her more. She glanced at her husband and she saw his strength. He knew she would need him and they communicated with out words as their eyes locked. His eyes penetrated her heart with love and assurance. Taking another deep breath she took his strength and moved about the room preparing for surgery. Dorothy picked up the blond haired child and held her close. "I'll take her to my place."

Michaela nodded and continued to spout out orders. "Grace I might need your help. Loren will you help Sully get Mr. Coldwell to the jail?"

"Mr. Coldwell? He's here?" Loren exclaimed in surprise and confusion. Grace gave a cry of alarm and shock. Looking at Michaela she just nodded in the affirmative. Sully gave Loren a nudge and got him to follow him up stairs.

"I'm staying." Brian announced.

Michaela gave him a concerned look but thought it best not to argue with him, and she wasn't sure she had the strength to. "Alright." She conceded.

As Michaela began to remove the bullet Sully and Loren entered the room with the very large, unconscious Mr. Coldwell. Michaela quickly looked up at her husband and they exchanged looks. "Sully, when you are done with him, will you make sure Katie is alright?"

"Yeah. Come on Lauren, lets get him out of here." Sully said. The two men heaved Mr. Coldwell out the door.

Michaela continued her task. She ignored the ach in her back and the pounding in her head. She was aware of Grace rubbing a wet cloth across her sweaty forehead.

"Are you alright Michaela?" Grace asked.

With her hands occupied and preparing to remove the bullet Michaela simply said in a strained voice, "Almost there now. Looks like it missed the major arteries. Just some tearing of the outer muscles."

"Is she going to be alright?" Brian asked as he stood near by.

Michaela grabbed the tweezers and extracted the bullet. "There." She swayed slightly as her body ached and her head spun. Taking a deep breath she steadied herself.

"Michaela?" Grace said concerned.

"It's alright. Almost done. Just have to close."

As Michaela was finishing the last couple of stitches Sully entered. He stood next to Brian who looked tense. He placed a firm hand on his son's shoulder. Michaela whipped her hands on her apron and ran her forearm along her sweaty brow.

"Is she going to be alright?" Brian asked again.

"I believe so. She was lucky. We'll have to watch for infection but the bullet wasn't very deep and it missed her vital organs. She's still incredibly weak though."

Brian sighed heavily and running his hands through his hair asked darkly, "What about Mr. Coldwell?"

"He's locked up in the jail. Horace said he just got a telegram from Jake. They're on their way back. The sheriff should be back tomorrow too and we can get this all settled." Sully said. His eyes danced along his wife's body and he was deeply troubled by what he saw. Her shoulders where hunched forward, the bruise on her cheek was turning a dark purple, and her eyes looked dim and unfocused.

"Is Katie alright?" Michaela asked him wearily.

"Yeah, she was pretty upset but I got her calmed down. She's sleeping over at Dorothy's."

"Good. I'll just clean up here..." She unconsciously brought her hand to her head; it felt like it might burst open any moment.

"I'll help ya." Grace offered.

"Thank you." Michaela said, moving toward the cabinet to get the sterilizing solution.

"Not a problem." Grace said tenderly as she began gathering instruments.

Michaela gave her a tired smile and turned to her husband and for the first time noticed the blood on his sleeve. Moving to him she said, "Sully, your arm…"

"It's alright. Nothing to worry about. I think it's fine. Just a few minor cuts." He tried to move his arm away from her critical gaze but was unsuccessful.

Michaela rolled up her husbands sleeve and analyzed it. "I think I better check for any pieces of glass just in case." She quickly cleaned and checked the wound before bandaging it. "Alright, it looks good."

"Well, I do have a great doctor." Sully said with a smile.

Michaela gave him a tired smile and then close her eyes as her hand again rubbed her throbbing head. Sully touched her shoulders and said with concern, "Michaela? You need to rest." He led her to a chair and made her sit down.

"I know. Soon." She conceded and then turned to her son and said, "Brian come over here. I want a closer look at that head wound."

"I'm fine ma." Brian said as he looked down in Ellie.

"Brian please." Michaela said.

Brian was hit by the sheer pleading and need in his mothers voice. He rarely heard her sound so…begging. He looked at her as if for the first time that night and saw her pure exhaustion. He moved to her and let her embrace him firmly. "I'm so glad your alright." His mother said to him before she set him back and began attending to the cut that ran along his hear line. "There." Michaela announced as the bandage was securely in place.

"Well, I think things are pretty much cleaned up here." Grace said.

"Thank you Grace." Michaela said rising and turning to her friend. She regretted standing and was trying to swallow the nausea that was threatening to over take her. Sully drew his eyebrows together as his gaze never left his wife. She was far too pale. He didn't like the way her eyes drooped and her mouth looked strained.

"Not a problem. You folks have been through quite a scare. You let me know if you need anything more alright?"

Michaela smiled appreciatively. "I will." She turned to her husband as Grace was moving to the door. She was going to ask him to carry Ellie to a recovery room. "Sully, will you…." She felt her head spin and a sharp pain ran through her body. She leaned heavily against the desk as she felt her body trembling. She attempted to continue but her voice was nothing more then a weak whisper, "Will you… carry…" She didn't finish and her words fell away.

Sully had seen the pain cross his wife's face. She grew pale, her hands gripping the desk for support. He saw her slump to the ground as her body folded underneath her. He rushed to catch her in his arms just before her head hit the ground. Her face was shiny with beads of perspiration.

"Michaela!" Grace called.

"Ma?" Brian cried as he watched her wilt.