CHAPTER 50
Late that evening, almost suppertime, Charlotte and Michaela tried to soothe Colleen after they found out the church party had been cancelled due to the weather.
"Darlin', they'll be other Christmas parties," Charlotte called to her daughter from the kitchen as she finished basting the turkey.
Michaela, decked out for the party in one of her lovely Boston dresses, smiled at the girl who sat forlornly in a chair near the dining room fireplace, idly plucking at the folds of the rose-colored dress she had painstakingly stitched for the occasion. Kneeling down, Michaela gently brushed a lock of Colleen's blonde hair back from her face, murmuring, "Christmas isn't about parties, sweetheart."
Colleen shrugged with a sniffle as she tried not to cry.
"I know...I was just lookin' forward to it for so long..." she whined.
"And it's sure not about dressin' fancy," Matthew groused, tugging at his string tie.
"Yeah!" Brian added, watching his older brother and then reaching up to tug at his own string tie in a good imitation.
Michaela straightened up and met his eyes with a soft smile of agreement as Charlotte brought the turkey to the table.
"No it ain't, but I don't think it'll hurt to let God see us cleaned up for a change," their mother retorted.
Matthew shrugged and turned away toward the fireplace. In truth, he had been looking forward to the Christmas party himself...another chance to maybe get to spend some time with Ingrid.
"Colleen, come help me bring in the food, put your mind on what ya do have and off what ya don't," Charlotte ordered gently, laying a hand lovingly on her daughter's shoulder. The girl sniffled and nodded as she rose to obey.
Michaela followed mother and daughter through the door to lend a hand as well.
"Perhaps we could sing Christmas carols to brighten our mood," she offered, meeting Charlotte's eyes.
"Sounds like a good idea, Dr. Mike," she agreed, clearing her throat as she reached for a bowl of mashed potatoes. "Weeeee wish you a Merry Christmas. We wish you a Merry Christmas," she began, Michaela joining in. "We wish you a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year."
Entering the dining room with their hands loaded with dishes of food, the three females continued, "Good tidings we bring to you and your kin..." Charlotte eyed her two boys, who both grinned and joined in, "Good tidings for Christmas and a happy New Year."
Laughing happily, Charlotte began singing her favorite. "Joy to the world, the Lord is come," as the others joined in with her. As the table slowly filled with delicious food, the caroling continued until the food was placed and the inhabitants seated.
Charlotte, sitting at the head of the table, held out both hands, one to her friend on her left, and the other to her eldest son on her right. They placed their hands in hers and everyone followed suit. Then the lady of the house cast a look at her friend.
"Dr. Mike...would you say the blessin'?"
Michaela smiled and gave a nod, bowing her head as the others did likewise.
"Dear Lord, grant us the strength to accept the misfortunes of this past year. Please give us the courage to face the challenges that lie ahead. Whenever possible, watch over and protect us from harm. We thank You for bringing us together, for our good health, and for this bread..."
She paused as Wolf, lying by the fire, lifted his head and began to whine, causing everyone to open their eyes. Before anyone could move, Wolf suddenly jumped to his feet and scampered to the door to the outer hall, closed to preserve the heat of the fireplace. Whining again, he scratched at the portal.
Brian left his chair and went to the door. "You need out, boy?" he murmured, turning the knob and opening the door, nearly falling back as Wolf forced his way past, scurrying to the outer door, barking and scratching the wood surface.
"My goodness," Michaela murmured, surprised at the exuberance of the normally placid animal, but a seed of expectation and hope began to germinate in her heart. Meeting one another's gazes, each member of the household rose and headed toward the door just as Brian turned the knob.
"Sully!" Brian squealed in delight, spying his hero just raising a hand to knock on the entry. "Oh gosh..." the boy added after he looked closer at the man. Sully stood, shivering and hunched over on the building's porch, his only recognizable feature was the snow-covered black and red poncho draped over his head. A cloth bag was slung over his shoulder, making him appear as a somewhat pathetic version of Saint Nicholas. Ice crystals covered his face, hair, and the poncho, and his boots were encrusted with snow.
"Sully!" Michaela gasped, immediately reaching out to grab his arm and pull him inside, Brian and Matthew pushing the door shut against the gusts of frigid wind.
"Come in by the fire, quickly. You're half frozen!" she fussed, taking charge and ushering him through the dining room doorway.
"I'm...f...fine," he stammered, his lips stiff with cold.
"I'll be the judge of that," the doctor returned crisply.
The others buzzed around their frosty friend, helping him peel off the icy wet poncho as he continued to stiffly insist he was all right and to stop fussing over him. Michaela took the cloth bag from his shoulder and set it aside.
"Where's your horse, Sully? I'll take 'im to Robert E..." Matthew offered as he gestured toward the door.
"W...went...l...lame," he managed, fighting off shivers as his body reacted to the change in temperature. "W...walked...fr...from...homes'...homestead."
"Colleen, run 'n get Sully a cup of hot coffee," Charlotte instructed as she stretched to fasten the frosty poncho to a hook by the fire to dry, adding, "Brian, bring us a couple' a towels, quick son." Both kids scurried off to do her bidding.
"Oh Sully...why did you do this?" Michaela fussed as she guided him onto a chair next to the fireplace. A handful of wet snow clinging to the waves of hair at his forehead fell to the hearth and immediately began to melt.
"P...promised..." he answered with a sheepish grin as she reached past him, their faces inches apart.
She pressed her lips together with a sigh and shook her head, her emotions jumbled between immense relief that he was finally there, and frustration that he had put himself in danger of frostbite, or worse.
"We need ta get them boots off, let his feet thaw out," Charlotte commented with a nudge to Michaela's arm, noticing with fondness that the two had paused to stare into one another's eyes.
"Indeed," the doctor nodded agreement, snapping herself back into 'doctor mode' as the ladies set about working on the frozen leather.
"I can d' do that," Sully insisted, awkwardly attempting to push Michaela's hands away, though secretly enjoying the attention.
Suddenly, a soft whine was heard.
From her crouched position at Sully's feet, Michaela shot him a questioning look, and he reached inside his jacket and carefully pulled out a tiny wolf puppy. He cast a lopsided grin up at Charlotte.
His friend met his gaze and understood. "For Brian?" she asked softly. He nodded with a sniffle, his nose red from the cold.
Brian came back through the door just then and hurried to his hero's side with the towels, gasping when he saw the adorable little animal.
"A puppy!" he squealed.
Sully tried to grin as he handed the animal into the boy's arms, but his mouth was still quite stiff from the cold.
"Merry C'Christmas, B'Brian," he managed.
The little boy's sweet face glowed with happiness as he hugged the small pup to his chest.
"Thanks, Sully!"
The others exchanged amused looks and fond grins as they watched the boy fall instantly in love with the tiny canine.
As soon as the latecomer was dried off and warmed, the group to sat down together to the scrumptious meal waiting on the table.
Casting a glance around at the group, Michaela extended her hands to Sully and to Charlotte, wishing to finish the interrupted blessing. With wide grins, everyone obliged.
"Dear Lord, we thank You again for this wonderful meal, a warm and comfortable home in which to enjoy it, and for the friendship and love alive in this room. We thank You for bringing Sully safely through the storm to join us, and we ask that You continue to watch over us and protect us all in the coming year. Amen."
"Amen," each one softly echoed as Michaela opened her eyes and turned her head, exchanging sweet smiles with her handsome fiancé, adding silently, and thank You for the love of this precious man...
OOOOOOO
Michaela looked up from updating a patient's file as a knock sounded on her clinic door.
"Come in," she called, smiling at Horace as he stuck his head inside the doorway and flashed her his shy, goofy grin.
"Hey Dr. Mike," the gangly telegraph operator responded. "Ya got a minute?"
"Of course, Horace," Michaela immediately replied, rising and circling the desk. "How can I help you?"
Realizing he still held the mail in his hand, he stammered, "Oh...I, uh...brought ya your mail..."
Michaela smiled and nodded, as she took several letters and a small box wrapped in brown paper from his hand.
"Thank you, Horace." Then pausing, she took a good look at his right hand and noticed the rather large blister on his finger. "Oh Horace...again?" she murmured sympathetically, already grasping his arm and leading him to the exam table.
"Yeah," he chuckled, embarrassed. "The one from Thanksgivin' just healed, and here's another."
"Perhaps you should wear gloves," she quipped, offering him her teasing half grin as she set about disinfecting the digit in preparation for treatment.
"Oh, by the way, Dr. Mike...that's a real nice shingle outside..."
Michaela instantly grinned with happiness. "Thank you. Sully made it for me."
"I kinda thought so. He's good with stuff like that," the lanky man nodded. "Me...well...all's I'm good at is sendin' telegraph messages. I ain't never been good at stuff like most other fellas...you know...huntin'...wood workin'...stuff like that," he shrugged sadly.
"Well, don't worry about that, Horace. You have a very important, vital job in this town. Why, we would be practically cut off from the rest of the world without your estimable service," she encouraged sweetly, meaning every word.
"My...uh...yeah...thanks, Dr. Mike..." he stammered, before beginning his customary whining and wincing as she set to work on the blister.
Ten minutes later, Michaela walked the tall slender man to the door with reminded instructions on how to care for his bandaged finger, and with admonishment to try not to overuse it again. As he loped away, Michaela's eye caught the shingle next to the outer door and she turned to it, touching it lovingly as she remembered the moment...
As everyone finished their meal and sat back, idly rubbing overly full stomachs and complimenting Charlotte and Colleen on the delicious fare, Brian suddenly hopped down from his chair and bounded over to the box near the fireplace where his mother had insisted he keep the puppy while they ate.
Everyone in the room watched the little boy as he scooped up his new pet and began to play with it.
"Ain't fair, Brian gets a present early," Matthew half joked, his mouth quirked in its customary half grin.
"Well...as a matter of fact, when I was growing up, we were always allowed to open one of our gifts on Christmas Eve...sort of a tradition," Michaela offered, meeting eyes with the others.
"Oh, can we, Ma?" Colleen gushed, reaching over to grasp her mother's hand with a large, pleading grin, her brown eyes sparkling.
"Well...don't see why not," Charlotte acquiesced, to the excited squeal of her daughter and the chuckle of her eldest.
"Why don't I give ya my gifts," Sully suggested, and before anyone could object, he rose and moved to the bag that had been dropped by the fire.
Opening the cloth sack, feeling much like St. Nicholas, he pulled out an item made of wood, grinning at their host and handing it to Charlotte with a murmured, "Merry Christmas." It was a hand carved wooden spice rack for her kitchen.
"Oh Sully, I love it! Thank you!" she responded as she examined the useful gift. He nodded with a mumbled, "You're welcome."
Next he handed over Colleen's gift, a carved hair comb. The girl grinned and hugged it to her chest, her twinkling eyes revealing her feelings of 'hero worship' for their handsome friend. "Thank you, Sully," she whispered, thrilled when he winked a reply.
Next he handed a small knife to Matthew.
"Thanks Sully...now all ya have ta do is teach me how to carve."
Sully laughed and nodded. "Sure thing, Matthew."
As the others looked on, Sully brought the last, and largest, item out of the sack, brushing off bits of sawdust before carefully placing it in Michaela's hands. She gazed at the item, a large, beautifully engraved wooden shingle for her doorway, announcing to the world that she was "M. Quinn, MD," and under that in perfectly formed letters, he had carved, "Medicine Woman".
"Now that's a shingle," he teased, and she met his eyes, both of them remembering the first day she had arrived and she held up her comparably tiny shingle, and his teasing comment.
"It certainly is," she agreed with a happy grin as they were momentarily lost in each other's eyes.
"Medicine Woman?" Charlotte asked, looking over Michaela's shoulder at the gift.
"Yeah. It's her Cheyenne name. Black Kettle gave it to her," Sully explained quietly, a momentary cloud darkening his blue eyes as he remembered rushing to town and bringing Michaela out to the homestead in the pouring rain to tend to the wounded chief just days after their meeting at the reservation. As punishment for not signing the treaty, Chivington's men had mounted a surprise attack on the village, but the wise chief had posted sentries around the perimeter and had been able to get most of the people out beforehand. He, however, had not escaped unharmed. Michaela's expert knowledge had saved the great man's life...
A sudden gust of cold wind brought Michaela back to the present and she scurried inside and made her way over to the potbellied stove in the corner of the room.
Warming her hands, she resumed her musings, picturing Sully walking her to her room that night while the blizzard raged overhead...
As they paused by her door, he drew her warmly into his arms for a long, sweet hug, each just enjoying the freedom to touch, and press into one another's embrace. It was pure heaven. The thought came that she was very glad her fiancé was a man who kept his promises...
"I'm so thankful we're together tonight...Merry Christmas, my love," Michaela murmured shyly, her cheek against Sully's strong shoulder.
Sully's hold tightened and he turned his head slightly to press his lips to her hair. "Me, too. Merry Christmas...and...thank you..." he whispered lovingly.
She smiled softly. "But I haven't even given you your gift yet..."
He smiled wistfully at her teasing tone, but still feeling romantic, he murmured as he brought one hand up and caressed the back of her head, "Yeah ya have...you've given me the best gift of all – the gift of love."
Tears immediately filled her eyes and she pulled back enough to see his face in the soft light of a nearby lamp. "Oh Sully..." she whispered, gazing up at him adoringly as his hand moved to caress her cheek. His eyes were so full of emotion; they fairly took her breath away. Her eyes fluttered shut as his head descended, his lips gently meeting hers in a reverent kiss. Pausing just for a moment, he folded her in his arms and the kiss became passion-filled, the kind that always made tingles of awareness rush through their bodies. The warmth and nearness were nearly too much for the engaged couple, and after several long moments, Sully reluctantly pulled back, taking in a ragged breath.
"It's gonna be hard ta get to sleep tonight, knowin' you're just across the hall," he softly teased, a hint of mischief glimmering in his eyes as he lovingly watched Michaela regain her composure. With a grin, he leaned to press a kiss to her cheek as he reached for the knob on her door, turning it and allowing her to slip inside.
"Goodnight," she whispered, raising one hand and pressing two fingers against her lips, but fervently wishing their kiss could have continued indefinitely. Closing the door, she leaned back against its surface with a soft sigh and listened as he quietly moved across the hall and softly shut his own door.
Sully had been right, the heady excitement of knowing he was lying in a bed across the hall the entire night – no doubt thinking of her as she was thinking of him – made her restless with unarticulated longings. Sleep eluded her for hours, until she finally succumbed to tiredness in the wee hours of the morning. However, when Brian's excited voice as he opened his presents rang from downstairs and shook her awake, she was instantly immersed in the sheer euphoric magic of the day, even more so as she met with Sully in the hall and they exchanged sweet kisses and a heartfelt, whispered, "Merry Christmas."
Smiling now as she crossed to her desk, she mused that she had spent a blissful holiday with the people she loved – the children, Charlotte...and Sully. Sully had been so attentive, never straying far from her side.
Despite conflicting emotions about the blizzard that had them all stranded - angst that it could have cost the life of the man she loved...but pleasure that it gave them an opportunity to be together for the holiday, carefree and safe in the cozy shelter of Charlotte's boarding house – she was truly unable to remember a happier Christmas. She couldn't help but dream of Christmases to come, in their homestead, with children of their own to delight in the joy of the season.
With nothing to stand in their way anymore, the future was indeed bright and full of promise.
