Chapter Sixteen

Author's note: Posse time! (I loved those!)

Colorado Springs, Sully Homestead

After just a few days, Grace and baby Rose had recovered nicely from the strains of the birth and were allowed to go home to the anxious father Robert E. in order to finally start their new life as a *real family*. Michaela had not felt like working that morning. The increasing heaviness of her child caused her considerate backpains and demanded a lot of her rather petite body. Therefore she went home as soon as she could, just to put up her legs and to allow herself the rest she needed.

Sighing contendly, she was cozying up in the wingback chair in front of a warming fire, her doctor's bag beside her. The earpiece of her stethoscope placed in her ears, she held the diaphragm to her belly with a satisfied smile. She could never get enough of listening to her baby's healthy heartbeat. The fetus' heartbeat sounded different from the strong, steady one of an adult. The frequency was much faster, more excited, fluttering like fingernails thumping restlessly on a tabletop.

Satisfied, Michaela placed the flat piece onto another part of her belly, where she surmised the baby's head was. Happily, she listened to the calming sounds. Then, suddenly, her eyes widened. Her hands trembled and she almost jumped out of her skin with excitement. Could it be possible? No, she must have misheard! Excited and giddy, she put her stethoscope on the same spot and listened. No, now she didn't hear it anymore. It had disappeared! Was her mind playing tricks on her? Michaela thought back hard to the day when she had heard such a sound for the first time...

Shortly after she had obtained her degree and started working with her father, they had decided that Michaela would be primarily tending to their female patients. Michaela was quite happy with the current arrangement. Presently, she was examining a heavily pregnant Mrs. Cunningham, listening to the baby's strong heartbeat, when suddenly another, quieter heartbeat joined in. Mike paused in confusion and listened for the sound again. Perplexed, but smiling reasuringly as not to alarm the young woman, she excused herself. Finding her father in the hallway, she told him of her findings, asking for his opinion. Dr. Quinn took over, smiled at Mrs. Cunningham and took the the ear pieces in order to listen himself. Then he turned to the patient "Mrs. Cunningham! Dr. Quinn here has just made a wonderful discovery. You are expecting twins..."

Michaela's heart beat twice its normal pace. Was it possible?... Could it be that the same wonderful thing happened to her as had to Mrs. Cunningham? Could it be possible that she carried not only one but two lives under her heart? That she had two more reasons to be overjoyed?

Once more she listened. But again she heard only one heartbeat. Could she have misheard?...

The experienced doctor in her protested against that thought. It was possible that one baby had changed its position and therefore could not be heard anymore. The mother, however, did not dare hope that her already perfect happiness would turn out to be an even greater joy.

Trying to stifle her excitement, Michaela second-guessed. As long as she wasn't sure herself, she was not going to bring this up around her husband. On the assumption that she was wrong, she decided against telling him *just yet*. But dear God, what if she was right?

ooooooooooooo

Sully had returned from his day trip to the foot of Pikes Peak and was currently working in front of the fireplace on his report for the Interior Department. On the other chair Michaela was working on an bonnet for the baby and time and again one of the two looked at the other furtively, whenever they thought the other would not notice.

Suddenly, they heard unexpected visitors in their courtyard and both of them let their respective work drop. Sully told Michaela to remain seated and immediately went to the door to see who was there.

When Sully opened the front door, Robert E. was tethering his horse, while Hank remained on horseback. Without wasting much time, the new father informed his friend. "Bank's bin robbed! Don' worry, nobody got hurt. But three guys escaped with the money, headin' towards Pueblo, we think. Preston's in a fit. He, along with Matthew, Jake an' Daniel went right after them. But the area's thick-wooded, there's no way they'll catch them. That's why there's hopin' ya'd ride with us. Nobody knows those woods like ya do."

Sully looked at Michaela, who had joined them at the porch. He hesitated to leave her alone for who knows how long. But Michaela touched his arm reassuringly. "Of course, you have to go with them, Sully! Brian and I will be perfectly alright managing things on our own. Go and find those men! But please be careful, alright?"

Gently, Sully pushed Michaela into the house. "Are ya sure about this?"

"Of course I'm sure. Sully, you're the only one who can help them. We're going to be fine. Besides, I need you to look after Matthew. I'd worry more about him if I knew you weren't with him."

Standing on the tip of her toes, she gave him a loving kiss that quickly became more intimate, more intense.

Breathlessly, they separated and Michaela offered. "I'll get you some blankets, clothes and some food. Who knows how long you will be out there. Hurry now! I'll get the children so you can tell them goodbye."

Both went into action. When everything was fixed and Sully'd embraced Brian and Katie, he gave Michaela a short but firm hug. Then they stepped out onto the porch where Robert E. and Hank were waiting.

"You'll be careful, alright?" Michaela turned to the men. "Stay safe and come back soon!"

Hank tapped his hat with casual approval and Robert E. chimed in "'course, Dr. Mike. Wouldna wanna miss too much of what's my little Rose up to."

Sully kissed Michaela one last time. Then he mounted Fire and the three men hastily rode out of her field of vision in order to catch up with the other men from Colorado Springs.

ooooooooooooo

A few miles outside of Colorado Springs Sully, Robert E. and Hank finally met up with the posse in a clearing. Haltingly, the men sat on horseback and debated which one of the densely overgrown paths the bandits had taken.

"This way," Jake said, pointing to his left. "That's the direct route to Pueblo."

While Matthew replied, "That would be too obvious. This way, on the right. Ya can tell by the..."

Matthew looked up in surprise, when he saw Sully, Hank and Robert E. riding towards them.

Sully recognized the situation immediately and agreed with his son. "Matthew's right. They went that way. The leaves are crumpled and over there, ya can even see the hooves' prints of three horses. Ya see?"

The men looked at each other in wondernment. Why hadn't they noticed right away?

There was no doubt for all of them that Sully was to lead this search party and that everyone would follow the instructions of the former mountain man. So Sully naturedly assumed position of the leader on the pleading faces of his friends - and Preston - while Daniel and Hank rode close behind him and the others followed. Quietly, in silence, not knowing how close they were on the bank robbers' heels, they reigned their horses through the dense undergrowth. Tall trees and bushes prevented almost any sunlight and the men were, without exception, glad that this early November day proved to be extremely mild. Not a single flake of snow had fallen this autumn and Sully doubted that it would do so until the end of the year. The temperatures here in the mountains were still quite warm at day and Sully could see no other signs of a hard winter.

Focusing, he searched the path for all kinds of tracks that told him where the thieves were heading, how fast they were, how far ahead they were and how heavy their bags were. But, snickering, he had to admit that these guys didn't make it very difficult for him. They hadn't even tried to cover their tracks and the few stray attempts they had made were so dilettantish that even a blind Cheyenne would have recognized them.

So he told the other men that they could take their time and that there was no need to become careless. The gangsters didn't have much of a chance to escape, because the way he saw it, they were moving inexorably towards a dead end, a clearing bordered on three sides by high rocks, which would trap the gang.

When the men's tension finally eased a little with this information, the search party began to quietly chat among each other. An outsider could have mistaken the party for a friendly camping trip when Preston rode as nonchalantly as possible next to Sully's horse.

The businessman had not yet felt the desire to thank the Colorado Springs volunteers for hunting down the thieves who had robbed *his* bank. After all, in his opinion, it was Daniel's and Hank's duty as men of the law, Matthew Cooper *had* been the sheriff for some time, Jake was mayor, Robert E. was the horseman they needed and Sully... Well, Sully was Sully.

Sully felt the banker's uncomfortable presence more than he saw it. That disturbed him, rattled him to his core. Whenever Preston A. Lodge III was around, it boded ill, brought trouble.

Sully's neck hairs were already standing on end when Preston started to say "Sully, my good man. Well, how is it going? Are we looking forward to the new offspring? What do you think, will there be a male successor this time? A Sully to carry on the family name and fortune?"

Of all the others, Sully would have accepted that remark, even politely, but determinedly pointed out that he would be just as grateful for a another daughter. But to Preston, he just shot an ice-cold look that should warn him to watch his tongue.

Curiosity aroused, Hank and Jake steered closer. Matthew and Robert E. looked rather alarmed. For they had all witnessed this spectacle before. Years ago, when they had joined up to rescue Senator Leonard's son from the hand of Noah McBride.

"Watch out, Preston!" Jake warned. "Sully's vein's already pulsin'."

But Preston ignored the call. No one really understood why he always tried to pick on Sully, except that it had something to do with the banker's admiration for Sully's wife and a great deal of jealousy. "Did Michaela allow you to stride so far away from home? I always thought you would prefer to prepare the nest at home for the little one. I'm sure Michaela would be happy to..."

Furiously, Sully barked: "Don't tell me when *my wife's* happy or not, will ya!"

Preston raised his hands in feigned surprise while Jake grumbled, "We all remember seein' yer pretty face in the dirt the last time ya said anything about Dr. Mike, Preston. Wouldn't mind watchin' agin. It's gonna be sooner rather than later if ya don't stick a fork in it, pal. Hell, I don' even know why I came along. Why dontcha try to catch them robbers by yerself? I might even pay ta watch ya overthrowin' three armed men. I suggest ya use those purdy little fists of yours?"

Preston looked back snootily and muttered something under his breath that sounded like 'uncivilised hicks', but then he stopped himself. For the moment.

Woods outside of Colorado Springs

But after a few hours Preston started another attempt. Too great was the temptation to have Byron Sully riding silently beside him.

He casually remarked "This is a truly nice area here, isn't it? The mountains, lush forests and clean rivers... You know your way around here, don't you, Sully? I'm sure you know how to deal with the forces of nature, tough moutain man that you are. Fire, earthquakes, floods... But pray tell, what's it like living with a volcano like Michaela? It's..."

"Something you'll never know!" Sully cut him off coldly.

The man was steadily pushing him to the edge. A few years ago, he probably could not have refrained from roughing up the guy. Now that he thought about it, Sully remembered actually having done so when Preston had once dared to describe Michaela as 'sensual'. But Sully had then sworn to himself that Preston would never again get him to stoop low by getting upset. Nevertheless. As long as Preston only talked about him, Sully could bear it with clenched teeth. But when he talked about Michaela, in that intimate manner, he got furious and had to shut the banker up!

Robert E. and Daniel sensed Sully's distress and quickly wedged their mounts between them, while Matthew noticed. "It's gettin' dark. I'm sure those guys ain't ridin' through the night either. Shouldn't we rest for the night and take them out at dawn? They ain't gonna get much further if there's a dead end."

Sully considered the proposal for a few moments and looked at Daniel for reassurance. Then he nodded his head in agreement. "Good point, son. We'll detain them first thin' tomorrow morning at dawn. Let's find a place to sleep."

With Sully's experienced eyes, this spot was found soon. A place that wasn't visible from the path but still close to it.

Sully had just made camp for the night, when he saw Jake and Preston piling wood on the ground.

"What do ya think yer doin'?" he asked indignantly.

Jake naively replied, "Fire. Why?"

Sully snickered sarcastically. "Great idea! A huge fire that'll warn those guys that someone's comin' after them."

"No fire!" he determined as he walked away, causing Jake to drop the wood in frustration.

Trudging back to his sleeping area, he saw Hank come out of the bushes. The barkeep walked in a strange manner, as if he had been riding way too long. Surreptitously, he reached back and rubbed his behind every now and then.

After some minutes of amusedly watching this, Sully couldn't hold back. "Somethin's botherin' ya, Hank?"

Hank waved aside. "'S nuthin'... I jus' have this weird itch ever since I went ta the... ...uh... the outhouse."

Sully was suspicious. "Hank... Listen, I never thought I'd be askin' ya this, but tell me...what did you wipe your butt with?"

Hank's voice faded "Hummm... this."

He led Sully to a spot where he had found the plant that he had used in his time of need.

For the life of him, Sully wasn't able to wipe off his grin when he told Hank "That's poison ivy, man! It'll soon burn like fire. Only thing ya can do is try to wash it off with water... Michaela's got some ointment for the rash... But even if I had it on me now, I don't think yer'd be able ta find someone ta rub it on for ya..."

Hank stood there in disbelief while Sully tried not to openly laugh at him. Jake, however, had overheard the whole thing and burst out in guffaws. "Man!... I gotta tell the others!"

Angrily, Hank snatched himself a full canteen of water and half a bottle of whiskey and disappeared back into the thicket all the while accompanied by Jake's roaring laughter.

Camp in the woods

After a rather sparse - as per se cold - meal, the men sat together quietly talking among themselves about the events of the day. Daniel and Matthew agreed that they were missing their cozy beds at home. Robert E. who was separated from his baby girl for the very first night, silently sighed. "I wonder what my Rose's doin' righ' now!" For that, he received a grunt from Hank and a disparaging laugh from Jake.

"Heck, what kind of sissies we've become!" Jake grumbled. "Before we know it, we'll be havin' arselves a quiltin' circle."

"And Sully here," Preston interjected, "will provide us with some useful pointers on midwifery."

The attempt to produce a laugh wasn't met by the reaction he had hoped for as nobody found it particularly funny. Truth to be told, the men secretly paid Sully a certain amount of respect for the fact that he had done what had to be done in the emergency that Katie's birth had represented. Therefore Preston only received derogatory snorts and Daniel ordered the men to go to sleep. After all, they had to have all their senses when they would take off at dawn.

ooooooooooooo

At exactly the same time back at the homestead, Michaela entered their bedroom carrying a pile of nice-smelling laundry. Setting the pile down on a dresser, she went to Sully's side of their bed. There, she pressed two fingers on her lips, breathed a kiss and pressed them onto his pillow. Then she strolled to the open window, enjoying the crisp mountain air. Enchanted, she looked at the sky. The same sky he and their son were now sleeping under, somewhere out there. Millions of stars sparkled down on her and Michaela whispered "Good night, sweethearts. Come back soon! I love you both."

ooooooooooooo

Sully made himself comfortable as best he could on the hard, cold forest ground. But he had been used to sleeping like that all the time not that long ago, so he didn't mind as much as the others. He missed his usual companion terribly however. Spending even one night away from her, not holding her in his arms, was a complete waste of time! With a soft sigh, he huddled deeper into the thick bearskin blanket, which had been a much appreciated gift from Cloud Dancing on several cold nights like this.

Silently, he turned on his back and looked up at the breathtaking sky. He wondered if she, too, might be looking up at that moment. With a sharp eye he immediately recognized the North Star. The star that would always lead him back to her. With his mind he concentrated on one thing: conveying the message of his love to her 'Tomorrow I'll be with ya again. I love you, my heartsong!'

Then he turned away from Jake's ever-increasing snoring and began to drift off.

First thing he felt, it was summer and he was hot. Despite the tall trees that surrounded him, the sun's heat burned down mercilessly. To his amazement, he found himself in a part of the woods he recognized as it was just a few miles up north of his property. Because of the scorching heat Sully was only dressed in buckskins, a damp sweat was already glistening on his exposed body parts.

Sully closed his eyes and absorbed the sounds of the forest.

Dozens of birds were chirping, animals were moving through the undergrowth, leaves on the trees rustling softly in the wind. He even felt a tiny cloud passing by on his skin. Suddenly, he heard a splash in the water a little further away. Knowing what he was looking for, he moved easily through the dense undergrowth of the forest. He stopped behind a large berry bush and, spellbound, stared at the spectacle that was presented to him. In front of him, protected by trees, shrubs, bushes and plants, embedded in a rocky landscape, a small, deep, dark lake stretched out. Leaves moving in the wind cast an interplay of light and shadow on it. Sully and his sons had often bathed in it whenever they didn't feel like being confined by the narrowness of the bathtub at home. Even now, the deep lake with its refreshing, cool water was an invitation to plunge in. But the lake hadn't cast its spell just on Sully. Only a few feet away, at the lake's deepest point, Sully spotted the one and only woman that could take his every breath away. The woman he was sure was the most beautiful woman to walk the earth.

Unaware of another person's presence, Michaela swam in graceful, gliding movements through the dark water. Her hair spread out like a light carpet on the surface of the water. Her smooth shoulders shimmered moistly. Then she submerged without warning. For seconds there was not the slightest sign of her. Then she shot back up to the water's surface with a slight splash. At the shallow end of the lake she brought herself back into a standing position, trying to get a foothold on the slippery stones. Gingerly she moved out of the water with her backside to him. With a jolt, Sully realized that she had completely shed her clothes. Her hair stuck to the middle of her narrow back. Beads of water formed on her shoulders and glittered in the sun. The water of the lake caressed her curved hips. She moved naturally and freely towards the shore, as she seemed to feel completely uninhibited and unobserved.

Sully felt very reluctant to disturb her peace. But the temptation was just too great. Without saying a word, he left his observation point and approached his wife. When she noticed him, she simply looked at him with surprise.

Still in complete silence, Sully closed the distance between them, kneeled down at the spot where a towel had been placed on the ground and picked it up. He stepped up to her, glanced questioningly and she nodded her agreement. He began to dry her slowly, gently, wiping the wetness off her body in sweet, sensous circles. No part of her body remained unattended. He paid special attention to the small mound that was their baby. Michaela had kept her eyes closed during this delicate procedure. Now she opened them again and took in his piercing gaze. Just as wordlessly, she took the towel out of his hands and let it drop to the ground. She reached for his head, brought his face to hers and took possession of him with a kiss. Pleased, Sully murmured something incomprehensible against her lips. Then he broke the kiss and began to taste her smooth, water-cooled shoulders. "''Chaela...!"

Sully was startled by his own voice. Disoriented, he sat up and ran his fingers through his sweaty hair. A soft, teasing snort made him swivel around to Hank, who was laying nearest to him, smoking a good-night-cigar.

Mockingly and knowingly Hank looked at Sully, whose forehead had produced a light film of sweat despite the night's chill. The hotel owner muttered "Lucky sonofabitch!" and turned around energetically without offering any further comments.

Suspiciously, Sully looked around the circle. Jake also mumbled a bit and Daniel moved restlessly. Fortunately, the others kept quiet.

Sully threw himself on his back again. He was just so fed up with this trip!

ooooooooooooo

Some time before the new morning dawned, Sully quietly dressed and woke Matthew, his friends and Preston. It was still quite cold when they set out on horseback, all of them shivering slightly but eager to detain the robbers.

They did not have to travel too far when they saw quite obvious tracks of people camping nearby.

"Those stupid fools," Preston hissed. "I'll show them to rob the bank! I'll show them..."

"Shh!" Daniel and Sully silenced him at the same time.

"Didn' ya wanna wake them with a bugle call?" Matthew growled under his breath. After that, they communicated silently through looks and gestures. Sully got down from his horse to scout the premise. After a few minutes, he came back nodding in the affirmative. "They're still asleep. It's three of them. They're layin' in the clearin' up ahead, they're careless. No one's wearin' their guns, they stacked them by the horse's saddles. By the looks of it, they're pretty out of it, moonshine bottles scattered everywhere. But lets not get cocky. If we split up and surround them, we can take them custody without any bloodshed. So, no shootin' around unless imperative, understood? Can ya sneak up quietly?"

The question was confidently answered in the affirmative.

Jake chimed in "But, hey, what's our signal when we're ready to move in? We can't just yell attack, can we? But I can imitate a bird. What if...?"

"What kind of bird would that be?" Hank interjected sarcastically.

"'An owl. Why?"

Hank hissed. "An owl in broad daylight? Me thinks you're cuckoo..."

The two of them started mouthing profanities and making wild gestures. Sully had about enough. It was far too early in the morning, his feet froze and he wanted nothing more than to be in bed with Michaela. But no! *He* had to put up with those bickering ladies!

Impatient to finally end this thing, Sully threw in "*I'll* give the signal, okay? That's when we'll make our move. Matthew and I will take the burly guy, Preston and Daniel take the lanky, blond one and you guys will take out the kid."

"Why we're needin' three men when ya can do it in two's?" Jake protested indignantly.

"'Cause, it ain't addin' up," Sully simply returned and began to move impatiently.

Quietly, the men positioned themselves in a circle around the thieves' camp. When they all looked prepared with handcuffs and weapons, Sully gave the signal. The imitation of a mourning dove he had learned living with the Cheyenne.

That was when they made their move. But only Sully, Matthew, Daniel and Robert E., all of them who had heard Sully's perfect imitation many times before!

It was fairly easy for Matthew and Sully to overthrow the oldest and sturdiest of the gang, given the element of surprise, and they had him cuffed before he really woke up. The same for Daniel, who worked nimbly to detain the tall blond by himself. Only Robert E. whose assigned opponent had the advantage of youthfull alertness, had trouble overpowering the robber. Hank, Jake and Preston had not caught on when Sully was making the call and remained at their hiding places for some few precious moments. Now, they made up in effectiveness and enthusiasm. Preston came to Daniel's aid, who no longer needed it. Robert E.'s target however didn't plan on giving up that easily under the weight of the blacksmith. The lad, despite his built and young age, was quite strong and vehemently resisted Robert E.'s attempts to handcuff him. At last, he managed to push Robert E. off and crawled towards his revolver. That was Hank's cue. Instead of shooting a bullet in the boy's head, as he would have done without any qualms some years ago, the deputy sheriff reacted calmly. Just at the moment the boy reached for his gun, Hank fired at his outstretched hand to stop him from shooting anyone. Howling, the thief fell backwards and held his hand. Now, Robert E. and Jake could arrest the youngster while Preston was already searching the camp for the money they had stolen.

Next to the saddles on the ground, he found the the box full of cash he had been forced to fill the day before and lifted it triumphantly. "Five thousand dollars," he shouted. "You ran out of luck, gentlemen, you got the wrong man!"

Hank and Jake snorted contemptuously and the others took the bank robbers away.

After the gang's horses were saddled and Sully had bandaged the wound on the young criminal's hand, their mounts were tied to those of the Colorado Springs posse so the bandits had no chance to escape. Relieved that everything was over without major injuries, they made their way back to Colorado Springs in order to pass them over to a fair trial.

Colorado Spring, Sully Homested

Restlessly, Michaela walked up and down in the house. Since the men had left the day before, for understandable reasons none of the wives in town had heard from their husbands. Although Michaela knew that it could take some time for them to return and that she had to be patient, she became more anxious by the hour. Why had she agreed, even urged, Sully to go along? Was it to prove her independence? What if something happened to either one of them? It would be very difficult for her to get to them in her condition.

Minutes away from sheer hysterics and to her great relief, she finally heard horses on the road to their homestead! Through the window she spotted her husband with their eldest son and someone she assumed to be one of the robbers on a third horse. She hurriedly rushed out of the house and flew straight into Sully's arms, who had swiftly dismounted.

"You're back! Are you all unhurt? Did you get them?"

Sully held his exuberant wife and pointed to the injured youngster on the horse, who was about seventeen years old and guarded by Matthew. "We're fine. We got them all. The other two are bein' taken to town as we speak. Jimmy here's shot, though. It's just a deep scratch, but can ya take a look at his hand?"

After Michaela took a lingering glance at Matthew to make sure he was unharmed as well, she turned her full attention to her young patient. It took only a few stitches, administered in the living room, while the tired and defeated looking bandit was closely guarded by Matthew and Sully. All the while Michaela was thinking what could have led this actually friendly looking kid to this wrong path. No doubt he and his accomplices could expect some years in prison for their deed. How could anyone waste one's life like that? Surely the boy could need a good lawyer now... Michaela wondered if Matthew would consider defending the gang in court. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. She looked up at her son questioningly.

How well she knew her adopted son. Matthew was caught up in exactly the same thoughts. Young Jimmy looked quite pathetic for the time being. As an aspiring lawyer, was he supposed to do something? And if so, which side was he to take? Would he prosecute, seeing that justice was done? Or would he defend, trying to help giving the young man another chance, trying to find out what had made him a criminal in the first place? Matthew had to make some soul searching before he offered his legal advise to anyone. Today he had touched on the many moral conflicts and questions of conscience he would have to deal with as a lawyer and that was an important lesson.