Chapter Seventeen

Colorado Springs, Sully Homestead

Michaela had patched her young patient up before Sully and Matthew had taken him to jail in town. About an hour later, Sully finally came back being lovingly welcomed by Brian and Katie who had also come home from a walk in the woods.

While Sully shed his dirty clothes, he provided his eager audience with the latest information from town. "After askin' around, Daniel got some telegrams from all over the country. The boy ya doctored is James Shaw. He an' his brother Marcus and the third one, Caleb Wilson, bin doin' some mischief for some time now. They're wanted in Texas for another robbery and they've done a lot of pillagin'. They ain't bin too squeamish as well. At a robbery in Corpus Christi an elderly lady got shot but they were interrupted before they could find her money sock. That's where they've bin headed now, ta see if they could finish the job. Matthew's bin tellin' me that he's bin considerin' representin' those three in court, figurin' that ev'rybody deserves a second chance. But now he decided not ta. He figures, they had their fair chances. He only wants ta defend people he believes are innocent. Or at least that they could change..."

Michaela breathed a sigh of relief as Brian eagerly took notes for an article in the Gazette. They were all happy that everyone had come out unscathed by that little adventure.

When Brian had left to talk through his notes for the next edition with Dorothy, Sully recounted to Michaela "At Jake's insistence, Preston offered us a reward."

"You refused." Michaela knew.

Sully smiled. "Yep. Told him ta leave us alone for a while in return. I ain't bin goin' for 'im."

Michaela proceeded to hug him, but he backed off.

"Umm, I'm thinkin' I better take a bath first. It was pretty muddy out there an'..."

He moved to the stairs but was held back by Michaela. "Where are you going?"

"Ta get some clean clothes..."

She pulled him gently aside. "Speak, no more, husband..." She grinned. "I'll get them for you. You can prepare your bath till I get back."

Before he could start to protest, she had already disappeared up the stairs despite her bulging figure. Sully was slightly startled and looked after her suspiciously. Then he gazed at Katie, who was happily playing with her building blocks on the floor. "What's up there that I ain't supposed ta see?"

But his tiny toddler daughter just grinned up at him and threw her hands in the air as if to say 'How should I know? No one around here tells me anythin'.' Munching on an apple Sully grinned at Katie's antics and the girl's attention returned to her toys.

After Michaela brought down some nice, fresh clothes, she scooped Katie off the floor. "Time for bed, young lady! Let's Papa take his bath."

Quietly, she went upstairs with Katie, giving Sully the opportunity to undress in peace and sit down in the hot, pleasing water.

When Michaela came down again just a few minutes later, he still warmed his cold limbs contentedly. With his eyes closed, he sat in the tub as hot clouds of steam rose up. As quietly as possible so as not to disturb him, Michaela sat down behind him. Unhurriedly, she reached for the sponge and soap and began to lather him with it. Then she poured water over the sudsy areas. His chest glistened with soap and water and Sully had a pleased expression on his face. Slowly, gradually, Michaela brought the sponge under the waters' surface and continued her ministrations there. She lost herself in her tender, intimate, sensual touches until she felt Sully's body tense up. Lovingly, he took her hands in his and led them to his lips. Gratefully he kissed them and opened his eyes. "Kates' sleepin'?"

"Out like a candle when her head hit the pillow." she answered.

Sully took one of her palms and put it on his chest so that she could feel his heart beating in a wild rhythm. Michaela smiled. She was honored that she could evoke this reaction in him. They just sat there in silence for minutes.

"This is how I dreamed of ya. You... In the water..." Sully began.

"Was I?" Michaela was interested to learn more.

"Mm. Ya were swimmin' in the lake and I was watchin' ya..."

"Were you peeping, Mr. Sully?" Michaela tried to sound shocked.

"Hmm, yeah, maybe a little... I mean ya were stark naked...But then..."

"Then...?"

"... when thin's got really excitin'..."

Michaela gulped. "Yes?"

"I woke up. I said yer name in my sleep and Hank of all people, heard it."

"He did?!" Michaela asked, surprised.

"Yeah." Sully admitted. "He looked at me funny. I think he suspects what's goin' on between us. I mean, how much we mean ta each other an' how..."

"And that's a bad thing?" Michaela teased.

Sully laughed. "If we both know, it ain't. When Hank knows, I'm not so sure. Or don't ya think so?"

This time, Michaela surprised him with a small giggle, but soon she turned into his bashful wife again. Bewildered, she gazed at him with a look that said: 'Do I seem like somebody who wants everyone to know about our love life?' At the thought, they both laughed sheepishly.

At some point, Sully got out of the now lukewarm bath and Michaela helped him dry off . Before she helped him into his shirt, she gently kissed his shoulder blade and he shivered comfortably. After Sully had buttoned up his pants, Michaela took him by the hands and invited "Come on, let's go upstairs. I have something to show to you."

This aroused Sully's curiosity. Did he get to see what she was trying to keep from him earlier? Swiftly, he brushed his damp locks from his face and followed his wife, who pulled him upstairs into their bedroom. Just in front of the door, she stopped and turned around to face him. "Tell me first. How are you? Are you alright?"

Sully was stunned. "Yeah, of course." he said slowly. "'Chaela, what's goin' on?"

"Oh, I just wanted to make sure you weren't going to have a heart attack."

Before Sully could ask, Michaela pulled him into the bedroom. At first glance, the place looked surprisingly untidy. There was laundry everywhere. At a second, closer look, Sully realized that it was baby paraphernalia occupying the bed. Dresses, jackets, blankets, shoes, rompers... Strangely enough there were always two clearly identical items of wear, nicely sorted in piles of two all over the bed. Each of the piles was decorated with a different flower. Sully just looked at them in puzzlement. Then Michaela handed him a piece of cut out red paper. It was in the shape of a heart that was teared in half, like the ones people get on Valentine's Day. Stunned, Sully looked at it closely. In the middle was a drawing, clearly made by Katie. After a few moments, the experienced father came to the conclusion that this artistic scribbling of his daughter must be a baby. To confirm this, it was also penned in Michaela's handwriting: 'Baby Sully'

Sully smiled at his heartsong, but without comment, she just put another paper into his other hand. For seconds, Sully just stared at it.

It was the exact counterpart of the other half. If he put them together, both halves formed the shape of a heart. On this new half there was also the painting of a baby and underneath it was written 'Baby Sully II'

Sully's thoughts jumbled. Still puzzled, Sully looked at the bed for reassurance. Double baby linen... He looked at Michaela. Gradually, his gaze glided down to her full figure, then up again. "What are ya sayin'?"

Michaela grinned at him and he came out in disbelief: "No, this can't be...! Two babies?... Twins?!"

Slowly, as if trying to gauge his reaction, she nodded and grabbed his hands. Sully just stared at her in complete astonishment. For seconds, his face showed no other reaction than shock. Then, gradually, the biggest smile she had ever seen formed on his face. "What? Twins?... In here?" Exuberantly, he put his hands on her stomach. "Oh, God! I can't believe it!... That's just... incredible! It's wonderful!... Lord, Michaela!"

"So you're happy then?" Michaela wanted to know for sure.

"Happy? Ya need ta ask? Course, I'm happy! Two babies at once! That's unbelievable! I gotta sit down." He got wobbly on his feet. "I love ya so much!... How did ya know? How long have ya known?"

Overjoyed and overflowing with enthusiasm, Sully took Michaela in his arms and lifted her slightly from the floor. Like giddy children they laughed at their indescribable happiness.

When Michaela had firm ground under her feet again, she excitedly explained "I suspected a second heartbeat at the beginning of the week. I was so startled, Sully! But when I listened again, it was gone and I already thought I heard it wrong. Since then I have listened in every day. But it wasn't until yesterday that I was sure. It's definitely two babies with two different heartbeats. Which finally explains my weight gain... Sully, I can't even believe it."

Sully was beside himself with joy and pride. But then his face sobered up. "'Chaela?" he was serious. "What does this mean for ya ? Ain't it dangerous?"

Michaela swallowed. She hadn't expected this question so soon. Should she tell him the truth? Of course she must. A lie to reassure him would only be see-through.

So she replied carefully "Sully, I'll be honest. Twin pregnancies are often more likely to experience complications. But most of them do not turn out differently than normal pregnancies. And I'm in the last trimester, which is good that we made it so far. It's just likely that..."

"What, Michaela?" Sully insisted.

"It's likely that the babies will arrive earlier, before the due date. Twin babies are often a bit smaller... But most of them are perfectly healthy. It's possible that our babies will arrive in December."

Sully swallowed hard. Still, he smiled bravely at Michaela through a lone tear that had escaped his eye. "Two babies, Michaela! Can ya believe we made two of them?"

Michaela stroked his face with her fingers. "I'm thanking the Lord, that we are so blessed. Isn't it just wonderful? I don't know what I've done to deserve so much happiness."

She threw herself into his arms so hard that Sully had trouble not losing his stance.

Minutes later, Sully broke away from Michaela. Without a word, he walked out of the bedroom. Perplexed, Michaela heard him rummaging around downstairs. A little while later, he came back to her with her doctor's bag in his hand.

Pleading, like an excited little boy before Christmas, he looked at Michaela. "Can I hear them, please?"

Michaela immediately understood. With a smile, she took the bag from him and sat down comfortably on the edge of their bed. As she pulled out her stethoscope, he knelt down in front of her. With her permission, he unbuttoned some buttons of her dress and untied the straps of her camisole and exposed her huge, swollen belly to his observing gaze. Being pulled in by their attraction, he gently placed his large hand on top of their children. As if to greet him, the baby -or rather one of the babies- kicked against his palm.

Sully looked up at Michaela with big eyes, an impressed smile on his lips. Michaela smiled back through her tears of joy and brushed a curl from his face. Then she took the stethoscope and placed the diaphragm on her belly. She listened with concentration. Then she handed him the ear pieces and he put them in his ears. His gaze showed pure awe when he once again heard the heart of one of his children beating healthily. After a long peaceful moment, Michaela moved the diaphragm to another place where she perceived the other fetus.

Sully's blue eyes shot up to Michaela's. "I hear it." he whispered. "I can hear them both beatin' at the same time. One of them weaker, but it's there... 'Chaela! It's a miracle!"

"Yes, Sully. That it is." Michaela agreed as she stroked his cheek with her fingers.

Gently, he stroked her belly again. "Have ya told the kids yet?"

Michaela put her hand on top of his. "No. Of course not. You should know first. I thought we'd tell them together. That's why I asked Katie to help me. She's too young to realize why I asked her to draw two babies."

Sully thought this through with a gentle smile. But suddenly his face went back up excitedly, a slight touch of panic in it. "Two babies! That's it then, ain't it?"

Michaela grinned and looked down at herself. "Well, I think so..." she joked. "I hope so! I don't think there's room for another one."

One second she was laughing, the next one she was getting one of those severe mood swings that Sully had to get used to during her pregnancy. "Oh, Sully." she whispered, close to tears. "Thank you!... I never thought I could be all that. Mother, wife and doctor... But you made it possible for me. Thank you for our children."

"I should be thankin' ya." Sully assured her. "For such a long time I believed my chances of havin' a family of my own had slipped away. But then ya came along. There ain't nobody else I could think of as the mother of my children."

Tenderly, he raised his hands to her face. She bent down a little and their lips met in a sweet kiss, which once again confirmed her deep love.

ooooooooooooo

They waited until the next day to tell their loved ones of the exciting news. That was when Colleen and Andrew had announced their visit. Without further ado, Michaela invited Grace and Robert E. with their daughter as well as Dorothy and Cloud Dancing. Jennie and Matthew were welcome anytime anyway. They would be there, too. Daniel had said he couldn't come because the Marshal would be there to pick up the gang. But he promised a visit at another time.

Michaela had trouble preparing a decent meal for the whole crowd because her belly kept getting in her way, by blocking her way or preventing her from getting the herbs on the upper shelves.

When Colleen, who along with Andrew, had been picked up at the station by Brian and Sully, stepped into the kitchen and realized her mother's plight, she took control over the preparations. Laughing, she wasn't paying attention to any argument. Completely in her element, the daughter ordered Michaela to sit down at the table and fill her in about the latest events in town.

One after another, the guests arrived and sat down at the beautifully decorated dining room table.

Throughout the whole meal, Sully and Michaela kept remarkably quiet. However, their silence was not subdued, but rather happy and deeply satisfied. Sully had chosen the seat beside his wife and time and again the two threw amorous glances at each other or subconsciously caressed each other's hand. Most of this went by unnoticed, since such expressions of love from the two were nothing unusual. But not by Cloud Dancing. The Cheyenne felt very well the suppressed, excited tension between the couple and he smiled softly. He sensed their secret. The spirits had spoken to him some months ago. Had his brother and the medicine woman finally realized the full extent of their blessings? Cloud Dancing offered a silent prayer of thanks for the two people he loved like family.

ooooooooooooo

After dinner, Sully could just about stop Colleen from busily removing all the dishes back to the kitchen. Gently, he took his adopted daughter's hand. "Come on, you. Yer not workin' here. Come sit with us. I'll do this later."

With those words, he pulled the blonde into the living room, where Colleen's shining eyes fell on little Rose. Asking politely, she happily took the baby from Grace and cuddled the little one close to her cheek as she sat with the others.

To everyone's amazement, Sully was the only one who remained standing with Michaela and looked as if he was about to announce something important.

Matthew, who had put his arm around Jennie, grinned. "What's goin' on Sully? This reminds me of the time ya bin askin' ta marry Dr. Mike. So, what's up? Ya already told us that ya..."

Matthew stalled. He searched desperately for words to finish the sentence and blushed horribly. "Erm...that you...put her... in expectation?"

Grace and Dorothy gave way to a smothered giggle and put their hands over their mouths. Colleen and Jennie looked at Matthew in bafflement. Cloud Dancing, Robert E. and Andrew grinned. Michaela turned crimson and Sully was completely flustered.

"Uh, yeah. Thanks, Matthew." Unnerved, he ran his fingers through his hair.

But Michaela gave her husband a gentle nudge and he pulled himself together.

"Look, what I'm tryin' ta say is that Michaela and I ain't jus' havin' a baby... Uh, I don't mean ta say that we're *not* havin' a baby... I mean... we're havin' two of them. We're havin' twins."

It was a shock, but Brian was the first to come around.

"Two babies?" cried Brian enthusiastically. "That's great!"

"Yeah!" Colleen and Matthew joined in. "That's jus' amazing!" said Colleen. "Two new siblings! I'm happy for ya! That's so excitin'."

Sully asked his son-in-law with a quip. "Will ya be alright with handlin' the delivery of two babies, Andrew?"

The latter actually looked a little shocked at the prospect but eagerly nodded his head and said. "Please Michaela, try not to have your babies in the wilderness this time, all right?"

Everyone embraced Michaela, beaming with joy, congratulating her, when Grace exclaimed with a smile "Typical for ya two! Ya jus' go and do that!"

Matthew picked up Katie and asked his little sister "What do ya say, Katie? Are ya happy, too? Yer goin' to have two brothers or sisters at once. And ya'll be the big sister to the babies."

Katie looked up. "Two babies?" Impatiently, she kicked her feet to be put down. Clever as she was, she ran purposely towards her mother. On the beckoning finger of her youngest daughter, Michaela bent down as far as she could. Then Katie's thin arms wrapped around Michaela's huge belly and Katie smacked a big kiss on it.

"Two babies." She explained to all bystanders. The love she couldn't yet express in words was readable in those big brown eyes.

Cloud Dancing came up to Sully and hugged his friend. Words could not express the joy they shared in that moment. So Cloud Dancing just embraced Sully and patted him on the shoulder. "Who would have thought that my brother would ever be so happy?" the medicine man whispered into Sully's ear.

To which Sully replied sincerely. "All because of this woman." He grabbed her by the waist.

Cloud Dancing also took Michaela in his arms and told her for her ears only. "Snow Bird and Black Kettle are looking down at us and their eyes are crying tears of joy."

Michaela looked at the Cheyenne lucky charm. The gift that Cloud Dancing's wife Snow Bird had given her shortly before her death still had its place of honor at the fireplace. It had indeed brought good fortune to her home. At that moment, Michaela felt the reassuring presence of the Cheyenne friend very close. This feeling gave her an inexplicable strength that flowed through her veins and the courage to finally accept the loss of her dear friend. Without knowing which higher power she was communicating with, Michaela sent her gratitude into this mysterious presence.

Colorado Springs, Sully Homestead

Despite the icy, wintery frostiness outside, Michaela just couldn't stand it in the house anymore! The babies were in such a strange position that they constantly pressed on her stomach and lungs. This made it extremely difficult for her to breathe and every single movement consumed a lot of energy and caused Michaela to almost break out in a sweat in the stuffy house. Since she didn't want to open the windows because of the toddler, she grabbed some blankets and asked Brian, who was building brick castles with Katie, to keep his sister entertained for a little longer

On the porch Sully had added a wide bench swing some time ago. Michaela sat down on it, moaning softly, and wrapped herself in the blankets.

She thought of Sully. Her husband wasn't working today. In fact, he had asked his superiors to be sent on one-day trips only for the next few months so that he could be with his growing family. But today he had gone hunting with Daniel. He and Michaela had confided to their closest friends that they were expecting twins, but for some reason Michaela believed in the possibility that it could bring bad luck if they told the whole world of their joyful expectation. For this reason they had asked family and friends to keep mum. Daniel was an exception. He was Sully's oldest friend, and even his falling in love with Michaela some years ago had not changed that. That was why Sully had left that morning with Michaela's permission to tell Daniel about their news as well.

Michaela sighed and breathed in the fresh and pleasantly cool air. Sully had been right with his intuition. It was already slightly noticeably warmer than it had been the day before. It had only snowed once, so that the surrounding landscape looked like it had been powdered with sugar. But that had been all. No one was expecting a harsh winter that would ruthlessly cut off many a Colorado resident from the nearest town, no icy coldness that would mercilessly claim human, animal and plant lives. Still, Michaela hoped that at least around Christmas there would be a little snowfall so that Katie's sled, which'd been carved by her husband last Christmas, would be put to a good use.

As Michaela pondered which presents to give her loved ones this Christmas, her eyes grew gradually heavier. The morning at the clinic seemed to have used up a large portion of her otherwise inexhaustible energy and Michaela nodded off. Soon, she began to dream.

Still sitting in the same spot on the porch, the sun was shining down on her much stronger. Feeling stifled, she pushed the blankets aside and looked around. The surrounding trees had begun to blossom and shone in a rich spring green. High above her, two eagles let forth their cry and Michaela looked up to absorb the perfectly synchronized flight movements of the pair.

When she lowered her gaze again, she startled.

But she quickly calmed and her face formed the happiest smile. As if it were the most normal thing in the world, she welcomed the man in front of her. "You came back, father!"

Her father, dressed in white all over again, stood a few steps away from her. Watching everything around him, he let his gaze wander. The countryside, the house, the woods, the wide open sky. ...until finally a satisfied expression settled on her face.

"It is beautiful. I see my Mike is very happy here."

"Oh, yes!" Michaela returned. "Father, you should have met Sully. You would have liked him very much. He makes me so happy!"

Joseph Quinn smiled. "Yes, I know that, Mike. I watch you both sometimes. He's everything I've ever wanted for my youngest daughter."

Michaela smiled happily. "Are you all right, father? I miss you so much."

Dr. Quinn shook his head vigorously. "Hush, no! No tears now. I'm happy. I've lived my life as any human being could ever wish to spend. I was filled with my profession, my loving wife who gave me five wonderful daughters, you, my grandchildren... Mike, I've got a message for you. It's from yours and Sully's son. He's fine, Mike. He's all right and he's got his aunt Marjorie and me to look after him... And there's another one. Abigail is looking out for him as well, his sister Hannah and he get along fine. We're all there for him until one day you'll be by his side again."

Michaela blinked away the tears from her eyes. Tears for her lost baby. But her father raised his hand to stop her from crying. "Life goes on, Mike. You always have to remember that! No matter what happens, the people we love will always stay in our hearts. Remember that and live your life as full as I have. Your unborn children are a new beginning. I am so incredibly proud of you. I love you *Michaela*."

Then he disappeared and Michaela woke up.

Sully had put his gloved hand on her shoulder. "Michaela, wake up! It's too cold for ya out here."

As she sleepily smiled up at him, he urged: "Ya fell asleep and the blankets slipped down. Come on, let's go in."

Michaela explained apologetically: "I just wanted to enjoy the fresh air out here. It must have made me tired."

She giggled softly, then her eyes fell on the fat turkey that Sully was carrying upside down on a string over his shoulder, dead as a doornail.

"I see the hunt was a success. I won't have to worry about what to make for dinner anymore..." Michaela paused haltingly. That was when it all came back to her. Suddenly all the details of her dream were present.

"Sully, I remember!" Excitedly, she grabbed him by the arm and gushed. "I was dreaming about father again! He told me, he's always with me. He said how happy he was that I found you and how proud he is... Sully, he said that our dead child is fine. He and Marjorie are taking care of him... Abigail is as well... Does what I'm saying make any sense to you?"

Sully swallowed dry and thought.

"Yes, Michaela. I believe that the ones we love will still be there for us when they die. It's a beautiful thought that your father would be our baby's keeper in our place. That way he will always be with us."

Sully fell silent. He still had a hard time talking about the loss of their baby last year. Though he didn't let it show often and would admit even less out of consideration for her, he had been hit just as hard as Michaela that their child had never been allowed to live. This feeling of inadequacy was still reinforced by his feelings of guilt for not being with her at the time of the miscarriage. But the thought of a life for the baby after its death, the hope that his father-in-law, Marjorie and his deceased wife Abigail would take care of the child, helped Sully a lot at that moment. Just as it apparently saved Michaela from falling into a deep despair again.

For some time they just sat there. Both in their thoughts of their dead loved ones and together they mourned the loss of their child.

After a while, Michaela tried to lift the spirit and curiously asked Sully how the hunt with Daniel had gone.

Sully grinned regretfully. "Actually I shot a deer and two rabbits. But I had ta think of Katie. How she loathes it when I bring home some dead animals. So I gave them to Daniel. I guess we'll have ta sneak this one past her so we can serve it for dinner. That kid's bin suspicious since Thanksgivin'."

Michaela was about to get up and go inside when Sully held her back. "I told Daniel about the twins," he told her briefly. "He said ta give ya his best of wishes."

"Thank you, that's nice of him."

Sully shrugged. "He was happy for us, I think. At least that's what he said. I asked him ta dinner, but he declined. Said he had some other plans... I think, he still sometimes got problems bein' normal around us."

Uncomfortably Michaela fidgeted on the bench, an apologetic expression on her face.

Sully noticed and put one hand on her knee: "It ain't yer fault... I jus' hope that one day things'll change."

Michaela touched his hand on her leg and offered her lips up for his kiss. He accepted the invitation. Then he pulled her off the swing and together they went into the house and joined their children.

Autor's note: This chapter is for my late dad. Although written years go, I find that Michaela's thoughts on her dreams are still my hopes when I think about my dad.

Thank you so much, Liza!