Author's Note:
I am working on a companion story. The companion story will be titled, Not without a Fight Companion. When writing this story, I write a lot of scenes. Not all of them make it into the story for a variety of reasons. There are also more scenes that I think of in this universe that I thought of after the fact. Look for it, if you are interested, It will be published soon.
Someone requested pictures for this story. The person that requested it knows me well from another fandom. Now that I have released this chapter, I will put a link in my profile to see pictures that go long with the story. The link will be up soon.
-Present Day-
It was a quiet scene. Once everyone was sworn in, Judge Webster took his seat at the head of a long rectangular table. Seated on the right side of the table, was first Matthew, followed by Sully and then Michaela. Abagail's lawyer, Mitch Norris, sat across from Matthew. Abagail sat across from Sully.
Judge Webster started the proceedings, "We are here to discuss custody of Hanna Sully."
"Mary Bray," Mr. Norris interrupted.
"What?" Judge Webster asked in confusion.
"My client named the child in question, Mary Bray," Mr. Norris said.
Sully and Michaela looked at one another in disbelief.
"My clients, who have raised the child in question, named her Hanna Sully on the day of her birth," Matthew stated and showed the judge Hanna's birth certificate, "As you can see, it says, Hanna Caroline Sully. The custody and adoption papers, signed by your client, Mr. Norris, also read, Hanna Caroline Sully."
Judge Webster huffed and growled at Mr. Norris, "As stated, we are here to discuss custody of Hanna Sully. After reviewing the legal documents that Mr. Cooper just referred to, I am having trouble figuring out why I am hearing this case. Mr. Norris, you insist that Miss Bray has a valid case."
"Miss Bray is the child's natural mother," Mr. Norris stated.
"The adoption papers are legal documents. They show that Miss Bray surrendered her custody to Dr. Michaela Quinn seven years ago," Judge Webster said, "Dr. Quinn is now married to Mr. Sully, the child's natural father. Under the law, Miss Bray had one year to change her mind. It's been seven. I don't see how her being the natural mother helps her case."
"The child has been in contact with Miss Bray's family for these past years-" Mr. Norris started to say.
"She has not been in contact with Miss Bray," Matthew interjected.
"I am simply pointing out that the child has been in contact with her mother's family and surely you can see that a blood tie is stronger than a piece of paper," Mr. Norris said.
"I don't see what one thing has to do with the other," Judge Webster said, "The child having contact with Miss Bray's family does not make the adoption papers void. In addition, as I stated before, Mr. Sully is the child's natural father. The child is already in the custody of one parent that possesses a blood tie. Even if Mr. Sully wasn't the child's natural father, the adoption still holds. Mr. Norris, the burden is on you to tell the court what we're doing here, and I will need something more than stating the obvious. Miss Bray being the child's natural mother is not a matter of contention. Mr. and Mrs. Sully are not arguing against that."
"I believe that is a valid point, Sir," Mr. Norris said.
"She gave the child up," Judge Webster said, "I am not in the business of uprooting children over the whims of a parent... so-called... who has not been in the child's life for any amount of time. Unless you are prepared to offer me something else that validates your case, I am going to dismiss it."
"I have spent the better part of two weeks interviewing citizens of Colorado Springs. These are the people who are in contact with Mr. and Mrs. Sully on a regular basis. Based on what I've heard, I don't believe they are suitable parents." Mr. Norris said.
"What?" Sully questioned heatedly.
"That's outrageous!" Michaela exclaimed.
Matthew raised his hand slightly to quiet them down.
"Who have you interviewed?" Matthew asked, "What did they say specifically?"
"A number of members of the town say that Mrs. Sully, with the approval of Mr. Sully, has left the child in question in the welfare of some immigrant on more than one occasion," Mr. Norris said, "Due to the negligence of this Swiss immigrant woman named Inka, the child in question suffered a third degree burn."
"The woman that Mr. Norris is speaking of is my wife," Matthew hissed furiously, "She's Swedish, not Swiss. Her name is Ingrid, not Inka. I would like to ask the court to ask Mr. Norris to refer to her as Mrs. Cooper, rather than 'some immigrant'."
"Mr. Norris will refer to Mr. Cooper's wife as Mrs. Cooper," Judge Webster stated firmly, earning a nod from Mr. Norris.
"I'd like to make another correction to Mr. Norris' claim," Matthew stated, "The child that suffered the burn was not Hanna Sully, it was Katie Sully."
"You do admit that one of their children suffered a third degree burn?" Mr. Norris asked Matthew.
Michaela couldn't keep quiet anymore and raised her hand.
"Would you like to address the court, Ma'am?" Judge Webster asked.
"Yes, I would," Michaela answered.
"Would you like the court to refer to you as Mrs. Sully or Dr. Quinn?" Judge Webster asked.
"In order to shed light on this incident, I will have to speak as both a mother and a doctor," Michaela said, "The court may address me as Dr. Quinn-Sully."
"Very well, Dr. Quinn-Sully," Judge Webster said, "Please shed light on this incident."
"First of all, my daughter suffered a second degree burn, not a third degree burn." said Michaela.
"What difference does that make?" Mr. Norris scoffed.
"It makes a lot of difference. A third degree burn is much more severe and it takes longer to heal," Michaela stated confidently.
"Please continue, Dr. Quinn-Sully," said Judge Webster.
"Secondly, Ingrid... I'm mean Mrs. Cooper was not to blame," Michaela said, "It was an accident. It was actually thanks to Mrs. Cooper's quick thinking that saved our daughter from a lot of unnecessary pain and suffering. I would like my husband to speak on this too."
"Start from the beginning," Judge Webster said.
"I was pregnant again," Michaela said.
"How many children do you have?" Judge Webster asked.
"Six," Sully and Michaela answered in unison.
"Mr. Cooper's mother, Charlotte, and his sister, Colleen, usually babysit for us," Michaela said, "Charlotte and Colleen were both out-of-town visiting Charlotte's other daughter, Hallie."
-One Year Ago-
Michaela was in the clinic with her three little girls. She was busy sterilizing her instruments and instructed the girls to fold towels. It was March and there were a lot of birthdays coming up in just a few weeks. Hanna would be six, Katie and Josie would be five, Logan would be three, Lachlan would be two, and she and Sully would be welcoming a new baby as well. The girls, especially Katie, wanted a party. With everyone born in the same month, Michaela decided she could have a party. She could celebrate all of the children together and introduce her new little one also.
She planned a large birthday party that would take place on June 3rd, which was the first Saturday of June. Her baby was due May 10th, and she decided that by June 3rd, she would be recovered enough to have a party.
"Tank you for letting me nurse, Dr. Mike," Ingrid said, coming down the stairs with baby Oliver in her arms.
"It's no problem at all," Michaela told Ingrid with a smile, "Thank you for taking care of the girls this afternoon. I will send Sully for them as soon as he gets back from the reservation."
Michaela was writing an article about Cheyenne medicine for a medical journal. She'd been published in the journal before and was hoping to be published again. She needed a few hours to write without being interrupted. Along with sending the girls with Ingrid, she planned to close the clinic early to write.
Charlotte and Colleen had left town to visit with Hallie. Brian stayed with Matthew while they were gone. Once Brian was done with school, he would help Ingrid babysit the girls.
The boys were with Sully for the day. He took them with him to the reservation. All of the kids liked visiting the reservation with their pa. If Michaela went with him, then they would take all of the kids at once. On days like today, when he went by himself, he couldn't take them all. Sully created a system of days: girls days and boys days. Today was a boys day.
"Are you ready to go?" Ingrid asked the girls.
"Yes," They all said.
"Okay," Ingrid said, smiling wide. She loved babysitting them. She wanted a little girl so badly. It wasn't that she didn't love her son, she adored him, but she wanted a girl, "We'll be at da boarding house."
"Put them to work," Michaela said, "They are more than capable of helping you fold clothes."
Ingrid smiled widely and left with the girls.
Matthew had become the town sheriff since he and Ingrid got married. After his mother lost Hallie in the custody battle, he started studying the law as well. He kept up with his studies through correspondence. He couldn't afford to move to Denver to go to college, but he was able to study from home.
Ingrid took care of their son most of the day. From time to time she earned extra money by doing laundry, mending and sewing. She made most of her money from people staying at Charlotte's boarding house or from single male homesteaders who had not yet found a wife to take care of them.
Later that afternoon, Brian came home from school.
Ingrid had finished with her work for the day and was paid by one of the boarders.
"Ingrid, can I go play with Anthony?" Brian asked.
"Brian, I need your help," Ingrid said, "I need to go to Meester Bray store and buy flour. I need help wit da children."
"Anthony and me wanna do an experiment. It won't take long," Brain said, "We can do it outside the store probably.
"Okay, If you feenish quickly," Ingrid said.
Ingrid put Oliver in the baby buggy and left the boarding house to walk to the store. Brian and the girls followed behind.
"Is that the most beautiful woman in the world walkin' by?" Matthew shouted and then whistled in appreciation.
"Mahtew," Ingrid giggled and skipped a few paces to her husband and threw her arms around him.
Matthew gave her a quick kiss which caused Brian to make a face of disgust and the three little girls to start giggling.
Taking Ingrid's hand, Matthew walked to the baby buggy, "One stunnin' woman, three beautiful little girls, one gorgeous baby... We've got quite a good lookin' bunch here! All except one little sour puss," Matthew put Brian in a headlock and proceeded to give him a noogie.
"Matthew!" Brian complained, but couldn't help but laugh.
Matthew let go of his brother.
"There's Anthony," Brian said.
"Don't take too long," Ingrid said and then turned to Matthew to tell him about her day.
Hanna and Josie busied themselves by watching Oliver in the buggy. He kept making funny faces which made the girls laugh. Katie, however, was more interested in what Brian was up to. She slowly walked towards him.
"Did ya get it?" Brian asked Anthony.
"Yeah," Anthony said, "My pa said I could borrow it. I didn't tell him about the experiment though."
"That's okay," Brian said, "Let's just see if it works."
What Anthony had borrowed from Robert E. was his magnifying glass. Brian and Anthony had heard that they could start a fire with one and wanted to see if it was true.
"Let's do it over here," Brian said and the two boys traveled to the side of the store.
"Are ya sure Mr. Bray won't mind us using his leaves?" Anthony asked. He didn't think that Mr. Bray would care about dried leaves on the street; however, with Mr. Bray, you never know. Since the leaves were by his store, me may want to charge them.
"Mr. Bray is visitin' his daughter in Denver, " Brian said, "He won't even notice."
"He been leavin' town a lot lately," Anthony said.
"He's been real sad since Mrs. Bray died," Brain explained, "I think he wants to spend more time with his daughter and grandkids."
The boys gathered a few leaves and put them in a pile. Anthony held up the magnifying glass and aimed it at the pile.
"You have to catch the sun light," Brian said, "Let me try."
Anthony handed the magnifying glass to Brian. Brian angled it just right so a strong light went through it and started to burn the leaves. Before they knew it, the leaves started smoking and were on fire.
After that, everything happened so fast. First the boys started cheering when they started the fire. Then Katie came up behind them and startled them. They jumped up so fast, they accidentally kicked the leaves backwards and into the fallen dry leaves that were around the store. The dry leaves, around the store, quickly went up in flames. The fire soon spread to the exterior wall of the store. Katie was standing so close when it happened that the palm of her hand was burnt by the fire.
Matthew and Ingrid were only a couple of yards away and were still talking when they heard multiple sounds at once.
In Brain's voice, they heard, "Fire!"
In Anthony's voice, they heard, "Help!"
In Katie's voice, they heard, "Owie!"
Ingrid immediately ran to Katie and forced her hand and arm into a nearby trough full of water and held it there.
Matthew yelled, "Fire!" and ran to get a bucket and filled it full of water and then poured it over the fire. Hank, Jake, Robert E. and other towns people joined in and successfully put out the fire.
Grace ran across the way from her café to see what was going on. When she got there, Ingrid still had Katie's hand submerged in water. Most of the men went away, but Matthew and Robert E. stood there staring down at Brian and Anthony.
"What happened?" Grace asked.
Brian sheepishly held up the magnifying glass.
"That's what you asked to borrow this for?" Robert E. snapped at Anthony and snatched the magnifying glass out of Brian's hand.
"We were just experimentin'," Brian said in a small voice.
"Well ya coulda burned down the whole town!" Matthew shouted, "Ya know if there's serious damage to the store that Ma's responsible for that, right?" Matthew continued to yell and Brian looked at him dumbfounded. "Oh, ya didn't know? Now ya do. Ma doesn't need this right now, Brian!"
"We're responsible too!" Grace yelled and yanked Anthony by the arm and started walking back to the café, "What on Earth were you thinkin' about?" Robert E. shook his head and followed behind his wife and son.
"It's hurts!" Katie cried to Ingrid.
"I know, Sweetie," Ingrid said. She also had tears in her eyes, "We must keep your hand under da water for longer."
Sully had arrived just after the fire was put out. He parked the wagon just outside the clinic. From his vantage point in the wagon, he could see that there had just been a commotion near the store by the way the people were leaving the scene. He saw two of his daughters standing by a baby carriage, but couldn't see the third one. He saw what looked like Ingrid bending over the trough in front of the store and Matthew looking down at Brian. He told his boys to sit in the wagon and he ran to the scene.
"What's goin' on?" Sully asked as he came running up. He found his third daughter crying and Ingrid holding her hand in the trough. Ingrid brought her hand up enough to see the state of the burn. Sully, who didn't know what was going on, saw a large blister on the palm of his little girl's hand, "Kates!" he shouted as his heartrate went up.
"She got her hand burnt," Matthew informed him.
"It's gonna be alright, Sweetheart," Sully tried to soothe, "I'm gonna get ya straight to Mama." Sully scoped Katie up and ran across the square with her to the clinic.
Ingrid wiped the tears from her eyes and started to follow slowly behind. She pushed the baby buggy and Hanna and Josie followed her. Ingrid instructed the girls to sit on the bench. She then got the two boys who were waiting patiently in the wagon and sat them next to their sisters.
"Hope you're happy!" Matthew scolded Brian and walked to sit with Ingrid and the children.
Brian kicked a nearby garbage can and crossed his arms. He solemnly walked back to the boarding house.
Michaela sat at her desk writing her report. She had no idea what has going on in town until Sully burst through the clinic door with their sobbing daughter in his arms.
"Katie!" Michaela screamed in horror and got up from behind her desk, "What happened?"
Sully laid her down on the exam table, "She has a burn on the palm of her hand."
Michaela examined Katie's hand. There was a burn blister, but it hadn't ruptured. Michaela gently rinsed it in cool water. She lightly touched the top of the burn with her finger and the skin felt cool to the touch.
"Did someone run her hand under water?" Michaela asked.
"When I got there, Ingrid had her hand in the water trough outside the store," Sully informed his wife.
Michaela exhaled in relief, "She cooled the skin. If she hadn't, this could have been much worse."
Michaela applied a thick lotion to Katie's hand and gently wrapped it, "Can you get a sling out of the cabinet?"
Sully quickly complied with her request and Michaela placed Katie's arm in the sling. By that time, Katie had stopped crying loudly, but was still sniffling with tears rolling down her cheeks. Michaela went to lift her up, but Sully stopped her.
"Don't lift her," Sully said. When he first saw Katie in pain, his adrenaline kicked in, and he could think of nothing else but getting her help. Now that she was fine, and his adrenaline was coming down, Sully could think of other things like being overly protective of Michaela while she was pregnant. Katie weighed nearly forty pounds and Sully didn't want Michaela lifting that amount of weight in her condition.
"Honey!" Michaela scoffed and whined slightly, "I want to hold her."
"Come and sit down on your cot and I'll put her in your lap," Sully said.
"Very well," Michaela sighed and took a seat on the cot that was opposite the examination table. Sully placed their girl in her arms and Michaela held her close. Sully sat down too and put his arms around both of them.
"How did this happen?" The worried mother asked her daughter.
"I was watching Bwian and Anthony pway and they lighted a fire and I got burndid," The little girl explained.
"Oh no, the kids!" Sully shouted and jumped up to go check on his children. The location and safety of the other children was another thing that he forgot because he was so focused on Katie. When Sully opened the door to the clinic, he was relieved to find his other four children outside, safe and sound, being watched by Matthew and Ingrid, "Thank God," he whispered and keeled over a bit and then went down into a squat. He focused on his breathing so he didn't faint.
"Katie," Michaela said, "You will have to wear the bandage for a while and Mama is going to check it everyday. It's very important that you don't play rough and you don't climb on things. Believe it or not, it is safer to keep the blister on your hand unopened than it is for Mama to open it. We don't want to take a chance of it getting ruptured. Do you understand, Sweetheart?"
"Yes, Mama," Katie answered.
"Good," Michaela said and kissed her check.
A few days went by and Katie's hand was doing much better. She didn't have to wear the sling anymore, but she still had to wear the bandage. The blister was still there, but the swelling had gone down.
Katie watched from the front porch as her sisters and brothers played in the yard. She could see her father tending to their horses. Her mother was sitting inside the house reading one of her journals. Katie longed to go play, but her parents wouldn't allow her to go play until her hand got better. While everyone else was busy, she got to sit on the porch, bored, listening to the sound of Wolf panting while she leaned against him.
As Katie watched everyone else, Matthew pulled up at their homestead with Ingrid, Brian and Oliver. He helped Ingrid down as Brian held Oliver. Brian gave the baby to Ingrid and hopped out of the wagon by himself.
"Hi Katie," Matthew smiled, "How are ya feelin?"
"Better," Katie answered sweetly.
"Good. Where's your ma and pa?" Matthew asked.
"Ma's inside," Katie said, "Pa's in the barn."
Matthew took Brian to the barn to see Sully. Ingrid reached into the back of the wagon and pulled out a large basket. Holding it and the baby, she walked towards the porch.
"I'm glad you feeling better," Ingrid smiled, "I bring for you." Ingrid pulled out a small doll that was dressed like a Swedish little girl and gave it to Katie.
"Thank you," Katie said with a large smile on her face.
Ingrid smiled back and then went inside to find Dr. Mike.
"Hello Dr. Mike," Ingrid greeted as she walked in.
"Good morning Ingrid," Michaela asked, "Is it still morning?"
"Yes. I think 10 o'clock," Ingrid laughed and placed the basket on the kitchen table, "I bring doll for Katie and pastry for da whole family."
"Thank you," Michaela said, "My family will enjoy the pastries and I'm sure Katie will love her new doll."
"I want to apologize, Dr. Mike," Ingrid said as her face got red and her eyes started to water. She bounced Oliver slightly to distract herself.
"For what?" Michaela asked.
"For Katie," Ingrid sniffled, "She burn her hand when I was looking after her."
"Oh Ingrid," Michaela laughed and put an arm around her, "Come sit down."
Michaela guided Ingrid to one of her white wingback chairs and then sat down opposite her.
"That wasn't your fault," Michaela stated, "It was an accident. I know that it has helped my daughter learn an important lesson. More than one actually."
"Lesson?" Ingrid inquired.
"Yes," Michaela nodded, "First of all, she learned to never try to start a fire the way the boys did," Michaela shook her head, "Secondly, Sully and I used this event as an example to explain why we tell her not to wander off, and thirdly, she understands what consequences can occur from snooping. Her sisters didn't get hurt because they stayed right where they were supposed to be. Katie sometimes has a bad habit of wandering off and snooping."
"Oh," Ingrid said with nervous laughter. She still felt terrible.
"I wanted to thank you," Michaela said, "From the bottom of our hearts, Sully and I both wanted to thank you. If it wasn't for your quick thinking to place her hand in that cool water, this could have been much worse."
"You're velcome," Ingrid said, "In Sweden, we have no doctor. When Jon was a boy, he get a bad burn. My father put him in da lake for minutes. He say he need to stop skin from cooking."
"That's exactly right," Michaela said, "As long as the burn blister is closed and there is no open skin, its good to put the burn in cool water. Not ice cold, but cool. What you did, stopped the under layers of skin from burning, or cooking, as your father put it. You saved my little girl weeks of pain and suffering."
"I'm glad," Ingrid said happily.
As Ingrid talked to Michaela in the house, Matthew and Brian were talking to Sully in the barn.
"Sully," Brian whimpered, on the verge of tears, "I'm real sorry for what happened to Katie. I didn't mean to hurt her,"
"I know ya didn't," Sully, who had been putting new shoes on Flash, stopped what he was doing and drew Brian in for a hug.
"I didn't know she was standin' there," Brian said against Sully's chest. Sully was Brian's hero. The last thing that Brian wanted to do was disappoint him.
"Brian, I ain't mad at ya because Katie got hurt," Sully explained, "She's my child, my little girl. When I saw that she was hurt, it scared me to death. That's why I got her to Dr. Mike so fast. I'm also a reasonable man. I know that she shouldn't have followed ya. She's knows better than that. That is somethin' that her ma and me have been tryin' to get through her head."
"She does know better than that, Sully," Matthew interjected. He appreciated that Sully made Brian feel better, but he didn't want Brian to think that he did nothing wrong, "But Brian is in the wrong here."
"That's true," Sully said with a sigh, "I don't know what you boys were thinkin' about. I don't blame ya because Katie was hurt, that was an accident. But don't ya ever, ever try to start a fire like that in the middle of town again. You and Anthony coulda been hurt or worse. What would ya tell Mr. Bray if he came back to town and didn't have a store?"
"I don't know," Brian stated sadly, "We were just experimentin'"
Sully honestly felt sorry for him. Brian didn't have much of a pa, but he needed one. Matthew was able to survive. He was born older and had to become a man real quick. Sully, himself, was born younger, but lost his family very young and also had to become a man real quick. Brian was the baby and he was trying to grow up, but he needed guidance badly.
"Tell ya what," Sully said, "In the summer, after my baby is born, how about we all go campin'? Can ya' make it Matthew?"
"Yeah," Matthew said with a nod.
"Good," Sully said, "Okay Brian? It will be you, me, Matthew, my boys, and we'll ask Robert E. and Anthony to come along. I'll show you boys how to build a fire safely. Does that sound like a plan?"
"Yeah!" Brian cheered, "Can we bring Oliver too?"
"Um..." Matthew said trying to discourage that idea.
"I think Oliver might be a little young yet," Sully said. Oliver was four months old. If they went camping in June or July, he would only be eight months at the oldest, "My boys might be a little young yet too, but as long as we don't go too deep in the woods, they'll be okay."
"Thanks, Sully!" Brian said and threw his arms around Sully.
-Present Day-
"What happened to Katie was an accident caused by children," Michaela explained.
"That's no excuse," Abagail answered.
"Anyone who has children knows that accidents happen," Sully answered back, trying to keep his temper even, "Take your eyes off them for a second and somethin' can happen. It's near impossible to keep your eyes on them every second of every day. Ya hafta teach them to do right. This incident was a big lesson for all those kids."
"What about my father?" Abagail questioned, slamming Sully in her own way, "Is he supposed to be without a store because boys will be boys?"
Sully swallowed his anger. As if Abagail really cared about her father's store.
"Ma'am," Matthew cut in, "There were only a few exterior planks that needed fixin'. Robert E. and I took care of it. We made Brian and Anthony paint the planks after we installed them."
Abagail huffed and crossed her arms, "How about you, Dr. Mike... I mean, Dr. Quinn-Sully? Suppose your child was burned so badly that she lost her hand? Would ya be so quick to forgive Mrs. Cooper, who was supposed to be watchin' her, then? Would ya forgive yourself for leavin' your child in the care of such an negligent woman?"
Matthew's temper started to flare and he had to focus on his breathing to not lash out at Abagail.
"Losin' her hand is a what if, it ain't so," Sully answered, "If she did lose her hand, it wouldn't be Mrs. Cooper's fault."
"I was talkin' to your wife," Abagail hissed.
Michaela answered Abagail, "You are absolutely right to point out that this could have been worse. As we explained, that's why this was such a valuable lesson for the children. As my husband just pointed out, It wouldn't be Mrs. Cooper's fault if it was worse. It was actually thanks to Mrs. Cooper that it wasn't worse for Katie. Katie is around Brian and Anthony all the time and nothing like that has ever happened, how could anyone have predicted that something like that would happen. The boys were experimenting, they said that themselves. It's not like they have a history of starting fires."
"Has anything like that happened since?" Judge Webster asked.
"No," Michaela and Sully both answered.
"How is the little girl's hand?" the judge asked.
"Fine. It healed nicely," Michaela answered.
"That story is not proof of unsuitable parenting," Judge Webster said, "It is a very real image of kids being kids and humans acting human."
"I have a list of things to go through," Mr. Norris said.
Matthew exhaled loudly, knowing they would be there for awhile, "Sorry Judge."
"What is next on your list Mr. Norris?" the judge asked.
"Isn't it true that after the birth of your sixth child that you had an Indian living with you?" Mr. Norris inquired in an accusatory tone.
Sully scoffed. What he really wanted to do is punch Mr. Norris in the face.
"Would you like to answer, Mr. Sully?" Judge Webster asked.
"Cloud Dancin' is a close friend of ours. We needed help after she gave birth," Sully took hold of Michaela's hand, "He was kind enough to offer it."
"Needed help with what, pray tell?" Mr. Norris questioned, sounding like a slithering snake in Sully's mind.
"When I gave birth, I had to undergo a cesarean section. It took me three months to recover." Michaela explained.
"My wife had a cesarean section when she gave birth to our son. It only took her six weeks to recover. It took you twelve weeks?" Mr. Norris challenged as if he was accusing Michaela of lying.
"As a medical professional, I can tell you that it takes approximately six weeks for the body to heal from the incisions made to deliver the baby. Recovery time differs from woman to woman," Michaela said.
"I pushed my wife to get back on her feet again as soon as possible. I didn't want her to be idle in bed," Mr. Norris hissed as if he was challenging Sully to duel.
"My wife needed her rest," said Sully, rising to the challenge, but keeping his voice even. He would not let this fool of a lawyer get the best of him.
"Your wife needed her rest, so you brought an Indian in to take over her duties?" asked Mr. Norris.
"At the same time that she was recoverin', I started havin' headaches-" Sully said but was cut off by Mr. Norris.
"Headaches?" the man questioned, with a pompous grin on his face. It was as if he was calling Sully a wimp.
"On occasion, usually during periods of high stress, my husband develops a severe form of headache called a megrim. When one experiences a megrim, not only does one have terrible pain on both sides of the head, the pain can be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, increased sensitivity of the eyes to light, increased sensitivity to sound, dizziness, blurred vision... My husband sometimes experiences one or two of these symptoms. Sometimes he experiences all of them at the same time. As a doctor and a wife, I assure you it's no laughing matter." Michaela answered firmly.
"I was tryin' to power though the headaches, and take care of everything myself, but my vision got so blurred when I was comin' down the stairs of our house that I tripped and hurt my back," Sully explained.
Michaela shook her head.
"Did you warn him against that, Ma'am?" The Judge chuckled, "You have the look of a knowing wife."
"I did warn him to ask for help and stay in bed," Michaela insisted. Sully smiled warmly at her. He recognized the tone in her voice as one that she had when she was ticked at him for being stubborn, "He was lucky he didn't break his neck. I was initially afraid that he had a herniated disc in his lumbar region because he had pain along his sciatic nerve. He recovered very quickly, so now I think he just bruised his back."
"It sounds like you've got quite a woman on your hands," Judge Webster commented.
"Yes, Sir," Sully said with a grin, silently telling the whole room that he was in love.
Michaela looked down, her face turned a little pink. She side eyed Sully with a small smile. Her smile suggested that she was in love as well.
Abagail was disgusted at the display between Sully and Michaela. When Michaela originally moved to Colorado Springs, Abagail did believe she was highly educated and responsible. She also thought of her as being uptight, dowdy and a spinster. If Sully had been around at the time of the baby's birth, Abagail wouldn't have seen her as competition for his affection. Sully was clearly captivated by her. She wasn't that charming was she? Abagail nudged her attorney, wanting him to get them back on track.
"What does your wife's cesarean section and your injury have to do with the Indian?" Mr. Norris asked.
"As I said, he's a close friend and offered to help us," Sully answered, "With both of us out of commission, and six children at home, we needed the help."
"Aren't your children school aged?" asked Mr. Norris.
"No," Michaela and Sully answered in unison.
"Mrs. Teresa Slicker, the school teacher, won't accept children until they reach age six. Hanna started school last year and our twins will start school this year. All of this started in May of last year. The twins weren't allowed in yet, and Hanna didn't start school until September." Michaela explained.
"What did the Indian do at your home?" Mr. Norris asked.
-One Year Ago-
Sully and Michaela laid side by side in their bed. There bedroom was dark, but Michaela was skilled enough to feel around on her night stand and find her cup of half drank willow bark tea that Cloud Dancing made for her yesterday. She drank the other half of the tea to dull the pain in her abdomen. Once it was dull enough, she would be able to sit up, and inject her husband with morphine. The megrim was still present, but it seemed to be at the end of its course and wasn't that severe if the bedroom was kept dark. He did have very severe pain in his lower back, left buttock and thigh. That pain was bad no matter how light or dark the room was.
Michaela shook her head. She warned him not to climb the staircase in the midst of his megrim. Did he listen? No. Now she had to give him morphine to help with the pain and to put him to sleep. Once his pain was more manageable, she planned to switch medicines and give him willow bark tea instead.
Luckily for the both of them, Cloud Dancing and Dorothy Jennings had come over to see their new baby on the same day that Sully fell. Cloud Dancing was kind and offered to look after the children until at least one of them was in better shape. Dorothy offered to help as well. She wouldn't stay overnight like Cloud Dancing, but she did help, when she could, during the day.
Michaela mused about Cloud Dancing and Dorothy.
For a long time, especially when Dorothy's husband was alive, Dorothy ignored Michaela in town. Michaela initially believed it was because she and Sully didn't allow Loren and Maude around Hanna when she was a baby. Michaela did feel it was a natural reaction for a sister to have. The more she got to know Dorothy, she actually felt that it was Dorothy's late husband, Marcus, that held her back.
Charlotte had told her that Marcus beat Dorothy. It wasn't a shock that a man that beats his wife would not want his wife to be friends with a doctor that could easily tell what was going on.
After he died, and Loren and Maude had regular visits with Hanna, Dorothy became warmer toward Michaela. She had even starting to sit near her and talk to her when they went to the quilting circle. Sometimes they'd talk after church.
When Dorothy had completed the first draft of her book about Cloud Dancing, she had no reason to continue to go and see him. He'd approved the book and she had all the information that she needed. All she needed to do was proof the book and send it to her editor. She went to see him anyway. After she sent the proofed book to her editor, she started to invent reasons to spend time with Cloud Dancing.
Once Dorothy finished her book, she went to work on creating a town newspaper. She called it The Gazette. For one edition of the paper, she said she needed a male point of view about an article. There are plenty of men who live in town. In fact, at that time, she was living with Loren at the store, she could've asked him for his opinion. She chose to seek out Cloud Dancing instead.
When Dorothy moved out of the store and into the old telegraph office in town, she asked Cloud Dancing to help her move. She said she asked him because the old telegraph office would double as her home and the office of The Gazette and she needed spiritual guidance to make sure everything went well. However, Dorothy is a Christian woman and it would have been more appropriate for her to ask the reverend if she truly needed spiritual guidance.
Soon, Cloud Dancing starting finding reasons to visit Dorothy in town. He told Sully that he had a vision and needed a female opinion about the vision. There were plenty of woman that lived on the reservation, but he insisted to Sully that he must ask Dorothy. Sully had no problem getting him a day pass.
As time passed, Sully could tell that Cloud Dancing was starting to develop feelings for Dorothy. Cloud Dancing was his brother and best friend. He'd lost his family and his tribe. Sully didn't want him to miss out on a second chance at love. He used his title as Indian Agent and petitioned the government to allow Cloud Dancing to live off the reservation. Representatives from the government agreed to allow him to live in Colorado Springs as long as the town council agreed to it.
Jake, as mayor, knew that he would receive a backlash from some members of the town if the council agreed to it. Dr. Mike would raise hell if the council didn't agree to it. He came to the decision that one angry Dr. Mike is far more annoying to him than fifty angry townsfolk. He pushed the other members of the council to vote in favor of Cloud Dancing living in Colorado Springs.
Sully helped him find a place right outside of the main part of town. Once he moved in, Cloud Dancing finally declared his feelings to Dorothy and the pair began courting.
The Gazette suffered in sales when Dorothy started to openly court Cloud Dancing. Not only that, people in town would stare them down or shout things like "Injun Lover" or "Heathens" everywhere they went. Fortunately for them, Jake helped out there too. He gave a speech at a town meeting about tolerance. After that, sales of The Gazette went back up and people started to mind their own business.
When asked why he helped Dorothy and Cloud Dancing, Jake said he did it because he was married to a Mexican woman. Even though she made him happy and they brought two beautiful children into the world, he experienced the same stare downs. Being the mayor, he didn't get nasty words and phrases shouted at him, people were more subtle and said it under their breath. He understood what Dorothy and Cloud Dancing were going through. Jake decided it was best to take a stand in the name of love.
"Michaela?" Dorothy said and opened the door.
The room was pitch black. As Dorothy came in with the baby, she slowly made her way to the bed. She felt around in the darkness with one hand. She made out a long haired figured and lightly tapped the person's arm.
"Michaela," she whispered while she tapped, "The baby needs to be fed."
"Uuhh," grunted Sully.
"I'm on this side of the bed, Dorothy," Michaela said with a giggle.
"It's so dark in here. With the long hair, its just hard to tell..." Dorothy explained.
"I'm sorry, I asked Cloud Dancing to pull down the shades for Sully. I can get to the window and open them, but it will take me a few minutes to get out of bed," Michaela said to Dorothy.
"No. Don't get up," Dorothy said, "I'll feel around and opened the shades."
Dorothy placed one hand on the bed and used it to guide her to the window. She felt around and found the end of the shade. She pulled the shade down and let go. The shade rolled up quickly and the room was instantly filled with daylight.
"Uuhh," Sully grunted again and covered his face with a pillow.
"I'm sorry, Sully," Dorothy said.
"He'll be alright," Michaela told her and held out her arms, "It's almost time for his morphine injection."
"I read that morphine is addictive," Dorothy said and handed Michaela the baby, "Is that true?"
"It can be," Michaela confirmed while adjusting her nightgown to feed the baby, "He won't get addicted while he's married to me, I'll make sure of it. How are the children? Are they behaving themselves?"
"Yes. They are so sweet. Your little boys remind me so much of my little boy, Tommy," Dorothy said and gushed over her son, "Your new little girl is so precious. I bet your Katie is happy to have a sister that looks like her."
"She looks just like Katie," Michaela beamed, "She has the same beautiful blonde hair. I do think Sofia will have brown eyes like Logan. When Katie was born, her eyes were light and I wasn't sure if they would be green or blue. They became green. Logan's eyes were always dark. Sofia's eyes look just like Logan's."
"Can I ask you a question? I've been dyin' to know," Dorothy asked.
"Certainly," Michaela said.
"Seein' as you have six children born in May, is there somethin' that you and your husband find particularly romantic about August and September?" Dorothy asked and then started laughing.
"Oh," Michaela was slightly embarrassed but started laughing too, "Well, that does seem to be my most fertile time. To be honest, we find time for romance all year around."
"I bet you do. How did you come up with Sofia Anne?" Dorothy asked.
"Anne is my middle name and my mother's middle name. Sully picked it," Michaela stated.
"Oh, that's sweet," Dorothy complimented.
"Sofia, we just liked. There was no rhyme or reason for it," Michaela went on, "It means wisdom or holy wisdom. We thought that was a nice meaning."
"Why did you spell it with an F?" Dorothy asked, "I've never seen it spelled that way."
"That was Sully's idea as well. My father's name is Josef, spelled with an F," Michaela informed her, "Josie is a nickname for our daughter, Josefine. We spelled Josefine with an F. Sully thought it would be nice if Sofia matched."
"Wow. I have never seen a man so involved with his family," Dorothy said, "I named all my children by myself. I took care of them alone too. My husband didn't do anything until they got older."
"He really is involved. Sully believes that it's his duty in this life to be a good husband and father above all else." Michaela told Dorothy and looked over to smile sweetly at her husband. She giggled slightly when she saw that his face was still covered with a pillow. Her poor man. She hated seeing him in so much pain. She knew his megrim would soon pass, but she was worried about his back. When he first fell down, she had Cloud Dancing lay him on his stomach so she could feel his spine. She was happy that she didn't feel any protruding discs; however, Michaela didn't think she did a thorough enough examination of his back. When he fell, it was just two days after her cesarean. She was unable to stand up and use both hands to really feel each vertebrae. She was unable to get close enough to his back to look for differences in each vertebrae. She couldn't ask Dr. Bernard to examine him because he had already left to go back to Denver. Instead, she had to reach sideways with one hand and feel his spine that way. Still, she was certain that if he had herniated a disc, she would be able to feel it one handed.
"Are you planning on more children after this?" Dorothy asked, breaking Michaela out of her thoughts.
"One never knows for sure. Sully and Cloud Dancing say no," Michaela said. She thought of how much attention Sully paid to her stomach during this pregnancy. He said he was certain that this was the last time he would get to see her belly full with his child, and he wanted to make sure he had plenty belly time.
"What makes them say that? Dorothy inquired.
"I'm sure Cloud Dancing has described a vision quest," Michaela said.
"Yes," Dorothy said, "He told me about it and tried to explain what a vision quest is, but I must admit, I am still a little unsure of what happens during one."
"Sully has been on a few vision quests since he's known Cloud Dancing. He told me that on his first quest, he kept seeing the number seven over and over again. In his second quest, he said he saw the number seven again, but realized it wasn't seven, it was six and one." Michaela explained.
"Six and one?" Dorothy questioned, not understanding.
"Yes," Michaela said and went on, "Mind you, this was all before he met me. After his second vision quest, he didn't go on another one for awhile, but he kept having strange dreams. In one dream, he said he saw a beautiful woman in all white. She was sitting by a waterfall, bathing herself. He said he got into the water with her, and they started kissing. While they were kissing, somehow they ended up standing under the waterfall together. When the water washed over them, she disappeared. He spent the rest of the dream looking for her. He had a few more dreams about this woman. One time they were kissing and rolling around in the grass. Another time, they were dancing in the Sweethearts Real at the Sweethearts Dance. The strangest part was that he had all these dreams of this woman, but he could never see her face. Cloud Dancing said that the spirits were guiding him to find the one. He needed to find his one true love is how Sully put it. Sully said that the number one from his vision quest finally made sense."
"Sounds like powerful dreams," Dorothy said, "Where does the number six come in?"
Michaela continued, "On his third vision quest, he saw visions of creatures that had found the one. He saw two hawks first. When they flew into their nest, there were six eggs inside. Then he saw a wolf couple with six pups. Finally, he saw a deer family with two parents and six fawns. The first day we met, he said he thought of me as a mother bear. When he went to sleep on the night we met, he had a dream about a father and mother bear who had six cubs."
"I see," said Dorothy, sounding unconvinced.
"It sounded strange to me at first too. In my mind, matters like having a baby are reserved for the scientific world," Michaela said, "Sully disagrees. He believes that all of our spirits were connected before we came to this Earth and we will be connected after we leave this Earth. While we are here on Earth, we were meant to find each other."
"That's a beautiful thing to say, Michaela," Dorothy said with a smile. Then she sighed and asked another question, "Is Sully a Christian?"
Michaela took a deep breath before she answered, "Sully hasn't defined himself," she said, "He was raised a Christian. Well, until he was ten years old. He has read the bible. He knows that I am a Christian and I want to raise my children to be Christians. That's why we attend church every Sunday. During his time with the Cheyenne, he has come to believe that it's important to be open minded. He believes that his visions and his beliefs about the spirits have their place in the Christian world just as they do in the Cheyenne religion."
"Loren told me," Dorothy lowered her voice as if she didn't want anyone to hear her say something disrespectful, "He said that you baptized Hanna as a papist."
Michaela laughed a bit and then asked, "Did he say papist or rosary rattler? My father was an Irish, Catholic. My mother became Catholic when she married my father and that's how she raised us. My father was like Sully. He read everything and believed that one should be open minded. It's not just Hanna that we baptized, it's all of the children which will soon include this one," She stopped to kiss Sofia's forehead, "I made sure to get married and baptize the children in a Catholic Church to make my mother happy. I have explained to the children that we are Christians. Catholic, Protestant, it makes no difference."
"I think that Loren and the reverend are inclined to disagree," Dorothy stated.
"So is my mother," Michaela answered and the two woman started laughing.
Dorothy looked down and Michaela could tell that something was bothering her.
"Is something on your mind, Dorothy?" asked Michaela.
"I asked about Sully being a Christian because it bothers me that Cloud Dancing isn't one," Dorothy admitted.
"Well, Dorothy-" Michaela started to say, but Dorothy interrupted.
"I care about him a great deal, Michaela, and I enjoy spendin' time with him. It doesn't bother me in the slightest that he isn't white, I don't even think about it anymore. I find him to be quite handsome as a matter of fact. I am certainly attracted to him... if you... if you know what I mean. The more we're together, the more I find myself wanting to spend more time with him, but I worry. I just don't know how we would build a life together." Dorothy confided in Michaela.
"Do you have to be so focused on the future?" Michaela asked, "You are building your newspaper and writing your book for financial security. Cloud Dancing sells blankets, moccasins, bracelets, necklaces and other things for financial security. You don't need each other for that. Both of you have already had long term marriages and both of you have raised your children. You don't need each other for that either. Unless you are planning to adopt children."
"No," Dorothy said, "Cloud Dancing and I have not discussed us adoptin' a child as a couple, but we have discussed our kids. I'm done raisin' mine and I don't want to start all over again. He said he misses his children terribly, especially his son, Walks On Clouds. It was just terrible, him losin' them like that." Dorothy shook her head, thinking about Washita, "He says he rather keep his fond memories of kids and believes he is too old to start again."
"If that's the case, then can't you just focus on enjoying your time with him here in the present?" Michaela said, "You don't go to church together now, you still have lots of things to talk about and lots of things in common. Church doesn't have to be at the center of your time with him."
Dorothy closed her eyes. She was very embarrassed that she was about to reveal something so personal, "I'm gettin' to the point where I want to be closer to Cloud Dancing. I am afraid I can't be that close to him if we're not married."
"You mean, intimacy. You desire Cloud Dancing like one would desire a husband," Michaela stated, feeling a little uncomfortable herself.
"Yes," Dorothy admitted.
"Have you expressed these feelings to him?" Michaela asked.
"You know how men are. He might suggest that we become intimate without marriage," Dorothy said.
"Cloud Dancing is a respectful man. I don't think he would want to do anything that makes you feel ashamed. I think this is something you should discuss with him," Michaela said.
"Uuhh," Sully grunted loudly and stirred a bit, then he groaned in pain.
"Oh dear," Dorothy said, "I thought he had fallen asleep. I don't want him to say anything about this to Cloud Dancing or anyone."
"Dorothy, he is in terrible pain. I assure you that although he has been lying next to me, somewhere in between consciousness and unconsciousness, he was not listening to our conversation. Even if he was, he would never do that," Michaela stated in defense of her husband.
Dorothy nodded in appreciation.
"I do need to give him his injection. Would mind burping her for me?" Michaela asked.
"Sure. I'd love to," Dorothy said with a smile.
"Thank you," Michaela smiled back and gave her the baby.
While Dorothy was upstairs with Michaela, Sully and their new baby, Cloud Dancing was outside with the rest of the Sully children.
"Uncle Cloud Dancing, Mama's tomatoes haven't come up yet. Do you know why?" Hanna asked.
Cloud Dancing looked at the crop, "I am not a farmer, Hanna. Like anything else in nature, plants have to compete for resources. Your mother has been ill and hasn't been able to tend to her garden. I suspect the dandelion weed is taking the resources away from the tomatoes. If you pull out the weeds, the tomatoes will have more room to grow."
"Mama can use the dandelion roots to make medicine," Hanna said and smiled up at Cloud Dancing. Hanna was a very astute child and paid attention when her mother talked, especially about medicine.
"Then we will save them for her," Cloud Dancing smiled and Hanna got to work pulling the weeds.
Cloud Dancing looked around to make sure he could spot all of the children. A few yards away from the garden, He spotted the boys near Sully's and Michaela's small milking parlor. It looked as if Logan had Lachlan in a headlock.
"Logan!" The man yelled, running over to them, "That is not how a brother treats another brother."
"But he tooked Papa's baseball and I was pwaying wif it," Logan whined, believing that his reasoning for putting his brother in a headlock was just.
"My twun!" Lachlan complained.
Cloud Dancing remembered having a similar conversation with his own sons, Walks On Clouds and Red Cloud. His boys were fighting over a hoops and poles game. He got down on his knees and asked the boys to face him, "How does one play with a baseball?"
"Papa pways catch wif me," Logan explained.
"How does one play catch?" Cloud Dancing asked.
"Papa thwows the ball to me and I catched it and I thwow the ball back," Logan said.
"Me too!" Lachlan whined, letting Cloud Dancing know that his father also plays catch with him and not just Logan.
"Why not throw the ball back and forth with each other?" Cloud Dancing suggested.
"'Cause he can't catch!" Logan mocked his little brother.
"Can too!" Lachlan yelled and stuck his tongue out at Logan.
"Logan," Cloud Dancing sighed, but then explained, "Lachlan is younger than you are. It is your job to help him become a skilled catcher like you. Think about how impressed your father will be when he gets well and sees that you took up such an important responsibility in his absence."
Logan smirked a smirk that's identical to his father's. Logan looked up to his pa and wanted to impress him. If teaching Lachlan to catch would impress Sully, then he was all in.
"And Lachlan," Cloud Dancing said turning to the younger boy, "A family is like a tribe. In a tribe, all members must work together for the betterment of the tribe. One brother does not take from another brother. You must not take the ball from your brother again. Instead, allow him to show you how to catch. I think your father will be pleased if your catching skills improve in his absence.
Lachlan puffed out his little chest with pride and nodded to his brother.
The boys started to throw the ball back and forth with each other. When Logan saw that Lachlan kept missing, he threw the ball a little softer until his brother caught it. Once Lachlan caught the ball the first time, he started to take notice of what he had to do to catch it again and again.
"Very good," Cloud Dancing told the boys as they continued to practice, "Not only will you please and impress your father, you will earn his respect. It is very important for younger members of the tribe to earn the respect of older members of the tribe."
Cloud Dancing watched the boys for a couple of minutes, then he turned around and saw that Hanna was still weeding the garden. He just needed to put his eyes on the other two children.
He spotted Katie first. She was on the porch brushing Wolf's fur. Wolf had his eyes closed as if he was in doggy heaven.
"Katie," greeted Cloud Dancing, "I think you have found Wolf's soft spot."
Katie giggled as she brushed him, "We got cwose when my hand was burndid."
"I see," Cloud Dancing nodded, "It's good to have a friend in the animal world. Tell me, Katie. Have you seen your sister, Josie?"
"Um... I think she's in the barn." Katie said.
Cloud Dancing made his way to the barn. As he got closer to the barn, he heard a little girl crying. He picked up the pace and ran inside, "Josie!" he called.
"Help!" the little girl cried, "I'm twapped!"
Cloud Dancing looked around and found that Josie was in fact trapped. Sully's bicycle that Michaela had bought for him as a surprise was lying sideways on the ground with Josie underneath it. Cloud Dancing quickly removed bike and freed her.
Josie got up and threw herself into Cloud Dancing's arms exactly they way she threw herself into Michaela's or Sully's arms when she was upset. He calmed her down and asked her what happened.
"I wanted to ride the bike," Josie said. She had ridden the bike before, but not without Sully's help.
"Why did you not tell me?" Cloud Dancing asked.
"I don't know," answered Josie.
"The bicycle is built for someone tall like your father. You cannot get on it and ride it without help and supervision. It fell on top of you and luckily you were not hurt. It could have been much worse." Cloud Dancing gently scolded.
"If I get hurt, my mama can fix me," Josie tried to justify.
"Your mother is in no condition to fix anyone or anything right now," Cloud Dancing said, "Your mother is a talented Medicine Woman, yes. That doesn't mean that she can fix all things. It is highly unlikely that she would be able to fix a broken neck. It is also highly unlikely that your mother would permit you to ride that bicycle without adult supervision."
Josie hung her head. She knew he was right, "I'm saw-wee Uncle Cloud Dancing. I should've asked first."
"Yes, you should have," he said, "I hope you have learned a valuable lesson."
Josie nodded looking down.
"Let us not be sad," he said, "Come back outside and join your brothers and sisters."
Josie perked up at that. Cloud Dancing held out his hand the Josie excitedly took it.
-Present Day-
"He took great care of our children when we were unable to," Sully said, "He's a good friend to both of us.
The Judge nodded signaling his understanding, "There is one thing that I am concerned about. I want to make certain that these children are being raised in a Christian home."
Sully didn't think that it was any of the judge's business, but he knew he had to answer, "Yes we are raising them in a Christian home."
"How are you doing that?" asked the judge.
Sully went into more detail, "We go to church as a family every Sunday. We say grace before we eat our supper every night. We tell our children to say their prayers every night before bed. Our reverend accepts children as young as four in Sunday School. Hanna's been goin' for the last three years. Katherine and Josefine have been goin' for the last two years. Logan just started. Lachlan will start next year. Sofia can't go for another three yeas."
"So you are not training them to be papists?" Judge Webster asked.
"I baptized the children as Catholics for my mother," Michaela said, instantly regretting that he had said that earlier. "Surely you can see the wisdom of appeasing one's mother."
Judge Webster chuckled slightly. He had a pushy mother and a pushy mother-in-law. He could see the wisdom of appeasing one's mother.
"I think it is also important, in a Christian household, to teach our children tolerance and to love thy neighbor. That's what we're doing," Michaela explained.
"Very well, Dr. Quinn-Sully," Judge Webster said in agreement.
"Who is Dorothy Jennings?" Mr. Norris asked.
Before Michaela answered, she took a moment to silently thank God for giving her the good sense to gloss over Dorothy's relationship with Cloud Dancing. She had not provided them with the intimate details of the relationship.
"She's my aunt," Abagail answered quickly before Michaela could. She could see that the Judge was charmed by Michaela, just like Sully. Abagail was determined to sway his opinion, "She is the mother of my cousin, Tom. The man that she shot!"
"What?" Judge Webster asked in shock.
"That's right," Abagail said, "She shot my cousin and nearly killed him. The perfect, Christian wife and mother is capable of deadly violence!"
To be continued.
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