Chapter Fourteen

Three days past and Sully had seen no sign of Michaela. He knew that she needed her space, especially now that her parents were here. The only thing that worried him was the way she disregarded him the last time he'd seen her. That's what he was afraid of. Just when he was making headway with her, she was returning back into her shell, behind that wall. He had no idea what her parents were saying, and by the domineering façade of her mother, he knew it probably wasn't good.

He wanted to go over there so bad, but he didn't know if it was a good idea or not. He just wanted Michaela to know that he was thinking about her and if there was anything she needed. Maybe if he went outside Michaela would notice him. Looking out the window he detected that his grass did need to be cut. Practically running to the door Sully hopped the steps two at a time and rushed to his shed to retrieve his lawnmower.

Moving the garden chairs, bikes and the hose, Sully reached his mower that was place practically in the back corner of the shed. He picked the gas can off the wall and poured it in the tank. Moving to the front yard, Sully swiftly pulled the chain starting the motor effortlessly. Whistling, Sully kept stealing glances at Michaela's house hoping that he would see her at the window.

Walking out of her bathroom Michaela crossed her room to the closet. Looking inside she opted for a pair of white capris and a red top with a denim jacket. Wrapping her towel snuggly around her she pulled back her flowing curtains to look out the window. The sky was a brilliant shade of blue and only a few puffy clouds dotted the sky. Looking across her yard Michaela quickly noticed Sully cutting his grass. Sighing she realized that she hadn't seen Sully in a few days. Never in her life had she had such mixed feelings. She knew she had every reason not to get into a relationship right now, but when she was with Sully everything felt so right. What if her parents were wrong, what if she did need someone, someone just to talk to, someone to understand.

"I know what you're thinking," a voice came from behind her.

Clutching her towel tightly around her Michaela let go of the curtain letting it fall back in place covering the window. "You scared me," she turned around facing her mother.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes stepping in front of Michaela pulling back the curtain looking out. Clicking her tongue, Elizabeth spoke, "He's been cutting the same patch of grass for twenty minutes."

Blushing Michaela moved passed her mother placing her clothes at the foot of the bed. "I thought I'd take you to the hospital today. Look around. I think father would enjoy it."

"Michaela," Elizabeth sighed. "I don't think it's wise that you get attached to this hospital. You're father and I will get everything straighten out and you can return to Boston before you know it."

"Mother I told you I don't know if I want to go back to Boston. I like it here. I think I want to stay."

"You want to say," Elizabeth shook her head. "You want to stay! You want to stay because if him," she pointed to the window. "Well I forbid it. You're not going to throw your life away on someone that you don't even know!"

"You forbid it?" Michaela scoffed. "I'm sorry, but your right to run my life ended quite some time ago. I can take care of myself. And I'm not staying because of Sully."

"Please," she spat. "You two look like helpless teenagers. You being a Peeping Tom and him running in circles."

"We're friends," she cringed at the words. "I hope. After the way I treated him the other day…" she broke off.

"He did look like a sad puppy with his tail between his legs," Elizabeth remarked.

"Mother!"

"Get dressed," Elizabeth walked out of the room. "I'll tell your father we'll be leaving in a half an hour."

"Josef," Elizabeth walked into the kitchen where her husband was poring over the morning paper and eating a grapefruit. "We need to talk."

"About what?" he didn't look up.

"Your daughter," she huffed. "You need to talk some sense into her. "She's actually thinking of staying here! And you want to know why?"

"Let me guess," he dropped his spoon in the bowl. "It has something to do with the lawn boy out there."

"Josef this isn't funny. Michaela doesn't need to be involved with someone right now. She needs to be home with her family. Especially now."

"Lizzie," Josef folded his paper and placed it on the counter. Mike and I had a talk last night. She's not staying because of him. She really likes it here. She's excited about her job. She waited four years to go back to medicine, she's not going to give that up."

"I'm not saying that she had to give it up. Why can't she practice in Boston? You loved having her as your partner."

"Maybe she doesn't want to be my partner any more."

"That's absurd!" Elizabeth spat. "That girl doesn't know what she wants. She just went through a terrible ordeal. She needs our help."

"Mike's not as fragile as you think she is. She wants to make a name for herself. She needs to gain her confidence back as a doctor. And that may need to be something that she has to do on her own."

"So what? We just leave her here?"

"She's not a child."

"I don't trust that man," Elizabeth looked out the window. "I don't trust him at all."

"You don't even know him."

"Oh, so what, you're on their side now?"

"I told Mike that I don't think a relationship is a good idea right now. But we can't keep her from having friends."

"Josef," Elizabeth shut her eyes. "You know she feels, or think she feels something for him. It would only be a matter of time before…"

"Before what? Elizabeth you can't expect Mike to be alone forever. Sooner or later she's going to find someone and hopefully that Bastard didn't frighten off all ideas of marriage in her. She deserves to be happy. She wants to have a family someday."

"I'm not trying to deny her that. Of course I would love to see her be happy and have children someday. But she needs to heal first. She needs to take that time."

"And I agree. But she doesn't have to stop living in the process. She can go out. She can date. I'm not saying that she has to go out and get married tomorrow."

"So you're saying that it's fine that your daughter goes out and gets drunk at some bar with a man that she barley knows and then comes home-"

"That's enough," Josef got up. "You know what I mean. And in the mean time I think it's a good idea we get to know Sully. Because like it or not we're not always going to be around."

"I don't like this Josef," Elizabeth turned. "I don't like it at all."

"Don't like what?" Michaela walked into the room eyeing her parents.

"Umm," Josef settled his throat. "This grapefruit," he pushed the bowl away. "It's to tart for her. You know your mother and her sensitive taste buds."

Michaela eyes her parents skeptically. Well are you ready to go?"

"Go where?" Josef eyed his daughter.

"Mother didn't tell you? I thought you'd like to come and see the hospital. Look around a bit come see my office. Oh, and the new children's wing Sully built." Soon as his name slipped from her mouth she prayed her parents hadn't hurt it. She had been really good the past few days in not mentioning his name.

"Sounds like a good idea. And speaking of Sully I thought we might invite him to dinner tonight. What do you say?"

"W-why?"

"You haven't seen him in a few days. I thought he might like to come out to dinner. I'd like to meet some of your friends. Invite anyone you'd like."

Looking at her mother she could tell this was totally her fathers idea and her mother didn't like it one bit. "I…I don't know. I don't want it to be awkward."

"It's just dinner. Besides what's there to be awkward about. It's just friends and family getting together for dinner. "Right dear?" Josef turned to his wife eyeing her.

"Absolutely," she gritted her teeth.

"Mike," Josef put his arm around her. "Your mother and I know that you're going to have friends and from time to time some of them maybe men. All we want is for you to be happy. And who knows somewhere down the road maybe it will be Sully who is that special person. We have no way of knowing. But there's nothing wrong in making friends along the way."

"A friendly dinner," she nodded.

"A friendly dinner."

Walking outside Michaela noticed Sully sitting on the bottom stair of his deck drinking some lemonade. "Grass looks nice," Michaela commented. "Especially that patch over there by my window."

Almost spitting out his drink, Sully quickly rose to his feet. "Michaela!"

"Hi," she giggled.

"Hi," he smiled clearly embarrassed. "Haven't seen you in a few days."

"I've been pretty busy with my parents and-"

"No," he held his hand out. "No need to apologize. I understand. Besides I doubt your parents want to see me anyways."

"Actually that's why I'm here. My parents and I are going out to dinner tonight and they want you to come."

"Really?" That was the last thing he expected her to say. "Are you sure?"

"If…if that's okay with you?"

Thinking that this was an opportunity to show her parents that they were a couple, Sully readily agreed. Even though he was scared to death to meet them after there first encounter. "Sure," he placed his arm around her. "I've missed ya," he leaned in to kiss her.

"Sully," Michaela pulled back uncomfortable. "I'm not ready."

"What?" Confusion was clearly written on his face. "I thought that-"

"I'm not ready for anything more than a friendship right now. And…and I can't promise you anything more than that." Looking down Michaela felt as if she were making a terrible mistake, but her words just kept coming and she didn't know how to stop them. "I'm going to be busy for the next few weeks. My father and I are working on a case against Jack. We know he's doing something illegal. We just need to find out what it is."

"I told you that I would wait, Michaela."

"I don't want you to wait Sully. I'm not anyone special to wait for, especially when I can't promise you anything."

"Your wrong you know," Sully set his lemonade down. Walking to his lawnmower he began to pull the cord. "You are special."

"John?" Rebecca called down the hallway.

"In here," he answered from his office.

"John," she walked in. "I saw on the ID my father called earlier. What did he want?"

"Help on the case. He wants me to represent Michaela," he didn't look up from his computer.

"There going through with it? Do you think that's wise?"

"Wise?" he looked up. "I thought you of all people would want to see Jack tried, convicted, and hung for what he did to her."

"Of course I want him to rot in jail for what he did to my sister. He almost killed her, John!"

"What's the problem then?"

"If she's going to take him to court, that means she's going to have to come back here and face him. I don't know if she could handle that."

"Michaela's a strong woman. And I think she's proved that, don't you?" Getting up from his chair he went over to his wife putting his arm around her. "She's stronger than you give her credit for."

"What if Jack finds out she's alive? Huh? What if he goes after her? I don't think I could bear losing her again."

"Is that what you're afraid of? Oh, sweetheart." John squeezed her to his chest. "I think between me, Robert, Stephan, and Everett, she'll be fine. Your father alone would probably bring in the national guard."

Laughing Rebecca smiled up at her husband. "He would wouldn't he?"

"I think I'd bet money on it."

"Why'd this have to happen to Michaela? She's such a good person. She doesn't deserve it."

"No she doesn't," he agreed. "But bad things happen to good people all the time."

Wiping the tears from her eyes Rebecca spoke low. "Well, she's couldn't have a better lawyer on her side."

"Well, thanks," he kissed for forehead. "Anyways, staying on subject. It seems as though Jacks been out of town for about a week now. It's looking like he's using up Michaela's life insurance policy pretty nicely."

"Basturd," Rebecca said under her breath.

"Don't worry. He'll get what's coming to him. I'll make sure of it."

Elizabeth walked into her daughters room and noticed Michaela sitting at her vanity curling her hair. "That's a pretty dress," she commented. "The green brings out your eyes."

"Thanks," she looked at her mother through the mirror. "I picked it up at Saks the other day. Just caught my eye."

"So, where are we going to dinner tonight?" Elizabeth asked nonchalantly.

"The Villa. It's a cute little Italian place not too far from here. A few of the doctors were talking about it. It's sounds nice."

"Oh," Elizabeth paced back and forth behind Michaela. "It's been awhile since we had Italian."

Putting down her curling iron Michaela picked up her bottle of Escada perfume and applied a few drops behind her ears. "You can stop pacing. I don't believe Sully's coming tonight."

Stopping dead in her tracks Elizabeth made a face. "I don't care if Sully comes tonight."

"I told him the only thing I can offer him right now is a friendship."

Elizabeth knew he wouldn't be happy about that. "And what did he say?"

"Nothing really." Picking up her brush, Michaela began to tease her curls, making her hair look almost angelic around her face. Not making eye contact with her mother hoped she would drop the subject.

Honestly, Michaela, aren't you getting a little to old for this game?"

Huffing Michaela straighten her back in her chair. "Fine, he said that he would wait for me. All right. He would wait till I was ready."

That was the last thing Elizabeth expected to hear. "Oh," was all she could mutter. "Well, good."

Looking back in the mirror Michaela put in her favorite earring and checked her makeup. The sound of the doorbell caused her to jump. Rising from the chair she felt her mothers hand on her shoulder. "Let your father get it."

"Ummm," her eyes grew big. "I don't know."

"Let him get it," she shook her head.

Holding two bouquets of flowers in his hand Sully rang the door bell. His stomach was in knots at what he would say to Michaela's parents. He went over and over in his head, but nothing seemed right. He hoped that Michaela would answer the door so he could have a few minutes alone to talk with her and figure out something to say.

As the front door opened Sully's hand clenched tightly over the flower stems. All hope of talking to Michaela first drained from his body as he stood face to face with her father.

"Mr. Sully," Josef peered over his glasses.

"It's just Sully," he smiled, trying to gauge his demeanor.

"Alright," he held the door open a little wider. "Come in, the ladies are just getting ready." Josef watched as Sully entered the house, he looked like a timid mouse and he couldn't help but laugh. He truly didn't know what to think of him, but agreeing to come to dinner after what happened made him look a little more honorable in his eyes. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to have his fun. "Let's talk," Josef held a deadpan expression. "It should be awhile before they finished primping."

Sully chuckled nervously to himself and followed Josef into the living room. When they entered, Josef took a seat in the chair by the window as Sully sat opposite him on the couch.

"So," Josef crossed one leg over his knee. "How did you and Michaela meet?"

Jack fell back into his hammock looking up at the blue sky. Sighing, a large smile crossed his face. He had spent a wonderful week in the Hampton's with Sharon and they still had another glorious week ahead.

"Here sweetheart," Sharon sat a stack of magazines in front of Jack. "These should keep you busy until I come back."

"What would I do without you?" he kissed her on the mouth.

"Certainly nothing stimulating," she caressed his thigh.

Smiling he touched her nose. "Try not to spend as much today. There's one person I know rolling over in her grave about now."

"Well her loss is my gain," she grinned.

"Be back by six, I want to go to Pierre's for dinner over in Bridgehampton."

"Oh!" her eyes lit up. "I guess I need a new dress!"

"Go on," he laughed. "And six o'clock!"

Picking up the newspaper Jack started to flip though it. Checking his stocks and a few other investments he smiled at how well they were doing. "Thank you Papa Quinn!" he laughed. "I'm going to keep that old coot on my side for awhile."

"Mr. Taylor?" a small Mexican woman walked out onto the back patio.

"Yes, Rosa," he dropped his paper.

"Your Margarita, sir," she handed it to him.

"Ah, thank you Rosa!" He took a sip. "Perfecto!"

"Thank you sir," she smiled looking downward.

"Oh, and Rosa, could you pull out my blue suit and have it washed and steamed for tomorrow?"

"Yes sir."

"Thank you." Tossing the paper aside Jack picked up a local medical magazine. He heard that one of his college buddies from his fraternity just made a medical break though over in Bolder and there was a big article about him. Flipping through the pages he scanned the pictures of all the prominent doctors in the west. He was about to turn the page when something familiar caught his eye. Turning back his eyes grew wide. Sitting straight up he read the caption:

Chief of Staff, Thomas Scott, welcomes his new head emergency room doctor.

Dr. Michaela Quinn is taking the shoes of Dr. Steve Gifford after his retirement this July.

Left: Amelia O'Hare, CEO of Penrose, Colorado Spring, Colorado