The Prodigal Sister
This story and all ideas, themes and original characters are the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Any unauthorized use is actionable in a court of law.
To borrow a phrase: Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman and all characters and settings no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?
"Why didn't you ever tell me that you had a sister?" Michaela tried not to shout, though she was angry. She didn't want to upset the children, or the woman who slept on the other side of the wall. The wound hadn't been too terribly bad, more of a grazing then anything else. The bullet hadn't gone deep and was easily extracted. She didn't expect the woman to be bed ridden for long at all. Michaela had nearly dropped her towel when Sully had proclaimed the woman his sister, though she could hardly argue. She did look almost exactly like him, though she was obviously younger. Michaela toyed with the idea that she might be his daughter, but discarded that idea before she could really even consider it. Sully would have said something about that.
"There weren't no need" he replied, not looking at her.
"No need!" she repeated hotly, "There was no 'need' to tell me you had family? Did you even invite her to our wedding?"
"Of course I did!" he told her, "I don't know why she didn't come"
"And would you have told me she was your sister if she had?" Michaela demanded.
"Of course I would've" he said, "I just.......look, Michaela, she's done some things in her past that......I didn't entirely approve of. It got her into some trouble. I just......I just didn't want to see her or you or anyone else get hurt over it" Well, now Michaela was concerened.
"Trouble? What kind of trouble?" she asked. Sully just shook his head.
"It don't matter" He turned away and then turned back, "Look, I don't know why she's here now. But I'm not turnin' her away and if she wants to stay she can" That sounded more like an order than a request to Michaela. Just lucky for her husband that she didn't object.
"Of course she can stay" she said, "I was just...surprised"
"It's not your fault" Sully admitted, "I shoulda told you about her before. I just...I haven't actually seen her in.....years" He looked upset by the fact.
"What happened?" Michaela asked softly. He just shook his head.
"We argued. She got married, ran off"
"She married?" Michaela questioned, surprised she guessed. She didn't look like a married woman, all in buckskin pants and shirt. She was dressed like a man, and not just any man, a Cheyenne man, with feathers and beads braided into her hair. Sully nodded though.
"A friend of mine, Dark Moon"
"Where've they been?" Michaela asked. She wasn't surprised that Sully's sister was married to an Indian. But Sully shook his head again, looked out the window.
"Don't know" he said, "We wrote, back and forth, but, she never said where they were"
"You wrote?" Now Michaela was surprised again. Sully had a standard corespondance by letter to anyone? How had the letters gotten back and forth, if this sister of his, Brianna he had introduced her as, was always traveling. And what was an Indian woman doing traveling anyway? And why did she where buckskins? There were so many questions swirling in Michaela's head she feared she'd never get them all answered.
"Yeah. The letters would get passed around by braves until it eventually got to whoever it was supposed to"
"A precarious way of sending mail" Michaela commented. Sully shrugged.
"It worked" Niether of them said anything for a few moments.
"Well," Michaela finally asked, "What are you going to do now?" Sully just shrugged again.
"Don't know" he answered.
This story and all ideas, themes and original characters are the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Any unauthorized use is actionable in a court of law.
To borrow a phrase: Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman and all characters and settings no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?
"Why didn't you ever tell me that you had a sister?" Michaela tried not to shout, though she was angry. She didn't want to upset the children, or the woman who slept on the other side of the wall. The wound hadn't been too terribly bad, more of a grazing then anything else. The bullet hadn't gone deep and was easily extracted. She didn't expect the woman to be bed ridden for long at all. Michaela had nearly dropped her towel when Sully had proclaimed the woman his sister, though she could hardly argue. She did look almost exactly like him, though she was obviously younger. Michaela toyed with the idea that she might be his daughter, but discarded that idea before she could really even consider it. Sully would have said something about that.
"There weren't no need" he replied, not looking at her.
"No need!" she repeated hotly, "There was no 'need' to tell me you had family? Did you even invite her to our wedding?"
"Of course I did!" he told her, "I don't know why she didn't come"
"And would you have told me she was your sister if she had?" Michaela demanded.
"Of course I would've" he said, "I just.......look, Michaela, she's done some things in her past that......I didn't entirely approve of. It got her into some trouble. I just......I just didn't want to see her or you or anyone else get hurt over it" Well, now Michaela was concerened.
"Trouble? What kind of trouble?" she asked. Sully just shook his head.
"It don't matter" He turned away and then turned back, "Look, I don't know why she's here now. But I'm not turnin' her away and if she wants to stay she can" That sounded more like an order than a request to Michaela. Just lucky for her husband that she didn't object.
"Of course she can stay" she said, "I was just...surprised"
"It's not your fault" Sully admitted, "I shoulda told you about her before. I just...I haven't actually seen her in.....years" He looked upset by the fact.
"What happened?" Michaela asked softly. He just shook his head.
"We argued. She got married, ran off"
"She married?" Michaela questioned, surprised she guessed. She didn't look like a married woman, all in buckskin pants and shirt. She was dressed like a man, and not just any man, a Cheyenne man, with feathers and beads braided into her hair. Sully nodded though.
"A friend of mine, Dark Moon"
"Where've they been?" Michaela asked. She wasn't surprised that Sully's sister was married to an Indian. But Sully shook his head again, looked out the window.
"Don't know" he said, "We wrote, back and forth, but, she never said where they were"
"You wrote?" Now Michaela was surprised again. Sully had a standard corespondance by letter to anyone? How had the letters gotten back and forth, if this sister of his, Brianna he had introduced her as, was always traveling. And what was an Indian woman doing traveling anyway? And why did she where buckskins? There were so many questions swirling in Michaela's head she feared she'd never get them all answered.
"Yeah. The letters would get passed around by braves until it eventually got to whoever it was supposed to"
"A precarious way of sending mail" Michaela commented. Sully shrugged.
"It worked" Niether of them said anything for a few moments.
"Well," Michaela finally asked, "What are you going to do now?" Sully just shrugged again.
"Don't know" he answered.