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?
Michaela wasn't about to let Brianna do to herself what Sully had done, run off into the woods and hide from life. Even if the homestead wasn't exactly "the woods". As soon as she thought her sister-in-law was up to it, she invited her to go to town with the rest of them. Sully had some business to do, and Michaela still had a practice to run. So, Brianna saddled up one of the horses and rode along beside them.
Unfortunately, the woman did not recieve the welcome Michaela had been hoping for. They watched from the sidewalks as they rode down the street, and Mike saw some of the women immediately start tattering to each other as they passed. She didn't know what she had expected. It wasn't as if Brianna was going to make it easy for herself, dressed as an Indian man. But Michaela also understood wanting to be accepted for who you were, not what you wore, and so she found some sympathy for the woman.
"Good morning, Lauren!" she said chipperly as they all entered the story together.
"Mornin', Doc" Lauren greeted her back, "Can I help you?"
"Yes, actually. I'm in need of some more flour, and I think Colleen needs a spool of red thread, if you have it"
"Yep" Lauren said, but he was looking past Michaela. She turned and saw that he was watching Brianna roam the store, looking at everything.
"Uh, Lauren, I'd like you to meet Sully's sister" Michaela said brightly, grabbing Brianna by the arm and hauling her over.
"Brianna, this is Lauren" Lauren looked her over.
"I remember you" he said slowly, "Ran off with the Indians a few years back" Brianna smiled.
"We never actually met as I recall" That would've been during the time that Lauren wouldn't even speak to Sully.
"Uh, no. But I remember seein' ya around though" Lauren said.
"Well, I suppose I do tend to stick out a bit" she replied.
"Mmm" was all Lauren said, "I'll get that flour for ya, Doc. You go ahead and get the thread you want, Colleen" As Lauren went into the back Brianna meandered over to where Colleen was parusing the thread spindels.
"What're you lookin for?" she asked. Colleen picked up a red spool.
"Dr. Mike's and I are making a new dress" she answered, " My others are getting too short" Brianna picked up a green spool.
"A new dress, huh? I bet you look real pretty red" She smiled. Colleen smiled too. The two of them hadn't found much to talk about and Michaela was glad to see they could make conversation.
"Michaela!" Michaela turned at the sound of Dorothy's voice. She had a piece of paper in her hand and a worried look on her face.
"Does this sound right to you?" she asked. Michaela took the paper and read over the article.
"I don't know" she replied, "Perhaps Brianna will. She has a degree in linguistics"
"Whose Brianna?" Dorothy asked excitedly. She was always eager to meet someone new. Michaela nodded her head over toward the threads where Colleen and Brianna were still discussing what color the dress should be.
"Sully's sister" She could see the plain surprise on Dorothy's face.
"Sully has a sister?" she asked and then squinted a bit as she studied Brianna's back. She barely looked like a woman from behind.
"Brianna?" Michaela called. Brianna looked up from the threads and joined them when Michaela motioned her over.
"Brianna, this is Dorothy Jennings, she runs the newspaper" Michaela introduced them.
"Pleased to meet you" Dorothy nodded her head and Brianna smiled.
"Uh, Dorothy seems to be having some trouble with her article, I thought maybe you could help?" Michaela said nervously, handing Dorothy's paper to her sister-in-law. It was obvious that even Dorothy was wary about this woman dressed as an Indian man.
"Michaela says you have a degree in linguistics" Dorothy said. Brianna looked up from the paper.
"Yes. I went through school in New York City" she replied and went back to reading the paper. After a few seconds she looked up.
"I believe you should reverse the order of paragraphs two and three" she suggested, "It flows better that way and relieves the confusion" Dorothy took the paper back and read over it again, presumeably reversing the order of paragraph.
"Why, yes, that does sound better" she said with a smile. Just then Lauren came back with a bag of flour.
"Here ye are, Doc" he said, laying the bag on the counter.
"Oh, Sully" Michaela said needlessly as her husband collected the bag and took it out to the wagon. Colleen came flying over.
"I still want the red" she said and set the spool on the counter. Lauren looked at the bottom and wrote something down.
"All right" he said when he had written down the correct price.
"I'll see you later, Dorothy" Michaela said, shoving Colleen out in front of her.
"Nice to meet you" she heard Brianna say before joining them. Michaela sighed. This wasn't going to be easy.
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?
Michaela wasn't about to let Brianna do to herself what Sully had done, run off into the woods and hide from life. Even if the homestead wasn't exactly "the woods". As soon as she thought her sister-in-law was up to it, she invited her to go to town with the rest of them. Sully had some business to do, and Michaela still had a practice to run. So, Brianna saddled up one of the horses and rode along beside them.
Unfortunately, the woman did not recieve the welcome Michaela had been hoping for. They watched from the sidewalks as they rode down the street, and Mike saw some of the women immediately start tattering to each other as they passed. She didn't know what she had expected. It wasn't as if Brianna was going to make it easy for herself, dressed as an Indian man. But Michaela also understood wanting to be accepted for who you were, not what you wore, and so she found some sympathy for the woman.
"Good morning, Lauren!" she said chipperly as they all entered the story together.
"Mornin', Doc" Lauren greeted her back, "Can I help you?"
"Yes, actually. I'm in need of some more flour, and I think Colleen needs a spool of red thread, if you have it"
"Yep" Lauren said, but he was looking past Michaela. She turned and saw that he was watching Brianna roam the store, looking at everything.
"Uh, Lauren, I'd like you to meet Sully's sister" Michaela said brightly, grabbing Brianna by the arm and hauling her over.
"Brianna, this is Lauren" Lauren looked her over.
"I remember you" he said slowly, "Ran off with the Indians a few years back" Brianna smiled.
"We never actually met as I recall" That would've been during the time that Lauren wouldn't even speak to Sully.
"Uh, no. But I remember seein' ya around though" Lauren said.
"Well, I suppose I do tend to stick out a bit" she replied.
"Mmm" was all Lauren said, "I'll get that flour for ya, Doc. You go ahead and get the thread you want, Colleen" As Lauren went into the back Brianna meandered over to where Colleen was parusing the thread spindels.
"What're you lookin for?" she asked. Colleen picked up a red spool.
"Dr. Mike's and I are making a new dress" she answered, " My others are getting too short" Brianna picked up a green spool.
"A new dress, huh? I bet you look real pretty red" She smiled. Colleen smiled too. The two of them hadn't found much to talk about and Michaela was glad to see they could make conversation.
"Michaela!" Michaela turned at the sound of Dorothy's voice. She had a piece of paper in her hand and a worried look on her face.
"Does this sound right to you?" she asked. Michaela took the paper and read over the article.
"I don't know" she replied, "Perhaps Brianna will. She has a degree in linguistics"
"Whose Brianna?" Dorothy asked excitedly. She was always eager to meet someone new. Michaela nodded her head over toward the threads where Colleen and Brianna were still discussing what color the dress should be.
"Sully's sister" She could see the plain surprise on Dorothy's face.
"Sully has a sister?" she asked and then squinted a bit as she studied Brianna's back. She barely looked like a woman from behind.
"Brianna?" Michaela called. Brianna looked up from the threads and joined them when Michaela motioned her over.
"Brianna, this is Dorothy Jennings, she runs the newspaper" Michaela introduced them.
"Pleased to meet you" Dorothy nodded her head and Brianna smiled.
"Uh, Dorothy seems to be having some trouble with her article, I thought maybe you could help?" Michaela said nervously, handing Dorothy's paper to her sister-in-law. It was obvious that even Dorothy was wary about this woman dressed as an Indian man.
"Michaela says you have a degree in linguistics" Dorothy said. Brianna looked up from the paper.
"Yes. I went through school in New York City" she replied and went back to reading the paper. After a few seconds she looked up.
"I believe you should reverse the order of paragraphs two and three" she suggested, "It flows better that way and relieves the confusion" Dorothy took the paper back and read over it again, presumeably reversing the order of paragraph.
"Why, yes, that does sound better" she said with a smile. Just then Lauren came back with a bag of flour.
"Here ye are, Doc" he said, laying the bag on the counter.
"Oh, Sully" Michaela said needlessly as her husband collected the bag and took it out to the wagon. Colleen came flying over.
"I still want the red" she said and set the spool on the counter. Lauren looked at the bottom and wrote something down.
"All right" he said when he had written down the correct price.
"I'll see you later, Dorothy" Michaela said, shoving Colleen out in front of her.
"Nice to meet you" she heard Brianna say before joining them. Michaela sighed. This wasn't going to be easy.