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?
Brianna continued to go into town with the family, though she mainly stayed home with Sully. She prefered to go hunting with her brother, or help with the animals. Unfortunately there was little to draw her to going into town, as there was never any business for her to do there and she usually ended up sitting out in front of Michaela's office, which was unfortunate for Michaela because she tended to scare off some of the patients.
One morning, before she had gotten bored yet, Michaela noticed her rubbing her stomach.
"Do you feel all right?" Michaela asked, trying to look as if she hadn't noticed anything.
"Yeah, I'm fine" Brianna answered, though she continued to rub her stomach.
"Stomach ache?"
"Ah, I probably just ate something bad" Brianna smiled it away.
"Are you sure?" Michaela pushed.
"Yeah. 'Scuse me" she said and ran out the door. Michaela went to the back part of the office and heard the distinct sound of somebody wretching behind the wall. She assumed it was Brianna, but the woman didn't return so she couldn't question it. She had forgotten all about it by the time she saw her again at Grace's for lunch.
"Where did you go today?" she asked as they carried their plates back to the table. Brian would be having his lunch at school today and Colleen was off with friends.
"Went for a walk around town. Sat at the train station for a while. I think I scared Horace" she laughed.
"Well he is easily jittered" Michaela said with a laugh.
"Hello, Michaela, Brianna" Dorothy said as she sat down across from them.
"Afternoon, Dorothy" Michaela replied, "It's a lovely day, isn't it?"
"Yes, indeed" Dorothy replied.
"I read your latest issue, Ms. Jennings" Brianna said politely. Dorothy smiled. She always liked to hear that, no matter who it was saying it. She had begun to warm up a little to Brianna, to Michaela's thanks.
"Oh?" she said.
"I found it very intriguing. Extremely well written, humourous, and informative" Brianna told her matter of factly,"Are you the only writter?"
"Yes I am" Dorothy answered happily.
"And the publisher, as well I assume?"
"I am"
"Very impressive Ms. Jennings" Brianna smiled at her. Michaela thought she looked much more like Sully when she smiled. She found it attractive.
"Well, thank you, and call me Dorothy" Just then a commotion broke out in front of Hank's saloon. The women abandoned their lunches to join the rest of the crowd that was gathering. Michaela didn't recognize the two men that were facing each other, guns drawn, right out there in the middle of the street. They were shouting at each other and Michaela deduced they were fighting over some kind of card game. She figured she had better stick around, as one of them, or both, would likely be needing her services in the very near future. But there were no shots fired. The second man, dressed handsomely in a three piece suit with a gold watch chain hanging from his pocket, holstered his gun and walked away, pushing through the crowd. Unfortunately, the other man did not seem to want to give it up so quickly. He was obviously drunk and turned to face the crowd, still aiming his gun, where the other man had disappeared.
"Ya yellow belly! Come back here!" he shouted, "I ain't never seen a man more cowardly! Get you're accusin' ass back here and fight, damn you!" Some of the women gasped at his language. That was when Michaela noticed that Brianna was no longer by her side.
"Why don't you just leave it" a voice told the man from the crowd. He spun around.
"Oh, no!" Michaela sighed. It was Brianna. She was still part of the crowd, but not for a second longer because they all backed away from her.
"What'd you say, Injun?" the drunk man sneered, walking closer to her, still waving his gun around.
"I said, just leave it" Brianna repeated more slowly this time.
"Well I don't recall askin' you, Injun" the man slurred, "So why don't you just mind your own business" Brianna didn't reply, she just stood where she was while he got even closer.
"Well, lookee here!" he cried, "A blonde Injun! Hoo-hooo! What they call you? 'White Man's Hair?' Huh?" The man laughed hysterically at his own joke, reaching out to pull on Brianna's hair.
"Oh, dear" Dorothy muttered. The drunk man may not have known Brianna was a woman, but Brianna certainly did and so did the crowd that was still watching. And as they did so, Brianna caught the man's hand, jerked his gun out of his other one, and pushed him away, all in a single fluid movement, almost as if she hadn't moved at all.
"Why, you!" the man didn't finish his sentence he just lunged at her. She used one arm to block his punch, and the heel of her other hand to strike him in the chest. The man staggered backward, but came after her again. This time, Brianna threw her arm out first and caught him in the jaw, knocking him right to the ground. He didn't stay down though, he just wiped the blood away from his mouth and came after her again. Michaela could see Brianna shaking her head, as if watching a foolish child falling from the low branch of a tree. This time he stayed low and aimed for her belly, but she just caught his arm, twisted it back a little, let go and gave him another blow to his jaw. He fell again, but this time he stayed down. The crowd was quiet as she stayed in place a second to make sure he wasn't getting up, then crossed the street to where Dorothy and Michaela were standing.
"I think I'll go home now" she said and took off toward the homestead. Michaela sighed again. No, this was not going to be easy at all.
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?
Brianna continued to go into town with the family, though she mainly stayed home with Sully. She prefered to go hunting with her brother, or help with the animals. Unfortunately there was little to draw her to going into town, as there was never any business for her to do there and she usually ended up sitting out in front of Michaela's office, which was unfortunate for Michaela because she tended to scare off some of the patients.
One morning, before she had gotten bored yet, Michaela noticed her rubbing her stomach.
"Do you feel all right?" Michaela asked, trying to look as if she hadn't noticed anything.
"Yeah, I'm fine" Brianna answered, though she continued to rub her stomach.
"Stomach ache?"
"Ah, I probably just ate something bad" Brianna smiled it away.
"Are you sure?" Michaela pushed.
"Yeah. 'Scuse me" she said and ran out the door. Michaela went to the back part of the office and heard the distinct sound of somebody wretching behind the wall. She assumed it was Brianna, but the woman didn't return so she couldn't question it. She had forgotten all about it by the time she saw her again at Grace's for lunch.
"Where did you go today?" she asked as they carried their plates back to the table. Brian would be having his lunch at school today and Colleen was off with friends.
"Went for a walk around town. Sat at the train station for a while. I think I scared Horace" she laughed.
"Well he is easily jittered" Michaela said with a laugh.
"Hello, Michaela, Brianna" Dorothy said as she sat down across from them.
"Afternoon, Dorothy" Michaela replied, "It's a lovely day, isn't it?"
"Yes, indeed" Dorothy replied.
"I read your latest issue, Ms. Jennings" Brianna said politely. Dorothy smiled. She always liked to hear that, no matter who it was saying it. She had begun to warm up a little to Brianna, to Michaela's thanks.
"Oh?" she said.
"I found it very intriguing. Extremely well written, humourous, and informative" Brianna told her matter of factly,"Are you the only writter?"
"Yes I am" Dorothy answered happily.
"And the publisher, as well I assume?"
"I am"
"Very impressive Ms. Jennings" Brianna smiled at her. Michaela thought she looked much more like Sully when she smiled. She found it attractive.
"Well, thank you, and call me Dorothy" Just then a commotion broke out in front of Hank's saloon. The women abandoned their lunches to join the rest of the crowd that was gathering. Michaela didn't recognize the two men that were facing each other, guns drawn, right out there in the middle of the street. They were shouting at each other and Michaela deduced they were fighting over some kind of card game. She figured she had better stick around, as one of them, or both, would likely be needing her services in the very near future. But there were no shots fired. The second man, dressed handsomely in a three piece suit with a gold watch chain hanging from his pocket, holstered his gun and walked away, pushing through the crowd. Unfortunately, the other man did not seem to want to give it up so quickly. He was obviously drunk and turned to face the crowd, still aiming his gun, where the other man had disappeared.
"Ya yellow belly! Come back here!" he shouted, "I ain't never seen a man more cowardly! Get you're accusin' ass back here and fight, damn you!" Some of the women gasped at his language. That was when Michaela noticed that Brianna was no longer by her side.
"Why don't you just leave it" a voice told the man from the crowd. He spun around.
"Oh, no!" Michaela sighed. It was Brianna. She was still part of the crowd, but not for a second longer because they all backed away from her.
"What'd you say, Injun?" the drunk man sneered, walking closer to her, still waving his gun around.
"I said, just leave it" Brianna repeated more slowly this time.
"Well I don't recall askin' you, Injun" the man slurred, "So why don't you just mind your own business" Brianna didn't reply, she just stood where she was while he got even closer.
"Well, lookee here!" he cried, "A blonde Injun! Hoo-hooo! What they call you? 'White Man's Hair?' Huh?" The man laughed hysterically at his own joke, reaching out to pull on Brianna's hair.
"Oh, dear" Dorothy muttered. The drunk man may not have known Brianna was a woman, but Brianna certainly did and so did the crowd that was still watching. And as they did so, Brianna caught the man's hand, jerked his gun out of his other one, and pushed him away, all in a single fluid movement, almost as if she hadn't moved at all.
"Why, you!" the man didn't finish his sentence he just lunged at her. She used one arm to block his punch, and the heel of her other hand to strike him in the chest. The man staggered backward, but came after her again. This time, Brianna threw her arm out first and caught him in the jaw, knocking him right to the ground. He didn't stay down though, he just wiped the blood away from his mouth and came after her again. Michaela could see Brianna shaking her head, as if watching a foolish child falling from the low branch of a tree. This time he stayed low and aimed for her belly, but she just caught his arm, twisted it back a little, let go and gave him another blow to his jaw. He fell again, but this time he stayed down. The crowd was quiet as she stayed in place a second to make sure he wasn't getting up, then crossed the street to where Dorothy and Michaela were standing.
"I think I'll go home now" she said and took off toward the homestead. Michaela sighed again. No, this was not going to be easy at all.