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 doubled over, holding her stomach, letting the reins go.
"Brianna, are you all right?" Michaela asked from atop her own horse. Her sister-in-law didn't answer right away. She took a deep breath and let it out again, then straightened up.
"Yeah" she answered, swinging up on her horse, "I'm fine" She smiled reassuringly at Michaela, "Just a little disagreement with my stomach. No big deal. Now, I do believe we have some business in town?" She took off at a steady trot and Michaela followed. She had been having some stomach pains the other day, hadn't she? Bright and early in the morning? Michaela knew what that sounded like.
Later, in their bedroom......
"Sully?"
"Hmm?"
"Has Brianna said anything to you about her stomach pains?" Sully stopped pulling the shirt over his head.
"Stomach pains? What stomach pains?"
"She hasn't always had them?" Michaela asked, although she was sure she knew the answer.
"No. What're you talkin' about?" Sully asked, concern in his voice. Michaela finished putting her hair in a braid.
"She's been feeling sick in the mornings" she answered, "Sully, I think she's pregnant" Sully sighed and pulled his shirt off.
"No, she can't be" he told her. Michaela was surprised by the firmness in his voice. She was the doctor here.
"I think she is. She has all the symptoms" she replied, "I've been watching her for a couple of weeks" The truth was she'd been keeping an eye on her sister-in-law's behavior, ever since a day a few weeks ago when she had single handedly taken care of a few outlaws who had set upon them on the way into town. She done things Michaela hadn't thought would be even possible, swinging from trees and twisting and kicking in the air like some kind of predatory bird or something.
"Where did you learn to do that?" she had asked when the three men were laid out on the ground. Brianna was heaving hard and rubbing her side where she had been shot. She looked up at Michaela, still seated on her horse, with a pained look.
"Learned it from a China man" she replied and swung back up on her horse. They had told the sheriff as soon as they'd reached town and he'd gone out and brought the men to the jail. Michaela had been impressed, but worried that she might be influencing Colleen or especially Brian in a....well a negative way. But Brianna never did anything Sully didn't do around the children, least of all show off.
"No, she can't be" Sully repeated, bringing Michaela back to the present.
"Well, why not?" she demanded, frustrated with his simple denial. She hadn't said anything to Brianna yet. They had started to become friends, but Michaela wasn't sure they had quite reached that point. Actually, the woman spent more time out with the horses and off with Sully than she did around the house, especially after the incident in town in front of Hank's. Sully took a deep breath and sat on the edge of the bed.
"She and Dark Moon tried for years to have kids" he told her quietly. Michaela stared at him. She didn't even ask how he knew that, as his sister hadn't been "home" in quite a while. Apparently they'd kept in touch by writing letters and having them passed from Brave to Brave until it reached whoever it was supposed to reach.
"They even went to an eastern doc who was in Denver" he told her softly, " He told her she'd never have a child" It sounded like the fact pained Sully.
"Well, miracles do happen" Michaela said, still convinced that her sister-in-law was pregnant, despite whatever some doctor in Denver might have told her. She would just have to be more subtle and tender about bringing the subject up.
Later........
"Brianna, would you come in here?" Michaela asked. Brianna was tieing her horse up outside her office building. Brianna looked up at her.
"I was planning on it" she said as if Michaela might have been doubting it. Michaela smiled and looked up at the slightly taller woman. She was dressed in her buckskins, as ever, her hair pulled back, but still riddled with feathered braids. Michaela had said something to Sully about saying something to Brianna about perhaps wearing something more...womanly...in town, but he had just looked at her.
"Why?" he had asked. Michaela had been worried about how the towns people may treat the woman who dressed as, not only an Indian, but also as a man. And unfortunately that her fears had proven grounded. They had all known Brianna before she had gone away with Dark Moon and they all knew about her....eccentricities. They had apparently just ignored her previously, but, now, being the sister-in-law of a respected member of their community, not to mention Sully's sister, they had couldn't very well do that. Dorothy and Grace had warmed up to her a little; Dorothy because she was a writer and had a degree in linguistics, Grace because she knew how it felt to be judge on what was outside, and not on the inside. The rest of the town, however, was still getting used to her. Not that she cared.
"What's up, Mick?" Michaela actually kind of liked the nickname Brianna had anointed her with. People called her Dr. Mike, yes, but never Mick. It was inappropriate for a woman. But, of course, Brianna didn't care about that.
"I just want to examine that gunshot wound" Michaela told her.
"But...you said it was fine. It's a month old." Brianna said, shutting the door behind her.
"Oh, I know, but I just want to do one last check on it" Michaela lied. She hoped she wasn't wrong. Brianna shrugged.
"You're the doc, Mick" she said and pulled her shirt off. She wore a cotton undershirt under the buckskin so she wasn't indecent. She laid down on the bed. Michaela used her hands to examine the area, and was gratified by noticing a slight swell in Brianna's lower abdomen.
"Well, you're fine. I don't see any problems" she smiled as Brianna sat up and gave her a confused look.
"Okay. Great" she said and got up.
Later.............
"She is definitely pregnant, Sully" Michaela hissed from the other side of the horse.
"I examined her earlier" Sully unhooked the horses and led them to their stalls.
"So she knows?"
"No, I didn't tell her. I...thought you might like to" Michaela suggested.
"Me?" Sully sounded like he didn't like the idea, " That's woman's talk" he said. Sometimes, Michaela thought, her husband could be very sexist.
"You're her brother!" she cried.
"And you're her sister. So you tell her" he said.
"I don't think that's the greatest idea" Michaela replied.
"Then let her figure it out on her own"
"Sully!"
"Let me figure what out on my own?" They both looked at the back door. Brianna had just walked in. Sully put his rigging down and turned to face her. He knew that now was the moment to tell his sister that one of her long time dreams was going to come true. Hopefully.
"Bri....earlier when Michaela examined you, she, uh......" he faltered. He couldn't actually say it. Even to his sister.
"Brianna" Michaela took over, with a big smile on her face, "You're going to have a baby" Brianna's face fell. She even got a little pale.
"Uh, no I......I can't have children"
"I told her, Bri...she's convinced" Sully told his sister.
"I've been watching you the past couple of weeks, with your morning sickness. And then this morning I noticed your abdomen is slightly swollen" Michaela told her. Brianna just stared at her. She was starting to regret saying anything. And then all of the sudden Brianna started crying. Not just crying, sobbing. She put one hand against her mouth and another on her stomach. Sully went to hug her and she continued sobbing into his shoulder.
"Sully! I can......Dark Moon........oh, Sully!" Michaela felt a tinest twinge of jealousy, but reprimanded herself. The woman had thought never to have a child, and now she needed the support of her best friend, who happened to be her brother, and just happened to be Sully. She thought leaving them alone would be the best thing, and quietly slipped out of the barn.
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 doubled over, holding her stomach, letting the reins go.
"Brianna, are you all right?" Michaela asked from atop her own horse. Her sister-in-law didn't answer right away. She took a deep breath and let it out again, then straightened up.
"Yeah" she answered, swinging up on her horse, "I'm fine" She smiled reassuringly at Michaela, "Just a little disagreement with my stomach. No big deal. Now, I do believe we have some business in town?" She took off at a steady trot and Michaela followed. She had been having some stomach pains the other day, hadn't she? Bright and early in the morning? Michaela knew what that sounded like.
Later, in their bedroom......
"Sully?"
"Hmm?"
"Has Brianna said anything to you about her stomach pains?" Sully stopped pulling the shirt over his head.
"Stomach pains? What stomach pains?"
"She hasn't always had them?" Michaela asked, although she was sure she knew the answer.
"No. What're you talkin' about?" Sully asked, concern in his voice. Michaela finished putting her hair in a braid.
"She's been feeling sick in the mornings" she answered, "Sully, I think she's pregnant" Sully sighed and pulled his shirt off.
"No, she can't be" he told her. Michaela was surprised by the firmness in his voice. She was the doctor here.
"I think she is. She has all the symptoms" she replied, "I've been watching her for a couple of weeks" The truth was she'd been keeping an eye on her sister-in-law's behavior, ever since a day a few weeks ago when she had single handedly taken care of a few outlaws who had set upon them on the way into town. She done things Michaela hadn't thought would be even possible, swinging from trees and twisting and kicking in the air like some kind of predatory bird or something.
"Where did you learn to do that?" she had asked when the three men were laid out on the ground. Brianna was heaving hard and rubbing her side where she had been shot. She looked up at Michaela, still seated on her horse, with a pained look.
"Learned it from a China man" she replied and swung back up on her horse. They had told the sheriff as soon as they'd reached town and he'd gone out and brought the men to the jail. Michaela had been impressed, but worried that she might be influencing Colleen or especially Brian in a....well a negative way. But Brianna never did anything Sully didn't do around the children, least of all show off.
"No, she can't be" Sully repeated, bringing Michaela back to the present.
"Well, why not?" she demanded, frustrated with his simple denial. She hadn't said anything to Brianna yet. They had started to become friends, but Michaela wasn't sure they had quite reached that point. Actually, the woman spent more time out with the horses and off with Sully than she did around the house, especially after the incident in town in front of Hank's. Sully took a deep breath and sat on the edge of the bed.
"She and Dark Moon tried for years to have kids" he told her quietly. Michaela stared at him. She didn't even ask how he knew that, as his sister hadn't been "home" in quite a while. Apparently they'd kept in touch by writing letters and having them passed from Brave to Brave until it reached whoever it was supposed to reach.
"They even went to an eastern doc who was in Denver" he told her softly, " He told her she'd never have a child" It sounded like the fact pained Sully.
"Well, miracles do happen" Michaela said, still convinced that her sister-in-law was pregnant, despite whatever some doctor in Denver might have told her. She would just have to be more subtle and tender about bringing the subject up.
Later........
"Brianna, would you come in here?" Michaela asked. Brianna was tieing her horse up outside her office building. Brianna looked up at her.
"I was planning on it" she said as if Michaela might have been doubting it. Michaela smiled and looked up at the slightly taller woman. She was dressed in her buckskins, as ever, her hair pulled back, but still riddled with feathered braids. Michaela had said something to Sully about saying something to Brianna about perhaps wearing something more...womanly...in town, but he had just looked at her.
"Why?" he had asked. Michaela had been worried about how the towns people may treat the woman who dressed as, not only an Indian, but also as a man. And unfortunately that her fears had proven grounded. They had all known Brianna before she had gone away with Dark Moon and they all knew about her....eccentricities. They had apparently just ignored her previously, but, now, being the sister-in-law of a respected member of their community, not to mention Sully's sister, they had couldn't very well do that. Dorothy and Grace had warmed up to her a little; Dorothy because she was a writer and had a degree in linguistics, Grace because she knew how it felt to be judge on what was outside, and not on the inside. The rest of the town, however, was still getting used to her. Not that she cared.
"What's up, Mick?" Michaela actually kind of liked the nickname Brianna had anointed her with. People called her Dr. Mike, yes, but never Mick. It was inappropriate for a woman. But, of course, Brianna didn't care about that.
"I just want to examine that gunshot wound" Michaela told her.
"But...you said it was fine. It's a month old." Brianna said, shutting the door behind her.
"Oh, I know, but I just want to do one last check on it" Michaela lied. She hoped she wasn't wrong. Brianna shrugged.
"You're the doc, Mick" she said and pulled her shirt off. She wore a cotton undershirt under the buckskin so she wasn't indecent. She laid down on the bed. Michaela used her hands to examine the area, and was gratified by noticing a slight swell in Brianna's lower abdomen.
"Well, you're fine. I don't see any problems" she smiled as Brianna sat up and gave her a confused look.
"Okay. Great" she said and got up.
Later.............
"She is definitely pregnant, Sully" Michaela hissed from the other side of the horse.
"I examined her earlier" Sully unhooked the horses and led them to their stalls.
"So she knows?"
"No, I didn't tell her. I...thought you might like to" Michaela suggested.
"Me?" Sully sounded like he didn't like the idea, " That's woman's talk" he said. Sometimes, Michaela thought, her husband could be very sexist.
"You're her brother!" she cried.
"And you're her sister. So you tell her" he said.
"I don't think that's the greatest idea" Michaela replied.
"Then let her figure it out on her own"
"Sully!"
"Let me figure what out on my own?" They both looked at the back door. Brianna had just walked in. Sully put his rigging down and turned to face her. He knew that now was the moment to tell his sister that one of her long time dreams was going to come true. Hopefully.
"Bri....earlier when Michaela examined you, she, uh......" he faltered. He couldn't actually say it. Even to his sister.
"Brianna" Michaela took over, with a big smile on her face, "You're going to have a baby" Brianna's face fell. She even got a little pale.
"Uh, no I......I can't have children"
"I told her, Bri...she's convinced" Sully told his sister.
"I've been watching you the past couple of weeks, with your morning sickness. And then this morning I noticed your abdomen is slightly swollen" Michaela told her. Brianna just stared at her. She was starting to regret saying anything. And then all of the sudden Brianna started crying. Not just crying, sobbing. She put one hand against her mouth and another on her stomach. Sully went to hug her and she continued sobbing into his shoulder.
"Sully! I can......Dark Moon........oh, Sully!" Michaela felt a tinest twinge of jealousy, but reprimanded herself. The woman had thought never to have a child, and now she needed the support of her best friend, who happened to be her brother, and just happened to be Sully. She thought leaving them alone would be the best thing, and quietly slipped out of the barn.