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?
Colleen twirled in the kitchen, the red dress spinning around her ankles like a top.
"Oh, Colleen, stop it!" Michaela scolded. She had been doing that ever since she had come downstairs and Michaela had been trying to work around her but it was just getting to be too much now.
"Oh, Dr. Mike! It's so beautiful!" Colleen gushed as she pulled a chair out and plopped down.
"I can hardly wait to get to town to show everyone!" Michaela smiled, knowing the feeling a brand new dress can give a young girl.
"Eat your breakfast" she ordered, "Brian! Come and eat your breakfast!" Brian came stampeding down the stairs and found his chair. Brianna and Sully came in from outside where they'd been ever since Michaela had woken. Brianna's fingers were wrapped as if she'd cut them, but she didn't say anything and so Michaela ignored it.
"Well, don't you look pretty" Sully said, noticing Colleen in her new dress.
"Isn't it beautiful!" Colleen said with a big smile.
"Yep. Seems to me, though, it's missing something" Brianna said, pretending to study the dress, "I think...I think the perfect thing to go with that new dress is a new pair of gloves" She took a seat at the table next to Colleen, still studying her with interest.
"Let's see.....perhaps a nice pair of kid gloves with a bit of red ribbon to match? Something like, these?" She produced a beautiful pair of kid skin gloves with red trim and handed them gently to Colleen.
"Oh, aren't they wonderful! They're so soft!" Colleen exclaimed happily.
"Well, they'd better be!" Brianna laughed, "I beat them enough!"
"You made them?" Colleen asked.
"Yep, with my own two hands! You see, I added that red ribbon to match your dress" She pointed to the ribbon at the edge of the gloves, "They may be soft but they'll be sturdy enough to ride in"
"Oh, thank you, Aunt Bri!" Colleen exclaimed and jumped up to hug her. Brianna grinned and hugged her back.
"Oh, look, aren't they just divine?" Colleen exclaimed again, holding her now gloved hands out in front of her.
"Mmm.they are lovely" Michaela agreed and noticed the soft look on Brianna's face, guessing what she was imagining. Her condition would be quite obvious by now if she were to wear something a little more normal, but as it was Michaela doubted anyone in town had noticed. At least, neither Dorothy nor Grace had said anything and they would be the two to pay attention to such things. Grace was still a little distant with Sully's sister, but Michaela was fairly sure the woman had won Dorothy over with her insightful compliments about the newspaper. The town was slowly coming around, just as they had with Michaela. Lauren would speak directly to her now, discussing the things men usually spoke about. Jake Slicker was respectful of her abilities, and always polite enough. The Reverand was still wary of her, but accepted her with the same kind of openness he usually displayed.
"Well, shall we start for town?" Michaela suggested.
"Bri'll go with you" Sully said as he opened the door.
"I will, will I?" Brianna put her fists on her hips, and Michaela expected her to start tapping her foot. Sully turned around. He looked at Michaela.
"I'm going hunting" he told his sister.
"And, so?" Brianna prompted. Sully said something in Cheyenne, knowing his sister was the only other one in the room who would understand him. She replied in Cheyenne and they had a spirited conversation until Brianna narrowed her eyes and glared at him.
"I'll see you later" he told the rest of them and went out the door. Brianna sighed and then turned around with a smile.
"Well, Colleen, looks like I get to go to town with you for your birthday!" she smiled like she was truly happy about the fact but Michaela thought she was perhaps only putting a show on for her niece. She wondered desperately what Sully had said to her.
Not long after, though, they were in town and getting out of the wagon.
"Brian, be back here for lunch!" Michaela called after her son who had run off to do whatever it was boys did when they didn't have school. Dorothy was walking down the street towards the store and stopped to say good morning.
"Why, Colleen, what a wonderful shade of red on you!" she exclaimed, knowing the girl was simply ecstatic about her new dress.
"Thank you! Isn't it lovely! And look at my new gloves!" she put her hands out for Dorothy to I inspect.
"Why they are darling! They may be the nicest gloves I've ever seen!" Dorothy exclaimed.
"Brianna made them" Michaela informed her. Dorothy looked surprised.
"Did she?" Dorothy replied.
"Yes, well, it was nothing. If you'll excuse me, I have some business with Grace" Brianna almost blushed as she hurried away. Dorothy and Michaela exchanged a look. Neither had ever expected to find that Brianna was extraordinarily humble! They both wondered what her business with Grace could be.
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?
Colleen twirled in the kitchen, the red dress spinning around her ankles like a top.
"Oh, Colleen, stop it!" Michaela scolded. She had been doing that ever since she had come downstairs and Michaela had been trying to work around her but it was just getting to be too much now.
"Oh, Dr. Mike! It's so beautiful!" Colleen gushed as she pulled a chair out and plopped down.
"I can hardly wait to get to town to show everyone!" Michaela smiled, knowing the feeling a brand new dress can give a young girl.
"Eat your breakfast" she ordered, "Brian! Come and eat your breakfast!" Brian came stampeding down the stairs and found his chair. Brianna and Sully came in from outside where they'd been ever since Michaela had woken. Brianna's fingers were wrapped as if she'd cut them, but she didn't say anything and so Michaela ignored it.
"Well, don't you look pretty" Sully said, noticing Colleen in her new dress.
"Isn't it beautiful!" Colleen said with a big smile.
"Yep. Seems to me, though, it's missing something" Brianna said, pretending to study the dress, "I think...I think the perfect thing to go with that new dress is a new pair of gloves" She took a seat at the table next to Colleen, still studying her with interest.
"Let's see.....perhaps a nice pair of kid gloves with a bit of red ribbon to match? Something like, these?" She produced a beautiful pair of kid skin gloves with red trim and handed them gently to Colleen.
"Oh, aren't they wonderful! They're so soft!" Colleen exclaimed happily.
"Well, they'd better be!" Brianna laughed, "I beat them enough!"
"You made them?" Colleen asked.
"Yep, with my own two hands! You see, I added that red ribbon to match your dress" She pointed to the ribbon at the edge of the gloves, "They may be soft but they'll be sturdy enough to ride in"
"Oh, thank you, Aunt Bri!" Colleen exclaimed and jumped up to hug her. Brianna grinned and hugged her back.
"Oh, look, aren't they just divine?" Colleen exclaimed again, holding her now gloved hands out in front of her.
"Mmm.they are lovely" Michaela agreed and noticed the soft look on Brianna's face, guessing what she was imagining. Her condition would be quite obvious by now if she were to wear something a little more normal, but as it was Michaela doubted anyone in town had noticed. At least, neither Dorothy nor Grace had said anything and they would be the two to pay attention to such things. Grace was still a little distant with Sully's sister, but Michaela was fairly sure the woman had won Dorothy over with her insightful compliments about the newspaper. The town was slowly coming around, just as they had with Michaela. Lauren would speak directly to her now, discussing the things men usually spoke about. Jake Slicker was respectful of her abilities, and always polite enough. The Reverand was still wary of her, but accepted her with the same kind of openness he usually displayed.
"Well, shall we start for town?" Michaela suggested.
"Bri'll go with you" Sully said as he opened the door.
"I will, will I?" Brianna put her fists on her hips, and Michaela expected her to start tapping her foot. Sully turned around. He looked at Michaela.
"I'm going hunting" he told his sister.
"And, so?" Brianna prompted. Sully said something in Cheyenne, knowing his sister was the only other one in the room who would understand him. She replied in Cheyenne and they had a spirited conversation until Brianna narrowed her eyes and glared at him.
"I'll see you later" he told the rest of them and went out the door. Brianna sighed and then turned around with a smile.
"Well, Colleen, looks like I get to go to town with you for your birthday!" she smiled like she was truly happy about the fact but Michaela thought she was perhaps only putting a show on for her niece. She wondered desperately what Sully had said to her.
Not long after, though, they were in town and getting out of the wagon.
"Brian, be back here for lunch!" Michaela called after her son who had run off to do whatever it was boys did when they didn't have school. Dorothy was walking down the street towards the store and stopped to say good morning.
"Why, Colleen, what a wonderful shade of red on you!" she exclaimed, knowing the girl was simply ecstatic about her new dress.
"Thank you! Isn't it lovely! And look at my new gloves!" she put her hands out for Dorothy to I inspect.
"Why they are darling! They may be the nicest gloves I've ever seen!" Dorothy exclaimed.
"Brianna made them" Michaela informed her. Dorothy looked surprised.
"Did she?" Dorothy replied.
"Yes, well, it was nothing. If you'll excuse me, I have some business with Grace" Brianna almost blushed as she hurried away. Dorothy and Michaela exchanged a look. Neither had ever expected to find that Brianna was extraordinarily humble! They both wondered what her business with Grace could be.