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?
"Here, just put some of this on it, it'll be fine" Michaela handed the bottle to Robert E. He'd burned his hand making some new horse shoes.
"Thank ya, Dr. Mike, how much I owe you?" Robert E. asked.
"It's a bit, but don't worry about it just now" Michaela answered, "I've got some other people to visit" Before Michaela could get too far away from Robert E's place though, Grace came running up.
"Dr. Mike, Dr. Mike!" she cried, trying to catch her breath, "It's Brianna!" Michaela furrowed her brow and ran after her friend, Robert E. not far behind, thinking a man might be needed. Brianna was leaning up against a table leg on the ground, her buckskins with dark grass stains on the knees and the cuffs of her shirt. Her hand was splayed across her stomach and she looked as if she were just catching her breath, with her eyes closed and her head leaned back.
"Brianna!" Michaela called as she dropped to the grass beside her. Brianna opened her eyes and looked at her sister in law. The older woman could see the pain in her eyes, the pain she would never admit to. But it wasn't just the pain Michaela saw, it was a fear too.
"What happened?" she asked, moving Brianna's hand and putting her own on the woman's stomach.
"I don't know" she answered, "It just.hurts" Michaela couldn't tell what was wrong just by feeling. She looked up at Brianna, who was looking right back.
"Is it the baby?" she asked.
"Baby?" Grace could be heard to say behind them.
"I don't know" Michaela answered truthfully, then turned a bit, "Robert E., can you carry her for me?"
" I have two legs" Brianna objected.
"You shouldn't walk now" Michaela said and moved so Robert E. could collect her sister in law. Brianna didn't object as the man carried her all the way to Michaela's office where he laid her on the bed.
"Robert E. now you get out of here" Grace shooed her husband off as Michaela pulled Brianna's shirt off to reveal her nicely rounded tummy.
"My, look at that!" Grace exclaimed, taking the shirt from Michaela, "Brianna dear you must be a good five months, why didn't you never say anything?"
"Who in the world talks about such a thing?" Brianna asked as Michaela examined her.
"Well, I say" Grace replied, "Michaela did you know this woman's been coming down to learn how to cook everyday?"
"To learn how to cook?" Michaela repeated, though she wasn't really paying all that much attention. She suddenly thought she knew what had happened.
"Brianna, has there been blood?" she asked quietly. Grace got real quiet and Brianna just looked scared.
"A little" she replied. Michaela sighed.
"I think you were going to have twins" she told her sister in law, "And I think you lost one" Brianna pushed herself up on her elbows.
"What do you mean I lost one?" she asked.
"Sometimes, when a woman is with twins, one gets bigger and the other one dies" Michaela explained. Brianna didn't look afraid anymore.
"You mean..I was going to have two?" she asked. Michaela nodded. Brianna thought about it just a minute.
"But the other one, it's still healthy?" she asked.
"Yes" Michaela answered.
"Oh, Brianna, I'm so sorry" Grace said. Brianna let herself lay back down. She didn't say anything for a good minute.
"It's all right" she said finally, "I'll thank the Lord for what He gives" Michaela admired her strength but thought the best thing to do was change the subject.
"How did you get these cuts on your fingers?" she asked quickly.
"Helping Sully with the mirror" Brianna answered, pulling her shirt back on.
"What mirror?" Michaela asked.
"The one he carved for Colleen for her birthday" Brianna replied with a slight smile, "Thanks Mick, and Grace too"
Michaela didn't know it just then, but the mere fact that Brianna was doing something so womanly, having a child that is, brought her up in the esteem of all the women in Colorado Springs. The news traveled fast, now that Grace knew. (Not to say Grace was a gossiper) Brianna got cheerful greetings and congratulations wherever she went from almost all of the women, and polite greetings from most of their husbands. Michaela breathed a sigh of relief the day she realized Brianna had finally been accepted.
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?
"Here, just put some of this on it, it'll be fine" Michaela handed the bottle to Robert E. He'd burned his hand making some new horse shoes.
"Thank ya, Dr. Mike, how much I owe you?" Robert E. asked.
"It's a bit, but don't worry about it just now" Michaela answered, "I've got some other people to visit" Before Michaela could get too far away from Robert E's place though, Grace came running up.
"Dr. Mike, Dr. Mike!" she cried, trying to catch her breath, "It's Brianna!" Michaela furrowed her brow and ran after her friend, Robert E. not far behind, thinking a man might be needed. Brianna was leaning up against a table leg on the ground, her buckskins with dark grass stains on the knees and the cuffs of her shirt. Her hand was splayed across her stomach and she looked as if she were just catching her breath, with her eyes closed and her head leaned back.
"Brianna!" Michaela called as she dropped to the grass beside her. Brianna opened her eyes and looked at her sister in law. The older woman could see the pain in her eyes, the pain she would never admit to. But it wasn't just the pain Michaela saw, it was a fear too.
"What happened?" she asked, moving Brianna's hand and putting her own on the woman's stomach.
"I don't know" she answered, "It just.hurts" Michaela couldn't tell what was wrong just by feeling. She looked up at Brianna, who was looking right back.
"Is it the baby?" she asked.
"Baby?" Grace could be heard to say behind them.
"I don't know" Michaela answered truthfully, then turned a bit, "Robert E., can you carry her for me?"
" I have two legs" Brianna objected.
"You shouldn't walk now" Michaela said and moved so Robert E. could collect her sister in law. Brianna didn't object as the man carried her all the way to Michaela's office where he laid her on the bed.
"Robert E. now you get out of here" Grace shooed her husband off as Michaela pulled Brianna's shirt off to reveal her nicely rounded tummy.
"My, look at that!" Grace exclaimed, taking the shirt from Michaela, "Brianna dear you must be a good five months, why didn't you never say anything?"
"Who in the world talks about such a thing?" Brianna asked as Michaela examined her.
"Well, I say" Grace replied, "Michaela did you know this woman's been coming down to learn how to cook everyday?"
"To learn how to cook?" Michaela repeated, though she wasn't really paying all that much attention. She suddenly thought she knew what had happened.
"Brianna, has there been blood?" she asked quietly. Grace got real quiet and Brianna just looked scared.
"A little" she replied. Michaela sighed.
"I think you were going to have twins" she told her sister in law, "And I think you lost one" Brianna pushed herself up on her elbows.
"What do you mean I lost one?" she asked.
"Sometimes, when a woman is with twins, one gets bigger and the other one dies" Michaela explained. Brianna didn't look afraid anymore.
"You mean..I was going to have two?" she asked. Michaela nodded. Brianna thought about it just a minute.
"But the other one, it's still healthy?" she asked.
"Yes" Michaela answered.
"Oh, Brianna, I'm so sorry" Grace said. Brianna let herself lay back down. She didn't say anything for a good minute.
"It's all right" she said finally, "I'll thank the Lord for what He gives" Michaela admired her strength but thought the best thing to do was change the subject.
"How did you get these cuts on your fingers?" she asked quickly.
"Helping Sully with the mirror" Brianna answered, pulling her shirt back on.
"What mirror?" Michaela asked.
"The one he carved for Colleen for her birthday" Brianna replied with a slight smile, "Thanks Mick, and Grace too"
Michaela didn't know it just then, but the mere fact that Brianna was doing something so womanly, having a child that is, brought her up in the esteem of all the women in Colorado Springs. The news traveled fast, now that Grace knew. (Not to say Grace was a gossiper) Brianna got cheerful greetings and congratulations wherever she went from almost all of the women, and polite greetings from most of their husbands. Michaela breathed a sigh of relief the day she realized Brianna had finally been accepted.