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?
Sully was having the oddest feeling of dejevu. He wiped his brow and put his ax down. Across the yard, Bri looked up from the ground she was hoeing for Michaela.
"Sully, Sully, do you see?" Brian shouted again.
"Yeah, I see Brian" Sully answered, putting a hand up to shield his eyes from the bright light. There was an Indian man walking across the same field Brianna had walked across only a few months ago. This man, howeve, was obviously hurt. He walked with a limp, and bent over too. Very slowly.
"Sully?" Bri called. He shook his head at her. He didn't know who it was, not from this distance. Bri walked over to him.
"Expecting anyone?" she asked. Sully shook his head again. They watched for a moment. Then a a look of recognition changed his sister's face.
"Oh my God" she whispered and took off running toward the man. She wasn't going as fast as she could've, having to be careful of the child that was rounding her belly out, but she made time. As he watched, Sully saw the man fall, struggle to stand again, and fall again. Then he heard the name she shouted.
"Dark Moon!" Sully took off after his sister.
"Brian, get your Ma!" he ordered the young boy and didn't watch to see if he ran off or not. He caught up to his sister just as she was dropping into the foot high grass next to her husband. She pushed his long black hair out of his face and turned his head up to her.
"Dark Moon?" she was worried, Sully could see. Worried and relieved to see her long missing husband.
"Crazy Woman" the injured man breathed, "I found you"
"Of course you did" his wife smiled at him, then looked at her brother.
"C'mon" Sully said, helping to lift Dark Moon to his feet, "We have to get him to the house"
"Michaela's all the way in town" Bri reminded him as they started back to the house, practically dragging the near dead Indian man behind them.h
"I know" Sully told her, "I sent Brian after her" They got the poor man to the house and got him laid out on the table. Sully had no idea what more to do for him. He had a nasty looking wound in his side, too close to his heart for Sully's taste. He found a bottle of alcohol that Michaela kept and poured some onto a cloth to wipe around the wound.
"You swell with child" Dark Moon rasped at his wife while she clinged to his hand.
"Yes" she smiled at him, "My brother's wife says you left me with it"
"The Great Spirit finally gives us a child?"
"Yes, a good healthy child Medicine Woman says" Bri told him.
"Perhaps my Crazy Woman will not be Crazy any longer" Dark Moon said. Sully studied his face while they spoke. He had a scar near his ear that had not been there the last time they had seen each other. Dark Moon was Sully's age, but he looked older. All the warring and troubles with his people, and his wife, over the years. Still, he was a handsome man, and love shone out of his eyes. Sully again felt that he was the best man he knew of for his sister, and was glad of their union.
"I will always be your Crazy Woman" Bri whispered to him. Sully recalled the day Dark Moon had given her her Cheyenne name. It had been the day she decided to stay in the camp by herself while Sully went back to town, and had left her skirts in the tent and donned a pair of his own pants.
"I'm tired of skirts and tea parties and manners and a thousand other rules that make no sense" she had proclaimed in perfect Cheyenne, "Especially when I can take care of myself as well as any man could take care of himself" The braves and women alike had all laughed at her, but the old ones just talked amongst themselves.
"You are crazy, Woman!" Dark Moon had shouted, and that had ever since been her name.
"Dark Moon" Sully drew the man's attention, "When did this happen?" Dark Moon shook his head weakly.
"Many days ago, Brother of my Wife" he answered, "Crazy Woman says your new wife is a Medicine Woman"
"She is" Sully confirmed, "And she's coming. I sent our son to get her" Sully had been surprised, the day he'd married Michaela, to realize that he really did feel that Brian, Colleen and even Mathew were their children, just as much his as Michaela's. He thought he must've felt that way for a long time, at least ever since he had proposed.
They heard hoofbeats pounding their way up to the house and Sully opened the door just as Michaela swung off her horse. He was proud of how well she rode, after all she'd come to Colorado Springs barely able to mount.
"Sully?" she asked.
"It's Bri's husband" he told her, "Dark Moon"
"Dark Moon?" Michaela repeated, every bit as surprised as he still was. She pushed past him to the injured man's side.
"You are Medicine Woman?" he asked as she rolled up her sleeves.
"Yes" she answered with a kind smile.
"I am Dark Moon, husband of your husband's sister" he replied. Michaela smiled warmly again, but she was more concerned with his wound.
"This is infected" she announced, pulling bottles out of her bag, "When did it happen?"
"He said a few days ago" Sully told her, "I already wiped it down with alcohol"
"Good. Will you get me that basin of water?" Sully fetched it for her.
"This will hurt" she told Dark Moon as she reached into his chest with her tool, searching for the bullet. He didn't make a sound while she dug, just squeezed his wife's hand. She finally extracted it, not without trouble and a lot of blood. She started mixing some of her powders together in a bowl.
"When did he get here?"
"About half an hour ago" Sully answered.
"That wound is a week old, at least" she told him, "It's badly infected, Sully" There was something about the way she said that that had Sully worried.
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?
Sully was having the oddest feeling of dejevu. He wiped his brow and put his ax down. Across the yard, Bri looked up from the ground she was hoeing for Michaela.
"Sully, Sully, do you see?" Brian shouted again.
"Yeah, I see Brian" Sully answered, putting a hand up to shield his eyes from the bright light. There was an Indian man walking across the same field Brianna had walked across only a few months ago. This man, howeve, was obviously hurt. He walked with a limp, and bent over too. Very slowly.
"Sully?" Bri called. He shook his head at her. He didn't know who it was, not from this distance. Bri walked over to him.
"Expecting anyone?" she asked. Sully shook his head again. They watched for a moment. Then a a look of recognition changed his sister's face.
"Oh my God" she whispered and took off running toward the man. She wasn't going as fast as she could've, having to be careful of the child that was rounding her belly out, but she made time. As he watched, Sully saw the man fall, struggle to stand again, and fall again. Then he heard the name she shouted.
"Dark Moon!" Sully took off after his sister.
"Brian, get your Ma!" he ordered the young boy and didn't watch to see if he ran off or not. He caught up to his sister just as she was dropping into the foot high grass next to her husband. She pushed his long black hair out of his face and turned his head up to her.
"Dark Moon?" she was worried, Sully could see. Worried and relieved to see her long missing husband.
"Crazy Woman" the injured man breathed, "I found you"
"Of course you did" his wife smiled at him, then looked at her brother.
"C'mon" Sully said, helping to lift Dark Moon to his feet, "We have to get him to the house"
"Michaela's all the way in town" Bri reminded him as they started back to the house, practically dragging the near dead Indian man behind them.h
"I know" Sully told her, "I sent Brian after her" They got the poor man to the house and got him laid out on the table. Sully had no idea what more to do for him. He had a nasty looking wound in his side, too close to his heart for Sully's taste. He found a bottle of alcohol that Michaela kept and poured some onto a cloth to wipe around the wound.
"You swell with child" Dark Moon rasped at his wife while she clinged to his hand.
"Yes" she smiled at him, "My brother's wife says you left me with it"
"The Great Spirit finally gives us a child?"
"Yes, a good healthy child Medicine Woman says" Bri told him.
"Perhaps my Crazy Woman will not be Crazy any longer" Dark Moon said. Sully studied his face while they spoke. He had a scar near his ear that had not been there the last time they had seen each other. Dark Moon was Sully's age, but he looked older. All the warring and troubles with his people, and his wife, over the years. Still, he was a handsome man, and love shone out of his eyes. Sully again felt that he was the best man he knew of for his sister, and was glad of their union.
"I will always be your Crazy Woman" Bri whispered to him. Sully recalled the day Dark Moon had given her her Cheyenne name. It had been the day she decided to stay in the camp by herself while Sully went back to town, and had left her skirts in the tent and donned a pair of his own pants.
"I'm tired of skirts and tea parties and manners and a thousand other rules that make no sense" she had proclaimed in perfect Cheyenne, "Especially when I can take care of myself as well as any man could take care of himself" The braves and women alike had all laughed at her, but the old ones just talked amongst themselves.
"You are crazy, Woman!" Dark Moon had shouted, and that had ever since been her name.
"Dark Moon" Sully drew the man's attention, "When did this happen?" Dark Moon shook his head weakly.
"Many days ago, Brother of my Wife" he answered, "Crazy Woman says your new wife is a Medicine Woman"
"She is" Sully confirmed, "And she's coming. I sent our son to get her" Sully had been surprised, the day he'd married Michaela, to realize that he really did feel that Brian, Colleen and even Mathew were their children, just as much his as Michaela's. He thought he must've felt that way for a long time, at least ever since he had proposed.
They heard hoofbeats pounding their way up to the house and Sully opened the door just as Michaela swung off her horse. He was proud of how well she rode, after all she'd come to Colorado Springs barely able to mount.
"Sully?" she asked.
"It's Bri's husband" he told her, "Dark Moon"
"Dark Moon?" Michaela repeated, every bit as surprised as he still was. She pushed past him to the injured man's side.
"You are Medicine Woman?" he asked as she rolled up her sleeves.
"Yes" she answered with a kind smile.
"I am Dark Moon, husband of your husband's sister" he replied. Michaela smiled warmly again, but she was more concerned with his wound.
"This is infected" she announced, pulling bottles out of her bag, "When did it happen?"
"He said a few days ago" Sully told her, "I already wiped it down with alcohol"
"Good. Will you get me that basin of water?" Sully fetched it for her.
"This will hurt" she told Dark Moon as she reached into his chest with her tool, searching for the bullet. He didn't make a sound while she dug, just squeezed his wife's hand. She finally extracted it, not without trouble and a lot of blood. She started mixing some of her powders together in a bowl.
"When did he get here?"
"About half an hour ago" Sully answered.
"That wound is a week old, at least" she told him, "It's badly infected, Sully" There was something about the way she said that that had Sully worried.