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?
Michaela did what she could for Dark Moon and had Sully move him into a bed. The night came and he developed a fever. Brianna sat by his side all night, though Michaela told her to go to bed. When the morning dawned Michaela did another examination. He was the handsomest Indian she had ever met, with long, soft black hair, a strong jaw and dark, stormy eyes. He was well built, a bit bigger than Sully and muscled well. She had no doubts that he had been a strong man, a formidable warrior. But he had an unmistakeable tenderness in his eyes and speech. He was a perfect man for the obstinate but romantic Brianna.
"Here, Brianna, give this to him" she mixed something up in a cub of broth for Dark Moon. His wife helped him to sip it down. Brian sat next to the Brave on the bed, just watching him. Colleen was busying herself with dishes left from breakfast, trying not to look at him. Michaela and Sully didn't know why she seemed so uncomfortable around him, because she was never uncomfortable with any other of their Indian friends. Still, for now, it was just as well. Dark Moon needed his rest.
"Sully, can I talk to you" Sully glanced at Bri and then followed Michaela out onto the porch.
"I don't think Dark Moon is going to make it" she said quietly. Sully let a breath out. He had been afraid that's what she was going to say.
"The wound came very close to punturing his heart and lung, and it's infected. The infection is spreading to his heart and lung, and...." Michaela took a breath too, "It won't be more than a few days. Maybe not even that long" Sully flet like hitting something. It just wasn't fair. Now that Bri had finally stopped riding, she was home with him, she was finally going to have a baby, Dark Moon had shown up and now? Now he was going to die? How was that right? How could the world heap so much pain on his sister? As if she hadn't had enough already. And there was still the question of Thunder Rolling. What had happened to his sister's nephew?
"Sully? I'm sorry" Michaela said softly. Sully pulled her into his arms and pushed out another sigh.
"It's not your fault" he told her, "You did your best" He sighed again and then turned to go back into the house.
"C'mon. I'll tell her" But he didn't have the nerve either, when they walked back in and saw Brianna smiling so tenderly at her husband, who had put a hand on her belly. She was a good eight and a half months now, and Michaela said it would be only a matter of weeks, maybe days, before the babe came.
"You can feel the heartbeat" Brian told them, for he had a hand on her stomach too. Michalea bit her lip and slid a glance at Sully.
The doctor did not go back into town that day. She should've, she had a paitent. But she sent Colleen with explicit instructions, and besides she was fairly sure the boy had a mere bad cold. She was much more needed at the house with Dark Moon. But as night fell his condition worsened and she feared he wouldn't make it through the night. She went running when she heard him coughing, and heard the faint sound of something wet in his lungs. Blood?
"Mike, what's wrong with him?" Brianna cried. Michaela reached for her stethascope, but she knew the answer already.
"There's blood in his lungs" she admitted to her sister-in-law, "He's dieing Brianna. I'm sorry"
"No! No, Dark Moon! Dark Moon, don't you leave me!" Brianna cried, running both hands over her husbands sweaty face. She didn't sound the least bit hysterical; she sounded demanding. As if her mere words would stave off death. Dark Moon opened his eyes and looked at her.
"The Great Spirit calls" he replied softly.
"No! No, the Great Spirit can just wait a while, you haven't been with me long enough!" cried back. Dark Moon lifed a hand to her face.
"You are Crazy Woman" he said, "The Great Spirit will not be denied. He calls"
"No, no, no!" Brianna whispered, almost crying, "I still need you. Our child needs you" Dark Moon whispered something in Cheyenne. Michaela looked to Sully for a translation. He leaned down to whisper in her ear,
"He said, 'I will always be with you. I will watch you from the moon....." he stopped while he listened to the rest of what Dark Moon whispered to his wife, " And I will touch you in the wind'" Michaela thought it was awefully romantic, if tragic. She felt tears coming to her own eyes, but noticed there were none in Brianna's. Perhaps she had no more tears to cry.
"I love you, my Dark Moon" she heard the woman proclaim. Dark Moon began to cough again and Michaela moved to go to him, but Sully pulled her back by the arm. She looked up at him but he just shook his head at her.
"Dark Moon! Dark Moon!" Brianna chanted into his hand, which was still on her face.
"You must be a white woman" he announced suddenly. Brianna shook her head.
"Yes" he restated, "You must be a white woman. You must put your skirts back on and make a life for our child, here. With your brother, where you will be protected. Sully!" He called to his brother in law, and Sully went to his side. He spoke some words in Cheyenne, Sully replied and they clasped hands. Then Sully backed away again.
"You are no longer Crazy Woman. Now you are Brianna Sully again" Dark Moon told his wife. Michaela expected her to object, but she didn't. She just looked down at him sadly.
"What will I live for when you are gone?" she asked quietly.
"The child" Dark Moon replied, moving his hand back to her belly, "You will live for our child, that the Great Spirit gives us" And with that his hand dropped and he was gone.
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?
Michaela did what she could for Dark Moon and had Sully move him into a bed. The night came and he developed a fever. Brianna sat by his side all night, though Michaela told her to go to bed. When the morning dawned Michaela did another examination. He was the handsomest Indian she had ever met, with long, soft black hair, a strong jaw and dark, stormy eyes. He was well built, a bit bigger than Sully and muscled well. She had no doubts that he had been a strong man, a formidable warrior. But he had an unmistakeable tenderness in his eyes and speech. He was a perfect man for the obstinate but romantic Brianna.
"Here, Brianna, give this to him" she mixed something up in a cub of broth for Dark Moon. His wife helped him to sip it down. Brian sat next to the Brave on the bed, just watching him. Colleen was busying herself with dishes left from breakfast, trying not to look at him. Michaela and Sully didn't know why she seemed so uncomfortable around him, because she was never uncomfortable with any other of their Indian friends. Still, for now, it was just as well. Dark Moon needed his rest.
"Sully, can I talk to you" Sully glanced at Bri and then followed Michaela out onto the porch.
"I don't think Dark Moon is going to make it" she said quietly. Sully let a breath out. He had been afraid that's what she was going to say.
"The wound came very close to punturing his heart and lung, and it's infected. The infection is spreading to his heart and lung, and...." Michaela took a breath too, "It won't be more than a few days. Maybe not even that long" Sully flet like hitting something. It just wasn't fair. Now that Bri had finally stopped riding, she was home with him, she was finally going to have a baby, Dark Moon had shown up and now? Now he was going to die? How was that right? How could the world heap so much pain on his sister? As if she hadn't had enough already. And there was still the question of Thunder Rolling. What had happened to his sister's nephew?
"Sully? I'm sorry" Michaela said softly. Sully pulled her into his arms and pushed out another sigh.
"It's not your fault" he told her, "You did your best" He sighed again and then turned to go back into the house.
"C'mon. I'll tell her" But he didn't have the nerve either, when they walked back in and saw Brianna smiling so tenderly at her husband, who had put a hand on her belly. She was a good eight and a half months now, and Michaela said it would be only a matter of weeks, maybe days, before the babe came.
"You can feel the heartbeat" Brian told them, for he had a hand on her stomach too. Michalea bit her lip and slid a glance at Sully.
The doctor did not go back into town that day. She should've, she had a paitent. But she sent Colleen with explicit instructions, and besides she was fairly sure the boy had a mere bad cold. She was much more needed at the house with Dark Moon. But as night fell his condition worsened and she feared he wouldn't make it through the night. She went running when she heard him coughing, and heard the faint sound of something wet in his lungs. Blood?
"Mike, what's wrong with him?" Brianna cried. Michaela reached for her stethascope, but she knew the answer already.
"There's blood in his lungs" she admitted to her sister-in-law, "He's dieing Brianna. I'm sorry"
"No! No, Dark Moon! Dark Moon, don't you leave me!" Brianna cried, running both hands over her husbands sweaty face. She didn't sound the least bit hysterical; she sounded demanding. As if her mere words would stave off death. Dark Moon opened his eyes and looked at her.
"The Great Spirit calls" he replied softly.
"No! No, the Great Spirit can just wait a while, you haven't been with me long enough!" cried back. Dark Moon lifed a hand to her face.
"You are Crazy Woman" he said, "The Great Spirit will not be denied. He calls"
"No, no, no!" Brianna whispered, almost crying, "I still need you. Our child needs you" Dark Moon whispered something in Cheyenne. Michaela looked to Sully for a translation. He leaned down to whisper in her ear,
"He said, 'I will always be with you. I will watch you from the moon....." he stopped while he listened to the rest of what Dark Moon whispered to his wife, " And I will touch you in the wind'" Michaela thought it was awefully romantic, if tragic. She felt tears coming to her own eyes, but noticed there were none in Brianna's. Perhaps she had no more tears to cry.
"I love you, my Dark Moon" she heard the woman proclaim. Dark Moon began to cough again and Michaela moved to go to him, but Sully pulled her back by the arm. She looked up at him but he just shook his head at her.
"Dark Moon! Dark Moon!" Brianna chanted into his hand, which was still on her face.
"You must be a white woman" he announced suddenly. Brianna shook her head.
"Yes" he restated, "You must be a white woman. You must put your skirts back on and make a life for our child, here. With your brother, where you will be protected. Sully!" He called to his brother in law, and Sully went to his side. He spoke some words in Cheyenne, Sully replied and they clasped hands. Then Sully backed away again.
"You are no longer Crazy Woman. Now you are Brianna Sully again" Dark Moon told his wife. Michaela expected her to object, but she didn't. She just looked down at him sadly.
"What will I live for when you are gone?" she asked quietly.
"The child" Dark Moon replied, moving his hand back to her belly, "You will live for our child, that the Great Spirit gives us" And with that his hand dropped and he was gone.