Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
Dead of Winter-1880
Chapter 8: Thaw of Winter
A/N: This is it, the last chapter, it's been great, thanks for the reviews and I hope you have enjoyed this story, my very first DQ fan fiction, as much as I have enjoyed writing it and I hope you like this last chapter.
~*~
Brian paced the quiet and lonely house glancing at the pictures and mementos of his youth. He had grown up a lot from that small, toothless youngster that runaway to join the Indians. Now, he was a man, living on his own in a city away from his family and the quaintness of small town life that he had never thought he'd ever leave. Though in his early twenties, he was no were near marriage, the only girl he had even remotely liked had been Sarah and she had long since moved back to Georgia with her husband and little boy. Still, he felt ready to be a father, to Lily, though he knew he'd never take the place of Zach; nor did he ever want to. But, just as Dr. Mike had saved the Cooper children so very long ago, maybe he could do so for Liliana.
"Colleen?" Brian gently tapped on her bedroom door that reminded him of her teens when she rebelled against Dr. Mike and sunk out to a horse race. He had just gotten Eve and Liliana to sleep, but the dead household made him think about his lost friend and his worry for Colleen. "Can I come in?"
"Go away Brian." she mumbled barely looking up. Brian frowned from behind the wall, wishing to cheer her up and maybe reminisce about their childhood.
"Please, you must be hungry, I-" but he was interrupted by bounding on the front door.
"Brian, you must help. Isabella is burning up with fever. We do not know what to do." Theresa Slicker, spoke anxiously. "Jacob brought her to the clinic."
"Ma's not here. Neither is Andrew." Brian mumbled mostly to himself. "I don't know how to help." He ran his hands through is hair. Colleen could barely leave her room let alone, go to the clinic and save someone's life.
"Please."
Brian had always liked Mrs. Slicker, but he also knew that she was a proud woman, and it must have taken a lot of her to ask for help. So, Brian nodded. "I'll see what I can do. Meet me at the clinic."
This time Brian did not wait for an answer before he barged open the door. What he found was his sister wrapped in a blanket and alone in the dark. "You have to come to the clinic with me."
"I can't Brian."
Never had he seen Colleen so broken, so lost. He knew that there was most likely no greater pain then losing a child. He saw that in Grace when Anthony died, in Hank when he lost Zach and in Sully whenever little Hannah was ever brought up. But, Brian also knew that she couldn't go on defeated and dead. "Bella's sick, she needs a doctor." Brian began to get her clothes from the dresser drawer. "I don't know why Beth died but Isabella doesn't have to. You have to help her."
~*~
"We're losing him, Sully." Michaela spoke to her husband as she kissed the sleeping Katie and then began brushing her hair. She sat on a small stool facing a bureau mirror, not really all there in that room. Her thoughts were with her children, one sitting in a cold prison hours before his death and another so surcome with grief that she was barely there.
Sully took the brush from his wife and became stroke her long brown locks. "We can't force him to run. He's a grown man, able to make his own choices. I don't want my son to die either but he is doing what he thinks is right."
"He made a mistake, a horrible mistake, but shouldn't have to pay for it with his life. He doesn't need to prove that he's a good person, keep his pride. A lifetime of a guilty conscious is punishment enough. Not this." Mike spoke sadly. "Even if he did run. I'd never see him again. We'd still lose him. He's gone already."
Sully hugged her, there was nothing more to say.
~*~
Brian had really no idea how he got Colleen to town but he was glad that he did. Even he could see how worried and scared Jake and Theresa were. Colleen took the sick child from her father's arms and laid her on the table. Even though they lived in the same city Brian had never truly seen his sister at work since she officially became a doctor; and it put him in the same amount of awe as watching his mother. Finally she seemed to come alive again as she tried to figure out what was wrong with Isabella.
"Get some cold compresses." she spoke pointing to her brother. "I believe she has a appendicitis. I'm going to have to operate." But, Colleen did not look worried. Instead, she had a smile on her face, her first one in days. "She'll be fine. I promise."
Luckily, in her new clinic in Boston, she had been able to do many appendicitis operations, so she was more then able to accomplish one on her own. The fiery young girl was awake and smiling by mid afternoon the next day. More importantly, was the change that accord to Colleen. She still missed Beth but she knew now that she needed to be in the present not the past. Her daughter was gone and nothing could change that, however she realized that she had a husband and two daughters that did need her to be there. Also, as she walked by the still boarded up saloon, Colleen realized that someone else needed to learn the very same lesson.
~*~
Grace held the hand of her daughter, Emily E, a nickname she received because she was so very much like her father, as Grace crept up the wooden stairs that lead into the Sully household. Dorothy and Cloud Dancing also stood beside her, though neither of them said a word all dreading the same thing.
Today was the last day of Matthew Cooper's life.
Katie, had returned early that morning, happy that she was allowed to travel from Denver back to Colorado Springs by herself, but Grace knew it was only because her parents did not her want to be in Denver at the time of her brother's death. The remaining siblings, Colleen, Brian and Evie had all sent their own private tidbits to Matthew and had opted to stay in Colorado Springs, rather then see Matthew strung up and killed like a common criminal. Grace wished that she could be with Sully and Michaela now as they prepared to watch their eldest child die, but since she could not, Grace would do whatever she could to help the children. It was ironic to her, because for so many years she had envied Michaela and her family more then she wished to admit, but now her life was near perfect and it was Dr. Mike's that was falling apart.
~*~
The cry for blood was on the lips of all who watched and all who only realized a killer being sent to the gallows, a man really still a boy, loosing the war and the happiest of destines. It seemed like all of Denver had lined up to see the execution of Matthew Cooper. Some threw things at him and called him filthy names, these people who had forgotten exactly who the victim was, a killer and criminal in his own right. That didn't make what Matthew did right but perhaps made things easier on Sully and Michaela, to know that their son was not some vicious killer. It was true, fate had dealt more then one nasty card to Matthew, as in return he tried to do something about it and lost more horribly then he had before. Michaela could not tell what was in Matthew's mind as he slowly walked to his death, but silently she pleaded with him to change his mind and never look back.
"I'm sorry." Matthew chocked as he passed by his parents, shackled and handcuffed. Nearer My God to Thee rang through out the city as Matthew was led up the wooden stairs and the minister spoke: "As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for thou art with me…" The noose was put over his head and Mike had to be restrained so she could not run up to the platform and save her son. That was what a mother was suppose to do, save and protect their children. That was what a doctor was suppose to do. But, now she stood powerless to stop anything, forced into having to watch her son die without being able to stop it.
Sully, usually so brave and taciturn, now had his heart twisted in two. He knew that Matthew was in fact, doing the honorable thing by paying for his mistakes, he knew that Matthew was a lot like him, a proud man whose redeeming quality and flaw was that all they wanted was to be a good person and fix wrongs. Still, as he watched the sheriff ask Matthew what his last words were he was stricken, wishing he had done more to convince Matthew to leave, saying something more meaningful as his son was being lead to die. But, what do you say when your never going to see someone again? When you know he's about to die right in front of you?
Matthew quietly mouthed Amen as the minister finished his prayer. Snow fell to the ground then as the hangman pulled down the leaver and Michaela buried her face in Sully's chest. She didn't notice the snowfall because she could not tell it from her tears. Still as the body hung limply to the ground, Matthew left the world with as much dignity as he had lived it.
~*~
Epilogue
Spring had arrived finally to Colorado Springs, extremely early in mid January, and the harsh, evil winter had vanished. It seemed as if the seasons had waited until Matthew had left in order to wash the pain away from the quaint to so small town.
The flowers bloomed in bright shades of yellow, pink and blue. The fields and prairie danced with gleaming shades of color and sparkling with the hint of life. She loved this time of year, when it was so fresh and new. She laughed as she thought of Lily running a muck in Rebecca's house that Liliana and Brian now lived in. She also beamed at the idea of Lexi, Lottie, Colleen and Andrew coming to stay in the summer. She thought life had never been worse during those long winter days as she crossed the street to the cemetery. Until she got the shock of her life. It was then that wounds began to heal.
The plot in the forgotten cemetery laid lonely. Matthew Cooper was just another name, just another criminal left abandoned after the twisted excitement of his demise and death had left the air. Still, a mother stood before her son, in a city that was not his home and that was erased by his family and memory. Denver was not Colorado Springs and this plot of land was not the Matthew, Michaela chose to remember.
~*~
A/N: The end, hope u all liked it. :-D Please review even if you have before.
Dead of Winter-1880
Chapter 8: Thaw of Winter
A/N: This is it, the last chapter, it's been great, thanks for the reviews and I hope you have enjoyed this story, my very first DQ fan fiction, as much as I have enjoyed writing it and I hope you like this last chapter.
~*~
Brian paced the quiet and lonely house glancing at the pictures and mementos of his youth. He had grown up a lot from that small, toothless youngster that runaway to join the Indians. Now, he was a man, living on his own in a city away from his family and the quaintness of small town life that he had never thought he'd ever leave. Though in his early twenties, he was no were near marriage, the only girl he had even remotely liked had been Sarah and she had long since moved back to Georgia with her husband and little boy. Still, he felt ready to be a father, to Lily, though he knew he'd never take the place of Zach; nor did he ever want to. But, just as Dr. Mike had saved the Cooper children so very long ago, maybe he could do so for Liliana.
"Colleen?" Brian gently tapped on her bedroom door that reminded him of her teens when she rebelled against Dr. Mike and sunk out to a horse race. He had just gotten Eve and Liliana to sleep, but the dead household made him think about his lost friend and his worry for Colleen. "Can I come in?"
"Go away Brian." she mumbled barely looking up. Brian frowned from behind the wall, wishing to cheer her up and maybe reminisce about their childhood.
"Please, you must be hungry, I-" but he was interrupted by bounding on the front door.
"Brian, you must help. Isabella is burning up with fever. We do not know what to do." Theresa Slicker, spoke anxiously. "Jacob brought her to the clinic."
"Ma's not here. Neither is Andrew." Brian mumbled mostly to himself. "I don't know how to help." He ran his hands through is hair. Colleen could barely leave her room let alone, go to the clinic and save someone's life.
"Please."
Brian had always liked Mrs. Slicker, but he also knew that she was a proud woman, and it must have taken a lot of her to ask for help. So, Brian nodded. "I'll see what I can do. Meet me at the clinic."
This time Brian did not wait for an answer before he barged open the door. What he found was his sister wrapped in a blanket and alone in the dark. "You have to come to the clinic with me."
"I can't Brian."
Never had he seen Colleen so broken, so lost. He knew that there was most likely no greater pain then losing a child. He saw that in Grace when Anthony died, in Hank when he lost Zach and in Sully whenever little Hannah was ever brought up. But, Brian also knew that she couldn't go on defeated and dead. "Bella's sick, she needs a doctor." Brian began to get her clothes from the dresser drawer. "I don't know why Beth died but Isabella doesn't have to. You have to help her."
~*~
"We're losing him, Sully." Michaela spoke to her husband as she kissed the sleeping Katie and then began brushing her hair. She sat on a small stool facing a bureau mirror, not really all there in that room. Her thoughts were with her children, one sitting in a cold prison hours before his death and another so surcome with grief that she was barely there.
Sully took the brush from his wife and became stroke her long brown locks. "We can't force him to run. He's a grown man, able to make his own choices. I don't want my son to die either but he is doing what he thinks is right."
"He made a mistake, a horrible mistake, but shouldn't have to pay for it with his life. He doesn't need to prove that he's a good person, keep his pride. A lifetime of a guilty conscious is punishment enough. Not this." Mike spoke sadly. "Even if he did run. I'd never see him again. We'd still lose him. He's gone already."
Sully hugged her, there was nothing more to say.
~*~
Brian had really no idea how he got Colleen to town but he was glad that he did. Even he could see how worried and scared Jake and Theresa were. Colleen took the sick child from her father's arms and laid her on the table. Even though they lived in the same city Brian had never truly seen his sister at work since she officially became a doctor; and it put him in the same amount of awe as watching his mother. Finally she seemed to come alive again as she tried to figure out what was wrong with Isabella.
"Get some cold compresses." she spoke pointing to her brother. "I believe she has a appendicitis. I'm going to have to operate." But, Colleen did not look worried. Instead, she had a smile on her face, her first one in days. "She'll be fine. I promise."
Luckily, in her new clinic in Boston, she had been able to do many appendicitis operations, so she was more then able to accomplish one on her own. The fiery young girl was awake and smiling by mid afternoon the next day. More importantly, was the change that accord to Colleen. She still missed Beth but she knew now that she needed to be in the present not the past. Her daughter was gone and nothing could change that, however she realized that she had a husband and two daughters that did need her to be there. Also, as she walked by the still boarded up saloon, Colleen realized that someone else needed to learn the very same lesson.
~*~
Grace held the hand of her daughter, Emily E, a nickname she received because she was so very much like her father, as Grace crept up the wooden stairs that lead into the Sully household. Dorothy and Cloud Dancing also stood beside her, though neither of them said a word all dreading the same thing.
Today was the last day of Matthew Cooper's life.
Katie, had returned early that morning, happy that she was allowed to travel from Denver back to Colorado Springs by herself, but Grace knew it was only because her parents did not her want to be in Denver at the time of her brother's death. The remaining siblings, Colleen, Brian and Evie had all sent their own private tidbits to Matthew and had opted to stay in Colorado Springs, rather then see Matthew strung up and killed like a common criminal. Grace wished that she could be with Sully and Michaela now as they prepared to watch their eldest child die, but since she could not, Grace would do whatever she could to help the children. It was ironic to her, because for so many years she had envied Michaela and her family more then she wished to admit, but now her life was near perfect and it was Dr. Mike's that was falling apart.
~*~
The cry for blood was on the lips of all who watched and all who only realized a killer being sent to the gallows, a man really still a boy, loosing the war and the happiest of destines. It seemed like all of Denver had lined up to see the execution of Matthew Cooper. Some threw things at him and called him filthy names, these people who had forgotten exactly who the victim was, a killer and criminal in his own right. That didn't make what Matthew did right but perhaps made things easier on Sully and Michaela, to know that their son was not some vicious killer. It was true, fate had dealt more then one nasty card to Matthew, as in return he tried to do something about it and lost more horribly then he had before. Michaela could not tell what was in Matthew's mind as he slowly walked to his death, but silently she pleaded with him to change his mind and never look back.
"I'm sorry." Matthew chocked as he passed by his parents, shackled and handcuffed. Nearer My God to Thee rang through out the city as Matthew was led up the wooden stairs and the minister spoke: "As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for thou art with me…" The noose was put over his head and Mike had to be restrained so she could not run up to the platform and save her son. That was what a mother was suppose to do, save and protect their children. That was what a doctor was suppose to do. But, now she stood powerless to stop anything, forced into having to watch her son die without being able to stop it.
Sully, usually so brave and taciturn, now had his heart twisted in two. He knew that Matthew was in fact, doing the honorable thing by paying for his mistakes, he knew that Matthew was a lot like him, a proud man whose redeeming quality and flaw was that all they wanted was to be a good person and fix wrongs. Still, as he watched the sheriff ask Matthew what his last words were he was stricken, wishing he had done more to convince Matthew to leave, saying something more meaningful as his son was being lead to die. But, what do you say when your never going to see someone again? When you know he's about to die right in front of you?
Matthew quietly mouthed Amen as the minister finished his prayer. Snow fell to the ground then as the hangman pulled down the leaver and Michaela buried her face in Sully's chest. She didn't notice the snowfall because she could not tell it from her tears. Still as the body hung limply to the ground, Matthew left the world with as much dignity as he had lived it.
~*~
Epilogue
Spring had arrived finally to Colorado Springs, extremely early in mid January, and the harsh, evil winter had vanished. It seemed as if the seasons had waited until Matthew had left in order to wash the pain away from the quaint to so small town.
The flowers bloomed in bright shades of yellow, pink and blue. The fields and prairie danced with gleaming shades of color and sparkling with the hint of life. She loved this time of year, when it was so fresh and new. She laughed as she thought of Lily running a muck in Rebecca's house that Liliana and Brian now lived in. She also beamed at the idea of Lexi, Lottie, Colleen and Andrew coming to stay in the summer. She thought life had never been worse during those long winter days as she crossed the street to the cemetery. Until she got the shock of her life. It was then that wounds began to heal.
The plot in the forgotten cemetery laid lonely. Matthew Cooper was just another name, just another criminal left abandoned after the twisted excitement of his demise and death had left the air. Still, a mother stood before her son, in a city that was not his home and that was erased by his family and memory. Denver was not Colorado Springs and this plot of land was not the Matthew, Michaela chose to remember.
~*~
A/N: The end, hope u all liked it. :-D Please review even if you have before.