Chapter 3: Never a Moment's Peace

A week had passed, and the Sully boys were thriving. Things hadn't calmed down around the Sully homestead, and it seemed like every waking moment of their lives, Michaela and Sully were holding, diapering, rocking, or in Michaela's case, feeding the boys. Matthew and Colleen had been helping out as much as they could with the chores, and they had to practically force Brian to help out. Michaela and Sully knew that having two new babies in the house was tough on him, especially since he wasn't the youngest anymore, and most of the attention was focused on the newborns. They tried their best to make time for all of the kids, but it seemed like every chance they got was interrupted with a crying baby. Colleen and Matthew understood the situation, but young Brian wasn't quite sure what to think.

Michaela had sent word to Dr. Bernard, telling him his services were no longer needed. Luckily, he had received the telegram before he could board the stagecoach. Michaela's sisters hadn't arrived on the stage, due to complications with the horses. But, they were being held in Denver until the next stage departed. The Sully family was expecting their visitors in the next couple of days.

Holly had been visiting every day to help her doctor friend. Ten-year-old Mary came out to the homestead with her mother, and she and Colleen were becoming fast friends. The townsfolk hadn't been very warm to the idea of their schoolteacher having a half-colored child. Several parents had extracted their children from school, and the town council, which included Michaela, Horace, Loren, Jake, and Reverend Johnson, was going to meet soon to decide the future of Holly's career as a teacher in Colorado Springs.

It was a good thing that Josef and Elizabeth had finally started to move into their own homestead, because Michaela and Sully wouldn't have to worry about finding room for their sisters when they visited. However, it seemed as if they were over for a good portion of each day to spend time with their grandchildren. While Michaela loved the fact that her children were so close to her parents, she was starting to become worried that this was going to become a permanent routine.

Michaela was in town with the boys while Sully and Matthew were out hunting. Sully had wanted Michaela to take it easy, but after two days of taking it easy after Connor and Daniel were born, Michaela couldn't stand taking it easy any more. She was strong and healthy, and loved to bring the boys into town. She couldn't wait until the boys were older, because she and Sully were going to take them out to the reservation to spend time with Cloud Dancing and Snow Bird's little girl. Early Sun was doing wonderfully, as far as Michaela had been informed. She couldn't wait until she would be able to travel out there again and check on her youngest patient.

Colleen was helping Josef out at the clinic, which Josef had nearly banned Michaela from. Every time she would step foot into the clinic, she'd feel the need to do something, and he wanted his youngest girl to rest and spend time with her new boys. So, he would politely order her to leave, and she'd be standing on the other side of the door while her father chuckled from inside the clinic.

Michaela knew she needed to pick up some supplies, because the boys when through more diapers in one day than she ever imagined they would. She and Sully couldn't keep up with them, even when they washed them out as fast as they could. Sully would get frustrated and ask Michaela if there was something in her milk that made them go to the bathroom that much, and she would get frustrated and snap at him, telling him that if he wanted to try having two babies suckling at his breasts all day, she would gladly trade him for a little while.

Their little arguments would always be ended with soft kisses and reassuring words. They were both so exhausted, and it was easy to lose one's temper in that condition.

"Mornin' Dr. Mike," Loren said with a grin when the new mother walked into the general store holding both babies in her arms. She wished she had brought a shopping basket with her, because she wasn't quite sure how she was going to juggle two babies and a basket of supplies in her arms.

"Good morning, Loren," Michaela said tiredly. Loren grinned. Michaela loved how Loren acted toward the babies. He was surprisingly soft when it came to her boys, and she could tell that he had taken a liking to them like he had with Charlotte's children.

"Need some help?"

"Well, I need to purchase a few supplies."

"I can take 'em over to your wagon for ya."

"That would be wonderful. Could you put them on my account? Money is a bit tight these days."

"I understand. Ya got two new little ones at the house. Money's always tight when ya got more mouths to feed." Michaela swallowed hard and rocked her babies when they started to squirm. Myra walked in with Hank and she practically melted when she saw the newborns.

"Oh! Mornin' Dr. Mike!"

"Hello Myra," Michaela said with a grin. Myra loved when Michaela brought the babies into town, because she'd always want to hold them. Hank looked at Myra with worry in his eyes.

"Can I hold one of 'em?" she asked.

"Certainly," Michaela replied, happy to have a little of the load lifted off for a while. Myra took little Daniel.

"Which one is this?"

"Daniel," Michaela replied, proud of herself for being able to tell her identical sons apart. It got easier by the day.

"Hi Daniel," Myra said with a grin as Michaela went about with Loren, picking out the things she needed. Myra looked up at Hank with a grin on her face. "Ain't he just the cutest little thing?" Hank swallowed hard, knowing what Myra was thinking.

"Why don't we just think about getting married first? Then we'll talk about babies." Myra rolled her eyes and continued holding little Daniel.

Holly walked in holding Mary's hand. Loren saw his customers and stiffened up a little. Hank scoffed a little. He was just about to say something, but Myra firmly elbowed him in the stomach to quiet him before he could say something rude. Loren looked at Michaela who smiled at Holly.

"Hello, Michaela," she said with a smile.

"Can I hold one of the babies?" Mary asked shyly.

"Of course," Michaela said with a grin. "I'm getting ready to go to Grace's. You can hold one of the babies there and I'll order you a piece of pie. Would you like that?"

"Money's tight but ya got enough to spoil a child that don't need spoilin'," Loren grumbled. Holly looked away from him and swallowed hard.

"Sweetheart, let's go talk to Grace while we wait on Michaela."

"Okay ma," Mary replied. Holly turned around and walked out of the mercantile with her daughter. Myra looked at Loren and shook her head.

"Well it just ain't right."

"Everyone has a choice in what they do, and I don't think what Holly did was wrong."

"Well that's your opinion," Loren replied, crossing his arms. Michaela shook her head. If it wasn't for the fact that her family was in great need of the supplies she was purchasing, she would have turned around and walked out at that moment. But, the fact was that she had to get the supplies, so she's just have to try to live with what Loren was saying. "Ain't you gonna say nothin'?" Loren looked at Hank. Myra gave Hank a warning glance.

"Don't have nothin' to say that's worth getting a bruised rib."

"Come on, Hank. We gotta go make weddin' plans, unless you'd rather stay here and say bad things about someone who just happens to be my friend." Hank knew that he'd be in hot water with Myra if he didn't go. He loved her too much, and he hated when she got mad at him.

"We'll see you folks later." Myra handed the baby back to Michaela and quickly left the store with Hank.

The children were over at Elizabeth and Josef's house, giving Michaela some quiet time. Her quiet time hadn't been so quiet, however, because Daniel and Connor had been considerably cranky.

Sully and Matthew had returned from hunting, and while Matthew was now at his grandparents' house, Sully was upstairs washing up.

Michaela could hear him moving around, and wanted to go up to give him a quick kiss, but she knew that the moment she set foot on the stairs, the boys would realize they were alone and start to cry. Somehow they could sense when they were left alone, and they didn't like it one bit.

Michaela was quite relieved when Sully came down the stairs. She smiled when she watched him walk over to the stove and take a reluctant taste of the stew Michaela was preparing. He had a surprisingly pleased look on his face when he looked over at Michaela.

"You cooked this?"

"Yes. Is it alright?"

"Michaela, this is the best stew I've ever tasted."

"You're just saying that to be nice."

"I'm not kidding. It's great Michaela."

"I guess my cooking lessons are paying off," she laughed. Sully walked over and peered into the cradles.

"I still can't believe they're here," he chuckled.

"I know. It's so amazing. They're two completely different people. Connor seems to be more relaxed like you. Daniel, on the other hand, is a lot like me. He's more . . . what is the word I'm looking for?"

"Uptight?"

"I'm not uptight!" Michaela exclaimed, hitting Sully playfully on the arm. Sully laughed.

"Well, I guess uptight ain't the word. You're more conservative." Michaela shrugged.

"Well, I'm just glad at least one of our children is going to be just like his pa. I have a feeling they're going to look just like you."

"Never know," Sully replied. He pulled Michaela into his arms and they kissed for a moment. When they pulled away, Michaela noticed a sparkle in his eyes. "When we have a daughter, I hope she's just like her ma."

"Sully, let's not start planning for anymore children. We're having quite a time with the boys as it is."

"I know," he replied. "But the day our first daughter is born can't come soon enough for me." Michaela laughed and they embraced again.

"I've just realized that we haven't had much time alone in the past week," Michaela whispered, resting her head on Sully's shoulder as they held one another.

"Yeah. Things ain't the same around here. They'll never be normal again."

"That's comforting," Michaela giggled. Sully rubbed her back gently. "But at least we've got these rare moments alone to look forward to." Their lips touched again, and Michaela let out a content and quiet hum into Sully's mouth. Connor immediately sensed the quiet in the room and began to cry. Michaela quickly pulled away from her husband and rushed to tend to her baby.

"Michaela, ya don't gotta run to 'em every time they cry."

"But he might be hungry."

"Ya just fed him an hour ago."

"He might need changing." She scooped him up into her arms.

"I changed him just before I went upstairs." Connor stopped crying as soon as he was in his mother's arms.

"He just wanted to be held." Michaela kissed him softly. He smiled and sat down in one of the chairs. "Besides, when I'm not in the room, you run to them right away without thinking twice." Sully blushed.

"Yeah, you're right." Michaela sat down in the other chair beside Sully's. Connor stretched out in her lap and closed his eyes. Michaela laughed and looked at Sully.

"He just loves being with his ma," Michaela whispered. "Don't you, Connor?" Sully beamed at his glowing wife. She was amazing with the children, and when she was holding the twins in her arms, the light she had seemed to glow brighter. Her eyes would brighten, and her voice would sing like the angels, even though she wasn't the best singer. The way she sang to those boys warmed Sully's heart, and he loved every moment he could observe her with them.

An approaching rider grabbed Sully's attention. He stood and walked over to the window.

"Who is it?" Michaela asked as she lightly caressed her newborn son's soft cheek.

"It's Jake," Sully replied, puzzled. Michaela frowned and walked over to gently place Connor in his cradle. She joined Sully who was now standing on the porch.

Jake dismounted his horse quickly.

"Jake? What's goin' on?" Sully asked. Jake was breathing hard, and he looked pretty worried.

"Now ya know I ain't all for the fact that Miss Tucker's got a half-colored kid, but what just happened wasn't called for."

"What happened?" Michaela asked, dread forming in the pit of her stomach.

"Miss Tucker was walkin' with the little girl back toward the clinic. Ya know how some of the parents ain't happy with her since they learned that Mary was hers? Well, some of the men got together and they tried to scare her, wantin' her to leave. They were disguised, and Hank ran out to try to get 'em out of the way of the horses, and he got trampled. He's bleedin' bad. The little girl has a cut on her leg. We need ya in town, and your pa ain't there."

"He's at home," Michaela said quickly. "I'll get my bags."

"I'll stay with the boys," Sully replied.

"You had better come too," Michaela replied. "The boys will be hungry soon." Sully nodded and helped Michaela with her things before he hitched up the wagon. Jake helped Michaela into the wagon while Sully held the boys. Michaela took them into her arms and Sully climbed up and drove the wagon off. Jake mounted his horse and followed quickly behind them.

As they rode, Sully thought about how horrible people could be. He had never been one to judge someone by the color of their skin or their backgrounds. He didn't know how or why people could be so cruel, but apparently it was an ugly part of nature. He had seen discrimination all of his life. Many times, he hadn't been accepted by his own race because of who his family was. The Cheyenne accepted him, no questions asked, because he had been through Hell and back and needed someone. They had become his family, and when white men saw him, they would say he was nothing but a "dirty Injun lover." Those words always made Sully sick, and he was glad that most of the people of Colorado Springs accepted him for who he was.

Michaela's blood was boiling at the thought of what had happened to her friends. She was glad that Hank had jumped in to help Holly and Mary, but she was worried about him too. She knew there was a large possibility that he could die due to injuries sustained during the trampling, but supposed that she should think positively until she could see the extent of the damages for herself. She was sure that Mary would be fine, but she still didn't want to make any judgments until she saw the girl's wound. She was sure she would heal physically, but she wasn't so sure that the emotional wound would ever heal. There would always be a scar. She swore to herself that she would make sure all of her children grew up without discrimination as part of their characters. She knew that Matthew, Colleen, and Brian didn't judge people, but the twins were young and when they would start to grow as they grew older, they would be vulnerable to all of the hate in the world. She hoped that she and Sully could teach their boys as well as Charlotte had taught the older children.

Once they arrived in town, Michaela hurried out of the wagon and into the clinic. Dorothy, Grace, Horace, and Myra were trying to get Hank to wake up as he lay unconscious. Holly was sitting with little Mary. She was holding a bandage to the little girl's leg.

"I've got the bleeding stopped," Holly said softly. Hank's in more serious condition." Horace put his hand on Holly's shoulder. She looked up at him and he smiled down at her nervously. In the past week, she and Horace hadn't done a lot of talking, but Horace was starting to adjust to the idea of Holly having a daughter. He wasn't sure what the future held for their relationship, but he sure hoped they had a relationship left.

"I'll take a look at her leg," Jake offered. Holly and Michaela both looked at him and hesitated. "I'll do it right here so you can supervise." He had a little hint of annoyance in his voice, but he knew that Michaela was worried and needed to deal with Hank first. Michaela nodded and tossed him a bottle of antiseptic. Jake knelt down beside Holly and he looked at Mary. He didn't see a colored child. All he saw was a little girl who needed his help, and he saw the worry on her mother's face. "This might sting a little bit, Mary, but you'll feel much better once it's over with. Okay?" Mary nodded slowly and held onto her mother tightly. Jake took a clean cloth and poured some of the liquid onto it. He pressed it against her leg and she cried out. Michaela looked up from her examination of Hank. Myra was holding his hand, but he was out cold.

"Careful with her," Michaela ordered.

"She's alright," Jake insisted. He lightly dabbed at the wound. The little girl's tears and stopped, and Hank examined the newly cleaned wound. "That ain't so bad. It don't even need stitches. Want me to wrap it for ya anyway?" Mary looked up at Holly who smiled. She looked back at Jake and nodded. Grace walked over to find some clean bandages. She tossed them to Jake and he started to wrap the little girl's hurt leg.

"Thank you," Holly whispered when he was done. Jake nodded and Holly stood up. She wanted to carry her little girl, but Mary held her arms out to Horace. Horace swallowed hard and began to wonder what it would be like to have a daughter. "You want Horace to hold her?" Mary nodded. Holly looked at Horace with question in her eyes. Horace nodded.

"Come here, Mary. Let's go over to Mr. Bray's and get you some candy." Holly followed as Horace carried Mary over to the mercantile.

Meanwhile, Jake was going over to help Myra, Grace, Dorothy, and Michaela with Hank.

"Is he gonna be alright?"

"He's got a few broken ribs," Michaela concluded. "He's had quite a concussion, and if he doesn't wake soon, he may slip into a coma."

"Is he gonna die?" Myra asked with fright in her voice. Michaela swallowed hard. She didn't want to see the devastation in her friend's eyes.

"He still has a chance," she said simply, not wanting to look Myra in the eyes. Myra began to cry, and she leaned over to Hank's ear.

"You gotta fight, Hank. We're getting married, and I don't wanna lose you. Ya gotta fight for me. Can ya dot that? Fight for me!"

Michaela walked out of the clinic once all of the commotion had passed. Sully was sitting on the porch with both of the boys in his arms. Michaela sat down next to him.

"How's Hank doin'?"

"He's still unconscious," Michaela replied softly. "Myra's devastated."

"Is he gonna make it?"

"There's no way of knowing until he starts to show signs of waking up. If he doesn't wake soon, his chance for ever waking up is going to decrease by the hour." Sully sighed heavily. Tears began to fall from Michaela's eyes. "Sully, all the while I was treating Hank, I was thinking . . ."

"About what?"

"What if that had been you? Sully, I don't know what I'd ever do if that was you in there, and I was waiting for a sign of whether you were going to live or die. I couldn't handle it." Sully gathered his sons into one arm and put his free arm around his wife. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his neck.

"Ya don't gotta worry 'bout that," Sully whispered. "Ya ain't gonna lose me, Michaela."

"Nobody can make that promise. There's no way anyone can ever know . . ." Sully kissed Michaela's cheek.

"Look, Michaela," he whispered.

"What?" She pulled away from him. He looked at their boys.

"Just look. Look at Connor and Daniel. Don't you see?"

"See what?" she sobbed.

"Michaela, they're the future. Just lookin' at them lets me know that it's gonna be alright. Michaela, ya can't think 'bout the things that could happen. Ya can't worry 'bout things goin' wrong. Ya gotta enjoy each day as it happens." Michaela dried her tears and looked at the babies.

"You're right," she whispered. "They are our future, Sully. They're the future of this town." Sully nodded and kissed Michaela's forehead. "Thank you for making me see that."

"Just remember that if ya ever need to talk about what you're feelin', I'll always be here." Michaela nodded.

"And I'll always be here for you." Sully kissed Michaela's lips, and a moment later, Connor began to cry. They broke apart and smiled at one another.

"I believe he's hungry," Sully said with a chuckle. Michaela nodded.

"I believe you're right." She picked Connor up and walked inside to feed him as Sully followed behind with a sleeping Daniel nestled safely in his arms.