Michaela watched as the hills rolled by as the stagecoach raced through the prairie. She knew she had to get away. She had to get to Sully. He wouldn't be coming after her just yet, because he had to get the boys to safety. She knew she'd have to take things into her own hands.
She looked out at the rugged ground. Right now, the coach was racing over rocks and hard ground. The prairie grass was surrounding them, but if Michaela were to jump, she'd surely injure herself seriously. All Michaela could think about as she sat on the floor and against the wall of the stagecoach was her husband and children. She knew that Sully was going to come after her as soon as he knew the boys were safe. She hoped to God that wouldn't take long. Right now, her captor was heading away from Colorado Springs. It was getting dark, and Michaela knew that it wouldn't be long before they'd have to stop. Perhaps she'd try to escape then. But then again, he could feel bold and try to kill her.
Michaela felt her shoulder starting to throb with pain. When the man had shoved her back into the cab of the stagecoach, she had hit her shoulder on the edge of one of the seats.
She put her hand to it and that pressure seemed to ease a little of the pain. She was clutching her medical bag tightly as her mind raced with thoughts of what the man was planning to do with her.
Before she had much time to think of an escape plan, the stagecoach came to a halt and she heard the man walking around to open the door. She prepared herself for a fierce, angry man who was going to try to take advantage of her, kill her, and throw her body away like an old shirt.
"Millicent!" he exclaimed. Millicent? Who was Millicent? Once he opened up the door, his eyes shone with tears and his mouth curled up in a smile.
"Get away from me!" Michaela exclaimed, pulling her legs up and hugging them to her chest while her arms locked firmly around them. She felt like a cornered raccoon.
"Millicent! They told me you died in that fire, but I didn't believe 'em!"
"Who are you?" Michaela asked, the tears flowing freely from her eyes.
"Millicent Luther? Don't you remember your own husband? Don't you remember your David?" So the man's name was David Luther. He was a man of middle age. He was rugged but kind looking. He didn't look like a kidnapper.
"I'm sorry if I frightened ya, darlin'," he whispered. "I didn't mean to get so rough, but I had to get ya away from 'im. I knew ya didn't die. I knew it was a conspiracy and they took ya away from me. Oh, darlin', I can't believe I found ya." Michaela swallowed hard. This man truly believed she was his dead wife.
"Please, I'm not who you think I am. My name is Michaela Sully. I . . . I have a husband and five children."
"Millicent, you don't have to be afraid no more. We're gonna be together again. I've built us a new home, and we'll be there tomorrow. Tonight, we gotta sleep 'round the campfire." Michaela swallowed hard and watched as David extended a hand to her. "Come on out now. I'll build us a fire, and we'll be on the road by mornin'." Michaela decided that for now, she'd get out of the stagecoach and stretch her legs. She accepted his grimy hand and he pulled her out. He leaned down to kiss her, but she jerked her head away. "It's alright, Millicent. I understand. Those bastards musta put you through a lot. I won't kiss ya till you're ready." Michaela pulled away and gripped her medical bag close to her. "What ya got there?"
"They're my medical supplies."
"Medical supplies? Are ya sick?"
"No!" Michaela exclaimed. She was about to yell out that she was a doctor, but she realized that perhaps it would be better if she kept quiet about it. Maybe she'd be safer if she played along and pretended to be his wife. As long as he didn't try anything with her, she'd be able to suffer through being away from her family long enough for him to fall asleep.
Unfortunately for Michaela, there was already a supply of firewood on the stagecoach, and she guessed that the drivers had stored it in case they had a broken wheel and had to stop for the night.
Michaela had hoped that he'd trust her to stay put long enough to find firewood, but unfortunately he didn't have to go anywhere. David got the fire started right away, and he set out a few blankets and pillows to sleep upon. Michaela felt sorry for him in some way, because he honestly believed that she was his dead wife. She knew grief could do powerful things, but she didn't know that it could actually cause someone to go into such deep denial that reality could become distorted.
David smiled at Michaela as she paced around the campfire with her medical bag in her hands. Her mind was racing a mile a minute, and the wheels were turning, trying to figure out a way to get away from him. He was harmless to her, but she knew that if she messed with his head, he could turn on her. He was obviously insane with grief.
She thought about everything he had said to her. Trust. He wanted her to trust him. That was it! He had said earlier that he wouldn't kiss her or anything until she was ready for him to. Perhaps this was her chance!
"David?" she asked with a smile, running her fingers through her hair.
"Yeah, darlin'?" he asked, poking around at the burning logs with a long stick.
"I think I hear a stream nearby. I'm going to go freshen up."
"I'll come with ya. These woods are dangerous. There are bears 'round."
"It's November. The bears are hibernating," Michaela replied softly. She smiled. "Besides, I'd like you to wait for me." She gave him the best suggestive look she could give him under the pressure she was feeling. A knowing look came over David Luther's face.
"Oh. Are you sure, darlin'? You must be tired."
"I'm sure. I've missed you so much since those men took me," she whispered innocently.
"Alright, well you don't take too long. If you ain't back in five minutes, I'm gonna come lookin'. I worry 'bout ya, darlin'."
"I'll be alright," Michaela promised.
"You be careful. I love ya, Millicent." Michaela swallowed back the lump in her throat. But, she had to be convincing.
"I love you too, David," she squeaked out. David gave her a proud grin and began to unbutton his shirt. Michaela shivered with disgust, and hurried toward a stream she had pretended to hear.
As she walked in the complete darkness of the cold forest, she thought about Sully. What was he doing now? How were the twins? She thought about her children back home. She hoped that they were doing alright, and she prayed that they were being well taken care of. Grace and Robert E. had promised to look after them. But, Matthew liked to be in charge when he had the chance. She knew now that he was going to do so more often. Before Josef had left for Boston, he had given Matthew an envelope, leaving him the new homestead he had built for himself and Elizabeth. However, he had told his grandson that he could only move in once he was married, and once he was old enough to be a husband and a homeowner.
Michaela's breath began to quicken, as the night air grew colder. She wasn't sure how far she was away from David's campsite, but when she turned around, she couldn't see the glow of the flames. She turned back in the direction she was heading and began to run, tears starting to fall again. She needed to get home, and she had no idea which direction home was in.
"Sully," she cried out in a whisper. She stumbled and fell, and she could feel the blood start to trickle out of a tiny cut on her knee. She sat down in a pile of dead leaves and leaned against a tree. Her hand moved to Sully's beautiful locket around her neck. She held it tightly in her hands until she thought it was going to make a permanent impression. "Sully. Please find me. Oh God, please find me!" She closed her eyes tightly as a lone wolf howled up at the moon.
Sully's eyes flew open. He had just managed to drift off to sleep after having dealt with two hungry, crying babies for the past hour. He hadn't wanted to see shelter, but he had to do it for the sake of his sons. He had to get them back to Colorado Springs before he went after Michaela. He only hoped that it wouldn't be too late.
He had sought shelter in an old shack that had obviously not been lived in for decades. The boys were sleeping side-by-side on a bed while Sully slept in another bed across the room. Everything was silent, but something inside told Sully that he wasn't completely alone. He had heard her voice. She was calling for him, and he knew it. For one brief moment, her soul had reached out and connected to his.
His heart was pounding, and he could almost feel her hand touching his chest above his heart. He took a few gasps of air and wiped the sweat off of his forehead. He crept out of the shack and looked up at the pale full moon. The clouds were partially covering it, causing a hazy ring to circle around it.
"Michaela!" he screamed out, falling to his knees, wishing he had been able to protect her. "I'll find you! I swear I'll find you!" Hot tears began to flow from Sully's eyes, and he felt like something was clutching him around the throat, cutting off his air supply. Michaela was as necessary to him as oxygen, and without her, he felt as if he couldn't breathe. She was everything to him; a part of him. Why did she have to be taken from him now?
Sully pounded the ground with his fists, crying out in frustration. He needed her. He hated not knowing where she was, what kind of person she was with, and if she was safe.
The sound of one of his sons brought him out of his fit. He sucked in a deep breath and rushed into the shack to pick up Connor. He carried him outside and sat down against the side of the shack. He pulled the boy close and just being next to his father's heart calmed the boy.
"I'm gonna find your ma, son," Sully vowed. "I'm gonna find her, and I'm gonna bring her back to us." After a few minutes, Sully stood and carried Connor back into the shack, put him down to sleep, and crawled back into the empty bed on the other side of the room. He tossed and turned, not being able to get Michaela's beautiful face out of his mind. He couldn't help but hear her screaming for him as that stagecoach rolled away. That bloodcurdling, ear-splitting scream sent chills down his spine.
Sully closed his eyes tightly, trying desperately to get those horrible thoughts out of his mind. He thought hard, needing the good memories to come to him. His memory of their first kiss came rushing back to him like a tidal wave.
"Stop for a second," he said quietly. Michaela stopped and turned to Sully. He buttoned the buttons to his jacket so the cold air couldn't get to Michaela. He buttoned them slowly, working from the bottom up, and his eyes locked on hers as he did so. Michaela's breaths became quickened and short. She felt faint and wonderful all at the same time as his eyes looked into her soul. She began to shiver even more. "You're shakin'." His hand found hers and he could feel that they were freezing. "We better get you home." After a few minutes, Michaela looked away.
"You're not moving."
"Neither are you," Sully whispered. Again, the world seemed to disappear, and both Michaela and Sully felt as if they were floating on a cloud. Sully had never felt like this with Abagail, but he was younger then. He was foolishly in love. Yes, he loved Abagail, but there was something about Michaela that made his heart pound and his knees to become weak.
Michaela could feel her knees starting to become weak as well, and a moment later, Sully was leaning into her. She closed her eyes, knowing what was coming.
"Oh Sully," she whispered. A moment later, the gap between them was gone and Sully's lips were pressed softly against Michaela's. The feeling was the most electrifying Michaela had ever felt. A few seconds passed, and Sully's soft lips pulled away from hers. For a moment, Michaela thought he was going to turn from her, but he leaned down to press another kiss to her lips, this one much shorter. The silence that followed seemed to last an eternity, but Sully took Michaela's hand and led her toward home.
Tears flooded Sully's eyes again, and he blinked them away. He could feel his lips tingling from that beautiful kiss. He wished he could reach out to her and lead her home again, but he didn't know where she was. He knew that the first place he was going to go once he got the boys to safety, was the place Michaela had been kidnapped at. He was going to get Wolf and make sure he could follow her scent.
"I'll find you," Sully whispered, holding his hand over his heart as he drifted off into a dreamless sleep. "I'll find you Michaela, or I'll die trying."
The wind was starting to howl through the trees of the forest. Michaela could hear the whistling, and she could hear the rustling of the leaves as they blew about in every which direction.
"Millicent!" came the desperate voice of David Luther. Michaela sucked in a sharp breath and held it, not wanting to be heard. She sobbed silently into her hands as she heard his footsteps approaching. "Millicent! Where are ya, darlin'?!" His voice was desperate and full of worry. "Oh darlin', answer me!" Michaela's foot slipped out and snapped a twig on accident. She knew that she'd been found as soon as David's voice stopped. She heard the pace of his steps increasing in the dead leaves. A moment later, he came into view and saw her. "Millicent! What on earth happened to ya?!" She wanted to knock him out cold and run for dear life, but she had no idea where she was going. She also had no guarantee that he'd stay unconscious long enough for her to get far away.
"I . . . I got lost," she whispered.
"Well, come with me. I heard coyotes not far from here. We best keep movin' till mornin', darlin'." Michaela couldn't make a sound now. She only nodded and submissively followed her oblivious captor toward the campsite, wishing and praying that Sully would find her now and lead her home. "They didn't hurt ya did they?" Michaela swallowed hard and managed to squeak out an answer.
"No. I'm fine, my love." She hoped that David's late wife used 'my love' when she spoke to him. Obviously she did because David didn't bat an eye at those words.
"I'm so glad to have you back. I knew all along. The house just burnt up too quickly. Well, it don't matter no more. You're here, and we're finally back together." Michaela swallowed hard and felt the pain in her knee from falling start to throb. Her shoulder had a dull ache, and she knew that she must look hideous with scratches, dirt, and bruises. She wondered how this man could be so grief-stricken to think that she was his late wife. Perhaps she had some sort of resemblance to the late Millicent Luther, but she couldn't pretend to be his wife for much longer. It just wouldn't do.
"How long have we been apart?"
"You poor thing. You musta been through a lot. It's been a year, darlin'. Last November, our friends and family told me that God took you away from me. We buried you, and I grieved, but I knew all along that it just wasn't true." Michaela shook her head, feeling pity for the man who had taken her. She knew he wasn't a danger to her now. He was kind and loving, but she couldn't let herself feel too sorry for him. She couldn't let her emotions cloud her judgment. She had to get out of his grasp as soon as possible so she could return to the man and children she loved and couldn't live without.
Once they reached the campsite, David quickly put out the fire and Michaela stood beside the stagecoach, holding her medical bag close to her. She waited for David to walk over, hoping that his mood wouldn't change and he'd decide to have his way with her. But, he simply walked over, opened up the stagecoach door, and helped her inside. Michaela sat on one of the seats, tears filling her eyes.
"Don't ya worry now, Millicent. You rest now, and it'll all be better in the mornin'." He shut the door and got up onto the driver's seat. A moment later, the horses were pulling around and starting off in the same direction they had been heading earlier. Michaela felt her hope start to fade as they continued on away from Colorado Springs. But, she saw her chance and decided to take it. As soon as the stagecoach had picked up enough speed, it was rattling along so loudly that no other sounds could be heard. Michaela knew this was her only chance to escape. She had to take it. She gripped her medical bag firmly in one hand, slowly opened the door to the stagecoach, and looked out at what she was about to jump onto. The ground was rough and rocky, and she knew she was going to be in a bit of pain, but she had to take that risk.
She held her breath and closed her eyes tightly. A moment later, she was leaping out of the fast-racing stagecoach. She hit the ground with a sickening thud and rolled down a hill, tumbling over a few jagged rocks. She bit back her screams of pain until the stagecoach was out of earshot. She had escaped without David knowing, and she hoped she'd never have to see him again.
Once she reached the bottom of the hill, she felt herself badly bruised, scratched, and bleeding. She could feel something broken in her arm, and she cried out as she tried to sit up, leaning on her arm. She cradled it gently and knew that she was going to have to make herself a sling.
She began to cry as the night grew very quiet. The only sound was that of the crickets and of her hitching sobs. She put her medical bag to the side and opened it up with her good arm. She took out some bandage scissors and tore away part of her petticoat. She worked with her free hand and her mouth, and eventually fashioned some sort of a sling. One she had the sling around her neck, she gathered a few sticks that were next to her. She put them inside of the sling to work as a splint. She felt her arm, and she knew there was a fracture she'd have to set.
Her cries were heard in the middle of the night as she bit down on a twig and set her broken arm.
Her face was covered in blood, sweat, and tears as she tried her hardest to stand. Her ankle was sprained, however, and she was bleeding from several cuts to her arms and legs. She knew she wouldn't be able to get far at all tonight, but she had to try to find shelter in order to protect herself from the elements.
Slowly, she pulled herself up and began to walk up the hill, every muscle in her body aching and throbbing as she ventured on. Her heart kept her going, though. She kept thinking back to every wonderful moment she and Sully shared, and that was what kept her focused on her journey home.
Once she reached the top of the hill, she tried to think of which way they had come from. Once she was sure she had that direction calculated correctly, she started off, hoping for a miracle, and hoping that she and her husband would be reunited.