Chapter 14
Boston
Friday 12th December, 1873
It was seven o'clock in the evening when Karl finally arrived home. His friends were still waiting for him.
"Where have you been" asked John as soon as Karl entered the living room where his friends were reading.
"I've been following Mr. Sully" replied Karl.
"But you've been out for nearly 4 hours! Where did he go" asked Philip.
"He left the house and went towards a Jeweler's with another man. There he spent nearly an hour, trying on rings, until he chose one..."
"It was for him" asked Philip.
"What difference does it make to you" asked John angrily"Go on."
"Then he got out and bumped into Matthew and another gentleman..."
"... Tom Wilson" interrupted John.
"Yes, whatever. They were both surprised to see each other, especially Matthew, whose surprise turned to great delight. Mr. Sully explained that he's here for the party and wanted to make Matthew a surprise. Then they went inside the shop again, where Matthew and that... Tom... bought a ring each. Then Tom left the group, and Mr. Sully, Matthew and the other man went towards Mrs. Quinn's home. They entered, and I came here" finished Karl as he sat down.
"Do you think he'll propose" asked Philip.
"Who" asked John.
"Matthew? Well, he did buy the ring" suggested Karl.
"Yes, I think he'll take the stupid step after all" replied John gritting his teeth.
"Don't tell me you'll really kill Byron Sully" asked Karl frightened.
"Of course! Why do you think I'd take all this trouble" replied John.
"It's silly to kill Byron, John! He did nothing wrong after all! If you really want to kill someone that should be Matthew. He's the one you want, even if, after all, he did nothing wrong, except falling in love with Alex..."
"... and you call that NOTHING WRONG" shouted John as he rose from the sofa and pointed a gun towards Philip, who remained petrified in his seat. "He fell in love with MY lady, and that is a reason enough for me to kill him. And don't you dare tell me again what to do, heard me"
"Ye... yes" replied Philip shaking terribly, with the gun still pointed towards his chest.
John finally put the gun back inside his coat and sat down.
"Tomorrow, Byron will be dead, and then we'll see what Matthew decides" said John.
"And... and if... he refuses... to let Alex go" asked Karl.
"Then he'll die as well."
Colorado Springs
Friday 12th December, 1873
The bell in the middle of town was ringing violently, announcing an important urgent matter to be discussed. The town gathered round Jake, who had been the one ringing the bell.
"Hello folks, thanks for comin'" Jake greeted them.
"What happened" asked Loren, guiding the Reverend towards the rest of the group.
"We need ta discuss this year's Christmas celebrations" answered Jake.
"So, where do we start" asked Hank.
"From the service on Christmas Eve" replied the Reverend.
"So, does everyone agree to hold the usual service at midnight, with Grace's singing" asked Jake.
"Yes! Yes" replied all the others.
"An' the party afterwards? I can prepare the food with Christine an' Noella's help" replied Grace.
"Yes Grace, we'll do the party as usual. Thanks a lot" replied Dorothy.
"An' the town's Christmas Tree" asked Brian.
"Sully usually cut the tree an' I helped him, but he's not here, so I could cut it this time, with someone's help" said Robert E.
"I could help ya" said Horace.
"Great, so that's settled as well" said Jake"An' will we gather round the tree to sing carols on Christmas Eve"
"Why don't we move the Carols' singing from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day? In that way, we'll have some time to spend together on Christmas day as well, since we usually rather spend the day at home with our families. I suggest we all meet here near midnight, so that we sing the carols to celebrate the end of Christmas Day" suggested Michaela.
"I agree" said Brian.
"Me too! It's a great idea" said Theresa.
"Ya all agree? Fine! So everythin's settled! Come on! Let's get to work" said Jake, as the whole town returned to its chores.
Michaela returned to the clinic, sat down at her desk, and soon fell asleep, till Brian woke her up.
"Ma... ma" he said as he shook her shoulders"Wake up"
Michaela stirred and opened her eyes facing Brian.
"Oh... I must have dozed off" she said as she lifted her head from the table.
"Ma are ya alright? You're sleeping a lot lately. Some friends of mine said that their parents called at the clinic some days ago, but no-one opened for them, so they left. I'm sure ya were here, but fell asleep and didn't hear the knockin' on the door right" asked Brian.
"I... I don't know sweetie. If I hear the knocking I open, so I guess I didn't hear any" replied Michaela.
"Ma, if ya're that tired ya should go home an' sleep in your bed, and tell Andrew to stay at the clinic, or call Dr. Cassidy" suggested Brian.
"Brian, I'm fine, and there's no need for me to leave the clinic" she answered"So, you wanted to tell me something"
"Yeah. Pa's sent a telegram sayin' he arrived safe an' sound in Boston."
"Oh great! Thanks for telling me" replied Michaela as there was a knock on the door. "Brian, could you please check who's knocking"
Brian opened the door and Grace entered.
"Hello Brian, Michaela" said Grace as she sat down opposite Michaela.
"Good afternoon, Grace" replied Brian as he closed the door.
"Hello Grace. You're here for your check-up, aren't you" Michaela asked.
"Yeah. It's today right" Grace wondered.
"Yes, yes. Don't worry" replied Michaela as she rose from her chair and went towards the cabinet where she kept her patients' files.
"I'm goin' home then! Shall I take Katie with me" asked Brian.
"Oh yes please. She's sleeping in a room upstairs. I'll be home at the usual time. See that you study" said Michaela as Brian left the room to fetch his sister.
Boston
Friday 12th December, 1873
He knocked on the door and entered as soon as he heard his father say"Come in."
"Hello, did I wake ya up" asked Matthew upon seeing Sully in bed.
"No, I had just got in bed. Ya wanted something" asked Sully as he sat up.
"Yeah. Ya said ya wanted ta talk to me 'bout the fact that I changed my surname, in your last letter" replied Matthew as he sat down on the bed.
"But, Mat, do ya think that eleven o'clock at night is the right time to deal with such a matter" asked Sully amazed.
"Yeah, I think it's the right time. We've been waitin' for too long" replied Matthew stubbornly.
Sully realised that he had been waiting long for this moment too. So he prepared to ask his questions, and solve the matter once and for all.
"OK then. So...can ya tell me how come ya took that decision? Ya didn't seem as part of the family till ya left for here. Ya asked me ta start buildin' the house for ya, showin' ya wanted ta live on our own, and ya even refused ta let me build a room for ya at the new home! Ya never called your mother 'ma' or me 'pa' till before ya left. It seems ta me ya changed over the night. Can ya explain that ta me Mat" asked Sully.
"The answer to all your questions is very simple! The opportunity presented itself for me to get rid of Ethan for ever, and I took advantage" replied Matthew.
"But WHY did ya do it? How is it that one day ya wanted to get away from home, and the followin' day ya change your surname to mine" asked Sully more confused.
"I always disliked Ethan for what he did to me, Brian an' Colleen, abandoning us when we needed him! He never took care of us, never. I thought he had returned to stay, or take us ta San Francisco, only to see that he only stole the church's money! I was ashamed of him. Then when Alex told me that I could change my surname, I just did it! I thought you'd be happy"
"But I AM happy Mat. It's just...I still don't understand why ya treated us in that way! Ya didn't want to be part of the family"
"At first, I didn't want to be part of the family, or that ya an' ma adopted me legally like ya did with Brian an' Colleen, but then at Colleen's wedding I changed my mind. I realised that I felt at home with ya and ma, as if we were really your children. I realised that Brian an' I had started to look like ya in our character, and Colleen ta look like ma! So I said ta myself, 'Why am I always tryin' ta get away when they love me as if I was their real son, just as ya do with Colleen an' Brian?' So I decided ta stay with ya at home and consider ya as my REAL parents. Ya were the ones always there for me, an' no one else. Ya were there to help me an' guide me, even if I was too proud to admit it. Ya always took care of Brian an' Colleen as their real father when they most needed ya. An' then Colleen asked ya to take her to the altar, even if Ethan had showed up, which he didn't, making me more ashamed. At that moment I realised that she had already gotten rid of him, an' that I should do the same for Brian's sake! Even if he thought I was bein' cruel to Ethan! Since I'm here, I miss ya terribly. I look forward ta reading ma's letters tellin' me what ya're doin' at home, and readin' Brian's point of view of what happens to him! I...I realised I have a family that I love very much back home" replied Matthew clearing his throat"An' I was lookin' for a way ta thank ya! And' changin' my surname seemed ta me as the best present of love an' gratitude! I was ashamed ta say I was Ethan's son. I was ashamed ta say who my biological father really was to Alex an' her father. It was horrible ta say that he had abandoned me, my brother an' sister, an' that I was been' taken care of by strangers! I'm proud ta say I'm YOUR son, not just because ya're now very famous in all the country, but because of who ya are, because of what makes ya the Byron Sully I grew to love as my father."
Both Matthew and Sully remained silent for a while, each realising what had been said in the last fifteen minutes.
Finally, without warning they both hugged each other, with tears trickling down their cheeks.
"I'm proud ta have ya as my son too Mat" said Sully as he looked into Matthew's eyes.
"How come ya bought yourself a wedding ring" asked Matthew.
"Oh I met a man on a train an' he showed me that I was silly not ta wear one" replied Sully as he looked at the ring he already wore on his left hand.
"Have ya told ma 'bout it" asked Matthew.
"I'll tell her as soon as I get home."
"Good" replied Matthew as he rose from the bed"I have ta go cause I don't want ta be tired for tomorrow's exam."
"So, ya're gonna get engaged tomorrow" asked Sully, forcing Matthew to stop in his tracks.
"How do ya know" asked Matthew surprised as he sat once again on the bed.
"Oh well, I had a little talk with your grandmother. She told me that yesterday ya had given her permission ta tell your family, of which I am a part" replied Sully.
"Oh yeah, I had, cause I thought that before she writes ta ya I would have already proposed to Alex, and tell ya myself in a letter, before she does. Who would have imagined ta find ya here the followin' day" replied Matthew.
"Well, come on, tell me! When shall I meet her"
"Tomorrow mornin'. She's always here in the mornin' waitin' for me ta get ready"
"Oh I see. Always late huh? So, how are ya gonna propose? Any ideas"
"Yeah sure. So first we go..." started Matthew, explaining how he would propose to Alex.
Colorado Springs
Friday 12th December, 1873
"So, how is it" Dorothy asked, as he finished reading the script in his hand.
"Good, as usual. So, what's next" Cloud Dancing asked back.
"Oh, the book's nearly finished. Only the final chapter is left. You just have to tell me 'bout the future" she replied, ready with the paper and pencil.
"But I don't know anything about the future" he replied.
"What do you think will be the Cheyenne's future" she asked again.
"Well, last week I went to visit some friends of mine in their reservation nearby, and I was shocked by what I saw. They all lived in houses like yours and wore the white man's clothes. Children all went to school, and educated by white men! The ladies were thought how to sew and cook on your stoves and the men trained to work the fields and build houses, and other things. They are all thought how to read and write. The government is planning to turn the reservations into small towns of Indians once the people are 'civilized', as they say, leaving only some two or three soldiers to act like Sheriffs! The soldiers in every reservation have decreased a lot, and the two parties talk on more friendly terms. My people are being turned into white men" he explained, showing his anger towards the army.
"It's a fantastic news" cried Dorothy, to which Cloud Dancing remained open mouthed"It's great to see your people finally finding a good way of surviving and living. You'll finally have your own villages, an' be free in them. You'll..."
"But don't you understand" he cut her short, rising from where he sat"They are destroying us! Where is our nature, our history, our traditions? Where is our faith in the spirits? Where's our culture, built over thousands of years? We're not Indians any more, but just white men! You are turning us into beasts like you..."
"... we are not beasts" she shouted.
"I thought you loved me for what I am" he whispered after a while.
She remained silent for a few moments.
"I do love ya for what you are, but ya can't keep on living like an Indian for the rest of your life"
"And you say you love me for what I am"
"Yes, I do! Why don't you leave your teepee an' come an' live in a normal house in town, sleep under a proper roof, in a proper bed. I'm not telling you to stop wearing your native clothes, or to stop believing in the spirits or..."
"... why don't YOU leave your home and work, and come to live here with me in a teepee"
"You're asking me to abandon all my life's work to come into this wilderness to... to freeze to death! You're bein' insane" she replied shocked.
"And you're telling me to forget I've been a Cheyenne all my life and become a white man? Who's being insane now"
"You! Ya could grow crops like ya used to do at the reservation, an' sell it ta Loren, so as to earn your living"
"I already earn my living. As you can see, I'm still alive" he scolded.
"You are not living, you're surviving! For how long do you think you'll survive out here alone? I'm trying to save your life"
"No" he said, looking into her eyes"You're trying to turn a wild tiger into a domestic cat."
He exited her office, mounted his horse, and rode off. She followed him, but when she exited the room, he had disappeared.
This didn't go unnoticed, especially by Loren, who was coming towards her.
"Is everythin' all right, Dorothy?' he asked as he reached her.
"Yeah, don't worry" she said as she turned to go inside.
"It didn't seem ta me" he said"Ya can tell me ya know"
She looked at him and started wondering if he was the right person to whom she should confide her worries. After what had happened at Colleen's wedding, she had started to realise that maybe Loren didn't hate Cloud Dancing that much any more, since he let them dance together.
"Come in, I'll tell ya" she said as they both entered and she closed the door behind her.
"What's the problem" he asked as he sat down.
"I'm trying to convince him to leave his teepee an' come an' live in town, an' to start living like all the rest of us do. He could earn his living growin' crops so that he wouldn't..." she started.
"... Dorothy" he interrupted her"You're trying to turn him into a white man, but ya can't! He's a Cheyenne, an' he'll always be one! This was never a problem to ya! What happened? Why do ya suddenly want him to change his life, his existence"
She remained silent. How could she answer his question? She wasn't sure of the answer herself.
"So" he asks again.
"Well, I love him Loren, an' I think ya know that. But... we can't be together. We come from two different worlds that have nothin' in common with each other"
"I know another couple who come from two different worlds, yet it seems no-one stood in their way"
"Oh, but Sully an' Michaela are unique! For me and Cloud Dancing it's different"
"Ya really think so? Think 'bout it carefully before ya say that! Or are ya afraid of what would be the town's reaction to your relationship"
She remained silent once again, as she realised Loren was right. She wanted Cloud Dancing to change because she wanted him to be accepted by the town as the one she loves.
"You're right. I'm afraid of what the town will say" she said.
"Ya know... I used ta hate him... because ya loved him. But he's very kind hearted, and if he's the one that makes ya happy, so be it! Whatever the others may say, don't mind them! Do what your heart tells ya to do! If ya want to live with him, then do it! Who'll stop ya? An' then, remember, that ya'll always have friends ta support ya! Ya aint alone round here" he said reassuringly.
"You're right again. I'll have ta talk to him soon" she said.
"I'd say immediately" he said as he grabbed her coat and hat and handed them to her.
"I agree" she said as she put her coat on and opened the door.
After mounting her horse, she turned round and looked at Loren who was standing in the doorway of her office.
"Thanks, Loren. I owe it to ya if everythin' goes well" she said as she rode off.
End of Chapter 14
