Chapter 16
Boston
Sunday 14th December, 1873
"Your... your father? Oh dear" said Alex.
"Ya... ya sure he's... dead" Matthew anxiously stuttered.
At that moment they heard the sound of horses coming towards them. As they approached, a man shouted"There he is"
The men reached Matthew and Alex and dismounted. As they came close, Matthew realised that three of them were Army Soldiers, while the fourth man wasn't. With the soldiers there was also a wagon, from which three men dressed in white descended and approached Sully, who was on the ground.
Two of the soldiers pointed their rifles towards Alex and Matthew.
"Lift your hands over your head" said the other soldier, who seemed to be the one in charge.
"Why? We did nothing wrong" said Matthew, as he and Alex raised their hands, as ordered.
"Is it them" the soldier in charge asked the civilian.
"No, I told you they were three men" replied the civilian.
"But is this man one of them" the soldier asked again, pointing towards Matthew.
"No, he's not, I'm sure" replied the civilian.
"OK! Put down your weapons" ordered the soldier, and the others obeyed.
Matthew turned towards the men dressed in white. Two of them were lifting Sully onto what seemed like a strong piece of wood and started carrying him towards the wagon while the third one approached the soldier in charge.
"Lieutenant Rabb" said the man.
"Dr. Walker" said Lt. Rabb"How is he"
"Well, he's still alive, but not for long. My assistants are taking him immediately to hospital" said Peter, as the wagon left.
"Can I go with him" Matthew begged the doctor.
"Do you know him" asked Peter.
"Yeah, he's my father" answered Matthew.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'll do the best I can to save his life. Now we must take him to hospital immediately or he'll surely die. May I borrow one of your soldiers' horses Lt. Rabb" asked Peter.
"Yes, sure" replied Lt. Rabb.
"Thanks" said Peter.
He mounted on a horse and galloped off.
"I need to get to the hospital" said Matthew to Lt. Rabb.
"You can borrow one of our horses as well. We have to be near your father, so that if he wakes up, we can talk to him, and see if he recognized who shot him" replied Lt. Rabb.
"Thanks. I'll go immediately. If he survives I'll want to know who shot him too" said Matthew as he headed towards the last two horses left.
He mounted and helped Alex on the horse behind him.
"This surely wasn't how I imagined to ride a horse for the first time" she said as she was behind Matthew.
"Uhm, sir. Could you tell me what your father's name is, so that I can find his room at hospital" asked Lt. Rabb.
"Byron Sully" replied Matthew.
"The famous carpenter" added Lt. Rabb.
"Yeah. Anythin' else" pressed Matthew, not wanting to loose more time.
"One last thing. Do you want us to inform someone about what happened? Maybe your mother"
"No, my mother is in Colorado. You should tell my grandmother and aunt."
"Write me the address" said Lt. Rabb as he handed Matthew a piece of paper and a pencil.
Matthew wrote down the address and gave it to Lt Rabb.
"Thanks a lot. See you in hospital then Lieutenant" said Matthew, as he rode off.
"Have you found anything" asked Lt. Rabb, turning back to his two soldiers.
"No, we looked around but could find nothing relevant to the firing" replied one of the soldiers.
"I'm going to inform Mr. Sully's family" Lt. Rabb said, as he mounted his horse"while you two go to 'Peter Walker's Hospital', look for Byron Sully, and guard his room, in case someone tries to kill him again."
"Aye aye, sir" replied the soldiers, as Lt. Rabb rode off.
"And what shall I do" asked the man, who had remained there.
"Well, I think you should come with us to the hospital, Mr. Tyner, and wait with us till Mr. Sully wakes up, so that if he knows who fired, you could confirm if he remembered correctly" said one of the soldiers.
"And if he dies" asked Mr. Tyner.
"In that case, we could count only on you since you saw everything, so you have to stay with us for a little while" replied the second soldier.
"Now let's go" said the first soldier.
Colorado Springs
Sunday 14th December, 1873
It was dark at night, and Sully was going home. Three men were waiting for him on a tree, and when he was underneath them, two jumped on him.
The third man descended from the tree after them.
"Lift him off the ground" the third man said, pointing towards the unconscious Sully in front of him.
"John, please, don't do it" said another man to the third one.
"Phil, how many times did I tell you not to ORDER me what to do" shouted John.
Sully stirred in both men's hands an finally opened his eyes, but couldn't see anything in the dark.
"Welcome back to the earth of the living" said John.
"Who are ya" asked Sully, still held securely by John's friends.
"It doesn't make any difference who I am, but if you really want to know, I'm an old friend of Matthew, and if you live, tell him to leave her alone" John replied.
"What do ya want from me" Sully asked again.
"Oh, nothing special...just kill you" said John as he fired his gun straight at Sully's chest.
"NOOOOOOOO" Michaela shouted.
She sat up in bed and realised she'd had a bad dream in the middle of the night, in which Sully was being killed.
There was a knock on the door and then she heard Brian's voice"Ma? Are ya alright"
"Come in Brian" she said, as he entered.
"I heard ya screaming. Are ya all right"
"Yes Brian, I'm fine. Just had a bad dream, that's all"
"'bout Pa right" he asked again.
"Yes, I...I dreamt he was being killed" she replied.
"You just get too anxious whenever he's not here, so don't worry! He's fine. Now try to get back to sleep" said Brian.
"You're right Brian. Thank you for coming" she lied to her son, who left the room.
Now she couldn't sleep any more and kept on tossing and turning in bed. She KNEW something had happened, she could feel it. She wouldn't rest till he was back.
Boston
Sunday 14th December, 1873
Matthew and Alex arrived at the hospital, and after asking where Sully was from the nurse behind a desk at the entrance, they went up the stairs looking for the room indicated to them.
"This is it Mat" Alex said as she stopped in front of a door which had the words 'Waiting Room 2' written on it.
"You're right" he said.
He opened the door and they entered a rather large room. It had chairs against the walls on all four sides, and two tables in the middle of the room with some newspapers on it. Matthew and Alex sat down on two chairs next to each other. He put his arms around her shoulders and she rested her head against him.
"Who would want ta kill him" Matthew sighed.
He was staring straight in front of him, but his mind a million miles away. Alex looked up at him.
"I don't know honey. But they'll catch him, who ever he might be, and he'll pay for this" she replied.
"An' if he dies" he asked again, looking in her eyes.
She could see fear in his eyes, and didn't know what to say to reassure him. After thinking for a long moment, she replied:
"He's your father. He can't die" she kissed his cheek.
Matthew smiled at her for the first time since they found Sully lying on the ground.
"What would I do without ya" he asked as he kissed her tenderly on the lips.
At that moment, footsteps could be heard in the desert corridor. Matthew recognised the sound of these boots.
"That's my Grandma" he shouted, and Elisabeth appeared in the doorway.
"Mat" she said as she entered, followed by Rebecca.
Matthew rose from his chair and so did Alex. He ran to his grandmother and hugged her tightly. It seemed as he'd never let go. Finally she pushed him at arms' length and looked at him.
"What happened" Elisabeth asked.
"I don't know exactly. We just found Pa nearly dead in a pool of blood..." started Matthew.
"Oh I'm sorry it ruined your evening" sighed Elisabeth who had been praying for that night for a long time.
"Oh, but we succeeded in doing what we'd planned. She agreed to marry me" said Matthew as he took Alex's left hand sop as to show them the ring.
Despite the tragic circumstances, both Elisabeth and Rebecca couldn't hold their joy so they burst out laughing and rejoicing, and hugging Alex.
"Welcome in the family my dear! You're the best one he could have found" said Elisabeth as she kissed Alex on the forehead.
"So, what happened next" asked Rebecca after they had all calmed down again.
"Then the soldiers an' the doctors arrived. They brought him here to save him an' we followed them" he answered.
"That's all" asked Rebecca.
"No. I know what really happened to him" interjected Alex, leaving them all open-mouthed.
"How can ya know? You were with me all the time" said Matthew.
"I know that, but while you were talking to the soldiers, I talked to Mr. Tyner, and he told me what he saw" she answered as they all remained standing in the center of the room.
"And what did he see" Elisabeth asked.
"Mr. Tyner said he was walking that road towards home, when he saw three men, one of which was holding a gun. He made some further steps, and realised there was another man kneeling down in front of the one with the gun. Then the man with the gun said something to the one on the ground before him, and then he fired one shot, straight at the chest. The other two men let go of the wounded man, who fell to the ground and started arguing with the shooter. Then one of them checked the pulse of the victim, and they left the scene, abandoning the man lying there. Mr. Tyner went over to the man but didn't recognize him. Yet he realised he was still breathing, so he went to hospital to call for help. On the way he met Lt. Rabb and the two other soldiers, and he told them everything. Then they arrived on the scene, and met us" said Alex, taking a deep breath after her long speech.
"That's horrible" said Rebecca.
Matthew's face had turned red with rage, and his knuckles had turned white. Elisabeth slowly touched his shoulder and smiled at him. They were about to sit down, when Peter appeared at the door.
"Are you here for My. Sully" he asked looking at them.
Matthew went towards him, followed by the others.
"How is he" he asked without answering to the doctor's question.
"Well, the bullet barely touched the heart. He's lost a lot of blood and his heart is very weak! I fear he'll not survive if he doesn't wake up within twenty-four hours" Peter replied, to the others' horror.
"How can ya say that" demanded Matthew, tears forming in his eyes.
"How can you give such a precise time span" added Elisabeth.
"I've seen many, many men in his condition during the three years I spent in war. If they don't wake up twenty-four hours after they're hurt, their brain just stops... and they die" he explained.
"And if he wakes up" asked Rebecca.
"Well, generally they survive, but there is still a great probability that he doesn't survive as well" the doctor said.
"Where is he now? Can we see him" asked Matthew.
"He's being taken to another room upstairs. Follow me" he said as he turned on his heels and started walking in the corridor, followed closely by the others.
"Maybe you should go and tell your mother kid, or do you want me to go tell her" Peter asked, looking at Matthew.
"Thanks for the offer but my Ma lives in Colorado Springs" replied Matthew.
The name seemed to ring a bell in Peter's mind.
"You live there too" he asked.
"I was born there."
"A friend of mine left Boston some years ago and went to work in Colorado Springs" said Peter as they kept on walking.
"Is he still livin' there" asked Matthew curious.
"I never said he! My friend was a woman, a very hard-headed woman" said Peter.
"Yeah, you're right. So, is SHE still livin' there"
"Well, as far as I know she never returned."
"Oh, I surely know her then. What's her name" asked Matthew.
"Dr. Michaela Quinn" replied Peter.
All the others stopped walking, mainly Matthew. Peter looked at him, confused.
"You know her" Peter asked.
"She's my mother" Matthew replied softly.
"Your... your mother" babbled Peter, not believing his ears"But you're some twenty years old, and she only left some nine or ten years ago"
"What's the problem" asked Matthew confused.
"I didn't know she had children before leaving here" replied Peter.
"But she didn't! I was adopted by my moth... by Dr. Michaela Quinn, after she arrived in Colorado Springs" explained Matthew, finally realising what was confusing the doctor.
"And that man isn't your biological father either" asked Peter as they finally reached the corridor leading to Sully's room.
"No, he's my adoptive father, but I have chosen to bear his surname" replied Matthew as they entered a room.
There on a bed, covered with blankets, he saw his father. He approached him while the others remained silent in the doorway. Matthew took Sully's hand in his and squeezed it hard.
"You can't leave me pa, ya know that! I already lost my biological father cause he didn't love me. I know YOU love me pa, and you know I love ya too, that's why ya can't leave me. I need you. Please don't' go" said Matthew as he sank to his knees near the bed, put his head over his and Sully's hand and started sobbing.
Peter Walker gently pulled Elisabeth, who was crying as well, away from the doorway of the room.
"Mrs..." he started.
"Mrs. Elisabeth Quinn. I'm Michaela's mother, and Matthew's Grandma" she replied as they shook hands.
"Pleased to meet you after all these years, even if under such tragic circumstances. I had heard Michaela talk a lot about you, but never had the pleasure of meeting you. Seems she's doing well out there after all! Does she have other children" he asked.
"Dr. Walker, excuse me, but I don't think this is the right moment for us to discuss my daughter's life. Her beloved husband is dying on a bed in your hospital, and I think it's better if we inform her so she comes here immediately! And yes, she has four children and about to have another one, as you'll see when she comes. When does the post office open exactly? I need to send an urgent telegram to her, and also to Colleen" replied Elisabeth.
"Who's Colleen" asked Peter.
"Matthew's younger sister and Brian is the youngest adopted boy. Katie is my daughter's and Sully's biological child. Colleen is in Philadelphia, studying to become a doctor and I need to inform her."
"My daughter is also studying to become a doctor in Philadelphia"
"So when does the Post Office open" asked Elisabeth once again.
"I think at 7 in the morning but I'm not sure. I suggest you go there early and check" he said as Rebecca approached them.
Alex entered in the room, closing the door behind her.
"Yes, that's what I'll do. Dr. Walker, this is my other daughter Rebecca" said Elisabeth.
"Pleased to meet you" said Peter as they shook hands.
"So, what can we do" asked Rebecca.
"Nothing, at least before tomorrow morning when you'll inform Mr. Sully's family" replied Peter"Are you going to spend the night here"
"Well, Matthew will surely remain here, there's no use trying to dissuade him. However, I don't see the need for us to stay here all night. It's better if we go home and wake up early tomorrow and inform Michaela and Colleen" replied Elisabeth.
"But Lt. Rabb told us to remain here till he comes and tells us to leave. I don't know what he wants but it's best to do as he says. After all they tried to kill Sully, and his murderer is still running free" interjected Rebecca.
"Yes, you're right. So, we'll wait for Lt. Rabb to come, then follow his orders. However, I'll inform Michaela and Colleen first thing in the morning. You're sure there's nothing else that can be done Dr. Walker" asked Elisabeth hopefully.
"Yes, I'm sure Mrs. Quinn. That's why I insisted you inform his wife and children" said Peter. "Why don't you sit down and wait till Lt. Rabb arrives? I have more patients to assist but will come immediately if there's any change. Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything. I'll send a nurse to assist Mr. Sully all time. I hope we'll talking to him at this time tomorrow"
Peter Walker left them, and Rebecca and Elisabeth sat down on two of the many chairs placed against the wall in the corridor, opposite the patients' rooms.
"How could Michaela survive this" asked Rebecca worriedly.
"I don't know my dear. I hope she doesn't have to wear black again. He's such a good man. He can't die, as Mat said" sobbed Elisabeth as she dried away some more tears.
In the meantime, in Sully's hospital room, Matthew had sat down on a chair beside his father's bed. Alex was sitting on his lap, with her head resting on his chest. Matthew still had tears in his eyes, and it was breaking Alex's heart to see him like this.
"I think ya should go Alex. Tomorrow there are the exams and I think your parents will be worried if you don't go home. It's past your bedtime" he said teasingly.
"I'm not a baby. They knew I was going to be out with you, so there's nothing to worry about. I hate to leave you here alone" she said.
"I won't be alone. I have him. I have a lot of things to say to him, so don't worry" he said.
"If you insist. You're not coming tomorrow for the exam" she asked as she rose from his lap and he with her.
"You think I could concentrate on a damn exam" he asked.
"I guess you can't. I'll tell the others. I'll come again tomorrow as soon as the exam is finished and even before I go to school if I manage! Try to rest OK? I had a great evening cowboy" she said kissing him tenderly and moved away, only to be caught again from her waist and pulled against his chest.
"I just wish it had finished better" he said, their lips inches away from each other.
"Me too" she said.
She circled his neck with her arms, pulling his head down for a passionate kiss. He took her arms and pulled her up hard against him. Feeling her tongue invade his mouth, he moaned as he sucked on it, bringing a soft cry from her lips. They both had forgotten where they were and all that was around them, lost in a world of their own. But soon they realised that this was neither the place nor the time to push their relationship further, so they finally parted and just looked at each other.
"I'll come as soon as possible Mat, and I'll pray as much as I can" she said, touching his cheek.
"Come when you can and concentrate on your exams. We'll be fine here. He can't die. Say hi to Mary an' Tom" he said.
Alex just nodded and went to the door. She turned to look back at Matthew who had taken his seat once again next to Sully's bed and was once again holding his hand. She smiled, opened the door and went out.
There she met Elisabeth and Rebecca seated on the chairs. They stood up when she approached them.
"How is he my dear" asked Elisabeth.
"He's emotionally destroyed. I don't know what to do to help him" said Alex, tears forming in her eyes.
"There's nothing you can do. Now just go home and rest, because there are exams tomorrow. You can come again after school if you want" replied Elisabeth once again.
"That's what he said. I'll go then. See you tomorrow morning before school hopefully! Have a good night, and I hope Mr. Sully lives" she said.
"Oh, just call him Sully" said Rebecca as they hugged each other.
"Good night Mrs. Quinn, Ms. Quinn" said Alex as she put on her cape, gloves and bonnet and left them.
End of Chapter 16
