Chapter Two
The door to the new clinic was wide open as Michaela swept out the dirt and dust that had collected upon the floors. She'd already cleaned up all of the furniture, and after having explored the fully furnished rooms upstairs, she realized that all she really needed to do was send for the medical supplies she'd left in Boston and order a desk and an examination table.
Overall, she was happy with her clinic, and she couldn't wait to have everything fixed up. The first thing she needed to do was get the boards off of the windows. Reverend Johnson hadn't had time to do that himself, so he was sending Robert E. over to help out later on.
Michaela had been quite pleased with herself when she made it back to town on her own, and a part of her couldn't wait to get back to the Sully homestead for dinner that evening. He had three beautiful and happy children, and he was quite interesting to talk to. She could already tell that they were going to be friends, though she'd never really had a friend of the opposite sex before. She didn't know him well at all, but something made her feel as if she could trust him. His children obviously loved him very much, and though he wasn't even their real father, they had certainly made a cozy home for themselves.
"Hi Dr. Mike!" Colleen exclaimed, rushing into the clinic. Michaela turned with surprise to see Sully's daughter.
"Colleen! What are you doing here?"
"Pa said to tell ya that Brian's all better now."
"That's wonderful! But, how did you get into town?"
"Abby's watchin' us," she explained.
"Who's Abby?"
"That's me," came a soft voice from the doorway. Michaela looked up to see a very pretty young woman with hair as black as the night standing in the doorway with little Brian in her arms.
"Me and Matthew only get to call her Abby," Colleen pointed out. "'Course her Pa does too." Michaela smiled.
"I'm Dr. Quinn," Michaela said, walking over to shake the young woman's hand. As she stepped closer, she could see that the girl couldn't have been more than sixteen.
"Abagail Bray," the girl responded. "Since everything happened with their ma, I try to take the kids out for picnics when I can. So after school, I went by to pick 'em up. Sully told me that you're going for supper tonight. He asked me if the kids could spend the night with me, my ma and my pa." Michaela couldn't help but sense a hint of jealousy in Abagail's voice as she talked about the dinner invitation that Sully had offered to the new doctor. This obviously went unnoticed to the children, and Michaela decided not to dwell on it.
"He did?" Michaela asked. Suddenly, she felt very uneasy.
"'Cept for me," Colleen explained. "He promised I could stay for dinner 'cause I wanna know more about bein' a lady doctor." Michaela breathed a sigh of relief knowing that she wouldn't be all alone with the ruggedly handsome stranger.
"Well, c'mon kids. We best get goin' if we want Grace's fried chicken to still be hot."
"Yeah. C'mon, Colleen," Matthew whined.
"I'm comin'!" the girl exclaimed.
"The kids say everybody's callin' ya Dr. Mike. Ya don't mind them callin' ya a boy's name?" Abagail asked.
"Not at all. Mike is short for Michael, and I'm Michaela. My father calls me Mike from time to time as well." She smiled warmly, but Abagail seemed irritated that Michaela didn't respond negatively or seem upset by her question. The young doctor wondered if Abagail seemed threatened by her, but she couldn't think of any reason for her to feel such a way.
"I ain't hungry," Colleen blurted out.
"What?" Abagail wondered. "I ain't never heard you say 'no' to Grace's chicken before."
"I wanna stay and help Dr. Mike," Colleen insisted. Abagail glanced at Michaela, and a small smile appeared.
"If it's alright with Dr. Mike." Colleen looked up at Michaela with big, pleading eyes. How could she resist?
"Well, if you'd like to help me, I was going to go straighten up the rooms upstairs."
"I know my way around! I used to live here before we moved in with Pa. Our ma ran the boardin' house." Michaela's eyes went wide. Charlotte Cooper ran this place.
"Charlotte was your mother?"
"Yep," Matthew replied. "I bet she'd like you livin' here. You're real nice."
"Well, are you sure you're alright with my staying here?" Michaela asked, not wanting to make the children feel sad about their mother and the fact that she now owned the place where they used to live and share happy memories with Charlotte.
"Sure," Matthew replied. "Our ma always said that bein' angry about dyin' ain't gonna fix nothin'. She even said it 'fore she died."
"Matthew," Colleen muttered under her breath. "Don't." Michaela witnessed the glance between the brother and sister, and she realized that little Colleen was still taking this all very hard. She was sure that Matthew was still upset, but he was obviously learning to cope a lot better, and with being a little older than Colleen, that was understandable. He had gotten seven good years with his mother, while Colleen had only gotten four. It had to be difficult! Michaela had never lost a parent, but she had seen what losing one or both parents did to a child, and these poor children were left without anyone except for Sully. Poor little Brian would never remember his mother, but the older children would remember her, and her death would forever be in their memories.
Michaela sensed that she should say something else before Colleen became upset.
"Well, Colleen, if you'd like to stay, I'd be more than happy to have your help." Colleen's face brightened.
"Okay!"
"Matthew, do you still want to go on the picnic?" Abagail wondered.
"Are you kiddin'? I wouldn't miss Grace's cookin' for nothin'!" Abagail grinned and shifted Brian in her arms. She looked back up at Michaela with a more friendly smile upon her face.
"Nice to meet ya, Dr. Mike," the girl said quietly. "Come on, Matthew." She took his hand.
"Nice to meet you," Michaela called after her. "Don't worry. I'll see that Colleen gets home to Sully safely." Abagail shut the door as she left, and Michaela looked down at Colleen.
"That's Mr. Bray's daughter."
"Who's Mr. Bray?"
"He runs the mercantile down the street. He's got lots of candy, and Matthew always eats too much." The little girl giggled. "But, Abagail helps Pa by watchin' us when he wants to go out to the reservation to see Cloud Dancin'. He didn't wanna leave Brian, but we told him that he should go now so he'd be back in time for supper." Michaela smiled at the little girl's honesty. "Pa trusts her, and he pays her a quarter every time she takes us to a picnic. Her pa wants her to save the money she gets, 'cause he's plannin' to send her off to college so she can be a teacher."
"A teacher?" Michaela wondered.
"Yep. Abagail don't wanna go, but he thinks it'll be good for her." Colleen shrugged. "She says she wants to stay here when she gets married." Colleen crooked her finger and motioned for Michaela to come closer. Michaela knelt down beside her, and the little girl grinned, showing that her two front teeth her missing. "I heard Mr. Bray say that she needs to meet boys her own age, and none of the boys 'round here are good enough for her." Michaela chuckled. Every father seemed to think that of the boys their daughters were courted by.
"Colleen, I'm going to run upstairs for a moment to find another cleaning cloth. You can help me finish up down here before we start on the rooms upstairs. Will you be alright by yourself?"
"Yep," Colleen answered with a smile. Michaela started up the stairs, and Colleen noticed the medical bag out of the corner of her eye.
As Michaela rummaged through a drawer upstairs, she found herself thinking about those looks that Abagail had given her. She seemed to like her, but something in her eyes cast a jealous disposition about her. Michaela had seen that look many times in medical school when she received all of the best grades, and the other girls struggled to get an 'A'.
"Owwwwwww!" Colleen shrieked from downstairs. Michaela dropped everything and rushed down the stairs, being careful to lift her skirt a bit so she wouldn't trip. When she burst through the door, she found Colleen standing in the middle of the floor with one hand gripped tightly around a finger on her other hand. A scalpel was lying on the floor beside her foot. Tears were streaming down the little girl's face, and Michaela's heart began to beat so fast, thinking something serious might have happened.
"Let me see. Let me see," Michaela soothed, sitting down on the floor and bringing the little girl into her lap. Colleen sniffled and let her sobs taper off as Michaela brought her medical bag down onto the floor beside her.
"It hurts," she whimpered.
"I know," Michaela replied gently, carefully prying the girl's hand away so she could see the wound. "Oh, it's not bad at all. It's just a little cut."
"Will ya have to do surgery?" Michaela shook her head and giggled.
"Heavens no!" she replied. "All I need to do is cleanse it and wrap it in a bandage. It should be healed in a few days."
"Really? That's it?" Colleen asked, amazed at how smart this lady was.
"That's it," Michaela replied. "Come here." She stood and put Colleen down. She led the girl to sit down in a chair, and began to look through her medical bag to find the supplies she needed. Before too long, she had the cut cleansed and wrapped up. "Better?" Colleen thought for a moment.
"Still kinda hurts." Michaela frowned a little. An idea popped into her mind. She picked up Colleen's hand and kissed the bandaged finger.
"Now?" Colleen's eyes widened.
"Hey! The pain's gone! How'd you do that?"
"Well, I am a doctor," Michaela pointed out with a wink. She moved to take the scalpel to clean, and Colleen tugged on her skirt.
"Am I in trouble?"
"Why would you be in trouble?"
"'Cause I went through your bag. I was just curious."
"You're not in trouble, Colleen," Michaela assured her. "In fact, I did the same thing when I was your age. My father always left his medical bag in the parlor of an evening, and I would sneak in to play doctor. I cut my finger just like you did, but it was my thumb, and it hurt for a long time, because I kept trying to fix it myself. Thankfully, my father was able to kiss it and make it better." Colleen smiled. "What you cut yourself on was a scalpel. It's very sharp, and it's used to perform surgeries on patients."
"Wow," Colleen breathed. "That's amazing." Michaela chuckled a bit and patted the little girl atop the head.
"Do you still feel like helping out, or would you rather catch up with Abagail and your brothers?"
"Nah. I wanna stay here with you." Just hearing those words warmed Michaela's heart, and she couldn't help but want to take the little girl into her arms and give her a big hug. Little Colleen Cooper had something special inside of her, and Michaela couldn't wait to get to know her and her family better.
"Wait out here with your brother," Abagail instructed Matthew as she placed Brian on the porch of the mercantile. Brian's little legs helped him to stand, but he had a curious look upon his face and wanted to get into everything. Matthew took his hand and held it firmly. In his other hand was the handle to the large picnic basket. As Abagail walked into the mercantile, Matthew shook his head and looked at his baby brother.
"How much does she think I can do at once? I'm only eight!"
"Hey Papa," Abagail said to her father as she walked past the counter that her father was dusting. Loren Bray was a man in his mid-fifties, and he had a soft heart when it came to his daughter. But, when it came to the boys at school that tried to court her, he would rather not have them around. He was still determined to send her to college, and though she didn't like it, he knew she'd thank him someday. "Where's Ma?"
"She's over at Grace's."
"Oh. I must've just missed her." Abagail shrugged. "You don't mind if the Cooper boys stay here tonight, do ya?"
"I s'pose not," Loren replied. "I don't mind 'em, and your ma spoils 'em, but I wish ya wouldn't watch 'em just 'cause you're sweet on Sully." Abagail shook her head
"I like spendin' time with 'em, Pa."
"And ya like spendin' time with Sully too. I'm tellin' ya, Abby, he's ten years older than you, and he ain't interested in ya like that." Abagail crossed her arms across her chest.
"Why can't ya just support me for once?"
"I've always supported ya! But, you're my little girl, and I ain't willin' to let ya get your heart broken! I'm tellin' ya that Sully ain't never gonna feel the same way 'bout you that you think you feel about him."
"I love him, Papa!"
"Love?" Loren asked. He shook his head. "Oh, Abby, when you go off to college, you'll meet a nice man who'll feel the way about you that you want Sully to feel now."
"I don't want nobody else, Papa. I ain't goin' to college."
"You've wanted to be a teacher all your life."
"Well, things change."
"Your ma and me have been savin' up for years to get ya to go to college, and when the time's right, you'll be goin', and that's the last I'm gonna say 'bout it right now."
"But Papa . . ."
"I'll tell ya what, Abby," Loren said, coming around from behind the counter.
"What?"
"If by some miracle Sully asks for your hand before ya go off to school in September, then ya don't have to go." Abagail's eyes went wide.
"You mean it?"
"Sure do," Loren replied, shaking his head and chuckling a little. "Ya got a month." Abagail grinned happily and threw her arms around her father before planting a big kiss on his cheek.
"Oh, thank you, Papa! You'll see I'm right! When he finds out for sure that I'm goin', he'll realize that he feels the same about me!" When she let go of her father, he had a skeptical look in his eyes but a smile on his face. "I've gotta get goin'. The boys are waitin'." She rushed out of the mercantile, and Loren was left shaking his head, knowing that his daughter's dreams of being Mrs. Abagail Sully would quickly be crushed. But, he also knew that she was already too much in love with the idea of being in love that she had to experience this for herself.
He had nothing against Sully, and in fact, the young man had been nothing but helpful to him when he needed an extra hand. Sully was involved with the Cheyenne, with Loren could do without, but overall, he was a respectable man.
Robert E. was already working away at the windows on the clinic, and Michaela told him that as payment, she would give him a free treatment for his lumbago. She knew that the citizens of this town weren't wealthy, and if she was going to fit in, she couldn't exactly charge them money they didn't have. But, she also knew that whatever her future patients could give her as payment would work just fine. She didn't need much, just enough to keep food on her table and a roof over her head.
"Hi Mr. Bray!" Colleen exclaimed as she hurried into the mercantile. Loren had a soft spot for the Cooper children as well, and he couldn't help but feel like a grandpa when they were around. At the rate Abagail was going, he might never have a grandchild if she couldn't set her sights on someone other than Sully.
"Well good afternoon young lady. What can I do for ya?"
"Dr. Mike needs some things for the new clinic," she explained. Michaela walked in looking over a list she'd made. Loren noticed how kind looking the woman was, and he could already tell that Colleen adored her. "She's all the way from Boston! That's over on the other side of the country near the ocean!"
"Is it now?" Loren asked, crossing his arms. He'd heard about the lady doctor from Grace and the Reverend.
"You must be Mr. Bray," Michaela concluded.
"That's right. Dr. Mike, is it?"
"Apparently so," Michaela replied. "Dr. Michaela Quinn."
"Well, what can I do for ya?"
"I need to buy some supplies for my clinic."
"Medicines?"
"Well, no. I'm having those sent with the rest of my necessities from Boston. I have a list." Loren took the list from her hand and checked it over.
"I can get all of that for ya," he replied. "I s'pose you'll wanna set up an account."
"Account?"
"Well, most folks 'round here don't have money up front when they come to pay for things, so I just credit it to them on account. They'll pay me back eventually." Michaela figured that might be a nice idea.
"Well, I think that would be a wise thing to do."
"I'll get started on that account for ya. No need to pay me for this stuff now," he explained as she began to dig into her money pouch. Colleen looked a little surprised. She tugged on Michaela's skirt again, and Michaela bent down. She whispered into the doctor's ear.
"He never tells people they don't gotta pay him when they're new! He must like ya!" Michaela giggled a little and stood up straight. He eyed her and the little girl.
"You're a doctor, eh?"
"That's right."
"Well, I ain't one that thinks goin' to a lady doctor would be smart, but I gotta say that I'd take my chances with you over Jake lately. Ya hear what happened?"
"I heard that four people died."
"Yeah," Loren said, shaking his head. "'Tween you and me, Jake's my friend and all, but I ain't willin' to risk dyin' just to get a couple stitches or a shave."
"Well, I'm planning on introducing myself to Mr. Slicker later."
"Well, he's on a binge right now, but I'm sure he'll be comin' 'round soon enough." He looked toward Colleen. "Why ain't ya with your brothers and Abagail?"
"I wanted to stay and help out Dr. Mike," Colleen explained.
"I met your daughter," Michaela said with a glance at the storekeeper. "She's a very nice girl."
"Sure is," Loren said, shaking his head. "But, daughters can be a handful."
"My father and mother would agree. They have four daughters." Loren chuckled. "I suppose Abagail is of age to go to college."
"Yep. She's s'pose to be goin' next month, but she ain't too happy 'bout it. She's gonna be a teacher, and it's been her dream ever since she could talk, but these days she ain't so focused on school work." He cleared his throat, knowing that this wasn't the kind of discussion that should be held with children around.
"College can be a difficult time for many people. Abagail seems to be a bright young girl. I'm sure she'll be just fine."
"Well, you went off to some fancy medical school," he said grumpily, putting a chilly front over the warm exterior he had presented. "Don't think most folks are gonna be comin' to ya right away. Ya never know. A real doctor may be comin' 'round soon enough."
"I am a real doctor." Michaela put her hand son her hips, but decided that saying anything else wouldn't help her gain respect in the community just yet. No. She needed to keep a low profile for a little while and observe the characteristics of the townsfolk. She knew that Mr. Bray wasn't as grumpy as he was now acting. He had been kind to her when she came in, and though he made it clear that he didn't believe that women should be doctors, she knew that he was one of those who would eventually come around. It would just take some time.
Loren collected everything on Michaela's list, and though he told her she didn't need to pay him right away, she did, and as he and Colleen started back toward the clinic, she felt the eyes of a very curious stranger looking at her. She turned to look at a man with long blonde hair sitting in a chair on the porch of a saloon. He smiled at her before taking a puff on her cigar. She only nodded in his direction, not wanting to be impolite, and continued with Sully's daughter toward the clinic.
As the sun began to settle in the sky, Sully sat on the porch, waiting for Michaela to arrive with Colleen at the homestead. Supper was finished, and he hoped that she would enjoy it. He already felt a deep attraction to her, and he was very thankful that she had helped him with Brian.
During his meeting with Cloud Dancing, the Medicine Man had explained how his white brother seemed to be happier, and Sully had shrugged it off, excusing his pleasant mood as the result of Brian's recovery. He had talked to Cloud Dancing about the new lady doctor, and the man seemed interested in meeting her.
Now that he was home and supper was on the table, all that was left to complete the evening was his little girl and their guest of honor. He swore that the sweet scent of the soap she used to wash her perfect skin still lingered in the air from earlier. He could still picture the way she looked when he first saw her. She had been apprehensive and concerned at the same time. Her eyes had been full of compassion and beauty.
Wait! What was he doing? He couldn't be thinking these things about a woman he'd just met, could he? He'd never been in love before, and it couldn't be happening now. He had so much to deal with at the moment. He was struggling to keep a steady income, and he was raising three very young children. How could he think about romance? But, with the thought already in his mind, her beautiful face seemed to color his thoughts.
The sound of the wagon approaching brought Sully out of his thoughts. He saw Michaela's beautiful hair shining in the setting sun as the wagon rounded the bend. He stood quickly, and he was about to make a mad dash inside as to not to seem too eager by waiting outside, but he figured he'd look even more foolish by doing that.
"Hi Pa!" Colleen exclaimed happily as Michaela brought the wagon to a halt. Sully was impressed with how quickly Michaela was learning how to keep control of the horses that were pulling the wagon.
"Hey!" Sully replied, helping his five-year-old out of the wagon. He noticed the bandage on her finger. "What happened?"
"Oh, nothin'," she replied. "Just a little cut. Dr. Mike took real good care of it." Sully smiled.
"Alright," Sully said with a smile. "Why don't ya run inside and get your hands washed?"
"Okay." Colleen rushed inside, and Sully held his hand out. Michaela took it nervously, and he helped her out of the wagon. Once her feet were planted on the ground, his hand lingered on her waist for a moment before he realized what he was doing. As his hands drew away, Michaela grabbed her medical bag so she would remember to take it home with her that night. Home. The clinic was her home, and even though it wasn't really a house, she would do whatever she could to make it able to bear the name 'home.' After all, home was supposed to be wherever the heart was.
"Supper's ready," he announced. Michaela smiled and took the lead into the house. When she stepped inside, she was amazed to see a baked chicken in the center of the table, and a few bowls of different vegetables.
"It looks delicious," she said with a smile.
"Thanks." Sully pulled out a chair for his guest, and she took a seat. He took the seat across from hers, and Colleen came to the table with freshly washed hands.
As Sully served the meal, he couldn't help but notice the look in Michaela's eyes.
"What?"
"Oh, nothing. It's just that I didn't expect you to be able to cook." She realized how bad that sounded when Sully let out a chuckle. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that to sound the way it did."
"Don't worry 'bout it. I ain't the best cook, but I've been cookin' for the past sixteen years." Michaela raised an eyebrow. "I came out west when I was ten, so I had to learn how to cook if I was gonna survive."
"You've been on your own since you were ten?" Michaela was impressed and amazed at the same time. Sully nodded.
"That's right." Michaela could hardly believe her ears. Even though this man had grown up most of his life without parents, he seemed to be kind-hearted and concerned more about others than himself. He had taken in three children when they needed him the most, and apparently, fatherhood suited him well.
"Pa's a good cook," Colleen promised. As supper began, Michaela discovered that Sully was indeed quite a good cook! She didn't want to admit that she didn't know a thing about cooking . . . except that she couldn't even put something as simple as scrambled eggs together.
Supper consisted of pretty much small talk between Michaela and Sully, and Colleen did most of the talking during the larger conversations. She talked about how she and Matthew had stayed home from school that day so their Pa wouldn't have to stay home alone with Brian and worry about him. Sully insisted that he wanted the children to go, but he couldn't exactly get the wagon hitched and take them into town with a screaming infant needing his attention. Plus, he didn't want them walking all that way by themselves at such young ages.
Yes, Michaela was correct in assuming that Sully was a caring, loving and concerned father. She could see it in the way he smiled and played with Colleen, and she could see it in the way he talked about the kids. He was so proud of them, and that warmed the young doctor's heart. He could have easily said no to taking Charlotte Cooper's children, but he had stepped in with nothing to offer them but what he had in his heart, and he had made a home for them.
When supper was over, Colleen went straight to her bed to rest, knowing that she'd have to be woken up when it was time to take Michaela back into town. Sully was convinced that she had worn herself out talking so much and that she never talked so much when company was around. Michaela offered to help with washing the dirty dishes, but Sully insisted that she go outside for a breath of fresh mountain air. He would join her after he was finished cleaning up.
As she sat outside, the stars seemed to shine brighter than usual. The sky was clear, and there was a cool breeze flowing past her. The coyotes howled in the distance, sending nervous shivers up and down her spine. When she heard footsteps behind her, she looked over her shoulder to see Sully coming outside with a blanket in his hands.
"It can get real chilly in the evenin'," he explained, gently draping the blanket over her shoulders. He sat down at her side, and she looked at him with curiosity in her eyes. How could he look so rugged-looking but be so sweet? Perhaps that was one of the things she found most attractive about him.
"Thank you," she whispered softly. As his eyes stared into hers, she felt her heart beating a mile a minute. She looked away, and he knew that she was feeling uncomfortable. He didn't blame her. They'd just met that day, and he was already being so kind and welcoming. What else could she be thinking? She probably thought he was starting to seem like just another man trying to woo a woman over by acting sweet an innocent "Perhaps I should be getting back into town. I really should get some reading done before I go to sleep." Sully nodded, swallowing hard.
"Sure. I'll go hitch the wagon." He stood and walked to the barn, feeling like an idiot. Sure, he was attracted to her, but she was completely different from him. She grew up in Boston, and he grew up nowhere. He only had a place in life, because he'd had help from Charlotte and from the Cheyenne. If it hadn't been for them, he would probably still be a miner with no path in life. He had a path now, and that path was to raise up Charlotte's kids in a way that she would be proud of. He couldn't let her down.
Besides, how could he expect to feel anything but attraction to Michaela? She was a beautiful woman, and he figured that most men probably found her attractive. It wasn't everyday that a beautiful woman dressed up in clothes that the women in Colorado Springs could only dream of having showed up. His head told him that those feelings would subside, and they would merely be friends. But, his heart told him something else. He decided it would be best to listen to his head for now.
Michaela made her way into the homestead to fold up the blanket and place it upon Sully's bed. She heard him working out in the barn, and she could still picture his eyes staring down into hers. She shrugged off the warm feelings, deciding that the only reason she was being drawn to him was because he was one of the most hospitable people she'd met so far. But, she'd only been there less than a day, and those warm thoughts and feelings would subside in a few days. Wouldn't they? Of course they would, she thought.
"Ready, Dr. Mike?" Sully asked, stepping into the homestead? Michaela merely nodded and walked outside. She climbed up into the wagon and waited for Sully to come outside with his sleeping daughter. This was sure to be a very quite ride back into town.
