Chapter Five
After hearing all of the commotion downstairs, Sully pulled his soaking wet clothes back on and rushed down the stairs to witness his daughter standing by while Michaela held a crying Matthew in her arms.
"What's goin' on?" Sully asked.
"Matthew broke Dr. Mike's pitcher," Colleen pointed out.
"It was an accident," Michaela assured Sully. She focused her attention back on the boy. "It's alright, Matthew. There's no need to cry." Sully noticed the mud on his son's clothes and hands, and he looked at Colleen.
"Colleen, will ya go upstairs and check on Brian for me?"
"Okay Pa," Colleen replied. She turned to look up at Matthew. "Sorry if I made ya cry." She slowly left the room, and Sully knelt down to start cleaning up the broken pieces of the vase.
"I'll get rid of this stuff so nobody gets cut," he noted. Michaela nodded. Having it pieced back together probably wouldn't work anyway, and who was to say when she'd be receiving flowers that needed to be put in water anyway? Sully scooped up the pieces and disappeared outside. Michaela sat down in a chair, and Matthew unclasped his arms from their position around her neck, and he dried his eyes.
"Are you alright, Matthew?" He nodded. Michaela smiled and rubbed his back soothingly. "What got you so upset? If it's the vase, I want you to know that I'm not upset."
"It's not that," he replied, sniffling. He stood when he realized that he was getting mud all over Michaela's dress. She didn't seem to mind at the moment, and she reached out to take the boy's hand in hers. "You can tell me."
"Promise ya won't tell Pa?"
"Well, if you promise me it isn't bad, then I promise that it'll be between us."
"I promise it ain't nothin' bad," Matthew replied. Little did either one of them know that Sully was now standing outside of the clinic door. He didn't want to spy, but if something was troubling his child, he wanted to know what it was.
"Alright. What is it?" Matthew took a deep breath.
"I was rememberin' my ma. See, when I was 'bout Colleen's age or a little younger, I broke one of my ma's favorite plates. Just . . . when I broke that vase, I thought about that. I thought about my ma." Michaela smiled at Sully's son.
"There's nothing wrong with thinking about your mother, Matthew. I'm sure you loved her very much. Thinking about those we've lost is difficult sometimes, but it's natural."
"Really?"
"Really."
"I don't want Pa sad 'cause I think of my ma. I don't want him to think that I don't like stayin' with him." Michaela noticed Sully standing outside, and she smiled at the boy.
"I'm sure he understands. He had parents once too."
"Ya think he ever things about 'em?"
"I'm sure he does," Michaela replied. Matthew sniffled, again and a smile came over his face. "Better?"
"Yeah. Thanks Dr. Mike," he said, giving her a grateful hug. Sully walked in at that moment, and Michaela looked up at him knowingly. He nodded a silent thanks to her.
"The rain stopped," Sully said, clearing his throat. "Ya ready to go home, Matthew?"
"Okay Pa," Matthew replied. He let go of Michaela.
"Go on upstairs and get your brother and sister." Matthew nodded and rushed to do as his father asked. Michaela stood, straightening her muddy wrinkled skirt. Sully smiled sheepishly at her. "Sorry 'bout that."
"It'll wash," Michaela promised with a smile.
"I'm sorry 'bout all that. The kids are still havin' a tough time. They try not to show it most of the time, but I know they are."
"It's understandable. They've suffered a terrible loss." Sully nodded, and as Matthew and Colleen came downstairs with Brian in tow, they headed outside to wait for their father. A few moments of silence passed between the two. "You should probably go home and get into something dry."
"Right," Sully chuckled. "I'll see ya around, Dr. Mike." She nodded.
"Thank you for everything today . . . your help with Cassandra and . . ." Sully simply nodded and left the clinic, leaving Michaela with her thoughts.
A week had passed, and Michaela's clinic finally looked like a clinic. She hadn't met with Jake Slicker yet, though she'd tried. Every time she went to the barbershop to speak with him, he'd close up. Needless to say, there were several men in Colorado Springs who were in desperate need of a shave.
Myra was still on bed rest, and Michaela knew that the baby would be born within the next few days. Myra was having mild contractions, but she wasn't even anywhere near going into labor. It would be a few days for sure.
Grace had been an incredible help over the past week. She'd been sending over lunches for the doctor as she got her clinic in order. Her little boys had been very sweet as well. The two oldest had picked flowers for her desk as if she were some kind of a teacher.
To the women of the town, Michaela was a respectable woman and someone to look up to. They'd never heard of lady doctors before, and having one in their own town seemed like a dream come true. It was almost liberating in a sense. Most of the men in town didn't feel the same, and they had stayed clear of coming to see her for their aches and pains, with the exception of Robert E., of course. Though she hadn't gotten any new patients since Myra, Michaela was very pleased with how welcoming some of the citizens were.
While Michaela was enjoying herself, Abagail was not. She only had three weeks left to get Sully to ask for her hand. She was none-too-pleased with the fact that Michaela and Sully were becoming fast friends. She was pretty sure that she'd seen Sully and the children over at the clinic every day, and she couldn't do anything about it! It was frustrating, because she'd never seen Sully look at anyone the way he looked at Michaela. She yearned for him to look at her that way even just once. Sully couldn't be falling for the new young doctor! What could she offer him that Abagail couldn't?
Abagail groaned as she made her way down from her room into the mercantile. Maude stared at her for a moment.
"What's the matter, sweetheart?" the older woman asked.
"Nothin'," Abagail muttered. "Where's Papa?"
"He rode out to deliver some supplies to Sully's homestead."
"And he didn't wake me!" Abagail asked. "But he knows how much I . . ." Maude sighed heavily. While she wanted her daughter to be happy, she knew that this situation was becoming very dramatic for the young girl.
"Don't worry, Abby. Sully's not there anyway."
"He's not?"
"No. I think he went out to the Indian reservation last night 'cause his friend needed his help."
"Where are the kids?"
"He took 'em along."
"Oh," Abagail replied, secretly pleased that he hadn't sent them to Dr. Mike again. Just as she was beginning to cheer up, Michaela walked in with a smile upon her face.
"Mornin' Dr. Mike," Maude said with a warm smile. Maude was a kind lady, and Loren loved her so very much. It was obvious! But, he knew that having a woman doctor in town would be a bad influence on his wife.
"Good morning Maude. Abagail," Michaela said with a smile.
"What can I do for you this mornin', Dr. Mike?"
"I'm supposed to be going out to the reservation to meet Sully and the children," Michaela explained. "I met Cloud Dancing yesterday, and he told me that he would show me a few natural medicines that I might be able to use, so I'm going out there again today. It's so beautiful outside, so why waste it inside?"
"That's a good idea," Maude said with a smile. "Abby, since ya'll got the day off of school, why don't ya go outside and see your friends?"
"Actually, I'd like to go out to the reservation too." Maude knew her daughter was up to something.
"You would?" Michaela asked.
"Yeah. Well, you've been sayin' that ya need to learn how to ride a horse. Why not start today? I could help!"
"Oh, I couldn't," Michaela said quickly.
"Why not?" Maude wondered. "C'mon, Dr. Mike. Ya can't put it off forever."
"I'll ride over to the livery and ask Robert E. to loan ya a horse," Abagail offered.
"No, that's quite alright," Michaela said with a slight twinge of nervousness. "I'd feel more comfortable on my own horse."
"That old thing?" Maude asked, looking out the window at the horse that was hitched to the wagon.
"Bear might be old, but he's friendly. We get along just fine." Abagail smiled to herself. This was going to be too easy! Once Sully saw Dr. Mike failing miserably at riding a horse, he wouldn't find her so charming anymore!
"C'mon, Dr. Mike. I'll help ya get Bear." Abagail linked her arm through Dr. Mike's and the two started out the door. Maude stared after them, shaking her head with exasperation.
"Whoa!" Michaela called as Bear snorted and whinnied. She was gripping the reins so tightly that her knuckles were a bright shade of white. Abagail grinned as she rode alongside Michaela on her own horse. She gently patted her horse's neck.
"Good girl, Buttercup."
"Come on, Bear," Michaela urged as they continued along the path toward the reservation. She had to admit that she was getting used to riding, but she wasn't quite sure if she could trust her horse. He seemed to have a completely different mind when it came to where he wanted to go. He kept trying to turn around.
"You're doin' good, Dr. Mike. Just give him a little kick, and he'll speed up for ya." Michaela did not like the idea of that.
"Speed up? No, I think we're fine going the pace we are," she replied quickly.
"So, you and Sully are becomin' good friends, huh?" Abagail asked slowly. Michaela was focused on the road ahead.
"Yes, I suppose we are."
"The kids really like ya. They talk about ya every day at school." To Abagail, that was irritating, but she tried her best to be polite and not seem jealous. She knew the kids wouldn't understand anyway.
"Do they?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I adore them," Michaela said with a smile, relaxing her grip on the reins. Perhaps horse riding wasn't so difficult after all. Abagail noticed this action, and it became increasingly irritating for her to see that this proper Boston woman was catching on quickly to the art of horseback riding. "The children remind me of what it's like to have siblings. I have four sisters back home, though Colleen and Matthew seem to be much closer than I ever was with my sisters."
"I'm an only child," Abagail said with a smile. "I've always wanted lots of babies, 'cause I know what it's like to not have someone to play with growin' up." She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. "Sully wants lots of kids too." Michaela raised an eyebrow and glanced at Abagail.
"He does?"
"Yeah. He loves havin' kids, and now that he knows what it's like to be a pa, I wouldn't be surprised if he wants three or four of his own." Michaela wondered why Abagail was talking to her about such a thing, and she couldn't help but imagine herself surrounded by many children and a husband. It just so happened that the husband in her thoughts had Sully's face. She needed to get off of this topic and quickly!
"Well, I say that if he can care for them and love them all equally, there shouldn't be any reason why he couldn't have as many children as he wants." Bear snorted again.
"We're close now. Ya ain't scared are ya?"
"Why should I be scared?" Michaela wondered. "I was just here yesterday." Abagail was exasperated. Didn't anything phase this woman! They continued along, and Michaela smiled as Bear finally gave in and obeyed the young woman on his back. Michaela knew it would take some getting used to, but she knew that riding a horse would no longer be a problem for her to face.
"It's just past this ridge," Abagail commented. Michaela nodded, remembering the trip out there with Sully from the day before. Oddly enough, she didn't remember having seen this beautiful scenery. Her thoughts must have been elsewhere the afternoon before. Abagail gave Buttercup a little nudge, and the horse began to trot a little faster. Michaela decided to do the same thing, but she realized that she must have nudged Bear too hard when the horse began to gallop ahead at full speed. Abagail relaxed once she saw that the doctor was holding on tight and showed no signs of falling off. She didn't want the doctor to fall or get hurt. She liked her, actually, but she also loved Sully. She wanted to eliminate the possible competition and not hurt the young doctor in the process.
"Whoa, Bear!" Michaela screamed out. "Whoa!" But, the horse was taking charge again and not listening to the lady who was frantically holding onto him. "Slow down!" She tried tugging back on the reins, but as Bear thundered down the dirt road, she noticed that the reservation was coming into sight.
Abagail brought Buttercup to a slightly quicker gallop, but stayed back a bit so she could watch Michaela embarrass herself in front of Sully. This was surely going to make him see her as a klutz! She wouldn't be so elegant and perfect after this!
As Bear was barreling straight ahead like an accelerating steam engine, Sully was standing outside of Cloud Dancing and Snow Bird's teepee with Brian on his hip. Matthew and Colleen came running with frantic looks upon their faces.
"Pa! Pa!" Colleen exclaimed. Sully rushed over to greet his children.
"What is it? What'd ya see?"
"It's Dr. Mike!" Matthew exclaimed, pointing in the direction they had seen her. "She's ridin' a horse, and it's comin' really fast!" Sully could hear the rapid hoof beats coming their way. He handed Brian to Matthew.
"Get your little brother and sister out of the way." Matthew nodded and proudly took charge of his younger siblings. Sully and Cloud Dancing rushed toward the scene, and as Michaela and her horse came into sight, he saw that she was getting control of the horse.
"Whoa," Michaela breathed as she tugged the reins hard enough to startle the horse into a stop. Sully and Cloud Dancing made it to them a moment later as Abagail came riding up.
"Sorry that happened, Dr. Mike. Didn't think the horse would do such a thing!"
"That's quite alright," Michaela breathed quickly. Sully held a hand out to the beautiful Boston doctor, and as she was starting to dismount, she slipped, lost her footing, and tumbled to the ground. Luckily, Sully was there to catch her fall, but unfortunately, he had nobody to catch his. "Oh! Are you alright? I'm so sorry!" Sully chuckled and sat up beside Michaela.
"I'm fine. Don't worry 'bout it. It ain't everyday that a pretty lady falls into my arms." Michaela blushed and giggled nervously as she shook her head. Sully stood and helped her up.
"Thank you," she said with a smile. Sully glanced at Abagail.
"Ya shoulda let her take it at her own pace, Abagail. She coulda been hurt. She ain't used to ridin'."
"It's not her fault," Michaela pointed out as Abagail's face turned three different shades of red. "I think I nudged bear a bit too hard." She swallowed hard as her heart began to pound at a slightly lower rate. Sully nodded.
"Well, next time, don't try runnin' a race." Michaela chuckled and moved to brush a loose strand of hair out of her face. Sully noticed a small rip in the sleeve of her dress.
"You're bleedin'," Sully pointed out.
"Oh, it's nothing serious."
"Well, ya got your doctor bag with ya, so let's go get that cleaned up. The kids are lookin' forward to seein' ya." Abagail couldn't believe it! First of all, Michaela hadn't looked like a fool to Sully, and second of all, he scolded her for Michaela's unfortunate mishap with the horse! Sure, it had been her fault. She had intentionally brought Buttercup to a faster trot so that Michaela would do the same. But, she hadn't expected the outcome to be like this. How did she end up looking like the fool? She had to do something and quickly!
"Oh!" she cried out, realizing that if she were to fall off a horse, Sully wouldn't just let her fall to the ground. But, as she was "falling," Cloud Dancing reached out to catch her.
"Are you alright?" the older Indian asked.
"Yes," Abagail replied with a hint of disappointment in her voice as she watched Sully and Michaela walk off toward Cloud Dancing's teepee.
"Dr. Mike! Are you alright?" Colleen asked as Michaela sat down on a overturned tree log.
"I'm fine," Michaela assured them. "My horse, however, does not know how to control himself." Colleen giggled.
"He's an old horse," Sully pointed out. He rolled Michaela's sleeve up, and saw that her cut was still bleeding a little. Cloud Dancing came over with a damp cloth and handed it to Sully.
"I can take care of this," Michaela pointed out. Sully gave her a look as if to tell her to stop being so stubborn. As he tenderly cleaned her cut, Michaela pointed out that it was only a minor one that wouldn't need stitches. She also pointed out to him what ointment to put on it, and before too long, he was wrapping a bandage around it. Matthew and Colleen stood at the side with Cloud Dancing, Snow Bird and Abagail. Colleen looked at her brother, and he grinned at her.
"I think they like each other," Colleen whispered. Matthew grinned, nodded and put his finger to his lips to quiet his sister. Abagail couldn't take it anymore. She cleared her throat.
"I best be goin' home," she said with a smile, looking at Sully. Sully looked up at her.
"Hold on for a second, will ya?" he asked. Abagail let out a breath of relief. Was he going to offer to take her home? Perhaps her plan was going to work after all! She swallowed hard and caught her breath as Sully stood to face her. Michaela went about re-packing things into her medical bag.
"Would ya mind takin' the kids back into town with ya?" he asked. Abagail's heart fell.
"Um, sure," she said quietly.
"You go on and take the wagon. Me and Dr. Mike'll bring your horse back"
"My pa is havin' new shoes put on her. I gotta take her back."
"Alright. Well, I'll go make sure she's secured to the wagon." Abagail nodded absently. She felt horrible. Dr. Mike could have seriously been hurt, and she hadn't gotten anywhere with Sully. Maybe her parents were right. Maybe he wasn't the right one for her. But, she didn't like to think about that. She loved him, and she wanted him to love her back. She still had three weeks. Anything could happen, right?
As the children ran ahead with little Brian, Sully and Abagail walked toward the wagon slowly. Abagail, who was leading Buttercup, was thankful for the privacy they had been given, but Sully seemed to be in a different kind of mood.
"I didn't mean for that to happen to Dr. Mike," Abagail said softly. "I mean, I just thought it might do her some good to ride."
"I know ya meant well," Sully replied with a smile, making Abagail feel incredibly guilty. "But ya gotta understand that she ain't used to the kinda things that folks 'round here are. She's gotta learn things a piece at a time, 'cause it takes a long time to get used to livin' in a new place."
"Yeah," Abagail whispered. "She ain't like us." The comment, of course, didn't have the same meaning to Sully as it did to the infatuated young girl.
"Hurry up, slowpokes!" Matthew shouted. Sully laughed and jogged ahead, taking Buttercup's reins. Abagail stopped and folded her arms across her chest. This was not good! How on Earth was she going to get Sully to ask for her hand in three weeks?
That evening, Abagail walked out onto the porch of the mercantile with Brian on her hip. She watched as her father swept the porch, and Matthew and Colleen ran about playing. She hadn't expected to see what she saw next, and that was Sully and Michaela riding into town together on the same horse. What else should she have expected? They only had Sully's horse, so why wouldn't he have let her ride up there with him.
Loren saw his daughter's shoulders tense up, and he shook his head.
"Forget it, Abby. He ain't interested in you."
"Oh, leave me alone!" she cried, placing Brian in her father's arms and rushing up the stairs to her room. Loren looked at baby Brian. "Be glad you ain't a girl. They ain't fun durin' these growin' up years."
"Loren?" Sully asked, walking over with the doctor following behind him. "Where's Abagail?" Loren shrugged.
"Upstairs I s'pose," he replied. "Here." He handed Brian to his papa, and Colleen and Matthew ran over to tackle him.
"Pa!" they exclaimed. "You're home!"
"Well, we ain't home yet, but go on and get in the wagon. You've both got school tomorrow, and I don't want ya too tired to wake in the mornin'."
"Okay Pa," Colleen replied, grabbing her older brother's hand. They hurried off toward the wagon, which was parked over at the livery. Sully nodded his thanks to Loren, and started walking to the clinic with Michaela.
"I forgot to thank Cloud Dancing for inviting me to look for herbs. I'll be sure to try them out very soon."
"He likes ya. He admires your courage."
"Courage?" Michaela asked, opening up the door to the clinic.
"Sure. He thinks you're pretty brave for comin' out West to practice medicine in a place where most folks still think that men ought to be doin' all the important work."
"I wouldn't call it brave," Michaela replied with a shrug. "I would just call it . . . expanding my horizons." Sully nodded and chuckled.
"Alright, well, next time you wanna try expandin' your horizons even more, don't do it ridin' Bear." Michaela let out a laugh.
"Well, thank you for the warning." After a few moments, they quieted.
"I best be goin' on home."
"Alright. Good night, Sully."
"'Nite, Dr. Mike." Sully walked off, and Michaela retreated the opposite way into the clinic.
It wasn't even twenty minutes later when she heard someone banging on the door downstairs. Michaela had been in her room brushing out her hair, and as soon as she heard the loud noise, she rushed downstairs to see what the commotion was about.
Once she had a lamp lit, she opened the door to see Hank and Robert E. standing there with a passed out Jake Slicker between them. She was still wary of Hank, but the look on his face was nothing close to angry or bitter.
"What happened?"
"We just found 'im passed out at the foot of the stairs in the barbershop," Hank said quickly.
"We had to break in to get to 'im. Looks like he's been out for an hour or two," Robert E. added.
"Bring him inside," Michaela said quickly. Hank and Robert E. carried him in and placed him on the new examination table while Michaela went around lighting more lamps.
"He ain't gonna die is he?" Hank asked. Michaela couldn't be for certain without a proper examination, but just from the look of him, she didn't expect the prognosis to be good.
