Chapter 6

"Sully? Brian? Matthew?" Michaela walked into the dark homestead at around dusk. The horses were all in the barn, but nobody was home. A lump formed in the pit of her stomach. "Hello? Is anyone home!" Fear gripped her heart, and she placed her medical bag down on the table. She glanced at the hearth. The ashes were cold, and that was unusual.

A floorboard upstairs creaked, and Michaela looked up, not knowing what to expect when she reached the top of the stairs. She initially felt as if she should get out now and come back when it was safe, but, she was being drawn toward the stairs and couldn't turn back.

A baby began to cry, and Michaela's heart began to pound. Sully and the boys wouldn't have left the girls home alone, would they? The crying grew more intense, and Michaela tried to run up the stairs. But, she felt as if she was knee deep in thick molasses, and she couldn't get up the stairs fast enough.

When she arrived at the landing upstairs, she made her way into the master bedroom. The cradle was empty. In Katie's room, her bed was neatly made, and her favorite toy was sitting upon her pillow. Tears stung her eyes and began to fall. Where was her family? They couldn't have just disappeared!

Silence followed, and after several moments, weeping was heard from down the hall. Frozen in terror, Michaela listened to the familiar whimpering. It was so soft and so sweet, and she knew who it was coming from.

"Colleen," she whispered. Her strong will allowed her to break free from the invisible restraints that slowed her down, and she made her way into Colleen's room. The first thing she saw was a baby on the bed. It was Julia! "Oh, sweetheart." She picked the baby up and cradled her close to her bosom. She kissed the child's cheek. "It's alright." The door to the bedroom creaked shut, and Michaela's eyes widened when she looked to the window. The room was very dark, but the light shining through the window made it appear as if the sun had come down upon the earth and was glowing as brightly as ever. Then she appeared at the window. She was staring out into the bright white daylight. "Colleen! It's really you!" Colleen didn't turn around. Michaela could only see the side of her face, and a tear was streaking down her cheek. "Don't cry, Colleen." Julia let out a whimper.

"Take care of her, Ma," Colleen whispered. "Please. She needs you." Michaela was struck by her daughter's words. "Please. I love you all so much. You'll be good for her. Please watch after her."

"I will, sweetheart. I promise," Michaela whispered. "She's in good hands."

"Andrew's lost his way. He can't care for her until he's found it again." Michaela studied her daughter's form. "He may never find it, Ma."


A week had passed since the birth of baby Julia, and the Sully household was quite busy. Michaela and Sully were up at all hours of the night with Beth and Julia, and with the girls so close together in age, caring for them was difficult, because they both demanded the same attention and feeding at the same time. Michaela was completely worn out, and since the doctor was on a maternity leave anyway, Dr. Bernard was taking over her duties. He had arrived a few days late, but he was settling down nicely at the clinic.

Sully had told Michaela that if she needed to take extra time off of work due to the circumstances, he'd support her. But, she was determined to go back to work in a little over a month. She didn't want to become reclusive and stay at home all of the time, reminiscing on the past and grieving constantly. Colleen wouldn't have wanted that.

Having Matthew and Brian around was much easier for Michaela and Sully. In the afternoons, the exhausted parents would nap, and the boys would watch the infants. Sleep came much easier for everyone, because between Beth, Julia and Katie, everyone was worn out and would sleep as soon as their heads hit their pillows. But, of course, sleep didn't last long in the Sully household.

Not a word had been heard from Andrew, and Michaela was convinced that he was back in Boston safely, but he hadn't responded to any of the numerous telegrams they'd sent out since he had fled Colorado Springs.

The letters that Andrew had written to Colleen's family and to his daughter had been put away in a box for safe-keeping. Somehow, especially after the dream she'd had, Michaela had the feeling that they wouldn't be seeing Andrew for a very long time. But, she was trying to think positively for her granddaughter's sake.

Sully was downstairs feeding Katie her lunch, while Matthew and Brian were outside cleaning out the barn. Michaela was upstairs with the girls, and she was rocking back and forth in the rocking chair, thinking about the dream she'd had the night before. Both of the girls were snuggled together in the cradle, so Michaela was enjoying some peace and quiet. It wouldn't be long before one of them woke, so these sweet moments gave her time to rest; to think about the dream she'd had of Colleen.

The room was warm, and she grew concerned that perhaps the girls could use a little fresh air. She stood and walked to the window, opening it up and leaning her head out to breathe in the fresh air. Summertime was always hot, and with the breeze blowing in, it was a nice break from the humidity.

The wind began to pick up, and thunder rumbled in the distance. Michaela noticed the clouds rolling in and dimming the earth from its sunlight. Michaela shut the windows and decided to go downstairs for a little while. After thinking about her dream since she had woken up that morning, she figured it was time to share this with her husband. Perhaps he'd know what to say. So, she made sure the girls were comfortable and left the room. She slowly made her way down the stairs to find her husband wiping off Katie's mouth.

"Much better this time, Kates," he said with a proud smile. "Ya didn't get so much on ya this time." Katie beamed proudly.

"I'm a big girl," she announced. Michaela smiled at her daughter.

"You sure are," she said, stepping off of the last step. Sully stood and turned to his wife, happy to see that she had torn herself away from the babies long enough to relax. Katie held her arms out to her mother, and Michaela scooped her up in her own arms.

"Pway outside?" Katie asked. Michaela realized that she hadn't enjoyed the sunlight in a long time. She'd been too preoccupied with the pregnancy and then Beth after the birth. Then Colleen and Andrew had arrived, and everything else had taken a turn for the worse. She felt like she needed to be outside for a little while at least.

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Sully suggested. "Storm's passin' by, so I don't think we're gonna get any rain." He reached his hand out, and Michaela took it in his. He gave her a gentle squeeze, and they shared a glance and a smile. They made it out onto the porch and settled down upon the steps. Katie wriggled out of her mother's arms and went about picking flowers. Sully put his arm around his wife, and she leaned into him.

"It's a beautiful day," she noted. "It's so warm and peaceful. It seems so different compared to the last week." She noticed that the clouds were no longer covering the sun and that the afternoon was bright once again.

"Yeah," Sully replied. "We're adjustin'."

"I'm not so sure about that," Michaela breathed. Sully gently rubbed her arm and kissed the side of her head. "I had a dream about Colleen last night."

"Did ya?" She nodded and took a deep breath.

"I was holding Julia in my arms, and Colleen was standing by her bedroom window upstairs. The room was dark, but the sun was so bright outside. She was looking out. I called to her, but she couldn't take her eyes off of the light." Sully felt the hairs on the back of his neck beginning to prickle. "She never turned to look at me, Sully." Michaela felt tears burning her eyes, and she blinked them away.

"Then what?" he asked softly as they watched Katie gathering her favorite flowers.

"She spoke to me." Silence followed, and Sully's curiosity grew.

"Cloud Dancin' taught me that when a loved one comes to ya in a dream; speaks to ya, they're tellin' ya what ya gotta do next. Maybe Colleen was tellin' ya that ya gotta move on." Michaela nodded and let out a quiet sob. "Michaela? What'd she say?"

"I . . . she said that she loves us," Michaela whispered. "She said to take care of Julia, because Andrew has lost his way." Sully looked out to see Wolf following Katie to make sure she stayed out of harm's way, and he watched as Matthew and Brian worked together to clean out the barn. This had been the kind of family he had wanted since he was a young man, and now he had the family he had always dreamed of. But, two of his daughters were dead. A child he hadn't known existed until after it was long gone also weighed on his mind. Three children were gone, and he still had so much to be thankful for. "Sully?" He looked at his wife, and she placed a hand on his cheek when a tear escaped. They rested their foreheads together for a moment before Sully took a breath.

"Colleen might be gone, but she's still with us," he said quietly. "She's tellin' us what she wants, and she wants us to look after her little girl. That's what we're gonna do, but we've gotta move on. We've got to let her go and let her be free to rest in peace."

"She was crying, Sully. She was crying in my dream," Michaela whispered. She closed her eyes tightly and remembered the entire dream. "Perhaps she wants us to accept that her body's gone and her spirit is with us. Sully, what would Cloud Dancing say?" Sully cleared his throat.

"I think he'd say we need to let her go so her spirit can be free." Michaela nodded and placed her hand over her heart where her daughter's memory would always remain. "Maybe she feels like she can't rest with us grievin' like we are."

"She needs us to let go of the past. Then somehow . . . that's what we're going to do." Beth began to cry upstairs, and Michaela turned to Sully.

"Go on," he whispered. "I'll watch after Katie." Michaela kissed his cheek and stood to go into the house. Katie rushed over with her hands full of flowers.

"You think Mama will like?" she asked. Sully gathered his daughter into his arms, and she settled into his lap.

"I think she'll like 'em very much," he whispered. Katie beamed with pride and looked down at the dandelions and lilacs that she had in her hands. Her little fingers were stained green from the stems, and Sully smiled as she sniffed the flowers, searching for a scent.

"Pwetty," she whispered. "Like Mama." Sully smiled and placed his hands over his daughter's. Katie swung her little feet in the air.

"That's right. Just like Mama."


Andrew drank the last swig of water from his glass as he sat behind his office desk. Having his own office at the hospital was nice, but it wasn't the same anymore. He had a partner desk, and he had planned to share it with his wife after she graduated from medical school. He hadn't spoken to anyone since he had arrived back in Boston, except for Molly Thomas and her young son James. James was currently in the children's ward at the hospital, and he was recovering from his case of the chicken pox. Even then, he hadn't spoken with her much. He knew nothing about her or her son.

He suddenly remembered that James was being released to go home that day, and he needed to give him one more examination before letting him leave. Going into the children's ward was painful. Each child reminded him of the fact that he had a precious newborn daughter back in Colorado Springs, and he was halfway across the country trying to mourn his wife's death without the difficult financial and emotional responsibilities of being a father.

A knock came to the door, and Andrew sighed heavily. Who could it possibly be at ten thirty in the morning?

"Dr. Cook?" came the voice of a colleague named Dr. Martin Nichols.

"Come in, Dr. Nichols."

"It's been awhile, Andrew," the man said, closing the door after he walked in. He took a seat on the other side of Andrew's desk. "I'm sorry to hear about your wife."

"Thank you," Andrew replied apathetically. No matter how many words of condolence he heard, he couldn't bring himself to care. Those people didn't lose Colleen. He lost her. He lost the one woman he'd ever fallen in love with.

"Your wife . . . she was pregnant, wasn't she?" Andrew felt his face grow pale. "Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't pry, Andrew." Andrew's pulse began to race. How was he supposed to sit there and explain that he never attended his wife's funeral, he'd never gotten a good look at his daughter, and he had left in the coward's way without even saying goodbye. He especially couldn't say this to Dr. Nichols. He had known the man for several years. He was quite the family man with a loving wife and four beautiful children of his own. He couldn't admit that he was a runaway father.

"She died," Andrew lied. His heart broke even further with that lie, and he prayed to God that his lie wouldn't become a reality.

"I shouldn't have asked."
"No. You don't have to apologize." Andrew looked at the clock. "I have a patient to see. Excuse me." Andrew stood and left his office with his medical bag in hand. He closed his office door and leaned against the wall for a moment. He took a breath to gather his thoughts and proceeded down the hall toward the children's ward.

His shoes thudded upon the floor in the quiet hall, and as he pushed past the doors, he was greeted by two rows of painted white beds. Two dozen children lay in their beds. Some were sleeping, some were taking medicines administered by the nurses, and at the end of the room, James Thomas was sitting in his mother's lap, waiting for Dr. Cook to give him a clean bill of health.

He didn't want the three-year-old to see him in such an upset mood, so he took a deep breath, closed his eyes and told himself that the day would pass quickly, and he could return home at the end of the day. Home? He hadn't even gone back to that place yet. He'd slept in his office since he returned to the hospital, and he hadn't brought himself to even take a carriage ride past the home he had shared with his wife and planned to raise his child in.

"Andy!" James called out when he saw his doctor. He couldn't easily say "Andrew," so he had settled for "Andy." Molly smiled when Andrew stepped up beside the bed.

"How's my favorite patient today?"

"Good!" James said with a grin. "All better!"

"The nurse just checked his temperature. No fever at all," Molly explained.

"Well, that certainly is good news." Andrew smiled and knelt down with his stethoscope. The boy's heart sounded good. After a few minutes, Andrew stood and nodded his head. "I believe James is completely healthy. I bet you're ready to go home, aren't you, young man?" James nodded vigorously. Molly smiled as James held his arms up to the doctor.

"Hug, Andy!" Andrew felt something tug at his heart, and he awkwardly lifted the boy into his arms. James wrapped his arms around Andrew's neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Molly seemed surprised.

"He doesn't usually take to strangers," she whispered. "He seemed to take to you right away, Dr. Cook." She smiled a little with a hint of sadness in her eyes. She pulled her boy back into her arms, and Andrew felt a bit better after holding the boy. He was a sweet boy with so much love to give, and Andrew figured that his little girl would be the same someday. "Come along, James. We're finally going home." James clapped his hands together. "Thank you so much for everything, Dr. Cook." She and Andrew shared a gaze for a moment, and her eyes finally turned away. She walked out of the hospital, and Andrew lingered behind for a few minutes, feeling the pain of the absence of his daughter. What had he done?


Matthew dismounted his horse at the livery and corralled it with some of Robert E.'s spare horses. The blacksmith nodded his head to the ex-sheriff and placed a hot iron in the water basin to cool.

"Afternoon, Matthew," Robert E. said quietly.

"Robert E." Matthew tipped his hat.

"How's the family holdin' up?"

"We're managin'," he explained. "Takin' it a day at a time. It's startin' to get easier, and I think Dr. Mike's gonna be okay. She and Sully were talkin' earlier, and she seemed to be in better spirits."

"That's good to hear," Robert E. replied. "It's sad that I can't say the same thing for this town."

"What's goin' on?"
"Loren, Hank, and Grace got robbed early this mornin'. It was before the sun came up, and we were all still sleepin' sound in our beds. 'Cept for Loren, maybe. He's up with the chickens, and he said he saw the fella. Grace's money box for the café was stolen. She had over two hundred dollars in there." Robert E. shook his head. Matthew swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Sorry to hear that, Robert E. I wish there was somethin' I could do." He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. "I'm thinkin' . . . thinkin' 'bout takin' the position of sheriff again." Robert E. raised his eyebrows.

"Since when?"

"Since I decided not to go back to law school. Least not yet anyway."

"That's a mighty big decision."

"Yeah, but I wanted to be here to help the family. They might not admit it, but they need me here to help out for a while." Robert E. smiled.

"You're a good man, Matthew. A good man." They shook hands, and Matthew started off toward the mercantile to pick up a few supplies. When he arrived, Loren was sorting through his spare money box and shaking his head.

"Afternoon, Loren." Loren grumbled, looked up, and he nodded to acknowledge Matthew's presence. "I heard about the robbery. Sorry to hear it. I wish there was somethin' I could do right now . . ."

"Don't be sorry. If ya wanna do somethin', bring back the eighty dollars that thief stole from me. Oh, if I hadn't have pulled my knee, I sure woulda run after him."

"Did ya get a good look at him?"
"Sure did. Had long blonde hair like Hank's, and he had a big scar running from here to here." He drew an invisible curved line from his temple to his upper lip. "Hank even went out lookin' for him, but he came back empty-handed." Matthew swallowed hard and placed some money down on the counter. He gave Loren a list.

"Could ya have these delivered to Dr. Mike and Sully this afternoon?" He started outside.

"Sure, but where are ya off to in such a hurry?"

"It's time this town gets their sheriff back!" he called, rushing back toward the livery to fetch his horse.