Chapter 12
Michaela had spread a blanket out under the large oak tree near the homestead. Julia and Beth were lying there, sucking their little fingers. Katie was sitting in her mother's lap as Michaela read from a book of short children's stories. Sully was dangling his beaded necklace above the girls, and they were watching it with fascination as they chewed on their tiny fingers. Sully chuckled as Julia let out a giggle. Michaela looked up from her reading as Sully pulled the little one into his arms.
"She loves hearin' ya read," Sully remarked. Michaela shook her head.
"I believe she's more fascinated with you than with this story. She's definitely her father's daughter." Michaela caught herself, but it seemed a little less uncomfortable this time. Julia was theirs now, and there was no denying that she belonged in this family. "Sully, should we go back into town and check the post?" Earlier that day, the adoption papers they had requested arrived. They had signed them, and now all they had to do was get Andrew to sign them. They weren't sure how long that would take, and they knew they needed to get into contact with him soon.
"We've already been to the depot three times today. Maybe he didn't get the telegram?" Michaela shook her head.
"I'm sure he did. Sully, I'm worried. It's been three days."
"Give him time, Michaela. Give him time." Julia began to fuss and pump her little legs, and Sully handed her to Michaela. Katie crawled out of her mother's lap and moved to sit near her father.
"Come here, darling," she whispered. She leaned her back against the oak tree and unbuttoned her shirt enough to let Julia nurse. She caressed the soft hair upon the baby's head. She looked at Katie, remembering giving birth to her and how Sully had helped her along the way. "She feels like ours, Sully. I can't lose her now." Sully nodded in understanding. He scooted over and sat beside his wife, pulling his arm around her as Katie crawled over to lie beside Beth.
Sully and Michaela rested their heads together, and Sully watched as Julia nursed at Michaela's breast. He reached out and caressed Julia's cheek with his thumb, and she let out a soft squeak. Michaela giggled as Julia's hand wrapped around her index finger.
It was at that moment that Matthew came riding up in a borrowed wagon from Robert E.
"Sully! Dr. Mike!" he called. Michaela looked over to see that he was holding young James in his lap.
"What on Earth?" she said quietly. Sully picked up Beth and Katie, and he started toward the house. Michaela quickly finished up with Julia and joined them in front of the homestead.
"What happened?" Michaela asked quickly.
"We were drivin' out to Willow Creek so I could take James fishin', and Molly just collapsed."
"Take her inside," Michaela instructed. Sully took the girls inside, and Michaela hurried into to collect her medical bag. Once the table had been cleared, Matthew gently rested her on it. Molly's money purse spilled out of her hand and onto the floor, causing a large sum of money to pour out onto the floorboards. Matthew swallowed hard when he saw this, and Michaela noticed the money as well.
"Matthew, will you wait upstairs with Sully and the girls? Take James and Katie with you." Matthew stuffed Molly's money purse into his pocket, scooped up James and Katie and started up the stairs. Michaela looked at Molly's pale features as she lay unconscious. She began to press around her abdomen and found that she was wearing a corset. She sighed heavily and shook her head.
Molly's eyes fluttered open when Michaela began wiping her face with a cool cloth.
"What happened? Where am I?" Molly asked, immediately frightened.
"Shh," Michaela whispered. "You collapsed, and Matthew brought you to my home."
"Oh," Molly whispered. "Am I going to be all right?"
"You should be, but first, I think we need to get you out of that corset." Molly looked down. "The mixture of your heavy black dress and the hot July sun is not a good combination. Wearing a corset doesn't make things any better."
"Oh," Molly replied, swallowing hard.
"Molly?"
"Hmm?"
"Tomorrow, I'll take you to the mercantile, and we'll pick out a few new dresses in the catalogue for you to wear."
"But, I must wear this. It's the color of mourning." Michaela sensed her tone.
"Yes, but this July is going to be very hot," she explained. "You don't want another spell like this, do you?"
"Well, no," Molly said, becoming convinced. She sighed and placed her hand to her forehead.
"Molly?"
"I'm alright. Just a bit dizzy."
"Alright, let's get this corset off of you." Molly nodded, and Michaela went to work with the buttons of the dress. Soon, she was removing the corset, and Molly breathed a sigh of relief and lay back on the table. Michaela placed the corset aside and watched the color come back to Molly's face. She did up the buttons on Molly's dress again to make her feel a bit more comfortable.
"Better?"
"Much. But, I'm still feeling a bit dizzy." She placed her hand on her stomach, and Michaela noticed the significant change in Molly's abdomen after the removal of the corset. After a few moments of silence, Molly looked at the doctor. "What?"
"Molly, how long ago did your husband die."
"Two months," Molly said softly. "Why?"
"Would you mind if I examined you?"
"Examine me? What for?" Molly began to sit up, but she began feeling cramping deep within her.
"Oh!"
"What is it?"
"Something's wrong! Oh! Ow!" Molly began to writhe in pain, and fear overtook Michaela. She rushed up the stairs.
"Sully! I need you!" Sully and Matthew both followed Michaela down the stairs to see Molly writhing and moaning in pain on the table.
"What's wrong with her?" Matthew asked, fear freezing him in his place.
"I need to get her into a bed."
"She can take mine," Matthew said quickly. Sully scooped her up and carried her up the stairs. Matthew stayed in the kitchen, not knowing what to do next, but the only thing that came to his mind was a vision of Ingrid lying on that very table after being bitten by Pup. Tears sprang to his eyes, and he felt his knees growing weak. He sat down at the table and prayed to God that Molly was going to make it through this.
Nicholas Hill placed on his top had and exited the train car. He looked around the depot, searching for any sign of Molly Thomas. He didn't see her, only several people dressed in rustic clothes, hats and bonnets. He lit the tip of his cigar and started off toward the center of town.
Horace had been on the lookout for this very man after receiving a telegram from Andrew, but he had been in the midst of reading a letter from Myra and had completely been oblivious to Mr. Hill's arrival.
"Excuse me, sir?" Nicholas said, walking up to Jake Slicker at the barbershop.
"Need a shave?" Jake asked, flicking his cigar into the dirt street.
"No, I'm actually looking for someone. I thought you might be able to help me."
"Who?"
"A Mrs. Molly Thomas." The name didn't register with Jake.
"Don't know her."
"Perhaps you've seen her. She's very petite with reddish brown hair. She has a small boy. She's most likely wearing black. Her husband died not long ago, God rest his soul."
"Oh, the woman from Boston?"
"Yes," Nicholas said. "Where might I find her?"
"Who wants to know?"
"I'm her brother Edward," he replied. That seemed to be enough to convince Jake, besides, he had customers waiting and didn't want to deal with this stranger any longer.
"She's stayin' at the boardin' house." He pointed in that direction.
"Thank you." Nicholas tipped his hat and started off in pursuit of the woman who possessed the money he felt belonged to him.
Michaela was alone in Matthew's room with Molly now, and she had given Molly one of her nightgowns to wear. Molly was crying, and Michaela was examining her and being as gentle as possible.
"It's almost over," she promised.
"What's wrong with me?" Molly asked. Michaela sighed and looked up at Molly.
"Didn't you know that you're pregnant?" Molly closed her eyes and began to sob again. She shook her head. "You had no idea?"
"No," she whispered. "I knew that I had skipped my monthly a couple of times, but I heard that could happen to ladies under stress. I've been under a lot of stress with my husband dying and . . . and moving out West." Michaela nodded.
"Yes," she said softly.
"It doesn't hurt so much anymore. Is everything alright?"
"For the time being, you and your baby are in stable condition. I was able to control the cramping, and you were lucky that you weren't hemorrhaging. I must insist that you stop wearing corsets, because they're not good for the baby. I believe you're four months along." She firmly pressed her hand against Molly's belly. If all goes well, you could have a Christmas baby. Molly swallowed hard.
"I just can't believe it. I . . . I can't be."
"You are, Molly," Michaela insisted. "But, if you want this baby to grow and be strong and healthy, you're going to have to rest for a few days." Molly blinked back the tears. "If you don't rest, there is a good chance you'll miscarry." Molly cried out, and Michaela wiped the tears from her eyes with a damp cloth.
"Shh, you can rest now. You're going to be all right." She walked over to a water basin and lathered her hands with soap. After she'd washed up, she left Molly alone to think for a while. Matthew quickly moved toward his mother when she entered the hallway.
"Where's Mama?" James asked, walking out of Katie's room.
"Your mama is resting now," Michaela whispered.
"Can I see her? What's wrong with her?" Matthew asked. Michaela sighed heavily and looked into her son's eyes.
"Matthew, Molly is pregnant. She nearly had a miscarriage." Surprise filled Matthew's eyes.
"What!"
"She's about four months pregnant, and she needs her rest now to prevent a miscarriage." She put her hand on Matthew's shoulder.
"Can I see her?" he asked again. Michaela nodded.
"Yes." Matthew made his way into Molly's room to find her curled up in a ball on the bed. She had the covers pulled up around her even though it was about eighty degrees in the room.
"How're ya feelin'?" Matthew asked quietly, puling a chair up beside the bed.
"Better," she said softly. "Thank you for bringing me here."
"I was worried."
"Did Dr. Quinn tell you?"
"Yeah. She said you're havin' a baby." Molly nodded numbly. "Congratulations." At that point, she burst into tears again.
"I'm sorry," she said softly, taking her hand in his.
"It's not your fault," she said, shaking her head. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "My husband didn't want more kids. After James was born, he was satisfied that he had a son, and he didn't want me ruining my figure with another pregnancy. He wanted one child to carry on his name, and James was the heir."
"What did you want?"
"I wanted a house full of children," she said with a fond smile. "But, now, I don't know what I'm going to do." She shook her head and let the tears fall. Matthew remembered her money purse falling out onto the floor when he brought her to the homestead.
"Oh, I forgot." He pulled it out and placed it in her hands.
"Where did you find this?" she asked, sitting up in the bed and resting her back against the headboard.
"It fell onto the floor when I brought ya here. It spilled open." Molly looked down.
"Oh." She wasn't quite sure what to say. "I bet you're wondering what a woman like me is doing with all of that money."
"Yeah, but ya don't have to tell me." Molly looked into his eyes, and she knew she needed to tell him. For some reason, her heart wanted him to know what she had been through. She wanted him to know everything about her, and this was the only place she knew she could start from.
Michaela had settled the children down for their naps, and she joined Sully downstairs. Their hands were joined as they walked out onto the porch and settled down on the steps. Michaela had been rather silent, and now, Sully needed her to talk and tell him what she was feeing.
"You alright?"
"Yes," she said quietly. Sully squeezed her hand. "It's just that the entire time I was up there with her, I couldn't help but think of my miscarriage." She swallowed hard, and Sully pulled his arm around her. "It's a frightening and painful thing, Sully, and I hope she doesn't have to go through it. No woman should ever have to experience that." Sully nodded in agreement. "I still dream about that baby, Sully."
"Ya do?" he asked with surprise. She nodded.
"Oh yes. Quite often, actually. In every dream, our baby is a boy, and he looks just like you." Sully smiled a little and kissed the side of Michaela's head. "In every dream, we're holding him and telling him how much we love him. And, Sully, when I wake up, I always get the feeling that our little boy is up in Heaven thinking about us as much as I think about him."
"I think about that baby too," Sully admitted. "I only wish I'd been there for ya. Ya shouldn't have had to go through it alone." Their fingers laced together. "I can't begin to imagine what ya went through."
"What matters is that since then, we've had a beautiful baby girl together. We have our family, Sully, and I only hope Molly will get to have hers. She's suffered so much already."
"Ya think she needs anything from town?" Sully asked, looking toward the wagon.
"She's going to need to rest for a couple of days. Would you mind going to the boarding house and picking up a few of her things?" Michaela asked.
"Sure," Sully replied. He and Michaela kissed softly before Sully went into town to pack up some of Molly's belongings.
Matthew sat, staring with his eyes wide in surprise as Molly finished her story. She told him everything from Peter's murder to getting the money with the help of a friend and coming to Colorado Springs. Of course, she didn't mention her friend's name.
"Wow," Matthew said, running his fingers through his hair.
"I know it sounds ridiculous. Why would you believe me?" She sighed and folded her arms across her chest. "The ridiculous part would be me not knowing I was pregnant. How could I have been so foolish?"
"First of all, it ain't ridiculous. Second of all, you've had a lot on your mind. Nobody blames ya for not knowin' ya were pregnant." She shook her head.
"I've been through this once before with James. You'd think I'd know."
"Well, you can rest easy now," Matthew promised. "That friend of yours in Boston obviously cared enough about ya to send ya here. Nobody's gonna find ya here, and if they do, I'm the sheriff." Molly smiled and reached out to touch Matthew's cheek.
"Why are you so good to me? We barely know one another."
"Nobody deserves to go through what you have, Molly. Ya deserve so much better than this." A tear streaked down the beautiful woman's cheek. "You okay?"
"Yes. Thank you."
"I'll leave ya to get some rest."
"I want James," Molly called as Matthew walked to the door.
"I'll send him in." A moment later, James came running in, and Matthew shut the door to give him some time with his mother.
"Mama!"
"Hello, sweetheart," she whispered. James climbed into the bed.
"You okay, Mama?"
"I'm fine. Do you want to know something very special?" she asked, not sure if she should say anything in case a miscarriage did occur. But, when she saw the excitement in her boy's eyes, she couldn't hold back.
"What, Mama?" he asked, clapping his hands together.
"You're going to be a big brother!" James looked confused. "Do you know what that means?" He shook his head. "Mama's going to have a baby!"
"Baby!" James exclaimed happily! "Big brother!" He began jumping up and down on the bed until Molly settled him down. She took him into her arms and began to beam with pride. It was then that she began to think of her very uncertain future. One thing she knew for sure, however, was that she was going to love her children first and foremost, and she was going to do whatever it took to protect them.
Sully had met up with Brian on his way into town, and Brian had ridden alongside the wagon on Taffy. They had talked for a little while about the situation at home with Molly, so Brian had offered to help Sully with Molly's things in town.
When they arrived at the boarding house, Jake Slicker noticed and started to walk over.
"Sully? What's goin' on?" he asked, knowing that Sully rarely went to the boarding house. Brian looked at Jake.
"We're getting some of Widow Thomas' things."
"Widow Thomas?" Jake asked.
"Molly," Brian explained. Jake looked from Sully to Brian.
"What for?"
"I don't think that's really anything you need to concern yourself with, Jake," Sully warned.
"Didn't her brother come see her?" Brian and Sully looked at one another.
"Brother? She never said somethin' 'bout her brother," Sully explained.
"Some guy came today lookin' for her, and he said he was her brother." Sully immediately knew something was wrong. Before he could go inside, Horace showed up.
"Sully? Jake? What's goin' on?"
"Some fella showed up sayin' he was that Molly Thomas' brother." Jake went on to describe him, and Horace placed a hand over his mouth.
"What is it, Horace?" Sully asked.
"I can't believe this." He handed Sully the telegram, and Sully read it thoroughly. Jake read over his shoulder.
"That's the guy." Sully swallowed hard, and the first thing he thought before he stuffed the telegram in his pocket was, "Why would Andrew Cook be sending a warning telegram to Colorado Springs?"
He finally burst through the door of the boarding house. Widow Johnson was out at the café, so he took himself up to the rooms. He remembered her saying which room she'd been staying in, and when he got to the small room at the end of the hall, his hand lingered on the doorknob. He pulled his tomahawk from his belt and prepared himself for anything.
When he opened the door, he found that the room was a complete mess. Everything had been ripped apart and destroyed.
