Chapter Ten
Dear Diary, Sully and I went to a late dinner this evening, and we had a wonderful time despite the events that transpired earlier. I'm terrified that David isn't finished. His words are still haunting me and ringing in my head. I want to be brave so Sully will leave remembering me being happy. I'm not happy, though. Not in the least. I don't want him to go away. I don't want to remember my mother saying those awful things to him. Sully is a gentleman, and I only dream of when he will come back from his trip westward, and he hasn't even left yet! Father approves of Sully, and I know it. My heart tells me that I love him, and I know my head tells me so too. Being in love frightens me, because I thought I was in love once, but I know now that I never could have loved David. My heart sees into his soul now, and I know we were never a good match. But Sully is different. He has the kindest spirit, and he's gentle with me. I'm afraid of what the West may do to him, but my heart knows he'll return to me the same man I met in New York a month ago.
Michaela sighed and closed her diary. She locked it and put it in her usual hiding spot. She moved over to the window and stared up at the big bright moon. She had a dreamy smile upon her face, and she picked up the skirt of her nightgown and swayed back and forth a little, cherishing the memory of her dance with Sully. He hadn't been the best dancer, but dancing with Sully had been the most memorable dance she'd ever participated in.
She smiled, wondering what he was doing in the other room. She wondered if he was thinking about her too. Perhaps he was reading Whitman and thinking of her. She blushed at the thought of that. There were a few poems in that collection that she wasn't quite sure would be appropriate for him to read while thinking of her. But, she grinned anyway, remembering the look in his eyes as they danced. She could have fallen head over feet that night, and she might have without knowing it. He'd made her forget about all of the bad things, and that had been exactly what she'd wanted.
Her arm started to bother her, and she examined it in the moonlight. The bruises were going to look worse before they looked better. She shook her head sadly and leaned against the window frame. She noticed a shadow moving toward the front door, and her blood turned icy for a moment, and her mind began to race. It was David. He had come back to finish what he'd started.
She backed away from the window and leaned against the wall, terrified that her thinking might be correct. It wasn't long before she heard voices in the hall. She crept over toward the door, and heard Josef's voice. He was close. He must have been in front of Sully's door.
"Dr. Quinn? What is it?" Sully asked tiredly.
"I'm sorry to bother you, Sully, but I'm afraid Albert Johnson is here."
"Albert? Why's he here at this time of night?"
"He claims he wants to take Michaela to dinner tomorrow night."
"Why don't you tell her then?" Sully asked.
"I'm sure Mike is sleeping, and if I'm correct, she'll turn him down anyway." Michaela stifled a giggle at her father's words. He knew her so well! Albert was a sweet young man, but she had had a rather eventful day, and she was exhausted! Sully sighed with exasperation, and Michaela bit back another giggle. She shook her head.
"What exactly do ya want me to do?"
"Just talk with him. Try to make him understand that Mike isn't interested in anything more than friendship."
"It ain't my place, Dr. Quinn," Sully said hesitantly. At least Sully wasn't acting macho and territorial. Michaela respected him for many reasons, including that one. Men didn't have to go about marking their territories like wild animals to prove their manhood, after all. Finally, after a few more words from Josef, Sully decided to go outside and talk to Albert.
Michaela made her way back over to the window. She had to hear this! She was merely relieved that it wasn't David coming over in the dark of night. Hopefully, she wouldn't see him again for a while!
"Mr. Sully," Albert said as Sully came out of the house.
"Albert, what are ya doin' here? It's late."
"Yes, I realize that," Albert said shyly. Michaela leaned her head further out to get a better view. Sully was standing tiredly in front of the door, and Albert was shakily holding a bouquet of freshly picked flowers. "I came to ask Dr. Quinn…I mean, Michaela…if she'd like to join me for dinner tomorrow." Sully looked up toward Michaela's window, and she hid in the shadows of her curtains with her hand over her mouth.
"Do ya realize that she's up in bed now?"
"No sir," he said quietly. Sully couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that Albert was calling him 'sir' and was probably a good year older than him. "I just thought she might say 'yes'."
"Has she ever said 'yes' before?"
"Occasionally," Albert said quietly. After a long pause, he spoke again. "Twice, and that was just for tea." Albert sighed heavily. He knew it was a long shot. Sully put his hand on Albert's shoulder.
"Did ya ever wonder why she usually tells ya 'no?'" Sully wondered.
"Well, maybe it…wasn't a good time for her."
"Albert, I'm sorry, but I don't think Michaela's interested in ya in that way."
"Well, I think she likes my persistence," Albert explained. Sully bit back a laugh.
"No, Albert, I don't think so. I'm sure she thinks you're a good friend, but I don't think she thinks much else about ya."
"Oh," Albert said quietly. "I understand."
"Michaela is a real kind lady, so that's probably why she hasn't told ya straight out that she ain't interested. But, ya should know by now since she turns ya down all the time." Albert nodded, and Michaela felt terrible for laughing the way she was. She couldn't help it. Albert was finally starting to understand that his persistence was not an attractive quality for him. She also enjoyed that Sully was talking with him. The words he spoke to Albert told her that Sully really understood her. She was thankful for that!
A moment later, Michaela noticed a figure moving in the shadows outside. Her breath caught in her throat, and fear pounded in her chest. She wanted to call out, but it was too late. David was stepping into view.
"No," she whispered to herself. She closed her eyes when Sully noticed him. Both he and Albert turned toward David, and Michaela stepped away from the window.
"What are you doin' here?" Sully asked angrily but in a hushed voice.
"I came to see Michaela," David replied cautiously.
"Well, she's sleepin'. Ya can't see her now. I don't think she'd wanna see ya anyway," Sully replied, folding his arms across his chest.
"What are you? Her keeper? She can do a lot better." Sully said nothing. David started to walk toward the door, but Sully stepped in the way. "Get out of my way, you street rat." Again, Sully said nothing, but his jaw was clenched tightly.
Michaela knew this was going to get rough, so she pulled her robe tightly around her body and stood a few moments longer. That was long enough for her to see David throw the first punch when Sully wouldn't let him pass. She quickly started out of her room. She needed to stop this before someone got hurt.
Outside, Sully avoided David's punch, and held him off by pushing him back. Albert watched in shock as the two struggled. The daisies he'd been holding were now in a scattered mess at his feet.
David threw another punch, and Sully caught it with his lip. He tasted blood, but he moved into action and gave David a swift hit to his damaged eye. David fell back, holding his hand over his eye for a moment before lunging at Sully again.
No sooner did the two tumble onto the ground together than the front door swung open. Michaela came running out, her long hair and robe trailing behind her like kite tails.
"Stop it now!" Michaela exclaimed as both men found their footings. They stood, and David started for Sully again, but Michaela, forgetting her fears for a moment, pushed her way between them. "Stop fighting! Stop!"
Mrs. Crandall down the street came out of her house with her parlor dog at her heels. Several more houses woke from the disturbance. Michaela didn't pay any attention to it, however, and she stood with her back to Sully and looked into David's good eye.
"What are you doing here?"
"I came for you," he started.
"I don't want you here. Not after what you did." David almost looked confused. Sully gently put his hand on Michaela's shoulder.
"Ya don't have to do this. C'mon."
"No," she said defiantly. "I need to do this." She glared up into David's eyes and finally rolled up her robe sleeve. She looked down at her bruised arm and back up at David. He looked down at her arm and snapped his attention to Sully.
"How dare you put a hand on her!" David seethed, spittle frothing at his lips like a rabid dog.
"You did this!" Michaela yelled angrily. "You did this to me!" David shook his head.
"I love you, Michaela."
"No," Michaela whispered. "You don't."
"You love me. I know you do."
"You lost the right to say that a long time ago," Michaela said softly. "I don't love you. I don't think I ever did." This shook David up considerably, and he lunged for Sully.
"What have you done to her? She doesn't belong to you!" he screamed.
"David, get out of here! Leave!" Michaela screamed, stepping in front of Sully. David pushed her out of the way, and that enraged Sully. Sully delivered a swift punch to David's jaw. "If you ever come back, I'll have you arrested." David started toward Sully again, but Albert interfered.
"You heard the lady. Now kindly leave," Albert said quietly. For being a man of limited muscle-tone and strength, he certainly made up for it in bravery! David turned his attention to poor Albert, and Michaela moved to examine the cut on Sully's lip. It was still bleeding, but it didn't look like it warranted stitches.
"You? What are you doing here anyway?" David asked. "Michaela doesn't care about you. She could care less if you ever came by again. Why don't you go home and let the men handle this situation."
"That's enough," came a voice from behind. It was Josef! David backed off immediately and stared with a dumbfounded expression upon his face.
"Dr. and Mrs. Quinn," he stuttered. "I…I'm sorry you had to witness this." Michaela turned to face her parents. "I was just telling this…this ingrate to stay away from your daughter! He's taking advantage! He's staying in your home, yet he's…"
"Enough!" Josef shouted. "That'll be quite enough from now on. You've done enough here tonight." David was still standing near Michaela, who had wrapped her arm through Sully's. Her hand was clutching his. "David, you should leave now."
"I won't. Not until I get a chance to explain."
"You've said enough. Don't worry about coming into the hospital anymore. You won't have a job waiting for you." Michaela looked at her father with fright in her eyes.
"Father," she whispered.
"Don't worry, Mike. David won't hurt you anymore." Michaela didn't believe that. David was surprisingly calm at this point. He turned and walked away, but both Sully and Michaela knew it wasn't the last they'd see of him. That had been too easy.
"Thank you, young man," Josef said, turning to Albert. "Would you like to come in for tea?" Albert politely shook his head.
"No thank you, Dr. Quinn." He looked at Michaela. "Are you going to be all right?"
"Yes. I'm fine, Albert. Thank you." Albert nodded to Sully and went on his way. Michaela turned to Sully. "What was that about?"
"I guess we got an understandin' now," Sully said with a sheepish chuckle. Michaela grinned, feeling a little better, though she couldn't help but feel a bit of dread. She wasn't quite sure what to expect from David next. Michaela turned to Josef.
"Father, you really shouldn't have told David you were going to have him fired," Michaela said softly.
"Why not? He hurt you."
"But the family…"
"Our family will be just fine. We're the Quinn family, remember? We're strong." Michaela smiled a little, though her worries weren't eased. Elizabeth was still silent, and her face was as pale as a sheet. She turned and followed Josef into the house, while Michaela lingered outside with Sully. Michaela looked up into his eyes.
"Thank you, Sully." She gently brushed his cheek with the back of her hand, and she noticed that the blood was still trickling from his lip. "Let's take care of that." She led him inside, and they moved into the parlor. Michaela grabbed her medical bag and began to clean the small cut. Sully winced as she applied an antiseptic. Michaela grinned and blew on the small cut like she'd blow on a child's cut knee. Sully relaxed as he felt her breath on his lips, and he wanted to lean in to kiss her then, but he knew that a bloody, medicine-tasting kiss wouldn't be very romantic.
"Thanks," Sully said as Michaela finished up her work.
"It'll be sore for a few days, but I think you'll survive." Sully chuckled and nodded his head. Michaela wanted to kiss him then, but the moment had passed, and it was late.
"You should get up to bed," Sully said softly. Michaela nodded.
"Yes. Perhaps I should. But, only if you promise not to get into anymore fights tonight." Sully laughed a little and nodded his head.
"I think I can promise that." Michaela smiled and stood. She lingered in the parlor for a moment before starting up the stairs to go to bed.
It was fifteen minutes later when Michaela heard a knock at her door. She sighed. She had just been on the verge of falling asleep.
The door began to open, and Michaela sat up in bed. The flames from the hearth cast dancing shadows upon the door, and as it opened, Michaela saw her mother's figure step into the room.
"Mother? What's going on?" she asked, ready to get out of bed for an emergency.
"Stay put, Michaela," Elizabeth replied, placing her lantern down on Michaela's nightstand. She took a seat in Michaela's bedside chair. Suddenly, Michaela felt uncomfortable. Elizabeth hadn't done this since in at least fifteen years. "I've come to apologize." This was a big deal! Elizabeth Quinn was usually too proud for apologies.
"Mother?"
"Hear me out, Michaela." She cleared her throat. "First of all, I want to re-affirm my opinion of Mr. Sully. I think he's street trash, and he isn't good enough to hold the door open for you. He's worthless, and he always will be."
"If you think this is an apology, you're not very good at it," Michaela replied, getting out of bed and moving to stand beside the window. She looked up at the moon and only wished she was that far away. She hated being stuck in this little room with her overbearing mother who had nothing but mean things to say to her.
"I will never support any kind of relationship you wish to have with Mr. Sully," she continued. "Even a friendship with him brings a bad mark to our family name. I don't like his presence here, and I wish he'd never come into your life." This was harsh, and Michaela was two seconds away from walking out. "But, you're a grown woman. You're going to make choices for yourself, regardless of whether or not they're good for you. I know you'll learn from your mistakes, and someday, you'll see that Mr. Sully is just another mistake." Tears were in Michaela's eyes. She wouldn't be able to face her mother right now without her tears falling. She only wanted to scream out at her, asking her why she never loved her, but she knew in the bottom of her heart that Elizabeth loved her. She did. She just didn't like her very much most of the time.
"You've never supported me before. Why should I expect you to now?" Michaela asked quietly, trying not to let her mother see how much she was getting to her.
"You have always been your father's daughter. You were mine for nine months, and the moment you were born into your father's arms, you were his. You always cried when I held you, and your father was the only one who could make you stop. You wouldn't let me rock you to sleep at night. When you started walking, you'd only walk to him. I couldn't blame you, my dear. You were a mere child, and your father filled your head with dreams that could never be realized." Michaela shook her head. "I suppose what I'm trying to get at is…I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't believe you about David. I'm sorry that I accused Mr. Sully of hurting you, though I wouldn't put it past him." She just had to get that little jab in there, didn't she?
"You just had to believe he was good, didn't you?" Michaela asked. Realization suddenly washed over her. "I suppose I did too." She felt the tears beginning to fall. "Mother, I never dreamed David could act in such a manner. I wanted to start over. I wanted us to be friends. How could he do something like this?" Elizabeth stood and walked over to her daughter. Michaela was on the verge of breaking down into sobs, but the look in her mother's eyes told her she had something important to say first.
"There is something about me that I never told you. Not even your father knows this, Michaela. The only other person I've talked to about it was my father, and he took this to the grave." Michaela swallowed hard but said nothing. "When I was about fifteen years old, I attended balls and parties, and every time I went, I danced the entire evening with Thomas Worthington." She smiled sadly. "He was the first boy who had ever paid any attention to me, and he had always been so sweet. Right after I met your father, I knew I loved him. I had to tell Thomas, who had started calling on me, that I would no longer be accepting his dinner invitations. Oh, I felt terrible for telling him, but I knew that being with your father was the right choice." Michaela nodded slowly. "When I told him, he grew angry. He took me by…" Tears welled in her eyes, and Michaela took her mother's hands in his.
"Go on. It's all right," Michaela urged.
"He took me…by the throat. He wanted me to suffer the way I was making him suffer. If my father hadn't caught him, he would have killed me, Michaela." Elizabeth was crying now. "I'm so sorry I didn't see it until it was too late, Michaela. I'm so sorry I didn't believe you." Michaela pulled her mother into a hug, and they cried together for several long moments for the first time in their lives. This was the first truly meaningful moment Michaela had ever spent with her.
It wasn't long before Elizabeth had composed herself and retired out of Michaela's room. Michaela was speechless, and she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep. So, she sat down and began to write in her diary. She needed to get the words out of her head and down onto paper. She needed to stop feeling like her entire world was coming to an end. She needed to be happy.