Chapter Twenty-Six

Memories of the terrible night David had attacked her in that alley came flooding back to Michaela, and she struggled against his grasp. She heard something click, and she felt the barrel of the pistol sticking in her side. She gasped for breath, and she continued to struggle.

"Let me go!" Michaela hollered. "Let me go! David!" She did the only thing she could think to do at that moment. She began to scream as she struggled. His grip grew tighter on her, and she tried to push the gun away. He shoved it further into her side, poking her in the ribs. She let out a groan of discomfort, and his grip began to grow bruising. She felt as if he was going to tear through her flesh. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, remembering the way he'd tried to rape her. She needed to get away. "Sully!" She screamed louder, and she saw David struggling with the option to let her go or kill her.

Michaela noticed Lydia and Albert walking up out of the corner of her eye. Lydia's face was pale and full of fright. Albert was shocked, and before Michaela had the chance to scream again, David was being pulled off of her and thrown to the ground. Michaela came to her senses and watched in horror as Sully and David tumbled to the ground.

David pointed his gun at Sully's chest, but Albert rushed to pin his hand to the ground and kick the gun away. Michaela rushed over to Lydia, and while Lydia was worried about Michaela, Michaela was worried about Lydia in her condition. Their arms wrapped around one another, and they carried each other to safety, watching in horror as the men they loved fought with the man they hated.

"Stop!" Michaela screamed, mostly screaming so everyone could come out and see what kind of a man David was. She continued to scream at the fighting men until the entire Quinn family plus many guests were outside, watching the struggle before their very eyes.

"What on Earth!" Josef exclaimed. Albert and Sully managed to pin David down to the ground. David's eye patch and fell off during the struggle, and the white blindness of it stared up at the night sky, unmoving and unemotional. "Everyone go back inside." People lingered outside. "Go on! There isn't anything to see here, so go back inside! This is under control!" Everyone slowly herded back inside, save for Josef, Sully, Albert, Lydia and Michaela. "You ladies as well."

"I'm staying," Michaela said boldly. Josef didn't look surprised.

"So am I," Lydia spoke up.

"That was an order," Josef said. "You shouldn't worry about this…this character right now."

"I'm fine," Michaela assured him.

"Michaela Quinn," Josef said seriously. She knew he meant business. She sighed and touched Lydia's arm, nodding to her that it was all right. As they were turning to walk to the doors, David broke free of Sully and Albert's grasps. The three scrambled for the gun, and a moment later, a gunshot went off in Michaela's direction. Sully screamed out, Albert froze, petrified, and Michaela and Lydia fell to the ground, their knees buckling beneath them.

Silence filled the air for several moments, but Josef quickly took action and grabbed the gun, knocking David on the back of the head with it. David was out an instant later, and Josef rushed to his daughter.

"Mike! Mike!" he screamed. Sully and Albert scrambled toward the mess. Blood. Blood on the ground. Blood on her dress. Oh God.

"Michaela! No!" Sully screamed out. Michaela opened her eyes, dazed. She saw the blood on her dress and looked at it as it stained her lily-white hands.

"Sully," she gasped.

"Michaela, don't talk," he said quietly. She shook her head. She looked down at Lydia who still lay crumpled up on the ground.

"It's not me. It's not my blood," she whispered.

"Lydia!" Albert screamed as he slowly rolled her onto her back. Blood poured from a chest wound, and her eyes were fluttering constantly.

"Albert," she gasped hoarsely.

"Oh God. No. No!"

"I need. I didn't…"

"Don't talk, love. Please don't talk."

"I…I love you," she choked, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I love you." Her eyes closed, and she went limp.

"No! Lydia!" he screamed out. Michaela and Josef immediately moved into action, and Sully pulled Albert away.

"We're not helpin' her here. Stand back," he ordered. David started to come to as Michaela worked to stop Lydia's bleeding.

"Get him out of here!" Michaela screamed. "He can't be here." She felt Lydia's belly. "He can't know," she whispered. Sully realized what Michaela was doing. She'd never said it out loud, but now he knew. Lydia was pregnant, and David was the father.

"Albert, help me get 'im to the jail," Sully said quickly.

"I won't leave her," Albert cried, shaking his head.

"I'll go with you, son. Mike has it under control." Josef stood and quickly helped Sully get David to a carriage. They rushed off as Michaela worked on Lydia.

"Stay with me, Lydia!"

"We need to get her to the hospital," Albert said quietly, softly touching her paling hand.

"I can't move her until I have stopped the bleeding," Michaela replied, pressing a piece of Lydia's petticoat onto the wound. "Run inside and get my medical bag. Have my sisters Rebecca and Marjorie come with you." Albert was stunned as he watched the color continue to drain out of Lydia's face. "Albert, GO!" Albert finally snapped into gear, and he rushed into the hotel. "You're going to make it, Lydia. Just hold on. Hold on for that baby. Hold on."

Sully, Josef and Albert were pacing the halls of the hospital now. David was locked away, unconscious still, and Michaela was working tirelessly to save Lydia and her unborn child. Albert was shaking, and Sully moved toward him. He put a steady hand on his shoulder.

"I might lose her, Sully. I can't," he said, his eyes red and brimming with fresh tears to replace those that had already fallen. Sully swallowed hard and closed his eyes. He leaned against the wall, thinking about how he'd felt when he had thought Michaela had been hit. He had never been so scared. He had been afraid to lose her, and tonight, he almost could have.

"I should go in and see if she needs my help," Josef uttered.

"Ya should go check on Mrs. Quinn and your daughters," Sully said quietly. "They're waitin' down the hall." Sully had been surprised that Elizabeth had agreed to join them. Hearing that her daughter had been shot at had really shaken her up. Josef finally nodded, and he started down the hallway. Sully watched as Albert sat down in a seat, his head buried in his hands. The door to Lydia's room opened up, and Michaela came out with a positive look upon her face. Albert looked up and stood quickly.

"How is she?"

"She's still asleep, but her vitals are great."

"The baby?" he asked quietly.

"The baby's fine," Michaela replied. Albert's face brightened, and he rushed over to hug Michaela. She grinned, tears glistening in her eyes, and she watched him go in to sit with her. Sully moved over without words and took her into his arms.

"How ya holdin' up?" he asked as they pulled away and gazed into each other's eyes.

"I'm shaken up," she whispered. "I swear my life flashed before my eyes tonight, Sully. David…he tried to kill me, Sully."

"I thought I lost ya," Sully admitted. "I never wanna go through that again. I just…I realized how precious time is, and seein' what happened to Lydia tonight…seein' what Albert was goin' through out here. God, Michaela. I never wanna be in the place Albert was tonight. Ya mean so much to me, and I'm so sick of waitin' for time to pass us by."

"Sully?" Michaela asked softly.

"Michaela!" Elizabeth exclaimed, waltzing down the hall. Michaela tensed up at her mother's voice. Sully and Michaela parted, and Elizabeth stepped up.

"Mother, now isn't the time."

"No, it's the perfect time," Elizabeth said quietly. Marjorie and Rebecca stood curiously with Josef at the end of the hall, waiting for someone to explode. Sully kissed Michaela's cheek.

"I'll wait with your pa."

"No, Sully, you should stay too," Elizabeth said quietly. Sully was a little stunned. Elizabeth always referred to him as Mr. Sully. This was a first. His arm wrapped protectively around Michaela for just a moment.

"I think I'll leave ya two to talk." He left, and Michaela stood still. She looked into her mother's eyes, and she saw tears. Tears? Her eyes were red. She had been crying!

"Mother…"

"We shouldn't do this out in the hall. Is there some place we can talk in private?"

"Mother, I shouldn't leave Lydia just yet. I want to make sure she wakes. What do you have to say?"

"Michaela, what I said earlier…I didn't mean it."

"But you said…"
"I know what I said. Perhaps some of it was true. You have embarrassed me before. You've made me ashamed, but…you never made me stop loving you. I do love you, Michaela, and I'm so sorry it took you nearly getting killed for me to tell you." Michaela felt the tears rising to the surface.

"Mother you don't have to…"

"Yes I do," Elizabeth cut her off. "I've spent twenty-six years being a terrible mother to you. I've been critical and scrutinizing. I've never supported you, and I admit that with all honesty. But, Michaela, when I heard what had happened, I realized that none of it mattered. None of those choices that you made despite my advice mattered. What matters is that those choices have gotten you where you are today. You are a strong, independent, sophisticated…beautiful woman." Michaela couldn't believe what she was hearing. For a moment, she feared that she truly had died. But she hadn't.

"Mother, what are you up to?" Elizabeth didn't look surprised.

"Nothing, Michaela. I'm finished."

"What?"

"I'm finished fighting you on every little thing. I'm ready."

"Ready?"

"I'm ready to…to start being a supportive mother." Michaela sighed shakily.

"Do you think that this can make up for everything you've said?" she asked softly. "You hurt me. You hurt Sully."

"I know that now," she said quietly.

"It's going to take time, Mother. This can't be fixed in one night. I don't expect you to approve of Sully, because you obviously despise my decision to marry him. It's going to happen, and I hope that if you're sincere about this, you will come to my wedding."

"I know. I know that, Michaela. I want to try. The thought of you marrying scares me. You're the last one. Nobody will ever be good enough for my daughter." Michaela swallowed the lump in her throat.

"I need to check on my patient." Michaela started to turn away. Elizabeth looked away, but Michaela turned back to her. She wrapped her arms around her mother tiredly. "I love you, Mother." She pulled back and rushed into Lydia's room.

Michaela smiled as Lydia opened her eyes. Her gray irises were black for a moment, but when her eyes adjusted to the light of the lanterns, they were as beautiful as ever. The first person Lydia saw was Albert. He was holding her hand with one hand and lovingly caressing her belly with the other.

"Now that you're awake," Michaela said softly, "I'll leave you two alone."

"David," Lydia whispered.

"Don't worry," Michaela promised. "He won't hurt you anymore." She gently stroked Lydia's forehead and smoothed back her hair. She left the room, and Albert picked Lydia's hand up into his. He kissed her knuckles one by one. Lydia smiled.

"You heard me, didn't you?" she asked. He was silent. "You heard me say it?"

"I did," he whispered. "I love you."

"I love you."

"How do you feel?"

"Like I've been shot," she teased.

"Good to know you didn't lose that sense of humor I love so much." Lydia smiled a little, and Albert leaned up to kiss her forehead. "I was so scared."

"I'm a survivor," she promised him.

"Michaela took care of you."

"She's a good doctor," Lydia replied. "The baby?" Her hand went to her belly.

"Michaela said the baby's just fine," Albert promised. "Just fine." Lydia closed her eyes.

"I'm so tired," she whispered.

"It's okay. You go ahead and rest. I'll be here all night."

Sully was waiting on Michaela to finish up with Lydia's file report. He was getting ready to take her home, and Josef had long since taken Elizabeth, Rebecca and Marjorie away. It was near five in the morning, and Sully was tired. He knew Michaela was exhausted beyond belief.

"Ready?" Michaela asked, pulling her shawl around her bloodstained dress.

"Yeah," he replied with a yawn, pulling his arm around her. "You check on Lydia?"

"She's sleeping. We put a cot in there so Albert could sleep near her."

"I won't be surprised if they're engaged by next week." Michaela smiled a little despite the horror that their evening had turned into. They held one another close as they stumbled out of the hospital. Sully managed to flag down a carriage driver.

"I'm getting ready to go to the stables, sir," he said tiredly.

"Could you please take us to Beacon Hill? We been up all night, and it's not that far away," Sully explained. The driver noticed Michaela's blood stained dress, realized they must have been through a horrible ordeal, and he nodded.

"Come on in. No charge." Sully helped Michaela up into the back, and he climbed in beside her. The carriage took off toward Beacon Hill, and Michaela closed her eyes and leaned against Sully. This June morning was rather chilly!

"It's mornin', already," Sully noted. "Sun'll be up soon."

"What's today?" she asked with a yawn.

"The eighth," He replied. Michaela's eyes snapped open. "What?"

"Do you realize what today is?" Sully was silent, and Michaela smiled softly. "It's our five month anniversary, Sully. We've known each other five months."

"Seems like a lifetime." Michaela glanced at him. "In a good way, I mean. We been through so much, it just seems like we've known each other forever." Michaela nodded.

"Yes it does." She sighed. "Sully, I feel guilty that Lydia got a bullet meant for me."

"I know ya do. I'm just thankful I got ya here in my arms. I'm thankful Lydia's pullin' through." Sully sighed quietly. "Michaela, time ain't on our side, is it?"

"What?" she asked, surprised.

"Time. It just keeps getting in the way. People say ya gotta wait to do everything. Wait so long to start courtin'. Wait so long to get married. I say that if you're ready…"

"Sully?" Michaela asked quietly. "What are you saying?" Sully swallowed hard.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. He looked away, but she placed her hand upon his cheek and turned his head so she could see into his eyes.

"No you aren't. What are you saying?" He took a deep breath. It was now or never.

"I'm sayin' that I don't ever wanna be where Albert and Lydia were tonight. She coulda died without tellin' him how she felt. Ya know that." Michaela nodded, the tears rising and her heart pounding. "Time ain't a factor when ya know somebody more than ya know yourself. It don't matter how long you've known a person. It only matters how ya feel in your heart. Michaela, when I thought ya got shot tonight, I was ready to lay down my life for yours and ask God to take me instead. I can't think of nobody I'd ever do that for 'sides you." He squeezed her hands, and they pulled one another in, devouring one another in a kiss more passionate than ever. Every part of them burned with the need to be together. They were scared and happy and anxious at the same time. When they pulled away, he joined their hands again. "Michaela Quinn, will you marry me? Today?"

Author's Note: People were saying the story was dragging, and I can understand. So, if this chapter gave you whiplash…I think it was intended to. ;) LOL! Thanks folks! 