Chapter 11

Matthew galloped through the main street of town and rode straight to the clinic. Although he caught a few stares, no one much seemed to care about his return. When he reached the clinic, he hopped off his horse, not even bothering to tie it to a post. He burst through the front door. Colleen screamed at the sudden noise, dropping her broom. As Matthew ran to embrace his sister, Brian came running down the stairs, startled by his sister's scream.

"Matthew!" Brian exclaimed, rushing to hug his brother.

"Where's Dr. Mike?" Colleen asked.

"She's helpin'…"

"We know she was kidnapped, Matthew," Brian cut him off. He was disappointed in Matthew for lying to them even though he knew that Matthew was only trying to protect them.

"Did you find her?" Colleen inquired.

Matthew quickly went to the clinic door and closed it, not wanting the whole town to hear their conversation.

"We found her," Matthew assured her.

"Where is she?" Brian questioned.

"Is she hurt?" Colleen asked.

"I don't know where she is right now. Sully and I found her and Sully went to bring her to get help."
"Help? What kind of help?" Brian inquired.

"She was hurt," Matthew explained. "She was shot and pretty badly beat."

"But she's gonna be alright, isn't she, Matthew?" Brian asked.

Matthew shook his head. "She was hurt pretty bad. I don't know."

"Ma said that sometimes when people get hurt by other people, they change. I don't want Dr. Mike to change," Brian mumbled.

Matthew knelt down in front of Brian so that he could look him in the eye. "She ain't gonna change, Brian. No matter what, she's always gonna be our ma and she's always gonna love us."

"Why didn't Sully bring her back here?" Colleen questioned.

"He had to get her medical help as soon as possible," Matthew replied. "Besides, there ain't no doctor here to look after her." Matthew sighed, not knowing if he should tell them why he had raced back in such a hurry, leaving Sully to take care of Dr. Mike. "The man who kidnapped Dr. Mike…he might be after you two."

"Us?" Colleen stuttered.

"He threatened that he'd hurt y'all if we took Dr. Mike away from him."

"He's gonna come hurt us?" Brian asked.

"I don't know, little brother, but I'm here to make sure that that doesn't happen. Everythin's gonna be alright. When Dr. Mike's better, Sully'll bring her back and everythin's gonna be fine. We just gotta be careful. I don't want you two goin' anywhere but school and the clinic. I'll drop ya off in the mornin' and pick ya up in the afternoon."

"What if he comes while we're in school?" Brian wondered.

"Then I'll stay by the school house and stand guard."

The clinic door opened.

"Or, you can tell the reverend," the reverend suggested as he stepped inside the clinic, closing the door behind him.

"Reverend," Matthew said, startled. He couldn't decide if he should start denying what they had been talking about or if he should just tell the reverend what was going on.

"Matthew."

"We was just…"

"I heard everythin'." Matthew sighed, cursing himself for not making sure that no one was listening to what he was saying. "Ya can't tell no one, reverend for Dr. Mike's safety."

"Who else knows about this?"

"Robert E and...and I imagine Grace knows that Dr. Mike was kidnapped but I haven't told 'em that we found her. I just got back ta town and I had ta make sure that Brian and Colleen were alright."

"Ya gotta tell the rest of the town, Matthew. They can all help."

"We can't."

"But they can go find her…and Sully."

"Sully's findin' her a doctor. Nothin' else the townsfolk can do."

"They can help ya look after Colleen and Brian."

"The only thing the townsfolk'll do is stir up trouble and Sully and Dr. Mike don't need that right now."

"Matthew…"

"Please reverend," Matthew pleaded. "Don't tell no one. Least not 'till we know what's goin' on. Sully'll contact us if it's safe. But you gotta trust me, reverend."

The reverend nodded. "But if you need anythin', I'm here to help."

"Thank you," Matthew said. The reverend headed for the clinic door when a sudden thought came to Matthew.

"Maybe ya can help, reverend," Matthew said.

"What can I do?"

"What do ya know 'bout the laws of marryin'?"

"What do ya mean?"

"If there was a weddin' and one of the person's wasn't…awake for it and couldn't say I do, does that mean they're married?"

Although not sure why Matthew was asking him such questions, the reverend felt compelled to answer. "Well, no," he said. "The law clearly states that both the man and woman have to say I do or the marriage doesn't count. Why are you askin' that, though?"

Matthew paused for a moment, composing his thoughts. If Sully had gotten Michaela out of harms way so that Warren couldn't find them and if Matthew could somehow prove that Michaela hadn't agreed to the marriage, he could get a marshal to arrest Warren and Sully would be able to take Dr. Mike home. Sully told him not to tell anyone in town about what had happened but wasn't that their best chance? Even if Michaela did get better, wouldn't she just have to keep running from Warren unless they somehow proved that they were never married to begin with?

"Reverend," Matthew began, "I need to send a telegram."

Sully held Michaela's small hand, caressing the top of her hand with his thumb. He hadn't left her room in the three days since they had been there. Doc Hall looked in on her constantly but Sully knew that there was nothing he could for her that he hadn't already done. Sully knew that it was up to Michaela now even though he hated the fact that he could do nothing but sit beside her and watch her slip away. Robert had gone back home the day before, even though he insisted that he would stay to make sure that Sully and Michaela got back to Colorado Springs safely if Michaela ever woke up. Sully appreciated his help but he needed to be alone with her.

Doc Hall entered the room and began checking Michaela's gunshot wound, lifting the blood soaked bandages and checking for infection.

"How are you doing?" He asked Sully.

"There's no change," Sully replied.

"I didn't ask you how she was doing, I asked how you were doing." He pointed to a tray of food that he had brought Sully that morning. "You haven't eaten anything."

"Haven't been too hungry," Sully admitted.

"You have to stay strong for her…emotionally and physically."

Sully sighed. "I keep thinkin' that maybe my love ain't good enough." He paused. "Maybe I just gotta accept that she ain't gonna make it."

"True love is always good enough, Mr. Sully."

Doc Hall excused himself and Sully picked up a piece of bread that Doc had left him that morning. He began to eat it slowly and quietly, knowing that Doc was right. He would be no good to Michaela if he had no strength left.

"Michaela," Sully whispered. "I know that sometimes, it ain't always easy for us. I know that we argue and sometimes we think that we don't got much in common but I know that what we do have in common is our love for each other. Michaela, I can't live without ya. Every breath I take is for you. Every mornin' I wake up and I get out of bed 'cause of you. Every night I try an' sleep but I can't sleep 'cause you ain't with me. I wanna fall asleep every night with you in my arms. I want us ta get married. I want us ta raise our children together and maybe…maybe have some of our own. I want us ta grow old together and watch our grandchildren grow. Michaela, I didn't know what life could be 'til I met you. I keep askin' myself what my life would be if I hadn't met ya and I know that it wouldn't have been a life at all. Ya saved me, Michaela. Ya gotta be strong and ya gotta get well 'cause I can't do this without ya…and neither can Matthew or Colleen or Brian. We all love ya so much."

Sully kissed her forehead. He got up off the stool and kneeled by her bedside, placing his head next to hers on her pillow. He held her hand tightly and he closed his eyes, trying to remember all of the good times that they had. He tried to remember moments when she would just look into his eyes and he knew that he loved her. Moments where they would do nothing at all but sit and enjoy each other's company. He prayed that he could just have one more moment with her and he began to cry.

"Sully," a soft, voice said in a whisper that was barely comprehendible.

Sully looked up slowly, not sure if he had imagined the sound. As he looked at Michaela's face, he saw the most beautiful sight he had ever seen – her two gorgeous eyes staring back at him.

"Michaela!" Sully cried, kissing her lips lightly. "Oh Michaela."

"Sully," she whispered. Her voice sounded tired and unsteady. It was not the voice of the outspoken women that Sully knew but he knew that she had to recover still and that she would get her voice back.

"I thought I lost you."

"You could never lose me." She managed a weak smile at him even though she was in pain. "Where am I?"

"A clinic…just outside Kansas City."

"Kansas City?" Michaela asked.

Sully nodded. "You don't remember?"

Michaela closed her eyes, trying to figure out what she did remember. Bits and pieces of the last few days came flooding back to her but she couldn't seem to piece them together.

"I remember saying goodnight to you and falling asleep in Warren's homestead. And I remember…I remember waking up in a strange room and working…working in the fields." Sully winced at the thought of her working for that man. "And then I remember…you came and you saved me."

Sully shook his head. "You saved us."

Michaela looked at him in bewilderment.

"The tomahawk," she remembered. "But I wasn't even able to lift it."

"You lifted it. You lifted it and you threw it." She gasped, the memory slowly coming back to her. "And ya hit him."

"Did I kill him?"

"No but ya did get a pretty good shot at his leg. He fell and I was able to fight him."

"Are you alright?"

Sully couldn't help but smile at Michaela's concern. "I'm fine."

"And Samuel?"

Sully kissed the back of her hand, not sure how she would react if he told her that he did not have the guts to kill him. Even after all Warren did to her, Sully could not pull the trigger. He wondered if she would ever be able to forgive him.

"I didn't kill him," Sully admitted. "I could have but…but I couldn't."

Michaela sighed. "I'm glad you didn't kill him, Sully."

"How can you say that? After what he did to you…to us."

"Because the Sully I know…the Sully that I love…would not have killed him. Because his heart is so full of love that even when faced with such evil, he would not be able to kill. Because he believes in second chances…in hope."

"Oh Michaela." He kissed her hand once more.

"Matthew…" she said. "Matthew was there, wasn't he? I heard someone say his name."

Sully nodded. "He's fine…nothin' happened to him."

"Where is he?"

"Back in Colorado, watchin' over Brian and Colleen."

"The children!" Michaela cried, trying to sit up in bed. She fell back down, her entire body in pain.

"They're alright," Sully soothed.

"But how do you know. He threatened our children…"

"Matthew's with 'em. So is Robert E and Grace. Nothin's gonna happen to 'em, Michaela. Ya just gotta focus on gettin' better. We'll be with 'em soon."

Michaela calmed, even though she wanted nothing more than to be with her children at the moment. She could not help but think that Samuel could have taken them just as he took her. If that were true, she would never forgive herself.

"I'm sorry, Michaela," Sully said quietly.

"Sorry? Sorry for what?"

He swallowed the hard lump that had formed in his throat. "Sorry that I wasn't there for ya. That I didn't protect ya."

"Sully, you've always been there for me."

"Not when he took ya. When he took ya I was sleepin' in the next room, Michaela. I was right there and I didn't help ya. I let him take ya…I let him…"

"You didn't let him take me, Sully," she explained to him.

"But I didn't stop him."

"There was nothing you could have done."

"But ya were screamin' my name and…"

"I don't remember that, Sully," Michaela assured him. "I just remember going into that little room and falling asleep and then waking up somewhere totally different. I don't remember him taking me, Sully. I don't remember calling your name. When I woke up, I just remember thinking that if he had done something to you…that if he had killed you…I would never be able to forgive myself for that."

"He gave me something, Michaela, something that made me tired. I didn't wake up until Matthew and Robert E came looking for me and when I realized you were gone I…"

"I know," Michaela replied.

Sully would never be able to express to her how he felt knowing that he wasn't there for her. Knowing that she did not blame him, however, just made him love her more.

"I should get Doc Hall," Sully announced.

"Doc Hall?"

"He's the doctor who's been takin' care of ya."

"But Kansas City has a hospital," Michaela pointed out, confused.

"Couldn't take ya to the hospital, Michaela. Warren'd come lookin' for ya. He thinks…"

"We're married," she finished, finally remembering that important detail.

Sully nodded.

"I didn't want to marry him, Sully."

"I know," he responded.

"I don't even remember doing it."

"We're gonna figure this out, Michaela. We're goinna figure it out together."

Michaela suddenly remembered the moment before Sully had rescued her. She remembered what Samuel had told her, what he wanted to do with her. She suddenly realized what Sully must be thinking.

"Sully…"

"Yes?"

"Right before you rescued me…Samuel told me that it was time that we were together as husband and wife…"

Sully put his hand up, stopping her from talking. "I don't care 'bout that, Michaela," he said. "I don't care what he did or didn't do to ya. I don't care what the dog soldiers did or could have done to ya. All I care about is you. All I care about is being with you and loving you. Nothin' could make me love you less. Nothin' could ever keep me from lovin' you."

Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I love you," she said.

"I love you, too."

He leaned over and kissed her on the lips, this time more deeply. He had forgotten the love that he felt when they were that close.

"There was someone else," Michaela said as their kissed ended. "Someone else who helped save me. He yelled to you that he was going to help Matthew, didn't he?"

Sully nodded. "His name was Robert. If it wasn't for him, we'd most likely all be dead."

"I'd like to thank him."

"That won't be necessary," Robert said as he pushed the door of the room open.