Warning: This chapter contains a semi graphic attempted sexual assault

Chapter 20

Sully entered the homestead and crossed to the kitchen where he knew his wife, possibly his soon to be ex-wife, was making breakfast. As he entered the kitchen, he had the urge to pretend like nothing was wrong and to sneak behind Michaela and wrap his arms around her and kiss her cheek and then her lips like he'd always done when coming down for breakfast, or even when he'd been out of the room she was in for a time. He liked to kiss her to remind her how special she was to him. There were some days when they had been happy that he couldn't believe she was his wife. He would have to touch her while they were sleeping, or eating breakfast, lunch, or dinner, just to remind himself that she was always there and would always be there, that is until he had been the one to walk out.

The two days that Sully had asked for when she had first proposed getting a divorce had been extended to two weeks, but Sully thought this was probably only because no one had mentioned it. Even the thought of it sent his mind reeling and he knew that as long as he drew breath, he would never mention it to her again if it meant that she wouldn't consider it. He also knew that Matthew had been appraised of the possible situation and that if things between Sully and his mother didn't improve, Matthew would be more than happy to mention it.

Sully straightened himself and brushed all thoughts of kissing Michaela from his mind. Instead, he went toward her with a smile, being careful to keep a respect distance between them as he greeted her. "Good morning, Michaela."

"Sully," she said.

At this point the conversation usually stalled and the parents would spend the rest of the morning tiptoeing on eggshells around one another while waiting on the children. Sully would busy himself with making sure that Katie ate her breakfast and got properly dressed for the cold weather, which included reminding her to not to forget her jacket when she walked out the door to go to the clinic with her ma for the day or with him on a survey of the nearby woods.

Michaela had chosen to go back to work only two weeks after the twins' birth. Physically, Sully could tell she was weak and could've used more time to rest. He contemplated saying something, but knew as things stood now, he was more of a stranger than a husband and Michaela didn't appreciate strangers advising her on what to do in any circumstances. Emotionally, Sully also thought that Michaela had pushed herself for something she wasn't ready for. She had barely bonded with the babies. She didn't hold them the way she had held Katie. She would pick them up only when they were crying, and even then, she settled their distress and quickly put them back in their bassinet. It was if she was afraid to touch them, as if they would remind her that she had recently loved her husband enough to make children with him. She treated the babies as though they were responsibilities and not joys. Sully wondered whether his children were suffering from his mother's decision to remain distant from them, even in this covert way, but again, he dared not say anything, given his wife's fragile state of mind and the way she thought he felt about her parenting skills.

When Katie was bundled up and the twins were wrapped securely in blankets which fit snuggly over their heavy winter outfits, Sully took Katie's hand and led her over to Michaela. "Sweet girl, go with Mama now. You'll have fun at the clinic with her and Charlotte and Josef today."

"Papa, you come today, too?" The little girl said, reluctant to let go of her father's hand as she was most mornings now, especially when it came to going anywhere with her mother, whom she had made peace with just days after Michaela's fall, but whom she continued to avoid and tread lightly around whenever she could.

"Katie," Michaela snapped. "You'll see Papa tonight.

Turning to Sully, she said formally," Thank you, Sully, for your help this morning. We'll be back around suppertime. Colleen or I will fix supper. Have a good day"

She then lead Katie out the to the door, shifted the babies' basket on her other arm and without turning around said in the same stilted tone "Goodbye."

Sully stiffened at his wife's departing words. She said the exactly the same thing to him everyday. No variation in word choice or tone. He knew that things were not getting better and something in Michaela's demeanor was telling him that things were going to get a whole lot worse. She had snapped at their little girl, something that she vowed never to do after arguing with her own mother throughout her childhood and adult years.

What Sully wouldn't give to talk to the proper and irascible Mrs. Quinn again. Perhaps she would have been able to shake her daughter out of whatever turmoil she was in. But Mrs. Quinn was gone now. The elderly stateswoman could not help Sully as she had when he'd been testing the waters with Michaela in Boston before they'd begun courting. He only hoped she was looking down on them now and offering what little help and guidance she could to her very lost daughter. With these thoughts in mind, Sully set about doing his usual homestead chores and trying to forget that he was not welcome to enjoy the fruits of his labor.


Michaela parked the wagon in front of the clinic and slowly eased herself and the basket which carried the twins down the one-foot step that separated them from the ground. Then she placed the twins' basket on the ground and reached up her arms to help Katie down from the middle of the front seat, where the girl had been sitting next to her mother on the ride into town. Just then, a set of arms appeared next to Michaela's and reached out for Katie in a similar welcoming fashion. For a moment Michaela had no idea whom the arms belonged to, but she had assumed that they were the arms of a concerned Colorado citizen who wished to help the lady doctor with her children, since brining them into town was more of an ordeal now than when she simply had had Katie to deal with.

A moment later when Katie refused to come to either set of arms and instead backed away toward the other side of the wagon, Michaela turned to see who it was that had her daughter so frightened. As she turned, she came face to face with Charles Gregory. Her heart stopped beating for a moment as she realized that apart from the one time he had dared touch her shoulder, he had never been so forward as to invade the sphere of life she shared with her family.

Before Michaela could speak, Mr. Gregory said, "See, Katie certainly knows what a respectable mother looks like, considering she won't come to you."

He was whispering, but Michaela felt like the entire town had frozen and was staring directly at her, hearing every word that Mr. Gregory was saying and storing it away for later gossip and scandal. "Come to Papa, Katie."

Katie inched backwards, but tripped and fell forward straight into Mr. Gregory's arms.

"I guess she really doesn't know who her father is," Gregory continued to whisper. "But that's no surprise, considering that her mother was left pregnant and did nothing to hide it, even though it was clear that your husband, if you were even married, had grown tired of you and was sick of your immodest displays of righteousness. If you had married me, I could've shown you what a real woman was and what a real man was supposed to do with a real woman."

With that, Mr. Gregory set Katie down, took Michaela's hand, and began to drag her into the clinic. Michaela tried to scream, but Mr. Gregory clamped his other hand tightly around her mouth to muffle the sound, pulling her completely into the clinic and shutting the door, leaving Katie and the twins terrified on the sidewalk.

For a moment, Katie stood still, unsure of what to do or even whether to breathe. Then she summoned a level of courage that surpassed that of most adults, picked up the basket holding her brother and sister, and began to run towards The Gazette and her auntie Dorothy.

Inside the clinic, Michaela was struggling to free herself from Charles Gregory's grasp. He had yet to let go of her mouth and he still held her hand in his, making it so she couldn't move or scream. She was frightened of what Mr. Gregory would do to her and even more frightened for her children, standing outside the clinic after having watched the strange man take their mother. She was so lost in her thoughts that she was unprepared for the force of the blow when he stood facing her with his hand still clasped in hers and his other one still over her mouth and shoved her violently against the wall, pinning his body to hers. She could feel his body reacting to her proximity and she feared that she was too weak to fight him off. She wondered momentarily why she hadn't listened to Sully when he had gently tried to tell her that she wasn't strong enough to return to work, and yet she knew the answer. She hadn't listened because it was Sully who had said it and she feared that everything Sully said to her now was purely a cordial suggestion to a woman who couldn't take care of herself and who had caused enough havoc in this town for him to be embarrassed for the rest of his entire life.

Her thoughts were abruptly halted as Mr. Gregory lifted his hand from her mouth and covered it with his own before she had time to scream. She struggled against his kisses and felt fear course through her when he dared to make them deeper. She had to get away. She knew what was going to happen if she didn't, but somewhere in the back of her mind she felt she deserved it and deserved the shame that would come of such a thing if it were to occur. As his hand continued to hold hers, his other one worked on undoing the buttons of her blouse and on caressing her hair, her face, and finally her chest and breasts. She knew that now was her chance and as he moved to kiss her newly exposed flesh, she took advantage of his distraction and kneed him in the groin as he kissed her chest and cupped her breast in his hand. The force of her kick sent him flying violently backwards and, but not before sending his hand deep into her already sensitive flesh hard enough that she knew her breast would bruise.

Forgetting her own pain, she quickly ran to the cupboard, grabbed some chloroform and spilled it heavily on a rag that she had retrieved hastily from her desk. As her assailant writhed in pain, she knelt down next to him, carefully avoiding his flailing hands and placed the rag firmly over his nose and mouth. Mr. Gregory fell instantly unconscious and she removed the rag quickly because she knew she had placed enough chloroform on it to kill a man. After checking his pulse and respiration, she began to scream for help at the top of her lungs.

Dorothy, who had hurried down from The Gazette when Katie had come to her crying hysterically about a strange man who was hurting her mother, reached the clinic and opened the door to find Michaela sitting, slumped over with her face in her hands crying, and Mr. Gregory, the gentleman with whom she had encouraged Michaela to spend time during Sully's absence, unconscious on the floor. "Michaela, are you alright?" Dorothy exclaimed. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened, Dorothy, but would you see if you can find Robert E. and ask him to escort Mr. Gregory away. I would greatly appreciate it. Where are the children?" she added as an afterthought, still sobbing.

"I took them over to the general store. Loren's watching them. Matthew was at the Gazatte when Katie came in with the twins and when he heard you were in trouble, he rode out to get Sully. They should be here anytime."

Michaela said nothing, but continued to sob and Dorothy embraced her, holding her close and comforting her in the only way she could. After a few moments, Dorothy asked gently, "Sully will see you when he gets here, Michaela. You can choose not to tell me anything, but what are you going tell him, Michaela?"

"Nothing," was the younger woman's reply, "Because nothing happened


This is my first fan fiction and I would appreciate any and all feedback, so please feel free to review the chapter and any subsequent chapters if you think they are of interest either here or be orginal and comment on the "Stand By Me" thread of the fanfiction section of the Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman forum The link to the thread is: http/forum.drquinn.us/viewtopic.php?t3949

Thanks, Corinna