As the next days flew by, the tension between Michaela and Sully grew. Ever since the reality of Michaela having enough money to buy the biggest building in town had entered his mind, Sully couldn't stop thinking about it. He felt ashamed as he realized that he had never asked who had bought Hannah's clothes or all the other things she had needed until now. The only thing he had ever paid for had been her ticket to Wells and back. He had thought nothing of it when Michaela insisted on buying her own ticket herself back then. Sure, he had brought fishes or rabbits to the homestead from time to time, but that didn't count. A man should be able to provide his family, but with the money he earned by selling pelts and doing odd jobs for Robert E. he would never be able to give Michaela the life she deserved. When he looked at Michaela he couldn't help but wonder what she saw in him, if she really wanted to be with him. And then he was hit by another thought: did she just want to make sure that she could stay with Hannah? Every time he met her questioning gaze he averted his eyes. When he went fishing he didn't take Hannah anymore, so he could stay out longer. The night before he hadn't returned at all with the excuse that he had to look after his traps that were further away from the homestead.
Of course Michaela knew that something was wrong, she just didn't know what. She desperately hoped that it wasn't the melancholia again. Since the day he had promised to take Mr. James' fiancée up to Pike's Peak, Sully had begun staying away from her and Hannah more and more.When he had used the excuse that he had to set up new traps the first time, she had thought nothing of it. She had been busy at the clinic with some cases of bad colds. Fortunately, by that time, Mr. James' condition improved further and after Robert E. had made him some crutches, he had even started to move around in the recovery room. Since Hannah had to stay with her more often again, the little girl spent a lot of time with her new friend uncle Kiss, as she called him. One time, Michaela had entered the room while her daughter was telling him her favorite story. Seeing the way Mr. James handled her daughter, Michaela knew that they had made the right decision when they had hired him. In just three days, the opening ceremony for the school would be held and she hoped that she would find out before then what it was that bothered Sully so much.
This morning she had just stepped out of the barn after she had milked the cow when Sully entered the yard. "Mornin', sorry I'm late." As he had so often the last days, he refused to meet her gaze.
"That's alright, Sully." Michaela paused for a moment because she feared a new rejection. "Will you come with us to the reservation?"
His reply was short and didn't show any emotions. "Sure."
Michaela couldn't take it anymore. She stepped towards him and tentatively touched his arm. "Please, Sully, tell me what's wrong."
When he still averted his eyes, her own began to fill with tears. Determined to not let him see this, she briskly turned away from him and started towards the house. "I'll get Hannah," was all she said.
Sully could hear the hurt in her voice and when she turned around to leave his side, he reached out for her but it was too late already .
On their way to the Indian village, barely a word was spoken. Michaela feared that if she started to speak she wouldn't be able to hold back the tears any longer. Sully on the other hand felt terrible because he knew he had disappointed her once more. However, he had no idea how to take away her pain. Even Hannah was quiet as she was still too tired for her usual babbling.
When they arrived at the reservation, they were greeted by Cloud Dancing and his wife. While Snowbird took Hannah into her arms, Sully hopped down from the wagon and then turned to help Michaela. The following movements had become routine for them; Michaela laid her hands on Sully's shoulder while positioning herself for the jump and he would wrap his hands around her waist to support her. Today, he remembered that he had been astonished when he noticed that his fingers on her back almost touched as he had helped her down for the first time. Her body seemed to be so fragile that a sudden urge to protect her against all harm and everyone that could cause it flooded him. As she stood on the ground next to him, he couldn't make himself let go of her and Michaela didn't mind. Their gazes were locked and for the first time in days she could finally see and feel his love again. She didn't want the moment to end.
But Cloud Dancing broke it. "It is good to see you, my friends. Sully," he laid his hand on his brother's shoulder, "I need to ask for your help."
Sully immediately took his hands from Michaela's waist and turned towards the medicine man. "Anything, just tell me what to do."
"You know that we are only allowed to leave the reservation two men at a time." When his brother nodded, the Indian continued. "We need to go farther away for hunting and therefore at least three men have to go. I wanted to ask you to be the third man in our hunting party."
Sully didn't even think about it. "Course I come, when are we gonna leave?"
Cloud Dancing answered, "This minute, we just waited if you wouldarrive with Dr. Mike. We will be gone several days, maybe a week or so. We have to go deeper into the woods than we have before."
Michaela managed to hide her disappointment. Sully would miss the opening of the school. Since he had built it, she had hoped he would stand by her side. She wanted him to be as proud of it as she was. But of course it was more important for him to support his Indian family, she understood that. There was just a little pang she felt in her heart as she realized that he acted as if she wasn't even there. Hannah, however, had seen her mother straightening up and knew that there was something wrong. As she anxiously asked, "Pa go way?" Michaela took her daughter from Snowbird and enveloped her in her arms.
"Your Pa is going to help that your little friends here get enough to eat." Hearing Michaela's voice, Sully came back to reality. He had reveled for some moments in the prospect of being out in the woods with Cloud Dancing for more than just a few hours. It would be like back then when he had lived with his Indian family…Seeing that his daughter didn't take it so easy, Sully turned toward Michaela and Hannah again. Stroking his little girl's long locks, he assured, "I'll be back as soon as I can, sweet girl, I promise." and gave her a peck on the cheek.
As he lifted his head again to meet Michaela's eyes, he didn't succeed. Puzzled for a moment because he was sure she wouldn't mind him helping his family, he suddenly noticed her clenched jaws. Laying his hand on her shoulder and running it down her arm to her wrist, he spoke in a low voice, "I can't deny him this and I don't wanna, you understand that, right!"
As he spoke, he lifted her free hand and when he finished his question, he pressed his lips on the back of her hand, again searching for her eyes. This time he met them but was startled when he saw the sudden anger in her look.
"Of course I understand and you know that perfectly well." Stopping because she felt Hannah tensing up, Michaela took a deep breath to suppress the need to yell at Sully. What did he think of her, he of all people should know that she never would prevent him from helping the Indians! She just wished she could have seen any sign that he found it at least a little hard to leave her and Hannah for more than just a few days. She knew she would miss him, maybe it wasn't the same for him…Determined that no one noticed the sadness she felt, she turned towards Cloud Dancing and asked, "Is there anyone here who needs my medical help?" When the medicine man nodded and gestured to follow her, she did so.
Sully and Snowbird glanced at each other; both had been aware of the tension in Michaela's voice. And they hadn't been the only ones; Flying Sun, who had watched the scene from the sidelines, was pleased that things between Sully and the white woman weren't going as well as she had feared.
Two days later, Dorothy Jennings proudly presented the townsfolk of Colorado Springs with the first issue of her newspaper, the Gazette. She had ordered all she needed like a hand print, newsprint, ink and a type box in Denver. Loren had agreed to put a desk in the back corner of the store where she could write and keep all her things. In fact, Loren had been relieved that he finally had his peace and quiet back because his sister-in-law was busy with interviewing people and writing her article. However, as he read it now, he wished he had never helped her. Looking up from his copy after he had finished reading it, he met Dorothy's expectant look. He waved the sheet in front of her face and exclaimed, "Are you insane? I hope no one's seen this yet! If Dr. Mike ever catches sight of it, she might leave this town for good!"
The red-haired woman didn't avoid his angry look. Raising her voice as well she replied, "I just wrote the truth. The people of this town should get to hear the arguments and have the chance to make up their own minds."
Loren snorted. "You have no idea what you're talking about! Thanks to Dr. Mike I have made the biggest profit in years, and I'm not the only one! Can ya tell me one good reason why you are against her? And don't tell me it's still about Hannah!"
"Of course not, although there is enough reason why she shouldn't be allowed to raise that child…", Dorothy responded indignantly.
Loren threw his copy onto the counter and banged his flat hand on it. "Damned woman! Let's hope the doctor will never see that!" Still cursing, Loren left the mercantile and headed in the direction of the clinic.
On his way he passed several groups of people engaged in heated discussion. When he finally reached the clinic porch he lost his heart. It seemed everyone had already read the article so there was nothing he could do about it anyway. Sighing heavily, he turned and walked toward the saloon.
Michaela sat at her desk in the examination room, unable to believe what she was reading. Mr. James had taken a seat on the chair opposite her and watched the doctor carefully. He had bought a copy of the Gazette when he saw the headline. After reading the whole article he had decided that Dr. Quinn needed to know what the entire town was talking about. When Michaela finally laid the sheet down on her desk, he could see the copy fully again.
The GazetteA newspaper for the people of Colorado Springs
By Dorothy Jennings
Great opening ceremony for the new school on Saturday, March 30thOn Saturday, March 30th, Colorado Springs will get an institution that every civilized town should have – a school. All citizens are cordially invited to participate in the opening ceremony, which will start at noon sharp. Reverend Johnson will bless the beautiful building that was designed by Mr. Byron Sully and built under his supervision. Of course we all have already seen the gorgeous schoolhouse from the outside and after the ceremony, everyone will get the opportunity to take a look at the rooms inside. Mr. Christopher James, the teacher that was hired by the town council, will inform everyone who is interested about the classes. As we all know, parents won't have to pay for anything their children will need at school. That brings me to the woman who had spent the money for the school and all the other things that belong to it. But first, we shouldn't forget that a man had to die for that money. Maybe we could name the school after him. And second, one could think that donating so many dollars is a really generous gesture, but shouldn't we ask about Dr. Quinn's motivations? I've been informed that she intends to buy the former boarding house soon and with that she will own the two biggest buildings in town. What will come next? We should show her that this town is not her property, that she can't buy us. I would suggest that the town council think of a way to get independent from a woman no one can rely on. May I remind the readers that she calls herself a doctor and yet, she wasn't even in town when people here suffered and died? She rather was on vacation instead! Do we really want to put the fate of our children in her hands? Our boys and girls should go to school and learn how to write, read and count but also how to live moral lives. What about the moral of Dr. Quinn? She is a single woman who lives in the house of a man that has to sleep God knows where, if he actually leaves the homestead in the evenings at all. Can we really trust such a woman? Think about it carefully and you will find the answer easily. We should all band together and show her her limits.
By the way, after the official opening of our new school all visitors are invited to Grace's Café for a buffet.
Chris was surprised that the doctor didn't react at all. When he looked into her face he could see though, that she was hit hard. She had drained all color and a vein was pulsing in her temple. When he tentatively asked "Dr. Quinn?" her startled gaze flew towards him.
Michaela took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Mr. James, I needed a moment to digest that." Her eyes wandered with disgust to the copy at her desk. She didn't even know what she was feeling right now. A huge part of her wanted to pack her things and leave this town immediately, but an even bigger part told her that this was not the town speaking in the newspaper but a woman who obviously wanted her to give up. Well, she wouldn't do Mrs. Jennings that favor. Raising her chin, she looked at the teacher and attempted a smile. "It seems as if she accepts you, Mr. James. That's a good sign, isn't it?"
Chris was amazed. "You're going to let her get away with this?"
By this time, Michaela had gained her composure again. "There's nothing I can really do. People always believe what they want to and I just have to wait and see how they will react. I'm more worried how this all will affect Hannah…" Her voice trailed off. She knew that she had to take the accusations about her moral seriously and she would think about them very carefully.