Chapter 19
March 1867
His arms wobbly pushed himself off the ground and the first thing he noticed was his body engulfed in smoke. He looked around trying to gather his bearing when he realized he was on the train. "My God!" he remembered. "Hannah! Michaela!" he coughed. "Where are you?" He felt his way around the floor when he remembered they were sitting across from him. "Hannah!"
Moving around the table he felt the material of Michaela's skirt. "Michaela!" he moved his way up her body. "Michaela!"
"Papa…" he heard his daughters muffled voice.
"Hannah?" He tried to push his way through the smoke. "Papa's here. Don't be scared." He reached Michaela's side and found his daughter safely nestled in Michaela's embrace. "Hannah are you okay?" He grabbed her looking her body up and down for cuts and bruises.
"Smoky papa!" Hannah coughed in his shoulder. "Eyes hurt!" she cried.
"I know darlin' keep em closed. I'll get us out of here but I have to get Dr. Mike. Don't move." Sully looked back down at Michaela and his heart fell through his chest. The side of her face was covered in blood and she wasn't moving. "Please no," he picked her up trying his hardest not to jostle her head. When he looked up he noticed the window pane also cracked and covered in blood. "She must have hit her head on the window," he thought. He brought his head to her chest and felt a shallow heartbeat. "Hold on Michaela, just hold on."
"Papa!" Hannah cried. "Eyes!"
"I know, I know. Just hold onto Papa's leg and we're gonna get out of here."
"Sir, sir! Over here sir!" Sully turned to the sound of the man's voice. "We're leading the passengers out over this way, sir!"
"I need help, please," Sully rushed toward the man. "Please she need's help."
The man took one look at her face and paled. "Get her outside, there's a doctor out there."
"My daughter," Sully looked down to the little girl that was clutching his leg.
The man picked her up, "I'll get her out. Just get your wife out of here!"
"Papa, no papa!" she cried.
Sully looked at his daughter and hesitated.
The stranger looked at Sully. "I'm taking her out right now, Go!"
Sully tried to block out his daughters pleads and ran down the corridor with a lifeless Michaela in his arms. He could tell the stranger was at his heels with his daughter and he prayed they would make it out of the train in time.
Boston
April 1867
The wheels in David's head turned when he saw the woman sitting on the front porch of the Brothel. He watched as she brushed her long brown hair. As he walked closer his eyes locked with hers. He smiled, she looked remarkably like her.
"Hi…" the woman set down her brush and looked flirtatiously at him. "Haven't seen you around."
"I'm not from around here."
"What's your name?" she batted her eye lashes.
"Andrew."
"My names' Annabelle," she held her hand out for him as she stood.
David took her hand and kissed it. "Well, Annabelle, how'd you like to make some money tonight?"
Outside of Beacon Hill
March 1867
Sully held her head as steady as he could as the last carriage rocked back and forth on its way to the hospital. "How bad is it?" Sully asked the doctor that was trying his best to clean away and clot the blood oozing from Michaela's hairline.
"It's hard to tell. There's not efficient light in here," he squinted. "She struck her head hard, the cuts deep. I can only see what's on the outside. No telling what trauma lies on the inside," he shook his head.
"But she's gonna be alright ain't she?" Sully looked up to the man with pleading eyes. "She's gonna be okay?"
"I can't tell you for certain," the doctor was truthful. "We need to get her to the hospital."
"Papa?" Hannah spoke up. "Dr. Mike sleeping?"
Sully looked to his daughter with saddened eyes. "Yes, honey she's sleepin' and we need to keep real quiet for her."
"Real quiet," Hannah shook her head.
"Hannah why don't you hold Dr. Mike's hand. I'm sure she would love it."
Hannah's face lit up, "Otay!" she softly picked up her hand and placed her little hand within Michaela's. "She cold…" Hannah looked to her father.
The doctor looked between Sully and Hannah. "It's cold out, so we have to keep her warm," he smiled. He looked back down to Michaela and noticed the cloth he held next to her head was again saturated in blood. Throwing it to the floor he grabbed another one from his bag and held it to her head. "Wait…did you say Dr. Mike?"
"Yes," Sully brushed a stray lock of Michaela's hair.
"I heard there was another doctor on the train. But a male, Michael Quinn."
"Michaela Quinn," Sully corrected.
'Shes…she's a doctor?" The man was impressed.
"Uh-huh," Sully looked at the cloth the doctor held to Michaela's head and saw it was quickly being absorbed by blood. "She's….She's losing so much blood," he choked.
The doctor was almost certain, "She might need a transfusion."
"Take mine," Sully said without hesitation.
"I hope it doesn't come down to that, lets just get her to the hospital."
"How far are we from the hospital?" Sully wondered looking out the window.
"I'm not very familiar with Boston, but I do think that we're almost there, they said it wasn't too far into the city."
Putting his hand to her chest every so often Sully could feel that her breaths were becoming weaker. Quietly he prayed to the spirits to keep her alive, safe and to bring her back to him unharmed.
Colorado Springs
1871
"I come from Alabama with my banjo on my knee. I'm going to Louisiana, my true love for to see!" Michaela's hand was placed on top of her swollen belly as she looked over to her husband and smiled. Their family was gathered in the living room as Hannah and Rose taught McKenna how to sing a song they learned in school. "It rained all night, the day I left the weather it was dry. The sun so hot, I froze to death Susanna, don't you cry!" The little girls sang in unison.
Sully moved over to Michaela and she sat between his legs and rested against his chest. He buried his face in her hair and found her ear. "It's one of them moments," he tighten his hold on her.
"What moment is that, Mr. Sully?" she ran her hand up and down his arm.
"One of them moments where I wish I could just freeze time and stay like this forever," he kissed her neck.
She smiled and linked her hands with his. "Well as much as you would like to freeze time dear, I don't know how good of an idea that would be," she laughed. "I don't think I would like to be pregnant forever!" With their hands linked as one they stroked her belly and turned their attention back to their children.
"Oh, Susanna, Oh don't you cry for me! For I come from Alabama, with my banjo on my knee!" Both Hannah and Rose took a bow then rushed to their parents for a hug.
"Oh, my darlings you sang so beautiful!" Michaela wrapped her arms around her daughters. "I'm so proud of you!" Noticing McKenna standing by the fire she beckoned her youngest daughter, "McKenna, sweetheart, come here."
McKenna walked slowly over to her mother, her fingers still in her mouth. "Didn't your sister sing well, McKenna?"
McKenna shook her head. "I not remember da words, mama," she frowned.
"Oh sweetheart, that's alright mama will teach you. I'll even teach you a new song and you can teach Hannah and Rose! How does that sound?"
"Dat sound good mama!" McKenna hugged her.
Suddenly Michaela felt a sensation in her abdomen. Sweetheart feel this!" Michaela grabbed McKenna's hand and placed it to her stomach.
"Baby kickin' ya mama!" McKenna's eyes lit up.
"He is!" she smiled. "Hannah, Rose, would you like to feel?"
They both shook their heads and placed their hands to Michaela's stomach. With three tiny hands placed on her abdomen she turned to her husband and smiled, "I think it's one of those moments you were talking about."
Boston Memorial
March 1867
Sully paced up and down the hall of Boston Memorial as Hannah lay curled up in a chair fast asleep. Michaela was taken out of his arms and rushed so quickly into a room. It had been a good half an hour without any word.
"Where's my daughter? Where is she?" A woman's strong voice echoed down the corridor of the hospital. "I demand to know where she is!"
"Mrs. Quinn, we're doing all we can, but right now your daughters in with the doctors. She suffered a severe blow to the head. If you can quietly sit right here I'll get you some tea and see what I can find out."
"I don't need any tea! Just go find out about my daughter!" Elizabeth huffed as she found the nearest bench to sit down which happened to be next to Hannah.
Elizabeth looked down at the children and when she looked up her eyes met Sully's. "Mr. Sully!" she was surprised to see him. "What are you doing here?"
"Mrs. Quinn," he was also surprised.
Elizabeth looked into his eyes trying to figure out what the uncouth mountain man was doing in Boston Memorial. Elizabeth stood and said, "What are you doing here? Where's Michaela?"
"She's…she's in with the doctors now. She hit her head pretty hard, their checking her for internal injuries. She was unconscious the whole way here on the stage."
"The entire way?" Elizabeth held her hand to her heart. "Did you come with her from Colorado Springs? She didn't tell me that she was coming."
"She sent ya a letter over a month ago, Mrs. Quinn. When she didn't hear from ya I told her I'd take her t'-"
"One moment Mr. Sully," Elizabeth held her finger up. "I haven't received correspondence from Michaela in almost a year."
Sully's eyes narrowed taking in the information. "She's been writin' ya for some time now."
"I haven't received a single letter from my daughter," Elizabeth thought. "No, excuse me I take that back. I received word from her after Mr. Tate passed away and that is the last I have heard from her."
Taking in Elizabeth's words he realized that she had no idea that him and Michaela were engaged or much less together.
Elizabeth eyed Sully and watched his nervous mannerisms. Her thoughts turned back to her last letter she received from Michaela and how she said that she changed her mind about marrying Jackson just before he died. She always wondered what that reason would be and in the back of her mind she feared that it had something to do with the man that was standing in front of her. "Mr. Sully," she looked up. "You still haven't answered my question. Why are you here?"
Not wanting to reveal too much information about himself and Michaela until he knew Michaela was better he chose his words carefully. "My daughter and me," he motioned to a sleeping Hannah," decided to escort your daughter t' Boston. We didn't want her to travel across the country by herself and both my daughter and me have never seen Boston."
"Michaela has traveled across the country by herself before, I don't see why this is any different," she pointed out.
"Like I said me and my daughter just wanted to see Boston too," he shook his head.
Deciding that she wasn't going to get anymore information from him she changed the topic. "What happened Mr. Sully? Why did the train crash?"
Sully ran his hands threw his hair. "I'm not too sure of that myself. I heard someone talking about the brakes failing when we were hitting the cross point into Boston," Sully sat down next to Hannah and stroked the hair from her face. "The impact was pretty hard, it knocked us all out."
Elizabeth looked over to Hannah. "Is…is your daughter all right?" she asked genuinely concerned.
"Hannah's okay, thanks t' your daughter," he smiled.
"Michaela?"
"Yep, when we hit we were all eating breakfast in the dining car and before it toppled over Michaela wrapped her arms around Hannah and held her t' her and kept her safe." Sully stopped for a moment thanking the spirits that his daughter was unharmed. "Michaela ended up hittin' the window when the train landed on its side."
"I'm glad your daughter was unharmed Mr. Sully, I just wish I could say the same thing about mine," Elizabeth lowered her head and took out her handkerchief.
"Michaela's gonna be fine," Sully spoke up. "She's strong and if anyone can pull out of this it's her."
"Mr. Sully?" the doctor came out. "I would like to speak to you about Dr. Quinn."
Quickly Sully stood to his feet, "how is she?"
"Dr. Quinn has-"
"Excuse me!" Elizabeth rose from the bench. "Michaela Quinn is my daughter! You should be addressing her condition to me, not Mr. Sully."
Dr. Harrison turned and looked at both of them. "Michaela has a concussion, she is still unconscious but has not slipped into a coma. We're not sure if she has pressure building on the brain or not. And the only way that we can be sure is to operate."
"Oh dear God," Elizabeth held her hand to her heart. "Michaela…"
"You…you have to operate?" Sully's voice shook.
"If she doesn't wake within the hour, I'm afraid it's our only choice," he looked down. "She'll die if we don't."
"Can…can I see her?" He was on the verge of tears. The thought of Michaela dying sent a pain through his entire body that shook him to the core. "Please…"
"Of course, but I must warn you that-"
"Excuse me Mr. Sully with all due respect I know you feel responsible for my daughter because you were escorting her here, but she is home now. I will take care of my daughter. I will go in and see her, doctor," Elizabeth took his arm. "Please take me to my daughter."
Hospital for Special Surgery
New York
"So how does it feel to be your last day in the hospital?" Madeline curled up in bed next to David after locking the door. "Are you excited as I am to be going home?"
"Umm…"
"David," Madeline breathed. "Is there something wrong? You've seemed so quiet lately. You never talk to me anymore."
Deciding this was as good as time as any to tell Madeline about Michaela he squeezed her closer to him. "When we get to Virginia I'm going to travel onto Colorado," he turned to take in her reaction.
Madeline bit her bottom lip and turned to look at him. "I thought you changed your mind about that. I still don't understand why you want to go see her. It seems to me that she's moving along with her life just fine," she looked away. "Just like you should be doing."
"Madeline, I am moving on with my life. That's why I'm going to check on Michaela. I'm just going to make sure that she's happy and things are going well. I'm not going to let her see me."
"I just don't-"
"Let me explain this to you," he turned her chin so she would look at him. "How would you feel if I up and left you one day and then you received a letter that I was killed."
"David…" she sighed. "You know I would be devastated. But going all the way to Colorado is crazy. And if for some god forsaken reason she does see you. What would you do? What would you tell her?"
"Madeline, she's not going to see me. I'm going to be smart about this. I've managed to make Michaela believe that I loved her and fake my own death, I can do this."
"How long to do you think you'll be gone?"
"Let's not think about this," his hand began to wonder. "I'm here now….lets make the most of that."
Madeline smiled, "I'll miss you every second you're gone." She ran her hands up his chest.
"Well I'm not gone yet…"
Boston Memorial
From the opposite end of the hospital Sully watched as Elizabeth slipped from Michaela's room rather in a hurry. Deciding that he may only have a couple minutes he wanted to make the most of it. "Come on Hannah, we're going to see Dr. Mike."
"Dr. Mike!" Hannah's face lit up.
"We have to be real quite okay? Just like on the carriage." Sully picked Hannah up in his arms and quickly walked down the hall and slipped into the room Elizabeth was just in. As soon as he walked in he closed the door and sat Hannah down. His eyes were quickly drawn to the bed and his stomach tied in knots. "Michaela…" He moved to sit in the chair that was next to her bed.
She was pasty white and her mouth was open slightly enough to see the whites of her teeth. Her head was lolled to the side and her left hand was lying on her chest. "Oh Michaela…." He moved his hand to the bandage that was covering the side of her head. "Please…" he couldn't even put an intelligible sentence together.
"Michaela," he picked up her hand and kissed it. "Ya have t' wake up. Ya have t' wake up and show them doctors you're gonna be alright." Softly he stoked the side of her face and smiled. "Come back to me. There's so much that we have t' do. Ya ma's here and I think I saw your sister, Rebecca? The one ya said ya always talk t'." Slowly he took her hand and cupped it to the side of his face willing her to feel his love. "Michaela, please wake up." Her tiny hand felt so cold against his cheek and the sharp contrast was unsettling. Looking at her fingers he never noticed how small and delicate they were. Looking at her engagement ring made tears come to his eyes. "Michaela ya have t' wake up!"
Placing her hand back upon her chest he again looked at her engagement ring and then it occurred to him. Did Michaela's ma see it? Rubbing her hand he realized that it really didn't matter to him. Dealing with her mother was the least of his worry's, Michaela was his main priority.
"Papa…" Hannah whispered from the door. "Dr. Mike sweeping?"
Wiping the tear from his eye Sully turned to his daughter, "Come here honey," he patted his lap. Hannah walked over to her father and sat in his lap.
"She got boo-boo," Hannah pointed to her head. "It huwt."
"Yes, Hannah's she's hurt. She's hurt bad…."
…………………………………………………………..
Michaela closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she walked into the church. The smile on her face grew as she recognized her childhood church in Boston. She was getting married and it was the happiest day of her life. She stood at the edge of the last pew and looked down the isle. Everyone was seated and looking ahead.
She saw Sully standing at the alter but his back was to her. She made her way down the isle and noticed all her family and friends…but they were crying. Why was everyone crying? Looking around she noticed all her friends from Colorado Springs there as well but they were also weeping. As she got closer to Sully she noticed he was leaning over a large marble box and he was crying. "Oh my god," she placed her hand over her mouth. I'm…I'm at a funeral."
She looked down and noticed she was no longer in her beautiful white wedding dress. Drawing closer to the casket she placed her hand on Sully's back but he didn't turn. She tried to move closer wanting to see who everyone was mourning but she was afraid.
"You don't have to look," a voice rang in her ears. "You know who it is."
Turning around she looked for the voice. "You already know who it is. It's just a matter of time before you accept it." Michaela's eyes scanned the church and there in the front row was Jackson. "You just have to accept it Michaela. You have to accept your life with me."
"Jackson….Jackson no," she cried. "I tried to tell you…I did! Why do you keep coming back?"
"Shhh….Shhh…darlin'" he got up and embraced her. "Don't you remember, you were there. Remember what it said?" He moved to whisper in her ear. "Do believe I'll never leave you: Always I'll be in your heart. Don't forget my soul is near you: Death might take my presence from you, Yet we'll never be apart."
Shivers ran up Michaela's body as he spoke to her. "Jackson please don't do this. Don't do this to me."
"Michaela I love you," he reached out for her. "Don't you want to be with me?"
Trying to convey how she felt, she took Jackson's hands in her own. "Jackson you know I loved you. I did. During the darkest time of my life you made me love you. But I wasn't truly and fully in love with you." Looking into his blue eyes she saw his sadness peak through. She felt his feelings run threw her body, she could feel his emotions. She could feel his sorrow.
"We could have been so happy Michaela. I would have made you happy."
"I know, Jackson. You would have tried, you would have tried so hard. But you knew where my heart was," she looked at Sully. "And that wouldn't have been fair to you. You deserved a woman who could love you with her full heart."
"Why are you telling me this now? Why not before?" he pulled away.
"I tried Jackson…I tried! I was coming…I was coming to tell you I couldn't marry you. I'm sorry it happened to you Jackson. I'm so sorry! You don't know how sorry I am!" she cried.
"I know…I knew what you were doing."
"What?" she looked up with her tear soaked eyes.
"The day Sully came back I knew you weren't going to marry me. I knew you loved him from the first day you told me about him. The day he came back you became alive again. I just wish I could have made you fall in love with me enough…enough for you to give me your whole heart.
"Jackson…please don't do this. You don't know how bad I feel. You don't know how I went over and over this through my head. Do you know how awful I feel for being selfish?" Turning away Michaela looked back at Sully. He was in the same position just staring down in the casket. "And now I'm afraid I'm hurting another."
Turning Jackson looked at Michaela and saw the torment in her red eyes. "You weren't being selfish, you were being human. You were being Michaela and you were following your heart."
Swallowing and trying desperately to wipe the tears away Michaela turned back to look at Jackson. "You're the only one besides Sully that understands me. And I told you how important that was to me."
Turning his lip up in a grin he pointed to Sully. "You better hurry you don't have much time."
"What?" she didn't understand.
"He's not going to wait forever ya know," Jackson laughed.
"But I thought I was-"
"There are too many people that love you to let you go. I just wanted you to know that. Go be with them."
Looking over the crowd that sat in the church overwhelmed her. "Jackson I'm-"
"Don't be. I'm not." He smiled taking her hand.
Michaela smiled back at him and kissed him upon the cheek. "Goodbye Jackson," she said realizing that she was saying it for the last time because he was now letting her go. "Goodbye."
"Goodbye Michaela."
……………………………………………………………………………………
A million thoughts crossed Elizabeth's head as she walked back to Michaela's room. As soon as she saw the ring on Michaela's hand her head went into a tails spin. She had no idea what to think and the only thing that made sense scared her more than anything. And in her heart she knew it was true. Michaela and Sully were engaged and she didn't like it, she didn't like it one bit.
Slowly she opened the door to her room when she heard the soft voices. She was about to interrupt and throw Sully out but his tender words made her stop and listen.
"…So ya hear me Michaela ya can't give up. You have to keep fighting, because I love you. And Hannah loves you. Remember our plan? Our family? I'm building our house and I have a surprise for ya. I didn't want to tell ya but you know that window you wanted from that catalogue ya had Loren order from Boston? Well I've saved up for it and I thought we'd go and buy it while were here." Again Sully wiped a tear that was clouding his vision. No matter how hard he tried he just couldn't be strong. The woman he loved was getting worse before his eyes. "Please Michaela, come back to me…"
"I luv Dr. Mike," Hannah spoke up touching her hand.
"I love Dr. Mike, too," he picked her hand up and brought it to his lips. "I love her too."
"At-hem…" Elizabeth cleared her throat and entered the room. "Mr. Sully I think you need to leave now." Setting Hannah down in the chair Sully walked toward Elizabeth.
Hannah looked at Michaela and she slowly climbed into bed and softly laid next to her. As always Hannah twirled Michaela's hair around her finger. "Dr Mike," Hannah spoke. "You wake up. Papa sad, he cry for ya. I cry too." Hannah continued to talk. "Ya mama heh. Papa said dat soon you be my mama too!"
"Mr. Sully I don't believe that you are allowed in here. This is a private room and only family are permitted in." She held her ground looking him straight in the eye. "I don't know what kind of relationship you and my daughter think you have but it is clear that-"
"I don't mean any disrespect ma'am but Michaela and I-"
"Excuse me," Dr. Harrison walked in. "I don't mean to interrupt but it's been over an hour and we really need to move ahead with the operation."
"Dr. Mike," Hannah touched her cheek. "Open ya eyes. Time t' wake up." Hannah continued to look at Michaela thinking that if she stared at her long enough she would open her eyes.
"Are you sure?" Sully looked to the doctor, his hands balling at his sides. "Ya have to operate? There's nothing else that can be done?"
"Sir, the only way to know if pressure is building on her brain is to operate. Dr. Quinn should have woken up by now. Time is of the essence and right now it's working against her."
"I just don't know…"
"If my daughter needs this operation and if it will save her life, then that's what you need to do," Elizabeth folded her arms in front of her.
"But…"
"Mr. Sully, you have no say in such matters, Michaela is my daughter and I have her best interests at heart."
"Michaela is my-"
Elizabeth held her hand up tired of listening. "We'll discuss this when my daughter awakens, Mr. Sully."
Hearing Hannah's whispers Elizabeth turned to the bed. "Get that child out of her bed!" Elizabeth was aghast. "What is she doing?"
Turning around and looking toward the bed it became obvious to Sully that Michaela's position was changed. "No wait," he pointed. "Look."
Both Elizabeth and Dr. Harrison walked closer to Michaela and noticed her arms were around the child. "My God," Elizabeth stood in shock. Taking a closer look Elizabeth could see Michaela's eyes were weakly open but both her daughter and Hannah were contently staring at one another.
"Michaela…"
"Dr. Mike wake up, Papa!" Hannah smiled. "Dr. Mike wake up and hug me!"