Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. The rights to those characters and to the show belong to the creators of the show, to CBS, The Sullivan Company and to A&E.

The Places to Love

Chapter Thirty

"I'm really twisted, you know," Cassie chimed in with a secretive smile on her face. Sully and Michaela both frowned at the same moment.

Sully was having a hard time controlling his emotions and he looked as if he was thinking of hitting Cassie. "Well what are ya trying to say?"

Cassie laughed while continuing to tease Sully. "Blood test showed fairly high levels of hCG."

A smile spread across Michaela's lips and she gave her husband's hand a quick squeeze so that he would turn to look at her. Yet Sully was still focused on Cassie. "Is that a problem?"

"Why don't you ask your wife?"

Sully now more confused than ever, turned towards Michaela. The look on his face was stern and serious. "It's only serious if you don't want to be a daddy," Michaela whispered, now grasping his hand with both of hers. Sully looked shocked for a moment as Michaela's words sank in.

"A Daddy?" Michaela nodded with a wide smile. "You're pregnant?"

"That is what Cassie is trying to tell us."

With that Sully let out a loud whoop but then immediately turned to the doctor in the doorway. "I should let ya have it. Scarin' me like that."

"Sorry," Cassie said sheepishly. "You can't blame a girl for trying to have a little fun." Yet Sully had already turned back to Michaela as Cassie spoke, his eyes speaking of his happiness to his wife.

"A baby," he whispered. "We're going to have a baby."

The door opened behind Cassie at that moment, bringing with it a much more somber mood. Max stepped in with eyes bloodshot and shoulders shaking. "Sully," he said hoarsely. "Kat's out of surgery but they aren't sure she's gonna make it."

Swallowing hard, Sully rose giving Michaela's hand a tight squeeze before he let go. "Can we see her?"

"Not yet, she's still in recovery. 'Bout an hour or so." Sully nodded and then offered Max a chair. There was no use of the older man waiting by himself. He wanted to tell Max their good news but in light of everything that was occurring, he wasn't sure it was appropriate. "How are you Michaela?" Max asked as Sully mulled it over.

"I'll be fine. It's only a bad concussion." She looked up at Sully, her eyes asking the same question. Max nodded as he looked down at the floor.

"We also found out Michaela's pregnant." Sully's voice echoed in the small room, his words resounding in each person's ears several times as if trying to sink in. Feeling unsure that he'd done the right thing in telling, Sully looked down at the floor.

Max raised his head slowly and swallowed hard. "Congratulations," he whispered in the same hoarse voice. "I hope…" His voice broke down, tears streaming down his cheeks as he thought how ironic that good news would accompany such bad news.

Sully didn't need Max to finish his sentence; he instinctively knew what the older man was trying to say. "I hope Kat is around to know her grandchild." Their eyes met at that moment as Sully continued. "And I hope that you'll want to be around too."

Sully sat by his mother's bedside, the machines beeping out the fragile life that still gripped her body. This was the second day of fighting to remain alive for Kat. Her body had taken so many traumas though and the doctors did not give her a good prognosis. There had been no sign that she would even wake up as of yet. Still Sully knew he had to tell her… so many things he had to tell her. Michaela had offered to come with him but he wouldn't let her, still concerned about her health.

Now he gripped Kat's cold hand and warmed it in his own. "Kat…. Mother…." The word sounded foreign but Sully knew this could be the last time he spoke to her. "There are so many things I've wanted to tell you… so many things I need to tell you. I'm sorry, I've been so stubborn about things." His voice trailed off as it sunk in that he had been the one keeping the two of them apart.

As he stood there watching his mother's face, his heart beat quickened as two eyelids blinked awake. The tube running down her throat wouldn't allow her to talk but she gave Sully's hand a weak squeeze. Sully moved to call the doctors but Kat held him tighter shaking her head, her eyes begging him to continue. Feeling torn, he began again.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I wish things were different. I wish we could start over." Kat nodded weakly and blinked her eyes rapidly to show she felt the same. "If you…." Sully couldn't bring himself to say the words pull through but it was as if Kat understood anyway. "I want you to be part of my life," he whispered. "Part of my baby's life."

A look of surprise crossed his mother's face and Sully could have sworn he discerned a smile about the corners of her lips. "Michaela's pregnant…. you're going to be a grandma." Another series of hand squeezes made Sully smile and then as quickly as they had opened the eyes closed and the machine that beeped out her existence made one horrible long noise. Sully gasped and ran, shouting for doctors and being pushed to the side as they appeared.

The day they laid her to rest, the sun refused to shine. Low gray clouds covered the sky, matching the moods of the small band of mourners. Max stayed close to Sully and Michaela having leaned heavily on them since Kat's passing. Cloud Dancing and Snowbird attended the graveside service as well, making peace in their own way with a haunting past. Later that afternoon, Cloud Dancing would take the men through a traditional Cheyenne sweat lodge believing that both Max and Sully needed the ceremony.

Only weeks later Max would move out to join the commune, making fast friends with Cloud Dancing and Snowbird as well as many others. It was a fit for him and it provided the chance to see Sully and Michaela often which he deeply enjoyed. He wasn't sure why but the ability to work on the land and to feel a needed part of a community relieved his grief significantly. Max still missed Kat acutely at times but he had friends and a support system that kept him away from his old crutches, drugs and alcohol.

It seemed ironic that Kat had battled drug addiction her whole life only to be killed by someone with a drug addiction. The young man who had taken Kat's life was only twenty-two and now stood charged with manslaughter, his life crumbling even further around him. Michaela was heavy with child as she accompanied Sully and Max into the courtroom where the young man was to be sentenced. Max and Sully had agreed on what needed to be done, both at peace with their decision. When it came time for the victim's family to speak, Sully stood first and turned to face the young man.

"My mother battled with drugs most of her life," he said strongly, his face contorting with pain as he spoke. "She lost custody of me because of that and spent her whole life trying to get me back. If she was standing here today, she could recount a lifetime of bad decisions and pain because of her addiction. Yet she would look at you with compassion because she would understand your own struggle." It was at this moment that the young man broke down, tears pouring down his face. "I understand you have a young son," Sully continued, his voice faltering for the first time that morning. He looked back at the young girl seated behind her convicted boyfriend with the toddler on her lap. "Your son needs you and he needs you sober and clean. You've made a mistake but now you have the power to change your life. Please don't waste this opportunity." Sully took a deep breath now and turned towards the judge. "Your honor, I ask for leniency in this young man's sentencing. My mother would ask you for leniency as well. I don't know what you have to do as far as sentencing but if you can please send him to rehab, please get him the help he needs."

With that Sully moved back towards his wife, Max rising to take his place. The two men hugged as they met half way, drawing strength from the other. Max already wiped tears from his eyes as he stood at the small podium. He too turned to face the young man now shaking with emotion. "We want you to know that there is forgiveness," Max began. "We want you to know our forgiveness and God's." The young man looked up meeting Max's eyes, unable to believe what he was hearing. "We want you to be a good father to your son. We want you to get your life on track." With those words, Max too now addressed the judge. "Your honor, my request mirrors that of my son." Sully squeezed Michaela's hand as he heard those words, words that had become more and more true in the preceding months. "This young man needs help, not jail. Thank you." With that he stepped away, his eyes running across the crowd as he realized there was hardly a dry eye in the place.

The judge sat stoically, trying hard to remain unaffected by what he had just witnessed. He looked at the young man and then down at the desk in front of him as he considered what he could do. As he raised his head, he asked the convicted to stand. "Allen Marcus Williams, you've been charged and convicted of manslaughter. I have some liberty in sentencing you and I am inclined to go harsh given the fact that I abhor the fact that your bad decision cost this family their wife and mother. I cannot pretend to remain unmoved by what I've heard today though. Know that you owe this sentence to those two men. I sentence you to eight years in jail." A collective gasp went up in the courtroom but the judge wasn't yet finished. "I would like to commute that sentence though with the following stipulations. You are to attend a rehabilitation center for drug and alcohol abuse for no less than three months. If you successfully complete the program, your sentence will be commuted to time already served with probation of three years. Any infraction of those guidelines and you will be required to serve out your original sentence."

"Thank you, your honor," the young man quickly replied understanding that he'd just been given a new lease on life. The scene after the judge dismissed the court was heart wrenching as both families hugged. The young man could not stop thanking Sully and Max as he held his baby boy in his arms.