Rescuing you

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in Dr Quinn Medicine Woman. The rights to those characters and the show belong to the creators not me. This is just a story for fun.

Chapter 3

The dinning room at the Quinn residence

Josef stood with a warm welcoming smile "Welcome Mr Sully, we are happy to have you. Please take a seat" Josef gestured towards an empty seat opposite Michaela's.

Sully smiled feeling welcomed by Michaela and Josef, he sat in his seat still feeling the eyes follow him across the room. After he was seated opposite Michaela everyone slowly went back to their soft chatting.

Rebecca watched Sully with a smile; she could tell he was nervous by the way he was looking around at everyone expecting them to pounce at any moment. "I am Michaela's eldest sister Rebecca. I must say Michaela has informed us all of her rescue yesterday, you are a very handy man to have around in a crises"

Sully smiled at Rebecca she seemed a very warm person with a lovely smile. "I didn't do much," he said modestly.

"What do you do Mr Sully?" Marjorie asked looking over the edge of her wine glass as she took a sip.

Michaela looked up at Sully interested in what he had to say.

"At the moment I work at the docks" he looked down at the food placed in front of him, it looked like snails covered in green slime. He cringed and glanced around at the others who were beginning to eat.

Michaela watched him with a smile placed on her lips; he looked up meeting her eyes. After a couple of long moments that seemed like forever Sully lifted his fork and put a snail into his mouth. Michaela raised her eyebrows impressed and copied his movements.

"So you work at the dock for the moment what are you planning to do long term?" Marjorie looked down her nose at him wondering why her sister and father always had the need to save every lost sole that came along.

"Umm…I plan to move back to Colorado Springs in a couple of months to help out a friend" he sipped some water washing down the snail.

"What does your friend do Mr Sully?" Rebecca asked

"He owns a mine, he wants some help training the men to work there"

"So you have expertise in mining?" David asked finally recognising Sully was actually there.

"A couple of years" he answered

"Umm…" David sneered, this Mr Sully posed no threat to him for Michaela's heart. What did he have to offer her? He moved from job to job not caring to think about the future, and he would be gone in a matter of months.

After dinner

By the end of dinner Michaela and Sully were chatting about anything and everything, they were getting on so well they didn't even notice everyone get up and move into the sitting room.

David had been watching them through out dinner, he tried to gain Michaela's attention several times trying to get her to talk about the hospital and the cases he was working on but she wasn't interested which was unusual for her. He stood when he saw the gentlemen and ladies go their own ways after dinner he was glad that now Sully would be away from Michaela.

"Michaela, are you coming?" he touched her shoulder.

She looked up at David "Oh, you go ahead we will be along in a moment"

He nodded not pleased with the turn of events.

Sully sat back in his chair feeling more relaxed in the empty room all except Michaela. "Who is that guy?"

"You mean David?" she asked her brow creased

"Yeah"

"Well David and I are courting"

Sully raised his eyebrows he tried to cover the instant disappointed and pained expression on his face, he couldn't believe she was courting David. But he didn't know why it matter so much to him; he just met her. And why should he be so surprised she was intelligent, caring and stunning woman.

Michaela was curious about the expression on his face "What is it?"

"Oh…nothing it's just ya don't really look or act like a courting couple"

She chuckled softly "What do you mean we don't look like a courting couple? And how are courting couples supposed to act?" she challenged

"Well…they touch, kiss, look at each other like they are the only two people in the world. Things like that" he watched her eyes as they looked into his.

She felt a blush rise in her cheeks; she glanced at his lips then lowered her eyes avoiding his penetrating blue ones.

"Mmm… shall we go into the sitting room?"

Sully turned his head to the direction of the sitting room across the hall. All the men were stood around drinking brandy and smoking cigars. He knew he would be expected to make small talk with people he knew he'd never fit in with. "If ya don't mind, I think I'll go"

Michaela felt the disappointment creep in she didn't want to have to say goodbye so early in the evening.

"I'll see ya the day after tomorrow right? For our walk" he wanted to be sure she hadn't forgotten.

She smiled "Of course, are you sure you want to leave?" she placed her hand over her mouth surprised that what she was thinking had came out of her mouth. "I'm sorry, you can leave if you want to"

Sully found it amusing how one minute she would be confident then the next shy and blushing. "I think it might be best, besides this isn't really my normal scene" he paused watching her nod "I'll call on you the day after tomorrow. Will 11am be ok?"

They stood and walked towards the foyer, "11 will be fine Mr Sully"

"Call me Sully" he smiled

Her brow creased "Don't you have a first name?"

"Yeah but I don't use it"

Harrison opened the front door, Michaela stood in front of Sully her hands clasped together "I shall see you the day after next then, I'll look forward to it" she grinned.

Sully nodded, he took her hand and kissed the back to Michaela's surprise "Goodnight"

"Goodnight" she whispered in a matter of seconds he was gone.

Sully lay awake that night he couldn't get her off his mind. She was fascinating, she was caring, and she had ambition and loved her work. As well as all that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on, she was her own person and knew her own mind, he also could tell she could be fiery at times.

At the same time across town Michaela tossed and turned in her bed. There was so much more to know about him she felt as if she had just scratched the surface. She couldn't get the look he had given her just before he left out of her mind; he had unnerved her. He was so handsome and watchful of the people around him. She loved the way he could make her laugh or smile or even blush with one simple look or phrase. She knew she was getting in too deep. Michaela looked up at the ceiling wide-awake she knew it would be a long time before she fell asleep this night.

The second day after the dinner

Sully and Michaela exited the house; together they walked down the street.

"I thought we could visit the art gallery and do some exploring" Sully said looking side ways at her, yet again she was wearing a stunning gown and her coopery hair elegantly piled on her head.

"I'd like that, I understand they have a new exhibition of the west" she turned up the corner of her mouth.

"Mmm…how's the ankle today?" she wasn't limping anymore.

"It feels as good as new thank you"

"Good, I wanted to say I had a nice time at dinner the other day. Thanks for inviting me"

"I'm glad, it was our way of saying thank you" she watched him as they walked along his hair shined in the morning sun.

"If that was a thank you then what is today?" he teased

"Today? Well today is a chance for me to get to know you better" she grinned

Sully grinned to himself wondering why she wanted to know him better; he let it drop. "So what made ya want to be a doctor?"

"My father, I use to watch him treat patients when I was younger. I thought it was the most amazing thing to help someone back to health it inspired me to be what I wanted" she had a far off look in her eyes as she spoke.

Sully could feel the passion in her words.

"Anyway we talked about me a lot last night, what about you? Where do you come from? You mentioned you don't come from Boston"

"I originally come from New York, my ma died when I was about 10. I worked on the docks that's where I met Daniel we moved out west and started working in mines out there"

Michaela was fascinated by his story "So why are you here in Boston now?"

"Before me and Daniel left for Colorado we did some work here in Boston on the docks, we knew the owner of the shipping company he kept some money for us, we didn't want to take it all out west with us just encase our bet didn't work out. So now Daniel has his own mine he needs the money I'm here to get it"

"What then?" she asked

"I'll go back to Colorado and Daniel will get his half of the money and I'll get mine" he shrugged.

Michaela could feel butterflies in her stomach when he said 'Go back to Colorado'

They stopped in front of the art gallery "After ya" he nodded to the stone steps leading up to the large gallery doors. Michaela lifted the hem of her skirts and made her way up the steps followed by Sully. Once inside they walked around the exhibition, they stopped in front of a large painting of Indian tepee's it looked so real they could see the smoke from the campfire almost moving.

"Is that how it really looks?" she asked looking over at him.

He nodded "Yeah the lands amazing, ya can see as far eye can see. The colour is the most beautiful in the evening just before the sun goes down and the town is winding down for the night"

"It sound wonderful, I'd like to see it some day" she sighed

They sat on a bench opposite the Indian painting "What do you plan to do once you finish helping Daniel?"

"I'm hoping to secure a job with the government to help surveying the lands of Colorado Springs"

"You seem to really love the land" she smiled

"I do" he looked into her eyes for a long minute

They watched people enjoying the artwork "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you when I was going on about courting at dinner the other night" Sully turned to look at her again.

She turned to look at him also "No…no you didn't embarrass me" she sighed

He frowned at the sudden change in her posture "What's wrong?"

"Could I tell you something?"

"Sure" he hoped he could help

Michaela placed her hand in her lap twisting the fabric of her skirt "I know we only met the other day but I feel as if I could tell you anything and you wouldn't judge me"

Sully felt his heart swell he wanted her to feel safe with him and was pleased she actually felt that way.

"The day we met, before I fell I was distracted…"

Sully raised his eyebrow amused; she chuckled "Yes I know, I must have been distracted not to notice a great hole in the path ahead"

"So what had ya distracted?"

She took a breath "David proposed"

Sully's heart skipped a beat "Con…congratulations" he choked out.

"I haven't told him I would marry him and I haven't declined, I just don't know what I'm going to do" she sighed a tear forming in her eye.

Sully placed his hand on her shoulder; his heart ached for her.

"Ya need to do what is in your heart and take your time. Ya need to know if your gonna be happy with David, he seems nice enough" he shrugged

"Oh he is, I just…I'm unsure of myself I suppose. Marriage is just a big step"

"It is but when it's the right person and time you'll know" he said wisely

Michaela looked down contemplating his words.

"Could I do something to cheer ya up?"

She smiled and looked back up at him "You can tell me your first name"

He was caught he wanted to cheer her up but didn't want to reveal his name "Will that cheer ya up?"

She nodded raising her eyebrow expectantly.

"Ok…" he sighed, "It's Byron"

Michaela grinned "Byron? I like it" Sully screwed up his nose not believing her "I do I like it"

Sully chuckled and stood "Come on lets see the rest of the art work" he extended his hand towards her, she smiled and accepted his hand and they enjoyed the rest of the artwork together.

Chapter 4 coming soon