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 11

Boston

After getting off the train in Boston, Sully escorted Michaela home. She didn't want her mother seeing her and Sully together just yet so Sully went home after making sure she got home safe. If her mother found out that Sully was with her in New York unchaperoned and that she was about to say no to David request of marriage, she would never hear the end of it.

Michaela thumbed through the mail left on the side table in the hallway. There were a couple of letters from her friend Miriam, a few letters from charities and one from David. She recognised the handwriting straight away; it stuck out like a sore thumb to her. She stared at it for a moment wondering what the contents said. She rolled her eyes, the only way to find out was to open it and find out!

Taking her letters to the office she sat in her father's leather chair. She opened David's letter and read.

Dearest Michaela

I miss you when you are gone. But soon we will be together again and after you come back perhaps we can celebrate our engagement. Don't worry I haven't told your parents yet but I hope to ask your father for your hand once you return from you trip.

I look forward to us spending our lives together. Michaela you make me so happy, I can't wait to be your husband.

You're future husband,

David x

Michaela put the letter on the desk in front of her. Anger bubbled up within her. How could he just assume that she would say yes! She was beginning to feel that he was applying the pressure. She never realised before how manipulative David could be; now thinking about it there had been many times when he didn't respect her decision or opinion. Like only a couple of weeks ago when they went out to dinner, David completely spoke over her when they were ordering. He chose her food, her drink and where they went. In fact he did it all the time and when she tried to tell him what she wanted he would pat her hand and say that she should try new things.

This infuriated her but at the same point she wondered if being married was like this. She knew her sister's marriages weren't exactly happy ones, all except Rebecca's. But more she thought about it the more unanswered questions came up. All she knew was that she didn't want a marriage like her sisters. She rested her elbows on the table in front of her; she lowered her head to rest on her arms.

She was trying to sort through her thoughts when her father walked in. "Ahh, Michaela your back,"

Michaela looked up and couldn't help but smile at her father. "Hello father," She stood and went to him and kissed his cheek.

"How was the conference? Anything new I should know about?" he sat in the chair that Michaela just vacated.

"The conference went well," She opted out of telling him that Sully had joined her. "There was a new theory about cleanliness of clinics and hospitals. I made notes I'll show them to you later," she looked out of the window. Elizabeth was in the garden inspecting her flower beds with what looked like a new gardener.

"I'll look forward to it," Josef noticed the discarded letter on his desk. The first thing he noticed was that it was from David. He didn't want to pry into Michaela's business so he picked it up and folded it in half and handed it to her along with the other unopened letters.

"Michaela are these yours?"

"Oh yes thank you," she accepted the letters and held them close to her chest.

"What are your plans for the afternoon?" he asked.

"Well I was going to unpack and perhaps try and see David,"

"I'm sure he would enjoy that. He has been round here almost every day while you were gone. I have a feeling he might be asking me a certain question any day," he watched her keenly looking for any sign of upset.

Michaela turned to him. She wanted to tell him what she was about to do but was apprehensive about what her father would say. He always stood up for her rights and mainly sided with her on arguments she had with her mother. But there was this feeling she kept having that he might not side with her on this matter. So she smiled at him and said "Well I must go see him then,"

Josef sighed he knew his daughter was hiding something from him. He could always even from an early age he could tell when she hid things from him.

"Take Care Michaela," he eyed her intently putting more meaning on his words.

Michaela came to his side and kissed his head. "I will father,"

Later that evening

Michaela couldn't seem to get hold of David for most of the afternoon. He was doing surgery when she went to the hospital; she left a message with one of the nurses for him to visit this evening at her home. Before going home she went to check up on some of her patients to see how they were getting on in her absence.

Now at home and unpacked from her trip she sat in the parlour reading a book but mostly looking into the flames of the fire. She was wondering what Sully was doing right now. They had agreed that they were to spend tonight away from each other but she couldn't help but want him here with her. It felt cruel not having him here when she had been so used to his company and had been able to seek him out at any time she wanted when they were in New York. But Boston was another story. She felt trapped and confided by social rules and societies views of unmarried women.

There were just so many unanswered questions, what was she going to say to her parents when she finally told them that she wasn't going to marry David. She knew what her mother's reaction would be but her father's reaction would keep her guessing.

She needed some comforting words and reassurance and she knew of only one person who would be able to provide this.

Sully's Apartment

Sully heard a knock on his front door. He wasn't expecting anyone and this neighbourhood wasn't exactly the friendliest. Since returning from New York he had been getting this uneasy feeling. He cautiously went to the door and opened it slowly, just a crack so that he could get a view of the person on the other side without them barging their way unwelcomed.

He was surprised however to see Michaela on the other side of the door. At first he was relieved to see it was her and not some rouge but on the other hand he was upset that she had come all this way on her own.

"Michaela, what are you doing here? Do you realise how dangerous it is around here in the day let alone the night!!" he stepped back and let her in quickly closing the door behind them.

She knew she was taking a chance coming here alone but she needed to see him. "I needed to see you. I have so many questions and I just can't seem to grasp the answers to any of them. And there is no one in which I can talk to, accept you,"

Seeing her confused expression he softened. Quickly he went to her and wrapped her in his arms. Michaela rested her heavy head on his shoulder breathing in his scent of musk and the outdoors that he always seemed to carry around with him.

He kissed the top of her head and drew back. "Come here," he said moving to a small beaten up sofa that was near the fire that lightened the dark interior.

"Ok start," he said.

Wrinkling her brow Michaela didn't know what he was referring to. "I don't understand?"

"Tell me your unanswered questions," he encouraged.

"Well...I don't know how David is going to react. I don't know how to begin," she sighed. "Also I don't know how my father is going to react to the news,"

"Michaela your father loves you; He'll accept your choice. Has he given you a reason why he wouldn't respect your decision?"

"No he hasn't but I just don't want him to be disappointed in me. I know he likes David and they work together that will make things difficult for him," She worried.

"You're father would never be disappointed in you. Neither could I," he caressed her arm.

She smiled for the first time since entering his apartment.

"You need to follow your heart..." Sully couldn't believe that he was going to say this but he believed that if you loved someone you needed to let them be free to make their own choices. "If your heart is telling you that you want to be with David then that is what you must do. I'll respect your decision,"

Michaela was stunned that's not what she wanted at all. She quickly put her arms around him kissing him soundly on the lips. She instantly deepened the kiss melding her mouth with his.

"Don't ever doubt my love for you Sully. We are still learning about each other but I have never been more certain of my love for you. I could never marry David knowing that I could have your love!" She said passionately.

Lying on the sofa Sully wrapped his arms round her waist as they settled into a comfortable embrace. "I don't want you to marry David. If I had to watch you marry him I don't know what I'd do," The thought of her marrying anyone else made him feel sick. In that moment he knew what he needed to do.

He moved to get up; he'd never been surer about anything his life as much as he was this. He pulled Michaela up into standing position. "Sully what are you doing?"

Holding both her hands in his he looked at her intently. "Michaela Quinn I love you with all my heart, I can't think of my life without you and I will love you every day of my life. Will you marry me?"

Michaela's heart hammered against her chest. Her smile lit up the room casting away any shadows of doubt and insecurity. "Yes...yes!" she clutched the sides of his face and kissed him with all she had.

Sully was amazed that this beautiful elegant woman had agreed to be his wife. He wrapped his arms around her tiny waist drawing her close so that nothing separated them.

Michaela pulled back with tears in her eyes "I love you so much...I'm so glad that I came to see you tonight," She smiled through her tears.

Sully chuckled "I'm glad you came here too," his kissed her.

"What are we going to do now?" Michaela asked being ever practical.

Sully grinned "I thought we could stay like this for a while,"

"This is nice but I meant about the future...your going back to Colorado soon. How will this work out?"

"Come to Colorado with me. The west is always in need of good doctors like you," he said simply.

Suddenly overwhelmed again Michaela moved away from Sully and sat on the sofa. An explosion of new thoughts went off inside her head. Sully quickly knelt in front of her holding her hand. He was worried that he said something wrong.

"What about my practice with my father? What about my patients?" her mind was going a mile a minute.

"You'll have new patients and you'll make a real difference out there...there are people dying just cos they don't have a doctor to take care of their basic needs!"

Michaela listened intently hoping he would erase the nervousness she felt. However he was right she had heard of how people on the frontier were dying needlessly and ever since she met Sully she had been contemplating the idea of moving out west. But ideas about moving out west and actually moving out west were two completely different things.

"You'll love it there Michaela, the land is like nothing you've ever seen before," he caressed her hand egger to convince her this was the right thing for them.

"Where would we live?" She asked.

"I know a place you could live. A friend of mine owns a boarding house; she lives there with her three kids. She's a good friend and I know she'd take good care of you. And in the mean time I can build us a house for when we marry. I know have my share of the money from the mine and this money will keep us secure," This is all he'd thought about for days. Even in his sleep he kept seeing pictures of a house outside of town where they would live.

Michaela smiled thinking of them being married and living in a home that Sully built. He seemed to be answering all her questions but she still felt nervous she didn't know what to expect.

Looking at her nervous expression he felt helpless to ease her worry. "If you really can't leave Boston or you father. Then I'll move here," He hated Boston and the way the city suffocated him but he'd live here if it meant that they could be together.

Her heart swelled with love once more that he would sacrifice his dreams. "Thank you for offering to live here but I know your heart doesn't lie here it lies in Colorado. You said to me recently that you would go anywhere to prove your love to me, and then I should be expected to do the same. I'll come to Colorado with you. I'd love to see the land you love so much,"

Thrilled with her response he kissed her and lifted her off her feet and spinning her round. "Michaela you make me so happy," he kissed her. "And my heart doesn't lie in Colorado it lies with you...always," happily they kissed once more.