Chapter 20
December 1870 – Denver
The train came to a halt on a lazy, freezing afternoon in Denver. Sully's stomach was already twisting into knots at the sight of the other train...a train that would carry him from Denver to Colorado Springs in a matter of hours. He already recognized a few familiar faces from several supply trips he'd taken years ago. They were older, some were rounder, and some others almost looked younger.
Michaela was a sight, however. Her eyes were glittering with excitement, and nothing could have wiped that smile off of her face at that very moment. They were there. The air already seemed fresher, and the sun was shining down upon the snow, giving the entire town a certain glow.
"Welcome to Denver," the conductor said with a booming voice, as several eager passengers started for the exits of each train car. Michaela's eyes flashed around wildly, searching for the telegraph office.
"Ya ok?"
"Yes," she breathed. "I need to send a telegram to Colorado Springs and tell them the train has arrived." Sully nodded.
"You do that, and I'll go get the luggage." Michaela smiled, headed toward the telegraph office and breathed a sigh of relief. She was one step closer to Colorado Springs.
"May I help you, Miss?" the man asked, as Michaela clutched her medical bag.
"Yes, I need to send a telegram to Colorado Springs. Address it to Mr. Horace Bing, and let him know that Michaela Quinn is taking the next train to Colorado Springs from Denver." She heard a soft gasp from behind her, and she turned to see a tired-looking colored woman standing with a baby in her arms. Michaela smiled at her. "Is everything all right?" she asked.
"Oh yes…" the woman replied with a smile. "You wouldn't be Dr. Michaela Quinn, would ya?" Michaela held up her medical bag.
"The one and only…that I know of," she laughed.
"Robert E.!" Grace exclaimed. "This is the new lady doctor!"
"Is that Michael…with at A?" the older, impatient telegraph operator asked. Michaela turned back to him for a moment, and Robert E. looked at Grace.
"Michael?" he asked. "She sure don't look like no Michael." Michaela finally turned back around after paying the man.
"My father planned to name me Michael," she pointed out, "and he also planned on my being a male." Grace let out a laugh. "He always called me Mike. I suppose I had the oldest son's honors, even though I was the youngest of five girls."
"Mike. Dr. Mike," Grace said thoughtfully. "Ya know, that suits ya. Don't ask me how I know it, but I got a good sense about people." Michaela smiled. "I'm Grace, by the way. This is my husband, Robert E. And this…is our baby girl Olivia."
"It's nice to meet all three of you! Are you from Colorado Springs?"
"We sure are," Robert E. spoke up. "Did ya come alone?"
"Actually…" Michaela looked around, searching for Sully. "My fiancé is around here somewhere."
"Oh, you're getting married! How excitin'," Grace said with a grin. "It's been a while since we had a big weddin' in Colorado Springs."
"His name is Byron Sully," Michaela replied, distracted. Grace and Robert E. exchanged glances. Michaela finally noticed the awkwardness, and she cleared her throat. "Do you know him?"
"No," Grace said. "Well, we heard of him, but…he left 'fore we came to town." Michaela nodded. "He's finally comin' back? He…" She and Robert E. exchanged another glance. At that moment, Sully walked over with the luggage in his arms.
"Ready to go?" he asked. Michaela smiled, turning toward Grace and Robert E.
"Sully, this is Grace and Robert E. They're from Colorado Springs too." Sully tensed for a moment, but he saw the kindness in these strangers' eyes. He extended his hand to Robert E. and then to Grace.
"Nice to meet ya."
"You too. We uh…we're real glad to meet ya," Robert E. replied. The train whistle blew, and Robert E. looked away. "Well, why don't the both of ya sit with us? We'll catch ya up on what's been goin' on." Grace gave him a look, and he took her hand, squeezing it softly. Sully and Michaela noticed the look between them as well, but the train whistle blew again, and everyone started off to board.
December 1870 – Colorado Springs
Loren sat up in his bed, looking at the picture in his hands. It was a picture of Sully, Abagail and the children. It had been taken a week before the fire…a week before his life had changed forever. His hands trembled as he held it, and he sighed heavily, feeling more exhausted than usual. He knew what was happening. He knew that he didn't have much time left on this earth. What he did know was that he had a world of problems on his hands if he died before…
"Afternoon, Loren," Charlotte said with a tired smile as she carried in a tray of food. Loren put the picture away and nodded his hello. While Grace and Robert E. were getting supplies in Denver, Charlotte and Colleen, when she wasn't at school, were taking care of the café. "It ain't Grace's, but it ain't bad." She placed the tray across his lap.
"Thanks," he said quietly. He noticed that the smile didn't leave her face. "What you smilin' about?"
"Horace just got word from Denver."
"So?"
"So, the lady doc is on her way. She'll be in on the next train." A spark of hope glimmered in Loren's eyes, but his body was too tired to muster up much joy.
"Alright," he said quietly, breaking into a piece of bread. Charlotte sighed, feeling her heart racing. "Maybe she can help you, but it's probably too late for me."
"Don't say that, Loren. Ya gotta believe things are gonna be better."
"All I know is that it's been a real long time since I seen my little girl, those grandbabies and my wife. I'm almost ready." He breathed heavily. "I got all the papers done. Now we just gotta find him."
"We've been tryin' for months, Loren. If he's comin' home, he'll be here when he gets here."
"He don't…"
"I know," Charlotte said quietly, placing her hand over his. "Don't you worry, Loren. If all else fails, your sister Olive'll come and take care of things 'til we get word to him. Everything is gonna be fine. You just rest and eat. I'm goin' down to the train station. Brian's excited to see the new doc, and I told him that just as soon as school's out, he'll get to meet her. She'll be stayin' with us for a while, after all." Loren nodded solemnly. Finally, Charlotte got an idea. "You know what? You've been restin' for too long. Why don't ya come down to the train station and join everybody?" Loren shook his head.
"Naw. I wanna stay here…be alone." Charlotte let out a disappointing breath. She stood and walked toward the door.
"There are a lot of people out there that love you, Loren…that need you." Loren looked away, tears welling in his eyes. He wouldn't let her see them. "If you change your mind…"
"I won't," he said flatly. As soon as the door closed, he took the picture into his hands again. "Where are ya, Sully? Where are ya when I need ya?"
December 1870 – Outside of Colorado Springs
"That's Pike's Peak," Sully said dryly, as the train moved closer and closer to Colorado Springs. Michaela's hand was resting in his, and she felt him squeeze it. She leaned over, being bold and placing a kiss to his cheek. She then caressed where her lips had been with her thumb, not caring if anyone saw.
"Are you ready?"
"I gotta be," he replied quietly. "I just ain't sure how this is gonna work. I guess…I guess things'll happen the way they're supposed to." At that moment, baby Olivia began to squirm and fuss.
"It's all right, darlin'," she crooned. "Don't you worry. We'll be home in just a few minutes, and then ya can sleep in your own cradle again." Michaela smiled a little, admiring the way Grace was with her little girl. She only hoped she would have that kind of patience with her future children…if there were any.
"You look so content with her," Michaela said with a smile. Grace grinned at Michaela, already comfortable with this woman. The four of them had spoken most of the way from Denver, and though Sully was quiet, he and Robert E. were already forming a friendship.
"Do ya wanna hold her?"
"You wouldn't mind?" Michaela wondered. "Are you sure?"
"Sure! She's got a temper though. She gets it from her pa," Grace teased. Robert E. feigned offense, and Grace kissed him on the cheek. She handed the baby over to Michaela, and the little girl lay back in her arms. Michaela rocked her slowly and held her close, letting her feel safe in her arms. Grace and Robert E. watched in awe. Olivia never settled so quickly for anyone! "She must like you, Dr. Mike." Grace's simile and laugh were infectious, and Michaela couldn't help but do the same. Holding that baby in her arms was a precious experience, and she could feel Sully watching her.
Seeing her with that child in her arms made his heart swell and break at the same time. He could only imagine what she would look like holding a child of their own. But, what if something terrible happened? What if what happened with Abby happened to her?
"We'll be there in five minutes," a mother said to her crying son a few seats away. Five minutes. Five minutes felt like five seconds to Sully. He was about to face the people he hadn't seen in ten years. He was about to face a man who had buried his daughter ten years ago without even seeing the man she'd married. He was also dealing with the fact that he was about to see Jake Slicker again. He didn't know how to react toward him. The last time he'd seen him, he'd felt grateful for Jake's helping with Abagail's rescue, but now he was remembering the past…everything that had happened that had put a wedge in their family.
"Sully, we found…we found another body," Jake said quietly, his bandaged hand shaking, as he collapsed beside him. "Hank thinks it was one of the little girls." Sully said nothing, and he peered over at the sheet-covered body of his Abagail. She'd died safely outside shortly after the roof caved in. She'd called for Sully, but he hadn't heard her. He had been desperately searching for his children. Jake had been the one to hear her last words; to see her last tears. "We still ain't found the baby. We'll keep lookin'." Sully blinked away his tears. His baby. His boy. "Everything's messed up…it's hard to pick out anythin'…"
"They're in there," he whispered coldly, his limbs still feeling weak. "My family. They're all there." He stood up and started toward the homestead, but Jake jumped up.
"Ya don't wanna go over there, Sully. Hank's takin' care of it." Sully pushed past Jake.
"It's my family. I should be doin' this."
He'd seen the look in Jake's eyes when he'd said it. It was his family. It was the family he hadn't spent enough time with or cared enough about to be there that night. He knew that's what Jake thought of him. He couldn't have loved that family more…he had loved them so much that it still hurt to think that he hadn't been there. But, even though the pain was the same, the years had let him move on…finally.
"Sully?" Michaela asked, breaking him from his thoughts. Sully realized that she had already handed the baby back to Grace, and she was looking around curiously at the landscape. "It's so beautiful out here."
"Sure is," Robert E. said in satisfaction, placing his hat on top of his head. "Wouldn't wanna leave this place." Grace elbowed him, and her eyes glanced toward Sully for a moment. "Didn't mean…"
"That's alright, Robert E.," Sully said quietly.
"Well, ya'll are welcome to stay at our place 'til ya get settled," Grace offered.
"I've made arrangements to stay with Charlotte Cooper, but thank you," Michaela said with a smile.
"That's real nice of ya, Grace, but I got a place in mind." Michaela glanced at him, wondering what he meant, but before she could ask, the trees opened up, swallowing the train right into the heart of the town. A new train station with a sparkling sign said: COLORADO SPRINGS. Sully could already see how much things had changed.
His eyes met Michaela's, and she gave him a reassuring smile.
"Are you sure you're ready?"
"No turnin' back now," Sully replied with a nod. His eyes scanned around, as the train screeched to a halt. Michaela noticed a tall, lanky gentleman standing behind the desk at the depot, while a line of people waited with packages and letters. An older woman with dark hair stood at the platform with her hands shielding the sun from her eyes.
"Charlotte," Sully said quietly.
"What?" Michaela asked.
"That woman. That's Charlotte Cooper. She's…the midwife." Michaela studied the woman through the window glass, and she could already feel Sully's past invading the present.
Sully's eyes quickly scanned the crowd, seeing familiar and new faces. Jake Slicker wasn't there, and he had to breathe a sigh of relief. He wasn't sure he was ready to see him. He wasn't ready to think about all of the things his wife had told that man that she couldn't tell her own husband. After ten years, some things hadn't changed.
Before he knew it, Michaela's hand was on his back, and they were moving forward and toward the exit. God, he was really here. He was in Colorado Springs for the first time in over ten years.
Grace and Robert E. exited first with little Olivia, and Grace immediately went over to thank Charlotte for watching her café. Judging by the flour and the gravy stains on Charlotte's apron, it was obvious that business had been plentiful. Sully emerged first from the train, and several pair of eyes went wide, and whispers rose up from the already-noisy crowd. Next off the train was Michaela, and a lot of the attention was drawn to her and the fact that her hand was firmly clasped with Sully's.
"Sully," Michaela whispered softly.
"You're with me," he said quietly. "We can do this." Michaela squeezed his hand, and they began to move through the throng of onlookers. Some faces were friendly and some were filled with question or disapproval.
"Sully!" The voice of Charlotte Cooper rose up above the crowd and reached Sully's ears. He couldn't help but smile, and he found Charlotte next to Robert E. and Grace. "They told me they met you on the train! Get over here!" Sully led Michaela through the crowd, relieved to find that someone was happy to see him. He wouldn't blame people for thinking poorly of him. He'd left without any goodbyes…any.
"Charlotte," Sully said nervously, as Charlotte's hands framed his face.
"Let me look at you. My lands! You're more handsome than I remember." She laughed and hugged him warmly. "Oh, it's good to see you home. You are home, right? You're…here for good?" Her eyes were hopeful, and her smile was filled with excitement.
"I'm home. We're home." Sully glanced at Michaela, and he squeezed her hand. "Charlotte, this his my fiancée. Dr. Michaela Quinn." Several people in the crowd gasped and quickly began to scatter. News was going to spread fast, and that almost made Sully feel guilty. He wouldn't feel guilty for loving her though. Charlotte turned to Michaela, stepping closer to her, seeing the warmth and kindness in her eyes.
"So you're the new doctor?" Michaela smiled nervously and held out her hand. Charlotte brushed the flour off of her own hand and extended it to her.
"Yes. It's very nice to meet you."
"Same here," Charlotte said with a smile. "I had no idea our new doc was engaged…let alone to Mr. Byron Sully! It's a small world." The two women shook hands, as a puff of smoke swirled through the air. Sully glanced over to see Hank leaning against the side of the depot.
"Well, you two must wanna get settled in. My daughter got your room all fixed up this mornin'."
"Yes, thank you," Michaela replied.
"Sully, you need a room?" Sully shook his head, grabbing their luggage from the platform.
"I got a place," he replied.
"Where at?" Sully hesitated. "This first night, you'll stay at the boardin' house and have a free hot meal. How's that?" Sully nodded gratefully, swallowing the lump in his throat.
"That'd be real nice. Thank you."
"Hey Jake? Jake! Open up!" Hank pounded on the window of the barbershop. Jake, still in his clothes from the night before, stepped out onto the porch.
"What?" He squinted into the sun, his already pounding head starting to pound harder.
"The lady doc is here. She came with somebody," Hank said with a wise-guy grin.
"So what?" he asked.
"She's engaged."
"Ya woke up me for that?" Jake asked, scoffing. He turned around and started to go back inside, but he froze in his place at Hank's next words. "She came with Sully."