Chapter 24

December 1870 – St. Louis

Carrie and Daniel walked side by side quietly after having left the opera house. He had surprised her with tickets to see a show, and even though neither one of them understood it, he figured that Carrie would be able to explain it better than he could. He had spent most of the time watching her react. Her eyes had brightened and widened at the beautiful music and the glorious colors. He'd never seen anything like it either, but watching her blossom like that was something he expected only happened on rare occasions. Of course, the few times she caught him staring, her back would straighten up, and she would show no emotion until she couldn't help herself.

He found that endearing about her. She was so very much a tomboy, but she was a little bit of a lady too. He knew she preferred being herself, but she also liked dressing up and having a night out. It made him smile to think that she was conscious to the fact that he'd been watching her.

Now that they were out of the comfort of the opera house, she had her arms wrapped tightly around her body, warding off the cold, and he could sense that she didn't really know what to say to him.

"I had a good time," she finally admitted, as they turned the corner. The hotel came into sight, a large, towering buildings with windows that glowed invitingly, and Carrie frowned at the sight of two dark windows, side by side…their rooms. He'd be leaving in less than a day. She might never see him again.

"Me too," he said quietly. She didn't expect him to say much else, and all she could hear was the chatter of her own teeth.

"What time are ya leavin' tomorrow?" Daniel thought for a moment.

"'Round noon, I'd say," he said quietly. "I figured I'd get a couple extra hours of sleep." Carrie nodded again. "Where are you and Tommy plannin' on goin' next?"

"I don't know," Carrie admitted quietly, scuffing her feet and realizing she couldn't do that very easily in those shoes. He sensed a little apprehension in her voice. "I ain't sure I even wanna do this again." He raised an eyebrow.

"You don't?"

"No. I mean…it's been my life since I can remember. I'm startin' to wonder…if I'm even s'posed to be doin' it. I kinda…I wanna see other places. I don't wanna be a slave to the drive anymore." Daniel thought for a moment, but he was afraid to say what he wanted to. "You're lucky, Daniel. You're goin' to settle down...probably have yourself a family."

"Maybe," Daniel said thoughtfully.

"Ya got your life ahead of ya. What've I got? My pa and a bunch of smelly cattle." Her head started swimming, and suddenly, her entire body grew warm. She wasn't sure what was happening, as she put her hand to her forehead.

"Ya could always…" But, at that moment, Carrie felt a stabbing pain shoot throughout her body, and she wasn't quite sure she knew where it started. She groaned, and Daniel quickly reached out for her, as she slumped over. "Carrie!"

"Somethin' hurts," she said hoarsely. And at that moment, she fell into his arms, and when he lifted her head, he saw that she was unconscious.

"Oh God," he breathed, scooping her up close to his body. "Just hang on, Carrie. Just hang on."

December 1870 – Colorado Springs

The next morning, Sully sauntered into the boarding house after seeing Johnny off to school. He had checked on Loren, who seemed to be doing a little better, and he had come to see if Michaela had woken up yet. He hadn't heard much noise from her room the night before, and he was pretty sure the exhaustion of the trip had caught up with her.

"Mornin', Sully," Charlotte said with a smile, as she stirred something in a skillet on the stove.

"Mornin', Charlotte."

"The boys got off to school ok?"

"Yeah. Brian came over to walk with Johnny, and I saw to it that they got right to school." Charlotte smiled.

"Good." Sully looked around the room, and Charlotte chuckled.

"I heard her walkin' around up there. She'll be down soon, I reckon." Sully nodded gratefully, and he started up the stairs. Charlotte chuckled, feeling his eagerness to see his future wife. She remembered the feelings of anticipation and hardly being able to be apart from the one she loved for more than five minutes. She knew these two were going to make it. There was something about them that she could just sense. They were going to have a long journey, but she knew that in the end, they were going to be happy.

Michaela smoothed out her skirt and turned around, making sure she was well adjusted for the day. Her hair was pulled back into a braid, which was now draped down her shoulder. She was still tired, but she figured she would be fine as soon as she had a nice cup of coffee and some breakfast. She had a lot to do today. She had to send a telegram to her mother in Boston, she had to check on Loren, she had a practice to set up, and she had to find a place to set up a clinic. The supplies she had sent to San Francisco had been sent ahead to Colorado Springs, but she knew they hadn't arrived as of yesterday. So, she had to check with Mr. Bing later that afternoon.

When a knock came to her door, Michaela gave herself another once-over in the mirror and turned around.

"Come in," she called, adjusting a button on her dress. She immediately smiled, when Sully poked his head around the corner. "Good morning!"

"Mornin'," he replied. Michaela could already see in his eyes that he'd slept better than he had in a long time, and it warmed her heart. Sully quickly peeked over his shoulder before slipping into the room and moving toward her in two long strides. "Sleep ok?"

"Wonderfully," she said with a chuckle, shivering when his arms slipped around her. "Did Johnny get to school all right?"

"Yep," Sully assured. "Him and Brian were tellin' me stories the whole way there."

"You walked with them?" she asked, her heart swelling. He nodded, and Michaela smiled. "It's so wonderful, Sully…to see you with your son." Her hands moved up his arms and to his shoulders, and she dared to wrap her arms around his neck. "He reminds me so much of you."

"Yeah?" She nodded, as he leaned closer. She glanced over his shoulder.

"Don't worry. Nobody's here, and Charlotte's downstairs." Michaela laughed a little and relaxed in his arms. He knew her so well. "Michaela?"

"Hmm?" She cocked her head to the side and couldn't suppress the grin that her lips had formed into. Sully swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "What is it?"

"I wanna tell Johnny 'bout us right away." Michaela's eyebrows widened. What had changed in the past day to make him want to do such a thing?

"Sully…are you sure? If you think I'm…" Sully cut in.

"I wanna do it, 'cause I don't want him findin' out from nobody else. I want him to hear it from his pa…" He cleared his throat. "And from you." Michaela smiled and gently threaded her fingers through his curls.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," he said with a firm nod, gently placing a kiss to the side of her mouth. Michaela kissed him back, and finally, his lips planted fully over hers, taking her breath away.

She relaxed against him, as his hands moved further down her waist, gently tugging at her skirt, as he brought her closer. Their arms were snug around one another by now, and Michaela could barely think straight.

"Sully!" she laughed, as his hand dared to move a little lower.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly, pulling his hands back up to rest on her waist. She backed away from him with a red tint to her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Michaela." She grinned.

"I know. I'm sorry…I'm just…" She sighed, staring up into those mesmerizing eyes, feeling lost and found at the same time. Her heart was happy, and that's exactly what they both wanted. She hadn't thought she'd ever be this happy, and now here he was, holding her so close, and that was all she wanted.

She gently cradled his face between her hands, and when their lips met again, he gently suckled her lower lip, teasing it slowly with his tongue. But, when her hands roamed obliviously down his torso, he gently grabbed her wrists and pulled back from the kiss. She pulled away, embarrassed about her actions, and without words, she turned toward the balcony doors. He watched her, studying her trembling form, as she opened the doors and stepped outside to greet the morning, letting the warm sun bathe her face, while the chilly winds lapped at her rosy cheeks.

"Michaela?" He stepped out behind her, gently placing his hands on her shoulders and letting them travel down her arms. His fingers sent a tingling sensation to every part of her, and she leaned her back against his chest.

"I stood like this the night we found one another on the beach," she whispered nervously, letting her eyes flutter closed and her breath swell in her chest. He rested his chin on her should, and she could feel his prickly stubble there, teasing her flushed flesh. "I didn't know what to do, Sully. For a moment, I wondered if I had anything left. I…I wasn't certain of anything at that moment except that I would have to go back to Boston and see my mother's disappointed eyes. I had no patients then. My career…my future was over. But, I saw our star. Sully, I saw you." She turned around in his arms, staring up into his eyes…so full of love and need for her.

"I'm sorry ya had to go through that alone." Michaela shook her head, blinking away the tears.

"I wasn't alone," she whispered. "I had you. Right here." She placed her hand over her heart and then his. Her fingers sent warmth through his shirt and into his skin. "Even if I didn't notice." She exhaled slowly and deliberately. "That's what frightens me." Sully cocked his head to the side, putting his hand over hers—the one on his chest—and enclosing her fingers in his palm.

"Why?"

"Because…you're always with me. I'm always thinking about you…about us."

"There's nothin' wrong with that, Michaela," Sully assured her. "We love each other. I'm always thinkin' 'bout you too." Michaela smiled a little, still a bit frightened of the thought. "We're gonna be married…it's normal." He gently brushed his thumb over her kiss-swollen lips. "Nothin' to be ashamed about." Michaela nodded again.

"I know. I'm just…"

"I know," he whispered softly, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand. "Don't worry. I know you're scared, but I promise…once our weddin' night gets here, you'll see there's nothin' to be scared about." Michaela wasn't sure if her cheeks could get any redder, and she was very happy to hear Charlotte's voice float up from downstairs.

"Breakfast!" Charlotte called. Michaela breathed a sigh of relief.

"We should get going. We have a busy day ahead of us." Sully nodded, and Michaela gave him a quick, awkward peck on the cheek before hurrying down the stairs. Sully followed behind, eager to try to start over in Colorado Springs…eager to build a life; a home with Michaela and his son.

December 1870 – Boston

"Mother! Calm down!" Rebecca begged, as she watched her mother pace the foyer furiously.

"She hasn't sent word yet. She could be dead for all I know, Rebecca! Don't tell me to calm down!" Rebecca regained her composure and spotted her daughter sitting on the staircase. She waved for her to go back upstairs, and the little girl obliged reluctantly.

"Mother, Michaela has a lot on her mind right now, I'm sure. She has a new practice to start, a fiancé…"

"She should come back home. She needs to be here. Someone needs to make that clear to her." Rebecca sensed the tone of her mother's voice.

"Mother," Rebecca warned. "I hope you're not thinking of…"

"If I don't hear from her by tomorrow, I'm buying a train ticket and going out there myself," Elizabeth huffed, storming out of the room. Rebecca set her lips in a thin line, and she saw Mary's head peek around the corner again.

"Is it safe?" the little girl asked with bright, wide eyes, clutching a doll her Aunt Michaela had given her to her chest.

"Yes, darling. Come along. I think we have some packing to do."