Chapter 38

Warning: This chapter contains a few choice words that might be offensive to some.

January 1871 – Colorado Springs

The New Year had just passed, and Michaela was thankful that the holidays had passed without the loss of her new friend Charlotte Cooper. Charlotte was doing much better and recuperating at Matthew and Ingrid's homestead. Michaela was grateful that the older woman had such a good family to take care of her, and she made a point to ride out on Flash to check on her from time to time.

Sully was proud of his future wife. She had picked up on riding Flash very easily, and she was almost a better rider than most of the men in town, including himself. He was amazed at how quickly she learned, and that made him love her even more. He was eager to race with her once the snow melted and the ground dried up.

The noon train was supposed to be rolling into town in five minutes, and Michaela was eagerly awaiting the arrival of the banker from Denver. She had contacted him through telegram only after considering her options for a couple of days. She told him she had more than enough money to buy Charlotte's boarding house, and it had only taken a little more prodding from Charlotte to get her to her ultimate decision.

So, while Michaela was waiting at the train station, Sully was at the mercantile picking up supplies. He had been planning to surprise Michaela with a romantic dinner, but he knew that once Michaela had the deed to the boarding house in her hands, she'd want to start turning it into a clinic. The dinner could wait, but he and Johnny were going to have to find a place to stay. Michaela had offered to let them stay above the clinic, but Sully insisted they would find another place. Michaela would need all of the rooms she had when the patients started flooding in.

"Will that be all for ya, Sully?" Olive asked with a yawn, as he placed money down onto the counter.

"Yep," he replied quietly. "How're you today, Miss Olive?"

"Oh, pretty busy," she said quietly. "Things are about to get a whole lot busier though."

"Why's that?"

"Well, my night cowhand at the ranch took sick, and he can't be there. Apparently folks think it's easier to rustle a cow in the winter, so I need to be there just in case. Sometimes I miss the days when I was cattle drivin'. Didn't have as much responsibility as I got now, but I s'pose that happens with age." She shook her head with a distant frown. "So, I'm gonna be doin' a lot of work at the ranch most evenings. Won't have nobody to watch the store at night." She eyed him. "You and Johnny still need a place to stay?"

"Yeah, but…"

"Well, why don't ya stay here and keep an eye on things? I promise, ya won't have to run the store or nothin'." Sully looked up the stairs. His son's room was up there, but the room Loren died in was too. However, it did seem like a rather sensible idea.

"You sure 'bout this?"

"I'll take that as a yes," Olive said with a wink. "Now get outta here. I got other customers." She chuckled and hurried off to help a little girl at the candy jars. The last thing she wanted was a mess to clean up.

Sully stepped out onto the porch and started making his way back to the soon-to-be clinic. He could hear the train whistle blowing, and he knew that the banker would be there soon. He only hoped it would mean good news for Michaela. He wanted her to have a good start in Colorado Springs. He wanted people to accept her and realize that she was an excellent doctor. She'd had a few patients over the past few days, but most of them only had mild complaints, and she hadn't had to treat them at all.

As he stepped up onto the porch of what was hopefully Michaela's new clinic, he noticed that the door was slightly ajar, and he furrowed his brow, remembering having shut it firmly behind himself when he left. Maybe Michaela had forgotten something. He stepped inside, and he placed the crate of materials down on the dusty floor. "Michaela?" he called out. He didn't get an answer. "Michaela?" He heard a floorboard creak in the next room, and he slowly put his hand to the belt on his waist. His hand glided over the cold steel of the tomahawk blade, and he paused.

Before he could peer into the next room, a voice from outside stopped him.

"Sully?" He turned to see Robert E. walking up to the door.

"In here," he called, keeping his eye on the door to the next room. Robert E. came in, and Sully turned his attention to him. "Need somethin', Robert E.?"

"I was wonderin' if you could help me over at the livery for a minute. Got a stubborn horse, and I'm tryin' to shoe her." Sully chuckled.

"Sure. I'll be right there." Robert E. tipped his hat in thanks and hurried off. Sully took a quick peek into the next room. Satisfied that nothing and nobody was there, he headed off to help Robert E.

"Thank you, Mr. Bancroft," Michaela said, holding her new lease in her hand. She'd signed it. He'd signed it. She'd paid him, and she now owned her very own clinic. She was relieved and happy at the same time, yet she still wished she hadn't had to buy the very place that Charlotte had been evicted from.

"Mmmhmm," the man grumbled, not even tipping his hat or offering her a thanks or a congratulations. Michaela watched the old man walk off, and she was too happy to care if he approved of her decision to buy the establishment or not.

With a smile, she headed across town to tell Sully the good news, but she was caught off guard when she saw Jake Slicker stumble out of the side door of the boarding house, his hair disheveled and the whiskey bottle half-empty in his hand. What had he been doing there anyhow? What if she'd been there? Or Johnny? She had an uneasy feeling about that man.

She'd seen him gazing at her out of the barbershop window several times since her arrival in Colorado Springs, but they had yet to officially meet. He was the mayor after all, so she figured it was about time they introduced themselves to one another. She knew that things would be tense and uneasy because of his past with Sully, but the least she could do was say hello. Hopefully, they could be civil to one another since they both now possessed prominent positions in the town. But, the fact that the towns mayor was practically sloshed to the gills alarmed her, and she questioned what kind of hands the town were really in.

She eyed him warily, but he was heading away from her.

Meanwhile, Sully finished up with Robert E.'s horse, and as he was turning to go find Michaela, he spotted Jake Slicker standing in the middle of the street, his entire form trembling in drunkenness. Sully had expected his, just not yet. He had hoped to avoid Jake for a while, but he knew that was the coward's way. It was time to see him face to face. It was time to look at him and try to see exactly what Abagail saw in him to have become friends with him.

He'd been there that night. He'd held her dying body. He'd held her hand as she died, while Sully was risking his own life to save the children.

Jake's eyes searched the crowd, and he started off toward the café, but when he saw a familiar face, he halted. He narrowed his eyes, deepening his blurry gaze.

"S…Sully?" he asked slowly, stumbling forward.

"Easy, Jake," Robert E. warned, walking up behind Sully.

"What…what're ya doin' here?" Jake demanded, throwing down his whiskey bottle. It busted and soaked into the dirt. A crowd was already starting to gather, and Sully hoped to God he wouldn't have to fight this drunken fool.

"What do ya want, Jake?" Sully asked, staying put.

"I wanna know…why you're here. I thought…thought ya heard me the fir-first time." Michaela's gaze moved back and forth between the two men. She could see Sully's set jaw twitch in agitation. She knew it was probably killing him to look into the eyes of a man that had tried to tear his family apart years ago.

"I heard ya, Jake," Sully replied quickly. "I ain't got nothin' to say to you, so why don't ya just turn 'round and go back to whatever it was you was doin'?" He saw Hank come out of the saloon from the corner of his eye.

"After all th-these years," he slurred, "ya don't got one thing to s-say t'me?"

"Not one," Sully replied, standing firm.

"Did ya read the letters?" Jake asked. "I wondered…"

"I read 'em," Sully interrupted. "And I ain't got…"

"Nothin' to s-say," Jake replied, stumbling forward.

"I'd stop there, Jake," Robert E. warned.

"You stay outta thi-this!" Such an unleashed anger frothed forth upon Jake's lips, as he stared into the eyes of the men before him.

Michaela took a step forward, but she noticed Sully's eyes glance at her for just a moment before flashing back to Jake. She knew Sully was only trying to protect her.

"I never told ya 'bout the time that Abby kiss…kissed me, did I?" Jake asked. "I knew she loved me. She just couldn't…she couldn't s-say it, 'cause…'cause sh-she was married to you." Sully felt the initial sparks of anger firing inside of him.

"Jake," Robert E. warned. Michaela stood, dumbfounded, wondering how on earth this man was a mayor when he couldn't even keep himself under control. She could see that Jake was rubbing on Sully's last nerves.

"She came to me…cr-cryin' all the time. It was you. You did it. You hurt her."

"I never laid a finger on Abby," Sully said, clenching his fists at his sides. "I loved her, Jake. Ya knew that, but ya stepped in anyway, didn't ya?"

"She shoulda been my wi…wife!" Jake hollered, moving closer, the stench of whiskey and hair tonic rolling off of him. Robert E. got in the middle, but Sully held him back.

"It's alright," he said quietly. "Let him talk. Let him get it out."

"Don't you s-speak for me," Jake continued. "You were nothin'. Ya never did nothin' to help that family! All ya did was care for a bunch of no-good Injuns. That's all ya did. Ya didn't give a damn 'bout Abby or them kids! Johnny…Johnny shoulda been my s-son!" Sully stepped toward him, but this time, Robert E. held him back. "She knew I loved her! She…she was everythin'."

"Ya don't know what you…"

"Don't tell me what ya think I'm talkin' ab-about." He glanced toward Michaela, and she stiffened. She almost sensed what was about to happen. "Saw ya with the new doc. She s-sure is pretty."

"Watch it, Jake," Sully warned, stepping closer. They were just a foot apart now, and Sully wanted nothing more than to choke the life out of him, but he held back.

"Ya…ya couldn't keep Abby happy. S-she told me that ya…that ya didn't look at her like ya did when ya was first married." Sully felt his entire body igniting with fury. He actually hated the man standing in front of him. "Ya couldn't keep her happy." He glanced at Michaela, and she stepped forward. "I s-sure hope he's doin' somethin' for you, Miss." He chuckled at himself and looked back at Sully. "What is she…your little doctor fr-friend? S-she your whore?" A gasp rose up from the crowd, and Michaela felt all eyes on her, as her entire body quivered in anger. Sully couldn't control himself any longer, and his fist made hard contact with the side of Jake's jaw. Jake stumbled back onto the ground, falling right onto his back.

Sully was on him in a matter of seconds, as Michaela watched in horror. She rushed toward them. All eyes turned from her to the two fighting men. Sully's hand connected with Jake's eye, and it was all Robert E. could to do try to pull him back. Jake landed a drunken punch right to Sully's mouth, and fresh, coppery blood spurted forth, dripping down his mouth and into the dirt below.

"Sully!" Michaela screamed, getting in the way of Jake and Sully, as Robert E. pulled Sully back. Another pair of arms pulled Jake up off the ground.

"C'mon, Jake. This is stupid!" Hank yelled. Robert E. looked gratefully at Hank for a split second, but Jake thrashed wildly, nearly landing a hit to Michaela. But, she rushed to Sully, as he yelled back at Jake.

"You ever talk like that about her again, and I'll kill ya." Michaela placed her hand on Sully's chest.

"It's alright," she whispered. "Just stop. Please." She gently touched him, and blood spilled onto her hand. She glanced at Robert E. and nodded toward the clinic, as Hank dragged Jake away to try to sober him up.

As they walked to the clinic, Michaela noticed small droplets of blood on the back of Sully's shirt.

"Oh…Sully, you've ruptured your stitches," she said softly. As soon as they were inside, she ordered Sully to sit down. "Thank you, Robert E." He nodded and went to make sure Jake didn't do anything stupid. She quickly went into action, finding gauze and alcohol. She gently dribbled the antiseptic on the material and handed it to him. "This will sting, but it'll prevent infection." Sully hissed in pain, when he pressed the fabric to his cut lip. But, the sting soon went away, and Michaela moved around to dab more antiseptic on his stitches. "I'm going to need to fix these."

"Fix away," he muttered. Michaela said nothing and got to work. "I just…I couldn't stand there and let him talk like that, ya know?"

"I know," she said gently. "You don't have to explain."

"I do," he replied. "I don't know what got into me, but when he said that, I…I just…somethin' inside of me broke loose, and I just hit him."

"Sully…I appreciate that you stood up for me," she said quietly. "But you hurt yourself in the process, and…I don't want to be the cause of that." Sully shook his head.

"What he called you…"

"He's drunk, Sully. He's upset. He…" She took a deep breath. "What he said hurt me and was uncalled for, but I realize that he knows nothing about me; nothing about us. He can't possibly understand anything about either one of us if he uses alcohol to soothe his pain. He obviously doesn't know himself well enough to deal with it in…in other ways."

"He…"

"Hold still," Michaela ordered, being as gentle with the sutures as she could be. He almost yelped, but he bit his lip. "I'm sorry if I'm hurting you."

"Naw. Ya got gentle hands. You could never hurt me." Michaela smiled to herself, and when the sutures were finished, she placed a fresh bandage over them.

"Try not to rupture these," she scolded. Sully smiled a little, and Michaela moved back around to look at his lip. "Let me see." Sully moved his hand away. "Just a small cut, but I'm sure it'll be bruised later." Her fear was still there, and he was still agitated about Jake, but just looking into Michaela's eyes made him feel so much better. He knew he was loved.

"Know what'd make it feel better?"

"What's that, Mr. Sully?" Michaela grinned, as he put his hands around her waist, gently urging her forward. She smiled lovingly and leaned into him, placing a soft kiss to the unharmed corner of his mouth. When she pulled back, he grinned.

"Maybe one more for good measure." Michaela laughed and gently kissed him again, but this time, she didn't pull back so quickly. She rocked forward on her knees that ground into the wooden planks of the floor. Her hands gently touched his neck and gripped his shoulders, and she placed feather light kisses upon his sore lips.

Before either of them knew it, a knock came to the door, and it creaked open, revealing Reverend Johnson, who upon seeing the two in an intimate embrace, cleared his throat and looked down at the floor. Michaela gasped sharply and stood up quickly, smoothing out her skirt. She blushed bright red, and Sully tried not to smile, because his lip was now throbbing in pain.

"Reverend," she said sheepishly.

"Sorry for the intrusion," he said, choking back an astonished squeak. "I just wanted to come congratulate you on…on this." He gestured toward the walls, indicating that he was talking about the clinic.

"Oh, I…thank you, Reverend," Michaela said shortly.

"Do you need any help getting settled in?" he wondered. Michaela glanced at her future husband and smiled with exasperation.

"Well, Sully was going to help, but I've decided to let him sit out." Sully perked up. "He's ruptured his stitches once today. I could certainly use any help."

"Alright. I'll gather some fellas, and we'll come help you get set up."

"Thank you very much." Reverend Johnson tipped his hat and left quickly, shutting the door behind himself. Michaela covered her face with her hands, and Sully gently touched her elbow.

"Sully," she whispered, "what must he think?" She shook her head.

"He thinks we're in love and plannin' to get married," Sully replied. "No shame in that."

"I know," she replied. "I suppose I was just caught off guard."

"It's been a busy day," Sully pointed out. He stood slowly, feeling the tightness of his stitches. "Why don't we…" Michaela shook her head quickly and motioned toward the door that lead to the back staircase.

"Why don't you go upstairs and lie down? I don't want you exerting yourself."

"But…"

"You are still my patient." Sully shifted his weight.

"Doctor's orders, huh?"

"Doctor's orders," she confirmed.

"Well, will ya come sit with me in a little while?"

"Of course I will. For now, go up there and rest. I'll wait down here, and when Johnny gets here, we'll come wake you up."

"Sounds good," Sully replied. He leaned forward and softly kissed her cheek before he headed upstairs. Michaela watched him and smiled, shaking her head as he disappeared up the stairs. Michaela breathed a heavy sigh and decided to start unpacking. She had a feeling that the confrontation with Jake was going to be the first of many She wasn't sure what Jake Slicker was capable of, but she certainly knew that if he was going to pose a threat to her or her family, she needed to do something about it before it happened.

July 1863

"What did I do, Mama? What did I do?" she cried, as she sat beneath a tree in the darkness of the night, pulling her arms tightly around her curled up legs. "Why did I do it? I didn't want to. I just…I didn't know. He was so sweet, Mama. Then…then it all changed. I'm so stupid, Mama."

Hot tears streaked down her dusty face, and she wiped them away with the backs of her hands. Blood was caked under her nails. It had hurt so much, and she'd scratched him. He hadn't been gentle like he'd promised. The more he drank, the rougher he got.

"Papa warned me about them cowboys," she whispered. "I didn't listen. I shoulda…I shoulda listened. He said he'd kill 'em if they hurt me. He don't know. I wanna tell him. But what if he kills me too? I was wrong, Mama. I thought he cared. I thought…but he was drunk." She heaved and bent over, vomiting into the dirt. She began to sob and choke, and she wished she could die. "I'm sorry I let you down, Mama. I was s'posed to grow up and be a lady…like the opera lady. I remember her like it was yesterday. I was gonna make you proud, Mama. What have I done?"

"Wake up, Carrie," Daniel said, risking being pushed away again. Carrie's eyes fluttered open, and tears streaked down her cheeks. "Carrie? What's the matter?" She felt the dampness upon her face, and she wiped at her cheeks.

"Damned light," she cursed. "What's wrong?"

"Train needs to lay over for repairs. Conductor says we're stoppin'" he pointed out. Carrie groaned and shook her head.

"Fine with me. I just wanna get off this train. Stretch my legs." Daniel nodded in understanding. Her eyes flashed up to look into his, and for a moment, he saw the same young woman he'd kissed that night in the hospital. "Where're we stoppin'?"

"Colorado Springs."