Chapter 89

April 6th 1871 – Boston

Just as they had expected—even if a little later than intended—Michaela and Sully were preparing to leave for Colorado Springs. Everything from Elizabeth's will had been divvied up and distributed to the rightful recipients, and Michaela was less than thrilled with the idea taking it all back West with her. But, she knew that the money for the future hospital wouldn't go to waste, and she was looking forward to expanding the clinic and giving her patients a more suitable environment to receive treatment in.

She heard the front door open downstairs, and she smiled, heading out of her room to meet him halfway on the stairs.

"Did you get the tickets?" she asked, as he pulled his arm around her and followed her back up the stairs.

"Yep. We leave tomorrow mornin'. Did ya see Landon while I was gone?" Michaela nodded with a smile.

"He said everything seems to be fine, and there's no reason I shouldn't be able to travel. He said the baby's heartbeat is strong, and I'm healthy, so I sent a telegram to Dr. Bernard, letting him know we'd be back in Colorado soon." Sully nodded. "And it was my pleasure to send word to Dr. Cassidy and let him know that his services would no longer be needed as of next week." Sully grinned, seeing the flicker in her eyes.

"Ya miss the clinic, don't ya?" Michaela nodded guiltily.

"I do. I can't wait to get back home and start expanding my practice. But the first thing I need to do is check on Snow Bird and see how her pregnancy is progressing." Sully nodded, knowing she was eager to get back to work, but he knew that what she needed most was to rest.

"First thing you're gonna do when we get home is put your feet up and rest. I'll check with Robert E. and see how far he's come on the homestead, and I'll do the finishin' touches. It ought to be finished this time next month…in plenty of time for our weddin'." Michaela beamed at the thought of getting married next month. She couldn't believe it was already the beginning of April. The last few weeks had gone by so quickly, but mostly, she'd spent them with Sully. She couldn't complain.

Sully followed Michaela into her room, and he scooped her up into his arms, catching her off guard but making her giggle happily.

"Sully!" she laughed. "What are you doing?"

"Ain't got to do that for a while," he admitted, pressing a kiss to her lips. She smiled, and her nose brushed against his. "Where're the kids?" Michaela sighed happily.

"They're out with Rebecca and the Reverend," she replied. "I gave Harrison and Martha the day off." Sully's arms tightened around her, and Michaela giggled again, as Sully shut the door with his foot.

"So we're all alone?" he asked. Michaela chuckled nervously, as she felt him press his lips to her neck, and she sighed, feeling better than she had in ages. The morning sickness had dissipated, and she was feeling more energetic than usual, though she had a feeling that this was the calm before the storm.

"We are, Mr. Sully, but we have got to finish packing," she announced. Sully smiled widely, leaning in for another irresistible kiss.

"Well, it's probably a good thing I finished my packin' this mornin'," he teased. "Got the rest of the day to myself, but that's no fun. I'd rather be right here kissin' the most beautiful lady in Boston." Michaela shook her head, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He stood there with her in his arms, and neither one of them could break the gaze they had formed.

Michaela sighed softly, almost finding it too good to be true that she had such a wonderful, loving fiancée. Their wedding was just over a month away, and that caused her heart to swell with excitement. She was feeling a little blue, however, because even though she was looking forward to the wedding night, she already knew what to expect, and there was no element of surprise.

"What're ya thinkin' about?" Sully asked softly, as he saw the look upon her face begin to change. "Is somethin' wrong?" She shook her head.

"Nothing's wrong," she assured him. "I'm just thinking about…about us." Sully smiled, and he put Michaela down. But, she kept her arms around his neck, and he brought his lips down onto hers for a moment. When he pulled back, he brushed the pad of his thumb over her lower lip and smiled at her.

"About us, hmm?" She nodded.

"Thinking about being married to you…I suppose it's strange." She flushed at the way that had sounded, and she looked into his eyes.

"Strange?" he asked curiously.

"It feels like we're already married," she said in a hushed voice, lowering her head and blushing redder than before. "There's nothing to…well…I'm just…" She started to stumble over her words, and Sully grinned, seeing her cheeks grow pinker by the second. "I was always told that the honeymoon is something to look forward to, but we've already—" He suddenly knew what she was getting at, so he stopped her.

"The honeymoon is somethin' to look forward to," he said with a nod. "Just 'cause ya know what to expect don't mean it ain't gonna be special." Michaela smiled a little, and she gently caressed his cheek. He could still see that she was holding back, so he kissed her softly, trying to coax it out of her. "What's on your mind, Michaela?"

"I have an idea," she said gently, nervously chewing her bottom lip. Sully gazed into her eyes.

"What's that?" he asked. She shifted uncomfortably, uncertain of how to suggest it, so she decided that blurting it out would probably be easier and far less embarrassing.

"What if we…waited…until our wedding night before we…" she suggested unsteadily. "I know we've already…made love." Sully grinned at the way she lowered her voice, as she said those words. "But, if we don't…until then…it would make it even more special. Wouldn't it?" Sully smiled, pulling her closer, as he gazed into her eyes.

"That's what you want?" he asked, not certain if he liked that idea, but he knew that he couldn't pressure her to do anything she didn't want to do. If this was what she wanted, he would do whatever it took to make her happy. Besides, he figured she was right. The longer they waited, the more pleasurable their wedding night would be. And the thought of that made him feel a little guilty of robbing her of those discoveries on her wedding night. However, she'd assured him time and time again that she didn't regret being with him, so his heart swelled with anticipation, wanting to do whatever it took to make her wedding day special for her.

"Well," she said with a grin, as she tried to control her embarrassment, "I'm willing to try if you are." Sully nodded.

"Alright," he replied. "If it means that much to ya."

"It does, Sully. Being with you is…it's wonderful. The longer we wait, the more wonderful it'll be when…when we can be together again." Sully nodded his head, and he picked up her hand in his, kissing her knuckles.

"It'll be special, Michaela. Both the wedding day and the wedding night." Michaela smiled happily and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a slow, sensual kiss, causing Sully to grin. He knew how easily this kiss could escalate to tortuous kisses full of passion and desire. Michaela smiled against his lips, and reluctantly pulled away, knowing from experience that innocent kisses could easily become much more.

"Are you sure you want to? I mean…we don't…"

"It's important to ya, Michaela. I can see it in your eyes." He took her hand in his. "C'mon." Michaela raised an eyebrow.

"Where are we going?"

"It'd be a shame to waste the entire day, seein' as we have it all to ourselves." Michaela smiled at the grin on his face.

"What do you have in mind?" she wondered, as he led her down the stairs and toward the front door.

"I thought maybe we'd take one more walk by the Charles. Get some fresh air."

"And risk running into my sisters?" Michaela asked, raising an eyebrow and remembering that dreadful day when Claudette had voiced her opinions ever so loudly in front of two-dozen Bostonians.

"Don't worry about them, Michaela. They might come around, and…"

"They haven't yet. You're the one that's said that people don't change," she said softly. Sully frowned and he nodded. She had a point.

"But they're your sisters." She nodded.

"Unfortunately, that rarely ever matters in my family." Sully put his arm around her waist and kissed her softly.

"Well, I guess that's about to change. We're family now too, and no matter what, Michaela, I'll always be there." Michaela smiled, as he softly kissed her cheek, and she closed her eyes, feeling so loved. When his lips claimed hers again, she sighed, soaking in the feeling of him holding her and making her feel wanted and needed. But, before they could deepen the kiss, a brassy knock sounded at the heavy, wooden door.

Michaela and Sully reluctantly pulled away, and Sully stepped forward to open the door. At that moment, Michaela's face turned pale, as the door opened, revealing Maureen and Claudette in their nicest day dresses.

"Maureen? Claudette?" Michaela asked, stiffening, as she saw them take in her appearance and turn their noses up ever so slightly in disapproval. Sully noticed Maureen also stiffen, but he knew she was merely uncomfortable, because he now knew her secret.

"Michaela," Claudette said sternly, as if she was a schoolmarm with a ruler in one hand, ready to strike at the first disobedient gesture. "May we speak with you in private?" she asked, not even looking at Sully to acknowledge his presence. He shut the door heavily behind the women, after they stepped into the foyer.

"Anything you have to say to me you can say in front of Sully."

"We are sisters, Michaela. Sometimes there are things that should remain between us." Michaela knew that whatever they had to say would be about Sully or about the pregnancy, and even though she wanted him to be there, she knew that she needed to handle this on her own. There was a time when he hadn't been there to help her fight her battles, and she needed to prove to herself that she could still stand alone against adversity.

She caught his gaze, and he knew that she was torn between asking him to leave or having him stay.

"Believe it or not, Mr. Sully," Claudette continued, "you don't have to know everything that goes on in this family. We have business with our sister that we would prefer to conduct in private." Michaela sighed heavily.

"That's enough," she warned. "Sully is a part of this family, and—"

"Michaela, it's alright," Sully interjected. "I'll just be outside." Michaela swallowed hard and nodded. She knew he'd be there in a moment if she needed him. Once Sully was gone, Maureen and Claudette stepped toward Michaela, and she couldn't help but feel like an animal being backed into a corner, and she prepared herself to defend herself if necessary.

"How are you feeling, dear?" Claudette asked, surprising her sister. Michaela's eyes told of her disbelief, and Maureen interjected.

"You look dreadful, Michaela. You really haven't been taking proper care of yourself." Michaela sighed heavily, and she shook her head, crossing her arms across her chest.

"You came all the way over here to tell me how terrible you think I look? Well, don't waste your time. I don't need to hear anything more from either one of you. Haven't you already said enough?" She glared at both of them, her olive and hazel eyes gleaming with fire. "You've said enough in front of my child."

"Your child?" Maureen asked with a strangled laugh. "Please, Michaela! The boy is nothing but a commoner! Just like his father! And from what we've heard, your beloved is nothing more than a street rat! The boy and his father could certainly use some cleaning up. they look the part of a—"

"That's enough!" Michaela exclaimed. "How dare either one of you come into my home and say such things about my son or his father?"

"He isn't your son! He doesn't belong to the Quinn family, obviously, and your bringing both him and his father into it is degrading!"

"Fortunately, Maureen, I'm not like you. I don't think or act anything like you."

"Obviously. You've become no better than one of them!" Claudette burst. Michaela took a few deep breaths, knowing that getting worked up wasn't good for the baby. But at this point, she couldn't help herself.

"If Mother were here…"

"Please don't bring Mother into this," Claudette said, shaking her head. "She would roll in her grave if she saw how you were behaving. Look at you! You look—"

"You've both wasted enough of my time. For one moment, I thought that perhaps you'd come because you'd had a change of heart. I can see now that that isn't possible. I wonder how cold and ruthless you both could really be if given the opportunity." She shook her head angrily. "We're finished here."

"Oh, Michaela, we're not finished," Maureen said quietly. "A few months from now, you're going to give birth to the result of your inability to control yourself. People are going to see you as nothing but a trollop." Michaela had to restrain herself from slapping her sister with everything she had in her.

"This is none of your business!" Michaela turned away from them, not wanting to look at them any longer. The more she stood there and listened, the more upset she got. She knew now that there was no chance at having a relationship with these sisters. Not anymore.

"It is our business, Michaela! What you did was disgusting and immoral, but it can be erased!" Claudette hissed. "There are doctors who…know what to do in these situations. You're not the first woman to have given in to the advances of her betrothed before marriage, but Michaela, there are many women who have done the right thing and gotten rid of the problem." Michaela turned, her mouth gaping in horror.

"How dare you suggest such a thing? This isn't the first time you've asked this of me, and my answer hasn't changed. I would never do such a thing. I love Sully. He's made me very happy, and as for his advances…they were never unwanted." Her sisters gasped at her boldness, but she stood firm, clenching her fists tightly at her sides.

"Michaela, we merely want to help—"

"Well, you're not helping. If you'll excuse me, I have some packing to do." She set her mouth in a firm line. "Good day." Claudette and Maureen, sensing that their sister was not about to give in, turned and stalked out of the Quinn house, flouncing by Sully without so much as a glance. He headed back into the house to find Michaela leaning against the banister of the stairs.

"Michaela? You ok?" he asked immediately, shutting the door and starting toward her.

"I'm fine," she said, shaking her head.

"What happened?"

"They just—" She paused, and she turned to him, smiling. "Nothing. Everything's fine. It's over now." She sighed, as he pulled her into a hug, and she leaned her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. "I'll be glad to be going home." Sully nodded, and he kissed the top of Michaela's head.

"Now that everything's settled here," he said quietly.

"I'm sure you're missing the Cheyenne."

"'Course I am, but I got you here. Ain't no where else I wanna be right now." Michaela smiled, and she pulled out of Sully's embrace. "I wish things would've went better for ya with your sisters."

"So do I," she admitted, "but I have to accept that I can't change them, and they should know by now that they can't change me." Sully smiled, and he kissed her cheek. He took her hand, and they started up the stairs together. "We're going home tomorrow, Sully." She looked at him with a big smile upon her face. "I can't wait." He grinned, loving the way her eyes sparkled when she talked about home.

"Speakin' of home," he said, "everything's settled with Marjorie? She's gonna take care of the house?" Michaela nodded.

"Yes. It was a wonderful idea, Sully. I don't know why I didn't think of it." But, she sighed, knowing she'd had a lot on her mind since arriving in Boston. "It took some convincing." He raised an eyebrow. "Alright, it took a lot of convincing. But, she's going to stay here. Perhaps her memories of growing up weren't perfect, but anything would be better than the memories of living in that house she's in now." She shivered, feeling grateful that she was lucky enough to have found her soul mate in Sully instead of going through a bad relationship like Marjorie had.

They reached her bedroom door, and he continued to hold her hand. She turned to him, smiling, and she stood on her tiptoes, as he wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning down to meet her halfway for a kiss. She moaned softly, as his hand gently caressed her back, and she quickly remembered the deal they had made just a few minutes ago. So, reluctantly, she pulled away and smiled, her eyes glimmering with fire.

"I know we were going to go for a walk, but…I should probably finish packing," she whispered, her breath hitting his lips, causing them to ache for more of her touch.

"Probably a good idea," he whispered, caressing her cheek. "I'll be downstairs." She nodded, leaning up to kiss him once more before she disappeared into her room. Sully sighed heavily and leaned against the wall by her door. The next forty-four days were going to be very, very long.

Mary glanced over at her mother, who was deep into conversation with Reverend Johnson. She groaned quietly and turned back to watch Johnny and Gabby playing on the seesaw. She frowned, recalling doing the same with him back in Colorado Springs. Would everything go back to normal once they arrived home?

"You lookin' forward to leavin' Boston?" Johnny asked to a quiet Gabby, who after coming out of her shell a bit, was still a little shy. She shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't want to leave, because my mother's buried here," she said sadly. "But my father's taking me away, and he's promised that we'll visit." Johnny nodded.

"My ma's buried in Colorado Springs. My real ma, anyway. Her and my sisters died when I was just a baby." Gabby frowned, and she looked up at him, seeing that his own past was just as painful, even if he had been very young.

"That's awful," she said quietly.

"Happened before I could remember…not long after I was born," he said quietly. "I'll be eleven in July." Gabby's eyes widened.

"I'll be ten in July," she said proudly. Mary felt left out once more, knowing that she was turning six in a few short days.

"When's your birthday, Mary?" Johnny asked, catching her off guard.

"I already told you when it was," she insisted. "April 10th."

"How old will you be?" Gabby asked, her sparkling green-blue eyes staring into Mary's.

"Six," she said, feeling quite shy suddenly. Gabby smiled a little, and she and Johnny continued to teeter and totter. Mary sat down on the steel bar that balanced the boards, and she watched the two.

"Do you like your father, Gabby?" Mary asked, as Gabby's eyes grew sad.

"Yes," she said softly. "He's nothing like the father I knew, but he's a good man." She looked at Johnny, who was staring off in thought. "The father I knew…he wrote me a letter before he died. I packed it, and I'm going to take it with me. You…you don't think he'd mind would you?" She glanced over toward Timothy.

"Nah," Mary said thoughtfully. She thought for a moment, realizing that despite having already packed, the crate full of baby clothes and toys, and most importantly, the letter addressed to her mother was still in her closet.

Quickly, she pulled herself up and started over toward Rebecca and Timothy with a quizzical expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" Johnny asked, finally noticing Mary's sudden change of moods, as she stood up and started to walk off.

"Nothing," she claimed, as she continued to head off. But a moment later, she heard him let Gabby down and climb off of the seesaw himself. She could hear him hurrying to catch up, but she kept walking.

"Mary! What're ya gonna do?"

"Why do I have to tell you?" she snapped, not daring to look at him.

"'Cause ya always tell me things…"

"Well, I don't always have to, do I? I can have some secrets, you know!" She turned toward him, putting her hands on her hips. She certainly looked much older than five years old, and she reminded him a lot of both her mother and her aunt Michaela.

"Sure," he said quietly. Mary glanced at Gabby, who was brushing some sand off of her skirt.

"Why don't you go back and play with Gabby? I'm sure that's what you both want."

"What?" Johnny asked, but before he could get a response, Mary was charging across the park toward the bench that held her mother and the Reverend. Staring off in shock, Johnny decided that this was another thing about girls he would never understand. Loren had always told him that women, no matter what age, always keep a man guessing, and Johnny was beginning to see that he'd been right.

"Is Mary ok?" Gabby asked, coming up beside him. "She looked upset." Johnny shrugged his shoulders.

"I dunno," he admitted. "She said she had a secret, but she wouldn't tell me. Maybe she just wants to be alone." Gabby frowned, not knowing if that was the case.

"Maybe you should talk to her."

"She don't seem like she wants to talk to me right now," Johnny replied. Gabby rolled her eyes.

"Girls never tell a boy when they're mad at them," she said with a laugh. "My mother told me that." Johnny shook his head.

"Don't think I'll ever figure girls out," he said, shaking his head. Gabby giggled, and she looked up, searching the sky for a hint of the first star, but it was still too bright. Johnny watched her curiously. "In Colorado Springs, if ya lay down in the grass and look up, it's like you're lookin' straight up into Heaven."

"Really?" she asked, her eyes wide with curiosity. Johnny nodded.

"Yep. Sometimes if ya look long enough, it feels like nothing else is around ya and you're floatin' across the stars." He made a face. "I saw my ma and pa out there lookin' up one night after they thought I went to sleep. They said somethin' about how their star brought 'em together. Ya know…mushy stuff." Gabby laughed and she turned, spying movement on the other side of the park.

"Rebecca and my father…they're getting up. We should get ready to go." Johnny nodded, and he got a glint of mischief in his eyes. "What?" Then he started to run.

"Last one there's a rotten egg!" Gabby gasped and laughed gleefully, as she started off across the park in full pursuit of Johnny. Meanwhile, Mary glanced over at them, watching them run and play like she and Johnny used to, and she hung her head sadly.

"Mary, darling?" She looked up at her mother's voice. "Are you feeling alright?" She put on a smile and nodded her head.

"Yes, Ma'am." Rebecca smiled, and she reached out for Mary's hand, and Mary took it without complaint, as Johnny and Gabby caught up and ran ahead, both determined to not give up. But as Mary watched on, she already felt as if she'd lost, or worse, she wasn't even in the race.