Michaela slept well that night for the first time in a while. She awoke to the phone ringing. She lay in bed, not wanting to rise yet but she also didn't want to listen to the phone ringing any longer. She tossed the blankets aside and slowly got out of bed. She blindly searched for the phone in the dark. She found it on her dresser.
"Hello?" she asked, sleepily.
"Michaela! How are you?" Rebecca asked.
"Rebecca! How nice to hear from you. I am doing fine. The baby is getting bigger by the day," She chuckled.
"I'm sorry for calling so early. I forget about our time differences," Rebecca apologized.
"Don't worry about it, Rebecca, it's nice to hear your voice," she stated, sitting back on the edge of her bed.
"I regret having to tell you but I'm not going to be able to make it to your house before Katie arrives. I took a tumble down the porch steps and broke my ankle a few days ago."
"Oh, Rebecca! Michaela cried. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine, just sore. The doctor told me that I need to rest and keep my weight off of it for a few weeks. I'm sick with regret not being able to be there with you." Rebecca stated.
"Rebecca, please don't worry, it can't be helped. I will be fine. I have Sully to help me."
"Sully?" Rebecca asked, surprised.
"He is a neighbor of mine. We've become very good friends," Michaela stated, blushing.
"Oh, really?" Rebecca asked, with a smile on her face.
"Yes, Sully is a very gentle man. He's helped me heal a great deal from the pain of losing David and in a strange twist of fate, he had just lost his wife as well," Michaela mentioned.
"Michaela, I trust you and I believe that you won't put yourself in harm's way. You know how Mother worries so about you," Rebecca cautioned.
"Rebecca, it's nothing like that. Sully is a very nice person. He has a baby daughter himself. I can completely trust him," Michaela defended.
"I'm glad that you have someone you can depend on out there. What are the odds you would move across country and find someone with practically the same story?"
"I know, I am very lucky indeed," she answered.
"I spoke to Daniel the other day," Rebecca began. She could almost hear the sigh on Michaela's end. "He asked about you. I think he is interested in you."
"I know, but the truth is, I like him as David's friend and nothing more," Michaela stated.
"He did tell me he has business in Colorado Springs in a few weeks and wanted to visit with you."
Michaela thought it was strange that Daniel didn't call her but instead spoke about his plans with Rebecca. She felt uneasy at the thought of Daniel coming back over. She recalled the looks that he and Sully exchanged when he was helping her move in.
She fell silent. "Are you okay?" Rebecca asked.
"Yes, I'm fine," she said, hesitating. She couldn't put her finger on it but something about Daniel was beginning to make her uneasy.
"Okay, I want you to take care of yourself. I'm sorry I can't be there with you right now," Rebecca apologized once more.
"Thank you." Michaela put her phone back on the dresser. She contemplated going back to bed or getting up for the day. Her to-do list won out and she padded over to the closet to get dressed for the day.
A week passed since she had spoken with Rebecca. Michaela was sitting in her favorite chair with a cup of coffee in her back yard when she heard a noise coming from Sully's garage. She saw him open the door and emerge covered in saw dust and a plume of dust following him outside. Sully was brushing the dust off of him when he heard laughing. He looked up to see Michaela's face red, she had put her coffee down and was holding her belly she was laughing so hard at the sight of him!
"What's so funny?" he asked, walking over to lean on the fence that separated their lawns. She had to contain herself before she answered.
"You are!" she laughed. "I heard a loud noise and the next thing I see is you coming out of the garage in a plume of saw dust."
"I bet I do look silly," he laughed. "My belt sander malfunctioned and blew dust everywhere. There's now a thick layer on everything!" he stated, continuing to wipe dust from his hair and shoulders. "I was working on Katie's furniture at the time; it's almost finished if you would like to take a look at them." He offered.
'Yes, I would love it, let me get my sandals from the house," she disappeared briefly inside.
He was in the process of cleaning the excess dust off of the crib, changing table and dresser when she arrived at the door. They had already been sanded to a smooth finish. Michaela ran her hand across the pieces, amazed at the expert workmanship and detail that Sully put into them. The crib and changing table were created in a Jenny Lind style.
"Sully, these are amazing!" she stated, tears welling up in her eyes.
"I'm glad you like them. What color of stain would you like?"
"I like the dark cherry stain," she replied, thinking of some things she had already placed in Katie's room.
Just then she winced and grabbed her stomach. "Ouch!" she cried as she felt a sharp pain run across the top of her belly.
"Michaela, are you okay?" Sully asked, concerned.
'I'm not sure," she answered, as the second contraction came quickly after the first one ended. "Can you get me back to my house?"
"I think I should take you to the hospital," Sully stated, ushering her to the car. After a hasty phone call to his babysitter, they were on their way.
The ride to the hospital was gut wrenching for Sully. He could hardly bear to see Michaela in so much pain. He offered his hand for her to squeeze every time she felt a contraction. She cried out and Sully sped up, weaving in and out of traffic. It felt like the hospital was still miles away. His heart was pounding with fear and excitement. After passing several more blocks, they arrived at the hospital, Chateau Springs General. It was a fairly small hospital for the area but was one of the finest in terms of care. He put the SUV in park and ran inside and located a doctor standing behind the counter. Sully explained his situation and both came running out with a wheelchair.
Michaela was drenched in sweat and her contractions were practically on top of each other. She barely had time to relax in between each one. She was sure Katie was almost here. Sully carefully helped her out of the SUV and wheeled her inside. The doctor took over and Sully stopped at the nurse's station to fill out the paperwork.
Sully arrived at Michaela's room just in time to witness Katie being born. He stood there, staring in awe, at the tiny baby, screaming. She had a full head of brown hair. Her feet and legs pumping furiously in the air.
"She is beautiful," he stated quietly, leaning over to kiss her forehead. "I think she was in a hurry to see her mom." Michaela did not answer him but acknowledged with a tired smile.
A few hours passed. Sully and Michaela both drifted in and out of sleep. Sully awoke to the tiny grunting noises of Katie. He padded over quietly to her bassinet and gently picked her up. Katie grabbed his pinky finger and his heart melted. He cradled her close to him and rocked her back and forth to soothe her. He felt that life couldn't get any better. He loved Katie just like she was his daughter.
Michaela had heard Sully stir and slowly opened her eyes. She saw him pick Katie up. She watched them interact with each other. It brought a smile to her lips. Katie still had a firm grip on his finger and was looking up at him as he quietly talked to her. Michaela realized that Hannah was lucky to have Sully as a father. She thought ahead to the future and how she was going to have to tell Katie about David. It made her sad knowing Katie would never know the amazing person he was. She was thankful for Sully and all that he had done for her in just the few short months she lived in Colorado Springs.
"Mrs. Sully?" the attending doctor asked as he entered her room, flipping through her chart.
"That's Dr. Quinn," she corrected.
As soon as the doctor heard her voice, he stopped immediately. "Could it be her?" he thought to himself. "Michaela Quinn?"
"Yes," she stated, moving to sit up in her bed.
"I'm Dr. William Burke," he stated, matter-of-factly, waiting for his name to register to her.
Michaela couldn't believe it. She had gone to medical school with William back in Boston. They briefly dated before she met David. He felt she had dropped him in order to see David. He was heartbroken and never forgot the pain.
"Hi, Dr. Burke, it is nice to see you after all of these years," she said, quietly.
William silently wondered where David was and who the man was that was here today. He acknowledged Sully's presence with a head nod and checked Michaela and Katie's vital signs. His professionalism prevented him from asking too many questions. He would get his answers soon enough. Sully thought of him as a rather cold, distant person. Who was he to Michaela? Why did her demeanor change when he was around?
"Well, everything appears to be in good order," he stated. "I am going to release you both tomorrow morning." He made another note in her chart and left the room.
The next morning, Sully was outside preparing the car seat in the SUV when Dr. Burke came back in for a final visit.
"Michaela, it's been a long time since we've spoken with each other. I'd like to meet and catch up on some things." He stated.
She was trying really hard to escape from her past but it seemed to keep following her. She didn't introduce Sully to him because she didn't want to involve him in her and William's past. She had dated him for a short time until she discovered that he was a little clingy and had some possessive tendencies.
"William, I think we do need to talk about some things as well. I will get in touch with you in a few weeks." She hoped that she could just escape him altogether but knew the best thing was to confront this head on.
Sully had been standing in the hall next to her door. He had heard the last statement that she told William. What did she mean? He wondered to himself. What was she keeping from me? He made a mental note to ask her later.
He had Michaela and Katie buckled into the SUV. He slowly pulled into traffic. He was lost in thought on who William was to her.
"Sully, is something wrong?" Michaela asked, concerned.
"No," he lied. He didn't want to take away this happy moment. "I am excited that Katie is finally here," he continued, looking in the rear view mirror in Katie's direction.
"Yes, me too. Hannah will have a new friend to play with in a few months," she said, touching Sully's arm. Michaela leaned back against the head rest and closed her eyes. Her life felt perfect at this moment. She would deal with William and Daniel when the time was right.