AN: I cannot say sorry enough about my negligence in this story. I love this story and its characters but unfortunately real life (namely my school back a couple of years ago and now my job) take precedence. And even though I love this story I just was not able to put fingers to keys on this chapter for the longest time. It did not help that I am ADD and have about ten dozen story lines from a bunch of different categories running in my head distracting me. Thank you for all of the reviews that you all have written; including those who have written some in the last few months to a year, even though this story has not been updated in almost four years at this point. I am amazed that so many people like this story and am so grateful for the support. If you are mad at me I understand and will take my licks, but I hope that you will continue to care for the characters because even though I don't mind people yelling at me, they are like my children and I love them. I don't even know if this note makes sense, I am writing it in a rather tired state. But all in all what I want to say is: Thank you and I am sorry. Well, here it is – finally – the next chapter of What If?

~*~

Michaela cradled Hanna to her chest, rocking her gently as she looked at her surroundings. The teepee was larger than she would have imagined; a fire burned in the center with furs and blankets all around it to sit and sleep on. She turned when the flap over the entrance opened. A petite Indian woman entered; her face was kind and her eyes warm, if a little wary of the white woman sitting in front of her. Her name was Snow Bird; she was the wife of Cloud Dancing, the leader of the group of Indians who had found Michaela and Hanna.

"How is the little one?" she nodded to Hanna.

Michaela looked down at her Goddaughter; then looked back up. "She's doing alright." She bit her lip. "She'll probably be hungry soon though, and I don't have any milk to give her."

Snow Bird pressed her lips together thoughtfully. "There are several women in the tribe who have had babies recently. I will ask them if they will feed her." She turned to leave.

Michaela reached up to gently grasp her wrist, stopping the other woman and drawing her attention back. The doctor looked the Indian woman directly in the eyes. "Thank you," she said earnestly.

Snow Bird stared at the white woman in front of her with surprise for several moments before a smile finally creased her face. "You're welcome." She left her teepee.

It was a while before she finally returned to the teepee; it had been difficult to find a woman willing to nurse a white child and even more difficult to find one whose husband would allow it. As it was the mother, who had agreed, had done so only after telling her husband off for trying to stop her from feeding a hungry, innocent infant.

She sat down next to Michaela, taking Hanna in her arms and soon was nursing the little girl.

Michaela looked up at Snow Bird. "How do you say 'thank you'?" she asked.

The older woman looked at her curiously but answered, "Ha ho."

"Ah ho?"

She shook her head. "Ha ho."

"Ha ho."

Snow Bird nodded.

The young doctor turned to the woman nursing Hanna. "Ha ho."

The woman grinned nodding; she looked over her shoulder at Snow Bird saying something in Cheyenne. The other woman smiled looking at Michaela who had turned to her curiously.

"She says that you are not like the other whites. You try to understand us and our ways."

The white woman turned to the woman feeding her Godchild. "I do want to understand your people better; I believe that if we all tried to understand one another it would end and prevent many conflicts." Snow Bird translated for her.

The woman spoke again.

"She says that if you keep such an open mind and willing heart you will become friend to our people."

Michaela grinned widely. "I would love that very much."

The flap over the entrance was flung open and Cloud Dancing appeared; he greeted the woman feeding Hanna before turning to Michaela. "You said you are a doctor."

She tilted her head to the side. "Yes, I am. Is something wrong?"

He was very grave. "A hunting party just returned. One of the men was shot by a gun. My Medicine is not working on him."

Michaela began gathering her bag; then she froze, looking at Hanna. Snow Bird gently placed a hand on her shoulder, drawing the doctor's attention. "Don't worry. She will be fine; I will look after her."

The younger woman smiled, reaching out and gratefully squeezing the other woman's hand. "Ha ho."

Snow Bird could see her husband's surprised expression as she gently pushed the doctor toward the opening in the teepee. "Go."

The white woman nodded disappearing through the hole soon followed by Cloud Dancing, who shot his wife a raised eyebrow as he did so. She just lifted her chin and smartly closed the flap behind him.

~*~

Michaela stepped out of the teepee, walked a few paces away and stood there, watching the sun rise. She pressed her hands into the small of her back bending back slightly, feeling her spine pop and her muscles ache from being crouched for so many hours. It had been a long and difficult night. The young man had come in with a bullet in his thigh; at first it appeared to have just missed the femoral artery but as it had turned out it had nicked the vessel but the bullet had been pressed up against it which had kept him from bleeding out. Once it was removed the blood flowed freely and quickly; Cloud Dancing was thankfully very competent and more than willing to help when she needed him to clamp off the artery while she sewed it closed again, stopping the bleeding. She had struggled a great deal with the less than sanitary conditions having Cloud Dancing constantly cleaning and sanitizing both of their hands and her tools. She had just finished bandaging the wound minutes ago and the fatigue was finally catching up to her.

"Will he live?"

She turned at the voice beside her. Cloud Dancing with Chief Black Kettle were watching her steadily. Taking a deep breath she said, "He came through the procedure well; as long as he rests that leg for a week, and there is no infection, he should heal very well."

The Cheyenne Chief's head was tilted to the side, listening intently to Cloud Dancing's translation. Once he was done the Chief looked up at her with a smile and gratitude in his eyes; he spoke; the medicine man translated.

"He thanks you for aiding one of our people and says that he was wrong in his first impression of you. He is glad of this. He says that you are welcome among our people and we will help you home this afternoon."

Michaela smiled nodding her head to the chief. "Ha ho."

Black Kettle's smile became even wider and he made a gesture in response – which Michaela could tell was probably the equivalent of "You're welcome" or something like that – before turning and leaving.

"Cloud Dancing." He turned to her. "What did Black Kettle mean when he said he was wrong in his first impression of me?"

"When I told him you were a medicine woman he said that among the whites only men make medicine – so you must be a crazy white woman."

She raised her eyebrows, looking in the direction the chief had gone. "There are many times when I think he may be right," she said wryly.

"Come," he placed a guiding hand on her shoulder, "we shall get breakfast and then you will sleep for a while before we return you to your home."

Michaela was about to protest the meal when her stomach growled loudly, reminding her of her lack of a meal since lunch the day before. She blushed, glancing at the medicine man's laughing eyes. "Well, I suppose food would be a good idea."

~*~

Snow Bird was gently rocking Hanna in her arms while Michaela and Cloud Dancing ate their breakfast.

"You know," the Indian woman began with humor in her tone, "I have spent the whole night with your daughter and I do not know her name."

"It's Hanna, and she's not really my daughter." The young doctor played with the ear of corn in her hands. "She's my friends' child."

Cloud Dancing raised an eyebrow. "Why is she with you?"

Michaela swallowed. "Her mother died about a month ago and her father had to leave for a time; to mourn."

Snow Bird reached out and squeezed the other woman's hand, compassion filling her face. "You miss your friends, both of them."

The younger woman swallowed against the lump in her throat, forcing back the tears that, even after all this time still wanted to come forth. "Yes, very much."

Cloud Dancing watched them before saying. "You will come here often." The two women looked at him, his wife raising an eyebrow. "The Spirits say that our people have much to give you and you to our people." He continued. "They also say that we will give back to you and the child a gift which will also be a gift to our people."

Michaela managed a smile. "But I don't know that I believe in your Spirits, so how can they speak for me?"

"Just because you have your own God does not mean that ours cannot see what it so come for you," he told her.

There was a look in his eyes that told her that while he was being serious he was also teasing her; this brought a real smile to her face and a light chuckle from her lips. "I suppose."

~*~

Snow Bird had given Michaela a sort of large sling in which to carry Hanna; the doctor marveled at the ingenuity of it; she was able to safely carry Hanna but it left her hands free. The brother of the man whose life she saved helped her up on the horse.

"I'll be back in a couple of days to check on his wound," she said as she settled carefully onto her horse's bare back; it was rather awkward since the only time she had ridden without a saddle was when she was brought to the camp. "If something comes up you can find me at home or the boardinghouse in town, where I practice from."

Cloud Dancing nodded. "I will check on him often."

Chief Black Kettle stepped forward saying something that brought a smile to Cloud Dancing and Snow Bird's faces.

"What is it?" Michaela asked.

Snow Bird grinned up at her. "Chief Black Kettle gave you your Cheyenne name. Medicine Woman."

A surprised and delighted smile spread across the doctor's face; she turned to the chief. "Ha ho."

~*~

And there you have it. I hope that it was alright. Thank you for all of the reviews over the years. And for those who did not give up on this story, thank you so much. I will try to update again as soon as I can. I hopefully will have a week off this month and I am planning on doing a lot of writing during that time. Oh, and if I did not spell "Ha ho" correctly please let me know so I can change it, because I'm not sure.