The sleepy town of Colorado Springs, Colorado was startled by the thundering sound of hooves kicking up dust as a lone woman rode into town on her horse. She was dressed peculiarly with her white cotton shirt, brown corset and brown leather pants. Her pants were tucked into a pair of dark brown cowgirl boots and a cowgirl hat rested atop her wild frizzy blonde hair. Dr. Michaela Quinn, the town's female Physician was standing outside of her clinic with her daughter, Coleen, when the stranger jumped from her horse.
"Good morning!" The stranger greeted them cheerily as she tied up her horse.
"Good Morning indeed." Dr. Mike smiled.
"Is Mrs. Cooper home?" The stranger asked. Dr. Quinn and her daughter frowned. The stranger frowned back.
"No, I'm afraid Mrs. Cooper isn't at home. I'm very sorry to tell you that she passed away." The Doctor explained solemnly.
"Well I'm very sorry to hear that." The stranger replied earnestly. She tugged her hat off her head as she spoke. "Mrs. Cooper was always so nice to me. One of the few folk in town who was."
"You're from Colorado Springs?" Coleen asked curiously.
"Not originally." The Stranger explained. "Not really sure where I'm from exactly. But I lived here when I was about sixteen."
"I see." Dr. Mike replied. "So what brings you back into town?"
"Sorry, I s'pose I should have introduced myself." The stranger apologized. She settled her hat back on her head and offered out her hand. "My name is Kat, and I came to town lookin' for my brother." Dr. Mike shook the stranger's hand and introduced herself.
"I'm Doctor Michaela Quinn. And this is my daughter Coleen. I promised to take care of Charlotte's children after she died and we have since transformed her boarding house into a medical clinic." The Doctor explained.
"Well it's a pleasure to meet you Dr. Quinn, and it's nice to see you again Miss Coleen. Course I don't expect you to remember me. You couldn't have been older than four or five when I left town." Kat smiled as she remembered Mrs. Cooper and how she seemed to have a way with people, even children.
"You said you came to town looking for your brother." Dr. Quinn interjected, not wanting the conversation to linger on Charlotte Cooper much longer. "What was his name? I'm relatively new to the town, but perhaps I know him?"
"Oh I'm sure you do." Kat chuckled. "He and his wife live on the Homestead just outside of town. Her father owns the General Store."
"You mean Mr. Bray's store?" Coleen questioned. She knew that there was only one general store in town.
"That's the one." Kat nodded. "Mr. Bray's daughter Abigail married my brother Byron."
"Ma, I thought Sully married Mr. Bray's daughter." Colleen looked up at Dr. Mike.
"He did." Dr. Mike replied quietly. She tried to maintain her composure since Kat obviously didn't know that Abigail had died in childbirth. "Byron is Sully's first name Colleen."
"Oh." Colleen continued to frown as she too realized the information Kat was missing.
"Well, you must be tired for your long journey here." Dr. Quinn said, clapping her hands together. "Why don't you come inside and I'll pour you a glass of water."
"A glass of water sounds just fine ma'am." Kat agreed. She followed Dr. Mike and Colleen into the clinic. At Dr. Quinn's suggestion she also sat down in an open chair by the doctor's desk. "I appreciate the drink Doc." She added, raising the glass in thanks. "But, I've been around enough people to know, that you are hiding something from me. And I'd really 'preciate know exactly what that is."
"Yes, of course." Dr. Mike sat in her own chair behind the desk. "Colleen, why don't you see if you can find Mathew and Brian?"
"Sure." Coleen nodded and left the clinic.
"I'm very sorry to be the one to tell you this." Dr. Quinn began. "But as there's no way to tell when exactly Sully will be coming back in to town, I'm afraid the responsibility falls on me." Kat waited patiently for the doctor to continue. Obviously whatever she had to say was very important. "Your brother's wife, Abigail, died during childbirth." Kat gave an audible gasp and covered her mouth with her hands. Tears welled up in her eyes as she struggled to find words.
"I didn't know." Was all she could manage.
"Of course you didn't." Dr. Quinn said in her most sympathetic voice. "There was no way you could have known."
"No, I 'spose not." Kat began to cry. "But I could've stayed in town like she'd asked me." She sat in Dr. Mike's chair for several minutes lost in guilt and grief.
"What in the hell?" Hank mumbled as the stranger rode into town. He and Jake Slicker had been talking on the porch of the Saloon when the woman had come stampeding through.
""Maybe it's a friend of Dr. Mike's." Jake suggested as the woman dismounted."They rode right up to the clinic."
"Just what we need. Another pesky woman from Boston." Hank scoffed. The two men squinted into the distance as they tried to place the newcomer's face. They watch Dr. Mike and Coleen talking with the stranger. It was only once she removed her hat that Jake and Hank recognized her. "Well I never thought we'd see her back in Colorado Springs." The Saloon owner chuckled.
"What's she doing back here?" Jake demanded with crossed arms. Both men scowled as Michaela, Kat and Coleen entered the clinic.
"What are you two staring at?" Loren called as he walked over to the Saloon. "I came over for drink, and I find you two squawking like a pair of hens."
"Sully's sister's back in town." Jake replied moodily before walking back over to the Barber's shop.
"I think I remember Sully's sister." Mathew said as he walked with Colleen and Brian back towards the clinic. "She used to work for Hank."
"Is that why she left town?" Colleen asked.
"I don't remember." Mathew explain. "And don't you two go askin' her neither. It might upset her or worse Sully."
"We won't say nothin'." Brian promised.
"Good." Mathew replied firmly before swinging open the door of the clinic. The three children stumbled upon Dr. Quinn attempting to comfort a crying Kathryn. At the sight of Brian, Colleen and Mathew, Kat immediately tried to dry her tears.
"Look at me. I've worked myself in quite a state." She tried to smile.
"Well you've had every reason to." Dr. Mike assured her. "I have an idea, why don't you come home with us?"
"Oh I couldn't." Kat insisted immediately.
"Of course you can. There's no telling when Sully will be back and you'll need a place to stay while you're here." The doctor insisted just as firmly.
"Dr. Mike, maybe Miss Kathryn would rather stay here at the clinic." Mathew suggested. "She might not feel comfortable at the Homestead."
"I wouldn't want to impose on your home or your clinic Doc." Kat said rising to her feet. "I'm sure you've been having enough trouble being a woman Doctor in this ol' town. The last thing you need is to be gettin' involved with me. I'm afraid I've got a bit of a bad reputation here, I best be getting on my way ma'am."
"Oh but you wouldn't be imposing." Dr. Mike insisted. "The house and the land it's built on technically belongs to your brother, so they way I see it, we're the ones imposing."
"Please come home with us Miss Kathryn. I'll cook something special for dinner." Colleen offered.
"How could I possibly say no to such kindness?" Kat agreed at last.