Jake watched through the window of the Barber Shop as Dr. Mike and her children climbed onto their wagon. He stepped out onto his porch as the wagon pulled out of town, Kathryn following behind on her own horse. He took a swig of whisky from the bottle in his hand. Of all the people for Kathryn Sully to meet on her first day back into town, he should have known it would be Michaela Quinn. Those two would get along perfectly.
Jake was sharpening the razors at the Barber's Shop when the bell above the main door rang. The Apprentice Barber looked over his shoulder and spotted one of Hank's young girls waiting awkwardly in the doorframe.
"Oh hey," He greeted the girl, and put down the razor he was cleaning. "You're Sully's sister right?"
"It's just Kat please." She replied politely. "And I haven't been Byron's sister for quite some time."
"Well, Kat, come on in." Jake invited her in. "What can I help you with?"
"I have a bit of a headache, Hank sent me over. He said the Barber might be able to..."
"Well Ray is out of town for the day, and I'm just his apprentice." Jake explained.
"So no one is going to get any doctoring done on account of Mr. Ray being out of town?" Kathryn asked with her left hand on her hip.
"Well, ah, no." Jake snorted. "No I suppose that won't do. I can give you some aspirin for your headache." He immediately turned to the cabinet where the barber kept his few medical supplies. Kat settled herself in the Barber's chair while he fixed up the water and aspirin mix. "Drink this down." He instructed once the mixture was completed.
"Thank you, Mr..." Kat began, she took the glass from Jake.
"Slicker." He supplied. "My name's Jake Slicker."
"Well Mr. Slicker, I appreciate your help." Kathryn finished off her drink and kissed Jake on the cheek.
"Anytime." Jake gulped and she sauntered out of the shop.
Sully looked down at his hands, they were calloused and bleeding from the work he'd been doing that morning. He thought about going to visit Cloud Dancing for help, but the town was closer and it would be a good excuse to see Michaela again. Not that he was lookin' for a reason to see her or anything. So the Mountain Man strolled into town with Wolf at his side. He nodded politely at a few of the townsfolk he passed on his way to the clinic, but otherwise he didn't say much. He reached the door to Dr. Mike's clinic and rang the bell like always. She didn't answer. Maybe she's doing a procedure. Sully thought. He gently pushed on the clinic door expecting it to open easily, when it didn't, Sully became concerned. It wasn't like her to leave the clinic in the middle of the day.
"Dr. Mike?" He called loudly. There was no answer. Sully banged hard on the door. "Dr. Mike?!" He hollered again.
"She ain't there!" Hank shouted from his front door.
"But it's the middle of the day." Sully pointed out. "What she leave for?"
"It's not a what, so much as a who." Hank chuckled. "A crazy woman came riding into town, rode right up to Michaela's door and then the two of 'em headed out of town with those three brats of hers."
"You have no idea who she left with?" Sully put his hands on his hips.
"Now I didn't say that." Hank corrected him with a smile. "I just said it was a crazy woman."
"Well who was it then?" Sully demanded with a forced calmness.
"You're sister." Jake answered. He'd been drawn outside by all Sully's shouting and when he saw who it was doing the shouting, well the Barber simply had to get a better look.
"Kathryn?" Sully breathed, his voice somewhere between angry and sad. "You're sure it was her?"
"Of all the people in town, I think Jake would know her best." Hank laughed before returning to his Saloon.
"I had no idea she was coming." Jake insisted.
"I'm sure." Sully nodded bitterly. "No one ever really knows what that woman is up to." He growled before setting off for the homestead.
The homestead somehow looked completely different yet exactly the same as it had been when Kathryn saw it last. The outside looked exactly the same, each board still exactly where Sully had lovingly placed it years ago. Dr. Quinn had even started up a garden right where Abigail had been growing one of her own. Inside the home Mathew had started up a fire in the fireplace that was also the same. As a matter of fact almost all of the furniture was in the same place, except for a curtained off area in the corner that hid Colleen and Brian's beds. The main difference was the feeling that Dr. Mike and her children had brought into the home. They provided a very modern but still loving environment. It was just enough to remind Kat that this was no longer the home her brother had shared with his wife.
"It must seem strange, seeing the house like this." Dr. Mike apologized.
"It's bittersweet, I admit." Kathryn sighed. "But you can never truly move forward while you're looking back."
"Sound words of wisdom." Dr. Quinn nodded.
"You collect a lot of wisdom while traveling the country." Kat shrugged.
"You've traveled the whole country?" Colleen gaped.
"Well most of it." Kat corrected. She was about to list off some of the places she'd been when there was a loud knock on the front door.
"Dr. Mike!" A deep voice called from the other side of the door. "Dr. Mike, it's Sully." Michaela and Kat exchanged a look before the doctor opened the door. "Where is she?" Sully demanded before even stepping into the house.
"Good Afternoon to you too, Sully." Dr. Mike growled at her best friend. Sully ignored her, marching right over to his sister. Kathryn on the other hand didn't quite believe what she was seeing. Instead of the short well maintained hair he used to have, Byron was sporting long wavy blonde hair. She never even knew he had wavy hair. And his state of dress! He was dressed like an Indian! Buckskin pants with leather pouches hanging everywhere and a tomahawk hanging from his belt.
"What are you doing back here?" Sully snapped.
"I figured it's been long enough." Kat replied calmly.
"Long enough for who?" Her brother spat. "I want you out of this house. You're not welcome here."
"Now wait just a minute!" Dr. Mike rushed in angrily. "This may be your house, but this is my home and Kat is welcome to stay here as long as she likes. And you should be ashamed of yourself. That's no way to treat your family."
"She's no family of mine." Sully told Dr. Mike before walking out the door, Wolf on his heels. Kathryn stood at the doorway and shouted after her brother.
"I'm not goin' anywhere!" She promised. "You won't be able to get rid of me so easily." Sully didn't answer. He didn't so much as turn around before disappearing out of sight. Kathryn tried to steady her breathing as she felt tears on her cheeks once again. She felt a hand on her should and turned to see Dr. Mike frowning at the woods.
"I've never seen Sully so angry." The doctor said. She gave her new friend a comforting squeeze on the shoulder.
"Well I tend to bring that out in him." Kat replied bitterly. "I'm sorry we caused such a scene."
"Oh don't worry about that." Dr. Mike assured her. "Brothers and Sisters fight. I have four sisters of my own and there is always someone at odds with someone else. The important thing, is that you make up. Come on now, let's get ready for supper." The two women went back inside the house where Colleen was cooking dinner and Mathew and Brian were setting the table. Brian set down the plates he was holding and gave Kat a hug.
"I'll be your brother Miss Kat." The young boy offered.
"I appreciate the offer Brian." Kat smiled at him. "But I think I need to fix things with my own brother first."