A few weeks passed and Kat started to get the hang of life in Colorado Springs. She slept in her room over the clinic and helped Dr. Mike in whatever ways she could. Sometimes that meant looking after Coleen and Brian, other times that meant assisting with procedures or helping with chores around the doctor's home. She'd also started tending bar at Hank's Saloon. Her brother hadn't been too pleased about that, but he understood that she was doing it to help Myra. So Sully promised to keep an even closer eye on things in town. The rest of the townspeople had met Kat by now, and for the most part she got on well with them. Truthfully, the only folks in town who seemed to carry any resentment towards her were Jake and Loren. Jake was easy enough to avoid since Kat wouldn't ever need a shave or doctorin' from him. Mr. Bray, on the other hand, couldn't really be avoided. But Kathryn quickly learned to do her shopping with Brian since the old man seemed to have a soft spot for him.
One afternoon Kat was accompanying Dr. Mike and Bryan to the store. She'd promised, with the Doc's permission, to buy Brian some candy for going with her to the store all the time. So Brian stood in the middle of the store studying the shelves of candy. Loren stared down at the boy reminding him that he was picking a candy, not making the Louisiana Purchase. Kat couldn't help but laugh at the man as she leaned on the counter. Michaela joined her friend by the counter with an armful of purchases. The two ladies watched Brian and Loren for a beat before his sister, Olive Davis, led a parade of immigrants girls into the store.
"Pick out something tasteful and ladylike!" Olive ordered her girls as they filed into the store. "Nothing in red! And Grace!" She added to woman who had accompanied her all the way from Texas. "You can take them over to Emily's to start having them fitted for dresses."
"Yes, Ms. Olive." Grace sighed, obviously displeased with this idea.
"What's gotten into you?" Loren snapped at his sister. "Wantn' to open up a Dance Hall with a bunch of Viking maidens?"
"It's not a Dance Hall!" Olive protested. "It's a Hurdy-Gurdy! And they got 'em all over Texas! It's a perfectly respectable money making venture!" Hearing the ruckus at Mr. Bray's, Mathew decided to poke his head into the General Store. He spotted Ingrid, one of the Immigrant girls that he was sweet on, standing in the back of the shop looking at fabrics with Grace.
"Mathew!" Dr. Mike called, trying to get her son's attention. "I want you to help me with the packages." She loaded her purchases into her son's arms. He took them reflexively and didn't take his eyes off Ingrid. Spotting Mathew from over Dr. Mike's shoulder, Olive put aside her argument with her brother and approached the oldest Cooper.
"I'm going to need some help building the dance floor." Olive said. "Are you interested?" Mathew didn't hear Olive as he was lost in thought about Ingrid. So Olive tried calling him by name. "Mathew?!" This time, the boy looked back at her.
"Yes, ma'am?" He replied.
"I'll pay you a nickel and hour," Olive offered as her girls started following Grace out of the store. "I'll feed you lunch, and you can choose one of those girls for a free dance the night we open. You want the job?" Mathew simply nodded before running out of the store with Dr. Mike's packages.
"I think that was a yes." Dr. Mike joked.
"That ain't all it was." Olive laughed before following everyone else out of the store. With a smile on her face, Dr. Mike turned to fine Brian and Kat gawking at the harmonicas Loren had for sale.
"Are you two ready to go?" She asked.
"I don't think Mr. Bray likes me very much." Brian said sadly.
"Don't worry, I don't think Mr. Bray likes anybody very much." Kat chuckled. Dr. Mike made a troubled face.
"Brian, I'm afraid Mr. Bray isn't very happy." His adopted mother explained.
"Why?" Brian asked. "Look at all the candy he's got!" He pointed to the candy shelves he'd just been browsing. Kat had to bite her lip to prevent herself from laughing. She tried to remember a time in her life when she thought candy was all you needed to be happy.
"I believe Mr. Bray misses his wife." Dr. Mike explained.
"I miss my Ma sometimes." Brian mused. He was quiet for a long time, thinking about something. What it was, Dr. Mike and Kat couldn't guess.
Kat decided to walk out on the porch to give the doctor a moment with her son. A strange new parade had replaced Olive and her girls in the center of town. It was a band of confederate soldiers riding in under the lead of General Custer. Most of the soldiers were mounted on horses. A proper cavalry waving their banner as they trotted into town. Some of the cavalry men were dragging Indian prisoners behind them. Kat immediately recognized one of the Indians as her brother's good friend Cloud Dancing. She turned to fetch Dr. Mike from the store, but she had just stepped out with Brian. Suddenly Sully was standing next to them, he and wolf appearing from seemingly nowhere. Custer instructed his men to seek medical attention from Jake at his Barber Shop.
"The Indians as well," Custer added. "I want them alive for questioning." Dr. Mike sprung into action calmly. She asked Mathew to stay and watch Brian while pulling Kat forward. If she was going to have to argue with Jake or the General, it would be nice to have her friend for aid. Not to mention Kathryn had proved herself apt for medical assistance. So together the two women pushed their way into Jake's shop where four or five severely injured men had been laid out. General Custer, who was sitting in Jake's Barber's Chair, tried to stop them from entering.
"I'm sorry, but you'll have to leave. This is not a place for women." Custer told them firmly. Dr. Mike squared her shoulders and held her ground.
"I'm Dr. Quinn, I'm a surgeon and Kathryn is my assistant."
"Quinn is it?" Custer leaned back in his chair. "Chivington told me about you."
"I'm sure he did." Dr. Mike didn't flinch.
"Mr. Slicker," Custer called to Jake. "Would you like some assistance?" Jake looked up from the soldier he'd been caring for. Up until this point he had been unaware of Dr. Mike and Kat's arrival. He locked eyes with Kat and after receiving a very pointed glare from his ex, the Barber agreed to their help.
"Well as long as they don't get in the way." After a quick scan of the room Dr. Mike quickly determined one of the Indian men as the most severely injured. She began treating the Indian when Custer interrupted her.
"What the hell are you doing?" He growled. "You will take care of my men first. Sergeant, lock the Indians up in the Livery."
"No, no!" Dr. Mike protested immediately."Please, you can't! He'll die if I don't do something for him immediately." But the soldiers weren't listening to her. Two men came forward and picked up the Indian from the floor. The doctor continued to protest until Custer got to his feet with his gun drawn. Kat stood in front of Dr. Mike protectively, but it wasn't her he was looking to shook.
"You take care of my men first or this one will die now." He ordered before aiming his pistol at Cloud Dancing.
"C'mon Doc, this ain't a fight you're going to win." Kat said. "Let's just help Jake with these soldiers first." Despite the fact that every moral fiber of her being was protesting, Michaela knew that the best chance of keeping the Indians alive would be to help the soldiers first. So without a word to anyone else she started her work.
A/N: Thank you to Maria, BlessedX5, and the "Guest" who reviewed this story's last chapter! It is always so nice to know that something I've written has been read and enjoyed by someone else! Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed Chapter 7!