CHAPTER 9:

The days that followed were terrible for Sully. Michaela spoke to him very little and only when necessary. He did not know how to fix things at all. Apparently, the wound had been much deeper for Michaela than he had initially believed. He did not think it was that serious. He would have liked to talk to her to tell him what she thought. What had hurt her so deeply in this argument? Why did not she come near him anymore?

Sully was completely desperate and distraught. Was it already over? Their beautiful story? He was sure she was the woman of his life, so it could not stay that way. It would work out, he was sure of it. He was trying to leave town as little as possible in case she needed him at any time. But she never asked for his help. She did everything on her own. She introduced herself to the townspeople, alone. She received her first skeptical patients in an empty room in the boarding house, alone. She had a healthy tooth pulled by Jake so that he would trust her, alone. She made a deal with Hank to treat prostitutes, alone. The young man quickly felt useless, only being able to blame himself for having absolutely ruined everything, according to him.

And finally, while he had imagined "expressing" and "shouting" his love for Michaela in front of the whole town, no one knew they were together… Well, at this point they were nothing… But like Michaela avoided, apart from Charlotte and the children, no one knew…

Sully sighed as he watched Robert E. make a coffin. His friend had told him how, thanks to Michaela, his back pain had completely disappeared after he had been dragging him for years now. In fact, he called her "Doctor Mike", like many other patients. The nickname came from Brian who once asked her at the table why her name was Michaela. The young woman then gave him the usual story of the father who was expecting a son. And Brian laughed. He then called her Mike, like Michael's nickname, and he added "Doctor" in front, which amused everyone. Yet he had continued to call her that, and the nickname had literally spread throughout the city.

Sully looked up at the blue sky and took a deep breath. He would find a way to make amends. He was sure of it.

Michaela was at the mercantile with Charlotte and Brian. They had come to buy flour and sugar to bake a cake. She had only been in Colorado Springs for over two weeks and it seemed to her that she had lived there for a year.

She had met the townspeople and she had started having patients. And though many made fun of her work and continued to trust Jake over her, she was happy with how it was progressing and going. She knew a lot of people thought she was crazy, including Hank, Jake, and Loren who constantly made fun of her. But no matter, she knew that when the time came, they would need her help.

But she had to do all this alone, when she had easily imagined doing all this with Sully. She was the one avoiding him, so she did not blame him for not helping her right now. However, she had lost confidence in him since their last argument. She did not want to make him pay for it or anything, she just could not pretend. She still loved him more than anything, but she needed time… And he did not really seem to understand why she was so upset.

But she missed everything about him. His loving gaze, his words full of love, his humor, his caresses... his touch. She could see he was in pain, just like her.

Michaela's debut in Colorado Springs did not quite go as planned...

Then, one day, a woman she did not know came to town. She had learned later that it was Loren's sister, Olive. She worked on a ranch and was coming back from the Mexican border. She had brought back a man sick with the flu and, in a short time, the whole town was infected.

Although initially no one wanted to listen to her or do what she said, Michaela had begged Charlotte to turn the boarding house into a "hospital" to confine sick people and provide them with appropriate care.

The city had found itself in quarantine despite itself, the rumors having quickly spread from one city to another. The carriage no longer passed, bringing no more food, while Loren had closed his Mercantile despite the rage and pressure of the other inhabitants of the city.

As time went on, more and more people fell ill and were crowded into Charlotte's boarding house. And while the Cooper children initially stayed with Grace — Grace who had returned to town with Olive — they eventually came to help Charlotte, Olive, and Michaela care for the townspeople when Brian also fell ill.

Sully had somehow tried to help Michaela heal the townspeople and even offered her a Cheyenne cure which she refused, not knowing the effects or the ingredients. They had also argued about this, but, on edge, Michaela had abruptly ended the discussion.

The young woman had literally exhausted herself with the task, not eating, not sleeping, the sick following one another. She had used all of her medication when she had received patients like Horace, Brian or even Jake.

Colleen watched Doctor Mike work hard and was impressed. She had watched her with eyes shining with admiration. And that was when she realized she wanted to follow in her footsteps. She also wants to be a doctor...

Sully had watched Michaela neglect her own health and worried for her as he could see her sweating, her hair sticking to her forehead and being out of breath. Then, once Brian woke up and the rest of the patients were in remission, she was out for some fresh air. The young man had felt compelled to follow her, a bad feeling tugging at his mind and heart. Once on the porch, he had watched her stumble and cling to the pillar of it. Then, as if Sully expected, he caught up with Michaela as she passed out. Distraught, he carried her inside and now there they were. He was standing in the crack of Michaela's bedroom door, helpless.

Note : Haha! I think you recognize all that... Sully seems to have to make up for it anyway. Thanks for the last reviews, Sully wants to make amends but he seems to be having a hard time understanding Michaela's silence so far. Maybe the fear of losing her will wake him up?