Epilogue
Sully stopped and hesitated. The man did not remove his hand from Sully's shoulder. Wiping the tears from his cheeks and eyes, holding his breath he slowly turned.
He could not remember when he had or if he had ever been called son.
There stood a tall man dressed in a white shirt, which was open at the neck, and dark suit trousers. It was apparent that he had been dressed up and just come home to relax.
The face before Sully's had a kindness and the eyes showed concern for him. The man's soft features where so like Michaela's that instantly Sully knew that this was her father. He had become accustom to assessing people instantly and he knew this man would be friendly.
He waited, wondering what was about to happen now. The man hesitated before saying, "Thank you, thank you so much for bringing Mike back home."
His eyes widening Sully looked at her father because he was calling her Mike. He was wondering if this was a coincidence or whether she had told them they had called her Mike.
"Not a problem, Sir!" he responded not knowing what else to say.
Removing his hand Josef hesitated then decided to invite him, "Please come back and join us for dinner I'd like to talk with you."
Sully's heart was racing. He wanted to go back to Mike for even these few minutes away from her he had felt so lonely. Then the survival instinct rose and his eyes reflected the fear he was feeling.
Josef Quinn recognized the light and shadow that passed over the young man's face in that instant. Immediately he reassured Sully by saying , "You are not in any trouble." He placed a gentle hand on his shoulder once again.
Sully knew this was okay and decided he did not have anything to lose and maybe something to gain by accompanying him to the house. He nodded and waited for Josef to lead the way back to the front door. Josef entered followed by Sully who was immediately hugged by a blur as Mike rushed to him and embraced him. "You came," she squealed with happiness.
Elizabeth who had tried to prevent Josef from going after the young man and Michaela from such a greeting stood at the bottom of the stairs scowling her disapproval saying, "Note I do agree with this, we don't know him nor what he has done to our daughter while she has been with him."
*"Elizabeth!"*. Josef warned her with her name and the look he threw at her silenced her quickly.
Michaela yelled, "I told you he didn't do anything! He saved me." Tears were beginning to cascade all over again. Sully couldn't help himself, he pulled Mike into his arms. He looked from Elizabeth to Josef undecided what he should do. He was once again becoming Mike's protector, although all his instincts were to take flight and never come back. He knew though that now with Mike pressed against him this was no longer an option in the past he would have just moved on as quickly as possible.
….
That had been twelve years ago now.
It transpired that Josef applied to be Sully's legal guardian. Sully went to boarding school close by and visited regularly on school holidays so he could be with Michaela. He went on family holidays, much to the annoyance of all the other Quinn women, bar for Mike's oldest sister Rebecca.
Sully attended hers and Robert's wedding and was even a groomsman and Mike was his partner. They transported themselves into a fairy land and pretended to be the bride and groom, locking eyes when the vows were being said. "I do." They were hoping and maybe knowing this really would be their destiny.
All day Sully could not keep his eyes off Mike; she was dressed in a teal blue dress with a scalloped hem. The V-neckline just reveled the body of the woman that was emerging, the makeup looked really fetching and suited her.
Michaela was having her own problems, too. Sully was so handsome in a suit and his tie was the same colour as her dress, enhancing his eyes. She loved them as they would change with what he was wearing or his moods. Today they were a sparkling blue and focused on her, which made her blush.
Later at the reception, sitting near each other, they had their heads together, holding hands under the table. They stated that they had both made the vow to each other.
…
Sully enjoyed the time at school and Josef had arranged for extra tuition to help him catch up on his schooling, concentrating on environmental studies.
Josef had also arranged a trust fund for the other group of children who had helped Michaela. They had not been keen on attending school but Josef had spoken to Tim and arranged for him to keep an eye on the group and assist were ever he could.
Mike went to college and then onto medical school.
….
When they were nineteen, their first real trial occurred in their friendship Sully was offered a position in Colorado Springs which he took without hesitation as he wanted to work in the environment, fed up with the city and the continual harassment of rushing.
Mike was committed to remaining and completing her studies as a doctor. She became defensive when he informed her he was going to the other side of the country.
So they said goodbye at the railway station, they stood unable to decide what to do or say that would allow them to part and remain friends. Separating they stepped back saddened at the development that was tearing them apart.
On the train Sully thought over where things had gone wrong. Why were they so stubborn?
"So you want me to give up my dream of being a doctor?" Mike had asked.
"Cause not! You know I would never do that," he had snapped back.
There they had stalled and now after leaving the train in Colorado Springs Sully sent a telegram informing her that he had arrived. The knot in his stomach was telling him that everything was not right.
Months after Sully left Michaela started to date David Lewis who was with her in medical school, not aware that an Abagail Bray threw herself at Sully around the same time. The letters became scarce and both felt the hole deepen. They were unable to neither prevent it nor stop it, both too stubborn to tell each other what they really felt.
Finally the connection that had been so strong broke like a piece of rope that lost one thread at a time. They both felt a loneliness they had not experienced since Sully was nearly thirteen and Michaela just fifteen.
…..
Eventually the inevitable happened as their new partners soured, David and Abigail where neither Sully nor Michaela. They had tried to hold on too tightly suffocating the relationship and the young couples finally realized that it was not right for either of them. In the end Sully and Michaela were fully satisfied with what they had experienced with the others. Although both felt they had tried to be faithful but the key ingredient missing was the deep love they had had before.
…
In time Sully gave into his desire to reconnect with Michaela. He sat down and wrote to her asking her to try and come during her next leave. Michaela at the same time wrote asking Sully to come and see her, of cause the letters crossed in the mail, forcing them to actually phone each other. They were surprised at how easy it was to speak as if nothing had actually come between them.
Finally because of Mike's strict schedule Sully returned to Boston. Seeing her instantly brought to mind how much he missed her. He was unaware of that she was also having her own struggle by seeing how much he had matured in the short eighteen months they had been apart.
They sat in the dark on the park bench near the Charles River, reminiscing about the past and admitting that although David and Abbey where nice some large part had been missing. LOVE.
Sully drew Michaela into his body, his arm holding her securely and he began rubbing circles on her back as he'd done years before. She smiled: this was what she had been missing. Sully felt he was once again her protector, not just of her body or mind but most of all her heart.
Both sighed in contentment: they had finally come home.
….
The next couple of years sped by Mike became a doctor and moved to Colorado Springs. Sully was made the director of the Garden of the Gods. Cloud Dancing came and worked there as well.
Sully took Michaela on a picnic and he was so nervous as he proposed saying,
"You're not going anywhere?" He was afraid she may leave and go back to Boston.
"No." What was wrong with him? Why did he think she was going to leave him?
"I need to be with you," he sighed into her hair as he held her close to him.
"I want to be with you." Michaela didn't speak she just sat there in front of him, being held by him trying to figure out what was going on.
"I will love you all my days. Will you marry me?" There he finally said what was in his heart for so long.
She looked in his eyes and all she could see was love. That was all she needed to see. She loved this man and wanted to marry him.
With tears in her eyes she whispered, "Yes."
He was so overjoyed he stood and lifted her off her feet and swirled her around in his strong arms.
…..
The wedding with friends and family was held in Boston. The couple had trouble curtailing Elizabeth although she did hold back openly disapproving of Sully as a suitable partner for her youngest daughter. Josef on the other hand was delighted.
Hank had declared that he was not the marrying type and brought his new girlfriend Myra. Jake was not able to attend as he had gone back into rehab, still unable to cope with his alcohol addiction. Robert E had met Grace at the church where Tim still resided. Anyway they all came. Grace was confiding to Michaela that Robert E had proposed. Both of them working in New York with street kids, a new generation who did not quite fit into society's norms.
Sully wore a suit much as he had for Rebecca's wedding. Michaela looked stunning in her white wedding dress made of lace and silk. The bodice was fitting and the skirt full and flowing. Neither remembered much about the wedding nor the reception.
Finally they were alone in their hotel room.
"Ya look beautiful," Sully declared as he drew her into an embrace that grew passionate quickly. They could not wait to begin helping each other disrobe till they stood as nature had intended two people in love to be.
Scooping her up he gently laid her onto the bed and they became joined in a way they knew from the age of twelve they would be.
…
They settled in Colorado Springs in a house near the Garden of the Gods that Sully chose. It was an old two storey building made from wooded logs. Upstairs was his wedding gift to Michaela: a bed he had found and had restored in the old barn.
As he scooped his bride into his arms and moved over the threshold kissing her he carried her to their sanctuary. Her eyes alighted on the magnificent carved head board both knew this was where they had always meant to be.
The End.
Dedicated to Maria to Josephine who asked me what they did in the future.
Thank you for reading.