Disclaimer:I do not own Dr. Quinn Medicine rights belong to the creators of the show,The Sullivan Company,CBS,A&E. I do not want to infringe on the rights of anyone named in this story.
The dawn was breaking over the homestead as the children opened their eyes to start the day. It had been over two months since Dr. Mike disappeared and the children were dealing with her absence fairly well for the most part. Colleen, being the only woman in the house, took care of cleaning and cooking at the homestead .Matthew provided well for his brother and sister and had most meals with them at the homestead. Brian,on the other hand,was taking her disappearance very hard. After losing his birth mother he felt like he had lost his whole world. Then took them in and he finally felt secure when his world was torn apart again.
They had just sat down to eat breakfast when they heard a knock on the door. When Matthew opened the door there stood Sully,"Hello." he said coming into the homestead.
"Sully!" Brian exclaimed running to Sully and hugging him."Hi, Brian."Sully said laughing as he patted him on the back."How ya' been doing?" he asked.
"We're doing fine." Matthew said as he ate the last bite of his eggs."I found steady work. Taking care of them pretty good." he said as he noded his heads towards his siblings.
"I know ya' are. Dr. Mike would be real proud." Sully said quietly looking down.
"I've grown a whole inch since you left Sully." Brian said excitedly.
"Can't you think of more exciting news than that?" Colleen asked annoyed.
"No." Brian said simply looking at returning his gaze at Sully he asked,"Where did ya go Sully?"
Sully looking up, finding all eyes on him replied,"Went to find some answers. To make peace with things."
"With Dr. Mike dying?" Brian asked all eyes returning to the little boy.
"Yeah, with dying."Sully said quietly, a lump forming in his throat.
"Well it's time for me to go to work." Matthew said trying to difuse the situation.
"How bout we all ride into town?" Sully asked getting up from his seat as they all got ready to head into town.
James was leaning against one of the counters talking to Loren, who hadn't had a busy morning at the mercantile, when Sully and Brian walked in.
"Hey, Loren.I promised Brian I'd get him some lemondrops." Sully said looking down.
"Coming right up." Loren said walking to the candy jars with Brian. After filling Brian's bag full of lemondrops Loren walked back to the counter."That will be two bits."
"Thanks Loren." Sully said laying the coins on the counter.
"No problem." said Loren."Sully, I'd like you to meet an old here is James Bridges. He's a mountain man too." Loren said laughing.
"Nice to meet you, James." Sully said simply, holding his hand out for James to shake.
"Loren told me a lot about you, Sully." James said shaking his hand."I'm sure we have a lot in common."
"Don't have a lot in common with anybody much." Sully said quietly.
"Wow, another mountain man in town. Wait till I tell Matthew." Brian said running out the store.
"It seems I peaked your son's interest." James said laughing.
"He's not my son." Sully said sadly looking at the ground. His mind turning to thoughts of Michaela once again. Her eyes, her smile, her hair everything he loved about her.
"Who's son is he?" James asked, interrupting Sully's thoughts.
"The doctor's." he said quietly.
"Well I would like to meet him. I haven't seen any patients going to the clinic over there." James said curious.
"You won't see any going over there either." Loren said gruffly."'s dead" Loren said looking at Sully, trying to get a rise out of him.
"You don't know that Loren." Sully said. Then looking at James he explained,"We never found a body."
"I'm sorry for the town's lost." James said sadly.
"I knew when she took up with them indians it would come to a bad end." Loren said, trying to push Sully's buttons.
"She?" James asked surprised.
"Dr. Mike's a woman." Sully said ignoring Loren."Dr. Michaela Quinn."
"You were friends?" he asked.
"Best friends." Sully said quietly.
"I'm sorry for your lost." James said looking at Sully.
"Thank You. Well, it was nice meetin' ya." Sully said shaking his hand once again."I better catch up to Brian." Sully said walking out of the mercantile.
"He seems so sad." James said watching Sully walking towards the children.
"Well he should be. wouldn't have even known the indians if it wasn't for Sully" Loren said harshly.
"Loren, it's not his how heartbroken he is." James said looking at Loren.
"All I know is ain't no tellin' what them indians did to her while she was with them" Loren said now standing at the door with James."Probably better for all concern if we didn't know." Loren said looking at Brian as he got in the wagon.
"Why's that?" James asked.
"Sometimes not knowing, just wondering what happened is better than the reality of knowing." Loren said quietly.
As Loren started sweeping the floors of the mercantile, James just looked at the door. His eyes settled on the clinic. His thoughts were on Sully and the doctor. How heartbroken Sully looked as he spoke of her. They must have been very close he presumed.
Then his own thoughts turned to Molly. How lost she is now not knowing her past. As he looked at the clinic he thought of how he found Molly. How torn her clothes had been. The condition she was in. Castle Rock wasn't all that far from Colorado Springs. It was that thought that made James decide to find out all he could about the doctor.