Michaela stepped into the operating room. When she had received the phone call two days ago, she hadn't expected to be so suddenly back at work, doing what she loved best, helping people get well. She did feel bad for Sully, last night was his first night off, and she had gone to bed early to get enough sleep for the surgery. Their time out under the stars would have to wait, but he was very supportive, and she had stayed there with him since he would be driving. He had made her breakfast this morning and had given her a ride to the hospital both days. She was starting to feel good about putting pressure on her ankle, but she didn't want to take any unnecessary risk. She felt like she was close to being able to drive, but she was afraid that she might have to suddenly break and that would only cause more injury. She couldn't risk being hurt for any longer than she already was. Yesterday had been a prep day, looking over notes and x-rays. She had talked to Dr. Cassidy over the phone. He was at home, recovering from some minor injuries he had sustained a few days ago in a car accident, one of those being a broken arm. She had been confused when they told her over the phone that Dr. Cassidy had requested that she take his place. It hadn't been until she talked to him, that she had realized why. She thought back about their conversation. "Dr. Quinn, I certainly don't like asking anyone to operate on my patients, but I have found myself unable to complete this surgery tomorrow, and it is rather urgent. I figured anyone that can perform an operation outside of the hospital like you did on that young man, has my approval to proceed." She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was he actually showing confidence with his compliment of her skills? "Of course, I had the hospital check your surgical records back in Boston, they were satisfactory." She knew it was too good to be true. Michaela wanted to help the patient, so she didn't object to his opinion towards her. She certainly didn't object to him checking her surgical records, it was just the extra "satisfactory" comment that seemed to make her cringe a little. She finished her conversation with him, listening to his advice, and taking notes of any concerns. He was a very abrasive person, but he was still a colleague, and she did respect that. Later in the day, she spoke with the patient, addressing any concerns and answering questions. They had mentioned the difference in her character and Dr. Cassidy's. She was amused listening to their description of his manners, but in the end, she had assured them that she and Dr. Cassidy were both only concerned with their well-being, and that she would certainly be available at the hospital in the future. She had successfully gained everyone's confidence that she was fully committed to the task.
That evening when Sully picked her up, she was tired, but she was glad to see him. They stopped on the way home and had dinner, but they didn't linger too long, knowing that Michaela still had to prepare for the next day. She sat on the couch reviewing her notes and studying the information. Sully sat in the middle of the couch with Michaela's legs propped up on a pillow in his lap. He massaged her legs, helping the swelling that had occurred from her being on her feet all day. She was certainly ready for all the side effects of this injury to be gone, but she could not deny that she enjoyed the massage as well. She looked up and smiled at him, "I guess I'll have to pretend this injury is still affecting me after I get better. I wouldn't want to miss out on the benefits." She fought a hesitant crooked smile that lingered as he smoothly ran his hand up her leg, and slowly stopped at the back of her knee. He smiled a little, "Who said I was going to quit after you get better?" He paused for a moment and lightly caressed the top of her knee, then he slowly moved back down her leg. His hands let go of her, and she watched him. Shifting and turning towards her, he gently put his hands on her foot and pressed into the bottom. His thumb pressed firmly where she needed it most, and slowly moved along her central band. She could feel the tension in her body just melt away, as her toes pointed further towards him. "I plan on doing this as often as I can." She smiled, "You won't get any complaints from me." He laughed, "Good." He reached forward, took her notes, and said, "You've been studying for hours, you can have these back in twenty minutes. Just relax." She wanted to object for a brief moment, but then she smiled, laughed a little and leaned back. Closing her eyes, she focused on the feeling. His warm hands surrounded her foot and his thumbs worked away the tensions, leaving her very relaxed. By the time he finished both of her feet, it had been longer than twenty minutes, and she was happily relaxed. He looked at her, "You know this surgery Michaela, you need to rest too ya know." She smiled, "You're right, I just need to look at one more thing and then I'll go to bed." Sully shook his head, he was starting to realize why she was so good at being a doctor. Her attention to detail was unmatched. He laughed a little, "Ok, I'll go check on Wolf." He gently placed her legs on the couch and got up. Then he turned to go out the door, but she stopped him. "Wait, Sully," he turned back to her, "I'd like to see him too. Give me ten minutes, and I'll be done." He smiled, "He's going to be glad to see you. I'll go get the cart, and we can go see him together." Michaela smiled and bit her bottom lip feeling a little guilty for making him wait, but also appreciating his patience.
Sully had moved Wolf to the barn knowing that the animal was more comfortable outside. The barn provided enough shelter to protect him and it had just enough elements of the outdoors to ease any tension Wolf might have in the house. He moved the utility cart up to the front of the house and walked back up the steps. Just as he reached the top, Michaela opened the door. Sully moved to let her go by and he grabbed the doorknob and closed the door. Michaela made her way down the steps and into the cart, putting her crutches in the back. She looked over when he sat down and smiled, "Ok, let's go check and see how he's doing." Sully drove up to the doors and after waiting on her to get to the doors, he slowly opened one, letting her pass. Then he closed the door and lowered the latch. They had not expected what they found. Wolf was up and walking around, and he came to them as soon as they were inside, although it was still not in the exuberant manner that Michaela had first met him. In time he would be back to his old self, and they were both very happy that Wolf was recovering quickly. Sully knelt down to pet him, "Hey boy, you're doing so good. We did not expect this." Michaela watched as he scratched Wolf's ears and ran his hand along the animals back. She could see the love that Sully had for Wolf, knowing that they shared a special connection. She put her crutches together and used them to support herself as she knelt down next to both of them and gave Wolf a gentle brush of her hand. He immediately turned to her and licked her hand. She laughed. Never in her wildest dreams had she expected to bond with a wolf, and she really hadn't expected it to be so effortless. She had a good feeling that it was related to her relationship with Sully. "You know Michaela, he likes you." She put her hand on Sully's leg to balance herself, then she replied, "I think he likes you, and I have been accepted through association." Sully stopped her, "No, I can tell. He knows your character, he knows you are a compassionate healer. Cloud Dancing would say that he shares your spirit. She huffed a little, "Well, I've never really thought of myself as a canine." She looked at him strangely and laughed. He smiled a little, "I didn't mean it like that. Cloud Dancing would tell you that they are evasive, but their love is sentimental, tender," he paused, "considerate. That when they commit to someone, there is no question of their love." His hand moved over to hers, still on his leg. "That's why he has been loyal from the start, that's why he recognizes your touch." She smiled and her hand shifted to hold his, then she turned her attention to Wolf. She let go of Sully's hand to pet her loyal friend one more time before they went back to the house. They left Wolf with some fresh water and a little bit of food to get him through the night. Sully told Wolf that he would check on him again in the morning before they left for the hospital. Stepping outside, he turned off all the lights to the barn and secured the barn doors. Back at the house Michaela lay in Sully's bed, she was glad that she would be sleeping in his arms the night before her return to the operating room. The last thing she needed was a restless night. He came out of the bathroom, set the alarm on his phone, and slid under the covers. She moved close to him, slowly lowering her head against his chest. She was a little anxious about tomorrow and she breathed out heavily as she tried to relax. Sully let her settle again and he softly reassured her, "Hey, you're a wonderful doctor, it's going to be fine." He softly rubbed over her back and gently kissed her head. If his reassuring words didn't convince her, the caress over her back and the soft kiss on her head had done enough. She relaxed, sighed one last time and closed her eyes.
It felt good to be back, and she had found a very restful night of sleep last night as well. Warm memories flooded her mind, but she quickly focused her attention back to the job she had to do. She made her first incision at 8:00 am and the nurses had been wonderful. It almost seemed as if they were one step ahead of her the whole time. She wondered if that was a side effect of working with Dr. Cassidy for so long. She had talked through the surgery early that morning with everyone, and they had all found her to be very pleasant. It was a sharp contrast to working with Dr. Cassidy and there was a great buzz around the hospital, at least with the surgical staff about the new doctor and her personality. They had all hoped that her surgical skills would be as good as her friendly, but thorough, brief this morning. By the end of the day, they had their answer. There were a few tense moments, but the surgery had been very successful. Michaela was relieved that her first surgery in a new hospital was complete. She liked the staff there very much and she thanked them all for the work they performed. She sighed heavily as she sat at Dr. Cassidy's desk completing her paperwork at the end of the day. Her ankle was throbbing a little from standing up all day, and she had a little swelling in her leg as well. She looked forward to relaxing at home. She paused for a moment. She had always thought of Boston as home, but today was different. Today, when she thought about home, she thought about Sully's property. She smiled a little. Sully would be at the hospital in an hour to pick her up. She was lost in her thoughts when she heard a knock on the door. When she looked up a smile formed, and she was very happy. "Walks on Clouds, how are you doing?" He reached to his leg, "I'm well, I was doing therapy and they said that you were doing surgery today. I just wanted to stop by and say thank you one more time. I appreciate what you did that day, my family appreciates what you did that day." Michaela was typically trying to downplay her importance. "Well, I was just doing my job, the Hippocratic Oath is something I don't take lightly." He stopped her, "No, I should imagine you don't, but my father has taught me well when it comes to the spirit of a person. You are a good person. I believe the Great Spirit sent you to me, sent you to Sully so you could help me. Do you think that's possible?" She smiled and thought about the coincidence of her being there because of a chance meeting at a creek. Maybe she believed there was more to that chance meeting. She looked at him, "Maybe I do, maybe the great spirit had a lot of things in mind." Walks on Clouds smiled, "My father wishes to honor you, when we all get together, he wishes to have a celebration." She smiled realizing that it might be rude for her to object to any way they might honor her. From what Sully had told her about the Cheyenne, she knew she had to accept. "I'll look forward to it." He was about to leave when he heard a familiar voice.
"Walks on Cloud, how are you doing?" Sully appeared in the doorway. Walks on Cloud looked at him and smiled, " I'm well, thanks to you, and thanks to her too. The great spirit sent me both of you." Sully smiled and replied, "I think you and I are both pretty lucky." He walked further into the room and looked around. Then he turned back to Walks on Cloud, " In fact, I guess we can include Dr. Cassidy in that group as well. Michaela did one of his surgeries today." He stopped himself, "I mean, Dr. Mike did one of his surgeries today." Michaela smiled, "It's alright Sully, I don't mind." Sully smiled, "Well, you deserve the credit for your experience and expertise." He smiled at her and looked back to Walks on Cloud. "I was thinking we might have your celebration at the cabins in about two weeks. Do you think you will be well enough by then?" Walks on Cloud smiled, "That would be great!" He looked at Michaela, "I appreciate everyone helping me get better, but I could use a little time with friends too." Sully turned to him, "Just take care of yourself until then, and we'll take care of the rest of it." Walks on Cloud looked at Sully and smiled. Michaela spoke, "I know it's difficult, I struggle with rest as well, but if you take care of yourself, there's no reason you can't have a wonderful time." He looked at her and said, "I'll do my best. I guess I better get back now, I told them I was just stopping by to say hello, have a good evening." With Walks on Clouds gone, they were alone in Dr. Cassidy's office.
Michaela looked to him and said, "You're early, I wasn't expecting you for another half hour." He moved to the corner of the desk and leaned on it, "I'm sure you've had a long day, I didn't want you to have to wait for me, so I decided to show up early. Besides, I thought you might be done early anyway." Michaela smiled, "Why did you think that?" He smiled and said, "Because, I don't just think you are a better surgeon than Dr. Cassidy, I think you are better at completing your paperwork as well." They both laughed and Michaela replied, "You're right, I'm ready to go." She hit the save button on her computer screen, closed her documents, and logged out. Sully held his hand out to help her stand, then he handed her the crutches that were leaned against the wall. He moved to the doorway and waited for her so he could turn off the lights and lock the door. When they reached the truck, Michaela moved over to the middle where she now preferred to sit. Sully started the truck and shifted to reverse, then drive. His hand found hers, and they drove home.
When they got back to Sully's place, he made dinner and after they ate, they both cleaned up the kitchen. Michaela insisted that she help him clean up, so he let her clean off the countertop while he washed all the dishes. After they finished cleaning up, Michaela left her crutches and wandered over to the front door to opened it. She stepped out onto the porch and looked up into the sky. There wasn't a cloud in sight and she smiled as she turned around and went back inside. She walked over to where he was. Sully was putting the last plate back in its place in the cabinet. She stood beside him, waiting for him to close the cabinet door. As he did, he noticed her beside him. Slowly turning to her, he spoke, "Well, I wasn't expecting you to be right there, but I'm not complaining." She laughed a little and he put his hand on her waist as his other hand remained on the countertop. She reached forward and put her hand on his chest. Then, looking down to his hand on her body she moved her other hand on top of his. Slowly looking up into his eyes, she was breathing slowly, searching his eyes, "I know the perfect way to finish this day Sully." She rubbed her thumb up against his hand. He smiled, "Yeah? What do you suggest?" She moved in close to him, and let her hand move up his chest to his neck, where she ran her fingers through his hair. She smiled and softly said, "Let's go look at the stars from my cabin." He laughed a little, "Ok, but I have one request?" She looked at him and smiled, "Ok, what is it?" He looked into her eyes studying them, and admiring how beautiful they were. "Actually, I have two requests?" She opened her mouth a little, "Ah, two?" Her eyebrow arched a little more. He smiled from the corner of his mouth, "Yeah, two." He paused for a moment and Michaela spoke, "One?" He softly asked, "Dance with me?" She smiled, "And two?" He leaned in close to her ear, she could feel his breath on her neck as he replied, "That's a surprise." She stepped back away from him and smiled, then she asked, "Well what are we waiting for?"
They turned off the lights in Sully's house and made their way to the barn. Sully took Wolf some food and Michaela checked his wound for any problems that may have started. He was healing very well, and she knew Wolf would be back at the park by next week. She felt good about helping him get better, and she was happy with the surgery she had performed this morning at the hospital. Things were starting to get back on track when it came to her profession. She stood up after petting Wolf and watched as Sully also said goodnight to his friend. He was such a good man, a caring, honest, loving man. She couldn't help but look over him with desire, and hope that this all might become a little more permanent one day. He had beautiful form, but she was increasingly attracted to him in other ways. Their shared respect, the giving and acceptance of love. It didn't seem like it could be real, and yet somehow, they had found each other. Michaela couldn't wait to be on the front porch of her cabin with him. He stood up and turned around asking, "You ready to go?" She replied, "Yes, I'm ready." They both walked to the barn doors and left as Wolf made his way back to his food. It was still light when they arrived at Michaela's cabin. Sully went to the fireplace and made a fire. Then he picked up the poetry book that was on the table and carried it over to the door, "It's still light out here but that might give me a chance to read a few of these, if you're interested. A surprise poetry reading." She smiled and left her crutches in the kitchen. Then she walked to him and took his hand, leading him out the door. Sully sat down on the bench outside. He left one leg on the bench and put his foot on the porch. Michaela sat down and he put his arms around her so he could hold the book. She could feel his breath next to her ear as she slid forward a little and laid her head on his chest.
Sully flipped to one of the marked pages and began to read. "I sing the body electric..." She sat there and listened as his voice softly spoke to her, finding the right rhythm for the content. She could feel her heart beat slow in her own chest. She could see her chest rise and fall with the words he shared being full of want and desire. She wanted so much to let him know that she appreciated this. The thought occurred to her that maybe she should share her poem from his book. She would wait until he was done reading though. Sully continued, "This is the female form, A divine nimbus exhales from it from head to foot, it attracts with fierce undeniable attraction, I am drawn by its breath as if I were no more than a helpless vapor, all falls aside but myself and it..." She lay against him strangely comfortable, and also a little tense from his words. The deep vibrations from his voice caused a gentle massage against her head and back. It was soothing when he spoke. When Sully finished the poem, she lay there quietly for a few moments. Sully was worried that he put her to sleep, "Michaela?" She spoke, "Oh, sorry, I was thinking." He laughed a little and her head moved with him, then she replied again, "That was beautiful." He smiled and said, "I'm glad you liked it." She reached forward and took the book from his hands. Sitting up, she turned towards him a little. The sun was starting to set, it was getting darker, and she wanted to recite her poem. Michaela opened the book where she had folded the opposite corner of the page, "There's a statue in Boston of this poet, with a beautiful Irish statue behind it representing Ireland. A mother flanked by her two sons, patriotism and poetry. This poem I found in your book is simple, but I think it conveys how I feel about us." She turned more, almost facing him, and then dropped one hand to his knee as she held the book up and started reading. "The red rose whispers of passion, And the white rose breathes of love; O, the red rose is a falcon, and the white rose is a dove. But I send you a cream-white rosebud, With a flush on its petal tips; For the love that is purest and sweetest, Has a kiss of desire on the lips." She stopped and slowly put the book down. Sully didn't hesitate. He sat up, his hand starting on her neck and moving up her face with great passion. Michaela reached for his face, softly caressing his cheek as her hand moved to his hair, caressing his ear. They both searched each other's eyes and then their focus shifted to each other's lips. Leaning forward, the desire on their lips released its hold on them, and Sully trailed kisses down her neck, stopping at her shoulder and breathing with a heavy sigh. He breathed against her neck and pulled her to him. Then he softly spoke, "Lady, I will touch you with my mind. Touch you, and touch,...and touch, until you give me suddenly a smile, shyly obscene. Lady I will touch you with my mind, touch you, that is all, lightly...and you utterly will become, with infinite care, the poem which I do not write." He kissed her neck and moved back to her mouth, kissing her firmly and then moving to her ear. "Michaela, when is your father coming to visit, I need to ask him for something." She gasped a little and smiled shyly, "I, I don't know. Maybe another week, maybe two." He held her firmly as the sky grew darker, "We, have to wait," he breathed deeply, "we have to wait." Slowly breathing out, he released her and stood up. He held out his hand. "Dance with me?" She looked up and smiled. Standing up, she put her hands on him. Then they danced holding each other close. Being careful of their movements, Sully took small steps as he slowly turned her around and around under the dark star filled sky.