Summary: Modern day story. Michaela and Sully are both single parents that have suffered some tragedies in their lives. Though they are both happy with their children, life doesn't start to really look up until they find each other.


Michaela

"I lost my father, my fiancé, and my best friend in the same week," Michaela explained to her therapist, Dr. Cassidy. She was seated on a brown leather chair, inside of an office decorated in very dark, masculine colors.

"Tell me about that," Dr. Cassidy said, "Tell me about each loss, Dr. Cooper."

"It's Dr. Quinn," Michaela corrected him, "Ethan and I are divorced. To be frank, I was still Dr. Quinn even when we were married."

"Forgive me, Dr. Quinn," Dr. Cassidy amended, "Please do tell me about your losses."

"I guess, I will have to start with my fiancé, David Lewis," Michaela began.

"Dr. David Lewis?" Dr. Cassidy inquired, "The cardiologist?"

"Yes," Michaela confirmed, "Did you know him?"

"Yes, I did," Dr. Cassidy said, "He and I were college friends. We were both pre-med. Then he went into cardiology and I went into psychiatry, and we lost touch. I am very sorry to hear about his death."

"Thank you," Michaela said, getting a little choked up, but she regained her composure before she started to cry, "It was seven, almost eight, years ago now. It was a terrible ski accident. He hit a tree."

"Oh dear," Dr. Cassidy commented, appearing truly saddened by the news.

"As I was making funeral arrangements for him, with the help of his parents and mine, my best friend, Charlotte, died three days later in a car accident, " Michaela explained with a sorrowful sigh, "She left behind a husband and a son."

"Go on," Dr. Cassidy encouraged, wanting her to communicate her feelings.

"The most devastating of the losses had to be when I lost my father, Dr. Josef Quinn," Michaela admitted.

"I see," Dr. Cassidy said, "I knew your father as well. Great man."

"Thank you," Michaela replied. She was always pleased when someone spoke highly of her father, "He had a stroke, two days after Charlotte's accident. When I lost him, that is when I truly hit rock bottom. My father was my hero, my most encouraging mentor, my confidant and… just like that, he was gone."

"How did it make you feel when you lost all of those people?" asked the doctor.

Michaela felt like walking out of his office when he asked her that. How did he think it made her feel? Hadn't she been telling him how it made her feel? How would it make anyone feel? Maybe she should walk out. She didn't want therapy. The only reason she was in this man's office was to appease her mother.

"Lonely," Michaela finally answered. It was an honest reply.

"Can you elaborate on that?" he asked.

"I felt so lonely that I willingly surrendered my virtue to be held by a stranger," Michaela answered bluntly. Since she was being honest, she felt like she should blurt out that truth too. Then she got so embarrassed when she said it that she nearly used her hand to cover her mouth.

"Tell me about it," he said, wanting her to continue to open up.

"It was my ex-husband," Michaela said, shaking her head. Pleased that Dr. Cassidy did not seem at all shocked by her confession, she was able to continue without feeling mortified, "He was my best friend's widower. About a month after I lost the important people in my life, Ethan asked me if I could baby-sit his son, Matthew, because he needed to run some errands. I agreed. Why wouldn't I agree to help out my dear friend's husband? He came home late, and I had already put Matthew to bed. The baby was only three-and-a-half at the time. Ethan came home and I was laying on his couch watching television. We started to talk, then… one thing led to another and we... I felt so guilty and ashamed afterward."

"Who initiated it?" asked Dr. Cassidy.

"He did," Michaela said, "I wouldn't have initiated anything like that. When he touched me and kissed me, it felt good. I was sad and lonely and I let it happen."

"When did you decide to marry him?" Dr. Cassidy asked.

"A month after Ethan and I were together, I found out I was pregnant with our daughter, Colleen," Michaela explained, "I asked him to marry me, actually. I had been so irresponsible, being with him, and I felt that I had to be responsible for my daughter. He agreed, so we got married and I adopted Matthew."

"Were you happy in your marriage?" Dr. Cassidy inquired.

"For a time. Matthew brightened my whole world. It was like I was in a dark room, and Matthew lit a candle for me. When I gave birth to Colleen, it was like someone had turned the lights on," Michaela remembered fondly, "The kids were wonderful, and I loved being a mother."

"What about being a wife?" Dr. Cassidy asked, "I asked you if you were happy in your marriage and you talked about being a mother. Were you happy as a wife?"

"Becoming a mother was the only part of my marriage that I truly and fully enjoyed," she answered honestly, "Focusing on Matthew and Colleen helped me stay married to him for the first four years. I wanted to leave him then, but I found out I was pregnant with our youngest son, Brian. I tried to work it out for another two years, but then I couldn't take it anymore."

"How long were you married in total?" Dr. Cassidy asked.

"A little more than six years," Michaela answered.

"How old are your children now?" he inquired.

"Matthew is eleven, Colleen is six, and Brian is two," she explained.

"What was so difficult about being married to their father?" Dr. Cassidy questioned.

"Ethan and I didn't know each other very well before we got married, and we didn't see eye-to-eye on several things," Michaela told the therapist, "I shouldn't have been surprised. Charlotte confided in me more than once that she wanted to leave him. Anyway, finances was one of those things that we didn't agree on. I never understood him. He worked as a CPA for Ernst and Young, but was terrible with money. He spent like crazy on ridiculous trinkets and invested in get-rich-quick schemes. I had to open up my own bank account, just so he wouldn't clean us out completely every month."

"Was that your only issue?" Dr. Cassidy asked, "I'm not saying that finances aren't a big deal. My second wife and I divorced over finances."

"No," Michaela answered, uncrossing her legs and crossing them back in a different direction. She was going to give her mother a piece of her mind after this. What did her mother mean by sending her to a therapist who had been divorced twice? He was divorced twice that she knew of. For all she knew, he could be married to his fifth wife right now. What on earth did he know about healthy relationships? Michaela decided it was best to push that thought away and continue with her session, for now, "Finances were a big issue, but we didn't see eye-to-eye on child rearing or monogamy either."

"He committed adultery," Dr. Cassidy concluded aloud, "Did you do it too?"

"No," Michaela answered truthfully, "I came close, with a male colleague, but I couldn't go through with it," Fearing that Dr. Cassidy may know him too, she omitted her colleague's name. She respected and admired Dr. William Burke very much, and didn't want to tarnish his reputation to Dr. Cassidy, "I was a married woman, and my vows mattered to me. I couldn't be with another man, even though I loathed my husband."

"How do you know that he committed adultery?" asked the therapist.

"His secretary used to call me and tell me about it. She detested Ethan almost as much as I did," Michaela explained, "She didn't want him to get away with it. Other than that, I received phone calls from other women in his office. I ignored them mostly, because I knew those women were gossips and were just trying to cause trouble. However, I caught him once with Lillian, our daughter's dance instructor. I should have left him then, but I wanted to make it work for our children."

Dr. Cassidy let out a disgruntled sigh, as if he had heard that comment before from other female patients, "You mentioned the children as an area of contention. What was your disagreement there?"

"Different things. I wanted the kids to eat healthy food, and he would pump them up with sugar. I wanted us to attend church on Sunday, and he would book tickets to some concert or play that took place on Sunday and get the kids to want to go do that instead of going to church. Worst of all, he used corporal punishment, after I asked him not to," Michaela explained, "An incident involving Matthew was what led me to my breaking point."

"What did he do?" he asked.

Michaela sighed, "Generally speaking, when he spanked the kids, it wasn't that bad. If they disobeyed him, he swatted them on the bottom with his hand. I didn't agree with it, but it wasn't abusive. Then that changed."

"How did it change?" he asked.

"About a year and a half ago now, Matthew disobeyed him," Michaela said, "He gave Matthew permission to walk home from school with his friends, instead of being picked up by the nanny. His friends live in our building, so it was fine with us that they all walked home together. Matthew was to walk home immediately. Instead, he and his friends went to the arcade for a few hours and we didn't know where they were. The nanny was worried sick and was panicking. She called Ethan and I at work, and we both had to leave to locate our son. When we finally found him, Matthew apologized for making me and the nanny worry, but he said he couldn't care less that he disobeyed his father. So Ethan spanked him with a wrought iron fireplace shovel."

"What did you do when he did that?" inquired Dr. Cassidy, his eyes large.

"I screamed until he stopped and then we got into an argument," Michaela told the doctor, "He said that Matthew deserved the consequence for his disobedience and disrespect. I agreed that Matthew needed a consequence, but I would have come up with a different consequence. I believe in rules and consequences for my children. I don't believe in raising my hands to them, much less a wrought iron fireplace shovel."

"Was that the incident that made you file for divorce?" Dr. Cassidy inquired.

"Yes," Michaela said with a sigh, "Our marriage wasn't healthy to begin with. That was too far. That wasn't a spanking, in my opinion, it was a beating. Thank God my son wasn't hurt physically. I don't know what kind of emotional damage it caused."

"Is it finalized?" Dr. Cassidy asked and when Michaela nodded, he asked, "How did it turn out."

"I got full custody of my children, including Matthew. I took my possessions that I owned before the marriage, and my clothing. I was also granted my kids' possessions, and I didn't have to split my bank account with him," Michaela informed Dr. Cassidy, "In exchange, he got our condo fully furnished, our cars, my jewelry that he bought after we were married, and anything of value that didn't belong to the children."

"You mentioned that you kept your clothing," said the doctor, "Did he want to keep your clothes?" Dr. Cassidy had heard some strange things that people fought over during divorce proceedings, but he had never heard of a husband wanting to keep his wife's clothes.

"I own some expensive things," Michaela clarified, "I own a few Chanel suits, some dresses from Armani, and some other designer items. He didn't want all of my clothes, but he wanted the designer pieces, so he could sell them."

Dr. Cassidy shook his head, thinking that Ethan was a real cheapskate and scumbag, "Did you come up with an agreement for child support?"

"I waived my right to child support, in exchange for not being responsible for any of his debts," Michaela explained, "I got a good deal."

"How are you now?" asked the doctor.

"My children and I have been living at my mother's house since I left Ethan," Michaela said, "I've been an Internal Medicine Physician at Massachusetts General Hospital since before we were married, and I still work there. Matthew and Colleen are in a private primary school. Brian goes to a private church daycare twice a week and is with my mother for the rest of the time while I'm at work. My kids are doing really well now."

"But how are YOU?" Dr. Cassidy prodded, making sure to emphasize the word, you.

"I finally bought a new car," Michaela answered, "I was going to get a Honda Pilot, but my mother insisted that I get a Mercedes GLS SUV."

"Emotionally?" Dr. Cassidy clarified, "I'm a psychiatrist, but I choose to provide counseling for a reason. I want to help you emotionally. Why are you here today? How can I help you?"

"My mother insisted that I come," Michaela informed him, "She thinks I'm sabotaging my own happiness."

"Why?" he asked.

"The doctor that I nearly had an affair with asked me out to dinner more than once," Michaela admitted, "and I turned him down."

"Is that the only reason she thinks that you are sabotaging yourself?" he inquired.

"She says that I do things for my kids, to make them happy, but I don't do anything for me," Michaela explained, "She would like me to care about me as much as I care about my kids. I don't know how to do that."

"It's important to care for one's children," Dr. Cassidy said, "It's important to find a balance as well. Your kids won't be happy if they think you're miserable. They love you, like you love them. They want you to be happy."

"I know that," Michaela said and then she got to the point. She didn't want therapy, but she came to this meeting for advice about something. The something was an area of contention between Michaela and her mother, "A doctor that was my advisor in college opened a private practice, as a family doctor, several years ago with his son. His son left the practice to be a head surgeon in Denver, Colorado. My former advisor is ready to retire and wants to sell the practice. He offered it to me and I can afford his asking price."

"Do you want to go into private practice as a Family Medicine Doctor?" inquired Dr. Cassidy.

"I think so, yes," Michaela answered, "It would be a welcome change. My kids are on board."

"Then what's the problem?" he asked.

"My mother," Michaela said, "She doesn't want me to take it."

"Why not?" he inquired.

"The practice is in Colorado Springs, Colorado," Michaela said, "She doesn't want me to move across the country. I want to go. I want to leave Boston and give myself and my children a fresh start."


Sully

"I got Zac," Sully said, clearing his throat, "I got him."

Sully crouched down in front of his wife's grave and gently ran his hand over the cold stone.

"I know you were worried because the adoption wasn't finalized before ya went," Sully said to the grave, "But the judge said that because the papers were signed, I get custody, and I do have the papers now," Sully removed the adoption papers from his coat pocket and showed them to the grave. A few tears streamed down his face, and he wiped them with the back of his hand. Then he put the papers back into his pocket.

Sully and Abagail were married for roughly five years. He was her second husband and she felt like she really won the lottery the second time around. Her first husband, Hank Lawson, was currently serving a twelve-year prison sentence for causing the death of Abagail's mother, Maude. One night, while driving drunk, he caused a car accident that killed his mother-in-law. Abagail, who had been having other issues with Hank, filed for divorce the day after her mother's funeral.

Abagail's marriage to Hank resulted in the birth of one child, Zachary Lawson. The boy was a handful, like his father, and Abagail had a hard time managing him until Sully came into the picture.

Sully ran a ranch that had once belonged to his late father, Bradford Sully, just outside the city of Colorado Springs. Sully's foster mother, Snowbird Cloud, ran a summer camp at the ranch for children. She made Sully help her every year. Abagail brought her son to the summer camp when he was five, and the boy bonded with Sully.

Abagail was pleased that her son found a male role model, especially a handsome, single one like Sully. When she took him to the camp, Hank had just been sentenced and was sent to jail. Zachary needed a stable, decent, warm-hearted role model that could show him how to be a good man.

Sully and Abagail were married a year later. Three years after that, Abagail gave birth to their daughter, Hanna.

Tragedy struck around the time of Hanna's first birthday. The doctors found that Abagail had a heart defect that required a transplant. Abagail was put on a waiting list for a heart. As time passed, and she didn't get a new heart, she wanted Sully to adopt her son. That way, she knew he'd be safe.

She and Sully signed all of the paperwork, and their social worker filed it. As weeks went by and they didn't have the final papers, Abagail began to worry that she would die before everything was finalized, and she wouldn't be able to protect her son. Sully begged her not to worry, but she couldn't help herself.

"I hate that the heart never came, and the papers didn't come fast enough," Sully said running his hand back and forth over the gravestone, "I hate that you had to spend the last moments of your life worryin', but you don't need to worry no more. You can rest easy and assured that the kids are taken care of. Your father still hates my guts, especially now that I got Zac and not him, but I think he'll get over it in time."

Abagail's father, Loren, didn't want Abagail to marry Hank and she did it anyway. He saw him as a lowlife. Since it was his accident that killed Maude, Loren blamed Abagail on some level, even though it wasn't her fault. He warned her that Hank would ruin her life, but he didn't think that Hank would also ruin his life by taking his wife from him.

Since Loren was right about Hank, he thought that Abagail would listen to him when she wanted to marry Sully. He called Sully a second long-haired, lowlife, hippy. Abagail insisted that Loren was right about Hank, but wrong about Sully, and she married him anyway.

"Hank ain't ever gettin' him," Sully said, "Don't ya worry about that either. Zachary is doin' great. He's gettin' good grades in school. He works with the animals after school at the ranch. His art skills are really improvin'. I had him paint a mural at the ranch. His cows and horses are very life like."

Sully adjusted himself so he was sitting on his bottom on the grass in front of her grave. Sully's dog, an Alaskan Malamute named Wolf, jumped out of the bed of this truck and trotted up behind Sully. Then he sat down next to him by the grave. Sully patted his head and continued to talk to his wife.

"Hanna's doin' well too. She gets prettier every day. She loves to walk, talk, sing, dance, jump, fly..." Sully said with a chuckle, "I let Ma put her in a mommy-and-me dance class. I hate that Hanna's goin' to a mommy-and-me class without her mommy, but Ma doesn't mean any harm."

When Sully said, "Ma," he meant his foster mother, Snowbird. Byron Sully and his older brother, Brecken Sully were orphaned at the ages of thirteen and ten. They were taken in by the Cloud family, Lawrence and Sharon Cloud. Sharon, went by her middle name, Snowbird, but insisted that her foster sons call her Ma, just like her natural born son. Lawrence went by his middle name, Cloud Dancing, and everyone called him that, except his son, Walter. They fostered Sully and his brother, and a couple of years after they were living with them, they fostered another boy, who was Sully's age, named Daniel Simon.

When Sully was sixteen, Cloud Dancing, Snowbird and the four boys went up into the woods and stayed in a cabin. There was an electrical problem that caused a fire in the middle of the night. The family of six all had to be hospitalized after the fire, but sadly, Cloud Dancing, Walter and Brecken died of smoke inhalation.

It was terrible, Sully and Daniel both felt like they had been orphaned again. Snowbird clung tightly to the two boys and had always kept them close ever since.

Now that Sully was a widower with an eleven-year-old son and two-year-old daughter, Snowbird really stepped up as the grandmother.

An alarm went off on Sully's phone. He had to leave to have enough time to pick up the kids and take them to their dental appointments. He stood up, but stopped to look down at the grave before he left it.

"I hate doin' this without ya. I hate it Abagail. I really do. I wish... but... I guess I have to. I have no choice but to do this without ya," Sully closed his eyes and let out a long mournful sigh, "I love you," he said and left the grave to make his way to his Toyota Tundra. As he got to his truck, he whistled for Wolf. Wolf sprinted to Sully, and Sully opened the back of his truck, so the dog could jump into the bed of it. Once the dog was secured, he opened the truck door and climbed into the driver's seat and he drove away to pick up his kids.


A/N: This is my stab at a modern day story. Since it's a modern day story, it's obviously an alternate universe story, so I took some artistic liberties. I hope you enjoy it.

To be continued.

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