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X.O.X
Tuesday, 25th May, 1869
One Day Later
X.O.X
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"Michaela, I don't know what to say. I had no idea after what I said, they'd dream up somethin' so humiliatin'!" Dorothy, her mouth wide in disbelief, rested her hands on the back of her editor's chair.
"Really, it wasn't that bad, Dorothy. It was quite funny when I think about it. Hank had everything from cirrhosis of the liver to appendicitis, and even then he still held it together," Michaela laughed just remembering the events from the day before.
"Well, so long as you can laugh at it, guess there's no harm done," Michaela and Dorothy turned with smiles on their faces as Brian sprinted into the store, his books dangling from the leather strap behind his shoulder.
"Hey Ma, hey Miss Dorothy!" He launched himself squarely towards Michaela, wrapping his arms around her waist tightly as he looked between each of the women.
"You have a nice day at school, Brian?" Dorothy queried, looking between the small boy attached firmly to his mother's side, before glancing up at Michaela questioningly, indicating Brian's pronounced clingy behavior.
"Yes, ma'am. Reverend set a date for the auction, asked if you could print it in The Gazette. Everyone's real excited. Once we get the money, can start making costumes and sets and stuff," Brian, still with his arms clutched around Michaela's waist, turned to peer awkwardly at the jars of candy across the room, not being able to justify leaving her side to approach them.
"Well, when's it going to be, Brian? I'll put a notice in the next edition." Dorothy bent down to obtain a portion of the boy's already divided attention.
"Ah, ah, three weeks on Saturday, Miss Dorothy. The nineteenth," Brian answered her politely, before taking several steps away, deducing that if he kept a hand gripped to Michaela's skirt he wouldn't really be leaving her.
"I see," Dorothy acknowledged Brian's information, before meeting eyes with Michaela suspiciously.
"This just started, Michaela?" Dorothy very subtly indicated Brian's slightly regressed and attached behavior.
Michaela nodded with a sigh, eventually turning and bending down to address the conflicted child.
"Brian, if you would like to get a bag of candy, you are going to have to cross the room. By yourself." She gently plied his left hand from her skirt, watching as he nodded slowly and made his way quickly to the candy jars.
"Someone has been having a few problems at school, nightmares. Hopefully it should pass in a week or so," Michaela smoothed her skirt back neatly, Dorothy looking from Brian back to her friend supportively.
"Think he was real shook up by everything. Let me know if you need me to watch him anytime, give you a break," Dorothy suggested, Michaela smiling as Brian, a brown bag in his left hand, decided amongst the various forms of candy, with a seriousness as if his life depended on it.
"Thank-you, Dorothy. Although Sully's been very good with them, especially on the weekend," Michaela watched an awkward expression appear on Dorothy's face; she wanted to broach a subject but wasn't too sure how it would be received.
"So, he's been around?" The redhead looked between the floor and Brian's procrastination, before eventually meeting Michaela's eyes.
Michaela nodded, suddenly realizing Dorothy was trying to delicately inquire as to the status of their relationship.
The pair remained silent, neither wanting to continue the conversation, however neither knowing quite where to go from there, Brian eventually returning with his brown paper bag, candy balanced precariously, threatening to spill over the edge.
"Brian, that's enough to last you a week," Michaela observed, although aware of how fond Brian was of candy, never having known him to be quite so superfluous before.
"Well, Taffy likes Taffy, Ma. Had to get a bit extra for her and this way I don't have to come back until the weekend." He looked pleadingly between the bag and his mother's disapproving expression, worried she'd make him return the excess sweets.
"All right, but we're putting that horse on a sugar-restricted diet," Michaela smiled to Dorothy before making her way to the counter, Brian hovering by her side once again.
"That's all right, all the more for me," Brian replied as he handed the candy to Mr. Bray to assess.
"For someone who was complaining of a stomach ache only yesterday, there certainly doesn't seem to be any lasting effects," Michaela ruffled his hair, although fully aware of the fictitiousness of his illness, a common theme running through the town the past twenty-four hours.
"Afternoon, Dr Mike, that'll be thirty-five cents for the candy." He continued pricing the assorted grocery items in her basket before looking up once again. "One dollar ten altogether," Loren smiled shyly, Jake having informed him that morning of the failure of their little plan.
"Thank-you, Loren, how's your back by the way?" Michaela smiled, handing him the money and collecting the basket of groceries.
"Oh, ah, much better. Ah, sorry about that," Loren slipped the money into the cash box, shifting his gaze nervously.
"Quite all right. Good day, Loren," Michaela turned, nearly tripping over Brian as he struggled to maintain a single foot radius around her.
Dorothy joined Loren's side, eyeing him up and down mysteriously.
"Certainly kept that one quiet, Loren. Knew I'd disapprove?" She queried, although the jest in her voice obvious.
"Thought we were helping, didn't we?" Loren shook his head, watching as Brian and Michaela joined Colleen who was waiting in the wagon outside.
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"Please, Ma, you gotta do it. You gotta beat Benjamin's ma," Brian had been informing Michaela of the auction details for the entirety of their journey home, Colleen long since given up trying to distract him.
"I said I'll consider it, Brian," Michaela, her hands held loosely on the reins of the wagon, replied tiredly.
"All right," Brian popped another piece of candy into his mouth as they slowed, having arrived back at the homestead.
All three climbed down from the wagon, Michaela grateful when Colleen offered to unbridle Bear and put him back in the barn.
"Ma, how long you gonna need 'fore you decide 'bout the auction?" Brian recommenced, as he and Michaela arrived on the porch and entered the homestead.
"Brian, I told you!" Michaela sighed, watching his face drop in fear in response to her exasperation.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell. I'll tell you when I have had a chance to think about it. Don't worry, I won't forget," Michaela rubbed her forehead, Brian scurrying into the homestead ahead of her.
Crossing the room to place her medical bag on the table, Michaela glanced around, relieved that Colleen had finished the dishes from breakfast that morning. Pulling off her coat and laying it across the end of her bed, Michaela sat on the edge of the mattress, rolling onto her side, still finding the long wagon rides uncomfortable.
"Ma, you all right?" Brian peered back around from the children's sleeping area after several moments, his voice concerned, however laced with apology.
"Fine, just a bit tired," Michaela propped her head up in her right hand, Brian crossing the room to arrive at her side.
"Want me to go outside?" He whispered, his natural sensitivity shining through, although hoping she would refute his question.
"You don't have to, sweetheart. Tell me more about school," Michaela watched with drooping eyes as he paced around to the empty side of the bed, carefully climbing onto it and sitting up against the pillow next to her.
"Well, we had a spelling test and I only got two words wrong and that woulda been the best, but Colleen got 'em all right, so she won." Brian drew a breath, continuing with his recount of the day.
"And then the Reverend started planning the play with us and it's gonna be about these two guys who are both trying to get this girl to marry 'em but the first guy he's really mean, like he drinks and doesn't treat her good or nothin' but he's really rich and the girl kinda likes him. Then there's this other guy. He's not as rich and can't give her all the fancy presents or nothin' but he's heaps more nice to her and so they both," Brian looked over about to finish the story, however noticing Michaela had fallen asleep next to him, her eyes dropped closed peacefully.
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X.O.X
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"Evenin'," Sully, an animal carcass held awkwardly in his right hand, approached the homestead. Colleen and Brian were immersed in a game of checkers on the porch.
"Sully!" Brian replied excitedly, immediately forfeiting his game to arrive at his friend's side.
"Thought you might be wantin' this for supper. Hope there's enough time to get it ready?" Sully looked between the afternoon sun and Colleen's grateful expression.
"Sure, we can have a later supper. Why don't you and Brian go get it ready, I'll bring out a pan to the barn, and get started on everything else?" Colleen, picking up the checkers pieces and board suggested.
"Sounds good. Brian, wanna come give me a hand?" Sully suggested, the little boy looking unsurely between the front door of the homestead and the barn.
"Ah, all right," he acquiesced, suddenly remembering his birthday present. "Yeah I can help; look Sully!" Brian retrieved his small pocketknife from his trousers, displaying it proudly in front of him.
"Ya showed me last week, Brian, I think it's great. Might be a bit small though," Sully chuckled, he and Brian arrived quickly in the barn, Sully propping the animal carcass on the wooden bench, the pair getting to work skinning and cleaning the animal.
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"All done, Colleen!" Brian pushed through the back door, the tray balanced awkwardly in his small hands.
"Excellent tell Sully it'll just be a couple of hours 'til it's cooked." Colleen slid the tray into the hot over, Michaela continuing with the vegetable preparation.
"Did you have a nice sleep, Ma?" Brian asked, arriving by her side to clean his hands in the bowl of water.
"Very. You two look like you've been busy out there," Michaela watched as Brian soaked the blood from his fingers, the once clear white bowl of water soon reddening.
"Yup, helpin' Sully with the meat. Got supper all ready," Brian finished, drying his hands and returned back out to the barn.
Michaela sighed, swallowing as she felt the queasiness well up from the pit of her stomach.
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"Ma's awake, Sully. She's helpin' Colleen with supper," Brian informed him dutifully, Sully almost having finished cleaning the wooden work bench clean.
"Won't be much longer here, then we can go join 'em." Sully wrung out the rag in the nearby bucket of water, continuing to scrub the bench.
"Yeah and you can tell Ma she can do the auction. You'll bid for her, won't ya, Sully?" Brian quickly delved into his current greatest topic of conversation.
"The what, Brian?" Sully paused, having only heard about three words of his sentence.
"The auction. See we're gonna be doin' a play at school but we need to raise money for the costumes and stuff and so Missy suggested that all the ladies do this auction and the men get to bid for a chance to dance with 'em at Olive's. The auction's in three weeks Sully but Ma won't tell me she'll do it but she has to do it, otherwise Benjamin'll keep teasin' me," Brian hung awkwardly onto the edge of the bench, balancing his weight as he leant backwards into a childlike contortion. Sully had stopped working several sentences ago, bending down to address Brian.
"Ah, Brian, something like that, Dr Mike might not feel too comfortable about the idea of gettin' up in front of all those people. So I don't want you to be too upset if she doesn't do it, ya hear?" He rested his hand on the boy's chest, Brian dropping his head miserably.
"But then Benjamin'll be able to keep teasin' me, coz he said Ma couldn't do the auction but I said she could," Brian, not usually overly concerned with selfish motivations, had been deeply hurt by Benjamin Avery's cruel comments.
"Now you listen to me, Brian. It's not that Dr Mike can't be in the auction, it's just, it's up to her, and whatever she decides, we gotta support her in that, understand?" Sully, his hands now placed on each of the young boy's shoulders, looked Brian directly in the eyes, waiting for him to acknowledge his statement.
"I guess so," Brian replied quickly, Sully not convinced.
"No Brian, no guessin'. I mean it, whatever Dr Mike decides you gotta respect that. Don't go buggin' her about it," Sully knew how charmingly persistent the boy could be.
"Reckon that's why she yelled at me before? Coz I was buggin' her about it?" Brian dropped his head again, matching Sully's words with the incident several hours earlier.
"I'd say that'd do it, Brian. You gotta remember, Brian, what's happened, changes things. Dr Mike ain't gonna enjoy people talkin' 'bout her all the time. She ain't gonna want to be the center of attention like before. Lots a things gonna be different," Sully trailed of, realizing he was referring to more than just the townsfolk's reactions.
"You an' Ma still courtin' ain't ya?" Brian suddenly came to the realization that Sully had not been spending quite so much time around them as he had in the past.
"Well, don't know about that Brian. Best let Dr Mike and I worry about that," Sully moved his eyes around the barn thoughtfully, hoping Brian would take the hint and drop the subject.
"But, I don't get it, don't ya like Ma anymore?" Brian looked worriedly at Sully, not understanding the complexity of the situation.
"Course I do, Brian. I'll always love your ma but just, maybe she doesn't like me anymore," Sully sighed, looking through the door towards the homestead before meeting eyes with Brian once again.
"But she don't blame you for what happened, Sully. She told me," Brian raised his eyebrows hopefully, certain that this would now clear up any confusion.
"Can't be too sure about anything, Brian. Let's go play ball for awhile," Sully was about to stand up, more than ready to change the subject, when Brian's face took on a look of completely seriousness.
"No, trust me, Sully. Let's go ask her, come on." Brian tugged on his arm quickly, Sully not managing to stop him before the small boy raced out through the barn door towards the homestead.
"Brian! No, Brian, wait!" Sully called desperately, having no choice but to follow when he disappeared back inside the homestead.
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Michaela and Colleen both looked up instantly in response to the speed with which Brian bounded into the homestead.
"Ma, tell Sully you don't blame him for you gettin' hurt," he announced quickly, Sully arriving behind him just quickly enough to catch the gist of his sentence.
Colleen turned immediately to face Michaela, the four remaining absolutely motionless for the next ten seconds, Sully leaning forward to try and distract Brian.
"Brian, Sully knows I don't," Michaela swallowed, her eyes fixed on the small boy, turning to glance at Sully only after she had completed her answer.
"See. So there's no reason you two can't go courtin' anymore, is there, Sully?"
Colleen noticing Michaela and Sully lock eyes, decided to physically remove Brian.
"Brian, we're going to go feed the chickens. Now," she ordered, pulling him outside by the shoulder of his vest.
Sully waited until the Colleen had closed the door behind them, crossing the room until he was only several feet from Michaela, who had moved her attention back to the vegetables she'd been preparing for supper.
Raising her head as she felt him near her, Michaela was aware of the hairs on the back of her neck rising, the air escaping through her slightly opened mouth, as she brought her eyes up the remaining small distance to meet with his once again.
"Sorry about Brian, he, ah, doesn't understand," Sully cleared his throat, although not breaking their glance.
"Can't expect him to, really," Michaela replied quickly, starting to feel that if she didn't force herself to breathe soon, she'd pass out.
"Think it's best he knows we're friends though," Sully continued nervously, assuming that they were still at least that.
"Yes," Michaela blinked, breathing again out of pure involuntarily reaction.
"So, ah, need any help here?" Sully quickly turned back to the assortment of vegetables beside them.
"Colleen was just finishing the potatoes, maybe you could," Michaela gestured to the potatoes still waiting to be peeled and cut up, Sully quickly nodding and reaching for the small knife beside the chopping board, the pair continuing with dinner preparation in silence, despite both musing over the words spoken only minutes before.
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X.O.X
Friday, 28th May, 1869
Three Days Later
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"Maaaaaaa! Maaaaaaa!" Michaela was torn from what had been a deep and relaxed sleep by the sound of Brian's terrified ear-piercing screams coming from across the room. Sitting up as Brian ran across the room, Michaela soon felt him land on the mattress next to her, his face drenched with tears, clinging to her arm as he tried to speak.
"Sweetheart, what?" Michaela looked down at him slowly, rubbing his back as he buried his head in her chest, his body wracked with sobs.
Colleen appeared across the room, having been woken by Brian's cries moments before. Michaela quickly reassured her and indicated for the young girl to return to bed.
"Another bad dream, Brian?" Michaela queried, the boy's crying slowly abating although his body still shaking in fear. Leaning back, he nestled against her side, Michaela draping the quilt over him to prevent him getting cold.
"There, there was a train, Ma," he began, taking a breath before continuing.
"There was this train, and I was running but it was going faster and faster and I couldn't keep up," Brian's breathing was heavy, although the tears had stopped falling from his eyes.
"I don't understand, Brian? You like trains," Michaela tilted her head downwards, her hand running along his upper arm in an effort to calm him.
"I didn't know why I was running at first, I just knew I had to. Then, then when I almost reached the train, I could see you, Ma," Brian swallowed, wiping the moisture from his face with the back of his hand.
"I was on the train?" Michaela raised an eyebrow, trying to follow Brian's recounting of the nightmare, however failing to see why it had caused him such distress.
"Yeah, you were leavin' us, Ma. You were goin' away, and I couldn't keep up. I was running and you were gettin' farther and farther away," Brian kept his fingers tightly gripped to the sleeve of Michaela's nightgown, looking back down at the bedspread as images from his nightmare continued to haunt him.
"Brian, you don't have to worry about anything like that," Michaela tried to comfort him, however aware of the expression of pure fear etched across his face. Simple reassurance wasn't going to get him back to sleep.
"Ma, I, I'm scared I'll have another bad dream," Brian's jaw trembled, Michaela acutely aware of the genuineness of his desperation on this occasion.
"I know. Would you like a story?" Michaela suggested, any selfish desire for sleep quickly diminishing upon noticing the petrified look on Brian's face.
"What kinda story?" Brian pulled the quilt up higher, Michaela securing the spare pillow behind his back, trying to think.
"Well, when we were little, your Aunt Marjorie and I used to fight all the time, she thought that Father liked me more than her," Michaela felt a smile come to her lips remembering the event she was describing, as she looked down to ensure she had Brian's attention.
"Is she the oldest?" Brian, his eyebrows raised in intrigue queried.
"No, Rebecca is the eldest, Marjorie is four years older than me," Michaela answered the child's question before continuing.
"And so this particular day, I was a little younger than you are now. Marjorie was very angry at me. Father had bought us all new dresses for a party we were to be attending the following week, and Marjorie decided that mine was prettier than hers," Michaela looked down, Brian snuggly resting against her, his face turned upwards slightly to glance at her every now and then.
"So, later that night, she crept into my room, when everyone was asleep, and she cut my hair, awfully short, only a bit longer than yours," Michaela stroked his fair hair softly, Brian gasping slightly in disbelief.
"Weren't you mad?" He asked, looking between her long hair falling over her shoulders and her face for a response.
"Well, when I woke up the next morning I was. You should have seen it! It was certainly too short for a girl to have and there were pieces hanging everywhere," Michaela drew a breath, Brian quickly cutting her off.
"So what'd ya do? Did Aunt Marjorie get into heaps of trouble?" Brian remained captivated by the anecdote.
"As I said, I was furious at first, but then Mother had one of our chambermaids fix it a little and I really rather liked it. I didn't like having to dress up and look pretty like my sisters, and I thought it made me look more like a boy, which my Mother was horrified at," Michaela stopped as Brian opened his mouth to question something once again.
"You mean you wanted to look like a boy? Why?" the small boy giggled lightly, trying to picture his mother at that age.
"Well, because in Boston back then, boys were the ones who had all the fun. They were able to study science and mathematics and were allowed to have discussions and opinions. Little girls had to play with dolls, cook and learn to sew," Michaela felt herself cringe at the mere memory.
"What happened to Aunt Marjorie?" Brian picked up quickly, still enthralled in the story.
"It took almost a day to realize it was her that had done it, she'd sworn Maureen and Claudette into secrecy, however Rebecca went to Father that night and informed him that Marjorie had collected all the hair and stored it in a drawer in her room, so she was sent to her room alone for the week and wasn't allowed to attend the party, either. She was so angry at me because I wasn't upset about it, I don't think she's ever forgotten about it. It had the complete opposite effect she'd desired; Father doted on me even more and bought me fancy ribbons and bows until my hair grew to a more appropriate length. That's when he gave me my nickname, too," Michaela watched as Brian quickly deduced her meaning.
"Dr Mike?" He responded instantly, Michaela's smile almost breaking into a chuckle.
"Mike," Michaela corrected, although slightly chuffed by the idea that Brian assumed she'd been a doctor since the age of ten.
"So that's why everyone calls you Dr Mike here then?" He added, Michaela noticing that the story had managed to calm him down somewhat.
"Exactly," Michaela finished, gazing around the completely silent homestead, her smile dropping after several seconds.
"Ma? We gonna go see Grandma again soon?" Brian, who had been remembering their recent trip to Boston the year before, asked hopefully.
"We'll see, Brian. Are you feeling any sleepier yet?" Michaela yawned, pulling her mind quickly from thoughts of Boston and her family, to the fact that it was probably the early hours of the morning by now.
"No, tell me another story?" Brian asked eagerly, rearranging the pillow behind his back.
"How about you tell me a story, Brian?" Michaela suggested disparagingly, aware that Brian did not seem to be as traumatized from his nightmare as he had been upon waking her.
"You ain't gonna fall asleep again, are ya?" The young boy frowned slightly, catching on to Michaela's strategy instantly.
Michaela, slightly disappointed that her tactic had been discovered, sat up further against the pillows, forcing herself to stay awake.
"Promise," she replied sincerely. Brian paused for several moments to recall his narrative.
"Think it was when I was four or five but it was before Miss Abigail died. I was stayin' at the store with Mr. Bray and weren't anyone coming in, so he was lettin' me brush his hair and I was bein' really silly about it and the brush got all caught up in his hair, he had heaps more hair back then. So we couldn't get the brush out and we tried and tried and then Miss Abigail had to cut the top of his hair to get the brush out and it left like this hole in his hair and it ain't never grown back since," Brian concluded, dropping his head in mock shame, however giggling quietly under his breath.
"So you had fun with Mr. Bray before his wife died?" Michaela rested her arm around Brian's shoulders, smiling at his naïve contentment.
"Uh-huh, was mainly before Miss Abigail died though, he's always been real grouchy since then. Then just was worse when Mrs. Bray died too," Brian informed his mother knowledgably.
"I see. It's hard when we lose people we love, suddenly, isn't it," Michaela speculated, knowing Brian would agree.
"Yeah but if you're lucky, you get to find other people," The young boy confirmed, Michaela deciding she would attempt once again to see if he would settle.
"Brian, it is awfully late, we probably should try and get back to sleep," Michaela suggested, praying he'd take the hint from her intermittent yawning.
"Well, can I stay?" He snuggled down further into the pillow on her left side.
"If you go to sleep. This is not going to become a habit, Brian." Michaela knew she shouldn't be permitting such dependency, however, was too tired to refuse the child's understandable request.
"Night Ma," Brian closed his eyes, Michaela resting her head back on the pillow beside him.
"Night, sweetheart," she replied, falling back to sleep the instant her eyes had shut.