William cleared his throat nervously as he stepped into the bare, clinical room. The small turn of the doorknob was the only sound to stir the attention of the two physicians still locked in conversation at the end of the large, wrought-iron bed.
"Excuse me. Dr Burke?" Dr Hodge initially opposed the younger physician's presence in the room, however, adjusted his tone when he recognized the man who now stood opposite him.
"Dr Hodge, I do apologize. I realize I might be intruding," William clasped his hands nervously together in front of him. His eyes locked on Michaela the instant he had turned around from closing the door.
"That's quite all right, is it another patient?" Hugo let the chart drop back down to the white table at the end of the bed and prepared to cross the room.
"No. No, it is nothing of the sort. I," William forced himself to divert his attention back to the physicians opposite him, his face still grim from the reality of the patient's identity. "I realize my actions are perhaps out of line, however, I wished to enquire as to your patient's wellbeing," His voice wavered, as his bright blue eyes looked between each of the stern doctors before him.
"I'm sorry, I'm not sure I," Dr Hodge protested, before William stepped forward to reiterate his request.
"Dr Quinn? You know she was in practice here several years ago. We, well, I would like to think we were friends. Her sister contacted me. I realize this is not strictly as it should be, however, I," William paused at the arrogant glare of disbelief he saw appear across the psychiatrist's face.
"Dr Burke, might you be prying?" Dr Edward's voice was cold and unemotional; he had made up his mind about this case long ago.
"Yes." William felt the single word slip without inflection from his mouth. The room remained silent whilst each of the men carefully regarded the younger physician.
"Dr Edwards, please, give us a few moments," Dr Hodge was captured by the unshielded honesty which lingered in William's eyes.
"This is preposterous! This man has no business meddling in a case which has already taken up too much time." The graying psychiatrist waited for the obstetrician to side with him, however, when no objection came, paced back across to the closed door. His final utterance was huffed, "I refuse to stand by and witness such unprofessional conduct. Dr Hodge, you are well aware of my opinion regarding the management of this case. However, if you choose to let this naïve man's soft-heartedness influence your opinion, then you are on your own. If you wish to stand by, and allow a child's life to be jeopardized by anything this man may say, I shall have no further involvement in this case! Do not request my assistance any further!" Dr Edwards threw the large, wooden door open roughly, before he strode out into the corridor, without giving either physician so much as another glance.
Hugo kept his expression blank and unreadable; William initially concerned he'd caused irreparable harm.
"I do apologize, I was only," William allowed the older man to interrupt his attempted apology, the two having been genuine acquaintances for many years.
"No. It was possibly for the best. Dr Edwards has always been too hasty to jump to conclusions. He believes there is no cure for those who become troubled in such a powerful way. From the old school, he feels detention and restraints are the only methods which are effective. If this woman truly is all that I have heard, then perhaps her sister is to be believed. Perhaps there is more to this presentation. My concern, Doctor, however, remains with the unborn child. If you feel you can shed some light on the situation, I would welcome any such attempt. However, you know the legal ramifications," Dr Hodge adjusted his footing nervously, almost grateful for William's interruption.
"Forgive me, but what exactly is the patient accused of having taken?" William raised his right hand out towards his colleague, his voice darkening in indication of the directness of his question.
"She was found unconscious, with an empty bottle of Laudanum, in a hotel room," Dr Hodge looked down very subtly to the chart less than a foot in front of him, which rested on top of the uncluttered table.
"Has there been no suggestion that there might be some physical basis for such administration? Dr Quinn might simply have," Dr Burke stammered, as he once again forced himself to remain detached from the reality that Michaela was laying only several feet from him.
"Don't waste your time, William. I know you wish to think the best whenever possible, however, there is no excuse for this. Dr Quinn knew better than to consume that amount for medicinal purposes. Regardless of the fact, given her easily detectable condition, she had no justification for," William interjected at once, when he realized he'd almost overlooked the most disturbing piece of information.
"You have verified the pregnancy?" His voice was flat as his gaze narrowed back to the dark brown cardboard chart.
"Oh yes. She is well into her second trimester, and all evidence indicates satisfactory fetal health. I suspect it was my examination, however, that prompted Dr Edwards' extreme reaction." Hugo dropped his left hand flatly to the folded document, as William pulled his gaze back up to his colleague.
"He thinks she was trying to abort this pregnancy? That is absurd! Michaela would never." William forced his jaw closed tightly when he saw the flash of skepticism pass across the older physician's face.
"Calm down! Perhaps this is the exact reason why Dr Edwards questioned your discussing the case with me. I know this might be difficult to hear, however there is considerable physical evidence to support this conclusion." Dr Hodge flipped the folder open and gestured to the scribbled notes he'd made not long ago. William shrugged in confusion as he began to read over the chart.
"Scarring, Dr Burke. And she has not delivered before, has she?"
William could only shake his head, as a small frown of concentration came to his lips. Almost in disbelief, he continued to read through the noted clinical findings. "No. I saw her less than a year ago, there is no way." William winced at the graphic observations of the previously conducted internal examination.
"Then I have no choice but to conclude with Dr Edwards' assessment, that this is perhaps only the latest, of many attempts, to terminate an otherwise healthy pregnancy. Medical training would have afforded her the necessary anatomical knowledge and, were she desperate enough to save her own reputation, or protect the man who has disgraced her then, well, I have certainly seen similar efforts." Hugo muttered glibly, as his eyes lowered from William's.
The younger physician refused to accept such a conclusion, and his expression reignited to match the vehemence in his words, "Are you saying she deliberately inflicted such trauma upon herself? There is absolutely no way! Besides even, heaven-forbid, if she were attempting something so despicable, I suspect she could have gone about it, in a far less destructive manner, not to mention obvious." William folded his arms across his chest, expecting more of an animated retort from his colleague.
"Perhaps. We don't know, do we?" Dr Hodge merely closed the chart between them, his attention drifting back to his unconscious patient.
Hugo turned back to Dr Burke when no further verbal challenge came. "I fail to see how you think you might be of any assistance," he sighed, as William remembered fragments of the conversation he'd had with Rebecca not long earlier.
"Michaela has the most upstanding character of any woman I have met. I believe, despite any evidence to the contrary, that she would not have allowed such a fate to befall her, unless, oh, mercies, no," William felt his chest drop, as the room froze, and horrid realization dawned on him, "unless she did not consent to such an advance in the first place." He felt his clasped hands become clammy against his stomach and struggled to think rationally against the powerful emotions that threatened to cloud his perception.
"Take hold of yourself, William, you're overreacting! You are looking for any reason, however implausible, to excuse this woman's behavior." Hugo stepped forward and applied a light grasp to William's left wrist.
"No, I'm not. This is the only way that this can make sense. For her to be here, like this, with no explanation, not having contacted her family," William's voice began to fade off hoarsely, as he unintentionally let his gaze drift back to Michaela's peacefully sleeping outline.
"All of which are equally supportive of my speculation. Whether you like it or not, no woman of any virtue would put herself into such a situation that would justify such reprehensible counter measures. I'm sorry if you are personally involved, however, I, am bound to act in accordance with the law, with what is," Dr Hodge saw the flicker of contention flash across his friend's face, and paused to allow him to continue.
"But, if she had no choice, then surely you don't believe such an outcome is fair?" William gestured across the room with his right hand, however Hugo wasted no time in clarifying his opinion.
"I did not mention fair for one moment, William but, even given such grave circumstances, there are other options. Any physician would have been well aware of far more appropriate measures to take; a child could be well-placed with a childless family, even in an orphanage if need be. Whatever the case, there is certainly no excuse for any woman to take such a course of action and a doctor no less. You realize this will need to be reported." Hugo checked his golden pocket watch briefly, before he slipped it delicately back into his vest, about to move towards the door.
"No, wait!" William panicked and glared with fierce intensity at his colleague. "You can't do this. Please, not yet. At least wait until we can talk with her. I have to know for certain. Please. You knew her father, you know this family. All I am asking for is some time," William didn't realize he had gripped his colleague's arms so strongly until he felt his fingertips tighten around the edges of the older man's jacket.
"She's already been awake, Dr Burke. I assure you talking with her did no good," Hugo muttered, as he slid the physician's hands from his upper arms.
"Then, just give until tomorrow morning. I promise, I'll take full responsibility for her safety." William looked over towards the bed before he dared to glance back at Dr Hodge for a response.
"Until tomorrow morning; nine sharp, Dr Burke. And if there's no improvement, or worse, any more unacceptable behavior, you will be held completely accountable and I'll have no other option, than to follow through with Dr Edwards' recommendation that she be further detained." Hugo hovered in the doorway for several moments, before a small sigh of hopelessness was muttered, and he departed from the room.
William allowed his eyes to linger on the brass doorknob for several moments, as the physician's footsteps trailed off along the hallway. Only then, did he draw a replenishing breath and turn back to Michaela's hospital bed. William's previously taken breath was exhaled steadily into a weary sigh, as he pulled a solid wooden chair to the right side of the bed and sat silently.
Michaela's hair had been pulled down and brushed until it trailed neatly over her right shoulder. Small, fine wisps of curls lined her forehead. William found his gaze leave the end of her hair, and trail along her right arm, the one nearest him, to her firmly clenched fist. His shoulders dropped when he saw the tautness of the crisp white bandages against her wrists and, from the pale red markings, knew she'd fought the barbaric restraints.
"Michaela?" He stated her name serenely, hesitant to initiate any physical contact.
William cleared his throat, hoping that might rouse her, as he glanced from the cream material of her nightdress as it met the pale blue bedspread. Had he not known, William would not have thought the pregnancy obvious; although, he was well aware that it was not an exact science.
He brought both his palms up to rest on his knees, and again repeated her name, however slightly louder. An involuntary smile came to his lips as he noticed her eyelids flutter.
"Michaela, wake up. You're in the hospital. Wake up," His voice was non-threatening and distant. William knew enough to remain still, and merely tilted his head backwards slightly, as she allowed her eyes to adjust to the dimly-lit room.
"It's all right, just take your time." He saw her eyes roam over the right side of the room, as she timidly moved her head in the direction of the sound.
Michaela heard the voice once again, and sensed the familiarity, if not the precise identity, of the speaker. As she turned her head carefully to her left, she was calmed by the fact that the assortment of strangers at the foot of the bed earlier had vanished, however, this relief was short-lived, when she subconsciously matched the masculine voice with the individual sitting beside her.
"Don't be alarmed, there's nothing to worry about," William responded immediately to the petrified look of dread which appeared on her face.
Michaela stared blankly in his direction for several moments, and suspiciously accepted his words, however still provided no outward indication of comprehension.
"We need to talk about what has happened, what has brought you here. Michaela, you need to explain why you took the Laudanum," William kept his voice evenly-paced and deliberately did not move an inch as he continued to observe her numbed body language.
~.~
X.O.X
~.~
Dorothy had just swept a small pile of debris into the metal dustpan when the door of the mercantile opened across the room.
"Loren? Thought ya were upstairs readin'. Where ya been, almost eight o'clock." She emptied the contents of the dustpan and turned in a slightly confrontational manner towards her brother-in-law who stepped through the front door.
"Aww, Dorothy, can't a man have a couple a drinks without havin' to explain himself to a woman," The older man grumbled as he ambled slowly past her through the store.
"You're right. It's not my place to assume you're answerable to me," Dorothy's reply was cutting.
"Now what you should be askin' yaself, is why Jake's back over at Hank's again. Thought we'd cleared up his drinkin' over a year ago and thought with the two a you so, friendly, thought you were keepin' an eye on him?" Loren raised an eyebrow, his envy disguised through accusation.
"Jake's drinkin' again?" Her voice was sharp and unimpressed. Loren simply nodded as he reached the bottom of the stairs.
"Sure looks that way to me. Downed a lot a whiskey accordin' to Hank, then said he was headin' back to his place to keep goin', the fool. Let's see him get through this now, without Dr Mike around. I ain't savin' him this time, on his own." Loren rested his left hand on the banister, as he remembered the last time he'd helped to save Jake's life.
"Oh dear. As if we're not going to have enough to deal with," Dorothy muttered as she idly straightened the front of the counter.
"What's that?" Loren frowned, slightly frustrated with the now-familiar routine Dorothy had; tempting him with gossip, only to refuse telling him.
"Oh, nothin'." She removed the day's pile of The Gazette from the countertop and carried them to the nearby wastebasket.
"Gettin' mighty sick a that, Dorothy. You actin' like there's some piece of important gossip I oughta know, then refusin' to tell me. Always turns out to be nothin' in the end," Loren took several tired steps up towards his room, before Dorothy's disheartened sigh tempted him enough to pause his movement.
"What now?" His voice was deadpan with annoyance.
"Nothin'. Just, well, hope Jake ain't drinkin' again is all," Dorothy glanced around the sparsely stocked store.
"Don't give me that, you were talkin' about somethin' else. 'As if we ain't got enough to deal with' you said. What else goin' on 'round this place that I don't know about?" Loren narrowed his eyes suspiciously; he was usually kept up-to-date with all the goings-on of the small town, and was concerned that he'd been left out of the loop on a new piece of gossip.
"Loren, said I wouldn't say nothin'. You'll find out soon enough. Everyone will," Dorothy sighed, her thoughts drifting to the scandal that was sure to ensure once Michaela returned.
"Well, if I'm gonna find out anyway, what's the harm tellin' me now?" He shrugged, frustrated.
"It's just, ain't something that is talked about. Somethin' women like to keep to themselves," Dorothy saw the intrigued sparkle appear in Loren's eye as he leant over the thin banister.
"Aww, yeah? Women, eh?" He chuckled, quickly having arrived at several speculations.
"Now, Loren Bray, you just keep your thoughts to yourself, ya promise me," Dorothy met eyes with him seriously, as she folded her arms across her chest, wishing she'd kept her mouth shut.
"Don't gotta tell me any more. Whole town already knows 'bout Myra. That ain't news," Loren dismissed with a wave of his left hand.
"Myra?" Dorothy frowned, still distracted by her thoughts.
"Yeah, due in the spring. Sure was quick, weren't it," Loren trailed off with a smirk.
"For heaven's sake, Loren, didn't mean," Dorothy clamped her mouth closed tightly, and frantically began smoothing out several folded shirts on the table beside her. "Yes, ah, Myra," she asserted deliberately.
"You mean there's another baby I don't know 'bout. Aww, Dorothy, come on, who is it?" Loren gripped the banister eagerly, an excited smile coming to his lips.
"Ain't sayin' nothin', Loren. Weren't you wantin' to get to bed anyway?" She encouraged.
"Aww, who is it? Mrs. Avery? She's put on a bit a weight, lately. Who else been wantin' a baby? Grace and Robert E.?" Loren flashed an excited grin, being put off by the defensiveness he heard in Dorothy's response.
"No! Loren, I ain't tellin' ya. Because, well, it's not. Some folks gonna think a single woman ought not to, oh, you'll just find out soon enough anyway!" She sighed angrily, and took several steps across the store, Loren's hushed conclusion stopping her dead in her tracks.
His mouth tightened in immediate understanding. "Oh, Dorothy, please tell me you're not," Loren turned and descended the stairs rapidly. He rushed across the room to reach her side.
"Me, Loren? Why on earth would you think I?" She stopped abruptly as Loren pulled away and ducked around behind the counter, his head appearing after several seconds, as did the large rifle held securely in his right hand.
"That explains it. You actin' all coy and secretive. Jake, drinkin' again. Why I'm gonna give him somethin' to start drinkin' about I tell ya! Doin' something like this, not even havin' the decency to marry ya," Loren strode purposefully around to the front of the counter.
"Oh, my God! Loren, wait! It's not what you," Dorothy managed to catch his shoulder to stop him moving long enough to try and reason with him.
"Don't you go tryin' to stop me, you're not worried about your reputation then. Hold on," Loren paused, the events of the last year catching up with him. "Back last year, when you were poorly. Dr Mike had to operate on ya, said you were, ya know, goin' through the change," his voice faded with embarrassment, still affected by gentlemanly pride.
"Exactly, Loren. It ain't me who's havin' the baby," Dorothy raised a single eyebrow, as she dropped her hand from his shoulder.
"Well then." He slipped the rifle back under the counter and turned back towards the stairs, however his mind was still reeling. "But you said it was someone who ain't married and there ain't no-one in town we're that close to that ain't, 'cept you, and Olive is gettin' on in years, and Dr Mike ain't even here. Doctor, Dr Mike? Dorothy?" Loren's voice was strained, almost pleading for her to rebuke his suggestion.
The downcast look which greeted him, served only to confirm his conjecture.
"But how?" Loren felt the empty word leave his lips, said more to convey his shock than in expectation of a reply.
"Loren," Dorothy scolded, as the older man's jaw dropped, his eyes vacant and sad.
"Oh," Came Loren's deflected murmur of understanding, "guess that explains a lot." He lowered his head; Dorothy remained cold to the darker reality of the situation.
"Sully and the children gone to bring her home. You gotta keep it to yourself, Loren. Don't none of the townsmen know yet and I know you and Michaela been closer since… Know you've been tryin' to look out for her and all. The day of the auction, she really appreciated your support, Loren. You been like a father to her. Everyone's gonna find out sooner or later," They both turned around and paced slowly towards the stairs.
"You sure about this, Dorothy? Ain't the type a thing you'd wanna get wrong," His voice was low; he wished Dorothy had confused the situation somehow.
"I ain't wrong, Loren. Got it from Olive, this morning. Colleen told her the day Michaela left," The pair began climbing the stairs.
"Seems like such a shame is all. She was tryin' so hard to put it all behind her. Everyone was," Loren's face remained dropped and hollow.
"I know, but we gotta think positive Loren. Still her own flesh and blood, that's what counts," Dorothy followed her brother-in-law up the stairs, and each moved towards their respective bedrooms.
"Guess. Ain't gonna seem like it though." He hovered in the doorway, shattered by the revelation.
"Well, we got to show her it is. Far as I'm concerned, that's Michaela's baby and we gotta just act as if it were anyone else, just like we are with Myra," Dorothy nodded her head defiantly.
"I don't know 'bout that. Gonna be hard, forgettin'," Loren could still hear the sound of gunfire, as he swung open his bedroom door; it was as loud then, as it had been on that day. He wished he didn't have those memories.
"It's her baby, ya hear me," Dorothy reiterated; her voice deep and forceful.
"Yeah, right. See you in the mornin'," The old man let out a discouraged sigh, as he shuffled tiredly into his bedroom.
He felt as if he was losing another daughter all over again.
~.~
X.O.X
~.~
"We need to talk about what has happened, what has brought you here. Michaela, you need to explain why you took the Laudanum," William spoke crisply.
She felt the sleepiness fade slightly as she attempted to rebuild the fragments of the events which had taken place earlier. Michaela studied the man's deep blue eyes, as her own gaze shifted nervously in response to two words: Michaela; Laudanum.
"Can't you at least explain that much? We don't have to talk about anything else at this stage," William continued, however, was very aware of the silence that had existed between each of his questions.
She pulled her eyes away from his in a mixture of guilt and humiliation; she couldn't look at him; she couldn't look at anyone. As she swallowed in a half-hearted attempt to moisten her dry mouth, Michaela dropped her attention down to the white bandage that remained firmly secured around her left wrist.
She heard and interpreted his words perfectly; that was not what prevented her from replying. Michaela kept her gaze lowered, her eyes fixed on the impression of the restraint around her left wrist. William followed the direction of her questioning expression, before he hesitantly offered an explanation.
"Michaela, the other doctors are under the impression that you were trying to hurt yourself. Is that the case?" William's voice cracked slightly on his final word, as he took in the naivety and childlike fear in her guarded glare.
Her reaction was delayed whilst she discerned the meaning of his question. Michaela turned her chin ever-so-slightly to the left, her head now at a very faint angle, as she struggled to decide whether or not to respond to his inquiry.
"Look at me. You weren't trying to harm yourself, were you," William stated bluntly, the directness in his tone enough to catch Michaela's attention.
She felt the force of his words conveyed through the sensation of his breath as it animated several strands of hair just in front of her right ear.
William's eyes narrowed as he noticed the tip of her chin move almost undetectably.
"Were you," he repeated the two words; the flatness of his voice had removed any trace of question.
Michaela continued to read his expression, the seriousness of the situation confirmed by his widened eyes, and frozen face. She understood what he was asking, and, without even letting her eyes leave his, moved her head in objection.
"We need to clear up one more matter. Are you ill?" William drew his hands together, until his elbows rested on his knees, to reflect his emotional relief.
Again, Michaela shook her head to the contrary, and her eyes looked back towards the bed.
"Then, you were trying to harm your child," William deduced with a sigh of unfathomable disappointment.
Michaela did not miss the swift deflection of disapproval that filled his eyes, despite William's attempt to conceal his opinion by severing the eye contact. She felt her cheeks tingle and inhaled sharply; she wanted to defend her actions, however, knew no defense was plausible.
"Michaela?" He heard her gasped breath, and turned back to face her, as his expression pleaded for verbal response.
William looked down to notice Michaela clench her left hand closed once again and suspected that pressuring her to talk further would only prove futile.
"Here." He slowly moved his right hand forwards to grip her left wrist, "I don't claim to know what has brought you here," he delicately began to untie the tightly knotted material from her wrists. His voice remained calm, "However, I need you to be aware that unless you can promise me that you will not attempt any further unacceptable behavior," he freed her left wrist from the restraint, and paused to complete his stern, yet compassionate warning, "then you will be forced to stay here. I need to know I can trust you, if you want me to help you," William's voice dropped to a barely audible whisper.
Michaela sensed the physical contact against her exposed skin, and protectively drew her arm up to her chest the moment she felt her freedom of movement return.
"You know I want to help." William paced very deliberately along the side of the bed, until he arrived by Michaela's right arm, and again reached for the material restraint.
"There now, stay calm." William let the untied bandage drop back to the edge of the bed, fascinated by the attention Michaela paid to the very faint pressure marks around both of her wrists.
The sound of his leather shoes against the floor filled the room, as William arrived back to the left side of the bed and took his seat, his chin rested in his clasped hands.
"Michaela, if I am unable to establish the reason behind your actions, then I fail to see how I can make any assurances to Dr Hodge regarding your safety. You need to help me. Help me help you. Please." He rubbed his fingertips along his jaw line as he intently focused on her isolated gaze.
"Given the severity of the situation you are in, I feel unnecessary tact is not in anyone's best interest." He glanced back up into her large, soulless eyes. "Michaela, I know you would not do something like this, yet I know that for whatever reason, you have. Please, forgive my candor," William tore his gaze from her. He could not bear to see the fear in her eyes as he asked her the one question he dreaded.
"Michaela, did somebody hurt you?" The words fell regrettably from his lips, however as they did, William realized he would need to turn back to face her, if any response was to be obtained.