A short while later, things had calmed down, the woods finally settling down for the night after the ruckus that had taken place not too long ago. Clyde, William, and Leonard were all sitting away from the fire, with both their hands and their feet tied together. After initially being taken down, Clyde had been aggressive, and tying his feet together proved necessary to keep him from attacking or trying to get away. Matthew went ahead and did the same to the other two men as well, just in case. Hank stood by, keeping an eye on them, gun in hand as a threat. Jeremiah still lay in his place near the second fire after being checked on once more by Michaela. He was stable, in poor shape, but stable. Robert E, Jake, and Preston had gone back to get all of the horses and should be returning soon. Matthew had officially arrested all the men and had also confiscated their guns. He now sat around the fire with Colleen, Andrew, and Michaela, discussing everything that had happened.

The plan was to bring the men into Pueblo tonight, once the rest of their party were back with the horses. Matthew knew it needed to happen tonight. They had a whole day, possibly more, of travel back to Colorado Springs tomorrow, and as much as he wanted to lock these guys up and keep an eye on them in his own jail cells, Matthew wasn't going to risk anything going wrong. Not with Pueblo so close. These were men who had been wanted for theft, assault, and other petty crimes for months, and now with kidnapping added to that list, he wanted them locked up as soon as possible.

Bringing Jeremiah into town safely had thrown them for a curveball, however. Pueblo wasn't far, but Jeremiah was in critical condition, and he needed to be transported very carefully. Though he had ridden horseback with Andrew before, it had only been done because they didn't have any other options, and the man had almost fallen off the horse in the process. Jeremiah was even weaker now, there was no way he was fit to ride again. Luckily, Sully had had an idea about what to do, once again proving how invaluable he was in these types of situations. He was currently working on constructing a horse-drawn stretcher, known as a travois to many native tribes, to help move Jeremiah into town safely. It consisted of two large poles, in this case large branches, pieced together in the shape of an A-frame, with netting or fabric stretched across the poles and secured tightly so that a person or goods could rest on top for transport. Sully had made one before, back when Preston had gotten injured when they had rescued Matthew and the senator's son, and they needed to bring him back to Colorado Springs. He now found himself making another one in order to transport Jeremiah into Pueblo safely. He had already found two long and sturdy branches that would work well for the base, and he was now using some extra rope and other materials to affix a couple of blankets as the carrier for Jeremiah to sit on. Sully sat near the fire as he worked, listening to Andrew and Colleen, though it was mostly Andrew talking, discuss everything that had happened to them over the past day and a half.

"And you're absolutely sure it's his spleen?" Michaela asked, tightening a knot in the fabric of Colleen's makeshift sling.

"I believe so," Andrew said, taking a steady breath in and out as his head pounded painfully. His headache had returned in full force after being punched in the face multiple times earlier. "Of course, there's always a chance it could be something else, a different internal injury of some sort, but all of Jeremiah's symptoms point to it."

Michaela nodded thoughtfully. "I believe you're right. Do you think he can make it in his condition until morning?"

"I… I really don't know. The sooner we can operate the better. But we need to get him in a clean environment."

"I agree. Is there a clinic in town?"

Hank spoke up from where he stood several yards away. "Yeah, but one of these idiots knocked out the doc. He came to, but that was only a few hours ago."

"I can perform the surgery, I just need the proper tools."

"We've got them," Andrew said quickly. "I told William what I needed, and he stole it from the clinic. I didn't know he knocked out the doctor to do so." He felt guilty; someone else had gotten hurt on account of him.

"It's not your fault, Andrew," Colleen said softly from where she sat next to Michaela's side. She had been pretty quiet, not saying much this whole time. "You had him grab what you needed to do the surgery properly yourself, that's all."

Andrew met her eyes across the fire and gave her an appreciative look, but he still felt guilty about it. He spoke up, thinking about what was best to do next. "As long as William grabbed everything I had on the list, we can take it back to town with us, bring it to the clinic, and operate tonight."

Sully looked over at the man with a serious expression. "Did you get everything?"

William didn't respond, instead giving an irritated shrug. Hank kicked him in the side with his boot, getting a low grunt out of the man. "Did you get what he needed from the clinic or not?"

"Yeah, I got his stuff," he grumbled.

Michaela nodded, "Alright, once we go into town, we can find the doctor, see if he'll open up the clinic for us, otherwise, the sheriff can. Then, we can operate."

Andrew nodded in agreement, relief coursing through his veins. He had not performed this type of surgery before, and he certainly wasn't feeling his best to do so. He didn't want to operate while sleep deprived and with a headache, additionally, his black eye was still very swollen, partially obstructing some of his eyesight. He could and would assist Michaela, but he was immensely relieved that he did not have to lead this operation himself.

A short while later, Preston, Jake, and Robert E returned with the horses. It didn't take Sully too much longer to finish the stretcher for Jeremiah, which he then fixed to the back of his horse's saddle securely. It was decided that Matthew, Hank, Jake, Preston, and Robert E would take Clyde, William, and Leonard into town. The three arrested criminals still had their hands tied together, but their feet were now set loose so that they could walk. Matthew fixed another rope to the one secured at each of their hands and tied the opposite end to their horses' reins, ensuring they wouldn't be able to escape. The criminals would walk alongside Matthew and everyone else as they rode, and their own horses would walk behind, led by Robert E. It would take longer to get into town since the three criminals were walking, but this was how it had to be done. The last thing you wanted was to let a wanted man back up on his horse.

With Jeremiah in such critical condition, it was imperative to get him into town as quickly as possible. Sully, Michaela, Andrew, and Colleen would ride ahead, being able to travel at a faster pace than Matthew and the rest of them. With Jeremiah's stretcher, they still had to take it easy, but they would certainly be able to make better time than Matthew's group, who had to move at a walking pace. Once they got to town, they would locate the clinic. If the doctor wasn't around, they would find the sheriff and explain the situation so that he could open up the clinic for them.

Michaela planned on doing the operation herself, as Andrew was hurt, though she did ask if he could assist if he was feeling up to it. She just hoped the doctor in town would be agreeable, especially since it wasn't her clinic to use. Though, of course, it was logical that anyone who was knocked unconscious so recently should not be leading an operation. But people weren't always so rational. All Michaela could do was hope things went smoothly, especially since a patient's life was in the balance.

Michaela finished filling her saddlebags with the stolen medical tools, along with her own bag of equipment. Andrew went ahead and mounted Jeremiah's horse since it was the one he had ridden before and was comfortable with, while Colleen was going to ride with Sully. Though she had become much more comfortable riding horses over the last few years, Colleen's injuries far outweighed Andrew's, most significantly the fact that she only had one good arm and was in no condition to be riding alone. Sully would also be pulling Jeremiah behind him, meaning he wouldn't be traveling too rough or fast, also helpful for the girl's injuries. The plan was, once they got close enough to town, Michaela and Andrew could ride ahead to find the clinic and get everything prepped for surgery. By the time Sully got there with Jeremiah, hopefully, things would be ready to go ahead and operate.

Sully had just finished settling Jeremiah on the travois with the help of Robert E. "That should be good," he said with a nod toward his friend before addressing the rest of the group. "He's ready to go." Sully then turned toward Colleen, who was standing just behind him, her good arm wrapped around herself in the cold. "Ready?" he asked her. "We'll get you on first."

"Mm-hmm," she nodded, stepping up to his horse and taking a deep breath in preparation, knowing the movement would cause her pain. She reached up for the saddle with her left arm as she put her left foot in the stirrups, taking a step up. Sully put his left hand on her waist and the other on her back to help her up, carefully avoiding the right side of her ribs where she was injured. Colleen's face grimaced in pain as she swung her right foot over the saddle and got settled. She released a shaky breath but acknowledged that the worst was over; now she could just sit and hope the ride wouldn't be too bumpy.

Sully decided that it would be best if he rode behind Colleen. If she were behind him, she would only have one good arm to hang on, and her injured arm would end up bumping against his back, which would only further aggravate the injury.

Colleen felt the weight of the horse shift again as Sully mounted. His arms came around her as he grabbed the reins, making her feel more secure. "We'll be in town in no time," he said softly, his voice coming over her left shoulder. Though she was still in a lot of pain, being here right now with Sully, Colleen felt a wave of calm and safety rush over her.

"We'll meet you in town," Matthew said from atop his own horse, the other men getting settled around him.

"We'll be at the clinic," Sully replied, and then he, Michaela, and Andrew were off. Sully took it at a slow pace through the woods, trying to take it easy for Colleen and Jeremiah. It was dark, but luckily, it wouldn't take them long to track back to the clearing. Michaela and Andrew were just behind him, following his lead carefully. Sure enough, it quickly started to get lighter, the moon shining brightly as the trees overhead became fewer and far between. As they entered the clearing, Sully picked up the pace a little, still taking it nice and easy. Michaela came to meet him on his left, and Andrew rode just behind them. They continued forward until they reached the road, where the ride got even smoother.

They rode for about fifteen minutes more until Pueblo came into view, just a few lights visible from here. "We'll go on ahead," Michaela said. "We'll find the clinic; you can meet us there."

"Alright, be careful," Sully said, giving her a nod.

Andrew trotted alongside them, looking at Colleen. "We'll see you soon." He gave her a small smile and Sully a grateful nod as he kicked his horse and went ahead with Michaela, the two of them riding side-by-side on the road into town. He just hoped they would be able to find the clinic quickly and that everything would go according to plan.

"You doing alright?" Sully asked Colleen as they rode, "We can take it a little slower if you need."

Colleen shook her head. "This is fine," she said quietly, the back of her shoulders bumping into Sully's chest as they rode. "We need to get Jeremiah into town as soon as possible."

"We'll get him there. It's gonna take your ma and Andrew a minute to get everything ready for his operation."

"I'm okay, Sully," she added softly.

"Okay, but let me know if you want me to slow down." He kept their pace steady, hoping Colleen was telling him the truth. He knew she was in pain, he just continued to hope that if it got too bad, she would be honest with him. Colleen was usually pretty open, but she had hidden how she felt about things before. And Sully knew that fear and shock could do all sorts of things to you. All he could do right now was keep a close eye on her until they got her home safely.

Up ahead, Michaela and Andrew picked up speed, taking advantage of the empty road ahead of them. Within a short matter of time, they reached the outskirts of Pueblo, slowing to a walk as they took in the quiet streets of town. "Let's find the clinic," Michaela said, exchanging a look with Andrew. She could tell he was exhausted and knew that he had to be in pain based on his bruises. "Andrew," she said, glancing over at him. "Are you sure you're alright to assist me tonight? I don't want you exerting yourself too hard."

Andrew sent a small smile back her way. He appreciated her concern, but he knew the importance of this operation happening tonight. It didn't matter how tired he was, he could at the very least assist. Knowing he would be able to rest better tonight gave him some extra energy and adrenaline. He would be okay. He sent a small smile back toward her. "I'll be fine, Michaela. I'll feel much better resting once we complete the operation."

Michaela nodded thoughtfully, admiring the man's work ethic but still worried about him. She continued to keep an eye on him as they made their way through town, looking for the clinic. There were a couple of lights on in buildings here and there, but for the most part, everyone was settled in for the night.

As the two turned onto the next road, it was apparent they had hit the town center, as a few more lights appeared and faint sounds could be heard from somewhere far down the street. They quickly realized the sound was coming from a saloon, and as they got closer, the sounds turned more discernable: loud cheers, clinks of glasses, and men talking loudly.

"Where do you suppose the clinic is?" Andrew asked.

Michaela looked around. "It must be further down the street or on the next one over." It had to be; Pueblo wasn't very big, appearing much smaller than Colorado Springs. Even the saloon was only about half the size of the one in town.

They rode further down the street, passing a few businesses that were closed up for the day before turning the corner and spotting what they needed, the medical clinic. It was a small, stand-alone wooden building with a big window out front, curtains drawn for the night. There was a small front porch with a couple of chairs and a long wooden bench. A simple sign reading "Clinic" with the name "Dr. Taylor" underneath hung from the roof. Michaela and Andrew stepped down from their horses and walked to the door. It was dark inside, but Michaela knocked anyway. She waited a minute before knocking again, but there was no answer. "We'll have to find the sheriff."

"I think we passed his office back on the main road," Andrew responded, already saddling back up.

"Let's go." They turned around and headed back the way they came from, passing the noisy saloon once more. Sure enough, about halfway down the street sat the sheriff's office. They sighed in relief upon seeing the dull light coming from inside. They stepped down from their horses once more and approached the door. Michaela knocked twice, pausing and hearing a gruff "It's open" from inside. She opened the door, Andrew following closely behind her. They stepped inside and saw the sheriff standing at his desk, shuffling around a few papers. He looked up, smiling at Michaela in greeting before raising his eyebrows in surprise at the sight of Andrew behind her, dried blood and bruises all over his face. "Are you alright, son? What happened to you folks?"

"My name is Dr. Michaela Quinn, and this is Dr. Andrew Cook. We're here to report on the robberies that have been happening around the territory, including the ones that occurred in town tonight." She stepped forward and extended a hand, Andrew following suit.

The sheriff stepped forward and shook both their hands. "Sheriff Arthur Swanson." He made a 'go ahead' gesture with his hands before crossing them in front of his chest, eager to hear what they had to say. Clearly, something had happened, based on the state of the young man in front of him.

Michaela and Andrew exchanged a look before Michaela took charge and began to explain. "Our party has found and captured the men responsible for the crimes. They were found in the woods just east of town."

"You found them? Are they still out there? A few men came through not too long ago, they said something about hostages." It was obvious the sheriff was confused and trying to understand why it was that a woman and a younger, beaten man were the ones to come here and explain everything to him, without any of the criminals in sight.

"That's right," Andrew said awkwardly before looking at the man more seriously. "I'm one of the two that was taken."

Sheriff Swanson looked at Andrew in surprise and shock, "You're one of the- I don't understand. Did you escape? Where is the rest of your party?"

Michaela stepped back in to explain. "Mr. Swanson, the men have been found and arrested. The men that spoke to you earlier, Hank Lawson and Jake Slicker, they're a part of our search party from Colorado Springs. We found the criminals out in the woods with Andrew here and my daughter, Colleen. They're both safe, and Matthew Cooper, our sheriff, is currently bringing the criminals to you now. They should be arriving in the next hour or so."

The sheriff looked dumbfounded for a minute. The robberies had only happened a few hours ago, and here were the wanted men being handed over to him on a silver platter. He shook his head and released a breath. "Good work. Not used to having my job done so easily."

Michaela released a small smile in response.

"Now then," he continued, looking back at Andrew. "Son, are you sure you're alright? You look like you could use some medical attention."

"I'm fine," Andrew replied. "But that brings us to our next reason for being here. There were four men who took Colleen and me, and one of them is very badly injured. He suffered a fall from his horse after being shot. You see, it's the reason we were taken, to treat this man. I removed the bullet and did everything else I could to treat him, however, his condition is worsening. He needs an operation to remove his spleen immediately. He is in critical condition. We need to operate on him as soon as possible."

"I see," the sheriff nodded his head. "Well, I'll round up Dr. Taylor, and as soon as this man gets brought into town, he can operate."

"Mr. Swanson," Michaela started, "we heard that Dr. Taylor was attacked tonight and knocked unconscious. Is that correct?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Well, this leads me to believe that he may not be the best person to perform this operation. If I have access to the clinic, I can operate myself."

"Well now," Mr. Swanson sighed, "You're gonna have to run that one by Doc Taylor. He's the only doctor in these parts, and a mighty fine one at that. It is his clinic, after all."

"He just sustained an injury to the head. He is in no condition to be performing surgery as complicated as this."

"I'm sure he can handle it."

"Well, surely you wouldn't want to risk a patient's life by having someone unfit operating on him."

"Unfit? Ms-"

"Doctor Quinn."

"Doctor Quinn," he repeated, "In these parts, I've never seen no woman doctor before. How do we know you're fit yourself to be operating on a man injured to this degree?"

"I beg your pardon-"

"She's an excellent surgeon." Andrew stepped in, looking at the sheriff in the eyes with a hard look. "Michaela is one of the finest doctors I've had the pleasure of knowing and working with. She's performed numerous operations, many more severe than this. She is what Jeremiah needs right now."

"You're a doctor too, huh?" He looked Andrew up and down. "Why don't you just assist Doc Taylor yourself?"

"I'm with Dr. Quinn. Doctor Taylor should be resting and even examined by one of us himself. Michaela is fully healthy; my eyesight is limited right now, and Doctor Taylor could have a concussion or a number of other side effects from his injury. Neither he nor I should be leading this operation.

Sheriff Swanson looked back and forth between the two of them slowly, an annoyed look on his face. "Let's just see what Dr. Taylor has to say about all of this." Michaela and Andrew exchanged a frustrated glance as they followed him out the door.

Matthew led the way as his group slowly made its way toward Pueblo. He was up front while Hank, Jake, and Preston flanked the sides. The band of William, Clyde, and Leonard was in the middle, walking slowly with their hands tied behind their backs. Robert E brought up the rear, leading the extra horses behind.

"We'll be there soon," Matthew said as they made their way onto the main road. It wouldn't be too much longer now, as long as the criminals kept up their pace. Matthew knew he wouldn't be able to fully relax until these men were behind bars. He just hoped things were going smoothly in town with everyone else.

Sully, Colleen, and Jeremiah were just pulling into town, looking around carefully as they tried to locate the clinic. Sully squinted his eyes in the darkness, reading the signs and plaques along the buildings. Only a couple of buildings were lit up, the saloon being one and another one a little further up the road. They rode down and passed the saloon, hoping to find the clinic on the next street. As they turned the corner, the 'clinic' sign caught Sully's attention immediately, and he came to a stop alongside it, relieved to see light coming from inside. "We're here," he said to Colleen, carefully getting off first before holding out his arms to help her down from the horse. He kept an arm behind her back as they walked over to the door, knocking once before turning the knob and stepping inside. "Michaela?"

They were met with an argument happening in front of them. Michaela and Andrew stood on one side of the room, angered expressions on both their faces. Sheriff Swanson and Dr. Taylor, a tall man about Michaela's age with short, jet black hair, stood on the other, both very angry as well. They all turned to Sully and Colleen as they entered. Between Sully's way of dressing and Colleen's visible injuries, they were met with confused looks from both the sheriff and the doctor.

"What's going on in here?" Sully said in a low voice as he stepped closer to Michaela protectively. Colleen moved to stand next to Andrew, who put an arm around her shoulders and gently pulled her close.

"This man thinks he is fit to operate when he clearly isn't. His pupils are dilated, and there's a very likely chance he's concussed," Michaela said in frustration.

"You think you can come into my clinic and tell me what I can and cannot do?" Dr. Taylor took a step forward, eyes furious.

Sully stepped in front of Michaela as Mr. Swanson moved in front of Doctor Taylor. "Alright," the sheriff said, annoyance clear in his voice, "let's calm down now. You have to understand, Miss, you can't just walk into a man's place of work and expect to do his job for him."

"Doctor Taylor is injured." Michaela stood her ground, eyes hard.

"Jeremiah is my patient." Andrew intervened, eyes serious, staring right at Doctor Taylor. "I'm not at my best to operate right now, and neither are you. But Dr. Quinn here, she is. She's the only one fully capable of performing this operation tonight. She is a qualified, accomplished doctor."

Everyone looked back and forth between each other for a few moments, tension thick in the air.

Sully had had enough messing around. They were wasting time, time that Jeremiah may not have to wait. "Well? What's it gonna be? You gonna let more time pass before you make your decision? If that man out there doesn't have surgery soon, he ain't gonna make it. You want that on your hands?"

Dr. Taylor sighed, rubbing a hand over his face in exasperation. He gave Michaela a skeptical look. "You sure you know what you're doing?"

"I do," Michaela said simply, standing tall.

"Have you ever performed this operation before?" he questioned.

"As a matter of fact, I have, back in Boston. With great success," she replied confidently.

The doctor was taken aback. He glared at her. "If anything happens to that man, it's on your hands."

Michaela's confidence didn't waver. She held his gaze. "If anything happens to him, I'll know that I'll have done everything I could to save him."

"It's settled then," Mr. Swanson said tiredly. "Dr. Quinn, perform the surgery. But Doctor Taylor gets to stay, he'll assist you."

"Dr. Cook is going to assist me. This man has been his patient after all."

"Dr. Quinn, Doc Taylor is already letting you use his clinic and supplies. He's assisting you."

She took a breath, pushing down the annoyance before looking back at the sheriff. "Alright. But Dr. Cook stays; I'll have them both."

"Fine," he said with a dismissive wave. "Just get it done. I want that prisoner alive. I'll be at my office waiting for the others." He grumbled under his breath as he left, shutting the door loudly behind him.

It was cool in the air as the tension settled, however, they didn't have time to waste. "Let's get Jeremiah inside," Andrew said tensely.

He and Sully carefully brought the injured man inside and laid him on the table while Michaela retrieved the stolen surgical equipment from her bag. "You and Colleen should wait outside," she said, walking the two of them to the door. She gave Sully a quick kiss and Colleen a warm smile. "We'll see you when we're finished."

The two stepped out into the crisp night air. It was a bit less cold in town, especially here, where the wind was blocked from the building. "Let's sit down," Sully said, gesturing to the bench. Colleen winced as she took a seat, a sharp pain running through her ribs. After making sure his horse was secured, Sully sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You know, if we leave at dawn, we can be home by this time tomorrow.

A small smile made its way to Colleen's face. "Yeah," she said softly.

"Brian and Katie are going to be awful glad to see you."

She smiled again, bigger this time. She couldn't wait to be home, it sounded like a dream. She felt safe now, she really did, but Colleen knew she wouldn't be able to fully feel at peace until they were back in Colorado Springs.

A bit more time had passed, and finally, Matthew and the rest of the gang made their way into town. Hank and Jake led the way to the sheriff's office, where Mr. Swanson now sat outside, smoking a cigar. "I've been expecting you," he said as he walked over to shake hands with Matthew. He nodded his head in approval, taking in the gang of tied-up men. "Good work."

Matthew nodded back. "I'm just happy to bring them in. It's about time."

"I'll say. I've been getting wires for months on these guys. Bring 'em in," he said as Hank, Jake, and Preston untied the ropes from their horses and led the men inside.

It didn't take long to have them all put into a large, communal cell and for Mr. Swanson to document the arrest. He turned to face the group of men surrounding him. "I'd like to talk to Mr. Cooper here, but the rest of you are free to go. We got a mighty fine saloon down the street; have a drink on me, I'll be along in a while."

"I'm not one to turn down a free drink," Hank said with a raised brow. "Thank you kindly," he said with a smirk as he walked toward the door.

"You going to join us?" Jake asked Matthew, looking at him curiously.

Matthew shook his head, "No thanks, once I'm done here, I'm going to go find everyone else."

"They'll be over at the clinic," Mr. Swanson added. "Performing an operation."

"Good. I'll head over as soon as we're finished here."

"I'll wait for you outside, Matthew. I'm gonna check on the horses," said Robert E, walking toward the door.

"Gentlemen," Hank said as he, Jake, and Preston followed Robert E out the door and headed to the saloon down the street.

Matthew and Mr. Swanson spent some time filling out an official arrest report and discussing matters of a trial. A lawyer would be called in from Denver or Santa Fe, whichever could get here sooner. The jail here in Pueblo was small, even smaller than the one in Colorado Springs, it wasn't fit to hold four men for long. That is, if more severe punishments didn't occur first.

A little while later, Matthew was finally finished with his business inside, relieved to shut the door and hopefully never see any of those men again, although his testimony may be needed for the upcoming trial. He took a seat on the stoop outside, releasing a breath and putting his head into his hands.

Robert E came over and squatted down next to him, "You alright, Matthew?"

Matthew lifted his head and took a breath, "Yeah, Robert E, I'm fine. Just glad those low-lives are finally behind bars."

"You can say that again," Robert E stood with his arms crossed, taking in the dark town around them, giving Matthew a minute to decompress. After a few more minutes, he looked back down at the younger man, deciding it was time to keep moving forward. "C'mon, let's go find the others."

Matthew nodded and stood up, grateful for Robert E's presence and eager to see Colleen again and make sure she was okay.

They didn't have to search for long, as they quickly found the horses and Sully's stretcher just down the street and around the corner. They were secured outside a small building.

As they got closer, Matthew and Robert E saw Sully and Colleen sitting on a bench outside. Colleen was resting her head on Sully's shoulder with her eyes closed. Sully had one arm wrapped around her while the other calmly stroked Wolf's head, who sat near his feet with his head in his lap. Sully had been leaning his head back against the building, but he lifted it and squinted into the distance as he heard someone approach.

"Sully," Matthew said quietly, not wanting to wake Colleen as she looked to be asleep, but feeling an immense rush of relief simply being in the same space as her.

Sully perked up instantly. "Matthew. Did everything go okay?"

"Yeah, they're in the jail. They're in Sheriff Swanson's hands now."

"Good." Sully glanced down at Colleen, seeing that she was still asleep before continuing. "They're operating on Jeremiah now."

"Dr. Mike and Andrew?"

"And the town doc, he wasn't too happy about it. He almost refused to let Michaela use the clinic unless he assisted."

"Didn't he get knocked out earlier?" Robert E questioned.

"Yeah," Sully replied with a roll of his eyes. "But it's his clinic, so he got his way. He's just assisting, though; the sheriff had enough sense to rule that."

"Good," Matthew replied with a sigh. He looked down at Colleen, nodding toward her. "How's she doing?"

Sully glanced down at her again. "She's alright for now. She's been in and out of sleep for a little while."

Both Matthew and Robert E looked at her sympathetically.

"What she needs is to get some real rest," Sully added.

"I've been thinking about that," said Matthew. "We need to figure something out for the night."

Sully was about to reply when the door to the clinic opened with a loud creak. Michaela stepped out, looking tired yet accomplished, usually a sign of a successful procedure.

"Matthew," she said upon seeing him and Robert E. "Did everything go okay? Where're the others?"

"They went to the saloon," he replied. "Everything's fine. They're all locked up."

"Thank goodness," Michaela said as she wiped her hands on her skirt, relief instantly filling her body.

"How'd the operation go?" Sully asked, feeling Colleen shift beside him. She lifted her head and blinked her eyes open, looking around in confusion before remembering where she was. "Ma," she croaked upon seeing her.

"Colleen, I'm here," she said, stepping forward and kneeling in front of her. "We're in town, Andrew's inside. You're both safe," she reminded her.

The girl nodded, seeing the apron tied around her mother's waist. "You operated on Jeremiah?"

"Yes," Michaela said, standing back up and addressing the group. "We were able to successfully remove his spleen, and we also flushed out the bullet wound. He had a slight infection. We'll have to keep an eye on him throughout the night, but he should heal properly."

"Andrew was right," Colleen said, coughing a few times before continuing. "About his spleen. He didn't know for sure, but I believed he was right." She smiled tiredly.

Michaela smiled at her back. "He certainly was. He's an excellent doctor. We were talking, and he said that you helped him come to that conclusion."

"Andrew figured it out himself. I just helped him focus his thoughts."

"That's a very important skill to have as well." She praised.

Colleen smiled back, wincing as she yawned, reminding Sully of what they had been about to discuss just before Michaela came out. "We were just talking about what to do for the night."

Everybody thought about it for a moment. Pueblo was a small town, and it was late. There was a chance the saloon had rooms, but the only people who would be okay with staying there were already in its presence enjoying a drink.

"The clinic only has two recovery rooms," Michaela said. "Dr. Taylor and Andrew are moving Jeremiah to one of them now, but the other is free. Colleen, I would like you to use it tonight. I'll be staying here to monitor Jeremiah. Dr. Taylor agreed to get some rest at his place." Colleen, resting her head on Sully's shoulder once more, nodded her head tiredly, fighting to stay awake.

"The rest of us can set up camp again," Sully said in thought. "I don't think we have another option."

Michaela sighed; she didn't want everyone else sleeping out in the woods again, but she couldn't think of another option either. Even Doctor Taylor mentioned briefly in the clinic about how the only place in town to get a room was the saloon. "It's colder out tonight, I don't like the thought of you all going back out there."

"We'll be fine," Matthew shrugged. "We camped out last night, we can do it again."

Michaela sighed, glancing back at the door. "I suppose so. Let me grab you some extra blankets, there's some inside." She went back in, running into Andrew and Dr. Taylor just as they were coming back into the main room.

"Jeremiah is asleep; he seems to be resting comfortably," Andrew said upon seeing her.

"Good," Michaela replied. She addressed the other doctor standing in the room. "Dr. Taylor, I know we didn't get off to the best start, but I do appreciate you letting me lead this operation. You have a very nice clinic."

Dr. Taylor looked at her for a minute before slowly nodding his head in acknowledgement. "It's small, but I make do. I apologize for doubting you, Dr. Quinn. You did a fine job back there."

Michaela smiled respectfully. "I appreciate that. Now you should get on home, I'll keep a close eye on him."

Dr. Taylor nodded his head, feeling plenty tired himself from his own long day, and shook hands with both Andrew and Michaela. "I'll see you in the morning. Good night."

"Good night," Andrew and Michaela both responded, watching the doctor grab his hat from the coat rack and step outside, leaving the two of them alone in the empty room. Andrew released a breath and nearly collapsed into a chair over by the wall.

"Andrew, are you alright?" Michaela asked, rushing over to him and kneeling by his side, looking him over.

Andrew clutched a hand to his head. "Just…. A headache. I'm sure I just need to sleep."

"Yes, you should get some rest." She thought it over for a second. "Andrew," she waited for him to meet her eyes. "I would like to examine Colleen and have her stay in the second recovery room, but you're welcome to stay in here with me," she gestured to the main room around them. She had spent many nights at her own clinic before, sleeping on the bench or even the floor if all of the recovery rooms were full. It wasn't an ideal situation, but you did what you had to do as a doctor. And Michaela hated the thought of Andrew, who was still recovering himself, going back out to the woods to sleep. She would feel more comfortable with him here as well, where she could keep an eye on him, too.

Andrew thought it over for a minute, the truth was, he could fall asleep right now in this chair. All he wanted to do was close his eyes. "That's just fine with me, if you're sure you don't mind."

Michaela rested a hand on his arm, "Of course I don't mind. You need to get some rest. Let's grab some blankets, there are some extras down the hall."

A little while later, everyone was settled down for the night, finally. There were enough rooms at the saloon for Hank, Jake, and Preston, so they gladly decided to spend the night there. Sully, Matthew, and Robert E were spending the night in the woods just outside of town. It wasn't ideal, but it worked, and luckily, Sully was quick at making a fire and finding a spot where they were mostly out of the way of the wind. Since it was just the three of them, they had more than enough blankets to keep warm, and lying down right next to the fire, it actually wasn't too bad at all. Wolf passed out on the ground next to Sully, tired as well from such a long day of travel.

Back in the clinic, Jeremiah rested peacefully in one room while Colleen was out cold in the other. Michaela had wanted to examine her tonight, but the girl was practically asleep on her feet, so she decided to wait until morning. She had helped Colleen to bed, still dirty and hair messy, but it didn't matter. The girl was asleep in a matter of seconds once she was laid down. In the main room, Michaela and Andrew were both asleep on the floor, having made makeshift beds with extra pillows and blankets. Andrew had also fallen asleep almost instantly, for which Michaela was glad. She wished there was an extra room for him as well, but at least he had a pillow, blanket and was out of the cold. After checking on all of her patients one last time, Michaela finally laid down and managed to get some sleep.

All things considered, everyone slept relatively well. Exhaustion would do that to you. Just as the sun was starting to rise, Matthew started to stir, sitting up and stretching his neck left and right. He stood and shook out his legs, stiff from sleeping on the ground. He grabbed his hat and put it on, looking out at the horizon in the distance. Today was going to be a good day, he had a feeling. They were going to go into town, pick everybody up, and make their way home. Tomorrow, he would be watching the sunrise from Colorado Springs.

Sully and Robert E awoke just a minute later, taking a minute to get their bearings before packing up their things. Everyone wanted to get on the road as soon as possible. Within a matter of minutes, they had all of their belongings and were on their way back into town.

Pueblo was full of life this morning, with many people and horses milling about. As the men made their way down the main street, Matthew went over to the sheriff's office to make contact once more with Mr. Swanson before they left town. Robert E joined him. They passed the General Store, where they saw Hank, Jake, and Preston standing outside, talking to some locals. Hank, naturally, was talking to a pretty blonde woman who seemed to be laughing enthusiastically at something he said. Robert E shook his head and suppressed the urge to roll his eyes as he walked past.

Sully, with Wolf trotting alongside him, made his way over to the clinic, where Michaela sat outside, lacing up her boot on the bench. She smiled as they came near, "Good morning!" she greeted cheerfully.

"Morning," Sully said, pulling her into him and giving her a kiss. "How was your night? Did you get some sleep?"

Michaela wrapped her arms around him and stayed there. "I did. It was a quiet night, which is a good thing." She sighed gratefully.

"Colleen and Andrew sleep okay?"

"Yes, they did. I'm happy they could get some rest before traveling home today. And I examined Colleen this morning, I finally got to take a look at her ribs."

"Are they broken?"

"No," she said in relief, knowing how much safer it made the trip home for her today. "They are very bruised, though. A little more pressure from her fall, and they likely would have broken. We'll still need to be careful."

"We will be. How's her arm?"

"I was able to use a proper splint and re-wrap it, so it should be secure, but again, we'll just have to be careful. The best thing for her right now is to keep still and rest."

Sully nodded, taking all of the information in. "How's Jeremiah?"

"He's actually doing splendidly. His fever's down, and he's already showing remarkable signs of improvement."

"That's great. And, we're okay to leave him here?"

"He's under the watchful eye of Dr. Taylor now, and seeing how well Jeremiah is doing, I feel comfortable leaving him here. He'll be recovering in the clinic for a few days, and Mr. Swanson will take care of things from there."

"That's good to hear," Sully said with a smile, continuing to hold her tight.

"Well, I'm going to let Dr. Taylor know we're taking off; he arrived not too long ago. He's inside talking to Andrew and Colleen."

"Everyone else is at the General Store, I'll go make sure they're ready."

"We'll meet you over there," Michaela said, turning to give him a kiss before heading back inside.

Sully gave her a smile and went on his way, whistling for Wolf to follow. Over at the General store, he met back up with Hank, Jake, and Preston, who were all eating pieces of fruit or dried beef as they stood around and talked. Sully nodded at them as he made his way over, picking up some pieces of fruit for everyone else when they arrived.

Michaela, Andrew, and Colleen walked over just a few minutes later, taking it nice and slow. Andrew and Colleen were both still exhausted, though they had each slept well during the night. As they approached, it was the first time everyone else was seeing them in the light of the day, and to say it was a shock would be an understatement. Their bruises were still in their first stage of healing, bright red and swollen, just starting to turn purple. And they each had plenty of them to account for. Jake cursed to himself when he saw the bruises on Colleen's neck. Dried blood stained brightly on their clothes, among the darker dried dirt and mud. Colleen was a bit paler this morning, the examination from Michaela and having to re-wrap her arm causing her some pain. Though spirits were better this morning, looking at the two of them reminded everyone of just why they were here.

"We're just waiting on Matthew and Robert E," Sully said, handing an apple to the three that just walked up.

"Where did they go?" Michaela asked as she looked down the street, taking her apple gratefully.

"To the sheriff's office, I'm sure they won't be long."

It turned out to be a bit longer than expected for them to return, but when they found out why, it was worth it. Suddenly, Matthew rounded the corner on his horse, as did Robert E, only Robert E's horse had a small wagon hitched up behind it.

"What's this?" Michaela asked as the two men approached.

They pulled to a stop in front of everyone, and Robert E smiled down at them. "I saw a wagon sitting over by the blacksmith's shop last night, I thought maybe it was for sale, sitting alone in the dark like that. Turns out, I was right."

"Were you in the shop for another wagon?" Jake questioned.

"Not necessarily, but I had some cash on hand, and I owe the seller a favor next time he passes through Colorado Springs. I thought it might be a little easier to get everybody back home since we're short on horses. I can turn it around and sell it back in town anyways. It's always good to have an extra wagon on hand in the shop."

"That was good thinking," Sully approved, stepping forward to examine it. And he meant it. It was true they were short on horses, as the criminals' horses had been handed over to Sheriff Swanson. They could ride tandem with the horses they had, like Sully and Colleen had done it last night. The only problem when you rode tandem, at least when both riders were full-grown adults, was that you had to take it at a slower pace, and the horses required significantly more breaks. Having a wagon would allow them to get home much, much faster. Between that and the fact that they would be able to ride on the main roads all the way home, it definitely confirmed they would be able to make it back tonight. Granted, nothing else unexpected happened, which God forbid, Sully would make sure nothing did.

"Robert E, that's wonderful," Michaela agreed with a smile. This really did take away some of her worry. They had a long way to go back, and she didn't love the thought of Colleen or Andrew bouncing up and down on a saddle all day or having to be focused and alert for too long. She knew they both were hurting, and this would be much safer for both of their recovery. She and Sully walked over to Robert E, who had stepped down from his horse. "Thank you," Michaela whispered to him with a grateful look, while Sully shook his hand in thanks.

Robert E gave them a knowing smile back. "You're welcome. Getting everybody home safe is important to me, too."

She gave him another smile as she turned to face the group around them. "Well then, I think this means we're ready to go home."

Home. The thought sounded so amazing Colleen could hardly believe it. She looked up at Andrew to find he was looking back down at her, sharing the same, tired, yet hopeful look on his face. They were going home.

A short while later, things were finally, officially underway, and everyone was headed back to Colorado Springs. Hank and Jake led the way, with Preston just behind them. A bit further back were Matthew and Robert E, the latter pulling the wagon. Inside the wagon sat Colleen and Andrew, side-by-side, leaning up against one of the sides. Sully and Robert E had laid out some blankets to make it a little more comfortable, and one sat draped across Colleen's legs. She still had a slight fever, giving her a bit of an extra chill as they traveled. For the most part, they drifted in and out of sleep, still pretty beat and out of it. At one point, Andrew grabbed Colleen's hand, and she looked up at him with a smile. They didn't know it, but they were both thinking the same thing, how just yesterday at this time they were sitting side-by-side in a wagon, traveling in the opposite direction, terrified and unsure of what was going to happen to them. Colleen scooted closer to Andrew's side and rested her head on his shoulder, feeling calm and at peace, grateful once more that she had Andrew with her through all of this. Andrew glanced down at her, thinking the exact same thing. He carefully rested his head on top of hers and closed his eyes.

Sully and Michaela trailed last behind the wagon, not minding being in the back this time. For two people who were often in charge, they didn't mind this view, being able to see everyone else ahead of them, safe and headed back in the right direction.

It would be a full day's journey home, but Sully had no doubt they would make it back tonight. Before they had left this morning, Matthew had stopped by the telegraph's office to send a message to Brian back in Colorado Springs, saying that Colleen and Andrew were safe and they were on their way home. Matthew knew his brother was probably worried sick, and he wanted to give him the reassurance that Colleen and everyone else would be home soon.

Back in Colorado Springs, everyone was waking up to a cool and cloudy morning. Grace yawned as she got Katie ready for the day in a simple green and white dress. "There we are," she told the almost one-year-old with a smile as she pulled on her stockings and shoes. "Let's go see if you're brother's awake." She pulled her into her arms and walked down to the kitchen, ready to get breakfast started.

No more than five minutes later, Brian came down the stairs, dressed and ready for the day. Anthony followed behind him. "Good morning, boys," Grace greeted as she stirred some oats on the stove. "How'd you sleep?"

"Fine," Brian mumbled, while Anthony muttered a quiet, "alright." It had been an interesting few days for Anthony, watching his best friend become distant and distracted. Brian was usually the one to cheer people up. He just wished there was something he could do to help.

"I'll have breakfast ready here in a minute. Could you boys bring in some wood for the fire? It feels like it's going to be a chilly one out today."

"Sure," Brian mumbled again as he and Anthony headed outside. They gathered some wood from the pile next to the house and brought it into the holder near the fireplace inside. Throughout breakfast, Brian was still pretty distracted, eager to head into town and see if anyone had heard anything. Grace tried to keep up a cheerful conversation, even though she wasn't feeling all that cheerful herself. Before they knew it, it was time to head into town for Sunday service. They gathered into the wagon and made their way into town, seeing everyone walking toward the church.

They parked the wagon and walked up to the pretty white church where the Reverend stood greeting people at the door.

"Morning, Reverend," Grace greeted, grabbing his hand as she took the steps leading up into the building.

"Good morning, Grace. Good morning, boys," he said with a small smile, knowing Grace was taking care of Brian and Katie while Michaela and Sully were gone. "I'm happy you're here this morning."

"It's good to see you, Reverend," Brian said, trying to put on a pleasant face.

They headed in and took a seat on the right side, a few pews back from the front. Grace sat down with Katie on her lap, Anthony next to her, and Brian on his other side. The church felt empty, knowing certain people should have been there. Sully, Michaela, Matthew, Robert E, and Colleen all should have been here with them, but they weren't. Brian sighed, but upon remembering where he was, turned to prayer instead. He prayed that Colleen and Andrew were okay, that they would be found soon, and that everyone would make it home safe.

Before they knew it, church was over, and everyone headed out to the lawn for a picnic lunch. The sun was starting to peek through the clouds a little bit, bringing some brightness to this gloomy day. Dorothy came over and joined them, and they all sat around and chatted for a while. At one point, a group of boys started a game of baseball, and Anthony and Brian went over to join, which Grace was happy to see.

After a while, it was time to clean up and move on to the next part of the day. The café was closed on Sundays, but Grace needed to go take inventory and make a plan for the week of what she needed.

Just as they were finishing packing up their lunch and folding up their picnic blanket, Horace came running over, an excited look on his face. "Brian!" he called. "Grace!"

"Horace, what in the world is it?"

"What's going on?" Brian asked.

"I just got a telegram from Matthew," he said, a little breathless from running all the way across the field.

"From Matthew?" Brian asked excitedly, eyes growing wide. "What did he say?"

"They found Colleen and Andrew. They're headed back today!"

"Oh!" Grace placed her hands on Brian's shoulders as a huge grin broke across his face. Anthony beamed as he watched his friend's entire demeanor change in an instant.

"They really found them? Are they okay?" Brian asked.

"What exactly did his message say?" Grace added, still standing behind Brian with her hands on his shoulders.

Horace pulled a note out from his pocket. "Matthew said that they found Colleen and Andrew. Colleen hurt her arm, and they both have some bruises, but they'll be traveling home today. If all goes well, they'll be in late tonight." He handed the note off to Brian.

Brian nodded his head slowly, reading the note again to himself. "Colleen's hurt."

Grace, who was reading the note over his shoulder, tried to focus on the positive, though she frowned at that part of the message, too. "She's well enough to travel home; that's a good thing."

"Yeah," he said, a small smile coming over his face. "They'll be home tonight."

"We can use the day to prepare for their arrival."

"We should get the house cleaned up all nice," Anthony suggested.

"That's a good idea," Brian said, feeling a little bit better now. He was elated that they were coming home; he just hated hearing that Colleen was hurt. But like Grace said, if she was well enough to travel home, then she couldn't be too injured, right?

"Where was the message sent from?" asked Grace.

"Pueblo," replied Horace. "It's certainly a full day's trip, that's for sure. But they'll make it; Michaela and Sully will be sure of it."

"Absolutely," Grace added. "Well, if you boys don't mind helping me get ready for the week at the café, we'll be able to finish up faster and get things ready for their arrival tonight."

"Let's go!" Brian smiled, grabbing the picnic basket and loading up the wagon as quickly as they could.

Traveling back from Pueblo proved to be pretty uneventful, which everybody was extremely grateful for. The last thing they needed was something slowing them down. Between being able to carry Colleen and Andrew in the wagon and the fact that they could take the roads the entire way made all the difference; they were definitely making good enough time to make it back tonight. It would likely be dark by the time they made it home, but they would still be able to make it in time to sleep in their own beds tonight.

They had stopped a couple of times to give the horses and themselves a rest, but they kept their breaks pretty short each time. Andrew and Colleen were hanging in there as best as they could, but the last few days were certainly catching up with them. Everyone could tell they were spent.

Michaela kept a close eye on both of them and tended to them as needed, but the truth was, what they needed more than anything else was proper rest. All she wanted was to get them back to the clinic safe and sound.

They were currently on what was hopefully their last break of the day before making it back to Colorado Springs. Michaela looked down at Colleen, who was seated next to her, leaning her head back against the side of the wagon. They were all seated in various spots in a field of grass just off the road, eating a light dinner from the food they had packed. "Colleen, you need to eat something," she chided gently. The girl had hardly eaten anything all day.

"I'm not hungry," Colleen rasped, looking up at her ma tiredly. She felt miserable. Traveling all day had proved to be more tiring than she thought. Though all she had had to do was ride in the wagon, her entire body was in pain, and her head ached from lack of sleep and rest. Both she and Andrew, who had also been experiencing pain in his head and face, had taken some willow bark, but it had only dulled the pain a little.

Michaela pressed her hand to Colleen's cheek, still feeling her fever. "You at least need to drink some water," she said, holding out the canteen toward her daughter, who thankfully obliged, taking a sip, wincing as the water went down her sore throat. Michaela rubbed a hand up and down the girl's good arm, giving her a warm smile. "We'll be home soon, we're almost there."

Colleen nodded, knowing her ma was right.

And sure enough, she was. Several hours later, shining through the darkness, tiny lights in the distance signaled the appearance of Colorado Springs. Everyone smiled in relief, excited and eager to be back in their favorite place.

The day had ended up going surprisingly fast, Brian realized, as he finished sweeping the floors of the mercantile. He and Anthony had helped Grace with some work in the cafe for a few hours after church. In the afternoon, they had gone back to the homestead to clean up and take care of the chores, and after dinner, they came back into town with hopes of being there when everyone arrived.

They had stopped at the Mercantile, and Brian ended up staying after to help Mr. Bray clean up. Loren had been worried about the boy over the past few days, so he appreciated getting to spend some time with him and see how he was doing.

"That'll do, Brian," Loren said, putting away a binder as he watched the boy sweep the last section of the store. "You can call it a day."

"Do you need help with anything else?"

"No, that should be it. Thank you. You've been a big help."

"No problem." The boy went to put the broom and dustpan away, stopping to peek outside the window before returning back to the counter where Loren stood.

"You see them yet?" The older man asked.

"No," he said disappointedly.

"Don't worry, I'm sure they'll be back soon."

Brian nodded his head calmly, but the worry was written all over his face. He walked back to the window and looked out once more.

Loren frowned at him, Brian had been a little bit off all night. "C'mon now, what's really bothering you, Brian?" He knew it was more than just impatience for their arrival.

The boy looked down at the floor with a sigh before staring out of the window again. "Mr. Bray, what is it like? I mean… what do you think it was like for Colleen and Andrew to be… taken like that? And she's hurt; something bad must have happened."

Loren took a deep breath and walked around the counter, standing behind Brian at the window. "Well now, I honestly can't say that I know the feeling, or what she or Andrew experienced. But I do know that she's probably going to need some support as she recovers from it. That's where she's going to need your help."

"What do you mean?"

"You and I may not know what she went through, but I imagine it was a pretty scary thing. You can be there for her and get her to talk to you about it. It will probably help."

"Yeah, that's true." He glanced back at the older man. "Thanks, Mr. Bray."

"Anytime, Brian," he smiled.

"Hey, look!" Brian exclaimed suddenly. "Someone's coming!" He went to the door and flung it open, running out onto the street, Loren just behind him. He ran down toward the clinic, where everyone was sure to stop if it were indeed them. Grace, who had stopped at home while Brian was with Mr. Bray, stepped out quickly and ran over to where she saw Brian waiting. She had a sleepy-looking Katie in her arms. They stood in front of the clinic as a band of people came into view. There was no doubt, it was definitely them.

Brian, Grace, Katie, Mr. Bray, and a few others who were out this evening crowded around near the clinic, watching the large group pull up. Sully now led the way with Michaela just behind him, coming to a stop near the clinic entrance. Matthew was right behind them, along with Robert E and the wagon. Jake, Hank, and Preston trailed in last, taking their time and giving the group some space. They went over to the other side of the street to tie up their horses.

"Ma!" Brian called as the group approached.

"Brian!" Michaela called back, stepping down from her horse and pulling him into her arms.

"Is everyone okay? Are Colleen and Andrew okay?"

"They will be, but we need to get them inside."

They walked over to the wagon as Robert E came to a full stop. Sully and Matthew had already stepped down from their horses and were walking over to unhitch the tailboard in the back. As Brian walked over to help, he was taken aback for a moment at the sight of Andrew and Colleen.

Brian had known they were hurt to some degree, and he knew their injuries couldn't be too severe, given there wasn't a bigger rush going on at the moment, but it was still worse than he had imagined. One of Andrew's eyes was bruised, his eyelid half closed due to the swelling. He had a gash on his lip and another large bruise on his cheekbone. His nose was also swollen and dark purple, it looked painful. Dried blood was scattered around the front of his shirt. As Andrew slowly moved out of the wagon with a grunt of pain, taking the hand Matthew offered, Brian saw the cuts that lined the man's knuckles.

And Colleen, Brian wasn't just shocked but also angered at the sight of her, thinking about what must have caused everything. Colleen's arm was held close to her body in a sling, with something in place to splint it. She, just like Andrew, had a bruised and swollen eye, along with some other bruises on various parts of her face. She had a large gash that had been stitched up on her forehead, and dried blood also stained the front of her dress. As Colleen started to get out of the wagon, she moved much slower and more carefully than Andrew did, wincing as she moved. It was obvious she was in a lot of pain.

"Let's get you inside," Sully said as he reached for her, scooping her into his arms as she approached the edge of the wagon. He carried her inside the clinic, followed by Michaela, Andrew, and Matthew.

"Colleen," Brian said helplessly, wanting to follow but waiting just outside the door as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked back to see Mr. Bray giving him a concerned look. The older man didn't expect them to look so beaten up, either.

"Let's give them a moment," he said quietly.

A few minutes later, Matthew stepped outside, seeing that most of the crowd had disappeared, leaving just Brian, Loren, Grace, Robert E, and Preston, who had walked back over, standing out in the dark. Hank had gone back to the saloon, Jake joining him presumably. Everyone else had scattered to wherever else they needed to be tonight. Robert E was giving Grace a hug, pulling her into his side.

"Matthew, what happened?" Brian asked seriously upon seeing his older brother.

Matthew sighed and took off his hat, putting a hand on Brian's shoulder as he looked at both him and the crowd of people around them. "Let's sit down," he said, gesturing to the bench nearby. "Dr. Mike is going to get Colleen and Andrew settled. They're going to spend the night here so she can keep an eye on them. Sully will be out in a minute, he's going to take you and Katie home."

"But I want to see Colleen-"

"You can see her in the morning. She needs to rest, and so does everyone else, including you."

Brian sighed in frustration, knowing there was no point in arguing. "Okay."

"Robert E," Matthew walked over to the man and held out his hand, the older man returning it with a hardy shake. "Thank you... for helping rescue my sister."

Robert E squeezed his hand harder for a minute, giving him a serious look, "I'm always here if you need me." He turned to Grace and put his arm around her shoulder. "Let's go home," he said, leading her over to their place, where Anthony awaited them.

Loren and Preston exchanged their goodbyes, leaving just Brian, Matthew, and Katie, now in Matthew's arms, waiting in the dark.

"Is Collen really okay?" Brian asked nervously.

Matthew sighed again, thinking about what to say. "She will be. It's going to take some time, Brian." Her physical injuries would heal, but it was the mental injuries and the fear that he worried about for his sister more than anything. He was about to go more into detail of what happened when Sully stepped outside, pulling Brian in for a hug and taking Katie from Matthew's arms, planting a kiss on her head. "We can see them in the morning. Your ma's going to stay here and keep an eye on Colleen and Andrew tonight. They need a good night's rest more than anything."

Matthew nodded. "I'm going to record everything in my office and head home. I'll see you in the morning," he said, shaking Sully's hand and patting Brian on the back.

"You ready?" Sully asked Brian, who slowly nodded his head, not wanting to leave his sister but knowing there was nothing he could do right now. They would go home, get a good night's rest, and hope that the morning would come fast.

Oh hey readers :) I'm back! I'm so sorry for the long wait, applying for new jobs is no joke. On top of that, this one simply took me longer to write. Back when I started writing this story, I was watching the show, but I finished it somewhere around writing chapter 5, so this chapter took me a bit longer to write because I wanted to go back and watch some scenes to make sure I was getting the characters' voices right. Having this feel authentic to the show is super important to me, so I hope that these characters feel real!

Additionally (you can skip this unless you care about my writing process haha) I was STRUGGLING to figure out where everyone was going to spend the night in this chapter. Like, I thought through so many different scenarios. In the end, what I came up with felt like it could be authentic to the show and characters, so I hope it feels that way to you as well.

In the end, this turned out to be my longest chapter yet, which is not what I expected in what I considered a 'transition' chapter between the rescue and everyone being back in Colorado Springs. At least for the long wait, you get a longer chapter! I still have several chapters to go, and I foresee this story ending with about 14 chapters. I'm hoping to get these last several chapters out more consistently since now I have the writing bug again.

I really hope that you enjoy this one, I actually ended up really loving this chapter. Happy reading, readers! Thank you for continuing to show this story support :)