There was something happening outside the clinic, so Michaela followed Hank outside to see several men standing near a wagon arguing over something. Hank walked over to them, "Gentlemen, calm down and go have a whiskey, that’ll settle everything". One man smiled, took his hat off and headed for the saloon when another man grabbed him and threw a punch that landed the first one down. "Hey, Hey, knock it off", yelled Hank.
The fighting continued and several other men got involved. Michaela stood and watched as did a few other townsfolk who wandered over to watch the excitement. A few men came out of the saloon and staggered over to the fight, swinging there fists, and getting involved. One man went down especially hard with a great deal of blood on his face when he didn’t get up Michaela went over to him and bent down to see if he was all right.
"Leave him alone lady!", yelled one of the men and as Michaela looked up he grabbed her arm and pulled her up. Another man ran over and punched this man and Michaela was thrown to the ground. Everything was happening so fast. Again as Michaela started to get up a man came towards her, "Go home lady, or do you wanna go in the saloon and have fun?" Michaela became frightened as she smelled the alcohol on his breath and got up off the ground intending to go back to the clinic, but the man grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him. "Leave her alone!", shouted Hank, and the man shoved Michaela to the side and down on the ground.
Sully came running from the direction of the livery when he heard the commotion. He lurched at the men and started fighting them all off,. "Sully, no...", Michaela yelled as Sully fought the men. Hank walked over and helped Michaela stand up and walked her back into the clinic.
"Don’t go gettin’ involved in any fights Michaela", Hank said as he walked her to her desk chair, "now sit down and don’t go out there again."
"I’m fine Hank, more stunned than anything. I never thought that if I tried to help someone they would turn against me like that", she said, "Now it’s my arm that hurts".
"What can I do?", asked Hank.
"I think I’ll rest it in a sling for a while, that way it won’t swell up and it should be fine by tonight", as she walked to the cabinet and pulled out some sheeting she used to make slings, "they’re all folded, can you help me?"
"Yeah, you want me to tie the ends around your neck?"
"Yes, don’t pull too hard", she said holding up one side of the sling. Hank took the one end and reached around to the back of her head and she reached up and handed him the other end.
Outside the fighting broke up and Sully looked for Michaela, realizing she must have gone back to the clinic he walked up to the porch and heard Michaela and Hank talking, although he couldn’t hear what they were saying. He peered into the doorway and saw Hank standing in front of Michaela. It looked like he had his hands on her neck or shoulders,. Hank was so tall that Sully couldn’t see beyond him, what was he doing? Sully squinted, looked at the floor and up once more into the clinic and then left.
"That’s better, thank you", said Michaela.
"All right then, and don’t worry about fixing up any of those bums, they don’t need no bandages or slings", Hank said as he headed for the door. "Do you think you need anything else?"
"I’m fine Hank. Thank you for your help, and if I need a nurse I’ll call on you", she smiled at Hank. Hank gave her a wink and left.
The rest of the day was quiet and Michaela decided to head home a little earlier that usual. Her arm felt a little sore but fine, so she removed the sling, folded it and put it away. She closed the clinic door and headed for her wagon at Robert E’s.
"Good afternoon Robert E.", Michaela said happily as walked up to the livery.
"Dr. Mike, you going home early today?", replied Robert E.
"Why not? I have no appointments and there are chores to do at home", she said. She didn’t see Sully who was a few feet behind her in the corral.
"I heard all the excitement earlier", Robert E said wiping his brow with his shirt sleeve, "Anyone hurt?"
"Not really. I managed to somehow get myself in the middle, but Hank rescued me. I think once Hank went back outside the problem was resolved.", she told Robert E.
Sully came walking through the gate leading Michaela’s horse, "Oh, hello Sully, I didn’t see you there", she said happy to see him.
"I’ll get the wagon for her Robert E.", Sully said as he led the horse to the wagon. Robert E nodded and looked at Dr. Mike who gave Sully a questionable look. Michaela walked over to the wagon, "Sully would you come out to the homestead with me, I have a few things I need fixed".
Sully looked at her, "I’ll come by later, I still have a few things to do in town", and then he finished with the horse and wagon and walked back to the corral.
After Michaela left, Robert E said to Sully, "What have you got to do in town?"
"Nothing, but I don’t want to ride out with her today", Sully replied.
"Why not? Sully, you’re a damn fool! That woman wanted to spend a little time with you, you know you could have talked on the way out to the homestead...", Robert E whispered and gave Sully a sly smile.
"You mean she would have talked. You heard her she has a few things for me to fix, that don’t sound like she wants to spend time with me", Sully said.
"Ah, well that sure sounded like a good excuse to me. Listen, you go out there. Take her for a little moonlight walk this evening, she’d like that. I bet you would too", he slapped Sully in the shoulder.
"I don’t know Robert E., I don’t think we’re a good match."
"Sully, half the couples in the world wouldn’t be together if they were worried about being a good match! Besides, you don’t know each other well enough to say that."
Sully figured Robert E would keep at him, so he just left. He wanted to get an hour of hunting in before it got too late in the day. He and Wolf headed out to the woods. Sully rested a moment on a fallen tree thinking about Michaela. A moonlight walk? What would they talk about? Ah, it was a foolish idea. He’d go up there to see what needed fixing and that’s all.
Michaela finished hanging the laundry she had just washed and decided she would take care of the barn to give Matthew a break this evening. She went into the barn and picked up the rake. She raked and raked loosing herself in thoughts of Sully. Why did he prefer to stay so distant most of the time? There were a few times when he seemed like he wanted to be around her and the children. There were times she could feel he was looking at her, but when she looked at him he would look away. Why didn’t he just talk to her instead of looking away. She raked and thought....
Sully opened the door to the house, "Dr. Mike?".......no answer. He walked over to the barn and noticed the door opened slightly. He peered in and saw Michaela raking. He watched the way her hair swayed each time she moved the rake, the way her tiny waist twisted, the way her delicate hands griped the rake. He admired the way she had learned so much in such a short amount of time. He smiled when he thought about her cooking, that would take longer for her to learn. She suddenly placed the rake against the wall and sat down on a bail of hay. She put her chin in her hands and Sully thought she looked a little sad, but almost bored. He wondered what she was thinking about. He decided he better back away and walk up to the homestead so she wouldn’t know he had been watching her.
"Dr. Mike!", he yelled and walked towards the house. Michaela stood up and went to the barn door, she saw Sully standing in front of the porch. "Since when do you stand outside and holler for me?", she questioned Sully.
"I didn’t know if you were here", Sully replied. She looked at him with disbelief, "I’m here! Would you like something to drink?"
"No, what needs fixin’?"
"It’s out back of the chicken coop", Michaela motioned in that direction, "I guess the chickens are trying to get out".
"They don’t try to get out. Anything else after that?", he asked.
"Yes, something inside, but I’ll show when you’re done with the chicken coop", she went towards the house.
Sully watched her walk away, he felt she got the message that he wasn’t too pleased with her at the moment. He also hoped she wouldn’t confront him about it. He got a few tools out of the barn and went to work.
Michaela slammed the door of the house, her hands like little fists. ‘What is wrong with him’, she wondered. She had to think of something in the house that needed fixing so when he came in she wouldn’t be found out that she just wanted to get him inside to talk. She reached up on the shelf that held most of the pots and pans trying to remove them so she could loosen a board of the shelf when - crash! Michaela lost her balance and all the pots and pans came crashing down on her. When he heard the crash, he ran to the house and saw Michaela lying on the floor surrounded by the cookery. "What happened?", he asked as he offered her a hand.
"Well that’s obvious isn’t it?", she said as she reached for his hand. He pulled his hand away, "Get Hank to help ya" and he walked out and slammed the door behind him.
"Sully........", Michaela sighed as she just stayed sitting on the floor.
The next morning Sully went into town and Robert E yelled over, "Sully, hey Sully come here a minute!" Sully walked over, "Mornin’ Robert E, something wrong?"
"No, nothing, well........you and Dr. Mike take that moonlight walk?"
"No, the only walk we took was to the chicken coop!"
"Huh, the chicken coop? Sully that ain’t romantic, you know that don’t ya?", Robert E replied.
"Yes of course I know that! I fixed the chicken coop and then she fell on the floor with all the pots and pans and then I left", Sully said, arms folded across his chest, he was starting to pace back and forth.
"What? Slow down, I don’t get it. Sully I know it’s been a while since you bin courtin’, so maybe I can give you some advice.....", Robert E was following behind Sully who was still pacing.
"I don’t need advice! That woman is impossible and courting her would be impossible!" Sully said his hands flying up in the air.
Robert E tried not to laugh out loud, in all the time he’d known Sully he’d never seen him this aggravated. "Well go over to the clinic and ask her if she’d like to go to lunch with you at Grace’s. Then you’ll get to just sit and talk, nice and calm".
"Maybe, we’ll see, I dunno. You got anything I can do, I gotta do something this morning....", said Sully.
"Yeah, I got some saddle work you can do for me, I ain’t had the time..", said Robert E as he walked back to the corral. Sully followed and the two men set about their tasks.
Michaela was sweeping the floor at the clinic. She thought she heard someone yelling outside, so she went to the door and saw what looked to be some of the same men as the day before, still arguing in the street. This time she went back into the clinic and shut the door. The noise continued, so Michaela went upstairs to clean the rooms.
Across the street at the saloon, Hank was trying to keep order among his patrons. "Shut up! Sit down or you ain’t being served, you hear me?" He was in and out trying to get people from standing around looking at the bickering out in the street. "Let them boys fight if they wanna, we should all go back inside and have us a drink, it’s almost lunch time and the whiskey is callin’!" A few men listened and went into the saloon. Hank was behind them when someone grabbed his arm from behind. Hank turned around, "What do you want?", he asked the man holding his arm.
"I got some unfinished business with you and your lady friend", the man said.
"Get out of here, go do business with you own lady friend", Hank said as he yanked his arm out of the mans grip.
The man stormed across the street towards the clinic and then Hank realized the man was talking about Michaela! Hank ran to catch up with him. The man walked into the clinic and saw no one, Hank was right behind him, "There ain’t no one here, doctor’s out on a house call. Let’s go", he motioned for the man to leave. Then they both heard a noise from upstairs and the man rushed through the doorway to the stairs, Hank was close behind him.
"Okay lady don’t say nothing and I won’t hurt you!", he yelled at Michaela.
"What..........who are you?", said Michaela as she backed up in the recovery room. Hank stayed in the hallway figuring he’d jump the man when he left the room.
"You got any medicine I can have?" the man asked Michaela.
"What kind of medicine? Go downstairs, you’re frightening me", Michaela said, she felt herself starting to tremble.
The man started laughing, "Man medicine lady! Don’t you know! Come over here and I’ll whisper it in your ear".
Michaela started breathing rapidly realizing that this man could hurt her and she had no place to run, then she saw Hank motioning silently from the doorway for her to stay calm and move towards him.
Michaela moved slowly towards the man, watching his eyes. She noticed they were bloodshot and since Hank was there figured he must have come over from the saloon and Hank followed him. As she got closer, "I think we should downstairs now", she said softly.
"I like it up here!", and he grabbed her arm and twisted her around. She tried to hit him with the broom, but he pushed her arm and the broom handle went through a window pane. She screamed, "Don’t!! Leave me alone! What do you want?"
Hank came through the doorway and pulled Michaela out of the man’s clutches and a gun went off. Michaela screamed louder and with more fright now as she fell to the floor. The man lunged at Hank and then slumped to the floor. Hank turned to Michaela, "Are you all right?"
Outside, Robert E and Sully both stopped and looked to the clinic when they heard the glass break, "What's goin' on?", asked Robert E.
"I'm gonna find out", said Sully, and then the gunshot rang out, and he ran to the clinic.
Michaela was overwhelmed and sat shaking on the floor, leaning against the wall. "I’m okay, I didn’t realize he had a gun, did you?"
"No......", said Hank as he leaned down to help Michaela. They both looked up as they heard people running up the stairs. Jake and Olive came around the corner, "What happened?" said Olive. Sully was the next to arrive, he stopped and looked at Michaela, he went to her and put his hand out.
"I’m fine just fine, thanks to Hank", she replied as she took Hank’s hand and stood up. Sully was relieved that she was okay, but he stayed behind the others.
"Who is that?", asked Jake.
"Some drunk who came here after Michaela, we didn’t know he had a gun. Take him outta here will ya Jake", said Hank who was standing by Michaela.
Sully looked at Michaela and at Hank. He was certain she was okay, so he turned and left. Michaela ran after him, "Sully....wait! Please.... I need you". Sully stopped on the stairs and looked up at her, "No you don’t." and continued down the stairs and out the door.
When Sully got to the livery Robert E was watching, "Oh no, now what happened?"
"Don’t say nothing Robert E !! ", shouted Sully.
The meeting at the church was going on too long thought Michaela. Finally the reverend said, "Okay, settle down, we have decided that our picnic will be next Sunday after services. We’ll have games for the children and food and then in the evening we’ll have dancing. Is everyone okay with that?" The crowd approved and started to leave the church. Michaela was glad to get out of there, she wanted to go home. Olive came running up behind her, "Are you going to make a new dress for the picnic, Dr. Mike?"
"Hadn’t thought about it. How is your stomach?", she asked Olive.
"Much better, the tonic you gave me helped. We have some beautiful material in, why don’t you come by and see it", she looked at Dr. Mike.
"All right. Colleen is the one who really could use a new dress, maybe I can pick something out for her too".
At the store, Michaela and Olive were looking over the bolts of material. Michaela had selected several that she liked and was trying to decide on one.
"Loren, did my order come in?"
"Yes Sully, it’s right over here", replied Loren.
Michaela turned, put down the material and walked to Sully. "Hello", she said softly.
Sully nodded at her and then looked and nodded at Olive.
Michaela was about the say something when Loren started, "Okay, it’s all set, since you paid when you ordered it."
"Thanks", said Sully, he looked at Michaela and left the store.
Michaela walked quickly back to the material. Olive sensed something going on, "Are you and Sully........well you know........courting or something?"
"No, nothing. He is impossible. He’s so quiet and he always just walks away." Michaela leaned towards Olive and whispered, "One minute he’s looking into my eyes and I think...well... there is no one else on earth! Then, he looks away and before I can catch my breath he’s gone, simply walking away! I don’t understand".
Olive smiled slightly, "Well Dr. Mike, maybe Sully’s a little.......well somewhat.......have you kissed and you know hugged and things?"
"We kissed on my birthday", Michaela was still whispering, "that’s about it really."
"I see, well I think Sully is afraid...well, no not afraid exactly, but maybe you make him feel things he’s afraid to feel. Do you understand?", Olive looked closely at Michaela.
"Yes.....and no......but what do I do about it? I’m a little afraid too, but I don’t just walk away from him".
"Maybe you just need time alone. Can I take the children away on a Saturday and maybe you could invite Sully to lunch, ya know, he’d feel more comfortable if it were just you and him", Olive said.
"He probably wouldn’t show up, or worse yet he’d eat and walk away!", Michaela felt as if she was going to cry, "I’ll be back for the material another time, Olive. Thanks for your help", she reached and squeezed Olive’s hand and then left the store.