The town prepared for another winter. Charlotte, making candles, sent 11-year-old Matthew to the mercantile to get some wicks. He came back all excited.
"Ma! Ma! The telegraph man’s arrived!"
The arrival of the telegraph operator had been a much talked about subject in Colorado Springs in the months leading up to it. The little shanty town of Colorado Springs had once been so small it had required its inhabitants to travel all the way to Denver for mail. But with the burgeoning population, up to a whole 80 people at this point, a Pony Express stop had been designated in early 1860. With the advent of the telegraph, however, the Pony Express was disseminated within a matter of months, much to the dismay of Wells Fargo & Co. In place of the eight or so riders, two stationkeepers, and the whole relay station required to keep the mail running would be the small, clickety-clackety machine the telegraph operator would run in a tiny building. Now, that was progress.
Matthew sighed. "Aw Ma," he said. "It’s awf’ly bully. Mr. Bing even let me send a word out over the wires! He told me I said hello to a gentleman in St. Louis!" his eyes shone.
"Matthew," admonished Charlotte. "What have I told you about using that word?"
"Oh, Ma," said the boy. "But everyone says bully." He clapped a hand over his mouth. "I gotta go do chores." He ran off.
Charlotte chuckled as she watched her son, then grew sad. He was getting older, needed a man’s guidance more than ever. But Ethan just wasn’t being much of a father. True, he had stopped drinking so much, but he was still rarely home.
In a way, Sully was more of a father to Matthew that Ethan. It was Sully who played catch with him, went fishing - and she was glad for it. But it was Ethan’s job.
1862
The war raged on between the states.
"It doesn’t matter much to us folks out here," Charlotte reflected as she did the washing with Abagail. It was a beautiful summer day, the 7th of August, and the two married women were enjoying some time together.
"True," agreed Abagail. "But just you watch. One way or another it’s gonna affect us."
Charlotte nodded. "It’s so strange. Before the telegraph came to town, I barely even cared about the war. Now with the news comin’ everyday - I can’t seem to get enough of it."
Abagail gasped. "That’s a horrible thing to say, Charlotte! Those poor men!" she shivered. "I can’t imagine Byron bein’ out there, on the battlefield, killin’ someone or bein’ killed. It’s too horrible a thought!"
"Well, it’s a good thing we live out West," said Charlotte. "You don’t have to ever worry about Sully bein’ part of it. Speaking of Sully," she continued. "Where is he today?"
Abagail smiled. "Gettin’ a shave and a haircut at Jake’s. Lord, don’t ask me why!" she laughed. "All of a sudden he took it into his head to clean up some. I don’t mind it, ‘course," she said, "but I kind of like him with his long hair, when he ties it back. Looks real dandy to me."
"Maybe that’s the problem," Charlotte said, and the women burst out laughing.
"See, that’s one thing I never had to worry about with Ethan," she said. "Seems to me the minute we got to this town he was over at Jake’s getting his whiskers trimmed. Always likes to look good."
"I got it!" said Abagail triumphantly. "My birthday’s tomorrow!"
"Of course!" said Charlotte. "How could I have forgotten! I bet he’s planning something real special," she smiled. She hadn’t forgotten.
The sun was setting over Pike’s Peak as Sully and Abagail sat on the porch of the homestead the 8th of August. Sully had Abagail’s small hand in his and was caressing it.
"That was a wonderful supper,’ Abagail breathed.
He gave her a smirk. "I aim to please." Turning around to face the sunset he said, "How ‘bout some music?"
Abagail nodded shyly and he walked inside, took out his violin and came back out. Tuning the strings, he said. "There’s somethin’ I want to play for you. " He strummed the string. "It’s a song called Lorena...but hearin’ it made me think of you..." He held the bow to the strings, and slowly the notes came out, like pearly slipping of a string. He sang:
Yes, those were words of thine, Lorena --
They are within my memory yet --
They touched some tender chords, Lorena,
Which thrill and tremble with regret.
'Twas not the woman's heart which spoke --
Thy heart was always true to me;
A duty stern and piercing broke
The tie that linked my soul to thee.
He stopped playing. "There’s more," he said. "But it just ain’t appropriate right now. Abagail," he took her hand again in his. "You are my Lorena."
Her eyes shined up at him, entranced. He gave her a long, deep kiss, then brushed his fingers against her ribs.
She broke off the kiss, laughing. "Byron, what are you doing? Byron -aah!" she tried to get away from his tickling but he wrestled her to the floor. She snuck her small hands to his side and he began laughing as well, They rolled over and over, dropping off the porch.
THUMP! They hit the ground with a bang. For a moment they didn’t move, each afraid the other was hurt. Then they burst out laughing. Sully rolled on top of his wife, giving her another long, lingering kiss. Then suddenly he sat up.
"Would you like your gift now?"
She also sat up, eagerly.
He got up, ran inside the homestead and came out with a large paper package. He held a smaller one behind his back where she couldn’t see it.
"I hope you like it," he said, shyly, handing it to her.
She began unwrapping it. The paper swathing fell from the silken material as she lifted it. "Oh!" she breathed. "It’s beautiful!!"
The Princess Polonaise dress was a shimmering light blue. Its silken overdress had a short sleeved fitted waist and a draped cutaway overskirt. An underskirt was also included, a pink silk slip of a thing.
"Charlotte helped me pick it out," he said, feeling a bit uncomfortable. "Ya sure you like it?"
Abagail threw her arms around him. "Oh, I’ve never owned somethin’ this pretty. It’s beautiful, Byron, gorgeous, oh!" she placed a hand across her mouth. "Thank you!" she hugged him again.
"Wait," he said. "That’s not all." He handed her the smaller box.
She looked at him questioningly.
"Go on, open it," he told her.
She slowly did, then gasped in amazement. Inside lay a pearl necklace. "I now how much you love pearls," Sully whispered in her ear, kissing it. He unfastened the clasp and placed it around her neck.
She pulled her hair up, which had been loose over shoulder, over her ears and held it in place to give him a better look.
"You’re beautiful," he breathed, reaching over and kissing her naked neck.
She pulled away from him. "Byron..." she murmured.
"What is it?" he asked softly, reaching for her neck again.
"Would you like your present now?" she asked him.
"My present?" he was surprised. "It’s not my birthday."
"No...it’s not," she wheedled, running her fingers up his arm. "But I thought you might like one anyway." She looked deep into his eyes, then leaned over and whispered in his ear. "I’m pregnant!"
His jaw dropped open. She saw the delight in his eyes, as a smile crept over his face. "Oh Abagail!" he cried. He threw his arms around her and held her tightly. Then, his lips found hers and they held that embrace for what seemed like hours. He reached under her and picked her up. Walking into the homestead, he kicked the door closed behind them and lay her on the bed. It was a beautiful night.
The months melted away into fall once again. Sully took great care of Abagail - making sure her every desire was fulfilled. As the days grew shorter, she began to grow rounder and rounder.
Charlotte came to visit them often now. No longer were her kids little. Matthew was 12, Colleen 8, and Brian 3. So they minded the house while she became as involved as she wanted to in church and town affairs, and with friends.
Abagail and Charlotte had become greater friends than Charlotte had ever hoped. Though Charlotte was 8 years her senior, they shared the same interests, and both of them cared for Sully. Abagail was never jealous of Charlotte’s relationship with her husband, she knew exactly how much Sully cared about her and it never bothered her.
As the months went on, Abagail and Sully began discussing names for the baby.
"It’s gonna be a girl, I just know it is," she delighted in telling Sully.
"I don’t care what it is," Sully always insisted. "Just so long as it and is Ma are happy and healthy, it can purple-spotted for all I care!"
Abagail’s velvety laugh rang out. "What do you want to name her?" she asked him.
"Don’t matter to me none," he said , entranced, looking g into her deep brown eyes.
"You mean you don’t even care?" she asked, her mouth dropping open in mock horror.
It was Sully’s turn to laugh. He leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek. "How about Abagail?"
"Abagail?" she cried out, dismayed.
"Prettiest name I know."
She shook her head. "I’m NOT naming my daughter after me."
"How do you know it’s even gonna be a girl?"
"Okay, fine," she smiled wickedly at him. "But if it’s a boy, then we name him Byron!"
Sully burst out laughing. "Uh, never mind then," he said quickly. "Okay, okay," he conceded. "Well, how about Hannah then?"
"My middle name?" she groaned again.
"Please?" wheedle Sully. "Give in to me, just this once?"
Abagail though about it. "Alright," she agreed. "And I have the perfect middle name for her - Charlotte."
"Hannah Charlotte," Sully said, feeling the words run over his tongue. "After two of the strongest women I know. I love it!"
Charlotte was thrilled when she heard the Sullys were naming their child after her.
"But what if it’s a boy?" she asked them.
"Oh, well, I tried to get him to agree to Byron," said Abagail, smiling, "but gosh darn it! He just wouldn’t listen!"
Charlotte chuckled, remembering the night of Brian’s birth almost 4 long years ago. "Ya see, Abagail," she teased her friend. "Only I could get away with it."
Abagail laughed. She knew all about the origin of Brian’s name. "Well, if it’s a boy, we’re gonna name him William Loren Sully," said Abagail.
"After my father and brother, and Abagail’s father," Sully piped up.
"Does Loren know about the baby?" Charlotte asked.
Abagail nodded. "Ma told him. I think she was hoping that when he found out he’d forgive me for marrying Byron, but nothing’s changed." She grew wistful. "I love him so much. I just wish he’d let bygones be bygones."
"He’ll come around when the baby is born, just you wait and see," Charlotte assured her.
1863
It was April, only one month before Abagail was due to give birth. On this fine spring day, Sully had taken Matthew with him to tend to his traps. The grass was dewy wet, and Matthew stepped carefully on it so as not to fall.
"You alright?" Sully called behind him as he kept walking.
"Yup," Matthew huffed, trying to keep up with the older man’s strides.
Sully, all of a sudden, took a seat on a rock.
Matthew walked up to him. "Sully, what’s the matter?"
Sully didn’t answer him. Instead, he gazed off into the woods. After a moment he said, "I wanted to talk to you Matthew, man to man," he told him.
"Ya do?"
"Yeah." He paused. "I know it’s been hard on you for awhile now, not having your Pa home as much as you woulda liked."
"Oh, that."
"Yes, that. Your Ma’s been telling me that you’ve been getting real upset over this lately."
"Ma tells you everything, don’ she?" his voice was hurt, curt, abrupt.
Sully took a breath. "She tells me a lot Matthew, but it’s because we’re friends, and friends talk to each other a lot. I tell her a lot about me and Abagail."
A beat.
"Matthew, everybody needs someone to talk to, don’t you think?"
Matthew sighed and shrugged his soldiers. "Yeah, I guess so."
"Do ya think we’re friends?" Sully asked.
Matthew was surprised. "Course we are, Sully."
Sully smiled. "Good. Now look," he said, turning directly to the boy, "as friends I just want to tell you, you ever need anyone to talk to, or it there’s anything you ever need, you just let me know, ya hear?"
Matthew nodded solemnly. Then suddenly he asked, "Sully? What’s wrong with my Pa?"
Sully choked on the blade of grass he was chewing on. He hadn’t quite expected it so soon. "What do you mean, Matthew?"
"It’s just that…" Matthew searched for the words. "Why ain’t he ever around? Why does my Ma always look so sad?"
"You been thinking about this a lot?" Sully asked.
Matthew nodded.
Sully felt very saddened for this confused 12-year-old boy. He placed his hands on his shoulders. "Well, Matthew," said Sully. He bit his tongue. He didn’t want to lie to the boy but…
"Why did you come to Colorado Springs?"
"To look for gold," Matthew answered promptly.
"Did ya find any?"
Matthew shook his head. "Nope," he said sadly.
"Why does that make you sad?" asked Sully.
" ‘Cause we ain’t rich. Say, Sully, is that why my Ma is so sad?"
Sully shook his head. "No, Matthew, I don’t think that’s why. See, your Ma don’t care about bein’ rich, and I don’t think your Pa does either. Are you really sad because you’re not rich?"
Matthew shook his head. "No, I don’t really care. Ma always says it don’t matter how much money you got in your pocket if you’ve got health in your body and love in your heart."
Sully smiled. "Your Ma’s a pretty smart lady. See, she and your Pa don’t care whether they struck it rich out here."
"So what is it then?" Matthew asked.
Sully thought hard. "I think your Pa feels sad because he didn’t find any gold, but not because he ain’t rich now. It’s because he made a promise to your Ma he couldn’t keep. People have different ways of dealing with sadness, Matthew, remember that. Your Pa’s way is to go off by himself. That don’t mean it’s a good way, ‘cause as long as you go friend you don’t ever HAVE to be alone, but it IS your Pa’s way. And your Ma, well, she knows how your Pa is feeling and just wishes that he would know she didn’t care about you bein’ rich or not. Your Pa is a good man," Sully told Matthew, though not really believing it himself. "And he loves you alot. No matter what he does, he will always love you very much."
"I know," said Matthew.
"Good," said Sully. "Let’s go check on those traps now." He reached over and hugged Matthew.
The heat was increasing steadily as May 1863 came into focus, providing for an uncomfortable time for Abagail. Sully tried to keep her as cool as possible, but it being almost time for the baby to come she became irritated easily.
"I just don’t know what else to do for her," Sully told Charlotte one day while helping her unload packages from the wagon.
"You’re doing a wonderful job as it is," Charlotte told him. "My, I wish Ethan had done half those things for me," she said wistful. She brightened. "But he’s wonderful just the way he is."
Sully doubted she really felt that way, but decided to let the comment pass. "Well, what abut those stomach pain she’s been havin’?"
Charlotte frowned. "Stomach pains?" That wasn’t normal.
Sully nodded. "That’s okay, isn’t it?" he asked worriedly.
Charlotte shrugged. "Different women experience different symptoms when they’re pregnant. Maybe you should take her to the doctor in Denver, Sully."
"Yeah," agreed a visibly worried Sully. "Soon as I can."
He didn’t get the chance.
That night, just after supper, he heard her groan.
"Sully?" Abagail cried out. She was doubled over in pain.
He raced to her side. "Abagail! What is it? Is it time?"
She nodded, biting her lip. "My water just broke."
In a flash, Sully thought back four years, when Charlotte had told him the same thing. He thought of 4-year-old Brian and could imagine his unborn child four years in the future. Despite his wife’s pain, he smiled to himself.
"Oh! Sully!" she brought him back to reality with her screams.
"Abagail," he helped her over to their bedstead. "I’m going for Charlotte, ‘kay?"
She grabbed onto his hand. "Sully, please, don’t leave me! Somethin’ don’t feel right!"
He was torn. "I - I don’t know how to deliver a baby," he begged. "I gotta go for Charlotte." He looked at her worriedly, not liking this pain. He wouldn’t go if she asked him not to.
She squeezed her eyes shut. "Go!" she managed to say. "Hurry back."
He kissed her forehead and flew out the door. He reached the Cooper homestead in under 40 minutes - a terrific time given that they lived six miles away.
"Charlotte! Charlotte!" he screamed breathlessly from outside the homestead.
Inside, Charlotte heard his cries. She stopped her churning and ran out.
"Sully? Is it Abagail?" She didn’t even wait for an answer. "Matthew, hitch up the horses," she told her son, and within ten minutes they were on their way back to the Sully place.
When they arrived, Sully could hear his wife screaming from inside the house. Without waiting for Charlotte to stop, he threw himself off the wagon and ran into the homestead.
"Sully!" Abagail called out, reaching for his hands. He grabbed them and held her close. Then he saw the bed.
"Chaaaaaarlotte!" his piercing cry shook through the air. Charlotte raced inside and came to a dead stop after taking one look at Abagail. The bed was soaking in blood.
"Charlotte?" Abagail begged her. "What’s wrong with me? Is this normal? This hurts so much! I didn’t know it was gonna hurt this much!" She grabbed Charlotte’s arm and gave a half-hearted attempt to sit up. "Please! Charlotte tell me! I never saw no one give birth before!"
Shaking, Charlotte brought a wet cloth to Abagail’s forehead and began wiping her brow. "It’s okay, Abagail. Everything’s gonna be just fine," she soothed.
Relaxed a bit, Abagail settled down.
Sully wasn’t reassured so easily. He turned to her and she could see the fear in his eyes. She spoke to him harshly. "Sully, get Loren here right now. I don’t care what you gotta do to get him here, tie him up if you have to just GIT HIM HERE!!"
"What d’ya - " he stopped speaking. "Oh God! It’s bad ain’t it?"
She repeated herself more urgently. "GET HIM OVER HERE!!"
Sully flew out the homestead, jumped in the wagon and set out for town.
He arrived in town in record time, flying into the mercantile to see Loren, Maude, and Olive standing there staring at him in surprise.
"Aw, what do you want?" Loren began.
Olive saw the blood on Sully’s hands and gasped. "Is everything alright?"
Sully cried out. "It’s Abagail! She’s havin’ the baby, but I think somethin’s wrong. Charlotte says to come quick!"
In a second Loren dropped the glass jar in his hand. The shards of glass remained lying on the floor as he followed Sully out.
The wagon came to a screeching halt outside the Sully homestead. The four riders could hear screams from inside the house as they got out.
Loren, Sully, Olive and Maude entered the house. Immediately Loren went to Abagail’s side and held her hand.
"Abagail? Papa’s here," he said soothingly, his voice strongly filled with emotion.
Her eyes flew open. "Papa? You’re here?"
"Yes, yes, baby doll," he kissed her forehead. "And so’s your Ma, and Aunt Olive."
The two women appeared from behind Loren, their eyes filled with tears.
"Oh my Lord!" Olive gasped, as she saw the bloody bed.
Charlotte positioned herself at the foot of the bed. "She’s lost a lot of blood, but what’s most important now is that that baby comes out of her. Sully," she pointed to the other side of the bed, opposite of Loren. "Take her hand, and help her through this."
She put on her take-charge voice. "Abagail!" she yelled to the girl on the bed. "Ya hear me? Sweetie, I need you to push. C’mon girl, we need that baby to be born on this beautiful day! C’mon!" she coached.
Abagail gave a weak try. Maude and Olive held onto each other.
"Abagail!" Charlotte yelled, fear rising in her voice. He hands were filled with wet blood. "Harder, you gotta push harder!"
Sully looked at his wife with all his love for her in his eyes. "Please my love, you gotta push harder!"
She looked up at him. "Byron…I can’t.."
"Yes you can!" he yelled, almost violently. He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her fingers. "C’mon, we’ll do it together. 1, 2, 3 push!"
She pushed as hard as she could. The baby didn’t move.
Sully looked over at Charlotte, his face expressing unquestionable fear. "What’s wrong?" he asked her.
She looked back at him, confused. "I…I don’t know…" she faded off.
"Charlotte?" his voice, so filled with pain, asked her. "She’s lost so much blood…look at the bed…" he was crying openly now.
Charlotte could see it plainly, but didn’t know what to do. In all her years of midwifing nothing like this had ever happened.
She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She couldn’t let this happen, not now, not to her dear friends.
"Abagail?" she yelled once again. "Stay with me Abagail! C’mon, sweetie, one more time, push!"
Sully looked at his love. "Abagail, c’mon, for me - one more time. 1, 2, 3, PUSH!"
Abagail bore down with all her strength.
"It’s coming!" Charlotte yelled. "I can feel its head!"
Despite his tears, Sully smiled in relief and Loren said, "Thank God."
"Keep pushing!" Charlotte told Abagail. "It’s almost here!"
There was blood everywhere. Charlotte couldn’t believe her eyes. She’d never seen anything like it.
"Yes! Yes!" she shouted as the baby came out, slippery in her hands. A huge gush of blood came with it.
She cut the cord and held the baby. "It’s a girl! It’s a girl Abagail!"
Proudly, Sully whispered in his wife’s ears. Her eyes were closed.
"Ya hear that, Abagail? A girl! You were right, you knew it would be a girl. Our first daughter. Hannah Charlotte."
Back at the foot of the bed, Charlotte frowned. The baby wasn’t crying, wasn’t moving…was she breathing? She must be, she was a pinkish color. Charlotte bent over her and felt a shallow breath.
"Oh God," she heard Sully say. "Abagail! Abagail!"
Charlotte looked up.
"She’s unconscious!" Sully yelled at her.
Still holding the baby, she told Sully, "Get her in the wagon. We need a doctor. NOW - we needed a doctor hours ago."
"It’s all the way in Denver - is she gonna last that long?" Sully was crying again.
Charlotte felt numb. She just kept insisting - "Get her in the wagon - we gotta get to Denver!"
Sully picked his wife up, leaving the bloody bed behind. He took her outside, Loren following, and put her in the wagon.
"Loren!" Olive began.
"You two stay here!" Loren shouted at his sister and wife.
"My girl!" Maude cried, but Loren paid no attention to her. Charlotte climbed into the wagon alongside Sully and Loren took off.
She kept looking at the baby, and Sully was turned between both his wife and baby, in complete shock.
"I can’t understand what’s wrong…why won’t she cry?" Charlotte asked no one in particular.
Sully kept asking her, "Why did this happen, Charlotte? What’d I do wrong?!"
He lifted his head toward the sky and screamed maniacally, "Oh God! What did I do wrong!?"
Abagail kept bleeding in the wagon as it raced to Denver. The baby went blue.
"Hannah?! Hannah?!" Charlotte screamed.
"What is it?!" Sully yelled at her.
"She…she stopped breathing. Why’d she stopped breathing?! Oh God, faster!" Charlotte yelled at Loren. She checked the baby’s mouth, nothing. She had been breathing just a second before, why had she stopped? She turned Hannah over - "Oh God, oh God…" She felt the little baby’s chest. No heartbeat…Oh God…Too late…She was gone.
She looked over at Sully, who saw the news in her eyes. "Nooo!!!" he screamed heartwrenchingly. He grabbed Hannah from Charlotte’s hands and held her to him.
"Hannah? Hannah?" he caressed her head. "No, Hannah, c’mon sweetie, wake up. C’mon wake up, Papa’s here. He’s gonna make sure you’re alright. C’mon Hannah!"
"Sully," Charlotte placed a hand on his shoulder. "She’s gone," she said dumbly. "Hannah’s gone."
"Nooo!!" Sully screamed again. His shoulders slumped as he bent over his child. Caressing her face he began rocking her back and forth. "I love you! Hannah, sweetheart - your Pa loves you!"
He suddenly sat up straight. "Okay," he said, all of a sudden strangely calm. "Okay," he said again. "Abagail, it’s okay, we’re gonna make it." Holding his dead child with one arm he held onto his wife’s hand with the other.
She stirred. "Byron?"
"Yes! I’m here," he said, immediately drawn to her brown eyes. "You’re awake! You’re going to be fine! I’m here Abagail!"
"I love you, Byron," she said weakly, sweetly.
"I love you too, Abagail," he cried.
"She dead…is she dead, Byron?"
"No! No, she’s not!" Sully said.
Abagail smiled. "It’s okay, my love. I know… it’s okay. Don’t worry Byron, her Mama will be with her. She’ll have someone to take care of her, watch over her, in Heaven."
Sully cried out in pain. "No, Abagail, please…don’t talk like that. You’re not going to Heaven, my love, not yet! You’re gonna stay right here with me! Please?!" he begged.
Abagail smiled again. "Pa?" Loren turned around, still holding onto the reins, tears streaming down his face.
"What is it, baby doll?" he asked softly, trying to get the words out.
"I know you didn’t mean it, Papa. I know you loved me all this time. I love you too."
Loren couldn’t say anything.
Abagail next looked at Charlotte. "Oh, Charlotte," she breathed. "Don’t blame yourself. You tried - there was nothing you could do." She let go of Sully’s hand and grabbed Charlotte’s. "I’m so glad I met you, I’m so glad you were my friend. Take care of Matthew, and Colleen, and Brian..Oh, they’re such special kids.. I always wanted my own to be just like them…" she broke off.
"Byron?" she found his hand again.
"I’m here, I’m here," he rushed, sobbing.
"I love you," she told him. "I will see you again."
"No!" he told her. "Please, Abagail, don’t leave me!"
She smiled up at him, raising her fingers to weakly wipe away some of the tears on his face. "Anything could happen! Death enswathing could cover me with mournful attire; but in me your love’s flame could never expire."
She gripped his hand. "Byron, I made that promise to you on our weddin’ day. Don’t you remember?" she said weakly. "Neither life’s obstacles nor death’s barriers will ever keep us apart."
He nodded with his tears and began shakily:
his voice broke, and he sobbed,
She smiled up at him and sighed. "How I love you, Byron Sully." Her eyes cast a faraway look. "Oh, Byron," she sighed yet again. "I’ve got to go. Hannah is calling - she needs her Ma."
She looked at him one last time. All her love was in her gaze. "No matter what," she said, "Always love."
And with that, she died.