Stephen had fully recovered and was to be the star witness in the case against the Clawson gang. But because Shannon was not going to testify, the only charges the judge had allowed were for the saloon robbery. At least that what everyone believed as they entered the courtroom. When the judge had called the court into session, the charges were read. Everyone was amazed but pleased when they included the kidnapping, rape and attempted murder of Shannon Sully. The judge, Daniel and Carolyn had spent time with Shannon the day before but everyone knew she just sat and stared. Evidently the judge had thought Stephen's testimony about the kidnapping and Sully and Michaela's testimony about how they found Shannon would be enough to convict the Clawson gang. The Clawson gang exchanged looks of surprise. They felt confident they would be found not guilty. After all, Shannon hadn't really said a word to anyone since she was found. She couldn't and wouldn't testify. David Clawson was confident of that!

Stephen had been called first and told about the incident at the saloon as well as what happened when the Clawson gang had reached the Sully homestead. Sully and Michaela had each testified about how they found Shannon and the condition she was in. No one noticed as Marshall Dillon and three deputies he had brought in for the trial as well as Stephen moved behind the Clawson gang towards the end of Michaela's testimony. Believing she was the last witness, Michaela wondered if the testimony they had given was enough to convict these men. She hoped so as she sat down. She was thinking about what type of defense the Clawson gang would present when she was startled by the prosecutor's response to the judge's next question. "Do you have any more witnesses?"

"Yes, your honor, I call Shannon Sully to the stand."
Sully and Michaela looked at each other. A murmur went through the courtroom. David Clawson just laughed. "She won't be much of a witness, she just stares off into space. This won't take much time. She won't even answer the first question." Sully wanted to spare Shannon the pain she was going to be put through. He didn't know what was going on. He would have stopped it, but somehow he knew something had happened and it would be all right. He put his hand on Michaela's shoulder and shook his head no when she started to object as Shannon's doctor. He just hoped they would be able to deal with whatever pain this experience would leave behind.

Carolyn and Daniel walked in with Shannon. Carolyn slipped into the seat beside Matthew as Daniel led Shannon to the witness stand. He stood close enough to keep a hand on her shoulder. The prosecutor asked Shannon to tell the court what had happened on July 12. Everyone in the courtroom held their breath. Shannon had not responded to anyone in three weeks. What made them think she would respond now?

Sully and Michaela exchanged shocked looks when Shannon took a deep breath and looked at Daniel who smiled at her and nodded. She looked at Sully and Michaela and then began to recount the events of that day.

Tears started flowing down the face of every person in the courtroom-every person except the members of the Clawson gang. Daniel yearned to take Shannon in his arms as she told of how David Clawson had treated her. As she talked, everyone realized the pain she had been going through and wondered where she got the strength to sit there and tell each horrid detail. She was telling things that she had not told Carolyn, Daniel and the judge when they had talked to her the day before. Daniel was just thankful that they had been able to break through the wall Shannon had created and convince her she was the only one who could put the Clawson gang away for good. She had even asked Daniel to hold her as through her tears she had told them about what had happened. Daniel silently thanked the Lord that now she was going to be ok. He prayed that these men would be punished for what they had done. As Shannon finished her story, the prosecutor asked her if she could identify these men. Shannon said, "yes, those five men sitting right over there."

David Clawson stood up when Shannon looked at him and pointed directly at all five men. "I should have killed you. If I ever get the chance, I will kill you." David Clawson started towards her, but Marshall Dillon grabbed him and sat him down in the chair as his deputies held the other four men. Daniel put his arm around Shannon.

There was a buzz throughout the courtroom and the judge had to bang his gavel four times before he could get it quiet. "Will the defendants please rise?" David Clawson glared at Shannon as the Clawson gang stood up. The judge looked David Clawson straight in the eye. "I find all five of you guilty of robbery, kidnapping, rape and attempted murder. I sentence each one of you to a life term in prison without the possibility of parole. Marshall Dillon take them away." Stephen, Marshall Dillon and the other deputies took them out of the courtroom as everyone started talking at once. As they reached the door Stephen and Marshall Dillon turned to look at Shannon. Both smiled as they waved goodbye.

Shannon stood up and collapsed into Daniel's arms as Sully and Michaela reached them. Daniel picked her up and carried her out of the courtroom through a crowd of questions with a very protective Sully and Michaela following behind. Sully and Michaela didn't even get the answers to their questions until they got Shannon back to the clinic. All the townsfolk were relieved when a little later, Michaela let them know that Shannon was going to be all right and the healing had begun.

Of course, Carolyn, Daniel and Shannon had to explain that the judge had wanted them to keep their meeting the day before secret until the trial. They weren't sure why, but they knew he had a reason.

"But how did you know July 12 was my birthday?" She had been filled with love and gratitude as the family took her to Grace's cafe for supper. Only it turned out to be the surprise party they had been waiting over a month to have for her.

"I ran across your birth certificate as we were looking through some of Mom and Dad's things you gave us." Sully was so pleased to see the look of happiness in his sister's eyes. He wasn't quite sure how much of it was from the surprise party and how much was because Daniel was sitting next to her, but he didn't care. She was happy and that was all that mattered right then.

"Shannon?" Horace was fidgeting with the paper in his hand. He was unsure of what to say or do.
"Yes, Horace." Shannon wondered why Horace was so unnerved.
"This telegram came for you. I-- I--." Horace didn't finish what he was going to say.
Shannon took the telegram and read it silently. It was from Mr. Lawrence. He had not had any word from her and wondered if she was all right. She folded the paper in her lap and looked at Horace.
"Thank you, Horace."
"Shannon, does that mean what I think it means?" Horace had realized as soon as he had received the telegram that Shannon was Mr. Lawrence's client. She was the one who was being so generous to Colorado Springs. He didn't want to give her secret away, but he couldn't keep his curiosity down.

"Yes, Horace, it does." Sighing she handed the telegram to Sully to read.
Sully read the telegram, folded it and handed it back to Shannon.
"What is going on?" Michaela couldn't wait another minute. The rest of the townsfolk were getting pretty restless, too.
"Do you want to tell them, or do you want me to tell them?" Sully looked at Shannon.
"You tell them. Daniel, please take me for a walk." She wanted to tell him in private--just the two of them.
As Daniel led Shannon out of the cafe, everyone looked at Sully. Horace couldn't wait any longer. "The telegram was from Mr. Lawrence. He said he hadn't heard from her in several weeks and wondered if she was all right. Sully, she is Mr. Lawrence's client--the one giving all the stuff to Colorado Springs--isn't she? But why?"
Sully nodded and told the townsfolk what Shannon had told him.
"How long have you known about this, Sully? How did you find out?" Michaela was still trying to sort everything out. "And how did she contact Mr. Lawrence? Horace said there were no letters or telegrams."
"I've known since July 4. I don't know how I knew; I just had a feeling. When I asked Shannon about it, she told me what I have just told all of you. As for how she contacted Mr. Lawrence, she did send him letters."
"But how, I never sent any for her." Horace couldn't figure out how she could have sent Mr. Lawrence letters without him knowing.
"Well, Shannon wrote several letters to Colleen and Andrew, didn't she?"
"Yes, she wrote quite often. I mailed those for her."
"Every time she mailed a letter to them, did you ever notice that she always made it just as you were giving the mail pouch to the conductor?"
"Now that you mention it, she was always arriving just at the last second. I always took her letter and just put into the pouch as the conductor took it. I really didn't think anything about it."
"She was really mailing two letters. The one on top was for Colleen and Andrew and the one underneath was to Mr. Lawrence. She really cares about this town and its people. She didn't want anyone to know she was doing it, so I think it would be best if we didn't make a big deal over it."
Everyone agreed as the group quietly broke up, each one heading for their own homes.

Sully, Michaela, Daniel and Shannon were sitting on the bench outside the clinic. Katie was asleep on Sully's lap. Matthew, Carolyn, Brian and Sarah were sitting on the steps. They were all tired and were watching the sunset. They had had little chance to talk since each member of the family had to answer the same questions about what had happened at the trial over and over.
"Shannon?" Daniel had something he had been wondering about ever since the day Shannon had been kidnapped.
"Yes?"
"I know this sounds crazy, but did you ever yell for Matthew, Sully and me to help you during the time the Clawson gang had you?"
Shannon was a little startled. They had been so far down the road--there was no way they could have heard her, could they? "Yes. We had been riding for 10 or 15 minutes down the road from the crossroads where they used the wild horses to try to throw you off our trail. I knew that no one could hear me, but I had to try."
"We did hear you." Matthew, Sully and Daniel all responded at the same time.
"But how?" Carolyn was as curious as the rest of them.
"I don't know, but it helped lead us in the right direction to find her in time." Sully didn't know how they had heard, but he was thankful they did.

Michaela decided it was time for Shannon to move back home that night. Daniel accompanied the family out to the homestead. He rode in the back of the wagon holding Shannon in his arms. He never wanted to let her go. From the moment she had been kidnapped, his goal in life was to protect her for the rest of their lives. He loved her, but he was a little afraid to let her know. What if she didn't love him? Silently Daniel thanked the Lord for bringing Shannon back to him safely. Shannon was silently thanking the Lord for Daniel and for the family she had found. Carolyn was thanking the Lord for saving her best friend. Sully, Michaela, Matthew and Brian were each silently thanking the Lord for keeping Shannon safe and for their family. Sully smiled as he looked back at his best friend and his sister. If he was right, Daniel would soon be more than his best friend--he would be his brother-in-law and Carolyn would be his daughter-in-law.

Colleen and Andrew had settled into their new apartment. They both were still in awe at the fact that they were actually man and wife. Every morning Colleen pinched herself to make sure she wasn't just dreaming. She was now Mrs. Colleen Cook. Dr. Mike had said that being with the one she loved could be very special, and she was right. Colleen burst with pride as she thought how truly blessed she was.
Andrew stirred in bed beside her. "Are you worried about your test today?" He had seen the far away look in her eyes.
"No, I was just thinking how blessed I am to be your wife and how much I love you."
Andrew pulled her into his arms and lay quietly with her. "I am the one who is blessed. I love you, Colleen."
Half an hour later, Colleen was busy getting ready for school. Today was her first big test Andrew was working with his uncle and things were going very well. He was no longer nervous about going to work and was calmer than Colleen at this moment. Everything Colleen tried to do turned out wrong. "Andrew, can you help me? I seem to be all thumbs this morning." Andrew smiled to himself as he went to help his wife. It was just last week he had been the one who was all thumbs and Colleen had had to help him.

Colleen's stomach felt like it was full of butterflies as she walked into class. She had been studying for this first test. But she was scared. She opened the test and smiled as she knew the answer. She started writing and before she knew it class was over. She felt confident about the results--she had known everything on the test. Colleen heaved a sigh of relief as she walked towards her apartment after her last class. She was so busy planning their evening meal that she didn't notice the two men coming out of the restaurant until she ran into them. "I'm sorry, I wasn't----." She stopped in mid sentence when she realized that one of the men was Patrick Collins.
"Colleen! It is so good to see you. What are you doing here in Philadelphia?" Patrick was so happy to see Colleen and he gave her a quick hug.
"I'm here going to medical school."
"Raymond, I would like to introduce a friend. She is from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Her name is Colleen Cooper. Colleen, this is Raymond. Will you have dinner with us?"
"It's Colleen Cook now. Andrew and I were married on May 16. I am going home to have a nice, quiet dinner with my husband."
Patrick's face fell when he heard that Colleen and Andrew were married. This was not what he had planned at all. He had planned to return to Colorado Springs and win Colleen over. He was determined she would be HIS wife.
"Oh, well, congratulations, then." Patrick bowed to her and stepped aside as Colleen walked past him. She heard Raymond talking with Patrick. "Isn't that the girl you were going to marry? Are you going to let her slip away like that? You're not giving up without a fight are you?"
Colleen's blood ran cold as she heard Patrick's answer. "Just shut up right now. Colleen Cooper Cook will be my wife. I'll take care of Andrew Cook."
Colleen hurried her steps faster as she headed home. She needed to discuss this with Andrew. He would know what to do.

Andrew looked across the table at Colleen. "You are awfully quiet tonight. Is something bothering you?"
"Andrew, I ran into Patrick Collins today."
The color drained from Andrew's face. "Where?"
"He was coming out of a restaurant on Jefferson Street. I accidentally bumped into him. He had a friend with him."
"Colleen, what happened? Running into him would not bother you this much unless something else happened."
"Well, he introduced me to his friend as Colleen Cooper and invited me to dinner. I corrected him and told him I was Colleen Cook now and I was going to have supper with you. As he and his friend were walking away I heard his friend ask him if I was the girl he said he was going to marry and if he was going to me just slip away. He also asked him if he was going to give up without a fight. But it was Patrick's answer that really scared me. Patrick told him to shut up and that I would be his wife. He said he would take care of you."
Andrew was quiet for a few minutes. Colleen looked up when he didn't respond to what she had just told him. She wasn't sure what was going through his mind at that moment.
"We need to go to the sheriff and tell them what you overheard and the history. I don't know if they can do anything, but we need to inform them anyway." Andrew was scared--not for himself, but for Colleen. He had taken too long to let her know he loved her and it had been Patrick that had finally brought them to that moment. But now it seems Patrick was trying to destroy them.
Colleen nodded. She was scared too. She was scared for Andrew. They were married now--right where they belonged. She didn't want anything to destroy that for her.

Andrew had been right--the sheriff couldn't do anything until Patrick made a direct threat or tried to hurt Andrew or Colleen. The sheriff did say that he would have his men keep a close lookout for Patrick and to keep an eye on him. They also kept a watch on Colleen and Andrew.
But that didn't deter Patrick Collins. Every day he was waiting at the door when Colleen left the school building. Even though she changed which door she left by, he was always there. No one knew how he knew exactly where she would be. Try as she might, Colleen couldn't put Patrick out of her mind. She did forget about him when she was involved in one of her classes, but the second she was free, her thoughts were of Andrew and that reminded her of Patrick. Why wouldn't he just leave her alone?
Then one morning about two weeks after he had first shown up, Colleen found a dozen red roses on her chair in her first class. There was a card that read:
"To my darling, Colleen. We will soon be together forever."
Colleen immediately went to her teacher. All the school personnel had been informed of the situation and had been advised to keep a look out for Patrick. The teacher immediately found a janitor and sent him to get the Sheriff. They didn't want Colleen leaving the building at that moment. After he had talked with the Sheriff, the janitor went to Andrew's office and told him what had happened. Andrew looked out at the patients waiting. Then he told his uncle about the roses. He had already filled him in just in case Patrick showed up at the clinic. His uncle told him to go and Andrew hurried towards the medical college where Colleen was.

Andrew was walking up the front walk of the school. He was concentrating so hard on ways to get Patrick Collins out of their lives forever that he didn't notice the moving shadows until someone blocked his way. He looked into the cold eyes of Patrick Collins.
"Hello, Andrew. What brings you here?"
"Hello, Patrick. I just came to walk my wife home."
"Well, I am going to do that little duty for you."
"There is no need. I am here and I will do it."
"No, I said I was going to do it and I WILL do it. You are going to be busy elsewhere."
Andrew started to walk around Patrick when he noticed the glint on the gun Patrick had leveled right at his side.
Patrick pushed the gun into Andrew's ribs. "You are coming with me now. I will take care of you and then I will walk Colleen home. Soon she will be my wife--not yours."
Andrew didn't protest as Patrick shoved him. What Andrew knew that Patrick didn't was that the sheriff had been ready to come out the front door when Patrick confronted Andrew. He had seen the whole thing and the gun. As Patrick stepped forward the Sheriff pushed the door with all his might. It swung open and knocked Patrick down. But Patrick had cocked his gun and it went off as he fell hitting Andrew in the side.
Andrew felt the hot pain and saw that Colleen had been right behind the Sheriff and had seen the whole thing. He saw the worried look on her face as everything went black.

"Dr. Mike! Dr. Mike!" Horace was running towards the clinic as fast as he could.
Michaela looked up just as she was ready to climb the steps to the clinic. Sully turned around on the seat of the wagon.
"What is it, Horace?" Michaela wondered who had been hurt now.
"Telegram for you. Andrew's been shot and isn't doing too well."
Sully was off the wagon before Horace had finished speaking. He grabbed the telegram and read it.
Patrick Collins in town. STOP Shot Andrew. STOP Sheriff arrested him. STOP Andrew serious. STOP Need you. STOP Colleen
Michaela looked at Sully. "Horace, when is the next train to Philadelphia and how much are tickets."
"Train leaves in an hour and I already have tickets for you. Shannon has already paid for them. She was at the train station when the telegram came in. She sent Matthew and Carolyn to your home to get you some things for traveling. They should be back in a short while."
"I'll make sure you have a lunch to take with you." Grace had come over with Robert E, Loren, Dorothy, Hank and Jake to see what the shouting was all about.
"I'll take care of the people I can while you are gone." Jake had been the one in town people went to when they were sick or injured before Michaela had arrived. Secretly, he had sighed a HUGE sigh of relief when she had come. He didn't have the training or the knowledge to take care of the injuries, etc. He was glad there was someone in town who could do more for the people of Colorado Springs.
"I'll take care of the homestead, Katie and Brian." Shannon had joined the group by now. Daniel was close behind. "Yeah, and I'll help her."
Just then Matthew and Carolyn drove up with their suitcases. "Hope we got everything you need. We grabbed everything we could think of and a little more. I think we got too much, but we wanted to make sure you had what you needed."
Michaela and Sully looked at the faces of the people around them. They were proud to be a part of this wonderful town. These people were truly their friends.
"I can't think of anything else that needs to be taken care of." Michaela had checked off a mental list and found that the townsfolk had thought of things she hadn't. Now all she could think about was Andrew and Colleen.
"Michaela, I took the liberty of wiring your mother. I don't know if Colleen wired her, but I knew she should know. She is closer to them than we are and maybe she can be of some help until you get there."
"Thank you, Shannon. I really believe you have thought of everything."
It was a quiet group that followed the Sullys to the train and waved as it pulled out of sight. It was several minutes after the train disappeared from sight before anyone moved on the platform. Each one had been praying for a safe trip for Sully and Michaela and that Andrew would be all right.

It had been two days and still Andrew did not wake up. Colleen looked up as the door to Andrew's room opened. She jumped up and ran into her grandmother's arms. Now the tears that she had been trying to hold back came streaming down her cheeks. "How did you know?"
"Shannon wired me. Colleen, how is he? What exactly happened?"
Colleen led her grandmother out of the room and to the chairs down the hall in the waiting area. She spent the next several minutes telling her grandmother of the events of the past two weeks. "He lost a lot of blood before and during surgery. They gave him a transfusion, but he doesn't seem to be improving." Colleen finally leaned against her grandmother as she finished talking. It was very quite for a couple of minutes.
"He'll be ok, Colleen. He has you." Her grandmother looked down when Colleen didn't respond. Colleen had fallen asleep on her shoulder. It looked like it would be the first good sleep she had gotten in several days.

Colleen slept peacefully on her grandmother's shoulder for the next hour and a half. She probably would have slept longer, but the doctor came to find her. "Mrs. Cook, we are taking your husband back into surgery. We need to find out if he is bleeding internally."
The tears silently slipped down Colleen's cheeks. "Will he make it, doctor?"
"We really can't tell right now. We are going to do our best." With that the doctor hurriedly headed for the operating room.
Mrs. Quinn stood to her feet, took Colleen's hand, pulled her to her feet and led her to the chapel where they both sat quietly praying for Andrew.

On a train somewhere between Denver and Philadelphia Michaela and Sully were both praying for their son-in-law, too.

Horace had debated with himself on his return trip from St. Louis when he visited Myra. Colorado Springs was his home and Myra should be willing to live there if she really loved him. But when he got back to Colorado Springs and returned to his daily routine, he started to grow restless. He missed Myra and Samantha even more than he had before. He had enjoyed his visit with them in St. Louis and maybe that was where he really belonged.
Horace was so deep in thought he did not notice Hank entering the telegraph office. As a matter of fact, Hank had to call his name three times before he realized Hank was there.
"Oh, hi, Hank. What can I do for you?
"I was just walking by when I saw you looking off into space. I just thought I'd stop to make sure everything is ok."
"Everything is fine. I was just thinking, that's all." Horace wasn't sure he could take any of Hank's ribbing today.
"Were you thinking about Myra and Samantha?"
"Yes." Horace wasn't sure he really wanted to discuss this with Hank.
"Horace, if you are trying to decide what to do, I really think you should go to St. Louis. You really love and miss Myra and Samantha and you all should be together. You are a family and nothing should get in the way of that. I told you once before and I'll tell you again, Myra and Sam need you and you need them. Colorado Springs will miss you, Horace, but your place is in St. Louis with your family."
Horace was at a loss for words. He couldn't believe he had heard Hank right. Hank was always giving him a hard time. But here was Hank trying to help him. Loren and Jake were as speechless as Horace. They had entered the telegraph office when they saw Hank in there. They had entered just in time to hear what Hank had said.
"Thank you, Hank. I have been considering it very carefully. I didn't think I would like it anywhere but here in Colorado Springs, but since I came back, I have been very restless."
"Well, just don't let this opportunity slip by--you may never get another chance and you'll never forgive yourself if you do." With that Hank slipped by Loren and Jake and headed towards the saloon whistling.
"Did you hear what I just heard?" Jake looked at Loren.
"Yes, but there must be something wrong with Hank. Someone must have taken over Hank's body." Loren didn't know what to say.
"Leave Hank alone. He was just trying to be a friend." Horace looked at the two men, pushed them out the door and closed the telegraph office. He was going to wire Myra that he was going to move to St. Louis and he wanted to do it in peace.

Andrew was in surgery for over four hours. When the doctor came out, Colleen almost ran to meet him with Mrs. Quinn close behind. "How is he? When can I see him?"
The doctor put his hand on Colleen's arm. "There were several places where the bullet had left little tears and we did not find them earlier. We checked everywhere to make sure we had them all this time as he was bleeding internally. He has lost a lot of blood. Right now all we can do is wait and pray. You'll be able to see him when he is moved back to his room in about an hour."
"Let's go get something to eat. It won't do Andrew any good if you get sick." Mrs. Quinn tried to keep Colleen's mind off her husband.

Andrew still had not woken up when Michaela and Sully arrived three days later. Mrs. Quinn and Colleen were sitting the waiting room while the doctor did his daily check when Michaela and Sully arrived at the hospital. Colleen ran into her mother's arms when they entered. "How is he, Colleen?" Sully put his arms around both his wife and his daughter.
"He is holding his own. They had to operate a second time because he was bleeding internally, but he had not woken up. They can't tell me anything else."

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