It was mid-afternoon. The clinic had been busy all morning and the hours passed swiftly. Roy Perkins had an accident while chopping down a tree and a branch had struck his head. Michaela wound a bandage around the farmer's skull and checked for signs of a possible concussion. She finally released him from her care and sent him back home, along with instructions for his wife.


"Watch for any indication of sleepiness, nausea or dizziness. If that happens, I want to see him right away."


Beyond that, she examined a sprained arm and placed it into a sling; checked the incision from an appendectomy she'd performed over a week ago; dispensed advice to a young woman carrying her first child. Pretty routine stuff.


Now that her patients had been treated and sent on their way, Michaela found herself watching the clock on the wall. She had no interest in updating charts or reading up on new medical techniques. It was impossible to concentrate and she felt jumpy for some reason. A walk seemed to be in order. She'd noticed a particularly eye-catching bolt of cloth in Loren's store a couple of days before but, as she ran her fingers over the material, she decided it was an unnecessary expense. She had plenty of dresses already. Besides, with Colleen away from home now and Katie to care for, Michaela had little time for sewing. Today, though, she felt like pampering herself. Making a sudden decision, she left the clinic and zeroed in on Bray's Mercantile.


As soon as she stepped through the door, she regretted her decision. Jake and Hank were inside, their elbows propped on the counter, conversing with Loren and smiling over some private joke. Michaela nodded to them curtly and swept past them, heading directly for the bolts of cloth along the side wall. She could feel their stares stabbing her back but she chose to ignore them. She wasn't in the mood for any snide comments and she certainly had no desire to defend Sully again.


"Feelin' out of sorts today, Michaela?" Hank's slow drawl assailed her.


She picked up the cloth she'd admired earlier and pretended to study it closely. "Not at all, Hank."


The man snickered. "You look downright grumpy to me. Don't ya think so, Jake?"


"Sure does," Jake said slyly. "Never looks like that when Sully's around, does she?"


"Nope," Hank agreed. "What's wrong Michaela? Not getting' anythin' lately?"


Her face flamed but she refused to turn toward them. "Now Hank," Loren chastised his voice whiny and nasal, "that ain't the way to be talkin' to a woman like Dr. Mike. It ain't proper."


"Is that right?" Michaela heard footsteps behind her. "Whaddaya you think, Dorothy? Are you ladies too delicate to talk about such things?"


Michaela turned to find Dorothy standing directly behind her. Her friend's cheeks were flushed. Along with Dorothy, Brian and Katie had also entered. They stood off to one side of the store. Katie watched the scene with undisguised interest but Brian's eyes were narrowed as he sized up Jake and Hank.


"We looked for you at the clinic," Dorothy explained quickly. "Brian and me was wonderin' if Katie could stay with you 'til you leave for home. She don't take much to newspaperin' and she's gettin' bored."


"I'm sorry Dorothy," Michaela apologized. "I didn't realize that she was making a nuisance out of herself. You should have brought her over to the clinic earlier."


"I'm not a nuisance!" Katie objected, scowling at her mother. "Poppy lets me stay with him all the time. We always have lots to do."


"Well, your father isn't here, is he?" Michaela reminded her. "Until he returns, you'll just have to stay at the clinic with me, whether you like it or not."


Katie's bottom lip protruded and she glared at the toes of her shoes.


"That's right, Katie," Hank said, smirking. "Your daddy's off in them woods someplace, sittin' in a teepee and smokin' a peace pipe. Ain't that right, Dorothy? He's with that Injun friend of yours."


"Poppy don't smoke," Katie objected, frowning.


"Maybe not, but he don't do much of nothin' else neither!"


Jake snorted and slapped Hank on the shoulder. "Got that right, Hank!"


"Why do the two of you need to be so spiteful?" Dorothy demanded, her eyes flashing. "Talkin' like that in front of Sully's children. You otta be ashamed."


Hank shrugged. "I ain't got nothin' against Sully," he admitted. "I just don't think much of anyone who spends his time hangin' round injuns - man or woman."


"That's enough, Hank," Loren warned.


"What's wrong old man?" Hank asked, his eyebrows raised, "You know as well as I do that they're nothin' but a bunch of savages. Army did us a favour when they got rid of 'em. Problem is, they didn't get rid of all of 'em. There's still one left, ain't there Dorothy?"


It didn't seem possible but Dorothy's face grew even redder.


Brian's voice was tight with controlled anger. "You wouldn't be sayin' that if Sully was here."


Hank shrugged. "Well, he's not, is he?"


Michaela moved over to stand beside Brian and Katie. "I don't care for your insinuations, Hank, especially in front of my children. I would suggest that you think about what you're saying from now on and who might be in the room with you."


"Insinuations, Michaela? Usin' your fancy words again?"


Jake placed a hand on his friend's arm. "She's right, Hank. You shouldn't otta be sayin' those things in front of Katie."


"Aw, she don't know what I'm talkin' about," Hank answered.


"Yes I do!" Katie cried, straightening.


Hank laughed at her.


Michaela placed both hands on Katie's shoulders, protectively.


Just as she opened her mouth to express her disgust, she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned to see Cloud Dancing framed in the doorway, the afternoon sunlight silhouetting his tall form. Before she could speak, the medicine man crossed the store to stand in front of her.


"Sully's been hurt," he said bluntly. "I must take you to him."


She felt the colour drain from her face. "Hurt? How?"


"He was shot. The bullet is still in his chest. We must hurry."


Michaela was too stunned to move. She heard Katie whimper.


"Mama?"


"Oh Michaela!" Dorothy said breathlessly. The woman's hand flew to her throat.


"Is he alright?" Brian questioned.


"For now. We must go." Cloud Dancing took Michaela's arm and gently urged her forward..


"Yes," Michaela agreed, gathering her wits. She turned toward Brian. "Look after Katie for me."


Brian shook his head firmly. "No. I'm goin' with you."


"I need you here," Michaela insisted. "I don't know how long I'll be gone. Please Brian. I know you're concerned but I'd feel better if Katie was with you."


Brian opened his mouth to argue, reconsidered and closed it again. His expression was sullen.


"Can we do anything?" Jake stepped forward.


Michaela smiled at him gratefully. "No. Thank you. We can manage."


"Maybe you want some of us to go with ya'?" The offer came from Hank. Michaela stared at him in surprise. He shrugged. "In case ya' run into the fella that shot him."


"Thank you Hank, but no. Cloud Dancing and I will be fine."


She started toward the door. "I'll need to gather up some medical supplies from the clinic."


"Well, I'm comin' with ya."


She turned to study Dorothy's determined stance. "You are?"


"Dorothy!" Loren exclaimed. "You're not goin' off into the woods alone, with ….him!" He pointed at Cloud Dancing, his mouth puckering into a sour line.


"I'll hardly be alone, Loren! 'Sides, Sully's hurt. That's all that matters now." She turned back to Michaela. "I'm goin'! Don't try to talk me outta it."


Michaela glanced toward Cloud Dancing and he nodded slightly.


"That's up to you Dorothy," she said. "Just be ready. We're leaving in ten minutes."


Cloud Dancing had ridden hard. The trip took half a day when he was in no particular hurry and Sully was riding along beside him. On the way back to Colorado Springs, he'd covered the same distance in less than six hours. He'd been unable to leave the camp quickly. Sully had been unconscious and bleeding. It took a while before the flow of blood diminished. Cloud Dancing was reluctant to leave his friend's side until he was certain that Sully wouldn't bleed to death.


When he'd finally stepped out of the sweat lodge, Wolf was beside the teepee's entrance. The animal never looked up at him but lay mournfully, with his head cradled on his front paws. He seemed to sense Sully's condition. Cloud Dancing had knelt down and rubbed the wolf behind one ear.


"You stay here and keep watch. I will be back soon."


As he'd swung up onto the back of his horse, Wolf never moved. He rode ahead of Michaela and Dorothy now, guiding them toward their destination. They couldn't advance at the speed that Cloud Dancing maintained earlier and he tried to reign in his impatience. Leaving Sully alone had been necessary but he felt uneasy about it. He didn't know the identity of Sully's assailant or his whereabouts and motive. The man could still be lurking in the woods, waiting for a chance to move in and finish what he'd started. Wolf would protect Sully with his life - Cloud Dancing was certain of that - but, without knowing what they were up against, he was uncertain if that would be enough. On top of that, Sully's condition was unstable. The bullet had burrowed deeply into his chest and Cloud Dancing didn't attempt to remove it. Michaela had the necessary instruments and the expertise. He had no choice. He had to find her, in spite of the risk involved.


The spirits were no longer speaking to him. He'd prayed for guidance but they remained silent. There had been no warning of danger and, now, no glimpse into the extent of Sully's injury. Cloud Dancing relied on their voices. Without them, he felt helpless.


He had been surprised when Dorothy insisted on riding with them. In spite of the circumstances, he was also pleased. He had no time to dwell on his feelings, not with concern over Sully uppermost in his mind, but knowing that the woman rode behind him gave him comfort.


He urged his horse up a rocky slope and twisted around to make certain that the women's horses could scale the hill without difficulty. Dorothy smiled at him and he nodded to her briefly. Yes, it was good to look back and see her face. He'd seen it many times in his dreams but the distance between them seemed insurmountable. In many ways, it still did.


There was something heavy weighting down his eyelids, something that stopped them from opening. He struggled against the weight, disturbed by the sensation. Then a new sensation invaded - a pain exploding within his chest, radiating outward, piercing through him. He cried out softly. Moving around heightened the agony so he lay very still, concentrating on the stickiness that glued the fabric of his shirt to his chest. Blood. He knew even without looking. Sully no longer had the strength to force his eyes open.


He fought against the pain and tried to remember. He'd been in the woods and the trees had been murky shadows in the fading darkness. He'd felt peaceful, immersed in the silence around him, suspended in that brief instant just before dawn when the world hovered between sleeping and waking. The sound of gunfire nearby startled him and then…. Nothing.


Now, he had the sensation that he was alone. Fur cushioned his back, as soft as velvet beneath his hands. He inhaled. The aroma of pine trees and early morning dew no longer surrounded him. He could smell charred wood from a recent fire and the strong odour of buffalo hides. The air lay heavy against his face. He was inside, sheltered from the elements. The sweat lodge?


If that was the case, where was Cloud Dancing? He needed to look around him, to locate his friend. It was no use. All energy was draining out of his body and he felt himself slipping toward darkness.


Something began to take shape in front of him, even though Sully's eyes remained tightly closed. The face emerged from a swirling mist. She stood above him, gazing down and smiling calmly.


Snowbird!


Gentleness softened her eyes. Sully remembered the expression from long ago - before Washita, before the massacre so cruelly wrenched her away from Cloud Dancing, away from all of them. He tried to call out to her but no sound would form in his throat.


"Lie still," she whispered. "They will be here soon. Go to sleep."


Her voice was as soothing as a hand stroking his forehead. Sully let himself fall, swept away by a river that smothered all pain.


It was past midnight when the horses stepped into the clearing and halted abruptly. The dark shape of the sweat lodge was outlined in the moonlight, a rounded mound rising up from the earth. Later, Michaela wouldn't be able to remember dismounting or clearing the space between her horse and the teepee. As she threw back the flap, moonlight spilled through the opening to envelop the man lying inside. He would be all she'd remember. No movement. Eyes closed. From the entrance, she was unable to see if he was still breathing. Her throat ached with unshed tears as she fell onto her knees beside him.


"Sully!"


He lay on his back, his hair falling away from his chiseled features. She touched his neck, stifling a sob as she felt the pulse beneath her fingertips. She pulled her gaze away from his face and eased his shirt open, gently peeling it away from the wound. He flinched, groaning, then lay still once more.


Cloud Dancing carried a lantern into the tent and struck a match. The smell of sulfur invaded her nostrils. A moment later, a dim light filled the cramped space around them. He placed the lantern beside Sully and Michaela bent to examine his wound. Cloud Dancing told her the bullet was deeply entrenched but she was relieved to discover that it was accessible. She could remove it. She was certain of that. He was no longer bleeding heavily. Michaela was grateful for Cloud Dancing's earlier efforts. Judging by the stain on Sully's shirt, he couldn't afford to lose any more blood. She reached out and stroked his face, leaned forward to kiss his lips softly.


Cloud Dancing touched her shoulder, then handed over her medical bag. In her panic to reach Sully, she'd forgotten to remove the bag from the horn of her saddle. She smiled up at him.


"How is he?" Cloud Dancing asked.


"The bleeding has almost stopped. I think I can extract the bullet without too much trouble. He's lost some blood of course, but I don't think it's life threatening."


"That is good." The man exhaled heavily. "I will gather wood for a fire. We must keep him warm."


He pushed past Dorothy as he left the tent. She moved over to kneel down beside Michaela.


"He's gonna be okay?" she asked hesitantly.


"I believe so."


Dorothy reached for Michaela's hand and squeezed her fingers. "I'll take out the bullet and sew up the wound. If all goes well, the worst should be over."


"Thank God," Dorothy breathed.


Michaela allowed the tears that had been collecting in her eyes to spill down over her cheeks. "Dorothy, what would I ever do if ….? How could I ever ….?"


Dorothy let go of her hand and draped an arm around Michaela's shoulders. "You don't need to think about that now. Sully's gonna be just fine. You said so yerself. You got no reason to worry."


"Don't I?" Michaela whispered. "You forget, Dorothy, why Sully came out here in the first place."


"That don't matter anymore, Michaela. Not after all this."


Michaela shook her head. "You're wrong. But I swear to you Dorothy … no matter what happens … I'll find out what's wrong and somehow I'll fix it."


Her features hardened - determined, immovable. "I won't lose him, Dorothy. I won't."


Cloud Dancing had been climbing the mountain forever, the rocks scraping his hands as he clutched them and pulled himself upward. He could see the pinnacle and he fixed his gaze upon it, scrambling over the few remaining feet to reach it. He crawled over the top and lay there panting, then stood up slowly.


In front of him, off to the side and balanced on the edge of the peak, Sully stood with Snowbird. She held Sully's hand, smiling at her husband, love radiating from her. Cloud Dancing's heart leapt as he took a step forward, his hand stretching out to touch her. Snowbird shook her head, still smiling. Sully reached out with his free hand to grasp Cloud Dancing's arm, his fingers closing around the Cheyenne's elbow. Cloud Dancing's fingers, in turn, closed around the elbow of his friend. Sully's grip was strong. For an instant they stood this way, Sully holding Snowbird's hand on one side, grasping Cloud Dancing's arm on the other - a chain joined by a common link.


Snowbird's fingers were entwined with Sully's but she stepped back, loosening her grip. Her fingers slid across his palm and, for one long moment she lingered there, her fingertips touching his skin ever so lightly. Then she pulled away. With one graceful movement she leapt forward, pitching over the edge of the peak and into the air beyond. She glided downward, like a leaf carried on the wind. Cloud Dancing could see her falling, her body floating to the depths below. A fog rose to meet her, to wrap his wife within its folds. Snowbird vanished.


He cried out and suddenly he was wide awake, staring into the night sky above him. His hand was raised into the air and Cloud Dancing lowered it slowly. What was the meaning of the dream? Snowbird released Sully, one moment before she jumped. His friend would live. He would not travel the path to the spirits with Snowbird. That much was clear to him but there was more. She held Sully's hand but did not accept the hand of her husband. She'd stepped back from Cloud Dancing. Why?


The night air cooled the skin of his face and Cloud Dancing glanced over at Dorothy. The woman lay wrapped in blankets, oblivious to the autumn chill. He threw back the buffalo robe that covered him and pulled himself to his feet. Standing with his eyes closed and his head tilted back, his mind searched the heavens, calling for the spirits. Silence. He opened his eyes and sighed, turning toward the sweat lodge.


When he entered, he focused on Michaela. She was sitting upright, Sully's head cradled on her lap, her eyes shut. She'd been dozing but the stir of air when the tent flap opened alerted her and she came fully awake. Cloud Dancing smiled and approached her. He sat down beside her to study Sully's face.


"He is better." It was a statement.


Michaela nodded. "I believe so, but he hasn't regained consciousness."


"He will - soon." Cloud Dancing could see the weariness lining Michaela's features. "You should sleep. He is fine. You do not need to stay with him."


She was stroking Sully's hair with one hand. She never looked up as she answered. "No. I'll stay here."


"If you wish. In a few hours, Sully will awaken and you will be able to return to Colorado Springs. I can look after him now. His body needs to rest and his strength needs to return. That is all."


"I won't go back without him," Michaela whispered.


"You must."


She finally met Cloud Dancing's eyes. Her face was set in stone.


"No."


"Michaela," Cloud Dancing touched her arm, gently, "you know that Sully has not found his answers. He has not completed his vision quest. He must do this before he can return. That was the purpose. He must finish what he started. You cannot be here for the quest. You must leave."


"I won't. I won't interfere but I won't leave. I'll stay outside the tent. He doesn't need to know I'm here. But I will be here, Cloud Dancing."


He'd seen this expression on her face before. When she came after her son, Matthew, at the time when the boy was on his own vision quest, and demanded to know where he was. Sully refused to tell her and the same stubbornness consumed her. She told Sully that she'd find Matthew by herself. Cloud Dancing had looked at his friend and shook his head. As he walked away he decided that Sully had found an obstinate woman. He'd seen the stubbornness many times since then and he knew that there was no point in arguing with her. When she looked like this, all a man could do was surrender.


"Why? What do you hope to do by staying?"


"Maybe nothing," she said quietly, "but my face will be the first thing Sully sees when he opens his eyes today. And I will be the first person he sees when he returns from his vision quest. I will be waiting for him - here. Right here. He'll look at me and it will remind him of everything he stands to lose if he allows himself to be pulled away from his family. He'll see how much I love him, how much I need him, and he won't turn his back me - on any of us."


"I do not believe that Sully wants to turn his back on you. This has nothing to do with that."


"Perhaps not, but I don't want Sully to stay with us out of obligation." She stared down at her husband again, the hardness in her face softening. "I want him with me in body, heart and soul. I don't intend to lose him, Cloud Dancing. I won't let that happen." She pulled in a deep breath and looked at the medicine man again. 'And no one, including you, had better stand in my way!"


Cloud Dancing's lips twitched and he held up a restraining hand. "Do not worry. I would not dream of it!"