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Chapter 10: A Second Chance “Do you think they’re going to be alright?” Dorothy asked Loren as he hung up his apron for the evening. It was mid day, but no business was coming in. “Ah, I’m sure Hank and Jake are lookin’ after Dr. Mike.” “Some of the men are getting ready to go look for ‘em. Are you goin’?” “No,” Loren replied, putting on his hat and coat. “I’m gonna go check on the kids. I’m sure they’re worried sick about Dr. Mike and Sully.” “That’s very nice of ya, Loren,” Dorothy replied. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and smiled at him. She smiled back and walked outside to hitch up his wagon. Meanwhile, outside, Horace, Robert E., and the Reverend were meeting at Robert E.’s livery to discuss the best place to start when looking for Dr. Mike and the search party. Ethan Cooper was standing nearby listening to the whole conversation. “We gotta get them back soon,” Horace started. “I agree,” Reverend Johnson said with a nod. “Those children are all alone out there, and they need Dr. Mike and Sully.” “We’ll get ‘em back.” Robert E. sounded confident. The men started off on their search. Grace had packed enough food for them and for the others once they found them. Everyone in town hoped everyone would return to sound safely, but things never seemed to be that simple. As they were riding off, Sully’s two attackers mounted their horses and started off in the right direction. They had a feeling that Sully was still alive, and they were going to go finish the job. *~* The snow had stopped for now, but it had been replaced by an awful chill in the air. The wind was blowing furiously and Sully was starting to shake in his sleep. Michaela checked his pulse, pulled out her stethoscope and listened to his lungs. He didn’t have fluid in them, but his respiration was declining. She was pretty sure that he was starting to get pneumonia. “Oh Sully,” Michaela whispered. “Hank, Jake, and Cloud Dancing will be back soon. You’re going to be alright.” She wasn’t so sure about her own words, but she had to keep encouraging Sully to hold on. She remembered having to give him a reason to stay once. Now she felt like she was doing it all over again. “I love you so much. You have to keep holding on.” The words coming from her lips weren’t falling on closed ears. Sully heard every word Michaela said, but he was too weak to even open his eyes. He gently squeezed Michaela’s hand and let her know that he heard her. “I love you,” he whispered. Michaela let out a choked sob at the sound of her husband’s words. She knew that it was only a matter of time before the rest of the search party came back. She hoped that Cloud Dancing could help her heal Sully. He was growing worse by the minute and the worst fear was filling Michaela’s heart. Sully started coughing again, and blood began to trickle out of the corner of Sully’s mouth. Michaela held his head up and she saw the blood. She knew the infection had spread to his lungs. “No,” Michaela begged. “No! You have to get better!” She rolled him onto his side, knowing that he was no longer conscious. She didn’t want him to drown in his own blood. She rubbed his back, not knowing what else she could do for him while they were out in the middle of nowhere. Michaela felt the cold start to get to her again, and she soon fell asleep, her hand clutching Sully’s, silently praying that God wouldn’t let them die. “With each creak in the house, Brian would jump up and run to the window to see if Michaela and Sully were home. Each time he was terribly disappointed. *~* Matthew had started a fire, and Brian was sitting in front of it with Pup. Pup had curled himself up into a ball in front of the fire. Colleen was sitting by the window, keeping an eye out for any sign of Michaela or Sully while she was working on a new dress for the springtime. Matthew was outside chopping more wood for the fireplace. He heard hoof beats and looked to see Ethan riding up in a fancy new surrey pulled by his black stallion. He sighed heavily and looked toward the house. Colleen was no longer perched by the window. The front door opened and the younger two Cooper children came outside. “Afternoon,” Ethan greeted them, dismounting his horse. Matthew threw his axe down and went up to the porch to stand with his brother and sister. “What are you doin’ here?” Matthew asked. “I’m here to take you kids to San Francisco.” Colleen gripped Matthew’s arm and Brian looked up at his big brother. “For the last time, we ain’t goin’,” Matthew said quietly. He stared into his father’s eyes, daring him to say another word. Ethan stepped forward, holding a hand out to Colleen. Matthew pushed Ethan away, and Ethan pushed him back. “Colleen, take Brian inside.” “No! We ain’t leavin’ you!” Colleen looked at Ethan. “As far as we’re concerned, you ain’t our pa no more! Sully’s our pa and Dr. Mike’s our new ma. You ain’t gonna change that!” Matthew pushed Ethan back when he reached out to Colleen again. “You don’t touch her!” Ethan was getting fed up with his oldest son, and when Matthew pushed him back again, he took a swing, hitting his son square in the jaw. Colleen screamed and pulled Brian close to her. He hid his face in his big sister’s skirt. Matthew was stunned and stumbled back. He rubbed his aching jaw, and a moment later, he swung at his father, knocking him into the dirt. The two began to fight and Colleen frantically screamed for them to stop. “Don’t! Don’t hurt him!” she screamed. “Please stop!” Colleen looked up to see Mr. Bray riding up in a wagon. She took Brian’s hand and they ran over. Loren saw what was going on and he jumped out of his wagon. “Mr. Bray!” Brian cried. “Stop them! Don’t let him hurt Matthew!” “It’s alright, boy,” Loren assured the boy he thought of as a grandson. He hurried over and pulled at the neck of Ethan’s coat. “Get off of him! He’s your son, for cryin’ out loud!” Matthew wanted to take another swing at Ethan, but he knew that none of it should have happened in the first place. “They’re my kids!” Ethan shouted. “No they ain’t!” Loren insisted. “Not anymore!” He pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Matthew. “Just got a telegraph that the papers have been processed and the children belong to Dr. Mike and Sully.” “That’s impossible! Those papers couldn’t have gone through so quickly.” “They had a little help,” Loren replied. “Read it, boy.” He motioned to Matthew who was practically on the verge of tears. “This is from a judge in Denver. It says that ‘thanks to a close friend in Boston, Dr. Josef Quinn, I was informed of Ethan Cooper’s presence in Colorado Springs, and after some extensive research, I gained knowledge of some of his actions in San Francisco.’” Matthew wasn’t quite sure what that meant, but he didn’t care at the moment. He continued. “It also says ‘I am hereby informing Dr. Michaela Quinn and Mr. Byron Sully that the papers have gone through and the adoption has been granted. Formal papers shall be following in by mail in a few weeks.’” A huge smile came across Matthew’s face and the tears began to fall. Colleen and Brian shouted out in delight and hugged their big brother. Loren chuckled and watched the children celebrate that they were a true family now with Dr. Mike and Sully. He saw the look in Matthew’s eyes when he looked at Ethan. Loren cleared his throat. “Come on, kids. Why don’t we go inside and we can bake a pie to celebrate?” “Chocolate?!” Brian asked hopefully. Loren chuckled. “My favorite.” He followed the children inside while Matthew stared down the man who he had once called his pa. “You ain’t got a reason to be here. Get off our property. You ain’t welcome here.” Matthew turned and went inside to join his brother, sister, and Mr. Bray. Ethan stared up at the house for a moment before he turned, knowing he had lost for good, and left the property, deciding not to return again. *~* “Thank God you’re back,” Michaela whispered, standing up and greeting Jake, Hank, and Cloud Dancing. “We brought stuff to make shelter for the night, and we also brought some things to make a litter to carry Sully back to town on. You think we’d be able to make it tonight?” Jake asked. “No. He’s on the borderline of having pneumonia. He’s coughing up blood, but he’s unconscious right now. We shouldn’t try to move him until the morning.” “I will brew a tea for him,” Cloud Dancing offered. “Yes, thank you,” Dr. Mike said with an appreciative nod. While Cloud Dancing began to brew the tea, Michaela helped Hank and Jake create a temporary lean to that could house all of them and protect them from the elements of nature for a few hours. Michaela was distracted, worrying about the children, and hoping that Ethan wasn’t causing any trouble. She kept thinking about Sully and hoping that he was going to make it through the night, because frankly, she wasn’t quite sure if he was fighting hard enough to pull through it. Hank and Jake seemed surprisingly civil toward Cloud Dancing, and Michaela was pleased that they were working together as a team for a common cause. By the time the lean-to was constructed, Cloud Dancing had brewed the tea. “Hank? Will you help me over here?” Michaela asked. Hank nodded slowly and crouched down to help Michaela turn Sully onto his back. Michaela lifted his head and Cloud Dancing poured the hot liquid into Sully’s mouth, past his blue, lifeless lips. They continued this in silence for the next several minutes. When the tea was gone, Michaela and Hank put Sully back on his side in case he coughed up any more blood. The rest of the afternoon was spent watching over Sully and keeping an eye out in case his attackers came back. When dusk came around, Hank and Jake’s stomachs were growling audibly. Cloud Dancing gave them an amused look. “What are you lookin’ at?” Hank asked defensively. “You are hungry. I will hunt for food.” “Oh no. We ain’t eatin’ any crazy Injun food,” Jake spoke up. Cloud Dancing looked at Michaela and Sully. Michaela was sleeping, curled up next to Sully. “I will help you hunt,” Cloud Dancing replied. “We cannot starve. We must stay strong for Sully.” He stood. Hank and Jake thought for a moment, but their stomachs answered for them with another much louder growl. They stood and walked off with Cloud Dancing, hoping they wouldn’t get lost and Cloud Dancing would leave them to starve. Deep down, they both knew that wouldn’t happen, but they wanted to be cautious for the sake of their reputations. *~* Hours had passed and the men were still out hunting. The stars were out and the snow was falling again. But, Michaela couldn’t tell because she was fast asleep. She was having a wonderful dream about her future with Sully, completely oblivious to what was going on around her in the real world. The crack of a gunshot woke Michaela. She sat up quickly, gasping for air. She began to shake when the howl of a wolf sounded through the forest. She looked around seeing no sign of Cloud Dancing, Hank, or Jake. A moment later, she felt a gentle hand on her arm. She quickly turned to see Sully sitting up smiling at her. Her eyes went wide and she threw her arms around his neck. “Sully!” she exclaimed. The color had returned to her husband’s face, and when she felt his forehead, she discovered that his fever had broken. She sighed with relief. “You’re going to be alright!” “You saved my life,” Sully whispered. “It was Cloud Dancing’s tea,” Michaela admitted. Sully shook his head and kissed her cheek, brushing the tears away from her eyes. “No. It was your love and devotion to me that kept me hangin’ on. I fought for you. I fought so I could live the rest of my life with you. I ain’t ready to leave ya.” Michaela broke down into tears and Sully rocked her back and forth. He kissed the top of her head and whispered to her, telling her he loved her and that he was never going to leave her. Rustling broke the moment and Cloud Dancing and Hank came running into the campsite. They were both carrying Jake who was bleeding profusely from his shoulder. “What happened?!” Michaela asked. “The two men who shot Sully saw me and decided to shoot. They hit Jake.” “I shot ‘em both. They’re lyin’ dead out there,” Hank confessed. Michaela swallowed hard and nodded. Normally she would have felt some kind of compassion for the men who Hank had brought to their deaths, but they had caused a great deal of pain and nearly killed Sully. She knew that if Hank hadn’t stopped them, they would have found her and Sully and killed them in their sleep. “Bring him here,” Michaela insisted. Jake was groaning in pain, and Michaela exposed the flesh on his shoulder to examine the wound. “You’re lucky. The bullet passed through. I can cleanse it and stitch it up.” She brought her medical bag to her side. “Hank, I need your help in holding him down.” Hank nodded and did as the doctor asked. Cloud Dancing clasped hands with his white brother. “You have returned to us.” Sully nodded and hugged Cloud Dancing. “I couldn’t have done it without Michaela,” Sully confessed, knowing Michaela couldn’t hear him over Jake’s screams of agony. “She’s my life. I had to fight for her.” *~* In the morning, Matthew, Colleen, and Brian were at the clinic. Dorothy, Grace, and Myra were spending the morning with them. The children had brought Snow Bird into town to rest at the clinic, and they were anxiously waiting for Michaela and Sully to come home. Horace, Robert E., and Reverend Johnson had come back late at night the evening before having found absolutely no trace of Sully nor the other search party. “You think they’ll be back soon?” Brian asked as he sat on Grace’s lap. “I’m sure they’ll be home any minute,” Myra spoke up. She was hoping that they would come home safe, and that Hank too would be safe. “Yeah, I bet they’ll have plenty of stories to tell when they get back,” Matthew replied. “And we’ve got good news for ‘em.” Matthew smiled at his sister’s comment. “We sure do.” The sound of a wagon pulling into town sent everyone to the window. “It’s ma and pa!” Brian exclaimed. Everyone rushed outside to find Hank driving the wagon, Michaela sitting up front with him, and Cloud Dancing sitting in the back with a groggy Jake and a weak Sully. The wagon pulled up outside of the clinic, and Cloud Dancing hopped out, helping Jake and Sully out. “Snow Bird? Where is she?” he asked. “She’s upstairs resting,” Colleen replied with a smile. Cloud Dancing hurried inside. Everyone gathered around Jake and Sully as Hank helped Michaela out of the wagon. “What happened?” Matthew asked. “It’s a long story,” Michaela replied. “We’ll tell it to you all later. Right now, Sully and Jake both need to get up to bed.” “I’ll prepare the rooms,” Colleen offered. “Thank you.” Matthew and Hank helped Sully and Jake into the clinic and up the stairs. After Colleen helped Michaela with the two new patients, Grace took the children over to her house to give Michaela room to work. She promised to make them a special lunch and they had to eat every bite before they could go back to the clinic. She knew that Michaela needed to get some work down before the children came back over. Michaela walked out into the hallway where Cloud Dancing was waiting. He looked at her with hope and worry in his eyes. “Snow Bird and your baby are both fine,” Michaela said with a reassuring smile. She touched Cloud Dancing’s shoulder. “Thank you.” “And thank you for all you’ve done,” Michaela replied. “You can go see her now.” Cloud Dancing walked into Snow Bird’s room, glad to know that his wife and unborn child were safe and healthy. Michaela sighed and yawned a little bit before she headed into Sully’s room. He was sitting up in bed, sipping a bit of tea that Michaela had brewed for him. “How are you feeling?” “Better,” He replied. “I’m gonna be alright.” “Yes you are.” Michaela sat down in the chair at his bedside. Her eyes were full of tears. His hand came up to cup her cheek. “Michaela?” “Oh, Sully, I almost lost you!” “But ya didn’t.” “Sully, that’s not the point. The point is that I came so close to losing you, and I don’t ever want that to happen again! I felt like my soul had been ripped out when you started to get worse. You’re a part of me, and it’s going to be that way forever.” She gripped his hand and kissed it gently. “I love you so much that it hurts sometimes.” “That’s exactly the way I feel about you. Michaela, when I was lyin’ there yesterday, I kept dreamin’ ‘bout your face. That’s what got me through the night. That’s what made it easier for me to recover. You just bein’ there was what helped me make it.” A tear slid down Sully’s cheek and Michaela leaned down to press a kiss to his lips. The door opened and Loren walked in. “Sorry,” he said with a blush. “That’s alright,” Michaela replied quietly. “I just wanted to let ya know that I’m glad you’re alright,” Loren said with a nod. “I appreciate that,” Sully replied. “I really do.” Loren turned to leave but remembered that he had something else to say. “Oh, I thought you both better know that Ethan Cooper went out to the homestead again, tryin’ to get the kids.” “Oh,” Michaela said with a disappointed sigh. She looked at Sully. “What are we going to do about him?” “Well, I . . .” Before Loren could say another word, the Cooper children hurried in. “Ma?” Brian asked. “We forgot to tell ya somethin’ earlier.” “What’s that?” Michaela asked, pulling Brian into her lap. Matthew handed Michaela the telegram and she read over it. Her face lit up and the tears began to flow again. “What’s the matter? What is it?” Sully asked. Michaela handed him the paper and he read over it as well. His eyes lit up with pride and he smiled at his family. “This says we’re officially a family.” The children all gathered around their new pa and Loren quietly backed out of the room with a smile on his face, letting the family enjoy the knowledge that nobody was ever going to break them apart. |