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Chapter 9: Love You Forever “Ain’t we almost there yet?” Hank asked after about thirty minutes of riding in the freezing cold. Cloud Dancing gave him a look of exasperation as they hurried on toward Sully’s location. Cloud Dancing hoped that his friend was still where he left him, but he couldn’t be sure that Sully was even conscious. He knew that there were wild animals around that would be more than happy to attack at the smell of blood. Cloud Dancing knew that if Sully was conscious, he was keeping himself hidden. “We will be there soon,” Cloud Dancing said aloud. Michaela had been silent the whole way, keeping her thoughts on finding Sully and nursing him back to health. She had the right instruments for removing bullets, but she couldn’t be sure that the bullet wasn’t lodged in a place that could be fatal. So many questions were keeping Michaela’s heart pounding hard, and she was so scared for her husband. Jake noticed how tightly Michaela was gripping the saddle of her horse. He reached over and put a hand on her shoulder. “He’s gonna be fine, Dr. Mike.” “Maybe we should have brought the Reverend,” Hank commented. Jake shot him a warning glance. Michaela finally broke her silence and looked at Jake. “What are you doing this for, Jake? Hank?” Michaela asked. “Excuse me?” “I haven’t known you very long, but neither you nor Hank seem like the kind of men who are out to help their fellow citizens. Why are you so interested in helping me and Cloud Dancing find Sully?” “I just wanted to do somethin’ to help.” “Why bother now, Jake?” Michaela asked, her worry peaking through. She normally wouldn’t have spoken so harshly to Jake or Hank, but she couldn’t help it. She was desperately worried about Sully and was taking it all out on the nearest person. “Hey now,” Hank interrupted. “We ain’t exactly Sully’s biggest fans, but we know when somebody needs helpin’. We ain’t exactly happy to be travelin’ in the company of no Injun either.” “Why don’t you just go back into town?” Michaela asked. Cloud Dancing reached out to her but she pulled away. “You two don’t even care about Sully.” “That ain’t true. He’s a good man even though we don’t see eye to eye most of the time,” Jake spoke up. “Plus, you’re the doctor. You’ve done a lot of good for this town already, and we wanna help you.” Michaela brushed the tears out of her eyes and glanced at Cloud Dancing. “Let’s keep moving. I want to find him as soon as possible.” Cloud Dancing brought his horse back into a trot while Michaela followed behind. Jake and Hank exchanged looks and contemplated leaving since they didn’t feel wanted, but they went on anyways, knowing that Michaela was just worried about her husband. They decided they had better keep quiet so Michaela wouldn’t feel the need to yell at them again. Cloud Dancing knew how upset Michaela was, but he too was wise to not say anything to her. He knew that she was worried sick about the man she loved, and she wouldn’t feel better until they found him. Tears were burning Michaela’s eyes, and her hand absent-mindedly wandered up to her neck. Her fingers played with the silver locket that Sully had given her. She closed her eyes, remembering what was inscribed on the inside. “My heart song,” she whispered. “What?” Hank asked, having heard the doctor’s words. Michaela sniffled and brushed a tear away. “Nothing,” she replied. She suddenly felt a renewed hope inside of her. She and Sully were going to spend the rest of their lives together, and for some reason, thinking about the locket gave her a promise that everything was going to be alright. It had to be. She closed her eyes and then she heard it. It was faint but it made her heart skip a beat. “Michaela!” came the scream. Michaela jolted and her horse spooked. It bucked a little and Michaela managed to calm it down. “What happened?” Cloud Dancing asked as Michaela took a deep breath. “Didn’t you hear him?” “Hear what?” Hank asked. “He called to me,” Michaela whispered. “Oh God! He called to me! He’s alive!” Hank and Jake both shrugged but Cloud Dancing smiled. “He spoke to you. We are close.” “Yes,” Michaela replied with a nod. “Let’s keep moving forward.” They continued on, but this time Michaela felt a weight lifted off of her just knowing in her heart that Sully was alive and thinking of her. *~* Colleen handed Snow Bird a cup of tea and the woman drank it gratefully. “Thank you,” Snow Bird said gently. “You help Dr. Mike often?” “Yeah. I’m gonna be a doctor just like her.” “You will make a good one.” “Are you feeling alright?” “Yes. My baby is fine, but I think Cloud Dancing is worried that we may have been harmed.” “I’m sure you’re both fine. Just get some rest.” Colleen walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. Brian and Pup were in the hall. “Is Snow Bird gonna be alright?” Brian asked with worry in his young eyes. “She’s gonna be fine, Brian. Come with me downstairs.” “Is pa alright?” Colleen swallowed the lump in her throat. She hoped that Sully was all right and that Dr. Mike could get to him in time. Snow Bird had explained to Matthew and Colleen what had happened to Sully. They decided not to tell Brian because they didn’t want him to worry. Matthew and Colleen were worrying enough for the three of them. “I’m sure he’s fine, Brian. Come on, let’s go downstairs.” They descended the stairs to find Matthew and Ingrid standing in the kitchen. “Hey Ingrid,” Colleen said with a smile. “Colleen. Hello Brian,” she said with a smile. “I bring apples.” “Great! I love apples!” Brian reached for one but Colleen slapped his hand away. “Thank you Ingrid. I’ll bake a pie tonight and use these.” She took the basket and put them on the counter. Brian looked up at Matthew. “Matthew, is pa gonna be alright?” “He’ll be fine, little brother.” “Do you think he’s hurt?” Matthew and Colleen exchanged glances and he knelt down to be face-to-face with Brian. “Don’t you worry, alright? Dr. Mike’s gonna take good care of him.” Brian sighed and went upstairs with Pup tagging along. Matthew and Colleen shook their heads. “No word yet from Dr. Mike?” Ingrid asked. “Nope,” Colleen replied. “I hope they got to Sully. We need him. Dr. Mike needs him especially.” “They’ll find him. They’ll bring him home and our family’ll be back together again,” Matthew said, putting an arm around his sister. “It’s all gonna work out. It has to.” *~* The snow had started to fall and it was falling so quickly and heavily that the visibility was close to zero. Michaela pulled her coat around herself tightly as they rode, and the frozen ground provided the perfect bed for the snow to fall and stick. “This is how we’re gonna die,” Hank mumbled as he and Jake rode side by side. They’re gonna find us out here frozen like ice blocks come springtime when the snow starts to melt. “Will you shut up?” Jake asked. “Quiet!” Cloud Dancing shouted, holding his hand up. Everyone fell silent and a low moan was heard from behind a bush. Michaela’s eyes went wide and she practically jumped off of her horse to hurry to the sound. “Sully!” she called. She heard another groan and the men followed behind her. Michaela found Sully lying under a blanket of snow, his limbs red from the cold and his lips blue from lack of oxygen and from lying outside on the frozen ground for so long. “Sully!” Michaela rolled him onto his back and brushed the snow off of his face. His teeth were chattering She saw that the snow was being colored by Sully’s blood. There was no way she could move him without extracting the bullet first. She licked her lips and realized that Sully was fading fast. “Is he gonna make it?” Hank asked with concern. Michaela ignored the question, afraid of the answer. “I can’t move him,” she whispered. “We need to build him a shelter. Hank, go gather as many strong branches as you can. Jake, you help Cloud Dancing gather pine branches. We need to build a shelter from the wind and snow. Jake looked at Cloud Dancing who nodded. He nodded back and the three men briskly walked off to do as the doctor asked. Michaela felt Sully’s forehead. He was burning up with fever, and she knew that he was close to becoming unconscious. His eyes were glazed over, but he could see her. “Michaela,” he whispered. “I . . . I love you.” “Hold on, Sully. Hold on!” she begged. Michaela pulled her coat off and covered Sully with it as she opened her medical bag. “No! You’ll freeze,” he whispered. “You’re more important right now! You just hold on and fight! Please fight! She pulled open his shirt and examined the wound. The bullet hadn’t gone all the way through, which in this case was a good thing because it was pressed up against his lung, thus causing a lack of oxygen. She knew that if she wasn’t careful, she could puncture his lung while attempting to extract the bullet. “Sully, I can’t give you anything for the pain. It isn’t safe right now. So listen to me. I’m going to remove the bullet. It’s lodged in deep, and it’s going to hurt.” Michaela reached over to pull over a thick tree branch. She broke it in half and put it in Sully’s mouth. “Bite down on his if you have to.” Michaela was worried because performing this task in the middle of the woods left Sully highly susceptible to acquiring an infection. “I trust you,” Sully whispered, his body shivering beyond his control. Michaela bit her bottom lip as she began to procedure. Sully suppressed the screams that he wanted very much to cry out. He also knew that there were wild animals out there that would be led right to them and could attack. As Michaela performed the procedure, she knew that the life of her husband was in her hands. She was so terrified that she would slip because her hands were shaking. She was freezing and scared all at the same time. She only wished that it wasn’t the middle of winter. She had to also watch for signs of pneumonia, and from the signs of Sully’s blue lips and the wheeze in his breaths, he was well on his way to getting it. *~* Myra was keeping Grace and Robert E. company inside of their home. Robert E. was actually outside closing up shop since the snow had started up again. Grace was brewing tea, and all Myra could think about was Hank. “How are things with you and Horace?” Grace wondered. Myra looked over at her friend. She swallowed hard, feeling guilty. She and Horace were courting, but her feelings for Hank were growing stronger by the day. “They’re fine,” she replied, fidgeting with the strap of her handbag. Grace raised an eyebrow. “You’re hidin’ somethin’,” Grace guessed. “Why would ya think that?” “Because you have that guilty look on your face. I know that guilty look. You’ve got someone else on your mind?” “No!” Myra exclaimed. Grace chuckled a little. “You can tell me, ya know?” “I know.” She sighed heavily and shook her head. “I ain’t ready to talk about it yet.” “Alright,” Grace replied. “That’s fair enough. Just answer me one question.” “What?” “Do you see yourself spendin’ the rest of your life with Horace?” Myra looked up at Grace with wide eyes and then looked down. “I don’t know, Grace. I just ain’t sure that Horace is the man I want to walk down the aisle with; have children with. I ain’t sure he and I are meant to be together.” “Well,” Grace said, clearing her throat, “I think you better talk to Horace before he goes and gets his heart broken.” *~* Sully had passed out during the procedure, and Michaela was concerned. She knew she needed to keep him warm, and until Hank, Jake, and Cloud Dancing returned, the only thing they had was each other. She buttoned Sully’s shirt, being careful to avoid his bandages, and she snuggled up against him on the cold ground. She pulled her coat up to cover the both of him. She could feel Sully’s heart beating slowly in his chest. His breaths were slow, shallow, and still held a wheeze. Michaela rested her head on Sully’s chest, at least the side that wasn’t damaged due to the bullet wound. She looked up at his beautiful face, and ran her fingers through his hair. “I’m so worried, Sully. You’ve got to pull through this for me. You’ve got to wake up in the morning and be alright. The children need you. I need you most of all. I’m going to love you forever, and I don’t want to spend the rest of my days as a widow. You have to fight.” She began to sob. “You have to fight because we have our whole lives ahead of us! We still have to make a baby. We still have to watch the children grow up and get married. You have to fight for me, do you hear me? Fight and hold on, because I swear to you Sully, I won’t be able to live without you. You say that I’m your heart song. Well, you are my heart.” “Michaela,” Sully whispered. Michaela gasped and looked up to see Sully slowly opening his eyes. His lips were still blue, but the red in his face was slowly fading. She felt his forehead; his fever hadn’t broken yet. “Oh Sully,” she whispered. “If I don’t make it,” he began. “Shh,” she replied, putting her fingers to his lips. “You’re going to be fine.” Sully coughed a bit and Michaela felt her heart breaking. “If I don’t make it,” he repeated, “I want you to find love again.” The sobs started to come again and Michaela tried her hardest to stop them. Her chest was heaving and the hot tears were stinging her frozen cheeks. “No!” she screamed. “You’re the only man I ever want to be with. You’re my husband, and I will never love another man as much as I love you.” She kissed his lips gently and she saw the tears starting to fall. “Michaela, I don’t want to see you cry,” Sully whispered. “Then you can’t give up on me. You have to fight because I won’t watch you slip away from me. I can’t fight for you. You have to want to live.” “I want to live, Michaela. I ain’t ready to leave this life. I need to be with you.” He began to cough and Michaela’s heart broke a little more. She kissed his forehead. “Shh,” she whispered. “Just rest now. Just rest and fight. It’s going to be okay.” She got up and went around to find some dry wood to create a fire with. She hoped to God that her three companions would be back soon, because she wasn’t sure Sully was going to make it through the night if he didn’t get shelter from the bitter wind and snow. She didn’t want to think about the seriousness of his condition, but it was right there in her face, and she knew that if he didn’t get warm soon, he was going to die. As soon as a small fire was going, Michaela pulled a copper cup out of her medical bag, melted some snow in it over the fire, and put quinine in it to help break Sully’s fever. She brought the cup to Sully’s lips. “Drink this.” Sully took a weak sip and Michaela continued to have him drink it until it was gone. Finally, she crawled back under the coat with him and snuggled against him, hoping to God that he was going to pull through. |