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Chapter 6: A Promise Kept Over the course of the next week, several changes occurred. Marjorie, Maureen, Claudette, and Rebecca arrived to greet their newest nephews. They all received word of Michaela and Sully’s deception, so when they arrived, they were bearing gifts for not one, but two babies. Michaela and Sully had been spending an efficient amount of time with Brian, Colleen, and Matthew. The twins still needed them the most, but they made sure to let the kids help out with several things involving the babies. It made them feel a little more important, and Michaela and Sully were both relieved because of that. The town council, even Loren, had agreed upon letting Holly continue to teach at the school, and while many parents protested it, there was nothing anyone could do about it. Loren had been hesitant to agree, but he finally decided that the school could use a good teacher, and Holly was the best they had. Another issue that had come up was the fact that Holly wanted Mary to go to school. Michaela had automatically voted yes, in favor of letting colored children into their schoolhouse. The Revered agreed shortly after, and Horace sided with them. Jake and Loren didn’t even have to say anything, because it was already a majority vote. So, despite the fact that many parents were enraged, colored children had been allowed to come into the school, and none of the angry parents had pulled their children out for fear of what would become of them without an education. As for Brian, well, he was till a little jealous, but he was helping out with things around the house more. He was finally listening to his parents, but sometimes he would put up a fuss before he’d give up and do as they asked. The only problem occurring in the Sully household now was that the parents hardly had time to themselves anymore. The only time they actually had a moment of privacy was when they would turn into bed before the babies woke for their feedings. It was still weeks away before Michaela and Sully could be completely intimate again, but it was still nice to be able to have time to spend in the arms of one another. However, things weren’t so easy anymore. The only thing that was keeping Michaela’s head above water was the fact that she didn’t have to play hostess to her four sisters. Elizabeth and Josef had been kind enough to board the sisters for the extent of their stay in Colorado Springs. Josef was still looking after the clinic in town, and Michaela was finally settling into motherhood. She knew that she would have to go back to her job soon, but she wasn’t looking forward to leaving her babies. She knew that Sully would be there to help her out, because they would obviously have to stay at the clinic with her in order to eat, but she would have to be with patients most of the time and not be able to keep her eyes on them at all times. Luckily Michaela had a week or so before she was going to go back to work, so she intended to make her last few days off of work count for something. When Michaela pulled herself out of bed, she dressed and decided to let Sully sleep in. She checked on the boys who were sleeping in their cradles. Sully was intent on moving them to their official room within a few days. Michaela wasn’t so sure about it, but he told her that the boys might sleep better if they were in their own room. Once she decided that everything was fine, she went downstairs to cook breakfast. She had been picking up more skills with every attempt at cooking she would make. Sometimes her food was quite edible, other times, not so much. But, she attempted to make gravy and eggs, and thankfully it turned out. Brian was the first to come downstairs. The children had to leave for school in twenty minutes, so she hoped that Matthew and Colleen were awake already. “Here, eat your breakfast,” Michaela ordered, handing Brian a plate of food. Brian stared at it for a moment and looked up at his mother curiously. “Don’t worry, I already tried it. It’s not bad.” He decided to attempt a bite, and when it tasted decent, he sat down at the table and continued with his breakfast. Matthew was the next to come downstairs. He sat down and dug right into his breakfast. “Matthew, were you planning on doing anything after school?” Michaela asked. “Yeah. Me and Ingrid are goin’ down to the . . .” he stopped talking, mumbled something, and continued with his breakfast. Brian grinned knowingly. “Where did you say you’re going?” “He’s takin’ Ingrid to the kissin’ tree,” Brian laughed. “Matthew and Ingrid, sittin’ in a tree . . .” “Knock it off!” Matthew snapped at his little brother. Brian laughed and continued to hum the song. “Don’t you think you’re a little young for that?” “I just turned sixteen, ma. I don’t think I’m too young.” “I would rather you not get too serious with Ingrid.” “Wny not? Because she’s an immigrant?” Matthew asked, putting up a defense. Michaela shook her head. She figured the children would know her better by now. “Of course not. I think that Ingrid is a very sweet young lady. I just think that you shouldn’t rush into things. You’re young. The both of you have your whole lives together.” “But I love her, ma. My ma and pa were young when they got married.” “Married?” Michaela asked, her eyes wide and her mouth open a little. “I thought we were talking about kissing, not marriage!” “Well, Ingrid and I are getting to be of age. We’re already talkin’ ‘bout it.” “Well, I thought you had backed off of the talk of marriage. Matthew, you are far too young.” “I ain’t too young,” Matthew insisted. “Maybe for Boston, but not for Colorado Springs.” Michaela swallowed hard. “We’ll talk about this after school. I want you to come straight home with your brother and sister.” Matthew sighed heavily and decided that he wasn’t going to get anywhere with her right now. He continued eating while Colleen descended the stairs. She sat down in front of a plate of food and ate quickly, not saying a word. “Colleen? Is everything alright?” “I’m fine,” she replied. After a minute of silence, Colleen put her fork down, collected her books, and stood up. “I ain’t too hungry. I’m going to get to school early and study.” “I’ll walk with ya,” Brian offered. “No!” Colleen exclaimed. “Ma, may I go?” “Very well. Stick to the road. Matthew and Brian will follow behind shortly.” Colleen nodded and started off. “What’s wrong with her?” Brian asked. Matthew cleared his throat. “Beats me,” he replied. “Maybe it’s a boy.” “A boy?” Michaela asked worriedly. Colleen had just turned thirteen, and Michaela knew that her interest in boys would start soon, but she wasn’t sure if she was ready for it. She had two teenaged children, one who was thinking about marriage and the other who was now thinking about boys. She was grateful that she still had Brian, Connor, and Daniel who wouldn’t be thinking about those things for several more years. For a moment, Michaela wondered if it was perhaps the monthly. Colleen had come running to her a few months back, thinking she was dying. Michaela had to sit down and have an awkward talk with her daughter about the situation. She had the same awkward talk her mother had had with her at that age. The children were growing up so fast, and it suddenly hit Michaela like a ton of bricks. Brian and Matthew looked at their mother, whose face had slowly turned to an odd shade of green. “Ma? Are you alright?” Matthew asked. Michaela cleared her throat. “Yes. You boys should probably get started off to school.” Brian and Matthew packed up their books and started out the door. Michaela listened after the door closed. Silence. That was something she cherished so dearly when she had the chance to experience it. She heard something bustling around upstairs, and she knew Sully had woken up. She decided to go upstairs and greet him. As she was starting up the stairs, she was making a mental note to herself to speak with Colleen later about her behavior. When Michaela reached the bedroom upstairs, she found Sully dressed for the day. The twins were lying on the bed as Sully changed both of their diapers. Michaela stood in the doorway without making a sound, loving how sweet her husband was with her sons. He made faces at them and they would stare up at their father with wide, curious eyes. Michaela couldn’t help but grin and bite back a giggle as Sully leaned down to blow on Connor’s tummy. “One down, one to go,” Sully chuckled as he pulled the baby’s clothes on and wrapped him in a warm blanket. He concentrated on little Daniel. He sensed Michaela standing at the door, staring in at him, and he smiled as he thought of her. “Daniel, what should we do about mama? She’s the one that always says it ain’t nice to spy.” “I’m not spying!” Michaela protested, walking into the room. Sully wrapped Daniel up into a blanket and put him next to his brother. He turned around and pulled his wife into his arms. He smiled at her and kissed her softly on the lips. “You ready to go?” “Go where?” “You know where,” Sully replied. “Think about it.” Michaela looked into his eyes, wondering where Sully could possibly want to take her and their children. She thought back to all of their past conversations, and her mind came back to the time she and Sully were under the lean to. “The lean to,” she whispered with a smile. “Yep. I figure it’s about time our boys see the place I promised you we’d bring them to.” “Oh, I can’t believe you remembered.” “’Course I did. And we’ll have to bring ‘em to the cottage sometime too.” Michaela smiled with delight. “Alright, let’s go.” She took one baby while Sully took the other. A few minutes later, they were heading out the door and on toward Sully’s old lean-to to introduce their sons to the life Sully had before Michaela. *~* Michaela was sitting on a fur blanket, holding the twins in her lap while Sully situated himself into a sitting position. He took Connor into his arms and smiled at his wife. “Boys, this is where your pa used to live before he married your ma,” Sully explained. “Your papa brought me out here before we found out about the two of you,” Michaela whispered. “We came out here before we were even married. But we promised one another that we would let you know where your papa lived and how he survived on his own. In a few weeks, we’ll take you out to the reservation, and you can play with Cloud Dancing and Snow Bird’s baby Early Sun. “Maybe one of ya will marry her someday,” Sully said with a chuckle. “Let’s not rush marriage on them, Sully. I’m having enough trouble with Matthew as it is.” “What?” “He’s talking about marriage with Ingrid again.” “Again?” “He’s only sixteen, Sully.” “He’s growin’ up.” “You don’t honestly believe he’s ready to become a husband, do you?” “Well, no,” Sully replied. “But he loves her, and I think he wants to marry her. I think it’s a little too soon for him, though.” “I agree,” Michaela replied, rocking Daniel back and forth. “And now something is going on with Colleen.” “What do you mean?” “She excused herself from breakfast to get to school early. She didn’t want to talk about it.” “Maybe it’s a boy?” “Perhaps,” Michaela replied. “But I wish she would tell me these kinds of things.” “It’s a part of life, Michaela. Kids are always gonna keep secrets.” “But why do they have to keep them from me?” Michaela asked with a sigh. “I wish they could trust me.” “They do trust ya. They just want their privacy.” “Don’t they have enough privacy with their own rooms with doors?” Sully chuckled and shook his head. “Don’t worry, Michaela. They ain’t doin’ nothin’ you should be worried ‘bout. If they were, you’d know it.” Michaela sighed and decided to drop the subject for now. She looked down at Daniel. His little eyes were open, and he was looking around. “Do you like this place, Daniel?” she asked gently. Daniel cooed in response and the proud parents beamed at both of their sons. The snap of a branch cause both Michaela and Sully to turn. They were both delighted and surprised to see Cloud Dancing standing there. “Cloud Dancing?” “Hello my friends,” he said with a smile. He was holding his nearly four-month-old daughter in his arms. “What are you doing here?” Michaela asked curiously. “Snow Bird needs rest. I am walking with Early Sun.” “How is she?” Michaela asked as Cloud Dancing took a seat beside Sully. “She grows stronger every day. She may be stranger than me one day,” Cloud Dancing smiled. The baby in his arms slept comfortably. He looked at Connor and Daniel. “Sons?” “Yes,” Michaela replied. “Connor and Daniel Sully.” “Strong names,” Cloud Dancing replied. “They will make great playmates for Early Sun.” “Yes they will,” Michaela agreed. A look of concern spread throughout Cloud Dancing’s eyes. “What’s wrong?” Sully asked, immediately knowing something wasn’t right. “The spirits came to me in a dream. They told me that death is near.” Michaela and Sully held their children closer. “Death?” Michaela asked. “For whom?” “The spirits did not say. They told me to warn you.” *~* Michaela and Sully headed straight for town as soon as Cloud Dancing had taken Early Sun back to the reservation. Both of them were worried that something terrible had happened to one of their loved ones, but everything seemed normal once they arrived in town. The clinic was closed because Josef had had a slow day, and he and Elizabeth were having lunch at Grace’s. The children were still at school, so Michaela and Sully decided that they’d go home and spend the rest of the day in each other’s company. However, fate took a different turn when Josef and Hank came running across town. Hank was helping Josef, who was not as strong as he used to be after his heart attack months ago, carry Elizabeth across town to the clinic. “Mother!” Michaela exclaimed. She handed her son to Sully, who held both babies close, and she rushed over to greet them. “Father? What happened?” Josef was a nervous wreck. Michaela knew that whatever had just happened had been sudden. Hank rushed Elizabeth into the clinic and put her down on the examining table. “I was sittin’ with Myra at Grace’s. All of the sudden, your pa cried out and I looked to see your ma slumped over the table.” “Please go sit with my father. He shouldn’t be alone.” Hank swallowed hard and nodded, leaving Michaela with her unconscious mother. Hank helped Josef sit down. Sully would have but his arms were full at the moment. “I need to go be with my wife,” he said shakily. “I might be able to help her.” “Ya ain’t gonna be no help to her in this condition, doc,” Hank pointed out. Sully sat down beside his father-in-law. Myra came rushing up to stand at Hank’s side. “Sully, do ya want me and Hank to watch the boys while you wait? We’ll bring ‘em over if they get hungry.” Sully was nervous, but he knew that Hank and Myra wouldn’t take the babies near the saloon, and that they would be careful. “Take ‘em to Grace’s and keep an eye on ‘em,” Sully said with a nod. Myra nodded and took Connor into her arms. Hank nervously picked up Daniel and they started off toward Grace’s. Sully looked at Josef who was beginning to cry. “Do you know what happened?” “It could have been anything. A heart attack, a stroke . . .” Sully sighed heavily and swallowed hard. “Ya gotta believe that it’s gonna be alright.” A few minutes later, Michaela stepped out of the clinic with tears welling in her eyes. She was shaking and Sully hurried to catch her as she started to fall backward. She collapsed in his arms and began to sob against his chest. Josef looked up, knowing what had happened. He rushed into the clinic, slamming the door behind him. He had to see his wife. He had to spend a few moments with her. “Michaela?” She sucked in a gasping breath. “I never even got to say goodbye.” |