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Chapter 2: Helping Out A storm was brewing again, and Sully couldn’t sleep. Michaela had fallen right to sleep after she and Sully celebrated the fact that they were adding to their family. Michaela was sleeping with a smile upon her face, and it warmed Sully’s heart to see his wife so happy. Thunder boomed, rattling the house and causing Wolf and Pup to start barking outside. Michaela sat up in bed as if she’d been struck by lightning. Sully sat up beside her, and she caught her breath. “You okay?” “Mmm,” she answered with a nod. Lightning flashed in the sky, and Michaela sunk back down onto her pillow. Sully leaned back and rested on his side so he could look at Michaela. She turned to her side and smiled at him as his fingers laced with hers. The way Sully was looking at her made her feel as if she was going to melt into a puddle. His eyes stared into hers and his free hand moved under the covers to gently stroke her belly. She smiled as he leaned in to kiss her. “What are you thinking about, Sully?” “Just thinkin’ ‘bout how beautiful you are.” Michaela laughed against Sully’s lips and shook her head. “You won’t be saying that for too much longer.” “’Course I will. It ain’t been too long since ya were carryin’ the boys. Don’t ya remember how beautiful I told ya you looked everyday? You are always beautiful to me, no matter what. This time ain’t gonna be no different.” Michaela propped herself up against the headboard of the bed. Sully sat up beside her and studied her face. She exposed her belly and covered Sully’s hand with her own. “What do you think?” “About what?” “The baby? Do you think it’s a boy or a girl?” Sully gently moved his hand over her belly, and she smiled, enjoying the pride in his face. “I got a feelin’ we’re gonna have our hands full,” he replied. “Oh, so it’ll be a boy,” Michaela said with a laugh. “A girl can be a handful too,” Sully pointed out. “’Specially if she’s like her ma.” “Oh, have you looked at our boys recently? They’re just like you.” Sully shook his head and leaned in to kiss his wife. “I think it’ll be two girls,” he said with a wink. “What makes you think that?!” she asked curiously. She wasn’t quite sure what the odds were that she would have another set of twins. “I dunno. It’s just a feelin’.” Michaela’s hand moved to Sully’s cheek, and she caressed it gently. “Well, I suppose we’ll have to wait,” she replied. “What gives you that feeling, if I may ask?” Sully smiled and ran his finger along Michaela’s jaw line. “I guess I just figure that those boys of our are gonna need two little girls to fight with.” Michaela laughed and bit her bottom lip. “I still can’t believe it, Sully. I honestly never believed it would happen again so quickly. Now that it has, I feel like this was meant to be. I feel so wonderful, Sully.” He took her hand in his and kissed it softly. “Me too. You’ve made me the happiest man in the world, you know that?” They were now both silent now, staring into one another’s eyes. Michaela’s heart began to pound as Sully’s hand slid down her belly and across her outer thigh. She smiled knowingly as his eyes began to roam across her naked form. Michaela stood from the bed, leaving Sully staring after her. She walked across the room, the firelight highlighting her magnificent body. Sully slowly drew back the covers on the bed and stood. Michaela stood in front of the floor-length mirror with her hand placed on her belly. It still seemed hard to believe that she was going to have another baby. Just seven months ago, she had given birth to the two most amazing babies, and now another was on its way. She wanted a daughter so badly, but she would still be happy with another son. The thing was that she had four sons now and only one daughter. It would be nice to have a child she could dress for church in those sweet little dresses, curl her hair and put it up in ribbons. Sully slowly strode across the room, hiding his naked form behind his wife’s. She closed her eyes as he moved her hair away from her neck, kissing the sensitive skin that always made her entire body tingle when Sully kissed her there. Sully’s actions elicited a moan from the back of Michaela’s throat. She turned around in his arms, and looked up into his eyes. He gave her a seductive smile as his mouth met hers in a tantalizing kiss. His hot breath on her lips caused her to shudder from anticipation, and he moved to his knees, trailing his lips and tongue down her body as he went. When he was on his knees, he pressed a kiss to her belly, and her fingers moved to run through his hair. “Michaela,” he whispered, his eyes locking on her gaze as his hand traveled up her leg, grazed against her thigh, and slowly parted her legs. Michaela felt her knees growing weak as Sully touched her; entered her with his fingers. She gripped his shoulders, and he gently helped her onto the floor on the rug before the fireplace. Feeling bold, Michaela put her hands upon Sully’s chest, and gently pushed him backward, ignoring the passionate fire Sully had nearly started between her legs. Sully was now pressed against the floor with Michaela peering down at him. She straddled him, putting one knee on either side of his hips. She bent down, capturing his lips with her own and running her hands down his chest, caressing his sides with the tips of her fingers. Feeling Michaela’s fingers against his skin sent sparks of passion throughout Sully’s body. His arousal for her began to grow, and Michaela could feel it against her thigh. She smiled against Sully’s lips, and gently broke away, moving down to kiss his neck. His hands moved up to run through her hair, causing Michaela to tremble at his touch. Sully craned his neck to kiss the flesh between her breasts before he took a nipple into his mouth, biting it ever so gently. His tongue gently massaged it before he broke away and did the same to her other breast. Michaela tilted her head back, enjoying the feeling of her husband’s mouth on her body. She moaned again, but pulled back to give him the same sweet torture he just given her. She ran her thumb along his nipple first before she captured it with her mouth. She looked up at him to find him staring at her with obvious intentions in his gaze. Michaela moved up to kiss his lips again, and his tongue parted her passion-inflamed lips to explore her mouth. Their mouths, lips and tongues danced in the timeless rhythm of a lover’s kiss. Sully took the moment as an opportunity to turn Michaela onto her back. He straddled her as she had done for him earlier. His heart was pounding faster and faster, and her hands were roaming down his chest to caress his inner thighs, just barely avoiding his arousal. Sully swallowed hard, gazing down at his beautiful wife. Her breasts heaved with her heavy, quick breaths, and his mouth began to water even more. Michaela smiled as Sully linked their hands together and began to kiss her neck. Michaela lifted her arms above her head so that Sully was stretched out above her, his hands still linked with hers. His hands slowly untangled themselves from hers, and moved down to caress her shoulders and the sides of her breasts. “I love you so much,” he whispered as he stared into her eyes. “I love you,” she responded, her hands moving to his back to bring him down to her. Sully tucked one arm underneath her to pull her up as he entered her in one swift movement. Michaela gasped in pleasure, and pumped her hips to bring Sully inside of her as far as they could both reach. Michaela’s head rested on the rug on the floor as Sully pulled himself up enough so that he wasn’t pressing his weight on Michaela’s tummy. He began to move within her, taking long, slow strides, causing her to arch her back and moan his name. His hands moved to press on the floor on either side of Michaela’s head. Her hands massaged his chest as he began to quicken his pace. “Sully!” The passion between them grew to new heights as Michaela felt herself coming over the edge. Waves of pleasure rippled throughout her body from her head to her toes as her center throbbed for more attention. Sully’s hand gently moved to ease the tension she was feeling in her center, and as he did so, he felt himself about to come over the edge. Michaela gently pushed him onto his back as they continued to make love. Her hands rested on his chest as he continued to thrust in and out of her. She met his thrusts with the thrusts of her own hips until neither one of them could feel anything but pleasure. Sully suddenly began to hesitate, and Michaela knew why. They were joined as one now, and it seemed as if Michaela could tell what he was thinking. “You don’t have to be careful,” she panted. “I’m not going to break. You won’t hurt me or the baby.” She bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes tightly as another euphoric wave washed through her, giving her new energy. She kissed her husband reassuringly, caressing his face with her fingers as he tried his best to hold onto control. Sully eased her onto her back with those words ringing in his ears. He continued making love to his wife, trying not to hold back, trying to assure himself that she wasn’t a china doll that could break ever so easily. Awhile later, Sully and Michaela were lying on the floor as a mass of tangled and sweaty limbs. Sully pulled Michaela up, and they walked over to the bed silently, climbed under the covers, and became wrapped in each other’s arms. Sully’s hand gently stroked up and down Michaela’s arm as they kissed softly, both content and extremely sated from their lovemaking. Michaela felt herself becoming very tired, and kissed Sully once more before closing her eyes. “You’re so beautiful,” Sully whispered as she slipped into a deep, peaceful sleep. Sully watched her sleep for a little while, his hand rested securely on her flat tummy, before finally falling asleep feeling like the luckiest man in the world. *~* In the morning, Michaela woke to the sound of children laughing downstairs. She smiled as she sat up in bed. Sully was still sleeping for a change. He didn’t have to go to the reservation until later that afternoon, which meant that he would be home late. She decided to let him sleep in and gently pressed a kiss to his forehead before climbing out of bed. She was up a few minutes early, and knew that the children would have been up in a few minutes to wake her. But, she enjoyed hearing the sounds of her children laughing downstairs, so she figured she would go down and greet them. Michaela pulled on one of her favorite dresses, finding that it fit her a bit more snugly that it had the last time she wore it a couple of weeks ago. Knowing that was a good thing this time, she smiled with satisfaction and quickly pulled her hair up into a bun. Once she felt good about her appearance, she started down the stairs and was surprised to find that the twins were already up. Colleen was tickling Connor while Matthew had Daniel, and that was where all of the laughter was coming from. “Mornin’ ma,” Brian said, looking up from the table. “Good morning,” Michaela replied with a pleased smile. “Oh, did we wake you up?” Colleen asked with a frown. “I was just getting up anyway.” “We didn’t wake up pa, did we?” “No, he’s still sleeping. But it looks as if you’re going to be late for school.” “Oh right, Miss Dorothy is givin’ us a quiz today,” Matthew remembered. “We best get goin’.” “Ma? When will we be getting a real school teacher?” Brian asked. “Miss Dorothy, Miss Olive, and Reverend Johnson keep comin’ in to teach us, but it ain’t easy to learn when they keep teachin’ different things.” “I know,” Michaela replied. “But this is how it’s going to be until we find a new teacher, I’m afraid.” “Well, I think we should get one,” Colleen said with a nod. “They’re just not ready to make that decision. Miss Holly was a good teacher, and everybody misses her,” Brian said softly. Michaela looked down, and Colleen nudged him. “Brian!” “It’s alright,” Michaela assured her children. “Just because Holly’s gone doesn’t mean we should avoid talking about her.” Colleen decided to change the subject anyway. “We got the boys ready this mornin’ so ya wouldn’t have to.” “That was thoughtful of you. Thank you all.” “Just so ya know, the wash room is a little damp. The boys enjoyed their breakfast.” Michaela laughed, and a few minutes later, Colleen, Matthew, and Brian were heading off to school. Michaela was left alone downstairs with Connor and Daniel. “Well, boys, are you ready to go see Grace and Robert E. today?” Connor giggled and clapped his hands together. Michaela laughed and started to clean off the boys’ faces and hands. They’d been eating oatmeal, which they usually had for breakfast instead of nursing from Michaela in the mornings. Michaela realized that she was going to have to wean them from nursing before the new baby arrived, because once that happened, they would be getting old enough to be eating regular foods. Sully’s footsteps coming down the stairs snapped Michaela out of her thoughts. She smiled when he appeared wearing his buckskins and his nicer blue and white striped shirt. He walked up behind her, wrapped his arms around her neck, and kissed her cheek. “Mornin’,” he said softly, inhaling the scent of her hair. “Good morning,” she replied, turning in his arms and planting a kiss upon his lips. “You hungry?” “Not really.” “Well, ya gotta eat anyway. What do ya want?” “Nothing sounds good,” Michaela insisted. “Do ya wanna get somethin’ at Grace’s?” “No, no, that’s alright.” “You gotta eat, Michaela. You gotta think of the baby.” “I am thinking of the baby, and my eating will not do it one bit of good if I throw it up.” Sully cringed, and Michaela felt her stomach become queasy. She rushed off with her hand over her mouth, and Sully decided to give her some room. He ladled out some oatmeal from the pot anyway, wanting his wife to keep her strength up, and eat at least a little bit. When she returned, Sully handed her a glass of water and a towel. She silent thanked him with an appreciative smile, and washed away the foul taste in her mouth. Sully pulled out the chair and motioned for Michaela to sit down. “Sully,” she said with exasperation, “I’m not hungry.” “Ya didn’t eat much last night, and I want ya to get a good start today.” Michaela decided that there was no arguing with her husband today. She sat down and began to eat a little. Her stomach didn’t feel quite so bad since she had emptied it just a few minutes ago. “That ain’t so bad, is it?” Michaela gave him a weak smile. “I’ll go outside and hitch up the wagon.” “Sully, I’m perfectly capable of doing that.” “I know. I wanna do it for ya. I’ll ride into town with ya too.” “Sully, if you’ll remember correctly, I do not need your assistance with every little thing when I’m pregnant.” Sully smiled a little and walked over to the front door. “I know. I just like bein’ helpful. I feel like my job’s kinda over when you’re pregnant. But you gotta carry that life around inside of ya for nine months, and at the end, ya gotta go through givin’ birth. I just like helpin’ ya out ‘cause it makes me feel like I’m puttin’ somethin’ into this pregnancy.” Michaela’s eyes filled with tears. “Oh, Sully, I’m sorry I snapped at you,” she whispered, her tears beginning to fall. Sully walked over to kneel beside Michaela’s chair. “Ain’t nothin’ to be sorry about.” “You’re not angry with me?” she asked, her lower lip trembling as she wiped her eyes. Sully shook his head. “’Course not. You’re carryin’ our baby,” he replied. He placed his hand on her belly. He leaned in to press his lips against Michaela’s. “I’ll be right back.” Michaela nodded, and Sully walked outside to hitch up the wagon. *~* Before they had gone to bed the evening before, Michaela and Sully had told the children not to say anything about the pregnancy for a little while. They wanted things to be kept quiet for just a little while so they celebrate the impending arrival as a family. Brian had promised not to say a thing, but Matthew and Colleen were going to keep an eye on him. Sully and Michaela walked over to the café, where Grace was serving breakfast. She looked rather busy, and so did Robert E., who had a lot of work to do at the livery. A young colored boy sat at a table near Grace, poking around his plate with a fork. “Mornin’ Grace,” Sully greeted her. Grace smiled at them briefly. “Mornin’ Sully. Dr. Mike. Oh, I’m sorry, but I can’t watch the boys today. I’m just too busy here at the café.” “That’s alright,” Sully replied. “I can watch ‘em ‘til I go to the reservation.” Grace looked over at the young boy. “Anthony, please eat somethin’. I know you’re hungry.” She sighed and shook her head as he continued to poke around at the plate with his fork. He had his chin resting in his hand. Michaela looked at Grace. “Who is that?” “His name is Anthony, and that’s pretty much all me and Robert E. know. Robert E. found him in the livery last night, and he ain’t been talkin’ much. We’re pretty sure he came from Shanty Town, ‘cause he got upset when we mentioned it last night.” “If ya want, I can take him by there, see if his folks will claim him,” Sully offered. “That’d be mighty nice of you, but I don’t know if he’ll go.” “Perhaps I can examine him at my clinic.” “What for?” Grace asked, looking at Michaela. “Well, I can make sure he isn’t sick, and in the meantime, I might be able to get him to trust me.” Grace raised an eyebrow. “Say, that ain’t a bad idea, Dr. Mike!” Grace quickly took a few plates over to a table, and wiped her hands off on her apron. She, Michaela, and Sully started for the table. “Anthony, this is Dr. Mike and her husband Sully,” Grace said with a smile. “Hi,” Anthony greeted them. “Hello Anthony, it’s nice to meet you,” Michaela said with a warm smile as she held Connor on her hip. “Anthony,” Sully said with a nod. “Dr. Mike would like to see you at her clinic. She wants to make sure you’re in tiptop shape.” “I ain’t gonna get stuck with a needle, am I?” “No,” Michaela said with a grin. Anthony pondered this for a moment before he agreed. “Will ya come with me, Miss Grace?” “I’m sorry Anthony, but I’m real busy here. Dr. Mike will be with ya, and she’s my friend. You can trust her, alright?” Anthony nodded slowly and stood up. He took a sip of milk from a cup and followed Michaela and Sully toward the clinic. Sully put the boys down in the other room, and went over to the livery to talk to Robert E. about taking Anthony to Shanty Town. “How old are you, Anthony?” Michaela asked as she checked his heartbeat. “I’m eleven,” he replied. “Ya think I can go to school?” “School?” Michaela asked. “Well, I don’t see why not.” “My friend Mary goes to your school, so I figure they’d let me in.” “You know Mary?” Anthony nodded slowly. “How did you meet her?” “Um,” Anthony said softly, not knowing what to say. He didn’t want to say too much, but then again, he felt that if Miss Grace could trust her, so could he. “Well, we were orphans together.” “Oh?” “I saw her yesterday,” he said softly. “I’m supposed to meet her after school today. I want to go to school with Mary. She’s my friend.” Michaela smiled. “Well, I’m sure you’ll be able to go,” she replied. The council had allowed Mary to go, so Michaela assumed that all colored children who wanted to attend would be welcome. After further examination, Anthony seemed to be in excellent health, though a bit malnourished. “Promise me that you’ll have a big breakfast once you go back to Grace’s?” “Yes ma’am,” he replied with a big smile. “You sure you ain’t gonna stick me with a needle?” “I’m sure,” Michaela chuckled. She paused briefly. “Anthony?” “Yes, ma’am?” “You ran away from Shanty Town didn’t you?” “Please don’t let ‘em send me back there!” “So you did run away?” “Well, I ran from the orphan train,” he explained. “I didn’t wanna be an orphan no more, ‘cause nobody ever wanted me. So, I started stayin’ with a family, but they started ‘beatin’ me. Please don’t make me go back.” “We still need to let that family know where you are,” Michaela said with concern in her voice. “No! They’ll beat me for sure!” he exclaimed. “I don’t wanna go back.” “Alright,” Michaela replied softly. “I have an idea. Why don’t you stay here, and we’ll have somebody go talk to the family you were living with.” Anthony seemed to like that idea a little better. “Please don’t let ‘em take me back.” “We’re not going to let anything bad happen to you, Anthony. We’ll do what’s best, alright?” “Okay,” he replied quietly. “The lady I was stayin’ with was Miss Addie.” “Alright, thank you,” Michaela whispered. “You may go now.” Anthony nodded and hopped down from the exam table. As soon as he’d started for Grace’s, Michaela hurried over to the livery to tell Sully and Robert E. what she had found out. “I’ll go talk to ‘em, and find out what I can. I’ll be back in a little while, and then I gotta go to the reservation,” Sully explained. Michaela nodded, and they shared a kiss before Sully mounted a horse and hurried off toward Shanty Town. *~* Michaela walked into the mercantile with Connor on one hip and Daniel on the other. Jake and Horace were standing around with Loren at the counter. They had gotten word of the new colored boy that Robert E. and Grace had temporarily taken in. “Good afternoon, gentlemen,” Michaela said with a smile. “Dr. Mike,” the men seemed to say in unison. Olive looked up from her dusting to see Michaela. “What can we do for ya, Dr. Mike?” “I need to pick some white yarn.” “Alright,” Olive replied. “Here, let me help ya with these boys.” She took Connor into her arms, and he grinned widely. Michaela laughed. Connor took to Miss Olive right off, but it took Daniel a little while to fully trust that she was a friend. As the women were looking through the spools of thread, Jake spoke up. “Robert E. was tellin’ me that the boy wants to go to our school.” Loren snickered a bit. Michaela shot a glance in their direction. “Yes, Anthony was telling me that earlier. What’s wrong with him attending our school?” “Well, he ain’t white for one,” Jake pointed out. “That doesn’t make a difference,” Michaela replied. Horace looked at Jake. “Mary ain’t white either,” he replied. “Ah, that’s different,” Loren defended. “How is that different, may I ask?” Michaela asked. “You always do,” Jake replied under his breath. “Mary’s different ‘cause she’s in Horace’s care. She was Holly’s daughter, and we allowed her to go ‘cause she was the teacher’s daughter. She’s livin’ with Horace, and he ain’t colored.” “Just because she lives with a white man, that doesn’t make her white,” Olive pointed out, siding with Michaela for once. “But we already decided to let her go at a council meetin’,” Jake replied. Michaela shook her head. “This is ridiculous! If Holly were here right now, she would be ashamed of you both! I propose that we call a town council meeting, and we’ll decide then.” Michaela decided to get the yarn later, took Connor into her free arm, and stalked off toward the clinic. Jake felt something tug at his heart. Holly had been on his mind during every waking moment since she had been gone. She’d even been in his dream, and now he was thinking about prohibiting a child of color from going to school, when her own daughter had been of colored blood too. He knew she wouldn’t accept that, and now he felt as if he was letting her down. Jake turned and started across the street. “Where are you goin’?” Loren called after him. Jake didn’t answer, but he did lock up his shop and spend the rest of the day with a bottle of whiskey. *~* Michaela sat at home that evening, waiting for Sully to return home from the reservation. Colleen and Brian had turned in an hour ago, and Matthew was upstairs studying for a history test he had coming up soon. Michaela was so proud of him for being so studious. She knew he would do well in college, and she couldn’t wait until the day he graduated and proceeded on to law school. She smiled, thinking about the future, and pictured how all of the children would turn out. She knew Matthew would make a fine lawyer, and Colleen a fine physician. She wasn’t sure what Brian wanted to do with his life, but she was sure that he would succeed at whatever he did. As for Connor and Daniel, she began to picture what they would look like as young men, and she had a good feeling that they would look very much like their father. The life growing inside of her now had no face she could picture yet, but she was sure that he or she would be beautiful. Earlier, Sully had returned from Shanty Town to deliver the news that he had met with the family that was caring for Anthony, and he didn’t think the boy should be placed back in their care. He told them that they had no legal rights to him, and that the boy was in good hands now. Grace and Robert E. hadn’t been quite sure of what to do, but the first thing they wanted was for Anthony to start getting an education before they made any decisions about whether or not to try to adopt him. Michaela told Robert E. and Grace that she had suggested a meeting of the town council, and at that meeting, she was going to propose allowing children of all race enter the doors and learn the things they deserved to learn as much as the white children did. Hopefully something fair would be decided, and she knew that at least two of the five on the council would be voting for this movement, those two being herself and Horace. Michaela decided that it was getting late, and Sully would get home eventually. She worried about him, but she also knew that he could keep himself safe. She went around turning down the oil lamps and putting out all of the candles. She let the fire downstairs burn, because she knew it would be freezing the morning if she didn’t. After she was finished, she slowly ascended the stairs and stopped by the twins’ room before retiring to her own room. She slipped into a nightgown, and crawled under the covers. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, listening to the wind as it howled outside. A knock came to the door, and Michaela sat up, lighting the lamp beside her bed. “Come in.” Brian poked his head in, and smiled sheepishly at his mother. “Brian? What is it, sweetheart?” “I can’t sleep. Will you read me a story?” He handed her a book about knights and castles. “Come sit,” she replied. Brian crawled up into the bed beside his mother, and she began to read to him, making sure to raise her voice during the exciting parts. She found that reading with Brian was quite enjoyable, and she was going to have to do this more often. Before too long, the boy was sleeping, and Michaela didn’t think it would be wise to lift him and take him back to bed. Luckily, Sully arrived home shortly after the boy fell asleep. He walked into the room to see his wife sitting up in bed, gently stroking the soft blonde hair on their son’s head. “Hey,” he whispered. Michaela looked up at Sully, and her eyes lit up. “Hello,” she replied. Sully looked at Brian. “He couldn’t sleep, so I read to him.” “Want me to take him to his room?” “That’s probably a good idea,” Michaela replied with a smile. Sully gently scooped the boy up into his arms and started down the hall. He returned a few minutes later and slipped out of his clothes before he got into bed and snuggled up close to his wife. Michaela turned down the lamp and stared into Sully’s eyes. “How was your day, Mr. Sully?” Sully pulled his arm around her and kissed her softly. “It just got better. Yours?” “It was pretty normal. I didn’t have many patients, and I was mostly trying to think of a way to convince Loren, Jake, and the Reverend to allow Anthony to come to the school.” Sully sighed. “I hope it works out.” “I’m sure it will. When you want somethin’ bad enough, you usually do your hardest to get it. I’m sure this won’t be any different.” “Thank you for being so confident in me.” Sully kissed Michaela and grazed his hand against her cheek. “That’s just ‘cause I believe in you. You’ve got your heart set on what’s right. There ain’t nothin’ wrong with that.” Michaela smiled happily and leaned her head against her husband’s chest. “You just get some rest, and try to think positive.” Before he finished his sentence, Michaela had drifted off to sleep and was well on her way to having a wonderful dream. |