For personal use and select distribution only © October 1998 by S.L. Snyder

THE PEAK
by S. L. Snyder


Timeline: June 1873
Author's note - some ages: Matthew-22, Amanda-19, Andrew-23, Colleen-19, Brian-13, senators sons-Alexander-16, James-13, Kevin-11, Katie-2; I took some liberties with the clans of Scotland at the end of my story; Selkirks are my ancestors


Matthew was riding by the station when Horace called to him, "Matthew!"

"Horace?" Matthew said, riding up to the steps.

"This letter for Sully just came in on the train. Can you take it to him? And here's some mail for you." asked Horace.

"Sure thing. In fact, I'm on my way to meet the family at Grace's for lunch."

"Thanks."


Matthew arrived at the café to join the rest of the family. "Sully, Horace gave me this letter for you."

"Thanks, Matthew," Sully said, taking the letter. He glanced at the letter and then at Michaela. "It's from Welland Smith. Let's eat and then I'll read it."


After lunch, Matthew and Brian went off to help Jake and Teresa Slicker at their new house. Colleen, Andrew, Michaela, Sully and Katie went back to the clinic, where Sully read his letter.

"Welland says a senator and his three sons are coming out and want to climb Pike's Peak," Sully said. "Welland is asking me to guide them. The senator is also interested in land preservation and wants to talk with me about it. The senator wants a doctor on the trip in case his sons, or anyone else, gets hurt. Welland told him about you. The senator believes in women's rights and likes the idea of a woman doctor. The senator would like to hire you to go with us on this climb."

"Ma! That's great!" said Colleen. "You should go. Andrew and I can take care of things here and take care of Katie. And you will finally get to climb to the top of Pike's Peak."

"I agree, Michaela. Please go and don't worry about anything here," said Andrew.

Michaela glanced at Sully and could tell from the look on his face that he wanted her to say yes. She looked back at Colleen and Andrew and could see their excitement for her.

"Sully, let Welland know I'll go. But it doesn't seem right to accept money for something I want to do," Michaela said.

"Michaela!" exclaimed Andrew. "You deserve to be paid for your services! We like being doctors, but that doesn't mean we should take care of people for free."

"I agree with Andrew, Michaela," Sully said with a smile.

"Okay, Okay! I'll let the senator pay me!" Michaela said with a laugh.

Sully, Colleen and Andrew smiled. Katie giggled at her mother's tone.

"The senator's sons are around the same age as Brian, so I'll see if he wants to go with us," said Sully. "I'll go send a telegram to Welland telling him yes and his letter indicates the group will be here next week."


At supper that night, Sully told Brian and Matthew about the trip. "Brian, I'll like ya to come with us.....you too, Matthew, if you can get away."

Brian was excited, "Pa, I really wanna go! Thanks!"

"I'd like to go, Sully, but I'm working on a lawsuit with Bob and Colin over a hotel guest who destroyed some things from the hotel. I gotta meet Bob in Denver next week to go over some papers we're filing with the court." Matthew said.

"We'll miss ya, Matthew." said Sully.

"Matthew, how do you like the law work?" Michaela asked.

"I like it a lot. Bob had his San Francisco lawyer, Kenneth Branson, send me some interesting information that came in the mail today. Mr. Branson sent me a letter and said he could help me become a lawyer without leaving Colorado Springs. He'd send the books and stuff and I'd have to take the tests through someone authorized by the school. I thought I'd talk to Mrs. Slicker. The school would probably approve of her since she's a teacher and it's how they can handle schooling for small places in the wilderness."

"Matthew, that's wonderful!" exclaimed Michaela. "So you want to be a lawyer?"

"So far. Bob and Colin have told me a lot of different stories about lawyers."

"What does Amanda think?" asked Michaela.

Matthew smiled, "She says whatever I wanna do is fine with her. The only thing she said is she doesn't wanna to move to another big city. She likes it here. I'm kinda relieved. I was afraid she'd end up not liking Colorado Springs cuz it's so much smaller than she's use to."

"Bigger ain't always better, Matthew," said Sully. "Look at your ma. I don't think ya could force her to move back to Boston now. They don't have caves and waterfalls there."

"Sully," said Michaela, blushing, "that's enough!"

"Sure thing, love!" Sully said, laughing.


The week past quickly as Sully and Brian got the supplies together for the trip. Michaela packed the medical supplies she would take on the trip. She also reviewed things with Colleen and Andrew to make sure everything was prepared for them to take care of the clinic while she was gone.


A couple of days before the senator and his sons were to arrive, Colleen, Andrew and Amanda joined the rest of the family for dinner at the homestead.

"I talked to Mrs. Slicker," Matthew said. "She agreed to work with me and monitor the tests. We went over the information Mr. Branson sent and found where the school would pay Mrs. Slicker for her work with me. I was worried about paying for this, but Bob made me a deal. He'll pay for the schooling and he'll pay me for the work for him during and after the schooling. He'll consider half the schooling a grant and the other half a loan. Once I become a lawyer, 40 percent of everything I make I pay to him until the loan's paid off. I agreed to it after discussing it with Amanda."

Amanda smiled, "Bob told my father that Matthew will be a good lawyer because he cares about the people. Bob said he'd probably never be rich because he cares too much. But that suits me fine. I told Matthew I want to get a job to help out in our life together. I just don't know at what, but I'll figure it out. I'd like to find something where I can work with people."

"Amanda, how'd you like to work at the clinics?" Andrew asked.

"Doing what?"

"Learning to be a nurse. Between the hotel clinic and Michaela's clinic, there'd be enough to keep you busy. Would that be okay, Michaela?" Andrew asked.

"Andrew, I think it's a wonderful idea! I only wish I'd thought of it!" exclaimed Michaela.

Andrew blushed under the praise from his mother-in-law. Colleen was beaming with pride at her husband.

Amanda was smiling, "I'd really like to try. I hope I can do it and not disappoint any of you."

"Amanda, whether you decide to stay with the work you'll learn, or find out you don't like it and move on, you couldn't disappoint us. It's obvious you care about people and we know you'll try your best. But don't think you have to stay with the nursing if you don't like it," Michaela said to her.

Matthew nodded his thanks to Michaela.

"So it's settled," said Colleen. "Tomorrow you can start working at the clinics. We'll help you learn everything. It's how I started out with ma. She taught me so much and just doing it and being there, you'll learn a lot."


It was late afternoon and Sully and Brian were waiting as the train pulled into the station.

A very distinguished gentleman was the first one off, followed by three young men. The gentleman walked up to Sully with his hand out, "Mr. Sully? I'm Senator William Selkirk. And these are my sons, Alexander, Kevin and James."

"Welcome. This is my son, Brian. He'll be goin' with us. And please drop the mister, it's just Sully."

The senator nodded a hello at Brian, "Please I'd like you both to call me William. I really don't like to be called senator, especially away from Washington!"

They shook hands all around.

"We'll start first thing in the morning. I hope ya don't mind, but we've reserved rooms for you at the hotel here in town instead of Bob Peterson's Springs Chateau. We're gonna start from here early in the mornin'. The Gold Nugget ain't quite as fancy as the Springs, in fact it use ta be just a saloon," Sully said.

"That's fine, Sully. This is the boys' first trip west and I've only been as far as Denver. So staying in a place that use to be a saloon is probably something exciting to them," the senator said. The three boys were nodding in agreement with their father.

"Good. We'll take ya over there and you can get set up in your rooms. My wife is at the clinic doing some last minute things before we leave. The clinic is right across the street from the Gold Nugget, so once you settle in, you can all come over and meet Michaela and the family. Then we'll go to Grace's café for dinner."

"Sounds very good, Sully."


Brian was sitting on the bench outside the clinic as the senator and his sons left the Gold Nugget and came walking across the street. He opened the door to the clinic, "They're here, pa."

Sully came out from the clinic, "Welcome to the clinic. Please come in." They all filed into the clinic. "This is my wife, Dr. Michaela Quinn, our daughters Katie and Colleen, Colleen's husband, Dr. Andrew Cook, our son Matthew and his fiancée, Amanda Peterson." Sully indicated the senator and his sons, "And this is Senator William Selkirk...he wants to be called William...and his sons Alexander, Kevin and James."

They all greeted each other.

The senator took Michaela's hand, "Welland calls you Dr. Mike. May we?"

"Certainly," Michaela said, smiling.

"You have a charming family, Dr. Mike."

"Thank you. I think so, too. I'm very proud of all of them. Now if you are hungry, we'll go to the café."


Grace had saved a nice table for them at the café. As they sat down, Sully introduced Grace to the senator and his sons. "Grace's café is real popular here. She's a great cook. There's some in town that judge the day by what Grace is servin'!"

"Oh, Sully!" Grace exclaimed, pushing Sully in the shoulder.

"Well, Miss Grace," the senator said, "we'd be please if you'd pick our meal for us. My sons like to experience all sorts of cooking."

While they were waiting for their meals, Sully told the group about the next day. "We'll leave here around 6 am and head for Pike's Peak. We plan to take our time on the trip and anytime you wanna stop and see something, just say so. We'll set up first camp tomorrow at the base of the peak. We'll take five days to the top and five days back down. Matthew will ride with us so that he can bring the horses back and then he'll meet us at the base in ten days. Besides the four of you, it'll be Brian, Michaela, me and Wolf," Sully said, pointing at Wolf who was lying next to Brian.

"Is he a real wolf?" Kevin asked.

"Yes, he is," Sully replied.

"Well he bite?" James asked.

"No, he's nice," said Brian.

"We ain't taking a lot of food cuz Welland said ya wanted to eat off the land. We'll be fishin', something Brian's real good at. We'll be huntin' and I'll be teaching ya about the plants and roots and such that are edible. If ya got questions on anything, just ask and we'll do our best to answer. As ya know, Michaela's a doctor, so if ya have a problem, just say so. But if Michaela ain't close, Brian and I both know enough medical things to get ya through...we have ta know, after all we live with a doctor! I also need to know if you're use to ridin horses."

"Yes, we all have ridden. We ride eastern, but once we knew we would be coming on this trip, we practiced riding western and while not up to the abilities of you, I think we can stay on! Sully, just to let you know before we start, my sons and I appreciate the time and effort of you and your family in showing us your wilderness. Recently, in Washington, we've been hearing so much about saving the lands out here and Welland, a long time friend, talks of nothing else. So we wanted to see it all for ourselves. We discussed it all before we left home and we agreed that we want to 'rough it' as they say. Hopefully, we'll pay attention and do as you all say. So if we slip us, please forgive us, and if we don't listen correctly, please thunk us on the head!" the senator said.

That brought a laugh from everyone.

"William, ya've already made this trip a pleasure. And thank you for insisting we bring a doctor along. I've taken Brian before, but it's hard to convince Michaela to go with us, so this is the first time."

"I do have one question. Is there someplace we can leave our extra luggage? We had to bring city clothes as we will be going on to San Francisco. We have just a couple of changes for the trip. Welland said we could learn to wash our own clothes in streams."

"You can leave your extra things here at the clinic," Michaela said. If you want to bring them over after dinner, we can store them in one of the recovery rooms."

"Thank you, Dr. Mike. We'll do that."

Grace served their dinner and they settled into a good meal. Sully glanced at Katie and saw her gazing at James. "Katiedid, pay attention to your dinner."

"No, papa...Katie not hungie," Katie said.

"Katie, listen to your father. You must eat your dinner. Auntie Grace will be upset if you don't," said Michaela.

"Me not hungie, mama."

"I think Katie has her eye on James," Sully said.

James blushed as the others at the table laughed.

"Katie, if you don't eat your dinner, there will be no desert and we can go over to the clinic right now and go to bed," Michaela said to her willful daughter.

"Me eat, mama, no seep, otay?" Katie said with an angelic look at her mother. Then she turned her look to her father with her angel face, "Otay, papa?"

"Okay, Katie." Michaela and Sully said in unison.

Katie ate her dinner, but didn't stop looking at James. If he glanced over at her, she would beam and Kevin would poke James in the side. Finally James turned to his brother, "Stop it!"

"Kevin, behave. Leave your brother alone," the senator said, shaking his head.

"Yes, father," Kevin said, smiling at his brother.

"Katherine Elizabeth," Michaela said. Katie cocked her head and looked at her mother. "Stop staring at James and pay attention to your dinner."

Katie sighed and put her chin in her hand. The rest of the people at the table couldn't help smiling at the little angel.


DAY 1

At 6 am, they gathered outside the clinic. Katie was still asleep and Colleen carried Katie into their bedroom so the noise of the departure wouldn't wake her up.

The horses were saddled, supplies and bedrolls were packed on each horse, but only what each rider would carry once they started walking. They set off for the base of Pike's Peak, planning to be there by lunchtime. Sully had Brian lead the way while he brought up in the rear with Michaela. "Well, my love, here we are on another adventure. And hopefully, this time, ya'll reach the top of Pike's Peak."

Michaela smiled at Sully, "It's just nice to be with you and to have Brian along. I will miss Katie though."

Sully leaned over and gave her a kiss.

They reach the base of the mountain just before noon and offloaded the horses. Matthew sat down with them for a quick lunch and then he took the horses and headed back for Colorado Springs.

"We'll spend the rest of today showing ya how to set up your bedrolls and talking about the trail. Ya need to watch where ya step...there are rattlesnakes up here. We ain't gonna hike all day long...if we did we'd reach the top in a little over 2 days. But I want ya to enjoy everything and learn about nature, so we'll go slow," Sully said.

"My sons each brought a journal to keep track of what they learn and do. I hope to see them writing a lot in the books," said the senator.

"Good....they can write with Brian. He is going to keep a log of the trip so he can write an article for our local paper," Michaela said. "Brian has had quite a few articles published, and one even ended up in the Denver paper."

"Brian, that's really inspiring. Do you want to be a journalist?" asked the senator.

"I'm not sure yet. I like writing, but I also like being out here...been thinking about being a guide like pa," Brian replied.

"Maybe you should combine the two and write about your experiences out here," said the senator.

Brian nodded his head, mulling over the idea.


Sully and Brian spent the rest of the afternoon, going into the woods, showing the boys the different plants that would yield food. Michaela and William sat on some rocks at the edge of the camp and talked.

"Dr. Mike, I understand you are from Boston."

"Yes. I was born and raised there. I was in practice with my father when he died. The few patients I had I lost upon his death. A female doctor can't really practice in Boston, so I answered an ad for a doctor in Colorado Springs."

"Did the town accept you right away?"

Michaela laughed, "Not at all! Charlotte Cooper and Sully were the only ones who believed in me in the beginning. Charlotte had three children and when she died of a rattlesnake bite, she gave Matthew, Colleen and Brian to me. It took a while before I really had a place in the town."

"And now you're their doctor, you're on the town council and I hear you are a leading citizen."

"I don't know about the leading citizen, but I am on the council. I want to see Colorado Springs be the kind of town Sully and I can raise our children in."

"My wife would have liked your attitude. Susanna campaigned for better health care for the poor, for women's rights, for better schooling for children...all sorts of things like that. She died 4 years ago...she was walking down a street in Washington when a man lost control of his buggy and the horse and buggy hit her. At her deathbed, the boys and I promised to carry on her ideas. It really wasn't hard...we already believed in most of them. She had such an appreciation of nature."

"I'm sorry for your loss. She sounds like she was a wonderful person."

"Yes, she was. I miss her every day...but she lives on in our sons. Her death made me appreciate the boys more. Before I didn't always have time for them, but now, no matter what, they come first. I would give up being a senator if I thought the boys wanted or needed it. We talk a lot now and they know they come first. Susanna would be happy with the way we are now."

"Father..father!" said James, running into the camp area. "Look what I found.....Sully says it's an acorn and can turn into a tree if it's planted! Isn't that neat. It fell off a tree."

The rest of the group followed James into camp. James, Kevin and Alexander were flushed with excitement.

"We saw a stream and some neat rocks," Kevin said to his father. "Sully showed us some plants that we took bites of...they tasted like lettuce and things like that. Brian and Sully showed us how to look at the ground for prints and to tell if someone came that way."

"Sully said he'll let us take turns helping to lead the way up the mountain!" said Alexander. "We'll be responsible for making sure the path is safe. Isn't that neat?"

"I'd say our trip has already been a success. What do you say, boys?" the senator asked his sons.

"You bet!" said Alexander.

"In the remaining light, why don't you sit down and write about today and what you've learned. I'll bet when we get back home, your friends and teachers will be interested in your journals," the senator said to his sons.

The boys joined Brian, who was already writing in his journal. Sully sat down next to Michaela.

"Your boys are sure interested in their surroundings. They asked some good questions and noticed everything. Sometimes an older boy has trouble listenin' to a younger one, but Alexander paid attention when Brian was explaining things. That's a good sign," Sully told William.

"That's good to hear. My wife and I always tried to make sure the boys listened and paid attention to others. I'm sure there are times when Alex wants to be the leader, but he does listen well. I'm pleased that you think they're good boys."

"Yeh, I do William. I been with some that I sure wouldn't wanna take on a trip like this. Be too worried they'd do somethin' dumb and cause themselves or others to git hurt."

"Well, I have to return the compliment. I'm very impressed by your boy. You and Dr. Mike have done a good job. I noticed how attentive he is to his surroundings."

"Thank you, William," said Michaela. "We are very proud of Brian, and our other children." Sully nodded his head in agreement.

They sat in silence for awhile, watching the four boys working on their journals. Then Sully called the boys over. "When ya go on a camping trip, everyone takes part in cookin' and cleanin'. Brian'll show ya how to make a campfire, then each of ya'll take your turn building a campfire. Don't worry that ya'll have ta do it all by yourself...we'll be here to help. Tonight's dinner will be some beans an' biscuits an' beef jerky. The jerky is ready, but the beans and biscuits need to be made. As soon as the fire's ready, we'll show ya how to do that."

The campfire was made and dinner prepared, with the boys paying attention to everything Brian and Sully taught them. The group sat down to a very pleasant dinner. After dinner, Sully told them some stories about the Cheyenne.

The four boys set their bedrolls up on one side of the camp from Sully and Michaela's and the senator put his between the two groups. Wolf laid down next to Brian.

Sully and Michaela cuddled into their favorite spoon position, with Michaela's head lying on Sully's arm. Sully's other arm went around her. He kissed her neck. "How'd ya like this first day?" he asked.

"I enjoyed it. It's the first time I've really seen Brian using the skills you've taught him. He would be a good guide, wouldn't he?"

"Yeh...I think so. He's a natural out here."

Michaela turned her face back toward Sully to get a good night kiss and Sully obliged.


DAY 2

Sully woke up in the early pre dawn morning. No one else was awake. Michaela had turned over in the night and had her face buried in his chest. Sully kissed her forehead, which caused her to slowly wake up. "Morning, love."

"Morning, my darling," she answered as she moved her lips up to his and gave him a kiss.

Sully slowly pulled their blanket up over their heads and returned the kiss with passion. They lay there enjoying each other....kissing and nuzzling.

"Don't ya almost wish we were alone?" Sully whispered.

"Mmmm...that would be nice," Michaela whispered back. "But this is nice, too."

After some more kissing, they heard noises of the others waking up. Sully pushed the blanket off and pulled Michaela to her feet with him. Brian was awake and petting Wolf. The senator was also awake, but his sons were still sleeping. Michaela rolled up their bedroll while Sully and Brian gathered some wood for the fire. As they were putting the wood on the fire, the boys started waking up.

Kevin got up and came over to Sully. "What are we making for breakfast?" he asked.

"We'll heat up the left over biscuits from last night. Ya always wanna finish what's left over from the night before," Sully said. "That way ya don't have extra things to carry."

"That's neat," Kevin replied.

Everyone was up and cleaned up the camp. Then they sat down and had breakfast. They loaded up their packs and started up the trail, with Brian and Kevin in the lead. Since the trail was well defined, Sully decided to keep Brian in the lead, along with one of the other boys, as long as possible. He knew it would be good practice for Brian. As they had on the day before, Sully and Michaela brought up in the rear. The trail was wide enough that they walked side by side, holding hands. Since they weren't in any hurry, progress was slow as Brian or Sully pointed out things of interest, stopping frequently.

Close to noon, they reach a stream and Sully asked them if they wanted to fish. Of course, the answer was yes. Brian and Sully cut some branches to make some fishing poles. Brian showed the boys how to find the bugs and worms they needed for bait. While the four boys were fishing, Sully, Michaela and William set up a small camp for lunch. In about an hour, the boys had caught ten fish. Sully had them stop and taught Alexander, Kevin and James how to clean the fish. Michaela made some more biscuits. They all enjoyed their fish and biscuit lunch. After lunch, they started up the trail again.

They stopped for the day when Sully figured they had gone close to a third of the way. It was mid afternoon when they set up their camp for the night. Once they were done, Brian led the boys off for an exploration of the surrounding area and Wolf went with them. Michaela, Sully and William settled down in the camp. William and Sully discussed land protection, with Michaela listening.

The boys and Wolf were gone a little over two hours when they returned to the campsite. It was obvious they had had a lot of fun on their adventure. After telling their father what they had seen and done, they sat down with Brian and recorded their day in their journals.

When it was time to prepare dinner, Sully showed the boys how to make a stew, using the rest of the fish they had caught, potatoes that Michaela peeled, some wild plants that would act as vegetables and water mixed with flour. The boys had fun doing most of the work. The stew was enjoyed by all. After dinner was over and the area was cleaned up, Alexander asked Sully if he would tell them some more stories about the Indians. The boys, including Brian, were enthralled by Sully's stories and William listened attentively.


DAY 3

Everyone rose about the same time and they continued up the trail. It was still a fairly decent trail, so Brian and Alexander led the way. Their progress was the same as the day before and they had jerky and potatoes (left over from the stew) for lunch.

"Tonight when we stop, we're gonna find a campsite to stay in all day tomorrow. We'll be about two-thirds of the way up the mountain and we'll spend a day just enjoying. I figger tomorrow Brian and I'll teach ya how to use a bow and arrow. We'll hunt for some dinner," said Sully.

The three boys nodded. "That sure sounds exciting," Alexander said. "You don't use a gun, do you?"

"No, I don't. Don't see a need for one," Sully replied.

"Do you know how to shoot?" Kevin asked.

"Sure he does," Brian said. "He's a good shot. Pa was in the army for awhile during the war. And, a few years ago, my wolf, Pup, got the rabies," Brian paused and took a deep breath, "I found him in the woods after he ran away, but I couldn't shoot him, so pa did for me. Didn't want Pup to hurt anyone else."

"Did Pup hurt someone before that?" asked Alexander.

Sully looked at Brian to see if he was going to answer. Brian looked at Sully and then said, "Yeh....he bit Ingrid....that was my brother Matthew's fiancée. It was real sad. Ma tried to save her, but once someone gets the rabies....well...." Brian had tears in his eyes talking about this. Michaela was sitting next to Brian and she took his hand and held it.

"That must have been a bad time for all of you," William said.

"Yes it was." said Michaela. "Ingrid and Matthew had been very happy and we weren't sure Matthew would ever get over Ingrid's death. When Amanda came along, it was wonderful to see Matthew so happy."

"Sully, Brian said you were in the war? Did you fight?" Alexander asked.

"No. The army was a bad time for me. It's not something I talk about, but I didn't learn how to shoot in the army. I learned it when I was a miner."

"You mined gold?!" asked James, with wide eyes.

Sully and the others laughed at James' reaction, "Yes, James. But it ain't as nice as it sounds. I was a cave-in and was trapped for a long time. But later, when I got to know the Cheyenne, I developed a respect for the land. Mining, the way they do it now, hurts the land."

"Wow..." was James' reply.

They got back on the trail and headed up the mountain. After a few hours, Sully whispered for them to stop and stay still. He pointed out some deer grazing in a nearby mountain meadow. The boys and William watched the deer in awe. They stood still and watched for about 10 minutes and then they quietly moved up the trail. After another couple of hours, Sully took the lead in order to look for a campsite. After about half-hour, he found a good place next to a nice stream. Everyone pitched in and helped set up the campsite. It was still early enough and the boys wanted to go on another adventure. Sully said they could and off they went with Wolf.

"William, do you play chess?" Sully asked.

"Why, yes, I do, but not terribly well," William replied.

"Would ya like to play? We brought our chess set along," said Sully.

"Yes, I would. Do you both play?"

"Yes. Sully and I often play in the evening, after the children have gone to bed," said Michaela.

Sully set up the chess set. Michaela indicated he should play William. Michaela sat down by Sully, to watch the game. She had such a feeling of contentment. Sully and William were still playing when the boys returned to the camp. They had had just as much fun on this adventure as the one they had the day before. It was obvious the Selkirk boys were enjoying the trip and were learning a lot. The four boys sat down to complete their journals.

Sully and William decided to stop playing as it was time to think about dinner. The boys finished their journals and everyone joined in making a dinner of beans and jerky. After dinner, the boys talked about their adventures.


DAY 4

Everyone was slow to wake up, knowing they were going to stay at this camp until the next morning.

"Sully," Michaela whispered, "are you awake?"

"Yeh....been thinkin' about how nice it is to be laying here with you," he whispered back.

Michaela giggled quietly and turned over to face her husband. "Since we're going to be here today, do you think there's a place near where I can take a small bath?"

"Yeh...we'll find one this afternoon after I take the boys huntin'. I don't think anyone will mind if we go away for awhile. Brian can show the boys how to prepare anything we get. It'll be nice to have ya all to myself for a little while."

"Thank you," Michaela said. She reached up and pulled Sully's face to hers. They enjoyed a few kisses and nibbles and nose rubbing.

"Pa? Ma?" Brian said.

"Mornin' son," Sully said, looking up to see Brian standing near them. "What'ya need?"

"Is it okay if I make some biscuits for breakfast?"

"Sure," Sully replied.

Brian started making the biscuits and the boys joined in to help him. Sully and Michaela got up to join them. William was watching everyone. After breakfast, Sully and Brian started teaching the boys how to use the bow and arrows. They had a good time learning. When Sully thought they had practiced enough, they all started off to look for game. Sully and Brian had their own bows and the third bow was shared by the three brothers. Michaela and William followed behind.

By lunch time, Brian and Sully had each gotten two rabbits. The brothers each had a turn at the bow but were unable to shoot anything.

"It took me along time before I got my first rabbit," said Brian. "Guns are a lot easier than bows, but using the bow is neater. People who use guns sometimes kill too much game. Pa taught me that you should only kill what ya need."

"Does your hand hurt some when you use the bow?" Alexander asked.

"Not any more, but it sure did in the beginning. Ma has some salve that helps a lot, don't ya ma?" Brian said.

"Yes. It will ease the hurt." Michaela said.

Sully handed out some jerky and some other dried meat for lunch. "What's this yellow stuff?" Alexander asked.

Sully smiled, "Dried snake."

The three boys looked at the dried snake with apprehension. "Boys," William said, "remember, we decided to try everything we came across. You should try the snake and if you don't like it, you don't have to finish it."

"It's really good," said Brian. "Kinda tastes like chicken, huh, pa?"

"Sure does, Brian."

Alexander took a bite. "Hey, it's not bad!" he said as he finished off his piece.

That prompted Kevin and James to try it. They weren't as enthused as Alexander, but they agreed it was okay. But unlike Alexander who chose to eat some more, they didn't ask for any more.

With their four rabbit catch, they headed back to camp.

"William, do ya mind if Michaela and I go off for a little while? She wants to take a bath and I think I know where there's a nice pool from this stream that she can use," asked Sully.

"Please go ahead. The boys and I will stay in camp."

"Brian will teach the boys how to skin and prepare the rabbits. Boys, we try to use every part of a kill. Brian'll show ya how to prepare the hide and you can each take one of the skins home if ya want." Sully said.

"Wow," said James, "that'll be neat!"

After they got back to camp, Michaela gave the salve to Alexander and told the others to use it if they needed to. Sully made sure Brian was okay with teaching the boys how to work with the rabbits. Then he and Michaela headed off to find the pool. It took them about a half an hour before they found the pool Sully knew about.

It was too cold to go into the pool. Sully had brought the stew pot to heat up some water. He built a fire and put the pot full of water on it. Then he and Michaela sat down near the fire to wait for the water to get warm.

"Ya been enjoying our adventure?" Sully asked.

"Very much," Michaela replied, reaching for him. They started kissing and touching.

After awhile, Sully said, "Your water's boiling. Let me put some cold water in it."

Sully made the temperature of the water a little cooler. Michaela took off her clothes down to her camisole. Sully took off his shirt, then picked up the wash cloth, "Let me?" he asked. Michaela smiled and nodded.

Michaela moved her hair out of the way and Sully started washing her neck, arms and back. "Reminds ya of somethin', huh?" Sully asked.

Michaela laughed, "When we were on the trail with Matthew's cattle."

"Yeh....one of the few times I saw ya without your shirt, before we were married. It's a good thing Matthew had come to find us for supper...I sure didn't wanna stop touching and kissing ya."

"I didn't want you to stop, either. But I was scared, too. Times like that worried me because I'd never felt the passion that you inspired in me. I was very unsure of myself. I was very glad that Matthew showed up!"

Sully laughed, "Let's hope no one shows up now."

As Sully washed her back and arms and neck, Michaela felt the stirrings of desire for Sully. She closed her eyes as he gently moved the wet cloth over her shoulder, down the front of her and under her camisole down the valley between her breasts. Michaela reached back over her shoulders and pulled Sully's head down to her neck. He began the small nibblings that always inflamed her. He dropped the cloth, pulled her arms down, and Michaela turned her face around to meet his. As he was kissing her, his hands pulled the straps of the camisole off her shoulders. Michaela reached down and started unbuttoning his breeches. Soon, their remaining clothes were off.

Sully lowered Michaela the rest of the way to the ground, all the while their lips were locked together in passion. Desire engulfed them as he lowered himself over his heartsong. Their bodies met and joined and moved together to reach the heights of pleasure and release.

"Sully?" said Michaela, lying wrapped in her husband's arms.

"Mmmm?"

"Wouldn't it be nice if we made a baby just now...up here on the mountain?"

"Yeh...it'd be nice to make a baby anytime," Sully said. "Course, if we made one here, we might have to name it Pike!" he whispered in her ear, laughing.

"Pike Sully?!" Michaela replied with a smile, "I don't think so!"

They looked into each other's eyes, smiling, legs entwined, enjoying each other. "Waterfalls, caves and now mountains," Sully said.

"SULLY!" Michaela said, biting him softly on the lip.

Laughing, he returned the bite, followed by many kisses. "It's gettin' on toward dinner time. Ya think maybe we should be gittin back?"

"I guess......"


"Ma! Pa!" Brian called as Sully and Michaela returned to camp. "We got the rabbits done. Alexander, Kevin and James each did one of the rabbits!"

"Let's see, Brian." Sully looked over the rabbit pelts and the meat. "Good job, guys," he told them.

The brothers beamed under praise from Sully.

"It was wonderful to watch them," William said. "Brian, you are a good teacher."

"Thank you," Brian said, smiling with happiness.

"Boys, you'll need to carry the hide on the outside of your packs, with the fur facing your pack. That way the hide will dry," Sully said.

For dinner, Sully taught the boys how to cook the rabbit meat.

After dinner, Kevin asked, "Sully, Brian told us you came west from New York when you were about James' age. Will you tell us about some of your adventures?"

Sully smiled, "Sure." They settled down and for the next few hours, Sully told them stories of his trip west.


DAY 5

Michaela made some breakfast sandwiches of biscuits and rabbit meat. After breakfast, they packed up and cleaned their campsite.

"I'll be in the lead today," Sully said. "Just up the trail the path gets narrow and steep. Brian, I want ya ta follow up in the rear in case anyone needs help. Watch your step and climb slow. You're probably gonna have some problems with slidin' rocks and dirt. Don't rush things...we have all day to make a spot just below the peak, where we'll camp tonight. If anyone wants ta rest or needs help, call out. Any questions?" Sully paused, but everyone shook their heads no. "Okay, lets get our packs and start up."

A little ways out of camp, they came across a grave. Michaela knelt down, "I'm here again, Sam. This time I think I'll make it."

Sully knelt down besides her, "She will make it, Sam, I promise." Sully put his arm about Michaela and they had a moment of silence for their friend.

Within half an hour of leaving their camp, the trail started getting steeper and they had to slow down. It was obvious the brothers enjoyed the challenge of the climb. Sully stopped the group every hour for 10 minutes so they could catch their breath. He could tell the brothers didn't want to be the one to ask the group to stop. At noon, they stopped for half an hour, to rest and eat.

As the path got steeper, the climbers slowed down. They reached the spot Sully was aiming for, just before dinner. The sun was low in the sky as they set the camp up. Michaela dispensed salve again as their legs and feet were sore. Sully, Michaela and William made dinner as the boys wrote in their journals.

After dinner, they talked about the excitement of reaching the top of Pike's Peak the next day. "We'll be leaving here everything we don't need during the day," Sully said. "We should be to the top by mid morning tomorrow. We can stay there awhile, as long as we start back down and reach here before dark."

The boys went to bed earlier than usual as the day's tough climb had exhausted them William followed them soon after. Sully and Michaela snuggled up in their bedroll.

"Ya excited about reachin' the top tomorrow?" Sully asked her.

"Very. I guess the saying of third time's a charm is true. Course, I guess I shouldn't say that until I'm actually at the top tomorrow!"

"You will be. And at the top, I plan to give my wife a kiss."

"I think your wife will like that," Michaela replied as she kissed him.

They snuggled into their spoon position and quickly went to sleep.


DAY 6

Everyone woke up just after sunrise. They were very excited about going for the top of the mountain today. They ate a quick breakfast, put things in neat order in the camp and started for the top of the mountain, with Sully again in the lead and Brian in the rear. The climb kept getting steeper as they neared the top. As Sully said, they reached a spot close to the top by mid morning. There was only room for one person at a time to be on the very top of the peak.

"Dr. Mike," said William, "Welland told me this would be your third try at making the top, so I think you should be the first one from our group to go to the very top."

Michaela smiled, "Are you sure, William?"

"Yes. The boys and I discussed it the other day when you and Sully were gone. We all agreed you should be first." Michaela saw the boys nodding their heads.

"Thank you, all," Michaela said with tears in her eyes.

"Come on," said Sully, holding out his hand to her.

Michaela took his hand and started toward the top with him. When she was almost there, Sully dropped her hand and stopped, so that she could get there first, by herself.

Michaela set foot on the top of Pike's Peak, by herself, with tears in her eyes. She looked up toward the sky, "Here I am, Sam," she said softly and only Sully heard her. "I wish you had made it with me....but this trip was for you." She bowed her head and said a little prayer. Then she turned and took a step...right into Sully's arms as he had moved closer. He held her tight and gave her a loving kiss. "Thank you, Sully...for helping me come here. I love you."

"I love you, dearest Michaela. I'm very happy you have finally made it here. We'll always remember this time."

Sully turned and led Michaela back to the waiting group.

She smiled at them, "Again, thank you. It was a very moving moment for me."

William smiled, "That makes it worth it for us too. Now, while you were up there, I had the four boys draw straws to see who would go next. The order is Kevin, Brian, Alexander and James. I'll go last."

The boys each had their turn on the top of the mountain and William was the last one to go up. By the time they all enjoyed the thrill of being at the top of Pike's Peak, it was a little after noon and time for lunch. They sat down just below the peak and enjoyed a beef jerky lunch. They talked about the mountain. Finally they started back down and arrived at the camp before dark.

After a quiet dinner, they all turned in, again exhausted from their exertions.

"Good night, my love...and thank you again," said Michaela.

"You're very welcome," Sully replied as he kissed her goodnight.


DAY 7

In the morning, after breakfast, they packed up and headed back down the mountain. Sully was in the lead and Brian was in the rear. They were just as slow going back down this part so that no one would slip on the steepest of the path. It was close to noontime when they had their first real problem of the trip. Sully held up his hand to indicate they were to stop. He put his finger to his lips to tell them to be quiet. Then they all heard what Sully had heard, movement in the underbrush, just above them, on an overhang.

All of a sudden a mountain lion came into view on the ledge just above Kevin, startling him. Kevin took a few steps backwards and slipped on some loose shale. Sully moved quickly and stopped him from rolling very far. At the same time, Brian, who was carrying some of the cooking utensils, pulled out the stew pot and a spoon and began banging on them. This scared the mountain lion, he turned and dashed back into the underbrush.

Michaela hurried over to Kevin. He was trying to put on a brave front, but it was obvious he was in a lot of pain. William reached him a few seconds after Michaela.

"Son!" William said with concern.

"I'm okay, father. It's just my left shoulder....it hurts a little," said Kevin.

Michaela examined him. "I'm afraid your shoulder is dislocated, Kevin. But nothing seems to be broken. I am going to have to put your shoulder back in place. It's going to hurt a lot, but when it's done, it will feel a lot better."

Kevin nodded his head.

"William, please hold Kevin's head. Sully, I need you to hold him down....put your hands here and here," she said pointing to Kevin's right shoulder and right side. "Brian, I need you to hold down Kevin's legs. James, find a small stick for Kevin to bite on. Alexander, come and hold Kevin's right hand." Michaela wanted to make sure the boys felt they were helping their brother.

Everyone hurried to do as Michaela said. Michaela took her shoe off in order to put her foot in Kevin's armpit and put his shoulder back in place. "Kevin, this will hurt, but it should be over quickly." Kevin nodded his head again.

Before he was through nodding, Michaela quickly pulled on Kevin's arm and everyone heard his shoulder pop back into place. Kevin fainted. Michaela checked his pulse, "He's okay, William, he just passed out from the pain."

Michaela got a sling out of her medical bag and fixed Kevin's arm up.

"We aren't far from the camp we were in two nights ago," said Sully. "I'll carry Kevin down to the camp. We're past the worse part of the trail. Brian, take Alexander, James and William with you and go ahead to the camp. Take Kevin's pack. Set up the bedrolls. Michaela and I'll come down a little slower with Kevin. And please, don't worry William. He'll be okay."

William nodded, concern for his son etched on his face. But he had faith in Sully, so he turned and followed the three boys down the trail.

"Michaela, go slow and just in front of me. Let me know of any bad places on the path. There shouldn't be too many." Sully picked Kevin up in his arms and followed Michaela down the path. Kevin came to a little ways down the path. "It's okay, Kevin. The boys and your pa are down setting up the camp. We'll be there soon." Kevin nodded.

Sully, Kevin and Michaela arrived in camp a half an hour after the others. William was waiting to help Kevin.

"I'm okay, father. I can walk...please, Sully."

Sully put Kevin down on his feet. William put his arm around Kevin's good side and guided him over to a bedroll. "I'm fine father, really. Like Dr. Mike said, it doesn't hurt so bad now. Please don't worry."

William nodded and kissed his son on the forehead.

While Sully and the boys prepared their rabbit stew dinner, Michaela got a wet cloth and cleaned the dirt off Kevin's face. He had a few minor scrapes, but no cuts. After dinner, Kevin lay down and went to sleep. Before settling in later that night, Michaela checked Kevin again and found him sleeping peacefully. William had set his bedroll up by Kevin's so he could be there if his son woke up during the night.


DAY 8

Michaela checked on Kevin first thing.

"I'm fine, Dr. Mike. I slept good." Kevin said.

"Your skin feels cool, which is good. The scrapes on your face are so minor you can hardly see them. So everything should be fine as long as you don't use your left arm for awhile."

"Thanks, Dr. Mike." Kevin said.

"Yes, thank you very much," said William. "I'm glad I asked for a doctor on the trip."

"You understand, William, this is really a minor injury," said Michaela.

"Yes...but the comfort is in having you here."

They started slowly down the path. Since the path was wider, William walked along side Kevin, on his right side, to help him. Brian and James led the group, with Alexander just behind them. Michaela and Sully came last. Sully's aim each day was to make the spot where they had camped on the way up.

Kevin wore his sling like a badge of honor. He marched down the trail with no problems, mainly because they were in no hurry. Going down would be easier than going up the mountain, so they could take their time. They stopped and rested frequently. Since they had made good time by noon, they stopped by a stream so the boys could fish.

Michaela and Sully wandered down the stream a little way, out of sight, so Michaela could clean up some. While Michaela was kneeling at the stream, using the cloth to wash some of the dirt away, Sully kneeled behind her and put his arms around her, pulling up and back to rest on his chest.

"Too bad we're so close to the others," he said. "Otherwise we could have a repeat performance."

Michaela turned her face to get a kiss. "Another 'wifely duty' episode, you mean?" she said laughing. "There's just never any satisfying you, is there?"

"Not at all....you're just too beautiful to resist." He pulled her hair out of the way and kissed her neck. "Even with a few days of dirt on ya, I like the smell of ya."

Michaela turned around in his arms, unbuttoned a few buttons of his shirt and buried her nose in his chest, taking a big sniff. Sully laughed as Michaela looked up at him, "Dirty or clean, I like the smell of you too!"

"Ma! Pa!," they heard Brian call, "lunch is ready."

"We'll be there is a few minutes, Brian, thanks," Sully called back. He smiled down at Michaela, "Our boys sure like to break up these passionate moments between us!"

"I guess...they're just protecting.....their ma from her.....brutish husband!" she replied, barely able to get the words out between the laughter.

They shared another kiss, then Michaela buttoned Sully's shirt, they rose and headed back to camp.

The boys hadn't caught any fish by the time Sully and Michaela got back to camp. After lunch, they cleaned up the site and headed toward their earlier camp down the mountain. It was a pleasant hike down with no problems. They reached the site by mid afternoon and settled down for the rest of the day.

"Pa, I told the guys about Running Ghost. Will you tell them the story?" asked Brian.

"Sure thing, son. Gather 'round." With Michaela sitting next to him and the others in a semi-circle in front of him, Sully told them the story of his Indian brother and the white buffalo. The brothers listened to the story with a fascination. Brian would never tire of this story, or any of the others Sully had told him.

When the story was over, Brian said, "The white buffalo saved pa too. Before he and ma got married, there was a hunter here who worked for the railroad. He was shooting buffalo, skinning them and leaving the meat to rot. He didn't care that this was survival for the Indians. He and his men beat pa up real bad, almost killed him and dumped him with an Indian they had killed. Cloud Dancing found him and brought him to ma to fix. When pa got better, he went to find the hunter and tell him to leave. When the hunter tried to shoot pa, the white buffalo gored the hunter!"

"Is that true, Sully? Did you see the white buffalo?" William asked.

"Well, the hunter was gored to death. I was a ways off and saw somethin', ain't really sure it was the white buffalo of the stories...but it wasn't dark like the other buffalo there. I couldn't swear what it was."

"Why didn't you just kill him since he'd killed the Indian and hurt you so bad?" Alexander asked.

"When I got well enough to ride, I was angry enough to....not so much for hurtin' me, but for killing Iron Knife and the buffalo the Cheyenne needed to survive. Michaela was afraid that's what I would do. But once I found him, the thought of Michaela kept me sane and after a fight, I warned him to leave." He glanced at Michaela, who smiled up at him.

"That's really a powerful love," said William.

"Yes, and that was before we admitted our love for each other," Michaela said. "I was out looking for Sully and when I found him, I could tell he'd been in a fight. He promised he hadn't killed Rankin. After resting for awhile, he told me what had happened. I went down to see if Rankin was still alive...but he wasn't and he had been killed by an animal's horns." She smiled, "I was relieved....I had been very worried."

"Ma and Pa were in a circus too!" said Brian. "This lady and her daughter brought a little circus to town and some of the town people got to be in it. Ma and Pa swung on some high things called trapezes, where Pa had to catch Ma when she went from one trapeze to another."

"Wow...we've seen a circus in New York. You really did that?" asked Kevin.

"Yes, we did." replied Michaela. "It was a little scary and I was still learning to trust Sully. It was not long after we started courting and depending on someone else was hard for me."

"Yep...it sure was," Sully said, laughing. "The circus owner, Heart, goaded Michaela into doing a flip that was rarely done. She did it by saying things that made Michaela think she couldn't do it. So Michaela told Heart we'd do it. Course Michaela assumed I'd go along with her!"

" Dr. Mike, you didn't ask Sully first?" asked Kevin.

"No, I didn't, even though I should have. But after I said we would, Heart made a comment about me being in control. So I had to ask Sully if he thought I was too bossy....." said Michaela.

"Yeh...and I said she wasn't for me," said Sully interrupting her. "I had known Michaela long enough by then and I loved who and what she was." He leaned over and gave her a kiss.

"I must say," said William, "you two have certainly had some interesting times."

"Ma even saved my life once with an operation," Brian said. "I fell out of a tree and got a blood clot. The brain doctor couldn't get to Colorado Springs in time, so Ma operated and fixed my head. Later, Colleen told me how scared Ma was doing it...but she wouldn't let Colleen or Matthew or Sully help cause she worried that if I died, they'd think they did something wrong."

"Just seeing Kevin up there with his shoulder hurt scared me, so I can imagine how you felt since you actually had to operate on your son," said William.

"Yes, it was a bad time. I was afraid that I would injure his brain and he wouldn't be Brian anymore, or worse. I even yelled at and blamed Sully because I was so frightened. But it all turned out right in the end."

"Another thing they did, and I think this one was one of the best, is have Katie...just the two of them. Pa was out in the woods hurt about two weeks before Katie was due. Cloud Dancing took Ma out to him to help him and then the soldiers took Cloud Dancing away. They were getting ready to get in the wagon to head home when Ma went into labor. So they had to stay out there and Pa helped Ma deliver Katie." Brian told them.

"Amazing...you actually gave birth to Katie out in the wilderness?" asked William.

"Yes....and looking back, I wouldn't have had it any other way. I learned what a very strong person my husband was that night. He had a broken ankle and a knife wound in his upper arm from a fight with a soldier, but he stayed by me while I screamed at him and to him, squeezed his hands....and at one point, I was cupping his face when a contraction hit and I squeezed his cheeks with all my strength. But we did it, he delivered Katie and cut the umbilical cord."

"Up to that point, I had never been as scared as I was that night and morning. I knew how things could go wrong. Long before I met Michaela I had been married and my wife and daughter died in childbirth. But when Katie arrived and I held her for the first time, nothing that had gone before mattered. She was beautiful and perfect." As they talked about Katie's birth, Michaela and Sully held hands. It was obviously a very important moment in their lives.

"Brian, what did you think when your parents brought little Katie home?" asked William.

"Well, I had wanted a baby brother. But when I saw Katie, it was real neat. And later that afternoon I got to hold her and I was real happy. She can be a lot of fun....course she can get in the way and be a pest too!"

Michaela reached over and rubbed Brian's head. "Brian is such a good brother and Katie adores him. If she gets mad at me and her father isn't close, she'll run to Brian before she'll go to anyone else. And now, enough of the stories, its dinner time."


DAY 9

"Today we cover the last third of the trip down," said Sully as they were eating breakfast. "We'll reach the place where Matthew left us by late afternoon. We'll stay there the night and Matthew will be coming tomorrow with the horses. Brian and Alexander will lead the way. So let's move out."

The trip down to the bottom was slow and easy.

James was walking with Sully and Michaela at the back of the group. "Sully?"

"Yes, James?"

"Do you think there's a chance we will meet your friend, Cloud Dancing?"

"Would'ya like to?"

"Yes, sir, very much. Brian talked a lot about him and he sounds real neat."

"The day after tomorrow your pa asked us to show ya around the area. I'm sure we can find Cloud Dancing."

"Do you think he might tell us a story?"

"Probably....if ya ask him."

"Oh, boy....did you hear that father?" James said as he dashed over to his father and Kevin. "We might get to meet Cloud Dancing!"

"I heard, son. That would be quite nice," replied William.

They reached the camping spot by mid afternoon and set up their last camp. Kevin lay down to take a nap as he was very tired from the last few days. James, Alexander, Brian and Wolf went for a walk, returning about an hour later. Sully and William were again playing chess, while Michaela sat next to Kevin, reading. After awhile she put her book down to start dinner, cooking the last of the rabbit in a stew with beans and the last potato.

Kevin woke up before dinner and with the other boys, wrote the last few days adventures in his journal.

After dinner, they sat around the fire talking.

"Sully?" asked Alexander.

"Yes?"

"This afternoon, we asked Brian why there weren't many Indians around. He told us about the massacre at Washita. He said General Custer did it. Is that true?"

"Yes it is."

"Why would he do that? Were the Indians shooting at him and his men?"

"No, Alexander, they weren't. They were camped along the Washita, waiting to be allowed on to the reservation at Fort Cobb. Their leader was Black Kettle and all he wanted was to live in peace with the white man. Custer and men like him think that the only good Indian is a dead one. That day, at Washita, they killed mostly old men, women and children. That's why the Dog Soldiers fight...they are made up of braves who have seen their friends and families murdered by men like Custer," Sully said.

Alexander turned to William, "Father?"

"Yes, Alexander, it's a sad part of life. There are men in our government who like men like Custer because they want to take all this land, which rightfully belongs to the Indians. That's one of the reasons for this trip, the meetings in Denver and San Francisco. I've been meeting with men who believe like I do, like Sully and Dr. Mike do, that the Indians have rights and should be allowed to survive. It's what our friend, Welland Smith, works for. President Grant wants them to survive, but he has powerful people around him that work against him. But we will always keep trying to have justice for the native people," William told his sons.

"What can we do, father?" Kevin asked.

"Always stand up for the rights of the Indians and others, like the immigrants. When you're in school and your schoolmates say the Indians should die, stand up for the Indians and try to help your friends understand the truth. It is very important to judge a person by their actions and not the color of their skin, the way they speak, where they come from or the religion they practice. Remember the stories your grandfather told you about the Selkirk clan back in Scotland? Hundreds of years ago they only wanted to live in peace, but warring clans tried to wipe them out...but the clan survived and today the Selkirks have become stronger and still believe in peace, whether living in Scotland or America."


DAY 10

They rose well after dawn since they had stayed up late talking. After breakfast, they cleaned up the campsite and readied their packs. The boys were able to pack their dried rabbit fur now. They sat down to wait and while they were waiting, the boys wrote more in their journals.

Matthew and Amanda arrived around 10 am. "Sully, Dr. Mike, Brian," Matthew called. "It's good to see you!"

Michaela was there to hug him as he dismounted, then she hugged Amanda. Matthew shook hands with Sully and gave Brian a hug. Then he saw Kevin, "What happened?"

"Nothing much," Kevin said. "I just took a tumble because of a mountain lion and my shoulder got dislocated. But Dr. Mike fixed it up real good."

"And that was the only real injury," Michaela said. "All in all, a very good trip."

"Kevin, do you want to ride with me?" William asked.

"No father, I can ride by myself."

"Don't worry, William," said Sully. "I'll ride beside him and Matthew will lead the way, slowly."

They arrived back in Colorado Springs before dinnertime. As they rode up to the clinic, the door opened and Colleen came out carrying Katie, followed by Andrew.

"Mama! Papa!' Katie yelled, holding out her arms. "Mama! Papa!"

Michaela dismounted and went to Katie. Katie went into her mother's arms and put her arms around Michaela's neck.

"Mama, no go, mama stay!" Katie said.

"I'm here, Katiedid, mama's here," Michaela said, hugging her daughter. Then she kissed Colleen and Andrew. "It's so good to see you. How did everything go?"

"Good, Ma. Katie was such a good girl for us," Colleen said.

"There were a few patients, Michaela, but nothing serious. It's actually been very quiet, both here and at the Springs. Amanda hasn't had a chance to learn too much, but we've gone over some reading material with her and so far she seems to enjoy it."

"Papa!" Katie yelled.

Sully came up and took her from Michaela. "Hey there, little Katiedid.....papa's little girl." Sully said, kissing Katie on the cheek.

Katie snuggled into her father's arms, then she saw Brian, "Bran, Bran, here, Bran!"

Brian smiled, came up and kissed his baby sister. "Wanna come to me, Katie?" he asked, holding his arms out.

"No," she said as she put her face in her father's neck. "Me stay papa!"

Michaela smiled, "As you can see, William, she's definitely her father's daughter!"

"William, the next two nights you'll be staying at the Springs," Sully said. "Matthew and Amanda will guide you out there. Brian and I'll be out tomorrow morning to take ya sightseeing around here. Figgered you'd wanna go out and see the Red Rocks. Then we can go up to the old reservation land to see if Cloud Dancing is there. My friend Daniel, who is our sheriff, bought the land and has asked Cloud Dancing to share it with him."

"Sully, there's Dorothy," said Michaela. "Dorothy!" Michaela called.

"Michaela, Sully...you're back," said Dorothy, coming over. "It's so good to see you."

"Dorothy," said Michaela, "this is Senator William Selkirk and his sons, Alexander, Kevin and James. William and boys, this is our newspaper publisher, Dorothy Billings."

"Mrs. Billings, a pleasure to meet you," William said.

"Senator Selkirk."

"Dorothy, have ya seen Cloud Dancing?" Sully asked.

"Yes. He's up fixing his place up. Why?"

"The boys want to meet him. I figger to take them to his place tomorrow."

"He'll be there. I'm going up tomorrow morning to take him some articles I received. I'll let him know you'll be up. Why don't you plan to be there around lunchtime. I'll take some lunch up."

"Sounds good. Thanks."

"William, we'll see ya in the morning....probably around 10," said Sully.

"Okay."

"William, will you and the boys join us at our house for dinner tomorrow night?" Michaela asked.

"We'd love too."

"Katiedid...what are ya doing?" Sully asked. The others looked at Katie and saw her batting her eyes at James, who was trying not to look at her. "Katie...Katie...look at papa," Sully said, with his hand on Katie's chin. Katie turned her face to Sully. "Be a good girl, please. Leave James alone."

Katie giggled and put her face in her father's neck.

Matthew got the wagon and loaded it with the luggage the Selkirks had left at the clinic. The Selkirks got into the wagon, with Matthew driving. Amanda took Matthew's horse and followed the wagon as they headed out for the Springs Chateau.

"Ready to go home, Michaela?" Sully asked.

"Yes...very ready! Colleen, Andrew, you'll come for dinner tomorrow night?"

"Sure, Ma, we'll be there. I'll come out early and help you prepare it," Colleen said.

"Thank you, my dearest daughter!"

The family laughed, knowing Michaela would take all the help she could get with cooking.

Brian took the reins of the horses the Selkirks had been riding, and with Katie riding in front of Sully, they headed off for the homestead.


"Michaela, you and Katie go on in. Brian and I'll put away the horses and be in. Tonight we'll fix ya up a nice warm bath...I know you're missing a bath," said Sully.

"Thank you....I would love a bath!"

After dinner, Brian wrote in his journal. And after helping Sully prepare Michaela's bath, he said goodnight to his folks as he was very tired from the trip.

Michaela was relaxing in the warm water. Sully was sitting near, at the kitchen table, playing with Katie. Michaela smiled at their play. Sully would hide something in his hand, put his hands behind his back and then bring them out for Katie to choose. If she chose right, she'd break into peals of laughter. If she chose wrong, she'd stick her lower lip out in a pout. Then she'd say "Do gin, papa, do gin!"

Finally Katie tired of the game, "Mama, me water!" she said.

Sully looked at Michaela, "D'ya want Katie in with ya?"

"Sure."

Sully took Katie's clothes off and put her in the tub with Michaela. He sat back down at the kitchen table and watched his wife and daughter playing in the water. Katie loved to splash and seemed to hit her mother in the face with water most of the time. Michaela glanced up at Sully and saw so much love reflected in his eyes. She smiled her love at him.

After awhile, Sully took Katie out and wrapped her a towel. He then held out his hand for Michaela to step out of the tub and handed her another towel. He carried Katie up to her room, dried her and put her in her nightgown. She was asleep before he laid her in her crib. As he kissed her goodnight, Michaela, now in her nightgown, came in and gave her a kiss.

Michaela sat down at her dressing table to brush her hair. Sully took his clothes off then came over and took her brush. "I been missing brushin' your hair while we been on the trip. I also been missin' being alone with ya. That one day at the stream wasn't enough."

"I missed these times, too. The trip was wonderful, but I'm glad to be home and here, alone with you in our private sanctuary."

Sully put her brush down and pulled her to her feet. "I think we should go to bed now. And I don't think ya need this," he said as he started unbuttoning her nightgown. He pulled it off over her head, lifted her up and carried her to the bed.


DAY 11

"Mama, Mama, up, up!" said Katie. Michaela opened her eyes to see a fully dressed Katie squatting on the bed, with her father just behind her. "Mama...eat!"

"Okay, Katiedid, we'll have breakfast," Michaela said as she stretched and yawned.

"Now, mama!"

"Demanding little thing, isn't she," said Sully, laughing. "She's just like her ma!"

"I'm not that bad!"

"Says who?! You were last night!"

"Byron Sully!"

"Yes, Michaela Sully?"

Michaela shook her head in 'frustration' as she laughed at Sully.

"I figure you're going to the clinic today, so I thought Katie could go with us today. She loves to see Cloud Dancing."

"A-ho!" Katie said.

"No, Katie, his name is Cloud Dancing, not A-ho," said her mother patiently.

"A-ho!" Katie said again.

"Ya won't win, Michaela. She's not only as demanding as her ma, but just as stubborn!"

Michaela shook her head, got up and got dressed. Katie and Sully had gone downstairs and were waiting with Brian and breakfast when she came down.

"Where's Matthew?" she asked.

"He ate early and went to meet Daniel. They're helping the Widow Johnson with some problems out at her place," Sully told her.


Sully, Brian and Katie, with 4 extra horses, arrived at the Springs Chateau just before 10 am. William and his sons were sitting out on the porch, waiting for them. They mounted up and Brian led them out to the Red Rocks.

"This is absolutely magnificent," said William, catching sight of the Red Rocks. "This place needs to always stay just as it is."

"I agree," said Sully. "Awhile back the railroad wanted to lay a track through there, but Brian and I done some surveying and managed to prove to them there was a better way."

"Maybe I can do something when I get back to Washington to get temporary protection on this place until we can make it a National Park. There are those in congress who want to put a halt to the growing National Parks program, so we have to go slow and careful," said William.

Sully nodded. Brian took the brothers over to where he and Sully had found the injured hawk. He told them about her and how Wolf alerted them to her.

They mounted up again and Brian led them up to Daniel's land. They rode to the meadow where Cloud Dancing had set up his teepee. Cloud Dancing and Dorothy were waiting for them.

"A-ho! A-ho!" yelled Katie, holding out her hands for Cloud Dancing.

Cloud Dancing reached up and took Katie from Sully, "A-ho, my little one." Katie put her arms around his neck and hugged him. "A-ho, my brother....Brian."

"A-ho, Cloud Dancing," said Brian as he dismounted.

"A-ho," said Sully. Sully and the Selkirks also dismounted. "Cloud Dancing, I'd like ya to meet Senator William Selkirk and his sons, Alexander, Kevin and James."

Cloud Dancing shook hands with William and the boys. "I am glad to meet you. Welcome to my home," he said as his arm swept the area. "Dorothy has brought some lunch and I also have some food."

They all sat and had lunch. Cloud Dancing had prepared some Cheyenne foods and the boys tried them all as Cloud Dancing explained what there were.

"Sir?" said Alexander, looking at Cloud Dancing.

"Please call me Cloud Dancing. What can I do for you?"

"Sully said you might tell us a story if we asked. Would you?" asked Alexander.

Cloud Dancing smiled, "Would you like to hear of the beginning of my people?"

"Yes, please!" the boys said in unison.

Cloud Dancing related the story of how the Cheyenne people came to be. Cloud Dancing used gestures as he told the story and the boys watched and listened in awe. The afternoon was spent as Cloud Dancing showed them a couple of Indian dances and told them some more stories.

"Cloud Dancing and Dorothy, William and his sons are coming for dinner tonight and we'd like you to come too," said Sully. "Can ya?"

"Yes," they both said.

"Good. If ya can come now, why don't we all head down to the homestead."

"One moment, please," said Cloud Dancing and he went into his teepee. He came out carrying three Indian necklaces and he handed one to each of the brothers. "I made these and the spirits have blessed them. I am pleased to give them to you."

The brothers put them on. "They're like Brian's," Kevin said. "Thank you, Cloud Dancing. I will wear it always, even back east!"

Alexander and James chimed in their thank yous also.


Michaela greeted Sully at the front door, with a kiss. "Colleen and I are making dinner."

"I hope you're making a lot, I invited Dorothy and Cloud Dancing to join us."

"I invited Matthew and Amanda! The more the merrier. Where's Katie?"

"In the barn with the boys. She's following James around. Can't get her to stop pestering him!"

"That's okay," William said. "I think James secretly likes it and Kevin and Alexander are a little jealous."

Matthew and Amanda came riding up just then.

"Who's building that homestead over there?" William asked.

"Matthew is," Sully replied. "Matthew, why don't ya take William on a tour of your homestead?"

"Sure," Matthew replied.

"May I come too," Andrew asked.

"Of course," Matthew answered. As they went down the steps to walk to Matthew's homestead, the kids came running out of the barn. "We're walking over to my place, wanna come?"

The boys nodded. Sully went down to pick up Katie and bring her in the house. "Go too papa?" Katie asked.

"No, Miss Katie, you come in and see mama."

Amanda, Sully and Katie came into the house. Cloud Dancing was sitting by the fire and Dorothy was helping Colleen and Michaela. Amanda joined them.

"Mama, Mama!" Katie said.

Michaela turned to her daughter and then saw her dirty dress. "Katherine Elizabeth what did you get all over your dress? What did your papa let you get into?" asked Michaela, laughing.

"Me eat A-ho food!" Katie pronounced with pride.

"It was berries and such, Michaela," said Sully.

"Well Miss Katherine, have your father take you up to clean up and change before dinner!"


Dinner was an enjoyable affair. The women set all the food up on the kitchen table. Everyone helped themselves and sat around the living room, enjoying the good food and good company.


DAY 12

The Selkirks, Sully, Michaela, Brian and Katie were saying goodbye at the train station.

"Dr. Mike, Sully, this has been a trip of a lifetime for my sons and me. I thank you very much. Welland said I should pay you at least $200.00 a week..."

Sully interrupted him, "That's too much!"

"No sir, I don't think so. I agree with Welland. Your services are more than worth that. I could never pay you for the joy and excitement you have given to us. Dr. Mike, Welland said I should pay you the same...and no arguments from either of you!" he handed them an envelope. "So here's what I owe you, plus a bonus. I plan to recommend to all my colleagues that they avail themselves of your services and learn about these great lands of the west. I also plan to tell them your fee is a minimum of $200.00. So don't do it for less!"

"Thank you, William. You have become our friend. Please come visit us any time...you too, boys," said Michaela.

"We will, Dr. Mike. I promise some day we will be back," said William.

Michaela gave each boy a hug and a kiss and shook William's hand. Katie gave everyone, but James, a kiss and to James she gave two kisses. Sully and Brian shook hands with William and the boys.

The Sully's waved goodbye to their new friends as the train pulled out of the station. They went to the clinic, where Sully opened the envelope and counted the money. Michaela glanced at him to see a shocked look on his face.

"Sully?"

"Michaela, there's $1200.00 in here!"

"What?! That's too much!" she exclaimed.

"I agree....wait, here's a note," and Sully read the following to Michaela and Brian:

Dr. Mike and Sully,

I'm sure right now you're saying that this is too much money. But believe me it's not. I would pay five times this for the enjoyment and learning you gave my sons. I have not seen them this happy since their mother died. Trust me when I say you will be getting more business as a guide, Sully. I have also sent a note to Bob Peterson about you. He's catering to the kind of guests that would like to take a day or overnight trips to see nature. I'll bet Brian could even be the guide on day trips. You should set up a fee schedule. And having a doctor along gave me peace of mind, especially after Kevin's accident.

Sincerely, your friend always, William Selkirk

Sully looked up at Michaela with a smile and she could tell the guide idea excited him.

"Pa?" said Brian.

"Yes," Sully answered.

"Do you think I could really guide some trips?"

"I don't see why not. Michaela?"

"I agree. As long as they were day trips," Michaela said.

"So can we start a guide business, Pa?" Brian asked.

Sully glanced at Michaela, who nodded yes with a smile.

"Okay, Brian, I guess we will. We will use some of the money William paid us to start it."

"You know," said Michaela, "you could make an office out of the shed out back. Although it's part of the clinic, it has a separate entrance right next to the clinic's back door. It's large enough for a desk, a couple of chairs and room for supplies."

"That's a good idea, Michaela. We don't use it for any now and it's really a good place to be, between the café and the livery," said Sully.

"What are we gonna name it?" Brian asked.

"I guess we'll have ta think on that one, Brian," Sully said. "But I already know who the company's doctor'll be!"


The End


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