Dreams of Hope.
As Matthew pitched hay into the horse stall in the barn, he looked out the window to see the beautiful afternoon sun creeping along the outlines of the trees. All was going well that day, but there was something telling him in the back of his mind that it wouldn't last for long. He continued to pitch hay until it the horse stall had a sufficient amount of stock, then he headed over to the homestead porch where an anticipated glass of lemonade waited for him. He climbed up onto the porch swing that Sully had installed and began to sip his lemonade. Out of the corner of his eye he could see a fast approaching visiter on horseback. Not knowing who it was, he stood up to get a better view. 'Brian...' He thought.
"Matthew!" Brian shouted, as he rode up to the homestead on Taffy.
"Calm down little brother, what's wong?" Matthew answered anxiously when he saw the strained look on his brother's face. "Sarah.........and I........were at the Red Rocks..." He started, ".....an we wanted to see an eagle's nest over the side of the cliff we were standing on...........and then she fell over the side......She's on a lower cliff about fifty feet down from where we were standing.............She's unconcious, but I know she's hurt real bad." He paused again, and Matthew turned to look in the direction Sully went earlier. "You an' Sully gotta help!" he explained as he was gasping for air.
Why did Dr Mike have to leave? Matthew muttered under his breath, "Ok Brian, here is what I want you to do. Are you listening to me?" He asked; Brian nodded for him to go on. "Go into town, and get some of Dr. Mike's supplies at the clinic. Then I want you to wire Colleen in Denver to see if she and Andrew can come help with any injuries Sara might have. Then go get help! We'll need Jake till' Colleen gets here since he's the closest thing we have to a doctor - and get Robert E to bring a bunch of rope!..........GO!" He shouted as Brian hesitated.
Brian jumped back on Taffy and rode at a break neck speed all the way into town, as Matthew ran in direction of the sound of Sully's hammer.
"Ha Ho my brother."
Sully jumped slightly, then turned around to find Cloud Dancing standing there. "Ha ho! Good to see ya, Cloud Dancin'." Sully replied. In respect of his cheyenne brother he stood up . "I was just thinkin' about you and where you might be."
" What is that you are working on?" Cloud Dancing asked.
"Oh, it's just some book shelves for Michaela's office." He paused, "What brings you here? Weren't you up north with the Cheyenne?" He looked back down at his work and started to hammer a nail into place.
"Sully," he said above the noise, with reluctance, "My brother, you need to hear this, I have come because I had a vision last night. It involved you and Michaela. The spirits have warned me that one, if not both of you, are in danger." Sully's face became pale, Cloud Dancing continued to speak, "Where is Michaela?"
"Well, she's at a doctor's conference in San Fransisco..." Sully began to fear the worst, "Coud Dancin, what exactly did your dream tell........."
"Sully!!!" They heard a shout in the distance and turned around to see who it was. Matthew came into view with anxious look on his face
"What's wrong Matthew? Is it Katie?" Sully asked as he approached.
"No, it's not her, it's actually Sarah," he panted, "she an' Brian were at the Red Rocks, and she fell over the side when she looked to see an eagle's nest. We need your help to get her off the cliff!" Mathew answered, still trying to catch his breath. "Is Brian hurt?" Sully asked looking to the direction the red rocks were in. "No, just pretty shook up is all." Matthew replied.
"Where is he?"
"He went to the clinic for some supplies, and to Robert E's for help."
Sully nodded, and tried to come up with an idea; "Cloud Dancin', will you keep an eye on Katie? She's in the house takin' a nap. She should be up soon." Sully stated, getting ready to run to the homestead to saddle his horse.
"I will do this." He agreed, as he immediatly started to walk back with Sully and Matthew, happy that he could be of some help.
***** "And I will end my speach with this statement, the performance of 'Willow Bark Tea' far surpases any other fever reducer that I have used or heard of." Michaela smiled at her croud of listeners.
A roaring applause followed, with standing ovation. For the next hour or so, doctors from all over the states rushed on stage to shake hands and compliment the lovely woman doctor. After many thanks had been passed, Michaela now stood alone on stage to gather her things. Her eyes were sparkling as bright as the gems on her evening dress from receiving so many compliments, and appreciative guestures, when she heard a slightly familiar voice coming from behind her.
"Dr Quinn, I must say that your speach was phenominal! Best I've heard in years if you'll allow me to say." Commented a stranger from behind the stage curtain. Michaela turned around, still baffled at the voice. "Who are you?" She asked quietly, suspicion quickly arrising within her. "I am an old friend Michaela, surely you must recodnise my voice..." The mysterious man answered. Michaela smiled out of politness, "Thank you for your compliment Mr..." Ethan stepped out from the cutain, ".....Ethan Cooper?!?!" Michaela stated in shock. Ethan moved forward to be within three inches of her face.
"Your surprise gladdens me Dr. Quinn! Is that a pleased face, I see?" Ethan remarked rather forwardly. "No sir. " She paused to move out from under his icey blue gaze, "I can't say that it is. Will you exuse me?" She replied moving to the other side of the room, remembering past confrontations with this sorry excuse of a man.
"Well, I must say, that was a mean tone. Why do I get the immpression that you are not glad to see me?" he asked stepping into the path she was about to take.
"Mr Cooper, I..."
"No Michaela, call me Ethan."
"Mr Cooper, I will *never* call you the latter, and it is Mrs. Sully to you. Now step out of my way." She replied heatedly. He chuckled at her fiesty words.
"Michaela, is your husband, umm...oh yes, the dirty mountain man here by chance?" Ethan asked nonchalantly looking around the room and not making any attemp to move. Michaela with angry fire in her eyes swung around and hit him square is the jaw, hurting her hand in the process.
"You will never mock me or my husband again Sir! And that would be none of your buisness - his, nor my whereabouts are any of your concern, and once again, do not call me by my given name. Move at once!"
"I'm afraid I can't do that, *Mrs. Sully*," he stated sarcastically taking her injured hand into his own. "I know that your precious mountain man is not with you. I checked your registration at your hotel, and you know why I'm not going to move?" He looked at her coyly. "Because, we seemed to have left some unfinished business unatended since our last meeting." "Mr Cooper, I will not tolerate this. Move *now* or I will call for you to be thrown out."
Ethan reluctantly stepped aside, looking around nervously, hoping nobody had heard their conversation. Michaela quickly left the room as Ethan stared after her. "I will get back at her "Mr. Sully" in one way or another...even if it has to be through his precious wife." He vowed leaving the room with his usual deceptive and evil grin on his face.
Michaela left the room with a worried expression, "Why didn't I let Sully come?" she was wondering to herself. She had a waiter call a carraige to take her to the hotel she was staying at. When she arrived a bel-hop assisted her out of the carraige and up the steps of the massive hotel. She was still flushed from the previous encounter as she ran up the step to her room, shouting at the bell-hop to check her out. She started packing in a big hurry hoping that Ethan had been lying when he told her that he knew which hotel she was staying at. "This all happened when I opened that stupid letter from Denver, I should have never accepted their offer, and I should have let Sully come," she thought. All thoughts were now turned to their conversation the day she had received the letter. It was a gorgeous day she remembered, everything was going fine, 'I was so excited' she thought...
"Sully!!!" Sully jumped when he heard his wife come up behind him, "What's goin' on Michaela?" he asked, afraid that something might have happened. His mind eased when he saw the excited look on his wife's face. "Sully, I got a letter from the Denver Medical Association, they are asking me to give a lecture on 'Willow Bark Tea!' Isn't it wonderful?!" Sully's countenance quickly changed to a big smile. "That's great!" he replied. "Cloud Dancin' were here to hear this, I'm sure he would be very proud. Where will the lecture be held?"
"Ummm," She scanned the page, "oh..." Her face fell. "San Fransisco...."
"What's the matter?" Then the thought occured to him as if he had read her mind, "We can still go."
"No, Sully, we can't. I have patients to see over those days. If it had been Denver I could have made it there and back in a couple of days. And another thing, I don't want to leave Katie and Brian again for that long."
Sully thought for a moment, "Couldn't you just postpone your appointments for another day? And we can always bring Brian and Kates with us if we need to."
" You're right. I can postpone appointments, but Brian and Katie have school on the days we would have to be gone....Sully, maybe if you stayed here, I..."
"Michaela, I am not going to let you travel all the way to San Fransisco by yourself."
"But Sully, this is the only way that I am going to get there. I have to be a voice for the Cheyenne Nation, to make people understand this medicine. Sully, if I were to go up there, I could be saving lives. Please! This is the only way...." A knock at the door interupted her though: The expected bell-boy came in her room, but when he saw Michaela his. "Oh...Ms. Quinn...I'm..umm..I'm really sorry...I really didn't expect that you would be in here...umm" He stumbled all over himself. "Are your bags ready to go ma'am?"
Still frightened at the intrusion, she decided that it was just an honest mistake.
"It's alright, and yes, my bags are ready to be taken...wait, I do think I left something in the bedroom, excuse me for one moment please." She exited the living room, and went into the back bedroom.
The young bell-boy looked around the wall to see if the Michaela was busy, then he rushed over to the window. The boy signaled a dark carraige parked at the corner of the grand hotel; the man in it waved back at him and started to drive to the front entrance. "What are you doing?" Michaela asked suspiciously, startling the boy. "Oh..ummm." He stumbled again. "Ummm...It was getting...umm..stuffy in here. Ermm..are you ready to go ma'am?" He asked, putting a fake smile on his face.
Michaela eyed at him suspiciously. "I think I'm going to ring for another bell-boy, you look rather tired, so you may leave now." She said with fake kindness, "Ma'am we have a special coach ready just for you," he fibbed. "Courtesy of the hotel ma'am!" He lied.
Michaela was starting to get very suspicious. She studied at his deceitful face with hard, cold eyes. "No, I think I'll take one of the regular carraiges if the hotel doesn't mind. They are very comfortable to ride in." She said, still trying to read the boy's expression.
The boy looked around in panic, 'The lady doesn't want the carraige...I'm supposed to get her into the carraige or Mr. Cooper will have my head...' "But ma'am, I must insist, this carraige is top of the line." Michaela decided to put her foot down. "No, I'm going to have to decline, a regular hotel carraige will suffice." She started to walk toward the door, but it suddenly swung open. Ethan Cooper stood at the entrance, "Hello Michaela..." He smiled at her with his usual evil smile pulling out a revolver....
