Chapter 2.
"POPPY!" Cloud Dancing cringed as he heard four-year-old Katie wake up and start to cry. He started to think he shouldn't have volunteered to watch her after all. He got up out of the comfortable parlor chair, and climbed the hard oak wood steps to Katie's room. Opening her bedroom door, her precious little sobs pulled at his heart "Ha-ho Little One. What is troubling you?"
Katie looked up through her tears in surprise. "Cwoud Dancin! You're home!" She reached up to give him a hug as he walked over to her bostonian styled bed. "Where is Poppy?!"
"Your father has gone to help Brian, and Matthew." He was hesitant to tell her why they had gone. "Why did they leave?" She asked innocently smiling sweatly up at him. He frowned, trying to think of a way to break it to her. "I think your friend Sara got...ummm...sick, so they went to see what they could do to help." The simple explanation seemed to satisfy her. She looked up at him with her big brown eyes. "Will you get me up p-w-lease?"
Cloud Dancing smiled, "I can do this." He was thankful that she didn't ask anymore questions about Sara, or her father. He wrapped her up in her pink blanket and took her downstairs to the family room where he sat her down in a chair with him. "Cloud Dancin?" She asked looking up at him. "Yes little one." He answered absent mindedly
"Ya wanna play checkers? Poppy and Bran told me how!" He looked at her in surprise. "What is this checkers?" he returned to her. She looked at him in shock when she realized he didn't know what checkers was! "It's a fun game! On the top shew-lf of the cupboawd, there is a smaw-ll box, wi-l-w you take it down for me p-w-lease?" He stood up and walked over to the cupboard, took the small box down and gave it to Katie.
"Ok Cwoud Dancin, you have to put these peices hewe, and you can jump ovew them wike this...."
SULLY!!! Sully grimaced as he heard that scream inside of his head. He had been hearing it all day long. He looked around in a paniky manner, "Michaela." he whispered.
He was riding at a gallop into town with Matthew, He could already see a group of people coming together to see what was going on. "Matthew, we have to act quickly, I need to go find your ma." Sully said, surprised his voice sounded so calm. Matthew looked at him strangly, "Why? Ma's coming home the end of this week."
"Well, you know I've tried to explain that feeling of fear I get when your Ma's is trouble, I've had that feeling all day. Matthew, I gotta find her!"
Matthew starting to get worried, looked ahead and tried to calculate how far they had to go. "Sully, it isn't far now, so it's not gonna take very long to get Sara off of that cliff." Sully nodded. "As soon as she's safe, go find Ma!"
"Sarah, I need to ask you something, but I'm not sure if I should." "Brian you know you can ask me anything." "Okay, here goes, I know we are very young, probably too young, but, I love you, I always have, I don't know if you feel the same about me but," (get's up on one knee,) "Will you marry me?" These scenes going repetatively through Sarah's mind as she still lay on the ledge of the cliff. The state of being unconcious still raged on, but that one moment seemed to stay in her head, telling her to keep fighting to stay alive... for Brian.
"Pa?" Brian asked softly.
"Mmmyes?" Sully replied, he had been lost in thought 'til Brian said something. "I have to tell you somethin'." Sully guestured for him to go on. "I..I proposed to Sara, right before she fell...She said she had to think about it, and then she looked over that cliff. Sully, I may never know what the answer was. I couldn't ever live on without knowing!" He looked ahead of them with tears in his eyes.
Sully smiled. His Brian, the little boy that used to crawl up into his lap for a story, was growing up. "You'll get your answer Brian, I will do everything in my power, to see that you get your answer." "Sully! Brian! I see her!" They heard Matthew calling up ahead.
'Sara....' He murmered something under his breath.
"She's still unconcious...We'll have to rapell down to her then bring her back up." Little brother you go down." Matthew stated.
"ummmmRight, " He answered looking down over the steep cliff.
"Ok....Brian?"
"Yeah Pa?"
"Be careful," Sully stated simply.
"Sure Pa." Brian looked up at Sully.
"Matthew, Jake, pull on three....1.......2......3."
With some difficulty, the three-some managed to pull Brian up without further injury to Sarah. Brian could now see Sarah more clearly, it broke his heart to see one he loved, so beaten and battered. Matthew had already gone for the buckboard, Brian heard it coming up from the background. "Pa, you gotta find Ma, she's her only chance for Sarah, I don't know what I would do if I lost her." Matthew had come up to hear those last words. His mind flashed back to Ingrid, those were his exact words right before she died. Time was at a stand-still for him, he remembered her sweet laugh, her eyes, but most of all, her caring heart. His thoughts were interupted by Sully. "Matthew, we need your help to get her into the wagon, Matthew! snap out of it!"
"Huh? Oh, sorry Sully." He immediatly got down to help.
"When is Michaela due back, Sully?" Jake asked, his brow becoming more and more creased with worry seeing the extent of Sarah's injuries.
"I'm not sure." Sully replied, she was supposed to be on Friday's train, but something told him that she wouldn't be. I should be looking for her, if something had happened to her I will never forgive myself. I'm not going to wait any longer, he thought to himself; the guilt starting to set in. "Matthew, Brian," he said softly, "I need to go look for your ma, there is something that has been in the back of my mind that is telling me she is in some kind of trouble, I have to go find her to set myself at ease... Y'all have to understand, I have to go." Sully said, his voice growing more and more worried.
There was silence for a moment from the suprise of this statement. "Go find ma, Sully, we'll do our best with Sarah, I don't know what all of her injuries are, so if and when you find ma, hurry home." Matthew said with understanding, he was watching Brian, who was watching Sarah as her life was hanging but by a thread before the grave.
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"Mr Cooper, what do you want with me?" Michaela said, her voice was steady but she was terrified.
"Michaela, you know why I'm here, don't act like you don't." He replied, grabbing Michaela by the waste. "Mr. Cooper release me at once!!!." Once he did she went on. "I have no idea what you are speaking of. I have put up no act, and as I said before Do NOT call me by my given name, I won't stand for it." She said with all the courage she could muster, his look became mad and his ice blue eyes were very unsetteling.
"You will leave now, and leave me in peace."
"I will not leave," he said again grabbing her by the waste, and waving the still present bell-boy out of the room. "You will come with me right now in silence or your precious family will suffer if you do not." His face now dangerously close to hers, "You will release me and stop this nonsense at this minute, you wouldn't dare touch my family, I..." She sudenly felt the gun barrel dig into her side and Ethan's lips cover her own. She finally got the strength to push his face away, but not succeeding in pushing him away fully, the gun still in her side. "You will come with me, or you AND your family will suffer." He leaned in to kiss her again, when he felt a slap on his face. "Do not touch my family, I..I will come......with you." She was trembling violently as Ethan put away the gun, grabbed her partially packed suit case and led her out the door to the coach he had previously called.
An hour later the coach was coming to a stop. Michaela was in an reluctant sleep in the far corner of the seat, the jolt of the horses coming to a stop woke her up, fear instantly gripped her as she rememberd what had happened. Ethan jumped out of his seat and opened the carraige door. When Michaela didn't come out, he stuck his head in and looked into Michaela's eyes, all he could see was shear terror. His relentless nature just brushed the look away, he jerked her out of the coach and up the steps of the huge mansion that they had pulled up to. Once inside, he released her arm, and sat her down on a sofa. "Wait here." He said with a cold, harsh tone. A maid approached him wispering something in his ear. Ethan looked at Michaela, nodded, then walked away at a brisk pace. The maid gave Michaela a sympathetic look. "Poor girl," she thought, "I wonder what Mr Cooper, wants with her?" She then took her gently by the arm, and led her upstairs, to what Michaela assumed to be her room for the time being.
