Giving Thanks, Part 5

   Michaela slept all through the rest of the day and well into Sunday morning. 
The next time she awoke, the morning sun had well warmed the room, and her mind
felt a little less foggy.  She still felt incredibly weak, but she also felt
very much in need of a bath.  Turning her head toward the chair beside the bed,
she discovered that Sully was gone.
 Sully entered the bedroom with his two wide awake sons in his arms to see that
Michaela was now awake.  Earlier that morning, he had washed, changed and shaved
and was feeling in a much better frame of mind.  He intercepted Hank that
morning to tell him that Michaela had awoken, and also to ask if Hank wouldn't
mind helping out a little while longer so he could be with Michaela until she
regained more of her strength.  Hank had readily agreed.  Sully now greeted his
wife with a smile as he placed the babies on the bed beside her.  Propping her
up against the headboard with pillows, he helped her get another drink of water,
then placed the babies in her arms and helped her support them with his arm.
 "I need a bath", Michaela told him softly as she smiled down into her sons
curious faces.
 "That could be arranged", he told Michaela, then laughed as Byron Jr. began
searching at his mother's breast for food.  Gently he pressed a kiss to her
brow, then slipped her gown off her shoulders and chest.
 "That kid has a one-track mind," he teased as the little boy began to feed
noisily.  Michaela gave him a weak but wry smile in response.  Sully gently
guided his other son's mouth to Michaela's breast, then quietly filled her in on
the week's happenings and their sons fed.
 "Brian and Katie are staying at Grace and RobertE's place.  Grace said they
could stay as long as was needed.  Dorothy and Grace have been coming out here
to help with the babies and some of the chores around the house.  Andrew's been
comin' out everyday to check on you, and Hank has been comin' out everyday to
take care of some of my chores so I could stay in here with you", he told her.
 "Hank?!" Michaela questioned her husband in surprise.
 "Yeah.  I'm not sure what to make of it, but ever since word went around that
you weren't well, everyone has been exceptionally kind", he told her.
 "Hmmm.....that's not something I would have expected of Hank, but then the one
thing I have come to expect of Hank is that you never know what to expect from
him", Michaela replied.
 Both parents looked down to see that their sons had finished feeding and were
now sound asleep.  Sully gently took them from Michaela's arms and laid them on
the bed beside her.  Michaela leaned her head back wearily against the headboard
and Sully pressed a gentle kiss to her brow.
 "Why don't I go get the cradles and bring them in here so you can be closer to
the babies.  Then I'll bring up the bathing tub and fix you a nice warm bath",
he suggested.  Michaela smiled in response and Sully left to go get the cradles.
 As Sully was bringing up the cradles and fixing her bath, Michaela took the
opportunity to observe her sleeping sons.  Weakly, she slid her hand down to
caress each boy's head.  Byron Jr. had a full head of hair, and an odd little
grey streak in the part closest to his forehead.  He was also the more
high-strung of the two.  "Just like his sister, Katie" Michaela thought.  Josef
was smaller than his brother and had a lot less hair.  He was also sweet and
quiet, and Michaela had a feeling that he was going to be "mommy's boy".  Aside
from those differences, the two looked exactly alike.  Michaela smiled a sweet
soft smile as she beheld her two little miracles.
 "Bath's ready", Sully indicated, coming over to give her a soft kiss when he
saw her smile.
 "Mmmm.....sounds heavenly", Michaela said fervently as Sully picked up the two
boys and put them in their cradles.  Sully pulled back the covers and gently
divested her of her gown, then he carefully picked her up to take her over to
the awaiting bath.  It was then that Michaela got a good look at the heavily
blood-stained sheets and her blood-stained gown.  Her eyes flew to Sully's in
alarm.
 "You lost a lot of blood, we almost lost you...", Sully told her painfully as
he saw where she was looking.
 "I don't.....I remember pain.....I was so tired", Michaela stammered.
 "It's ok, it's over now", Sully comforted as he momentarily pressed his cheek
to her hair.
 Gently, Sully lowered Michaela into the bath and she sighed in pleasure as the
warmth soaked into her very weary body.  Sully allowed her to relax as he set
about changing the soiled bed linens.  Quickly he put new linens on the bed,
then gathered the soiled linens and Michaela's soiled gown and headed downstairs
to put them in the wash basin.  Dorothy entered the door of the homestead just
as Sully was coming down the stairs.
 "Michaela's awake....and havin' a bath.  She's still real tired and weak,
but...",Sully trailed off and Dorothy smiled in response.
 "I told you she would be ok", Dorothy said as she came over to pat Sully's arm.
 "Here, let me take care of these and you go on back up there to Michaela", she
continued, taking the burden of linens from Sully's arms and turning to go.
 "Dorothy?" Sully's voice stopped her and she turned around.
 "Yes, Sully?" she questioned.
 "Would ya mind sittin' with Michaela a little later this afternoon?  I'd like
to go into town and wire her ma, and I'd like to check on Brian and Katie", he
said.
 "I'd be happy to", Dorothy replied.
 "Thanks, Dorothy", he said and turned to go back upstairs.  Dorothy just smiled
and turned to go take care of the linens.
 Michaela's eyes were closed when Sully returned to the bedroom, and Sully
wasn't at all surprised that she had fallen asleep.  Retrieving the wash cloth,
drying cloth and soap from the night table, he quietly knelt beside the tub and
placed and hand on her cheek to awaken her.
 "Michaela?" he questioned quietly, smiling into her eyes as she opened them
tiredly.
 "Here, let me help you", he said as he dipped the wash cloth into the bath
water, lathered it with soap and began to gently wash her body.  Michaela's eyes
closed again and she sighed audibly, content to just relax and enjoy her
husband's gentle ministrations.  Sully gently washed her body, then her hair,
then he got up, spread the drying cloth on the bed and went to get another.
 Carefully, he lifted Michaela from the bath and gently deposited her on the
drying cloth he had spread on the bed.  Using the other drying cloth, he dried
her body, then her hair.  Setting the drying cloths aside, he went to the closet
to retrieve a clean gown.  Gently he slipped the gown over her body, then tucked
the covers around her.
 "Thank you, Sully", Michaela told him weakly.
 "Shh, just rest", Sully told her, pressing a kiss to her brow and stroking her
hair.  The fog once again began to crowd in on Michaela's consciousness and she
surrendered willingly to it, falling into another deep and healing sleep.
 Sully was descending the stairs just as Dorothy came in the door from doing the
laundry.  Sully nodded to her, then went into the kitchen in search of food.  He
had just opened the cupboard when Grace walked in the door carrying some food.
 "Looks like you're just in time", Dorothy told Grace, sending Sully an amused
smile.
 "'Bout time you started to eat!" Grace said, her eyes twinkling at Sully's
sheepish look.
 "Come on, now, sit down and eat!" she told Sully, indicating a chair and
placing a plate of food in front of him.
 "Where's the babies?" Grace asked, noticing that the cradles were no longer
downstairs.
 "Up in the bedroom", Sully replied.
 "Michaela's doing much better!" Dorothy indicated,"she was even up having a
bath a little earlier."
 "She was?!  Oh, good!" Grace exclaimed, clasping her hands together over her
smile.
 "She's still real tired and weak....can't even hold the babies on her own yet",
Sully cautioned their excitement.  This news gave both women a pause, but Grace
recovered quickly.
 "Well, I know Dr. Mike, and she'll be just fine," Grace said, patting Sully on
the shoulder.
 "Well, I best be gettin' back, the cafe's overflowin' with customers today,"
Grace said wryly.
 "I'll ride back with ya,"Sully said getting up to get his coat.
 "Just where do you think you're goin', Mr. Sully?" Grace questioned
impertinently.  Sully smiled.
 "I'm goin' into town to see Brian and Katie, and to wire Michaela's ma,"Sully
teased back, using Grace's impertinent tone.  Grace, Dorothy and Sully all
laughed.
 "Well, hurry up now!  I ain't got time to wait for no dilly dallyers,"Grace
teased, always one to have the last word.
 "I'll clean up here and go sit with Michaela," Dorothy said, picking up the
used dishes and heading for the kitchen.
 "Thanks, again, Dorothy", Sully said as he followed Grace out the door.
 Dorothy made quick work of the dishes, then padded quietly up to Sully and
Michaela's room, her heart in her throat.  The amount of blood she had washed
out of the linens over the last week had been enough to really scare here, and
she wondered what kind of condition she would find her friend in.
 Michaela's face was a white as the sheets, her breathing was shallow, but even. 
Dorothy's heart ached to see her friend in this condition, and she gently took
one of Michaela's cool hands in her own as she sat in the chair beside the bed. 
With her other hand, she reached up to stroke Michaela's hair, then she sat back
to wait.
 Matthew, Brian, Timari and Katie were all having lunch at one of the tables at
the cafe when Sully and Grace rode up.  Katie was the first to see her father.
 "Papa!!!",the little girl shrieked, flying out of her chair into Sully's arms.
 "Pa!" Brian was not that far behind and Sully caught the boy in his other arm.
 "How's ma?" Matthew asked Sully, coming up behind the others.
 "You really have twins?" Timari asked, following at a slower pace.
 The questions came fast and furious and Sully just stood there grinning. 
Finally he called some order to the menagerie.
 "Whoa!  One thing at a time.  Let's sit down and I'll tell ya all I can", he
said as the anxious children scurried over to the table.  Katie opted to remain
in her father's arms, so Sully sat down in her chair.
 "Yer ma's still real sick, but it seems that her life isn't in danger anymore. 
Yes, we have twins, identical twins, and they're doin' fine.  They're a bit
small, but as long as we keep 'em bundled up and warm, they're ok", Sully began.
 "What do they look like?  How do you tell them apart?"Brian asked.  All the
kids were hanging on his words.
 "Byron Jr. is a little bigger than his brother, Josef and he has a full head of
hair with a grey streak in it right here," Sully said, indicating on his own
hair where his son's grey patch was.
 "Byron Jr. also has a very big appetite and is more than happy to let someone
know when he's hungry!" Sully explained wryly.  They all laughed at this.
 "Josef is a little smaller and a lot quieter.  He's a real sweet, docile little
guy and he doesn't have much hair",Sully finished.
 "Are you going to wire Colleen and tell her?" Matthew asked Sully.
 "Sure am, and I'm going to wire Michaela's mom.  I think we could use her help
for awhile", Sully said.
 Matthew rolled his eyes.  While Mrs. Quinn had warmed considerably to Michaela
and the family since she had her first look at Katie, Mrs. Quinn was still Mrs.
Quinn, and that often led to some uncomfortable moments.
 "It'll be nice to see Grandma again," Brian said.
 "Grandma!  Is grandma coming?" Katie piped up excitedly.
 "I don't know yet, we'll see," Sully told her, ruffling her hair.
 "When can we go come home?" Brian asked.
 "Go home, papa.  I miss mommy!" Katie told him.  Sully sighed.
 "I think you should stay at Grace's for another few days.  Yer ma's still real
weak and tired, and it would just be best to keep things as quiet as possible
for a few more days so she can get lots of rest",Sully replied.
 "Papa!" Katie protested.  But the others respected their father's wishes and
didn't question further.
 The conversation continued for a few minutes longer, then the gathering split
up to go their various ways.  Matthew returned to Preston's hotel to finish
working on the new addition.  Timari returned to the bank, and Brian ran back to
school.  Katie was reluctant to let go of her father, so Sully took her with him
to the telegraph office.  She promptly fell asleep on his shoulder as he was
crossing the street.
 "Hi, Sully!  How's Dr. Mike?" Horace greeted the man who approached the window.
 "Horace."  Sully nodded his head to the telegraph operator.   "She's still
pretty tired and weak, but so far, out of danger", he said, answering Horace's
question.
 "I hope she gets better soon.  What can I do for ya?" Horace asked.
 "I'd like to send a couple of wires, one to Colleen and the other to Michaela's
ma," he said.
 "Sure, thing!", Horace replied, taking out pencil and paper.  Sully proceeded
to dictate the contents of each wire.
 Michaela awoke slowly as the fog of sleep began to recede from her brain.  The
sensation of a small, seeminly feminine hand holding her own brought her wide
awake.
 "Dorothy?" Michaela questioned in confusion as she beheld her friend sitting
beside her.
 "Sully rode into town to check on the kids and send a wire to your mother,"
Dorothy answered her friend's unspoken question with a smile.
 "Do ya need anything?"Dorothy asked, gently stroking Michaela's hair from her
forehead.
 "I am a bit thristy," Michaela admitted quietly.
 Dorothy poured her friend a drink of water from the pitcher on the night table,
then supported her head and helped her drink.  Just then, hungry squeaks began
coming from the cradles in the room.
 "They must be hungry.  I can't feed them on my own," Michaela admitted
defeatedly to Dorothy.  Dorothy crossed the room and retrieved the two crying
infants.  Placing them on the bed beside Michaela, she propped her friend up
with pillows and began to help her take down her gown.
 "Dorothy!...I....what...I...", Michaela sputtered, her face coloring slightly
with a blush as she made a vain attempt to hold on to the strap of her gown with
her chin.
 "Now don't you go gettin' all embarrassed around me!" Dorothy ordered her
friend as she lowered the gown and placed the two hungry infants against their
mother's breast.
 "You're just a woman bein' the way God made ya to be.  I fed my younun's at my
breast too and there's no shame in that!" she told her friend as she helped
Michaela place her arms under the infants and support them.
 Michaela was still embarrassed, but realising the truth to her friend's
statement, and realizing that Dorothy was indeed her trusted friend, she
concentrated on relaxing back and enjoying this part of motherhood.
 "Telegram came for you, Miss Cooper", the dean said, handing Colleen a piece of
paer.
 Colleen scanned the message quickly and her face drained of color.  Rushing up
to her room she began to pack hastily, tears streaming down her face.
 "Telegram came for you, madam" the butler handed Elizabeth Quinn a piece of
paper.
 Elizabeth read the message and her heart lodged itself in her throat.  She
began to rush up to her room, fairly shouting orders as she went.
 "Get me on the first train to Colorado Springs!" she yelled to the butler.
 "Marie!  Go get my travel cases, quickly!" she yelled at the maid.
 Frantically, Mrs. Quinn began pulling clothes out of her wardrobe and throwing
them onto the bed.  Marie entered quietly, left the travel cases open on the
bed, and left quickly.  Mrs. Quinn continued to pack hastily, tears standing in
her eyes.



Part 6