Michaela sat in her clinic in Colorado Springs. She was writing on some papers for her files. She thought about her husband, Sully. He was presumed dead after falling off a cliff when he fought with Sgt. O’Conner. Sully was wanted by the army for treason. She searched for days and never found him. She realized that he was gone and assumed he was dead. Her children, Matthew, Colleen and Brian didn’t want her to give up hope but they understood that searching for days had taken its toll on her and realized that she needed to move on.  Matthew came in.

        “Ma, guess who is here,” Matthew said. Daniel, Sully’s best friend, came in.

        “Hello, Michaela,” Daniel said.

        “Hello, Daniel,” Michaela said.

        “I heard about Sully, I’m sorry, he was a great friend,” Daniel said.

        “Thank you, Daniel,” Michaela said.

        “Matthew told me you gave up searching for him,” Daniel said.

        “Yes, I did, I got tired of going out every single day, I didn’t want to give up but I need to get back to my patients,” Michaela said.

        “If you would like, I will continue the search for him,” Daniel said.

        “You would?” Michaela said.

        “Yes, I would,” Daniel said.

        “Thank you, Daniel, I would like that,” Michaela said.

        “I’ll go with you,” Matthew said.

        “Matthew, shouldn’t you stay in town, you are sheriff,” Michaela said.

        “The army is protecting the town, they gave up looking for Sully,” Matthew said. They went outside and talked. Sgt. McKay rode up in a wagon.

        “Dr. Quinn, found your husband,” Sgt. McKay said. Michaela went and saw Sully unconscious. They brought him inside and she examined him.

        “Matthew, get Andrew for me,” Michaela said.

        “Dr. Quinn,” Sgt. McKay said.

        “Sgt. McKay, my husband is badly hurt, Andrew is a doctor, he runs the clinic out at Spring Chateau,” Michaela said. Sgt. McKay nodded and sat down at her desk.

        “Looks like all his injuries are from the fall off the cliff,” Michaela said.

        “I will need to question him about Sgt. O’Conner’s death,” Sgt McKay said.

        “After I take care of him, Sgt McKay, he’s in no condition to be questioned,” Michaela said.

        “Has your husband ever committed murder, Dr. Quinn,” Sgt McKay said.

        “Other than a renegade Indian who kidnapped me and tried to kill him, no, the only way he would kill someone is if it was self defense, he would not kill anyone who didn’t try to kill him first, my husband is not a murderer, Sgt. McKay,” Michaela said.

        “With that said, no murder charges against your husband,” Sgt. McKay said.

        “All charges should be dropped,” Michaela said.

        “Dr. Quinn,” Sgt McKay said.

        “Matthew was reading some law books, in order to charge a man with treason, two officers of the army have to witness the act of treason, you said you saw Sully out there, but Matthew talked to the other men of the army and none saw Sully there,” Michaela said.

        “Dr. Quinn,” Sgt. McKay said.

        “Matthew got the information from the law books, he is sheriff after all, Sgt. McKay, if one of your men were to testify and none of them saw Sully, the case would be dismissed,” Michaela said.

        “I have to wire my commanding officer, and I will talk to my men,” Sgt McKay said.

        “I have written statements from all of your men, none say to have seen Sully,” Matthew said coming in with Andrew.

        “I will wire my commanding officer,” Sgt McKay said. He left. One of the men stood watch. Andrew and Michaela worked on Sully.

The next day, Sully was recovering in one of the rooms with an officer at the door. Michaela and Andrew were checking him over.

        “Looks like you are getting better,” Michaela said. Sgt McKay came in.

        “Sully, you are hereby released from custody, you are a free man,” Sgt. McKay said.

        “Sgt McKay,” Michaela said.

        “My commanding officer said the law books were right, if one person only seen the man committing treason, the charges must be dropped,” Sgt. McKay said.

        “Thank you, Sgt. McKay,” Michaela said.

        “Thank you,” Sully said.

        “Good day,” Sgt. McKay said. He left with the officer. Michaela checked Sully. Andrew left the room.

        “You okay,” Sully said.

        “I was so worried, searched for you for days,” Michaela said.

        “I know, I saw you guys,” Sully said.

        “What,” Michaela said.

        “I saw you and Matthew looking for me, but I thought it was best to stay hidden, in case the army followed you,” Sully said.

        “So you thought it was best to let us think you were dead, you could have gave us a sign that you were still alive without having to see you,” Michaela said.

        “I was trying to protect you and the kids, you guys would have been arrested for aiding and abetting, I didn’t want you all to be in trouble because of me,” Sully said.

        “There were ways you could have left a sign that you were alive, god, Sully, you had me thinking you were dead, I was mourning when you were alive all along and hiding that fact,” Michaela said.

        “I’m sorry, okay,” Sully said.

        “Sorry isn’t enough, Sully,” Michaela said. She left the room.  She looked at Andrew.

        “He is your patient now, I can’t help him anymore,” Michaela said. She went downstairs and sat down. Dorothy came in.

        “Michaela,” Dorothy said.

        “He knew we were looking for him, he let us think he was dead, I was mourning for no reason,” Michaela said.

        “Oh Michaela,” Dorothy said.

The next day, Michaela and Katie were at the train station.  Andrew, Matthew, Brian, and Dorothy were there.

        “Ma, Brian and I will take care of the homestead,” Matthew said.

        “Thank you, Matthew,” Michaela said.

        “And I will take care of the clinic and your patients,” Andrew said.

        “Thank you, I don’t know how long I will be gone,” Michaela said.  They all hugged and Michaela got on the train with Katie and it left the station.  Andrew, Matthew and Brian went back to the clinic.  Brian went to Sully’s room and looked at him.

        “Brian, I know, I messed up, I should have let you all know I was alive,” Sully said.

        “Just letting you know that Ma and Katie left a few minutes ago, they are going to Boston, Grandma is ill, but Matthew and I didn’t have to go,” Brian said.

        “She left because of me,” Sully said.

        “Sully, Aunt Rebecca sent a telegram, Grandma is really sick, she isn’t getting any better, and it is something that isn’t contagious, Ma went to see if she can help like she did before, the first time I was in Boston, Ma helped her get better with the medicine from the Cheyenne, remember,” Brian said.

        “If anyone can help your grandma, your ma can,” Sully said. Brian sat down on the bed next to him.

        “I missed you, Pa,” Brian said.

        “I missed you, too, Brian,” Sully said.

Meanwhile…..

Michaela and Katie arrived in Boston. They got off the train and Michaela got the bags and walked out of the train station with Katie.  She saw Marjorie.

        “Marjorie!” Michaela said. They hugged.

        “Rebecca said you were coming, where is everyone,” Marjorie said.

        “I made the trip with Katie alone,” Michaela said.

        “Come on, you must be tired, both of you,” Marjorie said. They got into the carriage and went to the house. They walked in and were shown to their room. Michaela laid down on the bed with Katie and they took a nap. A few hours later, they got up and went downstairs.

        “Michaela!” Rebecca said hugging her.

        “Rebecca!” Michaela said. They sat down and Michaela told her everything. Rebecca hugged her.

        “Oh Michaela, you know Sully loves you, he was only protecting his family, you might be in jail right now if he didn’t do what he did, you would be in jail for harboring a fugitive,” Rebecca said.

        “Rebecca,” Michaela said.

        “Michaela, every time I saw you and Sully together, I saw the love you have for each other, I saw the love Sully has for you, he loves you so much, he would do anything for you, he would die for you,” Rebecca said. Michaela sighed and looked at her sister.

Back in Colorado Springs….

Matthew and Brian brought Sully home and put him in bed.

        “I’m okay, you two,” Sully said. Daniel came in.

        “Sully!” Daniel said.

        “Daniel, what are you doing here,” Sully said.

        “Daniel came back to help look for you, he was going out to search for you when Sgt. McKay rode up with you,” Brian said.

        “I was worried,” Daniel said.

        “You are a great friend, Daniel, I’m glad you are mine,” Sully said as they shook hands.

Four weeks later, Sully was better and walking and he was in town at Grace’s Café having lunch with Brian and Daniel. Matthew came over and sat down. He handed some papers to Sully.

        “What’s this,” Sully said.

        “Horace gave them to me,” Matthew said. Sully opened them and read them and tossed them on the table and got up and left. Daniel picked them up.

        “What is it,” Brian said.

        “Petition for a divorce,” Daniel said.

        “Ma wants a divorce,” Brian said.

        “Looks like it,” Daniel said. He looked at Matthew and they nodded and went to the train station and got on the next train and headed to Boston. The train rolled in and they walked down the street. Matthew still had his badge on and his gun. The Boston cops saw him and walked over to them.

        “Sir,” One of them said.

        “Yes,” Matthew said.

        “You have a gun,” one said.

        “Yeah,” Matthew said.

        “No guns in town, sir,” one said.

        “Sorry, I’m the sheriff of the Colorado Territory, my ma is here in Boston with my sister, Michaela Quinn,” Matthew said.

        “Dr. Quinn is your mother?” one said.

        “Yes, sir,” Matthew said.

        “Sorry to have bothered you, have a good day,” one said. They went on their way. Matthew and Daniel walked to the house. They knocked on the door. Elliot opened the door and saw him and smiled.

        “Good day, Mr. Cooper, welcome, please come in,” Elliot said. Matthew and Daniel came in.

        “Elliot, this is Daniel, Daniel, this is Elliot, my grandma’s butler,” Matthew said. They shook hands. Rebecca came downstairs and saw them.

        “Matthew!” Rebecca said. She hugged Matthew.

        “Aunt Rebecca, this is Daniel, he is Sully’s best friend, they have known each other since they were ten years old,” Matthew said.

        “Nice to meet you,” Daniel said shaking her hand.

        “Rebecca is Ma’s eldest sister,” Matthew said.

        “She’s upstairs with your grandmother, who is making a great recovery,” Rebecca said. They went upstairs. They walked in and saw Elizabeth holding Katie and Michaela sitting there. They looked up and saw them.

        “Matthew, Daniel,” Michaela said.

        “Hi Ma, Hi Grandma,” Matthew said hugging Elizabeth.

        “This is a surprise,” Michaela said.

        “Grandma, this is Daniel, Sully’s best friend since they were ten years old,” Matthew said.

        “Ma’am,” Daniel said.

        “What brings you two out here,” Michaela said.

        “Sully got the divorce papers,” Matthew said.

        “Divorce papers, Michaela, you promised,” Elizabeth said.

        “Mother,” Michaela said.

        “You said you couldn’t get a divorce because you didn’t want Katie to grow up in separate homes,” Elizabeth said.

        “I’m sorry, Mother, but it was my choice, did he sign the papers,” Michaela asked.

        “No, we were having lunch at Grace’s when Matthew came over with the papers, he looked at them and threw them on the table and left,” Daniel said.

        “Just you and Sully?” Michaela asked.

        “Brian was with us,” Daniel said.

        “Oh dear,” Michaela said.

        “Brian would have found out sooner or later, Michaela,” Daniel said.

        “Ma, Sully is punishing himself for not letting you know he was alive, he loves you, I saw his face when he read the papers, he was devastated, I know how you felt when you thought he was dead, but he is feeling worse than you were, we are his family, Ma, you, me, Sully, Brian, Katie, Colleen, we are a family,” Matthew said.

        “Matthew,” Michaela said.

        “Ma, Katie needs her father, Sully loves her to death and you will kill him if you keep her from him,” Matthew said. Matthew picked up Katie and held her.

        “Matthew, please,” Michaela said.

        “I’m taking Katie home to Colorado Springs, you are welcome to come along, Sully needs her, we all do, and we all need you, too, Andrew is exhausted, running both clinics, don’t walk away from your clinic, you worked too hard to let it go,” Matthew said. He and Daniel left. They went back to Colorado Springs and went home and found Sully and Brian there with Colleen. Sully got up and took Katie and hugged her.

        “Where’s Ma?” Brian asked.

        “She didn’t come with us, I tried talking to her and she wouldn’t listen, so I picked Katie up and said that I’m taking her back with me, she was welcome to come along, she didn’t bother moving or stopping me from taking Katie with me,” Matthew said. Sully hugged Katie close. There was a knock at the door. Matthew opened the door and saw the federal marshal standing there.

        “I received a telegram about a kidnapped child, Katherine Sully,” he said.

        “She wasn’t kidnapped, I’m her big brother, I brought her home, I’m Sheriff Matthew Cooper of the Colorado Territory, I brought her home to her father,” Matthew said.

        “Oh, I’m sorry, Sheriff Cooper, the telegram from was from Dr. Michaela Quinn,” he said.

        “She’s my ma, and she didn’t stop me from leaving with her when I went to Boston, I told her she was welcome to come home with us but she didn’t leave with me, Katie as we call her is my little sister and she is with her father now,” Matthew said.

        “I’m sorry for all this, I didn’t know that my wife was taking her to Boston,” Sully said.

        “Have a good night,” he said. Matthew closed the door and looked at Sully.

        “She sent the federal marshal here, what is going on with her,” Brian said.

        “I don’t know, Brian, but she just crossed the line,” Sully said.

        “Pa,” Brian said.

        “Brian,” Sully said.

Three days later, Sully received a summons to court for custody of Katie. Michaela returned to Colorado Springs with Rebecca, Elizabeth, and Marjorie and a lawyer. Colleen and Andrew took Katie out to the Spring Chateau and closed themselves in a room. Everyone gathered at the church. Sully, Matthew, Daniel, and Brian on one side. Michaela, Elizabeth, Rebecca, and Marjorie on the other. Dorothy, Cloud Dancing, Grace, Robert E, Jake, Teresa, Hank, Preston, Horace, Loren, and the Reverend sat behind Sully. The judge sat down.

        “This is a custody battle between Byron Sully and Michaela Quinn for the custody of Katherine Sully, counsel, first witness,” the judge said. Michaela’s lawyer stood up and looked at the judge.

        “Sheriff Matthew Cooper to the stand,” he said. Matthew sat down.

        “You are sheriff of this territory, correct,” the lawyer said.

        “Yes,” Matthew said.

        “Yet, you came to Boston and took the child away from her mother and brought her back here, without her mother’s permission,” the lawyer said.

        “The child is my little sister, and her ma is my ma, I came to Boston to bring them both back to Colorado Springs, I brought my sister back to her father, my ma was welcome to come along but she didn’t, she didn’t stop me from taking my sister, she sent a federal marshal but I explained the situation and he left, your honor, Sully is a great father, he would give his life for his daughter, when my real ma died, Dr. Mike adopted me, my sister, Colleen, and my brother, Brian, we became a family, and she married Sully, he became our pa, our real pa walked out on us a long time ago, Sully came in and became our pa and we were a family, we had a lot of ups and downs but we stuck together, Sully got into trouble and had to stay away, for awhile we thought he was dead, we mourned him and he turned up alive when he was captured by the army, the charges against him were dropped, he let us all think he was dead to protect us, if he let us know he was alive and the army found out, we all would have been arrested for harboring a fugitive, he would do anything to protect his family, as would I, I do not want to lose my baby sister and if you give custody to my ma, I will, because she will take her back to Boston and I won’t get to see her all the time,” Matthew said. He looked at Michaela. He got up and stood in front of her.

        “Please, Ma, stop this, forgive him and let us be a family again, that is all he wants, he don’t want this, he don’t want to fight with you over Katie, he is only sitting here because he does not want to lose her,” Matthew said. He sat down by Sully. Michaela looked at Sully. Sully looked at her. She stood up and looked at the judge.

        “Your honor, I made a mistake, I want to drop this lawsuit,” Michaela said.

        “Case dismissed,” the judge said banging his gavel. Everyone left the church. Elizabeth, Rebecca, and Marjorie went with Brian and Matthew back to the homestead. Michaela sat there. Sully sat down beside her.

        “Sully, I’m so sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking, I was hurt and angry and I let that take over my life,” Michaela said.

        “I would never do anything to purposely hurt you, Michaela, I did what I thought was best for you and everyone,” Sully said.

        “I know that now, you were protecting your family,” Michaela said.

        “You and kids mean everything to me,” Sully said. Michaela starting crying and Sully hugged her.

        “I love you so much, Sully!” Michaela said.

        “I love you, too, we all do, please come home to us,” Sully said.

        “I want to come home,” Michaela said. They went to the homestead and walked in. Brian and Matthew hugged her. She smiled and hugged them.

        “Don’t leave us again, Ma,” Brian said.

        “I won’t, I promise,” Michaela said. Andrew and Colleen came in with Katie. Michaela hugged her and Sully hugged both of them to him. Colleen, Brian, and Matthew joined the hug.

        “My family,” Sully said. Katie giggled and they all laughed. They all sat down. Andrew sat next to Colleen and held her hand.

        “Colleen and I have an announcement to make,” Andrew said. Colleen smiled and looked at her family.

        “We are engaged to be married,” Colleen said. Everyone cheered and hugged them.

        “Congratulations!” Matthew said.