Summary: When Little Joe is seriously injured following an attack by bandits, Ben must rush him to the nearest doctor for immediate medical attention. Ben Cartwright is stunned to find that the doctor is a woman and he hesitates to let her treat Little Joe. But when her work proves to be exceptional, he has to put his preconceived notions aside and comes to accept Dr. Michaela Quinn for the professional woman that she is. But when Ben Cartwright begins to develop feelings for the beautiful lady doctor, she is torn between two men.<\/p>\n
Rating: T\/PG-13 Mild language and brief sexual innuendo. Word Count: 19,190<\/p>\n
Dr. Michaela Quinn MD<\/p>\n
A Bonanza\/Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman Crossover<\/p>\n
Part One<\/strong><\/p>\n The bandits had attacked so quickly and precisely that Ben, Hoss and Joe had barely had time to respond. All three men had suffered injuries from the attack but Little Joe was by far the worst of the three. He was shot in the chest and bleeding profusely. Ben had a deep cut in his right hand and wound above his left eye and Hoss had a graze wound to his left shoulder. To make matters worse, the bandits made off with the five thousand dollars they had made selling the cattle to the buyer in Pueblo. The loss of the money was a blow, but Ben was far more worried about Joe. They had done all they could to stop the bleeding, but Joe was desperately in need of a doctor. Ben couldn\u2019t keep his mind off the boy, he was constantly looking back at his son who lying slumped over in Cochise\u2019s saddle, his feet tied to the stirrups to keep him from falling off. He moaned with every bump of the horse as Ben led Cochise behind him, their horses running at top speed, causing Joe\u2019s injured body to bounce mercilessly in the saddle.<\/p>\n \u201cHe ain\u2019t looking well, pa,\u201d Hoss said.<\/p>\n \u201cI know Hoss, we just have to make it to Colorado Springs. I heard they have a doctor. He just has to hold on a few more miles till we get there.\u201d Hoss nodded silently, praying his little brother would make it that far. Ben was pushing them harder than he should have but they had been traveling for an hour and were nearly there. Cochise was doing all he could to keep up with his lifeless rider flopping on his back as he raced behind a charging Buck.<\/p>\n Joe was still alive when they pulled into the town of Colorado Springs. It was a small town, much smaller than Virginia City, but it was big enough. There was a general store directly ahead of them and a medical clinic housed in a large building that looked as if it used to be a boarding house. A few of the town\u2019s residents stopped and stared at them as they rushed into town. They were covered in blood and in a hurry.<\/p>\n Ben yanked Buck to a stop in front of the clinic and dismounted, cutting his son\u2019s feet loose from the stirrups as Hoss held him up. Joe\u2019s lifeless body leaned towards his father and Ben eased him off, as Hoss ran around the horse to assist his father in getting Little Joe inside the clinic. Ben burst through the door without knocking. A startled woman looked up from a book she was reading as they rushed inside.<\/p>\n \u201cPut him on the bed,\u201d the woman said as Ben and Hoss carried him to the examination table in the center of the room. The woman rushed up to Joe and pulled a stethoscope out of her bag and began to listen to his heart. Ben put a hand angrily on her arm and pushed her away.<\/p>\n \u201cMy son needs a doctor now madam!\u201d he said harshly.<\/p>\n \u201cI am the doctor,\u201d she said without looking at Ben. She pulled opened Joe\u2019s shirt to get a better look at the gaping wound on his chest.<\/p>\n \u201cA man would be preferable,\u201d Ben said startled at the amount of blood that was still on his son\u2019s chest. The woman didn\u2019t speak as she undid the makeshift bandage they had placed on Joe\u2019s chest.<\/p>\n \u201cColleen!\u201d she called. \u201cCome in here please!\u201d Ben looked towards the door behind him as a young woman who couldn\u2019t be more than fourteen emerged from the room.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to need to do surgery, this man\u2019s been shot.\u201d Colleen nodded and put on her apron and gathered supplies from a nearby shelf.<\/p>\n \u201cYou and that child<\/em> are not going to operate on my son, madam!\u201d Ben shouted. \u201cWhere in the hell\u2019s the real doctor?\u201d The woman glared at him.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m Dr. Michaela Quinn, I have my degree from the Woman\u2019s Medical College of Philadelphia Mr\u2026Uh\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCartwright, Ben Cartwright,\u201d Ben said angrily.<\/p>\n \u201cWell Mr. Cartwright, there is my degree on the wall over there if you care to look at it.\u201d Ben was torn between verifying the woman\u2019s credentials and standing beside his badly injured son.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be darned, pa, it does say she\u2019s a real doctor. Top o\u2019 her class and everything,\u201d Hoss said, reading from the diploma on the wall. \u201cHow \u2018bout that, a real live lady doctor!\u201d Ben was unimpressed.<\/p>\n \u201cI thank you for your efforts Mrs. Quinn, but I think I\u2019ll take my son elsewhere. I don\u2019t need him butchered by a woman and child playing doctor!\u201d Dr. Quinn ignored him as Colleen stood beside her, holding the lamp and cleaning away the blood. Dr. Quinn lifted her scalpel and began to remove the bullet. The young man\u2019s life depended on her quick actions, she had no time to argue with his ignorant father.<\/p>\n \u201cThe nearest male doctor is in Denver, Mr. Cartwright, your son will not survive the journey,\u201d Dr. Quinn said without looking up. \u201cHold the light a little higher,\u201d she instructed Colleen who continued to dab the wound.<\/p>\n \u201cPa, let her try,\u201d Hoss said still impressed and worried about his brother. \u201cA doc\u2019s a doc.\u201d Ben bit his lip and folded his arms tightly across his chest. He didn\u2019t want the woman and the young girl butchering his son, but what choice did they have?<\/p>\n \u201cIf you and your other son would step outside, I would appreciate it. I don\u2019t allow family in my operating room.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy son and I will stay right here madam!\u201d Ben said not budging from his son\u2019s side.<\/p>\n \u201cFine, but keep your mouth shut,\u201d Dr. Quinn said firmly. Colleen looked up at the two men, Ben was glaring at her and Hoss smiled kindly but worriedly at the girl. Ben held Joseph\u2019s hand and prayed that this woman knew what she was doing. She was Joe\u2019s only hope.<\/p>\n \u201cThe bullet is deep Colleen, you see it there?\u201d Dr. Quinn said, prodding the wounds. Joe moaned in pain. Colleen poured chloroform on a cloth and held it over Joe\u2019s mouth and nose until he relaxed.<\/p>\n \u201cI do, it\u2019s right up next to his artery,\u201d Colleen said quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, that\u2019s why he\u2019s bleeding so much.\u201d Ben looked over the small woman doctor\u2019s shoulder trying to see what she was talking about.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease step back Mr. Cartwright, you\u2019re blocking the light,\u201d she said. Ben huffed but complied, mumbling his protestations. The lady doctor ignored him as she carefully grabbed the bullet with her tweezers.<\/p>\n \u201cSteady Dr. Mike,\u201d Colleen said as Dr. Quinn pulled the bullet out slowly and carefully, her concentration unwavering. She didn\u2019t want to further nick the man\u2019s artery; he was bleeding enough as it was. Ben and Hoss held their breaths as the bullet inched out slowly, each man finally exhaling when the bullet clanked on the tin plate on the bedside table.<\/p>\n \u201cGood job ma,\u201d Colleen said, smiling brightly. Did the girl just call her \u201cma\u201d? Ben wondered looking at the young lady doctor. She didn\u2019t look old enough to have a daughter of thirteen or fourteen. Dr. Quinn did not look up from her ministrations.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a bleeder,\u201d the doctor said as Joe\u2019s blood sprayed from his body. Ben\u2019s heart was racing as blood stained the woman\u2019s apron. She sprung into quick action, Ben could not see what she was doing, but the younger girl was holding something inside the wound to quell the bleeding while the woman stitched it closed.<\/p>\n \u201cGot it,\u201d she said the relief evident in her voice.<\/p>\n \u201cThe worst is over,\u201d Dr. Quinn said looking at her patient\u2019s father who was standing beside her. His face was still set and his arms were still folded tightly across his chest, but he didn\u2019t seem as angry as before. \u201cNow we just have to stitch the wound closed and let him recover. He might need blood, but we can watch him overnight and see about that.\u201d Ben nodded silently, he was still angry at Dr. Quinn for the fact that she was a woman. His preconceptions just simply did not allow for the fact that this woman was more than competent.<\/p>\n Ben couldn\u2019t help but be impressed at the fine, tight stitching the woman did to close the wound in Joe\u2019s chest and the careful way in which she cleaned the blood from him. But he grabbed her wrist when she began to remove Joe\u2019s blood saturated pants.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll leave my son\u2019s pants where they are,\u201d he said firmly. Dr. Quinn glared at him.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll thank you to take your hands off me, Mr. Cartwright!\u201d she said as Colleen pulled off Joe\u2019s boots. \u201cI\u2019m a doctor. If this was your daughter and I was a male doctor would you stop me from removing her clothes?\u201d Ben hesitated. He wouldn\u2019t. He removed his hand from her wrist and stepped back.<\/p>\n \u201cColleen, please step out,\u201d Dr. Quinn said to the young girl. Ben looked at the girl who nodded and stepped into the next room. Ben felt better that the young girl would not see his son stripped bare.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you,\u201d he mumbled. The woman did appear to have some tact at least.<\/p>\n \u201cIf it makes you more comfortable, you can clean him yourself, but I do need to examine him for further injuries. From the looks of both Ben and his other son, they were all injured. They must have been attacked in some fashion. Ben nodded and stepped up to his son, undoing the button of his pants. He stopped and looked at the woman.<\/p>\n \u201cCan you step out?\u201d he asked. The woman glared at him.<\/p>\n \u201cI will not, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d she said quickly, her glare matching his. Ben sighed and stripped his son and cleaned the blood off him with a wet cloth the woman had provided.\u00a0 She stepped up beside Ben, she could feel his unease as she examined his naked son.<\/p>\n \u201cHe doesn\u2019t appear to have injuries anywhere else,\u201d she said reaching into a drawer beneath her desk as she pulled out a long shirt to dress him in.<\/p>\n \u201cI could have told you that myself!\u201d Ben said angrily as he hurried to pull the shirt down over Joseph to cover his nakedness. He relaxed when Joe\u2019s dignity was finally restored.<\/p>\n \u201cI have some recovery rooms upstairs if you and your son\u2026\u201d she looked at Hoss, realizing she didn\u2019t know his name or even her patient\u2019s name.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss, ma\u2019am,\u201d the largest man she\u2019d ever seen said, smiling at her. He extended his hand to shake hers but withdrew it when he saw her hand was still covered in his brother\u2019s blood.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you and Hoss would like to carry him upstairs, please.\u201d Ben nodded as the woman opened the door at where Colleen had disappeared behind and he and Hoss carried Joseph upstairs.<\/p>\n The recovery rooms were large, clean and well-lit and as Ben laid Joe on the bed, he felt better. Maybe the boy would live after all.<\/p>\n The woman doctor pulled the blankets up around Joe and made sure he was comfortable, she checked his pulse and his pupils. Ben watched her, holding his breath.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is his name, Mr. Cartwright?\u201d she asked without looking up from her patient.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph,\u201d Ben said feeling suddenly very guilty for the way he had acted towards the woman.<\/p>\n \u201cWe call him Little Joe, doc,\u201d Hoss added tentatively.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d prefer you call him Joseph,\u201d Ben said quickly. He still did not wish to be too friendly with the woman doctor. Dr. Quinn eyed him quickly. He was one hell of a hard man, she thought looking at him. She had just saved his son\u2019s life and still he refused to give her any credit at all.<\/p>\n \u201cI would appreciate if you will leave my sons and me in peace now Mrs. Quinn,\u201d Ben said harshly.<\/p>\n \u201cI will leave you in peace, but myself or Colleen will be back frequently to check on him. Your son\u2019s position is very precarious right now,\u201d Dr. Quinn said, slamming the door as she left. Hoss\u2019 eyes were riveted on the door.<\/p>\n \u201cDamn, a lady doctor, imagine that pa,\u201d he said. \u201cSure gotta admire that spunky little gal.\u201d His smile fell when he looked at his father\u2019s angry face.<\/p>\n \u201cThe medical profession is a man\u2019s world,\u201d Ben said sharply. \u201cIt\u2019s no place for a woman.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAww pa, who in the hell cares whether she\u2019s female or not? As long as she knows what she\u2019s doin\u2019, what difference does it make? And she is might purty, I wouldn\u2019t mind a doc like that tendin\u2019 to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe should leave it to the men.\u201d Hoss glared at his father. Ben Cartwright was normally a forward thinking man. He was not a racist and was friendly with the Indians that lived near them, even standing up for them when others were against him. Hoss was stunned at the closed mindedness of his father about the lady doctor.<\/p>\n \u201cThat lady doctor saved Joe\u2019s life pa. Stop bein\u2019 so damn set in your ways.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe hasn\u2019t saved Joe\u2019s life yet Hoss, we have no idea that he\u2019ll be okay\u2026\u201d Ben said, flopping down in a chair to keep vigil by his son\u2019s bedside. Twenty minutes later, Joe\u2019s eyes began to flutter as he woke up.<\/p>\n \u201cPa, where am I?\u201d Joe asked looking at this father.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s alright Joe. You\u2019ve just had surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s Hoss?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n \u201cRight here little brother. We\u2019re in Colorado Springs an\u2019 listen to this Joe, a lady doctor pulled the bullet out of you an\u2019 patched you up good as new.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo kiddin\u2019? A real lady doctor?\u201d Joe asked, still groggy, unsure he had heard correctly.<\/p>\n \u201cYep. I saw her certificate on the wall with my own two eyes\u2026she\u2019s purty as a picture too, Joe.\u201d Ben huffed.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter with pa?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s mad at the lady doc for bein\u2019 a woman I suppose,\u201d Hoss said.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t care if she is a monkey as long as she knows what she\u2019s doin\u2019,\u201d Joe said, exhausted and weak.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s real good Joe, you should\u2019a seen her\u2026\u201d Ben got up from the chair and started for the door. He didn\u2019t want to hear his son sing the praises of the woman he wanted to hate but currently had no reason to do so.<\/p>\n Dr. Quinn and Colleen were nearly finished stripping the bloody sheets off the operation table and replacing them with new ones when Ben entered the room. Dr. Quinn looked at him, her face set and professional.<\/p>\n \u201cIs something wrong with Joseph?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, he\u2019s awake and talking a little,\u201d Ben said. Dr. Quinn left what she was doing on the table and hurried past him to check on Joe. Ben let her go and stayed in the room watching Colleen, the girl continued her work uneasily.<\/p>\n \u201cColleen, is it?\u201d Ben asked the blonde haired girl. The girl nodded but didn\u2019t speak to him.<\/p>\n \u201cIs Mrs. Quinn your mother?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not Mrs. Quinn, it\u2019s Doctor Quinn, she\u2019s not married and yes she\u2019s my mother,\u201d Colleen said firmly.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought I heard you call her ma when she was removing the bullet from my son,\u201d Ben said trying to break the ice.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah\u2026\u201d Colleen said not wanting to talk. She looked at him over the pile of bloody linens in her hand. She might have to be cordial to him but she did not have to be friendly.<\/p>\n \u201cYou should have Dr. Mike have a look at you too,\u201d she said nodding at the bloody bandage around his right hand and the stream of dried blood that was running down his face. Ben had forgotten about his own injuries in the effort to save his son.<\/p>\n \u201cDr. Mike?\u201d Ben asked perplexed.<\/p>\n \u201cHer name\u2019s Michaela, but we all just call her Dr. Mike,\u201d the young woman said as she brushed passed him with the soiled linens. Ben watched her wondering about this mysterious woman doctor.<\/p>\n \u201cYour son appears to be coming along just fine Mr. Cartwright,\u201d Dr. Quinn\u2019s voice said startling him as she came out of the recovery rooms.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph\u2019s a strong boy,\u201d Ben said.<\/p>\n \u201cBoth of your sons are. I had a look at Hoss\u2019 shoulder, it\u2019s just a flesh wound and should heal up very nicely. I did put a little salve on it to help take the sting out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you,\u201d Ben said quietly. The silence fell heavily between them, the lady doctor was staring at his bandaged hand and the blood on his face he knew she wanted to look at it but wasn\u2019t sure how to broach the subject.<\/p>\n \u201cI should have a look at you as well, Mr. Cartwright, Hoss said you injured your hand and I\u2019d like to make sure that head wound isn\u2019t anything serious.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fine Miss Quinn,\u201d Ben said, his resistance to her doctoring coming back.<\/p>\n \u201cI prefer you call me Dr. Quinn,\u201d she said harshly. \u201cIt\u2019s what I am after all.\u201d Ben eyed the woman, she did have a lot of spunk. \u201cYou asked me to call your son Joseph and I honored your request. I would appreciate the same courtesy from you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFair enough, my hand and my head are fine Dr.<\/em> Quinn,\u201d Ben said emphasizing the title.<\/p>\n \u201cNonsense, that filthy bandage on your hand is soaked with blood and there is dried blood running down your face,\u201d Dr. Quinn said as she ushered him to the examination table, unwilling to take his protestations seriously as he sat down in a huff. He removed his hat so she could examine his head first. There was a deep cut above his left eyebrow that was the source of the blood.<\/p>\n \u201cThat should take a few stitches,\u201d she said pulling a needle and thread out of her bag as she spoke.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t need stitches, Miss, uh, Dr. Quinn. I\u2019m fine,\u201d Ben said grimacing as she dabbed at the wound.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a rather deep cut Mr. Cartwright and it will leave a scar on your face not to mention the risk of infection. Now hold still,\u201d she said ignoring him as she pushed the needle through his skin.<\/p>\n \u201cOw\u2026damn it woman!\u201d he said as she pulled the thread through the cut, making small, careful stitches so the scaring would be as minimal as possible.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd stop furrowing your brows, I cannot stitch like that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSorry it just hurts,\u201d he mumbled but complied. It didn\u2019t take as long as he thought and she was soon cleaning the wound and wiping the blood off his face.<\/p>\n \u201cOnly took six stitches, three across and three back, they\u2019re small so you should have very little scarring. Now for that hand,\u201d she said. Her reluctant patient pulled his hand back but she grabbed it and pulled it towards her.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you going to strip me as well to check for other injuries?\u201d he asked sarcastically.<\/p>\n \u201cNot unless you pass out on my table,\u201d she said as she looked at his hand. He had a rather long cut on his right palm. Given the cut over his eye and the wound in his hand, plus bruising on his left knuckles, she suspected they had been attacked and he engaged in close combat with the assailants.<\/p>\n \u201cThe hand will need stitching too,\u201d she said holding his hand out by his fingers as she cleaned it. He had forgotten how painful it was in his rush to save Joseph. The doctor cleaned his hand with something that made it sting and burn. He made a face and pulled his hand away again. She yanked it back.<\/p>\n \u201cLooks like a defensive wound,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m afraid this will hurt a quite a bit,\u201d she said as she threaded the needle again. He looked down at his palm, the cut ran diagonally from just below his index finger along the center line of his hand, ending just below his pinky.<\/p>\n \u201cMy sons and I were attacked by bandits on the road from Pueblo,\u201d Ben said. \u201cThey came at me with a knife, I grabbed the blade with my hand and that\u2019s how I got the cut on my hand. At some point in the struggle they tried to stab by face and that\u2019s how I got the one on my head. I don\u2019t remember which was first. They shot Joseph to keep us from following them\u2026ahhh\u2026\u201d Ben said as Dr. Quinn pushed the needle through his palm.<\/p>\n \u201cThere have been a lot of attacks out that way lately,\u201d Colleen said, startling Ben. He had not seen her come back into the room. \u201cThe army\u2019s been trying to round them up for months now. They escaped from the local prison several months ago.\u201d Ben nodded at the girl, grimacing as the woman doctor continued to stitch his hand. It hurt a lot more than his head did. He inhaled deeply.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry Mr. Cartwright, I know it\u2019s quite painful\u201d Dr. Quinn said gently.<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d he said through clenched teeth, his anger rising at the woman again. A man probably would have found a way to make it not hurt so much\u2026he stopped himself at the ridiculousness of the thought.<\/p>\n \u201cHands and fingers are incredibly painful,\u201d she said not looking up as she sewed his hand with the ease and grace of a woman making clothes. The stitching was tight and neat he noticed begrudgingly. But dear God it hurt, he thought.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s because your hands and fingers are packed with nerve endings,\u201d Colleen said excitedly as she wiped his hand while her mother sewed.<\/p>\n \u201cIs that so\u2026? Ow\u2026\u201d he said, gritting his teeth against the pain.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, that\u2019s what allows you to feel different textures and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cColleen, Mr. Cartwright probably doesn\u2019t want to hear all that right now,\u201d Dr. Quinn said without looking up from her work.<\/p>\n \u201cNo it\u2019s fine, it\u2019s a nice distraction\u2026ahhh\u2026damn that hurt\u2026sorry,\u201d he said when Colleen gasped and covered his mouth. He clenched his teeth and tried to think of something else. Dr. Quinn eyed him but did not chide him, she knew how bad it hurt. She didn\u2019t like swearing but she was a doctor and she knew it often came with the territory.<\/p>\n \u201cSwear all you want, Mr. Cartwright, I know it\u2019s hurts, I\u2019m trying to work quickly,\u201d she said a soothingly as she could. \u201cIt is very deep.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t like swearing in front of ladies,\u201d he said biting back a tirade of curses that were on the tip of his tongue. Dr. Quinn looked up at him and grinned slightly.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not a lady, I\u2019m a doctor,\u201d she said meeting his gaze. Ben wasn\u2019t quite sure he understood but did not say so.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat line of work are you in, Mr. Cartwright?\u201d she asked, trying to get his mind off the pain. He patient was breathing hard through his teeth, staring at his hand.<\/p>\n \u201cCattle ranching,\u201d he said, steadying his breathing. \u201cI own a ranch called The Ponderosa in Virginia City Nevada. We were selling some cattle to a man in Pueblo. That\u2019s what brought us out your way. How is it, Miss\u2026Dr. Quinn, that you came into your line of work?\u201d he asked her, watching as the line of stitches in his palm grew longer, closing the wound along the way. She pushed the needle in particularly deep and he cried out and pulled his hand away.<\/p>\n \u201cHoly shit,\u201d Ben hissed between breaths as he held his excruciatingly painful hand on his lap.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry. The wound is very deep,\u201d she said pulling his hand back towards her, somewhat more tenderly. She knew it must be torturous for him but it couldn\u2019t be helped. \u201cTry to relax your hand, the tenser your hand is, the more it will hurt. It sometimes helps to not look at it.\u201d The man looked at her, the agony evident in his eyes. How in the hell was he supposed to relax his hand? He cleared his throat and swallowed, his voice cracking slightly.<\/p>\n \u201cYou were saying?\u201d he said looking down at his hand, his teeth clenched. He looked away, taking in the small examination room of the clinic. He had to admit it was one of the tidiest he\u2019d ever been in. And it was comforting, not like many of the doctor\u2019s offices were saws and knives hung on the walls.<\/p>\n \u201cMy father was a doctor and I am the youngest of five girls. My father wanted a boy and well I used to accompany him on his rounds and just fell in love with it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHave you been doctoring long?\u201d he asked, still perplexed at how she could be Colleen\u2019s mother. The girl had to be at least thirteen years old.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I\u2019ve only been out of college for three years, I answered an ad to come out here when I graduated and that\u2019s how I came west. I\u2019m originally from Boston.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBoston\u2019s a fine town,\u201d Ben said, gasping at the pain of the stitching. She rubbed his palm gently with her thumb, trying to ease the pain. She was good, he had to admit that, most doctors didn\u2019t seem to care how much it hurt; they just worked even if you were screaming. At least with her, she tried to make the pain less and even asked if he needed water or a brief beak. He declined both.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve been there?\u201d she asked intrigued as she resumed her work.<\/p>\n \u201cI have. I\u2019ve been many, many places…ahh\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI bet that\u2019s hard on your wife to have you traveling so much,\u201d she said closing up the last part of the cut. \u201cIt\u2019s just a bit deeper here under your finger,\u201d she said pushing the needle deeply through his skin. The part below his index finger was very deep, almost to the bone. He gasped and gritted his teeth and proceeded to hold his breath. She noticed that his shoulders and back were rigid with pain and his left hand was holding on so tightly to the edge of the examination table, that the bruised knuckles on is left hand, were white the strain.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you okay?\u201d He nodded, even though he wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n \u201cTry not to hold your breath,\u201d she said softly. \u201cIt will deprive your brain of oxygen and could make the pain worse or cause you to pass out.\u201d He let his breath out through his teeth.<\/p>\n \u201cShall I continue?\u201d she asked. He nodded and she pushed the needle through his hand once more. He looked away again; he was looking for any way to keep control of his quickly wavering composure. He focused on the soft swoosh the thread made as it was pulled through his hand, he tried to listen to the sounds outside but nothing seemed to help. Sweat ran down his face and his breathing was hard and labored. Each pierce of the needle seemed harder and more painful than the last, and even the trailing of the thread behind it, hurt. He thought Joe got the better end of the deal, at least he had been asleep when the bullet was pulled out of him.<\/p>\n \u201cIt hurts like hell doc,\u201d he gasped without looking at her. Dr. Quinn did not look up.<\/p>\n \u201cI know but I\u2019m almost done,\u201d she said softly as she rubbed his wrist soothingly. \u201cYou were telling me about your wife,\u201d she said trying to distract him again.<\/p>\n \u201cOh yeah\u2026I\u2019m a widower, three sons, by three different women\u2026all of them passed on now, my first in childbirth, the second shot by Indians, and the third died in a fall,\u201d Ben said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry for your loses, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d she said, pulling the needle once more through his skin before she tied it off and cut away the excess thread. Then she cleaned the blood carefully from his hand.<\/p>\n \u201cAll done, now I just need to bandage it,\u201d she said. Ben finally looked back at his hand. There was a zigzag of stitches following the lines in his hand. They were tight, neat and carefully stitched. Her work really was remarkable.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you Dr. Quinn,\u201d Ben said, sighing in pain. \u201cThis line of work you\u2019ve chosen must be hard on you husband and children.\u201d She was rummaging through a drawer beneath the cabinet where she removed a large white roll of linen. She walked back to him, carrying it in her hand along with a small pair of scissors.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not married, Mr. Cartwright. I haven\u2019t found the right man yet. I won\u2019t give up doctoring just to marry\u2026\u201d Ben looked at Colleen again.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, you\u2019re wondering about Colleen, she and her brothers are adopted. Matthew, my oldest, is seventeen; Colleen\u2019s thirteen and my youngest boy is only six. I came into motherhood quite unexpectedly.\u201d Ben watched her as she wound the bandage around his hand, going between his thumb and forefinger in one smooth motion.<\/p>\n \u201cWell it looks like you\u2019re taking to it very well,\u201d Ben said surprising the doctor at the compliment. Colleen smiled at the man and went upstairs to check on Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cI think she\u2019s a bit smitten with Joseph,\u201d Dr. Quinn said as the girl disappeared up the stairs.<\/p>\n \u201cMost girls take to him quite fast, but don\u2019t worry, he won\u2019t try anything with Colleen, she\u2019s way too young for him.\u201d Dr. Mike nodded but she knew Colleen was developing a crush on the handsome young man. He watched as she finished wrapping the bandage around his hand, and tied it off at his wrist. The bandage was tight, but not too tight and it too was wound with care and accuracy.<\/p>\n \u201cI take it this is your dominant hand?\u201d she said nodding at the gun holster on his right hip.<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d he said, rubbing his hand through the bandage, the pain was still very strong.<\/p>\n \u201cTry to use it as little as possible. The pain will be the worst today and tomorrow. After that it should start to subside significantly. It will also start to feel stiff, try to move it a little when that happens, but not enough to tear the stitching. They should come out in about fourteen days to three weeks depending on how much care you take not to use it. I\u2019ll need to keep Joe for about a week, if you want to stay on longer I\u2019ll remove them for you, if not, don\u2019t wait more than three and a half weeks from now, otherwise the skin will start to grow around the stitches and removing them will be quite painful. Now about this bruising on your knuckles\u2026\u201d she said, taking his left hand. His knuckles were dark and split at places. He had put up quite a fight. She went to the shelf on the wall and took down a tin of some kind of salve. She walked back to him and put the tin down on the table and scooped out a large helping on her fingers.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a medicine given to me by the Cheyenne. It\u2019s made from some kind of herb, hemp I think. It works wonders with pain,\u201d she said rubbing the balm into his bruised knuckles. He started to protest that he didn\u2019t want Indian medicine, but his protestations quickly abated as the balm she was massaging in to his skin did seem to relieve the pain.<\/p>\n \u201cHow did you break your fingers, Mr. Cartwright? It looks like an old injury,\u201d she said without looking up while she gently stretched out his left middle and ring fingers to examine them. If one looked with an expert eye, they were ever so slightly crooked. She was the first doctor to ever notice.<\/p>\n \u201cHow can you tell they\u2019ve been broken? It was a very long time ago,\u201d he said quickly, wanting her to resume massaging his hand.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a doctor, I know when fingers are not quite as they should be.\u201d Ben smiled as she resumed rubbing the Indian salve into his knuckles. It was soothing and he felt the tenseness in his back and shoulders starting to relax as well.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I was a boy, I used to use my left hand for almost everything and my mother didn\u2019t like that. She wanted me to switch hands, but I guess I was just a little too stubborn for her liking.\u201d Dr. Quinn set the tin of salve down on the table and looked at him, anger in her eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cYour mother broke your fingers so you wouldn\u2019t use your left hand?\u201d she asked, incredulous.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, in her defense, she did try everything she could to make me switch hands but I can be very bullheaded. Breaking my fingers finally did the trick. She was a very superstitious woman; she said it was the sign of the devil. When Joseph turned out to be left handed, I swore I\u2019d break anyone\u2019s neck that tried to make him switch hands. I didn\u2019t see any reason to put the boy through all that.\u201d Despite Dr. Quinn\u2019s dislike of the man in front of her, he didn\u2019t seem to be completely terrible.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no defending that kind of ignorance Mr. Cartwright,\u201d Dr. Quinn said firmly noting that his fingers should have been splinted properly to prevent them from healing slightly crooked.<\/p>\n \u201cDo they cause you much pain?\u201d she asked, ever the doctor. Ben pulled his fingers back from her, not wanting anymore doctoring. He feared she might suggest breaking them again to make them heal straight. He wasn\u2019t about to let her do that.<\/p>\n \u201cNow and again; they can get quite painful when the weather changes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve probably developed some rheumatism. When you feel the pain starting, soak your hand in the hottest water you can stand for about twenty minutes several times a day, which should help ease the pain significantly. Also stretching your fingers when the stiffness starts will help as well, start by making a fist and holding it for about twenty or thirty seconds, then bend your fingers separately and hold it for about twenty seconds.\u201d She walked to the shelf and retrieved a glass, poured water in and mixed a powdery substance into it. She stirred it and walked to him.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, I\u2019ll try that,\u201d he said. He had seen many doctors in his life and none had ever noticed his fingers or told him how to ease the pain in them that seemed to get worse as he aged.<\/p>\n \u201cHere drink this?\u201d she said handing him the glass.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLaudanum, it will help relieve the pain you\u2019re feeling now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m alright,\u201d he said, thinking that his hand was extremely painful.<\/p>\n \u201cStop being so stubborn and just drink it. You\u2019re clearly in pain.\u201d He started to protest but his hand did hurt like hell. He took the medicine and drank it quickly.<\/p>\n \u201cIt might make you tired so don\u2019t go riding anywhere for the time being.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t. Are you done now?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. But we don\u2019t have much of a hotel for you to stay in, the saloon across the street does rent rooms, or you and Hoss can stay in the extra recovery room upstairs if you wish.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t wish to intrude on your practice Dr. Quinn, Hoss and I will take rooms in the saloon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt won\u2019t be intruding on my practice, Mr. Cartwright. Please feel free to stay. There is a livery stable around the corner where you can board your horses.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll take them there now,\u201d Ben said getting up to leave. He paused in the doorway.<\/p>\n \u201cI just wanted to say thank you for saving Little Joe,\u201d he said. She nodded at him as he put on his hat and hurried outside. She was still angry with him.<\/p>\n ****************************************************************************<\/p>\n \u201cRancher you say?\u201d\u00a0 Olive Davis said as she and Dr. Mike walked from the store.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, apparently he has as spread in Virginia City called The Ponderosa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Ponderosa? That Ben Cartwright?! It\u2019s more than a \u201cspread\u201d Dr. Mike, that ranch is one thousand square miles. He\u2019s got the biggest ranch west of the Rocky Mountains.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s insufferable,\u201d Dr. Quinn said strolling with her friend that afternoon.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s honest to a fault from what I hear, he\u2019s a man of high moral values\u2026I hear he\u2019s quite the looker too,\u201d Olive said leaning close to her friend.<\/p>\n \u201cI hadn\u2019t noticed,\u201d Michaela said quickly.<\/p>\n \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t, you only have eyes for Sully,\u201d she said. \u201cWhere is Sully by the way?\u201d Dr. Quinn\u2019s heart sank. She had had a fight with the aloof mountain man and she hadn\u2019t seen him in a week.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know Olive. We quarreled as you know and he took off. He\u2019s probably with Cloud Dancing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCloud Dancing does have a way of grounding him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI suppose, I guess I just want to know where I stand with him. One minute I know he\u2019s in love with me and the next I\u2019m not sure. He won\u2019t tell me or ask me to court him, what am I to think? Was I wrong to demand an answer from him Olive?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe\u2026men like Sully are easily spooked. You have to give him time.\u201d Dr. Quinn was willing to give Sully time, but she wouldn\u2019t wait for him forever. She needed to know where they stood and if he was serious about her or not. He had made her a sign for her practice and she was even renting his house. He seemed to always be around when she needed him, but she needed to know if he was just being neighborly or if he really had feelings for her and he did not seem ready to decide that.<\/p>\n \u201cIs that Ben Cartwright?\u201d Olive asked as the silver haired man approached her clinic.<\/p>\n \u201cYes that\u2019s him,\u201d Dr. Quinn said sizing up the man.<\/p>\n \u201cDear Lord in heaven,\u201d Olive said. Dr. Mike looked at the older woman, surprised and a bit confused. Olive winked at her. \u201cThat is one fine looking man,\u201d Olive remarked, quickening her step to catch up with him.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Cartwright!\u201d Olive called from a way off. The rancher paused outside the clinic and turned to the woman.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Cartwright. I\u2019m Miss<\/em> Olive Davis, I own a cattle ranch myself,\u201d she said quickly. He extended his right hand, forgetting the injury for a moment until Miss Olive\u2019s very firm handshake became a painful reminder. Dr. Mike saw him grimace, even though Olive did not. \u00a0Olive continued to shake his injured hand, completely oblivious to the rancher\u2019s discomfort, holding tightly despite his efforts to retrieve his aching hand from her grasp.<\/p>\n \u201cOlive you might pop out the stitches I just put in that hand,\u201d Dr. Mike said coming to the rescue. Miss Davis looked down at the hand still clamped tightly in her own and released his hand quickly.\u00a0 Mr. Cartwright took his hand back and tried to rub it discreetly, as he gave a very grateful smile to Dr. Mike for coming to the rescue.<\/p>\n \u201cForgive me I didn\u2019t realize\u2026I mean well I just didn\u2019t think\u2026\u201d she stammered at Cartwright\u2019s pained expression. He exhaled loudly. Dr. Mike could almost feel the pain herself just by the expression his face.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s alright. It\u2019s wonderful to meet another rancher Miss Davis,\u201d he said. \u201cYou run the ranch yourself?\u201d Olive Davis stood up straight, her face proud.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a matter of fact I do,\u201d she said quickly.<\/p>\n \u201cImpressive. How big is your herd?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA thousand strong,\u201d she said proudly.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a good sized heard. Texas Longhorns?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOnly kind I raise,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are a fine stock, Miss Davis,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cCall me Olive,\u201d she said, trying to hide the attraction she felt.<\/p>\n \u201cVery well Olive. Good day,\u201d he said starting to go into the clinic.<\/p>\n \u201cWait, Mr. Cartwright, may I call you Ben?\u201d He nodded. \u201cHow would you like to come out and see my ranch sometime?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure,\u201d he said. \u201cThat would be lovely.\u201d He smiled and Olive\u2019s knees went weak.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re lovely\u2026I mean you\u2019re too kind. Would you like to have lunch tomorrow at the caf\u00e9 and we can go out and see my herd? Strictly business of course,\u201d she added realizing she was being very forward asking a man to lunch.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah okay, always like to have connections in the towns I pass through. I\u2019ll see you at the caf\u00e9 tomorrow at noon then we\u2019ll see about your herd. I don\u2019t want to leave my son for very long. Grace\u2019s Caf\u00e9 by the livery stables, right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the one. Dr. Quinn, I would be honored if you\u2019d join us,\u201d Ben said. Olive\u2019s face fell and she tried to glare at her friend, but the good doctor was not looking at her.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s very kind of you Mr. Cartwright.\u201d Ben touched the brim of his hat to the women and disappeared inside the clinic still rubbing his right hand. Olive Davis exhaled.<\/p>\n \u201cHave you ever seen such a fine man in your whole life Dr. Mike?\u201d she asked her heart racing. Dr. Mike thought Sully was, but didn\u2019t say so. She was mad at Sully and maybe she shouldn\u2019t be pining for him after all. He seemed to want nothing to do with her lately.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, you don\u2019t have to join us tomorrow Dr. Mike,\u201d Olive said. But Dr. Quinn did not take the hint. She wanted to join them, she was ready to distract her mind from Sully and the confusion she felt towards the mountain man. She was warming up to Ben Cartwright a bit and she wanted to see what kind of person he really was. He did have some backwards ideas about women doctors, but he had been reasonable when it came to his son\u2019s left-handedness. There might be a bit more to him than she initially thought.<\/p>\n \u201cDid he tell you if he\u2019s married?\u201d Olive asked as they continued their stroll towards the church. It was a lovely day for a walk and she needed to clear her mind.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a widower three times over,\u201d Dr. Mike said. \u201cThree sons by three different women.\u201d Olive was delighted to learn he was not married and was a widower. That was one thing they had in common. She was a widow herself although she didn\u2019t really regret it, her husband had not been a kind one, however, that was one thing Ben didn\u2019t have to know. They could share their stories of grief for lost spouses.<\/p>\n \u201cYou suppose he could find me attractive Dr. Mike?\u201d she asked. Dr. Quinn was startled. Of all the women she\u2019d ever known, Olive Davis was not one to be easily smitten. She was one of the hardest women Dr. Quinn had ever known and did not seem to have any use for men whatsoever.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t see why not Olive,\u201d Dr. Quinn said, smiling at her friend. She interlocked her arm with Olive\u2019s and the two women strolled on each lost in their thoughts and confusion about men.<\/p>\n ****************************************************************************<\/p>\n \u201cI still say you owe Dr. Mike an apology,\u201d Hoss said to his father that afternoon as they gathered in Joe\u2019s recovery room. His father stood with his back to them, looking out the window.<\/p>\n \u201cDr. Mike?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYep, she said I could call her that,\u201d Hoss said proudly. \u201cYou were plum rude to her pa.\u201d Joe lay in bed, he was in pain but was alert. Colleen had been coming in an out to attend to him and had even given him some broth which he managed to keep down. \u00a0Ben was grateful that it didn\u2019t seem like he was in need of a blood transfusion after all. Dr. Quinn thought he could recover his blood loss by staying in bed and getting plenty of food and rest.<\/p>\n \u201cI agree with Hoss, pa, she\u2019s a fine doctor and you were pretty hateful to her from what Hoss tells me.\u201d Ben turned back towards his sons, his arms folded tightly across his chest.<\/p>\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t hateful to her Joseph, I just wasn\u2019t expecting a woman doctor okay?!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou implied that just \u2018cause she\u2019s a woman she don\u2019t know what she\u2019s doin\u2019. You told her when Joe was bleedin\u2019 to death that you preferred a man an\u2019 that she was \u201cjust playin\u2019 doctor.\u201d That ain\u2019t the way you taught us pa. I\u2019m surprised at how you acted. It was downright embarassin\u2019 if you want to know the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh I agree pa, Dr. Mike\u2019s a fine doctor,\u201d Joe chimed in. \u201cPrettiest doctor I\u2019ve ever seen too,\u201d Joe added for good measure. Hoss smiled at his brother and nodded in agreement.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I\u2019m old fashioned, what\u2019s wrong with women having their roles and men having theirs?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just plum ignorant,\u201d Hoss said firmly his voice raising. \u201cLots of folks feel that white folks got a right to own black folks too an\u2019 you always told us that was wrong. Lots of folks think it\u2019s okay to slaughter Indians too just \u2018cause they\u2019re Indians\u2026you taught us that is wrong too\u2026You know Little Joe, he even refused to call her Dr. Quinn! He kept calling her Mrs.<\/em> Quinn!\u201d Joe looked at his father, who was now looking at his feet, Hoss was right. He was being very hypocritical. Had he really sounded that bad?<\/p>\n \u201cWhat difference does her gender make pa?\u201d Joe asked quickly, his voice slightly weak. \u201cYou raised us to judge a person by their character, not by the color of their skin. Doesn\u2019t that also apply to what\u2019s between their legs or what\u2019s not?\u201d Joe asked bluntly.<\/p>\n \u201cYes Joseph, it does,\u201d Ben said abashed at how he had acted. Hearing it thrown back at him by his disappointed sons made him sound terrible. \u201cThank you for pointing it out to me boys. I guess I didn\u2019t realize how foolish I sounded. I shall apologize to her the first chance I get. She and her friend are having lunch with me at the caf\u00e9 tomorrow, Hoss, I\u2019d like you to join us if you\u2019re not too embarrassed to be seen with me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll go as long as you apologize first,\u201d Hoss said. Hoss was not easily angered but when he was, he wore it on his sleeve. His blue eyes were hard and distant. He was still mad but was starting to soften. \u201cShall we have some dinner Hoss and then turn in for the night?\u201d Hoss nodded and followed his father out of the room.<\/p>\n Dr. Quinn was at her desk when they returned from the caf\u00e9. Hoss nodded at his father, suggesting that the time for the apology was at hand and headed upstairs to the spare recovery room. Ben lingered in the examination room. He removed is hat and approached her desk.<\/p>\n \u201cDr. Quinn\u2026I afraid I acted quite terribly to you today and I just wanted to say I\u2019m sorry,\u201d he said quickly. Dr. Mike stared into his eyes, her arms folded across her chest. He thought she was quite pretty after all.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m used to men like you Mr. Cartwright,\u201d she said quickly, not willing to forgive him that easily.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s just it, I\u2019m not that kind of man.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAren\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2026I\u2019m really not. I\u2019ve taught my sons to judge a man by his character, not by the color of his skin. I guess I just never realized that that doesn\u2019t just apply to men. I suppose that old habits die hard Dr. Quinn and I\u2019ve lived in a man\u2019s world for a very long time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTimes are changing, Mr. Cartwright. This world isn\u2019t just for men anymore. The way we change that is by men like your sons who are willing to accept a woman in a role she\u2019s chosen for her life, not the boxes that men like you think they should be in!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy boys gave me a very sound tongue lashing for the way I treated you today and it made me realize how terribly I acted towards you. I know that you think I don\u2019t mean it but I really am sorry. I hope you\u2019ll find it in your heart to forgive me and give me another chance to prove to you that I\u2019m not the kind of man you think I am. If it wasn\u2019t for you and Colleen, Little Joe would be dead right now. Thank you again for saving him even when I was acting so terrible. You really are a fine doctor.\u201d Ben put on his hat and started for the door. He wouldn\u2019t blame her if she didn\u2019t ever forgive him. He had belittled her and her profession. He knew exactly how it felt to have someone question his knowledge about ranching, she must be feeling the same way.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Cartwright, wait,\u201d she said standing up and coming towards him. \u201cI accept your apology, let\u2019s start fresh,\u201d she said extending her hand to him. He took it in his right fingers, avoiding his injured palm, she was careful to avoid his palm as well. \u201cI\u2019m Dr. Michaela Quinn, my friends call me Dr. Mike.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPleased to meet you Dr. Mike. I\u2019m Benjamin Cartwright, my friends call me Ben,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cPleased to make your acquaintance Ben,\u201d she said smiling beautifully at him. His heart fluttered in his chest. Her hand felt warm in his and he hesitated to let her hand go. But she pulled back quickly and looked away her cheeks flushing slightly. Olive was right, he really was quite dashing. Especially his eyes, they were as black as coal.<\/p>\n \u201cWell Ben, you and Hoss make yourselves comfortable, I\u2019ll be staying in the third recovery room. I always stay in the clinic when I have patients. Let me know if you need anything at all or if Joseph starts hurting. I\u2019ve given him laudanum so he can sleep tonight. He still needs a lot of rest. The outhouse is in the back and there should be fresh water in the wash basin the room you and Hoss will be staying in.\u201d Ben nodded and started up the stairs, feeling much better than he had all day. It was hard to swallow his pride and admit that he had been wrong, but it felt much better to finally do it.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you for your apology Ben, it means a lot to me,\u201d she said. He paused in the doorway and smiled at her. He could get used to her smile, he thought as he walked up the stairs.<\/p>\n Part Two<\/strong><\/p>\n After the argument with Dr. Mike, Sully went to the only person he could trust to sort out such matters, his best friend and surrogate father, Cloud Dancing, a Cheyenne Medicine Man. As always, Cloud Dancing\u2019s advice had been wise, even if Sully had not wanted to hear it. Cloud Dancing had agreed with Dr. Mike, that if Sully had feelings for her, he should tell her how he felt. It was not fair to her to not be truthful about his feelings, but he was scared to tell her, afraid she might not feel the same and even more afraid that something terrible might happen to her and he would lose her forever. Cloud Dancing pointed out that if he continued not to tell her how he felt, he would lose her forever anyway.<\/p>\n But Sully wasn\u2019t sure he wanted to go crawling back to town and swallow his pride to Dr. Mike. He wanted her to come to him, but that would only happen if he went back to town. He had been away for a week and he doubted very much that she even knew for sure where he was and if she did, he doubted even more, that she would venture out to find him just to apologize for something she hadn\u2019t been wrong about in the first place. They weren\u2019t even courting and she really didn\u2019t even know if he was sweet on her or not. Still he decided that he would head back for town the next morning and try to catch up to her and some point and maybe they could start a conversation. It would be the easiest way and if she apologized first that would be even better.<\/p>\n The clinic was empty of Dr. Mike when Sully arrived the following afternoon. It wasn\u2019t entirely strange for her to be gone in the middle of the day, she often went out walking with Olive or might have been called away on an emergency. He was both relieved and disappointed when he didn\u2019t find her. On the one hand it bought him more time to think about what he was going to say, but on the other hand, it just prolonged the whole ordeal. Part of him had hoped to just get it over with. When Sully did not find her in the store either, he decided to check with Robert E, the town blacksmith. He was good friends with both Sully and Dr. Mike and might know where she had gone too.<\/p>\n \u201cHey Robert E,\u201d Sully said approaching the large former slave as he hammered a horse shoe.<\/p>\n \u201cHey Sully, where\u2019ve you been?\u201d Robert E asked, dunking the shoe in water. Sully followed him as he approached the corral. There were three very beautiful and expensive looking horses in it. Robert E. approached the buckskin horse and began to replace the shoe.<\/p>\n \u201cOut,\u201d Sully said in response to his question.<\/p>\n \u201cWell that\u2019s obvious, where was you \u201cout\u201d to?\u201d the blacksmith asked, expertly replacing the shoe while he talked to his friend.<\/p>\n \u201cVisitin\u2019 Cloud Dancing,\u201d Sully said absently.<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019s he doin\u2019?\u201d Robert E. asked setting down the horse\u2019s foot as he patted its neck.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s fine. Have you seen Dr. Mike?\u201d Robert E. began to brush out the buckskin.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve been avoidin\u2019 her ain\u2019t ya?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe\u2026whose horses are those?\u201d Sully asked.<\/p>\n \u201cSome big rancher fella named Ben Cartwright from Virginia City, they\u2019re some of the finest horses I ever laid eyes on, let alone had boardin\u2019 in my stalls,\u201d Robert E. said admiringly. \u201cIn fact Cartwright and his son and Miss Olive are over at the caf\u00e9 right now having lunch with Dr. Mike.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks Robert E.,\u201d Sully said patting Buck\u2019s nose as he started towards the caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n \u201cSully, if you ask me that fella\u2019s a little sweet on Dr. Mike,\u201d Robert E. said, stopping the mountain man in his tracks.<\/p>\n \u201cThe rancher?\u201d Sully asked. Robert E. nodded and went back to work. Sully looked from his friend towards the caf\u00e9. Grace\u2019s Caf\u00e9 was attached to the livery stables in an outdoor section that used to be part of the livery.<\/p>\n The path to the caf\u00e9 ran from the livery, down behind the clinic. Sully approached slowly, not willing to enter the caf\u00e9 if Dr. Mike was having lunch with another man. He watched from a distance, being careful not to be seen. Dr. Mike was having lunch with two men and Miss Olive. Sully didn\u2019t know which one was \u201cthe big rancher from Virginia City,\u201d but he suspected it was the older one. He was smiling at Dr. Mike and he was laughing, a booming laugh that weakened Sully\u2019s resolve to tell Dr. Mike how he felt. Instead of approaching her like he had planned, he turned and ran away from the caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n \u201cMy but you do eat a lot,\u201d Grace said as Hoss finished his second plate of fried chicken.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s just getting started,\u201d Ben said smiling at the woman over the brim of his cup of iced tea.<\/p>\n \u201cWell Miss Grace here shore is a fine cook\u2026no offense pa, but your cookin\u2019 on the trail tastes like eatin\u2019 a boot,\u201d Hoss said, talking quickly between bites. Ben chuckled.<\/p>\n \u201cI never was much of a cook, I\u2019m afraid,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cMe either,\u201d Dr. Quinn said. Ben swallowed his tea and put down his cup.<\/p>\n \u201cReally? I would think that you were a fine cook,\u201d he said. Olive noticed that his eyes were dancing when he spoke to her friend.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had servants when I was growing up and I\u2019m afraid I was much too preoccupied with other things to learn how to cook. Fortunately Colleen is an excellent cook and she\u2019s been giving me some pointers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve won the blue ribbons at the fair for the last five years for my apple pies,\u201d Olive added.<\/p>\n \u201cIs that so? Nothing quite like a fine apple pie,\u201d Ben said. \u201cOur cook Hop Sing makes some pretty good pies, doesn\u2019t he Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh yes ma\u2019am,\u201d Hoss said still occupied with his chicken.<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing? That\u2019s an interesting name. Where\u2019s he from?\u201d Dr. Mike asked.<\/p>\n \u201cChina,\u201d Ben said taking bite of his food. \u201cHe\u2019s been with us a long time, he\u2019s like a brother to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve had some Chinamen working for me on cattle drives. I must stay they are hard workers,\u201d Olive agreed. Ben nodded at her but his eyes were on Dr. Mike.<\/p>\n \u201cMore iced tea gentlemen?\u201d Grace asked stopping at their table with a pitcher of the fresh tea.<\/p>\n \u201cYes thank you,\u201d Ben said as she filled up his glass. Hoss nodded that he too wanted more, but his mouth was too full to speak.<\/p>\n \u201cSo you\u2019re the Ben Cartwright from Virginia City\u2026My sister Harmony told me a lot about you,\u201d Grace said. Ben looked at her quizzically then his face lit up with recognition.<\/p>\n \u201cHarmony Jackson is your sister?!\u201d Grace nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cMy baby sister.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be darned pa,\u201d Hoss said smiling.<\/p>\n \u201cShe wrote to me how you showed up at the Freedman\u2019s School with a wagonload of new textbooks, slates and backboard for the school. She said she cried like a baby. It was the happiest moment of her life since the Emancipation.\u201d Ben smiled under the woman\u2019s praise.<\/p>\n \u201cShe said the white folks were up in arms \u2018cause the Freedman\u2019s School had newer textbooks than the white school.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI thought them ol\u2019 bitties on the school board was gonna tar an\u2019 feather pa right then an\u2019 there,\u201d Hoss said, smiling as he finally finished his food.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think they would have gone that far, Hoss, but they were quite upset. I swear old Mrs. Cunningham still won\u2019t speak to me to this day,\u201d Ben said. Olive\u2019s heart sank when she saw the way Dr. Mike was looking at Cartwright, the admiration was evident on her face.<\/p>\n \u201cWas a fine thing you done, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d Grace said.<\/p>\n \u201cAh well, those children deserve it, they\u2019ve had a hard enough life as it is. A good education can go a long way in giving a person a leg up in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWould you and Hoss care for some pie, on the house of course?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m about to burst if I eat more but I\u2019ve never known Hoss to turn down pie,\u201d Ben said. Hoss\u2019 face lit up.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat kind do you have?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor you, whatever you want,\u201d Grace said happily. Hoss licked his lips, trying to decide if it was feasible to have one of each. Ben hid his face in his hand and chuckled, looking at Dr. Mike through his fingers. She smiled kindly at him and he was smitten.<\/p>\n Dr. Mike enjoyed the lunch more than she thought she would. Hoss was quite pleasant and she found it was easy to talk to Ben Cartwright. As she and Olive walked back to the clinic, Dr. Mike had not seen what the older woman had seen, which was that Ben was attracted to the doctor and not to her. Olive Davis tried not to be jealous, but she was. Ben Cartwright couldn\u2019t take his eyes off Dr. Mike during the entire lunch. He was engaging with Olive but he always looked to Michaela to see if she was amused by the conversation. It was upsetting.<\/p>\n \u201cWell that lunch didn\u2019t go as I planned,\u201d Olive said as they arrived back at her brother, Loren Bray\u2019s store.<\/p>\n \u201cWhatever do you mean Olive?\u201d Dr. Mike asked. Was she really that clueless that she couldn\u2019t tell when a man was sweet on her? \u201cI thought it was quite lovely. Ben and Hoss are actually quite charming. I was very impressed about what he did for the Freedman\u2019s School. Not everyone would do that.\u201d Olive tried not to sneer at her.<\/p>\n \u201cBen Cartwright is sweet on you Dr. Mike.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo he\u2019s not. Olive that\u2019s crazy,\u201d Dr. Mike said standing by the store. Olive Davis looked out past the store to where Ben was standing with his son. He was talking to Hoss but occasionally he would glance over his shoulder and smile at the doctor. Dr. Mike felt her heart flutter in her chest and confusion at the same time. It was flattering to have such a man interested in her but then there was Sully.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you going to do about it Michaela?\u201d Olive asked flatly.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat should I do?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhatever you want,\u201d Olive said unable to hide the irritation in her voice as she disappeared inside the store leaving Dr. Mike alone. Dr. Mike didn\u2019t look at Ben who was still standing across from the store, talking to his son. He said something to Hoss and hurried towards her. She increased her step, hoping to avoid him so she could sort out her thoughts. But he was much taller than her and quickly fell in step with her.<\/p>\n \u201cLunch was lovely Mr. Cartwright, thank you for treating,\u201d Dr. Quinn said without looking at him.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was the least I could do considering what you did for Joe and Hoss and I. You still think he needs to rest a bit more?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s healing much faster than I expected but yes he should rest at least two or three more days, I want to be sure he\u2019s clear of infection and his blood supply is completely replenished, he did lose a lot blood. I\u2019m sorry, I\u2019m sure there\u2019s not as much to do in our town as there is in Virginia City, Mr. Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo the contrary Dr. Mike, I\u2019m rather enjoying your town. I sent Hoss to the army to report the robbery, maybe they\u2019ve had some success in catching the bandits.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hope so,\u201d Dr. Mike said as they approached the clinic. \u201cDo you think it\u2019s safe to send him out by himself?\u201d she asked hoping Ben would go with him so she could think. Olive was crazy, he wasn\u2019t sweet on her. He was just being nice and trying to make up for the way he had treated her.<\/p>\n \u201cOh yeah, the army encampment is only two miles outside of town, they expanded the perimeter because of the attacks. The bandits won\u2019t attack that close to town as there\u2019s patrols all up and down the roads for miles.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s great,\u201d she said as she went inside. He followed her inside and proceeded to go upstairs to check on Joe. He paused in the doorway as Colleen sat on a chair near the bed, reading to Joseph. He waited until she finished reading the serial from the paper and stepped inside.<\/p>\n \u201cThat sounds like an interesting story Colleen,\u201d Ben said as he walked in.<\/p>\n \u201cJust reading to Little Joe, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d she said, frazzled as she hurried out. Ben took a seat on the chair.<\/p>\n \u201cThat girl is very young Joseph\u2026and she\u2019s sweet on you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo pa, no she ain\u2019t she\u2019s just being friendly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat child is sweet on you Joseph, don\u2019t lead her on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s not a child, pa, you\u2019ve seen how shapely she is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShapely or not, she\u2019s thirteen years old, she\u2019s more child than woman. If you care for her that\u2019s fine, but if you don\u2019t, don\u2019t play with her Joseph. I mean it. It might be all fun and games for you but you might very well break that young girl\u2019s heart.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t lead her on pa. I swear. I\u2019ll tell her I have a girl back home,\u201d Joe said finally. \u201cWhen can I get up anyway? I\u2019m bored out of my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDr. Quinn says it\u2019ll be a few more days yet before you can get up.\u201d Joseph made a sour face. He was sick of being laid up and sick of being poked and prodded every few hours. \u201cTry to get some rest,\u201d Ben said patting his leg.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not tired.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll bring you something to read,\u201d Ben said getting up from the chair as he left the room. \u201cBut don\u2019t you get out of bed yet young man. Do you hear?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes pa, I won\u2019t get up, just bring me something to read before I go stir crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDr. Mike is there a library in this town? Joe\u2019s terribly bored,\u201d Ben said as he came down the stairs into the examination room.<\/p>\n \u201cOf sorts, Mr. Bray who runs the general store will sometimes let people borrow the books he has in stock but he might not let you since you\u2019re from out of town. You can certainly buy one if you wish to.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks,\u201d Ben said tipping his hat. Dr. Mike watched him as he left. Olive was full of it, he didn\u2019t think anything of her.<\/p>\n Ben wondered why Bray\u2019s Mercantile fell silent when he entered; everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at him. He was a little uneasy but guessed maybe they weren\u2019t used to strangers in town. He nodded at them as politely as he could. When they noticed he knew they were staring, they looked away quickly.<\/p>\n \u201cHi I\u2019d like to see what you have for books,\u201d he told the white haired shop keeper.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy\u2026you\u2019re Ben Cartwright of the Ponderosa. I\u2019ve heard stories about you,\u201d Mr. Bray said. \u201cI\u2019m Loren Bray and I believe you met my sister Olive,\u201d he said motioning to the stone faced woman beside him.<\/p>\n \u201cIndeed I have, pleased to meet you Loren,\u201d Ben started to extend his right hand but pulled it back, remembering the injury. Mr. Bray noticed the bandage too and nodded instead.<\/p>\n \u201cIt ain\u2019t every day we have a man of such means and fame in our town. What brings you in?\u201d Loren asked, knowing full well what brought him into town.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know about all that fame but really I just came in for a book or two. My son is laid up at Dr. Mike\u2019s and he\u2019d like something to read,\u201d Ben said, feeling Olive\u2019s eyes crawling along his body. Something about Olive\u2019s hungry look made him suddenly very self-conscious and uneasy.<\/p>\n \u201cSure thing, we have the finest selection of books,\u201d Mr. Bray said leading him to the back of the store where there were two rows of books. Ben scanned them, most were encyclopedias and the like. Ben could feel Olive\u2019s eyes on his back and buttocks as she stood behind him. He tried to shift away from her unwavering gaze, but could not.<\/p>\n \u201cHow to Start a Successful Cattle Ranch <\/em>might suite you Mr. Cartwright,\u201d Loren said in awe, realizing how stupid he sounded the minute it was out.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease call me Ben and that book\u2019s not really what I had in mind.\u201d Mr. Bray eyed him abashedly and put the book back.<\/p>\n \u201cRight, I\u2019m sure you know all there is to know about cattle ranchin\u2019,\u201d the shop keeper said unable to hide his embarrassment.<\/p>\n \u201cPretty darn near anyway,\u201d Ben said. Loren looked at Olive who rolled her eyes heavenward, mortified.<\/p>\n \u201cHere\u2019s a popular one, How to Grow a Summer Garden,<\/em>\u201d Loren said trying in vain to be helpful but failing miserably.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t have much use for that either.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet me help,\u201d Olive said shoving her brother aside. Loren put back the How to Grow Lima Beans <\/em>book as Olive took over. She stood beside Ben, sizing him up longingly. She touched his arm affectionately and batted her eyes as best she could. Ben was extremely uncomfortable.<\/p>\n \u201cHere\u2019s the novels, we have Little Women<\/em> \u00a0and Sense and Sensibility<\/em>, she said triumphantly. \u201cI\u2019m afraid our novel department is pretty slim pickings right now, Loren keeps lending them out to the school children\u2026I\u2019ve told him time and again not to but he won\u2019t listen,\u201d Olive said in a tone that indicated her brother didn\u2019t have good business sense.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that\u2019s a good thing, Miss Davis, children should read all they can. If you don\u2019t have a library in town, how else would they get them? These will do I suppose\u2026\u201d Ben said thinking that they would be more interesting than a book about lima beans but Joe wasn\u2019t going to like reading them.<\/p>\n \u201cCall me Olive,\u201d she said, admiring him blatantly.<\/p>\n \u201cThose are girly books, Miss Olive,\u201d a small blonde haired boy, who resembled Colleen, said as he approached the bookshelf.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what do you recommend young fella?\u201d Ben asked kneeling down to meet the boy\u2019s eyes. The young boy scanned the shelf. Ben doubted he could read yet, but did seem to have a something in mind. The boy ran his fingers along the bindings of the books until he found what he was looking for. He pulled it from the shelf and handed it to Ben.<\/p>\n \u201cTrains of the World<\/em>, does sound a bit more interesting to a young man than Little Women,<\/em>\u201d Ben said taking the train book from the boy as he put Little Women<\/em> back on the shelf. Olive seethed. The boy scanned the shelves again and found another one. He pulled it out and handed it to the stranger.<\/p>\n \u201cA World of Wonders<\/em>,\u201d Ben said scanning the book. There were pictures of marvels from all over the world. \u201cThank you son,\u201d Ben said ruffling the boy\u2019s hair. The little boy smiled a gap toothed grin. \u201cWhat\u2019s your name?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBrian Cooper,\u201d the little boy said. \u201cAnd what\u2019s yours?\u201d Brian asked.<\/p>\n \u201cBen Cartwright. I live in Virginia City Nevada. My son was shot and he\u2019s over at Dr. Mike\u2019s recuperating.\u201d Ben stood up straight and walked to the counter with the two new books in hand. Brian followed him and stared at the gun on his hip, wondering about him.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019ll be ten cents even,\u201d Mr. Bray said. The rancher took the money plus some extra out of his pocket and laid it on the counter. \u201cAnd a bit extra for a gumdrop for my little friend,\u201d Ben said nodding at Brian.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks Mr. Cartwright!\u201d Brian said excitedly as he ran to the candy jar just as the stranger started for the door.<\/p>\n \u201cMy ma\u2019s a good doctor, she\u2019ll take good care of your son,\u201d Brian said.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re Dr. Mike\u2019s son?\u201d Ben asked. The boy nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cDr. Mike is an incredible woman. You\u2019re a very lucky boy to have such a woman as your mother,\u201d he said pausing in the doorway. Brian beamed.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Cartwright, Hank Lawson, owner and proprietor of that fine saloon you see on your left,\u201d Hank, the long haired bartender who had been standing quietly in the corner of the store said, stepping forward to offer his services to the wealthy stranger.<\/p>\n \u201cNice to meet you Mr. Lawson,\u201d Ben said not extending his injured hand.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just Hank an\u2019 I\u2019ve got the finest refreshments in the county and plenty of beautiful women to entertain you while you stay in our fine town. This here\u2019s Myra, my best girl,\u201d Hank said shoving the scantily clad prostitute forward to meet the stranger. The woman was shy and nervous as she nearly careened into the stranger.<\/p>\n \u201cFinest refreshments if you like your beer half water\u2026\u201d someone mumbled over Hank\u2019s shoulder. Hank\u2019s face fell as he turned a glared at the culprit. Ben tried to hide his laugh, but he couldn\u2019t keep the amusement out of his eyes. He cleared his throat and turned his attention back to Hank and Myra.<\/p>\n \u201cNice to meet you Myra,\u201d Ben said as Hank shoved her forward further, closing the space between them.<\/p>\n \u201cLikewise, you just come on by later an\u2019 let me know what you fancy,\u201d she cooed. He stepped back, stunned as he tried to think of what to say. He looked around the store at all the faces that were riveted on him.<\/p>\n \u201cNo charge for the first five minutes\u2026for first time customers with the purchase of a drink,\u201d Hank said. Ben swallowed hard, more than a little put off. Myra looked over her shoulder, both angry and nervous at Hank but turned and smiled wearily at Cartwright.<\/p>\n \u201cYou just come on by later darlin\u2019,\u201d she said gently squeezing his arm as she winked at him.<\/p>\n \u201cUh\u2026I\u2019m going to pass on your offer Hank.\u201d Ben peeled Myra\u2019s hand off his arm and abruptly left the store.<\/p>\n \u201cFor God\u2019s sake Hank!\u201d Olive said as he left.<\/p>\n \u201cHe shore is a nice lookin\u2019 fella. I ain\u2019t never seen eyes that dark in my whole life,\u201d Myra remarked nervously, wondering if he might actually come by. He was very wealthy and he could be a very good client.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll not go near any of the Cartwrights Myra,\u201d Olive demanded. Myra looked sheepishly at the formidable Olive Davis.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019ll do what I tell her to, an\u2019 if Cartwright wants Myra, it\u2019s Myra he\u2019ll get,\u201d Hank retorted. Myra looked to Horace, the lanky telegraph operator who was in love with her. Both of them wished she could leave her line of work so they could marry, but neither had the money to buy out her contract. \u00a0\u201cHe\u2019s got enough money to buy Myra outright if he wanted to.\u201d Horace looked horror struck at Myra. What if he did want to and took her away?<\/p>\n \u201cBen Cartwright is a man of high moral standards, Hank. I seriously doubt waste his time or money, and risk his reputation on a whore,\u201d Olive said, glaring at Myra. Myra flinched under the insult. Hank smirked and took a long drag from is cigarette.<\/p>\n \u201cWell it shore don\u2019t look like he\u2019s gonna waste his time with a dried up old crone like you either. The way I hear it, he couldn\u2019t take his eyes off Michaela the whole time you were at lunch yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHank\u2019s right, Miss Olive. Me an\u2019 Horace were havin\u2019 lunch at the caf\u00e9 yesterday an\u2019 he seemed to be fallin\u2019 pretty hard for Dr. Mike. If you ask me, that fella\u2019s sweet on her,\u201d Myra said matter of factly. She knew Olive thought herself better than her and Myra couldn\u2019t help but relish the fact that her plan to snag Cartwright for herself had backfired. Olive was angry as having the obviousness of it shoved in her face.<\/p>\n \u201cHe ain\u2019t sweet on ma, is he Mr. Bray?\u201d Brian asked climbing on the counter and dangling his legs over the side, still savoring the gumdrop the stranger had bought for him. \u201cSully\u2019s sweet on ma.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSully ain\u2019t spoken up about that to her now has he?\u201d Mr. Bray asked. Brian shook his head no and looked out the door towards the clinic where the stranger had disappeared to. What if he wanted to marry Dr. Mike and take her away from them?<\/p>\n \u201cYou think he\u2019ll marry ma an\u2019 move away with her to his ranch?\u201d Brian asked anxiously.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no tellin\u2019, Brian,\u201d Mr. Bray said. Brian\u2019s heart sank. Mr. Cartwright had seemed so nice to him when he was in the store. How could he be sweet on his mother and how could Dr. Mike go along with it when it was clear how much Sully loved her? Sully wouldn\u2019t let him take her would he?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDid you find books for Joseph?\u201d Dr. Quinn asked as Ben came back downstairs.<\/p>\n \u201cYes thanks to Brian,\u201d he said smiling. \u201cOlive was trying to give me some \u201cgirly\u201d books but the boy wouldn\u2019t hear of it. He found me one about trains and wonders of the world, much to Joe\u2019s delight I\u2019m happy to say.”<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m afraid there\u2019s not much in the way of books,\u201d she said longing for a library. \u201cOne day we\u2019ll have a fine library, Mr. Cartwright. I do miss that here; we had so many fine libraries in Boston. Colleen would so love a library. One day we\u2019ll have one. I\u2019ll make sure of that,\u201d she said wistfully.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease call me Ben, and yes, I\u2019m sure you will,\u201d he said. He had no doubt whatsoever that if Dr. Mike wanted a library in Colorado Springs, they would indeed have one.<\/p>\n \u201cMy father had an enormous amount of books in his study. When I was a young girl, I could spend hours in there going through them. Even when I couldn\u2019t yet read, I loved them.\u201d Ben smiled, thinking of Adam.<\/p>\n \u201cMy oldest Adam is just like that, he can\u2019t get enough of books,\u201d Ben mused, turning his mind back towards the breathtaking woman doctor. His breath caught in his chest. \u201cYou loved your father very much didn\u2019t you Dr. Mike?\u201d he asked, seeing the saddened look in her eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I was much closer to him than I am to my mother. My mother has never approved of the choices I\u2019ve made in my life. She resented my father for encouraging me to become a doctor. He\u2019s been dead three years and sometimes hurts like it was yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know what you mean,\u201d Ben said absently. \u201cMy father died when I was twelve years old and sometimes I still miss him. I wish he could have met Adam, Hoss and Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure he\u2019d be very proud,\u201d Dr. Mike said. Ben beamed at the compliment. They both were silent for a moment, lost in their own reminiscing about lost loves.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m happy you met Brian, he\u2019s my youngest,\u201d Dr. Mike said, breaking the silence.<\/p>\n \u201cHe seems like quite a young fella\u2026\u201d Ben said admiring the doctor outright. \u201cWould it be forward of me to ask if you\u2019ll go on a picnic with me tomorrow afternoon? No Olive, no Hoss, just us?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t been on a picnic in ages,\u201d she said. Then it dawned on her that what Olive said might be true, maybe he was sweet on her. He couldn\u2019t be though. He was still trying to make up to her for how he had acted at their first meeting.<\/p>\n \u201cWell I hate to leave Joseph\u2026and what if there\u2019s an emergency?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoe will be fine now that he\u2019s got something to read and if there\u2019s an emergency I\u2019m sure someone will be able to find us,\u201d Bens said.<\/p>\n \u201cWell the children might wonder where I am when they get out of school and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what?\u201d Ben asked, his eyes dancing and amused. She wanted to say there\u2019s Sully, but was there Sully? He had been gone for more than a week.<\/p>\n \u201cI guess I\u2019m running out of excuses, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d she said somewhat nervously.<\/p>\n \u201cBen,\u201d he insisted. \u201cI\u2019m guessing that means you\u2019ll go then?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlright, I\u2019ll see you tomorrow at noon sharp,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cSharp,\u201d Ben agreed.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t be late, Ben, I won\u2019t stand for a man who\u2019s late.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh I won\u2019t be late. Now if you\u2019ll excuse me, Olive is waiting to give me a grand tour of her ranch.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHave fun,\u201d she said, smiling as she returned to reading her medical journal, the fact that he was smitten on her, was still lost on her. A picnic seemed like a lovely thing for friends to do, she did wonder why he didn\u2019t want Olive and Hoss along though. But she didn\u2019t dwell on it long and was soon absorbed in her reading.<\/p>\n ****************************************************************************<\/p>\n Sully followed them as they rode out of town the next day. He had an idea where they were going. Even if he lost them, he could track both horses easily and follow them. He didn\u2019t think Dr. Mike would be too happy if she knew he was following them, but he had to know just how much this Cartwright was interested in Dr. Mike. He felt a mix of anger and jealousy as he followed silently in the woods, keeping his distance. Dr. Mike had to know how he felt about her and yet she agreed to go with Cartwright anyway. But then he reminded himself, that that was the point, she didn\u2019t know. Hadn\u2019t that been what their fight was all about? Surely he couldn\u2019t expect her to decline the invite simply because of him. And yet he wished she had. When they stopped at the picnic spot, Sully positioned himself close by in the woods where he could see and hear them, but they weren\u2019t likely to see him.<\/p>\n They spread the blanket out on the spot by the creek and sat down. Cartwright removed his hat and sat cross legged, his gun tied to his leg. Sully noted that he always had his gun, and was probably very fast with it. If Sully made a sound, he had no doubt Cartwright would draw on him and possibly shoot him. He was older than Sully but he moved with ease and confidence that made Sully uneasy.<\/p>\n \u201cGrace is a terrific cook. She makes the best fried chicken I\u2019ve ever had,\u201d Dr. Mike said trying to make conversation.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Hoss was devouring it yesterday. If it\u2019s anything like her meatloaf I\u2019m sure it\u2019s wonderful. She\u2019s from the New Orleans, isn\u2019t she? They make some very fine food there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, she was enslaved there for most of her life. You\u2019ve been to Louisiana also, Mr. Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDr. Mike will you please call me Ben? And yes, I\u2019ve been to New Orleans. I\u2019ve been all over the world. In my line of work, one does have to travel a lot,\u201d Ben said taking a bite of the chicken. \u201cMmm, that is delicious.\u201d Dr. Mike smiled delighted he liked the food she had chosen for their picnic.<\/p>\n \u201cSo tell me Dr. Quinn, how did you end up with those three children of yours\u2026\u201d he said and Sully zoned out. He didn\u2019t think she should tell him about the children\u2019s mother. It wasn\u2019t for him to know. He loved those kids, they meant nothing to Cartwright.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026anyway, when Charlotte lay on her deathbed, she asked me to care for them so I did. I\u2019ve been their mother about a year now. I\u2019m not sure they think of me as such but I hope one day they will. And you, Ben, tell me of your children. You have three sons?\u201d Sully perked up as he listened to the story of his adversary. The man had had some rough patches, losing three wives in such a short amount of time had to be hard. Sully had lost one and it had nearly killed him, he couldn\u2019t imagine losing three.<\/p>\n Sully watched him angrily, Cartwright was getting too comfortable. He lay stretched out on the blanket, he had taken off his gun and he was leaning back on his elbow, his chin resting on his fist as he seemed to hang on every word Dr. Mike said. Sully hated the way he smiled, even when she wasn\u2019t looking at him. He hated the admiration that was evident on the man\u2019s face.<\/p>\n \u201cSounds like you\u2019ve had quite a life Ben,\u201d Dr. Quinn said, looking down into his eyes. \u201cSailing all over the world as a young man must have been so exhilarating.\u201d He nodded, feeling a bit shy at having talked so much about himself. He was never shy around women, but this lady doctor was something different entirely.<\/p>\n \u201cAs have you, it must have been so hard to be a woman in a man\u2019s profession. Not only to become a doctor but then to have to deal with backwards men like me who think you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re doing.\u201d Ben was still ashamed of how he had treated her.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re not backwards, Ben, just old fashioned, at least you apologized which is more than most do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTell me Dr. Mike, if you were to settle down one day and get married, maybe have kids of your own, would you give up doctoring?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t give it up for anything in the world,\u201d she said firmly. \u201cI love it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd if your husband didn\u2019t want you to be a doctor?\u201d She looked at him, wondering what he was implying.<\/p>\n \u201cThen, Mr. Cartwright, he wouldn\u2019t be my husband to begin with. If a man were to fall in love with me, he would know what I do and how much it makes me who I am and would not ask me to quit. Would you ask a woman to quit just to be your wife Ben?\u201d The rancher thought about it. Days ago, before he had met the beautiful woman doctor he would have said yes in a heartbeat, but now, he wasn\u2019t so sure.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think so,\u201d he said. Dr. Quinn pursed her lips and looked cross-eyed at him.<\/p>\n \u201cAny husband of mine would have to know <\/em>so,\u201d she said flatly. Sully leaned in closer to listen. This just might be enough to ruin Cartwright\u2019s chances with Dr. Mike. She loved doctoring more than anything else.<\/p>\n \u201cFair enough,\u201d Ben said. \u201cI suppose he would know what he was getting into from the start.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIndeed he would,\u201d she agreed. Her eyes lingered on his for a moment, his eyes were amazingly dark. He turned away from her gaze and looked out at the scenery. It really was a beautiful spot.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you come out this way much?\u201d she asked wondering what his Ponderosa was like.<\/p>\n \u201cNow and again, we often drive the cattle to the train in Denver. This time, were drove five hundred head to Pueblo for a buyer in Texas. I don\u2019t go on the drives as often as I used to though. I like to stay home and manage the ranch.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d love to see your ranch sometime Ben, I bet it\u2019s lovely.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d love to have you and the children come visit sometime, Dr. Mike. I\u2019m very proud of it. It\u2019s nothing like the fine homes in Boston, but I suppose it\u2019s just fine for a western ranch.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou should be proud, you\u2019ve worked very hard for it\u2026A thousand square miles? What it must be like to stand out on your porch and look around you and know that you own everything as far as the eye can see. Isn\u2019t it exhausting trying to keep up with it all?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt times,\u201d he said. Sully watched him closely; his eyes were lingering on Dr. Mike in a way that made Sully very jealous. She wasn\u2019t looking at him, but he was looking at her, he had barely taken his eyes off her the entire time. \u201cBut I love it,\u201d he said. \u201cMaybe like you love doctoring, I\u2019m sure there are times when it\u2019s exhausting and heartbreaking, but you wouldn\u2019t have it any other way.\u201d She nodded surprised at how well he seemed to understand. She looked at him, feeling her heart flutter at his smile and quickly turned away so he wouldn\u2019t see the color rise to her cheeks.<\/p>\n \u201cOh look, deer,\u201d she said looking out at the mother and fawn in the pasture. Ben followed her gaze only briefly before turning his attention back to her.<\/p>\n \u201cWould you mind terribly if I called you Michaela?\u201d She looked at him, people didn\u2019t usually call her that. Dr. Mike was much more endearing. \u201cIt is your name after all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, it is my name\u2026but usually only my enemies call me Michaela. My mother only ever calls me Michaela, never Mike. It was my father who used to call me Mike. It was his pet name for me. When I first came to town, they were expecting a male doctor and well, Dr. Mike just kinda stuck.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell I don\u2019t want to be counted as an enemy and if you\u2019d prefer that I don\u2019t, I certainly understand. I don\u2019t think I would like to be called Benjamin all the time either.\u201d She smiled beautifully and his heart paused in his chest and his breath caught in his lungs.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s fine if you wish to call me Michaela. I don\u2019t hate it, it\u2019s just that I\u2019m used to being called Dr. Mike. The folks around here use it as a term of endearment and God knows I\u2019ve worked hard to get into their good graces. I\u2019ve been called far worse things in my life than Michaela.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure you have. I think it\u2019s a beautiful name for a very beautiful woman,\u201d he said as he put his hand on her face and caressed her cheek with his thumb. She covered his hand with hers and gazed into his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have the most amazing eyes,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n \u201cI was just thinking the same thing about you Michaela,\u201d he whispered, brushing a wisp of hair back from her face. And then he sat up, leaned into her and kissed her, softly and tentatively. When she didn\u2019t pull away he kissed her harder. Sully prayed she would scream and slap him but she didn\u2019t. She actually kissed him back. Sully\u2019s heart raged with jealousy and he got up quietly and hurried away. He couldn\u2019t bear to watch anymore.<\/p>\n \u201cBen we really should be getting back,\u201d she whispered. His hand was still caressing her cheek and his face was inches from hers. He kissed her mouth softly again, before he broke away from the moment, butterflies fluttered hard in his stomach.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I suppose we should,\u201d he agreed, tearing his gaze away from her.<\/p>\n \u201cI do need to check on Joseph and the children will be getting out of school soon.\u201d She rose quickly and smoothed her skirt. He lifted up the basket and the blanket and climbed onto his horse, her horse was running on ahead before he even got started.<\/p>\n Dr. Mike wasn\u2019t sure what to do as her horse raced for town. Her lips throbbed from the pressure his kiss and her heart was giddy with the feeling of it. She was not the kind of woman men often kissed. Most of them were threatened by her and ran away, especially men like Ben Cartwright. He was one of the wealthiest men in the country, by far one of the wealthiest men in the west, he could have any woman he wanted. Why had he kissed her? She did not consider herself a particularly attractive woman. Her mother and sisters had reminded her time and again of that. Surely he didn\u2019t think her beautiful did he?<\/p>\n \u201cMichaela, wait,\u201d he called from behind, his large beautiful horse quickly overtaking her nag Bear. He was soon riding beside her. She looked at him, avoiding looking at his mouth. She pressed her fingers to her lips and looked away.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry about that. I meant no offense,\u201d he said. He hadn\u2019t even thought about it before he kissed her, he had just done it, surprising even himself.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you regret it?\u201d she asked. He wasn\u2019t sure how to answer correctly.<\/p>\n \u201cOnly if you do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t, just don\u2019t do it in front of anyone,\u201d she said, imagining the scene if he kissed her in town. Everyone would talk about it for weeks and weeks and Olive would probably never speak to her again. As it was, Olive was one of her only close friends in town, and she would want to know every detail of the picnic. Should she tell her about the kiss or leave it out? She was just grateful Sully hadn\u2019t seen. She didn\u2019t know how he felt about her, but she did care about him and she didn\u2019t want to hurt him. But at the same time, if he wasn\u2019t prepared to tell her how he felt, she wasn\u2019t going to wait around for him either. She didn\u2019t owe him a thing.<\/p>\n On the ride back to town, they made small talk but then Ben asked to see where she lived. She thought of taking him by her home that was a few miles outside of town but decided against it. The small cabin she shared with Matthew, Colleen and Brian was hardly big enough for one person let alone four and a man like Ben Cartwright would surely scoff at it. Besides that, the cabin belonged to Sully and he had let her live there nearly rent free. It didn\u2019t seem right to bring another man by the house Sully had provided for her. So she changed the subject, talking of Boston. It was always nice to talk of home with someone who had been there and he was gracious enough to pretend he hadn\u2019t noticed she changed the subject.<\/p>\n As Dr. Mike expected Olive wanted to know every detail of the picnic and as they went for a walk later that afternoon, she told her about it. She left out the kiss, feeling the envy in her friend\u2019s demeanor even without mentioning the kiss. Ben\u2019s visit to the ranch had still not made him like Olive in the way her friend had hoped and Dr. Mike could feel the older woman\u2019s envy towards her. That was something new to her as well. Women didn\u2019t envy her. They usually looked down on her or thought her strange for the life she had chosen.<\/p>\n Still she wished for a woman to talk to about it and she wished Sully would turn back up. Maybe if he was there, she wouldn\u2019t be so confused with her feelings. She cared deeply for Sully, she might even love him, but she was growing fonder of Ben Cartwright. And Cartwright was there, Sully had disappeared. She knew that things couldn\u2019t last with Ben, he lived to far away and he had too much to lose. There was no way he would move from the Ponderosa to Colorado Springs and she was unwilling to move as well. She had worked too hard over the last year to build up her practice and her reputation and she wasn\u2019t willing to start all over again. Besides that, there were the children to consider. She knew Matthew wouldn\u2019t leave Ingrid and Colleen and Brian wouldn\u2019t leave Matthew or the town they had grown up in. There was simply no way it could work with Ben and she suspected they both knew it. Still she longed for him to kiss her again, just one more time before he left for good.<\/p>\n He was respectfully distant with her when she tended to Joe later that evening and the following day, giving no indication to his sons or anyone present about what had transpired, still she could feel his eyes on her, watching her every move. Joseph was mending fast and would probably be out by the next day or the day after. Hoss had returned from the army encampment stating that the army had captured the bandits and he was able to positively identify them. They were being charged with attempted murder for Joseph\u2019s injury and they might have to come back in a few months to testify at the trial, but the sergeant had told him that might not be necessary if the men accepted the plea deal. Further, they were able to recover four thousand of the five thousand that had been taken. It wasn\u2019t all the money but it was a good portion of it and Ben was elated. They could start out for home as soon as Joe was up to it. Dr. Mike would hate to see them go but she kept her feelings to herself.<\/p>\n \u201cWell Joseph Cartwright, you\u2019re healing very well,\u201d Dr. Quinn said as she checked his wound. \u201cNo sign of infection and your color is back to normal. I think you should be ready to leave by tomorrow.\u201d The young man smiled at her and then at his father who was also smiling.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s thanks to the fine doctorin\u2019 I\u2019ve had,\u201d Joe said. The men around him agreed. Dr. Quinn put her instruments back in her bag and rose from the bed. She, Hoss and Joe could feel Ben\u2019s eyes on her as she left the room. His boys eyed him suspiciously but said nothing.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss, start packing please, I\u2019d like to head out as soon as possible. I\u2019ll be in to help you in a bit,\u201d Ben said. Hoss nodded and made for the guestroom next door. Ben lingered for a bit and then went out himself.<\/p>\n Dr. Quinn exited the guestroom Hoss had entered, telling him to let her know if he needed anything as just as Ben exited Joe\u2019s room. Hoss called from within that he would.<\/p>\n \u201cLittle Joe\u2019s looking very much back to normal, Michaela,\u201d he said. Dr. Quinn put the linens she had been carrying in a closet the walked towards him.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m delighted to hear it. He\u2019s young and strong.\u201d Ben nodded and crossed to her. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed her to the wall, holding her tightly as he gazed into her eye.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re a fine doctor,\u201d he said as he pecked her cheek. Her heart began beat hard and there were butterflies in her stomach.<\/p>\n \u201cAm I Mr. Cartwright?\u201d she asked, turning her mouth up to him.<\/p>\n \u201cYes you are, Dr. Quinn,\u201d he said lightly kissing her chin just below her mouth. The fluttering in her stomach got stronger as he kissed towards her mouth. He lightly kissed her bottom lip, biting it gently as he did so. His lips played softly on hers, then he kissed her hard.<\/p>\n \u201cBen we can\u2019t do this, it will never work,\u201d she said between kisses. \u201cVirginia City is too far away…I can\u2019t leave my practice and you can\u2019t leave your ranch,\u201d she said as he kissed, her cheek, then back to her mouth.<\/p>\n \u201cMmm\u2026\u201d he mumbled as her heart fluttered within her. Her knees felt weak as he found hers mouth again. She shut her eyes and allowed herself to get lost in the moment as his fingers caressed her side affectionately. His kiss was so hard it almost hurt and she could feel his heart racing in his chest.<\/p>\n \u201cGod, you\u2019re beautiful,\u201d he mumbled. She was stunned when she felt his desire suddenly hard against her and equally surprised when her body responded in kind. He propelled her to the opposite wall, towards the closed door of the third empty recovery room and they fell heavily against it. His hand was reaching for the knob while kissing harder and more urgently. She nearly fell when the door opened behind her. He caught her with his right arm, as he caught himself on the doorframe with his left.<\/p>\n \u201cNo Ben,\u201d she said realizing where their passion was heading. He froze as he realized it too and stopped kissing her, but he still held her tightly for a moment longer, his faced pressed against her head. Dr. Quinn stood in his embrace, looking into the empty room and the neatly made bed within it.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so sorry Michaela,\u201d he whispered into her hair. She could feel his heart pounding in his chest, matching her own. Then he broke away from the embrace and stood looking into her eyes for a moment.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s never going to work,\u201d she whispered, holding his gaze as he held himself up against the doorjamb with his left arm. He seemed a bit unsteady, she noticed.<\/p>\n \u201cI know,\u201d he whispered back, resting his forehead against hers. He touched her face tenderly before the moment broke and she went hurrying away down the hall, wanting to run from the passions he had awoken in her. She paused to look back at him before she started down the stairs. He wasn\u2019t looking at her, he was leaning heavily on his left arm against the doorframe, his head was bowed and his breathing was still rapid. Dr. Mike noticed his arousal was still evident, and blushing, she quickly looked away.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you for stopping, Ben Cartwright, you\u2019re an honorable man,\u201d she said. He nodded at her but said nothing. There wasn\u2019t anything to say.<\/p>\n Ben was stunned at his response to Michaela; he had kissed many women over the years and had never reacted so strongly to one he wasn\u2019t married to. There was just something about her that was irresistible. She must think he was a horrible person to do what he did and to react the way that had. What had he been thinking, trying to lead her into the spare bedroom? He hardly knew her and yet he had come dangerously close to putting them both in a very precarious situation. As it was, they had been in a compromising positon with the way that he had been kissing her, but to even think about taking it further, in her own clinic, with her daughter going to and fro and Hoss and Joe in the adjoining rooms, he must have been crazy.<\/p>\n He had known in his heart it wasn\u2019t going to work, he had known it all along. And yet part of him wished desperately that they could figure it out some way. Maybe if they crossed that line, they would have to make it work. He slipped into the room he had nearly pushed Dr. Mike into and quickly closed the door. He leaned against it and tilted his head back towards the ceiling, willing his arousal to relax. He raked his fingers angrily through his hair, making it stand on end. He wasn\u2019t angry at Dr. Mike. He was angry at himself. How could he do that to her? How could he lose control of himself like that? She had to have felt his desire, there was no way she couldn\u2019t have. She was a proper woman, whom he was fairly certain, had never been with a man. She was the kind of woman who would demand a man marry her before crossing that line with him, and, he thought, just the kind of woman worth waiting for. Ben envied the man that might one day marry her.<\/p>\n He splashed what was left of the water in the basin on his face and allowed his head to clear. They needed to get out of Colorado Springs as soon as possible. Even one more night seemed too long to wait. He would have to wait if Michaela, no not Michaela, Dr. Mike, he told himself, (putting the distance back between them) determined that Joseph was not ready to travel. But he would not sleep in the clinic that night if she was staying there too. He would get a room at the saloon, one far away from Myra, he told himself.<\/p>\n Dr. Mike insisted that it was not necessary for him to get a room at the saloon that evening but he would not hear of it and did so anyway. She knew why he did, it was because of what had transpired between them that afternoon. In some ways she was relieved. She knew he would never touch her again, but what had occurred had rattled her and she suspected it had shaken him as well. The only man that had ever kissed her had been her now deceased fianc\u00e9 David, long ago when she was still a college student in Boston, but he had not kissed her like Cartwright had and she had never felt a man\u2019s desire before.<\/p>\n She had heard of it happening, her sister Marjorie had had many beaus and had often whispered and bragged about them, but she never imagined it would happen to her. Her upbringing told her she should have been appalled and angry. Marjorie had bragged about slapping more than one beau who had gotten a little too \u201cfriendly\u201d as she liked to put it. It was the thing a lady was expected to do if a man reacted to her in such a way, and yet, it didn\u2019t feel right to do it. Slapping him would have made the whole situation so much worse. It just didn\u2019t seem to her that it would have been fair. Still her cheeks flushed at the memory and she was glad he was leaving. And try as she might, she wasn\u2019t angry with him. He had stopped when she told him to and had kept a respectful distance since. She was just grateful it hadn\u2019t gone any further and that she had had the wherewithal to ask him to stop, if she hadn\u2019t, she shuttered to think what might have happened.<\/p>\n **********************************************************************<\/p>\n Ben, Hoss and Joe readied their horses for the journey in front of the clinic the next morning. Joseph had been given the all clear but was told to still be careful and to have his doctor looked at his wound as soon as they got back to Virginia City. Ben was instructed to do the same with his hand. Both men assured her that they would. She had quickly removed the stiches from above Ben\u2019s left eyebrow that morning and was pleased to see that the scar was very small and light and probably wouldn\u2019t even show in a few months.<\/p>\n Dr. Quinn stood on the porch outside her clinic, Colleen stood beside her looking sad that Joe was leaving and Brian stood in front of Dr. Mike, smiling at the famous, mysterious strangers, glad they were leaving without taking his mother with them.<\/p>\n \u201cHere are the sandwiches for your journey,\u201d Grace said approaching Ben with the brown sack. \u201cYou\u2019re always welcome back in our town any time, Mr. Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you Miss Grace,\u201d he said taking the sandwiches and putting them in his saddle bags. \u201cYou have a very friendly town here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe sandwiches should last till you to the next town,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n \u201cWell they\u2019ll get Hoss to the next town anyway,\u201d Ben said laughing. Grace smiled. It did her heart good to see a man with a hearty appetite. She was going to miss the big, blue eyed stranger who frequented her caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n \u201cI packed Hoss his own,\u201d she said happily. \u201cPlus some pie for the road.\u201d Hoss\u2019 face light up and he thanked her. She smiled back and turned her attention back to his father. Ben pulled out a coin to pay her for the extras.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not necessary,\u201d she said. She knew that he had paid Robert E. very well for boarding their horses and had paid her for the sandwiches and the food she had delivered to Joe when he was in recovery. \u201cConsider it my traveler\u2019s special.\u201d Ben thought of insisting, but seeing the beaming look on the woman\u2019s face, he decided it would probably insult her.<\/p>\n \u201cMuch obliged,\u201d he said as he put the sandwiches in his saddlebag. Hoss and Joe were already mounted and were waiting for their father. Ben pulled something from his saddlebags and walked towards Dr. Mike and the children.<\/p>\n \u201cHere Brian,\u201d he said handing the boy the two books he had purchased for Joseph. \u201cI think you might get some use out of these. Joseph enjoyed them very much, thanks for the recommendation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can keep them?!\u201d Brian asked in excitement.<\/p>\n \u201cAs long as you promise to read them,\u201d Ben said.<\/p>\n \u201cIs it okay if ma or Colleen read them to me? I can\u2019t read good yet,\u201d Brian said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s fine,\u201d Ben said, smiling as he ruffled the boy\u2019s hair playfully. Ben turned towards Colleen.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd now for you Colleen, we didn\u2019t get much of a chance to get to know each other, and I\u2019m afraid I was terrible to you at our first meeting, for that I am deeply sorry. You took very good care of Joseph and were an excellent assistant to Michaela\u2026er\u2026Dr. Mike. Little Joe and I thought you might like this,\u201d Ben said handing her a book of Jane Austin\u2019s collected works. The girl\u2019s eyes went wide. She knew the book was terribly expensive. Ben smiled, they had chosen correctly. He hadn\u2019t been sure.<\/p>\n \u201cOh thank you Mr. Cartwright thank you,\u201d she said throwing herself at him as she hugged him tightly. Ben was a bit startled and didn\u2019t know how to respond. He patted the girl\u2019s back awkwardly until she released him, her eyes still beaming at him.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve looked and looked at this at the mercantile and dreamed of buying it\u2026but it was just too expensive,\u201d she squealed. Ben\u2019s pleasure was evident on his face.<\/p>\n \u201cWell I see we chose correctly,\u201d Ben said, looking over his shoulder to wink at Joe. The girl nodded vehemently, her smile wide on her face as she hugged the book tightly to her chest.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd now there\u2019s the matter of the bill\u2026\u201d Ben said turning towards Dr. Quinn. His heart still fluttered at the sight of her. \u201cHow much do I owe you?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n \u201cWell I usually just ask that people pay whatever they can,\u201d she said, hugging Brian to her, keeping the boy between them even though Ben was standing several feet away from her.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile that might be good for running a charity, it doesn\u2019t work very well for a successful business, Dr. Mike,\u201d he teased, his eyes dancing.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t go into this business to make money.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo I reckon you didn\u2019t. I\u2019ve given away my share of cattle over the years to those who needed food and couldn\u2019t pay, so I know what you mean. Still it\u2019s nice to get paid for your work. So what do I owe you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know\u2026let\u2019s see. Two dollars for pulling the bullet out of Joseph, twenty five cents for his lodging at the clinic, a dollar for his care. So three twenty five sounds fair to me,\u201d she said. Ben\u2019s eyebrows shot up almost to his hat brim.<\/p>\n \u201cYou didn\u2019t charge for mine and Hoss\u2019 lodging or my face, hand or the medicine you used.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay so five dollars even,\u201d she said doing a rough estimate in her head. There was the food that Joe had eaten, but Grace had provided that and Ben had paid for that already. There was the laudanum for both him and Joseph but even that hadn\u2019t been much either. It didn\u2019t feel right to charge more. She had put about fifteen stitches in Ben\u2019s hand, but even those weren\u2019t worth more than a few cents and the pain it had caused him negated the price.<\/p>\n \u201cMichaela, five dollars is nowhere near a fair price and you know it!\u201d Dr. Mike\u2019s heart fell and she was suddenly angry. He was going to try to get out of paying, probably because she rejected him. Five dollars wasn\u2019t that much for someone like him. If he didn\u2019t want to pay, why had he asked her?<\/p>\n \u201cYou asked, Mr. Cartwright! Pay what you<\/em> think is fair then,\u201d she said sharply. Ben reached into his wallet and pulled out five bills and handed the folded money to Dr. Mike. She snatched the bills angrily, but when she unfolded them, her face fell and her anger abated.<\/p>\n \u201cBen\u2026this is way too much money.\u201d He put his wallet back in his jacket and climbed onto his horse, his eyes sparkling with delight.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s what I think is fair, you told me to pay what I feel is fair did you not?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYyyy\u2026yes but five hundred dollars\u2026I can\u2019t accept it.\u201d Ben looked down at her and smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not taking it back. If you don\u2019t want it, use it to start a college fund for Colleen. This world can use one more lady doctor and what a fine doctor she\u2019ll make.\u201d He smiled at Dr. Quinn, touched the brim of his hat to Colleen, and waved to Brian as he urged Buck to a start. His sons followed close at his heels, waving as they left. Dr. Mike was stunned as the three Cartwrights rode out of town. Colleen had talked and dreamed about becoming a doctor one day but getting the money to send her to college seemed like a near impossibility. Ben Cartwright had given her enough money to make it more than just a dream. It was now a reality.<\/p>\n \u201cDid he really give you five hundred dollars ma?\u201d Colleen asked looking at the money clutched in her mother\u2019s shaking hands. Dr. Mike nodded, unable to find her voice as she wiped the tears from her eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cYes Colleen,\u201d Dr. Mike whispered, still struggling with the enormity of the gift. \u201cIt\u2019s enough for several semesters. We\u2019ll need more but now…you can go to medical school! Oh Colleen, it\u2019s so wonderful.\u201d Colleen felt tears come to her own eyes as well. She had known that despite Dr. Mike\u2019s assurances to the contrary, paying for medical school was going to be nearly impossible. Now it was a reality. Colleen cried as she hugged her mother and brother, unable to contain her elation.<\/p>\n \u201cI can actually go to college,\u201d Colleen squealed hugging the money to her. It was more money than she had ever seen in her life.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, you can my darling,\u201d Dr. Mike said, smoothing her daughter\u2019s hair. \u201cWe\u2019ll put that somewhere safe where it will collect interest until you\u2019re ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Mike looked in the direction the Cartwrights had gone. The dust from their horses was settling. Ben Cartwright had proven her wrong about her initial impressions of him. Not only had he come to accept her as a professional woman, he had not asked her to change for him. He knew her career was her dream, just as his dream was the Ponderosa. And now, he had given her child her dream as well. The Cartwrights were a remarkable family. She didn\u2019t know if she would ever see them again, but she would never forget the wealthy, generous strangers that had come to town and changed her life. Just as they would never forget the lady doctor who had changed theirs. Ben had awoken passions in her that she hadn\u2019t known existed before. She knew she could never marry him and didn\u2019t really want to, but it was nice to be wanted by a man. Still, deep in her heart she longed for Sully and she missed him desperately.<\/p>\n As she turned to go back inside she saw Sully in the distance walking towards the clinic. Her heart leapt at the sight of him. The aloof mountain man approached her cautiously. It was all she could do to keep from running to him. Still she had her pride so she walked slowly towards him.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you have some time to talk, Dr. Mike?\u201d he asked. She smiled warmly at him.<\/p>\n \u201cI do,\u201d she said taking his arm as they strolled through town. \u201cYou\u2019re never going to believe what just happened\u2026\u201d she said, walking along with him as if he had never been away. She wasn\u2019t sure she would tell him about the encounter with Ben Cartwright, maybe she would someday, but for now, she just wanted to be near Sully; and to share the joy of the enormous gift with him. If there was anyone else in the world who loved the children as much as she did, it was him, and he alone, would understand the magnitude of what they had just been given. And as they walked side by side, all the jealousy Sully had been feeling abated. Dr. Mike had chosen to stay in Colorado Springs and he hoped he was at least part of that reason.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tags:\u00a0\u00a0Ben Cartwright,\u00a0Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman,\u00a0Joe \/ Little Joe Cartwright<\/p>\n