Re: Say the Words - ch.53 -- The Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman Fan Exchange

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Date Posted: 09:00:07 03/26/03 Wed
Author: dqfan
Subject: Re: Say the Words - ch.53
In reply to: dqfan 's message, "Re: Say the Words - ch.52" on 08:55:14 03/26/03 Wed

CHAPTER FIFTY THREE

"It's magnificent�" Charity sighed, watching Sophie twirl about the living room in her wedding dress.

The alterations were perfect, the fitting had gone beautifully and, after a quick bite to eat, the two women had returned home, excited and exhausted.

Well, at least, Charity was exhausted�

Clearly, Sophie felt nothing but exhilaration and, since Peter wasn't home yet anyway, she decided to try her dress on one more time.

Sophie's face lit up like a Christmas tree the minute she opened the box; and, now, as she critiqued herself from several different angles, Sophie quizzed Charity incessantly about each and every detail.

"You're sure the neckline isn't too low?"
"You don't think it's too clingy, do you?"
"Don't you just love the way it falls?"

Charity was running out of patience - and adjectives�

"No - no - yes," she rattled off like rapid gunfire, trying to keep track of the incoming barrage of questions.

"It's exquisite�elegant�glorious�" she gushed dramatically.

"Peter won't be able to take his eyes off you." Charity hoped that one just might do the trick�

Generously, Sophie decided to let her matron of honor off the hook at last. "So, you like it?" she nodded with a sheepish grin.

"I like it!" Charity laughed, as they both fell into a severe case of the giggles.

Their visitor entered quietly and unnoticed, through the front door that Sophie had left wide open in her enthusiasm.

Solemnly, she stared at the joyous scene, wincing at the pair's lighthearted frivolity. The sound of Sophie's laughter nearly broke her heart and she swallowed hard before clearing her throat.

"Oh, Daisy� You're just in time to see Sophie's dress," Charity welcomed the young girl invitingly.

Daisy bit her lip and tried to focus on the task at hand.

"What's the matter, dear?" Charity asked, seeing the look on Daisy's face. "You look like you've lost your best friend."

Inexplicably, a shiver ran down Sophie's spine and her radiant smile dissipated. She met Daisy's gaze head-on.

"It's Peter, isn't it?" she sensed, feeling suddenly empty and cold.

Sadly, Daisy nodded with a whisper.

"Yes."

^^^^^^^^^^^

Ezra wasn't good at waiting. He especially wasn't good at waiting alone. Awkwardly, he alternated between pacing and sitting, with pacing finally winning out. He didn't dare leave his post, so food and liquids were completely out of the question. An occasional glance at the television set, hanging from the ceiling, confirmed that troubled teens were still a hot topic of discussion on Oprah, a fact in which he took some strange comfort.

Now, if only Sophie would get here�

"I have to see him!" Ezra got his wish as Sophie raced by, with Charity close behind.

"He's in surgery�" Ezra's words stopped them instantly.

"Surgery?" Shocked, Sophie tried to absorb Ezra's news.

"The CAT scan showed a blood clot in the brain, pressing on the optic nerve�" Ezra could hardly believe it himself.

"They rushed him into surgery a minute later�" Ezra motioned to a room at the end of the hallway.

Sophie's eyes traveled the length of the corridor, to the door marked simply "Operating Room 3." How could this have happened? Just this morning, Peter had been snuggled warmly in bed beside her and now he was lying in Operating Room 3?

Sophie slumped into the nearest chair, feeling her knees begin to buckle. Immediately, Charity sat next to her, placing her arm around Sophie's shoulder.

A soft ping announced the arrival of the elevator and the parting doors opened to reveal a visibly shaken Frank. "Daisy phoned me�What the hell happened?"

"This is all my fault," Sophie dropped her head into her hands. "If he hadn't jumped in my place�"

"Nonsense!" Charity refused to hear such talk. "You did not cause that engine to catch fire. You did not cause that harness to break."

"But he's there because of me, Charity�" Sophie looked up with tears in her eyes.

"Peter's fighting for his life, because of me�"

^^^^^^^^

Quietly, Stephanie led Sophie into Peter's recovery room. "He's resting comfortably," she reported with a faint smile.

"How long before he wakes up?" Sophie took Peter's hand gently, not wanting to disturb him but aching to feel his touch.

The smile on Stephanie's face began to fade and Sophie could tell the news wasn't good.

"What?" she questioned fearfully.

"We barely got to him in time, Sophie," she explained professionally. "Another few minutes and the clot would have burst�"

Sophie bit her lip to keep control of her tears and, unconsciously, she squeezed Peter's hand a little more tightly for support.

"We almost lost him," Stephanie admitted, "and I'm afraid it's not over yet."

"He may experience a decrease in vision until the swelling around the optic nerve subsides," Stephanie disclosed as sensitively as possible.

"You mean, blind?" Sophie looked down at Peter, lying so peacefully in the bed. He had a bandage that ran from his temple to the middle of his forehead, just grazing his hairline. Other than that, he looked completely healthy, perfectly fine, definitely not blind�just tired, just sleeping�

Sophie felt a tear on her cheek and wiped it away quickly with the back of her hand.

"I'm confident any vision problems he might have will be temporary, Sophie," Stephanie reiterated soothingly, before continuing with her diagnosis.

"We're very lucky Ezra brought Peter's symptoms to my attention as quickly as he did," Stephanie revealed bluntly. "The damage could very well have been irreparable."

"Ezra did?" Sophie mumbled, unable to digest all Stephanie was telling her.

"Frankly, Sophie," Stephanie continued seriously, "what concerns me most is that Peter wake soon. We won't be able to judge the extent of any brain damage until he becomes conscious again; and, if that takes too long, there's always the chance that he could slip into a coma."

Stephanie hated to be so blunt but she always found it was best to tell the families everything in order to prepare them.

"Brain damage?" Stephanie saw the color drain from Sophie's face as she repeated the two most horrifying words she'd ever heard.

Swiftly, Stephanie took her by the arm. "Here, come and sit down," she urged, drawing a chair alongside Peter's bed.

"It's the best thing you can do for him, anyway," she added hopefully.

"Sit with him, talk to him, let him know that you're here," she encouraged, with a soft pat on Sophie's back. "It's the best medicine I can prescribe."

"I'm sorry there isn't more I can do for him right now�" Stephanie hated to leave her friend but she had other patients to see.

"It's okay," Sophie nodded strongly, her face etched with purpose and determination. "We'll be fine�" she vowed, trying sound convincing.

"I'll let the others know," Stephanie promised, closing the door behind her as she left.

The door's heavy latch clicked loudly, and with stark finality, as Sophie sat alone in the eerie quiet of Peter's room. His shallow breathing and the steady beeping of his heart monitor were the only true comforts she could find.

"I'm here, Peter," she sobbed, holding his hand firmly in hers. "I'm here."

Then, remembering Stephanie's instructions, Sophie took a deep breath and got to work.

Confidently, her voice filled the room as she spoke�

"I picked up my wedding dress today�The traffic into the city wasn't bad at all� The saleslady was so sweet� I showed her the picture of us at the Morp, you know the one I keep in my wallet, and she said if I didn't marry you, she would� I told her I'd be sure and tell you�

^^^^^^^^

Charity stood at the threshold of Peter's hospital room and peeked inside. It had been almost three days since Peter's surgery and still he hadn't woken up. Stephanie was so concerned that she planned to call in a specialist if Peter hadn't regained consciousness by the end of the week.

Incredibly, in all that time, Sophie hadn't left Peter's side. Dutifully, Charity brought her a daily change of clothes and Sophie showered in Peter's tiny hospital bathroom. Seeing her asleep now in the chair beside Peter's bed, Charity wondered how long Sophie could possibly go on like this. But, trying to make her see that was a fight Charity knew she couldn't win.

Pleased that Sophie was finally getting some rest, Charity decided to take up the mantle of Peter's recovery. Three days of loving encouragement hadn't seemed to work so, stubbornly, Charity decided on a different approach.

"I hope you appreciate her," she threatened Peter sternly, engaging him in conversation as Stephanie suggested. "You'd better appreciate her�"

Petulantly, Charity continued her scolding, her great-grandaddy's impatient streak blazing, "Oh, for heaven's sake, Peter, wake up! This Rip van Winkle impersonation has gone on far too long�"

Sophie stirred in her chair. "Charity?" she yawned groggily.

"Damn�I wanted to wake him, not you�" Charity grumbled, annoyed at her failure.

"Thanks for trying," Sophie smiled wanly.

"I brought you your clothes for the day - and this," Charity offered helpfully.

Sophie took the overnight bag and the extra item Charity had packed. "Dorothy's book?' her brow wrinkled in confusion.

"I thought, perhaps, you might try reading to him," Charity explained with a wink.

Why not?" she shrugged, willing to try anything at this point.

"Oh, and Josh found this on the floor of the warehouse the other day. He wondered if you recognized it?" From the pocket of her sweater, Charity pulled the tiny slip of parchment paper.

Sophie ran her hand over the quotation: "The mouth of a wise man is in his heart�"

Angrily, she crumpled the paper in her hand, then immediately regretted her impetuousness. It just wasn't fair that Peter should have to suffer for acting on his heart.

Carefully, Sophie unfurled the paper and smoothed out its creases. Just touching it made her feel closer to Peter. Gently, Sophie held it within the palm of her hand. She would place it with all the others in her collection, and someday soon, she and Peter would read them again - together.

Charity watched Sophie with a keen eye. Whatever the rather odd missive was, obviously, Josh had found something very important to her and, for that, Charity was grateful. Perhaps it might bring Sophie some comfort in these difficult times.

"I'll be back later with breakfast." Charity said softly, and, giving Sophie a peck on the cheek, she headed off to the cafeteria in search of bacon and eggs.

With firm resolve, Sophie prepared to tackle a new day. "Mornin'," she greeted Peter, kissing him on the lips, just as she had every morning since his surgery.

"So, do we feel like hearing about life in sleepy little Colorado Springs?" she asked cheerfully, opening a page of Dorothy's book at random.

"Let's see�" she began, exhausted, but steadfast in her determination. "Our Reverend, Timothy Johnson, is a true man of God - even more so because he came to his faith the hard way, after years of gambling and cheating�"

^^^^^^^^^^

Another 24 hours passed, and then another�a specialist from Chicago would arrive on Saturday if Peter's condition hadn't improved. Every day, Charity, Frank, Annie, even Gracie - and all of the Cliffhangers - took turns visiting and talking with Peter. Everyone claimed a personal interest in his recovery. Sophie was completely overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support.

Honestly, Sophie didn't know how she would have made it this long without all of them. Glancing in the mirror, Sophie had to admit she looked about five pounds thinner and a lot more haggard than she had five days ago. But, it was her heart that had taken the worst beating. Each conversation she had with Peter felt a little more lonely, as if he was drifting away, and there wasn't a thing she could do to stop it. She'd been talking to him for so long now, her voice was hoarse and dry. Thoughtfully, Stephanie gave orders that the nurses should keep a fresh pitcher of water by Peter's bed at all times.

"Peter, please wake up!" Sophie beseeched him for the thousandth time, but still nothing.

Dejected, Sophie reached for Dorothy's book once again. She was running out of passages to read him. Soon, she'd finish it - and then what?

Unable to think that far ahead, Sophie lifted her bookmark from the page. Life in Colorado Springs was definitely never dull, that much was certain!

"Found another part about Michaela," she announced to Peter, hoping he might find his great-grandmother's story more appealing."

"It hasn't been easy for Michaela," Sophie recited Dorothy's words, "being a doctor and a mother. Charlotte Cooper was my best friend. She could see the good in people better than anyone. Lots of folks felt Michaela wasn't the best one to be raising those kids, but she tried so hard! What Michaela didn't know from experience, she learned just by loving them.

It was an adjustment for everyone, especially Brian, the youngest. He missed all the little things Charlotte would do for him, like sewing his Halloween costume. Michaela didn't realize at first how important those kind of things can be to a boy. Brian started calling Michaela, "Ma," right off, but his real Ma's a very important part of him, too. He told me he'll always miss her."

Sophie's voice trailed off as she closed the book pensively. Sophie, more than anyone, knew what it was like to miss a real mother, to remember the smells and sounds that could recall her to mind in an instant.

Worn out, Sophie rested her head against the back of the chair and closed her eyes.

"She's asleep�" Ezra whispered to Daisy from the doorway.

"No, I'm not�" Sophie groaned, opening her eyes again.

"Go back to sleep," Daisy urged her. "We were just leaving."

"No�stay�please�I haven't had a chance to thank you, Ezra," she sat up straight to face him.

Ezra gulped, uncomfortable with all the praise he'd been receiving lately. "Thank me?"

"Dr. Burke told me that you were responsible for saving Peter's life," she reminded him gratefully.

"Oh�I�I didn't do anything�" he flustered, feeling a little guilty.

Sophie was amused by Ezra's uncharacteristic modesty. "Well, if you didn't, who did?" she asked with a small smile.

Daisy couldn't resist. "The Ghost of Christmas Past?" she teased.

"Daise�please!" Ezra muttered under his breath.

"Okay, what am I missing here?" Sophie wanted to know.

Daisy didn't see the harm in telling Sophie. It might even cheer her up�

"Ezra thinks there are ghosts at Oakhaven," she whispered their little secret close to Sophie's ear.

"Ghosts? At Oakhaven?" Sophie chuckled in spite of her fatigue.

"The ghost of a doctor from the 1800's, if you must know," Ezra defended his supposition proudly.

Surprisingly, Sophie stopped laughing immediately. "What did you say?" she asked him with rapt attention.

Ezra started to get that feeling that he was in trouble again. "Nothing�I mean�it's only a theory�she just has a lot of faith in my medical judgment�"

Ezra felt exceedingly foolish and was startled when Sophie seized on just one particular word in his excuse. "She?"

"Yes�she�" Ezra wished Daisy had never brought the whole thing up.

"What does 'she' look like?" Sophie didn't even try to hide her curiosity.

"Nice little old lady," Ezra began as Sophie's interest waned, assuming incorrectly that she'd been mistaken. "Short and thin, with long gray hair she keeps tied up in a bun�"

Sophie had almost stopped listening entirely when Daisy added with sudden recollection, "and one green eye and one brown one�"

"Say that again?" Sophie's attention returned in a flash.

"I said she has two different colored eyes," Daisy repeated, adding thoughtfully, "They're very pretty, really�"

Sophie took a deep breath. She was tired, overwrought, and desperate. She was grasping at straws where there weren't any and it had to stop. Ezra and Daisy were undoubtedly describing some sweet little old lady who was no more Michaela Quinn than she was!

But, as she rubbed her eyes, Sophie remembered something else Daisy had said. "Ghosts�"

"Huh?" Ezra strained to hear Sophie's comment.

"You said 'ghosts,' - plural," Sophie recalled.

"Oh yeah," Ezra replied, figuring he'd gone this far, "she's there with her husband."

Sophie closed her eyes and shook her head. This wasn't happening�

"I suppose he's old, too," Sophie sighed, wishing she had some strong coffee.

"Well, sure," Ezra seemed confused by Sophie's question. "Maybe he's a little younger but not that much�"

This was ridiculous, Sophie told herself. An old couple at Oakhaven befriends Ezra and suddenly, she's envisioning Michaela and Sully as they appear in her dreams.

"I bet he has long hair, blue eyes and wears a buckskin jacket," Sophie quipped, reaching for some aspirin.

"Oh, you met him?" Ezra piped up innocently.

Sophie swallowed the aspirin quickly�

"They've been really nice to me and Daise, I have to admit," Ezra recalled. "We see them almost every day, down by the bench in the Oakhaven garden, holding hands�"

"And does this nice couple have a name?" Sophie asked pointedly.

Ezra thought for a moment. "Well�uh�they never actually told me," he grumbled. "I think maybe they want to keep their identities a secret�" he whispered conspiratorially.

Sophie had to smile. She wasn't sure whether Ezra was seeing ghosts or spies or little green men, but she was almost positive that he wasn't seeing Michaela and Sully.

Daisy stared out the window completely lost in thought, as her mind drifted back to the day of Peter's collapse. There was something nagging at her, something she knew she was forgetting�

"Mrs. S.," she said softly under her breath.

"Huh?" Ezra asked her, as Sophie's mouth dropped open slightly.

"He called her Mrs. S.," she repeated, certain she was right.

"He did?" Ezra scrunched his face, trying to think. "I don't remember," he admitted with a shrug. "Everything happened so fast�the old lady was watching Peter and then she asked me if he felt dizzy�I remember that," he said with certainty.

Sophie looked down at Dorothy's book and ran her hand lovingly across its leather bound cover. "A doctor and a mother�" that's what Dorothy had written about Michaela. Was that how Michaela looked upon Peter that day - as a doctor and a mother? Is that what had saved him?

Absent-mindedly, Sophie fingers traced the length of Peter's arm. How she wished she could talk to him�tell him what she was thinking�ask him if he thought she was going crazy cooped up in that room�

If only she could be sure�

Ezra's memories of that moment were coming back to him with greater clarity now. He saw it all plain as day. "She asked about the dizziness�" he recalled firmly. "We talked about Peter's skydiving jump�and then she shouted something�"

Daisy and Ezra stared into each other's eyes, as their memories, for once, coincided perfectly. Together, they cried in unison, "Oh, my God, Brian!"

"Brian?" Sophie jumped from her chair. "Are you sure? Are you sure she said, Brian?" she asked frantically.

"Yes," they both nodded, completely sure. "Brian."

"I've got to go�" Sophie's mind was racing. "Would you two stay here with Peter until Charity gets back?" she pleaded desperately.

"Sophie, are you all right?" Daisy was clearly worried by Sophie's rapid mood swing. Sophie hadn't left Peter's side in five days and now, all of a sudden, she was leaving?

"I'm fine," Sophie smiled her first real smile in days.

Cupping Peter's cheek tenderly in her palm, Sophie turned his face towards hers. Then, she covered his lips in a soft, gentle kiss. "Be right back," she promised him, with love.

"I'm going to get help�"

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Replies:

Re: Say the Words - ch.54 -- dqfan, 09:04:41 03/26/03 Wed
- Re: Say the Words - ch.55 -- dqfan, 09:07:41 03/26/03 Wed