Re: Say The Words - ch. 8,9 & 10 -- The Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman Fan Exchange

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Date Posted: 10:13:59 03/25/03 Tue
Author: dqfan
Subject: Re: Say The Words - ch. 8,9 & 10
In reply to: dqfan 's message, "Re: Say The Words - ch. 6 & 7" on 10:06:28 03/25/03 Tue

CHAPTER EIGHT

"Soph, how could you let me sleep so late?!" Peter emerged hurriedly from the bathroom draped in a towel, and immediately grabbed the cup of coffee Sophie had poured for herself.

"I'm sorry!" Sophie huffed indignantly, pouring herself another cup.

"I thought you could use a little extra sleep," she insinuated, hoping her reference to their passionate evening would soothe Peter's mood. But Sophie found herself sorely disappointed.

"Well, don't do it again, okay?" Peter snapped. "I'm late! I've got to be at Horizon by 8:30 to take Ezra into town for his nine o'clock orientation meeting at Oakhaven. Today's the start of his senior internship for the semester."

"I'm sorry�" Sophie apologized again, since she really couldn't reverse time.

"I know�I know�." Peter was trying to concentrate but he was having difficulty focusing on anything except the way Sophie's pink nightgown shimmered in the early morning sun.

"Why�? Why are you still wearing�that?!" Peter demanded exasperatedly, pointing to the flimsy silk negligee that hugged her every curve.

"What? This?" Sophie's head was spinning as she tried to keep up with the conversation. "Peter, what is the matter with you?!"

"It's very distracting�Soph, I'm late! I can't be distracted�" Peter whined petulantly.

Turning abruptly, Peter headed toward the closet, throwing his towel on the bed as he reached for his pants. Normally, Sophie would have enjoyed the view but at the moment she was just too annoyed.

"Distracting?! I'm distracting?! You drop your towel in front of me and I'm distracting?!" Sophie's patience was quickly disappearing.

Acknowledging his poor choice of words, Peter's tone softened slightly. "Okay, I'm sorry�I'm just a little on edge�I'm late, Soph�"

"You said that already," Sophie pouted. "A few times�"

"I guess I'm just a little worried about Ezra. Kat was such a great intern at the rest home. The residents and staff all loved her. I just hope they'll say the same thing about Ezra�" Peter worried, heading for the dresser.

"He'll be fine, Peter. He's come a long way. I think he's ready for the responsibility and I know he'll�" Sophie stopped mid-sentence, watching helplessly as Peter opened the top drawer, reached for his shirt and pulled out Sophie's scarf instead.

Sophie's brow furrowed and she bit her lip, expecting another outburst from Peter but all he could manage was a dejected sigh. "Soph�."

"You said I should put my things away anywhere so I did a little rearranging�nothing serious just�" Sophie couldn't get the words out fast enough.

"Soph, please!" Peter raised his hand, praying the throbbing in his temples would stop. "Just tell me where my shirts are."

"I took the top two drawers. So anything that was in drawer one is now in drawer three, and anything in drawer two is now in drawer four�" Sophie stopped short, seeing the pained look in Peter's eyes.

Quickly, she opened drawer three and pulled out Peter's white dress shirt, placing it in his hands. "Here," she gulped.

"Thank you," Peter exhaled softly as he began to finish dressing.

"I'll see you at school later?" Peter asked, grabbing his coat and keys on his way out.

"Sure," Sophie answered quietly, finding her morning thusfar to be a little overwhelming.

"You need a ride?" Guiltily, Peter remembered Sophie's ankle at the last minute.

"No, Frank's picking me up. I told him I was fine and I'd be in today; but, you know Frank�he said he'd swing by this morning to see for himself," Sophie explained awkwardly.

"Good�Then I'll see you later�" Peter mumbled just as awkwardly.

Giving Sophie a goodbye peck on the cheek, Peter headed out the door, as Sophie took a longing look at her trailer across the lawn.

^^^^^^^^^^^^

CHAPTER NINE

"Sorry we're late, Stephanie," Peter apologized as he entered Dr. Burke's office at Oakhaven and offered her his handshake.

"No problem, Peter," she assured him. "I was just looking over Ezra's file."

"It's nice to see you again Ezra," Stephanie smiled.

"Hi, Dr. Burke," Ezra greeted nervously.

"As you know, Ezra," Stephanie began. "In addition to being Agnes' town doctor, I also donate my time as the medical director here. The Horizon senior internship program at Oakhaven is something that Peter and I have worked a long time to establish and we're very proud of its success."

"Yes, Ma'am," Ezra gulped, hoping he wouldn't be its first failure.

"Now, there was some concern expressed about your proximity to controlled substances�" Stephanie read aloud from Ezra's file. "But Peter assures me you've had no further setbacks since your overdose. Is that correct?"

Peter urged Ezra with his eyes to go ahead and speak honestly. "Uh, yes�I mean, no�no setbacks," Ezra mumbled.

"Dr. Burke," Peter tried to interject helpfully, "Ezra's overdose was on cleaning fluid not drugs, and he's been in recovery for over a year now."

"That's�good," Stephanie answered hesitantly.

Then, hoping to break the tension, she smiled, whispering under her breath, "We'll try and remember to lock the maintenance closets as well as the medicine cabinets�"

At first, Peter and Ezra weren't sure if Stephanie was joking but her smile turned to a grin and they both managed to relax a little in their seats.

"I'm sure everything will be just fine, Ezra," Stephanie added confidently. "Peter, I'll take it from here�"

"Call me if you need anything�either of you." Peter took his cue and gave Ezra a steadying pat on the back before heading out the door.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"She's still limping," Juliette commented. The Cliffhangers eyed Sophie from a distance as she spoke with Frank by the gazebo.

"She doesn't look very happy," Daisy observed.

"Would you look happy if you were marrying Peter?" David quipped.

"Good point," Scott allowed.

"Frank, I am perfectly capable of taking these kids on a half-hour hike," Sophie argued.

"And you'll come back in worse shape than you're in now," Frank battled just as strongly. "Now go home!"

"Fine! I guess I can't do anything right today!" Sophie bit her lip and started back toward the office, hoping Frank would just leave her alone.

Gently but firmly, Frank stopped her, grabbing Sophie's elbow. "This isn't about the hike, is it?" he asked. "Everything okay with you and Peter?"

"Terrific," Sophie answered, a little too quickly. "Why wouldn't it be?" she countered.

"Oh, maybe because you're both strong�stubborn�opinionated�" Frank would have continued his descriptive litany but Sophie interrupted. "Okay, I get the picture."

"Wanna talk about it?" Frank asked softly.

Sophie opened her mouth to form the words but they wouldn't come. "No�" she shook her head, changing her mind. "Guess I'll just head home."

"Put some ice on that ankle, okay?" Frank ordered with sincere concern in his voice.

"Yes, boss," Sophie nodded dejectedly as she hobbled back to the office for her backpack.

"Oh great, Sophie's leaving and Peter's with Ezra�that means�" Shelby didn't even have a chance to finish her sentence.

"All right! Everybody, get your things. Hike starts now!" Frank was upon the Cliffhangers instantly and, from their collective groans it was obvious that, suddenly, Peter and Sophie didn't seem all that bad�

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Sophie walked through the front door of Peter's house feeling more uncertain and uncomfortable than ever.

Dejectedly, she tossed her jacket on the chair, grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and stretched out on the bed to rest her ankle. Though she tried her best to ignore it, the throbbing was killing her. Hoping to take her mind off the pain, Sophie reached for Peter's laptop, deciding to check her emails.

Charity had answered her, begging, predictably, and with great dramatic flair, for the wedding to be held in Colorado Springs. Gianni had also responded, swearing nothing on earth could keep him away. Cryptically, he also asked them not to buy their rings until he arrived. Sophie was overwhelmed. Everyone seemed so happy, so excited�She felt guilty that she was having any doubts at all, guilty and foolish.

Why should the old adage about marriage being an adjustment apply to everyone but her and Peter? Sure, they weren't kids any more but maybe that only made the adjustment more difficult? Maybe they were a little too set in their ways? Or maybe, Sophie thought with a crooked smile as she remembered Frank's earlier description, they were just too strong, stubborn and opinionated for their own good.

Sighing deeply, Sophie closed the computer and resolved to work even harder at making their relationship a success. After all, if there was one thing she enjoyed, it was a challenge. Mountain climbing, parachute jumping, troubled kids - they were all challenges. But Sophie was quickly coming to the realization that marrying Peter Scarbrow just might be the biggest challenge of her life.

Fondly, she recalled telling Peter that no one had ever scared her the way he did. "Is that a good thing, Sophie Becker?" he'd asked her. She'd said yes then and she felt the same way today. The love she felt for Peter was the scariest emotion she'd ever experienced. With every day, she wanted him more, needed him more; and, when they quarreled, it bothered her more than she ever thought possible.

"I got us Chinese for dinner�" Sophie had been so engrossed in her thoughts she hadn't even heard Peter returning home. Now, as he poked his head tentatively into the bedroom, wondering if Sophie had forgiven him for his behavior this morning, Sophie saw her own doubts and fears reflected in Peter's worried blue eyes.

"Sounds good," Sophie replied in a quiet voice as she began to rise and head for the kitchen.

"No, stay, don't get up," Peter instructed nervously. "It's just take-out. I'll get us some forks�"

In less than a minute, Peter returned, with an array of white cardboard containers lined up on a serving tray. He'd removed his jacket and unbuttoned the top few buttons on the white shirt they'd argued over earlier that morning. Awkwardly, he sat with the tray between them on the bed.

"Soph, I�
Peter, I�"

They spoke in unison and smiled at their timing.

"You first," Sophie prompted him.

"Soph, I'm sorry about this morning�Guess I'm just not a morning person," Peter admitted sheepishly.

"So I noticed�" Sophie chuckled softly.

As her hand lightly caressed his lapel, she apologized, "Sorry about your shirts�I'll move them all back tomorrow."

Peter shook his head and gently lifted her fingers to his lips. "No, everything's fine right where it is."

Then, gazing deeply into her eyes to be sure she understood his meaning, he cupped her cheek in his hand and whispered, "Right where I want it to be�"

Simultaneously, Sophie and Peter both closed their eyes for a moment and breathed a small sigh of relief that their first official argument had passed.

"So'd you get me any moo-goo-gai-pan?" Sophie asked with renewed hunger, opening each box eagerly.

"Of course," Peter answered, tapping the top of the fourth box with his complimentary chopsticks.

"So, how'd everything go with Ezra?" Sophie wondered, ignoring the forks and digging in with the chopsticks as well.

"I think he's gonna be okay." Peter was cautiously optimistic. "He really cares, Soph.�"

"Caring too much is what got him here," Peter observed. "His parents used him as their battleground. He couldn't bear to hurt either of them, so he hurt himself instead."

Sophie nodded, well aware of the pain parents could inflict on their children.

"I think he's ready to channel that sensitivity and caring to others now. You know, some of those folks at Oakhaven don't have anyone�" Peter commented sadly. "I think Ezra and Oakhaven will be good for each other."

Sophie put down her chopsticks and smiled broadly at Peter's obvious pride in Ezra's achievements and potential.

Returning her smile, Peter asked cheerfully, "Ready for your fortune cookie?"

"Oh, I already know my fortune," Sophie teased.

"Oh really?" Peter teased right back.

"I will marry a dark, handsome stranger," Sophie foresaw.

"Stranger?" Peter raised a mischievous eyebrow.

"Well, I definitely didn't know you this morning," Sophie shot back playfully.

"Ouch!" Peter grimaced, taking her point.

"Okay, my turn�" He cracked open his fortune cookie.

"What does it say?" Sophie asked curiously.

"Expect the unexpected�" Peter read mysteriously.

Silently, they both nodded, knowing instinctively that, with their history, the fortune cookie was probably right.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

CHAPTER TEN

Nearly two weeks had passed and Sophie's ankle was simply not healing. Frank knew it, Peter knew it and, deep down, Sophie knew it. But avoidance was Sophie's middle name so, stoically she soldiered on, pretending she was fine.

Dozens of times Peter opened his mouth to protest as he watched Sophie do much more than she should - stand too long, walk too far - often sliding precariously on slick ice patches as she tried to keep her balance. God knows he'd acted just as recklessly when he re-injured his knee last year. But now, it was Sophie who was in denial. She was trying to prove that she could do everything: work at Horizon, plan a wedding, and manage the increasing pain in her ankle that plagued her day and night. Normally, Peter would have chastised her fearlessly for such behavior, but their living arrangements were still so new - so tenuous - that Peter hesitated to rock the boat. Finally, this morning, he'd had enough�

"What do you think about having the ceremony outside, at the Gazebo?" Sophie asked, sitting at the dining room table, pouring over her wedding notes.

"Soph, I want you to go see Dr. Burke today," Peter broached tentatively.

"Peter, that's impossible," Sophie scoffed, grabbing a pencil to jot down some music selections that might be appropriate for the wedding. "I have classes, I still have to go into Vancouver to find a wedding dress, and Valentine's Day is next week�"

"Sophie! I want you to go see Dr. Burke today!" The strength and determination in Peter's voice was undeniable.

"You can't keep going on like this, Sophie," he commanded, snatching the pencil from her grasp. "That ankle is not healing."

"It just needs a little time," Sophie excused, rustling her notes to avoid Peter's gaze.

"You've given it time, Soph," Peter countered more softly, taking a seat directly across from her at the table. "Now, I want you to go see the doctor."

"Peter, she's just going to tell me to keep doing everything I've been doing." Sophie was trying her best to believe every word but, truthfully, she was more than a little worried, too.

"Then, I will gladly admit I was wrong," Peter offered with an endearing smile.

"You? Admit you were wrong?" The idea brought a tiny glimmer to Sophie's eyes.

"Now, will you go? Please?" Peter begged.

"Okay, I'll go�" Sophie nodded half-heartedly, unable to refuse Peter's loving concern.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Well, you're dehydrated, anemic and there appears to be a slight tear of the ligaments in your ankle," Stephanie Burke announced, viewing the results of Sophie's x-rays and physical examination.

"But other than that, how am I?" Sophie quipped with a frown.

"You're a mess," the doctor summarized succinctly. "If this is how you come back from vacation, you would've been better off staying home," she advised.

"Oh no, I wouldn't," Sophie's eyes twinkled as she casually flashed her new emerald and diamond engagement ring for Stephanie's benefit.

Stephanie smiled, pleased to see Sophie so happy in spite of her poor medical condition. "Congratulations, anyone I know?" she teased.

Agnes was a small town and news of Peter and Sophie's engagement had spread like wildfire.

"Maybe�" Sophie laughed.

"Well, I hope you'll be a better patient for me than Peter was," Stephanie requested seriously. "Now, I want you to drink six eight ounce glasses of water a day and take these iron pills twice a day," she instructed. "I'll wrap your ankle for now, but try to stay off it as much as possible and we'll need to schedule surgery to repair the torn ligaments."

"Surgery?" Sophie repeated, shocked. "I can't have surgery!" Sophie hadn't even contemplated such a drastic diagnosis.

"Sophie, the more you walk on it, the worse it's going to get. If you want to walk down the aisle at your wedding, then you'll have surgery," Dr. Burke advised strongly.

"You shouldn't be hospitalized long - a day or two at most," she explained. "You'll be good as new in eight to ten weeks, provided you follow doctor's orders."

Frantically, Sophie did the math in her head, figuring ten weeks would be cutting it awfully close to her wedding. Meanwhile, Stephanie wasn't giving Sophie a chance to back out as she checked her calendar and concluded, "I can schedule you for next Friday, the 14th."

"But that's Valentine's Day," Sophie realized, compounding her disappointment.

"I'm sure Peter won't object," Stephanie commented. Then, remembering the last time she'd performed surgery on Sophie, Stephanie added warily, "�if you tell him."

"I'll tell him," Sophie mumbled guiltily, never wanting to lie to Peter again.

Dr. Burke was curious if Sophie's reply meant what she thought it did. Hesitantly, she broached the sensitive topic, "So, he knows?"

Vividly, Sophie remembered their conversation prior to her last surgery. Stephanie had asked her if there was someone who needed to know about her inability to have children. "He knows," Sophie answered softly.

"I wish there was something I could do," Stephanie remarked sadly, finding all her medical training so useless when faced with situations beyond her control.

"Thanks," Sophie reassured her. Ever since her arrival in Agnes, Stephanie Burke had been a good friend to both Sophie and Peter. Now, after hearing countless stories of Michaela's triumphs and tragedies as Colorado Springs' first woman doctor, Sophie had an even greater appreciation for Stephanie's career choice.

"He says it doesn't matter," Sophie reported quietly.

"From what I know about Peter Scarbrow, he always means what he says," Stephanie patted Sophie's hand encouragingly.

"Yeah," Sophie smiled with renewed confidence, "he does."

"So, I'll see you on the 14th?" Stephanie confirmed with a smile.

"Bright and early," Sophie's chipper answer had a hollow ring to it.

"Thanks, Doc," she added, touched by Stephanie's concern for both her physical and emotional well-being.

"Any time�" Stephanie nodded with a wink as she left Sophie to dress in private.

^^^^^^^^^^^

"So how'd it go?" Peter asked, before Sophie had barely come through the door.

The waiting had been agony but Sophie had adamantly refused Peter's offer to accompany her to the doctor's. Now, filled with worry, Peter watched as Sophie threw her coat over a chair and slumped onto the sofa. Quickly, he joined her, anxious to hear the news.

"You weren't wrong," she acknowledged softly.

Peter's heart ached as he took her hand in his. "I wanted to be�" he sighed truthfully.

"The ligament's torn. I need surgery," she explained matter-of-factly.

"When?" he asked, not once letting go of her hand.

"Next Friday, the 14th," Sophie reported sadly, her voice still tinged with disbelief. "I'll be in the hospital for Valentine's Day."

Placing his arm around her, Peter drew Sophie close to him, and leaned them both gently back against the overstuffed pillows. Thankfully, the surgery wasn't life-threatening and it wasn't the end of the world, either; but, Peter knew, at that moment, it seemed like it to Sophie. He could feel it from the tension in her body�from the occasional tear he brushed off her cheek. Desperately, Peter sought the right words of comfort and support. Ultimately, he settled on a simple statement of fact.

"Then," he whispered against her forehead, caressing her tightly as she nestled snugly upon his chest, "that's where I'll be, too."

^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Kids are waiting up to wish you good luck," Peter said softly, sneaking up behind Sophie as she sat outside the gazebo, staring into the telescope, contemplating her surgery early the next morning. For someone who cherished her independence as much as Sophie did, eight to ten weeks of recuperation was a sobering prospect.

"What do you see?" Peter whispered in her ear, looking up at the stars.

"The man in the moon," she sighed half-heartedly.

"Flirting again, huh?" he teased, hoping to lighten her mood.

"Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight�" Sophie quoted absent-mindedly.

"Make a wish," Peter encouraged her.

"You mean besides the anesthesiologist being called away suddenly," she quipped.

"Come on, Soph, wish for something�" Peter pleaded with a sparkle in his eyes.

Why did Peter's smile have to be so totally irresistible? Sophie wondered hopelessly as she considered his request.

"Since when do you believe in wishes?" she asked skeptically, though Peter had always been far more optimistic and accepting of the unexplainable.

"Since a very magical night in a snowbound cabin when all my wishes came true." Seductively, Peter recalled their time at the old homestead.

"Magical?" Sophie mused privately. She hadn't believed in magic since she was a little girl. Nothing about the last few weeks had been very magical, that was sure. Their return to Horizon had been one disaster after another, one jolt of reality after the next. The magic of the old homestead was becoming a fading memory now. If it weren't for the letters - and for the love she and Peter had shared there - Sophie could almost believe it hadn't happened at all. Except for those few cherished moments, safe in each other's arms, when she and Peter would read to each other from Michaela and Sully's letters and then love each other passionately, long into the night. Only then, could Sophie feel the magic return, sense that Michaela and Sully were still with them somehow, guiding and protecting them from harm.

It was such a ridiculous idea - fanciful, irrational, even. Everything Sophie definitely was not. But what if her dream of Sully had been real? What if it was possible for Sully or Michaela to appear once again? What if they could come to her wedding?

Tonight, as she faced her surgery, Sophie needed desperately to regain that feeling of magic�for this to be the beginning of a future filled with adventure - filled with possibilities.

And so she wished�

"What'd ya wish for?" Peter grinned, guessing she'd taken his suggestion.

"If I tell you, then it won't come true," she riddled.

"What kind of an answer is that?" Peter was confused by her logic.

"Come on, Sparky," Sophie chuckled, unwilling to share her secret. "The kids are waiting�"

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Replies:

Re: Say The Words - ch. 11 -- dqfan, 06:04:36 03/26/03 Wed
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