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Date Posted: 06:08:38 03/26/03 Wed
Author: dqfan
Subject: Re: Say The Words - ch. 12
In reply to: dqfan 's message, "Re: Say The Words - ch. 11" on 06:04:36 03/26/03 Wed

CHAPTER TWELVE

The mid-day sun streamed brightly into Sophie's hospital window, prompting her to shield her eyes from the intense glare as she woke. A giant yawn escaped her as she turned towards Peter's chair, ready to reach for his hand. But, the chair was empty and Peter was nowhere to be found. And, though she knew it was silly, Sophie couldn't hide her disappointment at finding herself surprisingly alone.

Foolishly, she'd just expected he would be there when she awoke. When he wasn't, Sophie's imagination began to run wild, wondering if, perhaps, she'd dreamed Peter being there in the first place. That is, until…

Sophie's hand accidentally grazed the surprise package Peter had placed by her side during the night. So, he had been there! Sophie smiled to herself, feeling the warmth of Peter's love as she gleefully snatched the gift into her hands. Glancing furtively about the room for spies, Sophie stealthily began untying the red ribbons.

"Thought you'd be hungry about now…" Peter sauntered cheerfully into the room carrying two large white bags of Rusty's take-out in his arms.

Instantly, Sophie shoved her present back down under the covers, but it was too late. Peter had caught her in the act.

"What'dya doin'?" he pressed mercilessly.

"Nothing…I just…" Sophie stumbled frantically for an excuse.

"You just…?" Peter grinned mischievously.

Oh, how Sophie hated it when Peter got that self-satisfied smirk on his face! Well, she wasn't going to let him torment her…and she wasn't going to let him make her feel guilty. It was her present…and, after all, she'd earned it!

Determinedly, Sophie refused to be goaded and answered defiantly, "I was just opening my surprise, if you don't mind…"

That last part was a dare if ever Peter heard one and he knew better than to challenge Sophie Becker when she got that certain look in her eyes.

"No…" he smiled innocently, sitting beside her. "I don't mind…"

Normally, Sophie would have been slightly annoyed that Peter let her win so easily but she was too excited to finally be opening her gift. Eagerly, she unwrapped the package.

"Oh, Peter…" Sophie sighed audibly, giving Peter a clue he'd been pretty successful.

Sophie ran her hand gently, almost reverently, over the fragile antique. It wasn't exactly breakable, but to Sophie it was far more precious than gold. The binding was still intact and the embossed title was clearly visible.

"My Town by Dorothy Jennings…" Sophie read the cover of the tattered volume aloud. "Peter, how did you ever find this?"

"I have my ways…" Peter divulged proudly.

"But, even Charity hasn't been able to find this," Sophie revealed. "The WALPOCS keep their only copy behind glass for safekeeping…" Sophie was amazed and more than a little impressed.

"All it took was one little email," Peter answered blithely, making Sophie even more suspicious.

Eventually, Peter confessed the endless extent of his sleuthing. "One little email to just about every antique bookseller from here to Arizona…"

"You did that for me?" Sophie couldn't believe it.

"Yup…" Peter nodded with a sparkle in his eye. "Happy Valentine's Day…plus one.

"Happy Valentine's Day, plus one," Sophie whispered, leaning in to meet his kiss.

"Where did you find it?" Sophie still couldn't believe her treasure.

"A little shop in Bozeman, Montana," he explained. "Dealer got it from a woman named Veronica Smith. She's the great-great granddaughter of Welland Smith, former Secretary of the Interior."

"According to her, Sully and Michaela made several trips to Montana surveying Yellowstone with Welland. The book was a gift. Veronica told the dealer that Dorothy and Cloud Dancing often accompanied them. Seems they became a couple after his first wife was killed at Washita but they had to keep it a secret. I guess, they probably cherished the moments they spent with Michaela and Sully when they didn't have to hide their relationship."

"Society would never accept a white woman and an Indian…" Sophie realized, finding Dorothy's story quite tragic.

"Why would Veronica sell this?" Sophie couldn't imagine parting with such a wonderful heirloom.

"She's creating an endowment for the continued preservation of Yellowstone and all the national parks. She thought her grandfather would approve…" Peter smiled.

"So, your purchase contributed to the endowment," Sophie nodded, constantly amazed at how Peter could put his family's money to such good use, first at Horizon and now by supporting such a worthy cause and giving her this wonderful gift in the process.

"I thought my grandfather would approve…" Peter smiled again.

"So, you ready for lunch?" Peter offered, even though he had a good idea what Sophie's answer would be.

"Not hungry," Sophie lied, eyeing Dorothy's book.

Smiling invitingly at Peter, Sophie placed the food on her bedside table for later and patted the sheet beside her temptingly.

"Well, maybe just one sentence…" Peter agreed, pleased to see Sophie's spirits so bright, in spite of her surgery.

Gently, Peter climbed up onto Sophie's hospital bed and cuddled her into his arms. Sophie snuggled comfortably against his chest and listened as Peter read a single passage from where the book happened to fall open…

"Loren Bray, my brother-in-law, owns the General Store. He was kind enough to put me up…"

Peter and Sophie scrunched their faces in disappointment as Peter read the dull, flat description. Compared to Mike and Sully's passionate correspondence, this was, well, boring…

"There's got to be something better than that," Sophie moaned. "Read another part…" she nudged him.

Peter's quick skim of the volume's highpoints was interrupted by Stephanie Burke's arrival.

"Good, you're up," Stephanie commented, as Peter sprang up guiltily from Sophie's bed.

"Have you had anything to eat?" Stephanie asked with a grin.

"Eat? Um…yes," Sophie fibbed, snatching the take-out bag and drawing out a sandwich. "Peter brought me lunch."

"Good. I'll be back in an hour and we'll see about discharging you - if you eat everything," Stephanie instructed seriously.

"I get to go home?" Sophie was thrilled with the news.

"If you feel up to it?" Stephanie amended cautiously.

"Oh, I will…" Sophie smiled happily.

"Then eat!" Stephanie shot Peter a stern look as she departed - ominously foretelling dire consequences should he return to his previous position.

Sophie gazed hopefully toward Dorothy's book, wishing Peter would ignore Stephanie's threats; but Peter snatched it quickly from the bed and hid it safely behind his back.

"Eat!" he echoed, in his most authoritative tone. Then, with a promising lilt in his voice, he added excitedly, "We're going home…"

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

As evening fell, the Cliffhangers were huddled, as usual, by the fire in the great room, sharing popcorn and secrets over homework.

"So, they're definitely getting married here?" Shelby couldn't conceive of anyone actually wanting to be married at Horizon.

"That's what Ezra tells me," Daisy reported dryly.

"Where is Dr. Strangelove?" David wondered, hoping Ezra would miss curfew for a change and incur Peter's wrath.

"His bus should be getting back soon," Daisy looked at her watch to be sure.

"A wedding at Horizon!" Juliette enthused. "This is sooo exciting!"

"Calm down, Jules, please," Auggie begged, knowing it was useless.

"Yeah, don't get your taffeta in a tizzy," Scott chuckled from over by the piano. Sitting with a blank page of sheet music in front of him and a pencil behind his ear, Scott was busy tentatively pecking out a few notes.

"So, what're we gonna do about this writing assignment," Auggie wondered.

"I'm finished," David replied casually.

"You are?" Shelby pressed suspiciously for details.

"Yup," he answered, pulling a sheet of paper from his pocket. "Dear Future, The past sucked. Love, David."

"Beautiful," Shelby wisecracked.

"Enchanting," Daisy concurred.

Just then Ezra entered the room, filled with excitement from another day at Oakhaven. "That was so cool," he revealed, brimming with enthusiasm for the world of medical science.

"Bring somebody back from the dead today, E.Z.?" Auggie joked, wondering what could possibly be so thrilling at the Oakhaven Rest Home.

"As a matter of fact, yes," Ezra said, surprised by Auggie's guess.

"Huh?" Auggie was stunned.

"You did?" Daisy was enthralled by the concept.

"Well, not me exactly…" Ezra explained. "I was bringing tea to this group of old ladies and I noticed one of them was having some pain in her arm, so I called Dr. Burke over and the next thing I knew the old lady was having a heart attack right in front of me. They had to use paddles to re-start her heart."

"Ahhh, electro-shock therapy," David repeated creepily. "It, too, could work for you…"

"I'm very proud of you, Ezra," Daisy complimented, placing her arm soothingly around him.

"Yeah, nice going, E.Z.," Auggie agreed, handing Ezra a bowl of popcorn as he settled in amongst the group.

"You could write about that," Juliette suggested, still worried about their final assignments. "That's profound…"

"You know, maybe this wedding isn't such a bad idea," Shelby thought aloud.

"How you figure?" Scott wanted to know.

"Weddings take a lot of time and planning. They'll be busy…preoccupied," Shelby theorized. One by one, the light dawned as each Cliffhanger mischievously envisioned the positive aspects of a wedding at Horizon.

Quietly, Daisy nudged Shelby over to the corner, away from the crowd, and began whispering an idea into her ear.

"Oh, that's good…" Shelby's eyes grew as wide as her grin. "That's brilliant…" she whispered conspiratorially, after giving it further thought.

"I thought so…" Daisy agreed, her chin tilting slightly upward in obvious pride.

"Daise, you got a minute?" Ezra approached her.

"For you…anything," she oozed loyally, moving away from Shelby.

"Good…then will you come with me to Oakhaven tomorrow?" Ezra surprised her.

"What? Why?" Spending the day with a bunch of old people was not Daisy's idea of a good time.

"There's this couple I want you to meet," Ezra explained further.

"And I should meet them…because?" Daisy wasn't convinced.

"Because there's something about them," Ezra knew he wasn't making much sense but he'd been thinking all day about the mysterious couple he'd met beneath the tree.

For a brief moment today, he'd feared the heart attack victim had been that same old woman. They looked so similar from behind. But then, he should have realized it wasn't her. The old man wasn't with her and, instinctively, Ezra sensed he always would be. Afterwards, Ezra had searched everywhere for the pair, with no luck.

"Something…?" Daisy broke his thoughts.

"Something…different, spooky…" Ezra groped for the right words.

"Different…spooky…Sounds like my kind of people," Daisy smiled optimistically. "Sure, why not."

"Great! I'll clear it with Kat," Ezra volunteered. "Thanks, Daise…"

Ezra couldn't put his finger on exactly why he needed to see the intriguing couple again, he just did - and this time, he wanted a witness…

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

"You sure you're okay?" Peter worried.

Sophie had made it safely home from the hospital and, with Peter's help, had changed comfortably into her pajamas. She was feeling much better...

Peter, on the other hand, was hovering like a nervous mother hen, constantly propping Sophie with fluffy white pillows. There were pillows to the left of her, pillows to the right of her, pillows behind her back, and pillows under her ankle…so many pillows Sophie felt as if she'd been swallowed by a giant marshmallow.

"Peter, I'm fine, really!" Sophie laughed.

"There must be something else I can get you? Cocoa? How about cocoa?" Peter was halfway to the kitchen.

"Peter!" Sophie called him back.

"What?" Peter returned to her side instantly, kneeling by the bed.

"All I need is you," Sophie whispered, stroking the hair behind his ear.

"Oh…" Peter smiled softly, realizing he might have gotten just a little carried away.

"Soph…Stephanie said you shouldn't…'exert'…yourself…" Peter let out a low moan as Sophie's gentle stroking began to affect him.

"At least until the cast comes off…" he gulped.

"Four weeks…" Sophie sighed, knowing it would feel like an eternity.

"We could cheat…" she suggested with an impish grin as her hands moved to caress his neck.

"But if anything happened and you couldn't walk for the wedding…" Peter took her hand firmly in his to stop her very skillful fingers.

"You're right," Sophie grumbled.

"C'mon, I'll read to you," Peter offered, sliding gently into bed beside her.

Sophie brightened at the sight of Dorothy's book in Peter's hand. "Did you find me a good part?" she teased.

"Oh, I think so…" Peter chuckled.

Sophie leaned back against her many pillows and let the sound of Peter's voice transport her - to another time, another love…

"Everyone in town could see the attraction between those two," Peter began reading Dorothy's words.

"Except them, of course…Why it was like they could see into each other's souls. And when they touched…Well, all he had to do was help her down from her wagon and you could feel the sparks - so intense - the only proper thing to do was look away."

Peter glanced lovingly at Sophie, who was struggling to stay awake in spite of her obvious exhaustion. Hoping she'd drift off with just a few more sentences, Peter decided to read on…

"I've known Sully for years. He was married to my niece, Abagail, who died along with their baby daughter during childbirth. I wasn't living here then but I heard that Sully never recovered, that he ran away to live with the Cheyenne. That's why I was so surprised to see him in town when I returned.

But I was even more surprised when Loren told me the town had a new lady doctor from Boston. Her refined ways and medical skills seemed an intriguing combination and I hoped, from the start, we would be friends. Though the town calls her Dr. Mike, I call her by her given name, Michaela.

Generously, Michaela invited me to dine at her home, Sully's old homestead. Loren and Sully were also invited. At first I thought she'd invited them because they were my family. But, as the evening progressed, I soon realized that wasn't the case. They were her family now, too.

Michaela seemed to have adopted Loren, as willingly as she'd adopted Charlotte's three children, anxiously fussing over him as if he'd been her own father.

And Sully…

Confidently, he opened the door for me when I arrived. He appeared perfectly at-home, but then the homestead was his home for many years - he'd built it log by log. His ease wasn't purely physical, though. He had a sense of belonging, a sense of place within the family, that I don't think even he or Michaela were aware of at the time. The way they set the table together, the way she brought him coffee as he stoked the fire…The loving gestures that were so lacking in my marriage to Marcus, these two shared before they even began courting. It would have been easy to be jealous but their path ahead would be anything but easy…"

Peter closed Dorothy's book carefully and took a last look over at Sophie. She was finally fast asleep.

Ever-so-gently, Peter pulled the covers up around her shoulders and lifted himself gingerly off the bed. Wary of Sophie's cast and the multitude of pillows surrounding her, Peter chose to sleep on the pull-out-sofa rather than risk disrupting her rest. She would undoubtedly give him an argument tomorrow but Peter felt certain he was doing the right thing.

Truthfully, he was a little afraid to sleep next to her, knowing he shouldn't love her. Except for Sophie's hospital stay, not a night had passed, since their reunion at the old homestead, that they hadn't slept together in the same bed. But Peter was willing to do anything and everything to make Sophie well again - especially in time for their wedding - even if it meant they had to be apart for a while.

After all, they had been through so much worse, Peter reminded himself. Yet, at the same time, he couldn't help wondering how it would feel - not being able to reach for her in the quiet stillness before dawn, even just for a kiss or a caress.

Valiantly, he tried to convince himself that four weeks wasn't that long as he knelt beside her and placed a soft, lingering kiss on her forehead.

"Night Soph," he whispered tenderly against her skin, "see you soon…"

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