"I got it Ruth!" Preston slammed the door of the Lodge homestead in excitement. Ruth looked up from the baby she was holding in her arms and put her fingers to her lips. "Look! It just arrived in today's mail!"
"Ssh!" His wife scolded, raising carefully from the rocking chair they had placed in front of the fireplace.
"But Ruth..." Preston started to object, lowering his voice only slightly.
"Just a minute." She gently placed the sleeping baby in its cradle and then steered Preston back towards the front door. At his shocked expression she explained. "Let's go out on the porch where we can talk without disturbing the baby."
Once they were out on the porch with the door firmly closed behind them, Ruth turned to her husband and looked at him eagerly. "Now, what did you get? What's all the excitement about?"
Preston, his enthusiasm a little less, explained what he had received. "I got the investors for my new hotel. They sent a letter to me today saying that they think it’s a good location and that they will help fund the venture."
Ruth clapped her hands and then threw her arms around her husband’s neck. "I knew they would! Oh, Preston, I'm so happy for you. Now you can have your own hotel again. Oh, honey, we have to celebrate! Just think, your very own hotel on your very own land! Why don't you just sit right here and I'll go get some coffee and we'll talk all about your plans."
Preston nodded and sat down on the rocking chair. His excitement was almost unbearable. He pulled out the letter and reread it again. Everything was in place, the investors, the funds and the land...suddenly Preston sat up in his chair. According to the letter, the land he had been interested in had already been purchased by someone else. A doctor by the name of Andrew Cook.
The surprised banker rose to his feet and called inside to his wife, "Ruth, there's something I have to do. I'll be back in an hour to have that coffee."
"Where do you have to go, Preston?" His wife asked, surprised at the change of plans.
"I just have to go talk to somebody about that land." He replied, hurrying towards his wagon. "It won't take long. I'll be back soon."
And with that he jumped into his wagon and headed back towards town.
Back at the clinic, Dr. Andrew Cook was finally waking up from his deep sleep. He stretched slightly, feeling very stiff and sore, and tried to turn over when a vicious pain stopped him. Bringing his hand up, he felt his ribs very gingerly. Lifting the covers to examine them, he was surprised to find a wide white bandage wrapped tightly around his abdomen. What happened? His brain questioned. His mind ran through the series of events of the day before.
He remembered tending to Colleen, who was still very ill with the typhoid. She had complained a couple of times about pains in her abdomen.
The baby! Andrew suddenly remembered what had happened. He had been holding his tiny daughter in his arms when Michaela, Sully and Matthew had appeared. Andrew didn't understand why, but all of a sudden the trio seemed very threatening to him. He remembered getting very upset, feeling afraid that they were going to try to take the baby away from him. The last thing he could remember was tripping over something and falling against the verandah rail. That must have been how I got this. He decided.
Carefully, he lifted back the covers to check for other injuries. He found one leg set in a splint, but other than that and his ribs, he seemed in okay condition.
Gently he swung his body off the side of the bed, his broken ribs causing a sharp moan to escape his lips. He delicately maneuvered his injured body to the door, using everything he could reach to support himself. Just as he opened the door he heard commotion on the stairs.
Easing himself into the hallway he watched as Michaela, Sully, Brian and Katie appeared followed by Matthew, weighed down with an unconscious young woman.
"Let's get those wet clothes off of her and get her back to bed." Dr. Mike directed, opening the door to Colleen's room so Matthew could carry her inside. It took Andrew a moment to realize that the young woman that Matthew was carrying was his Colleen.
"Michaela!" Andrew cried, limping and hobbling his way towards them, "What's going on? What happened to Colleen?"
"Andrew!" Michaela exclaimed in horror as she realized who was calling her. "You shouldn't be up, get back to bed!"
But the worried husband ignored her. "What happened to Colleen?" He pressed, his voice firm, but frantic.
"She walked out to the cemetery to see the funeral. It was pouring rain and she was dressed in only her nightgown. Halfway back to the clinic she fainted in Matthew's arms." the girl's mother gently explained.
The young woman's worried husband dropped his head, as if a huge burden had just been lowered onto his already heavy shoulders. When he finally lifted his head to look at his mother-in-law, there were tears in his eyes.
"Andrew," his concerned colleague began, "I don't have to tell you how much harm such a wet and cold exposure could be for her in her worn down condition." Andrew nodded, his eyes filling up again.
"You and I are going to have to pull together on this one, Andrew. We're going to have to do all we can to help her get through this."
"I want to see her." Andrew announced, moving towards the room.
"Andrew," Michaela began to object. "I really think that you should rest. You'll be of more use to her if you allow yourself to heal."
"Michaela, I appreciate the advice, but if you were in my situation and it was Sully in there very sick, possibly dying, would you be content to just let yourself rest and heal?" Andrew asked pointedly, knowing already what her answer would be.
Without a word, Dr. Mike helped Andrew ease himself into Colleen's room. By this time, Matthew, Brian and Sully had Colleen dried off and tucked warmly in her bed with a couple big blankets on top of her.
"Sit here, Andrew." Brian cleared the chair by Colleen's bed and positioned it so the injured doctor could sit down without bumping his broken leg. After he was settled, Andrew turned his attention to his wife, whose face was pale and tired looking.
Suddenly fear settled into his young heart as he realized how close he was to losing her as well.
Preston pulled his wagon to a halt in front of the clinic. Jumping from the seat, he quickly tied the reins to the hitching rail out front.
"Michaela!" he greeted as he entered the clinic door. "Preston." She nodded in return, surprised to see the man.
"It’s nice to see you up and around." the man commented, good manners overcoming his impatience to get to the matter.
"Thank you." Dr. Mike acknowledged, then smiled kindly, "I understand congratulations are in order."
At Preston's puzzled expression she explained, "I heard Ruth had a baby boy." Preston sighed in relief as he nodded. He had been afraid that she had heard about the new hotel he was building.
"Yes, a healthy boy."
"What did you name him?" the doctor inquired curiously. "Preston A. Lodge IV." the father replied proudly. Michaela nodded, not terribly surprised.
"Listen, Michaela. I need to see Andrew right away." Preston finally announced, tiring of beating around the bush.
"Well, I'm sorry, Andrew is not available at the moment." Dr. Mike told him firmly.
"I only need to speak with him for a few minutes. It's very important." the banker pressed even firmer.
The doctor looked at him, a frown on her beautiful face. "I really don't think..."
"Please, Michaela. Just for a couple of minutes." After hesitating for a few moments, the doctor finally sighed and nodded. "He's in the recovery room with Colleen. First door on your right."
"Thank you, Michaela." Preston smiled delightedly.
"You have no more than five minutes, then I'm going to make you leave." Dr. Quinn warned him firmly. "Andrew needs his rest."
The man nodded and climbed the stairs to the recovery rooms. Andrew looked up in surprise when he saw Preston open the door of Colleen's room.
"What are you doing here, Preston?" He inquired.
"Andrew, I have a business proposition I want to discuss with you." the man exclaimed, quietly closing the door behind him.
He softly walked across the room to Andrew and sat down on the cot behind him. The young doctor adjusted himself in his seat so he could face the other man.
Preston took a good look at Andrew and exclaimed, "Goodness sakes, what did you do to yourself? You look horrible."
The young man smiled slightly to himself, but only asked, "What is your proposition?"
Preston looked seriously into the doctor's face and explained, "I have managed to secure some investors for my new hotel that I am going to build."
Andrew, with a look of surprise, commented, "You’re going to build another hotel in Colorado Springs? Don't you think that two are enough? This isn't a big town, Preston."
"There is only one hotel in town, that sleaze hole across the street is not a hotel, no matter how classy Hank tries to make it." Preston declared, a bit upset that Andrew would dare compare the Spring Chateau and Health Resort to the Gold Nugget. "Besides, the hotel that I'm planning on building is in a more rustic setting. It overlooks the Colorado Rockies."
"So you want to capitalize on the National Park that Sully's trying to establish." Andrew remarked.
"Why not. Every hotel needs an attraction of some sort. The Springs Chateau has the hot springs, the new Rockies Retreat and Spa will have the Colorado Rockies as its attraction." Preston informed him.
"And where do you plan on placing this hotel?" Andrew asked, suddenly suspicious.
"The location I was hoping to purchase had a beautiful view of the Colorado Rockies and the gorgeous valley below. It even has a waterfall that empties into a lake just off the corner of the property. This spot offers everything that a hotel guest could want -scenery, nature, plus all the modern amenities that money can buy. And what I want from you..."
"...What you want from me, is my land." Andrew interrupted, looking the business man directly in the eye. "Well, I'm sorry, Preston, but forget it. That land is not for sale."
"I'll pay you twice what you paid for it." The banker offered, meeting Andrew's direct look. Andrew's mouth dropped in shock. Preston nodded his head to confirm what he promised. When the shock wore off the young doctor managed to shake his head.
"No, Preston. It’s not for sale. Colleen and I picked that land out together. We have plans to build a homestead on it and settle here after she finishes medical school."
Preston glanced over at the sleeping form on the bed. He thought to himself for a moment, then looked at Andrew, coolness in his voice.
"Andrew, wake up and face reality. Colleen is not going to get any better. Look at her, she is slowly slipping away with every breath she takes. Do you really want to hang on to land that you've made plans for with her? Do you really want to keep something that will be a continual reminder of what you had after she's gone. Sell it to me now, then you won't be burdened with it later."
Andrew looked at the man in complete horror. Standing up as best and as quickly as he could, the young doctor, who had never thrown anybody out before in his life, ordered Preston to leave immediately.
"If that's the way you want to be about it, fine. I tried to be nice about this, but I'm going to get that land, one way or another." Preston warned before he turned on his heels and left.
After the heartless banker left, Andrew slowly sank into the chair he had just vacated and looked at his wife’s sleeping form. The young woman looked so pale and fragile against the sheets. Gingerly, the young doctor reached over and took her small hand in his.
“Colleen, can you hear me?” His voice quivered with emotion. “Colleen, sweetheart, I need you to do me a favor. I need you to fight. Please, honey, you have to get better, I need you to get better. Don’t worry, we’ll be able to have more children. We’ll have a whole parcel of them. We’ll have to build such a large homestead just to be able to house them all. As soon as you’re better, we’ll draw up some plans together and then maybe we can hire Sully to build it for us. And if he’s too busy, then we’ll hire somebody else to construct it. That way we’ll be close by to visit with your family, our family. No matter what happens, we still have them. Michaela, Sully and Katie, Matthew and Brian they all love you very much and want to see you get better. So please, my darling, please fight for all of us. We all need you to get well again.” the young man pa used, watching his wife’s face for any signs that she heard him.
Lightly he squeezed her hand. “Come on, Sweetheart. Wake up. Please. Squeeze my hand if you can hear me.”
Andrew watched the small hand he was clutching. After a few agonizing moments, he felt an extremely light pressure on his fingers. With a delighted glint in his eyes, he looked at his wife’s sleeping face, an encouraged smile on his face.
It was close to a month before Colleen was well enough to make the long trip back to Philadelphia. By then she had moved from the clinic to the homestead and was able to do things for herself again. Once Andrew felt she was strong enough to travel he made arrangements for them to head back east. The night before they were scheduled to leave, Michaela tried to persuade the couple to stay. She didn’t want to lose her daughter back to the big city just yet. But Colleen comforted her with the assurance that they would be back in the spring.
“Besides,” the young woman added, “I’ve already missed a month of classes. If I don’t get back soon, I’ll never catch up.”
“Why don’t you wait and start next semester? After you’ve had the chance to recuperate a little bit more.” her anxious mother suggested.
“Because then I definitely wouldn’t be graduating with my class. At least by going back now I have the chance to graduate in June with everyone else. Especially since I won’t be taking December off anymore.” the beautiful girl’s dark eyes began to cloud over as she thought about her stillborn daughter.
A few moments later she shook her head and brought her thoughts back to the present. “It’s time we head back. Andrew’s wounds are healing nicely and he should really be getting back to his patients. I think the best thing for us to do is to get our lives back into a steady routine.”
Looking at her mother’s concerned look, Colleen reached over and grasped the other woman’s hand. “Don’t worry, Ma. We’ll be just fine.” Michaela nodded and reached over to hug her girl to her. “We’ll miss you.” She whispered into her beloved daughter’s auburn tresses.
“I’ll miss you too, Ma.” the girl confessed affectionately.
The Cooks were scheduled to leave on the 12:30 train. The entire family arrived early so that they could all enjoy one final lunch together at the cafe.
The air was joyful and light and everyone looked well and happy, despite the trying time that they had just been through. Just before the train was due to arrive, Colleen excused herself from her family group and made her way towards the town’s small cemetery. As she walked through the open gate her mind began recalling all the funerals she had attended in the past. First there had been her mother, her beloved mother, who had died of a rattlesnake bite. This strong, loving woman was the only parent she really had, her only family, along with her brothers. Then, after her death, Colleen, Matthew and Brian had become part of a bigger family, one with a mother and a father as well as a grandmother and numerous aunts and cousins. They had gained so much, even though they had lost a lot as well.
Then a few years later, when the diphtheria epidemic had hit the town, Colleen's beloved best friend, Becky had died, and then her Aunt Marjorie. Her world seemed to be falling apart and now a fresh mound of dirt marked where her latest kin was buried. Standing at the foot of the new grave, the young mother stared teary-eyed at the headstone that Sully and Matthew had fashioned. Her mind thought of all the hopes and dreams that she and Andrew had had and which were now buried under the ground below.
"Well, we'll just have to get some new dreams." Colleen told herself, lifting her chin in determination. "Life will go on!"
A pair of strong arms enfolded her and a sympathetic voice asked in her ear, "The train is about to arrive, are you ready to go?" The young girl nodded, too overcome with emotion to speak.
Andrew squeezed her to him one more time before releasing her. Holding our his hand he took hers in his. "Ready?"
His sad wife turned to follow him out of the cemetery, but then hesitated and turned back towards the little grave, removing a flower from her hat. "Sleep well, my darling." She sniffed as she placed the small blossom in front of the headstone. "I will always love you." After dabbing at the tears with her handkerchief, she turned and joined Andrew.
"Let us know when you arrive in Philadelphia." Sully said as he shook Andrew's hand good-bye.
"We will." the young doctor promised. After exchanging hugs and loving farewells, the young couple boarded the train. Sully put his arms around his wife and watched as Colleen and Andrew settled in front of them on the train. The entire family waved as the train began pulling out of the station and headed towards Denver.
As the train traveled along the tracks, Andrew and Colleen settled back into their seats.
"How are you feeling?" the young doctor asked his wife as he reached over and squeezed her hand.
"I'm okay." Colleen replied, turning her head to face her husband. "I can't deny that I feel sad, I don't know if I'll totally get over what's happened, but I'm resolved not to sink into despair. After all, who knows what the future will bring." He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him.
"I love you so much."
"I love you too." Colleen touched her young husband’s cheek tenderly. She smiled as he leaned over and gave her a quick kiss, despite the passengers around them.
The young man sighed in relief as his wife leaned back against him. He kissed the top of her auburn head, and then settled back himself. His whole body relaxed as he realized that no matter what the future held, they would be all right.