Chapter 14

After the dog soldiers had set up camp for the night, Michaela was sincere that it was only a question of time until One Eye would make his next move towards her. For now she was still left alone though. Sitting by a fire, she was on her guard against any attack, only now and then moving her hands so as to ease the numbness in her fingers that was setting in. It was at one of these moments that she heard a familiar sound.

Straightening her back, she looked around cautiously. Had anyone noticed as well? Yet the commotion among the Indians simply went on, and thus she stretched her neck, listening carefully again. And there came the birdcall a second time.

Sully was here.

She wanted to cry in relief but there was no time to allow any emotion to surface. Michaela knew that Sully needed her to get away from the group for he, of course, couldn't fight all of them. There was only one solution that came to her mind and she didn't hesitate to put it into action.

Rising to her feet she made her voice loud enough to be heard, telling the men in Cheyenne that she needed to see the bathroom. The fleeting hope they would allow her to find her way to the creek on her own was quickly dashed, yet it was at least only one Indian that accompanied her: One Eye.

Once down on the bank, Michaela hesitated. There was no sign of Sully's presence and the Indian seemed to misinterpret her wish to go to the water as her attempt to be alone with him. What if the birdcall had actually simply been the call of a night bird? What if she'd only imagined it was Sully who'd created it? She had also thought she had heard him this afternoon and where had this led her?

Her heart started to race with fear as One Eye, who sensed her growing anxiety, closed in on her, reaching for her belt in order to remove her skirt. Although she was frightened to death she still resisted, screaming "No!" at him and tried to wriggle out of his hands as he clutched her head between them, trying to kiss her. She actually managed to push him away but when he raised his arm so as to slap her, she knew she might have made a mortal mistake.

Yet before the dog soldier could finish his move, he was knocked onto the ground by a body that flew through the air like the one of an attacking mountain lion.

Sully had only waited for the right moment, knowing that surprising the Indian was the only way to keep the fight between the two of them. He had calculated right; the renegade was too proud to call for help. It didn't take Sully long to kick One Eye hard into the stomach, putting him to the sleep of unconsciousness.

Every of his next actions was effective too; first he cut open Michaela's rope and then he lifted her with a swift movement into his arms, carrying her down to the water. The next moment they were already swimming, as close to each other as only possible. Neither of them wanted to risk losing the other one again.

Later, Michaela would barely remember that night for it turned into a blur. They stayed in the cold water for a while, drifting downstream so as to not be detected right away. They had to put as much distance as possible between them and the dog soldiers and thus they continued moving once they climbed out of the creek.

Sully seemed to be familiar with the area but even if he weren't, Michaela would have followed him everywhere anyway. Her mind told her that it wasn't time yet to feel relief; after all, they were still running for their lives. Yet her subconscious felt differently. Although they both were soaked to the bones and she couldn't stop shivering, a warmth radiated from his hand when it held hers that shielded her from any physical pain. She didn't notice that she began to stumble and was eventually lifted by strong, protective arms that carried her.

Sully was angry with himself that he hadn't noticed her total exhaustion sooner. He had simply been too occupied with trying to get them as far away from the dog soldiers as possible, assuming the Indians wouldn't go after them during the night because their horses would hamper them. But they still had the advantage that they were a lot faster once they could ride in the morning… Apart from that, he knew they had to hurry back to town for he had no idea how long it took Custer to build the gallows for the Cheyenne. The general wouldn't hesitate to start the executions as soon as the construction was done if the doctor weren't back by then.

It was already close to dawn when Sully at last carried his precious burden up to a cave he remembered from earlier. Michaela woke enough to understand that he asked her to strip down the wet clothes. She complied without thinking before she sank onto the ground, using her hands as the pillow like she had done it the nights before.

Sully didn't sleep. First he spread out their clothes on the rocky ground, hoping the sun would be strong enough to dry them before they moved on. Next he cut some branches off a pine standing nearby, covering the ground of the cave with them. Then he carefully placed Michaela on top. She never woke up.

After making sure that there was no sign of the renegades anywhere close, Sully decided to look for some food. Michaela had been so light in his arms… He feared they hadn't given her anything to eat.

Before he left, he crouched down next to her, watching her face for some moments needing to assure himself that she was alright. Every scratch he saw, every bruise that told him they had hit her caused another painful contraction of his heart. No one deserved being treated this way, least of all her. Sully had long since forgotten that he had initially been angry with her, even blaming her for starting all the trouble between the Indians and the army. Yet when she told Custer what had happened at the reservation, she still tried to protect the village and even him. She had openly lied to the general, claiming she had been alone out there.

Being honest to himself, Sully admitted that in a way, she had actually been right about that. The day she brought the soldiers to the village he showed even less understanding for her than Cloud Dancing. His brother had seen that all that she had wanted was to bring the food to the Cheyenne earlier. He, on the other hand, had only seen the upcoming trouble for his family, fearing that she would not stay silent about what she had seen.

However, there was no use dwelling on that. He would make it up to her. Right now this meant he needed to find something for her to eat.

When Michaela woke with a start, she had no idea that she had slept almost all through the day as she had no clue where she was. Disoriented, she looked around. Had she dreamed that Sully rescued her?

"Sully?" she tentatively called, praying that he would answer.

"I'm here," Sully instantly reassured her, leaving his place on the edge of the cave where he had stood guard.

Never in her life had she heard something sweeter than the sound of these words spoken by him, and not wasting one thought on the fact that she only wore her camisole, she reached out for him.

With a few long strides, Sully was at her side, taking her hand in his. "We are safe," he soothed, recognizing the silent fear in her gesture.

As soon as he sat next to her, Michaela shifted and tentatively touched his face with her free hand so as if to see if he was real. Feeling the soft stubbles under her fingertips the relief she felt was overwhelming. She wanted so badly that he pulled her into his arms yet he only bent his head, pressing his lips against the back of her hand. "We are safe," he reiterated as he looked up again.

When his gaze flew over her face unsteadily, never meeting her eyes, and he neither moved nor spoke again, Michaela grew insecure. She was absolutely sure now that she loved this man, no matter what doubts she had had in the past. She had hoped that he still had feelings for her as well yet when he turned and took his hand out of hers, she resigned. She had pushed him away for too long, and he wasn't here because of any feelings. He was here because he would have rescued anyone who was in danger and because only she could save his Indian family. The disappointment upon this realization stung, making it difficult to breathe once again.

She barely registered his words when he explained, "I found some berries and a honeycomb for you when you were sleeping."

She looked with unseeing eyes down on the bark with the food he put into her hands and only reacted again when he added, "It's goin' to be dark soon. If we go then, we'll be in Colorado Springs some time tomorrow."

Of course she wanted to save the Cheyenne as well and felt like a complete failure when she had to destroy his plan, "I can't walk."

Yet to her astonishment, Sully simply shifted so he could put one of her feet on his lap. Matter-of-factly he simply replied, "Then I'll carry you."

As much as he wanted to hug her against his chest, caress her – he didn't dare to do so. The reason for that was simple: he was afraid to cause her more physical pain than she already endured.

As gently as possible, he began to clean her blood smeared foot with the edge of his shirt. Hearing her suck in the air through clenched teeth, he screwed up his face, sharing her pain.

There was still one question left he hadn't asked yet, dreading the terror he might see in her eyes when she answered it. However, he was determined to help her through everything and thus finally gathered the courage to pose it. After taking a few deep breaths he at last managed to get it out, "Did they hurt you?"

Momentarily stunned, Michaela stared at his back. He still cared! When he moved his head so as to hear her reply better she eased his mind, "No."

The relief he felt was indescribable and for the first time he dared lock eyes with her again. His face relaxed with an almost imperceptible smile as he asked, pointing with his gaze at the food in her hand, "Why don't you try and eat some?"

For a split moment Michaela had hoped that Sully's fear of her being raped had held him back from coming close to her. Yet now that he knew she was the same as three days before, he still didn't budge and her hope was dashed. Trying to blink the rising tears of despair away, she put her fingers into the sweet mass, finally trying the honey.

Sully's eyes never left her face, watching her savoring the taste with her eyes closed. His heart leaped with joy upon the realization that he had brought her something she liked. Yet when she looked at him again, the sadness in her gaze was his undoing. He had promised himself to wait until she was ready and came to him of her own accord, but now he couldn't wait any longer. He needed her to know how much he loved her, and there was only one way for him to show her. He shifted so he could cover her mouth with his. He had never kissed her with such a mix of tenderness and passion before.

Feeling the soft, warm skin of his lips on hers, Michaela didn't want the sensation to end, knowing now that he was as much hers as she was his. And when he eventually bent back, she told him what she wanted, "Hold me," she whispered and reiterated, already safely pulled into his embrace, "Hold me."

They stayed in each others arms for a long time, silently celebrating their reunion. Sully gently rocked her while she put tiny kisses on his chest and his neck until she tucked her head against the soft hollow under his shoulder. In the middle of the wilderness, sitting in a rocky cave, they were home.

From now on, they would stay together. No one and nothing would break their bond again, not even the dog soldiers who caught up with them the next morning. Neither their shooting could separate them nor One Eye's ambushing them for a life-and-death struggle with Sully. Sully was stronger.

Yet they were caught on a spot on the rocks where they had no escape, and the other dog soldiers would reach them any minute if not one of her bullets was even faster. Only jumping down into a pond that was far too far away could either save Michaela and Sully's lives or, what seemed to be more possible, end them.

They made this decision together. But before they challenged their fate, Sully wanted her to hear how he felt. They held each other on their upper arms, their eyes locked, maybe for the very last time. "I love you," he said, wanting her to recognize his being absolutely sincere about that.

"I love you!" she instantly replied, and it sounded like, "I love you even more."

They both saw their path clearly ahead now; they were back on course. That was why they were able to take the chance and jump into the unknown.

One last glance at each other and both ran towards the abyss, their fingers not linked though. They needed this freedom in order to gain enough power for the jump. Only this way they would be able to make it.