Epilogue

Sully had always been the kind of man who, once he'd made a well thought-out decision, didn't question it again. He had acknowledged that he was fooling himself when he had thought that being friends with Michaela would be enough for him. It wouldn't. And Daniel was right when he'd said she'd easily find somebody who was willing to give her the world. Actually, Sully was positive that in fact, she wouldn't even have to search hard; he had seen the looks on the faces of the men around her.

Of course Sully wasn't so arrogant as to think he was the only one who could bring love into her life. But like his friend had noticed: Michaela looked at him in a special way which made him hope he would be able to make her happy. Yet before making his next move, he had to finish something else.

When they at last returned home that evening, they agreed to have a cup of tea together before turning in. Whilst Michaela was still securing her car for the night, Daniel tugged at Sully's sleeve so as to gain his attention. He suggested that Sully and Michaela take the tea in her room but Sully refused the idea, whispering back that there was no need to rush anything.

However, nothing could stop him from taking Michaela's hand as they walked towards the house. Once in the kitchen, they sat at the table drinking tea and chatting. Daniel and Michaela took turns in telling Sully about the performance and Sully reported about his visit to the Brays. It had turned out that it wasn't so much moving in with their son-in-law but spending time with him at his homestead, especially during the warm seasons that they wanted. In addition, Maud had said that she'd love to lay out some vegetable patches which was impossible in their current place of residence.

Sully had told them that no one needed his permission to visit him, yet he'd ask them for some time to think over the little garden Maude wanted to run. Sully was old enough to know that this could cause trouble once he had his own family. This last thought he kept to himself though, not wanting to hurt Abigail's parents or frighten Michaela because he was already planning ahead.

However, when she rose from her chair announcing that she would turn in, Sully got to his feet as well. Yet he only accompanied her to the door. There he took her hand in his, lifting it and placing his lips to its back. As he gazed up again, he peered into her eyes, "Good night," he said and his look translated these words into three others.

Her happy yet shy smile told him that she'd understood when she whispered "Good night" in return.

Once the door was closed behind Michaela, Sully went straight to his room, a perplexed Daniel on his heels.

"What are you doing?" the latter asked, not gaining a response though.

Sully crouched down before his bureau, pulling out the last drawer. First he just scrutinized the items, yet soon started rummaging through them. When he had found what he had been looking for, he rose to his feet again.

Daniel watched in astonishment as Sully placed a little, shiny, black box onto the table. Taking a step closer, Daniel was curious to see what would be revealed once the top was opened. Seeing a single ring lying on the dark-red velvet, he understood.

Sully just stared at the golden band, his expression unreadable. Yet then he took in a sharp breath and pulled the ring off his finger, laying it next to its smaller duplicate. He tenderly touched the signs of his marriage that had once been his life but then closed the box with a determined snap.

Feeling his friend's questioning look, Sully answered the silent request, "Yep, I'm sure. I'll always love Abigail, but that's the past. Michaela is the present. She and me are the present. If she'll have me. Gotta ask her that."

Grinning, Daniel slapped Sully's back, "I'm glad to hear that. And I expect an invitation for the wedding."

"Oh," Sully tried to stop the enthusiasm he began feeling as well, "It's too soon to talk about that."

But he knew that that was what he ultimately wanted.

…………………………………………..

As much time as Sully had spent making his decision, he was in a hurry now to follow it through. He didn't want to miss one moment with Michaela but for that he had to tell her what she meant to him. Then it would be up to her how they would go on.

Fortunately, the weather was on his side and thus he asked Michaela right the next morning if she would like to accompany him up to Pike's Peak after work.

"I wanna show ya something," he explained, looking expectantly at her as she sat across from him at the table.

Michaela had wrapped her hands around the coffee mug, warming them this way. "What about Daniel?" she wondered, "Will he come, too?"

"Nope." Sully shook his head. He and Daniel, who was still sleeping next door, had talked last night. "I'll take him to the airport at noon. The garage is almost done, and he wants to get home cos his mom aint feelin' too well."

Of course Sully knew that this was just an excuse, but he still appreciated his friend's gesture.

All morning, Michaela had a hard time keeping her thoughts from wandering. During every little break, she tried to figure out what had been different about Sully's appearance in the morning. It hadn't been the look in his eyes which made sure that the color on her cheeks never faded; he'd gazed at her that way the night before which had made falling asleep quite difficult for her. So it wasn't his expression that had changed. It wasn't his clothes either since he was wearing his usual outfit, and his hair fell onto his shoulders in its own, wavy way as it always did.

Michaela furrowed her brow in concentration, drinking a coffee in her small office after lunch. She promised herself that this would be her last attempt to find the solution. Analyzing situations was her specialty, and she simply couldn't accept that she was failing this time.

She pictured Sully's face before her eyes again, how he bent over the table to push the butter pot towards her. The way he rose from his chair to get her the cheese from the refrigerator and how he put the flat package down next to her plate.

Then she knew it. Quickly, she placed her cup onto her desk, fearing she would spill the coffee for her hands had started to shake at the sudden epiphany: unlike the night before, no ring had been sparkling on his finger.

The rest of her shift went by in a blur; this was possibly the first time that Michaela couldn't wait to finally leave the hospital. The closer she came to the homestead on her ride home, the more nervous she grew. It was a mixture of anticipation and anxiety that kept her pulse racing. What if she was just imagining things? What did he want to show her on top of Pike's Peak on a cold December day that couldn't wait until spring?

As she drove into the yard, Sully and Wolf were already waiting. Yet the dog didn't rush towards her as he used to do but maintained his sitting position next to his master. His tongue was lolling out of his mouth, and he panted.

Instantly distracted from her nervousness, Michaela looked worriedly at Sully whilst she bent down, stroking Wolf's head wondering, "What's wrong with him?"

To her astonishment Sully chuckled, "No need to fret. We took a few rounds with the dog car cos I needed to wear him out before our little trip. Now he might even fall asleep on the way."

"Oh," Michaela replied, feeling foolish that she hadn't thought of that.

Wolf loved to drive in Sully's car, but he didn't simply lie on the backseat. He loved to look out of the window all the time, commenting on what he saw with occasional barks which could easily divert the driver's attention from the road.

Giving Wolf a final pat, Michaela straightened her back. Blushing under Sully's gaze once again and silently scolding herself for she had no idea how to stop it from happening, she said, trying to sound casual, "Uhm, I just need to change. I'll be back in a minute."

Since Sully wore a padded denim jacket, Michaela decided to pull on her winter coat. It was made of fake black fur with long, soft hair and would keep her warm no matter how cold it got up there.

Ten minutes later, they were on their way, and after five minutes more it turned out that Sully had calculated wrongly.

Wolf showed no intention of going to sleep; on the contrary. He was so excited to have both his humans with him in the car that he did lay down at his master's command but a few seconds later he was sitting upright again, nuzzling Michaela's neck with his cold nose. In the end, Michaela moved to sit in the backseat with Wolf who was snoring softly, his head lying in her lap, as they eventually turned onto the Pikes Peak highway.

Not sitting next to each other prevented Michaela and Sully from talking. Thus both had time to grow nervous again, yet for different reasons. Whilst he feared rejection, she was worried about her hopes being dashed. Although, sitting behind Sully, she could easily see that there was indeed no ring on his finger anymore.

However, thanks to minimal traffic and the strong engine of the Ford Truck they reached their destination with the sun hovering just over the horizon. Although the top looked rather like a large, empty parking lot, Michaela could feel the majesty of the moment. Just the thought of standing at a level where no tree was able to survive gave her a special feeling.

The icy wind made her crawl deeper into her coat yet before she could wonder again why they had come here today, she felt Sully's arm around her shoulders. He pulled her close so as to shield her with his body and she thankfully welcomed his gesture.

Sully had contemplated leaving Wolf in the car yet seeing the begging eyes of his four-legged friend he decided against it. He had no choice though but to put on a leash on his dog. Wolf, however, didn't mind, as long as he didn't have to stay behind.

When Sully realized that Michaela not only accepted his embrace but even snuggled closer against his side, all his nervousness vanished. He simply knew that all would be well.

After reaching the east edge of the top, Sully stopped. He stayed silent though, knowing the effect of the sight which was simply breathtaking. Colorado Springs lay spread out at their feet, and as the sun descended, more and more lights were switched on in the town. Soon the valley looked like a large black bowl, its base covered with shimmering pearls.

"Oh Sully," Michaela at last breathed, with her head laying on his shoulder, "it's beautiful. Thank you for showing me."

Yet it wasn't the view that he had had in mind when he'd asked her to come with him. That was why he didn't reply but carefully loosened his embrace. Bending down, he put the end of Wolf's leash under his shoe, not reacting to Michaelas astonished look. Soon she would know why he wanted to have both his hands free.

"Ya see the highway eighty-five down there?" he asked instead, pointing it out to her.

He sensed her nod and went on pointing, "And there, that's the twenty-four. Ya see it?"

Again a nod, and Sully held his arm outstretched, following the course of the latter street, continuing his explanation, "And there they meet. Coming from totally different directions, but meet. Forming a crossroad."

Only now did he turn to face the woman he had fallen in love with although he had believed love would never lighten his life again.

Laying his hands on her shoulders he made her look up at him. Holding her gaze he said quietly, "That's us. Now we're on that crossroad, and if we don't wanna stay there forever, we gotta make a decision. We can follow our original directions or take the same one from now on."

Michaela didn't respond but continued staring at him. Sully couldn't know that she wasn't able to speak because she didn't have her emotions under control. Her heart was hammering against her ribs, and she felt a bit dizzy. It could be the height, she thought absent-mindedly but knew she was fooling herself. He loved her, she was sure now.

"I can't imagine goin' on without you," he added, desperately wanting her to reply in some way.

It only took a couple more seconds until her face lit up as she told him, looking shy again, "You don't have to."

That was all what he needed and forgetting that he had secured Wolf's leash under his foot, he closed the tiny distance between him and Michaela. Cupping her face in his hands he bent his head, murmuring, "I love you."

Then there was no room left for further words because he covered her lips with his. This time, his kiss was welcome and before they knew it, both were lost. Their embrace grew tighter and the kiss deepened. Michaela had never felt this way before; it was as if their bodies, although separated by thick layers of fabric, had become one. An unknown heat was burning inside of her, yet this time it wasn't frightening her. It only made her want to get closer to him, even closer.

The spell was eventually broken by Wolf who gave up on jumping around them but wanted to be included into whatever it was that his humans were doing. Their bodies radiated warmth and joy, and he tried to nuzzle his head between their legs.

Only then did Sully end the kiss. Breathing hard, he pressed his brow against Michaela's, chuckling, "I guess we still have to teach him some things."

He saw her smile first and then heard her whisper, "I love you, too."

At that moment he knew that they had left the crossroad and were on their way, taking the same direction.