129. (6х1) Reason to Believe. 27 сентября 1997.
Dr. Mike searches desperately for Sully, who lies dying in the wilderness from severe injuries he suffered while fleeing from the Cavalry. Sully's friend Daniel Simon rushes to help Dr. Mike in her search. Meanwhile, newspaper editor Dorothy Jennings rides out in search of Cloud Dancing, with whom she has fallen in love, to tell him Sully is missing. And Sgt. McKay, who is intent on arresting Sully for the murder of the soldier who tried to kill him, sends scouts to follow Dr. Mike just in case she manages to find him alive.

130. (6х2) All That Matters. 4 октября 1997.
The citizens of Colorado Springs think Sully is dead, and Dr. Mike keeps him hidden for weeks while trying to nurse him back to health in order to protect him from the Army. Daniel remains with Sully as Dr. Mike and her family stoically keep his whereabouts secret. Only Sgt. McKay, who has declared marshal law due to the recent Indian raids, believes Sully is still alive, and continues his relentless pursuit to arrest him. Preston Lodge, meanwhile, plans to buy the Indians' reservation land from the government and set up a lumber mill there. Sully and Cloud Dancing realize such a move would force the tribe onto even worse land, making their situation even more desperate.

131. (6х3) A Matter of Conscience. 11 октября 1997.
Hank, believing Sully and Cloud Dancing to be the instigators of The American Indian raids, declares himself sheriff and sets off to capture them. He publicly accuses Dr. Mike of lying about the death of her husband, Sully, then names himself town sheriff and sets out to bring Sully to justice. The army sends General Wooden, a noted Indian fighter, to end the disturbances, but he is badly injured in a raid led by the renegade warrior Black Moon. Daniel persuades Sergeant McKay to allow the Indian prisoners to proceed peacefully to the reservation. The move infuriates Hank, who assumes the role of sheriff and manages to track down Sully and Cloud Dancing, with near disastrous results.

132. (6х4) Comfort of Friends. 18 октября 1997.
While filled with anxiety about Sully, who is still being sought by the army on murder charges, Dr. Mike begins to experience symptoms indicating that she may be pregnant. She tries to keep her suspicions a secret and is deeply embarrassed when word leaks out among the townspeople before she can tell Sully. Meanwhile, the citizens of Colorado Springs bicker over what items to include in a time capsule they plan to bury for the annual Founders' Day celebration. At issue is how much representation will be given to the role of women and minorities in the town's history. It is a subject that becomes especially important for Mayor Jake Slicker, who is attracted to the new school teacher, Teresa Morales.

133. (6х5) Wave Goodbye 25 октября 1997.
Dr.Mike becomes alarmed when a member of Russian royalty, Princess Nizamoff, visits Preston's Springs Chateau Hotel for a vacation and soon has the townsfolk convinced that she is a seer with ties to the spirit world. During a free seance at the Golden Nugget, the Princess astounds the citizens, including the skeptical Michaela, with her seemingly vast knowledge of their private lives and concerns. But Michaela is worried that the royal visitor, who soon begins charging money for her "consultations," might cause harm with some of her predictions. Her fear is heightened when the Princess advises Grace that her adopted son Anthony will suffer no further attacks.

134. (6х6) A Place Called Home 1 ноября 1997
Dr. Michaela Quinn struggles with the burden of telling Grace and Robert E. their adopted son Anthony might not survive his mysterious illness. Sully, still in hiding from the army, tells Dr. Mike he is determined to convince the renegade braves to return to the reservation before more violence breaks out between the settlers and themselves. But he is shattered to learn that Dr. Mike has recently suffered a miscarriage.

135. (6х7) Lead Me Not. 8 ноября 1997
Dr. Mike's sister Marjorie returns to Colorado Springs as a member of the Women's Temperance League to outlaw alcohol. She coincidentally arrives while Jake drowns his insecurities over Teresa Morales. Marjorie's arrival leads to a renewal of her friendship with Loren. Jake's fears are sparked when he sees Teresa meeting privately with Hank. Grace, too, might be inadvertently abusing alcohol through the "tonic" she has been taking to help her sleep. Meanwhile, Sully and Cloud Dancing try to reason with Black Moon, a young brave experiencing "visions of victory" over the cavalry.

136-137. (6х8 и 6х9) A Time to Heal: Part 1 (15 ноября 1997) and Part 2 (22 ноября 1997).
Dr. Mike sends her children to stay at Sully's hideout while she battles a deadly diphtheria epidemic that threatens the entire town, including her mother and sister. Mike's mother, Elizabeth, and sister, Rebecca arrive for a Thanksgiving visit and refuse to leave, despite the danger caused by the disease. Their arrival leads to further friction between them and Mike's other sister, Marjorie, who becomes stricken herself. Meanwhile, Hank blames the squatters for causing the epidemic and tries to burn their encampment. As casualties mount, Dr. Mike comes into conflict with fellow doctor Andrew Cook about trying a new surgical procedure to keep patients alive.

A Time To Heal - Part II

With Thanksgiving approaching, the diphtheria epidemic overshadows every activity. Mike continues to be separated from her young children, who remain in hiding with Sully to protect them from the disease; Mike is blamed by her mother, Elizabeth, for Marjorie's condition; Hank is jailed for trying to burn down the squatters village, where he thinks the disease originated; Matthew reluctantly acts as his lawyer, and Jake and Teresa draw strangely closer as they use the school house as a temporary morgue.

138. (6х10) Civil Wars. 6 декабря 1997.
Dr. Mike reluctantly takes on the role of temporary judge when Horace sues Hank for accidentally breaking his nose and sets off a flurry of suits and countersuits among the town's citizens. Matthew, who has been studying the law, tips off Horace that he's legally entitled to have Hank pay his medical bills. Soon Dr. Mike finds herself in the middle of that case, as well as a property dispute between Dorothy and Grace and a claim by Loren that he was rippled and nearly drowned because of negligence at Preston's hotel.

139. (6х11) Safe Passage. 13 декабря 1997.
Dr. Mike matches wits with a notorious Indian hater, Maj. Samuel Morrison, as she tries to mediate a peace treaty between Black Cloud's braves and the cavalry, which would include a pardon for Sully and allow him to return home. Dying of consumption, Black Cloud agrees to surrender if his braves are allowed safe passage to the reservation. Wellend Smith, an emissary sent by President Grant, sides with the Indians, but Maj. Morrison is determined to thwart the agreement and put them in prison. Mike and Sully must look toward Sgt. McKay for support in upholding the law.

140. (6х12) Homecoming. 20 декабря 1997.
After accompanying Black Crow's braves safely to the reservation, Dr. Mike and Sully begin the trip home for Christmas but are delayed when they stop to help a hapless young married couple they find wandering in the wilderness. The young couple, Chester and Hallie, are former city dwellers trying to find a new settlement established by their relatives, but are hopelessly lost. Meanwhile, Daniel, who has been wandering all his life, is tempted to give up his job as sheriff to accept an offer to run a mining operation far away from Colorado Springs.

141. (6х13) Point Blank. 28 февраля 1998.
Dr. Mike's life takes a startling turn when she is shot point blank, by a man with a grudge against doctors. Following life-saving emergency surgery by Dr. Andrew Cook, aided by Hank and Cloud Dancing, and two weeks of recovery at home, Mike's attempts to return to the clinic are hindered by recurring nightmares in which she relives the trauma of the shooting. As her panic and paranoia grow with each nightmare, Mike finds she is afraid to leave her home. Others begin to wonder if she will ever be able to return to her work at the clinic again.

142. (6х14) Seeds of Doubt. 7 марта 1998.
Colleen has a new beau, Patrick Collins, and is at first flattered by her new suitor's attentions. Dr. Mike, however, is suspicious of his intentions. Spurning her mother's advice of taking it slowly with this out-of-towner, Colleen continues to see her new beau, dazzled by the gifts he gives and the attention he pays her. But, as Patrick swiftly becomes more possessive and demanding, frightening Colleen enough to break if off with him, she realizes she's in over her head when he refuses to be dismissed and becomes physically threatening. Meanwhile, Sully and Brian hit the mountain trail with a senator and his son, Oliver.

143. (6х15) 7 Kinds of Lonely. 21 марта 1998.
Dr. Mike tries to prevent Loren from leaving Colorado Springs when she learns he secretly plans to sell his store and move away out of grief over the death of Marjorie. Sully is forced to draw on his own painful experiences and memories when trying to comfort Mike. Meanwhile, the town prepares for its annual "Sweethearts Dance," but melancholy seems to reign. Jake is torn over how to ask Teresa to marry him, and Sully offers support and advice to Robert E who is worried about Grace's continued drinking.

144. (6х16) Life in the Balance. 4 апреля 1998.
Dr. Mike finds herself matching her medical skills against those of an elderly Cantonese herbalist (guest star Robert Ito) when many members of a large group of Chinese passing through Colorado Springs looking for work fall victim to fever. She becomes attached to the herbalist's young assistant (Yumi Iwama), whom he introduces as his grandson but who actually turns out to be his granddaughter. Both of them, and the rest of the Chinese community, are endangered by the actions of Hank, who tries to drive them from town because he fears they will cause an epidemic, is blamed for burning the Chinese encampment, forcing Daniel to arrest him, even though evidence wasn't 100% positive.

145. (6х17) Happily Ever After. 11 апреля 1998.
As Jake and Teresa look forward to their wedding day, Dr. Mike and Sully struggle to free Cloud Dancing, who was captured and put in prison for leaving the reservation. Dorothy contemplates helping him escape and fleeing with him into the wilderness. Teresa introduces Jake to her visiting aunt, Doña Verano, and her cousin, Carlos, a priest. The visit turns sour when the older woman takes an immediate dislike to Jake and tries to prevent the marriage.

146. (6х18) Birdman. 18 апреля 1998.
Dr. Mike grapples with her fear for Brian's safety when the youngster befriends a seemingly harmless but eccentric fellow who thinks he's a bird and covers himself with feathers in an attempt to fly. Martin Von Hoffman, the birdman, not only tries to fly, but sleeps in a nest and literally pecks at his food when Dr. Mike invites him home for supper. To her alarm, Martin turns out to be an escapee from a New York insane asylum. She is torn between returning him to the asylum or allowing him to carry on his self-deception in peace. Meanwhile, Dr. Mike receives bad news from Oliver Wendell Holmes, the prominent attorney she has asked to help with Sully's defense.

147. (6х19) Vengeance (aka Legend II). 25 апреля 1998.
Matthew defends lawman Elias Burch against charges that he murdered an unarmed ex-con. Daniel is forced to arrest Burch for killing Exner, an ex-con whom he had been pursuing. Rather than accept a traveling defense attorney with a drinking problem, Burch asks Matthew to defend him, claiming he was framed. But, a dime-novelist who had been traveling with Exner claims to be an eyewitness, having seen Burch shoot the man in cold blood. With Burch's life in the balance and little evidence to support his claim that Exner drew a gun on him, fledgling lawyer Matthew, with help from Dr. Mike, sets out to discover what actually happened between the two sworn enemies.

148. (6х20) To Have and to Hold (2 мая 1998) - special two character episode.
While returning from a week long trip with Sully, Michaela stumbles and falls, sustaining a head injury. The couple takes refuge in an abandoned cabin where Sully must keep Michaela awake to prevent her from slipping into a coma. Together, they reminisce about the myriad of different experiences - good and bad - they've shared together and then make a pivotal decision about their future, which involves a little "enthusiasm".

149. (6х21) The Fight. 9 мая 1998.
Robert E (Henry G. Sanders) releases anger over his separation from Grace and the loss of his son through his furious fists in the boxing ring, where he takes on an ailing champ who's on tour, surprising everyone by beating Barnes twice. But when Dr. Mike examines Barnes, she discovers that the champ is on the verge of losing his eyesight if he continues boxing and she implores him to retire. Choosing to reject the doctor's order, Barracuda goes into the ring with Robert E for what may be his last fight. Meanwhile, Sully's efforts to get Grace to reconsider the pending divorce from Robert E begin to pay off with help from baby Katie.

150. (6х22) A New Beginning (16 мая 1998) [Season Finale].
Dr. Mike's elation at Colleen's acceptance to medical school quickly turns to disappointment when Colleen chooses to marry Andrew instead. A bitter family argument erupts when Dr. Mike tells Colleen that she is less than overjoyed at her announcement and feels that the couple is rushing into marriage and should wait until Colleen completes medical school. Meanwhile, Robert E and Grace have wonderful news to share; the stock market crash hits Preston and the townsfolk hard; and Dorothy and Cloud Dancing reach a new level in their relationship.

As part of the Network's 50th Anniversary celebration, classic footage of James Arness as legendary Marshal Matt Dillon of "Gunsmoke" is digitally integrated into this episode. When Jake breaks the news to Hank that he's accepted Preston's offer to buy his share of the Golden Nugget that would make him partners with the despised Preston, James Arness, helps fuel Hank's anger.