"Heroes" is the fifteenth episode of season 1 of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.
After reading romance stories with her friend, Colleen develops a teenage crush on Sully after he pulls her out of the path of a runaway wagon. Hank stirs up racial hatred against Grace, and Grace is angry that Robert E. doesn't stand up for her. Imagining herself as a damsel in distress and Sully as her knight in shining armor, Colleen purposely sets out to get lost in an abandoned mine and leaves a letter for Sully, hoping he will rescue her. A tree falls on the mine and a freak cold snap blows in and she almost freezes to death before Wolf, Sully and Dr. Mike find her. Meanwhile, racial tensions in town reach a boiling point when Hank accuses Grace of food poisoning and Robert E. and Hank come to blows. Robert E. knocks Hank out. The accusation is later proven false when Dr. Mike discovers Hank has been eating meat infected with trichinosis. Dr. Mike tells Hank he should apologize to Grace. Colleen is devastated when Dr. Mike tries to tell her Sully doesn't love her romantically, but only as a friend. Sully ultimately has a heart-to-heart talk with Colleen, telling her she is pretty, smart and funny, and he doesn't want to be her hero but he wants to be her friend. She weeps as she realizes that she can't love Sully the way she wants. Hank turns up at Grace's cafe and she makes him ask properly before she serves him, although he stops short of an apology. Colleen starts a friendship with Lewis.
This episode provides examples of:
- Deliberately Distressed Damsel: Colleen purposely sets out to be rescued by Sully.
- The Food Poisoning Incident: Hank blames Grace, but he did it to himself.
- One-Word Title: "Heroes", of course.
- Precocious Crush: Colleen develops one for Sully.
