Summary:  WHN for All Ye Are Saints.  Joe must fight to save the life of ‘Lijah, an Indian man who is on trial for the murder of Tom Caine, a white man.

Rated: K+  WC 4700

All Ye are Brothers

Hoss and Joe Cartwright kept their horses at a slow walk as they made their way carefully down the mountainside.  Two men, the sheriff’s deputies, followed closely behind.  One of them had a large shapeless bundle strapped just behind his saddle.  On closer examination one could see the tips of fingers hanging just below the cloth.  Trailing at the rear was ‘Lijah, a native man who worked for Evan Thorpe,  a local rancher.   Joe had Michael, Evan’s young son, sitting in front of him.

Joe’s head hung in exhaustion.  His head hurt and he was fighting a nauseous feeling in his stomach.  He was physically and emotionally spent by all the events of the past 24 hours.  All he wanted now was to get home and crawl into bed.  Someone else could worry for a while… worry about Michael and his dad, if Evan was still alive, and someone else could worry about what would happen to ‘Lijah.

Joe’s troubles were forgotten briefly when they arrived at the Jones’ ranch to find that Evan was alive and expected to make a full recovery.  However, after Joe’s Pa, Ben Cartwright, took Michael into the small ranch house, Joe felt the responsibility of caring for the young boy lift.  He could feel his energy drain out of him like water out of a leaky bucket.  He sat on the steps and placed his head gently in his hands, struggling against the nauseating sickness in his gut.  Hoss was talking to the two deputies, his voice climbing steadily in volume.  Joe’s headache was so bad he couldn’t concentrate on what Hoss was saying.

“Joe! Joe! Didja hear what I said?”  Hoss put his large hand on Joe’s shoulder.

“What?”  Joe squinted up at his brother, wishing the sun wasn’t shining so brightly.  “Wadja say” he slurred.

“Joe, ya don’t sound too good.  Better git the doc ta look ya over.”  Hoss looked at his brother with concern.  “I hafta ride inta Virginia City with the deputies.  I gotta make sure nothing happens to ‘Lijah.  Tell Pa, okay?”

Hoss was very distracted thinking about what might happen to ‘Lijah in town when the deputies told how the Indian man had stabbed to death a white man, albeit a wanted white man.  He wasn’t overly worried about Joe.  Joe had managed alright all afternoon, scrambling up mountains, carrying Michael and riding all the way back to the ranch holding the kid.  He couldn’t have done all that if he hadn’t been alright.  Of course it was understandable that he’d have a headache after being hit hard with a rifle butt.  Hoss turned and left with the three men.

Joe watched Hoss leave.  Hoss wanted me to tell Pa something, he thought to himself.  What was it?  He began to feel frustrated.  Why can’t I remember?  The door of the house opened behind him, and then banged shut.  Joe nearly jumped out of his skin.

“Joe, sorry I startled you” said Pa.  “Are you alright?”

“Ya, Pa, I’m fine.”  Pa doesn’t even know yet what happened up on the mountain, thought Joe. When he tried to think about the day’s events all he could dredge up was a disjointed jumble of blurry images.

“Joe, where’s Hoss?”  Ben looked around the small ranch yard and didn’t see Hoss’ horse, Chubb.

“He went to Virginia City.  He asked me to tell you.”  But why, thought Joe.  I wish I could remember.

“Oh.  Well, I’m going to stay here overnight with Michael and Evan.  Joe, you go back to the Ponderosa.  I’m sure Hoss will be there later.  I’ll see you tomorrow.”  Ben gave Joe’s shoulder a squeeze before turning back to the house.

“Okay Pa” muttered Joe, but Ben had already shut the door.  Joe groaned as he slowly rose from the steps and walked carefully over to the corral where Cochise was tied to the fence.  His head was pounding and his stomach roiling as he crawled up into the saddle and pointed his steed towards home, at a walk.

Halfway home Joe had to dismount abruptly and scramble into the bushes to empty his stomach.  Once at home he lay down on the settee and closed his eyes.

It was dark when Joe regained awareness.  Something was shaking his shoulder.  He opened his eyes a crack.

“Leeme ‘lone.”  he slurred petulantly.

“Joe, wake up.  Ya gotta go inta Virginia City.  They’re gonna string up ‘Lijah fer killing Caine.  Yer th’ only witness.  Ya gotta stop ‘em.”  Hoss was frantic.

“’kay. Stop shaking me.  I’ll go.”  Joe began to rise from the settee as Hoss strode quickly out the door to get the horses ready.  The floor lurched alarmingly and Joe had to sit down again, his stomach threatening to spill its contents once more.  After a minute he tried a second time with more success and carefully tottered out the door.

“Come on Joe, what’s keepin’ ya? Can’t you hurry it up?”  Hoss urged.

“I’m coming” snapped Joe.  He missed the quizzical look on his brother’s face as he carefully mounted Cochise.  Once in the saddle he gripped the horn tightly as the world momentarily seemed to swirl around him.  Hoss was already trotting out of the yard and Joe had no choice but to follow as Cochise automatically trailed his stable mate.  All Joe had to do was hold on, but this was becoming increasingly difficult to do.  The pain in his head was building and his stomach, although empty, was complaining persistently.  Hoss pushed on unrelentingly, lost in his worries, oblivious to his brother’s discomfort.

At long last they arrived in Virginia City.  A raucous crowd was gathered in front of the sheriff’s office. “Hang the injun.  Hang ‘im now!” screamed one man, a miner, from the look of his grimy clothes.  Other voices joined in as the crowd worked themselves into a frenzy.  Hoss pushed his way through the mob with Joe stumbling along in his wake.

“Injun lovers!  You cain’t stop us from hangin’ the injun” shouted someone in the crowd.  Others took up the chant ‘Ye cain’t stop us!”  Hoss and Joe ignored the taunts as the deputy, Clem, let them through the door.

“Howdy, Hoss, Little Joe” Sheriff Coffee greeted the Cartwrights.  “Come have a seat and I’ll bring ya up to speed.  Little Joe, you alright? You look a mite peaked.”

“Ya, I’m fine, Roy.  What’s going on?”  Joe wearily tried to pull himself together and listen to Roy.

“Well, as ya heard the crowd yell, they want to hang ‘Lijah simply because he’s an injun and has kilt a white man.  They don’t care that Tom Caine was a wanted man.  Now, Little Joe, I need ta get a statement from you on what exactly happened up there on the mountain.”  More than half of Roy’s mind was worrying about the noisy mob outside his office, but he motioned for Joe and Hoss to sit down while he settled himself at his desk and pulled out a sheet of paper and a fountain pen.

Joe took a deep breath and began.

“As you probably know, Evan Thorpe was accidentally shot.”

“When was that, Little Joe?” interrupted Roy.

“Ah…Two days ago, around noon I think.”Joe looked at Hoss for confirmation.  Hoss nodded his head in encouragement.

“The next morning, that would be yesterday, when we woke up we found that Michael had disappeared.  I tracked him into the mountains and caught up to him in the evening.  That’s when Tom Caine found us and took us to his camp.  He kept us in his hut… um…then… uhh…I’m not sure what happened next.”  Joe’s brow was wrinkled as he struggled to remember the events of that morning.  His head was pounding as if a herd of tiny crazed cattle was stampeding inside his skull.  Hoss cleared his throat.

“The deputies and I found Joe unconscious near Caine’s hut.  Caine had wacked Joe with his rifle and then had taken off with Michael.  I set Joe on the bed and the deputies and I took off after Caine.

“I remember running up the mountain towards Michael and Caine. “  Joe’s face twisted in pain and frustration.  “I… um… I can’t remember what happened next.  Why I can’t remember, Hoss?”  In his confusion Joe looked to his big brother for help.

“Hoss, I can’t… can’t remember…”  Joe’s voice trailed off.  His eyes rolled back into his head, his body grew weak and Joe slid to the ground.  Hoss grabbed his shoulders before his head hit the floor.  The big man hoisted his smaller brother into his arms, looking at Roy in a mixture of shock and fear.

“Roy, I’m takin’ Joe to Doc Martin’s.”  Hoss hurried out the door and pushed his way into the mob.  Hands reached out to clutch at his arms, trying to stop him, but the angry faces fell away at the look on Hoss’ face, the glare that dared anyone to get in his path.  He gathered Joe in closer and rushed across the street to the Doctor’s office.

 

 

 

**************

Joe awoke slowly.  He wearily tried to figure out where he was.  It didn’t feel like home but the smells were somehow familiar.  He cracked his eyes open slightly, and then closed them quickly against the bright light that sent shooting pains into his throbbing head.  A moan escaped his lips.

“Joe? You awake?”  came the anxious voice of his brother from somewhere near Joe’s right shoulder.

“Yah.  Would ya turn out the light?  It’s killing me.” Joe groaned.  His eyes hurt and his head hurt and his stomach was doing flips.  His breathing became shallow as he tried to control the agony.

“I’d move mountains for ya brother but I can’t turn off the sun.  It’s morning.  Ya slept right through the night.  We were worried about ya.  I’m gonna call the Doc.  You stay put.”

Joe could hear Hoss leave the room and a short time later return.

“Joe, I’ve gotta go help ‘Lijah get ready for the trial.  The circuit judge will be arriving on the stage soon.  I don’t want ya to worry about nothin’.  Just do what Doc Martin says.  D’ya hear?”

“Yah, Hoss.  I hear.”  But that doesn’t mean I’ll heed you. Joe was thinking about ‘Lijah.  He was really the Indian man’s only hope, if only he could remember what happened.  Doctor Paul Martin bustled into the room.

“Well, well, young man.  I see you’re finally awake.  You slept more than 12 hours!  Now, I need to have a good look at you.  Hoss, you can leave, Joe will be fine.”

“Thanks, Doc.  Joe, I sent a message to Pa last night.  I’m sure he’ll be here soon.  I’ll come back as soon as I can.”  Hoss strode purposefully out of the room.

Joe resigned himself to the doctor’s examination, biting back small grunts of pain as the older man poked and pried.

“Joseph, you have a serious concussion.  You haven’t helped matters by gallivanting all over the country either.  You must rest for several days and I mean rest.  You need to stay as quiet as possible!  Hoss told me you had some memory loss as well.  Amnesia is common after a concussion.  The memories might return when the swelling subsides, or you might always have a gap.”

“Doc, can I have a drink of water?”  Joe asked, hoping that water would help his headache.

“Of course, son.  I’ll get Mrs Martin to make you some eggs for breakfast.” The kindly doctor helped Joe take a sip of water but at the mention of eggs Joe began to turn green.

“Perhaps we’ll wait on the eggs, “concluded Dr. Martin.

 

 

 

*********************

It was several hours before Ben arrived.  He had had to wait for Mrs Gibbens, the kindly neighbor of Evan and Michael, to arrive as Evan was not well enough to leave with only Michael.  He blustered into the doctor’s clinic, full of anxiety for Joe.  He still did not have the full story of the last few days’ events.

“Paul, how’s Joe?” Ben bellowed.  The doctor put his finger to his lips.

“Ssh! He’s trying to sleep, and that’s exactly what I want him to keep doing, as much as possible.  You can sit quietly beside him if you wish but don’t disturb him.  He has a serious concussion.”  The doctor watched as the anxious father tiptoed into the examination room.

Ben stood for a moment just inside the door, taking in the sight of his youngest son.  In the fading afternoon light Joe looked more like a child than a 24 year old man.  His tousled hair and his thick eyelashes made stark contrast to his pale complexion.  Remembering other times he had sat at his son’s bedside Ben sat down and placed his hand gently on his son’s forehead. He’s a little warm, Ben thought to himself.  Probably just a reaction to the concussion, but I’ll have to keep an eye on that.  I wonder where Hoss is.

As if bidden by Ben’s thoughts, Hoss quietly entered the room, his eyes on Joe.  Ben looked up and nodded, acknowledging his older son.

“Pa, I need ya to come to the courthouse,” Hoss whispered.  Judge Simkins is presiding an’ ya know he’s a ‘hangin’ judge’.  I’m afraid he’s gonna have ‘Lijah hung.  Joe’s the only witness an’ he can’t remember what happened.”  Hoss was desperate to save the life of the Indian man he had known for years.

“Well, I don’t know what I can do, but we need to try everything possible within the law,” Ben agreed.  He too would be sorry to see ‘Lijah hang for protecting a little boy’s life.  “I’ll let Paul know we’re leaving.”

Hoss followed Ben out of the room, looking back over his shoulder at Joe who still seemed to be deep in sleep.  The door shut with a quiet click.

Joe was not sleeping.  He had drifted back to consciousness as his father and brother talked and now he lay there, eyes shut while he pondered the situation.  I can’t lie here while ‘Lijah may be sentenced to death.  Even if I can’t remember maybe I can be a character witness.  Joe’s thinking wasn’t quite straight but he knew he had to do something.  He struggled to a sitting position, grasping the edge of the bed as his head swam alarmingly.  He closed his eyes until the dizziness abated, then carefully reached over to pull on his boots.  It’s lucky I still have my clothes on, I don’t know if I could have managed to get dressed, he thought.  Once the boots were on, he tiptoed over to the door to peek through.  As he surreptitiously watched he heard Mrs Martin calling her husband from the kitchen behind the office.  The doctor got up from his desk and went down the hall.   Joe took the opportunity to exit through the front door.

Once outside, Joe had to grab a post to steady himself.  He peered up and down the street and was surprised to see that the streets were empty even though many horses were standing at the hitching posts.  Everyone must be at the courthouse, Joe surmised.  He drew in a deep breath and began to stagger down the hot, dusty street.

Joe’s head was spinning.  I must look like a drunk, he mused.  Luckily there was no one to see him and the courthouse was just a few buildings away from the doctor’s office.  By the time he got to his destination his chest was heaving with the effort to draw in enough air, and the sticky wetness of sweat soaked his shirt.  Grabbing the doorway for support, Joe stepped into the cooler court room.

The room was crowded.  It seemed that every citizen of Virginia City was there.  More than half of the spectators were standing at the back so Joe could not see the front where the Judge sat.  He noticed Clem standing off to one side, scanning the room for signs of trouble.  But when trouble came, Clem was facing the wrong way.

Joe became aware of a murmuring.  The dissonance of angry voices rose in a crescendo culminating in a woman’s unearthly scream.  She was staring, horror stricken at a man standing just in front of Joe.  The man was waving a gun around erratically.

“Don’t let him get away with it, Judge.  The injun’s a murderer, just like the ones that killed ma wife.”  The gun discharged into the air as Joe leapt upon the man, tackling him to the ground as he shook the weapon from his grasp.

“Hey, it’s one of them injun lovin’ Cartwrights,” shouted a bystander.  Like a pack of wolves going in for the kill the crowd pounced upon Joe.  He had no way to fight back against the fists and boots that pummeled his body, but as the blackness closed in he heard a familiar deep voice.

“Stop, that’s my son.  Leave him be!”

Joe felt the crowd move back and familiar hands were upon him, gently cradling his head.

“Joe?  Can you hear me?  Talk to me.”  Joe could hear the anxiety in his father’s voice and he wanted nothing more than to relieve him of it.

“I’m fine, Pa.  Just… help me up.”  Joe attempted a smile but it was difficult to do while gasping for breath.

“I don’t think so, young man.  First the doctor is going to check you over.  Hoss has gone to fetch him.”  Ben was relieved that Joe didn’t appear to be too badly hurt and his concussion seemed no worse.  At that moment Dr. Martin bustled in, Hoss trailing closely.

“Ben, I don’t know how he left without me knowing.  I thought he was in bed until Hoss came running in a minute ago.  What hurts, Joe?”  The doctor was already peering into Joe’s eyes.

“I’m fine, doc.  I need to… testify for ‘Lijah.  I hafta… make sure he… doesn’t hang.”  Joe’s pleading eyes began to work on Paul Martin’s resolve that the boy should be in bed not on the stand.  He continued to check Joe’s ribs.

“Doc, it’s a man’s… life.  I can… rest… after.”  Joe needed the doctor’s approval or Ben would never allow him to testify.  He looked at Paul questioningly.  The doctor could see how important it was to Joe.  He knew that Joe would suffer from guilt if “Lijah hung and Joe did nothing.  He looked at Ben and saw that he understood too.

“Well Joe, I don’t think your ribs are broken, although they may be cracked.  And since you are already here I don’t think it will hurt you to sit on the stand for a few minutes.  But then straight back to bed.  And no more sneaking out!”  The doctor gave Joe what he hoped was a stern look, but he was feeling admiration for the young man who was willing to ignore his pain to help a friend.

“But Joe!” spluttered Hoss “Do ya remember?”

“Ya, brother, I’ll remember everything.  Help me up, will ya?”  Joe wasn’t sure he could remember but he knew he had to try.

The room was hushed.  Clem had removed the ringleaders of the disturbance off to the jail, and Judge Simkins pounded his gavel to signal that the court was again in session.

“The court calls Joseph Cartwright to the stand.”

Joe refused the help of his father and made his way carefully to the witness stand beside the judge’s bench.  He closed his eyes for a moment, steadying his nerves.  There was still a relentless pounding inside his head and sharp pains emanated from his ribcage.  I hope I can do this, Joe thought in trepidation.

The judge looked at the young man beside him in concern.  However he also saw the intense determination on his face and in the set of his shoulders and decided not to say anything.

As Joe spoke, answering Judge Simkin’s questions, he kept his eyes on his father.  Ben was his anchor as he recounted the story of that day.   His head was pounding and his nerves made his hands shake and his heart beat wildly.  But his hands clutched the wooden banister and his heart clutched his father’s heart.

Ben sat listening to the whole story for the first time.  He heard how Joe and Michael were held at gunpoint by the outlaw Tom Caine, and he watched Joe’s anger as he recounted how Caine had become drunk and tormented the young boy.  Then Joe told the judge how Caine had struck him with his rifle after hearing gunshots and Ben’s gut clenched in horror.

Joe was getting more and more anxious as he got closer to the part he couldn’t remember.  He spoke about staggering out of the hut to wave to Hoss and the deputies before passing out, and he told the judge that he had woken up in the hut.

“Hoss told me to wait in the hut while he and the deputies went after Caine and Michael, but I couldn’t just lay there.  I started trailing Michael.”  Joe omitted the number of times he fell, sometimes blacking out.

“I heard shots and I could see Caine and Michael at the top of the mountain.  I started running ‘cause I was afraid Caine would hurt the boy.  He was shooting at me but missed.  And then…”  Joe looked at his father for support.  He could see the worry in his eyes but he could see something else.  There was an aura of empathy, but also approval in his father’s face.  His father was proud of him!  Joe sought deep within himself for the memories hiding in the dense fog of his addled brain.

“Michael… he ran out of the hiding place and Caine ran after him and grabbed his arm.  I thought Caine was gonna hurt him but I wasn’t close enough to stop him.  Then… um… ‘Lijah appeared and he…he threw a knife at Caine and got him in the back.  Caine died within a few minutes.”  Joe was almost amazed at the memories returning, as if a breeze had blown away the mists in his head, leaving his mind clear and focused.  Judge Simkins looked carefully at the young man and could see his clarity of thought.

“You may return to your seat, Mr Cartwright.” Simkins was a fair man and he had the reputation of being a hanging judge only because of his quick decisions.  If the man was guilty then he wanted to get the punishment over with quickly.  This territory was rough and there were few judges to cover it.  He had to decide quickly and then get onto the next case.

“I find the defendant Elijah Numa to be not guilty of first degree murder.  Elijah’s actions saved the lives of at least two people that day, Michael Thorpe and Joseph Cartwright.  I have no doubt that Tom Caine would have killed Mr Cartwright once he had a clear shot.”  As the gavel fell the courtroom erupted into pandemonium as the rabble rousers in the crowd expressed their disapproval.  But this was ignored by the elated men at the front of the room.  Joe jumped up from his seat to grasp ‘Lijah’s hand.  ‘Lijah shook it gratefully, relief written all over his face.

“Thank you so much, Mr Joe.  You saved my life.”

“No, I just told the truth.  And I should be thanking you.  I never thought about it until now, but Caine would have killed me if you hadn’t thrown that knife.”

“And I thank you for saving my son.” Ben clasped Joe around the shoulders as he shook ‘Lijah’s hand vigorously.  “If there is anything I can do for you just let me know.  I am eternally grateful to you.”

‘Lijah’s face was beaming.  “

Ben could feel the energy draining out of Joe and immediately began to support him.  “You, young man, need to get back to the doctor’s office.”

Hoss supported Joe on the other side and the three Cartwrights walked out of the courthouse, one strong unit.

 

*******************************************

A couple of weeks later Joe was well enough to visit the Thorpe ranch with Hoss’ and Ben’s anxious supervision.  Hoss in particular was hovering around Joe as if he might collapse at any moment.  Joe was hard pressed not to let his frustration with Hoss show for he knew his older brother was feeling guilty about not seeing how poorly Joe had been feeling that day.  Joe on the other hand knew that it was at least partly his fault for not saying anything and told Hoss so on several occasions.

“At last I have a chance to properly thank ‘Lijah for saving my life,” said Joe as they rode up to the Thorpe’s barn to tie up their horses.  Hoss tried to take Cochise’s reins from Joe but he quietly resisted.

“I’m fine, Hoss.  I can take care of my horse.”  Joe spoke gently, trying to hold Hoss’ gaze.

“I jus’ thought ya might be tired after the long ride” Hoss replied sheepishly.  He looked down at his feet before looking up at Joe.  Joe’s smile brought out a relieved grin on Hoss’ face.  “Ah know, ah’m bein’ a mother hen agin, ain’t ah?”

Ben smiled at the antics of his sons and reminded himself not to appear too worried about Joe.  Dr. Martin said Joe was fully recovered and could return to regular work so Ben didn’t have any reason to fret.  “Easier said than done” he muttered under his breath.

A similar scene greeted them when they entered the Thorpe’s cabin.  ‘Lijah was dancing around Evan Thorpe like a bee around honey while young Michael went to the well to draw water.

“’Lijah, you’ve got to start letting me do something for myself.”  Evan pleaded.

“Not ‘til doctor say so” admonished ‘Lijah as he hurried to put on a pot of tea.

Hoss, Ben and Joe chuckled.  Hoss pressed Joe down into an empty chair as Joe rolled his eyes skyward.  It was Evan’s turn to chuckle.

“I see that you and I have similar problems, Joe” smiled Evan.  “But seriously Joe, I want to thank you and Hoss for bringing back Michael that day.  I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t.”

“That’s what neighbours are for, Evan”

“In gratitude to ‘Lijah I’ve made him my partner in the ranch. “  Evan smiled at the native man.  “We’re going to start a horse breeding operation as soon as I’m well again.”

The Cartwrights looked at each other and smiled.  “Then you have to see what’s tied up to the hitching post.  ‘Lijah helped Evan shuffle carefully over to the door.  Tied up next to the Cartwright’s horses was a handsome black stallion.

“It’s for you, ‘Lijah” said Joe.  “It’s our token of gratitude for saving my life that day.”

‘Lijah’s eyes were shining with unshed tears as his incredulous gaze shifted from the beautiful horse to the faces of his friends.

“I don’t know what to say.  He is magnificent.”  ‘Lijah shook each of the Cartwrights’ hands before helping Evan back to his chair.

“Can we call him ‘Good Samaritan’ ‘Lijah?  Can we?” piped up Michael.  The adults laughed.

“Sure we can, if ‘Lijah wants to.  It’s certainly appropriate,” Evan replied, regarding his son and his friends solemnly.  “But let’s call him Sam for short, okay?”  ‘Lijah nodded his head emphatically.

“Okay, Dad.”  Michael reached over and took his father’s hand and then clasped ‘Lijah’s hand on the other side.  His little face beamed at his father and friends.  All was right in his world.

 

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.