Summary: Joe and Ben head out on a father and son journey to town, but a stop along the way causes unforeseen problems. Can the two rely on their inner strength to see them through?

Rating:  K+  3300

Inner Strength Series:

Part 1
Part II

Inner Strength

Little Joe Cartwright awoke with a start. He found himself in his own bed with the noon day sun streaming in through the window. He looked around the room and found that he was alone. At first, he was bewildered.

“It must be Saturday,” he mumbled.

Then his memory came rampantly flowing back. The 7 year old shot out of bed and instantly collapsed on the floor in pain. His ankle was heavily bandaged and his right arm was in a sling. He managed to use his bed to regain his footage and hobbled out the door into the hallway. Tears started to well in his eyes as he recalled the events of the last few days. He had to see his Pa and headed straight for his room. As he approached, he noticed his oldest brother, Adam, sitting in a chair reading outside the door. Joe reached for the knob, but Adam gently placed his hand on his and said,

“Joe, not now… Pa needs his rest.”

Joe looked up at his 19 year old brother with pleading eyes. “Please Adam, I have to see him,” he begged.

Adam scooped his younger brother into his arms and placed him on his knee.

“Joe, you will … in time. Pa needs to rest and recover from his injuries. The doctor said that he shouldn’t have visitors right now so try to understand, okay? And what are you doing out of bed yourself young man?”

Joe did not answer. He leaned into his brother, placing his head on Adam’s shoulder. Adam squeezed Joe close. His face deepened in concern as he reflected back over the events of the last few days. He’d never forget the sight of his father and brother staggering into the yard, bloodied, bruised, and bedraggled. The two had left that day for town aboard Buck, Ben’s trusty buckskin horse. All Adam knew was that his father and brother had never reached town and neither of them had been in a condition since then to even begin to explain what had happened.

The two brothers sat silently for quite some time, each comforting the other. It was Joe who broke the silence and interrupted Adam’s thoughts.

“Adam, I’m sorry,” he said softly. “This is all my fault.”

Little Joe’s eyes filled with tears. Adam could see the boy was distraught, but as much as he wanted to know what happened he wasn’t sure if this was the time or place.

“Joe, I’m sure whatever happened was an accident. You and I both know you wouldn’t deliberately hurt Pa. The important thing is you two are all right. Once Pa is better we can talk about what happened, okay?”

Adam began to rise. “Now let’s get you back into bed where…”

“No, Adam,” Joe interrupted. “I want to tell you what happened. It’s my fault because… I didn’t do as Pa said.”

The tears flowed down his cheeks.

Adam intervened. “Joe, are you sure you’re feeling up to this? Maybe you should rest for a …”

“I want to… I have to… please,” Joe said in frustration.

Adam wiped the tears from his little brother’s eyes. He could tell that the boy was carrying a burden that he could no longer bear on his own.

“Okay, Joe. I’ll listen,” he said.

Joe heaved a huge sigh and then began.

 

 

It was a beautiful morning as Pa and Joe meandered down the road toward town. It wasn’t very often that Pa and Joe did things alone and both father and son were enjoying their time together. About half way to town, there was a watering hole. Joe loved stopping there because Pa gave him time to run around and stretch his legs while Buck filled up and rested. The two dismounted near the water’s edge and the buckskin horse gratefully lowered his head to the water. Ben grabbed the canteen from the saddle and took a big swig, then handed it to his son.

“Joseph, I think I’ll rest underneath that tree for a while. Buck looks a little tired after the long day he put in yesterday.”

Joe finished his drink with a loud swallow.

“Is it okay if I go explore a little, Pa? I won’t go far. I promise.”

Ben sized up his son for a moment. He knew all too well that when his seven year old wanted ‘to explore’ he needed to set strict guidelines.

“Alright, son, but you may not go beyond that tall pine over there nor that big rock over yonder, understand?”

Joe nodded and responded with a “Yes, Pa,” before running off.

Ben smiled as he watched his son instantly run toward the big pine tree. Shaking his head, he thought “Leave it to him to explore the outermost border first.” He then squatted down and propped himself up against the trunk of a nearby tree. He folded his arms and pulled his hat over his eyes.

It didn’t take long for Joe to find the confinements of his father’s ‘laid out fence’ boring. Nothing spectacular caught his eye by the big pine, so he walked over towards the large rock and climbed atop for a better look. His eyes peered off into the horizon to the unknown land he so desperately wanted to explore. Suddenly, something caught his eye not too far off in the distance. Joe squinted and realized it was a sign of some sort, but he couldn’t read it. “I wonder what it says,” he thought. Joe glanced over his shoulder at his father who was still snoozing in the shade. Buck was grazing on a clump of grass that he had found near the watering hole.

“It’s not that far… I could go and see and be back and Pa wouldn’t even know.” He stood contemplating for a few moments before jumping down and venturing out beyond.

When Joe reached the sign, it said “DANGER.” Just to the right of the sign were some wooden planks lying on top of the ground. They were sporadically strewn across one another and Joe could tell there was a hole beneath them. He tested the first plank. It seemed sturdy enough to hold his weight, so he ventured out to the middle and peered down into the darkness.

Joe did not notice his father quickly approaching from behind. In the short distance it took Ben to get to his son, his anger had grown to a boiling point. He reached out and grabbed his son’s arm and spun him around to face him. “What do you think you are doing, young man,” he bellowed. Joe looked up in shock. He had never seen his Pa so angry. Just then there was a loud crack and the boards began to give away. Ben shoved Joe to ground just before he himself plummeted through the rotten planks into the darkness.

For a moment, Joe lay on the ground, wincing in pain. His father had thrown him down with such force that he had landed directly on his wrist. The boy felt the bone snap and the pain shoot up his arm. Joe had also hit his head on a rock during the fall and a thin stream of blood began to slowly trickle down the side of his face. Despite his injuries, it didn’t take long for the boy to realize about his Pa and what had happened to him. He scrambled over to the opening in the ground and began shouting,

“Pa….Pa….are you okay?”

Nothing but the boy’s own echo answered.

“Pa…Pa… answer me, please. I’m sorry… Please Pa.”

This time Joe heard some soft groans.

“Pa….please…. answer me … can you hear me?”

Joe buried his head in the dirt and began to cry. What had he done? There was silence for a few more minutes then Joe heard a feeble cry from the depths of the darkness.

“Joe?…Joe?… I’m here, son.” Ben uttered weakly.

“Pa!… What have I done?” Joe shouted out in dismay.

Ben had fallen into an old mine shaft. He could tell both legs had been broken in the fall and his right arm had been punctured by a sharp wooden plank as they gave way beneath him. The impact with the ground had left him momentarily disoriented.

With all his injuries and pain, his mind was on one thing… his youngest son. He tried to steady his voice and sound reassuring as he spoke once again.

“Joe. I want you to go get Buck and bring him here. Everything will be fine if you do as I say.”

His father’s words fell on deaf ears. The pangs of guilt erupted and Joe could only utter,

“I’m sorry, Pa,” over and over and over.

Ben felt himself wavering on the verge of unconsciousness. He had to make the boy hear him so he took in a deep breath and spoke with all his energy.

“Joseph! That’s enough young man. I don’t need your apologies right now. I need you to do as I say. Now stop this foolishness and get Buck.”

Then there was silence.

“Pa?” Joseph apprehensively asked, but Ben deliberately did not answer the boy.

This silence snapped Joe to attention. He arose, wincing in pain. Holding his wrist, he stumbled towards his father’s horse and led him back to the opening.

Ben felt the blood oozing from his arm and knew he needed to stop the bleeding. He tore the sleeve off and wrapped it tightly around the wound. The pain in his legs was beyond excruciating and his head was pounding from lack of air in the shaft.

Soon he heard his son’s apprehensive voice. “Pa… I have Buck.”

“Good boy, Joseph. Now tie the rope to the saddle like I’ve shown you and toss the other end down the hole.”

Ben did not know how far he had fallen, but he could only hope the rope would be long enough to reach him.

Joseph walked over to Buck and looped the rope around the saddle horn. He couldn’t use his other arm to help replicate the knot his father had practiced with him time and time again. He did the best he could and hoped the makeshift knot would hold strong. He then threw the rope down the hole.

Ben was snapped back into consciousness when the rope hit him in the face. He propped himself up into a sitting position and wound the rope around his chest. He, too, had difficulty tying a knot with only one good arm, but made due with what he could.

Again his boy’s quavering voice reached him. “Pa, are you okay?”

Ben felt weak and, although he could not answer strongly, he managed to direct his son once more.

“Joseph, I want you to lead Buck away from the hole. Do not stop or look back, regardless what you hear from me. Do you understand?”

Joe replied, “Yes, Pa. But what if…” He could not finish.

“Joseph, do as I say and everything will be fine.”

Joe grabbed Buck’s reins and started leading him away. Ben felt the tug and muffled his cries as he waited for the broken limbs to bear weight. A moment later, the pain was unbearable. Ben yelled out a blood curdling scream before surrendering to the unconscious.

Joe had never heard his father yell like that and it tore into his heart. He momentarily wavered, but reliving his father’s words, he found the inner strength to push forward. A few moments later, Ben lay aside the hole face down. Joe ran to his father, reaching his good arm around his shoulders. He laid down beside him and this comforted the boy. There the two remained for quite some time.

Joe was startled awake by his father’s groans and raised his head. He began scanning his father’s body. He stared at the blood stained arm and grimaced at the mangled legs of his Pa. The gruesome image brought tears once more.

Ben drifted back into consciousness and was becoming aware of his surroundings.

“Joseph.” He said. “Are you alright, son?”

“Yes, Pa,” was all the boy could say through his sobs.

“Listen to me Joseph. I need you to take Buck and go get help. Buck knows the way home and he’ll get you there.”

“No Pa, I won’t leave you.” Joe shouted.

“Joseph, you must do as I say. I need …” Ben gasped and was unconscious once more.

By now Joe was emotionally and physically exhausted. His arm was aching and he no longer had his father’s guidance to help him. He had to act quickly, but what should he do? He was afraid to leave his Pa to the wilds, yet his Pa had told him to go get help.

Suddenly he remembered Adam telling him once about making a makeshift gurney out of pine tree branches.

“Maybe I could do that and tow Pa home.” And so, Joe began his task.

He found some branches on the ground and used part of the rope to tie them together. When he compared it to his Pa’s body frame, however, it was too small. The sun was starting to set and it soon would be dark. Joe knew no one would come looking for them until morning. Fear was starting to control his thinking.

He raced through the woods looking for more branches. As he rounded a bend, he saw the opening to the mine that his father had fallen into. It was boarded up with wooden planks. Joe raced down the hill toward his newly found treasure. Just before he reached the base, he stepped into a hole and tumbled. The boy had twisted his ankle in the incident. This was the breaking point for the youngster. He laid his head down and sobbed, not from the pain, but from defeat. He was past the point of exhaustion and fell asleep with tears streaming down his face.

Ben Cartwright awoke with a start in the twilight. He looked around to find himself alone.

“Joe! …Son?!” Ben attempted to call, but the words were barely audible.

Had his son gone for help like he asked? Just then he heard Buck snort. The horse was still with him. That meant the boy was somewhere nearby. He called out for Joe once again with all the voice he had left. Joe was startled awake by his father’s call and just hearing his voice from the darkness brought strength to his son once more. He hobbled over to the opening of the mine and managed to pull off three planks. He painstakingly carried each board back to his father’s side. Without a word, he managed to tie the boards to the branches he had already rigged up behind Buck. Darkness had settled in by the time he had finished his task. Joe backed the horse up to position the gurney next to his father. He leaned down really close to his father’s face and began talking to him.

“Pa, I need your help. I can’t move you by myself. Can you roll over on your back?”

Ben was not fully alert, but he understood what his son wanted. He muttered a weak, “I’ll try, son.”

Joe then positioned himself along side his father, grabbing hold of his vest.

“One…Two… Three, he shouted,” and both father and son reached deep within their inner souls to muster enough strength to complete the task.

 

 

“…. And then I towed Pa home,” Joe softly concluded his story.

The story had taken over an hour to tell and Adam listened silently, offering his brother a shoulder to cry on as needed. Adam, too, found himself fighting back tears. Inside his heart was breaking. He sympathized with his brother, knowing of the ordeal he had just gone through. He also knew all too well that his brother’s stubbornness would make it difficult for him to let go of the guilt, and that it would be some time before his father was well enough to even discuss what had happened with the boy.

Adam realized that he had to make Joe understand that even though he had done wrong, he had saved his father’s life. When it really mattered, he had pulled through and did what he had to do. But what could he say that would help ease the pain?

After a moment, he spoke. “Joe, thank you.”

The boy looked at his older brother and gave him a puzzled glance. It wasn’t the words he expected to hear.

“Why was he thanking me?” Joe thought.

Adam continued. “I’m proud of you, Joe. It’s because of your fast thinking that we still have Pa here with us right now. If you would have left him out there, he may not have been so lucky.”

Joe pondered his brother’s words, but remained silent. After a moment, however, Adam could see an ever so brief grin break through the sullen tear-stained face. Well, it didn’t cure everything, but it was a start in the right direction.

Adam gave Joe a big hug and then said, “Let’s get you back into bed where you belong.”

Joe hesitated. He just had to see his Pa.

“Adam, please let me see Pa. I just have to ….” Again the tears began to fall.

Adam studied his brother for a long moment. He knew the boy had been through an ordeal and needed reassurance that everything was going to be fine. He also did not feel like dealing with Joe’s stubbornness and forcing the boy to bed.

“Joe, if I let you see him, you have to promise me you will then go to bed.”

Joe hastily nodded his head up and down. Adam lowered his brother to the floor and took him by the hand. The two then entered Ben’s room.

Ben Cartwright was propped up in bed with his arm in a sling and his legs tightly bound and immobile. He was sleeping soundly. Joe walked up alongside the bed. He studied his father’s face for a few moments before carefully climbing up next to him and laying his head down on his chest. He could hear his father’s heartbeat and steady breathing. It was soothing.

The boy’s presence awakened Ben and he opened his eyes slowly, gazing down at his youngest son. He weakly took his hand and began caressing the boy’s back. Tears welled in his eyes as he reflected back on what they both had been through.

To Joe, his father’s touch meant so much. It told him that he was no longer angry with him, that he was proud of him, and that he still loved him.

Adam watched in silence as the two fell fast asleep. It put his mind at ease to see that they were both on their way to recovery. It would take some time, but eventually everything would return to normal. He knew all too well that Joe and his father would be having a long discussion about this little incident in the future, but for now they had found peace with each other, both relying on their inner strength to pull them through.

Next Story in the Inner Strength Series:

Part II