Courage (by Hart4Ben)

Summary:   Little Joe is still wrestling with his fears. WHN for Season 6 Between Heaven and Earth.

Rating: K+  Word Count: 589

Courage

His shirt was soaked with sweat. The rocky crag was eating away at his fingertips. His boots slipped as he tried to maintain a foothold. He could not bear to think of looking down from his perch. His father’s pleas for help echoed in his ears, and then the big cat he had been hunting screamed from nearby. He jerked around toward the sound, almost losing his grip. He looked up to the summit. Squinting into the strong sunlight he could see his rifle wedged between some rocks. He felt strangled by his fear. Suddenly the cat’s head appeared over the boulder that his father was clinging to.

Joe! Help me, Joe!

He inched toward his father and stretched out to reach for his hand.

The rifle, Joe! Get the rifle!”

He moved toward the summit, but then he felt himself sliding, unable to stop. He tried to dig his hands and the toes of his boots into the rock, but could still feel his body scrapping over the jagged surface. Suddenly he flew over the edge of the rock precipice. Freefalling, he squeezed his eyes shut as he tumbled through the air, down, down, down. All he could see was utter blackness and he knew the end was near. Yet even in his terror, he could hear a voice calling to him.

“Joe…Joseph? Joe? Are you alright, son?”

His arms and legs flailed as Joe shrieked and then suddenly he sat bolt upright in his bed. His chest was heaving. Joe panted, unable to respond.

His father jumped, startled by his son’s beast-like reaction. Shining the lamp into his son’s room, he called to Joe softly.

“Joe…it’s alright. You’re not alone.”

Joe’s hands fiercely gripped the sheet and then they began to relax as the paralyzing fear was gradually replaced with recognition of the here and now.

“Another nightmare.” His father stated it in a calm, matter of fact manner.

“Yeah..”

Sweat was running down the sides of his face. Damp brown curls stuck to his forehead. Joe worked to extract himself from the knot of covers at the bottom of his bed, threw his legs over the side and sat with his head in his hands. He blew out a deep cleansing breath trying to get his heart to slow down to its normal rate and clear his head.

His father stepped in closer to the bed and set the lamp on the bedside table.

“Want to talk about it?”

Joe shrugged.

“Was it that day?”

Joe heaved a great sigh and nodded.

His father placed his large hand on his son’s shoulder. Joe looked up at his father trying with every ounce of his being to soak in all the love and reassurance his father’s deep brown eyes had for him.

“I wish your mind would let you have peace, Joe…I’m not sure why you’re still having doubts. Believe me, every man has his fears…It’s what he does with them that counts…..and you faced them, Joe…you met them head on. When it counted you did what had to be done. You showed courage, son, real courage. Try not to let the what ifs get in the way of what you know to be true…I trust you with my life… you do believe that, don’t you, Joe?”

Joe gave his father a weak smile. “Yeah, Pa…Yeah, I do.”

“Good.” His father gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Can I get you anything?”

“No, Pa. I’ll be fine now. Thanks.”

“Goodnight, son. Rest well.”

“Night, Pa. You, too.”

 

Tags:  Ben Cartwright, Joe / Little Joe Cartwright

 

Loading

Bookmark (0)
ClosePlease login

No account yet? Register

Author: Hart4Ben

2 thoughts on “Courage (by Hart4Ben)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.