Synopsis: What more could possibly go wrong for Ben Cartwright? Adam and Little Joe have been involved in an accident and are recovering at home when one of his sons goes missing.
Rating: PG
Word Count 23, 550

THE BOUNTY

 

Had he not been so deep in thought and going about his chores as if his body was on auto pilot, he would have heard the movement behind him, before it was too late. Many late nights of sitting up with his sick brother had now cost him dearly.

On several occasions, he had chased his father out of his brother’s room. Telling him that he needed to keep his own strength up. Many times his father had argued with him, telling him that while his other brother was away on business, his help was needed more than ever around the ranch.

Obstinately he steadfastly refused to take a break. He worked tirelessly at his own chores and those of his brothers. He had seen his father become increasingly unwell, consumed with worry of his youngest son, who had been so desperately ill.

While working out the kinks in his lower back, he was oblivious to the men who had approached from behind. The hard blow he received to the back of his head rendered him unconscious. For a big man, he fell gracefully.

His attackers stood to the side of him. The biggest of the three, nudged him with the toe of his boot. No reaction was forthcoming. Satisfied that the man, who now lay unmoving on the ground before him, was not going to offer any resistance, he savagely kicked him in his unprotected ribs.

“He out?” the shortest of the attackers asked.

“Yeah,” snarled the one that had kicked the defenseless man. “Hank, grab that rope off of the stall and tie him up,” he smiled sardonically.

Doing as he was instructed, Hank bound their victim’s hands behind his back and lashed his legs together. Turning to his cohort he smiled. “He’s ready. What you want me to do with him now, Garrett?”

“Throw him up on that horse,” Garrett answered as he pointed at Chub. “Looks like that horse will carry this feller. He’s pretty big. Ya better tie him on so he don’t fall off.”

“Sure thing, Garrett,” Hank replied. “Hey, Treva, give me a hand here will ya.”

“You sure we got that right Cartwright? This guy’s pretty big,” Treva complained as he hefted the unconscious man onto the horse.

“Stop yer whining, we was told to get this one,” Hank winced as the bound feet of their bounty caught him in his face. He took out a small piece of paper with the scribbled notes on it and compared them to the man on Chub’s back. “Yeah, this is the one all right.”

“Since when did ya knows how to read, Hank?” Treva bitterly asked. He had always known that Garrett favored Hank more and he wondered if it was because he knew how to read.

“When I spent that stretch in prison. I did me some learnin’. They had missionary ladies come in and teach us readin’ and writin’. Some of ’em weren’t too bad lookin’ neither,” smiled Hank.

As Treva finished securing the rope the would hold the kidnapped Cartwright to Chub, he heard their hostage moan. “Hey Garrett, this ‘ere feller’s startin’ to come round.”

“You sure is a stubborn one, Cartwright,” Garrett glared. He struck his hostage on the left side of his head. He smiled when he saw blood seep down the side of his hostage’s face.

“Hey boss, ya think ya hit him a bit hard?” Hank meekly asked, when he saw the blood map through the man’s hair.

“Nah, by the time I’ve finished with him, this here’s gonna look like a scratch. C’mon, mount up we gotta get us as much distance between us and his old man before he knows one of his boys is missin’.” Garrett replied. He had begun to get nervous about how much time had elapsed since their arrival at the Ponderosa.

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

“Hop Sing, would you bring some more broth up to Joe’s room please. He says he’s feeling up to eating,” Ben smiled, before he turned to ascend the stairs once again. It was the first time in days that Ben had felt so relieved.

Joe’s fever had broken two days before and Ben had sat with him constantly since then. Now that Joe’s fever had broken, he was getting restless. If not for the broken leg, Joe would have tried to climb out of the bed to which he had been confined for the past two weeks. Now his father had to watch him constantly, to make sure that Joe did not attempt anything foolish.

“Pa,” Joe whined, “why can’t I get up? You said I was getting better.”

“Joseph,” Ben warned, “until such time as Doctor Martin sees fit to let you out of that bed, you will stay there. Understood?”

“But Pa…,” Joe whined. He was feeling better and wanted to be up. He knew his father’s tone meant that there was no alternate answer, but he tried all the same.

“Understood, Joseph!” Ben repeated. His statement was more of a question. One that commanded no other answer than ‘yes’.

“Yes sir, I understand,” Joe mumbled, clearly agitated at having to spend time in bed.

When it came to being sick, Joe gave the term convalescing a bad name. No matter how sick he had been, he had always wanted to get out of bed at the slightest improvement in his condition.

“Joe, I am not backing down on this, and I am sure that neither of your brothers will either. You may not know it, but Adam has been here with you, nearly every night since the accident that you both had.

“Really?” Joe asked, his voice full of enthusiasm. He recalled the accident and how Adam had helped him.

Two weeks ago, he and Adam had been involved in an accident while bringing back the supplies from town, in the buckboard. Joe had been driving the team back to the Ponderosa, while Adam took the opportunity to take forty winks. The horses had been spooked by a lone cougar as it searched for a quick meal. They had bolted and raced precariously along the edge of the well-traveled road. After a battle of trying to get the horses under control once again, the hitching had broken from the buckboard and sent it careening down the side of a steep hill.

Adam had been abruptly awoken when he heard his youngest brother screaming and pulling on the reins. Having little time to prepare for the inevitable impact, Adam reached and pulled Joe from his seat. Together they tumbled down the embankment, being hit by obtrusive rocks as they plunged relentlessly to the bottom.

Adam had come to first, feeling each limb gingerly as he righted himself. To his left, Joe lay unconscious. His body battered by the rocks and branches that he had ended up against, when he had come to a stop. Adam noted that his brother’s right leg lay at an awkward angel.

“Great! Just damn great!” Adam cursed. He winced at the pain his own shoulder and arm had caused him. “Could be worse,” he half heartedly laughed. As it was he had dislocated both his shoulder and elbow on his left arm. The pain coursed through his body, when he turned Joe onto his back.

It had taken the best part of four hours to make his way to the top of the hill, carrying his brother over his right shoulder. He was nearing the summit when he was met by his father and Hoss, along with three ranch hands.

After Hoss had relieved his bother of his burden, Adam collapsed onto the ground. His father’s quick actions had saved his face from a brutal impact with the hard earth.

Now two weeks on, and Joe was still bedridden. Two of the bigger gashes he had received in the accident had become infected and ravaged his body with a severe fever. He sported a cast from mid thigh to foot on his right leg and the remainder of the bruises and cuts had begun to fade.

Ben had confined Adam to staying at the ranch while he also recuperated. Adam had been ordered to continue wearing the sling that gave his injured arm support, but several times he had discarded it. He’d told his father that it was too cumbersome and was more of a hindrance. After the first ten days, Ben had relented and let Adam go occasionally without the sling. His decision was not without provisos. The first of which was that he took things easy, no mean feat for his active son. The second condition was to wear it after exercise and work, to give his arm a chance to rest.

Three days earlier, Hoss had been sent in Adam’s place to finalize two contracts with buyers. A challenge that Hoss eagerly accepted, although he was apprehensive about going. He saw the disappointment evident in Adam’s face. “I know that you really want to go, and I sure as hell wish that you could. Cause I’m sure nervous about all this.”

“Hoss, you’ll be fine. You know that you’re the only one who can do this right now. Hell, I can’t even get on Sport without wanting to pass out. My arm is really aching, but you tell Pa that I said that, and I will deny all knowledge,” Adam smiled, as he adjusted the sling.

“Say, Adam, would you mind if I were to borrow Sport?”

Adam gave his brother a bewildered look. “Sure you can. What’s wrong with Chub?”

“He pulled up lame, coming in from the North pasture yesterday. And I reckoned since you weren’t doing a lot of riding….,”

“Say now more Hoss, he’s all yours. Just you take good care of him,” Adam replied and clapped his right hand on Hoss’ shoulder.

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

“When do you think Hoss will be home, Pa?” Joe asked. He put down the book that Adam had loaned him. While he was grateful of the gesture on his brother’s behalf, he had found the book hard to get into. He wished for something along the lines of a dime book to read. One that flowed quickly without the use of big words. He found that sort of book tedious and couldn’t understand what Adam found so enjoyable about them.

“I am expecting him home tonight,” Ben replied, seeing his son’s face light up. “So, if you don’t go tiring yourself out, I’ll let you spend some time with him. It will be nice to have the whole family home again. I know it has only been three days, but…”

“But, three days is a long time Pa. And I miss Hoss when he’s away,” sighed Joe.

“Ah, you mean you don’t like it when Adam won’t go along with one of your foolhardy stunts or ideas,” chortled Ben.

Sheepishly, Joe slunk under his bed covers, “Yeah, well he can be bossy at times and mean.”

“Joe, you know that Adam doesn’t mean to be. I guess it has a lot to do with when he was a child. He had to help me raise both you and Hoss as well as help me run the ranch. He didn’t get a lot of time for being a little boy, playing pranks and getting up to no good.” Ben smiled at Joe while he tousled his hair. He looked fondly down at his son and saw the carefree spirit in him that was sadly missing in his eldest son.

“I know Pa, but sometimes, I just wish he would relax a bit more. Where is he anyway?”

Ben had begun to wonder the same thing. It was nearing lunchtime and Adam still had not come in from the barn. “He’ll be along soon. I’ve told him not to overdo things until his shoulder and arm are healed properly. And definitely no riding.”

“Still refusin’ to wear the sling huh?” Joe grinned. He recalled pieces of a heated discussion that he’d heard a few days ago when his father and eldest brother had stood outside his bedroom door. The conversation had been mainly one sided – his father’s side.

Ben shook his head and smiled at Joe. “Yes, son, he is still refusing to wear the sling.”

“Well you said that he was still trying to do his chores as well as mine and Hoss’. Maybe he finds it too hard to use,” Joe surmised. From the times that he’d had to use a sling he knew only to well how annoying they could be. He felt sorry for his brother who now had to use one.

“I guess you’re right, son. I’ll go and see what is keeping him,” Ben replied as he leaned over and kissed Joe on his forehead. “In the meantime, you stay in that bed,” Ben ordered and for good measure he took Joe’s crutches with him.

Before he could turn the handle to open the door, it was pushed open from the other side. On the other side of the door was Hop Sing with the broth for Joe.

“Hop Sing, perfect timing. You stay here and keep an eye on this young scalawag, while I see what his keeping his big brother,” Ben smiled. ‘At least Hop Sing should be able to keep you under control, young Cartwright’, Ben thought to himself. He watched Hop Sing settle himself bedside Joe’s bed.

An hour and a half later and Ben’s search had proved fruitless. He couldn’t find Adam anywhere. He had checked with the hands who were milling around the bunkhouse while they ate their lunch, and also with the ones who had just come in. Nobody had seen Adam, since earlier that morning when he had been hard at work in the barn.

Ben had seen that Hoss’ horse Chub was not in his usual stall and wondered if Adam had disobeyed him and gone for a ride. If he had, Ben had decided that the threat of confinement to the ranch for the next three weeks, would become more than just a verbal threat. Disappointed at what he believed his oldest son had done, Ben sauntered angrily back to the house.

“Of all the hair-brained ideas!” Ben growled when he entered the house. “So help me Adam, you have not heard the last of this. If I’m not fighting a battle with my youngest son, trying to keep him in bed, I have to also battle the oldest. At thirty-two years of age, that boy should know better. I give in!,” Ben continued to rant before he collapsed into his favorite chair. He was emotionally torn between continuing his search for Adam and staying at home with Joe.

“Pa?” Hoss asked as he entered the family home. “What’s wrong?”

Ben was taken aback to see Hoss standing in front of him. “Son, I wasn’t expecting you back until tonight,” Ben said as he rose to shake his son’s hand.

“Well, I thought seein’ as how I got them contracts sorted out sooner that I thought, that I’d come on back to the ranch. Didn’t really feel up to another night in town. Umm, Pa, who were you talking to?” Hoss asked. His eyes scanned the vacant room. ‘Surely Pa ain’t gone mad and has started talkin’ to himself’, he thought to himself.

Ben shook his head and gave a small laugh. “Oh, I was just letting off steam. You’re brother has seen fit to disobey me and has gone off somewhere.”

“Who? Little Joe has?”

“No…, Adam. I don’t know what has gotten into him. I thought he would have learnt his lesson the other day when he toppled off Cochise…”

Before Ben could say any more, Hoss dropped his bottom jaw, so that he stood in front of his father with his mouth gaping open. “He fell off Cochise?!”

“Not a word to Joe,” Ben warned. He pointed his index finger at Hoss and waved it under his nose.

Hoss tracked the finger with his eyes until he felt his eyes start to shift out of focus. “Dang it, Pa, you done nearly hypno… hypo… ya nearly made me go cross-eyed.” He shook his head to clear the dizziness he had begun to feel. “No, Pa, I won’t say nothin’ to Little Joe, but how did he manage to fall off Cochise? I thought he wasn’t meant to be riding ’til his arm got better. Didn’t doc Martin tell him not to?”

“Which question would you like me to answer first, Hoss?” Ben smiled. He gestured to Hoss to sit in the seat opposite him.

After their discussion about the contracts and Adam’s fall from Cochise, Hoss made his way up to see Joe. When he entered the room he saw that Joe had gone back to sleep again, so instead left the gift that he had bought him on the bedside drawers. “I’ll be back later, little brother, sleep well,” whispered Hoss, leaving Joe to his slumber.

He returned down stairs and saw his father pace around the main room. “Pa, I’m gonna take a look outside. Maybe Adam has come back by now,” suggested Hoss.

“Hold up, I’ll got with you. I’m not having you warn Adam that he is in trouble,” Ben grinned as he pulled on his jacket. While his youngest son had been so ill he had not wanted to leave the house. Although it had been two days since the fever had broken, he knew from past experience that a relapse was quite possible.

“What…, and spoil all your fun?” Hoss countered.

In the barn, Hoss noticed that Chub was certainly missing but the only saddle unaccounted for was his own which was still on Sport. ‘Unless Adam has taken up bare back riding, I doubt he would have gone far’, Hoss thought to himself.

When Hoss hung up one of the bridles that had been worked on, he noticed a cigar butt on the floor. “Hey, Pa, come and have a look at this,” Hoss called as he began his search for more clues.

Ben held the cigar stub between in fingers. “Who on Earth would have done something so careless as leave a cigar butt in the barn?” Ben questioned. He made it a point to reinforce his opinions with the hands of what damage a carelessly discarded butt could do.

“Pa…,” Hoss called, his voice beginning to quaver. “I found some blood on the floor…, and lots of it. And Pa, I found this.”

Immediately Ben was at his son’s side, surveying the pool of blood on the floor. He took the black hat that Hoss held in his hands. Sinking to his knees, Ben raised his face to the rafters and closed his eyes. “Oh dear God,” he prayed. He had begun to feel nauseous when he thought of what could have possibly happened to Adam. Again he berated himself for staying with Joe when he could have been out looking for his eldest son.

“We’ll find him Pa,” Hoss spoke. He could only guess what his father was going through and wished he could offer an appropriate answer.

With Hoss’ help, Ben rose shakily to his feet. “How could I have doubted him, Hoss? I should have known better. I should’ve realized that Adam wouldn’t deliberately disobey me, not after the fall he had the other day. Dear Lord, what have I done. I could have been out here looking for him, instead of ranting and raving about him scarpering off somewhere.”

“Pa, all the should’ves and could’ves ain’t gonna find Adam any quicker. Quit blaming yourself, you didn’t know,” Hoss spoke, his own fears for his brother’s safety had begun to surface. “Pa, you know what Adam is like, you had every right to doubt him. How many times in the past has he deliberately gone against what you’ve said?”

Ben held onto Hoss’ massive forearms, not just for support but for the strength he needed. “Hoss, I know what you are saying but..,”

“Pa, you didn’t know. Even I had started to think that Adam had gone off for a ride, until we found his hat here in the barn, and the ….” Hoss replied. He stopped short of saying blood. “But, Cochise is still here,” he finished, noting that Little Joe’s horse stood patiently in his stall.

“Chub!” Ben stated, looking at the empty stall. “Chub’s not here,” he spoke again with enthusiasm in his voice, as the realization hit him. “Whoever has Adam, obviously doesn’t know that Chub was being rested after pulling up lame a few days ago.”

“See Pa, we’ve already got something on them people that took Adam,” Hoss encouraged. “By the looks of these tracks Pa, there was three of them. And Chub is still favoring that front leg,” Hoss continued, as he crouched down to look at the tracks more clearly.

“Well it narrows down the field, we know it wasn’t one of the hands who took Adam,” Ben said as he ran his fingers through his hair.

While Ben, gave a lot of men the opportunity to recover from past mistakes and start anew, there was always the risk that one of the men in his employ would try and make extra money by harming their employer in some way. Whether it be through a simple theft of a replaceable item, or in the extreme case using a family member for bargaining with.

Ben could quite happily discount those theories. The men on his payroll were easy to get along with and had never once given him any indication or reason to distrust them.

“Tracking Chub should be easy,” Hoss smiled, giving not only himself some hope but also his father.

“Yes, tracking Chub should be easy, but I’m afraid that I have a more difficult task at hand,” shuddered Ben. His gaze went straight to Joe’s bedroom window.

“Tellin’ Little Joe?” Hoss asked, as he followed his father’s gaze.

Ben clasped Hoss and on the shoulder and nodded his head. “Yes son, telling your brother is going to be very hard.”

Hoss searched for the words that would comfort his father in his hour of need. Everything he thought of sounded trite and condescending. There were no easy words, for the task that lay ahead. “Pa, while you’re with Joe, I’m gonna get one of the hands to go into town and get Sheriff Coffee. The sooner he gets here, the sooner we can begin our search.”

“Good idea son,” Ben agreed, ” at least one of us is thinking straight. Thank you Hoss, thank you for coming home early.” Ben left Hoss’ side and returned to the house, to carry out an unenviable task.

After sending a rider into town to retrieve the sheriff, Hoss returned to the barn. He sat down heavily on one of the stools and leant forward placing his head in his hands. Thoughts of everything he and Adam had done together mulled around his mind. The times that Adam had saved his hide were countless. Although smaller in stature than Hoss, Adam was always handy to have on your side. His moves were calculated and sure, where as Joe, although he meant well, tended to act rather than think first.

‘This is not going to find Adam,’ Hoss mentally chastised himself. Once again he began searching the barn for clues. On the tack bench he saw Adam’s jacket neatly folded, the pattern of the scattered hay on the barn floor, indicated that Adam had been caught off guard. There were no obvious remnants of a struggle. The only shape in the hay on the floor was the outline of his brother’s body.

As he looked more closely at the outline, he could see bits of hay that had been splattered with blood, matching the larger pool that he had found earlier. Outside the barn, Hoss saw the pattern of the horses hooves as they had stood, waiting for their riders. Then he saw Chub’s.

“They won’t get you to far on Chub, big brother,” Hoss spoke aloud.

“Hoss! Hoss!” called one of the hands as he approached. “Emmett told me about Adam, is there anything I can do to help?”

“Charlie, right now, we’ve got to wait for Roy to turn up,” replied Hoss as he acknowledged the man before him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hold up, Garrett,” Hank called. “This horse is gettin’ slower and slower,” he said, pointing at Chub.

“You idiot!” Garrett hissed at Hank. “Can’t you see that dang horse is lame.” He reined his own horse to a halt and dismounted. “Treva!” he called. Once he had gotten the attention of the man he had set to ride point, he signaled him back.

“I’m sorry, Garrett, I didn’t know…, just figured that the horse was gettin’ tried of carryin’ his weight,” Hank replied. He hated to upset his boss and cast his eyes down towards the ground.

With Treva’s help, Hank untied the rope that ran from Adam’s hands, over his shoulders and underneath Chub’s belly to Adam’s feet. Without concern to their hostage’s welfare, they pulled him mercilessly off Chub’s back. Together they carried him a short distance and deposited him on the ground, with his hands still tied behind his back.

While they were busy with their hostage, Garrett, turned Chub lose. He slapped him on his rump and sent him back towards the ranch.

“Okay, we’ll make camp here for the night,” Garrett ordered, while he started to unsaddle his own mount. He asked Treva to locate some wood for a fire and assigned Hank to cooking duty. During the course of their meager meal, Adam began to stir.

“What about him?” Hank asked, jerking his head in Adam’s direction.

“What about him?” Garrett snarled. He took satisfaction in listening to Adam’s moans.

“Well I was figurin’ that maybe we should give him somethin’ to eat,” answered Hank. He waited for the harsh reply that he knew would be forthcoming. To his surprise, Garrett simply nodded and scraped some of the untouched meal from his plate to another.

“Here give him this,” Garrett spoke, handing the plate to Hank. “Better give him a drink as well,” he added as he handed Hank a cup of coffee.

Hank accepted the items from Garrett and took them to Adam. “Hey,” he gently spoke. He placed his hands on Adam’s shoulders to stop him from moving. When he felt Adam flinch away from his touch, he removed his hands.

“Who…, who are you?” croaked Adam. He tried to focus his eyes on the person in front of him.

“That’s not important. Let me help you sit up a bit,” Hank replied, aware of what Garrett had told him about not to say his name. “I’ve got some food for you. Do ya feel up to eatin’?”

Once he was upright, Adam began to feel light headed. “A drink would be good,” he rasped as he tried to quell the nausea.

“Do you think you could untie my hands?” Adam asked, after Hank had given him a drink of coffee. “I’m not going to try anything,” he added, when he saw Hank look at Garrett.

“Sure, but you try anything, and I’ll have to use this,” Hank replied. He patted the side arm on his hip.

“I understand. I just prefer to try and feed myself is all,” answered Adam. He shook his head when he saw his captor’s hand rest on the butt of his gun.

“Yeah, okay, but I meant what I said,” Hank reiterated.

After only a few spoonfuls, Adam was losing his battle with his stomach. He put his plate aside and hurriedly untied his legs. Hank grabbed him buy his left arm as he started to rise. Grimacing at the pull on his arm, Adam staggered a few steps before emptying the contents of his stomach.

Hank steadied him and handed him a cloth to wipe his mouth with. When he was sure that Adam had recovered enough, he directed him back to the camp.

“What’s up with him?” Garrett asked.

“I think he’s got a concussion. He’s just been real sick,” Hank replied. He hoped he wouldn’t have to endure the wrath of Garrett’s temper.

“Yeah well, ya’d better get him tied up again. I ain’t having him wonder around the camp,” Garrett spoke while he gestured at Adam.

“Who are you and what do you want?” Adam asked, shrugging free from Hank’s grip.

“Hank get him tied up. NOW!”

“So don’t you have the decency to tell me what you want,” rebuked Adam. He wanted answers and he wanted them now. His last clear thought of the morning had been working in the barn, and not able to recall what had happened in between time frustrated him.

“All in good time, Cartwright,” glared Garrett. “For now I suggest that you do as your told and no harm will come to your family.” When he saw Adam shrink back at his words, he knew that he had found Adam’s weakness. “Heard about the accident that you and your kid brother had,” he continued. “Thought your Pa, would never let you out of the house. Heard tell that you damaged your shoulder a bit.” From his seated position near the fire, Garrett rose and came face to face with Adam. “Mighty painful things, dislocations,” he laughed sardonically, before he grabbed his gun and clubbed Adam on his left shoulder with the butt.

A myriad of sparks flew before his eyes when Garrett hit his weakened shoulder. Unable to retain his upright stance, Adam collapsed to his knees.

~~~~~~~~

“Pa, what’s wrong?” Joe asked, when Ben entered his room. Joe had heard parts of a discussion that his father had with Hoss. He had picked up on key words such as Adam and missing, along with hurt. Although Joe and Adam were often at loggerheads with each other, Joe loved his brother dearly.

“Son, how long have you been awake?” Ben smiled, while he checked Joe’s forehead. When he couldn’t feel anything above a normal body heat, he gently withdrew his hand.

“I’ve been awake long enough to see the gift that Hoss left for me,” Joe smiled, showing his father it. Then turning serious he dropped his voice, ” and to hear you and Hoss talking about Adam.”

“Oh,” Ben replied, caught off guard. He had hoped to avoid discussing Adam’s disappearance with Joe just yet but knew there was no way out of it for himself. He never liked keeping the truth from his sons, and now was no different.

“Adam is missing. Hoss noticed that Chub was also gone. We can only assume that whoever has Adam, didn’t know about Chub being lame. This could actually work in our favor,” Ben spoke. He hoped that that information was enough to satisfy his youngest.

“I heard Hoss say that he found some blood in the barn. Adam’s hurt, isn’t he?” Joe questioned. He hated it when vital information was kept from him. Joe knew that his father was trying to skirt around the finer details, to protect him. People keeping things from Joe had always bugged him and at times he resented both his father and Adam for doing this.

“Yes, Joe, we believe that Adam is hurt. And before you ask, we don’t know how bad,” replied Ben. He could feel his own emotions starting to get the better of him, each time he thought about Adam.

“PA? PA?” Hoss bellowed from the main room.

“One day I must teach Hoss how to find people without yelling the house down,” chuckled Ben. After saying goodbye to Joe, and a promise of telling him when they had more news, he left the room.

As he descended the stairs, he saw Sheriff Coffee waiting for him. The concerned look on Coffee’s face did not go unnoticed. For Ben, it did not mean good news.

“Roy,” greeted Ben, “thank you for coming out here at this late hour. Please have a seat. Hoss, can you ask Hop Sing to bring in some coffee please?”

“Sure, Pa,” acknowledged Hoss.

“Ben,” Roy began, as he tried to judge the mood of his long-time friend. “I’ve received some disturbing news. Seems that Mike, one of the new bar staff at the saloon, overheard a conversation, regarding Adam.”

“Go on,” prompted Ben. Silently he prayed for the Lord to watch over ad keep Adam from harm, and to return him home safely.

“Mike overheard three guys talking. It was about a big payoff that they were about to get. Ben, the payoff was for bounty reward,” Roy informed Ben. When he saw the stunned look on Ben’s face, he added, “now, Ben, before you ask, let me explain.”

Ben adjusted his seated position and gestured for Roy to continue. He remained expressionless as he feared the worst.

“In Mike’s defense, I’d like to tell you that he never heard any particular names mentioned. Just a description. You know, as well as I do, that he would have reported the conversation earlier if he’d known who was the target.”

Ben silently nodded his head. For a few minutes he searched his own mind for any possible clues. A name of anyone that would hold such a vendetta. Against him or his family. In particular – Adam. He knew that his son’s temper had often landed him in the middle of several fights. As well as in one of Roy’s cells.

“Pa, the coffee’s ready …, where do you want me to put it?” Hoss asked when he appeared with a fully laden tray.

“Right there, Hoss,” Ben said as he gestured to the table in front of him. Then he turned back to Roy. “I am not blaming Mike, so please do no think that. It’s just that this is so hard to comprehend. Roy, I can’t even think of anyone that would want to take out this form of retribution.” He put his elbow on the corner of the chair and rested his chin in his palm.

“Hoss said that he found some blood in the barn and a cigar stub Do you have it still?” asked Roy.

When Ben handed it over to him, Roy examined it closely. “Well, it’s not a common brand. Not from around here anyway. It’s got a foreign design on it.”

~~~~~

“Hank, did you tie Cartwright up again?” Garrett asked as he reached for the coffee pot.

Hank sat down on the log near the fire and warmed his hands. “Yeah, I tied him up. Good and tight. Can’t have our bounty run off now, can we?” Hank smiled. Although he hated having to restrain Adam so harshly, he was also mindful of how much money the eldest Cartwright son was worth to them. The money would come in handy. He had wanted to lead a more respectable life and saw the money as his opportunity to get out.

“Good,” smiled Garrett. “Your right. We can’t have our money maker runnin’ off on us now. Could have to shoot him. Burrows might take that off what we gits paid. Though, we could always tell him it was necessary.” Garrett had a malicious streak that worried a lot of people. Like Hank, he wanted to make a lot of money off this latest deal. But that is where the similarities ended. He had no desire to leave his present way of life. As far as he was concerned – the more money there was to make, the better.

“Where’s Treva?” Hank asked as he poured himself another cup of coffee.

“Tendin’ to the horses, I guess. Ya better save him some coffee. YA know what he gits like if he goes without it for too long,” Garrett chuckled. He often wondered how a person could get so addicted to coffee. He was glad that Treva wasn’t a drunk. That addiction he couldn’t handle and wouldn’t. The last time that he had worked with a drunk, he’d killed him. He was not beyond doing that again. To him, drunks were dangerous. They were unreliable and had mouths like torn sacks. They tended to talk to much about the wrong thing to the wrong people.

“Hey, Treva,” Hank grinned, “we was jest talkin’ about ya.”

“All good, I hope,” Treva smiled back. He was new to Garrett’s team and wanted t set a good impression. If this job went well there would be plenty more. He’d been willing to help Garrett in any way he could. Followed his orders without question.

“Yeah, Treva,” Garrett chortled, “it was all good. I was jest tellin’, Hank, bot to finish all the coffee.”

“Well, I’m mighty pleased ya did. Ya know if it weren’t for my coffee addiction, I’d be perfect,” Treva laughed.

“Yeah right. And I’m a Saint,” countered Garrett. His comment caused his accomplices to burst out with laughter.

After as late supper Garrett and Hank turned in for the night. Treva had drawn the short straw to take first watch. While he listened to the wolves howl their mournful song he heard Adam begin to stir.

Gingerly Adam opened his eyes. He saw Treva watching him. “Wa…, wa…, water,” he finally managed to say. His throat was dry and sore. His mouth felt like it had been stuffed full with cotton.

Treva looked at his sleeping friends and then back at Adam. He held a small cup of water to Adam’s lips. “Drink it slowly,” he cautioned.

The first mouthful tasted wonderful to Adam. The water soothed the ache in his throat. Greedily he drank more. His abused stomach rebelled against the liquid and made him retch violently.

“Hey, Treva chided, “I told ya, to drink it slow. You gonna be okay? You ain’t gonna puke on me are ya?”

Adam turned his head and threw up on the ground beside him and narrowly missed his clothes. He moaned in pain and breathed heavily. “Yeah, I’ll be fine…, I hope.” Desperately he wanted to ask for help but his stubbornness stopped him. He didn’t want to let his abductors have the satisfaction to see him weak and vulnerable. His ribs ached and throbbed in unison with the constant ache in his head.

“Ya sure don’t look too good,” Treva remarked as he looked at Adam’s pale complexion. He looked at Adam and shook his head. ‘This guy is going to be lucky to get to Silver City alive’, he thought to himself.

“Humph, I hope I look better than I feel,” Adam laughed without humor.

“Yeah, well I guess how you look ‘n how you feel are runnin’ a pretty tight race,” said Treva. Again he looked at his sleeping friends then back to Adam. “Ya need to go and ah, you know,” he hedged. When he saw Adam’s confused look he tried to explain again. “Ya need to go and relieve yourself?”

Adam gave a wry grin. “Yeah, that would be a good idea,” he replied.

Treva untied the ropes and assisted Adam to his feet. “I’ll give you a few minutes.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

Although Adam was in no state to be able to run, he was not surprised when he saw Treva hold his gun on him.

Treva caught the resigned look of acceptance on Adam’s face. “Precautionary measures,” he said.

“Yeah, I know. Goes with the territory I guess,” shrugged Adam.

~~~~~~~

When they returned back to the camp, Treva refastened the ropes that bound Adam’s hands behind his back. He put a rope around Adam’s middle and secured that to the tree as well. “Try and get some sleep,” he suggested.

“I will. Thanks for your help,” Adam replied. He leaned his head back against the tree and looked towards the heavens. After a moment he closed his eyes and prayed.

“Dear Lord,

please watch over my family and keep them safe. Look after my Pa. Don’t let him suffer with guilt. Let him know there was nothing he could’ve done to stop all that ahs happened to me. Please help Hoss. Give him the strength to help Pa and Little Joe. Please watch over Little Joe and help him recover from his illness. Help guide him. He has a habit of acting first and thinking later. Finally, let each of my mothers know that I love them dearly. Now I lay me down to sleep and pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray thee Lord my soul to take.”

Eventually Adam fell into a fitful slumber. His dreams were plagued with past memories of hurt he had experienced in his life. He saw visions of Inger and Marie die. He heard the tortured screams of the people that he couldn’t help. He saw the faces of men he had been forced to kill in self-defense. The he saw his father and brothers’ images.

“NO! No! Stop,” Adam cried in anguish. He threw his head from side to side as he tried to escape his haunted dreams.

“Hey. Stop that,” ordered Treva. He had heard Adam cry out and tried to wake him.

Dazed, Adam blinked his eyes. “What?” he asked, unsure why he’d been woken.

“You had a bad dream,” Treva explained. “Guess I would too, in your situation.

Adam frowned as he recalled pieces of his dream. In particular his family. “Untie me. Let me go,” he pleaded. “I have to get back home.” He didn’t want the images of his dreams to be an Omen of what was to happen. His voice sounded empty.

“No can do. Garret, would kill me if I did,” replied Treva.

As if on cue, Garrett appeared at Treva’s side. “He givin’ ya trouble?” he asked. He indicated at Adam with his gun.

Treva shook his head and rose to his full height. “No, Garret, I was just going to get him another drink.”

“Just make sure that’s all you git him,” sneered Garrett. He then checked that the ropes that held Adam were still secure. “And keep checkin’ on these here ropes. Don’t want them comin’ lose now, do we?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Adam looked disheartened at Treva and then looked at Garrett. “Why are you doing this? What do you hope to achieve?”

“Well, looky here, seems as if our little gold-mine has somethin’ to say,” Garrett sneered. If it hadn’t been for Burrow’s insistence that Adam be taken in alive, he would have killed him when he had the chance. But the man that had contracted their special services, had given them clear instructions. He wanted him alive so that he could have his own fun with Adam Cartwright.

Adam looked up at Garrett with heavy eyes. He was tired and sore and wanted to go home to protect his family. “What did you mean when you said I am your gold-mine?” he asked. The more information that he could find out, the better he was sure that he would feel. He needed something concrete to work with.

“What I should have said Mr. Adam Cartwright, is that you are more of a bounty. And a valuable one at that,” Garret said. He put his hand under Adam’s jaw as he spoke and pushed his head up so that his eyes met Adam’s.

“A bounty?” Adam questioned. He thought he had heard Garrett use that word. While he rolled it over in his mind he wanted his kidnapper to reconfirm it. He understood the implications that were associated with this word and despised them all.

“A sixty thousand dollar bounty. That’s what your worth to me,” smiled Garrett. His smile was one of pure hatred for the man in front of him.

“Well, they say every man has his price,” Adam mused. ‘Now to find a way of using this to my advantage. Maybe I can tell him that my Pa will pay more,’ Adam thought to himself. Garrett’s response to his question had gone unnoticed by him while he started to work out his own scheme.

“….and that’s what yours is,” Garrett answered. He let Adam’s jaw drop when he removed his hand abruptly. “Git him a drink,” He ordered Treva.

“Yeah. Sure, boss,” Treva meekly replied. He wondered if Garrett would be mad at him if he found out he had untied Adam before. He hoped that Garrett would never find out.

“Is sixty thousand dollars all I am worth to you?” Adam asked. He looked directly at Garrett hoping to gain a reaction from him.

“Why do you ask that?” snorted Garrett. “Think I’m stupid enough to try and get a ransom demand paid by Ben Cartwright?” The idea had its merits but not without risk. He could always up the ante from his employer and demand more for Adam.

Adam shrugged and winced as the movement hurt his injured shoulder. “He’ll pay it. I know he will. You could wire him and tell him just to take it out of my personal savings account,” he offered.

“Now, Cartwright, what kind of an idiot do you take me for?” Garrett asked as he looked incredulously at Adam.

“An uneducated one,” Adam snickered to himself.

“You care to repeat that?” hissed Garret. His hand was wrapped around Adam’s throat. The pressure of his hand made Adam gag for air.

When Adam felt Garret take his hand away from his throat he sucked in a deep breath of fresh air. “No,” he tried to answer. His voice was hoarse from where his windpipe had been bruised. He made an effort to clear his throat before Garrett grabbed a handful of his hair and jerked his head back once more.

“You’re lucky I’m in a good mood,” Garrett smiled sardonically. “Now as I was sayin’, I’d have to be an idiot to send your Pa a wire. Sure he could afford to pay more than sixty grand for his boy, but I can’t run the risk of bin’ caught. If I send him a wire where’d be the first place he’d start lookin’?”

“You’re not as stupid as you look are you,” Adam smiled. He knew that this comment would cost him, but he enjoyed being able to get under Garrett’s skin. The more he baited him, the sooner he’d make a mistake. He did not have to wait long for Garrett to retaliate.

“We’ll see who is laughin’ later, Cartwright,” Garrett said. He clenched his fist and drove into the right side of Adam’s face. The force of the blow that he delivered split three of his knuckles.

The last thing that Adam could remember seeing that night was the sparks that flew around his eyes. The powerful punch that Garrett delivered had hit him hard like a kick from an unbroken bronc.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Oh?” Be asked. His curiosity had been piqued.

“Looks like a Mexican design on it. Nearest place you can get these sort from is Texas. There’s a big market for imported goods down there,” Roy said.

Ben looked at his friend incredulously. Roy’s knowledge for trivial things was unsurpassable. It was one of the qualities that had made him such a fine lawman. “Do you think whoever has Adam will travel towards Texas?” Ben asked. He hoped that his long time friend may be able to offer him something tangible.

“I really want to be able to tell you that Ben, but in all honesty I just don’t know. Without knowing the kidnappers demands we haven’t really got a lot to go on,” Roy sighed. He felt useless at being unable to give his friend anything more. He had a lot of time for all the Cartwrights, even when the boys did on occasion cause mayhem in his town.

“You said kidnappers. Do you think that this is what it is, a kidnapping?” Ben asked. He rolled that thought through his mind. Searching for an answer and each time coming up blank.

“Shouldn’t there have been a ransom demand or something left behind?”

“Ben, I’m not discounting the possibility it is a kidnapping. But, in saying that not all kidnappings follow a set pattern, where instructions have been left. I’m afraid that this is a lot more serious than that,” explained Roy. He recalled what Mike had told him and he shuddered at the recollection.

“Pa, we need to follow them tracks while they’re still fresh,” Hoss said. He waited for his father to give him his attention before he continued. “I want to take some of the boys and start on it right away.”

“Yes, son.” Ben sighed. “That would be best. I’m sorry. I don’t seem to be able to think straight right now. I keep thinking about how I should have gone and started a search for Adam. I’ve left it too long.”

Hoss stood next to his father’s chair and placed his hands on Ben’s shoulders. “Pa, don’t beat yerself up about this all the time. You had Joe to take care of. And that ain’t no easy task for anyone.”

“Son, when do you intend to leave,” Ben said as he looked out the window. The sky was already blackened and to start out now in search of tracks would be a futile effort.

“We’ll leave at first light Pa,” replied Hoss.

“That’s a good idea son. Make sure you get some sleep before you go,” Ben said. Something moving upstairs caught his attention. “Hoss, ask Hop Sing to have the spare bed made up for Roy, before you go to bed,” Ben said as he got up out of his chair.

“Pa?” Hoss asked, unsure what his father was up to. His eyes followed to where his father was looking and then he nodded his head. Joe.

“I’ve got to go and talk with Little Joe. If I am not back before you go to bed, I’ll see you before you go in the morning. Goodnight Hoss, Roy,” acknowledged Ben before he headed up to Joe’s room.

Roy stood when Ben left to go upstairs. “Thanks for the bed, Ben. And I’ll make sure that Hoss sees you before we leave,” said Roy. When Ben had gone up the stairs Roy looked at Hoss. “He’s taking this pretty hard. It’s been a rough couple of weeks on him and now this.”

Hoss pulled his lips tight and exhaled heavily through his nose. He nodded at Roy and picked up the used cups to return to the kitchen.

Ben saw the lamp in Joe’s room still going when he entered. “I thought I told you to stay in bed.”

Joe looked sheepishly at his father. He hadn’t been sure if his father had seen him or not when he had edged as far as he had dared on the top of the stairs. “Pa, I’m sorry for disobeying you. I had to know what was going on. What’s Roy going to do to find Adam?”

Ben pulled a chair nearer to his youngest son’s bed and eased himself down into it. His body was tired and in need of rest. “Hoss and Roy are leaving at first light to follow the tracks. Your brother was quite certain that Chub would not have been able to cover a great distance. He is hopeful of being able to bring Adam home to us very soon.” Ben hoped that his words hid how he truly felt. He was afraid that if he let his facade slip, his youngest son would assault him with questions that he couldn’t answer.

Joe looked thoughtfully at his father. “Well, it is a clear night. So the tracks should still be easy to follow in the morning. Pa, it’s my fault that you couldn’t go after Adam when you wanted to. I’m sorry.”

Ben shook his head to clear it after he heard what Joe had said. “Son, don’t you dare think that. There’s already enough blame around here without you adding to it. Hoss has already reprimanded me for taking the blame. As he pointed out no-one knew what was going to happen. We both thought that Adam had taken off on a ride.”

“Pa, if I’d done what you told me to do, instead of wanting to get up you could have gone after Adam,” Joe apologized again. To him he was responsible in detaining his father. He knew better than to try and get out of bed, but still he had insisted.

Ben leant over and rubbed his youngest son’s arm. “Little Joe,” he said gently. “I know only to well what each of you are like when you are sick. I’ve had plenty years of experience at it. I will let you in on a little secret though. What you do to me is nothing in comparison to your eldest brother.”

The result that Ben had hoped for had been achieved. Joe laughed contentedly when he heard his father share the secret.

“Maybe I can get Adam to give me a few suggestions when he gets back home,” grinned Joe. His eyes sparkled as he spoke. A mischievous grin crept across his face.

“Why don’t you try and get some sleep, Little Joe. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow for all of us. And when you’re saying your prayers ask the Lord that he watch over Adam,” Ben said. He kissed Joe’s forehead and said goodnight before going to his own room.

“I will, Pa,” Joe called to his father’s retreating back. “I will.”

~~~~~~~~

During the night Hank and Garrett had also taken their turns on guard duty. Each man annoyed at having had his sleep interrupted. Hank had a relatively easy time with Adam. Only getting up to him when he moaned in pain. After supplying their bounty with a drink, Hank was able to go back and sit by the fire.

“C’mon, Garrett. It’s yer turn to be on watch,” Hank said as he gently shook Garrett by his shoulder.

Garrett turned over and swatted the imposing hand away like it was a blow fly that had been annoying him. It had taken him a few minutes to fully awaken and to see Hank staring at him.

“That time already,” he groaned. His irritability clearly evident in his facial expressions.

“Yeah, and I need me some shut eye,” yawned Hank. Before Garrett had gotten up from his bedroll, Hank had already stretched out on his own. Within minutes he was asleep. Garrett looked at him and rolled over to a kneeling position to push himself up.

He walked over to the fire and added some more wood to it. Once it was burning steadily again he set about making a fresh pot of coffee. He sat with his back to Adam and enjoyed the warmth that the fire gave. Before long he was holding in his hand a piping hot cup of coffee. While he was savoring the lingering taste he heard soft grunts come from behind him.

“Jest what the hell do you think you’re doin’, Cartwright?” bellowed Garrett. His voice woke up his two sleeping cohorts who were soon at his side.

Hank and Treva both saw the reason for Garrett’s dissatisfaction. Adam had been steadily working at rubbing the rope that was tied around his middle, against the rough bark of the tree. The rope had begun to fray with the steady friction against the trunk and in a few more minutes would have broken right through.

Garrett roughly pulled Adam to his feet, snapping the rope as he did so. He then pushed him towards the waiting arms of Hank and Treva. They both held Adam between them.

“Whaddya try somethin’ as stupid as that fer?” Hank asked when he felt Adam try to pull his right arm free.

Adam looked incredulously at Hank. “What? Did you think I was just going to sit there and let you do whatever you wanted?”

Garrett let the rope go that he had been holding and glared at Adam. “Always the smart one ain’t ya? I thought by now you’d learn to keep your opinions to yerself,” Garrett chided before he delivered a powerful punch to the right side of Adam’s face.

Dazed by the powerfully delivered punch, Adam shook his head and ran his tongue around the inside of his mouth feeling for any loose teeth. He spat out the blood that had pooled in his mouth from one of he cuts he’d received.

“Well, I guess seein’ as we are all up, we may as well make an early start. We’ve got a long ride ahead of us,” suggested Garrett. He shook his right hand to get some feeling back into. The punch that he’d struck Adam with left his hand feeling cramped.

Hank looked at Garrett and then back to Adam, whose left arm he still had a firm grasp on. “What are we gonna do about him? We ain’t got no horse for him to ride, since his went lame.”

“Yeah, I’ve been thinkin’ about that,” muttered Garrett.

“Don’t strain yourself,” Adam quipped and spat out some more blood. The blood splattered on the toe of Garrett’s left boot. “Ooops,” he grinned to himself when he saw Garrett’s enraged expression.

“Cartwright, I’ve got a good mind to make you damn well walk,” sneered Garrett as he wiped the toe of his boot.

Adam opened his mouth to reply but locked it shut again when he felt the corner of his mouth sting. ‘One punch in the mouth is enough for now,’ he thought to himself when he saw Garrett step in closer to him. Instead he smirked at his captor and when he saw how much it irritated Garrett, he was quietly satisfied. ‘Doesn’t take to much to upset you now, does it Garrett? Wonder just how far I can push you.’

“You two, saddle up the horses, while I attend to our guest,” grinned Garrett maliciously. He grabbed Adam by his left arm and pulled him forward. When he heard Adam stifle a moan he laughed heartily. “Aw, does the arm still hurt? How careless of me to forget.”

“Go to hell, Garrett,” spat Adam. His arm throbbed painfully when Garrett had wrenched it. Two weeks on from the accident and his arm was now back to being as painful as it as the day the accident had happened.

“Now, now. No need to cuss. You know you’re Pa wouldn’t take kindly to hearin’ one of his God fearin’ sons speak like that,” retorted Garrett.

Adam sighed heavily and shrugged his shoulders. “Pa, ain’t here right now, so I don’t see as how he is going to mind one way or the other.”

“Mighty big talk for a feller who has his hands tied behind his back,” intimidated Garrett. He was trying hard to break Adam’s spirit but realized that he was not making any progress.

“Untie my hands and I’ll show you it’s more than just talk,” countered Adam. He wanted to push Garrett as much as he could. To get him to make a vital mistake. He knew that once Garrett had lowered his guard, he’d have Garrett where he wanted him. He watched as his captor reddened with anger. “What’s the matter, Garrett. You afraid you’ll lose?” he baited.

“I ain’t afraid of you. And as I said, that’s mighty big talk for a man in your position. I’d could kill you right here and now, if I wanted to,” replied Garrett. He spun Adam round and untied his hands.

“Now, lets see how big a man you are now, Cartwright,” Garrett taunted as he took an attack position in front of his prisoner.

Adam rubbed his wrists in effort to get some circulation back into them. He looked down and saw where the skin had been rubbed raw against the ropes. Small droplets of blood ran down towards his fingers. He grimaced a little at the sting that had been inflicted as a result of the too tight bonds.

“You’re on, Garrett,” replied Adam stoically. His demeanor remained calm. He slowed his breathing down to clear his mind so that he could focus properly.

Garrett was the first to strike with a quick jab at his opponents chest which Adam easily deflected. He caught Garrett’s hand with lightening speed. He twisted it so much that Garrett had to turn his whole body to break the lock that he had. The next two moves went in his favor. When he used his right foot to trip Garrett a little he then thrust his right arm under Garrett’s left arm and up behind his head. This move caused Garrett to bend his own head towards his chest.

“Damn you, Cartwright!” growled Garrett. He’d begun to feel the strain in his neck and using his right elbow he rammed it solidly into Adam’s chest. After he felt Adam release his grip he spun with precision on the ball his left foot and finished with a round-house punch that knocked Adam off his feet.

Adam recovered enough from the fierce punch to pull himself back to a standing position. Once again he took a defensive stance. He was breathing hard and sucked large amounts of air into his lungs. He blocked Garrett’s next punch by using his left arm. A simple mistake that cost him. He screamed in pain and collapsed to his knees as he saw sparks of light dance before his eyes.

Garrett stood over the fallen man and looked down at him. “Had enough,” he wheezed. His own lungs screamed for air.

Hank and Treva had watched the fight with interest. The two men that had battled in front of them now were unmoving. Adam lay on the ground nursing his injured arm while Garrett had his hands resting on his knees.

“You showed him, boss,” Hank congratulated Garrett. He looked at Adam and shook his head. “You just had to try it, didn’t ya?”

“Are the horses ready?” grunted Garrett. His ribs and chest ached from where Adam had got the better of him. He knew that if Adam had not accidentally raised his left arm to defend himself it could well be him lying on the ground.

“Yeah, they’re ready,” nodded Hank. He picked up Garrett’s hat and dusted it off and gave it back to him. “Treva’s put the fire out and packed the gear. So we’re ready to go when you are.”

“Thanks,” acknowledged Garrett when he took his hat from Hank. “Help me get him up on my horse. He can ride double with me.”

Treva stepped forward and helped Adam to get up, mindful of his injured arm. “Easy. Just one step at time,” he coaxed. With his left hand under Adam’s right arm he eased him to a standing position.

Gingerly Adam walked towards Garrett’s horse and waited for Treva to help him into the saddle. Once on the horse, he cradled his arm closely to his chest. Then he removed the belt that was threaded through the loops of his black jeans, with his right hand.

Treva had an idea of what Adam was trying to do and took the belt from him. After he had mounted his own horse, he nudged it forward so that it stood next to Garrett’s. He leant over and helped Adam ease his arm into the belt which had been fashioned like a sling. “Better?” he asked.

Adam nodded his thanks. He was about to verbally thank Treva when he saw Garrett come towards them. Instead he adjusted the belt a little to give his arm more support. He moved back in the saddle so that Garrett could climb up in front of him.

“Nice try, boy. But I ain’t stupid. You jest stay right where you are. That way I can keep an eye on ya,” Garret said as he swung up into the saddle behind Adam.

Adam grimaced when he felt Garrett climb up behind him. The sudden shift made the pain in his arm pulsate. He gave a small laugh to himself when he heard Garrett’s words. He had not even considered the possibility of jumping off the back of the horse to escape from his captor. ‘The way my luck is holding, I’d probably be unlucky enough to break my neck. If I’d been feeling up to it, Garrett, then I’d have to rethink my opinion of you. Seems you ain’t as stupid as you look.’ Adam though to himself and smiled inwardly.

Just as the dawn was breaking the group of men left the camp. They had ridden in silence for the first two hours when Adam had started to doze. He had leaned his back against Garrett’s chest and closed his eyes to the world. His mind had been churning over all the possible scenarios with no real logical outcome. His first encounter with Garret and his cohorts had been the previous morning while he had been working in the barn. He’d become weary with his thoughts and cast them aside while he napped.

Garrett felt Adam’s body become heavy against his own and tried to nudge him a little to get him to sit up. It was no use. When Adam was asleep his body was as nearly as heavy as his younger brother Hoss’. Garrett gave up and merely shifted his own body back a little.

He was jolted awake again when he felt Garrett rein the horse to a halt. “We’ll stop here for a while and have something to eat.” He heard Garrett say. The thought of some food and coffee had at that moment become very appealing. Clumsily he dismounted and was thankful that Treva had come to his aid once again.

~~~~~~~~

Hoss, Roy and a small posse had set out from the Ponderosa at first light and had followed the tracks that were still visible. The tracks had been made easier to read by the way that Chub had favored his right front leg. Several hours later Hoss spotted Chub grazing in a pasture. He spurred Sport on and rode to where his own horse stood.

“Woah, easy there boy,” Hoss coaxed when he picked up reins that had fallen to the ground. He climbed off Sport and did a cursory inspection of Chub. He flinched when he saw the dried blood on Chub’s right side.

“What have you found, Hoss?” Roy asked when he saw Hoss flinch. He answered his own question when he saw what Hoss was looking at. “Adam’s?”

“Yeah,” Hoss replied, his tone despondent. “I jest hope he ain’t hurt to badly.”

Roy put a comforting arm around Hoss’ shoulder. “Look, we’ve found Chub and he doesn’t look like he was capable of walking to far. They’ve got to be close.”

Hoss ran his hand across his face and looked at the Sheriff thoughtfully. “I guess yer right. I’m bettin’ that they was still on Ponderosa land last night.” He looked around until he saw tracks that had been made by Chub. “That way,” Hoss said as he pointed in a South-East direction.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Little Joe, I only let you come downstairs on the condition that you rested,” Ben sighed. It was the third time in as many minutes that he had reiterated that simple fact to his youngest son. Had he been given the choice of going to help in the search for his oldest son he would have taken, if Joe wasn’t in need of his help. He’d thought about calling on one of his close neighbors to stay with Joe, but knew deep down that he was the only one that his youngest son would listen to.

“But, Pa. I can’t just sit here. I need to be out doin’ somethin’,” whined Joe. He knew that he had been lucky that his father had finally given in and let him out of bed, but sitting on the chaise was not what he had in mind to do.

“What you are going to do, is sit there and rest. Otherwise, young man, you will go upstairs and get back into your bed. And you won’t be needing these,” Ben said as he took away the crutches. “You move one inch off that seat and…” He didn’t finish his threat, instead he waved his index finger menacingly in front of Joe’s face.

“Yes, sir,” mumbled Joe. He picked up the book from the table in front of him and disinterestedly thumbed through the pages. He watched as his father took his crutches away into his office. It grated him that he was in a plaster cast and was of no help to his brothers. Adam had done so much for him in his hour of need, yet all he could do was sit and wait. He desperately wanted to repay the debt of gratitude.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hoss, Roy and the posse arrived at a sheltered area where they found the remains of a campfire. Hoss checked it and found that the embers had been cool for some time.

“They’ve been here all right,” Hoss spoke after he checked that the fire was out properly.

“Over here, Sheriff,” one of the posse members called. He stood next to the tree that Adam had been tied to. On the ground beside it was the discarded length of rope that had blood on it. He held it out to Roy.

“Thanks, Matt,” Roy acknowledged as he took the rope from the blonde man in front of him. He then placed the rope in his saddlebag to use it for evidence later on.

Hoss shivered when he saw the rope in Roy’s hands. He angrily kicked a stick out of his way and turned on his heel and walked back to where Sport waited patiently for him. “This ain’t findin’ Adam,” he growled and swung himself up on Sport’s back. He had been mortified to see the blood on the rope and knew that whoever had his brother was not to particular about they treated him.

Roy signaled for the posse to follow in Hoss’ suit and mount their horses. It was a few minutes before he caught up with Hoss and nudged his own horse closer to Sport. “Hoss, slow down. You’re gonna get yourself killed if you keep riding like that,” Roy panted after a hard ride. “I will pull you from this search if you don’t start listening to me, Hoss.”

Hoss reined Sport to a walk and looked at Roy. “Sheriff, that’s my brother’s blood on that rope in your saddlebag. Don’t you be tellin’ me what I can and can’t do,” Hoss vehemently replied. He knew that Roy did have the authority to send him home but was beyond caring about what the Sheriff was capable of doing. He wanted to find Adam before the men who had taken him got to be too far in front.

“Hoss, I am going to turn a deaf ear to what you just said, out of respect to your father, but son, I suggest that you don’t take that tone with me again. Do I make myself clear?” Roy asked. He fought to get some semblance of control back in the situation.

“Roy, I’m sorry that I lost my temper…, it’s just that,” Hoss started to say. He couldn’t finish, instead he turned his head away from Roy and lowered his eyes.

“Hoss, I know. You want to find your brother and that is admirable. All I want to do is make sure that I can return both you and Adam home in one piece. I don’t want to face your father’s wrath any more than you would, if I were to send you home now,” smiled Roy. He admired Hoss’ gentle and caring nature but he was also aware of what his friend’s middle son was capable when pushed into a corner. “How far ahead do you reckon Adam is?” Roy asked in an attempt to bring Hoss out of his sullen mood.

“I’d say from these tracks, they are six, maybe seven hours in front. They can’t travel to fast with one horse carrying two people,” replied Hoss. His expertise for being able to accurately read tracks was renown. He had been often called upon to help find missing people for Roy.

~~~~~~~

Garrett urged his horse on but it was no longer responding to his signals. His horse was tired and wanted a rest. When Garrett reined the horse to a halt, the horse heaved its flanks in exertion. “Hank, Treva, we’re gonna stop here for a while and rest the horses,” Garrett called over his shoulder. He pushed Adam forward and climbed down off his horse. When he was on the ground he reached up and pulled Adam from the saddle.

Adam quickly became aware of what was happening when he felt himself slide from the saddle. In an attempt to right himself he inadvertently pulled against Garrett. His kidnaper mistook it as a sign of protest and harshly finished dragging him from the saddle.

Garrett laughed wryly when his hostage awkwardly hit the ground. “Get up,” he sneered. He had no time for Adam and made it blatantly clear to him through his actions. His deep-rooted concern was only for the money that Adam was worth to him.

“Is this all worth it?” Adam asked as he struggled to his feet. His head pounded and throbbed in time with the incessant ache in his arm.

Taken by surprise at Adam’s comment, Garrett gave him a bewildered look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“What it means is, why are you bothering to keep me alive, when you could just take your revenge, if that’s what it is, and kill me right now,” Adam said. The resonance in his voice was clam and controlled.

“Oh don’t think that I wouldn’t like to kill you right now. But, fact is, yer worth more alive than dead. That’s the pleasure being saved for Burrows,” smiled Garrett. When he smiled his eyes reflected the coldness that Adam felt go down his spine.

“Burrows? Who’s he?” asked Adam. He couldn’t recall anyone by that name. He hoped that Garrett would supply him with enough information for him to give the name some more thought. He honestly couldn’t remember crossing anyone by that name at all. None of the ranch hands that had been let go had been named Burrows either.

Garrett ushered Adam to sit on the ground while he let his horse graze. “You’ll get to know him soon enough. Why don’t you make peace with your maker while you still can. Cause by the time that Burrows’ finishes with you, you’re gonna wish you’d never been born.”

“You still haven’t answered my question. I asked you who Burrows is? Why is he so anxious to pay you sixty thousand dollars for my safe delivery? Well if you can call what you’ve already done to me safe,” Adam scoffed. He knew he was getting on Garrett’s nerves and intended to push him as far as he could. He’d tried before and had nearly succeeded and immediately recalled the end result. His eye still hurt from the last time.

“Why are you so hell fired up to know for, Cartwright?” Garrett asked. He admired Adam’s tenacity and was keen to see how far he’d go, before he’d have to put a stop to it once again.

“Same as any condemned man wants to know. Curiosity I guess,” replied Adam.

“Ain’t you heard… curiosity killed the cat,” Garrett chuckled at his own joke. He turned on his heel and started to walk to where Hank and Treva were. “Just remember, Cartwright, you may be worth more to me alive, but I ain’t gonna stop to ask questions if you try to runnin’ on me, ya hear?”

Adam exhaled heavily and shook his head. “Garrett, I don’t doubt it at all.” He watched the three men talk together and the rubbed his eyes with his right hand. ‘Nice going sunshine. Twice you’ve asked Garrett about who wants you dead so badly and twice he’s managed to use aversion tactics. Must be getting old,’ Adam mentally chastised himself. He was tired and still no closer to getting the answers he wanted. He lay back and closed his eyes

“C’mon, wake up,” Adam heard a voice call. He blinked several times to clear his eyes. When his vision cleared he saw Treva looking down at him. “Huh?” he asked. Still half asleep he tried to push himself to a sitting position.

“Garrett wants to get going. Wants you to ride double with me,” Treva replied as he helped Adam to his feet.

“Yeah, okay,” muttered Adam. “Give me a few seconds will you?” When Treva nodded and walked back to his horse, Adam took the pocket watch that his father had given him and adjusted it so the time read twelve o’clock. He then discretely placed it on the ground before he joined Treva.

“You okay?” Treva asked as he helped him up onto his bay coloured mare. He didn’t give Adam’s delay in walking to the horse another thought as he climbed up behind him and spurred his mare into a gentle canter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hoss, Roy and the posse had been riding for five hours when Hoss saw the tracks suddenly come to a stop. Hoss dismounted and looked at the indentations that had been made in the dirt by the three horses that they’d been following.

“What is it, Hoss?” Roy asked as he crouched beside the burly man. He saw what Hoss was looking at and voiced his own theory. “Think they stopped here for a while?”

Hoss stood to his full height once again and squinted when he saw something catch in the sun’s light. “Yeah, I’d say that they also changed horses. You see this set of prints, the horse that was carryin’ double has a definite notch in his left rear shoe and the impressions are deeper. Then they become lighter, see.” Hoss pointed out to Roy the differences. Subtle changes that to the untrained eye would go unnoticed, but to Hoss they meant a great deal more. “This set belongs to a different horse and they are deeper. I’d bet this one is now carryin’ Adam.” He left Roy to walk over to where the object that had glinted was lying.

“Hoss certainly knows how to track,” Matt smiled. He had learned a lot about the art of tracking but deeply admired Hoss for his unmatchable skill.

“Adam’s still alive,” Hoss shouted joyfully. He held in his hand the pocket watch that his oldest brother had left behind.

“How do you know that? I meant how do you know for sure?” Roy asked. He was also happy to hear what Hoss had said and a chorus of delight from the posse soon followed.

“Roy, this is the watch that Pa gave to Adam,” Hoss said as he held the timepiece aloft. “And my brother was here five hours and twenty minutes ago,” added Hoss.

“Hoss, how do you know exactly when he was here?” Matt asked intrigued with the revelation.

“See the time? It’s says twenty after five. When Adam left he more than likely rest the watch to read twelve o’clock and the time elapsed between him leavin’ and us findin’ the watch is the difference,” grinned Hoss.

“Sure is a smart idea,” commented Roy. He had dreaded having to return with news that his best friend’s oldest was dead. With his own faith in finding Adam alive renewed he offered a quick thanks to whoever was watching over Adam.

“Sheriff, I’d like to get moving again. It’s going to be dark in another two hours but if…” Hoss began to say.

“But you’d like to use what daylight we have left,” supplied Roy. He understood Hoss’ urgency and signaled for his men to mount up again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Treva’s mare had a much longer stride than Garrett’s horse did, and Adam found the ride quite comfortable under the circumstances. Again, he let his body relax and leaned back against Treva.

“Try and get some rest,” whispered Treva when he felt Adam’s right shoulder touch his chest. He shifted back as far in the saddle as he could and eased Adam’s body back.

“Thanks,” replied Adam. He was still cradling his left arm with his right hand. Although the makeshift sling that supported his injured arm was doing its job, he felt better when his arm was not being jostled so much. He was grateful that Treva did not object to him leaning on him and took the opportunity to rest.

Adam’s mind raced with thoughts about what his family must be coping and how he was going to get himself out of the situation he was in. His first thoughts were of his father. The hell that he must be putting himself through. He wondered if Hoss had found the watch he had left behind and if he’d figured out what it meant. He also thought of how his youngest brother was handling things Unable to think clearly anymore he let his mind fall into the welcomed abyss of sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Joe how about you get up to bed. You’re just about asleep here on the couch,” Ben said. Truth was, Joe had been asleep on the couch and Ben had been letting him sleep for most of the afternoon. He’d only woken Joe to have dinner and let him go back to resting on the couch.

“Aw, Pa, I’m not really that tired. Can’t I sit up until Hoss and Adam come home?” whined Joe. “I want to be awake when they return.”

Ben smiled at his youngest son. “Little Joe, it could be some time before your brothers return home. They may not be back tonight.” As soon as those words had left Ben’s lips he felt his heart break. He had not wanted to say his thoughts aloud, but the reality was Hoss could be returning back to the Ponderosa – alone.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right, Pa. But you will wake me if they do make it home tonight, won’t you?” Joe asked. Once he saw his father nod a silent reply he maneuvered himself from the couch and with his father’s help went to his room.

After Ben had settled his youngest son for the night, he leant over him and kissed him on the forehead. “Remember your brothers in your prayers tonight, son.”

“I will, Pa. And Pa, are you angry at me?” Joe asked. He’d heard his father push papers around his desk during the afternoon and had also heard him mutter his frustrations.

“Joe? What made you ask that?”

“I know how much you want to be out helping Hoss find Adam. And because of me you have to stay home. I don’t mean to be a pain in the butt by wanting to get up and do things for myself, but I ain’t a baby anymore either. I don’t need to be nurse-maided all the time,” explained Joe. He knew that he defied the doctor’s orders every chance he got. He reasoned with himself that if it was good enough for Adam to do it, then it was good enough for him. Until now he didn’t realize how much Adam he’d been like when he was sick or hurt.

Ben pushed aside the quilt so that he could sit down on the side of Joe’s bed. “Son, yes, I would like to be out looking for Adam, but, right now I have something equally as important to do. Look after you.” He stopped talking and took in his son’s beleaguered expression. “C’mon, son. Off to sleep now okay.”

Joe nodded and bid his father goodnight. Before he went to sleep, he made sure that he said his prayers and asked for help in bringing both his brothers home safely.

Ben returned down stairs and sat in his favorite chair near the fire. He slowly sipped the brandy that Hop Sing had given him and remembered the many trials that he and his oldest son had gone through when they first set off in search of his dream. He recalled the many obstacles that Adam had faced in his all to brief childhood without complaining. Times when they had no money, no idea where their next meal was coming from and only the clothes that they stood up in. Finally he raised the small brandy glass towards the rafters and thanked Elizabeth, his first wife and Adam’s mother, for giving him such a fine son.

~~~~~~~~~

“Hoss, we’re going to have to stop here for the night. We can’t go any further. It’s dark and the horses are stumbling over their own feet,” said Roy. His voice carried a tone of authority that would make Hoss see to reason.

Hoss relented and helped Roy and the posse make camp for the night, under the proviso that they were all ready to leave by dawn’s first light.

After the horses have been fed, watered and bedded the men finally take care of their own needs. When they had eaten the men turned in for the night, leaving Hoss and Roy to talk.

“I sure hope we get catched up with Adam tomorrow,” Hoss spoke. His eyes were focused on the flames of the campfire as they danced in the darkness of night.

Roy grinned to himself when he heard Hoss brutalize the English language yet again. “It sure would be good to catch up with him,” Roy said and attempted to correct Hoss’ grammar. He grinned to himself when he remembered the times that he had heard Adam also do this.

Both men continued to talk for another thirty minutes before they bid each other goodnight and joined their sleeping comrades.

~~~~~~

“Wake up,” Treva said as he gently shook Adam by his right shoulder. He could tell by Adam’s dazed look that he was in considerable pain and had only found small relief from it in the solace of sleep. “Wait for me to get down and then I’ll help you,” he added. His only reply was a nod of understanding from his charge.

While Adam sat with his back against a rock he was joined by Garrett. “Not that I don’t trust you or nothin’, Cartwright, truth is I don’t. So I gotta tie you up for the night,” Garrett laughed menacingly. He wrapped the piece of rope around Adam’s right wrist and pushed his prisoner forward. He pulled Adam’s secured wrist behind his back and proceeded to tie the end of the rope through his belt loops. Once Garrett was satisfied that the rope was tied tightly, he pushed Adam back against the rock. “That should hold you from runnin’ off. Don’t imagine as you could git to far with your arm the way it is anyhow,” continued Garrett. He took satisfaction in seeing Adam wince from the slightest touch to his left arm.

“Hey, Garrett, your supper is ready,” Treva announced as he approached Garrett and Adam. He waited until Garrett acknowledge him before he sat down next to Adam.

“Just make sure he don’t try nothin’, ya hear,” warned Garrett. He gave both the men in front of him one final look before he joined Hank.

“You feel up to eating anything?” asked Treva as he showed him the pate of stew that he’d brought for him.

“Not really up to eating. Thanks for the offer of a meal though,” replied Adam. He had felt nauseous most of the afternoon and the thought of eating made his stomach protest once again.

“Still not feeling the greatest huh? Must be the concussion. Heard that they can really make a strong man feel poorly. You let me know if you want anything to eat or drink,” offered Treva. He stood up and started to walk back to the campfire with the untouched food.

“A drink would be good,” called Adam. He saw Treva acknowledge him before he leaned his head back and closed his eyes. The headache had intensified in strength yet again. The noise in his ears culminated in a rising crescendo and beat in time with his heart. ‘Make it stop. It hurts too damn much’, he cried silently. He tried to inhale deeply to clear his head, apart from making him feel light headed it had no effect on the painful headache.

“Here, drink some of this,” encouraged Treva as he held a small tin cup to Adam’s mouth. He held the cup at such an angle that Adam could only sip at the water.

“Thanks,” muttered Adam. He gazed at Treva’s attentive stare. “You get stuck with looking after me again?”

Treva shook his head and gave a small laugh. “Well, truth is, I volunteered. I know that Garret and Hank ain’t so patient. I don’t got nothing against Garrett and what he does but at the same time I ain’t one for seein’ a man who can’t defend himself, get beat.”

“Well, whatever the reason, I’m grateful. I don’t think I could stand another go round session with Garrett anytime soon,” winced Adam while he tried to get comfortable. He regarded the man in front of him with an air of optimistic caution. He wondered just how far Treva would go in helping him. “can you tell me what I’ve done that has led to having a bounty placed on my head?”

“I don’t rightly know. Garrett doesn’t mention it. Just says that we gotta get you to Silver City cause Burrows is waitin’ there for you.”

“So, you’re part of Garrett’s little gang and he doesn’t trust you enough to tell you what’s going on. Doesn’t that strike you as peculiar?”

“Cartwright, why don’t you hush your mouth. You askin’ to many questions. Don’t you remember what Garrett did to you last time,” Treva asked and indicated at the purple colored bruise around Adam’s right eye.

“Guess you’ve got a good point there,” grimaced Adam. He sighed and slowly shook his head. “I meant what I said before, about the help. Do you think I could have another drink?”

While Adam was having a small drink Garrett approached and jerked his head to the left, indicating to Treva to leave them alone for a while.

“What do you want this time, Garrett?” Adam asked defiantly. He’d had enough of Garrett’s continued harassment and had begun to feel frustrated by it. Had he been able to hold his own against his captor, he wouldn’t have minded so much. His present situation irked him.

“Actually, Cartwright, I just came to make sure that you were still in the land of the living,” Garrett jeered. He had seen Adam flinch when he approached and this had given him a sadistic pleasure. “I was going to give you a drink, but if you’re going to take that tone with your gracious host..” Garrett added, not bothering to finish his sentence.

Adam eyed the man before him cautiously and exhaled deeply. “Some water would be appreciated,” he finally said when he saw the canteen in Garrett’s hand. After he had slaked his thirst, he nodded his thanks to Garrett.

“Well, ya better get some sleep. We’ve got an early start,” Garrett commented as he turned back to where his own bedroll lay.

Sleep didn’t come easily for Adam that night. Once again his dreams were persecuted with images of his family and their suffering. In the far reaches of his minds eye he saw an image of a man he had briefly known. The images were disturbing a disembodied head that floated against a black background. A voice that sent chills down his spine. Calling to him, condemning him to the everlasting fires of hell.

Adam struggled in his sleep to escape the face and the voice that haunted him. When he awoke he had beads of sweat streaming down his face and his breathing was labored. He leaned over and rubbed his face across his right shoulder in order to wipe the sweat from his brow.

Recollection of the face came to him when he leaned his head back against the pillow that Treva had supplied him with. “Gideon Howard,” Adam muttered to himself. All his memories associated with Gideon came flooding back. He thought he’d successfully laid these past memories to rest leaving them dead and buried for all eternity.

He’d been asked to help Sheriff Coffee with as a member of the posse in search of a man who had raped and killed three women. The man who had committed the atrocities had been a friend of his before he had left for college. While not an extremely close friend, they’d had an amiable friendship. He’d been saddened to hear that Gideon had turned to drink as an escape to the daily burdens that life had thrown at Gideon. Adam had tried to reason with his friend, but found it served no purpose. Gideon had steadfastly refused to accept any help and had lashed out at Adam.

Gideon had accused Adam of having everything handed to him on a silver platter and never knowing what it was like to struggle. How wrong he had been. While Adam had tried his best to keep his own demeanor in check, the words had cut deep. Heated words turned quickly into heated actions and a fight full of fury ensued. It had been so bad that Roy had been called in to separate the two men and place them in custody for the night.

In the end, Adam had been the one responsible for Gideon’s demise. As Roy had ruled it was self-defense – either shoot or be shot. He’d seen Adam hold off for as long as he could before he returned fire at Gideon. A fatal shot that had ended Gideon’s troubled life. The only one that had protested Roy’s decision was Gideon’s grandfather – Ethan Burrows.

Hank had drawn the short straw that night and watched Adam intently from his position near the fire. He saw Adam’s struggle with himself over tormented memories. Finally, he stood and walked over to where Adam was secured. “Thought Garrett told ya to get some sleep. But I guess if I was you I’d be wantin’ to make peace with my maker before tomorrow as well,” Hank leered.

“Tomorrow?” Adam parroted. ‘Come on, think boy. Think of a way out of this mess,’ Adam mentally chastised himself. “You know my offer of paying you more than what Burrows’ is giving you still stands.”

Hank thoughtfully rubbed his squared jaw and bit the inside of his mouth. “Jest where are you gonna get sixty thousand dollars from. I hear your pappy only pays you fellas the going wage for ranch work.”

“He does. But he also has money invested for us and we get returns from shares in various enterprises, deposited into our own accounts. I also got an inheritance from my Grandfather’s estate when he passed away,” Adam spoke. He hoped that he had piqued Hank’s interest enough to sway his mind.

“What about yer brothers? Ain’t some of that inheritance theirs as well?” Hank asked.

Adam smiled inwardly to himself. ‘The line is baited now just to hook the fish and reel him on in.’ “My grandfather wasn’t my brothers.”

“Whaddya mean by that. Yer Granddaddy weren’t your brothers?” Hank asked. His expression portrayed one of confusion.

“Well, it seems that you don’t know the Cartwright family as well as you thought you did. Do you?” asked Adam, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. He didn’t have the strength nor the energy needed to explain to the cowboy in front of him the intricate details of his family background.

Hank lunged forward and grabbed Adam by his shirt collar. He pulled the collar so tightly that it had a strangling effect. He continued to twist the collar while he spoke. “I knows me enough. You Cartwrights think you’re so high and mighty, well let me tell you somethin’… you ain’t,” he snarled before he let the shirt collar go.

Adam doubled over and gasped for air when he felt his shirt collar released. He coughed several times as he exhaled the stale air from his lungs. His head had begun to pound again when his air supply had been cut off. Gradually he maneuvered himself enough to an upright position and took long deep breaths.

“HANK!” Treva snapped when he saw Hank twisting Adam’s shirt collar. “Let him go NOW.” He’d reached both the men in front of him in six strides and had pulled Hank’s hand from Adam’s shirt. “It’s my watch. Why don’t you go and get some sleep.”

Hank looked at Treva and shrugged. “Iffen he gives you any trouble, just give me a call.” He knew that he had overstepped the mark and hoped that Treva would not tell Garrett.

“You okay?” Treva asked as he righted Adam.

“Yeah…, just peachy,” Adam bitterly replied between coughs and attempts at clearing his throat. He longed to be able to rub some of the soreness out of it. ‘Damn. Great going you idiot. What’s you’re next party trick. Piss off Hank enough to make him kill you before you even get your sorry hide to Silver City,’ He berated himself. He was thankful that Treva had come along when he did. He tried to clear his throat and was grateful for the cup of water that Treva offered him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The quiet night left Hoss thinking of all possible scenarios, none of which he cared for. Unable to shake the feelings of dread he stealthily moved about the campsite with great care not to wake the sleeping members of the posse. He’d planned to break camp before Roy and the men knew that he had gone. His plans were going well until he was startled by a noise behind him.

“Planning on a little night riding?” Roy asked. He’d seen Hoss gather his bedroll and saddle Sport. He knew what Hoss’ intentions were and thought them honorable although a little foolhardy.

“Roy, just let me be. I can’t stay here and waste time. Silver City is less than seven hours ride and if I start now I can catch up with whoever has Adam before they get there,” Hoss reasoned. He hoped that his argument would make Roy see sense and that the sheriff would let him go.

“Hoss, I owe it to your father to watch over you. I know you’re hurting. But, do you think it is wise to go by yourself?” questioned Roy. When he saw Hoss’ unchanged stance he knew then that the man in front of him would go, regardless of what he said. “Wait a few minutes and we’ll all go,” he finally conceded.

The night sky was illuminated by a full moon, which made the riding a lot easier. As they rode on in silence, Hoss watched for any change in pattern of the tracks left by the men they were following. As they continued to ride the night sky gave way to the first signs of dawn. By the time the sun had crested the distant hills they had trekked a considerable distance.

“I wonder how far ahead Adam is now,” Hoss said quietly. He had been deep in thought of his oldest brother, wondering if he would ever see him alive again. He reminisced with pleasure of the times that they had spent together at the lake, the dances that they had attended, the celebrations that they had shared together and the sound of Adam’s deep laugh that was too scarcely heard. With regret he recalled the times that they had fought, driven apart by their sheer stubbornness and Adam’s over-protectiveness. He was momentarily shaken from his thoughts when he heard a voice beside him.

“Can’t be too far now, Hoss,” Roy answered. He was unsure of whether Hoss had meant to verbalize his question when he saw the far away look in his eyes. “Hey, are you okay? You look a million miles away.”

Hoss gave a muffled chuckle and nodded his head. “Yeah, I’m okay. Just thinking of all the things that me and Adam got up to.” The sadness in his voice had not gone unnoticed by his father’s long-time friend.

“Do you recall the time that I had you and Adam locked up for being so drunk that the two of you could hardly stand, let alone sit atop of your horses? As I recall, Adam had a pretty good right hook that night.” Roy grinned as he unconsciously rubbed his jaw. “That sure was one mighty big ruckus that you boys caused in town that night. I thought your Pa would never let either of you off the Ponderosa after that.”

When Roy saw the broad smile appear on Hoss’ face, he knew that he had gotten through the glumness that the middle Cartwright boy had been feeling.

“Yeah, I swear I’d never seen Pa so mad as he was when he came into town to bail me and Adam outta jail the next day. The only times he let us off the ranch for the next three months was to come into town to help repair the damages that we inflicted on the saloon. And to come in for supplies,” grimaced Hoss at the memory. Then his eyes twinkled as he continued with his recollection of the events that had transpired. “You know, Little Joe sure lorded it over us for that. Every time ole Adam would complain about it, well Joe, he’d just keep on riling him up. Got so me and Pa had to make sure that they was separated more than they was together.”

“I’m sure that it will happen again, Hoss,” Roy offered in attempt to give his companion some assurance that they would find Adam. “Maybe next time though, you boys might not be so zealous with your behavior.” When he saw the look that Hoss gave him, he reached over a slapped Hoss’ broad back in a jovial manner.

~~~~~~~~

“Morning Pa,” Joe greeted his father when he entered the dining room on his crutches. “Any sign of my brothers?” he asked as he scanned the room.

Ben sadly shook his head and stood to help his youngest son to the table. “I thought that you’d want to sleep in this morning,” he said when Joe was finally seated.

“I thought about it. But just couldn’t stay up in my room. Besides I was hungry,” smiled Joe. His appetite had been gradually returning and the tantalizing smell of hotcakes had drawn him from his room.

“Hop Sing,” called Ben. When the Chinese cook appeared, Ben signaled to him to bring an extra plate. “Well, Little Joe, it’s about time you started eating again,” commented Ben as he picked up his cup of coffee.

“Pa, is there anything that I can help you with today?’ asked Joe when he had finished his second full plate of hotcakes.

Ben folded his arms across his chest and then with his right hand rubbed his jaw. “Well, lets see, there’s the cattle that need to be brought down from the North pasture for branding, some of the fences on the Western boundary line need to be mended, the wood needs chopping and that hole in the porch step needs to be looked at.”

“How about if I just rest up a bit and let the hands do all those jobs. Cause you know, I’d sure hate for them to not have anything to do. Maybe I could get into reading that book that Adam gave me,” grinned Joe. Even though the thought of reading a book did not hold that much appeal for him, he’d rather do that than tackle something like mending the porch step.

“Good choice,” chuckled Ben. “So, what’s the name of the book that you intend to enlighten your mind with?”

“Ivanhoe,” replied Joe. He’d often been able to beg his oldest brother to read him stories when he was a child. He’d sit and listen to the deep baritone voice as it spoke with expression and mad the words come to life. It was only recently that Adam had entrusted Joe with the care of one of his most coveted books. Adam had given it to him after their accident to read for himself and so far he’d only read the first two pages.

“Oh?” Ben asked, surprised that his youngest son was going to read the story of Ivanhoe in favor of one that he’d been read before. “Well, I guess that you had better get started on it then. You know your brother will want a full recount on the story to make sure that you have actually read it.”

Joe shuddered at the thought. “Do you really think he would?” His answer was the silent expression that his father gave him – eyebrows raised and his head cocked to one side. “Guess I better get started on it then,” he chuckled.

“You do that, while I sort out the work roster for the day. As it appears that I am not going to get any work out of you for a while yet,” replied Ben. He was pleased to see his youngest son take an interest in one of Adam’s passions and hoped that his oldest son would be back to hear Joe’s recount of the old medieval tale.

With his father’s help, Joe made it to the couch and dropped his crutches on the floor with a clatter. “Sorry, Pa. I didn’t mean to do that,” apologized Joe when he saw the frown on his father’s face.

“Just make sure that it doesn’t happen again,” reprimanded Ben as he eased his youngest son onto the couch. He propped Joe’s casted leg up on the pillow that Hop Sing had brought down from Joe’s room and covered him with the blanket that normally adorned the staircase. “If you want anything, just call me. I’ll be at my desk working on some contracts. And Joseph, I would also like to hear your book report,” Ben smiled as he turned to start on his work.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Garrett had let himself sleep longer than he had intended and chastised Treva for not having woken him sooner.

With little to spare having breakfast, camp was broken and the horses mounted. Adam was riding double with Treva again and was thankful for small mercies. He felt that he had gained an ally in Treva, but remained optimistically cautious all the same.

By the time that Garrett and his party had left the campsite, the sun had begun its journey across the sky. The sky was painted with the reds and oranges or sunrise, interspersed with a golden hue.

“Come on,” growled Garrett as he spurred his horse on. Silver City was getting close and he was anxious to end his journey. The incentive of the reward that waited for him drove him on in his desire to reach the city and deliver his captive to Burrows.

The rest of the journey was spent in silence until they approached the outskirts of Silver City. Garrett raised his hand in a stop signal and reined his own horse to a halt. “Hank, you go into town and find Burrows. Treva and me, will take Cartwright here to the meeting place.”

“Sure. I won’t be long. Burrows will probably be waiting for us at the hotel,” said Hank. He turned his horse in the direction of town while his friends continued on to the designated rendezvous point.

It didn’t take Hank long to find Burrows though he secretly wished that it had taken just a bit longer as his mouth watered for a cool drink. With Burrows found, he dutifully followed him to where Garrett and Treva would be waiting with Adam. He announced their arrival with the practiced bird call and waited until it was returned with a response from Garrett.

“What happened to him?” Burrows asked when he saw the makeshift sling that Adam was wearing and the bruises around his face. He continued to look over the man that he harbored so much hate for.

“Had a little bit of trouble with him,” muttered Garrett. He didn’t want to admit in front of his employer that he had taken a few liberties of his own with Adam. It would make him seem incompetent of being able to handle himself if he admitted to Burrows that Adam had managed to get under his skin.

Burrows looked from Adam to Garrett and then back to Adam. “Enough to do this?” he asked as he gestured to the obvious injuries.

“What do you care anyway? You’re gonna kill him soon ain’t ya?” rebuked Garrett. He was immediately remorseful of his remark when he felt Burrows’ cane strike him hard on his back.

“I will not tolerate insolence from my employees. One more outburst like that and you will be joining Adam Cartwright with his impending fate. Do I make myself clear?” snarled Burrows.

“Yes, sir,” replied Garrett.

“You two,” Burrows said, “take Mr. Cartwright here and string him up.”

Treva gulped when he heard Burrows’ orders. “You mean hang him…, I mean lynch him?” He closed his eyes while he waited for the reply.

“Not just yet. I want to enjoy my revenge. Savor every moment,” sardonically replied Burrows. His eyes took on a glazed appearance which scared Treva. “Throw a couple of ropes over those beams,” he said, gesturing upwards. “And then tie the ropes around his wrists.”

Treva reflexively swallowed at Burrows’ words and nodded his head. When he tied Adam’s left wrist he lowered his head and whispered into Adam’s ear. “I’m real sorry about all this. I wish I didn’t have to do it.”

“I know,” Adam sighed. He winced when he felt his left arm hoisted above his head and saw stars when he opened his eyes. His shoulder screamed in pain and instead of giving Burrows the satisfaction of seeing him hurt, he concentrated on his breathing. Slowly he inhaled and exhaled deep breaths through his nose.

“At last, Cartwright, I have you where I want you,” jeered Burrows. “You will pay for what you did to my son. I only wish that your father was here to see his son die as I saw my own flesh and blood taken from me.”

“Ethan, give it up. What happened to your son was no ones fault but his own. He chose that path and had to be punished for what he’d done. If he hadn’t run he may still be alive today,” Adam spoke. His voice was heavy with emotion. He hadn’t wanted to kill Gideon but the hand of fate that dealt the cards on his table, had decided otherwise.

“And maybe he’d have hung at the end of a rope. Either way, Cartwright, you killed him. I suggest that in the time you have left you make peace with yourself and your maker,” Burrows mocked and smiled when he saw the confused expression on Adam’s face. “I’m in no hurry to kill you. As I said I want to make you suffer first.” He then turned and gestured for Garrett to follow him.

Adam watched as Burrows pulled his money belt from waist and took out the cash to give to Garrett. While he watched, he could feel his legs growing tired and start to go limp. The pull on his arms soon stopped him from slouching and he struggled back to an upright position. He saw Treva visibly shaken by how he had been trussed and wished that he had managed to get through to Treva more than he had. Finally he looked at Hank. The man eagerly watched Burrows paying off Garrett and looked for the ideal opportunity to approach Garrett himself and get paid.

Treva had observed Adam watching him and cast his eyes to look out the dust covered window. He shuddered at the way that Adam had been tied and wished that he’d the strength to do something about it. In the short time that had passed, he’d come to like the man that had been subjected to the harsh treatment. Unable to take much more he asked Burrows for permission to leave. He wanted no part in seeing Adam die at Burrows’ hands.

Outside of the cold, dank building, Treva inhaled the freshness of the air. He had to get away, especially when he heard a sharp crack and Adam cry out in pain. He rode his horse into the small town and soon found himself inside a saloon. With three beers consumed in quick succession he had begun to feel more relaxed. He watched the people around him as he settled himself at a far table.

After a while he noticed a large man enter the saloon. He watched as the man surveyed the people in the bar before he proceeded to where the barkeep stood. He watched as the new patron explained with his hands that he had been searching for a friend. From where he was sated Treva could not hear much of the conversation so discreetly edged forward until he was seated at table less than four feet from the bar.

“He’s got black hair, dark eyes, stands about my height,” Hoss said as he described what his brother looked like. “Pa said he was wearing a black shirt with black jeans, last time he saw him. He’s also got an injured shoulder,” continued Hoss.

The barkeeper scratched the right side of his face and placed his hands back on the top of the bar. “You say he’s your brother and you’ve tracked him to this here town. Can’t say as I recall seein’ anyone that would fit that description. Ya sure he came here?”

Hoss growled under his breath and squinted his eyes. “Dadburnit, he came here. Not by himself, but with some other fellers. He was kidnapped from our ranch. The Ponderosa near Virginia City.”

Treva knew exactly who the large man was talking about. It was Adam Cartwright. While he sipped at his beer he contemplated whether or not he should tell Adam’s brother of his whereabouts. ‘Maybe he can save him before it’s too late. Damn you Adam, why did you make it so easy for me to like you?’

“I’m sorry, but I can’t help you. I haven’t seen anyone fitting your brother’s description come into town. But the road you traveled in on, isn’t the only way into town. I’d be willing to bet whoever has your brother would not have wanted to be seen. Probably got themselves hold up at one of the old buildings around these here parts,” supplied the nervous barkeeper. He was relieved when a patron stepped up to the bar and ordered another beer.

“Come on, Hoss,” Roy said as he turned Hoss away from the bar. “We’ll find him. We’ve come to far not to find him now.”

Hoss sighed and nodded his head. “Yeah, I guess your right. And standin’ round here and yappin’ ain’t gonna find him.” With that, Hoss exited the bar closely followed by Roy Coffee.

Against his better judgement, Treva also left the bar and followed Hoss at a careful distance. He saw the two men check every building that they walked passed and ask the townsfolk questions about Adam. Finally, after an hour had passed he approached the two men.

“I hear you’re looking for someone,” he said. As he spoke, he checked over his shoulder to see if Hank or Garrett were watching him. “Adam,” he uttered.

Hoss was flabbergasted at the mention of his brother’s name. He inhaled deeply in order to calm himself before he spoke. “You know my brother? How? When? Where is he? Is he alright?” Hoss asked, his questions quick and many. He hadn’t mentioned his brother’s name to anyone – he’d only described him. He looked from Roy to the man who had spoken Adam’s name and back to Roy. “He is here. I knew he was.”

Roy grabbed Hoss’ left elbow and stopped him from swinging his arms around. “Hoss, calm down. Let’s hear this man out and then go from there. What’s your name, son?”

“Folks just call me Treva. I know where Adam Cartwright is being held,” Treva replied. When he saw the looks of relief wash over the faces of Hoss and Roy, he knew that he had done the right thing. “I can take you there if you like.”

“Mister, I certainly would like,” Hoss said as he eyed Treva cautiously. His mood had lightened dramatically in the last few moments. Finally, he was going to be able to rescue his oldest brother. “Where is he? Is he alright?”

Treva raised his hand in caution to Hoss. “Look, Mister, last time I saw your brother he was mostly okay apart from his shoulder and a black eye. When I left Garrett, I heard a noise that sounded like you brother being whipped. I’m sorry… I couldn’t stay and help him.. I wanted to.., but,” his voice trailed off as he tried to fight back the nausea that threatened to overtake him.

“Whipped? Adam was being whipped? Why?” Hoss asked. He scrunched up his face trying to work out why someone would want to whip his brother. For a moment he staggered until he felt Roy’s supportive hand on his arm. He felt himself eased down so that he now sat on an upturned crate.

When Roy was certain that Hoss was going to be able to sit without falling off the crate he looked back at Treva. “Treva, how long ago did you leave Adam?” Through his question Roy hoped to be able to ascertain what Adam’s condition may be. He needed to know how long ago it was the last time that Treva had seen Adam.

“He’s not far away. If he’s still alive,” Treva started to say. He put emphasis on the word if. “If he is still alive, he’ll need a doctor. It would be best to find one before we go any further.” The he looked at the near empty street. “How may men did you bring with you? I assume that you didn’t come all this way by yourselves.”

Roy gave a small laugh. “You’ve assumed correctly. My posse is waiting for us on the outskirts of town.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Wow!” Joe exclaimed from his reclined position on the couch. His exclamation drew his father’s attention.

“Joseph?” Ben called from his desk. “Are you all right, son?”

“Sorry, Pa, I was just reading. And this part was real excitin’,” replied Joe. He had become engrossed in the novel he was reading.

Ben ignored his own paperwork and joined Joe, where he lay on the chaise. He was still bemused that his youngest had actually picked up a novel without being forced to and was actually enjoying it. “What part is that?” Ben asked as he seated himself on his red leather winged-back chair.

Joe looked over the top of his book and saw his father seated opposite him. “The knights are going to joust,” he smiled. “One has just been unhorsed by the other knight. And other knights and horses are dead on the ground.”

Ben shook his head and sighed audibly. “Do you really think it is a suitable book for you to be reading, Little Joe? How about one that is a little less blood thirsty. What about Gulliver’s Travels?”

Joe’s expression saddened at the mention of the book that had often held him a captive audience. His oldest brother would read it to him whenever he was sick or afraid. He enjoyed the way Adam’s voice would bring the written pages to life. The way his rich baritone voice would have him enthralled for hours until it grew husky and tired from speaking. “No, Pa, I… I want to read this one,” Joe answered, his tone devoid of all expression.

Ben slowly nodded his head. He understood what Joe had meant. He knew of the hours of pleasure that Joe had received from his oldest son when Adam had read to Joe. He fervently hoped that both Joe and Adam would be able to once again enjoy the shared past-time. “It has been a while since I have read ‘Ivanhoe’, how about you read a little for me,” prompted Ben in effort to bring Joe from his forlorn mood.

“Sure, Pa. I’ll read you where I am up to,” said Joe. His expression carried a hint of merriment in it. He cleared his throat and held the book in his right hand while his left arm rested on the arm of the chaise behind his head.

“The consequences of the encounter were not instantly seen, for the dust raised by the trampling of so many steeds darkened the air, and it was a minute ere the anxious spectators could see the fate of the encounter. When the fight became visible, half of knights on each side were dismounted – some by the dexterity of their adversary’s lance; some by the superior weight and strength of opponents which had borne down both horse and man; some lay stretched on the earth as if never more to rise; some…” (from chapter XII pg. 149 of Ivanhoe)

“I think that is enough for me, son,” Ben uttered. He rose and excused himself from his son’s company. “I’ll leave you to enjoy the rest of the novel. It’s a little to blood thirsty for me.”

“But, Pa, I was just getting up to the best bits,” Joe laughed at his father’s retreating form.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“C’mon Roy, we cain’t wait round here. We gotta find a doc and then…,” Hoss started to ramble, before he felt Roy’s hand pull him back. With the whereabouts of his bother’s location known, he was eager to get to him as soon as he could.

“Hoss, slow down. I am not going to let you ride in to where Adam is in that frame of mind. I know you want to get your brother back, so do I, but we need to work this out logically. First, we find the doctor then you go with Treva while I get the rest of the men. But, under no circumstances do you enter the building alone, Hoss. You wait for me. Is that clear?” Roy asked. He increased the pressure of his grip on Hoss’ massive biceps.

Hoss nodded his head. “Yeah, Roy. I understand but I ain’t gotta like it none.”

Roy released his grip and warmly slapped Hoss on his back. “Son, I know you’re not going to like it, but it is for the best. If what Treva says is true it’s going to be hard enough to take Adam back to your Pa in that condition. And I am not wanting to have to take you back home in the same state as your brother. Adam is going to need you a lot, Hoss. Do this for me. Please.”

After they had obtained directions from one of the townsfolk, the three men walked down the street to the small surgery. ‘Doctor Todd Gilchrist ..MD’ the shingle displayed outside the neatly kept office read.

“Guess this is it,” Hoss announced as he opened the white picket style gate. Without waiting for Roy and Treva to enter he strode to the door and rapt loudly with the knocker. He waited for a while for an answer and was about to rap again when the door was finally answered by a petite woman with auburn hair and piercing blue eyes. Hoss was immediately taken with the woman and did not hear her question.

“Can I help you gentlemen?” she asked again. The gaze that the biggest of the men in front of her had not gone unnoticed. She blushed and pulled the front of her skirt straight.

Hoss recovered himself and gave the woman a toothy smile. “Ma’am, me and my friends are looking for the doctor. Is he here?” He had no idea as to why he introduced both the men behind him as friends, for that moment it seemed the most natural thing to do. Again his thoughts strayed as he recalled what Treva had told him. . “I’m sorry… I couldn’t stay and help him.. I wanted to..”

“Are one of you hurt?” she asked as she looked each man up ad down for any apparent signs of injury.

“No, ma’am, we ain’t hurt but my brother is,” answered Hoss.

“I see. And where is your brother?” she asked when she couldn’t see the patient.

Hoss removed his hat and ran his hand through his thinning hair. “Ma’am, right now I don’t rightly know. He is being held hostage by some real nasty fellas. And he’s hurt bad.”

Roy step forward and took control of the situation. He could see that the answers that Hoss had supplied the woman with were not making sense.

“Pardon me, ma’am. But what my friend, Hoss, here is trying to say is that although we haven’t seen Adam since he was taken some days ago, or where he is, we do know that he is in Silver City and according to Treva, he is hurt pretty badly,” Roy spoke as he in

“I see,” she smiled. “I take it that you are Hoss, and you are Treva,” she continued and smiled at the two men for which she had been informally introduced to. “My name is Anushka, but most call me Ann.”

“Sorry Anushka,” Hoss replied as he used her full name. “I’m Hoss Cartwright and this is Roy Coffee and Treva…”

“Treva Patterson,” supplied Treva when he heard Hoss stumble at not knowing his last name.

“I’m pleased to make your acquaintance, but I’m afraid that Doctor Gilchrist won’t be back for another ten minutes. You are welcome to come inside and wait,” Anushka offered.

The three men adjourned indoors and waited in near silence for the doctor’s imminent arrival. Only Hoss offered any for of conversation.

“Anushka is an unusual name, ma’am,” Hoss spoke. When he saw her raise her eyebrows he hastened to add, “but very pretty.”

“Thank you,” she smiled. “But my name is no more unusual than yours. My father was Russian.” Before she could say any more, she turned her head when she heard the door open.

She stood and to greet the doctor and to explain to him that the men in the surgery had waited for his return.

While they waited for the doctor to fill his bag with the necessary items Roy took his leave but instructed Hoss once more to wait for him.

Hoss had kept his word and waited outside the derelict building for Roy. “You got here faster than I thought you would,” he said as he and Roy positioned themselves as close to the front door as they could.

Once Roy had the building surrounded, he gave the signal to Hoss and the posse to move in. Treva had offered to go in first on the pretense that he had come back to see how things had progressed. Roy accepted his offer and warned him to be careful.

“You finally decided to come back,” snarled Garrett when he saw Treva enter the building. He had his gun trained on Treva’s chest.

Treva sniffed and ran his hand across his face. “Yeah. I just needed a breath of fresh air. How is he?” He asked as he jerked his head in Adam’s direction.

“What’s it to you?” snapped Garrett. Something about Treva’s actions didn’t sit right with him. He sensed that something was wrong when Treva moved closer to Adam.

“Nothing,” Treva mumbled as he positioned himself between Garrett and Adam. “Just wanted to see for myself what happens to people who cross Burrows.” What he saw shook him to the core. He could only imagine what Hoss’ reactions would be.

Burrows stood back and watched the scene play out before him. He knew that Garrett had a reputation for being quick to draw – one of the characteristics that had dawn him to this man. Now he waited to see if Garrett would draw on Treva. When neither man moved for his gun, Burrows stepped forward. “Something wrong. Boy?” he asked. His voice full of hate.

“No, Sir. Nothing’s wrong,” Treva replied. He struggled hard to keep his voice sounding natural. He looked towards the door and wondered when Roy and Hoss would make a move.

His fleeting glance at the door had caught Garrett’s attention. “He’s double-crossed us,” he yelled as he withdrew his gun from its holster.

With lightning speed Treva drew his own weapon and fired. His aim was accurate and deadly – Garrett lurched to the ground as his bullet struck him in his chest.

A cacophony of gunfire erupted within the building. Treva shielded Adam’s unconscious body with his own as he defended both himself and Adam. Several of his shots missed their intended targets and he found himself staring down the barrel of Burrows’ colt.

“Hold it right there, Mister,” Hoss barked as he cocked his own gun at the back of Burrows’ head. “Drop it. It’s over.”

Burrows released the pressure from the hammer of his gun and let it drop to the floor. He knew that the short-lived battle was over. Resignedly he raised his hands in surrender.

Hank lay motionless on the floor behind Hoss. “He’s dead.” He heard one of the posse say. When he heard Roy approach from him, he lowered his own gun and returned it to his holster. His main concern was his brother.

Treva stepped forward and withdrew the knife from it sheath on Burrows’ belt. When he had moved from in front of Adam, Hoss got his first look at his badly abused brother.

“Noooooo!” Hoss cried in anguish. He felt his heart race and his legs start to buckle at what he saw.

“Hoss, he’s still alive,” Treva said. “Help me cut him down.” He thrust the knife into Hoss’ outstretched hand as he called for the doctor. “Doc. Over here. Now!”

“Oh my God,” Gilchrist cried, shocked at the sight that was before him. Never before had he been witness to such injuries inflicted on a man.

Hoss looked in horror at his brother. Adam had his hands bound to a beam above his head, blood was trickling its way down his forearms form where the ropes had cut into the skin on his wrists. His nose bled freely and droplets of blood splashed onto what was left of his shirt. The drops that had missed his shirt splattered the dirt floor. Dark purple and black bruises were evident on his face and upper torso.

Adam’s back had feared no better – welts criss-crossed from one side to the other where he’d been struck with the whip which now lay at his feet. When the ropes were cut he sagged heavily into his younger brother’s waiting arms.

Hoss lowered himself to the floor. All the while holding onto his oldest brother for dear life. “Adam,” he said, a lump in his throat catching as he spoke. “Adam.” Hoss called again, when he saw his brother look up at him. Tears welled up in his eyes and his top lip quivered as he fought down the urge to scream.

Adam heard a distant voice call to him through the dense blackness that cocooned him. He wanted to answer. Wanted to get to the surface – the weighted darkness was to heavy for him to break through. Again, a voice called. One that was frightened and filled with pain. Somewhere in his subconscious the voice registered. It was his brother. He struggled to pry his heavy eyelids apart and tried several times. Finally they opened and he saw Hoss looking down at him. “Hoss…., take me home,” he coughed and closed his eyes.

“I will brother. I will,” Hoss replied elatedly when he heard his brother speak.

While Hoss held his brother, Todd Gilchrist performed a cursory inspection of Adam’s injuries. After a few minutes he lifted his head to see several sets of eyes looking down at him. “We need to get him to the surgery and fast.”

Within ten minutes Adam was lying on the small operating table at the surgery. Hoss held steadfastly to Adam’s right hand while Todd attended to the shoulder injury. When he’d strapped Adam’s broken ribs, Gilchrist began to work on his other injuries. Finally after what seemed eternity he’d mended the damaged shoulder as best he could and securely bound his left arm to his chest. “Hoss, you’re going to have to go and wait with your friends, while I finish up.”

“I cain’t, doc. I gotta stay here with him,” pleaded Hoss. He’d come close to losing his brother and didn’t want to let him out of his sight.

“Anushka will call you when we’ve got Adam settled in his own room. It won’t be to much longer, I promise,” placated the doctor. Never before had he seen such a strong bond between two brothers. It wrenched at his own heart to have to turn Hoss away when he so desperately needed to hold onto the only thing that had kept him from lashing out at everyone and everything in the past few hours.

“You promise to call me if anything happens,” scowled Hoss. He was frustrated and hated not being able to help his brother. So many times, Adam had been the steadying force in his life, now he wanted to return the debt that he felt he owed.

Anushka ushered Hoss from the small room and led him to where his friends waited. “Take care of him,” she said to Roy. Her reply from the Sheriff was a simple nod of his head.

“I wired your Pa, Hoss. I hope you don’t mind. I figured you’d do it yourself once you’d seen to Adam, but..”

“Roy, don’t apologize none. I appreciate you sendin’ it,” Hoss sighed. He was tired, both physically and mentally. He’d spent the last three hours with his brother while the doctor worked skillfully to repair the vast injuries. He laid his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. Within moments he was asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“What on earth?” Ben mumbled to himself when he heard an incessant rapping on the solid door of his home. He raised himself from his seat near the fire and walked to the door. “James. What brings you out this way so late at night?” Ben asked when he saw a boy no older than Joe standing at his front door.

“I got a cable for you, Mr. Cartwright,” James replied. “I was told it was important and to bring it out to you straight away. Do you want me to wait for a reply?” He asked as he handed the cablegram to Ben.

Ben took the cablegram from James and raised his hand to stop the boy from speaking while he read the cable.

BEN CARTWRIGHT. STOP
VIRIGINIA CITY. STOP
HAVE FOUND ADAM. STOP
HE IS ALIVE, BUT VERY SICK. STOP
SUGGEST YOU GET HERE AS SOON AS YOU CAN. STOP
ROY COFFEE. STOP
SILVER CITY. STOP

He re-read the note before he scribbled out a reply for James to send back. “Take this and have hit sent urgently,” Ben said. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a silver dollar. “James, this is for your trouble of bringing the cablegram to me. Ride safely back into town.”

“I will, Mr. Cartwright. And thank you for the silver dollar,” James smiled and tipped his hat to Ben.

Ben watched as James mounted his horse and rode off into the night before he turned to wake up his youngest son. Unbeknownst to Ben, Joe had woken when he’d heard the rapping on the door.

“Who was that?” Joe yawned.

Ben smiled at Joe and told him the news, that his brother had been found. When he’d told Joe that he was going to go to Silver City, his argument of going alone had fallen on deaf ears. Joe had won out and Ben had finally agreed that they would both travel to Silver City.

“Okay you little rapscallion. Make sure you get some sleep, we have an early start in the morning,” Smiled Ben as he tousled Joe’s unruly curls.

During the journey to Silver City, Joe read his novel with passion. He wanted to share with his oldest brother a new story. Ben was also happy that Joe had been reading so much – it stopped the never-ending barrage of questions.

When the stage finally arrived in Silver City, Ben and Joe were greeted by Roy Coffee. “Ben, Joe, it’s good to see you both,” smiled Roy.

Ben sensed something was wrong as soon as Roy spoke. “Roy, what’s wrong? Has Adam..” he couldn’t bring himself to finish what he wanted to ask.

“He came close, Ben. Too close. We nearly lost him once. Come with me, I have a surrey waiting for you,” replied Roy.

On the way to the doctor’s surgery Roy explained that Adam had fought off a fever and as a result it had left him very weak. He also told Ben of how Hoss had never left Adam’s side and how he and the doctor had become increasingly worried about Hoss’ health as well.

At the surgery Ben was briefly introduced to the doctor and nurse who had cared for his oldest son. Todd sensed that Ben needed to see his son for himself and showed him to where Adam was sleeping.

Ben’s features visibly relaxed when he saw Hoss giving Adam a drink of water. He stood at the doorway and watched the exchange between his two older sons and let got the breath that he hadn’t realized he had been holding.

Hoss looked up to see his father standing in the doorway and accidentally tipped the glass so that the water ran down Adam’s heavily bandaged chest. He was brought back to attention when he felt Adam slap his arm.

“Let me help you, son,” Ben smiled as he walked towards the bed. He took the glass from Hoss and helped Adam to drink before he could object.

“Pa,” Adam uttered between partially opened lips. His jaw ached to much to open his mouth fully.

“Shhhh, don’t talk, just drink. Your doctor said you need fluids,” Ben soothed as he held the glass again to Adam’s lips.

Reluctantly Adam nodded his head and drank again, while Hoss smiled from ear to ear.

Todd informed Ben of Adam’s injuries ranging from a broken shoulder to a broken jaw to broken ribs. He’d advised Ben that Adam would need several days rest before he’d be fit to travel back home.

During his visits with Adam, Ben had learned who had taken his son and why. He’d also learned that Treva Patterson had been of much help to his son and was instrumental in Adam’s return. For this he was grateful and had decided not to press charges against a man who had seen the error of his ways.

Little Joe with Roy’s help was seated beside Adam’s bedside with his leg propped up on a chair. He’d been eager to tell his brother of the novel he had been reading and now after two days of being in Silver city, he had his chance.

He told Adam of the knights in shining armor that had deftly defeated their opponents and of King Richard with the Lion’s heart.

Adam beckoned to Joe to pass him the writing tablet that he had been using to communicate.

Joe

I am proud of you for reading Ivanhoe. I have also had my knights in shinning armor fight for me. And one who has the heart of a Lion – Hoss.

“Hoss? Really?” asked Joe. When he saw his brother smile, he grinned. “I never thought of him like that.”

“Never thought of who like what?” Ben asked as he strode into the room accompanied with Hoss.

Joe quickly explained to his father and Hoss what he and Adam had been speaking about and then he showed them the tablet.

Hoss read it and gave Adam a huge grin. “And I’d do it again, brother. Anytime, any place.”

Adam grabbed the table back from Joe and smiled as best he could and handed the tablet back to Hoss.

I know you would Hoss. Thank you.

…

The End

 

March, 2000