Summary:  After getting into an awful fight with Joe Amelia’s relationship with him is put to the ultimate test after he is accuse of murder and Amelia is force to testify against him.  Will their sibling love survive or will it die?

Rated: K (7,410 words)

Amelia Series:

Pa’s Favorite
My Hero
A Precious Gift
A Letter to Adam
Raising Amelia
Shatter Bond
The Talk
Cartwrights Stick Together

 

                                            Cartwrights Stick Together

 

Ages: Amelia 16; Joe 22; Hoss 28; Adam 34

Chapter 1

 The Cartwright’s had always been able to face challenges that had come their way but nothing had compare to the challenge in which they were about to face.

Late one Friday night was a normal night for Ben Cartwright who lived and worked on a ranch that he had built called the Ponderosa with his three sons Adam, Hoss and Joe and his daughter Amelia.

He was sitting in the family room on his red chair reading a book by the lamp; his oldest son Adam was sitting on a blue chair watching his middle son Hoss and his youngest daughter Amelia sitting at the table in the middle of the room playing checkers.

His youngest son Joe was in town that evening. The house was peacefully quiet with an occasional groan from Hoss who was getting beat by Amelia.

They heard a horse riding toward the house. Minutes later the door opens an intoxicated bruised Joe staggers in.

Ben and the boys immediately walk over to him. “Joe what happen to you boy?” asked Ben concerned.

“Nothing pa I’m alright?” said Joe stupidly. “Looks he had too much to drink and got in a fight in the saloon” assumed Amelia.

“You boys better get him upstairs clean him up and sober him” said Ben.

Adam and Hoss each grab hold of Joe and tried to walk him upstairs but Joe push them away. “I’m not a little kid anymore I can get upstairs by myself” lashed Joe.

Joe tries to walk on his own but loses his footing and grabs hold of the blue chair.

Amelia walks toward him. “C’mon I’ll take you in the kitchen and clean those bruises and make you a cup of coffee” said Amelia she takes him by the arm and walks him to the kitchen.

She sits him at the table while she wets a dish cloth and tries to clean his bruises.

Joe winces in pain when she touched his bruises. Annoyed by the attention he was getting, Joe gets up angrily.

“Leave me alone will ya? I can take care of myself. I maybe drunk but I’m not helpless?” yelled Joe.

“I’m sorry but I need to clean you up” insisted Amelia she tries to reach up to clean Joe’s face.

“Will you quit that?” yelled Joe without thinking about what he was doing he slaps Amelia across the face hard causing her to fall even harder onto the floor.

Hearing the commotion Ben, Hoss and Adam rush in to see Amelia on the floor with a frighten look on her face.

They could see her lower lip bleeding. Joe looks at his father and brothers then at Amelia realizing what he had done.

Shock and feeling guilty Joe walks over to Amelia. “Amelia I’m sorry I didn’t mean it” he tries to help her up but she flinches and moves away clearly shaken up.

Adam walks past Joe without looking at him and helps her up.

“What happen?” demanded Ben.

On the verge of crying Amelia looks at Joe with hatred in her eyes. She runs out the back door out to the yard.

Joe watches her go feeling hurt and full of guilt. Ben walks over to him. “What happen?” asked Ben harshly. Joe turns to him with a guilty look on his face. “I hit her Pa. I hit her” said Joe full of anguish.

Ben and the boys look at his in disbelief and shock.

Ben turns to Adam and Hoss. “Go check on Amelia” asked Ben. Adam and Hoss quickly walk out of the room not wanting to hear Ben scolding Joe.

Once they were alone Ben and Joe walk into the living room. “What the san blazes were you thinking? You know better to come home drunk” scolded Ben. “I know Pa and I’m sorry” said Joe sincerely.

“Good! You should be sorry. Not only did you disrupt a peaceful evening by your drunken behavior but you hit your sister. I taught you boys to never hit women especially when one of the women is your sister. You know I do not allow for that kind of behavior and I certainly will not allow for you to treat your sister like that. I brought up my children to learn to respect each other and me” lectured Ben.

He stared at Joe and continues “After what I have seen tonight was utter disrespect for this family and I will not tolerate it. Not only are you banished from going to town to play late night poker games but if you do go to town you will come home when I tell you. Is that understood?”

Joe nods his head and says “Yes sir” obediently. He turns to face his father.

“I’m really sorry for my behavior and my actions. I promise I will never do anything like that again especially hitting Amelia. I still can’t believe I did that” said Joe in disbelief.

“Neither can Amelia though I imagine that it’s gonna take her a while for her to be able to forgive you” said Ben.

“I don’t think she will; I know I sure wouldn’t if it was me. She probably hates me. I might as well be the worst brother ever for what I did” said Joe full of guilt.

Ben places his hand on his son’s shoulder comfortingly. “Give her time for the shock to wear off. She’s upset but I don’t think that for an instant that she hates you” said Ben comfortingly.

“I hope so” said Joe uncertainly. He would give anything to go back in time and prevented the events that happen but he knew he couldn’t. He started to wish that he never had gotten mad or laying a hand on his beautiful baby sister who he loved more than life.

Adam and Hoss found Amelia over by the big oak tree crying and shaking. They walk over to her. Hoss comfortingly puts a hand on her shoulder.

“Joe didn’t mean it” he says to her. “Yeah he feels awful about it” said Adam.

While they were trying to comfort their sister they didn’t hear the front door open. Joe walks outside and he could hear his brothers comforting their sister.

Amelia turns to her brothers not noticing that Joe was listening from the porch. “He should feel awful coming home like a drunken idiot and hitting me. I hate him! I hate him! I hate him! I…” she cries angry as she sinks down to the ground crying.

Adam turns to Hoss and notices Joe was standing on the porch. Seeing tears rolling down his brother’s cheeks told him that Joe had heard everything.

Joe sadly walks back to the house.