Bonanza
~*~*~ Advent Calendar ~*~*~
* Day 24 *

Summary:  The Cartwrights share their most fervent Christmas wishes.
Rating:  G
Words:  2,610

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The Night Before Christmas

T’was the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring … well, actually … there was one that wasn’t supposed to be. And three that didn’t want to be.

The dark-haired figure sat on the stair and hugged the wall, hoping that the occupants of the room below would not see or hear him. He’d been woken by the wails of a hungry baby, yet again, and he couldn’t get back to sleep. Every night was the same. The baby would wail and holler and even after he’d been fed, he’d cry and carry on all over again. It didn’t make any sense. Hoss hadn’t been like that when he was a baby.

Adam remembered those days with a mix of emotions. The excitement of getting a new brother had quickly been swamped by the grief of losing the only mother he had ever known. Still, Hoss had been a mostly happy baby so long as his diaper was dry, and his belly was full. He would gurgle and hiccup and smile at everyone who caught his eye. So why was this baby so ornery?

So far, Joseph would cry more than he would smile, and it seemed that he spat up more milk than he swallowed. He would pull his legs up as if he was trying to curl into a ball and for such a small thing, he sure could holler!

Where Adam had been happy to hold Hoss and Hoss had been content to be held, this baby would often scream if anybody but his mama picked him up, and even she had days where nothing worked to soothe him.

Adam leaned against the wall and listened as his father paced the floor and sung to his newest son. He couldn’t see her, but he knew that Mama was in front of the fire, sitting in the chair where she fed Joseph. He could hear the cries were slowly subsiding and his father’s voice was dropping in volume. Maybe, if he was really lucky, they could all go to sleep soon and stay asleep until Christmas morning. Adam carefully pulled himself upright, once again hoping that nobody would hear him. He slipped back up the stairs and crept into bed before pulling the covers back up. He’d said his prayers before bed, but Pa said that God could always hear anyone’s prayers at any time, so he slipped out of bed and knelt down beside the bed.

“Please, God, make Joseph go to sleep. And stay asleep.”

………….

T’was the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring … well, actually … there was one, and soon there would be two.

Little Joe crept across the room and hesitated. It was cold and he hadn’t stopped to pull on any socks before sneaking into his brother’s room. The trail of tears still felt warm on his face, and he sniffled as he wiped at them. He stood halfway between the door and the bed as he debated what to do. The dream had been bad, but he didn’t want Adam to think of him as a baby. He took another swipe at the tears and was about to turn for the door when Adam rolled over and opened his eyes. It was too late to run, and Joe dropped his head and tried to stifle the tears without much success.

“Joe? What’s wrong?” Adam slowly sat upright in the bed and swung his legs over the edge before patting at the spot beside him.

Joe climbed up into the warm spot and felt his older brother’s arm around his shoulders. He leaned against the solid comfort and tried to find the words to explain the terror that had jolted him awake.

“Joe?” Adam wiped a thumb over his brother’s face and lifted his chin towards him. “Did you have another bad dream?”

When his little brother simply nodded, Adam gave him another squeeze. It had been the same story for months after his mother died, but the nightmares had slowly tapered off, until recently. Joe was too young to be able to put into words what was bothering him, but Adam had an inkling it was the approach of his first Christmas without his mother that had his little brother crying out in his sleep. Adam would have given his right arm to erase their collective grief, but since that wasn’t possible, he used it to squeeze his brother’s skinny shoulders once more before sliding back into the bed and pulling Joe in beside him.

As he heard Joe’s breathing even out, Adam looked up towards the ceiling. “Please, God, help Joe. Help us all.”

……………..

T’was the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring … well, actually … there was still two of them. And neither of them was happy!

Hop Sing swung the broom with the ease of much practice while he muttered Chinese threats under his breath. The family had all long since headed off to bed and he had intended to follow suit, except he had a few things still to finish off in the kitchen before he could think about sleep. Christmas lunch was always a grand affair and he prided himself on putting on a banquet that was fit for the family he loved and any guest who graced the Cartwright table.

So, he was less than impressed to have found a mouse nibbling at his freshly baked cookies! The tiny mouse had scarped across the floor and taken refuge under a cupboard, but Hop Sing was not going to bed until he had cornered and dispatched the creature from his kitchen. The season of goodwill did not extend to thieving rodents! He saw whiskers poking out from under the door and took another swing with the broom. It connected with a thud that he hoped would not wake any of the occupants of the upstairs rooms. Hop Sing stalked across the room, as he saw the mouse’s tail slither through a crack, all the while muttering threats about what he would do when he caught the tiny beast. He was about to take another swing with the broom when he was startled by a yelp from the doorway.

“No! Don’t squash him!” Joe ran across the kitchen and tried to scoop the tiny mouse out of harm’s way, but it darted under the washstand.

“What little boy doing out of bed?” Hop Sing frowned and stepped forward with the broom raised, ready to strike again.

“No! I forgot to …, “Joe gulped as Hop Sing stared at him. “I …. um …”

“Little boy forgot to what?”

“Um … I forgot to put him back in the barn.”

“Back?”

“He lives out there.” The words began to tumble out as Joe tried desperately to distract Hop Sing from swinging the broom and giving the mouse time to escape. “Hoss found him when we were doin’ our chores, and he said Pa wouldn’t let us keep him inside, so we made a bed for him in the hay. But it was real cold today and I didn’t want to leave him out there. So … well … I bought him inside to warm him up.” Joe gulped again as his story didn’t seem to be gaining much sympathy. “And I forgot to put him back.”

“Mouse not belong in kitchen!” Hop Sing waved towards the doorway. “And little boys belong in bed!”

Joe hesitated for a moment before turning and edging back out of the room. “Please don’t squash him!”

Hop Sing muttered something as he shook the broom in Joe’s general direction. “Bed!”

Joe fled before the broom could be used on him. As he was about to climb back into the warmth of his bed, he dropped down beside it and clasped his hands together and squeezed his eyes shut.

“Please God, make the mouse faster’n Hop Sing.”

…………..

T’was the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring … well, actually … there was one who had just been jolted out of his sleep.

Ben felt the ache in the back of his neck as he pulled himself upright in the chair. He mentally kicked himself for falling asleep in the first place and he leaned forward to rest his hand on his son’s cheek. It was still far too warm, and nothing had changed in the time he had dozed off. Joe didn’t respond to the touch and Ben reached for the now dry cloth on his forehead and dipped it into the washbasin. As he sponged the cool water across his son’s face and torso, he noted how Joe still shivered with fever. It had been three days since the influenza that gripped several of the ranch hands and Hoss had taken hold of Joe too. There had already been several deaths across the area and Paul was stretched thin trying to tend to every patient. While Hoss was finally on the mend and had actually eaten some breakfast for the first time in days, it had taken a serious turn the day before for Joe when he no longer seemed to know where he was.

Paul had made it out again to check on his patients, despite the recent snowfall, and he had been shocked to see how quickly Joe had deteriorated. If he didn’t have dozens of other families to follow up on, he would have stayed to help, but he had left instructions for Joe’s care.

Ben continued to dip the cloth in the water and kept working to bring the fever down. Adam had offered to take over so his father could sleep, but how could he go to bed, knowing his son may not live to see the morning? Besides, Adam was just as exhausted as he was from the last two weeks.

Christmas morning was only hours away. Joe’s favourite day of the year. For the first time in years, Ben hadn’t pulled out his bible to read the nativity story to his sons on Christmas Eve. It was a tradition that dated back to when Adam was a baby and he had forgotten all about it. As he continued his ministrations, Joe shifted uneasily under his hand and tried to move away from the cold cloth. Finally, Ben pulled the covers back up and leaned back in the chair. He had no idea how he was going to stay awake, but he was determined to do so until his son’s fever broke at the very least.

His bible was downstairs by his chair, and he had no intention of leaving the room, so he began to recite the story by heart.

“The angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth.”

As the story rolled on, Ben felt his anxiety easing. Everything was in God’s hands, including his son. Still, it didn’t hurt to ask, so he reached out for Joe’s hand.

“Please God, bring Joe back to us.”

……………

T’was the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring … well, actually … there was one and he was far too wound up to sleep.

Joe gave up on the idea of sleeping as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and fumbled for his slippers. It was too cold to wander around barefoot and his toes finally connected with them. He stuffed his feet into them and shrugged off the blankets before standing up and reaching for his dressing gown.

As he crept down the hallway, he couldn’t help but smile at the deep snores coming from the room next to his. If Hoss’s snoring hadn’t woken the others up, then he was pretty safe with the creaky floorboard on the way down the stairs.

The fire in the hearth had been banked for the night and the house was still somewhat warm, but Joe knew he wouldn’t be returning to bed any time soon, so he pushed a couple of small logs into the fire before sitting back on the edge of the stone. It was a place that had always been helpful when he needed to stop and think, and he felt the familiar comfort of the room wrap around him.

He had no idea how long he had sat and stared into the flames with his thoughts trailing all over the place when one of the logs shifted and a flurry of sparks flew into the air. Joe prodded at it with the metal poker before glancing around the room. Pa had built a fine home for his family, and he wondered if he could do half the job his father had. Would there someday be grandchildren’s stockings hanging alongside the ones that were there now? Would she say yes?

Joe pushed himself up and without meaning to, began to slowly pace across the room. He’d spoken to Cassie’s father and got his permission to ask for her hand in marriage, but would she say yes? Cass had a mind of her own and a stubborn streak that some said matched his own. As Joe considered the temperament of each of his father’s three wives, he wondered if his choice of a bride would bring as much love and joy. He certainly intended to pour everything he could into the marriage … if she said yes. But what if … what if she didn’t? What then?

Joe spun on his heel and tried to shove the uncomfortable thought aside. He’d never had any issue getting any girl he paid any attention to, but Cass was not like those other girls. She didn’t swoon at the sight of him, and she had actually stomped on his foot the first time they met. Of course, he deserved that, but somehow, he’d managed to charm her enough to apologise and offer to make things up to her. A few weeks later he’d managed to get her to dance with him and it had grown from there.

The plan now was to go over on Christmas Day and finish the job he’d started. Joe felt his heart start racing again and he sighed as he looked upwards.

“Please God, don’t let me mess this up!”

……………

T’was the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring … well, actually … there was one that wasn’t supposed to be. And two that didn’t want to be.

Joe leaned down to take the newborn infant from her mother’s arms and draped her over his arm as he patted her back. Cassie rubbed at her face and tried not to yawn as she pulled her shawl back around her arms.

“You would think that by number three that I would have some idea of what I’m doing.”

Joe grinned at her as he rocked the tiny bundle in his arms. “I seem to remember Pa saying something similar. Many times over!”

Cassie yawned again and raised her face to the heavens.

“Please, God, just make her go to sleep. And stay asleep!”

………….

My prompt was “the night before Christmas”.

I may have messed a little with a line from “A Visit from Saint Nicholas”, by Clement C Moore, so I thank him for his generous contribution to my story.

Thank you to Faust for once again providing us with a fun range of prompts and to every author for making the Advent Calendar such a wonderful annual treat.

Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Joyeux Noël, Frohe Weihnachten, Buon Natale to one and all! May 2024 be a blessed year for us all.