Summary:  Amid the harsh conditions, can the Cartwrights share true blessings?
Rating:  G   (3,800 words)

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Bonanza
~*~*~ Advent Calendar ~*~*~
* Day 7 *

 

True Blessings

 

The bucket of water kept for household use had frozen into a solid mass. It was a dead giveaway that the bucket had been sitting outside at least overnight and perhaps even longer. It was the first thing Joe noticed as he pulled Cochise up to the tiny porch. Well, actually it was the second. The first was the fact that no smoke was coming out of the chimney despite the snow piled up against the edges of the cabin.

 

Pa had sent him out to check on the new family that had moved into the old Sutton cabin on the ridge only a couple of months back. The place wasn’t much to look at, but it was solid enough with a good roof and a decent barn. William Miller had bought the place and settled his young family in with a whole wagonload of plans for the place once the snows melted. He had been excited to find his new neighbours were welcoming and helpful and he and Pa had sat on the Ponderosa porch and discussed the merits and challenges of his plans.

 

Joe would always be left wondering if his father had some kind of intuition or if God had sent him there that day, because he knew for sure that if he had come the next day, it would have been too late. When he’d knocked at the door, he’d heard a muffled cry from inside before a tiny face appeared at the frosty window.

 

“It’s Joe Cartwright. From the Ponderosa. Can you get your ma or pa?”

 

The little face scrunched up, and the child began to cry. Joe couldn’t make out what he was saying, and he moved closer to the window.

 

“Billy, can you open the door?”

 

The child shook his head and continued to cry.

 

Joe tried the handle and found it was locked from the inside.

……………….

 

Paul sat back on the edge of the bed and rubbed a hand across his face, as if he could somehow erase the fatigue. He could feel the stubble itching at the palm of his hand and he silently wondered how many days it had been since he’d shaved. Three? Or maybe four? Whatever the case, the days were all running into each other and he barely stifled a yawn before pushing himself to his feet.

 

“He’s looking a mite better, don’t you think?”

 

Paul turned to see his patient’s daughter staring at him. He didn’t think so, but there was no way he was going to deny her hope.

 

“A mite. Now, you need to keep your pa in this warm bed and keep up the fluids.”

 

Macy nodded and tried to muster a smile. “Of course. Now can I get you a coffee before you leave?”

 

Paul would have liked nothing better than to sit at the table by the fire and drink a hot coffee, but he had just begun the rounds for the day, and he still had many more stops to make.  He barely managed to stifle a sigh as he considered how many more cases could be out there beyond the quarantine zone that he had no idea about. After all, he was just one man, and he had his hands more than full just dealing with the folks of Virginia City.

 

“Thank you, Macy, but I need to get going.”

 

With the ease of experience, Paul had his bag neatly packed and his coat and hat on in just a few minutes.

 

“I’ll see myself out.”

 

He tipped the rim of his hat before turning for the door. He prayed that it wouldn’t be the last time he’d see Andrew, but there was no guarantee. There had already been seven deaths that he was aware of around the area, and he had no idea how many more there would be before he could lift the quarantine.

………………..

 

Joe rubbed his hands together and tried desperately to bring some feeling into his fingers. Even with thick woollen gloves, his fingers had still lost almost all sensation. It made every job so much more difficult than it should have been as he fumbled with the split logs. It didn’t help that the axe needed sharpening, but he’d made do well enough to split enough for at least another day. The small cabin only had one fireplace, unlike the Ponderosa where every room had its own.

 

He sucked in a breath as he considered what could be happening there. It had been two days since he’d last seen Hoss and his mind kept returning to that conversation. Hop Sing was down with the fever and Pa was beginning to look at little peaked too. Of course, Hoss assured his little brother that he was as strong as an ox and nothin’ would be takin’ him down.

 

Joe smiled slightly at that image as he picked up the last of the firewood. He couldn’t remember ever seeing Hoss go down with any kind of winter fever unless he counted when the measles had gone through and they’d both spent a miserable week itching and scratching while Hop Sing plastered them both with some foul-smelling concoction.

 

Then there was Adam. Pa had sent him into town to finalise a thorny contract issue before the new year and so far, he hadn’t returned. Maybe the snowfall had been heavier closer to town. Or maybe Adam had also caught whatever had brought Hop Sing down. He’d looked fine when he rode out on whatever day it was, so he chose to put that worry aside and trust that Adam was big enough to take care of himself.

 

Joe trudged across the small yard and climbed up onto the porch, bypassing the broken first step. Another job that needed doing, but one that would have to wait. Billy must have been watching for him through the window as Joe didn’t even need to kick at the door before it inched open. He hurried inside and turned to push the door closed before he dropped the load of wood at the hearth. Hop Sing would have growled at the mess he was making, but he was too tired to care.

 

Without being asked, Billy began to stack the wood beside the stone edge of the hearth and Joe smiled at him.

 

“Good job, buddy. That should keep us warm for a while.”

 

Billy just nodded at him. The child didn’t speak much, and Joe had wondered if it was natural shyness or something more. He’d cried when Joe broke a pane of glass to get access to the front door and he’s cried some more when Joe found his mother sprawled on the floor. She was burning with fever, and he had scooped her up and laid her in bed. That was four days ago, and he couldn’t recall if he had slept at all since that day. It sure didn’t feel like it.

 

Joe stood up from the firewood and stretched at the crick in his back and neck. Billy just watched as he tried to twist out the knots.

 

“How about some breakfast?”

 

The child nodded back at him and almost managed a smile.

 

Joe looked about the small kitchen and wondered what he was going to make. It was clean and tidy but sparse on actual food. Billy had said his pa had gone out trapping two days before he arrived and hadn’t yet returned. He just prayed that the fever that had taken hold of his wife hadn’t also hit him while out there somewhere in the snow. Joe shook his head as if to clear away that thought. There was nothing he could do as he had no idea where William had gone and no possibility of even trying to find him, even if he didn’t have two people that needed him to stay put. The man was in God’s hands and not his.

 

After some further rummaging in sacks and baskets, Joe managed to pull together a bowl of flapjacks and soon had them cooking on the stove. The first couple were only a little burned on one side, but somehow, he figured neither of them would care. As he set out a pot of coffee, he poured a glass of water for Billy. The bucket that had stood frozen by the door was now well melted and almost empty. He sighed as he realised he would need to go out and collect more snow to set to melt.

 

A thought flittered through his head that this was the sort of thing that Hop Sing did multiple times a day and despite claiming he was going back to China every so often, somehow, he seemed to make it look easy. The kitchen at the Ponderosa turned out sumptuous meals and more than enough at every sitting. Of course, Hoss would always oblige by finishing up anything that might go to waste. As Joe picked at his flapjack and watched Billy doing the same, he wondered what everyone was eating at home. If Hop Sing was down, was Hoss cooking the meals? Or Pa? Or had ol’ Adam made it home yet? Joe forced himself to change his train of thought as he knew it wasn’t helping.

 

“Eat up, buddy.”

 

Joe smiled at Billy as the boy had stopped eating and was staring at the fireplace. His face betrayed what his few words hid.

 

“When your mama is feeling better, maybe she can make us some better flapjacks than these.”

 

Billy pushed at the burnt edge of his flapjack and nodded.

 

“Mama doesn’t make them so black.”

 

Joe stifled a laugh as he nodded. “Yeah, Hop Sing doesn’t either. Sorry ‘bout that.”

 

As if she had heard them speaking about her, Ellie let out a groan from the other room and both Joe and Billy leapt up from the table and hurried in to see her. The fever hadn’t yet broken, and her face still showed the heat of it, but she was less restless than she had been overnight. Joe hoped that was a good sign.

 

He slipped down onto the stool beside the bed and reached for the washcloth and bowl. As he ministered to her, he kept up a running commentary of all that had been happening. He told her of the chopped firewood and how warm the little cabin was now for Billy. He told her about milking the goat and how cantankerous she was. He told her about how helpful Billy was in stacking the firewood. He assured her that everything was under control and everyone would be alright. He was pretty sure that she couldn’t hear a word he was saying, but Billy sure could. The little boy had climbed up onto the bed and snuggled up against his mother’s side and tried to stifle the tears that dripped down his face.

 

When he was done, Joe leaned over and whispered to Billy that he was just going outside to feed the animals and chop some more wood and that he could just holler if he needed anything. As Joe slipped into his coat and gloves once more, he prayed that today would be the day that Ellie woke up and that William came home. After all, it was almost Christmas and Christmas was supposed to be the time of miracles.

…………………

 

The fire cast shadows across the wall and Joe found himself staring at them, imagining all sorts of animals racing past. It was something he had done as a child and Adam had told him stories based on the changing scenery. Billy was curled up in his lap and trying valiantly not to suck his thumb as his mama had told him so many times not to. Joe looked down at the dark mop of hair as he started to spin a story for the boy.

 

“Do you see that chestnut horse there?”

 

Billy looked up at him and frowned.

 

Joe tried again, pointing at the wall. “There! With the long tail. See how it’s racing across to find its friends?”

 

Billy stared at the wall and tried to see what Joe was describing.

 

“Now there’s a black horse coming up from the other side. See, there.”

 

Billy squinted and began to slowly nod. “And there’s a dog too!”

 

“Of course there is. But I can’t make out what sort of dog it is.”

 

Billy leaned closer as if to inspect the animal. “It’s a big dog. With brown fur.”

 

Joe knew that Billy desperately wanted a dog, but so far, his pa had said no. Something about enough mouths to feed already, but Billy didn’t think dogs ate that much.

 

As the story wandered on, Joe could feel the child’s head dropping and his breathing slowing until finally it was clear that he was asleep. He stood up and carried the boy across to where his mother was and laid him out next to her. Even though it made sense to keep them apart, he figured Billy had already been exposed to the fever anyway, and it seemed to bring him comfort to sleep next to his mama. Ellie’s face looked more peaceful than it had for days, and he reached out a hand to touch her. The heat was finally dropping and he sat down and reached for the washcloth and bowl once again.

 

“William?” The word was just a whisper, but for the first time since he’d arrived, it didn’t sound like delirium.

 

“It’s alright.” What was he supposed to say? Would she even know who he was?

Ellie’s eyes fluttered open and she tried to fix on his face. Her face scrunched up in confusion.

 

“It’s alright. William is out getting some traps and Billy and me have been taking care of things.”

 

“Billy?” Ellie’s voice rose as she looked around behind Joe for her son.

 

“He’s right there.” Joe pointed behind her, and she tried to turn around. “He’s asleep and he’s fine.”

 

“Not sick?” she whispered.

 

“No. He’s as strong as an ox.” Joe reached out with the cool cloth again and wiped at her face. “Now you both need to sleep. Everything’s fine.”

 

As Ellie nodded and closed her eyes once more, Joe prayed that he wasn’t lying.

 

As he wandered back to the chair by the fire, Joe was startled to hear a noise outside the door. It was late but it could be Hoss coming back. Hopefully he had brought some supplies with him as the pantry was looking a little sparse. Joe hurried to open the door and was shocked to see William climbing the steps with a brace of rabbits in his hand.

 

“Joe? What on earth are you doing here?”

 

“Come on inside and I’ll fill you in.”

 

An hour or so later, they were both sitting by the fire with a hot coffee when William stood up and reached for a bottle of whiskey atop the pantry shelf. Without asking, he poured a good measure into each mug.

 

“I think we both need that!” William grinned at him.

 

Joe smiled back at him as he raised his mug in salute.

 

As William settled back in the chair, his face grew sober again.

 

“I don’t want to imagine what would have happened if you hadn’t come to check on us.”

 

Joe stared at the flames and said nothing. He’d already allowed himself to go down that path of imagining and it was always a bleak ending. Thank God that Pa had sent him when he did and not waited.

 

“Ellie insisted on going over to see the Harrisons last week. The little one was sick when she got there, but you know Ellie. She stayed to help. Must have been where she caught the fever.”

 

William took another sip of his coffee and tried to still the shaking in his hands.

 

“I never should have left. She said she was fine!”

 

“You had no way of knowing.”

 

“I shouldn’t have left them! They could have … they both …” William heaved in a deep breath and shuddered.

 

“They didn’t and they will both be fine.”

 

William looked across at Joe. “I can’t thank you enough for what you did for my family, Joe. I’m in your debt.”

…………………..

 

The following morning, Joe was awoken by Billy yanking on his arm.

 

“Mama’s awake and Papa came home!”

 

Joe rubbed at his eyes and tried to roll his neck to ease out the cramps. Before he could respond, William walked out of the tiny room and nodded.

 

“Ellie is asking for a cup of tea. Me? I need coffee. Strong coffee!!”

 

Before long, the coffee was brewed, and Joe and Billy had put together a batch of flapjacks. As they carried through a tray for Ellie and settled it down beside the bed, Billy clambered up to sit beside his mother as she sipped at her tea. Her face still looked drained, but the flush of fever had finally subsided.

 

“Me and Joe made you flapjacks. But yours are better, Mama. They don’t have any black bits.”

 

Ellie smiled at them both and inspected her plate. “These are just perfect. Thank you.”

 

She looked at Joe and tried to find the words, but they just lumped in her throat. Tears began to well in her eyes and all she could do was nod at him.

…………………….

 

For the first time in days, Ben managed to climb out of bed and wrap his gown around himself. Actual clothes would have to wait as he didn’t have the strength to manage that just yet. As he slowly made his way down to the ground floor, he noted the silence of the house.

 

The front door slowly swung open and Hoss pushed his way through with an armload of firewood.

 

“Pa! What are you doin’ out of bed?”

 

“I’m fine, Son. I’m feeling better.”

 

As he unloaded the wood onto the hearth, Hoss turned to inspect his father’s face.

 

“You still don’t look right. Sit yaself down and I’ll git you a coffee.”

 

As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Ben knew his son was right. “Coffee would be good. Thank you.” As he sank into his chair, he looked around again. “How is Hop Sing?”

 

“Better.”

 

Ben smiled as he saw his friend emerge from the kitchen with a tray of coffee and mugs. The fact Hop Sing was also still wearing bedclothes told Ben all he needed to know. Better was a relative term.

 

As the three of them settled down with a mug each, Hoss looked across at his two patients. “If you are both comin’ to the end of this fever, do you reckon Paul might have lifted the quarantine yet?”

 

“Let’s hope so.” Ben nodded.

 

The only reason they even knew of the quarantine was because a neighbour had been turned away from town. On his way home, he chose to ride past the Ponderosa and let them know. Since Hoss was the only one still standing at that point, he had kept that worry to himself until he had been forced to explain his brother’s absence. Had Adam ridden into a quarantine and been detained or had he too fallen sick and been forced to stay put?

 

Suddenly they heard footsteps on the front porch. The door swung open and a flurry of snow blew in as Adam stomped his feet outside the door.

 

“Adam!”

 

Hoss hurried over to help his brother remove his hat and coat as Hop Sing headed to collect another mug.

 

“Paul has lifted the quarantine?” Ben enquired hopefully.

 

“No. But I figured you’ve all already been exposed, and I wasn’t going to spend Christmas in town. So, I escaped!” He neglected to mention that Paul was the one who had quietly suggested it after Adam had spent over a week helping him deal with the influx of patients needing his help.

 

“Christmas?” Ben frowned at his son’s words.

 

“Yes, Pa. It’s Christmas day.”

 

Ben leaned back in his chair and sighed. “I’ve completely lost track of the days.”

 

Hoss frowned as he thought about it. “I guess I did too.”

 

As Adam stood by the fire trying to get warm, he looked around. “Where’s Joe?”

 

“Over at the Miller’s ranch. Ellie is sick with the fever and William was out trapping. I sent Joe to check on them and he stayed.”

 

“I went over last week, but I’ve been busy here, what with Pa and Hop Sing both bein’ down with the fever. Now that you’re back, I’ll head on over once I finish this coffee.”

 

“I’ll go.”

 

“Now Adam, you only just got home.”

 

“I’m fine and besides, it looks to me that you could use a rest.”

 

Hoss would have argued the point that he was as strong as an ox, but he had to concede that even an ox needs to sleep now and again.

..………………

 

Joe was getting the last of Cochise’s girth strap done up when he saw Adam riding into the yard. Despite his assertion that Adam could take care of himself, he still breathed a sigh of relief to see that his trust in his brother wasn’t misplaced.

 

“Merry Christmas, Joe.” Adam smiled at him as he swung down from the saddle.

 

“What?”

 

“Merry Christmas.”

 

Joe shook his head as he tried to do a mental calculation that escaped him.

 

“Guess I must have lost track of the days somewhere. Merry Christmas to you too.”

 

Adam tugged at the bag tied to his saddle and handed it towards his brother. “Hoss sent some supplies.”

 

Joe grinned as he headed for the front door. “This will be very welcome.”

….……………

 

It was nearing dark by the time Joe and Adam plodded into the yard. Hoss had been keeping a look out and he hurried out to greet them.

 

“Get yaselves inside and warm up and I’ll git ya horses rubbed down.”

 

“Thanks, Hoss.”

 

The two men gladly handed off the reins and hurried for the warmth of the house. As they entered the front door, the smell of something cooking wafted out of the kitchen. By the time Hoss came back in, the table had been set and everyone, including Hop Sing was seated.

 

Ben looked around the table before he closed his eyes to say grace. There was no tree or trimmings. No turkey or ham or any of the delicacies that Hop Sing usually whipped up. No gingerbread or mince pies. It was a far cry from the usual Christmas dinner that the Ponderosa was known for. Just biscuits and gravy with salted pork. And tinned peaches.

 

“Thank you, God that we are all here to enjoy this feast. I couldn’t have asked for a better gift this day.”

 

Prompt: The bucket of water kept for household use has frozen into a solid mass.

 

 

Link to the Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar – Day 8 – The English Visitors #1 – sklamb