The crackling fire lit the room, sending shifting shapes and shadows flitting about the walls. Adam Cartwright stared into the flames, and sighed wearily. He rubbed his hand across his eyes, and listened for the sound of movement in the rooms upstairs. He heard nothing and returned to his reverie. It was good to be home, but Adam’s mind kept returning to the events of the past week. It had been a wild ride, but he and Joe had managed to stay alive, so far. Again Adam listened, hoping to hear the doctor’s footsteps coming down the stairs. Again, nothing.

Adam shuddered as he remembered that long ride with the posse, Joe limply leaning back onto his chest. Joe had never completely regained consciousness after being shot back at the Way Station, leaving Adam to talk to the Sheriff. A grimace crossed Adam’s handsome face as he thought about the three men who had caused all the suffering that he and his brother had undergone. Two of the men were in jail, and Hagen was dead. Adam’s blow with the rock had killed him. The sheriff had been overjoyed when Adam had led him to the spot where he had buried the diamonds. If only Hagen had realized how many times he had stepped over the diamonds. Adam had hidden them by digging a hole next to the doorway of the Way Station, and then covering the little mound of dirt with a large rock. The diamonds had been within Hagen’s reach during his entire sojourn at the little shack.

Adam stood and paced about the great room. He walked among the familiar objects that made this room the heart of the Ponderosa, and didn’t even see them. His entire being was concentrated on that room upstairs, and the young man who lay in it. Adam had brought his brother home, but it remained to be seen whether Joe would survive the trip. Pain pierced his heart as he thought of his valiant little brother, and the sacrifice he had made to keep Adam alive. Tears sparkled at the corners of his eyes, and he again scrubbed at them with the back of his hand. What was taking the doctor so long?

The sound of footsteps made Adam spin around. He watched Doc Martin and his father descend the staircase. As Adam raised his eyes to the two men, he noticed how tired and strained his father looked. It would be a long time before Adam would forget the look on Ben Cartwright’s face when he had seen his youngest son being carried into the family home. “How is he, Doc?” Adam asked, his tone quiet, but the sense of dread he was feeling was evident to everyone in the room.

“Well, Adam, I’m not going to lie to you.” replied the doctor. He put his hand on Adam’s shoulder and gave it a gentle pat. “He’s in bad shape. He’s lost a lot of blood, and the wound is infected. His fever is pretty high at the moment, and his broken ribs are causing him a lot of pain. The good news is that he’s a strong young man, and I think he’s going to pull through. The next 24 hours or so will be critical.” The doctor turned to Ben, gazing at him with sympathetic eyes. “Now, how about that cup of coffee, Ben? And then I know you’ll want to get back upstairs to Little Joe. Adam, you’re next. You don’t look so good. I want to examine you as well.”

Adam shook his head, already moving towards the staircase. “Not now, Doc. I’m going up to sit with Little Joe.”

“Adam, wait.” Ben’s voice was calm, but carried a note of command, and Adam responded instinctively. He stopped and waited at the foot of the stairs, refusing to meet his father’s eyes.

“Adam, this is not your fault. From what I can see, you and Joe both did your best in a very bad situation. You brought your brother home, Adam. Remember that, and stop beating yourself up about this.” Ben put a gentle arm around his oldest son’s shoulders. “Now, go to bed, son. You’re exhausted. I’ll sit with Little Joe.”

“Pa.” Adam stopped, the emotions he was struggling to contain overcoming him. “Pa, I can’t just go to my room and sleep. I promised Little Joe that I would take care of him, and that’s what I’m going to do. He was my responsibility, Pa, and look what happened. If I hadn’t hidden those diamonds, Hagen wouldn’t have beaten Joe like he did. Every decision I made caused us further trouble, and Little Joe was the one who suffered for them. I don’t know if I can forgive myself for that.” He bowed his head, and tried to wipe his eyes surreptitiously.

Ben’s eyes were compassionate, and he gathered his reluctant son into a firm embrace. “I don’t see it that way, Adam.” he murmured. “Look at it from my point of view. You were caught in a situation beyond your control. If you had given up those diamonds right away, you and Little Joe would have been killed immediately. Hagen wasn’t going to let you live! Little Joe understands that, and so do I. You’re beating yourself up about something that isn’t your fault, son!” Ben’s voice became urgent as he willed Adam to understand.

Slowly, Adam’s head rose, and he looked deep into his father’s eyes. Instead of the condemnation he almost expected, he saw love and compassion. A burden slipped from Adam’s shoulders, and he heaved a huge sigh. He gave his father’s arm a squeeze, and said “Thanks, Pa. Thank you for understanding. But if Little Joe dies…” Adam’s eyes clouded once again. “I don’t think I’ll be able to live with that.”

“We’re not going to let him die, Adam” Ben replied, a grim smile on his lips. “We’re going to make sure that Little Joe stays right here with us. Now, go sit with him for a few minutes, if you must, but when Doc Martin and I come upstairs, you are going right to bed.” Ben clapped Adam on the back, and gave him a gentle push in the direction of the stairs. “Go on, son.” he ordered, as if Adam was still five years old.

Adam smiled, and ascended the staircase. He pushed open the door to his brother’s room, and softly walked inside. His eyes tracked to the bed, and his heart leapt in his throat as he looked at the still figure that lay on it. Little Joe looked impossibly young. Where was the brave young man who had thrown himself in front of a bullet to save his brother’s life? Joe’s curly head rested on the pillow, his eyes were closed. He looked small and fragile, his skin translucent. Adam crossed over and sat in the chair next to the bed. He reached out with a gentle hand and smoothed back a lock of the curly hair. “Oh, Joe, hang on,” he whispered. “You’ve got to stay here with us. I need you, little brother.”

Adam suddenly realized that a pair of intense green eyes were looking up at him. A weak smile flickered across Little Joe’s face, and he moved as he tried to reach up to his brother. “Adam,” the words were a sigh. “I thought he was going to kill you. Are you all right?”

Tears formed in Adam’s eyes again, but he let them stay. “I’m fine, Little Brother, because of you. You shouldn’t have done it Little Joe, but I thank you for my life.”

Again that ghost of a smile flickered on the bruised face. “I had to do it, Adam,” Joe said softly. “Who would boss me around if I let someone shoot you.”

Adam laughed, and gently stroked his brother’s head. He could feel the fever burning in his brother, and he quickly turned to the washstand and retrieved a cool, wet cloth. As he placed the cloth on Joe’s head, he let his eyes speak for him. As Joe watched, he could see all the love and emotion that Adam felt welling forth. A contented smile on his face, Little Joe drifted back to sleep.

When Ben Cartwright and Paul Martin returned to the room a few minutes later they found the oldest and youngest Cartwright sons sleeping soundly. One in the bed, and the other in a chair, which had been pulled as close to the bed as possible. Ben’s eyes were moist when he saw that Adam’s hand was firmly held in his brother’s grasp. His sons were home.

*****END*****