Summary:  After the Lotta Crabtree encounter, Little Joe is angry with Adam and events increase that as well as his jealousy. Adam is angry and acts accordingly. Ben and Hoss do their best to calm the waters but it takes a crisis to bring the brothers back together again.

WC = 15, 286  Rating = T

Very Series:

Adam’s Very Bad Week
Very Bad and Then Very Good
Very Much a Cartwright

 

Adam’s Very Bad Week

Chapter 1

It had been a very bad week for Adam. He had been surly and several times had unfairly accused his little brother of not doing the jobs he was supposed to be doing. The first one had been on Monday. Adam had gone out to do one of the dirtiest jobs on the ranch clearing a pond of a beaver dam so the water could flow freely and wouldn’t flood the lower end of the pasture after a rain. Little Joe had been assigned the task of clearing brush from the largest ravine that fed rainwater to that pond.

When Adam got to the pond, he began the easiest part of the task walking out on the beaver dam and throwing sticks and branches to the shore until he got to the part of the dam that was submerged. Water was flowing over the top by then and the only good way to clear the rest was to shuck boots and pants and wade into the cold water. It was late fall, and the water didn’t warm much as the day progressed. He did fall in the water several times slipping on the mud that had built up behind the dam. When he cleared enough from the middle so that the water level in the pond dropped, he finished clearing out the dam. He piled the wet wood on top of the drier material he had first removed and began a fire feeding in pieces as the smoky fire dried them enough to burn. It was late afternoon before he finished. He had done his best to clean himself of mud and other unidentifiable debris before pulling on his pants, socks, and boots. He walked to Sport apologizing to the animal that he had not given him any attention all day. He led him to the pond for a drink before riding up the large ravine expecting to find Little Joe still working. He wasn’t and there was only a small pile of brush that had been removed. Fuming, Adam rode for home. He saw Little Joe drinking lemonade on the porch with Hoss when he got home.

“This isn’t how that ravine is going to get cleared. You couldn’t have worked even an hour on the little that got done.”

“Well, older brother, before you go accusing me, you oughta get your facts straight. Nestor got hurt at the branding and they came to get me to help out. I worked all day there with Hoss.”

Looking at Hoss who was nodding, Adam had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He would have to apologize, and he hated apologizing to Little Joe. The previous week, he had lectured Little Joe twice for not completing the tasks that had been assigned. Once Little Joe had quit early to go to town for a beer using the excuse that it was hot. Adam had said it was hot for everyone, and he would have liked a beer too, but that was after the work was completed. Hearing their loud confrontation from where he sat inside the house, Ben had backed Adam, and Little Joe had missed going to town on Saturday night with the hands as Ben found one task after another that he had to do. To Adam, that had been a fitting reward, and he had grinned as he and Hoss rode to town. All he got the next morning were sour looks from Little Joe, but it hadn’t bothered him. Little Joe had earned his father’s ire. But now Adam had jumped to a conclusion and had to apologize. Before he could though, Little Joe had more to say. He seemed to be enjoying himself immensely too.

“I was feeling a bit guilty knowing you had such a dirty job to do that when Hoss asked if I could help him out again tomorrow that I said I probably couldn’t because I needed to clear that ravine. It wouldn’t be fair to let you do all the dirty jobs. But now, I think I’ll take Hoss up on that offer and help him out with the branding tomorrow. You don’t mind me helping our brother, do you, Adam?”

There wasn’t much Adam could say to that. “Sorry about accusing you. I was wrong.”

“Did you hear that, Hoss? Our older brother admitted he was wrong. Maybe we ought to tell Hop Sing so he can make a special dinner to celebrate the occasion?”

Little Joe was pushing it too hard, and Hoss tried to get him to stop. “That’s enough, Little Joe. You done made your point. No need to rile things up any more than that.”

“No, well he got me in a lot of trouble last week. It’s only payback.”

“Little Joe, you done got yourself in a lot of trouble last week. Now jest drop it.”

“I suppose. Our older brother does look very hot. Oh, did I mention that I used the hot water Hop Sing had ready for a bath. I didn’t know when you’d get home. Heck, you probably spent most of the day in water anyway so you probably don’t even need a bath.”

That was the last straw for Adam who had been seething while trying not to lose his temper again. With that last comment, he couldn’t. He started to run for Little Joe intending bodily harm.

“You spoiled brat. When I get my hands on you, you’ll be taking another bath. This one will be in the horse trough by the corral where the men like to take a piss.”

Hoss got in his way as Little Joe ran toward the house crashing into their father who had come outside to see what had caused all the loud voices. Little Joe helped him up and quickly explained what had happened casting himself in the best role possible.

“Adam came home all mad and accused me of shirking my job. I had to tell him that Hoss needed me today and tomorrow so he has to clear the ravine too. He got mad when I told him and started to come for me. Hoss stopped him or who knows what he might have done.”

“Adam, is that true?”

“Well, the gist of what he said is true but not the way he said it.”

“Well, I hardly think that chasing after your brother is any way to settle things between you especially if all you objected to was his tone of voice. Hop Sing said that dinner is nearly ready. Please clean up and meet us at the table.”

The thought of sitting next to his little brother who would undoubtedly have an endless series of smirks was too much. “I’m not hungry. I need to heat some water and take a bath.”

Quite willing to allow Adam to avoid Little Joe because it would make the dinner table far more pleasant, Ben was gracious. “Very well. Hop Sing can keep a plate warm for you in case you’re hungry later.” Ben was tiring of this constant tension between his oldest and youngest sons and yet had discovered no way of calming the stormy seas.

Without saying anything, Adam headed into the washroom only to find wet towels on the floor and a tub of dirty water. He was fuming again knowing that Little Joe had left it for him to clean up, but with what had already happened, he couldn’t say anything. Hop Sing was nice enough, even though he had to do a bit of complaining, to get Adam some clean clothing to wear especially when he realized that Adam would clean up Little Joe’s mess in the washroom. After bathing, Adam walked out to the great room to read a bit before bed. Little Joe snickered when he emerged, and Adam had a good idea why he did. All doubt was removed soon after.

“I trust you found the washroom had everything you needed. Nice towels spread out for you, and a nice tub of water all ready for you.”

Not knowing the mess Little Joe had left for Adam, Ben and Hoss were surprised at Adam’s angry reaction as he grabbed his book and stalked up the stairs.

“Adam sure is cranky this week, ain’t he, Pa? Hoss, you got any idea why Adam is so cranky?” Of course Hoss had an idea but didn’t want to stir things up any more than they were. He excused himself to go to bed too surprising Ben.

“You feeling all right, son?”

“Yep, I feel just fine. I thought I’d see if Adam wanted to talk some before I go into my room to sleep.” With a glower at Little Joe for upsetting the family dynamics so much, Hoss headed up the stairs. Little Joe felt a little guilty then because he hadn’t wanted to upset Hoss. He decided he’d try to be on his best behavior the next day.

Upstairs, Hoss knocked on Adam’s door and received no answer. He opened the door slowly and stepped inside. “All right ifn I come in?” Sitting by the window staring out at the night sky, Adam nodded. “He sure do know how to get under your skin, don’t he? What else did he do that I don’t know about?”

“You can guess the condition in which he left the washroom knowing I would be the next one in there.”

“Lordy, that boy never learns. I’m sorry I couldn’t get him to shut up earlier. I know that was hard for you.”

“Well, tomorrow isn’t going to be any better. I would appreciate it if you could keep him away from me. He wants to get even with me because he was in trouble last week. I don’t know why I always seem to be the target when he’s mad. Pa was the one who made him stay home and do all those chores.”

“He’s always jealous of you, I think. He never sees what he has. He only sees what you have, and he wants it.”

“What do I have that he wants? He always complains about everything I say or do.”

“He wants Pa to listen to him like he listens to you.” At Adam’s scowl, Hoss explained more. “Oh, I know how frustrating it is for you. You give Pa a good idea, and all he does is list all the reasons it won’t work, but he does come around eventually. We got the new lumber mill, didn’t we? We got a few windmills too. Now can you think of one of Little Joe’s ideas that he followed?”

“No, because they’re all about making fast money and getting Little Joe out of work.” Adam smiled as he remembered the most recent one. “He wanted to rent out rooms to tourists, offer tours for a fee, and he volunteered to be the tour guide.”

“Yep, Pa near bust a gut laughing at that one. Little Joe was real upset.”

“I did go along with the kissing booth idea. It was for a good cause.”
“Yep, you two raised a lot of money in two hours for the new bell for the church. Little Joe is still mad that you won the competition.”
“Well, I didn’t know it was a competition. We were supposed to kiss women at one dollar each for two hours. I just made every kiss as nice as I could.”

“Yep, Little Joe kissed em as fast as he could. He had over a hundred in less than an hour. You only had about sixty so he thought he was winning.”

“Except my line got longer and longer and soon hardly anyone was waiting in his line.”

“You seemed to have had fun kissing all them gals.”

Adam got a bit of a dreamy look then. He had spent time on each kiss trying to make it memorable without doing anything that might unduly anger any husbands, boyfriends, or suitors. A gentle touch to the cheek as he kissed softly or an arm around the shoulder or waist seemed to be all he needed to do. That and it was no quick peck on the cheek or lips for that matter. Adam went by the theory that each kiss was to be enjoyed by both parties. By the end of two hours, he had kissed more women than Little Joe and raised more money. Little Joe had been very irritated by that. “Hoss, kissing ladies for two hours, and it never got boring. Who wouldn’t have fun with that?”

Hoss grinned too especially because he had helped lift the unhappiness that had been weighing his brother down. “Good night, then. Sorry that I pulled Little Joe from that ravine job. I can send one of the other hands if you need help.”

“No, I’ll be fine. And Hoss, thanks.”

“You’re welcome, older brother. Now get a good night’s sleep. I know I will.”

In his room later, Little Joe sat and once more tried to sort out his feelings about his oldest brother. He idolized him and hated him. He loved him and wanted to humiliate him. He felt a bit guilty about his brother missing dinner, but he had vowed on the day of the kissing booth to do everything he could to show his brother that he was better than he was, but so often it had turned out so wrong. The only thing that worked was his taunts and jabs which got his brother angry enough to do things he would regret and of which their father would heartily disapprove. Little Joe couldn’t understand why Hoss always seemed to take Adam’s side. Couldn’t he see that Adam was always putting Little Joe down? Couldn’t he see that Adam did everything he could to build himself up in their father’s eyes so that he didn’t have time to listen to the ideas of his younger sons? One way or another, Little Joe wanted to show his father that he was just as good or even better than Adam. He smoldered as he remembered being sent from the building and then Adam went in and kissed Lotta. She had stared after him as he rode off. Little Joe had wanted her to look at him that way. He fell asleep plotting revenge for wrongs, some imagined and some real.

Chapter 2

The next morning at breakfast, Hop Sing handed a plate of hotcakes to Ben who handed it to Hoss after he took a few. Hoss piled three on his plate but Little Joe reached over the table to grab the remaining four before Hoss could pass the plate to Adam.

“Joseph, we do not grab food with our fingers, and that was very rude taking the last ones so there are none left for Adam.”

“Sorry, Pa. I can give Adam a couple of these, and I’m sure Hop Sing would be willing to make more. I guess I was just so hungry after working hard all day yesterday.”

“I think your brother is hungry too, and he put in a longer day yesterday than you did.”

“Yes, Pa. Sorry, Adam.” Except the grin that Little Joe gave Adam said he wasn’t sorry at all. Hop Sing came out then with a platter of toast and ham. Ben asked if there were any more hotcakes.

“No, no more. Chickens run all over yard. Find two eggs. No more. Somebody fix door or no eggs and no hotcakes.”

“Do we have any fresh fruit?” Ben was concerned.

“No time for fruit. I all time look for eggs.”

Knowing that Adam enjoyed eggs and fruit for breakfast, and that Little Joe had been told to fix the door on the chicken coop almost a week earlier, Ben tried to avoid an explosion from his eldest son by telling Hop Sing that Little Joe would fix that door immediately after breakfast and catch all the chickens that were loose. Hoss handed the ham and toast to Adam making sure that Little Joe couldn’t reach the platter first. With a scowl, Adam made a sandwich of ham and toast. He chewed his sandwich and drank coffee while barely holding his temper in check. Ben and Hoss both knew that some innocent brush was going to suffer the rage of Adam Cartwright that day. Hopefully they could get Little Joe to back off before there was another confrontation between the oldest and youngest sons.

Exercising more common sense than usual, eighteen year-old Little Joe stayed away from the yard until Adam had loaded up tools and headed out. He suspected Adam wouldn’t be happy to find out that the axe had needed sharpening as did the other tools he needed. Little Joe spent time fixing the door of the chicken coop and then rounded up every chicken he could find and herded them toward the chicken coop calling out to Hop Sing as he got closer. Hop Sing came out of the kitchen to help as Little Joe knew he would. He gave the cook his most ingratiating smile and waited. Sure enough, Hop Sing was forced to smile back. Little Joe just didn’t understand why that smile never worked on Adam. It seemed to do wonders for him with everyone else. Once he heard Adam drive the wagon out, he went to saddle Cochise to join Hoss at the branding corral.

As Little Joe suspected, Adam was even angrier than he had been at breakfast. It had been difficult to ignore the deliberate taunting and he was holding on to some residual anger from that. Then to find the tools dull and laying about on the dirt floor of the tool shed having been tossed there yesterday by Little Joe reignited the fire. Little Joe had always been spirited and out for fun, but it seemed that ever since that Lotta Crabtree affair, he was far worse. He needed to be reined in but their father didn’t seem inclined to want to do it. The Lotta Crabtree affair reminded him that he had been wrong once then too about Little Joe not doing the work he was assigned to do. However after his stunts in town and the risks he took, everyone forgot about Adam’s one small failure and focused on the defiant acts of the youngest Cartwright. Adam supposed that Little Joe was angry with him for that too. He was correct. In fact, those incidents were the ones that had heightened Little Joe’s sense of competitiveness with his oldest brother whether Adam was willingly participating in the competition or not. Little Joe had set out to best Adam at everything. It wasn’t going particularly well for either of them although both had some good moments. Adam had enjoyed the kissing booth, and Little Joe was still irritated by that situation. He didn’t understand that twelve more years of experience with the ladies had taught Adam a great deal about how to make a woman happy. All Little Joe saw was that Adam had things that Little Joe wanted.

As Adam reached the ravine, he was resigned to a day of dirty work, but consoled himself with the knowledge that he wouldn’t have to be subjected to any more of Little Joe’s scheming and verbal assaults. He could do the job the way it was supposed to be done and be satisfied when it was completed. It was a warm day, but he had to keep his shirt and vest on so that he wouldn’t get too scratched up by the brush he had to clear. By noon, he had cut a swath at the bottom of the ravine from the top to the bottom. Now if rain came, it could flow mostly unimpeded through the ravine. He had a lot more brush to cut so that the ravine wasn’t closed off again within weeks but the worst of the blockage was gone. He thought that he could probably burn most of the brush removing all the thin branches so he headed to town to buy some coal oil. He hoped to turn what looked like at least a three-day job of chopping brush into a day or day and a half of work. Work smarter not harder was a mantra with him.

As Adam rode into town, he realized just how dusty and dirty he was. He hoped to stop at the general store, get what he needed, and then head out before he saw people he knew. It wasn’t to be. He saw the bank president first who looked a bit askance at him. Then he saw several members of the cattleman’s association as they exited their hall. Finally he was at the general store and purchased the coal oil he needed. He picked up an extra axe while he was there. As he exited the store, Roy Coffee was there to say hello.

“Adam, coal oil and an axe? You planning an execution?”

“Well if I was, Little Joe would be my prime candidate. However it’s just some brush in a ravine that needs to be cleared.”

“Would you ask your Pa when he’s gonna send payment to Sam. He’s been waiting a couple of days. He expected the money by Monday. Once he hears that you were in town and there was no money, he’s likely to get a mite upset.”

“Roy, payment for what?”

“Well for them damages Little Joe did on Saturday night. He got to town about an hour after you fellas left. He got into a poker game that turned downright ugly real fast. There was a big fight. I told each and every one of them fellas that they owed a share of the damages. Little Joe said he’d get the money from your pa and bring it in on Monday.”

“How much?”

“Little Joe’s share was forty dollars. He said he lost his month’s salary in the game but he’d get an advance from your pa to pay up.”

Pulling his wallet from his pocket, Adam counted out forty dollars. He handed it to Roy asking if he would see that Sam got his payment. Then Adam climbed into the wagon to drive back to the ravine. As he drove out of town, Little Joe and his friend Toby were riding into town. The branding was done. Hoss had told Little Joe and Toby to go see if Adam needed help. When they got to the ravine, Adam wasn’t there, and Little Joe couldn’t see even one foot of the brush that had been cleared from the ravine. Instead they decided to head to town for a beer and he saw Adam leaving town. When he rode in and saw Roy, he got nervous and knew he wouldn’t be able to go to the saloon. Roy hailed him however with a smile so Little Joe had to be polite and stop to talk. He was shocked to find that Adam had paid the damages for him, but then he suspected Adam would be telling their father all about it. He went with Toby to the saloon but declined a beer. He didn’t want Adam to have any more ammunition to use against him. However, a drunk patron bumped into Toby spilling a generous portion of the beer over Little Joe. They decided it was best to leave then and headed back to the Ponderosa.

At the ravine, Adam spread coal oil on the brush and lit the fire. As it burned, he realized he would have to stay until it was completely out and then make sure all the coals were wet down. He grabbed a bucket and headed to the pond to get some water. There was burlap in the back of the wagon so he grabbed that too. After about two more hours, the brush was burned, any fire that attempted to spread had been beat back, and he had pushed coals to the center of the ravine where they would do no damage. The blackened skeleton remnants of bushes lined both sides of the ravine and there was a clear path down the middle. He planned to come back the next day to cut the remaining brush, which would be much easier now that only the main trunk of each bush was all that remained. When he drove the wagon into the yard of the Ponderosa, an angry Ben met him at the tool shed.

“Hoss sent Little Joe and Toby to help you. They said you weren’t there and they tracked the wagon all the way to Virginia City. What have you been doing today when you were supposed to be working?”

Getting angry, Adam’s answer was delivered in a less than respectful tone. “I cut brush all morning and then I went to town to get some coal oil and that new axe. I went back to the ravine and burned the rest of the brush. Why am I defending myself anyway? What was Little Joe doing in town if he never saw me? He never came back to the ravine to help either”

“You need to talk to me with a more respectful tone, boy.”

“I am not a boy, and I will talk to you with the same tone you used to speak to me.”

“I only asked you a question.”

“You accused me with a question, you mean!”

“You can see me in the house when you’re ready to apologize.” With that, Ben stalked to the house. Hoss had come outside to see what was happening but had no idea what to say. He waited for their father to go back inside before questioning Adam about the argument. Adam spit out what had happened and then headed for the washroom. Hoss followed and watched quietly while he stripped off his shirt and pants asking Hoss if he would please get him some clean clothing. When he brought the clothing back, Adam seemed even angrier than he had been earlier. He had smelled the beer on Joe’s clothing that was in the laundry basket when he dropped his clothing on top of it. He didn’t mention that to Hoss nor did he say anything about the damages at the saloon that Little Joe had incurred after sneaking out to go to town on Saturday night.

“Adam, I’m sorry. I thought that Little Joe wouldn’t start anything with you if Toby was with him. I thought he could help you.”

“It’s not your fault at all, Hoss. Little Joe came running to Pa with some outlandish story, and Pa believed him. You know I do my work, and I don’t lie. Why is it that Little Joe can get Pa to forget that?”

“You gonna apologize to Pa?”

“I think you know the answer to that. I’m going to town and have that drink he thinks I already had. Then I’m going to get a good meal at a nice restaurant. Maybe I can convince some lovely young lady to share it with me. I don’t plan to get back until late. You can tell him if you want or just tell him I left. I don’t really care at this point.”

“Adam, that’s only gonna make things worse.”

“Not for me. I plan to have an enjoyable evening.” Later, Adam was in the saloon and downed not one whisky but three. It was on an empty stomach, and he was exhausted from work and emotionally drained by the argument with his father. Sally had sat with him and got him to talk some. After his third drink, she looked over at Sam and nodded to the stairs. Sam smiled and nodded.

“C’mon, honey. You need to sleep. You can do that up in my room. I won’t need my bed for hours so you can use it.”

In a slurred voice, Adam agreed even though he wasn’t quite sure what he had agreed to do. He trusted Sally though so with an arm around her shoulders, he let her lead him up the stairs although that maneuver took quite a bit more effort than was usual. When Sally came down alone a short time later, Sam grinned and she shook her head in amusement. That was the fastest she had ever exited her room after bringing Adam up there, but it was also the first time she had ever seen him have more than one whisky. She looked out the door and saw Sport tied to the hitching rail so she had one of the men inside to take him to the livery stable. They would know that Adam would pay for Sport’s care when he came to get him the next day. About six hours later, she headed up to her room as the last customer had left and Sam had locked up for the night. Adam was sleeping so peacefully that she didn’t want to wake him. She pushed him to get him to slide over a bit and then slid in beside him smiling as she relaxed into a peaceful sleep.

Chapter 3

Before dawn, Adam awoke and took a moment to realize where he was. He smiled then before he grimaced with the headache that made itself apparent as soon as he tried to sit up. Sally stirred but did not awaken. Carefully Adam slipped from the bed, dressed, and left. He knew he owed her a lot and would be sure to make sure she knew it as soon as he had a chance. He rode for home as the light of dawn began to filter through the low hanging clouds. He arrived home, put Sport in the stable, hitched up the wagon, and prepared to head out to the ravine to finish the job he had started. Hoss was soon there asking him if he was all right.

“You don’t look all right. You look a mite green.”

“I drank too much and didn’t have anything to eat. I have a killer headache, but otherwise, I’m fine. Could you ask Hop Sing to pack some bread and biscuits for me. I don’t think I could keep anything else down.”

Ben heard that as he walked into the stable. Internally Adam groaned. He didn’t want to continue what had started the night before. Thankfully, Ben had reconsidered and was in a more conciliatory mood. “I’m sorry for accusing you. I guess I thought you weren’t being honest with me. I should have let you explain before acting so righteous.”

“Pa, I’m always honest with you, sometimes to a fault. Why would you ever forget that?”

“I guess I got so upset when Little Joe was spinning his tale I forgot to consider the source. He does tend to jump to conclusions. But I’m still upset with the tone of your statements to me.”

“Pa, if you talk to me in that tone, you know you’re going to get it right back. That isn’t going to change. Maybe we could both agree not to start a conversation in that tone? And I will try to hold my temper. I shouldn’t have gotten so angry.” Adam was offering the olive branch. Ben took it. He nodded, smiled, and held out his hand to shake. Both Adam and Hoss were grinning by then.

“Now, I have a meeting in town. I probably won’t be back until lunch. Can you avoid any more trouble with Little Joe until then, and give me a chance to talk to the boy and try to find out what all this is about?”

“I’ll be out at the ravine. I should be done by lunch. Hoss, I guess that you get to babysit the boy then.”

That last line was all Little Joe heard as he walked to the stable to do his chores. He turned and headed back to the house as angry as he could be. He had been feeling a bit guilty again and had thought perhaps to call off his campaign against his brother, but those words really got under his collar. He got angrier at lunch when his father turned to him and questioned him about Saturday night and the trouble in town about which he had learned when he spoke with Roy in town. Roy had also backed Adam’s story so Ben knew he had been unfair to his oldest son. Hoss looked shocked, but Adam said nothing and didn’t look surprised. Because of that, Little Joe believed that Adam had told their father. Hop Sing had mentioned the beer soaked clothing that Little Joe had put in the laundry basket. Ben also accused him of drinking beer in town the day before. That Little Joe denied, but that hardly made a difference to Ben. Little Joe barely heard Ben’s admonitions and then his pronouncement that Joe was to stay away from town for a month. After that, Ben apologized to Adam for accusing him of shirking his duties, and then told Little Joe how disappointed he was that he would try to make Adam look bad when Adam had simply been doing what needed to be done. Adam nodded and hoped that his headache would go away. He had barely heard anything that had been said at lunch as his stomach wasn’t happy with the food. He pushed his food around the plate but ate little. A crack of thunder after lightning flared brought him back to reality. He knew that he had left the tools in the wagon and had yet to unhitch the horse. He excused himself and headed out hoping to finish those tasks before the rain fell. He did, but there was a deluge as he finished brushing down the carriage horse so he closed the stable doors and reclined on a pile of soft straw. He wished he hadn’t lost his temper with his father the day before. He could have certainly been feeling a lot better without the trip to town and the whisky. He decided as he relaxed that he should probably apologize to his father at least for making him worry and for losing his temper instead of explaining what had happened. With those thoughts, he fell asleep.

In the house, Ben worried a bit about Adam not returning from the stable. Hoss assured him it was because of the heavy rain. He said he’d stay in the stable too rather than get soaked by that. After the rain diminished without Adam returning to the house, Hoss threw on a slicker to go see what was keeping him. When he pushed open the stable door to the side of the main doors, he couldn’t see much of anything and had to light a lantern. Then he saw Adam’s boots protruding from a stall and nearly ran there calling out his brother’s name. Adam jerked up and jammed his left arm into the stable stanchion. Holding the damaged elbow, he scowled up at his big brother.

“Hoss, what the hell is wrong?”

“I dunno. I saw your feet sticking out here, and I thought you were hurt.”

“Well I am now.” Slowly standing and still holding his left elbow, he looked but couldn’t see through the door. “Is it still raining?”

“I thought you banged your elbow and not your head. Of course, it’s raining. Ya didn’t think I wore this slicker to keep the sunlight off of me, didja?”

“Sorry, I just woke up. I was having a very nice dream too.”

“Here, I brought a slicker for you too. Pa’s worrying like an old hen.”

“Some things never change, do they.”

“Nope. You feeling any better?”

“Headache is nearly gone. So, yes, I am.”

The two brothers headed to the house in the light rain stopping in the washroom to hang their slickers and wipe the mud from their boots. Little Joe was inside reading a novel as he sat in front of the fireplace with his feet up on the table. Adam refrained from saying anything knowing what the reaction was likely to be. Hoss smiled and waited for their father to utter his classic line. It had been going on since Little Joe’s legs were long enough to stretch to the table. Years of admonishing him to take his feet off the table hadn’t worked, but Ben kept trying. They didn’t have to wait long. Hoss chuckled.

“Pa, that’s like trying to tell Adam not to lean on anything. It’s a hopeless cause.”

“Hoss, not everything has to be about Adam, you know.”

“Little Joe, I was just trying to be funny. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Ben was getting irritated that his sons were always finding fault with each other. He thought that had been worked out years before but recently it had re-emerged and the hostility was far greater than it had been. “That’s enough. If you can’t be nice to one another, at least be quiet. I’d rather be out in that storm than sitting in here with the three of you nipping at one another all the time like coyotes.” Ben started making assignments for the next day. Hoss was to clean up the branding corral and make sure everything was put away properly. Little Joe was to work with Toby and move the black stallion from the pasture where he had spent the week with mares from a neighboring ranch, hobble him in the corral, and fix the corral gate. Adam was told to check on the ravine and pond to be sure all was flowing smoothly and then to deliver the mares to their owner.

“Pa, why do I have to hobble that stallion? He’ll be in the corral so he can’t hurt anyone.”

“He gets too crazy when anyone goes near mares he’s been with. I want to be sure he stays put. You have to reset the post on the corral gate too. Right now a little push is all it takes to open that gate.”

“I can do all that myself. Why do I have to have someone working with me?”

“I don’t want anyone to go near that stallion alone. He’s a fine horse but unpredictable.”

“Downright ornery, I’d say.” Hoss had been nipped once and the horse had drawn blood. He didn’t like the stallion at all but recognized how his powerful build could help improve the bloodlines of the Ponderosa horses. Hoss knew what had to be done so he was all right with his assignment.

Adam wanted to say that the ravine and pond were fine, but in the present atmosphere, he decided a ride out there and back wasn’t such a bad idea. If it wasn’t raining the next day, they could easily complete the tasks assigned. As hoped, the next day dawned bright and sunny. Adam and Hoss rode out after breakfast, which had gone smoothly with no outbursts nor taunts of any kind by anyone. Ben relaxed with a cup of coffee as he sat at his desk and worked. Little Joe was back in the house sooner than expected and asked his father if he and Toby could ride to the lake to see if he could get some fish for dinner.

“Your work is already done?”

“Yes, Pa. I wouldn’t be asking if it wasn’t.”

Ben wasn’t so sure of that, but Little Joe didn’t lie. If he said he had done the work, then he had done it. Unfortunately he seldom explained when he had taken shortcuts or made decisions countermanding what his father had ordered. He had put the black stallion in the corral as expected, but after making sure that the gate was latched, he saw no reason to hobble the proud animal. He looked at the gate post and with the rain realized it was able to be moved without digging it out and positioning it in a new hole. He and Toby pushed until it was in position and then Toby held it in position as Little Joe propped a piece of wood against it. He thought that the wet soil would dry to hold the post in the proper position. He thought he had bested Adam on that one too.

“Toby, Adam always has told me to work smarter not harder. That’s exactly what we’ve done here today.”

“Is your pa gonna be upset we didn’t hobble that stallion?”

“Nah, with the gate tight like this, he’s not going anywhere. Those mares like to stay in thea lower part of the pasture. He won’t be anywhere near them.” Little Joe felt he had accomplished what had to be done and finished his chores well ahead of either brother as well. With Toby, he rode away from the house to the lake smiling and then whistling. It was a good day as far as he was concerned.

Returning from the ravine and pond inspection, Adam saw the black stallion in the corral. He opened the gate to the pasture and headed in to round up the mares he had to deliver. He saw one of them limping and dismounted to take a look. He never saw the black rearing up and then pushing into the corral gate. With the ground softened by the rain that had fallen the day before, he never heard the black stallion charging him. His first warning sign was Sport’s whinny and then the mares all turning to run away from him. He spun around and was able to avoid a direct collision with the stallion, but the glancing blow was enough to stun him. He lay on the ground and heard the horse coming again. He felt searing pain that nearly deprived him of consciousness before he heard Sport’s angry bellows. He couldn’t move but was relieved to know that his horse was protecting him from any more injury. He thought he heard horses running off and then felt Sport’s soft breath on his face.

“Boy, thank you. I wish I could send you for help though. I don’t think I can move right now.” Sport whinnied nervously but stood by him. He took some comfort in the horse’s presence but slowly what had been a feeling of numbness was rapidly turning into waves of pain radiating up and down his back and legs. He groaned over and over but didn’t have the strength to call out for help. He wasn’t sure anyone would hear him anyway. He hoped it wouldn’t be too long before someone realized that something was wrong.

When Little Joe came riding home hours later with Toby, he saw the pasture gate standing wide open. He rode over and closed it thinking he would be able to repay Adam for tattling on him by telling his Pa that Adam had forgotten to close the pasture gate after taking out the mares. He didn’t see Adam lying in the long pasture grass nor did he see Sport in the shade of a tree where he had gone to avoid the heat of the sun. Adam couldn’t avoid the sun though as he lay on his back still softly moaning but rapidly losing his strength as the pain sapped all energy. Little Joe rode on not knowing that he could have been his brother’s savior. He was so intent on the string of fish he had caught and how he could show them off to his father and to Hop Sing that he never noticed that the corral was empty and the corral gate to the pasture was wide open.

Hoss had nothing but praise for Little Joe when he saw the fish that he had caught. He was looking forward to a nice meal of fish and potatoes so he grumbled a lot when the time for dinner arrived, and there was no sign of Adam. “Dadburnit, fish got to be eaten fresh. If we hafta wait, they’ll be all hard and dry.” After waiting for a while, Ben declared that they could eat for he too wanted to have the fish while they were still moist and delicious. Little Joe sat proudly at the table watching his father and brother enjoy the bounty he had brought home. A knock on the door changed the whole scene dramatically though.

“Mr. Cartwright, I hate to interrupt your dinner, but one of the hands saw Adam’s horse in the pasture. He’s all saddled up like he’s ready for a ride, but there ain’t no sign of Adam. Foreman said I ought to tell ya, and he’s wondering what we should do about it.”

Frowning, Ben said that he and Hoss would go take a look. Little Joe trailed behind wondering too what had happened. Once they got to the corral, there was a lot of reason to be worried. The corral gate was wide open and the gatepost leaned at a severe angle. It was clear the gate had been forced. Ben ran down the pasture to Sport checking him over and finding some blood on his front legs. Hoss took a close look too.
“Pa, it looks like he was in a fight. I think he took on that stallion. He’s got a few nips too, but he ain’t hurt bad.”

“He would only fight that stallion to protect his own, and that’s got to be Adam. He’s got to be here somewhere.”

The men spread out and began to search the pasture. It didn’t take long for one of them to call out that he had found him. Ben rushed over to kneel at Adam’s side. He had clearly been trampled but appeared to be conscious or semi-conscious. “Adam, can you hear me?”

His only answer a soft moan, Ben asked two of the men to go get the door from the tool shed. He planned to use that to carry Adam. He asked another man to ride to town for the doctor. Once they had the door on the ground next to Adam, Hoss and Ben began to move him but he screamed in pain. They halted until their foreman had a suggestion.

“Ifn we all put our hands under him and lift all at once real quick, we should be able to get him on that door without hurting him any more than he is.”

There were plenty of men there to do that and the crowded shoulder to shoulder around Adam sliding their hands under him as gently as they could. There were soft moans because of that, but there were no more screams until Ben said they would lift him on the count of three. They did and soon had him laying on the door, but all of them were shaken by the scream that the lift had elicited from Adam. He lay there pale and shaking as the men lifted the door to carry him to the house. Unwilling to move him from the door because it might cause him more pain and possibly add to his injuries, Ben had them place the door on sawhorses on the porch. Hoss got a quilt that they used to cover him. Then there were only hours of waiting for the doctor to arrive.

Chapter 4

Little Joe was being eaten up by guilt. He didn’t know exactly what had happened, but he knew enough to know it was his fault that his brother was grievously injured. The stallion had obviously attacked his brother by busting through that gate. Little Joe hadn’t heard any words of condemnation but when he caught his father’s eye or Hoss’, it was clear that they had reached the same conclusions he had. He had not done what he was supposed to do, and Adam had paid the price for that. He helped Hoss hang some canvas from the porch roof joists to give Adam some privacy although he probably wasn’t even aware of where he was. He would know at some point so telling him that he had been shielded from public view was a good idea. Hoss had to think that way. He couldn’t even bring himself to consider that Adam would not survive this. Joe was thinking that though, and wondering if his father and brother could ever forgive him if Adam didn’t, and then he wondered how he could ever forgive himself.

“Pa, should we get his muddy clothes off of him?”

“Hoss, I don’t want to hurt him.”

“I think we could slide his pants down without causing any problem. We probably will have to cut the shirt to get it off him though.”

“Let’s just get his boots off and then decide based on how he’s able to tolerate that.”

Very carefully Hoss held Adam’s lower leg as Ben slipped his right boot from him. He moaned but no more than he did every few minutes as he laid there as still as he could. They repeated the procedure with the left boot.

“Hoss, you’re probably right about the pants. I think we can slip them off if we’re very careful.”

“Pa, you know I’m gonna be as careful as I would be ifn he was a newborn babe. I wouldn’t never do nothing to hurt Adam.”

With great care, they unbuckled Adam’s gunbelt and belt. One by one, Ben opened the buttons on the fly of Adam’s pants. Then with him on one side and Hoss on the other, they began easing his pants down. Adam moaned louder but nothing that was loud enough for them to think they were hurting him too much. Once the pants were off, both Hoss and Ben stood staring at Adam’s right leg. There was the clear imprint of a horseshoe on his thigh. It was swollen and purple. Little Joe took one look at it and nearly retched. He had to do something to help. In a shaky voice, he made an offer.

“Do you want me to go see if Hop Sing can get some ice or at least cold compresses for that?”

Ben could only nod wondering what terrible injuries might be covered by that black shirt. He reached out and with shaking hands began unbuttoning the shirt. Once that was peeled back, they were surprised to see no obvious injuries.

“Pa, it’s gotta be his back that’s hurtin’ him so bad.”

“I think you’re right. We’ll wait for Paul before we do anything more.”

Hoss was gently checking Adam’s head sliding his fingers slowly through his hair. “He’s got a bit of a bump here too. Doesn’t seem too bad. Ifn Hop Sing has some ice, we could put some there too. I feel so bad. Adam’s always looking out for me, and now when he needs help, I can’t do much at all for him.” Hoss had to smile a little remembering what had happened only a week earlier when they had a very early fall snowstorm. He hadn’t told his father that story and thought that his father might like to hear it. He began the story by telling how Adam was pushing him to move faster that day.

“Hoss, you need to hurry. Pa wants us to have that herd down here before the storm hits. It’ll take us at least two hours just to get to them. Then we have to round them up, turn them, and get them down into the lower pasture. It looks like a big snowstorm. We’ll probably be pushing them through snow by the time we’re done anyway.”

“Dadburnit, Adam, I know that, but Hop Sing made hotcakes for breakfast this morning. He ain’t made those for weeks now. I shur hate to miss hot cakes. You know, it’s gettin’ mighty cold with that wind. Some of those hotcakes would shur help keep us warm enough to do our work.”

“We don’t have the time. Now, I got some lunch from Hop Sing, and if we go fast enough, maybe we can take time to brew some coffee before we turn the herd down slope. Right now, we need to get moving. The men are waiting for us by the corral.”

Riding out from the stable, Adam had a bit of a grin. Hoss was perturbed because he thought Adam was smiling because he had made Hoss miss out on those hotcakes. They had ridden only about a mile when Adam couldn’t hold the secret any longer. He reached inside his coat and pulled out a large napkin. He called to Hoss who pulled up beside Adam who had to smile again at the sour look on his brother’s face. He leaned toward Hoss and handed the napkin to him. Hoss’ grin couldn’t have been bigger when he opened the napkin to find three hotcakes each wrapped around a breakfast sausage.

“Hoss, I’ve been watching out for you since you were born. You didn’t think I’d miss an opportunity like this, did you?”

With cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk who’s found a cache of nuts, Hoss could only nod and do his best to smile with a mouthful of delicious hotcake and sausage.

Ben had enjoyed hearing that story. It reinforced what he thought about his oldest son and his attitude toward his younger brothers.

Little Joe returned with cold compresses just as Hoss told that story to their father. He felt guiltier and guiltier as he remembered all the times Adam had done nice things like that for him too. He remembered how many times Adam had bailed him out of trouble in town and not told their father. Then there were all those times when he was just a kid, and Adam had been there to protect him when he was threatened and comfort him when he was scared. He remembered that it was Adam who taught him how to shoot, and Adam had taught him how to ride and then later to break the wild mustangs. Tears were flowing by the time he handed the cold compresses to his father and Hoss. He went to get the basin of cold water that Hop Sing had prepared.

“We’re out of ice. Hop Sing asked a couple of the men to ride to some of the mines to see if we can get some from them.”

Hoss was busy covering Adam with the quilt except that he left the right thigh uncovered. Little Joe reached for the other side of the quilt to cover Adam. Hoss nodded. The cool compresses seemed to give Adam some relief as he sighed whenever they put a fresh cold compress on his thigh. He opened his eyes, and Ben leaned down to talk softly to him.

“We’ve sent for the doctor, and Hop Sing sent men to get some ice. Is there anything we can do for you.”
“I’m sorry, Pa.” Adam’s voice was weak and soft.

“Sorry? You have nothing to be sorry for.” Ben put his hand on Adam’s shoulder. It was what he always did to comfort one of his sons.

“I wasn’t careful. I didn’t watch for the stallion or anything else. I should have checked.”

“Just forget about all of that. Just relax as much as you can and rest.”

Adam closed his eyes then and his breathing was soft and steady. He didn’t seem aware of where he was or that his brothers were nearby. He never heard Paul arrive nor did he hear his father and Hoss explain what they thought had happened and their fears that Adam’s back had been injured. He did react with a moan and then cried out when Paul slipped a hand beneath his back to begin his examination. Paul withdrew his hand and moved to Adam’s feet lightly grasping them and then sliding his finger up the sole of each foot. Adam reacted to the stimulation and Paul smiled.

“His feet are warm so the circulation is unimpaired. He has normal reactions to touch as well. If his back is hurt, it doesn’t seem to be his spine. Now the next part is going to be very difficult for him. I need him turned on his left side. I felt what seems to be a swelling on his right hip and right lower back. I think that there may be another blow there similar to the one that is very apparent on his thigh.”

Before doing that though, Paul noted that Adam’s right hand looked bluish. He unbuttoned the cuff and slipped the sleeve up his arm revealing that the right forearm had also been stomped. His examination made Adam cry out again.

“It’s broken. I should set this before we do anything else. There’s no need to take a chance on displacing these bones, and he’ll have less pain too.”

After splinting Adam’s arm, Paul asked Hoss and Ben to move to either side of him with Ben at Adam’s shoulder and Hoss at his hips. He asked them to lift Adam as gently as they could. It confirmed his suspicions as there was a large ugly black and purple bruise from Adam’s hip to the center of his back and like the one on his thigh, it was in the general shape of a horseshoe although this one was even more bruised and swollen. Any pressure on Adam’s right hip caused him to cry out as did any pressure on the large bruised area. Paul determined that he probably had a cracked pelvis and cracked sacroiliac joint. The cracked bones were probably painful enough but the swelling was putting pressure on nerves and sending waves of pain radiating out from those spots. Paul’s plan was to immobilize Adam’s lower back and hips. Then they would get him to a bed where ice packs could be placed to stop the bruising and reduce the swelling.

“He’s going to have a couple of very bad days, but then it should be resolved enough so that he will be reasonably comfortable. He’ll be spending most of the next month in bed or reclining in a chair. He won’t be able to sit normally for that time because it will put too much pressure on the damaged areas. It will probably be six months before he can sit on a horse. He’ll need rehabilitation to regain the strength he needs to walk and then to ride and work. Those muscles are going to get very weak. He should be fine by spring.”

Ben and Hoss nearly groaned with that. Adam was never a good patient. To think he would need care for a month and then rehabilitation for a couple more was a daunting prospect. Little Joe asked them why they looked so worried because he thought the doctor’s explanation should have relieved their worries.

“Little Joe, you jest never experienced this. We have. Adam hurt his hip and leg working in the timber camps about eight years ago. You were only ten so you didn’t have to help take care of him. He’s like a bear in a cage.”

Ben only added one comment. “Worse.”

Little Joe decided that he knew what he needed to do. “I’ll take care of him. I’ll do whatever needs doing. For the next month, Adam is my responsibility.”

“Well, before I hand him over to you, Little Joe, I need to immobilize the hip and lower back. Then I need to see if there are any other injuries. After I take care of the hip and lower back, we’ll get this shirt off of him so I can look.”

Paul found some damage to Adam’s left elbow, but it bore no resemblance to the two serious blows he had received from the stallion. Like the bump on the head, he guessed that it was from falling or being knocked to the ground. He bandaged up his left arm as well. He looked up to see everyone watching him. “He won’t be able to do much for himself anyway for the next few days so the elbow can be bandaged so it can heal quicker. Now, we’re ready to move him.”

“Can’t you give him anything for the pain?”

“Hoss, I would like to do just that, but I can’t with that head injury at least for the next day. He’s going to be suffering a lot, but if you pack enough ice on the injuries, that should make it bearable for him.”

With some hands helping, they got Adam inside. Paul suggested the downstairs guest room so that they wouldn’t have to subject Adam to a trip up the stairs. Soon he was laying in the bed but he wasn’t at rest. He was moaning softly and grimacing. Paul shrugged. There was nothing more they could do for him, but everyone was relieved when a hand rode in with some ice. They chipped it and put it in soft cloths against his injuries. It seemed to give him enough relief so that he was able to sleep even if it was fitfully. Joe sat by his bedside while Ben and Hoss had some sandwiches with the doctor who also discussed what Adam could have while he was so immobilized.

“No solids. The worst thing would be for him to start choking. He’ll be laying down anyway so spoonfuls of broth or other liquids are about all he will be able to handle. I’ll check back in tomorrow and the next day until he’s able to be propped up just a little with pillows. Until then, keep him flat on his back and keep those ice packs fresh.”

Chapter 5

“Pa, make him stop.” Adam was still immobilized in the downstairs guest room, but the pain had diminished considerably after two days. However Paul had him flat on his back and wouldn’t authorize them to prop him up at all. One arm was splinted and the other was heavily bandaged. Adam couldn’t do anything for himself. He was at least grateful that only his family members were there to help him. He was covered by a sheet and a blanket except when he had needs or when the ice packs were removed and replaced with new ones. They were using oilcloths so that the mattress didn’t get soaked although there had been some small amounts of water that had leaked out.

Little Joe had been true to his word and spent most of the day and a long shift at night in the room with Adam. He helped him as needed and patiently spooned broth or other liquids into his mouth waiting for Adam to swallow each one and take a breath before he offered him another. Adam had no idea that his little brother could do nursing so well. However because Little Joe knew that Adam loved to read but couldn’t in his predicament, he had decided to read to him. At first, Adam had been amused by the strange pronunciations of some words and the halting delivery as Little Joe stumbled over some unfamiliar words, but after two days of it, he was getting desperate. Little Joe had gone for fresh ice packs giving Adam a chance to plead with his father for relief.

“Pa, don’t you think I’m suffering enough? No matter what I’ve done, there’s got to be a rule against torturing me.”

“I’ll see what I can do. Perhaps if I could read to you for a time so that Little Joe won’t be able to read any more?”

“Oh God, yes, please.”

“Please don’t blaspheme. A simple yes would have been sufficient.”

“Sorry, Pa.”

“Oh, I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t berate you while you’re lying in bed like this. I should remember that two days ago, I wasn’t sure we would ever have one of these conversations again.”

“This hasn’t been a very good week for me.”

“I’d say you were having a very bad week. Now is there any book in particular that you would like me to read?” Adam said anything but Shakespeare. He still heard Little Joe’s voice in his head mangling the bard’s prose. It might take some time for him to be able to forget it. Perhaps at some point, he might find humor in it, but at the moment, there was only mental anguish. Little Joe was being so nice that Adam couldn’t bring himself to say anything negative. That usually wasn’t a problem when Little Joe was in the vicinity, but there had been no taunts, no accusations, and no complaints. It was so unlike Little Joe that Adam was finding the whole situation almost dreamlike. He had to wonder if he wasn’t in a laudanum induced dream and would wake eventually to find the situation more familiar. The biggest problem was that if it was a drug induced dream and not reality, he had no way of knowing. He still did feel a bit dazed and his head injury made him a bit light headed even though he was lying down. Sometimes, he had to close his eyes for a bit so that his vision would clear. He decided he felt reasonably well though so he wasn’t going to complain.

Little Joe was disappointed on his return to find his father’s sonorous tones apparently pleasing Adam who rested comfortably staring at the ceiling and losing himself in the book his father was reading. He headed out to the great room then to relax a bit. He was rather proud of himself and how he had worked so hard to help Adam for the past two days. Then he remembered how Hoss was grumbling that Adam getting hurt meant that he ended up with all the chores and how it would be nice if someone would help him out. Little Joe decided that was the thing to do so he headed to the stable to take care of some things. He mucked out all the stalls and put in fresh bedding. He put feed and fresh water in each stall including Chubb’s, which was empty at that moment. He cleaned up the tack that hadn’t yet been put away, swept up straw and old hay, which littered the floor. He shook out saddle blankets and hung them over the side of an empty stall so they could air out. He stood looking at how neat everything looked, and felt some pride. He was beginning to understand that feeling that Adam talked about sometimes how it was satisfying to be in charge especially when the job was completed. Hoss rode into the yard, dismounted, and walked to the stable.

“Adam all right?”

“Yeah, Pa’s taking a turn reading to him. I thought I’d come out here and get some work done so you wouldn’t have to be doing everything.”

“Well, that was right nice of ya. We finally found that black stallion. He’d rounded up some wild mares and was having a grand ole time of it. So we got him back and about a dozen mares to boot.”

“And the other mares are back home where they belong hopefully carrying foals, and now we got an extra dozen horses. It all worked out pretty well then.”

“Don’t be saying that anywhere near where Adam can hear. I don’t think he’d think on it as being such a great deal.”

“No, I mean, other than Adam being hurt, nothing else was lost. I’m really sorry about that, you know. I never meant for Adam to get hurt. I thought I’d taken care of things.”

“Guess you ought to trust Pa when he tells ya that there’s a reason to do something. If you had only hobbled that stallion, it wouldn’t have mattered about the gate. I think Pa kinda knew that.”

“I’m working real hard on getting Adam to forgive me. You think Pa will?”

“I’m sure they both will, but they ain’t gonna forget. You’re gonna have to swallow up some of that pride of yours a few times. It’s gonna nearly kill ya, but ya got to do it.”

“I know.”

“Well Adam ain’t gonna be up to it for a long time, but Pa’s gonna be checking on you. He’s not gonna trust your word that ya done what you was supposed to do. You’re gonna have to put up with it for a while. You know, earn the trust back again. It ain’t gonna be easy.”

Little Joe looked depressed. Hoss smiled. Little Joe had a habit of bouncing back quickly from any setback and had a fierce pride that was easily wounded. This was going to be a big test of his character, but if he wanted to be seen as a man and not a boy, it was time for him to start facing up to challenges like this one. Both turned when they heard a carriage. Doctor Martin was back as promised, and the brothers escorted him into the house.

Glad to see the doctor this time, Adam was hoping it meant he would be able to be propped up instead of spending every minute flat on his back. He had no idea what that was going to cost him though. Paul did have Hoss and Ben tip Adam up and forward a bit so he could place two pillows behind him. By the time they were done, Adam was pale and sweating. It had hurt quite a bit more than he had expected. Paul wasn’t done with him yet though.

“Now, you may not like the next part at all. I want to get you standing a few times every day. When you have necessary things to do would be the time for it. If we don’t have you stand, you’re likely to develop more problems than you have now. Bedsores, lung problems, stiff muscles in your legs and back, and possibly other things. You won’t be able to walk but you should be able to shuffle along just a bit. Don’t try to go too far though because you need to be flat on your back afterwards. Flat on your back is also probably the best sleeping position for you too.”

“Can you at least loosen the bandage on my left arm so I can do a few things for myself?”

“I’ll do that before we get you up. That elbow was scraped and bruised but not broken. It was wrapped so tightly to keep the swelling down, but I think it would be just fine to keep only a light bandage on it now if you’re careful.”

A short time later, Paul had Ben and Hoss carefully help Adam to stand. He was very dizzy so they had to hang on to him very tightly. Ben asked Little Joe to go get Adam’s robe. A nightshirt would be too difficult to wear. Wearing just a robe would be more comfortable as well as more convenient for him. As Adam regained his equilibrium, he looked over at Paul.

“I see what you mean. I feel as weak as a baby after only two days. It doesn’t hurt much to stand by getting up here was damn hard.”

“Laying down ought to be a bit easier. I wanted to be here when they got you standing the first time. Now, you need to have this done about four times a day at least. I don’t want you to stand too long now because it’s only two days since you were injured. A few minutes at a time until tomorrow when you can try to stand longer. If you want to stand at this dresser to eat, that would work well. It will be easier for you to eat standing up than lying down. Anything else you need to stand to do, be sure that whoever helps you takes their time. As you get stronger, Hoss can rig a bar above you. If he hooks it on that beam, it ought to be strong enough so you can pull yourself upright with your left arm but someone will likely still have to help you for some time yet. Pulling yourself up will help you start to rehabilitate your shoulder and back muscles. When you get strong enough, you can do it yourself and then use the bar to ease yourself back into the bed. Any questions?”

Because Adam was visibly tiring, Ben and Hoss eased him back into the bed. Paul pulled the pillows away and told Adam to try to get some sleep. He said he would be back in three or four days. That he wasn’t planning to be there for that time frame let everyone know he was no longer worried about Adam’s condition. Joe felt the burden of guilt begin to lift when he knew there would be no long-term impact of his actions.

The elephant in the room every time Little Joe spoke with any other member of the family was the subject of Little Joe’s actions on the day Adam was hurt. Little Joe didn’t want to bring it up and hoped it would just be forgotten. He worried though because, as Hoss said, they would forgive him, but they wouldn’t forget. He had to wonder about the consequences that might bring. He wanted to talk with Adam but knew he shouldn’t because Adam had enough problems so he knew he shouldn’t upset him. He fully expected Adam to get very angry when he found out what he had done, or in this case, failed to do. He was afraid to talk with his father expecting a recrimination filled diatribe although he was unlikely to use those words. Instead, he rehearsed both conversations in his mind trying to decide how to answer the accusations he expected to face.

Now that Adam could sit propped up albeit in more of a reclining position and had use of his left hand, he wanted to read books himself. There was also no need for anyone to sit with him for he could call out or ring the bell Hop Sing had placed beside his bed. For everyone except Adam, life was getting back to normal. Ben made work assignments that night spelling out for Little Joe exactly what he was expected to do and letting him know that Ben was going to be checking to see that things were done as instructed. Adam listened, and the next morning, decided he and his father really ought to talk.

“You were pretty hard on the kid last night, weren’t you?”

“So you think I was pretty hard on Little Joe? Yes. His action, or lack of action, could have cost you your life. He needs to face that. I find it difficult to even bring up the subject with him because my temper rises immediately when I think about what his actions could have cost you. If he were a few years younger, I know what I would have done.”

Grimacing as he remembered what that had meant when he was younger too, Adam tried to remain calm. “Don’t you think he already has had to face it? He was in here most of the first two days I was in this bed. He’s done everything he could for me. He’s shown remorse and caring. What else is there?”

“You can forgive and forget that easily?”

“Forgive, yes; forget, no; but I’m working on it.”

“I’m guessing you have a suggestion here or you wouldn’t have insisted we talk about this.”

“Yes, let me talk with Little Joe. He’s been avoiding talking about that day. Let me get him to open up. I’ve pieced together what must have happened that day. Little Joe needs to tell me, confess as it were. He probably already has talked to Hoss about it some, but he needs to speak to me and to you. Let me get it started. It might do all of us a lot of good.”

“I still have trouble thinking about forgiving him. I’ve lost three wives. I cannot lose a son. I can’t even bear to think about that.”

“Pa, it’s a dangerous world out here. You know that. You’ve had to live with the consequences. So have I. There have been storms, men without morals, disease, accidents, and occasionally attacks on us. We face them all knowing we could lose our life or we could see loved ones hurt or, God forbid, lost. But what Joe did was due to inexperience not malice. Let him learn from this. Don’t let this become a wedge between us.”

Chapter 6

“Little Joe, I don’t need anything, but I would like to talk with you if you have the time now. I’ve got a few questions about the day I was hurt.” Joe had brought Adam his breakfast earlier and had returned for the tray and to give him a fresh cup of coffee.

Looking at Adam and the look he had, Joe thought before answering. “You know, don’t you?” At Adam’s nod, he continued. “Who told you? Pa or Hoss? Seems everybody in this family is a tattletale.”

Adam had not expected that response. “What do you mean?”

“Well you tattled to Pa about me owing forty dollars for damages to the saloon so then he knew I snuck out to go to town too.”

“Little Joe, I never told Pa about that. I was sorely tempted to, but I did that a number of times when I was your age and younger.”

“Younger?”

“I had a bit of anger about Marie on occasion and on how Pa treated me as a man when he wanted work done and as a boy when he ordered me about. I got myself in trouble a few times too.”

“You?”

“Joe, I didn’t just show up in your life twelve years older than you. I lived those years. I made mistakes. I learned.”

“You just slipped up there too and called me Joe instead of Little Joe.”

“When I’m talking to you like a man, I guess it’s more natural to call you Joe.”

“So if you call me Little Joe, that means you’re talking to me like I’m a boy.”

“Maybe. Sometimes I just call you that because I’ve called you that for eighteen years. It’s not an easy habit to break. I know you prefer Joe now, but you have to realize we’ve known you as Little Joe for a very long time. It’ll take a while for the change to take place, and sometimes it might not stick.”

“All right, if you didn’t tell Pa, who did?” Adam smiled and a moment later Joe did too. “Roy!”

“Who else? Roy has been like a father to us over the years. He looks out for us and sometimes acts as much a mother hen as Pa does.”

“It’s only because he loves us like sons. Family does that.” Suddenly Joe had a revelation about his brothers. “I always thought you were trying to be mean with some of the stuff you said, but you were just trying to get me to do the right thing. How could I have been such a fool?”

“We’ve all been there. When you’re about sixteen, it seems your father doesn’t know anything. Then you get to be about eighteen, and your father gets a lot smarter. Heck, by now, I think Pa may be bordering on genius.” Joe started giggling, and Adam laughed but wished he hadn’t. It caused some pain in the standing position so Joe helped him back to the bed. Joe had a big grin the whole time though. “All right, out with it. I know you’re holding something back.”

“Well, I used to think you were really smart. Now I know it’s just because you’re old.”

“I am not old!”

“That’s not what the girls say. They wonder at a man as old as you who’s not married.”

“I guess I’m not interested in girls and what they have to say.”

Joe was shocked by that. “You’re not interested in girls? Is that why you never got married?”

“I was interested in girls when I was your age. Now I’m looking for the right woman.”

Momentarily confused, Joe smiled as he understood. “There do seem to be more than a few women looking your way.” Suddenly Joe had a better understanding too of why Lotta had kissed Adam as she had, but hadn’t kissed him like that. He thought about the women in town. Some were very attractive to him, but he would have to act more like a man than a boy to get their attention. After a moment, he smiled thinking about how he might get that Julia Bulette to kiss him. She was all woman.

As Adam watched, he knew. “You’re planning your next conquest. Joe, remember to think it through before you do anything.”

“Of course, older brother, I’m always thinking.”

“Like you were thinking when you didn’t hobble that stallion?”

Dropping his head, Joe’s thoughts of romantic conquest were vanquished by that one question. “Adam, I’m really sorry about that.”

“I know you are, and you didn’t hurt me intentionally but only through bad judgment.”

“I thought that he wouldn’t be able to get through the gate. I thought we fixed it well enough. Hobbling him seemed unnecessary.”

“Maybe that was one of those times when our father, the genius, knew better. Joe, before you decide to ignore what someone tells you, perhaps you ought to ask them the reasons for their orders or at least try to consider it from their point of view. We all need to be more careful out here. We never know when a decision we make could have dreadful consequences.”

“I suppose you learned that from an experience too?”

“Yes, I did. The last time I was stuck in bed like this it was because I didn’t pay attention like I should have to what was going on around me, and the men didn’t follow their orders. I know better and I was told numerous times to watch where I was going when I was in an area of active cutting. I can tell you from experience that having a tree fall on you is something to be avoided at all costs.”

“I don’t remember that.”

“I had just gotten home from college. You weren’t all that happy to have me around, and I spent a few days at the timber camp before they could get me home. Then I was stuck in my room for at least a month. You were in school every day so you probably didn’t have that much contact with me. I’m sure Hoss remembers.”

“He does. He told me you were like a bear in a cage. Pa said you were worse than that.”

Scowling, Adam nodded. “I hate being an invalid. It makes me crazy.”

“Hoss said he’s ready to put up that bar any time you’re ready for it. That might help. At least you could move yourself around a little bit with that.”

When Joe went out to tell Hoss that Adam was ready for the bar to be installed, Ben called Joe to his desk. “Did you and Adam have a good talk?” Sheepishly, Joe had to admit they had. “You took responsibility for your actions? Again, Joe nodded. “Now, what do you think would be a proper consequence for you for your actions?”

“Pa, I already did everything I could to help take care of Adam.”

“As you should have but that was because you felt guilty. Now what else can you do?”

“I could do all of Adam’s chores until he can do them again.”

“That’s also a given. What else can you do?”

“I suppose I could spend some time with him playing checkers.”

“He enjoys chess far more than checkers.”

“But, Pa, he plays chess so slow, or at least slow until he wallops me. I never win. Heck, I hardly remember the times you’ve beaten him.”

“Oh, I used to beat him regularly. Of course, he was about ten years old and learning the game then. Now he plays slowly because in his mind, he’s trying to work out what the moves will be ten or twelve moves ahead.”

“Oh, how can he do that? How could he know what I’m going to do?”

“If you study the board, you will see there are limited choices. If you know your opponent as well as he knows you, you can get a pretty good idea of what they’re likely to do. He uses you against yourself. He knows you like to jump pieces much as you play checkers, so he gives you pieces to jump to get you to put your valuable pieces at risk. You would be a far greater challenge for him if you wouldn’t jump the pieces the first time you see that you can. Look for one of his better pieces and go after it. If he’s putting pieces out there for you to jump, at some point, his more valuable pieces have to be vulnerable too.”

“So if I can guess what he’s going to do, then I can do better?”

“That’s about it. Chess is a game of war. The two players are the generals of their respective armies. They’ve got to be on offense and defense. Adam lets his defense lag when his opponent is only on the offense.”

“You telling me how to beat Adam?”

“No, but at least you can put up a respectable fight this way. Until you learn to plan your moves, you won’t beat him.”

“Well, Pa, then I’m going to learn how to plan.”

“That would be a welcome change.”

Both of them knew he was talking about far more than chess. For the next few weeks, there were frequent yells and complaints from the bedroom as Adam and Joe played chess. Sometimes Little Joe came stomping out angry after a short time being beaten by Adam in less than a dozen moves. Then slowly, there were more days when Joe didn’t emerge for hours, and when he did, he had that look that said he had gotten under his brother’s skin again. He had decided that losing wasn’t so bad as long as he made Adam work for it, and work he did struggling to alter his game plan when he realized that Joe was targeting his more valuable pieces. His very bad week stretched out for a month before Paul decided that if he was careful, then all the bandages and splints could be removed. Once that happened, Adam was able to move to his bedroom upstairs. After a few more months, the snow was melting and Adam tried riding. At first, he was very stiff in the saddle but gradually regained his natural grace riding Sport. One Monday afternoon in March, he told his father he was heading to town. It was his first ride off the Ponderosa. When he arrived, he made one stop before he went to the outside stairs at the back of the saloon and climbed to the second floor. Entering the hallway there, he knocked on Sally’s door and waited patiently for her to answer.

“Oh, Adam, I heard you were hurt. You look pretty good to me though.”

“I’m fine now. I wanted to see you. I never thanked you properly for helping me out months ago.”

“Oh, that’s all right, but today’s my day off.”

“I know. I had Hoss ask Sam. I was wondering if you would do me the honor of accompanying me to dinner. I made reservations, and I hope that wasn’t too presumptuous.”

“Oh, Adam, do you think it’s proper for you to be seen with me in town?”

“”It’s quite proper for man to escort a friend to dinner and have time to talk and laugh together.”

“Yes, two friends going to dinner does sound quite proper. If you can wait just a moment, I’ll get my cape, and we can go.”

So Adam waited, and then he escorted Sally to dinner where she had a lot of questions, and he explained all that had happened in his very bad week and the months of recovery that followed. After dinner, Adam escorted Sally back to her room. At the door, he kissed her softly and then with more passion.

“Do you want to come inside?”

“I would love to do that, but with all that’s happened, Pa’s going to worry until I’m safely back in the house. He won’t likely be able to sleep, and he’ll be waiting up for me.”

“Well, then give me a kiss to hold me until I see you again.”

Adam did his best to do just that as he pulled her close wrapping one arm around her waist and the other around her shoulders as his tongue slid into her mouth to duel with her tongue. After kissing for a few minutes, Adam broke the kiss.

“Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if Pa waited up for me for an hour or so.”

Smiling, Sally opened the door to her room taking Adam’s hand and pulling him in behind her. It was still relatively early an hour-and-a-half later when Adam walked down the stairs and toward the livery stable. Joe was sitting on a bale of hay there talking with the liveryman.

“Hey, Adam, how you feeling? You up to another ride so soon?”

“Are you still taking care of me?”

“Nah, I just thought I wouldn’t mind a little time in town, and I hoped you wouldn’t mind some company on the ride home.”

“Uh-huh. Does Pa know you’ve come to be a mother hen in his place?”

“He probably does by now.” Suddenly realizing what he had admitted, Joe had the good grace to be a bit embarrassed. It only made Adam smile and shake his head. As soon as Sport was saddled, he mounted up as smoothly as he could and turned toward home. Joe was by his side soon after.

“You going to tell me what you’ve been doing for the last five hours?”

“Nope. I’m surprised you didn’t follow me around.”

“Nope, not gonna do anything like that. I just had a few beers and then moseyed around a bit until I sat myself down in the livery stable to wait.”

“Couldn’t find me, huh?”

“Nope. I went to every saloon you usually go to and wandered past many an establishment wondering where you were.”

“I had dinner with a friend, and then we talked.”

“That’s what you’re calling it now?”

“What do you mean ‘it’?”

“You still got rouge on your cheek.” Adam moved to wipe his cheek and Joe cackled. “I knew it. You were with a woman.”

“I should never have played that much chess with you. You’re beginning to know too much.”

“I kinda like getting to know my oldest brother. I’ve enjoyed the past few months and getting to spend some time with you.”

“Me too, Joe. Now let’s ride a bit faster so our father gets some sleep tonight.”

The two brothers rode home then entering the house to find their father asleep in the red chair or so he wanted them to think. After they ‘woke’ him, he smiled to see that they were smiling. All three went upstairs to bed secure in the love of the family.

Next in the Very Series:

Very Bad and Then Very Good
Very Much a Cartwright

 

Tags:  Adam Cartwright, Ben Cartwright, ESJ, Hoss Cartwright, Joe / Little Joe Cartwright, SAS