Summary:\u00a0 A story of the events leading up to Adam’s illness that led Ben to reflect on his first wife in Elizabeth, My Love.<\/p>\n
Rating: K+\u00a0 (8,188 words)<\/p>\n
Winter<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nothing was worse than winter upon its first arrival. \u00a0 Somehow this particular winter was worse than usual as it had leap frogged autumn and jumped straight into a bitterly cold season of relentless northerly winds and torrential rain.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Grey skies like lead.\u00a0 Rain that teemed down like bullets.\u00a0 Wind that lashed the rain horizontally and drove the breath out of one\u2019s lungs.\u00a0 The earth turned to treacle as the rain churned it into thick mud and the horse\u2019s feet made a further morass of the ground as they walked upon it.\u00a0 No wonder the riders were wading through wet cloying mud that sucked at their boots and made going anywhere twice as difficult as normal.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Everyone was in a bad humour. \u00a0 Hop Sing was near dancing with anger every time the door opened and closed and another Cartwright entered the house with half the yard on his boots to be deposited upon the floor.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss complained that being the biggest he got to become the wettest because more rain fell upon him that anyone else.\u00a0 Joe groaned that being the smallest he was most likely to be blown away by the wind. \u00a0 Adam said that with Joe being the smallest and nearest to the ground he was also in the most danger of being drowned.\u00a0 Ben just complained – of his aching bones, the rain that poured down his neck and trickled down his back and seemed to end in puddles in his boots; \u00a0 of cold bedrooms and draughty floorboards, at food being cold by the time it reached the table, and at Hop Sing for being unreasonable when he complained to him about the cold food.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDangblast it, Pa, this here eggs colder now than when it went into the pan,\u201d Hoss groaned as he lifted the offending congealed object onto the tines of his fork for all to see.<\/p>\n \u201cHasn\u2019t stopped you from eating them before,\u201d Joe observed as he stabbed at a piece of ham, \u201cWhen will it ever stop raining?\u201d he asked no one in particular as he stared out of the window at an obscured view due to the rain that lashed at the windows.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJust hurry up and eat, we\u2019ve work to do,\u201d Ben growled as he hastily swallowed down his breakfast and washed it down with coffee, \u201cWhere\u2019s Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou mean you\u2019ve only just noticed he isn\u2019t here?\u201d Joe chortled, \u201cWe\u2019ve been sitting at the table for half an hour and you\u2019ve only just noticed he isn\u2019t here, waxing lyrical about the season and adding his complaints to ours?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s enough,\u201d Ben scowled at his youngest and then glanced again at the empty chair.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe left early. \u00a0 I heard him pass my door about 4 o\u2019clock this morning.\u201d Hoss yawned, \u201cPa, how about we take the day off?\u00a0 We could treat ourselves to a holiday, huh?\u201d and he looked hopefully at his father with his blue eyes wide and – he thought – appealing.<\/p>\n (Well, it always worked with Joe.)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t be so ridiculous,\u201d Ben snapped and rose to his feet away from the table upon which he cast down his napkin. \u00a0 The whole idea of taking the day off was – oh so tempting – but there was work to be done and if he expected the hands to get on with it, then he, and the boys, should be there setting an example.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The thought of going out in the rain didn\u2019t propel them from their seats with the same alacrity as their father, but eventually Hoss and Joe managed it.\u00a0 The putting on of gun belts, hats, jackets took twice as long as usual and were accompanied by sighs and groans and mumbles under the breath. \u00a0 Ben cast thoughtful glances in the direction of his desk and tried to recall whether or not there was some urgent book work that needed some attention.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As Ben reached out to take the latch on the door, it was pushed open and Hank stepped inside.\u00a0 He coughed and stood for a moment in silence as rain water tipped from his hat brim onto the floor as though from a gully. \u00a0 It streamed from his tarpaulin slicker and puddled the floor.\u00a0 He looked, with red rimmed eyes, at Ben<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBad news,\u201d he mumbled.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShucks,\u201d Hoss frowned, no way was he going to be able to coax his family into staying home now.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJust knew there had to be -\u201d Joe sighed, looking at his brother\u2019s face with resignation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it?\u201d \u00a0 Ben prompted as Hank didn\u2019t seem in too much of a hurry to divulge the information.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe bridge is down on the Mill Road.\u00a0 It\u2019s flooded over and broken up. \u00a0 We -\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe?\u201d Ben frowned, mentally anticipating the reply.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam and me -\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam was with you?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes, Mr Cartwright.\u00a0 I was up early and so rode along with him.\u00a0 He said how he wanted to check on the state of the river as it was so high yesterday. \u00a0 \u00a0Anyhows, the bridge there was all shattered up so we rode on along some to where the river widens out for the bridge crossing onto the road to town. \u00a0 Adam reckons on it just about holding but not for much longer if this weather carries on.\u00a0 He was mighty concerned about the folk at the Box G. \u00a0 Wondered if\u2019n we oughta go along and check on \u2018em.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe looked at his father\u2019s face and then at Hoss\u2019. \u00a0 If the bridge were to break up there they would be cut off from any help if there was any severe flooding onto their land.\u00a0 Ben caught his son\u2019s glance and nodded, \u00a0\u201cBest if Joe and Hoss go along and check them out. \u00a0 Where\u2019s Adam now?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cKeeping a check on the bridge.\u00a0 I just come back to grab me some tools and pass on what Adam said.-\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben nodded.\u00a0 It was bad enough that the bridge at the Mill Road had collapsed, but the bridge that spanned the river close to the Box G was a vital link for the Box G as well as themselves as it served as an alternative route to the town, as well as to the homesteaders on the borders of the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou two had best go and check on the Chapmans.\u00a0 Make sure they\u2019re quite safe and provided for should there be an emergency.\u00a0 And -\u201d he grabbed at Joe\u2019s arm as the younger man made a hurried move to leave, \u201cdon\u2019t take any unnecessary risks.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSure thing, Pa.\u201d \u00a0Hoss nodded reassuringly, and placed a firm hand upon his brother\u2019s shoulder as though to reinforce their father\u2019s request.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben frowned thoughtfully as he thought of all the homesteaders, ranchers and farmers who would be dependent on the Box G Bridge remaining open. It was a curse indeed, this wretched rain, the threat of flood, and the links to town destroyed. \u00a0 He firmed down his hat upon his head and looked at Hank,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026..<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam Cartwright rode his horse slowly along the swollen banks of the river.\u00a0 With his hat lowered to shield his eyes from the worse of the rain his view of the river was somewhat restricted, but he could see only too well the debris that was hurtling through the swollen engorged frenzied waters. \u00a0 Broken trees that had worked loose from so much rain after weeks of drought were tumbling down river as though mere straws, clumps of muddied reeds from the river banks had been pulled free to turn over and over in the currents to eventually be deposited elsewhere, at which site they would eventually re-establish roots for regrowth. \u00a0 \u00a0 He watched as several branches snagged together, twirled around and around before breaking free again.\u00a0 He shook his head thoughtfully knowing that this really was not good as the danger of them locking together to form a dam further downstream would escalate the threat of flood in this particular locality.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He wheeled his horse around and returned slowly back towards the bridge.\u00a0 It had always stood firm against any weather in the past, and only that summer Hoss had busied himself by reinforcing any weak spots.\u00a0 Thank goodness for it, Adam mentally noted, it gave some hope that the structure would withstand this storm.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat the -\u201d the words came from his mouth as an involuntary gasp of amazement as he noticed the wagon that had rolled onto the bridge and was carefully making its way towards his side of the bank.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He raised a hand as though in an attempt to stop the wagon proceeding any further. \u00a0 Surely the man could see that the whole venture was a risk. \u00a0 Surely he could see that he was putting himself and his people in danger as the waters surged muddily and greedily beneath the planks, and every so often the structure would resound with the sound of some debris striking against it. \u00a0 Even now a large branch was snagged between the planks and sides, with the current pulling at it one way and the bridge holding it fast at the other.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The horses pulling the wagon were nervous as they felt the planks shaking beneath their hooves. \u00a0 \u00a0Inch by inch they moved further along, second by second the horses became more and more jittery. \u00a0 \u00a0The man pushed the reins into the hands of another man and clambered down from the wagon seat to walk to the head of the horses.\u00a0 The wind blew against him and he had to bend double to fight against it, holding onto his hat with one hand as he did so.\u00a0 As he neared the trapped branch he kicked against it with a strength and violence that succeeded in setting it free to be carried away downstream.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam watched the man\u2019s progress with concern while at the same time urging Sport towards the bridge for he knew only too well that the man would be requiring some help before long.\u00a0 His hand reached out for his lariat, ensuring that it was free and ready for use.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The man reached the horses and grabbed at their harness.\u00a0 At the same time a heavy swell hit against the bridge which rocked violently upon its footings. \u00a0 \u00a0The horses reared up their heads, squealed in panic as the boards beneath their feet proved themselves unsteady. \u00a0 The man was pushed against the side of the bridge, but held on grimly, shouting at the animals and pulling at the lead horse\u2019s head in an attempt to make them move onwards.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHey, you -\u201d he yelled over at Adam who was now much closer to the bridge, \u201cDon\u2019t just sit there, come and give us a hand.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTake the wagon back while you can -\u201d Adam shouted back, \u201cThe horses want to back up, man, don\u2019t fight them.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe need to cross the bridge.\u00a0 Are you going to give us some help or waste your breath shouting orders at me?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The man was wrestling with the horses now as the bridge continued to shake and tremble. \u00a0 His attempts to move them forwards was not giving them the confidence in him, and certainly not compelling them to move on.\u00a0 They backed up against one another, pushing the wagon into the railings that ran along the sides of the bridge.<\/p>\n The man with the reins was leaning into the wagon now and yelling to whoever was inside. \u00a0 It seemed certain that the more panic stricken the horses became the more they would push the wagon back, but as it stood now at an angle it was not going to go onto the bank of the river, but hard against the bridge rails with all probability of smashing through them. \u00a0 It was more than obvious what the outcome would eventually be, \u00a0 the wagon would go over the side and into the river.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Whether the man realised his wagon was in such danger was not obvious, but the older man on the wagon seat seemed aware of it, and was now clambering down. \u00a0 Once on the bridge he turned and raised his arms as though in supplication to those still within.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam had now reached the bridge and had dismounted. \u00a0 One end of his lariat he had tied to the pommel of his saddle, while he held the rest in his hand, feeding it out slowly as he ran, and head lowered, along the bridge. \u00a0 He could feel the wooden structure trembling as though it were a living sentient being in fear of being destroyed by the greater force that was waged against it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When he raised his eyes to check on the progress of the wagon he saw a woman holding the hand of a child running towards him and within minutes he had seized hold of them and had succeeded in leading them across the bridge.\u00a0 He ushered them to the shelter of the tree under which his horse was standing. \u00a0 \u00a0Then he retraced his footsteps and ran towards the wagon.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Chapter 2<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sarah Morgan cringed against the sturdy trunk of the tree against which the stranger had positioned her. \u00a0 \u00a0Her child, Laura, clung to her skirts with her face white with fear and mute with terror. \u00a0 It seemed to Sarah as though after so many dangers and tribulations all their efforts were to be dashed, quite literally dashed, to pieces just as they were on the threshold of nearing their goal.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Her lips moved in silent prayer although her heart was breaking within her breast.\u00a0 She watched with fever bright eyes as the stranger joined with her husband to fight the horses, to steady them enough to gain the confidence they needed to move forwards and to inch the wagon away from the danger of going over the bridge\u2019s side.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Her hand remained rested upon her daughter\u2019s head and gently she turned the child to face her, and looked down into the trusting but ashen little face bereft now of freckles and sunny smiles just as the sky was barren of sun and sunlight.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t be frightened, sweet heart, it\u2019ll be alright.\u201d she consoled, and drew the child closer. \u00a0\u201cIt\u2019ll be alright,\u201d she repeated as though now she needed to console herself.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s Liam, mummy?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sarah now turned stricken eyes back to the wagon and her mouth framed the one word, a name, Liam. \u00a0 The colour and strength drained from her body and without a sound she slid onto the ground with her child sobbing over her.<\/p>\n The horses were calming slowly. \u00a0 The stranger who had come to them had a deep resonant voice that encouraged them to be still, vastly different to the strident curses and yells from their owner. \u00a0 Behind the wagon the other man struggled to straighten the vehicle, putting all his weight against the back wheel which had lodged itself against the railings.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n At last there was a return to some confidence in the beasts.\u00a0 Perhaps they had sight of the sturdy chestnut horse standing at the far end of the bridge, dutifully awaiting the return of his master. \u00a0 Whatever it was the two horses seemed to have decided to do their master and the stranger some justice and pulled the wagon forward.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The wagon lurched and rolled. \u00a0 The bridge shuddered as the wheel continued locked in the side railings. \u00a0 Adam hurried round the wagon to where the other man was struggling to free the wheel and realising the problem he put his hands on the spokes and added his strength to that of the other. \u00a0 Together they heaved against the wagon, against the wheel striving to force it free.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDaddy \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The child\u2019s voice was a mere whimper, and Adam glanced up to see the infant\u2019s face with the quivering bottom lip and the large eyes pooling with tears.\u00a0 The other man turned also, looked at the child and straightened his back,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s alright, son, Daddy\u2019s here.\u00a0 Just be still now like a good boy.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But the child had no realisation of what he should or should not do. \u00a0 He was frightened, he was alone in the wagon, and he needed his father.\u00a0 His arms were reached out and he leaned forward into the mans arms. \u00a0 \u00a0It seemed to Adam as though he were transported back in time to when he himself had trusted more in the safety of his father\u2019s arms than in anything or anywhere else. \u00a0 How many times had he turned to the man who had always been there for him, who had, like this man, taken him into the enduring comfort of his arms when fear had so overwhelmed him? \u00a0 No child thought of a father having fear, no child knew nor wanted any other reassurance but that of his father\u2019s presence.<\/p>\n It was at that moment the horses in front pulled together, and the wagon righted itself, steadied, and turned. \u00a0 It was at that moment that man and child were cast over the railings into the surging waters of the river. \u00a0 The brown brackish waters covered their heads immediately.\u00a0 There was no cry, no shrill scream to mark their passing \u2026 just a silence and where they had once stood, nothingness.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026..<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam still had the rope end in his hand. \u00a0 Unconsciously he had not for a moment loosened his grip upon it and now as he threw himself into the river he wondered if God in his mercy would grant him the strength to use it for the benefit of the three of them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The strength of the current was fiercely uncompromising. \u00a0 \u00a0He found himself cast into a maelstrom of eddying currents that pushed him under, hurled him upwards and spun him around. \u00a0 He searched wildly for sight of the man and boy when he was above the surface of the water, and then grappled for his own life when sucked back under once again.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n His body was numb within seconds of being in the water. \u00a0 His eyes were near blinded by the volume of force that struck against his face. \u00a0 Yet still he held to the rope in his hand and still he looked for sight of the others who, he felt, had less chance to survive than he for he knew the man would not release his hold on the child, unless the river snatched him away from him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Now he could see the man\u2019s head bobbing close to him.\u00a0 Now he knew was the time to strike out and fight for their lives against the currents and to pray that strength beyond what was normal would be provided for their safe being.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben and Hank dismounted with a haste that almost propelled them both into the river, but gaining their feet they ran to where the taut rope held fast to Sports saddle horn. \u00a0 Ben was about to cast himself into the river but Hanks hand grabbed at his arm and forced him to exercise some self control even though they could see that Adam was fighting for his life, but not just his own, for now he had reached the other man.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTake the boy.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The man\u2019s scream was high above the sounds of the river, and the wind blew them into Adam\u2019s hearing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTake the rope, man,\u201d Adam replied, \u201cTake the rope. \u00a0 Both of you can be hauled into the bank.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo strength left -\u201d the man cried even as he was pulled beneath the water yet still held his child aloft.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHold fast, man, hold fast.\u201d \u00a0Adam yelled, and cast the loop of the rope over the wrist of the hapless fellow.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo strength.\u00a0 Save yourself.\u00a0 Save my boy.\u201d \u00a0 Cried the man as he resurfaced, \u201cSave him\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The current pulled them along. \u00a0 Adam felt the rope tauten even as he went beneath the surface.\u00a0 His hands groped, felt and held fast to the man\u2019s body and together they resurfaced.\u00a0 The rope was still taut and the mans arm was now victim to another battle as Hank and Ben hauled at it from the bridge. \u00a0 Adam reached up, grabbed at the rope, while at the same time his other arm encircled the body of the man.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Using their feet both men pushed themselves against the strength of the river.\u00a0 Morgan, one arm still enfolded around his child, had now a firm grip upon the rope.\u00a0 Above Morgan\u2019s hand Adam\u2019s fingers also gripped the rope so that all three were now totally dependent upon the two men hauling the rope in.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Neither of them could see through their eyes now blinded by the waters rushing against their faces. \u00a0 \u00a0They pushed with their feet and held tightly to the rope.\u00a0 Morgan clung to his child, and Adam clung to Morgan.\u00a0 It took all of Hank and Ben\u2019s strength to haul them in aided by Sport who maintained a loyal and steady stance upon the bridge.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It seemed as though their battle through the waters was interminable. \u00a0 On and on it lasted as one moment they were pulled under, only then to be forced up.\u00a0 Never once did Morgan loosen his grip on his child, nor on the rope. \u00a0 \u00a0It was Adam Cartwright who found himself weakening, unable to maintain his hold on the man, his fingers too numb to continue his grip on the rope.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He didn\u2019t hear his father\u2019s cry, his name being called aloud. \u00a0 He only saw a brief glimpse of the leaden sky, felt the rain splatter against his face and then the strange sickening lurch of his body as the water engulfed him and pulled him down into its murky mud laden bottom.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He didn\u2019t feel strong arms that gathered him up and brought him to the surface for he was unknowing of the sight of his two brothers seeing his danger and of Hoss throwing himself into the water. \u00a0 \u00a0He didn\u2019t hear their voices as they assured him he would be alright, really, he would be alright.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sarah Morgan drew closer to the fire. \u00a0 Tentatively she held out her hands to the flames and felt their warmth.\u00a0 She had thought she would never feel warm again, nor dry. \u00a0 From somewhere the kind gentleman had found clothes for her, and a dry childs nightshirt for Laura. \u00a0 Now they sat in the big room with the roaring fire while the Chinese gentleman fussed around making coffee and soup and freshly baked bread.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She shivered now, not from the cold for she was no longer cold, but from guilt. \u00a0 She knew even as she sat there, safe and warm, that in the room above the young man who had come to help them was fighting for his life.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She drew the shawl closer around her shoulders and forced a smile on her lips for Laura\u2019s sake as the child sidled up to her mother and crouched beside her, rested her head upon her mother\u2019s lap and gazed into the flames.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Peter Morgan thanked Hop Sing for the bowl of soup and hugged it to his body.\u00a0 Like his wife he felt a myriad contrasting emotions as he rejoiced for his own life and that of his son, but knew that another life could well have been the cost of them both. \u00a0 He looked over at Joe who was talking in a low voice to his brother, the big man who had dived in to save the man they knew to be Adam Cartwright.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Howard Morgan drank his coffee and watched his brother and sister in law. \u00a0 It had been a risky venture right from the time they had signed up at St Josephs, Missouri. \u00a0 But there was no help for it, plans had been arranged, negotiated and concluded for them to take over a property which bordered the Ponderosa.\u00a0 As the weather had worsened they knew without doubt that if they did not make a push for it they would be trapped in the mountain passes, and probably perish.\u00a0 Instead they had risked everything and almost died anyway.\u00a0 He sighed heavily, and approached the two Cartwright brothers,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHas someone sent for the doctor?\u00a0 I presume there is a doctor in town, isn\u2019t there?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t get to Virginia City.\u00a0 It\u2019s flooded and the bridge is down.\u201d \u00a0Hoss muttered, and he looked at Howard as though just realising that the man was there, \u201cDon\u2019t worry though, \u00a0one of our men is heading for Carson City and getting the doctor from there.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAt least it\u2019s stopped raining.\u201d Howard muttered and then wished he hadn\u2019t said something so inane, but Hoss seemed to understand for he allowed a brief smile to cross his face and he nodded.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah, that\u2019s some relief anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Howard moved away to sit close to his family. \u00a0 Liam Morgan aged nearly three slept soundly. \u00a0 \u00a0Wrapped in a blanket and cradled in his mother\u2019s arms he was now oblivious to what had happened.\u00a0 Perhaps in time to come he would have dreams and nightmares that he would not understand the meaning of, \u00a0fears of things the origin of which he would not recall.\u00a0 At the present time he slept having been clothed, fed and cosseted.\u00a0 In his world he was safe once more.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Now there was just that sudden quietness that often happens when an event has arisen that snatches one away from the normality of life. \u00a0 Each and everyone of the adults there waited for news of the one who had been brought home as though dead and who now fought for \u00a0his own life as desperately as he had fought for theirs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The flames of the fire chased themselves up the chimney.\u00a0 Hop Sing bustled about them with an admirable calmness about him, \u00a0bringing with him a new confidence and hope of a good life ahead in this new world. \u00a0 The child, Liam, lay in his mother\u2019s arms and she, holding \u00a0him tenderly, sat mutely by the fire, now staring down at the beloved face, no, not staring, more rightly to say, devouring the little face with the sweet pursed lips and the long curled lashes upon porcelain cheeks.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHow is he?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She looked up and saw Joe\u2019s face, the anxious strained look in the young man\u2019s face was not, she knew, just for her and Liam.\u00a0 She forced a smile,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s much better. \u00a0 He\u2019s a strong little boy.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s good,\u201d Joe leaned forward and gently held back a fold of the blanket to reveal the child\u2019s face, \u201cThere\u2019s more colour in his cheeks now, isn\u2019t there?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She only nodded, but said nothing. \u00a0 The blanket she pulled back, closing it around her infant, as though to trap within its folds every last amount of warmth.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There was the heavy tread of a footstep upon the stairs. \u00a0 They looked up in a movement that indicated their concern as the rancher came down the stairs, one by one, each step leaden, as though weighed down by his sorrows.\u00a0 He paused at the bottom step, raised his dark eyes and realised he had guests who had gone through their own sufferings. \u00a0 He straightened his shoulders and forced himself to smile,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe rain has stopped.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n They looked at him as though bewildered.\u00a0 Joe had stood up and stepped forward, a question on his lips but knew now it was better not to ask, not in front of these strangers. \u00a0 Hoss licked his lips and turned away, his eyes fell upon the coffee pot and he promptly poured out his father some coffee, a normal action upon an abnormal day.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHere, Pa, guess you could be doing with some of this inside of you,\u201d he passed it into his father\u2019s hands and his eyes looked deeply into his father\u2019s eyes and he knew he was being told – no change.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Peter Morgan stood up and approached Ben, his hand outstretched,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThank you again, Mr Cartwright.\u00a0 I can\u2019t thank you enough for all the help you\u2019ve given to us. \u00a0 Your son -\u201d his eyes flickered nervously to the stairs, \u201csaved our lives.\u00a0 You all did.\u00a0 I\u2019m just so sorry that it has caused you all so much -\u201d he swallowed the word, for he found he couldn\u2019t bring himself to say it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWinter\u2019s a dangerous season, Mr Morgan. \u00a0 Not the time to be venturing out on journeys such as yours.\u201d Ben replied, and if there was a hint of remonstrance within his words he did not mean them, for he was a man himself who had undertaken just such ventures in the past.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe were delayed in the hills.\u201d Howard Morgan spoke up, a trite defensively, \u201cMy wife – she was ill for a while which further delayed us.\u00a0 We would have been here sooner, before winter came. \u00a0 We knew it was a risk but it was important to reach our new home as soon as we could, for we have commitments here.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben nodded in understanding.\u00a0 There was no point in anyone referring to the fact that there was but one woman there present.\u00a0 Mrs Howard Morgan had been ill, and her death had no doubt contributed to their delay.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHoward has a position in Virginia City to take up; he was due to take it up at the end of last month. \u00a0 \u00a0He – we – didn\u2019t want to risk his losing it after all the difficulties we had endured on this journey.\u201d Peter Morgan made haste to speak up in defence of his brother, although no accusation had been levelled against him, he felt the need to justify what had already been said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, I think the best thing would be to take one day at a time,\u201d Ben suggested, and he settled down into his big red chair and drank some coffee.\u00a0 Then he glanced up to the ceiling as though his love for his son would enable him to see through the floor boards into the room above where Adam now lay.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The clock ticked away the minutes, seemingly louder than usual as it marched the time away from their lives. \u00a0 The flames seemed to crackle and snap more loudly. \u00a0 The rain had stopped and now a straggling watery sun sparkled upon the raindrops on the windows.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It was Peter Morgan who broke the silence now. \u00a0 He looked around the room and his eyes met those of his wife,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMr Cartwright, we have taken up so much of your time, and – and caused you anxieties enough.\u00a0 I can only thank you on our behalf for everything.\u201d \u00a0He bit his bottom lip and struggled to find the words, so that Sarah, standing up now with the child still in her arms was the one to now speak,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhile the weather holds fine, we should be getting to where we should be and not filling your house with strangers when you have things to deal with of such a personal and necessary kind. \u00a0 I thank you with all my heart for what you have done for us today, \u00a0and when it is possible we shall come and thank Adam personally for his courage and bravery.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She placed a gentle hand upon that of the rancher who rose to his feet and with a smile covered her hand with his own.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTake care, Mrs Morgan. \u00a0 You know there\u2019s always a welcome here for you at the Ponderosa.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She nodded and turned away, with little Laura behind her still clutching at her mothers\u2019 skirts. \u00a0 The child raised her eyes and looked into Ben\u2019s face, it seemed to her that he looked sad but she couldn\u2019t exactly work out why. \u00a0 Everyone seemed sad.\u00a0 She sighed and allowed herself to be picked up by her Uncle Howard.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Outside the sun sparkled upon puddles and raindrops, the air was calm, the clouds had folded themselves up like Bedouin tents and stolen away. \u00a0 The Cartwright\u2019s stood on the porch and watched as the Morgans clambered back into the wagon, \u00a0turned it around and rolled itself away.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAn odd start for them -\u201d Ben muttered, as he turned to re-enter the house.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ll survive. \u00a0 We did,\u201d Hoss replied, pushing his hands into the pockets of his pants, and he closed the door behind him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben sighed, the heavy weary sigh of a tortured man.\u00a0 He put his arm across Hoss\u2019 shoulders and said softly, \u201cWell, I guess we had to \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026..<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It seemed to Adam Cartwright that everywhere he turned there was water, dark, black water. \u00a0 \u00a0The coldness of it made him shiver and his teeth chattered. \u00a0 He could feel drops of water trickling down his face, irritatingly slowly. \u00a0 \u00a0Wave upon wave crashed into him so that his chest tightened as though a band were buckled around him and being pulled tighter and tighter crushing his ribs and making it impossible to breathe. \u00a0 \u00a0He knew he had to push the water away in order to reach the surface and yet no matter how hard he pushed some force still held him down.\u00a0 There was no doubt about it, he was going to drown.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss looked up over his shoulder and his blue eyes widened in frantic appeal as he continued to hold down the blankets that Adam was continually pushing away,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShucks, Pa, ain\u2019t that doctor ever going to git here?\u201d he hissed through clenched teeth, \u201cIf Adam keeps this up he\u2019ll be too exhausted to fight the fever when it gets worser\u2019n this.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you think it can get worse?\u201d Joe asked as he wrung out the cloth and carefully wiped around his brothers face and throat.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI hope not,\u201d Hoss sighed and turned to his father who had just entered the room, \u201cWas that the Doc?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo. \u00a0 It was Hank to say that the bridge was secured and the river levels already going down. \u00a0 The Morgans reached their place safely. \u00a0 \u00a0How is he?\u201d even as he asked the question Ben was striding over to his son\u2019s bedside and looked down anxiously at the sick man in the bed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you think, Pa?\u201d Joe whispered anxiously, \u00a0\u201cDo you think he\u2019ll be alright?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben could say nothing, \u00a0he placed his hand upon his son\u2019s arm and just sighed before he drew nearer to Adam. \u00a0 From experience he could tell that his son was in a critical condition, \u00a0it needed no doctor to tell him for he knew the signs well enough by now. \u00a0 The pulse beat was too rapid, the breathing too shallow, the lips too dry. \u00a0 He leaned closer towards his son and noticed how the eyelids fluttered, sometimes partly opened to reveal the whites of the eyes, and the perspiration spiked the dark hair, collected in a pool at his throat, while the dry lips twitched in silent conversation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSurely the doc should be here by now?\u201d Joe cried, his voice having the shrill edge to it that came to him when under stress.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWho knows what the roads are like from Carson City, Joe?\u201d Hoss said soothingly, \u201cCould be that he won\u2019t be able to git here.\u201d \u00a0He straightened the covers over the sick man once again and then bit his bottom lip as he concentrated on thinking what else he could do to help.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The sick man\u2019s voice cracked as he spoke, but the eyes opened and rolled to gaze upwards at the dark eyed man leaning over the bed.\u00a0 Immediately Ben took hold of one of Adam\u2019s hands and reassured him that he was there, he\u2019d always be there<\/p>\n \u201cPa? \u00a0\u201c<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it, son?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The lips twitched, words were formed in silence and were never uttered before, with a sigh, Adam gave a shudder and closed his eyes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n How strange, Adam thought, that he could be feeling so hot. \u00a0 So hot and no respite from it. \u00a0 The water once so cold was now a foaming cauldron of steam and heat in which he writhed in torment. \u00a0 If only someone could add just a few little ice bergs that could float towards him and cool him. \u00a0 And the child – wasn\u2019t there a child somewhere?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe boy -\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben glanced up at Joe and Hoss, as the cry rang out as a sound of despair. \u00a0 \u00a0He waited for Adam to say more, but there was no further sound.\u00a0 It seemed as though Adam were just slipping slowly away.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n <\/p>\n They had never met the Doctor before – a balding man with a straight back and an intelligent face.\u00a0 He looked reassuringly much as one expected a doctor should look, even one consigned to the dubious responsibilities of caring for the people so far from the sophisticates of the East.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He followed Ben Cartwright up the stairs and passed into the patient\u2019s room without a word, leaving Hoss and Joe to pace the floor in the big room downstairs. \u00a0 He had often heard mention of the Ponderosa and the Cartwrights. \u00a0 He had often wondered what the big ranch house would look like and what he would do were he to be called out to treat any one of them. \u00a0 Well, now here he was and he was discovering that there was not so much different about the Cartwrights and other mortals after all.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The man in the bed lay very still. \u00a0 The darkness of his skin was emphasised by the pristine whiteness of the striped nightshirt he was wearing. \u00a0 He sighed and looked over at the father, Ben Cartwright.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHas he been like this all the time?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u00a0 Only for the past hour.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He nodded and stepped nearer to the bed. \u00a0 He placed the small trumpet shaped instrument upon Adam\u2019s chest and listened to the heart beat, then to the lungs. \u00a0 He pursed his lips and sighed. \u00a0 He peered into the mans eyes and then gently lowered the hooded eyelids. \u00a0 He felt for the pulse at the neck and wrist. \u00a0 The he ran his hands along the body, gently fingering the ribcage, the spine, the base of the skull. \u00a0 He put his hand upon the young man\u2019s brow and stood there for a moment, staring at the far off wall and thinking what ever it is that doctor\u2019s think when everything they did indicates the worse possible news.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe and Hoss stood up as though to attention as the doctor, followed by their father, descended the stairs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam is a very sick boy, Ben.\u00a0 There\u2019s no point in hiding the truth, it\u2019s out of my hands.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The brothers exchanged looks, gazed anxiously at their father who gave a cry of protest, before asking the doctor exactly what it was he meant.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019ll reach the point of crisis to night.\u00a0 If he passes it, all well and good. \u00a0 If not -\u201d he paused, sighed, \u201cStay close to him, Ben.\u201d there was a slight shrug of the shoulders as he turned to leave, \u201cI\u2019ll stop by in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There was a slight hesitation as the three Cartwrights seemed to need the time to catch their breaths; Ben murmured a thanks to the doctor even as the man closed the door behind him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa, Hoss and I\u2019ll take turns to sit by him -\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah, Pa.\u201d Hoss nodded in agreement although he could barely raise his head to meet his father\u2019s eyes, \u201cPa, he\u2019s going to pull through this, he\u2019ll be alright, don\u2019t you worry. \u00a0 You go up and get some rest, we don\u2019t want you to be sick too.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Ben shook his head, pushed their caring hands away, \u201cNo, you boys get some sleep.\u00a0 I\u2019ll sit with him.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It was a long silent vigil. \u00a0 The man in the bed was so still, so composed and to all appearances already dead. \u00a0 Occasionally there would be moments of rapid shallow breathing, the struggle to force one breath through laboured tortured lungs after the other. \u00a0 Sometimes soft whispering as though he were talking to \u00a0some other in the room, \u00a0some one other than Ben who sat beside the bed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He sat for some while with Elizabeth\u2019s picture in his hand, remembering the time he had married her, \u00a0the tussle with Captain Stoddard over becoming a shop owner instead of the proud owner of his own ship.\u00a0 Oh, he could hear that strident voice now \u201cWhat!\u00a0 Captain Abel Morgan Stoddard a shop assistant!\u201d \u00a0 and Ben smiled at the irony that Abel\u2019s middle name had been Morgan, the name of the family that had led them into this crisis today – no, yesterday.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Captain Abel Morgan Stoddard.\u00a0 Oh obstinate, stubborn fellow.\u00a0 Even on the day Adam was born Stoddard had courted trouble and a fight. \u00a0 Always the same, always.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He picked up the book Elizabeth had loved. \u00a0\u2018Paradise Lost\u2019. \u00a0 He wanted to read it, to drift back to that time when they had shared a pic nic in the summer and read poetry together, when they had first realised they were in love. \u00a0 Love, oh sweet tenderness of love, how perfect when young, sweet and chaste.\u00a0 Elizabeth, Elizabeth.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She had made him promise to pursue his dream. \u00a0\u201cOur dream\u201d he had said, \u201cOur dream\u201d, but how often had that dream turned into a nightmare.\u00a0 Wasn\u2019t this more of the same? \u00a0 \u00a0He lowered the book and gazed at his son. \u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019ll be like you.\u201d she had said, and Ben smiled at the memory of her saying it. \u00a0 \u201cAs tall and straight as the trees among which he stands\u201d \u00a0 and he leaned towards the bed and took his son by the hand, a proud tree indeed, and stricken down in its prime, he thought.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Again he picked up the book and turned the pages, forced his eyes to dwell upon the words \u201cThe world was all before them \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n How quiet the room was, not even the ticking of a clock to relieve the silence. \u00a0 Soundless. \u00a0 In the bed the young man lay without moving.\u00a0 Up and down went the covers on the bed as they were raised by his shallow breathing .<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhen things get really tough,\u201d the old man narrowed his eyes and looked deep into the near black eyes of the younger man sitting opposite him, \u201cyer just gotta keep tight hold of what goals yer got. \u00a0 Keep it right up thar in front of yer, like a beacon shining bright on the horizon of your future.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben remembered the voice, he remembered the time all those years ago when he was pursuing that dream Elziabeth had made him promise to pursue.\u00a0 He recalled the old man sitting by his side in the gutter of that town far away. \u00a0 Adam had been sleeping in his arms and this old down and out had sat by his side to offer him more hope and encouragement than any of the other upright citizens in the brand new settlement that was growing all around them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n No doubt about it, he had been tired. \u00a0 Exhausted. \u00a0 The dream he and Elizabeth had conceived together seemed to be fading more and more with every waking hour.\u00a0 Now his child was ill, and he had found the townsfolk of this settlement too busy to pay any heed to their needs. \u00a0 He was just another itinerant passing through \u2026<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So there he had been, sitting in the gutter with his child in his arms nestled in the natural cradle of his lap. \u00a0 The old man had come and sat down beside them and asked him where he was headed and all of Ben\u2019s misery had poured out like a dam bursting. \u00a0 When he had stopped the old man, his name was Billy, had stayed silent for awhile and asked him once again \u2018Where are you headed fer, young un?\u2019<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben could recall it as clearly as though it were yesterday.\u00a0 The old man with the stubble on his face, the blue eyes glazed from too much drink and little else besides.\u00a0 But he had told the old man, told him about their dream. \u00a0 Two men sitting in the gutter with a sleeping child.\u00a0 Busy housewives had hurried past them, scowled at them, tut=tutted at them. \u00a0 Harassed business men and shopkeepers, ranchers and farmers, looked over at them and had shaken their heads. \u00a0 No one offered help or counsel.\u00a0 There had been no hand providing food, shelter or hospitality. \u00a0 Only a rheumy eyed old man who had listened patiently to Ben\u2019s dream.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNow, son,\u201d Billy had said as he had placed his hand upon Ben\u2019s arm, \u201cHope can be like a lighthouse far out there in the distance.\u00a0 At times it gits shrouded by fog and mist, and the storms of the sea, and the light gits pretty dim. \u00a0 But if\u2019n you know anything about lighthouses then yer know that yer have to keep everything inside bright and shining so as to reflect as much light as possible. \u00a0 Then when the mists clear, and the storm bates down some, that thar light grows big and strong agin, and leads yer to a safe haven. \u00a0 Now, ain\u2019t I right?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re right, old timer, I should know having been a sailor for some time.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThought as much by the roll of your gait. \u00a0 Don\u2019t let anything rob yer of thet dream of your\u2019n.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben had glanced down at the child asleep in his arms and frowned.\u00a0 He had opened his mouth to speak when Billy once again had stopped him,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGuess yer ain\u2019t got no funds, huh? \u00a0 The little feller needs some food inside of him, and some medicine too I should reckon, seein\u2019 how flushed his cheeks are.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes, but -\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Billy had raised a hand in protest and pulled a small leather pouch from his pocket and placed it firmly in Ben\u2019s hand.\u00a0 When Ben had opened his mouth to protest Billy raised his hand once again for silence,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou know what they say, never judge a book by its cover. \u00a0 Yer look at me and think I\u2019m a poor old man, too drunk to rub two dimes together. \u00a0 But the fact is, I struck pay dirt some time back, and can afford to be generous to folk like yerself. \u00a0 I had a dream once, son, but I let it slip through my fingers. \u00a0 \u00a0Now I got me the money I ain\u2019t got the health and strength to go with it.\u201d he had smiled then, a furtive secretive little smile and had folded Ben\u2019s fingers over the pouch with a firmness that belied his claim to ill health and made Ben doubt the truth of his story, \u201cTake this, get the boy seen to, and some grub inside of yourselves. .. Then follow that thar dream of your\u2019n and the little missus. \u00a0 Give that boy a future.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben had mumbled a thank you, stammered a little, for the cold reception of the townsfolk had not prepared him for the generosity of the one who appeared least able to give. \u00a0 When Billy had rounded the corner and disappeared Ben opened the neck of the pouch and peered inside, and then hurridly tied it again. \u00a0 Billy had been right.\u00a0 He had been right then, just as he was now. \u00a0 One should never judge a book by its cover.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben sighed and picked up Elizabeth\u2019s picture once again. \u00a0 He reached over to the bed and once again placed his hand upon his son\u2019s arm. \u00a0 \u2018Give that boy a future\u2019 old Billy had said and Ben felt the tears knot in his throat,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIs this the only kind of future I\u2019ve given you, son?\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Downstairs the clock chimed but he couldn\u2019t count the hours. \u00a0 Daylight was stealing over the window cill. \u00a0 The man in the bed stirred and opened his eyes.\u00a0 For a moment he stared up at the ceiling as he struggled to emerge from his dreams into reality.\u00a0 By his bedside Ben opened his eyes, realised he had drifted into sleep, leaned towards his son \u2026<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d \u00a0A whimsical smile played about Adam\u2019s mouth as he looked at his father\u2019s tousled hair and heavy eyes, \u201cwas it a long night?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n \u201cNot too long.\u201d Ben replied and glanced down at the portrait in his hands, he smiled, \u201cI had company and memories.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam smiled and watched Ben replace the picture. \u00a0 He folded one arm behind his head and stared up at the ceiling, once again a smile played about his mouth,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI had memories too, kind of mixed up in a dream.\u00a0 I was on a clipper ship on a dark black sea and suddenly the sun came up. \u00a0 Guess it was from all those stories you told me as a boy, huh?\u201d he turned towards his father and smiled.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben gave a small sigh and nodded,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMemories and dreams are precious things, Adam. \u00a0 They\u2019re always there when you need them most.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It seemed to Adam as though his father wished to say more but before he could do so the door opened.\u00a0 Hoss and Joe came into the room, rather hesitantly, looking anxiously at their brother and then at their father.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHow is he, Pa?\u201d Joe asked in a hollow sounding voice but was answered when his<\/p>\n brother raised a hand in greeting. \u00a0 Now the tension slipped from their shoulders, and more eagerly they approached the bed to pause for a moment at the realisation of how easily it could have been so different.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss smiled his gentle smile and his eyes filled with that feeling of joyous relief when one realises danger has at last passed,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHowdy, Adam\u201d he mumbled, \u201cWelcome home.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ~The End<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tags:\u00a0 Adam Cartwright,\u00a0Elizabeth Stoddard Cartwright,\u00a0pneumonia<\/p>\n