{"id":10911,"date":"2010-03-21T15:20:41","date_gmt":"2010-03-21T19:20:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=10911"},"modified":"2025-02-27T12:23:58","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:23:58","slug":"a-stitch-in-time-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=10911","title":{"rendered":"A Stitch in Time (by sandspur)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0<\/strong>This was my 2010 SJS for Devonshire. Joe lies dying of injuries 19th<\/sup> century medicine could never cure while Adam, given a cryptic clue from an ancient fraternal feud, searches for help 100+ years in the future.<\/p>\n

Note: lots of shirtless Joe, pantsless Joe, tight-shirt Joe, tight-pants Joe, and drafty hospital gown Joe\u2026but, in spite of the SJS and JPM, this is also an Adam story \u2026with references scattered throughout to other pertinent Bonanza actors\u2019 roles. And one more note: this story began as a Bonanza<\/em>–Trapper John MD<\/em> crossover, but somehow gained life on its own as Burt Reynolds and Sally Field from Smokey and the Bandit<\/em> barged into the tale\u2026I can only say, oops.<\/p>\n

The photo, “Blender Joe,” was kindly provided by its creator, Wrenny.<\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a0 T\u00a0 (31,050 words)<\/p>\n

A Stitch in Time<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cPa, I’ll be fine.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em>It was the last thing Joe had said to him, his voice edged with irritation as he\u2019d hurriedly fastened his gun belt and plucked his hat from the sideboard. He\u2019d been eager to leave; even more so than usual thanks to the hovering attention of a concerned father.<\/p>\n

Yet Ben couldn’t shake the nagging feeling in his gut he’d felt from the moment he had awakened that morning. A feeling that something was off, or wrong, or something was going to happen, and that it would surely involve his youngest.<\/p>\n

The morning passed without incident, and soon logic reared its head and effectively stifled the nervousness to a mere hum, easily ignored as Ben busied himself with his daily tasks. There was nothing to worry about, after all. Joe was just going into town for the mail; something he’d done a hundred times before. Nothing to worry about.<\/p>\n

Yet a father\u2019s instinct is a stubborn thing, and Ben found himself surrendering to the feeling of unease as the day progressed. Adam later came upon him pacing the floor and glancing anxiously at the clock. He didn\u2019t need to be told why his father was so agitated.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow late is he?\u201d Adam asked quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cLate,\u201d Ben replied. \u201cHe should have been back two, three hours ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, he’ll be fine,\u201d Adam admonished. \u201cJoe\u2019s not a little kid anymore. You\u2019ve got to stop doing this to yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben forced a smile. \u201cI know. Old habits die hard, don’t they?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam sighed. \u201cI think I\u2019ll head out and see if Hoss needs any help in the barn,\u201d he said, clearly in a hurry to rid himself of the company of an over-anxious parent.<\/p>\n

Ben picked up the newspaper and tried to concentrate on the words in front of him. Adam was right, of course he was right. It was perfectly fine for a parent to worry, but not so fine to be consumed by it. Ben knew he could go on and on listing the numerous perils that could befall his son\u2014both real and imagined\u2014and he couldn\u2019t help but chuckle at the absurd direction of his thoughts. He\u2019d have to tell Joe later how silly he\u2019d been.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em>His amusement, however, was abruptly extinguished at the sound of the slamming door, and Adam\u2019s urgent voice on its heels.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa! PA! Come quick<\/em>!\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam turned and bolted back outside, where Hoss had caught Cochise and was dragging his limp brother from the saddle.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam\u2026where\u2019s Adam,\u201d Joe whispered desperately. \u201cTell him he was right all along\u2026when I was 13\u2026he was right\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

And then his puffy black eyes shut again.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The time was one well remembered by the whole house; even Hop Sing could recall horrifying stories from that era. Adam had returned from college after a longer-than-expected absence\u2014a bout of influenza that turned into pneumonia caused him to miss a whole semester\u2014to find Little Joe no longer the adorable six-year-old he had left behind, but a gawky, skinny eleven-year-old hovering on adolescence. His ears were too big for the rest of him, so he had taken to wearing his hair long\u2014a habit that never changed\u2014and he had a desperate need to prove to everyone that he wasn\u2019t a baby anymore. Adam, in turn, had a passel of new ideas and nobody to listen when he talked. The feuds that began that year between Adam and his father, and Adam and Little Joe, would last for years, with only brief occasional bouts of peace.<\/p>\n

With Ben and Adam the feud was the simple, unending one every parent faced\u2014a child growing up, growing independent, and inducing change, which the parent resisted because after all, children can\u2019t ever know more than their parents\u2014right?<\/p>\n

But with Joe, things were more complicated. It began with Adam\u2019s arrival on the stage coach, and his attempt to hug the little brother he thought he remembered\u2014only to find out it was a town kid of eight years\u2014and the lanky, big-eared kid in the trousers that were fast becoming too short and the shirt that showed bony wrists, the kid Adam had written off as a helper at the livery stable, muttering, \u201cI\u2019m<\/em> Joe, and don\u2019t ever call me Little<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s first act to prove he wasn\u2019t so little anymore was to take all Adam\u2019s pants to the Chinese laundry in Virginia City and have the hems shortened by some six inches. When that did not achieve the desired response, he \u201cborrowed\u201d a few of Adam\u2019s favorite books and fed them to the pigs. Later he carefully scraped up an anthill and placed it in Adam\u2019s boots. Then some other mildly exotic animals\u2014garter snakes, a few toads, a scorpion or two\u2014appeared in Adam\u2019s bed. The final blow was when he put a burr under the saddle of the girl Adam was courting. At that, Adam silently declared war. He only played one practical joke, if it could be called that, but while Joe\u2019s reign of terror had been overt and occasionally brutal, Adam\u2019s single retaliation was cruel and humiliating enough to make Little Joe ashamed to show his face in Virginia City for months* and landed Adam with the punishment of \u201crelocating\u201d the outhouse. Twice.<\/p>\n

One day not long after Joe turned thirteen, he found Adam up above Lake Tahoe reading a book. Not that it was unusual to find Adam at the lake\u2014or at the lake reading a book. But that day had stuck in both their heads for a while, because it was the first genuinely friendly exchange they had had since Adam\u2019s return. Yet, while Adam only remembered the day for that reason, apparently it was significant to Little Joe for another reason. And before long, Joe\u2019s life would depend on that reason\u2026if Adam could only figure out what it was.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

Ten Years Earlier:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em>\u201cSo what\u2019re you readin\u2019 now?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam sighed. \u201cIf you really care, I\u2019m readin\u2019 L\u2019An 2440, r\u00eave s\u2019il en fut jamais<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat? Sounds French. Something about a year of a dream?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah\u2026I guess the literal translation is The Year 2440: a Dream if Ever There Was<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI still don\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a utopian vision of the future, postulating the more optimistic possibilities inherent in fourth-dimensional travel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe plunked himself down in the grass. \u201cThere you go again, Mr. College. You know people would like you better if you just talked English like the rest of us, \u2019stead of soundin\u2019 like you got a dictionary up your derriere.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay.\u201d Adam\u2019s jaw worked a little, but his reply was carefully measured. \u201cIt\u2019s a novel by a fellow named Louis Mercier in the 1700s. In the novel, the hero is in France in the year 2440, and finds the country changed for the better.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShoot, I hope so. If they can\u2019t get things right in 700 years they ain\u2019t ever gonna get \u2019em right. Miss Jones said there\u2019s been three civil wars in France in less than a hundred years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam looked sharply at him. \u201cYou must have been paying attention that day. Don\u2019t look at me like that; it was supposed to be a compliment. That\u2019s something very few people know about France.\u201d<\/p>\n

Continuing to glare at his brother\u2014but feeling a warmth in his heart in spite of it\u2014Joe asked, \u201cSo how did this guy get to 2440, anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe takes advantage of temporal displacement\u2014sorry. I mean he travels through time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe snorted.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, some people\u2014even some scientists\u2014believe time travel is possible. Don\u2019t discount a theory just because it sounds crazy at first pass. They\u2019re building railroads all over this country right now, but just a few decades ago people were sayin\u2019 steam engines would never work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut they do work!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, I know that and you know that. But they\u2019ve been around a little more than sixty years now. Before they existed, when people were trying to make one that would work, everybody else thought they were crazy.\u201d Adam warmed to the topic\u2014the possibility of someone actually listening to him was a rare one. \u201cJoe, suppose they came up with something even better than a steam engine. Suppose instead of water, someone could build an engine that ran on something else\u2014maybe oil, or electricity\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWait a minute. Electricity is lightning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s just one form of it. Shoot, there\u2019s electricity inside our own bodies. An Italian scientist proved that; the electricity in our bodies makes our muscles work. There\u2019s other things that can create electricity, and one day we may figure out how to create it ourselves. Think about living in that kind of world. If we could harness all the power this old world has to offer, what kind of lives would we lead? Suppose a train could go fifty miles in an hour? We could get to Salt Lake City in twelve hours flat!\u201d Adam couldn\u2019t remember the last time he\u2019d felt so passionate about something\u2014until he looked at his audience.<\/p>\n

Little Joe was looking out over the lake, his eyes cloudy. \u201cDon\u2019t know that I like the idea of having electricity inside my body.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam sighed. \u201cYou\u2019d miss it if it wasn\u2019t there. You\u2019d lie around like a lump all day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, \u2019ccordin\u2019 to you, that\u2019s all I do anyhow,\u201d Joe said, but he grinned as he said it. \u201cSo you\u2019ve got some kind of world in your head where people can travel at fifty miles an hour and make electricity any time they want to\u2026and what would they do with it once they made it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI dunno,\u201d Adam murmured. \u201cMaybe make heat in winter. Maybe make things cold in the summer. Maybe\u2026I dunno, make light when it\u2019s dark. Or maybe make things move. If electricity makes our muscles move, it could make other things move too. Maybe it could even distort time around so that we could travel through it\u2014and visit the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s grin got bigger as he looked at Adam. \u201cYou\u2019re plumb crazy, older brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh yeah? Water can carry electricity. Suppose we went out to\u2026oh, I dunno, maybe Jumbo Falls\u2026one day. We\u2019re playin\u2019 under the water and freezing our butts off\u2026and then we walk out the other side of the falls and, boom, what if, just like that, we\u2019re in the future?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean 2440?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNaw, that might be a little too drastic. Maybe a hundred years or so. There shouldn\u2019t be too many big changes by then, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI dunno, older brother\u2014seems to me things can change pretty fast. You just said that less than a hundred years ago we didn\u2019t have steam engines and didn\u2019t know what electricity was.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStill, I reckon a hundred years oughtta be safe. So we come out on the other side of that, and we take a look at how things look in the future. See if things have changed for the better. And then we come home. Now that would be fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I\u2019ll take you up on that, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few days later they\u2019d gone up to Jumbo Falls. They didn\u2019t find any openings in time, but they did play under the waterfall, and freeze their butts off, and lay a foundation for better relations. The issue of time travel never came up again, and Little Joe was always the first one to laugh if Adam mentioned his utopian vision of the future.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam went for Doc Martin and returned with him in record time, but the news was bad. Looking at Joe\u2019s chest, which was covered by a pale purplish bruise, Paul shook his head. \u201cThere\u2019s so many things wrong with this boy I\u2019d need a sheet of paper a yard long just to list \u2019em. Fixing them\u2014well, that\u2019s up to the Almighty, but it\u2019s just not possible in the here and now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you saying?\u201d Ben\u2019s voice quavered slightly, but still sounded threatening.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s got four broken ribs\u2014bad enough, but fixable. I\u2019m thinkin\u2019 one of them must have shifted when he was ridin\u2019 back here, though, and it\u2019s pushing up against his lung, impeding his breathing. If it shifts even a fraction more, it\u2019ll punch a hole right through the lung and there\u2019s not a thing that can be done about that. Besides that, his liver\u2019s lacerated, and he\u2019s bleeding inside. It\u2019s a slow bleed, but it\u2019ll bleed out all the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut can\u2019t you sew up whatever is bleeding?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLook at his chest! It\u2019s as if he went chest-first into a fence or something. He\u2019s bleeding inside from at least one place, maybe more, but I can\u2019t look in there to see what\u2019s broke. His liver\u2019s busted up; I can tell from palpating it. But I can\u2019t fix it. Given time, if everything else was all right, it might fix itself; livers sometimes do. But there\u2019s more than that busted inside. And even if I could figure out where he\u2019s bleeding from, you can\u2019t just open up a man\u2019s insides and go pokin\u2019 around inside them like you\u2019re cleaning a fish. A bleed like that, he might last two days, and he\u2019ll be in pain every minute of it. Best bet\u2019s to put him under morphine and hold his hand\u2026and start planning the funeral.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d Ben roared. \u201cI don\u2019t accept that. You\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBen, I\u2019m sorry. He\u2019s dying, and there\u2019s not a thing I can do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa,\u201d Joe murmured feebly. \u201cGet Adam. I have to talk to him.\u201d He tried to take a deep breath\u2014and cried out as the sharp pain assaulted his chest again.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m here.\u201d Adam pushed his way around Hoss. \u201cJoe, what is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2026were right\u2026when I was thirteen\u2026you were right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a jackass. I\u2019m sorry about all that, Joe. Truly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe grabbed Adam\u2019s hand and gripped it painfully. \u201cNo. Tempr\u2026tempor\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know. I lost my temper. I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Adam!\u201d Joe took a ragged breath. \u201cTemp\u2019r\u2019l dissss\u2026disp\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s eyes widened. \u201cTemporal displacement?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019s true, Ad\u2019m\u2026it works. Go to Six Trees\u2026find the bandit\u2026he\u2019ll take you\u2026find the trapper\u2026tell him it\u2019s bandit\u2019s fault\u2026please, you have to. My only chance\u2026memorial\u2026.\u201d His head lolled sideways. Ben gasped and all but collapsed on him, crying out his name.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet off him, Pa\u2014you\u2019ll kill him yourself!\u201d Adam cried sternly, but his own eyes were wet. He turned away and stumbled from the room, ready to do what Joe wanted, if he could only figure out what it was.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Six Trees. Years ago, he had named the place himself, thinking it sounded very exotic and Indian-like. It was exactly as the name implied\u2014a stand of six pines. Six little thirty-foot Coulter pines too scrawny to cut down, that dumped huge cones on the ground each year. The family used it as a landmark when they started cutting in that section\u2014twelve paces west of Six Trees, and such. But for Adam, it had never been anything more than a landmark and a nice name.<\/p>\n

He pulled Sport up in front of the stand and looked at the trees. Why had Joe begged him to come here? Didn\u2019t he know he was dying and the family needed to be together?<\/p>\n

Dismounting, he ground-tied Sport and went to the trees. Nothing new. Nothing different. Nothing special\u2014a thrumming vibration hit him; a wave of dizziness assaulted him\u2014he dropped to the ground and lay motionless among the pines.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Paul offered to stay, but he made it plain that all anyone could do was watch. \u201cBen, there\u2019s no hope.\u201d At that Ben\u2019s fist grew a mind of its own and Hoss had to hold him back from striking the doctor. Paul wisely mumbled something then about helping the patients he actually could still help, and he headed for the door. Since then Hoss and his father had just sat looking at Little Joe.<\/p>\n

You would have thought nothing in the world was wrong. Hoss almost said it aloud. Joe lay motionless on his bed, his normally tanned face white and his ruddy cheeks pallid. But he was grinning as he looked into the worried blue eyes of his brother, the desperate brown eyes of his father.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was such fun,\u201d he said faintly.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t try to talk, Joseph. Just rest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cResting is for old people.\u201d Joe laughed softly. \u201cPa, I cleared that jump with a foot to spare. You\u2026shoulda seen Bandit\u2019s face. I wish you coulda seen\u2026Pa\u2026Adam\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease, Joe. Save your strength.\u201d Ben turned back toward the door. \u201cWhere\u2019s Adam? Why in the world did he leave?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry,\u201d Joe said softly. \u201cAdam went for help. He won\u2019t\u2026let me down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Oh Lord<\/em>, Adam thought as he sat up. It was dark. How long had he been out here? He\u2019d failed. Joe was dead for sure. He ran back to Sport\u2014but the horse was gone. Wait a minute\u2014where had that cabin come from? It hadn\u2019t been there that afternoon\u2014but nobody could build a house that fast\u2014had he really missed it? And what in God\u2019s name was that black, four-wheeled contraption sitting in front of it? No matter. He ran to the house and pounded on the door, apparently interrupting a loud argument inside. A moment later, a tiny, dark-haired woman with a wide, humorous mouth and huge brown eyes answered. She was pretty, thought the detached part of his brain, and promptly discarded the fact as irrelevant.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave you seen my horse?\u201d he demanded.<\/p>\n

Her eyebrows rose.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s at the door, Baby?\u201d called a male voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cMust be one of your idiot buddies, Beau,\u201d she called back. \u201cI\u2019ve never seen him before, and he looks crazy to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man who joined her a moment later was almost Adam\u2019s height, rugged-looking and solid, with brown hair, brown eyes, and a mustache that could do double duty as a screen door.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo I know you?\u201d the man asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll save you some time,\u201d Adam said flatly. \u201cI don\u2019t even care why you\u2019ve built a house on my property. I\u2019m just looking for my horse.\u201d<\/p>\n

The couple looked at him in some confusion, and that was when Adam realized that the light emanating from above the door was a steady, bright white glow, not the flickering, smoky yellow of an oil lamp. He couldn\u2019t help staring at it for a minute, but it hurt his eyes. Squinting, he looked back at the man, who was now sporting a ridiculous grin.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou gotta be some relation to Lightnin\u2019 Joe Cartwright,\u201d the man said.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe Cartwright is my brother.\u201d Lightning? Huh.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you better come inside then. Is he feelin\u2019 better? Who are you anyhow, Adam or Hoss? I reckon you must be Adam. He said Hoss was pretty big.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you know my brother?\u201d Adam asked, following him inside and staring around at the strange room. \u201cAnd were you with him when he was hurt? He sent me to find a bandit.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man laughed. \u201cYou found him. I\u2019m Bandit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re the bandit that did that to Joe\u2014\u201d all logic fled and Adam\u2019s already-clenched fist made close acquaintance with the mustache. The man called Bandit grunted and fell onto an overstuffed chair, and the tiny woman suddenly got a lot bigger as she pointed a shotgun at Adam\u2019s middle.<\/p>\n

\u201cCartwright or no, you better have a good reason for that,\u201d she said grimly.<\/p>\n

His reply was in the flat monotone he always resorted to when he had the choice of a flat monotone or a hysterical scream. \u201cMy brother\u2019s dying.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhoa, whoa!\u201d said the Bandit. \u201cHe said he was okay. He just took my dirt bike over a couple a\u2019 jumps and got a little banged up when he dropped her. What do you mean \u2018dying\u2019? He said it was fun, and he stood up and walked off!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s dying!\u201d Adam repeated forcefully. \u201cThe doctor said there\u2019s nothing to be done. My brother sent me here to find a bandit and a trapper.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrapper?\u201d repeated the man.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said bandit and trapper, and something about a memorial. That\u2019s all I know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrapper! At San Francisco Memorial,\u201d the woman exclaimed. She dropped the shotgun and ran over to a table, where a blue, two-piece object resided. She separated the two pieces, putting one piece to her ear and punching a series of numbered buttons on the other.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho are you and what\u2019s going on?\u201d Adam asked softly, feeling more helpless than he\u2019d ever felt in his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re friends of Joe,\u201d the Bandit said. \u201cKnown him for four years, since the day we rented this place. My name\u2019s Beau Darville, and she\u2019s Carrie. And she\u2019s calling your Trapper pal, but it\u2019ll take him a while to get here. Man alive, ole Joe did come off pretty hard now that I think about it. Bike landed on top of him. But he jumped right back up again. And he sure was happy about makin\u2019 those jumps. He loves that stuff. A real daredevil, your brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI got him!\u201d the woman called. \u201cMr. Cartwright, come over here and tell Trapper how bad Joe\u2019s hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTell who?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust come here.\u201d Carrie held up the blue object, a long, vaguely banana-shaped thing with a sort of cup at each end. \u201cPut this part up to your ear and listen; speak into this part here. Trapper\u2019s on the other end. Talk to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still uncertain if perhaps someone was trying to play a joke, he held the thing up to his face. Immediately a demanding, somewhat tinny-sounding voice hit his ear.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m Trapper. Tell me what\u2019s wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUm\u2026\u201d he took the thing away from his ear and held the bottom part next to his mouth, shouting into it, \u201cThe doctor says Joe\u2019s liver is lassa\u2026lacerated, and he\u2019s bleeding inside but he doesn\u2019t know from where. He said it was a slow bleed but that he couldn\u2019t make it stop, and that Joe was going to die\u2026and Joe said tell you it\u2019s Bandit\u2019s doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay,\u201d the voice bellowed back. \u201cI\u2019m on my way up with a chopper. Bring Joe and tell Frog to meet me at the helipad.\u201d There was a clicking sound, followed by a metallic buzzing noise.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrapper\u2026is coming with a\u2026chopper\u2026and he wants\u2026a frog at the lily pad?\u201d Adam announced in extreme bewilderment.<\/p>\n

Beau snorted merrily. \u201cThat old coward. I\u2019ll go get him myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will not! He hates that Pontiac,\u201d the girl retorted. \u201cI\u2019ll get the Jeep and drive him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI will get him,\u201d Beau said, and the way he said it made the girl retreat in sullen fury. \u201cCome with me, Adam Cartwright, any buddy of Lightin\u2019 Joe is a buddy of mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam immediately followed him\u2014right out to that sleek, black, four-wheeled contraption in the front yard. Beau opened it up\u2014\u201cDoor handle\u2019s right here; hop in.\u201d<\/p>\n

No one could have \u201chopped\u201d into the thing; long-legged fellows like Adam and Beau more or less poured themselves in. But inside, the seats were padded and comfortable. Beau slipped a metal key into a slot, turned it\u2014and a low, rumbling growl commenced. He pulled a knob, and two bright, steady light beams set the area ahead of them to glowing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is this?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothin\u2019 special\u2026just a \u201979 Trans-Am,\u201d Beau replied\u2014and winked at him. Suddenly the growl became a roar and the Trans-Am hurtled forward into the dark night, going from zero to ninety in mere seconds, and Adam Cartwright, with no memory of doing any of it, was howling at the top of his lungs, his arms locked back on the seat and his booted feet pressed hard against the dashboard.<\/p>\n

\u201cMan, your brother did the same thing first time he rode in this baby,\u201d Beau remarked. Adam looked out the window, watching the darkened shadows of the trees as they flew by, and suddenly the knowledge flooded into him. Joe had sent him into the future. Joe knew about this time period, had known for years, had been visiting for a long time, had friends here\u2014and had never told a soul until now.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat year is this?\u201d Adam asked faintly. \u201cIs it 2440?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh? Naw, it\u2019s just 1980.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow fast are we going?\u201d he asked, his voice weak.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019Bout a hunnerd and ten. That\u2019s miles per hour. But don\u2019t worry. This ole gal will do 140 without breakin\u2019 a sweat the way I got \u2019er tricked out. And we\u2019ll be at the helipad in fifteen minutes flat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s a lily\u2014I mean, a helipad?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA place where helicopters land. Trapper\u2019s comin\u2019 in from San Francisco.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a week away! Little Joe doesn\u2019t have a week!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUm, Cartwright, in case you forgot, I don\u2019t drive the speed limit. And Trapper\u2019s helicopter oughtta be here inside an hour, maybe an hour and a half, tops.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s a helicopter?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLord, I forgot, Joe was always askin\u2019 questions at first, too. A helicopter is a thing that flies people around, like an airplane\u2014\u2019cept I don\u2019t imagine you know what an airplane is either. They\u2019re both things that fly and carry people, just like this here car is a thing that runs over the road and carries people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCar? You said it was a Trans-Am.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s more \u2019n one kind of car. Trans-Ams are the fast kind. Frog\u2019s got an old Jeep. Not too fast, but it does great in mud puddles.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s Frog? The trapper said the frog was supposed to\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t get your panties in a wad,\u201d Beau advised. \u201cMy girl Carrie is nicknamed Frog. And before you ask, I named her that. Trapper calls her that, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what kind of bandit are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Beau snorted. \u201cI ain\u2019t really a bandit, not exactly. That\u2019s just my handle on the CB radio. My nickname. Whatever you wanna call it. For fun and profit I do a little bootleggin\u2019 and other kinds of what they call contraband transport.<\/em> Whenever the smokeys\u2014and that means the sheriffs and other assorted law enforcement personnel<\/em>\u2014are lookin\u2019 for somebody haulin\u2019 beer and stuff, it\u2019s usually me. That\u2019s how I\u2019m a bandit. But it\u2019s hardly highway robbery.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen is the trapper really a trapper?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNope. He\u2019s a way-too-rich doctor who makes his livin\u2019 cuttin\u2019 people up and sewin\u2019 \u2019em back together. His family owns that cabin I rent, that\u2019s how we know each other. As for me and him, we ain\u2019t got that much use for each other. He\u2019s a good enough sort when he wants to be, but he\u2019s way too much of a stickler for followin\u2019 the rules. He also don\u2019t like my car. Or my drivin\u2019\u2014which is why he wanted Frog to pick him up, although just between you and me, I think he\u2019s got a soft spot for my Frog, too, and I don\u2019t share my girls.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUm\u2026she\u2019s not your wife?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh. That\u2019ll be the day. The Bandit does not limit his attentions that way. We just live together. What are you lookin\u2019 at? Never heard of \u2018cohabitation\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure. Just never heard of braggin\u2019 about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, it\u2019s a whole new world, pal. Your brother Joe never seemed to have any qualms over my livin\u2019 arrangements, and I don\u2019t reckon it\u2019s your business either.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMister, you can live with one woman or twenty for all I care, and you can brag all you want if it makes you feel like a man. I\u2019m just here because my brother sent me here to get this \u2018Trapper,\u2019 and he\u2019s convinced that Trapper can fix him up. You\u2019re just transportation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re as big a stick-in-the-mud as Joe says,\u201d Beau replied with an eye-roll, and they did not speak again until they arrived at the helipad.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 John T. McIntyre, MD, Chief of Surgery at San Francisco Memorial Hospital, packed his medical bag with a few extra goodies. He had never known exactly what the catalyst would be\u2026but he had known for years that it was coming. He\u2019d known ever since he met that cute, crazy woman named Carrie. He\u2019d rented the cabin to her boyfriend, wondering why, since the fellow was about the most egotistical, irresponsible showoff he\u2019d ever met, but when he met Carrie\u2014not that he had ever called her Carrie, not that he ever would call her Carrie\u2014he\u2019d known he had to do it. He\u2019d known then that he was getting involved in an irreversible chain of events. That knowledge had only been reinforced when he met \u201cLightnin\u2019 Joe\u201d Cartwright a short time later. \u201cLightnin\u2019 Joe,\u201d indeed.<\/p>\n

And he wondered about Adam Cartwright. He actually found the notion of meeting the man a frightening one. Not that anyone would ever know\u2014Trapper liked to play things close to the vest. He never showed those kinds of emotions readily if he could help it. He picked up the phone and sent Gloria Brancusi for two units of saline solution and another two of A-positive blood along with a cooler. He pulled out his top right desk drawer. Then he took one long look at the photo on his desk before laying it face-down at the back of the drawer. He locked the desk, picked up his bag and the cooler, and headed out.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Joe was sleeping\u2014not peacefully, at all. He constantly twitched, and his breaths came in short, painful gasps.<\/p>\n

Ben looked at his pocket watch. Adam had been gone almost half an hour. Who were the bandit and the trapper, and how did Joe and Adam know them? Why was Joe depending on Adam to bring these strangers here to save his life?<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyes fluttered open. \u201cAdam\u2026back?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot yet, son. Hang on. He\u2019ll get here quick as he can.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoesn\u2019t matter, Pa\u2026time ain\u2019t relevant. You\u2019ll see. It\u2019ll be\u2026okayyyy\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss scrubbed at his eyes with one sleeve. \u201cHe\u2019s comforting us. It oughtta be th\u2019 other way around.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mutely terrified at the still-whirling blades of the helicopter buzzing way too close to his head, Adam hunkered down as they approached the thing. In the sparse light of the helipad, one tall figure jumped from metal-and-glass bubble and conferred briefly with the other person inside\u2014the driver, Adam assumed, and briefly wondered, in spite of his fear, what it would be like to ride inside that thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere is he?\u201d the tall stranger demanded, not sparing a glance at either Adam or Beau as they all ran back to the car.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s at the Ponderosa\u2014he\u2019s in 1865,\u201d Adam shouted over the noise of the helicopter.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t do anything for him back there!\u201d the man snapped. \u201cI thought you were bringing him here!\u201d<\/p>\n

Beau flopped back into the driver\u2019s seat as Adam poured himself into the non-existent back bench, and Trapper got in last.<\/p>\n

\u201cWait a minute, I thought he said you could fix him!\u201d Adam cried.<\/p>\n

The Trans-Am roared to life again and surged back into the darkness.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t guarantee that\u2014I need to see what\u2019s wrong with him first. Sounds like some severe internal injuries. But for that he\u2019ll need surgery, and I have to do that here, with proper medical facilities. And Darville, you steer this thing properly or I\u2019ll hit you in the head and do it myself!\u201d<\/p>\n

Beau muttered something under his breath and with a squeal, the car veered to the right and continued to pick up speed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t bring him here\u2014he\u2019ll die if he\u2019s moved,\u201d Adam protested. \u201cWhatever you\u2019re going to do to him has to be done back there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I\u2019m telling you it can\u2019t be done back there. Look, I\u2019ll go with you back to your time and back to your house. But only long enough to pick him up and bring him back here. The kind of surgery he\u2019s going to need can\u2019t be performed in your time period.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019ll we get him back here without killing him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll take care of that,\u201d the stranger said brusquely, and it occurred to Adam that he\u2019d been talking to the fellow some ten minutes without even an introduction, with only the barest of glances at each other\u2014and that neither of them cared. Not only that, but this fellow got right to the point and didn\u2019t mince words.<\/p>\n

He liked this guy. He wondered, though, what his father would think about it all, and was pretty sure it wouldn\u2019t be good.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Beau had the Trans-Am screaming, and the gauge behind the wheel had a red needle pointing to 130 as he drove, but he was too busy arguing with Trapper to notice. Adam, however, couldn\u2019t keep his eyes off that red needle, now climbing to the 135 mark.<\/p>\n

Beau was all for driving right to Six Trees, but Trapper was insistent on using the Jeep\u2014and on having the Frog do the driving. While Adam sat in petrified silence as the preferred alternative to screaming, the other two men shouted at each other, Beau using language Adam had never even heard, and Trapper responding in more traditional obscenities, although still some of them were fairly creative. They tore into the yard in front of the cabin, Beau applying the brake and the steering wheel in such a manner that the car made a half-circle while shrieking to a stop. Trapper seemed not to notice; he bolted from the car before the engine was cut off and bellowed for Frog. Adam slithered with much difficulty out of the car as Carrie appeared, holding a set of keys in one hand and a cylindrical object that poured forth a single beam of bright light in the other.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll drive,\u201d Beau announced.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will not,\u201d Carrie retorted.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not even going, Darville,\u201d Trapper said. \u201cI won\u2019t have you endangering the patient with your insane driving.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBeau, I\u2019ll bean you with this flashlight if you even try,\u201d Carrie said, and at that, Beau swore and went inside. Carrie led the other two men out to another car, a large, boxy mechanism with a cloth top and metal rails on the side that reminded Adam somehow of the covered wagons in which he had spent so many childhood years. Carrie and Trapper got into the front seats, and Adam scrambled up behind; then Carrie started the car and once again they were off.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It took two minutes to drive into the stand of trees, but instead of crashing into them as Adam had expected, the Jeep seemed to become weightless. Adam shook his head dizzily, and suddenly they emerged from the stand to shoot past Sport, who reared and screamed in terror and bolted from view.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich way?\u201d Trapper demanded, looking briefly back toward Adam, but before Adam could reply Carrie said \u201cDon\u2019t worry; I know how to get there.\u201d And she did. The ride that had taken Adam half an hour took exactly nine minutes in the Jeep. Carrie pulled the Jeep behind the barn. \u201cI\u2019ll wait for you here,\u201d she said. \u201cHurry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you have another brother and a father,\u201d Trapper said as they ran toward the house. \u201cWho\u2019ll put up the biggest fight about us taking Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father,\u201d Adam replied without hesitation.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd how likely is he to refuse to let me take him with me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, he\u2019s very likely to refuse. Unless he can come along.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow likely is it that he\u2019d survive a ride in a jeep and a helicopter?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam thought back to his own terror in the car rides, and seeing the helicopter\u2019s arrival\u2026he certainly couldn\u2019t imagine his father in one, and shrugged wordlessly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t suppose you have anything like a stretcher,\u201d the doctor said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could rig one up\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSend your brother to do it. I can\u2019t operate here. If I had even a rudimentary x-ray machine or a manual respirator\u2014but I just don\u2019t have the equipment to do it here. So your father\u2019s going to have to come with us, or let your brother go. Otherwise the whole mission is a waste and Joe\u2019s going to die. Do you trust me?\u201d<\/p>\n

For the first time, Adam looked right into the eyes of the man called Trapper. There was something familiar about the man, something Adam couldn\u2019t quite put his finger on\u2026and then he realized the man reminded him a little of Abel Stoddard. Now that was odd. And there was something else\u2026something about his eyes\u2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Adam found himself saying. \u201cI trust you. Joe trusts you; that will have to be good enough for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

He opened the door. \u201cPa!\u201d he called, running up the stairs, \u201cI\u2019m back and I\u2019ve got Trapper!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben appeared at the doorway of Joe\u2019s room. \u201cTook you long enough. Adam, he\u2019s in terrible pain but he wouldn\u2019t let Paul sedate him. He\u2019s been calling for you.\u201d His face paled then, as he looked beyond Adam to the older man. \u201cUm\u2026do I know you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Trapper extended a hand as he reached the top of the stairs. \u201cMy name\u2019s John McIntyre, and no, I don\u2019t believe we\u2019ve met, sir. I do, however, know your son Joe. I understand he\u2019s been in an accident. Joe asked for me because I\u2019m an excellent surgeon. I\u2019d like to see him now,\u201d Trapper said, and pushed past Ben Cartwright without further ado.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re here,\u201d Joe said faintly as Adam dropped to his knees beside the bed. \u201cI knew you\u2019d make it. And\u2026hey, Trapp. Always told you\u2026I\u2019d put your medical\u2026skills\u2026to the test.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKeep still,\u201d Trapper said quietly, putting his bag, along with a blue-and-white box, on the chair next to the bed, and Hoss looked outraged at the maddening lack of emotion in the man\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cMister,\u201d Hoss began in warning tones, but Adam put a hand on Hoss\u2019s arm and whispered, \u201cAt least one of us needs to keep calm, Hoss, and it might as well be the surgeon.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man called Trapper looked into Joe\u2019s eyes with something he referred to as a penlight, and then touched a couple of spots on Joe\u2019s belly\u2014both of which made Joe cry out\u2014while Ben and Hoss became more upset. Adam pulled Hoss back as Trapper turned to Ben.<\/p>\n

\u201cListen, Hoss,\u201d Adam said hurriedly. \u201cIf Joe trusts this doctor more than he trusts Paul Martin, don\u2019t you think that deserves consideration?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI dunno,\u201d Hoss said. \u201cAll I know is, Joe\u2019s hurtin\u2019 somethin\u2019 awful, we\u2019ve been told he\u2019s dyin\u2019, and I ain\u2019t heard this stranger say he can fix him either. If this fella can help, why ain\u2019t he doing something?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGive him time, Hoss. You know Joe doesn\u2019t like doctors\u2014so if he trusts this one, there must be something to the man. Let\u2019s see what he says before you give up,\u201d Adam replied. \u201cListen, come out in the hall with me for a minute.\u201d He dragged Hoss into the hallway. \u201cYou need to fix up a stretcher.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy? You ain\u2019t even heard what the doc has to say yet!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I described the injuries, Trapper said the only way to save Joe\u2019s life is to operate. He can\u2019t do that here; he has to do it\u2014um\u2014at his office. He has a thing back of the barn\u2014remember that self-propelled wagon you told me about? He\u2019s got one and goes pretty fast and real smooth, but Joe\u2019s gonna have to lie flat in it. Please, Hoss, trust me\u2014go rig up a stretcher. You\u2019ll see the wagon in back of the barn. We didn\u2019t want to scare the horses by bringin\u2019 it up front.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss nodded slowly and trotted down the stairs, and Adam, sighing in relief, went back into Joe\u2019s room.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has a punctured lung, a lacerated liver, I\u2019m pretty sure his spleen is shot, and there\u2019s a bleeder somewhere deep that will empty him out soon,\u201d Trapper was saying.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know all that!\u201d Ben cut in. \u201cI thought you could help!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I can,\u201d Trapper replied. \u201cThere are no guarantees, sir. But I honestly believe I can help your son. The problem is that he\u2019ll need surgery\u2014and if it\u2019s what I think it is, he\u2019ll be in surgery several hours at a minimum, and he\u2019ll need blood transfusions as well. Will you allow me to operate on him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly if you can do it here.\u201d<\/p>\n

From his medical bag Trapper withdrew the smallest syringe Ben had ever seen. \u201cNo; it will have to be at the nearest hospital with proper facilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no hospital in Virginia City; besides\u2014ow! what the devil\u2014I don\u2019t trust hospitals; every time I\u2019ve read about one it was a death trap\u2026it\u2026.\u201d Ben Cartwright\u2019s voice trailed off and his eyes glazed over, and Trapper caught him as he started to fall.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened to him?\u201d Adam demanded, rushing to the bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Cartwright,\u201d Trapper said, \u201cI need you slide your brother over so I can put your father on the bed. We have to take Joe to the hospital for surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Pa\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam,\u201d Joe whispered\u2014he could no longer talk\u2014\u201cplease do as he says. Even if it sounds crazy. He\u2019s the only shot I\u2019ve got at living right now. Please.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam slid Joe across the bed as gently as he could. \u201cAdam, you\u2019ll like where we\u2019re going,\u201d Joe whispered. \u201cCars are so great\u2026my pal Bandit has a car that\u2019ll do a hundred miles an hour\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw it; it was wonderful,\u201d Adam reassured him. Then he turned back to the doctor. \u201cI don\u2019t like this. What\u2019d you do to my father?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust gave him a little cocktail to help him relax,\u201d Trapper replied, depositing Ben Cartwright on the bed. \u201cWhen he wakes up in about four or five hours, he won\u2019t remember much of what happened. And, he\u2019ll probably be drowsy for a while after he wakes. But he\u2019ll be perfectly all right, I promise. The problem now is Joe. Go and get the car.\u201d<\/p>\n

With that, he opened the blue-and-white box and removed two clear bags made of some clear, slippery-looking material. The first appeared to be full of water, but the second was full of\u2026Adam gasped. \u201cIs that blood?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. Go get the car, and help your brother with that stretcher\u2014and get back here as soon as you can.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Adam bolted from the room, the last thing he heard was Joe whispering, \u201cTrapp, you better pull me through. If I die without Pa around, he\u2019ll be awful mad at you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam and Hoss carried Joe downstairs on the stretcher; Trapper walked next to them, holding up the bag of blood that he had somehow connected to Joe\u2019s arm. Both Adam and Hoss looked a little sick each time they glimpsed the stuff, but Joe didn\u2019t seem to mind at all.<\/p>\n

Carrie, seeing no ranch hands in the yard, had pulled the Jeep right up to the house, so Adam and Hoss, following Trapper\u2019s instructions, laid the stretcher flat across the back of the jeep, and Trapper climbed in to sit by Joe\u2019s side, holding the bag of blood up high.<\/p>\n

Hoss looked at Trapper. \u201cYou sure my Pa\u2019s gonna be all right,\u201d he said quietly, but there was no doubt as to his meaning.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019ll be a little foggy about what happened, and he\u2019ll need you to stay with him for a few hours after he comes to,\u201d Trapper said. \u201cBut listen, if things go well, we\u2019ll bring Joe back before your father wakes up, anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can operate that fast?\u201d Adam blurted without thinking\u2014and then shut up quickly as those oddly familiar eyes fixed on him.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrog,\u201d Trapper said, and Carrie needed no further instruction. She started the Jeep and they lurched forward, leaving Hoss, the Ponderosa, and 1865 behind.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A moment of eternity later they burst back into 1980, plunged past the cabin Carrie and Beau inhabited, and shot down the road toward the local hospital, where Trapper had already informed them he\u2019d be arriving shortly.<\/p>\n

Adam was again hanging onto the seat, but at least this time he found he was able to look around and check on Joe. Trapper was sitting like a statue next to Joe, holding those two clear bags in place as if Joe\u2019s life depended on it, and Adam had a feeling it probably did.<\/p>\n

The wheels on the car made an odd squealing noise then, and they turned onto another road. This one was brightly lit by a series of poles, each radiating that steady stream of white light so common to this time. The road up ahead seemed to be even brighter, though, and he squinted to see a large white sign proclaiming \u201cSouth Tahoe Trauma Center.\u201d The Jeep squealed again and turned into a driveway, following a sign pointing to the emergency entrance.<\/p>\n

Before they had even reached a full stop, Trapper vaulted from the machine, barking orders at orderlies. In no time they had Joe loaded onto a gurney and were wheeling him into the hospital. Adam had already dismounted from the Jeep, but now he looked hesitantly back at Carrie.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo on,\u201d she urged. \u201cDon\u2019t wait for me; I have to park this thing. I\u2019ll be right back.\u201d With an encouraging smile, she pulled away, and Adam rushed after the gurney.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s gurney was disappearing into a set of double doors and Trapper with it, when an orderly stopped Adam. \u201cWait there, please. We\u2019ll send someone out to see you shortly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s my brother,\u201d Adam retorted. \u201cI need to stay with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to wait out here, sir. He\u2019s going right into surgery. Only doctors can go in there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trapper reappeared then, holding a clipboard. \u201cYou need to sign this,\u201d he ordered.<\/p>\n

Adam looked at him. \u201cThat\u2019s my brother in there. Neither of us has time for games. You need to operate, and I need to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trapper shook his head gently. \u201cThat\u2019s not the way it works here. I\u2019m sorry. Families of the patients stay in the waiting room. I\u2019ll come and talk to you as soon as the operation\u2019s over. And you really need to sign this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam looked at the paper. It was full of legal terms. \u201cWe have a lawyer who usually goes over this sort of thing with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd by the time you go back to 1865, convince him this is a real document from 1980, and get him to explain these papers, your brother will be dead and I\u2019ll be senile from old age. This is called a consent form. The patient, or his next of kin, signs to give his consent to the surgery we\u2019re going to do. The other form is a release of liability for the hospital. It means you won\u2019t sue us if anything goes wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSue you?\u201d Adam muttered, signing both pages. \u201cThat\u2019s the silliest thing I ever heard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019d be surprised,\u201d Trapper replied quietly, with a smile. Suddenly he gripped Adam\u2019s arm. \u201cTry not to worry. They have a great trauma team here; I\u2019ve worked with them before. Hey, I already appointed myself chief surgeon for your brother. I won\u2019t let him die before his time.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Adam wondered what that meant, Trapper disappeared again.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 More than a little dazed, Adam turned aimlessly to look around the room, and saw Carrie rushing in. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe\u2019s in surgery,\u201d he replied numbly, still looking around. \u201cI\u2019m not sure what I\u2019m supposed to do now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCome with me.\u201d She took his hand, and led him to the hospital cafeteria where she bought two cups of coffee and two slices of cheesecake. Adam at first started to object to her paying for anything for him, but then he saw what she was using for money, and it looked nothing like the Union greenbacks and railroad scrip that he had in his wallet. He meekly submitted to being dependent for the time being, and wondered again how on earth Joe had found this place.<\/p>\n

As they sat down at a table, she grinned at him. \u201cYou look a lot like Joe did the first time he arrived here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike a pole-axed steer?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike a cat that stuck its tail in a light socket.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUm\u2026I don\u2019t know what that means.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t figure you would. It\u2019s okay. Joe was always asking us what we meant too, when he first got here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you tell me about that?\u201d he asked. \u201cI guess you can tell I just found out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a little surprised he told you at all. He used to say he\u2019d rather die than let you know. Something about an argument you two had back when he was a kid. By the way, Adam, don\u2019t go thinking this is normal. Time travel is an aberration, and we\u2019re as clueless as you and Joe. Trapper and Beau and I know about it only because we were all there the first time Joe showed up. It was almost four years ago. Beau and I had only been together about a month. We were looking for a nice place to rent in the summer, because Beau takes a lot of western jobs in summer time. Trapper met us with the rental agent, since he owns several cabins in this area, and while he was showing us around the place, Joe just\u2026I don\u2019t know how else to say it\u2026materialized, in some trees right in front of us. He was dizzy and a little sick to his stomach, but when he saw me in my hot pants, he just grinned and said everything was fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHot\u2026pants?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUm\u2026just something girls wear in the summer. Shows a lot of leg.\u201d She grinned and slapped one leg, and that was when he realized the pants (women wore pants?<\/em>) she was wearing were a bit tight.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

She shrugged. \u201cThe poor rental agent went ker-flooey. Nuts. Off his rocker.\u201d She made a strange curlicue gesture above her head, and he nodded to show that he understood. He thought he did, anyway.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think that poor man ever did recover. He retired after that day, and I\u2019m pretty certain Trapper\u2019s been upset about the whole thing ever since then. He nearly wouldn\u2019t rent us the house, but then he gave me this funny look and said he supposed he\u2019d have to. Still don\u2019t know what he meant by that. And Trapper was trying to see if Joe was hurt when the kid introduced himself, and I thought the poor man had seen a ghost. We took Joe to the cabin\u2014the same one where we live now, and where you found us\u2014and cleaned him up and talked a while. What a story he told!\u201d She giggled, and leaned forward confidentially. \u201cHe said it was 1858, that Nevada wasn\u2019t a state yet\u2014and wanted to know what the dickens we were doing on his property. He got all feisty with Beau and wanted to pick a fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, that sounds right,\u201d Adam sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took a while for us to believe him, although Trapper didn\u2019t have as much problem with it as Beau did\u2014and for Joe to believe us. Then he said his know-it-all brother told him once that time travel was possible. Sound familiar?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m guilty. But it\u2019s not as if I invented the theory\u2014or the means. I don\u2019t know how it works.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNone of us knows, although to tell you the truth, I think I\u2019m the only one who tried to find out.\u201d Carrie shrugged. \u201cI went to the library in Carson City and went through a stack of material on time travel and physics and all kinds of related stuff. Beau never cared. And as for Trapper\u2026well, you know, he doesn\u2019t talk much to us, but whenever Joe insists on going to San Francisco, Trapper\u2019s the one to take him, even though Beau always volunteered. I have the feeling Trapper doesn\u2019t trust Beau. Not that I blame him.\u201d<\/p>\n

That raised more questions than it answered, but Adam found himself unable to ask any of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyhow, none of the research I did helped. There\u2019s not much out there about naturally-occurring, spontaneous time portals, although that\u2019s what your \u2018Six Trees\u2019 seems to be. We can\u2019t even figure out how much time passes on each side of the dividing line. Sometimes when Joe came here it had been a short time for him and a long time for us; sometimes the opposite was true. He\u2019s been here more than a dozen times in the last four years, and he\u2019d probably come more often if he thought he could get away with it. He even helped Beau run a load of wolverines down from Canada to the Sierra Nevada a couple years ago!\u201d**<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

She laughed. \u201c \u2018Why\u2019 is not a question Beau asks when cash is involved. Joe helps him for the fun of it, although I think Beau\u2019s split the profits with him and Cletus a couple of times. Cletus, should you want to know, is a truck driver. He\u2019s Beau\u2019s best friend, although I don\u2019t know how they stand each other. Cletus has been married to his high school sweetheart for nearly twelve years. It\u2019s always a banner time if Beau\u2019s with the same girl longer than twelve days.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I thought you\u2019ve been with him four years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOff and on. More off lately. We\u2019ve split up time and again, but he always wheedles me into coming back.\u201d She finished the last of her cheesecake and looked at him. \u201cYou interrupted the fight of the century when you showed up. I was about to leave, for real this time. Adam\u2014if I can call you that\u2014I know you haven\u2019t known me long, and you\u2019ve got better things on your mind than me, but I\u2019m a little mad at you. What with this emergency, you took all the wind out of my sails; besides, it\u2019s too late to go anywhere now, anyway. So I\u2019ll have to go back there tonight, I guess. And if I do, now that he\u2019s calmed down, Beau\u2019ll probably want me back. I don\u2019t want to go back, but he\u2019ll start kissing me and I\u2019ll just turn to mush again\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExcuse me.\u201d Adam stood up and walked away. He knew he was being rude, but there were some things men just didn\u2019t need to hear.<\/p>\n

The long, low room was lined with windows on one side, and he went directly to them and leaned against the sill to look out at the dark night and the row of street lights illuminating it. Like the gas lamps lining the streets in San Francisco\u2026but not gas-operated. He wondered if they were powered by electricity. And if the lights in the hospital were electrical. And if the Trans-Am and the Jeep he had ridden were electrical.<\/p>\n

Funny, to think that Joe knew so much about this time period, had been here so often\u2014even took part in the same crazy money-making schemes here that he did at home, although here he seemed to think he was still more invulnerable than he thought he was at home. Well, he could ask Joe about electricity, and cars, and such\u2014the things he had wanted to ask Carrie, if she hadn\u2019t been so intent on saying pointless and embarrassing things. He nodded. \u201cI\u2019ll ask Joe.\u201d And then he felt cold, more from inside than from the little vents in the wall that blew cold air at him. If he lives.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 There was a large black-and-white clock on the wall; incredibly ugly but utilitarian, Adam supposed. It had read 10:15 when he had first entered the waiting room. Now it read 3:25, and nobody had come to tell him how Joe was doing. It had never taken Paul this long to do a surgery\u2014although come to think of it, Paul had never opened a man\u2019s insides and done repair work deep inside them. He\u2019d said it couldn\u2019t be done.<\/p>\n

He walked up to the information desk again. \u201cIs there any word on my brother?\u201d There was no need to identify his brother; Adam was already famous for his constant hounding.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Mr. Cartwright. I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

They all wore white dresses that made him gasp in shock the first time he saw\u2014the dress came barely to the knee. But then there were women here who weren\u2019t nurses and who wore dresses that covered even less. And there were other women who, like Carrie, wore trousers that outlined every curve. Then, when he thought it couldn\u2019t get any stranger, he saw a woman in blue jeans that had been cut so short they actually showed a part of her bottom. \u201cHot pants,\u201d Carrie had provided on hearing his shocked gasp. He shook his head, thinking, No wonder Joe comes here so often.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em>\u201cIs it common for operations to take so long?\u201d he asked the nurse.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt depends on how much damage there is to repair, and where it\u2019s located,\u201d the nurse replied. \u201cSome operations can take a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sighing, he walked back to the waiting room. Medicine must have changed a lot in 115 years. Well, why not? Fashion had. Transportation certainly had. Horses were apparently extinct. He hadn\u2019t seen any outside, there were no pictures of them in any of the vivid, colorful magazines, and no one talked about them. There were none shown on the box called a television that blared from one corner of the room, showing men with strangely cut suits and women with shockingly few coverings. Where he came from horses were a major topic of conversation. Here, people talked about their cars. He had listened to them doing so for five hours. Oh, but that wasn\u2019t the only topic of conversation. It seemed that every woman in the place had to sit within hearing range while chattering with her friends about the foibles of men\u2014and darned if there weren\u2019t groups of men standing around, openly discussing women. It seemed that every topic known as \u201ctaboo\u201d to Adam Cartwright was guaranteed gossip fodder for this time period. But just ask one person how the overhead lights work, and they look at you like you\u2019re drunk.<\/em> He was desperate for an explanation of the unexplainable; he was half-mad to know the names of all the strange things he was seeing; his engineer\u2019s brain was demanding to know how the lights and television and LCD digital wrist watches and telephones and air conditioning and vending machines worked. Every new thing he saw required an explanation and there was no one to provide it.<\/p>\n

For five hours his brother had been in that operating room, but no one regarded that as unusual. For five hours Joe Cartwright had been fighting for his life, and his longtime protector Adam was powerless to do a thing about it. It was up to a bunch of strangers. And that was darn near intolerable.<\/p>\n

Five hours. That was an impossibly long time for surgery. It was also a long time to hold two cups of coffee inside, but he\u2019d been doing that, mainly because he had no idea how to get rid of them. Carrie probably would have told him\u2014Lord knew she didn\u2019t seem to mind talking about anything, from problems with her man to the development of musical theater\u2014but it was hardly a question he could ask, even if everyone else around here talked openly about their bodily functions. Carrie, however, was not as scatterbrained as she had first seemed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour back teeth must be floating,\u201d she said at length. \u201cThere\u2019s a gent\u2019s room down the hall on the right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA\u2026gent\u2019s room?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. Indoor plumbing\u2019s all the rage these days. Go take a look. Joe says you\u2019re a smart guy; I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another mystery. A couple of places in Boston had had indoor toilets, and Adam had read about them\u2014but never seen one. Fortunately when he went in, there was another fellow already there, providing an unwitting demonstration. After the fellow had gone and Adam had gotten rid of the coffee, though, he finally saw the ability to gain the answer to at least one question, and so it was that Trapper walked in almost half an hour later to find him methodically taking apart the innards of a commode tank.<\/p>\n

\u201cCarrie said you\u2019d be in here. Didn\u2019t expect you\u2019d make a day trip of it, though,\u201d Trapper observed with a small smile through his beard, and Adam, sleeves rolled up to the shoulder, both arms elbow-deep in the tank, with a large rubber ball in one hand and short metal chain in the other, his mouth open like a trout in embarrassed surprise at the doctor\u2019s arrival, wished he could sink into the floor and die.<\/p>\n

Trapper, however, merely crossed his arms and began talking about Joe. \u201cSurgery was rough. His heart stopped once on the operating table, but it\u2019s okay, we got it going again. The spleen was about to rupture; we had to remove it. We were able to repair the liver, too. And we were able to find the bleeder. He needed five pints of blood, counting the one I put on him at your house. His lungs are a little bruised, but okay\u2014the badly broken rib was putting pressure on it, but we\u2019ve wired the rib down. The other ribs were cracked, not broken.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s going to live?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe next few hours are crucial. If his liver starts functioning again, he should be out of danger, barring any unforeseen complications. I can\u2019t make guarantees just yet, but I think he\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam sighed and leaned back against the toilet tank, sending the lid crashing to the floor where it shattered into a thousand pieces. Helplessly, Adam pinched the bridge of his nose.<\/p>\n

\u201cShall I put that on your bill?\u201d Trapper asked sweetly.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy all means, if I can come up with a currency that\u2019s acceptable here.\u201d Adam hastily replaced the chain and the rubber ball. \u201cIf you\u2019ll tell me where to get a broom, I\u2019ll clean up the mess. Sorry\u2026I just got curious.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t they all,\u201d came the enigmatic reply. \u201cWe have people to fix that. Come on out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen can I take my brother home?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHome?\u201d Trapper just looked at him. \u201cNo time soon. I\u2019m sorry, but he\u2019ll need to stay here for at least a couple of days, until I\u2019m satisfied that he\u2019s stable. Then I\u2019d like to move him to my own hospital so I can keep an eye on him. He needs to stay with me at least until the stitches come out, and that\u2019s going to take some time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut in San Francisco? How would you get him there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHelicopter, I imagine. Anyway, we\u2019ll need to keep him at least 10 days. Maybe two weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWeeks? But my father\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLikely won\u2019t know a thing about it. We\u2019ve never figured out the way time runs on the two sides of the portal, but one thing your brother told us is that whenever he returns home, he finds he was seldom gone long enough to be missed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d Adam said with a trace of defiance, \u201cI\u2019ll need to stay with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course. At a minimum, you\u2019ll be a comforting presence, and if things don\u2019t improve as they should, we\u2019ll need to keep you around as next of kin in case more surgery is indicated.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan I see him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot yet. He\u2019ll be in recovery for a while. You might as well get some sleep. By the time you wake up, we\u2019ll have moved him to Intensive Care, and you can probably see him then. If anything changes for the worse, I\u2019ll have you notified.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded weakly, but by the time he had thought to ask where he was supposed to go during this time, Trapper had walked away.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cMr. Cartwright?\u201d Adam looked up blearily from the couch to see a nurse\u2019s knees. He sat up quickly, so he could look somewhere else. Some of these nurses had killer knees. \u201cYour brother is awake again, if you\u2019d like to see him.\u201d He jumped up and sped down the now-familiar corridor.<\/p>\n

For two days he had been in the hospital. He slept on the couch in the waiting room. Carrie had left some money with him (how in heck did Joe get money while he was here?<\/em>) and he purchased a couple of light meals\u2014and lots of coffee. Coffee was everywhere\u2014the cafeteria, the vending machines, the nurses\u2019 station. It was somehow a relief to note that some things hadn\u2019t changed. God knew just about everything else had.<\/p>\n

In the 48 hours he had been in the hospital, Adam\u2019s vocabulary and knowledge had undergone a remarkable increase. He had read every magazine in the waiting room, even the silly ones about women\u2019s fashions. He now knew about something called the E.R.A., and he knew that men from his century were looked down on as \u201cimperialists\u201d and \u201cchauvinists.\u201d It made him wonder what he\u2019d done wrong, but there was far too much else to learn to dwell on something that couldn\u2019t be changed. The two men running for president were the incumbent, a charming but apparently incompetent fellow from Georgia, and a former actor\u2014an<\/em> actor<\/span>?<\/em>\u2014from California.<\/p>\n

He talked for hours with nurses, other doctors, even a cleaning person. He now knew about \u201cIV\u2019s\u201d or intra-venous lines, and the \u201ctrees\u201d they hung on. He knew that \u201csaline solutions\u201d had more applications than simply being used in chemistry classes at Harvard. He had learned about blood types and found that Joe had A-positive blood. He knew that cars ran on refined oil, and most other things ran on electricity, including the box in the waiting room that turned out to be a \u201ctelevision\u201d playing things called \u201cmovies.\u201d He understood that electricity was transmitted over power lines and through the wiring of a building, and from there into the machinery that was monitoring his brother\u2019s \u201cvital signs.\u201d Periodically, a series of numbers spewed out on a small piece of paper for the doctors to read, and the numbers told the doctors more about Joe\u2019s progress than the simple act of touching. So the doctors read the numbers, and Adam put a gentle hand on his brother\u2019s forehead.<\/p>\n

Joe grinned up at Adam. \u201cDid I miss the cattle drive?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam just shook his head. \u201cYou couldn\u2019t be that lucky. How do you feel?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike I was hit by a truck.\u201d Joe snickered. \u201cBet you don\u2019t know what a truck is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn fact, I do,\u201d Adam replied. \u201cThere was a movie about them a little while ago. It was called \u2018Convoy,\u2019 and it didn\u2019t make much sense to me. But then, according to Carrie, the movie wasn\u2019t very realistic anyway. She seems to know a lot about trucks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLivin\u2019 with Bandit, she has to.\u201d Joe\u2019s voice faded and he went back to sleep.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs he on morphine?\u201d Adam asked the nurse.<\/p>\n

\u201cDemerol,\u201d she replied. At his puzzled look, she shrugged. \u201cIt\u2019s better than morphine. It\u2019ll keep the pain away.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next time Joe awoke, the Demerol had apparently worn off, and a nurse was there fiddling with the IV when Adam came in.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam\u2026my guts really hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey should. Those doctors had to cut through \u2019em to get at all the stuff you broke in there. You know, you\u2019re not as bullet-proof as you think.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah\u2026starting to get that idea. Aw, but Adam, you shoulda seen me take that jump.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I have some questions about that jump. And other things. They\u2019ll wait until you\u2019re better, but brother, you owe me some answers.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Joe had already gone to sleep again.<\/p>\n

Trapper breezed back in then, to examine the numbers on the printed sheet. Adam wondered where he\u2019d been: he looked as crisp and fresh as if he\u2019d walked out of the Magic Lasso, the Turkish bath house in Carson City, while Adam was rumpled, in desperate need of a bath, and each look in the mirror was maddening when he realized how much he needed a shave. \u201cHe\u2019s looking good,\u201d Trapper announced after examining Joe. \u201cIf he keeps improving, tomorrow afternoon we\u2019ll fly him out to San Francisco.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFly,\u201d Adam whispered. Collecting himself as best he could, he said, \u201cI\u2019ll be coming along, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure.\u201d For the first time in their brief acquaintance, Trapper gave him a full-fledged grin, and Adam wondered at the familiar feel of it. \u201cMaybe I\u2019ll let you drive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Seeing the better part of Lake Tahoe from the air had been exhilarating, but a little scary.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t the height that frightened him, or even the sudden ups and downs. That was a little unnerving, but not terrifying. With this thing, it was the noise of the blade overhead that worried him. Well were these things called \u201cchoppers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Apparently Trapper could tell he was scared, even though he thought he was doing a pretty good job hiding it, for the doctor started telling him all kinds of irrelevant things. \u201cIt\u2019s called a Sikorsky S-76. They only came out three years ago, and we could never have afforded it, but someone caught Dr. Riverside\u2019s father at the right moment and he donated it to us. Big\u2014it\u2019ll carry twelve passengers even if they\u2019re lying down and strapped in like your brother. Pretty nice, if you ask me. In Korea we had to make do with a Bell-47 that could only take two guys at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vaguely Adam recalled that Korea was a country in Asia, and wondered what Trapper had been doing there as the doctor continued to extol the virtues of helicopters and air travel.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow does it work?\u201d he asked finally.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeats me,\u201d Trapper replied with a grin. \u201cI can change the oil in my car, but I\u2019m hardly a qualified engineer or mechanic. I remember once a pilot told me that helicopters shouldn\u2019t be able to fly. Supposedly they work on the same principles that enable a bumblebee to fly\u2014since bumblebees aren\u2019t supposed to be able to fly either.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow many moving parts are in these engines?\u201d he asked then, and Trapper looked oddly at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cA few thousand, I imagine. But if you\u2019re thinking of all the things that could go wrong with \u2019em, they\u2019re made by Rolls Royce, and those people are committed to quality.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have no idea what is possible to go wrong with engines like these,\u201d Adam shrugged, and grinned mischievously. \u201cI just wondered how long it would take to pull one apart.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I bet you\u2019d love that,\u201d Trapper said. \u201cAll you engineers are just alike.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe told you about my engineering training?\u201d<\/p>\n

Trapper coughed. \u201cUh huh. My father was an engineer too. He thought I\u2019d be one and was astonished that I went into medicine instead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, for Joe\u2019s sake I\u2019m glad you did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s San Francisco in the distance,\u201d Trapper said, as if desperate to change the subject.<\/p>\n

The hills and the estuary were unmistakable, but as built-up as it had been in the 1860s, there was no comparison to the 1980s. There were buildings reaching right into the clouds. And what the devil was that red thing threading across the strait?<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a bridge!\u201d Adam gasped. \u201cImpossible. Everybody knows that. It\u2019s impossible to put a bridge there; the currents in the straits are\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry to disappoint you,\u201d Trapper chuckled. \u201cIt\u2019s been there since I was a kid of 17. My father was one of the engineers on the\u2026um\u2026it\u2019s called the Golden Gate Bridge, and it\u2019s the second-longest suspension bridge in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe second<\/em>-longest!\u201d Adam breathed, staring at it. \u201cWho built it? How did he overcome the wind and current problems? And where\u2019s the longest?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry. You\u2019ll see plenty of this bridge.\u201d He didn\u2019t answer the other questions as the helicopter began a rapid descent, setting down on a big red cross-mark atop the roof of a building. Trapper vaulted out with ease. Adam climbed out more slowly, shaking his head as he realized Trapper probably spent as much time working with \u201cchoppers\u201d as he and Joe spent working with horses.<\/p>\n

He hadn\u2019t really been outside in daylight in this time period yet; even this morning they had left in the gray hour before dawn. Now that the sun was up he could see people driving into the hospital parking area and steering their cars into little rectangular slots. A corral without a fence<\/em>, he thought. A couple of orderlies had emerged from the hospital and were taking Joe out, strapping him onto a new gurney\u2014and of course they wouldn\u2019t let him help\u2014and taking him inside.<\/p>\n

Joe was installed in a room on the fourth floor just across from the nurse\u2019s station\u2014he\u2019d like that once he was awake, Adam thought, even as he marveled anew at how big and clean a hospital could be. He had been in a hospital once\u2014in this same town\u2014and it was filthy, its wards crowded with people in anguish, for most of whom no help existed. How had things changed so much?<\/p>\n

He suspected that question couldn\u2019t be answered, so he just turned to Trapper and asked what would happen to Joe now. \u201cMore tests,\u201d Trapper shrugged. \u201cI want to make certain he stood the trip all right. Mostly just blood tests, nothing to you need to worry about.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen we let him relax for a while, and we also get some rest. I don\u2019t know about you, but I\u2019ve been up for most of the last three days and I\u2019m bushed. As for you\u2014I do mean this in the nicest possible way, but you\u2019re starting to smell a little ripe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, but I didn\u2019t want to be far from Joe, so I stayed in the waiting room. There was no bathtub in the \u2018gents\u2019 room\u2026besides, paper towels and liquid soap don\u2019t make for the best sponge baths\u2014and it\u2019s not as if I could take my clothes off.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess a hotel was out of the question, at that,\u201d Trapper said thoughtfully. \u201cI\u2019m sorry. I\u2019m used to traveling on short notice, and since your brother was weighing pretty heavily on my mind, I probably wasn\u2019t thinking too clearly about your situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere would I go?\u201d Adam asked doubtfully. He produced his wallet. \u201cDo you know of any place that would convert this stuff to the kind of money you use?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry; no. Funny, your brother never had a problem with money when he was here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe\u2019s always been pretty resourceful where dollars are concerned. He\u2019s like an alchemist.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trapper laughed out loud at that. \u201cYou\u2019re right. Well, it doesn\u2019t matter. I always let him bunk in with me when he was in town. Why don\u2019t you do the same?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat would your wife have to say about that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot much. We\u2019re divorced. Tell you what; you tough it out for a few hours more and I\u2019ll come and get you when it\u2019s time to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you sure it\u2019ll be all right to leave him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou haven\u2019t noticed all the different ways we monitor the patients? If anything, however insignificant, changes, my staff will notify me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI noticed those little printed pages, but I don\u2019t really understand what they\u2019re for. All those other machines must mean something to you and the nurses, but I had a hard time understanding them, even when the nurses tried to explain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you don\u2019t have to understand how the machine works. My staff understands just fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, Doc Martin back home doesn\u2019t even have a nurse. How many people work for one doctor here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my case, a lot. I\u2019m chief of surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh.\u201d Adam thought that over. \u201cWell, I guess you would have a lot of people, then. And you have a, um, telephone at your house.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYup. Trust me, even if I\u2019m not near a phone they\u2019ll be able to reach me. I wear a pager\u2014and don\u2019t ask right now, I\u2019ll explain it on the way home. Right now go find something to do\u2026something non-destructive, if you please. The administrator here gets pretty fussy if he sees unlicensed people taking apart the plumbing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The car Trapper drove was not like the Jeep or the Trans-Am; it was a large, comfortable coupe that he called a Dodge Mirada. Trapper drove on the road, unlike Carrie who drove her Jeep mostly on trails; and he drove at sedate speeds. The number of other cars on the roads\u2014and the wide variety of shapes, sizes, and conditions of them\u2014was unbelievable to Adam, who kept turning to look at them as they passed. For all that 40-50 mph still seemed fast to Adam, the other drivers didn\u2019t seem to think so, and they zoomed by with their horns blaring. The Mirada was a strange car; it felt nice, and the engine was fairly quiet, but it made a periodic coughing noise that resulted in the car hesitating and then jumping ahead suddenly. \u201cCarburetor,\u201d Trapper muttered when Adam asked why the car did this. \u201cI knew I should\u2019ve gone for the 318 with fuel injection, but nooooo. I let Gonzo talk me into a 360 with a carb, and it\u2019s been like this for a month now.\u201d What that meant, Adam had no idea, but he filed away the numbers and technical terms, hoping to find a dictionary.<\/p>\n

Trapper seemed friendly enough, and answered questions readily and frankly, but Adam noticed there was a distinct air of distraction about the man, and he wondered why.<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t say how the McIntyres ended up with the Tahoe property,\u201d Trapper shrugged in answer to one question. \u201cI\u2019ve never done any genealogy research, but you can probably assume that when your father died, a lot of the Ponderosa land was sold.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of all the things he had seen and heard in 1980, somehow that offhand statement threw Adam more than anything else. \u201cMY FATHER DIED?\u201d he cried. \u201cYou said he would just sleep for a few hours! What the\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s 1980,\u201d Trapper reminded him reproachfully. \u201cI hate to tell you this, but all of us being mortal, the greater likelihood is that you and all your brothers are dead too. If you were born in 1830, did you really expect to find yourself alive at age 150?\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a sobering, disturbing thought, and somehow, not something he had considered before. \u201cSorry. I, uh, forgot. But what about us<\/em>? There\u2019s no way my brothers and I would have sold the ranch, not as hard as we worked to build it. Surely at least one of us must have gotten married and had some children to leave it to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll I know is, the Ponderosa doesn\u2019t exist in this time, so we\u2019re left with knowing that some of the land was donated for a state park, and the rest of it was sold. How my family came to own some of the land\u2026\u201d Trapper shrugged. \u201cI really can\u2019t say. My father was always the one for investments. I\u2019m not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan I talk to your father?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been dead nearly 20 years. My mother went into real estate then\u2026maybe she could tell you something. I can ask.\u201d With that, Trapper pulled the car up in front of a row of tall, narrow houses and hit a button on the car\u2019s sun visor; a door under the house lifted, and Trapper pulled the car into a semi-dark, low-ceilinged room. \u201cHere we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam stared at a pitchfork hanging on one wall. \u201cIs this a barn?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGarage,\u201d Trapper replied. \u201cSorry; no horses here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen did they die out?\u201d Adam asked as the two got out of the car. He jumped as the garage door clamped itself down with a loud noise.<\/p>\n

\u201cI gotta get that thing fixed,\u201d Trapper muttered. \u201cHorses? They didn\u2019t die. We just don\u2019t use \u2019em much anymore. If you had a choice of riding for a week or driving for a few hours, which would you pick?\u201d<\/p>\n

Walking into the foyer, Trapper flipped a switch and the lights came on; he looked back to see Adam grinning broadly, staring directly into the light. Trapper shook his head and went into the living room where he flipped another switch. Two more lights flared to life; then one made a popping noise and went dark.<\/p>\n

\u201cNuts,\u201d Trapper murmured. He disappeared into the kitchen and returned with two items, which he handed to Adam. \u201cChange the light bulb, will you?\u201d And with that he all but ran from the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks a lot for your high appraisal of my intelligence,\u201d Adam muttered. Why did everyone take for granted that he would know what to do? He wouldn\u2019t take someone to 1865 and tell them to grease a wagon axle or brand a calf. Well, maybe I would if it was this doctor.<\/em> He sighed and examined the two items he\u2019d been given. One was a screwdriver. The other was, apparently, a light bulb. Adam looked up at the fixture where the two lights resided; one still streaming a white glow, the other dark and useless. He thought back to what he had learned the last two days. If electricity really ran through the wires and spilled out of sockets, he didn\u2019t think it would be a good idea to work on this thing with the current on, so he went to the switch Trapper had thrown and pushed it down. The other light went off. Good.\u00a0 He pulled a chair under the fixture, climbed on it and took a look at the structure of the thing. There was a covering, held in place by four screws. Okay<\/em>. He took out the screws and laid the covering down on the floor, then mounted the chair again. The light bulb itself didn\u2019t appear to have any screws holding in place. Hmmm<\/em>. He pulled it tentatively. Nothing. He twisted it a little. Nothing. He twisted it the other direction\u2014and it loosened. Soon it was in his hand and the other bulb screwed into place. Carefully, he replaced the cover, and then went to flip the switch again. Both bulbs lit.<\/p>\n

Trapper, meanwhile, had been frantically inspecting the guest room to be certain there was nothing there that shouldn\u2019t be. He had to move a couple of albums and of course get the photo off the desk; he put them in his room, went back out to the hall\u2014gasped, rushed halfway down the stairs to remove another photo from the wall; then sighed in relief, and returned to descend the stairs. Adam Cartwright was standing under the light fixture, beaming himself. It was hard to tell which was brighter: the lights, or Adam\u2019s stubbly face. He was grinning like a kid with his first bicycle. Come to think of it, Trapper thought painfully, JT had exactly that same expression when he\u2019d bought the kid his first motorcycle.<\/p>\n

He cleared his throat, and calmly said, \u201cThanks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s face was suddenly bland as a cold cup of potato salad. \u201cOh. Sure. It was easy.\u201d He handed over the screwdriver and the bad bulb.<\/p>\n

Trapper chuckled. \u201cCome on, I\u2019ll show you your room. I think we\u2019re about the same height; I\u2019ve got some clothes you can wear. They might be a little loose on you, but you\u2019re not here for a fashion show. And you really need a shower and shave.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA shower?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll show you that too, although anybody that can replace a light bulb can probably figure out a shower. You\u2019re not gonna take my house apart, now, are you?\u201d he asked as they went up the stairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll try to resist the temptation,\u201d Adam said with a grin. \u201cYou know, I like those candlesticks on the mantle. Hey, they\u2019re silver, aren\u2019t they? Does Virginia City still produce most of the country\u2019s silver?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe candlesticks belonged to my great-grandmother. Virginia City, I couldn\u2019t say.\u201d Trapper cleared his throat again. \u201cLet\u2019s get you into that shower before the neighbors complain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 There were advantages to a shower. It wasn\u2019t as relaxing as a bathtub, but then in a bathtub you ended up sitting in dirty water, and in a shower the dirt went down the drain. And in the end a shower was rather refreshing. I don\u2019t feel tired at all now<\/em>, Adam thought as he pulled on a pair of shorts and sat down on the bed. Sixteen hours later he woke in the same bed, wondering where the dickens he was.<\/p>\n

The room was twice the size of his back home\u2014and he\u2019d always thought he had a good-sized room. A little table with two chairs sat in one corner; a large desk backed up against the wall, and the wall was decorated with tasteful prints and paintings. He wondered briefly about the empty hooks, but then the smells of coffee and bacon wafted up to him, and the comforting thought hit him that some things really were as constant as the Northern Star. He looked down at the foot of the bed, where the other clothes were still laid out.<\/p>\n

Trapper laughed as he walked in the kitchen. \u201cHello, Sleeping Beauty. I thought you ranchers were up with the dawn. It\u2019s almost 7 a.m.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry. Guess I was more tired than I knew.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it helps any, I zonked out, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cZonked\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCratered. Crashed and burned. Succumbed to the arms of Morpheus. In other words, I slept, and perchance, I dreamt.\u00a0 Have some coffee. It\u2019s instant, but it\u2019s not too bad. Non-dairy creamer and artificial sweetener are on the counter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thankfully, he pointed to the items in question, and Adam quickly figured out he wanted nothing to do with any of them. Shaking his head, he picked up a carton labeled \u201cfresh-squeezed\u201d orange juice instead. Nice. Oranges didn\u2019t end up at the Ponderosa very often.<\/p>\n

Two slices of toast bounced out of a metal box while Trapper was opening the glass door on another box and removing a plate of bacon. \u201cPerfect timing,\u201d Trapper announced. \u201cHey, butter those, wouldya?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long did it take to cook all this?\u201d Adam asked as he obediently buttered the toast.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeven minutes,\u201d Trapper replied. \u201cThe trick is to microwave the bacon while you\u2019re scrambling the eggs. And devil take any of the nutritionists who say microwaved bacon is carcinogenic. Ernie will have a fit when she hears about our scandalous breakfast. Be sure and describe it to her in detail, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh? Who? What?\u201d<\/p>\n

A radio informed them as they ate that the Soviet Union was threatening a boycott of the 1984 Olympics\u2014that Iran was allowing the mother of one hostage to visit her son and that other parents were applying for permission\u2014that the Hyde Amendment for federal abortion funding was being protested by both the ACLU and a bunch of church groups\u2014that postage rates were about to be raised again, from 15 to 18 cents\u2014and that \u201cLove Stinks\u201d had reached number 38 on the Pop Charts. It gave them ample things to discuss, since Adam had spent the last few days wondering what and where the Soviet Union and Iran were, and what the dickens the Supreme Court had to do with miscarriages.<\/p>\n

They were still \u201cdiscussing\u201d all that when they arrived at the hospital.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam handed over the little breathing contraption Joe was supposed to play with. It was made of plastic\u2014another new term he had learned\u2014and housed three small blue balls in separate tubes. The idea of the machine was to make Joe breathe in, taking breaths deep enough to move the three balls to the tops of their respective chambers. \u201cJoe, time for breathing exercises.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t wanna,\u201d Joe mumbled. \u201cI want Pa, Adam. Why didn\u2019t he come?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, you know where we are. More important, you know when<\/em> we are. I always thought I was a pretty progressive kind of fellow, but I\u2019m having a hard enough time coping with all this. Do you really think Pa could?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe not.\u201d A sigh. \u201cIs Bandit here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo; he\u2019s back in Nevada.\u201d Adam pushed the breathing exerciser into Joe\u2019s hands. \u201cCome on. They told me you\u2019ll get pneumonia if you don\u2019t do this. Breathe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hot,\u201d Joe complained, but he obediently sucked in a gulp of air and crossed his eyes, watching the three balls rise halfway to the tops of their chambers.<\/p>\n

\u201cTry again,\u201d Adam commanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. Hurts. I\u2019m sore all over, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right.\u201d Adam looked his brother in the eye. \u201cWould you rather breathe into this thing or explain to me what you\u2019ve been doing in this time and place for the last four years, where you got the money to do it, why you never saw fit to tell me about it, and always laughed like I was an idiot if I ever mentioned that old book about time travel?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll breathe,\u201d Joe said sullenly, and took another gulp of air.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Cartwright,\u201d Lisa called from the door, and both brothers turned to look. \u201cSorry\u2014I mean, Mr. Adam<\/em> Cartwright. You have a phone call. Since this room doesn\u2019t have a phone, you can take it at the nurses\u2019 station.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wondering who in the world would be calling him, Adam got up. \u201cI\u2019ll be right back,\u201d he told Joe. \u201cLisa\u2014can you stick around and make sure he does his breathing exercise?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, even if I have to hog tie him, sir,\u201d Lisa said politely, but Adam had no doubt she meant what she said. Three of the nurses had apparently taken Joe as their sole property\u2014Lisa the day nurse, Cori the evening nurse, and Jenny who worked the \u201cgraveyard shift\u201d\u2014and all three hovered around Joe like a combination anxious mother hen and Venus on the half-shell, constantly finding excuses to undo his pajama top and check the dressing.<\/p>\n

Adam picked up the telephone receiver and, resisting the impulse to shout into it, said \u201cHello?\u201d the way other people did.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam? It\u2019s Carrie. I\u2019m in San Francisco. I was wondering if you\u2019d mind if I came to see you and Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

He fought down the impulse to ask if Beau Darville was along\u2014he really didn\u2019t like that fellow\u2014and simply said, \u201cSure, come ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, thanks, great. See you shortly.\u201d<\/p>\n

She arrived so soon after that Joe sweetly remarked she must have called from the downstairs lobby. \u201cWhere\u2019s Bandit?\u201d he asked eagerly.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe didn\u2019t come. He and Cletus have some new project they\u2019re working on, and I didn\u2019t want to be around it. I swear, Joe, they\u2019re gonna get themselves killed one day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure,\u201d Joe said cheerfully. \u201cAin\u2019t that what the Bandit always says? \u2018Live fast, die young, leave a good-lookin\u2019 corpse\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe\u2026\u201d Adam muttered.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry\u2014Carrie\u2019s heard lots worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHoney, I\u2019ve said<\/em> lots worse,\u201d Carrie laughed, and Adam stared at her, eyebrows raised.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, is it just me, or is the room hot?\u201d Joe asked suddenly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the room\u2019s hot,\u201d Carrie said with certainty, and Adam, thinking it over, thought it wasn\u2019t so much hot as stuffy. Carrie went over to the row of vents along the wall. \u201cThere\u2019s no air blowing.\u201d She adjusted the controls on the panel, but nothing happened. \u201cWell, that\u2019s the limit of my air conditioning knowledge,\u201d she laughed merrily, and went out to the nurses\u2019 station. A few minutes later she returned. \u201cThe air conditioning unit\u2019s down. Facilities department is working on it but it\u2019ll be at least eight hours before they get it fixed. Darn you tough, longsuffering cowboy types. Every other room on the floor\u2019s already complained. They\u2019d run out of fans by the time I spoke up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, how about you fine folk go and find me one,\u201d Joe sighed. \u201cIt\u2019s hard enough to breathe even without the room being so darn stuffy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll go,\u201d Carrie said cheerfully.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, why don\u2019t you help her?\u201d Joe said. \u201cI\u2019m going to take a nap.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter<\/em> you breathe into this thing for me, once more,\u201d Adam commanded.<\/p>\n

On the way out they were stopped by Trapper\u2019s bellowed, \u201cFrog! Where are you off to when you only just got here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Trapp!\u201d She ran over to hug the doctor, who smiled in a peculiar fashion and patted her hair. \u201cWe\u2019re going out to get a fan for Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, the nurses told me everyone\u2019s working up a sweat. I wouldn\u2019t know; I\u2019m usually in motion so much I\u2019m hot anyway. What do you think? He seemed in good spirits this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam and Carrie just looked at him. \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n

Trapper pointed to Joe\u2019s door. \u201cWho else?\u201d<\/p>\n

Carrie sighed. \u201cIt gets confusing when you never call people by name.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oddly discomfited, the doctor cleared his throat and looked at the floor. \u201cSorry. I meant, ah, Joe, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s doing well,\u201d Adam put in. \u201cAre you sure I can\u2019t take him home now? I\u2019m sure Pa\u2019s worried by now, and the fresh air would do as well as this environment any day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trapper looked sternly at him. \u201cWho\u2019s the doctor?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam sighed. \u201cNever mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo me a favor\u2014take my car,\u201d Trapper said, absent-mindedly handing Carrie a key. \u201cYou can top it off on the way back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWill do, sir,\u201d Carrie said with a mock salute. She leaned toward Adam as they walked out, and muttered, \u201cHe thinks I\u2019m his secretary.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why\u2019d you agree to do it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause he\u2019s the nicest man in the world, and a good friend,\u201d she replied simply. \u201cLast time I was in town was another time when I\u2019d broken up with Beau. I called Trapper up and told him, he came and picked me up and took me to dinner. Then took me to a music store and bought all kinds of tapes for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTapes?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike records. Oh, wait, you don\u2019t know those either. Let me think. You know how the television shows movies and stuff. When somebody sings, you can store the sound onto a tape or a record and play it back later. So now you can go to a music store and buy all kinds of music. Opera, musical soundtracks, jazz, country and western, folk\u2014all kinds of music.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s jazz?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh Lord, Adam, we don\u2019t have all day here. I\u2019ll play you some later. Anyhow, Trapper knows how to make a gal feel better when she\u2019s low, so if he wants me to gas up his car, or if he wants to call me Frog, it\u2019s okay by me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe does call you Frog. I wonder why? He must know it\u2019s not\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen he says it, it\u2019s because I\u2019m little and cute.\u201d She grinned. \u201cAnd I am little and cute, so I don\u2019t mind. It\u2019s when Beau calls me that that I get irked. And Joe calls me that because<\/em> I get irked and he\u2019s full of spit and vinegar.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I\u2019ll give him a little \u2018necessary talk\u2019 when we get back, and he won\u2019t call you that anymore.\u201d They got into the car. \u201cWhy were you named \u2018Frog,\u2019 anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n

Carrie blushed darkly and started the car. \u201cWe\u2019ll go to K-Mart.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s K-Mart?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a\u2026whatchamacallit\u2014it\u2019s a general store. A mercantile. Whatever those places are where you buy whatever you need.\u201d<\/p>\n

The car coughed a few times and sputtered as they pulled out of the parking lot. \u201cDoggone carburetor,\u201d she muttered. \u201cTried to tell him to get fuel injection, but noooooo. Carbs are cheaper. And a Carter double-barrel, at that\u2026might as well have bought a couple of straws and a wooden crate, it\u2019d suck up about as much air.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow much do you know about cars?\u201d he asked as they sped down the road, occasionally hesitating to cough.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore than I ever wanted to. Beau made me help re-build that darn Trans-Am. He was a cheapskate and bought it with a standard 180 horsepower engine, and by the time we got done with it, it was 210 horsepower with a top speed of 175 miles an hour.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re saying it\u2019s as powerful as 210 horses?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYup.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDear Lord.\u201d And not another word did he say until they arrived at K-Mart.<\/p>\n

The two hospitals he\u2019d seen had seemed pretty busy to Adam, but they were all one color, and things were neatly tucked away, categorized, and labeled. Walking into K-Mart, he was assaulted by a million things he didn\u2019t recognize, of all shapes, sizes and colors; people everywhere were rushing toward the flashing blue lights that intermittently popped up throughout the store. It was like a human stampede, and while he was determined to protect the tiny Carrie from the horde, she ended up guiding him through it to the relative safety of the household appliances section.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaven\u2019t seen a mob like that since the last time a posse tried to lynch me,\u201d Adam gasped. \u201cWhat\u2019s got everybody so riled up?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a sale\u2014\u201d Carrie looked around\u2014\u201cover on Aisle 9. Automotive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes that mean stuff for cars?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah\u2014oh, Adam,\u201d Carrie laughed. \u201cYou can\u2019t buy a carburetor at K-Mart. But I know what you\u2019re after\u2014we\u2019ll talk about that later. Come on, here\u2019s the fans. Can you reach the big one on the top shelf?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The blue light special was over by the time they ventured to the automotive section, but they did find what they were looking for\u2014a book on automotive maintenance.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou sure about this?\u201d Carrie asked. \u201cA carb replacement is not like changing a tire. We\u2019re talking hours of hard work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m used to hard work,\u201d Adam replied. \u201cAnd this book seems pretty clear about what to do and what tools to use. Besides, didn\u2019t you say you\u2019re an expert mechanic?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot exactly, but hanging around Beau I did learn a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo I have to hear more about the great Beauregard Darville? I\u2019m sure he walks on wat\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, all I said was that he taught me a lot about cars.\u201d She made a face. \u201cAnd that love really does stink.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he taught you about cars with as much accuracy as he taught you about love, I have no desire to do this mechanical work with your assistance. I\u2019ll figure it out myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou probably could\u2014but you need some specialized tools, too, and for those you\u2019re going to have to depend on me. Listening to me gripe about Beau is a small price to pay for that. What I really want to know is, why do you want to do this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you kidding? Trapper saved Joe\u2019s life. Not only that, but he\u2019s paying the hospital bill. How can I ever repay something like that? I can\u2019t imagine the Ponderosa without Joe\u2014I can\u2019t imagine my father living on without Joe. We may not see eye to eye, but Trapper is saving my whole family. Least I can do for him is try to make his life a little easier.\u201d<\/p>\n

When they returned, Adam carrying the fan\u2014and insisting on setting it up himself\u2014Carrie pulled Trapper off to one side and nodded. \u201cWell, your car\u2019s topped off. He made me go to a self-service station, though. Said paying a dollar and a quarter per gallon was silly if we could do it ourselves and save a dime a gallon. So, here\u2019s your change, and you saved a whole dollar, courtesy of your pal over there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s somethin\u2019 else,\u201d Trapper chuckled softly, looking toward Adam, who was excitedly plugging in the fan and explaining to Joe how he and Carrie had fought off the other shoppers.<\/p>\n

Carrie followed Trapper\u2019s gaze. \u201cYeah,\u201d she said. \u201cWish I knew what<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat on earth are you watching?\u201d Adam asked, looking up at the television.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, somethin\u2019 called \u2018God\u2019s Little Acre,\u201d Joe replied offhandedly. \u201cIt\u2019s about some weird farmer who thinks there\u2019s gold on his land. He\u2019s got a couple of good-lookin\u2019 daughters, though.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle\u2026that reminds me.\u201d Adam leaned closer to Joe and dropped his voice so even Joe had difficulty hearing him. \u201cWhy did you tell these people your name was \u2018Lightning\u2019 Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe rolled his eyes. \u201cCome on, Adam. I was 17 the first time I came here. Nobody that old wants to be called \u2018little,\u2019 but it was like a reflex\u2014when they asked my name, I said \u2018Lit\u2026.\u2019 From there I just thought real fast and told \u2019em it was \u2018Lightning Joe.\u2019 Nobody knew different and I had a great new name.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam snorted. \u201cRapscallion. There\u2019s a reason Pa wants you locked in your room til you\u2019re 30.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now that doesn\u2019t sound too bad, older brother. Whenever I\u2019ve been here before I\u2019ve been too busy havin\u2019 fun to miss anybody, and I knew I wouldn\u2019t be gone long enough for you to miss me. But now\u2026well, I\u2019m feeling kinda lost and lonely. I\u2019m glad you\u2019re here, Adam, but I feel bad leavin\u2019 Pa with him not knowing what was going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2019s going to sleep until we get home, maybe even after. You know time flows at different speeds on each side of the portal,\u201d Adam said lamely; it sounded crazy to him, even if Joe said it had always been the case before.<\/p>\n

Joe shook his head and turned back to the television. \u201cJust watch the movie. That albino kid is a pretty interesting character. Wish he played a bigger part. Something familiar about him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo how long will you be in town, Carrie?\u201d Trapper asked as Adam, like Joe, became absorbed in the movie.<\/p>\n

\u201cI dunno, Trapp\u2026let\u2019s go outside. I don\u2019t want to bother the \u2018boys.\u2019 \u201d They went out to the hallway, where Carrie lifted troubled eyes to her landlord and mentor. \u201cI\u2019ve left Beau.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHmmm. That\u2019s a tune you\u2019ve played before.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, I know\u2014but I mean it this time. I think. Anyhow, can you put me up for a while? I\u2019m a little strapped for cash. I have some stuff with me that I can sell if I have to, but I\u2019d like to wait until I have to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, there\u2019s a problem,\u201d Trapper said thoughtfully. \u201cOur pal in there is in my spare room, and I\u2019m not sure how he\u2019d feel about your being there without a chaperone. You know about Victorian men.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot really. Joe\u2019s not too fussy. Why would Adam be?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe because he and his brother are two different people. We\u2019ve already had one large argument in a very short time.\u201d Trapper thought for a minute, and then grinned. \u201cTell you what\u2014come on anyway. It\u2019ll be worth the argument just to see the look on his face.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 After the movie\u2014and over Joe\u2019s protestations that they had to stay and see The Lady in Cement <\/em>(\u201cI\u2019m tellin\u2019 ya Adam, there\u2019s a guy in it who looks just like Hoss\u201d), Carrie and Adam went to Trapper\u2019s office and found him getting ready to leave. \u201cI think I\u2019ll take you two out to dinner,\u201d he announced. \u201cFrog, get your stuff out of the Jeep.\u201d He turned to Adam as Carrie went for her \u201cstuff.\u201d \u201cShe\u2019ll be staying at my house for the next few days.\u201d He looked intently at Adam. \u201cDo you mind?\u201d<\/p>\n

The response was surprising. \u201cOf course not\u2014she\u2019ll take my room. I can sleep on the sofa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot necessary. There\u2019s a little attic on the third floor with a spare bed. She can sleep there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll take the attic, then.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou wouldn\u2019t fit on that bed. Even your brother wouldn\u2019t. It\u2019s a child\u2019s bed, about five and a half feet long. She can fit on it; you can\u2019t. And quit being so determined to be a gentleman. Women nowadays are not impressed by it; in fact, some of them don\u2019t even like it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stung, Adam got quiet very fast, and Carrie returned a moment later with a backpack, a suitcase, and a guitar. Adam took them and put them in the trunk, then joined them in the car.<\/p>\n

Dinner was excellent, and Trapper was in a fine humor, telling a joke Adam barely understood about a do-it-yourself splenectomy, when Carrie surprised them both. \u201cSo what were you two arguing about this morning?\u201d<\/p>\n

The two men exchanged glances for a moment; then Adam smiled and reached for his wineglass. \u201cI preferred to think of it as a spirited debate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo that\u2019s how you are when you\u2019re spirited,\u201d Trapper commented with a smile of his own, turning back to Carrie. \u201cWe were discussing the abortion-capital punishment issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, that.\u201d She sighed. \u201cYou guys pick some depressing topics of discussion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam cocked an eyebrow at her. \u201cI thought women could vote now. Aren\u2019t these topics you need to know about, with all the wrangling going on over both?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know about them. I just think they\u2019re depressing, so I don\u2019t think much about them. I already know my own beliefs, anyway. Where do you two come down?\u201d<\/p>\n

The two exchanged another glance. Then Trapper grinned. \u201cHe thinks capital punishment is fine and dandy, and abortion isn\u2019t. I told him it was the classic fisherman\u2019s mentality\u2014throw the little fish back until they get bigger.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I simply said I\u2019d prefer not<\/em> to execute someone unless he actually committed a capital crime,\u201d Adam replied with dignity. \u201cJohn Stuart Mill said the best way to show respect for the right to life is to adopt a rule that \u2018he who violates that right in another, forfeits it for himself,\u2019 and that\u2019s what I believe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you don\u2019t think a woman has the right to choose when it\u2019s her own body?\u201d Carrie asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think if it\u2019s your finger or your kidney, then it\u2019s part of your own body and if you want to cut it off, that\u2019s your choice. If it\u2019s not part of your own body but a separate life with its own soul and its own destiny, then it\u2019s not part of your body. It\u2019s just temporarily inhabiting your body. Give it nine months, and it\u2019ll leave. I also believe that the best time for a woman to choose what to do with her body is before she gives herself to any man who comes along. And as for doctors, I always heard that the first part of the Hippocratic Oath was to do no harm. You tell me how forcing a woman to have a miscarriage is not harmful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTypical judgmental Victorian,\u201d Trapper chuckled, and Carrie, blushing, downed her entire wine glass, and reached for the bottle just as Trapper\u2019s pager went off.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d Adam asked urgently.<\/p>\n

Trapper ignored him and bolted from the table to a payphone nearby.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t Joe, Trapper said, but a school bus loaded with kids returning from a field trip had overturned and the hospital was recalling most of its people. Adam jumped up, ready to return as well\u2014\u201cI can help unload the ambulances.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you can\u2019t,\u201d Trapper replied, tossing his wallet and house key on the table. \u201cI appreciate the offer, but for this I need trained medical personnel, not well-meaning amateurs. Carrie, give them the card for our dinner\u2014and I hope you remember the way to my house. You can drive home; I\u2019ve got a cab waiting for me already.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carrie was in the middle of pouring herself the last of the bottle, and did not reply; Trapper didn\u2019t wait.<\/p>\n

Adam cleared his throat. \u201cExcuse me, Miss Carrie, but you might want to go easy on that if you\u2019re going to be driving.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said we\u2019d get along great on a desert island,\u201d she muttered, chugging the wine.<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBeau. Four years ago. He wasn\u2019t just any old guy that came along, Mister Know-it-all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know what you\u2026oh. I wasn\u2019t talking about you. I was talking about women who were in a family way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe rescued me from an idiot sheriff\u2019s son.\u201d She picked up Trapper\u2019s half-full glass and drained it. \u201cI fell for him the minute he pulled up by the side of the road. I always wanted to be rescued, since I was a little girl. He was romantic, and funny, and charming, and he drove like a bat outta hell. And he named me Frog right after we met \u2019cause he said he wanted to jump me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUm, please Miss Carrie, you need to stay sober if you\u2019re going to drive us home. And you really shouldn\u2019t be telling me\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cQuit callin\u2019 me Miss Carrie! It sounds like abortions, and you don\u2019t like that, remember? And I\u2019ll tellya something else: we were gonna get married! He said so!\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam reached over and took the glass from her. She slapped his hand, but he finally got it\u2014only to find it nearly empty\u2014and by then she had grabbed his<\/em> glass. \u201cGirls aren\u2019t as dumb as you think, Mr. Stick-in-the-Mud. I can get drunk just as well as you can.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, that\u2019s a great way to prove your intelligence,\u201d Adam retorted. \u201cI\u2019m smart enough not to get drunk right now. I don\u2019t want you drunk either. And if you can get drunk from two-thirds of a bottle of wine that\u2019s only thirteen percent alcohol, you have no business drinking.\u201d He called over the waiter and handed him the credit card. He had watched Trapper pay this way a couple of times, but he still felt a little lost when he was given the ticket to sign. Should he use his name, or Trapper\u2019s? Come to think of it, what was Trapper\u2019s real name again? Right, it was on the card: John T. McIntyre. John. A strong, simple name. Maybe \u201cT\u201d was for Trapper. Never mind\u2014he signed it so messily as to make it practically illegible, and gave it back to the waiter.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoctors and their handwriting,\u201d the waiter mumbled as he walked away. \u201cNo wonder nobody trusts them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCarrie, let\u2019s go home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAin\u2019t finished my dinner, cowboy. You oughtta be able to tell that.\u201d<\/p>\n

He stood, grabbed her by one arm, and snapped, \u201cIf you wanted it, you should\u2019ve been eating, not drinking. Come on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can drink just as much as a man any day,\u201d Carrie announced, bumping into a waiter. Adam towed her outside.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think you should drive,\u201d he announced. \u201cDo taxicabs take credit cards?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI dunno. Do androids dream of electric sheep? Don\u2019t be a dummy. You drive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know how!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve been watching us do it for a whole week.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been six days, and four days were spent not leaving the hospital, Carrie. I don\u2019t know how to drive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, it doesn\u2019t matter. You c\u2019n learn. Y\u2019oughtta see some of the morons on the road. They all learned to drive, however badly<\/em>. You could be just another moron. C\u2019mon, big strong macho man. Take me home \u2019n\u2019 then you can ravish me like all the other fellas \u2019cause I\u2019m such a wanton strumpet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll take you home, at least,\u201d Adam snapped, opening the car door and practically pushing her in the passenger side. His hands were shaking at the prospect of driving this car, and he had no idea whether it was fear or excitement or just plain anger at this maddening woman.<\/p>\n

Trapper had explained the basics of driving already, just as he\u2019d explained the toaster and microwave in the house. And Carrie was right: Adam had watched everything everyone did, whether driving, getting food in the cafeteria, using vending machines, and even using toilets, since he\u2019d been there. He had certainly paid special attention to the people driving. He could do it. All he had to do was keep the car in its lane, keep the speed slower than the signs indicated, and watch the traffic lights. Green meant go, red meant stop, yellow meant speed up.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cLicense and registration, sir,\u201d said the police officer. He was on a motorcycle\u2014something Adam had only seen a couple of times before\u2014and it was even more interesting than a car. But why had he stopped them, and what did the officer mean? Ah\u2014he remembered registrations. Trapper had explained to him about license plates and how each car was registered and had a plate\u2026he pulled the registration from the glove compartment and handed it over.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still need your license, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam looked at him in confusion. \u201cIsn\u2019t it on the plate on the back of the car?\u201d Trapper hadn\u2019t said anything about other licenses.<\/p>\n

\u201cSir, bein\u2019 a wise guy is not the way to get on my good side.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGive him the wallet,\u201d Carrie muttered. Hastily, Adam complied, and the policeman made a great show of removing a plastic card and throwing the rest of the wallet back to Adam, mumbling, \u201cI hope that wasn\u2019t a bribery attempt.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI never bribed anybody in my life!\u201d Adam replied indignantly.<\/p>\n

The officer shined the flashlight on the card, and then stuck it in Adam\u2019s face. \u201cA doctor, huh. Nice rug. And you do look younger without the beard. So where were you goin\u2019 in such a hurry that you had to run a red light to get there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe light was yellow!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe when you started that Dale Earnhardt run it was, but this ain\u2019t Bristol and you ain\u2019t runnin\u2019 for the Winston Cup. Now sir, if you had a good reason for pullin\u2019 that silly stunt, I\u2019ll let you off with just a warning, but get smart with me and you\u2019ll find out doctors can end up in jail too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carrie groaned loudly. \u201cI\u2019m gonna be sick\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s sick,\u201d Adam repeated as Carrie opened her door and threw up on the ground beside the car. Then something Trapper had said came back to him. \u201cShe needs a, um, splenectomy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, you\u2019re a doctor with a sick patient. Where ya going? Hospital\u2019s in the other direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHome. I have to get her to the house\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t afford the hospital,\u201d Carrie groaned. \u201cIt\u2019s a do-it-yourself splenectomy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMedical costs are sky-high and rising every year. More and more people are relying on home surgery,\u201d Adam said. \u201cSurely you\u2019ve heard about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course I have. Look, don\u2019t run any more red lights, okay? Here\u2019s your stuff\u2014you can go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Carrie threw up twice more on the way home, but Adam was able to get the car stopped so she could do it outside. \u201cNever could hold my likker,\u201d she muttered the last time\u2014just before they reached the house. She was shaking all over. Then she passed out. Carefully Adam deposited her into the car, shut the door, and pushed the button to open the garage door. Inside, he pulled her out of the car, slung her over one shoulder\u2014she weighed next to nothing\u2014and climbed the stairs to the attic.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d been thinking the same thing ever since the policeman had left them: he thought I was Trapper. Why? We don\u2019t look anything alike\u2026do we?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em>The attic was so dusty he had a sneezing fit when he opened the door. Apparently the near-surgical cleanliness of the rest of the house was not observed in this forgotten little room. Well, she couldn\u2019t sleep up here. He returned to the room that had been his and put her on the bed, removing her shoes and pulling the spread over her. Crazy girl. He had a feeling he\u2019d known her sometime before; he just couldn\u2019t remember when. Or maybe she reminded him of all the other poor dumb girls he\u2019d met, the ones who\u2019d chosen the wrong fellow to become enamored of. She didn\u2019t really believe the Bandit intended to marry her, did she? It was burned into his own brain, one of the first things Beau Darville had said: \u201cThe Bandit does not limit his attentions that way.\u201d The meaning was pretty darn clear to him.<\/p>\n

Still, it was a shame\u2014she was a smart girl most of the time, funny, with a great way of cutting through the frills and getting to the point. Cute, too. He sighed, and caught a quick view of himself in the mirror as he turned. Pausing, he took a second look. \u201cI don\u2019t look a thing like John McIntyre.\u201d He turned out the light, then tiredly descended the stairs and sacked out on the couch.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0*<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 By the time Carrie staggered down the stairs, clutching her head, at eight a.m., Adam was buried in the other purchase they had made at K-Mart the day before: Haynes Repair Manual, Dodge Mirada<\/em>. \u201cI made plenty of coffee,\u201d he said without looking at her. She flopped on the chair opposite him and sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never had the ability\u2014or the blessing\u2014most people have to forget the stupid things they do when they\u2019re drunk,\u201d she began in a voice as small as she was. \u201cI was a jackass last night. I know it through and through, and I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was wondering if you could help me understand this carburetion process,\u201d he said. \u201cI hate to admit I\u2019m out of my depth, but this whole four-stroke internal combustion engine is a little beyond me. Very different from steam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLiar,\u201d she replied with a weak smile. \u201cSteam is a four-stroke process too; it\u2019s just that the steps are different. With steam it\u2019s admission<\/em>, expansion<\/em>, exhaust<\/em>, compression<\/em>. With Trapper\u2019s car it\u2019s intake<\/em>, compression<\/em>, ignition<\/em>, exhaust<\/em>. That\u2019s all. Suck, squeeze, bang, blow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want a simple way to remember\u2014that\u2019s it. Suck\u2014intake. The piston\u2019s close to the top of the chamber, the intake opens, and the exhaust closes; a mixture of air and gas comes into the chamber, a vacuum\u2019s created. Squeeze\u2014compression. The intake closes, the piston keeps going up, squeezing the air and fuel mixture together so hard that it ignites\u2014bang. That pushes the piston down hard, and that\u2019s where the power comes from. Then all the used-up air and fuel blows out through the exhaust valve and the process starts over again. How mean and nasty was I last night, exactly?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot so bad.\u201d He grinned. \u201cYou helped me avoid that ticket, whatever it would have meant. Thank you. And thanks for the mnemonic, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBeau never intended to marry me, did he?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should not be discussing that, Carrie. I met Beau a week ago. You\u2019ve known him for four years. You\u2019d know him better than I would.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t figure it out. I really thought he\u2026what\u2019s wrong with me, Adam? I know I\u2019m not beautiful, but everybody thinks I\u2019m cute. Are my boobs not big enough?\u201d<\/p>\n

He listened and took it all in\u2026and he sucked back a reply and squeezed his lips shut, until he slapped the book down on the coffee table with a bang, and blew. \u201cCarrie, why should<\/em> he marry you? From the story you told me, you gave him what he wanted within a couple of hours of meeting him, and have never stopped. You put up with his flings with other women, and every time he comes back there you are waiting to give him what he wants without more than a feeble attempt to make him feel guilty. Guilty for what<\/em>? You\u2019re no more or less special than any of the other women he\u2019s been with.\u201d<\/p>\n

She stared at him, open-mouthed. \u201cThat\u2019s the way it is here. We had the sexual revolution nearly twenty years ago. Women don\u2019t have<\/em> to get married anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRevolution or no, you said you want to get married. If that\u2019s not true, if you\u2019re really a modern<\/em> woman, then you have nothing to complain about. But if you do want to get married, you\u2019re going about it all wrong. If you want to get married, you either find a man who believes the same way you do, or you keep yourself for a fellow who\u2019s willing to marry you in order to have you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carrie laughed bitterly. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t work that way. If you don\u2019t give a fellow what he wants, he\u2019ll get it somewhere else, and then you\u2019re home alone all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf that\u2019s all<\/em> the fellow wants from you, he\u2019s not worth having, and you\u2019re better off home alone,\u201d Adam snapped. \u201cSeems to me that nowadays women can vote, can be in any profession they want, can be with as many men as they want whether they marry or not, can get rid of a baby if it\u2019s an inconvenience\u2014you have all the recognition that women in my time used to fight for, but you\u2019re not a bit happier. Women now seem to spend all their time wondering what\u2019s wrong with them and then attempting to fix it by buying more stuff. Showy clothes, makeup, all kinds of hair nonsense. Men might notice that, but that\u2019s not what they care <\/em>about. You and I must have watched fifty television programs in that hospital in Nevada, but the only one you liked was the one about that farmer and his wife. Little House on the Prairie<\/em>. Everybody loves that show, even Trapper\u2014but it was set sometime around my time. You know, when women were still\u2014what is it they say? Slaves to men? Why do you like that show so much, if you don\u2019t want a life like that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want to mean something to somebody,\u201d Carrie whispered.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen a woman has to be wooed and fought for and won over by hard work, she does mean something. When she dangles herself out the window and says \u2018come get it,\u2019 the men do come and get it. Of course. Men are not stupid either, Carrie. They always did and always will take anything women offer, as long as it\u2019s free. But the women like that don\u2019t mean anything to them. I\u2019ve been with that sort of woman myself, Carrie, and I can\u2019t even recall their names. The women who mattered were the ones who made me work for their attention.\u201d He chuckled. \u201cI ended up not being able to keep them, either. But I remembered them\u2014because they mattered.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carrie looked down. \u201cI don\u2019t matter to Beau. But I don\u2019t think anything else matters much to him either. You know, I thought Joe was hurt worse than he let on when he fell. His whole midsection went into the handlebars; it must\u2019ve hurt like hell. But Beau laughed at him and Joe laughed right along with him. I should have said something. Beau didn\u2019t care\u2014and Joe was his friend. I\u2019m sorry if talking like this embarrassed you, Adam. But it helped me. Thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n

She got up and went to the telephone. A few minutes later she was back, smiling. \u201cI\u2019ve got a bay reserved at Benson\u2019s, and Larry just happens to have an Edelbrock four-barrel carburetor that he\u2019ll let me have for a song. Come on, let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Trapper had been up all night, going from one case directly to another. It was early morning before the last of the school bus victims was comfortable, and there was no point in going home. He took a two-hour nap in the doctors\u2019 lounge before starting his rounds. Between business, in Trapper\u2019s case, and dozing, in Joe\u2019s case, nobody really noticed Adam\u2019s absence until almost three in the afternoon\u2014but repeated calls to Trapper\u2019s house yielded no results.<\/p>\n

By the time Cori the evening nurse clocked in, Joe was nearly frantic, and absolutely refusing to breathe into his machine for anybody. Well, another good way to prevent post-op pneumonia was to get the patient up and walking around, something no one had attempted yet, so she dared the unthinkable and suggested to Joe that they search the hospital for Adam and Carrie.<\/p>\n

It was about seven p.m., on Joe\u2019s third determined trip down the hall with one arm around Cori\u2019s shoulders and his other hand gripping his IV \u201ctree\u201d for dear life, when Adam and Carrie stepped off the elevator, covered with black grease, and laughing like mad.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere the dickens have you two been?\u201d Joe demanded, and burst into a coughing fit that nearly put him on the floor. Fortunately, Cori was one of the strong types, and she all but dragged him back to his room, an appropriately chastened Adam and Carrie following close behind.<\/p>\n

Cori gave the two truants a righteously angry glare as she tucked Joe back into bed, and made a big show of punching up his pillows, staring at the shirkers the entire time. Then she settled her charge back and with a last proprietary pat of his hand, she stamped out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m gonna see if I can find a soap strong enough to get some of this gunk off,\u201d Carrie announced, and followed Cori.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been working on Trapper\u2019s car,\u201d Adam explained. \u201cIt hasn\u2019t been running right\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCarb problem, I know,\u201d Joe said. \u201cIt was like that last time I was here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen was that?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean before I got hurt? About three months ago, 1865 time. Five weeks ago, 1980 time.\u201d Joe turned hopeful eyes on his brother. \u201cTrapp says I have to be here another week, Adam. Any chance you could bring Pa in for a visit? I miss him\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely not,\u201d Adam replied. \u201cJoe, in the very short time I\u2019ve been here, I\u2019ve been more scared, more times, than I ever was when we were back at home. Even the two times I was on the gallows with a rope around my neck I wasn\u2019t as scared as I\u2019ve been here. Cars that go 140 miles in an hour, roads with six lanes of solid traffic\u2026our father is a strong man, Joe, but he shouldn\u2019t be asked to deal with the severity of your injuries AND the unholy terror of riding in a helicopter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re right.\u201d He sighed noisily, and winced when it hurt. \u201cWell, it\u2019ll teach me to go getting hurt when I\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s another whole issue, Joe. Do you think you should keep coming here? I got a long lecture from your friendly doctor about how if you die in this time period\u2014or get injuries, or a disease, and go back to our time period and die as a result, it could change history. I have no idea what part any of us could play in history, but it would look pretty strange, wouldn\u2019t it? \u2018Here lies Joe Cartwright, born 1842, died 1980 in a car wreck\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be more careful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that brings up another subject. For four years you\u2019ve been coming here and having a high old time. Why didn\u2019t you ever tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAw, Adam, I wanted to! I swear I wanted to tell you so bad sometimes the wanting was like a physical pain. But I couldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy? Just because I said time travel was possible?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you really have that low of an opinion of me, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll I know is that\u2019s what you told your friends. Tell me a different story.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam\u2026\u201d Joe looked up, pleadingly. \u201cI could stay here and have fun, but then I would go right home again and it didn\u2019t matter to me that the Ponderosa doesn\u2019t have electricity or anything but a hand pump for plumbing. I knew it would matter to you, with that brain of yours. I didn\u2019t tell you because I was afraid that once you saw this place, you\u2019d never want to go home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, do you really think that little of me<\/em>? This place has engineering marvels, sure. I\u2019d love to get a close look at that Golden Gate Bridge, at a minimum. I\u2019d love to see that space shuttle, the Columbia, before it goes up next year. I spent the whole day working under a car with a pretty girl and I had a great time. This is a great place to visit\u2026but I couldn\u2019t live here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou couldn\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam shook his head. \u201cMeals cooked in a couple of minutes with a microwave oven; cars that go 140 miles an hour\u2026people live too fast here. When we pulled out of the garage yesterday morning, I asked Trapper what kind of flowers he had, and he didn\u2019t even know he had flowers. He pays some guy to take care of his yard and never looks at it. Joe, people here stay clean and comfortable, but they\u2019re no happier than we were. Women have equal rights, but they\u2019ve lost their sense of self.\u00a0 This century has seen two world wars, and now there\u2019s a thirty-year-old standoff between our country and some conglomeration of Russian countries because they\u2019re both afraid the other side will annihilate them. And they might do it, too, with the weapons they\u2019ve developed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unnoticed, Carrie came back in as Adam sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Joe, I could never live my life in this place. Right now I feel like a child with a new toy, but things haven\u2019t stopped since I got here. I\u2019d give a lot just to go home and breathe some clean air.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carrie stepped back out to the hall again just as Trapper approached. \u201cHow\u2019s my star patient, and what made you deign to visit?\u201d he asked with a grin.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe seems fine,\u201d she replied, smiling up at him. \u201cSorry we were out a while, but we\u2019ve been working on your car. Think you could drive mine for a while? There\u2019s some more work you need done.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, what are you up to? I didn\u2019t say anything about working on my car.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, but it needed it, Trapp. It wasn\u2019t pulling in any air. Adam and I worked on it with a couple of guys from Benson\u2019s today and it\u2019s a little better now, but we\u2019ll have it smooth as whipped cream if you\u2019ll give us a few more days.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike whipped cream, eh?\u201d He waggled his eyebrows\u2014as she\u2019d known he would. \u201cWell, I guess I can\u2019t turn down a simile like that. Sure, keep the car. And how about Mr. Victorian; how\u2019s he doing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, he\u2019s\u2026as big a stick-in-the-mud as Beau said he is, but you know, Trapp, I\u2019m starting to think that if the things he believes are really Victorian, maybe that\u2019s what I am at heart, and I wonder what the hell I\u2019ve been doing with myself these last few years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s see\u2026you\u2019re a Victorian born about fifty years after the death of Victoria, is that what you\u2019re saying?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know. I just know that we had a long talk this morning, and all of a sudden a lot of what he said started making sense.\u201d She gave him a pale attempt at a smile. \u201cWish I\u2019d figured that out ten years ago, when I could\u2019ve done something about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know better than that, Frog,\u201d he said gently. \u201cIf you want to change, it doesn\u2019t matter how old you are. I\u2019ll be sixty in a couple of months and I\u2019m still changing.\u201d<\/p>\n

She just looked at him for a minute. \u201cIf you call me \u2018Carrie,\u2019 I might believe you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t do that,\u201d he replied with a sad shake of his head. \u201cBut it\u2019s still true.\u201d<\/p>\n

He went in to check on his patient then, and she sat down on a chair in the hallway and sighed.<\/p>\n

The gray-haired janitor was mopping the floor nearby, and he looked up at her suddenly and grinned. Funny, for all the gray mop of curly hair, he didn\u2019t look at all old if you really looked at him\u2014in fact, in some strange way he resembled Joe Cartwright.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou look like you know a wonderful secret,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know lots of wonderful secrets, Miss,\u201d he replied with a twinkle in his eye. \u201cMakes it hard sometimes to just keep quiet and worry about my mop.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry about that with me,\u201d Carrie said. \u201cWhat\u2019s your name, anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJonathan.\u201d He wrung out the mop. \u201cJonathan Smith. What\u2019s yours, Miss?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCarrie Evans. What would you say, Mr. Smith, if I were to tell you that after four years, I suddenly realized, like a lightning bolt out of the blue, that the man I thought I loved was a liar and a cheat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d say lightning is very illuminating\u2026Carrie. Keep looking at the light, and there\u2019s no telling what else you\u2019ll discover.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The next day Adam and Carrie were back at Benson\u2019s Garage working like mad on Trapper\u2019s car when the phone rang. It was Trapper, calling for Adam. All he said was \u201cYou\u2019d better get down here.\u201d<\/p>\n

They borrowed a car from Larry, as the Mirada was lying in pieces, and rushed to the hospital. Joe was flushed and his eyes dull. He had thrown his up his breakfast and refused his lunch. Now his temperature was up to 99.8. \u201cI had a couple of blood tests done, and his white cell count is way up,\u201d Trapper told Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d Adam suddenly had the uncomfortable feeling that instead of learning how cars worked, he should have spent the entire time he\u2019d been there stealing and reading twentieth century medical texts.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt could mean a couple of different things. It could be an infection from the original surgery I did, but I don\u2019t think that\u2019s it. I think it\u2019s more likely to be his appendix. Watch this.\u201d<\/p>\n

He pressed down on Joe\u2019s lower abdomen. Joe whimpered\u2014but it was when Trapper let go that he howled.<\/p>\n

\u201cDead giveaway,\u201d Trapper murmured.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you\u2019ve already cut him open in two different places,\u201d Adam said. \u201cAre you saying you\u2019re going to open him up again?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf his appendix is as badly inflamed as I think it is I\u2019m going to have to\u2026\u201d and then he put his bearded chin in his hand and thought for a moment. \u201cI\u2019d like to do a laparoscopy just to confirm, and if that\u2019s what it is, then, yes, but it would be a very small incision, down low.\u201d He turned back to Joe. \u201cWill you consent?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t you just chop off my head and get the whole thing over with?\u201d Joe asked with a pained smile. \u201cYeah, go ahead and take another piece out of me. I\u2019ll never miss it.\u201d<\/p>\n

As they prepped him for surgery, Adam went out to the hall and sat down, head in his hands. A gray-haired janitor had emerged from one room, replacing his push-broom in his cart, and started to walk by Adam\u2014then he stopped suddenly and looked down. \u201cThings are never as bad as you think they are,\u201d he said with a smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh yeah,\u201d Adam muttered with barely a glance at the fellow. \u201cRemind me of that when I\u2019m telling my Pa that my kid brother died while I was working on a car a century in the\u2026never mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour thinking is always negative,\u201d the janitor said. \u201cYour brother\u2019s not going to die.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo did they give you a medical degree at janitor school along with your mop?\u201d Adam retorted with some spite.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo sir, but it wouldn\u2019t matter if they had\u2014you don\u2019t even trust the doctor. Trapper John McIntyre is a great surgeon. This hospital\u2019s lucky to have him. He really cares about what he does. And he especially cares about your brother and you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam looked up and frowned, and unbidden, the janitor sat down next to him. \u201cYour problem is that you have no faith. Not in the doctor, and not in God. You like to be a fellow who\u2019s in charge, and you can\u2019t take control of this situation. It\u2019s completely out of your hands. So now you have a great opportunity to learn to trust.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d Carrie observed, sitting down on Adam\u2019s other side, \u201che does have you pegged, Adam, so you might as well listen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was all I had to say,\u201d the janitor shrugged, smiling.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust trust the doctor and God,\u201d Adam said softly. \u201cEven though the doctor\u2019s hiding something from me, and even though I\u2019ve got nothing to prove God cares about this situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all hide things from each other,\u201d replied the janitor. \u201cSometimes it\u2019s best, too. Would you really want your brother to know some of the things you learned about his mother?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat? How did\u2026\u201d he just stared, then, and the janitor shrugged.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all time travelers, Mr. Cartwright. Most people do it at the rate of one second per second, but for some people, sometimes, things are different. God moves in mysterious ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I don\u2019t understand those ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

The janitor rose to his feet. \u201cIf you did, they wouldn\u2019t be mysterious, would they? Your brother\u2019s going to be fine, and you\u2019re both going to go home all right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow did he\u2026\u201d Adam turned to Carrie as the janitor pushed his cart around a corner and disappeared from view.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, but you should have heard what he told me last night,\u201d Carrie shrugged. \u201cHe actually made me see some things I\u2019d known before, but never thought about. So maybe he\u2019s one of God\u2019s mysterious ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s one mystery I\u2019m going to solve.\u201d Adam balled up his fists and charged around the corner, but there was no sign of his adversary. He returned to the nurses\u2019 station. \u201cWhere\u2019s that janitor?\u201d he asked Lisa.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat janitor?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHis name\u2019s Jonathan Smith,\u201d Carrie supplied. \u201cHe told me so.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lisa looked at them, open-mouthed. \u201cWe don\u2019t have any male janitors on this floor, and yesterday when I helped Arnie QC the payroll, there was nobody named Jonathan Smith working here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Wherever the guy came from and wherever he went, Adam had to admit the fellow was right. The day after Little Joe\u2014or as he preferred in this century, Lightin\u2019 Joe\u2014had his surgery, he was so much better Adam was tempted to just take him home. Joe, however, urged Adam to go back and finish the job on Trapper\u2019s car. \u201cYou owe him now more than ever, older brother,\u201d he reminded him with a grin that night. \u201cBesides, the nurses here take excellent <\/em>care of me.\u201d And Jenny, who was carefully inspecting the new stitches, just smiled, assuring him that shortly the hair \u201cdown there\u201d would grow back to cover that whole area, and no one would ever know he\u2019d been cut open. As for the other two incisions, there would be a little scarring, but not enough to matter, she emphasized with a knowing nod.<\/p>\n

They went back to work on the car then with renewed vigor, and Carrie suggested another\u2014and somewhat unexpected\u2014method of making the car run better. Adam was all for it until Larry\u2019s pal Fireshot Jimmy, the welder, became involved.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really don\u2019t know about this, Carrie,\u201d he said in stricken tones, looking at the cut-out section of the car\u2019s hood. \u201cI\u2019m not sure Trapper\u2019ll go for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not about Trapper,\u201d Carrie said grimly. \u201cThis is about Dodge. That company built a crappy car. We are righting a wrong here. When we\u2019re done with this car, it\u2019ll run circles around any other Dodge Mirada ever built, because we\u2019re going to do the job they should\u2019ve done to start with. Do you know Richard Petty turned down the chance to race this car even though Iaccoca begged him to? You know why? Because it was crap. We are going to build a car that will make Richard Petty sorry he walked away. We\u2019re going to build a car that matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Something about that rant sounded familiar, and Adam grabbed her by the arms. \u201cCarrie, it\u2019s not about the car, either. And you<\/em> already matter. To\u2026a lot of people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh.\u201d She stalked away.<\/p>\n

Three days before Joe was supposed to be released, Carrie and Adam, both tired beyond belief, brought the car back to the hospital and parked behind the Titanic. Adam couldn\u2019t help wondering whether Trapper would be pleased or dismayed at the job they and Larry and his other two part-time employee-enthusiasts had done, but there was at least no question now of whether the car would have a problem keeping up on the highway. They left it in the parking lot and put the key in Trapper\u2019s office, then Carrie went to take a nap on the waiting room couch while Adam paid Joe a visit.<\/p>\n

\u201cProblem is, I\u2019m not sure he\u2019ll even recognize the car,\u201d he chuckled after describing all that had been done. \u201cI barely recognize it myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t repaint it, did you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo; there\u2019s only one external change, but it\u2019s a pretty big one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, look, one thing I\u2019ve figured out about Trapper is he\u2019s a very careful, logical kind of guy. There are people here who get attached to their cars the same way we get attached to our horses, but he\u2019s not one of them. If it improves the car\u2019s efficiency, I\u2019m sure he\u2019ll be happy. Now settle in\u2014there\u2019s a great movie on about a teenage werewolf.\u201d<\/p>\n

As things happened, Trapper had already gone home for the night, and when he drove in\u2014still using Carrie\u2019s Jeep\u2014the next morning, he parked in his usual spot in front of the Titanic and never saw his car. That night, the last before Joe was supposed to be released, Adam decided to stay again and watch the late movie with him. The night nurse, Jenny, had been pretty lenient\u2014she even came in and watched movies with Joe when she could\u2014and she tolerated Adam\u2019s company well enough (unlike Cori the evening nurse, who still blamed Adam for Joe\u2019s worry-fit the day Adam and Carrie had shown up late). Among the channels the hospital received was WTBS, a little no-count satellite station from Georgia\u2014\u201cBeau\u2019s home state,\u201d Carrie muttered distractedly\u2014that showed a lot of old movies and television shows. Adam and Joe were comfortably settling in to watch the late-night offering, an old Randolph Scott piece called \u201cRide Lonesome.\u201d Adam and Joe particularly liked Westerns, although not for the expected reason that they brought memories of home. They usually laughed all the way through them, pointing out times when a character shot more bullets than his gun could hold, or when a movie set in the 1860s showed weaponry that was too modern for them to recognize. In short: all the inaccuracies made Westerns as funny as comedies.<\/p>\n

True to form, they were laughing within ten minutes of the movie\u2019s opening as one character called Boone lamented that the westbound stage was coming in from Santa Cruz. That one had both men in stitches for reasons that neither Carrie nor Jenny could fathom, until Trapper, who had just come in to announce that he was going home\u2014and in his own car\u2014pointed out that Santa Cruz was on the coast, so the westbound stage would drop into the ocean. \u201cUnless it swung up a little and went to Table Rock,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy would a stagecoach go to Table Rock?\u201d Joe giggled. \u201cThere\u2019s nothin\u2019 there!\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam looked almost apologetic. \u201cIt\u2019s a rock in an ocean of rocks. Or at least it was when we were last there. There\u2019s not even any good roads or trails nearby.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow is it you two know so much about Westerns, anyway?\u201d Jenny asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re film critics,\u201d Trapper cut in. \u201cThey\u2019ve probably been to every location out there, right fellas?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d Adam agreed graciously.<\/p>\n

The phone out at the nurse\u2019s station rang, and Jenny jumped to get it. A few minutes she was back. \u201cJoe, I told the man it was too late to call, but he won\u2019t take \u2018no\u2019 for an answer. Will you talk to him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay,\u201d Joe said, looking confused, and he put on his robe\u2014a grave disappointment to most of the nurses, who found themselves for a change enjoying the drafty hospital gowns\u2014and went out to the phone.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Lightnin\u2019 Joe\u2014are you all better yet?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe grinned involuntarily. \u201cHey, Bandit, how are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBroke as usual, but hopin\u2019 for better. Got a minute for a sad story?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlways, good buddy. C\u2019mon back,\u201d he chuckled.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay\u2026there\u2019s this guy in New York City. He\u2019s trying to get a game show on the air and just pitched it today. The big shots like it and they say, go ahead, start taping. And just like that, one of the shortest turnaround times ever, he\u2019s going to start the thing on Monday. Problem is, he\u2019s got lots of contestants but no prizes to hand out. The big shots like handing out supplies of Rice-a-Roni, you know, the San Francisco Treat. Or sometimes Ghirardelli chocolates. No matter, they\u2019re both owned by Golden Grain, so if you play your cards right you can get \u2019em from the same warehouse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhoa, whoa, Bandit, do I detect a truck in this story?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me finish, then say no. So this guy calls me up because he\u2019s broke and can\u2019t afford to fly the stuff out there, and meanwhile, I owe him some money.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFifteen grand. It was a heck of a poker game, Joe. Anyhow, he\u2019s got my marker and I\u2019ve got no cash. Now, if he paid a regular trucking line to haul this stuff, it\u2019d be an easy 28, 29 grand\u2014we\u2019re talking 2900 miles after all, with a full load. He can get me to do it for what I owe him and another ten, so he\u2019s callin\u2019 in my marker.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds good for you, though.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, except that he needs it unloaded and in his warehouse in New York City in\u2014let me check my watch\u201457 hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo in case you ain\u2019t noticed this country still has a nation-wide double-nickel speed limit. At that rate it\u2019s a 54-hour drive from Gay Bay to the Big Apple, even if I could maintain that rate through Des Moines, and around Chicago, and through Gary, Indiana, and Toledo, and all those other little local puddles, through daytime and dark time with barely a pause at the choke\u2019n\u2019puke for cup of mud!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I reckon you\u2019re gonna have to go a little faster than 55, then,\u201d Joe said reluctantly, seeing the trap begin to close.<\/p>\n

\u201cAha, therein lies the rub, as yer high-falootin\u2019 brother would say. I need a chase car. Bad. And seein\u2019 as how me and Carrie broke up on account a\u2019 you, I thought you might be willin\u2019 to help me out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought you and Carrie broke up because of that blonde in Cheyenne.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAw, c\u2019mon, Joe, she knows that didn\u2019t mean nothin\u2019. She was mad on account of I let you ride my bike and you got hurt, and now she\u2019s left me and last time I talked to her she said she wouldn\u2019t have me back if I was the Sheik of Araby and had the jewels to prove it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe sighed. He\u2019d always had a hard time turning the Bandit down, even when he didn\u2019t pull the sad puppy-eyes routine.<\/p>\n

\u201cC\u2019mon, Joe, you know it\u2019ll be even more fun than when we brought them wolverines down from Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t go the whole way, Beau.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to. Just as far as Salt Lake City would work. Cletus is meeting me there and he\u2019ll chase the rest of the way. Will ya help?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen and where should I meet you?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow about downstairs in fifteen minutes?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWow,\u201d Joe said weakly. \u201cNo time like the present, huh. I\u2019ll be there.\u201d<\/p>\n

He hung up and went back to his room, where Adam and Trapper were now leaning forward, counting shots as Randolph Scott and friends raced away from the pursuing Mescalero.<\/p>\n

Jenny followed him back in, apparently thinking he was going to settle back into his bed. \u201cI think that fellow in the green shirt looks like you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho, me?\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u2014like Dr. McIntyre. A little younger of course.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd a lot lighter,\u201d Trapper sighed. \u201cAnd with a lot more hair on top of his head and a lot less on his chin. Sure, we\u2019d be identical, except for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHah,\u201d Adam snorted. \u201cSome police guy a few nights ago thought you were me, Trapper. Or I was you. One or the other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat were you doing with the police?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh\u2026nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m gonna stretch my legs a little,\u201d Joe announced.<\/p>\n

\u201cWant me to come along?\u201d Adam asked, sitting up.<\/p>\n

\u201cNah, I\u2019ll be back in a little while\u2026just got a cramp in my calf.\u201d<\/p>\n

He headed back out to the hall, with Jenny in pursuit, but Trapper stopped him at the door. \u201cDon\u2019t go far and don\u2019t go fast. Just because you\u2019re not on an IV now doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re well. Remember, you\u2019ve got three cuts in your belly. You\u2019ll get an information sheet in the morning before I send you home, but seriously\u2014you take it easy. No driving, no horseback riding, for at least two weeks. And no sex.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGot it, Doc,\u201d Joe said with a grin, and waved.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo s\u2026.\u201d Adam gulped. \u201cDid that mean what I think it meant?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cProbably,\u201d Trapper said, unperturbed. \u201cGet over it, Grandpa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGrandpa?\u201d Adam stared at him.<\/p>\n

Trapper rolled his eyes. \u201cA figure of speech. Nothing more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re too old to be his grandfather, anyway,\u201d Carrie said sleepily. \u201cWhen are we going back to the house?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe movie\u2019s only halfway over,\u201d Adam protested. \u201cAnd Joe\u2019ll be back any minute. Besides, I want to find out if they get that kid to Santa Cruz. I used to have a friend who looked just like that kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened to him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAw, he came to a bad end in Mexico.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cMr. Cartwright, that\u2019s the doctors\u2019 lounge\u2014\u201d Jenny protested, looking around.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, sweety, I just need to rest for a sec. They won\u2019t mind; everybody knows I\u2019m friends with Trapper, right? Hey, can you do me a favor, and ask my brother to write down all the modifications he made to Trapper\u2019s car? I\u2019m sure Trapper will want to know, and since we\u2019re leaving in the morning he probably won\u2019t have time to tell him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t I do that when we get back to the room?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Jenny, I want to just relax for a minute longer. Please do this for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doubtfully, Jenny went back out. Joe allowed her 30 seconds before peeking out the door and sneaking into the doctors\u2019 locker room. If he remembered right, he and Gonzo Gates were almost the same height\u2026<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0*<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDr. McIntyre, may I speak to you for a minute?\u201d It was Jenny, and her voice was even softer than usual.<\/p>\n

Trapper got up and left Adam and Carrie alone with \u201cRide Lonesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCarrie,\u201d Adam said, and she jerked her head up\u2014apparently she\u2019d been nodding off\u2014to look at him. He smiled. \u201cLook, since we\u2019ll be leaving in the morning, and you probably won\u2019t even be up then, can I just say how much I appreciate what you\u2019ve done for me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh?\u201d She shook her head and focused. \u201cYou mean with the car? Shoot, that was more fun than playin\u2019 strip nine-ball.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam wondered what that meant, but decided it might be wiser to let it go. \u201cYou helped me navigate my way through the 20th<\/sup> century; you reassured me numerous times when I was about to panic\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou never looked panicky to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2026.\u201d A chuckle. \u201cMy brothers say I\u2019m like a duck when there\u2019s a crisis.\u201d *&<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re like a what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA duck. All calm and placid on the surface, but paddling up a storm underneath. So, whether I looked it or not, there were a couple of times\u2026and you were a great encouragement.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d she said, \u201cYou can always paddle in my pool.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCut it out. I\u2019m serious. Do you think Trapper will like what we did to the car?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s unpredictable. He\u2019s what I call an uncomfortable maverick. That is, he knows he has to play by the rules\u2014but he hates it, and chafes. He\u2019ll love that the car runs so well now. He\u2019ll grin like a kid. But he\u2019ll be embarrassed to have anyone else see it. That\u2019s my guess. Heck, we should\u2019ve gone all out and painted flames on the sides while we were at it\u2026Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether he likes the car or not, working on it with you was the most fun I\u2019ve had in years. You\u2019re not such a bad guy, when you\u2019re not telling people how to behave.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you\u2019re not such a bad girl, when you\u2019re behaving properly and working hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExcept for one thing, Adam. In your day, a woman doing that kind of work would have been improper as anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

The look on his face as that sank in was priceless. \u201cYou know, I have to admit\u2014that never occurred to me. You were natural at it. I\u2019d be quite honored to spend a couple hours under a car with you any time.\u201d<\/p>\n

She couldn\u2019t help grinning. \u201cI\u2019m sure you meant that as a compliment\u2026but don\u2019t ever say something like that when anyone else is around. It might be taken wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he said awkwardly. \u201cYes, it was meant as a compliment. One thing I don\u2019t believe I\u2019ll ever figure out in this time period is the difference in the way people talk to each other, and what\u2019s acceptable and what isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2026if you don\u2019t come back again, you won\u2019t have to worry about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho said I won\u2019t come back?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou told Joe you could never live here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrue, but I did say I enjoyed visiting. I\u2019d very much like to come back again.\u201d He smiled into her eyes. \u201cAny chance, if I came back again, of having your expert navigational assistance?\u201d<\/p>\n

She considered. \u201cI\u2019ll think about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd,\u201d he went on, \u201cNot having my brother\u2019s financial abilities, I\u2019ll need you to help me figure out where to get some money, too. I can\u2019t keep having you pay my way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShoot,\u201d Carrie said. \u201cAll Joe ever did was go into your bank account.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the first things he did first time he was here was to go into Virginia City\u2014and he said there was still an active account under the name of Adam Cartwright at the bank there. Trapper was never real clear on just who<\/em> Adam Cartwright is, but he\u2019s almost certainly a descendant of your family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally.\u201d The wheels in his head began to turn\u2026but not for long, as Trapper burst into the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe security guard saw your brother getting into a black Trans-Am about 15 minutes ago. He\u2019s gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cBeau!\u201d Carrie half-wailed, half-swore.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course it was Beau,\u201d Adam muttered. \u201cI knew I should\u2019ve hit him harder when we met.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what does he have going?\u201d Trapper mused. \u201cHe wouldn\u2019t yank him out of the hospital just for a joy ride.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both men looked at Carrie. \u201cIt has to be that Golden Grain bet,\u201d she groaned. \u201cHe and Cletus had something set up to pick up a load from the Golden Grain warehouse and take it to New York. Cletus was coming out from Atlanta to drive chase, and Beau was driving the rig. I can only think the timetable must have gotten moved up so that Beau couldn\u2019t wait for Cletus, and he\u2019s got to go full-throttle. But most likely they\u2019re still going to meet somewhere, and Joe\u2019s just pinch-hitting until then.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll pinch and hit him,\u201d Adam growled. \u201cRight after I show him what \u2018throttle\u2019 really means\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Trapper waved an impatient hand. \u201cLet\u2019s keep this productive, mighty Neanderthal. Violence never solved anything. Carrie, what does a chase car do?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOn an uneventful trip, nothing. The chase car usually drives anywhere from five car lengths apart to five miles apart from the rig. To stay closer lets the smokies\u2014cops\u2014know there\u2019s an association; to get farther apart makes it difficult if the car has to go back to the truck. Mainly the car\u2019s just there to run interference. For example, if the truck is speeding and gets pulled over, the chase car acts as a decoy and gets the cop to chase him instead. It\u2019s all geared toward keeping the truck moving, hopefully over the speed limit, without getting caught. The two stay in contact by Citizens\u2019 Band radio in case they need each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen the best bet is to call the police,\u201d Trapper said.<\/p>\n

Carrie shook her head. \u201cI\u2019d rather not. In the first place, Beau\u2019s nearly broke, and although I\u2019m not going back to him\u2014ever\u2014I don\u2019t want to see him lose his livelihood. He\u2019ll lose his truck if he doesn\u2019t make this run.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we don\u2019t have a car that could chase that hopped-up Trans-Am.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUm\u2026actually, we do now,\u201d Adam cut in.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s true,\u201d Carrie seconded. \u201cTrapp, your car would really give that Pontiac a run for its money the way we fixed it up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you kidding? My car is slow, and built to stay that way\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou haven\u2019t seen it lately,\u201d Adam cut in. \u201cTrust me. We\u2019ve taken the horsepower up almost twice its original strength, and for torque, you won\u2019t believe the way that thing will jump when you put the pedal to the metal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trapper stared at him. \u201cWho the hell are you and what did you do with Adam Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam only grinned.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d Trapper said thoughtfully, \u201cGuess it\u2019s time to live dangerously.\u201d<\/p>\n

They must have made a great sight, Carrie thought\u2014the two tall, grim men who looked more alike than either would admit, striding down the hall, and the small, brown-haired, brown-eyed girl running after them like mad. She\u2019d just about need roller skates to really keep up. But once they got to the parking lot, Trapper didn\u2019t know where his car was parked, so he had to follow them. They rounded the Titanic, and there sat the Dodge Mirada in serene splendor\u2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the\u2026\u201d and then he descended into a series of unintelligible words that were probably best left unintelligible. \u201cWhat did you do to my car? It\u2019s\u2026a fershlugginer hot rod!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, really, Trapp.\u201d Carrie was panting a little from the long run. \u201cWe had to cut through the hood once we put that custom intake manifold in. There wasn\u2019t room for it with the hood down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll drive!\u201d Adam called out.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will NOT!\u201d Trapper retorted. \u201cYou don\u2019t even have a license!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI used yours last time. Everybody seems to think we look alike except us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLast time? Last time? How much driving have you done in the 15 days you\u2019ve been here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re going to drive, then drive\u2014grandson,\u201d Adam replied cryptically, and got in on the passenger side. Carrie scooted into the back seat.<\/p>\n

Trapper settled into the driver\u2019s seat, put the key in, and was rewarded soon after by a low growl unlike anything he\u2019d ever expected to hear from this car. He pulled the gear shift to \u201cDrive\u201d\u2014and nearly mowed down the station wagon parked across from him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to keep a real light foot,\u201d Adam said helpfully, and got a wordless glare in return.<\/p>\n

A minute later they shot out of the parking lot toward the entrance ramp for I-80.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cLightning\u201d Joe Cartwright was questioning his own sanity as the black Trans-Am cruised sedately down Highway 50 at a mere 40 mph. His stitches hurt; the Trans-Am did not have power steering, and cutting corners in it felt like roping an angry steer. And to make matters worse, he\u2019d never taken into account the fact that Gonzo Gates was downright skinny compared to himself. Joe had always thought he was thin, but manual labor\u2014fence-fixing, hole-digging, bronc-busting, calf-branding, bull-castrating\u2014all these things built up one\u2019s chest, arms, and legs in a way no casual jogging and occasional bench-pressing could. It wasn\u2019t that Joe Cartwright was fat; in fact he seemed merely wiry compared to Hoss\u2019s mountainous bulk and Adam\u2019s lean, flat solidity, but compared to Gonzo Gates he might as well have been an Olympic weight-lifter. The pants he\u2019d stolen, in addition to being two inches too long in the inseam, were about three inches too tight at the waist, and as for the shirt\u2014he\u2019d suffered with it long enough to escape the hospital, but his biceps were far too bulky for those skinny sleeves, and the buttons gapped to the extent it was easier just to take the darn thing off. That had been fine as long as he was driving at night, but now the sun was coming up, and he was driving right into it, its rays pointing directly at the two uncovered sets of stitches; meanwhile the third set, under the too-tight pants, was itching mercilessly. He also had just enough money to get three more tanks of gas, meaning he didn\u2019t have enough money for meals or even coffee.<\/p>\n

Now he would have thought the quickest way to Salt Lake would be I-80; for that matter, it would be the quickest way to get all the way to New York. That was what the atlas said. But instead Bandit had him taking a network of back roads going through the southwestern Nevada desert. When he\u2019d asked why, Bandit had mumbled something about owing money to a guy named Apelino in Reno who had \u201cconnections.\u201d Well, Bandit\u2019s truck was rather hard to miss, so Joe guessed it made sense to avoid that area, but he still didn\u2019t care for southwestern Nevada.<\/p>\n

Supposedly either Beau or Cletus would give him bus fare from Salt Lake City to Carson City, and from there he reckoned he could hitchhike back to Six Trees. Maybe he\u2019d get home ahead of Adam, and he was pretty sure Pa would prevent Adam from bestowing the beating he\u2019d be so anxious to provide. Problem with Adam was, he just didn\u2019t understand things like friends and obligations and loyal\u2014naw, he understood all that just fine. What he didn\u2019t understand was that sometimes you just had to do things your own way, even if your own way was different from the accepted way, or what doctors told you to do. Especially what doctors told you to do. Especially when the doctor in question was Trapper.<\/p>\n

Trapper. Just what it was about the man that bothered him, he\u2019d never understood. Maybe it was just that he couldn\u2019t figure him out. In his own way, he was just as enigmatic as Adam, and yet somehow he reminded Joe of his father, as well. Or maybe just that every time he\u2019d been in the guy\u2019s house, Trapper had found something stupid to keep him occupied outside, and when he came in there were pictures missing from the wall. There was once a time when he thought they were priceless works of art and maybe Trapper didn\u2019t trust him not to be a high class art thief, but now his suspicions were simpler. It had never occurred to him until he woke up looking at them side by side\u2014and apparently it never had occurred to Adam at all\u2014but when he\u2019d seen the two of them together he could almost see Adam looking like that in another 30 years or so. After all, Adam\u2019s maternal grandfather had been bald too, and everybody knew that baldness usually came from the mother\u2019s side of the family. (Trapper said that was an old wives\u2019 tale, but Joe had always figured so many old wives wouldn\u2019t be telling the same tale if there wasn\u2019t some truth to it.)<\/p>\n

Placerville. He grinned. Familiar territory. Now if that old road that he and his folks used to take was still there, he could shave off 15 miles and meet Bandit on the road again\u2014and there it was. It was just a dirt road, but the Trans-Am didn\u2019t care. He grinned. He\u2019d put one over on Adam and Trapper and now Bandit too. He turned the car down the road.<\/p>\n

Twenty miles later he felt a little niggling of doubt when the road dead-ended onto another, north-south road. Now that hadn\u2019t been there 115 years ago. He turned south\u2026only to turn again on yet another dirt road a few miles later.<\/p>\n

An hour later he was questioning the wisdom of that right turn at Placerville. None of this terrain seemed familiar, and instead of cutting straight across he was heading southeast. And the desert was big.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 At Reno, they\u2019d stopped. Trapper swore. \u201cThis is crazy. We\u2019ve been doing 130 miles an hour since we left the city limits. We could\u2019ve passed him and gone back and picked him up if he was really doing what you call \u2018normal chase car speed.\u2019 So where is he?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOne way to find out,\u201d Carrie said. \u201cPull in at the choke \u2019n\u2019 puke\u2014er, diner ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoffee,\u201d Trapper said flatly. \u201cI\u2019m beat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can get coffee,\u201d Carrie said. \u201cYou could also take a nap and let one of us drive. But the main reason to stop here is so I can use my persuasive charm and get one of these truckers to let me use his radio.\u201d<\/p>\n

They stopped, and within moments Carrie had gone right up to the biggest, meanest trucker in the diner. Within another moment or two she was in the cab of his truck talking on his radio, and from the look on the guy\u2019s face, he would gladly have driven her anywhere she wanted to go.<\/p>\n

\u201cBreaker 1-9, this is the Frog callin\u2019 from the very first City of Sin. Lookin\u2019 for the Bandit or for Lightnin\u2019 Joe, whichever one comes back first.\u201d<\/p>\n

A minute later the response came: \u201cHey, Frog! What\u2019er you doin\u2019 on the line? This here\u2019s the Bandit, come on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBandit, where\u2019s Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWouldn\u2019t I like to know that myself. Froggy darlin\u2019. He went south on me. Too far south. Ain\u2019t heard from him since we passed through Pigsville.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019re you doin\u2019 that far south?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s some people\u2019s faces up where you are that I didn\u2019t want to see. Now Joe\u2019s up \u2019n\u2019 disappeared on me. Ain\u2019t got a clue where he is, but he\u2019s got my car and 30 bucks, and he better show up quick or he ain\u2019t gettin\u2019 paid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou wouldn\u2019t lie to a girl again now, would you, honey?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNever in my life, Froggy dear.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trapper bought three coffees; Adam filled the gas tank. And then they turned back toward Placerville.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The car had run out of gas in the middle of nowhere, and he had talked himself hoarse on the CB radio, but somehow he had done the impossible. Bandit had told him he could never go out of range, but he had. After a couple of hours, the car\u2019s battery had died. So he was walking eastward in hopes of getting somewhere, but all he saw was more desert. In a few more hours, it would be dark, and if he didn\u2019t find a place soon, it was going to get very cold.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In Placerville, just to be safe, they filled up the car\u2019s gas tank and then turned south. \u201cIf he was in Placerville, there\u2019s every chance that he looked for one of the old trails we used to take\u2014if they\u2019re still in use, they\u2019d save him some mileage,\u201d Adam suggested, and having no better ideas to try, they tried it.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cPa,\u201d Joe whispered one last time, and fell, face-first, into the sand.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s the car!\u201d Carrie shouted, and Trapper, snoring in the back seat, stirred to life. Adam hit the ground before Carrie had put the brakes on and ran over to it, but the driver door was open, and tracks led deep into the desert.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s out of fuel\u2014and the battery\u2019s dead,\u201d he called out. \u201cWe\u2019ll have to go slow now\u2014Carrie, do you see the tracks?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got \u2019em in my headlights. Let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019ll be dehydrated, dizzy\u2026probably had a heat stroke by now,\u201d Trapper said grimly.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He was long past dehydration. He wouldn\u2019t even take water when Apollo found him. But when he saw Adama, he murmured, \u201cPa?\u201d just before passing out again.<\/p>\n

Adama put one hand alongside his face. \u201cPoor lad. He looks just like Zac; remember, Apollo?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember,\u201d Apollo said softly. \u201cI\u2019ll take him to the infirmary. They should be able to help him. Father, should we wipe his mind? After all, he has seen us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s one of the ones we\u2019re protecting,\u201d Adama replied. \u201cBesides, he thinks I am someone named \u2018Pa.\u2019 As long as he thinks that, he will be a friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHalt! You are on ground owned by the United States government. We are authorized to use any and all means up to and including deadly force to prohibit your entrance on this installation. Identify yourself and state your business here!\u201d<\/p>\n

The three looked at each other and back to the flashlight in the distance.<\/p>\n

Adam shouted, \u201cI\u2019m Adam Cartwright. We\u2019re looking for my brother, Joe Cartwright!\u201d<\/p>\n

Trapper followed up, \u201cMy name\u2019s John McIntyre. We\u2019re looking for a patient escaped from San Francisco Memorial Hospital. Have you seen anyone else out here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGet your hands up, now!\u201d retorted the voice, and suddenly they were surrounded by people in desert fatigues, carrying M-16\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere are we?\u201d Carrie wondered aloud.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do believe we\u2019re in No Man\u2019s Land,\u201d Trapper said dryly. \u201cRight outside Nellis Air Force Base.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no Nellis Air Force Base,\u201d the voice said as all three were searched, handcuffed, and blindfolded.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHe was severely dehydrated,\u201d the doctor told Adama. \u201cAnd bearing terrible scars from recent operations, or perhaps torture.\u201d<\/p>\n

The boy had his eyes open again and was staring hopefully at Adama. \u201cPa? I was lost\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re all right, boy,\u201d Adama said, touching the boy\u2019s cheek, and was surprised when the boy grabbed his hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI messed up, Pa. Adam\u2019s probably out there looking for me\u2026please, I don\u2019t want him to go through what I went through\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adama sent him a calming reflection, and he quieted while Adama read his thoughts. \u201cHis name is Joseph Cartwright, and he comes from a place called the Ponderosa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the places where the humans go to eat cattle and ice cream?\u201d Apollo asked.<\/p>\n

Adama shrugged. \u201cApparently. I saw many cattle in his mind. He also has a brother here. Adam Cartwright. There are others in his family, but apparently not here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you locate the brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think so\u2014they seem to have a strong sense of family. Rare among the humans we\u2019ve encountered here so far. Let me contemplate a moment. I think I can find him\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few minutes later Adama wrote down a set of coordinates. Apollo shook his head. \u201cThat\u2019s on the military installation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes; he was looking for Joseph with two of his friends, and they were taken into custody. Can you get them out?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, I\u2019ll prepare the shuttles\u2014but it\u2019s only going to start the rumors flying about us again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo it. This youngster needs to go home. He has a very nice-looking father who seems quite fond of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Two hours later, Trapper, Adam, Carrie, and Joe awakened in the Dodge Mirada, next to the non-functional Trans-Am.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I thought that mickey I slipped your old man was strong stuff,\u201d Trapper muttered to Adam, turning on the interior light and shaking his head to get the cobwebs out.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened to us?\u201d Carrie demanded.<\/p>\n

Adam ignored them. \u201cJoe? Joe, are you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam? Boy, am I glad to see you. Pa found you, Adam. He found me, too. He always finds us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trapper got out of the car and staggered back to examine his patient. \u201cSon of a\u2026his stitches are gone. His scars are gone! What kind of medicine are they practicing in there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrapper,\u201d Adam said a little hoarsely, \u201cI think we need to go home. Now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As the sun came up they were heading northwest toward Lake Tahoe and six scrawny little Coulter pines. Adam was driving. Trapper had fallen asleep, Joe was still mumbling that he had seen Pa, and Carrie didn\u2019t seem to mind that Adam was unlicensed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you suppose happened?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeats me,\u201d Adam replied. \u201cTrapper told me he knocked out my father with something he called a cocktail, made from a new drug called versed and an old drug called valium. He said it would relax Pa and make him forget the stuff that happened\u2026and he also said that whatever we were given was stronger. I\u2019m guessing that whatever government installation that was had Joe there and didn\u2019t want any of us to see any of their secrets, so they drugged us and dumped us back at the car.\u201d He turned to look at her for a moment. \u201cIt may be a while before I can get up the nerve to come back here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t blame you,\u201d she chuckled.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I\u2019d still like to. Preferably without anyone else to worry myself to death over. If Joe can take little vacations here, I don\u2019t know why I can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know,\u201d Carrie said thoughtfully, \u201cJoe brought me to the Ponderosa once. That\u2019s how I knew how to find your house. It was not long after I met him. He brought me to your house, only nobody was there but Hop Sing. He fixed us lunch, and then Joe took me into town. I remember seeing one of the silver shops\u2026there were some pretty candlesticks in the window that I was admiring\u2026I want to think I saw you in town, loading a wagon, but I\u2019m not sure. Anyway, he took me back, and Beau was there, and I walked right back into the place I\u2019d wanted to get away from. This is the first time in the last four years I can honestly say that if I saw Beau right now, I could tell him \u2018no\u2019 without difficulty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad to hear it. You\u2019re better off without him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, I\u2019m not fishing, honest, but\u2026you said, a few days ago\u2026well, did you mean it? That some things are worth waiting for?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best things always are,\u201d he nodded, and winked at her.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI need to talk to you,\u201d Trapper said, taking Adam by the arm and dragging him away from Joe and Carrie as they walked from the cabin toward the six trees.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, my mother named me \u2018Adam\u2019. I\u2019d be mightily obliged if you\u2019d use that name. Or even Cartwright, if you don\u2019t think we know each other well enough for first names.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trapper smiled sadly. \u201cYou and Frog are so fussy about names.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly with people who won\u2019t use them. Why is it, Trapper? You use people\u2019s names at the hospital. You use names with your ex-wife and your kids. What\u2019s wrong with Joe and Carrie and me?\u201d<\/p>\n

He swallowed and looked away. \u201cI very much enjoyed meeting you\u2026and your brother\u2026but please listen. This is important. I\u2019ve tried, over the last four years, to dissuade your brother from coming forward in time to this place. I knew it was wrong on a lot of levels\u2014but he doesn\u2019t like to listen. His last two trips here nearly cost him his life. If you die in your own time period, of injuries received in your own time period, there\u2019s nothing to be done about that; it was meant to be\u2014but if you die here, or if you die of injuries received here, it might change the flow of history where you are. Do you understand that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d Adam suddenly had the uncomfortable feeling that he knew where the conversation was going, and he didn\u2019t much care for it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think you should come back. Either of you. Ever. If the temptation is too strong, maybe we should try to destroy the portal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust like that,\u201d Adam said flatly. \u201cI discover this whole new world, this world my brother\u2019s been visiting for four years, and suddenly I can\u2019t come back. I\u2019m the responsible one, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trapper cleared his throat. \u201cNo matter. Him either. I\u2019m sorry you don\u2019t feel it\u2019s fair, but who knows how much damage has already been caused by your presence here? Who knows how much you\u2019ll do if you attempt to implement any of the things you\u2019ve learned here? The United States of 1865 is not ready for cars and toasters and\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI had no intention of introducing any of those items, either,\u201d Adam retorted. \u201cI think we saw pretty well what happens when you take a car on an unpaved, unmarked road. As for toasters, they tend not to work without electricity. The only innovation I\u2019m in danger of \u2018implementing\u2019 is a water closet\u2014the plans for which exist in my own time. And I wasn\u2019t intending to broadcast any information.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cListen to yourself. You just said \u2018broadcast.\u2019 Does that word even exist in your time?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam paled a little, but remained determined, as Trapper went on, \u201cThe longest your brother ever stayed here that I know of\u2014while he was conscious\u2014was four days. You\u2019ve been here a little more than three weeks. You\u2019ve absorbed all kinds of knowledge that you can\u2019t impart. There\u2019s a phenomenon known as the \u2018ripple effect\u2019 that says, like skipping a stone on water, changing one little aspect of history will lead to more, and bigger, changes, until you\u2019ve affected the entire pool, or in this case, time stream.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam just looked at him. \u201cDo you have any idea what you\u2019re asking?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Trapper said steadily. \u201cI also know who I\u2019m asking. I wouldn\u2019t ask it of a lesser man.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSycophant,\u201d Adam snorted.<\/p>\n

\u201cJackass,\u201d Trapper replied equably, and Adam turned and walked away, hands in his pockets, to stand alone among the trees for several minutes. Finally he returned to Trapper.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince we don\u2019t know how the time portal works\u2026maybe we\u2019d better destroy it on both sides,\u201d Adam said finally. \u201cIt\u2019ll take me a while, but I\u2019ll get some dynamite\u2026I\u2019ll do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo will I. Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, you ready to go home? Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe left already,\u201d Carrie said. \u201cWhile you two were talking politics or whatever you\u2019re always arguing about. You look so much alike, I\u2019d think you\u2019d get along better.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe look nothing alike,\u201d Adam stated. \u201cCarrie\u2026slight change of plans. I\u2019ve decided\u2026this world moves too fast for me. I won\u2019t be coming back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

He grinned crookedly. \u201cSorry. But it doesn\u2019t make what I said less true. Don\u2019t ever sell yourself short, Carrie. You\u2019re all right. It\u2019s too bad you were born in this time instead of\u2026well\u2026\u201d He shook his head, kissed her cheek, nodded briefly to Trapper, and walked away without a backwards glance. A minute later, he vanished in the pines.<\/p>\n

Carrie sniffed. Then again.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t cry,\u201d Trapper said irritably, handing over a handkerchief.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not crying, dammit!\u201d she retorted, and burst into sobs. He put his arm around her and took her back to the car. Shortly after that, they returned to Beau\u2019s Pontiac and, filling it from Trapper\u2019s gas can, Carrie told him she\u2019d be taking it to Utah for Beau\u2019s sake. At the expression of doubt on his face, she flipped her middle finger at him and slammed the car door.<\/p>\n

People\u2019s irritable expressions could be contagious. In two hours flat Trapper was back in San Francisco. Arnie would have a fit, Trapper reflected as he parked the car, but still, some cars were worth the trouble.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It took nearly an hour but Joe ran every step of the way, and burst into the ranch house to find Hoss sitting by their father, who apparently had not moved since Trapper had deposited him there. \u201cJoe?\u201d Hoss looked his brother up and down. \u201cIt\u2019s only been a few hours, how did you get well so fast\u2026what in the world\u2026?\u201d He bounded up from his chair to give Joe a Hoss-style bear hug. Joe just grinned and pinched his cheek. Then: \u201cPa?\u201d He knelt by the bed. \u201cHey, Pa? Pa, come back. I saw you in the desert, Pa\u2026you brought me and Adam back together\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright opened his eyes. \u201cJoe? Joe? Hoss, get the car! Get the doctor! Hoss\u2026Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m back, Pa. And I\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

He sat up, bewildered. \u201cBut I thought you were\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoc Martin always did scare easy, Pa. Did you have a good nap?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou made me well. Trapper got me started, Pa, but I saw you in the desert, and when you put your hand on my head I started getting well so fast I didn\u2019t even have a scar left to tell the tale.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben laughed and grabbed Joe, holding him tight. \u201cOh, son, you look good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam emerged in 1865 and began walking aimlessly. Eventually he found Sport grazing near the trees. Funny to think of a horse as transportation instead of a four-stroke internal combustion engine that ran at a hundred miles an hour. Suddenly, Sport was his best friend. He put his arms around the big gelding\u2019s neck and sighed.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0In San Francisco, Carrie moved out of Trapper\u2019s house, got a job and rented her own place. Trapper put all his old photos back on the walls and circled a date on his calendar. He had the construction crew\u2014or in this case, the destruction crew\u2014booked. He just wanted to be sure he was there to see.<\/p>\n

Ernie came into his office one day, a confused frown in place. \u201cThere\u2019s a fellow here to see you. Adam Cartwright. But\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a minute he nearly panicked, reaching quickly for the picture on his desk. Then he sighed as she went on, \u201cBut it\u2019s not the same one who was visiting you last month.\u201d<\/p>\n

He waved a careless hand. \u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few minutes later a wiry kid with brown curly hair walked in. \u201cHiya, Coz!\u201d They hugged briefly, and the kid sat down.<\/p>\n

\u201cSummer hiatus from Berkeley already?\u201d Trapper asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cStarts tomorrow,\u201d Adam Cartwright said. \u201cListen, I don\u2019t mean to be a pain, Cousin John, but somebody\u2019s been in my bank account again. It was only $40, but you know me; Dad\u2019s always been a tightwad, fussing about taking money for granted and all\u2026and since he doesn\u2019t believe me when I tell him I don\u2019t have homework, there\u2019s no way he\u2019ll believe that convoluted tale you expect me to accept.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trapper opened his wallet, smiling, and handed out two twenties. \u201cWell, you shouldn\u2019t have any problem. I\u2019ve been assured by your namesake that there won\u2019t be any more breaches.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou really met him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI really did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s he like?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh\u2026logical\u2026mechanically inclined\u2026opinionated as anything\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUnlike you of course.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course. I\u2019m not opinionated at all. He was\u2026a bit angry\u2026rather judgmental\u2026stubborn\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAgain, unlike anyone we know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course.\u201d Trapper smiled.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you tell him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTell him what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPoint taken. Well\u2026any message for Dad?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTell the senator he\u2019ll have my vote if he decides to run again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, yes, I can see the posters now: Joseph Cartwright IV, a Man for the Times. Are you coming to the barbecue at the end of the month? Joey should be home from MIT by then.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry\u2014can\u2019t. I\u2019m having some trees taken down at the lake. Maybe I\u2019ll come over later. But give your folks my best.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The young visitor had just been gone a few minutes when Ernie came in again, rolling her eyes. \u201cCarrie Evans is here. Why don\u2019t you just put in a revolving door?\u201d<\/p>\n

Trapper grinned, carefully putting the photo in his desk drawer. \u201cWhy don\u2019t you be a good scrub nurse and let her in without all the editorializing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll forego the editorializing if you\u2019ll drink your juice properly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn that case, editorialize away. But let the girl in anyhow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carrie looked terrible.<\/p>\n

\u201cJob not going well?\u201d Trapper asked.<\/p>\n

She shrugged. \u201cJob\u2019s fine. The problem is me. Trapper, I need some advice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it\u2019s about Beau, you already know what I\u2019ll say.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, horse puckies, Trapp! Beau came looking for me already, last week. I told him I wouldn\u2019t have him if he was the last meatball on a plate of spaghetti and I was starving for protein. He\u2019s got his truck and his livelihood; he doesn\u2019t need me and I don\u2019t need or want him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell then, my lady, in that case, how may I be of assistance?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could call me by name, for one thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFrog.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carrie sighed exaggeratedly. \u201cTrapper, is it possible to fall in love with somebody you only knew three weeks?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI once fell in love with a lady I\u2019d known three days.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid it work out?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh.\u201d She looked at her fingernails.\u00a0 \u201cTrapper\u2026I love Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou barely knew him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, but\u2026I think I did know him once. Almost like it was in a past life, or something\u2014and don\u2019t laugh at me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMe? We\u2019ve already agreed, Horatio, that there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI actually did read Shakespeare, you know. I only look dumb. Why did you tell Adam not to come back?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause he and his brother were risking the time stream. It was the responsible thing to do. Fortunately, he understood that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo\u2026what would happen if I went back there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know. I only look like Merlin the wizard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, wiseguy. What do you think? Do you think he\u2019d take me? I\u2019m not exactly entitled to a white dress wedding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trapper shrugged. \u201cEver been with a man in the 19th<\/sup> century?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPresto. Instant purity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrapper\u2026you know those candlesticks at your house? I saw some once in Virginia City that looked just like them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMine say \u2018Made in Hong Kong\u2019 on the bottom.\u201d He winked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen are you destroying the portal?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got a wrecking crew coming on the 29th<\/sup>.\u201d<\/p>\n

She jumped up. \u201cI\u2019m going to do it, Trapper. I\u2019m going back in time. If he won\u2019t have me\u2026well\u2026I\u2019ll cross that bridge when I get to it. But I\u2019ve got nothing here, and I\u2019m going crazy doing nothing when I ought to at least ask.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn his century, men do the asking. There\u2019s no ERA, remember. No women forever in blue jeans, no voting, no\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd in this century, there\u2019s no Adam Cartwright. Except for your something-something-something once-removed cousin college boy\u2014you never told me how you\u2019re related to that family, anyway\u2014and I\u2019m sorry, he\u2019s a nice kid, but he doesn\u2019t count.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds like your mind\u2019s made up,\u201d Trapper tried his best to look nonchalant.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is. I guess I really just came to say goodbye. Besides, you’re the one who used to say I didn’t belong here. I wish I had some guarantee\u2026but I guess in life there aren\u2019t any. Still, Adam said there are second chances\u2026and that some things are worth waiting for. I guess that means they\u2019re worth trying for, too. What do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019ll miss you,\u201d he said quietly, and gave her a brave smile. \u201cThanks for the hot rod.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a good friend.\u201d She kissed his cheek, then handed him a small photo. \u201cThis is for you, Trapper. Think of me sometime.\u201d<\/p>\n

He took the picture silently.<\/p>\n

\u201cBye, Trapp.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBye, Frog.\u201d<\/p>\n

She turned and walked out of his office. He sank back into his chair, laced his fingers together behind his head, and bit his lip. Finally, satisfied she wasn\u2019t coming back, he looked at the photo she\u2019d given him, and pulled the other photo out of his desk. She hadn\u2019t changed that much, not really.<\/p>\n

1923: Four Generations. L-R: Adam Cartwright and wife Caroline Evans Cartwright. Evan Cartwright and wife Rebecca Morgan Cartwright. John T. McIntyre Sr. and wife Morgan Cartwright McIntyre. John T. (Johnny) McIntyre, Jr., age 3.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em>He stuck Carrie\u2019s photo in the corner of the old picture and grinned. \u201cOedipus, Shmedipus, Great Grandma\u2014you were a hottie.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

* See \u201cThe Sound and the Fury<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

** In the past decade, wolverines have been spotted as far south as Lake Tahoe. Now we know how they got there, don\u2019t we, gentle reader?<\/p>\n

*& See \u201cAim True<\/a>\u201d by southplains. (Used with permission from the author)<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/g><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0Joe lies dying of injuries 19th century medicine could never cure while Adam, given a cryptic clue from an ancient fraternal feud, searches for help 100+ years in the future.<\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a0 T\u00a0 (31,050 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":22258,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,23,4,3,40],"tags":[438,956,955],"class_list":["post-10911","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crossover","category-drama","category-humor","category-romance","category-challenges","tag-devonshire","tag-s-a-t-b","tag-trapper-john-md","wpcat-24-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-4-id","wpcat-3-id","wpcat-40-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":3047,"today_views":1},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/blender_joe.jpg?fit=504%2C510&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4918,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=4918","url_meta":{"origin":10911,"position":0},"title":"The Artist’s Touch (by pjb)","author":"pjb","date":"March 29, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 \u00a0A tongue-in-cheek kickoff for SJS Month 2011. 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