Summary:<\/b>\u00a0 It was a trying time\u00a0when Joe got sick on me and then both of us were held prisoners by a gang of thugs who were seeking revenge on our father for something that happened long ago.\u00a0 I was afraid that Joe was dying…but something somebody once said to me came to mind, ‘where there is life, there is hope’…I clung to that.\u00a0 Come on in, I’ll tell you all about it.\u00a0 Adam.<\/p>\n
Rated G \u00a0WC\u00a0 8,350<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A story of brothers and their devotion to one another, as told by Adam Cartwright<\/em><\/p>\n Where there is Life, There is Hope<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s hard to think back about what happened.<\/strong>\u00a0 It all seems as if it were a dream but in truth it was reality, or maybe I should have said it was a nightmare, a living nightmare.\u00a0 That would be more accurate.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n My kid brother and I were riding the rim rock looking for strays and not having much luck.\u00a0 The steers that had wandered that far had done so in early spring looking for young, tender grass to munch on and having found it to be to their liking, had not ventured back down to the meadows when most of the herd had done so.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe was complaining about having to ride such a long distance just to look for the ornery bovines so I tried to explain to him that it was necessary to do so because what steers we found would add to the count that Pa needed to make up the herd that we\u2019d eventually take to market. I might as well have been talking to one of those stubborn critters we were looking for because Little Joe kept right on complaining.\u00a0 I finally turned a deaf ear to his words but that only seemed to make matters worse.\u00a0 I don\u2019t understand that boy sometimes, just when I think he\u2019s finally managed to prove to me that he\u2019s a man, he does something so childish like complain about the work that we\u2019re suppose to be doing.\u00a0 Honestly, sometimes I think that he just does it to get a rile out of me\u2026I can\u2019t remember too many times when I\u2019ve heard him complain in front of our father, unless it\u2019s just to mention how tired he might be.\u00a0 And I know that\u2019s really not so much a complaint as it might sound because it\u2019s usually true, working like we do this time of year, we\u2019re all tired.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe and I had only managed to round up about two dozen of the critters when three riders, all strangers, approached us.\u00a0 I\u2019d seen them earlier on the mesa.\u00a0 They had been watching us for some time and then disappeared.\u00a0 Joe called my attention to them later that day and it was obvious to both he and I that they had been following us.\u00a0 I told Joe we best stick close together, just in case there might be trouble.\u00a0 Sure enough, as I said, they approached us but when they did, they had three more men with them that seemed to have appeared from nowhere.\u00a0 Joe and I were out numbered three to one, which in the best of circumstances wasn\u2019t very good odds.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I whispered to Joe to stay calm as the men approached and circled us.\u00a0 Knowing my younger brother\u2019s fiery temper, I wanted to be sure that he didn\u2019t do something foolish and get us both hurt, or worse, killed, so I inched my horse as close to his as I could and gave him a look that warned him to keep quiet.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The strangers looked like regular cowpokes, but I sensed an underlying presence about them.\u00a0 I had seen hardened men before, men who worked against the law for their own gains and I determined right then that these men were the same sort.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I remember asking them what they wanted.\u00a0 With the barrier they had formed around us, it made it impossible for either of us to escape had we wanted to.\u00a0 Up until that moment, when the men circled us, I hadn\u2019t given any thought to the fact that we might need to get away, but suddenly, I was wishing that I had suggested that Joe and I make for the ridges instead of staying there with our small herd.\u00a0 I sensed danger in the air, I smelled death and it frightened me, not for myself mind you, but for the boy next to me whom I had spent my entire\u2026or I should say his entire\u2026lifetime, helping my father raise him up to the ripe old age of eighteen.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When one of the men looped his rope around my brother, I knew right then that we were in trouble.\u00a0 Joe started to struggle, but the man holding the end of the rope, yanked hard on his end causing the loop to tighten around Joe\u2019s arms that were suddenly penned to his sides.\u00a0 The rope was looped twice more, making it impossible for the boy to get free.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I remember telling Joe not to fight against the rope, but just do what they said to do. The ringleader make a smirk and a grunting sound and I recalled the evil look in his eye when he turned to Joe advising him that it would be in his best interest to listen to me.\u00a0 Joe settled down then but I noticed a fire burning deep in his eyes and I began worrying that the boy\u2019s hot temper might end up getting him hurt\u2026and possibly me as well, not that I cared what happened to me, but I did care what happened to my kid brother.\u00a0 I might not always act like Joe means a whole hell of a lot to me, but fact is, he does.\u00a0 I\u2019ve loved that boy since the minute I laid eyes on him the day he was born.\u00a0 He\u2019s always been more like my own son than just a brother to me\u2026and thinking in those terms, has more than often caused the two of us some mighty hot disagreements.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The leader of the gang motioned for us to follow along with them.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t sure why they tied Joe\u2019s hands behind his back and not mine, but as we rode along, it became apparent to me that these men, these evildoers, knew all about Joe and I and about our father and the ranch.\u00a0 They knew us so well, that they knew that as long as I feared for my brother\u2019s life, I\u2019d never try anything that might get the boy harmed\u2026and they were right.\u00a0 So we had no other recourse at the moment but to do as they instructed.\u00a0 I\u2019d think of some way out of this mess later, I\u2019d have to; otherwise I knew if the men did not get what they demanded, they would kill us both.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The six men were quiet as we rode along, heading higher and higher into the mountains.\u00a0 It was as if they knew without having to discuss it, where they were taking us and what they planned on doing with us.\u00a0 I hadn\u2019t a clue but I did have enough sense about me to know that whatever they were planning, it was most likely not going to be to our liking.\u00a0 Little did I know until much, much later just how true that statement would prove to be.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I kept a close watch on my brother.\u00a0 Joe seemed\u2026I don\u2019t know; he just acted strange, like he was immune to what was going on around him.\u00a0 That in itself was odd, but thinking back I recalled that he\u2019d been complaining earlier about how tired he was.\u00a0 Now I was wondering if perhaps he wasn\u2019t feeling well.\u00a0 I know Joe is young and strong for his size.\u00a0 He\u2019d always been healthy and certainly not one prone to being sick but when he did get sick, which was rare, he was usually pretty darn ill.\u00a0 I glanced again at the boy\u2019s face, studying it intently.\u00a0 I was beginning to suspect what I\u2019d feared; Joe was looking more than just under the weather.\u00a0 Using my knees to nudge Sport in the sides, my horse moved close enough to Joe\u2019s horse that I could talk to him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoe\u2026are you feeling alright?\u201d I asked him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I saw the boy swallow and it looked to me like it hurt his throat to do so.\u00a0 He turned then and I got a really good look at his face.\u00a0 It was pale and his cheeks showed a tint of pink, but Joe nodded his head.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fine, Adam,\u201d Joe told me.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo you\u2019re not,\u201d I said.\u00a0 \u201cYou look about ready to fall off that horse\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHey you two\u2026shut up that blabbering!\u201d one of the men shouted at us.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I was forced to slow Sport down in order to follow behind.\u00a0 The man in front of me, riding next to Joe, slapped Cochise on the rump so that he\u2019d move a little faster.\u00a0 My brother and I were separated then.\u00a0 Two men rode up front ahead of Joe, two behind him and in front of me and then two more behind me.\u00a0 It would be hours later before we reached our destination and I\u2019d get another chance to talk to Joe.\u00a0 I whispered a silent prayer that God would watch over my kid brother until such time that I could be close to him and find out what was really going on with him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I had no doubts now about the boy.\u00a0 The longer we rode, the lower it seemed that Joe\u2019s body slumped forward until it was almost resting on his horse\u2019s neck.\u00a0 I watched how his body swayed too, from side to side as Cochise lumbered up the steep trail that the men were using.\u00a0 The air was cooler too with the higher altitude and more than once I saw Joe shiver.\u00a0 It was only when he had given completely out that his body leaned too far to one side and Joe slipped from the saddle, hitting the ground with a thud.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I really didn\u2019t give a thought to what these men might do; I immediately jumped from my own horse and rushed over to the boy, who had rolled down an embankment.\u00a0 His body was lying against a boulder that prevent him from rolling any further downhill, thank goodness.\u00a0 Quickly, I turned him over, horrified to see how ashen his face looked.\u00a0 When I pressed my hand against his forehead, the heat that emitted from his brow burnt my hand.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI need water!\u201d I remember demanding.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Naturally the small group of strangers had all stopped.\u00a0 One man tossed me his canteen, which I quickly pulled the plug from the spout and wet my neckerchief so that I could wipe the dirt and dust from the boy\u2019s face.\u00a0 Joe moaned softly and opened his eyes.\u00a0 They looked cloudy and I knew he was trying to focus but was having a hard time doing so.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m here, Joe,\u201d I said and then offered him some water.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The boy was in a strain, what with his hands tied behind his back so I moved to untie them, half expecting one or more of the men to stop me.\u00a0 But I suppose they could see how sick Joe had become and figured he wasn\u2019t much of a threat to them, so they didn\u2019t say anything when I untied the ropes and helped Joe to sit more upright.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n One of the men, the one I counted as the ringleader, moved closer, though he never dismounted.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with the kid?\u201d he demanded of me.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know\u2026but he\u2019s burning up with fever,\u201d I informed him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, get him on his horse\u2026we\u2019ve still a ways to go yet\u2026and hurry it up!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I glanced at Joe who looked at me as if in a daze and then I pulled him to his feet, letting him lean against me for support.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cCan you walk?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBarely,\u201d he said weakly as I led him back to his horse and helped him to mount up.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHold on, Joe\u2026\u201d I cautioned him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We rode another four, maybe five miles I suppose, going higher and higher into the mountains.\u00a0 They must have a hiding place up there, maybe a cabin.\u00a0 Hopefully they\u2019d have a warm fire because Joe needs to get warm enough to run the chill out of his bones.\u00a0 We hadn\u2019t needed out jackets when we set out for the upper meadows earlier that morning.\u00a0 It was a warm sunny late spring day, but as the day grew older and we rode higher the chill in the air became more apparent to both of us, especially Joe since he was running a fever, so naturally, I was anxious to get him warmed up and hoped that this gang of hooligans would be spending the night someplace where we could have a warm fire.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I couldn\u2019t have been more wrong.\u00a0 A warm fire was the last thing I found.\u00a0 Instead, once we reached the men\u2019s hiding place, Joe was ungraciously hauled down from his horse and practically dragged into an old barn that had seen better days.\u00a0 The place was aged and musty smelling and the wind, which had started to blow, blew through the cracks in the thick-boarded walls.\u00a0 The clay mortar had long whence dried and crumbled, leaving wide gaps in the boards that allowed the outside to creep inside the dilapidated structure.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe was lowered, or I should say dropped onto a sour smelling stack of straw in a tiny stall once used by some beast of burden.\u00a0 I started to join him but strong arms held me back as I watched in horror as two men held Joe down and fastened and an iron neck brace about the boy\u2019s neck.\u00a0 Attached to the iron necklace was a thick chain that was connected to a steel ring hammered deeply into the wall.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The only thoughts running through my mind at the time was that thankfully Joe had, at some time, passed out and had no clue to the cruel treatment he was being subjected to.\u00a0 I could only envision his fear and reaction once he came around again and found himself chained like an animal and at the mercy of such brutal and spiteful men.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I wanted nothing more than to get my hands on the men who so thoughtlessly dumped Joe on the ground but I knew that there was no chance I could overpower the six of them and still be of any use to tend to my brother, so I said and did nothing.\u00a0 I was led to another stall just on the opposite side of the wall from Joe and was shoved down onto an equally sour smelling bundle of straw.\u00a0 One of the men started to attach my iron neck cuff but I held up my hand, stopping him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The boss stepped forward and glared down at me.\u00a0 I met his stance with my own, as if daring him, which in a sense, I was.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know what you men want with my brother and I, but may I make a suggestion?\u201d I asked him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The boss looked long and hard at me as if trying to decided if I were up to something but then after a few worrisome moments he answered me, asking me what I had on my mind.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMy brother is sick, as you can see,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He nodded his head but said nothing.\u00a0 I was forced to continue.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to stay with him\u2026if you would permit it.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I remember swallowing hard because it made me feel as if I were begging and I\u2019m not a man to beg for anything\u2026but in this case I knew it could mean life or death for the boy, so I had to swallow again to wash down my pride.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe could die\u2026\u201d I stated firmly.\u00a0 \u201cAnd if he does\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The boss held his hand up to stop anything else I was planning on saying.\u00a0 I suppose he must have been smarter than he looked because in the next instance, he motioned for me to get to my feet.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOver here.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It was only two words, but it was what I wanted to hear.\u00a0 I was instructed to sit down, which I complied.\u00a0 A rather nasty, stinky man stood over Joe holding the barrel of his long rifle just inches from the boy\u2019s temple.\u00a0 It was an unspoken message to me not to try anything, or else\u2026and I certainly knew what that \u2018or else\u2019 was!\u00a0 Within a matter of seconds or so it seemed I found myself chained to the opposite wall only a few feet but well within reach of the unconscious boy.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I waited until the six men had left, shutting the heavy door and bolting it from the outside before I crawled over to Joe.\u00a0 Feeling his forehead in the dark, I scrunched up my face at the heat that emitted from his brow.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoe?\u201d I whispered, wishing I could see his face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He made no response other than to shiver from the cold and the fever so I laid down next to him and snuggled as close to his quivering body as I could, hoping that some of my body heat would penetrate into his body and add a bit of warmth.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I\u2019m not sure how long we lay together in the dark.\u00a0 Nor do I remember sleeping, but sometime far into the wee hours of the early morning, Joe began to moan and mumble, calling out to me.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m here, buddy.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam\u2026I\u2019m\u2026cold\u2026so\u2026cold\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I could hear the quivering in the boy\u2019s voice and the sound of his teeth clattering together yanked on my heartstrings.\u00a0 I was helpless to tend to my own brother when he was so sick, with his body burning up with fever and I could do nothing but sit and cradle him in my arms.\u00a0 It was at that moment that I feared I might lose my brother; that Joe would die in my arms and suddenly I was filled with a surge of helplessness that I\u2019d never known before.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I had made a promise many years ago to always do my best to take care of this young stallion and to always be there for him when he needed me.\u00a0 I was there\u2026but I was of no good to him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah, Joe?\u201d I answered and pulled his weak and suddenly frail body closer to mine.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I tightened my hold on him, pressing his mass of thick curls against my pounding heart.\u00a0 I knew Joe could hear the loud thuds and I feared he would sense my own growing fear.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa\u2026I\u2026want\u2026Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI know, Joe\u2026he\u2019ll come along soon\u2026when he realizes we aren\u2019t coming home tonight, he and Hoss will start looking for us\u2026now rest, Joe\u2026close your eyes and rest.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I hadn\u2019t the heart then to tell him that it would be another whole day, maybe more before our father and brother would miss us and then start looking for the two of us.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t let Joe know, he had enough to concentrate on\u2026and that was staying warm and getting better.\u00a0 Though I wondered about both\u2026if we weren\u2019t permitted the use of blankets or given water and warm food soon, I, myself would not be in much better condition than Joe was in at present.\u00a0 And what condition would the kid be in two days from now?\u00a0 Things looked bleak for both of us; that was a certainty!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n By morning we were both so cold that it was almost impossible to move.\u00a0 Two of the men came to our stall; one was the boss.\u00a0 For what seemed like forever, he stood over Joe and I but said nothing, just watched us shivering.\u00a0 He surprised me when he knelt down and felt Joe\u2019s forehead because he glanced over at me and I saw something akin to apathy in his eyes.\u00a0 I suddenly had the feeling of doom as my despair washed over me.\u00a0 The stranger surprised me further when he stood to his feet and turned to his partner and stated that Joe and I were to be moved into the cabin. His words still ring in my ears.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGet them inside and make sure they stay warm.\u00a0 I want them alive when their old man comes looking for them.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n That was the first clue I\u2019d been given as to why Joe and I were taken prisoners.\u00a0 This man obviously had something to settle with our father.\u00a0 Joe and I were being used as the bait to lure Pa and Hoss here\u2026but why?\u00a0 What had our father done to this man that he would carry a grudge?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The neck collars were replaced with shackles around my ankles and my wrists, but I didn\u2019t care.\u00a0 I was still able to lift Joe\u2019s half-frozen body into my arms and carry him to the cabin where I was ordered to place him down on a narrow cot close to the fire.\u00a0 The boss shouted to another man who quickly tossed me several blankets in which to cover my brother.\u00a0 Another man brought me two tin cups, both filled with piping hot soup made from some sort of meat.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The heat from the tin felt good to my hands and fingers when I wrapped them about the cup.\u00a0 I thanked the man and then tried to get Joe to sip some of the broth.\u00a0 At first the boy fought against me but after several attempts, I was able to get him to swallow a few drops.\u00a0 Joe tossed his head from side to side trying desperately to find the rim of the cup with his lips.\u00a0 His mind was confused and he coughed quite a bit but it was clear that he was starving for food and drink, so I let him take some more, but not too much because after going so long without either, I was afraid of making him sicker than what he already was.\u00a0 The warmth from the mug seemed to satisfy him.\u00a0 I remember the haunted look in his eyes when he finally opened them and looked at me.\u00a0 The sickness showed in the shallow depths of his once bright and shining eyes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHang on, Joe,\u201d I whispered to him as I tucked the blankets in around his fever-ridden body.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I waited until he was asleep before I picked up my own tin and sipped the broth.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t hot any longer, but it still tasted good and I managed to drink every drop of it.\u00a0 I was surprised at myself for wanting more, but I didn\u2019t dare ask.\u00a0 Instead I kept myself busy tending to Joe and keeping an eye on the men in the cabin.\u00a0 The boss had his head together with three of the men, talking in low tones.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t able to make out much of what was being said, but my father\u2019s name was mentioned once or twice and I knew just by the way the gang was acting that when my father and younger brother, Hoss, put in an appearance, they would be riding into a trap.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Three men left after a short time and I heard them riding away, probably sent to keep a look out for my father and brother.\u00a0 The boss man and one more stayed in the cabin.\u00a0 The boss moved to a vacant cot and lay down, leaving the other man to keep an eye on me.\u00a0 I wondered where the sixth man was.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n My question was answered moments later when he burst through the door and into the cabin with his arms loaded with firewood.\u00a0 He stomped across to the fireplace and dropped the load of wood, making a crashing sound on the hard, uncarpeted floor.\u00a0 The boss sprung to his feet, shouting at the man and using words that made me glad that Joe was so deep in sleep that he couldn\u2019t hear what was being said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I kept my eye on both men until finally the boss ordered the wood-carrier out of the shack and down the slope to help the others keep watch.\u00a0 Joe and I were alone again with just the boss and one man to guard my brother and I.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I sat quietly by Joe\u2019s bed, desperately trying to think of a way to get Joe and I out of there and still warn my father of the trap that had been set for him. I glanced down at Joe, surprised to see him awake and staring at me.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHow you feeling kid-o?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI ain\u2019t cold any more,\u201d Joe answered and offered me a strained and tired smile.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s happening, Adam?\u00a0 Who are these men and why do they have us chained like animals?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I guess I failed to mention that during the course of time that Joe and I had been moved inside, the boss man had insisted that leg irons be put on Joe as well as myself.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know why, the poor boy was so sick that he couldn\u2019t have made an escape had he attempted to do so.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know who they are, Joe,\u201d I explained to my brother.\u00a0 \u201cBut they\u2019re after Pa for some reason\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou mean\u2026when Pa comes looking for us\u2026they\u2019re gonna kill him?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I could see the fear that sprung into the boy\u2019s eyes, but couldn\u2019t see lying to him so I didn\u2019t try, he\u2019d see through the lie anyway.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI reckon so,\u201d I answered with a grim voice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know, Joe\u2026I suppose that fellow\u2019s carrying a grudge against Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The head honcho must have heard us talking because he got up from his cot and came over to where we were.\u00a0 He studied our faces with a dark glare and ebony eyes that were filled with hate.\u00a0 I almost shuddered but didn\u2019t, I just scooted my chair a little closer to Joe\u2019s bed, making sure to keep myself between my brother and the man towering over us.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019s the kid?\u201d he asked me, glancing again at Joe.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSick\u2026and running a fever,\u201d I explained.\u00a0 \u201cHe needs a doctor\u2026and some medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cToo bad,\u201d the man grumbled.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019ll just have to suffer through\u2026maybe your old man will be here in time\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTime for what?\u201d I asked him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTime enough to see his boys\u2026before he dies,\u201d sneered the boss.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I could feel myself beginning to bristle at the man\u2019s words.\u00a0 I started to stand up, but Joe, sensing my inner feelings, reached over and placed his hot, sweaty hand on my arm.\u00a0 It was an unspoken warning to tread softly.\u00a0 I never took my eyes off the man, but I did heed my brother\u2019s warning.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat did my father ever do to you\u2026that you\u2019re so anxious to see him die?\u201d I dared to ask our captor.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I was amazed at the rapid change in his expression.\u00a0 His face went from ornery to plain mad\u2026I mean really mad.\u00a0 When I looked into his eyes, there was a deep burning hate in them.\u00a0 Glancing at Joe, I saw him flinch slightly and knew that he also had seen the sudden change.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYour old man stole something from me\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOur father\u2019s never stolen anything in his life\u2026\u201d Joe was quick to respond.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n His voice was weak and sounded as if it squeaked when he talked.\u00a0 He coughed several times, deep, rasping sounds rattled in his chest and for a moment I feared that he might not be able to catch his breath.\u00a0 I quickly poured a cup of water and handed it to him, standing between the boss and my brother.\u00a0 The hateful look deepened on the boss\u2019 face and I thought he might take his anger out on Joe, so I used my body to shield the boy.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYour father killed my boy\u2026and stole my land\u2026he\u2019s gonna pay for that!\u201d Growled the head honcho.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cKilled your son?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I couldn\u2019t rightly remember anyone that Pa had killed, at least any that didn\u2019t need killing, and it was for sure Pa hadn\u2019t acquired any new land holdings, at least not any that I was aware of.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJessie Hambright\u2026he was only eighteen when ya Pa gunned him down in that bank\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJessie\u2026Hambright?\u201d\u00a0 I was digging deeply into the recess of my mind trying to put a face to the name when Joe\u2019s hand touched mine.\u00a0 I glanced down at him, startled to see a look of uncertainty wash over him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI see the kid remembers\u2026\u201d Boss stated and then commenced to shove me aside so that he could get closer to the bed and Joe.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYa remember\u2026don\u2019t ya boy?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe swallowed and nodded his head and then looked up at me.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJessie\u2019s the kid that tried to rob the bank over in Placerville about two years ago, Adam.\u00a0 Remember, Pa told us about it\u2026how he had to shoot the fellow before he shot Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHoss?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s our middle brother,\u201d I explained to the man.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I remembered then about Jessie Hambright and how our father had been forced into killing him.\u00a0 It began\u2026about two years ago if I recall correctly.\u00a0 But my father and Hoss had gone to Placerville on business and had been in the bank the day that young Jessie had burst into the office waving his guns about, frightening all the customers.\u00a0 The triggers were cocked and ready to fire on any victims that might pose a threat or get in the would-be robber\u2019s way.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Pa and Hoss were coming from one of the back offices when they spied the young man.\u00a0 Hoss was in front of Pa and as soon as he saw Jessie, he shouted, drawing the boy\u2019s attention to himself and away from the customers.\u00a0 Jessie turned and pointed his gun at my brother but when he fired at Hoss, the bullet went astray almost hitting Pa.\u00a0 By that time, Pa had seen what was happening and had his gun out and pointed at Jessie.\u00a0 He shoved Hoss aside right as Jessie fired a second time, thus saving Hoss\u2019 life.\u00a0 Pa had no other recourse but to fire at the boy, which he did.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I remember as I was growing up and learning all about guns and how to handle them, one thing Pa always reminded me about and that was never point a gun at a man unless you were ready to use it\u2026which is exactly what Pa had done with Jessie.\u00a0 The boy dropped to the floor, dead before he hit the ground.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We later found out that Jessie was the son of the man who had once owned the parcel of land that my father and Hoss had gone to Placerville to buy that day.\u00a0 It was ironic, that Pa had been forced to kill a young man and then find out that he had just bought the dead boy\u2019s father\u2019s property for back taxes that the elder Hambright had failed to pay.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Pa spent many nights losing sleep over the ordeal, but had finally come to terms with what had happened.\u00a0 Now, here Joe and I were, a whole two years later being used as bait to lure Pa into a trap over something that could have easily been prevented had the taxes on the Hambright place been paid for in a timely manner.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI remember\u2026your son forced our father to kill him\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMy boy was only trying to save our ranch\u2026which your old man ended up stealing from us!\u201d the Boss shouted.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I could see he was growing angrier the more he thought back to that day, so I tried to change the subject, but it didn\u2019t matter, Mr. Barry Hambright rattled on and on for several long moments, all the while staring blankly down at Joe until the man became so lost to his rambling that he jabbed Joe in the stomach with the barrel of his long rifle.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe cried out, grasping his mid-section.\u00a0 The quick movement set off his coughing again, which by the way, had grown worse.\u00a0 Hambright glared at Joe and threatened to blow his head off if he didn\u2019t shut up that hacking.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I moved over to the cot, quickly raising Joe upward and offered him a sip from the cup of water that had been sitting on the small table next to the cot.\u00a0 Hambright jabbed my brother again, this time in the shoulder but he said nothing and thankfully he moved away, leaving Joe and I alone.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s nuts,\u201d Joe whispered between the hacking coughs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShh\u2026\u201d I warned the boy.\u00a0 \u201cHere, try some more water.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n That night was as long as any I remembered.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s fever was still climbing, his coughing was practically non-stop and he shivered violently.\u00a0 I was kept busy wiping the sweat from his brow and feeding water into his dry throat, hoping to soothe the burning that he complained about.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Neither one of us slept much, I don\u2019t think the boss man did either for he crept over to the cot several times to check on Joe.\u00a0 Not out of concern but because the dry, hacking sounds that Joe made disturbed the other man\u2019s sleep.\u00a0 The man standing guard swapped every couple of hours with another of the remaining men, giving each one a chance of at least a couple hours of sleep.\u00a0 They gave up trying to drown out the piteous sounds that Joe was making and moved to the old barn to catch a few winks, swearing at us for taking the warm cot by the fire while they were made to sleep in the outbuilding like farm animals.\u00a0 Guess they forgot who was chained and who wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We did get a chance to talk\u2026Joe tried to convince me that our only hope was of me making a break for it.\u00a0 But I kept telling him over and over that I couldn\u2019t leave him, even though what he said made sense.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam\u2026you have to go.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoe\u2026I can\u2019t just leave you here to die!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m dying anyway, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t talk like that!\u201d I growled at him, knowing it was the truth.\u00a0 But I wasn\u2019t about to admit it to myself.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam, listen to me,\u201d Joe said weakly between bouts of coughing.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not a little kid anymore\u2026I know I\u2019m dying\u2026please Adam\u2026you have to make a break for it.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t, they\u2019re gonna kill Pa and Hoss and with Pa dead\u2026what\u2019s to keep them from killing us?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNothing I suppose\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThen you have to go, you have to warn Pa\u2026you have to save them\u2026it\u2019s better that I die here than all four of us.\u00a0 It isn\u2019t likely that they\u2019ll kill me any ways\u2026they have to have at least one of us alive to lure Pa\u2026go Adam\u2026please go\u2026do it for me!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I remember swallowing hard.\u00a0 Everything the kid said was true, but I wasn\u2019t sure I could leave him alone to die such a horrific death\u2026alone\u2026without me close by.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam\u2026just promise me one thing\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The tremors in the boy\u2019s voice shook me to the core of my being.\u00a0 In his heart he knew I\u2019d do as he asked\u2026<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnything, Joe.\u201d\u00a0 I could hear the trembling in my own voice\u2026<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cCome back for me\u2026later\u2026when Pa\u2019s safe\u2026don\u2019t leave me here\u2026take me to the lake so I can be with\u2026Mama.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I saw his lips quivering as he reached for my hand.\u00a0 My eyes misted and for the first time, I was speechless.\u00a0 I could say nothing but I nodded my head.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s eyes brightened a bit and he gave me a smile.\u00a0 I\u2019ll never forget that moment, his weak and fading body, his dry, almost convulsing cough and the smile on his dry parched lips.\u00a0 Nothing more was said on the matter.\u00a0 Somehow it had been decided between us\u2026I\u2019d risk an escape, leaving my brother behind to face whatever fate God had deemed his.\u00a0 It was like a hard knot in the pit of my stomach, an ache in my heart, fear in my bones\u2026it saddened me greatly but yet I felt more than a touch of pride in the boy.\u00a0 His bravery was unmatched, his willingness unequaled by any other man alive.\u00a0 His thoughts were not on himself, but on his family and their safety that life after his might continue to exist\u2026that the Cartwright name might grow and flourish\u2026because of one young, eighteen-year old, high spirited, worthy young man, my kid brother\u2026whom I loved more than any other person on earth, except perhaps our father who, had it not been for him, Joe would never have existed to be.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The night wore on and by sunup, Joe was practically delirious with fever. I knew that the boy was dying; he lay gasping for every rattling breath he took, often struggling after a bout of hard coughing.\u00a0 I wish there were something I could do for the kid.\u00a0 It was ripping my heart out, seeing him fighting so, seeing his lips turn blue, but the worst was seeing the fear in his dazed and clouded eyes when he opened them, calling out for Pa\u2026always for Pa and begging me to take him home.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Damn!\u00a0 What was I going to do?\u00a0 I thought about over-powering the guard and the boss.\u00a0 Hell, I even thought about killing them both\u2026anything to get a break so that I could get Joe out of here.\u00a0 But with my ankles and my wrists shackled\u2026there was little chance that I could get away alone, much less get away carrying my sick brother in my arms. But I had made an unspoken promise to try.\u00a0 Could I do it?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I wish there were some way to warn Pa and Hoss of the impending danger they were headed for without having to leave Joe behind.\u00a0 I knew they were fixing to walk blindly into a trap but as of yet I hadn\u2019t been able to figure a way to prevent it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I thought my chance might have come when I was ordered outside.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t sure what was going to take place once I was out of the cabin.\u00a0 At first I hesitate, reluctant to leave Joe alone with the man guarding him, but when the boss man jabbed the end of his long rifle barrel into Joe\u2019s temple and glared at me\u2026I went willingly for fear that the man might actually commit murder and I wasn\u2019t about to have my kid brother\u2019s blood on my hands.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJust leave the boy alone\u2026I\u2019ll do whatever you say!\u201d I quickly told the boss after seeing the pain and the fear that shed itself into my brother\u2019s expression.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMOVE!\u201d the guard shouted as he grabbed me by the arm and practically shoved me out the opened door.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I was only able to get a glimpse of my brother as the boss hurried to shove the door closed behind me.\u00a0 But it was just enough that I saw the trusting look in his hazel eyes and I knew what I had to do.\u00a0 It was now or never\u2026I had a promise to keep and it bore down heavy on my very soul!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I quickly surveyed the surrounding area and could not see any of the other four men.\u00a0 I reckoned them to be standing watch in various places, waiting for a glimpse of my father and brother whom I knew would be looking for Joe and I by now.\u00a0 The man next to me poked his rifle into the middle of my back and ordered me into the barn.\u00a0 As we stood in the doorway, letting our eyes become adjusted to the dim lighting, I was informed that I was to feed the horses and clean out their stalls.\u00a0 The man shoved me deeper into the interior and reached for a shovel.\u00a0 I saw my chance; we were alone in the barn.\u00a0 When the shovel was handed to me, I took it and acted as if I were turning, but instead, I brought the shovel upward and bashed in the man\u2019s face.\u00a0 He screamed in agony.\u00a0 For a fraction of a second, and only a fraction, I felt guilty that I had broken practically every bone in the man\u2019s face, but I acted quickly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There was no way to get the shackles off my legs so riding out on my horse was impossible, but I did manage to turn all the horses loose and shooed them out of the barn.\u00a0 In the early morning mist, I saw them scatter in all directions.\u00a0 Quickly I started running, down the back way, toward the lower ridge where I knew my father and Hoss would be coming from.\u00a0 It was hard to run with the shackles and I tripped several times.\u00a0 Behind me, I could hear the angry shouts of the men who were in pursuit of me.\u00a0 My thoughts were dancing around in my head\u2026I had to be careful so as not to be caught before I could warn Pa\u2026if I was caught, it would mean certain death for Joe and myself.\u00a0 I wonder what the boss man might do to my kid brother\u2026would he take his anger at my escape out on the boy\u2026would he out right murder the boy?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Damn\u2026I tripped again.\u00a0 This time, my pants leg was torn and my leg was cut deeply.\u00a0 I saw the blood oozing from the wound but I forced myself to my feet and kept running.\u00a0 I was beginning to understand how the fox must feel with the hounds chasing him\u2026it was terrifying.\u00a0 I kept running, snagging my clothing on branches and limps, thorns and thistles until the black shirt and trousers I was wearing became nothing more than rags covered in dirt and dust, stained with blood from all the scratches and cuts.\u00a0 My ankles were bleeding from the heavy iron shackles that encased them, but I pushed on\u2026all our lives now rested on my shoulders.\u00a0 I was doomed and destined at the same time.\u00a0 I was going to be either successful or a failure\u2026I choose success\u2026mainly for Joe.\u00a0 I\u2019d be damned if his dying would be for naught!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There\u2019s no telling how far I ran.\u00a0 At last I was forced to stop, to catch my breath.\u00a0 The men behind me were a determined lot to say the least.\u00a0 I could still hear them thrashing through the heavy underbrush.\u00a0 My breath was shallow as I gasped for each breath I took, I thought of Joe\u2026was he still alive\u2026<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The chase was winding down; I was quickly tiring; I was bloodied practically from head to toe.\u00a0 Again I tripped, cursing myself for my clumsiness as I hit the hard ground.\u00a0 Hands reached out for me; I struggled, not realizing I was screaming Joe\u2019s name as I fought those that attempted to drag me to my feet.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But then a deep, mellow voice reached my ears and my struggling ceased.\u00a0 My head was being cradled gently; fingers caressed my face, toyed with my raven hair.\u00a0 I felt or heard a familiar sound, the steady beating of my father\u2019s heart, my head pressed tightly against his broad chest.\u00a0 My name was spoken softly as I felt myself relax and allowed myself the pleasure of the security I suddenly felt as I lay within my father\u2019s arms.\u00a0 When I looked up, into those dark chocolate eyes, I saw his tears.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d I remember saying, as I felt my own tears cloud my eyes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShh\u2026you\u2019re safe now, son,\u201d my father assured me and I knew it was so.\u00a0 Nothing could hurt me now, not with my father holding me so.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoe\u2026needs us\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI know\u2026and we\u2019ll get to him\u2026soon.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It was a promise made by a man who had never lied to me, and I knew that my father would keep that promise.\u00a0 I closed my eyes but I could still hear the gunfire behind me, and the shouts of the angry men as they scattered throughout the forest.\u00a0 I knew Hoss was there too, though I\u2019d yet seen him.\u00a0 Pa explained that he was chasing the other men back toward the cabin.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Quickly, Pa explained that they had found the cabin late the night before and had stood watch.\u00a0 They knew of the men in hiding, waiting for them, so they had secretly taken out two of the men.\u00a0 I had known nothing of this before that moment.\u00a0 I remembered smiling up at my father and seeing the glow in his eyes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t think I would have just walked into their trap do you?\u201d he laughed softly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t sure\u2026\u201d I admitted.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAw\u2026shucks, Adam, we knew you and Joe were there and in trouble\u2026\u201d Hoss had returned, taken hold of my hand as he helped me to sit up.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I laughed softly, welcoming his presence.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe gotta get Joe out of there, Pa\u2026he\u2019s sick\u2026real sick,\u201d I informed my father.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I saw his smile fade and a look of concern crossed his face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI was afraid he might be getting sick before he left.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe didn\u2019t let on\u2026but when he started to complain, I knew that wasn\u2019t like Joe\u2026I suspected he was getting sick.\u00a0 Pa, we need to hurry\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I know Pa saw the worry etched into my expression.\u00a0 I was too worried about the boy to hide it from my father.\u00a0 Besides, my Pa knows me better than any other person on earth and he would have easily seen beyond the mask, had I chosen to wear one that morning.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOkay, if you\u2019re up to it, let\u2019s go get the boy!\u201d Pa said.\u00a0 \u201cHoss, you hold back some, let Adam and I show ourselves first\u2026I don\u2019t think they realize that I\u2019m not alone.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnything you say, Pa\u2026just you and Adam be careful\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Pa managed to help me get back to the cabin.\u00a0 I still wore the chains but this time, the going was easier with Pa and Hoss helping me.\u00a0 I was determined to keep my promise to Joe\u2026to get him out of there and take him home.\u00a0 I only hoped that he\u2019d still be alive\u2026<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As Pa and I entered the clearing, the boss man met us.\u00a0 I heard my father gasp when he saw Barry Hambright.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know whom my father was expecting to see, but it was obvious that Hambright took my father by surprise.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Two other men showed themselves at various spots around the cabin, all pointing their long rifles at us.\u00a0 Pa and I were outnumbered, but it was better odds than Joe and I had.\u00a0 Hoss was hiding in the brush off to our left side and it looked as if Boss and his gang were unaware of my brother\u2019s presence in the woods.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDrop your guns, Cartwright!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I glanced at my father, expectantly.\u00a0 He hesitated.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI want to see my boy, first!\u201d Pa demanded.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hambright laughed.\u00a0 I remember how wicked it was and the chilling feeling it left me with, ringing in my ears.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe boy\u2019s dead\u2026fever got him!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I cringed\u2026I was too late!\u00a0 My father\u2019s expression hardened and I knew in that instance that he felt he had nothing to live for.\u00a0 I saw him go for his gun.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t do it Cartwright!\u201d Hambright warned.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The boss held a torch in one hand and waved it around in the air.\u00a0 I wondered what it meant?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll torch the cabin\u2026you\u2019ll not even have a body to bury\u2026not that you\u2019ll live long enough to bury anyone!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Pa\u2019s jaw twitched and his draw was so quick that I barely had time to blink.\u00a0 The sounds of shots shattered the serene stillness of the early morning hours.\u00a0 From behind us, Hoss\u2019 rifle emptied itself of its bullets.\u00a0Men dropped like snowflakes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I saw Hambright turn and watched in horror as he tossed the torch into the cabin.\u00a0 It exploded in a fiery blast of light as the cabin erupted into a ball of fire.\u00a0 My heart was in my throat\u2026my insides flopped over and over as terror washed over me.\u00a0 My brother was inside that ball of fire!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I heard the shot blast again from my father\u2019s gun and saw Hambright drop to the ground.\u00a0 I ran as fast as I could, the shackles hampered my efforts.\u00a0 Behind me, I could hear Pa shouting at me, but I didn\u2019t have time to pay him any attention.\u00a0 I was set on getting Joe out of the inferno no matter what.\u00a0 I had made him a promise\u2026to take him home, regardless of the condition I might find him in and I had no intention of letting anything stand in my way of keeping that promise\u2026not even a fire that was as hot as I imagined Hell would ever be!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Inside, I could hear his screams.\u00a0 Joe was alive!\u00a0 Praise God!\u00a0 I fought my way around the burning inferno to where his cot had been.\u00a0 I tripped, burning the palms of my hands, but the pain was nothing I would feel until much later.\u00a0 I found him at last but was horrified to see what Hambright had done to the boy.\u00a0 At some point, he had unchained Joe\u2019s wrists and ankles and had reattached the chains on the shackles around the head and footboards of the bed leaving Joe flat on his back and helpless!\u00a0 My brother was trapped like an animal in a cage and without the key to unlock his shackles he was doomed to die a horrible death by burning!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I felt an intense hatred wash over me as I watched in horror, my brother coughing and gagging and gasping for air.\u00a0 I suddenly became like a wild man and kicked with all my waning strength at the boards of the old cot.\u00a0 The fire was creeping closer and I knew I had only seconds before the flames engulfed us both.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s eyes were wide with fright; I shall never forget the haunting look as he watched the flames creeping nearer and nearer to his cot until they lapped at the bedding.\u00a0 I heard Joe scream out in terror as the edge of the blanket caught fire and began eating away at the fabric.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I kicked again, this time harder. At last the headboard shattered, freeing Joe\u2019s chain from the boards.\u00a0 I grabbed the burning blanket and tossed it aside, momentarily putting the fire at bay.\u00a0 I remember glancing behind us and then at Joe\u2019s face.\u00a0 It was turning blue.\u00a0 I screamed at him not to give up and I kicked the footboard.\u00a0 It resisted again and again but after what seemed like a lifetime with the hot flames dancing on my heels, the boards broke and I was at last able to scoop Joe\u2019s body into my arms.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I recall glancing back toward the door.\u00a0 I thought I could see my father\u2019s silhouette in the doorway, as if beckoning for me to hurry, but it must have been my imagination, for the smoke was so black and thick that I could barely breathe.\u00a0 I knew it would be impossible to get out that way.\u00a0 As I stood with Joe in my arms, contemplating my next move, I quickly scanned the room, not really seeing it with my eyes but in my memory.\u00a0 I remembered a lone window at the back of the cabin, and that\u2019s the way I ran.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I don\u2019t remember much, until waking up and finding my father bending over me.\u00a0 But I must have crashed through the glass, delivering Joe and I both to safety.\u00a0 JOE!\u00a0 Dear God\u2026was he dead?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa\u2026Joe\u2026is he\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s alive, son\u2026he\u2019s alive, but barely.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I sighed a deep relief.\u00a0 From the far corners of my mind, I recalled something that someone once told me. In that instant, the words came rushing at me\u2026where there is life, there is hope.\u00a0 I clung to that promise, though for the life of me I could not remember whom it was that had left me with that inspiration.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGet him\u2026home,\u201d I sputtered between coughs.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2026promised\u2026him.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I\u2019ve sat here, next to my brother\u2019s bed, for near onto four days now.\u00a0 I\u2019ve rarely left his side, except at my father\u2019s insistence to either eat or sleep, of which I\u2019ve done little of both.\u00a0 I can\u2019t bring myself to leave him.\u00a0 I want to be here when he opens his eyes.\u00a0 I want him to see me, to know that I kept my promise to him\u2026to know how very much I love him\u2026<\/p>\n <\/p>\n By some miracle of God, Doc. Martin assured us that Joe only had a horrible cough\u2026a cold he called it and not pneumonia as I had suspected.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be honest and admit to you that I\u2019ve spent the better part of the first night after getting Joe home on my knees thanking God that Joe was not as sick as I first thought.\u00a0 If ever I\u2019ve prayed, I had reason to thank the man upstairs for His mercy!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I wait patiently now for Joe to wake up.\u00a0 It\u2019s a relief to see his steady breathing\u2026how easy it\u2019s become, how rhythmic.\u00a0 His face is no longer blue, his fever has come down but he still looks like warmed over death.\u00a0 The once rosy complexion is gone, replaced with a sickly whitish tint that caused the bruises he wore to stand out in stark contrast; the vibrant look of youth appears now to resemble an aged man though Doc Martin assures us that once Joe wakes up and begins eating better that his health will greatly improve.\u00a0 I have no reason to doubt the doctor, he\u2019s never been wrong before when dealing with my brother\u2019s ailments and I seriously doubt that he\u2019s wrong now.\u00a0 It\u2019s just me; it\u2019s just so hard to watch my little brother lying in his bed doing nothing.\u00a0 The boy is usually so full of vim and vigor that it rips me apart to see his suffering\u2026or what he\u2019s been made to suffer.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n God, I wish he\u2019d wake up.\u00a0 There\u2019s so much I\u2019d like to say to him, so much that I want to tell him.\u00a0 I\u2019m not very good at expressing how I feel, or what I\u2019m thinking\u2026especially when the something is as close to my heart as my brother and how I feel about him.\u00a0 I hope I can find the words to convey to him my inner most thoughts\u2026<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He said my name so softly that until I looked at him and saw him watching me, I only thought I was imagining that he said it.\u00a0 I know I must have looked surprised, for Joe grinned at me.\u00a0 His weakness and all he\u2019d suffered strained the smile, but to me it was one of the most beautiful smiles that I\u2019d ever been given.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I moved to the side of his bed and when he reached up for me, I took his hands in mine.\u00a0 That\u2019s when Joe\u2019s eyes clouded with tears and he pulled his hands free of mine and laced them about my neck.\u00a0 I felt the swell of tears in my own eyes as I returned the hug and I knew right that second that I need not fear finding words to express myself, Joe had done it for me.\u00a0 In that moment, in that embrace, all the love that we\u2019d ever shared as brothers, as friends\u2026as family, I felt in his grasp.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Love as I had never known, flowed evenly between us, from my heart to his and from his heart into mine.\u00a0 No words could ever express for either of us what we were experiencing right at that moment.\u00a0 We need not give an explanation or an account of our actions, we understood each other perfectly\u2026for the first time in many years there was nothing between us but love and respect and devotion to one another.\u00a0 We were home safely\u2026not just Joe but me as well.\u00a0 And it was a good feeling\u2026a comforting sensation that allowed each of us to express ourselves without having to say a word.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I never gave up trusting\u2026for where there is life, there is also hope\u2026I shall never forget those words given to me at a time in my life when I thought death was immanent\u2026<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Who said those words to me?\u00a0 I have no clue\u2026perhaps they came to me from God in a whispered answer to my prayers.\u00a0 I shall never know for sure\u2026\u2026\u2026.but I\u2019d like to think that perhaps God had spoken to me at a time when I needed a comforting voice to chase away my fears and give me a smidgeon of hope!\u00a0 On that, I will forever hold fast.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The End<\/p>\n September 2005<\/p>\n <\/p>\nAdam Cartwright<\/strong><\/h1>\n