{"id":35917,"date":"2021-01-29T12:26:06","date_gmt":"2021-01-29T17:26:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=35917"},"modified":"2025-09-25T15:38:52","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T19:38:52","slug":"please-dont-go-by-annie-k-cowgirl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=35917","title":{"rendered":"Please Don’t Go (by Annie K Cowgirl)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:<\/strong>\u00a0 An extended\/AU scene from the episode “Second Chance.”<\/p>\n

Rated:<\/strong> T (for mild language)
\nWord Count:<\/strong> 920<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Disclaimer:<\/strong> All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Please Don’t Go<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cHow you feelin\u2019, punkin?\u201d Hoss asked me.<\/p>\n

If I wasn\u2019t so gull durned tired I would have snorted at the ridiculous question. Pain gnawed at my shoulder with dull teeth. Never in my life had I felt such pain, not even when Adam had accidentally shot me and that wolf we were after decided that my arm would make a delicious afternoon snack. I felt weaker than a newborn kitten. Every beat of my heart seemed to sap what little strength I had left from my injured body. All in all I felt like death warmed over, but I wasn\u2019t about to tell him that. He would only worry even more than he already was and that wouldn\u2019t do either of us any good.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m…I\u2019m fine…Hoss, just fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

I could tell by the look in his eyes that he didn\u2019t buy it, but he wasn\u2019t going to call my bluff. There wasn\u2019t really any point. We were stuck out in the middle of the desert with wild Indians on our trail. We had little food, even less water, and I had an arrow in me. If things didn\u2019t start looking up soon, we\u2019d more than likely die out here. Or, at least, I would. If Hoss left me…but no. There was no way in hell that he would leave me, not even after I took my last breath. He would stay and stand guard over my dead body until help came or the Indians killed him; he was that loyal, my big brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure you are,\u201d he said, patting my hand. He took his ten gallon hat off and wiped the sweat from his brow. I noted that his shirt was nearly soaked through with the stuff. It was hot, hotter than I ever believed a day could get.<\/p>\n

If only there was a little shade <\/i>or even a breeze<\/i>…I shook the thought aside. \u2018If onlys\u2019 never did anybody much good.<\/p>\n

The sound of sloshing water caught my attention and I realized that I\u2019d been close to passing out. \u201cYou want somethin\u2019 to drink?\u201d he asked, holding the canteen up for me to see, and I nodded. He uncorked it and slid a hand under my uninjured shoulder to help prop me up as I drank. The liquid was brackish and tasted like something that might have been found in a horse trough, but it was wet and my throat was bone dry. I only managed to take a couple of sips before my stomach rolled and I had to turn my head away.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou sure you don\u2019t want anymore? There\u2019s plenty left,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Who\u2019s the liar now?<\/i> I wanted to tease him, but the nausea prevented me from doing so. I knew if I took one more swallow, I would lose the little I had in my stomach, and the thought of vomiting with an arrowhead tearing at my insides held no appeal for me.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo…thanks. Can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s all right. I\u2019ll just leave it here beside you iff\u2019n you get thirsty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Silence fell between us, and I couldn\u2019t help but recall the reason we were out here in no-man\u2019s land. Our trip to alert the people of Sweetwater about the Indian uprising had been a colossal failure. By the time we had reached the third burned-out homestead, it was clear to us that we were too late. There was no one left alive to heed our warning. The only thing we could do was ride out before we became Red Pony\u2019s latest victims. We\u2019d turned for home just as fast as we could, knowing that it would be only a matter of time before the Indians found us.<\/p>\n

And find us they did.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Joe,\u201d Hoss said, accidentally jostling me. Pain racketed up from my wound, effectively pulling me out of my thoughts, and I bit back a moan. \u201cI think I see some smoke. Someone\u2019s buildin\u2019 a campfire.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s probably just more…Indians,\u201d I hissed through gritted teeth.<\/p>\n

He shook his head. \u201cNaw, Indians wouldn\u2019t give away their position like that. It\u2019s gotta be some settlers or somethin\u2019,\u201d he muttered the last part under his breath. Placing his hat back on his head, he stood up and reached for Chubbs\u2019 reins. \u201cI\u2019m gonna go check it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

The words drew the fog from my brain and suddenly a deep, gut-wrenching fear filled my belly. I tried to sit up, but only succeeded in causing myself more agony by putting weight on my injured arm. \u201cNo, no, Hoss, it could be a trap, please don\u2019t go.\u201d<\/p>\n

He swung up into the saddle and glanced down at me. \u201cJoe, that arrow\u2019s in there real deep and I can\u2019t get it out, not without some help, and there just might be someone over there that can lend us a hand. I know it\u2019s a long shot, but I gotta try.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Hoss\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Ignoring me, he set his spurs to the big sorrel\u2019s sides and galloped away, leaving a trail of dust in his wake.<\/p>\n

I held out a hand, wishing I could stop him, but knowing that I couldn\u2019t. I didn\u2019t even have the strength to hurt a fly, and that scared me.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d never thought much about my own death, but on the rare occasions that I did, I\u2019d always imagined I\u2019d be surrounded by my family when my time came. Now, as I watched Hoss ride away, I knew I wouldn\u2019t even be afforded that luxury. I was going to die here alone.<\/p>\n

All alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease come back.\u201d<\/p>\n

~Finis<\/strong><\/p>\n

Author Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

This was written for a Bonanza Ballad challenge on Bonanza Boomers. I was given the artist KC and the Sunshine Band and the song\u00a0Please Don’t Go<\/em> and had to come up with a story using only the title. This is what I came up with.<\/p>\n

Some dialogue is similar to that of the episode, but no exact lines are taken from it.<\/p>\n

Tags: Little Joe, Hoss, brothers, Indians,, SJS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: “I\u2019d never thought much about my own death, but on the rare occasions that I did, I\u2019d always imagined I\u2019d be surrounded by my family when my time came. Now, as I watched Hoss ride away, I knew I wouldn\u2019t even be afforded that luxury.” An extended\/AU scene from the episode “Second Chance” Joe’s POV. <\/p>\n

Rated: T (for mild language)
\nWord Count: 920<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":159,"featured_media":3973,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[23,41,1007,8,27,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35917","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-hurtcomfort","category-joe-cartwright","category-short-stories","category-whi","category-whn","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-41-id","wpcat-1007-id","wpcat-8-id","wpcat-27-id","wpcat-13-id"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/secondchance.png?fit=401%2C297&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35917","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/159"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=35917"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35917\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3973"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=35917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=35917"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=35917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}