{"id":3854,"date":"2010-03-30T18:13:29","date_gmt":"2010-03-30T22:13:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=3854"},"modified":"2026-02-11T10:20:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T15:20:11","slug":"a-fathers-justified-instincts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=3854","title":{"rendered":"A Father’s Justified Instincts (by No1butJoe)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Birthday present for devonshire. Originally posted on Bonanza World.<\/p>\n

He was just going to retrieve the mail. What he found instead was a whole lot of trouble.<\/p>\n

Rated:<\/span>\u00a0K (2,055 words)
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0A Father’s Justified Instincts<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n

“Pa, I’ll be fine.”<\/strong>
\nIt was the last thing Joe had said to him, his voice edged with irritation as he’d hurriedly fastened his gun belt and plucked his hat from the sideboard. He’d 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’s 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’t need to be told why his father was so agitated.<\/p>\n

“How late is he?” Adam asked quietly.<\/p>\n

“Late,” Ben replied. “He should have been back two , three hours ago.”<\/p>\n

“Pa, he’ll be fine,” Adam admonished. “Joe’s not a little kid anymore. You’ve got to stop doing this to yourself.”<\/p>\n

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

Adam sighed. “I think I’ll head out and see if Hoss needs any help in the barn,” 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 – both real and imagined – and he couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurd direction of his thoughts. He’d have to tell Joe later how silly he’d been.<\/p>\n

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

“Pa! PA! Come quick!”<\/p>\n

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB<\/p>\n

Ben didn\u2019t even wait for an explanation for his oldest son\u2019s shouting. After years of raising him and his brothers, he\u2019d picked up on the different tones of all his son\u2019s voices. But, tonight, Adam\u2019s had a certain note in it that caused his blood to run cold as he quickly stood, only to watch in shock as Hoss carried a prone figure into the house and laid him on the settee. Adam followed close behind Hoss, as if his younger brother might need his help.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, who is it?\u201d Ben asked as he hurried to the settee.<\/p>\n

His breath caught in his throat when he finally recognized the figure, who was moaning and tossing his head back and forth. Ben could barely recognize the face of his youngest son. Bruises adorned the youngest Cartwright\u2019s face, a split lip adding blood into the mix. One of Joe\u2019s eyes was swollen shut, a cut above it, indicating a blunt object had made contact there.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe looks like he was kicked by a mule a few too many times, Pa,\u201d Hoss said, never taking his eyes off of his younger brother.<\/p>\n

Ben heard Hoss\u2019 words, but the determined set of his jaw and the worry and fear set in his eyes made it clear that he didn\u2019t agree with the younger man\u2019s assumption.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, these marks weren\u2019t made by an animal,\u201d he argued and then paused before adding, \u201cAt least, not the four-legged kind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss looked at Joe again and nodded, noticing the cuts and bruises didn\u2019t match hoof prints of any sort. At that moment, Joe groaned loudly and his one eye that wasn\u2019t swollen slowly opened a little. Ben sat on the coffee table next to the settee and gently placed his hand on Joe\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe? Can you hear me, Son?\u201d he asked, softly.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s lips parted slowly, the blood caking them cracking as he tried to speak. Ben swallowed the lump in his throat as he heard Joe whisper his name weakly.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all right, Joe, I\u2019m here,\u201d Ben reassured him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI found him laying in the back of the barn in the hay, Pa,\u201d Adam spoke up. \u201cThere\u2019s no telling how long he was out there before I found him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben listened to the words, but his eyes were for Joe and Joe only. The younger man\u2019s eye closed again and that spurred Ben into action.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, ride for Doc Martin,\u201d he instructed, anxiously. \u201cTell him the details of how you found Joe and how badly he\u2019s hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben waited until Adam was out the door and hoof beats announced his leaving the yard on Sport before turning to his middle son.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss, get a washcloth and some warm water,\u201d he said, turning his gaze back to Joe. \u201cWe need to clean these cuts and bruises as best we can before Paul gets here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss nodded and hurried into the kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, I need you to open your eyes,\u201d Ben whispered softly, moving to touch Joe\u2019s cheek, but deciding against it as he noticed more bruises adorning the area. Instead, he satisfied himself with putting his hand on top of Joe\u2019s head, his fingers gently entangling and stroking the dirt-filled curls.<\/p>\n

In response to his voice, Joe\u2019s one eye fluttered a moment before opening completely. Ben smiled reassuringly at him, trying to hold in the vast amount of emotions that threatened to burst through.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all right, boy,\u201d Ben whispered, pausing afterwards.<\/p>\n

Joe wasn\u2019t a boy anymore, he reasoned, but he\u2019d always be his litle boy no matter what.<\/p>\n

\u201cP-Pa,\u201d Joe\u2019s weak voice called out to him, snapping him out of his thoughts.<\/p>\n

Ben shifted closer to the settee, trying to make his face visible to the younger man.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, you need to tell me what happened,\u201d Ben said, anxiously.<\/p>\n

It took a few minutes for Joe to work up the strength to speak and when he did, his words sent a chill right through Ben.<\/p>\n

\u201cT-Th-Three men,\u201d he stammered, licking his lips to moisten them. \u201cT-Told me to get off m-my horse. W-Wanted my cash. I-I gave it to them, b-but they d-didn\u2019t believe me w-when I s-said that\u2019s a-all I h-had on me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s breaths were coming in heavy gulps and he stopped for a moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, maybe we should wait until-\u201d Ben started, but his youngest son quickly cut him off.<\/p>\n

\u201cN-No,\u201d he argued, firmly. \u201cH-Have to tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben quietly nodded, patiently waiting until Joe was ready to continue. Another deep breath and he was ready to go on.<\/p>\n

\u201cT-They knew me b-by name,\u201d he explained, swallowing hard as he winced. \u201cCalled me Cartwright s-several t-times.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben leaned forward slightly.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you recognize any of them, Joe?\u201d he asked, hopefully.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyes closed, then reopened slowly. A pained expression was on his face, betraying the answer to his father\u2019s question before he even spoke.<\/p>\n

\u201cO-Only one,\u201d he replied, weakly. \u201cB-But everything\u2019s s-st-still a blur.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben waited patiently, anxious for him to continue.<\/p>\n

\u201cJ-Jesse,\u201d he whispered. \u201cJ-Jesse Clark.\u201d<\/p>\n

BONANZABONANZABONANZABONANZABONANZABONANZABONANZA<\/p>\n

(Several hours later . . . .)<\/p>\n

Adam burst through the door, Paul Martin right behind him, his medical bag clutched tightly in his hand as they both approached the settee, where Joe was sleeping restlessly.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d Adam whispered, waking Ben from his trance-like state on the coffee table by Joe\u2019s side.<\/p>\n

Ben looked up, seeing Adam for the first time. He glanced at Joe as Paul moved to his side, taking over his position on the table to examine his patient. Adam and Ben moved off a little ways to give them privacy to talk. Hoss, who had been sitting in the armchair, also stood and joined them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe caught him,\u201d were the first words out of Adam\u2019s mouth.<\/p>\n

Ben stiffened at his oldest son\u2019s words and he gripped his arm, hopefully.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam?\u201d he questioned without ever really asking.<\/p>\n

The oldest Cartwright son knew exactly what he was asking however and nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cJesse and his friends had a witness to their little beating,\u201d he explained. \u201cMatt Flanigan saw everything. By the time I got into town, Roy already had a posse ready to ride out. We found him over at the Miller\u2019s old place. Him and his boys. Roy\u2019s taken them back into town.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam paused a moment, looking over at Joe, who had his uninjured eye halfway open and was listening to what Paul was saying to him. Adam\u2019s gaze traveled back to Ben.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow is he, Pa?\u201d he dared to ask.<\/p>\n

Ben released Adam\u2019s arm and looked at Joe briefly.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was really tired, but he did tell me that Jesse was the one who instigated this whole thing,\u201d he replied, a frown appearing on his face. \u201cI just don\u2019t understand how he got all the way home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss frowned too.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, there ain\u2019t no way he coulda walked,\u201d he agreed.<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Roy was taking them in, Jesse\u2019s boys started singing like canaries,\u201d he continued. \u201cApparently, Jesse didn\u2019t want anyone finding Joe in town, so he brought him out here and left him in the barn. That\u2019s also why we didn\u2019t find Cochise. She\u2019s still in town.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben seemed to think about that for a moment. It all made sense now. He must\u2019ve been thinking for a while, for Adam when Adam placed a hand on his shoulder, Paul was already finished his examination of Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019ll be fine, Ben,\u201d the doctor announced, making all three men breathe a deep sigh of relief. \u201cIt\u2019s nothing a few days in bed won\u2019t cure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben smiled and went back to Joe\u2019s side. The swelling in around Joe\u2019s eye seemed to be going down, but he still couldn\u2019t open it. The split lip had been cleaned as well as the cut over his eye, but one thing he hadn\u2019t counted on was the bandage around Joe\u2019s chest. Quizzically, he looked up at Paul.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey beat him pretty bad in that area, Ben,\u201d his long time friend explained, quietly. \u201cHe has just a few bruised ribs, but they\u2019ll heal just fine as long as he stays in bed for a couple of days.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry, Paul, we\u2019ll keep him there,\u201d Ben promised, turning his attention back to Joe, who was slowly losing his battle with consciousness.<\/p>\n

His youngest son was opening his mouth, trying to speak, but the words just weren\u2019t coming out. Everyone waited patiently as Ben helped Joe drink a little water.<\/p>\n

\u201cP-Pa, s-sorry,\u201d Joe managed, softly.<\/p>\n

Ben frowned, not quite sure what Joe was referring to.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor what, Son?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cN-Not listening t-to y-y-you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The oldest Cartwright looked up at Hoss, Adam, and Paul, confusion clearly written across his face. Was Joe delusional?<\/p>\n

\u201cT-Told me t-to be c-careful,\u201d Joe whispered. \u201cD-Didn\u2019t count on J-Jesse and his f-fr-friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry about that now, Joe,\u201d Ben said, gently.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eye was drifting shut again, exhaustion taking it\u2019s toll on his worn out body.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d he called out, softly.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cI-I forgot the mail I-in t-town.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben smiled a little, still amazed that, even though he\u2019d been beaten, Joe could still worry about something other than his own well-being. He watched with a heavy heart as Joe fell into a restless sleep. He would never understand the feelings he\u2019d get when one of his sons were in trouble. Call it father\u2019s intuition or just bad luck. But he was grateful that it wasn\u2019t something anymore serious. As night slowly went on, Ben had Hoss move his younger brother to the guest room, where he kept a close watch on him all night – just in case.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Disclaimer:<\/span>\u00a0All 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.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: Birthday present for devonshire. Originally posted on Bonanza World.<\/p>\n

He was just going to retrieve the mail. What he found instead was a whole lot of trouble. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0K (2,055 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":10664,"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_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[23,1007,40],"tags":[438],"class_list":["post-3854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-joe-cartwright","category-challenges","tag-devonshire","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-1007-id","wpcat-40-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":2442,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Resitution-Small.jpg?fit=720%2C480&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4918,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=4918","url_meta":{"origin":3854,"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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