Summary:\u00a0 As Little Joe lays trapped under wreckage of his wagon, he is rescued by Hoss who is lying comatose at home.\u00a0 He then has to convince his father that what he experienced was real. Rated T, WC 19,000<\/p>\n
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Simeon Bridge\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Joe stood in the doorway<\/strong> to his brother\u2019s bedroom and stared towards Hoss\u2019 bed.\u00a0 The mammoth of a man lay there motionless, his eyes closed and his face pale and drawn.\u00a0 Just the sight of him made his little brother bite back his fears and say a silent prayer for his recovery.<\/p>\n Moving across the room Joe stopped when he reached the bedside chair, which held the patriarch of the Ponderosa.\u00a0 Ben was there, as always, keeping vigil over his beloved son.\u00a0 Joe could read his father\u2019s face as he made it over to the nightstand.\u00a0 His heart fell in his chest when he noticed how old the man looked.<\/p>\n Pa was forever young as far as Joe was concerned.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t matter that the man\u2019s face contained numerous worry lines and that his hair was snow white, his youngest son never counted his father\u2019s years by that.\u00a0 Ben Cartwright was as close to being a legend as any man could be; at least in the eyes of his youngest boy.<\/p>\n It was only during times such as these, when one of his son\u2019s lives were in jeopardy, that Joe thought of his father as being human.\u00a0 All other times his pa was untouched by the fading of years and appeared to be as virile and young as when he had looked at the man some eighteen years prior, on the day that Joe had drawn his first breath.<\/p>\n Joe dropped his hand down on his father\u2019s sunken shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cI brought you some coffee\u2014figured you could use it,\u201d he offered.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks,\u201d Ben nodded and took the cup from his son\u2019s hand.\u00a0 He pursed his lips and drank some of the brew, all the while keeping an eye on his youngest.\u00a0 Ben knew that the young man was all torn up inside about his brother and it showed as Joe moved to sit down on the bed next to Hoss.\u00a0 He watched as Joe placed his hand on top of Hoss\u2019 massive right hand and squeezed it gently, praying for a response.<\/p>\n \u201cAny change, Pa?\u201d\u00a0 Joe whispered, and his eyes yearned for an affirmation to his question.<\/p>\n \u201cNot yet, but you know Doc said it might be awhile.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe frowned and shook his head frustrated.\u00a0 \u201cBut, it\u2019s been two days\u2014maybe Doc missed something?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben set down his coffee and stood to move over next to his two boys.\u00a0 He rubbed the back of Joe\u2019s neck affectionately, trying to help with his mounting stress.\u00a0 \u201cI know you\u2019re not questioning Doc Martin\u2019s ability!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe gave a wry smile and shrugged his shoulders, \u201cNo,\u00a0I didn\u2019t mean it like that, Pa.\u00a0 We all know that he\u2019s nothing short of a miracle worker when it comes to treating me.\u00a0 But\u2014It just seems like Hoss should\u2019ve moved,\u00a0said something after all this time!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe took quite a hit to the back of his head\u2014you saw it!\u00a0 We\u2019re contending with the swelling right now.\u00a0 Paul said once it goes down a bit\u2014well\u2014Hoss should start coming back to us.\u00a0 I know it seems like forever\u2014believe me\u2014I feel the same way.\u00a0 But, worrying and getting yourself all torn up inside is not going to help your brother.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou should talk!\u201d\u00a0 Joe shot back as he stood from the bed.\u00a0 \u201cPa\u2014you\u2019ve only nodded out for thirty minutes at best for the last two days.\u00a0 You know Doc said you better get some real sleep or you\u2019re gonna be in your own sick bed!\u201d\u00a0 Joe chastised.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fine. Hop Sing watched Hoss for a couple of hours this afternoon and I got some sleep.\u00a0 But, I\u2019ve been doing this kinda thing for many years\u2014as YOU know.\u00a0 I am fine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWish Adam was here\u2014I sent that wire yesterday and still haven\u2019t heard nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid you check this afternoon when you went to Virginia City?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah\u2014Pete said we haven\u2019t gotten anything.\u00a0 He said he\u2019d send someone out if we do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2014he\u2019s down in Tucson\u2014probably out with that herd and hasn\u2019t gotten word yet.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure as soon as he gets the telegraph he\u2019ll head on home and leave the cows to Jake and the boys to bring back here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou sure you want me to go to Carson City tomorrow?\u00a0 I mean\u2014what if Hoss comes around?\u00a0 I sure would like to be here when it happens!\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked as he walked with his father to the doorway.<\/p>\n \u201cSitting around and staring at your brother isn\u2019t helping you\u2014and you know how important he thought that project was.\u00a0 I\u2019d like to be able to tell him\u2014when he comes around\u2014that his little brother handled it just fine,\u201d Ben smiled and gave Joe the subtle hint that there would be no getting out of his new mission.<\/p>\n \u201cI know\u2014I know\u2014\u201d Joe grinned, knowing why he was being sent away for the time being.\u00a0 Pa was evident in his motives as always.\u00a0 Yes, Hoss had come up with the idea for a drainage system to be placed at the base of Syler\u2019s Ridge to help resolve the erosion problem caused by the heavy winter snows.<\/p>\n By setting the system of metal pipes, it would save the oak groves that had helped to shore up the hillside that overlooked one of the most beautiful areas the Ponderosa had to offer.\u00a0 The entire Cartwright family were very concerned with conserving the ranch\u2019s beauty for future generations and had replanted areas after timber cutting season.\u00a0 Along with that, they were always trying new ways to help prevent erosion, and Hoss\u2019 idea was one way to accomplish that.<\/p>\n Joe also knew, however, that his father wanted to keep him occupied so he wouldn\u2019t be hovering over Hoss all day and night.\u00a0 Sending him into Carson City to get the equipment was a good way to kill two birds with one stone; they would be able to get started with Hoss\u2019 project and give the youngest son something to do with all his nervous energy.\u00a0 \u201cYou want to keep me out from underfoot don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re getting awfully suspicious of your old man here lately,\u201d Ben teased and enjoyed a light moment after so many hours of worry.<\/p>\n \u201cJust know you that\u2019s all,\u201d Joe nodded and moved into the hallway.\u00a0 \u201cYou will wake me up if Hoss comes around, right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course I will,\u201d Ben insisted.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd tomorrow\u2014when I go to Carson\u2014it\u2019s gonna take me hours to get that wagon load over to Syler\u2019s Ridge\u2014if anything happens\u2014\u201d Joe stopped and his face took on a pained expression.\u00a0 He hated the way his words had come out, almost like he was expecting some dreadful news about Hoss.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s going to be fine, Joseph\u2014but if he comes around I will send someone for you.\u00a0 Now, you need to get some sleep.\u00a0 I want you to stop by and get Hank Jefferies to help you with that equipment first thing in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI can handle it by myself, Pa.\u00a0<\/strong> Gonna pick up the wagon already loaded with the equipment right there at the mercantile in Carson\u2014so I don\u2019t need no-one to go with me!\u201d\u00a0 Joe protested.<\/p>\n Ben grabbed his son\u2019s arm and stopped his objections.\u00a0 \u201cJust humor me, will you?\u00a0 I already have one son who\u2019s laid up\u2014don\u2019t make me go all day and night worrying about you!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe sighed as he looked at the intent brown eyes, which were aimed right at his heart.\u00a0 \u201cOkay\u2014okay\u2014I don\u2019t need no-one to go with me\u2014but if it will make you rest easy\u2014then I\u2019ll go get Hank on my way out tomorrow.\u00a0 There\u2014now go on in there and keep your sentry duty.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Joe\u2014for doing as instructed\u2014for a change,\u201d Ben nodded and patted the boy\u2019s shoulder as he turned back into the room.<\/p>\n Joe watched as his father moved over to the chair once more.\u00a0 His movements seemed so slow, as if he was aging with each passing hour.\u00a0 Joe knew in his heart that the only way to put the spring back in his father\u2019s step was to have Hoss open his eyes and prove he would be okay.<\/p>\n \u201cWake me if you need me\u2014good night, Pa,\u201d Joe called into the room.<\/p>\n \u201cGood night, Son,\u201d Ben nodded and reached for Hoss\u2019 hand.<\/p>\n Joe wasn\u2019t able to sleep any better than his father could that night, his thoughts always trailing back to his brother Hoss.\u00a0 He washed and dressed and after checking on Hoss one last time he bid goodbye to his pa and hurried out on his assignment.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s eyes scanned the skyline as he headed east towards the Jefferie\u2019s ranch.\u00a0 The foreboding clouds were grouping in odd formations just off in the distance.\u00a0 There hadn\u2019t been a good rainstorm in weeks and though it was needed for the local crops and also the cattle, Joe hoped it would hold off long enough for him to make his way back home with his supplies.<\/p>\n Dismounting in front of the small but well-kept ranch house, Joe saw the front door open and out stepped Grace Jefferies.\u00a0 Offering a brilliant smile, the young man sauntered up to the stairs and removed his hat.<\/p>\n \u201cMorning Grace, how are you?\u201d Joe started the conversation.<\/p>\n \u201cBeen better to tell you the truth, Little Joe\u2014Hank\u2019s laid up,\u201d the woman sighed and motioned for Joe to enter the house.<\/p>\n Joe made his way into the front room and saw Hank laying on the sofa slathered in blankets.\u00a0 The man\u2019s appearance was wan and Joe could tell he was hurting.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened to you, Hank?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked as he moved in closer to him.<\/p>\n \u201cTouch of pneumonia\u2014Doc insists I stay in bed for the week.\u00a0 I told him I\u2019d do better if I was just allowed to work up a sweat\u2014but you know Paul!\u00a0 Not to mention this woman of mine\u2014who also insists I stay down,\u201d Hank fussed.<\/p>\n Joe laughed as he watched the exchange of looks between the married couple.\u00a0 \u201cIf I was you I\u2019d do as I was told.\u00a0 Don\u2019t know about Doc\u2014but looks like Grace could take you in your condition.\u00a0 Don\u2019t push your luck!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m gonna keep him down all right\u2014but if he gives me any more grief about it I\u2019ve got a good sized fry pan at the ready!\u201d\u00a0 Grace smiled and winked towards her husband. \u201cNews sure travels fast around here,\u201d Joe sighed and his face took on a worried expression just thinking of his brother lying lifeless back at the ranch house.<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2014Paul told us when he checked on Hank yesterday, Little Joe,\u201d Grace explained.\u00a0 \u201cSo?\u00a0 How\u2019s Hoss doing?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo change yet\u2014it\u2019s got us all worried too!\u00a0 But Pa wanted me to get that drainage supply shipment to get started on the project Hoss came up with.\u00a0 I was heading over to Carson and just decided to drop by to say hi to you all,\u201d Joe lied, not wanting Hank to feel bad that he wouldn\u2019t be able to help.<\/p>\n Hank narrowed his eyebrows and stared into the young man\u2019s hazel eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI think you came by for me to help you and now that you seen me laid up you changed the story.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2014I was gonna ask you to come along with me but that was Pa\u2019s idea actually.\u00a0 That wagon is all loaded and ready to go.\u00a0 I told him I didn\u2019t need any help\u2014but well\u2014you know how he is!\u201d<\/p>\n Hank began to pull himself up from the sofa but his wife\u2019s hand stopped his progression.\u00a0 \u201cNothing doing\u2014you lay back down.\u00a0 Joe says he has it okay now you rest up, Hank,\u201d Grace warned the man with her gaze.<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s quirky laughter filled the room and he said, \u201cI\u2019d do like your wife says, Hank, if I were you.\u00a0 There\u2019s no sense in ruining a perfectly good frying pan on your head!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou sure you can handle it okay, Joe?\u00a0 Maybe you can ride over to the Devlin ranch and see if either Mack or his son could help you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t have any problems.\u00a0 Thanks anyhow\u2014you get well.\u00a0 Oh, mind your wife too!\u201d\u00a0 Joe grinned and winked over at Grace.\u00a0 He then turned for the door and headed back out for his horse.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n High noon brought Joe into Carson City<\/strong> and though the clouds still threatened a downpour they had held up for the time being.\u00a0 Sam Kershaw looked over the Cartwright order and one by one checked all the supplies, which had been loaded inside the extra wide wagon.\u00a0 It was the largest wagon that could be rented from the local livery stable and was needed to hold the lengths of piping and other drainage equipment that Hoss had ordered for his project.\u00a0 Joe was soon standing behind the man and watching him as he went about his business unbeknownst to the store owner.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t until Sam stood back and tied down the canvas covering that he noticed the young man with the Cheshire smile.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe!\u00a0 You almost scared the daylights out of me!\u201d\u00a0 Sam exclaimed as he spun around.\u00a0 \u201cWhat are you part mountain lion\u2014or half Injun?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust enjoying watching a man so intent on working,\u201d Joe replied and shook Sam\u2019s hand.\u00a0 \u201cYou got it all for me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYep\u2014all there\u2014with a bit to spare.\u00a0 Them twelve footers come in shipments of fifteen and not ten like I thought.\u00a0 So, you\u2019ve got yourself quite a load.\u00a0 You have a strong team to pull it all\u2014so I doubt you will have any problem.\u00a0 But, you\u2019re sure gonna need some help when you get to Syler\u2019s Ridge and unload this mess!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2014I\u2019ll get some men when that time comes.\u00a0 Today\u2019s job is just to get it out there then I\u2019ll go steal some of the workers at the timber camp to help me unload it.\u201d \u201cYou heard too?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked surprised.\u00a0 He was starting to believe that Hop Sing had rigged up a telegraph right at the ranch house.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah\u2014well\u2014something happens to someone in the Cartwright family and it spreads fast around these parts.\u00a0 So, is he okay?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe sighed and shook his head. I sure hope so Joe thought to himself and said a silent prayer for his big brother.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, he\u2019s gonna be okay, just took one heck of a bump to his head.\u00a0 Doc says he should come out of it soon.\u00a0 I\u2019ll tell him you asked about him,\u201d Joe said and climbed up into the wagon\u2019s seat.\u00a0 \u201cI left my horse at the livery.\u00a0 As soon as I get this stuff where it belongs I will drop the wagon off at the stable and change it out for my pinto.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s fine, Little Joe.\u00a0 Tell your pa I\u2019ll just put the charges on his account.\u00a0 Be sure to give Hoss my best!\u201d\u00a0 Sam called up to Joe as he stood back up on the porch.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll do that\u2014thanks, Sam, for having it all ready for me.\u00a0 See you tomorrow!\u201d\u00a0 Joe called over to the man and then sent the team of horses forward.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019s our patient doing?\u201d\u00a0<\/strong> Paul Martin asked as he moved into Hoss Cartwright\u2019s bedroom.<\/p>\n Ben stood from the side of the bed where he had been sitting for hours caring for his son.\u00a0 He shrugged his shoulders and replied wearily, \u201cWell\u2014he kinda muttered a couple of times.\u00a0 Nothing that made any sense but at least it was something.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben moved away from the bed to allow the doctor to draw closer to his patient.\u00a0 Doc went about the normal routine of checking Hoss\u2019 pulse and listening to his heart and then he examined the man\u2019s pupils.<\/p>\n \u201cWell?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked hopefully.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s still under, but his heartbeat is good and strong and his breathing is regular,\u201d Doc paused as he turned Hoss\u2019 head to get a look at the injury.\u00a0 \u201cThe swelling seems to have gone down quite a bit more from yesterday.\u00a0 So, like I told you all before\u2014he\u2019s gonna come out of it soon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou sure there\u2019s not something else?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothing that I can see.\u00a0 But it\u2019s a danged good thing that all your boys have hard heads like their father or Hoss might have been worse off than this!\u201d\u00a0 Paul tried his best to put the anguished father\u2019s worry at bay, if only temporarily.<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s face showed signs of a brief smile and then he cleared his throat and went back to the issue at hand, \u201cBoth Hop Sing and I have gotten a bit of water down Hoss\u2019 throat hoping to prevent dehydration like you warned us about.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell once this young man wakes up he\u2019ll want more than water!\u00a0 I bet you he has Hop Sing cook everything in the pantry to make up for these past couple of days,\u201d Doc replied and closed his medical bag.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d like to say I could stay longer to sit with you, Ben, but it looks like there\u2019s a storm brewing and I need to get back to town before it lets loose.\u201d Paul patted his old friend\u2019s shoulder and remarked, \u201cI\u2019ve examined that youngest of yours and I can assure you he\u2019s not made of sugar.\u00a0 He won\u2019t melt if that\u2019s what\u2019s worrying you, Ben!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben chuckled over the doctor\u2019s words.\u00a0 He knew why the man had said them and appreciated his friend\u2019s understanding over the situation.\u00a0 Paul Martin knew perhaps better than any other non-family member that Ben Cartwright worried about all his sons whenever he couldn\u2019t lay his eyes on them.\u00a0 \u201cI just hope that kid knows to get out of the rain if it starts up!\u00a0 He\u2019s hauling a big load of piping for a drainage job.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs he alone?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2014Hank Jefferies is with him,\u201d Ben replied.<\/p>\n Paul frowned and wondered if he should break the news to the already troubled father.\u00a0 Finally, he decided he had to reveal his information.\u00a0 \u201cBen\u2014Hank can\u2019t be with him\u2014I left him at his place.\u00a0 He\u2019s got pneumonia and is on strict orders to stay in bed.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben stared out once more at the threatening clouds in the sky and his posture grew rigid.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure once Joe learned about Hank\u2019s illness he went and got someone else,\u201d Doc offered.<\/p>\n \u201cNot Joseph!\u201d\u00a0 Ben exclaimed, \u201cI had to guilt him into taking Hank with him.\u00a0 Once he learned Hank wasn\u2019t gonna be able to go I\u2019m quite sure that boy went on alone.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust as I told you\u2014hard heads\u2014the whole lot of them!\u201d\u00a0 Doc nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope he\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got one boy to worry over\u2014go sit with him and don\u2019t worry about Joe.\u00a0 He\u2019s not a little kid you know?\u00a0 He\u2019s been through more things at eighteen than most folks have been through in a lifetime.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s gonna be fine.\u00a0 But\u2014I\u2019m not\u2014that is\u2014if I don\u2019t get out of here!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes\u2014you go on ahead, Paul.\u00a0 Thanks so much\u2014as always\u2014for coming out to tend one of my hard headed sons!\u201d\u00a0 Ben replied and threw his arm around Paul\u2019s shoulder as they both moved towards the bedroom door.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be back tomorrow.\u00a0 And I\u2019ll just bet you now that Hoss will be wide awake when I get here too!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hope so\u2014I sure hope so,\u201d Ben sighed, \u201cPaul, you be careful heading back to town.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will\u2014see you tomorrow.\u00a0 And stop worrying\u2014I don\u2019t need any more patients right now,\u201d Paul smiled and walked towards the staircase.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe pulled back on the reins of the team of horses<\/strong> and jumped down from the wagon seat.\u00a0 He had incurred much more trouble than he thought he would in the several hours that he had been driving the wagon towards the Ponderosa.\u00a0 The weighty lengths of piping had continually shifted and was hindering his progression towards Syler\u2019s Ridge. Joe sat down on the bank of the stream and pulled up a reed.\u00a0 He played with the end of it and thought on his brother Hoss.\u00a0 Joe remembered how his brother had taught him how to swim when he was only about six years old.\u00a0 Chuckling as his thoughts went to that summer day and how his big brother had thrown his skinny little body into the river right under the Simeon Bridge, Joe stared off into the distance.\u00a0 The journey towards Syler\u2019s Ridge would take him right past that very bridge.<\/p>\n Joe wished he could be riding side by side his older brother, as had been the plans before Hoss had been injured.\u00a0 The two of them were to complete the drainage system and have it ready for inspection by the eldest brother, Adam, by the time he returned from Tucson.\u00a0 Those plans were quashed now, due to a loose board in the barn\u2019s hayloft and how it had come down unexpectedly on top of Hoss\u2019 head.\u00a0 Joe remembered hearing the sound and then seeing his brother lurch forward and drop to his knees.\u00a0 It had happened so fast, that at first Joe was sure that his brother was faking the fall.<\/p>\n They were both known as pranksters and enjoyed tricking each other, even though they were no longer youngsters.\u00a0 But, as Joe had moved over to Hoss he knew that there was no joke involved.\u00a0 There had been some blood on the back of the big man\u2019s head and he was out cold.\u00a0 It was then that Joe had raced inside the house and came running back to the barn with their father in tow.\u00a0 Next came the frantic ride to Virginia City to bring the doctor to the house.\u00a0 Joe had been sure that his heart would play out before they made it home.\u00a0 He was just that worried about his brother.<\/p>\n The horses snorted their impatience standing there at the water line and it jogged Joe\u2019s memory enough to realize that he had sat on the bank a bit longer than he had originally planned.\u00a0 On top of that was the fact that the clouds above had turned darker than they had been all day.\u00a0 Joe turned the collar up to his green jacket and stood to retrieve the reins.\u00a0 He knew he had to get going in order to beat the pending storm.\u00a0 The last thing he needed was to be stuck half way up Syler\u2019s Ridge with a load of heavy pipes and two horses that had already proven to be very skittish.<\/p>\n The snap of the reins picked up the pace and the team of horses pushed forward.\u00a0 Every now and then Joe would cast a glance back towards the wagon bed and make sure the load hadn\u2019t moved.\u00a0 The first raindrops started to fall a mile before the bridge that Joe would have to cross in order to make his ascent towards Syler\u2019s Ridge.\u00a0 The wind had also started to whip the canvas and it was beginning to startle the horses.\u00a0 Joe tried his best to coax the animals forward, but several times they stopped in their tracks and became as stubborn as a team of mules.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on now\u2014let\u2019s go!\u201d\u00a0 Joe urged the horses and snapped the reins a tad harder.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve got to get up there before this storm hits.\u00a0 Giddy up now\u2014come on go!\u201d\u00a0 Joe insisted and whistled through his teeth.<\/p>\n The horses obliged temporarily and continued the trek towards the bridge.\u00a0 Once Joe caught the sight of the river he knew that he was almost done with his long journey.\u00a0 Syler\u2019s Ridge was only another two miles past the bridge and there was a covering that Hoss had rigged up where Joe knew he could hold up and wait out the storm.\u00a0 The horses finally began to cross the bridge and their hooves beat a strange rhapsody against the thick timbers below.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s vision began to blur as the rain started to come down in buckets.\u00a0 His hat\u2019s brim bent from the heavy assault of raindrops and Joe could feel water coming through his jacket and shirt.\u00a0 He wished he had thought to take a slicker with him, but it was still in Cochise\u2019s saddlebags back at the livery in Carson City. The wagon passed the end of the bridge when lightning lit up the sky and the crash of thunder sounded out like a cannon blast.\u00a0 The two horses bounded forward and the wagon creaked from the strain of the sudden jolt.\u00a0 But, worst of all, the pipes suddenly shifted to one side and the combination of the unexpected movement and increased weight against the wagon bed caused it to lean to the left.\u00a0 Joe tried with all his might and years of experience with horses to get the situation under control but it was to no avail.\u00a0 The horses bolted to the right as the wagon jogged to the left and the stress sprung the harness leads and uncoupled the wooden tongue that had held them.<\/p>\n In the blink of an eye the horses were running up the trail and the wagon was crashing onto its side.\u00a0 Joe reached out, trying to get a hold of something to brace his fall but his hands came up empty.\u00a0 Then, there was a crashing sound that was even more thunderous than the storm and everything went black.\u00a0 Laying on the cold wet road was Joe, and pinning him there was a wagon and the massive weight of the drainage pipes.\u00a0 The fall had knocked the young man unconscious and made him unaware of the seriousness of the situation.\u00a0 He was lying on his back, his head drooped to one side and his body a prisoner to the wagon and its contents.\u00a0 Even the pelting raindrops failed to bring Joe back to reality.\u00a0 Slowly the hollow in the road, where Joe\u2019s head rested began to take on water.<\/p>\n Subconsciously Joe went back in time.<\/strong>\u00a0 The six year old stood on the bank of the river and stared out into the water where his two brothers frolicked.\u00a0 He felt his father\u2019s hand as it reached down and ruffled his light brown curls.<\/p>\n \u201cYou sure you don\u2019t want to at least try this time, Little Joe?\u00a0 Your brothers will help you and I\u2019ll be right here on shore if you need me,\u201d Ben asked as he knelt down to look straight into the frightened hazel eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t wanna swim\u2014told you\u2014I wanna go home, Papa,\u201d Joe pleaded.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really easy once you get over your fear of the water, Son.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI ain\u2019t got no fear!\u00a0 I just don\u2019t like gettin\u2019 wet,\u201d Joe replied, dropping his head down so he didn\u2019t have to look into his pa\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n Ben sighed and sat down on the blanket that Hop Sing had provided.\u00a0 He reached over, pulled the little boy onto his lap, and pointed out towards his other two sons.<\/p>\n \u201cI taught both of them to swim\u2014and if you want me to, I\u2019ll get in there with you!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNext time\u2014I don\u2019t feel like it now\u2014I just wanna go home,\u201d Joe answered meekly.<\/p>\n Hoss stared towards the shoreline where his father and brother were still sitting.\u00a0 He felt real bad for the little boy, remembering back to his own fear of the water when he was younger.\u00a0 At only twelve years old, Hoss was amazing both in size and in strength.\u00a0 He hoped that he could get his baby brother over his fear and get him into the water so that they could all play together.\u00a0 Adam swam to the other side of the river; he had only gone into the water so that Hoss wouldn\u2019t have to swim alone.\u00a0 He was eighteen, and didn\u2019t draw as much fun out of swimming as he had in earlier days.\u00a0 But, he hoped that once Little Joe started to swim that Hoss would have someone to play with and his presence wouldn\u2019t be needed all that much.\u00a0 Adam already had his mind set on going to college and he knew that would leave both of the younger sons to fend for themselves.\u00a0 He figured the sooner that happened the better so he wouldn\u2019t feel so guilty for leaving for Boston the following fall. \u201cDon\u2019t wanna!\u201d\u00a0 Joe shouted back and hid his face against his father\u2019s chest.<\/p>\n Ben looked towards Hoss and just shrugged his shoulders helplessly.\u00a0 It looked as though the plans for a picnic and a swim were out of the picture, at least for the youngest member of the family.<\/p>\n Hoss pulled himself out of the water and sloshed his way towards his father and brother.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on Little Joe\u2014don\u2019t you wanna play with me?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss urged.<\/p>\n \u201cNot in there\u2014I\u2019ll drown!\u201d the little boy insisted frightened.<\/p>\n Hoss took one last look into his father\u2019s eyes and could see him nod his head.\u00a0 He knew it was time to take drastic action.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay Little Brother\u2014it\u2019s time to show you that the water won\u2019t hurt you none,\u201d Hoss called down to Joe and then swooped him up in his arms.<\/p>\n \u201cNo!\u00a0 Don\u2019t!\u201d\u00a0 Joe screamed as he thrashed his legs and arms against his brother\u2019s strong hold.<\/p>\n \u201cBe careful Hoss!\u201d\u00a0 Ben called from the shoreline as he watched both of his younger boys move deeper into the river.<\/p>\n \u201cPapa help!\u201d\u00a0 Joe yelled again.<\/p>\n \u201cOne\u2014two\u2014three!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss shouted and tossed his little brother through the air.<\/p>\n Joe hit the water and held his breath. He kicked his legs and tried to come up out of the water.<\/p>\n \u201cI got him, Pa\u2014don\u2019t worry!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss sang out and then dove under and came up with the boy.\u00a0 \u201cSee there\u2014you didn\u2019t drown, Little Joe,\u201d Hoss grinned as he held the boy in his protective embrace.<\/p>\n Joe spat out some water and looked towards the shore where his father was standing and clapping his hands.\u00a0 He looked proud and that made Joe decide that maybe he had impressed his pa with his swimming technique.<\/p>\n \u201cWatch me, Papa!\u201d\u00a0 Joe called and started to flail his arms like he was swimming in the same manner as Adam, who was on the other side of the river waving towards them all.<\/p>\n \u201cGood job, Joseph!\u201d\u00a0 Ben replied.<\/p>\n Hoss stayed very close to the boy and showed him how to properly make the movement of both his arms and legs go in sync with each other.\u00a0 Joe paid close attention to his brother\u2019s instructions and soon was doing amazingly good for someone who was only six years old.<\/p>\n \u201cWay to go there, Little Joe\u2014dad gum if you ain\u2019t a natural swimmer!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss said and held Joe in his arms, knowing the boy was playing out.<\/p>\n \u201cKnow what?\u201d\u00a0 Joe whispered in his brother\u2019s ear.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re my bestest friend, Hoss\u2014you showed me how to not drown.\u00a0 I love you!\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss laughed and held the boy closer and whispered right back, \u201cYou\u2019re my bestest friend too, Little Brother\u2014and I love you too.\u00a0 Now\u2014let\u2019s go across and dunk old Adam\u2014whatcha say?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah\u2014that will be funny!\u201d\u00a0 Joe said exuberantly.<\/p>\n Ben watched as Hoss and Joe eventually caught up with their brother, and he could hear the laughter echo across the river. Good job Hoss\u2014I knew you wouldn\u2019t let anything happen to our boy. Ben thought to himself. He sat back down on the blanket and watched his three sons playing together in the water.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAny change?\u201d\u00a0<\/strong> Ben asked as he entered Hoss\u2019 bedroom and turned his attention on the cook, and adopted family member, Hop Sing.<\/p>\n \u201cMister Hoss make move of arm\u2014then he make grunt sound.\u00a0 Think maybe start coming back now, Mister Ben,\u201d Hop Sing answered and stood from the chair allowing Ben to take over the watch.<\/p>\n Ben eased into the chair and reached over to touch the big man\u2019s arm. \u201cHoss?\u00a0 Hoss can you hear me? \u00a0It\u2019s Pa\u2014come on and open your eyes, Boy!\u201d he urged.<\/p>\n With eyes that remained closed, Hoss muttered something that was undistinguishable to both of the other men in the room.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss?\u00a0 What did you say?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked again, moving over to sit on the bed next to his son.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe\u2014Little Joe\u2014hold your breath\u2014you ain\u2019t gonna drown,\u201d Hoss mumbled.<\/p>\n Ben shot a confused look over at Hop Sing and the oriental man shrugged his shoulders.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat Mister Hoss say?\u00a0 Must be in dream land, Mister Ben,\u201d Hop Sing announced.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss?\u00a0 Open your eyes for me\u2014come on\u2014you can do it!\u201d\u00a0 Ben urged again as he gently caressed the young man\u2019s cheek hoping to awaken him.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry none\u2014I ain\u2019t gonna let you drown\u2014kick your legs\u2014\u201d Hoss muttered once more.<\/p>\n Ben shook his head and turned again to stare into the dark eyes of Hop Sing.\u00a0 \u201cMust be delirious\u2014but at least he\u2019s coming around a little,\u201d he sighed.<\/p>\n Hop Sing moved over to the bedroom window and closed it tightly due to the rain, which pelted against the pane.<\/p>\n \u201cVely bad storm\u2014much rain.\u00a0 When Little Joe come home?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben joined the cook across the room and his expression turned glum.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t noticed how fierce the storm had gotten in the last few hours, though he had heard the rain against the rough hewn timbers.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure Joe took shelter, Hop Sing.\u00a0 He\u2019s smart enough to know to get out of a storm this bad.\u00a0 I bet he\u2019s up under the make-shift shack that Hoss assembled to hold the piping he ordered.\u00a0 There\u2019s more than enough room to hold Joseph, the wagon and the team of horses.\u00a0 He\u2019s probably just waiting it out until the rain eases up,\u201d Ben explained hoping to relieve both his fears, as well as those of Hop Sing.<\/p>\n \u201cYes\u2014boy smart,\u201d Hop Sing nodded and touched his friend\u2019s arm briefly, offering his own encouragement.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing go start supper\u2014maybe Mister Hoss wake up soon and he be vely hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood idea,\u201d Ben replied and smiled gratefully towards the cook.<\/p>\n Hop Sing walked towards the doorway and paused briefly and called over to Ben, \u201cHop Sing make apple pie too\u2014that for Little Joe\u2014both boys be hungry later!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019ll like that,\u201d Ben nodded and said a silent prayer that both of his boys would be all right. \u201cHelp!\u201d\u00a0 <\/strong>Joe cried out, but only the thunder heard him. \u00a0Joe waited for the next bolt of lightning and further assessed the situation.\u00a0 Though a good half of the drainage pipes had rolled off the over-turned wagon, the remaining weight of piping combined with the heaviness of the wagon was not about to be moved.\u00a0 Joe felt something else trapping him from movement and realized that a ten foot piece of pipe now rested on his chest.<\/p>\n He knew he had to try to remove it from his torso or he would be unable to keep his head above the rising water.\u00a0 Joe strained both of his arms, locking them tightly at the elbows and pushed the pipe higher in the air.\u00a0 The weight was incredible and his strength left him as the pipe crashed back onto his chest.\u00a0 Again, Joe gasped for air, feeling the impact of the equipment as it pushed the air out of his lungs.<\/p>\n Another bolt of lightning lit up the area and he could see what the trouble had been with lifting the piping.\u00a0 On the far right end of the pipe sat another three measures of pipes along with one of the wagon wheels, which had ripped apart in the crash.\u00a0 Joe knew there would be no sitting up now.\u00a0 He was sure that his ribs had been cracked or even broken during his last attempt.\u00a0 Bending as far as he could forward Joe screamed out in pain.\u00a0 His ears were full of water and the puddle beneath his head was becoming deeper.<\/p>\n Of all the ways to drown\u2014I have to drown in a puddle just a little bigger than my head! Joe thought to himself and then watched another crash of lightning, which lit up the river over to the side of where he was laying. Twelve years\u2014has it been twelve years since Hoss taught me to swim?\u00a0 Seems like just yesterday\u2014right over there!\u00a0 God how I wish you were here now Big Brother!\u00a0 You saved me from drowning back then\u2014sure could use you right now! Joe closed his eyes as tears began to fall from them and mixed with the raindrops careening down his cheeks.\u00a0\u00a0 I hate to do this now\u2014not without you here\u2014without anyone here with me.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want to die alone!\u00a0 Please God\u2014please don\u2019t let me die this way\u2014not for myself\u2014but for my family.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want them to find me like this and to know I died this way. God how I wish you were here, Hoss\u2014I know you could get me out of here! Joe continued to pray and to hope that if he had to die, that it would come swiftly.<\/p>\n With the very next crash of lightning and rolling thunder that shook the entire earth, Joe opened his eyes and saw a man standing right over him.\u00a0 He blinked several times, disbelief spreading in his hazel eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cH\u2014Hoss?\u201d\u00a0 Joe whispered as he stared up at the hulking figure staring down at him.<\/p>\n Hoss didn\u2019t say a word, but he did look down at his little brother and gave him a confident smile.<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2014how did you get here?\u00a0 When did you wake up?\u201d\u00a0 Joe continued.\u00a0 He was starting to wonder if he had passed out and was in the midst of one final dream.<\/p>\n First, Hoss lifted the pipes from off his little brother\u2019s chest and tossed them aside as if they were merely toothpicks.\u00a0 Next, he reached underneath the over-turned wagon with one hand and lifted it high in the air.\u00a0 Bending with the same movement, Hoss pulled his brother\u2019s body out from under the wagon with his other hand.\u00a0 The wagon creaked as it was set back down on the ground.<\/p>\n Joe screamed from the release of the heavy wagon on his legs.\u00a0 Hoss pulled him as gently as possible far out of the way of all the wreckage.\u00a0 He bent down and smiled again and then lifted his brother in his massive arms and carried him towards the shelter of an oak tree that sat just past the end of the bridge.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss?\u00a0 How\u2019d you get here anyway?\u00a0 Where\u2019s your horse?\u00a0 Why did Pa let you come out in this storm?\u201d\u00a0 Joe fired off a rapid succession of questions, but still Hoss didn\u2019t say a word.\u00a0 He just stood over his little brother and smiled down towards him.\u00a0 \u201cHoss?\u00a0 Where are you going?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked as the man started to move away from the tree and off into the darkness.\u00a0 Hoss waved towards his brother and disappeared into the night.<\/p>\n Joe leaned against the tree and drew in a deep pain-filled breath.\u00a0 He wondered why his brother had never said a word and how he had gotten all the way from the ranch house.\u00a0 Joe hadn\u2019t heard the sound of a horse nor a rider earlier and Hoss had disappeared just the same as he had entered into the picture moments earlier.\u00a0 Trying to move from his position in the hope of catching a glance of his brother, Joe\u2019s body refused to accommodate the motion and he had to ease back again.\u00a0 No matter where Hoss had gone off to, Joe knew that he would be back with help.\u00a0 For the time being all Joe could do was to rest and say a prayer of thanksgivings that his brother had been healed in the nick of time.\u00a0 If he hadn\u2019t showed up when he did, Joe knew he would have died underneath the wagon.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hop Sing set the tray on the nightstand<\/strong> next to Hoss\u2019 bed and turned to stare over at the injured man.\u00a0 He had noticed the slight fluttering of Hoss\u2019 eyelids and had hoped that he was finally going to awaken.<\/p>\n \u201cMister Hoss?\u00a0 You hear Hop Sing?\u201d the cook asked as he gently dabbed the cool cloth on the man\u2019s face.<\/p>\n \u201cGet Joe\u2014get Joe\u2014\u201d Hoss mumbled.<\/p>\n \u201cLittle Joe okay\u2014he be home soon,\u201d Hop Sing insisted, just as Ben reappeared coming into the room.<\/p>\n \u201cIs he talking again?\u201d\u00a0 Ben called across the room and hurriedly moved next to his son.<\/p>\n \u201cPa\u2014Pa\u2014\u201d Hoss began once more, this time slowly opening his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, Young Man\u2014it\u2019s about time you came back to us.\u00a0 How do you feel?\u201d\u00a0 Ben smiled and sat down next to him.<\/p>\n Suddenly Hoss\u2019 right hand locked onto his father\u2019s arm.\u00a0 \u201cGet Joe\u2014Little Joe needs help!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss sang out frantically.<\/p>\n \u201cHold on now- just hold on there, Hoss.\u00a0 You simmer down now.\u00a0 You\u2019ve been out for a couple of days.\u00a0 It\u2019s you that we\u2019ve all been worried about,\u201d Ben tried his best to calm his son.<\/p>\n \u201cBridge\u2014Joe\u2014he needs help,\u201d Hoss insisted and then began to close his eyes again.<\/p>\n Ben exchanged confused looks with Hop Sing and then felt Hoss release his arm from his tight grip.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe\u2019s fine\u2014he\u2019s out getting that drainage system going for you, Son,\u201d Ben whispered, trying to reassure Hoss that all was well with the youngest member of the family.<\/p>\n \u201cNO\u2014no he\u2019s hurt\u2014go to him\u2014needs help\u2014Simeon\u2014Simeon Bridge\u2014\u201d Hoss called out one final time and then fell back into a deep slumber.<\/p>\n \u201cI wonder what all that was about?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked Hop Sing.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe Mister Hoss have bad dream about Little Joe?\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing replied, just as confused as Ben was at the time.<\/p>\n \u201cProbably,\u201d Ben nodded and tucked the covers back around his son\u2019s shoulders.\u00a0 It was then that a loud crash of lightning illuminated the dimly lit room and both men waited for the sound of thunder.\u00a0 It came with a loud bang which shook the foundation of the house.\u00a0 \u201cThat was a close one!\u201d\u00a0 Ben exclaimed.<\/p>\n \u201cGO now!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss muttered and turned his head on his pillow and was soon breathing easier.<\/p>\n \u201cI take care of Mister Hoss\u2014you go!\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing insisted.<\/p>\n \u201cGo where?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGo find Little Joe!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou said it was probably just a nightmare.\u00a0 Joseph, most likely, is up at Syler\u2019s Ridge right now waiting for it to lighten up before heading home,\u201d Ben replied, trying harder to convince himself than he was Hop Sing that all was well with the youngest son.<\/p>\n \u201cTwo little boys grow up together\u2014they share same heart same mind sometimes\u2014maybe Mister Hoss know something that father does not,\u201d Hop Sing argued.<\/p>\n Ben gazed over at his slumbering son and then back into the coal black eyes of the cook.\u00a0 As much as he was trying to fight off his gut feeling that something was amiss with Joe, he couldn\u2019t deny that Hoss seemed purely frightened for the boy.<\/p>\n \u201cLet me go get my rain gear and a lantern\u2014Hoss mentioned that bridge\u2014it\u2019s not far from where Joseph was supposed to drop that shipment of pipes.\u00a0 I guess it wouldn\u2019t hurt none to go and make sure he\u2019s okay.\u00a0 Maybe I\u2019ll run into him before I even get that far,\u201d Ben replied and headed for the bedroom door.<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing take care of Mister Hoss\u2014you go now!\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing called across the room.<\/p>\n Ben frowned and fought back his dread as he made his way to get his gear ready to leave in search of Joe.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe had no idea how long he had rested under the tree<\/strong> where his brother had set him.\u00a0 He did know that he had dozed off and on and each time a crash of thunder had brought him back to reality.\u00a0 Wondering why Hoss hadn\u2019t yet made his way back with help, Joe tried to check out his wounds.\u00a0 Each time he tried to bend forward to inspect the damage to his legs he groaned from the injuries to his rib cage.\u00a0 He was soaked to the skin and in awful pain, but he knew that no matter what, his brother would be back for him.<\/p>\n The journey was long and arduous as Ben rode into the night.\u00a0 He had to fight the torrential rain along with the fierce winds and several times, he had to stop to re-light his kerosene lantern. After almost an hour in the saddle Ben finally spied the wooden bridge up ahead and he coaxed his horse onward.\u00a0 Crossing the Simeon Bridge, Ben shouted out his son\u2019s name.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph!\u00a0 Joseph\u2014are you out here?\u201d\u00a0 Ben tried to raise the pitch of his voice above the crashing thunder.<\/p>\n Joe still sat propped against the oak tree oblivious to his father\u2019s advance over the bridge.\u00a0 It was too dark and too noisy to see or hear the man as he came across on the other side and made his way towards the wreckage of the wagon.\u00a0 Ben spotted the over-turned wagon and sprang from his saddle, holding Buck\u2019s reins tightly in his hand for fear of the horse bolting from the storm\u2019s assault.\u00a0 He made it to the side of the wagon which once held his son a prisoner.\u00a0 Ben\u2019s heart beat so hard inside his chest that he was sure he would pass out from the pressure.\u00a0 Bending down next to where the pipes lay scattered about, he was sure he was about to find his son\u2019s crushed body amid the rubble.\u00a0 He breathed a sigh of dull relief when he realized that Joe was nowhere near the wagon.\u00a0 Ben reasoned that his son must have jumped from the accident in time to avoid injury.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph!\u201d\u00a0 Ben called out again and held his lantern high in the air hoping to spy his boy.<\/p>\n Joe opened his eyes when he heard the faint sound of his father\u2019s voice.\u00a0 With all the strength he could muster, he screamed his reply.\u00a0 \u201cPa!\u00a0 Pa\u2014over here!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben hurried towards the direction of the voice crying out for him.\u00a0 Soon he made it to the oak tree and immediately fell to his knees in front of his son.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph!\u00a0 What happened to you, Boy?\u201d Ben asked as he held out the lantern in front of his son\u2019s face.<\/p>\n \u201cWagon\u2014wagon turned over\u2014horses ran off\u2014\u201d Joe started, but then relief took over and he reached towards his father.<\/p>\n Ben pulled his son\u2019s rain soaked body towards his chest.\u00a0 He clung to the boy and whispered to him, \u201cIt\u2019s okay\u2014it\u2019s gonna be okay, Joseph\u2014I\u2019m here now.\u00a0 It just about scared your old pa half to death when I saw that wagon\u2014I was so sure I\u2019d find you underneath it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was\u2014I was under it\u2014\u201d Joe replied and reluctantly let go of his father\u2019s embrace in order to catch his breath.\u00a0 \u201cRibs\u2014ribs busted, Pa,\u201d he muttered weakly.<\/p>\n Ben eased the boy back against the tree and held the lantern up again to get a better look at his son\u2019s injuries.\u00a0 \u201cYou were underneath the wagon?\u00a0 Where did it get you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLegs\u2014think they\u2019re broken\u2014can\u2019t walk.\u00a0 Hurts to breathe too\u2014pipes fell on my chest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDear Lord\u2014let\u2019s get you home,\u201d Ben whispered and reached for his son.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll do this as gently as I can\u2014but I\u2019ve got to get you up on Buck.\u00a0 Can you hold onto the lantern?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Joe nodded and took the lantern\u2019s handle in his left hand.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s go then,\u201d Ben said and pulled his son up into his arms and neared his horse.<\/p>\n \u201cBut Hoss\u2014Pa\u2014what about Hoss?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked confused.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you worry\u2014Hoss is fine\u2014let\u2019s go home!\u201d\u00a0 Ben insisted as he positioned the boy towards the front of his saddle and then climbed up on the horse behind Joe.\u00a0 As carefully as possible, Ben eased the horse past the wreckage of the wagon and they headed towards the bridge.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The ride home<\/strong> was wrought with peril because of the heavy rain, which had in some places completely washed out the main road that led to the ranch house.\u00a0 Ben tried his best to pull his slicker across his son\u2019s chest but it was a losing battle due to the whipping winds.\u00a0 Joe, though in severe pain, held onto the saddle horn and refused to give into his injuries.\u00a0 All he wanted was his own bed and to get out of his wet clothes.<\/p>\n He also wanted to see his brother Hoss to thank him for rescuing him.\u00a0 Joe did wonder why Hoss hadn\u2019t showed up along with their father to bring him home.\u00a0 He finally surmised that the man was just a bit over taxed due to days spent in bed.\u00a0 Joe was so relieved to know that his big brother was okay and not still laying unconscious up in his room.\u00a0 He wanted to ask his father a million questions about when Hoss had come around and what had made him come to his aid, but the loud winds made conversation impossible.<\/p>\n Hop Sing peered out of the bedroom window just in time to see Buck entering the front yard carrying both Cartwrights.\u00a0 He left Hoss, who was still asleep in his bed, and hurried down to assist the other family members.\u00a0 Grabbing a coat next to the front door, Hop Sing threw it over his head and made his way towards the hitching post where Ben had just dismounted.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat wrong with Little Joe?!\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing\u2019s raised voice shouted out.<\/p>\n \u201cBoy\u2019s hurt\u2014let\u2019s get him inside!\u201d\u00a0 Ben replied and moved closer to Buck in order to pull his son down into his arms.\u00a0 Joe came off of the saddle with little effort and soon was being carried into the warmth of the living room.<\/p>\n \u201cHow bad hurt?\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing asked as he followed Ben towards the staircase.<\/p>\n \u201cBad enough\u2014send someone from the bunk house to put Buck away and see if they\u2019ll brave the storm to fetch Doc Martin!\u201d\u00a0 Ben called down from the first landing.<\/p>\n Hop Sing hurried back outside to do as he was instructed.\u00a0 He was lucky to find one of the hired hands still awake in the bunk house.\u00a0 The few that remained at the ranch house and hadn\u2019t gone on the buying trip with Adam had all turned in for the night other than Cliff Meadows.<\/p>\n \u201cMister Carlight\u2014need help\u2014Little Joe hurt.\u00a0 Can please go get doctor to tend boy?\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing asked, almost entirely out of breath.<\/p>\n Cliff stood from his chair and pulled on his coat and then his slicker.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t looking forward to the long ride into Virginia City, but he not only worked for the Cartwrights, he also happened to like them.<\/p>\n \u201cSure thing\u2014I\u2019ll go now!\u201d Cliff answered and headed out towards the barn.<\/p>\n Hop Sing made his way over to Buck and pulled his reins behind him as he also headed to the barn.\u00a0 He figured he would put away the horse so that Cliff could get on his way sooner.\u00a0 At that point Hop Sing felt an urgency to help in any way.\u00a0 Most of all, he wanted to get back upstairs and see what had befallen the boy he considered to be a surrogate son.<\/p>\n Gingerly Ben set his son on top of the comforter on his bed.\u00a0 Joe groaned from the movement as his pain was now back in full force.\u00a0 He watched as his father hurried into the hallway, coming back with a handful of bath towels.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst thing we need to do is to get you out of those wet clothes.\u00a0 Doesn\u2019t look like that\u2019s gonna be very easy though,\u201d Ben began as his eyes dropped down towards Joe\u2019s pant legs and he could see some of the damage that the wagon had caused.\u00a0 On top of the mud that was caked on the twill material was a good amount of blood.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe instead of trying to pull these down I can just kinda cut you out of them?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked, more of a question to himself than to his son.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got my permission,\u201d Joe quipped, trying not to show the severity of his pain.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ll be using them any time soon anyhow.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben turned from the bed when he heard Hop Sing in the hall.<\/p>\n \u201cCome help me with this will you?\u201d he called to the cook.<\/p>\n Hop Sing joined Ben next to Joe, \u201cWhat you want Hop Sing to do?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou get that shirt off of him and I\u2019ll work on these pants.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey\u2014I can take off my own shirt!\u201d\u00a0 Joe protested and began to fumble with his buttons.<\/p>\n \u201cYou just lay still there, Joseph,\u201d Ben replied pointing his finger towards the boy.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve already moved you around far too much tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnybody got some whiskey on them?\u00a0 My legs are killing me by the way,\u201d Joe asked, and this time he wasn\u2019t kidding.<\/p>\n \u201cJust as soon as you are dry\u2014I\u2019ll go get you something for the pain.\u00a0 Hop Sing\u2014did you get someone to fetch Doc?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked as he opened his pocketknife to begin cutting away Joe\u2019s pants.\u00a0 He carefully removed the boy\u2019s boots and socks and then started to cut the pant material.<\/p>\n \u201cMister Cliff going to town now.\u00a0 Hop Sing put away horse for you,\u201d the cook replied proudly.<\/p>\n \u201cGood job old friend,\u201d Ben smiled and slowly continued to free his son\u2019s legs from the material.<\/p>\n \u201cThat pulls you know!\u201d\u00a0 Joe called down to his father.\u00a0 The places where the blood had dried and caked onto his legs was ripping off as his father pulled at the sides, cutting them away.<\/p>\n \u201cClose your eyes and count to twenty\u2014I\u2019ll be all done by then!\u201d\u00a0 Ben instructed.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not a kid anymore, Pa\u2014\u201d Joe started to protest but one look into his father\u2019s eyes told him to stop. \u201cOne\u2014two\u2014\u201d Joe closed his eyes and began to count.<\/p>\n Ben tossed the soaked pants to the side of the bed and reached over his son\u2019s body to help Hop Sing ease the boy\u2019s arms out of his shirt.<\/p>\n \u201cTwenty,\u201d Joe announced and opened his eyes.<\/p>\n Ben pushed back the hair from his son\u2019s forehead and grinned, \u201cJoe\u2014I was through cutting away your pants a long time ago!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe winced as he was eased up on the bed slightly to allow the soaked material to pass from behind him.\u00a0 Then he felt the warmth of towels covering his chest.\u00a0 It was the first time he had been dry and warm all evening.<\/p>\n \u201cBetter?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked as he sat down in the chair next to the bed in order to regroup a bit before further inspecting his son\u2019s injuries.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got mud in my ears\u2014mud in my hair\u2014two busted legs from the feel of them not to mention some cracked ribs\u2014but yeah\u2014I feel better already!\u201d\u00a0 Joe smirked.<\/p>\n \u201cAt least you have your sense of humor.\u00a0 Hop Sing\u2014will you go down to my study and find where I put that bottle of imported brandy?\u201d \u00a0Ben asked the cook.<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean what you were saving for birthday?\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing countered, surprised.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought that was for a celebration\u2014this isn\u2019t exactly a party, Pa!\u201d\u00a0 Joe added.<\/p>\n \u201cI never said anything about celebrating\u2014I\u2019m trying to get you out of pain long enough for me to have at those legs.\u00a0 Looks like they\u2019re both gonna need to be set, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGo get it, Hop Sing\u2014and anything else you can find that will knock me out!\u201d\u00a0 Joe called after the cook.<\/p>\n As soon as Hop Sing had left the room Ben turned serious.\u00a0 He knew that his son\u2019s injuries were severe and that the boy had been doing everything he could to prove otherwise.<\/p>\n \u201cNow\u2014tell me\u2014what hurts worse\u2014your legs or those ribs?\u201d Ben asked quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d Joe answered and bit his bottom lip to hold back his groans.<\/p>\n \u201cGuess I will have to answer this one myself,\u201d Ben countered and slowly felt at his sons rib cage.\u00a0 Joe sucked in air when his father\u2019s fingers hit the most tender parts of his chest.\u00a0 After examining that area, Ben moved his attention to Joe\u2019s legs.\u00a0 He winced his own face when he got a good look at the boy\u2019s right leg.\u00a0 Just below the knee cap Ben could detect the protruding bone that was so close to the skin that it appeared as though it would poke through at any time.<\/p>\n \u201cSo far we have at least three broken ribs and one broken leg\u2014let me look at this other one,\u201d Ben sighed and felt around Joe\u2019s left leg.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s swollen enough\u2014that\u2019s for sure\u2014let me know when-\u201d Ben started but was cut off by his son\u2019s scream.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen!\u201d\u00a0 Joe yelled and tried to come off the bed.<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s left hand moved to ease Joe back onto the pillows.\u00a0 \u201cSorry\u2014think I found another break, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDoctor Cartwright,\u201d<\/strong> Joe muttered and sucked in another painful breath.<\/p>\n \u201cI guess it didn\u2019t help that the wagon was loaded down with all that piping.\u00a0 I just thank the good Lord that you were able to pull yourself out from under there,\u201d Ben remarked as he moved back over to the head of the bed.<\/p>\n \u201cHuh?\u00a0 Pa\u2014I didn\u2019t\u2014\u201d Joe stuttered and was about to fill his father in on the details when Hop Sing reappeared in the room.<\/p>\n \u201cHere\u2014one for father\u2014one for son!\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing smiled and handed each of them a glass brimming with the expensive brandy.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks\u2014I hope you brought the rest of the bottle\u2014my legs are killing me!\u201d\u00a0 Joe reiterated\u00a0and downed the full contents in one fast swallow.<\/p>\n \u201cHold on there, Joseph\u2014that\u2019s some strong stuff you just gulped!\u201d\u00a0 Ben protested.\u00a0 It was no use however, the glass was empty and Joe\u2019s left hand came towards his father hoping for a refill.<\/p>\n \u201cYou drink father\u2019s brandy\u2014Hop Sing go get more!\u201d the cook insisted and removed Ben\u2019s glass from his hand and eased it over to Joe.\u00a0 Joe tossed that glass of brandy down as fast as he had the first.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re going to be unconscious before Doc gets here,\u201d Ben frowned and set the two empty glasses onto the nightstand.\u00a0 He watched as his son\u2019s eyes started to appear glassy and knew it was only a matter of time before he would be falling to sleep.\u00a0 \u201cYou just relax for a spell, Son\u2014you\u2019ve been through the mill today.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to try to bind those ribs but I\u2019m going to need Doc\u2019s expertise with your legs.\u00a0 They\u2019re both going to need to get set.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI go get binding for ribs\u2014oh\u2014and father some brandy!\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing smiled and headed back out of the room.<\/p>\n Ben sat on the side of the bed and stared down at his son.\u00a0 He felt relieved that he was there in front of him but worried about all the boy\u2019s injuries.<\/p>\n \u201cPa\u2014where\u2019s Hoss\u2014when did he wake up?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked as he fought off slumber.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s here\u2014now you just stop talking and settle down.\u00a0 As soon as we get those ribs bound you need to try to sleep.\u00a0 Once Doc gets here you\u2019re going to hurt worse than you do now.\u00a0 But, we don\u2019t want to wait too long to get those bones into the proper position,\u201d Ben answered quietly and began to stroke his son\u2019s head trying to relax the boy.<\/p>\n \u201cFeel dizzy\u2014must\u2019ve been that brandy,\u201d Joe muttered.<\/p>\n \u201cI would think so!\u201d\u00a0 Ben chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cI believe it was around ninety proof and you downed both glasses in under a minute, Young Man.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHere binding,\u201d Hop Sing announced as he moved over to the bed. \u201cI know\u2014I\u2019ve gotta take in a deep breath\u2014if I can.\u00a0 How many ribs can a person break in a lifetime anyway, Pa?\u201d\u00a0 Joe sighed wearily.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know\u2014but I am quite sure that you\u2019ve beaten the record.\u00a0 Okay now\u2014get ready!\u201d Ben replied as he began to encircle his son\u2019s torso with the bandage.\u00a0 He could feel the sweat beading up on Joe\u2019s back and worried that the boy felt awfully warm.\u00a0 Ben prayed that his son hadn\u2019t developed pneumonia from being out in the rain so long.\u00a0 That was the last thing the boy needed on top of all his injuries.\u00a0 \u201cBig breath\u2014hold it!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe sucked in air and his face took on an anguished expression which his father got a good look at.\u00a0 He hated that the treatment had hurt his boy even more.\u00a0 But Ben knew from past experience, that the binding had to be tight enough to lock the ribs in good to prevent them from movement.\u00a0 Finally Ben had the bandage in place and he helped Hop Sing to ease Joe back against the pillows.<\/p>\n \u201cGood job, Son.\u00a0 Now you rest if you can while we wait for the Doc.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHere your drink, Mister Ben,\u201d Hop Sing said and handed the man another glass of brandy.<\/p>\n \u201cMind if I drink this one, Joe\u2014or do you want it too?\u201d\u00a0 Ben smiled over at his son.<\/p>\n \u201cNaw, you go ahead\u2014think I\u2019ve had enough\u2014my head\u2019s swimming,\u201d Joe replied and closed his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy don\u2019t you go check on Hoss, Hop Sing?\u00a0 I\u2019ll sit with Joe until Doc makes it in.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMister Hoss asleep\u2014looked in on him when I was coming back in to bring bandage.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss?\u00a0 He\u2019s sleeping?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked and opened his eyes again.<\/p>\n \u201cHush\u2014you close those eyes and try to sleep\u2014we\u2019ll talk later,\u201d Ben ordered.<\/p>\n \u201cBut\u2014Hoss, I was going to\u2014\u201d Joe began but soon felt his father\u2019s firm hand on top of his left arm.<\/p>\n \u201cEyes closed\u2014that\u2019s it\u2014settle down,\u201d Ben urged and his son finally obeyed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hop Sing and Ben watched as Joe slowly fell off to slumber.<\/strong>\u00a0 Ben drew up the comforter from the foot of the bed after removing the towels they had used to dry Joe off earlier.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s out of it,\u201d Ben whispered to the cook, \u201cGod only knows what he\u2019s gone through tonight.\u00a0 I just don\u2019t understand\u2014how did Hoss know?\u00a0 He was so sure that Joseph was in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBrothers vely close\u2014maybe close enough to know such things,\u201d Hop Sing answered.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe\u2014maybe so.\u00a0 I sure hope I got to him in time\u2014he feels warm to me,\u201d Ben remarked as he touched the boy\u2019s cheek with the back of his palm.<\/p>\n \u201cYou tell Hop Sing all time\u2014not to borrow trouble.\u00a0 Maybe so Mister Ben need not to borrow trouble!\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing replied with a grin.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe vely strong\u2014just like Mister Hoss.\u00a0 Both boys be all light.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell at least we have them both where we can see to them.\u00a0 Go on in and check on Hoss \u2014I\u2019m sure Doc will be here soon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou call if you need Hop Sing,\u201d the cook answered as he turned for the door.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Doctor Martin had a harrowing trip<\/strong> back to the Ponderosa that night.\u00a0 The storm still raged on and bolts of lightning and the deluge of rain hindered the progression of his carriage. Cliff\u2019s insistence that Joe needed help was the only thing that could have gotten the middle aged man out of his house that evening.\u00a0 He had just finished a leisurely dinner and was looking forward to reading a good book and then getting to bed at a decent hour for a change.\u00a0 Being a country doctor, Paul knew that plans were best not made too far in advance due to the many citizens of Virginia City and inhabitants of the surrounding ranches.\u00a0 Unfortunately, he was not only the best doctor in town, he was also the only doctor in town so he was always in great demand.\u00a0 Grabbing his cloak and hat Paul had headed to the livery stable and his carriage.\u00a0 He followed Cliff back to the ranch house, the whole time wondering what had befallen the youngest Cartwright this time.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere is he?\u201d\u00a0 Paul asked Hop Sing as he entered the living room and stopped long enough at the front door to remove his rain soaked coat and hat.<\/p>\n \u201cLittle Joe up in bedroom\u2014so glad you come!\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing replied and led the way up the long staircase.<\/p>\n Ben turned in his chair as he heard the footsteps in the hallway coming closer.\u00a0 Soon he was staring over at a very flustered looking Paul Martin.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew I\u2019d have to get out in that storm!\u201d\u00a0 Paul grunted as he cast a look over at Ben and then turned his attention towards the boy on the bed.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph Cartwright\u2014what have you done to yourself this time?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s eyelids slowly opened and he grinned shyly.\u00a0 \u201cSorry Doc.\u00a0 Looks like you\u2019re gonna be working all night on me again!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2014I should\u2019ve known\u2014it has been a good six months since I\u2019ve doctored you\u2014you were due,\u201d Paul smiled, giving away his fondness for the boy who was most often his patient. The doctor calmly began his examination.\u00a0 \u201cYou know your father was worried about you hauling that drainage equipment in this storm.\u00a0 Of course I assured him you would be fine.\u00a0 Just shows I am either dumb or far too optimistic!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWasn\u2019t my fault this time!\u00a0 That team of horses I got in Carson were jittery even before the storm got on top of them.\u00a0 They took off one way\u2014the wagon took off the other.\u00a0 I ended up underneath,\u201d Joe explained.<\/p>\n \u201cNasty break,\u201d Doc muttered after checking Joe\u2019s right leg.\u00a0 He then moved over to the left.\u00a0 \u201cThis one\u2019s not so bad\u2014but you\u2019ve got some bad cuts next to the busted bone and they\u2019re gonna need stitches.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s got some busted ribs too, Paul\u2014I bound them up as best I could,\u201d Ben pointed towards his son\u2019s bandage covered chest.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m gonna need to sedate you for this.\u00a0 Neither set is going to be easy\u2014and with your ribs messed up I don\u2019t want to chance you jumping up at the wrong time,\u201d Paul said and opened his medical bag.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not going to jump\u2014you don\u2019t have to knock me out!\u201d\u00a0 Joe protested to deaf ears.<\/p>\n \u201cPaul knows his business, you just do as instructed, Joseph,\u201d Ben countered and set his hand on the boy\u2019s arm to quiet him.<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2014give me something to drink will you?\u00a0 I don\u2019t want a shot\u2014I\u2019ve got enough things poking at me right now\u2014don\u2019t need no needle,\u201d Joe insisted.<\/p>\n Paul smiled and poured some liquid onto a spoon.\u00a0<\/strong> \u201cI wasn\u2019t going to give you a shot anyhow\u2014so don\u2019t think you\u2019re running this show.\u00a0 Now drink this down and settle back.\u00a0 Next thing you know you\u2019ll be all patched up,\u201d Paul instructed and moved the spoon in front of his patient\u2019s lips.\u00a0 Joe swallowed the medicine and settled back.<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019s Hoss doing, Ben?\u201d\u00a0 Paul asked as he began to set out the instruments he would need to patch Joe up.<\/p>\n \u201cHe came around a couple of times\u2014still isn\u2019t fully awake though,\u201d Ben replied.<\/p>\n Joe stared up at his father and the doctor and his face took on a strange expression.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u00a0 Did Hoss have a re-lapse or what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked confused.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was okay earlier\u2014what happened?\u201d\u00a0 Joe replied.<\/p>\n Ben and Paul exchanged surprised expressions and then chalked Joe\u2019 remarks up to being under the influence of the medicine.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything\u2019s fine, Son\u2014you just close those eyes and go to sleep so we can get you all fixed up.\u00a0 Don\u2019t worry about your brother, he\u2019s going to be fine,\u201d Ben said, his tone intentionally softer as he tried to lull the boy back to sleep.<\/p>\n \u201cGoing to be fine?\u00a0 He is fine\u2014Pa\u2014Hoss\u2014\u201d Joe started in on the subject again but lost steam as the medicine hit him hard.\u00a0 He closed his eyes and turned his head on the pillow, finally giving in to the sedation.<\/p>\n \u201cLooking at these injuries\u2014well\u2014I\u2019d say we\u2019re lucky that Joe is still with us,\u201d Paul said and threaded the suture material through his needle.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know how he pulled himself out from under it, Paul\u2014that whole wagon was loaded down with those steel pipes.\u00a0 I just thank God that I went out there,\u201d Ben sighed and moved to the bottom of the bed to assist the doctor with Joe\u2019s lacerations.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat made you decide to go check on him anyway?\u00a0 I mean\u2014I know you\u2014you\u2019re over-protective\u2014but with one boy laid up I figured you\u2019d be here fussing over Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cActually it was Hoss\u2014he was the one who kept insisting I go out and find the boy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss?\u00a0 I thought you said he was still out of it?\u201d Paul wondered.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was dreaming I think\u2014Hop Sing and I both heard him\u2014he kept saying that Joe was in trouble and that we should go get to him.\u00a0 The strange thing is the fact that he mentioned the Simeon Bridge.\u00a0 That\u2019s exactly where that wagon overturned!\u00a0 I found Joe just at the end of the bridge.\u00a0 If I hadn\u2019t gone\u2014I hate to think what might have happened to the boy.\u201d<\/p>\n Paul stared up into his friend\u2019s eyes as amusement spread across his face, \u201cIf anyone else told me a story like that I would say it was pure malarkey\u2014but\u2014knowing this family the way I do\u2014it doesn\u2019t even surprise me in the least.\u00a0 We\u2019ll have to ask Hoss about it when he comes back around.\u00a0 Right now, however, we\u2019ve got to put this kid back together.\u00a0 Let\u2019s get the sutures in then we\u2019ll get to setting these bones.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGuess you\u2019re right, Doc,\u2014this family has had its share of interesting experiences,\u201d Ben nodded, \u201cI just wish those experiences wouldn\u2019t end with this one hurt.\u00a0 The kid\u2019s had enough injuries hasn\u2019t he?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe sure has.\u00a0 In fact, I believe I\u2019ve set both of these legs before.\u00a0 Too bad his bones aren\u2019t quite as hard as his head,\u201d Paul chuckled and then diligently went back to the business of healing Joe\u2019s wounds. Hop Sing padded quietly into the bedroom and smiled when he made his way over to the sleeping father keeping vigil over the youngest son.\u00a0 He hated to awaken the man, but he knew that Mister Ben would want to know that Hoss was finally totally conscious and had been calling for his father.<\/p>\n \u201cMister Ben?\u00a0 Mister Ben\u2014Hoss awake,\u201d Hop Sing whispered as he bent down closer to Ben\u2019s ear.<\/p>\n Ben blinked hard, trying to come back to reality.\u00a0 He finally looked up into the dark eyes of Hop Sing and muttered his reply.\u00a0 \u201cHoss?\u00a0 Hoss is awake?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes\u2014ask for father\u2014Hop Sing hate to wake you\u2014but know you want to see him when he come back around.\u00a0 You go\u2014I sit with Little Joe,\u201d the cook insisted and traded places with his boss.<\/p>\n Ben yawned and stretched his knotted body which had conformed a bit too well to the chair.\u00a0 \u201cDoc said Joe will sleep all night.\u00a0 You can go ahead and get some rest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing can sleep in chair as good as father can.\u00a0 You go!\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing ordered.<\/p>\n Ben smiled and headed for the doorway.\u00a0 Making his way down the hall he stopped when he reached his other son\u2019s room.\u00a0 Peering towards the bed he could see that Hoss was leaning against the headboard with the pillows propping him up.<\/p>\n \u201cWell there, Young Man\u2014you sure gave me a scare.\u00a0 You\u2019ve been out of it for days!\u201d\u00a0 Ben called out jovially as he made his way over to the bed.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss asked as he rubbed the back of his head.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing said a board hit me on the head?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes\u2014a loose board from the hayloft.\u00a0 Smacked you good too!\u00a0 That was four days ago, Hoss.\u00a0 And, I\u2019ll tell you that I\u2019ve sure been worried about you coming back around!\u00a0 You said a few things yesterday but that\u2019s all we\u2019ve heard out of you since Saturday when you got hurt,\u201d Ben replied as he sat down in the chair next to the big man\u2019s bed.\u00a0 He reached over and patted Hoss\u2019 arm and smiled.\u00a0 \u201cBetween you and your little brother you\u2019ve both put me through the wringer this week!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoe?\u00a0 Where is he?\u00a0 Is he okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s fine\u2014settle back.\u00a0 It\u2019s you I\u2019m concerned with right now.\u00a0 How\u2019s that head of yours feeling?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSmarts a bit\u2014\u201d Hoss began as he rubbed at the soreness of his wound.\u00a0 \u201cSorry I worried you, Pa.\u00a0 Now\u2014what about Joe?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss got right back to his little brother, fighting to remember the strange dream he had encountered the day before.<\/p>\n \u201cHe had a little accident yesterday\u2014\u201d Ben started but Hoss cut him right off.<\/p>\n \u201cLittle accident?\u201d Hoss asked, confusion filling his expression.<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2014I guess not so little\u2014well\u2014your brother doesn\u2019t have any \u201clittle\u201d accidents does he?\u201d\u00a0 Ben shook his head remembering all of his youngest son\u2019s previous injuries.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s okay though\u2014kinda banged up.\u00a0 Do you remember what you said yesterday?\u00a0 We weren\u2019t sure if you were dreaming or what.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I said?\u00a0 What do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2014yesterday\u2014it was storming really bad\u2014and you came around just long enough to tell me to go and get Joe.\u00a0 You were very insistent about it too! \u00a0The strange thing about it\u2014was that you even gave me a location as to where to find your brother.\u00a0 You told me the Simeon Bridge.\u00a0 Incredible as it might seem\u2014that\u2019s exactly where I found the boy.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss took in his father\u2019s story and tried to process the details in his brain before responding.\u00a0 \u201cPa\u2014I kinda remember\u2014a strange dream\u2014about Little Joe.\u00a0 It\u2019s sort of foggy right now.\u00a0 Something about the time I taught the kid to swim\u2014remember that?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben chuckled and nodded Hoss\u2019 way, \u201cOf course I remember!\u00a0 And, as I recall, you taught him to swim right there at that old bridge too!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen\u2014there was something about him being hurt or something\u2014don\u2019t remember it now.\u00a0 But, I knew he was in trouble.\u00a0 That\u2019s all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, it was enough to make your old man go looking for the boy.\u00a0 If I hadn\u2019t\u2014well\u2014he might not have pulled through.\u00a0 That whole wagonload of drainage equipment turned over on top of the boy.\u00a0 That on top of the storm and him getting soaked to the skin\u2014well could\u2019ve proven fatal. \u00a0I\u2019m just glad I listened to your dream, Son.\u00a0 It\u2019s a bit odd all right\u2014but in a strange way you saved your little brother\u2019s life.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs Joe all right?\u201d Hoss asked again, worried for his brother.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, he\u2019s got two broken legs, some busted ribs\u2014you know\u2014the norm for Joseph,\u201d Ben answered a bit of sarcasm in his tone of voice.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanna see him!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss insisted and threw his legs over to the side of the bed.\u00a0 The movement made him dizzy and his father could tell.<\/p>\n \u201cNothing doing, Young Man!\u00a0 You get yourself back in that bed now\u2014and that\u2019s an order!\u201d\u00a0 Ben demanded and stood to make sure that his son obeyed his command.<\/p>\n Hoss settled back but his face took on a frown, unhappy to have to stay in his bed.\u00a0 He wanted to see Joe with his own eyes to make sure he was really all right.<\/p>\n \u201cAw\u2014Pa\u2014I\u2019m okay\u2014just got a lump on my head is all!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss protested as he eased back against the pillows.<\/p>\n \u201cThat lump had you out for days.\u00a0 It\u2019s nothing to play with.\u00a0 Now\u2014Doc is here\u2014sleeping.\u00a0 Once he gives you the go ahead to move around you can.\u00a0 But, until then you stay put!\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss sank back against his pillows, not wanting to rile his father.\u00a0 Seeing Joe would just have to wait until Doc Martin gave the okay for him to get out of bed.\u00a0 At least he knew that the kid was safe at home, and that helped ease his mind some.<\/p>\n \u201cNow\u2014it\u2019s kinda early for breakfast,\u201d Ben paused as he stared over at the clock on Hoss\u2019 night stand, \u201cI bet you\u2019re hungry though.\u00a0 How about I go whip you up some eggs and toast?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am kinda hungry\u2014sounds good, Pa,\u201d Hoss nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a good sign!\u201d Ben exclaimed and stood.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be back in just a little while.\u00a0 You\u2019ve got quite a few meals to catch up on, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow you stay in that bed though\u2014don\u2019t go pulling the kinds of stunts that Joe would,\u201d\u00a0 Ben instructed as he headed for the door.\u00a0 He paused and watched as his son settled back on the bed to show his father that he wasn\u2019t going against his orders.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Six a.m. the next day saw Doctor Martin<\/strong> making his way down into the living room.\u00a0 He walked over towards the dining room in time to see Ben coming out of the kitchen.<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2014Paul\u2014how are you this morning?\u00a0 Get any sleep?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked cheerily.<\/p>\n \u201cMore than you did I\u2019m sure.\u00a0 You know, Ben, I was thinking.\u00a0 Maybe I ought to move my practice out here to the Ponderosa\u2014seems it would ease up on all my traveling back and forth!\u201d the doctor joked as he sat down at the table.<\/p>\n Ben poured the other man a cup of coffee and laughed over his words.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve told you for years that you should keep a couple changes of clothing up in the spare room.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI did\u2014where did you think I got these?\u201d\u00a0 Paul smiled as he indicated his suit of clothing.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry\u2014didn\u2019t notice the change.\u00a0 When you got here late last night I wasn\u2019t paying much attention.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI just checked in on Hoss.\u00a0 The boy looks lots better.\u00a0 There\u2019s still a bit of swelling around his wound so I told him he has to stay in bed the rest of the day.\u00a0 I know he wants to go and see Joe.\u00a0 So\u2014I said if he stayed down until this evening he could peek in on him later.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was glad to see he\u2019s gotten his appetite back too,\u201d Ben chuckled and sipped his coffee.\u00a0 \u201cI already made him two breakfasts and he\u2019s wanting more!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes\u2014I would say that is a good sign.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid you see Joe?\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t awake when I checked on him a little while ago.\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked, concern for his youngest moving into the forefront of the conversation.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t think he\u2019d be coming back around any time soon.\u00a0 I gave him a powerful dose of laudanum to make him sedate enough to give those casts time to set.\u00a0 It\u2019s always a problem to keep that one still you know?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d Ben agreed wholeheartedly, \u201cI know this time it\u2019s going to be a real chore.\u00a0 Two broken legs\u2014that\u2019s a bit much even for Joseph!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHis forehead was a bit warm but his chest sounds pretty good considering how long he laid out there in the rain.\u00a0 We\u2019ll just keep a watch on him and hope that it\u2019s just a cold he\u2019s gotten.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben frowned, knowing what the doctor was dancing around, and that was the chance of pneumonia.\u00a0 \u201cAnything we can do?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNormally I\u2019d have him move around a bit to prevent chest congestion.\u00a0 But, that\u2019s out of the question considering how bad his legs are.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got some medication we can try just in case his fever gets higher.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo\u2014he\u2019s going to be all right?\u201d Ben asked hopefully.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know that kid of yours as well as I do!\u00a0 As long as we can get him to follow orders he has a good chance of recovering fully.\u00a0 So\u2014stay tough!\u201d Paul grinned.<\/p>\n \u201cOh you think I\u2019ll cave in to his wishes just \u2018cause he\u2019s hurt?\u201d Ben interjected.<\/p>\n \u201cYes\u2014once he turns those sad puppy dog eyes on you you\u2019re putty in his hands!!\u00a0 But, this time don\u2019t fall for his little tricks.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s wrapped you around his finger a time or two, Paul, I wouldn\u2019t talk,\u201d Ben hinted to past injuries and how Paul had let his own guard down when it came to Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I know.\u00a0\u00a0 That\u2019s why it comes as no surprise to me that I started to get white hair the same time you did, Ben.\u00a0 We all know why\u2014and the reason is laying upstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hop Sing came in from the kitchen<\/strong> and set out a fresh pot of coffee for the two men along with a platter of scrambled eggs.<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing?\u00a0 I already made some eggs earlier\u2014I set them on the stove.\u00a0 Why did you make more?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked the cook.<\/p>\n \u201cDoctor only like Hop Sing\u2019s cooking.\u00a0 Man work hard fixing boys\u2014no need poison on top of long ride!\u201d Hop Sing insisted and turned back into the kitchen.<\/p>\n \u201cYou think my boys give me trouble?\u00a0 Hop Sing and his daily insults and mutiny threats are starting to get just as bad!\u201d\u00a0 Ben laughed and handed Paul over the coffee pot.<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2014hate to say it\u2014but you aren\u2019t much of a cook, Ben.\u00a0 And if I get sick who\u2019s gonna tend all your casualties?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou do have a point,\u201d Ben grinned as he helped himself to the eggs Hop Sing had made.\u00a0 \u201cGuess it\u2019s good that Hoss will eat just about anything.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t complain about my cooking\u2014 but then again\u2014 he was starved!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLeave the cooking to Hop Sing from now on\u2014we don\u2019t need Hoss to suffer a relapse,\u201d Paul laughed and helped himself to the meal Hop Sing had prepared.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Doctor Martin returned to Virginia City<\/strong> a short time after breakfast in order to check on some of his other patients.\u00a0 Hop Sing harangued Ben so much that he finally did as the cook had ordered and went to take a badly needed nap up in his own room.\u00a0 Sleeping until a little past two that afternoon, Ben felt a whole lot better than he had in the preceding days.\u00a0 He washed off, dressed in fresh clothes, and then stopped by Hoss\u2019 room where he found the young man conversing with Hop Sing.<\/p>\n \u201cYou look better, Pa.\u00a0 The bags you had under your eyes earlier have shrunk some,\u201d Hoss chuckled as his father made his way over to the bed.<\/p>\n \u201cI guess that\u2019s a compliment of sorts.\u00a0 Thank you,\u201d Ben grinned and sat next to his son on the bed. \u201cSo\u2014how is this patient doing, Doctor?\u201d he directed his question over to Hop Sing.<\/p>\n The oriental man\u2019s face lit up from the suggested title of doctor and replied, \u201cMister Hoss on road back\u2014much better.\u00a0 Still need to stay in bed\u2014as other doctor said!\u00a0 Eat two breakfasts and one lunch and still hungry!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey\u2014like Pa said\u2014I\u2019ve got about four day\u2019s worth of meals to make up for!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss protested.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I\u2019m just glad to see you awake and feeling better.\u00a0 If we have to send someone for more supplies so be it,\u201d Ben announced and watched as Hop Sing moved towards the bedroom door.<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019s Joe doing?\u201d\u00a0 Ben called to the cook.<\/p>\n \u201cLittle Joe wake one time.\u00a0 He make groaning sound so Hop Sing give pain medicine like doctor say.\u00a0 He go back to sleep then.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGuess now that I\u2019ve had a little nap I\u2019ll go sit with the boy for awhile,\u201d Ben announced and stood from the bed.<\/p>\n \u201cI sure would like to go in and see Joe too, Pa,\u201d Hoss hinted for an early release. \u201cAw\u2014shucks\u2014I\u2019ve been asleep for most of the week.\u00a0 I ain\u2019t tired!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow you sound like Joseph!\u00a0 Please give your father a break and do as I say.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to have my hands full when my other son wakes up and protests his incarceration,\u201d Ben pleaded for mercy, at least from one of his boys.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, Pa\u2014I\u2019ll shut my eyes.\u00a0 But, I can\u2019t guarantee I\u2019ll sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell try will you?\u00a0 Running this hospital is very taxing!\u201d\u00a0 Ben laughed and headed for the hall.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hop Sing had purposely pulled the curtains in Joe\u2019s room<\/strong> shut in order to block out the streaming sunlight.\u00a0 The fierce storm of the previous day was history now, and in its wake was a beautiful cloudless sky.\u00a0\u00a0 The cook didn\u2019t want the youngest boy to wake up and see what he would be missing being confined in his room.\u00a0 It was hard enough to keep Joe in bed, Hop Sing didn\u2019t want the young man fussing about being trapped inside on such a pretty day.\u00a0 It looked as though Joe would be missing quite a few nice days now.\u00a0 As Ben made his way into the bedroom, he stopped at the foot of the bed and stared down at the two heavy plaster casts which engulfed both of Joe\u2019s legs from the knees down.<\/p>\n Poor kid\u2014done it again huh, Joe? Ben thought to himself as he bent over and straightened the covers over his son\u2019s body.<\/p>\n \u201cSupposed to get that wagon back to Carson today,\u201d Joe mumbled as his father sat down next to him.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe?\u00a0 You awake?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, Pa\u2014just woke up a little while ago.\u00a0 I was just thinking about Sam\u2014and how he\u2019s going to have a heart attack once he hears what I did to his wagon!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben reached over, grabbed the water pitcher, and poured his son a glass.\u00a0 He handed it to the boy and Joe gratefully drank the full contents.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t worry about that wagon, Son.\u00a0 A wagon\u2014even a team of horses I can replace,\u201d Ben paused and pushed back the bangs which were hanging down into his son\u2019s eyes, \u201cbut I can\u2019t replace you!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBet you want to sometimes though\u2014right, Pa?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked as he tried to pull himself up in the bed a little.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course not!\u201d\u00a0 Ben insisted and reached across the bed to adjust his son\u2019s pillows in order to prop him up higher.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on\u2014tell the truth.\u00a0 I can\u2019t even get a wagon loaded with pipes up to Syler\u2019s Ridge without getting myself half killed,\u201d Joe frowned, feeling bad that he had failed in his assignment.<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t your fault, Joseph.\u00a0 Stop blaming yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI did go to get Hank\u2014like you told me to, Pa.\u00a0 But\u2014he was sick\u2014 so I went on alone.\u00a0 Guess that was stupid too.\u00a0 Sometimes I think I can\u2019t do anything right,\u201d Joe\u2019s voice started to crack with emotion and he looked away from his father.<\/p>\n Ben could tell that Joe was very upset over what had happened and that, combined with the pain of his injuries, was making him even more emotional than usual.\u00a0 He leaned towards his son and gingerly wrapped his arms around the boy and held him close. \u201cEverything was going so good, Pa\u2014until I got to the bridge.\u00a0 Then\u2014well\u2014it was like all Hell broke loose!\u201d Joe explained as tears rolled out from his eyes and tracked down his cheeks.\u00a0 \u201cThose horses had been acting up all day but when that lightning hit they went totally crazy.\u00a0 I tried\u2014tried real hard to keep them in control, Pa\u2014but they went one way and the wagon went the other.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat had to be awfully scary for you, Son\u2014I would\u2019ve been shaken up myself after something like that happened,\u201d Ben whispered and slowly stroked the back of his son\u2019s head full of curls.\u00a0 \u201cActually it scares me just to hear it happened to you.\u00a0 If you hadn\u2019t pulled yourself out from under there\u2014well\u2014you might not be here with me now.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe pulled back a little from his father\u2019s embrace and stared into his warm umber eyes.\u00a0 He thought Pa knew who had saved him but apparently from what the man had just said he had no idea.\u00a0 \u201cPa?\u00a0 Pa\u2014I didn\u2019t pull myself out from under there.\u00a0 I thought you knew?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked confused.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u00a0 You didn\u2019t?\u00a0 But, you said you were trapped underneath it, right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah\u2014I got knocked out during the crash.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know how long I laid there before coming back around, but when I did I found my head laying in a puddle of water.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t move\u2014because one of the pipes was on my chest and it was loaded down by the wagon wheel and some other stuff.\u00a0 My legs weren\u2019t any use either\u2014they were caught under the wagon bed.\u00a0 I tried with all my might to lift that blasted pipe too!\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t get it off of me and it crashed down on my chest.\u00a0 That\u2019s how I busted these!\u201d\u00a0 Joe indicated his ribs.<\/p>\n \u201cThen\u2014who\u2014who got you out of there, Joseph?\u201d\u00a0 Ben questioned.<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2014I was laying there\u2014thinking that I was gonna drown right there like that, you know?\u00a0 I mean the puddle underneath my head was so deep that the water was almost over my mouth and nose.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDear Lord\u2014\u201d Ben interjected, the very thought of his son\u2019s near death experience was making him cling tighter to the boy now.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah\u2014I know,\u201d Joe nodded, knowing exactly how his father was feeling just listening to the gruesome details. \u201cThen I don\u2019t know if I was dreaming or what\u2014but I could see myself back when I was a little kid.\u00a0 It was so vivid, Pa\u2014so strange!\u00a0 But, there you were\u2014and Hoss and Adam and I was standing on shore not wanting to go in.\u00a0 That\u2019s when Hoss came up to me and took me into the river and tossed me in.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s face took on a strange appearance that Joe didn\u2019t miss.\u00a0 The young man stared into his father\u2019s sympathetic eyes and wondered why he looked that way.<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u00a0 What\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothing\u2014nothing, Joseph\u2014go on.\u00a0 Tell me what happened,\u201d Ben answered and tried to shrug off the weird feeling he was having.\u00a0 He had remembered Hoss saying that he had that very same dream the day before but Ben didn\u2019t want to let on to Joe just yet.<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2014then\u2014<\/strong>just before the water got to the point where I would drown I kinda prayed\u2014you know\u2014prayed that I wouldn\u2019t die that way.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t want you to know that it had happened like that when all it would\u2019ve taken was just someone to get me free from the wagon,\u201d Joe continued but began to choke on his words again, the images were all too clear of his traumatic experience the night before.<\/p>\n Ben hugged Joe closer to him and let out a deep sigh.\u00a0 He hated that his youngest had gotten to the point where he truly thought he would die.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s okay, Joseph\u2014it\u2019s okay,\u201d Ben whispered soothingly and gave the boy time to continue with his account of what happened next.<\/p>\n Joe pushed aside some fallen tears and started up again in his recollection.\u00a0 \u201cI prayed that Hoss would come and rescue me.\u00a0 Not that I thought he would\u2014I mean when I left here he was still out of it.\u00a0 Anyway, with the next bolt of lightning I saw a man hovering over me.\u00a0 I could hardly believe my eyes!\u00a0 There was Hoss\u2014just smiling down at me!\u00a0 I was so relieved because it meant he was okay\u2014and that meant I would be okay too.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben eased Joe back against the pillows and straightened to a sitting position as he stared at his boy like he was somewhat insane.\u00a0 \u201cHoss?\u201d Ben asked, totally bewildered by the boy\u2019s revelation.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, Pa\u2014I don\u2019t know how he got there so fast\u2014or what brought him out to the bridge but he was there and within minutes he had that old wagon off of me and set me underneath that oak tree.\u00a0 What bothers me is what you said last night. I know I was kinda out of it because of that brandy and the medicine that Doc gave me\u2014but you said Hoss was still asleep.\u00a0 What happened?\u00a0 Once he came back to get you did he have a relapse?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben reached over and touched his son\u2019s forehead, wondering if he was perhaps a bit delirious.\u00a0 The skin was a bit warm, but not overly so.\u00a0 Shaking his head, Ben fought to piece together what Joe had related in order to make sense of it.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong, Pa?\u00a0 Hoss is okay isn\u2019t he?\u00a0 I hope him coming out there didn\u2019t make him worse!\u00a0 I want to see him!\u201d Joe\u2019s voice was almost at the panic level.\u00a0 He had read the confusion on his father\u2019s face and could only presume that something had happened to his brother after he had made the rescue the night before.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe\u2014I really don\u2019t know how to tell you this\u2014but there\u2019s no way on earth that Hoss pulled you out from under that wagon.\u00a0 He\u2019s been in this house for four days.\u00a0 Perhaps it was someone else\u2014did the person say anything to you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt WAS Hoss!\u201d\u00a0 Joe insisted.\u00a0 \u201cHe didn\u2019t say nothing\u2014but it was him, Pa!\u00a0 He got me away from danger and then he headed back here to get you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph\u2014you just calm down now.\u00a0 You can\u2019t be getting upset right now\u2014those legs are bad off and so is your chest for that matter.\u00a0 We\u2019ll figure this out\u2014:\u201d Ben tried to calm the boy but he cut off his father\u2019s words.<\/p>\n \u201cFigure it out?\u00a0 Pa\u2014there\u2019s nothing to figure out.\u00a0 Now\u2014maybe you didn\u2019t see Hoss leave\u2014but I promise you it WAS Hoss and he WAS the one who saved my life!\u201d\u00a0 Joe insisted.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe it was someone who looked like your brother?\u00a0 You know, Son\u2014you were hurt pretty bad\u2014and you went through an awful lot,\u201d Ben tried once more to calm the boy.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah I did go through a lot\u2014but I know what I saw\u2014and I know it was my brother who saved me.\u00a0 Go get him, Pa\u2014go get Hoss and he\u2019ll tell you!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, Hoss came around sometime yesterday afternoon.\u00a0 He was having a dream\u2014one that he told me about this afternoon.\u00a0 It was a dream very close to the daydream you said you had.\u00a0 He dreamed about teaching you to swim right there at the bridge.\u00a0 He came out of it just long enough to tell Hop Sing and me that you were in trouble and for us to go and find you.\u00a0 That\u2019s the reason why I showed up when I did.\u00a0 So\u2014I am not denying that Hoss helped to save you.\u00a0 I\u2019m just telling you that he hasn\u2019t left this ranch in four days.\u00a0 Hop Sing sat with him the whole time I was gone.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe eased back against the pillows and his mouth fell open in astonishment.\u00a0 He knew it had been his brother who had pulled him out from under the wagon.\u00a0 There was no doubt in his mind or heart.\u00a0 Looking up at his pa, he also knew that he would never lie to him.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2014I just don\u2019t understand, Pa.\u00a0 This just doesn\u2019t make any sense,\u201d Joe whispered.<\/p>\n Ben reached over for the pain medication, poured a tablespoon of the liquid, and lifted it up to Joe\u2019s lips.\u00a0 \u201cDrink this\u2014I can tell on your face that you are hurting.\u00a0 And you getting riled up about this isn\u2019t helping either.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe swallowed the medicine and closed his eyes briefly, trying to clear his thoughts.\u00a0 When he opened them again he could still see the doubt painted on Pa\u2019s face.<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t another man if that\u2019s what you\u2019re thinking.\u00a0 I know it was Hoss, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you don\u2019t think that\u2014perhaps\u2014you could have pulled yourself out from under there?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2014I tried\u2014I told you that.\u00a0 Hoss lifted the wagon and pulled me out.\u00a0 That\u2019s all I know until you showed up,\u201d Joe insisted.<\/p>\n Ben smiled and affectionately ruffled his son\u2019s hair with his hand.\u00a0 \u201cWell\u2014 no matter who or what or where\u2014I just thank God that you were rescued.\u00a0 To me that\u2019s all that matters, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wanna see Hoss, Pa.\u00a0 I have to talk to him!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDoc said that Hoss could get up later this evening.\u00a0 So\u2014I\u2019ll make you a deal.\u00a0 If you behave yourself and try to get some more rest I will bring your brother in here right after supper.\u00a0 How about it?\u201d\u00a0 Ben smiled down at his son as he stood from his position on the bed.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not like I can go anywhere you know?\u201d\u00a0 Joe joked, pointing to his two entrapped legs.\u00a0 \u201cBesides\u2014you just gave me some more of that knock out medicine anyway!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll take that as a yes then,\u201d Ben chuckled and leaned down and planted a kiss on his son\u2019s forehead.\u00a0 \u201cNow you close your eyes and get some sleep.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to see to your brother and then come right back in here and wait until you wake up.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be right there in that chair,\u201d Ben paused and pointed at the chair next to Joe\u2019s bed, \u201cin case you have any escape ideas in that head of yours!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe laughed knowing good and well he wasn\u2019t capable of even getting out of the bed let alone making an escape.\u00a0 He grinned up at his pa and nodded his head, \u201cIf you ever get tired of this father stuff you\u2019d make an excellent warden, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll keep that in mind.\u00a0 Now eyes closed!\u201d\u00a0 Ben ordered sternly.<\/p>\n Joe obeyed his father\u2019s command and within just a few minutes he was back asleep.\u00a0 Ben stood in the room and his face took on the same puzzled appearance that it had earlier.\u00a0 He was still trying to process the story he had just heard from his youngest.\u00a0 Ben decided to bring Hoss into the bedroom as promised right after supper and get the story out to the whole family.\u00a0 He thought maybe someone else might be able to make sense of it.\u00a0 Ben, himself, hadn\u2019t been able to accomplish that feat. Assembled in Joe\u2019s bedroom were Ben, Hoss, Hop Sing and Paul Martin.\u00a0 The young man on the bed began to move his head back and forth on the pillows, letting all in the room know that he was coming back around.\u00a0 Slowly the hazel eyes opened up and Joe cast a glance towards the bottom of his bed.<\/p>\n \u201cHey\u2014Hoss!\u00a0 You okay?\u201d\u00a0 Joe fired out, so glad to see his brother healthy again.<\/p>\n \u201cSure am, Little Brother.\u00a0 But, it sure don\u2019t look like you\u2019re doing very well,\u201d Hoss replied with a grin and moved past his father to get closer to where his brother lay.\u00a0 \u201cHow you feeling, Joe?\u201d Hoss asked as he sat down in the chair closest to his brother\u2019s bed.\u00a0 The sight of his brother\u2019s legs both in casts upset the soft-hearted young man.\u00a0 Though he knew of his brother\u2019s legendary healing powers, it was nonetheless, a sobering sight.<\/p>\n \u201cLots better than I did last time I saw you!\u201d\u00a0 Joe retorted, remembering the heavy weight of the wagon that had held his legs trapped underneath it.<\/p>\n \u201cHuh?\u00a0 Last time I remember seeing you was in the barn.\u00a0 That was right before that dad gum board came off and knocked me out.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben stared over at his two sons and then motioned for Doc and Hop Sing to pull up chairs at the far end of the room.\u00a0 It looked as though the strange story of Joe\u2019s rescue was about to unfold.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t remember yesterday?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked his brother, with disbelief written across his face.<\/p>\n \u201cYesterday?\u00a0 No\u2014I don\u2019t remember much.\u00a0 Pa said I\u2019ve been out of it for four days.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss\u2014you\u2019re the one who rescued me from under that wagon.\u00a0 You were there\u2014right by the Simeon Bridge. I called out for you and there you were!\u201d\u00a0 Joe insisted.<\/p>\n Hoss stared over at his father bewildered and watched as Pa simply shrugged his shoulders and waited for more of Joe\u2019s story.<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t me, Little Brother\u2014you know that if I could\u2019ve gotten out of my bed I sure would\u2019ve come and helped you!\u201d Hoss responded and reached over and held his brother\u2019s hand in an attempt to calm him.<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u00a0 Pa did you already tell Hoss all this?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked suspiciously, looking across the room.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Son\u2014I wanted it to be you who told him what you said happened,\u201d Ben replied quietly.\u00a0 He could tell by the confusion that Joe wore on his face that the whole event was bothering him very much.\u00a0 The boy was absolutely adamant that his brother had saved him.\u00a0 And, no-one, not even the man that Joe insisted had pulled him away from sure death, could dispel that notion from his mind.<\/p>\n \u201cI-I just don\u2019t understand it\u2014\u201d Joe stuttered and stared back towards his brother.\u00a0 \u201cYou never left the ranch\u2014really?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2014and from what Pa and Doc said\u2014there was no-way I could have gotten out of bed.\u00a0 But\u2014I can tell you that I was thinking about you!\u00a0 You know I had a dream\u2014about when I taught you to swim.\u00a0 Pa says I woke up and muttered for him to go and get to you and that you were over by the bridge,\u201d Hoss confessed the details over his bizarre dream the day before. Paul stared over at Hop Sing and shook his head.\u00a0 He had heard some pretty strange stories concerning the Cartwright family over the years, but had to admit that this one outdid all the ones prior.\u00a0 Ben sat back in his chair patiently waiting to hear what his sons would say next.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s kinda strange ain\u2019t it, Little Brother?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss smiled and thought heavily on all he had heard.\u00a0 The big man\u2019s face took on a quizzical appearance.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t reckon that maybe you were sending me messages or something\u2014you know Adam always talks about folks with that precognition stuff\u2014maybe it was that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEven if we did kinda share the same dream, Hoss, how do you explain the fact that you showed up to save me?\u00a0 And, don\u2019t try like Pa did to say it wasn\u2019t you\u2014I know it WAS!\u00a0 I looked into your face\u2014you smiled at me\u2014then you pulled that blasted wagon off of my legs and pushed the pipes off my chest and carried me over to an oak tree and set me down.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t imagine any of that.\u00a0 Pa will tell you\u2014that\u2019s exactly where he found me!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss called to his father and turned to look at the man.\u00a0 \u201cYou SURE I didn\u2019t go nowhere yesterday?\u00a0 I mean\u2014Joe\u2019s not lying\u2014he\u2019s not this good of an actor!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben laughed and stood to approach the bed.\u00a0 \u201cNo Hoss\u2014you were totally out of it.\u00a0 Right, Hop Sing?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked the cook.<\/p>\n \u201cMister Hoss\u2014he sleep all time\u2014just woke up to say Little Joe in trouble.\u00a0 Hop Sing sit with Mister Hoss all day\u2014all night!\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing insisted.<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2014there\u2019s your answer, Son,\u201d Ben sighed and dropped his hand down onto Hoss\u2019 broad shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe we can send someone up there to the bridge\u2014maybe someone about my size was up there and one of the hired hands can track them down?\u00a0 You know it was dark and rainy\u2014\u201d Hoss started but his brother cut him off in mid-sentence.<\/p>\n \u201cWell YOU should know\u2014YOU were there!\u201d\u00a0 Joe retorted sharply.<\/p>\n \u201cSettle down there, Young Man!\u201d\u00a0 Ben warned and moved to sit on the bed next to his youngest to quiet him.<\/p>\n \u201cI second that\u2014Joe\u2014I don\u2019t have any hankering to re-set those legs\u2014so you just settle back and quiet down!\u201d\u00a0 Paul interjected with a stern expression that was shot his patient\u2019s way.<\/p>\n Joe frowned and crossed his arms.\u00a0 He was starting to feel like no-one would believe what he saw.\u00a0 But, he knew it to be true, even though he had no clue as to how his brother could have been in two places at the same time.<\/p>\n Ben noticed the pout on his son\u2019s face and he reached over and ruffled the boy\u2019s hair affectionately.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s okay, Joseph\u2014we\u2019re not saying you\u2019re crazy!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re not?\u201d\u00a0 Joe replied and stared up into his father\u2019s eyes for reassurance. \u201cTo tell you the truth, Pa\u2014I wasn\u2019t worried about the wagon\u2014those stupid horses\u2014or even Sam for that matter.\u00a0 I\u2019m just worried that I must be out of my mind or something,\u201d Joe sighed and looked back over at Hoss.<\/p>\n \u201cOne thing\u2014of course the rain was awfully bad\u2014but I did have Jim take a look around for tracks up there at the bridge where the wagon crashed.\u00a0 Other than the team of horses and Buck\u2014there wasn\u2019t any other sign of anyone else being up there,\u201d Ben threw in what further information he had to add to Joe\u2019s case.<\/p>\n \u201cUnless someone walked in on foot\u2014saved you, Joe\u2014and then left\u2014I don\u2019t know\u2014\u201d Hoss continued.<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2014it wasn\u2019t anyone else, Hoss.\u00a0 And you all can go and look around\u2014heck put up a reward for whoever it was who pulled me out from under the wagon.\u00a0 Do whatever you want but I\u2019m telling you that you won\u2019t find nobody.\u00a0 My brother\u2014and only my brother\u2014saved me.\u00a0 End of story,\u201d Joe insisted vehemently.<\/p>\n Ben grinned broadly knowing that his youngest son wasn\u2019t ever going to change his mind.\u00a0 And in all honesty, his father couldn\u2019t blame the boy.\u00a0 If it was that vivid in Joe\u2019s mind then so be it!\u00a0 Unless someone came forward with information proving the lad wrong, Ben would have to take the boy\u2019s word for all he had experienced.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is my opinion that Hoss saved you, Joe\u2014because if he hadn\u2019t told me to go out to the bridge to help you\u2014well\u2014who knows what might have happened to you?\u00a0 So\u2014let\u2019s just say Hoss went above and beyond this time!\u201d\u00a0 Ben announced and stood from the bed.<\/p>\n \u201cShucks\u2014I like being a hero and all\u2014but just wish I wasn\u2019t asleep during all the action!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss laughed and reached over and squeezed his brother\u2019s arm playfully.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s go get some coffee, shall we?\u201d\u00a0<\/strong> Ben turned and asked Hop Sing and the doctor.\u00a0 It was his intention to leave both brothers alone for awhile.\u00a0 He felt they could use the one on one time since they both had been so worried about each other\u2019s health problems.\u00a0 Ben decided that Hoss and Joe would ease each other\u2019s mind about how they were really doing if left alone.<\/p>\n \u201cSounds good to me, Ben,\u201d Paul smiled and stopped long enough at the end of the bed to cast another stern look Joe\u2019s way.\u00a0 \u201cHoss\u2014you make sure he doesn\u2019t act up while we\u2019re downstairs!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou got it, Doc,\u201d Hoss winked, knowing that Joe wasn\u2019t going too far with two broken legs.\u00a0 Of course that didn\u2019t mean that the kid wouldn\u2019t try.<\/p>\n Once they were left in the bedroom alone, Hoss and Joe spoke of all the strange things that had happened and tried their best to piece the facts together in order to make sense of it.\u00a0 Finally, like their father had, they were resigned to chalk it up to the tight bond that both young men had always had with each other.<\/p>\n \u201cNobody has all the answers\u2014in fact\u2014looks like we even stumped Pa this time,\u201d Hoss joked as he watched Joe yawn.\u00a0 He knew the boy was playing out after almost an hour of discussion.\u00a0 Not wanting to over tax his brother, Hoss stood from his chair and readied to leave the room.\u00a0 \u201cI think you need to catch a few winks, Little Brother.\u00a0 I\u2019ll see you a little later on, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss\u2014wait!\u201d\u00a0 Joe called over to the big man, who stopped in his tracks.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah Joe?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss asked as he moved back to the bed.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss\u2014you remember\u2014remember that dream?\u00a0 I mean\u2014when you taught me to swim and all.\u00a0 To me\u2014when I was dreaming\u2014it was like we were still kids\u2014you know?\u00a0 Was it like that for you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure it was, Little Brother\u2014heck I could even hear you screaming when I tossed your butt into the water!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss laughed.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah\u2014me too\u2014do you remember what I told you that day?\u201d\u00a0 Joe whispered, as he fought to keep his eyelids from closing.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah\u2014yeah I remember, Joe,\u201d Hoss grinned and patted his brother\u2019s arm.\u00a0 \u201cNow you go get some shut eye, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss?\u201d\u00a0 Joe muttered, just about ready to give in to waiting arms of peaceful slumber.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah?\u201d Hoss asked softly, hoping to lull the boy to sleep with his tone.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re still my best friend,\u201d Joe smiled and then turned his head and fell off to sleep.<\/p>\n Hoss pushed aside a teardrop from his cheek and stared down at the boy he had grown up with.\u00a0 He knew that Joe looked up to him and even considered him a hero.\u00a0 Hoss prayed that he would always remain that in the boy\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re my best friend too, Short Shanks,\u201d\u00a0Hoss whispered and bent down and kissed his brother\u2019s forehead.\u00a0 Slowly he walked to the bedroom door and cast one final look at Joe.\u00a0 Hoss stared heavenward for just a brief second and muttered, \u201cthanks\u201d.<\/p>\n The End<\/p>\n 6-1-03<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Disclaimer:\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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\n\u201cWhat brings you out here, Joe?<\/strong>\u00a0 I heard about Hoss\u2014did he come around yet?\u201d Hank asked worriedly.\u00a0 He, like just about everyone else who knew the gentle giant, thought very fondly towards him.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cHey\u2014how\u2019s Hoss by the way?\u201d the storekeeper asked with heavy concern in his tone of voice.<\/p>\n
\nBen walked to the window and gazed out at the sky.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t even noticed the distant sounds of thunder, though it had been going on for hours.\u00a0 Once Ben Cartwright\u2019s mind was focused on an injured son, little else mattered.\u00a0 Now, however, his thought went to another son, one who was about to be in the midst of a storm.\u00a0 \u201cJoe\u2019s out there\u2014I hope he won\u2019t be trapped in the middle of that storm either!\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cDadblast it!\u201d\u00a0 Joe muttered as he untied the canvas covering of the wagon.\u00a0 \u201cSomething tells me that Sam knows nothing of packing a wagon.\u201d\u00a0 He went about trying to even out the load of piping and retied the canvas before heading back towards the two horses.\u00a0 Grabbing the reins in his hands, Joe pulled the team behind him and walked towards the small stream.\u00a0 He knew it was time to let them drink and regroup their strength before continuing their journey west.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cCome on now\u2014let\u2019s go\u2014almost there!\u201d\u00a0 Joe called over the loud sound of thunder as the storm advanced almost on top of them now.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cHey Little Joe!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss called as he swam closer to shore.\u00a0 \u201cCome on out here and we\u2019ll go dunk big brother!\u201d<\/p>\n
\nJoe coughed and gasped for air.\u00a0<\/strong> He had, in his unconscious state, sucked in a good amount of rain water.\u00a0 Slowly he opened his eyes only to have them blurred by the assault of rain drops.\u00a0 Night had fallen and the storm still violently raged on and the only brief flashes of light were that of lightning strikes.\u00a0 Grimacing in pain, fear gripped the young man when he realized exactly what had happened.\u00a0 Trying valiantly to free his legs from under the weight of the wagon Joe screamed in anguish.\u00a0 From his kneecaps down his lower extremities were trapped and there was no getting free.\u00a0 But, worst of all, the puddle underneath Joe\u2019s head grew deeper and deeper filling up with the torrential rain.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cGet behind Joe\u2014I\u2019m going to need you to push him into a seated position and hold him there while I do this,\u201d Ben instructed as he took the bandage from the cook.\u00a0 Hop Sing moved up to the head of the bed and placed his hands on the young man\u2019s shoulders.\u00a0 \u201cThis is gonna be rough for a minute, Joe\u2014just hang in there for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nLate that night<\/strong> Ben finally fell off to sleep in the chair next to Joe\u2019s bed.\u00a0 He had watched and fussed over the boy for hours but exhaustion had taken over and he was soon in a deep sleep.\u00a0 Too many nights of worrying over Hoss had taken its toll on the weary father and in total he hadn\u2019t gotten more than a couple hours of rest all week.\u00a0 Ben\u2019s dreams were troubled ones, full of the sights and sounds of bones snapping into place and visions of both of his sons who lay in their sick beds at the time.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cTonight, Hoss, just like Doc Martin said.\u00a0 Now it wouldn\u2019t hurt you none to take a nap yourself,\u201d Ben urged.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cYou didn\u2019t let me down<\/strong> if that\u2019s what you\u2019re getting at, Joe.\u00a0 You did what I asked, that\u2019s all I ever wanted.\u00a0 Yes, I wish you had someone along with you, but that wasn\u2019t your fault about Hank,\u201d Ben tried to cajole the boy.<\/p>\n
\nLater that evening,<\/strong> Paul Martin showed back up at the ranch house to make sure that both of his patients were doing well and following his orders. He had gotten a good report from their father, which assured the man that Hoss was on the mend and Joe wasn\u2019t acting up just yet. After an examination of Hoss\u2019 head wound satisfied the doctor that the swelling was, at last, gone, he gave his permission for the anxious brother to go see Joe.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cYou did?\u201d\u00a0 Joe shot back.\u00a0 \u201cHoss\u2014I was dreaming about the very same thing\u2014right after the wagon rolled on me.\u00a0 I was kinda knocked out for awhile.\u00a0 When I came to, my head was in this puddle and it was filling up with rain water fast.\u00a0 All I could think about was the fact that I was gonna drown\u2014just like that\u2014and that there wasn\u2019t anything I could do.\u00a0 I remember wishing you were there\u2014I knew you wouldn\u2019t let me drown\u2014just like when you taught me to swim!\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cNo\u2014you saw what you saw\u2014though I can\u2019t figure it out anymore than you can.\u00a0 I sent one of the hired hands out earlier to check on the wagon.\u00a0 He came back to the house right before we ate dinner.\u00a0 Jim found the team of horses\u2014they had weathered the storm fine and are now back in Carson City.\u00a0 The wagon is a total loss, but the pipes were put on another wagon and are out at Syler\u2019s Ridge.\u00a0 So, you don\u2019t have to worry about Sam having a fit over what happened.\u00a0 Jim paid him well, I can assure you.\u201d<\/p>\n