Summary:\u00a0 Little Joe finds himself desperate for his father’s help to save his life after the evil doctor Steven Hale gets a hold of him and injures him in an act of revenge. Rated: T, WC 28,000 Links to stories in the series included within.<\/p>\n
Best Medicine Series<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Best Medicine<\/a> <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Malice Aforethought<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Malice Aforethought<\/strong><\/p>\n The thin stream of light slid underneath the partially closed door<\/strong>. With a gentle tug, dull reality pulled Joe out of the haze in his mind and he squinted towards the shaft of light. His body fought to take him back under to where there was peace waiting. How long he had been in the land of Morpheus, Joe had no clue. If it were not for the passionate soul that he possessed, he would have surrendered to his fate and ceased trying to escape. But, blissful surrender was not a state that Joe Cartwright had ever known. Hadn\u2019t he just tried to get off the table? Or, was that yet another one of the tricks his mind had been playing on him?<\/p>\n Joe turned and caught a glimpse of the leather restraint, which held his left wrist. The material was half chewed through, telling the young man that he had indeed made an attempt to flee earlier. His head turned again, this time towards his right hand where he noticed the restraint on that wrist was pristine. Here we go again.<\/em> Joe mused weakly as his teeth bore down on the left strap. Gnawing while yanking his head trying to free his imprisoned wrist,<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s will to live took center stage once more. Why is this happening?\u00a0\u00a0 Why did he leave me here\u2014like this? <\/em>Joe\u2019s anger grew each time he sank his incisors back into the awful tasting leather. The pain shot up from his left leg, like a projectile aimed at his mind. He struggled to stifle his screams. If someone had done this to him intentionally, Joe was terrified that they might just come back if they heard his screams of anguish.<\/p>\n Stay focused, Joe\u2014come on\u2014you\u2019ve been in worse scrapes than this!<\/em> He urged his mind to stay off the pain and not take him back under to the black forest of unconsciousness. Finally, after great effort, the leather restraint gave way and Joe allowed his head to fall back onto the pillowless table.<\/p>\n He tried to regroup his emotions as well as his strength before going after his right wrist. Sweat poured from his brow, showing the advance of infection, which had already claimed his body. Let\u2019s get the hell out of this place! <\/em>Joe again rallied himself for the task ahead of him and his dominant left hand slowly untied the other restraint. Groaning loudly without any control of it, he pulled himself to a seated position on the table.<\/p>\n Joe could feel his head swimming from the simple act of sitting upright. It had been too long, lying as he had, flat on his back. The blood drained from his face and he had to fight with all that he had left inside to prevent falling back down. From his perch on the table, Joe looked towards the floor and tried to come up with a plan that would work.<\/p>\n There was a heavy plaster cast, bigger than he had ever seen in fact, surrounding his left leg weighing it down. He figured he could probably ease off the table with his right leg leading the way and then somehow maneuvers the cast-held leg off gingerly to the floor. It\u2019s worth a shot\u2014sure as hell can\u2019t stay here and die. <\/em>Joe thought as he began to descend from the table.<\/p>\n His right leg cooperated fine, but as soon as the heavy cast, aided by his two hands, came off the table, he found himself laying face down on the floor. Joe sucked in a breath, trying his best not to scream, though tears stung at his eyes from the searing pain. He had expended his last bit of strength already and still there was a good six feet of floor to get across before making it to the outer room which then would lead to freedom.<\/p>\n Joe stayed on his stomach, knowing good and well there was no way he could pull himself to standing and make the trek across the room. With the determination born of the exotic mixture of both New England and Creole blood which flowed proudly through his veins, Joe inched himself towards the door. His palms wet with perspiration, and only the sound of his heartbeat for company, the young man pushed forward. Suddenly, the overwhelming assault of stabbing pain swimming upward from his left leg made him scream out in spite of himself.<\/p>\n Then, without any warning, total blackness claimed his mind and soul. With his left hand stretched out towards the direction of freedom, Joe\u2019s body fell victim to the cold wood floor. There would be no escape.<\/p>\n Ben Cartwright pulled up the collar to his coat in order to ward off the brisk fall winds as he surveyed his surroundings. The small cow-town of Sand Dust loomed in the distance and the sight of it increased the worry he had felt in his heart since leaving the Ponderosa ranch. Kicking lightly at Buck\u2019s sides to pick up the pace, he closed in on the town where his youngest son lay hurt. The whole incident thus far had been odd, to say the least.<\/p>\n Joe and one of the ranch hands had ridden to a ranch twenty miles south of Sand Dust earlier in the month in order to purchase a string of horses. Cliff, the hired hand, and Joe had proceeded with their business with little event until just outside of the Filmore ranch, where the horses had been purchased,<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s son had taken a fall off his pinto. Cliff knew it was a bad break, one glance at the protruding bone had told him that, and he brought Joe into Sand Dust for immediate attention. Once he had Joe in capable hands Cliff left for the Ponderosa due to the young man\u2019s urging. Joe had insisted he would be fine and that once a wire had been sent home he knew his father and brother Hoss would head out after him.<\/p>\n When Cliff had protested leaving the young man there he had a huge argument on his hands. Joe wasn\u2019t about to let an injury interfere with the horses not being delivered home as planned. After some lengthy, as well as loud discussion, Cliff had relented and headed back to the Ponderosa. The strange thing was that no telegraph had been sent to Virginia City and that Ben only learned of his son\u2019s injury when Cliff arrived back at the ranch over a week later. Under questioning by his boss, Cliff had insisted that he had left the telegraph with the doctor who had assured him that it would be sent that very day. Now, almost two weeks had passed and Ben was hoping with all of his heart that it had all been just a strange coincidence and that Joseph would be found alive and well and recuperating from his injury.<\/p>\n His eyes scanning both sides of the city\u2019s streets, Ben tried to locate the doctor\u2019s office. He had no luck and finally rode over to the local livery stable in order to do some asking around. Dismounting just outside the double doors of Wilson\u2019s Blacksmith and Livery, Ben called over to the man who he spied coming around the side of the building.<\/p>\n \u201cHello? Can you help me?\u201d Ben sang out.<\/p>\n The smithy turned towards the silver haired man and smiled, \u201cYes sir\u2014what can I help you with?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m looking for the doctor\u2019s office\u2014can you point the way for me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2014it\u2019s down yonder,\u201d the man replied and pointed towards the end of the street, \u201cbut you\u2019re out of luck if you need to see Doc Simpson\u2014he just done left for Placerville three days ago.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben stood there opposite the man and his face took on a puzzled appearance. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, mister, sorry I never even asked your name. I\u2019m Ben Cartwright\u2014and you?\u201d Ben asked as he held out his hand to shake.<\/p>\n \u201cJake Wilson\u2014pleased to meet you,\u201d the smithy said, returning Ben\u2019s handshake. \u201cYou from over Virginia City way?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right\u2014have a ranch there\u2014\u201d Ben started but the other man cut him off in mid-sentence.<\/p>\n \u201cI know\u2014the Ponderosa! My cousin worked for you a few years ago. You remember Hal Wilson?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, he was a fine worker too. I\u2019d sure like to chitchat with you, Jake, but fact of the matter is I came here because of my youngest son. He was laid up with a broken leg a couple of weeks ago and one of my hired hands left him with the doctor. You know anything about it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, sorry, Mister Cartwright, never seen your boy. Far as I know Doc didn\u2019t have no patients he was tending when he left, neither.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe he had a nurse or somebody else that he left my son with?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot likely\u2014didn\u2019t have no nurse that I know of.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d better get down to his office and try to find out what happened to him. Maybe he was taken to the hotel before the doctor left,\u201d Ben said, mostly to himself, as he moved back over to his horse.<\/p>\n \u201cWant me to come along?\u201d Jake asked.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t think it would hurt\u2014thanks!\u201d Ben nodded and slowly began the trek down towards the end of the street with Jake walking alongside of him.<\/p>\n The doctor\u2019s office was positioned so that the entrance faced the alleyway between the mercantile and the bank. The shingle still hung on the wall and the name was clearly carved in the wooden sign; Doctor Hosea Simpson. Ben realized he hadn\u2019t noticed the office due to where it sat sandwiched between the two other buildings and its odd placement towards the alley.<\/p>\n \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t even know this place was here if you didn\u2019t know better,\u201d Ben mumbled as he tried the doorknob.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, sometimes we get in some pretty rough fellows\u2014and they always liked the fact that they could come and go from the office unnoticed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo doubt outlaws who need a bullet dug out of them while on the run, huh?\u201d Ben frowned as he tried to peer in the window. He couldn\u2019t see a thing due to the carefully placed blinds.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, we get some of them criminals coming off the border running from either an angry sheriff or a rowdy bounty hunter,\u201d Jake nodded. \u201cDoubt your boy is here\u2014don\u2019t look like nothing\u2019s going on inside. I don\u2019t think Doc would\u2019ve just left someone anyhow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you think?\u201d Ben asked as he looked at the other man. \u201cShould I try the sheriff\u2019s office or the hotel next?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, if we walk down this way we\u2019ll run into both of them places. Hotel is first.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s go,\u201d Ben insisted, and picked up his pace. He was starting to have even stronger vibes over there being something greatly amiss in the town.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Arcadia Hotel sat in the middle of the town of Sand Dust. Its name was much more elaborate than the interior. Hardly the ornate International Hotel, Ben thought to himself as he and Jake moved towards the desk and rang the bell for service. Within a couple of minutes a short portly man who introduced himself as John Casey, began a brief conversation with the two men. Ben insisted he check his register even though the man protested that no one had checked into the ten-room hotel in the past two weeks. After thumbing through the book himself, Ben sighed and turned for the door. With Jake Wilson following close behind, Ben walked towards the jailhouse.<\/p>\n Samuel Hazelton watched from the doorway of his office as the two men approached. As a seasoned lawman, he had honed the skills over the years and instinctively knew when there was trouble brewing. He slowly placed his right hand over his holster and waited.<\/p>\n \u201cSam\u2014this here is Ben Cartwright of the Ponderosa,\u201d Jake said and introduced the sheriff.<\/p>\n \u201cSam Hazelton,\u201d the sheriff nodded towards Ben. \u201cWhat\u2019s the trouble gents?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy son was left here with your doctor about two weeks ago. I just arrived in town and can\u2019t find the boy. The hired hand who left him here said he left him in the care of Doctor Simpson.\u201d<\/p>\n Sam scrubbed at his beard and stared down towards Ben. The sheriff stood six foot seven and was a hulking figure of a man. Ben wasn\u2019t short by any means, but the man loomed over him and was an overbearing presence.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t reckon Doc said nothing about having no patient. As far as I know last man he treated was Pete O\u2019Brien about two days before he left town. I saw him coming in from O\u2019 Brien\u2019s ranch on Thursday. Next time I saw the doc he was getting on the stage to Placerville.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid he have someone with him?\u201d Ben asked, full of suspicion.<\/p>\n \u201cNope\u2014just him\u2014was the only person in the stage when it headed out of here. You say your boy was laid up?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes\u2014had a busted leg. He couldn\u2019t have gotten out of here on his own if that\u2019s what you\u2019re thinking,\u201d Ben replied.<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2014let\u2019s go have a look at Doc\u2019s office. Maybe he left some notes or something that\u2019ll help.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe office is locked up tight,\u201d Jake threw in as the three men headed down the walkway.<\/p>\n \u201cThere ain\u2019t a door in this town I can\u2019t get into, Jake!\u201d Sam laughed.<\/p>\n The sheriff\u2019s statement proved to be accurate, though it had taken a strong shoulder and a hefty kick at the door to spring the lock. Shrugging off the jolt, Sam moved into the darkened foyer of the doctor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s get some light on the situation,\u201d the sheriff said and drew out a match.<\/p>\n Soon the room was bathed in the glow of an oil lamp and Ben moved closer to the doctor\u2019s desk to see if he could find any clues to his son\u2019s whereabouts. Coming up empty handed, he then followed the sheriff and Jake into the examining room. Jake held the lamp high in the air as they all approached the operating table that sat in the middle of the room.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph!\u201d Ben cried out, fear controlling his tone.<\/p>\n There, on the floor lying in a crumpled heap was Ben\u2019s youngest son. All three men rushed to his aid and knelt down next to the young man.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe? Can you hear me?\u201d Ben choked out as he gingerly rolled his son over to his back.<\/p>\n \u201cBest get him some water\u2014If he\u2019s been in here like this for a couple of days,\u201d Jake mentioned and walked over to the water basin sitting up on a small counter in the examining room. He was back quickly with a full glass of the liquid and handed it to the boy\u2019s father. Ben took a hold of it, though his hand was a bit shaky. He lifted it to Joe\u2019s lips and after a few moments of incoherent muttering, the young man finally began to drink.<\/p>\n \u201cCan\u2019t believe Doc would leave the kid here like this. I ain\u2019t never seen nothing like it. With his office all locked up and such\u2014we\u2019d never have known he was here,\u201d the sheriff said shaking his head in disbelief.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph? What\u2019s happened to you?\u201d Ben asked as he drew his son\u2019s torso closer to his own chest trying to shelter him from the anguish he had endured.<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d Joe whispered as his eyes fixed on the lamp in Jake\u2019s hand. \u201cWhere\u2014w\u2014where am I?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re in Doc Simpson\u2019s office,\u201d Sam answered the boy.<\/p>\n Joe closed his eyes as his body involuntarily shuddered. He reached his left hand up towards his father\u2019s face and said, \u201cPa\u2014Pa get me outta here. I\u2019ve been trying for the longest time\u2014but with this cast weighing me down I haven\u2019t gotten far.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s eyes tracked down to his son\u2019s left leg and could see the enormous plaster cast that encircled it. He could tell by the feel of Joe\u2019s forehead that his son was fighting some kind of an infection and even when he grasped the boy\u2019s hand into his own he could feel the weakness in his hold. Furthermore, Joe\u2019s hair was matted and his eyes, even by lamplight, seemed sunken. It looked as though the very life flow had ebbed from his body.<\/p>\n Normally having brilliant glowing hazel eyes, now it was almost impossible to detect their shine. His son\u2019s body, for all intents and purposes was totally emaciated Ben remembered Jake saying it had been three days since Doc Simpson had gotten on the stage to Placerville. Oh Joseph! You\u2019ve been lying here three days unattended? You\u2019ve been locked in here the whole time\u2014what if I hadn\u2019t come today? <\/em>Ben tried to figure out what had been done to his boy and why. Why would any doctor\u2014a man who swears an oath to take care of people\u2014leave a patient in such horrible shape and just disappear?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cMister Cartwright\u2014don\u2019t mean to rush you\u2014but looks like this boy needs some tending. I\u2019ll go tell John Casey to get a room ready for you. Jake\u2014you help him get the kid there okay?\u201d Sam said as he headed out of the office to see the hotel manager.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you\u2014thank you both,\u201d Ben whispered, fighting the battle in his soul to control his anger towards whoever was responsible for his son\u2019s condition. If it turned out to be Doctor Hosea Simpson, and him alone, Ben vowed to himself that he would go after him no matter how well he hid. After he was done with the man, he would turn him over to the state of Nevada to deal with. One thing for sure, Ben promised, there was no way possible that Doctor Simpson would ever practice medicine again; not after what he had done to Joseph Cartwright!<\/p>\n Aided by Jake Wilson who held onto the leg that was encumbered by the heavy cast, Ben carried Joe in his arms down the street and into the Arcadia Hotel. Just inside the foyer, John Casey, along with a woman, waited to assist the men up to the room that they had set up for the injured boy and his father. Taking the stairs carefully, Ben and Jake, followed by the sheriff and the rest of the entourage, soon had Joe placed carefully on a bed. The woman introduced herself to Ben as John\u2019s wife Helen, and told him that she would help in any way she could. She mentioned the fact that they had a son around Joe\u2019s age and that they were aghast to learn that such a young man could have been treated so dreadfully by their local doctor. Ben half-listened to the woman as she rambled on and on and handed him a washcloth dripping with cold water.<\/p>\n \u201cI thank you, Mrs. Casey\u2014and your husband as well. Right now, my only thought is to see what I can do to bring this fever down. Is there another doctor in the area?\u201d Ben asked while mopping his son\u2019s brow with the cool cloth.<\/p>\n \u201cNot one for fifty miles I\u2019m afraid,\u201d Jake piped up.<\/p>\n \u201cStill don\u2019t figure Doc doing this to the boy,\u201d Sam reiterated as he stood back to give Ben and Mrs. Casey some room to get Joe settled.<\/p>\n \u201cHow long has he been a doctor here?\u201d Ben asked frowning.<\/p>\n \u201cLike unto three years now\u2014never had no complaints about him neither!\u201d Sam answered brusquely.<\/p>\n \u201cWell you have one now,\u201d Ben fumed. He watched as his son fell off to sleep after only muttering a few unintelligible words.<\/p>\n \u201cAnything I can do for you, Mister Cartwright?\u201d Jake asked as he moved towards the door.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s Ben, and yes there is as a matter of fact,\u201d Ben replied and dug into his vest pocket and pulled out a wad of bills. He pulled out ten dollars worth and moved over to the smithy. \u201cI want you to take this for your trouble. You helped me find my son\u2014and I\u2019ve cost you a whole day\u2019s work.\u201d<\/p>\n Jake waved it off and said, \u201cBen\u2014you\u2019d have done the same thing\u2014from what I hear tell of the Cartwrights. Now\u2014I\u2019ve just got a couple of horses to shoe and that won\u2019t take me no time. I\u2019ll come back up here later\u2014to see if you need some help.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMuch obliged,\u201d Ben nodded to the man as he left the room. He then turned his attention on John Casey. \u201cMight I have something to write a telegraph with?\u201d<\/p>\n The hotel manager strode across the room over to the desk and pulled open the drawer. Removing a piece of paper and a pencil, he then handed it to Ben. \u201cHere you go\u2014you write it and I\u2019ll have it sent pronto!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben sat down on the bed alongside his son and rested his elbow on the nightstand. He knew he needed professional help and there was only one man who came to mind at the time.<\/p>\n To Doctor J. P. Martin, Virginia City, Nevada. Paul, in town of Sand Dust, Joe injured badly running high fever. No doctor in area, suspect Doctor Hosea Simpson who tended Joe and ran off might have caused more damage. Left leg broken, high fever. Please advise. Appreciate your help as always, Regards, Ben Cartwright. Care of Arcadia Hotel, Sand Dust, Nevada.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben handed the note to John<\/strong> and he and his wife left the room. Sheriff Samuel Hazelton pulled a chair up next to the bed and stared over at both father and son. He was trying to take it all in. There had to be a logical explanation for Doc Simpson to have tended the young man and then left for Placerville, but he couldn\u2019t come up with any. Ever since the doctor had hung his shingle in the town of Sand Dust he had proven to be a thoughtful and well liked man of medicine. The citizens of the town had grown to depend on him and, as far as Sam knew, Hosea had never betrayed the trust they had given him. What could have changed all that?<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m gonna do some more checking into this, Ben, it might take some digging but there\u2019s got to be a reason behind it. I don\u2019t want to sell the Doc short without knowing all the facts.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe left an injured boy locked in his office and simply left town. Sorry, but I can think of nothing that could explain such negligence,\u201d Ben replied, with anger apparent on his face. After all, there was all the proof he needed lying in the bed. Joseph was seriously injured and had endured some kind of imprisonment. It was a good thing Doctor Simpson had left town. A damn good thing as far as Ben was concerned. Because if the man were to walk into the room at that moment he wouldn\u2019t have stood a chance with the furious father.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll have Helen rustle up some broth for the boy. When he comes around maybe you can let me know so I can ask him some questions, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll send word,\u201d Ben nodded, \u201cI don\u2019t want you to think I\u2019m not grateful for your help, \u2018cause I am. It\u2019s just that\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just that your boy is hurt and you\u2019re worried,\u201d Sam interjected. \u201cI can understand that. You just take care of him and let me do my job. If there\u2019s any word back from Virginia City I\u2019ll bring it right over.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you,\u201d Ben nodded towards the man as he stood and approached the door.<\/p>\n \u201cSee you later,\u201d Sam said as he walked out of the room.<\/p>\n Ben spent the next hour acclimating himself to the room and tending his son. There really wasn\u2019t much he could do for the boy at the time, other than bathe his forehead and neck with cool water in an attempt to reduce the raging fever. Helen Casey had come back up to the room, along with her husband, and they brought with them some broth for the injured young man and Ben\u2019s saddlebags which Jake had removed from his horse. John told Ben that Jake had stabled Buck and that the smithy would return later in the evening to see what he could do. Ben accepted the broth for his son gratefully and set it aside. There would be no getting fluids into Joe until he regained consciousness.<\/p>\n Taking the time to wash some of the trail dust off of his own body, Ben poured more water into the basin and rinsed off. It wasn\u2019t helping the boy\u2019s fever any, the fact that the room was stifling hot. Ben thought back to another time, and another injury that his son had suffered.<\/p>\n Though Joe had often fallen victim to an accident or illness and pulled through just fine, it didn\u2019t make it any easier for his father this time. Ben remembered when his son was seventeen and had dove in front of a bullet that had been meant for him not Joe. It was hot as hell then too. Ben had labored trying to keep the boy\u2019s fever at bay while waiting for Doctor Martin to arrive. And, just as now, the faithful caregiver was nowhere to be seen and instead another doctor had been brought in as a replacement. Poor replacement at that. <\/em>Ben sighed as he thought back on the doctor who had sutured the boy only to have the stitches unravel a few hours later leaving it in the anxious father\u2019s hands again.<\/p>\n That was the first and thankfully the last time that Ben had to suture one of his own sons. Fortunately, almost every time since that terrible injury, Paul Martin had doctored Joe and always brought him back from the precarious edge of death. If only Paul were in Sand Dust\u2014If only Joe had waited until he was home to take that fall from Cochise\u2014if only there had been a competent doctor to tend Joe\u2014if only if only\u2014so many of them. Ben shook his head wearily and placed the wrung- out cloth on his son\u2019s forehead.<\/p>\n \u201cChestnut\u2014chestnut\u2014and black\u2014\u201d Joe mumbled, and the sound caught his father off guard.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph? Joe, you back with me?\u201d Ben asked as he sat next to the boy.<\/p>\n \u201cChestnut\u2014and black\u2014two good ones, Pa. Good horses,\u201d Joe continued.<\/p>\n Ben still wasn\u2019t too sure whether his son was coherent or perhaps just trapped in his mind somewhere, but he knew Joe was talking about the string of horses, which he had purchased from the Filmore ranch. \u201cYes\u2014you did a wonderful job choosing those mounts, Son. The horses arrived home fine\u2014so did Cochise. Now don\u2019t you worry none\u2014you just settle back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBurr under the saddle\u2014not her fault,\u201d Joe continued to converse, but his voice was both hoarse and his words broken.<\/p>\n \u201cCochise? Is that what you\u2019re talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDidn\u2019t see it till too late\u2014not her fault.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know\u2014she wouldn\u2019t throw you on purpose\u2014not that horse of yours!\u201d Ben smiled and slowly stroked the boy\u2019s head of curls.<\/p>\n Joe reached for his father\u2019s hand and stared up at the man with great confusion in his eyes. \u201cPa? You\u2019re really here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes\u2014been here awhile\u2014we\u2019re gonna get you all fixed up\u2014now don\u2019t you worry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI thought\u2014thought I dreamt it\u2014like before,\u201d Joe replied as his eyelids began to droop once more.<\/p>\n Ben squeezed the boy\u2019s hand, trying to assure him that his father was indeed there at his side. \u201cRight here, Joseph\u2014don\u2019t worry\u2014just rest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo tired\u2014leg hurts\u2014so tired,\u201d Joe whispered and his mind crawled back underneath the blanket of sleep.<\/p>\n \u201cI know\u2014I know, Son,\u201d Ben sighed again and repositioned his son\u2019s arm down alongside his body.<\/p>\n Joe continued to slumber and even when his father attempted to awaken him, he was unresponsive to his calls. Ben wanted to get some fluids into the boy, he knew of no other way to help bring his fever down. A mixture of frustration and worry filled his mind and soul as the afternoon passed into evening. Afraid to pack Joe up and try to take him back home, Ben knew he had to do whatever he could to help him. He was just about ready to send John Casey to check with the telegraph office when Jake came walking back into the room holding in his hand a response to the telegraph that had been sent earlier in the day.<\/p>\n \u201cHere you go, Ben\u2014just came!\u201d Jake called over to the other man.<\/p>\n \u201cThank God,\u201d Ben replied and brought the wire over to the nightstand where the light was better. He studied Paul\u2019s response and then looked up at the smithy and asked, \u201cJake, do you have an apothecary here in town?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, he one Doc Simpson uses\u2014Peter Cantrell runs the place. It\u2019s just the other side of the mercantile.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben walked to the desk where John had earlier pulled out some paper. He quickly wrote a note for Jake to take to the pharmacist. \u201cHere\u2014will you get this for me? The doctor I wrote to in Virginia City says this medicine might help bring down Joe\u2019s fever,\u201d Ben explained and handed the paper over to the man.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll get it right over there, Ben. Be back soon!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you very much,\u201d Ben smiled, so grateful to have someone to help him with the errands. In a strange town with a sick child, it was nice to know that a stranger would take the time to help.<\/p>\n Ben sat down in the chair next to the bed and read over Paul\u2019s lengthy reply. The medicine part was the most imperative item at the moment, but once Jake was on his way to tend to that, he now tried to grasp what Paul had said. I just don\u2019t understand. Hosea Simpson died years ago? Paul says here that he knew him personally\u2014how could that be? If the doctor who treated Joe wasn\u2019t who he said he was\u2014then\u2014who was he? Was he even a real doctor?<\/em><\/p>\n Ben pondered the situation as he shot a glance over at his son. Sam said that the doctor had been here for years, treating folks. I just don\u2019t understand. <\/em>Frowning now, Ben folded the telegraph and stuffed it inside his vest pocket. There were far too many questions and far fewer logical answers to the whole situation. If Paul says to get you back to Virginia City, Joe, then that\u2019s what we\u2019re gonna do. Everything else\u2014well\u2014will have to wait. If that medicine works, we\u2019ll catch the next stage out of here. I just hope and pray it brings down your fever\u2014can\u2019t get much worse. <\/em>Ben winced his face when his right hand touched the boy\u2019s brow; he was burning up.<\/p>\n \u201cNO! Let me go\u2014let me go!\u201d Joe shouted and strained against the tight hold.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph\u2014it\u2019s Pa\u2014relax\u2014I have to get this medicine down you\u2014It\u2019s okay,\u201d Ben insisted, struggling with the boy. He sat on the bed easing his son against his shoulder trying to get him to swallow the medicine that Jake had brought back from the apothecary.<\/p>\n \u201cLet me go!\u201d Joe screamed again.<\/p>\n Jake saw the difficulty that Ben was having and joined him on the other side of the bed. He could tell that the young man was delirious and had to be fighting unseen demons. \u201cIt\u2019s your father, simmer down now,\u201d Jake called to Joe calmly as Ben again tried to coax his son to drink the liquid.<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s energy dwindled due to the infection, which ravaged his body. His head turned towards the scent of bay rum and it was a subconscious reminder of who was now holding onto him. Easing back against the man, Joe seemed to realize he was in familiar arms.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s it, Son, you just settle down and drink this medicine\u2014it\u2019s going to help you get that fever down,\u201d Ben spoke out soothingly and Joe finally began to drink from the glass. \u201cJust a little more\u2014there\u2014all done.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa? I didn\u2019t know it was you\u2014I thought it was him,\u201d Joe whispered, and then lost all his residual strength. His body sagged down against his father.<\/p>\n Ben moved from behind his son and settled him back down on the bed. Returning the cold cloth to the boy\u2019s head he sighed; mission accomplished. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to worry\u2014no one\u2019s going to hurt you, Joseph. You go on back to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n Sam stood in the doorway watching the scene unfold in front of his eyes. He had noticed the fear that was written all over young Cartwright\u2019s face. Sam could tell that part of the boy\u2019s distress had to be due to the fever he was battling, but obviously some of it was due to something altogether more sinister.<\/p>\n \u201cBen? How\u2019s the boy doing?\u201d Sam queried, walking towards the bed.<\/p>\n \u201cFever\u2019s still high, but we just got the first dose of medicine down him. Hopefully it will do the trick,\u201d Ben answered and sank down into the chair exhausted mentally.<\/p>\n \u201cHe sure was frightened,\u201d Jake commented as he moved to stand next to the sheriff.<\/p>\n \u201cThink I have an idea as to why,\u201d Sam responded grimly and then pulled two objects from his coat pocket. He handed them over to Ben.<\/p>\n Ben took a good look at the two leather straps. It was clear that one of them had teeth marks on it, and was literally ripped to shreds. He knew what it meant and yet was almost afraid to ask for confirmation from the lawman. \u201cWhere did you get these?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDoc\u2019s office\u2014looks like he tied the kid up\u2014left him there. Guess that\u2019s why Joe couldn\u2019t get out of the office or make a racket to draw attention so someone could find him there. It\u2019s starting to paint a rather ugly picture of the man we all thought we knew. I don\u2019t have a clue as to why he would do such a thing, but there\u2019s no question that it was intentional,\u201d Sam explained.<\/p>\n Ben eased back over to the bed and took a good look at his son\u2019s wrists. He had been so worried about the boy\u2019s broken leg and his fever that he hadn\u2019t even noticed the clear signs of leather burns on both of Joe\u2019s wrists. \u201cNo question at all,\u201d Ben grumbled, his stomach churning with rage over what had befallen his boy. \u201cBut, I\u2019ve got a lot of other questions though. Like what kind of an animal could do this to my son and why? His fever is so high it makes me wonder what\u2019s exactly under that cast too. Did your doctor butcher his leg before tying him up and leaving?<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know\u2014guess none of us will find out until the cast is taken off,\u201d Sam sighed, hoping that what they would find wouldn\u2019t be nearly as awful as what they already had witnessed.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got news for you too. Your Doctor Hosea Simpson was an imposter!\u201d Ben growled vehemently.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d Jake and Sam asked in unison.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right, when I mentioned the doctor\u2019s name to our family physician in the telegraph he informed me that he knew Hosea well. He also said that the man died years ago! So now\u2014what we have is someone pretending to be a doctor\u2014doing God knows what to my boy\u2014and then tying him up and leaving town. Now what do you think of the man?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think I never knew him,\u201d Sam insisted.<\/p>\n \u201cDoc set my nephew\u2019s arm last spring, Ben. He did a good job of it\u2014the boy is fine now. I\u2019ve seen some of the kids he\u2019s brought into the world too\u2014they\u2019ve all done okay too,\u201d Jake added.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, and Martha Thompson\u2014she had her appendix taken out last winter. If he was pretending to be a doctor\u2014well he did surgeries pretty damn well!\u201d Sam continued.<\/p>\n \u201cIf he was that good then why did he do this to my son?\u201d Ben asked again, as he felt of Joe\u2019s forehead again. No change yet, still hot to the touch.<\/p>\n \u201cI wish I knew\u2014I wish I knew,\u201d Sam shook his head discouraged by the strange turn of events. \u201cI\u2019m still checking on things\u2014sent for some information on Hosea. His diploma is still on the wall so I\u2019ve sent a wire to the university where it was issued. Hopefully they can shed some light on some of this. If it\u2019s true that the real Hosea Simpson is dead we should have another confirmation soon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDoctor Martin in Virginia City advised me to get Joe home as soon as possible. If this fever comes down a bit, I will need arrangements to head out on the next stage. Will you see what you can do for me, Sam?\u201d Ben asked wearily.<\/p>\n \u201cShould be one out of here around two o\u2019clock tomorrow afternoon. I can make arrangements and hope that your son rallies before then,\u201d the sheriff agreed.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s hope so. If we get out of here, will you wire the sheriff in Virginia City of our travel plans? His name is Roy Coffee. If you\u2019ll just let him know so he can be sure that the doctor will meet us when we arrive I\u2019d appreciate it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo problem. I\u2019ll also keep him posted on this end about what I find out about all this.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you,\u201d Ben nodded the sheriff\u2019s way.<\/p>\n \u201cBen\u2014I can find someone to bring your horse back to your ranch for you. Might take a few days to get someone but I promise they will be trustworthy,\u201d Jake assured.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019ll be fine, Jake. I don\u2019t know what I would\u2019ve done if you and the sheriff here\u2014and the manager and his wife as well, hadn\u2019t helped with all this. I\u2019ll forever be grateful for what you\u2019ve done.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLike I said before, you\u2019d do the same I reckon,\u201d Jake smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cJust sorry that you had to come to Sand Dust under these circumstances, Ben. Not really a bad town\u2014just happened to get hold of a rather shady doctor,\u201d Sam apologized as best he could.<\/p>\n \u201cIF he WAS a doctor, Sam,\u201d Ben reminded the man. \u201cI just pray that my boy\u2019s leg is going to be all right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d appreciate it if you would send word to let us all know how Joe does. I\u2019m going to go and check on the stage time for you now,\u201d Sam said and headed for the door.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll send you a wire once we\u2019ve made it into Virginia City. Maybe we will have some good news,\u201d Ben replied, hoping for the best but he still had a nagging feeling that he might be far too optimistic over his son\u2019s prognosis.<\/p>\n \u201cLet me stay here with Joe while you go on downstairs and get some dinner,\u201d Jake offered.<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2014I really should stay.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow the boy ain\u2019t going nowhere\u2014and I can mop his brow just like you, Ben. Go on now\u2014you\u2019ll have him on your own for three days on the stage. You\u2019re gonna have your hands full then\u2014so go take a little break. I promise I won\u2019t leave Joe\u2019s side,\u201d Jake argued.<\/p>\n \u201cAll right\u2014just long enough to eat some dinner,\u201d Ben finally conceded and walked over to where the sheriff was still standing. \u201cThanks, Jake.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re welcome\u2014now get!\u201d the smithy ordered and sat down in the chair Ben had just vacated.<\/p>\n While darkness fell over the desert town of Sand Dust Ben kept constant vigil over his injured son. He had been able to get three doses of the medicine down Joe with little event but the boy\u2019s fever still hadn\u2019t eased up. Ben fought to keep his eyes opened, his body playing out on him after such a long and frustrating day. Finally, he settled down on the bed alongside his son. With a pillow propping him up against the head board Ben waited for morning. He had no idea as to how long he had been asleep when his hand, which he had left gently planted on Joe\u2019s forehead, told him that the fever was giving up its hold on the boy. The slight but very welcomed temperature drop on the palm of his left hand instantly brought Ben back to reality. Blinking his eyes open he heard his son\u2019s faint mumbling.<\/p>\n \u201cPa? Pa you awake?\u201d Joe spoke out quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cYes\u2014I am now. How are you feeling?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cKinda fuzzy\u2014how long have I been out?\u201d Joe asked and then tried to move up in the bed some. The pain from his leg stopped him and he groaned.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve been in and out of it all day and night, Joseph. Don\u2019t try and move that leg either!\u201d Ben ordered and eased carefully off the bed so that he wouldn\u2019t jolt his son\u2019s injury.<\/p>\n \u201cLeg\u2019s killing me, Pa\u2014feels like a knife\u2014cutting through me,\u201d Joe said wincing his face.<\/p>\n Ben poured another glass of water and added the medicine to the liquid before handing it over to his son. \u201cDrink this\u2014don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to help with the pain but it seems to be doing the trick with your fever. You were burning up earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe drank the full contents of the glass and handed it back to his father. Ben poured himself some water and polished it off in a couple swallows. The air in the room was just as stagnant as it had been earlier, though the room temperature had gone down a bit that night. Taking a seat in the chair next to the bed, the worried father gazed over at his boy.<\/p>\n \u201cYou awake enough to tell me what in the devil has gone on here in this town?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n Joe rubbed at his left wrist and shook his head. His thoughts were filled with horrible events, sights, and sounds he\u2019d just as soon forget. But, he knew that they had to be told in order to seek revenge on the person who had caused so much damage to his body and psyche.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanna go home, Pa,\u201d Joe whispered and closed his eyes to block the images that had been resurrected.<\/p>\n Ben reached over, took his son\u2019s hand into his grasp, and stared into the boy\u2019s frightened eyes. \u201cWe\u2019re going to leave this afternoon\u2014I\u2019ve just been waiting for your fever to come down. I wired Doc Martin\u2014he needs to see you as soon as possible to check out that leg. There\u2019s no doctor anywhere around here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou can say that again!\u201d Joe replied, anger in his response.<\/p>\n \u201cTell me about it, Son,\u201d Ben asked patiently. He knew that Joe had suffered some kind of terrible trauma at the hands of the person who had pretended to be Hosea Simpson. Reaching across to the nightstand Ben retrieved the two leather restraints and showed them to his son. \u201cThe sheriff found these in the doctor\u2019s office.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe studied the pieces of leather, which had held him a prisoner for days. Taking them into his trembling hands, he closed his eyes again and felt as though he was propelled back in time. He could see the man who had passed himself off as being Doctor Simpson. Pain, the depth of which could never be completely explained away in words, came to the forefront of Joe\u2019s mind and it was fierce enough to temporarily take his breath away. His eyes flew open and he had to reach out for his father\u2019s arm to make sure he was there and that it all wasn\u2019t one of the wishful dreams he had encountered during his captivity. Pa was there, he was really there. He had to keep assuring himself that safety was his at last.<\/p>\n Ben watched his son, wounded in spirit and in body trying to get the words out. His son was brave, that was a given. He had endured more triumphs and tragedies than a man twice his young age. Worried that it might not be such a good idea to force the boy to remember such awful events quite so soon Ben was just about ready to call it all off when Joe piped up.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2014I guess I need to start at the beginning,\u201d Joe began and paused momentarily.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can wait on this if you want,\u201d Ben offered sympathetically.<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2014no, Pa\u2014I gotta get it out of my head or it\u2019s gonna eat me alive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGo on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCliff dropped me off at the doctor\u2019s office. I told him I\u2019d be okay\u2014boy was I wrong! Anyway\u2014right away the doctor insisted on giving me something to knock me out. He said it was needed so he could set my leg. There was talk about a telegraph being sent to you\u2014did you get it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I didn\u2019t. If I had I sure would\u2019ve been here sooner, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFigures,\u201d Joe replied bitterly. He knew now that the doctor deliberately neglected to send the wire to his father. It had afforded the man more time to do further damage to his patient. \u201cI don\u2019t know how long it was before I came back around. I do know that my leg was hurting like hell,\u201d Joe paused again and looked directly into his father\u2019s eyes to see if his choice of language had bothered him.<\/p>\n Ben smiled and nodded towards his son, \u201cI expect to hear some choice words this time, Joseph\u2014go ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I complained that my leg hurt even worse than it had when Cliff brought me into the office. The doctor just said that it was a bad break and that it would ease up. He offered me morphine, but\u2014well, you know I refused it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood,\u201d Ben replied thankfully. Joe had suffered years before due to the affect of the drug and they didn\u2019t need another go round.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, he gave me something else to take the edge off. He gave me water and he fed me but when I asked if I could move to the hotel, he got angry. The explanation that he offered was that he wasn\u2019t certain that the set had worked and needed to monitor my progress for a few days. I wasn\u2019t suspicious at the time\u2014didn\u2019t have no cause to be I guess,\u201d Joe stopped and reached down towards the heavy cast and it showed on his face the pain he was still suffering.<\/p>\n \u201cSo the first week he just kept you there in the office and watched you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah\u2014but every time I talked about moving to the hotel he would sedate me. It was starting to make me worry that all wasn\u2019t right. But, I figured that you had gotten the telegraph and would be showing up at any moment\u2014so I thought I could wait him out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t even know about your accident until Cliff showed up with the horses. As soon as I spotted him coming in with Cochise in tow\u2014I knew there was trouble. I headed out that evening. Wish I could\u2019ve gotten here sooner, Son.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know, Pa, it\u2019s okay. Anyway, the days are kinda hazy after the first couple of them. The only way I knew the passing of time was from the light at the bottom of the door. He kept it so dark in the room where I was held I couldn\u2019t see anything else. Finally, I told him I had had enough of it and wanted out! Guess I should\u2019ve kept my head, but well\u2014you know how I get when I feel confined.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I know,\u201d Ben grinned, knowing how hard it had been to keep his son in line in the past when he was injured.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, he got mad, Pa\u2014real mad! Then he said that my leg needed to be re-broken,\u201d Joe said and his face took on an even more horrified expression. \u201cPa, that was so awful\u2014I can\u2019t tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy did he do it? Furthermore, how would he have known if the leg wasn\u2019t setting properly after such a short time?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know; I don\u2019t even know if he was honest about it being in bad shape. He gave me something to knock me out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt least you were spared going through it again\u2014since you were sedated,\u201d Ben sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Pa\u2014that\u2019s the bad part.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe waited until I came back around\u2014to do the breaking. And I couldn\u2019t do nothing about it either\u2014he had my hands tied down with these!\u201d Joe implicated the restraints.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph? Are you\u2014are you telling me that he didn\u2019t even give you anything for pain when he re-broke that leg?\u201d Ben asked, his voice quivering.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah\u2014he waited until I was fully conscious, Pa. I tried\u2014tried hard to get out of there\u2014but I couldn\u2019t\u2014then he\u2014he broke the bone\u2014I lasted until I felt that\u2014and then I passed out from the pain I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n That was it! Ben could no longer sit calmly by and listen to Joe\u2019s rendition of the awful treatment he had endured at the hands of the evil imposter. He stood and began pacing the room. With his hands clenching into fists he moved away from the bed and over to the window. Ben\u2019s stomach churned and the blood in his veins turned stone cold. He had to think of his son, and not do what he wanted to at that moment. Ben knew that as bad as he needed to seek vengeance against the man who had hurt his son, he was needed to care for the boy far more.<\/p>\n Joe watched as his pa walked back and forth. He could tell that the man was waging a battle in his mind to retain possession of his soul. Joe knew his father and with that knowledge came the understanding that Ben Cartwright would never allow a son of his to be treated in such a terrible manner as Doctor Simpson had treated his youngest. All the signs were there, the furrowed brow, the clenched fists, and the tight way in which his father held his mouth shut. Joe was in a lot of ways a replica of the man in front of him now. The only difference between them was the fact that Joe would not have been able to control himself. Pa was just more seasoned to the reality of life and injustice, though it didn\u2019t make it anymore tolerable.<\/p>\n \u201cPa? You okay?\u201d Joe finally broke the mounting silence in the room.<\/p>\n Ben heard his son\u2019s voice calling out to him, but he waited a few moments before turning towards the sound. He had to try his best to gather his internal fortitude; he had to pull himself together. How could he ever expect his youngest son to show restraint if he, himself, could not do it?<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I\u2019m not\u2014actually, Joe. Sorry,\u201d Ben muttered and returned to the chair slowly. \u201cI\u2019m almost afraid to ask you to finish\u2014but guess we need to get this all out on the table.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCould you get me some water?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben poured his son a glass and handed it to him. He could see the glistening of tears in Joe\u2019s eyes and knew why they were there. His youngest son was no mystery to him anymore. Though he had spent the better part of his life covering his feelings, Joe had later relented and allowed his father a view into his soul that no-one else had ever seen. That was the bond, and it was unbreakable. Ben could simply take one look at his youngest and know what he was feeling inside. And, remarkable as it was, Joe could do the very same thing with his father. Now the room was filled with a mutual pain, just as if it wasn\u2019t one soul, which had been injured, nor one body, which had felt the harsh brutality. As each new detail was revealed by his son, Ben shared the experience as if he had been the one lying in Doctor Simpson\u2019s office and not Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Pa,\u201d Joe said and handed his glass over to his father. He settled back against the pillows, which had been propped up behind his head and readied to continue. \u201cSo, he broke my leg\u2014I passed out\u2014then I came back around to find I was still tied. The only thing I could do was to talk to the doctor and try to reason with him. I felt that the man must have gone crazy or something! Why else would he have kept me a prisoner? Why else would he have tied me up and broken my leg while I was fully awake? He answered my pleas by drugging me. Don\u2019t know what he gave me\u2014or how much of it. I spent the next few days in a drugged stupor I guess. I don\u2019t remember even eating\u2014just downing whatever he gave me to drink.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe never told you\u2014anything\u2014that would tell you why he was doing this, Joseph?\u201d Ben asked incredulously.<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2014not that I didn\u2019t ask him a million times! Each time I\u2019d get loud, he would sedate me\u2014even when I refused to drink his concoctions he would inject my arm with some stuff. I\u2019m just glad it wasn\u2019t morphine,\u201d Joe sighed as he pulled the sleeve to his shirt up higher to give his father a glimpse of the needle marks.<\/p>\n \u201cYou sure\u2014sure it wasn\u2019t?\u201d Ben replied shakily.<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2014If it was\u2014bet you I\u2019d be having withdrawal symptoms by now\u2014and I don\u2019t. Just hurt like hell\u2014my leg feels like something\u2019s cutting away at it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe when he set it\u2014It might not have done well\u2014and there\u2019s a bone spur?\u201d Ben asked as his eyes trekked down to the enormous plaster cast.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah\u2014unless\u2014unless he did something when he cut into it,\u201d Joe frowned. He was just about ready to get into the worst part of his explanation. Joe wondered how Pa would take the rest of the story.<\/p>\n \u201cHe cut into it? What are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou aren\u2019t gonna like this part, Pa\u2014trust me,\u201d Joe tried to warn the man.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t like ANY of this, Joseph!\u201d Ben exclaimed and tried to hold down the volume to his voice. It was very early in the morning and he didn\u2019t want to awaken anybody in the hotel with his anger but was finding it more difficult now to hold in his feelings.<\/p>\n \u201cMe neither,\u201d Joe quipped and reached for his father\u2019s hand and squeezed it. He knew it was his turn to try to calm down the situation. Pa looked like a loose cannon at the time, about ready to explode at any moment.<\/p>\n \u201cGo on\u2014let\u2019s hear the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA couple of days after he reset my leg he said that it was showing signs of infection. I was terrified that he was gonna try to re-break it again! But, he said it wasn\u2019t the set\u2014that it must be something inside of my leg\u2014like you just mentioned\u2014a bone spur or splinter. I was not going to lie there and let that man cut into me\u2014no way! I tried to get the restraints off me, but I couldn\u2019t. Then, I decided that if I made enough of a racket that maybe someone would hear me and come to my aid. I was able to reach a pitcher and I managed to throw it across the room. That wasn\u2019t such a good idea I guess\u2014\u2019cause it only made him angrier. So\u2014he gagged me with a cloth so no-body could hear my screams. He tied the restraints tighter so I couldn\u2019t try to throw anything else too. That\u2019s when he began his little operation.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben reached for his son\u2019s chin and turned his face so he could look directly into his eyes. \u201cOh\u2014Joseph\u2014don\u2019t tell me that he operated on your leg\u2014with you wide awake!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYep,\u201d Joe nodded as tears involuntarily rolled out of his eyes and slid down his cheeks. He had held it in long enough, there was little point in pretending now. No brave countenance was needed. Pa knew, Pa understood. In fact, it had been Ben who had gotten through to him many years ago that showing one\u2019s emotions was not a sign of weakness but, on the contrary, was a show of strength of character.<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s tears were due to the intense pride he had inside of himself, the kind of pride that refused to let anyone get the better of him. The alleged doctor had put him in a position where he had no control over his fate and that had hurt Joe\u2019s soul almost as much as the man\u2019s inhumane methods had injured his body. Instinctively knowing what was needed at the moment, Ben pulled his son into his arms to shield him from the awfulness of his ordeal. \u201cPa\u2014it hurt so bad\u2014I felt every inch of the incision\u2014he carved deep into my leg\u2014I prayed that I would pass out\u2014but it didn\u2019t happen that time. I\u2019ve known pain before\u2014you know I have\u2014and I\u2019ve dealt with things that would have driven other people insane\u2014but this\u2014this was pure torture,\u201d Joe whispered and clung to his one means of support and strength; his pa.<\/p>\n Ben pulled back a little from his embrace on his son and stared once again into the desperation which Joe\u2019s hazel eyes conveyed. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to tell me, Joseph, you don\u2019t have to apologize or explain in any way\u2014I know what you\u2019re made of. I just wish to God that I could have stopped that bastard from doing this to you. Just the fact that you are still here with me now shows me how strong you are, Son. But, you aren\u2019t alone any more. Let it out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy would anyone\u2014especially a doctor\u2014do this to anyone, Pa?\u201d Joe asked earnestly and looked to his pa for an answer.<\/p>\n \u201cI just don\u2019t know,\u201d Ben whispered and shook his head wearily. \u201cBut, I will promise you\u2014right now\u2014as God is my witness I will find him and make him pay for this.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa\u2014I\u2019m afraid of what he\u2019s done to my leg\u2014It doesn\u2019t feel right. I\u2019ve had broken bones before, and I know what they feel like when they are mending. This is different.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid you see if he pulled anything out when he did his operation?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I couldn\u2019t watch,\u201d Joe replied and hung his head sadly.<\/p>\n \u201cHey\u2014\u201d Ben started and forced his son\u2019s gaze, \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have been able to either, Joe\u2014so don\u2019t feel bad! I probably wouldn\u2019t have stayed conscious either.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot like I was trying to, Pa,\u201d Joe insisted wryly as he pushed away his tears. He was starting to feel better, at least in spirit. But, then, Pa was good at making him feel good, always had been. \u201cI don\u2019t know what he did\u2014he just kinda cut the hell out of my leg, then stitched it up. That\u2019s when he finally shot something into my arm. Next thing I knew I woke up to this monstrosity on my leg. Have you ever seen such a big cast before?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2014no can\u2019t say I have. I just pray that whatever is under it is healing,\u201d Ben replied and then wished he had phrased it a tad better. Joe didn\u2019t need any more worries at the present.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanna go home, Pa,\u201d Joe whispered and settled back on the bed. He was pretty much spent from the rehashing of events.<\/p>\n Ben pushed aside the curls, which had fallen down onto his son\u2019s forehead and pulled up the sheet to cover the boy\u2019s shoulders. There was still so much he wanted to know about Joe\u2019s ordeal but he got the general drift now and it was heartbreaking. Ben decided the remainder of the story could wait until his son was a bit more healed emotionally.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll leave later today. Now you close those eyes. Get as much rest as you can before that long stage ride. Before you know it we\u2019ll be back home and you\u2019ll have a real doctor to fix you up properly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRemind me to tell Doc Martin how sorry I am,\u201d Joe muttered as his eyelids slowly closed.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry for what?\u201d Ben asked, confused by his son\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry for never appreciating his bedside manner. After this doctor\u2014or whatever he was\u2014I\u2019ll never complain about anything Doc Martin does to me again.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben smiled as he watched his son fade out. No matter what the boy had been through, he would somehow be all right. His son was a creature of habit and that showed in the way he joked to allay his father\u2019s worries. Joe had always used humor as a catalyst to break the tension in a bad situation, this time was no different. The boy was tough, as tough as they come; Ben thought as he settled down in the chair and waited daybreak.<\/p>\n Watching from his vantage point inside the stagecoach Ben had seen more desert and sagebrush than he ever remembered in his life. The three-day journey back to home turf had been a hot one and the constant rocking back and forth inside the coach didn\u2019t do much for Joe\u2019s leg injury either. Before they had left Sand Dust, Ben had taken the time to wire the sheriff in Virginia City and asked his old friend to get a hold of Hoss.<\/p>\n He knew that middle boy of his would be up at the timber camp by North Shore, but once he learned of the trouble that his father had encountered, he would head back home quickly. Sam Hazelton had sent his own wire earlier that same day. He had told Roy Coffee in the telegraph all the particulars of the man who was under suspicion.<\/p>\n Giving the sheriff a complete description, Sam also told him that he would keep him apprised of any further information that he came up with in the hopes of capturing the imposter. Ben wanted to catch the so-called doctor himself, but he would have to put that desire on the back burner. His main worry was the boy who was sleeping soundly to his left side.<\/p>\n It was a stroke of luck that there hadn\u2019t been any other passengers taking the stagecoach west so that it would afford both Cartwrights more room. Ben had propped his son\u2019s heavy cast held leg on the step that the driver used to board passengers. It had helped some, but Joe\u2019s fever and his pain were back in full force, especially on the last day of the journey.<\/p>\n His father had tried to cool off the boy\u2019s brow by using water poured onto his neckerchief, but it was having little effect. One of the canteens had been filled with a mixture of the medicine and water and Ben made sure to give it at two hours intervals to his son. He could not help staring down at Joe\u2019s cast nor extinguish the haunting thoughts as to what might be underneath the plaster. Had the evil man carved into the boy\u2019s leg on purpose, or was it in a real effort to help the injury? Ben scowled to himself just thinking about the operation which had been done without the aid of sedation. He couldn\u2019t fathom how anyone could do such a thing to another human. Ben would have been more humane to an animal than the alleged doctor had been to his son.<\/p>\n The humid air and the constant motion finally lulled Ben into an uneasy slumber. Hours passed and even the one stop over at the way station couldn\u2019t awaken both Cartwrights. Soon the stagecoach was closing in on the mining town of Virginia City. The sun had just started to set behind the expansive mountain range in the distance when the main road of the town came into view. Ben became suddenly aware of the commotion on the street and gently nudged his son\u2019s arm to waken him.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re home, Joseph,\u201d Ben whispered and watched as the boy\u2019s eyes blinked open.<\/p>\n \u201cHome?\u201d Joe muttered and tried to pull himself upright in the seat. He saw the sheriff\u2019s office and then the mercantile and soon they were pulling up in front of the Overland Stage Depot.<\/p>\n \u201cYou just sit tight\u2014I\u2019ll get someone to help me down with you,\u201d Ben ordered as the stage came to a halt.<\/p>\n Ben waited for the driver to come down from his perch and open the door to the coach. He handed the step, which had held the weight of Joe\u2019s leg for days, down to the man. Ben then turned around and descended. As soon as his boots hit the street, he felt a tap on his back and looked over at the smiling face of Paul Martin.<\/p>\n \u201cPaul, am I glad to see you!\u201d Ben exclaimed and shook the man\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n \u201cHow is he?\u201d Paul said, getting right to the concerns of his patient.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to need help with the boy\u2014the cast on his leg is very cumbersome.\u201d<\/p>\n Paul climbed up into the stagecoach and stared over at Joe. \u201cWell, Young Man, you want to come down or are you too comfortable where you are?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m ready to come down all right\u2014and go home too!\u201d Joe replied and tried for a weak smile to show the doctor how glad he was to see him.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to get your shoulders and your pa is going to get that leg. You just ease back and let us do the work, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe nodded and with just a bit of maneuvering the two men had him back on solid ground. He tried to maintain his balance, but was weaving from the effects of his injury and his mounting fever.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s get him over to my office. You carry him and I\u2019ll get that leg,\u201d Paul directed<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If it had been any other time, and if Joe had been able to hold up his own weight, he would have protested vehemently the carrying of his body across the street. But, he wasn\u2019t feeling well and hoped that he could make it to Paul\u2019s office before his stomach let loose of the small amount of lunch he had eaten. Carefully the team of Cartwright and Martin made their way across the street and soon had Joe spread out comfortably on the examining table.<\/p>\n Paul washed his hands and approached his patient. He took a close look into the boy\u2019s eyes and then listened to his heart before turning his attention to the injured leg. Ben watched speechless as the doctor went about his examination. He hoped to catch an expression on Paul\u2019s face, which would lead to what the man thought of Joe\u2019s condition. It didn\u2019t look good. By the time Paul had tested each one of Joe\u2019s exposed toes for signs of circulation, his face was scrunched up like there was a terrible prognosis forthcoming.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe, now what are you doing getting all banged up where I can\u2019t fix you anyhow?\u201d Paul smiled and walked across the room in order to prepare the medication he would need for his patient.<\/p>\n \u201cWasn\u2019t my choosing, Doc,\u201d Joe muttered and stared up into his father\u2019s eyes. He could read the worry and knew that something was going on that neither of the two men was planning to tell him. \u201cSo\u2014what\u2019s going on anyhow?\u201d<\/p>\n Paul carried a glass full of a milky looking substance over to his patient and replied, \u201cNow, Joe, I haven\u2019t had time to even catch my breath from lugging you across the street. Give me a minute will you? And, in the meantime, drink this. It\u2019ll help with your pain.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben helped to lift his son\u2019s head up higher so that he could swallow the contents of the glass and then eased the boy back flat on his back once it was polished off.<\/p>\n \u201cDoc, feels like a knife\u2019s gone through my leg and stuck halfway in it,\u201d Joe explained.<\/p>\n \u201cIn a couple of minutes you aren\u2019t going to feel anything, Joe. You just relax and then I\u2019ll see what\u2019s under that cast. It sure is a big one, isn\u2019t it? Why I bet that doctor used up every ounce of plaster this side of St. Louis!\u201d Paul mused, trying to ease the boy\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s eyelids slowly closed and he could feel his father\u2019s hand on his arm. Then there was a gentle pulling feeling in his brain and nothing more. He was out like a light, which was what the doctor had hoped for.<\/p>\n \u201cI need to tell you what that man did to the boy, Paul. You\u2019ll need to know before you cut that cast away,\u201d Ben stated grimly.<\/p>\n Paul pulled up a chair and pointed for the anxious father to do the same. Slowly and with a controlled anger to his voice, Ben told the doctor of everything that had happened to Joe. Paul listened intently and did not interrupt. He could tell that his old friend needed to get some things off his chest and the only way to do it was to vent. Knowing Ben Cartwright more years than Joe had been alive, Paul could tell that he was also injured in spirit over what had befallen the lad.<\/p>\n There was nothing that Ben valued over his sons and that was what had caused the damage. Paul knew that Joe\u2019s ordeal had eaten away at the worried father and he wanted so badly to make someone pay for it.\u00a0\u00a0 Paul felt close to the same way, after the full facts had been told. Joe Cartwright was a good kid, and Paul thought of him as the son he had never had. He had spent so many hours over the years in patching the rambunctious youngster up, that Paul knew him very well. Now, the doctor was starting to feel a dread inside his heart that he might not be able to pick up the pieces and patch the boy this time.<\/p>\n The telltale signs of advanced infection showed on Joe\u2019s mottled skin and in the way his toenails had not sprung back to a healthy pink shade when he had pressed on them earlier. Paul was afraid that the boy might very well lose his leg. He couldn\u2019t picture that. Joe Cartwright was a perpetual motion machine. He was the kind of kid who could spring onto his pinto without ever touching the stirrups. What would Joe be like if that was taken from him? Paul shivered at the very thought of it.<\/p>\n \u201cOne thing I can tell you for a fact, it was not Hosea Simpson who treated this boy, Ben! I knew the man well and I even attended his funeral about five years ago. And there\u2019s no doctor I\u2019ve ever known who would have done such shoddy work. I can\u2019t imagine the horror Joe endured in having a leg re-broken and later operated on without any sedation. That was barbaric to say the least! It\u2019s one thing, on the battlefield when you don\u2019t have the proper instruments or supplies, but with an apothecary there in town I can\u2019t believe anyone would do such a thing. He sure gave Joe enough injections at other times, from what you\u2019ve said. It makes no sense!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, his arm has quite a few syringe scars on it, I just thank God that he didn\u2019t use morphine or we\u2019d be contending with even more than we are already,\u201d Ben fumed.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, you know it\u2019s bad\u2014I don\u2019t have to tell you that. How bad exactly we won\u2019t know until that cast is cut away. Joe\u2019s got some deep infection going on there, his circulation doesn\u2019t look well at all. I think we need to move him to the hospital, Ben. This is going to be quite an ordeal before it\u2019s over with.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPaul\u2014you don\u2019t think\u2014 Joseph won\u2019t\u2014I mean his leg\u2014\u201d Ben trailed off. He was afraid to say what he had been thinking for days. If his son were to lose his leg he wouldn\u2019t want to live, Ben knew that.<\/p>\n Paul knew what Ben was going to say, it didn\u2019t matter that he hadn\u2019t finished his question. \u201cI wish I could answer that. I know you\u2019ve been around long enough to know what can happen when infection is running rampant in a person\u2019s body for too long. Right now, to be totally honest with you, I am worried about saving this boy\u2019s life. Of course I will do everything in my power to try to save his leg, but there might not be an option to it.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben could feel the tears leaving his eyes and he didn\u2019t give a hoot about it at the time. He loved his son; he loved all three of them. But, this was his youngest. This boy had overcome great odds in the past and had always sprung back with a vengeance. Joseph deserved better than this, if only because he gave his all to everyone he came into contact with. He deserved better if only because he was a good, trusting soul who cared so much and had risked so much over the years! It wasn\u2019t fair; none of it was fair! Why did he have to suffer such cruelty when he possessed such an honest and open heart?<\/p>\n Paul read the total devastation on his friend\u2019s face. He moved towards the man and offered him comfort. Dropping his hand down onto Ben\u2019s shoulder he said, \u201cJoe\u2019s like my own son\u2014you\u2019ve known that for awhile now. If he were my son, I would get him to the hospital and try to save his life. If that means him losing his leg, well\u2014we can help him to deal with that later.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s got to be something else we can do!\u201d Ben pleaded with the man.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll send a wire to Harold Peele in San Francisco\u2014perhaps he knows a surgeon who can assist us in this? Meanwhile, we get that cast off and see exactly what we\u2019re dealing with. Who knows? Maybe it\u2019s not as bad as I think it is. I have been wrong in the past, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI trust you, Paul, always have. You\u2019ve saved this kid time and time again. We\u2019d better not waste anymore time getting to this. Let\u2019s get Joseph to the hospital and then you can get that wire to Harold,\u201d Ben insisted as he moved next to his son and ran his hand across the boy\u2019s cheek.<\/p>\n \u201cBe right back\u2014I\u2019ll send someone for my carriage. I gave Joe enough sedation that he won\u2019t even feel the move over to the hospital,\u201d Paul replied and headed out into the street.<\/p>\n Ben stared down at the injured leg and pushed aside his tears. I promise you, Joseph, we\u2019ll do everything we can to save you and that leg. I also promise you that I will kill the person who did this to you!<\/em> Ben vowed.<\/p>\n The Sisters of Mercy Hospital stood just on the outskirts of Virginia City. Less than a year old, the modestly equipped twenty-room hospital had been entirely funded through the local Catholic Church and several wealthy benefactors who lived in the Washoe Valley. Doctor Paul Martin had been the impetus behind the building being constructed and had begun to staff it with doctors he had hand picked.<\/p>\n Most of the physicians however, were just out of medical schools in the New England area and had much to learn. Paul knew all that would come in time and what with the population of the mining town growing in leaps and bounds, ever since the Comstock Lode was discovered, he realized the hospital would be a tremendous asset to the area. Personally, he loved being a country doctor and still insisted on keeping his practice. But, he was there to assist at the hospital as needed and was soon to be appointed chief of staff. Paul was going to accept the position with the provision being that he retain his current patients in Virginia City and would not have to spend more than a couple of hours at the hospital during the week.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Ben Cartwright\u2019s Ponderosa ranch<\/strong> had provided much of the materials needed to build the hospital and he knew it well. His eldest son, Adam, who was away in Europe at the present time, had drawn up the plans for the health care facility. Ben never looked at the hospital without having great pride in his son\u2019s ability to create something both esthetically pleasing as well as practical. However, by the time Paul\u2019s carriage pulled up in front of the hospital, his thoughts were only on saving his youngest son. He had never thought about one of his sons being confined inside the place and as they carried the boy into the hospital Ben felt as though his heart dropped in his chest. It was only a grim reminder of past tragedies and past hospitalizations that Joe had endured. Paul was quick to acquire a stretcher, and before they had made it halfway down the corridor Joe was whisked away to one of the two operating rooms leaving Ben standing alone. He could tell by the way the doctor had yelled for the attendants that Paul wasn\u2019t wasting any more time. Ben stood there, leaning heavily against one of the walls and stared down towards where they had taken his boy. He closed his eyes in prayer; there was little else he could do at the time. Before long, he felt a hand on his shoulder and opened his eyes to see Sheriff Roy Coffee standing alongside of him.<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019s Joe?\u201d Roy whispered.. He could read the dread on his friend\u2019s face, but still he asked.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t know for sure\u2014his leg, well\u2014we\u2019ll know soon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI got most of the story from the sheriff in Sand Dust. He\u2019s sent me several wires telling me what that yahoo did to Joe. Hoss came on in to town the day after I got your message. I got me a posse together and he headed out with them. Just got back a little while ago,\u201d Roy explained.<\/p>\n \u201cIs Hoss back?\u201d Ben asked hopefully. Somehow being able to put his arms around his middle boy might take some of the burden off them both. There was strength in numbers and Hoss contained more strength alone than a dozen men.<\/p>\n \u201cNaw\u2014stayed out there\u2014reckon when I told him what that doctor done to Joe he had blood in his eyes. Well, you know how them boys of yours are! Don\u2019t matter if they fight and scrap amongst themselves\u2014when one of them\u2019s hurt the other will do what he can to fix it.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben smiled and nodded; Roy had described his sons to the tee. Good sons, all of them. Fortunately, all that he had tried to teach them about loyalty and family had sunk in over the years. But, he was scared for Hoss\u2019 sake now. Ben sure didn\u2019t want another boy to get hurt at the hands of the maniac who had butchered Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cDid that \u2013that\u2014so-called doctor get off in Placerville? Is that where Hoss has gone off to?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, that\u2019s been our only piece of luck so far. I sent some telegraphs when I first got word of all of this. The stage driver knew who I was referring to and he sent word from Placerville a couple of days ago. That Hosea Simpson\u2014or the guy who assumed his name\u2014got off in Genoa. So\u2014we\u2019re hunting him down in these parts now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow many men you got out there\u2014\u2019cause I can get some hands together\u2014\u201d Ben trailed off. The price of revenge\u2014It meant nothing if Joe were to die or to lose his leg. No matter what he could do to the imposter, it would never make up for such a loss.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry, I\u2019ve got two sets of men\u2014all taking shifts\u2014don\u2019t need no Ponderosa hands right now. Ben\u2014Joe in surgery?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, Paul\u2019s taking that cast off to see what\u2019s under it. That pseudo doctor re-broke Joe\u2019s leg\u2014and then did some kind of a hack job on it too. All without sedation by the way!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, heard that from Hazelton\u2014he said you told him before you left\u2014can\u2019t hardly believe anyone would want to do that to your son. Especially a pure stranger doing it!\u201d Roy said with disgust.<\/p>\n \u201cJust find him, Roy,\u201d Ben replied with a coldness that couldn\u2019t be hidden.<\/p>\n \u201cHow \u2018bout you and me go get some coffee? Like as not Doc will be in there some time, Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s eyes trekked down to the end of the corridor before giving Roy his reply, \u201cI can\u2019t leave\u2014I\u2019ve got to be here\u2014just in case.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I\u2019ll go fetch you some\u2014be right back,\u201d Roy said with another quick pat to his friend\u2019s shoulder. He should have known better than to ask Ben Cartwright to leave his post. Nothing shy of the Almighty himself could drag the man away when he didn\u2019t know what was happening to his boy.<\/p>\n Roy waited patiently in the corridor with Ben for the better part of two hours. They drank coffee, they talked, and they prayed. Finally, the door to the operating room opened up and Paul walked alongside the stretcher.<\/p>\n \u201cPaul?\u201d Ben began.<\/p>\n \u201cFollow me down to his room\u2014we\u2019ll talk in there. You come along too, Roy\u2014there\u2019s some things you\u2019re gonna need to know,\u201d Paul responded cryptically.<\/p>\n The two orderlies carefully placed the sedated patient into a hospital bed and covered his body with a sheet and blanket. They removed the stretcher from the room and took their leave. Paul, Roy, and Ben stood next to Joe\u2019s bed. He looked even worse than he had when he had gone into surgery and his father fought to withhold his tears at the sight.<\/p>\n \u201cHe had a tough time, Ben,\u201d Paul began and motioned the men to take seats. Ben pulled one up closer to the bed and reached for his son\u2019s right hand. He held it in his own and then turned to look over at the doctor.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did you find out? I see you removed that cast\u2014how\u2019s his leg?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe\u2019s leg\u2014the broken bone\u2014isn\u2019t too bad. Though I doubt it needed to be re-broken\u2014at least it\u2019s set well enough that we don\u2019t have to do that again,\u201d Paul replied and tried to think of the positive to begin with. There was far more negative pieces of information forthcoming, he wanted the worried father to have something to draw hope from.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the incision? Did you find out why that was done?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes\u2014I know why,\u201d Paul nodded and then reached over to the bed and pulled up the sheet to expose Joe\u2019s leg in order to show the extent of the surgical cut. It was a good ten inches long and showed signs of advanced infection. \u201cThis is the problem. It\u2019s that incision that has caused the infection to run rampant all throughout Joe\u2019s leg.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy was it done?\u201d Ben demanded an explanation. He could see the horrid scar that the so-called doctor\u2019s scalpel had made and it made him sick inside. Ben thought back on what Joe had told him about going through the surgery totally coherent. He remembered Joe saying that he felt every inch of the cut. It made Ben want to do the same to the maniac who had done that to his boy; that and worse.<\/p>\n Paul reached inside his white lab coat and pulled out an instrument. He then reached over and handed the cool metal scalpel to Ben.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s this?\u201d Ben asked, confused.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what was left inside your son\u2019s leg. That\u2019s what caused the infection. It was purposely sewed up under the sutures,\u201d Paul replied and watched the flames of outrage burn in Ben\u2019s brown eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cHe what!\u201d Ben thundered and it took both Paul and Roy to keep the man inside the hospital room. He had jumped from his seat and headed for the door in a blind rage. All he knew at the time was that he wanted to kill someone.<\/p>\n \u201cBen, please\u2014you\u2019re not going to help your son by going off on a rampage. Now try to simmer down!\u201d Roy pleaded.<\/p>\n \u201cSimmer down?\u201d Ben asked incredulously. \u201cSimmer down when someone\u2014some sadistic son of a bitch\u2014cut my boy\u2014stuck that scalpel inside him\u2014and sutured it up. Simmer down when my boy might lose his leg, and maybe his life!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, Ben, let\u2019s sit down,\u201d<\/strong> Paul urged his friend quietly and Ben reluctantly took a seat.<\/p>\n Roy asked to see the scalpel and Ben handed it over to him. After a few minutes the sheriff said, \u201cPaul, did you see these markings?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I noticed them. It looks like a scalpel that a doctor gets when he first attends medical school. I still have my first one too; and it has my initials on it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? What are you both talking about?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n \u201cThis,\u201d Roy explained and showed Ben the two initials carved into the handle of the scalpel. There on the bottom were the faint but still discernable letters, S and H.<\/p>\n \u201cS H?\u201d Ben whispered, trying to take the information into his brain and process it. \u201cThen he wasn\u2019t using Hosea Simpson\u2019s instruments\u2014maybe he was a doctor?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe way those sutures were done\u2014the precise way the incision was cut alongside the bone\u2014I would say he was a surgeon, Ben,\u201d Paul threw in.<\/p>\n \u201cYou happen to know any doctors with those initials, Doc?\u201d Roy asked.<\/p>\n A strangely familiar face came to mind as both Ben and Paul looked at each other. There was a doctor, a doctor of whom they both had tried to get the medical board to revoke his license many years ago. The doctor had actually sutured Joe when he was about seventeen years old. He had come to the ranch, done a shoddy job, and then left with no thought as to the boy\u2019s well being. Paul had been away at the time, but, as soon as he heard what the man had done he joined forces with his friend, Ben Cartwright, to try to keep that doctor from ever practicing medicine again.<\/p>\n \u201cSteven Hale,\u201d Ben muttered and noticed Paul nod his way. \u201cCould it be? After all these years?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t know\u2014possibly. He would have a reason, sadistic as it might be, to go after Joe. We were the ones who ran him away and tried to get his license revoked, Ben,\u201d Paul replied.<\/p>\n \u201cNot without justifiable cause, Paul! He not only almost allowed my son to die, but there were others who had claim to file suit against him for doing just about the same thing!\u201d Ben complained.<\/p>\n \u201cI know that\u2014I am not disagreeing with what we tried to do\u2014I\u2019m just saying that he would have motive for hurting Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe sure would. If only we had a good description of the doctor who operated on Joseph,\u201d Ben sighed.<\/p>\n Roy pulled a telegraph out of his vest pocket and looked it over before handing it to Ben. \u201cYou think this could be him? I don\u2019t rightly remember Hale too well myself. He wasn\u2019t around these parts too long.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben studied the description and then passed it to Paul.<\/p>\n \u201cOther than the beard, I\u2019d say it very well could have been Hale,\u201d Paul remarked and handed the paper back to the sheriff.<\/p>\n \u201cWell my posse men all have this description with them, if it\u2019s him then I know we have a good chance of getting to him!\u201d Roy exclaimed.<\/p>\n \u201cPa? Pa where am I?\u201d Joe\u2019s voice sounded out, though it was faint at first.<\/p>\n Ben had been so caught up in the discussion that he hadn\u2019t noticed his son was coming around. He hurried to the boy\u2019s side and placed his hand on his arm to gently coax him back to reality.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re in the hospital, Joseph, it\u2019s okay,\u201d Ben whispered and then turned towards Roy and Paul. He gave them a warning look. The last thing they needed was to get the kid upset. He was in far too rough a shape at the time.<\/p>\n \u201cHeard you\u2014heard Doc\u2014and Roy,\u201d Joe continued.<\/p>\n \u201cOh that\u2019s \u2018cause we\u2019re nothing but old men who can\u2019t talk quietly,\u201d Roy smiled over at Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cLeg\u2014doesn\u2019t feel like anything\u2019s cutting into it\u2014what happened?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n Paul and Ben exchanged exasperated glances. Here Joe had been saying for the longest time that he felt as though something was cutting into him and they hadn\u2019t caught onto the fact that his description was absolutely correct. But, no one ever presumed anyone could do such a dastardly thing as to seal a scalpel under the boy\u2019s skin.<\/p>\n \u201cWe fixed you up a bit\u2014still have some work to do on that leg\u2014but we\u2019ll get you better as soon as we can, Joe. We just need you to lay there and rest easy,\u201d Paul insisted. He wasn\u2019t about to tell his patient how precarious the situation was.<\/p>\n \u201cHeard the name\u2014you said it\u2014didn\u2019t you? Hale?\u201d Joe questioned.<\/p>\n Ben pushed the hair back from his son\u2019s forehead and nodded, \u201cYes\u2014we mentioned that name. I guess you wouldn\u2019t remember him though, Joe\u2014you were about seventeen when he came to the ranch to suture you up. You know, the time you jumped in front of that bullet to save me? You were asleep most of the time Doctor Hale worked on you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRemember\u2014remember his voice, Pa\u2014thought on it\u2014all the time\u2014in Sand Dust\u2014guy there\u2014who cut me\u2014sounded like him. Said his name was Simpson\u2014but\u2014I remember one thing\u2014his medical bag\u2014had two letters printed on it. They were the letters S and H.\u201d Joe explained.<\/p>\n The three men standing around the boy\u2019s bedside all looked at each other. It seemed as though they might actually have discovered who the imposter was. They kept the information about the scalpel from Joe for the time being. Hopefully, when he was healed, they would be able to explain the rest of the facts. But right now, they needed to keep him calm.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, that\u2019s a good clue for me, Joe, thanks\u2014maybe I\u2019ll go work on it some,\u201d Roy nodded towards the boy and then looked at Ben. \u201cI\u2019ll let you know when the posse comes in. Oh\u2014and I let Hop Sing know you got in today. I betcha he\u2019ll bring Joe over some good home cooking soon!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Roy,\u201d Ben replied, grateful to have such a good friend in the sheriff.<\/p>\n \u201cSee you three later,\u201d Roy said and headed out of the room.<\/p>\n \u201cAm I gonna be all right?\u201d Joe asked weakly. His head was swimming from the medicine the doctor had given him earlier.<\/p>\n \u201cSure you are,\u201d Paul grinned and patted Joe on the shoulder as he placed two fingers over the boy\u2019s right wrist to check his pulse. It was weaker than usual, and that made the doctor worry even more. \u201cNow, your father and I are going to head down the hall for a minute and bring you back something to drink. You stay there and enjoy the fact that you don\u2019t have a cast for now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBe right back,\u201d Ben whispered and bent down towards his son\u2019s forehead. He planted a gentle kiss on Joe\u2019s brow and then turned to leave the room.<\/p>\n Outside in the hallway the two men discussed the next step in dealing with Joe\u2019s injury.<\/p>\n \u201cHow bad?\u201d Ben asked solemnly.<\/p>\n \u201cBad enough. I\u2019m going to send that wire right away to Harold. We need to get a surgeon who is more skilled than I am to try to save Joe\u2019s leg. I did what I could in there\u2014scraped away some of the infection but there\u2019s a whole lot more. I put in a couple of drains which might buy us a little time until we can find someone with a bit more experience to operate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow much time, Paul?\u201d Ben asked warily.<\/p>\n \u201cIf something isn\u2019t done in the next two days\u2014he\u2019s not going to keep that leg. And, beyond that\u2014he might die if we don\u2019t take the leg. Ben\u2014I\u2019m sorry, no time to stand around and second-guess this. I\u2019ll be back in a few minutes\u2014have to get that wire sent!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do I tell Joseph?\u201d Ben called to the doctor as he hurried down the corridor.<\/p>\n \u201cTell him anything\u2014anything but the truth!\u201d Paul answered as he rounded the corner headed towards the nurse\u2019s station.<\/p>\n When Ben walked back to the hospital room, he was surprised to see that a nun had come in and was standing next to his son\u2019s bed. She was assisting Joe with a drink as Ben moved in closer.<\/p>\n \u201cExcuse me, Sister, I\u2019m Ben Cartwright and this is my son,\u201d he introduced himself politely while wondering where the woman had come from so fast.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I know,\u201d the nun smiled, \u201cDoctor Martin told me all about you and your son. My name is Teresa\u2014Sister Teresa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you have there, Joseph?\u201d Ben asked indicating the glass in his son\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n \u201cLemonade, sure is a nice change from that canteen water,\u201d Joe replied, trying his best to sound chipper, though he could tell that his condition was worsening.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve brought a pitcher in, Mr. Cartwright\u2014if you\u2019d like some?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, but I believe I could use something a tad stronger after such a long day,\u201d Ben grinned wryly and took a seat next to the bed.<\/p>\n Sister Teresa laughed and said, \u201cI wish I could offer you something more to your liking, but I\u2019m afraid you\u2019d have to go over my head for that!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks just the same. How are you feeling, Son?\u201d Ben turned his attention back to Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, better than I have been here lately\u2014leg\u2019s not smarting too much right now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll leave the two of you gentlemen alone for now\u2014just let me know if you need anything,\u201d the nun said and moved towards the door.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will\u2014thank you again,\u201d Ben called after her and then focused back on his son.<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d Joe whispered and reached for his father\u2019s hand. Ben was quick to return the gesture and gazed into his son\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n One look into the sad hazel eyes lent way to the notion that the boy had something troubling him. \u201cYes, Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa, if I asked you something\u2014would you answer me honestly?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben smiled to relieve the mounting tension in the room. He figured that the boy was about to ask about his prognosis. Ben remembered Paul\u2019s words, the ones about not telling Joe the truth for his own good. Still, theirs was an open and honest relationship, and Pa hated to hedge when he was asked earnestly for an answer. Ben hoped he could just stall for time if the question Joe had for him was about his leg.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, Young Man, when haven\u2019t I told you the truth?\u201d Ben asked and tried to feign surprise in his tone.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m serious this time, Pa, I wanna know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cKnow what, Joseph?\u201d Ben replied, holding the boy\u2019s hand but trying to avoid his stare.<\/p>\n \u201cMy leg, Pa, you\u2019re not going to let them take it, are you?\u201d Joe begged for an answer.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, why would you even ask that?\u201d Ben dodged the question as best he could.<\/p>\n \u201cYou just answered me with a question. From past experience I figure that\u2019s a bad sign,\u201d Joe frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, Joseph, you just stop worrying about things, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTell me the truth\u2014I have to know, Pa. I\u2019m not a little kid anymore\u2014I have the right to know!\u201d Joe argued and pulled himself up in the bed to a seated position. What little color he had on his cheeks seemed to vanish from the movement he had made.<\/p>\n \u201cJust settle down, Joe! Doc wants you to stay still!\u201d Ben protested and moved to sit next to the boy. He eased down next to Joe and gently moved him back in to a reclining position. \u201cNow\u2014that\u2019s better. Remember your leg is out of that cast\u2014you can\u2019t go jostling it right now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re gonna let them,\u201d Joe whispered and soon tears were falling from his eyes at the thought of losing his leg.<\/p>\n Ben shook his head wearily and tenderly brushed the tears aside which had fallen from his son\u2019s eyes. \u201cJoe\u2014it\u2019s not the time to get into this right now\u2014you\u2019re very weak and you\u2019ve had a long trip. You need rest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to live without my leg, Pa\u2014please\u2014don\u2019t let them do it!\u201d Joe pleaded.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph\u2014you know I\u2019ll do everything I can to prevent that\u2014\u201d Ben paused and fought with himself internally. Joe wasn\u2019t a little kid, he had been right about that part. He was a young man, and it was his own leg he was worried about losing. But, as his father, Ben felt he had to do everything he could to shelter his son from what might end up being the inevitable. \u201cI don\u2019t think we should even be talking about such drastic measures right now, Son. You\u2019ve just got that cast off\u2014Paul\u2019s still trying to get that infection under control. You know he won\u2019t let anything happen to you\u2014 you are his favorite patient you know?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa\u2014you won\u2019t let them do it\u2014you won\u2019t will you?\u201d Joe wasn\u2019t about to let the topic slide. He needed reassurance; he needed the truth. The unknown was almost as frightening as the actual confirmation that he might lose his leg to amputation<\/p>\n Ben drew his son into his arms and held him close. If only he could protect him from the awful possibilities! If only his embrace could chase away the infection that ran rampant throughout the boy\u2019s leg. All the terrified father could offer his son was his love and the safety of his embrace. If only that was enough to work a miracle.<\/p>\n Joe momentarily stopped his emotional tirade about whether or not everyone was conspiring to remove his leg. He chose instead to draw from the strength his father offered him. Resting his feverish brow on Pa\u2019s shoulder, Joe had his answer. The fierce grip around his shoulders told it all; Pa was scared too. At that moment it was almost as if Ben and Joe were alone in a lifeboat clinging tightly to each other in order to prevent the brutal assault of a raging sea. They knew that together they could survive anything; they had proven that fact so many times before! The silence of the hospital room made it possible for Joe to hear his father\u2019s heartbeat. It was rapid and gave the young man pause. Pa was definitely holding back information that was evident in his grip, his pulse and in the few tears whose source were eyes other than Joe\u2019s.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph\u2014\u201d Ben finally broke the silence, which had fallen, over the room. \u201cIf it were me\u2014instead of you\u2014with the chance of losing my leg\u2014not yours\u2014and you had to make the decision of whether to let them take my leg or let me die\u2014 what would you choose?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe, who still held firmly onto his father, choked out his reply, \u201cI wouldn\u2019t want to lose you, Pa, no matter what\u2014I couldn\u2019t let you die!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben pulled his son back a bit so that he could look intently into his tear-filled eyes. He spoke out directly from his heart, \u201cYou couldn\u2019t let me go\u2014you wouldn\u2019t want to risk losing me. If you feel that way\u2014then can you imagine how I feel now? I love you so much\u2014I could never let you go!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh\u2014Pa\u2014\u201d Joe sobbed and dropped his head back onto his father\u2019s strong shoulder. \u201cJust don\u2019t let them\u2014not unless it absolutely comes to it\u2014please!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t\u2014I won\u2019t, Son, that\u2019s a promise,\u201d Ben replied softly. The words had been spoken, though Ben wished it hadn\u2019t been necessary to do so. In spite of what the doctor had said, Pa knew that being honest with his son was the right thing to do since he had posed the question to him. They stayed like that for a long while, held in each other\u2019s arms, until fatigue got the better of the injured boy and Ben slowly eased him back against the pillows. \u201cRest now, Joseph. Let tomorrow worry about itself. Right now you are with me and that\u2019s all that matters,\u201d Ben whispered as he watched Joe\u2019s eyes close for the last time. Soon his son was fast asleep and the anxious father continued to sit next to him and pray.<\/p>\n Doctor Martin stopped by the room several times during that afternoon and early evening to check on Joe\u2019s progress. It appeared that the drains he had placed strategically in the boy\u2019s wound were working, but not nearly enough to rid him of all the severe infection. Paul spoke with Ben for a few minutes and watched as Joe continued to sleep. A tray of food had been ordered for the patient but Joe had refused it earlier. Paul didn\u2019t expect the boy to want to eat, not with all that had happened that day. He hoped Joe\u2019s appetite would come back once his fever died down and the infection let loose its hold. The doctor knew Ben Cartwright, and how he would never agree to leave the hospital room, even though visiting hours had been over for awhile. Using his authority as soon to be chief of staff, Paul ordered a cot to be brought into the room and insisted firmly that his friend get some rest. Ben resisted at first, but when the doctor promised that he would have the man thrown out of the room if he didn\u2019t get some shut-eye, he soon relented.<\/p>\n \u201cMister Ben?\u201d Hop Sing\u2019s soft voice whispered as he bent down next to the cot where the weary father slept.<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing?\u201d Ben asked confused and pulled himself up on this cot. \u201cWhat time is it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt almost midnight, good doctor let me in after doors close to sit with Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou didn\u2019t have to come here this late\u2014 I am looking after the boy,\u201d Ben insisted as he rubbed his eyes and then stared over at his son.<\/p>\n \u201cBrought Little Joe food he like\u2014when wake up\u2014he eat for Hop Sing. Doctor say he not eat much all day!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s his fever I\u2019m afraid,\u201d Ben sighed as the palm of his right hand touched his son\u2019s forehead.<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing bring things to help that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStill, couldn\u2019t you have waited until tomorrow? It\u2019s awfully late for you to be coming out here. I know you must be tired, Old Friend.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing sleep plenty early\u2014so can watch Little Joe. Mister Sheriff wait for you out in hall\u2014say you come to jail. Mister Hoss capture bad man who do this to our boy!\u201d Hop Sing explained, and even in his ebony eyes Ben could discern anger over what had befallen his surrogate son. The man had helped Ben raise the boy from infancy and he knew how much Hop Sing loved Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cThey caught him? When?\u201d Ben replied. He couldn\u2019t help feeling a rush of adrenalin over the thought of seeking revenge for the cruelty shown his youngest son by the pseudo doctor.<\/p>\n \u201cJust come in\u2014you go\u2014you go now. Little Joe be fine\u2014Hop Sing make sure!\u201d Hop Sing insisted as he settled down in the chair next to the bed. He set his basket of food on the table next to the new pitcher of water that the nun had brought in moments earlier while Ben and Joe had slumbered on.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay\u2014won\u2019t be long\u2014you keep an eye on \u201cour\u201d boy,\u201d Ben smiled and nodded as he patted Hop Sing\u2019s shoulder. He reached across the table to where he had earlier set his gun and holster. Ben Cartwright wasn\u2019t taking any chances.<\/p>\n Roy Coffee had taken it upon himself to borrow Doc Martin\u2019s carriage and had it parked right out in front of the hospital in order for him and Ben to make their way back to the jail house. Most of the saloons had already sent away the last patrons and the city streets were empty as they made their way down C Street. Ben spotted Chub, his son Hoss\u2019 horse, which was tied in front of the jail. Just seeing the sturdy mount made the weary father smile in spite of himself. At least he knew Hoss was okay. Roy and Ben jumped down from the carriage seat and headed inside to the sheriff\u2019s office. As soon as Ben cleared the doorway he was grabbed up into a fierce bear hug by his middle son.<\/p>\n \u201cPa! Boy, am I glad to see you! How\u2019s Joe doing?\u201d Hoss sounded out loudly.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you all right, Son? You didn\u2019t get hurt did you?\u201d Ben asked when he broke from their embrace.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I hurt my hand\u2014\u201d Hoss paused and then broke out in a big grin. \u201cHurt it on that yahoo\u2019s jaw!\u201d Hoss indicated the prisoner who had been locked up already in one of the back cells.<\/p>\n Ben smiled and patted Hoss\u2019 shoulder, so relieved that he was not harmed during the hunt. \u201cYou did huh? I hope you got in a couple of good licks for me and your little brother!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah\u2014actually Jed stopped me before I kilt the guy\u2014I sure wanted to hurt him for what he done to Joe!\u201d Hoss suddenly turned deadly serious. \u201cPa? Joe is gonna be okay\u2014right? How\u2019s his leg?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben sighed and put his arm around his son\u2019s shoulder and tried his best to sound optimistic. \u201cJoe\u2019s holding his own right now\u2014he\u2019s got some pretty bad infection in his leg\u2014hopefully we can get it under control.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah\u2014Roy told me why he got that infection too! It\u2019s a danged good thing I didn\u2019t know nothing about the scalpel when I caught that son of a gun\u2014or I\u2019d have buried something in him too\u2014like my foot!\u201d Hoss replied vehemently.<\/p>\n \u201cI know exactly how you feel, Hoss,\u201d Ben frowned and then cast a glance Roy\u2019s way. \u201cI want to see him!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll right, Ben, I brung you here so you could identify the man. You and Doc will be able to tell me for sure if this fellow is Steven Hale. The boys found Hosea Simpson\u2019s credentials on him\u2014and that medical bag that Joe described. I\u2019m gonna take you back there, but you need to hand me that gun\u2014you too Hoss!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut Roy\u2014\u201d Hoss started to protest but his father stopped him.<\/p>\n \u201cDo as Roy says, Son. If we go in there armed no telling what we\u2019ll do to that man!\u201d Ben said as he removed his holster and handed it to the sheriff. Hoss followed suit and then the three men walked into the back room.<\/p>\n In the back jail cell sat a man who seemed both calm and smug when he glanced over at his visitors.<\/p>\n \u201cThat Hale?\u201d Roy asked Ben.<\/p>\n Ben stared through the steel bars of the cell and nodded. \u201cLittle older\u2014has a beard\u2014but it\u2019s Hale all right,\u201d Ben stated, trying to control the rage he was feeling.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to see an attorney\u2014I have my rights!\u201d Steven Hale shouted out to Roy.<\/p>\n \u201cNow you just pipe down! It\u2019s the middle of the night\u2014you\u2019ll get your representation\u2014but not until daybreak!\u201d Roy hollered his response.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re gonna pay for what you did to my little brother!\u201d Hoss fumed.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know what you\u2019re talking about,\u201d Hale replied, but he had a smile on his face to show them all he knew what charges would be hurled at him by the local court.<\/p>\n \u201cHale\u2014it\u2019s a damn good thing you\u2019re behind bars\u2014but let me catch you alone sometime and we\u2019ll do some settling up!\u201d Ben yelled towards the evil man.<\/p>\n \u201cSettle up, Ben? Oh yeah\u2014we do have some settling up as a matter of fact. Hey Sheriff Coffee!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d Roy asked tersely.<\/p>\n \u201cI seem to have misplaced my scalpel\u2014would you mind asking around if anyone has found it?\u201d Hale asked and then began to laugh.<\/p>\n Ben charged the cell bars<\/strong> and reached for the man, who was now standing about an arm\u2019s length from the angered father.<\/p>\n \u201cYou son of a bitch!\u201d Ben shouted and tried with all his might to grab onto the man.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, Ben, he\u2019s not worth it\u2014let\u2019s go\u2014\u201d Roy urged his friend and grabbed his arms.<\/p>\n Ben broke from Roy\u2019s hold and charged the cell bars again. \u201cYou\u2019re a coward, Hale! You only go after sick or injured people\u2014why don\u2019t you come closer\u2014 or are you afraid to go after someone who\u2019s healthy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGo away, Cartwright\u2014go see to your boy. I understand the poor tyke might just lose a leg!\u201d Hale grinned as he responded to Ben\u2019s words.<\/p>\n That remark sent Ben back towards the man and Hoss had to pull his father away. He had no doubt that his father\u2019s rage would be strong enough to break through the steel bars after hearing the taunts Hale had thrown his way.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, Pa, let\u2019s go see Joe. This guy\u2019s gonna be looking at some serious jail time. Whenever he gets out though\u2014he\u2019s gonna have to watch his back for the rest of his life. If I see him somewhere he\u2019s all mine!\u201d Hoss thundered out of the room with his father and Roy in tow.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll see about that\u2014yes we will see about that!\u201d Steven Hale muttered smugly as he sat back down on his cot.<\/p>\n Doctor Paul Martin walked the hospital corridor as if in a daze. It was six a.m. and the man had gotten little sleep the night before. Holding a badly needed cup of coffee in one hand and a piece of paper in the other, he stopped directly in front of Joe Cartwright\u2019s hospital room.<\/p>\n Paul shook his head in disbelief as his eyes scanned the response he had received from Doctor Harold Peele. The man was chief of staff at the well-known St. Francis Hospital in San Francisco, and Doctor Martin trusted him both as a doctor and as a friend. Harold had almost single handedly saved a nineteen year old Joe Cartwright from succumbing to a rather nasty morphine addiction a couple years earlier.<\/p>\n Paul had recommended both Doctor Peele and his hospital and it had proven to be a wise choice. Joe returned months later healthy and fully recovered. Paul knew that the man had taken a special interest in the boy, and anyone who could pull Joe from the depths of certain death was all right in Doctor Martin\u2019s book! Now, yet another crisis concerning the youngest member of the Cartwright clan had come up, and he needed to again turn to the good doctor Peele to seek advice. But, the information there in his hand had shaken Paul to the marrow. How was he going to tell Ben the news? Paul dreaded doing that.<\/p>\n Peering into the room, he noticed that Ben was asleep on the cot and both Hop Sing and Hoss had dozed off in chairs pulled closely up to Joe\u2019s bed. Making his way quietly into the room, Paul checked his patient\u2019s pulse after feeling the boy\u2019s forehead to detect fever. The pulse was just as weak as it had been on the previous day and Joe\u2019s fever had evidently elevated during the night. Paul knew what that meant. They were running out of time. If something wasn\u2019t done soon Joe Cartwright might die with or without the removal of his leg.<\/p>\n A brief check on the drains in the boy\u2019s leg indicated to Paul that they were doing very little to stop the infection from spreading. It was a good thing, Paul concluded, that the family members were deep in slumber, including his patient. He wouldn\u2019t want any of them to witness the dread painting his face at the time.<\/p>\n Deciding the news, which the telegraph had yielded, could wait until a little later, Paul turned and walked stealthily out of the room. He would handle the situation himself and after ascertaining some vital information from the man who was held in Roy Coffee\u2019s jail cell, Paul would return to the hospital to clue in the Cartwright family. Six a.m. and already the day had started off on a somber note.<\/p>\n Roy was seated at his desk beginning his duties when Paul walked into the office. The sheriff stood and waved towards the doctor.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Doc\u2014just about ready to down my second cup of coffee\u2014how \u2018bout joining me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe in a bit\u2014right now I need to talk to your prisoner, Roy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t know if he\u2019s awake just yet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen I\u2019ll wake him,\u201d Paul replied gruffly. He didn\u2019t have the luxury of time anymore; he had to talk to Steven Hale.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay then\u2014let\u2019s go,\u201d Roy answered and walked with the doctor through the door that led to the back jail cells.<\/p>\n Steven Hale was awake, lying on his cot staring towards the ceiling when Roy and Doc made their appearance. He pulled himself to seated and grinned, like a Cheshire cat, towards the two men.<\/p>\n \u201cWell if it isn\u2019t my old friend Paul Martin!\u201d Steven laughed and stood to approach the bars of his cell. \u201cBeen quite awhile\u2014how you doing, Paul?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve come to speak with you\u2014\u201d Paul began but was cut off by the prisoner.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe Cartwright\u2014yeah I figured you\u2019d be coming to see me about the boy!\u201d he grinned menacingly.<\/p>\n \u201cI trusted you\u2014years ago\u2014to help with my patient load when I had to be gone. You misused that trust\u2014don\u2019t you think you owe me an explanation?\u201d Paul asked, trying to fight the anger he held towards the doctor.<\/p>\n \u201cOh\u2014I see\u2014you want me to explain\u2014is that it?\u201d Steven mocked the other man.<\/p>\n \u201cYes\u2014I want you to explain to me how a man\u2014a man who took the very same vow that I did\u2014could purposely injure a patient!\u201d Paul replied, his voice now raised.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you talking about recently\u2014or are we going back in time a couple of years?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy\u2014just tell me why you gave up being a doctor! You were a fine surgeon\u2014you were a trusted doctor. You gave up your position at St. Francis\u2014just up and left years ago\u2014then came out here. Why?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t owe you an explanation, Paul,\u201d Steven replied hotly.<\/p>\n \u201cI helped you when you came to this area\u2014you told me then that you wanted a simpler way of life. I understood the pressures of being a surgeon who was on call every single day and held people\u2019s lives in his hands in the operating room! You said you wanted to get away from all that\u2014and live the life of a country doctor. But\u2014even that\u2014wasn\u2019t what you wanted\u2014was it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh yes\u2014the country doctor\u2014the fine symbol of patience and tolerance and poverty! Just like you, Paul! You\u2019ve martyred yourself out for years\u2014tending to families\u2014but never even having one of your own. You think it was worth it? You think you have anyone who will care when you die? Oh sure\u2014your patients might mourn you\u2014but as soon as another fool fills your position they won\u2019t even drop a flower off at your grave! You tell me if it was worth it to you? Staying up till all hours to deliver a baby who will someday get shot and you will be digging a bullet out of the kid! Tell me if the chicken and pies and I O U\u2019s are worth never being able to sleep a solid eight hours?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou knew all this coming into it\u2014we all know it when we take our Hippocratic oath! And\u2014for your information\u2014I never considered myself a martyr! The people I have tended the past forty years having given me far more that I have given them. There\u2019s not a one of them that I couldn\u2019t turn to if I needed help!\u201d Paul defended his life\u2019s work.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are a fool Paul! I was too\u2014for awhile\u2014when I still had that starry eyed notion that I really could make a difference in this world. All that ever got me was tragedy. I lost my wife\u2014my child\u2014while I was out there doctoring a kid who never should\u2019ve been running around with outlaws. I came home to find them both dead\u2014dead from an Indian attack! You know what the parents of that boy\u2014the one I had saved\u2014gave me? They gave me a pot pie and an I\u2019m sorry!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Paul listened to the other doctor\u2019s description<\/strong> of what had happened to him over the years and he could see the bitterness on his face. He had not known about Steven losing his wife and child, in fact he had never known that the man had been married.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry for your loss\u2014and I can understand your anger over what life dealt you. But, you continued to practice medicine after that happened\u2014and you did it in a haphazardly way that could have killed others. You know the charges that were waiting for you four years ago when you ran out of this town! But, instead of staying to face them\u2014you ran off\u2014and took another doctor\u2019s identity\u2014and continued to work as a man of medicine. Why? If you hated it that much\u2014why did you continue?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause I could,\u201d Hale stated bluntly. \u201cI gave the people of Sand Dust what they wanted\u2014they got a doctor. You won\u2019t find one person there who could complain about my work either. I was a good doctor!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s one patient laying over at the hospital down the street who could argue against that logic!\u201d Paul indicated Joe Cartwright.<\/p>\n Steven Hale settled back down on his cot and glared over at both Paul and Roy. \u201cYeah, the Cartwright kid\u2014the one who started all my problems. Not doing so good is he?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know why, you caused it in fact,\u201d Paul replied vehemently.<\/p>\n \u201cPoetic justice don\u2019t you think? I mean\u2014it was that boy\u2019s father who lead the campaign to have my license revoked!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe couldn\u2019t have gotten it revoked if you had acted according to the oath you took!\u201d Paul reminded the man.<\/p>\n \u201cI know why you\u2019re really here, Paul\u2014so you might as well cut to the chase. Didn\u2019t you have a little favor to ask me?\u201d Steven grinned sadistically.<\/p>\n \u201cYou knew what would happen if you sewed that scalpel up in that boy\u2019s leg. You know the infection is spreading throughout his leg!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2014suppose\u2014and I am reminding you that I am not confessing to this\u2014but just for argument\u2019s sake\u2014suppose I knew that. And, just suppose I knew that his father would go and bring him back here to you\u2014seeing as there were no other doctors around. Then\u2014wouldn\u2019t you \u201csuppose\u201d I would realize that there\u2019s no one in this area who could fix him\u2014who was skilled enough as a surgeon\u2014other than me?\u201d<\/p>\n Paul listened to the man\u2019s words and turned to face Roy Coffee. He read the confusion in the sheriff\u2019s eyes. Paul knew that Roy was trying to figure out what the evil man was talking about.<\/p>\n \u201cThat ain\u2019t true\u2014is it, Doc? There\u2019s somebody else you can get to fix Little Joe, right?\u201d<\/p>\n Paul looked down at the floor and sighed before replying, \u201cNo\u2014Roy\u2014nobody who can get here in time. I just got word back from Doctor Peele in San Francisco. There\u2019s three surgeons he said he would trust to save Joe\u2019s leg\u2014two of them are at least four days away from here\u2014the other\u2014well\u2014you are looking at now,\u201d Paul pointed towards Hale.<\/p>\n The cell echoed the laughter of Steven Hale as he witnessed the looks that went back and forth between the sheriff and Doctor Paul Martin.<\/p>\n \u201cIronic isn\u2019t it, Sheriff? Here I sit\u2014locked up\u2014not even having had my day in court\u2014and Paul here wants me to go save that kid. Am I right, Paul?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t told Joe\u2019s father yet\u2014I am sure he won\u2019t want you anywhere around his boy!\u201d Paul replied angrily.<\/p>\n \u201cOh yes\u2014old Ben Cartwright \u2014he loves those boys of his so much\u2014he\u2019d do anything to save one of them. I expect a visit from Ben today\u2014but you tell him not to wait too long. I might just have to up my price!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour price!\u201d Roy shouted and gripped the bars of the cell. He was a patient man, he was a man who could refrain from brutality even when it was warranted. But, his best friend\u2019s son had been hacked up on purpose and now the man who had caused the injury was trying to blackmail Ben into making him fix Joe\u2019s leg. The whole situation was just too much. \u201cYou butchered that boy\u2019s leg\u2014and by all that\u2019s holy\u2014if you can fix it you will!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf the price is right. Remember, I never said I did anything\u2014I just said \u201csuppose\u201d.\u201d Steven reminded the sheriff. He had chosen his words carefully so that they would fall short of a confession.<\/p>\n Roy turned back towards Paul and asked, \u201cDoc\u2014you sure\u2014sure you can\u2019t patch Joe yourself? You sure you need this\u2014this\u2014man?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m afraid so\u2014Harold mentioned Steven Hale in his wire. He also said that the surgery can\u2019t wait\u2014or we will risk Joe dying from the infection. It has to be done today.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2014then\u2014I think you\u2019d better get going there, Paul!\u201d Steven called across the cell as he eased back into a reclining position. \u201cGo bring Ben Cartwright over here and we will discuss terms for surgery. Now\u2014I need to rest\u2014so if you both don\u2019t mind\u2014leave!\u201d<\/p>\n Paul tugged on Roy\u2019s arm to get him to remove his hands from the bars of the cell. He rarely, if ever, had seen the sheriff so angry. \u201cCome on\u2014let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n Roy reluctantly walked out into his office along with Paul. He dreaded what was going to happen once Ben Cartwright heard the news. It would be similar to one of the explosions that were felt under the mining town daily.<\/p>\n Hop Sing wrung out the cloth he had been using in an effort to ease Joe\u2019s fever. Settling it gently onto the young man\u2019s forehead he turned towards Ben and the expression he wore was glum. Hoss moved in closer to his brother and placed his hand on the boy\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re gonna be fine, Short Shanks\u2014Doc Martin will have you up in no time!\u201d Hoss tried his best not to show the worry in his voice.<\/p>\n \u201cSure Big Brother\u2014I\u2019ll be up at the timber camp helping you before the month\u2019s out,\u201d Joe replied weakly. Even the brave smile that Joe had mustered showed that he was fading fast.<\/p>\n Ben joined the family at his son\u2019s bedside. He had stood at the window deep in thought for the better part of an hour. As soon as he had awakened earlier, he knew that his youngest son\u2019s health had taken a turn for the worse. All he could do was to pray to a God who had always saved the boy in the past. Ben prayed for divine intervention since medical science had yet to help Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cCan you drink a little more for us, Joseph? We\u2019ve got to get that fever down,\u201d Ben asked as he brushed the hair away from his son\u2019s eyes affectionately.<\/p>\n \u201cI can try\u2014feel kinda sick\u2014don\u2019t want it to come back up like the last time, Pa,\u201d Joe offered.<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing bring ginseng powder from ranch\u2014I go to kitchen and try to make some tea. Always ease Little Joe\u2019s stomach before!\u201d the Oriental member of the family insisted and turned for the door.<\/p>\n \u201cHear that, Joe? Hop Sing\u2019s gonna fix you up with some tea,\u201d Hoss smiled and patted his brother\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n \u201cYou need to let him fix you some breakfast, Hoss\u2014you too, Pa. You both look almost as bad as I do,\u201d Joe tried to joke, though he felt like hell warmed over at the time.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, don\u2019t you worry about us, Young Man,\u201d Ben insisted and was about to offer Hoss the chance to get out of the room for awhile when Doc Martin made his entrance.<\/p>\n \u201cI saw Hop Sing a minute ago,\u201d Paul began and made his way over to his patient, \u201che was talking about getting this boy some tea.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing and his teas\u2014the man has a million home remedies!\u201d Ben played along with the doctor. He could read on the man\u2019s face that trouble was brewing and that Paul was trying his best not to clue Joe in on it.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t laugh, Pa! I remember Hop Sing patching you up a time or two with those concoctions of his!\u201d Hoss grinned.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re right there, Son,\u201d Ben nodded.<\/p>\n Paul removed the cloth from Joe\u2019s forehead and checked his neck and cheek for signs of fever. The cool compress had done little to ease the increased heat that Joe\u2019s body was giving off. He then checked on Joe\u2019s pulse and his injured leg. He cast a worried glance towards both Ben and Hoss, but hid it well from his patient.<\/p>\n \u201cBen\u2014if Hoss will stay with Joe for a few minutes I need to talk with you,\u201d Paul announced.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t have to leave\u2014I want to know what\u2019s going on. I\u2019m getting worse, right?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph Cartwright\u2014I don\u2019t recall seeing your medical credentials hanging anywhere,\u201d Paul laughed and set the cool cloth back on the boy\u2019s forehead.<\/p>\n \u201cTell me,\u201d Joe reiterated, with fear apparent in his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cYou haven\u2019t gotten any better\u2014that\u2019s true\u2014but you are holding your own\u2014so I\u2019d take that as a good sign. Now\u2014I\u2019m going to talk to your pa about the prisoner we have over at the jail, not your condition.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou caught him? I thought I heard Pa and Hoss talking about it last night\u2014but figured I was dreaming or something.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou weren\u2019t dreaming Joe, we got him,\u201d Hoss replied.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope they send him away for a long time\u2014he\u2019s nothing but a butcher,\u201d Joe said angrily. Then it was as if the wind had been knocked out of his body rendering him as weak as a kitten. Slowly he closed his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cJust weak,\u201d Paul whispered when he saw the concern spread across both Hoss and Ben\u2019s faces. \u201cCome with me down the hall for a minute, Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n Before Ben could reply Hoss grabbed a hold of his father\u2019s elbow and looked intently into his eyes. \u201cI\u2019ll stay with Joe\u2014you go on and find out what Doc wants to tell you. It\u2019s best we don\u2019t talk about the prisoner around Joe anyhow\u2014he might have heard too much last night as it is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBe back in a little while,\u201d Ben nodded and walked out of the room with Paul.<\/p>\n Doctor Martin\u2019s office in the hospital was sparsely decorated. He had volumes of medical books and journals lining his bookcase, but little else. Paul hadn\u2019t planned to spend too much time there in the room during his hospital visits, so he had opted to have only the tools of the trade around, no pictures or fancy knickknacks. He settled down in his chair and looked across his desk at the anxious father. Paul knew that what he had to tell the man would be both difficult to say, and excruciating emotionally for his friend to hear.<\/p>\n \u201cPaul, Joe\u2019s looking worse\u2014have you received word back from Harold Peele?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I have,\u201d Paul answered and then cleared the emotion out of his throat. \u201cBen\u2014you are not going to like what I have to say\u2014but I need you to listen carefully for a few minutes. Don\u2019t interrupt me until I\u2019m done, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re scaring me, Paul\u2014is there bad news? Can\u2019t a surgeon get here in time to save Joe\u2019s leg?\u201d Ben asked, his voice trembling.<\/p>\n \u201cHear me out,\u201d Paul insisted and watched as his friend sat back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest.<\/p>\n \u201cGo ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHarold said there aren\u2019t many surgeons around who might be able to save the boy\u2019s leg. Almost all of the ones that he did mention in his wire\u2014well\u2014 are at least a three or four days ride from here. There\u2019s not enough time to wait. Something has to be done today. There was one\u2014and only one surgeon who he mentioned by name that is in the area.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo? I don\u2019t understand, Paul? If there\u2019s a surgeon anywhere around here who Harold trusts enough to save my son\u2014well\u2014what\u2019s the problem? Let\u2019s go and get him!\u201d Ben broke into the doctor\u2019s story, in spite of promising him not to interrupt.<\/p>\n \u201cThat man is in the jail, Ben,\u201d Paul replied grimly.<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s face changed from confusion to outrage in less than a minute\u2019s time. He bolted up out of his chair and shouted, \u201cI don\u2019t believe it! Hale? No\u2014it can\u2019t be!\u201d<\/p>\n Paul reached inside his coat and revealed the wire, which he had received from Harold Peele. \u201cHere, see for yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben took the piece of paper and read it several times before looking back over at the doctor. His mouth hung open in disbelief.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t care if he was a surgeon at St. Francis\u2014and I don\u2019t care if he was a good one\u2014he\u2019s the animal who hurt my boy! He\u2019s the one who caused the infection that might be killing my son! You expect me to let him operate? You think I would let him near my son with a scalpel after sealing one up in the boy\u2019s leg?!\u201d<\/p>\n Paul stood from his desk and approached his friend. He knew how disgusting the whole idea of having Steven Hale operate on Joe was for Ben. Paul remembered the anger he had felt earlier when he had read the telegraph and knew that Hale was their only hope. But, Paul wasn\u2019t going to let Joseph Cartwright die; not if he could help it.<\/p>\n \u201cBen\u2014I know how you feel\u2014I feel the same way. I wish I had the expertise to repair Joe\u2019s leg myself\u2014but I don\u2019t. We don\u2019t have the luxury of time now\u2014we don\u2019t have the luxury of shopping around for a surgeon either. Joe\u2019s fever is worse, the infection is spreading. He has to have the surgery today or we might lose him along with that leg!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is like bargaining with Satan himself!\u201d Ben shouted.<\/p>\n \u201cI know,\u201d Paul whispered. He had to let the man before him rant and rave awhile. Paul knew Ben could not make a decision until he had addressed his feelings on the subject.<\/p>\n \u201cPaul\u2014that man is evil\u2014evil incarnate! He butchered my boy\u2014he caused this infection on purpose. Even if I wanted him to operate\u2014and I don\u2019t\u2014what makes you think he would?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause I spoke to him earlier today. As soon as I got that wire I went to see him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did he say? Did he admit to doing all this to my son\u2014or is he lying still?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe alluded to having caused all this, Ben. He watched how he phrased it to Roy and me\u2014but he knew you would bring Joe back here to me to tend to. Hale\u2019s not stupid\u2014unfortunately as a healer you are as knowledgeable as to what it takes to injure, as well as what it takes to fix someone. He knew that it was Joe\u2014and figured that you would be coming to Sand Dust to rescue him. Hale took that opportunity to do the damage. As bizarre as this whole thing is\u2014I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if he knew that we would have to later turn to him to save the boy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid you ask him about the surgery?\u201d Ben asked, his eyebrows narrowing as his anger heightened. The more he heard about Steven Hale the more he despised the man.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBen, he said he would do the surgery,<\/strong> but he said there would be a price. He told Roy and me to get you over there so he could talk terms with you,\u201d Paul explained and watched Ben\u2019s face take on a deep red appearance. The doctor had been right earlier, it did look as though Ben was going to explode from within.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2014that\u2014 bastard\u2014he has the audacity to blackmail me\u2014after all he\u2019s done to my son!\u201d Ben shouted and clenched his fists. At the time he wished he had the man in front of him so he could throttle him and then tear him limb from limb.<\/p>\n \u201cI know \u2014I know this is awful\u2014I know that morally and ethically this is too much to even comprehend. But\u2014having said all that\u2014there\u2019s a boy who might not make it to see the end of the week if we don\u2019t get into that operating room and try to save him now. Let\u2019s go and see Hale\u2014hear what he has to say.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never wanted to kill someone more than I do right now,\u201d Ben whispered, trying his best to control the advanced hatred he felt controlling him.<\/p>\n \u201cYour love for Joe is stronger than your hatred towards Hale, Ben. You know that! Now let\u2019s go,\u201d Paul urged the other man towards the door. They both headed down the corridor.<\/p>\n Ben Cartwright stood with his hands clenching the bars of Steven Hale\u2019s jail cell. He could not speak at first. Just staring in on the wicked man was more that he could tolerate. Ben didn\u2019t know if he could stand asking the man for help, not after he had been the cause of Joe\u2019s problems. Roy stood to one side of his friend and Doc Martin flanked them both. Together the three men fumed at the very idea of setting Hale free.<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019s your boy doing, Ben?\u201d Hale smiled and stood from his cot.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know how he is,\u201d Ben replied, staring piercingly towards the man.<\/p>\n \u201cYes\u2014as a matter of fact I do. So, how about we just get on with this\u2014you want the boy to live, right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are your demands?\u201d Ben fired back at Hale, the anger was well written across his face and in the tone of his voice.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s see,\u201d Steven paused and scratched at his chin, as if in thought, \u201cI see you have your two friends \u2014guess they will serve as proper witnesses. Yes\u2014they will do fine\u2014the honorable Sheriff Coffee and the diligent and kind Doctor Paul Martin.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGet on with it, Hale! The man asked you what your terms are!\u201d Roy exclaimed.<\/p>\n \u201cNow now\u2014you wouldn\u2019t want to make me mad at this point\u2014none of you\u2014or I might just sit here and await due process,\u201d Hale warned.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph Cartwright needs immediate surgery\u2014let\u2019s get on with it,\u201d Paul tried his best to restart the conversation.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay\u2014here\u2019s what I want,\u201d Hale nodded and walked closer to the cell bars. \u201cBen, I want you to give your word\u2014in front of these two men\u2014that you will not press charges against me for anything that you think I might have done to your boy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat else?\u201d Ben replied coldly.\u00a0\u00a0 He knew he wasn\u2019t going to get the doctor\u2019s compliance that easy.<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2014I want you \u2014and Paul\u2014to remove any complaints on my record that stems back from the last time I practiced here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t do that! You know it\u2019s a matter of record now,\u201d Paul insisted.<\/p>\n \u201cPaul\u2014you forget that I was a member in good standing with the medical review board in California\u2014I know that all it would take is for you to send word that you were mistaken and cancel your request for revoking my license. So\u2014you go and do that. I will insist on seeing that letter sent before I leave here. Now, for the rest. I want your word, Ben Cartwright, that you will not personally or legally go after me once I perform the surgery on your son. I want you to swear it before God and all of those in this room.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben broke eye contact with Hale, staring down towards the floor boards he tried to pull from an inner strength. He had to keep reminding himself that Steven Hale held all the cards now. No matter how much he personally wanted to kill the evil doctor, Joe\u2019s survival had to come first.<\/p>\n \u201cWell? You gonna do it, Ben?\u201d Hale asked.<\/p>\n \u201cIs that it?\u201d Ben replied sharply.<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2014that\u2019s most of it\u2014but not all. You and Doc here drop all previous and current charges against me\u2014write that letter to the board\u2014then you swear not to come after me once this is all over\u2014and one more thing. Since Joe\u2019s coming to Sand Dust ruined a lucrative position as the doctor of that town\u2014and since I now have to start all over again\u2014I\u2019m going to need some funds to get settled. I figure five thousand dollars is a good price\u2014I could ask for much more\u2014but I\u2019m not greedy!\u201d<\/p>\n The knuckles on both of Ben\u2019s hands were now solid white. He could only cling tightly to the bars of the cell to display his anger over all the man had said. Hale\u2019s demands seemed beyond belief, considering he had caused all the damage. Ben felt it was almost as if he would be rewarding the man for burying a scalpel in his son\u2019s leg by agreeing to his demands.<\/p>\n \u201cWell? Yes or no\u2014tell me now\u2014\u2019cause the price is only good for the next couple of minutes!\u201d Hale warned again.<\/p>\n Feeling Paul\u2019s hand on his elbow, Ben spun around to look at the doctor.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got to operate soon or this will all be a moot point, Ben,\u201d Paul cautioned.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat guarantee do I have that you will save my son?\u201d Ben asked Hale.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? You mean you doubt my ability as a doctor?\u201d Hale responded, feigning shock.<\/p>\n \u201cCan you save him?!\u201d Ben shouted and moved closer to the bars.<\/p>\n \u201cYes\u2014I can\u2014and I will\u2014as long as you do what you\u2019re supposed to. You can start by swearing before these two witnesses that you are not going to press charges and that you will not seek revenge once I\u2019ve operated.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben cast an exasperated glance towards the sheriff and Paul. He could tell by their expressions that they were both appalled to have to let the man go. But with the choice being freedom for Hale or death for Joe, all three men had to agree on the terms he had called for.<\/p>\n \u201cI swear\u2014\u201d Ben began but Hale cut him right off.<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2014you swear to God\u2014and to these men\u2014I know how you are\u2014you\u2019d never go against a promise to God\u2014that\u2019s where you and I differ!\u201d Hale yelled.<\/p>\n \u201cI swear to God\u2014and these witnesses\u2014that I won\u2019t press charges for what you\u2019ve done\u2014\u201d Ben was cut off once more.<\/p>\n \u201cBoth past and present, Ben\u2014don\u2019t forget that!\u201d Hale corrected the man.<\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t press charges for what you\u2019ve done either past or present\u2014and that I will not seek revenge against you once the surgery is over,\u201d Ben spoke the words, though each distinct syllable burned his tongue.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay\u2014and you Paul\u2014you swear that you\u2019ll send that letter to the review board dismissing your earlier charges against me!\u201d Hale turned towards the doctor.<\/p>\n \u201cI swear I will send the letter\u2014withdrawing my charges against you,\u201d Paul nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cNow\u2014we just have a little matter of money\u2014Ben. You go on over to the bank while the good sheriff gathers my possessions and Paul and I will head over to the hospital. I will meet you outside the operating room,\u201d Hale smiled, so happy to have gotten exactly what he wanted. It was wonderful to have seen Ben Cartwright humbled.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll go get the money,\u201d<\/strong> Ben mumbled and hurried out of the room.<\/p>\n The way in which Ben had shot past both Paul and Roy let both of his friends know how angry he was at the time. Neither could blame Ben Cartwright, they knew how much he had wanted to prosecute Steven Hale for hurting his boy. Roy went about the awful chore of releasing the man from his jail. It was a rarity. Roy Coffee was well known as a sheriff who stood behind the law, enforcing it to his death if necessary. Now, he was but a pawn in Steven Hale\u2019s blackmail plot. The hardest part of the dilemma was that Roy knew that there was nothing he could do about it. Within a few minutes, the sheriff had handed over the items which had been taken from Hale by the posse and the evil man was standing outside the office. He was free and there wasn\u2019t anything anyone could ever do about it. Paul reluctantly escorted Steven Hale over to his carriage and they sent the team of horses down the street towards the hospital.<\/p>\n Ben Cartwright\u2019s boot steps echoed down the long corridor leading to his son\u2019s hospital room. Standing just outside the door, he spied Hop Sing and Hoss. He picked up the pace and was soon standing next to his hulk of a son.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss? What\u2019s going on?\u201d Ben asked, slightly out of breath from all the activity.<\/p>\n \u201cI was just gonna ask you that, Pa. Doc Martin said for us to wait here while they get Joe ready to take into surgery. Where did you find a surgeon this quick?\u201d Hoss replied staring into his father\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll explain all that in a minute\u2014you stay here with Hop Sing,\u201d Ben insisted and entered the hospital room.<\/p>\n A nurse stood on one side of Joe Cartwright, while Doctor Martin finished injecting the young man with some sedation medicine. Ben was quick to go to his son\u2019s aid. He looked down at his boy and wondered if he could possibly hide his fear for the lad.<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d Joe asked weakly. \u201cI was worried you weren\u2019t gonna see me off. Doc says you found a surgeon who can fix me.\u201d<\/p>\n Paul shot Ben a strange glance, cluing him into the notion that he hadn\u2019t gone into specifics with Joe about who would be performing the operation to save his life.<\/p>\n \u201cMe not see you off?\u201d Ben said with a smile, \u201cSince when would I miss one of your many operations?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho\u2019s doing the surgery, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh just someone that Harold Peele found for us. Now\u2014looks like you are about ready to head down the hall to the operating room. And, I\u2019ll be right next to you when you come around. Paul said it won\u2019t take too long\u2014right?\u201d Ben asked, facing the doctor and hoping he would jump to his assistance in calming Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cNot long at all\u2014you\u2019ll be awake soon and then you\u2019ll start complaining about me keeping you in bed, Joe!\u201d Paul smiled and moved towards the door.<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d Joe whispered and motioned with his hand for his father to draw closer.<\/p>\n Ben bent down so he could hear what his son was saying. \u201cWhat is it, Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy leg\u2014they\u2019re gonna save it\u2014right?\u201d Joe asked, his voice steeped in emotion.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ll do everything they can\u2014and what with everyone praying for you\u2014I am quite sure you\u2019ll be all right. Now stop fighting that medication the Doc just gave you and close those eyes. You\u2019ll be sound asleep before you make it out to the hall,\u201d Ben reassured his son.<\/p>\n Joe reached down and felt of his bandaged leg, his face scrunched up in pain and then he looked back towards his father with tears evident in his eyes. \u201cI\u2019ll see you when I wake up. I love you, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI love you too\u2014see you in a bit, Joseph,\u201d Ben whispered and placed a gentle kiss on his son\u2019s brow.<\/p>\n Joe closed his eyes for one final time and was fast asleep. Paul, the nurse, and an orderly gathered the young man up and moved him to the waiting stretcher.<\/p>\n \u201cHale\u2019s waiting right outside the operating room for you, Ben. I\u2019m going to get Joe down there then he\u2019ll come in. Don\u2019t worry\u2014I won\u2019t take my eyes off this boy \u2014not once\u2014during the whole operation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Paul,\u201d Ben nodded and watched with great despair as his son was removed from the hospital room. He briefly dropped his head in prayer before leaving to address the surgeon.<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d Hoss said as his father walked out into the hall. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on\u2014I can tell by your face that there\u2019s trouble. Is it Joe? Are they gonna take his leg?\u201d Hoss asked with dread in his tone.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss\u2014let me go talk to the surgeon\u2014then you and Hop Sing meet me in the waiting room. It\u2019s just down the corridor and to the left,\u201d Ben answered and pointed towards where he wanted his son and Hop Sing to go. He knew if he paid Steven Hale the blackmail money in front of Hoss that there would be an enormous scene. That was the last thing anyone needed at the time.<\/p>\n Hoss and Hop Sing reluctantly followed instructions and headed down to the waiting room while Ben turned the corner in the opposite direction. In front of the double doors that led to the operating room where Paul had taken Joe, stood Steven Hale. He was dressed in the appropriate scrubs to ready for surgery, but his facial mask hung loosely around his neck.<\/p>\n \u201cI take it that all five thousand is in here,\u201d Hale said as Ben handed him over an envelope.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all there,\u201d Ben answered, trying to hold back his ire.<\/p>\n \u201cThen\u2014I need to go see to my patient,\u201d Hale smiled and began to turn away.<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s right hand shot out and stopped the other man\u2019s progression. He spun Steven around and forced his gaze. \u201cI just want you to know that if my son dies\u2014or if he loses his leg\u2014that I will kill you before you even make it down this corridor,\u201d Ben warned.<\/p>\n \u201cIs that a threat, Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, it\u2019s a promise! Now, go save my boy!\u201d Ben fumed.<\/p>\n Hale turned back and straightened his surgical gown. Without another word he walked into the operating room. One thing he knew for a fact and that was Ben Cartwright kept his promises.<\/p>\n Hoss paced the waiting room and every now and then glanced towards the doorway hoping to see his father. The family caretaker, Hop Sing, sat patiently and waited to hear news of how Joe was doing. After many prayers to God as well as his ancestors, the Chinaman knew somehow the boy would pull through. He was, however, concerned with the possibility that Joe might lose his leg. Hop Sing just couldn\u2019t fathom the wild rambunctious young man being hobbled by such a terrible loss.<\/p>\n \u201cTell me what\u2019s going on\u2014this time I want the truth!\u201d Hoss insisted as his father made his way into the waiting room.<\/p>\n Ben approached his son and motioned him to sit next to Hop Sing. Reluctantly the big man obeyed and soon the three men were facing each other. Hoss had seen worry on his father\u2019s face before, more so when one of his son\u2019s were in jeopardy, but along with that worry he could detect anger in Pa\u2019s deep brown eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t want Joe to know any of this going into surgery\u2014but I\u2019ll tell you both now. You won\u2019t like what I\u2019ve done anymore than I do,\u201d Ben began and saw Hoss and Hop Sing exchanging confused glances. \u201cDoctor Peele wrote Paul back\u2014there was only one surgeon who could do this surgery\u2014all the others that he trusted were too far from Virginia City. I had no choice\u2014I had to agree with it or we not only risk Joe\u2019s leg, but his life as well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re not telling me that\u2014\u201d Hoss stopped and shook his head trying to remove the slightest bit of doubt as to what his father was saying to them. There wasn\u2019t a chance that Ben Cartwright would have made a deal with Steven Hale; not a chance in the world.<\/p>\n Ben could see it on his son\u2019s face, and nodded his head towards Hoss, \u201cYes\u2014Hale is operating on your brother.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat!\u201d Hoss\u2019 voice thundered out in disbelief.<\/p>\n \u201cI had no other choice! What would you have me do, risk your brother\u2019s life while we waited for another surgeon?\u201d Ben defended his actions, though he couldn\u2019t fault his son for his outburst. He was just as outraged over the whole situation as Hoss was at the time.<\/p>\n Hoss knew his father\u2019s painful decision had to have come out of the fact that he had been backed into a corner. It hurt to even look at Pa at the time, he looked enraged and hurt. \u201cBut Pa, he\u2019s the one who did this to Joe\u2014how could we chance him hurting him more?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPaul is in there with him\u2014watching his every move\u2014and I warned Hale that I would kill him if Joseph doesn\u2019t come out of there alive. If there had been another way\u2014\u201d Ben trailed off when he felt two hands coming around his shoulders. There was Hoss\u2019 massive right hand and Hop Sing\u2019s smaller left hand. Both men were forming a protective circle, trying their best to ease the burden that had fallen on Ben Cartwright\u2019s shoulders.<\/p>\n \u201cConfucius say\u2014some battle not worth loss of soldier\u2014nothing worth loss of Little Joe. Revenge not for Cartlights this time\u2014maybe not Hop Sing either\u2014must wait higher power. If doctor is only chance, father must take it,\u201d Hop Sing stated with great compassion.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s right,\u201d Hoss agreed and watched his father ease back against the chair. \u201cWhat did it take to get Hale to do the surgery, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe had to drop all charges\u2014and promise not to go after him once the surgery is over. I also had to pay him five thousand dollars,\u201d Ben replied grimly.<\/p>\n \u201cFive thousand dollars! And\u2014we can\u2019t even go after that vermin?\u201d Hoss exclaimed.<\/p>\n \u201cIs any amount of money\u2014or even revenge\u2014worth the life of that boy?\u201d Ben asked his son.<\/p>\n Hoss dropped his head and sighed. He knew what his father was trying to tell him, but the thought of the man getting away with all he had done to Joe ate straight through to Hoss\u2019 heart. \u201cI just want him punished\u2014for what he did\u2014it\u2019s not fair.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the way of things, Son, sometimes in life\u2014it seems like things aren\u2019t fair. I know you want vengeance, I want it even more\u2014but I can let that go if it means that Joseph survives. Can you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Sir\u2014if we have to. I just wish there was something else we could do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere is,\u201d Ben paused, dropped his head down, and began to pray. Hop Sing and Hoss followed Ben\u2019s actions and together they prayed for Joe\u2019s recovery and for the ability to let their anger go.<\/p>\n The minutes ticked by slowly, almost as though time had stopped all together. Ben and Hoss continually paced the waiting room while Hop Sing\u2019s gaze never fell off the doors to the operating room. By the time Joe had been in surgery for almost three hours, Ben finally gave in to exhaustion and sat numbly in a chair. Every few minutes he would open his pocket watch and check the time. Looking inside the gold cover his eyes fell on the single word that his father had engraved on it before giving it to him so many years ago. That one word said it all; faith. Ben had hoped to give the watch to his youngest son on his next birthday. Now, with the boy in the next room struggling for his life, Ben wasn\u2019t at all sure if Joe would ever have the chance to accept the gift.<\/p>\n \u201cPa,\u201d Hoss whispered and touched his father\u2019s arm as soon as he spotted the door opening at the end of the room. Ben looked up to see a very weary Paul Martin walking their way.<\/p>\n Hoss, Ben, and Hop Sing all stood and approached the family physician afraid to utter the words they wanted to ask the man.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s going to be all right,\u201d Paul smiled and shook the outstretched hands one at a time. \u201cJoe\u2019s had a rough go at it\u2014but he\u2019s going to be okay.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd\u2014his leg\u2014Paul\u2014\u201d Ben stuttered.<\/p>\n \u201cHale is one miserable human being\u2014but Harold Peele knows his surgeons\u2014and the man did a wonderful job on your son. I know I couldn\u2019t have saved Joe\u2019s leg\u2014but then, I haven\u2019t the experience that Hale has had. Trust me, I kept my eye on everything he did\u2014just to be sure!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a shame that someone who is so good at healing is also equally as good at harming people,\u201d Ben added. \u201cThank you, Paul, for watching over the boy for us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou knew I would,\u201d Paul grinned and patted Ben\u2019s shoulder before turning back towards the operating room. \u201cWe\u2019ve taken Joe to recovery\u2014Ben you come along\u2014and when we get him back to his room Hoss and Hop Sing can come on in.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSee you in a bit, Pa\u2014think Hop Sing and I will go get a drink!\u201d Hoss smiled and put his arm around the Chinese member of the family.<\/p>\n \u201cMister Hoss know Hop Sing don\u2019t drink!\u201d Hop Sing protested.<\/p>\n \u201cThen I\u2019ll buy you some of that herbal tea and you can watch me drink\u2014come on!\u201d Hoss laughed and walked out of the room with Hop Sing at his side.<\/p>\n Ben sat next to the hospital bed and stared over at his son. He looked so pale, so lifeless, that he had to keep reminding himself that Joe would be okay. Paul and a nurse had been in to check on the boy several times and had reassured the anxious father that his vital signs were good and the wound was doing fine. Ben knew the prognosis and was thrilled that his son was going to recover but he wouldn\u2019t be totally convinced until he could see the color of his son\u2019s eyes and the smile that could melt a glacier.<\/p>\n Almost an hour after Ben had begun his sentry duty, Joe started to stir in bed giving the subtle signs of coming back around. Ben leaned in closer and took his son\u2019s left hand into his own and whispered his name.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph\u2014Joe\u2014take it easy\u2014everything\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d Joe mumbled and his eyes opened and closed several times. He tried to pull himself from the drowsy lull of sleep but was having trouble focusing in on his pa\u2019s face. Joe broke from his father\u2019s grip on his hand and slowly eased his palm down to his left leg. His eyes still closed, he felt the bandages and then moved his hand down lower and felt his kneecap. A smile faintly pulling on his lips, Joe realized his leg was intact.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Son, it\u2019s still there,\u201d Ben smiled and eased the boy back to a more reclining position. \u201cNow you stay still, Young Man.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s still there,\u201d Joe repeated his father\u2019s words until they sunk into his brain. \u201cThank God,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, thank God,\u201d Ben sighed and leaned over and kissed his son\u2019s forehead.<\/p>\n \u201cMust\u2019ve been a good surgeon,\u201d Joe muttered as his eyelids began to slowly close once more.<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s heart fell in his chest. Good surgeon indeed! But, he wouldn\u2019t say the words, or do any explaining. Not now, not for a long while. Joe didn\u2019t need to know anything other than the fact that he was going to be all right.<\/p>\n \u201cYou sleep now, Son. I\u2019ll stay with you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank him for me\u2014Pa\u2014thank the doctor\u2014okay?\u201d Joe asked and then turned his head to the side and went back to sleep.<\/p>\n Ben pushed back his fallen tears and watched his son slumber on peacefully. He would not be honoring Joe\u2019s request. Hale may have saved the boy\u2019s leg, perhaps his life too, but he was also the cause for the whole awful event. Ben sat in the chair and thanked God instead.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Epilogue:<\/strong><\/p>\n Joe\u2019s recovery was slow going at first, but after a week spent in the hospital, Paul finally allowed him to return to the Ponderosa. The release was based on several promises gleaned from his patient that the boy would stay put in his room and not even think about getting out of bed. Joe was eager to be back home in his own room and agreed to all the provisions Paul Martin had laid down.<\/p>\n The leaves were beginning to turn colors as the fall was in full bloom by the time the Cartwrights drove Joe via buckboard back to the ranch. Hop Sing sat guard next to the young man and made sure that his leg wasn\u2019t jarred during the trip. Hoss and Ben had done their best to avoid filling Joe in on all that had happened behind the scenes during Joe\u2019s hospital ordeal. They thought it would be best to wait until he was home and stable before releasing information about Steven Hale which would most likely upset the boy.<\/p>\n Propped up against a mountain of pillows Joe glanced around his bedroom. He was so happy to be home, even if he had to be somewhat confined at the time. Hop Sing had helped him into a night shirt and gently placed him under the heavy quilt to ward off the chill in the bedroom. Hoss had also been up to talk with his brother and the two young men talked for a while about plans for winter when Joe would be up and moving around again.<\/p>\n Realizing that his brother was tiring, Hoss had made up an excuse to go downstairs for a bit, hoping that Joe would get some sleep. Though he had tried, that wasn\u2019t happening. Joe\u2019s leg throbbed; the stitches were pulling from the incision that had been cut length wise under the calf of his left leg. It didn\u2019t feel as bad as it had almost two weeks prior when he had arrived back in Virginia City, but it still hurt. Joe hoped that he would finally be getting the whole story from his father and planned to ask him about it as soon as he came back up into the room.<\/p>\n \u201cThought you\u2019d be needing this,\u201d Ben smiled as he made his way into his son\u2019s bedroom with a load of firewood held in his arms. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a cold one tonight\u2014we sure don\u2019t want to take a chance of you getting sick on us now!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Pa,\u201d Joe nodded his father\u2019s way and watched as he went about setting the wood in the fireplace and getting it lit. Soon the room was bathed in a soft amber glow.<\/p>\n Ben, satisfied that he had a roaring blaze going and that the room would soon be warm and cozy for his son, settled down in the chair next to the bed.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, how are you feeling? I know that was a long ride home and you haven\u2019t slept all day.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m okay.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph?\u201d Ben restated, and raised his eyebrows in gesture.<\/p>\n Joe smiled sheepishly and replied, \u201cOkay, I am kinda tired\u2014and my leg smarts a bit, but I am okay.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThose stitches come out in a couple of days and then Doc is going to cast your leg. Before long you\u2019ll be as good as new.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know I\u2019ve got a bunch of questions\u2014questions that you\u2019ve avoided for a whole week. How about leveling with me, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben sighed and leaned in towards his son. He knew the truth wouldn\u2019t wait any longer, nor was it fair to hold it back from Joe. \u201cYou\u2019ve been through so much, Joseph, and you\u2019ve no idea how bad off you were a week ago. We almost lost you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know, and I also know how bad I worried you and the rest of the family. But, you said I\u2019m gonna be all right\u2014so let\u2019s hear it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou want to know who operated on you\u2014is that it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s one of the questions\u2014let\u2019s start on what happened to my leg first though. Why did my leg get infected? I mean\u2014did you find out why Doctor Hale operated on my leg in the first place?\u201d Joe asked, his eyes burning through his father\u2019s heart seeking the truth from the man.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we found out, well\u2014what we found out when Hale was taken into custody\u2014was that he purposely hurt your leg,\u201d Ben stuttered, finding the explanation to be even harder than he thought it would be. By telling his son the story, he was forcing them both to relive terrible truths about the vile man who dared call himself a healer.<\/p>\n \u201cHe operated on me to make my leg worse? Why?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, you said you vaguely remembered that man\u2019s voice\u2014from several years ago when you were shot, right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, the time he came out here and did a rather shoddy job on my stitches. I remember you and Doc got angry with him\u2014and tried to take away his license to practice medicine. But why\u2014after all these years would he do this? I mean, he was practicing medicine in Sand Dust\u2014so whatever you and Doc tried to do \u2014didn\u2019t stop him anyhow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHale figured I would come for you\u2014and he wasn\u2019t sure if you knew who he was. He wasn\u2019t taking any chances at the time. We believe that he purposely injured your leg\u2014that he caused the infection. Doc and I also believe that he knew that\u2014\u201d Ben stopped, he wasn\u2019t ready just then to tell Joe it was Hale who had done the surgery in Virginia City.<\/p>\n \u201cYou knew what?\u201d Joe caught on to the abrupt way in which his father\u2019s sentence had been cut off.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I suppose that first of all\u2014I\u2019d better tell you how you got that infection,\u201d Ben began again, and cleared his throat of pent up anger.<\/p>\n \u201cI figured it was the botched job he did on my leg\u2014wasn\u2019t it? I mean he hacked into it\u2014and then stitched me up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, he opened your leg\u2014not because of any bone spur\u2014or any fragments that he was concerned over. He, well\u2014he purposely cut into your leg to bury a scalpel underneath the skin.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe looked over at his father like he had told some dreadful lie. He tried to picture a scalpel being imbedded in his leg, and didn\u2019t think that there was any possible way that it could be hidden.<\/p>\n \u201cHe did WHAT?\u201d Joe burst out with his question.<\/p>\n Ben dropped his hand down onto Joe\u2019s arm and eased him back against the pillows. \u201cThis is why I didn\u2019t want to get into this\u2014you\u2019re getting far too upset!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2014no I wanna know, Pa!\u201d Joe insisted.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not a rational thing\u2014so it\u2019s not easy to explain to you, Son. But, if you\u2019ll settle back and stop yelling I will continue,\u201d Ben bargained with his boy.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, go on,\u201d Joe nodded, and forced a calm to his voice.<\/p>\n \u201cHale buried that scalpel underneath your skin\u2014then sutured you up and then put that enormous cast over it all to hide what he\u2019d done. He figured you would be brought back home and that once Doc Martin examined you\u2014well\u2014he\u2019d know that it had all been a deliberate act.<\/p>\n \u201cSo\u2014there was that knife\u2014that scalpel\u2014under there the whole time?\u201d Joe asked in shock and disbelief.<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d Ben nodded and gave his son some time to grasp what had happened to him.<\/p>\n \u201cHell\u2014no wonder I felt like something was cutting me all that time!\u201d Joe retorted angrily, but then looking into his father\u2019s eyes, he tried to lower his tone again. \u201cBut didn\u2019t he think he\u2019d get caught, Pa? I mean\u2014once we put two and two together and all\u2014how did he think he\u2019d get away with what he had done?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt ties into your other question I\u2019m afraid, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou asked who performed the surgery at the hospital,\u201d Ben replied cryptically.<\/p>\n Joe sat there for a few moments trying to figure out where his father was going with what he had said. How had Hale played a factor in who had performed the surgery?\u00a0\u00a0 Suddenly, dull awareness hit Joe over the head like a bolt of lightning.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t mean that Hale was the one who fixed me up!\u201d Joe exclaimed.<\/p>\n \u201cSettle down,\u201d Ben warned and moved to sit on the bed next to his son. \u201cThis isn\u2019t helping you\u2014getting riled\u2014and you know it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa\u2014\u201d Joe whispered and reached for his father\u2019s arm. He stared into his eyes and could see the intense sadness that was mixed with a fierce and uncontrollable anger. \u201cHale saved my leg?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, there was no other way\u2014you know\u2014I didn\u2019t want him to\u2014but,\u201d Ben stopped. He had to get his emotions in check or he wouldn\u2019t be able to continue. He had tried for over a week to find some peace in his heart over the many decisions he had made but it had yet to work. Ben had prayed to God for the solace to forget going after the man and to just be thankful that his youngest son was still alive. \u201cJoseph\u2014I couldn\u2019t risk losing you\u2014I wish it hadn\u2019t come to that, but Hale was our only chance.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut why? Why would the man who caused all my problems agree to fix me back up? I don\u2019t understand,\u201d Joe said confused by all he had just heard.<\/p>\n \u201cHarold Peele had wired Paul sending word of several doctors whom he deemed qualified enough to perform the surgery. All of them\u2014with the exception of Steven Hale\u2014were days away from here. There wasn\u2019t any time to get them here either. Paul was afraid we would not only lose your leg\u2014but that you wouldn\u2019t survive another days wait. So, that being said\u2014we went to the jail and had to deal with Hale. Believe me\u2014bargaining with that\u2014that\u2014monster\u2014was the last thing that I ever wanted to do!<\/p>\n \u201cI know\u2014I know, Pa,\u201d Joe nodded and patted his father\u2019s arm. He could tell that the man was still fighting with himself over his decision and didn\u2019t want to make him feel any worse about it.<\/p>\n \u201cHale demanded that Paul and I drop any old charges we had against him\u2014and that we wouldn\u2019t add any new ones either. He made Paul write a letter to the medical board withdrawing any old complaints. Hale also made me give him five thousand dollars\u2014what he deemed to be expenses to get settled some place else. But worst of all\u2014\u201d Ben stopped and put both of his hands on Joe\u2019s shoulders and forced his gaze, \u201cworst of all he made me promise\u2014swear to God\u2014that I would not seek any type of revenge once you were operated on.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe took in the last details and thought on them before speaking. He had no idea that the family had gone through so much grief while he was trying to recover from his injuries. Joe hurt for his father and the rest of his family. But, slowly, like an undercurrent, outrage began to flow through his own veins.<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean\u2014he butchers me\u2014sticks that scalpel in my leg\u2014causes all this\u2014then\u2014he\u2019s the only one who can fix me\u2014and now he\u2019s just gone away Scott free?\u201d Joe asked, his voice shaking with rage.<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shook his head in disbelief and stared back into his father\u2019s eyes to read what was in them at the time. The anger reflected back could well have been his own, and not that of Pa\u2019s. Not being able to find any words that could adequately describe how he felt at the moment, Joe sank down further into the pillows releasing his father\u2019s hold.<\/p>\n \u201cAll that matters now is that you get better, Joseph,\u201d Ben whispered and tenderly placed the palm of his right hand against his son\u2019s left cheek.<\/p>\n \u201cPa, what if my leg isn\u2019t completely healed? What then? I mean\u2014what if he messed it up more when he re-broke it? What if all he did affects me later when I start to walk again?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPaul thinks you will be fine\u2014there\u2019s no reason right now to think otherwise,\u201d Ben reassured his son. He could see the depth of despair in the hazel eyes and knew that part of his son\u2019s soul had been harmed along with his body.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I have any problem\u2014if my leg isn\u2019t exactly the way it was before all this; I\u2019m going after him, Pa!\u201d Joe warned.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph,\u201d Ben said and gripped his son\u2019s arm a little rougher than he meant to at the time, \u201cI promised him that I wouldn\u2019t seek revenge. I gave my word.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah\u2014YOU did\u2014I didn\u2019t promise nothing!\u201d Joe retorted angrily.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s over,\u201d Ben responded with a low and serious tone. \u201cYou\u2019re going to be fine\u2014that leg of yours is going to be fine. It\u2019s over now.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe closed his eyes for a few minutes to stay his tears. He didn\u2019t want to shed any over the evil man who had hurt him so badly. Joe could feel his father\u2019s gaze, even with his eyelids closed at the time. The last thing he wanted was to upset Pa. He figured that he had been upset enough over the last two weeks and didn\u2019t need any more grief. Joe knew what it had taken out of his father to make such a bargain with someone as sadistic as Steven Hale. Joe knew that his pa wouldn\u2019t have made such an awful deal unless there was no other way to save his son\u2019s life. He owed his father more than he would ever be able to repay in life and he didn\u2019t want to make matters worse for him, even though he was personally outraged over what had happened.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, Pa, whatever you say,\u201d Joe conceded and opened his eyes. He forced a calm expression to his face in the hope that he would both look and sound sincere.<\/p>\n Ben took a good look at his son and hoped that the boy was truly ready to accept the reality of what had transpired. It was never all that easy to tell with his youngest any more. When he was younger, he had been easier to read, but now the older Joe got the more skilled he had become in hiding old wounds from his pa.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s just concentrate on getting you all better, okay?\u201d Ben sighed and pulled the covers around his son\u2019s shoulders. \u201cI almost lost you this time, Joseph\u2014and to be totally honest\u2014if it meant dealing with Satan to save you\u2014well\u2014it was worth it to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI understand\u2014really,\u201d Joe nodded and watched his father move off the bed and turn the wick down in the lamp on the night stand. \u201cThink I\u2019ll get some sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be back up in a bit\u2014rest well, Son,\u201d Ben whispered and combed his fingers through Joe\u2019s unruly hair before turning towards the door.<\/p>\n Joe waited until he heard the door close and the sound of his father\u2019s boot steps as they made their way down the hallway. He allowed his left hand to drift down to his bandaged leg and rubbed at his injury. Joe\u2019s face scrunched up into a scowl and he whispered, \u201cIt ain\u2019t over till I say it\u2019s over, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n The End<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Note from author: This concludes part one- it was written prior to my surgery this past summer. I hope to eventually continue the saga with a part two, that will hopefully tie up some loose ends. I have four sisters to thank this time. The growing sisterhood that has meant the world to me, and of whom I wouldn\u2019t want to exist without their love, friendships and talent. This is for you, Deb, Leesa, Carol and Jane. Thanks for everything guys! Love Terri aka Wrangler<\/em><\/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 <\/p>\n
\nMalice Aforethought<\/a>
\nCoup De Grace<\/a><\/p>\n
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