{"id":47273,"date":"2002-01-01T11:03:56","date_gmt":"2002-01-01T16:03:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=47273"},"modified":"2025-02-27T12:05:09","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:05:09","slug":"die-upon-a-kiss-by-shaan-lien","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=47273","title":{"rendered":"Die Upon a Kiss (by Shaan Lien)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Story Summary: A friend from Adam\u2019s past emerges with a common foe on her tail and though the attempt is made, Adam is unable to save her and fall victim to his own grief that Ben must now save him from.
\nRating and Reader Alerts: PG-13 for violence description of wounds.
\nWords:\u00a0 15,800<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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Disclaimer: The characters of “Ponderosa” do not belong to me.\u00a0 They are the property of David Dortort and Beth Sullivan.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Brandsters have included this story by this author in our project: Preserving Their Legacy<\/a>. To preserve the legacy of the author, we have decided to give their work a home in the Bonanza Brand Fanfiction Library.\u00a0 The author will always be the owner of this work of fanfiction, and should they wish us to remove their story, we will.<\/p>\n

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Author’s Note: This is my first Ponderosa\/Bonanza fic.\u00a0 Adam has already attended college in the east, somehow, and the Ponderosa itself is more established.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been wanting to write this story before \u201cPonderosa\u201d ever started\u2014since I\u2019ve watched the first six or so seasons of \u201cBonanza\u201d and part of the rest of the seasons\u2014but I\u2019ve had a lot of trouble with it.\u00a0 An AU by a longshot.<\/span><\/p>\n

Die Upon a Kiss<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is love of course.<\/span>
\nAnd then there\u2019s life, its enemy.\u201d<\/span>
\n-Jean Anoulih<\/span>
\nArdele<\/span><\/p>\n

Reunion<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0The wagon creaked to a stop in front of Mr. & Mrs. Orowitz’s general store.\u00a0 A chestnut horse with a white stripe and star was tied behind it.\u00a0 The wheels sunk slightly into the mud, which caked the street.\u00a0 Once more, it was raining in Eagle Station, not an uncommon occurrence in these parts.\u00a0 Another gray day, but still just another day.\u00a0 Steady drizzle beat down on the hats of the two Cartwright brothers as they climbed out of the wagon.\u00a0 The Cartwrights were the owners of a large spread outside of Eagle Station.\u00a0 The small town was slowly growing, but for now it was just a trading post.\u00a0 It was getting more attention than their neighboring town that had been affectionately deemed Hangtown.\u00a0 The ranch was named the Ponderosa.\u00a0 The Cartwrights had arrived here about nine or ten years ago.\u00a0 They had come from Massachusetts, well, that’s where they had started from.\u00a0 Benjamin Cartwright had started out west with his five-year-old son Adam shortly after his first wife Elizabeth had died.\u00a0 She had always been weak since giving birth to their first and only son.\u00a0 Of course, in that time he had fallen in love again, to a tall Scandinavian woman in Illinois.\u00a0 The woman who gave him his next son, Eric.\u00a0 She had died when they had progressed farther out west.\u00a0 Shot while they were under attack by Indians.\u00a0 Their guide had murdered one of the members of their tribe, and they had come to get their revenge on him.\u00a0 She had been shot with an arrow while Adam held his infant brother in his arms, who was steadily crying though he didn’t not know he had just lost his mother.\u00a0 Hoss had never known his mother, Inger, but Adam remembered her more than his own.\u00a0 Next, a woman Benjamin met in New Orleans nearly seven years later.\u00a0 Marie.\u00a0 She had seen Ben’s dream.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Adam Cartwright, the oldest Cartwright boy at the age of twenty-four, found himself standing in a puddle of mud.\u00a0 His black cowboy boots were used to the treatment, but he wasn’t too fond of the mud that splattered his black pants.\u00a0 Ignoring that, the young man stepped upon the deck, and entered the general store with his younger brother Hoss.\u00a0 The two’s appearance was in stark contrast.\u00a0 Hoss was tall, easily the same height as his older brother, and he was still growing.\u00a0 He had chubby, rounded features unlike his brother’s strong, angular features.\u00a0 Hoss with green eyes and sandy reddish blonde hair and Adam with light blue eyes and dark brown hair that was nearly black.\u00a0 Even their dress was different; Hoss donned tan pants, a white shirt, a tan vest, and a heavy tan coat.\u00a0 The hat he wore was also tan, but it had a dome sort of top, unlike the norm of western apparel.\u00a0 Adam dressed in black pants, a dark blue shirt, with a blue bandana they had given him for his twenty-first birthday, and a dark gray coat with black shoulders and collar.\u00a0 Even his wide rimmed hat was black.\u00a0 The older man wore a black leather low riding holster with a six round revolver resting in it, near his right hand.\u00a0 Hoss was far too young to brandish a weapon, but about a year or so ago, Adam had won the argument with his father about why he needed to carry a sidearm.\u00a0 Normally, their younger brother, Joseph would have accompanied them if their pa didn’t go, but not today.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“Mr. Orowitz,” Adam said nodding slightly in reply to the older man as he approached the counter.\u00a0 There were two women about Hoss’ age admiring the bolts of cloth, apparently deciding on fabric for a dress.\u00a0 He paid no mind to the fact Hoss had wandered off to talk to Tess Greene, a young girl he was quiet fond of.\u00a0 She was with Isabella, Carlos’ sister whom Adam had previously admitted to being in love with.\u00a0 Shelby Stereatt had seen it in the way he had looked at her when she was bedridden from an outbreak of cholera.\u00a0 It was true; he was in love with her.\u00a0 That wasn’t going to distract him from what he needed to do, though.\u00a0 They needed supplies back at the ranch, for the hands, for repairs.\u00a0 It had been a while since they had been able to go into town, well other than the fact Hoss and Little Joe were in school.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“Your order is ready, Adam,” Mr. Orowitz noted as he saw Adam pull a piece of folded paper from his jacket pocket.\u00a0 “Ben brought it in yesterday morning and paid for it,” he informed him as he set a large box on top of the counter filled with jars, boxes, and small sacks.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“Thank you,” Adam said picking up the box as the shop owner set several large bags full of feed, flour, and various other things on the table.\u00a0 About to tell Hoss to come and help him, he decided against it.\u00a0 The way the three of them were laughing, he wasn’t about to interrupt just yet.\u00a0 Walking outside with the large wooden box in his arms, he set the box on the edge of the wagon and pulled back the canvas, and set the box down.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0As he was covering it again, he heard a commotion towards the end of town.\u00a0 A moment later he saw someone sprinting down the street, running as fast as possible, and in this person’s case it was fairly fast.\u00a0 The person was Indian, dressed in buckhide fringed pants, a dirty white blouse, with a necklace hanging down to mid-chest.\u00a0 The Indian’s hair was long and black, loose aside from one small braid down on one side.\u00a0 From the belt hung a long knife.\u00a0 Adam recognized her immediately as she ran past, not even slipping as she ran through the mud and puddles of water, which was now the street.\u00a0 Her skin was bronze, her features slightly angular, and more than a little attractive.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“Hoss,” Adam called backing slowly into the shop once more.\u00a0 Hoss immediately tore himself from his conversation with the two ladies.\u00a0 “Finish loading up the wagon, and if I’m not back yet, go home without me.\u00a0 All right?\u00a0 Straight home.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Hoss nodded, sensing the gravity in his older brother’s voice.\u00a0 “Yeah, Adam, sure,” he said as his brother jogged to his horse, grabbing the reins and swinging himself up on the horse without using the stirrups.\u00a0 Turning the horse immediately, Adam kicked the horse, starting it into a gallop down the main road.\u00a0 Shaking his head, Hoss was about to go back inside the store when two more horses came to a quick stop in front of Frenchy’s hardware and livery.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“Where’d the Indian go?” the older man demanded.\u00a0 Older, though not much older than Adam.\u00a0 Frenchy didn’t seem too interested in telling the answer to their questions.\u00a0 Opening his mouth to speak, the man cut him off, drawing his pistol and pointed it at Frenchy.\u00a0 Big Dan had already rose from where he was sitting, his pistol in his hand.\u00a0 “Where’s the Injun?”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“He went that way,” Frenchy said gesturing vaguely down the road.\u00a0 “Then northwest,” he informed them, and galloped off in the same direction Adam had just rode off in.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Adam was well aware that there were two horses in close pursuit.\u00a0 It wasn’t just because he could hear the thundering of hooves as they got closer, because that had to be what Red Hawk was running from.\u00a0 There weren\u2019t too many people she would run from, she could certainly fight.\u00a0 The fact she didn’t have her rifle could have been the explanation.\u00a0 The Cheyenne woman was about nineteen or twenty years old.\u00a0 Though she was hardly reverted to the western way of life, she hadn’t been part of her tribe in at least twelve years.\u00a0 Adam knew her from about that long ago.\u00a0 From then and about eight more years.\u00a0 For a time the two had been virtually inseparable.\u00a0 For a time.\u00a0 Then she had gone in search of her older brother Egdan.\u00a0 That had consumed her life, because she knew for a fact he was alive.\u00a0 It had run her into some trouble, namely with the Calvary, but it was the Calvary\u2019s fault in the first place.\u00a0 Blaming his country for atrocities wasn’t something he’d easily be willing to do, but there were some facts that remained.\u00a0 The fact was: America had enslaved millions of Africans, and wiped out nearly two hundred thousand of the Indians living here first.\u00a0 He had the idea that wasn’t going to stop any time soon.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Of course she would go to the forest, Adam realized as he went down the narrow road surrounded by densely packed tall trees.\u00a0 The Cheyenne were used to the woodlands.\u00a0 Though she had spent most of her time in the west, the deserts and the plains.\u00a0 Slowing, he knew she was close by.\u00a0 He wasn’t sure how exactly, but it was as if he could almost sense her presence.\u00a0 It wasn’t that far-fetched with all the trouble they had gotten into together, and got out of.\u00a0 Actually, they had been more interested in stopping trouble than causing it.\u00a0 During the time they had been in touch, she had been almost like a sister, and in realizing that his pa had let her stay around, though she did more of her share of work.\u00a0 The two horses were getting closer.\u00a0 Adam steered his horse off the path, and behind some trees, pulling his rifle out of the scabbard attached to the saddle.\u00a0 Once the two horses were almost upon him, he kicked the horse and he trotted down in front of the two.\u00a0 The horse in front reared up, neighing as it came to a stop, as did the horse behind him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“I suggest you turn around,” Adam said as he pointed his rifle at the man in front.\u00a0 “You’re trespassing and that gives me every right to fire this rifle, Mr. Walton, and don’t think I’m not going to do it.”\u00a0 He knew this man and his partner.\u00a0 He knew how Red Hawk and these two were involved.\u00a0 Just from what he knew about the two he wanted an excuse to pull the trigger.\u00a0 To allow Red Hawk to find her brother if she hadn’t already, and not have to worry about these two.\u00a0 These two men, Mark Walton and Quentin Mackenzie, were responsible for killing Red Hawk’s “adoptive family”.\u00a0 Adoptive as in the white family who had taken her in when virtually her whole tribe had been annihilated.\u00a0 She had only stayed with them for three years.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“I don’t doubt it, boy,” Walton said steadying his horse.\u00a0 Adam wished he was in a better position to see what Mackenzie was doing, so he lowered his left hand to his pistol.\u00a0 “You keep protecting this girl, one of these days it is going to get you killed.\u00a0 More than likely after we kill her, and don’t think we won’t.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“Go,” Adam ordered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Then, everything happened at once.\u00a0 A shot went off a moment after Red Hawk dropped from where she was perched on one of the branches, knocking both from their horses.\u00a0 Adam was knocked backwards as a bullet tore its way into his shoulder, and his horse reared at the same time, knocking him off.\u00a0 Previously he hadn’t realized his horse, Beauty, was gun shy, and as it ran off towards the house, he realized she was.\u00a0 Landing hard on his back, his rifle fell out of his grasp.\u00a0 Pain was radiating through his shoulder like something he had only felt once before.\u00a0 On that occasion, it had only been a flesh wound.\u00a0 This wound had surely torn straight through his shoulder.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Red Hawk, Mackenzie, and Walton were already up and struggling.\u00a0 The two men were trying to get best of the smaller woman.\u00a0 The shot that struck Red Hawk he only heard, he didn’t see a weapon, but he did know it came from Walton’s direction.\u00a0 Adam fired immediately, when Red Hawk faltered backwards the bullet grazing her side.\u00a0 He held the rifle with is left hand, against his shoulder.\u00a0 The bullet struck Walton in the side, and he fell backwards and to the ground.\u00a0 Red Hawk had delivered a blow to Mackenzie\u2019s temple, knocking him unconscious.\u00a0 “Haw,” she shouted to the two horses, and they ran back down the road from which they had came.\u00a0 They wouldn’t go too far, but far enough.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0The rifle slipped from his grasp, Adam couldn’t help it.\u00a0 Clasping a hand to his profusely bleeding shoulder, he felt somewhat dizzy from the loss of blood.\u00a0 Red Hawk was to his side for much needed support, saying nothing as she lowered him to ground as his legs became lead beneath him.\u00a0 Removing his bandana, Red Hawk folded it up rather quickly and pressed it to his shoulder.\u00a0 Adam flinched as pain shot through him, tensing and clenching his teeth, trying not to cry out.\u00a0 Red Hawk was breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling rapidly against his as she pressed the bandana to Adam\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“You\u2019re going to be all right,” Red Hawk informed him in her heavily accented voice.\u00a0 He was certainly going to be better than if Red Hawk hadn’t swooped in.\u00a0 Mackenzie had been surprised and that threw his aim off.\u00a0 Higher and to the right.\u00a0 Previously, it probably would have hit his heart or punctured a lung.\u00a0 “Can you stand?” she asked of him as Mackenzie started to stir.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“I think so,” Adam said quietly as they rose in unison, Red Hawk supporting him.\u00a0 The road made its way through the forest, a long walk from here to the house.\u00a0 It was doable, but you probably wanted to run if you wanted to get home for dinner.\u00a0 Running wasn’t an option at the moment.\u00a0 Relief washed over him as he was Beauty standing a ways down the road.\u00a0 He was loosing blood quickly despite the pressure Red Hawk was applying to the entrance wound.\u00a0 Luckily, Beauty didn\u2019t shy away from them as they approached.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Holding onto the reins, Red Hawk directed his grasp to the horn of the saddle, glancing back to the road.\u00a0 With more effort than it should have taken, Adam put his foot in the stirrup.\u00a0 Groaning in pain when Red Hawk helped him into the saddle, he could only bow over, holding the horn so he wouldn’t fall off.\u00a0 Never before had he felt such searing pain, or felt so incredibly weakened.\u00a0 Hearing Red Hawk put the rifle in the scabbard, a moment later, she mounted the horse behind him, and the horse started off, trotting down the road towards the house.\u00a0 She knew where it was, undoubtedly.\u00a0 Adam was leaned forward with a hand pressing at his shoulder, barely able to keep himself up right as they trotted along.\u00a0 If it wasn\u2019t for Red Hawk\u2019s arm around his waist, he probably would have fallen.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0When they started to converge upon the house, he heard another horse approach.\u00a0 Adam was surprised when Red Hawk pulled his pistol from the holster at his right thigh.\u00a0 The hammer being pulled into ready position was done even as Red Hawk took aim in one swift motion.\u00a0 “Get down from the horse,” he heard Carlos direct of her.\u00a0 Carlos didn’t know Red Hawk, and this certainly didn’t look good.\u00a0 Then again, Red Hawk didn’t know Carlos.\u00a0 From behind him, he felt Red Hawk raise the pistol.\u00a0 Even as she pointed the pistol at Carlos, she held Adam up with her other arm, not concerned about her own pain.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“Carlos, don’t,” Adam managed, barely able to raise his head.\u00a0 Carlos hesitated and then returned his pistol to the holster that hung over his shoulder.\u00a0 Once he did that, Red Hawk returned Adam\u2019s pistol to his holster.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“Help me get him inside,” Red Hawk ordered of him as she dismounted.\u00a0 Not moments after Red Hawk helped Adam out of the saddle, he felt the world darken around him.\u00a0 He slumped in her arms into unconsciousness.\u00a0 Never before had it been so welcomed, and never before had he passed so easily into it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Quickening<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps our eyes need to be washed<\/span>
\nby our tears once in a while, so that<\/span>
\nwe can see life with a clearer view again.\u201d<\/span>
\n-Alex Tan<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Ben Cartwright sat in a chair next to his oldest son’s bed, looking at him as he slept.\u00a0 It was rare that Adam, of any of his son’s, was hurt.\u00a0 Sure as a boy he had his own share of scrapes, bruises, and one or two broken bones, but he had never been seriously injured.\u00a0 Hop Sing had explained the possibility of Adam not waking up for at least twenty-four hours.\u00a0 Needless to say, Ben could wait.\u00a0 This was, after all, his son.\u00a0 Hoss had arrived home about fifteen minutes after Red Hawk had left.\u00a0 He wouldn’t have known her at any rate.\u00a0 More or less he had only see the young Cheyenne girl from afar, riding off with his older brother.\u00a0 During the time Red Hawk was around, Adam was more likely to go off after he was finished with his obligations.\u00a0 He wouldn’t spend his time reading, playing with his younger brothers, or doing schoolwork.\u00a0 Nothing could get him to forsake those things except for Red Hawk.\u00a0 Ben remembered when the two were almost inseparable.\u00a0 Companionship found because both had lost someone(s) very dear to them, and had the same kind of passion for life.\u00a0 Since Adam had never done anything to misplace Ben’s trust, he had let the boy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The two did a lot together.\u00a0 Though Ben had previously taught Adam how to shoot a rifle, Red Hawk had made him a very good shot, being able to hit just about any target, moving or stationary.\u00a0 Adam had taught her more than simply being able to read things beyond that.\u00a0 She had taught him the love of music, which he really got from his mother, but Adam had shown her more about the musical world than what she had dreamed.\u00a0 So many things his son had learned, things most people didn’t know existed.\u00a0 Physics, history, chemistry, theology, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, biology, anatomy, physiology, astronomy, engineering, architecture, rhetoric, languages, musical notation history and composition, philosophy, literature, geography, metallurgy, and business.\u00a0 Ben thought that Red Hawk had shown him the practical uses of all those things.\u00a0 Right now, the son of his first wife lay on his bed with a bandage covering a gunshot wound in his right shoulder.\u00a0 His bare chest was rising and falling, the covers pulled up to mid-torso.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Though he hadn’t opened his eyes yet, Adam was conscious.\u00a0 It flooded to him rather quickly as if a spinning room suddenly came into focus.\u00a0 He was lying on something marginally soft, and there was a familiar smell about the room.\u00a0 It must have been his bedroom, also determined by the cold air pricking the soft hairs of his chest.\u00a0 A steady pain in his shoulder made him wish he had not awakened just yet.\u00a0 It was a strong pain and he could feel a bandage wrapped tightly around his shoulder.\u00a0 Then he remembered.\u00a0 Jerking awake, Adam immediately started to sit up but was restrained by his father’s strong arms.\u00a0 “Easy, Adam,” Benjamin Cartwright instructed him, as Adam hardly relaxed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“Red Hawk,” Adam began looking to his father.\u00a0 His youngest brother Joseph also occupied the room, lingering near the foot of the bed.\u00a0 Adam could see him out of his peripheral vision, could see the concern.\u00a0 Ben Cartwright was a tall, broad shouldered, strong man.\u00a0 Strong not just physically but in every other way also.\u00a0 While he could be this, there was a gentleness about him.\u00a0 A tenderness reserved for his sons, even his eldest who was already a man.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“She left,” Ben informed him and Adam slumped back in the bed, releasing a breath, “thought it would be better.\u00a0 Her being here would direct Walton and Mackenzie\u2019s search here, and she didn’t want to get us involved.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“You let her leave?”\u00a0 Adam asked, noting the way his pa had phrased that.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“After I gave her a horse and made sure the flesh wound at her side was properly taken care of,” Ben offered knowing his son’s concern.\u00a0 He also know that bit of information wasn’t about to satiate Adam’s concern directed to his long time friend.\u00a0 Knowing his son, only finding her and seeing for himself would.\u00a0 That was one of the reasons he had attempted to convince her to stay, that and they could help her against these men Walton and Mackenzie.\u00a0 “She left over an hour and a half ago.\u00a0 You’ve been unconscious since she and Carlos brought you in.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“I have to find her,” Adam said sitting up in the bed and swinging his legs over the side.\u00a0 That was when the pain caught up with him.\u00a0 Clutching his right arm, he took in several deep breaths.\u00a0 Apparently, whatever Hop Sing had given him that supposedly had “analgesic” properties had worn off.\u00a0 After he had breathed through most of the pain, he started to pull on his boots.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“You’re not going to do any good to her like this,” Ben pointed out to him directing him gently back to the bed, but his son was currently exploring what was deemed “Cartwright stubbornness”.\u00a0 That he got from his father.\u00a0 Hoss and Joe got it from both sides and it showed.\u00a0 Adam didn’t need as much stubbornness because the usual way their conversations went.\u00a0 From hindsight and an objective perspective, they were both normally right.\u00a0 “You can’t help her if you can barely stand.\u00a0 I doubt she went far, she’ll want to know how you are.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“She told me to give you this,” Joe said moving from his previously permanent position at the foot of his bed and now to Adam’s side.\u00a0 Extending his hand to Adam, he found the necklace she normally wore was there.\u00a0 A golden hawk feather with streaks of red running through it, flanked by small silver and turquoise beads on either side, and tassels hanging down.\u00a0 It used to be her brother’s.\u00a0 Raising his left hand, he took it from Little Joe, looking down at it still as his hand rested on his leg.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“Thanks, Little Joe. . . .\u00a0 She won’t be far at all,” Adam said quietly and then looked slowly to his father.\u00a0 Referring to the necklace as proof when he spoke.\u00a0 “She found Egdan . . . she found her brother.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“That must be why Walton and Mackenzie are following so closely now.\u00a0 They thought they finished the job a long time ago, but apparently not.\u00a0 If she found her brother, than why isn’t he with her?\u00a0 Why wouldn’t she give that necklace back to him?”\u00a0 Ben asked of him, barely knowing anything about the girl except what little Adam had told her.\u00a0 It was now Ben realized how much space he had given Adam with this relationship, and he wondered if it was too much.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“Maybe she didn’t get the opportunity,” Adam suggested as he reached for the clean shirt that was sitting on the end of the bed, “maybe they were present to interfere with that too.\u00a0 Red Hawk shot Walton, they probably won’t be around for a while, for that reason.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“Pa, there’s a man outside, said he’s looking for Adam, something about shooting a bounty hunter,” Hoss said as he burst into the room, and then saw Adam pulling on his shirt.\u00a0 “I think he’s some sort of marshal.”\u00a0 After relaying the message, he backed out of the room, going to keep tabs on this marshal.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“Stay here, Adam,” Ben said rising from he sat and exiting the room.\u00a0 About to argue, Adam bit of his retort when pain shot through his arm while trying to slide it into the sleeve of his gray shirt.\u00a0 Joe remained at the side of his oldest brother, putting a hand gently on his arm when he saw Adam\u2019s pain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cAre you sure you\u2019re all right, Adam?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked of him, unable to hide his concern.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cYeah, Little Joe, I\u2019m all right,\u201d Adam said forcing a smile at his younger brother.\u00a0 The concern was obvious, and Adam didn\u2019t want Joe to be worried about him.\u00a0 It was supposed to be the other way around.\u00a0 He reached up and ruffled his hair, bringing a smile to Joe\u2019s lips.<\/span><\/p>\n

Closing the door behind him, Ben headed quickly down the hall, downstairs and then outside, also closing that door behind him.\u00a0 He wasn’t surprised to see Hoss standing a fair distance from the man with his arms crossed over his broad chest.\u00a0 The marshal had dismounted his horse and was fiddling with the reins in his gloved hands.\u00a0 This marshal was an older man, but not the marshal from Texas they had previously encountered in relation to Carlos’ sister.\u00a0 “What can I do for you, marshal?”\u00a0 Ben inquired, putting his hands on his hips.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“Looking for your son, Mr. Cartwright,” the marshal explained.\u00a0 “You see, he was accused of shootin’ a bounty hunter by the name of Walton.\u00a0 Shooting him while protectin\u2019 some murdering Injun.\u00a0 I’d like him to come out of the house, and give up his friend.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“What for?”\u00a0 Ben demanded.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0The marshal raised his eyebrows, also putting his hands on his hips as he took a step closer to Ben.\u00a0 Ben let his hands drop, letting them hang easily at his sides.\u00a0 “Maybe you didn’t hear me right.\u00a0 He shot one of my men, while protecting a fugitive.\u00a0 That doesn’t stand well.\u00a0 Now, he can come out the easy way, or we can do this the hard way.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“As I understand it, your men were trespassing.\u00a0 If this Indian was on our property, the reason for which they were shot has no bearing.\u00a0 Trespassing just as you are trespassing now and I’d like you to get off my land.\u00a0 Oh, and don’t you ever threaten my son again.\u00a0 If you or any of your men so much as hurt one hair on my boy’s head, I will kill you,” Ben said evenly and then directed his next order to Carlos who had exited the barn with one of the hands.\u00a0 “Carlos, will you please escort the marshal off the Ponderosa.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Carlos nodded curtly, approaching the marshal, who backed up and then mounted his horse.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t think this is over, Cartwright.\u00a0 I\u2019ll come back with a warrant if I have to, then your boy will have to answer for what he\u2019s done,\u201d the marshal informed him and then turned and rode off.\u00a0 Quickly mounting his own horse, Carlos rode off after him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Without a word, Ben turned and walked back into the house, with Hoss following closely behind.\u00a0 He wasn’t surprised to find Adam and Joe waiting in the living room.\u00a0 Adam was holding his right arm, which hung limp at his side.\u00a0 “What did he want, Pa?\u201d\u00a0 Adam inquired of him.\u00a0 Ben could tell his son was in pain, and weakened by all the blood he had lost.\u00a0 Concerning Red Hawk, he wasn’t as rational and levelheaded as Ben had always seen in him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“You,” Ben said simply, “for shooting Walton and protecting a fugitive.\u00a0 I told him your actions were justified because he was trespassing and I told him to leave because he was doing the same.\u00a0 Wherever you’re going, I suggest you don’t.\u00a0 First, you are in no condition to help Red Hawk, you don’t know where she is and I don’t think you are thinking clearly in relation to your friend.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“Pa, I have to help her,” Adam said pulling on his jacket, “whether she wants my help or not.\u00a0 Those two are still after her, and pretty soon they are going to kill her.\u00a0 Mackenzie got close today.\u00a0 He would have killed me too if it wasn’t for her.\u00a0 I just have to see if she is all right?”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“And if she’s not?\u201d\u00a0 Ben inquired glancing briefly to Little Joe who stood watching the exchange.\u00a0 Ben didn\u2019t want to tell him to go upstairs, or to give them a moment, because Adam probably wouldn\u2019t wait that long.\u00a0 Joseph was old enough to hear this conversation, and Adam was in too much of a hurry to care.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“I don’t know, Pa,” Adam said with obvious frustration in his voice.\u00a0 Ben didn’t say anything, which made Adam slightly more aggravated.\u00a0 He looked into his pa\u2019s eyes, and said nothing for a moment.\u00a0 When he spoke next, he seemed slightly calmer.\u00a0 “What do you want me to do?” he asked quietly.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0With that, Ben changed his mind about them being able to stay.\u00a0 There were certain things they could find out about their siblings, but there were certain ways Ben wanted it to happen.\u00a0 An argument between father in son wasn\u2019t one of them.\u00a0 “Boys, could you excuse us,” Ben said without taking his eyes off Adam.\u00a0 The two reluctantly departed.\u00a0 Hoss returned outside and Little Joe went up to his bedroom.\u00a0 Little Joe seemed slight angry about having to leave, but he didn\u2019t say anything.\u00a0 He knew now wasn\u2019t the time, and Ben greatly appreciated that.\u00a0 “Adam, I just feel you are rushing into this again.\u00a0 You haven’t seen Red Hawk in a long time, and if she is responsible for murder\u2014”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“\u2014It’s not likely,” Adam retorted.\u00a0 “Murder?\u00a0 I’m sure they’ve tried that one a hundred times.\u00a0 They just want to finish what they started.\u00a0 The first time I didn’t help her, and I’m surprised she made it then.\u00a0 That’s not going to happen now, Pa, she’s my friend, and I’m going to help her, if she murdered someone or not,” Adam said grabbing his jacket from where it was strewn across the couch, tugging it on with some effort.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Ben stepped in his path as he headed for the side table next to the door where his hat and gun sat.\u00a0 “You are going to help her unconditionally.\u00a0 You think Red Hawk is always going to be in the right.\u00a0 One of these days she might lead you in trouble.\u00a0 She’s not infallible, Adam.\u00a0 She might get you killed, are you willing to risk that?”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“Pa, I know you don’t think I am thinking rationally about this,” Adam said simply, “but I am.\u00a0 I know what I am doing, and I am willing to risk that.\u00a0 I am aware Red Hawk is not infallible, but with my heart and my mind I do not believe she murdered anyone.\u00a0 She’s not the type, not with all she has seen in her life, not even for revenge.\u00a0 I’m going to help her, because she’s my friend, because I care about her, because I think it is the right thing to, and because more than anything, I want to help her.\u00a0 Please, Pa, let me do this.\u00a0 Trust me, please.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“I do trust you,” Ben countered, “I always have.”\u00a0 Adam had grabbed his hat with his left hand and dropped it upon his head, only semi-fixing it into position.\u00a0 Next, taking his pistol, he placed it in his belt with the handle pointing towards his left hand since he didn’t have a left-handed holster.\u00a0 That was another thing he learned from Red Hawk, not depending so much on his dominant hand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI might be gone for a couple of days, I don\u2019t want to bring Red Hawk back here in case Walton or Mackenzie become impatient,\u201d Adam explained to Ben tugging his hat in place.\u00a0 \u201cPlease, don\u2019t worry, Pa, and I\u2019ll take care of everything when I get back.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That was the least of Ben\u2019s concerns.\u00a0 After all these years of Adam doing whatever was required of him and more, he would be almost happy to carry his son\u2019s burden for a while.\u00a0 He knew how much Red Hawk meant to Adam.\u00a0 “Be careful, son.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“I will,” Adam said nodding slightly as Ben stepped out of the path of the door.\u00a0 After a moment, he walked out the house, and out to where Beauty was tied to the hitching post.\u00a0 Undoing the reins, he grabbed the horn with his left hand and pulled himself up into the saddle with only a little effort.\u00a0 His rifle was still in the scabbard where Red Hawk had left it.\u00a0 Before he rode off, his father called his name, so he turned to look once more upon him.\u00a0 “Yes, Pa?”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“I love you,” Ben said a little quieter than he had said the previous words.\u00a0 Letting the sternness slip from it, though it wasn’t such a rare occurrence.\u00a0 There was hardly any reason to be stern with his son.\u00a0 An occasional argument was present either with himself or Hoss and Little Joe, but there wasn’t any fighting even though Hoss was soon to out grow Adam, even though his middle son was only sixteen.\u00a0 It was no surprise Adam didn’t mind, since Hoss was born, Adam loved and protected his younger brother, just as much as he had done for Little Joe.\u00a0 Since Adam\u2019s mother died a long while ago, an early amount of maturity had set into him.\u00a0 Hoss hadn’t really known his mother, not until the age of five as Adam had.\u00a0 Little Joe had known his mother the longest, eight years.\u00a0 They hadn’t seen the reaction of their father to their mother’s death.\u00a0 Their mother didn’t die a slow a painful death.\u00a0 Adam had always known she was dying, but he never displayed he knew.\u00a0 Ben wasn’t aware Adam knew why she had died until he was seven years old.\u00a0 That was when Adam blamed himself for his mother’s death.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0The reason for his hesitance wasn’t because he didn’t feel the same.\u00a0 Those weren’t words he hadn’t heard in a while, at least not too frequently.\u00a0 One of those things he missed about childhood.\u00a0 Such words were frequently exchanged, especially since his mother had died.\u00a0 Hugs and kisses goodnight were something he never really expected to miss, but he didn’t know the last time he actually hugged his father.\u00a0 Of course, he knew his father loved him, but since Adam was a man now, signs of affection such as those weren’t openly displayed.\u00a0 “I love you too, Pa,” Adam said offering a slight smile and then turned his horse and galloped off.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Where Red Hawk was, he knew from the necklace that was currently draped about his neck.\u00a0 That was the point of leaving it.\u00a0 She would be on the Ponderosa, a spot they frequented called Indian Leap, for various reasons.\u00a0 He didn’t know where her horse Turquoise was, but the horse Pa had lent her was waiting near the base of the rocky hill.\u00a0 It wore no saddle, no blanket, just a bridle.\u00a0 Adam saw Red Hawk sitting on the edge of the cliff, staring out.\u00a0 It was near the middle of the day, and it was mostly overcast, it had stopped raining some time ago.\u00a0 She knew he was there long before he came up the rocky path, probably when he rode up and dismounted.\u00a0 “Are you okay?” she asked rising and turning to face him for the first time.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“Can’t move my arm.\u00a0 But yes, I am, thanks to you,” Adam replied as he closed the space between them.\u00a0 Red Hawk nodded slowly, averting her gaze from his.\u00a0 “What’s wrong?” he inquired of her.\u00a0 Not to his surprise, she didn\u2019t reply.\u00a0 “Why are Walton and Mackenzie still following you?\u00a0 Why are they accusing you of murder?”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“Adam, I did not come to get you involved in this,” Red Hawk explained to him, raising her dark eyes to meet his.\u00a0 “I’m here now only to make sure you are all right.\u00a0 Since you are, I will be going, and I don’t need your help with this,” she said walking around him, and began to leave.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“Red Hawk,” Adam said grabbing her arm to stop her.\u00a0 Once she stopped, he released her immediately, knowing she would just as soon jerk her arm from his grasp.\u00a0 “Why don’t you want me to help you?\u00a0 You’ve helped me plenty of times, why can’t I return the gesture?\u00a0 I’m your friend.\u00a0 That’s what I’m here for.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“I almost got you killed today,” Red Hawk pointed out to him, gesturing emphatically to his shoulder.\u00a0 “One second later and you would have been dead, and it was because you were protecting me.\u00a0 I’m not going to let that happen.\u00a0 You have two younger brothers, who need you.\u00a0 You have a family that needs you.\u00a0 I found my brother, Adam, I’m not going to let you loose yours in the process.\u00a0 Do you think I’m going to let them take that away?”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“How do you expect to prevent them from doing just that?\u201d\u00a0 Adam inquired of her.\u00a0 “By running?\u00a0 They have horses, Red Hawk; they have guns.\u00a0 If I wouldn’t have helped you, you would have been dead right now instead of sporting a flesh wound.\u00a0 I have a family, let me help you ensure that you are going to have yours, at least your brother.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Red Hawk looked down and then away briefly.\u00a0 “I appreciate what you did for me.\u00a0 It is not that I don’t want your help, I do, but I have a bad feeling about this.\u00a0 I know something bad is going to happen, and I would prefer if it happened to me,” Red Hawk remonstrated.\u00a0 “The next bullet is probably going to kill someone.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Adam nodded slightly; he had heard this from his father.\u00a0 “Where is Egdan?” he asked of her.\u00a0 Running through the part where the other didn’t want to get the other killed was more so a formality.\u00a0 They didn’t want the other person involved in dangerous things equated with their personal life, but the other was too stubborn to get anywhere in logical debate.\u00a0 The conversation had occurred between them at least five times, if not more.\u00a0 The last time it was Red Hawk who wanted to do the helping and not the other way around.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Red Hawk shrugged rather uncharacteristically.\u00a0 “Some place where they can’t find him,” Red Hawk explained, “incidentally, that is where I can’t find him, though I haven’t really had time to look.\u00a0 Egdan promised he would return in two weeks.\u00a0 That was a while ago.\u00a0 I don’t know what I am supposed to do about these two, Adam.\u00a0 I honestly do not know.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“Let’s go to this cabin on the Ponderosa.\u00a0 We can get some rest, there’s food there, and we can come up with something.\u00a0 They won’t be able to find us there,” Adam replied and she nodded, following Adam back down the rocky slope.\u00a0 Red Hawk barely made a sound as she walked behind him, despite how steep the slope was.\u00a0 Resisting the temptation to glance behind him to see if she was following, Adam continued down the slope to where their two horses were waiting.\u00a0 Adam mounted Beauty with only using his left arm to hold the horn as he swung himself up.\u00a0 He watched as Red Hawk mounted her horse, of course having no saddle.\u00a0 Although she was used to that fact, mounting the tall horse seemed to take more effort than usual.\u00a0 The bullet she took must have caused more damage than what she was letting on.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Adam turned his horse and started off at a trot, soon Red Hawk was beside him, though saying nothing.\u00a0 If it was up to her they would have made the hour and a half trip without saying a word.\u00a0 Compared to Red Hawk, Adam was downright chatty.\u00a0 Under normal circumstances he wouldn\u2019t have minded the silence, but these weren\u2019t normal circumstances.\u00a0 They needed to talk and Red Hawk probably realized that, but her articulation skills had something to be desired, according to her.\u00a0 Adam thought that was an excuse for not saying anything, because when Red Hawk wanted to get her point across, she had no problem doing so.\u00a0 After a moment Adam interrupted the silence, knowing it was going to last a while if he didn\u2019t say anything.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cRed Hawk, we need to talk,\u201d Adam pointed off after maybe ten minutes had passed.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t reply, and nor did he really expect her to do so.\u00a0 \u201cI need to know something,\u201d he said looking over to her and after a moment, she met his gaze.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cYou want to know if I killed that man,\u201d Red Hawk realized easily.\u00a0 She looked away and then shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I didn\u2019t kill him.\u00a0 He was trying to help me, believe or not, and they killed him because of it.\u00a0 Did you think I did?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cNo, I didn\u2019t and you know that,\u201d Adam said and Red Hawk nodded slowly.\u00a0 He never doubted her.\u00a0 \u201cHave you been running from them for all this time?\u201d asked Adam.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Red Hawk shook her head once more.\u00a0 \u201cNo, they couldn\u2019t find me for a good four years, not until recently when I found Egdan.\u00a0 I guess they were waiting for that moment, or knew I would come back here one of these days, since you\u2019ve been back from college for a while now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cSix years since the last time we\u2019ve seen each other?\u201d\u00a0 Adam asked and Red Hawk nodded again.\u00a0 He remembered the days they spent together as though they happened yesterday.\u00a0 They kept in contact while Adam was in college, but it was difficult since Red Hawk didn\u2019t stay in one place.\u00a0 \u201cToo long.\u00a0 I miss that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cMiss the trouble we tend to get in?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Adam offered a slight chuckle in reply; Red Hawk managed a small smile.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, that and the conversations we have, everything we used to do together.\u00a0 Everything I failed to mention before because I was an awkward teenager.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cStill an awkward teenager,\u201d Red Hawk admitted raising her hand and Adam gave her a pained expression.\u00a0 He was well aware Red Hawk was about five years younger than he was.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be twenty in three weeks . . . I think.\u00a0 You weren\u2019t that awkward, better than most teenage boys I know.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cA significant other?\u201d\u00a0 Adam teased wondering if Red Hawk had ever been in a \u201cserious\u201d relationship.\u00a0 The weddings among her people were normally arranged, so being in love with the person you were betrothed to wasn\u2019t a requirement.\u00a0 However, Red Hawk had mostly been brought up in an environment in stark contrast to her traditional Cheyenne beliefs.\u00a0 While he cared about Red Hawk a great deal, it was more as he would care for a sister or a very dear friend, not in such a manner.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cUsed to be, met up with a couple friends of mine a few weeks ago,\u201d Red Hawk countered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean used to be?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t really been in touch with him for a while.\u00a0 I used to care a great deal for him and he for me, but I grew apart from him.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t feel comfortable letting him close or getting too close to him.\u201d\u00a0 The regret was evident in her voice; the regret and the sadness, which coated her voice thickly, though she tried to suppress it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou were afraid of losing him,\u201d Adam concluded and Red Hawk didn\u2019t have to reply, for he knew the answer.\u00a0 \u201cI know that you\u2019ve lost people that you\u2019ve cared a great deal for, but you can\u2019t go through life not experiencing love because you\u2019re afraid you might loose some one.\u00a0 It\u2019s always a possibility.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Red Hawk nodded in reply; she knew that.\u00a0 She knew that as well as Adam did, if not to a more extensive degree.\u00a0 \u201cWhat about you, Adam?\u00a0 Have you found someone?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cI think so,\u201d Adam replied quietly glancing over to her once more as they trotted along.\u00a0 His thoughts immediately went rocketing back to Isabella.\u00a0 Adam wished he could tell her personally where\u2019d he be, and apologize for not being around, instead of his pa undoubtedly being the one to take care of that.\u00a0 \u201cI love her, but it\u2019s . . . awkward, for lack of a better word.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cWhat\u2019s her name?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cIsabella, she is Carlos Rivera deVega\u2019s sister.\u00a0 Carlos is the man who pulled a gun on you when we rode up to the house,\u201d Adam explained and Red Hawk nodded in recollection.\u00a0 \u201cI enjoy being around her, I always think about her when we\u2019re apart.\u00a0 When I\u2019m around her I feel like she\u2019s the only person in the room, but everything I\u2019ve ever wanted to say to her just becomes a jumbled mess.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSounds like someone\u2019s in love,\u201d Red Hawk replied and then nodded in frustrated agreement.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s the problem then, besides your regression into awkwardness when you\u2019re around her?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s basically it,\u201d Adam explained with a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve just never been in love like this before.\u00a0 I\u2019ve probably never been in love.\u00a0 I courted this girl in college, but I don\u2019t think I loved her.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t feel the same . . . I don\u2019t know . . . connection.\u00a0 It feels different; it feels right.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cKeep her close, tell her how you feel about her, Adam.\u00a0 As you said, you have no idea when you might lose her.\u00a0 Cherish the moments you have with her, today, now, not tomorrow or a week from now.\u00a0 Those days might not come.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Awry<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.\u201d<\/span>
\n-Henry David Thoreau<\/span>
\nWalden<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0The cabin they stayed at was deep into the woods, small with only one bedroom.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t supposed to be used for a long stay, but just getting in-between places on the large ranch.\u00a0 Adam had found a reason to be grateful it was here, only a few people knew of its location, because this trail wasn\u2019t one used a lot.\u00a0 It was near an old mine, and he and Hoss found it about seven years ago, before Adam went off to college.\u00a0 Adam dismounted his horse in front of the cabin.\u00a0 It was already dark, and it started to get cold.\u00a0 Red Hawk jumped down from her horse next to him.\u00a0 After they had put their horses in the stables, they entered the small cabin.\u00a0 It was small indeed, seeming actually smaller than the last time Adam had been up here.\u00a0 Then, he had been significantly smaller.\u00a0 A few of their hands had been through here several times since then, though.\u00a0 Immediately making his way to the fireplace, Adam started a fire, hoping to bite back some of the cold that was felt.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cI hope you are not hungry,\u201d Red Hawk said walking into the so-called kitchen.\u00a0 In truth, it could not be designated as such because it was simply a stove and a few cabinets.\u00a0 She closed the cabinet door, \u201cthere\u2019s nothing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cAt least the horses have food,\u201d Adam noted as the fire started to blaze.\u00a0 \u201cSorry,\u201d he said rising from where he was crouched in front of the fire.\u00a0 \u201cI guess the last time we came up here we really cleaned this place out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Red Hawk didn\u2019t seem to mind, though.\u00a0 \u201cIt is all right, Adam,\u201d she said wrapping her arms over her chest.\u00a0 The white shirt she was wearing was both dirty, bloody, and torn.\u00a0 \u201cHere is probably better than your home.\u00a0 Walton and Mackenzie will not let a bullet deter them.\u00a0 You know how relentless they can be.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cDon\u2019t worry about it,\u201d Adam instructed as he approached her.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cIt is hard not to worry when I know the damage they can do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m serious, Red Hawk, don\u2019t worry about it.\u00a0 Nothing is going to happen to them.\u00a0 You\u2019re safe here; we\u2019re safe here.\u00a0 In this cabin, there will be no worrying of any sort,\u201d he instructed jokingly, Red Hawk smiled and Adam returned it.\u00a0 \u201cWe can be kids again, not having a care in the world,\u201d Adam said wistfully.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cThat would be nice,\u201d Red Hawk said, \u201cI was fond of those days.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cAs was I.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know if I mentioned this, but I have missed you, Red Hawk,\u201d Adam informed her.\u00a0 \u201cIn taking my own advice I tried not to worry about you too much, but it was one of those things that couldn\u2019t be helped.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cYou do not need to worry for me.\u00a0 Under normal circumstances I can take care of myself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cNormal circumstances,\u201d Adam echoed walking over to the fireplace and sitting down on the wooden framed couch.\u00a0 Removing his hat, he set it on the long table behind the couch along with his gloves.\u00a0 Red Hawk followed suit and sat down also, sitting cross-legged.\u00a0 \u201cWhat happened that wasn\u2019t exactly normal?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cThe situations leading up to Reilly dying,\u201d Red Hawk offered, \u201cTerrance Reilly was his name.\u00a0 Apparently Egdan had saved his life some years before, and Terry was able to help me find him.\u00a0 Walton had sent him to kill me, but he had no intention of following through on the order.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cWhole story, Red Hawk, you\u2019re giving me only pieces.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cI\u2019d hate to bore you with the details,\u201d Red Hawk said sincerely, \u201che helped me, Walton killed him, I didn\u2019t have any weapons or a horse against their four men, so rather uncharacteristically, I ran.\u00a0 Not that I had any intention to kill either of them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cSeems like you would be justified.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Red Hawk looked down, obviously not agreeing with that remark.\u00a0 She unhooked her sheathed knife from at her belt and sat it on the couch between them.\u00a0 \u201cThe only opportunity I\u2019ve had to kill them, is in cold blood, Adam.\u00a0 I\u2019m not going to become what they are accusing me of already being.\u00a0 I\u2019m not going to be a murderer because of their actions.\u00a0 If I\u2019m going to kill them, it\u2019s gonna be fair, and I\u2019m gonna kill both of them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Adam picked up the knife, removing it from the sheath.\u00a0 The blade was razor sharp and curved slightly.\u00a0 Including the hilt, it was the length of his forearm.\u00a0 With Red Hawk wielding it, the blade was very deadly; Adam had seen her throw it with perfect accuracy, even at fifty feet.\u00a0 \u201cSome times it takes more courage to run, than to kill and be done with it,\u201d he responded, and put the blade back in the sheath.\u00a0 \u201cI know you are a person of both honor and courage.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cAbout that whole story,\u201d Adam prompted, \u201cif you don\u2019t mind.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cNo, of course not, it will be good to tell.\u00a0 Then you must tell me about your own adventures.\u00a0 The ones you wouldn\u2019t write about when you were away to college,\u201d Red Hawk said grinning at him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Adam smiled broadly, knowing exactly what she was talking about.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a deal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam and Red Hawk stayed for three days, giving their wounds a chance to heal, and caught up on the things they had missed in the past five or so years.\u00a0 They recalled things past, talked about possibilities for taking care of Mackenzie and Walton, and shared their grieves.\u00a0 Red Hawk told Adam about her brother Egdan, and Adam told her about Little Joe.\u00a0 When Red Hawk had seen Joe last, he was around three or four years old, back when Marie was still alive.\u00a0 Adam hadn\u2019t come to regard Marie so much as a mother, not like he had done with Inger.\u00a0 When Pa had married Marie, Adam had been around fifteen years old, and Hoss was seven.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0They really didn\u2019t have a plan when they went into town three days later.\u00a0 Before they went back to the ranch house to talk with Ben, to make sure neither Walton nor Mackenzie had been around.\u00a0 Fortunately, they hadn\u2019t, but unfortunately Ben had gone to town earlier that morning.\u00a0 The bullet Walton had taken must have shown them they meant business.\u00a0 The bullet hadn\u2019t killed Walton, though.\u00a0 Things would have been a lot easier if it had.\u00a0 It would have been justified then, even though Adam wouldn\u2019t have felt any better about killing someone because of \u201cjustification\u201d.\u00a0 When they entered town early that morning, Adam was aware his pa was already present.\u00a0 That had to do with his horse standing outside the town hall.\u00a0 His father, along with Margaret Green, Shelby Thereat, Frenchy (Mr. Deveroe), and Mr. Orowitz were members of the town council.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0The two dismounted near the general store, knowing Walton and Mackenzie, if they were still present, would probably be occupying either the saloon or the boarding house.\u00a0 Eagle Station didn\u2019t have a hotel yet, primarily because it wasn\u2019t graced with a stagecoach.\u00a0 Those rather coincided, however.\u00a0 The stagecoach didn\u2019t want to come through it if there wasn\u2019t a hotel, but there couldn\u2019t be a hotel if the stagecoach didn\u2019t come through.\u00a0 Once the two had dismounted, Adam spied his father coming out of the town hall with Mr. Orowitz.\u00a0 Adam headed over in that direction, with Red Hawk in tow, but Walton intercepted them with Mackenzie behind him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cDidn\u2019t expect to ever see you two again,\u201d Walton said grinning from ear to ear.\u00a0 \u201cMust be my lucky day, both of you at the same time.\u00a0 Two birds with one stone, unfortunately, we have to give you a trial.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cShe\u2019s not going anywhere without a trial,\u201d Adam noted firmly.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t have any proof and you don\u2019t have the authority to do so.\u00a0 How did you convince that marshal that Red Hawk was the one who killed your man?\u00a0 How\u2019d he die?\u00a0 With a bullet through his heart?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cYou don\u2019t know anything, boy,\u201d Walton said attempting to move around Adam, but Adam stood in his way.\u00a0 \u201cStep aside, before I move you,\u201d he said in a dangerous tone.\u00a0 Walton grabbed Adam by the lapels of his jacket and slammed him against the wall of the saloon.\u00a0 Before Walton could say anything more, Red Hawk broke his grasp on Adam and shoved him backwards.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re gonna hang for this Injun, and you right along with her, Cartwright.\u00a0 You want to protect a murderer, go ahead.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cMurderer?\u201d\u00a0 Adam exclaimed emphatically in disbelief.\u00a0 \u201cShe doesn\u2019t even carry a gun and we both know that.\u201d\u00a0 At times she had carried a rifle, but there was a distinct difference between a bullet wound from a rifle and a bullet wound from a pistol.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s not going to get a trail,\u201d Walton shouted to Adam as he looked to Red Hawk with cold hard eyes.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s gonna be strung up and hung just like the piece of dirt she is.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t no Injun gonna get away with murder.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cShe didn\u2019t murder him,\u201d Adam countered slowly before Red Hawk could say anything.\u00a0 From what he knew of Red Hawk, she probably wouldn\u2019t have said anything in her own defense.\u00a0 She would say something to protect Adam, or to avoid a dangerous interaction, but not to defend herself.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cIs that so?\u201d\u00a0 Walton said with a touch of amusement in his voice and he approached Adam.\u00a0 Soon they were merely inches from each other, Adam not bothering to move even with this man in his face.\u00a0 \u201cWhat exactly are you gonna do about it, son?\u201d\u00a0 There was more than a hint of a challenge in his voice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Adam\u2019s eyes didn\u2019t waver from Walton\u2019s hard glare; he wouldn\u2019t falter because of this man.\u00a0 \u201cBefore you take her, you will have to kill me,\u201d Adam replied, \u201cshe gets a fair trial, like everyone else.\u00a0 If you think differently . . .\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cIf you think you can pull that trigger fast enough, boy, then there\u2019ll be no arguing with you,\u201d Walton replied stepping backwards in acceptance of the metaphorical gauntlet Adam had tossed down.\u00a0 \u201cEspecially after I kill you.\u00a0 Measure up, boy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cWalton, you\u2019re fight is with me,\u201d Red Hawk pointed out avidly.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cYou\u2019re right it is,\u201d Walton said to her as he continued to back up.\u00a0 \u201cAnd as soon as I get this boy out of my way, it will be again, Injun.\u00a0 Don\u2019t doubt that I\u2019m ever going to stop until I kill you once and for all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cYou\u2019re not going to do this,\u201d Red Hawk immediately protested no longer directing her attention to Walton or Mackenzie.\u00a0 They, at the moment, weren\u2019t her immediately concern.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re not going to be killed because of me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cRed Hawk, I can do this,\u201d Adam assured her as he headed a ways down the street.\u00a0 People were already clearing from the streets, closing the blinds and doors of stores, and disappearing into buildings.\u00a0 A scattered few lined the walkways of the buildings, sheltered from the rain.\u00a0 One of this was his own father, Ben Cartwright, who was bound to put a stop to this, though he hadn\u2019t moved yet.\u00a0 \u201cIf I don\u2019t, you\u2019ll die and I can\u2019t stand by and just watch that happen.\u00a0 You\u2019d do the same for me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Red Hawk stood before him, looking straight at him.\u00a0 \u201cYes, I\u2019d die for you, Adam, but this isn\u2019t the same.\u00a0 If you die now, there is no point to it.\u00a0 You don\u2019t deserve to die, not like this, Adam.\u00a0 Not in a gunfight with some bastard who\u2019s after me.\u00a0 You\u2019re not supposed to die until years from now when you\u2019re old and gray and you\u2019ve had a family and a wife of your own,\u201d Red Hawk urged him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cYou think I\u2019m just gonna let you stand and face them?\u00a0 How else are you going to stop them?\u00a0 There is no other way, right?\u00a0 This isn\u2019t in cold blood, Red Hawk, and you\u2019re not a coward.\u00a0 You are the strongest, bravest person I\u2019ve ever met, but sometimes you have to allow yourself to be helped.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m not going to stand by and watch you get killed,\u201d Red Hawk remonstrated vehemently as his pa approached from behind Red Hawk.\u00a0 Adam locked his gaze with Ben\u2019s and Red Hawk fell silent without turning to see who Adam was looking at, she already knew.\u00a0 From the stern and set expression upon his father\u2019s face, Adam would have sworn he was going to attempt to talk Adam out of this.\u00a0 \u201cBen, please, he can\u2019t do this,\u201d pleaded Red Hawk when Ben stood beside her.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s his decision, Red Hawk,\u201d Ben said not letting his gaze leave his son\u2019s blue eyes.\u00a0 \u201cHis life, and I believe Adam should be able to make it on his own.\u00a0 He understands what he is doing.\u201d\u00a0 Ben knew Adam was surprised by his words.\u00a0 The confused expression on his son\u2019s features suggested Adam wanted Ben to attempt to talk him out of what he was about to do.\u00a0 Maybe he should have, because Adam had never been in a gunfight before, but Ben couldn\u2019t prevent the inevitable.\u00a0 After a moment, Adam\u2019s gaze went back to meet Red Hawk\u2019s.\u00a0 The girl was strong, having gotten this far, and was obviously able to fend for herself.\u00a0 Right now, the only weapon she had with her was a hunting knife at her belt.\u00a0 She seemed more unprepared than Ben had ever seen her, more needing of help.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cRed Hawk . . .\u201d Adam began not knowing what he was to say to her.\u00a0 \u201cI love you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Those words struck more of a cord with Ben than with Red Hawk.\u00a0 Naturally, Ben knew his son loved and cared deeply for this woman, but for him to say those words in that manner . . . then Ben truly realized how much his son cared for her.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I love you,\u201d Red Hawk replied in kind.\u00a0 Ben took her arm and led Red Hawk off the road and in front of Frenchy\u2019s livery stable.\u00a0 Father and son exchanged one last glance and then Adam turned to face Walton.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0They both turned around, undoing the strap that held the hammer in place.\u00a0 All Ben could see on his face was grim determination, not fear, not anger, just calm and resolve.\u00a0 That was his son, though, not one to lose his head.\u00a0 Watching as Adam released a heavy sigh, about to turn, Ben felt Red Hawk tense from next to him.\u00a0 Within a second, she was gone from his side, calling out Adam\u2019s name, and in that moment, Ben understood why.\u00a0 Mackenzie, who was also standing off to the side, had drawn his gun from his holster and aimed it at Adam.\u00a0 The shot was fired and Ben\u2019s gun was from his holster in a second, drawing, aiming, and firing in one swift motion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Red Hawk reached Adam in time to take the bullet for him, the young Indian girl knocking Adam to the ground.\u00a0 Ben hadn\u2019t seen the bullet connect with Red Hawk, but he saw no physical pain upon his son\u2019s features.\u00a0 Mackenzie dropped the gun when the bullet from Ben\u2019s gun struck him, and dropped to his knees, clasping his hands over his heart.\u00a0 Blood poured from the wound, and Mackenzie collapsed to the dirt road.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cRed Hawk,\u201d Adam cried as he held the young woman in his arms.\u00a0 From a distance away, he heard the sound of a hammer being set into position.\u00a0 Looking up from Red Hawk, Adam saw Walton pointing his gun at Red Hawk, and his father\u2019s pistol trained on Walton.\u00a0 Whatever words his pa was speaking, Adam didn\u2019t hear, he simply directed his attention back down to Red Hawk.\u00a0 Blood stained the light blue shirt Adam had given to her.\u00a0 The bullet wound was through her chest, probably puncturing a lung.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re going to be okay,\u201d Adam assured her, pressing a hand over the bullet wound.\u00a0 When she coughed heavily, blood came to her lips, and pain racked her body.\u00a0 \u201cNo, you can\u2019t die. . . .\u00a0 Red Hawk, you\u2019re gonna be fine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s all right; it\u2019s over,\u201d Red Hawk managed quietly, looking up to him.<\/span><\/p>\n

They were in the middle of the road with half of the town watching them.\u00a0 Adam was on one knee, the other leg extended under Red Hawk.\u00a0 She lay across his lap, her hand over his\u2014the one over the bullet wound.\u00a0 Mackenzie lay dead a distance away from both and Big Dan had taken Walton\u2019s pistol away from him.\u00a0 The bullet Adam never saw coming, not from Mackenzie.\u00a0 She saved his life once more, but this time it was going to be the end of her own.\u00a0 The young man\u2019s hat lay discarded, being drenched by the rain that pelted the small town, turning the dirt roads to mud around them.\u00a0 That went ignored, for his best friend, a person he loved deeply was dying in his arms.\u00a0 The aching throb in his arm didn\u2019t matter, nor that her blood was seeping into his own clothing, staining his hands also.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNow they will finally leave me and my brother alone . . .\u201d she closed her eyes briefly in pain and squeezed his hand tightly.\u00a0 Letting out a strained breath that brought more blood to her lips, she looked up once more to Adam.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, tell him that I love him, that I never stopped.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cI\u2019ll tell him,\u201d he assured her wiping the tears from her face and kissing her on the forehead.\u00a0 The tears weren\u2019t of pain or fear.\u00a0 Red Hawk wasn\u2019t afraid of dying.\u00a0 The tears were because she was going to lose such a friend and to cause him pain.\u00a0 From where she lay in his strong arms, she could see the pain his in sky blue eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d Red Hawk said the relief evident in her eyes.\u00a0 She took in a deep breath, but did not break eye contact with Adam, despite her pain.\u00a0 \u201cIt was a honor to be your friend, Adam Cartwright.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPlease,\u201d Adam begged, cupping the side of her face, \u201cplease, don\u2019t leave me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d whispered Red Hawk, her eyes closed gradually, and she went limp in his arms.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s eyes widened as tears poured from them, sliding down his cheeks.\u00a0 Ben watched as his oldest son clutched his best friend\u2019s body against him, he started to move towards his son.\u00a0 Blood was on Adam\u2019s hands and on his clothing.\u00a0 Rain matted his dark hair and drenched both of them, and anyone standing in the open air.\u00a0 The members of the town remained silent as they saw the normally resolute Cartwright rise to his feet with the dead Indian girl in his arms.\u00a0 The emotion he felt was so prevalent upon his features, the pain.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Mourning<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf thus the young hours have fleated,<\/span>
\nWhen sorrow itself looked bright;<\/span>
\nIf thus the fair hope hath cheated,<\/span>
\nThat led thee along to light;<\/span>
\nIf thus the cold world now wither<\/span>
\nEach feeling that once was dear:-<\/span>
\nCome, child of misfortune, come hither,<\/span>
\nI\u2019ll weep with thee, tear for tear.\u201d<\/span>
\n-Thomas Moore<\/span>
\nHas Sorrow Thy Young days Shaded<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cPa, when\u2019s Adam coming back?\u201d\u00a0 Ben\u2019s youngest son, Joseph Cartwright inquired without turning to face his father.\u00a0 He was standing on the chair in the office area off the living room, looking out the small windows.\u00a0 The only ones that used the desk were Adam and Ben, mostly for business in accordance with the ranch or mines.\u00a0 The blossoming of the Ponderosa couldn\u2019t have been done without the diplomacy Ben was so good at along with Adam\u2019s ingenuity.\u00a0 The two worked well together, though more often than not, they worked on separate projects.\u00a0 If Adam was working on payroll for the mines, Ben would be working on selling cattle.\u00a0 If Ben was working on improving the efficiency of their mines, Adam would be moving the heard to another pasture.\u00a0 The Ponderosa had plenty of hands, but not those who were fully qualified to work the more important aspects of the prosperous ranch.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Little Joe was eight years old, sixteen years younger than his oldest brother, whom he was deeply fond of.\u00a0 For the past few years, Adam hadn\u2019t been able to spend as much time with his brother because Adam had been off to college, and because of the older boy\u2019s responsibilities.\u00a0 Little Joe and Hoss had started to get along together more, doing things together, things they might have done before with Adam.\u00a0 Most of the responsibilities Adam had taken upon himself, despite Ben\u2019s constant urging for Adam to take more time for himself.\u00a0 Ben doubted Adam realized he had been growing away from Joe and Hoss because of the work he was doing.\u00a0 Such a situation was being stuck between a rock and a hard place, one of several.\u00a0 Another situation was college; Adam had gone to school and studied architecture.\u00a0 Instead of pursing that career, Adam came back to the Ponderosa to be of service, to be with his family once more.\u00a0 He returned two years ago after finishing his degree.\u00a0 The only use for his skill in architecture was to design the house they currently lived in.\u00a0 Ben found himself depending more and more on Adam, doing more on the ranch since Adam took care of other aspects.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cI don\u2019t know, Little Joe,\u201d Ben replied from where he sat in his chair near the fireplace.\u00a0 He was reading a newspaper.\u00a0 It was dark and Ben hadn\u2019t felt like sleeping.\u00a0 In fact, he hadn\u2019t been able to sleep that well since Adam left two and a half days ago.\u00a0 He left to bury Red Hawk, something Ben wasn\u2019t going to prevent him from doing.\u00a0 The boy said nothing as he put Red Hawk\u2019s body on the horse Ben lent her, mounted his own and rode slowly out of town.\u00a0 All he said to Ben was, \u201cI have to go, Pa\u201d.\u00a0 It was habit that Ben referred to Adam as a boy.\u00a0 Adam was twenty-four years old, having grown up too fast for his own good.\u00a0 He had to.\u00a0 Ben recalled having conversations with him on the trip to Nevada, as if he was talking to adult.\u00a0 Adam was no boy; he was a grown man, a mature adult.\u00a0 Someone who had lost his mother at the age of five, watched Hoss\u2019 mother die in his father\u2019s arm, and had come home from Boston after hearing Joe\u2019s mother had been killed in an explosion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cAren\u2019t you worried about him?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked dropping down from the chair and walked from the office and to the couch.\u00a0 Ben looked up from the newspaper and saw the way Joseph was looking at him, the concern on his features.\u00a0 Setting down the newspaper on the low coffee table, Ben rose from where he sat and approached his youngest son.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cOf course I am, Joseph,\u201d Ben replied sitting on the couch next to Joe and drew the young boy into his lap.\u00a0 \u201cAdam lost his friend, someone he cared a lot for, and he needs some time.\u00a0 To bury her in the fashion of her people, and to mourn for her, like you did for your mother.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Joe looked up at Ben, seeming slightly confused by the comparison.\u00a0 \u201cAdam loved Red Hawk as much as I loved Ma?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cIn a different way.\u00a0 He loved her as much as he loves you or Hoss or his own mother and the way you\u2019d love a very dear friend,\u201d Ben explained to his son.\u00a0 \u201cIf he doesn\u2019t come back tomorrow, I\u2019m going to look for him. . . . You should get ready for bed, it\u2019s past your bedtime.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cYes, Pa,\u201d Joseph replied a little more readily than what Ben normally encountered, he must have been tired.\u00a0 \u201cGood night,\u201d he said hurrying up the stairs to his room.\u00a0 Apparently, he had been somewhat comforted by Ben\u2019s words, not worrying so much about his older brother.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cGood night,\u201d Ben replied quietly as he slowly looked from the stairs and back into the fireplace.\u00a0 Rising when he heard the thud of heavy footsteps approaching the door, Ben started to move towards the door when Hoss burst through the heavy door.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cPa, come quick, it\u2019s Adam,\u201d Hoss blurted out, \u201cI think he\u2019s hurt.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cWhere?\u201d\u00a0 Ben immediately demanded, following his middle child out of the house.\u00a0 Hoss pointed down the main road, which eventually forked off in two directions.\u00a0 For some reason, Hoss remained standing on the porch, while Ben jogged in the direction where he saw a figure approaching.\u00a0 Then the figure came into full view; it was Adam.\u00a0 He was walking slowly, stumbling along.\u00a0 His eyes stared straight forward, though not seeming to see Ben as he approached.\u00a0 \u201cAdam?\u201d\u00a0 Ben shouted to him, but Adam didn\u2019t seem to hear.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0The second thing Ben noticed about Adam was his hair was a good deal shorter and his sleeves were rolled up.\u00a0 In the dark, Ben couldn\u2019t determine why, especially on such a cold night.\u00a0 \u201cAdam,\u201d Ben called once more as he was almost towards him.\u00a0 Again, Adam made no move to look at his father, but this time he dropped to his knees.\u00a0 He had used to last of his strength to get this far, and when he heard his father\u2019s comforting voice all his strength melted away.\u00a0 His arms hung limp at his sides, and Adam just stared down at the ground before him.\u00a0 Dropping to his knees in front of his son, Ben grabbed him by the shoulders.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, look at me,\u201d he ordered frantically.\u00a0 Adam didn\u2019t respond and Ben could now see that his hair was cut unevenly and there were lacerations on his arms.\u00a0 Deep cuts maybe four on each arm.\u00a0 Blood stained his dirty gray shirt he had been wearing for the past three days.\u00a0 Ben recalled the cutting of hair, and cutting ones arms was a traditional method of mourning for the dead.\u00a0 A Cheyenne tradition, and Red Hawk was Cheyenne.<\/span><\/p>\n

Quickly Ben checked Adam for any other wounds, not knowing if the blood on his shirt was his own or Red Hawk\u2019s.\u00a0 Pulling up his shirt, Ben found only that Adam\u2019s shoulder was bleeding again.\u00a0 There were a few scratches, which had no depth.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t understand what was wrong with him, as Ben knelt before his oldest boy.\u00a0 \u201cAdam,\u201d Ben repeated raising his head to force Adam to look at him.\u00a0 His eyes seemed darker, though it didn\u2019t seem as if he had been crying.\u00a0 When his eyes raised slightly, though not meeting Ben\u2019s; Ben saw tears fill his son\u2019s eyes immediately.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cOh, Pa,\u201d Adam managed, his voice cracking.\u00a0 \u201cThey took her.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t\u2014I couldn\u2019t do anything, I couldn\u2019t save her, I couldn\u2019t stop her . . . I couldn\u2019t . . . she died in my arms . . . she never knew\u2014O God, Pa, she\u2019s really gone.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam sunk into Ben\u2019s arm, clutching his father\u2019s shirt and sobbed.\u00a0 His tears seeped into Ben\u2019s shirt as Adam buried his face against Ben\u2019s chest.\u00a0 Holding him tightly as Adam continued to cry in his arms, Ben knew it had been a long time since his son had cried.\u00a0 Since Inger died sixteen years ago.\u00a0 Adam shook as he cried, trembling from a combination of the cold and the emotions that overwhelmed him.\u00a0 His skin was cold and slightly clammy to the touch.\u00a0 How long had passed until Adam composed himself slightly, Ben didn\u2019t know, but Adam could take as long as he wanted.\u00a0 He was exhausted, not even having the strength to rise to his feet or to move from his father\u2019s embrace.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe was right,\u201d Adam said almost at a whisper.\u00a0 \u201cI should have listened to her. . . .\u00a0 She said the next bullet was going to kill someone.\u00a0 If I just would have listened to her\u2014it wouldn\u2019t have happened.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cSsh, Adam, ssh,\u201d Ben said rocking him as if he was a small boy.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not your fault.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Moments later, Ben slipped an arm around Adam\u2019s shoulders, the other under his knees and picked his son up, holding him tightly against him.\u00a0 With ease, he lifted Adam, despite the fact he had grown to his father\u2019s height.\u00a0 In spite of that, Adam wasn\u2019t built the same way as Ben, a good deal lighter than Ben, or his younger brother Hoss, who was already taller than he was.\u00a0 Ben carried Adam back to the house.\u00a0 Hoss already put Adam\u2019s horse up, which wandered to the barn during this time, and the horse tethered to it which had borne Red Hawk\u2019s body.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you want me to do, Pa?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss inquired when Ben reached the door with Adam in his arms.\u00a0 He was trying to appear strong, but he couldn\u2019t, not went Adam was like this.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cGet me some bandages, hot water, and a bottle of alcohol or liquor of some sort,\u201d Ben explained walking past Hoss and into the house.\u00a0 He could feel that Adam was still crying, though controlled this time and without making a sound.\u00a0 Joe was standing in his nightshirt, tears welling in his eyes when he saw his oldest brother in his Pa\u2019s arms.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s head was resting against Ben\u2019s shoulder and Little Joe probably couldn\u2019t see that his eyes were, in fact, open.\u00a0 He could see the blood that covered his brother\u2019s shirt.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Carrying Adam up the stairs, Ben took him to the end of the hall where his bedroom was and lay him on his bed.\u00a0 Adam didn\u2019t move, but stayed in semi-fetal position, his eyes staring straight forward.\u00a0 Ben took of Adam\u2019s boots and sock, setting them next to the bed.\u00a0 Next Ben undid Adam\u2019s gun belt, and the thin strap that tied around the thigh to hold down the holster; the pistol still was in its placed, never removed and never fired.\u00a0 Wrapping the belt around the holster, Ben set it on the table next to Adam\u2019s bed.<\/span><\/p>\n

By that time, Hoss entered the room carrying a basin of water, a cloth draped over his arm, and a roll of bandages under his arm along with a bottle of some sort of alcohol, grain alcohol\u2014clear, and stronger than most.\u00a0 \u201cNeed some help, Pa?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss asked gently after he sat the basin of water on the bedside table.\u00a0 Ben had taken the bandages, towel, and bottle from Hoss and set them down on the bed next to Adam.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t taken his eyes from Adam\u2019s trembling form.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cNo, thank you, Hoss,\u201d Ben assured him and Hoss hesitantly left the room, closing the door behind him.\u00a0 Looking down to his son, who still had tears streaming down his cheeks, Ben stroked the side of his face gently.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, it\u2019s going to be all right, son, it\u2019s going to be all right.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Ben unbuttoned Adam\u2019s shirt, Adam moving slightly to assist when Ben took it off him.\u00a0 He wore the necklace that belonged to Red Hawk about his neck, the tip of the feather coming down almost to his navel.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, Adam, sit up,\u201d Ben directed gently, \u201cwe need to get you fixed up.\u201d\u00a0 Ben put an arm around his son\u2019s waist and helped him to sit up.\u00a0 He remained in an upright position under his own power, but still he said nothing.\u00a0 Glancing briefly to his son, Ben picked up the cloth and dipped it in the basin of water Hoss had brought.\u00a0 Ben wiped the blood from his arms.\u00a0 When Ben doused the lacerations with alcohol, Adam didn\u2019t flinch despite the burning sensation he must have felt.\u00a0 The bleeding had already stopped despite the depth of the lacerations.\u00a0 The bandages were simply for protection from possible infection.\u00a0 After re-bandaging the old bullet wound, Ben lifted his son once more to have him lay under the covers.\u00a0 Once more Adam lay on his side with his knees pulled slightly to his chest.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0After gathering the used bandages, the cloth, and the half-empty bottle, Ben kissed Adam gently on his temple, starting to rise from where he sat next to Adam on the bed.\u00a0 He was stopped, however, when Adam spoke.\u00a0 \u201cPa.\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s voice was quite and strained; Ben could barely hear what he said, but the fact that he spoke got Ben\u2019s attention.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cYes, Adam,\u201d Ben said resting his hand on Adam\u2019s.\u00a0 This time Adam raised his eyes to meet Ben\u2019s, turning his hand slightly so he could hold his pa\u2019s.\u00a0 Something he hadn\u2019t done since he was very young, younger than Little Joe.\u00a0 There was so much hurt in his eyes, desperation in his voice when he spoke to his father.\u00a0 Everything he was feeling now was primarily do to with the loss of Red Hawk, but it was also a combination of everything he hadn\u2019t wept over in the last sixteen years, everything he didn\u2019t let go, everything he didn\u2019t let himself completely feel or deal with.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t have to speak any more; Ben knew what Adam wanted to say.\u00a0 Squeezing Adam\u2019s hand tightly, Ben offered his reply, \u201cI\u2019ll be right here, Adam.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0It took a long while until Adam fell asleep.\u00a0 When he did, he slept fitfully, despite his exhaustion.\u00a0 Ben wanted to wake Adam from whatever nightmare that was haunting him, to comfort him with whatever emotional turmoil, but to stop them was to take them away, and that was something he couldn\u2019t do.\u00a0 Finally, Adam slept soundly, sleeping through most of the next day.\u00a0 Ben cut his hair to an even length, a good inch to an inch and a half shorter than its previous slightly longish style.\u00a0 It was now close-cropped.\u00a0 Adam said nothing during that time, nor did he say anything when Ben changed the bandages on his arms.\u00a0 Then he went back to sleep.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben assured Little Joe and Hoss that he was all right.\u00a0 They wanted to see their brother, but he doubted that was the best idea at the time.\u00a0 The next morning Ben awoke early, needing to complete Adam\u2019s chores, which hadn\u2019t been done for the past three days.\u00a0 Before he went downstairs, he went to check on Adam.\u00a0 He was surprised to see Adam\u2019s bed was already made, and he was gone from it.\u00a0 Going downstairs, Adam wasn\u2019t down here either and both Hoss and Little Joe were still sleeping.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s hat and jacket still hung from the pegs near the wall, and his gun belt sat on the table against the wall in the foyer next to Ben\u2019s.\u00a0 Donning his tan jacket and hat, Ben exited, gently closing the door behind him and heard the sound of wood being cut.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Towards the end of the house, Adam was chopping wood.\u00a0 A large pile of it had already been cut.\u00a0 He was dressed in all black, though he didn\u2019t wear a jacket, his gun belt, or his hat.\u00a0 Placing the log on the chopping block, Adam hefted the axe and brought it down swiftly on the log, chopping it in two.\u00a0 Once more Adam placed another log and cleaved it in half.\u00a0 That\u2019s when he looked up while Ben approached.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re up early,\u201d Ben noted, knowing Adam might be uncomfortable with the occurrence of the past several days.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cI have a lot to catch up on,\u201d Adam replied picking up half of the pile of wood, walking over and transferred it to the wood rack against the wall.\u00a0 \u201cProbably a lot of things to do at the mines also, and our timber operations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cI took care of everything at the mines and with the timber,\u201d Ben informed him, knowing Adam was ready to throw himself back into his work.\u00a0 Maybe he thought that would help, or maybe he didn\u2019t want to dwell on what happened.\u00a0 \u201cDid you eat breakfast?\u201d\u00a0 Ben inquired as Adam dumped the last of the firewood on the rack.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Adam shook his head slightly.\u00a0 \u201cWasn\u2019t hungry,\u201d he replied returning the axe to the shed.\u00a0 When he returned he stopped and looked only briefly to his pa.\u00a0 He opened his mouth to speak, but it took a while for words to actually come out.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2014I wanted to thank you, for everything.\u00a0 And I wanted to apologize\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201c\u2014Adam, you know that\u2019s not necessary, you\u2019re my son,\u201d Ben responded immediately, stepping closer to him.\u00a0 Adam inclined his head, as if his boots held some fascination for him.\u00a0 \u201cTake it easy, you don\u2019t have to rush back into things.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Adam nodded slightly.\u00a0 \u201cI know, but what else am I supposed to do?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cYou lost someone you cared about.\u00a0 It\u2019s all right, it\u2019s okay to mourn.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cI mourned,\u201d Adam replied, \u201cI mourned, I buried her.\u00a0 I lost my best friend, I can handle it now, but I don\u2019t want to stop what I normally do.\u00a0 I just want to go on with the way things were, is there anything wrong with that?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cYou don\u2019t have to be strong for everyone.\u00a0 You\u2019re human, just like everyone else.\u00a0 Your brothers know that, I know that, Red Hawk knew that, and everyone in town knows it.\u00a0 The question is, do you?\u00a0 You can allow yourself to feel emotions without feeling bad about it.\u00a0 Without feeling because you did so you let someone down.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cI know I\u2019m human, Pa.\u00a0 Otherwise I\u2019d have a lot easier time with this.\u00a0 I have to do this, not just for anyone, but for myself.\u00a0 If I don\u2019t, I\u2019ll be the way I was yesterday; I won\u2019t be able to do anything.\u00a0 When Red Hawk died, I felt as if I couldn\u2019t breathe, as if my heart was being torn out of my chest.\u00a0 I remember when Ma died\u2014my mother, Elizabeth\u2014I remember . . . is it supposed to hurt this much?\u00a0 Is love supposed to be this painful?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cIt is that painful,\u201d Ben informed him, \u201cif you remember when Elizabeth died, you probably remember how I reacted.\u00a0 That your grandparents took care of you for weeks afterwards and I barely saw you because I felt as if a part of me had died with Elizabeth.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t go on like you have, I let my grief overwhelm me.\u00a0 Pushing it away can be almost as bad as dwelling in it, Adam.\u00a0 You have to deal with it.\u00a0 Come to terms with Red Hawk\u2019s death.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Adam nodded slightly as he pulled off his black gloves and stuck them in his belt.\u00a0 \u201cThanks, Pa,\u201d he responded quietly.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Despite that conversation, Ben wasn\u2019t surprised when Adam didn\u2019t return for lunch.\u00a0 Such a thing wasn\u2019t unusual for him to forget if Hoss wasn\u2019t with him, or Little Joe, for that matter.\u00a0 He returned later that afternoon after finishing most of what he had to take care of.\u00a0 After he completed the chores he had in the barns, Adam fetched his hat, gun belt, and jacket from inside the house.\u00a0 Ben watched him as he did this.\u00a0 Ben watched Adam in his brief interaction with his brother as they unloaded a wagon full of hay into the barn.\u00a0 A bale of hay was hooked to a pulley; he and Carlos would heft the bale up to the loft of the barn where Hoss would store it inside.\u00a0 Whatever conversation had been broached didn\u2019t involve Adam, no matter how hard they tried.\u00a0 Hoss had even instructed Little Joe not to attempt to speak with Adam yet, in fear of his feelings getting hurt.\u00a0 The conversation he and Adam previously had either didn\u2019t help, or sent Adam into some deep thinking.\u00a0 His mind wasn\u2019t on what he was doing, though since he had performed such chores so frequently, he didn\u2019t really need to think about them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0A particular incident set Ben to wondering if he should force Adam to take another day of rest.\u00a0 After Adam finished hanging up the harnesses of the workhorses who pulled the wagon filled with bales of hay, Hoss noted the blood, which stained the white bandages that bound his right forearm.\u00a0 While noting this, he reached out to touch Adam, to see if he was all right as he looked down to the blood on his arms.\u00a0 Adam knocked his hand away the moment Hoss touched his arm, reeling backwards, looking at his younger brother for a moment as if he wasn\u2019t sure who he was.\u00a0 Despite the fact Hoss was significantly bigger than Adam, he looked slightly frightened by the harshness of Adam\u2019s reaction.\u00a0 Thankfully, Adam noticed the same after he forced himself to calm down, apologized and disappeared into the house.\u00a0 Ben doubted Hoss had seen him since.\u00a0 Undoubtedly he had been out busting horses, checking figures from the mine or their timber operations, working on the payroll or something along that line.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cWhere are you going?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked as Adam exited the house once more, walking over to his horse tied to the hitching post.\u00a0 Ben leaned against it, tightening the bridle to Little Joe\u2019s horse Paint.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cTown,\u201d Adam replied concisely.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cHop Sing and Joseph left for town to get the supplies we need,\u201d Ben informed him, but then understood his reasoning, though supplies would have been a sound excuse.\u00a0 \u201cIf you kill Walton out of revenge, you\u2019re never going to forgive yourself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m never going to forgive myself if I don\u2019t.\u00a0 I want her brother, I want Egdan to be able to mourn for his sister and I want him to know that her death was avenged,\u201d Adam retorted, mounting his horse without using the stirrups.\u00a0 Ben shook his head as Adam rode of in the direction of town, not going very quickly, no faster than a trot.\u00a0 He was twenty-four years old; Ben had to remind himself.\u00a0 He was a man and knew how to live with the consequences of his actions.\u00a0 He wondered if Adam was going to be able to deal with his little brother watching him kill a man.\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t be in cold blood, Adam would probably go about it the same way he was going to five days ago.\u00a0 Isabella and Tess had gone into town with Hop Sing and Little Joe.\u00a0 Isabella was Carlos\u2019 sister whom Adam loved very much, though not yet to the same degree he loved Red Hawk.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0As Adam entered the town, several of the members of the town watched him as he trotted into town.\u00a0 That wasn\u2019t too surprising considering the last time they had saw him he had rode of to bury Red Hawk.\u00a0 When they had last seen him, his hair was slightly longer, and he was wearing another color aside from black.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t make a difference to him, though.\u00a0 He saw the wagon Hop Sing and Little Joe undoubtedly took sitting outside the Orowitz\u2019s store, where this all started about a week ago.\u00a0 A buggy was stationed in front of it, probably belonging to Tess Greene.\u00a0 He dismounted in front of the livery stable, not for any particular reason, but wandered over to the saloon after tying Beauty to one of many hitching posts along the main road.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cHowdy, Adam,\u201d Shelby Thereat offered with a broad smile when Adam entered the saloon.\u00a0 Shelby hadn\u2019t seen Adam in the saloon to actually purchase a drink, as far as she knew, the boy had never drank whiskey before.\u00a0 \u201cWhat can I do for you?\u201d she inquired, expecting him to want help of some kind or her opinion on something.\u00a0 Adam was a nice young man, quite possibly the brightest person in town.\u00a0 She hadn\u2019t seen him since his Indian friend had died taking a bullet for him about five days ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cWhiskey,\u201d Adam replied leaning against the counter and dropping a dime upon the table.\u00a0 The saloon wasn\u2019t that crowded, though it soon would be picking up.\u00a0 Adam did notice as he entered that Mark Walton was sitting at the back of the saloon with some man.\u00a0 Quentin Mackenzie died from the bullet his pa had put through him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Shelby had to admit she wasn\u2019t expecting that request.\u00a0 She hesitated, but then flipped over a shot glass, pouring it halfway full of whiskey.\u00a0 Watching as Adam picked up the glass and drained the contents, she was surprise when he displayed no reaction to it.\u00a0 Not to the harshness of the substance, or any expression of disgust.\u00a0 He set the glass back down, not looking up as Walton rose from where was sitting towards the back of the saloon.\u00a0 \u201cWanna another?\u201d\u00a0 Shelby asked, though she didn\u2019t want to serve this boy any more.\u00a0 It was his own choice, since he was around twenty-four years old.\u00a0 Ben Cartwright might not have been too pleased to learn about Adam drinking whiskey.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cSure,\u201d Adam replied, and downed the next shot with the same ease, setting the shot glass back on the counter.\u00a0 He remained standing there, though this time Shelby doubted he wanted anymore.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t going to let Adam get drunk, no matter if he was a paying customer or not.\u00a0 She knew under normal circumstances he wouldn\u2019t even consider taking a drink, much less two.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cTrying to drown away some of your sorrows, boy?\u201d\u00a0 Walton inquired as he approached, leaning against the counter next to Adam.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cShut up, Walton,\u201d Shelby directed, because she knew Adam wasn\u2019t going to tell him to do so.\u00a0 The young man had directed his attention to the empty shot glass in front of him.\u00a0 He was rotating it on the rim in a circle on the counter, it occasionally catching a beam of light and reflecting it in Walton\u2019s direction.\u00a0 Shelby noticed, every time he did so, the beam of light struck him straight in the chest, near his rib cage, just where his friend had shot the Indian girl.\u00a0 Since his gaze was directed downwards, Shelby guessed Adam hadn\u2019t noticed it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cYou stay out of this,\u201d Walton ordered, moving around Adam, so his back was towards the door, baring Adam\u2019s path as he leaned once more against the counter.\u00a0 This time he was closer to Adam.\u00a0 \u201cThinking about that Injun girl Quentin killed?\u00a0 I got to thinking about it too as soon as you came in here.\u00a0 Rememberin\u2019 how she bled to death in your arms, saving your life.\u00a0 Why\u2019d you like her so much?\u00a0 She\u2019s just a dirty Injun.\u00a0 What\u2019d she do, give herself to you?\u00a0 That all she\u2019s good for?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Shelby actually jumped when Adam lashed out, backhanding Walton so hard across the face the man went tumbling backwards.\u00a0 Walton fell through the doors of the saloon, and landed hard on his back.\u00a0 Upon him immediately, Adam hauled the older man to his feet, slamming him against the support post of the saloon.\u00a0 Again he and Walton had the attention of most of the town.\u00a0 Fights were normally cheered upon, but not with this Cartwright.\u00a0 This was the Cartwright who read, broke up fights, kept a level head, and was generally the sensible one.\u00a0 The one who assisted Isabella DeVega in testifying against the man who raped her, to free herself of the charge of murder and his pa from aiding and abetting a wanted felon.\u00a0 Needless to say, because of that, Shelby wasn\u2019t aware Adam could hit that hard.\u00a0 Walton\u2019s jaw was bleeding from where Adam struck him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cYou say one more word, Walton . . .\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cOr what?\u201d\u00a0 Walton demanded.\u00a0 \u201cYou want to finish what we started?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Adam released him, backing up and into the street.\u00a0 Walton grinned as he walked in the opposite direction, never taking his eyes off Adam.\u00a0 Shelby watched as the girl Adam confessed to loving, Isabella, walked out of the general store with Tess Greene, Little Joe Cartwright, and Hop Sing.\u00a0 They stood back under Big Dan\u2019s direction.\u00a0 Everyone cleared the street, and the two waited for whoever wanted to get out of harm\u2019s way to do so.\u00a0 They undid the hitch on their holsters.\u00a0 Shelby watched Adam, his hand near his gun, unwavering.\u00a0 His second gun fight, but this time he was actually going to have to draw and pull the trigger.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0And he did.\u00a0 Once Walton made his move, Adam whipped the pistol from its holster in the blink of an eye.\u00a0 One shot rang out and for a moment no one in the town moved.\u00a0 For once, all was quite in Eagle Station.\u00a0 Then Walton dropped his gun.\u00a0 It had only been raised high enough to shoot Adam in the leg, had he pulled the trigger.\u00a0 Walton\u2019s hands clasped over his heart, and he stumbled backwards, falling to the ground once more.\u00a0 Without saying anything, without waiting for Walton\u2019s dying breath, Adam turned around, walked to his horse.\u00a0 Those who knew Adam the best watched as Adam mounted his horse and rode off in the opposite direction of the Ponderosa.\u00a0 The rest of the people in town watched as Mark Walton breathed his last, going limp quite near the place where Red Hawk died.<\/span><\/p>\n

THE END<\/span><\/center> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Story Summary: A friend from Adam\u2019s past emerges with a common foe on her tail and though the attempt is made, Adam is unable to save her and fall victim to his own grief that Ben must now save him from.
\nRating and Reader Alerts: PG-13 for violence description of wounds.
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