Summary:\u00a0 After his father is shot, Joe fights to keep him alive while hiding a deadly secret
\nRating: T, WC 28,900<\/p>\n
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Fear Death?\u00a0 — To feel the fog in my throat, the mist in my face,<\/em><\/p>\n When then snows begin, and the blasts denote I am nearing the place,<\/em><\/p>\n The power of the night, the press of the storm, the post of the foe;<\/em><\/p>\n When he stands, the Arch Fear in a visible form, yet the strong man must go:<\/em><\/p>\n For the journey is done and the summit attained, and the barriers fall,<\/em><\/p>\n Though a battle\u2019s to fight ere the guerdon be gained, the reward of it all,<\/em><\/p>\n I was ever a fighter, so — one fight more, the best and the last,<\/em><\/p>\n I would hate that death bandaged my eyes, and forbore, and bade me creep past.<\/em><\/p>\n (from the poem: Prospice, by Robert Browning)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Our Blood<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben Cartwright rode up ahead of his youngest son, Joseph, the boy now trailing behind just ten yards or so.\u00a0 He grinned as he turned his body in the saddle to catch sight of him.\u00a0 The pride of a father showed on Ben\u2019s face as he spied the boy leading the string of five horses.\u00a0 It had been quite a trip thus far but it was almost done.\u00a0 The stagecoach had taken them from Virginia City into Stockton where the purchase of the new horses was made, after a bit of haggling.\u00a0 But, Ben had allowed Joe to do that, so he would get the hang of it.\u00a0 The boy had just turned eighteen and he had done a pretty good job, at least in the eyes of Ben who had watched quietly off to the side.\u00a0 Then there was the purchase, one which his father had handled, of two remounts, already saddle broken, for the trip back to the Ponderosa Ranch.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Pa!\u201d Joe called, kicking at the sides of the uncooperative mare.\u00a0 \u201cHold up a minute, will you?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben pulled back on his reins and waited for his son to catch up to him.\u00a0 \u201cHaving some trouble, Joseph?\u201d\u00a0 Ben grinned, as he could detect frustration on Joe\u2019s face as he neared.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, kinda,\u201d Joe nodded as he finally got close to his father\u2019s horse.\u00a0 \u201cThese dang horses don\u2019t mind worth a darn!\u00a0 Maybe I didn\u2019t look them over good enough?\u00a0 They might be mules and not horses, Pa,\u201d Joe laughed and caught his father\u2019s grin.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I guess I could say the same for you, Joseph, as you don\u2019t mind ME at times.\u00a0 And, it could also be said you\u2019re a bit mule-headed,\u201d Ben replied with a knowing smile shot his son\u2019s way.\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s getting about time to make camp anyway.\u00a0 Let\u2019s find a better set up than last night, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey since we\u2019ve just crossed the boundary to the Ponderosa, that line shack can\u2019t be more than two or three miles, right?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben pointed towards the sun\u2019s descent in the sky and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo. I think we should just stop for the day.\u00a0 We\u2019ll make it home tomorrow, Son.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe frowned showing his displeasure.\u00a0 \u201cI was hoping for just one of those lumpy mattresses in that line-shack tonight, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter, Joseph?\u00a0 Is the ground getting too hard for you now that you\u2019re an old man?\u201d Ben teased.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know how you do it, Pa,\u201d Joe sighed, wondering how his father could handle just about any situation, including sleeping on the cold hard ground for the last three nights.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got to toughen up, like your old man,\u201d Ben laughed.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s go make camp.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe raised his hand into a salute and replied, \u201cYes, Sir, Major Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shook his head at the subtle mention of his former rank in the Army.\u00a0 \u201cOk then, Soldier, hop to it or I\u2019ll have your stripes!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s twittering laughter erupted at the way his father had looked over at him so severely.\u00a0 Pa would have done a good job on stage, Joe thought.\u00a0 \u201cI ain\u2019t got no stripes, Major,\u201d he quipped.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, you\u2019ll earn them tonight, Joseph.\u00a0 You get to set up camp while I make dinner for us,\u201d Ben announced.\u00a0 He pointed over to a clearing up ahead about forty yards.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s about the best place we\u2019re gonna find around here.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBest place would be that line shack,\u201d Joe muttered.<\/p>\n \u201cNo more complaints, just soldier on!\u201d Ben laughed and Joe pulled the horses toward the clearing with no further comments.<\/p>\n After unsaddling the two remounts, the boy went about feeding and watering all seven horses.\u00a0 Accomplishing that chore, he brought the two saddlebags over to where their base camp was now getting set up.\u00a0 Then there was the job of gathering the two saddles and the bedrolls, which he surrendered to Pa.\u00a0 Joe got busy creating a make- shift rope corral while his father gathered their supplies out of the saddlebags.\u00a0 Darkness was fast upon them, and the temperature began to dip quite a bit before Joe made it back with an arm load of firewood.\u00a0 With his father busy with the food preparation, he stacked the wood and added what little kindling he had found around the bases of the surrounding pine trees.\u00a0\u00a0 The boy lit the fire and soon the flames shot upwards.\u00a0 He admitted to himself that Pa had chosen a good spot to camp out, with a wind break from the north to help with the coldness of the early spring night.\u00a0 The north facing trees had also come in handy, as Joe needed their shelter in order to create the impromptu corral.\u00a0 Father and son made a good team, each knowing their individual responsibilities without a word exchanged between them.\u00a0 Joe, satisfied that he had gotten a good fire going, went about spreading out the bedrolls and upturning the two saddles to create comfort for their sleep as a cowboy bolster.<\/p>\n Relaxing, once he was satisfied that he had done a good job with his chores, Joe settled cross-legged on the ground.\u00a0\u00a0 He watched his father open a can of beans, emptying them into a pan and then adding a slab of the last of their heavily salted bacon.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t wait to get home, Pa.\u00a0 Sure look forward to Hop Sing\u2019s cooking!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben looked over at his boy and raised his eyebrows, \u201cWasn\u2019t it you who fought to take this trip with me?\u00a0 You know Hoss really wanted to come with me and only bowed out because his pesky baby brother whined so much.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh — I like the trip, Pa, it\u2019s been fun — it\u2019s just your food that I\u2019m not too keen on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWould you like to do it?\u201d Ben returned, a stern inflection in his tone of voice.<\/p>\n \u201cMe?\u201d Joe sang out.\u00a0 \u201cPa, I didn\u2019t say I was any better than you.\u00a0 In fact, the only thing I can make is coffee —- everything else comes out burnt.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got news for you, Son — your coffee tastes burnt too,\u201d Ben chuckled, and watched as his son rolled his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cNow no more complaints or I\u2019ll make you the cook.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTomorrow we eat Hop Sing\u2019s cooking, right?\u00a0 He should be back by now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, according to Hoss\u2019 telegraph the other night, that\u2019s not a sure bet.\u00a0 You know he\u2019s going through a lot of family issues right now in San Francisco.\u00a0 Don\u2019t worry, Hoss isn\u2019t a bad cook — unlike his father apparently!\u00a0 \u00a0After cooking for himself for a week now he\u2019s had lots of practice.\u201d<\/p>\n *** I sure hope Hop Sing greets me at the door tomorrow *** Joe thought to himself.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to remind his pa what he thought about all four of the Cartwright\u2019s cooking abilities.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben leaned back against his saddle and watched his youngest polish off the last of his supper.<\/p>\n Joe set down his plate and leaned back against his saddle.\u00a0 Smiling broadly he reached out to his pa, touching his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cThat was the best beans and bacon I\u2019ve ever had!\u201d he called out exuberantly.<\/p>\n Ben stared over at the boy and replied, \u201cYou were either hungry or you\u2019re trying to get out of washing these dishes.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe nodded.\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cBoth,\u201d he said adamantly.\u00a0 \u201cYou want some more of my coffee?\u201d he continued, reaching with gloved hand for the coffee pot hanging above the campfire.<\/p>\n \u201cI guess, I will,\u201d Pa reached over to hand his cup to his son.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t feel like getting my pipe out tonight — so having a cup of your brew will still provide a nice burning aroma.\u201d He teased.\u00a0 Joe just shook his head.\u00a0 Pa, he mused to himself, was in good spirits and in rare form.\u00a0 He was so glad he had gotten the chance to go with the patriarch of the family. Joe had missed having one on one time with his father.\u00a0 Of course he didn\u2019t mind sharing the man with his two brothers, it was just that, every so often, he needed Pa\u2019s total attention.<\/p>\n \u201cI just thought that —- ,\u201d\u00a0 Joe was cut off right away with a hand clamped down onto his left wrist.\u00a0 \u201cPa, what is it?\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n Ben abruptly reached for his six-gun and signaled the boy to do likewise.\u00a0 They both slid their Colts from out of their holsters, which had been placed up at the head of each turned up saddle.\u00a0 \u201c I just heard the sound of boots and a couple of the horses are stirred up.\u00a0 I think we\u2019ve got company and I think they\u2019re after our horses.\u00a0 You stay down, Joseph, we\u2019re sitting ducks here in front of the fire.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWant me to put the fire out?\u201d Joe responded as quietly as he could.<\/p>\n \u201cNo time now — get ready, Son, — over there, Joe!\u201d\u00a0 Ben tried to get his son\u2019s attention, but it was too late.\u00a0 The first couple of shots rang out in the direction of the two Cartwrights.\u00a0 None of those bullets had hit either man, but they had been aimed their way.\u00a0 Unable to detect if whoever was out in the tree line had a direct bead on them, all that Ben and Joe could do was to wait.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t a long wait, in fact only seconds, before bullets were sailing out in several directions.\u00a0 \u00a0Pa had seen the glint of a gun barrel, but it was too late.\u00a0 His move away from the campfire in order to attract attention to himself, only made an easier target for the gunman.<\/p>\n Joe looked on in horror as his father, who had been half standing and half crouching only a few seconds before then, took a bullet and went down.\u00a0 Joe fanned his Colt, not counting the rounds.\u00a0 He had simply responded to whoever had shot his pa; the man that he loved more than himself.\u00a0 Joe dove over the top of the campfire, his moves swifter than a bobcat as he tried to get to Pa.\u00a0 Another two shots rang out, one finding its target just an inch from Joe\u2019s hand as he landed on the hard ground.\u00a0 Undeterred, Joe got up and swiftly sprinted over to the spot where his father had fallen.\u00a0 There was just enough retreating light given off from the fire to detect if his pa was moving or if he was dead.\u00a0 Joe dropped his shaky left palm down onto his father\u2019s face, there was no notice of it by Pa.\u00a0 Ben\u2019s piercing brown eyes were closed.\u00a0 Joe heard the next bullet ring out, and knew he had to get some cover for Ben; though the boy was unsure if he was alive or dead.\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t have mattered, because alive or dead he was going to provide shelter for his pa.\u00a0 Joe maneuvered over to the two saddles, slinging one across each of his shoulders and then returned to the fallen man.\u00a0 \u201cHere, Pa, you\u2019ve got some protection now,\u201d Joe called out, fear in his voice, fear for the man he loved so much.\u00a0 \u201cStay down, Pa, don\u2019t get up, I\u2019ve got this.\u201d\u00a0 Joe pulled the saddles together, with each butting up against the other, on top of his father for some kind of cover.\u00a0 He then grabbed Ben\u2019s gun, not taking the time to reload his own Colt; there wasn\u2019t any time.\u00a0 The boy made a hasty move towards the tree line, and just as quickly headed back in the direction of his pa.<\/p>\n Joe heard the seven horses, perhaps now on the end of several rustler\u2019s ropes, whinnying as though they were being led away from the area.\u00a0 Joe made another dash back closer towards his pa, when he saw a man pushing out from behind a forty foot pine.\u00a0 The appearance of a rifle barrel, reflecting from the sparks of the campfire, sent Joe running back in the opposite direction.\u00a0 He had to draw the fire away from Pa!\u00a0 The gunfire was deafening and a bullet found its target.\u00a0 Joe had drawn the attention away from Ben, causing the unseen assailant to draw a bead directly onto the boy.\u00a0 He fell flat on his back due to the slug which had slammed into him; performing a macabre half- somersault as he went down.<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s body was still unmoving a few minutes after his son had caught the slug.\u00a0 It had pierced Joe\u2019s right side, and passed straight through, coming out at the fleshy meat of his waistline.\u00a0 Joe knew that he should have stayed down.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t.\u00a0 Though the bullet going through him had stolen his breath, he knew he had to catch it back right quick.\u00a0 If the assailants knew that Joe only had a few bullets left in his pa\u2019s gun, they surely would\u2019ve waited the boy out and finished him off.\u00a0 Joe thought as fast as he could, though his head was swimming due to worry over his father and the shock of having been hit by a bullet.\u00a0 He sang out towards the tree line, \u201cif you just wanna take those horses — we ain\u2019t gonna do nothin\u2019 to you — but you kill us and you\u2019ll find out what mountain kin do to anyone who kills their family members!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe must have appeased whoever was out there stealing the horses, as he soon heard the rustling sound of the horse\u2019s hooves as they pounded the ground being led away.\u00a0 The boy had to tell himself that those were the current facts of the matter.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t just stand around to see if his assumption had proven to be a correct one. Pa\u2019s motionless body was now just a few yards away from Joe, not far from the campfire.\u00a0 He was still laid out under the two saddles his son had tossed on top of him a few minutes earlier.<\/p>\n \u201cPa—-Pa — can you hear me?\u201d Joe cried out as he staggered over to him.\u00a0 The boy knelt down next to the other man, his eyes misting up and his heart beating rapidly.\u00a0 \u201cPa?\u201d he called out, but to no avail.\u00a0 Joe reached down and tossed aside the two saddles, freeing his father from their weight.\u00a0 He searched for a pulse, but his hands were shaking too much.\u00a0 Giving up on that method, the boy then tried for the carotid artery at the side of Pa\u2019s neck.\u00a0 Nervously, two fingers of Joe\u2019s left hand felt for the strong beating heart of Ben Cartwright.\u00a0 It was still there.<\/p>\n Joe stared down at the wound which had apparently taken Pa in the abdomen.\u00a0 He had spotted the blood first, then the bullet hole which had ripped through his father\u2019s shirt.\u00a0\u00a0 There was also a crimson colored stain which was now spreading out and down to the top of Pa\u2019s trousers. \u00a0Joe leaned over his father.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A feeling of dread and panic hung over the youngest Cartwright, chilling him to the marrow.\u00a0\u00a0 Not knowing exactly what to do first, he sent up a silent prayer.\u00a0 *** Please Dear Lord — don\u2019t take Pa — please— not him — I\u2019ll do anything — please show me what to do *** Joe briefly closed his eyes fighting for courage, but that had done little to prevent the tears that were fighting their way out regardless.\u00a0 He had yet to feel the pain from his own gunshot.\u00a0 Both the entry and exit wounds in his side were bleeding badly, but that was the farthest thing from his mind.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s only concern was to try and keep his father alive. \u00a0He placed his left hand over Pa\u2019s heart, and mopped away his tears with his right shirtsleeve. \u00a0\u00a0Pa was alive, there still was hope.<\/p>\n Joe moved the bedrolls and supplies closer to where his father now lay, still unconscious.\u00a0 It had been over an hour since they had been attacked by the rustlers who had shot up the camp before stealing their horses.\u00a0 Finding several clean shirts in both his and Pa\u2019s gear, Joe carefully tore them into long strips for bandages.\u00a0 He had secured one of the thermal shirts tightly around his father\u2019s waist trying to staunch the flow of blood.\u00a0 \u00a0Joe mused to himself that he would have to apologize to Hop Sing the next time he saw him.\u00a0 The cook and caretaker had insisted that both Cartwrights pack several more shirts than they deemed necessary for the return trip home.\u00a0 It had been Hop Sing\u2019s last request before he had boarded his own stage for San Francisco, the day before Ben and Joe had left for Stockton.\u00a0 They had acquiesced, but only to spare the man any further worry; as his trip was due to troubling family issues.\u00a0 Joe rolled up an extra shirt as a pillow for Pa.\u00a0 He gently lifted the patriarch\u2019s head and eased the padding underneath.\u00a0 Joe had hoped that his pa would come around, if only for a few minutes to assure him that he would pull through.\u00a0 That hadn\u2019t happened yet.\u00a0 Checking the wound once more, to see if the blood flow had subsided, Joe was relieved that it seemed like the pressure bandage was doing its job.\u00a0 But, there was also the knowledge that a bullet was still underneath Ben\u2019s entry wound somewhere and it had to come out.<\/p>\n Moving over to the campfire, Joe finally decided it was time to check his own injury, and he needed to tend it before Pa woke and saw it.\u00a0 He had already made the decision that he wouldn\u2019t tell his father that he had also been shot.\u00a0 Pa didn\u2019t need to worry about someone else, especially not his youngest son.\u00a0 Ben would fret over his son, especially if he knew that he was wounded. *** You\u2019re gonna have to sit this one out, Pa *** Joe thought to himself, *** if you knew about me getting hit you\u2019d wear yourself out fussing over me!\u00a0 You need all your strength right now, Pa.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0This one\u2019s on me, I just hope I don\u2019t fail you *** Joe probed his side, feeling where the bullet had passed through.\u00a0 He bit at his bottom lip as he dumped a handful of brandy over both bullet holes.\u00a0 Fortunately Pa had bought a rather expensive bottle of brandy in Stockton as a present for a friend of his in Virginia City.\u00a0 He had planned to surprise the man with it, but now it was too valuable to give away to anyone.\u00a0 Joe had washed his hands thoroughly before doctoring his father, and had used the brandy as an antiseptic over his pa\u2019s wound.\u00a0 He prayed that he could get Pa tended to soon, as the chance for blood poisoning was foremost on his mind, that and the removal of the slug.\u00a0 Joe, after cleaning both of his wounds with brandy, wrapped a pressure bandage, using a thermal shirt like he had done for Pa.\u00a0 He had to be content with the job he had done as he suddenly heard his father\u2019s voice muttering something.\u00a0 Joe briefly turned away from the sound, looking towards the glow of the campfire for enough light to make sure he tucked his bandage out of sight.\u00a0 He pulled his green jacket down over the whiteness of the bandage underneath it.\u00a0 Then he hurried to his father\u2019s side and knelt down.<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u00a0 Pa — can you hear me?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked, quietly.\u00a0 He tried to hide the terrible searing pain that his wounds were causing him.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t let Pa see it on his face; he had enough trouble already.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe— Joseph — are you — are you alright, Boy?\u201d Ben began, his voice weak and barely above a whisper.<\/p>\n Joe had to shake his head over that question, and tried for a smile aimed towards his father.\u00a0 *** Only Pa would be laying there with a gunshot to his belly and asking how I\u2019m doing *** Joe thought to himself.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, Pa — just fine — worried about you though.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s right hand rose up and sought out his son\u2019s curly head, his fingers brushed through Joe\u2019s hair lightly.\u00a0 He wanted tangible proof that the boy was telling him the truth.\u00a0 Pa couldn\u2019t see his son\u2019s eyes, due to the dimming light behind Joe, thus, he would have to take the kid\u2019s word for it.\u00a0 \u201cGuess we don\u2019t have to worry about those mule- headed horses any more, Son,\u201d Ben made a reference to what Joe had said about the string of horses the previous day.\u00a0 It was a valiant attempt to hide the seriousness of the situation.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Pa — I told those rustlers to take them — if not —\u201cJoe was swept up in all that had happened and how his father looked pretty bad off to him.<\/p>\n Ben must have heard the break in his son\u2019s statement and in his voice.\u00a0 \u201cNow, Joseph, we\u2019ve been in tough situations before, we\u2019ll get out of this one too,\u201d he attempted to throw in something positive in order to help his son, but the attempt didn\u2019t come off with much fervor.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m gonna get us out of this, Pa.\u00a0 I\u2019m not worried about that, just worried about you!\u00a0 I was just thinking about those danged horses I had to drag for all those miles,\u201d Joe also tried, much like Ben had, to sound upbeat.\u00a0 \u201cNow can you try to drink something for me?\u00a0 I\u2019ve got some of my great coffee or some of that brandy.\u00a0 Which one sounds good to you?\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cYou opened Jim\u2019s brandy?\u201d Ben wondered why Joe would\u2019ve done that.<\/p>\n Joe nodded,\u201c Pa, I needed to clean your wound before applying that make-shift pressure bandage to it.\u00a0 I\u2019m glad you were out of it — it wouldn\u2019t have been pleasant if you\u2019d been awake.\u201d\u00a0 *** Isn\u2019t that an understatement *** Joe mused to himself.\u00a0\u00a0 He remembered how it had felt when he had, just a few minutes before Pa had come to, dumped a handful of brandy into his own wounds.\u00a0 He had almost climbed out of his skin.<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s right hand touched at his stomach, feeling the material that his son had placed around it.\u00a0 \u201cGood job, Son.\u00a0 I\u2019m proud of you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Pa — how we get some fluids into you now?\u00a0 You\u2019ve lost a lot of blood,\u201d Joe turned back to his worry over Pa\u2019s condition.<\/p>\n \u201cJust a little burnt coffee, Joseph — well — maybe some brandy in it too.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe fought to smile.\u00a0\u00a0 He was hurting like hellfire but Pa needed proof that his son was up to the task that lay before him, so he managed to pull off a weak grin.\u00a0 \u201cComing right up,\u201d he said, and turned towards the fire.\u00a0 He re-stoked the dying coals with more wood and settled the coffee pot down on the ground.\u00a0 Joe reached for his gloves, but decided against putting them on.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t realized that they were coated with the blood of both his dad and him until that very moment.\u00a0 Joe gave a tired sigh, light enough that Pa couldn\u2019t hear it.\u00a0 The boy could stand just about anything, including seeing his own blood spilled.\u00a0 But seeing and cleaning up his pa\u2019s blood was something that shook his very soul.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t lose his father!\u00a0 No matter how challenging or painful the next few days got, Joe resolved with all of the internal fortitude he had left in him that he\u2019d get Pa back home, and have him fixed up by Doctor Martin.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph?\u201d Ben called out, barely audible.\u00a0 \u201cYou okay?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe grabbed the brandy and poured a shot into the coffee cup.\u00a0\u00a0 Mixing the two fluids together with a gentle roll of the tin cup, he approached his father.\u00a0 \u201cYep — just fine, Pa.\u00a0 Now let\u2019s get some of this into you, then you\u2019re gonna rest awhile.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben attempted to move into a semi-seated position.\u00a0 It proved to be a bad mistake.\u00a0 \u00a0He grimaced in pain.\u00a0 Joe eased his father back against the head rest he\u2019d made earlier.\u00a0 \u201cStay down, Pa — don\u2019t get up — I\u2019ve got this,\u201d Joe tried to quiet his father.\u00a0 \u201cJust turn your head to the side and I\u2019ll bring up the cup.\u00a0 I already cooled it down a bit for you.\u201d<\/p>\n Pa bit back his pain, not wanting the boy to know how awful he was feeling at that moment.\u00a0 He nodded towards his son, \u201cokay, Joe, let\u2019s try that again.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe lifted the cup to his father\u2019s lips and, with a lot of patience to mask the trepidation he felt, soon most of the contents were gone.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Joe,\u201d Ben nodded gratefully.\u00a0 \u201cThink I\u2019ll get a little shut-eye.\u00a0 How about you, Son?\u201d<\/p>\n As each moment passed by it was becoming more obvious to Joe that his father was hurting much more than he was letting on.\u00a0 He had to get Pa to settle back and rest somehow, and not allow him to worry about his son not resting.\u00a0 Joe decided he would have to show Ben he was just fine.\u00a0 Joe spread out his blanket right next to his father.\u00a0 He had secured Pa\u2019s bedroll underneath him while he was yet unconscious.\u00a0 “I’m ready, Pa — just as soon as you\u2019re back asleep I\u2019ll go down.\u00a0 And I\u2019m gonna be right here next to you — so just wake me if you need anything, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n Pa had seen the move and knew what his boy was attempting to do. Joseph was trying to prove that he could handle the situation just fine.\u00a0 He managed a weak smile and said, \u201calright, Son, I am a bit tired — now, you get some rest — and don\u2019t stay up all night looking at your old man.\u00a0 I promise I\u2019m not going anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe pulled the navy colored wool blanket up to his father\u2019s shoulders and added Pa\u2019s heavy coat on top of it.\u00a0 Satisfied that the man would be warm enough, he reached down and placed his left hand over his father\u2019s heart.\u00a0 He just needed the reassurance that Pa\u2019s heartbeat was still as strong as it had been earlier.\u00a0 \u201cGood night, Pa — just reach over for me or sing out, if you wake before I do.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben settled this time for a nod instead of a verbal reply.\u00a0\u00a0 He was, in fact, exhausted and could barely keep his eyes open.\u00a0\u00a0 Joe watched as his pa fell fast to sleep.\u00a0 Adding more wood to the fire, Joe\u2019s energy waned and he decided that he\u2019d better get some rest.\u00a0 Morning was about six hours away now, and Joe knew that it was going to be one of the most grueling days of his life.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben stared through bleary eyes towards the campfire.\u00a0 He could tell that it had been going for quite a while, as the flames were settled just underneath the coffee pot hanging just above.\u00a0 He tried not to move too much, taking note of the pain in his gut.\u00a0 Ben nervously scanned the area for his son, wondering just where the boy had gone.\u00a0 He had already felt over at the bedroll spread out very close to his own, but it had been vacated.\u00a0 Dropping his head back down to rest, Ben heard the sound just in the woods to the right of him.\u00a0 Someone was apparently cutting into wood, or so it seemed.\u00a0 The metallic sound of a hatchet could be heard, and he imagined his son was perhaps seeking new wood for the campfire.\u00a0 If he had the strength he would have called out Joe\u2019s name, but he was far too weak.\u00a0 Joe must have sensed something, as he stopped his labors and sang out towards the camp.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m right here, Pa!\u00a0 I\u2019ll be over to you in just a second.\u201d\u00a0 Pulling behind him several very long poles which had been acquired from green trees, the young man drew closer to where his injured father was waiting.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, Pa, I didn\u2019t mean to be gone so long,\u201d he apologized, dropping the long stripped branches there not far from the fire.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph — what are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet me get you something to drink, Pa,\u201d Joe side-stepped the question, and brought a canteen over to his father.\u00a0 He helped raise Ben\u2019s head a bit to allow him to get down a few swallows of water.\u00a0 \u201cThe coffee is just about ready, Pa.\u00a0 I\u2019ll have some for you in just a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow long you been up, Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe removed his father\u2019s pocket watch from his jacket and replied, \u201cjust a couple of hours.\u00a0 It\u2019s around eight now, Pa, if this watch is keeping time.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben stared hard at his son.\u00a0 Something about his demeanor didn\u2019t seem quite right.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re sure you\u2019re alright, Boy?\u00a0 You don\u2019t look too good.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe smiled and nodded, \u201cwell, Pa, I hate to tell you this —but — you snore, I had a heck of a time sleeping!\u201d\u00a0 *** I hope that worked *** Joe thought to himself.\u00a0 He was starting to worry if his fa\u00e7ade wasn\u2019t quite as clever as he thought it was.\u00a0 *** Pa just can\u2019t find out that I\u2019m actually hurting like hell, and that my wounds are still bleeding\u00a0 ***<\/p>\n \u201cWant to try that again?\u201d Ben questioned, raising his eyebrows.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, okay, Pa.\u00a0 I\u2019m fine, but I did check on you off and on last night.\u00a0 So, if I look puny it\u2019s just because I\u2019ve been worried about you, that\u2019s all.\u201d\u00a0 *** Hope he bought that line of malarkey *** Joe again thought to himself.<\/p>\n \u201cI told you to rest.\u00a0 Now, what are you up to?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe tapped at his forehead and nodded like he had been thinking.\u00a0 \u201cAs soon as I get some more drink in you, and finish my project we\u2019re getting out of here.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got it all figured out, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoe, listen, I think it\u2019s best that you go on off and see if you can find a horse and maybe get to one of the timber camps for some help.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be fine here.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe stood and stared down at his father, both hurt and a bit of anger on his face.\u00a0 \u201cYou think I can\u2019t handle this, Pa?\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Is it because I\u2019m not Adam or Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben was surprised to see anger coming from the boy.\u00a0 He knew the kid was worried, maybe even scared, but he didn\u2019t expect to see Joe\u2019s temper flaring up at the time.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph — that\u2019s not at all what I was thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe knelt down closer to his father and dropped his hand on his shoulder, \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Pa.\u00a0 You know how I get when I haven\u2019t had enough sleep,\u201d he tried to come up with a reason for his outburst, even if it was a lie.\u00a0 \u201cI shouldn\u2019t have fired off at you.\u00a0 But, Pa, you just need to understand something right now.\u00a0 I\u2019m NOT going to leave you!\u00a0 I\u2019m gonna get you something to eat and something to drink then I\u2019m getting us both out of here.\u00a0 Now let me go get you that coffee,\u201d Joe said empathically and stood and turned towards the coffee pot.<\/p>\n Ben watched his boy turn away from him.\u00a0 He then stared over at the poles which Joe had dragged out of the tree line.\u00a0 It was all becoming clearer what his son\u2019s plan was and Pa was none too happy about it.\u00a0 Joseph was quick to return with a coffee cup for his father, this time containing only the strong brew.<\/p>\n \u201cHere ya go, Pa.\u00a0 Try this, but keep down, I don\u2019t want that wound of yours to start bleeding,\u201d Joe smiled as he held the liquid up to his father\u2019s lips.<\/p>\n Ben tried his best to oblige his son, though his stomach was a bit queasy.\u00a0 He got several sips down and then waved the cup away.\u00a0 \u201cThanks, Son, that\u2019s about all I want for now.\u00a0 Now can we speak quietly for a few moments?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe let out an exasperated groan, he could guess what was coming and braced himself.\u00a0 \u201cI know what you\u2019re going to say, Pa.\u00a0 Can you just let me handle this please?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was going to tell you how proud I am of you,\u201d Ben announced, hoping to diffuse the boy.\u00a0 \u201cYou did a great job last night, Joseph.\u00a0 I probably wouldn\u2019t still be here if you hadn\u2019t taken care of me.\u00a0 But, I\u2019m better today.\u00a0 You need to think about this with your head, and not your heart — \u201c<\/p>\n Joe cut off his father with a laugh, \u201cJust look who\u2019s talking!\u00a0 You know — the man who hovers over me when I just have a COLD!\u00a0 Now, I told you how we\u2019re gonna do this! And, besides I\u2019m thinking with both my head and my heart. Now, do you feel up for some breakfast?\u00a0 I think we have a few stale biscuits left or I can open another can of beans.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shook his head feeling very weak and very defeated.\u00a0 \u201cWait just a second, Young Man, I\u2019m not dead yet —<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s face took on an anguished expression and he cut his father right off, \u201cstop it!\u00a0 No talking of dying, Pa.\u00a0 I can\u2019t handle that.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got things to do, so do you want to eat or what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Joe,\u201d Pa found himself to be apologizing a lot that morning with both of their nerves being very much on edge.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t mean it that way.\u00a0 I know I\u2019ve had you worried all night.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t you tell me your plan?\u00a0 But, first go grab some of that burnt coffee so we can both enjoy it,\u201d Ben hoped to calm his son, and he was relieved when he saw Joe grin over at him.<\/p>\n \u201cBe right back, Pa, \u201cJoe nodded and turned towards the fire.\u00a0 He knew he could get through to his father if only he would listen.\u00a0 And at least now, it seemed like Pa was ready to at least try to hear him out.<\/p>\n Joe sat down next to his father and sipped at his coffee.\u00a0 He wanted to have everything figured out in his mind as to how he would get Pa to the West Bend line shack before addressing it to him.\u00a0 Finally after a few silent moments he turned towards his father and said, \u201cPa, I\u2019m gonna get us to that line shack before dark.\u00a0 But, to do that I need to get started on the travois.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben stared at his son, hesitating at first, in order to choose his words carefully, \u201cJoseph, I know what you\u2019re trying to do, but, I just don\u2019t see how you can pull me.\u00a0 I weigh a lot more than you might think.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe smiled to ease the concern that was written on Pa\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve figured it all out, you don\u2019t need to worry.\u00a0 I know you and my brothers don\u2019t think I\u2019m listening to you most times — but I really am.\u00a0 And it helps to have one brother who\u2019s an architect and another who is a woodsman.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to use counter weights and heck, Pa, Hoss showed me how to make a travois years ago.\u00a0 I\u2019ll just modify it a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI still think it would be best if you tried to find the closest remuda and got us a couple of horses.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa, I\u2019m NOT going to leave you.\u00a0 Not when you\u2019ve got a bullet in you!\u00a0 Now, let me get to this because I\u2019m getting you to that line shack or die trying.\u00a0 So, just stay down, Pa, don\u2019t get up, I\u2019ve got this,\u201d Joe repeated what had become his mantra, more for himself than for his father.\u00a0 Setting his tin cup down he walked to the campfire and began lining up the stripped branches.<\/p>\n Ben fell to sleep, though he wanted to watch his son work on his project.\u00a0 He doubted that Joe could possibly manage to pull a make-shift stretcher loaded down with his father\u2019s weight.\u00a0 However, he knew the boy would not surrender to that fact until he had at least tried.<\/p>\n Joe labored for two hours, though he worked as fast as he possibly could, it wasn\u2019t an easy task.\u00a0 Finally the poles were lined up and fastened together by whatever rawhide he could salvage, along with the rope from the corral he had set up the previous night.\u00a0 At least the rustlers hadn\u2019t taken that.\u00a0 All the while keeping a watchful eye towards his father, the morning was fast spent by the time he was ready.\u00a0 The form of an x at the top was usually, in a regular travois, made short.\u00a0 But, Joe decided he\u2019d make the poles longer there.\u00a0\u00a0 Thus, the new design would help him to counter the weight of his father, using the heaviness of the provisions housed inside the saddlebags.\u00a0 That would essentially kill two birds with one stone, he thought, as he didn\u2019t want to leave behind the provisions.\u00a0 Joe presumed that the line shack would have a coffee pot, and there should be some cups, utensils and pans, so he left those things there by the campfire.\u00a0 He double checked the horizontal four poles, making sure they were tied off well enough to support his injured father.\u00a0 Satisfied that all had been done according to his original plans, he laid his bedroll down along with the two horse blankets on the bed of the travois.\u00a0 They would have to abandon both saddles and hope that someone could come back for them later.\u00a0 It was the least of their worries right now.<\/p>\n Joe reached down and touched Ben\u2019s forehead.\u00a0 It was hot, too hot, and fear swelled up in Joe\u2019s heart.\u00a0 He knew Pa had to get that bullet removed, and unfortunately that meant that he would have to be the one playing doctor.\u00a0 Joe knew that the closest remuda was miles away, if he could even find it.\u00a0 But, with Pa having a fever and no strength, it meant that if his son were to leave him there alone in the camp he might die.\u00a0 The woods surrounding the area were full of animals, animals that could always smell blood.\u00a0 He would just have to try to pull Pa and get him somewhere clean, safe and out of the elements.\u00a0 At least there was a stove and a good water hand pump there at the cabin.\u00a0 Joe would need both of those in order to facilitate the removal of the slug.<\/p>\n \u201cPa,\u201d Joe called out, as he settled a dampened cloth on his father\u2019s forehead and tried to awaken him.\u00a0 \u201cPa — we have to get moving.\u201d<\/p>\n Slowly Ben\u2019s eyelids fluttered and then opened.\u00a0 He attempted a reassuring smile aimed towards his youngest.\u00a0 He could read both fear and determination on the boy\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, Son, what do you want me to do?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got to move you, Pa — do you think you can kinda slide over onto the travois?\u00a0 I can help you?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben was surprised to see his son had the contraption already lined up there next to him.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t heard any of the commotion as Joe had gone around gathering supplies and getting everything set to go.\u00a0 \u201cYes, I can do that much, since you\u2019ve been doing all of the work.\u00a0\u00a0 Just let me catch my breath a second.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHere, Pa, drink a little water first, you\u2019ve got a fever setting in,\u201d Joe urged as he lifted the canteen to his father\u2019s lips.\u00a0 Pa did what he could to take in some of it, passing it back to the boy when he was through.<\/p>\n \u201cThat water tasted good.\u00a0 I guess I was thirstier than I thought.\u00a0 Now let\u2019s go ahead and try your invention,\u201d Ben nodded, and summoned the strength he would need to make the move.<\/p>\n \u201cHere let me help, try not to jar your wound,\u201d Joe coaxed and helped his father over and got him settled on the make-shift stretcher.<\/p>\n Joe covered his father with the bedroll which had been underneath him.\u00a0 He inspected the placement of the two holsters and rifles.\u00a0 There was just enough room on both sides of Ben to accommodate everything that Joe had considered to be essential.\u00a0 He looked down at his injured father.\u00a0\u00a0 The fear on his own face was evident and Ben must have noticed it because he nodded his head and gave his son a confident smile.\u00a0 Joe walked around the travois and said a silent prayer.\u00a0 He hoped he would have the strength he would need and that his wounds held up under the strain.<\/p>\n \u201cHere we go, Pa, won\u2019t take too long — I think I\u2019ve figured a short cut that will shave off at least a half of a mile,\u201d Joe sang out, unsure if his pa had heard or if he was once again asleep.\u00a0 With simply willpower alone, the young man pulled up the travois and the weight of it fell across his shoulders.\u00a0 He stifled a groan and started walking.\u00a0 The counter weight had helped, though the burden in front of him from the saddlebags was cumbersome.\u00a0 Joe slowly began the mile and a half trek to the line shack.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe had known that the trudging down to the West Bend line shack would\u00a0 arduous, and he was correct.\u00a0 Trying his best to avoid obstacles that lay in front of him on the trail made the walk much more tedious.\u00a0 Always worried that jarring his father during their journey could perhaps move the slug that was still stuck in Pa\u2019s abdomen, Joe tried his best to steer clear of rocks and the like.\u00a0 He figured the path through a clearing would be his best bet in order to make up time he had lost due to his many detours.\u00a0 That had proven to be a good decision as the soft new spring grass had helped the two bottom feet of the travois slide better.\u00a0 Joe stopped three times in order to set down his load and also check on Pa.\u00a0 The first stop he had been awake, but the last two rest stops had found his father fast asleep.\u00a0 Joe figured that was a good thing, as it afforded him time to re-bandage his own wounds.\u00a0 The bleeding had picked up to a steady flow and he had a tough time trying to get enough pressure on his side to stop it.\u00a0 He was just glad that Pa hadn\u2019t seen it.\u00a0 If Pa caught sight of his son\u2019s gunshot wounds, he\u2019d surely throw the kid onto the travois and pull him to the cabin, instead of the other way around.<\/p>\n Looking into the distance Joe\u2019s heart leapt at the sight of the line shack.\u00a0 It was still about a quarter of a mile but he was able to make out the roof and the chimney pipe.\u00a0 Joe called to his father, not expecting an answer, \u201cPa!\u00a0 We\u2019re almost there, hang on!\u201d\u00a0 With renewed strength he quickened his pace.\u00a0 Joe thought about the bunks there in the cabin and he hoped at some point, once his father was better, he could get some real rest.\u00a0 His body strained and almost faltered.\u00a0\u00a0 And the pain in his right side felt just like a searing branding iron.\u00a0 But, as Pa had said the previous day, he needed to \u201csoldier on\u201d so he did.\u00a0 Not knowing if he should laugh or cry, he used one hundred per cent willpower to make the last few yards.\u00a0 Coming to an abrupt stop just a few feet from the two steps that led up to the porch, Joe unburdened his shoulders from the weight of the travois and set it down as gently as he could.\u00a0 He then eased over to where his father lay, sound asleep.\u00a0 Joe decided the time would be well spent if he set up everything inside the line shack before trying to awaken his pa.\u00a0 Removing the saddle bags, the weapons and all else there around Pa, Joe brought them hastily into the place.\u00a0 Surveying the room, he decided to move one of the two bunks closer to the door.\u00a0 He needed to save some steps before somehow bringing Pa inside.\u00a0 Joe readied the wood burning stove, relieved to see an ample amount of firewood next to the door.\u00a0 That was one chore he wouldn\u2019t have to do, and he was glad.\u00a0 His own strength was about gone, and only the adrenalin which coursed through his veins kept him moving; that and of course the love for his father.<\/p>\n Once he was satisfied that the room was all set up for them, and the wood stove was getting heated up Joe returned to Ben and knelt down.\u00a0 \u201cPa? Pa, can you hear me?\u201d he called softly, trying his best to show calm.<\/p>\n A groan escaped Ben\u2019s lips as he moved slightly on the travois.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph?\u201d he called out, trying to ascertain where he was and what was going on.<\/p>\n \u201cWe made it, Pa — everything\u2019s gonna be alright.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben turned his head slightly and was amazed to see the line shack there just a yard or so in front of him.\u00a0 \u201cYou did it, Boy —- I don\u2019t know how you did it \u2013- but you did it!\u00a0 Good job, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe grinned as he saw the amazement on his Pa\u2019s face.\u00a0\u00a0 It was so gratifying to\u00a0 hear his praise, especially after all of the effort it had taken to get to the cabin.\u00a0 \u201cThanks, Pa.\u00a0 But, I am gonna need some help now.\u00a0 I moved a bunk right next to the door if you could kind of help me get you there?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think I can, Son,\u201d Ben readied to help the boy who had fought so bravely in order to get them to shelter.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m gonna kneel down and I need you to put your right arm over my shoulder.\u00a0 Then I\u2019ll try to pull you up to standing, and we\u2019ll get to those stairs,\u201d Joe offered his current plan of action.\u00a0 He had thought that part out also, he couldn\u2019t let Pa throw his left arm over his shoulder because that would mean that the weight of his father would rest on his own right side.\u00a0 That was the side which had been badly injured.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t allow Pa to find out about his current condition; not now.<\/p>\n Ben did as instructed, settling his right arm around his son\u2019s shoulder and pushing up with the heels of his boots.\u00a0 He tried not to groan, but couldn\u2019t help himself.\u00a0 Joe knew that his father was struggling a bit, so he tried his best to carry most of his weight.\u00a0 It took a while to inch over to the steps, but the two Cartwrights finally made it.\u00a0 Taking it easy, one step at a time, they ascended until they came to the interior and Joe eased his pa down onto the bunk.\u00a0 They both gave a weary sigh in unison and that brought a chuckle from Joe.\u00a0 \u201cGuess we don\u2019t want to do that again for a bit, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben nodded, \u201cNo let\u2019s not.\u201d He settled back against the small pillow at the head of the bunk.\u00a0 \u201cI still can\u2019t believe you got me here, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I wasn\u2019t all that sure I could do it either, Pa,\u201d Joe laughed, trying to appear more at ease than he really felt at the moment.\u00a0 He was very worried as Pa looked worse than he had prior to their trek to the line shack.\u00a0 It was a sure sign that he needed to get that bullet out, and very soon.\u00a0 \u201cLet me get you something to drink — \u201cJoe paused as his eyes caught a glance at the wood floor.\u00a0 There were several fresh drops of blood right next to his boots.\u00a0 He realized he was starting to bleed again, and knew he had to get out of the room for a few minutes to tend to his wounds.<\/p>\n Ben noticed that Joe\u2019s attention had been drawn away abruptly.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong, Son?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe quickly turned towards the door and called back, \u201coh I forgot to fill the canteens, Pa.\u00a0 You just rest a minute, it shouldn\u2019t take me too long — I also need to fill a couple of buckets.\u00a0 I\u2019ll need to get some water boiling soon.\u00a0 Then I\u2019m going to get some liquids into you before I have to try for that danged bullet.\u201d\u00a0 And with those words Joe beat a hasty exit.<\/p>\n Standing outside at the water pump washing his face and hands, Joe fought the intense pain shooting upwards from his wounds.\u00a0 \u00a0He felt a bit shaky and had to regroup some.\u00a0 Getting to the line shack had worn him down physically but not mentally.\u00a0 He knew he\u2019d have to summon up all of his courage and all of the skills he had honed over the years.\u00a0 Most of the things he had learned about tending to wounds had been from personal experience.\u00a0 He had eighteen years of his own injuries to draw from.\u00a0 Of course he had been on the other end of the situation, and not the one actually performing any kind of surgery on anyone.\u00a0 He never missed Doctor Martin more than he did at that moment.\u00a0 Joe feared hurting his father more than anything else.\u00a0 He was unsure if he could get that slug out, and worried about how far it might be in Pa\u2019s stomach.\u00a0 There wasn\u2019t anyone else to assist this time, and he reasoned that he would just have to hope that his prayers would be answered, and Pa would recover once the surgery was over.\u00a0 The very first thing he\u2019d have to accomplish would be to tend to his own wounds.\u00a0 Joe pulled off his green corduroy jacket.\u00a0 Blood seemed to be everywhere!\u00a0 He sucked in a deep breath and carefully removed his bandage.\u00a0 Joe shook his head woefully.\u00a0\u00a0 The pressure bandage had failed to hold up under the strain of the long walk dragging the weight of his father.\u00a0 He quietly re-entered the cabin, hoping Pa couldn\u2019t see him at the time.\u00a0 Reaching into one side of his saddle bag he removed more material that he had torn up the previous night.\u00a0 Just as stealthily he moved back outside.\u00a0 Joe used the old bandage to blot whatever blood that still leaked from his side.\u00a0 The feel of the pressure from his ministrations told Joe everything he needed to know.\u00a0 The wounds were festering.\u00a0 He sighed to himself.\u00a0 *** These are just going to have to wait.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got to take care of Pa first.\u00a0 Then I\u2019ll tend myself better.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got to get the bandage tighter this time! ***Joe tied down the new replacement bandage, securing his jacket over top of the area again.\u00a0 He hoped the disguise would do the trick, what with Pa being too sick to notice his deception.<\/p>\n Putting on his best smile, Joe filled a cup with water and brought it to Ben who lay on the bunk still awake.\u00a0 \u201cSorry it took me so long,\u201d he apologized, and handed the water to his father.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m worried about you,\u201d Ben stated, searching his son\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve been going non-stop for such a long time, Son.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you think you should rest a bit?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shook his head adamantly and responded, \u201cnothing doing, Pa.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got to get something in you besides water.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got something on that stove over there.\u00a0 Hopefully it won\u2019t be too awful.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou still should try to lay down, if only for an hour.\u00a0 You pulled me for miles.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs soon as I\u2019ve gotten that bullet out — then I\u2019ll rest.\u00a0 But first let\u2019s try the gruel I made.\u00a0 Be right back.\u201d\u00a0 Joe turned and headed back towards the stove.\u00a0 It hadn\u2019t taken him long to prepare what was perhaps the worst beef broth known to mankind.\u00a0 But, Joe hadn\u2019t had the luxury of Hop Sing\u2019s pantry, nor his abilities.\u00a0 He spooned some into a small metal bowl and brought it over to Ben.\u00a0 \u201cHere you go, let\u2019s see if you can get some of this down, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben lifted his head slightly and stared down at the pale brown watery substance.\u00a0 \u201cAnd just what is that, Young Man?\u201d<\/p>\n Breaking into impromptu laughter, Joe replied, \u201cPa, it\u2019s probably best that you don\u2019t ask this time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, your father isn\u2019t going to try and drink this until I know what\u2019s in there,\u201d Ben insisted.<\/p>\n Staring down at the bowl, Joe frowned and answered, \u201cWell, it\u2019s the best we\u2019ve got here, Pa.\u00a0 I know you can\u2019t tolerate solid food yet, so I had to do the best I could with what I had.<\/p>\n Pa simply raised his eyebrows, and words weren\u2019t needed.\u00a0 Joe shrugged his shoulders helplessly and announced, \u201cOkay, I took the beef jerky and boiled it in some water.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shook his head and managed a weak smile.\u00a0 The kid was trying so hard, he didn\u2019t have the heart to turn him down, even though the contents of the bowl looked quite distasteful.\u00a0 \u201cPut it into a cup, I\u2019ll try to choke it down, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe did as instructed and handed the cup to his father.\u00a0 He watched and waited for the assessment of his attempt to make do with what they had left.<\/p>\n \u201cNot too bad,\u201d Pa announced, though he hadn\u2019t gotten much down of his son\u2019s concoction.\u00a0 \u201cKind of salty though.\u201d<\/p>\n Grinning, Joe replied, \u201cI think Doc says salt is good for a fever or something like that, I don\u2019t pay him much mind, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know, and you\u2019re rarely on THAT side of the sick bed,\u201d Ben pointed to where his son currently stood, \u201cHere, Joseph, I think I\u2019ve had enough for now.\u201d He handed the cup back to the boy.<\/p>\n \u201cNow comes the rough part, Pa.\u00a0 And to tell you the God\u2019s honest truth I\u2019m scared.\u00a0 But, we both know that bullet has to come out.\u00a0 It\u2019s been in you almost twenty-four hours now.\u00a0 I\u2019m worried about you getting blood poisoning.\u00a0 We can\u2019t wait any longer.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben reached out and touched his son\u2019s arm, trying to display a resolute calm in his gesture.\u00a0 \u201cI know you can do this — it can\u2019t be much worse than lugging your old man for miles, right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Pa, I guess I\u2019m feeling kinda like you felt awhile back when you had to put those stitches in me.\u00a0\u00a0 You remember Doc was away and that quack came to the ranch and did a lousy job, so you had to redo those to stop the bleeding?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow could I ever forget?\u201d Pa grimaced and nodded as he thought back to the time when he had been forced to play doctor.\u00a0 It had been frightening to sit there on the bed next to his son and draw the strands of suture through his skin.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, if I could do that — which was pretty awful — I know you\u2019ll be able to do this just fine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI just don\u2019t want to hurt you,\u201d Joe paused, with both fear and worry very evident on his face, \u201ccan you feel how far it\u2019s in there, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n Leaning back some, Ben fought to think of what to say to his son.\u00a0 He honestly had no idea how far the bullet had lodged in his gut, or how difficult it would be to remove.\u00a0 But, Joe needed some kind of reassurance in order to perform the surgery.\u00a0 Ben stared once again at the boy.\u00a0 He hated that the kid had been thrust into the position of surgeon.\u00a0 In fact he hated that Joe had been the one who had dragged him almost two miles on his own.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, I can\u2019t say for sure, but it didn\u2019t go through me — so maybe it\u2019s not in there too deep.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t you find something to use like a probe?\u00a0 It just needs to be thin enough to go through this bullet hole.\u201d<\/p>\n Taking in a deep breath and fighting his fear, Joe walked around the cabin checking the cupboards.\u00a0 The best he could do was a table knife which had been worn down so it was thinner than a normal one.\u00a0 He figured he could use the dull end of it as a probe.\u00a0 He had already gone through the scant medical supply kit that they always brought on trips.\u00a0 Most of the contents of it had been chosen by Hop Sing, and Joe was unsure what all was in the few small jars inside.\u00a0 He did find a decent knife which could be used to make an incision.\u00a0 Settling both the table knife and the make shift scalpel in a pan of boiling water, Joe turned back to his pa.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m game if you are, Pa,\u201d He attempted some levity in his remark, but he sure didn\u2019t feel it inside.\u00a0 \u201cLay back all the way.\u00a0 Let me get that shirt pulled back some.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shot his son a cautious stare and the look of it caught Joe\u2019s attention.\u00a0 \u201cYes, Sir, I\u2019m gonna wash my hands first.\u00a0 I\u2019m also going to get you some of that brandy.\u00a0 Be right back.\u201d\u00a0 Joe announced as soon as he had finished pulling back his father\u2019s shirt.\u00a0 He washed his hands thoroughly using the small bar of soap from his father\u2019s saddle bag and then poured some of the brandy over his hands just for good measure.\u00a0 Bringing over another tin cup, Joe held it up to Ben\u2019s mouth.\u00a0 \u201cPa, you\u2019re going to need this.\u00a0 Drink what you can before I get started.\u00a0 Ben obliged and drank several good sips before handing the cup back to Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m ready, Joseph.\u00a0 I know you\u2019ll do just fine,\u201d Ben nodded towards the boy.<\/p>\n \u201cYou want this?\u201d Joe held up a piece of thick leather.\u00a0 He had seen Doc Martin use something similar when attempting to remove a bullet.\u00a0 It was to prevent the person having the surgery from screaming out during the attempt.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Son.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to be fine.\u00a0 Just do what you have to.\u201d<\/p>\n Taking in a deep unsettled breath, Joe returned to the stove and withdrew the implements, setting them in a cup that contained boiling hot water.\u00a0 He placed those along with extra bandage material on the chair he had pulled up next to the bunk.\u00a0 Next, he swabbed his father\u2019s stomach down with brandy.\u00a0 He noticed Pa was scrunching his face already, due to the burning feeling of the alcohol.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m starting the probe — I\u2019ll get it over as fast as I can.\u201d\u00a0 Joe carefully pulled the sides of the bullet wound open, and held them taunt as he pushed in the end of the sterilized table knife.\u00a0 He saw his father arch his back and Joe almost stopped the whole procedure, but Pa shook his head \u201cno\u201d urging him on.\u00a0 The probe hit on something solid, and the object was only embedded about an inch or so from the feel of it.\u00a0 Joe pulled the probe out and grabbed the other knife.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t an actual scalpel, but it would have to do. He cut a very small incision just inside Pa\u2019s wound, trying to create more room and readying for the removal of the slug.\u00a0 Joe wished he had tweezers but he didn\u2019t and the bullet seemed elusive.\u00a0 He looked up and noticed Pa had passed out, perhaps due to the pain of the surgery.\u00a0 Taking yet another deep and fearful breath, Joe set down the knife and decided that desperate times called for desperate measures.\u00a0 He reached for the brandy, wishing it was for drinking instead of being used to keep germs from invading his father\u2019s injury.\u00a0 He doused both the wound and his hands.\u00a0 Then, hoping it would work, Joe tried to use his left index finger and his thumb as an imitation retractor.\u00a0 His heart felt as though it was firmly planted inside his throat as he felt for the slug.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s fingers finally hit on something solid.\u00a0 Carefully he tugged the forty five caliber bullet out from where it was lodged, approximately an inch and a half under Pa\u2019s skin.\u00a0 Joe dropped it into the small tin cup, and it made an ominous ringing sound as it hit the bottom. \u00a0*** Bullets sure come out a lot harder than they go in *** Joe thought to himself as he dabbed more brandy into the wound and around the whole area for good measure.\u00a0 The bleeding wasn\u2019t as bad as Joe thought it might be, so he used a clean pressure bandage again.\u00a0 He encircled the material around his father\u2019s waist and up and over the wound.\u00a0 Joe was satisfied that it would hold up, so he buttoned his father\u2019s shirt and pulled the blanket up to his shoulders.\u00a0 He breathed a heavy sigh of relief as he stood from the bed, saying a silent prayer of thanksgiving that he had gotten the bullet out.<\/p>\n Just as sunset fell over the small line shack Joe had cleaned up all the signs of the surgery he had performed.\u00a0 Pa was still asleep which afforded him a little rest there in the chair.\u00a0 His body longed for the other bunk which sat against the far wall.\u00a0 But, Joe wasn\u2019t going to leave his father\u2019s side.\u00a0 It was about time he repaid the man for the many hours he had played the role of sentry, protector and comforter.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t long before Joe fell sound asleep in the chair, leaning forward towards Pa\u2019s bunk.<\/p>\n Ben awoke to the dim light of the lantern which his son obviously lit before falling to sleep.\u00a0 He felt the new bandages and stared over at the boy in the chair.\u00a0 Pa couldn\u2019t have been prouder of him at the time.\u00a0 He had done a grown man\u2019s job and then some, taking care of all his father\u2019s needs for a solid day.\u00a0 Ben still found it hard to believe that his youngest had managed to drag him for almost two miles and then had fallen effortlessly into the role of surgeon and caregiver.\u00a0 The boy looked exhausted, and it gave his father pause.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph?\u201d He whispered.<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s eyes blinked open at the sound of his name.\u00a0 \u201cPa—Pa —how are you doing?\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry I kind of fell out for a few minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust fine, Son.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry I didn\u2019t stick around to see you perform your first surgery.\u00a0 But according to my stomach it was a success.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe grinned and reached into his pants pocket and pulled out the slug.\u00a0 \u201cWe were lucky, Pa.\u00a0 It was about spent when it hit you.\u201d He said handing the bullet to his father.<\/p>\n Pa examined the thing and then handed it back to Joe.\u00a0 \u201cYou keep it since you dug it out,\u201d he nodded gratefully towards his boy.<\/p>\n Joe took the bullet from his father, though he surely didn\u2019t want the keepsake.\u00a0 He\u2019d just as soon put it back in a gun and use it on whoever had shot his Pa.\u00a0 Standing from his chair he asked, \u201cWould you like something to drink?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes\u2014I would but —\u201cBen suddenly cut off the rest of his statement when he got a good look at his son\u2019s jacket for the first time.\u00a0 \u201cJo—Joseph —- did you get hit?\u201d He asked horrified to see all of the blood that coated the corduroy material.<\/p>\n Grasping for a good lie, Joe didn\u2019t answer right away.\u00a0 He had to think of a noble exaggeration.\u00a0 \u201cOh — the blood — sorry, Pa.\u00a0 It\u2019s yours.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t very careful getting you inside the cabin today and your wound was bleeding something fierce.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re sure it\u2019s my blood?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Sir — it\u2019s yours alright.\u00a0 Now let me get you some water,\u201d Joe turned away quickly hoping his father had bought that whopper of a lie he had just lobbed over to him.<\/p>\n Ben looked at the retreating young man and wondered why he had been acting so strangely.\u00a0 He knew the kid had been through the mill that day and Joe should be ready for a good night\u2019s sleep due to all of his efforts.\u00a0 Pa reasoned that his son\u2019s nerves were still wound tight due to worry over all that had happened, including digging a slug out of his own father.\u00a0 When Joe brought over both water and broth, Ben obliged him and at least sampled a little of both before waving them away.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m fine, Joseph.\u00a0 Now go get some rest like you told me you would.\u00a0 Tomorrow\u2019s worry is tomorrow\u2019s worry, go grab some shut eye.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa, we\u2019ve still got to keep a good eye on that wound of yours,\u201d Joe protested.<\/p>\n \u201cI promise to wake you if I have any issues.\u00a0 Now, go on,\u201d Ben signaled with a point of his finger towards the other bunk.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Sir — just as soon as I go get some more fresh water in case we need it.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be right back,\u201d Joe replied, and hoped his pa didn\u2019t notice the saddle bag he hung down low next to his right leg.\u00a0 He was attempting to re-bandage his wounds, but had to bring the things needed, including whatever Hop Sing had packed in the medical kit.\u00a0 From the heated feeling rising up from his side, he was now starting to worry that maybe he should have spent time tending to it earlier.\u00a0 Joe slowly opened the three jars from the medical supplies.\u00a0 He looked over each one, carefully smelling them.\u00a0 Unsure what their purposes were intended for, he had made the decision to try a little of each one.\u00a0 Dipping the index finger of his left hand into each jar, Joe carefully spread each one of the concoctions onto both wounds.\u00a0 He figured it couldn\u2019t possibly make either one hurt any more than they already did.\u00a0 If he could see the exit wound he would have noticed the redness which was spreading out and down towards his hip.\u00a0 But, the placement of that bullet hole made it impossible to inspect.\u00a0 The wound right under Joe\u2019s right ribcage down about three inches was easier to spot.\u00a0 It, too, was starting to show some signs of infection.\u00a0 Joe stifled a moan.\u00a0\u00a0 The pain still felt like hellfire, growing even worse after applying some of the ointment.\u00a0 He placed all of the different jars back into the saddlebag and re-bandaged his injuries once more.\u00a0 Joe hoped his plan to get to the Ponderosa ranch house the following day would work out.\u00a0 Then, after he was sure that Pa would pull through, he would have good old Doctor Martin tend to his wounds.\u00a0 His thoughts went back to Pa, and he slunk back inside the cabin, still hiding the reason he had been gone so long just to get the \u201cwater\u201d.<\/p>\n Joe felt his father\u2019s forehead a few minutes after he had gone back inside.\u00a0 The fever had just begun to mount once more.\u00a0 As soon as he settled a dampened cloth onto his head, Pa\u2019s eyes opened again.\u00a0 \u201cI thought I told you to lie down?\u201d<\/p>\n Dropping back down onto the chair, Joe whispered, \u201cYour fever\u2019s up, Pa.\u00a0 I\u2019m just going to sit here for a bit.\u00a0 You go ahead and go back to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just nature\u2019s way of showing that my body is still fighting.\u00a0 It\u2019s nothing to worry about, Joseph.\u00a0 Please get some rest — you\u2019re going to wear yourself out — and you\u2019ll be no good in the morning if you don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow just how many times did Doc Martin say those exact words, Pa?\u00a0 I bet it\u2019s been probably a dozen or more!\u00a0 But, you NEVER left my bedside — and for that matter you never left any of my brother\u2019s bedsides either when they were hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is different, Son,\u201d Ben argued.<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019s it different?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell,— because you\u2019re not Pa!\u201d Ben retorted, he had run out of other reasons.\u00a0 That had to mean he really wasn\u2019t doing well, as he\u2019d never been at a loss for offering sage advice to garner his son\u2019s compliance.<\/p>\n Joe chuckled over the lame answer.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I think I AM the one in charge — at least until I get you back home tomorrow.\u00a0 Then I\u2019ll gladly give up these duties.\u00a0 It\u2019ll be up to Doc and Hoss to keep you in line.\u00a0 Trust me, Pa, I plan to sleep a week when I\u2019m back home in my own soft bed.\u201d\u00a0 *** yeah I\u2019ll be in bed alright.\u00a0 Wait until you find out I got shot!\u00a0 And I can just hear Doc when he finds out what I did today *** Joe thought to himself.<\/p>\n \u201cHow do you like being in charge so far, Son?\u201d Pa questioned, raising his eyebrows for emphasis.<\/p>\n Joe had to laugh at that one.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t like it one bit, Sir.\u00a0 But, like I said, it\u2019s going to be someone else\u2019s turn, come tomorrow.\u00a0 Here, Pa,\u201d Joe paused and reached for the cup of water he had set down, \u201chave some more of this, it\u2019ll help with that fever.\u201d<\/p>\n Pa drank more water and then returned the cup to his son.\u00a0 Joe brought up the saddlebag that he had earlier taken outside to doctor his wounds.\u00a0 \u201cI was going to ask you — do you know what Hop Sing has in here?\u00a0 There\u2019s three jars, but I have no idea what he put in them — didn\u2019t see anything marked.\u201d\u00a0 The boy handed the jars one at a time to his father.\u00a0 Ben inspected each one.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy are you so curious, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust thought they might help with your wound — you know to prevent infection?\u201d\u00a0 *** I probably should have asked him this before I used any of them *** Joe mused to himself.<\/p>\n \u201cThis one,\u201d Ben paused and handed it back to Joe, \u201cit\u2019s some kind of ointment used for burns.\u00a0 Now, this one,\u201d Ben stopped again as he tried to see the color of it, \u201cis for wounds, Son.\u00a0 If you want to try it, well, it wouldn\u2019t hurt any.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about that last one, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben removed the lid and took a look at the contents.\u00a0 \u201cThis is for muscle strains.\u00a0 You know it wouldn\u2019t hurt you to put some on your arms before you turn in, after all the lifting you did today.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo — I can\u2019t use that one on your wounds?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHeavens no!\u201d Ben exclaimed.\u00a0 \u201cWhy this stuff would set an open wound on fire, Son.\u201d<\/p>\n *** I wondered why that smarted so much.\u00a0 \u201cPhysician heal thyself\u201d they say — I\u2019m just messing myself up worse! *** Joe thought to himself.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, are you still with me?\u201d Pa called out, trying to search his son\u2019s face for the reason why he had grown quiet so suddenly.<\/p>\n Joe shook himself from his worries and nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, Pa, sure I am — let\u2019s have some of that wound cream.\u00a0 I want to see if it\u2019ll help you.\u201d<\/p>\n Slowly pulling the bandage down from his father\u2019s bullet wound, Joe spread out a good amount of the ointment over the area.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s got it.\u00a0 Now, you need to get some rest, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 Joe closed the jar and put it back into his saddle bag, making sure to note which one of the three it was.\u00a0 He would be using that one and not the muscle cream, on himself eventually. \u00a0\u00a0Joe fixed his father\u2019s bandage, pulling it back up and making sure it was tight enough.\u00a0 Then he rinsed and returned the cloth back onto his father\u2019s brow.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease at least try to lay down for a bit, Son.\u00a0 I\u2019d rest a whole lot easier myself — that is — if you\u2019re done being the boss for a little while and returning the role to me for just a few hours.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe nodded.\u00a0\u00a0 He was in fact, played out and didn\u2019t think he could stay upright much longer.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, you can be \u201cpa\u201d for just a little while.\u00a0 I\u2019ll go spread out over there for a bit.\u00a0 Just stay down, Pa, don\u2019t get up, I\u2019ve got this.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGo,\u201d Ben stated emphatically, pointing his finger towards the other bunk.<\/p>\n Joe dropped his hand down onto Pa\u2019s right arm.\u00a0 He gently rubbed it slowly for a minute or so.\u00a0 Ben grinned up at him and said, \u201cWho did you learn that from, Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n The boy just nodded his head, as a knowing smile played on his lips.\u00a0 He knew that Pa, of all people, had to know that his son had just mimicked one of his father\u2019s classic comforting moves.\u00a0 \u201cAs if you don\u2019t know, Pa,\u201d He chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll check on you in a little while.\u00a0 Just call out if you need me, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Sir,\u201d Pa agreed.\u00a0\u00a0 Once he saw Joe finally settling down on the other bunk, he relaxed a little and closed his eyes.\u00a0 The thought of being back in his own bed the next night sounded just as good to Ben as it had to his son.\u00a0 With that his final thought, he fell into a deep sleep.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe didn\u2019t remember passing out, but evidently he had.\u00a0 For eight straight hours his body had taken over, surrendering to all the energy that had been spent during the long day prior.\u00a0 Struggling to sit up on the bunk, dull reality hit.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t checked on Pa all night.\u00a0 The thought of that fact scared the young man half to death.\u00a0 He moved swiftly across the cabin over to where the other injured Cartwright was sleeping.\u00a0 Joe softly touched his father\u2019s forehead to see if the fever had gone up while he slept.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fine, Son,\u201d Ben said, opening his eyes and witnessing Joe\u2019s fear laden expression.\u00a0 \u201cI got a good rest, and seeing you finally asleep also helped me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re still a tad warm, Pa.\u00a0 How\u2019re you feeling for real?\u201d Joe asked, sitting down in the chair he had vacated hours earlier.<\/p>\n \u201cNot worse.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut, not any better either, right, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shook his head and replied, \u201cYou know you\u2019re starting to sound more like your old man every day.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m fine, Boy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou think you could stomach some coffee?\u201d<\/p>\n Pa nodded, \u201cI think I could, Joseph, even if it is a little burnt.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe grinned and nodded towards his father at the reminder of his talent or lack thereof in making coffee.\u00a0 \u201cBe right back.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The decision was made as soon as Joe had gotten some coffee and water into his father.\u00a0 Joe would head out to try to find a couple of horses, or at least one if need be.\u00a0 But the worry still showed on the boy\u2019s face as he made ready to leave.\u00a0 Pa\u2019s wound had already been tended and re-bandaged and Joe had made sure to set plenty of water and other essential things next to the bunk.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, Pa,\u201d Joe began, as he held up his father\u2019s gold pocket watch to check the time, \u201c I\u2019m going to walk for exactly one hour.\u00a0 If I don\u2019t find anyone to help me out with a horse I\u2019ll turn back and check in with you then try another direction.\u00a0 I think I\u2019ll head west towards the old Wheeler place first.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben tried to shift his weight on the bunk as he looked up with concern evident on his face.\u00a0 \u201cYou know the Wheeler place was abandoned two years ago, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, Pa, I know.\u00a0 But, I figure that the road up there gets the most horse traffic.\u00a0 Maybe I\u2019ll be lucky and come upon somebody.\u00a0 If not, there ought to be a remuda not far from there if memory serves,\u201d Joe answered, determination framing his face.\u00a0 Pa needed to get back home, and he wasn\u2019t going to stop trying until he got him there.\u00a0 He yearned to be back where it was safe and his big brother Hoss would be there waiting on them.\u00a0 Joe tightened his holster and bent forward to tie the rawhide strings.\u00a0 He had to bite back his pain from the movement.\u00a0 His side felt even worse than it had the previous day.\u00a0 Joe hoped that Pa hadn\u2019t seen the grimace on his face.<\/p>\n \u201cJust be careful, Son,\u201d Ben said, and reached out and put his hand on his son\u2019s arm as the boy stood back up.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m more worried about you.\u00a0 Now here\u2019s your gun, and here\u2019s the canteen.\u00a0 And I\u2019ve left you the remaining jerky just in case you get hungry,\u201d joe pointed at all of the provisions he had moved right next to his father\u2019s bunk.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d darn sure rather eat that jerky than drink it again,\u201d Ben smiled as he attempted to tease Joe regarding the horrible beef broth from the day before.\u00a0 He hoped it would make his son smile, as he could tell the boy was worrying about leaving him.<\/p>\n Joe understood his father\u2019s not so subtle attempt to cheer him.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be back as quick as I can.\u00a0 Stay down, Pa, don\u2019t get up, I\u2019ve got this,\u201d he insisted, using his continuing mantra.\u00a0 \u201cOh, and I\u2019ll sing out before walking back inside here.\u00a0 Don\u2019t take any chances, Pa, your gun is right next to you if you need it.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben nodded, \u201cI\u2019ll be fine.\u00a0 Now take care, Boy.\u201d<\/p>\n Normally Joe would have made some attempt to reach over and give his father a reassuring hug upon departing on a mission such as this, but he couldn\u2019t.\u00a0 He knew that he couldn\u2019t bend forward without pain showing on his face, and that would mean Pa would then learn about his deception.\u00a0 So instead, Joe simply patted his father\u2019s shoulder gently then turned for the door.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe drew out his father\u2019s pocket watch and stared down at it.\u00a0 He had been journeying for just a little over an hour.\u00a0 It had been slow going until his eyes caught on the corral just outside the dense forest he had just gone through.\u00a0 He knew he finally had made it to the old Wheeler spread.\u00a0 Joe wished that Jed Wheeler was still around, but he had died some two years prior, leaving no kin to leave the place to.\u00a0 So, it had come as a complete surprise to the boy to see smoke arising from the large chimney in the middle of the main house.\u00a0 Joe spotted a man as he stepped outside and onto the porch.\u00a0 Joe waved towards him, trying to show he wasn\u2019t a threat.\u00a0 The man leveled his shotgun anyway, so Joe stopped his progression into the yard.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a neighbor — you don\u2019t need that, Mister,\u201d Joe sang out.<\/p>\n \u201cToss down that six-gun, Sonny!\u201d the man shouted.<\/p>\n *** I\u2019ve already been shot once — I don\u2019t need more bullets going through me *** Joe thought to himself.\u00a0 He dropped his weapon down onto the ground in front of him.\u00a0 Joe hoped he wouldn\u2019t have to make a dive towards it, as he didn\u2019t think he had it in him at the time.\u00a0 His wounds were absolutely killing him and only the concern for his father had kept him going.<\/p>\n The man headed towards Joe and kicked the boy\u2019s gun over to the side, to make sure he wasn\u2019t going to try for it.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy name\u2019s Joe Cartwright, my family owns a spread over that way,\u201d he paused and pointed in the direction from where he had come.\u00a0 \u201cMy Pa\u2019s hurt bad, some rustlers jumped us the night before last — took our horses.\u00a0\u00a0 He\u2019s been gut shot.\u00a0 I just need the loan of a horse or two, I\u2019ve got to get him home and seen to by a doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n The man studied Joe\u2019s face and then noticed the blood that coated his jacket.\u00a0 \u201cMy name is Pickens — Will Pickens — just moved in last week.\u00a0 I heard of the Cartwrights.\u00a0 Ponderosa right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Sir, I didn\u2019t know anyone was here until I saw the chimney smoke.\u00a0 I sure could use the help,\u201d Joe paused when he caught sight of two horses and the buckboard they were hitched up to already.\u00a0 \u201cAny chance you could loan that buckboard to me — just for the day?\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Pickens scrubbed his stubble of beard and thought on the request.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know you at all and that there\u2019s my only wagon.\u00a0 All I got besides those horses there is one old mare.\u00a0 You take off with that team and don\u2019t come back I\u2019d be in a real fix.\u00a0 Don\u2019t even think about making a fool out of me, Boy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t, Sir, and like I said, I\u2019ll pay you for them.\u00a0 My family owns the Ponderosa, and we\u2019ll stand good for them, I promise.\u00a0 I\u2019ve just got to get help for my pa.\u00a0 Right now he\u2019s at one of our line shacks in bad shape,\u201d Joe stopped and reached inside his jacket.\u00a0 He pulled out what money he had.\u00a0 \u201cHere\u2019s twenty dollars — and I\u2019ll give you more when I get back if you want.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour money won\u2019t do me no good if you don\u2019t come back.\u00a0 I need that wagon.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe thought hard, the man wasn\u2019t making it easy, but then again, nothing had been easy lately.\u00a0 He finally reached inside the other pocket of his jacket and removed Pa\u2019s watch.\u00a0 Joe hated what was on his mind, but there wasn\u2019t too much else he could think of to try to get Mr. Pickens to trust him.\u00a0 \u201cHere — this watch is my pa\u2019s.\u00a0 It\u2019s solid gold and it\u2019s something that means a lot to him, his father gave it to him when he was young.\u00a0 If I don\u2019t make it back — which I promise you I will \u2013 well, you can keep it.\u00a0 It would buy you more than you need for a wagon and a team to pull it.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Pickens took the watch out of the boy\u2019s hand and studied it.\u00a0 He flipped open the watch cover and noticed what was written inside.\u00a0 \u201cThis is your pa\u2019s, you say?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Sir,\u201d Joe replied, hopeful that the man wouldn\u2019t see a need for him to leave it along with the twenty dollars.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know what it says here inside?\u201d<\/p>\n Nodding, Joe answered, \u201cIt says faith — which is what I\u2019m asking from you.\u00a0 Just show me just a little faith and I promise you I\u2019ll be back with your wagon and team.\u00a0 Then I\u2019ll claim that watch back for my father.\u00a0 But, right now I need to get my pa to a doctor as quick as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Pickens frowned but when he looked again at the blood on Joe\u2019s jacket he felt sorry for the boy.\u00a0 \u201cThat your pa\u2019s blood you got all over you, Boy?\u201d<\/p>\n ***Great, I\u2019ve got to get him to trust me and I\u2019m going to have to lie about this blood again *** Joe thought.\u00a0 \u201cYes, Sir,\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou have it back to me tomorrow, you hear?\u201d Mr. Pickens announced and walked towards the buckboard.\u00a0 Joe followed closely behind the man, so relieved, that he started to get his second wind.<\/p>\n \u201cWould it be okay with you if I got my gun, Mr. Pickens?\u00a0 I don\u2019t think those rustlers are still around these parts, but I really can\u2019t chance anything stopping me from getting help for Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n Pickens nodded and watched Joe turn back to retrieve his six-gun.\u00a0 He watched him holster the weapon and then untied the reins to his team of horses.\u00a0 Joe hurried to the buckboard and climbed up onto the bench seat.\u00a0 \u201cHere, Sir,\u201d He said, and handed the man the twenty dollars.\u00a0 \u201cAnd this wagon will be here by this time tomorrow, I swear on my life.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Pickens took the money, and along with the gold watch, tucked them into his pants pocket.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be holding you to that, Boy.\u00a0 Take it easy with that team of horses, mind you.\u00a0 I just fed and watered them so they should get you home all right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Sir.\u00a0 I\u2019ll never forget this —and neither will my father,\u201d see you tomorrow!\u201d\u00a0 Joe exclaimed, and sent the team towards the direction of the line shack.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben had heard the sound of horses coming in fast.\u00a0 He attempted to lift himself up on the bunk, readying his six-gun.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t think it could be Joe, as it sounded like a wagon being driven hard.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t shoot me,\u201d Joe sang out as he jumped from the buckboard and hurried up onto the cabin\u2019s steps.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s me, Pa!\u201d<\/p>\n Sighing, very relieved that the boy had identified himself, Pa set the gun back down onto the chair to his right.\u00a0 \u201cCome on in, Joseph!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe bounded into the line shack and over to his pa.\u00a0 \u201cYou ready to go home, Pa?\u201d he smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cDid you find help, Joe?\u201d Ben asked, bewildered as to why his son had a genuine smile on his face for the first time in days.<\/p>\n Joe reached over and felt of his father\u2019s forehead, and replied, \u201cWell, I\u2019ve got a buckboard and a pretty fast pair of horses.\u00a0 Hey, you\u2019ve still got a fever.\u00a0 Did you drink anything while I was gone?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fine, Son.\u00a0 And, yes I drank some water.\u00a0 Now where did you find someone to loan you a wagon?\u00a0 I\u2019m assuming you didn\u2019t steal it?\u201d Ben said, only half-way jokingly.\u00a0 That boy of his seemed so intense the last two days that it wouldn\u2019t have surprised his pa if he had gone to whatever lengths necessary to get them both back home; including horse theft.<\/p>\n Joe giggled at the expression his father wore.\u00a0 \u201cNo, Pa — but I swear I would\u2019ve if Mr. Perkins hadn\u2019t let me rent them for the day!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPerkins?\u201d Ben questioned.<\/p>\n Joe began gathering up saddle-bags and supplies as he replied, \u201cI\u2019ll tell you later.\u00a0 I\u2019m getting you home.\u00a0 Let me get all of these things outside and into the buckboard then I\u2019ll come back and help you down into it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStop!\u201d\u00a0 Pa exclaimed as loudly as he could manage.<\/p>\n Joe spun around to look at his father.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou sit down for a minute, have some water and catch your breath.\u00a0 Five minutes won\u2019t make a difference one way or the other, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n Staring over at his Pa, Joe could tell he meant business, wounded or not, he was still in charge to a point.\u00a0 He shook his head, almost annoyed, but walked over towards the bunk and sat down in the chair.\u00a0 \u201cYou may be running a fever and gut shot, but you still scare me at times, Pa!\u201d Joe quipped.<\/p>\n Nodding, Ben chuckled and patted his son\u2019s arm.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s nice to hear, Joseph. I\u2019m glad I still have the ability to make you listen — at least once and awhile.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe drank some water from the canteen and allowed himself to catch his breath.\u00a0 He wouldn\u2019t mention it then, but once Pa was all better he would tell the man that resting even for a few minutes might have made a bigger difference than he would\u2019ve thought.\u00a0 Joe felt awful.\u00a0\u00a0 His side was beyond painful now.\u00a0 If he had been forced to walk another mile, Joe didn\u2019t think he would have made it.\u00a0 His body had been taxed in just about every way.\u00a0 Joe had been so immensely terrified over his father\u2019s survival, that he had pushed himself almost to collapse.\u00a0 But, now he could see the light at the end of the tunnel; and that light would be in the living room of the Ponderosa ranch house.<\/p>\n The five minutes were up, and Joe had insisted that they get ready to leave the cabin as fast as possible.\u00a0 He gathered everything that they had hauled there the previous day, setting it all into the back of the buckboard.\u00a0 Joe spread out the two bedrolls onto the bed of the wagon, to cushion the hard wood as much as possible.\u00a0 He then moved back inside and helped Pa slowly down the stairs.\u00a0 Joe made sure to keep his father once again leaned towards his own left side, in order to prevent his wounds from getting bumped in the process.\u00a0 He was glad that Pa still had yet to see how much pain was written all over his son\u2019s face.<\/p>\n \u201cHere\u2019s your canteen, Pa,\u201d Joe handed the water to his father, and helped ease the man into a reclining position.\u00a0 He covered Pa with a saddle blanket.\u00a0 \u201cYou sing out if you need me to stop.\u00a0 I\u2019ll try my best not to hit too many ruts but I\u2019m not going to be driving very slowly.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben smiled and nodded, \u201cI\u2019ll be fine, Son.\u00a0 I think we will both be happy to be in our own beds tonight, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n *** You have no idea, Pa! I might sleep for a week or more *** Joe thought to himself as he readied for the trip home.<\/p>\n \u201cJust stay down, Pa — don\u2019t get up — I\u2019ve got this!\u201d Joe smiled and walked around and climbed up to the bench seat.\u00a0 He tapped the reins and quickly pulled away from the line shack.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n After two long days and nights of fighting the unimaginable, Joe was so thankful to have things going his way at last.\u00a0 Not only had he acquired the buckboard and successfully gotten his father into it, but he had also spotted two of the Ponderosa ranch hands just a mile or so from the house.\u00a0 He had signaled them over.<\/p>\n \u201cFletcher, I need to you to go and fetch the doctor right quick!\u201d Joe announced as the two men came to a halt right alongside of the buckboard.<\/p>\n \u201cYou okay, Ben?\u201d both men sang out in unison as they peered into the back of the wagon, and realized their boss looked bad off.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be okay, just listen to your new boss up there,\u201d Ben pointed towards his son.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph has gotten a promotion while we were heading home.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa\u2019s been shot,\u201d Joe jumped it, refusing small- talk, they were just too close to the end of the mission to save his father.\u00a0 \u201cI need you to go into town, Fletcher, and for you, Bill, to follow me in.\u00a0 I need someone to take this wagon back to the old Wheeler ranch and give it to a man named Perkins.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDoc was over at the Miller\u2019s place,\u201d Fletcher announced, \u201cI seen him there just a little while ago.\u00a0 Maybe we\u2019ll be lucky and he\u2019s still there.\u00a0 I\u2019ll go as quickly as I can, Joe!\u201d\u00a0 The hired hand reined his horse hard and took off.<\/p>\n \u201cBill, just as soon as Hoss and I get Pa out of this thing unload it will you and take it to that fellow Perkins.\u00a0 And be sure to get something I left with him!\u00a0 He will remember what it was,\u201d Joe finished his statement and tapped the reins again.\u00a0 The hired hand followed closely behind the buckboard all the rest of the way to the ranch house.<\/p>\n Hoss Cartwright heard the frantic shouting coming from outside.\u00a0 He set down his coffee and hurried out into the yard.\u00a0 Hoss was surprised to see his brother pulling up in a buckboard.\u00a0 He had been expecting his family to show up the day before, but figured they had taken a detour due to the horses they had been bringing home.<\/p>\n \u201cGive me a hand, Hoss!\u201d\u00a0 Joe shouted towards his brother as he hopped out of the buckboard.\u00a0 The hired hand tied his reins up to the hitching post and walked over to help Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat in the world?\u201d Hoss began as he made it close enough to spy his father laid out in the back of the wagon.\u00a0 \u201cPa— what happened to ya?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe took a bullet,\u201d Joe replied, not wanting to make his father do anything but allow his sons to get him inside.\u00a0 \u201cBill, just unload the rest of this up onto the porch.\u00a0 We\u2019ll take care of it later.\u00a0 The main thing is to get this back to the old Wheeler place.\u00a0 I promised that man Perkins I\u2019d get the buckboard back as soon as I got home.\u00a0\u00a0 And be sure to remember to get that thing I left as a guarantee that I\u2019d keep my word.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph?\u00a0 What did you leave?\u201d Ben asked, as he felt Hoss\u2019 big hand easing him into a seated position in order to move out of the wagon.<\/p>\n Joe shrugged his shoulders and chose the other side of his pa to assist Hoss with the move.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll explain later, Pa.\u00a0 Let\u2019s get you inside.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOne of you want to tell me what\u2019s going on?\u201d Hoss jumped back into the conversation.\u00a0 He wanted to know how bad his father was and who had hurt him.<\/p>\n \u201cYou two boys,\u201d Ben shook his head, and had to fight off a grin, \u201cI swear you act as though no-one in this family has ever been shot before.\u00a0 I can make it inside myself!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe stared directly into his brother Hoss\u2019 blue eyes and gave him the sign that his father was badly injured.\u00a0 Hoss must have read the look on his brother\u2019s face because, before Ben had a chance to make the move completely out of the wagon, his large hands swooped in and lifted the man into his massive arms.<\/p>\n \u201cI reckon I\u2019ll just save you a few steps, Pa,\u201d he said, and headed into the house.<\/p>\n Joe felt like he wanted to just sit down in the living room and weep, once he stepped across the threshold.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t ever remember feeling that way before, but it never felt so good to be home, nor had it ever seemed so elusive to get there as it had the past two days.\u00a0 He hurried up the stairs ahead of his brother and father.\u00a0 Joe wanted to get Ben\u2019s room set up quickly.\u00a0 He threw back the comforter and pulled down the sheet just as Hoss walked through the doorway.<\/p>\n \u201cEric!\u201d Ben exclaimed.\u00a0 He so rarely referred to his middle boy by his given name that it almost frightened Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cI told you I could make it up here on my own!\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss eased his pa down onto his bed and scrunched up his face, just as he had done when he was a kid and his father wasn\u2019t happy with him.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, Pa, you carried me enough when I was a youngin\u2019 it\u2019s the least I can do now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s been shot in the stomach,\u201d Joe cautioned his brother as he slowly removed his father\u2019s boots.\u00a0 \u201cRustlers got to us two nights ago, stole the horses and shot up the camp.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBullet still in there?\u201d Hoss asked, worry very apparent on his face.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, it\u2019s not, \u201cBen jumped into the conversation, though he was beginning to tire from all the day\u2019s efforts.\u00a0 \u201cYour little brother removed the bullet up at the West Bend line shack.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa –,\u201d Joe tried to quiet the man, \u201cPa, just lie back and try to calm down.\u00a0 Doc will be here soon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoe\u2019s right,\u201d Hoss jumped in.\u00a0 \u201cHere have something to drink,\u201d he said, and handed his father a glass of water which he had poured from the decanter on the night stand.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s been running a fever,\u201d Joe got back to the business at hand.\u00a0 \u201cBut, I ran into Fletcher and he\u2019s on his way in with Doc, so we\u2019ll know more then.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStop your worrying both of you, \u201cBen muttered, resting his head on the pillow.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph you need to go eat something.\u00a0 You just wouldn\u2019t believe what I\u2019ve put this boy through, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll eat and rest once Doc gets a look at you,\u201d Joe insisted.\u00a0 \u201cBut, until then you\u2019re stuck with me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll make sure he eats in a bit, Pa, now just rest,\u201d Hoss said, and both he and his brother took opposite sides of their father\u2019s bed, settling down into chairs there.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss, do you have anything you can use to make some broth?\u00a0 Beef or chicken it doesn\u2019t matter which.\u00a0 Pa hasn\u2019t had anything but some water and coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t give him your recipe, Joe,\u201d Ben teased.<\/p>\n Joe nodded towards his father and turned back towards his brother.\u00a0 \u201cSeriously, I\u2019m worried, he\u2019s lost a lot of blood, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss stood from his chair and replied, \u201cI think I can manage that, since we\u2019ve got to wait for the Doc, I\u2019ll go heat something up.\u00a0 I admit that I went to Virginia City and loaded up on some grub yesterday from the Caf\u00e9.\u00a0 Miss Millie made sure I had enough for the three of us, since I expected you yesterday.\u00a0 I\u2019m pretty sure I\u2019ve got some chicken that will make a good stock.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be right back!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe turned back towards his father, pulling the chair closer to the bed.\u00a0 He reached over to feel of his forehead.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, Joseph, I sure wish you\u2019d just settle back.\u00a0 You\u2019re worrying me watching you worry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa, I\u2019m gonna keep on worrying until Doc tells me I didn\u2019t make you worse taking out that bullet.\u00a0 I also wanted to tell you something before Hoss gets back.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shifted as best he could towards his right side so he could get a good look at his son.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s on your mind?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI — I have to tell you what I did.\u201d\u00a0 Joe fought to justify what he had done concerning Mr. Perkins.\u00a0 \u201cPa, I\u2019m sorry — it wasn\u2019t mine to hand over — but I let Perkins hold onto your pocket watch — so he would trust me enough to loan me the buckboard.\u00a0 If there had been any other way — or anything else I could\u2019ve used I would have.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shook his head as a knowing smile filtered down onto his lips.\u00a0 \u201cIs that what\u2019s been bothering you?\u201d \u00a0Pa reached over and brushed his fingers through his son\u2019s tousled hair.\u00a0 \u201cI figured that mystery out the minute you changed the subject outside, Joseph.\u00a0 You\u2019re not all that hard to read, you know?\u00a0\u00a0 You let Perkins hold my watch in order to get me help, so why in the world would you think I\u2019d mind?\u201d<\/p>\n Before Joe could answer he noticed a man standing in the doorway flanked closely behind by Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cWell, Joseph Cartwright, I would\u2019ve given odds that it was you needing my care and not your pa!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s eyes lit up with relief.\u00a0 \u201cThank goodness you\u2019re here, Doc!\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss moved back towards his father\u2019s bed as Doctor Martin headed over to the fallen man.\u00a0 \u201cExcuse me if I don\u2019t get up, Paul,\u201d Ben said, and reached for the other man\u2019s hand.\u00a0 He gave it a welcoming shake.<\/p>\n \u201cPa was shot two days ago, Doc.\u00a0 I had to dig a slug out of his stomach yesterday.\u00a0 It was in just a tad more than an inch,\u201d Joe explained.<\/p>\n \u201cWell if you two boys will give me some elbow room I\u2019ll check your father to see how he\u2019s doing,\u201d Paul motioned both of the hovering men off to the side.\u00a0 He could see the white bandages that pressed tightly against Ben\u2019s abdomen.<\/p>\n Joe stood behind his brother, his head starting to swim, and for a second he thought he was going to faint.\u00a0 Pulling from the last ounce of internal fortitude he had left, Joe fought to hold on.\u00a0 He just had to be certain that Pa was going to make it.\u00a0 But, that was Doc\u2019s call, not his.<\/p>\n Doctor Martin checked his patient\u2019s temperature and his pulse.\u00a0 He turned back towards Joe who stood close to the door.\u00a0 \u201cHe lost a lot of blood didn\u2019t he, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Sir,\u201d Joe replied apprehensively.<\/p>\n Paul pointed directly at Joe\u2019s jacket.\u00a0 \u201cI take it that\u2019s your Pa\u2019s blood and not yours, right?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe needed all attention to be solidly focused on Pa, not on him.\u00a0 He knew that if he spilled the truth of the matter, that all three of the other men in the room would be concerned about his wounds instead.\u00a0\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t have that.\u00a0 Pa had to take center stage, at least for now.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, Doc, it\u2019s Pa\u2019s,\u201d He affirmed.<\/p>\n The wait seemed excruciating, as both Hoss and Joe waited for Doc\u2019s final assessment to be over.\u00a0 Finally, after some prodding and poking and talking to Ben about how he was feeling, he was ready to render his opinion.<\/p>\n \u201cThis man needs rest — and lots of it!\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019m not saying he\u2019s completely out of the woods.\u00a0 However, if he minds his doctor, well, I believe he\u2019ll be fine,\u201d Doctor Martin announced.<\/p>\n Ben looked across the room over towards his two boys.\u00a0 \u201cI told you,\u201d He chided both of his sons.<\/p>\n \u201cWait just a second, Ben Cartwright, I said you\u2019re not quite out of the woods.\u00a0 Joe over there did a very good job getting that bullet out.\u00a0\u00a0 At least we won\u2019t have to worry about blood poisoning!\u00a0\u00a0 But, you\u2019ve lost a lot of blood.\u00a0 You do have a little bit of infection going on too.\u00a0 I said IF you mind your doctor.\u00a0 That\u2019s going to mean rest and quiet along with nourishment.\u00a0 We need to build your system back up, and like I said, that\u2019s going to require time.\u00a0 And absolutely NO getting out of that bed for ANY reason.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry, Doc, I\u2019ll keep him down,\u201d Hoss vowed.<\/p>\n Joe felt his body go numb.\u00a0 It was as though his relief over his father\u2019s prognosis had finally caused the last ounce of his strength to ebb out of him.\u00a0 He knew he needed to leave the room, afraid he might go down to the floor right there in front of all the others. \u00a0Hoss moved closer to their father\u2019s bed to talk to him about how he was going to help him, as Joe waited for his chance to exit the bedroom.\u00a0 That opportunity came when Doctor Martin went about putting a proper bandage over the newly inspected gun-shot wound.\u00a0 With both his brother and the doctor preoccupied, Joe slipped quietly out of the room.\u00a0 Fortunately his father didn\u2019t notice his son\u2019s disappearance, or was far too weak to protest if he had.\u00a0 Joe staggered across the hall, and barely made it inside his bedroom.\u00a0 He closed his door and approached the bed.\u00a0\u00a0 Hoping to just lie down for a few minutes, he struggled to make it there.\u00a0 Just inches from the soft mattress he had been thinking of for days, Joe crumpled to the floor unconscious.<\/p>\n Hoss and Doctor Martin worked for several hours trying to make Ben comfortable and seeing to all his needs.\u00a0 Hoss helped his father get cleaned up and settled him into a nightshirt.\u00a0 He could see how weak the man was, and watched as he finally fell into a deep sleep.\u00a0 Paul stayed until the late evening, attempting to calm the worried son and taking care of his old friend.\u00a0 He advised Hoss that Ben needed all the rest and calm he could get.\u00a0 Hoss listened intently to all of his instructions.<\/p>\n \u201cYou reckon I ought to wire Adam?\u00a0 He\u2019s in Ogden right now, so it\u2019ll take a few days to get to him.\u201d<\/p>\n Paul shook his head and replied, \u201cLet\u2019s see how it goes, Hoss.\u00a0 No need to alert him right now.\u00a0 Like I said, if we can get your pa to stay down and rest I believe he\u2019ll be fine.\u00a0 It\u2019s just going to be awhile before he\u2019ll be up and around.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI guess Joe must\u2019ve headed to bed.\u00a0 \u00a0Pa was telling me some of the things the kid went through trying to tend to him,\u201d Hoss said, after he realized that Joe hadn\u2019t returned.<\/p>\n Paul smiled and replied, \u201cThat brother of yours must\u2019ve been scared to death — especially with having to remove that bullet.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure he\u2019s exhausted.\u00a0 I think that as soon as I told you and Joe that your father was going to pull through that he finally decided he would get some shut-eye.\u00a0 Best let him be for now — I don\u2019t need any more patients!\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss walked the doctor down the stairs and to the front door.\u00a0 \u201cI sure appreciate you coming so fast, Doc!\u00a0 I know I\u2019m gonna have my hands full with Pa, what with Hop Sing gone.\u201d<\/p>\n Paul reached over and touched the big man\u2019s shoulder sympathetically and said, \u201cWhen I come back tomorrow I\u2019ll bring you some supplies including some ready-made food so you won\u2019t have to spend too much time away from your pa.\u00a0 Between you and your little brother I know you\u2019ll be just what your father needs to get through this!\u00a0 I left that medicine to help with the infection.\u00a0 Get that broth you made into him and then give him a dose. \u00a0The instructions are on the bottle.\u00a0 I think his wound will be fine until I get back.\u00a0 By the way — don\u2019t YOU forget to eat, Hoss!\u201d<\/p>\n Grinning towards the doctor as he pulled the front door open, Hoss replied, \u201cI ain\u2019t likely to forget to eat!\u00a0 I sure appreciate it, Doc.\u00a0 Any supplies you get just put on our bill and we\u2019ll take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure once your pa\u2019s friends hear he\u2019s laid up you\u2019ll get many meals donated from the town folks.\u00a0 No-one can do without Ben Cartwright!\u00a0 See you tomorrow around noon.\u00a0 Good night,\u201d Doc said and walked outside to his buggy.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben finally started to stir in his bed around midnight.\u00a0 He looked over to his left and saw his son Hoss asleep in the chair by the bed.\u00a0 He had to smile, thinking of the big man trying to get comfortable in the hardback chair.\u00a0 Ben tried to quietly reach for a glass of water on his night stand.\u00a0 Hoss instantly perked up and hurried to his father\u2019s side.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll get that for ya, Pa!\u201d he sang out.<\/p>\n Ben shook his head, somewhat amused at the intensity on his middle boy\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cI think I can manage to get a glass of water, Son.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I\u2019ve got orders to keep you quiet and I\u2019m gonna do it!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss poured water into a glass and handed it to his pa.<\/p>\n \u201cNow I know who your little brother learned about being over-protected from.\u00a0 That boy was really something — you would\u2019ve been very proud of him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, Pa —I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever seen the kid so scared.\u00a0 I guess it was rough on him, huh?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss asked, once again taking his seat.<\/p>\n \u201cHe must\u2019ve told me the same thing a hundred times,\u201d Ben paused.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe kept saying — stay down Pa, don\u2019t get up, I\u2019ve got this,\u201d Ben returned.<\/p>\n Hoss shook his head amused.\u00a0 \u201cWas he saying that for YOU or for HIM?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben set the glass back down and grinned, thinking of his youngest.\u00a0 \u201cI think mainly for himself.\u00a0 I wanted him to go for a horse and leave me in the camp but he just wouldn\u2019t leave me.\u00a0 You know he made that travois and told me that you had showed him how to build one years ago.\u00a0 But, I didn\u2019t think there was any way that he could pull my weight.\u00a0 He then told me he would rig up a counter-weight system to help displace the weight of my body.\u00a0 Danged kid did it!\u00a0 Then he hauled me to the West Bend line shack — almost two miles!\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss sighed, he hated to think of everything his little brother had gone through.\u00a0 \u201cWe still think of him as a kid — but, he\u2019s thinking and working like a man.\u00a0 Maybe we need to start giving him more credit?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere is he anyway?\u201d Ben asked, staring towards the door.\u00a0 \u201cI figured he\u2019d be here hovering over me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe went to his room once Doc said you\u2019d pull through.\u00a0 Guess he\u2019s finally getting some rest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hope he took the time to change his clothes.\u00a0 He scared me when I saw that blood all over his jacket!\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss looked down at the floor feeling bad that he\u2019d never noticed any blood until Doc had asked Joe about its source.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m gonna let him rest, Pa.\u00a0 Tomorrow I\u2019ll be sure to get some grub into him!\u00a0 He looked a bit puny to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou make sure you get some grub into YOU too, Young Man!\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss laughed, \u201cWhen have I passed up a meal, Pa?\u00a0 Speaking of which, I\u2019ve got that chicken broth ready and Doc said you needed to get it into you then take some medicine.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be right back!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben watched as his son hurried out the door heading to the kitchen.\u00a0 His eyes peered towards the hallway.\u00a0 Though he couldn\u2019t quite see Joe\u2019s bedroom door due to his obscured view from the bed, his thoughts went to his youngest.\u00a0 After days of being with him constantly, including the last forty eight hours of non-stop drama, Ben missed the ever-present sight of his youngest boy.<\/p>\n Hoss set up camp in his father\u2019s bedroom that night.\u00a0 Though his pa had insisted he go into his own room, he had not relented.\u00a0 Ben\u2019s fever spiked a few times but had evened out by the time it was dawn.\u00a0 Hoss manned the dampened cloth brigade, making sure there was never a time that his father\u2019s forehead was without a cooled cloth.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, Young Man, how does it feel to have to sleep in a hard chair?\u201d Ben smiled over at his son.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know how you managed it all these years, Pa!\u201d Hoss exclaimed, stretching his sore back to get the kinks out of it.\u00a0 \u201cNow how about I get you some grub?\u00a0 Maybe you can tolerate an egg and toast today, you think?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe some toast,\u201d Ben nodded.\u00a0 \u201cHey, make something for both you and Little Joe, will you?\u00a0 That boy hardly ate a thing the last couple of days.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, now you stay put until I come back, you hear?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben nodded, \u201cI\u2019m following doctor\u2019s orders — I\u2019m not as hard headed as my three sons.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss laughed and headed out of the bedroom to fix some food for his father and brother.\u00a0 He would also make sure he got something to eat, since he had missed a meal the previous day also.\u00a0 He scrambled some eggs and made toast and coffee.\u00a0 Bringing the coffee and toast up to his father first, he set it onto a tray and settled in Pa\u2019s lap.\u00a0 \u201cNow see if you can handle that and I\u2019ll go wake Joe up,\u201d Hoss said and turned out of the bedroom.<\/p>\n Hoss knocked on his little brother\u2019s bedroom door before barging in.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t heard a sound coming from inside, even after hollering through the door a few times.\u00a0 He took two steps into Joe\u2019s room and his heart almost stopped seeing the boy sprawled out on the floor just shy of his bed.\u00a0 Before he could lift Joe into his arms, he heard Paul\u2019s voice in the doorway.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d Doc asked, moving towards the two brothers.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know, Doc, I just got in here a second ago,\u201d Hoss returned, and rolled his brother over onto his back.\u00a0 It was only then that both he and Doctor Martin noticed Joe\u2019s shirt, along with fresh blood on it.<\/p>\n \u201cGet him up on the bed — I need to shut the door so your pa doesn\u2019t hear us.\u00a0 The last thing he needs to do is get up —and if he knows something\u2019s wrong with the boy you know we won\u2019t be able to keep him down!\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss gently spread his brother out onto his comforter.\u00a0 His hands shook as he nervously undid the buttons of Joe\u2019s shirt.\u00a0 Both men saw the bandage which the kid wore.\u00a0 It was covered in scarlet stains.<\/p>\n \u201cLet me see,\u201d Paul moved in closer, and as gently as possible, pulled aside the bandage which surrounded Joe\u2019s waist.\u00a0 He carefully inspected the wound a few inches down from the boy\u2019s right ribcage.\u00a0 Then he rolled him halfway over and looked over the exit wound.\u00a0 \u201cThis boy\u2019s been shot — and it\u2019s an old wound like your Pa\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe must\u2019ve been hit the same night — and didn\u2019t want our pa to know,\u201d Hoss started, feeling his eyes misting up at the thought of what his brother had done.\u00a0 \u201cHe must\u2019ve worried that if Pa knew that he would never have let Joe get him to the line shack.\u00a0 Lordy — Doc—that means Joe pulled that danged travois after having been shot!\u201d<\/p>\n Paul turned to stare into Hoss\u2019 frightened eyes and replied, \u201cWe\u2019ve got a heck of a problem now, Hoss.\u00a0 We just can\u2019t let Ben know about this.\u00a0 If we do, then everything this boy tried to do to save your pa will have been done in vain.\u00a0 Your Pa hasn\u2019t the strength to sit in here worrying himself over Joe.\u00a0 So, I\u2019m going to do my best to help your brother, and you\u2019re going to have to go tend to your father.\u00a0 Hoss I know you\u2019re not the best actor in your family — but if I\u2019m going to try to save both of these men, I\u2019m relying on you to give it your best try.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss wiped spent tears from his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cHow bad is Joe, Doc?\u201d<\/p>\n Paul shook his head as he went about removing the young man\u2019s clothes for further inspection of his injuries.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not sure, but you saw that jacket — that was NOT Ben\u2019s blood —it was Joe\u2019s! \u00a0And by exerting himself in all his efforts to save your pa — well, he\u2019s very weak.\u00a0 I can barely make out a pulse,\u201d Paul said whole holding Joe\u2019s left wrist in his grasp.<\/p>\n \u201cI got to get back to Pa — I don\u2019t know how I\u2019m going to manage this, Doc — but I will,\u201d Hoss said, setting his shoulders and putting on a brave face.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t let him know I\u2019m here yet.\u00a0 Come back in here in a little while and you and I\u2019ll change places.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to see what I can do for this boy.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss nodded, sadness framing his face, \u201cTake care of my Little Brother, Doc.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll do my very best, Hoss,\u201d Paul returned, and then began to pull different items from his medical bag.\u00a0 It was going to be yet another long day.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben watched Hoss as he re-entered the bedroom.\u00a0 The young man had a forced smile on his face, and his father knew that something was wrong.\u00a0 \u201cHoss?\u00a0 What\u2019s the trouble, Boy?\u201d<\/p>\n Shrugging his shoulders, while trying to hide his true feelings, he replied, \u201cOh, Pa — I guess it\u2019s just me worrying over ya — I can\u2019t help thinking of all you went through!\u201d\u00a0 *** I hope he buys that *** Hoss thought to himself.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll tell you —all you boys are cut from the same cloth, aren\u2019t you?\u201d Ben smiled knowingly.\u00a0 \u201cYour little brother worried himself half sick over me, and now that I\u2019m home, I have TWO boys worrying about their old man!\u00a0 I guess it\u2019s a good thing that Adam is on that buying trip or I\u2019d have three of you to deal with!\u00a0 Now —did Little Joe finally get up and eat?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss paused before replying, he had to think up a good response first.\u00a0 \u201cHe just wanted to sleep, Pa.\u00a0 I left him on his bed in his room.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure he\u2019ll eat something later.\u201d\u00a0 *** Well, he IS on his bed — I just hope he\u2019ll pull through so this whole charade won\u2019t cost me for lying to you, Pa *** Hoss thought to himself.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I know he has to be exhausted.\u00a0\u00a0 But, when that boy wakes up, you tell him that I want to see him.\u00a0 I need to go over all that happened with him — to make sure Joe knows I\u2019m proud of him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe knows, Pa — he knows,\u201d Hoss nodded, as he sat down once again in the chair.<\/p>\n Much later that afternoon, when Pa had at last fallen to sleep, Hoss was able to rejoin the doctor in Joe\u2019s room.\u00a0 Paul was seated in the chair next to the boy\u2019s bed; the same chair that their father always sat in during all of Joe\u2019s previous injuries.\u00a0 \u201cHow is he?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n Doc stood and walked slowly back to the boy\u2019s sick bed and reached once more for his wrist.\u00a0 \u201cHis pulse is very faint and very thready — he\u2019s lost too much blood, Hoss.\u00a0 There\u2019s not much I can do, I\u2019m afraid.\u00a0 I\u2019ve doctored his two wounds.\u00a0 They\u2019re both infected pretty badly.\u00a0 Actually, he\u2019s worse off than your pa is; we just had no way of knowing.\u00a0 Your brother just cared far more about his father than he did himself.\u00a0 I\u2019ve done everything I can possibly think to do, and used every medicine I have to doctor him.\u00a0 I think it\u2019s up to your brother and of course God now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou ain\u2019t giving up, are you, Doc?\u201d Hoss\u2019 eyes were pleading towards the man.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course I\u2019m not, Hoss.\u00a0\u00a0 And I\u2019m not saying not to hold out hope, either.\u00a0 I\u2019m just bracing you for what might happen.\u00a0 If we can somehow get him to come around and get fluids into him, — well it would help.\u00a0 But, he\u2019s unconscious.\u00a0 He keeps muttering something — but he\u2019s going back and forth from a semi-conscious state to full unconsciousness.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s he been saying?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSounds like he\u2019s talking to Ben — telling him to stay down and not get up,\u201d Paul replied.<\/p>\n Hoss sighed, his heart feeling as though it would surely break outright.\u00a0 \u201cPa told me that Joe kept repeating for him to stay down, not get up, and that he had things in control.\u00a0\u00a0 I guess he used it to keep his spirits up during that whole awful event.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss, we still need to keep this from Ben.\u00a0 I know it\u2019s a tough thing to do.\u00a0 — Maybe if your brother can hang on another day— your pa will be strong enough to come and see the boy for a few minutes?\u00a0 But, tonight we need to keep things the same.\u00a0\u00a0 We can\u2019t let Ben know.\u00a0 And, I\u2019m not leaving you tonight.\u00a0 \u00a0I left word in town that I would be staying here at the Ponderosa.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss nodded and reached over to pat the doctor\u2019s shoulder gratefully.\u00a0 \u201cYou want to spell me with Pa?\u00a0 I\u2019ll sit here with Joe for a while — you can just tell Pa I\u2019m downstairs cooking.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will,\u201d Paul said moving towards the door.\u00a0 He cast a glance at the two brothers.\u00a0 He could see Hoss leaning in on the bed wrapping a hand around his brother\u2019s head, pulling the boy close.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMr. Cartwright?\u201d\u00a0 Came the voice from just outside of Ben\u2019s bedroom.<\/p>\n Ben turned towards the sound and noticed Bill, one of his hired hands, standing there in the threshold.\u00a0 \u201cCome on in, Bill,\u201d He called.<\/p>\n \u201cHow are you feeling?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m getting there — you need something?\u00a0 Hoss should be back shortly — I think he\u2019s making some food.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, just wanted to return this,\u201d Bill paused and walked over to his boss\u2019 bed.\u00a0 He handed Ben his gold pocket watch.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, I was going to bring it back yesterday, but I didn\u2019t get in from the old Wheeler spread until dark and didn\u2019t want to bother you.\u00a0 But, I know Joe was worried about this being returned to you.\u00a0 I thanked that man Perkins for you all, and he said he\u2019s going to come visit you once you\u2019re better.\u00a0 Oh, he also gave me this to give back to Joe,\u201d Bill handed over the twenty dollars Joe had left Mr. Perkins.\u00a0 \u201cHe said that he doesn\u2019t charge neighbors for favors.\u00a0 Seems like a nice man.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben held the watch in his hand and stared down at it fondly.\u00a0 \u201cThank you, Bill.\u00a0 I know Joseph will be relieved —- it worried him to leave my watch.\u00a0 I\u2019ll also give the boy his money back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I don\u2019t want to tire you, Sir.\u00a0 You get well, you hear?\u201d Bill turned for the door.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, and please tell Fletcher I said thanks for bringing Doc out here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will,\u201d Bill nodded and left.<\/p>\n Paul heard the exchange from the hall as he was bringing Ben up some fresh broth and more toast.<\/p>\n \u201cSounds like you\u2019ve got some new neighbors, Ben,\u201d Paul said, setting down the tray.<\/p>\n Pa nodded and received the food gratefully.\u00a0 \u201cYes, I guess they bought the old Wheeler ranch while we were gone.\u00a0 Oh, and I hope that youngest boy of mine wakes up soon so I can show him that I got my watch back.\u00a0 Joseph had to leave it with that man Perkins as a show of faith — and that boy was worried over it.\u00a0 Have you seen him today, Paul?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI looked in on him,\u201d Paul paused, choosing his words carefully, \u201che was asleep.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, after two days of very little sleep — and barely anything to eat I\u2019m sure Joe is tired.\u00a0 But, if you run into him before you leave, please tell him I want to see him.\u00a0 Now where\u2019s my middle boy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI made Hoss lay down too, Ben.\u00a0 I\u2019m okay here for a while.\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s been quiet in Virginia City, so, I don\u2019t mind watching over you for a bit.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got to give you some medicine in just a little while, which means you need to try to eat a little something.\u00a0 I\u2019ve brought some food from Miss Millie\u2019s Caf\u00e9.\u00a0 She insisted I bring it out here, even though she gave Hoss a basket full the other day.\u00a0 You think you can stomach something more than just toast?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI guess, if it\u2019s something not too heavy.\u00a0 I want to gain my strength so I\u2019ll get out of this bed sooner than later,\u201d Ben paused, \u201cI\u2019m starting to sound like Joseph now, huh?\u00a0 That boy is always trying to get out of a sick-bed not long after you\u2019ve told him that he has to stay down.\u201d<\/p>\n Paul fought back his emotions.\u00a0 ***If only you knew, Ben! *** Doc thought to himself.\u00a0 \u201cWell, there\u2019s some baked chicken that Millie made for you.\u00a0 I\u2019ll go get some.\u00a0 And then you\u2019re going to let me see to that wound, take your medicine and get some sleep,\u201d Paul announced and tried his best not to show his urgency in leaving the bedroom.\u00a0 He needed to go check on Joe.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n That night had to be one of the hardest nights that Doctor Paul Martin had ever known.\u00a0 He divided his time between both Ben and Joe\u2019s bedrooms.\u00a0 He had to keep up the ruse that all was well to Ben all the while having to tell the God\u2019s honest truth to Hoss.\u00a0 There was no change with Joseph.\u00a0 The boy lingered on, he had yet to show any sign of coming around, and his temperature continued to climb.\u00a0 Both Paul and Hoss swabbed the boy down with rubbing alcohol to try to lessen the fever which had taken hold.\u00a0 Doc prayed, as did Hoss, that they could get fluids into Joe, as there was little they could do to help him if he didn\u2019t regain consciousness. \u00a0\u00a0The boy continued to call out, though in a hoarse barely audible voice.\u00a0 And, it was always the same words that came out, sometimes with intensity.\u00a0 They were the same words he had continually told his father during their time after the shoot-out with the rustlers.\u00a0 He urged his pa to stay down, and not get up, and he insisted that he had it under control.\u00a0 Somehow, even in his semi-conscious state, Joe\u2019s mind never let go of his struggle to keep his father alive.\u00a0 Both Paul and Hoss teared up, wondering if those were going to be the boy\u2019s last words ever spoken.<\/p>\n Fortunately, Ben had slept through the entire night, and way into the late morning.\u00a0 Hoss was there at his father\u2019s bedside as he awakened.\u00a0 Then he had prepared his father his breakfast and watched as he ate.\u00a0 All the while, Pa noticed that there appeared to be a bit of redness around his son\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 He also saw the way that Hoss had avoided direct eye contact when Ben had asked to see Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cOut with it, Hoss,\u201d Ben said sternly as he handed his son his breakfast tray, removing it from his lap.<\/p>\n \u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u00a0 There\u2019s something you\u2019re not telling me.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss turned to set the tray down onto his father\u2019s bureau, just in order to move away from the bed and the other man\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t think he could do it any longer.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t keep what was on his mind and in his heart from his pa.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere is Joseph?!\u201d Ben demanded.\u00a0 He sat up too quickly and grimaced from the pain coming from his wound.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, Pa — no need to get all worked up\u00a0 — you\u2019re hurting yourself!\u201d Hoss attempted to side-step the question as he eased his pa back onto the pillows.<\/p>\n \u201cI know something is wrong — now either go get your little brother or tell me where he is or I\u2019ll go to his room myself!\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss turned when he noticed Paul coming through the doorway.\u00a0 He thought for a moment that Joe had passed away, and his heart was caught in his throat, rendering him unable to speak.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all right, Hoss.\u00a0 It\u2019s time we talked with your pa,\u201d the doctor announced and took a seat next to Ben\u2019s bed.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it — where\u2019s the boy?\u201d Ben asked, feeling his stomach seizing up on him.\u00a0 It had little to do with his wound and everything to do with his fear.\u00a0 Ben was acutely aware of the hesitancy of a response to his question from both men.\u00a0 \u201cDid something happen to Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBen, firstly, if you don\u2019t settle back I swear I\u2019m going to sedate you,\u201d Paul admonished.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll tell you what\u2019s going on, but only if you lean back in that bed.\u201d<\/p>\n Reluctantly, Ben slowly eased back against the pillows at the head of his bed.\u00a0 \u201cGo on,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n \u201cNone of us knew, so I don\u2019t want you blaming yourself, Ben.\u00a0 You have to know how much your sons love you.\u00a0 And Joe — well — you\u2019ve always had a special kind of bond with that kid —maybe because he\u2019s the youngest \u2013or maybe\u00a0 because he\u2019s always needed you just a tad more than the others?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPaul — what\u2019s happened to my son?\u201d<\/p>\n Doc motioned towards Hoss and the big man nodded.\u00a0 He knew that he was being urged to go to his father and sit down in the chair next to the man for comfort.\u00a0 Hoss dropped a large hand down onto his pa\u2019s arm.\u00a0 Then Paul continued, \u201cJoe was shot the same night you were.\u00a0 We don\u2019t have any of the particulars because he\u2019s not been conscious.\u201d<\/p>\n Tears automatically filled Ben\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know if he had gasped aloud or not because he was having trouble breathing.\u00a0 His mind swirled taking in the beginning of the doctor\u2019s information.\u00a0 *** Joseph shot?\u00a0 I would have seen it, I would have felt it!\u00a0 He would have told me!\u00a0 This can\u2019t be happening! *** Ben thoughts flooded his mind.<\/p>\n Paul gauged how the worried father had taken the news.\u00a0 He reached for the medication he had placed in his pocket prior to coming into the bedroom.\u00a0 Doc knew it was going to be necessary to sedate his patient.\u00a0 \u201cBen, take this and I\u2019ll tell you all that I know,\u201d Paul insisted and handed the pill to his friend while Hoss handed his Pa a glass of water.<\/p>\n Reluctantly Ben swallowed the medication.\u00a0 He pushed aside his tears and then nodded over to Paul.\u00a0 \u201cTell me now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe day after you got home Hoss found Joe on the floor of his bedroom.\u00a0 I had just arrived so we checked him over right away.\u00a0 Evidently after you were shot Joe took a bullet.\u00a0 It went through his side and came out just below his ribcage.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think it hit any organs — which is good.\u00a0 But, he\u2019s had so much blood loss — that — well — I\u2019m not sure if,\u201d Paul paused.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to offer his friend false hope, but he didn\u2019t want Ben to give up on Joe either.\u00a0 There wasn\u2019t much chance that the boy could last much longer, but that fact could wait.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s a very sick boy.\u00a0 He\u2019s still unconscious, Ben.\u00a0 If he would just come around — and if we can get some fluids into him — we\u2019ll just have to wait and see.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat blood on his jacket,\u201d Ben stopped, he had to get control of his voice first.\u00a0 He finally drew in a deep breath and continued, \u201cthat blood was Joseph\u2019s wasn\u2019t\u2019 it, Paul?\u201d<\/p>\n The doctor nodded.\u00a0 He found it excruciating to look back and forth between both Ben and Hoss.\u00a0 They both looked petrified.\u00a0 \u201cYes, but he knew if he told you that you would never have allowed him to get you safely home.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat fool boy!\u201d Ben yelled, his anger taking over.\u00a0 \u201cWhy did he lie to me?\u00a0 Why did he pull me all those miles — after taking a bullet himself?!\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss reached over and answered for his brother, \u201cyou KNOW why, Pa.\u00a0 Joe loves you — and getting you home was all he cared about.\u00a0 You never would have let him take care of you if you\u2019d known he was shot!\u00a0 And that would mean you would\u2019ve left him at your camp and you would\u2019ve gone to get help with a danged bullet in you.\u00a0 Joe knew that, just like he knew there was a bullet in his father, but not in him.\u00a0 He just did what you would\u2019ve done, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben covered his face with his hands and wept.\u00a0 He was consumed with guilt because he suddenly felt such an intense anger towards his youngest.\u00a0 Ben knew his rage was misplaced, due to the paralyzing fear which had fallen over him.\u00a0 He knew that Joseph loved him, and had only done whatever he could possibly think of in order to try and save his pa.\u00a0 But, outright panic had now taken over his heart and he couldn\u2019t shake it. \u00a0Ben could see the absolute terror in his middle boy\u2019s eyes along with the sadness worn by Doctor Martin.<\/p>\n \u201cI need to be with him, Paul,\u201d Ben whispered, pushing aside his remaining tears while fighting to control his emotions.\u00a0 It was a losing battle.<\/p>\n \u201cSettle back and let that medicine work first, Ben.\u00a0 You have to rest and then I promise I\u2019ll get you in to see Joe.\u00a0 If you\u2019ll just stay in bed until I return from town then I\u2019ll have a way to get you across the hall without tiring you.\u00a0 Now, you don\u2019t want to let something happen to you, right?\u00a0 How do you think Joe would be able to handle it, if he felt he had caused you to get sicker?\u201d<\/p>\n The sedative began to work, and Ben felt his eyelids starting to droop.\u00a0 Before he fell back into a medication induced sleep he cast a glance at Hoss.\u00a0 He reached for his son\u2019s hand and took it into his own and said, \u201cGo take care of your little brother, Hoss.\u00a0 You tell him his pa loves him —- you tell him I\u2019m mad at him — but tell him I love him anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss nodded and watched as his father fell asleep.\u00a0 He then made plans with Paul as to what their next move would be.\u00a0 They decided that it was time to send for Adam, and hoped the telegraph would reach him in Ogden.\u00a0 Though the trip home would take him at least a week; and even that would depend on if he got the wire right away.\u00a0 Busy working on contracts with the rail-line, it was a coin toss if Adam would get word of the trouble at home in time to help Hoss with their father; should things go from bad to worse.\u00a0 Still, both Hoss and Paul deemed it necessary to at least try and reach the eldest Cartwright son.\u00a0 Doctor Martin assured Hoss that he would send the telegraph, which had been quickly scribbled down by Ben\u2019s middle boy.\u00a0 He also promised Hoss that he would come back to the ranch just as soon as that errand was done and he had time to stop by his office.\u00a0 There was the matter of procuring a wheelchair, one which Paul had kept in his waiting room, and bringing it back via a buckboard that Hoss supplied in exchange for the doctor\u2019s buggy.<\/p>\n Hoss divided his time between both his father and his brother\u2019s bedrooms.\u00a0 Ben was still fast asleep hours after taking the sedative Paul had forced on him.\u00a0 And then there was Little Joe.\u00a0 Hoss had spent the majority of his afternoon bathing his brother\u2019s forehead with cool water, attempting to lessen the boy\u2019s fever.\u00a0 The kid continued to mutter the same few words and Hoss prayed that he would finally open his eyes.\u00a0 But, instead, Joe just lingered with no sign he was improving in any way.\u00a0 Hoss had prayed more than he ever remembered praying before.\u00a0 He sought God\u2019s help with both his brother\u2019s struggle to live and his father\u2019s heartbreak over what had happened to the boy.\u00a0 Just before four that afternoon, Ben began to stir.\u00a0 He was disoriented at first, but once he tried to move in his bed his memory cleared.\u00a0 Though his stomach wound wasn\u2019t as painful as it had been the previous day, it still hurt with the least bit of movement.\u00a0 Suddenly Ben remembered what Paul had discussed before he had given him the medication.\u00a0 He knew he needed to get to Joseph.\u00a0 The minute he attempted to swing his legs off to the side of his bed, his son walked into the bedroom.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, Pa — you know what Doc said!\u201d Hoss exclaimed, moving quickly to the man\u2019s bedside.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got to get to him, Hoss.\u00a0 Your brother needs me — and I need him.\u00a0 I can\u2019t just sit here with him in the next room maybe dying,\u201d Ben fought with his words.\u00a0 He wished he hadn\u2019t said the word \u201cdying\u201d as it made that thought much too real to him.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re gonna get you in to see Joe in just a little while, Pa.\u00a0 Doc will be back real soon.\u00a0 Now please lay back.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben sighed and reluctantly eased back onto his pillows.\u00a0 \u201cHow is he, Son?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss chose his response carefully, \u201che\u2019s not any better — but he\u2019s not any worse either.\u00a0 I\u2019m going back in there in just a minute.\u00a0 I just wanted to check on you.\u00a0 Let me get you something to eat, Pa.\u2019<\/p>\n Ben shook his head wearily and replied, \u201cI couldn\u2019t eat right now if I wanted to.\u00a0 I will eat once I\u2019ve seen your brother.\u00a0 You go back and sit with Joseph.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want that boy left alone — not for a minute, you hear?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will if you\u2019ll at least drink something, Pa,\u201d Hoss bargained with his father.<\/p>\n Ben gave a slight nod.\u00a0 He felt as though every ounce of his strength had been used up by his worry.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll drink some water, and I can manage that on my own, Son.\u00a0 Before you go — over on my bureau — bring me my Bible.\u00a0 At least I can try to help Joseph from in here by seeking the Lords\u2019 counsel.\u00a0 I\u2019m helpless right now to do anything else,\u201d he said solemnly.<\/p>\n Hoss did as he had been instructed.\u00a0 He handed his pa his Bible and placed his hand on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cPa, I\u2019m doing about the same thing over in Little Joe\u2019s room.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been praying for hours.\u00a0 You always told all of us that God will hear our prayers, but we have to ask for His will to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know, Hoss, I know,\u201d Pa teared up again.\u00a0 \u201cYou go on now — and tell that boy I expect him to come back to us.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss nodded and turned for the door and replied, \u201cI\u2019ll tell him, Pa.\u00a0 I\u2019ll let you know when Doc gets back, and then you can tell those words to Little Joe yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben Cartwright sought out God\u2019s guidance as he pulled his Bible up to his chest and began to pray.\u00a0 The hours passed by slowly as he waited for the announcement that Paul had returned.\u00a0 It had proven to be one the longest and saddest afternoons of his life.\u00a0 His only comfort coming from the words in the book he held in his two hands.<\/p>\n Doctor Martin walked into his friend\u2019s bedroom just before sunset that night.\u00a0 Ben was awake and turned towards the sound of both Paul and Hoss coming through the doorway.\u00a0 He noticed what they had brought with them.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss said you listened to me, so here\u2019s your reward, Ben,\u201d Paul said as cheerfully as he could muster.\u00a0 He rolled the wheelchair next to the wounded man\u2019s bedside.\u00a0 \u201cHoss, help your father carefully into that chair and we\u2019ll go see your little brother.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cC\u2019mon, Pa,\u201d Hoss urged his father to swing his legs over to the side of the bed.\u00a0 \u201cNow here\u2019s your robe, I\u2019ll help you.\u201d\u00a0 He eased Ben\u2019s arms into the robe one at a time, with little resistance from his father.<\/p>\n \u201cTake me to him,\u201d Ben whispered, fighting to control his emotions.\u00a0 The last time he had seen Joe the boy had a smile on his face, so happy to have gotten his father home.\u00a0 Now things were so different, and it sent a pain into the nervous father\u2019s heart.\u00a0 He allowed Hoss to steer the wheelchair out through the doorway and over across the hall to Joe\u2019s bedroom.<\/p>\n \u201cGet me closer to him,\u201d Pa whispered as his eyes caught the sight before him.\u00a0 Joe looked pallid, his complexion almost matching that of the white sheets on the boy\u2019s bed.\u00a0 His hair fell lifeless on his head.\u00a0\u00a0 The weight from the dampness of his fevered brow caused the normal curls to have lost their shape.\u00a0 Ben\u2019s hand trembled as it searched out his son\u2019s arm, gently dropping it down onto Joe\u2019s right wrist.\u00a0 \u201cOh \u2013 no— Joseph!\u201d Ben cried, his words seizing up in his throat.\u00a0 He turned towards the doctor, his eyes said it all.<\/p>\n Paul neared his old friend.\u00a0\u00a0 He knew what the man was asking.\u00a0 \u201cBen, I tried to prepare you — Joe hasn\u2019t been able to take in any water for two days now.\u00a0 Hoss and I even tried using an eye-dropper with water in it.\u00a0 The most we got was a few drops on his tongue.\u00a0 But, we\u2019ve kept trying anyway.\u00a0 He\u2019s had a high fever on top of that.\u00a0 Yesterday I decided to cauterize both of his wounds.\u00a0 It stopped the bleeding, but he had already lost so much.\u00a0 I\u2019ve wired several specialists to ask if I\u2019ve missed something.\u00a0 But no-one has any remedies other than what I\u2019ve tried already.\u00a0 I\u2019m so sorry — so very sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben stopped looking at Paul as he described Joe\u2019s condition and turned back towards his son.\u00a0 Attempting to move his body closer to the bed, Ben strained his ears.\u00a0 He was sure he had heard something, though very faint in volume.\u00a0 Then it began, Joe was making the motion with his lips, though his words were almost too subtle to make out.\u00a0 \u201cStay — down — Pa — don\u2019t — don\u2019t — don\u2019t —get up — I\u2019ve — I\u2019ve,\u201d and the boy stopped speaking abruptly.<\/p>\n Hoss sighed and placed his hand on his father\u2019s shoulder, \u201cThat\u2019s the only thing that he says, Pa — over and over again.\u00a0 I guess somewhere in his mind he\u2019s still stuck there at that camp —worrying about you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPull me closer — up to the head of the bed,\u201d Ben insisted.<\/p>\n Hoss had to move Joe\u2019s nightstand to accommodate the wheelchair.\u00a0 He pushed it over closer so his father could get better access to the boy.\u00a0 Ben reached for the bowl with cool water inside.\u00a0 He dipped the cloth into the water, squeezing out the excess, before reaching up towards Joe.\u00a0 Pa mopped the boy\u2019s face with the cloth while speaking to his son, \u201cJoseph — It\u2019s Pa — YOU got me home, boy, you did a good job, Son.\u00a0 But, I need YOU to come home now.\u00a0 Do you hear me, Joseph?\u00a0 YOU have to come back — YOU have to make sure I stay down, right?\u00a0 I still need YOU — your brothers need you too.\u00a0 Come back, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n When there was still no response, or change to Joe\u2019s appearance, Paul looked over at Hoss and nodded.\u00a0 He was worried that Ben was only going to tire himself over what was obviously a pointless attempt to bring his son back from what was essentially death\u2019s door.\u00a0 \u201cBen, you have to rest now, you can come back later tonight — or maybe tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben turned and looked uncharacteristically harsh over at Paul and said, \u201cYou know as well as I do that there won\u2019t be a tomorrow if we don\u2019t do something!\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss intervened and tried to force a sense of calm to the situation.\u00a0 \u201cPa, Doc here is just worried about you.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben looked down at the floor, so swept up in his fear, that he didn\u2019t realize what he had said to the doctor.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Paul.\u00a0 I just can\u2019t let this boy go.\u00a0 There has to be SOMETHING that we can do!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wish there was, Ben,\u201d Paul replied softly.<\/p>\n Pa reached over and let his hand softly comb through Joe\u2019s matted hair, seeking the curls which usually adorned his head.\u00a0 He could feel the heat radiating from his son, and his heart seized up once more.\u00a0 \u201cPaul — do you remember — when Joseph came into this world — that long night, eighteen years ago?\u201d<\/p>\n The doctor nodded, and responded wistfully, \u201cOh I\u2019ll never forget that night, Ben!\u00a0 \u00a0I told you back then that this boy couldn\u2019t possibly live through the night of his birth.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s mind reflected back to Joe\u2019s birth as he responded, \u201cYes — I remember Marie had cried herself to sleep after you told her that her baby had come too early to survive.\u00a0 She had already lost one son, and she couldn\u2019t bear it.\u00a0 Then once she fell asleep, you swaddled this boy and told me I needed to hold him just once.\u00a0 You said he was almost two months premature, and that he was far too weak.\u00a0 I carried Joseph over to the window in my room and talked to him.\u00a0 He was so still, so quiet, that I had to place my hand over his chest to check to see if he was still breathing.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s little body was dwarfed by the size of my hand.\u00a0 I stood there, looking down at my father\u2019s name sake.\u00a0 I told Joseph right then and there that he had to live.\u00a0 I told him that his Ma needed him — that his two brothers needed him — but that I needed him the most.\u00a0 The very next time I reached down to feel his chest, one of Joseph\u2019s little hands somehow found one of my fingers.\u00a0 He clung to it so tightly that it shook me to my very core.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t believe that such a tiny baby could possibly show that much strength!\u00a0 Right then and there, I knew that boy was a fighter,\u201d Ben stopped his recollection in order to mop his face with his hand.\u00a0 The tears had come again, just thinking about the first time everyone had presumed that Joseph would die.\u00a0 \u201cBy morning, when I placed him into his mother\u2019s arms, this boy was screaming his little lungs out and Marie was laughing!\u00a0 She was amazed that HER boy had lived.\u00a0 HER boy — then he became MY boy —once she was gone.\u00a0 He\u2019s still MY boy,\u201d Ben stopped again.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we all know that, Ben.\u00a0 Joe is truly YOUR BOY — and he loves you so much!\u00a0 So, you need to take that to heart.\u00a0 He loved you so much that he needed to make sure that you survived, no matter what happened to him.\u00a0 Joseph would want you to go on, Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n Pa drew in a deep breath, letting it out slowly.\u00a0 He finally replied, though his voice was now trembling, \u201cGo on?\u00a0 How? — After what he did — and what it cost him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBen, I think you\u2019ve had enough for one evening.\u00a0 We\u2019ll bring you back first thing in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo!\u00a0 I haven\u2019t said my peace yet,\u201d Ben argued.\u00a0 He turned back towards Joe, once again mopping the boy\u2019s face with the cool cloth.\u00a0 He dipped the ends of the cloth into the water basin, and then patted it gently onto Joe\u2019s parched lips.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, I need you to listen to me now.\u00a0 I\u2019m so mad at you for lying to me, Boy!\u00a0 You said it was MY blood on your jacket!\u00a0 Now, you know that was a bold faced lie that you told me!\u00a0 You need to make amends for that, Young Man.\u00a0 And you can\u2019t do that if you\u2019re going to just lay here like this!\u00a0 So — if you will open your eyes and TRY I will forgive you!\u00a0 I\u2019ll willingly go back to my room and do like you\u2019ve said over and over again. \u00a0\u00a0I\u2019ll stay down, and not get up!\u00a0 But, YOU have to do your part.\u00a0 All you need to do is just call for me again, and I\u2019ll come right back in here and then you can explain yourself to me. \u00a0I expect you to answer for all that you did, Joseph.\u00a0 Now don\u2019t let me down,\u201d Ben fought to sound stern and in control of the situation, though it was the farthest thing from the truth.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t see any way possible that his son could survive much longer.\u00a0 But, he HAD to try one last time to elicit a response, even subconsciously from his son.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, Pa, if Joe can hear you — I know he\u2019ll try,\u201d Hoss agreed and readied to move his father back into his bedroom.<\/p>\n \u201cWait,\u201d Ben whispered, taking his youngest son\u2019s hand again, holding onto it tightly, \u201cJoseph — I wish you wouldn\u2019t have —- I never would have allowed you to make this sacrifice for me — you don\u2019t understand — I need you.\u00a0 I need YOU<\/strong> far more than you\u2019ve ever needed ME<\/strong>!\u00a0 I\u2019ll be back, Son.\u00a0 If you have any fight left in you, please, Boy — please keep fighting,\u201d Ben leaned over as far as the wheelchair would permit and softly placed a kiss on his son\u2019s cheek.\u00a0 \u201cI love you Joseph,\u201d He whispered.\u00a0 Then Hoss turned his father\u2019s chair and wheeled it out into the hallway.<\/p>\n That evening the ranch house felt so ominously still, as if the Ponderosa had itself begun the grieving process for the youngest Cartwright.\u00a0 Paul had forced both Hoss and Ben to eat some of the food he had brought from Virginia City.\u00a0 There were so many town folks who loved the Cartwrights, and had wanted to help out in any way they possibly could.\u00a0 Doctor Martin had declined their offers to come and stay at the ranch to help tend the two injured men.\u00a0 Paul thought it best that everyone wait.\u00a0\u00a0 He knew that there was a good chance that Joe might expire and the other Cartwrights would need their privacy should that happen.\u00a0 \u00a0But, he had accepted the food prepared for the Cartwrights by the loving hands of Miss Millie.\u00a0 Doc felt that having freshly baked meals already prepared would be the most helpful at the present time.\u00a0 At least it would free Hoss up from dealing with that.\u00a0 The middle boy was much more needed there at his father\u2019s side during the long hours that lay ahead.\u00a0 Paul would tend to Joe, though there still wasn\u2019t much that the physician could do for the boy.\u00a0 He continued to try to drop water onto Joe\u2019s tongue, in a desperate attempt to get the boy to swallow.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t making much difference, as Paul could tell by the way Joe\u2019s temperature showed no signs of going down.\u00a0 All the worried doctor could do was to stay at the boy\u2019s side, bathe his forehead with the dampened cloth and pray.<\/p>\n Ben had eaten what he could, there in his bedroom with Hoss at his side.\u00a0 He could see that his middle son barely ate any of his own dinner, something which would have seemed funny to his little brother.\u00a0 He could also see the stress on Hoss\u2019 face as he reached over to remove his father\u2019s tray, setting it over on the bureau.<\/p>\n \u201cI wish you\u2019d eaten more, Pa,\u201d Hoss said, once he returned to the chair next to the bed.\u00a0 \u201cDoc says you\u2019ve got to eat to get your strength back.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shook his head and gave a tired sigh.\u00a0 \u201cI could say the same for you, Young Man.\u00a0 You didn\u2019t eat much, Son.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss shrugged his shoulders and replied, \u201cwell, I could stand to lose some weight —- but you can\u2019t, Pa.\u00a0 Doc says he brung a pie — I think it\u2019s apple — your favorite.\u00a0 You want to try a piece?\u201d<\/p>\n Pa shook his head.\u00a0 He knew that they were both just going through the motions, avoiding what was going on across the hall.\u00a0 \u201cTalk to me, Hoss.\u00a0 I know I\u2019m not the only one dealing with this.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI just don\u2019t rightly know what to tell you, Pa,\u201d Hoss paused and took in a deep breath.\u00a0 \u201cSeeing my little brother like this — it\u2019s just so hard.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI blame myself —- I should\u2019ve paid more attention to him.\u00a0 I was hurting but I should\u2019ve studied his face — if I\u2019d only taken a good look I\u2019d of known Joseph was keeping something from me,\u201d Ben\u2019s voice broke with his confession.<\/p>\n \u201cC\u2019mon, Pa!\u00a0 It weren\u2019t your fault.\u00a0 Joe only let you see what he wanted you to see.\u00a0 How could you know he was shot?\u00a0 You got shot first, there\u2019s no way you\u2019d have known.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Hoss.\u00a0 Yes, I was shot first.\u00a0 But, there were still a few minutes during the whole raid on the camp where I could hear your brother.\u00a0 He threw our two saddles on top of me — to protect me from the gunshots that were ringing out in different directions.\u00a0 Then I must\u2019ve passed out for a bit.\u00a0 When I came around I could hear him — he was running back and forth — trying to draw fire away from me.\u00a0 I should have known then what he was doing, and that it caused him to be hit!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa — you want to tell me how you got hit?\u201d Hoss asked, though he had pretty much guessed how his father came to be shot in the first place.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I heard the horses stirring and the sound of boots, I realized what was going on.\u00a0 But, Joe and I were sitting right in front of the campfire.\u00a0 There just wasn\u2019t any time,\u201d Ben stopped, he couldn\u2019t continue.<\/p>\n \u201cSo — let me guess — you jumped up to draw fire from Little Joe, right?\u201d Hoss forced his gaze on his pa.\u00a0 \u201cSo, you did exactly the same thing that Joe did.\u00a0 You both tried to save each other.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben sighed and shook his head sadly.\u00a0 \u201cYes — that about sums it up,\u201d he finally admitted the truth of the matter.\u00a0 \u201cBut, I\u2019m his father — I\u2019m the one who\u2019s supposed to risk my life!\u00a0 Not the boy — he shouldn\u2019t have.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss reached over to his father and touched his arm, trying his best to provide comfort.\u00a0 \u201cPa, he\u2019s one of YOUR sons — there\u2019s not a one of us who wouldn\u2019t take a bullet for you!\u00a0 Maybe you shouldn\u2019t have been such a good pa?\u00a0 You taught us to love each other — and we just followed your example.\u00a0 You\u2019re here still upset that Joe did that — risked his life — trying to protect you and get you back home — but if my little brother could talk to you right now he\u2019d tell you that if he had to do it all again he\u2019d do the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben held his hands up to his face fighting his tears.\u00a0 \u201cThen I wish I hadn\u2019t been a good father, Hoss — because I never wanted any of you boys to risk your lives to save mine.\u00a0 If we lose Joseph — Hoss — I just don\u2019t know how any of us are supposed to go on.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss stood and leaned in towards his pa.\u00a0 He wrapped his arms around Pa\u2019s shoulders and embraced him as gently as he could manage.\u00a0 There wasn\u2019t any need for further words.\u00a0 The two of them cried, and they prayed.\u00a0 It was now in God\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Morning dawned with Paul having to make a terrible decision.\u00a0 He had done the best that any doctor could do to try to save his patient.\u00a0 But, Joe hadn\u2019t regained consciousness.\u00a0 It was now the third day since his patient had taken in any real fluids and Paul knew it was only a matter of time before Joe would be leaving his family and those who loved him.\u00a0 Joe Cartwright had always been like family to Paul too.\u00a0 He had tended the boy many years, and had brought him back from a lot of life threatening illnesses and injuries.\u00a0 Doc always knew that someone must have been looking over Joe, maybe from heaven, in order for him to have survived so many ordeals, which would have surely killed anyone else.\u00a0 But, it seemed that Joe\u2019s luck had finally run out.\u00a0 Paul hated to make that call, and had waited until there just wasn\u2019t anything else that he could do, before he had summoned Hoss into the hallway.\u00a0 Ben had finally passed out, which ended up being a blessing.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want him to hear what he had to say to his middle son.\u00a0 Ben would be hearing it all soon enough.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss, I just wish I could\u2019ve done more.\u00a0 But, it\u2019s very important that both you and your father say your goodbyes to your brother now.\u00a0 Somewhere deep inside Joe will hear you, I really believe that.\u00a0 So, I wanted you to go in there first, I\u2019ll sit with your pa and wake him up slowly,\u201d Doc paused and reached over to the grief-stricken young man, \u201cjust tell him what you feel inside — but let him go peacefully, Boy.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss wiped his eyes, though it really didn\u2019t matter, as his tears just kept flowing out.\u00a0 He took in a deep breath and then walked into Joe\u2019s bedroom.\u00a0 He then closed the door and moved over to the chair next to his brother\u2019s bed and sat down.<\/p>\n \u201cLittle Brother, I — I just don\u2019t hardly know what to say to you.\u00a0 I guess you already know how much I\u2019ve been praying for you, right?\u00a0 I would rather I go than for you to.\u00a0 You know — I can\u2019t hardly remember a time when you weren\u2019t my little brother.\u00a0 Just maybe a few memories of when it was just Adam and me — but back then I was the youngest, you know?\u00a0 I know that\u2019s a rough thing that you got stuck with — I never envied you that.\u00a0 But, I was just so happy to be your big brother,\u201d Hoss paused and reached up for Joe\u2019s forehead.\u00a0 He wiped his big hand across his brother\u2019s brow, noting the fever which still persisted.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t want you to suffer none, Little Joe, and I know you wouldn\u2019t want to just lay here.\u00a0 You\u2019re not the kind of kid who can lay around — you always have to keep moving!\u00a0 Pa told me everything you done to bring him here.\u00a0 I\u2019m just so dog gone proud of you, Joe!\u00a0 Pa said you even built a travois — and said you learnt it from me.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t done showing you how to do things yet — Joe — there\u2019s still so much I wanted to do with you,\u201d Hoss paused, remembering what Doc had said.\u00a0 He was supposed to be easing Joe\u2019s mind, not causing him to feel sadness.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Brother, I know you\u2019re tired, so I don\u2019t want you to worry none, okay?\u00a0 If you\u2019ve got to move on — well that\u2019s what you\u2019ve got to do.\u00a0 I promise you, I will take care of Pa.\u00a0 You done your part — it\u2019s gonna be okay.\u00a0 Just remember that I love you —and for the rest of my life I\u2019ll be waiting for the day when you and me will be back together,\u201d Hoss stopped again, this time standing up before he continued, \u201cI love you, Boy.\u00a0 Thanks for being my little brother —even when you wuz teasing me — or got me in trouble with Pa going along with your hair-brained schemes — I wouldn\u2019t have missed it for the world!\u00a0 Now you go ahead and rest, you\u2019ve earned it.\u00a0 Goodbye, Little Joe,\u201d Hoss finished his sad goodbye.\u00a0 He leaned down and attempted to hold his brother gently before turning abruptly for the door.\u00a0 He cast one final look at the still figure on the bed.\u00a0 Hoss wiped his eyes on his sleeve and opened the door moving across the hall.\u00a0 Pa would need him now.<\/p>\n Ben was helped into his robe by Doctor Martin.\u00a0 Hoss noticed the grimace on his pa\u2019s face as he sat there, readying to make the move into the wheelchair.\u00a0 Hoss made it quickly to his father and helped guide him.\u00a0 Ben simply nodded that he was ready.\u00a0 \u00a0Hoss got behind the chair and pushed it out of the room, and into the hallway.\u00a0 The three men moved in unison to Joe\u2019s bedroom.<\/p>\n \u201cI need to be alone with the boy,\u201d Ben announced, his voice betraying his attempt at being strong.<\/p>\n Paul nodded to his friend and responded, \u201cHoss and I will be out in the hall, Ben.\u00a0 Hoss briefly touched his father\u2019s shoulder and then moved with the doctor out into the hallway, closing the door behind him.<\/p>\n Pa looked at his youngest son lying so lifeless on his bed.\u00a0\u00a0 Joe, having lost so much blood, appeared that much more fragile.\u00a0 Ben maneuvered the wheel chair until it was flush with the boy\u2019s mattress.\u00a0 With nothing to fuel him other than love and willpower, Pa braced his body and pulled himself to standing.\u00a0 He then made the move to sit next to his son on the bed.\u00a0 There was no way possible he would allow his son to leave him without feeling his presence first.\u00a0 And sitting in a wheelchair would not allow the grieving father the chance to say his goodbye properly.\u00a0 Ben leaned forward to stare at his son\u2019s face.\u00a0 Pa\u2019s left hand fell softly onto Joe\u2019s right cheek, and his other hand grabbed Joe\u2019s left hand and squeezed it.\u00a0 He fought to find the words to say.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, Paul said it\u2019s time for me to let you go,\u201d Ben began, as tears fell from his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI just don\u2019t think I can do it.\u00a0 Son, it shouldn\u2019t have been this way — my life was not worth yours.\u00a0 I should have known that it was your blood on your jacket—– I\u2019ll never forgive myself for that.\u00a0 You had to be in so much pain — dragging me to that line shack!\u00a0 Why didn\u2019t I realize it?\u201d Ben stopped when Joe\u2019s hoarse whisper began abruptly, and he bent closer to hear.<\/p>\n \u201c Stay — down — Pa —Don\u2019t — get— up —Pa–,\u201d the words came out and just as fast they stopped.<\/p>\n Pa leaned in towards the boy, gently wrapping his arms around him.\u00a0 He realized his son was still caught up in the horror and worry from the shooting.\u00a0 Ben didn\u2019t want Joe\u2019s last moments to be spent reliving such a traumatic experience.\u00a0 He had to try to ease his mind, even though the boy was only semi-conscious.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s okay, Joseph, I know — I know.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you worry none — you did good, Boy, real good.\u00a0 You got me home just like you said you would— no-one could\u2019ve done any better than you did.\u00a0 I am so very proud of you,\u201d Ben struggled once again, knowing he had to finally say goodbye, though his heart was breaking.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph — I don\u2019t want you to waste away like this — so— I have to let you go — it\u2019s okay — I want you to look for your Ma, Joe, she\u2019ll be there waiting for you — she\u2019ll keep you safe until I can join you,\u201d Ben paused one last time as he heard the sound again.\u00a0 He released his son from his embrace and stared at him.<\/p>\n \u201cStay — down — Pa —don\u2019t — get up— Pa —,\u201d Joe faintly whispered.<\/p>\n Ben gazed down at his son, and, disregarding his own wound, bent forward and kissed Joe\u2019s forehead.\u00a0 The movement caused tears to spill out of Pa\u2019s eyes, falling down onto the boy\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cI won\u2019t say goodbye, Joseph — I can\u2019t— but I want you to be out of pain — just know that your pa loves you — and I always will.\u201d\u00a0 Ben continued to lean over his son, his forehead touching Joe\u2019s.\u00a0 He was unable to let him go.<\/p>\n \u201cStay down —Pa — don\u2019t— get — up — Pa \u2013 Pa\u2014I \u2013 I \u2013 I got you— home,\u201d Joe\u2019s words came out, just as softly and just as hoarse, however they were not the exact same words that he had been repeating for days.<\/p>\n Slowly, almost afraid to look at his son\u2019s face, Ben eased back to a sitting position.\u00a0 He stared at his boy in dismay, which quickly changed to a hesitant optimism.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s eyes were halfway opened.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph?\u00a0 Joseph — can you see me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa —,\u201d Joe scarcely could get out the one word.\u00a0 He was fighting to stay conscious.\u00a0 Joe fought to return to his father, though he was extremely weak.<\/p>\n Ben shot a trembling hand over to the night stand and poured a glass of water.\u00a0 He gently raised the boy\u2019s head up far enough to try to get Joe to take a drink.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, Son — drink!\u201d Pa pleaded as he held his breath.<\/p>\n Joe took several sips of the water, though the effort had taxed what little strength he had.\u00a0 Pa fought to encourage his son to try to drink more.\u00a0 \u201cPlease, Son, you have to get more down.\u00a0 Try it again!\u201d Ben held the glass to Joe\u2019s lips again, while still supporting his head.<\/p>\n Slowly Joe struggled to swallow, but he was able to get more down.<\/p>\n \u201cPaul!\u00a0 Hoss!\u201d\u00a0 Ben shouted.<\/p>\n Out in the hallway Doctor Martin reached for Hoss, touching his shoulder sympathetically, \u201cyour father is going to need you now more than ever, Hoss.\u00a0 I know you\u2019ve lost a brother — but he\u2019s lost a son.\u00a0 Try to help him, and I\u2019ll be there for you too.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss nodded and both he and Paul turned to go into Joe\u2019s room to comfort Ben over the loss of Little Joe.\u00a0 So, it came as a complete shock to them both when they spied Ben up on Joe\u2019s bed.\u00a0 And, what shocked them far more was the sight of Joe being assisted in drinking the glass of water!<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened?\u201d\u00a0 Paul asked as he hurried to his patient.<\/p>\n Ben smiled, as he continued to urge Joe to drink more.\u00a0 \u201cI have no idea — but I\u2019ve gotten some water into him.\u00a0 I guess that\u2019s a start!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss, come take your father off of this bed and put him into his chair!\u201d Doc called out, feigning anger.\u00a0 He was, in fact, very encouraged, but that was tempered by worry over the long road ahead for his patient.<\/p>\n Hoss wiped at his eyes, almost afraid to believe his brother was going to live.\u00a0 He carefully eased his pa back down into his wheelchair.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, give me some room to tend my patient, both of you!\u201d Paul went about checking Joe\u2019s fever and his wounds.\u00a0 All the while, the other two Cartwrights looked on, so grateful and amazed, that their prayers had been answered.\u00a0 Finally, Paul addressed the room.\u00a0 \u201cI need to get a lot of fluids into this boy.\u00a0\u00a0 But, if he will cooperate, and with a lot of luck — or divine intervention — I think once again this kid is going to pull through.\u00a0 His fever is high, but nothing that we can\u2019t handle once we get more fluids and some medicine into him.\u00a0 It\u2019s going to be a long haul, even longer than you, Ben.\u00a0 And he\u2019s going to need lots of REST like his pa is supposed to be getting right now!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben and Hoss shook their heads in amazement.\u00a0\u00a0 They had gone from total despair to unimaginable joy in the course of just a few minutes.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd, as for you, Joseph Cartwright,\u201d Paul paused, and smiled at the boy, \u201cDon\u2019t you even think about closing those eyes until I get a lot more water down you — and some very distasteful medicine for that fever too!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe managed a very tired nod and looked over at his family.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know what had gone on, or even what day it was.\u00a0 All Joe noticed was the fact that his pa and brother were smiling over at him, while happy tears streamed down their faces.\u00a0 Too weak to ask any questions, he hoped eventually he\u2019d be told what he had missed that day.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Epilogue:<\/p>\n Hoss Cartwright had his hands full trying to tend his father and also look after his little brother.\u00a0 And worst of all, though both he and Doctor Martin had argued with Ben, they had lost their battle to keep him from insisting on going across the hall into Little Joe\u2019s bedroom.\u00a0 Hoss had grown weary of lifting his pa in and out of the wheelchair, and fussing at the man for not staying in his own room.\u00a0 Paul finally came up with a solution which would help all three of the Cartwrights.\u00a0 The day after Joe finally had come around and started to take in fluids, Hoss had summoned two of the ranch hands to help him with a project.\u00a0 They had found an old bedframe and mattress out in the storage room.\u00a0 After cleaning it up a bit, they assembled in in Joe\u2019s room.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, Pa,\u201d Hoss started and moved to his father\u2019s bed, \u201cgrab them pillows behind you!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben looked up at his son very confused.\u00a0 \u201cPillows? Why?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause you\u2019re taking them into Little Joe\u2019s room, that\u2019s why!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDoes he need more?\u00a0 Is he doing okay?\u201d Ben was back to his normal worry over his youngest.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, he\u2019s just fine.\u00a0 Paul dosed him with some medicine and the kid\u2019s asleep right now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen I don\u2019t understand —\u201c<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, Pa.\u00a0 Just grab \u2018em and let me get you into that dad blasted chair!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben pulled his robe on and took two of the pillows from the head of his bed.\u00a0 He was assisted into the wheelchair and placed the pillows in his lap.\u00a0 Hoss pushed the chair out into the hall and over to his brother\u2019s room.\u00a0 He had a good laugh when he noticed the surprise on his father\u2019s face when he spied the bed over just to the right from where Joe was now sleeping.<\/p>\n \u201cThere!\u201d Hoss pointed to the bed smiling down at his pa.\u00a0 \u201cNow just maybe my back can get a rest from lifting you and wheeling you around.\u00a0 You KNOW you can\u2019t keep yourself away from the kid — so Doc and me decided to put you both in the same hospital ward.\u201d<\/p>\n Pa reached up and patted Hoss\u2019 hand and smiled broadly.\u00a0 \u201cI guess this will save you and Doc some steps, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss bent down and lifted his father and the pillows that he held onto the new bed.\u00a0 \u201cYes, Sir, and I reckon it\u2019ll make Little Joe feel a mite better too!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben settled back against his pillows and nodded his thanks to his son.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m lucky to have all of you boys,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re lucky to have you, too, Pa!\u00a0 Now that the youngin is asleep, you need to do likewise.\u00a0 I\u2019m gonna heat your supper up in a bit, and there\u2019s plenty of broth cooking on the stove for Joe,\u201d Hoss said, turning for the door.<\/p>\n Pa closed his eyes and took the time to thank God for his intervention.\u00a0 He opened them back up briefly and cast a contented glance over towards Joseph.\u00a0 Then Ben fell to sleep so much easier than he had for the last three days.<\/p>\n Joe had rallied after two days of his fever spiking and going back down to normal.\u00a0 He had done his best to drink everything that both Paul and Hoss had offered, in an effort to get well.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t hurt in the least that Pa continually stared over at him from across the room.\u00a0 Joe wanted to spare his pa any more worry over him and drew much comfort from his father\u2019s presence there in his room.<\/p>\n \u201cGood job, Joseph!\u201d Ben called over to his son.\u00a0 He had watched the boy finish his first solid food in five days.\u00a0 It was only some toast and just a few tablespoons of scrambled eggs, but it meant Joe would regain his strength soon.<\/p>\n Joe leaned back against the propped-up pillows behind his head.\u00a0 \u201cThanks, Pa.\u00a0 How are you doing over there?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben laughed at the way his son continued to worry about him, though he was in far worse shape than his father.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m fine, Son.\u00a0 Hopefully just another couple of days and I\u2019ll be able to get out of this bed for a while.\u00a0 Then I imagine Adam and Hop Sing will be making it home in time to fuss over us both!\u00a0 And I think I\u2019ll send your poor brother Hoss on a vacation.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe attempted to move onto his side to stare over at his pa, but he had to stifle a groan.\u00a0 It was, of course, the side with the two bullet wounds in it.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got an idea, Pa,\u201d he began.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s that, Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow about sending Hoss on a little horse buying trip — you know — like the one I beat him out of?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shook his head and laughed, \u201cI can see you\u2019re feeling better.\u00a0 And now that you mentioned it — you know our little adventure with the horses?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe looked over to Pa and noticed \u201cthe look\u201d he was sending over towards him.\u00a0 He knew what was coming.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, you have some explaining to do — about that lie you told me!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat lie?\u201d Joe feigned innocence, though he knew exactly what Pa was referring to.<\/p>\n \u201cI asked you very clearly if it was YOUR<\/strong> blood on that jacket.\u00a0 You told a whopper of a lie!\u00a0 You said it was MY<\/strong> blood, Joseph.\u00a0 And it almost cost you your life.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shifted nervously as he thought of what to say to cover for what he had done.<\/p>\n \u201cWell?\u201d Ben continued to press the boy.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t really lie, Pa,\u201d Joe insisted.<\/p>\n \u201cOh?\u00a0 Now how\u2019s that?\u201d Ben raised his eyebrows in gesture.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, Pa — your blood IS<\/strong> my blood — it\u2019s all the same, right?\u00a0 We\u2019re Cartwrights —so it\u2019s OUR<\/strong> blood!\u201d Joe smiled, hoping he had gotten his message across to his father.<\/p>\n Ben shook his head, and returned, \u201cThink you\u2019re going to get off on a technicality, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe laughed.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t his normal twittering kind of laughter, because he hadn\u2019t quite gotten his strength back; but it was a laugh, nonetheless.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph — we\u2019ll discuss this further when I can make it over to your bed.\u00a0 Then you and I are going to have a real discussion about all of this,\u201d Ben stated firmly.<\/p>\n Joe eased down into his bed and pulled the covers up under his chin.\u00a0 He then grinned over at his pa and said, \u201cStay down, Pa, don\u2019t get up — I\u2019ve got this!\u201d<\/p>\n Pa fought back a smile as he shook his head.\u00a0 His relief over his son\u2019s recovery was very apparent in the way he looked over at the boy. \u00a0\u00a0\u201cGo to sleep!\u201d He called over to his son.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The End<\/p>\n 12-22-2024<\/p>\n Dedicated to Carol, and to everyone whose love of Bonanza keeps the Cartwright family alive in our hearts! (And to Rob, my permanent story consultant)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n