Summary: Little Joe is having a rough go of it. Things get worse when a fired ranch hand decides Joe owes him. Will life get better for the youngest Cartwright?
\nWritten as a response to 2nd quarter chaps and spurs challenge.<\/p>\n
Word count: 15,015<\/p>\n
Rated: T<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Joe sighed and went back to grooming his horse. The black and white pinto nickered at him, seeming to enjoy the attention. Joe dropped the curry comb back into its place and picked up the dandy brush, working off all the loose hair and dirt that he had just curried up. He and Cochise had gotten covered in mud earlier that day while trying to cut out the yearling calves from the rest of the herd. The group had decided with their hive mind that the best course of action for escape from the young cowboy was to cut through one of the creeks in the area. Unfortunately, the late spring run-off had left the banks soft and slick. Cochise had done what any good cow pony would do and had stood his ground against the calves. He hadn\u2019t let a single one pass. However, all the action had kicked mud all the way up his flank, covering not only himself, but also his rider.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou did so good today, Cooch. I couldn\u2019t ask for any better horse. Thanks to you, we got half of tomorrow\u2019s work done already. Honestly, you probably didn\u2019t even need me out there.\u201d Joe chuckled wryly. It really was true, though, Cochise was such a good cow pony that Joe often wondered if he really was needed at all. He took a bite of apple and held the rest out to his horse, smiling at the feel of the soft lips gently plucking the apple from his palm. His smile faded as he remembered that he had promised Tess that he\u2019d be her date for the dance in town tonight. It wasn\u2019t that Tess wasn\u2019t fun to spend time with. She was a nice girl, they had similar senses of humor, and Cochise liked her. It was more the fact that the dance was full of people. And people was exactly what Joe didn\u2019t want to spend time with right now. If he was lucky, maybe she would agree to take a walk with him or something. He could play up the romance of being alone under the moonlight maybe. Anything to get away from the rest of the people.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Giving his horse another pat and tossing a flake of hay into the stall\u2019s rack, Joe made his way out of the barn and trudged to the bathhouse. He figured he had about an hour and a half before he had to head to town. It didn\u2019t take him very long to get cleaned up and dressed. For once, he was the first one ready. He sat down in front of the fireplace to wait for his brothers, and stared into the flames. Joe really preferred to stay busy instead of having down time like this. When he wasn\u2019t working toward any specific goal, his mind tended to overwork, leading down rabbit holes that really weren\u2019t the most productive. He sighed again and thought back to all the mistakes he had been making recently. He\u2019d remembered the size wrong on the timbers for one of the bridges they were repairing. He had them all cut and delivered to the site only for Adam to inform him he had done every single one wrong. The one saving grace was that they had all been too long instead of too short, so he was able to correct his mistake, and Adam hadn\u2019t given him too rough of a time, but still.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n And earlier in the week, Joe had yelled at two of the hands for drinking whiskey while they were supposed to be branding. Joe had called them lazy crowbait. Not his best insult, but he got his message across. He told them to knock off that behavior and shape up or get off the ranch. They hadn\u2019t taken kindly to his bossing them around and had lashed out verbally. They\u2019d informed him that they had no reason to listen to him. That his brother Adam and father Ben were their bosses, not him. That he wasn\u2019t a good example, nor a good worker in his own right and that he was too stupid to know what he was talking about on a good day. After that Joe had lost his cool and had taken a swing at first one then the other. When he came back home that night, Hoss had been worried because of how stiffly he was moving, but Joe hadn\u2019t wanted to hear his brother agree with the two men, so he had just brushed off his concern and went about his business. He knew he should have handled the whole situation differently.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Added on to both of those mistakes, he had calculated incorrectly on some of the bookwork that Ben had assigned to him. He\u2019d been working out how much time and payroll was needed to add a second crew up at the timber camp. A single miscarry of a digit had thrown off all his figures. He had caught the mistake before anyone knew, sure, but Joe still kicked himself for doing it in the first place. If he hadn\u2019t found the problem, the whole timber operation would have been bungled.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Not only that, but he had been the one who was supposed to keep an eye on the remuda horses and ensure they were fit enough for riders every day. Hoss had pushed Chub hard one day and decided to give him a break, so he rode out on Sylvester the next day, expecting Joe to have done his job correctly. What neither one of them knew is that Joe had missed that Sylvester had a loose shoe which had subsequently been thrown and caused the gelding to go lame. Hoss had walked back to the main house to prevent any more harm coming to his mount. He said he wasn\u2019t mad at Joe, but Joe knew he should have been.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n He continued ruminating over all the mistakes, errors, and faults he had made over the last few weeks and didn\u2019t notice when Hoss and Adam passed through the room to go saddle their horses. They exchanged a look and continued to the barn, figuring that Joe would join them before too long.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the third time this week I\u2019ve found him just staring into space.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not doin\u2019 any harm, Adam. He\u2019s gettin\u2019 all his work done. Why\u2019s it bother you so much?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not so much that it bothers me, Hoss, as much as it makes me worry. You know how our little brother is. When something\u2019s wrong, he just bottles it up and eventually explodes. I guess I just get a little worried about what\u2019s to come.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAw Adam, just let him be. If he needs to talk somethin\u2019 out, he knows where to find any one of us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n They had their mounts tacked and Joe still hadn\u2019t joined them, so Adam saddled Cochise as well and Hoss shouted back toward the house, \u201cHey Joe! Shake a leg, or else we\u2019re gonna leave ya here!\u201d Joe appeared in the doorway a moment later, muttering an apology and swinging up on to the pinto. The ride into town was uneventful. Joe mostly kept quiet and listened to his brothers banter back and forth. He hoped that they weren\u2019t staying too long. He really didn\u2019t have enough energy for dealing with a lot of people tonight. They left their horses down the street from the town hall where the dance was taking place. Tess and her friend Josie met Joe and Hoss as they walked in the door. Josie smiled up at Hoss and stood on her tiptoes to whisper something in his ear. He smiled back at her and nodded. They walked off together and joined the throng milling around in front of the musicians. Adam made himself scarce looking for his steady girl and Joe was left with Tess.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t seen much of you recently, Little Joe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell do you want to stay in here with everyone else, or you want to go take a walk under the moonlight and just spend time the two of us?\u201d He gave her a grin and a wink. Tess smiled back and nodded taking his arm in hers and following him back out the door. They wandered across the street and through the flower garden that the ladies of Virginia City had started. Joe plucked a primrose from one of the shrubs and tucked it behind Tess\u2019s right ear.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSure are pretty in the moonlight, Tess.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThen why have you been avoiding me?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t been avoiding you. Just haven\u2019t been in town much recently. You know that when the snows melt, spring is always a busy time out on the ranch.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tess shook her head. \u201cI know that, Joe. But it\u2019s more than that. The last three weeks, I\u2019ve barely seen you at all. I\u2019m beginning to think that maybe you don\u2019t want to be involved with me anymore.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTess, I\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s alright. I\u2019m not mad at you. And I\u2019ll still stay your friend, but Joe, I just don\u2019t want to waste my time in a relationship that\u2019s going nowhere. Is this going somewhere?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe sighed and looked away from her. She was right. He was a waste of time. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Tess. I like ya. I like spending time with ya.\u201d He bit his bottom lip briefly. \u201cBut you\u2019re right. I don\u2019t want to hold you back. I\u2019m sorry.\u201d He gave her a sad smile. \u201cMaybe I\u2019ll see you around.\u201d She smiled briefly back as he kissed her on the cheek and they turned back to the town hall. Tess re-entered the building and Joe watched her go. He was gonna miss that girl. But she was right. She didn\u2019t deserve to be dragged down by him. Shaking his head, he turned and walked back down the street. He didn\u2019t want to join in the frivolity. He\u2019d just bring the whole atmosphere down. Joe leaned against his horse and buried his face in the coarse hair of his mane. He just seemed unable to do anything right recently, now he couldn\u2019t even keep a steady relationship.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoe?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n He closed his eyes and bolstered himself before straightening back up and turning around.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong? Why\u2019d Tess come back in without ya?\u201d Hoss looked at his little brother in concern. \u201cYou two not getting along?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe shook his head. \u201cNaw, we\u2019re still friends. But that\u2019s it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhy\u2019d you break up with a pretty little filly like Tess?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe just shrugged. He didn\u2019t want to admit to his older brother that he wasn\u2019t worth her time. That he wasn\u2019t good enough for her. That he wasn\u2019t good enough for anyone. \u201cI\u2019m just gonna wait out here, if that\u2019s ok. Not really in the mood to\u2026 socialize.\u201d He sat down on the boardwalk outside the closed general store. Hoss frowned and sat down next to his brother.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLittle Joe, is there anything that\u2019s bothering ya? Aside from this with Tess?\u201d Joe shook his head again and avoided looking at Hoss. His brother didn\u2019t deserve to have Joe\u2019s problems unloaded on him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDo ya want to head home?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNaw, don\u2019t let me ruin your night. Josie\u2019s waitin\u2019 for ya, isn\u2019t she? You\u2019d better get back to her. I\u2019ll be here.\u201d He mustered up a smile, which he was sure wasn\u2019t believable. But Hoss took pity on him and let him get away with it. He nodded and patted Joe on the shoulder before he stood and went back to the dance. Joe let the weak smile fall from his face. He stood from the stoop and made his way down to the saloons at the opposite end of town from the dance hall. Hesitating in front of The Silver Dollar, he turned and walked through the batwings of The Red Dog instead. He didn\u2019t normally go there, but he also didn\u2019t want to run into anyone that he would have to be friendly with. Ordering a beer, he settled into a seat along the back wall that faced the rest of the room.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe was mid-way through his third beer when another customer finally walked in. Up until now, the establishment had been nearly silent. The two other people who were there when Joe had walked in had left for the night, and the girls who worked the saloon had been rebuffed by the young cowboy enough that they had given up on him and left him in peace.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The group that walked in had very obviously come from one of the other many bars in town. They were loud, unsteady, and smelled strongly of booze. Joe groaned inwardly when he recognized two of the men as being the pair that he had gotten into it with the prior week for drinking on the job. When they hadn\u2019t shown up for work following the altercation, he figured that they had moved on, unfortunately, it seemed they were still hanging around town. He stayed quiet and hoped they wouldn\u2019t notice him in the dark back corner. Luck was not on his side tonight, however, and it wasn\u2019t even four minutes when one of the drunkards nudged his companion and gestured in Joe\u2019s direction. They spoke between themselves quietly at first then raised their voices very obviously trying to get a rise out of the youngest Cartwright.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat runt thought he could talk to you that way!? And you let him get away with it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNaw, I decked him! He\u2019s too scrawny to really be any contest. Sides, he didn\u2019t have his daddy or big brother there to bail him out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n One of the other men laughed. \u201cIsn\u2019t that how it always is though? He\u2019s always the one startin\u2019 trouble then one a them gotta come get him outta it!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI heard he aint even a real Cartwright. I mean, look at \u2018im. Smaller and dumber than all the rest.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSo small he\u2019s almost dainty.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNot much good for ranch work, but maybe he could find a job over at Madame Karrie\u2019s!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe seethed in anger listening to the drunks talk about him that way. He drained his beer and stood up. He had gone through three mugs in a half hour, not his smartest move of the day. The men at the bar laughed and turned to face him.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh Cartwright, didn\u2019t see you there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSure you didn\u2019t, Kirby. I can see how you missed me though, what with how busy this place is right now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Kirby stood straight from where he leaned against the bar, not liking the snark that Joe used talking to him. He sauntered across the room and loomed over Joe. Kirby had a good seven inches on the younger man, and was nearly twice as big around. He had often used his extra height and weight to get what he wanted, but Joe had learned a long time ago not to be intimidated by it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou gotta problem with me, kid?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSounds like you\u2019re the one who has a problem with me. But hey, you\u2019re right. I screw up most things I\u2019m supposed to get done. I\u2019ve spent more time looking for a fight than making any sort of friendships, and I\u2019m really not worth much.\u201d The entire saloon went silent. It was hard to say which man was more surprised by the words that came out of Joe\u2019s mouth: the tall man in front of him, or Joe himself. Deciding that he would be better off just leaving instead of starting trouble, Joe tugged his hat down onto his head and simply walked out of the building. He made it out to the street before he heard raucous laughter follow him into the dark night. More taunts followed the laughter and Joe curled his hands into fists listening to them.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Fighting the urge to go back and face them, Joe walked slowly back to the horses. He figured it wouldn\u2019t be much longer until Hoss and Adam left the dance, and he didn\u2019t want to be found in yet another saloon brawl. Sure enough, just a few more minutes passed and he saw his older brothers strolling down the street to their horses. Joe tightened the cinches on all three and mounted Cochise to wait for them. As they reached him, the drunks from before stumbled out onto the street still carousing and carrying on. Joe urged Cochise to a lope, but once again luck was against him as they recognized his pinto.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh look, it\u2019s the <\/span>abomination<\/b>!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cRun home baby boy!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cUnless you\u2019re looking for work, then just go down the road!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe kicked Cochise to a faster gait and left a trail of dust to settle behind him. Hoss looked at Adam in concern and they followed their younger brother out of town. Cochise slowed to a trot a mile out of town limits allowing Chub and Sport to catch up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoe, what was that about back there, boy?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cStop calling me that, Hoss! I\u2019m nearly 21!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAlright fine. Now tell me what happened with them drunks. There something me and Adam can help with?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t solve everything for me. Just cause you\u2019re the older, smarter brothers, doesn\u2019t mean you can just magically come up with a solution every time someone \u2014\u201d Joe cut himself off before he let slip what had transpired in the saloon. \u201cJust forget it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cCome on, Joe. If there\u2019s something wrong, we want to help you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah, well I don\u2019t NEED your help, Adam.\u201d Joe urged Cochise back to a lope and headed for home. He wasn\u2019t in any mood to listen to a lecture from his older brothers. And he also didn\u2019t want to explain to them why he and Tess weren\u2019t together anymore. But mostly he really didn\u2019t want to tell them what the drunks had said about him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat in tarnation has gotten into our little brother?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n ******<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe beat his brothers home by fifteen minutes. He knew it wasn\u2019t a smart decision to ride so fast at night, but the moon gave him enough light to see by and his horse knew the route. He gave Cochise a quick rubdown and a measure of grain before walking into the house, hoping that his father had already headed up to bed. Following the pattern of the night, Ben had waited up for them to return.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHow was the dance?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cFine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDid you take Tess?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cKinda.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoe, please try to form full sentences in conversation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSorry. Just, it\u2019s been a long week and I\u2019m ready for some sleep.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben had crossed the room to where Joe was standing next to the credenza removing his gun belt. He placed a hand on the younger man\u2019s shoulder. \u201cIs there something bothering you, son?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo, Pa. I\u2019ll see you in the morning.\u201d Joe shrugged off Ben\u2019s hand and went up stairs avoiding his brothers as they walked into the house. He had told the truth. He was tired. But just like every other night over the last few weeks, once he actually made it to his bed, he seemed to toss and turn all night long and didn\u2019t get any real rest. Giving up on trying to sleep, Joe rose before the sun the next morning. He rode Cochise down to the lake and sat next to his mother\u2019s grave. The location was always peaceful, and he soon found himself nodding off. It seemed only a few minutes before the sun shone in his eyes and the morning bird racket woke him. Joe rubbed his eyes and sat up, feeling refreshed for the first time in a long time. He whistled for his pinto and rode back home, not noticing the tall man on the sorrel with three white socks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam watched his youngest brother stand from where he had fallen asleep next to Marie\u2019s final resting place and ride back to the house. Whether or not he would admit it to the rest of the family, Joe always came here when something was bothering him. Adam was sure Joe would come to one of them eventually. He just hoped it was sooner rather than later.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n ****** <\/span>chapter 2<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The next day, Joe volunteered himself for the task of gelding the yearling colts that they weren\u2019t going to be using for breeding. Normally it was a task that everyone tried to get out of. It was unpleasant, dirty, and extremely physically demanding. Adam and Hoss had exchanged looks of surprise when their younger brother had voluntarily taken the assignment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat did you do that yer tryin\u2019 ta make up for by volunteering for this, Little Joe?\u201d Hoss asked him with a grin.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe bit back the snark that he almost answered with and just shrugged instead. Joe admitted to himself that he was always shirking responsibility. By volunteering for this, maybe he\u2019d show that he was useful around here.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cVery well. Joe, you take a couple of the hands and go sort out the gelding. Adam, finish up cleaning out the waterholes on the southern section, then you can join Joe\u2019s crew. Hoss, you\u2019re still going with me over to check in with the Snyders? I know Tom says he\u2019s better, but I\u2019m worried about him pushing it too far after just getting over pneumonia.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Each went to his assigned task. Joe had taken Isaac and Walt with him and they worked slowly through the seven colts that needed gelding. Each one had to be separated out from the rest of the group and subdued prior to the procedure. The first three went off without a hitch. The yearlings were kept separate from each other in pens after the torsion was complete. The forth colt, however, broke free of the hogtie holding him down. He kicked out just as Joe was reaching forward with the leather cord. One hoof caught Joe directly in the ribs, knocking the young man back with a gasp. He jolted backward from the sudden force and an audible smack was heard when his head hit the ground hard. Joe lay still for a moment before he pressed a hand into his side and tried to catch his breath. He panted and squeezed his eyes shut with a grimace as he tried to control the pain that jolted through his body. Isaac had caught the horse again and he and Walt were trying to force him back to the ground. Joe scrambled over unsteadily and between the three of them, they regained control of the colt enough for Joe to get the leather cord tightly wound. He stumbled back as Walt let the horse up and led him over to the holding pens. Joe sat on the muddy ground trying to clear his head. He looked up when he felt a hand touch his shoulder.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI asked if you\u2019re alright. That looked awful.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah. I\u2019ll\u2026. fine. Just a little\u2026. Ow.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoe, you better take it easy for a bit. We-\u201d Sound faded out and the next thing Joe knew, he was flat on his back staring up at the sky. Someone was shouting and Joe groaned before bringing his arm up to cover his eyes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoe! Come on, buddy.\u201d The shouting continued, getting closer and louder. No wait. No one was shouting. That was just Isaac speaking normally. Joe groaned again and moved his arm from covering his eyes enough to squint up at the other man.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cToo loud.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Isaac sighed in relief. \u201cWelcome back to the land of the living.\u201d He held a hand on Joe\u2019s shoulder as the young cowboy tried to sit up. \u201cNuh-uh. You stay put for a bit. At least until you can tell me how many of me you see.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe blinked his eyes hard and breathed deeply to try to assuage the sudden nausea. It backfired when his ribs protested the deep breaths and shot pain from one side of his chest to the other. \u201cUgh, think I\u2019m gonna be sick.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Isaac furrowed his eyebrows, \u201cTry not to, Joe. With the shape those ribs are in\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe felt sweat break out on his forehead and he swallowed convulsively. He knew Isaac was right, but knowing and convincing his body were two different things. He gagged once and felt the other man move him as gently as he could so he was lying on the side opposite the one he got kicked in. He closed his eyes and let his mouth hang open, still trying to fight against the inevitable. Isaac placed a wet handkerchief on the back of Joe\u2019s neck. The sudden change in temperature helped and Joe regained control over his body.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Walt rejoined the two men and handed Isaac a clean roll of bandages that he had fetched from Joe\u2019s saddle bags. \u201cHow\u2019s he doing?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Isaac took the bandages and cleaned the area where Joe\u2019s head had struck the ground, pressing the gauze into the area and securing it. \u201cIt\u2019s not deep, but he hit really hard. Probably has a concussion, and certainly needs to see a doc to make sure nothin\u2019s wrong inside.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat about where he was kicked?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI dunno yet. Couple broken ribs for sure. Joe, I\u2019m gonna put you down on your back and check your ribs, ok?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cK.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Walt and Isaac eased the other man onto his back again. Walt opened Joe\u2019s shirt and pushed the fabric back as gently as he could. Even the soft touches caused Joe to flinch though. The two ranch hands grimaced at the sight that was revealed to them. All of Joe\u2019s right side was a deep purple, fading to an angry red on the edges. There was a slight protrusion under his skin, but nothing had broken through the skin. Isaac and Walt exchanged a glance over him.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShould we let him ride back? Or go get a wagon?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI dunno. It\u2019s a pretty rough route back, bouncing around like that might do more harm. Cochise has a fairly smooth gait. It might just be better to let him ride\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou know, \u2018m right here. Don\u2019t I get a say?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cCan you see straight yet?\u201d Isaac looked down at Joe who tried to summon a reassuring smile. It came out more of a grimace.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou are certainly NOT fine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHelp me sit up. I\u2019ll be ok.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Against better judgement, but knowing it would be a losing battle, Walt helped Joe to a sitting position. He winced and whimpered quietly, taking his time to control the wave of pain that washed over him. Joe nodded and the other two men helped him stand slowly. He wavered a bit once he got upright. Walt held his shoulders until he was sure the younger man wouldn\u2019t fall over again. Isaac had brought Cochise over and both men assisted Joe in mounting. He held onto the saddle horn with both hands and let his head hang down with his eyes closed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOk?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah, gimme a minute.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIsaac, ride in and have a doc meet us back at the house. I\u2019ll make sure Joe gets there.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n ******<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam had completed cleaning out the last waterhole in the southern section and rode over to join Joe\u2019s crew to help finish the gelding. When he got there, though, none of the three men were in sight. Four colts stood in the pens that kept them separate and three were left still ungelded. Adam frowned when he saw Joe\u2019s hat and what looked like Isaac\u2019s jacket both lying crumpled in the middle of the gelding pen. Leather cording lay nearby and Walt\u2019s knife had also been left behind. He didn\u2019t know what had happened, but the entire scene filled him with a sense of unease. Remounting Sport, he urged his horse back to the main house. He kept Sport at a quick lope and before long saw two riders holding their horses at a walk in front of him when he crested a rise. He recognized his brother\u2019s pinto and easily caught up with the two.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoe? Walt? What\u2019s going on? Where\u2019s Isaac? Why did you leave the colts like that?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe whipped his head around in surprise. He hadn\u2019t heard the other horse ride up behind them. He groaned at the sudden direction change and instantly regretted the movement. Joe\u2019s face paled and Adam grimaced as he watched his youngest brother lean over in the saddle and lose his breakfast onto the muddy ground. Joe clung to the saddle horn with one hand and Cochise\u2019s mane with the other. He felt a hand on his back steadying him and preventing him from falling off the horse. He had no option but to ride out the pain that came with getting sick while having unbound broken ribs. Gradually sound faded back in and he listened to Walt filling Adam in on the circumstances.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201c…in the ribs, but it knocked him down and his head hit the ground really hard. Isaac went to fetch the doc out to the house.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoe? How\u2019re you doing, buddy?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNothin\u2019 I don\u2019t deserve, Adam.\u201d But Joe\u2019s words were slurred and mumbled, and his brother didn\u2019t understand what he had said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat was that?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI said I\u2019ll be fine, Adam.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The group made slow but steady progress. Walt rode close to Joe to make sure he stayed in the saddle, and Adam took Cochise\u2019s reins. Eventually they made it to the main house and helped Joe down and inside. Isaac pulled up with the doctor not five minutes after they had gotten Joe situated inside.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n ******<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThis next part is going to be really painful, Joe. You need to hold as still as possible. With the hit you took to your head, unfortunately I can\u2019t give you anything for the pain or to knock you out. Are you ready?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe stared back up at the doctor with a glazed look on his face. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Paul sighed. He couldn\u2019t tell if Joe was having trouble hearing or the issues lay with retaining information. \u201cI said I need to realign two of your ribs. You\u2019re lucky they didn\u2019t break the skin or go the other way and puncture a lung. But before I can bind them, I need to make sure they\u2019re lined up. And it will be very painful. I can\u2019t give you anything for the pain because of your head injury. Think you\u2019ll be able to hold still enough or should I have someone come hold you down?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe\u2019s mind muddled through the word salad that was thrown at him. On one hand, he didn\u2019t think he deserved any painkillers. On the other, he wasn\u2019t entirely sure that he would be able to hold still without them. Resetting any bone was agonizing. Resetting a rib, though, held additional worries because if Joe jerked around too much, he could cause internal damage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoe?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah, maybe someone should help.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Paul patted Joe\u2019s shoulder and walked to the door. Three sets of eyes turned his way when he descended the stairs. Walt and Isaac had refused to go back to the gelding until they knew that the youngest Cartwright would be alright.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPaul?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s in pretty bad shape, Adam. Where\u2019s your pa and other brother?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re over at the Snyder\u2019s place, be back tonight. What\u2019s wrong with him? Is it that bad I need to get them right now?\u201d Adam tried to contain his anxiety, but his voice hitched and his jaw clenched, giving him away to anyone who knew him well enough.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNothing that terrible, no. But he\u2019s going to be out of commission for a while. More pressing, though, two of his ribs are misaligned. I need to fix that before I can bind them. But because of the hit he took, I can\u2019t give him any ether.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou need me to hold him down.\u201d Adam didn\u2019t relish the thought of putting his younger brother through that, but he knew that it was really the only option they had.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Paul nodded. \u201cI need two more sets of hands. Decide who\u2019s helping, then come upstairs.\u201d The doctor turned and went back to his patient to prepare for what he had to do.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWho doesn\u2019t mind getting kicked?\u201d Adam tried to lighten the atmosphere, but with Joe being the patient, the question was a valid one. Isaac joined him and they ascended the stairs together. Walt sighed then went out to untack and stable all the horses. He was leading Sport and Cochise into their stalls when he heard an ear splitting shriek rend the air.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Inside the house, Adam pressed his weight down on Joe\u2019s shoulders and Isaac had to abandon holding the younger man\u2019s legs and instead had thrown himself across them to use his whole body to hold him down. But they had him pinned and unable to move the slightest inch, and that is what the doctor needed. Paul steadied himself then felt along Joe\u2019s broken ribs until his hand came to rest on the fifth rib on his right side. He probed the area to find the angle he needed then pressed firmly and quickly with both thumbs. There was a sickening grinding sound and Joe screamed, the <\/span>