{"id":6626,"date":"2012-03-04T15:51:03","date_gmt":"2012-03-04T20:51:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=6626"},"modified":"2026-07-22T09:11:40","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T13:11:40","slug":"forever-i-would-do-anything-for-love-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=6626","title":{"rendered":"Forever #2 – I Would Do Anything For Love (by Rider)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0<\/span>As the birth of Alice and Joe’s first child approaches, things take a turn for the worst. \u00a0Part II in “Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Cartwright” Forever WHI series.<\/p>\n

Rated:<\/span>\u00a0K+ (2,230 words)<\/span><\/p>\n

Forever Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Forever
\n<\/a>I would do Anything for Love
\n<\/a>The Love of my Life<\/a><\/p>\n

I Would Do Anything For Love<\/strong><\/p>\n

Joe looked affectionately at his wife Alice,<\/strong> who was sitting beside him going through baby things. She looked so beautiful while pregnant. They had just gotten home from shopping in Virginia City, and they were tired. As Joe sipped his coffee, Alice was looking through a book of baby names.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got it!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe jumped in his chair. \u201cGot what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe name, silly! Benjamin Joseph. What do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyes lit up. \u201cBenjamin Joseph\u2026 I like it!\u201d<\/p>\n

Alice smiled. \u201cWell, now that that\u2019s settled we can\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHold on there, sweetheart,\u201d Joe blurt. Alice had a look of confusion on her face. \u201cWhat if it\u2019s a girl?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh. We could\u2026name her Marie!!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe looked very surprised. He had never thought about naming his daughter after his mother. \u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes! If it\u2019s a boy it will be Benjamin Joseph. A girl\u2026 Marie.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe got up, and kissed his wife in gratitude. \u201cI love you!\u201d As he went to pour some more coffee for them, Alice spoke up again. \u201cOh, Joe, we need to go into town again tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat now?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it\u2019s a girl, this sun-bonnet will be pink.\u201d The couple laughed as Joe placed the coffee in front of them. As he sat back in his chair, Joe couldn\u2019t help but worry about Alice. It was coming very close to the time when the baby would arrive, and he didn\u2019t want her to be too far from the house when it happened. A couple of hours later, the two of them went to bed.
\n~*****~<\/p>\n

The next morning, Joe hooked up the buggy instead of the buckboard. He wanted to make Alice more comfortable this time in. As they were riding in, they stopped by the ranch to say good morning to Pa, who was sitting on the porch and saw them drive up. \u201cWell, isn\u2019t this a pleasant surprise?\u201d he said as he kissed Alice on the cheek after Joe helped her down.<\/p>\n

\u201cMorning Pa!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood morning, Joseph,\u201d Ben said with delight.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, that reminds me! We figured out a name for the baby!\u201d Joe said.<\/p>\n

Ben grinned.<\/p>\n

\u201cBenjamin Joseph for a boy, and Marie for a girl,\u201d Alice said.<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s eyed swelled with tears.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t believe it. You two would name your child after me or your mother?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe and Alice both nodded in unison, then Ben hugged the two of them gratefully. After spending about an hour with Pa, Joe and Alice figured they better get going. They wanted to get to town, and be home before lunch. Just before they left, Ben made them promise to come to dinner the next night.<\/p>\n

By the time Joe and Alice were clear away from the house came an strange turn of events.<\/p>\n

Out of the blue came 20, maybe even 30, Paiute braves came out and held them at gun-point. Before they knew what was happening, Joe and Alice were being escorted, more like forced, to the Paiute camp as their prisoners.<\/p>\n

After a few minutes sitting in the camp and thinking, Joe heard two braves speaking to each other. In English! He couldn\u2019t hear them word-for-word, but heard something about the Chief being gone, and that he and his wife were prisoners of his son. The suddenly, a brave grabbed Alice and took her to the two posts for which they use to tie their prisoners between. She struggled and tried to get away, but it only made it worse.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey!!\u201d Joe yelled. The brave just looked at him. Joe walked up to him, and stared him in the eyes. \u201cCome on, let her go. Tie me up, but leave my wife alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

The brave looked at Joe, and threw his wife down. Even though Joe wasn\u2019t struggling, they grabbed him roughly, and tied his wrists and ankles tightly between the posts, stretching his limbs till they ached. After they finished, they left, and Alice walked up to Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh Joe,\u201d she said with tears in her eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey now, don\u2019t look so sad. We\u2019ll be outta here soon, sweetheart.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow can you be so sure?\u201d she said trying to hold back her tears.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir Chief, Winnemacca, is a friend of Pa. He knows me. I might be able to influence him when he gets back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through her tears, Alice managed a smile, hugging her husband.
\n~*****~<\/p>\n

During the night, Alice couldn\u2019t sleep. She went to Joe, who, surprisingly, was asleep. She sat by him quiet as can be, but Joe still woke up.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh darling, I\u2019m sorry. I didn\u2019t mean to wake you,\u201d Alice whispered.<\/p>\n

\u201cAw, that\u2019s alright,\u201d he smiled. \u201cTrouble sleeping?\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded. Alice leaned close to him and he kissed her on the forehead, afterword she put her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. \u201cOh Joe, why can\u2019t we just get out of here while nobody\u2019s watching?\u201d she asked in a tone that proved she was still afraid.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyes widened. \u201cYou may just have something there, love,\u201d he saw a knife lying in the dirt. \u201cOver there, on the ground, get the knife and untie me.\u201d<\/p>\n

She quickly did as instructed, but no sooner did she touch the blade then five braves surrounded the couple. They spoke a few words in Paiute, something about falling for the trap, and then two braves grabbed Alice and turned her back another brave. Joe instantly knew they had notions to whip her, but he called out to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWait!!! Let her go, she didn\u2019t do anything.\u00a0I<\/em>\u00a0told her to do it, it was my fault.\u201d<\/p>\n

They threw her to the ground and agreed to whip Joe without argument. To them, one whipping was the same as another. They quickly ripped Joe\u2019s shirt off so his back was bare, and the strong one threw the first lashing. He grit his teeth, trying his hardest to hide his pain from Alice. His back quickly soaked with blood as the last lashing was whipped. Laughing, the braves left to finish their work. When they were clear out of sight, Alice ran to Joe, throwing her arms around her neck.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe!!\u201d she cried frantically.<\/p>\n

\u201cSsshhhh\u2026it\u2019s alright. I\u2019m okay, sshhhh, it\u2019s alright,\u201d he kissed her cheek as she cried. \u00a0By now, Alice was crying so much that she was shaking.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh God, if only my hands were free,\u201d he said.\u00a0Joe wanted so much to hug his wife, to comfort her, and hold her in his arms. A few moments later, another Brave came, and cut the ropes off of Joe\u2019s ankles. He pushed him down to his knees, so he could sit, but left his wrists tied.\u00a0 The only benefit here was that he could at least sit with Alice. The couple sat on the ground for hours, Alice holding her husband, and Joe trying to comfort her. Before they knew it, the sun began to rise. They hadn\u2019t slept even for a moment. When brought some plates of food be the Squaw, Joe refused to eat. Alice had a mind to do the same, but Joe convinced her to eat it anyway. After breakfast was finished, the tribe began to play some drums to mark the return of Winnemacca. Before he even had a chance to talk to the Braves, Joe called out his name. \u201cWinnemacca!!\u201d he called, sounding like his father.<\/p>\n

At first the Chief was\u00a0angry at the tone of the call, then surprised to see who it came from. He walked slowly to the prisoner.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph Cartwright, son of my friend. What have you done to be put here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing,\u201d Joe stared angrily into the Chief\u2019s eyes. \u201cThese braves took my wife and I prisoner the other day, but we have done nothing. We were on my land, my father\u2019s land.\u201d<\/p>\n

Winnemacca turned to his braves in an upset manner. He spoke a few words of Paiute to them, then turned back to the captured couple. \u201cIt seems, Joseph Cartwright, that my braves made a mistake. They were to capture another white man to be held as hostage for negotiation of land for them. You were not to be involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen let us go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s arms were cut from the ropes, and his horse and buggy were brought for him and his wife. As soon as his arms were free, Alice threw herself to him, hugging him lovingly. He did the same to her. Just as Joe was about to help Alice into the buggy, she stopped.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlice? What\u2019s wrong?\u201d She looked at Joe in fear, and then he understood. \u201cThe\u2026 baby?\u201d She nodded. Alice wasn\u2019t in any great pain yet, but both she and her husband knew that the baby was coming\u2026 now! At this point, Joe couldn\u2019t take Alice back to town; for fear that the baby might be born in the back of the buggy. When he turned back to look at the Indian Tribe for help, they all turned away. Winnemacca spoke up.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy tribe can have nothing to do with the birth of a white child.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyes widened in anger as his nostrils flared like a bull about to charge. \u201cWhat do you mean-\u201che was cut-off when he saw a knife lying on the ground in front of Alice. \u00a0He picked it up & whirled around the son of Winnemacca, holding the knife at his throat. \u201cMy wife needs help! You can\u2019t just stand there and do nothing!\u201d<\/p>\n

Winnemacca stepped closer to Joe. \u201cEven if you kill him, we will not help you.\u201d Joe then moved his knife to aim at Winnemacca. Winnemacca\u2019s eyes widened in fear.\u00a0 He spoke some words in Indian to a squaw, who moved to stand near Alice. Joe knew they meant to help her. He put his knife down and released his grip from the brave.
\n~*****~<\/p>\n

Nearly three hours later, Joe was still sitting outside the teepee waiting. Finally, he heard what he was waiting for\u2026\u2026 a shrill infant cry. He jumped up and raced inside the hut; stopping at the sight which met his eyes. The Indian squaw had just laid a babe in his wife\u2019s arms. Joe\u2019s green eyes pooled with tears when he saw his wife. She looked up and smiled at him. The woman left, and Joe moved to sit next to his wife and newborn baby. Alice lifted the blanket from the infant\u2019s head, revealing the beautiful child. Tears fell from Joe\u2019s eyes as he put his arm around his wife in a loving embrace.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a girl,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Joe grinned proudly. Alice placed the babe in his arms, thrilled to see her husband finally holding their child.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarie Alice Cartwright,\u201d Joe declared proudly looking at his gorgeous new daughter. He leaned forward to kiss his wife.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, can we please get out of this camp, Joe? I\u2019m still nervous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe looked uneasy at first, but agreed since neither of them wanted to spend another night there. \u201cOkay,\u00a0we’re gonna go slowly\u00a0with the baby.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAgreed.\u201d<\/p>\n

He placed the child gently in Alice\u2019s arms, and helped her to stand up. He walked her slowly to the buggy, all eyes on them as they emerged from the teepee. He lifted her up to sit her comfortably in the back. He drove his little family out of the camp, both hastily and easily, trying not to jostle the precious cargo behind him. Within a couple of hours, they were back on the familiar land of the Ponderosa, getting excited to see a new Grandfather. Pulling the wagon quietly up to the house, Joe and Alice were ready to surprise Ben. They were coming up to the house just as he was leaving to meet them for dinner at their home. His eyes opened wide in disbelief.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph\u2026\u2026\u201d he was speechless.<\/p>\n

Joe grinned as they walked to him. \u201cPa, I\u2019d like you to meet Marie Alice Cartwright. You\u2019re granddaughter,\u201d he introduced as Alice held the baby to him. Ben\u2019s eyes watered, then he realized the state the young couple was in. Alice was covered in dirt and looked exhausted, while Joe hadn\u2019t a shirt and was beaten.<\/p>\n

\u201cWh\u2026 what happened? Come inside!\u201d<\/p>\n

The couple followed him into the house. Alice lay on the couch with the baby while Joe sat in the chair. Joe rolled his eyes in protest as Pa kept fussing over the lacerations on his back. There was the occasional \u201cI\u2019m fine Pa\u201d or \u201cIt\u2019s nothing,\u201d followed by a \u201cJoseph!\u201d or \u201cSit still.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Ben finally let Joe alone, he brought out some coffee for the couple. The three of them sat up all night talking and playing with the baby. As Ben sat watching his son and daughter-in-law with his granddaughter, he couldn\u2019t help but wonder what would come of the family as they grew. Whatever happened didn\u2019t matter, since there was now a new generation to live and thrive on the vast Ponderosa.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

~THE END~<\/strong><\/p>\n

Forever Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Love of my Life<\/a><\/p>\n

This story is based on the Bonanza episode:\u00a0 Forever<\/p>\n

Director:\u00a0 Michael Landon
\nWriters:\u00a0 Michael Landon, David Dortort (created by)<\/p>\n

Disclaimer:\u00a0All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0As the birth of Alice and Joe’s first child approaches, things take a turn for the worst. \u00a0Part II in “Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Cartwright” Forever WHI series. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0K+ (2,230 words)<\/p>\n

Forever Series, links to all the stories within the series included.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":201,"featured_media":376,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[23,1007,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-joe-cartwright","category-whi","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-1007-id","wpcat-27-id"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/coming-soon-4.jpg?fit=320%2C240&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/201"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6626"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6626\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}