{"id":7057,"date":"2014-05-06T22:27:49","date_gmt":"2014-05-07T02:27:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=7057"},"modified":"2025-02-18T19:12:18","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T00:12:18","slug":"last-chance-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=7057","title":{"rendered":"Last Chance (by Cheaux)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 <\/strong>Joe gambles with his life to give his Pa something precious.<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0 K \u00a0WC \u00a0900<\/p>\n

A writing challenge where the prompt was \u201cwhere there\u2019s a will, there\u2019s a way.\u201d<\/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

Last Chance<\/strong><\/p>\n

When Dr. Paul Martin saw Joe Cartwright standing in front of his office that morning, the thought that something was amiss skipped across his mind like a stone across water . . . and sank out of sight just as fast when Mrs. Canfield stopped to ask about her husband\u2019s gout.<\/p>\n

Advice dispensed, the disquieting thought resurfaced, but he decided it was because Joe\u2014who was now leaning nonchalantly against his office door\u2014was wearing a brown shirt instead of his usual tan one.\u00a0 Any further pondering of the unusual outfit, however, vanished from the doctor’s mind when a freight wagon nearly ran him down.\u00a0 Safe at last on the other side of the street, Paul turned his full attention to his morning visitor.\u00a0\u00a0 He was about to shout a greeting when he realized with horror that it was blood coloring Joe’s shirt and he broke into a run.\u00a0\u00a0 When Paul was just feet away Joe\u2019s knees buckled and he collapsed into the doctor\u2019s arms.<\/p>\n

\u201cThought I\u2019d save you a house call,\u201d Joe mumbled before passing out.<\/p>\n

Paul yelled for Manuel, the lad who swept up for him.\u00a0 Together they were able to get Joe into the office and onto a table in the surgery.\u00a0 \u201cManny,\u201d Paul said calmly, \u201cFind Dr. Lee and tell him I need him immediately, then go tell the Sheriff what\u2019s happened.\u00a0\u00a0 Hurry!\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

By the time Clem Foster showed up, the doctors had stabilized Joe, but he had refused treatment until his Pa got there.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened?\u201d Clem asked Paul.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u00a0 I found Joe covered in blood on my doorstep about an hour ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Sheriff frowned, \u201cI saw Joe down on C Street just before a bunch of drovers from the Bar D started whoopin\u2019 it up, guns a-blazin\u2019.\u00a0 Stray bullet maybe.\u00a0 Will he be all right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s refusing to let us remove the bullet until Ben gets here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCandy went to find him.\u00a0 Why won\u2019t Joe let you operate?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have no idea,\u201d the doctor said, exasperated, \u201cBut we can\u2019t wait much longer; he\u2019s lost too much blood already.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe was drenched in sweat and Clem could see how much pain he was in. \u201cYour Pa\u2019s on his way, Joe, but you need to let the Docs operate now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Joe grunted between clenched teeth.\u00a0 \u201cSee Pa first.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt least let Paul give you something for the pain,\u201d Clem begged.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d he panted.\u00a0 \u201cStay \u2026 wake.\u00a0 See. \u00a0Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul shook his head. \u201cIt\u2019s not like Ben doesn\u2019t know how Joe feels.\u00a0 I\u2019ve never seen a more demonstrative son than Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot me.\u00a0 Him,\u201d Joe managed to get out before another wave of pain overtook him.<\/p>\n

Just then, a loud crash sounded as the outside door was thrown open.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank God!\u201d Paul exclaimed when Ben rushed into the surgery pushing past Clem and proceeding immediately to the bed where his son struggled to remain conscious.\u00a0 Wiping the sweat away from Joe\u2019s brow with one hand while gripping his son\u2019s neck with the other, he whispered a few words to Joe, saw the acknowledgment in his eyes, then moved away so the doctors could operate.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

It was hours before the door into the waiting room opened and Paul motioned his friend inside.\u00a0\u00a0 Ben didn\u2019t need a second invitation.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoc?\u201d asked Candy, who stayed behind.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s over,\u201d Paul said wearily, collapsing in a vacant chair.\u00a0 \u201cDr. Lee was amazing, his hands nimbly tying off one blood vessel after another faster than I could count.\u00a0 All I could do was mop up,\u201d Paul said, raising his arthritic hands in frustration.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou did the right thing, Doc, calling for Lee, but it was you Joe came to see.\u201d\u00a0 Candy knew it was hard for Paul to admit he wasn\u2019t the doctor he once was, but he was still the Cartwright\u2019s physician and neither Ben nor Joe would have it any other way.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Joe wants something his way, his will is as hard as iron,\u201d Paul said. \u201cThere\u2019s one thing I still don\u2019t understand though.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy he wouldn\u2019t let us operate until Ben got here.\u00a0 He had to know how close we came to losing him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe gambled,\u201d Candy surmised.\u00a0 \u201cJoe knew he might not make it and he wanted to give his Pa a chance to say goodbye.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that\u2019s just not rational.\u00a0 The odds of his survival were less the longer he waited.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an easy call for Joe,\u201d Candy explained.\u00a0 \u201cMr. Cartwright never had the chance to say goodbye to Hoss; couldn\u2019t remember what his last words to his son were; the last time he embraced him; the last time he told him he loved him.\u00a0 It nearly destroyed him.\u00a0 Joe wouldn’t let that happen again, no matter what the cost–not if he could help it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul nodded slowly, understanding at last the choice Joe had made.<\/p>\n

\u201cBesides, doc,\u201d Candy chuckled, \u201cwhen has Joe Cartwright ever been rational when it comes to injuries?\u201d<\/p>\n

The End<\/p>\n

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

Summary:\u00a0 Joe gambles with his life to give his Pa something precious.<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0 K \u00a0WC \u00a0900<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":3198,"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_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,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[1015,23,8,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7057","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-joe-pa","category-drama","category-short-stories","category-challenges","wpcat-1015-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-8-id","wpcat-40-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\/04\/The-day.jpg?fit=400%2C600&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7057","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\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7057"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7057\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}