WORKING TOGETHER
by Lyn Robinson
Tall, dark and muscular, the man washed his upper body, glad to get rid of the sweat of a day’s hard work cutting the tall ponderosa pines. He dried off and slipped his black shirt back on but didn’t bother to button it, needing coffee before anything else. His seventeen year old brother was already lazing out by the fire with coffee. He grinned and called out “Your turn to cook tonight Adam”
Adam yawned widely “One more day should see us finished Joe and then we can both eat well.”
“Reckon you should take lessons from Hop Sing before we come out again” Joe commented but his brother just laughed “At least my effort won’t be as black as your attempt was yesterday!”
“I told you I got distracted, I’m sure I saw a cougar” Joe grinned “Okay even Hoss would have had difficulty in finishing that lot but it was only black on the edges.”
“One side as far as I remember” Adam commented dryly but he knelt down to start heating beans and cutting pieces of bacon into the pan. The brothers had been out for six days, marking trees for the next cut by the timber crew, and now cutting a few to clear the way for the wagon road that they would need to fulfil the contract. For the first two days they had had a big pot of stew provided by Hop sing and piles of sandwiches but since then they had been relying on their own cooking. Adam was slightly the better cook but there wasn’t much in it and both brothers admitted to major weaknesses in that area.
Joe lent forward to get another coffee “I wonder how Hoss is getting on with checking the fences. I’m sure he cheated when we lit the matches. He always loses”
Adam laughed “I don’t think either of us is in the position to complain if he wet the stick, we’ve been doing it for years! Guess we were just too busy watching each other to even think about him. I must admit when you dropped yours just before me I assumed I’d won but he was standing there with that broad grin and still holding the match.”
“Bet he’s finished and home eating Hop Sing’s grub and probably planning to go to the dance tomorrow night.”
“Well Joe if you want to take Bessie Sue to the dance be my guest. I’ll even do your work tomorrow.”
Joe laughed “Not likely that big gal terrifies me. I reckon at my height I’d just about suffocate when she pulled me close and I’m not strong enough to keep away.”
“Who is apart from Hoss?” Adam commented dryly but he concentrated on getting the food ready. After a hard days work he was hungry enough to even eat his own cooking.
The brothers were up early the following morning eager to finish their work and head home but the weather was not co-operating and the day dawned with heavy rain. The skies were barely allowing any light through and the ground underfoot was already turning to mud. Joe sighed heavily as he pulled on his slicker “I was gonna suggest we did some fishing for lunch but I’ve gone off the idea,”
“Reckon we finish up as fast as we can little brother and aim to get home for supper. With luck three or four hours should do it.”
Joe nodded, unhappy about the prospects but unable to suggest anything better. The first tree fell easily enough but the second one they needed to remove was far more awkward and the saw broke as the two men pulled on it. The larger part whipped back and caught Adam across the thigh. Joe watched in horror as he heard his brother cry out and then collapse, but before he could react the big pine started to topple, falling in Adam’s direction. Joe screamed a warning at Adam but knew even as he called out that there was not time for his brother to do anything.
Joe stood stunned at the sudden catastrophe and then scrambled round on all fours to where he had last seen his brother.
At first he couldn’t even see his brother and then he saw Adam’s hand, the long fingers stretched out as though reaching for safety. Joe felt the hand but he couldn’t find a pulse though whether that was the ultimate disaster or his own ineptitude Joe didn’t know. Whatever had happened, Joe knew he had to get his brother home. He just prayed that it wasn’t a dead body that he had to extricate. He couldn’t imagine life without his older brother to rely on. He complained frequently about his bossy eldest brother but all his life he had known he could depend on Adam to rescue him from trouble and often, after delivering his own lecture, he would cover for Joe in front of their father.
Sobbing with frustration at his inability to lift the large branch that was covering his brother, Joe sat back on his haunches “Got to think. What is it Adam’s says ‘Give me a long enough lever and a place to stand and I can move the world’ That’s it, I need something to lever that branch up”
Unsure if Adam was even alive, let alone able to hear him, Joe still bent as close as he could get. “Hold on brother I’ll get you out”
He went over to the pile of cut timber and chose a thick strong looking green timber about ten foot long. Now he needed something to act as a pivot and he went to look for a small rock of the right height. At first he couldn’t see anything suitable and scared for his brother Joe was cursing his own inability to find anything when he spotted a large stone with a ridged top which might just do. He frantically dug round the base of the rock until he could move it and pulled it over towards his brother.
As he got it into position he realised he couldn’t see Adam’s hand any longer, praying that meant his brother was still alive and had moved, he knelt down and yelled “Adam, Adam can you hear me?”
He heard a slight groan and relieved at the signs that his brother had survived, Joe made his preparations to try and lever the branches of his brother with renewed energy. He edged the pole in as carefully as he could not at all sure just where his brother’s body lay and scared to hurt him any further.
Joe bit his lip trying to remember what he knew about levers, it was best if he had the long part of the pole and the short part was under the tree. He was sure it was that way round at least he hoped so. He could remember Adam explaining it to him but he wasn’t interested, just big brother showing off his college education again, not anything that would ever be useful. Joe did remember saying almost exactly that to Hoss when he finally escaped but he cursed himself “Wrong again”.
With the pole in the best position he could manage Joe moved to the other end and put all his weight on the pole. At first there was no sign of movement and Joe let go and then swung on it again. This time he did see the branch over his brother move but he couldn’t hold it up and as the branch settled back down on Adam, Joe heard the cry of pain, swiftly cut off but all too eloquent.
Scared he had injured his brother Joe threw himself down by the branches hiding “Adam can you hear me, I don’t know what to do. Adam please .”
Adam had slowly been coming back to consciousness and trying to work out what was wrong with him and where he was. The panic in his brother’s voice completed his return to full consciousness and he fought for control “Joe”
His first effort was so quiet that Joe wasn’t even sure that he had heard anything, but he tried again “Adam”
“Okay Joe I can hear you”
This time Joe heard him clearly “Thank God. I was scared you were dead”
“Not this time” Adam said trying to sound cheerful but he was doing his own check on his position. On the positive side he could move his left hand reasonably easily but on the negative his right was caught under the branch which was laying very painfully across his pelvis. Even more worrying was the large pool of blood from his thigh, which was bleeding heavily. Adam tried to move his legs and feet and he could do so although it cost him some pain in his injured right leg and he felt the warm blood running down his leg. That was sufficient warning to keep still, he was sure he was losing too much blood already and there was no sign of the wound clotting.
Joe was worried as his brother lapsed back into silence wondering if he had passed out again. “Adam I don’t know what to do. Should I go for help?I don’t think I’m strong enough to get you out on my own”
“Lever?”
“I’ve tried but it’s too heavy I got it up a bit, but then it just fell back on you. I’m scared I’ll hurt you even more”
“Okay Joe give me a minute”
“I can be back in about five hours, bring Hoss or some of the hands”
Adam felt the blood with his left hand now right under his body, despite his clothes soaking up much of it. He very much doubted that he could survive five hours without bleeding to death but he didn’t want to terrify his brother. The seventeen year old boy might be very grown up in some ways but he was still Adam’s little brother and Adam was all too aware of the edge of panic in his voice.
There had to be a way out of this. He had always reckoned you could save having to use brawn if you used your brain, now with only Joe’s strength to help him it was time to prove his point.
For now he had to stop Joe leaving him, without telling the boy why, while he tried to think of a way out. He took a deep breath to get control and then said “Just take it easy Joe. I’m sure we can manage if we work together, without hauling anyone else out here. Don’t want to disappoint Bessie Sue.”
Hearing his brother’s usual controlled tones Joe relaxed. Adam would know what to do he always did. Adam would have been glad to have as much faith in himself, he was finding it very difficult to think, wanting nothing more than to give in to the lure of oblivion. His head was swimming and his abdomen and thigh were getting increasingly painful. The urge to live was even stronger and he had to come up with a plan if Joe was to help him so he bit down and endured.
He forced himself to visualise the area just before the saw had broken, there must be something they could use. If Joe didn’t have the strength the horses did, not a lever but a pulley.
“Joe get our lariats, tie them together.”
“Sure. Back in a minute”
“Not going anywhere”
Joe ran over to their camp and pulled the ropes off their saddles and then slithered back to Adam. He had enough sense to take it a little slower. The last thing they needed was another accident. The rain was if anything even heavier and turning everything into a quagmire.
Joe knelt down “Right I’ve got it what do you want me to do?”
Adam heard the voice from a long distance and for a moment it didn’t make any sense but as Joe called his name anxiously Adam got a grip on himself. “Okay Little Joe, make sure they are tied tight together.”
Joe knew he could do that, Ben had shown all his sons how to tie a wide variety of knots, a legacy of his days at sea. “Okay now what?”
“Pass one end in to me. I’ll try and tie it on.”
It took Joe more than five minutes to pass the end within Adam’s reach but eventually Adam had it. Adam forced himself to move as much as he could so he could try and loop the rope round the thick branch trapping him. He had to push against the smaller branches over the top part of his body in order to reach and cursed the fact that it was his right hand that was trapped. He became painfully aware that even the smaller branches had done damage with at least a couple of cracked ribs but he had to ignore them for now. By feeding the rope down by the side of his body Adam was able to get it under the heavy timber but for several minutes he wasn’t able to find it. Eventually he had to give up and settle for tying it onto the sturdiest side branch that he could reach and hope that it would be enough.
Joe was sitting waiting on tender-hooks, he could hear his brother’s painful gasps as he tried to move but there wasn’t anything he could do to help.
Eventually Adam said “Okay Joe I’ve got it tied on here. Need you to try and throw it over the large branch of that tree we decided to leave and then tie it to Cochise’s saddle. Get him to pull the branch up while you pull me out.”
Joe realised what his brother was suggesting and looking up he could see a suitable branch. For the first time he sounded fairly cheerful “Okay Adam I can do that. Won’t be long now and I’ll have you out.”
Ten minutes later Joe was ready the rope up over the branch, Cochise saddled and in position, with the rope attached to his saddle. Cochise would obey his master’s orders as soon as Joe wanted him to pull.
Joe knelt down again as close to his brother as he could get “I’m ready Adam”
“Okay just one thing.Joe once you start pulling me out don’t stop whatever happens, must get clear. Even if I tell you to stop, you keep pulling.”
“I promise Adam.” Joe’s voice sounded scared to his big brother but Adam had utter faith that Joe would do what he said.
“Sooner the better Joe.”
Joe called to Cochise and the pinto backed off at his master’s order. The rope went taut and Adam watched the side branch where he’d tied on anxiously, but with the way the rope was being pulled, it was tightening his knot and he thought it would hold. When the whole weight came on Cochise he stopped but as Joe encouraged him the pinto backed away and very slowly the heavy branch was lifted off Adam.
As soon as he felt the weight easing off his abdomen, Adam said “Right Joe, pull.”
At first Joe could only reach Adam’s left arm but he grabbed that and pulled as hard as he could. Adam did his best to help pushing with his left leg but he couldn’t get much purchase on the slippery mud. As his injured right thigh scraped along the tree bark Adam couldn’t help the cry of pain but he bit it off as fast as he could, Joe was worried enough anyway. Then his hand caught on some broken wood and as Joe pulled him the wood cut it and the sudden sharp pain lost him all hold on his senses.
After a seeming eternity Joe was able to get his hands round both Adam’s arms and pulled him back more easily, until finally they were both free of the tree. Joe collapsed down next to his eldest brother fighting for breath. He had really had to struggle to move Adam’s dead weight through the mud. He stared down at his brother “You should have brought Hoss. I’m not strong enough”
Joe relaxed slightly and hurried over to release Cochise still patiently holding the rope taut and to collect his canteen. He lifted Adam’s head to try and give him some water and then considered his brother in horror.
At first he had just thought it was mud but suddenly he realised his brother’s pants were sodden with blood. “Dear God Adam. You’re covered in blood” He stared down at his unconscious brother and then took a deep breath
“Okay find out where it’s coming from then maybe a tourniquet, pressure on a wound that stops bleeding. You are not going to die on me Brother.” His mind made up Joe scrambled back to their camp to get Adam’s clean shirt and the other canteen. He got the rawhide strips, which held his bedroll in place from his saddle, that could make a tourniquet but first he had to get Adam onto his slicker and out of the mud before he dared look for the wound.
Joe managed to edge the slicker under Adam and used a little water to clean his own hands before kneeling down by his brother. He could see a large piece of wood in Adam’s right hand but it wasn’t bleeding much and he decided to leave that for now. He could see the tear in the material over Adam’s thigh and he pulled it away from his brother’s leg. He stared at it horrified, a long ragged gash more than ten inches long and deep, pumping blood at an alarming rate. He reached for the rawhide and pulled it tight round the top of Adam’s thigh. Slowly the blood flow eased and Joe started breathing again. He hadn’t even realised he’d been holding his breath.
He sat back on his haunches “Okay think. Pad the wound. Pressure that will help. Tourniquets, when I cut my arm Pa said he had to release it every quarter of an hour. Must remember.”
He concentrated on using Adam’s clean shirt to pad the wound as best he could. Then tried to think what he should do next “I wish you’d come round big Brother and tell me what to do.” he sighed heavily. Then he decided that he was always made to drink when he had lost blood to help rebuild the blood loss, so he had to get Adam to drink. It might with luck bring Adam round. Somehow he had to get Adam home and he was scared how long it would take to make a travois and then pull it through the mud. It would be much faster if they could ride but he wasn’t at all sure that he was strong enough to get his brother up on a horse while he was unconscious.
Joe tried to get Adam to drink but at first the water just trickled out of his slack mouth and Joe was almost sobbing with frustration “Please Adam. Come on drink this please.”
Ben
was sitting over lunch, on his own. It wasn’t unusual but today for some
reason he found himself worrying about his sons. Hoss was fine as far as
he knew, having finished the fence the previous day he had headed into
That meant that if something was wrong, it was either his eldest or his youngest son. Ben couldn’t be sure which, or even if it was both of his sons, but he was becoming increasingly sure that something was wrong. These feelings had proved correct too often in the past for him to ignore. After arguing with himself that his sons were both grown men and very capable of looking after themselves, particularly with the pair together, he rationalised it that, given the very bad weather, some extra help might prove useful.
He yelled at Hop Sing to pack up some food and medical supplies while he went out to saddle up Buck. Despite the bad weather Ben felt a compulsion to push Buck dangerously hard. Logically it was stupid but he knew in his heart that his sons were in trouble and he had to find them.
Joe was getting increasingly worried when suddenly he heard Adam moan softly. He returned to the task of getting his brother to drink and this time Adam swallowed willingly.
Joe called to him gently “Adam please wake up I need you to tell me what to do Please Adam.”
Adam heard his brother’s voice as though from a great distance, Joe was very upset about something and needed him. He fought to open his eyes. Joe gave him a little more water and washed his face. Joe was rewarded as his brother looking up at him with recognition. Joe forced a rather tremulous smile “Welcome back big Brother”
“Good job Joe. You got me out.”
“Yeah but now I have to get you home and to Doc. Sooner the better that’s one hell of a gash Adam.”
“Give me a minute and then help me up. I can ride.”
“Are you sure?”
Adam did his best to show hide his fears, he was anything but confident. However Joe was right and, despite the great job Joe had done, he needed more help than his brother was able to give him. That meant getting back to the ranch or to town and the ranch was closer. Someone there could go fetch Doc.
He gratefully accepted another drink and then, deciding that waiting wasn’t going to help, he asked Joe to help him up. Joe did his very best but he wasn’t really able to take his brother’s weight and their first effort didn’t work. As Adam lent on his brother his good leg slipped and he stumbled. His whole weight fell on Joe who collapsed. As Adam fell he caught his injured leg and he couldn’t bite back the scream of agony.
Joe was almost as white as his big brother as he sobbed out his apology but Adam took a deep breath and got his voice under control “Not your fault Joe. I’m too heavy for you.”
“You should have brought Hoss.”
“Rubbish, we can work together, make it.” Adam looked round desperately wondering how. He saw a low rock, if he could get on that maybe he could pull himself up on Sport. “Get me a thick stick, something I can lean on.”
Joe frantically hunted around and managed to find a thick straight branch just about the right length “Will this do?”
Adam licked dry lips “Fine Joe. Can I have a drink?”
Joe held his brother gently against him to give support and fed Adam some water and Adam’s voice sounded rather stronger as he managed a smile “Doing a great job little brother. Make a good nurse out of you yet.”
“You ready to move again?”
Adam nodded and this time he took it very slow resting most of his weight on the stick in his left hand and with his right arm over Joe’s shoulders, he limped painfully over towards the rock. It was only about ten yards but it took him nearly a quarter of an hour and by the time he was able to lean against the rock he was gasping for breath, his ribs on fire as well as his leg.
Joe was terrified “Maybe you ought to rest.”
“No.” Adam spoke through clenched teeth but he was very positive. “Ease ---- tourniquet ---- Must--- get---- home.”
Joe did as he was told, scared as the blood began to soak through the bandage again but Adam just nodded at him. All the time Adam was able to tell him what to do Joe felt he could cope, but he wasn’t sure how long Adam could keep going and they were many hours from help.
As soon as he had tightened the tourniquet again, Joe checked that Adam was securely balanced and went to fetch Sport. He would rather have had Adam on his own trustworthy pinto than the flighty chestnut but there was no way Cochise could take both of them all that way and he knew he would have to ride with Adam.
Sport seemed to know that his master was in trouble and to Joe’s surprise he stood very still as Joe awkwardly helped Adam up onto the rock and then on to the horse.
Adam made no attempt to sit up straight, leaning over to ease the pain in his chest he gripped hold of the pommel and relied on his little brother to get him home.
Joe got the rest of their gear onto Cochise as fast as he could, not caring if he missed anything and then tied the pinto’s reins up confident that his horse would stay alongside his stable mate on the way home.
He led Cochise back over to Sport and mounted up behind his brother “Okay big brother you just lean on me and take it real easy I’ll get you home” Joe tried to sound confident, although he felt anything but. At first as his brother rested against him trusting him to get them home Joe felt grownup and thrilled by his brother’s confidence. Then he began to find the physical problems. Adam was heavy and his brother was beginning to feel really cold. Joe’s arms ached from holding him and trying to keep him steady and he just didn’t know what to do to warm Adam up. Joe didn’t dare stop, sure that he couldn’t get Adam back on Sport again and his brother had lapsed back into unconsciousness.
Joe suddenly realised that he had no idea how long he had been riding and he hadn’t eased the tourniquet again. He pulled Sport up and was sobbing as he tried to undo the knot and failed with the rawhide slippery with blood. At first as he heard his father’s voice say “Dear God what happened?” Joe thought he was dreaming but then he looked up and saw the one person in the world that he had prayed for.
“Pa he’s so badly hurt and I don’t know what to do.” Joe felt the tears sliding down his cheeks but he no longer cared. He didn’t want to be grown up he wanted someone else to tell him what to do.
Ben was scared by the blood he could see, his heart had felt like ice ever since he had spotted his sons both on Sport five minutes earlier, especially when neither even noticed his approach.
“The tourniquet I can’t undo it, it’s been too long.” Joe said urgently and Ben turned his attention to the first priorities “Okay we’ll cut it and then make a new one”.Ben had dismounted from Buck and he took his son’s unconscious body. He got Joe to ease Adam’s leg over the saddle so he could lay his eldest son down and see what was wrong. His quick inspection showed that Joe had done all that they could without proper medical supplies. Even the package Hop Sing had prepared, wasn’t sufficient for more than better pads, Adam needed Doc.
“Joe are you up to riding to town?”
Joe nodded “Of course I am.”
“Okay
as soon as I have this new tourniquet on you help
me get him on Buck and I’ll take your brother home. You cut across the
That scared Joe “Adam is gonna be alright?”
“Yes of course he is” Ben reassured his youngest son “but your big brother would be very cross, and rightly so, if we didn’t let him know that Adam is hurt.” He prayed that he wasn’t lying to Joe.
“I’ll
get Doc there as soon as I can
“Be careful son, no more accidents.”
Joe just nodded and headed off as fast as he could at least Cochise was fresh. Ben settled Adam against him as close as he could, hoping his own body heat would warm his son, very worried about his pallor and the coldness he could feel. Ben pushed Buck as fast as he dared wanting his son home in a warm bed. They had already covered several miles when Adam stirred “Easy son soon have you home and then we can make you more comfortable”
“Joe”
“He’s gone to fetch Doc”
“Not his fault”
“I know just an accident.”
“If, don’t” Adam fought for control “Not blame, self”
“Don’t try and talk. You’re going to be fine and I’ll look after your little brother, nothing for you to worry about.” Ben felt his son lean a little more into his father’s arms and seemingly relax back into sleep. He smiled grimly, despite his own injuries it was typical of his eldest son to be worrying about his brother. Adam had been doing it ever since Hoss was born and Ben was sure that he would continue to do so until his own death, hopefully a very long time in the future.
Hoss had spent a very pleasant day in town. He had arranged for the stores and then met one of his friends Pete in the saloon and spent an hour with a couple of beers chatting generally. He wasn’t going to have to head home via Bessie Sue’s as she had also been in town and very willingly accepted his invitation to lunch. Pleasantly full after some great fried chicken and three pieces of apple pie, Hoss had just said goodbye to her having arranged to pick her up for the dance. He was one his way over to complete loading the stores when he saw his little brother rush into town and head for Doc Martin’s. Hoss knew from the way that Joe was pushing Cochise that something was badly wrong and he broke into a run following his brother over to Doc’s.
Joe wasn’t even aware of Hoss, his mind set on getting proper help out to Adam and he ran into the surgery yelling for Doc Martin. He was in luck Paul was in the surgery having just cleaned and bandaged a badly grazed knee foran eight year old girl but he looked up to shush Joe not wanting him to scare the child. “There now Mabelle you’ll be just fine.” He gave her a candy for being a brave girl and then let her mother take her out before turning his attention to Joe. “What’s wrong Little Joe ”
Hoss had just come in and he heard his brother’s answer “It’s Adam, the tree fell on him and the saw cut him and he’s lost so much blood, he’s so cold.”
Hoss moved swiftly to put his arm round Joe, his little brother looked drawn and there was all too much blood on his clothes and hands. “Where is he Joe?”
Joe relaxed a little against his big brother “Pa met us he’s taking Adam home.”
Paul went to collect what he needed while Joe filled a few more details in for Hoss. The self-blame was evident in his voice and he shivered as he said “I wasn’t strong enough if you’d been there.” His voice tailed off and Hoss squeezed his shoulder “Don’t sound like I coulda done anything you didn’t. You got him free and you were getting him home afore Pa got there”
Joe wasn’t sure, if he had been able to act faster, maybe Adam wouldn’t have lost so much blood. For now he was just impatient to get back to his brother and he went out to harness up Paul’s buggy. Hoss begged a lift with Paul he would get one of the hands to come and get the wagon.
Joe was too impatient to wait for the buggy, knowing Doc would get there as fast as possible. He pushed Cochise on so that he could warn Hop Sing and get Adam’s bed warmed for him.
Joe was the first home but not by much, Ben had just pulled up in the yard and was considering the problem of getting his son inside when Doc’s buggy pulled up and Hoss ran over. Very glad to see his big son, Ben willingly did as Hoss suggested and let Adam slide into his big brother’s arms. Hoss carried him straight upstairs to his own room and Paul was on his heels concerned by his patient’s pallor.
Ben followed them telling Joe to stay out of the way for now and once Hoss had deposited Adam on the bed he found himself banished too. Doc contemplated sending Ben out but could see he would have a fight to do so and just told him to get the large scissors and they would have to cut Adam’s pants off. For the first time Ben saw the long ugly gash, very deep in places and he swallowed hard as he said “What do you think Paul?”
“Need quite a few stitches once I’ve cleaned it and he’ll need time to recover his strength, not quite as much blood as it looks diluted some by the rain.”
“He will be okay”
“Let me get him cleaned and stitched up Ben, Hop Sing can give me all the help I need. You go calm your youngest down.”
Ben did as he was told knowing he was leaving Adam in the best of hands but it wasn’t until he was halfway down the stairs that he realised that Paul had avoided answering his question.
Hoss and Joe were sitting side by side, close as though for mutual comfort, staring into the fire. As soon as Ben appeared they both jumped up. Ben tried to be positive “Paul is sewing up the cut in his leg”
“Is he gonna be okay?” Hoss demanded
“Take a while to get his strength back” Ben forced a smile “Takes more than a cut, however long, to really hurt Adam. You know what he says, to hurt him you’d have to kill him.”
Paul was more worried by the thready pulse and cold emanating from his patient than he wanted to admit but with Hop Sing’s help he began to rectify the damage. Cleaning and sewing up the cut, wrapping the broken ribs and wrapping hot blankets round Adam before turning his attention to the damaged right hand.
It was more than an hour before Paul was able to sit back, having done all he could. “Right Hop Sing let’s try and get him to drink some water first and then if he comes round some of your best broth.”
Hop Sing hurried out to get the broth and Paul checked his patient again. Reasonably pleased with what he found, he tucked the blankets a little tighter and went to tell the family how things were going,
All three were waiting at the bottom of the stairs as they heard him coming. Paul smiled “He’s warming up, all cleaned and bandaged. He may run a fever over the next couple of days and it will take time to rebuild his strength but he’s a lucky young man. Another couple of hours and it might have been a different story.”
“Can we see him?” Hoss and Joe demanded simultaneously.
“Just keep it quiet he hasn’t woken up yet.” The two didn’t need a second invitation and ran up stairs leaving Ben to speak to Paul. “He is going to be alright you didn’t answer my question before.”
“I wasn’t sure before. He has lost a great deal of blood and he’s going to need careful nursing for the next week at least. Make sure he’s not exposed to any infection but knowing Adam he will be up and around long before I expect and your biggest problem will be stopping him from overdoing it.”
Ben relaxed at that and then heard Hoss calling down “He’s awake, get that broth up here.”
Ben hurried up to find Adam resting against his big brother while Joe fed him some water. Adam was smiling faintly, everything hurt but he didn’t care he had made it home. He looked up at his little brother “Great job, Joe”
Joe swallowed hard “As you said we can do anything if we work together.”
The End