A Hard Lesson
Written by: Starlite
The sorrel bucked and thrashed wildly about the dirty corral, throwing its
head from side to side. Fighting the bitter tasting steel held tightly
in its mouth, the frightened horse pulled violently against the restraining
rope. Sweat formed to glisten upon the well-defined muscular flanks
of the wild stallion while its struggles continued.
Adam Cartwright pointedly ignored the encouraging shouts and whoops of excitement
from the spectators near the corral. He fought to maintain his sole
concentration on the task at hand. Heel down, grip rein tighter, shift,
spur, toe…
"Ride 'em Adam!" Sitting atop the corral fence Joe Cartwright excitedly
cheered, awed by his oldest brother's skill at bronc busting.
"Yore alright, yore fine Thunder!" Standing safely behind the fence
nestled between his little brother and father, Hoss shouted reassuring words
to the terrified stallion.
Adam felt a shift to the left and tried to adjust his position in the saddle
to accommodate. He hadn't anticipated the craftiness of his mount when
the animal suddenly reversed its direction, unseating him and throwing him
into the air. Caught somewhat unaware, Adam fell to the dirt covered
ground and landed hard upon his right side.
Pain lanced through his hip and down his right leg. Dazed by the sharp
stab of shooting agony, Adam lay motionless sprawled out face down in the
center of the corral.
Ben Cartwright marveled at his oldest son's ability to ride the bucking
stallion. He could only beam with pride while watching his son's magnificent
ride. His heart rose into his throat when he saw his firstborn fall
and didn't immediately get back up. Quickly climbing over the fence,
Ben sped toward his fallen son, with his younger sons on his heels.
Shaking his head to clear the cobwebs, Adam pulled his sore body onto his
knees. He was none to pleased to be abruptly hauled to his feet by strong
hands that seemed to appear from nowhere.
"You alright boy? You're not hurt?" Ben anxiously inquired giving
his son the once over, but not seeing any obvious cuts or scrapes.
"I'm fine, let me go." Hating the public display of affection from
his doting father, Adam pulled away from the restraining grasps and stepped
forward.
Lancing pain once more coursed through his right hip to his back then raced
down his leg. The leg weakened by the sharp tendrils failed to support
Adam's weight and he fell heavily to his knees.
Now even more worried about his oldest son's welfare, Ben again grabbed
Adam's upper arm. This time to keep him from moving about. While
Hoss hovered nearby, ready to assist his father should he need him.
"Joe, get the doctor." Ben barked the order over his shoulder not
sparing his youngest a glance. He was trying to insure that Adam didn't
attempt to stand or free himself once again from his grasp.
As quickly as he could, Joe started to run for the corral fence to do his
father's bidding.
"Stop right there, Joe!" Adam countermanded, once more struggling
to get to his feet while trying to remove his father's offending hand.
Turning he addressed his father with a stern tone. "Pa, I'm fine and
I don't need a doctor."
Hearing Adam's demand, Joe stopped his pace. Turning around, he started
to walk back to where his family sat and kneeled upon the dusty ground.
"Do as I say young man, get Doc Martin!" Angry at having his instructions
revoked by his eldest, Ben angrily commanded ignoring Adam's plea.
Making an abrupt about face, Joe again began his dash for the corral fence.
"Joe stop!" Hating the way his father was treating him like some small
child. One more time Adam tried to stop what he considered a useless
trip for Joe and the Virginia City doctor.
Joe's feet once again came to a screeching halt creating a small dust cloud
that rose upwards causing him to cough. Waving his hand before his face,
he hoped to clear away the dirt that threatened to affix itself inside the
nostrils of his nose. In annoyance and feeling like a yo-yo, Joe spun
around to address his family.
"Joseph, now!" Casting a steely-eyed glance toward his oldest son
as he continued his struggles to rise from the ground. Ben made it
clear what his decision was, and that it was final.
Seeing that his father had the matter in hand, Joe once again made his way
for the gate. Gracefully, he easily cleared the top rail using his hands
to vault his body over the fence. Hurdling onto Cochise, he spurred
the horse into action and directed him toward town.
*************
"Look Pa, it's just a bruise," Adam bitterly complained. He resented
the way his father and brother, Hoss, had practically carried him from the
corral up to the house. He was even more annoyed by the coddling and
prying of his well-meaning family.
"Yeah, and it sure is a mite biggon." Hoss helpfully added holding
the sheet back to examine Adam's injury.
"Do you mind!"
Adam slapped away the large annoying hand that wasn't helping matters much.
He snatched the sheet from his brother's hand and recovered his lower body
to once again hide the injury from his father's discerning view, and also
to regain some semblance of his dignity. Turning an annoyed glare from
Hoss, Adam closed his eyes and raised his right hand to pinch the bridge of
his nose in frustration. After taking a deep calming breath, he once
more attempted to reason with his father.
"Pa it's nothing, please it's just a waste of Paul's time." Adam pleaded.
"Let me be the judge of that."
The arrival of a new authoritative voice into the room quickly drew the
attention of Adam, Hoss and Ben.
"Paul, I'm so glad you’re here. He's hurt that hip…" Rising to greet
the town doctor, Ben guided the man over to Adam's bedside.
"I see." Paul Martin was well familiar with the hip in question and
could understand Ben's concern.
"It's just a bruise." Petulant and severely perturbed, Adam endeavored
to remain calm.
"Well then, you won't mind if I take a look." Paul Martin evaluated
his patient's mental state with a practiced eye. He placed his medical
bag onto the nightstand and frowned, he clearly recognized Adam Cartwright
was in a foul mood.
Adam made a sharp sweep towards his right side with his hand before firmly
crossing his arms over his chest. "Go ahead, everybody else has."
Casting a disgusted glare toward his younger brother Hoss, whose eyes rose
in a 'what did I do?' look.
"If you'll excuse us gentlemen." Doc Martin directed with a slight
nod of his head toward the open doorway.
Understanding completely, Ben lead the way from Adam's bedroom followed
by Hoss who made a point of ignoring his older brother's irate stare.
Reaching the doorway, Hoss pushed Joe ahead of him into the hall before pulling
the door closed behind them.
*************
"You can come back in now Ben." Paul Martin bellowed from the doorway
to Adam's room. Rolling down his sleeves he walked back to his
medical bag on the nightstand and snapped the valise shut. He didn't
have to wait long for Ben and his other boys to appear.
"How is he?" Ben anxiously inquired, looking first to his son, now
dressed in his freshly starched striped nightshirt, then to the family doctor.
"It looks just to be a bad bruise." The doctor pronounced slipping
his coat on.
"See, I told you."
Ben could tell that Adam's nasty disposition definitely hadn't improved.
"I said it looks like, I didn't say it was." The physician corrected,
he didn't care for his patients giving second opinions of his diagnoses.
He could tell he now had four sets of confused eyes staring in his direction
from different locations in the room.
"Is it or isn't it just a bruise?" Hoping for clarification, Ben probed
the doctor for a more exact explanation.
"I said it looks to be. I didn't find the hip to be broken, but it
could still be cracked or fractured. There's no way of telling at the
moment." Doctor Martin explained, hoping to clear some of the confusion.
Ben nodded in understanding and looked to Adam, whose disappointment, showed
clearly upon his face.
"Just keep him in bed, and I'll be back to check on him in a couple of days."
Paul Martin instructed giving his patient a thoughtful glance then placed
his hat firmly on his head.
"Thanks Paul." Ben gratefully responded, nodding to the doctor as
he turned to depart.
"Doc." Both Hoss and Joe acknowledged the doctor as he left the room.
Ben returned his full attention back to his oldest son and recognized the
all too well scowl he found. It was his oldest son's version of a full-blown
sulk. Smiling at his eldest's frustration and knowing how Adam hated
being wrong, Ben sat down in the chair beside the bed.
"Adam, son you know you can't take any chances with that hip." Ben
tried to placate his son, hoping to make some type of amends. Even though
he had always disagreed with Adam's assessment of his injury.
"Pa, it's fine, trust me." Adam pleaded; he despised being treated
like an invalid.
"I trust you fine son, it's that hip I don't trust." Giving
his son a warm fatherly smile, Ben pointed a finger towards Adam's injury.
"Why don't you trust his hip?" Curious that he was missing something,
Joe pushed away from the wall near the door where he'd been leaning, and approached
the bed. Carefully he sat down next to his injured brother.
"Yeah Pa, what's wrong with it?" Hoss too didn't understand what his
father or older brother was alluding to. Perching his large frame on
the foot railing, he looked to his father and brother for an explanation.
With a slight tilt of his head and raising his black eyebrows in a silent
inquiry, Ben solemnly gazed at his oldest. It was up to Adam if he chose
to tell his younger brothers, he would not.
Seeing his father pass the floor to him, Adam gazed to Little Joe's intensely
inquiring hazel green eyes. Glancing to the foot of the bed, he found
the crystal blue ones of Hoss's calmly waiting for some type of explanation.
Shrugging his shoulders in acquiescence, Adam dipped his head to the right,
staring subconsciously toward his hip before clearing his throat to speak.
"Really it happened such a long time ago. I was what…"
"Eight!" Ben abruptly added wanting his son to remember just how young
he really was when it happened, just how young and naive.
"Yeah, I guess I was eight."
*************
Adam rolled over and stared at his three-year old brother. He couldn't
believe how much noise that one somewhat large toddler could make while sleeping.
Carefully he eased his small frame out of the bed they shared, so not to awaken
Hoss. Adam walked over and plopped down on one of the hard wooden benches
to the table, which was located in the center of the cabin. Adam snorted
in annoyance, there was only one thing his baby brother liked more than napping
and that was eating.
Propping his elbows on the small table before him, Adam rested his chin
in his hands. I don't see why I have to take naps, I'm not a baby like
Hoss, I should be out rounding up strays with Pa, he harrumphed to himself.
He rolled his eyes when Hoss firmly planted one chubby thumb into his mouth,
then started suckling before wrapping a chubby arm around Adam's pillow to
draw it snuggly to his pudgy chest.
Bored with watching his little brother sleep, Adam glanced about the small
one room cabin he shared with his father and Hoss. Finding nothing of
interest, Adam left his napping sibling and headed out into the warm sunshine
of the Indian summer day. He wandered about the small yard studying
some of the late blooming wildflowers and bugs before something caught his
eye down at the small corral located not too far from the cabin.
Looking back toward the cabin where his brother slept, Adam contemplated
his next move. Feeling that Hoss would probably sleep for another couple
of hours yet, Adam decided he had plenty of time to visit the corral and be
back before either his father returned or his brother awoke.
Running, Adam slid to a stop at the corral gate. He watched in awe
as the bay stallion trotted lazily around the enclosure. The animal
was the most beautiful thing Adam had ever seen. Its graceful moves
held the young boy spellbound.
Adam stood and studied the horse while it put itself through its paces,
before realizing there was a saddle still sitting high upon the horse's back.
Adam knew his father had been working to tame the stallion, and was growing
impatient with his father's slow progress.
Afterall, all you had to do was sit in the saddle, Adam reasoned, what was
so hard about that?
Feeling all of his eight, almost nine, grown up years; Adam decided to help
his old father out and finish the chore of breaking in the horse. Walking
over to the corral gate, Adam carefully opened and closed the entrance.
"Whoa there boy," Adam softly spoke to the horse like he'd seen his father
do.
The tall strong horse dipped his head and turned a large brown eye, giving
the small boy its full attention. Without resistance, it allowed the
child to lead it over to the railing of the fence and stood patiently while
the boy climbed to the top rail.
With great ease, Adam lowered his small frame onto the back of the enormous
horse to rest lightly in the big saddle. He felt his body slightly jerk
as the horse took a step forward, before feeling the pull of the reins in
his small hands. Adam wondered what the big deal was in taming this
horse, while the animal easily sauntered into the center of the corral.
Without warning Adam felt the strong buck of the horse as its hind legs
flew high into the air and land sharply upon the front. The swift movement
caught the boy totally off guard, and Adam found his body sailing high into
the air over the big animal's head. Still surprised and stunned, Adam
crashed onto the ground, striking hard upon his right side. The frightened
boy was unable to stifle the cry that was emitted from his lips when the pain
coursed through his body. Scared Adam stared upward at the menacing
horse that towered over him. The horse snorted in derision as though
the lesson was complete and returned to the side of the corral.
In sheer tormenting pain, Adam tried to draw his body up to stand.
He knew he needed to get out of the corral and away from the horse.
Trying to pull himself onto his knees, he found that his right leg wouldn't
respond and fell back onto his side. A strangle groan escaped his mouth
and bitter tears coursed down his face as intense agony rushed over him.
Unable to stand or walk, and now unable to crawl, Adam began to pull himself
from the corral.
*************
Ben Cartwright rode into the small yard of the cabin he shared with his
two small boys. He was hot and covered with mud and sweat after spending
the majority of the afternoon wrestling to free the few head of cattle he
owned from a muddy bog. He was looking forward to a hopefully cool and
quiet evening with his sons.
Dismounting, Ben glanced toward the open doorway to the small shack and
shuttered as some type of paternal six sense warned him that something was
definitely amiss. Rushing forward he stopped at the entrance to his
dwelling. There, still sleeping peacefully in his bed with his right
thumb secured between his lips, was his youngest boy Hoss. His oldest
boy, Adam, was nowhere to be found. Returning to the yard, Ben scanned
the nearby area for his child. His heart lurched as he saw the raven-haired
head and small form, clad in a red checkered shirt and faded denims, slowly
pulling itself along the rocky ground toward him. Ben raced toward
his son calling out his name.
Adam looked up at the sound of the familiar voice and felt enormous relief
mixed with anxiety wash over him. He was grateful that his father was
there and could help him, but he dreaded what his father would do when he
found out about him riding the horse.
Within moments Ben reached his injured son and kneeling took the small boy
into his arms. With his thumb he gently wiped some of the tear-streaked
dirt from the boy's soft silken cheeks, while he searched the young boy's
face and body for injury.
Adam hissed in pain when his father gathered him into his arms. It
took all of his control to fight the urge to cry out. Exhausted by his
agonizing exertions and now feeling safe in his father's loving embrace, Adam
drifted into unconsciousness.
*************
"Ya broke yore hip?" Hoss was amazed, being so young at the time,
he never knew.
"Bet ya got the tanning of your life for riding that horse?" Joe prodded
and teased. He relished the thought that his sensible oldest brother
had gotten into some type of dumb trouble. The same type of trouble
that Adam was always riding his case over.
"No, no actually he didn't. Considering the circumstances, I figured
he'd been punished enough." Mentally, Ben sadly recalled the vision
of his beloved firstborn's suffering over being bed ridden for months with
his leg splinted and hip strapped unable to move. He could also remember
the torture that Adam endured as he struggled to learn how to stand, then
walk and finally run again.
"Oh, I got punished alright." Adam corrected, "I pay for it every
time the weather changes, or I've spent a long day in the saddle or some
ornery beast decides to dump me on my sorry backside."
Joe and Hoss nodded in silent understanding; they had both broken bones,
which caused them grief when the outdoor climate grew wet or cold.
Little Joe looked to his oldest brother in a newfound understanding.
He now understood some of his brother's moods and dispositions. Often
through the years he watched his brother while Adam struggled to stand, sometimes
thrusting his chest forward, then twisting at the waist in an awkward angle
to his hips and legs. He now realized the pain his brother must be enduring
to stand in his hip shod way, or to take each agonizing step. Joe also
understood the sorrowful expression he found upon his father's face, when
his Pa clenched his fists until the fingers turned white in distress, over
his inability to help or assist his fiercely independent son.
It was a hard lesson that Adam had learned at a very young and tender age.
He also reasoned why Adam was always so bossy and protective of him, Adam
was just trying to prevent him from making the same mistakes. Vowing
to cut his oldest brother a little more slack in the future, Little Joe decided
it was time to lighten the growing somber mood.
"Say, anybody up for a little horse riding. Adam's gonna show us all
how it's done!" Teasingly the youngest Cartwright broke out into a silly
giggle, until he felt something soft and fluffy, in the form of Adam's pillow,
smack into the side of his head knocking him ungracefully to the hardwood
floor.
The End
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