UNEXPECTED CHANGES
by Julie-Ann S.
**********************************************
Sacramento. The word seem to hang in the air as Adam
slowly lifted his head from the letter he had been reading. He stared blankly at the other men in the
room. They were talking about something
- he didn't quite know what it was. He
had stopped paying attention the moment he had seen who the letter was from.
Ben gazed at Adam and was concerned
by what he saw. His oldest son had the
look of a man who had the wind just taken out of his sails. "Adam?"
"Sorry,
Hoss cocked his head to the
right. "Yeah, you sure
did." He too, had seen that Adam
had been slightly shaken by whatever it was he had just read. "Pa's goin' to send Candy up there on
business."
"Business," Adam repeated
slowly. Yes, there was business in
Sacramento.
Not sure what to make of the way
Adam was acting, Ben continued.
"Yes, we're sending Candy up there with those two bulls that Ed
Bracks wanted for his herd. I was just
about to ask Hoss to go with him."
"I'll go."
Hoss stared at Adam in
amazement. "You sure Adam? Considerin' what happened between you and
Candy last week."
"I'm sure." Adam rubbed his chin a little as he
remembered. Candy had caught him
unaware. Common sense should have told
him that the foreman would have reacted this way when he found out.
As he watched his son, Ben couldn't
help but feel helpless. Adam was usually
a sensible man but he had the tendency at times to let his heart overrule his
head. His oldest son's involvement with
Jane Talbot had been one of those times.
Though he felt like doing something to fix the current situation, Ben
knew that he couldn't. Adam was old
enough to take care of his own affairs.
He nodded solemnly. "Can I
assume that the reason you want to go to Sacramento has something to do with
what's in that letter?"
Adam got up out of his chair. "Yes, it does." He went over to his father. "I'm sorry I can't tell you what it
is."
After glancing at the piece of paper
Adam held in his hands, Ben placed his hand on his son's shoulder. "I understand. The Secret Service isn't called that for
nothing."
"No, it isn't." Adam smiled briefly as he saw the look of
understanding in his father's face. For
a moment he considered telling his father the real reason why he had to go to
Sacramento. On second thoughts, he decided
that now was not the time. It would
better if his father and Hoss thought it had something to do with his work.
Hoss silently observed the exchange
between his father and brother. He could
see why Adam would want to go with Candy.
The disguise of going away on Ponderosa business would be perfect. However, that was not his main worry. He went over to the two men and placed his
hand on Adam's shoulder.
"Yeah. I understand too. Only problem we've got now is how to tell
Candy."
**********************************************
"He did what?"
"I done told you that already
Joe. Adam went to Sacramento with
Candy."
Joe gazed at Hoss in
exasperation. "Why didn't you stop
him?"
Hoss sighed heavily. "Adam had no choice. The Secret Service sent for him."
As he shook his head, Joe's mind
wandered back to the events that had happened recently. A few weeks had passed since Mitch Hawkins'
murder and it seemed that Jane Talbot had finally found the courage to tell
Candy about her relationship with Adam.
He had no idea what was said but it must have been bad. Candy had come home that day, grimmed-faced
and determined to confront Adam.
That night there had been a heated
argument outside in the front yard. The
three of them who had remained inside, were only able to capture snippets of
the conversation - whenever someone outside raised their voice a bit louder
than the other. The next day, Adam was
gone by the time he had come down for breakfast. As for Candy, he had spent most of the day in
complete silence, which suited Joe fine.
He wanted no part in what was happening between his brother and his best
friend. Towards the end of the day,
Candy had left early to go the ranch house.
By the time he, himself had gotten home, Adam had returned.
After taking a sip of coffee, Hoss
stared at the table. He too, had been
remembering what had occurred that day.
Adam had been in a bad temper upon his return from Virginia City. Even though his brother had been keeping his
emotions under control, Hoss could tell that he was mad. He had tried to reason with Adam for a minute
but it was of no use. Since there wasn't
much he could do, he had gone back to the book he was reading. He didn't notice that Adam had left until he
heard the sound of timber breaking. By
the time he got outside, Joe was getting off his horse. Together, they had managed to pull Adam and
Candy apart. Ever since then, the two
men had rarely been seen within three feet of each other.
"You know if we hadn't of
stepped in and broke up that fight when we did, who knows what might have
happened." Joe paused for a moment. "What reason did Adam give to Candy for
wanting to go?"
Hoss took another mouthful of
coffee. "Adam told him that he had
urgent business up there that couldn't wait and left it at that."
"I bet Candy wasn't too pleased
with the idea of spending a week on the trail with two cantankerous bulls and
Adam." Joe smirked at little at the
thought of that. "Too bad I wasn't
here to see it."
"Hmm." Hoss nodded.
"Let's just hope that this trip is what's needed to clear up any bad
blood between them. I know Adam's got
enough sense not beat the livin' daylights out of Candy while they're
gone."
Joe leant back in his chair. "Yeah, you're right Hoss. Don't see big brother doing anything that
will bring attention to himself while he's out and about on Secret Service
business. He'll probably wait till he
gets home."
A frustrated look appeared on Hoss'
face. "Like I said, I hope they
clear the air while they're gone. I
won't be in the mood to be breakin' up fights a month away from my
weddin'." He got up. "Time we got started with those
chores." Hoss waited for his
brother to join him and then the two of them made their way out together.
**********************************************
Candy stared briefly at the man
sitting on the other side of the fire.
They had been on the trail for five days now and would be in Sacramento
tomorrow. For the last one hundred miles
they had barely spoken to each other. In
fact, they spoke only when necessary.
The resentment he had for Adam Cartwright had now waned since the fight
they had nearly two weeks ago. All he
felt towards his employer's oldest son now was indifference.
He leant back on his bedroll and
gazed up at the stars. As he slowly fell
asleep, Candy thought about Jane. Where
was she tonight? When Jane had told him
about Adam, he had set about changing her mind.
No doubt, it was part of the main cause of why she had left Virginia
City so abruptly. She had obviously told
Adam what he had done - that's why the man had been so livid. He didn't regret his actions. She had kissed him back, confirming that she
was not totally in love with Adam and he wasn't about to let her go without a
fight.
Adam briefly glanced to his
left. He could see that Candy had fallen
asleep. Just as well - he wasn't in the
mood to talk. About half way into the
trip, he had decided to let Candy continue to think that his bad mood was due
to what had happened with Jane. In
reality, even though he still wasn't happy that Jane had left, it didn't matter. There was something more important waiting
for him in Sacramento.
This sudden turn of events was
unexpected. He had already resigned
himself to the idea that what was in place had been for the best. The death of the woman with whom he had been
dealing with changed all of that. The
request in her will had come as a complete surprise. She had despised him for what he had
done. On the occasion of their last
meeting, she had showed no signs of changing.
The reversal in her attitude probably had more to do with her making
peace with God, then with him.
As he placed his book back in his
saddlebag, Adam for a moment thought of Jane.
The few weeks they had spent together had been a welcomed change. He hadn't felt that way about a woman in
years. However, the feeling that it
wasn't meant to be, was getting stronger.
If Jane ever returned, he would think about it then. For now, she had to be put in the past. It was his present situation and the future
that would bring that was now the main focus of his life.
**********************************************
Five days later, Candy found himself
on the main street of Sacramento. Upon
their arrival in town earlier in the week, he and Adam had parted company. The plan had been to meet here today and then
leave for home. He snorted. At least he was keeping up his end of the
plan - Cartwright was nowhere to be seen.
As he looked at the clock in the
town square, Candy noted that his travelling companion was over one hour
late. He would give the man another ten
minutes to show up and if he didn't, well that was Cartwright's bad luck. After he had delivered the bulls to Bracks,
he had spent a couple of very enjoyable days taking in the sights and sounds of
the city. Now it was time to leave.
While he continued to wait, Candy
watched what was going on around him.
His thoughts centred on the journey ahead. He didn't want it to take any longer than
necessary. In his mind, the trip home
was bound to be a lot quicker since they weren't herding two bulls.
Suddenly, Candy's attention was
captured by two young ladies. As they
strolled passed him, he politely tipped his hat and smiled charmingly as the
two women acknowledged him. He continued
to watch the ladies as they made their way down the street. It wasn't until he heard the sound of a
buckboard coming to a stop right in front of him that he was finally diverted
from what he thought was a most pleasurable sight.
Adam stepped down onto the
sidewalk. He needed to make one final
check to make sure everything was properly tied down. When he had done so, he turned to Candy, who
now had a questionable look on his face.
No doubt, the man was waiting for an explanation. As he rubbed the back of his neck, Adam went
back to the front seat of the buckboard.
In a calm voice, he addressed him.
"Candy. I would like you to
meet Thomas."
Candy raised an eyebrow and turned
to the young child seated on the buckboard.
While Adam had been securing the ropes at the back of the buckboard, he
had time to study the child. There was
no doubt in his mind who the boy's father was.
It seemed that Cartwright had more than one skeleton in the closet. He approached the buckboard, extended his
hand and smiled. "Hi Tom. I'm Candy."
The boy gazed cautiously at Candy for
a moment and then held out his hand.
"Hello Mr. Candy."
After they had shook hands, Candy
watched as the child placed his hands back on his lap. He had already noticed that the boy was not
like other children. The child just sat
there straight as a board, looking very prim and proper. Candy smiled at him again. "So Tom, how old are you?"
Tom frowned. "Seven," he said quietly.
"Seven. You're almost a man." Candy grinned, which to his surprise brought
a small smile to the child's face. Then
to his bewilderment, the smile quickly disappeared the moment Thomas' gaze fell
upon his father.
Adam's heart sank a little. This was the first time he had seen his son
smile. For the past few days, he had
come to see that Thomas was quiet and withdrawn, speaking only when he was
addressed. The boy didn't even act like
other kids his age. Whatever Mavis
Langton had done and said to her grandson had obviously worked. His son was scared of him and he had no idea
how to overcome it. Perhaps by the time
they got back to the Ponderosa, Thomas might be a bit more receptive towards
him. What irked him now was that Candy
had already made more of an impression in a few minutes than he had done in
four days.
**********************************************
Three days into the trip back to the
Ponderosa, and to Adam's dismay nothing had changed. His son remained as aloof as ever - at least
when he was around. He thought again of
what had happened last night. He
remembered how he had returned from hunting that evening's meal only to be
greeted by the sound of laughter. Thomas
was giggling at something Candy had said but it had abruptly stopped the moment
the boy became aware of his father's presence.
All Candy did in response was raised an eyebrow and shrug his shoulders. The fact that Thomas seemed to prefer the
company of the foreman and not him was beginning to eat at him.
As he turned his head to his left,
Adam could see that his son was staring up at something in the sky. Adam looked up. An eagle flying overhead had gained Thomas'
attention. He lowered his head and
smiled a little. "It's a beautiful
bird isn't it?"
Thomas jumped the moment he heard
his father speak. He immediately averted
his eyes back to his lap. "Yes
sir. If you say so."
Adam frowned. He wished his father was here. Pa would know what to do and say. Nothing he said or did had any effect. Without thinking he placed his hand on Thomas
shoulder. As soon as he did it, he felt
the immediate reaction. The boy tensed
up. He dropped his hand and grabbed the
reins again with it.
He knew that he had made a
mistake. The boy wasn't ready for any
physical contact with him and for a brief moment he had forgotten that. Every part of him wanted to break through
Thomas' icy stance. After casting one
more quick look to make sure that his son was okay, Adam returned his attention
to the road.
Candy glanced back at the
buckboard. From what he could tell
Cartwright was not in a good mood. Sure,
the man had that calm and controlled look he almost always had but that was
just his way of dealing with things. He
knew Adam Cartwright would never give up on his son no matter how long it
took. From all the years he had known
the Cartwrights there was one thing he knew for sure - when it came to flesh
and blood, they loved unconditionally.
It didn't help matters much that Tom liked him better then his own
father.
**********************************************
Two days journey from the Ponderosa,
things changed drastically. Thomas
started to show signs of fatigue. At
first Adam put it down to the long trip but when his son started to complain
about a sore head and joints, he knew it was something more. Since they weren't that far from home and it
didn't seem life threatening, Adam had made the decision to keep going. Once he got the child home he would be able
to send for Doc Martin.
One day from the Ponderosa, Adam
realised that there was something wrong with Candy. He had been too pre-occupied with his son to
notice the foreman was experiencing the same symptoms as Thomas. It wasn't until Candy slumped while riding
his horse out in front of the buckboard that Adam realised the man wasn't well.
Upon their arrival home, Adam was
relieved to find Hank Collins working in the barn. The surprised ranch hand had cast a look at
the buckboard as he left to get the doctor, leaving Adam in no doubt the rest
of the hands would know by the next day.
Although he was sure that Collins hadn't had enough time to make the
connection, he knew that wouldn't stop any speculation that might arise.
After making sure that Candy was
fine, he lifted Thomas into his arms and made his way inside. The boy was asleep. Since he had become sick, he seemed not to
mind Adam touching him. Although it was
not the way he had wanted it to happen, this sickness was a blessing in
disguise.
As he approached the front door, it
flew open. Half-expecting it was his
father, Adam felt relieved to see that it was only Hop Sing. The cook, for a moment looked confused but
quickly took stock of the situation.
Adam started upstairs to his room.
"Where are the others?"
"Mr. Cartwright gone to
With Hop Sing's assistance, Adam put
Thomas to bed. "I'll change him
into his nightshirt later. Right now,
we've got another patient to get up here."
The two men went back downstairs and
outside. Candy, meanwhile, had somehow
managed to sit himself up and was currently making his way over the edge of the
buckboard. Adam and Hop Sing managed to
grab him just before he toppled over.
Candy grinned a little.
"Thanks. Here, I was
thinking that you'd gone and abandoned me."
Adam smirked. "The thought did cross my mind."
"I have no doubt that it
did." Candy glanced to his left and
smiled at Hop Sing. "I guess this
is a first."
"Not first for Hop Sing. When grown man sick - all same."
Candy groaned. He felt awful and nothing the two men on
either side of him, were saying were making things any better. Since he was too weak to protest, he decided
to let them escort him upstairs. Bed was
beginning to look real good.
When they reached the top of the
stairs, Adam was about to continue on to Candy's room, when Hop Sing stopped
him. He looked questionably at the
cook. "What is it?"
"Hop Sing not want two sick
rooms. One enough." He pointed to Adam's door. "We go in there. I make up cot for Mr. Candy."
The look on Hop Sing's face told
Adam that the man was serious. He was
just about to put up an argument when he realised that the cook had a point. No use spreading infection around the house
until they knew what Thomas and Candy had.
"Ok. We'll take him into my
room."
After they took Candy into the
bedroom, they sat him down in a chair.
Hop Sing stared at Candy.
"You stay. I go get cot. Be back soon."
"Don't worry. I have no plans for moving any time real
soon." Candy smiled weakly. The joints in his body were now aching bad and
he felt hot. All he wanted to do was to
lie down and sleep. He quickly glanced
at Adam, who was checking on his son. A
thought suddenly popped into his head which made him chuckle slightly. Until the doctor came, it looked like Adam
Cartwright would have to take of him and that would indeed be something.
**********************************************
"I think it's for the best
until they're both out of the woods."
"I understand what you're
saying, but no-one said I have to like it."
Doctor Paul Martin shook his
head. "Then you'll do it?"
"Yes I'll do it." Adam grimaced. "It's not like I had a choice anyway."
"No, you lost that when they
both became sick on the way home."
The doctor picked up his bag.
"With Hop Sing helping to look after the boy and Candy, you should have
no problems."
Adam nodded. He then placed his hand on the doctor's
shoulder. "Thanks Paul."
"No thanks needed. It's all part of the service." Paul began to make his way to the front
door. He then paused and turned around,
the look of concern evident on his face.
"Your father - he doesn't know about the boy."
"He doesn't." Adam rubbed the back of his neck. "I would appreciate it if..."
The doctor raised his hand to stop
Adam in mid-speech. "You have my
word." With that he continued to
make his way out.
Later, as Adam watch Paul drive his
buggy out of the front yard, he contemplated the situation. Chickenpox.
How on earth did his son and Candy catch the infection? The thought kept plaguing him as he made his
way back inside. Just as he was closing
the front a tingling noise echoed from upstairs.
Adam slowly began the trek to his
bedroom. The bell that Hop Sing had
given Candy was already starting to get on his nerves. Canaday had obviously been told that in order
to keep the infection from spreading, that he and Hop Sing were the only ones
who was going to take of the patients.
Adam had no doubt that the foreman, no matter how sick he was, was going
to milk it for all it was worth.
**********************************************
The next morning, Adam woke to the
sound of a bell ringing. He moaned as he
got out of bed and put his clothes on.
Just as he was putting on his shirt, the bell stopped. As he sat on the edge of his bed to put his
boots on, he felt a great deal of gratitude towards Hop Sing. For a moment he wonder if the cook, too, was
regretting giving Candy that damn bell.
As he walked down the hall, Adam met
Hop Sing at the door to the bedroom.
"How are our patients this morning?"
"Little boy and Mr. Candy not
eat very much. Not sleep well
either. Still no sign of spots."
Adam peaked his head inside the
bedroom. He watched for a moment as
Thomas and Candy took tentative bites of the oatmeal Hop Sing had prepared for
them. He could see that his son was
studying the foreman and imitating his actions.
The child only ate after he had seen Candy do it. Still feeling unsure of what to do, he closed
the door gently behind him and started to make his way down the stairs.
When he had reached the landing, his
thoughts were interrupted by the good morning his own father greeted him
with. "Morning Pa," Adam
replied and promptly made his way to the table.
Ben watched Adam take his seat. There was something bothering his oldest
son. He was sure of it. "So, Adam how was the trip?"
"The trip was fine." Adam stared at the food on his plate. It was best to wait for his father to
initiate the conversation that they were building up to.
"I see Hop Sing took two bowls
upstairs." Ben took a sip of
coffee. "When I asked him who they
were for, he said they were for two sick people. He told me one was Candy."
"That's right. He somehow caught chickenpox while we were in
"Hop Sing said as much."
In order to gather his thoughts a
little, Adam ate a piece of bacon before he continued. "Yeah.
Doc Martin tended to him yesterday.
He asked that Hop Sing and I look after him.
"I understand that he is in
your room."
"Yes. I had no choice. Paul doesn't want the infection to
spread."
As he looked at Adam, Ben felt a
little frustrated. His son apparently
was avoiding telling him about the second person in his room. "I assume that the other patient has
chickenpox as well."
"He does."
So, it was another man in the room
with Candy. Ben took another sip of
coffee. If he was going to get a
straight answer from Adam, he would have to be direct. "When I asked Hop Sing about the other
patient, he said that I would have to ask you.
So now I'm asking."
"It's a child." Adam gazed into father's face. He may as well as get it over and done
with. "My son."
Ben raised in his eyebrows in
surprise. He stared at his son. "Your son?"
Adam abruptly stood up. "I'm sorry
"Are you sure he's your
son?"
"I'm sure."
"How old is the boy?"
"He's seven years
old." Adam took another deep breath
as he collected his thoughts. He looked
straight at his father. "It
happened on one of the last trips I took to
"The boy's mother?"
"She died when Thomas was
nearly a year old. His grandmother, Mavis
Langton looked after him until recently."
He knew the next question his father was going to ask. "No, we weren't married."
As he studied his son, Ben wondered
how much more information Adam was going to give him. He could see that Adam was having a hard
time. "I won't press you about this
Adam. You know my views. When you're ready you can tell me the
rest."
Adam smiled. "Thanks
**********************************************
Candy watched the expressions fly
across the face of Ben Cartwright. His
employer was standing at the door to the bedroom in accordance with the orders
from Doc Martin. Mr. Cartwright had
introduced himself to his grandson but had stopped short of telling the child
the full truth.
Seeing that Ben needed some help,
Candy spoke up. "Tom, Mr.
Cartwright here is your grandfather."
After a few moments, Thomas turned
to face Ben. "Good morning,
Grandfather."
The way Ben had reacted told Candy a
lot. Adam obviously hadn't told his
father everything. There was a whole lot
more to this. He remained a silent
observer as the other two conversed for a few minutes. The conversation was polite and formal.
When they had finished, Ben looked
at Candy. "How are you feeling
today?"
"A little better but not out
the woods yet." Both he and Thomas
had improved since yesterday. It was
only a matter of time before the dreaded spots started showing up.
"Good to hear." Ben again took a look at his grandson. The boy was watching him, no doubt trying to
work out what type of man he had for a grandfather. What worried him most was Thomas'
behaviour. The child was not like other
children his age. Hopefully, Adam would
be able to explain it.
When Ben left a couple of minutes
later, Candy noted the change in Thomas.
The boy seem to be more relaxed when he wasn't around his
relatives. In a way, he felt sorry for
Adam. Whoever had raised the boy knew
what they were doing. It reminded him of
his own childhood and how manipulative an adult could be where a child was
concerned. As for Thomas, if anybody
could repair the damage that had already been done, it would be the
Cartwrights.
**********************************************
"What do you want now?"
Candy snorted. "That's a fine way to talk to your
patient."
At this point in time, Adam didn't
care how he talked. He was about ready
to shove that damn bell down the throat of the man who held it. For the last few days he had been at Candy's
beck and call. Sometimes it was for
legitimate reasons and other times it wasn't.
After casting a glance at Thomas, who was watching intently, he once
again looked at Candy and nodded.
"Sorry. What can I do for
you?"
"That's better." Candy smiled.
"What I would like is a glass of water."
Adam raised his eyebrow. "You have a whole jug of water on the
table next to your bed."
A look of mock surprise appeared on
Candy's face. "I do? Must be still feeling the effects of the
fever."
"You'll be feeling the effects
alright." Adam mumbled.
"What was that?"
"Nothing." With that Adam went over to Thomas and sat on
the edge of the bed. "Would you
like a drink of water?"
The boy nodded and Adam reached over
to the table beside the bed and poured him a drink. As he watched his son sip the water, he noted
the child's appearance. The spots had
started to appear early yesterday and were now covering most of his body. Things hadn't change much since they had
arrived home. The only bright spot was
at least his son didn't jump every time he touched him. It was going to take some time and
remembering the advice his father gave him - a lot of patience.
As he got up, he took a quick look
at Candy and didn't like what he saw.
"Will you stop that."
Candy stopped mid-scratch and smiled
weakly. "Sorry, but I'm itching
like crazy."
"You'll have to learn to
control yourself," replied Adam in
a sarcastic voice. "If you
can."
"If I can? I have more control than most men."
"Really? Shame you didn't use it the other day."
Knowing exactly what the man was
hinting at, Candy chose to remain quiet.
He didn't need to explain his actions to his rival. Things concerning Jane were currently at a
standstill. However, once he got over
this damn chickenpox, he knew that this temporary truce would be over.
**********************************************
Adam stood on the front porch as he
watched Joe ride away. His brother had
only been home a few hours when they received word about some trouble up at one
of the timber camps. Joe, quickly sizing
up the situation at home, had volunteered straight away to go up there to check
it out. In a way, it was a bit of a
relief. He still hadn't gotten around to
fully explaining things to his father.
It had been nearly a week since they had returned from
After Joe, had disappeared from
view, Adam made his way to the bench. He
needed to think about how much he should tell his father about that night. She had been so hard to resist. The way she had made him feel had been hard
to ignore. The woman had been temptation
in the flesh.
It was hard to believe that it was
almost eight years ago. He remembered
that he had decided to spend one more night in
The noise of a horse approaching,
broke Adam out his thoughts. He got up
to greet the rider. "
Ben dismounted. "Things are fine. There's a couple of new families in
town." He tied his horse to the
hitching rail. "How are our
patients?"
"They're doing fine. Hop Sing is seriously thinking about tying
Candy's hands." Adam grinned a
little as he contemplated the idea.
"I see." Ben laughed.
"And the boy?"
"Thomas, thankfully listens to
what I tell him. I think it's because he
still fears me in some way."
"Adam," Ben frowned.
"Why do you call him Thomas?
I've heard Candy call him Tom and the child seems to like it."
Turning away from his father, Adam
shrugged his shoulders. "I don't
know why."
As he studied his son, Ben toyed
with the idea of stepping in. If he
interfered, it could do more harm than good.
Adam had to do this on his own.
He placed his hand on Adam's shoulder.
"All I can offer you is advice.
What you do with it is up to you."
"Thanks
The two men walked over the front
porch and sat down on the wooden bench.
Adam, then told his father about the night he had met Felicia Langton
and the events leading up to the birth of Thomas. As he listened, Ben could see that his son
had regretted his actions. "It must
have been hard for you to leave the boy with his grandmother."
"Not really." Adam glanced at his father, to gauge the
man's reaction. "Just before she
died, Felicia sent for me. She asked me
to let her mother keep the child. Mavis Langton
seemed to be decent and loving mother, so I granted her, her last wish."
"Then you did what you thought
best at the time."
"I did. If Felicia had lived then she would have kept
Thomas with her. Besides when she died,
I was on my way to the ship that I served on for those few months. Later on, my work with the Secret Service got
in the way." Adam stood up, went
over to a post and leant on it. "I
guess I wasn't prepared for the responsibility of taking care of a child that I
really didn't want."
"A child that you didn't
want?"
"I know it sounds bad but
that's the truth. I made arrangements to
pay for his upbringing and made that sure he got anything he needed but that
was about it. At that point in time, I
had no problems leaving him with his grandmother."
Ben nodded. "When did you realise that you had made
a mistake?"
"Last year. I hadn't seen Thomas since the day Felicia
died. After I caught up with Cody
Wallace and brought him back to
"It looks as though you've been
given a second chance." Ben smiled
as he got up. He went over to Adam and
placed his arm around his son's shoulder.
"I can't say that I am pleased with the way you handled things but
what is done is done. I know that you
will be a good father."
Adam half-smiled at his father. "Thanks
The two of them stood there in
silence until the sound of bell tingling interrupted the mood. Adam rolled his eyes and made his way
inside. Ben smiled as he watched the
retreating form of his oldest son. The
way Adam had handled this situation was unfortunate and he wished that Adam had
told him about the child years ago. At
least he was safe in the knowledge that he given Adam the things he needed to
meet the challenge of raising his own son.
***********************************************
"How much longer do I have to
stay here?"
"Not go till tomorrow. You sick long time." Hop Sing picked up the tray that was on the
table next to Candy's bed. "Then
you scratch. Now you pay."
Candy stood up. "But I feel fine. What difference is a few spots going to
make?"
Hop Sing studied the man standing in
front of him for a moment. "Spots
on face make lot of difference. Men see
and think they get sick. Mr. Cartwright
don't want crazy men."
"I suppose you have a
point." Candy sighed. "At least I'm back in my own room that's
more than I can say for Adam."
"Mr. Adam get his room back
yesterday. Put little boy in own
room." Hop Sing turned to walk
out. "Little boy get better quicker
than Mr. Candy."
Before Candy could answer, they were
interrupted by the appearance of Hoss at the doorway. "Hey, I hear you've got to stay in here
until tomorrow."
"Yeah I do. Hop Sing thinks it's for the best."
"Hop Sing not make
decision. Mr. Adam says doctor tell him
that you stay till spots all gone."
"Really?" Candy frowned. Something was beginning not to feel right
about this whole situation.
Hoss nodded. "Yep.
That's what I heard too."
"If I didn't know any better
I'd think that there was a conspiracy."
"A conspiracy? What's all this talk about a
conspiracy?"
Hoss turned to greet his
father. "Hi
"Now you here Mr. Cartwright,
you can explain." Hop Sing nodded
once and walked out of the room.
After having made the path clear for
Hop Sing to leave the room, Ben returned to the entrance. He smiled.
"I'm afraid you have no choice Candy. Doctor's orders."
"Hmm. Did Doc Martin tell you this himself?"
Ben looked thoughtful for a moment
and then shook his head. "No, not
personally. He did tell Adam."
"Just as I thought." Candy threw his hands up into the air. "It is a conspiracy. Adam just wants some payback."
Hoss' head poked around the corner
of the doorway. "Hang on a
minute, are you sayin' Adam is
deliberately makin' sure you stay cooped up as some sort of revenge?"
"I'm saying exactly that."
As he raised his hand in a stopping
motion, Ben stared at Candy. "Do
you honestly think that Adam do something like that? The only reason that you're staying confined
for another day is that some of the men aren't as educated as the rest. Any sign of chickenpox is more than likely to
create some trouble."
Candy lowered his head and rubbed
the back of his neck. Nothing he said
was going to make him get out any quicker. "I guess you're right. I hadn't thought of it in that
way." He sat back on the bed. Even though he wasn't fully convinced, there
was a bright side. Adam would be still
at his beck and call. A smile began to
creep back on his face as moved his eyes to the bedside table.
Satisfied that Candy knew the reason
why he had to stay indoors for another day, Ben was about walk away when all of
a sudden Candy, started to move frantically all over the bed. "Anything wrong?"
Candy's head shot up. "No.
Nothing wrong," he then went
back to whatever it was that he was doing.
Ben and Hoss just looked at each
other and smiled. The two of them then
left without saying another word. A
short time later a distinct noise caught Candy's attention. He slowly lifted his head and moved his eyes
towards the doorway. To his dismay, he
found Adam standing there, with a smug grin on his face. Adam nodded once and left and as he watched
the man leave, Candy heard the sound of a bell ringing.
**********************************************
"Nice night for a party."
"Sure is." Hoss took a deep breath. "Now that Candy's up and about, when do
you think he'll get his revenge."
Adam smiled. "Don't know for sure. I'd keep a careful eye out though. He's bound to have figured out that we were
all behind his extra day in bed."
"Yup. I don't regret it though. We were all sick of that constant bell
ringin'."
"Yeah." Adam glanced around the front yard and then
returned to brother. "Say isn't it
about time you go back inside to your fiancé?"
"I reckon so. Her dance with Pa would have finished by
now."
"Keep your eyes open for
Candy." Adam winked at his brother.
"Yeah, I sure will." Hoss patted his brother on the back before
returning inside.
For the next few minutes, Adam was deep
in thought. His son had been up and
about for a couple of days now and things hadn't changed that much. Thomas was still reserved amongst most of the
family members, including himself. The
only good thing was that the boy had started to relax a little when Hoss was
around. He snorted. Hoss had a way with kids that he had always
admired. Too bad his brother was getting
married in a month's time - he needed all the help he could get.
The sound of the front door opening,
brought Adam out of his reverie. When he
saw who it was, a slight look of concern appeared on his face.
Candy smiled and held up his
hand. "It's okay. I'm not planning anything tonight."
"That's a relief."
"I figured it's time we had a
talk."
"A talk?"
"Yeah. It's time we sorted out some things,
especially where Jane Talbot is concerned."
Adam raised an eyebrow. "I see."
Seeing that the man he was talking
to was going to keep his cards to himself, Candy nodded. "I had a lot of time to think over what
happened. Jane Talbot is a grown woman
and she is capable of making up her own mind.
Right?"
"Right."
"So then, if and when Jane
comes back, I say we leave her alone."
Candy shifted uncomfortably. This
was a little harder than he thought it would be. "What I'm trying to say, is that we let
the lady decide for herself."
"I can live with
that." Adam could see that it was
the only thing left to do where Jane was concerned. He didn't want to make her any more unhappier
than she had already was. It was time to
resolve the situation between him and Candy.
"As for you and me - how about we call a truce? Let's just agree to get on with each other
and leave it at that."
"Sounds good to me." Candy held out his hand.
The two men shook hands. When they had finished, Candy made his way
back inside the house. He was passed on
the way by Ben, who was now headed towards Adam. He had seen Candy go outside and had decided
to check up on things - just in case.
"
"Adam," Ben cocked his
head backwards. "Have you and Candy
have sorted out your differences?"
"We have."
Ben felt the relief wash over him
and smiled. "That's good. How about coming back inside and enjoying
what's left of this party. I'm sure
Annie would like to have a dance with her future brother-in-law." He put his arm around his son's shoulders.
"Yeah, why not." Adam grinned.
He would have plenty of time to think later. One thing was certain - it was going to get a
lot harder before it got any easier. As
he followed his father inside he just hoped that there wouldn't be any more
unexpected changes for quite some time.
THE END
NOVEMBER 2004