" Only Helping A Friend "
part four
By: Lynne G.
"It's not good Hop Sing. I wish to God I could say that Little Joe will be alright, but I can't. He has lost so much blood, and his body is in shock. We can try hard to rebuild his blood by giving him water with sugar and a tiny bit of salt in it, but I honestly can't say it will help. I'm really scared Hop Sing, so very scared for this boy," Dr. Paul Martin told Hop Sing as he had tears beginning to fill his eyes.
Hop Sing slowly nodded as the tears fell from his eyes. He kept hoping and praying that this was just a dream, a horrible dream, but it wasn't. This boy on the bed meant everything to him, and he couldn't bear life without him.
As Paul continued to operate, he had stitched the blood veins that had been torn as the bullet had entered the boy's body. The bullet had taken a downwards path as it continued into Little Joe's chest. It finally embedded itself in one of the boy's ribs.
Paul was able to remove the bullet without any trouble. He was extremely thankful the bullet hadn't hit the main artery to the heart, which would have killed the boy almost instantly. It had been so close to that artery that it made Paul feel ill.
Luckily, Little Joe's rib wasn't broken when the bullet hit it, but it did have a tiny crack in it.
Once Paul was able to repair the damage that had been done by the bullet, one of which was the puncture to the boy's lung that the bullet had caused, he began to stitch up the bullet hole very carefully. He did leave a small tube in the hole so the wound could drain some more.
When Paul was finished, he looked up at Hop Sing and softly said, " We can only hope and pray that Little Joe can survive this. I was amazed that the bullet had just missed the main artery to his heart. It was just so close Hop Sing." Paul was exhausted as he sat down and he put his head in his hands and he closed his eyes for a couple of minutes.
Hop Sing stood there as he looked down at the extremely pale boy whom he loved with all his heart. He ran his fingers through Little Joe's hair, and he whispered, " Fight Little Joe fight with everything you have to survive."
Paul took a deep breath and he looked up at Hop Sing and explained that he was going to keep Little Joe in a drug induced sleep for a few days to keep him from moving around in his bed. Paul hoped that the boy would live that long.
" Hop Sing know this. I stay with Little Joe. You go talk to family now," Hop Sing told Paul. Paul smiled at Hop Sing and replied, " Thank you Hop Sing, and thank you so much for all your help. I couldn't have done this without your help. God, I wish I had possitive news about Little Joe, but I don't. This is the hardest part of being a doctor having to tell a family that their loved one might not survive."
With that said, Paul slowly walked out of Little Joe's room and he walked towards the stairs and down to face his best friend and his other two sons. He was dreading what he was about to explain to them.
As soon as Paul walked down the stairs, Ben, Adam and Hoss nervously looked at Paul trying to read his face.
" Paul, how is my boy?" Ben asked quietly. " Ben, Adam, Hoss, lets sit down and I'll explain everything," Paul suggested.
Paul looked at each Cartwright, took a deep breath and he prayed that he had the strength to tell them that Little Joe probably wouldn't survive and he knew that that news would hit them all extremely hard.
" Ben, Adam Hoss, I am not going to lie to you, but I don't think Little Joe is going to survive this. God, I wish I had good news to tell you, but I don't. The only two good things are, was that the bullet didn't hit his heart or the main artery to the heart." Paul started.
" The bullet did puncture the top part of his right lung, and it did tear several small blood veins and it also tore through some muscles, before it embedded itself in one of his ribs, which did cause a slight crack to that rib. I was able to stitch his lung, and all the blood veins that were torn, plus some of the muscles as well."
" Little Joe is extremely weak, but the thing that bothers me the most, is that the boy has lost entirely too much blood, and his body is in shock, which doesn't help at all."
" I am going to keep him in a drug induced sleep for a few days to keep him as still as possible so that he doesn't tear any of the stitches loose."
" He does have a slight fever now, which is to be expected, but if he comes down with an infection, it will kill him. He doesn't have the strength to fight that. I hope and pray that he does make it long enough to survive this. I'm so sorry Ben that I don't have better news for you all. The main thing is, that we need to get as much water with sugar and a tiny bit of salt in it in him in order to rebuild his blood. He also needs to be given broth every four hours to help give him the strength he needs so badly."
" I don't want him left alone at all. Keep him warm and as comfortable as possible and make sure to watch for any sign of an infection that could start. I put a small tube in the bullet hole so the wound can drain, and I did show Hop Sing how to keep that in the boy's chest incase it should come out. Again Ben, I am so sorry that I don't have better news for you," Paul explained.
Ben, Adam and Hoss were completely shocked by everything Paul had just explained to them. Then could tell that the bullet wound was bad, but they didn't expect it to be that bad. They didn't even want to think that they could lose Little Joe. That boy was their life, the heart of their family.
" Paul, please don't let my boy die. I can't lose him. I just can't," Ben cried as Paul put his arm around Ben's trembling shoulders.
" Ben. I'll do everything within my power to save Little Joe, but we also need a lot of prayers too," Paul told the shocked family.
" Can we go and see him?" Ben softly asked as he looked at Paul through his tears. Paul smiled at Ben, and said, " Yes, spend as much time as you want with him. I don't want him left alone at all. I'll be staying here for a few days to help you with him."
Little Joe lingered between life and death, but closer to death than life. The boy was fed sugar water as often as possible, plus broth every four hours. Hop Sing had put different kinds of Chinese herbs in the broth that he knew would help Little Joe.
As the hours went by, Little Joe showed no signs of infection setting in which Paul and the Cartwrights were very thankful for, but his slight fever did continue.
Paul
was
able to make a few trips into
Little Joe's body was fighting as hard as it could to heal itself, as it still had a very long fight ahead.
While Paul was in town, he sent a telegram to Morton Connor and explained what had happened to Little Joe. He asked the Connors to pray for the boy.
The Connors were completely shocked when they received the telegram from Paul. Little Joe was very special to them, as the boy had helped reunite their family after so many years.
Morton began to plan special prayer services for Little Joe that would start that evening. He also dreaded having to tell Ty what had happened to Little Joe. He knew that that news would be very hard on his youngest son as it was on he and Mary. Morton also wrote a letter to Ben.
He wanted Ben to know about the special prayer services for Little Joe and about how special the boy was to him and his family.
When Ty came home from work that day, Morton told him about Little Joe. Ty almost passed out by the news. He was shocked and he wanted to go to the Ponderosa to be with the boy whom he thought of as a little brother to him.
Morton suggested that they wait until Little Joe was better, then they would all travel to the Ponderosa to see the boy. Ty agreed to that, even though he wanted to be with Little Joe and help him.
As the days went by, Little Joe was still closer to death than life. Paul was surprised that the boy was still alive, but he knew that Little Joe was fighting as hard as he could.
The entire time Little Joe lay near death, he was with his mother, Marie. She told her son all about her life from the time she was a little girl and about how she felt about Ben, the first time she had met him.
"
Mama, did ya like Pa the first time ya saw him?" Little Joe asked. " Yes I did
honey. He was so nice and so considerate for a man being from the
wild
west, and he was such a gentleman as well. Much more so than the
men I
had met in
I was afraid to fall in love with him at first thinking that he wouldn't love me back, but after talking with him and spending time with him, I did fall in love with him. It was a love that I had never felt before, and I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him."
" He told me all about the Ponderosa, the mountains, the lake, and all about Adam and Hoss. Then he told about Elizabeth and Inger. I just couldn't believe what a strong man he was to have suffered the tragic loss of his wives," Marie told her son.
" What did ya think of the Ponderosa the first time ya saw it mama?" Little Joe asked as he looked into his mother's green eyes.
" Oh sweetheart, I thought it was the most beautiful place on earth. The air was so fresh, like nothing I had ever smelled before. I couldn't believe how tall the trees were. To me, they seemed to touch the bright blue sky."
" Then, there was the lake. I have never seen so many different shades of blue in a lake before. It was just incredible !" Marie explained.
" Mama, what did ya think about Adam and Hoss?" the boy asked as he loved being held in his mother's loving arms.
" I loved them both at first sight. They felt like my own sons, and I couldn't wait to get to know them better. Hoss was so sweet and so loving. He would bring me little presents, which I cherished with all my heart."
" Adam, on the other hand, was harder to get to know. He couldn't seem to get close to me, but I just took it slower with him, in order to give him the time he needed to be able to accept as part of the family. He could be rude at times, but after you were born, and he saw you for the very first time, I saw something in him that I had never seen before, and that was pure love on his part," Marie explained as she smiled at that memory from sixteen years ago.
Little Joe had tears in his eyes as he listened to what his mother had just told. " I sure do love it hear mama. I feel so nice and warm and I dunt hurt no more. Best of all, I'm here with ya mama. I love ya so much and I dunt ever want to leave here. Please let me stay here with ya mama," the boy pleaded.
" Sweetheart, I don't know if you can yet baby. We'll just have to wait and see. I would love to have you stay here with me forever, but as I said, we will just have to wait and see if that is possible now," Marie said as she held her precious son in her loving arms.
" Paul, is there any improvement with Little Joe yet?" Ben soflty asked as he held his son's limp smaller hand in his own larger hand.
With a sad look on his face, Paul replied, " No Ben. I'm sorry to say. He is getting weaker by the hours now. Ben, Adam, Hoss, Hop Sing, I don't think it will be much longer now. God, I wish he would show some signs of improvement, but he hasn't. He's so exhausted and he has given it everything he has Ben. I'm so sorry," Paul very tearfully told everyone in the room.
" Please Paul please don't let my baby die ! Are you sure there isn't anything else to try? My baby can't die. He's so young. Oh God, please don't take my boy from me. I need him so much. Oh Little Joe, I love you so much son. Please don't leave me !" Ben cried hard. Paul, Adam, Hoss and Hop Sing tried their best to give Ben comfort, but he couldn't stop crying.
Hoss went over to one of the corners in his little brother's room and he collapsed to his knees and he cried his heart out. Adam quickly went over to him and he sat down next to Hoss and he put his arms around his younger, but larger brother, and they cried together.
" Adam, we can't lose our baby brother ! We just can't !" Hoss cried. " I know Hoss. God, I wish there was something we could do to help him. I love him so much and I wish I had told him that more often," Adam softly said as he continued to cry and hold Hoss.
Paul's heart was breaking for the Cartwrights. " This boy can't die, he just can't God. Please let him live, please," Paul quietly prayed.
Hop Sing had just returned to the room with a glass of sugar water, and more special herbs in it. He sat down on the bed and he began to spoon the water mixture into Little Joe. The boy naturally swallowed every bit of the water. Then Hop Sing put the glass down on the bedside table and he began to pray very softly in Chinese for Little Joe. No one heard Hop Sing as they were all praying as well.
Ben had received the letter from Morton Connor and he was very thankful for all the extra prayers that were being said for Little Joe. Ben hoped and prayed that all those extra prayer services would help his youngest son.
To everyones surprise, Little Joe was still alive that next morning. No one thought that he would survive through the night. Paul gave the boy another exam and he discovered that the boy's heart sounded a bit stronger than it had the night before, and that his breathing was a little better sounding as well, but he still wasn't out of the woods yet.
" Ben, Little Joe's heart and breathing sound a little better this morning. I really didn't think he would survive through the night. I hope and pray that this means he is going to make. It is still much too soon to know for sure though, but at least this gives us more hope," Paul told the Cartwrights and Hop Sing, as he smiled at them.
" I just know he will be alright now Paul. I can feel it in my heart. Thank you God. Please continue to let him get better, please," Ben happily replied as he now had a smile on his face, the first smile he had had in a long time.
Adam, Hoss and Hop Sing finally felt a bit better in their hearts as well, and they would continue to pray hard for the boy.
" My son, as much as I love having you here with me, it is time for you to go back now my darling. My Ben, Adam, Hoss, Hop Sing and Paul need you to come back to them. They need so badly sweetheart. I will always watch over you at all times, and I want you to remember that. I am so proud of you baby for the way you have lived your life so far, and that includes all of your mischief too. I love you my precious son," Marie tearfully told her son, who was crying as Marie held him tightly.
"
Mama, I dunt wanna
go back,
but I see how much they all need me. I have never seen my family
crying
so much or being so sad. I guess they love me, epsecially
" Little Joe, don't you ever forget son, that your family loves you so much, especially your father. Don't worry my son, even when they get upset with you and they say things that hurt you, they love you more than life itself. They love baby," Marie said.
As the day went on, no one left Little Joe's bedside. The boy was beginning to show more color in his skin instead of the grayish paleness he had been, and he seemed to be breathing much easier as well.
As his family, Paul and Hop Sing watched him very closely for any sign of movement, they noticed a very slight fluttering of his eyelids.
" Hey Pa, his eyelids fluttered !" Hoss excitedly shouted. " Yes I can see it. Little Joe, please sweetheart open your eyes for me," Ben pleaded over and over, as he took hold of the boy's hand, and he kissed it.
Ben suddenly opended his eyes wide open as he gasped, " He just moved his fingers !" Paul quickly listened to Little Joe's heart and he got a big smile on his face. " His heart is nice and strong again Ben, and his breathing is back to normal now. Thank God, he's going to make it. Thank God !" Paul almost shouted with great relief in his voice, as tears of happiness poured down his face. There wasn't a dry eye in the room.
Paul looked at Ben and explained, " He is incredibly weak, and with lots of time, and Hop Sing's wonderful broth at first before solid food, he will get strong again. I know we want him to get strong fast, but as I said, it will be a long time yet before he is back to normal."
Finally after over almost two weeks, Little Joe slowly opened his eyes and he blinked several times as he looked at everyone standing by his bedside, and he managed a tiny grin, which was like a miracle for his family.
" Welcome back sweetheart. Thank you for coming back to us," Ben happily declared as he ran his fingers through the boy's hair, and he had a big smile on his face too.
Little Joe tried to say something to Ben, but his whisper could barely be heard.
"
Hi
Pa," the boy whispered. Ben almost had his ear on Little Joe's
mouth
to be able to hear those two sweet words "
" Hi yourself son. Don't try to talk too much until you get stronger. You need to save all your strength," Ben told his son. Little Joe grinned again as he closed his eyes and fell alseep with that tiny little grin on his face.
With tears running down his face, Hoss asked, " He's really going to be fine then, right doc?" Hoss had a big smile on his face as he looked down at his peacefully sleeping little brother. With a big smile, Paul replied back, " Yes, he's going to be just fine Hoss."
They all thanked God for letting Little Joe live. They would never forget that magical moment when the boy opened his eyes and looked up at them with that cute tiny grin on his face. At that moment, they all knew that the boy would be fine.
" Give him broth every four hours yet. You will have to wake him for that. He will be sleeping most of the time, which is what he needs so badly yet," Paul happily said. " Don't worry Paul, we will all take good care of him," Ben replied as he kissed his son's forehead.
When
Paul
returned to
As the Connors were sitting down for lunch, they heard a knock on the front door. Ty went to see who was there, and he was handed the telegram from Paul. After Ty had given Wilber a tip for bringing the telegram, Ty handed it to his father.
Morton quickly opened it and he read it. As a huge smile erupted on his face, he told his family what the telegram said. " Thank God, Little Joe is going to be just fine with a lot of time and rest. The telegram is from Dr. Martin. " Morton had tears in his eyes.
" Oh thank God. That is wonderful news !" Ty shouted. " Yes, thank God !" Mary cried. It was a big reflief for all of them that Little Joe, who meant so much to them, was going to be just fine.
" I'll make the happy announcement at church tomorrow," Morton declared. " Thank you God for saving that special boy," Morton added.
Little Joe was surprised at just how weak he was. He couldn't even turn himself in bed, and all he wanted to do was to sleep. Just eating exhausted him.
Marie came to her son as he slept. She kept explaining to him that he would be stronger as time went along. She also told him not to rush his recovery or he would have a relapse. Little Joe promised her that he would do everything Paul told him to do, and that he would get a lot of rest and eat what he was fed. He couldn't wait to be able to feed himself, but know even that would take time.
As the days went by, Little Joe felt a little stronger. He still hadn't been out of bed yet. He was hoping that he could get out of bed soon though.
Everyone was surprised that he didn't complain about not being able to get up yet, especially Paul That was a first for Little Joe Cartwright.
Finally the big day came when Paul said that Little Joe could sit on the edge of his bed and dangle his legs, and if he wanted to try to stand up, then he could.
Just sitting there like that felt great to Little Joe, but he still felt weak. He finally decided to try to stand up, but he realized that he still wasn't strong enough for that just yet. That would be his next goal he decided.
With help from his family by holding him, he was able to walk around his room one day, but that had exhausted him. He thought, " At least its'a start." He was happy about that.
After several more days, Little Joe was able to walk around his room without any help, and he was so excited that he shouted out in joy. His family was also happy for the boy.
He was carried downstairs by family members everyday. It was wonderful for him to be able to eat with his family at the diningroom table again. He was able to slowly walk around the first floor of the large log ranch home. He was still exhausted by doing that, but he did feel a tad stronger almost everyday.
A few days later, one afternnon, Little Joe was sleeping on the settee, there was knock on the front door. Ben knew who was there, and he knew that Little Joe would be thrilled at his visitors, the Connors.
Ben opened the door and he smiled at Ty, Morton and Mary. " Please come. It is good to see you again Ty. I have been looking forward to meeting you Mr and Mrs. Connor. I can't thank you enough for all your special prayers and pray services you had for Little Joe. We almost lost him," Ben explained.
" Please Ben, call us Morton and Mary," Morton suggested. " Alright, I will," Ben replied with a big smile on his face.
" Ben, you have a wonderful looking home. It's just like Ty described to us. Tell me Ben, how is Little Joe?" Morton and Mary asked.
" He is still weak, but he is getting stronger everyday. Thank you for asking. Ben instantly liked Ty's family at first sight.
" Ben, we can't you enough for inviting us to come for a visit," Mary said. " It's my pleasure. I know that Little Joe will be so thrilled to you again," Ben replied.
" We have to tell you also Ben, that you have a wonderful son. He is so caring and loving for a boy so young. He made me see how wrong I had been about Ty, and that a person should never give up on a family member or friend. You must be so proud of him Ben," Morton explained.
" Yes, I am very proud of him. Do you know that he took a bullet that was meant for me? " Ben said. Ben realized as he heard what Morton had said about not giving up on a family member, how wrong he had been with Little Joe, and he was so thankful that his son had forgiven him.
" No, we had no idea that the boy took a bullet that was meant for you. That is the most unselfish thing to have a son do that something like that. That shows what a deep love that boy has for you Ben," Morton told Ben.
" Yes, it is. That is the way our family is. We would willingly put our own life in danger if it meant saving a family member. I have been blessed with having three wonderful sons, Ben happily said.
Ben walked over to his sleeping son. " Little Joe, wake up son. You have visitors," Ben said as he slowly shook the boy's shoulder.
Little Joe opened his eyes and he was surprised that he had fallen alseep. He smiled at Ben and sheepishly said, " I guess I sorta fell asleep." The boy sat up and yawned.
" Hi Little Joe," Ty happily greeted his young friend as his parents did too.
Little Joe was so surprised to see his friends again and he gave them all a big smile.
" It's so great to see you all again. I dun't know ya was comin' ta see me. I'm so happy that you are all here. What a wonderful surprise !" Little Joe almost shouted in excitement.
" It's wonderful to see you again too honey. You certainly had all of us worried sick about you," Mary told him as she gave him a big hug and kiss.
With tears of happiness in his eyes, Little Joe thanked them for all the prayers and prayer service that they had had for him. It was very emotional for the boy as he looked at his friends. He didn't try to hid his tears from anyone in the room. Ben, and the Connors all had tears of emotion too.
" How do you feel Little Joe?" Morton asked. " I'm doin' fine, but I still get really tired though. Guess it will just take a lot of time ta get back ta normal though," Little Joe replied.
" Just don't try to rush your recovery now," Mary suggested. " Oh, I won't. Dunt want no relapse, " Little Joe replied with a smile on his face.
As soon as Adam and Hoss arrived back home from ranch chores they were happy to see Ty again and to meet his parents.
Hop Sing had made a special dinner that night, and he too was very excited to meet Ty's parents, and to thank them for all the prayers for Little Joe.
Over the next several days, Little Joe and the Connors talked about all kinds of things. Little Joe was so happy that Ty loved his job working for his brother, and that Ty was very happy with his life now.
Little Joe wished that he would have been able to show the Connors all the sights of the Ponderosa, but he knew he couldn't do that yet. He didn't have to worry as Ben, Adam and Hoss showed the Connors everything that Little Joe would have shown them.
Ty's family was impressed at the Ponderosa, not only for it's size, but also for all of it's beauty as well. They had heard about the Ponderosa from Ty, but until they saw it in person, it was hard to imagine at how it looked.
All too soon, the Connors needed to get back home. They had truely enjoyed their visit very much and they continued to wish Little Joe a speedy recovery.
The Connors were never told about Ben not allowing his son to come back home. It would never be mentioned again.
It took two more months for Little Joe to totally get back to normal and be able to return to work, for which he was very grateful for. He sort of did miss doing his chores, but he would never tell that to his family.
To Little Joe, he realized at just how close he had come to death, but to him, it was worth it, because he had saved his father's life that night, the night he was shot.
His family was the most important thing in Little Joe's life, and he thanked God for sparing his life and also for his family.
The End.