POW 183
by
Lynne C

Mercifully, Joe was unconscious for most of the journey back to the
Ponderosa. When Adam and Hoss had finally found him, more dead than
alive, their elation at seeing him was soon swallowed up by their
despair at his injuries. Despite the fact that Joe was now in his mid
twenties and Adam was nearly forty, Joe would always be his kid
brother and whenever Joe was hurt, Adam felt guilty. He always thought
that it was his responsibility, as the eldest son, to keep both Joe
and Hoss safe. He knew this was an irrational way to think, as he
hadn't even been within fifty miles of Joe, when the young man was
injured, but he couldn't help himself.
Ever since that day, over twenty-five years ago, when, as a
twelve-year-old, he'd first held his youngest brother in his arms,
he'd felt an incredible urge to protect the boy. Adam already knew all
about being a big brother, as Hoss had been born when Adam was six,
but now that he was older, he saw his role much more clearly defined.
`You're gonna need an awful lot of supervising,' he thought, as he
gazed into the baby's eyes, and was met with what could only be
described as a defiant stare, although Marie had told him that
new-born babies couldn't see too well. `This one hasn't read the
books,' thought Adam. `Joe's not only focusing on me, he's looking
into my head. He knows what I'm thinking, but I know what he's
thinking, too. I think that you and I are gonna have plenty of spats,
as you grow up, little one.'

And Adam had been proved right. The little boy, from babyhood,
captivated and exasperated his oldest brother, in equal measure. Joe
adored Adam and followed him around, as much as he could. Even when
Adam was performing a task, which was too dangerous for Joe to be a
part of, the boy always endeavoured to be close by. He also loved
being with Hoss and his father, but there was no doubt about the
special bond, which existed between the eldest and youngest Cartwright
son. Marie put it down to the fact that Adam had assisted in Joe's
birth. Joe decided to arrive early and Ben was not around when he
began to make his presence felt. It was left to Adam to hold his
stepmother's hand and try and keep her calm, until his father and the
doctor arrived. By the time they did, Little Joe was just about to be
born and the first person to hold him was Adam.

As Adam now rode alongside the travois that carried his brother's
inert body, he prayed that they would get Joe home in time to save him.

Only the day before, Joe and Ben had enjoyed their breakfast, as they
contemplated the homecoming of Adam and Hoss.

"I sure will be happy to see those two back here, Pa," said Joe. "Even
though it will mean having to start fighting for my food, again. It
has been nice being able to eat at a more leisurely pace, knowing that
big brother isn't about to inhale and consume all the pancakes, but
the workload is really wearing me out. I was too tired even to ride
into Virginia City and enjoy a few beers, on Saturday night."

Ben smiled.

"As I recall, you were in bed by nine. I haven't known you do that
since you were about fifteen, or so."

"You're probably right, Pa. I hate getting out of it, once I'm in it,
but also hate going to bed, once I'm up."

"Don't I know it? When you were a boy and were ill, I always had a
real problem trying to get you to stay in bed."

"Poor Adam must've read his entire library to me, just to keep me in
bed," said Joe. "And Hoss exhausted every magic trick and every silly
joke he knew, to try and keep me happy."

"Yes, they were pretty good at entertaining you," said Ben, with a
chuckle.

"And I always tried to repay their generosity, by doing the same for
them. Do you remember how I nearly drove Adam insane, telling him the
story of The Ugly Duckling, as it was the only one I knew, all the way
through, when I was three? And how I tried to make Hoss breakfast in
bed, when he was poorly? I was around six, I think, and it must've
been the worst meal he'd ever tasted, but to spare my feelings he ate
some of it."

"It's a wonder he didn't become even sicker, after he did," said Ben.
"The toast was burnt to a crisp, the eggs were practically raw, and
the bacon looked like sticks of liquorice."

"And the coffee was so strong you could stand the spoon up in it,"
recalled Joe, laughing at the memory. "Anyway, I'm certainly missing
their strong backs, right now, and so I'm very glad they will be home
soon. I still don't know why you let both of them go on a vacation, at
the same time."

"Aw come on, Joe, they deserved it. They'd worked really hard on that
timber contract and the least I could do was allow them to have a few
days of fun in San Francisco, after finalising the deal."

"Yes, I guess they did deserve a break. But I ain't earned mine yet,
as I still have a couple more horses to round up before the Army
contract will be fulfilled. I might end up having to camp out
overnight, so don't worry if I don't get back, okay? But I'll
definitely be home by tomorrow, as I don't wanna miss out on the feast
that Hop Sing's bound to be putting together, to welcome home those
brothers of mine. I best get going, bye Pa," and Joe left the table.

"Bye son, take care and God bless," said Ben, as he always did when
any of his boys were going away from him.

Ben didn't begin to worry about Joe, until late afternoon, on the
following day. Adam and Hoss returned from San Francisco around
lunchtime and caught up on all the news over the dining table.

"Where's Joe?" asked Adam.

"He's out catching the last of the horses for the Army," said Ben.
"But he promised to be back to sample that roast pork Hop Sing's
planning for supper, this evening."

"Oh good, I've missed him," said Hoss. "Not that I ain't had a great
time with Adam, ya understand, but ya know what thissen's like fer
opera and art and such like. At least with Joe along we tend to do
other things."

"Mmm, like fighting in saloons and throwing tables at mirrors above
bars. Very stimulating, I must admit," said Adam, raising a sardonic
eyebrow.

"Not all of the time," said Hoss, although he knew that he couldn't
deny doing such things. "Anyway, you ain't no saint. What about that
night I hadta drag ya outta that gamin' club, afore ya got plugged
full of holes."

"Erm, that was just a misunderstanding," said Adam, anxious to gloss
over the incident. Even at his age, he still hated having to explain
his actions to their father. He knew there wasn't much Ben could
physically do to him; he was rather too old for a trip to the barn,
but he still hated to see the look of disappointment or concern on
Ben's face and know he was the cause. "Come on Hoss, let's get the
chores done, so that when Joe gets back we can enjoy a nice family
dinner."

Adam and Hoss finished all the chores and there was still no sign of
Joe, so they decided to go out and look for him. They had a good idea
of the area he was likely to be in, and assured Ben and Hop Sing that
they would be back in time for that dinner.

"He's probably corralled the horses and gone into town to impress some
girl with his boyish charms," said Adam, more to reassure their
father, than anything.

Not that Ben was fooled, as none of them really thought Joe had done
that. Maybe a younger Joe might have, but the boy was now a man and
one that any of them would stake their life on.

Eventually, when Adam and Hoss did find their brother, they fervently
wished he had been in a saloon, losing nothing more than a few dollars
in a poker game. The reality was that he'd almost lost his life.
As he'd been searching for the horses, he'd come across a very sad
sight. A mare, somewhat late in the season, had given birth to a foal
and the poor little thing hadn't even drawn its first breath, before
mother and baby had been attacked by wild animals. As Joe checked over
the mare, which was still alive, but not likely to live much longer,
and the remains of the foal, he guessed that the culprits were wolves.
Before he was able to draw his gun and put the distressed animal out
of her misery, he too was set upon by a wolf, which was obviously
trying to protect its kill from the interloper, Joe.
He fought as best he could and eventually managed to shoot the animal,
but was too badly mauled to get on Cochise and ride for home. For the
rest of the day, until Adam and Hoss found him, Joe spent his time
trying to keep a small fire going, in order to keep the other wolves
at bay, and firing at them, if they did venture too close. They were
obviously wary, when they found the carcass of their dead companion,
but he only had a few bullets left, when Adam and Hoss arrived and was
fighting a losing battle to stay awake, after losing so much blood
from the wound in his leg.

Adam and Hoss made short work of finishing off the wolves that were
foolhardy enough to remain, after the brothers got there, and then
they set to and fashioned a travois to transport Joe back home. They
cleaned him up, as best they could, and were relieved to find no trace
of rabies in the dead wolves, and that Joe's wounds showed no sign of
infection.

It seemed to take an eternity to get back to the ranch, but once they
were there, the Cartwright medical team, that is Ben and Hop Sing,
pulled together like a well oiled machine, and soon had Joe settled in
his bed. Doc Martin was sent for and praised them for their efficiency.

"I couldn't have done much better myself," said Paul, after he'd
examined Joe. "You did all the right things and now it's down to that
amazing Cartwright constitution to get this young man well again. And
knowing Joe like I do, I doubt if that will take too long."

Joe, who was now awake, managed a slight grin.

"I'll be back in the saddle within the week," he said. "I still havta
catch one more horse to fulfil my contract."

"No worries, buddy, leave that to big brother," said Adam, patting
Joe's hand.

"And while you're recuperatin' I'll show ya some new magic tricks I
learnt when we went to a show in San Francisco," said Hoss, winking at
Ben, who had told him of the earlier conversation he'd had with Joe.

"Okay, brother," said Joe. "And thanks Adam, for saying you'll catch
that last horse for me."

"Any time, but Hoss, please don't try the trick where the guy got sawn
in half," said Adam.

"No thank you, the wolf almost managed that one and I don't fancy a
repeat of that experience," said Joe, making them all laugh.

Fortunately, Paul's words were very true and Joe was soon well enough
to go with his brothers to deliver the horses to the Army.

THE END

Little Joe forever
Lynne
July 28th 2005

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