Half Brothers!
By No1butjoe
Disclaimer - I don't own Bonanza or any related characters. No monetary gain is being made from this.
Summary - Joe asks Adam the meaning of the words "half brother". Can Adam explain it correctly so a ten-year old Joe can understand?
Adam Cartwright was the first to notice the change in his youngest brother. Normally a cheerful, happy-go-lucky boy, ten year old Little Joe Cartwright had recently become subdued, only speaking when being spoken to. He rarely ever smiled and, surprisingly, did his chores without even being asked. It confused Adam for several reasons, but it also worried him a great deal. He vowed to get to the bottom of it.
"Adam, can I ask you something?"
Little Joe had just gotten home from school two hours ago and was working on his homework from Miss Jones when he spoke. Sitting in the blue chair by the fireplace reading a book, Adam looked up.
"Sure," he replied, setting the book aside.
Little Joe dropped his pencil onto the paper he had been writing on before sliding out of his chair and walking slowly over to Adam. A frown was on his face, as if he was thinking long and hard about something. Adam waited patiently for his question. Finally, Joe looked up at his older brother and took a deep breath.
"W-What's a half brother?" he asked, his voice soft and shaky.
The question startled Adam for a moment. Out of all the questions Joe could've possibly asked him, he hadn't even considered that one. He remained silent for a moment or two, pondering how he'd answer without upsetting Joe.
"Where did you hear about that?" he asked, instead.
Little Joe looked down at his boots, fidgeting a little and placing his weight on one foot, then the other. Adam knew this was a sure sign that Joe was nervous.
"M-Miss Jones said it," he replied, quietly. "S-She said that you, me, and Hoss are all half brothers. W-What does it mean, Adam?"
Adam sighed and closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair.
"A-Adam?" Joe's voice came again, causing him to look up once more.
Tears were beginning to form in the younger's eyes as he struggled to hold them back. Adam didn't say anything, but a frown appeared on his face as he wondered what was wrong.
"D-Does being half brothers m-mean that we're n-not really brothers?"
All of a sudden, it dawned on Adam. He knew what had his little brother so upset and quiet lately. He had been keeping this inside of him all this time, unsure of what was true and what wasn't. Sitting up a little in the chair, Adam turned to Joe.
"No, Little Joe," he replied to the question. "You, Hoss, and I are all brothers. Nothing can change that."
A sniff came to his ears as Joe wiped his nose with the back of his hand.
"T-Then why did Miss Jones say-" he started to protest, but Adam interrupted him.
"Because Miss Jones doesn't know what she's talking about, Little Buddy," he said, smiling a little. "Just because someone says something doesn't instantly make it true. Why did you wait so long to ask?"
"I-I was afraid that you'd tell me she was right," Joe answered, looking down at the floor.
Adam shook his head.
"Well, she isn't," he repeated firmly. "Yes, you and I are half brothers and so is Hoss, but that's just a title. It means that we all have different Ma's but the same Pa. Do you understand, Little Joe?"
He didn't answer from the longest time. He was still looking down at his boots, as if the answers were there.
"Joe?" Adam asked.
"S-So it's t-true?" came his little brother's choked up voice. "W-We're only half brothers?"
Adam took a deep breath. This is what he had been afraid of. That Joe would misunderstand what he said. Silently, he wished that Miss Jones had never said anything.
"Little Joe, listen to me," he ordered, gently.
He waited until the boy was still, a sign that he was listening.
"Half brothers is just a title," he started to explain. "Just like "Bank Teller" or "Sheriff". It's just a way to describe something differently than it was originally described. Now, let me ask you a question. Do you love me, Pa, and Hoss?"
Joe's head jerked up at that question, a hurt look in his eyes as well as surprise.
"Of course I do!" he practically shouted.
Adam nodded and smiled.
"I thought so," he said.
"What kind of question was that, Adam?" Joe demanded, anger lacing his words.
"A necessary one," came the reply. "Joe, do you remember Stanley Barret?"
Joe's face scrunched up into a frown as he tried to think back. Finally, he nodded.
"Stan? Yeah, I remember him. Why?" he asked, confused as to where his brother was going with this.
Adam smiled.
"Do you remember how he was adopted by the Wilkersons?" he questioned again.
Again, Joe nodded.
"Being half brothers is kind of like that, Little Joe," Adam went on. "The Wilkersons loved Stan like he was their own. They didn't treat him any different than their other children, did they?"
This time, Joe remained thoughtful. After a few moments, he shook his head.
"They loved him, Little Buddy," his older brother spoke, softly. "Just like Hoss and I love you. You are our little brother, regardless of us having different mothers."
Adam could clearly see the tears appearing in Joe's eyes and freely running down his face. Unlike before, these were tears of joy, not sorrow.
"Y-You mean it, Adam?" he asked, eagerly and expectantly. "You ain't joshing me, are ya?"
Adam placed a hand on Little Joe's head, ruffling the curls sitting there.
"No, I'm not joshing you," he reassured him. "Not about something like this."
The hug that came next was unexpected, but Adam smiled as Joe squeezed him tight.
AJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJ AJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJ AJAJAJAJ
"Miss Jones, may I have a word with you?" Adam asked, politely.
Last night had ended well, but the oldest Cartwright brother felt it was necessary to have a little chat with Joe's school teacher about it. Abigail Jones practically blushed when he addressed her and, after excusing herself from the classroom where the children were hard at work, she followed him outside.
"What can I do for you, Mr. Cartwright?" she asked, smiling broadly.
Adam explained the situation as best he could. Once he finished, Miss Jones frowned.
"I don't know what the problem is, Mr. Cartwright," she stated. "All I did was tell him the truth."
Adam's gaze was cold, but his voice was calm and collected.
"Miss Jones, after you said what you did, Little Joe went around believing that Hoss and I weren't really his brothers," he explained further. "Why did you think you needed to announce it to the whole class?"
The far away, dreamy look that had been in Abigail's eyes vanished at the sudden question. Flustered, an angry look appeared on her face.
"I was giving the children an example," she defended. "How was I to know that young Joseph wasn't aware of it?"
"You ask, Miss Jones," came the curt reply.
Without another word, the school teacher huffed and stormed back into the school house.
Later that day, Adam witnessed a boisterous Little Joe ride into the yard, followed by a new friend from school, Timmy Barns. While the two boys dismounted their horses, Adam could clearly hear their conversation.
"Hey, Little Joe," Timmy called out. "Who's that man standing there on your porch?"
Adam could feel his youngest brothers eyes on him and a smile came to his face at the answer he heard.
"Oh, that's just my older brother, Adam."