Merry Belated Christmas! Happy Early New Year! Here's a story I hope you will enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story besides the name I made up for the bartender and Frank Thompson.

Summary: Joe's usually good about coming down for breakfast. Especially when he has to worry about Hoss eating everything at the table. Wonder what's keeping him today. Are you alright Little Joe?

Warning: I love a good hurt Little Joe and since I can't find many that I haven't read already I had to create my own. If you aren't big on hurt Little Joe... I can't help you. Enjoy!

"Joseph!" Ben Cartwright called up to his youngest. "You'd better get up before Hoss eats all the breakfast."

His other two sons were already downstairs digging into their breakfast. Usually Joe was right there before them, but Ben could sense something odd after dinner last night. Joe hadn't eaten hardly anything and it worried him.

"Joseph!" He'd waited another five minutes before he called up to the boy again.

He was soon rewarded with a haggard looking Joseph Cartwright and frowned as he watched his son attempt to make it towards the stairs.

"Joseph what's…?" Wrong didn't get a chance to leave his lips as he watched his youngest son take a single step onto the stairs before the boy came crashing down them. "Joe!"

Ben ran over to where his son had fallen and attempted to help him up, but he received a faint moan for the trouble.

"Joe, where does it hurt?"

Ben gently felt around the boy's body trying to find a broken bone or bruise. Joe gasped when Ben found a particularly sore spot. Pulling his shirt away, Ben saw that he'd had a serious wound and that it looked infected. If the heat that was rolling off the boy in waves wasn't any help in the indication.

"Pa? What happened?"

"Hoss, you ride out and get Doc Martin, quick."

Hoss Cartwright, the middle son, didn't dare stand there any longer wondering what happened, but turned to get his gun belt and hat before quickly leaving to get his horse so he could head into town to get the doctor.

Once Ben made sure his second son had gone, he turned his attention back to his youngest and continued to feel around to see if anything else was broke. He came across some bones that shifted when he touched them and figured Joe had broken a rib or two.

"Adam, help me move him over to the couch."

Adam Cartwright, Ben's oldest, moved around to grab hold of Joe's legs so that he could help move his youngest brother to the couch as instructed.

"Hop Sing! Get some cold water and bring it in here please."

Hop Sing, the Chinese cook, quickly saw to getting some water as asked.

"Joseph? Can you hear me son?"

Joseph Cartwright, the youngest of the three sons of Ben Cartwright, merely moaned and attempted to pull himself together so that he might answer his father.

"P-pa. H-hurts."

"Where son? Where does it hurt?"

Joe tried to answer, but the pain that greeted him took his breath away and he was left gasping for air and passed out.

"Little Joe… come on Joe."

Soon, Hop Sing returned with the water and Adam took the rag and bucket from him in order to help cool down his little brother.

"What do you think happened Pa?" Adam asked.

"I'm not quite sure, but I'd have to believe it has something to do with that infected wound. Let's get him cooled down as much as possible. The doctor can finish the rest when he gets here."

Ben Cartwright, father to three sons, known through out the land for his hard work and the ranch that his family and the cook lived on, the Ponderosa, looked to his oldest to help keep his youngest safe while he went up to Joe's room to see if there was anything that could give clue as to what had caused the wound.

"Pa!" Adam called.

Ben had heard the horses coming onto his land and was making his way back down the stairs when the front door opened.

"Morning Ben, Adam. I hear Little Joe's gone and gotten himself hurt this morning."

"Please Paul. We've tried to get his fever down. He's got a wound looks infected. I suppose it is as he's got the fever."

Adam moved away from Joe so that the doctor could take a look at him.

"I'll take a look at him. How long has he been out?" Doc asked.

"Not long after Hoss left to get you I suppose." Ben answered.

"Let's get him up to his room so he'll be more comfortable. I'll examine him there."

As Hoss was the biggest of the family of four and their cook, he easily gathered Joe in his arms and carried him carefully up to Joe's room. Doc had Hop Sing stay so that he had help, but the rest of the Cartwrights were told to stay out of the way and in the dinning area.

"What do you suppose happened?" Hoss asked.

As he'd hardly had a chance to hear what exactly happened to Little Joe, he thought maybe his father and older brother had a clue.

"We don't know Hoss. I found a wound on his right side and it looked infected. I checked to see if any of his ribs had broken during his tumble down the stairs and I found at least one. We'll just have to wait to ask him when he's up to it." Ben answered.

Adam sat quietly as his younger brother and father talked. He had an idea what had happened to his youngest brother, but he wanted to be sure before he told the others.

"I'll be right back." Adam said.

"Where are you going? Aren't you worried 'bout Lil Joe?" Hoss asked.

"Of course I'm worried. I can't do anything to help here and besides, I have a feeling I know what happened, but I want to make sure I get all the facts before I start just accusing someone." Adam replied before grabbing his gun belt and his hat and leaving his home for his horse to ride out into town.

Adam was sure where he wanted to start asking questions first. He dismounted his horse in front of the bar and tied it to the post before making his way inside.

"Good Morning Adam, or I suppose it's closer to Afternoon now. Saw Hoss ride in before he turned around with the Doc. Everything alright?" Tim the bartender asked.

"That's actually why I'm here. Seems Little Joe might have gotten himself into something last night and I was wondering if you heard anything?"

"No…can't say that I have, but I'll keep an ear out. It's a bit early for the girls to be up, but I'll go see if one of them heard anything."

"Thanks."

Adam looked around to see that the bar was pretty empty for this time of the day, but he could only hope that maybe one of the patrons saw something.

"Excuse me, I couldn't help but over hear that you were looking for information on some going ons last night?" A guy towards the other side of the bar spoke up.

"That's right. Trying to find out what happened to my kid brother." Adam responded.

"Well, if it's the same kid that wears a green jacket and rides a pinto, then I might be able to help." The guy continued.

"You'd be right Mr…"

"Thompson. Frank Thompson. Seems the boy was having a little fun with one of the girls and another fellow had his eyes on the same girl. The guy told the kid to scram. Said that the girl was his. The kid didn't seem no point in fighting. He figured she's find away to get away from the guy if the girl wasn't interested in him and she did. The fellow didn't like that none and he tried to take her back. The kid tried to be civil about it, but after the guy smacked the girl he told the guy to follow him outside. The guy laughed in his face and turned back to the girl, but she managed to get away and stood near the kid. Oh he didn't like that none. Told the kid to give his girl back. Kid told the girl to head outside to get away from the guy and he started to follow her out. The guy took out his knife and stabbed the kid in the side after the girl yelled out to warn him. Sherriff saw it happened and hauled him off to jail."

"Everything he just told you is true." A soft and beautiful voice said from the stairs that lead down into the bar. "The kid, Joe I think he told me his name was, he tried to help me get away from the guy. Told me to go outside and back up to the rooms from the side. When he got between me and the other guy in my escape, I turned around to see the guy aiming his knife at Joe."

Adam looked at the girl making her way down towards them. He could see she had on a lot of make up, but on the side of her cheek, he could just make out a faint purple and black mark.

"Did you press charges? Did my brother?" Adam asked. "Did no one think to send for the doctor?"

"I did press chargers. As to sending for the doctor, your brother said he was alright. That it was just a scratch. He made sure I was ok and then mounted his horse and took off. I'm sorry I didn't force him to see a doctor. Is he alright? I suppose not if you're here asking about him."

"No, he's not alright, but now that I know I can put my family at ease. Thank you for your help." Adam left money for the guy to have a few more drinks before he left.

He tipped his hat to the lady and went off for the sherriff's office. He spoke with the Sherriff and got more confirmation to the story the guy told him and was told the guy would have at least a few weeks in jail unless something happened to Joe. At that thought, Adam headed back home to let his family know what happened and to see if Joe was going to be alright.

"How's Joe?" Adam asked after he walked back through the front door.

"We haven't heard anything since you left. Pa's been awful worried and I hate I can't do anything besides twiddle my thumbs." Hoss replied.

"Well, I found out what happened. Turns out Joe was trying to help out one of the saloon girls and got a knife from a stranger for it. Sherriff has the guy in jail. Said to tell you he'd be out this way later to see how Little Joe's doing." Adam said.

"Well when he gets here, you can tell him that Joseph will be just fine. A few weeks in bed and he'll be right as rain. We'll just need to keep an eye on that fever. Once it breaks, we'll keep an eye on his ribs so that they don't hit his lungs. He's strong. You all know that better than anyone else. He'll pull through. If he hasn't started this way, I'll be sure to let the sherriff know my findings and all." Doc Martin said.

"Thank you Paul. Thank you." Ben said.

"Of course. Now, I'm heading back to town. If you need me, you know where to find me." Doc Martin said as he gathered his things.

"Thank you Doc." Hoss said gratefully.

"You're welcome." He replied.

Adam thanked him as well as he walked the good doctor out to his buggy.

"I'll be back out tomorrow just to make sure things are still going well. You have a good rest of the day and don't worry."

"You got it Doc. Thanks again. Have a good night."

Adam watched as the doctor turned his horse drawn buggy around and off back to town. His father and Hoss weren't anywhere to be found. He figured they were up with Little Joe. Hop Sing came down from Joe's room carrying dirty water.

"Numba three son be alright. You see." Hop Sing said and took the water to be dumped.

"Yes. Joe'll be alright." Adam said and then made his way up the stairs to check on Joe himself.

I hope you enjoyed reading this story as long as it took me to finally end it. Let me know with a review if you so wish. Other than that. Thank you for reading! Until next time...