By Kalnaman
Warnings: Some fluff. You may need some hanky's. Hurt and sick Little Joe.
Fandom: Bonanza
A/N: This is for Crying-Brown from the Fanfiction exchange program. Who wanted an Adam and Little Joe brother fic. Hurt Little Joe and comforting/protective Adam. I hope you're going to like this story Crying-brown.
Summary: Adam and Little Joe was looking forward for their hunting trip, but sadly it didn't go as planned. Adam has to fight for his baby brother's life without the help of their Pa.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Bonanza and I don't even own the plot to this story. The plot belongs to Crying-brown.
Chapter 1
Little Joe couldn't wait till tomorrow morning Adam would take him out hunting. Just the two of them. Little Joe had missed his oldest brother a lot while he was in University in Boston. Adam just got home a few weeks ago. He was going to prove to his oldest brother that he wasn't a little kid anymore that he'd grown into a man while Adam had studied. It was a little annoying to little Joe that Adam still saw him as a little kid. Maybe it was time they all called him Joseph maybe that would help him making people see him as an adult. People calling him Little Joe would only make people believing he was still a young boy and not a man.
"Pa?"
Ben Cartwright looked up from his book he was reading. "Yes son?"
"I think it's time you all start to call me Joseph instead of Little Joe… or rather you calling me Joe since I'll just think I'm in trouble when you call me Joseph."
Ben had a hard time to hide a chuckle. To him it seemed he always called his youngest son Joseph because the boy always found trouble where ever he goes. And it didn't help that the said boy thinks he's turned into a man when he still was a very young boy. He always thought he had to prove to his older brothers that he was too a man. "Why don't you want to be called Little Joe anymore?"
"Because… I'm too old to be called Little Joe and I'm not little anymore I'm a grown man." Joe said seriously while he sat up straight to prove to his Pa that he indeed was a man now. But even so Joe long brown curly hair and his innocent eyes told Ben differently.
'Yeah a grown man that doesn't need to shave yet.' Ben thought to himself while hiding a smile. He didn't dare to hurt his baby boy's feelings and yes to him Little Joe would always be his little baby boy like he always would be Adam and Hoss' little baby brother. "Tell you what Little Joe. If you manage to stay out of trouble while hunting with your brother Adam and you caught a deer or anything else eatable I might start calling you Joe."
"Ahh Paaa. Ya know I have a hard time to stay outta trouble." Little Joe whined like a little kid.
Ben looked firmly at little Joe even though he felt like smiling but he needed to be all parental here. "A man has to behave and stay out of trouble to be really considered as adult man and he has to be able to get some good catch at hunts to feed his wife and children."
Little Joe thought about it and then nodded he was going to prove to his Pa and brothers that he was able to behave and stay out of trouble like the man he was. "Okay Pa. I'm gonna show you all I'm responsible adult man than will be able to take care of a wife and children when the time comes." Little Joe said seriously.
'Don't grow up to fast young boy. You're too young to think about wife and children.' Ben thought to himself once again. Just then Adam and Hoss came into the house laughing. They hang up their hats and gun belts with their weapons. They then joined their baby brother and Pa. "Hey Little Joe isn't it past your bedtime?" Adam asked him. Little Joe looked annoyed at Adam. "No it ain't. I'm ain't a little boy anymore Adam that needs a bedtime."
Adam ruffled his baby brother's curly hair, "You could have fooled me kid." Joe pushed Adam's hand away annoyed.
Ben looked at his watch it was almost Little Joe's bedtime, but since the kid had to get up really early tomorrow morning he thought it would be a good idea for the boy to get ready for bed. "It's not a bad idea for you to get ready for bed now Little Joe…"
Joe looked shocked at his Pa. "But Pa!"
"You have to get up way earlier than you are used to. You want to be well rested for your trip tomorrow, don't you?"
Little Joe let out a sigh while he frowned, "yeah I guess."
"Then get ready for bed now son. I'll be there in a few minutes to tuck you in."
Adam and Hoss had a hard time to hide a laugh. They could see on their baby brother's face that he wanted to argue about being tucked in and they knew that Little Joe loved when their Pa tucked him in even though he claimed to be an adult now. Little Joe stood up and walked out to the outhouse and did his business and then went to the washing chambers and freshened up a bit and then he went to his room. He needed to be stronger. He had to learn to go to bed without getting tucked in by his Pa soon and he would after Adam and his hunting trip and he had to tell Adam not to read him bedtime stories anymore he was too old for it. But he would let them do it tonight but this would be the last time since from tomorrow he would prove to his family that he indeed was a man now and Little Joe was from the past. After the hunting trip he would be only seen as Joseph Cartwright. Once a boy now a man.
When Ben entered Little Joe's room Joe had just gotten dressed in his nightshirt. Ben pulled away the comforter and said, "get in son." Little Joe reluctantly lay down and let his Pa tuck him in. "I'm really too old to be tucked in Pa." Joe said while he bit his under lip. He was going to miss this and the bedtime stories Adam read to him. He'd so been missing it while Adam was in University. Since Adam came back he'd come into Little Joe's room after Ben had tucked Joe in and read a bedtime story to his baby brother like he did before he went to Boston. "You'll never be too old to me son. We'll see after your hunting trip if it goes as we talked about this evening then I'll let you do as you think is best. But you need to know I'll miss this and I think Adam will miss reading you bedtime stories he's always loved to read to you. He loves you, you know? You and Adam argue a lot I know. Adam cares about you very much and he feels like he needs to protect you and he's right since he is your oldest brother it is his duty to protect you."
"But Pa. I'm old enough to protect myself."
"If you get back safe and sound without any trouble while on the hunting trip we'll see boy." Ben said and then kissed his son on the forehead, "Goodnight son. I'll send Adam in."
When Ben left Joe's room Joe said out loud, "I'll prove to you Pa. I will. I am a man now." Joe then suddenly felt his throat being a little sore and started to cough. He hurried to hide his cough when he could hear Adam heading to his room. He didn't want Adam to think he was starting to get sick and call off their hunting trip. Joe could hear a knock on his door. "Come in Adam."
Adam went into Joe's room with a book in his hand. He took a seat beside his baby brother's bed. He then started to read the story. After about ten minutes later Little Joe's eyes started to droop and then he was snoring soundly. Adam closed his book and stood up and pulled the comforter over the boy's shoulder and pulled a strain hair from the boy's eyes. "I've missed you so much. Much more than you'll ever know. I'm really looking forward for our trip. Just you and I. Sweet dreams kid. See you tomorrow bright and early." Adam said and then blew out the lamp and left Little Joe's room silently to make sure not to wake up his baby brother. He then went back down to join his Pa and next youngest brother Hoss.
"How is Little Joe?" Ben asked.
"He's sleeping like the little boy he is." Adam chuckled and Ben and Hoss followed him.
"Let's hope Little Joe sees reasons soon. He's still a boy." Hoss said seriously. Ben and Adam nodded in agreement.
"Let's see how the hunting trip will end like. Hopefully that will help Little Joe to see reasons."
TBC