This is my first story that I have published, I have many more drafts on my computer so hang on there!
I'm not a native english speaker so if the grammar or sentences doesn't make sense, please bear with me ;)
I don't own Bonanza or any of the characters originally existing in the series, though Zach is a character of my own. I don't now if the name has occurred in other Bonanza fictions and if so I haven't taken inspiration from it.
Ben and the rest of the family sat downstairs and ate breakfast when Zach came down. The boy was pale and his cheeks were rosy and his eyes shiny. When Ben saw his youngest he stood up and walked over to him. He put his hand on his son's forehead and felt that he was boiling hot, to make sure Ben pulled up his son's shirt and gently felt the boy's stomach and unsurprisingly the skin felt like it was on fire. Zach said "Pa, I don't know what's wrong, I feel dizzy, sick, my whole body aches and I feel like i'm gonna throw up." The boy had tears in his eyes and his father put a hand on the back of his head and the other one at his son's back and gently pulled the boy against him and held him tight. "It will be alright son, now go back to bed and I will come up with something warm for you" He stoked his son's cheek and gently stoke away the tears that rolled down from Zach's beautiful eyes. He kissed his son on the cheek and gave him a light pat in the butt and turned the boy towards the stairs. Zach pulled a thick blanket from the couch as he passed by and slowly continued to walk towards the stairs.
When Ben came up to his son to check on him he saw his boy lying on his side on the bed. He quietly walked up to him and sat down on Zach's bedside while he tried to avoid making any sounds that would disturb his son's sleep. He gently stroked Zach's brown hair from his eyes and looked at his sick son. He was pale and his cheeks hade a rosy color, sweat glistered on his forehead and made him look even worse. His lips were red and dry and the long black eyelashes made his eyes look beautiful even when they were closed. He saw that in his sleep, the boy hade kicked away his covers and they were now lying at the end of his bed, only covering a small part of his legs. Ben smiled, how many times hadn't he come in in the boy's room to discover that the covers had been kicked away. He grabbed the covers and gently tucked his son in, he figured that his son needed to sleep so he gave the boy a kiss on the soft and curly hair and silently left the room but he left the door open so he could check on his boy.
When the old and very beautiful timepiece in the living room struck noon, Zach woke up, he was a bit cold due to the lacking fire in his fireplace and to the raging snowstorm outside. He sighted and pulled his covers up again, and rolled over on his side when he saw his father sitting in the chair by the fireplace trying to get the fire to continue burning. "Pa..?" He whispered, he was surprised by his hoarse voice but his father turned around and smiled when he that his son had woken up. Ben put a couple of big wood pieces and laid them on the burning coal, he then stood up and walked over the bed. He sat down next to his son and gently stroked his hair from his face and chuckling he said " I really need to get you to the barber, son." Zach smiled and said, " No way pa, I love my hair, but yeah, I guess it's getting a bit long." Zach reached up to his head and gently pulled a bit of his hair to see how long it was, since it only reached to his eyes he said, " it's not that long pa". Ben smiled and kissed his son on his cheek. He then felt the boy's forehead, neck and then he pulled down the covers and pulled up the boy's shirt and laid a big hand on the boy's stomach. Zach trembled and squirmed and laughingly tried to push away his father's cold hand. Ben laughed and removed his hand and pulled up the covers and placed them on his son again. "How do you feel baby?" he asked, "Not good pa,.. pa? Could you get me something warm to drink, if it's not to much trouble?" His father smiled and walked over to the fire and grabbed the cup of hot chocolate that he had made for his son but when he had seen his son sleeping he had placed it near the fire to keep it hot until the boy woke up. Zach smiled and said " I love you papa, when he sat up and took the cup from his fathers hands. Ben sat down next to his son and wrapped his arm around the boy and answered, "Not as much as I love you, my little baby boy." Ben got all warm inside when he had heard Zach calling him "papa", The boy was fifteen now and it had been at least four or five years since he had called his father papa for the last time. Ben felt his son resting his head against his shoulder and gently pulled the boy closer, Zach had ended up sitting in his fathers lap while Ben had wrapped him in his arms and covered him with the thick and soft blanket.
When the cup was empty and Zach started yawning and to rub his eyes, Ben very carefully took the cup from his son's hands and placed it on the table near the bed. Then he gently laid the boy and moved away so that the boy once again lay on the cool sheets, he tucked the boy in and when he was finished he noticed that his son had fallen asleep again. He watched his son sleep for a couple of minutes and put a gentle hand on his chest, and felt it raising and lowering as the boy breathed. He smiled and thought that the boy looked so angel like and innocent when he slept. He then wondered how he ever could get angry with this boy or ever lay hands on him. He kissed his son and then walked out of the room and carefully closed the door.