All right, I've finally gotten this story just about finished. But before I start the first chapter there's a few things I'd like to say. First of all, let me start by saying a big thank you to my awesome beta reader, Gaben! If it hadn't been for her help, this story wouldn't be what is now.

Secondly, I don't own Bonanza. Anyway, now on to the first chapter!

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A Journey Against Time

CHAPTER 1

Sierra Cartwright's small frame panted heavily, as she concentrated on dragging the hastily made travois behind her. Even though her thin cotton shirt hid the marks, the burning sensation on her right shoulder and under her left arm told her that the thick gnarly rope, fastened to the travois, had and still was rubbing her skin raw. But the pain she felt from the rope was nothing compared to the fire she felt in the lower part of her right side. The shooting pains and the warm sticky wetness there reminded her that she couldn't keep going for much longer.

Glancing up at the burning sun, she decided to stop and rest for a minute. She dropped the rope on the ground and leaned against one of the hard rock walls that surrounded her, before sliding down to rest on the large rock at the wall base. More than anything, she wanted to lie down and sleep, to succumb to the pain threatening to take over her body. Sleep would feel so good just now, she thought longingly and felt her eyelids begin fall. Maybe she could... just for a few seconds...

"No!" she reminded herself, giving her head a vigorous shake; after which she wished she hadn't. She couldn't afford to sleep now. She had to keep going. Her dust covered hands moved up hold her head as she desperately willed the sudden headache to go away, and after a few minutes, it did. She used her bandanna to wipe the sweat from her brow and push the damp brown locks out of her eyes, before reaching for the canteen that she had stowed on the travois beside her brother's unconscious figure. It was only half full, so she drank sparingly. The water was hot and metallic tasting, but it was wet and that was enough to clear away the dryness that seemed to be trying to clog her throat.

Screwing the cap back on the canteen, Sierra stood shakily to her feet and slowly made her way over to the travois where her older brother lay. She knelt beside him on the rocky ground and studied his unconscious face, hoping for any sign of improvement from the last time she had checked him. No such luck. His face was pale, but the cloth covering the gash on his forehead showed no sign of blood, meaning that at least the bleeding hadn't started again. The left side of his jaw was swollen from the punch he had taken there. She pushed back the side of his unbuttoned shirt to check the cloth that she had previously pressed against the wound in his shoulder. No bleeding. Gently, she propped him up just enough so that she could check the bullet's exit wound just below his shoulder blade. It too showed no sign of bleeding; that was good. Earlier, she hadn't thought she'd ever get either of those wounds to stop bleeding. She glanced down at his right leg to make sure that the splint she put on it was still doing its job.

With a sigh of relief, she gently pressed her shaking fingers to her brother's wrist and felt his pulse. Weak, but at least it was still there. Despite the sweltering heat, she noticed him shivering. A quick touch to his forehead told her that a high fever had set in.

Sierra didn't know for sure how long he could hold out, but she knew the urgency of the situation. Her brother had lost a lot of blood and though she had been able to clean the wounds and quell the bleeding for a while, she was no doctor. That was what he needed. A doctor. And he needed one soon. The nearest doctor was in Virginia City. She didn't know exactly how far away that was from where they were at, but she had a pretty fair idea that it was a good several miles.

If only the horses hadn't run off when they'd heard the first shots being fired. She wished Adam and Hoss were there. She'd be able to get Joe to the doctor much quicker with their help. Oh, why had she gone too far into the woods earlier? Why hadn't she just crouched at the edge and waited?

"Because Adam had told her to run and take Joe with me," she said out loud, not sure whether she regretted it or resented it, knowing only that now, she was worried.

As far back as she could remember, Adam's word had always carried as much weight as Pa's. When he said do something, she usually did it. He was almost like a second father to her whenever Pa wasn't around. It was probably because of the large age difference between them. True, there were times that she stopped to question or argue with him, but in the end, he almost always won.

Sierra wasn't the only one he tried to father though. She had seen him try that same act on Hoss and Joe many times. They accepted it sometimes, mostly when they were younger, but usually they balked him whenever he tried it now. She could remember watching it end many times in a fight, either with their words or their fists. She guessed it was part of being a big brother. Come to think of it, all three of her brothers often liked to try and boss her around at times, seeing as she was the youngest.

Thinking about her oldest brothers made her wish even more that they were there. She wasn't even sure that they were all right. When Adam had yelled at her to run and to take Joe with her, he and Hoss had been busy trying to duck and dodge the blows that were being thrown from the two men that had held Joe hostage. At least she knew that they were finished using the guns. The men had only had a few bullets left which they had used up quickly at the beginning of the fight. One of which had passed through Joe's shoulder and the other was still lodged somewhere in her side.

That thought as well as the fiery pains that radiated from the wound in her side reminded Sierra that she needed to tend to her own self also. She didn't even have to remove the torn piece of cloth to know that it was bleeding again. The warm, sticky wetness that had already soaked through her makeshift bandage told her that. With shaky fingers, she tore another strip of cloth from one of her already torn up sleeves. She removed the blood soaked cloth and gently placed the new one in its place, applying firm pressure on the wound.

But, the blood flow refused to be stopped that easily. Instead, it soaked through the fresh cloth within a matter of seconds. More and more strips of cloth were torn from her sleeves and applied to her wound.

Finally the bleeding did stop and Sierra breathed a shaky breath of relief. Tearing another strip from her sleeve, she re-bandaged the wound. She didn't know how long it would be before it started bleeding again, but she hoped it wouldn't be for awhile. The loss of blood was making her dizzy and sick to her stomach as it zapped all of her strength and energy that she desperately needed. She had to get her brother to a doctor. He was in worse shape than she was, and it was up to her to save them.

Once she was satisfied that the bandage was secure, she raised her head to contemplate the rocky slope in front of her. Sure it wasn't going to be an easy climb, especially since she herself had almost spent all of her remaining energy getting them this far. The wound in her side was slowing her down drastically, slowly draining her of every last ounce of strength. Why had she chosen to go this way? Why hadn't she taken the trail to the road? It was much easier than trying to drag the travois up the rough mountain slope.

"Because this way was shorter," she reminded herself with conviction and determination. At first it had seemed like a good idea, course that was partly because they had been riding a horse. Sometime during the climb, the horse had slipped on some loose rock, resulting in the three of them tumbling down the steep slope. Unfortunately, the horse had not survived the fall. Aside from being knocked unconscious for a few minutes as well as a few minor scrapes and bruises, Sierra had been unhurt. Joe however had suffered a broken leg.

A sudden moan from Joe brought Sierra back to the present. Sucking in a deep breath, an action that she regretted with a grimace, she looked down at her brother's sleeping face.

"Hang on, Joe, just hang on," she whispered to him softly. "I'll get you to a doctor. Then everything'll be all right."

'Everything'll be all right. Everything'll be all right.' Sierra repeated that phrase over and over again in her mind as she lifted the rope up around her and once more began the slow trek up the slope.

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Well, there's the first chapter. What do you think? Be sure to leave your comments in the reviews and go have an awesome day/night!