Assumptions for all Lancer fanfic written by phoenix:
1) The Lancer Ranch is in the San Joaquin Valley, five to ten miles southwest of Modesto, California, which became an official town in 1870* and incorporated in 1884*,
2) Modesto is located on the Tuolumne River, near the Stanislaus River, and has grown tremendously since the railroads began to connect it to other parts of the country. In fact, Sacramento and Los Angeles were fully connected by good, solid, non-interrupted railroad lines by 1876*,
3) California became a state on September 9, 1850* and, since that time, the area surrounding Modesto has evolved into a thriving community,
4) Modesto became a major railroad stop making it a town able to offer a full range of goods, services, schools, churches and other community functions. With Modesto providing for the needs of those living within a large radius of the city, the smaller towns built before the 1850s, to serve gold rushers and the early ranchers in the area, shuttered up and became ghost towns,
5) During the 1850s, the San Joaquin Valley evolved from being gold rush territory and open range. It became an area known for its agriculture and cattle ranching. With the railroad support available in Modesto, and a few strategically placed dams to stabilize the water supply, the land in this area became, and remains today, some of the most productive farm and ranch land in California, and
6) Murdoch Lancer sent for his two sons in 1871. Scott was 25-years-old when he arrived and Johnny would be turning 21-years-old later that same year.
*Verified by Internet sources including: State of California main site and library, City of Modesto, California's site and others.
Additional assumptions for this Lancer fanfic story:
1) It is the spring of 1874, after the end of the TV series, and the railroad's expansion continues to bring great changes to the Valley, including the decline in goods and services available in Green River. This decline has led to a major decrease in Green River's population, and an increase in Modesto's population, and
2) Although they try to give business to the remaining Green River merchants, Modesto is where the Lancers now complete the majority of their personal, social and business transactions.
THE GRIP CAME ALONG
by phoenix
CHAPTER ONE – THE WEEK THAT WAS
"Good morning, Johnny."
Teresa smiled while continuing to stir the large pot of chicken parts simmering in water he had put on the stove to make stock before going out earlier.
"What are you doing out of bed?"
"I'm feeling much better today."
He didn't answer; instead, Johnny left his hat, muddy boots and wet coat by the door before crossing the kitchen to feel her forehead.
"No fever, again, today. But, that doesn't mean you shouldn't be in bed. Teresa, you're still awfully pale and that fever left you all terrible weak."
"Not too weak to stir a pot of chicken stock." She smiled and took a seat while Johnny poured himself a cup of coffee, admitting, "I thought my helping you might leave enough time in your day for some baking."
He looked over and met her smile with one of his own. Since she, Murdoch and Scott had begun to feel better over the past day or two, he'd thrown together basic drop cookies to serve with their meat or chicken broth and hot tea meals. None of them had recovered any sort of an appetite and the broth diet he'd forced down them during the last week had to be boringly unappetizing. So, after topping the cookies with extra sugar, Johnny had given them each a few to try on their evening meal trays the night before. Thankfully, the cookies were a major hit; each of them finished their cookies and all of their tea, which pleased their caregiver.
"Yea, Murdoch was pretty upset this morning when I told him the rest of the batch went over to the bunkhouses last night."
"That was the first thing he mentioned to me when I checked on him this morning."
Teresa and Johnny shared a laugh at Murdoch's expense. He was a known sweet-a-holic and it seemed obvious that his recent bout with a fever hadn't changed that fact.
"Where on earth did you learn to bake?"
"Orphanage, when I was eight or so; that's why I remember the recipe, it was easy enough for a kid to make them."
"So …"
Teresa got stuck and had to think about how to ask her next question. Johnny might have changed in many ways since arriving at Lancer nearly three years before, but he still consistently guarded any personal information about his life before Murdoch found him.
"It was the Sisters way of doling out educational punishment."
Johnny saved her with his cryptic explanation while getting up to finish the broth and put more water on to boil. He wanted to offer his charges another pot of tea since the stuff on the breakfast trays he'd left in their rooms before going out earlier had to be cold.
"Oh, Johnny," Teresa shook her head, "there's a story in that statement. You've got to tell me."
He laughed at the perplexed look on her face.
"Only if you promise to keep sitting there while I do the dishes and clean this kitchen a bit."
"I promise."
"After my ma … Well, I ended up in an orphanage when I was seven. Didn't last there more than a couple of years but, while I was there, those poor nuns surely did try to beat some sense into my hide. They were intent on saving all of our poor pitiful orphan souls; even if they had to use rather unchristian-like tactics to get through to us."
Johnny finished drying the dishes and moved across the room to get them back in their proper places in the cupboards.
"There was this one nun, Sister Aquinata, and she had a different approach. When she handed out punishment, it was more task oriented than …" He smiled and took out some of the newly boiling water to make Teresa a pot of tea, adding, "She ran the kitchen, so I learned how to do stuff, like make your tea, from her. In addition, kids being punished in her kitchen had to make the cookies that the 'good' kids were given as a reward. There wasn't hardly any money for food but, this recipe was so basic, we usually had the ingredients around."
"So you made the cookies, but weren't allowed to eat them?"
"Yes, and over those two years, believe me, I must of made hundreds of cookies!"
"Johnny," Teresa tried not to laugh, but couldn't help herself, 'that's awful."
"I know," he laughed with her, "but I now have that cookie recipe engraved in my head. Can't bake another darn thing, but the cookies are easy."
He quit arguing with Teresa about going back to her room. Instead, Johnny left her at the kitchen table with her share of the hot tea and promised they would get cookies in the oven when he returned. Taking a tray with two fresh pots of tea with him, Johnny left to check on Murdoch and Scott.
Scott was cleaned up and had tried to eat a few bites of the hot cereal on his breakfast tray. He had enjoyed the tea on his tray and was glad when Johnny arrived with more, but it was obvious Scott wasn't moving far from his bed that day. They talked a bit about how the other folks with fever on the ranch were doing while Johnny cleaned up, filled the water pitcher with fresh water and brought a book up from the library Scott thought he might want to read. Finally, noting his brother's eyelids getting heavy, Johnny left with the dirty breakfast tray and promised to stop back in a few hours. He then put the tray down on the hall end table and went in to see Murdoch.
"Good morning, Johnny."
Murdoch was up, dressed and resting in the armchair by his window with a book open on his lap.
"Well," Johnny's face was instantly covered with a smile, "how nice to find you looking better this morning."
"Thank you, I do feel better. On the other hand, after dressing, I had to lay on my bed and take a short nap so I've still got a way to go."
"Whatever the heck this fever is, it's leaving folks that survive it absolutely weak from head to toe. I've never seen anything like it, but we're blessed since you, Scott and Teresa are on the mend. Other folks … Well, this fever is bad."
Murdoch smiled and nodded his gratitude as Johnny poured him some fresh tea then left the pot where he could easily reach it. He watched as his younger son cleaned around the room, refilled his water pitcher and set his breakfast tray outside the door. In the past few years, Murdoch had learned to pay careful attention to his younger son's body language. Johnny wasn't one to share how he felt verbally but, if you watched carefully, you could learn a lot from how he held himself and moved.
"Thank you, Johnny."
"You're welcome. I'm glad you're feeling better. I'll check back …"
"Wait, don't go just yet."
Johnny stepped back toward his father and smiled.
"Need something else?"
"No, I'm fine."
Murdoch waved toward the ottoman in front of his chair and watched while his son took a seat on it.
"How are you, John?"
"Fine."
"Getting any sleep?"
Murdoch raised an eyebrow and held eye contact with Johnny while he answered.
"You know, Murdoch, I've always told you sleep is overrated."
"Just as I thought." Murdoch eased back in his chair, gently scolding, "You've got to take care, Johnny. Please, don't …"
"I'm taking care, Murdoch. The last thing you need to worry about is me!"
"I'll worry about whomever I like, Young Man, and don't you forget it."
Johnny laughed at the twinkle in his father's eyes when he spoke, chuckling out, "Yes, Sir."
" And, John, I don't just mean thank you for this, the tea and such." Murdoch smiled and leaned forward, quietly stating, "I want to thank you for all you've done for more than a week while we've been down with this fever. Teresa and I were already in bed when Scott got sick, but I wasn't too fevered to realize your brother was desperately ill."
"True," Johnny half-smiled, "Scott got the worst of it. Luckily, he's better this morning, too."
""Yes, this house has been blessedly spared but, as you just admitted, this fever is a killer. How bad …"
"Murdoch," Johnny got up while shaking his head, "it's too soon. I promise to share all the details when you are feeling stronger, but not until then."
Murdoch grabbed his son's hand before he could move further away. They didn't need to speak; Johnny understood the depth of his father's concern for the people who lived on their ranch and in the community surrounding it.
"We have enough of a crew left to do what's absolutely necessary on the ranch, care for our own very full bunkhouses of fevered men, keep the animals in good condition and rotate assistance to those in need on nearby places. There's a poster board in front of the church in Green River with what community news is available but last two trips, I've had to go on into Modesto for supplies since town is pretty near all closed up. We're doing okay; that's all you need to remember while you rest and get better."
Murdoch held Johnny's hand tighter and nodded his understanding of what his son wasn't saying. Feeling tired, he finally let go and watched his son move toward the door.
"Johnny?"
"Yes."
"When you're in Modesto, remember to stay away from Lampert's store. Not worth putting up with his kind of trouble just for a missing item or two that Ethan's or Campbell's doesn't carry."
Johnny smiled back; even sick, Murdoch's paternal instincts were intact and Marge Lambert had made her feelings about Johnny known from the first day he arrived at Lancer.
"See you in a bit. I've got hot chicken broth ready and more tea is easy. Just clang that spoon on the bottom of the pot I gave you if you need me."
Murdoch smiled and watched the door close. His eyes went to the pot and spoon on his nightstand. Johnny had been so busy taking care of the three of them that he gave Scott and Murdoch pots to clang on. Teresa had a bell she'd gotten at the county fair so that was her 'official' attention getter.
Somehow, their timing and Johnny's had matched up pretty well since Murdoch had rarely heard anyone ask for attention when his younger son was taking care of business outside of their house. Murdoch suspected Johnny was doing a ton of running around early in the morning and after supper at night. Although, especially when Scott's fever was raging, and Johnny had been forced to attend to something elsewhere on the ranch, another member of the crew had stayed in the house with them. Of course, it hadn't been anyone consistent, since Maria, their housekeeper, was one of the fever's first victims, and there weren't enough extra well people to have someone permanently assigned to the main house.
Murdoch decided Johnny was right; there would be time to find out all the bad news. For now, he counted his blessings, sipped on his delightfully hot tea and let himself rest.
Johnny rushed into the kitchen with the trays from Teresa, Scott and Murdoch's room and got them ready to wash. Teresa had been nearly asleep when he entered the room, but she perked right up and began drinking her tea.
"I'll put these to soak then help you up to bed."
"Nope."
He turned to find Teresa's face covered in a smile.
"Nope?"
"The oven is hot, let's put those cookies in for tonight."
He shrugged his shoulders, knowing Teresa could be as stubborn as he was when she really wanted something. A few minutes later, he had the sheet pans out and the ingredients by a mixing bowl on the table. With a confident cook's ease, Johnny put flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in the bowl, gave it a stir and then added some buttermilk and two eggs.
"You don't measure anything?"
"Nope."
"You don't roll them out?"
"Nope."
Johnny was quickly dropping the first set of cookies on the pans. He patted them down with the back of his stirring spoon and topped them with another sprinkle of sugar. Then into the oven they went and he flew back over to finish the dishes. Teresa stayed amused by the process she was observing as Johnny moved cookies out of the oven and on the sideboard to cool, refilled the trays and then ran around getting other chores done while the next group of cookies baked. When nearly six dozen cookies graced the sideboard, he put the pans and bowl to soak, then made certain the kitchen was looking clean and organized.
"You agreed."
He stood by the door with his elbow extended in Teresa's direction and a smile on his face.
"I don't remember agreeing, but a nap sounds great."
Once Johnny had made sure Teresa was safely tucked in her room, he headed out to recheck the situation in the bunkhouses. While he was there, he asked one of the cooks to check on the family and serve their midday trays since his prolonged conversation with Murdoch and baking with Teresa had left Johnny behind on his list of tasks for the day. Once that was finished, he was off to make sure the crew was doing okay with their assignment for the day before heading to the next ranch over with the supplies he'd picked up for them on his last run into Modesto. If he was lucky, and the weather held out, Johnny might be back on Lancer land before the spring showers that had soaked him that morning came back that evening.