I'VE SWALLOWED THE GREEN DRESS"

2nd In The Alexandra Series

Summary : Alexandra is very sick. As each of the Cartwrights sit with Adam and Alex, they recall some naughty and funny adventures. But what has she done with the green dress?

Warning: spanking of a minor in some chapters.

A.N. This story should have really been about the infamous "Bonanza - Blue dress", but Alexandra wouldn't be seen dead in it.

Chapter 2 – A Cold bath and My Black Shirt part 1

The only good thing about being sick is that I get sit in daddy's lap. My throat is sore and my mouth tastes funny. Hop Sing is being so bossy. I know he just wants to make me better, but I'd feel a lot better if they just let me lay here. Hey, where did all my clothes go?

"Still little girl sick." Mista Joe get Doctor straight away. Joe took off to get dress and saddle his horse.

"Must get fever down more. Mista Hoss get bath tub and bring it next to the fire. Get big towels .Go Go." Hoss took off to the bath house to retrieve the big round tub.

"What are you going to do, Hop Sing?"

"Need to bath Alex, in cool water… All over. She too hot. Need to bring fever down quickly."

"I'll put some hot water on." Offered Ben.

"Good .Water need to be a little warm, not be too cold."

At that moment Joe came down the stairs. He handed Adam a clean night shirt for Alexandra and went to head out the door. "I'll hurry Adam, don't worry, I'll be back real fast."

Hoss bought the bath in, then went back and forth to the pump and added several buckets of cold water to the tub. Ben then added his cauldron of hot water, while Hop sing tested its temperature. All the while, Adam continued to sponge Alexandra's body down with the wet flannel he had earlier. It was now no longer cold as the material had absorbed Alex rising body heat.

Ben attempted to alleviate his worry . "She'll be alright Adam. Hop sing knows what his doing and Doc Martin will be here soon. Joe got over this, and she will too. Remember, she's a tough little Cartwright."

"Water ready Mista Adam. Put clean night shirt on first."

"Shouldn't we just put her in the water, nekid?" Asked Hoss

"Good idea, but she not going to like water. The cold water against hot skin will sting and prickle. Alex will put up big fight just like little Joe."

Ben nodded his head. "That's right. Adam she will fight you on this. A wet, slippery child, kicking and screaming is hard to deal with. Besides, we will need some grip."

"Also, when we take her out, will keep her cool."

Adam slipped the clean night shirt over Alex's head. "Okay, Alex, we're going to put you in a cold bath. It will make you feel better."

"No, don't want no bath." I bet this was Hop sing's idea. He's a crazy man.

Adam stood up and proceeded to lower Alex in the tepid water. Alexandra decided she was having none of this and started to wiggle and wrestle her way out of her father's arm. Water was being splashed around as Adam fought to free her arms around his neck.
"No, No, No…It's cold. Get me outta here."

"Alexandra. Stop kicking. I know it's cold. It's got to be. Now stop." Alex stopped kicking , instead wrapped her legs around Adams neck, trying to avoid her feet entering the water.

"Hoss will you Help, she's either gonna choke me or take me in with her."

Hoss moved over to help. He managed to get Alex's arms free and pulled her away from Adam. Alex still had her father in a death grip, and as Hoss lowered her in to the water, Adam's head went with her. Thank goodness as soon a she hit the cold water she immediately released him, and then screamed.

"Ahhhh, it's cold, whadda trying to do, kill me?, ya trying ta kills me Adam Cartwright."

She thrashed around and tried several times to get out of the tub. Hoss held her down, whileAdam tried to sooth her.

"Shh, Shhh come on it won't be long."

"I ain't going! I'm going back. I ain't staying here! You can stick ya old ponderosa where the sun don't shine."

"Alexandra. That's enough. You're dreaming. Your home, come on baby stop thrashing."

"Daddy, daddy please I'm cold. It's so, so so cold, please daddy get me out. Daddy save me." She pleaded and continued to kick and splash around in the large tub.

Adam was finding it difficult not to give into her pleas. In her delirious state, she honestly believed she was being tortured. "Hop Sing can we take her out!"

"In a minute! In a minute!" Hop sing grabbed the bowl and scooped up some water and poured it over the child's head.

Alex gasped and sat up in the bath, shocked back to present she cursed. "Fa Kuang! Hop Sing."

"No, little girl crazy. Crazy with fever. Lucky for you too, or hop sing smack cheeky little bottom."

By this stage Alexandra was shivering. "Sorrry, Hop Siinng…Just thinking outta loud in Chi, Chi, Chinese."

"Mista Adam, can take her out now."

"Here Adam, wrap her in this towel. Adam lifted her out and wrapped her in the large towel that Hoss offered, and then went and sat down in the big red chair.

Adam cradled his child in his lap. She no longer pleaded with him, just looked up into his face with admiration and appreciation.

"You saved me. Thank you Adam Cartwright."

Adam wiped her wet face and brushed her wet blonde curls from her brow. Wrapped in the towel like that, reminded him of that night at the lake, before he had bought her home. She looked like a baby that night, his baby, with her innocence and trusting face. One that reminded him of Katherine. "Kate his bonnie Kate."

Ben and Hoss sat down on the settee exhausted. Hop sing went to the Kitchen to prepare a throat wash. All was quiet until Hoss spoke.

"What was she talkin' about, ya saved me Adam?"

"I never saved her. She nearly got herself drowned that night at the lake, you know, on our way home from Utah. Didn't I ever tell you what happened that night?"

"Nope."

"What happened at the lake daddy?"

"You happened at the lake Alexandra." He said

Alex smiled and dozed as Adam started to talk. His rich baritone voice and its rhythmic sound, took them all back to that night at the lake, and to Alexandra Williameena Cartwright's introduction to her new family and home.

Flashback

"Hoss and I had travelled from Utah with Alexandra. It was not too bad a trek, but would have been more comfortable if we had taken the stage. But, Alex had refused to travel on the stage, so we sent her few items of luggage a head, and headed home on horseback. Alex had ridden with me most of the time. Considering the long days, she was pretty well behaved compared to the mischievous little thing we've grown to know and love. Her curiosity about us, and her new home kept her day busy with never ending questions and long winded answers by either Hoss or myself. However night time was another story. Getting her to settle and go to sleep was an hour's repertoire of excuses and delayed 'necessities'. Hoss found it amusing and often encouraged (just to annoy me) Alexandra's imaginative ramblings of why it was impossible to sleep."

"But I need to go again! Honest!"

"You just went?"

"Well, I must not have finished."

"Well, off you go and finish then."

"By myself?"

"The bush is just there."

"There might be snakes. One might bite me on the bum, and then I could die. Can I take you gun?"

"Don't say bum. Say bottom. And No you cannot take my gun. And you better not ever touch this gun, unless you want to be one sorry little girl."

"Yeah, well ,I'd be a sorrier little girl ifin' I got bit on the bu…bottom by a snake. And I bet you'd be a might sorrier than me ifin' you had to suck out the poison. I heard a story once, where a lady got bit on the bottom, and she was too embarrassed to tell anyone, so she died. They couldn't figure out why she just up and died like that. So they looked her over and found a snake bite on her butt. But she wasn't so ashamed anymore because she was dead. And there she was in the woods, dead and a whole lotta folks looking at her ass...I mean bottom. Of course it all coulda' been avoided ifin' she just told them she got bit. Then probably only one person would had to hafta' see and suck out the poison. Though, maybe no one woulda offered and she woulda' died any way. But ifin' she just had a gun, she coulda killed the snake before it bit her."

Hoss was by this stage rolling around their camp fire laughing, uncontrollably

"Hoss! Scolded Adam", but trying to keep a straight face of his own. "Don't encourage her."

Adam pinched the bridge of his nose. "She probably would have missed the snake, and shot her foot off instead. And then where would she be."

"A lot better of than dead with her butt stuck in the air for everyone to see."

Hoss couldn't take anymore "Ahhhh" he sighed wiping the tears away from his eyes. "Come on pumkin. I'll take ya. I'll make sure there ain't no nasty butt biting snakes."

"No. ifin' I was too embarrassed ta tell ya I been bit on the bum by a snake, why would I be wantin' ya there watchin'."

"ALEXANDRA CARTWRIGHT! Take a stick!"

Alex jumped in surprise, and then suddenly looked down at her feet. "Don't need to go no more."

"WHAT!"

"Well, ADAM CARTWRIGHT. Yelling like that, at just a little kid like me, scared the bjesus' outta me. When ya scared kids like that, even ifin' they're nine year old, they're likely to wet their pants."

"Alex, have you wet your pants?"

"I ain't tellin' ya!" She stormed off in tears and wrapped herself in her bed roll.

Adam felt like a real heal. He could hear her sniffling. He went up and pulled the blanket back from her face. "Come on you can't go to sleep with wet pants. I'll hold the blanket up and you take them off. We'll give them a wash and hang them by the fire. They'll be dry by the morning."

Alex manoeuvred and wriggled herself out of her wet britches, and kicked them to Adam from under the blanket.

"Knickers too."

Alexandra repeated the performance, and her white cotton drawers appeared.

Adam picked them up. "There you go. There not too wet."

"I told ya I only had a little bit left."

Hoss took the soiled garments and dropped them in an empty pale.

"Come on." said Adam. "Wrap yourself up and lie down. We've got a big day tomorrow. We should get to the lake by late afternoon. Then it's only about three hours to the Ponderosa. Hey, about I sing you a song." Hoss handed Adam his guitar and he sung. " …..Edelweiss, Edelweiss, Bless My Homeland Forever." Alex was quiet, asleep and looking like a Raphael angle. Adam kissed her on her forehead. He left his lips there for a moment, taking in the warmth and smell of this small child. He whispered to Hoss. "I hope she's warm enough"

Hoss and Adam turned at the sound of a little sleepy voice. "Yep I'm warm enough, but it's a bit itchy on my bum. I heard this story once bout a dog with an itchy butt, dogs name was Larse, they used Larse with the itchy a...YAWWWWWNN."

TBC

Chapter 3: A Cold Bath and My Black Shirt part 2

A.N. This was supposed all to fit into one chapter but Alex got carried away with the snake story. More about the night at the lake coming up. Please review, just a simple comment if you like.