CHAPTER THREE
Hoss could not help bragging, and before long, everyone in Virginia City had heard about Josie shooting the grizzly bear and saving Chief Winnemucca's daughter from typhus. A few townspeople expressed displeasure, saying Josie should have let the savages die, but most were impressed that she had won the favor of the fierce Paiute warrior.
Because of the heavy workload all of their ranches required in the springtime, Adam, Simon, and Ross made slow progress on Josie's clinic throughout the month of March. Adam was especially frustrated because issues kept arising on the Ponderosa that needed his attention and drew him away from the construction. Their cattle had been unusually prolific despite the hard winter, and they had about a third more calves to brand than they did most years. In addition, the snowstorms had wreaked havoc on fences and line shacks, so they spent more time than usual repairing those. A week and a half after Josie's visit to the Paiute village, when Adam had hoped he would be hanging the walls of the clinic, he, Simon, and Ross had only just managed to erect the framework. Josie came home from Dr. Martin's clinic in Virginia City that Friday to find Adam scowling at the building's still-exposed skeleton.
"It's all right, Adam," Josie reassured him. "I know everyone's been busy. You'll get it done, and I'm going to love it."
"Yeah," Adam replied. "I'm just impatient." He looked over and smiled at Josie, who smiled back. Adam narrowed his eyes; Josie looked awfully pale. "You feeling ok?"
"I'm fine," Josie said, brushing off his concern. "Just a little tired. I got into your Wilkie Collins novels last week, and I think I've been staying up too late reading."
Adam chuckled. "I've done that more than a few times myself," he admitted. "Especially with Wilkie Collins. Which one are you reading?"
"The new one, 'No Name.' A little scandalous, but I like it." She shot Adam a wicked grin, which he returned. "I'm gonna get Scout bedded down. I'll see you inside."
Adam watched Josie walk back to her horse and mount up – rather stiffly, he thought. He shrugged it off. She probably was just overtired, like she said. He stared at the unfinished clinic a few moments more to decide where to pick up later that week when Simon and Ross could make it out to the Ponderosa again, and then he trudged back to the house.
Dinner that evening was quieter than usual. Little Joe was camping out on the range with some of the ranch hands so they could get an earlier start the next morning, and Ben, Adam, and Hoss were worn out from their long day. After supper, everyone, including Pip, settled down in the living room for a relaxed evening. Ben and Hoss battled on the checkers board while Josie and Adam reclined with novels on opposite ends of the settee.
As much as Josie was enjoying the Collins novel, she had a hard time concentrating on it that evening. Every muscle in her body ached, and her head was beginning to pound as well. And those oil lamps! Josie had never noticed how painfully bright they were.
From his end of the sofa, Adam noticed Josie blinking a lot and massaging the back of her neck.
"Hey," he said to catch her attention. She turned her head slowly toward him as if the motion hurt. "You ok?"
"Fine," Josie said with a forced smile. "Just tired. Think I'll turn in." She rose from the settee, kissed them all goodnight, and mounted the stairs with slow, deliberate steps, one hand massaging her lower back, just at the waistband of her skirt. Pip followed her a bit more closely than usual.
Adam watched her go. "She isn't feeling well," he announced when he heard Josie's bedroom door close.
"Oh, I wouldn't worry," Ben said, his eyes never leaving the checkers board. "Probably just a cold."
"Yeah," Adam said, though he was unconvinced.
Adam rapped softly on Josie's bedroom door before he went to bed about an hour later. When he received no answer, he opened the door a crack and peeked in. Pip was curled up on the floor, and Josie was sound asleep in her bed, her black hair fanned out across her pillow. Adam closed the door quietly and went to bed.
When Josie awoke the following morning, the sunlight streaming in her windows stabbed both her eyes, and she clapped a head over them and gasped in pain. She felt wretched – worse than she had ever felt. Her head pounded so hard Josie thought it might burst, and every muscle and joint in her body screamed in pain at the slightest movement. Josie shivered violently despite the heavy quilt covering her, and when she tried to get out of bed, she struck a wall of dizziness that dropped her to the floor. She wanted to call for help, but her head hurt so badly that the mere thought of raising her voice loudly enough to be heard downstairs brought tears to her eyes. Josie pulled herself up onto all fours and crawled to the door. Just reaching up for the door latch took a herculean effort, and once Josie had the door open, she had to sit in the doorway for several minutes to catch her breath. "This can't be possible," she thought to herself. But the aches in her body and the fever Josie could feel coming on told her otherwise, and she knew she had to get her family's attention.
Downstairs, Ben, Adam, and Hoss were finishing up breakfast, and Hoss remarked how strange it was that Josie had not yet joined them.
"She ain't never the last one down," Hoss said.
"That's because Little Joe is always late," Ben replied drily.
The three men were still chuckling when they heard a creak on the staircase landing and turned around. There stood Josie, white as a ghost and clinging to the landing railing for dear life. The three Cartwright men sat frozen, too stunned to react.
"I don't wish to alarm anyone," Josie gasped, "but would one of you be so good as to ride for Dr. Martin?" These simple words taking the last of her strength, Josie swooned.
The dining room exploded.
Ben leapt from his seat, raced for the sideboard, and in one swift motion grabbed his coat, hat, and gun. He shouted to Adam and Hoss to take care of Josie as he darted out the door to saddle up Buck and ride pell-mell into town.
At the same time, Hoss, too, leapt from his seat and dashed across the living room to try to catch Josie before she fell down the stairs. Unfortunately, he misjudged his proximity to the coffee table, tripped, and went sprawling, his chin skidding painfully across the wooden floorboards.
It was Adam who saved the day. Crossing the living room in three long strides and leaping neatly over his fallen brother, Adam bounded up the first flight of stairs and caught Josie just before her head cracked onto the floor of the landing.
"Josie?" he mewled, stroking her cheek. His stomach twisted as he felt the heat radiating from her skin.
Josie's eyelids fluttered and she stared up at Adam with unfocused eyes. "Adam, I don't feel good," she whispered.
"I know, Little Sister," he replied as soothingly as he could through his fear. "Don't worry. Pa's gone for Dr. Martin. He'll get you fixed up in no time."
Josie nodded and closed her eyes. Hoss had picked himself up and joined Adam and Josie on the landing. He and Adam exchanged a brief glance that spoke volumes, and Adam gathered Josie up in his arms and carried her back upstairs and down the hall to her bedroom. Hoss threw back the covers on Josie's bed, and Adam laid her down and tucked her in.
"Cold," Josie whimpered.
"I'll get another blanket," Hoss said, and he scooted from the room. He nearly collided with Hop Sing, who had heard the commotion from the kitchen and had come out to investigate. Adam pulled the curtains open a little farther in the hopes that the sunlight coming in the windows would help warm Josie up. As soon as the light hit her, however, Josie threw one arm weakly across her eyes and began to cry.
"Josie, what is it? What's wrong?" Adam asked, nearly crying himself.
"It hurts," she sobbed.
"What hurts?"
"Light!"
Adam stood there perplexed, but Hop Sing understood. He dashed over to the windows and yanked the curtains closed so vehemently it was a miracle they held fast to the wall.
"Is that better?" Adam asked as he pulled Josie's armchair alongside the bed and sat down. Josie nodded weakly.
Hoss returned with another heavy quilt, and he and Adam spread this over Josie and tucked it in around her.
"Do you think it's influenza?" Adam asked as he and Hoss gazed down at Josie who was now only half-conscious.
"I don't know," Hoss answered. "Came on quick like influenza, but she ain't been around it since the epidemic last year. Who's she been treatin' lately?"
"No one in particular," Adam said. "Just the Paiutes." He paused. "Oh my god. The Paiutes. They had typhus." He stared fearfully at Hoss.
"I thought Josie said she couldn't catch typhus."
"Maybe she was wrong."
There was nothing else to say. They would know nothing for certain until Ben returned with Dr. Martin, so Hop Sing got a bowl of cool water and some rags so they could try to fend off Josie's rapidly rising fever. And they waited.
It was nearly four hours before Ben returned with Josie's colleague, by which time, despite Adam, Hoss, and Hop Sing's best efforts, Josie's fever had risen to the point of delirium. Dr. Martin hustled into the room, took one look at his ailing young protégé, and said sadly, "Oh, Josie." He ripped open his medical bag and began his examination. Ben, Adam, and Hoss looked on anxiously as Dr. Martin pried open Josie's eyelids, looked down her throat, and took her pulse. When he finally stepped back from the bed, he looked grim. "Ben, could I speak with you, please?" he said. He stepped out of the bedroom, intending for only Ben to follow him, but Adam, Hop Sing, and Hoss trailed closely behind. Dr. Martin sighed and turned to the eldest Cartwright. "It's bad, Ben."
"How bad?" Ben asked, taking a step closer to the doctor.
"I wouldn't typically suspect typhus, but given her recent contact with the disease, that's got to be what it is," Dr. Martin explained. Hop Sing let loose a small whimpering sound from the back of his throat, but otherwise everyone was startled into silence.
"That can't be," Ben insisted. "She told me she was immune since she had been exposed during her internship in Philadelphia."
"Exposure is usually all it takes," Dr. Martin conceded, "but not always. In Josie's case, it doesn't seem to have been enough."
"But she'll be all right, won't she?" Hoss chimed in.
Dr. Martin sighed again. "I would give Josie as good a chance as anyone. She's young and strong, but typhus can claim up to half of its victims."
"What are you saying?" Ben asked urgently, grabbing the doctor's arm.
"I'm saying there's a chance she won't pull through," Dr. Martin replied, not meeting Ben's gaze. "I'm saying you should be prepared for the worst. Just in case."
Adam's vision went fuzzy, and he gripped Hoss's arm for support. Hoss patted his brother's shoulder.
"Don't you worry, Older Brother," he said. "Our Josie's tougher than an angry grizzly. If anyone can pull through, it's her."
"Sure, sure," Adam said absently, focusing on quelling the nausea that threatened to cost him his breakfast.
"I'm going to have to quarantine the ranch," Dr. Martin continued. "No one in or out. Where's Little Joe?"
"He's rounding up cattle on the far side of the property," Ben answered. "We're not expecting him home for another two days."
"He can't come home until this is over," Dr. Martin said. He did not say as much, but everyone silently added "One way or the other."
Ben nodded. "Paul," he began, "I wonder if you would be so good as to send a telegram for me when you get back to town."
"Of course, Ben."
The five men went downstairs, where Ben pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen to compose his telegram. Adam's stomach lurched when he saw what his father had written:
TO: Hannah Cartwright, Stoddard House, Boston, Massachusetts
FROM: Benjamin Cartwright, Ponderosa Ranch, Nevada Territory
MESSAGE: Josie seriously ill with typhus STOP Recovery uncertain STOP Will keep you advised STOP Love Ben STOP
"Pa," Hoss began, "you think that's necessary? You're gonna give Aunt Hannah a powerful scare."
"She has to know, Hoss," Ben said. "If Josie doesn't – I mean, if she – " he could not spit out the words. He took a deep breath and tried again. "If the worst happens, Hannah must be prepared. I would want to know if it were one of you." He folded the paper and handed it to Dr. Martin along with a few coins to pay for the transmission. Dr. Martin handed him a brown bottle in return.
"Quinine," the doctor explained. "It's the best thing for typhus. It will help control her fever. Hoss knows how much to give her."
"How long can we expect this to last?" Ben asked.
"Typhus moves slowly," Dr. Martin replied. "The fever can last up to two weeks. I'm afraid that you're all in for a long journey, whichever way this goes. Stay close to her. Try to control the fever. I'll be back in the morning."
"Thank you, Paul," Ben said, passing the quinine bottle to Hoss and walking the doctor to the door. He saw the man out and then turned to his pale sons and housekeeper. "You heard the doctor, boys. We'll take shifts sitting with her. Hoss, please show everyone how much medicine Josie should get."
Hoss nodded and grabbed a spoon from the kitchen so he could show the others what an appropriate dose looked like. Adam tried to pay attention, but he barely heard a word his brother said. His mind was consumed with thoughts of Josie fighting for her life in her bed upstairs. Images of her as a little girl flashed through his mind in such rapid succession that Adam thought he was going insane. No longer able to stand it, he darted back upstairs and into Josie's bedroom, where he dropped into the armchair next to her bed. He grabbed a sodden rag from the bowl on the nightstand and began mopping Josie's brow once more. She barely stirred at his touch, and Adam blinked back tears.
"You have to make it through this, Josie," Adam whispered to her. "We need you. I need you." He heard footsteps at the door and looked up to see Ben carrying in the armchair from his own bedroom. He placed it next to the bed on the opposite side of Adam's and sat down. There was nothing to say, so the two men kept a silent vigil through the afternoon and into the evening.
At suppertime, Ben went downstairs to the table, but Adam refused to leave Josie's side, so Hop Sing brought him up a tray along with a bowl of beef broth for Josie. Josie had been insensible all day, so Adam had to prop her up while Hop Sing spooned the broth into her mouth. They managed to get most of the broth into her, which Adam found encouraging, but no matter what any of them did, they could not lower her raging fever. Even the quinine seemed to have little effect.
After supper, Hoss came in and offered to sit with Josie through the night. Ben accepted and went to bed, but Adam refused to budge, so the brothers sat up with their cousin all night long, neither of them leaving her side except once when Hoss left to refill the bowl of water. Hoss tried a few times to make conversation, but Adam was too lost in his own thoughts to be very good company.
As the first rays of dawn poked their way over the horizon, Josie's condition worsened. She had grown delirious in the night and now tried to fight off anyone who attempted to give her food or water. Tears streamed from Hoss's eyes as he pinioned Josie's arms and held her still enough for Adam to pour water into her mouth. An hour later, Ben wandered bleary-eyed into Josie's bedroom to relieve his sons. Adam again refused to leave Josie, but Ben insisted he go downstairs at least long enough to eat something and help Hoss clean up the breakfast dishes so Hop Sing could assist with Josie.
No sooner had Adam and Hoss reached the first floor then there was a sharp knock at the front door. Forgetting about the quarantine, Adam flung the door open to see the cheerful, smiling faces of Simon and Ross. Adam stood confused until he remembered that they were supposed to work on Josie's clinic that day.
"Hey there, Adam!" Simon greeted him brightly. "Ready to work?"
Simon had not realized something was wrong, but Ross instantly recognized the dread in his best friend's bloodshot eyes.
"Adam," he said urgently, taking a step forward, "what's happened?"
"You can't be here," Adam said dully. "We're quarantined."
"WHAT?!" Ross exclaimed.
Simon's dark eyes widened. "Where's Josie?" he demanded.
Adam caught the younger man's gaze. "She's the one who's sick," he said, his voice wavering. "It's typhus."
Simon sat down heavily on the rocking chair on the porch and dropped his head into his hands. "No," he moaned. With all the work he had been doing on the Lucky Star and building Josie's clinic, he had not had an opportunity to tell her about his conversation with Adam the previous month and invite her to court. "Why didn't I make the time to tell her?" he whispered.
Ross glanced over at Simon and then back at Adam. He, too, was concerned about Josie, but, like Adam, he kept his cool in an emergency. "What do you need?" he asked.
Adam took a deep breath to clear his foggy head and then replied, "It's a lot to ask, but would you ride out to the southwestern corner of the Ponderosa and tell Little Joe? He's supposed to come home tomorrow, but Dr. Martin said he has to stay away until…" he searched for the right words, "until Josie's better," he finished firmly.
"You got it, buddy." Ross hesitated, wanting to pat Adam's shoulder or make some other comforting gesture, but he knew better than to disrespect a quarantine. He and Adam nodded to each other, and then Ross turned toward Simon. "You're coming with me, boy," he said, tapping Simon's shoulder.
"No, I'll stay here," Simon said, his head still down.
"You're not gonna sit here and clog up the Cartwrights' porch," Ross informed him. "Now get up, and let's go." Simon rose reluctantly and followed Ross back to their horses.
Simon paused before mounting up. "You'll tell Josie I was here, won't you, Adam?" he asked.
"Of course," Adam replied. He did not add that in her current state Josie would not know the difference. He raised a hand in farewell as Ross and Simon galloped away.
Adam returned to the kitchen and choked down a couple pieces of toast before helping Hoss wash the few dishes. Hoss headed to bed, but Adam returned to Josie's side. Ben turned around when he entered the room.
"Son," he said gently as Hop Sing mopped Josie's forehead, "get some sleep. I'll wake you if anything changes."
Adam knew he needed to rest so he did not come down ill, too, but he could not stand to leave Josie for more than the few minutes it had taken him to eat breakfast. He considered his options for a moment, then pulled off his boots and lay down on top of the covers next to Josie.
Ben sighed. "That isn't what I meant," he grumbled.
"Should have been more specific," Adam mumbled drowsily.
Ben shook his head as his son drifted off. They were in for a long haul.
Adam awoke when Dr. Martin arrived about an hour later to examine Josie again. He felt her cheek and shook his head. "Her fever's really high," he said. "But that isn't unexpected. Has she eaten anything?"
Ben related their success at getting Josie to drink some broth the night before. This seemed to encourage Dr. Martin, who told them to keep it up and that he would be back in two days to check on Josie again.
"Don't be alarmed if she develops a rash," he told Ben and Adam.
"Everywhere but the palms of her hands and the soles of her feet," Ben muttered.
Dr. Martin nodded and said he would see himself out. As soon as he left, Adam lay back down and dozed off again. He slept for only another hour before Josie woke him up.
"They're dead! They're all dead!" she screamed, her thrashing arms striking Adam several times as he shook the fuzzy drowsiness from his head. Ben, who was still sitting in the armchair next to the bed, grabbed Josie's arms to keep her from hurting herself.
"Josephine!" Ben hollered. "Josie! It's ok! No one's dead. Everyone's ok."
Josie looked at her uncle, but her eyes were glassy and unfocused, and Ben knew she did not recognize him. She did, however, respond to his deep, gruff voice that was so similar to her own father's.
"Papa?" she asked. Then, believing Ben really was his younger brother, she cried "Papa!" and collapsed against his chest and sobbed. "I've missed you so much!" she whimpered between sobs.
Ben wrapped his arms tightly around Josie and looked over her head at Adam with an expression that clearly said "What do I do?" Adam met his gaze and nodded.
"It's all right, Josie," Ben said soothingly. He kissed her forehead. "Papa's here. Everything's ok."
Josie sobbed for a few moments more before accepting a couple sips of water and allowing Ben to lower her back onto her pillows. He rested his hand on her forehead as he had always done to calm his sons and, unbeknownst to him, Jacob had always done to calm Josie, and Josie was soon asleep once more.
"Did I just do a terrible thing?" he asked Adam without looking up from Josie.
"No. Look how peacefully she's sleeping."
Josie slept quietly the rest of the afternoon. A couple hours before supper, Little Joe returned home with Simon in tow. He had ignored Simon and Ross's warnings that he was to stay away from the house. As soon as he heard the words "Josie is sick," he had kicked Cochise hard and made a beeline for home. Hoss stopped him at the porch before he could go inside.
"You can't come in, Joe," Hoss said firmly. "I shouldn't even be standin' out here talkin' to you. Now you go stay with Ross or Simon until this clears out." Then he went back into the house and slammed the door in Joe's face.
Little Joe screeched in fury and kicked the front door as hard as he could, tears streaming down his face. "She's mine, too!" he screamed up at the windows. Simon grabbed him and dragged him away from the house just before Joe could punch the heavy oak door with his bare fist. "No!" Little Joe shouted. He twisted to break free from Simon's grasp, but his friend had too strong of a grip on him. Little Joe sank to his knees in the front yard and sobbed. Simon slowly released him as he grew confident that Joe would not attempt to attack the house again.
"She'll be all right," Simon said, leaving one arm around Joe's shoulders. "She's got Adam and Hoss and Hop Sing and Mr. Cartwright all taking care of her. She'll be all right."
"I want to help," Joe hiccupped. "I just want to do something."
Simon understood. The helplessness was infuriating. He wracked his brain for an idea. "Maybe there is something we can do," he said thoughtfully.
Joe looked up at him, his eyes full of hope. "What?" he asked.
"We can finish building her clinic."
Joe's eyes lit up. "Let's do it," he said.
The two young men sprang to their feet and headed to the barn to collect their tools.
Josie's fever raged for the next several days as she developed the telltale red rash. It began on her chest and spread rapidly across her entire body, except her palms and soles. Adam, Ben, Hoss, and Hop Sing took turns sitting up with her to give her quinine and sponge off her burning forehead. Adam refused to leave her for more than the few moments it took for him to run to the washroom or eat a quick sandwich. He no longer slept through the night, instead catching short stretches of sleep on the free side of Josie's bed every few hours. As the days wore on, it was increasingly difficult to get Josie to take broth and water, and it became clear that she was weakening. By the fifth day, Ben began to debate whether he should send Hannah another telegram.
Word had spread through Virginia City that Dr. Cartwright was seriously ill, and despite the quarantine signs now posted on roads into their property, the Cartwrights often had to turn visitors away from the house, though the guests left offerings of food and gifts for Josie. Several of the men stuck around to assist Simon and Little Joe with the construction of the clinic, and by the fifth day when Josie was worsening, Ross, Isaiah Jenkins, Reverend Lovejoy, Margaret's father, Amos Crawford, and Sheriff Coffee's deputy Henry were helping to build the roof and lay the floor. On the sixth day, Patience and Sally arrived on the Ponderosa, and when they were refused admittance to the house, they joined the men building the clinic.
On the eighth day, Dr. Martin returned to the Ponderosa to check on Josie. Watching patients succumb to disease was never easy, but watching Josie decline was as difficult for Paul Martin as it would have been if she were his own daughter. His heart broke as he turned sad eyes to the family he knew so well and gave them the worst news any doctor ever had to deliver.
"I'm sorry, gentlemen," he said. "I don't know that she can pull through. If she makes it through tonight, there's a chance, but I'm afraid it's not a very good one. I'm so sorry." Hoss and Hop Sing both began to cry, and Dr. Martin had to swallow hard to keep from weeping himself.
"That can't be," Ben said, collapsing into the armchair next to Josie's bed. "That just can't be. She's twenty-two years old…"
Adam stood by Josie's bedside, his chest heaving with rage. "You're wrong!" he roared.
"Son," Ben said, reaching a hand out to Adam, which the younger man batted away.
"Don't touch me!" he growled.
"Adam," Dr. Martin said gently. "She's been burning up for over a week. She's not eating. The body can only take so much."
"Well Josie's can take a bit more," Adam snarled.
Dr. Martin looked like he wanted to say something more, but Ben shook his head at him. Casting one last sad look at Adam, Ben led the doctor out of the bedroom and to the front door. Sensing Adam wanted some time alone with Josie, Hoss and Hop Sing followed.
As soon as the door shut behind Hop Sing, Adam sank onto the bed next to Josie and pulled her into his arms. Ignoring the heat radiating from her body, Adam buried his face in her hair and sobbed.
"Please, Josie," he begged. "Please, don't go. I can't lose you."
Josie, who had been fully unconscious for the past two days, did not respond, and this only made Adam cry harder. At some point, exhausted by his long vigil, Adam fell into a fitful sleep, still clinging to Josie.
Ben found him thus ten minutes later when he returned to Josie's bedroom. His brown eyes bloodshot from fatigue and sorrow, Ben leaned over and brushed dark locks of hair off both Adam's and Josie's foreheads before sinking into the armchair. Out of earthly options, Ben Cartwright began to pray.
"Oh, Lord," he began, "please heal our Josie. Please restore her to us. But if it be your will that she join you, please give us the strength to understand that." He paused for a moment, startled by a sudden rush of fury. "No," he seethed. "No, I will not understand it." He gazed at his eldest son, holding tightly to Josie as if doing so might keep her in this world. "And neither will Adam. This family has buried too many women it loved, and each time, we have accepted it as 'your will.' We will not do that again. You have taken three mothers from my son. You cannot have his sister. You can't have Josie. You just can't have her." He dissolved into tears and buried his face in his arms on the edge of Josie's bed and sobbed. "Jacob, I'm so sorry," he whispered.
Ben had no idea how long he sat there crying, but he was interrupted by Hoss's heavy footsteps charging up the stairs.
"Pa!" Hoss called. "Pa, there's Indians here!"
Ben's head snapped up. Surely he had misheard.
"What?!"
"Indians, Pa!" Hoss repeated as he burst into the room, waking Adam. "Winnemucca and a few of his men!"
Ben hopped around Josie's bed and peered out the window. Sure enough, there in the front yard stood Chief Winnemucca, two of his warriors, and one wizened old man with a gray braid that reached his waist. They had dismounted from their ponies and laid their rifles carefully on the ground to show they meant the Cartwrights no harm. Ben raced downstairs to greet them but stopped short when he reached the porch. Adam, who had leapt out of bed and followed him, nearly slammed into him.
"Winnemucca!" Ben called. "I'm sorry, but we have sickness. It's dangerous for you to be here."
"I know, Ben Cartwright," the chief replied, approaching the porch. "Your niece caught the illness assisting my people. We are here to help her."
"That's very kind," Ben said, "but our doctor has been here and said there is nothing else he can do."
"Nothing else he can do," Winnemucca said. "I have brought you our medicine man. He helped many of our people who were thought to be beyond hope."
Adam was flummoxed. If modern science could not help Josie, nothing could. What did these Indians expect they could do? He looked over at Ben and shook his head.
Winnemucca observed the exchange. "At this point, what do you have to lose?" he asked, echoing Josie's argument to him when he did not want to accept the quinine.
Adam threw his hands up in capitulation. "All right. Give it a try."
"Take us to her," Winnemucca requested.
Ben and Adam led the small contingent into the house and upstairs to Josie's bedroom. Hoss and Hop Sing stared in astonishment, and Ben indicated to them that he would explain later.
When they reached Josie's bedside, the elderly medicine man leaned over Josie, putting his face only inches from hers. He stared at her for several long moments and then said something in Paiute to Winnemucca.
"He said he can restore her," Winnemucca said. "We must take her outside."
Adam made a moue of protest, but Ben shushed him. The Cartwrights watched as Winnemucca gathered Josie up in his arms and lifted her easily. Josie groaned softly at this disturbance, but was otherwise still. She laid her head against the chief's bare chest, her white nightgown contrasting sharply with the man's dark skin. Winnemucca muttered something soothingly to her in Paiute and carried her down the stairs and into the front yard, where his two warriors had already built a small fire. The medicine man spread a blanket on the ground, and Winnemucca laid Josie gently down on it and stepped back, letting the medicine man take over. Ben grabbed Pip's collar to hold him back out of the way.
The group working on the clinic wandered over to stare as Ben Cartwright allowed an Indian to carry his niece out of the house and lay her next to a fire in the middle of his front yard. As the medicine man began humming, then singing, in Paiute, Amos Crawford leaned over to Reverend Lovejoy in rage.
"Ain't you gonna stop this heathen display?"
Reverend Lovejoy shook his head. "No," he replied as he grabbed hold of Little Joe's and Simon's arms to keep them from rushing to Josie. "The Lord often chooses unusual messengers. It is not for us to judge. Besides, at this point, I can't see that it will do Josie any harm."
Simon watched silently, tears streaming from his brown eyes. Even from this distance he could see how frail and weak Josie had become. Sally took Simon's hand, and Patience took Little Joe's, and the four friends stood and watched as the medicine man tended to Josie.
Winnemucca and the two warriors had now joined the medicine man in his singing, and the raw emotion in their voices brought tears to the eyes of everyone watching. Adam rubbed his eyes roughly with his sleeve as he kept his gaze fixed on Josie. The medicine man was passing a smudge stick slowly back and forth a few inches above Josie's body, and the scent of burning sagebrush filled the yard. The Indians gradually sped up the tempo of their singing, and their voices echoed off the house, barn, and bunkhouse. On the medicine man's sixth or seventh pass with the smudge stick, as the Indians' singing reached a frenzied pitch, Josie's eyes flew open, and she arched her back violently and took in a sharp, gasping breath before collapsing back onto the blanket and lying still. Fearing the worst, Adam let out a stifled sob and lurched toward Josie, but Hoss grabbed him and pulled him back.
"She's ok," he reassured his older brother. "Look."
The medicine man grabbed a small pot of tea from next to the fire and poured it slowly into Josie's mouth while Winnemucca held up her head. She sputtered and choked at first, but the medicine man gently rubbed her throat to help her swallow, and she drank the entire pot. When Josie finished the tea, the medicine man approached the Cartwrights, who were still standing a few paces away, watching in anxious silence. The wrinkled old man paced back and forth in front of Ben, Hoss, and Adam several times, studying each of them carefully. He glanced over his shoulder at Little Joe, who was still restrained by the Reverend Lovejoy near the barn, but shook his head and returned his attention to the men in front of him. He paused for several long moments in front of Ben, but then returned to Adam and nodded. He put his hands on Adam's shoulders, stared into his eyes, and spoke rapidly to him in Paiute. Adam smiled awkwardly. He had no idea what the old man was saying, but it seemed important to pay rapt attention nonetheless.
When the medicine man finished speaking, he turned back toward the fire and gestured to Winnemucca. The chief lifted Josie from the blanket and carried her over to Adam. Josie's eyes were closed, and she was sleeping once more. Winnemucca handed her to Adam, who cradled her against his chest. Her condition appeared unchanged from the past several days, and Adam was relieved that at least the Indian ritual seemed to have done her no harm.
Then Josie sighed and opened her eyes. "Hey Cousin-Cousin," she muttered before closing her eyes, nuzzling against Adam's chest, and falling asleep again.
Adam was so surprised he nearly dropped her. Josie had not had a lucid moment in more than three days. He looked up at Winnemucca with wide, startled eyes.
The chief's eyes smiled at Adam with little crinkles at the outside corners. "My medicine man says that your spirit ties hers to this world," he told Adam, "as hers has tied yours here in the past." Adam had a brief vision of launching himself at Peter Kane. "Stay close to her, and her fever will break tonight."
Adam dared not hope, but a little flicker lit his eyes regardless. He thanked Winnemucca and carried Josie back into the house and to her bedroom as Ben and Hoss thanked the Paiutes and saw them off. Adam laid Josie back in her bed and tucked the covers in around her. Was she sleeping more peacefully than before, or was it just wishful thinking? Adam could not be sure. In any event, he obeyed the medicine man's orders to stay close to his cousin. That evening, Hop Sing brought up Adam's supper on a tray so he did not have to leave Josie's bedside. Ever hopeful, the cook also brought along some broth for Josie, though they had been unable to get her to eat anything for more than a day. Ben propped Josie up while Adam spooned the broth carefully into her mouth, and both men were encouraged when they were able to get nearly half the bowlful into her.
Unable to sleep, Adam sat next to Josie on her bed, stretched out his legs, and leaned against the headboard. He had tried to keep a little distance the past several nights between himself and Josie – her fever was so high he had not wanted to warm her further with his body heat – but tonight, he pulled her into his arms and laid her head on his chest. Somehow he knew that something decisive was going to happen that night – one way or the other.
Adam lost track of how long he sat with Josie. Hoss relieved Ben at some point, but Adam still sat wide awake, stroking Josie's limp hair while she slept. He grew angry as Josie's fever continued to rage and cursed himself for hoping that Winnemucca had been correct about her fever breaking. Around one a.m., Josie's fever began to rise even further, and Adam knew he was losing her. His stomach clenched in wrenching knots and tears coursed down his face as he futilely mopped Josie's brow and hummed "Amazing Grace" to her as he had done when she was a child. Hoss sat silently in the armchair, his head in his hands, as he prayed more fervently than he had ever prayed in his life. He thought he should wake Ben, but he could not bring himself to admit that Josie was dying.
But shortly before 3 a.m., Josie began to sweat.
At first Adam thought her hair was damp from his frantic mopping of her forehead, but a few minutes later, he realized that her whole body was sweating and dampening her nightgown. By a quarter after three, her perspiration had drenched her entire nightgown and was seeping its way through Adam's shirt. Adam finally allowed himself to speak the words he thought he would never get to say.
"Hoss!" he barked, interrupting Hoss's twenty-second round of the Lord's Prayer. "Hoss, I think her fever's breaking!"
Hoss's tear-stained face snapped up and he reached a trembling hand out to graze Josie's cheek. "I think you're right," he said disbelievingly. He leapt from his chair with more agility than a man his size should have possessed and thundered across the hall to Ben's bedroom.
"Pa!" he shouted. "Pa, Josie's fever's breakin'!"
Ben charged out of his room without bothering to put on his dressing gown or slippers. He dashed to Josie's bedside and laid his hand on her forehead.
"I don't believe it," he said. "The fever's going down. Get some more water! She's going to be thirsty." Hop Sing, who had been alerted by Hoss's shouting and rushed to Josie's bedroom, dashed out of the room again and returned in short order with a pitcher full of water in one hand and a glass in the other. He filled the glass and handed it to Adam.
Adam propped Josie up and held the glass to her lips.
"Come on, Little Sister," he urged. "Drink some water." He poured a bit of water into Josie's mouth. She swallowed it quickly and groped weakly for the glass.
"More," she whispered.
Adam obliged. Before long, Josie had polished off the entire glass of water. Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked up at Adam. It took her eyes a moment to focus, but when they did, Adam saw they were clear for the first time in a week. She smiled wanly up at him.
"Hey there, sleepyhead," Adam said, choking on his tears.
"Hey yourself," Josie whispered back.
Wiping his eyes, Ben sat on the edge of the bed next to Josie and took her hand in both of his.
"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" he asked.
Josie turned her head slowly to look over him. "Like I've been trampled by every steer on the Ponderosa," she groaned.
The four men laughed in relief until Josie clutched her head and groaned again.
"Sorry," Ben said in a stage whisper as he, his cook, and his two oldest sons stifled their laughter.
"How long was I out?" Josie asked.
"Almost nine days," Adam said, brushing a sweaty lock of hair off of Josie's cheek.
Josie's eyes went wide. "Holy smoke," she whispered. Then a shiver coursed through her body. "I'm cold," she whimpered.
Hoss laid a hand on Josie's arm and felt her sweat-soaked nightgown. "Course you are," he said. "You're soaked through with sweat. The sheets are, too."
"Adam is, too," Adam said, looking down at his shirt. It was mottled with large, dark patches of damp that clung to his skin.
"Sorry," Josie apologized in her feeble voice.
"Not at all," Adam said and kissed her forehead. He extricated himself from behind Josie and laid her gently on her pillows so he could stand up.
"Adam, Hoss," Ben began, "get Josie into a dry nightgown. Hop Sing and I will change these sheets.
Adam and Hoss shared an awkward glance. "Uh, P- Pa," Hoss stammered, blushing deeply.
Ben looked over at his middle son impatiently. "I'm sure Josie appreciates your sense of modesty, Hoss, but we have no other options right now. Please just help your cousin."
Hoss sighed but trudged over to Josie's chest of drawers. After much embarrassing rummaging in which he first extracted a pair of knickers and then a corset, he at last found a clean nightgown. "All right, you two," he said to Adam and Josie. "Let's see if we can all get through this with our dignity intact."
Adam lifted Josie out of bed and carried her over to Hoss on the other side of the room. The two brothers stared at each other, Adam holding Josie, and Hoss holding the dry nightgown. They looked to Josie for advice, but she was so worn out from battling the fever that she had closed her eyes again and was dozing in Adam's arms.
"Now what?" Adam asked.
"Uh," Hoss hesitated, sizing up the situation. His brow wrinkled as he thought hard. At last he said, "Ok, Adam, you stand there and hold Josie up on her feet like she's standin'. Don't let go, though. We don't want her takin' a fall. And I'll, uh, I'll swap out her nightgown real quick-like." Hoss's face was so dark red by this point that Adam was afraid his brother's head might burst at the slightest touch, like a rotten tomato.
"Ok," Adam agreed. "Ready?"
"Yep."
"Go!"
When Adam set Josie on her feet, he discovered that she was so weak he had to hold onto her more tightly than he had planned. This complicated matters a bit when Hoss tried to pull Josie's nightgown over her head and got it tangled up in Adam's arms. After much finagling and a bit of arguing, they succeeded in getting the wet nightgown off of Josie and the dry one on without either of the brothers getting much more embarrassed than they already were. Josie, for her part, was still mostly asleep and only muttered a half-hearted, "Oh, shut up" when Adam's and Hoss's voices grew too loud for her still-throbbing head. Despite his best efforts to avert his eyes, Adam caught sight of Josie's ribs protruding sharply through her skin, which was still covered in the angry, red rash, and he cringed. This glimpse of his cousin's frailty reminded him how very close they had come to losing her.
Ben and Hop Sing finished changing the sheets before Hoss and Adam finished swapping nightgowns, so as soon as Josie was safely ensconced in her dry nightgown, Adam laid her back down in bed and covered her up with the fresh blankets.
"Better?" he asked.
"Mmhmm," Josie murmured as she nestled deeper under the covers.
Hop Sing left to heat some broth for Josie, and he brought this up a few minutes later. Adam held Josie up so she could drink it, and he thought he might weep for joy when she finished off the entire bowl. Though the sun was now rising, Ben sent Hoss to bed – an order he gladly obeyed. No one had gotten much sleep while Josie had been ill, and now that it seemed the worst of the danger had passed, Hoss felt like he could sleep for days.
Ben watched as Adam lowered Josie back down against her pillows, rested his hand on her cooling forehead, and smiled. "I suppose there's no sense in trying to send you out," he observed.
Still smiling, Adam looked over at his father. "No," he said. "But you and Hop Sing should get some sleep."
Ben grunted. "Yeah. But first I think I better go downstairs and give everyone the good news."
"Everyone?"
"Didn't you notice? Half of Virginia City is camped in our front yard."
Adam crossed to the window and looked out. Sure enough, at least a dozen people, including Little Joe, Simon, Ross, Amos Crawford, Patience Lovejoy, and Sally Cass were wrapped up in bedrolls all over the front yard. A fresh batch of tears rose to Adam's eyes as he took in the sight of their friends and neighbors who had been keeping vigil with them all through that long, terrible night.
"They've been leaving gifts on the porch, too," Ben said. "The downstairs guestroom is full of them."
Adam marveled again at the generosity of the people of Virginia City. "We'll have to have a party to thank everyone once Josie's feeling better," he said.
"That's a good idea, son," Ben said. He turned to go.
"Pa?"
Ben turned back toward Adam. "Yes?"
"Pa, I… I, uh…" Few times in his life had Adam Cartwright been at a loss for words, but this morning he was flummoxed.
Ben crossed the room to his son. "It's all right, Adam. I don't know what I would have done, either, if we'd lost her. I'm not sure that's a loss I could bear." He pulled Adam into an embrace, and father and son stood there for several long moments, clinging to each other and thanking God that their family was still whole.
When Ben finally stepped back, he patted Adam's shoulder. "You get some sleep, too," he said and then left the room.
Adam heard his father go downstairs and open the front door. He did not pick up what words Ben said to the small crowd in the yard, but he clearly heard the loud cheer that erupted. Adam peered out the window once more to see Simon pounce onto Little Joe just as Joe collapsed in a sobbing heap on the ground. Simon tumbled into the dirt and sat there dazed for a moment until Ross helped him up. Sally and Patience had grabbed one another's hands, spun around in a few fast circles, and then fell, weeping, into each other's arms. After surveying the whole scene, Adam found he could not tear his eyes away from Simon, who was now running around the yard hugging everyone he could get hold of. Watching the young man's exhilaration, Adam realized how deeply Simon cared for Josie and for a brief instant thought perhaps he had been too hard on him. Then he glanced down at his sleeping cousin and with a small chuckle thought, "No, perhaps not."
Adam felt like he could watch the celebration for hours, but a wave a fatigue swept over him, and he decided to give in to it. Smiling, he lay down on the bed next to Josie, draped his arm around her shoulders, and slept until noon.
Adam awoke when Dr. Martin came in to check on Josie. The physician's eyes welled up as he laid his hand on Josie's forehead and announced that she was past the worst of the danger.
"There is, of course, always a small possibility of relapse," he cautioned the family, "but I would not worry yourselves too much. It will take some time for her to regain her strength, but you should see small improvements every day."
"When will you lift the quarantine?" Ben asked.
"End of tomorrow," Josie supplied.
Dr. Martin grinned down at her. "That's right," he said. "As long as your fever doesn't come back, we'll lift the quarantine tomorrow evening. It's good to have you back, Josie," he said as he leaned down and kissed her forehead.
"Thanks," Josie said, returning his smile. "It's good to be back."
Dr. Martin turned to Ben. "Feed her," he instructed, and then he turned back to Josie. "Eat and sleep. That's your job for the next couple weeks. I'll check on you tomorrow afternoon."
"Thank you, Paul," Ben said and walked the doctor out.
Instead of plain broth, Hop Sing brought Josie some of his famous chicken dumpling soup, which she was more than happy to eat. She felt much stronger after sleeping so well, but she was still too weak to sit up and eat unassisted, so Adam helped her to sit up and steadied her hand while she spooned soup into her mouth. After about half the bowl, however, even this small motion exhausted her, so Adam spoon-fed her the rest of the soup. With her tummy now full of the hot soup, Josie was sleepy again, so she lay down and fell back to sleep.
Ben, Adam, Hoss, and Hop Sing stood and watched her sleep for a few minutes, basking in their good fortune. "We're going to have a mob on our hands when we open that front door tomorrow," Adam said.
"Good," Ben said. "Good."