"Dr. Patterson, Dr. Patterson." Katie called as they walked into the office. On their way home, Katie had begged to stop and see the doctor who had been so kind to her, and she reminded her father of a certain restaurant he was supposed to take her sister to.
"Well, Hello again. What a pleasant surprise!" He smiled and Katie ran into his open arms.
"Dr. Patterson this is my big sister, Emily." She pointed at the auburn hair young girl standing next to Adam.
"There's no doubt your sisters, you look so much alike, and like your father." He smiled down at her and tussled her hair. "So what brings you back, nothings wrong, I hope."
"Nope, not this time. I'm all better, Uncle Hoss hurt his big toe but he said it would be fine." She nodded, her hair bouncing to the rhythm.
"Well, I sure hope it will get better soon." The doctor chuckled.
"Uhhh, Dr. Patterson, I was actually wondering if Katie could stay with you for a little while. I'm taking Emily out to eat and Katie begged me to stay with you, if your not to busy." Adam asked feeling uncomfortable about asking someone he barely knew to watch his daughter.
"Please? Please? Please? I'll be good." She begged.
"Well, why not? I can show ya how things work around here." He patted her shoulder. "That shouldn't be a problem."
"Thank you, we won't be too long." Adam smiled at the doctor and then gave his daughter a look that said she had better behave and left.
"Did Katie really want you to take me here, or did she just want to see Dr. Patterson?" Emily asked curiously.
"She wanted me to take you here before she realized that would mean she could see the doctor again. She sure did take a liking to him, didn't she?" Adam chuckled.
"Mhhmm." She nodded thoughtfully.
"What?" Her father asked noticing the look she had given him.
"I like seeing you laugh again. You laughed a lot more on this trip than you do at home." She half smiled and turned her attention back to her food.
"I'm sorry, Ems, I'm trying." Was all he said pushing his food around on his plate.
"It's ok, Daddy, I know it's hard to laugh sometimes." She said quickly not wanting him to think she was upset. He nodded and then sat quietly and thoughtfully for a long time, Emily didn't interrupt.
"What...What would you think about moving back home, to our house?" He asked somewhat nervously, Emily grew quiet and took a deep breath before she spoke.
"Are you ready for that?" She asked with little emotion.
"I am, if you are." He stated and she knew he was serious. Emily pushed back her chair and went around the table to his side, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.
"I am ready." She smiled.
"Guess you've been ready, haven't you?" He asked as she took her seat. She nodded shyly. Adam watched her as she began to eat again, she seemed like she had grown up so much in the last couple of months. She was no longer that care-free, curious child, but a responsible, thoughtful young girl. She was changing so much everyday and he knew before long, she would be a young woman but for now, she was still his little girl and in his heart she always would be.
"Dr. Patterson, do you save people who are dying?" Katie asked.
"You can call me Dr. Pat, and yes, sometimes I do." He answered.
"I bet you coulda saved my Mama." She said in all confidence. "You saved me."
"Katie, your father told me about what happened to your mother, and I don't believe there was anything any doctor could have done for her. But it doesn't take a great doctor to take care of a little girl who got herself stung by a scorpion." He chuckled trying to lighten up the mood.
"I think your a great doctor." She slid off his operating table that he had set her on to test her reflexes and found a photograph of his graduating class. "Why aren't there any girls?" She asked.
"Because it was medical school and girls don't become doctors, so they don't go to medical school." He explained.
"Why don't girls be doctors?" She asked.
"Well, because girls become nurses." He tried to explain.
"Nurses is different than doctors?" She tried to understand.
"Yes," He chuckled. "It's different, but not less important. We need nurses just as much as we need doctors."
"Could I be a nurse?" She continued.
"Well, yes, if that's what you wanted to be." He smiled.
"I want to help people like you do, but not doctor cuz girls don't doctor they nurse." She said trying to sound smart. He just laughed. The front door opened and Adam and Emily walked in. "Daddy, I'm gonna be a nurse!" She ran over and gave him a big hug.
"I leave her with you for an hour and she has already decided her life profession." Adam smiled. "Would you like to take this one next." He motioned to Emily and chuckled.
"She's a good little girl you got there, Adam. She could be a very good nurse someday, if that's what she wants." He smiled.
"Well, she's still has quite a few years to decide that." Adam said not liking the thought of his baby girl growing up.
"Emily, come sit here." Katie dragged her sister over to the operating table and patted it for her to sit. Emily looked over at the doctor for permission and when she got a nod, she pulled herself onto the table. Katie grabbed the little rubber hammer looking object and gently whacked her sister's knee with it, the first time didn't work but the second sent her leg kicking. she laughed and her little sister whacked her a few more times before they traded and she taught Emily how to do it.
"Alright, girls, we had better head back to camp before it's dark." Adam called after a little time had passed. The girls reluctantly laid aside the stethoscope they had been playing with, said their goodbyes, and headed back to camp.
"Emmy, are you excited to go home?" Katie asked her big sister later that evening.
"I'm excited to sleep in a real bed again, but I think I'm gonna miss it out here. Why?" Emily responded.
"I'm gonna miss it too, but I can't wait to be home again." She smiled. The next few days passed quickly, and soon but not soon enough for the weary group, they were home. The sight of the Ponderosa and the families' house never looked so good to the two little girls who had never experienced life on the trail before. Though they had done surprisingly well with all the struggles of a cattle drive, it was good to be home where they could just be kids again.
"Emily, you're supposed to be in bed." Adam said as he saw his daughter coming down the stairs.
"I know, I just had to ask you something, real quick." She answered coming over to the side of his chair. He took her arm and led her to the front of his chair where he could lift her onto his lap.
"What is your bed to soft?" He joked.
"No, it's fine." She giggled.
"Alright, what is it?" He said more seriously.
"Well, you said I had till the end of the cattle drive to finish my paper, the one on love. Well, I'm not ready to finish it yet. Can I have a little more time?" She asked her eyes big and sweet looking into his.
"Of course, just make sure it's finished before school starts." He smiled knowing it probably would take her that long to be satisfied with her answer.
"I will. Daddy?" She asked.
"Yes." He sighed wondering how long she was going to put off going to bed.
"Why do we dream? If we are asleep shouldn't we just be asleep and not thinking about anything?" She asked leaning her head against his chest.
"Well, for some reason your brain keeps working after you've gone to sleep, and what it keeps thinking about becomes part of your dream. Are you still having bad dreams?" He asked and had to suppress a chuckle that wanted to follow the pathetic explanation of dreaming.
"Sometimes." She nodded against him.
"Anytime you have bad dream, you can come crawl in bed with me." Adam soothed and lifted himself into a standing position, pulling Emily farther up to rest her head on his shoulder.
"I wish my brain would go to sleep too." She said sleepily.
"We all wish that about your brain sometimes." Adam teased as he walked into the girls' shared room.
"Daddy!" She whined.
"Ssshhh, don't wake your sister up. Maybe if you didn't think so hard, it would have time to wind down before you went to sleep." He smiled as he laid her in bed and pulled the covers back over her.
"Have a good night, I love you, Daddy." she whispered sleepily.
"I love you too, goodnight sweetheart." Adam kissed her blown up cheek and she let it pop, then she reached up and kissed his blown up cheek but it didn't pop.
"Daddy, stop teasing." She feigned anger and kissed it again, this time he let out a little puff of air and she smiled at him, happy that he was teasing again. Adam left the room and headed back to his seat in front of the fireplace, which wasn't lit because the summer nights were still very warm. He picked up his book and began to read, but his thoughts soon drifted to other things. The past, his life with Sarah, the present, his life with only the girls and his family, and the future, what would be and could be, he fell into a restless sleep.
A little while after he had fallen asleep, Ben had come into the room and decided to wake him up so he could sleep in his own bed tonight instead of on a hard chair. "Adam, Adam." He softly tapped his son's shoulder.
"Mmmmm, Pa, it's to early." He pushed at it his hand. Ben chuckling remembering the young dark haired boy that hated getting up early but as he had grown into a young man, he had starting getting up before most of the house. After a couple more soft shakes from his father, Adam roused.
"I think you should get some sleep." Ben chuckled at his son.
"I was actually already enjoying it, if I remember right, you woke me up." He smiled wearily at his father.
"Well, I just thought you might want to take advantage of that bed that you've been missing for two weeks." Ben shrugged and they both chuckled.
"Pa, sit down. I need to talk with you." Adam said more seriously.
"Alright, go ahead." Ben said nervously as he sat down.
"The girls and I decided it's time to move back to our place." He said simply.
"Oh, I see. Well, if you think that's for the best." Ben replied but his tone gave away his disappointment.
"You don't sound to happy about that." Adam pointed out.
"It's just, I was getting used to have you and the girls around all the time. It's been a while since we've had little feet running around the house." Ben chuckled thinking about the numerous times he had warned them about running down the stairs.
"I know, and they've enjoyed being here but I think it's time to get back to a more normal life and start adjusting to life without her." He quieted as his thoughts ran to their house and how empty it would be without Sarah's warm smile and contagious laugh.
"Well, if things don't work out, you're always welcome back here." Ben submitted.
"Thank you, I think Joe will be happy to know that he gets his room back." Adam chuckled.
"Maybe, but you know he hasn't minded. He's gonna be just as disappointed that your leaving as any of us. When will you go?" Ben asked.
"Tomorrow, we'll head back over tomorrow. I'll take some of ledgers with so I can get them caught up. Oh, and I'm having Margaret and her daughter over for dinner so the girls can meet them. I'd appreciate it if you all could join us." Adam said somewhat uncomfortably.
"We'd love to join you, are you planning on telling the girls before they meet your friend." Ben asked.
"No, I know them well enough, to know that they will decide before they even meet her that they don't like her or Cassandra, her daughter, and they won't even give them a chance, if they know." Adam explained his reasoning.
"But what if they get the wrong idea?" Ben asked the very question that Adam had been trying to straighten out in his head.
"I'm working on that." He pinched the bridge of his nose and Ben knew he'd been worrying about that very thing.
"Well, sleep on it. Maybe something will come to you." Ben said as he stood.
"Thanks." Adam nodded and both of the men headed up the stairs to a the much desired soft beds that were awaiting them.
The next day while Ben and Hoss went back to their normal work, Adam and the girls gathered their belongings to head home, Joe had volunteered to help and though it seemed unnecessary Adam agreed, thankful for the support. Once packed, and leaving with more than they had come with, the small family headed out. Adam driving the team with Katie cuddled up next to him, Emily riding her horse next to her uncle on Cochise. Joe noticed the sudden tenseness in the air as they rode up to the house and wondered if this was the best idea.
After months of not stepping foot around his house, the pain that had lessened suddenly resurfaced, he tried to hide it but they could all see the change in his eyes. Emily felt the same pain of the one person who wasn't with them that day and never would be again, but despite that she was happy to be home. Katie was just happy to be back and her excitement could not be hid, as she bounded over to her tree swing and begged her uncle to push her. Joe decided he could be of more use right now entertaining Katie than helping unpack and headed over to his niece. Leaving father and daughter standing in front of their little home.
"Daddy, I'm ready. Are you?" She asked softly as she took his big hand in hers. He smiled down at her and squeezed her hand.
"I'm ready." He answered and they walked into the house. Everything was just the way they had left it on the day that they had moved in with Adam's family. Emily left her father's side and went into his room, he followed her. She sat on the bed feeling the comforter that her mother had picked out and she smiled up at him.
"It doesn't hurt so bad anymore, I can think about her and be happy." She said patting the bed next to her. Adam sat down and wondered if his daughter was stronger than himself, because the pain was back in full force.
"Why don't we put your stuff back in your room?" Adam asked wanting to get out of there.
"Ok," She hopped off the bed grabbed his hand and they headed back outside. Adam cleared his throat and called to Katie.
"Kates, come help unpack." She jumped off the swing and ran over to them followed by Uncle Joe.
"I'll take care of the horses, Adam." Joe said wanting his brother to be able to give his full attention to the girls. Adam gave him a half smile and patted his shoulder, the little gesture held a lot more meaning between the two brothers than any onlooker could ever know, but Joe understood. After helping the girls, Adam left them in their rooms and headed downstairs where he met Joe.
"Would you like some coffee?" Adam asked.
"No, I think I should be going, are you gonna be alright?" Little Joe asked knowing his brother all to well.
"We'll be fine, the girls are already adjusting fine." He said while trying to find something else to occupy his eyes so he didn't have to look at his brother.
"I meant you, Adam." Joe took a step closer, trying to see any emotion in his brother's eyes.
"Pa, will be needing you. I'll see you tonight, right?" Adam said in his harsh tone that he used when he didn't want to answer, but instead changed the subject.
"Ya, we'll be here." He answered quietly and left.
"Where did Uncle Joe go?" Emily asked as they came down the stairs.
"He had to get to work, he'll be back tonight for dinner." Adam explained and then decided it was time to discuss dinner. "Come here, we need to talk." He said and watched both girls nervously take a seat on their couch. Neither said a word, and looked as though they were waiting for a punishment. "We are having a guest over for dinner tonight, and I need you both to behave." The girls visibly relaxed.
"Who?" Katie asked.
"A friend from when I was in college back East, her and her daughter will both be coming." He finished quickly, almost hoping the would miss the little fact that it was a lady, from the look on Emily's face she hadn't.
"Her?" She asked trying to control the immediate anger that had sent her blood boiling.
"Yes, I met Margaret while I was in the East, she was the wife of my close friend, she moved here with her daughter, Cassandra, recently. It's only polite to have them over for dinner." He tried to explain away any suspicion.
"Where's her husband?" Emily asked with an attitude already guessing the answer.
"He died about a year ago, she moved to get away from it all." He said quietly, he had been hoping to avoid that question but he should have known with Emily he would have to explain everything. "Your grandpa and uncles are all coming to." He said trying to show them there was nothing between him and this woman. "I need you both to behave yourselves, and watch the attitude." He directed the latter part towards Emily who was already fuming. He decided it would be better to just tell them. "I can't keep taking you both to work everyday, it's summer and I would like you to get to just be regular children the rest of the summer. Maggie has agreed to watch you both." He finished lamely as he watched Emily clench her teeth together and tears spring to her eyes. When she couldn't stop them from spilling down her cheeks, she ran out of the house. Adam turned back to Katie.
"I liked going to work with you." She said sadly.
"Maybe every once in a while, you still can, on easier days. But won't it be nice to get to stay home and play." Adam scooped his little girl up and looked her in the eyes.
"Ya, I guess." She agreed but he could still see the disappointment.
"I need to talk to your sister, will you be okay in here?" He asked.
"Ya." She nodded and he set her down. Adam headed outside and found Emily standing on the fence at the horse corral. She quickly wiped away her tears when she heard him walking up.
"I'm sorry, Ems, I know you've enjoyed working with us, but this is just the way it has to be." Adam explained gently leaning against the fence next to her. She looked away and couldn't say anything afraid her emotions would get the better of her. "I just don't want you to grow up to fast, it's summer break when a child is supposed to have a break from working and just have fun, you can do that if she takes care of you during the day." He finished lamely, still not convinced himself that this was the best idea. Emily hopped off the fence and began to stomp away. "Emily." He called after her, she stopped and turned back to him.
"Your supposed to take care of us, your our father remember." She shot at him and then ran into the barn, letting the door slam behind her. He decided to let her cool off and headed back into the house to check on Katie. This was going to be a long evening.
