The Gravity of the Situation
Billy sat in his room waiting for his father. Adam and Hoss had taken Jax over to the motel, while Ben was sitting downstairs with his broken and battered son. Dr. Martin walked into his son's room, he had no plans on punishing the boy tonight, but he wanted to make sure his son was ok and knew the gravity of the situation.
"Hi Pa," Billy said looking down, thanking his lucky stars that his father didn't have his belt in hand. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
Dr. Martin stood in front of his son and crossed his arms before asking.
"Do you realize what could've happened today?"
"Yes sir," Billy said not having the ability to meet his father's eyes or the ability to keep the tears from springing out of them.
"Why do you let that girl lead you by the nose like that?"
"Pa, you know Jax isn't usually…"
"Billy, I brought that little girl into the world and have been there through every sickness, every bump, every bruise, and every adventure the three of you have ever been on. You're right Jax usually isn't this bad, but like I said when we had our discussion about taking her with you this summer, Jax's not thinking and needs her friends to point…"
"She would have done it on her own, if we didn't go tonight," Billy argued.
"Billy there is no way anyone, especially one little girl could cut six trees alone."
"Jax would've found away, I know it. She's amazing Pa."
"I know you have a crush on her…"
"No I don't. She's the best friend I've ever had, yeah she's been kind of a jerk lately and has only been thinking about herself, but usually she would do anything to keep me and Little Joe out of trouble."
"How about out of danger?"
Billy looked down, because Jax really didn't think anything was dangerous and usually he was the first one to point it out. While he tried to stop her from doing dangerous things there, he admired her determination.
"I would call it determination."
"William, I don't appreciate your lying to me."
"Ok, Jax really doesn't think anything is dangerous," Billy decided to admit.
"And this time it almost cost her Little Joe's life and maybe even yours."
"Little Joe decided to jump…"
"William, stop making excuses for her…"
"Pa, it was my fault too. I wanted to help her prove herself and honestly I wanted to try out logging. It looked like a lot of fun," Billy said honestly.
"I'm glad you can admit that son, because tomorrow after supper, I'm thinking you're going to be introduced to a switch. I won't let you risk your life especially not to impress a girl."
"Yes sir," Billy said looking down. He seethed over his father's last remark but decided to keep quiet. Jax and Joe both shared how bad a switch was and he so wasn't looking forward to it.
XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO
It was taking everything in Adam's power not to turn his sister over his knee and spank her until she begged for mercy, but he decided to give her a chance to explain herself first.
"What in the world were you thinking, little girl?"
"That I could do it and if Joe…OW…ADAM!" Jax complained the second her brother landed five hard swats.
"Jacqueline, if I hear another excuse, I promise I'll turn you over my knee, bare your bottom, and give you the spanking of your life. Joseph lying in that bed is mostly your fault. Sure our foolish little brother jumped into a log infested river, but it was your idea to go down there in the first place," Adam said harshly.
"Adam, I know I was wrong to think I could get the logs down the river…"
"But you weren't wrong in your belief that you could finish the contract?"
"I really think I could've if given a chance. Adam, I know you don't believe in me…"
"Jax, I do believe in you, but there are just things you're not ready to do yet and honestly I'm not sure if you ever will be ready to do."
Jax looked down wanting to argue, but seeing Joe's broken body proved that she probably couldn't do everything she thought she could. Even before jumping in the river, Jax knew floating the logs down river might be more than she could handle, but she wanted to prove herself so bad that she didn't really think about it.
"Is Joe going to be ok?"
"We don't know if he'll be able to walk again," Adam said honestly. Jax and Billy were in with Joe when that little discussion was taking place in the waiting room.
"He has to. Joe loves…" Jax couldn't finish because tears took over. That was the moment that she finally got it. This was her fault and her choices could ruin her brother's life. She couldn't believe how selfish she had been in the last few months.
"Jax, come here," Adam said opening his arms. Jax was in them in seconds. She needed his love and strength. Adam held her through her tears before asking, "What are you thinking?"
"That every choice, I've made since I ran away was wrong and now because of my choices Joe could be injured for forever. Honestly I'm lucky he's alive. Adam, I can't live without Joe," Jax said crying yet again.
"Joe's going to pull through."
"Are you sure about that?"
"I promise and you know I keep my promises," Adam said giving her a slight smile. The first one he gave since he picked them up from the lumber camp.
"Is he going to be the same Joe as he was before I dragged him down to the lumber camp?" Jax asked begging for an answer that she wanted, in fact needed to hear. If Joe wasn't she knew first she would never forgive herself, but to make it worse Joe would never forgive her.
Adam didn't have the answer to that question for sure, so he just pulled her into another hug. Jax started crying again and Adam rocked her until she fell asleep.
"Do you want a drink?" Hoss asked.
"I'd love one," Adam said.
XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO
"Pa," Joe said to the sleeping man sitting next to him.
"How are you doing son?"
"It hurts a lot. How many bones did I break?" Joe asked with tears in his eyes from the pain.
"Both arms and legs, four rib, but luckily you didn't break your back."
"Can I have something for the pain?"
"Not yet. Dr. Martin said you need to wait a couple more hours."
"Please Papa, don't make me wait," Joe begged tears falling hard.
"Sweetheart, we're not doing this to be mean. We're doing it to be safe," Ben said glad it wasn't his call. His son hadn't called him Papa in years, so he had to be in great pain.
Dr. Martin walked in at that moment.
"So how's our boy."
"I hurt, Dr. Martin. Please let me have something," Joe begged again.
"I know it hurts Little Joe but we need to be careful. I'll give you some sleeping powders but no morphine for a few more hours."
"Thank you," Joe said drinking down the bitter liquid. He was asleep a few minutes later.
"How's he doing?" Ben asked.
"Better than I thought, but he isn't out of the woods yet. His brain functions are intact that we know for sure, but until we'll have to see how his legs are healing we won't know for sure if he'll be able to walk again. His femur and tibia are broken on his left leg and the femur is broken on the right. Both were compound fractures and driving two hours didn't do anything to aide in the healing process. We're lucky that he didn't break his back, if so he would never walk again. No matter what that boy is in for a long long recovery."
Ben just shook his head.
"I know you're going to argue with me, but he's going to sleep for the rest of the night, so feel free to go to the motel."
"I can't leave him. How do I tell my little boy that he may never walk again?"
"You don't until we know something for sure."
Ben just shook his head yes. He wanted to take his broken boy into his arms and know that everything was going to be ok, but honestly it was in God's hands now and there was nothing he could do about it.