Chapter Fourteen

Ch 13: As he watched, he was stunned to hear the word he had almost given up hope of ever hearing again.

"Pa?"

Ben's fingers froze against Adam's cheek as his son blinked several times before closing his eyes once again. Harry leaned over his shoulder and all thoughts of coffee were banished as he grasped at Ben's shoulder. He suddenly realised what he had done and self-consciously pulled his hand back.

"You heard that too?" Ben's eyes looked as if he didn't dare believe what had just happened.

"Yep! He woke up." Harry grinned at him as Ben's eyes filled with tears. He slid back out of the way as Joe and Hoss jostled for a position closer to their brother and Joe grabbed at Adam's hand and squeezed it.

"Adam? Come on, Brother, wake up!" Days of anxiety poured out as he squeezed Adam's hand within both of his, but his stubborn older brother refused to respond.

None of them noticed as Glen bolted for the door, intent on dragging the doctor back to reassess his patient's chances now. It would be another half an hour before Adam's face showed signs of waking once again. His eyes fluttered open a few times before he finally fixed onto his father's face.

"Pa?" The almost whispered word sounded like music to all of them and Ben reached forward again.

"I'm here, Son. You're going to be just fine."

"Feel like I got trampled by the herd." Adam's eyes slid closed once again, but his fingers stayed wrapped around Joe's and he squeezed back each time Joe squeezed his hand. It was the weakest grip that Joe had ever felt, but he was beyond caring. His brother was alive and responding to them.

As the doctor strode into the room, he smiled at Ben as he eased into his place while opening his medical bag. "I'm more than happy to be proven wrong on this prognosis, Mister Cartwright." He tugged at his stethoscope and began listening to Adam's chest. He watched as his patient once again opened his eyes and frowned at his touch as he inspected the red and inflamed skin across his chest. The doctor could see that the family had continued to apply salve long after he had pronounced his patient lost. He smiled to himself as he wondered how much of his patient's survival was due to his own constitution and how much was owed to the stubbornness of a family that simply refused to let him go. When he was done, he slowly stood up and reached a hand out to Ben.

"He's a long way from being well. His breathing is still strained and I don't know if there is any lasting damage to his lungs. Or it may be the muscle weakness that is causing the difficulty and it will pass as he grows stronger. To be honest, I still don't know what we are dealing with here, although I'm leaning towards the poison theory myself. His symptoms seem to suggest that over any kind of sickness I've seen and nobody else here has shown any sign of getting sick either."

Ben felt his anger rising at the idea that somebody had deliberately laced a well with poison out of pure greed and his son had paid the price for it along with others. He swallowed down his anger and forced himself to focus on his son's needs instead.

"So what will happen from here?"

"The skin inflammation is healing well so keep putting that salve on him. I can't say for certain how long this will linger, but it is going to take some time for his health to improve. There will probably be residual muscle weakness, possibly blurred vision and difficulty keeping food down. He'll be irritable and he may be off-balance for a while. He's going to need plenty of rest before he gets his feet back under him."

"We can manage all that, Doctor." Ben was nodding calmly as he listened. It didn't matter how much or how long it would take.

"I can't say for certain that he won't have any lasting effects."

"I understand that and I want to thank you for all that you've done for my son."

The doctor nodded at the words, knowing what his previous words had done to the father standing before him.

"I'm very glad I was wrong." He smiled as he shook hands with Ben.

Adam glared at his father as he reached for the spoon in the bowl. Ben smothered a smile as his son's stubbornness raised its head once again. It was a trait that he was going to need to draw on over the coming weeks as his body fought against his will.

"I can feed myself, Pa!"

Ben simply nodded and allowed Adam to lift the mouthful of broth for himself. The tremor in his son's hand almost spilled the liquid down his front, but Ben resisted the urge to help. Adam had been independent since he could walk and talk and the most frustrating part of his recovery was how slowly it was going. It had been four days since he'd awoken in a strange hotel room, feeling like his body had been dragged through a wild stampede. The saga had come back to him in bits and pieces and he'd been relieved to see his youngest brother alive and well.

"Where is everyone?"

Ben didn't have the heart to tell him that they had made themselves scarce as the food tray had been delivered to spare Adam the humiliation of being spoon-fed.

"Glen has already headed home and Harry's got a town to take care of."

"And Joe and Hoss?"

"Your brothers took Stacey out for some fresh air. She's been cooped up in here as long as you have."

Adam took another spoonful of broth and leaned back against the pillows. He hated feeling so drained and weak and he longed to get out of the room too.

"How's her ankle doing?"

"The doctor said it's healing correctly, but it was a bad break. It's going to cause her a lot of grief over the winter with the cold I suspect."

As Adam finished up the bowl, he smiled as Hoss came back through the door with Stacey leaning heavily on his arm. She smiled brightly to see him awake and gestured to the chair. Hoss helped her across the room and settled her comfortably before propping her foot on a small stool.

"Where's Joe?" Ben looked at the door as if waiting for his other son to have followed behind them.

Hoss looked at the floor and made himself busy with fussing over Stacey. "He said he needed to see Harry 'bout somethin'. Said he'd be right back."

Ben had a fair inkling what that "something" was, but held his thoughts to himself. Hoss pulled a sheet of paper from his pocket and waved it towards his father. "Got a wire from Hank, Pa. Said Glen got back okay and he's hired on a coupla extra hands to get the winter preparations done on time."

Adam sighed as he listened to the comments. "I'm sorry, Pa."

"For what?" Ben turned back to his son and slipped the empty bowl onto the side table.

"For holding everybody up here in town. We were behind before I left the Ponderosa. Now things are even further behind."

"Adam, Hank's on top of things. You can't be held responsible for being sick and we are not leaving here until the doctor says you are fit to travel."

Adam twisted a hand around the top of the bedsheet and his father ignored the gesture as he stood up and stretched. There were going to be many more days of frustration ahead of them and he could not afford to acknowledge every comment or complaint.

Harry smothered a smile as he watched Joe turning his empty coffee mug back and forth in his hands. The young man looked decidedly uncomfortable and he'd run out of small talk.

"Something else I can do for you, Joe?"

Joe sucked in a breath and straightened in the chair. He had gone over the conversation a thousand times in his head, but somehow the carefully prepared words had fled.

"I wanted to ask you a question."

"Shoot."

"I'm guessing you already know how I feel about Stacey." Joe kept his gaze locked on the sheriff's face, hoping not to see anger or something else.

"Have to be pretty blind not to have noticed. You aren't exactly subtle." Harry kept a straight face, giving nothing away as he watched Joe squirm. There were some fun parts to being an older brother.

When he didn't seem to be getting any kind of objection, Joe pushed on. "I want to ask her to marry me and I … I wanted your blessing before I did."

Harry's face softened as he recalled his brother's excitement when he described the young lady he'd finally mustered the courage to ask to the spring dance.

"I'm not her father."

"No, but she loves you and you're the only family she has here. Your blessing would mean a lot to me." The sincerity in the words was obvious and Harry smiled. He stood up and slowly walked around the table. Joe stood up to face him as he stopped a foot in front of him.

"You make her happy." Harry reached a hand out to slap Joe on the shoulder. "I'll give you my blessing on two conditions."

Joe nodded at him; the words he wanted to say, stuck in his throat.

"You break her heart and I'll break your neck! Don't you ever forget that." Harry somehow kept a straight face before breaking into a grin. "And your firstborn will be named after me!"

Joe swallowed as he considered the two comments. "And what if our first kid is a girl?"

"Well Harriet's a fine name." Harry laughed as Joe slowly smiled back at him.

"You might need to discuss that one with my brothers."

"I can take them on any day!" Harry made a show of flexing his arm as he pushed out his chest while Joe laughed at the idea of Harry arm-wrestling his brothers for naming rights of a child. "Of course, you do realise that my ma is gonna claim grandma rights too? She will always think of Stace as her daughter."

"Not a problem." Joe grinned at the closeness of family as he made his way towards the door.

"I would say good luck, but I don't think you're gonna need it."

If the conversation with Harry had been nerve-wracking, it was nothing in comparison to the one Joe was working up to in his mind. He'd made plenty of comments to girls in recent years that made them blush or had them swooning against him, but there was something entirely different about Stacey. She was no shy wallflower or some schemer who saw her fortunes in the Cartwright family. She was somebody who spoke her mind and held her ground. She had known tragedy and hard times and didn't need a knight in shining armour to sweep her off her feet. He smiled as he recalled her telling him that months before that she wasn't a damsel in distress in need of rescuing. No, she wasn't any of those things. He just hoped that he did have what she needed and more importantly, what she wanted.

"Joe?"

He jolted back to the moment as he heard Stacey calling his name.

"Sorry. I was just … I was just thinking about how I nearly blew Harry's head off with a shotgun."

Stacey frowned at the memory as she lifted her glass for a drink. "You weren't exactly at your finest that day."

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about."

"You nearly shooting Harry?" The surprise in her tone was evident and Stacey waited as Joe fiddled with his knife. The meal had been lovely and a welcome respite from the hotel room. She had enjoyed his company, but something was off and she had no idea what it was.

"No!" Joe laughed at her face and smiled as she smiled back at him. The sight relaxed him a little and he drew in a slow breath. "You told me that day that you weren't a damsel in distress and you didn't need me to rescue you."

"I do appreciate the attempt though, misguided as it was."

Joe reached across the table and slipped his fingers under hers as he leaned closer. "I want you to know that I have never seen you as anything other than a strong, capable, independent woman. You have so much strength in you and I owe you my life. What I wanted to talk to you about … I … Hoss told me a while back that I was tormenting myself and he was right."

Stacey wasn't entirely sure where the comment was headed so she waited as Joe took another slow breath.

"I can't get you out of my head. I go to sleep and I dream about you. I wake up in the morning and I'm thinking about you."

Her cheeks coloured as Stacey felt Joe's grip tighten on her hand.

"I know I'm making a hash of this, but that's the effect you have on me. You mess with my head! And my heart. Somewhere along the line, I fell in love with you. What I'm trying to say … is will you marry me?"

Stacey felt her mouth go dry as she looked across the table. An embarrassing conversation with Adam came to mind and she smiled as she simply nodded.

"That's a yes?"

"That's a yes."

Joe whooped loudly as he leaned across and kissed her. The few other patrons in the dining room looked across at the noise and several smiled at the young couple. The waiter had been on notice with a bottle of champagne and he made his way across from the kitchen with two glasses. He smiled to himself as the pair of them ignored him and didn't even notice he was there. He quietly slipped back to the kitchen and left them alone again.

"I do have a confession to make though." Stacey paused as Joe looked at her intently. "That first kiss in the cave … it wasn't our first kiss. It was our third."

Joe laughed at her as he shook his head. "I'm pretty sure I'd remember if I'd kissed you!"

As Stacey relayed the story in it's entirety, Joe stared at her.

"So why didn't you put me out of my misery sooner? Give me a little hint that you felt the same way? And Adam! Adam never even so much as …"

"Adam didn't interfere. He left me my dignity."

Joe reached out a hand to help her to her feet and wrapped an arm around her waist so she could lean her weight on him. "What do you say we go and share the news with our family?"

Adam gritted his teeth as his father wedged another blanket in around his legs. He hated feeling weak and he hated the fact he was riding in the back of a wagon instead of on his horse. Most of all, he hated needing to be tended to because he couldn't manage his own needs. The doctor had finally given him permission to travel home and his family had gathered every possible thing he could need for the trek home. Hoss was already mounted on his horse and both Buck and Sport were tied to the back of the wagon.

"Joe! We need to get goin' if we're goin' to get home before winter arrives." Hoss rolled his eyes as his little brother took his leave of his fiancée. The night the pair of them had come strolling back into the hotel room with matching grins plastered on their faces was a night to be celebrated for more reasons than one. As the happy couple had been congratulated and hugged and hugged some more, Joe had sat next to Adam and made a simple comment.

"I need both of my brothers standing there beside me when I say my vows. We want a spring wedding so you've got the winter to get back on your feet because I'm not doing it without you."

Adam felt a surge within him as he considered the comment. He had a goal ahead of him and Adam Cartwright had met every challenge he'd ever set for himself. "I won't let you down, Joe."

"You never have before, Brother."

As he felt his irritation rising, he looked across to where Joe stood on the boardwalk with Stacey leaning heavily on a walking cane. His brother needed him so he squashed the frustration back down and began mentally reviewing his own list of ways he planned to rebuild his lost strength. Come spring, he'd be dancing at his brother's wedding, come hell or high water.

Joe felt Harry's mother stretch up to brush a kiss on his cheek. The diminutive woman had arrived in town to take care of her daughter-in-law while her ankle healed and she had taken an instant liking to Joe. Her heart beat a little faster as she pressed down memories and kept her tears to herself, but the radiant smile on Stacey's face was all she wanted.

"Don't you worry. We'll be just fine."

Joe leaned down to kiss her cheek and he whispered something in her ear. She brushed away the tears that welled in her eyes and she slapped her hand against his chest. "Harry was right about you!"

Joe grinned at her before turning to Stacey and walking her carefully a little way down the boardwalk. She leaned against him and he felt her hands wrapping around his waist.

"This is going to be the longest winter of my life!"

"I know. But it will give me time to sew my wedding dress. And prepare all the other things I'm going to need."

Joe leaned down to kiss her and felt his breath catch in his throat. "The only thing I need is you. Why don't we run away and get married now? Then we don't have to spend the winter apart!"

Stacey laughed at the earnest expression on his face and for a split second debated agreeing with the idea. "They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder."

"Then my heart is going to burst!"

"Joe! We need to get moving, Son." Ben's voice cut through his thoughts and Joe leaned down to take one last kiss that was going to have to carry him through the winter snow that would keep him locked on the Ponderosa. As he finally, reluctantly pulled away and climbed up into the saddle, he tipped his hat towards Harry. They'd said their goodbyes earlier and Harry grinned again at Joe's concern at leaving Stacey behind.

Ben nudged the wagon out into the street as both Hoss and Joe took up point on either side of their brother. Adam watched as they pulled away from the front of the hotel. Harry slowly raised a hand in salute as he watched them leave. What had begun as a friend in need had become so much more.

"So long … Brother."

A/N: I still can't reply to reviews, but I truly appreciate every one of them. I know this story went well into OC territory, which wasn't my original intention, but it seemed that Harry had a good saga to be told. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed exploring it and I thank you for following along with me. Until next time!