Thanks for the reviews!/alerts! Here's a longer chapter, because we love all of you so much!

The next time Griff awakened, he found Adam sitting at his bedside rather than Candy. He tried to hide the disappointment in his face, but Adam was still able to pick up on Griff's subtle emotional cues. Griff licked his dry lips and Adam picked up on the subtle sign of thirst. Adam instinctively raised a cup of tepid water to Griff's lips.

"Easy," Adam coached. "Easy there." He felt guilty, but forced himself to take away the water. "You can have more in a few minutes, but we gotta make sure you can keep it down."

"Thanks." Griff was slightly embarrassed that he just proved he does, indeed, need to be monitored. "I'm all set anyway," he lied.

The two sat in an awkward silence. Griff winced when he became aware of his aching wounds, but right now, it kept him lucid despite the fever. He flipped his head, which was a lot heavier than he remembered, and stared out the window to gaze at the setting sun.

"Wow, I slept the day away," he commented uncomfortably.

"You didn't miss much. Normal day on the ranch, you know how everything goes. Oh, and Candy took a quick trip back to Carson City," Adam reported. Griff gave Adam a questioning look , stimulating the eldest Cartwright to explain. "He had to return the horses and wagon they borrowed, plus pick up Thunder from the livery. Guess your mount got a little vacation out of all of this."

Griff smiled at the mention of his horse. "He's a good horse," he defended. "Strong, dependable…"

"Fidgety, from what the other hands have said," Adam modified. "Heard it through the grapevine that he threw everyone else off, and that the hands gave him to you as a prank one day. Is that right?"

"Guess the joke's on them," Griff shrugged. "I got a great horse out of it. And I believe it was Joe's idea. The hands just went along with it…" Shifting himself up against the headboard so he can breathe a little easier, Griff finally made eye contact with Adam. "Look, I know what you think of me, so you can drop this act, okay?" He moved his arm and pain unexpectedly flared up in his stomach. "Oww!" He looked to the dresser and was surprised to see his bottle of laudanum pills was gone.

Adam's eyes followed Griff and he dropped his voice an octave out of sympathy. He ignored Griff's previous, gruff comment. "I know it hurts, but the doc said you should only take one pill a day, before you go to bed. It can get addictive and…"

"I know, I know." Griff remembered Jack's warning about opium, as well. "It's fine. Well, I mean it hurts, but that's okay." To himself, he mumbled, "I probably deserve it anyway."

"What was that?" Adam questioned.

"Nothing," deflected Griff. "Umm, could I have some more water?"

"Sure, sure," Adam agreed, helping Griff finish the water. "I can get you some broth, if you feel up to it?" Griff nodded, rubbing a gentle hand over his ribs. Hunger had won out over pain. "Great, I'll be right back. Stay right there." Adam got up from the chair and hobbled downstairs, looking for Hop Sing.

Griff was barely alone for a minute before Ben sticks his head through the doorway.

"Knock knock," Ben proclaimed as he entered. "Glad to see you're up."

Sighing, Griff gingerly stretched his arms. "I didn't realize how tired I was until I feel asleep."

Ben's face became stern. "You pushed your body the point of exhaustion. Collapse, even. You know…" He fixed Griff's blanket and pillow. "You talk a lot about deserving trust, but that's a two-way street. You are an employee here, and I need to be able to trust the hands won't run away the minute something goes wrong."

"Ugh, I know," Griff stated. "I know, and I'm sorry. But I heard Joe and Adam talking, and I was worried I was going to go back to jail. I know I shouldn't have left, but I was so scared, and I don't know why I was so scared, but I was and it was hot, like the room was closing in on me and-" He sped up and his breathing became irregular. "I had to get out, I just had to! I know it was stupid, but I-I-"

"Okay, okay." Ben shushed the hyperventilating youth, grabbing him by both shoulders. "Calm down, it's okay. Just breathe. In and out." Griff obeyed Ben's orders, and his breathing rate slowed. "There, that's better. I didn't mean to upset you."

"No, I'm sorry," Griff repeated. "All I seem to be doing lately is apologizing."

"Don't think anything of it," Ben forgave. He ruffled Griff's curls and checked on his still-present fever. "Although, as long as you're up and talking, would you mind telling me just what happened to you in Carson City? Your ribs were in a bad way when you left, but when we found you…" he trailed off. "Well, let's just say it's a good thing Paul is such a talented surgeon."

"Would it matter if I told you?" Griff challenged. "I mean, everyone thinks I was in on Issac's scheme anyway."

"Now see, that's where you're wrong," the older man chided. "Candy has stood by you from day one and do you think that I would've welcomed you into my home if I didn't trust you?"

Griff cast his eyes to the floor. "But I broke your trust…"

"Wrong again. You disappointed me by running away but that's not a good enough reason for me to not trust you," Ben explained.

Surprised, Griff looked up into Ben's eyes. "Adam never trusted me, did he? And he's your son. Even if you trust me, you'd sooner side with him than you would an ex-con like me." The hurt and loneliness in the boy's eyes was palpable.

"Griff, listen to me very carefully. Adam has only just met you. He was wrong to misjudge you the way he did but after everything that happened, could you really say you blame him?" Ben seriously asked. "Think about it. Put yourself in his position. I seem to recall a time when you had just arrived on Ponderosa and you had placed the same kind of judgment on Lucas. Remember?"

Griff started to understand the situation and nodded.

"Give Adam a chance to earn your trust just like we gave you that chance. He's a little stubborn at times and reminds of someone I know." He smiled and patted Griff's arm. "And yes, Adam is my son but if he's in the wrong, I won't stand by it. Now, are you going to tell me what happened in Carson City?"

Griff sighed and shuddered as he thought back on what had transpired in Carson City. "Well, I don't remember much about the ride. I took some laudanum on the way. When I got to Carson City, I took a room at the um…I don't remember what Jack's inn was called but that's where I ran into Eddie. He..er…acted all friendly-like so I figured I could trust 'im. He took me to his room and gave me some whiskey."

"You know that part of your parole conditions is you're not supposed to drink?" Ben noted, arching an eyebrow.

"I know that, but he said it would help with the pain," Griff excused. "Know it was wrong but…" He paused to take a few shallow breaths.

"We can continue later if you…"

"No, I'm okay. Just hurts to breathe," Griff laughed, downplaying the seriousness of his injuries. "Eddie…he uh…taught me how to play poker. Said he needed me to play with 'im the next day but he wanted me to cheat. I told 'im I wasn't gonna do it but he said he would turn me in. Said you were lookin' for me and you were none too happy with me."

"I wasn't happy," Ben admitted. "But not for the reasons that Eddie made you believe. I was worried. We all were."

"What was gonna happen to me if you found me before you found out about Eddie?" Griff queried.

"Firstly we'd bring you here and get the Doc to patch you up," Ben publicized. "Then we'd work together to get to the bottom of who was involved in the kidnapping."

"You, er, weren't going to throw me in jail?" Griff asked in awe.

"No, why would I? If you were somehow involved, you redeemed yourself when you saved Adam's life at the risk of your own. Everyone makes mistakes, Griff. It's what makes us human." Eager to get on with the story, Ben asked, "Did you go through with Eddie's scheme? I want the truth, okay?"

"Yeah, I did," Griff confirmed, guilty and ashamed. "At least until Jack called Eddie out on it."

Ben pursed his lips. "Then what happened?"

"A fight broke out," Griff recalled. "Someone tipped the table and it landed on top of me." As Ben listened to the details, he made a mental note on the probable causes to some of Griff's injuries. "Jack warned me 'bout Eddie being bad news. I knew he was right, so I decided to cut my ties with Eddie."

"I take it that didn't go too well?" the rancher predicted.

Griff's voice started to quiver and he shifted his body to try to get into a more comfortable position.

"Here, maybe if you sit up a little, it'll help." Ben assisted Griff into a semi sitting position and re-adjusted the pillows so they sat higher up.

Gently relaxing against them, Griff swallowed to continue. He tried to hide the discomfort of having to reveal the pain Eddie had inflicted on him. "He didn't take it too well. He lost all his money and blamed me for it. He…uh…punched me in the gut and told me I got off lightly. Was nowhere near as hard any of the punches Cutter and Issac gave me but…uh….it sure hurt like hell. "

Ben winced in sympathy and felt his anger toward Eddie returning. It would not have taken much power behind Eddie's blow for his fist to cause the damage it did to force Griff's already displaced rib to tear his diaphragm, Ben thought, recalling what Paul had said to him early that morning when he returned to re-examine Griff while he slept. The doctor had mentioned that Griff's abdominal muscles were badly bruised and there was some inflammation to his spleen which was the primary cause of Griff's unusually high temperature. He was lucky that Eddie's punch had not ruptured the organ. If it had, the boy was likely to have bled to death within hours. As it was, the bruising and tearing inside Griff caused enough blood loss to worry the physician, not to mention the damaged lung.

"Jack found me on the floor," Griff recollected. "I don't remember much after that, 'cept for how bad it hurt to breathe. Felt like somethin' was tearin' inside me." Instinctively, he clutched his midsection. "Jack stayed with me that night. I had all these nightmares and he understood them cause he also had them when he got out of-" Griff stopped before he betrayed a secret that Jack had shared with him.

"I know about Jack," Ben encouraged. "I've known him for many years."

Relieved, Jack continued. "Anyway, the next day, when I woke up, Jack was gone but Eddie came back. I told him to leave but that just riled him more." Ben felt a sense of pride in the boy for his bravery and imagined him standing up for himself even in his deteriorated condition. "We argued and he wanted me to help him rob this old lady's store. Told 'im there was no way…was then that I found out about how he and Issac had planned to kidnap Adam. He pushed and I hit something….corner of a table….I don't remember. It happened too fast. My chest felt so tight, I couldn't breathe and….uh….I don't really remember much after that, 'cept when you, Candy, Lucas and Jack came bargin' in."

Ben surmised that Eddie's last assault on Griff had caused his rib to puncture his lung. Fortunately, the force was not hard enough to penetrate the organ deeply. Doc had said it was a small puncture, Ben remembered.

Right on cue, Adam returned accompanied by Joe who had a tray balanced on one hand.

"Brought you something to eat," Joe smiled.

Adam merrily added, "And Hop Sing fixed up some of his home made remedy for the pain."

"Thanks," Griff coughed out. "I need it!"

"The food or the poultice?" Joe wondered.

A half-smile skittered across his face. "Both?"

"Food first," Ben advised. "It's best to get something in your stomach."

Catching a waft of the brother, Griff agreed, "Sounds good to me!"

Joe started to spoon broth into Griff's mouth as Ben kept talking to distract the teenager. Under normal circumstances, Griff would have been mortified at the idea of being fed like an invalid, but his hunger and Ben and Joe's jovial attitude diverted his attention and he happily accepts the spoon each time Joe offered it. Adam kept his distance in the corner, trying to keep up the appearance that he was busy organizing the books on a shelf.

"All done," Joe reported. He showed the Griff the bowl. "I'll send compliments to the cook."

"Hop Sing has a way of making everything taste good," Griff observed. "Even broth."

"That he does," Ben chimed in. He stared at Adam, who still found himself unable to directly look at Griff. His eyes landed on the stack of books in Adam's hand, and he noticed a distinct leather binding. Ben had known about Griff's journal, as one could hardly go a day without seeing Griff hastily writing in it. "In fact, Joe, why don't we go help Hop Sing with the dishes?"

"Dishes?" Joe obviously repeated. "Pa, we ate hours ago. I'm sure Hop Sing is d-" Ben gave Joe's leg a concealed but solid kick. "D-d-dying for some help. We better get right to it!" He jumped up from his seat much too eagerly and exited.

"Hang on!" Griff called out. "Umm, do you think you could help with the poultice, please?" he haltingly asked. "It's still hard for me to reach where it should be."

"Adam, why don't you?" Ben suggested. Adam severely looked up and fumbled to place the books back on the shelf. He did so, stacking them rather precariously. "It won't take but a minute." Ben and Joe left quickly.