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Chapter 27:

"Hop Sing, will dinner be ready soon?" Joe asked eagerly, setting up the checker board with Jamie. They had moved their game to the living room coffee table now that Joe was more mobile.

"Food can be done fast or food can taste good," Hop Sing petulantly replied, wiping his hands on a towel and muttering in his native language all the way back to the kitchen.

Griff and Ben walked through their front door wordlessly. Both Joe and Jamie noticed that Griff was leaning on Ben to make it to the couch before he eased himself down onto the soft cushions.

"Oh, I see you still got the checkerboard out," the twenty year old observed in what he tried to make a nonchalant tone. "Maybe I could get in on the next game?" He darted his eyes back and forth across the room, a little nervous as to how either Joe or Jamie would react to his shift in mood.

Joe allowed a grin to appear on his face. "As a matter of fact, why don't you and Jamie play first? That way, I can watch what kinda moves you both got when I play the winner!" With a wink, he turned one end of the board to face Griff leaving an uncomfortable Jamie to take his place at the other.

Griff nodded his thanks and joked lightly to the younger boy to try to bring down the wall between them, "I haven't played a while, so I'm a little rusty. You might end up playing Joe again soon."

Jamie shrugged his shoulders. "Let's see just how rusty you are then," he said blandly with one elbow leaning on his knee while his hand cupped his still bruised jaw. "Red or black?"

"I don't care," answered Griff. "You choose."

Jamie selected red and began to set up the board. "I… Uhhh... " Jamie searched for a neutral topic to bring up to fill the awkward silence. "Hope we have fried chicken tonight," he finally muttered. "Y'know, for dinner."

Griff appreciated Jamie's efforts and followed his lead. "Oh, fried chicken? Sounds good," he hummed. "Sounds real good. Maybe, if that's what you're having, I'll join you all at the table tonight. I'm going a little stir crazy in that bedroom," he added. "Oh, uh, if you'll have me." He moved his first piece forward.

Jamie quickly made his move, pushing the red chip into his desired space. "Oh, that'd be fine," he accepted.

"Oh, good, thanks." Griff nodded. "I just figured, since the hands aren't coming back for a while and I'm up and about, sort of, it would be okay."

"Sure is," Jamie said, still nervous to show too much emotion to Griff, but the ice between them was thawing. "Hop Sing's fried chicken's my favorite."

"It's real good," Griff agreed, making another move, setting himself up to jump Jamie's piece. "Though I'm pretty partial to that sweet potato pie. I'd never had it before, and now I can't get enough."

"Never?" Jamie gaped, placing a red piece exactly where Griff hoped he did.

"Nope, never," he grinned. "Guess it never occured to me to put sweet potatoes in a pie. I was never much for baking," he recalled. "I made a lot of eggs when I was growing up. And hard tack. Sometimes beans." Griff triumphantly jumped Jamie's piece and snatched the piece off of the board.

"You better enjoy that," Jamie playfully warned. "Because that's the last one you're going to get!"

Once they began, it didn't take long for Jamie to brighten up at Griff's attempts to break the barrier and soon enough he returned the banter, much to Joe and Ben's delight. As the game went on, Ben motioned for Joe to follow him to the dining table to give the youths some time to themselves.

Griff double-jumped two more red pieces. He noticed Jamie rubbing absently at his jaw, deep in thought as he stared at the board. "Does it hurt much?" he finally built up the courage to ask.

Jamie immediately put his hand down. "What? Uh, no… Not really. What about you?"

"Me? Uh, no. Not much," Griff lied, not really sure if Jamie was talking about the bruises he sported, his cracked ribs, or the stab wound. Whichever it was, Griff's reaction was to conceal the truth. Not wanting to dwell on his own injuries, the unspoken words he had wanted to utter but couldn't before, made their way to his lips. "Jamie, I'm sorry, I didn't..."

Simultaneously, Jamie had the same notion and mirrored Griff's words, "I'm sorry, Griff about…"

Both of them broke out in a light laugh, which was cut short by Griff's groan of pain.

"Griff? Are you okay?" Jamie quickly asked when he saw the older youth curl in on himself and hug his midsection.

"Hmm." Griff nodded, waving off Jamie's concern with his bandaged hand.

"I thought you said it didn't hurt much!" Jamie said in an accusatory tone.

Griff raised his head and rolled his eyes. "It didn't! But if you're gonna make me laugh like that…" Griff defended breathlessly. "I can't help it."

"Sure, blame me!" Jamie retorted playfully, landing a friendly punch on Griff's upper arm.

At that moment, Ben reentered the living room. "Dinner's ready, boys." He walked over to where Griff sat and carefully helped him to his feet. "You alright?"

"Yeah," Griff dismissed. "I'm fine. Jamie made me laugh and I guess my muscles weren't used to that sort of movement."

"Is that so?" Ben teased, raising his eyebrows and chuckling. "Well, some hot broth and Hop Sing's bread will make you feel better."

"Hot broth?" Griff exclaimed. "I thought we were having fried chicken!"

"We are, yes, but you're supposed to take it easy on solid foods," Ben explained. "Why else do you think we've only brought you broth and soup to eat?"

"That was before when I was feeling nauseous from the concussion," the twenty year old replied. "but I feel perfectly fine enough now to get some of that chicken down!" Griff argued his way to the dining table. "Besides, Jamie has a concussion too!"

"That's why Jamie is also having broth and bread," Ben agreed.

"Pa!" Jamie started to argue as he tried to help himself to a piece of chicken when Hop Sing slapped his hand away.

"No fried chicken for you tonight!" Hop Sing admonished.

The banter carried on mingled with lighthearted laughter at the table. Ben and Joe exchanged a glance, relieved that things were going back to normal. Back to how it used to be before the Tolivers forced themselves into their home.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us, Jamie?" Ben asked. "The trial might be good for you to see."

Jamie shook his head fiercely. "No, I got a lot of work I need to do here," he said without meeting his father's eyes.

"Such as?" Ben pressed, raising an eyebrow.

"Such as… cleaning up my room. It's a mess," he said, looking around and seeing nothing of the sort. "And organizing the barn," Jamie claimed. "And maybe getting started on dinner, since Hop Sing will be with you, and…" he listed unconvincingly. "And…"

"Son." Ben gestured for them to take a seat on Jamie's bed. "I think seeing Gabe and Billy have their day in court could give you some closure. You don't have to testify because both Tolivers have pleaded guilty. It's just the sentencing."

"You can tell me what happens when you get back," Jamie shrugged.

"I could," Ben relented. "But it might impact you more if you were there to see it yourself. Griff and Joe will be there. It might help them to have you for support."

"Both of them are going, too?" Jamie scratched his head, surprised both men were so eager to be in the Tolivers' presence again. "But Griff hates all that trial stuff. He's told me before it reminds him too much of going to prison."

Ben fixed his tie. "That's probably true, but he's getting ready to head out with us anyway."

"Why would he do that?" Jamie wondered aloud.

"My guess would be that Griff might want to see how all this ends. Once that jury decides, that'll be it for the Tolivers," Ben predicted. "Though that's just my two cents. If you really want to know, why not ask Griff?"

"Why not ask Griff what?" the young man in question echoed as he entered Jamie's room. He stopped in front of the mirror to tie his own tie, but struggled with his hand bandaged as it was.

"We're taking the buckboard," Ben continued with Jamie, pushing himself up off of the bed and walking towards. "There'd be plenty of room for an extra body," he winked at Jamie. "Griff, let me help you with that!"

"Thanks," Griff said, dropping his hands and letting the ends of the tie dangle in the air. "I never got the hang of these things." He raised his chin to allow Ben easier access to the necktie. "So," he asked, face tipped towards the ceiling. "Was there something you wanted to ask me, Jamie?"

"Oh, uhh…" Jamie jumped up from the bed. "I just was wondering… why we were taking the buckboard into town today," he stammered. "And Pa answered, so now I know and that's why I don't have anything else to ask you." He gave a forced laugh to try to add levity into his voice. "So, uhh, I think I'll just change real quick and we can head to the courthouse." He grabbed a set of more formal clothes from the closet and dashed down the hall.

Griff raised an eyebrow and glanced at Ben. "Well, at least you know the boy could never lie to you," he commented. "I hope he never gets involved in a poker game. He'll kiss his money goodbye. That's for sure."

"I'm not sure if you mean that as a compliment or an insult," the father grimaced. Ben pulled the necktie tight and surveyed his work. "All set," he declared. "Let's get going."

"Wait, ?" Griff reached out and touched Ben's shoulder. He'd been wanting to bring up the subject for some time but wasn't sure how to broach it, and nobody else seemed to, either, except maybe Joe. He had noticed that both Cartwrights had been sharing something that had to do with Billy Toliver over the last few weeks, but it was always done in quiet whispers away from everyone.

"Hmmm?" Ben arched his eyebrows and waited for the young man to continue.

"I couldn't help but overhear lately… Well, over the last couple of weeks actually. About Billy, I mean. I sometimes hear you and Joe sayin' his name and then I saw you with Harry Dobson in your office yesterday. Is he representing Billy?"

Ben broke eye contact and rubbed the back of his neck. He had deliberately left Griff and Jamie out of his conversations with Joe surrounding Billy's circumstances. After everything the youths had gone through, he wasn't sure how they would feel or if they would understand why he was helping a Toliver. He wanted them to hear Billy's case when it was presented by someone impartial, which would be where Harry came in. Harry had also been Griff's attorney previously and Griff had a lot of respect for him, so he counted on that to help the young man into keeping an open mind. "Yes, Mr. Dobson is taking the case in Billy's defense. I'd like to ask you not to share this information with Jamie."

"But he'll see it all play out in court today?" Griff asked more than commented.

"Yes, that's right," Ben confirmed. "And I'd rather he know about it that way."

Griff nodded. "I won't say anything."

Ben gave Griff's shoulder a squeeze. "Thank you. I know it's a lot to ask after the two of you just patched things up, but I don't think Jamie will understand why I am helping someone who was involved in hurting our family."

"What made you decide to help Billy?" Griff questioned in a curious tone rather than the bitterness that he had a feeling Ben expected to hear.

Ben smiled thoughtfully, grateful that the young man in front of him was not being judgemental, even if he may not fully understand Ben's decision.

"Well for one thing, he saved me," Ben disclosed. "Out there during the robbery."

"Still," Griff persisted. "This is a lot of trouble to go through for him. There's nothing else causing you to do this but gratitude?"

"I feel like I'm the one on trial!" Ben half-joked. "You're right, Griff. It's more than gratitude. I think sending Billy off to be hanged is a waste. He's got a lot of potential in him to be a contributing member of society. I think it's only right if we make every effort to see that through," he explained. "I can't make the decision for the jury. For all I know, Billy could be sent to his death, but we have to try."

Griff moved his tongue around his mouth, a subconscious movement that told Ben he was deep in thought. "And when he's sent to jail, you still think he'll be a contributing member of society once he gets out?"

"I do," Ben said in a heartbeat. "Though some of that will be up to Billy, I suppose."

Griff let out a short exhale, relieved to hear Ben's answer. It made him wish more people could be like the Cartwrights.

"But here we are standing around talking of what might happen and we're going to be late to see what actually happens," the father observed. "Come on, let's go!"

Griff followed Ben out of the house with Jamie in tow and together with Joe, they took their places on the wagon and rode out toward town.