Growing pt. 8

After Kate and Junior were done cleaning the kitchen, Kate picked Junior up and hugged him close.

"Thank you, Junior. You were a big help." Kate whispered.

"Your welcome, mommy. I always help you. I promise." Junior answered.

"I love you, Junior."

"I love you too, mommy."

A few days later, Adam started training Racer while Junior watched. He watched Adam closely so that he knew what to do. James walked over and chuckled. He sat down next to Junior and smiled.

"Watching your father?" James wondered. Junior nodded and sighed. "So you can help train Racer?"

"Yeah," Junior murmured.

"That's a big job, but I know you can handle it."

When Adam was done, he walked over and picked Junior up. They walked inside and Kate smiled. Brian stood up and reached up to Adam. Adam picked his boys up and hugged them close.

"Listen, daddy has to take a trip tomorrow and he'll be gone for a couple of days. That means that both of you boys have to behave yourselves." Adam stated.

"Ok, daddy. I'll do all my chores and help mommy." Junior answered.

"Good boy."

Kate smiled and shook her head.

After supper, Adam was packing for his trip. Kate walked in and closed the door.

"I think you should take Junior with you," Kate suggested. Adam looked at Kate and saw that she was serious.

"No, it's not the kind of trip he should go on," Adam answered.

"He'll be 3 in two weeks. Both of us had gone on trips like this by then."

"But neither of us had his problems."

"And they'll remain problems until we start changing things. I want to keep him home in my arms, but I know that he's gonna grow up and have his own life. Besides, he loves being with you."

"He loves being with you."

"But I'm a woman."

Adam sighed and nodded.

"I see what you're saying," Adam said. "It'll only be a couple of days and it'll be me and our dads. It'll be good for him."

"Yeah. And maybe next year, Brian will be joining you and I might just get some time to myself without a baby clinging to me." Kate teased.

"You love every minute of it."

"I do."

Adam walked over and kissed Kate.

"I'll go tell him." Adam sighed when he pulled away. Adam walked out of the room and saw Junior sitting at the coffee table coloring a piece of paper. "Adam, come here for a minute."

"Ok," Junior mumbled. He put down his crayon and climbed up onto his father's lap.

"Your mother wants me to take you with me tomorrow."

"Up to the woods?"

"Yeah. She thinks you need time with us men. And it's only for a couple of days. You'd get to learn a lot. Would you like that?"

"Yeah."

"Ok. We have to leave very early. Let's go get you packed. You'll need a lot of warm clothes."

"Ok."

The two Adams packed for their trip and the next morning, they woke up early and got the horses ready. Then they went back inside and ate breakfast. After breakfast, Junior ran up to Kate and hugged her close.

"I'll miss you, mommy," Junior whispered.

"I'll miss you too, Junior. Listen to your father and do what you're told." Kate replied.

"I will."

Junior walked over to Brian and hugged him. Brian started chewing on Junior's shoulder and Junior rolled his eyes.

"I love you, Brian." Junior sighed. Adam and Kate kissed and smiled at the boys.

"We'll be back in a couple of days," Adam said.

"We'll be here waiting," Kate answered. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Adam picked Brian up and kissed his nose.

"Behave, young man," Adam ordered. Brian started chewing on his fingers and Adam chuckled. Kate took Brian and Adam picked Junior up. They went outside and got on their horse.

"If we're lucky, we'll be up there in a couple of hours," James said.

"Remember, we have this little guy."

"He won't slow us down much."

"We won't get anywhere if we keep talking." Jonathan teased. They rode up to the high country where they had the cattle. The trip was long for Junior but it was fun. He saw sights that he had never seen before.

They arrived where they had the corral and got off their horses. Adam put Junior down and Junior looked around and smiled.

"What do you think, Junior? Should we camp here?" Adam wondered.

"Yeah," Junior exclaimed.

"Ok. Come get these canteens."

"Ok."

Adam handed Junior the canteens and Junior followed his grandfathers and set them down with the rest of the stuff. They got the horses settled and then they set up camp. Junior helped his father set up their tent.

"Here, hang onto this rope," Adam said as he handed the rope to Junior. Junior could feel the tug when he took them and he grunted. "Got it?"

"Yeah," Junior grunted. Adam did what he needed to do and soon the tent was up and ready. They set up the rest of their camp and then ate lunch. Junior listened to his father and grandfathers talk and he smiled. He finished eating his lunch and then he curled up in Adam's arms. Adam smiled and pulled Junior close.

"I think it's naptime." Adam sighed.

"No. I stay here with you, daddy."

"Ok. We need to rest after that long ride anyway."

They rested for a little while and Junior took a nap. When he woke up, he was ready to work. He followed his father and grandfathers as they checked the stock. Whenever they walked into the corral, he stood at the edge and waited knowing that the cows could be dangerous when upset.

"Good boy," James said as he watched Junior move away from a cow that had moved its backside towards Junior.

"I don't want to get hurt," Junior replied.

"Well, you can come stand by me."

Junior carefully walked over to James and watched as they checked on a pregnant heifer.

"What's wrong with her?" Junior wondered.

"Nothing's wrong. We're just checking to make sure she's ok." Adam answered. The men showed Junior what they were doing and Junior listened and did as he was told.

When they were done checking the stock, it was late. They had supper and told stories around the fire. Junior fell asleep watching the fire and listening to Adam talk about his childhood.

"I think someone is exhausted. You should get him to bed." Jonathan chuckled.

"Yeah. Kate won't be happy if he comes home sick or tired." Adam sighed.

Adam took Junior into the tent and put him to bed.

Down at the ranch, Kate had just done the chores. She walked inside and saw Elizabeth and Jane talking while taking care of Brian.

"You don't have to stay," Kate said.

"What else will we do? All we'll do is worry about the men. We might as well do it together." Elizabeth answered.

"Well, someone needs a bath, and then it's bedtime."

Kate picked Brian up and took him to the bathroom and gave him a bath.

The next morning, Junior woke up and saw Adam sleeping. He curled up against Adam and tried to stay as warm as possible. Adam felt him move and he opened his eyes. He looked outside and sighed.

"We can sleep for a few more minutes. Then we can watch the sunrise." Adam suggested.

"Ok," Junior whispered happily.

They rested for a few more minutes and then changed and walked out of the tent. They walked over to the top of the hill and looked out across the valleys. They watched the sun rise slowly into the sky and Junior smiled as he listened to the animals wake up. They heard the noises back at camp and Adam chuckled.

"Come on. Your grandfathers are probably up and making breakfast." Adam chuckled. They walked back to camp and saw that it wasn't James or Jonathan making the noises, but a bear. It was obviously young, but it was a bear.

"Junior, stay behind me. It's just looking for food." Adam ordered. Junior did as he was told and watched as Adam tried to get the shotgun. The bear growled and Adam stopped. He looked at Junior and motioned for Junior to move out of plain sight. Junior carefully did as he was told. Adam reached for the shotgun and grabbed it just as the bear made a break for them. JUnior gasped and tried to hide. Then he heard his father cry out and he saw that the bear had attacked him. Adam fired the gun and killed the bear. Jonathan and James raced out of the tent and pulled the dead bear off of Adam. Jonathan saw Junior and ran over and picked him up.

"Are you alright, boy?" Jonathan questioned. Junior nodded tearfully and Jonathan hugged him. James was tending to Adam who was very lucky.

"It's just his arm and his leg. We can keep working, but you need to be careful and rest as much as possible." James stated.

"It could have been a lot worse," Adam answered. He looked at the dead bear and sighed. "I guess we'll have bear meat for the winter. We shouldn't let it go to waste."

"I guess so."

Jonathan put Junior down and Junior walked over to Adam and hugged him.

"I'm ok, Junior. I was very lucky. Are you ok?" Adam whispered. Junior shook his head and started crying.

"I'm scared." Junior cried. Adam chuckled and hugged Junior close.

"I know. SO was I. I was very scared for all of us."

They had breakfast and went to work. They worked on the fencelines and saw that they were not nearly as bad as they had thought. By the end of the day, they were all done working. That evening, they sat around the fire talking.

"You did a very good job, Junior. Your only mistake was drinking too much water yesterday afternoon." James teased.

"I was thirsty," Junior exclaimed.

"Yes, you were. You worked very hard and we're all proud of you. Tomorrow morning, we'll go home and you get to tell your mom all about the trip."

"Just don't tell her about the bear. Let me tell her that part." Adam stated. Junior nodded and smiled.

"Ok," Junior answered. He looked at Adam's arm and saw that the bandages were dirty. "These are dirty."

"Yeah, they need to be changed."

"I change them."

Junior grabbed the first aid kit and James and Jonathan watched as Junior carefully removed the bandages and gauze. Then they watched as Adam showed him how to clean the wounds. The sight of the wounds didn't faze Junior one bit. Instead, he just focused on making sure that his daddy was ok. Soon, Adam's wounds were clean and bandaged again.

The next morning, they woke up before dawn and they watched the sunrise. Then they had breakfast and cleaned up the camp. They showed Junior what to do when you leave a campsite. From putting out the fire to cleaning every piece of trash, they showed him what to do. Soon, they were ready to go home. They rode back to the ranch where the women and Brian were waiting.

Kate had cleaned up after breakfast and was outside doing chores with Brian strapped to her chest. Cece followed close behind and so did Racer. Kate fed all the animals and checked on everything else. She walked out of the barn and heard Cece and Racer barking towards the hill. She looked and smiled when she saw the men ride down out of the woods. She waited for them to arrive back towards the barn and she ran up to Adam and Junior.

"Mommy!" Junior exclaimed. Kate took Junior and hugged him. Junior hugged Kate and Brian happily.

"Did you have fun, Junior?" Kate wondered.

"Yeah. I had a lot of fun."

Adam got off his horse and Kate saw the bandages. She put Junior down and walked up to Adam.

"What happened?" Kate wondered.

"A bear attacked our camp. Everyone else is fine and I will be too. It's not as bad as it could have been." Adam explained. They walked inside and Kate treated Adam's injuries and listened to their story. She was relieved to hear that no one else was hurt and she was relieved to see that Adam's wounds were not infected.

"Let's get you guys unpacked and cleaned up. You guys do smell a little bit." Kate suggested. Adam and Junior unpacked their stuff and then took showers. Soon, they were downstairs looking and smelling clean. Junior immediately started helping Kate make lunch and Kate smiled. "Did you sleep ok?"

"Yeah," Junior answered. "I slept ok. It was good not listening to Brian. Although, daddy snores."

"I do not," Adam replied. Junior giggled and nodded.

"Yes, you do."

"He's right, Adam. You do snore a little bit." Kate stated. Adam tickled Junior and rolled his eyes.

"Ok. Maybe I snore a little bit." Adam admitted.

That night, Junior and Brian played till they were worn out. Kate and Adam put them to bed and then they went to their room. Kate pulled out a pen and some paper and started writing.

"I think it's great what you're doing. Writing letters to the boys for when they're older." Adam sighed.

"You know. You could write one too." Kate answered.

"I will for each of their birthdays."

"Ok."

They kissed and Adam went to bed early. The next day, he woke up and noticed that his wounds were very warm. He sat up and shivered. He got up and shrugged off the feeling, but he knew something was wrong. After breakfast, he pulled the bandages off and saw that the wounds didn't look good. He cleaned them and rewrapped them. Kate walked in and looked at him.

"They're clean. Everything's fine." Adam lied.

"Ok. When will you be home?" Kate wondered.

"Normal time hopefully."

"I'll have supper ready."

"Thanks."

Adam worked in the barn and then went to the mine. He worked through the pain and the fatigue that was coming, but after a few hours, he was much weaker.

"Hey, you should go home. You don't look so well." Tom stated.

"I'm fine." Adam panted.

"No. I'm taking you home. You're sweating to death and you're obviously in pain. Your wounds are probably infected."

"Tom, we have work to do."

"It can be done another time, Adam. How will you be able to dig for gold if you're dead?"

Adam nodded and sighed. Tom took Adam out of the mine and home. Kate saw them pull up and she knew something was wrong.

"Junior, stay on the couch with Brian," Kate ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," Junior replied.

Kate ran outside and saw Tom helping Adam up to the house.

"I think his wounds are infected," Tom said.

"I don't understand. Adam, you told me after breakfast that they were clean." Kate replied.

"I was wrong. Just get me to bed." Adam panted. Jane walked out and when she saw Adam, she rushed back inside and got what they needed. They took Adam to bed and Junior listened as he heard Kate and Jane tend to Adam's wounds.

"I'm calling Dr. Wolf. I don't like the look of this infection." Jane stated.

"I'll clean them," Kate answered. Jane called Dr. Wolf and told him what was happening. When she hung up, Junior looked at her in worry.

"Will daddy be ok?" Junior wondered.

"Yes, he will," Jane reassured.

A little while later, Dr. Wolf arrived and he walked into the bedroom. He examined the wounds and took samples to be tested.

"I'll start him on an antibiotic and when the results come back, we'll see what we can do. Right now, keep his fever down and keep him hydrated." Dr. Wolf stated.

"I cleaned them yesterday after supper. And he checked them this morning or so he said." Kate explained.

"An infection can set in quickly. It's possible though that he didn't want to worry you so he lied."

"It's not possible. It's the very nature of who he is."

"I'll be back soon."

Dr. Wolf left and Kate sighed. She tended to Adam's fever and watched him rest.

TBC