A Fervent Wish
Chapter 2
Dinner was an interesting affair. Emily was pretty quiet, just watching the Cartwright family and enjoying it immensely.
Adam, Hoss and Joe teased and laughed with each other, keeping the dinner lighthearted and interesting. "You sure do have a knack for finding people alone and lost, little brother. Remember that time you came across that gypsy gal?" Hoss asked, piling potatoes on his plate.
Joe grinned, "Yup, I sure do. Not about to forget her too easily. She left her mark on me." He touched his hand. "She bit me, right there."
"I know, I remember her." Emily said, without thinking.
"You do?" Little Joe turned to her, surprised. "She bite you too?"
Ben looked up from his dinner, a question in his eyes. Emily flushed. "I…I just remember someone talking about you guys finding a gypsy girl. That's all."
"I see." Ben nodded and there was silence for a moment, then Hoss said, "Well, I'll say one thing for you, little brother. You sure do know how to find gals in trouble. Then, you bring 'em home and get us all in a peck of trouble."
"Hey, that ain't very nice to say, with the guest here!" Little Joe protested. "She ain't no trouble-"
"I ain't meanin' her." Hoss said. "I'm meaning you. I don't mean to offend you, Miss Emily, it's just Little Joe here. He brings home these purdy gals and then we get in trouble or sumethin' bad happens to him and sometimes us. Now, you seem the first person not to be trouble and that sure is nice. Keep it that way, please." He grinned at her. "You ain't messed up like some of them gals Joe meets up with."
"Now, Hoss, that's no way to speak to our guest." Ben chided. "She's a lost little girl and Joe did right by bringing her here. Emily, you are no trouble at all. Unlike some of the fellows Hoss has found and taken in." He looked meaningly at Hoss.
"Yeah." Little Joe's mouth was in a straight line and he raised his eyebrows as he looked at his older brother. "At least the people I bring in are pretty little things, not big, hulking, disgraceful drunks, like yours. Take that little French man, or that guy with the dogs, or-"
"Oh, mebbe my folks weren't as purdy or as proper as yours were, but they didn't cause no trouble. That is, not much." Hoss replied.
"Ha!" Little Joe snorted. "I remember that one fellow! I took an unexpected bath in the watering trough because of him! Adam had a headache, because of him! Why, you-!"
"All right, boys." Ben raised his hand. Hoss went back to his eating, "Well, at least non of 'em were thinking they were possessed by the devil, like that gypsy gal, or-"
"Hoss, please." Ben ordered. Hoss subsided, but Little Joe, determined to have the last word, muttered, "Well, at least non of them ever tried to drown you!"
"Hehm." Adam cleared his throat and Joe fell silent.
Emily glanced at them and said, "Well, at least they all knew where they were and everything."
"Yes." Adam turned to her. "There is that. So, you're positive you don't remember how you got here?"
Emily nodded, chewing on some of Hop Sing's chicken.
"That's ok. That's happened to me lotsa times." Joe said, sympathetically. "I'll be out on the range, workin' or somethin', something'll happen and the next thing I know, I'm here, in bed."
"Can't say how many times that's happened." Adam snorted. "It's getting to be ridiculous."
"It's happened too many times." Hoss said emphatically. "But he's always in the lyin' down position, never sittin' up, like this gal was."
"That's true." Adam nodded, raising his eyebrows. "He didn't have to carry you in, right, Emily?"
"Oh, no." Emily grinned, quickly shaking her head.
"Maybe someone would know you, in Virginia City." Ben said thoughtfully. "How old are you, by the way?"
"I'm almost 14." Emily said, glancing up at him.
"Hmm. Three years younger'n me." Little Joe pursed his lips. "You got any older brothers, Emily?"
"Nope." Emily shook her head again. "Wish I had though. I wish you were my older brother."
"Yeah?" Little Joe grinned. "Heck, I could be. If we can't find anyone to claim you, or you don't remember anything, you could stay here."
"Now, Joe." Ben reminded him. "I'm sure she has family somewhere. Perhaps you know the Widow Hawkins?" He asked her. "She has a niece about your age, I believe."
"How do you know that, Pa?" Little Joe leaned back, grinning impishly, while taking a sip from his cup. Ben gave him a look and turned back to Emily.
"Well, I've heard of her, but I don't know her. I'm not her niece." Emily said.
"Well, what about….Roy Coffee?" Adam asked. "You know him?"
Emily shook her head. "I know of him, but that's all."
"Boy, you sure do know a lot of people, but you don't know 'em." Little Joe shook his head, his eyes widening.
Ben frowned. "Maybe tomorrow, we can bring you in to see the doctor. He's a good friend of ours, he might be able to help you."
"Ug, the doc." Little Joe made a face. "I hate goin' to his office. He pokes you over, asks you questions and then makes you stay in bed."
"Don't go badmouthin' the doc, Joe." Adam warned. "He's saved your life plenty of times."
"Yeah, but it sure ain't fun." Little Joe replied.
"Now, Joe." Hoss scolded. "Don't go scarin' Miss Emily before she's even had a chance to see him."
"Oh….oh yeah." Joe turned to Emily. "The doc…he sure is nice, Emily. He knows how to dig bullets out. He didn't used to be so good, but he got lotsa practice on me, and he's a lot better now. Yeah, he's nice all right. He's real attached to me, too."
"He's Little Joe's blood brother, you might say." Adam laughed. "He's gotten little brother's blood on his hands oft enough."
Emily grinned. "He sounds interesting. Little Joe…" she turned to him. "How many times have you got hurt?"
"Oh, I lost count a long time ago." Joe grinned. "Pa might remember though, hu Pa?"
Ben cleared his throat. "I remember enough times. But this is dull conversation. Let's talk about something else, not about Joe's near escapes from death."
"Oh, they're a big hit from where I come from." Emily said, forgetting herself again, for a moment.
"You all hear about me gittin' hurt, all the way up north….and you all enjoy it?!" Little Joe stared at her. "What do you mean by that?"
"Oh…I…I…my mind was just wandering." Emily stammered. "I'm sorry. It does that sometimes."
"That I'd like to see." Hoss chortled. "Your brains, jest walkin' around."
"Ha ha." Adam said. "Now, let's discuss something else. This is dull conversation."
"Let's go sit by the fire and Hop Sing can bring in the dessert." Ben got up. "We can chat more comfortable around there."
"Ok." The brothers got up and Emily followed them to the chairs around the fireplace. Adam took the sofa and Joe seated himself on the arm near him. Hoss was in one chair and Ben was in another. Emily was on the other end of the sofa. They took their seats and for a moment, there was an awkward silence, then Emily piped up, "We could sing or something."
"Sing? Ho, boy." Little Joe shook his head, grinning. "You just gave Adam a chance to show off his voice and skills. And he'll take you up on it, only he'll ho and hum for a bit, then give in, like he doesn't want to, but deep down inside, he does. Ain't that right, big brother?" He leaned forward, clapping Adam's shoulder.
"Ahem." Adam cleared his throat, but Emily leaned forward and asked. "Why don't you sing, Little Joe?"
"Who, me?" Joe pointed to himself, his eyebrows raised, then laughed and shook his head, "You ever heard me sing? It don't sound so good."
"No it don't…I mean, no, it doesn't." Emily said. "You sing really well. Oh, some people think you suck at singing, but lotsa people don't. They like it."
"Some people think I what at singing?" Little Joe leaned forward, perplexed, his eyebrows scrunched up. Emily giggled at his expression. "That you suck at singing."
Little Joe straightened up, a defensive, yet puzzled look on his face. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means you don't do well at singing. When I say 'you suck at singing', that means you don't sing very well." Emily replied, grinning at the look on his face and hoping he'd forget about her comment that many people liked hearing him sing.
"Well, heck, no!" Little Joe exclaimed. "Nobody sings very well if they suck when they sing. You gotta take a deep breath and then let it out, don't suck in and sing. I've learned that much from older brother here."
"No, it means…" Emily flopped her head forward, hiding it in her hands, then tossed her hair back and looked up again, laughing in playful frustration. "It's a slang word for not doing very well."
"So it's a word you northers use?" Little Joe asked.
"Yeah…sorta." Emily replied, wanting the discussion to end now. She wasn't sure how to explain it further. Little Joe sat back, shaking his head. "You sure do use odd words."
"Say, Emily, may I ask what that thing is around your wrist?" Ben had been watching the two of them, a smile on his face.
Emily glanced down at her Fitbit watch. "Uh…sure." She said. "It's…it's a watch."
"A watch?" Adam asked curiously. "On your wrist?"
"Yup." Emily nodded.
Little Joe leaned over, squinting at the watch. "It looks like a little box." He said.
"Yes, that's what I thought." Ben nodded. "I thought maybe you'd have some information or something in it. You know, the way some women have lockets and keep something special in them."
Emily smiled. "Oh, no, Mr. Cartwright. It's a watch. You can't put anything inside it."
"Can I see it?" Little Joe asked curiously. "I've never seen a square watch."
"Uh, ok." Emily unbuckled it and handed over to him. Hoss, watching, commented. "It's like havin' a belt tied to yer wrist. Does it hamper you any?"
"No." Emily replied. "See, it keeps track of my steps and my heartbeat too. It's not just a watch."
Little Joe was turning the watch over in his hands, examining it. Emily nodded to it. "It's really neat, actually, but I don't think you guys have any around here."
"You say it keeps track of your steps." Adam said. "What do you mean by that?"
"It…it counts how many steps I take in a day." Emily replied. "It-"
"Yikes!" Little Joe interrupted her with a yelp and flung the watch away from him, onto the sofa. "It…it did something!" He stared at it.
Emily started laughing. "That flashing green light is what tracks the steps and my heartbeat."
"What? That little light?" Hoss was puzzled. Little Joe eyed the watch. "You say it keeps track of your heart?" he asked. "Does that mean it tells you whether you're alive or not?"
Emily doubled over, laughing. "Oh, no!" she exclaimed to the bewildered Cartwrights. "It's just something we have up north. Here, let me have it." She reached over and put it on. "See these numbers?" she pointed to the numbers. "I press this and it's now tracking my steps."
"What steps? You ain't goin' nowhere." Little Joe said. Emily smiled. "Watch." She got up and hurried from the steps, to the kitchen and back again. "See, I just took 34 steps."
"Hm." Adam studied the screen of the watch carefully. Hoss looked over his shoulder and Little Joe stood up on the sofa to see better. Hoss pointed to the screen. "Where do all them numbers come from?" he asked. "How do they get there?"
"They're….they're in this little box." Emily explained. "Here, you try it." She offered the watch to Hoss. He backed away hurriedly, shaking his head. "Um, no thanks, ma'am. I'd rather not."
"What's the matter with you, Hoss? Scared?" Joe grinned at him. Hoss looked uneasy. "I jest plum don't trust that thing, with numbers poppin' up all over."
"I will do it." Adam took the watch. Ben leaned forward, interested.
"Ok, you have to hold it against your wrist like this." Emily instructed. "Wait a sec. Let me start it. There. Now, walk."
Adam walked to the steps, to Ben's desk and then to the sofa again. "Hmm.." he said. "It says I took 25 steps."
"Emily's ahead of you, big brother." Little Joe said from the sofa. He sprang up. "Here, let me try this thing."
Adam handed the watch over to Joe. Joe pressed it against his wrist and walked off quickly to the door and back. "24 steps." He reported. Emily held out her hand for the watch. "Let's see if Hoss can do it." She said.
"Just a minute." Little Joe pulled back. "Lemme try something." He turned and then raced up the steps, down again, flew into the kitchen, came dashing back out, ran up to the door and then turned and ran back to the sofa. "There! 56 steps!" he flopped down on the sofa, grinning, his eyes sparkling. "That's a interesting little toy, Emily!"
"Mr. Cartwright, you wanna try it?" Emily held it out to him. Ben lifted his hand. "Oh, no, Emily, I…."
"Aw, c'mon, Pa." Little Joe urged. "See how many steps you can take. See if you can beat me!"
"Oh, all right." Ben took the watch and held it against his wrist. "Now, I run?"
"Walk, run, whatever you want." Emily said. Ben moved forward, taking quick, long steps, to the kitchen table and back again.
"Well, Pa?" Adam asked.
"15 steps." Ben replied. "Here, Hoss, you try it." He handed it to Hoss. "This is very interesting, Emily! I wonder what Roy would say about this."
"C'mon, Hoss, let's see you move!" Little Joe encouraged his older brother. Hoss took it hesitantly and holding it against his wrist, waited for Emily to start it, then moved forward, quickly, but firmly. When he came back, he quickly took it off and handed it to Emily. "What'd I get?" he asked, with all the look of an intent student wondering his grade. Emily smiled at him. "30." She said.
"I beat you all!" Little Joe crowed. "Say, Emily, where'd you get that toy?"
"Oh, at a store up north." Emily replied, putting her watch back on. Joe shook his head. "Sure is a fun little thing."
Ben laughed. "I should like to visit your stores up north, Emily! They sound most interesting."
Emily smiled up at him, her eyes dancing. "I'd like to take you to them." She replied. "All of you. Only, I don't know how to get back." She frowned, feeling slightly worried again. How was she to get back? Yes, it was interesting and fun, but suddenly she was missing her home.
Ben cleared his throat and, as if sensing this, stood up. "Well, we best be gettin' to bed. It's rather late. Emily, will you be ok sleeping in the guest room?"
"Yes." Emily nodded. "Only, I haven't got any pajamas or anything."
"Oh, you can slip into one of my nightgowns." Joe spoke up. "It'll be a little big, but it'll do."
"Ok. Thank you." Emily grinned up at him.
"Come, I'll show you to your room. Joe, go get your nightgown. Let's go, boys." Ben led the way to the stairs. He brought Emily to the guest room and then said good night. "Hopefully, Emily, you'll remember more in the morning." He said.
"I hope so too." Emily nodded. "Thank you so much, sir, for everything you're doing for me."
"Ah, think nothing of it." Ben waved it away. "What are people for, but to help each other?"
Emily smiled at him and then Little Joe sauntered down the hall, swinging a nightgown in one hand. "Here you are, Emily." He tossed it to her. "Good night!"
"Good night, Little Joe." Emily replied, catching the nightgown. "Thank you!"
"Yup!" Joe, who'd already turned around, waved his hand behind him, then disappeared into his room. Ben nodded to her and went into his room. Adam and Hoss called good night and then Emily closed the door.
Clasping the nightgown to her chest, she turned and leaned against the door. It was a nice room. Hop Sing had lit the lamp and in its soft glow, Emily studied the room. The bed was an old one, though actually probably pretty new in their time, she thought with a smile. It had a high back and a pretty purple quilt. There was a small dresser and night stand. An interesting painting of Lake Tahoe was on the wall directly across the bed.
Emily sighed and slipping into the nightgown, which smelled faintly of pine and of Little Joe. She buttoned it up, giggling and then raced for the bed, jumping on it. Then, she burrowed under the covers.
This was amazing. What a wonderful, strange day it had been! She'd seen, spent time with and talked with the Cartwrights. She was sleeping in their house, in Little Joe's nightgown no less!
As she burrowed down, she couldn't help wondering what her mom was doing. Where was she? Was she even aware the Emily was gone? What was happening back home? Or maybe there was no back home. Maybe the world had gone back in time and she was here and her mom was way over in China or something. Maybe she would never get back. That thought scared her and she pushed it away, closing her eyes. The last thoughts before she finally fell asleep was, "I wonder what they would have said if I'd had my phone on me?" and "I do wonder what is going to happen tomorrow?"