Your lovely reviews always make me smile and no, Tessa, a nap is not code for a coma! Although Joe may wish for that before we are done.

Chapter Nine

"How's he doing?"

Nick leaned on the corral fence and watched as Sam tried to get a saddle on one of the more ornery horses. Given the events of the day before, it seemed everyone was a little more alert and attentive to what they were doing and nobody had noticed him immediately. Larry had been on the far side and seen him approach the corral so had climbed over the fence to talk with his boss.

"He slept right through until about four this morning. He was sick as a dog when he woke up and he's been back asleep ever since."

Larry glanced up at the low angle of the sun and figured that was only a few hours back.

"But the doc said he's gonna be okay, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he did. Reckon it'll be a while before he's fit to travel though."

Larry lifted his hat and rubbed at the back of his neck as he considered that. "So he's going to go home then?"

"Why wouldn't he? His family came all this way to get him, didn't they?"

"Yeah … but the kid didn't seem too happy to see them coming. I saw his face before he was thrown and … well … he looked downright scared! I'd sure hate to be sending him back to any kind of trouble."

Nick frowned at the comment as he glanced back at the house. "They don't seem like trouble. They seem like a real close-knit family and I think the kid just ran into something he couldn't handle and got spooked."

"I sure hope you're right about that."

"Me too, buddy. Me too!"

Joe shifted as he began to awaken and a hand on his chest pressed him into staying still. "Don't go moving about, Son."

He felt the glare of the open window and his eyes ached before he even opened them. Somebody must have noticed his reaction because suddenly the room grew darker as someone closed the curtains and stood between him and the window.

Finally, Joe opened his eyes and squinted around the room. His father sat beside the bed and Hoss leaned against the end railing. Joe felt the dryness of his mouth as he looked further, but there was no sign of Adam. He felt immediate relief until his brother called out into the next room.

"Adam, Joe's awake!"

It wasn't the first time he had been awake, but it was the first time the room hadn't been moving like a ship at sea. Joe glanced at the door and felt himself drawing back as his older brother walked into the room. The fear must have been evident on his face, because Adam stopped in the doorway.

"I'm not here to hurt you, Joe." Adam licked at his lip as he waited for a response. When his brother didn't answer, he hurried on. "I came to tell you how sorry I am."

"We all are." Ben reached for his son's hand. "We have a lot to talk about, but you just need to know for now that Angelique's lies will be dealt with."

Joe's gaze narrowed at the comment and Adam stepped closer. "I didn't see what you saw about her and I'm sorry for … well for all of it! I should have known you could never have done what she accused you of."

Joe felt his face burning with shame as Angelique's words taunted him and he turned away into the pillow. Adam didn't know anything of what he had done!

"I'm tired." The words were no more than a whisper and Adam withdrew towards the door. There was no reason Joe should accept his apology. Not after what he had said and done. Ben smoothed a hand across his son's hair and smiled tightly. He had hoped for a better outcome, but it would take time to undo what had been wrought against his family.

"You just sleep now, Son." He glanced up as Adam left the room. "We'll talk later, when you are up to it."

Larry watched as the eldest of Joe's brothers wandered down to the corral and leaned up against the railing. He couldn't see much of a resemblance between the two fellas who called themselves his older brothers. Still, he'd heard the urgency in their voices as they had tried to rouse the kid after he'd been thrown. He just couldn't reconcile that with what Joe had told him about his brothers not wanting him around. Something wasn't adding up and it stuck in his craw. In the time the kid had been in his bunkhouse, he'd grown on them all. If this fella dressed in black had any plans to give his kid a hard time, well, that just wasn't gonna happen. Not if he had anything to say about it.

He stepped off the porch of the bunkhouse and sauntered down towards the corral, unsure of what kind of reception he might get. Adam barely turned as he felt the man's presence behind him.

"Mornin'"

"Good morning."

Larry leaned across the railing and pointed out the bay that had thrown Joe two days before. It was clear that Adam had been watching the horse and he wondered what he would say next.

"The boss threatened to shoot that one after … well, after what happened. You know what stopped him?"

Adam didn't answer, but Larry continued on anyway. "He said the kid wouldn't want him to."

"No. Joe couldn't bear to see a horse put down, especially on his account."

The soft-spoken answer belied emotion that sat just under the surface and Larry chewed at his lip as he considered what to say next.

"Never did see such a scrawny kid that could hold a full grown horse."

Adam barely smiled at the comment. "Don't let Joe hear you call him that. He's a man." The smile slid away as Adam looked at his hands. "He's more of a man than I am."

When Larry didn't answer, Adam turned to leave. Uncertain of whether he was risking a fist in his jaw or something else, Larry grasped at his arm.

"Somebody raised that kid good. I'm bettin' you all had a hand in that."

Larry dropped his hand to his side and waited. Adam seemed torn between leaving and saying something.

"Is it true you didn't want him around?"

"Joe told you that?" Adam looked stricken at the question and Larry knew he'd hit a nerve.

"Sorta. He didn't say much at all. Played it pretty close to the chest. Still, it didn't sit right with none of us."

"I told him I'd kill him. Did he tell you that bit?"

"Nope." But it sure explained a few things. "I guess all brothers say things when they get riled."

"I meant it. I thought that …" Adam scrubbed a hand across his face and frowned at the foreman. "Doesn't matter what I thought. I was dead wrong. About everything."

"Then tell him. He's a smart kid."

Adam nodded as he looked at the older man in front of him.

"He got under your skin, didn't he?"

Larry grinned at the comment. "Oh yeah. The fellas will happily adopt him if you wanta leave him here."

Adam smiled in spite of himself. It wasn't the first time.

"I just hope he wants to come home and isn't looking for a new family."

Hoss sat with his feet propped up on the blanket box by the window and allowed himself to close his eyes. The sun streaming through the window was warm and the air was still. He felt himself beginning to nod off when he heard a soft moan from beside him. His eyes flew open and he shot forward in the chair, ready to grab at the enamel bowl if it was going to be needed.

Instead, Little Joe lay still against the pillow and gingerly touched the side of his head.

"You'd best leave that alone for a bit. It's gonna hurt for a while yet."

Joe frowned as his hand dropped to the blanket and he glanced around the room.

"Pa's outside with Nick and Adam's gone … well, he's gone to check on the horses." The truth was, Hoss wasn't sure where Adam was, but he'd been reluctant to stay around as each time he'd woken up, Joe had pretty much ignored him.

Joe closed his eyes again and turned his head away.

"You know, Adam's tryin' awful hard to make you understand he's sorry about what happened."

Joe felt the bile rising up his throat as he tried to contain it. He pushed himself up from the bed and grasped at the enamel bowl as Hoss thrust it under his chin. By the time he was done and Hoss had cleaned up his face, he sagged back against the pillow and closed his eyes again. He didn't see his brother's face or his father's as he slid back into a troubled sleep.

"He's still being sick? I thought that might have eased up by now."

Hoss stood up and carried the bowl with its contents towards the door and his father slid into the seat he had vacated.

"I hoped so too, but you know Little Joe. He don't do nothin' by halves."

It was meant to be a joke at his brother's expense, but it fell flat as Hoss saw his father's face crease into a frown.

"Sorry, Pa. I didn't mean nothin' by it."

"I know, Son. I just want to take him home and we can't begin to plan that until Joe is feeling better."

Nick sat on the porch and watched the sun setting over the hills. The air was still and warm and he could hear the crickets starting up their nightly orchestra. Even so, the house felt empty and silent with his guests heading out for home that morning. He swirled the dregs of his coffee in his mug and tossed the grounds over the railing into the dirt. He stayed seated, even as the light dropped away. He could hear the sounds of men moving about in the bunkhouse and he knew what tonight's topic of conversation would be. The kid had left a mark on them all and he was going to be sorely missed. Not least for the fact he'd helped get that army contract filled ahead of schedule!

Ben Cartwright struck him as an honourable man and a loving father who was beyond grateful to have his son restored to him. The two brothers had proven how much it meant to them to have their wayward brother back and yet he couldn't shake the sense that something was still not right. The kid had been declared fit to travel by Dave two days before so it wasn't that. There was something in the way he avoided eye contact with his oldest brother. Something was still chewing at the kid and Nick felt uneasy about it. Still, it was none of his business and they had left that morning for home.

By the time the sun was setting, Ben had already pulled the wagon to a stop and a makeshift camp had been set up for the night. Joe had still looked peaked despite the doctor's assurances and he wondered if it wasn't something still weighing on the boy's mind, more so than anything physical. He'd seen his son avoid his brother for days and he was at a loss as to how to restore things between them.

Adam had been trying for days to figure how to broach the subject without pushing Joe further away. It wasn't like he hadn't done enough damage already. Finally, the chance came when he least expected it. He thought Joe was sleeping in the back of the wagon until he heard the creak of timber and soft footsteps heading towards the fire. His father and brother were sound asleep by the fire, but Adam had been awake for hours. He waited until Joe nudged the coffee pot into the coals before speaking.

"Can't sleep either, huh?"

Joe jumped at the sound of his voice before he slowly eased back down to crouch by the fire.

"Nope."

Adam sat up and shrugged himself out of his bedroll. "Joe, I know you don't want to talk to me and you have every right to be mad at me, but you really need to understand something. I don't blame you for anything that happened. I should have seen it and not been so stupid. I'm sorry I ever let her near you. Or any of us for that matter."

When Joe didn't answer, Adam tried again. "You did nothing wrong!"

"That's not true." Joe felt the lump of shame that settled in his gut and he stared at his brother, stricken by what he knew he had done.

"What do you mean?" Adam pulled himself out of his bedroll and moved over to crouch by his brother.

"When she … when Angelique … did what she did … she said that I enjoyed it. She said that … Adam … she said that I wanted her too … and she kissed me and I kissed her back!" Joe buried his face in his hands as a wave of condemnation settled over him. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up to see Adam watching him. "How could I do that to my own brother? I'm sorry. I never meant …"

"She was a liar. She set you up and used your youth and inexperience against you. She suckered me and I should have known better, but she used every charm in the book against all of us." Adam felt his own gut churning at the memory of wandering hands and teasing comments that had seemed so enjoyable at the time.

"But, I …"

"But, nothing! Joe, you did nothing wrong. Being attracted and having a physical reaction to somebody who is attractive and trying to seduce you is not your fault. You didn't pursue her and you sure as hell didn't attack her as she claimed."

Joe felt himself shaking as he took in the words. Adam reached for the coffee pot and shifted it out of the fire before pouring them both a mug.

"And when we get back, we'll make sure she can't take this any further."

"But, she can still press charges. She can say … she can … " Joe looked up to see his brother watching him intently. "I don't want to go to prison! Nobody will believe me that I didn't attack her! I made it pretty clear I didn't like her and you …." Joe gulped as he watched his brother's face.

"We aren't going to let that happen. Joe, I've said this already and I'll say it again as many times as you need me to, I'm sorry I didn't believe you, but I do now and we'll make sure everybody else does too."

Adam was fairly certain nobody had told Joe about the charges already laid and the rumours running amok in Virginia City, but there was no point in worrying him any further until they had to. The boy still looked like he wanted to run again and Adam was determined to get him home in one piece.

Joe looked at him with confusion clearly written across his face. "Why?"

"Because you're my brother."

"No." Joe shook his head. " I mean, I can't figure out why she did this. I've been tryin' ever since I left, but I can't work it out. She said she loved you and wanted to marry you. Why would she do this?"

"She said a lot of things that weren't true." Adam swilled the last of his coffee before drinking it down. "There's a long story to why she did this and it has nothing to do with anything you have ever done, but right now, I think we need to sleep."

"But …"

Adam held up a hand to forestall the argument.

"I promise, tomorrow we will fill you in on all of it."

Joe stared at him, trying to gauge his brother's sincerity and whether or not he was just being fobbed off.

Adam reached a hand to squeeze his shoulder again. "I promise you. Now, how about you and I get some sleep so we can stay upright tomorrow?"

"Sure." Joe reluctantly nodded as he knew he could barely keep his eyes open anyway.

Ben dared not move as he heard his son climb back into the wagon. At last, Adam had hit the crux of Joe's lingering problem and he prayed that finally, he could start to heal from the whole ordeal. Of course, there was still the matter of what was awaiting his son once they arrived back in Virginia City. A prison sentence wasn't out of the question if Angelique played her hand right. It was a long time before he could make himself close his eyes and allow sleep to come.