Joe has a busy day without even leaving the comfort of his convalescing bed.

The second morning he found himself in the guest bedroom, just finished with lunch and feeling accomplished when he managed putting the mostly empty tray on the side table himself, Joe's ears perked when he heard a firm knocking at the front door.

Not long after followed the clomping signifying someone walking to answer the request for entrance.
Next came some muffled exchange of pleasantries and... Huh. Sounded like someone was headed to his door. But who could possibly be paying him a visit? Unannounced like and in the middle of the day?

A considerably softer knock sounded through the guest room before the person on the other side cleared their throat.
"Afternoon, Joe. Roy Coffee here, stoppin' by to say howdy."

The sheriff? Sure, Roy visited from time to time, but when was the last time he'd done so just to say 'howdy'?
Well, either way, Joe wasn't gonna turn away the offer of company. So, double checking he didn't appear a complete, bedridden mess, he cleared his own throat and invited the public servant in.

Then, about the time they'd finished shaking hands and saying their hello's, Hop Sing barged in and set down a tea tray in place of Joe's 'lunch in bed' one. Roy saying an offhanded thanks to the chef while fluffing the provided chair's cushion to help in getting comfortable in his seat.

Soon as Hop Sing shut the door behind himself, Joe turned his full attention to his visitor and offered a welcoming smile.
"Well, thanks for comin' out to see me, Coffee, but you really didn't need to use up your off time to do it. I'd'a blown through town soon enough," Joe reassured. Eyebrows scrunching at the shake of a grayed head.

"No worries, Joe. This call's pullin' double duty as both a social visit and part of my job," Roy reassured. Taking a pause from explaining himself to pour out two cups of tea and hand one to a Joe who wasn't all that interested in drinking it, but who took it anyway.
"Was wondering if you was in'rested in giving an official statement on the, uh... the 'incident' what happened back in town a few days back."

Pretty sure Coffee was at least trying not to scrutinize him for injuries, the arm being fairly obvious in its splint as it was, Joe avoided squirming and looked the sheriff in the eye.
"I... I'd love to, Coffee, I really would, but, uh, I don't even remember the night before it clearly. Uh, yet," Joe added, feeling his mouth tick down at the edges in a small frown.

"It's fine, Joe. Mostly come to see how you was doin' anyhow," Coffee said with a reassuring pat to Joe's knee. Movement slow and careful, as if not sure he should be touching the injured party at all. "Truth be told, I came out to talk to you the evenin' they got you home," Roy said, one hand now scratching his own head.

"Let me guess: Pa didn't want me getting any visitors?"

"That's true, but he made an exception for a servant of the law who was just in'erested in seein' justice served."

"You mean, you came in here to see me? Was I sleeping?" Joe asked, brow furrowing at the thought.

"Maybe when I opened the door, but we spoke a brief while." The Sheriff averted his eyes a second while Joe tried to push aside his rather shocked confusion at the news. "Head wounds are tricky business, I've seen my share, so I said my thanks and promised to come by again when you was feelin' up to it."

"You and I spoke? Yesterday? A-a few days ago?" Joe corrected. Belatedly remembering what day it was. Roughly.

"Mmhm. You can ask yer pa 'n' brothers 'bout it, seein' as they let me in. But yer friend was snoozin' away, so I don't figure he'd be much use there."

"Huh?" Joe asked. Quite puzzled.

"Candy. Was sittin' in this here chair. Boy was either bone tired or he's naturally the deepest sleeper I ever seen," Roy finished, accompanied by a little shake of his head.

"Candy was-was sittin' where you're sittin', sleeping, while you and I had a conversation?"

"More 'r' less," the sheriff affirmed. "Didn't take long though I realized you weren't quite lucid, so I said bye to yer folks and went back into town to take a few more witness statements." A smile broke up Roy's somber mood before he continued. "Next day, somebody brought in a feller by the name of Festus for public drunkenness. After that, I got more'n enough people comin' by, sneerin' at him and identityin' him as the perpetrator to please any judge." A minuscule laugh colored the last of the words and Joe found himself smiling along.

"So you already know exactly what happened?" Joe asked. Still not in possession of his first account memories of the day, but entertained by the thought of townsfolk willingly visiting the jail just to sneer at a drunk in a cell.

"Well, as the story goes, Festus overheard a few days ago 'bout when you an' Candy'd be back in town. So, still bein' sore over losin' that poker game to Candy the week before, the mornin' y'all were set to come back he moseyed himself over to the saloon, got a little liquid courage in him, got his horse saddled, and waited around for y'all to show up. Then he saw the two of you goin' to the diner for lunch and just stood his horse till y'all come out." Coffee took a draft from his china cup, looking like he was doing his best not to be disappointed that it wasn't coffee, before giving a sigh and continuing.
"Folks say it was mighty unnervin'; seeing him sit up on that brute fer long as he did. Out in the sun. Sweatin' and mumblin' to himself. Makin' coaches and wagons go 'round him." The lawman shook his head while his lips gave a sour purse. "I'm surprised someone didn't report him for public drunkenness before... well, you know."

"Yeah, we know all right," Joe said, sounding rather terser than he'd meant. After all, wasn't Roy Coffee's fault he was laid up worse than any time in recent memory. Nor the sheriff's fault that Joe still couldn't remember the 'incident' himself.

The sheriff sighed. "Joe, I'm sorry 'bout what happened and I wish it hadn't." Joe ticked his face up just enough to pass for a nod. Not willing to make the mistake of jostling his head while it wasn't bothering him too much. "But, you know; what you did? Way I hear it, folks 'round town seem to think you just might've saved your friend's life." Joe's eyes went wide while Roy paused to sip at his drink again. "I heard said that you runnin' like a man possessed surprised Festus and the horse bad enough that they balked at the last moment. Way it sounds, folks are gonna want to pin a commendation on you for exceptional community service."

Joe took in all the words that Sheriff Coffee said best he could, but anything after 'saved your friend's life' had a distant, unreal quality to it.

He was pretty sure Roy'd been smiling, but at some point the older man's face had changed. Probably around the time Joe realized he couldn't focus on the sheriff's voice anymore; it turning to more of a mumbled noise than words he could understand.

Might even have been disconcerting if Joe could concentrate well enough to care. But as it was, he was distracted by a growing feeling of being far away. Almost as if he were dreaming, but in a hard to describe, uncomfortable sort of way.
The sudden, building banging in his head wasn't doing him any favors either and he was pretty sure he could feel the stitches the doc had sewn into his scalp. Itching hard enough that Joe felt he now understood why it was a flea bitten dog scratched with such gusto.

It was sometime around then that Joe noticed a hand close around the wrist of his good arm. The sensation pulled his attention to it and he blinked as he realized Coffee was no longer sitting by his bed. Instead, an additional blink brought his black clad, oldest brother into focus.

"No scratching. Now say 'ah'."

"Uh-"

"That'll work," Joe heard, half a moment before having a spoon laden with an unpleasant, bitter liquid popped in his mouth. To which he made a noise of distaste.
"Now, Joe, I'll not have you complaining over a little help with pain management. I saw you just now; dissociating well enough that you had the unshakable Sheriff Coffee worried," Adam said in a chiding, almost impressed tone.

"I wasn't- What?" Joe asked. Pretty sure Adam had thrown at least one made-up word in there.

"What happened anyway? He seemed to think it might have been something he'd said?" Adam asked, recorking and putting away the brown bottle of unpleasantness.

"I- I lost track of time-" Joe started. All honesty. "I couldn't concentrate. All I could think about- feel, was that Candy nearly..." Joe stopped there. Not sure he could end a sentence that contained Candy's name with the word-

"Died?" Joe looked up at the unperturbed tone. Adam raised an eyebrow in response. "You narrowly escaped the same, Joe. Don't let yourself think that's slipped anyone's mind." At the younger Cartwright's questioning look, the more mature of them continued. "You may have saved your friend, but, in so doing, you put yourself in harm's way. Now, I'm not saying you didn't do the exact right thing, but I do ask you to look at it from Candy's perspective: to him, you almost died."

"But I saw him right after breakfast. Popped in to say mornin' and that he had chores needed gettin' to," Joe said, puzzlement only growing. "He seemed fine. Chipper even."

"I know he's put up a brave face, but I believe it's more for our benefit than for his," Adam said. Seeming still relatively unperturbed. "It is my opinion, that he be worried so, in part, because he cares the same way for you as you do for him. It's all in the eyes," he finished. Pointing, if Joe was reading it right, playfully at his little brother's face.

"I don't- What- what are you saying, Adam?" Joe asked of the man who hadn't confounded him so since they'd both been considerably less mature. Maybe a few years younger too.
And who was now sporting a knowing smirk Joe was pretty sure he hadn't seen no his brother's face in just as long.

"I'm saying that the two of you are smitten with each other. You're sweet on one another. That a saddle tramp from Texas and my brother have 'intentions' for each other." Adam paused to leave room for Joe's stunned silence before he leaned in closer, like he was about to tell a secret.
"Candy loves you, you love him, and I think it's about time the man heard about it." The statement ended on a serious though gentle note.

Joe looked his brother in the eye, searching for some shred of hidden disapproval or disappointment. When Adam's strangely open face revealed neither, Joe swallowed and voiced his own misgivings. "But, if you have it all wrong and-and it turns out..." Joe sucked in a breath. "What if I... and then, but what if, after that, he hates me?"

"Joseph Cartwright, I have been around the world-"

"Halfway 'round the world-" Joe couldn't help but correct, even with the feeling of warm water welling right behind his eyes at the mere thought of his best friend not being his best friend ever again.

"-and I am absolutely serious when I tell you that one man loving another man isn't all that uncommon." At that, Adam had Joe's full attention once more. "Neither is the other loving the first back. After all, these things, in my limited experience, tend to happen to like minded people. So if you feel this way about Candy, it is my advice that you tell him so."

Joe stared at his brother for a moment. Feeling, and likely looking, almost as if he didn't recognize the face before him. Long enough that the face started getting a little worried.
He spoke though before Adam did. "You really mean that?"

Starting with a sigh, Adam shook his head. "Joe, how often do I say things that I don't mean?"

"Ah. I see your point."

"Mmhm. So, if this frankly rightful anxiety and worry over your shared near death experience is keeping you up at night-"

"Daytime too-"

"-then I can't see another way around it. My littlest brother is going to have to act like an adult and own up about his feelings."

"Own up about my feelings about my best friend to my best friend, no less," Joe said with a grimace.

"I never claimed it would be easy," Adam reminded.

"Yeah, and I never said you never did anything for me," Joe informed. Amusing his brother ever so slightly.

"You're welcome, Little-"

"Don't you call me that, Adam Cartwright," Joe warned, reaching next to himself for a spare pillow.

"Alright," Adam said with his hands up in a sign of good will. "You're welcome, Joe," Adam corrected with a chuckle. Probably glad the youngest member of the family was once again up to a little horseplay. Or at least, up to threatening it.

"Yeah, yeah, wise guy," Joe said. Setting the pillow back purposefully close to hand.

"Well, I'm glad you're feeling better, even if not by much, and that you've allowed your mind to be expanded, but I am afraid this is where I leave you," Adam said. Reaching out a hand to pat his brother's knee before standing from his seat. "Duty calls."

"If you love Duty so much, maybe you should propose," Joe suggested. Satisfied when it got Adam to stop in his tracks.

"I could say the same regarding you and Candy."

And Joe said nothing more as his brother chuckled his way out the door knowing he'd gotten the last word and thankfully not sparing a glance back. Otherwise he'd have seen the pink overtaking Joe's cheeks at the ridiculous, outlandish notion.
How could he ask his best friend to marry him? There wasn't a chance in Heaven nor Hell that the man would say yes.

Nope. Out of the question. Besides, neither of them were the marrying type. Evidenced by the fact that they were always dating, and not often the same lady twice, yet were still two of the least attached bachelors in the territory.
...On that same note, they had, even with their notoriously capricious natures, somehow managed to continue to be friends- close friends for quite some time now.

Hm. Maybe Adam was right about some things after all.

And maybe, just maybe, Joe needed to get around to telling Candy some of those things.
Sometime. Somehow.