LOST AND FOUND - PART III
BANDING TOGETHER
Chapter 19
Adam and his four deputy marshals were sitting at their usual table in the Sage Brush when Ben and Hoss walked in.
Ben's eyes immediately went to Adam, taking in his red-rimmed eyes and the lines of exhaustion etching his pale face.
The five already at the table were discussing the progress of constructing the regional office building. The three-story structure was walled on the outside and the roof was on. Adam was talking to Nate and didn't notice when his father was standing next to him.
Ben pulled out the chair next to his eldest son and sat down. "Adam," he said and when the younger man turned around and he saw him up close he looked in even worse shape than Ben had thought. He put a hand on Adam's shoulder, "How long has it been since you slept?"
"What day of the week is this?"
"Friday."
Adam closed his eyes and seemed to be making a concerted effort to concentrate. He was taking so long to answer Ben was about to shake him when his eyes popped open and he said, "Four days, and if I don't sleep tonight that will make it five."
Ben shook his head, "Son, you HAVE to get some sleep or you will make yourself seriously ill."
"I know Pa, and it's not that I don't want to sleep, I just can't."
"You can't?"
Sighing, Adam nodded. "Every time I start to fall asleep an overwhelming urge to check on everyone wakes me up. I have to make sure they're all still breathing."
"You're checking on the babies constantly, aren't you?"
Adam nodded again, "I start with them, then I have to check the twins, then Thea, then Joe," he chuckled. "I expect I'll be adding the dog to that list, too."
Ben smiled at Adam's joke, but shook his head "You need some help son, you've got seven people in that house to take care of and you can't do it all yourself."
"I do have help. Matt comes everyday and I've hired some local ladies to help with the work, but that's during the day. At night I have to guard them because I can't trust anyone else to keep them safe."
Ben was about to answer and suggest that he and Hoss come to help when Matt interrupted them by walking up to the table and handing Adam a telegram.
He gave Matt a puzzled look, opened it, and read through it quickly. Then he smiled, "Thank God."
"What?" Matt and Ben said together.
"The cavalry is coming. Wes, Dulcy, Marie, and Cassandra are arriving by train today. In fact, they should be arriving right about now. I just may survive the next month after all!" He stood and started for the door. Everyone else at the table got to their feet and followed with Ben and Matt at the end of the line.
The train was just pulling in when they reached the station and they all stood in a group waiting for their friends. Wes was the first to come down moving sideways, his huge form filling the small space. He stood to the side to help the ladies down the last step. Dulcy, his new bride, appeared first, closely followed by Cassandra and Marie. He actually picked Marie up and set her down carefully, ever mindful of her weak right leg.
Adam shook Wes's hand and hugged the ladies as the others came forward to greet their friends. Wes assembled the luggage together and then the men divided it up. Adam offered Marie his arm and she tucked her hand in crook of his elbow with a shy smile. They started across the street and the others followed - Dulcy with Wes, and Cassandra with Hoss.
When they reached the house there was cheerful confusion as Adam told the ladies to take whichever room they wished and to direct the men as to where to take their luggage.
Wes pulled Adam aside then and they had a short, intense conversation that no one seemed to notice. With a grim look, Adam went upstairs to Joe's room where the twins were "helping" one of the ladies he had hired to feed Joe some soup.
People were running up and down the front stairs and happy voices filled the house as Adam used the back stairs to take the dishes down to the kitchen while the twins "helped" tuck their uncle in. When the noise woke the babies, they began to cry and everyone upstairs stopped what they were doing and assembled in the nursery.
The three women each took a child in her arms and the men crowded around to see. Marie had Benjamin, Dulcy had Thomas, and Cassandra had Matthew who continued to scream no matter what the poor girl tried to calm him down. Adam came bounding up the stairs, pushed his way through the crowd and she gladly handed the infant to his father. The screams immediately stopped.
In the sudden quiet they all heard Thea laugh from the doorway, "Adam is the only person that can get him to stop screaming like that."
The men stepped back and Adam gave his wife a severe look, "You are NOT supposed to be out of bed yet."
Cassandra said, "I'll help her back," and rushed up to Thea and hugged her gently. Dulcy and Marie were right behind her after handing the babies to their uncle and grandfather. The three women carefully helped Thea back to her room and into bed. Cassandra sat on the side and held her hand tightly, while Dulcy pulled a rocking chair over from the corner and ordered Marie to sit down while she remained standing.
Marie was the first to break the silence, "How are you feeling now, child?" she said as she took Thea's other hand in both of hers.
"Weak," Thea said then smiled, "I've never felt weaker in my life, and yet I've never felt better. I guess escaping death has a tendency to make you appreciate being alive."
Her three friends laughed and Cassandra squeezed Thea's hand hard as she said, "Thea, what was it like?"
"Cassandra!" Dulcy said, "you shouldn't be asking her that and getting her upset."
"No, no, it's alright. I don't mind talking about it," Thea answered, "would you shut the door, please? I don't want Adam to hear this."
After shutting the door, Dulcy came back and sat cross-legged on the foot of the bed. The three women looked at Thea expectantly.
"I knew right away something was wrong with this labor; it wasn't at all like the others. And I knew when the rupture happened. I was holding onto Adam's hand as hard as I could, but I couldn't feel it. He didn't want to do what I told him he had to do, so I made him promise me. And I just kept feeling colder and colder and the next thing I knew I was standing next to Adam looking down at myself on the table." Thea paused and cleared her throat.
"He kept saying my name and finally Hoss put a hand on his shoulder and told him they didn't have much time. I stood next to him and it seemed like I was speaking in his ear, telling him what to do, and he followed what I was saying perfectly. I don't understand that, and I guess I never will." She took her hand back from Cassandra and reached for a glass of water on the bedside table, drank half of it then set it back down. She sighed.
"After the last baby was taken I suddenly felt like I was just fading away. The next thing I knew I was somewhere bright, somewhere filled with brilliant white light. Then I saw three women standing in a circle with their arms around each other appear. They looked just like that painting called The Three Graces, that large one hanging in the lobby of the hotel. Do you know the one I mean?"
The three women listening to her so intently nodded. "They pulled me into the center of their circle and just stood there around me. Almost as though they were protecting me from something, and I kept begging them to let me go, that I wanted to go home. They were telling me things, but I wouldn't listen, I just kept demanding to go home. And then they stopped speaking and I heard Adam. He was crying," two large tears slipped down her face as Thea closed her eyes.
"I've never heard him cry before, not while he was enduring the agony of his recovery and not even when we lost our first child. And then I could hear him praying, even though I couldn't hear any actual words, I knew he was praying and asking God for the strength to endure. It seemed like the Graces could hear him just like I could and they were crying because of his pain too. Then all of a sudden we were back in the room, with me still inside their circle in the corner by the door. They smiled at me and one of them said something had been lifted because of something Adam had done, but I couldn't really understand. They pushed me out of the circle and then I was back lying on the table. God it hurt, it hurt so much that I started to cry and tried to turn my head and look at Adam, but I passed out."
Cassandra handed Thea a handkerchief and she dried her face then cleared her throat again. "The next thing I knew I saw Ben, Hoss, and Matt coming in carrying the babies. The Graces were still there and they came to stand next to me as Adam propped me up so I could see them. When Ben held the first baby up to my face so I could kiss him one of the Graces whispered a name in my ear, so I repeated it. Each one gave me a name and that is how my boys were named."
Thea reached for the water again and her three friends could see she was wrung out from reliving the experience. "Now I know some people wouldn't believe what I've just told you, but I swear with God as my witness I've told you the truth.'
Thea's three friends stayed silent as she leaned back against the pillows, each one thinking deeply about what they had heard. A loud knock on the bedroom door startled them and they looked at each other and laughed a little, like children frightened by a ghost story.
Thea called out, "Come in," and Matt opened the door as Cassandra and Dulcy quickly stood.
"I see you have been misbehaving again, Thea. What am I going to do with you?"
"Considering my advanced age I don't think there is much of a chance that I will change my wicked ways," Thea said with a smile. "Matt, these are my friends, they've come to help out," she quickly introduced the three women and each one said, "Pleased to meet you," before slipping from the room to leave Thea alone with her doctor.
After he examined Thea and asked her the usual questions, she begged him to tell Adam she was ready to start moving around the house. He agreed, "It's amazing how quickly you have recovered Thea, you should be feeling just like Joe, still weak and sleeping most of the time."
She laughed at him, "You know I've always been tough, Matt."
"Hmmm...and stubborn, too."
"Yes I am," she said with an emphatic nod, not repentant at all.
"Well, at least you admit it," Matt joked as he started to repack his bag.
"Please leave the door open Matt, I like to hear what's going on."
"Alright," he said. "Now you can get up and move around, but only a little bit at a time. Don't push yourself too hard or I'll have to tell Adam to make you stay in bed again."
She stuck her tongue out at him and then laughed when he stuck his out back at her.
"That's what I've always admired about you Matt, your innate sense of dignity."
"Sure you do," he said dubiously as he looked down at her, taking in the sparkle in her eyes and the healthy color to her face.
"You do realize that your recovery is miraculous, don't you?"
She nodded as he started to leave the room, but then he paused at the door.
"I like your friends Thea, and I'm glad they've come to help. If Adam doesn't get some rest soon he'll make himself ill."
"I know, that's why I had Nate send a telegram asking them to come. But don't tell Adam, I'll get in trouble if you do."
"I promise," he chuckled.
"Besides, it turns out they were already on their way here, and I bet Cassandra was the one to come up with the idea. She's shy, but is always there when someone needs her."
"Is she the pretty strawberry-blonde?"
"Yes she is. We've been friends ever since we moved to San Francisco."
Matt paused for a moment, seemingly thinking about something important. "Well," he said after a few minutes, "I guess I better report in to Adam before he comes looking for me."
Thea smiled, "The last time I saw him he was in the nursery."
"Oh thanks," Matt said with a distracted air as he left the room.
Thea's smile widened as she chuckled with glee, "Dear Lord, " she prayed quietly as soon as Matt was out of sight, "please let Cassie be as interested in him as he is in her." Then she settled back against the pillows and fell into a light sleep.
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Matt's search for Adam was becoming frustrating. No one had seen him for the last hour and the doctor was becoming a little irritated and worried.
Everyone else had assembled in the huge, warm kitchen and were all pitching in to put together a meal. When Matt came in multiple voices greeted him and the twins threw themselves on him, as the dog came up to him with his tail wagging. Balor was always wherever the twins were. Matt scratched him behind the ears for a few moments before picking up the twins.
He spoke to the nearest person while holding a child in each arm, "Nate, do you know where Adam is?"
Nate turned to him quickly, instantly concerned. "No, I thought he was with you."
"No he wasn't and I can't find him."
Nate whistled loudly to get everyone's attention, "Has anyone seen Adam since we came in here?" No one had and Nate turned back to Matt. "I guess we better search the house. He's been so exhausted he could have passed out somewhere."
Matt was about to agree when he saw everyone's eyes go to the doorway behind him. Thea was standing there and she put a finger to her lips then smiled as she motioned for them to follow her. She went up the stairs and down to the end of the hall, then opened the last door quietly and went in.
Adam was lying on his back, fully clothed, on the left side of the bed. Joe was on his right side, up against his brother with his head on Adam's shoulder and one arm flung across his broad chest. Thea stood there shaking with inaudible laughter.
Wes came to stand next to her, "Do you want me to move him?" he whispered, grinning.
When Thea had herself under control she whispered back, "No, I don't want to take the chance of waking him up. He probably couldn't resist the temptation to lay down for a minute when he came in to check on Joe." She turned to herd everyone out of the room then shut the door quietly. They all trooped back to the kitchen and just about everyone burst out laughing as soon as they were in the door.
"I sure wish I had a picture of that," Hoss said as he held a chair out for Thea then sat down next to her at the table.
"Now I don't want any of you teasing him about this," Thea said and gave him a chiding look.
Hoss grinned, "Aw Thea, he'll be expectin' it. That's what brothers and friends are for."
Thea shook her head and laughed at his eager expression, "Alright, but don't you give him too hard a time, it's not his fault he's exhausted." Hoss's face lit up with glee. "And don't forget, you'll need to harass Joe too, just to be fair."
Hoss laughed his deep, rumbling laugh and took her hand in both of his, "Yes ma'am! If you say so."
Almost everyone else in the room was laughing again as Thea's eyes met Ben's across the table. He nodded to her smiling, then leaned forward so she could hear him. "Hoss is right, Adam will be expecting it and would probably be disappointed if they didn't tease him."
"I'm sure you're right," she said as she watched Annalise abandon Nate and come to climb up into her grandfather's lap. The little girl closed her eyes and she laid her head on his chest as Ben put his arms around her.
Alexander then came to his uncle who lifted him up. The boy's bright eyes looked at his mother with concern. "Are you still sick, Ma?" he asked with a small quaver to his voice.
She reached out and cupped his little chin in her hand. "No Alex, I'm just tired now," she said and his face lit up at her touch. "Can we sleep in your room tonight?" he asked and then squirmed with delight at her nod.
The sun had just started to set and the lamps were lit as the other three women came back from the nursery to help Thea upstairs so the babies could be fed.
The four women had just finished feeding and bathing the infants and were in Thea's room with the babies on the bed when Hoss and Ben appeared with the twins.
"Did they eat for you?" Thea asked as Dulcy took Alexander and Cassandra took Annalise.
Ben nodded, "They were both half asleep, but we managed to get some food into them," he said with a smile as the two women took the twins down the hall to their rooms to get them ready for bed. Marie followed them out into the hall.
The two men came forward then and each picked up a baby. Hoss had Matthew, Ben had Thomas, and Thea bent over Benjamin on the bed in front of her.
Matthew looked up at his uncle's face with wide hazel eyes then started kicking and waving his little fists around. One connected with Hoss's nose and he grinned. "This one's gonna be a fighter, just like his Pa."
Ben held Thomas in the crook of his arm and when the child opened his eyes he was surprised to see they had lost the blue tint and had deepened to a dark green. He looked up at Thea. "I don't think I've ever seen eyes this color before." She laughed as Hoss came over to his father to see.
"I have, my father's mother. She was considered to be an incomparable in London society because of her beauty. She was also a rebel, so they dubbed her an 'original'."
Ben looked at her with raised eyebrows, "Something tells me you must take after her. You certainly don't take after your father." His expression said he was still furious with Doc.
"Do any of them look like him?" Hoss asked.
"No, and I'm very thankful for that," Thea said, then laughed at Benjamin's solemn little face and dark eyes, he looked as though he understood everything they were saying and was deeply concerned.
"Hey Pa," Hoss said, "Want to switch?"
Ben nodded and laid Thomas on the bed then took Matthew from his son's arms.
Hoss eagerly lifted his namesake and said, "This one sure has grown a lot already."
Thea smiled in agreement, "I know. I think he's going to be the biggest one and it looks like Ben here will be the smallest." She lifted the child to her shoulder and began to rub his back. "But babies can surprise you. You never know how they might turn out."
The three of them continued to pass the babies around and soon Ben and Thomas were asleep. Matthew however, enjoyed the attention so much he was fighting to stay awake. But even he had succumbed by the time Dulcy, Marie, and Cassandra returned with the twins ready for bed.
Thea's three friends took the babies back to the nursery as Ben and Hoss lifted the sleepy-eyed children into the bed and tucked them in with their mother in the middle. Ben put a hand on top of Thea's head and leaned down to kiss her on the forehead while Hoss waited for his father at the door.
"Thank you," he said softly, turned the lamp down as far as it would go, then started to leave the room. He paused when Thea said, "Pa, I'm the one who should be thanking you."
He paused to look back at her and smiled, "Just remember, you are a Cartwright now and we will always be here for you."
Hoss nodded in agreement and said, "G'night Thea," as the two men left, closing the door behind them.
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Adam jerked awake in the early hours of the morning and rubbed his irritated eyes as he looked around and tried to place himself. When he noticed the arm across his chest he turned his head and his eyes opened wide when he saw that it was Joe's. He carefully slid off the bed, trying not to jostle his brother awake. Once he was standing, he quickly went to the door and opened it without a sound. He stepped out into the hall and as he pulled the door closed he noticed a piece of paper tacked to the top panel.
"I wonder if anyone saw that," he said quietly to himself as he went to the hall table and lit a candle. When he was back in front of the door he raised the light and read what was written on the paper. "Honeymoon Suite," it said in red ink and he started to laugh quietly and said, "I guess that answers my question," then looked closer at the writing. "Very funny Hoss," he said softly, and then laughed again. He was about to tear it down, but changed his mind and left it on the door.
Two shadows had been creeping down the hallway toward him, one on either side but they both stopped when Adam said, "You know, you both have to learn how to walk silently. I heard you the second you stepped into the hallway."
He heard Wes's voice say "Adam?" on his right and as he turned to the left, Nate stepped into the light cast by the candle.
"What are you doing awake?" Nate asked, "Is the honeymoon over?"
Wes put a hand over his mouth to muffle a snort of laughter.
Adam gave Nate a narrow-eyed sideways glance, "As usual your rapier wit slays me."
Both men were laughing quietly at Adam's irritation when he said, "Lets go downstairs so we don't wake anyone."
When the three men were in the kitchen and seated at the table Adam said, "So you two drew guard duty for the first night?"
They nodded and their expressions became serious as Wes said, "When are you going to tell them Jackson has escaped prison?"
Adam's face tensed and his eyes became hard as he answered, "I still can't believe those guards were so foolish as to let his wife into that cell without searching her! Now a guard is dead and that monster is free again." He shook his head. "I'll tell them tomorrow when Charlie gets here with the rest of the guards. I want this place covered twenty-four hours a day and be sure not to pair up two of the new guards together."
"Yes sir," they said together and some of the tension left Adam's face as he looked at his two closest friends. "Have I told you how much I appreciate your doing this for us?"
Both men smiled and Wes actually blushed a little as Nate said, "Anytime, boss."
Adam shook his head, grinning at them. "Well, I'm wide awake now, so why don't I make some coffee while you two do your rounds again. Then we can try to come up with some ideas about how to flush that weasel out and get him back in prison where he belongs."
His two best friends immediately stood and went to inspect the house and grounds. Adam stayed in his chair for a moment and sighed. He was still tired but his mind was finally clear for the first time in the last week and he started to run through several ideas he had to bring Jackson in as he stood and went to make the coffee.
BANDING TOGETHER
Chapter 19
Adam and his four deputy marshals were sitting at their usual table in the Sage Brush when Ben and Hoss walked in.
Ben's eyes immediately went to Adam, taking in his red-rimmed eyes and the lines of exhaustion etching his pale face.
The five already at the table were discussing the progress of constructing the regional office building. The three-story structure was walled on the outside and the roof was on. Adam was talking to Nate and didn't notice when his father was standing next to him.
Ben pulled out the chair next to his eldest son and sat down. "Adam," he said and when the younger man turned around and he saw him up close he looked in even worse shape than Ben had thought. He put a hand on Adam's shoulder, "How long has it been since you slept?"
"What day of the week is this?"
"Friday."
Adam closed his eyes and seemed to be making a concerted effort to concentrate. He was taking so long to answer Ben was about to shake him when his eyes popped open and he said, "Four days, and if I don't sleep tonight that will make it five."
Ben shook his head, "Son, you HAVE to get some sleep or you will make yourself seriously ill."
"I know Pa, and it's not that I don't want to sleep, I just can't."
"You can't?"
Sighing, Adam nodded. "Every time I start to fall asleep an overwhelming urge to check on everyone wakes me up. I have to make sure they're all still breathing."
"You're checking on the babies constantly, aren't you?"
Adam nodded again, "I start with them, then I have to check the twins, then Thea, then Joe," he chuckled. "I expect I'll be adding the dog to that list, too."
Ben smiled at Adam's joke, but shook his head "You need some help son, you've got seven people in that house to take care of and you can't do it all yourself."
"I do have help. Matt comes everyday and I've hired some local ladies to help with the work, but that's during the day. At night I have to guard them because I can't trust anyone else to keep them safe."
Ben was about to answer and suggest that he and Hoss come to help when Matt interrupted them by walking up to the table and handing Adam a telegram.
He gave Matt a puzzled look, opened it, and read through it quickly. Then he smiled, "Thank God."
"What?" Matt and Ben said together.
"The cavalry is coming. Wes, Dulcy, Marie, and Cassandra are arriving by train today. In fact, they should be arriving right about now. I just may survive the next month after all!" He stood and started for the door. Everyone else at the table got to their feet and followed with Ben and Matt at the end of the line.
The train was just pulling in when they reached the station and they all stood in a group waiting for their friends. Wes was the first to come down moving sideways, his huge form filling the small space. He stood to the side to help the ladies down the last step. Dulcy, his new bride, appeared first, closely followed by Cassandra and Marie. He actually picked Marie up and set her down carefully, ever mindful of her weak right leg.
Adam shook Wes's hand and hugged the ladies as the others came forward to greet their friends. Wes assembled the luggage together and then the men divided it up. Adam offered Marie his arm and she tucked her hand in crook of his elbow with a shy smile. They started across the street and the others followed - Dulcy with Wes, and Cassandra with Hoss.
When they reached the house there was cheerful confusion as Adam told the ladies to take whichever room they wished and to direct the men as to where to take their luggage.
Wes pulled Adam aside then and they had a short, intense conversation that no one seemed to notice. With a grim look, Adam went upstairs to Joe's room where the twins were "helping" one of the ladies he had hired to feed Joe some soup.
People were running up and down the front stairs and happy voices filled the house as Adam used the back stairs to take the dishes down to the kitchen while the twins "helped" tuck their uncle in. When the noise woke the babies, they began to cry and everyone upstairs stopped what they were doing and assembled in the nursery.
The three women each took a child in her arms and the men crowded around to see. Marie had Benjamin, Dulcy had Thomas, and Cassandra had Matthew who continued to scream no matter what the poor girl tried to calm him down. Adam came bounding up the stairs, pushed his way through the crowd and she gladly handed the infant to his father. The screams immediately stopped.
In the sudden quiet they all heard Thea laugh from the doorway, "Adam is the only person that can get him to stop screaming like that."
The men stepped back and Adam gave his wife a severe look, "You are NOT supposed to be out of bed yet."
Cassandra said, "I'll help her back," and rushed up to Thea and hugged her gently. Dulcy and Marie were right behind her after handing the babies to their uncle and grandfather. The three women carefully helped Thea back to her room and into bed. Cassandra sat on the side and held her hand tightly, while Dulcy pulled a rocking chair over from the corner and ordered Marie to sit down while she remained standing.
Marie was the first to break the silence, "How are you feeling now, child?" she said as she took Thea's other hand in both of hers.
"Weak," Thea said then smiled, "I've never felt weaker in my life, and yet I've never felt better. I guess escaping death has a tendency to make you appreciate being alive."
Her three friends laughed and Cassandra squeezed Thea's hand hard as she said, "Thea, what was it like?"
"Cassandra!" Dulcy said, "you shouldn't be asking her that and getting her upset."
"No, no, it's alright. I don't mind talking about it," Thea answered, "would you shut the door, please? I don't want Adam to hear this."
After shutting the door, Dulcy came back and sat cross-legged on the foot of the bed. The three women looked at Thea expectantly.
"I knew right away something was wrong with this labor; it wasn't at all like the others. And I knew when the rupture happened. I was holding onto Adam's hand as hard as I could, but I couldn't feel it. He didn't want to do what I told him he had to do, so I made him promise me. And I just kept feeling colder and colder and the next thing I knew I was standing next to Adam looking down at myself on the table." Thea paused and cleared her throat.
"He kept saying my name and finally Hoss put a hand on his shoulder and told him they didn't have much time. I stood next to him and it seemed like I was speaking in his ear, telling him what to do, and he followed what I was saying perfectly. I don't understand that, and I guess I never will." She took her hand back from Cassandra and reached for a glass of water on the bedside table, drank half of it then set it back down. She sighed.
"After the last baby was taken I suddenly felt like I was just fading away. The next thing I knew I was somewhere bright, somewhere filled with brilliant white light. Then I saw three women standing in a circle with their arms around each other appear. They looked just like that painting called The Three Graces, that large one hanging in the lobby of the hotel. Do you know the one I mean?"
The three women listening to her so intently nodded. "They pulled me into the center of their circle and just stood there around me. Almost as though they were protecting me from something, and I kept begging them to let me go, that I wanted to go home. They were telling me things, but I wouldn't listen, I just kept demanding to go home. And then they stopped speaking and I heard Adam. He was crying," two large tears slipped down her face as Thea closed her eyes.
"I've never heard him cry before, not while he was enduring the agony of his recovery and not even when we lost our first child. And then I could hear him praying, even though I couldn't hear any actual words, I knew he was praying and asking God for the strength to endure. It seemed like the Graces could hear him just like I could and they were crying because of his pain too. Then all of a sudden we were back in the room, with me still inside their circle in the corner by the door. They smiled at me and one of them said something had been lifted because of something Adam had done, but I couldn't really understand. They pushed me out of the circle and then I was back lying on the table. God it hurt, it hurt so much that I started to cry and tried to turn my head and look at Adam, but I passed out."
Cassandra handed Thea a handkerchief and she dried her face then cleared her throat again. "The next thing I knew I saw Ben, Hoss, and Matt coming in carrying the babies. The Graces were still there and they came to stand next to me as Adam propped me up so I could see them. When Ben held the first baby up to my face so I could kiss him one of the Graces whispered a name in my ear, so I repeated it. Each one gave me a name and that is how my boys were named."
Thea reached for the water again and her three friends could see she was wrung out from reliving the experience. "Now I know some people wouldn't believe what I've just told you, but I swear with God as my witness I've told you the truth.'
Thea's three friends stayed silent as she leaned back against the pillows, each one thinking deeply about what they had heard. A loud knock on the bedroom door startled them and they looked at each other and laughed a little, like children frightened by a ghost story.
Thea called out, "Come in," and Matt opened the door as Cassandra and Dulcy quickly stood.
"I see you have been misbehaving again, Thea. What am I going to do with you?"
"Considering my advanced age I don't think there is much of a chance that I will change my wicked ways," Thea said with a smile. "Matt, these are my friends, they've come to help out," she quickly introduced the three women and each one said, "Pleased to meet you," before slipping from the room to leave Thea alone with her doctor.
After he examined Thea and asked her the usual questions, she begged him to tell Adam she was ready to start moving around the house. He agreed, "It's amazing how quickly you have recovered Thea, you should be feeling just like Joe, still weak and sleeping most of the time."
She laughed at him, "You know I've always been tough, Matt."
"Hmmm...and stubborn, too."
"Yes I am," she said with an emphatic nod, not repentant at all.
"Well, at least you admit it," Matt joked as he started to repack his bag.
"Please leave the door open Matt, I like to hear what's going on."
"Alright," he said. "Now you can get up and move around, but only a little bit at a time. Don't push yourself too hard or I'll have to tell Adam to make you stay in bed again."
She stuck her tongue out at him and then laughed when he stuck his out back at her.
"That's what I've always admired about you Matt, your innate sense of dignity."
"Sure you do," he said dubiously as he looked down at her, taking in the sparkle in her eyes and the healthy color to her face.
"You do realize that your recovery is miraculous, don't you?"
She nodded as he started to leave the room, but then he paused at the door.
"I like your friends Thea, and I'm glad they've come to help. If Adam doesn't get some rest soon he'll make himself ill."
"I know, that's why I had Nate send a telegram asking them to come. But don't tell Adam, I'll get in trouble if you do."
"I promise," he chuckled.
"Besides, it turns out they were already on their way here, and I bet Cassandra was the one to come up with the idea. She's shy, but is always there when someone needs her."
"Is she the pretty strawberry-blonde?"
"Yes she is. We've been friends ever since we moved to San Francisco."
Matt paused for a moment, seemingly thinking about something important. "Well," he said after a few minutes, "I guess I better report in to Adam before he comes looking for me."
Thea smiled, "The last time I saw him he was in the nursery."
"Oh thanks," Matt said with a distracted air as he left the room.
Thea's smile widened as she chuckled with glee, "Dear Lord, " she prayed quietly as soon as Matt was out of sight, "please let Cassie be as interested in him as he is in her." Then she settled back against the pillows and fell into a light sleep.
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Matt's search for Adam was becoming frustrating. No one had seen him for the last hour and the doctor was becoming a little irritated and worried.
Everyone else had assembled in the huge, warm kitchen and were all pitching in to put together a meal. When Matt came in multiple voices greeted him and the twins threw themselves on him, as the dog came up to him with his tail wagging. Balor was always wherever the twins were. Matt scratched him behind the ears for a few moments before picking up the twins.
He spoke to the nearest person while holding a child in each arm, "Nate, do you know where Adam is?"
Nate turned to him quickly, instantly concerned. "No, I thought he was with you."
"No he wasn't and I can't find him."
Nate whistled loudly to get everyone's attention, "Has anyone seen Adam since we came in here?" No one had and Nate turned back to Matt. "I guess we better search the house. He's been so exhausted he could have passed out somewhere."
Matt was about to agree when he saw everyone's eyes go to the doorway behind him. Thea was standing there and she put a finger to her lips then smiled as she motioned for them to follow her. She went up the stairs and down to the end of the hall, then opened the last door quietly and went in.
Adam was lying on his back, fully clothed, on the left side of the bed. Joe was on his right side, up against his brother with his head on Adam's shoulder and one arm flung across his broad chest. Thea stood there shaking with inaudible laughter.
Wes came to stand next to her, "Do you want me to move him?" he whispered, grinning.
When Thea had herself under control she whispered back, "No, I don't want to take the chance of waking him up. He probably couldn't resist the temptation to lay down for a minute when he came in to check on Joe." She turned to herd everyone out of the room then shut the door quietly. They all trooped back to the kitchen and just about everyone burst out laughing as soon as they were in the door.
"I sure wish I had a picture of that," Hoss said as he held a chair out for Thea then sat down next to her at the table.
"Now I don't want any of you teasing him about this," Thea said and gave him a chiding look.
Hoss grinned, "Aw Thea, he'll be expectin' it. That's what brothers and friends are for."
Thea shook her head and laughed at his eager expression, "Alright, but don't you give him too hard a time, it's not his fault he's exhausted." Hoss's face lit up with glee. "And don't forget, you'll need to harass Joe too, just to be fair."
Hoss laughed his deep, rumbling laugh and took her hand in both of his, "Yes ma'am! If you say so."
Almost everyone else in the room was laughing again as Thea's eyes met Ben's across the table. He nodded to her smiling, then leaned forward so she could hear him. "Hoss is right, Adam will be expecting it and would probably be disappointed if they didn't tease him."
"I'm sure you're right," she said as she watched Annalise abandon Nate and come to climb up into her grandfather's lap. The little girl closed her eyes and she laid her head on his chest as Ben put his arms around her.
Alexander then came to his uncle who lifted him up. The boy's bright eyes looked at his mother with concern. "Are you still sick, Ma?" he asked with a small quaver to his voice.
She reached out and cupped his little chin in her hand. "No Alex, I'm just tired now," she said and his face lit up at her touch. "Can we sleep in your room tonight?" he asked and then squirmed with delight at her nod.
The sun had just started to set and the lamps were lit as the other three women came back from the nursery to help Thea upstairs so the babies could be fed.
The four women had just finished feeding and bathing the infants and were in Thea's room with the babies on the bed when Hoss and Ben appeared with the twins.
"Did they eat for you?" Thea asked as Dulcy took Alexander and Cassandra took Annalise.
Ben nodded, "They were both half asleep, but we managed to get some food into them," he said with a smile as the two women took the twins down the hall to their rooms to get them ready for bed. Marie followed them out into the hall.
The two men came forward then and each picked up a baby. Hoss had Matthew, Ben had Thomas, and Thea bent over Benjamin on the bed in front of her.
Matthew looked up at his uncle's face with wide hazel eyes then started kicking and waving his little fists around. One connected with Hoss's nose and he grinned. "This one's gonna be a fighter, just like his Pa."
Ben held Thomas in the crook of his arm and when the child opened his eyes he was surprised to see they had lost the blue tint and had deepened to a dark green. He looked up at Thea. "I don't think I've ever seen eyes this color before." She laughed as Hoss came over to his father to see.
"I have, my father's mother. She was considered to be an incomparable in London society because of her beauty. She was also a rebel, so they dubbed her an 'original'."
Ben looked at her with raised eyebrows, "Something tells me you must take after her. You certainly don't take after your father." His expression said he was still furious with Doc.
"Do any of them look like him?" Hoss asked.
"No, and I'm very thankful for that," Thea said, then laughed at Benjamin's solemn little face and dark eyes, he looked as though he understood everything they were saying and was deeply concerned.
"Hey Pa," Hoss said, "Want to switch?"
Ben nodded and laid Thomas on the bed then took Matthew from his son's arms.
Hoss eagerly lifted his namesake and said, "This one sure has grown a lot already."
Thea smiled in agreement, "I know. I think he's going to be the biggest one and it looks like Ben here will be the smallest." She lifted the child to her shoulder and began to rub his back. "But babies can surprise you. You never know how they might turn out."
The three of them continued to pass the babies around and soon Ben and Thomas were asleep. Matthew however, enjoyed the attention so much he was fighting to stay awake. But even he had succumbed by the time Dulcy, Marie, and Cassandra returned with the twins ready for bed.
Thea's three friends took the babies back to the nursery as Ben and Hoss lifted the sleepy-eyed children into the bed and tucked them in with their mother in the middle. Ben put a hand on top of Thea's head and leaned down to kiss her on the forehead while Hoss waited for his father at the door.
"Thank you," he said softly, turned the lamp down as far as it would go, then started to leave the room. He paused when Thea said, "Pa, I'm the one who should be thanking you."
He paused to look back at her and smiled, "Just remember, you are a Cartwright now and we will always be here for you."
Hoss nodded in agreement and said, "G'night Thea," as the two men left, closing the door behind them.
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Adam jerked awake in the early hours of the morning and rubbed his irritated eyes as he looked around and tried to place himself. When he noticed the arm across his chest he turned his head and his eyes opened wide when he saw that it was Joe's. He carefully slid off the bed, trying not to jostle his brother awake. Once he was standing, he quickly went to the door and opened it without a sound. He stepped out into the hall and as he pulled the door closed he noticed a piece of paper tacked to the top panel.
"I wonder if anyone saw that," he said quietly to himself as he went to the hall table and lit a candle. When he was back in front of the door he raised the light and read what was written on the paper. "Honeymoon Suite," it said in red ink and he started to laugh quietly and said, "I guess that answers my question," then looked closer at the writing. "Very funny Hoss," he said softly, and then laughed again. He was about to tear it down, but changed his mind and left it on the door.
Two shadows had been creeping down the hallway toward him, one on either side but they both stopped when Adam said, "You know, you both have to learn how to walk silently. I heard you the second you stepped into the hallway."
He heard Wes's voice say "Adam?" on his right and as he turned to the left, Nate stepped into the light cast by the candle.
"What are you doing awake?" Nate asked, "Is the honeymoon over?"
Wes put a hand over his mouth to muffle a snort of laughter.
Adam gave Nate a narrow-eyed sideways glance, "As usual your rapier wit slays me."
Both men were laughing quietly at Adam's irritation when he said, "Lets go downstairs so we don't wake anyone."
When the three men were in the kitchen and seated at the table Adam said, "So you two drew guard duty for the first night?"
They nodded and their expressions became serious as Wes said, "When are you going to tell them Jackson has escaped prison?"
Adam's face tensed and his eyes became hard as he answered, "I still can't believe those guards were so foolish as to let his wife into that cell without searching her! Now a guard is dead and that monster is free again." He shook his head. "I'll tell them tomorrow when Charlie gets here with the rest of the guards. I want this place covered twenty-four hours a day and be sure not to pair up two of the new guards together."
"Yes sir," they said together and some of the tension left Adam's face as he looked at his two closest friends. "Have I told you how much I appreciate your doing this for us?"
Both men smiled and Wes actually blushed a little as Nate said, "Anytime, boss."
Adam shook his head, grinning at them. "Well, I'm wide awake now, so why don't I make some coffee while you two do your rounds again. Then we can try to come up with some ideas about how to flush that weasel out and get him back in prison where he belongs."
His two best friends immediately stood and went to inspect the house and grounds. Adam stayed in his chair for a moment and sighed. He was still tired but his mind was finally clear for the first time in the last week and he started to run through several ideas he had to bring Jackson in as he stood and went to make the coffee.