Forgotten Past
Chapter 7: Foolish Mistakes
By Miranda Rochelle Inc
The next few days passed without incident; unfortunately, it only caused the members of the Cartwright family to become more paranoid with each passing second. Joe was already annoyed at having someone constantly hovering over his shoulder; his infinitely short temper had everyone on edge. Joe was ready to find any way to ditch his shadows and go into town for a nice relaxing beer. His father had explicitly stated that he was to go nowhere alone, and by no mean go anywhere near Virginia City.
Unfortunately, Joe wasn't in the mood to listen to his father's over- protectiveness. He had decided to sneak off this night, just to give his nerves a rest. The Ponderosa's atmosphere was so tense; he felt that it was about to crush him. He had tried to squeeze information out of his brothers about what happened that fateful night, but they wouldn't answer him.
His family had gone to sleep early, so this was the perfect time for his escape. Joe quickly got dressed, carefully opened his window and crept onto the roof. He almost fell while walking across, but was able to get down safely. In a flash, he had Cochise saddled and was leading her quietly away from the house. When he believed he was far enough away, he jumped onto her back and smiled. He felt like the world had finally been lifted off of his shoulders. One beet and maybe a game of poker; that was all he would need to make him perfect again.
He was just out of the city's limits and feeling exceedingly carefree, when three riders came up and surrounded him. It was difficult to see their exact features, but they obviously didn't want to buy him a beer.
"Joe Cartwright?" The one directly in front of him asked.
"No," Joe answered without missing a beat. "Name's Sam Jennings."
"Well, Mr. Jennings," the man on his right asked, heavily accenting "Mr.", "what is your business in Virginia City?"
"Just wanted a beer," Joe answered truthfully. "There something wrong?"
"Yes," the man in front of him answered, drawing his gun, "we were told to escort you elsewhere."
Joe swallowed nervously, maybe ditching the protective shadows wasn't such a good idea. "I thought you said you were after this Joe Cartwright."
"So you've changed your name in the past few days," the one on his left piped up, "You're coming with us."
Joe looked around, trying to find any way to escape; but none appeared to be possible. Two more riders approached, one lead a unridden horse.
"Take him down," the rider who wasn't leading the extra horse stated blandly. "And don't forget to give me the jacket.
Joe's heart sank immediately. Thomson had been waiting for him to do something this stupid. Two men pulled him roughly from his horse and tore his favorite green jacket off of him. Before he could protest, he was thrust onto the saddle of the extra horse, his wrists bound together to the saddle horn and a gag tied tightly around his mouth.
"Take him to the mountains, I want to see Ben sweat first," Thomson spat.
The horse Joe was on was quickly led away at a brisk pace. All the while, he cursed his own stupid impetuousness. Why had he been so careless? His entire family had repeatedly warned him that Thomson was dangerous! Why, for once, couldn't he have just listened to them?! 'Please," he thought, 'I'm sorry, pa. I'm so sorry.'
* * *
Adam Cartwright might only be nineteen, but his father had always trusted him to be a mature adult and take care of his younger brothers, no matter what situation arose. He had done exactly that since he was only six years old. So why had he just stood there?!
He angrily wiped the tears out of his eyes. He hadn't done anything. He just stood there. Joe was now dying, slowly, painfully, in his room, because Adam hadn't done anything to stop Thomson.
Dr. Martin had rushed to the house as quickly as humanly possible, but Joe was so little. Adam had seen many grown men die after being shot, grown men! Joe was just a child.
Just a little child.........
Hoss sobbed loudly, knocking Adam out of his thoughts. "Joe's gonna die." His icy-blue eyes bored into Adam, "There's nothin' Doc Martin can do, is there, Adam? Joe's gonna die."
Adam wrapped his arms around his younger brother, "Be strong, Hoss." How could he console the teen if he was thinking the exact same thing? "Doc Martin will do everything he can, you know that."
"Doc Martin will do all he can to help Joe," Roy Coffee, the town sheriff had been informed of the violence at the ranch and rushed over to see what he could do. This family was close enough to be his own; he would see that the man responsible for hurting such a little child, hang.
Hoss just cried harder.
A piercing scream echoed through the house. Adam, Hoss and Roy's attention snapped to the closed door of their little brother's room. Hoss pulled away, looking ready to kill whomever it was that caused their little brother to scream in such pain.
Adam grabbed Hoss before he could launch himself up the stairs, "The doc has to take the bullet out, Hoss. It hurts, but it will be over soon."
Hoss again looked into his brother's eyes, he had always trusted Adam to know everything. "He's hurtin' 'im, Adam. Make 'im stop. Please, Adam. Don't let 'im hurt Little Joe no more."
Adam nodded slightly and let go of his younger brother, "Don't worry, Hoss." But the statement meant nothing. "Stay here," he walked up the stairs and opened the door to Joe's room slightly. Ben was holding the semi-conscious, crying boy, tears staining his own cheeks, as Dr. Martin tried to remove the bullet from Joe's back.
The little boy was pale and trying weakly to get away from what was causing him pain. Ben's jaw was set tightly as he tried to hold the boy still so the doctor could work.
"P-a," Joe cried, barely above a whisper, "I-t hur-s. St-p 'm, p-pa. Don let m hur me n'more."
"It's alright, Joe," Ben tried to assure the himself more than his son, "it's almost over, son." Ben looked at his friend pleadingly, "Paul, he's just a boy! Can't you give him something?! ANYTHING?!"
Dr. Martin was concentrating deeply on his task, "I've got it, Ben, just hold him still."
Ben tightened his grip, "It's almost over, Joe, I'm here, son, it's alright."
Slowly, but with skilled and practiced ease, the doctor pulled the bullet out and set it on the dresser. Joe fell completely limp in his father's arms, but it didn't stop Ben from trying to sooth him. He kept whispering that it was over, and that everything would be all right.
Adam stood in the doorway, as if in a trance, while the skilled doctor did as much as he could for the small boy. Joe, gratefully, stayed unconscious through the rest. Paul Martin stood and put his hand on his friend's shoulder, "Ben, please, come with me for a moment."
Ben shook his head slowly, "No, Paul, I have to stay with him. I don't want him to wake and be alone."
"Ben, he........." the doctor swallowed, unsure how to tell his friend the facts. "Ben, Joe was badly hurt. He lost a lot of blood."
"He's strong," Ben argued, "he'll be alright."
Adam knew that his father was trying to believe that Joe would wake up in a few hours and be fine, but the man's voice betrayed what he knew to be the truth. They both understood what the doctor was trying to tell them.
The nineteen-year-old felt tears start to fall from his eyes. He couldn't stop them. He had taken care of the boy since he was born. Little Joe couldn't die!
"Pa?" Adam said weakly; but Ben was too busy holding Joe's hand and whispering prayers to pay attention. "Pa?" Adam repeated a little louder.
Ben turned angrily to his oldest son, "What?!" He snapped.
"Pa, I," Adam couldn't think of anything to say that would console his father.
Ben took a few deep breaths, and turned back to Joe's sleeping face, knowing that Adam was trying. "Is Roy here yet?"
Adam nodded, "Yes, pa, he's downstairs. He said that whenever you were ready, you could talk to him."
"Could you send him up here." He bent over and kissed Joe's forehead, "I need to stay with Joe."
Adam nodded, "Yes, pa."
* * *
Ben sat at the table, sipping his coffee. Another morning had dawned, and, though he still had that worry buried deep in his heart, he felt calm. Nothing had happened in days now, and aside from Joe getting on everyone nerves, his son was his normal self.
"Hey, pa," Hoss called from the top of the stairs, "is Joe plannin' on goin' somewheres?"
Ben stood and walked to the foot of the stairs, "Not that I know of Hoss, why?"
Hoss looked confused, "Cochise is out in the yard, all saddled and ready."
Panic started to build as he ran to the door and out to see Joe's prized horse standing in the yard. He carefully approached the animal, his heart hammering against his ribs. On the saddle, Joe's favorite green jacket was carefully tied. Ben pulled the jacket off the saddle, a scrap of paper fell to the ground. Ben fearfully picked it up, and looked at the five words scrawled, in neat, bold letters:
"I told you, no warning."
A/N: Well, another chapter. Hope you like it. Oh, someone told me about a part missing from chapter 5, Ben asked Joe what Thomson told him, this is how it really goes, (it helps this part make more sense)
Ben sighed, "Did he say anything to you, besides wanting to lynch you?"
Joe looked straight into his father's eyes, "He said.........he wanted me to tell you........." He paused.
Ben steeled himself, "What did he tell you, son?"
Joe looked as if he was having a hard time saying it, "He-he said that there wouldn't be a warning, pa. You wouldn't get a warning."
Ben breathed deeply and nodded, "Stay in bed, son; I want Doc Martin to make sure you're alright."
Joe had sense enough not to argue, for an astonishing two times in twenty- four hours.
Hope that makes more sense! Enjoy. Till next weekend!
Chapter 7: Foolish Mistakes
By Miranda Rochelle Inc
The next few days passed without incident; unfortunately, it only caused the members of the Cartwright family to become more paranoid with each passing second. Joe was already annoyed at having someone constantly hovering over his shoulder; his infinitely short temper had everyone on edge. Joe was ready to find any way to ditch his shadows and go into town for a nice relaxing beer. His father had explicitly stated that he was to go nowhere alone, and by no mean go anywhere near Virginia City.
Unfortunately, Joe wasn't in the mood to listen to his father's over- protectiveness. He had decided to sneak off this night, just to give his nerves a rest. The Ponderosa's atmosphere was so tense; he felt that it was about to crush him. He had tried to squeeze information out of his brothers about what happened that fateful night, but they wouldn't answer him.
His family had gone to sleep early, so this was the perfect time for his escape. Joe quickly got dressed, carefully opened his window and crept onto the roof. He almost fell while walking across, but was able to get down safely. In a flash, he had Cochise saddled and was leading her quietly away from the house. When he believed he was far enough away, he jumped onto her back and smiled. He felt like the world had finally been lifted off of his shoulders. One beet and maybe a game of poker; that was all he would need to make him perfect again.
He was just out of the city's limits and feeling exceedingly carefree, when three riders came up and surrounded him. It was difficult to see their exact features, but they obviously didn't want to buy him a beer.
"Joe Cartwright?" The one directly in front of him asked.
"No," Joe answered without missing a beat. "Name's Sam Jennings."
"Well, Mr. Jennings," the man on his right asked, heavily accenting "Mr.", "what is your business in Virginia City?"
"Just wanted a beer," Joe answered truthfully. "There something wrong?"
"Yes," the man in front of him answered, drawing his gun, "we were told to escort you elsewhere."
Joe swallowed nervously, maybe ditching the protective shadows wasn't such a good idea. "I thought you said you were after this Joe Cartwright."
"So you've changed your name in the past few days," the one on his left piped up, "You're coming with us."
Joe looked around, trying to find any way to escape; but none appeared to be possible. Two more riders approached, one lead a unridden horse.
"Take him down," the rider who wasn't leading the extra horse stated blandly. "And don't forget to give me the jacket.
Joe's heart sank immediately. Thomson had been waiting for him to do something this stupid. Two men pulled him roughly from his horse and tore his favorite green jacket off of him. Before he could protest, he was thrust onto the saddle of the extra horse, his wrists bound together to the saddle horn and a gag tied tightly around his mouth.
"Take him to the mountains, I want to see Ben sweat first," Thomson spat.
The horse Joe was on was quickly led away at a brisk pace. All the while, he cursed his own stupid impetuousness. Why had he been so careless? His entire family had repeatedly warned him that Thomson was dangerous! Why, for once, couldn't he have just listened to them?! 'Please," he thought, 'I'm sorry, pa. I'm so sorry.'
* * *
Adam Cartwright might only be nineteen, but his father had always trusted him to be a mature adult and take care of his younger brothers, no matter what situation arose. He had done exactly that since he was only six years old. So why had he just stood there?!
He angrily wiped the tears out of his eyes. He hadn't done anything. He just stood there. Joe was now dying, slowly, painfully, in his room, because Adam hadn't done anything to stop Thomson.
Dr. Martin had rushed to the house as quickly as humanly possible, but Joe was so little. Adam had seen many grown men die after being shot, grown men! Joe was just a child.
Just a little child.........
Hoss sobbed loudly, knocking Adam out of his thoughts. "Joe's gonna die." His icy-blue eyes bored into Adam, "There's nothin' Doc Martin can do, is there, Adam? Joe's gonna die."
Adam wrapped his arms around his younger brother, "Be strong, Hoss." How could he console the teen if he was thinking the exact same thing? "Doc Martin will do everything he can, you know that."
"Doc Martin will do all he can to help Joe," Roy Coffee, the town sheriff had been informed of the violence at the ranch and rushed over to see what he could do. This family was close enough to be his own; he would see that the man responsible for hurting such a little child, hang.
Hoss just cried harder.
A piercing scream echoed through the house. Adam, Hoss and Roy's attention snapped to the closed door of their little brother's room. Hoss pulled away, looking ready to kill whomever it was that caused their little brother to scream in such pain.
Adam grabbed Hoss before he could launch himself up the stairs, "The doc has to take the bullet out, Hoss. It hurts, but it will be over soon."
Hoss again looked into his brother's eyes, he had always trusted Adam to know everything. "He's hurtin' 'im, Adam. Make 'im stop. Please, Adam. Don't let 'im hurt Little Joe no more."
Adam nodded slightly and let go of his younger brother, "Don't worry, Hoss." But the statement meant nothing. "Stay here," he walked up the stairs and opened the door to Joe's room slightly. Ben was holding the semi-conscious, crying boy, tears staining his own cheeks, as Dr. Martin tried to remove the bullet from Joe's back.
The little boy was pale and trying weakly to get away from what was causing him pain. Ben's jaw was set tightly as he tried to hold the boy still so the doctor could work.
"P-a," Joe cried, barely above a whisper, "I-t hur-s. St-p 'm, p-pa. Don let m hur me n'more."
"It's alright, Joe," Ben tried to assure the himself more than his son, "it's almost over, son." Ben looked at his friend pleadingly, "Paul, he's just a boy! Can't you give him something?! ANYTHING?!"
Dr. Martin was concentrating deeply on his task, "I've got it, Ben, just hold him still."
Ben tightened his grip, "It's almost over, Joe, I'm here, son, it's alright."
Slowly, but with skilled and practiced ease, the doctor pulled the bullet out and set it on the dresser. Joe fell completely limp in his father's arms, but it didn't stop Ben from trying to sooth him. He kept whispering that it was over, and that everything would be all right.
Adam stood in the doorway, as if in a trance, while the skilled doctor did as much as he could for the small boy. Joe, gratefully, stayed unconscious through the rest. Paul Martin stood and put his hand on his friend's shoulder, "Ben, please, come with me for a moment."
Ben shook his head slowly, "No, Paul, I have to stay with him. I don't want him to wake and be alone."
"Ben, he........." the doctor swallowed, unsure how to tell his friend the facts. "Ben, Joe was badly hurt. He lost a lot of blood."
"He's strong," Ben argued, "he'll be alright."
Adam knew that his father was trying to believe that Joe would wake up in a few hours and be fine, but the man's voice betrayed what he knew to be the truth. They both understood what the doctor was trying to tell them.
The nineteen-year-old felt tears start to fall from his eyes. He couldn't stop them. He had taken care of the boy since he was born. Little Joe couldn't die!
"Pa?" Adam said weakly; but Ben was too busy holding Joe's hand and whispering prayers to pay attention. "Pa?" Adam repeated a little louder.
Ben turned angrily to his oldest son, "What?!" He snapped.
"Pa, I," Adam couldn't think of anything to say that would console his father.
Ben took a few deep breaths, and turned back to Joe's sleeping face, knowing that Adam was trying. "Is Roy here yet?"
Adam nodded, "Yes, pa, he's downstairs. He said that whenever you were ready, you could talk to him."
"Could you send him up here." He bent over and kissed Joe's forehead, "I need to stay with Joe."
Adam nodded, "Yes, pa."
* * *
Ben sat at the table, sipping his coffee. Another morning had dawned, and, though he still had that worry buried deep in his heart, he felt calm. Nothing had happened in days now, and aside from Joe getting on everyone nerves, his son was his normal self.
"Hey, pa," Hoss called from the top of the stairs, "is Joe plannin' on goin' somewheres?"
Ben stood and walked to the foot of the stairs, "Not that I know of Hoss, why?"
Hoss looked confused, "Cochise is out in the yard, all saddled and ready."
Panic started to build as he ran to the door and out to see Joe's prized horse standing in the yard. He carefully approached the animal, his heart hammering against his ribs. On the saddle, Joe's favorite green jacket was carefully tied. Ben pulled the jacket off the saddle, a scrap of paper fell to the ground. Ben fearfully picked it up, and looked at the five words scrawled, in neat, bold letters:
"I told you, no warning."
A/N: Well, another chapter. Hope you like it. Oh, someone told me about a part missing from chapter 5, Ben asked Joe what Thomson told him, this is how it really goes, (it helps this part make more sense)
Ben sighed, "Did he say anything to you, besides wanting to lynch you?"
Joe looked straight into his father's eyes, "He said.........he wanted me to tell you........." He paused.
Ben steeled himself, "What did he tell you, son?"
Joe looked as if he was having a hard time saying it, "He-he said that there wouldn't be a warning, pa. You wouldn't get a warning."
Ben breathed deeply and nodded, "Stay in bed, son; I want Doc Martin to make sure you're alright."
Joe had sense enough not to argue, for an astonishing two times in twenty- four hours.
Hope that makes more sense! Enjoy. Till next weekend!