Forgotten Past

Chapter 9: The Posse

Ben couldn't force himself to move. He just knelt there, at the foot of his youngest son's bed. What had been his youngest son's bed. How could he not have noticed it?! How was Thomson able to get Joe out of his room and away without him noticing?

How did he get Cochise saddled and out of the barn without anyone noticing?

Why had Ben himself not stopped him?

He failed his son.

And Joe had paid the ultimate price for his failure.

Joe was so young. He didn't deserve to die. No one deserved to be murdered.

Except for one person...

'No!' He pushed that thought out of his head. As much as he wanted to kill Thomson with his bare hands, he had to let the law do it. Ben could afford an army of lawyers to make sure Thomson would hang.

But he would do that later. Right now, he didn't think he could stand. He cried. He couldn't do anything else. He cried harder than he had for Elizabeth, harder than he cried for Inger, and even harder than he had cried for Marie.

"I failed you, Marie. I'm so sorry. Marie, I couldn't care for him," he whispered, between sobs. "I'm sorry, Joe. I'm sorry."

Adam smiled when he saw the posse that Sheriff Coffee had gathered. Joe had many friends, many of whom sat on their horses in front of him, ready to find the boy. There had to be at least twenty men.

The dread in the pit of Adam's stomach lessened slightly. The larger the posse, the more ground they could cover in less of a time. They now had an even greater chance of finding Joe alive.

The dread came back in full force at the word "chance". There was still the possibility that they would only find Joe's body thrown heartlessly somewhere. That thought made him glad that their father wasn't there. The men of Virginia City, even if they were Ben's friends, did not need
to see such a strong man fall apart. Ben wouldn't want them to either. Adam hoped that he was the one to be cursed with finding his little brother's body, if Joe was dead. Joe and Hoss were so close; Hoss wouldn't be able to take it. At least Adam would, or so he hoped, be
able to hold any emotion until he was alone.

But that was not what he should be thinking about! He needed to keep positive! Joe had to be alive. He had to. His father and brothers just wouldn't be able to handle it if he wasn't.

"Adam," Hoss whispered harshly, "he's in the saloon." Adam looked at Hoss questioningly, only to notice how tense his younger brother looked. "Thomson, Adam. I'll never forget what he looked like. He's in the saloon!"

A/N: And I believe that this is a perfect place for another chapter break. I know that my chapters seem to be getting shorter, but I want to keep putting out chapters weekly, and not have to stop for a few months. I must thank everyone who reviewed. I missed you all. Hope you liked this chapter, and the next one should be out before next week! Please leave a review!