CHAPTER NINE

Josie awoke every few hours throughout the night to check on Adam and give him more water. He slept well, though when dawn broke, he jerked awake and cast about wildly, fear ripping through his body. It took him several moments to remember where he was and how he had come to be reunited with his family, and the concentration made his head pound again. He dropped his head into his hands and groaned.

Ben and Josie both awoke when Adam sat up, and Ben laid a hand on his son's shoulder.

"How are you feeling?" Josie asked as she laid a hand on his forehand to check his temperature.

"Dizzy."

"That's normal," she said. She handed him the pail of broth, and Adam downed it in two greedy gulps. He gazed sadly at the empty pail and then up at his father and Josie. "We'll get you more food when we get to town," Josie said. "Let's see how that settles first." Adam nodded, suddenly exhausted again. He lay back down and closed his eyes.

Ben pulled Josie aside. "How is he?" he asked.

Josie glanced over her shoulder at Adam, who had fallen back asleep. "He's still warmer than I'd like. He's also malnourished, dehydrated, and exhausted, but I don't think he's in immediate danger. We should put him in a cool bath when we get to town and then get him more broth. He won't be able to stomach solid food for at least another day."

Ben nodded, and after a quick breakfast, he, Hoss, Little Joe, and Josie packed up camp and prepared to head back to Salt Flats. Hoss and Little Joe had spread a thick layer of clean straw in the back of the wagon, and they now spread one of their blankets over top the straw to create a bed. In a burst of ingenuity, Hoss took a second blanket and secured it to the back of the seat and to both sides of the wagon to create a roof over the bed so Adam would be out of the sun. Josie complimented him on his good thinking.

"Ain't nothin'," Hoss said, shrugging his shoulders. "Just wish there was something we could do to keep from jostling him around."

Josie agreed. The rocky ground was not going to provide a comfortable ride for her cousin's battered body. She thought for a moment and returned to Adam's side, where she dug a bottle out of her medical bag. She poured some of the reddish-brown liquid into a spoon and crammed it in his mouth. His face screwed up in disgust as the bitter medicine hit his taste buds and woke him up. Josie rubbed his throat, and as she'd hoped, he instinctively swallowed the offending liquid before he could think to spit it out.

"Ugh!" he gagged. His eyes blinked open, and he glared at Josie. "What was that?"

Josie held a canteen to his lips and gave him some water to wash the taste out of his mouth. "Laudanum."

Adam scowled. "I don't need any medicine!" he protested. "Just a little food, and I'll… be… just…" his head dropped back onto his rag-pillow, and he began to snore.

"Goodnight," Josie said, patting his head. She looked up at Ben. "He should sleep all the way to town."

Ben smiled in approval. "Let's get him there," he said. He picked Adam up and laid him carefully in the wagon bed, where he crawled in next to him. Little Joe tied Buck to the back of the wagon and climbed into the seat to drive, while Josie and Hoss mounted up on their horses. Joe clucked to the team, and the entourage set off for Salt Flats.

It took nearly four hours for them to traverse the twenty miles to town. They couldn't travel as fast as Hoss and Little Joe had last night because they didn't want to bounce Adam around too much. Ben lay stretched out in the wagon bed next to his son the entire way. As Josie had predicted, Adam didn't stir even once, but Ben refused to leave his side. Wishing there was room in the wagon bed for her, too, Josie often circled around behind the wagon to peer in at her cousin and ask Ben if he needed anything. When they were within a couple miles of town, Hoss rode ahead to secure their hotel rooms and ask them to draw up some baths.

They pulled up in front of the hotel, and Ben climbed stiffly down from the back of the wagon. Josie crawled in to check on Adam and was pleased to see he was beginning to stir.

"Well done, Dr. Cartwright," she complimented herself on her dosage estimation.

Hoss emerged from the hotel. "We're in rooms four, five, and six on the second floor. Adam's bath is ready. We can take him straight up to the washroom."

Adam was still groggy from the laudanum, so Ben and Hoss each draped one of his arms around their shoulders and half-carried him into the hotel. The desk clerk leapt to his feet at the sight of the five filthy, sunburnt Cartwrights, one of whom was being dragged in by the others and looked like he'd been attacked by a pack of wolves.

"Good heavens!" he exclaimed, staring at Adam. "Should I fetch the doctor?"

"No, thank you," Ben called cordially over his shoulder as he and Hoss lugged Adam up the stairs. "We've already got one."

The man stared open-mouthed after the Cartwrights as they made their way up the stairs. That was when he noticed the enormous, shaggy dog that had followed them inside and was close at the heels of the dark-haired young lady who was bringing up the rear.

"Hey!" he called. "You can't bring that animal in here!" He started up the stairs toward Josie and Pip.

In one swift motion, Josie whirled around, drew her Colt, and jabbed the muzzle into the man's belly. Pip's upper lip curled back, revealing a row of huge, glistening teeth.

"I'm sorry," she said sweetly. "I didn't catch that. What did you say?"

The man stared nervously down at the gun and then over at the growling dog. "I, uh," he stammered. "I said I'd, uh, bring you a bowl of water for your dog."

"Thank you!" Josie said. "That's too kind of you." In an excellent imitation of Little Joe, she curled her lip and glowered before holstering her gun and recommencing her ascent.

All five Cartwrights and Pip tumbled into the washroom, where Josie tested the temperature of the bath water and deemed it suitable. It was cool, but not cold. She turned to her family, Adam still leaning heavily on Hoss and Ben, and was met by four uncomfortable gazes.

"What?" she asked. "Get him undressed and chuck him in." She jerked her head toward the bathtub. The four men continued to stare at her, and she finally caught on. "Oh, for goodness' sake," she said impatiently.

"There's a bath waitin' for you in room six," Hoss said kindly. "Go get yourself cleaned up. You'll feel better."

Josie stalked out, muttering something about how they were all family and she was a doctor besides. Pip followed her out of the washroom, and Josie closed the door a little harder than was necessary.

Adam sighed as his father and brothers helped him settle into the bathtub. The water stung as it seeped into the scratches that covered his chest and arms, but he could feel the heat leaching out of his body. He leaned his head back and rested it on the back of the tub. He was still fuzzy from the laudanum and barely noticed as Pa produced a brush and a bar of soap and began scrubbing the filth off him. In any other situation, he would have been mortified to have his father bathing him, but right now he was too tired to care. He dozed off half a dozen times and let out only a feeble "Ow," when Hoss nicked him as he shaved the scruff from his face.

After fifteen minutes of intense scrubbing, Ben was satisfied that he had gotten all the dirt off his son. Without the layer of grit, however, Adam looked worse because now there was nothing hiding the cuts and bruises that peppered his chest and arms. The rope burns on his wrists gleamed red and angry. The bathwater was black with grime, so Hoss and Ben hauled Adam out of the tub and helped him dry off and put on the clean clothes Josie had so thoughtfully brought along for him.

Down the hall in her own room, Josie finished off a bath too. She pulled on her clean outfit and looked over at Pip, who was lying on the floor near the tub. He rose and ambled over to her. She marveled at the dog, just over a year old, who had run tirelessly alongside them for the last ten days. He had reached his full height of three feet at the shoulders, though his body was still lanky. Adam had predicted he would put on twenty or thirty more pounds before he finished growing. Josie knelt next to her pet and scratched his ears.

"You did a good job out there, Pip," she said. Pip's tail thumped on the wood floor. "You did such a good job." Unexpectedly and all at once, the fear she'd been holding in for the past week and a half broke free. She threw her arms around Pip's neck, buried her face in his wiry fur, and sobbed. "We almost lost him, Pip! How would I live without him? I've never been so frightened in my life!"

Josie cried for ten solid minutes until her tear ducts dried out and she began hiccupping. Pip sat nobly throughout as his mistress clung to him and soaked his rusty fur with her tears. A knock at her door brought her back to the present, and she wiped her nose on her shirtsleeve.

"Come in," she said.

Hoss stepped into the room. He, too, had bathed and was now clad in clean clothes. "We got Adam all settled in his room if you wanna check on him," he said. Josie nodded and swallowed hard, hoping Hoss didn't notice her tearstained face. He did. He held out his arms to her. "C'mere, Little Sister."

Josie raced into Hoss's arms and held him fast. She was all cried out, but she sagged against him in fatigue and relief. The cousins stood there, arms around each other, for a long time until Hoss stepped back.

"We got some food coming," he said with a big grin. "Real food, not jerky and rock-hard biscuits."

Josie smiled back. "I can't wait." She was hungry for the first time since she received Little Joe's telegram. She and Pip slipped past Hoss, and she knocked softly on the door to the next bedroom. Ben opened the door and ushered her into the room.

Adam was asleep on one of the room's two beds. Josie crept over and examined him again, making sure she hadn't missed any injuries that had been hidden by dirt. He was clean-shaven, and Hoss had managed to comb the knots out of his hair. His face was red and blistered from the sun, and the scrapes on his arms and chest were more apparent now that the dirt was gone, but he no longer looked like a wild man. Due to the hot day, Ben, Hoss, and Little Joe hadn't bothered to put a shirt on him, and Josie watched his bare chest rise and fall evenly for a moment before reaching out to feel his forehead. The cool bath had done the trick. His skin was still warm from the sunburn, but his overall temperature was almost back to normal. She dug into her medical bag, pulled out some salve and bandages, and rewrapped his rope-burned wrists. His eyes fluttered open.

"Hey there, sleepyhead," Josie said, smiling.

"Hey yourself." Adam smiled back. "No, wait a second, I'm angry with you," he said and rolled over to face away from her.

"What for?"

"You drugged me."

"You should thank me for that," Josie said, smiling. Adam must be feeling better if he were pretending to be angry with her. "The rest of us were awake for that ride. It was unpleasant." She had never ridden as hard as she had the past ten days, and it was a miracle she could still walk.

Adam rolled back over and looked up at Josie. "Thank you," he said formally. Then his face softened and he repeated, "Thank you for taking care of me out there." His eyes glistened, and he swallowed a rising lump in his throat.

"Don't mention it," Josie said, her eyes watery. "We have a deal, remember?"

He smiled at her again and held out his arms. Josie sat on the edge of the bed and hugged him. "I'm so sorry," Adam said, his voice husky. "I'm so sorry I put everyone through this. All I could think of the entire time was getting back to all of you."

"What happened?" Josie asked as she let go of her cousin.

"That's a long story," he sighed. "You're gonna have to feed me before I have the strength for that tale."

As if on cue, Little Joe popped into the room. Behind him was the front-desk clerk, now pushing a cart laden with fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, biscuits, and a large chocolate cake. There was also a big, juicy steak for Pip. Adam's heart soared, then sank as Little Joe handed Josie a small pot of chicken soup, and he knew he wouldn't be partaking in the feast. Maybe if he played his cards right he could at least get a bite of the cake.

The scent of the food wafting down the hall lured Hoss into the bedroom, and after paying the man from the desk, Ben invited the family to tuck in. He propped up some pillows so Adam could sit up and handed him the pot of soup and a spoon. Josie poured him a tall glass of water and set it on the table next to his bed. Adam watched sadly as Hoss took a giant bite out of a chicken leg.

"Mmm-mmm!" Hoss exclaimed. "If that ain't just the best thing I've ever tasted!"

Adam stared forlornly into his little pot of soup. "Hey, Joe," he said, "hand me a piece of that chicken, would you?"

Little Joe obediently reached for a wing, but Josie grabbed his hand. "No way, mister," she told Adam. "You try eating any of this heavy food just yet, and you'll be seeing it twice. You're stickin' to soup."

Adam looked to Ben, hoping his father would override Josie's decision.

"Sorry, son. Doctor's orders."

Adam sighed and dunked his spoon into his soup, reminding himself that after the past two weeks, he should be grateful for food of any kind. If only that fried chicken didn't smell so good.

Josie looked over at Adam and giggled. He looked so pathetic, sitting there on his bed, glumly spooning soup into his mouth. She grabbed another plate and placed a tiny dollop of mashed potatoes and half a dozen green beans on it and took it over.

"Here," she said, handing him the plate. Adam grinned, set aside his soup, and took the plate. The mashed potatoes and beans lasted all of five seconds, and his spirits now lifted, he polished off the entire pot of soup and two glasses of water. Revitalized by the food, he felt better than he had since leaving Eastgate.

"So," he began when the rest of the family finished eating, "I guess you're all wondering what the hell happened."

All eyes turned to him.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, son," Ben said, crossing the room to Adam's bed. He pulled an armchair next to the bed and sat.

"It's okay, Pa. I didn't do anything I'm ashamed of."

For the next thirty minutes, Ben, Hoss, Josie, and Little Joe sat enrapt as Adam told them of being robbed, how he stumbled upon Peter Kane just before he keeled over, and how Kane had held him prisoner and forced him to work his worthless mine.

"The worst part was that I heard you calling for me, Pa," Adam said. "You and Josie. And I couldn't get to you. I tried, but I couldn't. Kane threw me on the ground, and I didn't have the strength to get up." All five Cartwrights dabbed their eyes.

"I'm sorry we didn't ride down off that mesa," Ben said. "I'm sorry we didn't save you then."

"But you did, Pa. You all did. When Kane threw the rifle down between us and started counting, I thought I was done for. I could barely stand, and I was just waiting for him to shoot me. But then I saw you. I saw all of you, as clearly as I do right now, and I knew I could do it. I knew I could get away. Because the four of you were out there."

Everyone's tears flowed openly now, and Ben moved from the armchair to the edge of Adam's bed and pulled his son into his arms.

"I'm sorry I lost the money," Adam said.

Ben took Adam's chin in his hand and turned his son's face up to meet his gaze. "I don't care about the money. We can make more money. You are my true treasure, and you can't be replaced."

Adam nodded and leaned back into his father's chest, suddenly drained both physically and emotionally.

"What I don't understand," Little Joe said, "is how Adam survived but this Kane fellow didn't. Don't get me wrong, Adam, I'm pleased to pieces you're okay, but Kane had to have been in better shape than you by that point, and he wasn't even walking. You were doing all the work."

"Maybe he just didn't have anything to live for," Hoss suggested.

"That's likely true," Josie said. "I've seen it happen with patients. A person's morale has a lot to do with his ability to survive. Sometimes people just give up."

Everyone sat silently for a few moments, processing Adam's story and feeling thankful they were all still together. Finally, Ben gently shifted Adam back onto his pillows.

"Get some more rest, son," he said, brushing the hair from Adam's forehead. "We'll stay here for a few days before heading home, so you just sleep." Adam nodded and closed his eyes and was asleep within seconds.

Ben, Hoss, Josie, and Little Joe rose as one and met in the center of the room, where they fell into a group hug. When they at last stepped back, Ben said, "You three stay here and rest. I'm going down to the telegraph office to wire Hop Sing and let him know we found Adam."

Hoss looked at his father's pale and careworn face and shook his head. "No, Pa. I'll do it. You stay here. If Adam wakes up, you'll be the first one he looks for."

Ben was too tired to argue. He nodded and let Hoss go. When Hoss returned twenty minutes later, he found the rest of the family still together in one bedroom. Adam was sound asleep with Josie stretched out on the bed next to him, her arm draped across his chest. Ben was sprawled diagonally across second bed, and Little Joe was snoring in the armchair with his bare feet propped up on the edge of Adam's bed. Pip was curled up on the rug between the beds and wagged his tail when he saw Hoss.

"Didn't leave us no room, did they, boy?" he whispered to the dog. Pip wagged again in reply. "No matter," Hoss said. He pulled a couple pillows out from under his father, who didn't even stir, and settled himself on the floor next to Pip. "You wake me up if anything happens, ya hear?" Pip licked his face, and Hoss, too, was soon fast asleep.

The Cartwrights slept right through the afternoon and into the early evening when Josie went downstairs to order up more food. After supper, at which Josie graciously allowed Adam three bites of roast beef and a biscuit in addition to his soup, they fell asleep again—still all in one room—and slept soundly until morning.