False Witness

by J7339

Henry Williams has employed someone to ensure that an important timber contract comes to him rather than the Cartwright family. Joe is about to find himself in a dangerous situation with no way of escaping.

2. chapter 2

Important Note - there is a problem with Chapter 1 being able to be viewed at the moment. I can see it my end - but readers cannot.

Please send me a message and I will send you the first chapter until I can fix this problem.

FALSE WITNESS

PART TWO

With Hoss now riding hard towards Virginia City, Adam and Ben were left to carry their precious burden back home. They knew that time was a critical factor in the boy's chances of survival. At one point during the long arduous and slow trek through the landscape, Adam had pondered the idea of stopping to make a fire to try and warm the still unconscious youth.

Whilst Ben thought that the warmth was needed, he also realised that it was medical treatment was so desperately needed and they were still some way from the homestead. A few times Ben had paused his ride and readjusted the sleeping bundle tucked under his coat. Joe never seemed to feel his touch or hear the soothing words of comfort whispered in his ear as they rode.

Adam rode in front of Ben and Joe, trying to get his mind away from the worry and concern that he constantly felt at the moment.

After about four hours of never ending road, Adam and Ben started to recognize the out skirts of the Ponderosa. They now could follow the road with their hearts filled with a little relief at finally reaching their destination.

"Adam you go on and get things ready at the house for Joe" Ben now said, suggesting that Adam ride on ahead. "Tell Hop Sing what has happened and how we found him. Tell him we will need plenty of blankets and towels, bandages and anything else that you can think of. Make sure you get that fire going in the living room and in Joe's room please" The words all seemed to tumble out of his mouth all at once and tangle together into incoherent sentences. Adam's and his father's eyes met briefly and seemed to make sense out of all the chaos. Adam nodded his head slightly signalling his agreement and now started for home at a faster pace.

"Not far to go now son, just a little way and your home boy" Ben whispered to Joe. "You'll soon be safe and warm in your own bed." he said to his sleeping son. He knew he could manage the warm part easily enough. The 'safe' part was going to be slightly more difficult to overcome. There was no doubt in Ben's mind that his son would be scared and unsure for the next few days until he was back in familiar surroundings and the love and understanding of his family.

Back at the Ponderosa homestead, Adam arrived in the yard and was very pleased to see the buggy of the local doctor outside the front porch. He hitched his horse up to a rail outside and was quick to get inside, wanting to talk to Paul about his brother.

Hoss and Paul Martin both looked up as Adam walked into the room. "Hey Adam" came the greeting from Hoss.

"Glad to see you home safe Adam" Paul said a little bit more formally and stepped forward to shake Adam's hand. The doctor knew that there would be little else on the Cartwright's minds at the moment except for Joseph.

"Have you told the Doctor here what happened Hoss?" Adam now asked his younger brother. "Hop Sing you will need to have a few things ready for when Pa arrives home with Joe" Adam said now addressing the little oriental man coming out of the kitchen into the living room.

"No time stop talk to Mr Adam. Get things ready for boy when get home" Hop Sing said obviously not hearing Adam's question. It seemed though that Hop Sing had every all ready under control as he carried a basin laden with bandages and a few small bottles up the stairs towards Joe's room. Hop Sing probably already had a good idea what would be needed and Adam was sure that Paul would have everything he needed with him in his black medical bag.

The three men now stood anxiously in the living room, too nervous to sit down, while they waited for Ben and Joe to arrive back home. There was no conversation as the worry was clearly evidence on their faces. Even Doctor Paul Martin showed his concern about Joe's condition. He had yet to see the boy, but from all accounts from Hoss, the boy was in a very bad way when he was found in the stream. Joseph was almost like a son to him as well and he knew that anything happening to the youngest Cartwright would affect him just as badly as the family themselves.

They continued to wait. The only sound in the room was Hop Sing trudging up and down the staircase to Joe's room. For the last four or five trips, he had been carrying a bucket of hot water in each hand. Hoss and Hop Sing had manoeuvred a metal bath tub into the room when Hoss first arrived home. From Hoss's description, the boy was covered in mud from laying so long in the stream. He would need to be cleaned before Paul could even start his examination of the boy. It was assumed that the hot water would also help to warm the boy too.

Just when it all seemed that the waiting was too much of a burden to Hoss, there was the sound of hooves on the ground outside. All three men raced to the front door to greet the approaching rider.

They all met a very tired looking Ben sitting onto of Buck whilst holding onto Joe. Joe stilled looked to be unconscious and that greatly worried the Doctor. He was told that the boy was unconscious when they found him partly submerged in the stream. That had been well over four hours ago.

"Adam you take Joe from your father and Hoss you help Ben inside to a cup of hot coffee" Doc Martin said now making sure that all of the Cartwrights were going to be alright.

Adam's gaze became fixated on the limp form of his youngest brother against his father's chest. The boy looked no older than 12 rather than the energetic youth of 16 he had greeted at the breakfast table a week or so. The boy's complexion was very pale in contrast to the dark shirt his father wore underneath his tan leather vest. He pulled himself out of his trance like state and now raised his arms ready to take the boy inside.

Ben knew that his arms had become numb over the last hour or so from holding onto his son, so it was with a little relief that he allowed Adam to take Joe from his saddle. Adam made sure that there was a strong arm around behind the boy's shoulders, and one under his knees. He would need to be careful of the leg wound as they made their way inside and up the staircase.

For some unknown reason, Adam felt himself hold the boy tightly to his chest as he carried him inside. He knew that the boy was unaware of his family, but Adam needed to feel the boy just to make sure that the image he saw was real. There had been many thoughts of fear and worry that had run through his mind over the last week or so. He had lain awake after Hoss and his father had retired after another long day of searching, telling himself that they would find Joe safe and well again. As that week had drawn on, it was becoming harder and harder to convince himself of this fact.

Hoss had helped his father from Buck and let one of the hands put the animal in the barn for the night. Ben had sat in the one spot for a few hours and tried in vain at many stages to stretch some of the aches and kinks out of his sore muscles. They had become stiff from being in the same position for so long. Now Ben strode purposefully into the house wanting to know the condition of his youngest son.

Hop Sing had placed the cup of coffee on the table at Doc Martin's suggestion, but now with more important things on his mind, Ben walked right passed it, fully expecting it to get cold before he would return to drink it.

Doc Martin had already begun to help Hoss and Adam undress Little Joe just as Ben approached the doorway to the room. "What can I do Paul?" Ben asked knowing how stupid the question sounded even before he asked it.

"I want you to take care of yourself first Ben Cartwright." Doc Martin answered sternly "I know you are more concerned about Little Joe than yourself at the moment, but the room's already crowded with the three of us for the time being. By the time you get yourself cleaned up, we should be finished the bath so that I can begin the proper examination of his injuries. That's probably when I am going to need you the most Ben" Doc Martin said. Paul was expecting a full fledged argument with the patriarch of the Cartwright family and although he could see worry and concern etched on his old friend's face. He could also see the signs of fatigue and submission.

"Okay Paul, you win for a short while. I will get myself cleaned up a little, but after that I will be right back ready to help you with my son whether you or him both want it." Ben replied in his most serious voice.

Adam, Hoss and Paul all watched Ben turn from the room and saw his slumped posture as he walked slowly back to his own room for a few minutes. All knew that his shoulders were weighed down heavily with worry, fear and guilt about his son as well as fatigue from the trip.

Now Paul quickly snapped back to his task at hand, knowing that there was another Cartwright who needed his help more at the moment. Hop Sing had come in and filled the copper bath tub up with warm water. He had then gone about laying some heavier sheets on top of Joe's bed so that they could be easily taken away once Joe's filthy rags had been removed.

Hoss held his little brother in a slightly upright position from behind as Adam and Doc teamed up to help with the mattered bits of cloth. They had to be careful not to cause any more injury to the already gravely ill boy before them.

First, the two last remaining buttons on the shirt were undone and Adam very carefully started to peel back the fabric from his brother's chest. He sighed secretly in relief when he was able to see the chest slowly inflate and deflate from Joe's deep breathing action.

Both Adam and Paul held back there gasps of shock at the extent of the bruising that was evident on the boy's upper body. There were dark purple bruises all over the rib cage, some which had not fully formed yet. They were angry looking and overlapped each other in places, signalling the severity of the beating that Joe had been the recipient of. Hoss was unable to compose himself quite as well and his eyes filled with rage when he saw the punishment that had been inflicted upon his younger brother. He swore to both his brother and himself that he would make the men responsible pay.

Paul reminded both Adam and Hoss that they needed to put their personal feelings aside about what had happened to Joe so that they could help heal his injuries. He knew it was difficult for both brother to do just this, but Joe couldn't afford to be exposed to the elements anymore than was absolutely necessary. The boy had already shown signs of illness due to laying in the cold water of the stream for so long in addition to the long, windy ride home on his father's horse.

With Joe' trousers, Paul though it best if they cut the legs back to the knee length before trying to pull them off. Some of the fabric had become imbedded in the wound on his right leg and when Paul had tried to gently probe the area to remove the dirt and debris, the pain had been bad enough to bring Joe from the deep dark depths of unconsciousness to just under the surface of waking. Hoss found that he had to adjust and tighten his grip in his younger brother so that the kid wouldn't thrash about from the pain and hurt himself further.

Paul now took a knife that Hop Sing had provided and slit the legs of the trousers just above the knee. They were able to remove the shortened pants over the injured area without causing Joe too much discomfort. Paul suggested that they might be able to remove the dirt and debris a little bit better with the aid of the water in the tub.

They all had wondered about Joe's reaction to modesty, but soon put that aside and told themselves that Joe would just have to put up with a little embarrassment until they finished the bathing of his body. Joe was still unconscious, despite the probing and removing of clothes and they just hoped that would last until they finished what they had to do.

Doc Martin checked the temperature of the water one last time and now motioned for Adam and Hoss to carefully pick up their inert brother's body and place it in the water. He reminded them to be extra gentle and watch out for the boy's injuries and also about the boy waking suddenly from being immersed in the water and thrashing about causing more pain.

Adam now moved to the head of the bed and placed one arm underneath Joe's slim back and the other wrapped securely but gently around his chest. Hoss placed both arms underneath Little Joe's knees and now lifted the slight weight from the bed with Adam.

Both Adam and Hoss shuffled together across the short distance to the copper tub with Joe in their arms. Very slowly they now lowered his body into the warm water, continuing to support him the whole time for fear of his head slipping under the water. They had been a little disappointed not to see the reaction that Doc Martin alerted them to earlier. Their brother made no such attempt to thrash about, there was not even a twitch to signal that he might be coming awake.

Adam now took the soft cloth left by Hop Sing and using the hand that had been across Joe's chest started to wipe away some of the dirt and grime that had become encrusted on his brother's skin over the last week or so.

As the dust and mud were swirling together to made the water cloudy, Joe's numerous cuts and bruises were becoming more noticeable. Some of them had yet to form and were only visible by small dots of purple around the edges. The injury that caused the most concern was the right leg were the metal jaws of the rusty trap had bitten into the soft flesh and tissue of Joe's leg. The warm water seemed to get most of the dirt from the injury, but now with the puncture wounds submerged, there was some fresh bleeding. Adam and Hoss knew that there might be internal injuries that they couldn't see at the moment. This seemed to be confirmed by the dark and ugly bruises stating to emerge over Joe's rib cage and chest area. Apart from the injuries on his torso and lower legs, the injury that stood out the most and made Adam's and Hoss's blood boil over with hatred and contempt was the rope burn around Joe's neck.

The rope burn was a mark about half an inch wide that went all the way around Joe's neck. It was possible to see the twist pattern made by the weave of the rope in the raw circle of skin that encircled the slender neckline.

"I swear Adam, if I find out who did this to Little Joe..." Hoss said leaving the sentence unfinished as to what he might physically do to Joe's assailants. Adam who normally prided himself about his ideas of justice for all and never jumping to conclusions about anybody, could only sadly nod his head to Hoss's comment as he felt the surge of his own anger rise again. He too told himself secretly that he didn't know what he would do if he came across the men who had been responsible for kidnapping and beating his little brother half to death.

Three men had been leaning over the unconscious boy who lay limp in the copper bath tub and all had various thoughts of anger and retribution on their minds as they tendered Joe with the utmost care. All of their thoughts were forgotten however and the words on the tips of their tongues dried up as they all saw a slight movement that made them all hold their breath in anticipation.

Little Joe felt like he was swimming. Swimming against a never ending tide of black that seemed to surround him on all sides. For a brief moment the black mass seemed to clear a little and he thought he saw a strange and distant light before him. He didn't know where the light led to and he really didn't know if he wanted to go towards it. Whilst his tired mind was trying to work out what to do, his physical body reacted in the bath tub by turning his head to the side, pausing a moment and then turning back to the other side. By the time he had turned his head again, the blackness was swirling around him again and his fatigue prevented anymore thought. The blackness this time seemed to be lighter and he didn't think that he was fighting the gloom as hard this time. His brain hoped that he would again see the strange light and maybe it would lead him from this eternal midnight.

"Doc did you see that?" Hoss finally said, breaking the silence of the room as they all waited to see if the movement was a true sign of Joe waking up or just a reflex action. Hoss's eyes never left his younger brother's sleeping face, and neither did that of Adam or Doc Martin.

"I don't know Hoss, maybe it's a sign." Doc Martin answered still peering at Joe and waiting for another brief movement. "Let's hurry and get him out of this tepid water now. I want him up on the bed so that I can examine him properly and go about fixing that leg" he added.

Adam and Hoss carefully lifted their brother out of the water and lowered him onto a clean sheet that had been warmed and laid across the bed. The three of them then went about drying Joe's body with towels that Hop Sing had provided.

It was about the time that they had finished drying Joe and getting him into a night shirt that Ben came back into the room, wearing clean clothes of his own and looking decidedly better than before.

"How is he Paul?" Ben said as he walked across to the bed and took a place next to his son as Hoss stepped aside. Ben's hand grasped Joe's and he absentmindedly started to stroke the boy's cheek, urging him to wake up for them.

"We've only just finished cleaning him up Ben" Doc Martin said as he started going through his medical bag, making sure he had everything that he would need for the examination he was about to perform. "Not sure, but I think he might be waking up. He moved his head slightly in the bath but then seemed to go back to sleep." Paul explained. "Hopefully it's a good sign. Now I will allow you to stay Ben, but I want Hoss and Adam out I'm afraid" he now added. He knew from experience that Ben Cartwright would have no intentions of leaving his injured son's room, by force or not. He couldn't afford to have Joe's room too crowded though. He was going to be a while and needed the room to remain as quite as possible to complete his task.

Adam and Hoss smiled slightly at their father as they headed to the door. They didn't say anything but knew that what the doctor was asking was only for Joe's benefit. They were worried about him but would wait downstairs for the diagnosis graciously. Adam made sure that the door clicked closed on his way out.

"You can remain where you are Ben" Paul said to his old friend "I am going to check him over for other injuries first and then attend to the ones we can see. I want the water to dry from the puncture wounds a little before I attempt to suture and bandage them." Ben nodded his agreement.

Paul started at Joe's head and slowly worked his way down. All the time he was completing the examination, Ben's vision followed the doctor's skilled hands. He never let his eyes stray from his son for a second while the doctor attempted to assess his true state of condition.

The first injury that was evident on Joe, was the wound left behind by Butch Thomas striking his head with the butt of the pistol. It lay just inside his hair line so that some of the curls were stiff from the dried blood. Although most of the blood had been washed away to reveal only a nasty looking but small gash. Paul made a mental note to dab at the area with a little ointment, but other than that the cut wasn't large enough or deep enough to require stitching. Paul spoke to Ben as he went about the examination whilst still keeping his trained eyes on his young patient.

The next bruise that the doctor saw puzzled him more than worried him. It was a darkish bruise about the size of a coin in the centre of his left temple. It wasn't life threatening or even caused pain the doctor surmised, but what did make him curious about it was it's perfect shape. It was a perfect ring with a hollow centre. What could have made such a mark on the boy? Ben saw his friend pause and look intently at the small mark. He too could see the bruise but didn't seem overly concerned about it as Paul did.

"What's wrong Paul?" Ben asked as he continued to watch his son and the doctor.

"I am just curious about what would have been used to make such a perfectly round bruise on the boy's temple." Paul replied. "It seems to be the least of his problems at the moment though" Paul reminded himself and set about examining the rest of the boy without putting a lot of thought into such a small bruise.

Paul now gently lifted each of Joe's eyelids to peer underneath. "They both look a little better Ben" Paul said out loud. "Not so dilated as before, maybe that's a good sign" he added.

It was about now that the dark fog that had been holding Joe now began to release it's grip and once again Joe could feel himself floating towards the unknown distant light ahead. He could now hear voices in his head. He couldn't really work out who they belonged to just yet and they all seemed to combine into one low sounding voice. He tried to listen harder to try and work out what the voices were saying.

Paul was now touching at the rope burn around Joe's neck. Ben had to sit with his hands in clenched fists to stop the anger he felt raising inside him when he thought about somebody having a rope around his son's neck for any reason. The fact that the rope had been tight enough to make an impression in his skin made Ben's anger settle in the pit of his stomach in one big ball of anger. He always spoke to his son about justice and letting the law handle things that were in the wrong, but looking now down at the fragile boy laying on the bed beside him, the words he had spoken in the past seemed to hold no real meaning anymore.

Paul reached into his medical bag and placed a small amount of a translucent cream on his finger tips, ready to rub it into the scared area. The cream was often used in burns cases but would work equally as well with this injury. Paul now spread the cream to both hands and now placed his fingertips on the raw skin and attempted to massage the cream into the red and dried skin. He and Ben were not prepared for the reaction they were about to receive.

Joe had been slowly working his way back to consciousness for the last ten to fifteen minutes. The feeling that jolted him awake with fear was that of the doctor's fingers around his neck. At this stage he was unable to comprehend whose hands they actually were. To him they could have been anybody. At the moment with his mind so tortured from his ordeal, there was only one face that came into his mind about who the hands belonged to...Butch Thomas.

Joe told himself to calm down as he could feel the fingers seemingly encircle his already sore neck. He felt the pain from the injury and his mind associated the pain with his kidnapper. He had no recollection of being found by his father and brothers and that the fingers might be from somebody trying to help him. His mind screamed at him that he couldn't let Butch Thomas get his hands on him again. He vaguely remembered getting away from him at some point and now it seemed as though his nightmare had caught up with him again only to dish out some more punishment.

His throat felt so raw he could scarcely swallow, but he knew that at the moment his very life might be in danger again. He had to get away. He gathered as much moisture as he could into the back of his throat ready to scream to Thomas to leave him the hell alone.

Paul had only been rubbing the cream into Joe's neck for a short time when all of a sudden the boy's eyes opened wide and his hands sprung up from his side and started to push the doctor's hands away. He was trying to release the words he held in his throat but all that emerged was a low stark moan that didn't seem to have any meaning at all except pain.

Paul and Ben were both shock when it seemed that this boy who had been unconscious for hours, now suddenly sat up on his own and was trying to fight them from helping him.

"Stop it, I am not going to let you hurt me again" Joe screamed through his raw throat. "Leave me alone... leave me alone..don't hurt me anymore" he pleaded as tears came to his eyes and he continued to claw away at the doctor's gentle hands on his neck.

"Joseph, it's alright son" Ben said now recovering from his initial shock and seeing that the boy was obviously distressed. "Doc Martin is only trying to help you" Ben added trying to restrain his son's hands gently enough to allow the doctor to do his work.

Joe turned his face towards the voice that spoke to him, but it took a few minutes for his mind to focus on who was saying the words. "Pa" was the only word he could croak out, disbelieving the image in front of him to be the one person he had been hoping would come during this last week of torture.

"Yes son, it's me" Ben said with a smile and a little chuckle at the boy's confusion. Inside his heart was still trying to calm down. "You're safe now Joseph. Nobody is going to hurt you again I promise" he added with firmness meant to add to the boy's need for safety and security right now. Joe looked at his father for a few minutes still trying to comprehend what he was seeing in the room. He started to cry again and collapsed into the willing embrace of his father. The emotion and fatigue were all too much for him.

Ben now moved closer to the boy by sitting on the bed whilst still holding onto his son. He knew that the boy was looking for reassurance and protection and he was happy to provide it.

"I need you to try and keep him awake a little longer Ben" Paul said as he tried to look over his young patient without being intrusive. He was glad the boy was awake and wanted to continue his necessary medical treatment, but could see that the fear and emotion in the boy at the moment were overwhelming and needed attention as much as his injuries. He would have to tread carefully with the boy. Ben nodded his head knowing that it was dangerous to let the boy return to sleep after only just waking from such a deep state of unconsciousness.

Joe had heard the second voice as he lay against his father's chest and now turned his head so that he peeked out from under Ben's arm in a timid glance towards the doctor. He continued to stare at the man for quite a while. His brain told him that it was Doctor Paul Martin that was touching him and it wasn't Butch Thomas hurting him. He told himself that he knew Doc Martin to be a good and caring person, but all of this rationality didn't help to ease his fears.

Joe continued to look at Paul from his protective position in his father's embrace. Doc Martin could see the questions in the young man's emerald green eyes. The sad part was that the doctor knew he didn't have all the answers that the young man yearned so much to hear.

"That's right son, its just me old Doc Martin" Paul said gently as he reached out his hand and placed it on the boy's knee. The boy seemed to shrink away from all other forms of human contact except that of his father. It soon became plain that he couldn't go anywhere else and so he allowed the doctor's hand to touch his skin again.

Doc Martin could see that although Joe was now awake and needed to stay so for a while yet, he could also see the week of fatigue etched in his young skin and despite his previous unconsciousness, the boy's body demanded decent food and rest before it could begin the healing process. The doctor knew that although his young patient was reluctant and shy, he needed to keep at his examination. He said so out loud and told Ben that it would be alright if Joe stayed in the comfort of his father's arms. There was no need to cause any further alarm to the boy or any unnecessary distress. The boy had been through hell enough over the last week or so.

Doc warmed his hands a little and then proceeded to place them on Joe's chest to feel the extent of the injuries that might have been caused. Joe had to turn his head into his father's chest and bite down on his lip to stop from yelling out from the pain that he felt. He knew the doctor was only trying to help but even the gentlest of touches caused the dull ache in his chest to erupt into a stabbing pain that left him almost breathless.

Ben put one hand behind Joe's back and tried to soothe away some of the pain with long calming caresses down the young man's back. He could hear the faint grunts of pain that his son emitted every time the doctor moved his fingertips.

"It actually feels a little better than I first suspected Ben" Paul said with a degree of satisfaction. "There is some severe bruising to the muscles and outer skin, but other than that the ribs don't seem to be cracked or broken. That's a real blessing considering all he's been through. I don't even think it will need tapping at this stage. If he takes it easy, the bruising should come out fully in a couple of days and then start to disappear." Paul said.

"Joe for the next few days, I want you to do some deep breathing exercises to help your bruised chest. I know they will hurt at first but they need to be done to help your chest regain it's strength. The pain will ease as the muscles get stronger again." Paul said in a very calm voice. He saw a slight nod of the curly head and knew that his patient had at least heard his words.

With each minute that past, Paul could slowly see Joe's head bow just that little more against Ben's chest and the eyelids grow just that little bit heavier with the call of sleep.

Most of the other cuts and bruises on Joe were superficial and would need no more care than bed rest and good food from Hop Sing's kitchen. Paul now set about suturing the puncture wounds on Joe's leg. He pulled out a small bottle of alcohol and began to dab some of the clear liquid on a small cloth. He sat right beside Ben and gave a nod which meant for his friend to hold onto the boy a little tighter for a few minutes. Ben nodded back reading the doctor's intentions and then Paul held Joe's other leg down with his free hand.

Joe had known that the alcohol would sting his leg, but he wasn't quite prepared for the burning sensation that came afterwards and seemed to just get hotter and hotter. Joe tried hard, but in the end just couldn't hold back the scream of pain. He had tears streaming down his face and his own hands gripped onto the front of his father's shirt with a vice like grip. He begged his father and the doctor to make the pain stop but unfortunately it was beyond their control. Both men wished they could take the pain for the boy and both felt anguish of their own at the boy's distressed condition.

"I'm sorry Little Joe but I need to make sure the wounds are nice and clean before I start stitching them" Paul said as he put the cloth and bottle of alcohol back into his medical bag. Ben continued to rub Joe's back, trying to stem the steady stream of hiccups that had resulted from the crying. He gently kissed his boy on the forehead and told him that everything would soon be alright.

Ben watched now as Paul pulled a small needle out of his bag filled with an opaque coloured liquid. Ben looked questioningly at the doctor, not distrusting the man, but concerned that they were still trying to keep the boy awake a little longer rather than put him back to sleep.

"I thought we had to try and keep him wake Paul?" Ben asked.

"This is only a muscle relaxant Ben. I think Joe's had enough for one day. I too would ideally like to see the boy awake for a little longer, and in most people it only calm's them down. In Joe's case at the moment however, I wouldn't be surprised if it does eventually put him to sleep. His is physically tired and mentally exhausted and he needs to be calm whilst I tend to his leg. I think it's for the best Ben" Paul said and he smiled slightly when Ben nodded his head in approval and smile slightly back. Both could see from Joe's tired eyes and facial features that the boy wouldn't be awake must longer anyway.

To both men's surprise however, the boy had more in him than they thought. Both of them wondered if it was true inner strength that Joe was demonstrating by staying awake as long as he did or a deeper darker meaning of his torturous ordeal. Joe was still awake well after the last suture had been inserted into his leg to seal the wounds and even after the injury was wrapped in a clean white bandage.

Just as Paul was doing the final wrapping, Hop Sing seemed to guess at what would be the next priority for the boy and walked into the room with an only slightly warm bowl of soup. It was barely warm so that Joe could drink it straight away.

Hop Sing walked over to the bed and gave his favourite Cartwright his best smile, and although he got a slight smile of appreciation in return, Hop Sing knew that there was something missing in those sad eyes. The light in them had been extinguished and now they held no laughter or signs of happiness. Something had been taken away from Joe that his family couldn't put a price on.

"Mista Cartwright spoon to boy?" Hop Sing enquired.

"I don't know if it's a good idea to try and get him moving around much at the moment Hop Sing." Ben replied. "How about I just let him stay where he is and prop him up a little more and you can spoon the soup to him in small amounts so he doesn't choke?" he added. Hop Sing seemed pleased with this arrangement. It meant that he actually felt that he was helping the boy by doing this small, but oh so important task.

For the next five minutes, Joe allowed them to spoon half a tablespoon of soup to him at a time. At first he really wasn't sure that he wanted anything to eat at all. But he knew that if he put up a protest, then Doc Martin would find some awful tasting to make up for it. At least Hop Sing's soup tasted better than any concoction the doctor could invent.

When the soup bowl was about half empty of it's contents, Joe's body finally succumbed to it's exhaustion and pain and he fell asleep still leaning against his father's chest with Hop Sing still attempting to get more of his nourishing soup into his mouth. All three men couldn't help and smile at the innocence Joe portrayed when he was asleep. They all felt that resurgence of anger again when they thought about how close they had come to never seeing such contentment again. Even in sleep now Joe's upper eyelids seemed to be always flickering, indicating that the boy was dreaming. Every now and then there would be a quiet gasp of alarm or a groan of pain, as if he was reliving his whole kidnapping ordeal again. It seemed even when he wasn't in Butch Thomas's presence, the man found a way to inflict hurt and torment the mind.

"Do you think you can move Ben without waking him" Paul now asked his friend as he saw the awkward position he had been forced into as Joe's pillow. There was no doubt in the doctor's mind that Ben would be needed for quite some time to come in a number of roles: healer, comforter, listener, carer and most of all father.

Ben looked down at his sleeping bundle and then very carefully and slowly started to slid out from underneath the boy's slight weight. There was one or two small groans at first, but then the boy seemed to go silent again and then there was nothing as Ben laid Joe's body out on his back on the bed and covered him with a blanket.

"Let's leave him settle on his own for a few seconds and go down to Adam and Hoss" Paul suggested. "Someone can come back and sit with him in a few minutes." he added, suggesting that Ben get some rest himself and let one of the other family members take the first watch with Joe.

Ben followed the doctor out the door to his son's room, stealing a quick glance back towards his slumbering son.

Hoss was seated in the living room as the doctor descended the stairs and Adam seemed to be deep in thought, prodding at the hot coals of the fire place with a poker. They both forgot what they were thinking about and immediately turned to face the two men coming out of Joe's room. Both desperately wanted to know their brother's condition.

"There is a long road ahead boys, but given some time I think he will recover nicely" Paul said just to reassure them from the beginning. "The biggest worry we have at the moment apart from the mental torment is his leg injury of course. He has extensive bruising that will be sore for a number of weeks thankfully. Though that doesn't make them any less painful for the boy. He will be a very stiff and sore boy for a good month or so." Paul explained.

"The injury that causes me the most concern of course is the puncture wounds from the trap. The trap was old and rusty as you know so there is a high risk of infection due to dirt and other materials being driven to the wound by the steel jaws. I have tried to clean them out the best I can, but we will just have to wait and see if there are any adverse effects. There will no doubt be some sort of fever from his injuries, but how severe and how high it will go, I can't tell at this stage. He seems to have swallowed some mud and water from the stream, but it doesn't seem to have affected his lungs to any great extend. Something to be even more thankful I think because Lord knows that boy doesn't need anything else like a bout of pneumonia." he continued.

"What about his mental attitude and the effect all of this is going to have on him in the long term?" Adam now asked plainly.

"As good as a doctor as I am Adam, that is something that is unknown at this stage. His mind is probably going to take the longest to heal. After he is heal physically, we will need to gradually start working on his self-esteem and confidence again. I think the easiest way, but probably the most painful way is for him to open up to one or all of you and tell us exactly what happened to him out there. It may be a day, a week or a month or a few months, but sometime down the track he is going to have to come to terms with what happened to him out there. I am not going to sugar-coat it for you, it is going to be very difficult, for him and for you to hear what he has to say." Paul admitted.

He could see the sullen looks now on the two brother's at the uphill battle it was going to become. Neither of them would back away from the challenge though. Both of them wanted to help their younger brother heal his physical injuries as well as the mental ones.

"Now your brother is going to stay off his leg for the next two months or so while his body does start to heal and I allow him to get out of bed." Paul said in a more serious tone.

"Let him out of bed?" Adam now asked with a touch of sarcasm in his voice. They all knew too well about Joe's past experiences with injury and how quickly the young man was trying to get the doctor to let him get out of bed. Most of the time it was well before the doctor had wanted to in the first place.

"I know, I know" Paul said with a grin. He too was used to the battles he and his patient offered wagered about his confinement to bed. "But you will have to help him out a little more than he would like I'm afraid until he gets used to the crutches. They aren't the easier things to move around on."

"Don't worry doc, we will take the very best care of him" Hoss said with a determined voice.

"I know you will Hoss" Paul said giving the large man a slap on the shoulder. It was always the big men who fell first the doctor told himself.

"I will be back to check on that leg tomorrow Ben. The bandages will need to be changed daily, maybe more than once. I will come in the morning and see how he's faired the night. Let me know if that fever I talked about comes and gets too high" he added as he stepped through the front door of the homestead with bag in his hand. Ben and he shook hands knowing that Paul was never far away if the family needed him again.

"Thanks Paul, truly" Ben said genuinely. Doc nodded his head in acknowledgement as he climbed into his buggy and prepared to head back down the dirt road to Virginia City.

Ben now closed the front door and locked it. "Okay boys, you two get some rest for a few hours. I will go and sit with him for the night. One of you can relieve me in the morning" he said as he headed towards the staircase.

"Um Pa" Hoss now said putting a gentle but restraining hand on his father's shoulder. "Adam and I have been talking about things whilst you were seeing Doc Martin off" he said feeling a little uneasy about what he was about to say to his father. He had no doubts that it needed to be said that didn't make it any easier. Hoss had rarely had the need to be stern when talking to his father at any time during his entire life.

"Oh you have had you Hoss" Ben said with a raised eyebrow. He suspected about the topic of conversation and was trying to hide the smile he felt at his large son's obvious nervousness.

"Well yeah Pa and we decided, that is Adam and me thought it would be best if one of us takes the first watch with Joe. That way you will be able to get a few hours sleep of your own and by ready during the night if Joe needs you. The boy is probably going to sleep a while himself anyway, according to what the doc had to say." Hoss said. His tongue felt like it was tied all in knots and his stomach wasn't in much better shape. He and Adam both knew that it would take a combined effort to get their father to rest during such a crisis with his youngest son.

Ben was trying to muster up a valid argument for his two son's but he really did feel tired. "Okay son" he said clamping a gentle but firm hand on his large son's shoulder in appreciation, "You both win this time. I will go and try to sleep but I want to be awoken the minute anything changes or if your brother starts to wake up at all. Understand?" he now asked with added emphasis.

"Sure Pa," Hoss said inwardly sighing in relief that he didn't have to battle his father over this. The family had always joked with Joe about having a short fuse and fiery temper but it was just as well known where half of that had been gained from. Joseph was in many ways like his spirited mother Marie, but sometimes, just when he exploded with anger at the wrong time, there was also a hint of Ben in him.

Adam and Hoss now both watched Ben climb the remaining stairs to the top floor and then slowly walk into his room and close the door behind him. Their father really did look tired and worn out from worry over Joe.

"Remember Hoss, don't wake Pa unless it is absolutely necessary" Adam gently reminded his younger brother. He had seen the signs of fatigue and the slouch in his father's shoulders. "Let me know if there is a problem. Hopefully the kid will get some decent rest himself. Lord knows he is going to need it." he added and then headed towards his own bedroom.

Hoss now headed towards Joe's room. Once inside he moved the chair closer to the boy's bed. For a few minutes he just gazed down at the slumbering figure in the bed. Wondering what the next few days and weeks would bring to this household. He knew that Joe's kidnapping and disappearance had had a vast affect on them all. He just hoped deep down that they would all be able to recover. Most of all this young man laying in the bed. He couldn't bear to think about the mental torment that would be raging inside the young man as he was forced to relive those horrible days of captivity. He took Joe's sleep limp hand in his own and tried to will his own physical strength into the weak and frail boy. Hoping that he could at least be there when the boy needed him.

After about an hour, Hoss awoke with a start. He hadn't realised himself dozing off in the chair. He looked around the room trying to figure out what had startled him awake. He looked down at the bed and saw the Joe still appeared to be asleep. He kept his eyes on the young man for a few seconds longer when he heard the young man groan and try to move about again. Part of him wanted to jump about with relief that the boy was showing some signs of consciousness. The other part of him became immediately worried when he saw the thin sheen of sweat glistening on Joe's forehead. He gently laid a hand on Joe's forehead and gasped outwards at the heat that was now radiating from the young man's body. It hadn't been there an hour ago. The fact that the fever had started worried him, at the moment it didn't feel too bad. Doc Martin had said that there might be some fever to fight the injuries. He tossed and turned it over in his mind for a few more seconds wondering whether or not to wake Adam. Another small groan of pain from Joe now convinced the big man of his earlier thought and he quickly went to the door and then gently rapped on Adam's bedroom door.

"Adam" Hoss now said in a more forcible whisper. He was mindful of waking his father and kept looking back and forth towards Ben's door the whole time he was waiting for Adam. He was now greeted at the door by a bleary eyed, shirtless Adam. Adam looked as though he had slept very little. Now looking at Hoss's worried face at the door, Adam instantly shook the remaining remnants of sleep from his face and grabbed a shirt before following Hoss to see what was going on.

As Adam and Hoss walked into Joe's bedroom, the young man was once again moaning, but this time he was getting more determined in his efforts and was trying to move in the bed. His moaning was becoming more persistent and louder and the movement in the bed more frequent. Hoss and Adam were instantly concerned that Joe would roll enough to cause himself more pain. Adam sat at the head of the bed and tried to talk soothingly to his still sleeping brother in an attempt to calm him down in to a more restful sleep.

"Shssh, it's okay little buddy. Everything's okay. Big brother's here, go back to sleep. Your safe now" Adam said as he gently caressed Joe's forehead. He brushed the damp curls back and noted with concern, Hoss's earlier observation of the fever that had started.

"Hoss, could you please go and get a basin of cool water and wash cloth" Adam said as he continued the calming actions on Joe.

"He gonna be alright Adam?" Hoss said, the worry clearly evident on his face.

"Sure he is Hoss. But we need to get this fever down as quick as possible" he said "Now please go and get the basin of water. Then I want you to go and get some sleep" as he noted the tiredness in Hoss's body posture.

"I don't know whether I could sleep anyway Adam" Hoss said as he headed towards the door to get the things that Adam asked for.

"Well you are certainly going to try Hoss" Adam now said firmly, not wanting to let his brother go any further without rest for himself. He knew that Hoss was like his father in many ways and both of them would continue to care for Little Joe without so much as a thought for their own health. The care was going to have to be shared over the next couple of weeks by the three of them and Hop Sing.

Hoss was soon back with the basin of water and a soft wash cloth "It isn't very cold I'm afraid Adam" he said with a little tone of dejection in his voice. "It's the best I could get at the moment" he said. He now watched as Adam carefully wet the cloth sufficiently in the tepid water and then wring out the excess so that it was only just damp.

"You go and get some sleep big guy" Adam said to Hoss as he gently laid the cloth of Joe's heated forehead. The coolness of the cloth seemed to have some affect though as they watched Joe's closed eyelids flutter. For a few minutes it looked as though Joe might be trying to wake up. The eyelids fluttered a few more times and Joe moved his head back and forth on the pillow a few times. A few more soothing words from Adam and Joe appeared to slip back into the void of sleep once again.

Adam looked up at Hoss and saw that the big man needed to be sure that his little brother was going to be okay before he even thought about having some rest.

"Go get some sleep Hoss" Adam said gently. For once Hoss just nodded his head in agreement and headed towards the door, stealing a last glance of the sleeping boy in the bed before he finally exited and went to his own bedroom.

For the next three hours or so, it looked as though Adam's care was indeed doing the trick to keep Joe nice and calm in his sleep. He wasn't sure about the fever though. Even with all the cool compresses he applied, the fever still not had abated and if anything had increased in temperature over the last hour or so. Adam now noticed that the warm water was having no effect on the fever again. He got up and took the basin down stairs, ready to refill it with some cooler water.

Adam had refilled the basin and was about halfway up the stairs when he and the rest of the Cartwright household heard the blood-curdling scream that came from Joe's room. Adam almost dropped the basin of water at the scream and managed to soak the legs of his trousers. He didn't even stop to worry about that though as he, Hoss and Ben all raced into the room to see what had upset the boy so much.

Ben had been in a fitful sleep in his room when he heard the scream. He was instantly awake and racing towards his injured son's room. He saw Adam on the stairs with a basin of water and Hoss was coming out of his bedroom as well.

All three entered the room and saw Joe tossing and turning violently in the bed. It looked as though he was trying to fight of someone or something. Every now and then there would be some incoherent words uttered. Some of them sounded like "Keep away" and "Don't.. please don't".

Ben was immediately sitting on the bed were Adam had been. He reached over and being as gentle as he could pulled the boy into his embrace. Just as Ben managed to put his arms around the trembling boy though, it was almost as if Joe was trying to get away from Ben. In his sleep, the confused boy was pulled at Ben's arms and telling him to leave him alone. It was soon obvious to all in the room that the ever rising fever had trapped the injured boy in his own nightmares. Making them come to life once again. He was trying to fight the very people that loved and cared for him so much.

Ben was determined to be there for the boy though, even if he pushed him away at first. After what the boy had been through, he supposed it was only natural for the boy to dread human contact of any sort. Ben once again wrapped his arms around the struggling boy and held on somewhat tighter this time. Joe continued to utter words like "Stop it" and "Keep Away" again, but the struggles soon became more weaker. Whether it was because Joe recognized the security and warmth of his father or whether it was purely due to physical exhaustion that the boy ceased to try and get away. Now the boy lay in his father's arms and fell back into a restless sleep. He still muttered incoherent words but they soon faded to nothing more than occasional moans and then finally into silence as sleep gained a stronger hold on the boy's mind.

"You boys' go down and get some coffee and breakfast" Ben now said to Adam and Hoss. The dawn was just starting to peak through the curtains in Joe's room, signalling the beginning of a new day. He didn't intend to send the boy's out to work today. Apart from the lack of sleep neither of them had had, there wasn't much work to do back at home over the next week or so.

Downstairs in the kitchen, Hop Sing had just started to make breakfast when Hoss and Adam arrived at the table. The little Cantonese man made sure that there were two pots of strong black coffee on the table this morning. He also made a third smaller pot for Ben and a small bowl of broth for Joe, in case the boy awoke shortly. They needed to keep up the boy's nourishment, if they wanted his injuries to heal well.

Adam and Hoss were sitting at the table, not really saying much when there was a knock at the front door. Adam wondered who would be knocking this early in the morning, maybe it was Doc Martin back to check on his patient.

He and Hoss were both surprised when Sheriff Roy Coffee greeted them from the other side of the door "Mornin' boys" he said as cheerily as possibly. "How's Joe today?" he asked in a more subdued tone.

"As well as can be expected Roy" Adam said with little emotion in his voice. "Your out here early though Roy" Adam said now suddenly curious about the lawman's early visit. Maybe he had information about Joe's kidnappers.

"Just came out to talk to your Pa about those other fellows wanted for Joe's kidnapping" Roy said "And to check how Joe was going" he added genuinely. Joe held a special place in his heart and it angered him greatly that such an unjust and inhuman thing had happened to such a energetic and caring boy.

"Pa's a might busy with Joe right now Roy" Adam said not wanting to disturb Ben from his needed duties upstairs "I can give him a message though if you like?"

"That would be good if you could Adam. I feel right guilty that I don't have much more information for your family. Just came out to tell you that Griffith's still refuses to tell anybody who his partners were. I have tried to find any clues that I can from him, but unless he gives me a name, I'm at a stand still at the moment. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news" Roy said as he nervously played with his hat in his hands. "I wish I had better new to give you and your family"

"We know that you are doing your best Roy" Hoss said. He meant what he said but he didn't know how his father was going to react that the man who had done this to Joe was still free. More so what was such information going to do to Little Joe.

"Little Joe probably won't be able to give you any information for a few days Roy" Adam now said trying to clear the air. "He is still in a lot of pain and hasn't fully been able to talk to us yet about what happened. He started to run a fever this morning. Doc Martin says he will be back out later on today"

"Well, give my regards to your father and especially Little Joe for me. I haven't given up on this Adam. I aim to get this animal that did this to Little Joe" Roy said as he exited through the front door.

"I'll let you know as soon as Paul says it's alright for Joe to talk to you Roy" Adam said finally and closed the front door behind the Sheriff.

"What are we going to tell Little Joe?" Hoss blurted out not knowing any other way than to just say it straight.

"I think it best that we don't at the moment Hoss" Adam replied honestly "I don't think our boy is in any condition for information like that at the moment. Hopefully he's still asleep. I suggest we tell Pa and let Joe know when the doctor thinks he can handle such things. He needs to worry about getting himself well again before wondering about where the man is that did it."

Hoss nodded his head in agreement and they both headed up the stairs towards Joe's room.

What they didn't know was that Joe had awoken not long after they left to go downstairs to breakfast. As they climbed the stairs to his room, Little Joe was laying still in his father's arms, but with his eyes closed, just enjoying the security and protection.

A few minutes earlier upstairs ...

Ben had been thinking to himself about the last few days when he felt his young son moving about on the bed. He looked down, but allowed the young man to wake on his own and get his bearings before overwhelming him with questions.

As Joe slowly opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was his father's familiar face. He blinked a few times and tried to sit up. The moment only brought a grimace to his face and when he tried to smile at his father about trying to move too quickly, even that caused him pain as his muscles protested enormously about the physical efforts of moving.

There wasn't a space on his body that didn't hurt at the moment. His eyes felt gritty and sore, as though he hadn't been to sleep for days. He knew however by the look on his father's face and the stiffness that existed in his body that he had been asleep for a long time.

"Hello son" Ben said gently.

Joe tried to reply with a hello of his own, but the words were caught in his dry, sore throat. His put his hand to the rope burns around his neck and remembered what the rope had felt like choking him. He motioned for something to drink. Ben reached over without moving from his position and brought a cup of water to his son's dry lips.

Joe took it slow at first due to the pain he felt when swallowing. The water felt good and soothed his raw throat. He knew that he shouldn't drink too much in case he was sick from it and withdrew when he thought he had enough. Ben saw his son's withdrawal and placed the half-filled cup back on the nightstand.

"Hello Pa" Joe croaked out through his raw throat as he laid his curly head on Ben's chest. He closed his eyes and tried to just rest without all the memories flooding back into his mind.

Ben could see that his son was still hurting. Both emotionally and physically. He knew that Joe would need a good deal of time before he would be ready to talk about what happened to him when he was taken. Ben was content just to let the boy rest, there would be enough time for talk later. At the moment Joe just needed to heal his physical injuries and then worry about the emotional scars that might be left behind. The fever was still present and it was still a cause for concern for Ben. It hadn't risen too much, but it also hadn't decreased very much, despite the families vigilant attempts to cool him down with the cool compresses.

This is how Adam and Hoss found the two of them as they entered Joe's bedroom. Both of the smiled and thought how content both of them looked at the moment. Joe still looked asleep and because of this Adam decided to tell Ben about Roy's information. Joe had heard his brother's enter the room, but he didn't make any indication to them that he had awoken up just a short time ago.

"Roy was just here Pa" Adam said in a whisper so as not to wake his still sleeping brother. "Said that Griffith's won't talk. They still don't have any idea about where the other men are" he said.

It was at this comment that Joe's eyes suddenly came open. He couldn't hide the fear that he felt thinking that somewhere out there, Butch Thomas was still alive and well. Probably waiting and watching. Waiting until the right moment to take him away from his family again. After all, Joe was the only one who knew his true identity at the moment.

Adam immediately saw the reaction to his words and regretted that he hadn't checked first that the boy was truly asleep.

"Sorry Pa, I didn't realise he was awake" Adam said as he still watched Joe to try and gauge the boy's state of mind.

Ben could feel the small tremors that were now running through his youngest son's shoulders. The boy now made an active effort to try and move away from his father and hide the fear on his face from his family. His throat became dry again from the mere thought of Butch Thomas still free to roam about as he pleased and torture his mind to no end.

"It's alright son, your brothers and I are here. Nobody is going to hurt you again, I promise" Ben said in soothing but firm tones so that his words held the meaning he intended for his son.

Joe now turned painfully to his opposite side determined not to let his family see his distress about the information he had just heard. He ignored all their attempts to reassure him that everything would be alright. Deep down he knew that he would never have peace of mind with Butch Thomas still out there free.

Hop Sing now arrived in the room with the broth he had prepared for Little Joe. He could see that the boy was upset about something and Ben told him about Adam's untimely message from Roy Coffee.

"Boy need eat" the little oriental man stated and moved over to the opposite side of the bed so that Joe could see him.

"Everybody go downstairs for coffee. Hop Sing take care of Little Joe" Hop Sing now said sensing there was a lot more to Joe's sullen mood.

"Alright boys, lets go downstairs for that coffee. I sure could use a cup. Hop Sing I will be right back when I have finished though" Ben said indicating that he had no intentions of leaving his injured son for more than was necessary. Ben though saw the need in the little oriental man's eyes that said Hop Sing wanted to find out what was going on inside Little Joe. From past experience he knew that Joe was likely to open up to the little servant before any of the other family members.

Ben, Adam and Hoss walked out of the bedroom but then stole themselves just outside the door to try and catch a word or two of the conversation about to take place in the room.

Hop Sing now placed the bowl of broth on the bedside table, determined to feed Joe's tortured soul before his empty stomach.

"Mao shiez co xen Tajoe" Hop Sing now said to Joe who still had his face turned away towards the wall. (Why Lil' Joe so sad?)

The men waiting on the other side of the bedroom doorway had no idea what Hop Sing just said. They were even more surprised when the answer came back in his native tongue. For years they had all suspected that Joe could understand Hop Sing's tirades better than he let on. Now it was being confirmed with the fluent and coherent Cantonese words coming in Joe's own voice.

"Seng wix dao benqas" Joe replied in a whisper. (Not sad ... scared!)

"Scared of what?" Hop Sing now asked in English.

Ben and the others outside were dismayed by Joe's admission, but put their ears closer to the door so that they could hear the reason for their fear. Although they had a general idea, they were hoping that Hop Sing's probing might come up with more clues to try and find the men responsible.

"You don't understand Hop Sing, nobody does" Joe said with an edge of frustration in his voice. The boy now turned to face the other person in the move. The movement caused him to cry out as his sore and bruised ribs protested ever so loudly.

"Tell Hop Sing how to help" he asked, noting the efforts the boy was making to talk, but noticing the fatigue still etched on his young face and the fever spots still present on his cheeks.

"You can't help Hop Sing. That's just it. Nobody can fight this but me. At the moment I just don't see the reason for fighting. I'll be still lying in this bed waiting for those men to come back. And when they come, they will try and take me away again, maybe for good this time. Maybe it would be easier just to let them come. I hurt all over Hop Sing. I can't even take a breath without coughing from the tightness in my chest." Joe said trying to hold back the tears of frustration that were threatening.

"Father and brothers and Hop Sing here to make sure nobody hurt you Lil Joe" Hop Sing answered trying to reassure the boy's fears about the men coming back to hurt him. Ben and his sons nodded their heads in agreement wishing they too could say some comforting words to the distraught boy.

"Couldn't stop them last time" Joe said in an uninterested voice and then proceeded to roll painfully back over onto his side, signalling that he no longer wished to continue the conversation. Joe closed his eyes and welcomed the arms of sleep that reached out to him. Even as he slept now, Hop Sing could see the thin film of sweat reappearing on the boy's fevered brow. He spent the next couple of moments placing the cool cloth back on the boy's forehead. He wanted desperately to help heal the boy's mind and heart as well as his body.

"You come back in now Mr Cartwright and take care of boy. Hop Sing bring you coffee" Hop Sing now said as he looked up with a grin. He knew that the others were waiting outside the doorway the whole time but only chose now to let them know it.

"How did you know we was there Hop Sing?" Hoss said in confusion. He was sure that the three of them had kept relatively quiet during the whole thing. He was sure that Hop Sing wouldn't have been able to see them from his position in the room. Just how did he know that they were all listening.

"Hop Sing not be fooled Mr Hoss" Hop Sing said with a smile and then went downstairs to worry about the coffee he promised to bring.

Ben walk back over to the bed, running Joe's words back through his head over and over again. He wanted the boy to wake up and talk to him about what was bothering him. He felt guilty about Joe's accusation that the kidnappers had been able to take him away without the family being there to prevent it. It hurt him deeply to think that he and his boys hadn't been there to help the boy in his time of need. He would somehow have to prove to the boy that he, Adam and Hoss would do everything in their power to protect him, no matter what.

Adam and Hoss chose to go outside and talk about things whilst attending to some of the daily chores in the yard. They knew that there were other hands able to do the work, but it kept their minds on something else for a time. They both spoke briefly about their own concerns for Joe's health and peace of mind. They too both promised to talk to the boy when he was better.

Doc Martin arrived later that afternoon and had been informed of Joe's negative attitude before climbing the stairs. He promised Ben to talk to the boy also about his fears and concerns about the kidnappers coming back to take him away again. When he got to Joe's room however, talk was the last thing on Paul's mind as he surveyed the scene before him. He could see the fever that Ben had told him about starting the previous night. However the doctor was now concerned with the rise in temperature that had occurred in a few short hours. The boy was definitely much sicker and when Paul put his hand on the boy's forehead, Joe could scarcely open his eyes in response due to the weakened state he found himself in. He briefly opened them, but then quickly closed them tight to shut out the light that shone into them and then appeared to fall back asleep, exhausted even from that slight effort.

"Ben we need to get this fever down and quickly" Paul said as he went about setting his medical bag down and searching through it for what he needed.

"This is going to be most unpleasant, but it should work" Paul now said as he held up a small tube of medicine.

"Your going to have to hold him Hoss" Paul said now motioning for the two brothers to play their part in helping Joe "Hold his body very still. I still don't want him moving around with those bruised ribs and that injured leg of his."

"Adam, I want you to force his mouth open so that I can squeeze some of these drops into his mouth" Paul said walking towards his sleeping patient.

"Is that quinine Paul?" Ben asked, fully knowing the medicine's uses.

"Yes it is Ben, and you know how he is going to react to the vile taste, but we need to get that fever down. His body is already exhausted and weak from his injuries. We can't risk him getting any worse or the fever climbing too high."

Hoss and Adam both took a deep breath to get ready for the awful task they were about to become involved in. Both of them knew that the medicine was necessary, but both of them felt that they were somehow betraying their little brother by subjecting him to such horrific remedies.

Hoss firmly held Joe's legs onto the bed, mindful of not touching the bandaged area. Adam put his hands, gently but firmly on other side of his younger brother's fevered face. Adam could feel the heat in Joe's skin and prayed that the quinine would indeed bring relief that was needed. He now pulled Joe's mouth open sufficiently for the doctor to be able to drop the medicine into.

Joe could feel someone touching his face and tried to bring his hand up to see who it was. His eyes remained closed, but his forehead turned downwards with a frown when he found feel someone now restraining those hands. He immediately opened his face and began panicking that he was back under the control of Butch Thomas and his men. He could now see though that it was his own family that were restraining him. This confused him even more and started to make him angry.

"What are you doing" he demanded in a voice that was no more than a whisper. "Let me Go!" he said in a louder but croakier voice. "Pa tell them to let me go" he said now trying to turn his face towards his father.

Ben was at the base of the bed and the sound of Joe's pleas to let him go were almost ripping his heart out, but he knew that the Doctor had to give him the medicine.

"It will be all over in a minute Joe" Ben said trying to calm his son down. Paul knew that he wouldn't have much longer and so quickly moved towards the bed and without so much as telling his patient what he was about to do, dropped four drops of the foul medicine into Joe's open mouth.

Adam was forced to let go though as Joe immediately tried to turn onto his side and spit out the vile taste. Most of the medicine had managed to slip down his raw throat. What he could taste on his taste was the bitter aftertaste that the quinine had. The taste made Joe almost gag until he was sick to his stomach. Paul brought a glass of water to Joe's lips and offered a small mouthful to wash away the medicine, but rebelling action of his stomach quickly brought the water back up again onto the bed clothes.

Joe now laid back, exhausted, tired, sick to his stomach from the quinine, hot from the fever and most of all angry. He didn't understand why his family was doing this to him after he had been through such a rough time. His leg was throbbing almost insistently and he could scarcely keep from crying out at the pain sometimes.

"Would you like something for the pain Joe?" Paul asked as he saw his young patient grimace and grit his teeth from his leg wound.

"I don't want anything from you ... any of you" Joe said hotly and turned his face away from his family. The exhaustion and fever soon took it's toll though and Joe was soon drifting back off into an uneasy sleep. His forehead was becoming damp again from the fever.

"Adam you lift him off while Hoss and I change the bed linen" Ben said now as he watched his son sleep. He understood his son's anger and resentment, but hoped when the boy was feeling better he would understand the steps needed to be taken to make him well again.

"Don't worry Ben, the quinine will help and he will be well again in no time" Paul said as he placed a comforting hand on Ben's shoulder. "He's weak and in pain, he didn't really mean what he said."

"I know he's hurting Paul. That's what makes me so angry. To think that the animals that did this are still free out there while Joe is laying in bed sick and in pain. I swear to God Paul, I don't know what I do if I can face to face with those men right now. I try to tell myself that justice will prevail and that everything will work out alright. But where's the justice in this for Joe. How can I look him in the eye and make him believe what I say when I don't really believe it myself." Ben said with sadness in his voice.

"Come on old friend, let's make him more comfortable" Paul said. Adam lifted his still sleeping brother from his bed and went about changing Joe's nightshirt while Ben and the others changed the sheets and pillows.

"He will probably sleep for quite a while with the fever Ben. He won't feel very much like eating unfortunately, but at least try to keep the water and fluids up to him. Water, Milk, Juice, any liquids to replace what he is losing through the fever. He should start to improve by the end of tomorrow. He will still be weak, but by then hopefully the boy will feel like eating a little to help regain his strength. You will have to be patient, but also vigilant and firm when he refuses. I will come back out tomorrow with something to help him get back on his feet a little" Paul said with a wink. He wanted to leave this little idea as a surprise to the whole family until tomorrow.

"See you tomorrow Ben. And try not to worry too much" Paul said, knowing that Ben wouldn't stop worrying until Joe was back to his old self again.

Hoss saw the doctor to the door, while Adam and Ben settled Joe back into the freshly made bed.

The rest of the night panned out pretty slowly for the Cartwright family. The eldest three kept a vigil over the youngest. They all signed in relief about 1.00am when it seemed that the medication had done it's job just like Paul Martin said it would. Joe's fever finally started to decrease and was almost cool to the touch by dawn's early light.

The decrease in temperature saw Joe finally drift off into a healing sleep. His head was now deeper in the pillow and his breathing became more relaxed and even. The angry redness in his leg had now subsided somewhat, allowing the full extent of bruising to show through the skin. The stitches held in place well and the wound looked very clean. The only question would be about how much effort it would take Joe to regain full mobility once he was given permission to put any weight back on the leg.

Through most of the next day, Joe seemed to be gaining some strength back. He was able to sit up for short periods of time in bed without tiring so easily. He was eating a little more and drinking more fluids which were encouraging signs for his family. The signs that weren't encouraging included the sullen mood that seemed to engulf him the whole time. He jumped from fright at the slightest unsuspected noises and he always had a wary look in his eyes when someone entered the room. As if he were expecting somebody else other than his family to walk in.

Ben and his son's noted the mood and cautiousness without worrying Joe about it. They would wait until Paul Martin returned later in the afternoon to discuss the matter with him.

By the time Paul did pull up outside in the yard in his buggy, Joe had been asleep for about two hours. It was late afternoon and the sun was just beginning to set behind the hills. Paul got out of his buggy and in addition to carrying his black medical bag, he carried two strange looking sticks in the other hand.

Ben looked curiously at the contraptions as Paul made his way into the living room and set his bag down. He still held onto the poles and gave Ben a grin of pride when he looked up and saw his old friend's curiosity at what he held.

"What have you got there Paul?" Ben now asked. His two sons were standing behind him, awaiting the reply.

"Are they crutches for Joe?" Adam now asked, seeing crude forms in the past in a few places he had travelled to.

"They are indeed Adam" Paul said telling himself that he should have realised that a well-educated man like Adam would be able to guess at what they were. "These are hopefully going to see your young brother back on his feet sooner than he would normally without such help" the doctor explained.

"How do they work Paul?" Ben asked, a little dubious about such things being trialled on his son without knowing much about them.

"You put your arms over his cross pieces like this Ben" Paul said as he crudely tried to show Ben how to work the crutches without breaking them. He had had them made especially for somebody with Joe's slight stature in mind, so he didn't want to put all of his weight on them and risk breaking them before Little Joe even got a chance to use them.

"They will help Joe keep his weight off that injured leg. He will be able to move around a lot more freely than he would have been able to without them. Don't get me wrong though, he will still be limited in some of the activities he will be able to do, but hopefully they will give him some hope as to his leg healing properly." Paul now explained.

Paul now became more serious as he prepared to climb the stairs and see how his young patient was fairing. "How is Joseph anyway Ben?" Paul now asked as Ben followed him up to his son's room.

"That's why I am so happy to see you Paul" Ben began as they entered the room. They were not surprised to see Joe still asleep. "Lately he seems so withdrawn from the rest of the family. I know he has been sick and in a lot of pain, but over the last day or so as he has begun showing signs of healing, his self-esteem and emotional seem to have taken a dive. He doesn't want to talk to anybody, he barely picks at the food that we bring him on the plate and he always seems to be stealing looks towards the window and door every now and then as if to make sure that a stranger isn't going to enter the room. He appears very afraid and won't open the window in the slightest or draw the curtains to let the light in the room."

"Well some of what you say is to be expected Ben" Paul said making a mental note of everything that Ben said. "I suspect he will have some issues about being away from his family and in particular this house even for quite some time to come. He was taken from his family and home by force and it is going to take some time for him to get over that. The eating is a little worrisome and hopefully between us all we can find a solution so that he gets the nutrition that he needs to heal fully. I think the insecurity and lack of confidence may last longer than I first suspected." Paul now added. "Let's take a look at him and see if we can't get him to open up to us a little shall we?"

Paul walked over to the bed and sat facing Joe who was laying turned on his side. Ben sat on the opposite side. "Joseph" he said softly at first and gave the boy a gentle shake with a hand on his shoulder. When it appeared that he didn't hear or didn't want to hear Paul tried a little harder this time "Little Joe" he said a little louder and the shake was a little firmer.

Joe slowly opened his eyes and seemed confused at first. That was until that feeling that someone stranger was suddenly in the room, then his eyes took on that timid appearance again as he darted his gaze around the room as though startled. It took a few seconds for his brain to register that the person sitting on the bed wasn't a stranger at all. He tried to shake the remaining fog from his mind and attempted to roll over a little and pull himself up into a sitting position. He grunted a little with the effort and then found he couldn't roll over too far due to his father's position on the other side.

"Hi Doc" he said with a small voice. "Pa".

"I'm here son" Ben said reading that his son needed to know that he was in the room.

"How are you feeling young man?" Paul now asked while trying to gauge Joe's every facial movement for a deception or playing down of any pain he might be really feeling. Truth was though Joe didn't try and hide his grunts of pain or his winces that escaped his lips while he moved about on the bed.

"A little sore, but mostly okay" Joe answered after a minute or so. He took the glass of water Ben offered and drank the contents gratefully.

"Let's just take a look at those bruises and your leg and see shall we" Paul now said. Joe sat stoic through the whole episode. He didn't say anything to the doctor about being poked and prodded and only winced a little when the touching became painful or the doctor found a tender spot. He just waited patiently until the doctor was finished his work.

"That leg is healing nicely Joe, but it will still be a few weeks before you can put your full weight back on it" Paul now advised him. All the time his mind was really asking what the quiet, withdrawn mood in Joe was telling him about how his patient was feeling.

"Doesn't look like I will be getting out of here in a hurry then does it?" Joe replied with a question. His voice betrayed him though as he sounded barely interested in the subject of his being allowed out of bed. It was almost like the reply was rehearsed before Paul and his father came into the room.

"Ah, that's where you are wrong young man" Paul said with a grin and motioned for Ben to pass him the surprise that he had carried into the room for Joe. "I've got something here that will see you getting about just fine before your leg is fully healed"

Joe looked at the doctor as though he didn't really believe him but didn't say anything to the contrary. "What are you going to give me... wings" he said in an almost sarcastic tone. He just wanted to be left alone and the sooner the better.

"No, not quite, but something better" Paul said trying to keep the tone of the conversation cheerful and light. "I am going to give you artificial legs Joe" Paul said now holding up the wooden crutches for him to see. Both the doctor and Ben sat quietly for a moment and waited to see what Joe's reaction to the new devices would be.

Joe did look at them, saying nothing. He looked them up and down and knew what they were. He had heard about them being used by other children who couldn't use their own legs to walk. He had even seen them being used on an occasion or two. He looked back at the doctor and then his father knowing that they were waiting for him to say something about them. They wanted him to be happy about them being a gift. Joe had other thoughts about them.

"Oh just great" Joe said in a less than impressed tone of voice. "If I don't kill myself by trying to get around on them I'll probably get beaten to death by others in town telling me that Virginia City is no place for a damned cripple". He turned his face away, a little cranky a himself for being such a baby about the whole thing and trying to hide the tears that were welling up in his eyes.

Ben was half tempted to say something to his son about his choice of language but knew that a reprimand would only see the boy slip further into his self-induced state of depression.

"I'm sorry Joe" Paul now said gently, trying to pull Joe out of his own self pity. "People won't laugh or make fun of you though. I just thought you could use something to help you get outside of these four walls in the next couple of weeks. I know how you must be itching to get out of that bed by now." he added.

For the first time since Paul had come into the room, the fear was now nakedly evident on Joe's face as he turned back to face them after hearing the words "leave his room". His mind was telling him that the only place safe and secure at the moment was his own room. If he stayed in his room, nobody could take him away from his family again. If he stayed in his room, he could see people coming and going and control the situation at hand. If he left his room, that's when things changed and went beyond his control. That's when people like Butch Thomas came into his life. No he didn't want to leave his room, not ever.

Ben and Paul saw the fear on Joe's face and now knew some of the thoughts in Joe's mind. What the truth really was behind the sarcasm and unkind words. They were coming from somebody who feared a man. A man that had taken him away from his family and savagely beat him. A man that he had been told was still free and his whereabouts unknown.

"Are you afraid that the man who did this to you will come back Joseph" Ben now said putting his hand on the trembling boy's shoulder. He caught a glimpse of the slight nod from his son before Joe buried his head in his father's chest and cried out his frustrations. He didn't mean to sound like such a baby in front of them. He didn't want them knowing how scared he was. He couldn't help it though. Every time a gust of wind blew the curtain up in his room, he found himself wanting to dive under the covers or under the bed in case it was Thomas coming back.

Paul and Ben waited until Joe was a little more under control before continuing their discussion about the crutches. "Joe you just take your time with these. Use them when you are ready. They may take a little getting used to at first and a little practice to master. But once you have had a few turns, you should do okay. I want you to keep the weight of that leg of yours for the next two weeks at least. Hopefully by then, the stitches will be ready to come out and I will let you know after that when you can walk freely again."

"Thanks doc" Joe said sheepishly trying to apologize for his weakness without actually saying the words.

"I'll see you in two days Joe, until then you just worry about taking care of yourself. I am sure that your family will keep you safe" Paul said trying to reassure the boy.

"Ben, can I talk to you outside for a minute" Paul now asked.

"I'll be right back Joseph" Ben said to his son. "We can talk in a minute."

Joe now sat back against the pillows whilst the doctor and his father went outside to talk about things that they didn't want him to hear. He just stared at the ceiling and tried to concentrate on keeping his mind blank and keep it from wandering again. He didn't want to tell his father about the nightmare he had been having shortly before he had come into the room with the doctor. It was the same one again. The one where Butch Thomas came back and took him away from his family and home. He didn't know how to stop it from coming back again and again.

"What are we going to do Paul?" Ben now said as the two men descended the stairs.

Hoss overheard the words and was concerned for his younger brother's welfare. "What's wrong Pa? Anything I can do?" he asked.

"Yes, just go and sit with your younger brother until I see Doc Martin off would you Hoss" Ben said to his large son.

"I know it's going to be a long and difficult process Ben" Paul began. "We are just going to have to try and coax the boy out of his shell slowly. Little bit by little bit. Now the hardest thing I am going to ask you to do from today is to give him some space to re-find his sense of independency. At the moment he is feeling very vulnerable and afraid, I know. But for the next couple of nights, I want you, Hoss and Adam to sleep in your own rooms. I don't mean don't check on him every now and then to see if he is alright and get what he needs. But I want him to start relying on himself again, just a little. Hopefully once the ball gets rolling and he realises that he must depend on himself some of the time, he will just naturally return to the old Joe Cartwright that we have come to love and miss so much. It's going to take willpower for you and your boy's Ben, but for Joe's sake you have to try." Paul explained.

"Are you sure that's the right thing to do Paul?" Ben said, hating the idea of not being there for Joe's full recovery.

"No I am not sure Ben, but I have seen enough today to know that we need to help that boy find his mischievous self again. I miss his smile and laughter, don't you" Paul said teasingly to his old friend.

"More than you know" Ben answered truthfully.

Paul Martin now left the Ponderosa in his buggy and headed back towards Virginia City. As he secured his buggy and horse for the day, he found himself coming face to face with Butch Thomas. Paul didn't know the man but politely said hello when the Doctor saw him standing on the edge of the verandah to his office.

"Hello friend" came Paul's friendly reply. He had no idea that he was saying hello to the man that had brought so much pain and misery to the young patient he had just examined.

"Hello doctor" Thomas replied as he casually blew a ring of smoke from his cigar. Thomas had come back to town two days after Little Joe was found. He was curious to know just how his young victim was faring. When he hadn't heard about a funeral for the youngest Cartwright member, he smiled to himself and wondered if the boy wasn't made of a little sturdier stuff than he first thought. "Say Doc, are you the man who has been tending that hurt young fellow?" Thomas now asked, trying to sound as harmless as possible.

Paul now stopped to talk to the man "You mean Little Joe Cartwright?" Paul asked, wondering why this man was showing an interest in the boy.

"Just a terrible thing that I heard happened to that boy that's all and I just wanted to ask if he was going to be alright" Thomas said giving his best naïve smile.

"Yes is was a terrible thing that happened." Paul said relaxing a little now at the man's concern for Joe's welfare. "I don't think there would be a man or woman in this town who doesn't have a bad word to say about those fellows, wherever they are. Joe is recovering to answer your question. He still has a long way to go before healing fully, but he is making progress. Good day Mr..." Paul said now curious about the stranger's name.

"Mr Smith" Thomas answered straight away, trying to ease the doctor's raised sense of curiosity. "Mr Bill Smith".

"Mr Smith" Paul said and then went into his office to carry on with his daily tasks.

Thomas smiled inwardly to himself. "Maybe there's one man in this town doc" he commented to himself and now walked away from the building, trying to figure out when to make his next move where the boy was concerned.

Back at the Ponderosa, as painful as it was to him, Ben explained to Hoss and Adam about how the doctor wanted to approach Joe's fear. It was explained to them that Paul wanted them to let Joe become a little more independent and slowly encourage him deal with what had happened to him. Hopefully it would come to the point where Joe opened up to one of his family and then the true healing process could begin.

For the rest of the afternoon and most of that evening, Ben tried to encourage Joe to come downstairs and join the family for the evening meal. He knew that his son was still hurting in a lot of places and that Joe would need help to manoeuvre the stairs and then to manage to get to the table, but his family told him that they would be there to support him both physically and mentally until he felt stronger.

The words seem to fall on deaf ears though, as Joe pressed his lips together into a fine line of refusal and shook his head with his answer. Inside his head all he could hear was the sound of his own voice, telling him what would happen if he left the security of his own room. At least within such a confined space he had control. If he ventured downstairs into somewhere else, it would be just like back at the abandoned shack and things might occur that he didn't have that control over.

Ben and his boys sadly didn't push Joe much harder about coming downstairs. They reminded themselves that they would have to keep trying over the next few days. Usually when Joe was recovering from an illness or injury, the family together with Doc Martin had to use all sorts of threats to keep him in bed until he was healed enough. Now, when they thought he was recovering physically enough to be allowed out of bed, Joe was withdrawing into himself even more.

It took all of their willpower to sit downstairs with Joe upstairs on his own. Ben forced himself to complete the evening meal without checking on his youngest son. The feelings though became overwhelming once they had retired to the living room for coffee and he went up to see if Joe was okay. When he opened the door, a large lump suddenly became lodged in his throat as he looked in and saw his son curled up on his side, sound asleep. Ben walked over and softly caressed Joe's cheek as many thoughts ran through his mind. He wanted to protect this child with all of his heart but Joe kept wanting to push his family away. How could they make him see that they were only there to help him? How could he make Joe see how much his family needed him to get well again?

Adam and Hoss went to bed before their father, but they too couldn't resist the urge to check on the youngest. Both of them found Joe in a similar pose as Ben had and promised that they would help their brother as much as they could to get over his terrible ordeal. Both of the had a hate for the men who did this burning within them.

Ben doused the light in the lantern in his room and settled down to sleep. The three of them had promised to check on Joe at least once during the night. There was a tiredness they all felt from the burden of looking after Joe, but a burden that neither one of them intended to shirk. They all just wished there was something more that they could do for Little Joe. They would do anything, feel the pain he was in, relive the nightmares he was caught in each night, so long as they could have their son and brother back like before.

As the light went out, Ben failed to see a puff of smoke from a cigar rise into the air as a shadow sat on his horse, cloaked in the darkness of the night and shielded from view. It was now time for him to leave his victim a little reminder.

All four occupants of the household slept without being aware of the imminent danger that was lurking outside the house.

Butch Thomas now dismounted from his horse and silently crept along the side of the house. He didn't know which window belong to the boy's bedroom, but he spotted one and climbed up onto the roof and started to go about prising it open very quietly.

He tried to look through the slightly opaque glass to see who's room it was, but his view was blocked further by two thin white curtains. He pulled out his pocket knife and slid the blade along the window sill until he found the latch. Once the blade hit the steel latch, Thomas worked his knife back and forth against the flimsy piece of metal until it finally gave way. There was a small amount of noise made for which he cursed himself, but after waiting for a few seconds, he was satisfied enough that whoever was in the bedroom, was unaware of his presence.

He now carefully and silently slid the bottom window panel up to allow him access to the room. He put one leg over the window sill and then the other, ducking his head as he entered the room. He looked over and saw a large single bed across the other side of the room. He got a reasonably good look at the sleeping occupant from behind and grinned devilishly as he could scarcely believe his luck about being in the right room on the first attempt.

Joe was turned on his side still with his back facing Thomas. The moon light coming through the window was enough for Thomas to get a glimpse of curly brown hair and recognize the figure in the bed as Little Joe.

He walked around the other side of the bed and now looked down at the sleeping boy as his father Ben had done so earlier in the evening. It took all of his willpower now to stop from waking the boy up and making his presence known. He wanted to see the boy's naked fear so bad it almost hurt but he reminded himself that there would be plenty of time later to let the kid know he was around. The idea he had for tonight would ensure that Little Joe knew he had been in the room.

Butch now reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out a small object. The dim light in the room revealed the item to be one of the bullets that had fallen from the pistol onto the floor when they had played Russian Roulette back at the shack. He knew that Joe would recognize it once he saw it, but he wanted to conceal it's presence until the right moment. He looked around at the items in the room, looking for the right hiding place for his little surprise when his eyes settled on a photograph of a woman on the bedside table. Thomas looked at the photograph and then back at Joe and surmised that it must have been the boy's mother. He had heard from sources that Ben lived only with his four boys, so he didn't know what had happened to the woman in the photograph but looking down at the boy, the resemblance was unmistakable.

He looked a little more at the photograph and then the frame itself. The frame was large and thick and would provide the right hiding place for the bullet. When the boy went to look at the photograph he would spot Thomas's little present. Hopefully the threats made to Joe earlier about what would happen if he mentioned Thomas's name would be enough to scare the young man into keeping it's message to himself. If anybody else in the family found it before Joe did, they would only see it as a bullet.

Thomas now carefully concealed the bullet behind the frame's stand so that if the frame was moved in any way, the bullet would become visible. He looked back at the sleeping figure in the bed and then climbed out the window he came in before anybody heard him creeping about. He grinned to himself as he left, trying to figure out what the boy's reaction would be once he found his little surprise.

Adam rolled over in his sleep and opened an eye briefly, thinking that he heard footsteps on the roof. Normally he would have put it down to his little brother coming home late from being in Virginia City but he knew that at the moment Joe couldn't have been climbing about on the roof, even if he wanted too. The boy's injuries would prevent him from using his normal dare-devil stuns of climbing through his bedroom window.

Adam lay there for a few more seconds and then decided to get up and check on Joe in case he needed anything. He pulled his robe on and opened the door to Joe's bedroom very quietly. He had a lantern with him as he walked across to the bed and shone the faint light over the sleeping figure in the bed.

Joe's senses told himself that someone was in the room and he opened his eyes and greeted his brother standing over him.

"Hey Adam" Joe said with a sleep thick voice.

"Hey yourself" Adam said with a smile as he watched Joe almost fall back to sleep immediately. "Need anything?" he added. He was trying to gauge if the boy was hurting anywhere at the moment.

"Ummh No... no thanks" came the barely audible reply before Joe succumbed once again to his body's need to rest.

"Sleep well little brother" Adam whispered with relief. At least it seemed that Joe was sleeping without any nightmares tonight. It was the first time in a few days that Joe hadn't screamed out in the middle of the night in sheer terror as he relived being taken away from his family.

Adam now tiptoed out of the room and reclosed the door only to be greeted by his father Ben just starting to come out of his own room. Adam had to smile at his father. He knew his father would find it difficult to give his youngest son the space that Paul was talking about.

Ben looked sheepishly at Adam and knew what his eldest son was thinking "I was just worried Okay" he said finally.

"Don't worry, I was too" Adam admitted "Thought I heard something on the roof, so I go up to check on him. Joe's fine, just went back to sleep. He seems to be sleeping very well tonight, no nightmares so far".

"Let's hope it keeps up until morning then" Ben said as he prepared to go back to his own bed. His mind was a little more at ease that Adam had checked on Joe. If his son was sleeping a little better, then he wouldn't do anything to interrupt that much needed rest.

Next morning, Ben was bringing a tray to his son in his room. He opened the door and smiled when he saw the boy still sleeping. He didn't mind in the slightest. Joe was always the last to get up in this household. At the moment though considering the circumstances, Joe could sleep as much as he liked until his injuries were healed a little more.

Ben placed the tray on the bedside table and then frowned a little as he looked over to see the window on the other side of the room opened. The curtains were blowing a gentle breeze that came in the room through the half-opened window. Ben was positive that he had closed it yesterday because Joe told him that he felt safer with it closed. Now it was open. Maybe Joe got up through the night to let some fresh air in Ben surmised and didn't really think much more about it. If it was a sign that Joe was starting to feel a little safer, then so be it. The weather wasn't particularly cold enough to worry about it being too cold in the room at night.

Joe was now starting to stir and wake up from his night sleep. He pulled himself into a more upright position on the bed and winced at the pain in his ribs that immediately resulted. His leg was only aching dully and he actually felt more alert then he had in days. His ribs were pretty good except if he tried to move to much.

Ben went over to the bed "Good morning son" he greeted his son and started placing pillows behind Joe's back so that he could sit up that little bit more.

"Morning Pa" Joe replied and then looked down at the tray of food that his father placed in front of him. A small soft boiled egg, some lightly buttered bread and black coffee.

"Now I want you to try and eat as much as you can" Ben said, trying not to make too much of a deal about Joe's eating habits. It was well known to the family that Joe was a finicky eater when it came to meals. Ben knew that his son's ribs were still smarting and that he still had some pain, but he also wanted to ensure that his son's recovery wasn't hampered any further because the boy refused to eat a nourishing meal.

"I'll try" Joe said not wanting to reignite the same arguments about his eating. He picked up his cup of coffee and started to sip at the hot liquid. It slid down his throat and actually tasted very good. To satisfy his father that little bit more, he now cut the top of his boiled egg and ate a few mouthfuls of the semi-solid liquid inside.

"I'll leave you to eat your breakfast in peace" Ben said, knowing his son would prefer not to be watched as he ate. "Do you need anything else?" he asked as he prepared to leave the room.

"Not really, but could you ask Adam to come up for a few minutes" Joe replied. "I wanted to ask him about borrowing a couple of his books to read while I am stuck in this bed."

"Sure son, and if you are feeling up to it, I can get Hoss and Adam to help you down to the living room a little later in the day. It will be a little more comfortable than being in here all day" Ben suggested, trying to nudge his son that little bit closer to coming out of his room for a few hours.

"Maybe later Pa" Joe said and sipped at his coffee again, trying not to give away his true thoughts on the matter. If he gave some hope to his father then maybe they would leave him alone.

Adam came up a few minutes later and greeted his brother with a smile. "Good morning little brother" he said in a cheery voice. "What's this I hear about you wanting to widen your knowledge?" he joked, knowing that Joe was never one for learning from books. It wasn't that the boy wasn't bright enough, completely the opposite, but Joe just didn't want to seem to try. Adam had offered to help him with his studies on a number of occasions, but Joe always refused and struggled on his own getting mediocre results for his efforts at school.

"Don't get your hopes up" Joe answered "I just wanted something to look at apart from these four walls".

Adam didn't try and push anymore like his father did, but he did see a glimmer of hope in those words. Maybe if Joe got bored enough of his room, then he would want to come down and join the rest of his family. It was a sign, a very small one at that and nothing to get excited about, but he had to believe that soon his brother would start to regain that self-esteem of his that had been robbed while he was away from his family.

Adam did as Joe requested and brought in a few of Joe's favourite books to read. "Could you take this down to Hop Sing Adam" Joe now asked as he pushed his breakfast tray away.

"Sure, had enough?" Adam inquired as he saw half of the egg gone, the coffee cup empty but the buttered bread untouched.

"Yeah for now. My ribs are still hurting and my stomach doesn't feel much like food at the moment." Joe admitted as he laid back against the pillows and made himself more comfortable to read his books.

"We will be downstairs if you need us" Adam said as he left the room with the tray.

"Well half a battle won anyway" Ben said to Hoss and Adam as he gazed down at Joe's breakfast tray.

Ben sat at his desk for the remainder of the morning, trying to do his book work for the ranch without his mind continually wandering and wanting to know what his son was doing upstairs.

Adam and Hoss had left the house after breakfast to carry out some much needed chores and promised that they would be back at lunchtime in case they were needed to help Joe. Ben promised them at everything would be fine while they were away.

Back upstairs, Joe had tried to do what he said, and picked up one of Adam's books and opened the first page. His eyes skimmed over the words, but he wasn't really reading them. His mind kept wandering too. Back to the abandoned shack and hearing the words that Thomas spoke to him. The pain he had felt.

The more he thought about his situation though, the more that renowned Joe Cartwright temper started to appear. He started admonishing himself severely for the fear that he constantly felt and the way he kept pushing his family away.

His eyes kept wandering towards the doorway and despite the fear that dwelled within him, he did want to get out of this bedroom. The first part was wanting to do it and that was the hardest part at the moment. He looked over into the other corner of the room and spied the crutches that Doctor Paul Martin had left for him to use.

He had never used them before but his eyes kept looking from them to the doorway. Finally after much berating and telling himself that only babies hid away in their rooms, Joe threw back the covers that were over him.

He gingerly looked down at the thick white bandage around his leg. He had been told about the injury underneath it. Paul had said it was healing, but the only thing he could feel was the stitches painfully pulling against the soft skin of his ankle.

Joe now gritted his teeth and forced his two legs over the edge of the bed. He waited for the pain to stop before moving the rest of his body towards the edge. He looked up and saw the crutched leaning against the wall. There was about two metres between the edge of the bed and the crutches. Somehow he had to get upright first, and then without falling flat on his face, reach the crutches and use them to support him as he manoeuvred to the doorway. He knew he could have called out and his father or brothers would come to help him. But the independent streak in him that the family was waiting to see had begun to emerge and he told himself that he had to do this on his own if he was going to overcome his fear.

"Come on you can do this" he admonished himself again and braced his hands on the bed in order to push himself into a standing positon.

He managed to push himself into the standing position, but then had to hold his breath and grab a hold of the bedclothes with an iron grip to stop himself toppling over from the giddiness that he suddenly felt from standing up.

He closed his eyes and told himself to concentrate on breathing to ignore the pain that was now shooting up and down his leg. This was the first attempt at standing on the leg since he was injured and he didn't like how it felt one little bit.

His hands were shaking from the exertion and he was almost tempted to lay back down and give it up as a bad joke. The berating voice came back into his head though and told him to stop being such a baby again. He took another deep breath and let it out slowly as he tried to get the dizziness under control. He was only clad in a night-shire at the moment and the slight breeze coming through the window made him shiver involuntarily and his skin came out in gooseflesh underneath the thin material.

Slowly but surely he now made himself let go of the bed and try and stand up on his own. He stood absolutely still for a few minutes and was mindful not to move in any one particular direction or he would fall in an embarrassing heap on the floor.

Once he thought he was strong enough, he pivoted on one leg, keeping his injured leg off the ground so that he was facing the wall and the direction he wanted to travel in. "So far so good" he said silently to himself.

He tried to gauge how many steps he would have to try and hop to get to the crutches. And it would be hoping too because he knew he didn't want and try to put any weight on his leg at all yet. He bent his good leg slightly and then with as much confidence as he could muster, he forced his body to take that first hop. He landed unsteadily on his good leg and had to adjust his arms a few times to regain his balance. There was a slight thud on the floor boards from his foot landing.

Ben had been trying to concentrate on the figures in front of him when he heard the thud on the floor. He looked up and creased his forehead in a frown as he tried to work out what Joe might be doing. He was tempted to get up straight away and go up to his son's room, but he forced himself to sit at his desk for a few more minutes, trying to hear the sound again.

Joe bent down slightly again and took another hop towards the crutches. With one more small hop he was now able to reach the wall and put his hands on the crutches. He had one hand braced up on the wall for support as he tried to gather the crutches underneath his arms. He placed his hands now on the handles and put his full body weight onto the thin crutches.

They were a little uncomfortable under his arms at first and he adjusted his stance and grip a few times trying to get them to sit a little better under him. He now gripped the handles tightly with both hands and attempted to take his first awkward stride with them.

It worked and he actually had a smile over his face as he made the first step without falling. With the first one, his confidence gave him a false sense of security though and he took another two in quick succession, ending up around the other side of his bed, nearest the bed side table.

Ben had heard the floor boards squeak a few more times and determined that all these strange noises needed investigating. He got up from his desk and now climbed the stairs to see if his son was alright.

Joe was too engrossed in his new found freedom of movement with the crutches to hear his father approach the door. He was just about to take another step as his father opened the door. Joe squeaked at the fright he got from his father opening the door. He tried to put the crutches back onto the solid floor, but they came down on an odd angle causing his balance to become unsteady once again.

Ben opened the door and gasped out loud when he saw his son, whom was supposed to be resting in bed, suddenly up on his feet and using the crutches the doctor had left. He heard the startled cry of his son and regretted not warning his son before entering. The thought was quickly pushed from his mind though as he saw his son become unsteady on his feet. He tried to move forward and grab a hold of his son before he fell onto the floor.

Joe's overbalance caused his body to bump into the bedside table. The few items on the table were knocked over, including his mother's photograph. With the frame now dislodged from the table, there was now nothing stopping Butch Thomas's little surprise from rolling from behind the floor, off the edge of the table and onto the wooden floor.

Ben stopped briefly as he saw the photograph fall and now watched with confusion as an object rolled off the table and away from the beside table. Once it hit the floor, it continued to roll for a short distance before coming to rest at Joe's feet. Ben could see it was a bullet and although he knew it posed no immediate threat, he was confused as to how it got there or what it was doing on Joe's table. He looked up and saw Joe's gaze fixated on the bullet in front of him.

Joe couldn't hold back the gasp of shock and horror as he watched the bullet roll off the table and onto the floor. He forgot he was holding onto the crutches and they fell to the floor as he his hands suddenly flew to his mouth to muffle the scream that was now held in the back of his throat. His fears had just become reality.

Ben wasn't looking at anything now but his son as he saw the boy's complexion pale to an almost waxen appearance. He heard the boy's strangulated cry and saw the fear in the boy's eyes. He knew that Joe saw some sort of meaning in the harmless looking bullet, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out what it was.

Joe now felt the world around him start to become real dizzy and he struggled to hold it together. He felt the blood abruptly drain from his face and his legs turned to jelly. He vaguely heard himself give out a groan as his vision wavered and everything turned black. He didn't feel himself toppling over.

Ben now yelled his son's name out as he saw the boy loose his colouring and sway before him. The boy gave a groan and fainted on the spot. Ben made a move to catch his falling son, but missed and Joe now fell into a limp heap on the floor.

"JOSEPH" Ben cried as he bent down to check the boy's pulse. He found it okay, and sighed in relief. But then immediately became alarmed as he felt it. It was racing. The boy's heart was racing at a mile a minute.

Adam and Hoss had been unbuckling their gun belts at the front door, preparing for lunch when they heard the gasp shock from their father and heard Ben scream his youngest son's name. Both of them took no time to climb the stairs, two at a time and now gaze upon their father bent over the unconscious form of their brother on the floor.

"What happened Pa?" Hoss now said with worry written all over his face.

"I don't know. I just came into the room. He was trying to stand up on those crutches. I must have startled him because he lost his balance and then bumped into the bedside table here, knocking the things of it. That bullet on the floor there was behind the photo frame. He watched it roll across the floor and then just seemed to faint dead away." Ben said as he continued to rouse his son.

"Hoss you go and get Doc Martin" Adam now suggested as he picked up the bullet on the floor. He looked it over and over. Nothing out of the ordinary struck him.

Hoss did his brother's biding and took off down the stairs, ready to get back on his horse and ride urgently to Virginia City.

"Joseph" Ben said as he continued to say his son's name over and over in an attempt to wake him up. 'Wake up son"

"His pulse is very rapid" Ben now said to Adam. Adam knelt down beside his fallen brother and felt for himself, nodding the same finding as he felt the throbbing in the boy's neck. Joe's colour wasn't very good at all. His face was not so ashen now, but still very pale.

"I thought I scared him coming into the room, but I didn't think I scared him this much" Ben said, concerned that he had startled his son who was stilling recovering.

"Let's get him settled back onto the bed Pa" Adam now said as he helped his father lift a limp Little Joe from the floor and place him back onto the bed. They pulled the strewn covers back on him to try and warm his body and hopefully get some colour back into his skin.

"What else was he doing when you came into the room?" Adam now asked, trying to figure out what would cause such a drastic reaction in Joe.

"Like I said, I came into the room. It was obvious that I startled him. He was trying to walk on those crutches" Ben answered as he now picked up the fallen crutches. He now laid them against the wall on the other side of the beside table. "He cried out in fright and stumbled, bumping into the table" Ben said as he played out his son's movements. "The photo fell off the table and that bullet rolled off the table. I don't know where it came from, but Joe's eyes seemed to be held on it as it rolled about the floor. Next thing he starts swaying and then falls over in a dead faint. I tried to catch him, but I wasn't quick enough."

"But what was a bullet doing on his bedside table?" Adam now pondered as he continued to look from the bullet to his brother laying on the bed.

"I don't know, but it looks just like any other bullet" Ben replied. "Have you seen it before?"

"No, but there is a bit of a distinct marking around the bullet. Probably made from the chamber of the gun it came from. It hasn't been fired, probably just loaded and unloaded from a pistol."

"Ohhh" came from the bed, immediately ending the conversation between father and eldest son. Both of them turned their attention to Joe.

"Joe" Ben whispered softly as his son moved his head back and forth on the pillow in an attempt to come back to consciousness.

Ben started to wipe the boy's face with a damp cloth to help bring him around. Joe took a few more minutes to open his eyes and then focus them on the voice that was speaking to him. His thoughts didn't come back to him all at once.

"Welcome back" Ben said still wiping his face.

"What happened" Joe asked as he put his hands to his head to stop the merry- go-round.

"That's what we were about to ask you" Ben answered. "I walked into the room and you seemed to just fall onto the floor in a dead faint."

"Does this have any significance to you Joe" Adam asked innocently holding up the bullet that he found on the floor.

It was now that the images came flooding back into Joe's mind. The pistol being held to his head. His eyes watching the bullets as Thomas loaded them into the chamber one at a time. He looked at them long enough to notice every mark and dent on the small pieces of lead.

Joe closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on breathing again. He had to get through this. "Umm no..." came the barely audible whisper as Joe tried to look everywhere else but Adams's hand.

Adam and Ben exchanged glances and knew that Joe was lying. They were now certain that the bullet meant something to Joe, but they had no idea what. Their train of thought was interrupted as Doctor Paul Martin now came into the room followed by Hoss.

"You're back very quickly" Ben said noting the time that it had been since Hoss left for the doctor.

"I was already on my way out here Ben to check on my patient." Paul answered as he set his medical bag down on the bed. "Looks like I was needed anyway from what Hoss tells me" he said now looking at his pale and wan patient lying on the bed.

"What have you done to yourself now Joseph?" Paul said in mock sternness. "He was a little concerned about the boy's pale features but kept his thoughts to himself for the moment.

He held the stethoscope to Joe's chest and began listening to the boy's heart and lungs. He noted the same raciness that Ben had discovered when Joe fainted, but perhaps not as bad as before.

"What caused you to feel faint Joe?" Paul asked simply.

"Um, I don't know " Joe lied. He didn't think his family wanted to hear the full story about the bullet and what it meant to him. Finding it there scared Joe more than he could ever imagined though. He knew that by finding it there on the bedside table, hidden from view until the right moment meant that Butch Thomas had been here. Had not only been at the house, but had entered his room as he slept. He could have taken him back away from his family at any time and his family wouldn't have been able to stop him. The thoughts about Thomas standing over his bed and watching him as he lay asleep, totally alone in his room made his flesh come out in goose bumps again. The fear was too much to ignore and it was all consuming.

Ben and the doctor noticed with concern the boy apparently remembering something and then saw the fear on his face and the gooseflesh on his skin. There was a much deeper meaning to this than Joe was prepared to give.

Joe was becoming agitated by the attention and scrutiny he was getting and nervously picked at the bed clothes with his hands. He tried not to hold his gaze with any one of them for more than a few seconds for fear of giving himself away to them.

"I got startled by Pa coming through the door" Joe said finally without looking up. It sounded a plausible enough excuse. He had jumped a little at Ben's unannounced entry, but that little bit of a scare was nothing compared with the runaway fear that had an iron grip over his heart at the moment.

Ben looked up at the doctor and then his other two boys and knew that nobody in the room really believed that it was the real reason. Ben felt a little guilty about scaring his son unnecessarily, but he saw the signs of something more eating away at his son. The more they tried to help Joe overcome his fear, the more he seemed to withdraw away from them and built more defences around himself. The battle was turning into a uphill one.

"Well for now young man, you don't seem to have caused yourself much more damage." Paul said as he got up and put his instruments in his bag. "I want you to try and get some rest for a while and then have something to eat, Okay?"

Joe nodded his head but didn't say anything. He moved about and made himself more comfortable on the bed and turned over, closing his eyes as though drifting off to sleep. He didn't want to worry his family any more than he had already done. Truth was, Joe knew that sleep would be a long time in coming today.

Ben, the doctor, Adam and Hoss now exited Joe's bedroom, satisfied that it looked as though that Joe was settling down to rest for a while. No sooner had they closed the door that he immediately opened his eyes and just lay there with Thomas's threats echoing in his mind. He knew deep down in his soul that he would never be able to reveal who his tormentor was for fear of him coming back and harming his family. Thomas had told him that he would get to him if he wanted to and seeing the bullet on his bedside table only proved it even more.

"Ben, I don't need to tell you that whatever is disturbing that boy, he is determined not to tell anybody about it. Like I said, he seems okay, though a little pale and a touch of anxiety, but that will pass soon enough. We have to keep up my earlier instructions of trying to coax him out of his shell. If we don't he is going to let it eat away at him."

"I wish we could help him more Paul" Ben said worriedly. "I thought maybe he was showing some signs of wanting to open up, but now I'm not so sure anymore."

Paul now fiddled around in his bag and pulled out a small white bag with two pills inside "These are very mild sleeping pills Ben. I want you to give him one tonight and one tomorrow night. Hopefully they will allow him to get some decent rest."

Ben was about to talk to Paul more about this son's condition when there was another knock at the front door. Adam opened it and was greeted by Sheriff Roy Coffee standing there with his hat in his hand.

"Roy, what brings you out here" Ben asked, shaking his friend's hand.

"Howdy Ben, got a couple of things I needed to discuss with you and your boys. By the way how is Little Joe?" the lawman asked as he shook the doctor's hand "Doc".

"He's a little on edge at the moment Sheriff, but his physical injuries are healing nicely" Paul answered for Ben.

"If you'll excuse me Ben, I will come out day after tomorrow if I am not needed sooner. Let me know if he gets any worse" he said and left the house for town.

"Thanks Paul" Ben said to the doctor and now turned his attention to the Sheriff. "What can I do for you Roy?" he asked again.

"I'm sorry to hear that about Little Joe Ben, and that makes what I am about to tell you a little harder" he said nervously played with his hat-band. "Seems that fellow Griffith's I have got locked up has some powerful friends. He had gotten in contact with a lawyer from the city. I just had an urgent telegram from him today telling me that he arrives on the stage tomorrow and wants to have a meeting between you and his client about setting this matter for trial in a couple of weeks.

"A couple of weeks Roy" Ben said a little exasperated "I just don't know if Joe will be well enough or willing enough to testify by that stage. We have tried to ask him a few times to tell us about what happened, but he refuses to tell us. Just freezes up and starts shaking as soon as the subject is mentioned. It will be worse to put him in a court room in front of all those people."

"I know how you feel Ben, but Judge Collins is due out here about then and I think he wants to get the trial on before him" Roy now explained.

"We could contact Fred Harding Pa" Adam now suggested. He didn't like the ideas of putting his still injured and obviously scared younger brother through something as traumatic as a criminal trial.

"Yes son, that's a good idea, but even if he agrees to come out to help with the case, he won't be here by tomorrow when Griffith's lawyer is here" Ben said.

"We will just have to listen to what he says until Fred can turn up." Adam said.

"Okay Adam, you go back to town with Roy and send a telegram telling Fred that we are desperate for his help. Money is not an issue, we will pay him whatever he asks. Mention to him some of what has happened. We can fill him in on some of the smaller details if and when he gets here." Ben said.

"Ben, I hate to tell it like it is, but if we can't get Little Joe to testify to a court that Griffith's had anything to do with his abduction, then he and all the others will get off scott free. We still don't even know who the other men were. I was hoping to talk to Little Joe when he was feeling better to see if he remembers any description of them."

"Maybe Fred will know what to do. I don't want anything else happening to Little Joe Roy. He has been through enough already" Ben said with a firm voice. 'You go and organize this meeting for tomorrow night. We will all be there. We are not going to see this animal get away with what he did to Joseph."

Roy now departed the house along with Adam. Adam sent the telegram like his father suggested.

The rest of the day seemed to ebb away with no real problems. Joe spent the remainder of the day in his room. He dozed off occasionally, but the thoughts going around in his head prevented him from getting the proper rest Doc Martin said was vital for his recovery. Joe ate a sparse dinner but thankfully for Ben drank the milk offered. Ben had not wanted to upset his son any further that day about taking medicine to help him sleep so he had simply dissolved the white tablet in the milk before taking it up to Joe.

Ben sighed in relief as he watched the sleeping drug take a hold of his son. Joe was now in a deep sleep and should remain so for the rest of the night. Ben pulled the warm covers over his son's shoulders and left the room.

Adam and the others were having a late breakfast at the table when a knock at the door revealed Mr Porter from the telegraph office. He said that he had a telegram marked urgent for Ben from a Mr Fred Harding. Ben and his boys could scarcely believe their luck as they read the telegram that said Fred would be arriving the day after tomorrow.

They had brought in the big guns to help out Joe, but were mighty grateful to have such a well educated man willing to take on their case.

"What are we going to do about Little Joe tonight while we are at the meeting Pa?" Hoss said worried about leaving his little brother alone after being so scared.

"As much as I hate to do it Hoss, I think we still have to abide by Paul's idea to let him have a little more independence. I don't aim to leave him totally alone though. Hop Sing will be left here to look after anything that Joe might need. Hopefully if that other sleeping pill lasts as long as the one he had last night, we can go when he goes to sleep an be back at the house before he wakes up and knows we are gone." Ben explained. "I really think we all need to be at this meeting tonight for Joe's sake. It is going to be rough on him as it is and I don't want this slick lawyer doing anything underhanded to aid his client."

Joe's mood was just as dark when he awoke. He found himself feeling the same insecurity that he had felt before trying to get out of bed. Now the knowledge that Butch Thomas had been in his room, able to kill him or hurt him or take him away from his family at any moment, scared Joe tenfold. He took up to refusing to come out of his room again when told he could do so. He used a multitude of excuses such as still hurting some and feeling tired, which were all partly believable but his family knew that he was running away from himself and his nightmares.

By mid-afternoon, part of Joe's torment became Hoss's and the big man could no longer bare to see his younger sibling in such sorrow. Ben watched as Hoss climbed the stairs and secretly hoped that the closeness the two brothers shared would help Joe overcome his fear.

"Hi Ya brother" Hoss said cheerily as he entered Joe's room. Joe looked up and put aside the book he was reading. He tried to smile but it was a very fake effort.

"Hi Hoss" he said in a voice that held no tone at all. "Came up to try and talk to me again" he said dryly, knowing that all of his family had tried to do the same at various stages. It was now Hoss's turn, try as he might.

"Um yeah, I suppose yes" Hoss said a little taken aback by Joe's negativity. "It's just that you got us all so worried about you punkin'. Me and Adam have been trying to think of a way to help you out. Pa's just about going crazy down there worrying about you. You really scared him yesterday when you fainted like that."

"I didn't mean to Hoss" Joe said, his voice betraying him. The whole tone of the conversation had now changed as Hoss saw the tears slip from his brother's emerald green eyes. Hoss's heart just about broke in two and he couldn't help but sit on the bed and gather the younger boy into his arms while he cried.

"Oh punkin I know that. Pa knows you didn't mean it too. But you gotta believe that nobody is going to hurt you anymore. Not in this house. Not while any one of us is here to see you safe and sound. I promise that I will pound anybody into the ground that tries scare you or lifts a finger to hurt you again." Hoss said.

"Promise Hoss" Joe said in a meek voice. He really needed to believe that somebody would protect him at the moment. He really did feel all alone and vulnerable.

"I promise" Hoss said with a firmness that signalled he meant every word he said.

Hoss was determined to help his younger brother overcome his insecurity and fear and so for the rest of the afternoon before supper, he sat talking idly to Joe about what had been happening on the ranch while he was recovering. Hoss was no good at the gentle and soothing words that Adam or his Pa used, but he hoped that if he kept the conversation relaxed and the topics as far away from Joe's problems as possible, then Joe himself would begin to relax and feel safer. His methods showed some signs of working and Ben came up to see Hoss and Joe having a few games of checkers on the bed. Joe's mind was still wandering though and surprising to him Hoss found himself winning a few games, but for the most part, Joe seemed to be a little calmer.

Ben smiled at the comforting scene before him and quietly slipped away before he disturbed the two brothers.

While Hoss was having his conversation with Joe, another conversation of a different flavour was also happening back in Virginia City.

It was talking place in Henry William's office between Henry Williams himself and Butch Thomas.

"You took some mighty awful risks going back to the Ponderosa after that kid Thomas. What happens if the kid squawks and tells everything?" Williams said with a little anger in his voice. "He's going to testify before a Judge and Jury for God's sake. If he fingers Griffiths for being part of it, what's to say he doesn't mention your name with it?"

"Don't worry Williams, the kid won't say anything" Thomas replied casually while leaning back on a chair in the room.

Williams was riled just that little bit more with Thomas's nonchalant attitude. If the kid talked and people put two and two together about the lumber contract and Joe's kidnapping, it was both of their necks in the hangman's noose.

"Hey, I am trying to protect both of us here" Williams barked as he shoved Thomas's feet off his desk.

Williams swallowed a little as he now watched the colour of Thomas's eyes change. They became darker and more angrier. Thomas now stood up and over Williams as he spoke.

"You don't need to worry about a thing Williams. I got everything under control. Believe me I aim to go back tonight and finish what I started. By the time I am done with Little Joe Cartwright, the kid won't be able to even speak his name on that witness stand. He wouldn't dare tell anybody about me or what happened or Griffiths. He will keep his mouth shut if he knows what's good for him. I'll make sure of it."

"You just make sure that I get my share of that money. Because if I find that you have double-crossed me" Thomas said, grabbing Williams by the front of his shirt for emphasis "Then apart from me coming after your miserable hide, I will make sure that somebody finds out your name and your involvement about the boy's kidnapping."

Thomas pushed Williams back into his chair roughly and walked out of the office. He had a few preparations to do before he went back to the Ponderosa tonight.

"You sure you'll be alright Hop Sing?" Ben asked for the fifth time in an hour. He was now regretting his idea about only leaving the little Cantonese man with Joe for the few hours they were going to be in town.

'Mister Cartwright now worry. Hop Sing take good care of Little Joe" Hop Sing replied as Ben and his boys buckled on their gun belts. The horses were saddled and out front ready for them to depart in a few minutes.

"Now Hop Sing, Joe has been asleep for about an hour from that sleeping tablet. Make sure you check on him regularly, but don't wake him up. We shouldn't be too long. I want to get this meeting and out of the way. I will feel a lot better when Fred gets here tomorrow." Ben said.

"Adam while we are in town tonight, I want to make a hotel reservation for Fred for tomorrow. I will ask him to stay here, but I don't know if he will" Ben now stated. "Let's go boys. The sooner we go, the sooner we can get back here to Joe" Ben replied glancing a final time up to towards the room were his youngest son lay sleeping.

Hop Sing closed the heavy wooden door behind him and went up to check on Joe just like he was instructed to. He found Joe still sleeping due to the medicine and left the room to got down to the kitchen.

For the next half and hour Hop Sing worked furiously in the kitchen, getting some much needed baking out of the way while he was still awake. He wouldn't need to do so much tomorrow then. He was in the middle of making one of Hoss's favourite peach pies when he discovered that he had run out of eggs. He went out onto the verandah and walked the short distance to the large storage room at the back of the house. He kept the eggs and butter in this building because it seemed to be the cooler and the ingredients kept better than when they were in the pantry.

Hop Sing was too busy gathering the few items he needed to notice someone creeping up behind the door to the storage room. He had a small lantern with him but he turned around in surprise as the door was now slammed shut, locking him inside.

"Who out there, let out now?" Hop Sing yelled loudly to the unseen party.

"You just sit tight china man. I am just going to go and see how the boy is fairing" Thomas said with an evil laugh.

"Who you, you leave Little Joe alone. Cartwrights be back any minute. Leave Little Joe alone" Hop Sing yelled desperately through the door, knowing that he was powerless to help his favourite Cartwright.

"Don't lie to me china man. Cartwright and his boys only left an hour ago. They won't be back for ages. And don't you go worrying about Little Joe. I am going to take good care of him" Thomas said.

Hop Sing kept yelling through the door at the stranger to leave Little Joe alone but his words fell on deaf ears.

Because the kitchen door still being left open, Butch Thomas had no trouble entering the house. He looked around the kitchen briefly, but then headed out into the living room and towards the stair case.

He walked casually up the stairs, taking in the position of various rooms and items in the house. He made a mental map of everything he saw in case they could be of use later on.

He went into the bedroom at the top of the stairs, but found Hoss's room to be empty. He skipped the farthest room of Ben's and now opened Adam's bedroom door to find it empty also.

He glanced at the final door at the end of the hallway and knew that he would find what he was looking for inside.

At silently as possible he opened the door and went inside. He laughed to himself again as he found Little Joe curled up asleep on the bed. The kid didn't even know he was there. He was about to change all of that though.

Thomas the two crutches leaning up against the wall beside the bed side table and now deliberately knocked them to the floor. They made a crashing sound as they hit the wooden surface, but Joe only turned his head at the noise, his sleep from the drug too deep.

"I guess I will have to use a more physical approach" Thomas said out loud to himself. He now reached back and brought down a stinging slap to the sleeping boy's face. The slap had the desired affect and Joe brought his hand up to the reddened area as he opened his eyes in total shock. As soon as his eyes fixed on the reason for the pain on his cheek, he let out a scream as he now came face to face with the man who caused his nightmares.

"You seemed so surprised boy" Thomas now said as he roughly grabbed Joe from his bed and held his hand over the boy's mouth. He was fairly sure that there was nobody else about the ranch at the moment, but he wasn't taking any chances. "I told you I would come back. Why did you doubt me?" he said ignoring the boy's soft moans of pain as he dragged the struggling and terrified boy across the room to the door.

Terror and fear had now developed in Joe at alarming levels and despite the boy's desperate struggles against his captors, the boy's body was trembling. He was still trying to scream for help through the hand over his mouth. He was trying to work out why his father and brothers weren't coming to his rescue. Hoss said that they would be here to protect him. Where were they, where was Hop Sing.

Thomas dragged Joe down the stairs into the living room and threw him roughly into the settee. Joe was immediately trying to escape the man's grip and get away from him.

"I need you to keep put boy" Thomas said as he brought out a small ball of twine from his pocket. He held it out so that his victim could see it and now walked closer to Joe. Joe's heart beating so hard from the fear that he thought he might pass out. He kicked and bucked as best he could. At one stage he felt Thomas's boot come into contact with his injured leg and his struggles stopped abruptly as he tried to deal with the pain that now engulfed his leg. He could help but scream out from the pain.

Now that he was able to get a better grip on Joe, Thomas as able to tie the boy's hands together and then his ankles. The cord rubbed against the bandages on Joe's ankles and chafed some of the stitches underneath. By the time he was finished tying him up, Joe was sobbing from the pain and trying to cower away from the man who was hurting him all over again.

"Pa, where are you Pa" Joe screamed out as the pain got worse. He couldn't understand why nobody was coming to help him. "Adam... Hoss help me please. He's hurting me. Pa"

"You make too much noise boy" Thomas said as he now took out a large checkered handkerchief and tied it securely around the boy's mouth to prevent him screaming.

Once his victim was bound and gagged, Thomas took a minute to stand back and look at the miserable, cowering boy before him.

Joe looked up at him, unable to hide the terror he felt and the pain that came from his bonds.

"Now you and me can have a talk without you interrupting me" Thomas said as he grabbed the boy and brought him a few inches closer to his face. "I just wanted to make sure that you remembered our little talk back at the shack. The one about not telling anybody about me or anything that happened back there. Remember what I promised would happen if you did talk" he said menacingly.

Joe found himself nodding his head but he didn't know what to. He just wanted this man to leave him alone.

Thomas was a bit wary of staying longer in the house for fear of somebody turning up unexpectedly. He now looked about the room, trying to figure out what to do with his young victim. He now spotted a door on the far side of the living room.

He dragged the bound Joe with him and opened the door to see where it led. To his surprise and amusement, he saw the it was merely a coat closet. No bigger than an out house. It was dark and dingy. When Cartwright returned, he wouldn't even suspect the boy was hidden in there.

Joe could see that Thomas meant to put him in the dark and claustrophobic closet. Despite the gag in his mouth he began begging not to be put into the darkened room.

"No...No." Joe said as he recommenced struggling against his assailant and prevent himself being put into the closet.

At first Thomas couldn't work out why the kid was bucking so much about being put into the closet. The he looked at Joe's fear look at the room and laughed out loud as he realised the reason for the boy's fear apart from himself.

"You afraid of the dark boy?" Thomas asked already knowing the answer to his question. "Well I guess we will just have to make a man out of you. Time to face your fear" he said and propelled the boy towards the darkness.

Thomas was strong enough to literally pick up the boy and shove him into the small space, but the boy was now running on pure adrenaline from the fear within him. The boy was now in the closet, but he was fighting against Thomas to get back out again. Thomas was tired of playing games with Joe and now brought back his clenched fist and delivered a blow to the boy's jaw.

Joe was knocked unconsciousness and sagged in Thomas grasp. Thomas now propped him up against the wall of the closet. He was satisfied that he had scared the boy enough not to testify at the trial. If the boy proved him wrong, then he make him truly sorry.

"See ya round kid" Thomas said to the unconscious Joe as he closed the door. Joe was now immersed in total darkness but was oblivious to his cramped confines. There was already a bruise darkening on his jaw line as a result from Thomas's fist.

Before Thomas left he remembered the crutches upstairs and a smile came over his face as he thought of an idea to scare the Cartwrights when they returned to find their youngest missing.

He brought the crutches to foot of the stairs and now broke one in half, carefully laying it where it wouldn't be missed.

Thomas now left the house through the kitchen door where he came in. Hop Sing could still be heard hollering through the storage room door to let him out.

Thomas now rode off towards Virginia City but was careful enough to take a smaller dirt track away from the main road in case the Cartwrights were coming back.

About an hour after Thomas left the Ponderosa, Ben and his boys were coming back to the house. The meeting that had been scheduled had been postponed until the Cartwright's lawyer Fred Harding got there the following day. The solicitor for Griffith's wasn't too happy about it being put off, but when he heard the name of the Cartwright's lawyer, he knew he had some homework of his own to do. Fred Harding had a reputation that preceded him and he was no push over when it came to criminal trials.

Ben Cartwright rode slowly into the yard and the first thing that he heard was somebody's voice. He could hear someone yelling but he couldn't see them. He immediately got of his horse along with Adam and Hoss and tried to listen to where it was coming from.

They walked closer to the house, but the voice could be heard out in the yard. "I think it's coming from the storage room Pa" Hoss said as he walked over to the small cool room. Hoss looked down and could see that a stick had been used to keep the person on the inside from opening the door.

"Get it open quick" Ben now yelled, a deep feeling of dread was now beginning to settle in the pit of his stomach.

To their surprise, out came a very hostile and very angry Hop Sing. The little Cantonese man's voice was now very croaky and it was difficult to make out what he was saying.

There were only two words that Ben heard that struck fear into his own heart "Lil Joe" and he immediately forgot the little oriental man and began running towards the house.

Hop Sing followed the Cartwright's as they ran inside to see what had happened while they were gone. It was obvious that Hop Sing had been prevented from getting to Little Joe for some reason. He had been locked up so that he couldn't help the boy.

"Joseph" Ben called as he entered the living room. He stopped his shouting when he came across the broken crutch at the bottom of the stairs.

Hoss and Adam now both looked at the broken stick and couldn't hide their thoughts about what might have happened.

"What happened here Hop Sing" Adam now demanded.

Ben and Hoss turned around to listen to the little servant. "Hop Sing go to storage room to get egg for Mr Hoss's pie he baking. Someone close door on Hop Sing. I say let me out. Man say he going to see Little Joe. I told him no but he no listen and go inside. Don't know what happened but could hear Little Joe screaming. Don't know where he take Little Joe"

"My God" Ben cried as he now realised just how much danger his son was in. He didn't know who had come and taken his son and it didn't matter why. They just needed to get him back again.

Hoss picked up the broken crutch and played with it in his hands for a moment. When he looked back up at Ben and Adam, both of them saw the anger that was now dwelling within the big man.

"Come on boy's let's go and find him" Ben said firmly as he walked to the closet to grab his long overcoat. He didn't know what the elements would bring outside. The only thing he was worried about was the fate of his missing 16 year old son.

"Adam you'll have to hitch up the wagon and get some blankets ready just in case" Ben said as he tried to get his mind around what they might need.

At first, the door knob seemed to be stuck. Ben gave it another tug and felt the lock release from inside the door.

He swung the door open ready to reach up for the coat, instead his eyes bulged at the sight before him.

Ben barely got the door half way open before something fell onto the floor. Ben could hear his own gasp of shock and horror when he saw down to see the unconscious and bruised form of his youngest son fall limply onto the floor. The boy was bound hand and foot and a gag had been secured around his mouth to prevent him alerting anybody to his hiding

place.

Ben knelt down to check for a pulse. It was there, slow and some what erratic, but there. Little Joe was alive. The next thing that Ben noticed was a white slip of paper attached to the front of Little Joe's shirt.

Ben tore the note and immediately started to read what it said.

"Could you hear him screaming Ben?" "He was calling out for you to help him, but you weren't there for him"..

AUTHOR'S NOTES - Sorry but I had to split it again because it was getting to big to post up anywhere. The next part will focus on the trial and Thomas's attempts to stop Joe from testify. Maybe he doesn't need to try to hard though, maybe Joe is reluctant to testify.

Thanks and much appreciation to Susan Grote for allowing me to use her character Fred Harding, the Cartwright's lawyer. He will be become the prosecutor for the next part in the trial.

Hope you enjoyed it - lots more to write yet.

JULES