Chapter

To Each Their Own

It was about four in the morning when the Cartwright's met up with the lawmen. The Sherriff was there with a few men. Only two of which were heading out with them. Sam Toller and Jeb Clinton. The third Cassius Harper, was told to ride back to town. He was directed to gather a list of men, that could be a second wave posse if need be. Also, with a quick debrief on what was discovered about the boy, was told to see what he could dig up on either him or the men that took him. If Coffee was going for incognito, than sending Harper back was probably the smartest move he could make as his wavy blonde hair reflected even the smallest glimmers of moonlight, like a looking glass.

The other men were separated into three groups, upon gathering at Washoe Split. The Cartwright's, provided three men of their own. Clancy, Jose and Sam. Dan was not among them. In their absence, Dan was the best one to appoint to see that the ranch still ran and the chores got done for the day and to make sure the final preparations were complete before they took off on the cattle drive the following day.

The Cartwright's, hands and lawmen were split up equally among the trails. Each route had one Cartwright, one hand and one lawman to tend to it. Hoss took the South route with Jose Moreno and Deputy Jeb Clinton, which if it didn't branch off, would lead right into Carson City. Ben took the west route with Sam Tucker and Deputy Sam Toller, which took him right back to the Ponderosa although not by the same trail they rode in on to get here. That scared him to think his home might still be at risk and the little treasure held within. He prayed they would branch off avoiding the property line. He had to make haste back to be sure. If it brought him close enough though, he might have an excuse to check on his son. He might be awakening and would want to see him. He would have a lot of questions. Adam took the north route with Clancy and the sheriff, which headed in the direction of the Truckee River.

They were given the directions to follow their stead until the sun was high in the sky. They would reconvene, not back at Washoe Split but back in the sheriff's office by days end. They would exchange intel and decide then their next course of action. Decide if any or all of these tracks were worth following further. At that time they would probably have the lawmen they needed to replace the hands. Or they may decide the hands are still needed as well as more support from the community. A posse like Ben had suggested through Hoss when he woke him at midnight. The deputy he'd sent back earlier would be in the position to ready the manpower. Or depending on the direction they took they'd enlist the aid of law from the surrounding cities.

The Sherriff was unnerved by the tracks splitting up as they did. Splitting the men meant splitting the manpower and he worried that anyone or all of the groups could be walking into a trap.

~.~

Joe opened his eyes as the harsh light beat into them through his window. The light was near blinding and gave him an instant head ache. Not the kind of head ache that would cause him to lose his lunch, he recalled the way he felt the night before, which now seemed so long ago.

What did happen last night?

Vague memories crept in. He remembers Hopsing and his kind touch standing in for his father. Come to think of it he didn't recall seeing his father at all last night. He remembers the Doc.

Why was the Doc here?

He connected his headache to the reason.

It was for me.

Again he remembers losing his lunch on the floor.

Why? Was he hurt? He remembers falling. Hitting his head. His mind was a fog. His horse got spooked. The memory of the previous night seemed so distant. The house was eerily quiet now. Where is everyone? Did they even return home last night? Of course they had. They were supposed to anyways, but maybe they hadn't. Maybe something kept them. Did they know he got hurt? If they had come home last night, they might have left already to set about the day's task. The work of a rancher is never done. Even so, his pa would have left someone behind to stay with him. If he didn't stay himself than he would have left one of his brothers. They might have just stepped out. They might be downstairs and just being really quiet. Maybe Adams reading. This could be true but something in his gut told him it wasn't. He could feel the emptiness in this house. He could feel his pa and brother's energy when they were here and he could feel the void when they weren't.

His headache somewhat subsided, not completely, but enough. He slid out from the covers and put his feet on the cold floor. Minutes later he was down the stairs confirming what he already knew to be true. The house was empty. Well not completely he concluded as their cook comes from the kitchen. Hopsing looked surprised to see him.

"Numbah 3 son, not supposed to be up. Supposed to be in bed."

Shock did not belong entirely to the cook alone.

"What happened to your eye?" His cook stopped as if remembering there was something wrong with it at all. He avoided the subject.

"Numbah 3 son, sick boy. Needs to be in bed." He ushered him back up the stairs.

"Where is everyone?" Again the boy is too curious. Hopsing was left to answer the questions this boy would undoubtedly have and had no idea what to tell him. No instructions had been left for him on this. He would have to figure this one out for himself. He didn't want to lie, but he knew this boy long enough. Telling this boy what happened would only lead to trouble.

"Cotwight family have velly impotent task to do. Set out will uhly. Cotwight be velly upset with Hopsing if let something happen to youngest. Docto say 'stay in bed'. Little boy stay in bed. Hopsing bwing someting fo little boy to eat. Velly good. Hopsing take good keya."

He didn't fight Hopsings efforts. He was too dumfounded for that. What could be more important than making sure he was alright? Didn't they know he was hurt? A moment later he was back in his bed again with nothing but his thoughts. Hopsing managed to not answer any of his questions to his liking. What important task did they have to tend to? The cows were all brought in yesterday. Maybe they weren't, he settled on. Did something go wrong? His cows. Maybe something went wrong with his load. He wasn't there to oversee it. Maybe something went wrong. Was that enough not to leave anyone here to care for him? Hopsing was here, but Hopsing is always here. Where was his pa and brothers?

Hopsing came through the door train wrecking Joe's thoughts as he carried in a steaming bowl of Joe could only imagine, soup. His go to when any of them fell ill. Oh there were many types of soup for many types of sick, most were delicious. Some left a bit to be desired. If Joe were to judge this one by the aroma that filled the room, this would not disappoint. He caught a glance at Hopsing's eye again. A nice pretty little shiner. Another question he avoided the answer to.

"Numbah 3 son, eat up. Make velly stwong." Hopsing said setting the dish on the night table. He could feel Joe staring but avoided the eye contact. Little Joe reached for his wrist and stopped him.

"What happened to your eye?" He asked again. "Did I do that?"

Anything could happen while a person was knocked out. He's seen it himself. Full grown men with the strength of lions caught in a snare, and fighting just as wildly because they couldn't make rhyme nor reason where they were. It was hardly their fault. They weren't into their senses. They couldn't control what was happening. Did he do that to him? Of course he'd feel guilty about it, but it wouldn't be his fault. Why wouldn't his friend feel like he could tell him? Was his family mad at him? Is that why they weren't here? They'd have to have known it wasn't his fault. Whatever happened couldn't be helped. Still he was a longtime friend. A very sweet man who didn't deserve this. Maybe they thought he should have been able to help it. Oh what did he do? He didn't remember any of it but the guilt began to build, more than he thought it would.

~.~

They've discovered early on that among the three of them, Hoss was the more experienced tracker. Jose was great with horses. He groomed them and tended to their various scraped and breaks and illnesses. When it came to tracking them though, he might as well have been blind. Deputy Jeb has been on a couple of posse's before but never himself doing the tracking. At this point however it didn't take an expert to follow this set of the tracks as they did not deviate. One set of prints stayed on the path. A five year old girl could have followed these tracks. He wondered how the others were fairing. If he'd been sent on the wrong road. They chose him to take this one because of the rockier terrain. If the horse would have deviated up into the hills, Hoss would be the best one to keep up the chase. For a while now he was feeling pretty useless. Not challenged at all.

~.~

Adam spent the early morning hours telling Roy exactly what Hopsing had told them of the events of the evening prior. Though the Baron and his son told Morgan already, and even as they went through it with Harper, both Clancy as well as Coffee were still missing great pieces to the story. They both listened to Adam's recount. He was careful not to leave out any details that Hopsing had told them. When he had finished recounting the story the Sherriff asked the same questions of him that he remembered asking Hopsing. Not all but enough were the same. Did the family know any or all of the men? Did Hopsing describe them? Is it possible the boy had a history with these men? How well did the Cartwright's know the boy?

Adam began to describe what they learned from Dan. What he learned about the boy specifically. What kind of a kid he was? Adam began to describe the conversation he had with Morgan hoping Morgan would pick up the cue. After a few moments he did and began to retell the story he told the Cartwright's just a few hours prior. Roy listened attentively getting a clearer picture of the type of kid he was working with and the men who had him.

~.~

"Where were you Pa? Where've you been?" The boy asked with an injured look. Hopsing hasn't told him. He wasn't sure if he would. It was a God sent that the tracks avoided the property line, but they came close enough he was going to take advantage of visiting his son, so he diverted sending his companions down the line. He expected to be received with love and laughter and open arms but there was hurt in his eyes. Accusations. Of course there would be. His son would have expected them to be there when he awoken. He was so preoccupied with this other boy he didn't consider his son's feelings.

"Oh son."

"You're all avoiding me like the plague. Hopsing's eye. Did I do that?" Hopsing has told him nothing. He never imagined his son would think the worst of himself. He imagined now how it must have been for him to wake up from an injury to his family gone and a black eye on his only companion with no explanation on how it got there. He could imagine the turmoil Joe was feeling. To believe that it was he who did that, but there was a moment last night when he too entertained those thoughts. He was glad with his choice now to break away to visit him. Now he was left with the dilemma, tell him or not.

~.~

"You've had the opportunity to work alongside with O'Lewis. What can you tell me about him?" Hoss asked Jose.

"Not much, Senor. That kid is a quiet one. A bit of a strange one if you ask me. Keeps to himself. But I suppose there isn't no crime in that." Jose was beginning to be quite a fixture at the Cartwright's ranch house. He'd been hired four years ago for some seasonal work and ended up staying on. Somehow his pa helped him out with something. He was never clear on what, but now he feels indebted to his pa. His pa was like that. He just went around helping people all the time. His pa would say, "We have been blessed with much. God has given us the ability to be blessings to others. That is a great honor and responsibility. One that shouldn't be taken lightly." Jose was just one of many who his father has helped over the years. Many have blessed them too. They weren't always the wealthy men they were today. They've had much support over the years as well. Both financially and in other ways. People looked out for people around here. Not everyone. Some are self-serving, but enough. Enough to make it a nice place to live. A little rowdy at times but nice. Many have stuck their necks out for each and every one of his kin and his kin had done the same for others. Just like this kid. He wasn't so sure about that. He's seen some pretty heroic things in his day, but he ain't never seen someone give themselves over like this kid did for his little brother. This kid was something special.

"Hey, how did Morgan get this kid to talk to him anyhow?"

"Ay, Senor Morgan is a stubborn one. Does not take the hint well. Friendly man you know. Does not know when someone is avoiding you. He kept after kid. Every day the kid eat someplace else, not with guys. Morgan take food and he go right with him. Kid go here, Morgan go here too. Kid go over there, Clancy go there too." He laughed at himself. "I tell him, leave boy alone. I mean it was obvious senor, the kid wanted to be left alone. We had a whole group of good hearty men he could be eating with, but senor Morgan take his food and go right to him. Eventually, wouldn't you know it, he got the kid to talk. By the looks of it, they'd be carrying on pretty good conversations too. I mean, he didn't really have a choice. Senor Morgan is a persistent one. He has his ways about him.

~.~

"You're awfully quiet." Adam imposed. "What's on your mind?"

It took only a moment for Clancy to form his thoughts into words. "You remember a couple of weeks ago? We went out on this hunting party? It was you, Hoss and about four of us hands."

"Yeah, I remember."

"Danny was there. We were all eating lunch under the spruce trees when we heard a gunshot outside of camp."

"Yeah."

"It was Little Joe."

"That's right."

"Only he wasn't supposed to be out there. He told you, he finished up riding the north fence and got permission to join you, but you and Hoss got angry with him."

"Yeah. He was firing recklessly."

"Yeah. He tried to excuse it by saying he spotted the pack."

"That's right."

"But then you got even angrier. You told him he was irresponsible for trying to take on the whole pack by himself."

"Well, it was."

"Said, he should have come and gotten you first."

"And he should have."

"He got angry with you too, for not trusting him."

"Yeah."

"It got so heated between you guys, you all started hittin' on each other." Adam smirked sheepishly. There was a hint of pride in there too. "It was quite a display you three were putting on that day. Johnny and Hamp, I guess cause they know you, didn't seem too alarmed. I guess they're used to that sort of thing with you guys?" He said as sort of a question. To which Adam gave no answer. "I thought it was kind of unprofessional myself, being that you guys have an image to upkeep." The grin left Adam. He didn't need this man's judgment, but he didn't much care how he thought. If he didn't understand brothers it wasn't his job to teach him.

Did he go through this whole story just to tell him how he really felt about them?

"I look over at Danny," He continued. "And he had this faint little smile. It was the first time I'd ever really seen him smile. Little Joe looked over and caught him which made him fume even more. Maybe he thought we was laughing at him. I don't know. Danny got embarrassed cause he got caught. Just like that, the smile was gone."

"So why was he smiling?"

"I asked him that very question that night at the bunkhouse. You know what he told me?" Adam gave a quick shake of his head. "He said, you reminded him of his own family. The way they used to carry-on. The fightin' and bickering. The full on tumbling matches. How often he and Pete would go at it- that's the oldest- but most all, the love and the laughter that was underneath it all. The undying loyalty to each other. He said, he remembered one time this kid was picking on him at school and Pete squared-off with him. Pete made up this rule that they were only allowed to beat on each other. They couldn't go around bullying others and nobody was allowed to bully them. He'd say, 'O'Lewis's stick together.'"

Sounds familiar. Adam thought.

"He watched you guys. The way you interacted. You reminded him of them. The way you guys fight but would always protect each other. Always have each other's back.

He admired you guys, you know. I mean there was envy in there too. The fact that you guys have each other and he don't, but he loved the fact that you loved each other so much."

It was weird discovering that they were being watched with such scrutiny by someone they hardly knew. The kid with a thousand secrets.

"You helped him remember that it wasn't all death. There was life in there too. A whole lot of it. They all lived and were important, if to no one else than to him. They all deserved to be remembered for the people they were, not the way they died."

~.~

"Do you remember anything about yesterday?"

"You mean, how I got hurt?"

"Well yeah, kind of." Sort of, not really, but let's start there.

"Cochise got spooked. Falling rocks came off the top of the canyon. They hit the floor in a loud crash. Echoed off the canyon walls. It wasn't the sound that spooked her though. It was the herd. They got spooked and started stampeding in every direction with not too many places to go. Cochise and I were stuck right in the middle. We had nowhere to go either. We couldn't get out of there. I guessed she panicked. She reared up and I went down. It all happened so quickly I didn't even think to hold on." He wasn't aware that there had been a stampede. It was fortunate his boy hadn't been trampled. "I guess I didn't expect her to do that. Being trapped like that I guess I should have known. You know her. Not much scares her, but I guess she's like me, like that. We can handle just about anything but being trapped." Little Joe had no idea, when he said it, just how much these words haunted his father.

"Do you remember how you got home?"

"I remember hitting my head pretty hard. I remember pushing through it though. You know, the cows were in all different directions we had to get them all back again. I was maintaining it for a bit, then all of a sudden it must have been about 15- 20 minutes later I got sick. Threw my lunch. Will said, I had a concussion. He said, it happened to a friend of his. Told me, I had to go back home. He told Davy to make sure I got there. Said he and Hank would finish taking the herd in."

"Davy?"

"Yeah, the small one. The one my age."

"Danny?"

"Yeah, I guess." He couldn't blame his boy for not knowing his name. He was closer to it than the rest of them were a day ago. He could have been Bob yesterday for all he knew. It would bother Little Joe for not knowing though, as soon as he realized the significance this kid had on his life.

"Do you remember, what it was like when you got home?"

"I remember Hopsing." His ears perked. "and the Doc."

"What do you remember about Hopsing?"

"He was caring for me on the couch. Touching my face with a rag. I thought it was you at first, but you weren't there. None of you were." He ignored this current turmoil, for it would soon be fleeting.

"Do you remember what it was like when you first came in?" He thought really hard about it. Apparently there was something in there he was supposed to remember. Something important, maybe this was when he struck his friend. He searched his brain bidding the memories to return. He didn't know. It was dark. The memories of last night were blotchy at best. The moment he walked in as well as the last bit of the ride were completely blank. They just weren't there.

"No Pa. I must have passed out."

"You did son. We were there last night after the doc had already seen you. You threw up on the floor, so Doc Martin gave you something to settle your stomach and help you sleep. It was Hoss that carried you to your bed." He went into a sheepish grin, than right back to pleading eyes.

"Are you angry with me, Pa? Did I do that to Hopsing?"

"No son. I'm not angry at you."

"What is it, pa?"

"You didn't do that to Hopsing." He was chewing on his emotions.

"Pa, what is it?"

"Son. I'm going to tell you something that's going to be hard to hear. I need you to stay calm and stay laying down. Don't get overly exerted. You're not completely healed and the Doc wants you to stay in bed."

"What is it, pa?" Now his pa was really starting to scare him. "Is Adam and Hoss okay?"

"Yes son. It was you that was in danger."

"I thought the Doc said I'm fine."

"You are son, but something happened last night while you were unconscious." His eyes were wide with innocence, ready to imbibe every word. "Last night when you came in, you were carried in. You lost consciousness sometime during the ride home and Daniel carried you inside. When he came through the door with you, there were people already here. These men were bad men and they were planning on taking you." Fear struck him.

"Why?"

"Because they wanted to get to me. To hurt me. They were going to try to ransom you." He went white.

"Why didn't they take me?" He swallowed hard. "What stopped them?"

"Daniel. He stopped them."

"Oh."

"Are they the ones that hurt Hopsing?"

"Yes. They had him tied to a chair when you came in." He thought about what he'd just been told. It was a lot to take in. How their most trusted family friend was probably going through the most terrifying moment of his life and he was right there in the same room, sleeping right through it. But then, how Hopsing cared for him after experiencing such a fright. After what he'd experienced, he put aside his own turmoil to care for him. Then he thought about how, he had almost disappeared. He could be gone right now. Hanging out with some scary men if it weren't for Daniel. How did he stop them? He pictured his gun drawn down on a slew of men. He never imagined he'd be a fast gun. Could he have taken them all out in a gun battle? Maybe he fought them. That too seemed unrealistic. A scrawny kid like him, that they had in common. There's no way he could have taken them out in a fist fight. Maybe he caught them by surprise. He didn't think that kid had it in him. At what point would that of been? He let the picture play out in his mind. Something didn't sit well. The order of events. He needed clarification. How did he stop them? He walked straight into the room carrying him is what his pa said, so at what point would he of been able to take them by surprise?

"Wait. If Daniel was carrying me and the men were already here, how'd he stop them?" There it was. The inevitable question.

~.~

"What's that?" Adam asked.

The others noticed it too. Red and covered in road dust, sticking out from the dirt in the road up ahead. Clancy's stomach was in knots as he considered what it might be. He prayed to God it wasn't a body. He kicked his horse into a gallop pushing out from the other two. He was the first to jump down. He almost collapsed when both feet hit dirt, but he caught himself and hobbled over, ignoring his cane which was tethered to the saddle. His stomach was in his throat when he picked up the article of clothing. He held it out for the other two to see.

"Hand it to me, son." The Sheriff held out his hand as he rode up. Morgan placed the bloody shirt in the lawman's open palm. Coffee stretched it out so they could analyze it together. From their angle all they could make out was dried blood on a dust covered shirt. There was a lot of blood that covered a good portion of it. It was mostly dried and caked and splotchy. Some areas were still wet and drying. The shirt was torn at the sleeves and a few other places. One tear was particularly concerning. A hole, right around where the ribcage would be. Blood congregated there. There were two dagger shaped blood prints adjacent to the hole. The wearer was horribly abused prior to the shirts removal. They beat him, maybe even cut into him. Clancy's stomach was in knots and he did little to mask his emotions. The Sheriff saw the pangs in the concerned man's eyes. He also saw something else the others could not readily make out. On the inside of the shirt was an inscription. He hesitated sharing this discovery as he regretted causing Clancy anymore turmoil than he was already in but decided honesty to be the better route. He turned the shirt so the others could see.

"What's it say?" Adam asked not quite able to make it out.

"It says, 'Stop following us or the boy dies.' "

Those simple words were like a dagger in the heart of the altruist. Clancy took the shirt back and read them himself, as if he wasn't going to believe them until he could see them before him. He paled. Adam slid off his horse and went to him. After reading the simple message, he locked eyes with the Sheriff. Clancy was stuck in a state of impotency. He stared down the road. He wanted to press forward. Daniel was down there. He didn't know this for sure, but he could have been. His body twitched urging him to press on, pulling him forward; but there was a wall in the road that stopped him. A gigantic invisible wall, which told him one step further could kill the boy. How did they know they were following them? It could have been a bluff. They could just have assumed somebody would be, or they could be watching them? He looked around at the far distant hills. He got an eerie feeling as he imagined unscrupulous eyes on him and his party. Eyes that held the power of life and death over a small boy. His stomach knotted. He couldn't be sure that wasn't the case. He wasn't willing to risk it. No. This was the end of the line for them.

The Sheriff felt his turmoil. Looking at the sun high in the sky he passively responded. "I think this is a good time to turn back."

~.~

The tracks that Hoss was following did not deviate. They led right into Carson City. Just like the last set of tracks that led into Virginia City, he'd lost them among the heavy traffic of horses in the city. It was impossible to discern which the original prints were. Their target had arrived so early in the morning when the town awoke the folks without care or forethought done trampled over the tracks they were following.

His companions looked to him for the answers and at this point, he just plum run out. He had no way of telling if the horse was still here or not. It could be stabled or standing idle in front of some hotel or watering hole. The rider drinking in some saloon or laid out over a springy mattress. Which is where he could stand to be about now. Not getting any rest since 36 hours prior the ride was hard and Hoss was feeling its affects. He had no way of knowing if the tracks had ridden out of town. If so, he wouldn't know which direction. Did the tracks from Virginia City come to meet them or did these tracks circle back, or was it someplace else they were headed for?

The Mexican border, San Francisco and back to the Ponderosa were all viable options. Of course one might wonder why one might ride into a place they'd just escaped clean from. A horrendous thought entered him. What if they'd discovered Daniel's lie so early on in their plight. If so, they might have circled back to get the real Cartwright. It only showed one set of prints headed in that direction, but that's not to say they weren't met by another of these groups. They'd left Little Joe there all alone in that house with nobody to guard him, to watch over him, to keep him safe. Little Joe was vulnerable. His pa was adamant about none of them being alone and yet sleep deprived and running on pure adrenaline, without a second thought, they left behind the most vulnerable. Why didn't they leave someone with him? Of course, he wasn't completely alone. Hopsing was there, but the evidence on his eye as well as the missing boy already proved he wouldn't be enough. It's not his fault- if only love could be enough- but he was outmatched; outnumbered and out gunned. He could only hope his father would get to him on time. Of course the better scenario would be that they avoided the ranch altogether. That this was another ruse used to throw them off their trail. To separate the searchers. Why would they want them separated though? Coffee might have been on to something with this talk about an ambush.

He could hope that the kidnapper's only forethought was to single out the horses. One track was easier to conceal than 3 or 6 or however many bad guys there actually were. Hopsing had reported only seeing 3, but they know they met up with at least two more. It might have been more. At this point they didn't know just how many were involved and if they planned on meeting anybody else. It was time to head back.

~.~

"What are you going to do Pa?"

"Your brothers and I are on their trail now. Along with a few hands and deputies to help."

"What if you can't find him? Are you going to pay?"

"We'll find him son." He hadn't considered any other option but finding him.

"What if you don't?"

"We will."

His son was haunted by the story. He was told to stay in bed, which Joe agreed to do albeit bitterly. He felt it was his responsibility more than anybody to go after this boy. This boy who saved his life by sacrificing himself. He never even bothered to know his name. He wasn't worth hanging out with. He was quiet and awkward. Just because they were about the same age people could assume they'd make instant friends but that just wasn't the case at all. The kid was weird. Not his type. Sometimes he'd catch him staring at him. Not just him but his whole family. They'd get off to playing or wrestling or tussling each other and he'd look over and realize he'd been watching 'em. Not like the other hands would watch them. Not fun like. Weird. The kid new he was being weird too because he'd get all red and turn away whenever he was caught, like he knew he was doing something wrong. Anybody else would have no qualms with laughing right in their faces. This kid though blushed like he was having thoughts he shouldn't have been having. The half-cocked smile disappearing, molding into a guilty one. Yeah, the kid was weird. He was only short time though. Little Joe never told no one. What was the point? He'd be gone in a few weeks more.

~.~

Clancy rode with head low, deflated. Lost in his imaginings.

Roy worried for him. He wanted to get him out of his head, but couldn't think of how.

"Hey, son." Roy said as he rode up to Clancy. "You mind if I ask what happened to your leg there?" Not knowing the man at all before this, it was all he could come up with. Truthfully he'd been curious about it since he first took notice in the early morning hours. He'd noticed the riding stick and the way he held his leg in the stirrup. It wasn't too apparent until he jumped down to retrieve the shirt. He knew for sure then, that there was something wrong with it. Clancy looked down at his own leg before answering.

"Riding accident, a couple of years back."

"What happened?"

"My horse rolled crushing my leg beneath him. If that wasn't enough, it took off without me on it. My foot was caught in the stirrup. I got drug for a ways before I was finally able to get it loose. I got some dandy scars on my backside too if you ever get the inclination to look."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Clay realized at the sheriffs genuine response that he may have come off a bit techy. Normally it wouldn't bother him to talk about it. It must be the situation they were in that had made him answer the way he did. He took a breath to calm his nerves.

"It doesn't bother me most of the time. I mean not enough to keep me from pulling in a day's labor. God knows it could have been a lot worse."

From what Adam has deduced of Clancy so far was that he was an interesting fellow, to say the least. 'Hard-working, open and friendly with the crew' was how Dan described him. He has since gotten to understand that this man is pretty religious. Just like his pa. Possibly even a bit more although you'd never tell by just looking at him. By appearances it seemed he centers himself in earthly matters but underneath it all he's got a strong relationship with the Lord to the point where he feels God talks to him. He seemed to take personal responsibility over this boy and it pained him greatly to know the danger he was in. Like it would pain his pa every time one of them got hurt. This boy that he just got to know, I mean really got to know just a few weeks prior, had gotten under his skin.

~.~

Two horses rode in hard. Ben pulled his revolver and went out to meet the intrusion head strong. It were his companions. One breathing hard and fast, the other grappling for each breath.

"He'd been shot!" His hand jumps down. The deputy was clenching his midsection. He'd looked pale and clammy. "We'd been ambushed, just like the sheriff thought we would. They're up there, in the hills."

"Get him down. Get him into the house." Joseph was there at the bottom of the landing as his father and their worker carried in the lawman. "Hopsing! Get in here." Hopsing came in from the kitchen. Upon seeing the ruckus he lay a blanket down beneath the lawman. They laid the lawman on top of the settee where Little Joe had laid the previous night. His face was pale in comparison to his crimson red shirt. "Hopsing get me something to control the bleeding." Hopsing was already on it. Ben pressed a clean washcloth against the wound. The deputy grimaced at the force. He was still awake and very aware of what was happening to him and around him. That was good.

"We've got to get the doc."

"I'll go." Their hand volunteered.

"Wait." He grabbed his arm. "He's not going to make it in the condition he's in." He prognosticated, judging by the look of death that clung onto his face. "Ready the wagon. We'll have to take him ourselves."

"Yes sir, Mr. Cartwright." The hand went right to work. Joseph made his way to the foot of the lawman who was fighting for his life. All this was because of him. The guilt weighed heavily on him, more so that he slept right through it, then accused his family of not caring enough. Hurt at the idea that anything could be more important than waiting around to make sure he was okay. They already knew he was. The doc told them so. Why he felt they should have been there to coax his ego or keep him comfort amidst all this chaos that happened because of him. The trail of events that followed last night, leading to this man of law, this righteous man, being crucified. How many more will lay in his wake, his path of destruction?

"I want to go." Ben looked up at his smallest. So young, so innocent, so full of life. At this moment so scared. "Pa, I don't want to be here alone. I want to go with you." Impossible. He is still sick. He needs to rest. That's what the Doc said.

"What if they come back?" That question haunted him. What if they did come back? They're up there in the hills right now. He'd been careless leaving this precious boy already. How foolish it was for him. What if they did? He thought of any other way. There was nobody to protect him. The Doc also said Joe was fine. He would be upset to see him up, but there's more going on here than that. The house wasn't safe. Why he chanced leaving him alone already, he'll never know. It was foolish to say the least. Doc Martin would be upset seeing Little Joe out of bed, but he hardly understood the circumstances. He couldn't chance leaving his baby boy here to fend off these unscrupulous creatures on his own. Not again.

"Fine. Ready your horse. We'll tether it to the back of the wagon. Move quick Little Joe."

~.~

Everything was aching in Hoss. The temptations to stay on in Carson City was strong. If he got a hotel room here and a good night's sleep, he'd be nice and refreshed to start back tomorrow. All he'd have to do was leave a telegram. He fought this urge and guided his crew back out of town before he changed his mind. Headed back to Virginia City.

He was half asleep and he almost missed it. He was riding for a full 5 miles halfway between the road and home when he spotted them.

A set of prints. Fairly fresh within an hour or so. Heading back into the direction they were headed. He circled back to find the point where it met back in. It came out of a low set of rocky hills from Carson City.

~.~

"What's your name?"

"Toller."

"What's your Christian name Toller?"

"Sam."

"Who do you got waiting on you?"

"My wife. She's going to be so steamed."

"What's your wife's name?"

"Helen." Joe was doing his best to keep the lawman talking as they made the long trek into town. His father driving the wagon with Tucker riding shotgun they were headed to Virginia City. Joseph sat in the back with the wounded deputy. Three horses trailed behind.

"Helen? Does she live in town?"

"Just outside. Her pa lives in town though. He owns McKay's Feed."

"McKays, huh? So you're married to Helen Mckay?" He eyed Little Joe suspiciously. "That's right."

"She just had a child."

"Yeah. Baby John. How'd you know?"

"Are you kidding? Paul is so proud. He's telling everyone that'll listen. Baby John this, baby John that." He laughed.

"He's a good grandpa."

"He's just a wee thing still, right?"

"He's six months old. He's getting big." His chin quivered. He turned away and let the tears fall. Why was he crying? Little Joe wondered.

"What's wrong?"

"He was right."

"Who was right?"

"Oh, Mr. Mckay. He always told me being a deputy in this town was dangerous. Kept saying this wasn't the place to go chasing those type of ambitions. He said he didn't want me to go off and leave his grandbaby fatherless. That's exactly what I'm doing, isn't it?

"You ain't dead yet. Let's not go giving up on livin'." The deputy grimaced widely.

"I don't think I can make it. It hurts too bad."

"You can make it. The pain is good. It lets you know you still got a chance. Just keep talking. Tell me about your wife." He went into himself. "Come on, what's she look like?" Little Joe pushed.

'The prettiest girl in the whole state' was how he described her. Dark wavy hair that went just past her shoulder and she gave him one heck of a beautiful baby boy. This one plucked straight out of heaven. She didn't grow up around here either. Her family moved out here about seven years back. She has an older sister that lives just outside of town, married to a potato farmer.

They talked about family mostly. He was originally from New Mexico. He's got a ma and brother there. His brother's about 2 years younger. His father left his family when he was 12. Seeking out a life of gambling. He's seen him a couple times since but has long forgotten him. He moved up north to create some distance between he and his family, but to still be close enough to visit or to be there if they called upon him.

He met his wife after he became a deputy in Virginia City. He thought of one day running for Sheriff himself. It'd have to be when Roy retired as he respected him too much to want to overthrow him. He hoped to learn all he could from the man. "If I could have been just half the man he is, I would have made a fine Sherriff indeed."

Little Joe learned quite a bit about him on the duration of the ride. It was interesting to him to learn about the human being behind the badge. He was an upstanding man, a man of law; but before this, he was just a man. A father, a husband. A man with ambitious goals and aspirations. A man.

"He's not going to remember me." Toller bemoaned. Tucker turned back and stared into the wagon bed. These words seemed to have touched him. "I can't believe I did this to him. How could I be so foolish?" He was talking death. "I don't want him to grow up without a pa."

"Well then you better make it back."

"I'm trying, but I don't think I can."

"Keep talking. You're doing good."

"I'm tired."

"Don't go to sleep. Keep your eyes open." Ben felt the mood shift. He felt the urgency. "Toller. Toller. Open your eyes. Don't go to sleep. You have to wake up for me." There was no sign of stirring. "Pa he's out." His pa hit the reigns and the horses sped up. Little Joe leaned back in the wagon. He was feeling a bit dizzy himself. The conversation had taken a lot out of him. The ride wasn't doing him any favors.

He closed his eyes as he thought about the deputy beside him. It was intriguing to hear the man talk how he did about his father's longtime friend. Roy definitely had his faults, but to this man he could do no wrong. Joe had his own ideas that growing up without a father, this man probably latched on to Roy. He looked up to him for guidance. It was funny, Roy didn't have any children of his own, but in a way, he was probably a father to a whole lot of them. Joe never saw Roy in that light before. He wondered if Roy knew the affect he was having on his deputies.

He heard the bustling of the town which was how he knew they were there. A minute more and the horses skidded to a stop. He opened his eyes just as Tucker jumped down and ran in for the Doc. It was a chance they were taking that he'd even be in and not out making rounds or something. If he had been gone that would spell the end for the deputy. It would be the end of his story. His baby boy would grow up childless just as he feared. Luck paid off when the Doc followed Tucker out to the wagon.

His pa's longtime friend was none too happy to see Joseph out of bed. The ride here didn't seem to fare too well for the boy. He was appearing pale and clammy. He couldn't focus on him though. The deputy took priority. After dragging him inside, he went right to work prepping the area to go in after the bullet which he determined was lodged in the lower intestines. Risk of infection was high.

"Ben go into my cabinet and get the brown bottle next to the laudanum." He did as directed. Handing it to the doc. "Give it to Little Joe." He did so. "Take it, Little Joe. Just a swig." No more orders were given to them about getting him back to bed. No chastising. That was the end of it. His focus now was the lawman.

~.~

Adam hit the main road again headed to Virginia City. Hoss is up the road a ways dismounted and circling the ground.

"Stop Adam, stop." He ordered as they got closer.

"What've you got Hoss?"

"He thinks he's got the tracks." Deputy Clinton said.

"I lost my tracks in Carson the same way I lost the ones last night among all the other traffic, but get this Adam. Two more sets come in from Pa's direction. Their riding in fast. A wagon with a few more horses done tramples over them, but you can see them Adam they're there."

"Is it the wagon from last night? No I don't reckon Adam. You can still kind of see that one still a little bit. This is the old one, see? The wheels are wider. This is the new one. Thinner and fresher."

"Whatchoo got there?" Hoss asked eyeing the shirt draped over Roy's horse just above the saddle horn. Roy drew a heavy breath and passed it over so Hoss and Jeb could see it for themselves.

"We found it out on the trail." Adam offered.

"Did they hurt him?"

"I think they were trying to show us as much."

"Dab burnit Adam. I could kill them." Adam eyed the sheriff who did nothing to debate Hoss's offhand remark.

"Did they switch wagons?"

"Adam I don't think the wagon was with the horses." Hoss responded handing the shirt back to Roy.

"What makes you say that?"

"Cause the horses were runnin'. See the pattern of their prints." Adam could kind of see only after Hoss pointed it out. Of course Hoss could have just led the witness. "Adam, this is Pa's wagon and this is Little Joe's horse. They've done gone right in behind. They ain't runnin' but they ain't movin' slow neither."

"Let's go." He mounts back up and they all ride back.

Authors Notes:

Three deputies have been introduced. Jeb Clinton is from the Hanging Posse 1x12, Sam Toller is from Vendetta 1x13, and Cassius Harper is an original character.

Jose Moreno and Sam Tucker were the two ranch hands pulled in to form the posse. Jose Moreno is from The Newcomers 1x3 and Sam Tucker is from Blood on the Land 1x22.