Chapter
Haven
The man was thin, with short cropped dark hair. His clothes hung off his small frame. He bowed respectfully at his guest before letting the group in.
"Missah Cotwight, this is Docto Lee. Docto Lee, Missah Cotwight." Hopsing made the introductions. Ben removed his hat and shook his hand.
"Nice to meet you." It was a scanty home. Respectfully decorated in oriental pieces.
"Ovah hee'a." He directed the men who were carrying Danny to the center of his living room to a single bed with no linen, raised high. They laid Danny on top of it.
"Hopsing. Go find Will and Dan. I told them to take the other boys we found to the city police. They're going to need some help getting back here." Hopsing nodded obediently and went away.
"Has he been awake since you found him?" Doctor Lee asked.
"No." Ben responded solemnly.
"Boy has been thwu much twuble. Boy is far away."
"Yeah, we've noticed. We need him to come back." Adam said not beating around the bush.
"Boy is not weady to come back. Be much hurt if come back now."
"Listen, we need him to come back." Adam was insistent. "Our brother is still missing. We're afraid that the men we took this boy from is going to go back and punish our brother. This kid is the only one who could tell us where they're keeping him."
"Can't you give him something for the pain?" Hoss asked.
"Sleep is the best thing for him now."
"But what if…"
"The only thing I can give him that will be stong enough to help him would not help you. His mind will be gone same as sleep."
~.~
All at once his mother stopped singing. She heard something. She drew her face to the window. He followed her gaze. He got up to look out. The wind had stopped. He hadn't even noticed. The land was still. It had a peaceful calm. Up the yard from the river a whole gaggle of people approached. A man with a straw hat with his children at his side. His eyes went from one to another. The young man by his side so strong and ready to take on the world. He had matured into a fine young adult. The next smallest boy. The one who loved to read. The girl with her flowing sun dress and dark hair intertwined with flowers. The little one arms outstretched souring like a bird around them. All coming in from a full day's labor.
"They're coming. They're going to see you here."
"I like it here ma. I want to stay."
"You've stayed too long already."
"I miss you, ma."
"I know and I've missed you too."
"Then why can't I stay?"
At this his father came through surprised to see his son. Even more perplexed when he realized he'd walked in on a quarrel. Danny didn't stop for the sake of his father, instead he directed his anger towards him.
"You told me to fight pa! Why would you do that? Didn't you know what would happen? Didn't you know I'd end up right back here?"
"We didn't know what would happen. But we had to tell you."
"Why?"
"We were made to."
"What?"
"You had no fight before. You have to have fight. To live. He needs you to want to live. To fight for it."
"Why? Why can't I just stay here with you?"
"Because baby." His mama said. "You still have more work to do."
"What work mama?" He challenged. "What work? I tried to save the boy and I couldn't. I tried and they got him anyways."
"Danny. That was a brave thing you did for that boy, but something tells me that wasn't entirely selfless." He looked hurt at the accusations.
"We saw you Danny." His father stepped in. "We saw what you were doing to yourself. You were trying to give up months ago." Danny lowered his head in shame.
"I'm sorry Pa." He broke down. "I just wasn't strong enough. I can't do this without you."
"Well you have to, Danny." His father responded harshly.
"Why? Why do I have to?" He shot back just as vigorously.
"Because, your work ain't done." He was adamant.
"What work? What work is there to do, Pa? I told you, I done failed. I couldn't save that boy. I tried and I failed."
"It ain't about the boy, son." His momma spoke. "Don't you get it? You're important to the world. It goes way beyond this one boy."
"How? What then momma? What am I supposed to do?"
"You will know son. When it's time for you to know, you will know and when you do, you will be great."
"You're gonna shine son." His father added.
"You're gonna shine." His sister spoke.
"You're gonna shine." Peter agreed. Simon and Thomas followed suit. They all knew something, they weren't enlightening him.
"Son." His pa stepped forward. "I know what you think of me."
"No it's not true."
"It's okay. I did do some wrong in my day. But I did some right too. Namely all of you. Each one I'm so very proud of, but you Daniel, you I'm most specially proud of. You're going to wipe clean my slate and make people proud to say the name O'Lewis." Simon standing among his siblings smiled softly and so refined.
"I'm sorry I couldn't save you, Simon."
"It's okay. I don't hurt anymore."
"I wished I could have saved all you all." They all smiled softly.
"We know. But we're happy now." His momma assured. "We're home and you can come home too when this world don't need you no more."
"What about this boy? Is he going to die?"
"Well everybody's going to die son."
"I mean now."
"It is not for me to say when that boy's time is, but just so you know, he has a momma too. One that loves him and misses him and wants him home. Just like we want you home, but just like you, she don't want him home a moment before it's his time, but Danny, it's time for you to go. You have to go." He stifled a sniffle. Thomas ran to hug him. He felt the little tike squeeze tight around his knees. His arm fell across his shoulder. Annabel followed suit. Simon came in next the three of them embracing all like three year olds. Pete stood off grinning at the lot of them, at how silly they were being. Danny's eyes broke away from the three and looked directly at him, which shattered his defenses. He chuckled and opened his arms to join in the fun. Danny freed his arm and touched his face.
All this lubby dubby stuff was too much for him. "Come here you little knuckle head." Pete grabbed his head and rubbed his knuckles into him ruffling up his hair. Daniel pushed him away. Pete grabbed Danny's face with both hands and looked straight in his eyes, drawing suddenly serious. "You make us all proud. You know that." He'd never known his brother to give him this much praise. "You are stronger than I ever gave you credit for."
"Thanks."
"It's time to go now son." His pa cut in. It was abrupt. He knew they were right. He did have to go. All at once, he felt himself being pulled away. Watched them as if staring into a looking glass, slipping away from them until he was in darkness.
~.~
"Danny. Danny talk to me." He heard a voice echo in his head. His body filled with pain. The pain swelled within him. He heard himself groan.
"He's coming to."
They moved the smelling salts from his nose. He took a sharp breath. His eyes shot open and pupils narrowed. Pain moved through him. Filled him. Encompassed him. He was swimming in it. No, drowning in it. He opened his mouth as if to scream but no sound escaped. The scream was within him. His body screamed when his lips could not. He was opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water, needing air but unable to pull it in. He clamped his eyes shut again and held his breath, holding his midsection, trying to stave off the darkness threatening to overtake him and drag him back under. He couldn't go back. His family told him so. "Breathe, Danny. You have to breathe." His need for air won out and he sucked in a breath and held it again. It was as equally painful for him to breathe as it was for him not to breathe. He released it and sucked in another. "That's right, keep breathing." The man beside him cajoled. They stayed with him talking him through it. It took several minutes for the throes to subside to a manageable ache. The echoes in his head became clearer and focused, more distinct. He braved to open his eyes again.
He was surrounded by tall figures all looming over him. The man to his left had touched his face and he grabbed for the man's wrist. Another pain shot through but he could fight through it. This man did it. This man had hurt him and he be damned if he let him hurt him again. His eyes shot about wildly. He stared into their faces in abhorrent horror. He woke up to a world of pain and darkness and all he knew was these men had put him there. He was timid and terrified.
"I don't think he knows who you are."
"He's awake, but he ain't with us."
He was panicked. The men stood over him leering down. The one man kneeling at his side. The one whose wrist he held on to. He grasped it so tight, not wanting to let it go, lest it strike him, again. He scurried backwards, away from the savages. Nearly coming off the table.
"He's going to hurt himself." The large one said. "Come on, help me hold him." The big man moves to his head and takes a hold of his arms. The other men surround him and grab hold it seemed of every part of his being. This only sends the boy into further panic. He tried vainly to twist out from their hold. "No, please." He cried wretchedly.
"Danny, Danny, you have to calm down. It's me. We're not going to hurt you. You're safe." Clancy reaches for his face. He flinches at his touch. Clancy withdrew, his entrails twisting inside him. It sickened him to think about what these men had done to him. To see it in his barely recognizable features and in the fear he held for the world. Clancy takes a moment to recompose himself and reaches for him again, this time placing a soft hand on his shoulder. Danny shied away but had nowhere to go. No way to remove the hands that bound him. "Danny, it's me. Look at me. Look into my eyes. It's Clancy."
What the hell is he saying? What kind of game are they playing? Clancy's one of them. Isn't he? Is he? The name was familiar. Why? He's not one of my family. They were all dead. Why is Clancy familiar? He felt a connection to the name but didn't know from where.
"Clan-cee?" He played with the name on his tongue.
"That's right kid. It's me. You're safe now." He peered timorously through his arms at the men standing over him. They cautiously lessened their hold on him. Their faces were familiar too, even in the dim light. They weren't here to hurt him. Were they? He was hesitant to trust these men. Diffident to let down his guard and be hurt again. "Danny, we need to know about Little Joe." Clancy asked. "Can you tell us about Little Joe?"
"If you could tell us where Joe is, we'll let you go back to sleep." The big man assured.
"Come on." It's all happening too slowly. The man in black paced at his feet.
"I know you're hurting." The man with peppered hair sitting next to him on his right side said. "We're afraid Little Joe might be hurting too. You saved him once. We need you to save him again."
"Little… Joe?" He whispered. The big man moved back to the side of the man with peppered hair.
"That's right. Can you tell us where he is?" He moved his lips inaudibly.
"He's saying something." The grey haired man leant in, putting his ear in close.
"I'm… Little Joe." He said louder this time. Adam stopped pacing and looked at the patient dumbstruck, before meeting the eyes of his pa and brother.
"He still ain't with us." Hoss's words were somber. "They really did a number on him."
"Listen to me." Adam came forward. Danny shrunk back. Adam caught himself, slaking his fervor. "You're not Little Joe." He tried to keep his tone low and even. "Your name is Daniel. Daniel O'Lewis." That's right. That was his name. Why did he think his name was Little Joe? "The real Little Joe is out there somewhere and he's hurt. We need to find him and rescue him, like we rescued you. Now, you're the only one who knows where he is. Do you see what the problem is? He's in trouble and in order to save him we need you to tell us where they have him."
"No. I can't." He whimpered.
"Yes, you can." He insisted.
"When they find out we rescued you, they're going to go after Little Joe." The large man was sounding a bit desperate. "We really need to find Joe. He's in trouble. We have to find him. We just got to get to him first."
"I… don't… know." The grey haired man slumped.
"Danny. You have to know where he is." The man in black insisted. "Where Danny? Where do they have him?" His anxiety was burgeoning.
"I don't know." He mewled.
"You've got to know!" The man in black exclaimed in a near shout. "You were with him!" Danny shrunk away from the angry man, and lifted his arm to protect his face.
"No." He cowered, shaking his head.
Adam felt bad for scaring him like he was. Danny reeled from him like he was the bad guy. The one who had done this to him. He hated feeling like the bad guy. He wasn't the bad guy. He was the good guy, desperate in his quest to save his little brother. Looking at this boy, torn and tattered, looking at the way he feared him, he felt like the bad guy. He may not have done this to him, but he was doing it to him now. Aiding in his torment. The boy who was dressed in soiled rags. His mind and body broken. The hand he held up to protect himself, wrapped up in his brother's remnant linens'. Held up like a banner in the wind. Evidence that at least at one point, they were in the same room together; and that Joe could right now be facing the very fate that Danny had faced. Evidence that Joe was in trouble and in dire need of saving. They were in the room together. Like a candle being lit, he had one desperate idea left.
"Your hand Danny. Look at your hand." Danny was too frightened to hear him. Adam lunged in and grabbed for it, a little rougher than he intended to. Danny reeled again. "Look at it Danny." The others pulled Adam away but Danny kept his hand up by his face. This time he was staring at it. "Those are his clothes, Danny. Look at his clothes." Danny saw how his hand was bandaged. "You were with him. He did that." An image flashed in his head. A young man leaning over him, talking to him, comforting him. Stranger? No, family. No, not my family, but family. That word encompassed the young man. "Remember Danny, you've got to remember." Danny clamped his eyes shut fighting for the memory. He remembers the boy clearer now. Remembers how he cared for him, how he protected him, how he fought for him. Remembers his words. 'Hold out Danny. You've got to hold out. My father's coming for you Danny. He'll find you.' Not my family. He opened his eyes again. Theirs. He was their family. Of course. His father. His brother's. He was right. They did come.
"Little Joe." The name slipped from his lips.
They all watched Danny keenly. Wanting, hoping for something. Some spark.
"Yes. Little Joe." The father leaned in.
"Remember Danny." Adam fervently pressed.
He remembers the room. The hallway. The grey dreary hallway.
"Do you remember?"
"You're working him too hard." Another man said. That man was familiar too. Not family. Friend? No, worker. Hank, he recalled. "He doesn't know. Shouting at him isn't going to get him to remember." That was Hank. Their hand, and Sam, and Jose his eyes darted about flashing with new life. He turned back to the man at his side. There was something different this time as he looked at him. He was studying his face with apperception.
"Clancy." He whispered. Drawing the attention of the room. They looked down on him in reverence. Morgan choked as he fought the tears.
"That's right kid."
With renewed hope, the father asked again. "Where are they keeping him?" It pained him so much to admit.
"I don't know." Adam bit his frustration. Their hopes gave way to despair. He couldn't save the boy whose family had saved him. He honestly didn't know where they held him. Hoss placed a sympathetic hand on his elder brother's shoulder. He was hard-pressed to give up but they were right. It was no use. He couldn't tell them.
"I can show you." He stopped the room.
~.~
The ranch hands helped to bring in buckets of warm water filling a tub in the side room off of the living quarters. Clancy stayed at Danny's side cajoling him. Offering him comfort. Danny felt safe with him there. Like no matter what happened now, he would be there to protect him. Somehow the pain he felt subsided into a dull. Except when he braved to move or breathe too deeply a new sharp pain would shoot through him. Clancy was there to talk him through it and keep him awake. He was his lifeline to this world which he held onto for all it was worth.
When the tub had been filled they carried Danny in. Clancy had opted to remain with the doctor while the others withdrew to give them privacy, closing the door between them. Clancy propped him up as Doctor Lee with Clancy's help, unsheathed the boy of the raggedy, bloody, and soiled clothing which had crusted to his frame. As gently as they were being each jarring motion brought about new pain. At each moan Clancy pressed the boy's head into his chest.
"I'm sorry. We need to do this. I'm sorry." Then continued. When they had finish Clancy lifted the boy into his arms and lowered him into the warm bath. Danny gasped as the warm liquid surrounded him filling his wounds. When Danny was settled at the bottom Clancy drew away but Danny grabbed hold of his hand clutching it and stared at him with pain streaked eyes.
"It's okay Danny. It's okay." Clancy cooed. "I'm here." Doctor Lee grabbed a towel and laid it in the water concealing his exposed. After several moments the liquid that had initially scolded his open cuts dulled. Pain converted to relief. The warmth became welcoming. Clancy felt his body relax and pressed him down so that his back rested against the tub. He kept a hold of Danny's grip which had also relaxed.
The doctor filled a white ceramic bowl with bath water and gently poured it across the boy's torso following up with a sponge effectively washing away the dirt and grime that crusted his skin. The action of which reopened recently sealed wounds, turning the water bloody. Adding to the discoloration the dirt and grime was already causing. As he was doing this he was taking a mental note of all the injuries the boy had sustained. The beads that lingered behind shimmered off the discoloration that remained.
~.~
The men talked in low tones on the other side of the curtain. About him, as if he weren't even there.
"It's too risky." Sam said.
"He's right. We can't take him." Hank agreed. "He's too weak."
"We've got to take him. He's our only link to Joe." Adam argued.
"Why don't you just pay them? Meet at the appointed time and just pay the man." Hamp asked.
"We've discussed this already. The Tong is going to be after the ones who supplied them bodies. They don't know where we are, but they know where they are. The men aren't going to want to stick around and wait for them to show. They're going to cut their losses and leave. We've got to get to Joe before that happens."
"I don't know. It seems like a bad idea to me."
"Remember it was Danny's suggestion. If he thinks he can do this, I think we have no choice than to let him."
"Danny's not in his right mind." Hank acceded.
"He can do this."
"What if he can't?"
"If he can't then Little Joe is dead." Adam responded coarsely.
"Sacrifice one boy to save another."
"We only need to keep him awake until we find the building. After that we can put him back under. We can keep him warm and comfortable the entire time." The men were hard-pressed to go along. "What would be the difference between being out there and being in here? Really!"
"It'd be a huge difference." Sam declared.
"We could stand here debating this the entire night but we're just forgetting one thing. It ain't up to you and it ain't up to me. We all agreed we'd let the doc decide. He said he'd give us his opinion after he'd finished his examination." Jose was right of course. This was going to be a test of Adam's patience. Every minute they stayed was a minute wasted. Another minute Joseph would be closer to death.
~.~
The doc handed over a damp hand towel folded in quarter to Clancy. Clancy switched his hands holding Danny's hand with his weak hand before reaching for the cloth. As Clancy reached for it the doc took his palm and placed it over the rag above Danny's eyes. Clancy kept it there as the doc refilled the bowl and poured it down the back of Danny's head, needling his fingers into his dark brown hair as he did. The rag Clancy held kept the water from running into the boys eyes. The doc appeared comforted finding his head unscathed. He slid his hand down to the back of his neck and applied gentle pressure. This too had been unscathed. He took the wash cloth back that he had handed to Clancy and soaked it giving it a fresh application of warm water. He gently wiped away the blood and dirt on Danny's cheeks and forehead. Then across one eye and the other. He let the rag fall into the tub and prodded at both cheeks, his eye socket's and jaw line taking a mental note of his findings. He drew his fingers down to his collarbone and prodded. Then down his shoulders, gently lifting the arms he moved them about in soft circular motions, first one then the other. He prodded down the length of his sternum. When his fingers met ribcage Danny flinched and his breathing began to pick up. Each touch set his body to jerk. His fingers stooped roaming before they met the soaked through bandage.
"Help me bring him forward." Danny groaned as they did. Lee explored the length of his back prodding down the length of his spine and then his back ribs. His back, though awful shades, did not beckon the same reactions from Danny. They gently laid him back down. Doctor Lee was finally ready to see what was behind that bandage. The skin behind it was red and inflamed. It was straining to heal around the dirt and grime that had occupied it. Puss seeped from the gape.
"Mmm. Infected." The doctor got up to leave the room.
~.~
"How's he doing?" Ben pulled at the doc's shoulder.
"I am not finished with my examination but I can tell you that at least one wound has become infected. Please." He excused himself and went off to the kitchen.
~.~
"How are you doing, Danny? You holding in there?" The boy nodded. "It's almost over. I promise. We have to do this Danny. I'm sorry. To see how bad you are." Danny's look was glum but accepting. "Danny, can I ask you something? The men outside. They're discussing whether to take you back out to find Joe. You told them you could show them. Do you remember saying this?" He nodded. "Do you remember the way?" He considered then nodded again.
"I think so." His words were muddled like he was speaking through cotton, but discernable.
"This is the most important question that I have for you. Now I need you to think long and hard about this okay." He agreed with a subtle nod. "Do you think you can? I mean, do you think you're up to it?" Danny did as he promised, considering the question. In fact he hadn't answered by the time the doc came back with a few bottles in hand. After kneeling back at Danny's side, he uncorked one and poured some of the contents over the wound which fizzled at the site, causing a slight knee jerk reaction from the boy. "Its okay, it's okay. I got you." Clancy braced himself over Danny's torso. "Try not to move around so much, okay. I know it hurts, but you've got to try and be still. The more you move the more damage you could cause yourself."
"Clancy right. Clancy wise man. Have many broken ribs. Can puncture lung if not careful." The doctor set the other bottles down and went back to examining the boy. After applying niggling pressure to the boy's hips he felt satisfied. He used the rag to wipe down both arms. Though further away he took the bandage-less one first. Examining his upper bone, elbow, forearm, wrist (which Clancy could see was severely chaffed), and hand. Checking function and flexibility of all. He went back to the bandaged arm checking upper bone, elbow, forearm, and stopping at the wrist. Unwrapping the crude bandage the first thing it revealed was his wrist which expectedly was chaffed just as bad as the first. This was not the worst of it. The hand was swollen and dark. The doctor was less than pleased with the findings giving into a grimace. Danny kept his eyes averted as if he was afraid of what he might see. The doc dried the hand then picked up a clean cloth and balled it up, placing it in the cup. "Hold this, Danny. Don't squeeze, just hold."
He went right away to rewrapping it, with heavy heart, concealing the wrong that had been done to him. "Keep this dry. Out of water." He rested his arm over the rim of the tub then moved down to the legs, being just as methodical. His legs though bruised and lacerated appeared to have not been broken. His feet were the same.
~.~
Squirrelly bust into the room the gang occupied, just down the hall from where Joe was kept. The cards spread out on an empty crate between them. "There's trouble down at the docks. One of the ships were broken into. The prisoners had been released."
"So? What does that have to do with us?" Teddy asked.
"It was one of Shinmoto's boats." They all looked around at each other.
"Oh, we've got to move." Chapman declared.
"Where? Where can we go?"
~.~
Hopsing had gotten back with the two men he had been sent off to find. Clancy was in the room with the boy. Cleaned and dried, with a new set of Dr. Lee's clothes and into a soft bed. He was spooning beef broth and trying to get the warm liquid down Danny's throat. Danny was open to it but the process was slow going.
The men had all gathered together when Doctor Lee came out to address them.
"So doc, what do you think?" Ben anxiously stood.
"Danny is in much pain. He have many wounds. Most supahficial. Will heal with time. A few that are more bothersome. Wound in side enflamed. I give him antibiotics to combat infection. Hand crippled. May need surgery. I rewrap in clean bandage for now."
"Is there anything that would keep him from going back out tonight?" Adam got to the heart of it.
"Just one. He have many crack ribs. If move too much could splinter and puncture lung. Danny would drown in own blood." Adam let out a heavy breath. "I wrap chest real tight to keep still."
"Doctor can he be moved? If we were real careful. Could he go? Please. There is another boy's life in danger." Doctor Lee calculated.
"Make bed in wagon." The doctor instructed. Relief washed over the group. "Make Danny real comfortable. Remember little movement. He can make it straight there and straight back. As soon as you find building give him this for pain." He held up a brown bottle.
Authors Note:
It has been a while since I brought in another Bonanza created character. So I bring you the origin story of Doctor Kam Lee from The Day of the Dragon 3x11.