Chapter

Concrete Jungle

They started back near the docks. Whereas the last time they were here the docks were filled with china men, now were filled with policemen. They scoured the boat and threw things overboard. A broad shoulder man stood before the Assistant Chief, his hands manacled behind him. Though meagerly dressed, there was a mixture of grit and pride breaming in his countenance which suggested that he was the Captain of the vessel. It looked like he was pulled straight out of bed for this.

The men in uniform, though not as scary as the Tong, posed a different kind of threat. If they were to get caught, they might be stopped before Joe could be saved.

"Danny," Adam turned to him. "Do you recognize this area?" Danny pulled his eyes away from the organized chaos that was happening on the docs. He glanced around at the buildings then back at Adam and nodded. "Okay, can you tell us how to get back to where they held you?" He nodded again.

Following an ill-timed threat from the ship's captain, aimed towards him, the Assistant Chief pushed his prisoner towards a group of nearby officers. "Get him out of here." As the other officers took control of the prisoner and led him away, the Assistant Chief looked up into the alley. Something had caught his attention. A group of men stood hovered around another. He recognized a few of the faces. He suspected they were the reason they were on this dock searching through this boat tonight. He met the gaze of the young man in black who seemed just as cool and collective as when he was in his office hours prior, but just like then there was worry behind those cool eyes. The Assistant Chief bent his head in a subtle nod, telling him that their secret was safe with him. The man in black nodded back.

"Let's go."

~.~

The pace was slow as Danny did his best to recall buildings and landmarks that would lead him back to the place they took him from.

"It's here." He pointed out to a four story high-rise.

"Good Danny, real good." Adam praised. They stopped the wagon in the alley on the southwest corner. "Can you tell us where abouts inside they kept you?"

"A room. I think… a storage room… in the center of the floor."

"What floor?" Ben pushed.

"Third. Third floor."

"Third floor. Great." The men resonated excitement.

"Give him the medicine." Adam directed and Clancy answered the call.

Ben set about organizing the men. He ordered that the building be surrounded and that any person attempting to flee should be stopped.

Though the third floor was their target, Ben couldn't leave the other floors unchecked. He separated the men further leaving two men to search each floor. Hoss was to take the first floor with Sam. Adam who sat on Danny's other side, looked up at his name. He was told to take the second with Johnny. Ben charged himself with the third. The brothers knew well enough that their pa wanted to be the first to see his son. For it was their desire as well but they both respected their father too much to debate.

"Here, take this." Clancy offered. He'd done real well. It was finally time for him to rest. Danny moved his mouth away from the medicine. "It's okay, it's going to help with the pain." He coaxed. Adam wondered if the boy thought they were trying to poison him. Perhaps he still didn't trust them.

"Not… yet." Danny grunted. Clancy was confused. "I… have to… see. I have to… see… Joe get… back." Adam and Clancy met each other's eyes. The boy just keeps finding ways to rip at their heart strings. Clancy could see he was still in a lot of pain.

"Take a little at least. Enough to dull some of the pain." Adam said.

"I… don't… want to… go to… sleep."

"Clancy will stay with you." Adam said, making this command decision before meeting the eyes of his father. His pa agreed with a nod. Clancy smiled graciously.

"That's right Danny." He reiterated. "I'll be with you to keep you awake." Both Danny as well as Clancy needed this. Clancy though wouldn't be completely out of the loop. From this position, he could watch the southeast corner of the building. Danny considered.

"A little."

~.~

"They're here. Out front. They're surrounding the building." Teddy announced as Chapman hit the first floor holding the bound and gagged Joe by the arm. Bogs was at his side. They'd sent Squirrely away some time ago to retrieve the wagon and horses from the livery. They'd hoped he would have returned by now. It was apparent now they were going to have to move Joe without the aid and cover of the wagon.

"You go up. Draw them that way. I'll take Joe down. Meet me at the Weston Livery."

"We got this." Teddy assured and led the way up the stairs. Bogs following behind.

~.~

Clancy glanced out onto the empty streets. He saw something just then, he wasn't sure the others had seen. Ben hadn't talked about it. Hadn't formulated it in his plans. There was a window at ground level. They had only accounted for four floors, but there was a basement.

Danny groaned redrawing his attention. His pupils were dilated. Glazed over. The medicine had kicked in. Danny was feeling its affects. It threatened to pull him under, but the boy struggled against it. Struggled to stay above it. Danny's hand became heavy in his own. He could see Danny was still in pain. He knew how much Danny really wanted to stay awake for Joe. How much he would need this. With as much as he had sacrificed for the boy he knew how much it would mean for him. For his mental well-being. In spite of this Clancy wished he would just close his eyes and allow the sleep to take over. He thought for his physical well-being he knew he needed this all the more. Wouldn't it be just as rewarding to wake up to find that Joe was safe? What if he wasn't? What if they never get him back? No. He can't allow himself to think those thoughts. Joe has to come back. For the sake of everybody invested, he has to come back. They brought Danny back to them, they have to get Joe back too. He could understand Danny's desire to stay awake for him. If it were he that were threatened with sleep and that was the only thing keeping him from knowing whether or not Danny was safe, he'd want to be awake for him too. Regardless of how hurt he might have been. Danny needed this and so he stayed with him, keeping him talking. Against the pain, keeping him awake.

~.~

Teddy took charge in Chapman's absence. Bogs followed him up to the third floor where they crawled through passages and corridors. Teddy seemed to know exactly where he was going. He found a shabby wooden door and opened it up, standing aside he waved Bog's through. Bog's hit three walls and stopped.

"This is a dead end. We can't get out through here." He turned at the sound of the clicking hammer. "What are you doing?" Teddy's look of conviction said it all.

"I can't let you walk out of here. You killed my brother." All at once Bogs knew, his sins had finally caught up with him.

"That little waif. You should be ashamed to have known him."

"I am ashamed. I'm ashamed that I ever got him mixed up with the likes of you."

"Drawing that weapon on me was your brother's fatal mistake."

"Killing him was yours." He responded coolly.

"You best be intending to use that."

"Oh I plan too."

"Really? With all this that's going on?"

"Draw them away. That's what Chapman said."

"So what are you waiting for then? Get it over with."

"If I had more time with you, I'd make you suffer just like you did my brother."

"Well you don't, so you better make it a kill shot, because otherwise I'm coming after you."

"Oh, it'll be a kill shot. Rest assured about that. You will not be walking away from this one, but I don't see any reason why you can't suffer anyways."

"What do you mean?" He lowered the barrel and fired one shot clean into his abdomen, and Bogs fell to his knees. Bogs drew for his weapon but it didn't take a fast draw nor a great aim to stop him. One more shot at close range and his forearm split wide open, clattering his firearm to the floor. Bogs fell on top of his arm and babied it. He did look like a baby. His face was red and he was practically in tears as he rolled about. His fight was taken straight out from him. Teddy walked over and kicked the gun out from his reach before bending down, picking it up, and placing it in his waistband. "Kill me." Bogs groaned.

"I did. That gut wound is fatal." He kneeled next to him. "You are going to die, very slowly, and very painfully; but you will die. I'm just sad I won't be around to watch. But I'll rest easy tonight, knowing I made you suffer. Knowing your last thoughts will be, I did this to you." He stood up and went for the door.

"What are you going to tell the others?" Teddy stopped a moment to deliberate then turned back.

"Anything I want." He shrugged his reply. "I could tell them whatever ridiculous story I could fathom and you know what they'd do? Nothing. They'd turn their heads just like they did with my brother. One less share. Right?" In those words explaining everything Bogs meant in life. All of what he was worth. One less share.

"Get back here!" He shouted fruitlessly as Teddy walked away.

~.~

Ben was with Adam and a few others at the top of the second landing, intending on parting ways there. Adam was to search the second floor with Will, while Ben and Hamp went to the third. At the sound of the first gunshot, all their plans fell at the waist side. The men shot each other looks of dread. "Joe." Ben mouthed the name more than said it. The men all charged up to the third floor together. A second shot rang out before they reached the top of the third floor landing, which only cemented their mission. Ben couldn't blame Adam for disregarding his order to search the second floor. With this new development, it was the only logical thing to do. By the time they reached the third floor though all was quiet. They surveyed the empty hallway before stepping out. They took it slowly, Adam following a step behind his pa. Every man with guns in hand. The floor had different passageways and corridors leading off of the main strip. At the end of the hallway they turned into a corridor. Turning once more they heard the pitiful moan from down the hall. They wanted nothing more than to charge towards it, but they held themselves at bay wary of what they might find and not wanting to put Joe into further danger by their impetuousness. When they reached the door that the moans were escaping from Ben creaked it open exposing the heap on the floor. Not readily able to tell who it was, what he could say for sure is that it wasn't his sweet, loveable Joe.

They went to the pained man and rolled him over. Ben recognized him as one of the men from the bridge. The one that, through Hoss, Joe said got enjoyment from abusing Danny. Ben was mixed with emotion, nothing in him liked to see the suffering of a man, no matter how evil they were, on the other hand he couldn't help but feel a sense of righteousness in his pain. If ever a man deserved this pain it would be him. When he dies though, he would not be escaping this pain. He will live an eternity in it.

"Where's Joe." Adam inquired of the dying man. He wasn't dead yet, and Adam was going to get all he could from the man.

"Go to hell." Was his response.

"You know where he is. Tell us. Clear your conscience. Tell us where he is?"

"I have no conscience." Was his only reply.

~.~

Joe was putting up one hell of a fight. When they heard the gunshots above their heads Joe screamed out, trying to shout past the gag in his mouth to whom he could only imagine were his saviors. Whoever was here had these men scared. That could only mean they were here to save him.

Realizing he couldn't escape with the boy struggling the whole time, he had no choice but to leave him. He couldn't leave him alive as he would point the way. He couldn't shoot him either. The gunshot would lead them right to him. He had but one choice. This was going to be unpleasant for the boy, but it was his own fault for fighting so much. Chapman wrapped his arms around the boy lifting him off his feet and slammed his body down against the stone floor. The air was forced from his lungs at the impact. Little Joe arched as his body reacted to the pain. Before the pain could subside and he could pull in a fresh breath Chapman falls next to him, encircling his legs with his own and wrapping his right arm around his midsection keeping his bound hands against his torso. The boy squirmed to get out from his hold but he squeezes him like a python. He rips the rags from Joe's mouth and covers the boy's mouth and nose with his right hand. Joe's eyes went wide at the frightening realization of what was happening to him. A new terror takes hold. He's got to fight. He bucks about trying to get the man's hand off his mouth. The man's hold on him was strong and determined. He can't breathe. He writhes and squirms but to no avail. His lungs burn. His body screams with pain. He's frantic now, for just one breath to give him new strength. To give him new life. That moment of relief never comes. All at once his body locks up. Darkness encloses.

The man continues to hold him in place, for good measure, making sure the boy is dead.

~.~

Hoss and Sam heard the faint popping sound of a firearm, then the preceding footsteps thundering up the stairs. Hoss could guess that if it was a gunshot he'd heard what he heard to follow was the sound of his pa and brother running into the action. Hoss's overwhelming instinct was to follow. He ran to the stairs but Sam pulled at his arm stopping him.

"We have to go. That's my Pa and brothers' up there."

"No. Shhh!" Hoss stopped, dumfounded. "You hear that?" Hoss listened. He did hear something. The faint clattering of wood. "Where's that coming from?" Sam asked. Hoss put up a finger as he honed in. He went around to the side of the staircase. The sounds came from behind the steps. There was a door that led to a storage room, Hoss could imagine by the size of it. It was hardly noticeable, at least in the dark. Hoss might have missed it all together had it not been for the sound that they thought they heard. Looking at the door, it seemed unreasonable now to think that what they heard came from behind there. He looked up at the empty staircase, then back at the door. If for no other reason than to eliminate this room from his search he opened it. What they were looking at was not a storage room at all. It was a dark passageway. The sound of struggling clearer now.

"Come on." He urged and the two men went in. The struggling got louder as they approached another door. They were sure now by the sounds of it that there was a battle happening on the other side. He didn't know what the gunshots were that he heard upstairs, whether they involved his brother or not. If it did he trusted his Pa and Adam would handle it. If it didn't involve his brother than perhaps whatever was going on here, did. It was only he and Sam here to handle this but handle it they must. He flung open the door.

One man, larger was straddling another. His hands were around the man's throat. His back was to Hoss and Sam, as he sat over, choking the life out of whomever he held. The legs underneath him, squirmed about weakly. Whoever he held, he was killing. It was Joe, he was killing Joe. Hoss charged forward, with one blow knocking him away and to the floor. He stood over the man ready for a fight but the man didn't move. He looks back at the boy. It wasn't Little Joe.

"Clancy?" Hoss queried. Now Hoss was really confused. Last they left him, he was up at the wagon with Danny.

"I'm alright, Hoss." He rasps, holding his own throat and pulled his body from underneath this ruffian. "Little Joe." He coughs and points to the far corner. "He's over there." His feet are the only things visible as he lies among some brandy barrels.

"Joe. Little Joe." He scrambles to him. Sam helps Clancy to his feet.

They heard the scraping of boots on the ground as the man Hoss thought he had conquered lifts himself to a sitting position. The men turn just in time to see Chapman reach for his sidearm, which in their frantic the men forgot to relieve him of. Sam fire's a single shot center mass, with indifference.

Sam recognized him as one of the men who had fired at he and the lawman from the hills. Everything was different now. Looking at Joe whose feet were still the only things he could see from his position, thinking of Danny and again of the lawman, knowing that this man was responsible for all three. This man's crimes more than merited this punishment. Chapman falls backwards.

Hoss looked back at his sleeping brother. The harvest moon reflecting through the high windows shines a blue glow down on his sallow face. He was so peaceful. Like an Angel. Soft and limp. Hoss hears the thundering of footsteps from above him responding he guessed to the new shot they heard. "Pa!" Hoss shouts aloud. "He's down here!"

Joe's face, though bruised, faired might's better than Danny's. So why was he so pale? He wasn't breathing. Why wasn't he breathing?

His pa and brother plummet through the door guns still in hand. Sam is holding his gun on a larger man. The leader, who's breathing was heavy as he lay on the floor looking out at them. Gun lay on the floor next to him. Taunting him. Daring him to reach for it.

Clancy and Hoss were kneeling next to someone whose legs stretched out from the corner. "He's not breathing Pa." All at once their worlds implode. They knew by Hoss's broken voice that it was Joe. They were so close. The other men came in behind them.

"Get him out of here." Ben ordered the others. They lifted the formidable leader to his feet and drug him to the door. "Careful, there may still be others around." The remaining ranch hands take the leader away, leaving Clancy and the Cartwright's alone with the boy.

Adam fell at his brother's side.

~.~

His eyes shot open. Danny had fallen asleep. Not the kind of sleep that brought him back to his family. It was a dark sleep. A disquiet sleep and when he'd awoken nothing was right. He looked around. He was alone. The man that protected him was gone. There was something happening. Something wrong. He could feel it, the energy in the air. There was a gunshot he recalled, as if clawing at a distant memory. But that was what had woken him. What had happened to the others? Now that he was alone once again, what would happen to him?

~.~

"He's not breathing." Adam dug two fingers into Joe's neck. A faint beat kicked against his fingers. There was a pulse. There was hope. He leaned into him, placing a kind hand against his little brother's cherub face. "Little Joe, wake up for me, please." He shook his shoulders abruptly. "Little Joe." Adam pleaded.

Danny heard Adams pleas as he found himself in the basement standing behind the group of men that had saved him. They were on their knees encircling someone laying prone between them. Little Joe. He was the youngest of the family. The baby. Their baby. The one he had tried to save. Instead, it was this young one's family that had saved him. That brought him out of his nightmare. They were huddled together now grieving over their loss. It hardly seemed fair. Daniel watched the scene unfold before him, powerless. After everything he tried to do to save the boy, it was all useless. It was all for nothing.

"Little Joe, breathe." Hoss begged. Tears filling his lake blue eyes.

Danny came closer so he could glimpse the sallow face. All at once he was brought back to many years ago. The first time he ever saw a dead body. Little Thomas. At the time he was their youngest. Their baby. His five year old brother had been pulled from the river. His face was blue. Water streamed from his lips. His family stood around him, just like this family was doing now. Each helpless. Each looking to the others to do something. Little Joe, though might's older reminded him of the little one. The comparison between them was striking. They both shared that same unbridled spirit. Though no liquid streamed from this one's lips, the resemblance was striking. It was like watching Thomas die all over again.

Adam learned from his pa a long time ago that doing something was might's better than doing nothing. Though now his pa betrayed his own wise words. He was collapsed in a broken heap beside his baby brother. His pa wasn't going to be of much help. Nobody said it but he felt they were all looking to him for answers. "Get him some water." Adam requested.

Hoss sprang into action filling his brother's request. Adam knew just what to do. The smart one was taking over. The smart one would save their little brother. If anybody could, he could.

The water streamed from Thomas's lips. He recalled again. Something about it seemed wrong.

"Wait!" Danny stopped the room. This was the first time they'd really known he was there. Clancy went to him and took hold of his shoulders. Danny knew he was going to try to get him back to the wagon, but he couldn't leave. Not yet. He shook Clancy away and pushed past. "You can't give water to someone who's not breathing. He'll choke." The water streamed from his lips. The distant memory so clear in his mind.

Adam didn't know what else to do. The men looked to him for answers and he had none. He slapped at his brother and grew stern.

"Wake up, Little Joe. Stop jousting. Get up." Clancy again tried to guide Danny away, but he pushed his way forward.

The men were helpless. Each one looked to the others. Each hoping someone would have the answers. Danny pushed his way into the group and fell in silent vigil at the boy's side. He looked at the group each one seeping with fear, guts twisting inside them.

"Is he gonna die mamma?"

"Well everyone's going to die son."

"I mean now."

"It is not for me to say when that boy's time is. But he has a mamma that loves him and is waiting for him, but his mamma don't want him back a moment sooner than it's his time."

If he could give this boy back to his family he would. If only he had that power. If he could give his own life for this boy, he would. Maybe he could. Maybe this was it. That purpose his family was talking about. If he does this last thing, he could go home. With no other options, no other recourse; he closed his eyes and prayed for just that. Then sat resolute. He might be judged for this. He opened his eyes again taking one final glance at the men before him. There might be accusations, but for all God's glory, he had to try. He put his lips to the boy's and blew his own life into him, getting it right back again on his cheek. It didn't work. He was disparaged. His cheeks reddened. That was for nothing. No, of course the boy would reject life that wasn't his to take. He wasn't done trying. He was resolute. This time the boy was going to take it. He was going to make him keep it. He pinched his nose shut. It wasn't going to come out of there. The men were astounded at what he was doing, but nobody stopped him. He covered his mouth with his own. The others looked horrified, but he ignored them. He blew in again. The boys abdomen rose and he pulled his mouth away. The breath came right back out. "Come on Little Joe." Why ain't he keeping it? He tried again and then again but Joe let the breath go each time he pulled away. He breathed in this time and pressed his palm against Joe's mouth to keep the breath in, holding it there for several seconds. When he pulled his hand away, again the breath slipped out. He tried that method a few more times before abandoning it. Something told him that what he was doing was enough. Keep trying. He did it again and then again.

The boy was obviously out of his mind. Delusional, acting off the drugs they gave him or perhaps his head injury. His reasoning had been compromised. Danny bent low again. Adam grabbed his shoulder to pull him away.

Joe coughed shocking everyone. He almost coughed into Danny's own mouth. Joe was rejecting his life's force like he was saying, "Here. I don't want it. Take it back." but then he drew in a breath of his own. He coughed that one out too and kept sucking in more air. He was breathing on his own. Daniel sat back incredulous. Adam pulled Little Joe into his breast. He looked up at Daniel wondering what in the Lords name he just did. He didn't know. Little Joe was breathing but so was he.