I do NOT own Bonanza or any of the original Cartwright characters.
Star's Hope
Chapter Sixteen
The sun was just beginning to set as Brooke and Jamie sat around the campfire her friends, Josh 'Running Wolf' and Eric 'Flying Eagle', had built. They'd sent the other two braves who had been with them off in search of Ben Cartwright or one of his sons. Jamie had been pleasantly surprised, though he didn't know why, when the four braves had agreed to help them, after Brook had talked to them in their native tongue.
"Thanks," he said as he took the supper Brooke had just handed him, "I'm hungry."
Brook sat down and wrapped her arms around her abdomen. It concerned Jamie and the braves. One of them said something in Paiute; Brooke answered back, and then looked at Jamie, "Do not worry. I okay. Tired okay. They find Ben. He come. Take me home. You come? Yes?" She did not wish for the boy with no family to continue being by himself. Everyone needed someone and, with Little Joe married now, he had his own place to run. Okay, so he helped all he could with his pa's place too; still, it would help if this lad would agree to help too.
Jamie had thought nonstop about it ever since she had mentioned the work. He was tired of moving, and it's not like moving would bring back his father. Before he could answer though, the two men who had left appeared back in camp; Ben and the others were with them. One look at her husband and Brooke stood up as quickly as she could and hurried over to Ben; he'd flown off his horse and had her in his arms so fast it made everyone's head turn!
Ben didn't hesitate to kiss his wife for all he was worth; he didn't care who was looking. The men and Jamie just smiled from ear to ear. They much preferred this kind of ending to a search over the one they knew could very well have been handed to them. "We're heading home," said Jim, one of the men from town, and he turned his horse around and headed back in the direction they had come. With the exception of Hoss, everyone left too.
"Ben," Brooke pulled away from her husband and pointed to Jamie. "He help me. He good boy. No family. He work on Ponderosa?"
Ben let go of Brooke and, grinning from ear to ear, started shaking Jamie's hand. "Boy, I'll be more than happy to give you a job! First, though, you can explain why you were taking such a long route in the first place."
Jamie explained exactly what his thinking had been; it only served to cement in Ben's mind that Brooke had been right in asking him to hire the young boy. "You have a job on the ranch as long as you need it son. Let's go ahead and bed down for the night and then get home." Only when it was just him and Brooke awake, did he tell her the news about Mitchell.
"His widow is going to need some friends." Ben looked at his wife not knowing what she'd feel after what had just taken place. He wasn't surprised when she simply looked at him and then the fire.
"She good woman. Need like herself. I be friend. We all be friends," Brooke answered as Ben held her close and ran his hand over stomach. They both smiled as the baby kicked quite hard. "Baby getting active."
Epilogue
Star was again drawing, but this time it was so she could be kept busy as her mother lay upstairs giving birth to the baby everyone was anxiously awaiting. Hoss sat on the couch, as did Candy and Jamie. Little Joe and Rosa, whose own condition was definitely past the stage of being able to be hidden, both sat in the spare chairs near the fireplace; Ben was sitting next to Star doing the best he could to help and not to dwell on what could be taking so long.
"Ma's going to be okay, Pa," Star looked up at her father and held up the picture, "See, Ma has hope watching her."
Ben couldn't help but smile. Children did have a way of seeing the truth a lot faster than some adults he knew. The sound of a baby crying made him fly out of his chair and up the stairs. Mrs. Simms met him at the bedroom door. "Not yet, doc's in there right…" "It's alright! Let him in!" the doctor's voice came through the slightly opened door.
Upon seeing his wife propped up on pillows, smiling up at him, holding the baby in her arms, Ben sat down on a chair and gazed upon the bundle of joy. He was still amazed at life. "Hold daughter, Ben." Brooke handed him the bundle in her arms. Ben was very careful as he took the infant in his arms. She had pitchblack hair like her mother, but she had Ben's nose and chin.
"Hope," Ben said the word before he stopped to think about it. He guessed it was because of all of Star's drawings.
Brooke smiled and rested her hand upon his knee. She had heard about the story involving Star and hope. "Hope. Hope always here. Go tell family. Go tell Star she has Hope. They know now."
"You need rest, dear." Ben laid his new daughter in the cradle he'd made for her. He wanted her to rest. However, he wasn't surprised when Brooke smiled softly and answered, "Excited. Not sleep. Get family." Ben chuckled and stood up.
"Yes, dear." He stopped at the door and looked back. At that moment he knew one thing, large ranch or not, with three sons, two daughters, a wife and a grandchild on the way; he was the richest man on earth.