Blue Spanish Eyes
Fan Fiction. We (Tauna Petit-Strawn and Ghostwriter85) do not own the copyrights to Bonanza
NOTE: Due to this story coming ALOT faster to than expected the posting dates will be more than once a week.
Chapter Two
The sun shone bright as Hoss and Little Joe worked silently outside the barn. Ben sat at a table that sat on the porch while Adam worked silently on repairing his gun holster. He, Adam, could see the looks his family gave him now and then, but he said nothing.
Adam silently sighed inside himself. He knew his father thought the ring appearing on his hand was just the workings of tired minds and worry. The oldest Cartwright son also knew they were trying to figure out when he'd actually put the thing on. But no matter what his father feared, and most likely his brothers, Adam couldn't deny what had happened.
The woman he sketched was real; he knew it. Even if he didn't, there was there always the ring. How else could the wedding band be explained? It wasn't just the tangible item which cemented her into his mind. Every time he thought of her, every time he said the name Rosita to himself, his skin tingled. It was as if every fiber in his being shouted the memory of holding her, of kissing her, and of desperately wanting to make the marriage real. Of course, he said none of this to his family. How could he? They would go from being concerned with his obsession with sketching "the woman's picture" he constantly drew to thinking he'd finally lost it; completely.
"Adam, Adam…Adam!" Ben finally had to raise his voice in order to get his oldest son's attention.
"Yes, Pa?" Adam turned his head towards his father.
"I need you to go with Hoss to the upper pasture and help the men get the cows moved." Because Adam had grown quieter and quieter over time, Ben half feared Adam was going to come up with some reason why he could not to go. He breathed a sigh of relief when his eldest did no such thing. Though, it did hurt Ben's heart a little as Adam simply stood up and said, "Okay."
Hoss, who had mounted Chubby, waited for Adam to do go into the barn, saddle Sport, mount him and then join him, Hoss. Once Adam had joined Hoss, the two brother rode away to do as their father had asked.
Joe, who had walked over to his father after his brothers' rod e away, asked, "Pa, do you think Adam will ever take that ring off or stop drawing pictures of that woman?" The tight lines that appeared on Little Joe's face showed sincere concern for his oldest brother. He wanted to see Adam smile, really smile, again. He wanted to hear him playing his guitar and singing. This sullen, withdrawn Adam was a man he barely knew.
"I don't know." Ben sighed as he answered his youngest son's question, "But don't worry," he said knowing what Joe feared due to some things that had been repeated by various "friend", " we're not sending him away. We just have to be patient and accepting." Ben's jaw set hard as he found himself highly resenting what people had suggested to the Cartwright men; behind Adam's back. Adam did not present danger to anyone. Even the doctors backed that one up. In fact, more than one doctor had told Ben the injury his son had suffered might indeed bring about a bit of change in Adam. That being the case, Ben chalked everything they saw up to the head injury.
"It's good to hear you say that." Little Joe relaxed and he smiled. "Though, I have to say, patience is not my best virtue." That statement made Ben laugh. He continued laughing as Little Joe went back inside the barn to grab some tools leaving his father outside by himself.
"Elizabeth…" Ben's eyes filled with water and his vocal chords threatened to break as he strained to talk, "…what do I do? I don't know how that golden band got put on his finger. Hoss and I? We watched as it seemed to come out of nowhere, but it didn't seem to faze Adam. It's like he knew it was there all along. I can't explain it, and Adam doesn't say anything when we ask. All he does is draw that woman's picture! " The man's voice was full of frustration as he barked out the last few words and wiped away the tears which he had not been able to stop from flowing and continued speaking. "I can't send Adam anywhere without Hoss it seems. If I do that, my gentle giant paces around like some wild animal all caged up. He blames himself for the change in Adam." Looking up to the sky, Ben began silently praying he'd be able to do the right thing by all his sons.
OOOOooooOOOO
"Hey, save me some!" Hoss hollered as Adam sat down underneath a tree to eat. "I'll starve if you eat all that."
"I have no intention of eating all this food." Adam 's tone held no harshness to it, nor condemnation at his brother's attempt to joke around, but still it had lost the 'it's Adam speaking' tone.
Hoss fought to keep his own voice from choking up as he thanked his brother for the plate he was now being handed. "You know, it's not your fault. I'm the one that hit you. I should have listened to you." Hoss' old demons reared their ugly heads.
"Maybe, but you didn't mean for me to hit the wall and land in the hospital." Adam stirred his food more than he ate as memories of Rosita's bright eyes and sweet smile popped into place.
"Reckon not, but iff'n I hadn't hit ya like I did, you wouldn't of hit that wall and busted yer head. You wouldn't have had to fight ta get back to learn to talk and everythin' all over agin." Hoss didn't mention the picture or the ring out of fear of starting an argument that the family had learned long time ago did no good and accomplished nothing.
"Hoss," Adam said as he turned his head to his younger brother, "when I hit the wall, did you see any blue light? And any time while I was unconscious?" It was the one question that he had never asked his family.
Because he, his father and Little Joe had never brought the subject of the light up, Hoss was surprised by the question. "Why…uh…reckon we did." Hoss was stunned Adam knew about the blue light; after all, he'd been unconscious any time it had made an appearance. "Who told you about it?" The giant swore he'd not injure anyone to the point of needing a hospital, but his fist might break their jaw all the same for throwing another thing into Adam's mind; one he didn't need.
"No one did." Adam turned his head away from Hoss and turned his attention to some wild jackrabbits which were traveling within his eyesight. His brother's simple, unexpected answer stunned Hoss into silence.