The Fight

by HollyJeen

Disclaimer: The characters and situations of the TV program "Big Valley" are the creations of Four Star/Republic Pictures and have been used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended by the author. The ideas expressed in this story are copyrighted to the author.

Nick Barkley grinned as he took a long drink from the frosty mug. Glancing around the saloon in the heart of Stockton, he idly considered joining a card game before heading home.

He glanced over at his younger brother, who was thoughtfully watching a game already going strong. Feeling uncharacteristically good, Nick’s grin widened as he watched Heath. He’s probably figuring which one will offer the best payoff when he cleans ‘em out, he thought. He had long ago acknowledged his new brother’s expertise in card games of all kinds, and looked forward to watching him match wits with the men playing poker today.

Before Heath could pull a chair to the table, though, Nick heard a hateful voice utter words that made his blood instantly run cold. “Well, well, well. If it ain’t the Barkley bastard, come outta the fancy house to mix with his betters. What ya doin’ in here, Boy?”

With that, a swarthy man with an evil smirk leaned back in his chair and stared hard at the fair-haired Barkley.

Heath was silent, and Nick was impressed when the younger man slowly turned back to the bar, intent on ignoring the buffoon at the card table. Not to be outdone in front of the now-silent patrons, the other man stood and grabbed Heath’s shoulder. Nick leaned forward, ready to help, but willing to let Heath choose how he wished to continue this confrontation.

With the foolish man’s next words, however, Nick was on his feet and headed to help.

Leaning close to Heath’s ear, the man spoke loud enough for all to hear, “It’s rude to ignore your betters, Boy. Didn’t your mama teach you manners? I guess she was too busy. Knowing how you was whelped, I guess we ain’t gotta guess what she was busy doin’, do we?”

Heath’s head tilted upward, and the man recoiled from the cold hatred in the younger man’s eyes. Without a word, Heath shrugged out of his grasp and released a hard punch that landed solidly on the man’s jaw.

Instantly, the other patrons in the bar stood and, like most bar brawls, sides were quickly chosen and fists started to fly. Nick fought his way through the crowd, briefly surprised – and unexpectedly moved – by the large number of men who chose to fight on his brother’s side. However, that observation was quickly put aside in his intent to reach Heath. Also put aside was the realization of the depth of his own need to come to the blond man’s aid.

Nick reached Heath just as the swarthy man who had initiated the fight slid bonelessly to the floor. He briefly touched Heath’s arm to get his attention, and then quickly cursed his own foolishness when the blond man spun around with his fist poised to strike. As Nick braced himself for the blow, he saw Heath’s eyes narrow and, at the last second, he lowered his arm.

With a big smile, Nick motioned him back to the action, and laughed out loud when Heath complied by jumping on the nearest combatant. Nick joined him in the fracas, glad that he and Heath were blowing off their anger at the stranger’s cruel taunts.

‘That’ll make him happy, I reckon,’ Nick thought as the fight wound to a close. ‘I bet he enjoyed wipin’ that smirk off that fellow’s face. I wonder how many times he had to do that in his life?’ Nick sighed briefly at this reminder of Heath’s difficult years, but was relieved to know that his brother no longer had to fight these battles alone.

When the last man either fell or gave up fighting, Nick glanced around the room. The bar had taken quite a beating, and Sam was eyeing Nick with more than a little irritation from behind the bar. With a sheepish shrug, Nick trudged over and told Sam to bill the ranch for the damages. He figured it was a small price to pay to show the cowboys lying on the floor that they could not antagonize Heath without paying a high price.

After he talked briefly with Sam, Nick moved toward Heath, expecting him to share Nick’s satisfaction at winning the fight.

He was startled, however, by Heath’s intense gaze. The dark cowboy attempted to define the swirling emotions hidden in the azure depths, but ‘surprise’ was the only one he could readily understand. He unconsciously moved closer, waiting for Heath to speak. The words were not what he had expected.

Shaking his head, with that puzzled look still firmly in place, Heath gestured at the room. Softly, he spoke, “Nick, I didn’t expect…. nobody’s ever…”

Sudden understanding dawned on the older Barkley, and his heart ached with the knowledge that Heath had never had someone stand beside him to fight the many battles of his life.

Taking a deep breath, Nick rumbled a response past the lump in his throat. ““Well, they do now,” he said firmly. ”I do now, and don’t you ever forget it.”

After a moment staring hard into his brother’s eyes, Heath slowly offered a small grin. Matching it with a broad smile of his own, Nick dusted off his hat and slung his arm around Heath’s shoulders. He slapped the saloon doors and sent them swinging. Then, the dark cowboy propelled his brother into the sunlight, neither looking back at the turmoil left behind.

THE END