Laying
Blame
by Janet
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.
Plot Summary: Nick gets into trouble and then blames
Jarrod.
Thirteen year old Nick Barkley was sitting in the study of the Barkley home
holding a rifle in his hand. He had
been out target shooting after he came home from school that afternoon. But he had accidentally shot a hole in one
of the French door windowpanes. He knew
he was shooting too close to the house but he told himself that he was an
excellent shot. Then came the broken
window. His father, he felt would never
understand seeing as how he had been in trouble more in the last six months
than he had his first twelve years.
Sixteen year old Jarrod walked in a short time later. First, he saw Nick holding the rifle and
then he saw the hole.
“You’ve been shooting too close to the house again,” he said looking at Nick.
“I thought father told you not to.”
“I know that Jarrod,” Nick replied not looking up. “You don’t have to tell me. And it’s none of your business what
father told me.”
“Father is going to punish you,” he told his brother. “He’s told you I don’t know how many times not to shoot close to
any of the buildings.”
“Jarrod,” Nick said looking up with anger in his eyes, “shut up.”
“Why?” he asked smiling. “What are you
going to do about it?”
“Get even,” Nick answered standing up.
“I’ve got to figure out how to tell him.”
“The truth would be the best,” he said.
“I’ll take care of it,” Nick replied laying the rifle down and leaving the
room.
That evening when Tom and Victoria came home from running errands in town all
day, Tom noticed the broken window.
“Nick,” he asked when he found Nick sitting in the study cleaning the rifle he
had used earlier, “who did this?”
“Jarrod did,” Nick answered with a straight face. “He was shooting too close to the house.”
“Where is Jarrod?” Tom asked.
“In his room,” Nick answered.
Tom walked up the stairs to Jarrod’s room.
Nick smiled after his father left. He was pleased with himself and he
knew Jarrod would get punished instead of him.
“I showed you big brother,” he said to himself.
Tom entered Jarrod’s room with a stern look on his face. He stood looking down at Jarrod who was
studying.
“Something wrong father?” he asked looking up.
“I’d say there was something wrong,” Tom answered. “I found the broken window.
Why didn’t you tell me about it?”
“Well,” he said looking up, “I didn’t want to get Nick in trouble. I thought I
would let him tell you about it.”
“Nick,” Tom replied. “Jarrod Thomas
Barkley you know better than to lie to me.
I have to punish you for the window.”
Jarrod realized that his father was blaming him for the broken window. He then
knew that Nick had set him up.
“What a minute father,” he said standing up to face his father. “I didn’t break it. Nick did.”
“That’s not what I hear,” Tom replied believing Nick over Jarrod. “He said you broke it.”
“Me!” he told him his voice getting louder.
“I wasn’t even home when it was broken.”
“Let’s go,” Tom said laying a hand on his son’s shoulder.
Jarrod walked out behind his father. He had to make his father understand that
he didn’t break the window.
“Father,” he said as they walked down the hall, “I didn’t break it honest. It was Nick.”
“You’re digging yourself in deeper,” Tom replied.
“Father,” he told him, “please believe me.
I didn’t do it. I swear.”
“Son,” Tom said stopping to look at him, “you know what comes next.”
“Yes sir,” he replied starting to walk again.
When they walked down the stairs and he saw Nick, he gave him a mean look. Nick just smiled. Tom and Jarrod went to the barn.
“You know what to do son,” Tom said.
“Yes sir,” he replied stripping down.
“But I didn’t do it. I swear.”
“You’re confined to your room for the rest of the week,” Tom told him pulling
out his belt. “And you will pay for the
broken window.”
“Yes sir,” he said taking the punishment that should have been Nick’s.
When Tom was finished, Jarrod went to his room. Tom watched his son leave the barn.
“Maybe I was too hard on him,” he said.
“I believed Nick because he was honest I thought. Is there a possibility that Jarrod is
innocent? No, I guess not.”
Jarrod met Nick in the hallway and confronted him.
“Nick,” he asked stopping, “why did you lie about that window? You know perfectly well that you broke it.”
“I don’t know anything of the kind,” Nick answered with a smug smile on his
face. “I told father the truth.”
“It wasn’t the truth and you know it,” Jarrod said showing his anger.
Jarrod hit him in the face with his right fist before he realized what he had
done. Nick reeled backward hitting the
wall hard. He came up from the floor
and charged Jarrod sending both boys to the floor. Tom heard the commotion as he walked inside and hurried
upstairs. He grabbed Jarrod by his arm
pulling him off Nick.
“Make that two weeks young man,” he said angrily. “Get in your room.”
“But father,” Jarrod replied. “I was trying to make Nick admit that he lied to
you.”
“Now!” Tom told him loudly.
Jarrod walked to his room and closed the door.
He was mad. Madder than he had
ever been. He knew that Nick was the
blame for all this and he vowed to get even with him. But one thing really
bothered him. Why didn’t his father
believe him?
“I guess he thinks Nick is incapable of lying?” he asked himself. “I’ll prove it to him one way or the other.”
The next afternoon, when Jarrod and Nick came home from school, Nick busted a
bag of grain in the barn by kicking it with his boot. He had gotten in trouble at school again and was taking his
frustration out on the grain. He looked at Jarrod.
“Don’t you dare blame me,” Jarrod said looking at Nick. “I didn’t do it.”
“Father won’t know that,” he replied smiling.
“Why you...” Jarrod told him.
Jarrod and Nick got into another altercation that brought Tom out to the barn.
“All right,” he said standing in front of his two sons. “I want an explanation.”
“He did it father,” Nick replied pointing at Jarrod. “He was mad and kicked the
bag. Then he tried to hurt me because I
wouldn’t lie and take the blame myself.”
“I did not,” Jarrod told his father. “I told him not to lie to you again.”
“That’s enough,” he said looking at Jarrod with disappointment in his
eyes. “I have had it with you. You go to your room.”
“But...” Jarrod replied.
“Go!” Tom told him angrily.
Jarrod walked to his room but he was angry.
He didn’t know how to convince his father that he was innocent.
That evening after supper, Tom was sitting in the living room looking at the
paper when he looked over at his wife.
“Victoria,” he said, “I don’t know what I’m going to do with that boy. First he breaks the window and then lies to
me. Afterward, he gets into a fight
with his brother. Now today he kicks
open a bag of grain and then lies again.”
“I’m sure it’s just a phase that Nick’s going through,” she replied looking up
from her sewing.
“I wasn’t talking about Nick,” he told her.
“I was talking about Jarrod.”
“Jarrod,” she said shocked. “He did
that. He’s usually very truthful when something happens.”
“Yes and then he lied to me,” he replied.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do with him.”
“That doesn’t sound like Jarrod,” she told him. “What would possess him to lie
if he broke the window?”
“Maybe it doesn’t but he did it,” he said.
“I thought I taught him to tell me when he did something like breaking
the window. But I guess I’m going to
have to have a long talk with him.”
“Tom,” she replied, “wait until you’ve calmed down. Listen to him. Maybe he
didn’t do it.”
“Are you saying that Nick deliberately blamed Jarrod for those two incidents?”
he asked. “And so convinced me so that
I would blame Jarrod too.”
“Yes,” she answered. “Nick has been
getting into trouble almost everyday for the past six months especially at
school. He can’t control that temper. If he did break the window, why not blame
Jarrod for it. That way he wouldn’t be
in trouble.”
“You have a point,” he said. “I think
I’ll go talk to Jarrod and see if we can’t straighten all this out. And if he
is innocent I have to find a way to apologize to him for punishing him and then
not believing in him. He’s probably very angry with me and frankly I can’t
blame him.”
“You’ll figure it out,” she replied. “I have trust in you.”
Tom smiled and walked up to his oldest son’s room.
When he knocked, he heard Jarrod say, “come in.”
“Jarrod,” he said walking into the room, “I want to talk to you.”
Jarrod wouldn’t look at him. He kept
his head buried his book.
“Son,” he said, “look at me.”
Jarrod slowly raised his head and looked at his father but Tom could tell he was
still angry and he could also see the hurt in the boy’s eyes that his father
didn’t believe him.
“Did you really break that window?” he asked sitting down on the bed. “Tell me
the truth.”
“No sir,” Jarrod answered. “When I came
home from school, Nick was sitting in the study holding the rifle in his
hand. That’s when I saw the
window. I told him to tell you. I had no idea that he would say that I did
it.”
“Did you bust open that bag of grain?” he asked. “Please tell me the truth.”
“No sir,” Jarrod answered. “When we
rode home and went to put the horses up, Nick kicked it and busted it open. He
got in trouble again at school today. I
guess he was mad and before I knew it, he kicked the bag and then looked at me
daring me to tell you that he did it.”
“I believe you son,” he said laying his hand on his son’s shoulder. “I’m sorry about punishing you.”
“It’s all right sir,” Jarrod replied smiling.
“I know why he did it.”
“You do?” he asked.
“Yes sir,” Jarrod answered. “Nick has
been getting into trouble both here and at school for the past several
weeks. He figured if he said it was me,
he’d be off the hook.”
“Well,” he said, “Nick is in trouble.”
“I know sir,” Jarrod replied. “But try not to be too hard on him. You know he’s got that terrible temper and
he can’t control it.”
“I’ll remember,” Tom told him then turned back to Jarrod. “I’m truly sorry that I didn’t believe
you. I guess I have been so wrapped up
in ranch work that I can’t even see when one of my sons is blamed by the other.
I know words are not enough but I’m
sorry.”
“Father,” Jarrod said standing up, “you did what you thought was right. Nick can be very convincing when he wants
too. I was mad at first yes and hurt
but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that Nick was calling out
for help by blaming me. He wanted to
get caught.”
“You know something?” Tom asked. “You
are a very wise young man. You have a
wonderful gift in reason. You put it to
good use in whatever you decide to do with your life.”
“I will father,” Jarrod answered walking over to hug Tom.
He returned the embrace and then left Jarrod’s room, walking slowly to
Nick’s. Jarrod watched him go but he
didn’t feel happy because Nick was finally going to get punished. He felt sad for his brother. He knew Nick
had a problem with his quick temper and now it had gotten him in deep trouble.
When Tom opened the door, Nick knew he was in trouble.
“Before you say anything father,” Nick said standing up, “I have something to
say. I broke the window and the bag of
grain. I blamed Jarrod because I had
been in trouble in school and I didn’t want to get it when I came home.”
“Nick,” he replied, “what am I going to do with you? You can’t hold that short temper in check and now you’re blaming
Jarrod for things you’ve done.”
“Yes father I know,” Nick told him.
“I’m ready to take my punishment.”
“I’m not going to take you to the barn,” he said. “You are going to have to apologize to your brother and build
your brotherly relationship back.”
“I don’t think I can,” Nick replied.
“Jarrod is very mad at me.”
“That’s your punishment,” he told his son. “You might be interested to know
that Jarrod asked me to be kind to you.
He didn’t want you to get punished.
He’s a wonderful boy and you should be proud to have him as your
brother.”
With that said, he left.
Nick sat there thinking about how he was going to make it up to Jarrod. He knew that Jarrod was angry and he had a
right to be but how could he fix it?
“Maybe father has a point,” he said.
“If I had been in his boots, I wouldn’t have been so kind to me.”
When Tom walked back downstairs, Victoria looked up.
“Well?” she asked.
“Nick did lie and blame Jarrod,” he answered.
“I’m not going to physically punish Nick. I told him that he had to apologize to Jarrod and then mend their
relationship.”
“That will be harder than a whipping in the barn,” she said. “I think you handled very well.”
“Yeah,” he replied. “I did. And you
know something. Jarrod understood why
Nick did it. He wasn’t really angry with
him. That boy has a gift.”
“I know,” she told him. “He’s a very
kind boy.”
“It’s more than kindness,” he said. “He
has a gift to reason out everything. He
can go a long way in this world.”
The next day at school, a new boy approached Nick. He was eating alone because he had still not apologized to
Jarrod. He very much wanted to but he was afraid of Jarrod’s reaction to
everything that had happened.
“You’re Nick Barkley?” he asked sitting down.
“Yep,” Nick answered. “Who wants to
know?”
“I’m Brian Murphy,” he said. “We just
moved here from St. Louis.”
“So?” Nick asked.
“I wanted to ask you something,” Brian answered.
“Ask?” Nick asked.
“You have a brother named Jarrod don’t you?” he wanted to know.
“Yep,” Nick answered. “What’s it to
you?”
“My father wants to talk to your brother,” Brian said. “Can you have him at an old abandoned mine
near the sanitarium this afternoon?”
“I don’t know,” Nick answered. “He’s
mad at me and I don’t know whether I can get him to go. And what does your
father want Jarrod for?”
“You better,” he said smiling.
“What do you mean by that?” Nick asked.
“If you don’t, my father will have to hurt your father,” he answered. “And he
can do it too.”
“Your father couldn’t hurt father if he tried,” Nick said smiling.
“You don’t know who my father is,” he replied.
“Who is he?” Nick asked.
“His name right now is Jack Murphy but his real name is Jack Dalton,” he
answered.
“You mean one of the Dalton gang?” Nick asked.
“Yes,” he answered. “I need you to have
your brother at that mine today.”
“All right,” Nick said. “I’ll have him
there. But why?”
“Good,” he replied walking away.
Nick sat there trying to figure out why a Dalton needed to see Jarrod. What did Jarrod have to do with this?
“I guess I’ll just have to meet him to find out,” he said out loud.
That afternoon, Nick caught up to Jarrod on the way home.
“Jarrod,” he said, “I know you’re mad at me for lying to father but I need you
to come with me. It’s important.”
“Why should I?” Jarrod asked.
“Because,” he answered, “I just need you to. Please.”
“Look Nick,” Jarrod said, “I ended up being punished by father for you. I’m not in the mood for any of your games.”
“Please,” Nick replied desperately. “If
you don’t someone will get hurt.”
“What are you talking about?” Jarrod asked stopping. “Who’ll get hurt?”
“I can’t tell you,” he answered. “You
have to believe me.”
“All right,” Jarrod said. “But if
you’re lying, I’m going to fix you good.”
“I’m not,” Nick replied.
“Where to?” Jarrod asked.
“The old abandoned mine near the sanitarium,” Nick answered.
“Why there?” Jarrod asked.
“I can’t tell you,” Nick answered.
“All right,” Jarrod said. “Let’s go.”
Jarrod was still very confused about this whole matter. The two brothers headed
off toward the mine and danger.
When they arrived at the mine, there were six horses tied up in front.
“Nick,” Jarrod asked, “what’s going on?
Who do these horses belong to?”
“I’m not sure,” Nick answered. “But we
have to go in.”
“Why?” Jarrod asked.
“Because father could get hurt if we don’t,” Nick answered.
“Father?” Jarrod asked. “What’s he got
to do with this?”
“I’m not sure,” Nick answered. “But I
met a boy during lunch. He said if I
didn’t want father to get hurt to have you here this afternoon.”
“Is that it?” Jarrod asked.
“Yes,” Nick answered.
“Are you telling me the truth?” he asked.
“I swear it,” Nick answered.
Jarrod and Nick dismounted and slowly walked into the mine.
“I’ve got a very bad feeling about this,” Jarrod said as they walked. “This is a trap.”
“How do you know?” he asked.
“It’s just a feeling,” Jarrod answered.
“I didn’t have anything to do with setting a trap for you,” he said. “I only told Brian that I would try to
persuade you to come here to see his father.”
“Are you sure?” Jarrod asked. “And who’s Brian?”
“I’m very sure,” he answered. “A new boy that I met at lunch.”
When they entered an open area a few yards inside, six grown men quickly
surrounded them. There was something
evil about the men and Nick knew he had brought his brother to a
slaughter.
“Hello Jarrod,” Jack Murphy said walking up to Jarrod. “Nick, you did well.”
“I’m sorry Jarrod,” Nick replied. “I
think I made a big mistake.”
“Who are you and what do you want?” Jarrod asked still in the dark.
“My name is Jack Dalton and this is the Dalton gang,” Jack answered. “You are going to take a message back to
your father.”
“What message?” Jarrod asked.
Jack nodded and two of the men grabbed Jarrod by each arm. Nick knew at that
moment what he had done. Then Jack hit him in the ribs with his right
fist. The air flew out of Jarrod’s
lungs. He kept on hitting him. Jarrod was having a hard time breathing as
well as standing but they wouldn’t stop.
Finally, Jarrod dropped to his knees and Murphy still continued to beat
him. Nick had seen enough.
“Leave him alone,” he said trying to stop the men from hurting Jarrod. “He’s had enough.”
“I’m not finished,” Murphy replied pushing Nick out of the way.
Murphy continued to beat Jarrod. After
what seemed like hours, the group of men dropped Jarrod to the ground. Nick looked down at him. He was barely breathing and his chest was a
mess.
“Nick,” Murphy said standing over Jarrod and Nick, “you tell your father that
we won’t let him hurt us. If he doesn’t
back off, the next time we’ll kill him.”
“I understand,” Nick replied watching at the six men left.
Nick kneeled down next to his brother.
He could tell Jarrod was having great difficulty breathing.
“Jarrod,” he said looking down at his brother, “I’m sorry for everything. I know I’ve done wrong and I want you to
know how sorry I am.”
Slowly, he helped Jarrod to his feet.
He managed to get Jarrod outside the entrance. He was semi-conscious. Then he looked at the horses.
“I’m going to lay you over the saddle,” Nick said easing Jarrod up and over the
saddle of his horse. “I know it’ll hurt
but just bare with me. I don’t think I can lift you up enough to get you on the
saddle. I’ll be as careful as I can.”
Nick secured Jarrod to the saddle and then headed toward the ranch. As he rode, he kept periodically looking
back at Jarrod. He knew Jarrod was
badly hurt. He quickly picked up the
pace.
When he rode up in front of the Barkley house, he quickly went in search of his
father.
“Father!” he called as he walked into the house. “Father!”
Victoria heard Nick’s voice and walked downstairs.
“Nick,” she said, “your father is in town.
What’s wrong?”
“Mother,” he replied, “I have something to tell you.”
“All right,” she told him.
“Jarrod is outside on his horse,” he said.
“He’s hurt real bad.”
“What happened?” she asked as they walked out the door.
“Today at lunch,” he answered, “I met a new boy who moved here from St.
Louis. He knew who I was and who Jarrod
was. He threatened me by saying that
father would get hurt if I didn’t have Jarrod at the old mine near that
sanitarium. I convinced Jarrod to go. When we arrived, the Dalton Gang quickly
surrounded us. They beat Jarrod and
wouldn’t stop. His ribs are bad
mother. I couldn’t get him up on the
horse but one way.”
Victoria saw Jarrod lying over the saddle.
She quickly untied him easing him to the ground. That’s when she got a very good look at his
chest. She could see broken ribs
protruding into the skin. She felt his
chest and noted that a lot of his ribs were broken.
“Nick,” she said very calmly, “I want you to listen to me. I need to get your father and Dr. Merrar
here immediately. Jarrod needs
help. First, I want you to help me get
him inside in his bed. Second, I want
you to ride to Stockton. Find your
father and notify the doctor. Third, I
want you to tell Harry what happened so those men can be apprehended.”
“No mother,” he replied. “I can’t tell
the sheriff. If I do, Jarrod dies.”
“Your father can tell him,” she told him.
“Now, help me.”
Victoria and Nick managed to carry Jarrod into the house and up to his
room. After Nick left, Victoria removed
Jarrod’s shirt and pants along with his boots.
She knew that he was in serious condition and prayed that he would
survive long enough for the doctor to arrive. His breathing was very labored
due to the numerous broken or damaged ribs.
Why would anyone do this much damage to a boy?
Nick rode into Stockton and went to Dr. Merrar’s first.
“Doc!” he called walking inside. “Doc!”
The doctor walked out of the back.
“Nick,” he asked, “what’s wrong?”
“Mother wants you to come to the ranch,” he answered. “It’s Jarrod. He’s been beaten badly.”
“I’ll get my bag,” he said picking up his bag and heading out the door.
“I’ve got to find father,” Nick replied going in search of Tom.
“I’ll head out to the ranch,” he told Nick.
Nick went to the hotel but his father wasn’t there. He went to the general store but again no luck. Finally, he walked toward the sheriff’s
office and saw his father walking out the door.
“Father,” Nick said as he ran to him.
“Son,” Tom replied. “What are you doing
here?”
“Getting the doc,” Nick told him.
“What’s happened?” Tom asked.
“Father,” Nick answered, “Jarrod’s been beaten by six men. He’s at the ranch but he’s hurt bad.”
“Have you told the doc?” Tom asked.
“Yeah,” Nick answered. “But there’s
something else.”
“What?” Tom asked.
“It was the Dalton Gang that hurt him,” Nick answered. “And if you don’t stop doing whatever you’re
doing, they’ll kill him.”
“The Dalton Gang,” Tom said. “I’ve not
had any dealings with them. They’re
outlaws.”
“That’s just what they told me,” Nick replied.
“All right,” Tom told his son. “Let’s
go home and see how Jarrod is.”
The two of them rode toward the ranch.
“Now suppose you explain this all to me,” Tom said as they rode.
“I was eating lunch alone because I hadn’t apologized to Jarrod yet,” Nick
replied. “A boy that had recently started
to school walked over and sat down. He
told me his name was Brian Murphy. He
asked me if I had a brother named Jarrod.
And then he said if I didn’t want you to be hurt, to have Jarrod at the
old mine near the sanitarium. So, after
school, I convinced Jarrod to go but when we walked inside the mine, six men
surrounded us. I knew they were going
to hurt Jarrod. I tried to stop them
but I was just pushed aside. I’m really
sorry father.”
“Let’s not worry about that now,” Tom told him. “I want to see Jarrod.”
Back at the ranch, the doctor was trying to save Jarrod’s life. He finally looked up at Victoria after he
finished examining Jarrod.
“Victoria,” he said shaking his head, “every one of his ribs are broken. Every single one. Luckily, he doesn’t have a punctured lung but if I don’t get
these ribs repaired, he will have. His
chest tissue is badly irritated.
Probably from the numerous broken ribs.”
“Will he be all right?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” he answered.
“What do you mean you don’t know?” she asked.
“I’ve never encountered someone who has had every rib broken,” he
answered. “The fact that he is alive is
a miracle in itself. I’m going to try
to re-set his ribs and then bind them.
Jarrod is a young man so that’s in his favor.”
“How long?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” he answered. “I don’t
even know if he will live much less get better.”
The doctor slowly went to work on Jarrod.
Victoria walked out of the room.
She leaned back against the wall in the hallway and cried. Tom and Nick arrived while she was there.
“Victoria,” he said.
“He’s still alive,” she replied. “Every
single one of his ribs are broken. The
doctor has never see anything like it.”
“Will he be all right?” he asked.
“He doesn’t know,” she answered. “My
little boy might die.”
Tom held her in his arms as she cried.
Nick tried to hold back his own tears but some trickled down his face.
He blamed himself for Jarrod’s predicament. The three of them finally walked
into the room. The doctor was still
trying to set his ribs.
“Doc?” he asked.
“I don’t know Tom,” he answered. “At
least he’s unconscious. That’s a
blessing. If he were conscious, he
would be miserable. I’ve never seen
anything like it. Every rib is
broken. It’s as if they took pleasure
in seeing how many they could break.”
“Doc,” he said, “do everything you can for him.”
“I will,” the doctor replied still working.
After working on Jarrod for over an hour, he finally straightened up.
“I’ve got them all back into place and his chest is tightly wrapped,” he
said. “Now all we can do is wait.”
Tom began to think about the reason behind Jarrod’s beating. He thought about the Dalton Gang and where
he might have run into them.
“Tom,” she asked concerned, “what is it?”
“I was trying to figure out where I could have run into the Dalton Gang,” he
answered. “I can’t remember ever seeing
them before. But something prompted them to send me a message.”
“Maybe Harry can help,” she suggested.
“I’ll talk to him tomorrow,” he said looking at Jarrod. “I don’t want to leave my son.”
“Tom,” she replied also looking at Jarrod, “I’m worried that my little boy will
never wake up. I don’t think I can go
on if he dies.”
“Jarrod is not going to die,” he told her.
“He’s going to get better. And another thing, he’s not our little boy
anymore. He’s sixteen and almost
grown. We need to start treating him
like a man.”
“Not when he is hurt,” she said. “He
will always be my little boy.”
But Tom was having a hard time believing it himself. Nick was having the most difficulty with the situation. He knew he was to blame for it all. If only he could apologize.
“Jarrod,” Nick said as he sat down on the bed and looked at his unconscious
brother, “I don’t know if you can hear me but I need to say this. I’m so sorry that I blamed you for the
broken window and the bag of grain. You
are the best brother a boy could ever have.
I know deep inside I set you up for the slaughter. I should have known that that boy had
another reason for wanting you at that mine. I was trying to save father and in
the process I nearly lost you. I hope
someday you can find it in your heart to forgive me. But I’ll understand if you can’t. Please get well. Please.”
Nick sat there with the tears just streaming down his face. Tom walked over to him and pulled him into a
hug.
“Nick,” he said, “I know he heard you.
He doesn’t blame you. That boy
suckered you in. You didn’t know that
he was setting Jarrod up. You helped
save his life by acting quickly and bringing him home as fast as you did.”
“Father,” Nick replied looking up, “I’m sorry.
That’s all I can say.”
“It’s all you need to say son,” he told him holding him close. “Your brother is a fighter and this will be
a big fight for him but he’s up to the task.”
“You’re right,” Nick said. “Is it all
right if I stay with him?”
“Sure it is,” he replied. “I think
Jarrod would like that.”
Nick sat down in a chair beside his brother’s bed. He wouldn’t take his eyes off of Jarrod. The doctor examined his patient every
half-hour and would then shake his head at Tom and Victoria.
“No change,” he said. “He’s still
unconscious. The longer he’s stays
unconscious, the less likely he’ll ever wake up.”
That one statement shocked all three Barkleys as they finally realized that
Jarrod might indeed die at any moment.
The next morning, Jarrod began to moan as he was trying to wake up. Tom and Victoria both sat on each side of
his bed.
“Jarrod,” Tom said softly, “don’t move around son. You’re hurt badly.”
“Your father is right,” she replied, “but you’re going to be fine.”
He fought through the haze of uncontrollable pain to open his eyes. Finally they opened a slit. That’s when the pain really started. It felt like his chest was going to explode. All he could do was moan as the pain
increased. Tom noticed Jarrod’s eyes
and saw the agony that his son was going through.
“Jarrod,” he said, “I’m going to get the doc.
He’ll give you something to help the pain.”
All Jarrod could do was barely nod. His
face was screwed up in agony. He
couldn’t take a breath without his chest screaming out.
“I’m going to get the doc,” Tom said as he left the room.
Victoria looked down at Jarrod.
“Does it hurt?” she asked.
“Like...my...chest...is...going...to...explode,” he answered through the
agonizing pain.
“The doctor will be here soon,” she said trying to comfort him as he
suffered. “I wish I could make the pain
go away but I’m afraid mothers can’t do that.”
“I...know,” he replied.
Finally, Tom and the doctor walked in.
The doctor didn’t have to ask Jarrod about the pain. He could see it on the boy’s face. He quickly removed a small bottle of liquid
and a syringe from his bag. Filling the
syringe with the liquid, he injected it into Jarrod’s left arm. Jarrod’s eyes closed. The doctor looked up.
“I gave him an injection for pain,” he said.
“Every time he wakes up, he’ll have to deal with the fact that every one
of his ribs are broken. I’m not talking
about slight pain. I’m talking about
pain the likes of which we can’t even imagine.
You know what it’s like to have one or two broken ribs. Just think about every one broken. The boy will need the medicine every four
hours for the next couple of days.”
“Doc,” Tom asked, “will he make it?”
“I hope so,” he answered. “He’s
fighting. But right now he needs rest
and quiet.”
“He’ll have it,” she said. “One of us
will be with him at all times until this business with the Dalton Gang is
over. Tom, you need to go to Stockton
and see Harry.”
“I know,” he replied. “But I don’t want
to leave Jarrod.”
“I’ll stay with him,” she told him. “Go
on.”
Tom reluctantly left the house heading for town.
Harry was sitting at his desk with his feet up on it when Tom walked in. He could tell by Tom’s face that something
was very wrong.
“Tom,” he asked, “what’s wrong?”
“Harry,” Tom answered, “Jarrod was beaten very badly yesterday. Every one of his ribs are broken.”
“What!” Harry exclaimed. “Who did it?”
“The Dalton Gang,” he said. “But I
can’t figure out why.”
“What do you mean?” Harry asked.
“The one that did all the talking told Nick to tell me not to interfere in
their business,” he answered. “But I’ve
never met them or seen them except in newspaper articles.”
Harry sat there thinking. Then
something hit him.
“Tom,” he asked, were you in Reno, Nevada about three months ago?”
Tom thought about the question. He had
been traveling a lot during that time.
“I think so,” he finally answered.
“Do you remember anything happening during your time there?” Harry asked.
“Yes,” he answered. “I remember seeing
a group of six men hightailing it out of the bank there and riding out of town
in a big hurry.”
“That was the Dalton Gang,” Harry said.
“You saw them coming out of the bank.
They robbed the bank there three months ago. One or more of them must have seen you. They figured out where you lived and came here. Then they beat up your son to tell you not
to testify against them.”
“It makes sense now,” he replied. “I
never realized it. Harry, Jarrod has to
have protection. I want him safe.”
“Don’t worry,” Harry told him. “I’ll
send Denny Baker with you. He’s a good
deputy and he’ll stay at the ranch at all times.”
“Good,” he said finally relaxing. “I
want those men Harry. I want them to
pay for what they did to Jarrod.”
“They will,” Harry replied. “Now, you
go back to the ranch. I’ll find Denny
and send him out. Then I’ll contact the
US Marshal’s office to let them know that the Daltons are in this area.”
“All right,” he told Harry. “I need to
get back to my boy.”
“Don’t worry,” Harry said. “Everything
will be fine.”
Tom left Harry’s office heading for home.
At the ranch, Jarrod was fighting to wake up again. He felt that uncontrollable pain as his eyes opened a little
more. He grabbed the sheet trying to
deal with his misery.
“Honey,” she said softly, “I know you hurt.
Do you need some more pain medicine?”
“Yes,” he replied still trying to deal with his pain.
“The doctor is out in the hallway,” she told him rising from the bed. “I’ll tell him.”
When she left the room looking for the doctor, Jarrod was still in pain. He tried to sit up and ended up crying out
as the pain increased even more. Pain
was all he felt. He couldn’t stop it no
matter what he did.
“Help me!” he cried. “Please!”
Tom, who had walked into the house a few minutes earlier, heard his son’s
cry. He ran up the stairs taking two at
a time. He rushed into Jarrod’s room
just in time to see him trying to get out of bed. Tom quickly held Jarrod down and tried to talk to him.
“Son,” he said, “listen to me. You’re
only hurting yourself. You have to be
patient. The doctor will be here
shortly.”
“Father,” Jarrod replied still dealing with the pain, “it hurts. I’ve never experienced anything like it
before.”
“Jarrod,” he told his son, “it will get better.”
Jarrod was still trying to fight him as the doctor walked into the room. He pulled the syringe and liquid from his
bag quickly filling the syringe. Then
he injected it into Jarrod. After a few
minutes, Jarrod quieted and his eyes closed.
Tom released his grip on his son.
He sat down on the side of the bed and cried.
“It’s all my fault,” he said as the tears flowed down his face. “I didn’t realize it until a short time ago
why Jarrod was hurt.”
“Why Tom?” she asked coming to stand beside of her husband.
“I was in Reno, Nevada three months ago on business,” he answered. “While I was there, six men came out of the
bank, jumped on their horses and rode out of town. I saw them all clearly. I
didn’t know that those men had just robbed the bank. But I can put them in Reno on that day.”
“How did they find out who you were and where we lived?” she asked.
“By asking,” he answered. “Anyone in
Reno would have told them or anywhere else close by. Then they came here. They
must have used one of their own children to find out if I had any children they
could threaten. When they found out
that I had three sons at the school, they set it up for the beating to force me
into not testifying against them.”
“Why pick Jarrod?” she asked.
“I’m not sure,” he answered.
“Father,” Nick said coming to stand near his parents, “I might be able to
answer that one.”
“Go ahead,” he replied.
“The new boy that I spoke to kept watching me,” he told them. “He must have found out that I was a
Barkley. Anyway, he probably saw Jarrod
and me together. He probably saw Gene too but luckily he didn’t use Gene’s
name. That day at school, he called Jarrod by name and me too.”
“You say he was a Dalton?” he asked.
“Yes father,” Nick answered. “He
identified himself as Brian Murphy. He
said his father needed to see Jarrod that afternoon. I asked him why and he wouldn’t tell me. He said that if I didn’t want you to be
hurt, to have Jarrod at that mine.”
“It was a setup,” he said. “You walked
right into it son. They wanted to send
a message that I wouldn’t forget. And
they have. My boy’s ribs are all
broken.”
“Father,” Nick replied, “you should have seen him. He was grinning as he hit Jarrod over and over. He took pride in hurting him. And when I told him that Jarrod had had enough, he just pushed me away and kept
hitting him. I don’t think I’ll ever
forget the look on that man’s face as he beat Jarrod while two others held his
arms.”
“Two men held Jarrod’s arms?” she asked.
“Yes mother,” Nick answered. “They
wouldn’t let him defend himself. They
just wouldn’t stop hitting him.”
“It’s all right son,” he said putting a hand on Nick’s shoulder. “I’ll get those men. In the meantime, we need to help Jarrod.”
“How?” Nick asked.
“By being as kind as we can be,” he answered.
“He needs our love and support as well as our strength. He’s going to heal but it will take time.”
“I’ll do anything I can for Jarrod,” Nick said. “It’s my fault that he’s hurt.”
“I know you will,” he replied. “Nick,
stay with him while your mother and I speak to the doctor.”
“Yes father,” Nick told him as he sat down on the bed.
Tom, Victoria and the doctor stepped out into the hall.
“Doc,” he asked, “is Jarrod going to heal?
Is he going to get better?”
“I think so,” the doctor answered. “But
it will take time. I’m afraid a lot of
time. With that many broken ribs,
Jarrod is going to be in bed for at least two or three weeks. Then he will have to be careful for several
more until they are completely healed.
But what worries me is the use of so much pain medicine. He could get sick from it at any time. If he does, he could pull those ribs apart
again.”
“But if he doesn’t have the medicine he’ll be in such pain,” he said.
“That’s right,” the doctor replied.
“It’s a no win situation for Jarrod.
“In the meantime, try to get him to eat and drink. He needs to keep his strength up during this
time.”
“I’ll try,” she told him. “I don’t know
whether he’ll eat anything but maybe I can convince him to drink something.”
“Try,” the doctor said. “Another thing
to think about is protecting him.”
“That’s already been taken care of,” he replied. “Harry is sending out a deputy to keep a close watch for any
further attacks.”
“Good,” the doctor told them. “I’ll
stay a day or two more and then I’ll leave some medicine with you.”
“All right,” she said.
The third time Jarrod had to have the pain medicine, he became violently
sick. He vomited and cried at the same
time as it put more pressure on his injured ribs. He couldn’t handle it.
“Honey,” she said holding him as he vomited, “it will stop.”
Meanwhile, the doctor had given him something to stop the vomiting. Finally, thirty minutes later, Jarrod
quieted. His tired eyes closed and he
slept. The doctor examined his ribs and
gave a sigh of relief.
“He hasn’t pulled any of them apart yet,” he said. “That’s a blessing. But
he’ll probably be sick again as he tries to deal with everything.”
“Will it hurt his damaged ribs?” Tom asked.
“Possibly,” he answered. “Any strain on
those broken ribs could break them apart and then one could puncture a lung or
worse.”
“What can we do to help?” she asked.
“Keep him quiet and let him rest as much as possible,” he answered. “I’ll be out in the hallway if you need me.”
The doctor left the room. Tom looked
down at his son lying there so still.
He sat down on the side of the bed.
“Son,” he said very softly, “this is all my fault. I caused this to happen to you.
I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. You have to be a fighter and try to get better. You have to show those men that you aren’t
going to give up.”
Victoria walked over to the bed putting a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her with tears in his eyes.
“It’s going to be all right,” she said.
“He will heal.”
“But how long will he be in such torment?” he asked. “Did you see the hurt in his eyes as he tried to deal with what
had been done to him?”
“Yes,” she answered. “He’s a fighter
Tom. He’s going to make it.”
“But will he be permanently damaged inside?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she answered. “But we
have to be strong for him.”
Over the next week, Jarrod was still dealing with the broken ribs and the nausea
from the pain medicine. He had lost
weight because he couldn’t keep anything down.
Tom and Victoria were very worried.
“Doc,” Tom said when he came to examine Jarrod, “he’s so skinny. He can’t eat and he barely takes water. I am beginning to wonder if he is going to
heal.”
“I can’t help you Tom,” he replied looking up.
“Jarrod is a very sick boy. He
not only has the pain of his ribs to deal with but the fact that he vomits
every time he is given pain medicine.
And if I don’t give it to him, he is in so much pain that he can’t
rest. His condition has
deteriorated. He can’t take nourishment
and because of that he has been unconscious more. I believe that he has given up on living. He has told himself that he will never get
any better. If we don’t get him to eat
or drink, he’ll more than likely die.”
Tom looked at the doctor, then at his son.
“How?” Tom asked. “He refuses to drink
but a swallow or two. I can’t force him
to drink.”
“We may have to,” he answered. “If he
has given up, we have to convince him that this is not the end of the world.”
“I’ll try,” Tom said.
“That’s all I’m asking,” he replied leaving.
Tom walked over to the bed, sitting down beside of his son. He took the glass of water, easing Jarrod’s
head up. Then he poured some in his
mouth. Jarrod didn’t open his eyes but
he drank a little bit more. Tom laid
his head back onto the pillow.
“You have to get stronger son,” he said.
“You have to survive.”
Victoria walked in after the doctor left.
“Did he tell you?” he asked looking up at her.
“Yes,” she answered. “I came up here to
try something.”
“What?” he asked.
“Just sit down in that chair and pray this works,” she answered.
She sat down on the bed beside of Jarrod.
She bent over very close to his ear.
“Honey,” she said, “if you don’t start eating and drinking, Nick will be all
alone. Do you want that? You know he looks up to you. Of course he’ll
have Gene and Audra but he really needs you.”
“Do you think it will work?” he asked when she sat back up.
“It’s all I know to do,” she answered.
Jarrod heard his mother’s words. He
knew he had to fight to live because he didn’t want Nick to be all alone. He started to wake up.
Tom and Victoria both looked at him.
“Come on son,” he said. “You can do it.
Open your eyes.”
Jarrod fought hard to open his eyes and finally he did. He looked around seeing his parents. Trying to smile at them, he spoke for the
first time.
“I heard you,” he said but it was only a whisper. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean
to be such trouble.”
“You are no trouble,” she replied. “You
didn’t ask what happened to you. And
your father is going to get those men.”
“Really?” Jarrod asked.
“Yes son,” he answered. “I witnessed a
robbery some months back. They saw me
and figured that I could put them in jail so they went after someone I
loved...you.”
“I tried to be brave father,” Jarrod said.
“But he just kept hitting me and hitting me.”
“I know,” he replied. “How do you
feel?”
“The pain is there,” Jarrod told them, “but I want to heal. I want to show them they failed.”
“That’s my boy,” he said smiling.
“We’ll show them together.”
“All right,” Jarrod replied.
“Do you think you can eat something?” she asked.
“I can try,” Jarrod answered. “I am
kind of hungry.”
Both of his parents smiled at the comment.
“There’s someone else that wants to see you,” he said.
“Nick,” Jarrod replied.
“Yes,” he told his son.
“I want to see him too,” Jarrod said.
“I want him to know that I’m not angry with him. He was duped into making me go to that mine. It wasn’t his fault.”
“All right,” he replied. “I’ll get
him.”
Tom rose, leaving the room. When he
walked out into the hall, Nick came up.
“Father,” he asked, “how’s Jarrod?”
“He’s awake and asking to see you,” Tom answered.
“Can I?” he asked.
“Go ahead,” Tom answered.
Nick walked slowly into his brother’s room.
When he saw Jarrod, he relaxed.
Jarrod had a smile on his face.
“Nick,” he said, “you’re not to blame. They set you up just as they did
me. But father is going to put them
away where they can never hurt anyone again.”
“I’m so glad you’re not mad at me any more,” Nick replied. “I messed up real bad. I’m sorry.”
“Look,” he told him, “you are a leaper and I’m a thinker. Why don’t we try working together and maybe
we can solve anything.”
“You’ve got a deal,” Nick said smiling.
“Great,” he replied.
Finally, after two weeks in bed, Jarrod was healed enough to get up. He was overjoyed.
“I want you to curb your activities for another week or two,” the doctor said. “You’re still not completely healed.”
“I’ll take it easy sir,” Jarrod replied.
“I’m just glad to be almost back to normal.”
“You need to rest some but I also want you to begin walking,” he told the
boy. “No riding just yet.”
“Yes sir,” Jarrod said smiling.
“If he has any problems,” he replied to Tom and Victoria, “just come get me.”
“We will,” Tom told him as he left the house.
Jarrod dressed and walked slowly down the stairs as Tom closed the door. Turning, he saw his son.
“You didn’t waste any time,” he said.
“No sir,” Jarrod replied. “I’m so sick
of that bed I could scream.”
“Where are you off to?” he asked.
“I thought I would walk outside,” Jarrod answered.
“All right,” he said, “but I’m going with you.”
“You don’t have too,” Jarrod replied.
“Those men are still on the loose,” he told his son. “I’m not taking any chances.”
“Yes father,” Jarrod said.
The two of them walked out the door.
Jarrod just stood there taking in the beauty all around him.
“I never realized just how much I love this ranch,” he said. “But these past two weeks cooped up in bed
made me realize just how lucky I am. I
am surrounded by all this beauty.”
“I agree with you,” Tom replied. “Every
time I’m away from the ranch and come back, I am just captivated by its
beauty.”
As they walked, Nick came out of the barn.
When he saw them, he smiled, joining them.
“Look who’s up,” he said. “Did the
warden let you out?”
“Yeah,” Jarrod replied. “Although, he’s
still at my side.”
“All right you two,” Tom told them, “that’s enough of that.”
“Seriously,” he said, “you are better.”
“Yeah,” Jarrod replied. “I’m feeling a
lot better.”
“Great,” he told his brother. “I’ve
been keeping your chores done while you’ve been laid up.”
“Thanks,” Jarrod said.
“The main reason I did them is because I wanted to make it up to you because of
the blame I laid on you,” Nick replied.
“I know the reason why,” Jarrod told him.
“We’ll forget it and just go on from here.”
“Thanks,” he said.
“You’re very welcome,” Jarrod replied putting his arm around his brother.
“This is a wonderful sight,” she told them walking up. “I’m so glad to see you up and feeling
better.”
“I do mother,” Jarrod said. “I’ve got
you to thank for my recovery. If you
hadn’t said that about Nick, I may never have gotten better.”
“What about me?” Nick asked.
“I just told Jarrod that you would be all alone without him,” she
answered. “In other words that you
needed him.”
“I do,” Nick said.
“And I fought to come back,” Jarrod replied.
“I’m glad you did,” Nick told him.
Chapter Fourteen
The Dalton Gang disappeared from sight. Harry recalled the deputy and things slowly returned to
normal. Jarrod healed completely and
returned to school. The new boy Brian
Murphy also disappeared.
Then four months later things took a deadly turn. The deputy that had stayed at the Barkley ranch turned up dead
from a bullet through the heart.
“I don’t understand it,” Harry said to Tom in his office. “Denny didn’t have an enemy in the
world. Why would anyone want to kill
him?”
“I don’t know,” Tom replied. “You don’t
think this has anything to do with the Daltons do you?”
“They hightailed it out of here months ago,” Harry told him. “Why would they all of a sudden come back to
murder a deputy?”
“Good point,” Tom said. “Nonetheless,
I’m going to keep a close eye on the boys.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Harry replied.
“It’s probably nothing.”
Later that evening, Tom and his family were in the gun room.
“Harry told me today that his deputy, Denny Baker was murdered yesterday,” he
said.
“Who did it?” Jarrod asked.
“He doesn’t know,” he answered.
“Wasn’t that the deputy that stayed here while Jarrod was hurt?” she asked.
“Yes,” he answered. “But I’m sure it
has nothing to do with Jarrod.”
“Just the same,” she said, “I don’t want either one of you boys to leave the
ranch without your father or me knowing where you are going.”
“We won’t,” Jarrod replied. “Right
Nick?”
“Yeah,” Nick told them.
That night after everyone had gone to bed, a half dozen men slowly made their
way to the house. They let themselves
in through the kitchen door. Once
inside, they began to search each room.
The first room belonged to Silas.
They dragged the sleeping man from his bed herding him toward the living
room.
“Sit down and don’t say a word unless you want to end up dead,” one of the men
said.
Silas did as he was told. Next, the
group headed upstairs. One by one they
dragged each member of the Barkley family from their bed making them walk to
the living room. Once there, the man
spoke again.
“I told you if you went to the law, your family would pay,” Jack Dalton
said. “Did you really think that we
would just disappear forever?”
“So you murdered the deputy,” Tom replied.
“That’s right,” Dalton told him. “And
now you are going to watch your family suffer.”
“No!” Tom cried. “You almost took my
son from me once before. I won’t let
you do it again.”
“You mean the beating,” he said. “That
was nothing like how he is going to suffer while you watch.”
Jarrod spoke for the first time.
“Excuse me sir,” he said. “But if you
kill us, you will go to prison or die.”
“Don’t you think I know that,” Dalton replied.
“But killing is our business. We
enjoy it. We take pride in our work.”
“Like you took pride in seeing just how many of my ribs you could break,” he
told them.
“You are sure a mouthy boy,” Dalton said looking at Jarrod. “You let your boy doing your talking?”
“No,” Tom replied. “But he has a
point. You set him and Nick up. You wanted to hurt me through them. If there wasn’t so many of you and if my
family wasn’t at stake, I’d kill you right now.”
“Big words from a little man,” Dalton told him. “Come here boy.”
Dalton was looking at Jarrod. He slowly
looked from his mother to his father and then he stood up. He walked very slowly to Dalton.
“Come on,” Dalton said. “I won’t bite.”
Jarrod finally stopped. He was standing
in front of Dalton. Jack looked him up
and down.
“You’re a bit scrawny,” Dalton said.
“But you’ll do.”
He turned Jarrod around, grabbing him around the throat. Then he positioned his gun to the boy’s
right temple. Tom started to come off
the couch but a gun in the gut stopped him.
“You want your boy to die now Barkley?” he asked.
“No,” Tom answered. “Please let him
go. He hasn’t hurt you.”
“But you have,” he said.
Dalton cocked the gun and Jarrod closed his eyes. His heart was pounding in his chest and he was sweating. But he didn’t show the fear that he felt. He stood there like a man. Tom was proud of his son.
“You want me to release him?” he asked.
“Yes,” Tom answered. “Why hurt him?”
“He’s your boy,” he said. “But you’re
right.”
He pushed Jarrod hard to one of the other men.
Jarrod stumbled, almost falling, but he regained his balance. The other man held onto him. Nick jumped to his feet.
“You leave my brother alone,” he snarled.
“He hasn’t done anything to you.”
“Lookie here,” Dalton mocked. “This boy
wants to fight.”
“Nick,” Tom said, “sit down.”
“No!” Nick cried. “I won’t let them
hurt Jarrod again.”
Tom reached up grabbing Nick by his arm.
He pulled his son back to the couch.
“What’s the matter Barkley?” Dalton asked.
“Can’t you fight your own battles?”
“Of course,” Tom answered. “You aren’t
going to get away with this.”
“There’s no one here to stop me,” Dalton said.
Jarrod had noticed that the men had forgotten about him. The man holding him had loosened his
grip. That’s when Jarrod saw his
chance. He back kicked the man in the
knee sending him to the floor. Dalton
was startled by the attack. He raised
his gun to fire at Jarrod when Tom sprang from the couch with a force that sent
the two men to the floor. Victoria,
Nick and Silas quickly moved out of the line of fire. Jarrod was trying to finish off the man with punches but another
man pulled him off, pinning his arms behind him. Nick charged and knocked all three of them to the floor. Another man tried to shoot at Nick but
Jarrod saw him squeeze the trigger. He
pushed Nick out of the way but was shot in the shoulder. Jarrod fell to the floor clutching his right
arm. Tom flew into a rage. He began to pummel Dalton. Meanwhile, Silas and Victoria had retrieved
pistols. They shot two of the men. The two other ones dropped their pistols,
raising their hands. Tom continued to
beat Dalton.
“Tom,” Victoria said as she pulled him back, “it’s over.”
Tom stood up and that’s when he saw Jarrod on the floor. He quickly went to him, helping him to his
feet.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Jarrod answered. “It’s only a
flesh wound.”
“That was a very heroic thing you did,” she said putting her arm around Jarrod.
“I didn’t want Nick to get hurt,” he replied still holding his arm.
Tom had several of the hands tie up the members of the Dalton gang. Then he sent one of the men to town to get
Harry. Jarrod had sat down on the
couch. Victoria had wrapped his arm to
stop the bleeding. They finally
relaxed.
“It’s finally over,” Tom said. “Jarrod,
you were a brave young man. You put
your life on the line for your brother.
I’m very proud of you.”
“I just reacted,” Jarrod replied. “I
really didn’t think about it.”
“You’re a hero son,” she told him hugging him.
“Thanks Jarrod,” Nick said smiling.
“You would have done it for me,” Jarrod replied.
The Dalton Gang was sentenced to fifteen years in prison for beating Jarrod but
on the way to San Quentin, they escaped.
Tom was notified but he was sure they would high tail it out of the
state rather than possibly face a murder charge if they tried to hurt his
family. Tom was also still proud of his
two sons. Both had put their lives in
jeopardy to save the others.
THE END