Our
Brother Heath
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.
Two days later the Barkley family was in Sacramento
sitting in the office of Attorney Preston Wilson.
“Mr. Wilson,” Tom said as he sat on the other side of the
desk from a dark haired man, “I want to see this boy to see if he’s really my
son.”
“I can arrange that,” he replied. “The boy has been
staying with some really nice people since his mother’s been ill and has since
passed away. I’ll send my secretary to
bring him here. Anna, will you please
bring Heath here so the Barkleys can meet him?”
“Yes Mr. Wilson,” she told him as she headed out the door.
“Has his uncle said anything about me taking Heath?” Tom
asked curious. “I mean if he’s going to
become a problem I may have to deal with him sometime down the road. I remember
him from the time I spent with Leah and he did not seem to be to be a very kind
and caring man.”
“I contacted Heath’s uncle Matt Simmons and he never sent
any response back so I assume he wants nothing to do with the boy,” he answered
looking at Tom. “However, if I do hear
from him, I will inform him that as the boy’s legal father, you have the right
to raise him. He has no say in the
matter as it was Leah’s wish the boy live with you.”
“I wonder why she never told me,” Tom said not
understanding. “I mean if she had Heath
and she knew he was my son why not tell me?”
“She told me that you were in Strawberry on business when
the two of you first met,” he replied remembering his long conversation with
Leah as she laid in the hospital. “She
also told me that you were badly hurt in an altercation outside of the
bank. She found you in the street
covered in blood and unconscious. At
the time she had no idea who you were until she found a letter in your coat
pocket that told her your name was Tom Barkley. She fell in love with you the minute she saw you for she knew
that she would no longer have to deal with her abusive brother. She listened to you talk while you were
running a very high fever and realized that you were married and had two
sons. She told me that she didn’t want
to ruin your life. She knew that the
brief time you two were together meant as much to her as a whole life with
you. When she discovered that she was
pregnant, she decided to raise the child by herself even though she knew that
if she had contacted you Heath would have been taken care of. She knew that if your wife found out about
Heath that it could cause a problem with your own family and she didn’t want
that to happen. When she became ill,
she knew she didn’t have a choice and she decided that she wanted you to raise
Heath since he was your son. Mr.
Barkley, Leah was not a tramp. She was
a young woman living in a mining camp trying to make ends meet. She never meant to hurt you or your family.”
“It was as much my fault as it was hers,” Tom told
him. “I fell in love with her and when
I realized that I needed to get back to my wife and sons, it was the hardest
thing I did to walk out of her life. I remember telling her that I would always
love her and care about her but my life was in Stockton and there was no way to
bring her with me. I wanted to stay
with her but I knew that if I had it would have ruined my marriage to my wife.
You see believe it or not I loved Leah and Victoria equally. I wanted to have them both but I knew that
was impossible. I made the decision to
leave but I had no idea there was a child involved. I’ll never forget the last
image I have of Leah as I rode away.
She was smiling and waving. I
knew that I would never see her again and I cried for her. But I also knew that I wanted and needed
Victoria. I made a vow to myself never
to tell her but I did tell my father and brother about Leah but assured them
that there was not a child involved.
How wrong I was. I never meant
to hurt anyone.”
“I understand,” he said nodding. “We had quite a
conversation about that time and she regrets what this has done to your
family. She never meant to hurt
you. She never meant to put you in a
spot that you had to choose one over the other but she did say that Heath
needed a father.”
“She was right about that,” he replied nodding. “If that boy turns out to be my son I will
be the father I think Leah would expect me to be. I will love that boy with all of my heart and I will tell him of
his mother often so he will never forget her.”
Anna walked in with a small blond haired boy. Tom looked at the boy and knew right away
that Heath was indeed his son.
“Mr. Wilson,” Jarrod said speaking for the first time, “I
would like to see Heath alone if that would be all right. Nick and I would like to get acquainted with
our new brother. We both know that Heath is indeed our brother. There’s no changing that fact.”
“I don’t see why that would hurt,” he replied motioning
for Anna to show the three boys to a conference room.
After the boys had left the room, Tom turned to his wife.
“Heath’s my son,” Tom said looking at her. “I can see Leah in him. He has her hair
color and her facial expressions. It’s
like seeing her again.”
“I can see you in that boy,” she replied looking at
him. “I also see a lot of your father
in him. There’s no doubt that he is a
Barkley. He will have a wonderful home on the ranch and you will raise him to
be a wonderful man.”
“What do I have to do now?” Tom asked turning back to the
lawyer.
“There are a few papers to sign and a period of adjustment
to get through but as of this minute I think I can say that Heath Thompson
Barkley is now your son,” he answered smiling at Tom and Victoria.
Anna left the three boys in the conference room. Jarrod looked at Nick and then spoke.
“Heath,” he said sitting down in a chair, “we are your
brothers. I’m Jarrod and this is
Nick. We want you to come live with us
on our ranch. That is if you want to. I
don’t want you to do anything that you don’t want to do. We want you to be happy.”
“Brother,” Heath replied not understanding.
“Yes,” Nick told him.
“You will see horses and cows as well as chickens. You’ll just love it there. You’ll learn to
ride a horse as well as rope and herd.
Father will make sure that you know everything there is to know about
ranching. You just have to be willing
to learn.”
“Horse for me,” Heath said as he looked at the two boys.
“Yes in a year or two you can have a horse of your very
own,” he replied smiling at the small boy.
“Father will help you learn to ride and teach you everything you need to
know about the ranch. He will love you Heath. In fact, we will all love you. We
know that you will have to adjust to a large family but just know that Nick and
I are here whenever you need us.”
“Papa,” Heath told them.
“Yes,” he said smiling.
“He’s your papa too. Nick and I
will help you learn to do your chores and help you adjust to living on the
ranch. You’ll never be alone again.”
“Ja...” Heath tried to say.
“Just call me Jay,” he said nodding. “That’s what Nick called me and if it’s good
enough for Nick it’s good enough for you.”
“Jay,” Heath replied smiling. “Like you and Nick. Will
love you soon.”
“I know it will take time to get used to having a new
family but we have lots of time,” he told his new brother. “Don’t you worry about a thing. As the
oldest I will help you with whatever you need and I’m sure before long you and
Nick will be real close.”
“I’ll never stop being close to you Jarrod,” Nick said
smiling at Jarrod. “You know you’re
special to me but I guess since I’m closer to his age and I like ranch work so
I can help him learn.”
“I know that Nick,” he replied smiling. “I’m getting older and have other interests. It’s good that you will have Heath to run
around with. But I’ll still have to
keep you two out of trouble.”
“Oh sure Jarrod,” Nick told him looking at Heath and
laughing. “Like we’re going to get into
any trouble.”
Back in Wilson’s office, Tom had just finished signing the
necessary papers. He looked up when he
heard the door open to see Jarrod, Nick and Heath walk in.
“Father,” he said as he walked over toward the desk, “I
think we’re going to be fine together.
I feel that Heath has already taken to us both. Now it’s time for him to
get to know you.”
“Papa,” Heath replied looking at Tom.
Tom’s heart jumped a beat as he looked at the small
boy. He knew that Leah would be happy
to know that Heath had accepted him as his father.
“Son,” Tom said smiling at his newest son, “I hope you
will be happy with us. I want you to know that your mama was special to
me. But I have a wife and her name is
Victoria. You will come to love her
too. She is not going to take your
mama’s place but I hope you will have a special place for her.”
“Me will,” Heath replied also smiling. “Me love you.”
Tom felt himself beam when his son said that he loved
him. He knew that his family had just
grown by another child. He would still
have issues with his wife and oldest son but soon they would get past that and
finally be happy. As Victoria watched her husband and his son she realized that
Tom was doing what needed to be done to help Heath and she vowed that she would
do everything she could to make his adjustment as easy as she could.
The entire family went to the hotel and got rooms for a
couple of nights before heading back to the ranch. Jarrod excused himself to be alone. Tom realized that Jarrod was still having a great deal of trouble
with this entire situation so he decided to speak to him about it.
“Mind if I come in?” Tom asked as he opened the door to
the bedroom.
“No sir,” he answered not looking up.
Tom could tell the minute he walked into the room that
Jarrod was crying. He knew that Jarrod had put up a brave front in the lawyer’s
office but was hurting inside and he knew that if someone didn’t help him it
could destroy him forever.
“What’s wrong son?” Tom asked very concerned. “I was
really proud of you and Nick in Mr. Wilson’s office. You took over the situation with Heath and made him feel at
home. I’m very grateful for that.”
“I don’t know,” he answered still not looking up. “I guess all of this is just too much right
now. I didn’t do anything that anyone else in this situation wouldn’t have
done. Heath needs to know that he’s
loved and wanted.”
“That’s completely understandable,” Tom said sitting down
on the bed beside of Jarrod. “You’ve
been bombarded with one shock after another over the past few months. I’m not surprised that it’s finally catching
up with you.”
“I’m still not sure how I feel about what you did sir,” he
replied finally looking up. “I’ve not
really sat down and thought about it.”
“I know that,” Tom told him. “I understand that you would be angry. I let your mother, your brother and you down with what I
did. But I still love you all very
much. I hope you know that. And I love
Heath too as I did his mother. It’s a
very complicated situation and I don’t expect you to completely understand it
but at least try to understand how I feel.”
“I do,” he said nodding.
“It’s just that I don’t think I’ve gotten over the fact that I had and
lost a brother and now I have another brother.
It’s all just overwhelming.”
“Yes son,” Tom replied nodding himself. “I know that it is. You have to be strong to deal with all of
this and you are.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” he told his father. “I’m not strong. Right now I don’t know how I really feel about Heath and the fact
that Nick will probably become very close to him. I have nothing in common with either one of my brothers so I
guess I’m an outsider.”
“No son you’re not,” Tom said putting his arm around
Jarrod. “You are a very smart boy and
you have a very bright future ahead of you.
Both Nick and Heath will rely on you to help them grow and learn. But I want you to remember they are not your
responsibility. I will take that
on. I want to help you as well when you
feel comfortable with that.”
“I appreciate that father,” he replied smiling. “I’ll remember that. Would you mind if I
talked to mother?”
“I’ll get her,” Tom told him as he left the room.
When Tom walked out into the sitting area of the hotel
room, Victoria looked up from where she was sitting trying to read a book.
“How is he?” she asked concerned for her son.
“He’s having a hard time adjusting to all of this,” he
answered as he sat down. “I don’t think
I was much help to him.”
“He will come around in time,” she said smiling. “It’s an awful lot for a ten-year-old boy to
grasp.”
“I don’t think that Heath is the problem,” he replied
looking at her. “I think it goes deeper
than that. I think that he has
something on his mind. He looks so lost
sitting on that bed and I don’t know how to help him.”
“Maybe I can,” she said standing up. “I don’t know whether he will talk to me
either.”
“He wants to see you,” he replied shaking his head. “I have my own idea of what is really
bothering him but he doesn’t seem to want to confide in me so I’m not going to
push.”
“He will come around,” she told him. “Just give him time.”
Victoria walked into the room and Jarrod upon seeing her
burst into tears. She sat down on the
bed taking him into her arms.
“It’s all right,” she said as she held him. “Go ahead and let it out.”
“Mother,” he cried looking up at her, “I’m a failure. I just can’t do it.”
“I don’t understand what you are talking about honey,” she
said calmly.
“I’ll never be the right brother for Heath,” he replied
still crying. “I don’t know what to say
to him and I don’t know how to act around him.
Believe it or not, Nick has me to help him and now Heath has Nick but I
don’t have anyone to help me. I’m all
alone in this. I can’t do it! I know I can’t do it! I wish I had Thomas to help guide me. I need someone.”
“Honey,” she told him as she held him, “you’re not
alone. You have your father and me to
help you.”
“It’s not the same!” he cried. “You just don’t understand because you’re not little.”
“I want to understand,” she said trying to reassure
him. “I want to help you.”
“All my life growing up I’ve had to be the big brother to
Nick,” he replied trying to explain how he felt. “It’s not that I don’t love Nick because I do. It’s just that I’ve not had someone to help
me adjust to these shocks and situations.
I wish I could just sit down and talk it out but I have no one to listen
to me.”
“Ah but you do,” she told him. “There is someone who will listen and then guide you to make the
right choices in life. All you have to
do is ask.”
“Who mother?” he asked desperately.
“God,” she answered smiling. “I’m sure if you explain everything to him that you will get the
guidance you need to handle these situations.
And maybe just maybe he will let Thomas know and he will become
something like your guardian angel.”
“My guardian angel?” he asked confused. “What’s that?”
“Someone who looks after you and helps you deal with
adversities,” she answered. “You see
God is very busy and he assigns angels to help special people here on
earth. I believe if you talk to him
that maybe Thomas will be able to help you even though he’s not here in person
to do it.”
“Do you really think it would work?” he asked hopefully.
“I believe so,” she answered smiling. “Why don’t you try it?”
“I will,” he said getting down on his knees and looking
upward. “Sir, I need your help
desperately. I have recently been told
that I had a brother who was born and died before I came along. I wish I could have known him but now he is
with you doing your work. His name was
Thomas Barkley and he was five when he died.
I have so much I’m trying to deal with and could really use some
help. I just found out that I have
another brother that’s only two whose mother recently died and he’s come to
live with us. I want to be a good
brother to him but I can also see a bond forming between him and my brother
Nick who has been close to me since he was born. I don’t think I’m jealous but I could be because I’m losing
Nick. I’m just not sure at this point
and then there’s father. He made a big
mistake falling in love with Heath’s mother and not telling us until he found
out about Heath. I’m not sure how I
feel about what he did and if I can ever fully forgive him. I guess that’s about all I can say for now
but if you can help me I would be grateful. Thank you.”
“I think he heard every word,” she replied helping him up
to sit beside of her on the bed. “I
wouldn’t be at all surprised if you don’t get an answer some time very soon.”
“You really think so,” he told her. “That would be great.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” she said again. “How about we go see what those two brothers
of yours are up to?”
“All right,” he replied as they stood up. “Thanks mother.”
That night after Jarrod had gone to sleep, he had a dream.
He was standing in a field of beautiful flowers. He wasn’t sure how he had gotten there or
even where he was. He noticed a young
boy walking toward him.
“Hi,”
the boy said as he stopped in front of Jarrod.
“Hi,” he
replied wondering just who this boy was.
“I’m
Thomas,” the boy told him smiling. “I
understand you need me.”
“How did
you know?” he asked completely shocked to be talking face to face with the
brother he never knew.
“I was
told that you needed your older brother even though I wasn’t able to be there
with you physically,” Thomas answered looking at Jarrod.
“Mother
was right,” he said smiling. “I hope
you can help me be a good brother to Nick and Heath.”
“I will
always be with you Jarrod,” Thomas replied holing his heart. “I will always be available to listen even
if I don’t answer. The father told me
that this once I could speak directly to you so you would know that you are not
alone.”
“Gee,”
he told him. “I had no idea that I was
that important.”
“Of
course you are,” Thomas said smiling.
“You are very important to me.
You have to help Nick and Heath grow and learn. I know you won’t always get along with them
but that’s all right. You will be there
when they are hurt, sick, etc. You will
help them stay out of trouble and you will help them to become good men.”
“I can’t
believe this,” he replied still shocked.
“I just wish I didn’t feel so alone.”
“You’re
not,” Thomas told him. “You will always
have me. You can talk to me anytime you
wish and I might not answer you like I am now but that doesn’t mean that I
didn’t hear what you said. Father and
mother are also there to help guide you.
Use them and don’t be afraid to say whatever is on your mind. That’s the way you grow. I’m sorry that I have to go now but don’t
forget you’re not alone.”
Jarrod suddenly awoke but somehow he felt different
inside. He knew that he wasn’t alone
any longer and that everything would work out for all of them.
The next morning he told his mother about his dream.
“What did I tell you?” she said smiling. “I told you that you had a guardian angel
named Thomas.”
“And you were right,” he replied also smiling. “Life won’t be quite as hard now that I have
Thomas to help me.”
“No it won’t be,” she told him hugging him tightly. “It won’t be.”