by Lindabrit
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.
This tale is a tie-in to a trilogy of short stories I
wrote called Young Nick. The basis of these three tales was that Nick achieves a
good understanding with his father and helps him win a bet, but subsequently
loses the good opinion of his father by behaving irresponsibly and getting into
trouble. Ultimately, Tom Barkley decides to send his son to sea for a year, to
exchange the dangerous mischief he has been involved in on the ranch, for a
real-life adventure at sea. When Nick comes back, his mother can see that he
has grown physically and has matured, what she doesn't know is that he had been
involved in hair-raising adventures and has also lost his innocence. In
addition Nick has brought home one more little reminder of his voyage...a
reminder he manages to keep secret from his Mama for the next fifteen
years...but his secret is about to be revealed...thanks to Heath!
Heath Barkley sat on the top rail of the corral attached to the big barn, gloomily watching the big horse buck and plunge, working off its fury. The wild mustang was beginning to calm down some, as well he might, thought Heath! The powerful horse had already thrown all of the top hands employed by the Barkleys to break new stock. His reputation had gotten to the point where none of the men wanted to try putting a saddle on him any more. Heath had wanted to wait for the return of their best wrangler Joshua Watson from his spell in prison. Watson was a wizard at breaking difficult horses, it was Heath Barkley's opinion that Joshua was probably the only man alive who could break this particular horse.
Heath waited until the tiring horse grew quieter, then gave orders for him to be stabled and cared for. He himself stayed seated on the corral rail, watching the last rays of the sun dip below the horizon. He loved doing this, it was his habit to sit here, a habit begun over a year ago, soon after his arrival on the Barkley ranch. Heath had done a lot of quiet contemplative thinking sitting here, his quiet reveries on the corral rail had helped him to get his thoughts in order as he fought the various battles he had needed to win in order to establish himself in the eyes of his new family and their ranch hands. Now, over a year after his inclusion in the Barkley family, Heath had nothing left to prove to anyone in this valley. He was liked and respected by the hands, sincerely loved by his new family and after a difficult first few months, he had reached an excellent understanding with his rancher brother Nick.
Nick was the key to Heath's happiness in his new life. The brother closest to Heath in age and his partner in running the ranch, Nick was the one whose life was most greatly changed by Heath's arrival. He had been initially hostile to his new brother and less than willing to share his authority over the ranch. Time and experience had shown him the worth of the young man who consistently out-worked every other man on the ranch and before long a brotherly bond had begun to develop between Nick and Heath. Shared experience and a growing knowledge of each other had brought the two closer and closer together, until they now enjoyed a devoted and deep friendship.
Heath reveled in his relationship with Nick, now so good that the two men teased each other with easy familiarity and never failed to bait, goad and sucker each other into a bet whenever the chance presented itself. Which was how it had happened. Heath was uncomfortably aware that it was entirely due to his prodding and teasing that Nick had decided to make one more attempt to break the troublesome horse. Casting a fulminating glance at the laughing Heath, Nick had strode away, bellowing for his men to saddle up the mustang, vowing to break it or bust!
He had not broken the horse, the animal had executed a wickedly swift, circling, bucking manouevre, landing on stiff legs that had sent Nick Barkley soaring from his back, to land with sickening force against the corral fence. The damage was limited to bruises except for Nick's left leg, the femur of which was cleanly broken.
Heath felt terribly guilty, he had suckered Nick into riding the mustang and he knew it, what made it worse was that Nick had not blamed him, not a word of reproach, just an urgent whisper, through gasps of pain as he was carried indoors for treatment. Nick had made his brother promise to speak privately with him at the first opportunity, "promise me Heath...it...it's important...vital even!"
Heath wondered what it was that Nick wanted so desperately, whatever it was, he was going to have to do his best for his brother. In the circumstances it seemed the least he could do!
To Heath Barkley's growing frustration it was proving extraordinarily difficult to get a moment's private conversation with his injured brother. No sooner had Doctor Merar finished setting Nick's leg than Audra was hovering solicitously over her brother plying him with soup and every kind of treat, until the dark haired rancher was practically at screaming point. Recognizing that Nick was about to lose his famous temper, elder brother Jarrod, newly arrived at home and coming up to visit and commiserate with Nick, ingeniously manufactured a reason to draw the enthusiastic nurse away. As the door closed behind his sister, Nick flashed a grateful smile at his brother, "thanks Jarrod, she's a real good gal but she's driving me insane!"
The lawyer sat beside Nick's bed and smiled, "think nothing of it Brother Nick, by the looks of it you are already suffering enough and sweet though the ministering angel can be, a little goes a very long way!"
Jarrod gestured to Nick's splinted and bandaged limb, "what did Doc Merar have to say?"
The rancher grimaced, "well it could be worse, it's a clean break and should heal in a few weeks, but he says I have to stay here in bed!"
Jarrod grinned, "I know that always comes hard to you Nick old Boy but you'd better do like he says or it will take even longer to heal."
"I know, I know, but I have a MAJOR problem..."
Jarrod waited expectantly but Nick didn't say anything else. The lawyer said carefully, "if there's anything I can help with Nick, I hope you won't hesitate to ask."
There was a long, awkward silence which Nick eventually broke, smiling grimly at his elder brother, "oh no you don't Counselor, you'd laugh yourself silly and give the game away besides. I know you! Heath's the one whose gonna help me, he already said he would and so he should, seeing this is all his fault anyway! Now would you for the love of heaven get out of here before Mother and Audra start on me all over again. Send Heath in here, I need a talk with that boy!"
Several hours after he had first started trying to get a private word with Nick, Heath at last found himself alone with his brother and he expected Nick to immediately tell him what the problem was. This, however Nick seemed to be finding it somewhat hard to do. Heath tried to fill the awkward gap by apologizing for Nick's present predicament but his brother flashed him an honest grin, "well now Heath, truth to tell I was itching for an excuse to get back on that ornery animal's back again. I know you were right when you said that Joshua is the only man who has a hope of breaking that critter, but damn it, I wanted to do it! So, I guess I only have myself to blame for the mess I'm in."
Heath had to smile, one of Nick's most endearing qualities was his total honesty.
Heath saw his chance and took it, "Nick I think you'd better tell me what kind of a mess it is before we get interrupted again."
Still Nick clenched his teeth and Heath persisted, saying gently, "whatever it is Nick, you know I'll help you all I can."
Nick pointed a warning finger at his younger brother, "I swear, if you laugh, I'll break every bone in your body!"
With great reluctance, Nick peeled back the bedclothes from his sound right leg and drew up the fine cotton nightshirt Heath had helped him to put on after the accident. Heath stared in amazement at his elder brother's problem, examining it closely and in respectful silence for a long time. At last the blond rancher looked up from his scrutiny of the inner thigh of Nick's right leg and said simply "it's beautiful Nick, just beautiful, I never saw a better one, never in my whole life!"
Nick's face was pink with embarrassment and displeasure, "now you cut that out Boy," he warned.
Heath shook his head, "no really Nick I mean it, I've worked on plenty of fishing boats in my time and I've seen tattoos before but that one is very special, how long have you had it?
Nick glared at him, "I've had it since I went to sea on the Camberwell Beauty, the crew all had ‘em and I wanted one to remind me of my time at sea. I got it done when I was fifteen and I turned thirty last week and I've kept it a secret from my mother for FIFTEEN years!"
Heath interrupted him drily, "best lower your voice Big Brother or it isn't going to be a secret for very much longer."
Nick obediently lowered his voice but spoke with quiet vehemence, "I do NOT want Mother finding out about this!"
Heath was puzzled, "I don't follow Nick, any reason why she should?"
"Well of COURSE there is!" Nick's voice was a roar again. "You know Silas has pneumonia, Mother's going to want to wash me and toilet me and...whatever!"
Heath understood now, "of course, I was forgetting about Silas being laid up, I see what you mean Nick and don't you worry about a thing. I'll get up an hour earlier than usual and give you a hand with everything you need, I promise!"
Nick was satisfied with his brother's assurance, he had learned over the last year that Heath's word was absolutely to be trusted and he began to think that despite his unfortunate accident and the fact that his old friend Silas was ill, he might still manage to keep his long-held secret.
It wasn't that Nick considered Victoria to be a prude, Lord knows his mother was one of the most enlightened human beings he had ever known, nor was he himself in any way shy. It was just...well...some things were best left private...weren't they?
The following morning all went well. From his very first day living in the Barkley mansion, Heath Barkley had always been the house's earliest riser, he had an in-built sense of time and could tell himself what time to awaken. He simply woke up an hour earlier than usual and by the time his mother was up and about he had washed and shaved Nick and helped him with any and all of his needs.
Heath had hated to wake Nick, the dark haired rancher looked weary and drawn, which was hardly surprising, for he had suffered a good deal of pain the previous day. Both in the fall itself and again later when Doc Merar had set the broken limb for him. Sensing his brother's weariness and noting the slightly feverish look in Nick's hazel eyes, Heath forbore to tease him. Instead he helped Nick to sit upright and dropping a friendly hand on the older man's shoulder he asked, "did you manage to get any sleep?"
Nick smiled weakly, "some but I was awake quite a lot too."
"I sure am sorry this happened Nick."
"Now don't start all that again! I told you it was my own stupid fault."
As Heath emerged stealthily from Nick's room, carrying a large tray on which stood a bowl of water, towels and a razor, the sound of Victoria's voice right behind him, bidding him a surprised ‘good morning' almost caused the blond rancher to drop the tray.
"Boy Howdy Mother, don't creep up on me like that!"
"Sorry Darling, but you startled me too, what on earth is all that?"
As they went downstairs to the kitchen together, Heath explained that Nick had asked him to help him with his morning routine while he was forced to keep to his bed. His mother accepted the explanation calmly but as she poured coffee for herself and Heath she gave it as her opinion that Nick didn't need to be roused this early in the day. "After all Heath, the doctor said that your brother needs to rest, I think you should let him sleep later and let Audra and I take care of him don't you?"
Heath looked into Victoria's enigmatic face and decided a measure of truth might be appropriate. "I may think so but Nick doesn't," he said frankly. "It would be different if Silas was up and about but Nick don't much care for the notion of you having to attend to...well you know what I mean."
Victoria's hazel eyes were gleaming with amusement, "yes dear, I know what you mean, but don't forget I did bring Nick into this world, I have seen his nether regions before, so there are no shocks in store for me there...or are there?"
In the year he had spent as a part of the Barkley family, Heath had learned to love the woman he was proud to call Mother. He had gotten to know her pretty well too and rarely made the mistake of under-estimating her, his intelligent eyes studied her now and he smiled slowly, "you already know don't you?"
"Yes Heath I do, so tomorrow morning it won't be necessary for you to get up at the crack of dawn and rouse poor Nick. I'll speak to Jarrod about giving him a helping hand, that way he can sleep a good bit later and heal all the faster."
"All right Mother...er...will you straighten it all out with Nick? Otherwise he's likely to hop up out of bed on his good leg and come after me!"
"Very well Heath," laughed Victoria, I'll take Nick some coffee and have a little talk with him."
As Heath escaped gratefully from the house to commence the far simpler task of running the Barkley ranch, Victoria carried a cup of early morning coffee up to her injured son's room. Nick was leaning back on his pillows as she came in, his eyes were closed and his face was grey with fatigue and pain. As soon as he heard his mother, he straightened up and opened his eyes, smiling at her lovingly. "Morning Mother, how are you today?"
"I'm fine Nick, more importantly how are you?"
He flashed her the familiar grin that showed off his strong white teeth, "fit as a fiddle and raring to go, I'll be up and about before you know it!"
Victoria handed him his coffee and sat down on the side of his bed, smoothing his thick, unruly dark hair back from his brow, "I don't think so Darling, not unless you do as Doctor Merar says and get the rest you need."
"Rest? I AM resting, I'm tied to this bed aren't I?"
"Yes Nick you are but you appear to have got Heath to rouse you in the middle of the night just to spare my female blushes, which really isn't at all necessary you know."
Nick squirmed under her penetrating gaze, "well, I just wanted a little privacy is all," he mumbled uncomfortably, "I'm not exactly a little boy any more you know!"
Victoria laughed, "oh you'll always be my little boy Nick."
He scowled at her but said nothing, moodily drinking his coffee and handing the cup and saucer back to his mother when he had finished it. Victoria smiled at his stormy expression, her wayward and impetuous second son had always held a very special place in her heart. He was hot tempered, frequently acted before he thought and often wound up in trouble. But he was also strong, and smart and easily the most courageous man she knew. At the core of his being, there was an honesty, a gentleness and a sensitivity that few people knew existed. His mother knew and she had learned in the years of her widowhood to depend and to lean upon Nick, a never failing source of support to her.
Victoria decided that Nick had suffered enough and she should put him out of his misery.
"Nick if your bashfulness is because of that tiresome tattoo, there isn't any need, I know about it already."
Nick's black brows snapped together in a heavy frown, "if Heath told you, I'll kill him," he said in an ominously quiet voice.
Victoria laid both hands on Nick's forearm, which was rigid with anger, "now calm down Nicholas, you should know Heath better than to think that he told me anything."
She felt the powerful muscles of his forearm relax as he absorbed the truth of her words and she said calmly, "I've known for fifteen years that you had the tattoo, your father told me."
"What?" Nick's voice nearly rattled the windows, "how did he know, I never told him!"
Victoria laughed, drawing his handsome head towards her and kissing him warmly, "you may not have told him Nicholas, but you did get disgracefully drunk in a Stockton saloon on your sixteenth birthday, your father brought you home and put you to bed, he saw the tattoo when he undressed you."
Nick leaned back on his pillows, his face a mask of indignation, "I've been keeping that a secret from you for the last fifteen years, or I thought I was!"
His mother looked searchingly at him, "Nick, why was it so important to you to keep it from me?"
Nick visibly squirmed, "oh...I don't know really, I guess I thought you'd disapprove..."
It was not a convincing answer and Nick knew it, but he was too tired to think of anything better. Fortunately for him his mother had no intention of pressing the point, she rose and kissed him again, promised him that his brother Jarrod would take care of his more personal needs so she wouldn't have to and recommending him to get some sleep she left him in peace.
When Victoria explained the situation to Jarrod he was inclined to see the funny side at first but he agreed readily to help his brother. Smiling at Victoria and saying, "no problem Mother, I can arrange to work at home for a couple of weeks at least, that way I'll be on hand to take care of the Old Bear!"
His mother smiled, "I'm glad about that, but I'm not sure how long we're going to be able to keep him in bed, you know Nick!"
Jarrod smiled, "I took delivery of a new book this morning, I am going to make a great personal sacrifice and let Nick get his hands on it first, it should keep him quiet for a while!"
He gave Nick the book when he took up his brother's lunch and watched Nick's joyful expression as he discovered that the book was the latest to issue from the pen of Charles Dickens. Nick was profuse in his thanks and Jarrod grinned at him, "if you want to thank me Nick, show me this tattoo that's been causing so much trouble."
Nick complied and after a minute inspection of it, he said simply, "a work of art Nick, a superb work of art!"
Taking coffee with Victoria later in the day, Jarrod told his mother he had seen the famous tattoo and she couldn't resist asking for details.
"You know Jarrod, your father never actually told me what the tattoo was like, is that because it's a little risqué?"
Jarrod shook his head, "no Mother, not at all, as a matter of fact it's beautiful, it's a cat."
Victoria blinked in surprise, "a cat?"
"Yes, well a big cat anyway, it's a perfectly drawn black panther, black as a raven's wing and with the most compelling eyes!"
Victoria hid a smile and murmured drily, "a raven haired cat, how very appropriate."
Jarrod lifted his head from his work, "did you say something Mother?"
"No Darling, nothing important," smiled Victoria.
(If you haven't read Young Nick trilogy, he loses his heart to a young English girl called Catriona, or Cat for short.)