The Sacred Trust

By Hope

Special thanks to Sel for her wonderful suggestions that made this story special.

Standard fan fiction disclaimers apply. Just borrowing these characters.

Ben Cartwright was having a rough week and his son Adam knew it. A timber deal he had been working on for over a month had fallen through at the last minute and he had been counting on that money to help the family get through the winter. Adam sympathized with his father's concerns and tried to ease the load whenever he could. Through the years his father had come to depend on his eldest as his right-hand man and Adam felt content with his contribution to the family.

Adam winced a little as he remembered his father's frustration yesterday and the shortness he had with his sons last night and this morning. But they were all used to it. Face it, the man had a temper. Adam laughed a little to himself, admitting that he had inherited the Cartwright temper also and when both he and his father were going at it, Hoss and Little Joe tended to hide somewhere so they wouldn't get caught up in the middle.

Today would be a busy day for the Cartwrights. Fall weather was in the air and Ben Cartwright was hurrying the family to finish the different projects on the Ponderosa in preparation for the harsh winter he was anticipating. Little Joe and Hoss were out on the range working with him putting up some fencing. It wouldn't be easy work today as the ground was still muddy from the recent rains but Ben knew this chore had to be completed as soon as possible so the three of them were out working on it. Little Joe was still a little young to be helping with such work but only one person could be spared at home doing the jobs normally assigned to all 4 people so that chore fell on Adam's shoulders today.

He started out early as the tasks assigned to him today were many. The first task, filling up the water trough, completed, Adam headed on into the barn. One of his least favorite chores around the ranch was mucking out the stalls and he wanted to get that over with as quickly as possible. Beauty, his horse, whinnied softly when she saw her master. Adam walked over and gently patted her on the side of her neck. Then he went to check on the newest addition to the Cartwright herd.

The colt was a handful right from the start. A handsome black colt, it took two of the Cartwrights half a day last week to catch him and bring him back to the ranch. He would fetch a fine price once he was tamed, that is provided they went ahead and sold him. All four Cartwrights seemed to have their eye on this fine animal and Ben Cartwright was considering which one, if any of the family, would get to keep him. They all had their own horses but each one was excited about this one and so were thinking of him as maybe a second mount. Right now, that seemed a luxury to Ben Cartwright as they were still struggling just to make ends meet. So, it was regrettable but a fine horse like this one would probably have to be sold.

Adam unlatched the door of the stall and grabbed a halter, intent on moving the skittish creature to the corral while he cleaned out its stall. Adam went in and closed the door behind him. The black horse kept a wary eye on the intruder and backed away. Adam called gently to him. "Easy, Prince". Little Joe had given the horse that name and Adam thought to himself that the colt did exhibit the temperament of royalty.

"Easy, Boy." Adam moved very slowly toward him and was able to keep him calm and get the halter secured. Adam breathed a little easier, remembering two days ago when it took Hoss and him thirty minutes just to get the halter on. The horse had been nervous because of the claps of thunder that day, but had eventually settled down.

Adam opened the door of the stall and started to walk out leading the black horse alongside him when suddenly something small streaked by on the ground. Prince caught the motion of the mouse and suddenly reared up, catching Adam with one of its hooves and sending him crashing into the side of the stall! The horse didn't hesitate and immediately charged out of the stall and into his freedom beyond the open barn door.

Adam lay on the ground stunned for a few moments. The wind had been knocked out of him and he tried to sit up, gasping for air as he did this. It took another little while for the room to come back into focus and for the nausea that he was feeling as the room seemed to spin around him to settle down.

Glancing around, he saw the stall door open and no sign of the horse. "Damn," he muttered. Then he tried to slowly get up and the pain in his chest told him immediately that it wasn't a good idea. Adam leaned back down against the railing and tried to take a breath that didn't hurt. He reached his hand to his right ribcage and touched it gently, letting out a quick gasp as he did that. "Damn," he whispered once again and chuckled for a moment, knowing his father would not approve of his language. But he paid for the chuckle as the pain once again reminded him to keep still.

Well, he couldn't sit on the filthy floor of the stall all day. His family wasn't due back until much later so it was up to him to take care of himself and to also somehow get the rest of the chores done. This was just a temporary setback. The ribs were probably just sprained or at the worst cracked and it was nothing he couldn't handle.

He very cautiously started to rise again, grasping the railing with his left hand and keeping his right hand against his right ribcage. He winced with the effort but took it slowly and finally managed to stand. He was hunched over a little but took a step out of the stall and then stopped to catch his breath again. Beauty looked over at him curiously, then went back to nibbling on some hay. "Big help you are," Adam hesitantly admonished.

The rest of the way out of the barn seemed to take forever. Adam leaned against the different stall doors or railings as he walked slowly and cautiously toward the daylight. He paused many times to catch his breath, wincing as he did this, and to throw in a few more "damns" on the way out. Then he grinned to himself each time for his lack of a more intelligent way to express the current situation he found himself in.

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Ben Cartwright was covered with mud. His two boys were covered in it also, but the three were finally finished getting the last fence post up. It had been a hard, strenuous day and Ben's patience was at its end after wrestling with muddy posts all day and listening to his youngest whine and also pick fights with Hoss. Hoss's mood was almost as bad. The usually even-tempered middle son was exhausted too and hungry and irritated enough at the youngest to almost plant him in the ground along with the fence posts. Little Joe was hungry and tired and dirty and feeling very put upon from having been dragged along to help with the fencing in the first place.

This group of three miserable, filthy individuals finally made it back to the ranch and slowly dismounted. They wanted nothing more than to get the horses settled, wash a river of mud off, get a hot dinner and then collapse. At times like these, they really appreciated Hop Sing for the wonderful dinners he would always have waiting but unfortunately Hop Sing was currently in San Francisco visiting relatives and Adam would be doing the cooking tonight. Well, Adam would have something waiting for them, even if it wasn't up to Hop Sing's standards and anything was better than nothing as long as none of the three of them had to summon up the energy to cook.

As Ben led his horse into the barn, he glanced around and was a little irritated to see the stalls hadn't been cleaned. He glanced around further as the others led their mounts into their respective stalls and noticed the water buckets were empty also.

"Hey, Pa, there's no water for the horses," Hoss announced. Little Joe looked in disgust at Paint's stall and complained, "Adam didn't clean Paint's stall, Pa."

Ben led his horse into its stall and removed the saddle and saddle blanket. He could feel his anger building but stopped for a moment to collect himself. This was not like Adam. There had to be a reason. Ben told himself to hold off jumping to conclusions and wait until he had spoken with his eldest. "Get the horses settled, boys, then get washed up" he told the others. He finished removing his horse's bridle and proceeded to throw some hay into the stall. Hoss and Little Joe were disgusted but proceeded to do as their father had instructed. Hoss took a bucket to go out to the trough while Little Joe brought some hay over to Paint and Hoss's horse. Ben finished up with his horse, then walked out of the barn, glancing around as he headed toward the house. He noted that the firewood hadn't been chopped up either. Hoss looked over at his father while he walked away and knew immediately that Adam was headed for trouble. But he too couldn't figure out what might've happened. It was so unlike Adam, the `dependable one', as his father had often implied.

Ben should've taken the time to wash up also before going into the house but he couldn't wait another moment to see Adam. He opened the door, threw his hat into a chair and looked around. There was no fire going in the fireplace, ergo no dinner had been started either. And the breakfast dishes and pans were still sitting where they had been left that morning. "Adam!" Ben hollered. He was caught between being furious and being really concerned. This was so totally unlike his oldest son that there had to be a good reason. "In here, Pa," Adam called a little breathlessly from the bedroom.

Ben walked quickly to the door which was ajar and pushed it open the rest of the way. He found his son sitting on his lower bunk, propped up against some pillows, and with a book on his lap. At first, Ben Cartwright did a double take, not really believing what he was seeing. Then, before Adam had a chance to say anything, Ben exploded. "Just what do you think you are doing!"

Adam started to say something but his father wouldn't give him the chance.

"Sitting here reading, while we're out all day killing ourselves?!"

"Pa,...wait..."

"Wait nothing! I want you to get up right now and get to work!"

Adam just looked at him, then once again slowly tried to speak, "Pa, just give me...a minute to explain." Adam winced from the effort but his father didn't take any notice of his son's difficulty.

Ben Cartwright was in no mood for excuses today. He hurried over to the bed and grabbed the book. "I can't believe you would do this! You had all day to do the chores and you just sat here. Reading?!"

Adam just stared at his father. He soon realized it was useless to try and get through to him when his father was like this. It had happened so many times throughout the years. Adam would need to talk to his father about something but his father would go off on one of his lectures, whether they were justified at the time or not, and nothing of importance his son would try to interject got through until his father had finished having his say.

Adam finally just closed his eyes for a moment and muttered breathlessly to himself, "Never...listens." Then he started to rise, moving slowly and carefully. Ben backed up and turned away. He couldn't remember the last time he had been so angry at Adam. He stormed out of the room, then proceeded over to the fireplace to get the fire going so dinner could be started. In the meantime, Hoss and Little Joe had just come in. They glanced around and didn't see Adam, but saw the furor on their father's face and stayed discreetly out of his way.

Soon they heard movement from their bedroom and turned to see Adam standing in the doorway. Hoss noticed his brother looked a little unusual, like a little pale, but Hoss figured he was probably upset from whatever words he and their father had exchanged. Adam didn't spare a glance his father's way and didn't grab his coat or hat, but walked slowly and carefully toward the door. Hoss and Little Joe kept their mouths shut as they watched their brother slowly open the front door. He hesitated for a moment and they were curious as to why, but then he went out slowly and just as slowly closed the door. Hoss and Little Joe exchanged a look with each other.

"Hoss, Joe, get dinner started while I go wash up," Ben Cartwright instructed his two boys.

"Aw, Pa, do we hafta? Let Adam do it," Little Joe complained. One quick look from his father immediately let Little Joe know that an argument would not be a good idea right now. The youngest Cartwright disgustedly headed over toward the dining area, followed by an equally-disgusted Hoss. Ben gave them one more stern look, then grabbed a towel and went outside.

The sun had set awhile ago and it was getting dark. Ben walked over to the well and sent the bucket down. As soon as he felt the weight of the water in the bucket, he started to retrieve it and then set it on the edge of the well and walked toward the house to get a bucket to put that water in so he could get cleaned up. He glanced around for Adam but didn't see him and noticed the door of the barn was closed. Carrying the now full bucket over toward the house, Ben set it down, washed up quickly and then toweled off his face, arms and hands.

Then he walked over toward the woodpile and saw a figure in the shadows leaning up against the side of the barn. "Adam. I thought I told you to get your work done." There was no answer. Irritated, Ben started over to him. "Did you hear me? I said for you to get your chores done. Now!"

"I can't,...Pa," Adam said softly and hesitantly.

Ben Cartwright was not one to be contradicted or have his orders disregarded by his sons. And he was in no mood for any of that to start now, not today. "I don't want to hear it. I'm tired, Hoss and Joe are tired, and you've been doing who knows what all day. Just get done!" He turned to stalk off back toward the house.

"I just...can't." Somehow, this time Ben caught the weak, breathless tone in which his son uttered that statement. Something in the way Adam had said it halted him and he turned to go back that way just as Adam had begun to stumble forward. Ben was there in an instant and was able to catch his son before he hit the ground. The patriarch of the Cartwrights looked on stunned at his eldest as he lay unconscious and struggling to breathe.

Ben gently lifted Adam's head and cradled it as he urgently tried to rouse his son. "Adam? Adam?!" Then he looked around, at a loss at first to know what to do or what had happened.

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"Hoss! Open the door!" Hoss ran to the front door upon hearing his father's yell. Then he stood back in shock as he saw his father carrying an unconscious Adam into the house. Little Joe ran over and looked disturbed also. "Joe! Open my door and turn the bed down." Little Joe stood transfixed for a moment. Ben noticed this. "Now!" he ordered. Joe ran to do his father's bidding. Hoss followed his father as he carried Adam into the bedroom and placed him gently on the bed.

"What happened, Pa?" an anxious Hoss asked.

Ben shook his head helplessly. "I don't know. He just collapsed." Ben gave Adam a few gentle pats on the face to try and wake him. "Adam. Adam!" But there was no response. Little Joe looked frightened as he asked, "What's wrong with him, Pa?" Ben kept his attention on Adam. "I don't know, Son. Hoss, get some water and a towel." Hoss hurried out of the room to get the requested items. Ben glanced over his shoulder at Little Joe, "Light the lantern and get another one in here, too." Little Joe hastened over to get the lantern lit, then rushed out of the room. Just then Hoss came in and handed his father a towel and placed a bowl of water nearby. Ben took the towel, dipped it in water, then patted it to Adam's face. He noticed Adam's breathing was coming in quick, painful gasps. "Oh, I wish Hop Sing was here," Ben said softly to himself. Hop Sing was always good in medical emergencies, having studied a good deal of medicine with his father before he died.

Ben examined his son but couldn't find any apparent head injuries. "Help me get his shirt off, Hoss." Hoss moved over to help his father gently get Adam out of the shirt. Little Joe stood in the background, not knowing what to do and so concerned about his brother's condition.

Realizing Adam was having a hard time breathing, Ben thought to check his chest area next. He unbuttoned the long johns and pulled them back to check his ribs and Ben almost let out a gasp when he saw his son's right rib cage area. On the side of his rib cage there was a large, purplish area and his father realized there had to be several ribs that were probably broken. He had a terrible feeling his lung may have been punctured also and had no idea how to deal with such an injury.

He looked up and over at Hoss. His middle son looked back desperately at him, anxious about Adam yet pretty certain Ben Cartwright could handle any situation. But Ben himself wasn't so sure. He thought quickly and then he remembered the newcomer in town. "Hoss! Do you think you can get to town okay in the dark?"

"Sure, Pa."

I think that new doctor is in town this week. Get to town quickly and see if you can find him!" Ben prayed that this was one of the weeks Dr. Paul Martin was in Eagle Station. Currently, the doctor was working rotating weeks between several towns as none of the small towns in the area were enough by themselves to provide for a decent living for the man. "Joe! Help Hoss get saddled up!"

"Right, Pa." Hoss and Little Joe hurried out. Ben looked back down at his eldest, just as Adam started coughing, though still not conscious. It was a deep, painful cough and Ben tried to get through to his son. "Adam, take it easy. You're going to be okay." There was more coughing and Adam's eyelids fluttered briefly and his eyebrows came together as if in pain.

"Easy, Son. Just hang on." How he wished Hop Sing were here...

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Adam was conscious now and gasping as he fought to breathe. "You have to stay calm, Adam," his father urged. The pain was really bad with each breath Adam took and he was starting to panic as he struggled to take in enough air. "Adam! Calm down, Son. Just try to take slow breaths." It seemed that Adam wasn't listening, so intent was he on trying to get air. "Adam!" Ben grasped Adam's chin and forced his son to look at him. "Adam, you have to calm down. Close your eyes and try to take slow breaths. Do you hear me?" Adam looked in his father's eyes through his own pain filled eyes and tried hard to take his advice. He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself a little. Little Joe watched from the doorway, frightened more than before.

"That's it, Son. Just breathe slowly." Adam hurt with each breath he took but he was trying to force himself to be a little calmer. As he did this, he was able to take in a little more air. He knew his father was right. To panic now would probably force additional air out of his lungs and make it impossible to breathe.

Ben visibly relaxed a little, seeing the terror in Adam's eyes all but gone. "That's it. You're going to be okay. The doctor will be here soon." Adam kept focusing on trying to take in little breaths and tried to ignore the stabbing pain in his chest. He winced with each breath he took.

Ben spotted Little Joe leaning his head dejectedly against the door frame as he watched his brother. "Little Joe, don't worry. Adam's going to be okay. Why don't you go check the fire? We probably need it stoked again." Little Joe hesitated, still watching Adam. Adam glanced at him for a moment and through his pain he could see his little brother was frightened. Adam managed a faint grin towards his brother and Joe, now a little relieved, went into the other room to check the fire.

Adam started coughing again, another deep, painful cough. Ben tried to help him sit up a little and propped the pillow behind him. "Hang on, Son. Just a little longer and help will be here." Adam coughed deeply a few more times, then closed his eyes tightly because he was hurting so much. Ben wished he had some laudanum or something to ease the pain and chastised himself for not keeping that or whiskey on hand for emergencies. He had come so much to depend on Hop Sing's ancient Chinese cures that he hadn't been prepared to handle a health crisis without him.

Little Joe came running into the room. "Pa, Hoss is back!"

Ben was so relieved to finally be getting some help for his son. He waited impatiently for the doctor to come in and looked up shocked to see Shelby hurrying into the room with Hoss.

"Shelby, what are you doing here?"

Hoss explained quickly that the doctor was still in Hang Town and wouldn't be back till the end of the week so Shelby had volunteered to come help.

She hurried over to the bed. "Well, Ben, are ya gonna get up and let me look at him or what?"

Ben moved out of the way and Adam started coughing again, keeping his eyes closed and his eyebrows drawn together in agony.

"Take it easy, Adam. Just let me get a look." Shelby pulled the blanket back and examined the terrible bruise on the side of Adam's chest. She cringed when she first saw it.

"Shelby, can you do something?" Ben asked as he looked on.

"Looks like he's got some busted ribs, Ben."

Ben nodded his head in agreement.

"We gotta get him bandaged up so he can't move them and hurt himself worse," Shelby advised.

"I agree. But I'm worried that..." Shelby cut him off with a look and nodded her head in the direction of the door, glancing down at Adam for a second. Ben understood that Shelby didn't think it wise to discuss his concerns in front of Adam. Ben looked at Hoss and said, "Stay with him a minute, Hoss. We'll be right back." Hoss nodded and went closer to the bed. Adam was starting to breathe a little faster once again and Hoss put his hand on his brother's shoulder and squeezed it for a moment to try and comfort him.

Shelby and Ben went to the doorway so Adam couldn't hear. "Shelby, I'm worried his lung could be punctured."

"Well, Ben, if it is, there's nothin' we can do about it till we can get the doctor here. I'm gonna see if I cain't get someone to ride to Hang Town tomorrow to bring Doc Martin back, but until then, we've just got to do our best."

Ben knew she was right but felt helpless to not be able to do more. "Okay, what should we do?"

Shelby glanced over and noticed that Adam had started shivering, even though he had a warm comforter on him. "Ben, first you might wanna think about moving him into the main room, by the fire."

Ben glanced over at Adam also and hadn't realized he was getting cold. "I think you're right, but is it a good idea to move him?"

"Well, it's a better idea than lettin' him catch pneumonia in here."

Ben yielded to Shelby's wisdom. "Okay." He looked in the room and caught Hoss's eye. Hoss got up and moved over toward them. "Yeah, Pa?"

"We're moving Adam into the main room, near the fire. Would you and Joe move Hop Sing's cot in there and shove the other furniture out of the way?"

"Sure." With that, Hoss headed into the other room.

Shelby watched him leave. "Good. Now we need some bandages we can tie them ribs up with, and we need pillows to prop him up. He shouldn't be laying flat." Ben was thankful to have someone else here to help him deal with his son's injury.

Adam started coughing hard again and tried moving around to take some pressure off his ribs. Ben and Shelby hurried over to him and tried to keep him still.

"Ben, I got some whiskey in my saddle bag," Shelby said as she kept an eye on Adam. Ben left quickly to retrieve it.

Shelby tried coaxing Adam to relax. "Calm down, Adam. Everything's gonna be okay." Adam let out a groan and tried to shift a little on the bed, which made it worse. He cried out for a moment. "Hold still, Boy. You're gonna make it worse." Adam tried to open his eyes against the pain and looked at Shelby. "Can't get...much worse," he managed through gritted teeth." Shelby smiled at him. "Sure it can," she gently teased. Adam caught this remark and tried to chuckle and felt a stabbing pain when he did. He got a tortured look on his face and Shelby immediately regretted her attempt to lighten up the situation. "Sorry, Adam. No more jokes," she promised.

Ben came hurrying in with the whiskey. Shelby took it and started to pop the cork. "Get me a glass or cup, Ben." He grabbed a glass that had some water in it and poured the water out into the water bowl. Then he handed it to Shelby who poured some whiskey in the glass and set the bottle aside. She moved to Adam and glanced up at Ben who tried to gently raise Adam's head without moving the rest of his body. Adam was still shivering, more than before.

"Adam," Shelby urged. "Drink this." Adam just kept his eyes closed tightly and tried to take some breaths. But Shelby was not one to be ignored. "Adam, I said drink this!" Adam looked at her through slitted eyelids and then at the glass. Shelby held the glass against his lips and he carefully took a few sips. The strong liquid went down and immediately brought on another coughing fit. Shelby eased off briefly until Adam could get himself under control as Ben continued to hold his head gently. Shelby looked at Ben again and moved closer with the glass. "Drink some more, Adam," she instructed. Adam just wanted to be left alone to try and breathe but Shelby was a force to be reckoned with. He felt the glass against his lips and took a few more sips. This time, although he gagged briefly, the liquid went down okay and he felt a warmth from it. Ben laid his head back against the pillow and they let him rest for awhile.

Hoss poked his head in and said, "Bed's ready." Ben nodded toward him, then looked inquiringly at Shelby.

She once more approached Adam with the glass and Ben moved back over to gently lift Adam's head. "Not again," Adam thought as he felt that his ribs were cutting into his lung. He groaned, but took a few more sips and turned away, gasping for a few good breaths as the strong drink almost choked him. Shelby looked up at Ben and nodded that it was time.

"Okay, Adam," Shelby informed him gently. "We're going to move you where you'll be warm." Once this registered in Adam's brain, he shook his head in protest, but it was to no avail. Shelby pulled off the comforter and Ben came around to gather his son in his arms. Adam let out a cry of pain and it tore at his father to hear it but he knew this was for the best. Hoss and Joe watched from the doorway and cringed as they saw the agony on Adam's face. They backed away so their father could come through and Shelby followed him.

The bed had been set where the settee was normally situated, near the fireplace, and Hoss and Joe had a pillow and several blankets on it. "Joe, get some more pillows," Ben asked quickly. Little Joe hurried to do as he was instructed. Ben very carefully placed Adam on the cot and Adam let out another gasp of pain as he was settled. Shelby and Hoss hurried to cover him as Ben took the pillows from Joe and propped Adam up so he was almost half sitting. Adam's breathing was becoming more labored as before when he had started to panic. Shelby noticed this and said to Hoss quickly, "Get the whiskey." Hoss hurried to the room and brought the bottle back along with the glass they had used. Ben once more cupped Adam's head with his hand and Shelby, having poured more whiskey into the glass, held it up to Adam's lips. Adam was in a lot of difficulty now and was shaking his head away from the glass as Ben tried to get him to keep still.

"Adam, drink this now!" Shelby ordered. "No!" Adam fought them and struggled to catch a breath. Ben held a more firm grasp on Adam's head and looked to Shelby to go ahead anyway. Shelby held the glass to Adam's lips and wasn't taking no for an answer. She forced it down and he coughed and gagged and fought them, but finally swallowed the whiskey. He sat there coughing and struggling harder to catch a breath. Ben bent down and looked straight at him. "Adam, you have to calm down or you're not going to be able to breathe." Adam struggled some more. "Adam!" Adam had his eyes closed, once more in pain, but caught the tone of his father's voice and didn't have the strength to argue. "Breathe, slowly, Son." Adam tried to calm down and get his breathing under control. Hoss and Little Joe stayed in the background, silently willing their brother to breathe. Shelby held onto Adam's hand and patted it to try and get him calm. Finally, growing weary of struggling and also feeling the effects of the whiskey, he calmed down a little. The others in the room breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Soon they all could tell that Adam had begun to nod off. Ben looked worriedly at Shelby but she didn't seem too concerned. "It's okay, Ben," she advised softly. "Now we need to get those ribs bandaged." Ben looked over at his middle son. "Hoss, start tearing some sheets into long strips." Hoss nodded then hurried into the boys' bedroom. Little Joe added a few more pieces of wood to the fire. Hoss came back into the room with some sheets and he started tearing them. Ben and Shelby took a sheet and helped with this task.

"We're gonna have to make it tight enough so the ribs stay in place but loose enough for him to breathe, Ben."

Ben nodded at Shelby's instructions.

After awhile, there were enough strips to begin bandaging Adam's ribs. Ben wasn't looking forward to making his son feel more pain but he knew it couldn't be helped. "Joe, you and Hoss see that the stock is settled down." It was late and Little Joe was somewhat surprised at this chore but Hoss caught his father's glance and realized Little Joe didn't need to be around while Adam got bandaged up. He grabbed a lantern and his coat and headed out the door. Little Joe soon followed, grabbing his coat along the way, and closed the front door. Ben then looked over at Shelby and she moved toward Adam.

Ben lifted his son up a little and this brought Adam around. He made a gasp and tried to clutch his ribs with his right hand. "Adam, we're gonna bind them ribs up now," Shelby said calmly. "Now jest take it easy." Adam was a little "out of it" because of the whiskey and due to the fever that had begun setting in. He tried pushing his tormentors away with his hands but they deftly maneuvered around him and wrapped the bandages tightly around his chest. "Adam, relax. It's almost over," his father advised. Adam winced in pain and groaned as he was being bandaged. His breathing became more labored and he started coughing once more. "We're almost done," Shelby said soothingly. Finally, they were done and settled Adam gently back against the pillows as the coughing fit eased up. Shelby again reached for the bottle she had brought with her and poured more whiskey into the glass. Ben nodded that he was ready and gently lifted Adam's head. Adam's eyes were a little glazed from the fever and he saw a fuzzy image of the glass as it approached his lips. He once more tried to squirm away but Shelby didn't wait to ask and forced it down. That set off another coughing spell and when Adam finally stopped he was spent.

Ben eased Adam's head back to the pillow and said, "Just rest, now." Adam wearily gasped for breath. "Just relax, Son, and try to breathe easy.--That's right." Ben watched as his eldest once again faded away into unconsciousness.

"He needs to rest now, Ben. Just keep an eye on him. If he starts to act up again, git some more of this whiskey down him."

"Should he drink so much?"

"The amount he's drinking ain't gonna kill him. And it'll have to do till Eli can send some laudanum out here in the mornin'. Adam will rest easier till then with the whiskey."

As she was speaking, Hoss and Little Joe came in and started hanging their coats up.

Ben glanced at Adam once more then moved over toward his other sons. "Hoss, why don't you and Joe see if you can fix something for dinner?"

Shelby heard this. "What?! You mean none of you has eaten yet?"

"Haven't had a chance. We've been trying to help Adam," Hoss replied.

"You men sure are helpless without Hop Sing. Stand aside. I'll fix ya somethin'." She moved over toward the dining area to prepare something. Ben followed her over. "No, Shelby. You've already been gone from your place too long. I can't ask you to fix dinner."

"Well, ya ain't askin', Ben. I'm volunteerin'. 'sides, Big Dan is lookin' after my place while I'm gone. So just go sit down with Adam and stay outta my way."

Shelby had a way with people, Ben laughed to himself. "Well, Boys. You heard the lady." Hoss and Little Joe grinned in anticipation of a decent meal.

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Little Joe and Hoss were sleeping soundly in their room. It was almost dawn and a weary Ben Cartwright added another log to the fire in the main room as his mind pictured his two youngest and recalled their earlier dinner conversation.

Shelby had left right after preparing dinner, and Hoss and Little Joe had sat by themselves at the dinner table as they devoured their meal. Ben stayed over by Adam, in case his son woke up, and ate from a plate resting on his lap.

Parts of his other two sons' discussion at the table had filtered back to him. They had been talking in hushed tones so as not to wake up their injured brother, but, even though talking quietly, some of their words had drifted over to their father, unbeknownst to them.

"Hoss, what do ya think happened to Adam?"

"Don't know."

"Ya think Pa hit him?"

"'Course not! Little Brother, you sure come up with some stupid ideas!"

"Well, what then? Pa was pretty mad at him you know."

"Adam was probably hurt somehow while we were out fixin' the fences."

"Then why didn't Pa say or do somethin' before he let Adam go outside?"

"Don't know. And if I was you, I'd just keep my mouth shut about it."

"But, Hoss..."

"You heard me. Now finish eatin'."

Ben closed his eyes briefly as if to try and erase the memory of that conversation from his mind. His brows came together, almost in pain, while thinking back on how he had so misjudged the scene in the bedroom when he had found Adam with the book on his lap. He shook his head at his obvious ineptness as a father.

As he watched the sides of the firewood slowly become engulfed by the flames, his thoughts drifted back to his first wife, Elizabeth. Adam's mother. She was a beautiful woman, with dark features much like their son. A wonderful woman, full of life and love, yet with a streak of stubbornness her son had unfortunately inherited. Smiling to himself, Ben had to admit that Adam had gotten his stubborn streak from both sides of the family. Twice blessed, Ben Cartwright thought while chuckling to himself.

Now as he pictured Elizabeth in his mind he knew that if his wife were alive today she would have been very angry with her husband about this incident. As he rubbed his tired eyelids, he chastised himself for violating the trust his wife had placed in him for their son's safekeeping. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth," he whispered. "I didn't think."

Ben sighed and turned back toward the cot where his first born lay sleeping and taking in short, painful breaths as he slept. Ben walked over and gently placed his hand on Adam's forehead. Still hot. But the elder Cartwright was a little relieved that the fever hadn't gone higher in the night.

The jet black head of hair contrasted starkly against the white pillow and, as Ben watched his son sleep, he was once again amazed at how the boy who had lost three mothers in his short lifetime could overcome so much hardship and still grow into this fine, young man.

Gently Ben tucked in the edges of the blanket a little more around Adam's shoulders, then felt Adam's shoulder move slightly and heard a faint gasp.

"Adam?"

Adam's eyelids fluttered for a moment and his brows were drawn together once more in response to the painful ribs. He coughed once and winced as he did this. His father knelt down closer to him. "Adam?"

Adam's eyelids slit open cautiously and he tried to bring his father's face into focus. He attempted to talk and managed to get out a weak, "Pa?"

Ben smiled down at him reassuringly and pulled over a chair so he could sit by his son's side. "Just lay still, Son."

Adam was once again having a painful time breathing but he remembered to try to stay calm and take short, careful breaths. He glanced at his father and then looked around, a little confused. Ben noticed this.

"We brought you out here so you'd be warm," he told Adam quietly.

Adam nodded slightly at this, then turned back to his father. "Pa, I..." Adam started to say but then was struck with another fit of coughing. Ben reached out to him. "No. Don't try to talk, Son. Whatever it is can wait." As he said this, he reached for the whiskey bottle and glass. He poured some of the liquid into the glass and raised it to Adam's lips, gently holding his son's head with the other hand. "Here. Drink this."

Adam felt the glass once more at his lips and didn't try to fight it this time. He hesitantly swallowed the strong drink and coughed painfully as it slid down his throat. Ben waited patiently for the coughing fit to subside, then once more held the glass to Adam's lips. This additional time wasn't welcomed, but Adam went ahead and swallowed to get it over with. This produced a worse coughing fit and Adam clutched his bandaged ribs and winced while this happened. Finally, he was able to relax a little once the coughing ceased. He winced again and his father laid his head back against the pillow. Adam closed his eyes, his brows still drawn together in pain, but not as tightly as they were before.

"Go back to sleep, Son."

Adam nodded slightly and tried to sink back into oblivion.

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"Prince is gone!" Little Joe came running into the house later that morning and announced.

His father, who was seated at the table, looked up from his coffee cup. Shushing his youngest, he whispered, "What?"

Joe spoke a little softer this time. "Prince! He's not anywhere, Pa! Someone must have stole him!"

"`Stolen', you mean."

Hoss was coming in as Ben was correcting Joe. Ben whispered to his middle son, "Hoss, what's this about Prince?"

Talking quietly also, Hoss responded, "Yeah, Pa. Prince ain't anywhere around! Me and Little Joe looked all over."

"Was he there last night?"

Hoss looked at Joe and they both shrugged and Hoss answered, "We didn't see him. I guess I thought Adam had just moved him to the corral, and I didn't think to look last night."

Ben was puzzled but not willing to accept the fact that the horse had been stolen yet. Then he heard Adam cough a little and hurried over to the cot. Adam looked up at him and winced as he whispered, "He...took off."

Ben sat in the chair next to the cot and said, "Easy, Son. You shouldn't try to talk."

Adam forced himself to take short, shallow breaths and kept his hand against the bandaged ribs as he painfully tried to speak. "I was...gonna clean...clean his stall and..."

His father immediately put two and two together. "He did this to you?"

Adam nodded slightly. "Knocked me...into the side of...the stall."

Hoss and Joe came over by the cot. "That's why you didn't do your chores yesterday, huh, Adam?" Hoss suggested.

Adam nodded slightly again and at the same time felt a sharp twinge in his side. He gasped for a second.

"Easy, Son."

Adam looked over at his father - and waited. Little Joe and Hoss looked at him also - and hoped. From the looks he was getting from his sons, Ben soon became aware that they were all expecting something from him.

Well, Ben Cartwright wasn't a man to admit when he was wrong too often. But he had come to realize he had been very wrong this time.

It still took a few moments for Ben's stubborn pride to let him admit to his mistake. But the love he felt for his son quickly overcame his foolish, stubborn pride.

"I'm sorry for yesterday, Adam. I should have known something was wrong."

Little Joe and Hoss were somewhat astounded to hear their father admit to a mistake.

Adam looked a little surprised also but was deeply grateful his father had bent this one time. Ben reached out his hand and rested it on Adam's arm. "I'm sorry, Son," he said again.

It was enough for Adam. He smiled slightly then leaned back a little and closed his eyes, though not quite yet going to sleep. Ben smiled back at him and squeezed Adam's arm gently with affection.

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Doc Martin had made it to the house before dark that day. He examined Adam's injuries and noted that there were four broken ribs but thankfully his lung had not been punctured. The doctor said that Shelby and Ben had done the correct things and that, with no exertion and plenty of rest, Adam's ribs should heal just fine. He added that the fever would probably burn itself out in a day or two but to let him know if it didn't or if the coughing spells got any worse.

Doc Martin left some laudanum for the pain, as Eli had not been able to send any earlier, and recommended that the drug be given in lieu of whiskey. Adam was silently grateful as the whiskey always went down too hard and was the cause of most of the coughing spells.

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Later that night, after Hoss and Little Joe had turned in and after he checked and had seen that Adam was sleeping a little more easily, Ben Cartwright finally felt reassured and content. All of his sons were safe and, even though financial difficulties were still present and even though there could be troubled times ahead, just for now God was in his Heaven and all was right with the world.

THE END.