The Christmas Wish!!!!!

By Winnie

The first sensation he had was cold, so cold his body trembled where it lay on the snow covered ground. His arms were pinned painfully behind his back and he tried unsuccessfully to pull them apart.

Finally giving up on his arms he opened his eyes against the glaring sun-drenched snow. Sharp pain exploded behind his eyes and he quickly closed them again. Breathing deeply he once again opened his eyes, but only a tiny slit; a small groan escaped his lips as once again the bright sunshine, glaring off the snow, temporarily blinded him. Finally his eyes came open and he glanced around. 

He seemed to be in a rock-enclosed grotto. The few trees he could see were devoid of life in this winter nightmare and he shuddered worriedly. As his eyes continued to survey the area he heard a sound behind him. Slowly he rolled his body in the snow and lifted his head to see what had grabbed his attention. “No!” he cried as his mind registered the three men standing a few feet away from him. 

Of the three, only one registered in his mind and although the man’s face was turned away from him, he knew who it was. His worst nightmare came true as the man turned and started towards him. 

“Why?” 

As the man dressed in the all too familiar black clothing stood over him, laughter filled the air. “Why, Little brother? Why do you think?” 

“Adam, please.” 

“Begging won’t help you,” the man in black said, as he reached down and pulled Joe to his feet. “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time,” he said as he pulled his hand back and formed a large fist.

  Joe watched his beloved older brother’s eyes as his fist began its forward momentum. The eyes were filled with hatred and he knew nothing he could say or do would stop what lay ahead. He felt the full impact as his brother’s fist connected with his right temple and would have fallen if not for the steadying hands of the two unknown men.

 “Oh this is going to be such a pleasure. I wish Pa and Hoss were here to watch it. I’m sure they’d enjoy it as much as I am,” the man in black said as he launched another fist into little Joe’s face.

Joe felt the impact as blow after blow rained down on his body. He felt the pain from each blow, but it was nothing compared to the pain of knowing who was delivering them. ‘Oh, Adam, what did I do to you?’ Joe asked himself. Finally his mind and body could take no more and he slipped into unconsciousness.

“He’s out cold,” the stranger holding Joe Cartwright’s left arm shouted.

“Damn, I was just beginning to enjoy myself,” the man in black said disappointedly. “I guess funs over for today. Tie him to his horse and we’ll get out of here.”

The two strangers moved their burden towards the black and white pony they’d left standing by the edge of the rocks.

Cochise shied away from the familiar, yet unfamiliar scents that attacked his nostrils. He knew the scent of his owner, but it was overshadowed by the metallic scent of blood. An unfamiliar hand reached for his reigns and he felt the weight of his master as he was thrown on his back. 

Joe opened one eye as he felt himself being tied to the saddle of his horse. He groaned as the pain in his body intensified. He tried to struggle against his enemies but his strength was non-existent and he was soon secured face down on his horse. Joe watched as the man in black walked towards him, an evil grin on his face, his eyes sparking dangerously.

“So you’re not as out of it as you led me to believe, little brother. I’m sorry I don’t have time to stick around and enjoy battering your body some more; but I have to finish the job Pa gave me before I can return home. See you on the Ponderosa, Joe,” he laughed and maliciously slapped Joe across the face.

Joe had met the eyes and knew what real terror was. He closed his eyes at the loss of the brother he had loved and respected even during their harshest disagreements. As the warm blood spilled from his split lips Joe closed his eyes and wept openly.

The man in black lifted his hand and slapped the black and white pony. Instantly Cochise took off, leaving the sickening laughter to follow his retreating form.

*******

“Where is that brother of yours now, Hoss?” Ben Cartwright asked as he walked out onto the porch.

“I don’t know, Pa. Joe said he’d be home early. It’s past supper and he still ain’t home,” Hoss answered his father’s query.

 “I’m beginning to thing your brother has a built in lack of timing,” Ben tried to sound offhand but it lacked conviction, even to his own ears. He was as worried as Hoss about Little Joes absence. As father to three very different sons he’d never had a dull moment. Something was always happening and when it involved his youngest son it usually didn’t turn out well. Joe seemed to attract trouble no matter how hard he tried to avoid it.

 “Maybe I should go look for him,” Hoss said.

 “Where would you look, Hoss?”

 “I don’t know, Pa. But it’s starting to snow and it’s getting dark.”

“That’s just it, son. I don’t want both of you missing tonight. I’m sure he’ll be...” suddenly he stopped as the form of a horse galloped into the yard. “Here he is now,” Ben said, instantly recognizing his youngest son’s horse.

“Thank-God,” Hoss said as he followed his father towards the barn where Cochise had stopped.

Ben knew instinctively something was wrong. Joe hadn’t made a move to get off his horse. He lay against Cochise as if the two were one. Suddenly Ben ran the remaining distance to Cochise’s side. “Oh my God!” he cried. “Hoss get over here,” he yelled as he reached up to touch his beloved son’s ravaged face. “Oh, Joe, who did this to you?” he asked aloud as he began the tedious task of trying to undo the knots.

“What’s wrong, Pa?” Hoss asked as he came up behind his father.

His sharp intake of breath told Ben there was no need for explanations. “Give me a knife and go send someone into town for Paul and Roy.”

“Pa, who? Why?” Hoss asked as he passed over a small knife.

“Just do what I ask, Hoss. There’ll be time enough for questions later,” Ben said as he cut through the ropes that bound his son to the horse.

“Yes, Sir, Pa,” Hoss said, hurrying away as quickly as his large body would allow.

“Oh, Joe, who could have done this to you?” Ben asked aloud as he pulled his son’s body from the horse. With loving care he held his son in his arms and hurried towards the ranch house.

Hop Sing appeared out of nowhere and held the door for the Cartwright Patriarch and his burden. “Hop Sing bring water and cloths for Little Joe,” the small oriental cook said in a heavily accented voice.

“Thank-you, Hop Sing,” Ben said as he hurried up the stairs. Once inside Joe’s room he placed the beaten body on the bed and began to remove his tattered clothing. He felt the body tremble as each article was removed.

“Pa, is he ok?” Hoss asked as he joined his father at his brother’s side.

“No, Hoss, he’s not!” Ben told him and immediately regretted snapping, “I’m Sorry, son, but somebody did this to Joe and then tied him to Cochise. They wanted him to make it back here.”

“Why, Pa?”

Ben continued to remove the clothing and was shocked at the extent of the bruising. Not an inch of Joe’s upper body had been spared. The bruises ranged from light purple to deep, dark browns and blacks. Ben fought to keep his emotions under control. “They wanted us to see him like this. Whoever did this wanted Joe to suffer and wanted us to see it,” he said as Hop Sing came into the room with warm water and clean cloths.

Ben began to gently wash his son’s body as Hoss and Hop Sing looked on. Each time he touched the cloth to a new bruise or cut it elicited a small cry from Joe’s lips.

Joe felt his cold trembling body begin to take on some warmth but as it spread so did the agony that was his body. He tried to force his eyes open but only succeeded in partially opening his right eye. He heard his father’s voice talking to him as if from a distance.

Joe tried to smile, but found it difficult through his swollen mouth. “Pa,” he whispered.

“I’m here, son,” Ben said softly as he watched the one hazel eye.

“Hurts,” Joe said.

“I know it does, Joe. Can you tell me who did this to you?” Ben asked.

Joe’s eye clouded over and his mind fought against the memory of the man who’d inflicted the torture. Shaking his head violently he screamed, losing his slender hold on reality.

Ben reached for his son’s face and gently cupped his hands around his cheeks, “Joe, you need to calm down,” he said and pulled him into his arms.

Joe’s thrashing stopped as soon as his father’s hands touched his face. “Pa, it was, it was...”

“Who, Joe?” Ben asked and watched a blank look once again come over Joe’s face.

“I... I don’t know,” Joe told him. He searched his memory but could find nothing that would give him a clue as to who had beaten him. Tears rolled silently down his cheeks as his one eye looked fearfully at his father. “I can’t remember.”

“That’s ok, son, we’ll talk about it later. Right now I think you need to get some sleep. That’s it close your eyes and sleep,” Ben found it hard to control his anger as he used the word eyes. He watched as Joe closed the one blackened eye and his breathing showed that he’d surrendered to sleep. He gently placed his son’s body back on the bed and pushed a stray lock of hair away from his forehead.

“He ok, Pa?” Hoss asked worriedly.

“As ok as he can be at the moment. I just wish Paul would get here,” Ben said and walked to the window. The light snowfall that had started when Joe arrived home had stopped and the moon shone brightly off the crisp snow. He shivered but it had nothing to do with the cold night outside.

“He’ll be here soon, Pa,” Hoss said and took his father’s vacated seat at Joe’s bedside. “Hey, Little Joe, you gotta be ok,” he said as he held his sleeping brothers hand.

Ben secretly watched his two younger sons, one large and healthy, and the other seeming small and helpless as he lay on the clean white sheets. He sighed as Hop Sing walked into the room with fresh, hot coffee. “Thank-you, Hop Sing.”

“You welcome, Mr. Cartwright. Hop Sing keep plenty coffee going. Going to be long night,” the little oriental said as he hurried out of the room.

The long minutes turned into longer hours as the Cartwrights and Hop Sing continued their vigil over Joe. They took turns standing at the window watching for Dr. Martin.

The only sounds in the room came from Joe as he relived the day’s torture in his tormented sleep. Sometimes Hoss or Ben would have to physically hold him down as his body thrashed violently in the bed. When the nightmares seemed to leave him the only word he spoke was his oldest brother’s name.

“Why do you think he’s calling for Adam?” Hoss asked from the window.

“I don’t know, Hoss, but I wish your older brother was here. I think Joe’s missed him more than he lets on.”

“Maybe we should wire him to come home,” Hoss suggested.

“I’m going to. It’s only six weeks till Christmas and it would be nice if we could all be together.”

“I still don’t understand why he left in such a hurry,” Hoss said.

“Your older and younger brothers don’t seem to mix well, Son. Adam and Joe are like oil and water. I know they love each other but they can’t seem to get along under the same roof. Adam and I talked all night before he left. He knew things were getting worse between them and he also knew that Joe was too young to be out on his own. He made his decision so that Joe would not be the one to leave,” Ben explained.

“You think he’ll come home?”

“I know he will. Adam doesn’t want to be away, Hoss. He just couldn’t see any other way around the fighting. I think Little Joe has been regretting the fight that drove him away. I don’t blame either of them for what happened. If I had only one wish this Christmas it would be for the two of them to mend their fences.”

“Me too, Pa,” Hoss said and lapsed into silence.

Hop Sing listened quietly to the conversation between father and son. He knew how much love the Cartwrights had for each other. He’d seen it many times in many different ways. He’d also bore witness to the last fight between Adam and Joe. Adam had finally lost his temper to the point where he’d lifted his fist and had barely stopped himself from smashing it into little Joe’s face. Adam had left the next morning and that was nearly five months ago. Sadness had been apparent in the household ever since even though the family tried to hide it. He was pulled out of his reverie by the sound of approaching horses outside.

“Hop Sing let Dr. Martin in,” he said and hurried from the room.

Ben waited patiently for Dr. Paul Martin, the family’s long-time doctor and friend to make his way inside. He could hear Paul stamping his boots and Hop Sing telling him he’d take his coat and hat. Finally he heard the sound of approaching footsteps and looked up as the doctor entered.

“What happened, Ben?” Paul asked as soon as he saw his most frequent patient.

“We don’t know, Paul,” Ben said as he stepped back from the bed and let the doctor take over his position. “He came home shortly after dinner. Someone had beaten him and tied him to Cochise.”

“Has he been conscious at all?”

“Only for short periods.”

“He’s got some pretty severe bruises on his face and chest and some of those cuts are going to need stitching. I’m pretty certain he has some broken ribs here as well. I’ll know more after I finish my examination. By the way Roy should be here shortly. He had to break up a fight at the saloon or we would have ridden out together,” he said as his hands continued to expertly probe his young patient’s body.

After what seemed like an eternity to Ben and Hoss, but was really less than an hour, Paul Martin had finished stitching up the numerous small cuts on Joe’s body and face. He turned to Hoss and asked him to hold his brother while he taped up his ribs. Finally he mixed a packet of powder in a glass of water provided by Hop Sing. “I want to see if I can get him to drink this. It’s got something for pain as well as something to help him sleep.”

“He’s already sleeping,” Hoss commented.

“Not the kind of restful, healing sleep his body needs. This should keep him from thrashing around and causing any more damage,” Paul Martin explained as he lifted his patient’s head and held the glass to his lips. He grinned as Joe automatically swallowed the tiny amount of fluid in the glass. “Always could get him to take his medicine better if he was sleeping,” he said.

Ben, Hoss, and Hop Sing each smiled at the doctor’s comment. They’d all had the same thought as they watched little Joe take the medicine.

“He should sleep most of the day with that in him, Ben. He has two broken ribs, and I know the bruises look bad but they will fade with time and he will heal. It’s going to be a long time before he’s completely healthy and you have to make sure he stays in bed for the next couple of weeks. Most of all you have to keep him calm. Any more thrashing like what you described will only succeed in causing more damage to his already injured ribs.”

“He’ll stay in bed as long as you say, Paul,” Ben assured him.

“Hop Sing go make breakfast now.”

“That’s a great idea, Hop Sing,” Paul told him and then turned to the other men standing in the room. “Once you’ve eaten breakfast I want you both to get some rest. I’ll stay here with little Joe.”

“I’m ok,” Ben said.

“Just hungry,” Hoss said.

“I don’t believe either of you. Look in a mirror and you’ll know why. Eat and then rest, doctor’s orders! Now let’s go down and get some coffee and wait for breakfast,” Paul said and held the door for the reluctant Cartwrights. “Come on, Joe’s going to sleep for a long time yet,” he said and the three men left the room.

Even through the haze of the drug-induced sleep, little Joe could see the man in black as he hit him over and over. His head rocked back with each new blow and small whimpering sounds escaped from his throat.

********

Adam Cartwright looked down at his bruised and cut knuckles as he nudged Sport towards the familiar ranch house. He felt both happy and nervous at going home after what he’d done to his brother.

The fight that had driven him to leave home was still as fresh in his mind as the day it had taken place. He remembered the anger burning deep inside him at his younger brother’s blatant irresponsibility. Joe had cost the Ponderosa a huge timber contract because of a pretty face. He’d fallen victim to the oldest ploy in the world. Something Adam knew would never have happened if he’d gone to make the bid.

Roland Spencer of the Spencer lumber mill in Carson City had hired a woman to make sure that whoever came to represent the Cartwright family in the bidding war would not make it, and he’d succeeded. Joe had met the beautiful Lila Stanton and soon found he was helping her instead of his family. He missed out on placing his bid and the contract went to Spencer and his Lumber mill.

Adam sighed as he once again glanced down at his battered knuckles. ‘Oh well,” he thought, ‘maybe I finally got it out of my system.’

It seemed to him as if Sport was as glad as he was to be home. The horse literally pranced into the yard and went directly to the barn. Adam looked around and wondered where everyone was at this hour of the day, until he noticed Paul Martin’s buggy parked in front of the house. ‘What’s Paul doing here?’ he thought and hurried to stable Sport.

Paul Martin walked into the kitchen and poured himself a fresh cup of coffee, his third since he’d sent Ben, Hoss, and Hop Sing off to bed. He was headed back up to little Joe’s room when the door opened behind him. He turned to see who had arrived and was shocked and pleased to see Ben Cartwright’s eldest son. “Adam, you’re home!” he exclaimed.

“Doc, what’s wrong? Is it Pa?” Adam asked worriedly.

Paul Martin walked back down the stairs and placed his hand on the newcomers shoulder, “It’s not your father, Adam. It’s little Joe. Somebody beat him pretty badly yesterday.”

“Who? How bad is he?” Adam asked as he pulled off his jacket and scarf.

“We don’t know who, but Joe has some broken ribs and numerous cuts and bruises.”

“Is Pa up there with him?”

“No, I sent your father, Hoss, and Hop Sing to bed an hour ago. They were up all night with your brother. Why don’t you grab a coffee and join me in Joe’s room?”

“I could use something hot. All right, doc, I’ll be right up,” Adam said as he blew on his hands to warm them up.

Joe slept fitfully, his dreams tormented with visions of his brother. The man in black continually struck him over and over. Joe continued to stare into his eyes, so familiar yet so strange. He continued to see the malevolence in them as the man in black glared triumphantly down at his beaten body. Over and over he heard him say, “Oh this is going to be such a pleasure.”

Adam stepped into Joe’s bedroom and walked over to his bed. Purple colouring stood out on Joe’s face where he lay against the white pillow. Adam was appalled by what he saw. Bruising and swelling distorted his brother’s usually handsome face. Someone had brutally beaten him and Adam was livid. “Who would do something like this to him?” he asked aloud.

“I don’t know, Adam. Roy was out earlier but little Joe is in no shape to answer questions so he said he’d come back later.”

Joe heard the murmur of voices and tried to open his eyes. He succeeded in opening the one eye and tried to focus on the two figures standing by his bed. He groaned as the pain in his head threatened to make him close it again.

Adam heard his brother moan and hurried to stand before him. He bent close and spoke softly, “Hey, little brother.”

Joe heard the familiar voice speaking and opened his eye. Instantly he pushed away from the pair of eyes that stared back at him. The eyes were the same as the ones that haunted his nightmares yet something was different about them. Before his mind registered his brother’s presence he began to scream and pull away from the man he associated with his misery.

“Joe, what’s wrong?” Adam asked, immediately thinking his brother was still angry with him over the fight they’d had before he left.

Paul Martin watched as Joe’s face transformed into a mask of horror. The young man kept pushing his injured body further across the bed as if he were truly terrified of his own brother. “Joe, come on, young man, calm down,” he said as he moved Adam out of the way.

“Stay away from me, Adam!” Joe screamed as loudly as his injured ribs would allow.

“What’s going on here?” Ben asked as he hurried into the room, Hoss right behind him. Both men were shocked to see the oldest Cartwright brother staring blankly at the terrified young man on the bed.

“Adam!” Hoss exclaimed in a voice that was both happy and confused at the same time. He hurried towards his older brother and took him in a bear hug.

Adam instinctively slapped Hoss on the back. He pulled away and continued to watch his youngest brother on the bed. When Joe showed no signs of calming down he hurriedly left the room.

Ben watched the grief stricken look on his oldest sons face as he turned and left the room and wanted to follow, but the cries of his youngest son made him realize Joe needed his attention more. He hurried to the bed and stood next to the doctor.

“No,” Joe whimpered.

“It’s all right, Joe. I’m here,” Ben said softly and watched Joe’s one open eye for signs that he recognized him.

“St...stay away from me, Adam,” Joe whispered as he sank deep into the warm blankets.

“Pa, did he just say Adam?” Hoss asked confusedly.

Ben’s shocked face betrayed the fact that he’d indeed heard his youngest son’s cry. He sat beside him on the bed and ran his hands through Joe’s hair. “What did Adam do, Joe?” he asked.

“He...” suddenly Joe’s eye closed and his body went limp.

“Let me check him, Ben?” Paul said softly.

Ben moved away and stood beside his middle son. “Stay with him, Hoss. I’m going to talk to Adam.”

“What do you think he meant?” Hoss asked his father.

Ben knew he was talking about little Joe’s last statement but he didn’t have an answer. “I have no idea,” he told him as he walked out of the room. He found Adam sitting at the large dining room table, his hands wrapped around a steaming cup of coffee. He knew his oldest son was suffering by the way he hung his head and stared into the cup. “Son,” Ben said as he laid his hand on Adam’s right shoulder.

Adam had heard the approaching footsteps and knew they belonged to his father. He removed his hands from the cup and stood to enfold his father in his arms. Both men clung to each other briefly and then Ben sat in the seat next to his son. “I’m glad you’re home,” he said.

“Thanks, Pa. I wish Joe felt the same way,” Adam said sorrowfully.

“Joe’s in a lot of pain right now, Adam, and he doesn’t know what he’s saying. You wait till he realizes it’s you and he’ll tell you himself.”

“You didn’t see him, pa. He acted like he was scared to death of me. I wish I could take back what happened between us but I can’t,” Adam said and gently rubbed the bruises on his knuckles.

Ben noticed the fresh cuts and bruises on Adam’s hands and became concerned. “What happened?” he asked as he took them into his own hands.

“I had a run in with a couple of drifters. They wanted Sport and I didn’t want them to have him.”

“Who won?” Ben asked.

Adam’s eyes sparkled as he answered, “Sport’s in the barn.”

“Ah,” Ben said and smiled at his son. “Why don’t you come back upstairs and we’ll let Paul have a look at your hands?”

“My hands are fine, Pa, and I don’t think Joe wants to see me.”

“I’m sure he’s changed his mind by now. Come on,” Ben said firmly.

“All right,” Adam said and followed his father back upstairs and into his brother’s room.

Paul Martin watched the two men come into the room. “He’s sleeping, Ben,” he answered the unspoken question he knew the older Cartwright was sure to ask.

“What caused him to react the way he did?” Ben asked curiously.

“I’m not sure, Ben. Maybe he’d been having a nightmare and hadn’t been fully awake.”

“Or maybe he was remembering the fight we had,” Adam said.

“Now, Adam, you know little Joe doesn’t hold a grudge for long, at least not when it comes to his family,” Hoss tried to reassure him.

“Paul, can you have a look at Adam’s hands?” Ben asked.

“What happened to your hands, Adam?” Paul asked as he turned Adam’s hands over and examined the knuckles.

“I had a fight,” Adam said simply.

“That’s exactly what it looks like you did,” Paul said. “When did this happen?” he asked remembering the way Joe had reacted when he’d first seen his oldest brother.

“Early yesterday morning. Why?” Adam asked.

“Just curious,” Paul said as he felt each finger.

“Hey now! Wait a minute, Paul; you’re not thinking Adam had anything to do with what happened to his brother, are you?” Ben asked.

“No, not at all,” Paul said, although for a few moments he’d been thinking it was to much of a coincidence because of Joe’s strange reaction to his brother.

“I won’t have you accusing Adam of doing something like that,” Ben said angrily.

“I didn’t hurt Joe, Pa,” Adam said firmly.

“I know you didn’t, Son. We’ll find out who did this as soon as your brother is ready to talk about it,” Ben told him.

Hoss had been standing back, watching the exchange between his father, brother and the family doctor. He’d seen the fights between his brothers and had wondered how they’d been able to stop short of really hurting each other. He’d been surprised when Adam had finally lost his temper to the point of lifting his fist and hitting their youngest brother in the face. Adam had a volatile temper but he’d always kept it in check until that day. Now he found himself thinking about his two brothers and whether Adam was capable of this kind of vengeance.

Roy Coffee walked into little Joe’s room just as Paul Martin finished bandaging Adam’s right hand. His face lit up and he walked over to Ben’s eldest son, “When did you get back?” he asked fondly.

“About an hour ago,” Adam answered.

“Well I hope your back to stay,” Roy stated.

“Guess that all depends on little Joe,” Adam said sadly.

“I’m sure Joe has forgotten what happened between you two. By the way, Ben, how is he?”

“He was pretty beaten up, Roy,” Ben said as the sheriff walked over to the bed.

“Does he have any idea who did this to him?” Roy asked.

Three sets of eyes turned towards the man in black. Adam knew they didn’t really believe he had anything to do with little Joe’s beating, but he resented the way they’d instantly turned to him at Roy’s question. Angrily he turned and left the room.

Roy saw the simple exchange and knew something had happened to make Adam leave in such a hurry. “Somebody want to tell me what that was all about?” he asked.

“Little Joe reacted badly when he saw Adam,” Hoss tried to explain.

“What do you mean reacted badly?” Roy asked, shifting from concerned friend to Sheriff mode.

“Little Joe got upset when he saw him. I don’t think Joe’s over the fight he and his brother had before Adam left,” Ben told him.

“That’s not like Joe,” Roy said as he looked down on the sleeping Cartwright. “I’ve known Joe all his life and every time he has a fight with a member of his family it’s forgotten within a few days. Remember when Adam left for College and Joe was all upset. He couldn’t wait for Adam to get back. Joe don’t hold a grudge where his family is concerned so something else has happened here.”

“Look, Roy, when Adam walked into the room and Joe saw him he panicked and began to pull away from him,” Paul Martin told him.

“Why would he do that?” Roy asked.

“We don’t know,” Ben said simply.

“Did Joe explain why he reacted like that?”

“I asked Joe who did this to him and he said it was Adam,” Ben told him.

“Adam would never do this to his brother!” Roy said as he walked to the window. He glanced down at the yard just in time to see Adam Cartwright mount his horse and ride out. “I think maybe one of you should go down there and stop Adam from leaving,” he said.

Ben hurried to the window and was just in time to see Adam glance wistfully over his shoulder as he rode out of the yard. “Damn!” he said as he hurried out the door and down the stairs.

“Take my horse, Ben,” Roy called after the retreating man.

Ben grabbed his coat and threw it on as he quickly headed out of the house. He ran to Roy Coffee’s horse, hurriedly mounted and rode after his oldest son. Darkness continued to fall as Ben Cartwright followed his son towards Virginia City. It wasn’t long before he caught up to him.

“Adam, stop right now!” Ben ordered.

“Why, Pa?” Adam asked and Ben heard the heartbreaking sadness in his voice.

“Because it’s not your way,” Ben said softly.

“What’s not my way?” Adam asked his voice still laced with sadness.

“You would never run out while one of your brother’s is injured,” Ben told him.

“This is different, Pa. Joe told you I did this to him,” Adam said as he brought Sport to a stop. Snow began to fall as night descended.

“Yes he did,” Ben said. “I’d like to think he was hallucinating.”

“I saw your faces and you believed him,” Adam said looking towards the sky.

Ben thought about what Adam had told him and knew he was right. He could sense that Adam was close to the breaking point and brought Roy’s horse abreast of his sons. Gently he placed a consoling hand on his shoulder and spoke softly. “I don’t know what happened, Adam, but if you run out now it only makes you look guilty. More importantly if you run out then whoever did this to your brother gets away with it. I need you to stay, son. Joe will need you as soon as he realizes you weren’t the one that beat him.”

“He’s afraid of me, Pa. Joe and I have had our differences in the past but he’s never been afraid of me,” Adam’s voice quivered as he turned his gaze on his father.

“Adam, come back to the house. We’ll figure this out between us,” Ben told him.

Adam gazed down the road to Virginia City and then took in the concerned look on his father’s face. Without a word he turned his horse and slowly rode back towards the house.

*******

Hoss stood vigil at his younger brother’s window. The soft glow of light shining from the windows gave the empty yard a forlorn look. Even the lightly falling snow, which usually made Hoss glow with warmth, did nothing to brighten the mood. ‘It couldn’t have been Adam,’ he thought as he looked back at his sleeping brother. The vivid bruises on Joes face made a stark contrast to the pure white of the pillow covering and Hoss felt his heart tighten in anger. ‘I swear I’ll find out who did this to you and give them exactly what they deserve.’ He turned back to the window as the sound of riders drew his attention. He sighed with relief when he saw his father and brother ride in to the faint light.

******

Joe’s nightmares continued relentlessly. His older brother advanced on him menacingly and Joe tried to make himself disappear before he could be hurt again. He found himself staring into the ice blue eyes and shivering in terror. ‘No!’ he cried as something about the man before him registered but before his mind could grasp what it was the first of many hard blows rained down on his body and he screamed. “Adam! Please don’t!” he cried out loud.

Hoss heard the terror in his brother’s voice and rushed to the bed just as his father, Adam, Paul, and Roy rushed into the room. “Easy, little Joe. It’s me, Hoss. I’m right here,” he said as he wrapped his arms protectively around his brother.

Joe fought against his brother’s grasp as he continued to be enthralled in his personal nightmare. “Please, Adam, don’t hit me again,” he cried as he pummelled Hoss’ large frame with his fists.

All eyes once again turned on Adam as they watched the youngest Cartwright fight the terror of his nightmare. Adam felt the guilt well up inside him once more as he watched the scene play out before him. Memories of shooting at a wolf but hitting his brother reared their ugly head. He fought against the emotions brought on by these memories and slowly advanced on the bed. “I won’t hit you, little brother,” he said and everyone heard the anguish in his soft voice as he sat on the bed.

“Joe, come on, you know Adam would never hurt you. He left because he thought he was going to hit you before, remember. Adam loves you, little brother. We all do,” Hoss told him.

Joe listened to the calming voice of his brother and the nightmare world seemed to slip away and he returned to a peaceful sleep.

Hoss felt his brother’s body relax and gently laid him back on the bed. He lifted tear filled eyes to meet his older brothers, “Who coulda done it to him, Adam?” he asked.

Adam put his hand on Hoss’ shoulder and held the man as his body trembled angrily. “I don’t know, Hoss, but I intend to find out,” he said.

“Now wait a minute, Adam,” Roy Coffee spoke from behind them. “I don’t want you taking the law into your own hands.”

Adam stood and rounded on the sheriff, “Somebody set this up to make Joe believe I beat him! Do you really think you can stop me?” he shouted angrily.

“I can and I will. I can throw you in jail right now because of the evidence,” Coffee told him.

“What evidence?” Adam asked.

“Your brother’s own words to start with,” Coffee stated harshly.

“Now hold on you two,” Ben said in a reasoning tone. “Adam didn’t do this to his brother and I know that for sure now. Yes, Adam,” he said when he saw the reaction his son had to his words. “I had my doubts when I heard what Joe had to say and saw the bruises on your knuckles when you rode in here but I know you and I know what kind of a man you are. You couldn’t hurt Joe if you wanted to.”

“Thanks, Pa,” Adam said and tried to hide just how much his father’s words had hurt him. He turned his dark brown eyes back to his brother and wondered whether things would ever be the same between them. He hated what had been done to his brother but even more he hated what had been done to their already fragile relationship. ‘I swear I’ll get the man who did this, Joe,’ he thought and brushed past his father before his eyes shed their tears.

“Ben, I want you to keep Adam from going after the man or men who did this,” Coffee stated.

“I don’t know if that’s possible, Roy. Adam is going to take this very personally. Someone used his body and face to do this to Joseph and it’s gonna be hard to keep him from finding out who. I may even help him,” Ben said softly.

“Me too,” Hoss reiterated.

“Don’t do it,” Coffee said flatly.

“Pa,” Joe called as he slowly opened his eye.

“I’m here, Joseph,” Ben said and sat on the bed.

“Why did Adam do this?” Joe asked; his voice laced with sorrow and pain.

“Joe, are you sure it was, Adam?” Ben asked.

“I saw him, Pa. His face was so angry. He... he just hit me over and over. He said he’d always wanted to do that to me.”

“Couldn’t it have been someone who just looked like Adam?” Hoss asked.

“No! I know what Adam looks like and it was him. He just kept hitting me,” Joe said and Paul Martin knew by the tremors that his patient couldn’t take much more.

Paul Martin poured a small amount of water into a glass and added a small envelope of powder. He mixed it thoroughly and passed it to Ben. “Make him drink this,” he told his friend.

“What is it?” Ben asked.

“A mild sedative. It should help him sleep.”

“No. I don’t want to sleep,” Joe said tremulously.

“Why, Joe,” Ben asked.

“I can see Adam’s eyes. He’s so angry with me.”

“I tell you what, little brother,” Hoss said. “You drink this and I’ll sit here with you and chase those nightmares away. How does that sound?

Joe turned his good eye towards his brother and smiled weakly. “Promise?”

“I promise I’ll stay right here,” Hoss smiled back, hiding how much it pained him to see his brother’s injuries.

“Ok,” Joe said and slowly drank the liquid, his eye never leaving his brother.

 Ben relinquished his seat to his second son and ushered the others out of the room.

“I mean it, Ben, I won’t have you, Adam, or Hoss interfering with the law,” Coffee said as the three men headed down the stairs.

“How do you plan on stopping us, Roy?” Adam asked from the dining room.

“I can have you all thrown in jail for your own protection,” Roy Coffee said and knew he was grasping at straws. If the Cartwright men got it in their heads to find the person or people responsible they’d do it and damn the consequences.

“But you won’t,” Ben said simply and poured a coffee from the pot in front of Adam.

“No I won’t,” Coffee said and accepted the cup Ben passed him.

********

Roland Spencer grinned at the man in black seated across from him. “So tell me how badly you beat him,” he said sadistically.

The man in black grinned back at his employer; “Let’s just say that young Cartwright won’t be bidding on lumber contracts anytime soon.”

“Good. He almost beat me out last time despite Lila’s interference. As for his older brother I can think of no fitting punishment for Adam Cartwright than to have his brother swear that he’s the one who beat him up. Oh it’s just perfect,” Spencer laughed. “You do know that you’ll have to go back and finish the job on young Cartwright, don’t you, Billy?”

“You mean kill him?” Billy Tucker smiled. “It’ll be my pleasure. When do you want me to take care of it?”

“I think you’ll have to hurt Joe Cartwright once more, just so he’ll keep saying it was his brother. I want him to have nightmares about his brother. Adam Cartwright will pay for all the times he stole business away from my father.”

“It’s the perfect revenge. Adam will be blamed for beating his brother and finally for his murder.”

“That’s exactly what I want to happen. You will kill little Joe Cartwright on Christmas Eve. I’d love to see the Cartwrights faces when they find the youngest dead and all the evidence points to his oldest brother,” he laughed maliciously.

“And the second beating?” Billy asked enthusiastically.

“In two weeks time, just as he’s getting over this one. That way the first beating by Adam will be fresh in his mind. Just make sure you get him alone!”

“Yes, sir, Mr. Spencer,” Billy said seriously. “I do like how your mind works,” he said as he left the office.

Roland Spencer looked up at the picture of his dead father and picked up his glass of champagne. He lifted it into the air and spoke softly. “To revenge, Father, yours and mine,” he said and downed the glass of cold liquid. Anger seeped into his mind and he threw the glass across the room.

*******

For the next week Adam made himself scarce. He stayed out late and left early. He still felt a sense of betrayal that his father and brothers thought he would beat little Joe. ‘How can they think I could do that to Joe?’ he asked himself as he stabled Sport in the barn. He patted his horse on the rump and walked to the doors. The lights were on in Little Joe’s room and he could see a figure moving around behind the closed curtains. He hadn’t ventured into his brother’s room since the first day he’d returned.

He knew he hadn’t been the one to beat Joe but the sense of guilt he felt at someone using his likeness to do it was tremendous. He’d walked by Joe’s room every night, but was unable to go in.

Finally he walked through the snow and up to the door of the house. Stamping his feet to remove the excess snow from his boots he was surprised when the door opened and his father stood before him.

“Thank God, Adam! Where have you been?” Ben asked worriedly.

“Just riding, Pa,” Adam answered as he entered the house and hung his coat and hat.

“I was worried. It’s so cold out there and the winds really picking up,” Ben said. “Why are you avoiding us, Son?” he asked simply.

“I’m not, Pa.”

“Yes you are. You’re gone before any of us get up, including Hop Sing, and you don’t return until after we’ve gone to bed,” Ben told him and saw Adam’s eye rise in surprise. “I’ve heard you come in each night, son.”

“I’m sorry, Pa. I just can’t seem to face any of you. Especially Joe.”

“You have nothing to feel guilty about, Adam. We know you didn’t do this to your brother.”

“Joe still thinks I did,” Adam said sadly.

“I think Joe really knows you didn’t do it. He’s just confused right now because of the pain. As soon as he’s given the chance to think about it he’ll come to the same conclusions we did.”

“What conclusions have you come to, Pa?” Adam asked as he sat in the Chair by the fire.

“That someone who looks very much like you did this to your brother in order to place the blame on you,” Ben told him as he sat on the couch.

“What makes you think that?” Adam asked rubbing his tired eyes.

“Look at the evidence, son. Someone beat your brother and made sure Cochise brought him home. You were returning home the same day and someone decides to pick a fight with you over Sport. You walk into the house the next day with your knuckles cut and bruised and your brother says it was you that beat him.”

“Whoever did this to Joe must've looked an awful lot like me, Pa. Otherwise Joe would have seen right through it.”

“I know. But it is possible. We have to figure out who would do this to you and Joe. Maybe both of you are intended victims. Maybe someone wants revenge on you and your brother. We just have to figure out who,” Ben explained.

“How is Joe, Pa?” Adam asked softly.

“He’s doing better but he seems to have everything confused. He can’t remember much about what happened. Maybe you should go see him,” Ben suggested.

“Not yet, Pa. I don’t think Joe’s ready to see me yet,” Adam said. “Thanks for the talk, Pa, but I’m really tired.”

“Ok, son. I will see you in the morning won’t I?” Ben asked.

“I guess so,” Adam said as he slowly walked up the stairs.

Ben Cartwright moved to the chair his son had vacated. He looked at the pictures of his son and their mothers on the mantle and felt a silent tear roll down his cheeks. ‘Please God. I need your help right now. I need to find out who did this so my sons can begin to heal. I wish I could make it all go away and make my family whole again. Adam is in such pain knowing that someone who looks like him did this to Joe. Joe is in so much pain because he still thinks it was his brother. Hoss is beside himself with worry over his two brothers. I love them all so much,’ he thought and closed his eyes.

********

Joe opened his eyes and saw that he was alone in his room. The sun shone through the window and he pushed back the blanket and gingerly got out of bed. The last week had been a jumble of confused thoughts and nightmares. His body protested when he stood and slowly walked to the window. He looked out at the snow-covered yard and thought about his brother. ‘Why did you do it, Adam? I know I let you down in the Spencer deal but you didn’t have to do this,’ he thought as he looked down at his body. He felt as if someone were staring at him and glanced towards the barn. He jumped back in horror when he recognized his brother. Their eyes met and Joe shivered as his mind protested the fact that the man who’d beaten him was just a short distance away.

Stumbling back to his bed Joe shivered and pulled the blankets up around him. “Why, Adam, why?” he asked aloud.

“You ok, Joe?” Hoss asked as he entered the room with a breakfast tray.

“Just fine, Hoss,” Joe said and turned away from his brother.

“Hop Sing made you breakfast. Doc said you could have a normal breakfast today. It smells so good,” Hoss explained enthusiastically.

“Then you eat it,” Joe said and felt guilty for snapping at his brother. “I’m sorry, Hoss,” he said as he turned back to face the big man.

“I’m sorry too, Joe,” Hoss said.

“What have you got to be sorry for?”

“I’m sorry for what happened to you. I wish it had never happened. I wish things could be the way they were before Adam and you had that damn fight,” Hoss said as he placed the tray on the dresser.

“Yeah well, that ain’t gonna happen. Adam hates me and I hate him for what he did to me,” Joe said angrily.

“Are you sure it was Adam?” Hoss asked.

“I know what I saw, Hoss,” Joe said, his voice rising in frustration. “Why is it you and Pa always take his side? He beat me, don’t you understand that. I stood there and watched as my brother’s fists hit me over and over. I never want to see him again!”

“But, Joe,” Hoss tried.

“Just leave me alone, Hoss. You don’t believe me anyway,” Joe said and once more turned away from his brother.

******

Adam heard the condemning words his brother spoke and fought the urge to run. Joe’s voice was cold when he said that he hated him and Adam turned away from the door. He walked to his room and lay down on his bed. Closing his eyes he thought about his relationship with his youngest brother.

He knew they loved each other but could never come to grips with their different views on life in general. He knew that his family came first and then the Ponderosa. He prided himself on always being there for his family and doing everything his father asked of him. He was always on time and always did that little bit extra to insure that the ranch ran smoothly, including the mining and timber rights.

He thought of Joe and how he interpreted his life. Joe lived life day to day. He was carefree and fun loving. He’d rather be fishing or playing poker than working on the ranch. Adam stood and walked to his bedroom window angry with himself. ‘That’s not really how Joe is. He does his work it just takes a little coaxing sometimes. Maybe I should change places with him and see what it’s like being the youngest. I’m so sorry that you’ve been hurt, little brother, but I promise you, I’ll find the people responsible,’ he thought.

“You ok, Son?”

Adam turned from the window and sat in a chair. “I don’t know, Pa. I keep thinking about the people who did this to Joe and I want to do the same thing to them. I want to use my fist on them until they black out like my brother did,” Adam said as he curled his hands into tight fists.

“That would be stooping to their level. I think we have to give Roy a chance to catch the people responsible.”

“It’s been over a week and he hasn’t found anything. I think it’s time we did a little searching of our own, Pa. Joe needs you and Hoss here with him but he doesn’t want or need me. I’m going to do a little investigating of my own and see what I can find out.”

“Adam, Joe needs you, he just hasn’t realized it yet,” Ben explained as he gazed into his son’s forlorn eyes. “I need you, Adam,” he said.

“Thanks, Pa; it means a lot to hear you say that. I mean all the evidence points to me. The fact that little Joe said it was me made you wonder. I know you didn’t know what to believe when you saw my fists and I don’t blame you but, Pa, I would never hurt any of you,” Adam said, turning back to the window.

Ben saw the pain and hurt in his son’s eyes and knew Adam needed him as much as Joe did. He placed his hand on Adam’s shoulder, “I won’t tell you that you’re wrong because that would be a lie. I had my doubts but when I looked into your eyes the day you came home I knew you could not have done it. Adam, you are a strong young man and I’ve seen you hold back from hitting your brother when someone else would have just let fly and be damned.”

“Thanks, Pa, I think I’ll pack a few things and see what I can find out.”

“Please don’t go, Adam,” Ben pleaded.

“I have to find out who did this, Pa. I can’t live with Joe hating me. I heard him tell Hoss that he hated me and I can’t live with that right now.”

 “He doesn’t mean it, son, you know that. Even though Joe believes it was you that beat him, deep down he knows the truth and he’ll need you here when he does. Please don’t run away. That’s just not you,” Ben told him.

Adam knew he couldn’t leave even though it would be hard to stay and hear Joe scream in his sleep. “All right, Pa, I’ll stay. At least until Joe tells me he doesn’t want me here anymore.”

 “Then you’ll be here for a long time,” Ben told him. “Now let’s go down and see what Hop Sing made for breakfast.”

“I’ll be down in a minute, Pa.”

“Ok, son,” Ben said and removed his hand from Adam’s shoulder. He left his oldest sons room and breathed a sigh of relief that he wouldn’t be leaving.

Adam followed a few minutes later but stopped by little Joe’s open door. His brother was supposed to be confined to bed but was instead standing by his open window. Adam could see Joe’s breath as it met the cold air coming in from outside. “Joe, you’ll catch a cold standing in the window like that,” he said instinctively.

Joe turned horrified eyes on his brother, “What do you care?” he asked.

“I don’t want you getting sick on top of the injuries you have,” Adam said but didn’t enter the room.

“You’re the one who gave me the injuries,” Joe said, his voiced tinged with sadness and pain.

“I didn’t, Joe,” Adam told him and began to walk into the room.

“I saw you big brother. Just go away and leave me alone. You may have Pa, Hoss and everyone else fooled but not me. I’ll never forgive you, Adam,” he said and continued to stare out the window. He wouldn’t meet his brother’s eyes and held his breath till he heard his retreating footsteps. ‘I may not be able to forgive you, Big brother,’ Joe thought as a silent tear rolled down his cheek. ‘But I’ll always love you.’

“Joseph, you get back in bed right now!” Ben ordered as he came into the room and hurried to close the window. He rubbed his arms to ward of the chill. He didn’t miss the thin stream of moisture on his sons face. “Are you ok, son?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m just fine,” Joe said, a little too sarcastically.

“I know your hurting, son, but don’t speak to me like that,” Ben ordered.

“I’m sorry, Pa. I guess I’m just tired. I think I’ll get some sleep. Ok?”

“Sure, son, you do that and no more trips to the window,” Ben said as he pulled an extra blanket over Joe’s prone form. “Have a good rest, son, I’ll be up later to check on you.”

“Sure, Pa,” Joe said and closed his eyes. Sleep did not come easily as Joe kept hearing his brothers voice saying how much he was going to enjoy this interlaced with I didn’t, Joe. ‘I saw you, Adam. I know it was you,’ he thought as sleep finally overcame him.

Once again the nightmare took over and Joe could see the man in black advancing on him but the words were different this time and Joe no longer felt the terror the other nightmares had on him. The man's words were jumbled as Joe’s mind finally focused on the eyes. There was something wrong with them. ‘The colour! You’re not, Adam!’ Joe screamed at him.

‘Oh this is going to be such a pleasure,” the nightmare Adam told him.

‘You can’t hurt me anymore! You’re not Adam.’ “Adam! Adam!” Joe screamed and bolted out of bed. His body immediately protested the quick movement and Joe sank down by his bed laughing while tears streamed down his cheeks, “Adam!” he called even as he saw his father, two brothers, and Hop Sing rush into his room. He tried to lift himself off the floor but grimaced at the pain from his injured ribs.

Three men rushed to his side to help him. He saw his oldest brother remain standing by the door and knew he had to say something. “I’m sorry, Adam,” he said and felt the others turn to the door.

Adam stood frozen to the spot. He was happy to see his brother smiling even though tears ran down his still bruised cheeks but he knew it would be short lived. Slowly Joe’s words sank in and he moved towards him. “What did you say, Joe?” he asked hopefully.

“I’m sorry, Adam. I’m so sorry,” Joe said as the others moved away to give the brothers a chance to talk.

“You have nothing to be sorry about, Joe,” Adam said as he reached down and helped his brother to his feet. The two men sat on the bed and neither spoke for a moment oblivious to the audience they had.

“I do, Adam. I should have known better. You left before because you didn’t want to hit me. How could I believe that you would come back here just to do this to me? I love you, big brother!” Joe exclaimed.

“I love you too, little brother,” Adam said and wrapped his arms around Joe’s trembling shoulders. “What changed your mind, Joe?”

“Something’s been nagging at me ever since this happened but I couldn’t figure out what it was.”

“That’s understandable. After all you were hurt pretty bad,” Adam told him.

“I know it wasn’t you but let me tell you, Adam, you have an evil twin out there. But now I know how to tell you apart.”

“How, son,” Ben asked as he, Hoss, and Hop Sing moved closer to the two men.

“The evil Adam has the coldest blue eyes you’ll ever see. There empty, almost lifeless.”

“What made you remember?” Hoss asked.

“Adam did,” Joe said simply.

“How did I make you remember, Joe? Adam asked confused.

“Remember when you came in here and said you didn’t do it?” at Adam’s nod, Joe continued. “I tried to sleep but kept hearing the evil Adam telling me how much he was going to enjoy it and then I’d hear you saying you didn’t do it. Well once I fell asleep the nightmare returned and this time I saw his eyes. I mean I really saw his eyes. They were cold and blue not warm and brown like Adams.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that, Joe,” Adam said.

“Go through what, Adam. The nightmare. Don’t be, because it gave me back my brother,” Joe said happily.

“I’m sorry you were beaten by someone with my face and body,” Adam told him.

“He may have had your face and body but now I know it wasn’t you,” Joe told him. “I’m glad you’re home.”

“Thanks, Joe, that means a lot to me. I promise you I’ll find the man who did this to you.”

“I don’t want you to, Adam. Not right now anyway. I don’t want you going anywhere. I just got you back, big brother, and I want to keep you around. Besides,” Joe said his eyes lighting up with happiness. “Christmas is just around the corner.” Everyone broke into laughter at Joe’s comments. They all knew how much little Joe enjoyed Christmas and now they would be together as a family again.

******

Billy Tucker had been watching the ranch house for five days waiting for his chance to get to Joe Cartwright. It seemed as if the perfect opportunity was about to present itself. He watched from the trees as Ben and Hoss Cartwright mounted their horses and rode out of the yard. Hop Sing had left earlier that day and still hadn’t returned. That left Adam and Joe Cartwright alone in the house. An evil grin spread over his face as he watched the house. He waited for the cover of darkness and began to edge his way towards the house his gun in hand. As he reached the door he knocked gently.

“I’ll get it, Joe,” Adam told his brother, who was lying on the couch before a warm fire.

“Hmm,” Joe said sleepily.

Adam walked to the door and opened it. His mind registered the face just as a gun connected with his temple and he slumped to the floor unconscious.

“Adam,” Joe called from the couch.

“Yeah, It’s me little brother,” Tucker said as he pulled Adam’s body out onto the porch. He left the door slightly ajar and advanced on the couch.

Joe heard the coldness in the voice and knew he was in trouble. Ignoring the slight protest from his ribs he pulled himself to a sitting position and then to his feet. He stared into the ice blue eyes of Adam’s twin.

“What do you want?” Joe asked in a shaky voice.

“Aren’t you happy to see me little brother?” Tucker asked.

“You’re not my brother,” Joe said and edged towards the stairs. ‘If I can get to my room I can call for help,’ he thought. Joe made a lunge for the stairs but wasn’t quite fast enough and soon found a knife at his throat.

“I guess you’re not happy to see me, are you?” Tucker leered as he slowly ran the blade across his victim’s throat.

“No,” Joe whispered as he felt the blood trickle down his neck.

“Don’t worry I ain’t gonna kill you just yet. I’m just gonna mess you up a little,” Tucker laughed evilly. He pulled the knife away from Joe’s sticky neck and pulled him towards the kitchen.

Joe fought with all his strength but soon found himself in Hop Sings spotless kitchen. His nemesis was so much stronger than he was at the moment and he knew he was in trouble but thoughts of Adam invaded his mind. “Where’s my brother?” he asked as Tucker turned him so they were facing each other.

“He’s taking a little nap on the porch. Might have a headache when he wakes up though. Now let’s see what we’re going to do. I know,” Tucker said and lunged at Joe.

Joe saw the move but was unable to move as quickly as he normally would and felt a sharp pain in his right side. Blood quickly welled up and began to soak into his shirt.

“That gotta hurt,” Tucker said and once again lunged at the smaller man.

Joe moved to the left just as Tucker brought the knife down on him. Tucker swore as he missed his mark completely.

Joe kept moving towards the door that led from the kitchen to the outside. ‘Have to get help for Adam,’ he thought as his knees threatened to buckle. Finally he thought he was close enough and turned his back on the advancing man. His hand gripped the handle just as Tucker realised what he had planned.

“Oh no you don’t,” Tucker said and he drove the knife into Joe’s upper right shoulder.

Joe felt the sharp pain and his body slumped to the floor. Weakened from blood loss he watched through squinted eyes as the man knelt beside him, “I think that’s enough for today, little brother. I’ll be back to finish the job later,” he laughed as he opened the door and hurried away.

******

Pa, the house looks dark," Hoss said as he followed his father into the barn.

Ben turned and glanced towards the house and immediately noticed the open front door, "Hoss, let's check on Adam and Joe before we put the horses up," Ben said as he tied Buck to the post outside the barn. Suddenly he began running towards the house as a feeling of dread spread through his already cold body. He heard Hoss following behind him and as they reached the porch they noticed a body pulled off to the side.

"Oh, God," Ben said as he rushed to the fallen man. "Hoss, it's Adam," he said as he turned the figure over. He glanced around but could see no sign of little Joe.

“Pa, the house looks dark," Hoss said as he followed his father into the barn.

Ben turned and glanced towards the house and immediately noticed the open front door, "Hoss, let's check on Adam and Joe before we put the horses up," Ben said as he tied Buck to the post outside the barn. Suddenly he began running towards the house as a feeling of dread spread through his already cold body. He heard Hoss following behind him and as they reached the porch they noticed a body pulled off to the side.

"Oh, God," Ben said as he rushed to the fallen man. "Hoss, it's Adam," he said as he turned the figure over. He glanced around but could see no sign of little Joe.

"Is he alive?" Hoss asked as he bent to help his father.

"I think so, but he's so cold. Help me get him inside," Ben ordered as he pulled his son to his feet.

For the first time both men noticed the open door and Hoss looked worriedly at his father. "What if someone's inside? Where's Joe?" he asked, looking around.

"Whoever was here is long gone or they would have been out here by now. Come on, your brother is freezing as it is," Ben said and stumbled with his burden towards the open door.

Between them they soon had Adam lying on the couch. Hoss lit a lamp while Ben covered Adam with a blanket and began rubbing his arms, "Better get a fire going, Hoss. I'm gonna find your brother."

"Ok, Pa, but be careful."

Ben headed for the stairs and after a thorough search came back downstairs. He could see that Hoss had the fire going and he hurried towards Hop Sing's kitchen. The kitchen was completely dark and he reached for the lamp on the table. He lit the wick and his eyes were immediately drawn to his youngest son lying in a heap by the door, "No!" he cried as he took in the paleness of his skin.

Hoss heard his cry and hurried to the kitchen. One look at his brother and he knew Joe was in trouble. His father had bent down and picked little Joe up. Hoss held the door as he hurried into the living room with his burden.

"Put some blankets on the floor," Ben told him as he sank into the chair by the fireplace, Joe’s limp body still in his arms.

"Shouldn't we put him in his bed?" Hoss asked.

"It's too cold upstairs. All the fires are out. Just get the blankets, Hoss," he ordered.

Hoss ran upstairs and was soon back with the mattress off his younger brother's bed. "Thought Joe'd be more comfortable on this," he said.

"That's fine, Hoss," Ben said as he placed his youngest son on the mattress. "Go tell one of the hands to ride in for Dr. Martin," he told him as he gently removed the rest of Joe's clothing. He heard his son as he quickly made his way to the door. "Hold on, Adam, I'll be with you as soon as I stop your brother's wounds from bleeding," he said as he heard low groans coming from the couch.

Adam's mind swam in an ice-cold river of thought. His stomach protested the remnants of the meal he’d eaten earlier and he barely had time to lift his head before becoming violently ill.

Ben rushed to his side and held his oldest son as his body trembled. Finally Adam was able to lie back on the couch and Ben watched as he lapsed back into unconsciousness. He looked up as Hoss came back through the door.

"Charlie went for Doc Martin," Hoss said as he took in the scene and knew exactly what had happened. He'd never had a strong stomach when it came to someone being sick but he knew his father needed his help. Moving into the kitchen he got a bucket and some cleaning rags from Hop Sing's supplies and wordlessly cleaned the floor around Adam. As he cleaned he kept glancing from Adam to Joe and then to his father. "How are they, Pa?"

"Adam seems to have a severe concussion and Joe's been stabbed in the shoulder and it looks as if someone took a swipe at his side. The shoulder wound is deep and has me worried. The one on his side is shallow and has already stopped bleeding. Thanks for cleaning that up, Son."

"Welcome, Pa. I'm gonna throw these things out and make some coffee," Hoss told him and once again Ben was left to care for his two sons. He wadded up some of the sheet he'd torn up and placed it under Joe's shoulder wound. He then pressed him back into the mattress.

Ben had just finished with his youngest son when he heard his oldest son's teeth chattering. 'Nothing more I can do for Joe,' he thought as he hurried to the couch. He could feel his son's body trembling under the blankets and leaned close to Adam's mouth, listening closely.

Between the chattering of his teeth and the shaking of his body Adam managed to gasp out, "C... cold, Pa, so cold."

"I know you are son. We'll get you warmed up," Ben reassured him.

 “Joe?" Adam gasped.

"He's ok, Adam. He's right here on the floor beside you. Just close your eyes and rest," Ben told him as he reached under the blankets and began rubbing any exposed skin. He felt Adam's trembling begin to subside as Hoss re-entered the room almost fifteen minutes later, a steaming pot of coffee and cups in his hands.

"How are they?" Hoss asked and realized how often he'd asked the same question since they'd arrived home to find his injured brothers.

"Adam came to for a few seconds but Joe hasn't moved. He's lost a lot of blood," Ben said frankly.

Hoss smiled at his father but Ben could see it didn't reach his eyes. "You know Joe, Pa, he'll be fine. He's a stubborn little Cu..."

"Hoss!" his father exclaimed sharply.

"Oh, sorry, Pa. He's just so dadblamed stubborn. Just wait and see he'll want to get out of bed tomorrow."

"Yeah, you're probably right, son," Ben said.

"It's finally starting to warm up in here," Hoss said as he sat on the floor next to Joe. He reached out his hand and gently touched his brother's cheek. "You'll both be just fine," he said as he looked from one brother to the other.

*******

Paul Martin didn't bother knocking as he hurried up to the front door of the Cartwright ranch, Roy Coffee following on his heels. They walked inside and took in the scene in the living room. Joe lay on a mattress on one side and Adam lay on the couch. Both men seemed to be unconscious. Hoss sat on the floor next to little Joe and Ben sat on the couch by a shivering Adam.

"Paul, Roy, thank God you're here," Ben said as he stood and walked towards his friend.

"What happened, Ben?" Roy asked as Paul hurried to Adam on the couch.

"I don't know, Roy. We found Adam outside the door, unconscious, with no coat or nothing on and Joe was in the kitchen," Ben explained.

"How bad are they?"

"Adam has a deep bruise over his right eye. I think he was hit as he opened the door. Joe's been stabbed in the shoulder and side," Ben said watching Paul as he carefully examined Adam's head.

"Has he been awake at all?" Paul Martin asked.

"He came to twice. The first time he was sick, the second he was cold and shivering," Ben explained.

"How long did he stay conscious?" Paul asked as he moved to the second patient.

"A minute or two the first time