POW Challenge
By: Rona
"Adam, don't!" Ben begged, grabbing his son's arm. "Please, don't."
"I've got to!" Adam protested, tugging against the hold on his
arm. "Let go,
Pa!" he cried, urgently.
"Yeah, Pa, if he feels like that, perhaps you'd better let him go,"
Joe
added. "You can't keep him here against his will. He's not a child."
"Let him go!" Hoss urged. "Please!"
Reluctantly, Ben let go and watched as his oldest son fled the house. He
turned back to look at his two younger sons. Joe sported a terrific black
eye and he looked at his father soulfully. Ben put a comforting hand on
Joe's shoulder, squeezing gently. "How did you get that black eye?"
he
asked.
"I got it just before Adam stepped in to save me," Joe explained.
He looked
in the direction Adam had gone. "He didn't want me to suffer, but there
was
a bit of a fracas, and I got walloped by a picnic basket." He put a
hand up
to his eye and winced. "That was when Adam took it to save me."
"I hope he'll be all right," Ben mumbled. "Maybe I should go after him."
"I wouldn't," Joe disagreed. "Pa, when you feel like Adam
does right now,
the best thing to do is leave him alone. He'll be back."
"Sure will," Hoss chimed in. "Why, I 'member when I et some
o' Miss
Abigail's apple pie, I were sick to ma stomach fer a whole week." Hoss
sounded inordinately pleased with the memory, Ben thought. "Yes, sir,"
Hoss
went on. "Adam'll feel much better after he's finished throwin' up."