The Game of Revenge
By Tina Oney
Beta by Starlite, with many thanks from me.
The gift of words is a precious gift. Thanks so much for your help.
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Ben Cartwright moaned
aloud when he slowly awakened. His
head pounded and he reached up to touch the gash on his temple.
Blinking slowly, he opened his eyes.
Looking to his left he saw the unconscious form of his long time
friend Roy Coffee. Suddenly he remembered,
Adam!
Ben grunted as he rolled over and staggered to his feet.
What was left of the door to the jail was lying in pieces on the
floor. Ben staggered into the back
of the jail already fearing what he would find. He felt the cold hand of
fear grip his heart, Adam was no longer in the cell.
Turning he headed back towards the open doorway. He could hear drunken
laughter and raucous cheering coming from the direction of the livery, and
made his way toward the sound. Rounding
the corner of the jail that faced the livery, he paused briefly when he saw
his eldest son astride a horse, a rope tightly drawn around his neck with
his hands bound behind him.
“NO!”
Ben Cartwright called out in horror.
Adam shouted a warning
to his father, “Pa, get out of here!”
Father and son's eyes
met, and Ben could clearly see the fear in Adam’s eyes.
Ignoring his son's plea, Ben moved forward toward the horse.
A trail hand smiled
seeing the mighty Ben Cartwright stumbling toward them, then raised his hand
and smacked the horse soundly upon rump.
In its haste to escape, the horse nearly trampled the elder Cartwright
as it bolted away from the alleyway.
The rope made a popping sound, which echoed throughout the dead end of the
alley, as it was suddenly pulled taut with the weight of Adam’s body.
Ben gasped in horror and felt his heart break like shattered crystal,
seeing his beloved firstborn son’s life taken so violently.
The trail hand grinned
at the older man's horrified dismay; “You won’t buy his way out of this one
now, Cartwright.”
Ben never heard the
man's words, as he slowly staggered like a man who had a few too many, toward
his oldest son. The sound of hoof
beats could be heard riding hard up the main road, Ben’s younger sons and
the men from the Ponderosa rode into town.
Fearing for his son's safety, Ben had sent his younger sons for
men from the ranch, so they could help protect Adam’s life.
That help, sadly had arrived too late.
The motley crew of trail
hands quickly dispersed when they heard the sound of the arriving men.
Ben Cartwright was too shocked to be aware of anything taking place
around him while he slowly moved toward his son.
Tears rolled freely down his face, and he stopped to stand alone
in the dusty alley before the dangling limp body of his child.
Hoss and Joe Cartwright
rode to the jail where they found Paul Martin kneeling over the body of Roy
Coffee.
“What happened?
Where's Pa and Adam?” Little
Joe questioned, his voice rising in panic.
Paul Martin slowly glanced
up from his work. The look on his face told the boys their worst fear was
about to be realized; they had been too late.
In response, the doctor nodded toward the alleyway that led to the
livery.
"Where's Pa?"
Hoss demanded, his fear masked by a growing anger.
Shrugging his shoulders
before replying, Doc Martin answered, “I’m not sure, Hoss.”
Leaving the doctor to
his work, Hoss and Joe returned to their mounts and quickly directed them
down the alleyway toward the livery.
The scene that greeted them made their stomachs turn.
Alone in the dirt-covered street stood their father, his shoulders
were slumped forward and his head bowed, standing before the slightly swaying
body of their older brother. Joe and Hoss quickly dismounted and rushed to
their father’s side.
Joe gently touched his
father's shoulder and quietly said, “Pa…”
Ben slowly collapsed
to his knees at the compassionate touch of his youngest son.
Joe and Hoss attempted to ease their father’s descent to the ground.
Joe could see the large
gash upon his father's head. Looking
over at his brother’s face, Joe could see the tears freely rolling down
Hoss’s cheeks. Joe’s lower lip quivered and his voice broke as he
spoke, “Pa, you're hurt. Let’s get you over to Doc Martin.”
Ben whispered absently,
“No, I’m…” he swallowed, his mouth felt so dry, “Hoss, you and Joe please,
cut your brother down.”
Nodding, Hoss took a
deep breath, “Ok, Pa,” his voice also a mere whisper.
Hoss stood up; then
took Chubb’s reins to walk the stallion under his brother’s dangling legs.
Turning back to his younger brother he directed, “Joe, come over
here and steady Adam.”
Joe rose slowly to his
feet and walked to his brother’s side. Reaching up, he took a hole of his
oldest brother’s legs. Hoss moved to where the rope was anchored and untied
the knot holding it in place. Now
released, the rope slid freely and Adam’s body slumped forward onto the black
stallion.
Angrily swiping the
back of his hand across his eyes to remove the bitter tears that blurred
his vision, Joe reached up to remove the rope from around his brother’s neck.
Hoss quietly arrived
at his younger brother's side and pulled his knife from his front pocket
and cut the bindings on his brother’s wrists.
Turning to Joe, Hoss's voice broke as
he addressed Little Joe, “I’ll take Adam over to Doc Martin’s.”
With tears clouding his eyes, Hoss then mounted his horse and pulled
his older brother’s body close. Frowning
in his father's direction, he continued, "You think you can handle Pa?”
Joe nodded his head
sadly, “yeah, Hoss, I’ll bring him.”
Holding his brother’s
lifeless body tight against his chest, Hoss slowly made his way out of the
alley.
Joe sadly moved to his
father’s side and placed a loving arm across the older man's slumped shoulders,
“Come on Pa, let’s get you taken care of.”
Ben looked up into his
youngest son’s eyes, “Oh Joseph… I couldn’t stop them. I couldn’t help him.”
Tears slowly rolled
down the younger man's cheek, and with a quivering lip whispered, “I know
Ben hugged his son to
his chest. He realized his younger
sons were feeling as guilty as he was.
“Joseph, son don’t do that to yourself. This was
not your fault.”
“Why Pa? Why did they do this?”
Safe in his father's reassuring embrace, Little Joe allowed
himself to collapse into his father’s arms and sobbed into the older
man's chest. “Oh Pa, what are we going
to do without him?”
“I don’t know son. I
just don’t know…” Ben hugged the boy tighter, he had no idea how his family
would survive this terrible act.
In a window above the
tragic scene, a man smiled as he watched the heartrending scene unfold in
the alley below. Hearing a shuffling
of bedclothes behind him, he glanced back towards the bed.
So far, his plan had
worked better than he had dared to imagine.
Seth Johnson meant to destroy Ben Cartwright and he had made a good
start, for the man below was certainly suffering.
A sharp knock at the door broke his reverie and drawing his gun,
he approached the door. Placing one
hand on the knob and his ear close to the crack in the door, he called out.
“Who is it?”
The disembodied voice
answered, “It’s Bobbie Joe.”
Seth Johnson opened
the door and allowed a younger man to enter the room. “We’re ready to move.”
The younger man stated dipping his head in the direction of the
bed.
Seth nodded in response
before glancing over his shoulder towards the bed.
“Let’s move.”
Bobbie Joe leaned out
the opened door and motioned to some men who were loitering in the hall.
Seth Johnson returned to the window and watched as the young man
in the green jacket help his father to walk down the alley away from the
livery. Smiling broadly once more, he announced to the room at large, “I’ll
be back real soon, Cartwright.”
Reaching down, he retrieved
his coat from the straight back wooden chair that sat near the window.
He pulled on the coat while he strode across the small dingy room,
only stopping briefly at the doorway to survey the room before turning to
make his way out the door.
Hoss Cartwright carried
his brother’s lifeless body into the office of Dr. Martin.
Paul Martin sadly shook his head at the sight.
“Here Hoss, let’s put
him in this room.”
After gently laying his brother’s body on the bed.
Hoss silently stood beside the bed, then whispered
; “I'm sorry Adam.”
Hoss’s teary eyes turned to
the family’s long-time friend. “Doc, Joe's trying to get Pa to come get his
head taken care of. I had to bring
Adam…”
Unable to say more,
Paul Martin watched as the big man crumbled.
A deep mournful sob escaped from the big gentle man’s tortured soul.
Paul moved to comfort
him, “I know Hoss. I’m so sorry son.”
Patting the big man shoulder to offer solace, he continued, “That’s it Hoss,
let it all out.”
Joe helped his father
into the doctor's office. They could
hear Hoss’s heart wrenching sobs.
Ben Cartwright bowed his head for a moment before taking a deep
breath, then moved toward the room he knew his
son was in. As he stepped to the closed
door, a voice called to him from the next room.
“Ben.”
The elder Cartwright
stopped short of the room, and glancing back over his shoulder he saw Sheriff
Coffee lying in a bed.
“
Roy Coffee lay with
his head bandaged and his right arm in a sling.
He looked sadly at his old friend. “Ben, I…” The elder sheriff glanced
down and his lips began to quiver as he spoke.
“Ben, I don’t know what to say.
I… I’ve never failed you the way I did today.
I tried to stop them Ben, but they just got the best of me.”
Ben Cartwright nodded
his head solemnly at his dear friend's explanation, and for Roy Coffee, an
apology.
“
Ben lips pursed and
he looked down at his old friend.
“I know you will
Suddenly Ben Cartwright
felt very old and worn out. "You're
probably right
“Roy, Adam was innocent.”
With unspent anger,
Ben glared back at his friend of so many years.
“No buts Roy, my son
was innocent!”
Roy Coffee shook his
head in dismay. “I never believed
Adam was a murderer Ben. I know we’d
have proved him not guilty.”
“Just so you know
Ben turned toward the
opened door, as Hoss stepped into the hall.
Reaching out, he placed his hand upon his big son’s shoulder, “Son,
are you alright?”
Hoss swallowed hard
fighting the large lump he found in his throat.
His big blue eyes welled with tears as he looked helplessly into
his father’s empty ebony ones.
“I’ll be ok,
Ben was exhausted, his
head was pounding and he was feeling nauseated.
A fine sheen of sweat broke out across his forehead.
“Pa, you need to sit
down.” Hoss directed, and reached out for his father’s arm to direct him
to the nearest bed.
Ben’s body shook while
his son escorted him to the nearest bed and helped him to lie down.
Paul Martin seemed to appear from nowhere to check the silver-haired
patriarch of the Cartwright family.
While the doctor worked
to give Ben a thorough examination, Hoss and Joe stood at the side of the
bed. Both could see how pale their
father was, and were becoming more and more concerned with his health.
“This is a nasty wound on your head, Ben. Did you lose consciousness?”
Doc Martin questioned as he dabbed at the cut with a soft cloth
to clean it.
Ben nodded absently,
“They knocked me out.”
“How’s your vision,
Ben?” The doctor
prodded, placing the cloth he'd been using into a small metal bowl
and began rearranging some of the instruments on the bedside table.
“My vision is fine.”
Slightly offended, Ben stared back at the doctor.
Paul Martin was a little
pleased with his patient's response, for he felt that the strong family patriarch
still had some fight left in him.
Ignoring the slight sharp answer, he proceeded to suture the gash on Ben
Cartwright's head.
“There's a lot of discoloration
here.” Looking up at the two younger
Cartwright sons he instructed, “I want you boys to keep a close watch on
your father. If he acts confused,
vomits profusely, or if there is any change in him, I want you to send for
me.”
Joe nodded quietly as
Hoss answered the doctor's instructions.
“Yes sir, you can count
on that Doc.”
Ben stared at the ceiling,
now unable to make eye contact with the others in the room.
“When will you be through,
I need make arrangements to bury my son?”
Grimly, Paul Martin
looked down at his patient. “Well
Ben, I still have to examine Adam’s body.”
Ben’s eyes never wavered
from the ceiling, “How long…”
Paul swallowed uncomfortably.
“It’ll take me about an hour, Ben.”
“Hoss, you and Joe get
our horses, and a wagon. Then come
back here and pick up…” Ben took a deep shaky breath and closed his eyes
willing his emotions to remain relatively calm, “when you come back, we’ll
take your brother home.”
Hoss whispered a barely
audible, “Yes sir.”
Unable to bear the strain
any longer, Joe stormed out of the doctor's office.
Seeing his younger brother's outburst, Hoss turned and started toward
the door.
“Hoss.”
Hearing his father's
plea, Hoss stopped near the door and turned back to his father.
He found his father's tortured eyes meeting his own.
"It wasn’t your fault
Hoss. You and Joe aren’t the cause
of this. You do understand?
I know you got here as quick as you could.”
Hoss shrugged his shoulders
and silently dipped his head. “Sure
Pa, whatever you say.” Then the large
gentle giant of a man turned and left to do his father’s bidding.
Ben shook his head forlornly;
he knew his sons blamed themselves for not arriving in time to help their
brother. He had no idea what was he going to do or how he was going to ease
his sons' pain, when he didn’t know how to get past his own.
Doctor Paul Martin paused
at the entrance to the room; then very slowly closed the door behind him.
He'd never relished the task of examining a dead body, but this
time it was the body of a man he'd known most of the young man's life, which
was also the son of a longtime cherished friend.
Sighing deeply, he rolled up the cuffs of his starched white shirt
and approached the bed where the body of Adam Cartwright lay in perpetual
slumber.
After finishing the
grim chore of examining the dead body, Doc Martin pulled the clean white
sheet over the deceased once more covering dead man's face.
He stepped back, and proceeded to unroll his shirt cuffs as he continued
to study the still form before him.
Paul Martin was confused by his findings, and the unmistakable mystery they
held. Realizing he couldn't prolong
the inevitable, he quietly exited the now darkened room.
Walking down the hallway,
he entered the room where the Cartwright family waited.
He watched while the Cartwright patriarch slowly rose supported
by his two remaining sons.
Taking a deep breath,
the
Hoss and Joe Cartwright
solemnly moved into the darkened room, and then carried their brother out
of the doctor's house to the waiting buckboard.
As Ben Cartwright turned to leave, Doc Martin called out to him.
“Ben, I’ll be out to
check on you in a few days.”
His grief threatening
to overwhelm him, Ben nodded absently in response, not really hearing the
doctor's words. “Your always welcome on the Ponderosa,
Paul.”
Paul offered a helpless
slight smile of appreciation. “I know,
thank you Ben.” He then watched as the proud Ben Cartwright stumbled as he
slowly made his way to the front door.
Feeling the need to say something more to his grieving friend, Paul Martin
called to him once more, "Ben.”
Stopped momentarily,
Ben turned back to face the doctor, “Yes Paul?”
“I’m truly sorry Ben.
I wish there had been something that I could've done.”
Ben turned tearful eyes
to the heavens and bit his lower lip to try to stem the flow of tears before
answering. “So do I Paul, so do I.
I too wish there had been something I could've done as well.”
Paul Martin watched
the devastated man leave his home and dropped his head to his chest.
What was he going to do?
He headed down the hallway, stopping briefly at the doorway
of Roy Coffee's room before entering the room and closing the door.
Stepping up to the bedside he stated, “
The ride to the Ponderosa
was morosely quiet. Hoss had insisted
that his father ride home beside him on the buckboard, with Joe following.
Buck, Chubb and Sport had been tied behind the wagon.
As they pulled into the yard, the somber entourage found the ranch
hands of the Ponderosa standing quietly, with hats in hand and heads bowed,
silently and solemnly waiting for the Cartwright family to return.
One of the older hands,
Charlie, stepped forward along with two others known as
Shorty and Slim. Charlie respectfully
stepped to his boss's side and cleared his throat to speak.
“Mr. Cartwright, we
would like to take care of Adam’s body for ya’. ”
At first, he started
to decline the kind offer, but when Charlie added, “Please Mr. Cartwright,
it’s the least we can do. I mean we…
we should of got there sooner.”
Ben Cartwright gazed
into the faces of his long-time hands. Some of these men had been with him
from nearly the start of the Ponderosa.
He realized too, that those same men had watched Adam grow into manhood and
were probably feeling guilty as well.
Ben’s voice quivered
as he answered. “Alright Charlie,
put him in the guest bedroom. Hoss, Joe please get Adam's Sunday best.”
Charlie smiled gratefully
as tears rolled down his cheeks.
“Sure thing Mr. Cartwright.
We’ll take good care of him.”
Ben reached out and
placed a weak hand upon the man's shoulder then squeezed, with his normally
booming voice a mere whisper. “I know
you will, Charlie.”
Joe moved to help his
father down from the wagon, as the remaining hands moved to care for the
horses. Ben watched the hands disperse
with each one taking on a job without being asked.
Ben took a deep breath as he observed aloud, “Boys, we have some
great people working for us.”
“Yeah we do
With Joe's hand resting
lightly upon his father's arm, Joe and Ben slowly made their way across the
yard and into the house.
Entering the great room, the found Hoss coming down the stairs with Adam’s
black suit.
“Is this what you want
him to wear, Pa?” Hoss inquired,
holding up a hanger with a black jacket and pants, and another with a starched
white shirt.
Unable to bear the sight,
Ben glanced away from the clothes held aloft in Hoss’s
hands. “That'll be fine, son.”
Hoss nodded now regretting
disturbing his father with his simple question and quickly made his way to
the guestroom.
Suddenly feeling very
old and tired, Ben turned and started up the wooden stairs.
Once again Joe took his arm, “Pa, let me help you.”
Ben weakly smiled at
his youngest son,
“I’m fine son. You stay and help your brother.”
Joe watched helplessly
while his father made his way up the stairs.
Good maybe he’ll get some sleep, he hoped.
Hoss and Joe were sitting
in the great room of the Ponderosa.
Both sat staring at the large rock fireplace and the fire they had just built,
both deeply lost in their thoughts.
Suddenly from upstairs, the wail of their father’s grief-stricken sobs cut
through the still night. Both sons
rushed up the stairs to find their father sitting on the floor of Adam’s
room, his arms wrapped tightly around their brother’s tan coat while holding
the picture of Adam’s mother. So shaken
by the sight, neither Hoss nor Joe could move and helplessly stood in the
entryway to their older brother's room.
Joe’s breathing became
rapid and his temper starting to flare as he fought to contain his own tears.
“What should we do Hoss?”
Hoss shook his head
uncertainly, “Be here for him, Joe.
That’s all I know, just be here for him.”
Both sons waited for
a few moments more, before they quietly moved to their father’s side.
Dropping to their knees, they enveloped their father into their
arms and the family then grieved as one.
Dr. Paul Martin and
Sheriff Roy Coffee arrived at the Cartwright ranch home the next evening.
The great house was filled with the Cartwright’s many friends from
Grateful that the long
evening was finally drawing to a close, Ben turned to his long time friends
and offered, “Roy, Paul, would you care for a brandy?”
Paul Martin took an
unsteady deep breath before responding.
“No Ben, I’d like to talk with you, Hoss and Joe for a bit, if I may?”
Not really interested
in a brandy or any refreshment, Ben crossed the large room to sit down in
the large burgundy leather chair near the fireplace.
“Certainly, won’t you sit down please?”
Paul shook his head
to reject the invitation, and then addressed the man sitting before him.
"No Ben, I think I’d rather stand for now.”
Hoss wrinkled is forehead;
he could sense that something was amiss.
“What’s wrong Doc?”
Paul Martin looked around
at the three Cartwright men who were studying him and suddenly felt very
self-conscious and uncomfortable about the subject he now needed to broach.
“Ben, I’d like to ask
you some questions about Adam.”
Confusion was clearly
written on Ben’s face. He glanced
briefly in the Sheriff's direction before returning his full attention back
to the physician.
“Paul, what's this all
about?”
Paul Martin cleared
his throat nervously before he began.
“Ben, I guess I’ve taken care of these boys for about as long as I’ve been
a doctor.”
Ben chuckled warmly
at the thought of the many scrapes and headaches his sons had given the good
doctor over the years.
“Yes, my boys have really
kept you in business, Paul.”
Paul smiled appreciatively
at his friend's recollection of fond memories and happier times. “I would
say that I probably know about every notable scar on these boys.
Wouldn’t you say, Ben?”
Ben frowned now puzzled
by the doctor's obvious probing. “Well,
yes Paul… Why?”
Paul Martin stepped
closer to where Ben Cartwright sat.
"Ben, I have something to tell you, and I know it’s gonna be hard for you
to believe. So
just bear with me a moment.”
Baffled, Ben's dark
eyebrows drew into a distinctive furrow causing his lips to frown.
He nodded for the doctor to continue, “Ok, Paul.”
Nervous once more, Doc
Martin began to pace in front of the roaring fireplace.
“Ben, when I was examining the body we thought was Adam’s.”
Ben abruptly interrupted
, “What do you mean thought
it was Adam? It is Adam!
Isn't it?”
Paul Martin shook his
head, he was both regretful and elated by the news he was about to deliver.
“No Ben, it’s not Adam. That’s
what I need to tell you.”
Outraged and in disbelief,
Ben rose to his feet and bellowed.
“Have you lost you mind Paul? Did
you forget that I was there? I saw
them hang my son!”
Totally understanding
his old friend's outburst, the town doctor tried to calm the other man.
“I know Ben, give me just a minute to
explain.”
Ben fiery gaze of ebony
eyes bore into the face of his friend and his voice shook with the implied
warning. “Paul this had better
be good.”
From the corner of his
eye, Ben saw his other close friend motioning for him to sit back down.
Trying to calm his nerves, Ben blew out a short breath from between
barely clenched lips and heeded the advice of the Virginia City Sheriff.
Waiting until the silver-haired
man had retaken his seat, Paul Martin nodded his head in thanks to Roy Coffee.
The doctor knew he'd better proceed swiftly but with caution.
“Ben, I’ve taken care of Adam a long time.
But I never knew he’d been beaten with a whip.”
Aghast, Ben was taken
aback by the doctor's blunt statement.
“A whip? Adam has never been
beaten with a whip! What are you saying
Paul, you think I beat my son?”
Paul smiled and shook
his head by Ben's misunderstanding of his statement.
“No Ben, I know better. I
also never knew that Adam had been stabbed in the chest and abdomen.”
Totally clueless as
to where this was all leading, Ben just stared at the man as if he had lost
his mind. Seeing he had his friend's
total attention, Paul Martin continued.
“Nor was I aware that Adam had ever been in prison.”
Ben stood once more,
his rage barely contained over the outrageous accusation and the egregious
slander of his dead son's reputation.
“Adam hasn’t been in any prison!”
Paul Martin smiled like
the cat that ate the canary, as his eyes met those of his friend's.
“I know.
But the man in your guestroom has.
He has all those injuries and a tattoo from a federal prison on
the inside of his left upper arm.
The man who was hanged and whose body I examined was not your son, Ben.
Go and take a look, Ben.
He has heavy scarring on his back from healed wounds that were received by
being beat with a whip. He also has
multiple healed stab wounds."
Defiantly the doctor
pronounced at last. "The body and
the person wrongly hanged was not Adam.”
Stunned and bewildered
by the news, Ben backed away from his friends.
His eyes dropped to study the floor trying to digest everything
that he'd been told.
Is Paul right, could he be telling me the truth? Have I been so devastated
that I've been blind to all the things Paul found?
God, please let Paul be right!
With newfound hope,
Ben turned and quickly moved toward the guestroom.
His two sons followed close behind him, they too wanted to examine
the body for themselves.
Ben Cartwright froze
momentarily to look at the face so similar in appearance to that of his son.
Reaching down and with the help of his sons began to slowly remove
the black suit coat and pristine white shirt from his dead man’s body.
He studied the exposed chest and abdomen, and discovered what the
doctor said was true - there were healed scars.
More zealous now, Ben whispered instructions to Hoss and Joe.
“Help me turn him over.”
Obediently and eagerly,
both sons jumped to help their father.
Ben involuntarily gasped and closed his eyes in abomination when he saw the
scarred back of the man lying before him on the bed.
To confirm what they
all were thinking, Joe stated, “Adam’s back never looked like that
Ben absently nodded
his head in acknowledgement of his youngest son observation. “I know Joseph.”
Carefully Ben searched
the inside of the upper left arm.
There he found the number of 90457-6A tattooed on the inner arm.
Ben stepped back reeling as his thoughts were drawn back to the
day he thought his son had been hanged.
This man, whoever he was, had thoroughly convinced him that he was Adam.
Now disgusted and incensed, he addressed his other two sons.
“Get him dressed and
get him out of here.”
Without a backward glance,
Ben Cartwright stormed from the room, leaving Hoss and Joe totally bewildered.
They looked at each other, then down to the body of a man who had
somehow taken their older brother's place.
Ben strode angrily back
into the great room and the two friends he had left there.
Not allowing them the opportunity to speak, he furiously demanded.
“Where is my son?”
It was Roy Coffee, in
the gentlest of tones, who spoke next. “Ben, we don’t know where Adam is,
or even if the boy is still alive.”
Hoss stepped out of
the guest room, “Pa, what do you want us to do with the body?”
Ben hissed barely addressing
his middle child over his shoulder.
“I don’t care just get it out of this house!”
No longer able to endure
such a horrific charade, Ben face darkened and he raged at the elderly sheriff.
“
Roy Coffee stood warily
and stepped closer to his friend’s side.
Interlacing his fingers and dropping his hands to his waist in a submissive
gesture, he offered. “Ben, someone
has gone to an awful lot of trouble to make you think Adam was dead.
It maybe the only way we can get them to show themselves and find
out what has happened to Adam. If
they think their plan worked, then maybe they’ll play their hand.”
Considering the lawman's
words, Ben turned back and returned to the guestroom.
Hoss and Joe had just finished dressing the unknown man and were
startled by the sound of their father's voice.
“Leave him there boys.”
Surprised, Joe’s hazel
green eyes shot up to meet his father’s. “Leave him here? Pa, I don’t want
him here.”
Hoss agreed with his
younger brother. “Pa, why do you want
to leave this… this, whoever he is, in our home after what he did?”
Ben then explained to
his sons the sheriff's plan. “
Joe practically hissed
his objection. “Don’t say that Pa,
my brother isn’t lying here dead.
It's not Adam's funeral!”
Ben shook his head over
his youngest child's disapproval.
“Someone went to a lot of trouble to make us think that this was Adam, son.
We want them to show themselves, so this maybe the only way to find out what
did happen to your brother.”
Joe thought about it
for a moment.
“Then he should get the best funeral money could buy
A low groan emanated
from the man lying face down on the bed.
His head felt like a big brass band was marching and playing loudly
inside skull. Slowly he opened his
eyes and looked around the room.
Where am I? Nothing looks familiar.
Unsteadily, he pulled his muscular frame into a sitting position on the side
of the bed.
Why can’t I remember anything?
Swaying slightly, he rose to his feet and began to walk around the room.
He paused to gaze out the dirty window to stare absently at the
baron countryside. As he walked passed the mirror, he stopped to look at
the face staring back at him and suddenly realized he didn’t know the person
whose image he found in the mirror.
His face paled and he found himself breaking out into a cold sweat -
Who am I?
Without invitation or
warning, the door to his room opened and a tall rugged man stepped into the
room.
“How you feeling?”
Feeling desperate and
now slightly sick to his stomach the other man responded.
“Who am I? Do you know who
I am?”
Seth Johnson mustered
his best warm smile. “You took a pretty
bad knock to your head.” He watched
the other man's face pale even more.
My plan has worked better than I could ever hope. The boy doesn’t know who
he is… Seth smiled broadly at his good fortune.
“Why you're my younger brother, Tom.”
Addled and more than
a little confused by the revelation, Adam Cartwright stared back at the man.
“I’m your brother?”
Seth nodded, “Them Cartwright’s
hit your head prudy hard there, Tom.
Don’t you worry, you’ll remember soon enough.”
Still in disbelief,
Adam prodded further. “Do we have
any other family?”
Seth shook his head
sadly but carefully watched Adam out of the corner of his eye.
“Well Tom, Ben Cartwright done killed our Pa and two of our brothers.
So it’s just you, me and Bobbie Joe left, now”
Finding the other man's
words difficult to comprehend, Adam stared blankly back at Seth Johnson.
“Why did this man kill our family?”
Afraid he couldn't maintain
the ruse much longer, Seth turned away from Adam's scrutinizing gaze.
“Well, the man has lots of money, and he’s
kinda above the law. He killed
them and accused them of being rustlers.
For some reason he thought Pa and the others were stealing his cattle,
but we wasn’t. We
was just passin’ through.
He almost killed you, but me and Bobbie
Joe pulled you out just in time.”
Adam moved to look out
the window again; his blood seemed to burn as it coursed through his veins.
“Well, they won’t get away with it. Why didn’t you go to the law?”
Seth laughed out loud
in a vicious retort.
“ A Johnson’s word against a Cartwright…Hah!”
Seth Johnson studied the back of the black shirt that stood before
him gazing out the window and thought,
This is working out real good. He don’t remember
a thing. “I mean
for’em to pay, boy.”
Adam absently nodded
his head to the other man's implied threat.
He really didn’t know anything about what had happened between the
Johnson's and the Cartwright's, but he could feel the strong family ties.
Adam knew that family and family loyalty was important.
The rest of that week he learned about his family from Seth Johnson.
Day by day, Adam’s hatred for the Cartwright’s grew in intensity.
By the end of that week, Adam Cartwright was ready to help his new
brothers seek vengeance upon the almighty Cartwrights.
Seth Johnson sent Bobbie
Joe and the other men out to scout the Ponderosa and the comings and goings
of the remaining Cartwrights. His
interest was mainly in Ben Cartwright.
Ben had testified against his younger brother in a murder trial that had
resulted in his brother hanging. Seth
attacked Ben Cartwright shortly after the trial; losing the fight, he ended
up spending a week in jail. Even as
he was being taken to jail, he had warned Ben Cartwright that he'd get even
for hanging his brother. Seth had
studied the Cartwright family, and knew that Ben’s sons were his only real
weakness. He knew the way to get revenge
at the proud Ben Cartwright was to destroy his heart, and to accomplish that
he needed to get back at the three sons he had raised alone.
Seth’s initial plan was to rid Ben of his sons but when the Tom
Burns came into the picture, his plans quickly changed.
Tom Burns was a drifter, and his uncanny resemblance to the oldest
Cartwright son was mind-boggling.
Burns was such a dead ringer for the standoffish eldest son that even his
old man, didn't recognize the difference.
How better to make a man pay, than to watch while that son was taken
away, then give that child back to him, as a weapon of his demise.
Seth Johnson maliciously smiled to himself, quite pleased with his
scheme. This revenge was going to
be sweetest of all.
During that week, Bobbie
Joe had detailed the accountings of the Cartwright’s comings and goings.
Ben Cartwright had made a trek to his dear departed son’s graveside
each morning.
Good, Seth Johnson grinned, that's
where we’ll get him. Tomorrow
they would capture Ben Cartwright and once again break his heart before they
took his life.
It was a beautiful spring
day, Ben rode Buck down by the lake and over to his son’s imposter's graveside.
It had been a little over a week since Adam had disappeared.
As he did each day, he took off his hat, and then knelt at the grave
before silently saying a prayer for the safe return of his beloved first-born
son.
Seth Johnson observed
the older man's pilgrimage before stepping up to the graveside.
“Mornin’ Mr. Cartwright.”
Startled by the unexpected
voice, Ben’s eyes raised to meet the eyes those of Seth Johnson.
“What are you doing on the Ponderosa, Seth?”
Seth evilly smiled before
responding. “
Don’t'cha remember? We’ve got a little score to settle, Mr. Cartwright.”
Quickly Ben started
to reach for his gun, but stopped as he felt the cold steel of a gun barrel
being shoved against the side of his head.
His body stiffened when he heard the hammer being pulled back.
“I wouldn’t if I were
you.”
Ben Cartwright froze
at the sound of the baritone voice; it was the voice of his son.
While Ben slowly raised his hands, the tall dark lean man bent over
and deftly removed the gun from Ben’s holster.
Pulling his gun back,
he stepped slightly away from the man his brother had called Mr. Cartwright.
“On your feet old man!” Adam ordered
with a hiss.
Ben Cartwright stood
before slowly turning to face his long-lost son.
“Adam?”
Taken aback by the appellation,
Adam stared blankly at the silver-haired man.
He had a strange feeling he knew this man, but dismissed it as coincidence
from the previous encounter his brother had described to him.
He could feel a cold sweat break out on his face and his stammered
a short response. “No.
No, the name is Tom, Tom Johnson.”
Slightly bewildered
by his son's behavior, Ben Cartwright watched as Seth Johnson stepped behind
his son, and then smiled maliciously at him.
“Uh, this is my brother, Cartwright.
The one you tried to kill, remember?”
In a sudden outburst,
Ben’s eyes snapped to Seth’s face.
“I never tried to kill him!”
Mockingly, Seth continued
to smile. “Sure ya did. You killed
our Pa, and our brothers.”
Ben stared in disbelief
as Adam’s long fingers tightened around the grip of his gun.
“No, Adam that’s not true.”
With the beginnings
of a severe headache, Adam glared back at the silver-haired man.
“I told you my name is Tom.”
Hoping to talk some
sense into his eldest, Ben shook his head and in a soothing voice said.
“No, your name is Adam… Adam Cartwright, you’re my son.”
Without warning, Adam
struck Ben across the face with his gun, knocking the older man to his knees.
Adam stared down at his father.
“I said my name is Tom.”
Keeping an eye on the
man now towering over him, Ben carefully dabbed at the blood that trickled
from the fresh cut on his cheek. Tilting
his head slightly, he glared up at Seth Johnson.
“This is your doing! What
have you done to my son?”
Stepping forward, Seth
Johnson flung Ben Cartwright to the ground.
Ben slowly rolled over as Seth reached down and grabbed his shirt
to drag Ben to his feet. He pulled
the older man so his face was close to his and snarled.
“You're gonna die Cartwright.”
Calmly, Ben Cartwright
stared back into the face of the man who had caused him so much pain and
grief. “I’m not afraid of death, Seth.”
Seth laughed out loud
at the elder Cartwright's arrogance.
“Oh you will be, Cartwright. You will
be, cus you're gonna
see each one of your sons go first.”
Seeing an opportunity,
Ben insolently returned the smile.
“Then I won’t care to die, if they're gone.”
Seth Johnson realized
his error, if he killed the Ben's son, then the older Cartwright wouldn’t
want to live. An evil smirk crossed
his face as he found his solution.
“Then I’ll kill your boys and leave you alive, Cartwright.”
Ben steely-eyed gaze
never wavered, “then you’ll be looking over your shoulder forever, because
if you harm one of my boys, I’ll never rest till I kill you Johnson.”
Enraged, Seth Johnson
shoved Ben Cartwright toward Bobbie Joe who backhanded him across the mouth
knocking him back to Seth. The two
men beat the elder man finally knocking him to the ground at Adam’s feet.
Reaching down, Adam roughly pulled Ben to his feet.
Ben's body was badly
battered and he gazed warmly into his son’s hazel eyes.
“I love you, son.”
Furious by the older
man's expression of affection, Adam struck his father in the face causing
him to fall back onto the ground.
Rolling over, Ben painfully pulled his large frame to his knees and looked
up at his son.
“Adam, I love you son.”
Enraged, Adam shouted
back at the man kneeling before him, ”
Ahh, don’t call me that!”
Rearing back, Adam reached
out and kicked his father. Ben grunted
as he was flung onto his back in agony.
Adam staggered away
from the man who still looked lovingly back at him.
Adam stared down at the battered man lying before him and shook
his head as the severe pounding in his head intensified.
Raising his hands to his head, Adam closed his eyes to shut out
the pain.
Ben was breathing hard,
struggling; he was barely able to speak.
“Adam…”
Ben tried to rise and
leaned over on his left arm he continued patiently.
“Son please, listen to me…” Ben swallowed
hard, finding it difficult to find the right words to get through to his
son. “I love you, your brothers love
you. You remember your brothers don’t
you, Adam…Hoss and Joe?”
Adam reached down to
his holster and slowly drew his gun. Cocking the hammer back he pointed it
down at his father. “I said shut-up
Cartwright!”
In severe pain, both
emotional and physical, Ben’s eyes teared as
he continued to try and get through to his son.
“Adam please, let me help you.”
Adam’s hand tightened
on the gun he held.
Ben’s heart began to
race uncontrollably and he could see the sweat as it rolled down Adam’s tortured
face. Ben whispered beseechingly,
“Adam don’t do this, please son. Don’t
you see this is what he wants?” He
could see the internal struggle his son was having.
“Try son, please try to remember.”
Adam shook his head,
futilely attempting to clear it of the pain.
The pounding grew louder as images flashed through his mind blinding
him with pain. Suddenly, the gun discharged,
the bullet impacted the older man’s chest throwing him hard to the ground.
With one last groan the silver-haired man lay quiet upon the now
bloodstained grass. As if seeing it
for the first time, Adam looked down at the gun in his hand, then over to
his father lying motionless on the ground.
His eyes widened in horror, as the red stain grew across his father’s
chest. Memories began to flood into
his mind while he stared at his father’s motionless body.
“Oh my God, what have
I done!”
Walking over to the
man lying on the ground Seth Johnson knelt down, smiling at his own good
fortune. “How about
that Cartwright? Kilt by one
of your own." Slowly rising, Seth
stood before turning to address Adam Cartwright.
“You did good, Adam.
How's it feel to kill your own Pa?”
Gazing over, Adam saw
Seth Johnson sneering back at him.
“You should've seen
your old man when they hung ole’ Tom.
He truly thought his boy had been hung right there in that dirty
Shocked by the turn
of events, Adam Cartwright faced his tormentor.
“Why? Why'd you do this?”
Enraged by Adam's innocent
behavior, Seth glared back at him.
“Because I wanted your old man to suffer.
I wanted him to suffer like I did.
So I kidnapped you and Tom became you.
We planned everything including the hangin
’. It was a bonus when you woke up
and could remember nothin’.
We brought you along slow, and you did just what you
was supposed to do. Ole’ man
Cartwright died at the hand of his own beloved son.”
Unable to take the sneering
face any longer, Adam glanced away.
The lies Seth Johnson had told him played through his mind and the anger
in Adam’s soul grew. In disbelief
and confusion, Adam again looked down to his father’s still form.
Seth Johnson was enjoying
Adam’s torment and continued to twist the mental knife he used to cut his
victim to the core.
“And those brothers of yours crying when they had to cut that body down,
while your old man was on his knees in the street.
It shore was a beautiful picture.”
Slowly Adam turned back
to the man who had orchestrated the death of his father.
Adam’s eyes were cold and emotionless as he looked from his father’s
body to the man who had caused his family so much pain.
Cocking his revolver he pointed it towards Seth and Bobbie Joe.
“You won’t use that
Cartwright. A Cartwright won’t kill
a man in cold blood.” Still grinning,
Seth then began to laugh out loud as he reached down to daring to touch Adam's
father’s body.
Without hesitation,
Adam coolly pulled the trigger and both men were dead in seconds.
Dismayed by his earlier actions, Adam dropped the gun from his hand
and moved over to his father's body.
While he made his way toward his father’s battered body he noticed that his
father’s body was lying on a freshly filled grave.
His eyes traveled to the upward to the headstone, which read:
Adam Cartwright
Beloved son and brother.
Adam closed his eyes
in anguish,
Then he reached down
and pulled his father into his arms, murmuring over and over, “I’m sorry
Pa, I’m so sorry.” Sobbing, Adam dropped his head and pulled his father closer.
Painfully Ben opened
his eyes and felt arms hugging him tight.
Then he heard the sobs of his eldest son and whispered, “Adam?”
Hearing a faint deep
voice, Adam raised his head. “Pa?”
Ben forced a split lip
into a small smile; his son's one word was the sweetest music to his ears.
“Yes son, it’s
Adam reached down and
lightly touched his father’s battered face.
“I have to get you to a doctor,
Ben could not contain
the groan that escaped his lips when Adam picked him up from the ground.
That thought was the last Ben was aware of for more than a week.
Adam Cartwright slowly
paced back and forth across the hardwood floor in Paul Martin’s office.
He knew his father was badly injured and the town doctor had already
informed him he wasn’t sure his father would make it.
The sheriff had sent a rider out to the Ponderosa to fetch Hoss
and Little Joe, and Adam was apprehensive as he watched his
brothers ride into town.
How am I going to tell them? How can
I tell them, I've done this to Pa?
Hoss and Little Joe
Cartwright burst into the small parlor room, both stopping dead in their
tracks when they saw their older brother standing before them.
With just a small hesitation,
Hoss quickly stepped forward, “Adam?”
Self-consciously, Adam
smiled with tears in his eyes. “Yeah,
Hoss it’s me.”
Hoss suddenly enveloped
his brother in a huge bear hug nearly squeezing the air from the other one's
lungs. More uncertain, Joe hung back
from the warm scene.
Seeing Little Joe's
hesitancy, Adam first studied his kid brother's face and after Hoss finally
set him down, he walked over to his youngest brother.
“Joe?”
“How’s Pa?”
Joe hung his head unable to meet his oldest brother's questioning
gaze.
Adam took a deep breath
before responding. “He’s bad Joe.
Paul’s still working on him.”
“What happened to him?”
Joe looked up to Adam for answers he knew his brother had, because
his oldest brother always knew the answer to any question.
Adam bit his lip and
chose a portion of the truth as an immediate response.
“Well, Joe. He was beaten
and shot.”
“Who did it?”
Joe demanded, his eyes filled with tears from fear, but his blood
was beginning to boil with rage.
Adam took a deep breath
and again delivered another portion of the truth.
“The two men responsible for this are dead Joe, I killed them.”
Grateful for both his
brother's safe return and revenge for his father, Joe nodded his head.
“Good. That’s good Adam.”
No longer able to face
his younger brothers, Adam turned his back to them and walked away.
He knew they deserved the whole truth and turned back to face them
he said, “I think you need to know, I shot
Dumbfounded by his admission
of guilt, Joe and Hoss could only stare at their brother.
Hoss was the first to
recover from the shock then asked, “How did that happen
Adam?”
Bone weary, Adam sat
down heavily upon a chaste lounge before relating the story of what had happened
to him over the few weeks. He was
totally emotionally drained when he finished his tale.
The three Cartwright brothers sat in silence for many minutes following
the whole sordid story, before Adam finally spoke, “I’ll understand if you
don’t want me here.”
Hoss looked first to
his older brother then to his youngest, “Nah Adam, it
tweren’t your fault. Pa would
never want that. I know you’d never
hurt Pa on purpose.”
But Little Joe was having
a much hard time dealing with his conflicting emotions.
“I can’t believe you’d shoot
“I know Joe, but at
the time I didn’t know he was our father.” Adam dropped his head into his
hands covering his face to hide his shame.
Joe glanced over at
Hoss, and then moved over to sit next to Adam.
Laying his hand on his oldest brother's shoulder he offered, “Adam,
it wasn’t your fault. Pa would understand,
and so do we.”
“I didn’t know Joe,
I swear I didn’t know.” Unable to
contain the dam of guilt any longer, Adam began to sob quietly.
Hoss joined Little Joe
in comforting their brother while they waited word of their father’s condition.
Paul Martin stepped
out into the outer room and watched as all three boys stood to greet him
and took a deep breath.
Fearfully Adam inquired,
“How is he, Paul?”
"Well, he made it through
the surgery. I think he’s got a good
chance. It’s a good thing you got
him here so quickly Adam.”
The town doctor responded, grateful that the news was promising.
“Can we see him, Doc?”
Hoss eagerly asked, needing to see his father would be alright with
his own eyes.
“Sure you can boys.”
Doc Martin replied ushering the three young men behind him towards
the hallway.
The Cartwright sons
silently entered the room, and quietly made their way to their father’s bedside.
Adam dipped a cloth into the basin of water on the nightstand,
then wiped the perspiration from his father’s face.
Little Joe sat down on the other side of the bed and took his father’s
hand in both his own. Hoss slowly stepped
up to the footboard and leaned against it to watch his father sleep.
Adam spoke soothingly
to their father, “Pa, we’re here.
Hoss, Joe and I are all here and we’ll be here when you wake up.”
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
When Ben awoke he groggily
scanned the room. He was grateful
and relieved when he saw all three of his sons sound asleep at his bedside.
Ben turned his eyes to the heavens and gave thanks that once again
his family was whole. Glancing down
he found Adam’s strong hand holding his and squeezed lightly.
Adam immediately awoke and dropped to his knees at his father’s
bedside.
Adam's voice broke as
he spoke, “Pa, I’m so sorry.”
Ben's hand weakly reached
up to touch his son’s face,
“Adam, I’m glad you're home.
Just let it go son, this wasn’t your fault.
We were all victims of this mad man.”
Now awake, Hoss and
Joe were now at the bedside. Ben smiled
when he saw his sons. “Who might I
ask is running the Ponderosa?”
The boys smiled at their
father's attempt at humor, before Joe replied in mock defense.
“
Hoss grinned; he could
always rely on his younger brother to find a way out of trouble and chimed
in, “yeah, Pa. Adam here, done sent for us and we always do what Adam tells
us to do.”
Adam rolled his eyes
and groaned, “now wait a cotton
pickin’ minute.”
Looking as innocent
as possible, Joe began to giggle mischievously.
"Well, you did Adam.”
Adam sneered as his
littlest brother before glancing back toward his very amused and grinning
father. “Never changes, does it Pa?”
“No son. I’m afraid it doesn’t.
You’ll always be the oldest I'm afraid.”
Ben chuckled at his first-born's predicament.
Adam shrugged his shoulders
in defeat, “and always the scapegoat.”
Joe began to cackle
loudly, while Hoss joined in on the good-natured joke by chuckling and giving
his older brother shoulder a slight squeeze.
“It’s sure good to have you back Adam.
Little Joe had me in all kinds of trouble while you were gone.”
Adam shook his head,
“I'm sure he did, Hoss.”
Ben gave thanks to his
Creator as he watched the playful banter of his sons.
Life was good and his family was once again complete.
The End