Summary:
Category: Bonanza
Genre: Western
Rated: PG
Word Count: 3350
Ben surveyed the tired faces in the room. They may not want to practice again but everyone had to understand their role as time was going to be critical. There’d be no room for mistakes if everything was to run smoothly.
A loud sigh from Marie interrupted Ben’s train of thought. “We’ve done this three times today, Mon Cher. Surely everyone knows what to do.”
“Yeah, Pa,” said Adam, “I ride for the doctor, Hop Sing boils the water, Hoss gets the bandages, and you help Marie upstairs. I could saddle Beauty in my sleep before we started doing all of this.”
“Ain’t we got enough bandages now?” asked Hoss. “My fingers hurt from tearin’ sheets.”
“Hop Sing burn fingers last time.” The cook held his blistered hand up for all to see. “Boil enough water to work in laundry.”
“Your roles may seem small individually but taken all together they’ll ensure that this operation goes off without a hitch.”
“This isn’t a military drill, Mon Cher — I’m having a baby.”
Ben took a deep breath and tried to calm his rising temper. Time was going to be of the essence when the baby decided to come; there wouldn’t be room for mistakes.
“Oh all right,” said an exasperated Marie, “let’s do this one more time. Perhaps I will be permitted a nap afterwards?”
A smile lit up Ben’s face and he pulled his watch from his pocket.
Adam sighed in annoyance, Hop Sing muttered under his breath, Hoss cracked his knuckles, and Marie tried to slide forward a bit in the chair so getting up would be easier.
Ben raised his free hand. “On my mark.” Everyone prepared to leap into action. The second hand of the watch ticked on the 12 and Ben said, “NOW!”
Adam, Hoss, and Hop Sing scattered in different directions — the elder Cartwright son for the door, the younger for the stairs to grab the practice sheet, and the cook for the kitchen. Ben, meanwhile, was hauling Marie to her feet.
Adam ran for the barn to saddle up Beauty. Instead of actually riding for the doctor, he’d get his horse as far as the hitching rail and return inside to await the end of the drill.
Hoss flew down the stairs with what remained of his practice sheet streaming over his shoulder as a banner.
Once Hoss was on the first floor, Ben guided Marie up the stairs at the fastest pace she could waddle, his hand pressed firmly on her back as a guide even though she gripped the railing tightly. “Can you go a little faster, Darling?”
“Why don’t you see how fast you can climb without seeing your feet while carrying a ten pound turkey under your shirt?”
Hoss snickered as he tore another strip from the sheet.
“Sorry, Darling. I just want to beat our last time.”
Hop Sing pumped water into a pot and placed it on the stove. Adding wood from the dwindling pile, he hoped that maybe, for once, the water would reach its boiling point a few seconds faster.
Out in the barn, Beauty sidestepped as Adam reached under his belly for the cinch. “Come on! Stand still!” The horse snorted and pushed the boy against the wall. After a hard shove, Adam got the horse to move and then managed to grasp the cinch. After getting Beauty out of the barn and tied to the hitching rail, Adam ran for the door so he could ring the bell on the coffee table, letting Pa know that he’d finished his assigned task.
Upstairs, Ben heard the bell and looked at his watch — Adam’s time had improved 15 seconds.
Downstairs, Hoss was gathering up the strips of cloth and then winding them into fairly neat wads. He dumped them into a bowl and ran up the stairs.
“Your task isn’t completed until you’ve rung the bell.”
Hoss thundered back down the stairs, rang the bell as ordered, and raced back up, shouting, “Ah’m done!”
“There’s no need to shout,” yelled Ben as his youngest reached the second floor.
Hop Sing danced impatiently in front of the stove, willing the water to reach a boil faster. He’d cheated earlier by adding water from the previous run to make the water hot. His employer had not approved although Adam thought it clever.
Bootsteps echoed from the big room as Hoss came running into the kitchen. “Pa wants ta know when the water’ll be ready.”
“Water ready when boil.”
“But when?”
“When decide to boil.”
Hoss left the kitchen, yelling, “It ain’t done yet.”
“Don’t shout, son,” Ben yelled from the second floor.
Marie lay on the bed, her hands flat against either side of her belly. She took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. A foot massage would be welcome if her husband could be distracted. As she counted the knots in the ceiling, she wondered if Ben had been this demanding before the births of his other two sons and if those wives had put up with it. From what she’d heard of Inger, she couldn’t imagine the strong Swede letting Ben mother-hen her, especially in the middle of a wagon train journey. Maybe Elizabeth and her father, the sea captain, ordered Ben around during her pregnancy. Perhaps her husband now felt he finally had the chance to be the one in charge since he was the ruler of the Ponderosa Empire. No matter, she’d use this opportunity to get in a much-needed nap while they waited on the water to boil.
A light touch on her cheek startled her. “Are you all right, Darling?”
“Hmmmm?”
“Darling? Is it time?”
“What? Oh, I was just resting. Besides, I don’t think the baby will arrive for several more weeks.”
The bell was ringing downstairs. “Water boil! Hop Sing cook chicken soup.”
“Now that the drill is finished, may I take a nap, Mon Capitaine?”
Ben gently kissed her forehead and said, “Of course. Just let us know if the baby decides to come.”
She smiled as he stood to leave the room and then blew him a kiss when he stopped in the doorway for a last look before going downstairs. Hearing his boots on the stairs, she rolled her eyes, sighed, and settled into the pillows.
*****
Adam rubbed Beauty down after a long ride back from check the calving in the east pasture. Pa was away on a business trip, leaving Adam and the Ponderosa foreman, Bill Palmer, in charge. Bill was working with the hands but the elder Cartwright son believed his father would have checked up on the stock and the men.
Beauty snorted and stamped a hoof, impatient for the brushing to end. “I’m almost done, boy,” Adam told the horse with a pat to its neck.
The afternoon quiet was pierced by Hoss’s yell. “Aaaaadaaaaam!”
Setting down the currycomb, Adam ran for the house. He hadn’t anticipated 60 pounds of younger brother running towards him; the two collided, landing in the dusty yard in a tangle of arms and legs.
Adam groaned as he sat up and shook his head to clear the ringing in his ears. “What’s wrong? Did you cut yourself again?”
Hoss rubbed his bruised elbow and said, “It’s Mama. The baby’s comin’.”
“Are you sure? Did she say that?”
“She told me ta come git ya.”
“But did she say the baby was coming?”
Hoss thought something must be wrong with Adam’s hearing. “She was holdin’ her stomach when she told me ta come git ya.”
Adam pulled Hoss up and said, “We’d best go check on her.”
“What about Pa’s plans? Ah ain’t got the bandages ready.”
“Let’s check on Marie first.”
The boys ran for the house and flew up the stairs as if the hounds of Hades were pursuing them. Reaching the second floor, they heard low moaning coming from their parents’ room. Peering around the doorframe, they saw their mother sitting on the bed, holding her belly, and making faces as she groaned.
“Are you okay?” Adam asked nervously.
“Go . . . get . . . the . . . doctor. It’s . . . time.”
Hoss ran out of the room and down the stairs. Adam could hear his younger brother hollering for boiling water. It was then that Adam remembered that Hop Sing was still out with the hands; the cook had been there all day, keeping the coffee hot and the stew on the fire.
Adam patted Marie’s shoulder and said, “Don’t worry. It’ll be okay.” He hoped he was giving her a smile. It felt as if he was smiling. Hopefully it was a smile that would give her some confidence in his ability to take charge of the situation. Her only response was a nod and another groan.
The boy stopped on the stairs at the sight of his younger brother running around the big room in a panic. He quickly descended and grabbed Hoss by the arm, pulling the boy off balance; Hoss hit the ground with a resounding thud.
Adam shook his younger brother by the shoulders to get his attention. “Hoss! Listen to me!” Still seeing panic in the boy’s eyes, Adam gave his sibling a light slap on the cheek.
“Hey! I’m tellin’!”
“The baby’s coming and we gotta help Marie. You go boil some water and I’ll go get the doctor.”
“What about the bandages?”
“Get the water on and we’ll worry about the bandages later.”
“Before the baby comes?”
A loud groan from upstairs reminded the boys that they needed to put the plan into action.
“We won’t need the boiling water after the baby comes. Now move.”
“What are you gonna do?”
“I’ve gotta ride for the doctor. Now go get the water boiling.”
Hoss started for the kitchen, wondering how long it would take for the water to get ready. A sudden thought struck him. “Don’t ferget to ring the bell after ya git Beauty ready.”
Adam stopped in his tracks and shot his brother a look of disbelief. “I’m riding for town as soon as I can. There won’t be time to ring the bell.”
“How are we gonna know that ya got him saddled?”
“Listen for hoofbeats,” Adam shouted over his shoulder as he closed the front door.
Hoss rummaged through the pots and pans, looking for one big enough to hold lots of boiling water. He finally chose one and primed the pump to fill it. As he worked the pump handle, he listened for Adam.
Out in the barn, Beauty wasn’t pleased with the prospect of being saddled again. The horse sidestepped as Adam adjusted the saddle blanket. “Stay still!” the boy ordered. Beauty shook his head and snorted as the saddle was placed on his back; Adam grumbled under his breath as he tightened the cinch.
Adam was about to mount up and ride for town when he thought of his panicked younger brother. He tied his horse to the rail and ran through the kitchen door to let him know that his part of the plan was being put into action. A shouted warning came too late as he skidded across the kitchen floor on a puddle of water. Adam flailed his arms in hopes of regaining his balance but his momentum propelled him headfirst into the wall; he dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes.
Hoss stood, mouth agape, staring at his bleeding older brother. “Adam?” he asked quietly. There was no answer. Panic again welled in Hoss’s chest and he took off for his mother’s bedroom.
Marie moaned as her labor pains grew stronger. She hoped that Adam would be bringing the doctor soon.
“Mama?” a quiet voice asked.
She saw a very pale, large-eyed little boy in the doorway. “What’s . . . wrong?”
“Are you dyin’?”
“I . . . hope . . . not,” she got out between clenched teeth.
Hoss remained standing the doorway. She wondered if he was supposed to be doing something.
“Adam ain’t goin’ fer the doctor.”
Another wave of pain washed over her as she felt the need to push. “Why . . . not?”
“He’s hurt.”
Before she could ask how he’d been hurt, a strong contraction drew her attention back to the coming baby. She panted through it and fell against the pillows, exhausted. Marie stretched a hand towards Hoss and said, “Help . . . me.”
*****
Dr. Martin steered his buggy up the Ponderosa road, whistling a cheery tune. He was on his way back to Virginia City after setting a man’s leg at a neighboring ranch when he thought a cup of Hop Sing’s coffee sure would hit the spot. As he rounded the barn, he saw Adam’s horse tied at the rail, stamping impatiently.
The doctor exited his buggy and noted that Beauty wasn’t lathered as if he’d been ridden. He knew the newest Cartwright would be arriving in the world soon and thought that the horse was saddled and ready just in case. With a shrug of his shoulders, he crossed the distance to the front door and knocked. There was no answer.
He removed his hat and wiped the band while he wondered if he should let himself in. A sudden piercing cry made up his mind. The doctor tossed his hat on the ground, flung the door open, and raced up the stairs.
Marie was reclining against the pillows, her blond hair hanging limply around her shoulders. Hoss sat next to her, looking a combination of sick and proud. A loud cry shattered the brief moment of silence.
“Ain’t he puny?” asked Hoss.
Dr. Martin reached for the baby, hoping Marie was doing better than she looked. She smiled warmly and pulled back the crocheted blanket so the doctor could examine her newborn son. Hoss beamed with pride as the doctor said, “He’s a fine boy.”
“Ah helped,” Hoss finally said.
“And you did a good job,” Paul answered. He noticed the blood staining the boy’s hands and realized Marie would probably like to have some time alone with her baby. “Let’s go downstairs so your mother can rest.”
As the two descended the stairs, Paul asked, “Where’s your brother?” Hoss gasped and ran for the kitchen.
The doctor, following behind, saw Adam sprawled on the wet floor, a gash in his forehead, and an impressive bruise giving the boy quite a shiner. He knelt down and checked the boy’s eyes — they looked normal. Paul retrieved a cloth from Hop Sing’s work table and dampened it on the floor before gently wiping the dried blood off of Adam’s face.
“The water!” Hoss yelled. He’d completely forgotten about the boiling water. Pa had said that the water had to be ready before the baby was born. His face scrunched up as he wondered how the baby managed to get born without it.
“Let’s leave the water alone,” Paul suggested to the younger Cartwright.
“Yessir.”
Paul began cleaning Hoss’s hands with the damp cloth. “Your mother and new brother are doing well. You did a good job.” The boy beamed with pleasure at the doctor’s praise.
A groan from the floor got their attention. “Let’s get your brother comfortable on the settee.”
Paul supported Adam under the shoulders to keep the boy’s head steady while Hoss took the other end. After getting him situated, Paul snapped his fingers and said, “The bandages are in my buggy.”
Hoss dashed upstairs and quickly returned with the bowl of bandages. During the crisis, he’d forgotten that they were sitting on the bureau in his room. Good thing they hadn’t needed them for the baby.
The doctor was winding a strip of sheet around Adam’s head when Ben burst in through the front door. “Where. . . when . . . how’s Marie?”
“She’s doing just fine,” answered Paul as he tucked the end of the strip into the bandage.
“What happened to Adam?”
“He slipped,” answered Hoss.
Before Ben could ask for the rest of the story, a loud cry echoed through the house. He looked at the ceiling, down at his eldest, and then swiftly took the stairs two at a time.
A content Marie was cooing over her son when Ben entered their room. She looked up, beaming, and pulled the blanket back to show her husband their bundle of joy.
Ben plopped down on the edge of the bed, relieved that his wife and child were in good health. “Good thing Paul was able to make it,” he said.
A tiny look of confusion crossed Marie’s face and she replied, “He didn’t deliver our son.”
“Then it must’ve been Adam.” Ben looked towards the hallway, remembering that his eldest was out cold on the settee. He chuckled as he asked, “Did he pass out during the birth?”
Marie shook her head. “It wasn’t Adam, either.”
“You mean . . . you were all alone? Where were those boys? When did Paul get here?”
Before her husband could ask any more questions or raise his voice, Marie said, “Hoss helped me.”
Ben laughed and said, “You’re pulling my leg. Did Hop Sing help?”
“Non, Mon Cher. I told you, it was Hoss.”
“But he’s only a little boy.”
“He was the only help I had. Adam hurt himself in the kitchen before he could go for the doctor.” She gently rocked the baby in her arms and cooed at him.
“How did Paul know to come if no one told him?”
“He happened to be riding by and stopped for a cup of coffee.”
“So, Hoss helped until Paul arrived?”
Marie took a deep breath and reminded herself to remain patient. “Non. Our son arrived before the doctor.”
Ben shook his head in disbelief. “How did Hoss know what to do?”
“I told him that it was the same as delivering a calf. It was easy after that.”
Ben’s mouth gaped open in astonishment. His wife was not a cow! Delivering a baby wasn’t anything like delivering a calf. Was it?
Marie gently handed the baby over to her husband and smiled as he cooed and spoke in a high-pitched voice. “Are you pleased with your son, Mon Capitaine?”
Startled, Ben looked up to see a smile playing on his wife’s lips. “Pleased as punch, Darling.” He leaned forward and gently kissed her.
Footsteps got their attention and they looked to the door to see Adam being supported by Paul. Ben thought Adam appeared a bit cross-eyed as he swayed a bit in the doctor’s grasp.
“Congratulations,” Adam said.
“Thank you, mon fils,” answered Marie.
“Come on, son. . . let’s get you to bed,” said Paul as he steered his patient down the hall.
Hoss remained in the doorway, looking at his parents and baby brother. He scrunched up his face in thought and then asked, “Whatcha gonna name him?”
“Joseph,” answered Ben.
“Francois,” replied Marie at the same time.
The two adults looked at each other in surprise.
“I’m gonna call him Shortshanks ‘cause his legs are smaller than a calf’s,” said Hoss. The boy then wandered down to Adam’s room to see if he could help the doctor.
“We should name our son Joseph, for my father,” said Ben.
“We should name our son, Francois, for mon pére,” answered Marie. She added a tiny pout in hopes of winning her case.
“Why not use both names?” asked Paul as he made one last check on Marie before leaving.
Hearing the front door close, Ben was about to plead his case for their son’s name when the baby began to squall. Marie reached for her son.
“The doctor’s suggestion has some merit,” said Ben.
“Oui. Francois Joseph.”
“Joseph Francis Cartwright has a certain . . . ring to it.”
Down the hall, Hoss was telling his older brother all about delivering the baby. The answering snores didn’t diminish the boy’s enthusiasm one bit. Hoss’s chest puffed out a bit as he said, “It’s a good thing Pa made us practice so much ‘cause Ah knew exactly what ta do.”
***The End***
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