A
Blazing Fire
Adam
stared in disbelief at the flames shooting from the windows of his home.
Wondering where the rest of his family was, he dismounted and hurriedly
tethered his horse in the barn -- hopefully out of harm’s way. Fear
gripped him as he realized his father’s and brothers’ horses were in their
stalls, which could only mean that his family must be inside the house.
But,
where was everyone else? Where were the hands? Why was there nobody working to
put out the blazing fire?
At
the moment, he didn’t have the time to spare trying to figure out any of
these things -- he needed to get to his family. With that, he took a
deep breath and dashed into the house.
“Pa!”
he shouted, spotting his father hunched over his desktop. “Come on, Pa!” He grabbed
him by the shoulders and maneuvered him around.
Ben
Cartwright blinked his eyes in confusion as he looked into his oldest
son’s face. Adam pulled his father’s right arm across his shoulders and hefted
him up out of his chair. “Come on Pa!” he shouted. “We have to get out of
here!”
Once
he’d gotten his father a safe distance away from the house he heard a familiar
voice that sent a momentary wave of relief through him. At least one of them
was safe and unharmed.
"Mr.
Adam?" Hop Sing kneeled beside them and began looking Ben over
carefully. “He strong. He will be okay. You see.”
Adam
nodded quickly then rushed back into the house, fighting back the flames with
his leather coat. “Hoss! Joe!” he shouted for his brothers, then spotted Hoss
stumbling, apparently trying to make his way up the stairs. He ran to his
brother and grabbed his arm. “Come on buddy, we have to get out of here!”
Holding
tightly to the railing, Hoss tried to shake him off. But, Adam refused to
let go and finally, somehow he managed to pull his much larger brother away
from the staircase and out the door.
Hoss’s
cheeks was tinged red; he was sweating profusely and the hair around his
face appeared singed. “Adam…you okay?” he croaked, his voice raspy
from inhaling too much smoke.
“Don’t
you worry about me, brother, I’ll be fine,” Adam promised.
“Adam,
son,” his father spoke in a harsh, whispered voice. “How do you feel?”
"I'm
fine, Pa," he answered as he settled Hoss beside their father. He couldn't
help noticing the way their pa was looking around the yard
nervously. Adam knew he was looking for the one member of their family who was
still unaccounted for, so before his pa could ask the question, Adam patted him
on the shoulder and stood. “Don’t worry, Pa, I’ll find him.”
“Come
back to us, son,” His father called out softly, his brow creased with worry.
Adam
nodded that he would and hurried toward the house, praying that he could keep
his word and find his youngest brother. With a deep breath, he steeled himself
again, then ducked low and ran straight through the fire now engulfing the
entryway. The temperature inside was sweltering; the heat seared his
skin. Flames crackled, licking the ceiling. Chunks of debris crashed to the
floor and what had once been light stucco walls were charred beyond
recognition.
“Joe!”
he shouted, trying to make his voice audible over the roaring of the fire.
“Little Joe!” Adam was nearing a state of panic when he suddenly remembered
finding Hoss at the stairway. Joe must be upstairs.
The
air was so thick with smoke that he could hardly see the staircase.
Fear made his stomach twist up in a knot, but he pushed the
fear down, forcing himself to focus on one thing and one thing only:
finding Joe. Grabbing the Indian blanket that hung over the railing, he tried
to protect his body as he clambered up the stairs. He went straight to his
little brother’s room, and kicked open the door. “Thank God,” he whispered in
silent prayer when he found the boy lying on the floor near the window.
The room was filled with smoke, which was now pouring in even more rapidly
since he’d opened the door. “Joe!” he turned the boy over and tapped his cheek.
“Come on, little buddy. Wake up.”
Adam
opened the window and looked outside, figuring this would be their only escape.
He picked his small brother up, and levered him across his shoulders then
carefully stepped out onto the roof. He could feel the heat rising up and
prayed that the roof wouldn’t give way beneath them.
When
he managed to make his way to the edge, he saw his father and brother waiting
below.
Adam
lowered his brother as close to them as he could and let him drop to
safety. Then, he turned around so he was lying on his stomach and inched his
way backwards over the side, until he was dangling from the edge; then he let
himself drop, landing on his rear.
It
was Hoss’s turn to aid his brother and he half carried Adam across the yard to
where Ben was cradling Joe who was now coughing violently.
“How’s
he doing, Pa?” he heard himself ask in a voice that sounded oddly unattached.
“I
think he’s gonna be fine now,” Ben said with a smile, his deep brown eyes
filled with gratitude.
Lying
down on his back, Adam closed his eyes and exhaled, letting sheer relief wash
over him. His family was safe and that was all that mattered. He felt something
cool on his forehead, but he was too tired to question it. A moment later he
gave into the overwhelming feeling of exhaustion and slipped into a deep,
dreamless slumber.
* *
*
Joe
quietly entered his oldest brother’s room and sat down on the edge of his bed.
“How’s he doin’, Pa?”
“I
think he’s gonna be fine now.” Ben patted his youngest son on the knee. “His
fever’s finally broke.”
Joe
smiled, his expression showing relief. “He sure had me scared for awhile
there.”
“Yeah, me
too,” Ben admitted, placing another cool cloth on Adam’s forehead. “But, he’s
resting peacefully now. I think it’s safe to say he’s taken a turn for the
better.”