New Acquaintances

"Dad, I'm afraid of deep water." Sara whimpered. The water of the pond was just reaching her ribs. Black Knight was standing at the edge of the water barking wildly, anxious because he was feeling his mistress' fear.

"Come Sara. I promised to teach you how to swim, didn't I? And for that you have to come into deeper water." Adam coaxed extending his arms towards her. Sara took another step towards her father then stopped again.

"If you don't come now, I won't teach you how to shoot when you're fourteen." Adam threatened grinning.

"I don't need to know how to swim ta learn to shoot." Sara pouted.

Adam sighed, taking some quick strides towards Sara he picked her up by the waist, making the decision for her.

"Lemme go! I changed my mind. I'll learn to swim when I'm older." Sara protested as Adam carried her further into the pond.

"Oh, no you don't sweetie."

Sara splashed water at him, trying to get him to set her down. Adam simply continued on his way deeper into the water until it reached his shoulders.

"Lemme go!" She hollered, yet clung tightly to him, wrapping her legs around his stomach and her arms around his neck.

"Shhhh, calm down. I have you." Adam soothed the anxious child rubbing her back. Gently he released himself out of his vice-like grip. "Now stay calm and make the movements we trained." He supported her stomach with one hand and tipped her so she was horizontal in the water. Immediately she tried to swim with hectic movements towards the land and he had to put another hand under her so she wouldn't be able to wriggle out of his grip.

"Calm down Sara. I'm holding you. I won't let you swim of alone. Now, move nice and slow. Yes, exactly, good girl." He praised as she slowed her flailing. After another ten minutes he felt her starting to get more confident in the water.

"Now, I'm going to take my hands away Sara, but…."

"NO! DON'T DADDY!" She shrieked immediately clinging to him.

"You sure are anxious." Adam chuckled. Remembering how he had taught Little Joe to swim. The boy had been very fearful too, but after the swimming lessons it had taken him more patience and strength to get him out of the water again. However he hadn't been close as scared as Sara.

"Now, I'm right here. My hands will be right under you, you just have to continue the movements and you won't sink down, I promise." He soothed prying Sara of his side. Several minutes later the little girl was paddling around in the small pond, with her head out of the water, but afloat and enjoying the new challenge immensely. Adam always stayed close at her side laughing with pride.

"Really good, but now we better get home, before it's getting cold."

"No, I wanna swim a bit longer; I'm getting real good at it." She protested.

"You are, but we can get more practice another time. We need to get going. " Adam stated, picked her up and hoisted her over his shoulder.

"Awww, come on dad." She kicked her legs and tried to push herself off. All of sudden Adam lost his grip around her and Sara slipped, much to her surprise, head first into the water. Adam immediately spun around and picked her floundering form up again.

"Why did ya let go off me?" Sara managed to get out between her coughing and trying to rub the water out of her eyes.

"You were squirming like a little snake." Adam accused while patting her back.

"I jist did that because I always do it, when ya pick me up. You should have gotten used to it by now daddy." She complained giving him a distinct glare.

"You're blaming me for falling into the water? I can't hold onto wet slippery squirming snakes." He laughed.

Sara nodded and snuggled closer to her father. The dive hadn't been very pleasant. She definitely didn't want to experience it again. Still chuckling he rubbed her back and climbed out of the water. Black Knight jumped up at him nearly pushing him back into the water in his eagerness to greet him. The dog winced of the sudden pain in his side. "Whoa, buddy, nice to see you too. You're a good watch dog." He said patting the dog to appease him.

Adam put Sara down in front of her Black Knight and went to fetch the towels before the animal licked her to death.

In the Sierra Mountains above the lake

Rhys steadied himself heavily on his rifle and looked down on the horse. It was whinnying pitifully. One leg was extended in a strange angle. He felt sick of what he was about to do and knelt down next to the horse's head.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered, put the gun against the horse's forehead and pulled the trigger. He got back up on his legs and looked around. He wouldn't be able to walk far. His left leg was hurting again. The wound, caused by a bayonet being stabbed in his leg, had left his muscles torn and weak. His leg hurt when he consistently put too much weight on it.

With his remaining eye Rhys looked up to the sky, on which slowly the stars started to appear. "If you've let me survive the war to die here in the mountains God, then you really got some strange sense of humor." He muttered and started his way down. His memories drifted back to his past, bringing up unwelcomed images. He reached for the bottle of whiskey which was hidden inside his haggled uniform and took a large gulp. The burn of the liquid effectively chased away the pictures in his head. He put the cork back on and stuffed the bottle once again inside his clothes. He stopped once again and tied the riffle to his back. Then he took the saber dangling uncomfortably at his side in one hand and used it as a walking stick continuing his way down, wincing once and awhile from the pain in his leg.

Back at the pond

Adam had just finished wrapping Sara in a towel when they heard the gunshot. Both child and dog jumped at the sudden bang and Adam spun his head in the direction of the noise. However he wasn't worried, from the echo he ascertained that the gunshot had come from far away.

"Dad, I wanna go home." Sara whispered, suddenly uncomfortable as she tugged on the leg of his trousers.

"I think that's the best Sara. Hope Sing will have finished the dinner soon, and we don't want to miss that, do we." Adam grinned. He quickly helped the child back into her clothes and legged her up on Moci's back. Then he mounted Sport and urged him into a quick canter. Moci followed him automatically, always eager to be heading home and wanting to keep up appearances with Adam's horse, Sport.

"Dad, who do ya reckon could have shot that gun?" Sara asked trying to sit straight and not bump up and down like a bag of potatoes on Moci's back.

"Nope, not the slightest, but whoever it is, he's pretty far away from the road. Maybe he's just lost, sounds like he is up at the foothills or the mountains and not even on our lands, so you don't have to be afraid."

"Okay." Sara gave Moci a light kick, so she caught up with her father. Black Knight was jogging next to them. It had been four weeks since he had gotten shot, and the dog was feeling much better, but still felt the wound if he got too active.

The minutes until they reached the house passed quickly, but in silence. Sara was tired and Adam was worried about the shot they had heard. There weren't many people who would go up into the mountains at dusk, so he was pretty sure it wasn't a hunter or one of the locals.

They rode into the barn and Sara dived from Moci's back into the haystack, then turned around on her back and let out a huge yawn. Stretching herself she mumbled, "I'm tired daddy." In a tone that somehow sounded like a plea and in the hope that her father would carry her into the house and into bed.

"Oh no Sweetie, you won't go into bed yet. First you take care of Moci." He stated grinning seeing through her little plan in no time.

"But dad, I'll do it tomorrow." She begged.

"Would you like it to go into bed covered in sweat, dust and dirt?" Adam asked.

Sara shrugged and replied, "Wouldn't mind, but I bet you would."

He laughed, picked her up and placed a kiss on her forehead. "You're right, and I think Moci and Sport would too, so get on working, it won't take long." He ordered gently and sat her down on her feet again.

He was right. Fifteen minutes later a very drowsy Sara was carried out of the barn by her father, who tried to keep her awake until after supper. Undressing then redressing a sleeping child was a difficult task and she still needed to eat dinner. Sara had put on some weight since she had come to the Cartwrights, but in Adam's opinion she was still awfully thin, though Ben said he exaggerated and if he continued to feed her like he did now, they would have a female Hoss in the family in no time.

Adam took her over to the dinner table and sat her down on the chair.

"Daddy, 'm tired. Not hungry." Sara protested and lay her head down on the table.

"It's only half past seven Sara." Adam said grinning. "Usually you protest when I want to put you into bed at this hour."

"I had a really busy day, daddy." Sara playfully stuck her tongue out at him giving him a very tired and cheeky grin.

"But you're still awake enough to be cheeky aren't you?" Adam teased and tickled her sides. Giggling Sara tried to slap his hands away. "Awake enough for some dinner?" He asked increasing his tickle attack causing her to squeal with laughter.

Adam stopped and ruffled her hair.

"I'm awake now, daddy. Stop!" She slapped his hand away and sat straighter in the chair.

A few seconds later the rest of the family joined them at the dinner table and Hop Sing served the meal.

Sara didn't eat much and yawned continuously during the whole dinner. Before they were finished Sara's head dropped down and she nearly fell face first in her dinner plate. Adam quickly dragged the plate away with one hand before she could dip her face in the gravy and caught her head with the other.

"I think a little lady needs to get some sleep." Adam chuckled, rounded the table and scooped the little child up in his arms. It seemed that he would have to fulfill the task of undressing a sleeping child after all. Once up in Sara's room he quickly stripped the pants and shirt of her, secretly glad that she had been able to convince him not to wear a dress today. Then slipped the nightgown over her head and tucked her into bed.

"Sleep tight Sweetheart." He whispered fondly and placed a kiss on the top of her head. Sara however didn't hear the words. She was already deep in her dreams.

Somewhere on the Ponderosa Land late in the night

Groaning Rhys pressed his hand against his leg. The wound had opened again. It had done that continuously since he had been impaled with the bayonet. The whole leg of his trousers was now soaked in fresh blood. It was no use to resting here, he had to continue on and find shelter. Steadying himself on his saber he limped on. Suddenly he spotted a light between the trees. A house! He hesitated… Should he go? In this uniform they would surely recognize him as an enemy. He hadn't had any time to steal clean and civilian clothes yet.

Rhys limped towards it steadying himself heavily on the weapon. He wouldn't survive much longer if he stayed in the wilderness. A he would never reach San Francisco if he didn't get this wound seen to or at least rest, giving it enough time to close and heal. With each step he felt the throbbing pain of the laceration and ripped muscle.

"Go on Rhys Heavens. You didn't survive this war to die hundred feet in front of a house." He encouraged himself and continued his way towards the light.

Half an hour later he reached the house. First he thought of just sleeping in the barn, but he needed help. The wound definitely needed to be stitched and he couldn't do that by himself. He heard soft voices from the inside and laughter. It was a pity that he would disturb such a family evening, but he had no choice. Raising his hand Rhys knocked on the door.

The voices became silent immediately. He heard footsteps coming closer to the door and closed his eyes feeling dizzy with the blood loss. The door opened and he looked at a tall man with black hair and a stern face. "Please." He whispered, "I need….." Rhys didn't get any further. Everything went black and he tipped forward.

Adam caught the man and the saber fell to the ground with a metallic sound. He had never seen a man more scarred. The whole left part of the man's face was a mess and his left eye seemed to be gone. He had tied a piece of fabric around his head so the eye was covered.

"Adam!" Ben called as he ran to the door.

"Help me to get him in. He's wounded. Hoss, go to town and get Doctor Martin here." Adam ordered while trying to get a better hold of the man.

Hoss had been waiting silently by the big fire, his rifle inconspicuously at his side in case the late night visitor was a danger. "Okay. I'll go an' get him."

Ben took hold of the unconscious man's legs. Together they heaved him up on the sofa. The man groaned and stirred, but didn't wake.

"I'll go and get some blankets. We need to put pressure on that wound and check his eye, Pa."

"Okay, son." Ben gently took the piece of fabric away. He shuddered at the sight. The left side of the man's face was burned. His left eye was completely gone and a part of his left ear was gone too and so was the corner of his mouth. The beard he had grown was only on his right side. If he hadn't been this scarred he would have looked ridiculous.

Ben knew how that had happened. He had already seen a man similar scarred once before; a gun exploding in the shooters own face, a backfire when one was aiming at something.

Sara's POV

I woke up from the noises downstairs. Yawning, I stretched myself and looked around. It was still dark outside and I was still tired.

"Get more water! We need to wash this out!" I heard someone order. It took me a few minutes to figure out who it was. Then it struck me. It was Doctor Martin. He would only come here if someone was hurt. I jumped to my feet and ran out of my room.

"DAD! DAAAAD!" I yelled on the top of my lungs afraid that he might gotten sick or something, or if someone else had gotten sick or hurt.

Sprinting towards the stairs I spotted dad coming up the stairs. His sleeves seemed to be soaked in something. Then I saw it. It was blood. Before I could scream he had already picked me up and carried me back into my room. For being hurt he was really strong. Maybe it wasn't that bad after all.

"Daddy put me down. You're hurt and I don't want ya ta carry me." I protested, but kept still in his arms not wanting to hurt him if he was injured.

"I'm not hurt, little one and neither one of the family." He quickly added as he saw me open my mouth. "I need you to stay in your room now and get some sleep. You have to go to school tomorrow."

"But daddy, you're clothes….." I stopped and jist pointed towards his sleeves.

"A man came injured to our house and needs help. Doctor Martin is helping him now." He said tucking me back into my bed.

"Huh, who? I wanna see." I objected and tried to stand up again.

"Oh no, I don't want you to see. He is badly injured and Doc martin doesn't need you underfoot. You may be introduced to him tomorrow if he is well enough." He stated sternly and went out of my room again, carefully closing the door behind him. As soon dad was outside I was out of my bed. Crouching down in front of the door, I peered through the keyhole just in case he was still outside. He wasn't.

Carefully I opened the door and tiptoed out of my room. Again I looked around for dad, but didn't see him. Slowly I headed over to the stairs as suddenly a heavy hand fell on my shoulder and another one connected with my rear. Startled I let out a squeak before being hauled back into my room, by an angry Dad.

"Daddy….. ow, OW!" I yelped as his hand connected with my backside twice again.

"Sara, didn't I just tell you to stay in bed!" He scolded and sat down on the edge settling me on his lap. He was wearing a clean shirt now.

"But I jist wanted to take a quick look, daddy." I whispered.

"Sara listen!" He put two fingers under my chin forcing me to look up at him. "The man's injuries are very nasty. Plus he has some very nasty scares, and will look a little scary at first. Doctor Martin needs to tend to him. I don't want you starring at him; it's not nice to stare at people who have had an accident. There are many people who do that. They just stand there looking and not helping and that's really, really wrong."

"I'm sorry, but…. but, I did want to help too." I replied somewhat ashamed.

A smile crossed his face as he heard my sincere apology. "I know you would want to help him Sweetheart, but he needs a real doctor." He paused and rubbed my back and arm. I snuggled closer to him and rested my head against his chest listening to his steady heartbeat.

"Daddy, can we say a prayer for him? I can help him that way can't I?" I proposed and looked up at him.

"That's a really good idea, Sweetheart."

I closed my eyes and folded my hands like dad had taught me. "Dear God, ifin you can hear me, please let the man whose hurt get well again. Daddy said I can't help him, cuz I'm too small and ain't a real doctor. I jist want to help too. So please let him get well again. Amen." I opened my eyes again and looked up at dad again. "Was that good?"

"That was just perfect." Dad praised, "Now back to bed." He tucked me in then got up and closed the door.

However I couldn't help but sit up and look to the door when I heard a loud yell of pain come from down stairs.

My door opened again and dad came back over shaking his finger at me. "I know you are curious, but stay in bed Sara, or you will find yourself with a few more swats to your backside."

I quickly lay down again and automatically rubbed the last of the sting from my already sore rear. I had no wish to re-ignite that. But, it was hard not to think of the poor man downstairs.

Dad came over and tucked me in once again as I rolled onto my side. He rubbed my back and started to hum a soft lullaby. There were no more sounds in my room, but the soft rich safe voice of my daddy's song. My eyelids became heavier and heavier and despite my efforts I slowly fell asleep.

End of Sara's POV

Adam tucked Sara carefully back into bed and stroked a few strands of her hair out of her face.

"Sleep tight Sara." He whispered fondly. Despite her cheeky curiosity and the fact that she had disobeyed him he was really proud of the little child. She had shown true care for the man and he hoped that her little prayer would help the stranger to get well soon again.

So here's the first chapter of my new story. I hope you liked it.

I want to thank Gaben who beta-read this chapter for me. THANKS!

As always reviews are appreciated and constructive criticism even more.