Len stood frozen and listened closely to the sound that had alerted him that he was no longer alone in the room. The same sound was heard again and Len looked at the bed suspiciously. He realized how stupid he had been. They were hiding under the bed and he hadn't even checked under there. 'Like two little girlies.' he thought. He walked slowly over to the bed and circled around to the opposite side of the bed. He knelt down and aimed his gun under the bed. Two sets of eyes looked his way and his malicious smile caused those eyes to reflect fear. Len reached under and grabbed Joe. He dragged him out from under the bed, causing him to cry out; the movement sending pain through his body.

Joe was at the end of his tether. He didn't have the strength to suppress his outcries. Everything protested, as his body shook violently and he coughed until he found himself throwing up. He almost choked as Len prevented him from turning on his side, Len's knee pushing down on his chest making the spasms more painful. At that very moment Joe wished he was dead, but because his father was lying only a few feet from him made the thought disappear as quickly as it came. He drew strength from his father's presence and brought his knee up and used it to push Len off him.

Joe had caught Len by surprise with his movement and he lost his balance for a few seconds. That was all Joe needed and he then brought both legs up and kicked Len in the chest forcing him away from him. Joe's side was consumed with so much pain that it had a numbing effect on him. It couldn't hurt any more than it was at that very moment so he continued to fight with all his might. His guttural instinct was to protect his father.

Len dropped the gun as Joe pushed him backwards with both his feet. The youngest Cartwright had caught him off balance and he cursed him for being so resilient. The power of superiority and size no longer reduced the boy to a cowering adversary. He searched the floor for the gun but was unable to find it. He jumped to his feet and stepped back away from Joe to regain his composure. He quickly stepped out of the path of Joe's wildly swinging legs. He scanned the floor for the gun.

"Hold it!" Hoss stood in the doorway pointing his gun at a man he had regarded as a mentor and friend.

Len looked at Hoss and realised he had made a huge error. He had forgotten about the middle Cartwright and had given him time to sneak up on him. He continued to look down trying to locate his gun. He finally caught a glimpse of it to his right and stepped towards it. "Hoss...you couldn't shoot me...it's me Len your friend...After everything I did for you...How could you shoot me?" Len made his way towards the gun as he spoke, drawing Hoss's attention away from his movements. Hoss was shaking his head. Len saw in Hoss's eyes disgust and anger. "Don't tell me you care about this sorry piece of..."

"Don't say it Len. That's my little brother you're talking about and he's got more courage and integrity than you'll ever have. I oughta break your neck!" Hoss was trying to control his anger to keep his composure. His priority was to get Len away from his brother. "Move out...out of this room!" Hoss ordered. He would take care of this man away from his family's eyes.

Len was standing next to the gun. He just needed to bend down and pick it up. "Hoss, aren't you going to check on your brother first? He's bleeding pretty badly."

Hoss looked away for the second and that was all Len needed. Joe had been listening and watching Len's movement. It wasn't until the last moment that he saw the gun next to Len's foot. As Len knelt down to pick up the gun Joe yelled "Look out!" Shots were fired.

Silence engulfed the room and it was as if time stood still for a few seconds. Sunlight from the window streamed through the drifting gun smoke. The only sound breaking the surreal atmosphere was someone trying to draw in breaths.

Ben listened and watched in horror as the guns were fired not knowing if one of his sons were shot. He pushed his body towards his youngest son. When he emerged from under the bed he saw the dead eyes of Len looking back at him across his son's prone body. Running footsteps could be heard and Ben looked towards the doorway and saw his eldest son cautiously entering the room with gun drawn.

Adam entered his father's room and was horrified to see the carnage. Hoss stood frozen to the spot staring. Adam followed his line of vision and gasped. "Hoss...go get the doctor!" Adam yelled as he ran to his little brother's side. Joe was choking and his upper body was covered in blood. Ben was leaning over him pressing down on a wound. Adam turned Joe onto his side and ran to the other side of the bed. He grabbed towels to cover the wound. Hoss was still standing frozen. Adam grabbed his arms and shook him. "Hoss! Joe needs a doctor!" Adam let go of his brother as he came out of his stupor.

Hoss blinked and realized Adam was yelling at him. "It's my fault...I wasn't fast enough!" Hoss told his brother.

"He needs you to get the doctor Hoss...Go!" Adam tried to make his brother understand the urgency of his task. Hoss nodded and left the room. Adam sighed with relief that his brother finally understood him. He ran to his younger brother's side and knelt down. "Here Pa...Use this." Adam handed his father a towel. Joe was bleeding from two wounds. His side had opened up and he had a bullet wound in his shoulder.

"Check on Hop Sing Adam!" Ben instructed his son.

Adam reluctantly left the room and went to the kitchen. He found Hop Sing lying on the floor. He quickly untied him. "Are you alright?" Adam asked him with concern.

"Hop Sing have bad headache but will be alright. Father and brother more important." Hop Sing looked at Adam expectantly.

"Pa's ok...Joe's been shot and his side is bleeding again." Adam told him. Hop Sing got to work straight away, putting pots of water on the stove and grabbed some clean bandages from a cupboard.

"You help father and brother; I get things ready for doctor." Hop Sing told Adam.

Adam ran back into his father's room. Ben was talking softly to his son. Adam knelt down and saw that Joe had his eyes partly opened. He wasn't sure if he was fully conscious but he could see that his brother was staring intensely at his father. Adam straightened the bed and knelt down. "Let's make you more comfortable little brother." He lifted his brother with ease and noted how much weight his brother had lost over the past weeks. Joe whimpered when Adam lifted him and tears escaped from the corners of his eyes. Joe tried to turn his head not wanting his big brother to see his weakness but Adam, after placing him on the bed, turned his head back to face him. He smiled at his brother.

"I'm proud of you Joe...don't ever forget that little brother." Joe lost all his resolve and cried in his brothers arms. Everything had caught up to him and he no longer wanted to be brave and strong. He just wanted his brother's comfort and love. "It's going to be alright Joe...ssshhh..." Adam's deep bond with his brother made him hold his brother tightly. He had done this many times when he was a small child and the moment drew him back to the times when Joe worshipped his brother and never questioned him.

"I need to help Pa Joe." Adam laid Joe back on the bed. Joe watched his brother and Hop Sing pick up his father and laid him on the bed next to him. Adam checked Joe's wounds and started to wash away the tears and blood from his face.

"The bloods from the blanket...Joe tried to cover his mouth with it to stop Len from hearing him cough." Ben told Adam. "He fought Len despite his wounds Adam. You should have seen him." Ben looked lovingly at his youngest son.

"Did Len say why?" Adam left the question hanging; meaning why hurt Joe, why rob them.

Ben closed his eyes as he remembered. "I think he was jealous of our lives and especially of Joe's...I don't think he had a very good childhood and somehow in his mind hated Joe for having the opposite to his." Ben shook his head. "I don't think we'll ever really know why?" Ben told his oldest son. "Maybe Joe can tell us more when he's up to it."

Joe was very pale and had his eyes shut. He listened to Adam and Ben but was unable to join in on the conversation. His chest hurt and he concentrated on his breathing. He drifted off to sleep but was woken suddenly. He was choking. He felt his shoulders being raised and it brought him relief. He coughed and was soon able to draw in breaths to his air starved lungs. He opened his eyes and saw his brother and father looking at him with concern. "I'm sorry." He whispered, his voice gone.

"There's nothing to be sorry about little brother." Adam told him frowning. He didn't want Joe to fall back into his melancholy mood. "You've got a chest infection. You need to cough. We should have had you sitting up." Adam explained taking the blame for his brother's coughing spasm.

Joe smiled weakly at his brother and felt his father's hand on his face. He turned his head to his father. He saw nothing but unconditional love in his eyes. Joe reached up and held his father's hand. The closeness to his father gave him the strength to hold on and battle through the pain and coughing.

When Doc Martin finally arrived, he had Ben moved to his own room. Again, he was worried that Ben might catch Joe's cold and knew that the older man may not have the strength to fight it. He removed the bullet from Joe's shoulder and stitched up his side. While he was still unconscious, Adam and Hoss moved Joe to his room. The pots of boiling water and pine needles were set up and the brothers continued to help their little brother fight the chest infection. Doc Martin was worried that the trauma Joe had suffered would make it hard for his body to fight off the chest infection and that it would turn into pneumonia.

"If that happens...it would surely kill him." He told Hoss and Adam.

Joe fought hard and listened to his brother's coach him to breathe and to cough up the congestion. Seven gruelling, frightening days later Joe finally turned the corner and started to recover. The doctor smiled and told Adam and Hoss that he was out of danger and was going to be ok. The brothers sighed with relief and quickly let their father know. They could see tears of joy pool in their father's eyes. Hoss wiped his eyes not caring to hide his emotions. Adam would let the tears fall in the privacy of his room.

Joe had a long road of recovery, from his wounds and sickness. After three months of remaining in the house, a very thin and pale man emerged from the house. His movements were slow and deliberate. He slowly strolled across the yard to the corral. He clicked his tongue, an excited Cochise walked over bobbing her head up and down towards her master. She rubbed her head on his shoulder. Joe held an apple out and she joyfully munched on it. A hand rubbed his shoulder and he looked up into his brother's blue eyes.

"That horse has been pining for you...She's been off her feed...wandering around the corral with her head down...Now look at her!" Hoss told his brother. Joe and Hoss had talked through everything and had come to the understanding that Len had simply been jealous of their close relationship and loving family. Len had told Hoss about his abusive father some time back. The brothers were grateful of their own loving family but didn't excuse Len for his actions, just understood them. Their father had also helped them both come to terms with everything that had happened.

"Time for supper...You need to eat boy...you're too puny...If you want to ride that horse you'll need to fatten up." Hoss told his little brother. Joe put his arm around his big brother and laughed.

"Bit hard with you at the same table brother!" He exclaimed.

"What was that...come here?" Hoss tried to swat his brother but Joe ducked away from him. He walked into the house and immediately stood behind his older brother, using him as a shield. Adam shook his head at the antics of his brothers but secretly loved it. They were whole again.

Ben, sitting in his chair in front of the fire, smiled lovingly at his sons. Everything was as it should be.