ben's Guestbook

After Tony took the boys home to rest up from a very long concert tour, Elizabeth decided to swing by and see how Ben and the rest of the family was doing and to let eveyrone know that they were all back. After spending another 15 minutes or so in her car, Elizabeth finally reached the Main Ponderosa Ranch House. When she pulled up to the house, she was surprised to see how empty the driveway was. 

She pulled up and parked her car. Then she got out and looked around and for the life of her, she wondered where everyone was. Elizabeth started to wonder if maybe she should have called first. Elizabeth shook everything off, and began to think that maybe everyone was working,  so she went into the house to see if anyone was home. Once she was inside the ranch house, Elizabeth beggan to call out. "Hello? Is anybody here?" Elizabeth called out as she began to look around for someone. 

"I just came by to say that the Dinozzos are back and to check on my sweet Cartwright family," she called out as she went to the kitchen, looked around, grabbing herself a cold soda and then came back into the living room. After began taking a few drinks of her soda, she sat it down on the dinning room table and began to call out the family. "Ben? Adam? Andrew?" she called out. "Where are my special guys?" she called out. 

"I'm glad you finally see things my way Ben," she told him with a smile on her face, even though Ben couldn't see it. But then Marie went on with her own set of lies, knowing that Ben, in the state he was in right now, would be very easy to manipulate. "It's a good think you two didn't have children together yet. She might have did worse to them," she added know that him and Lynda had been thinking about having children and that didn't set well with Marie. 

Joe and Jennie were always going to be the babies of the Cartwright clan and she would do whatever it took to make sure of that, one way or another. "And I'm glad you are going to take care of it, but be warned that I did tell Gibby and he's not happy either," she told Ben. Then she let the conversation settle for a few moments as she began to think of what else she could get Ben to do and then it hit here. 

"Baby, with all this that Lynda has put our babies through," Marie said as she used her most loving and manipulative voice. "I was thinking that maybe, since Joe and Jennie are getting to the age wear they will be driving soon," she told him. "Why don't you take them to a car lot and let them each pick a car the want?" she asked him. 

"Well, it was more like he was hers, but I get what you are saying," Inger said laughing. "They sure did have a lot of fun together and she always made Eric feel like he wasn't so different from the rest of the family, even though we both know that's how he always felt," she told him as she too was thinking about the good old days. Then her tone changed almost as if it had a sad tone to it. 

"She did more for our son than what even you realized," Inger said thinking about one specific night that almost ended in tragedy for everyone. "I knew she would come back to him, even after Michael rescued me from my kidnappers," Inger said still thinking about that one really bad night and the sadness in her voice was proof she was still thinking of it. Then she shook it off and began to  talk normal again. 

"He always had thing to fight for but nobody ever made him believe it like she could. And now that she's back by his side, you and I can take a breather from worrying about him so much. Lulu will never let our son suffer," she told him. "But since you are worried about his trip to the hospital, I'll talk to Michael and we will be on the first flight home," she told him. "Will that make you feel better?" she asked Ben over the phone. 

Lynda sat there driving and listening to Ben basically tell her that she was tearing his family apart. She drove in silence for a little before pulling her truck onto the side of the road  and put in park. She knew if she didn't calm down before talking, she might say things she would regret later on. After a few minutes of sitting there with her eyes closed and counting to ten over and over, Lynda let out a deep, exhausting breathe as she opened her eyes and turned to look at Ben. And with a calm voice, she began to speak, first about Hoss's condition. 

"Benjamin Cartwright," she said firm but calm. "You know by law I can't tell you about Hoss's condition unless I get his permission," she added. "I understand he's your son and I would be the same way if one of my boys was going through what Hoss was going through," she told him as she was getting the feeling that Ben really didn't trust her as a wife or a doctor, but she kept those feelings deep down inside, at least for now. 

"But I haven't spend all those sleepless nights and working overtime to just give up now," she told him. "And maybe overbearing father were the wrong choice of words, and I'm sorry for saying that," she told him. "But right now, that's what it feels like you're being," she added  as she went silent and deep in thought. She could forgive Ben for anything and everything, except for her being the cause of his family being tore apart. That just hurt too much. She knew there was only one thing she could do to make things right in Ben's mind. 

Lynda then  let out a low, depressed sigh as she began to speak to him slowly. She had her eyes closed so he couldn't see the hurt or the tears that stung her face.  "I'll fix everything soon," was all she told Ben. She opened her eyes and took her left hand, which Ben noticed that she wasn't wearing her wedding band and softly touched his face. "Now I'm gonna drive about a mile down the road and wait for you," she told Ben. "The time apart will do us both some good," she added. "And while I'm waiting on you to walk that mile," Lynda added.

"I'm gonna text my assistant and have her tell the nurse to run a CT on Hoss's head and get him hooked to an EKG monitor so that by the time we get there," she added. "The results will be ready for me to look at, and give me a better idea of what to do next," she added as she removed her hand from Ben's face and waited for him to get out of her truck. She didn't say anything more or even look at Ben as she waited for him to get out. 

Lynda stood frozen for a few moments as she listened to Ben. He had never talked to her like that before and in the back of her mind, she knew he wasn't going to ever talk to her like that again. So, she followed Ben out to her truck, and once they were both inside, she quickly pulled out of the driveway. Neither one was talking at the moment as Lynda went into deep thought. Finally, after about 10 minutes of nobody talking, it was Lynda who finally began speaking.
"In answer to your questions," Lynda started not even looking at Ben as she continued. "The reason you weren't called is because he was able to walk into the hospital on his own two feet," she told him. "That hardly qualifies a call to his overbearing father," she said letting the anger come through her voice. "Besides, there's nothing you can do. You aren't a doctor," she told him still using the same angery tone as before.

 

Lynda went silent again as she kept driving. She knew if anybody was to blame for this, it would be her. She knew that even though Hoss ccame to see her regularly and she approved everything he wanted to do as long as he kept up the visits. Lynda let out sigh and began to speak again. "Besides, I approved everything he wanted to do as long as he kept checking in with me," she added and then changed subjects to the other children.

"And for the record, Joe, Jamie and Jennie are not little kids anymore," she told him the tone getting a bit angery. "They need some responsiblity in their lives, but we will do it your way. We'll just give them everything they want and hope it works out for the best, " Lynda said as she continued to drive, now coming up to the Virginia City Limits.