jake's Guestbook

As Andrew sat in the living room waiting for Jake to join him, his thoughts ran through him like a car speeding through several red lights before being caught by the police. Most of his thoughts were about how he was raising his children and even when he thought they weren't listening, they really were and that made the smile on his face grow even more. He knew he wasn't the world's greatest dad, but at least he was trying and that was all that mattered. Finally, as Andrew looked over at the steps, he saw his son, Jake, coming down with his hoodie on. Andrew stood up and waited for Jake to join him by his side. Once Jake was standing there next to Andrew, he gently put his arm around Jake's neck gently as he began to speak to his son in a gentle and yet playful tone. "Thanks for saying that son," Andrew told him. "But I don't know if I will keep the five o'clock shadow or not," he said with a smile. "Oh, it's to have on the weekend, when I can be a bit lazy, but wearing it all the time, that might not work so well," Andrew said chuckling. "Especially when I have court cases to attend too," he finished up as he let out a light chuckle as he began to walk with his son over to the front door. Once both Jake and Andrew were out the front door, Andrew stopped and turned around and began to lock the door while Jake was already making his way to Andrew's truck. Once Andrew finished locking the door, he headed towards his truck while Jake was already inside, buckled up and waiting on his father. Finally, Andrew reached his truck and once he got out his keys, he got in and put the key into the ignition and turned the engine on.

As the engine was powering up, Andrew put his seat belt on and then turned to look at his son as he began to speak to son about how he was feeling about doing things right and saying the right things. "Son, if you can make someone feel like they belong, even for one day, then you are doing something right. And if you can put a smile on someone's face just by saying hi or asking about their day, then you are saying the right things," Andrew said as he put his truck into drive and started to head down the long driveway. "Saying and doing the right things, doesn't necessarily mean you have to figure the right things to say an do, but by rather saying and doing the small things, like saying hi or maybe help another kid who is struggling," he said with a smile on his face as he glanced at Jake and then back at the driveway and as he continued to drive, he couldn't help but let his mind wonder to all those times that he thought that maybe he wasn't doing or saying the right things to his children, but when Jake said what he did about learning something from him, Andrew knew right then and there that he was doing and saying things that was help steering his children in the right direction as they grow. Finally, after a few minutes of silence, Andrew went on speaking to Jake. "That is so true and I'm glad that the lesson I was trying to teach you, got through and stuck with you," Andrew said with a smile on his face and then went on speaking. "You are very welcome but there isn't anything you could do that will make me feel let down by you or your brother or sister," he told him as he finally stopped at the end of the driveway and waited until all the cars had went by before Andrew finally pulled unto the highway for town. "No matter what you three do, I'm going to love you unconditionally," he added as a peacefully silence fell over the both of them as Andrew finally was able to pull onto the highway, heading straight for Virginia City.

Andrew listened to everything that Jake had to say and he couldn't help but smile. He knew he was proud of his children, but when Jake talked about standing tall and not being afraid of someone who was different than him and even standing up for the little guy. Just hearing all that made Andrew's heart sore with joy and happiness. Before Jake disappeared, he began to tell Jake exactly how he was feeling at the moment. "I'm so proud of you wanting to live your life like that," he said with a huge smile on his face. "Not many people would be proud to admit what you just told me," he told Jake. "And that makes me even more proud that you are that grown-up to realize that other's feelings matter too and that people who are different aren't to be feared," he added with a smile on his face. "And you know, it's never too early to start doing those things right now," he told Jake.

He could see that Jake understood by not only nodding but with the smile on his face. And after saying he was welcome, Andrew watched his son heading to his room to finish getting things together. Andrew let out a sigh as he sat there for a little while longer before he got himself up to pack him some clothes and things for his boy's night out with his sons and possibly Hoss and Adam. Once Andrew had everything from clean boxers to clean clothes to wear all day. He even got his shaving kit, though Andrew thought about not taking it and growing a 5 o'clock shadow for the weekend, but he didn't want to scare anyone, so he thought that it was best that he packed his shaving kit, just in case. After finally getting everything into his suitcase and making sure the suitcase was closed tightly, he picked it up and left his room, closing the door behind him. Then Andrew headed downstairs to wait for his boys.

Andrew listened to everything that Jake had to say about Laura and Hoss. He couldn't help but smile as he listened. Andrew knew that he had never met her before, which was something he would change soon. Finally, when Jake took a break and silence fell between them, Andrew let out a content sigh as he gathered his thoughts. Once he had everything, he wanted to say in the order he wanted to say them, he then began to speak to his son. "You know, that's the most grown-up thing you can saw about your uncle and his lady," Andrew said as he started off the conversation. "How did you get so smart and grown-up without me noticing?" he said with chuckle as he put his arm around Jake and gave him a side hug. Then Andrew went on speaking, this time responding to everything that Jake had just told him. "Everything you said about Laura, is true," he told him. "She'll never walk away from him because she'll never stop loving him, no matter what shape he's in," Andrew said.

"And I know you haven't officially met Laura yet," he said with a chuckle as he continued. "But you speaking as if you have known her all your life," he added still chuckling. Then Andrew got serious again. "But you are right, I think Laura knows Hoss better than any of us do, even better than Hoss knows himself," he added. "And that school incident is only one of the many times that Laura stood up for him," he said and then went on. "Not that your uncle Adam and I didn't stick up for him, because we did. But there was just something about Laura that when she spoke, you had no choice but to pay close attention," he said laughing. Then Andrew let out a content sigh and let silence fall over them for a little while, giving time for Andrew's thoughts to sink in. But then he said something that really made Jake thing. "Love like Uncle Hoss and Laura share only comes around once in a lifetime. It's like a Beauty and the Beast type of love," he went on. "When everyone else is afraid of your uncle, and it doesn't matter how nice and kind he is, Laura was the one to step up and love him, even with all the scary and broken parts," he said.

"So, don't you go worrying about your uncle, he's in very good hands," Andrew said with a smile as he changed the subject. "Exactly," he said as he went onto the subject of family. "And even though there are times when we don't always get along, but we are there for each other when it really counts," he told Jake as he let out another sigh and went on to once again change the subject. "Hey sport," Andrew said to Jake, this time in sounding a bit more upbeat. "Why don't you go finish packing for our boy's night out," Andrew started. "And when you are done, we can go downstairs and have a bowl of ice cream and watch whatever you want on TV," he said and then went back and corrected himself. "Within reason, of course," he said laughing. "There's still some shows that you're still a little too young to be watching right now," he said. "So, what do you say?" Andrew asked with excitement in his voice.

"That's the goal," Andrew said with a huge smile on his face. Then he felt Jake leaning into his shoulder just like he had done when he was a little boy. And that made Andrew smile even more and even made his smile bigger and brighter. Then Andrew went on speaking about Michaela a little more before moving onto other subjects. "Oh, she does miss us," he told Jake. "In fact, she misses us so badly that every time one of us has a birthday, she goes out and buys a present and the same with Christmas," she added. "So don't be surprised that when she gets back here, that everybody has a ton of gifts to open," he said laughing and then shaking his head and then finally moving onto Hoss.

Andrew chuckled as he listened to Jake's worries about Hoss. Once Jake was done, Andrew began to speak to him still smiling. "That he does and it's not just for people that he worries about, it's animals too, though sometimes he thinks animals are better than people," Andrew said feeling a tad bit sad for Hoss. Then Andrew went on speaking about Hoss as well as Laura this time. "Trust me, Laura will make him believe it, she always has, even when he was 5 and she was 8," Andrew said as he drifted off into memory lane. "I remember one time when Hoss was first going to school," he told Jake. "Hoss was so scared that he, well, had an accident to which everyone in that school called him Stinky," he said frowning.

"It got so bad that Hoss hid in the bathroom and wouldn't come out, not even for grandpa and grandma," Andrew said. "So, Inger got the only person who he would listen to and that was Laura. And after calming him down and got him laughing again, Laura got on the PA System and gave everyone in that school a piece of her mind. I tell you; I never heard an 8-year-old girl cuss so much in her life," he said and then smiled. "And do you think she got in trouble for that?" he asked. "Nope and here's why. She threatened to get ahold of a lawyer friend of the Schaffer family and threatened to sue the school on Hoss's behalf," he said softly. "And even though kids still made fun of him, they never called him Stinky again without getting expelled," he said chuckling.

Andrew cleared his throat as he went on speaking now about Hoss getting hold of Laura. "Well, that is a good suggestion, but it won't do much good. You see, your Uncle Hoss got a letter from Laura a month ago and she had been preparing to come see your uncle and get things back on track between the two of them," he said. "But unfortunately, Laura doesn't know about his heart and that's what's worrying him the most. Because he things she won't love him once she finds out," he added as he began to smile at his son. Then Andrew smiled as he finished up his thoughts. "Yes son, that's what not only Cartwrights do, but that's what family does," he said. "And I will make sure you're the first one I call when and if I need any help," he said with a huge smile on his face.

"You're welcome son," he said with a smile on his face. "And yes I know she's got a good heart, she is a Cartwright after all," he said chuckling. "And I know she's not crazy, but she does have some problems that even being a Cartwright can't solve," he said as he moved onto going and getting Michaela. 

"That's what I'm planning on anyway, but getting her to come back is rather a touchy subject," Andrew said softly. "So I have to do this gradually. But I do know this about Michaela," he told his son with a smile on his face. "I do know that she misses all three of you and can't wait to see you guys again very soon," he told him as then moved onto Hoss and what had him so down and distant lately. 

"That's nice of you to do that for him, and I know he would really appriecate it since he can't really right now, " he said. "But that's only part of what's wrong with your Uncle. You see, he has this very special lady friend that me, your Unle Adam and Uncle Hoss, grew up with," he started to tell his son. "And well, Hoss and Laura got close, extremely close," he said.

"But she had to go away for a very long time and now she's coming back and he's got himself worked up and worried because she doesn't know his health went down down drastically after she left. She doesn't know about his heart condition, and that is his one biggest worry that she wouldn't want to be with him if she knew," Andrew said softly. "But don't worry, I'll still call and ask, maybe like you said, it will get him to relax before Laura gets out here," he added.