January 1999. There was still some snow up and around the Ponderosa where the six year old Mitch Cartwright took a good advantage of. But since he had gotten a skateboard for his last Christmas he took the thing everywhere with him. So also that certain morning.
The young Cartwright had taken his skateboard along to a steep hill. The shepherd dog Cody was there too.
“Cody, you wait here downstairs for me”, said Mitch.
“Woof”, said the dog.
Mitch grabbed his skateboard and climbed up. A moment later he flew down and came down near close to Cody.
“I do it again”, said the boy.
Again he climbed the mountain with his skateboard and again the young Cartwright flew down. This time it ended different. Mitch didn’t see a rock and flew with his skateboard to a big tree. The skateboard broke into 4 pieces and a part ended up into the left boot of Mitch. The boy himself came down on the ground into the snow. Cody ran straight at home for support. Mitch tried to get up but hereby the wound became bigger.
Inside the ranch house Adam Cartwright heard as first the dog barking. He got up and grabbed his coat and cell phone. Here after he ran to Cody who was calling him. Hoss and Joe went after their older brother. Quite soon they had found the boy.
Adam kneeled down by his son Mitch and asked, “What have you done now with your skateboard?”
“I just went down from that hill with my skateboard but hit a big rock. My ankle hurts”, answered the boy.
“I can understand that because a part of your skateboard is in your ankle. I will get the rest of the pieces together and your uncle Hoss just have to carry you home”, said Adam.
So said, so done.
Quickly Adam packed a bag for his son and went after that with him to the hospital.
“What must I do with you? You are so wild”, Adam said underway.
“May I? I am just a kid, ain’t I?”, Mitch said innocent.
Of course Adam didn’t have an answer to that.
At the hospital Mitch directly got taken in and treated. Adam waited for him during the operation.
When Ben Cartwright came home he noticed at once that something serious had happened was.
“Ok, who has done what?”, he asked sighing.
“Adam has gone with Mitchy to the hospital because that little boy had broken professionally his skateboard by going off a steep hill with it. He came with it against a tree and a piece of skateboard ended up into his ankle”, answered Hoss.
“Why doesn’t that surprise me now?”, asked Ben.
“Because Mitch has such a wild behavior?”, Joe asked on his turn.
“Because you make him so wild. He is just 6 years old and already a loyal visitor of the hospital and we also by that”, was the answer of his father.
Hoss and Joe realized that now also.
Meanwhile at the hospital.
Doc Clark came to Adam toe and said, “I have removed the pieces from your son’s skateboard out of his ankle. Mitch recovers fully but it may take a few weeks. Till then he has to sit in a wheel chair. You can see him in the recovery room.”
“Thanks Doc”, said Adam.
He got taken to the recovery room where Mitch was recovering from the operation. Adam went to sit by him and looked at him.
“Hello lad. How is it?”, he asked smiling.
“A bit stuffy. May I go again on my skateboard?”, was the counter-question of Mitch.
“You really are not getting a skateboard from me anymore. You can’t ride on it anyway because it’s broken into 4 pieces. Besides first you must recover and sit in a wheelchair”, answered his father.
“Daddy, it was an accident that I fell”, reacted Mitch.
“I know that but you also could have been dead. And I really can’t without you”, Adam explained.
“But then I was with mama and grandma”, Mitch said sober.
Adam sighed for a second.
“Do you think that grandpa, uncle Hoss and uncle Joe would like this? And not to forget Cody and Hop Sing?”, he asked then.
Mitch shook of no.
Then he changed his tack and asked, “And if I promise only to ride on it on the yard?”
Of course Adam felt it coming again and he answered then, “Only then it’s allowed to. I just going to phone home to tell everything.”
He got up and went outside to call.
Ben answered the telephone and put it on the loud speaker so that Hoss and Joe heard it too.
Finally Adam said, “I stay with Mitch until he may go home.”
“That’s alright”, said Ben.
Meanwhile Mitch laid in a room when Adam joined him.
“You must have the greetings of grandpa, uncle Hoss and uncle Joe. I stay with you until you may go home”, said Adam.
“Daddy, I am sorry that I cause so many problems for you”, said Mitch.
“Kid, it’s alright”, Adam answered smiling.
He looked at his offspring in bed. Slowly Mitch fell asleep again but Adam remained by him.
Fortunately Mitch was allowed to go home the next day but in a wheelchair. The young Cartwright had learned his lesson because he had become a bit more quieter which especially his father noticed.