The Price to Pay

June Round-up Challenge- 2026-

By Marcella Petillo

Everything had happened quickly, with hardly any time to think. General Tsung’s attack, in which he claimed possession of Su Ling, had ended in a bloodbath. The general was dead, and his remaining men had been captured by Hoss and Adam.

Joe was grateful that his family’s arrival had put an end to the ambush. Even though he had killed the general, his gun was still empty, and getting another weapon from one of the fallen men would have been dangerous and complicated, especially with a bullet in his shoulder.

Adrenaline had kept him on his feet while Dr. Lee took care of his wound. The exchange of remarks with his family had distracted him momentarily, but suddenly Joe felt lightheaded, his vision blurred, and he felt a wave of nausea; he turned pale and staggered.

As his legs gave way beneath him, he heard muffled voices around him calling his name: two deep male voices and one clear female voice.

“Joseph! Son!”

“Mister Joe! Lean on me!”

“Damn it!… He’s about to pass out, Joe!” Adam quickly dismounted from his horse, but didn’t make it in time to reach him.

Darkness enveloped him while he had the sensation of arms trying to hold him up. Su Ling tried to stop his fall, but only managed to lower him to the ground without letting him hit his head, falling together with him.

Dr. Lee bent over him, examined the wound again, and raised his head toward the waiting Cartwrights. “I have to remove the bullet. Better to take him back to the Ponderosa… unless you want to call Dr. Martin. In that case, I’ll go notify him myself.”

Ben shook his head.

“Dr. Lee, I trust you. We’d only lose time!”

After making room among the luggage, the wagon headed back to the ranch with Joe unconscious, lying on the flatbed, held by Su Ling’s arms to spare him painful jolts and bouncing.

Once home, he was laid out on the dining room table, covered with a sheet. Dr. Lee needed a rigid surface and not the soft mattress of a bed. Hop Sing prepared hot water, clean sheets, and towels, while Su Ling got ready to assist the doctor. The family was asked to step away from the table.

Joe had not regained consciousness, but Adam noticed that the Chinese doctor had taken thin, long needles from his bag and not ether for anesthesia. He questioned him, surprised and alarmed.

“Doctor, do you intend to operate on him without anesthesia? Joe is still unconscious, but he could wake up from the pain.”

Dr. Lee smiled, lifted one of the needles, inserted it delicately into a precise point, and continued with the others.

“That’s exactly what I’m doing now! It’s called acupuncture; in China, we’ve known it since ancient times. With needles, we treat illnesses and can anesthetize patients. Joe won’t feel pain, even if he wakes up while I’m operating.”

It wasn’t simple. The bullet had lodged near the shoulder bone, in a difficult place to reach. Dr. Lee had to cut into the flesh to extract it, and the wound bled heavily.

At the end, the needles were removed while the shoulder was being bandaged and the arm secured in a sling. Joe began to wake up, and Su Ling kept him calm while the young man regained consciousness.

The patient was carried to his room in his brother Hoss’s arms. He was weak and pale, the pain from the wound was raw, and the doctor made him drink a medicine to keep it under control.

Su Ling settled beside the bed after receiving instructions from the doctor. Ben would have liked to stay with Joe, as he always did when one of his sons was injured or sick, but the doctor convinced him to rest so he could later relieve Su Ling.

Night fell over the Ponderosa. In Joe’s room, the dim light of the lamp revealed the pale, suffering face of the wounded young man, the whiteness of the bandages wrapped around his shoulder and chest, and the attentive eyes—bright and shining—of the young woman watching over him.

*****

The next two days were difficult for Joe. Dr. Martin had come by to check on him, together with Sheriff Roy, as soon as they had been informed of what had happened by Dr. Lee and the Cartwrights themselves.

Joe was very weak from the blood loss; the wound did not pose any danger to his life, but it was painful. Doc Martin left powders for pain and to help him sleep, so he could get through the first, most difficult days.

Su Ling was a competent nurse and took care of Joe with devotion and affection… something that had not escaped anyone in the family.

The young Chinese woman had been like a breath of fresh air in that family of adult men only. Everyone had grown fond of her, but she certainly showed special regard for the young man who had redeemed her and then saved her from a terrible fate with the general.

Joe was no different and was certainly not immune to the quiet charm exercised by Su Ling. He had learned so much from that girl with the fragile and gentle appearance, but with an unshakable strength of spirit, who was trying to find her way in a new country that was not always welcoming.

On the evening of the fourth day, Su Ling had helped Joe eat, had changed his bandages, had given him the sedative together with the painkiller, and had watched him fall asleep. His tense features had gradually relaxed, and the young man looked peaceful in his sleep. He was improving. Su Ling settled into the armchair beside the bed, looking at him closely, admiring the beauty of that face, feeling enormous gratitude for the way he had put himself at risk to protect her.

She was on dangerous ground; she knew it, she was aware of it. Four days earlier, just before leaving for Virginia City, Joe had told her that he would miss her terribly; perhaps indirectly, he had wanted to say more, but she was fully aware of her place in that country that was offering her opportunities but also many challenges. Then the attack had happened, and Su Ling had returned to the Ponderosa as Joe’s nurse.

Her young heart beat hard as she memorized every detail of that young and attractive face, remembering the understanding, the kindness, with which he had welcomed her, what he had taught her about freedom. Joe seemed to be sleeping deeply, and she decided to take a moment for herself, a memory to keep buried in her heart.

She placed her lips on Joe’s soft mouth in a delicate kiss that was meant to belong only to her, but she startled when she felt the wounded young man’s lips respond to the kiss. She tried to pull away, but his hand came to rest on the back of her neck, holding her with gentle firmness, and the kiss continued—passionate, deep, filled with longing.

When their lips parted, both were breathing heavily, overwhelmed by what they had felt. Su Ling sprang to her feet, her hands pressed against her chest to contain the wild beating of her heart, but was sadly aware of the situation.

“Mister Joseph, we can’t! We can’t do this!” She said, almost shouting in fear. Then she continued in a softened voice, “Joe, dear Joe, we can’t; no one would accept it. A Chinese girl and Ben Cartwright’s son? I could stay here and be your housekeeper, but never, never as your equal, never your woman. You know it too, I know you know.”

Both their eyes shone with unshed tears, overwhelmed by the awareness of what had been said. Su Ling whispered, “Tomorrow I’ll join Dr. Lee in Virginia City. You’re better now. The worst is over; your family can keep taking care of you until you recover. There’s no real need for me here anymore. It’s better if I leave; Joe, try to understand…”

Su Ling seemed determined, and Joe did not try to dissuade her. With death in his heart, he knew she was right.

The girl left the room quickly, and when Ben met her in the hallway, he realized she was upset and crying silently.

His father’s heart sensed that his son needed him. Entering Joe’s room quietly, he saw his son awake, one arm folded over his eyes to hide them from anyone’s view, almost as if wanting to isolate himself from the world for a moment. Ben did not need to ask; he understood. He waited.

A trembling sigh, and Joe lowered his arm, revealing his face. He looked toward his father, who smiled at him with understanding.

“Pa, it’s not fair.”

“I know, Joe.”

“I would protect her…”

“You couldn’t.” Ben sighed. “Not even her own community would accept it. You wouldn’t be accepted either by respectable white society or by the Chinese community. You’d make her unhappy, with no place she truly belonged.”

“She’d have me!”

“I know, and me, and your brothers and Hop Sing! But we can’t keep her like a prisoner at the Ponderosa. Outside of here, she’d be an outcast, and you with her. She could stay here her whole life as a housekeeper, and no one would object, but not as a Cartwright. Paradoxical, isn’t it?”

“She said that too…”

“She’s an intelligent girl. Maybe someday people will learn to accept differences and different cultures; they’ll see it as natural, as something enriching, without fear. I hope so! I hope so very much!”

“Yeah, but meanwhile it’s not fair!”

“No, it isn’t, and I’m sorry, believe me. We all care about Su Ling, but if we really care about her, now we have to let her go.”

They looked into each other’s eyes, father and son. In Joe’s, Ben read the burning disappointment, the pain for something beautiful that would never have the chance to begin. He was proud of that son—open to change, welcoming, without prejudice.

Joe found in his father’s eyes the understanding he needed, the support, the integrity of spirit, the openness toward a future perhaps more just and more welcoming.

“Thank you, Pa…” Joe reached a hand toward his father. “Thank you for always being there when I need you.”

“Always, my son, always!”

Ben squeezed his hand, then his son’s healthy shoulder, and smiled at him with a trace of melancholy.

“Now you need to rest, Joe. I’ll come check on you later. You need to rest if you want to get out of that bed soon!”

Joe smiled sadly and settled himself against the pillows.

“Yes, Sir!”

The End

Episode Referenced: The Day of the Dragon Written by John T Dugan