By Kirsten Page
Copyright 1999
Cody woke up from a awful shock to a headache and the sight of a gun pointed at Lou’s head. All in all it wasn’t what he considered the best of days. When Wayne came out of the bunkhouse behind Kid with Lou in his clutches, he wanted instantly to react. Unfortunately, he realized that if he did act on his instincts and emotions like he wanted to, it could cost her life.
“Lou, I’m not going to let him take you,” Kid said softly as he stopped walking backwards. How he would restrain Wayne was to remain a mystery...even to himself. He had to force himself to believe that there would be a way.
She looked at him, her eyes full of emotion, yet she said nothing. Wayne had shifted his grip to her neck and she pulled at his arm, hoping that he would loosen the fierce hold of his fingers.
Maddie cried inwardly as she stood up to follow them outside. Either Wayne hadn’t seen her, or he had chosen not to. She couldn’t bear the thought of something happening to Louise, and the overbearing concern for her friend was the only driving force that kept her moving forward. In her hands she gripped the handle of a gun. Who the gun belonged to, she wasn’t sure, all she knew was that it sat resting on one of the bunks and she was going to use it if necessary.
Once she saw that he had stopped, she fought off the persistent shaking of her hand and tried to get a steady aim. He was going to kill Lou if she didn’t react fast. “Wayne,” she said with determination in her voice.
He wheeled around and faced her, Lou’s body still blocking his own, “What!?” His voice sounded startled and shocked by her presence.
Turning his back, however, was the biggest mistake that he could have made. Kid and Cody both took advantage of it and lunged at him, knocking all of them to the floor. Lou broke free and crawled across the floor to Maddie, taking the gun from her hand. She glanced back behind her and saw the struggle between Kid, Cody, and Wayne. Holding the gun in a perfect and stable aim, she called the fight to a halt, “Hold it, right there!” The three men glanced up to see Lou’s narrowed eyes...an occurrence that rarely happened, but when it did, Heaven help the person it was directed towards.
“I said hold it!” She yelled as Wayne slowly rose to his feet, “I’ll give you two choices Wayne, either I can shoot you right here, or I’ll take you to the Marshal where he’ll be sure you hang,” Lou stopped and her eyes filled with malice towards the man who had used every means possible to trying to break her...emotionally and physically, “Either way, I’m going to personally see that you go straight to hell.”
A wide-eyed Kid and Cody helped Wayne to his feet, and attempted to keep a steady hold on him. Still determined to win this in battle spite of her warning and threats, Wayne once again lunged after Lou...who didn’t hesitate to fire the bullet that instantly ended out his life. Maddie gasped and reached to Lou for support, who in turn dropped the gun on the floor and stared at the man that she had loathed with every ounce of her being. Kid and Cody went to the girls and wrapped their arms around them, glad that their distress had finally reached an end.
“I thought it would never be over,” Maddie said through a scratchy voice and tear-filled eyes, “Thank you.”
Teaspoon, Buck, Jimmy, and their beloved prisoner...Cole, arrived back at Rock Creek a few hours later. Having felt like the entire trip was the failure that it had become, they were not all too thrilled at the thought of having to resume a normal life at the station. There was no hope now that they would find Wayne, he was long gone.
Dismounting at Teaspoon’s office, they took Cole inside and locked him in a cell, where he would remain until he was taken away to stand trial.
“I’m going back to the station,” Jimmy said to Teaspoon. “I have a few things that I need to do.” While he did not say what those ‘few things’ were, they both had a pretty good idea what it was. Jimmy couldn’t fool them all for a single second. The faith in the thought that Lou might still be out there alive was going to send him out on the trails again...and neither one of them would try to stop him. They knew it was something he would have to do.
Teaspoon acknowledged him with a nod, and Buck volunteered to stay inside and keep watch for a while.
Taking the reins of his horse, Jimmy made his way towards the station. He still wasn’t quite sure how he would break the news to Kid, or if he should even let him in on that dim glimmer of hope that rested inside of him.
It was strange to hear such sounds of gaiety and laughter as he approached the bunkhouse. In his opinion, this was certainly not one of the greatest times to be throwing any sort of festive activities, and if he found out they were indeed hosting such an event, he’d give them a piece of his mind.
Securing his horse to the hitching post, Jimmy made it up the stairs in two steps. One of the things that caught his eye right away was the body on the porch which was covered with a white sheet. It wasn’t usually the sort of ‘decoration’ that they had a habit of setting out, so that was just one other thing he wanted an answer to.
Opening the door, he was almost outraged to see that even Kid had joined in the joyous occasion...whatever that may be.
Hearing the door open, Kid and Cody turned around and stopped their laughter with Maddie, Lou, and Rachel (who had appeared a few moments before). Jimmy met their eyes and saw that all traces of sadness had faded. He started wondering if there was something about this day that he should know...and then, when he saw her peek out from the opposite side of Kid, a smile spread across her face, and a radiance brighter than ever before, save for the bruises on her face, he knew why.
“Lou? Lou!?” He stood in a stunned silence before repeating her name for the third time. Jimmy squinted his eyes, just to make sure that she wasn’t some sort of odd illusion.
She grinned meekly, not sure if she wanted to take on anymore of these overwhelming greetings that she had been receiving all day. Jimmy on the other hand wasn’t sure if he wanted to rush over and hug her, or give her some form of mildly fierce torture for scaring him as badly as she had.
“That’s my name,” Lou finally said, sensing the battle that was more than likely going on in his mind.
Jimmy could no longer contain himself and he started laughing with relief before he buried his face in his hands, hoping to nonchalantly dry his tears of joy. She waited for him to surface from his surprise before she rushed over and met his open arms. He hugged her tightly and she placed a kiss on his cheek. “I knew you’d come back to us,” Jimmy said before releasing her and grasping her hands.
Her entire face reflected the contentment that she felt at this moment. She was with her family once again...even when she didn’t think she would pull through, she had. And as she stood back to see the beautiful faces of her dear family, she realized just how much she needed them...and now it was obvious that they had needed her as well.
Upon Buck and Teaspoon’s arrival, there was also a jubilant celebration once again. Teaspoon held Lou as if his lost daughter had come home, and Buck held her with all of his brotherly affection. In the night that followed, it seemed as if things had come back to life at the bunkhouse.
What happened in the week that followed, I leave mostly to your imagination. Teaspoon had given strict orders that Lou was not to take any of the runs for at least 6 days. He wanted her rested, healed, and although he wouldn’t have admitted it, she knew that it was because he didn’t want to have her more than a few buildings away.
Trying to explain her own funeral was also something that they all chipped in on together. As far as telling the townsfolk that Lou was still alive...well that was another subject. They figured that the best course of action was to let it all speak for itself over time.
Lou didn’t mind the security of everyone’s overprotectiveness, because for once she realized that even though she was a strong, independent, and a self-sustaining woman, she needed each and one of them. Besides, it felt good to have all of them looking out for her every move....well, for the week at least.
Seven days later....
Kid walked into Teaspoon’s office, not sure if he should dread the orders that he was about to receive or not. The past week had been one of the most glorious that he had known, and finding out something horrid wasn’t going to settle well with him. He still had not had the chance to ask Lou the important question in his mind...and he figured that from the way this sounded, he was going to be sent somewhere that would more than likely prevent him from having the opportunity again any time soon.
Teaspoon was writing something on a piece of paper as the young man walked in. “You wanted me for something?” Kid asked, helping himself to a seat opposite the Marshal’s. While he waited for Teaspoon to finish, Kid looked at the empty cell where Cole had resided not three days ago. The territorial Marshal had responded immediately to the word of his capture. In fact they had already set the hanging date for tomorrow and Kid couldn’t say that he was sorry. Apparently Cole had so many crimes chalked up against him that he deserved three consecutive hangings if it were possible.
Finally finishing the letter he working on so diligently, Teaspoon looked up from his writing, “Glad you could make it, son.”
Kid merely nodded, just wanting to get this over with. He had this bad feeling that it had something to do with Lou. Teaspoon only got that gleam in his eye when he did. It was almost a clash between their strong wills...Kid’s being that he didn’t want Lou doing anything dangerous, and Teaspoon’s argument would be that he’d already made his decision and she was going. Although annoying for either party at times, it was also a ground of mutual respect for one another.
“I have a letter here that needs to be taken up north. I’d like to have two guns on this one and I wanted to give you the opportunity to say who you’d like to go with you,” Teaspoon continued, as Kid’s eyes grew wide. This had to be the first time that their stationmaster had ever given him the say in who would go with him anywhere.
“Well...Jimmy just got back, Noah’s on a run, Buck has some time off, so that leaves Co....”
Teaspoon cut him off, “Exactly my opinion too. Lou is the perfect person for the job,” he stopped only long enough to take a breath, but not long enough for Kid to interrupt him, “You two are entitled to some time off, and I think that while you’re up there, you should take it.”
Kid thought about it briefly. It would be nice to get away from the ruckus of everyday life at the Pony Express station. He wouldn’t mind the peace and quiet, or the opportunity to spend some time with Lou after all that had occurred. Besides, he still had to figure out a way to confess to her that he’d read most of her personal journal. If he was going to die at her hand, he’d just assume do it out and away from any crowds.
He smiled in gratitude at Teaspoon, yet not actually speaking the words ‘thank you’. Teaspoon grinned and his eyes sparkled, knowing how the thought of getting away alone thrilled the younger man. “What’s the name of this town, anyway?” Kid asked, trying to take the edge of over-excitement out of his voice.
Teaspoon looked at the address on his envelope, “Well, according to this name on this here paper,” he held it up in the light, trying to make out the faint and scribbled writing, “You’ll be making your way up towards the nice, peaceful, relaxing, and romantic town of,” finally able to read the illegible script he placed the letter back on the table and smiled at Kid, “Davenport.”
On to The Epilogue
