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He awoke the next morning with the sun. He sat up in bed and gave into a lengthy stretch and a deep yawn. It was then that he noticed a soreness in his cheeks and jaws. It took him by surprise as he began to wonder where the discomfort was coming from. Then he remembered. “She’s having my baby”, he thought, and a smile overtook his face once again. With a renewed sense of excitement, he threw his covers back and sprang from the bed. He moved to the basin and stared at his reflection. His hair was all over the place. His face showed the signs of needing a shave and maybe a few more nights of good sleep. In other words, he looked like he’d seen better days, but he never felt better. He had found the woman he loved. They were back together, and she was carrying their love inside of her. “Yeah”, he thought, “life is definitely good”. Then he went about the process of cleaning himself up. After a shower and a shave, he looked more like how he felt inside. He took joy in the fact that he was the one to wake his friends up that morning. They carried on much the same way he did, and he found himself laughing much the same way they did. He went down to the hotel restaurant and found a table where he waited for them to join him. As they stumbled to the table, he had to hide his amusement. “Long night, boys?”, he asked with a grin. “Oh shut up, Kid”, Jimmy replied grumpily. “What has you so chipper this morning”, Buck asked quizzically, “I thought you would have gotten about as much sleep as we did”. “Let’s just say that it’s beautiful day and a wonderful life”, he said excitedly as he opened his menu. “Oh shut up, Kid”, Jimmy said. Kid’s cheerful attitude was really starting to annoy him. “It’s way too early, and I’m way too hung over to put up with this”, he thought to himself. He immediately felt bad for thinking so negatively about his best friend’s good mood. “Sorry, Kid”, he mumbled. “Don’t worry about, Jimmy”, he said, “I don’t expect everyone to be feelin’ as good as I do right now”. The friends mostly ate in silence. They were all too preoccupied with their own thoughts to carry on a real conversation. Kid placed an order for Louise’s breakfast, and then they were off to the dress shop. They were going to pack up Lou’s things so that they would be able to leave the next day.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Louise was helping a customer when they walked in, so Kid just went and placed her food on the counter. Then the trio waited patiently for Louise to take the women’s order, but they could tell that she was about at her wits end with the woman.“Yes, ma’am. Like I said before, we can make your dress special for ya. We can make it here out of the fabrics and colors that I showed you, or you can have us order one for ya from one of the larger cities”, Lou said with a voice filled with as much patience as she could muster. “She can’t really be that dumb. I’ve said all of this at least three times”, she thought to herself. Finally, the woman settled on having Mrs. Lilian make the dress for her so that she could have it in a different color. Ten minutes later the other woman was satisfied enough to leave the store, and they all let out a sigh of relief. “Geez, Lou”, Jimmy said, “I thought she’d never leave”. Lou gave a weary snort as she moved to give Kid a short kiss. “You don’t know the half of it, Jimmy”, she sighed. “That woman has been in here for the better part of an hour. She just couldn’t make up her mind about what she wanted to do”, she explained. “Angel, I’m so sorry”, Kid said as he placed a kiss on her forehead. “Why don’t you sit down and eat before it gets any colder”. “That sounds great, but I have a feeling that this may be one of our busier days. They have a dance planned for next weekend”, Lou said wearily as she sat down to eat. “Women are going to be coming in all day”, she complained. “Want some help”, Jimmy asked. The idea of “Wild Bill Hickok” helping old women pick out dresees caused her to break out into a fit of laughter. “What’s so funny?”, Jimmy asked. He wasn’t sure if he should be offended or if he should join in. “Oh, nothing”, she said as her fit began to subside. “It’s just I can’t picture you helping some old lady pick out patterns and colors”she said causing her giggles to return. This brought out laughter from Buck and Kid. Jimmy actually looked a little hurt. “I could do that, Lou”, he pouted. “Yeah, I’m sure you can”, she said while trying to keep a straight face. “I can see it now”, Buck spoke up. “By the end of the day, there will several old women shot down in middle of the store for daring to disagree with “Wild Bill’s” pattern selection”, he finished. This sent Lou and Kid into another fit of laughter. Everyone was in hysterics, everyone except for Jimmy. “Oh, go to hell, all of ya”, he grumbled as he went upstaris to start packing Lou’s things. “Awww, Jimmy”, Lou called out. She felt bad but just couldn’t seem to stop laughing. “Jimmy”, Kid called. “Oh what do you want?”, Jimmy asked feeling annoyed at being the butt of their joke. “I still love you”, he said sweetly. This sent Buck and Lou over the edge and almost caused Lou to fall out of her chair as she doubled over in laughter. “Drop dead”, Jimmy shot back and stomped up the stairs. After several more minutes, the laughter faded into giggles and then giggles into occaisional hiccups. They could hear Jimmy stomping around upstairs, so Buck decided that he would go on up to help. “Buck, would you tell him that we’re sorry for laughing at him like that?”. Lou asked as he started up the steps. ”I’ll tell him”, he called back with the smile still easy to hear in his voice. “Oh, Kid, I feel terrible for pickin’ on him like that”, Lou said guiltily. “Yeah , but I’m sure Jimmy will be just fine. He knows that we were just having fun”, he said as he placed an arm around her. “Yeah, I guess”, she said quietly. “Lou, you haven’t eaten yet”, Kid fussed as he noticed her untouched food. “I know. I know. But sometimes the thought of eating makes me feel sick”, she said as she grimaced at the plate. “But Lou, you have to eat”, Kid chided her softly. “I know, Kid, and I will. I promise”, she replied. “Oh, before I forget. I was planning on stopping by Doctor Kincaid’s around lunchtime if you wanted to join me”, she said as she turned to face him. His eyes started to dance with excitement as he thought about actually being involved this time. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world”, he said softly and placed a kiss on her nose. It was then that the door opened and Mrs. Lilian entered with three other women following closely behind her. They were all trying to describe the dresses that they wanted at the same time. Lou sighed heavily as she got up to help Mrs. Lilian with the customers. “Don’t push yourself too hard, sweetheart”, Kid whispered in her ear. “I won’t”, she whispered back then she went to join the group. Kid then went upstairs to join Buck and Jimmy and help with the packing.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Good thing, Lou doesn’t have a lot of stuff”, Buck said absently.“Is she ready to go home, Kid”, Jimmy asked, but Kid was in his own world. He couldn’t stop thinking about Lou and the baby. Finally, Jimmy came up and shook him. “Kid!”, he shouted. Startled, Kid jumped a bit before responding, “Yeah, Jimmy?”. “Are you alright?”, Buck asked. “Yeah I’m fine”, he said feeling slightly embarrassed.. “What did you want?”, he asked. “I just wanted to know if Lou was ready to leave”, Jimmy asked as he went back to packing the last of Lou’s dishes. “Shit!”, Kid shouted as he remembered Lou’s appointment. “What time is it?”, he asked excitedly. Both Jimmy and Buck were shocked at the Kid’s reaction. “Ummm, it’s about 1:15”, Buck said cautiously. With that, Kid took off down the stairs. “Iwonder what’s gotten into him this time”, Buck asked in confusion. “I give up. He’s just crazy”, Jimmy replied as he went back to work. Kid ran down the steps so fast that he almost wasn’t able to stop before he would have completely ran Lou over. “Geez, Kid”, she gasped. “Sorry, Lou”, he said shakily, “Are you ready to go?”. “Yeah, I was just coming to get you”, she said as they headed for the door. “Are you sure everything’s alright”, Lou asked as they walked towards the doctor’s office. “Yeah, Lou, everything’s fine. I just lost track of time and got scared that you mighta left without me”, he said once again feeling a little embarrassed. Lou stopped, causing Kid to turn and look at her. “Kid, I’m not leaving without you ever again”, she said firmly and clearly. “Wherever I go from here on out, I’m takin’ you with me”, she said as he placed his hand on her still flat belly. The simple gesture knocked the air out of him. Lou gave him a quick smile and then took his hand and led him to the doctor’s office.
*Chapter Thirteen*
The visit went as smoothly as it could have. When it came time for Doctor Kincaid to check her, Kid became noticeably uncomfortable.“It’s alright, Kid”, Lou said as she squeezed his hand. “Mr….Ummm. Kid, you can wait outside if you wish”, Doctor Kincaid said sympathetically. “No, I’m fine”, Kid said firmly. “Nice old man or not, I ain’t leavin’ Lou in here with you down there”, he thought to himself. After the examination was finished, the doctor gave Lou a clean bill of health. “I don’t see what brought on this little visit, Ms. Louise”, he said he began to clean up, “I told you yesterday that I was expectin’ you in a few weeks, so what brought this about?”, he asked over his shoulder. “Well”, Lou started but hesitated in embarrassment. She looked quickly at Kid who only gave a shrug of his shoulders. “Ya see, Doctor. Kid and I…well, we umm….we were close with each other and we were wondering if….ya know…”, Lou trailed off as the humiliation of the situation made her want to disappear. “You were wondering if you mighta hurt something”, Doctor Kincaid finished for her. “Yeah, that’s it”, Kid answered for her. “Oh, don’t be embarrassed”, he said as he turned to look at the couple who seemed to be competing on who could turn the reddest. “You two aren’t the first to come to me with that question and you most certainly won’t be the last”, he continued. “Being close shouldn’t pose any problems as long as you aren’t being too rough about it and as long as you stop when she gets to be about seven or eight months”, he finished. They both let out a sigh of relief. At that, the doctor gave them a smile and went to place a hand on both of their shoulders. “Anything else I can help you with?”, he asked. “Well, actually there is one other thing”, Kid said softly. Lou’s head snapped up in surprise. “What else could he want to know?”, she wondered. “Lou’s supposed to be leavin’ to go back home with us tomorrow. Is it alright if she rides her on own horse or does she need a buckboard or something?”, Kid asked. “I never thought about that, Kid”, she said in amazement. “Will that be alright?”, she asked. “That’s a tough one”, Doctor Kincaid said truthfully. “To be honest with you, it depends. Obviously, a buckboard would the safest way to go, but I realize that might not be possible. But if you must ride your own horse, you can’t be doing any hard riding. I wouldn’t suggests anything over a soft trot at this or any other stage”, he said seriously. He went on to say, “I don’t want to scare either of you, but this is a delicate time. Any serious shocks or traumas could cause a lot of trouble”. “Keep in mind that you are completely capable of doing just about all of your normal daily and nightly tasks, but you just have to keep it all within reason and everything should be just fine”, he finished.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The couple left the doctor’s office a short while later. They both couldn’t get over just how well everything was going for them. As they passed a small diner, Kid remembered that Lou still hadn’t eaten. “Hey, Lou, think you might be ready to eat something now?”, he asked. At the mention of food her stomach became a little uneasy. He could tell by the look on her face that eating was still not a pleasant subject. “I know that you aren’t feeling that well, so I won’t push”, he started. “But you really do need to eat something”, he reminded her.“I know”, she sighed. “Maybe I could eat a little something”, she stated flatly. At her agreement, he couldn’t help but smile. “Why don’t you head on back to the shop and get off your feet”, he offered. “I’ll bring you your lunch”, he said as he placed a kiss on the back of her hands. “You are actually going to let me out of your sight”, Lou gasped in amazement. Kid just gave her an annoyed smirk before giving her a quick kiss. She giggled at him before she turned to walk back to the shop. “Lou, go straight back to the shop!”, Kid yelled after her. She playfully turned at stuck her tounge at him and then continued down the street. He couldn’t help but laugh at her silliness. “I love it when she’s happy like that”, he thought before he entered the diner to place their order. Lou was so happy. She was completely unaware of anything that was going on around her. It was only when she entered the shop that she noticed that something was strange. The drapes were all shut and there was no one in sight. “This is strange for the middle of what should be a very busy day”, she whispered to herself. “Mrs. Lilian?”, she called out in confusion. Only silence greeted her. Lou was starting to get an odd sensation that caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. She slowly began to search the shop for any signs of occupation. “Jimmy. Buck”, she called out in a louder voice. There were no sounds coming from her apartment either. Lou really began to feel uneasy and decided that it was time to leave. “Something just isn’t right”, she said to herself as she headed to door. She never made it. Her scream was cut short by a large, rough hand covering her mouth. It was as though he came from the shadows. Lou was absolutely terrified. One of her hands clawed at the hand that was covering her mouth while her other hand instinctively went to protect her baby.
*Chapter Fourteen*
“Now, Louise, I’m gonna take my hand away”, he whispered in her ear. “If you scream, I’m gonna have to hurt ya. Understand?”, he asked.Lou could only nod her head. He slowly removed his hand. The moment her mouth was free, Lou unleashed the loudest, most blood curdleling scream she could. Her attacker became furious. He spun her around to face him and then backhanded her across the face. Lou’s head snapped to the side from the force of the blow, and she fell to the ground in a heap. “Why did you make me do that!?!”, he screamed at her. Holding her jaw in one hand while still covering her stomach with the other, Lou looked up to catch a glimpse at her attacker. “What the hell do you want from me?”, Lou asked viciously. “Oh, Louise. I want you. Just you”, Sheriff Gregors said, suddenly appearing very calm and very sweet. He reached out to help her up, but Lou scooted away from him as quickly as she could. She quickly scrambled to her feet and continued to back away from him. “Louise, do not try to run from me”, he warned. “Then stop chasing me, you…you…weirdo!”, she screamed at him as she tried to crawl to somewhere safe. “Why do you insist on making this harder on yourself?”, he asked as he slowly stalked her. “Where is everyone?”, Lou asked while she continued to try to flee. “I had to make sure they wouldn’t interfere with our plans, Darlin’”, he said sweetly. “You really are insane”, she stated simply. “I’m just crazy in love with you”, he said with a smile. “No, you are just crazy”, Lou shot back. That seemed to rekindle his anger and he strode toward her quickly. There was no time for her to get away and nowhere to run. He grabbed her roughly by the arm and pulled her to stand close to him. “I will not tolerate much more of your attitude, Louise”, he growled. “Do I need to punish you again?”, he asked to remind her of what happened earlier. Lou didn’t bother to reply, but when he leaned in as if to kiss her, she quickly turned her head in disgust. She knew that he would not take kindly to her rejection, but she couldn’t bring herself to let him kiss her. He brought his hand up and squeezed her face so that her lips stuck out. He then leaned in and placed a forceful kiss on her mouth as she struggled against him. Lou waited until the right moment and then bit his bottom lip as hard as she could. While he howled in pain, she stomped on his foot with all her might. At this, his hold on her loosened enough for her to free herself. She took off at a dead run, but didn’t get very far before he caught up with her. He grabbed her as she made it to the counter. “You’re gonna pay for that, Louise”, he growled. She tried to prepare herself for the blow, but it never came. Instead, he pushed her. Lou couldn’t stop herself. She saw the counter coming at her, but she couldn’t avoid the collision. She heard the thump her head made as it encountered the counter’s edge. Then she heard nothing.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It was then that Kid returned with their lunches. Like Lou, he was blissfully unaware of what awaited him inside the shop. “Lou, I hope you’re still hungry”, he called to her as he walked through the door. It didn’t take him long to realize that something was wrong. An uneasy feeling took over him. “Lou”, he called out again, but again he got no response. He automatically reached for his gun but it wasn’t there. It dawned on him that in his enthusiasm to see Lou that morning, he’d accidentally left it on his nightstand. He let out a series of curses as he scanned the shop. He then saw her laying on the floor by the counter. Panic quickly took hold of him as he rushed to her. “Oh, God”, he whispered. He’d almost reached her when the first bullet sailed just over his head. “What the…”, he said as he dropped to the ground.“This is all your fault, boy!”, Gregors shouted at him. “You just couldn’t leave things alone, could ya?”, he continued to shout. “No, you just had to come in and try to take her away. You thought that you could rob me of what is rightfully mine. But you were wrong!”, he yelled as he moved to stand over Kid. “Louise is mine now, boy”, he said quietly. Kid looked up to see Gregors pointing a gun right at him. “This can not be happening”, Kid thought to himself. Both men were startled by Lou’d moans. Kid took advantage of Gregors distraction and kicked his legs out from under him. Gregors let off a wild shot as he fell backwards. Kid was on him in a flash and they began to roll around in a struggle over the gun. Lou was slowly coming around. She had no idea what was happening. All she knew was that her head was pounding and it was very hard to keep the room from spinning. It took her a few moments to come to her senses and then she noticed the struggle that was taking place in front of her. She struggled to her feet, clutching the countertop with all her might. “Kid”, she called out weakly. At hearing his name, Kid momentarily turned his head to look for her. Gregors took advantage and threw Kid off of him. Kid recovered quickly, but it was too late. Gregors had regained control of the gun. Kid scrambled to reach Lou. He would protect her with his last breath. Kid stood directly in between Lou and Gregors. “Are you alright, Lou?”, he asked without turning to face her. “I’m fine, Kid”, she answered weakly. “Alright, that’ll be enough of that”, Gregors cut in. “Just let her go, Gregors. We can settle this without her”, Kid said calmly. “No, I think she should see this”, Gregors said with a smirk. “Once she sees that you are dead, she’ll know that it’s over between you, and she’ll be mine”, he finished. “I’ll never be yours”, Lou said with all the strength she had. “We’ll just see about that”, he shot back as he took aim at Kid. It all happened quickly and all at once. The shop door opened, and Jimmy and Buck walked in. They both stopped short when they realized what was going on. Gregors was momentarily distracted by the interruption and turned to see who was coming in. He then quickly returned his attention back to the task at hand and fired. Kid closed his eyes in anticipation of the pain, but when it came, it was only the burning of flesh wound in his arm. A second shot rang out, and Gregors collapsed to the ground holding his right hand and wailing in agony. “He must be the worst shot I’ve ever met to miss me from that close”, Kid said on a nervous laugh. He turned to make sure that Lou was alright, but she was no longer behind him. It was then that he saw her crumpled on the floor in front of him. “Lou!”, he shouted, but she didn’t move. The blood was now forming a puddle beneath her, and Kid realized that Gregors wasn’t a bad shot. By jumping in front of him and taking the bullet, Lou had just saved his life, but it seemed to be at the cost of her own.
*Chapter Fifteen*
Buck and Jimmy could only stand in horror at the scene that had unfolded in front of them. Kid was on his knees searching frantically for any signs of life in Louise. Gregors was still moaning in pain at the gunshot wound in his hand.“Kid, is she…”, Buck dared to ask as he and Jimmy approached. “I-I don’t know”, Kid whispered. Panic and fear had stolen his voice. “There is just so much blood”, he said as he attempted to locate the wound. “Lou, Baby, come on”, Kid pleaded softly. “Somebody help me!”, Gregors shouted. Jimmy, who had remained silent up until then, suddenly erupted. “Help you? Help you?!?”, he shouted as he moved to stand over the now quivering sheriff. “The only way I’m gonna help you is into a wooden box, you sick son of a bitch!”, he yelled. He then intentially stepped on Gregors injured hand and ground it into the floor with his boot. This brought forth screams of agony from the sheriff which brought a slight smile to Jimmy’s face. “Jimmy!”, Buck called. “You ain’t helpin’ anything”, he said as he grabbed Jimmy by the arm and pulled him away from Gregors.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kid carefully lifted Louise into his arms. “Hold on, Angel”, he whispered softly to her. He then rushed her to the doctor’s office. Doctor Kincaid was in the middle of lunch when he burst through the door. Tears had now begun to run down Kid’s face. “You-You gotta help her, doc”, he said while never taking his eyes off of her.“Sweet Lord”, Doctor Kincaid gasped. “What happened?”, he asked as he showed Kid where to bring Lou. Kid explained what happened the best that he could while he gently laid Louise on the bed. She had turned deathly pale which made the fresh bruises on her face look even more ominous and her breathing was now shallow and ragged. Jimmy and Buck entered shortly aftterwards, with a whimpering Gregors in tow. They threw him into one of the office chairs. Buck stayed to watch Gregors while Jimmy slowly made his way to the back room where the doctor had just begun to examine Lou. “How is she?”, he asked quietly. He didn’t want to let on how bad he thought she looked, but her appearance scared the hell out of him. Looking at her made him squirm. “She’s gonna be fine, ain’t she, doc?”, Kid asked. He knew things looked bad, but he just couldn’t believe that this was happening to them. It was just a few hours ago that they were laughing and smiling. They were planning their futures together, and now she was lying there struggling to breathe. “I won’t lie to you, Kid”, Doctor Kincaid began. “I won’t know for sure until I examine her fully, but I think that you can see that this doesn’t look too promising”, he finished truthfully. “Why don’t the two of you wait out there while I complete my examination and I’ll let you know as soon as I know something”, he suggested. “I can’t leave her!”, Kid shouted. The very idea of leaving her alone when she needed him the most seemed insane. “Kid, calm down”, Jimmy said from the doorway. “I know you wanna be here for her, but you and I both know that the doctor can do his job a hell of a lot better if he doesn’t have to work around you”, he reasoned. “Son, if you really want to help, you’ll let me do my job”, the doctor said as he came to place a reassuring hand on Kid’s shoulder. “I promise that I will do everything I can to save both of them”, he said so that only Kid could hear. Kid took a deep breath and then he took hold of Lou’s clammy, limp hand. He softly kissed each of her fingers before kissing her gently on the forehead. “I’m not going far, sweetheart, and I’ll be back real soon”, he whispered, and then he reluctantly let Jimmy lead him out of the room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“How is she?”, Buck asked Jimmy.“I honestly don’t know, Buck”, he replied. “But to be honest, it doesn’t look to good right now”, he said quietly so only Buck could hear him. “How’s Kid?”, Buck asked. “I don’t know that either”, Jimmy said with a sigh. Kid moved a chair so that he could sit right outside of the examination room’s door. He never said a word. He just sat there staring at the door as if he could see through it. His eyes were glazed over and his face had grown pale and drawn. His friends were noticeably concerned but they didn’t dare approach him yet. “When is he gonna come look at my hand?”, Gregors complained. “Shut up!”, Buck and Jimmy yelled simultaneously. “What? She’s gonna be fine”, Gregors whined. Kid slowly got up from his seat and made his way to stand directly in front of Gregors. “You better pray that she’s alright”, he growled as he Gregors up so that they were eye to eye. He then moved in so close that there was barely an inch in between them. “Because if she dies, so will you”, Kid said quietly and truthfully. Everyone who heard him knew that he was deadly serious. No one dared move or speak. Jimmy and Buck just watched the situation tensely from across the room. They both stood ready to leap into action if Kid decided to act on his promise early. Neither of them could blame him, but they couldn’t let him hang for it. They all stood frozen in their poses for what seemd like an eternity until Doctor Kincaid emerged from the examination room. He was slightly shocked at the scene he walked in on. “Kid”, he called anxiously. Slowly, Kid released his grip on Gregors and turned to face the doctor. “Kid, may I speak with you privately?”, the doctor asked quietly. Everyone knew that this meant the news would not be good. Kid hesitated before following the doctor back into the examination room. He knew that he wasn’t going to want to hear what he had to say. Kid immediately took a seat next to Lou and took her hand into his. “How is she?”, Kid asked although he already knew the answer. “Not good, Kid”, Doctor Kincaid replied sadly. Tears began to fill Kid’s eyes and they overflowed as he asked, “Are they gonna die?”. The doctor was visibly shaken as he answered Kid’s question, “I don’t know”. “The bullet went clean through but it ricocheted off two of her ribs, cracking them both, and came dangerously close to hitting a major arterey. I think that is what saved you, the bullet hitting her ribs threw off the angle and caused it to just graze your arm. I still want to take a look at that later. But back to Louise. The loss of blood and the shock from that would have been more than enough to concern me, but on top of her other injury….it’s just hard to tell”, he added sadly. “What other injury?”, Kid asked in shock. “Oh, I guess in the confusion it was easy to miss, but Louise suffered a serious blow to the head”, he answered gently. “W-What? You mean the bruises?”, Kid stammered. “Oh, no. She suffered a more severe blow to the side of her head, right below the hairline. It looks as though she fell and hit her head or perhaps was hit by someone. I’m afraid Lousie is gonna have to answer that one when she wakes up”, he answered optimistically. “So, you still think ther’s a chance she’s gonna wake up”, Kid asked with new found hope. “I think that at this time it’s important that we all stay positive. It’s always been my opinion that people in need find strength in the strength of their loved ones. She’s gonna need you to be strong for her now if she’s gonna get through this”, he replied reassuringly. “I’m gonna leave the two of you alone”, he said quietly. He came to place a hand on Kid’s shoulder and reminded him quietly, “Remember, be strong. Let her know how much she’s loved and needed here”. Then he was gone.
*Chapter Sixteen*
Kid sat there for a while just watching the slow rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. The sight comforted him because he knew that as long as there was breath there was hope. He then started whispering to himself, “Just be strong” over and over again until he felt that he could talk to her without breaking down. “Hey, Lou”, he began. He thought it best to keep his tone as normal as possible. “Well, this is a tough one, but I know that you’ll make it. You have to. I mean what other choice do you have, really? You can’t leave me here alone”. Kid stood so that he he could make a place for himself to sit on her bed. Once he was sure that he wouldn’t hurt her, he gently sat next to her. He took both of her hands in his and held them against his heart as he leaned over to talk to her face to face. “I mean let’s be honest here, Lou. We both know that I need ya here. What would I do without you? What would I do without you here to keep me on my toes? What would I do if I didn’t have you to worry about all the time ? What would I do if I didn’t have your hand to hold under the table?”. The emotions that Kid had been trying so hard to control were threatening to overcome him as thoughts of what his life would be like without her took over his mind. His eyes once again filled with tears as he asked her, “What would I do if I couldn’t hear your voice? See your face? Oh, Lou, what would I do if I couldn’t touch you? Kiss you? Hold you?”. Tears began to fall in earnest now as he turned his gaze to ceiling and sent his voice to the heavens. “God, I know you can hear me. Maybe I don’t deserve her. Maybe I don’t deserve the life we planned together, but I can’t be without her. I can’t. I need to laugh with her. I need to fight with her. I need to cry with her. I need to raise a family and grow old with her. So I’m here and I’m ready to do whatever it takes to save her. I’m ready to beg, bargain, bleed, and die for her, for them. Whatever it takes. Just please, God, please don’t take her, don’t take them, not now”.Kid couldn’t stop himself from weeping openly for a few minutes even though he didn’t want to. He struggled with himself to regain his composure. The words “Be strong” kept running through his mind until he was finally able to get control again. He then slowly rose to stand over her. His joints and muscles were stiff and sore from sitting in one position for too long. Kid placed his hand over Lou’s stomach where he knew that their baby still grew. He then leaned over to whisper to his child, “Hey, Little One. I’m sure you know that mommy’s not feeling so good right now. She’s gonna need a lot of help to get better. Don’t you worry though. I’m gonna do my part out here. I’m gonna stay right by her side and I’m gonna keep telling her just how much we love and need her. But I’m gonna need your help too. You’re in there with her, so you gotta be strong for her too. You gotta help mommy fight, alright. Don’t let her give up on us, deal?”. Somehow talking to his child made him feel better, like he had inside help. “Well, we still have a few more months before we can shake on it, so I’m gonna take your word for it”. When he finished talking to the baby he noticed that he’d actually begun to smile a little. He also noticed that the sun had begun to set and it had grown cooler in the room. He slowly rose from the bed to search for a lamp. Once he’d lit the lamp, he went in search for the blanket. When he found one, he carefully placed it over her and took his place back in the chair. He held her hand in his and placed his other hand over her belly. He sat there just content to watch her breathe again. Before he knew it, he had drifted off into a light sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
He awoke with a start a short while later. Confusion swept over him because for the first few moments he couldn’t remember where he was. Memories of what happened flooded back and his gaze shot to Lou’s face to look for any signs of change, but there were none. There was a soft knock at the door before it opened. Doctor Kincaid walked in quietly and went to check on his patient.“There hasn’t been any change yet, Doc”, Kid said softly. “Well, that’s to be expceted. She’s been though a lot”, Doctor Kincaid replied as he contined to examine Lou. “You know it’s been my experience that in cases like these the body is just taking the time it needs. She’ll wake up when she’s ready”, he finished. “In the mean time, it might be a good idea for you to get some rest yourself. It won’t do for her to wake up and you be too tired to celebrate”, he went on cheerfully. “Thanks but I’m fine. I just want to be ready when she wakes up”, Kid said trying to sound convincing, but he couldn’t keep the exhaustion out of his voice. “How about this, I have an extra bed in the spare room over there. Why don’t you help me bring it in here and we’ll set it up right next to her’s. That way you can lie right next to her”, the doctor offered. Kid would never admit it, but the chair was killing him. The thought of a bed to lie was appealing, and the fact that he would be able to lie next to her made it irresistable. “Alright, you talked me into it”, Kid agreed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Doctor Kincaid finished his check up while Kid set his bed up. “I’ll be back to check on her later. Your friends have been waiting to see her. Should I send them in?”, he asked as he got to the door.“Sure. The more people telling her to wake up the better”, Kid said as he finished putting the blankets on the extra bed. He then returned to take his seat in the chair next to Lou. Jimmy came to stand in the doorway shortly after the doctor walked out. He was unsure of whether or not to enter the room, so he simply stood there until Kid spoke to him. “It’s alright, Jimmy. You can come in”, he said from his seat next to Lou. Jimmy hesitated before he slowly made his way to stand over Lou. He still couldn’t get over what had happened to her. The sight of her still made him very uneasy, so he simply stood there staring at her with his arms crossed. Her bruises stood out sharply in contrast with her pale skin. She wasn’t moving and he found it hard to tell if she was breathing. Looking at her was making him nervous. “Kid, is she alright?”, her asked . “I know it looks bad, Jimmy. Actually it is bad. But we have to keep believing that she will be alright. She needs us to be strong for her”, Kid replied softly. Jimmy gave a shaky nod of his head before he moved to lean against the countertop across the room. Kid decided that now would be the best time to get answers to the questions that had been plaguing him since he walked through the dress shop door and into his worst nightmare. He placed a kiss on Lou’s hand and moved to stand close to Jimmy. “Jimmy, I gotta know what happened after we left. Where were you and Buck?”, Kid asked quietly. He didn’t want to let his emotions get the better of him again and cause Jimmy to think that he was accusing or blaming him for anything. For a while he was angry at everyone, including himself, but he had calmed down a lot since then and now felt that he was ready to really talk about what happened. Jimmy knew the question was coming. He actually thought it would have come up by now. And the fact that Kid wasn’t screaming and angry came as a total surprise. “Maybe he really has gone crazy”, he thought to himself. “Kid remember that me and Buck stayed and finished packing. Then we went to take some of Lou’s things to the post office so that we could have them mailed to the station instead of trying to carry them ourselves. Then we stopped and had some lunch at the hotel”, Jimmy explained just as calmly. “What happened to Mrs. Lilian?”, Kid asked. “She showed up here a little while ago. She said that Deputy Redness showed up and said that there had been trouble at her place, so of course she closed up and went home. She said she left a note for Louise.But of course there was nothing going on at her place. It was just a trap to get her out of the store. She’s really upset about all this”, Jimmy replied while looking toward the examination room door where a very worried looking Mrs. Lilian stood crying silently. “Maybe we should let her in?”, Jimmy asked. “Yeah, ummm, Jimmy you can send her in”, Kid said as he walked back over to sit by Lou again. He leaned over to whisper in her ear, “Angel, Jimmy’s bringing Mrs. Lilian to see ya. I think it’d be nice if you would wake up and talk to her. She’s really shaken up by what happened. It might make her feel better if you showed us you were alright”. He got no response. Kid stood to greet the older woman as she entered the room. “Oh, Kid, I’m so sorry”, she cried as she embraced him tightly. “I shouldn’t have left”, she sobbed. “No, no. This wasn’t your fault. Besides you had to go and make sure that everything was alright at home. None of this was your fault”, Kid said softly. He felt so bad for the woman. She was so kind to everyone. She didn’t deserve this. He decided to reassure her as much as he could without out and out lyling. “Why don’t you come sit next to her?”, he said as he led her to the chair next to Lou’s bed. “Oh my”, Mrs. Lilian gasped as she got a close look at Lou for the first time. “I know it looks bad, but she’s gonna be fine. You gotta believe that”, Kid said as he kneeled beside her and once again took hold of Lou’s hand. “Yes, she’s gonna be just fine”, Mrs. Lilian said firmly. “We’ll have it no other way”, she said with a smile in Kid’s direction.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Mrs. Lilian stayed for a while longer. It was only when Buck pointed out how late it had gotten that she realized that she had to get home. Jimmy offered to take her because he needed to get away from the reality of what was going on in the doctor’s office. Doctor Kincaid returned shortly after Mrs. Lilian and Jimmy left to check on Lou’s condition. Buck informed Kid that Gregors had been treated as was locked away in jail where he had been keeping a close eye on him. He had left only long enough to pick up something to eat and bring Kid some dinner. At the mention of Gregor’s name Kid felt his blood begin to boil. Buck could see that Kid was losing it again so he decided it would be best to change the subject to something that might calm him. The first thing that came to mind was Lou.“How’s Lou?”, Buck asked. At the mention of her name Kid’s attention imeediately shifted back to the woman he loved more than his next breath. “Actually”, Doctor Kincaid began, “she’s looking better. She’s regaining some color and her wounds appear to be beginning to heal”, he finished cheerfully. “So, she should be waking up any time now?”, Kid asked excitedly. “Like I said earlier, she will wake when she’s ready”, Doctor Kincaid replied simply. “But it’s looking better”, he added with a smile. Kid felt like a weight was slowly being lifted from his chest. “Well, I think I’ll be heading back to the jailhouse”, Buck said as he went to give Kid a quick pat on the back. “Let me know if anything changes”, Buck said as headed for the door. “You too. I want to know the second you find that deputy or if something comes up with that bastard of a sheriff”, Kid shot back.
*Chapter Seventeen*
It had begun to get very late. Jimmy had returned from dropping Mrs. Lilian off. He stopped by to let Kid know that he was going over to the jailhouse to sit with Buck. When he left, Doctor Kincaid came back to to check on Lou one more time and to let Kid know that he was going home for the night. He and his wife lived above the office, so he would be close just in case Lou or Kid needed him. Once everyone was gone for the night, Kid decided to climb into the spare bed to rest. He didn’t think that he’d be able to sleep, but he at least wanted to be more comfortable while he waited for her to open his eyes. He climbed in the bed and turned to lie on his side facing her.He got as close as he dared without the threat of hurting her. He placed one arm above her head so that he could rest his head on his bicep and still stroke her face and hair with his hand. He then placed his other arm across her waist. He decided to talk to her some more. He didn’t know how much it was helping her, but talking to her was keeping him sane. “I guess I can’t be mad at ya for wanting to sleep. You’ve been through a lot today. Any other day I’d be glad for just about any reason that let me be close to ya like this, but I’m afraid that this isn’t any other day, and this really isn’t the best reason. So any time you feel like waking up, feel free. I’ll be right here waiting”, Kid spoke softly and sincerely.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
True to his word Kid never left her side. For the next three days, he kept a vigil in the chair by her bed during the day and in the bed by her side at night. On the third night, Kid could actually feel the exhaustion taking over. He didn’t know how long he’d been lying there listening to the soft whisper of her breathing. He just layed there holding her and staring at her face in the dark. Next thing he knew, he was asleep. He was having the most wonderful dream. He and Lou had a home on a ranch that stretched into the horizon. He was leaving the corral where he had been training a new stock of horses that he would sell for a hefty fee in the coming months.He heard a child’s voice calling to him, “Daddy! Daddy!”. He looked up to find a young boy running toward him. When he got close enough, Kid noticed that the boy had his eyes. This was his son. He reached down and lifted the boy into his arms for a big hug. The child reached his still chubby arms around Kid’s neck to return the hug with equal intensity. “Momma’s callin’ for ya, Daddy”, the boy said seriously when the hug ended. “Is everything alright?”, Kid asked with concern. “Yeah, she just wanted you to come in for supper”, the boy replied with a grin. As Kid approached the house, he saw Lou standing on the porch holding a baby in her arms. He climbed the stairs in two big strides and gently stood his son on the ground next to him. He quickly took Lou into his arms and began to kiss any place on her that he could still reach. He stopped when he heard the fussing of the baby who was now in between them. He stepped back to gaze down in the face of the most beautiful little girl he’d ever seen. Although she was clearly unhappy with the lack of consideration she had been given, Kid would still argue that she was the most beautiful girl ever born, well next to her mother. When she opened her eyes, he was taken aback at just how much they were like Lou’s. This was his family. This was the life that he wanted. This was a dream that came to an all too sudden end.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kid was startled awake by the quiet but insistent moans of the woman beside him. He got up and lit the lamp so that he could get a good look at her. He wanted to make sure that she was actually waking up and that this wasn’t just some wonderful dream. “Lou?”, he called softly. “Lou, sweetheart, come on. Open those eyes for me”, he continued. He began to stroke her face gently as she continued to become more agitated. “Lou it’s alright, baby. I’m here and you’re fine. Both of you are fine, so just open you eyes”, Kid pleaded. It took a few more moments before he saw it, the flickering of her eyes. She continued to moan and move. He was beginning to worry that she would hurt herself further if she continued to get more agitated. He took her flailing hands in his and leaned down so that their noses almost touched. “Lou, open your eyes”, he said gently but firmly. And to his amazement she did.“God, Lou, are you alright?”, Kid asked in amazement. She was actually awake. “Kid?”, she said so softly that he barely heard it because her voice was hoarse and faint from lack of use. ”Yeah, Angel, it’s me. I’m here just like I said I would be”, Kid replied excitedly. He was so overcome with joy and relief that he was almost speechless. He wanted to cry from the happiness he felt. “Lou, can I get you some water?”, he asked as it dawned on him how thirsty she must be. He and doctor Kincaid took turns during the day feeding her broth, but that had been hours ago. Lou just gave a slow nod of her head. Kid got up and returned with a cup of cool water. He carefully helped her raise her head and take sips from the cup. When she had finished the water, he asked if she wanted more, but she shook her head signaling “no”. Her head fell back against the pillow in exhaustion..The simple act had tired her out. Kid placed the cup on the counter and returned to her side. “Lou, you had us all worried about ya”, he chided her playfully. “Sorry”, she whispered back with a smile. “Are you feeling alright? Do you need the doctor?”, Kid asked with concern. She had begun to look flushed again and it made him nervous. She shook her head “no” again before whispering, “Just tired”. She was still struggling to keep her eyes open but it was a losing battle. “It’s alright, Angel. Rest now”, he whispered to her as he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. She fell back asleep with his blessing. Kid wanted to dance, to shout, to run through the streets exclaiming his joy, but he settled for putting out the lamp and crawling back in his bed to lie next to her. This time when he curled around her, she snuggled into his embrace. Kid slept soundly for the first time in days.
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