Have a Little Faith
Louise McCloud stormed out of the bunkhouse, her dark eyes flashing, and pixyish features determinedly set. She mounted her horse, Lightning, in one fluid motion and grabbed the mochilla from Buck Cross's hand. The Kiowa shouted a greeting as he reined in his own steed and dismounted. Lou's only response was a cloud of dust as she spurred her horse into motion.
Buck watched her disappearing form for a few moments before he turned around and realized he was not the only one who was watching Lou ride away. The Kid stood in the open doorway of the bunkhouse with an angry expression on his face.
He knew without asking that the two lovebirds fighting again and he sighed. Buck wished the two of them could get past their differences and just enjoy loving each other. He knew better than to ask Kid about what made them quarrel this time, because he knew how the chestnut haired rider would react to the question. He gave Kid a quick nod, gathered Racing Moon's reins up and led his horse to the barn.
Lou made good time reaching Ft. Laramie. She delivered the pouch she carried to the commanding officer, retrieved the missives he wanted sent to Washington D.C., and decided to stroll through town to kill a few hours before the other rider arrived from Blue Creek.
She stopped at a restaurant and got something to eat. The meal of sliced ham, fried potatoes, biscuits, and apple turnovers was tasty, but the dishes were not nearly as good as Emma's was. After finishing her food, Lou went window-shopping. She was passing a ladies dress shop when her eyes caught sight of a pair of knitted lace gloves. They were white in color with embroidered flowers lining the edge of them. Lou knew she had to buy them. She slipped into the store and bought the gloves before she could talk herself out of the purchase. It was some time later before she headed back to Sweetwater. She had not gone far when two masked men confronted her. Lou felt her heart speed up as one brandished a gun and ordered, "Hand over the pouch, son."
Lou contemplated her chances of getting out of the situation alive without giving up the mochilla. Two against one were not bad odds if she had had some inclination someone was following her, or that she was about to be held up, but they had already gotten the drop on her. Still, she was not about to give the pouch up without a fight.
"Alright, I'll give it to you," she told the two gunmen as she reached for the mochilla with her left hand, while her right hand settled on the butt of her gun. She simultaneously threw the pouch at one of the men while she drew her gun with the other and shot the second man. She spurred Lightning into motion and the black gelding darted past the two masked me on horses. Lou heard another shot ring out and felt a burning sensation spread throughout her lower back and left side, and then she was falling, falling, falling…
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The Kid sat on the top rail of the corral fence, shading the sun from his eyes, scanning the trail in the distance. Lou should have arrived back at the station by now, and it was not like her to be late; she knew they would worry about her. Something had to have detained her from leaving Ft. Laramie, or else she would be in Sweetwater already.
He knew that no matter what was going on between them, that Lou would never purposely stay away and allow the others to worry about her safety. He tried not to let his thoughts get too melancholy for fear of how crazy they would make him.
"Any sign of her?" Jimmy Hickok asked as he joined the Kid at the corral.
"No," Kid said curtly, not wanting to get into another argument with the dark-haired rider over Lou.
"She probably just got a late start back." Jimmy leaned against the fence and gazed up at the darkening horizon. He was concerned over the female rider's delay too, but he was not about to tell Kid that. "There's no use in borrowing trouble where there's none to start with, Kid. Lou can handle herself as well as the rest of us. She'll likely turn up at any time."
Hickok walked away without saying another word. He was not interested in starting another fight with Kid, anymore than he knew the other rider wanted to get into one with him.
Throughout the rest of the afternoon and well into night, Kid had been unusually quiet. Even Cody's good-natured jokes around the supper table could not evoke more than just a smile from him, though the rest of the PX family roared with laughter. He had been the first one to hit his bunk for the night, but the last one to fall asleep. He could not stop thinking about Lou.
His sleep was a restless one, filled with a lot of tossing and turning, as images of Lou's face and pleading eyes danced before his own. Finally, when he found he could not take it any longer, Kid got out of bed. He dressed quietly so as not to awaken the other riders and slipped out onto the porch. He stared out into the night and wondered where Lou was.
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Lou awoke with a start as something wet and rough stroked across her face. She was shrouded in darkness and there was a large, dark shape looming over her. She let out a gasp, tried to sit up, instantly regretting the sudden motion as agonizing pain shot through her lower back, and left side. Her breath came in gasps as she tried to figure out where she was. She remembered leaving Ft. Laramie, being held up, a burning sensation in her back, followed swiftly by her falling. She realized now that she had been shot by the masked men and fallen off Lightning's back.
She did not know how long she had lain on the ground, but it had to have been a couple of hours since darkness had fallen. She began to struggle into a sitting position again and saw the looming shape shift to one side of her. Light from the scattered stars in the night sky overhead shone down onto the familiar silhouette of Lightning.
"I'm going to need your help boy to get back to Sweetwater," Lou crooned to the horse, reaching her right hand out for the horse's dangling reins.
She gripped the leather straps and was relieved when Lightning held still. Gritting her teeth against the pain that swept over her torso, Lou pulled herself into a standing position. It took her several attempts to climb up into the saddle and gather the reins up. Before spurring Lightning into motion, Lou withdrew the handkerchief from around her neck. She tied it firmly around her waist, hoping to staunch the flow of blood she could feel pooling in the waist of her denims.
"Home, Lightning, take me home," she kicked the black gelding into motion and was grateful when he headed down the path in the direction of Sweetwater.
Lou was finding it harder and harder to stay awake, let alone sit up in the saddle. Her breath was coming in shallow intakes; perspiration covered her forehead, and dripped down into her eyes, stinging them. The grip she held onto Lightning's reins had slackened considerably, but the faithful steed did not seem to notice. He continued on his steady way toward Sweetwater, eager to get his mistress the help she needed.
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Kid watched the sun slowly ascend toward its resting place in the sky. He could hear movement and voices coming from inside the bunkhouse and knew the others were awake. He rose from his perch on the porch steps and turned to go inside, when something caught his attention out of the corner of one eye. He paused in motion to gaze more fully toward the horizon where a black blob was beginning to form a familiar shape.
Lightning. Kid's heart began to pound, and his pulse raced as the horse drew nearer and he began to make out Lou's limp body, which was draped over the black steed's saddle.
"Lou!" Kid jumped off the porch and raced to head off the horse and help Lou.
"Whoa, boy, whoa."
Lightning responded to the commands of the familiar voice and slowed to a walk giving Kid the opportunity to grab his reins. He brought the horse to a stop and turned his attention immediately to the injured rider in time to see Lou begin to slide out of the saddle. Kid grabbed her around the waist, eliciting a moan from Lou, as he swept her up into his arms and ran toward the bunkhouse.
"Open the door!" he called out as he raced up the bunkhouse steps.
The door was opened by Ike McSwain, whose countenance changed from a cheery expression to one filled with alarm as he took in the bloodied form of Louise McCloud in the Kid's arms.
*What happened?* Ike signed, stepping back out of the doorway to allow Kid entrance into the bunkhouse.
His words were echoed by the other riders as Kid brushed past them and laid Lou on top of Buck's bed. He immediately began to prod Lou's body as he tried to find out where the source of the blood soaking through her clothes.
"I'll go get the doctor," Buck volunteered, exiting the bunkhouse.
"Someone needs to get Emma and Teaspoon," Jimmy said, volunteering himself for the job, before following Buck out of the bunkhouse.
Ike left to take care of Lighting, while Cody gathered up towels, a basin of water, and soap, and carried it back over to Buck's bed. By that time, Kid had untied the soiled handkerchief from around her waist, and managed to slip Lou's shirt free from her denims. He noted a dime size limp just beneath the surface above her left hip and wondered what was causing it.
"Cody, help me turn her over onto her side," he directed the blonde rider.
Cody quickly set down the items he had carried over onto the bureau and helped Kid roll Lou onto her right side. She cried out in pain and both men winced, but did not stop their ministrations. By the time Emma and Teaspoon arrived, they had cleaned up the blood, and were applying pressure to stop the flow of blood.
"What happened?" Emma asked, rushing into the bunkhouse with Teaspoon and Jimmy on her heels.
"Lou's been shot," Kid explained, while Cody moved away from the bunk to allow Emma access to Lou.
Emma settled carefully onto the side of the bed and helped Kid strip away the now soiled towel he and Cody had placed against the seeping wound with a fresh one.
"We're going to need more towels." Emma said, handing the soiled one to Teaspoon for disposal. "Jimmy go over to my house and get some more."
"Alright, Emma," Jimmy hurried out of the bunkhouse on his mission for Emma.
"Sure hope Buck gets back here soon with Doc Danes," Worry lined Teaspoon's face as he gazed down upon the too still, injured Lou.
"Me too," Kid's heart pounded in his chest as he helped Emma keep pressure on Lou's wound as they worked to stop the blood from flowing, his eyes never leaving the female rider's pale face.
Time seemed to pass all too slowly for the worried riders, housekeeper, and stationmaster, while they waited for their Kiowa friend to arrive back at the station with the doctor. By the time they heard the sound of pounding hooves in the yard, followed by footsteps on the porch of the bunkhouse, Emma and Kid had changed two more soiled towels.
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"It's about time, Buck," Jimmy snapped when the Kiowa entered the bunkhouse with Doc Danes on his heels.
"Doc wasn't at his place, so I had to go look for him," Buck explained defensively as Doc Danes brushed past him and over to the bunk where Lou lay.
"Come on, boys; let's give the Doc room to tend to Lou." Teaspoon ushered the protesting riders out of the bunkhouse.
"Emma, I'm going to need your help," Doc Danes requested when the housekeeper rose to leave too.
"Just tell me what you need, Doc," Emma readily agreed, her troubled brown eyes on Lou's limp form.
"I'm going to need a basin and some hot water to start," Doc Danes instructed as he began to strip Lou's shirt off her body.
Emma moved to the sink, filling a teakettle with water, and setting it on the stove to heat up. She then retrieved the same basin they used earlier, to clean Lou up, while they waited for the doctor to arrive. She dumped the dirty water out, washed the basin out, and then dried it. She had just moved to check to see if the water in the teakettle was hot enough when she heard the doctor let out an exclamation.
"Oh dear, Doc Danes exclaimed as he discovered that Lou wasn't a teenage boy as he thought, but a young woman.
Emma turned away from the stove in response to the doctor's quiet exclamation. Seeing that he had managed to remove Lou's shirt and unwound the strips of cloth the female rider used to bind herself up with, and rushed to speak.
"Doc, you can't say anything about Lou not being a boy," She said quickly.
"I'm not in the business of disclosing people's private affairs," Doc Danes assured her as he continued with his examination.
The housekeeper felt relief flood through her as she turned back to her assigned task. Lou deserved a chance to make her own way in the world, however she chose to do it, and Emma was not about to let her secret get out. The fact the female rider had entrusted the other riders and her was something she treasured carefully. Lou was not capable of making the request that the doc keep her secret, so Emma had done it for her.
As soon as the hot water was ready, Emma moved back to the doctor's side. Doc Danes quickly washed his hands with carbolic acid, cleaned around the wound, and set to work retracting the bullet.
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Time ticked slowly by for those waiting on the bunkhouse porch to find out how Lou was. Occasionally they would hear the doctor instruct Emma to do something, or heard Lou let out an agonizing moan.
It took everything inside of Kid not to barge into the bunkhouse to see what was happening to Lou. He paced back and forth, images of Lou flittering through his mind, and tried to have faith that Lou was going to okay. Finally, the door opened and the doctor stood in the doorway drying his hands on a towel.
"I've successfully removed the bullet from Lou's back. It does not appear to have struck any vital organs. He's lost a lot of blood and is still unconscious."
"Is he going to be all right?" Kid asked.
"He's young and healthy so there's a strong possibility that he'll recover, but with how much blood he's lost; only time will tell."
"Can we see him?" Jimmy inquired.
"For a couple of minutes," Doc Danes said, "The more rest he gets the better off his chances are for a full recovery."
Kid was the first rider to brush past the doctor into the bunkhouse. Lou looked even paler than she had a short time before, lying against the white sheets of Buck's bed. His chest tightened painfully.
The others fanned out around the bunk where Lou lay. None of them spoke as they each contemplated the possibility of losing Lou.
Doc Danes broke the silence a few moments later. "Someone needs to stay with him at all times for the next couple of days. I have left a packet of pain medication with Emma to be doled out to Lou once he is awake. If there is any sign of an infection or a fever, I want someone to come and get me immediately." He closed his bag and started toward the door.
"I'll walk you out Doc," Teaspoon said and the two men left the bunkhouse.
"I'll stay with Lou," Kid volunteered as he sat down in a chair next to the bunk.
"The rest of you boys go tend to the morning chores while I start breakfast," Emma instructed Cody, Ike, Buck, and Jimmy.
Reluctantly the other four riders did as they Emma requested. Kid picked up one of Lou's hands and brushed his lips across it. "You've got to be all right Lou. I need you to be all right."
Emma placed a hand on his shoulder. "Lou's going to be just fine. You just need to have a little faith."
"I'm trying, Emma," Kid replied softly. "She just looks so weak and pale lying there."
"I know she does, but you heard what the doc said. Lou is young and healthy. She's going to pull through this."
Lou stirred on the bed, drawing both Kid and Emma's attention. Her brown eyes fluttered open a moment later. It took another moment or two for her to realize that she had an audience and turned her head to see Kid and Emma watching her.
"W-what happened?" She asked weakly.
"You were shot," Kid told her.
Lou's eyes closed again shortly as her mind replayed the events leading up to her being shot. "Two men…trail…wanted mochilla…was going to kill me…I threw it…and kicked Lightning into a gallop….last I remember…'til now."
"Lightning deserves an extra scoop of oats," Emma told her with a smile. "For getting you back here where we could take care of you."
"Yes, he does," Kid, agreed.
"Hw bad…is it?" Lou shifted on the bunk, trying to find a more comfortable position, and winced as pain shot through her body.
"Lie still," Emma, cautioned as she retrieved the pain medication that the doctor had left from on top of the bureau. She walked over to the sink and took down a glass out of the cupboard. She filled it with water, dumped some of the medicine into it, stirred it, and then walked back over to the bunk. She handed the glass to Kid who helped Lou to drink it down.
Lou grimaced as the bitter medication slid down her throat. "Ugh, that's awful."
Kid grinned. "I don't think it's supposed to taste good."
"Wound…how bad is it Kid?"
"Doc said it didn't hit any organs, but you lost a lot of blood. You are going to be all right Lou," Kid assured her.
"Nice to know," Lou said and promptly fell back to sleep, as the pain medication took affect.
Even though she was not completely out of the woods yet, Kid felt some measure of relief fill him now that Lou had awakened. She still had a long way to go before she recovered from her injury, but knowing that she had at least regained consciousness, was aware of where she was and what had happened to her, made his faltering faith strengthen. Emma had told him that he needed to have faith that Lou was going to be all right, and it appeared that she had been right. Faith did not come easily to him, but if it meant that Lou would not be taken from him, Kid was going to exercise it a little bit more.