Chapter 34
Kid pushed the door open, and stepped inside as the bell announcing a newcomer resounded above his head. There were a few men inside the store, and they greeted the Southerner politely. In just the week he had been in Seneca, the locals already knew who he was, since almost everybody knew Lou. Kid just tilted his head in response to the greeting, and kept a serious face as his eyes scanned the place, trying to locate his wife. Jack was behind the counter, transferring a sack from his shoulders onto the big scales, and after checking its weight, he exchanged a few words with the customer he was assisting.
As Kid did not see Lou, he rounded the counter, and decidedly walked to the small office she sometimes worked in, but he found it empty. Worry settled in his heart as he retraced his steps to the store. Lately he was very distressed since three days after their visit to the doctor, Lou still did not feel any better, and he was beside himself with sheer worry. The Southerner had never seen Lou sick before; he remembered she had a slight cold once, which had not kept her from her responsibilities around the station, and the few times she had been shot, she had been back on her feet in no time. Lou was always so full of energy, and it was so unlike her to feel this poorly for so many days.
Jack was still talking to the same customer, but Kid could not wait, and had to break in. "Excuse me," he said, tilting his head to the two men in a silent apology. "Where's my wife, Jack?"
"She wasn't feeling well, and said she'd lie down for a while."
"Thanks," Kid muttered. If Lou had voluntarily decided to leave work suddenly and rest, that meant she was feeling quite sick. Kid dashed to the staircase, taking two steps at a time.
As the Southerner approached the bedroom he and Lou shared, he could hear weak sounds as if somebody was crying. He hurried his steps, and when he walked into the room, he saw Louise curled into ball lying in bed, and sobbing uncontrollably. Theresa was standing at the foot of the bed, holding a steaming cup in her hands, and trying to talk to Lou, but her voice got drowned among her sister's loud wails.
Kid marched into the bedroom, and sat on the edge of the bed. "Lou…" he whispered, gently stroking her side up and down.
Louise lifted her red, watery eyes to her husband. "Where were you?"
"You asked me to go to the church and take the boxes with all the stuff you won't take with you to Fort Kearney," Kid explained, softly caressing her tear-streaked face. "Remember?"
Lou nodded slowly, but almost at the same time she let out a loud yelp, and gasping sobs racked her body again. Her arms reached for Kid, bringing him down against her, and hugging him desperately. "Oh my God, it hurts so much!"
Kid shifted his body, and carefully maneuvered her so that she was cocooned in his lap comfortably. His arms wrapped around her petite body, and his hand stroked her short hair over and over again. "I know, honey."
"I can't stand the pain, Kid!" she sobbed. "I can't! I can't! It's never been like this before!"
Kid sighed in sheer frustration. It broke him to see Lou like this, and he could not do a thing to help her. "Have you been sick as well today?" Kid felt Lou's head nod against his chest as she continued weeping.
"Louise, honey, why don't you take your tea? It always makes you feel better," Theresa said.
"I don't want anything! Nothing makes me feel better! Nothing!" Louise cried loudly, shaking her head at the same time.
Kid slightly pulled away, and putting his index finger under her chin, he lilted her head to him. "Lou, you heard the doctor. You need to drink as often as possible, and you have to eat some too. Please, honey, don't be so stubborn in this."
Louise nodded reluctantly. Kid beckoned Theresa to hand him the cup, and then he helped Lou to drink the strong-smelling tea from Jack's uncle. She took small sips at a time, and when she finished, she was calmer. "Are you feeling better?" Kid asked.
"I guess," Louise replied weakly, wiping her mouth with a napkin.
"Why don't you take a nap now?" Kid suggested.
Louise nodded, and lay back down on the bed. Kid covered her body with a blanket, and stooped to kiss her forehead softly. Louise closed her eyes, and Kid stood there for a bit, watching her. Noticing the way her arm sneaked under the blanket and her body curled, Kid knew she was still racked by pain, but she was just trying to be brave, and stifle her moans.
Kid walked out of the bedroom, followed by Theresa. As he closed the door, he kept thoughtful, still holding the knob in his hand. Theresa's voice snapped him out of his pensive manner, and brought him back to earth. "Kid?"
"This ain't right, Tessie."
"What do you mean?"
"Lou ain't feeling any better, and I'm worried," Kid said. "I'm gonna bring Dr. Hill here now."
"Yes, the doctor needs to see her again," Theresa agreed. "Lou's never been this sick before, and you know my sister never complains for just the sake of it."
"Yes, that's what worries me," Kid muttered.
Theresa tapped his shoulders, and smiled wryly. She could not say anything to comfort Kid because she was also concerned about Lou's health. From time to time Lou had complained about her stomach because of her past problems, but this was nothing like her usual ailments. Theresa just hoped that she could get better soon, because it was so hard to see her vibrant, full-of-life sister almost turned into nothing.
Making a supernatural effort to control his worry, Kid stood in stoic silence in the bedroom, watching Dr. Hill examine his wife. The physician kept pressing his hand on Lou's abdomen, and every time she let out an agonizing cry, which broke Kid's heart. The doctor also checked her eyes, examined her mouth, and placed his ear against some kind of trumpet-shaped object to hear her heartbeat.
"Louise, I'm gonna give you some laudanum to soothe your pain," Dr. Hill said. "It might make you drowsy, but you also need your rest now."
Louise nodded, and her motions were stiff and uncoordinated like an automaton's since she felt so weak and sore she was not even aware of her own body moving. Her face cringed in disgust as her tongue tasted the bitterness of the water Dr. Hill helped her drink, but soon her senses were wrapped in a strange sensation of peace, and her eyes closed, quickly drifting to sleep.
Dr. Hill motioned Kid and Theresa to step out of the room, and as soon as the door closed behind him, the Southerner could not hold back any longer. "What's wrong with my wife, Doctor?"
"Not here," Dr. Hill said in a very serious voice, and led the way down the corridor and the staircase. The physician left his bag on one of the chairs in the living room while his fingers massaged the area between his eyes.
"Would you like some tea or something to drink, Doctor?" Theresa asked politely.
"Tea? … uh… no thanks. I'm fine."
Kid was pushing his patience beyond its limits, and this was more than he could stand. "Could you please tell me what is happening to my wife?"
Dr. Hill sighed dramatically. "I'm afraid I have bad news."
At his words Kid blanched, and his whole body shuddered. "Wh… what?" he croaked, and glancing at Theresa, he realized she was as white as a sheet too.
"I really thought she was having an outbreak of her ulcer, but this isn't it," Dr. Hill elaborated. "Naturally, there are several possibilities to explain why Louise is in this condition, but everything points at something quite serious… I'd have to do further examinations, but I'm pretty sure it's… it's… It's cancer."
Theresa let out a gasp, and her hands flew to her mouth in total shock. "Cancer?" Kid repeated, confused by what he was hearing. "But.. But that's… that's incurable."
"Yes, it is," Dr. Hill whispered.
"Are you saying my wife's gonna die?" Kid exclaimed loudly with wide eyes. The physician remained silent, and Theresa started to cry softly. Kid shook his head several times, seething with disbelief. "You're wrong! Lou can't die… she can't die!"
"I know it's hard to accept, and…"
"You know nothing!" Kid roared.
"Kid, please," Theresa tried to calm her brother-in-law. She was also upset, but it was not right that Kid seemed ready to hit the doctor for just being the bearer of the worst news.
"Theresa, it's impossible! Your sister was fine a few days ago! How can she swerve from being a perfectly healthy woman into one on the verge of death! That doesn't make sense! I can't believe that!" Kid ranted, feeling his own eyes moist at the mere idea this nightmare might be true.
"Son," Dr. Hill said, resting a comforting hand on Kid's back. "Sometimes we don't understand why these things happen. Nature and the human body still hide too many secrets we men haven't unburied yet. Louise's ulcer might have been just a symptom of what her body had actually developed and kept hidden until now."
Kid paled even more as the doctor's words almost implied that it was his fault Lou was in this condition. He knew that Lou's ulcer had started around the time he had been thought dead, because the strenuous time she had to go through had caused a physical reaction in his body. In a way, her stomach problems were his doing, so this meant that whatever was happening to Lou was his fault too.
"You said there are other possibilities," Kid stated, trying to grasp any possible hope on the bleak horizon because he could not believe that tremendous, horrible reality Dr. Hill was describing.
"Yeah… but I wouldn't raise my hopes too high. Expect the worse, Mr. McCloud… you already saw how bad your wife's doing."
"You're wrong! You're wrong!" Kid exclaimed in a broken voice. The place seemed to spin around him, and the air felt stiffly and suffocating. He could hardly breathe, and needed some different air before he fell right here. So tuning on his heel, he dashed out of the room, slamming the door behind him as if he could lock and bury what he had heard inside forever. An intense longing to see Lou coursed through every inch of his skin. He needed to see her, touch her, feel her, and without stopping for one second, he blindly ran up the stairs.
"Forgive my brother-in-law, Dr. Hill," Theresa said as she found herself alone with the physician.
The doctor shook his head. "There's no need to apologize. His reaction is understandable."
Theresa paused, and let out a sigh. "Are you positive my sister's that sick?" Theresa asked as fresh tears dampened her eyes.
"I'm afraid so."
"What can we do to help her?"
"I'll leave some laudanum to relieve her pains," Dr. Hill explained. "And keep feeding her on the same diet as she's been doing lately, soft foods and lots of liquid, water, juice, tea…" He emphasized the last word almost too eagerly, but Theresa did not seem to notice the extra stress there. The young woman nodded, and the doctor added, "And please call me whenever you need me no matter if it's day or night. I'll be back tomorrow morning anyway. I'm really sorry about what is happening to your sister."
"Thank you, Dr. Hill," Theresa said, shaking hands with the man. "You're a good doctor. This town is certainly in good hands, and we're lucky to have you."
"And I'm glad to be any help to your family. You can't imagine how glad," he whispered the last part, but Theresa did not hear him. A dark smile lit up his features as he realized that soon enough all their obstacles would be out of their way, and he and Albert could finally take the reins and do what they had desired so much for too long.