Chapter 23
It had been almost two months since Red Bear had come and gone. Almost two months since they had been rid of that she-devil. And it had been almost that long since Lou and Buck had been together. Lou was just miserable, she felt huge and ugly. None of her clothes really fit, her shirts barely buttoned, her skirts only staying up because of her stomach. She had taken to wearing her shirts untucked, so the tails would hide the fact that her skirts weren't fastened. It was too damn, hot. She was grumpy and constantly biting people's heads off. And poor Buck, he had tried to love her just last night and she ripped him a new one over even suggesting it. Lou felt so bad about it when she woke up this morning and Buck was already gone, his side of the bed cold.
Tears sprang to Lou's eyes, she just wanted to cry. She just wanted Buck to hold her but she had been so mean last night. Lou struggled to sit up in bed, swinging her feet over the side, she looked down. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen her feet. But she knew they were swollen, she could feel how tight the skin was, not to mention her shoes didn't fit right now either. She had taken to just going around the house bare footed and she sure didn't go into town this close to her time. Lou managed to get out of bed and changed into her clothes, her night dress she left draped over the end of their bed. Lou padded out of the room, the house was silent. "Rachel? Teresa?" Lou called as she waddled into the kitchen and frowned. Nobody was there.
Lou wandered out onto the porch and looked around, no signs of anybody out there either. "Rachel? Teresa?" Lou called, no answer.
Lou stepped off the porch and headed to the barn, she could hear a light hammering sound the closer she got. She entered the barn, stopping to let her eyes adjust to the dimmer light. The hammering sound coming from the back of the barn. "Buck?" She called out in question, not sure who was in the barn.
The hammering sound stopped, Buck poking his head around the corner of the end stall, a smile on his face when he saw her. "Good mornin' beautiful." Buck called as he walked towards her, taking her in his arms to give her a soft kiss.
Lou sighed happily, as she cuddled against Buck's chest, "I'm sorry I was so cranky last night."
Buck chuckled, "I'm sure I deserved it, honey."
"No, you didn't… you just wanted to love me … and I'm just miserable, I'm fat, and cranky, and hot. And my back is killing me." Lou complained, putting her hands on the small of her back to try to work out the weird tight feeling.
"You're not fat Lou, you're pregnant. Very pregnant." Buck told her, a smirk on his face.
"Where is everybody?" Lou asked, as she looked around the barn and noticed the buckboard and Teaspoon's horse was gone.
"Rachel and the kids rode out to visit with Emma, and Teaspoon went into town to talk to Sam. Think they were inviting them out to dinner tonight." Buck told her, as he turned her around to massage her lower back.
"Whatcha working on in here?" Lou asked, her eyes closed enjoying the massage.
"A surprise." Buck whispered in her ear.
"Can I see?" Lou asked, excitement in her tone.
"Well it's not quite done, but you know I can't say no to you." Buck told her, kissing the top of her head.
Buck stepped behind Lou and covered her eyes with one hand, the other on her back as he guided her towards the end stall. Once there he dropped the hand over her eyes, "You can look."
Lou opened her eyes and gasped. There before her was a beautifully carved baby crib. A mallet sitting on the stool beside the unfinished crib, Buck still had to finish tapping the curved feet into place. "Buck… it's beautiful." Lou breathed, her hands ghosting over the carvings. She smiled as she looked at the carvings of horses, eagles, and their creek. Then her eyes landed on the symbols carved into the head of the crib, her fingers tracing them. "What do these mean?"
"It means 'May the Great Spirit watch over this child'," Buck told her, his arm around her back, his hand on the side of her stomach.
Lou turned in Buck's arms, her hands going to his face. "This has to be the sweetest thing anybody has ever done for me… besides you going to get my siblings. Thank you, Buck, I love it. And I love you."
Buck reached out his hand and tucked a stray strand of hair behind Lou's ear, "I love you Lou, and I intend to spoil you rotten, every chance I get." Buck leaned forward and gently kissed Lou.
Lou sighed softly as Buck pulled back, then winced as that strange pain returned to her back. "Lou are you alright?" Buck asked noticing her face.
"Yeah, it's just my back. It keeps hurting." Lou told him.
"Is it constantly hurting or is it coming and going?" Buck asked, his eyebrows knitting as he wrinkled his forehead.
"Coming and going, it's pretty annoying actually. Wish it would just make up its mind." Lou grumbled.
"Umm Lou … I think you might be in labor." Buck told her, his hands on her stomach as he felt a strange tightening of her muscles.
"What? No, I'm sure I just slept funny is all, baby is not due for another couple weeks." Lou waved away the suggestion. "I think I'm going to go get a shower and cool off. Care to join me?"
"Don't have to ask me twice." Buck replied, concern still etched across his face.
They were about half way across the yard when Lou doubled over in pain, her hand on her stomach as she cried out, fluid gushing from between her legs. "Oh hell." Lou muttered looking down at her wet skirts.
"What do I do?" Buck asked starting to panic, his arm around Lou's back.
"Help me inside Buck, I need to get out of these clothes and into my nightdress." Lou told him, surprisingly calm.
Buck scooped Lou up into his arms and rushed her inside and to their room. He quickly shed Lou of her garments and slipped the nightdress over her head before he put her into the bed. Another contraction hit Lou hard, she screamed out in pain. "I need to go get help!" Buck cried, fear all over his face.
"You can't! You can't leave me Buck." Lou hollered as Buck started backing towards the door.
"You need help Lou… I don't know what to do." Buck reasoned.
"Buck you delivered a baby before… there's no time…." Lou was beginning to pant, another contraction going through her body. "Get towels, a lot of them… and hurry Buck."
Buck rushed from the room, grabbing up every towel in the linen closet before rushing back to Lou's side. She had scooted herself up against the headboard of their bed, her knees bent up, "Put some of the towels under me Buck." she told him.
Buck crossed the room and put several towels under Lou as she raised herself up enough for him to slid some under her bottom to protect their bedding. Lou was gripping the headboard, her knuckles white. She was breathing hard. "Lou, I need to check to see if the baby is coming." Buck told her, as he lifted her gown up, his hand going to her center. The other hand on her abdomen trying to determine where the baby was at.
Lou screamed when another contraction hit her, they were barely a minute apart. "Buck I gotta push." Lou panted.
"Push when the next pain hits Lou." Buck told her.
Another wave was starting and Lou began to bare down, "That's it, Lou, push. Push." Lou sagged against the back of the bed catching her breath when the contraction ended.
"I can't do this Buck." Lou cried, her hair covered in sweat.
"Yes you can, sweetheart. Now Push!" Buck told her as she cried out in pain. "Push Lou, Push."
Buck looked between Lou's legs, "I can see the head Lou. A few more pushes."
Lou gritted her teeth and bore down with every ounce of strength she possessed as the next wave hit her. And then the baby was out, in Buck's waiting hands. "The baby?" she breathed out.
Buck held the baby in his hands, using his fingers he cleaned out its mouth. It wasn't crying. Buck popped the baby lightly on the bottom and a loud cry filled the air. Buck was able to breathe again. "A boy Lou." Buck told her as he cleaned the baby up with the towels.
Buck took his knife out of his boot and cut the umbilical cord and tied it off, wrapping the baby up in a towel before handing him to Lou as he cleaned up the after birth. He needed to get the sheets off the bed and change Lou into a clean garment, but he couldn't just yet. No he wanted to enjoy this moment, watching the love of his life hold her new son, their new son.
"He's beautiful, Lou." Buck told her as he stood beside her.
Lou looked at the little face before her, blue eyes shining up at her. He was perfect. "We have a son Buck. What should we call him? Ike?" Lou asked looking up at Buck.
Buck smiled softly at Lou, he loved that she wanted to name the baby after Ike but how did he tell her he wanted to name his actual first son Ike without upsetting her. This baby was just as much his even if he didn't father it. "Lou … I love that … but..."
"But you want your first blood born son to be called that." Lou finished for him.
"I'm sorry… it's not that I don't … this is my son." Buck tried to explain.
"Buck, I understand. It's alright. I know you consider him your son. So what do we call him?" Lou asked.
Buck thought for a few minutes. What do they call him? Noah? No. James? No. William? No. Sam? Nothing sounded right. Buck thought about all of the boys, all of the family they had made while they were riders for the Pony Express. And it hit him, the perfect name. Something that honored all of them.
"Rider." Buck said, with a little smile.
Lou looked up at Buck, understanding in her eyes. "It's perfect."
At that moment Rider let out a loud wail, "What's wrong?" Buck asked panicked.
Lou chuckled, "He's hungry." With a little help from Buck, Lou got Rider to latch on.
She had just started feeding the baby, when Rachel and the children arrived home. "Louise?" Rachel called as she entered the house. "Emma came for a visit!" she called.
"Rachel! Emma! In here!" Buck hollered sticking his head out the door to their room.
Something in his voice had the woman rushing to them, skidding to halt when they saw Lou with the baby in her arms.
"The baby was coming too quick, I couldn't go for help." Buck explained when the woman sent surprise looks over to him.
"You go on out and get cleaned up Buck, boil some water for the soiled clothes." Emma told him, "We'll take care of Lou, get her cleaned up."
Buck walked over to the bed and kissed Rider on his little forehead, before kissing Lou. "You did so good, honey. I love you. I'll be back soon."
Several minutes later, Buck had cleaned up and had the water boiling. Teresa and Jeremiah sitting at the kitchen table asking him tons of questions.
"When can we see the baby?" Teresa finally asked.
"Soon. Emma and Rachel were helping Lou get cleaned up. Having a baby is messy." Buck told them, just as Rachel walked in, an arm full of bloody towels.
Teresa paled, "I'm never having a baby."
Jeremiah laughed, "Reckon you ain't never gonna get married then."
"Why do I have to have a baby to get married?" Teresa asked her brother.
"You don't, you have a baby cause your married. That's what happens." Jeremiah told her.
Teresa tilted her head to the side, thinking. "Rachel … you're married but you ain't got a baby. And so is Emma and she ain't got any babies."
Rachel turned to look at the girl, "No we don't have any babies, God has not seen fit to bless us with those."
"So just cause you get married don't mean ya gotta have any babies?" Teresa asked the older woman.
"No, it doesn't, however, the chances of having a baby when you get married are very good." Rachel explained.
"Do you have to be married to have a baby?" Teresa asked.
"Maybe we should talk about something else." Buck suggested.
"But I wanna know how you have a baby so I know how to avoid it." Teresa whined.
"Stupid, ya gotta have a man for one. You know how the horses have babies. And remember the dog at the orphanage. Same thing for people." Jeremiah explained.
"JEREMIAH!" Buck seethed, through clenched teeth.
Teresa wrinkled her nose. "That's disgusting."
Rachel's belly laugh filled the kitchen at the little girl's response. Buck just shook his head. "Come on, let's go see if Lou is ready for us."
The three got up from the table and returned to Buck and Lou's room, Emma opening the door at Buck's knock to let them in. The children stood there staring at the little bundle in Lou's arms.
"He's so cute Louise!" Teresa gushed, cooing over him like her dolls.
"Kinda wrinkly." Jeremiah muttered, causing Emma to giggle.
"So what are you two going to call this perfect little boy?" Emma asked as Rachel came back in the room.
"Rider." Lou responded, with a look at Buck.
"I like it, I think it honors the whole family." Emma told them, her arm around Buck's waist.
A short time later, Teaspoon and Sam made it out to the ranch and were beyond surprised upon finding they had a new grand baby boy. Teaspoon was positively over the moon about being a pappy. Sam teased Buck about missing his calling, he should have been a midwife.
While Lou and the baby were sleeping Buck, with the help of Emma and Rachel, finished up the nursery. Buck carrying in the now completed crib. Emma laying a little quilt she had made for the baby in it. Rachel putting all the new nappies handy, new curtains hung in the window. A rocking chair in the corner, little knitted booties on top of a dresser. A carved pony sitting on the dresser for when Rider was a little bigger. A thick fur on the wooden floor. And hanging on the wall, a hand drawn picture of their family and Ike's self portrait.
A/N: Thanks Shauna for the beta. And Cheri this story maybe wrapping up but I do have a sequel in mind for it. Plus I've got bunnies for many more stories. After years of not being able to write anything my muse has returned in full force. Anyway let me know what y'all think. And I know people are going to question the sped in which Lou give birth in this chapter. I figured Lou has probably been in labor for several hours if not longer, just not realizing it. Plus the birth probably in fact took a couple of hours, which i know isn't clear. Anyway hope y'all enjoyed. And yes Red Bear had to go and ruin the good mood of the wedding, tho if it was me, I'd rather be warned then get my hopes up only to have them destroyed.