Stepping off the train in Porterville, Wyoming, Jed Curry stopped when his feet rested on the boardwalk, and he gave a quick glance up and down the length of the station but saw not one familiar face. Then he turned when his eyes caught a glimpse of the movement of Jessie's skirt on the platform of the coach car.
"I'm right here, darling," Kid said as he reached up to take her hand and guide it to the rail. "Three steps down now."
Jessie, large with child, took timid steps, but Kid wrapped his hand about her upper arm to steady her. "I don't see Heyes or Lom," he told her and led her a few steps away from the departing passengers. "Sheriff's office is about three blocks away. You think you can make it, darlin?"
Jessie smiled and nodded as her left arm slid protectively to the underside of her very pregnant belly.
With his free hand, Kid reached down and picked up the two suitcases, holding the handle of one in his hand, while tucking the other case under his arm. "Come on, Jess," he said, still holding her hand to guide her.
It was late May and, just as he had promised Heyes this past September, he and Jessie were now returning to Porterville in the hopes of finding enough good grazing land to start a cattle ranch and build a cabin. Of course, when Kid had made that promise, the day after his wedding to Jessie Daniels, he didn't know the seed of their first child had been planted the night before.
"You want to go to the hotel first? We can get a room and you can lie down and rest?" Kid asked.
"No. Let's find Heyes first, then we'll get a room."
When the office door opened, Lom Trevors looked up and his eyes widened with surprise, both to see them, and to see the advanced stage of Jessie's pregnancy.
"What are you doing here today?' Lom asked, moving from behind his desk and dragging a chair across the room to give Jessie a place to sit and rest. "I swear Heyes said the seventeenth."
"That explains why nobody was at the train to meet us," Kid said as he helped Jessie into the chair.
"Would you like some water, Ma'am, or coffee?' Lom asked.
Jessie smiled wearily. "No coffee. Water please."
"Heyes still working at the bank?" Kid asked.
"Yep," Lom replied as he filled a glass with water and handed it to Jessie. "You think it's wise for the two of you to be traveling, Kid?"
Kid smiled. "Traveling is done for a few days, Lom. Besides, Jessie ain't due for another six weeks."
Both men gave Jessie a glance and realized she looked exhausted.
"I'll go book us a room and then come back for you," Kid suggested.
"Ma'am, I've got clean, empty cots. You can lay down and rest while the Kid's gone."
Kid grinned. "You can have my old cell," he joked.
"I'm not particular about cells and I think I might appreciate that, Mr. Trevors."
"Lom, Ma'am. We're old friends now. Kid, help her over to one of them cots. I'll get her a couple of blankets."
Kid led Jessie to the fist cell and eased her down on the cot. Then he bent down and lifted her feet onto the mattress just as Lom returned with the blankets. Kid spread one open and gently covered her as he watched her eyes close and heard her uttered a sigh of great relief.
"I'll stay here with her," Lom said as the two men walked out of the cell.
"Two days on the train was a long time. I wanted to buy sleeper car passage but she wouldn't hear of it."
"You might as well stop by the Bank and let Heyes know you're here. Looks like she might be sleeping a while."
"Thanks, Lom."
"And stay at the hotel tonight cause she's so tired. But tomorrow you can move into my place. Cabin's got two bedrooms and feels more like a home than a hotel room does."
Kid smiled. I was kind of hoping you'd say that, Lom."
"You say she's due in six weeks?"
"Uh-uh."
"Looks to me like that baby might be coming sooner than that. Maybe you should have the doctor take a look at her tomorrow."
"I think it's just the trip, Lom. She's been seeing the doctor regularly in Great Falls."
"Your wife and your baby, Kid. I'm just saying."
"Appreciate the concern, Lom," Kid said as he slipped out the door.
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"This is a stick up."
Heyes stopped working and ever so slowly began to raise his head, while with the same smooth, slow action, his hand moved to a gun secured to the underside of his desk. But when his eyes met the would-be thief standing in front of him, Heyes felt a catch in his breath and his head began to shake.
"Do you know how close you came to getting shot?" Heyes asked Kid.
"Well now, I didn't draw on you, so wouldn't that be murder? Besides, how do you know I ain't gone back to outlawing?"
"Just like I've gone back to leading the Devil's Hole Gang, part time of course."
Kid's face broke in to a wide grin. "How are you, Heyes? Still assistant Manager, uh?"
"Manager now."
"Ah, moving up in the world."
"What are you doing here? It's not the seventeenth."
"I swear I told you the sixteenth, Heyes."
Heyes shook his head. "Where's Jessie?"
"Lom's got her in one of his cells."
"What?"
"She was tired. He offered her one of the cots to get a little rest," Kid replied, then suddenly became a bit concerned. "Heyes, if you've been promoted, are you still interested in partnering up on a ranch?"
Heyes smiled and nodded. "In fact, I found a place to show you. It's a thousand acres of good grazing land, both flat and rolling. It's already got a cabin built, a well, a barn and two streams running through it. The cabin is a little small for your needs, but adding a room shouldn't take too long."
"A thousand acres plus buildings, streams... probably at least twelve, thirteen hundred?"
"Nope, nine eight-five," Heyes said proudly.
"Something's gotta be wrong with the place at that price."
"Nope, not a thing."
"Why is it so cheap, then?"
"Foreclosure. Bank foreclosed last week. The place ain't even on the market yet."
"Where is it?"
"About five miles west of Lom's place. I'll take you out there tomorrow to show you."
Kid smiled. "A thousand acres for under a thousand...That'll leave plenty of cash to start building the stock."
"And adding a room," Heyes reminded him.
"Putting up some fence, buying a few horses, stocking up on supplies..."
"Adding an extra room..."
Kid nodded. "Alright Heyes, building a room will be number one on the list. You intend this room to be for you or the baby?"
"The baby, of course."
"Then it might get moved to number two. I need to build a cradle first, cause Old Buck there will be sleeping with me and Jessie starting out, makes things a bit easier for poor Mama."
"Old Buck? You're naming your first born child after your old horse?"
Kid looked affronted. "Heyes, Old Buck was important to me," he said flatly.
"A little too important it sounds like. What if the baby is a girl?"
"Old Buckaroo," Kid said with a grin.
"Old Buckaroo, now that's a name that won't attract no teasing in the schoolhouse."
"Heyes, I gotta got get Jessie and me a hotel room so she can get a proper rest. Tomorrow we're moving into Lom's spare bedroom. Let's all have supper at the hotel tonight and you can tell me more about this piece of property."
"Sounds fine. I'm looking forward to seeing Jessie again, Kid. She's seems to be a good influence on you."
"If by that you mean I look a bit brow beaten, you're probably right. I'll be glad when the baby gets here and all them female hormones start settling down again. She had me banging on the grocer's door at three in the morning last week, cause she wanted a sweet potato and a dill pickle...A sweet potato and a pickle of all things."
"Did you get it for her?"
"Yep. Cooked it up in the fireplace, mashed it up with lots of butter, and sliced that damn pickle right into it," Kid said, pinching his nose is disgust.
Heyes laughed. "I don't envy any man having to endure the last three months of a woman being in the family way, Kid."
"Least I know it'll be over soon and things will get back to normal again."
"Normal again?"
"Well, closer to normal than they are now."
"I think you're in for a rude awakening. As I recall you got in to more than your fair share of mischief as a boy, Kid."
Kid grinned. "No, I had a cousin who got me into more than my fair share of mischief. I'll know to watch out for that if you ever get around to having kids."
Heyes smiled. "I'd better get back to work, Kid. I'll see you at dinner.
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"Heyes thinks he's found us a good piece of land with a cabin and a well and a barn already on it," Kid told Jessie as they all sat in the hotel dining room for supper."
"You gonna go look at it?" Jessie asked.
Kid nodded, noticing how tired Jessie still looked. He also noted how often she was making little minor adjustments in the way she was sitting.
"We thought we'd go out tomorrow. It's only about five miles from Lom's place...You feeling alright, Jessie?"
"Uh-uh. My back is a little sore from the train, that's all."
"When we get back to the room, I'll give you back rub," Kid replied.
"Kid tells me he's got a name for the baby," Heyes said.
"You mean Old Buck?" Jessie asked.
"That's it."
"I keep telling him he's got to stop that and come up with a real name, but he keeps telling me Old Buck is a real name."
"Oh it was, for an old horse he had," Heyes replied.
The conversation remained light and jovial, but Kid could see that Jessie really was still very tired, so they called it an early evening and retired to their room after dinner. Jessie actually encouraged Kid to spend more of the evening with Heyes and Lom, but Kid said he's rather spend the evening with her and give her the back rub he had promised.
When Jessie had gotten into her nightgown, she climbed into the bed and rolled to her side. Kid climbed in on the other side and gave her a very relaxing back rub.
"Oh, right there," she said when his hand reached the lower part of her back."That just feels so tight."
"Lom thinks the baby will be coming sooner than we think," Kid said casually.
"And how many kids does Lom have to be such an expert?"
"Well, how many do we have to be such an expert? I was just thinking maybe you ought to let the doctor here take a look at you."
"If I'm not feeling any more rested by tomorrow, I'll do that, Jed."
"I just worry about you, darlin,"
"Thank you, Jed, but people have been having babies since the beginning of time."
Kid let his hand slide from her back and come to rest on Jessie's belly. "I ain't worried about Old Buck. I can feel him kicking and moving about. The one I worry about is you. You just seem so tired."
"I told you, it's just that long train ride.
Kid climbed off the bed and stripped down to his long johns. Then he turned out the light and climbed back in to bed, only to find Jessie was already fast asleep.
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"Heyes, this land looks perfect," Kid said the next morning when he and Heyes rode out to the foreclosure site to look over the land.
"That's what I thought the first time I saw it, Kid. In fact I told the Bank President that I might have a buyer for it. Come on, I'll show you the cabin and the barn."
A few minutes later they walked into the cabin. The place had been vacated less than a month before and the cabin looked sturdy and needed only minor repairs.
"The kitchen area looks nice and big. Jessie will like that cause she can store things where she wants them without things getting piled up on top of each other and all cluttered.," Kid said.
"Listen to you, worrying about the where the pots and pans will be kept," Heyes said with some amusement in his voice. "There's a good size bedroom in the back, room for a big bed, dresser, even that cradle you were talking about, and there's room behind the kitchen to add a second bedroom."
"The sitting around space is good size, too. River rock fireplace. The place is nice, Heyes."
"Barn is bigger than the house, plenty of stalls, large loft, nice size work space, good roof."
"Heyes, if you and me buy this, are you planning to keep working at the bank?"
"This looks like a big enough job to keep us both busy full time," Heyes replied.
Kid smiled. "That's what I was thinking.. You seen a place on the property where we could build you a cabin?"
Heyes smiled. "Matter of fact, I have. It's about a mile and a half from here on a nice little hill and one of the streams is near by."
"I'm gonna want to show the place to Jessie, but I think we've found ourselves a place, Heyes. Think the Bank will take any less?"
Heyes shook his head. "They have to get their money back on a foreclosure. Prices are usually good, but they are pretty much written in stone."
"We ain't gonna get a big herd built up the first year, but maybe we could rent some of the grazing land out to other ranchers, just for this year. That'll earn us back a little money on the property."
"You're getting to be quite the business minded man, Kid."
Kid smiled. "I'll rent a surrey and drive Jessie out here tomorrow. I want to give her the rest of today to rest up."
"She feeling any better?"
"I don't know. She can't seem to get rid of that lower back pain. She said if she wasn't feeling any better today, she'd go see the doctor. I'm gonna try to hold her to it, but she's a might stubborn sometimes."
"Hate to see it when the two of you lock horns. You can be more than a might stubborn yourself sometimes, you know."
"Heyes, if we was to buy this, pay cash on the dollar, how soon would we take possession?"
"I don't handle the real estate transactions and I know foreclosures can take longer to finalize, but I'm sure they would move things along as quick as they could for us. I'd say two, maybe three weeks."
Kid smiled. "So we could be all moved in here before Old Buck arrives."
"Probably so, Kid."
"And this time I think I'd just have our furniture and things shipped here."
"You wouldn't be making a trip back to Great Falls?"
"I don't know. This trip was pretty hard on Jessie. I don't think I want to be carting her back a forth, at least not before the baby's here."
"You hiring someone to come in and help her after the baby arrives?"
"Kid nodded. "Gonna have to, especially once I'm out running a ranch all day. Her not being able to see, well, we'll need a pair of eyes on that child."
Heyes looked at Kid thoughtfully.
"What are you looking at?" Kid asked.
"Nothing. Just thinking about where we started, where we've been, where we are now. There's just no way of ever knowing where or how you're gonna end up in life," Heyes mused.
Kid smiled. "I know no matter where we are, together or not, we're always going to be partners, Heyes. It just seems to come natural to us."
"It does, don't it?"
"Well, we best get back to town. I don't like leaving Jessie alone for too long."
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Once back in town, Kid went directly to the hotel to see how Jessie was doing and to tell her all about the ranch. When he got to the room he found her awake but resting on the bed.
"That land is absolutely perfect Jessie, and the cabin is live-in ready. I want to drive you out there tomorrow to see it."
"That would be fine, Jed."
Jed walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. He brushed a strand of hair from her face. "How are you feeling, Jess? Really?"
She sighed but smiled at him. "I'm just so tired. No matter how much I sleep, I'm just as tired when I wake up as I was went to sleep.
"You said if you was still feeling that way today, you'd go see the doctor."
She nodded. "I did."
"You ready to go now?"
"I think so."
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Kid sat nervously in a chair in a corner of the doctor's examination room while Jessie lay on the examination table. The doctor took his time, asking them both a lot of questions, getting a health history, listening to Jessie's heartbeat as well as the baby's heartbeat, checking the position of the baby. After nearly an hour he gave Jessie the okay to get up and Kid was out of his chair and at her side instantly.
"You say the doctor in Great Falls said you have another six weeks before delivery?"
"That's right," Jessie said as Kid helped her off the table and into a chair.
"Well, judging by the size and position of the baby, I'd say that child will be here in no more than three weeks."
"You mean the baby will be born early? Is that dangerous? Kid asked.
"Can be, but I don't think it is in this case. Babies never follow the exact schedule a doctor decides on."
"Well what's making Jessie so tired all the time?" Kid asked.
"You first time parents?"
Jessie and Kid both nodded.
"A whole slew of things makes a mother-to-be that tired. As that baby grows, it's pulling more and more nutrients from you, more energy from you. Carrying around a full term human being inside you is hard work. I'm going to prescribe some vitamins for you. I suspect you'll be noticing an improvement in a few days, but as your due date gets nearer it gets to be more and more work carrying that child around."
"Hear that darling, just a vitamin," Kid said with great relief
"Well, I hate to tell you, but I don't want her traveling till after the baby comes."
"That's at least three weeks, maybe more," Kid said.
"Yes. But you can see how tiring the trip here was to her. It will only get worse if she doesn't stay put and doesn't get plenty of rest."
"We're going to be moving in with a friend this afternoon. Staying that long is putting a lot of extra burden on him."
"Who is it?"
"Lom Trevors."
"Can't be helped, son. I'll talk to him if you want."
"No,' Kid replied. "I'll talk to him."
"I'd like to see you at least twice a week Mrs. Curry. I can drive out to Sheriff Trevor's place so you won't have to make a trip in to town."
Jessie nodded. "Thank you doctor."
"What do we do now?" Jessie asked as she and Kid walked slowly back to the hotel.
"We get you back in to bed, and then I'll go have a talk with Lom."
"What about tomorrow? I want to see this place, Jed."
Kid smiled. "Start taking your vitamins and we'll see how you're feeling tomorrow."
Once Jessie was comfortably resting in the bed, Kid walked over to the Sheriff's Office to explain the situation to Lom who saw no problem with them staying at his place as long as they wanted. Kid thanked him but told him he thought it best to put the move off until tomorrow to give Jessie more time to rest. Then he walked over to the Bank to let Heyes know what was going on.
"Kid, I talked to the Bank President and if we can put the money down by tomorrow, he can have the property signed over to us on the last day of the month."
"That's just thirteen days. I don't know when or even if I'm going to be able to get Jessie out there to show her the place."
"The longer we wait, the longer it's gonna take."
"Yeah," Kid said, chewing his bottom lip. "I'll bring the money over to the bank in the morning."
"You only need half, Kid. I'll have the other half."
"I know. I'll bring it over in the morning."
That evening Kid ordered room service for dinner and he and Jessie sat at the table near the window in their room for supper.
"You look a little more rested," Kid said, unsure just how to lead into a conversation he was sure would be difficult.
Jessie smiled. "Must be a miracle vitamin."
"You know I told you Heyes and me went out to look at that property."
"Uh-uh,"
"What would you think of moving here permanent, if Heyes and me was to buy that land?"
"I told you a long time ago, Jed. When we find the right land, we'll make a home."
"Heyes and me are pretty sure we found it, Jess."
"I'm looking forward to you showing it to me."
"We ain't gonna beat the price."
Jessie put her fork down on her plate. "Jed, what are you trying to tell me?"
"Well, I stopped at the bank this afternoon to tell Heyes we were waiting till tomorrow to move to Lom's. Heyes said the Bank Present could have our names on the title by the end of the month."
"Did you...?"
"Not yet...But I think we're going to in the morning."
"Without asking me what I thought?"
"That's what I'm doing right now, before any money changes hands."
"I see," she said, but had nothing more to add.
Kid waited patiently, an empty fork still in his hand. But as a minute, then two passed, his patience began to wane.
"Is that all you're going to say on the matter?"
"Uh-uh."
Kid dropped his fork and it clattered when it hit the plate. "Jessie, I don't want to go and do something that affects the both of us, maybe for the rest of our lives, and all you got to say is uh-uh."
Jessie sighed. "Jed, I know you want to find a place that will bring us some prosperity one day, a place suitable to raise our children, a place where you and Heyes can have a business partnership again, and a place that I'll feel comfortable in and can make a home out of. I'd be willing to bet that when Heyes showed you the cabin, the first thing you did was look to make sure the kitchen was one I would find suitable. The simple fact of the matter is... I trust you. If this is good land, with a good price, and a good home, and you and Heyes both agree on all that, then I'm going to support my husband on the matter one hundred percent."
Kid smiled. "I love you, Jessie," he said, both with a sense of relief, and with an overwhelming sense of deep love.
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The next morning Kid walked over to the bank and he and Heyes laid down their money and signed 'Intent to Purchase' papers.
"Well, I guess it's official, Heyes. We're partners again," Kid said with a smile.
"I don't think we'll be sorry, Kid."
Kid smiled. "No, me either. We'll build this into a great business. I know we will."
"See you for supper?"
"I'm going to get Jessie and me moved into Lom's place today, so probably best to check with Lom to see if there are any plans in the making."
"Okay, I'll see you later then. Give Jessie my best."
That afternoon, Kid rented a surrey and loaded their suitcases into the back, then helped Jessie climb into the front seat for the ride to Lom's cabin.
Getting the very pregnant and still quite tired Mrs. Curry out of the surrey safely proved to be a rather cumbersome task and Kid felt a bit relieved once they were inside the cabin.
"Ah, ain't that nice," Kid said as he helped Jessie into a comfortable chair.
"What?"
"Lom's got a daybed he keeps at the jail for those times he's too busy to come back here to sleep. He moved in here. I suspect that's so you can be out of bed, but still stretched out and relaxed during the day."
Jessie smiled. "That's very sweet of him."
"Yeah, Lom's got a soft spot in him, but he can be tough as nails, too."
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Once they had moved into Lom's cabin, the days passed more slowly. Kid never left Jessie alone in the cabin. To help out, Kid did the cooking, and in the evenings after Lom came home, Kid would slip out to the barn for an hour to tend to the horses and rake the stalls. During the day, he and Jessie would sit on the porch so Jessie could soak in a lot of sunshine, or she would rest in the daybed and Kid would read to her. Slowly her strength began to improve.
Days grew into a week, then two, then three as they waited both for the arrival of the baby, and the ownership of the property he and Heyes were buying.
One evening, Kid returned from the barn carrying a cradle. Jessie was reclining on the daybed and Kid carried it over to her and set it down.
"Brought you something, darlin."
Jessie moved heavily to sit up. "What is it?"
Kid took her hand and guided it to the cradle. Jessie gasped, then smiled happily. "It's beautiful," she whispered.
"I've been working on it for a couple of weeks, out in the barn every evening."
"You made this?"
"Uh-uh. Didn't want no Curry child sleeping in an old dresser drawer."
Jessie laughed. "I think you finished this just in time. Baby's been settling down a bit the last couple of days. I think he's getting himself ready to join the world."
"You think it's a boy?" Kid asked.
"I'm a first time Mama, Jed. I have no idea."
"Well, either one is just fine with me."
"Heyes says he's been getting the cabin at the ranch ready, so after the baby comes, we'll be able to move in as soon as you feel up to it. He said he'd spend the day here tomorrow, so if you don't mind, I though I might ride out to the ranch to see how that's coming along, maybe check out the sections we've rented out for grazing."
Jessie smiled. "I think you deserve a break, Jed. You've been so attentive to me and the baby, a few hours alone would likely do you good."
Kid leaned over the cradle and kissed her. "You change your mind on that, you just let me know."
The next morning Heyes arrived carrying packages he had brought from the general store.
"Lom and me picked up a few things we thought up might need. Clara Hawkins, the wife of the fella who owns the general store, helped us get the things she thought you'd be needing right away," Heyes explained.
Kid sat down on the daybed beside Jessie and together they opened the packages of sheets and blankets for the cradle, nursing bottles and nipples, dozens of cloth diapers, cloth pads for Jessie, two wooden rattles, and at the bottom of the package was a small bag of peppermints. And a box of cigars.
"Ah, Lom, Heyes, thank you," Kid said with a smile."
"Nothing's too good for my niece or nephew," Heyes replied.
"Or my little godchild," Lom said. "Just a suggestion," he added.
"Jessie, if you don't mind, I think I'll go saddle up now for that ride," Kid told her. "It's early, but that'll just get me back here all the sooner."
"We'll be fine here, Kid," Heyes assured him and Jessie nodded.
"You want Heyes and me to walk you out to the porch before I go?"
Jessie shook her head. "I think I'd best stay inside today. Maybe we'll sit out there when you get back."
"I won't be more than a couple of hours," Kid assured her, then gave her a quick kiss and headed out the door.
But three hours later Kid had still not returned and Heyes was beginning to grow a bit concerned.
"Heyes, you mind helping me into the bedroom? I'm feeling a bit tired," Jessie said.
Heys had no sooner helped Jessie to stand then she gasped and wrapped her hand across the underside of her belly.
"You alright?" Heyes asked with some alarm.
"My water just broke," she gasped as a smile slowly began to cross her face. "This is it, the baby's coming."
Lom jumped to his feet and helped Heyes walk Jessie back to the bedroom and into the bed.
"I'll go tell Mrs. Wicken's to come over right away. Then I'll go find Kid," Lom said as he hurried out the the door.
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Heyes paced nervously on the porch, watching the horizon for any sign of Kid. Surely Lom would have found him by now and told him Jessie was in labor. Inside the cabin, the midwife gathered what supplies she needed, stopping every few minutes to use a cool damp cloth to wipe the perspiration from Jessie's face and to remind Jessie to slow her breathing between the contractions that were now coming at regular thirteen minute intervals and each with increasing intensity.
"Jed," Jessie called, but to no avail.
Heyes cringed with each cry he heard coming from inside the cabin, and his pacing grew a little faster. Suddenly he stopped as two riders appeared off in the distance. One rider sat tall in the saddle, but Heyes could see he was holding the reins of the other rider's horse. Squinting to improve his vision, Heyes saw the second rider was low in the saddle, leaning forward against the horse's neck.
"Kid," Heyes whispered with great despair. Heyes dashed inside the cabin and pulled the daybed away from the wall near the hearth. Grabbing the iron railed headboard, Heyes dragged the daybed down the short hall to the room where Jessie lay in arduous labor.
"Jed?" Jessie asked hopefully.
"Just Heyes, Jessie. Rearranging some furniture."
"You have to do that in here? Now?" the midwife asked, an obvious warning tone to her voice.
Heyes stopped and looked directly at her. "Yes, Ma'am. In here. Right now," he replied, his own voice thick with the same warning tone.
Heyes pushed the bed up against the wall across from where Jessie lay panting and moaning. He pulled down the sheet and blanket and rushed back out to the porch.
By now the two rides were within shouting distance.
"Lom, what happened to Kid?" Heyes called.
"Shot in the leg. Wound won't kill him, but it gonna put him down for a while," Lom replied as they reached the hitching post.
"Rustler got me, but I managed to scare him off," Kid explained with some effort.
Heyes rushed to Kid's side just as Kid began to slide from the saddle. Lom reached them both in time to help Kid off the horse and together Heyes and Lom helped Kid hobble painfully into the house.
"Jessie's in labor, Kid. She's asking for you. I moved the daybed into her room so you can rest while you tend to her."
The three men created quite a commotion as they entered the room."
"Jed?" Jessie called.
Kid brought the procession to a halt. "I'm here, Jessie. By the looks of things, just in time, too."
"Come over here," she whispered.
Kid looked at Lom and Heyes who shrugged at each other and helped Kid hobbled over to Jessie's bed. Still supported by his friends, Kid reached down and brushed damp hair away from Jessie's face. "I'm here, darling."
"Lom, think you can hold him up for a minute?" Heyes whispered and Lom nodded.
Heyes let go and dragged the daybed to where Kid was standing. Then Heyes grabbed on to Kid again. "Here, sit down, Kid," he said as they eased Kid on to the bed.
Kid's left pant leg was darkly stained with blood despite the belt tourniquet tied to his thigh. Heyes moved to the other side of the bed and helped Kid out of his Sherpa. Then he carefully raised Kid's legs onto the bed, while Lom propped the pillows behind Kid's back.
Kid reached over and took Jessie's hand. "I'm here, darlin."
"Don't leave me, Jed."
"Wouldn't think of it, Jess."
"Men got no place in a birthing room," the midwife scolded.
"Well, that might be true for Lom and me." Heyes told her, "but Jessie wants her husband here and by damn that's where he's staying. Come on, Lom. Let's make some coffee."
"Heyes, that bullet's gotta come out," Lom said once they were out of the bedroom.
"I know. Why don't you go get the doctor. He might just be having two patients on his hands."
"Be back as quick as I can," Lom said, and headed out the door.
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"Give me your hand, Jed," Jessie panted, then arched and grunted as a contraction hit her hard.
Kid grasped her hand. "Squeeze as hard a you want, as often as you want, Jessie. I won't let go." Kid himself panted and gritted his teeth as he winced from the pain in his leg.
"You're doing fine, Mrs. Curry," the midwife said, but gave Kid a worried look that he didn't understand."
"What is it?" Kid asked with great concern.
"More blood than I like to see," the midwife told him."
"She need a doctor?" Kid asked.
"If I think it's coming to that, I'll let you know."
Kid let his head fall back on the pillow, but he kept his hand securely in Jessie's palm and he willed himself to remain conscious.
Lom returned with the doctor in less than an hour.
"Sounds like you two fellows have your hands full," the doctor said to Heyes when he and Lom entered the cabin.
"Doc, Kid and his wife are both in there. Jessie's in labor and contractions are about ten minutes apart now. She's got a midwife in there with her. Kid's in the bed beside her, shot in the leg. His wife don't know about the injury and..."
"How does she not know?" the doctor interrupted.
"She's blind, Doc. So unless you're smelling of alcohol, or tobacco, or manure, she ain't gonna notice you're in there unless she hears you. Kid's in a bed next to her and he don't want her finding out he's hurt, and he ain't gonna let you knock him out. So you go in there and do what you got to do and be as quiet about it as you can," Heyes told the doctor.
"Would you happen to have some whiskey for the man's who's injured?" the doctor asked.
Lom nodded and went to the cupboard for the bottle.
"Mix it in coffee, Lom, so Jessie don't smell it."
Heyes led the doctor into the bedroom just as Jessie was uttering an excruciating cry.
"Squeeze my hand, Jessie. Hard," they heard Kid say in a gasping breath.
"Kid?" Heyes said.
Kid waited until the contraction subsided before turning his attention to Heyes who gave a nod of his head in the direction of the doctor. Kid nodded his understanding and Heyes approached the bed to hand Kid the mug of coffee, Kid shook his head, but Heyes gave him a serious look and another nod of his head.
"It'll help," Heyes said quietly.
Kid took the cup and began drinking while the doctor set to work cutting the leg of Kid's pants open to reveal the wound. Then the doctor set to work cleaning the skin around the wound. Lom brought the doctor a chair and he sat down and waited for Kid to finish the drink.
Kid started to give the doctor the go ahead, but another contraction was erupting and Jessie again arched and cried out for Jed.
"I'm here, Jess. Breathe fast with the contractions. Don't fight it, darlin."
"Jed," Jessie cried.
"Shhh," Kid said soothingly and stroked her damp hair. "You're doing fine, darlin."
Once Jessie had settled again, Kid gave the doctor a nod to proceed.
With the first slice of the scalpel, Kid clenched his teeth, sucked in air and arched his back, but not a sound escaped him. He struggled to release the air from his lungs slowly.
"The two of you seem to have similar breathing patterns," Heyes commented, but no one saw any humor in the comment.
"Excuse me, but again, is it necessary for the two of you to be in here?" the Midwife snapped.
Heyes and Lom looked at each other, both feeling duly reprimanded.
"Come on, Heyes. We know when we're not wanted."
"You okay, Kid?" Heyes asked and Kid nodded his head.
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An hour later the doctor walked out of the bedroom and joined Heyes and Lom.
"Well?" Heyes asked.
"Bullet wasn't deep. He won't be walking on it for a few days, but it should heal nicely in time.
"And Jessie?" Heyes asked
"I suspect there will be a crying baby in the house within the hour. The Midwife was right that Mrs. Curry has lost more than the usual amount of blood, but there does not appear to be any hemorrhaging. I'll stay till the baby arrives and check on her again before I go."
Heyes uttered a sigh of relief. "Kid still awake?"
The doctor nodded. "And most attentive. I don't think you have anything to worry about, Mr. Heyes."
"You want some coffee, Doc?" Lom asked and the doctor smiled appreciatively.
"Baby's coming, Mrs. Curry. With the next contraction I want you to push just as hard as you can, you understand?" The midwife asked.
Jessie was panting and her face glistened with perspiration, but she nodded.
Kid lay on his back, exhausted from his injury and the operation, but his hand held steadfast to Jessie's.
"Gonna be over soon now, Jessie... A few more minutes and you're gonna be a Mama."
"Jed...I'm so tired."
"I know, darlin. And once Old Buck is here, you can get some sleep."
"Gonna have to stop calling him that, Jed... Gonna have to come up with a ….. proper name," she panted.
"Already thought of...a name... That is, if you...approve," Kid panted.
"What name?"
"Thaddeus after my Pa and...Alexander after yours."
Jessie smiled a happy but exhausted smile. "Guess we'd better hope for a boy," Jessie replied just as she was gripped with another contraction.
"Push, Mrs Curry. Push!" the Midwife instructed.
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"Oh, why does birthing take so long?" Heyes grumbled as he paced the room nervously.
"Calm down, Heyes. All in due ti..." Lom stopped mid sentence when the strong sound of a baby's cry came from the next room.
"If you'll excuse me gentlemen, I'll go and check on Mrs. Curry and the new baby. I'll let you know when it is safe to go in.
Kid had managed to shift himself to his side and had one arm under Jessie's neck, his hand resting on her shoulder, while the other hand continued to hold tight to her hand while Jessie lay on her back, panting, but too excited to sleep.
Across the room, the Mid wife was washing the baby and wrapping him in a swaddling blanket.
"Mrs. Curry, if you don't mind, I'm just going to do a quick examination to be sure the bleeding isn't excessive," the doctor explained.
Jessie nodded. "Where's the baby?" she panted.
As soon as the doctor was finished, the midwife brought the infant to the bed and carefully lowered the child into Jessie's arms. She cradled him in her arms and cried tears of joy. Kid watched mother and child, his own cheeks damp with emotion.
"Ah, Jessie, he's beautiful," Kid told her.
"What's he look like?" she asked.
"His face looks a little smashed in, and he's got no hair, but he's got ten fingers and ten toes," Kid said proudly.
"Might as well give him his first lesson in suckling, Mrs. Curry," the midwife said and helped Jessie with the buttons of her nightgown and with positioning the baby.
Kid watched in awe. "Oh, Jessie, you and him, it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life," Kid said.
"Come here, Jed," Jessie said.
"What?"
"I want to kiss you."
Kid smiled and struggled to maneuver himself close enough to kiss her.
"Doc said it would be alright for us to come in," Heyes said as he and Lom stood in the doorway.
Kid smiled and pushed himself back on his own bed. "Heyes, Lom, meet Thaddeus Alexander Curry."
Heyes smiled. "You named him after your Pa."
Kid nodded. "And Jessie's Pa, too."
"He looks more like an Old Buck, Kid" Heyes said teasingly and Kid laughed.
"I was thinking more like Grandpa Curry, but maybe a combination of the two," Kid replied.
"Would you two stop," Jessie scolded. "He's beautiful and you know it."
The midwife came over and reached for the baby. "I'll take him for a while now, Mrs. Curry. You two both need some rest."
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Four hours later the midwife woke Jessie and helped her position the baby for a feeding. Kid lay quietly on the daybed watching the activity.
"I think I'll go see if there's anymore coffee to be had, Mrs. Curry, I'll be back in a few minutes."
Jessie nodded.
"Jed, are you awake?" Jessie whispered after the midwife had gone.
"I'm awake, darlin. Just watching the two of you."
Jessie patted the mattress. "There's room for you here. Scoot on over here and join us."
Kid hesitated, not because he didn't want to lay bedside her, but because he knew moving over to her side was going to hurt. But he took a deep breath and, planted his good leg on the floor between the narrow space that separated the beds, and shifted himself onto the other bed. The maneuver shot a sharp pain down the injured leg and a quick gasp escaped him.
Jessie's brow furled. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, darlin," Kid said as he very slowly moved the injured leg to the bed.
"You're hurt, Jed. Where?"
"It's nothing, darlin, just my leg. It'll be fine with a little rest."
"What happened?" she demanded.
Kid knew there was no keeping it from here. Certainly he couldn't hide the injury for weeks.
"I got shot in the leg, but it's not bad."
"When?"
This morning."
"How?"
Kid wanted to make some lighthearted remark, but refrained. "I come upon some rustlers when I was out."
"On our land?"
"Uh-uh"
"But we don't have any cattle."
Heyes and me rented some of the land out to a few of the nearby ranchers. I was just riding around the property to see how that was going...Come upon a couple of rustlers. I scared em off, but got shot in the leg in the process. Heyes is riding out to the owner of the cattle in the morning to let him know what happened.
"How bad are you hurt?"
"Not bad, darlin. Like I said, it'll heal up."
"That's why the doctor was here?"
"Uh-uh."
Jessie reached up with her free hand and touched Kid's cheek.
"Look on the bright side, Jess. Once we move into that cabin, I'm still gonna have two or three weeks of healing. That means I'll be home with you and Old Buck."
"Stop calling him old Buck."
Kid smiled. How about... Tac? That's just all his initials stacked together. A Pa's gotta have a special name for his boy."
"Did your Pa have a special name for you?"
"You mean besides 'you darn little scalawag?"
Jessie laughed. "Yes, besides that."
Kid smiled softly thinking of his father. "He used to call me Tadpole...I wish he could see this boy, Jess. He'd be so proud."
There was a knock on the door and the midwife came back in to take the baby. Kid started to move back to the daybed.
"Jed," Jessie said as she reached for his arm.
Kid paused, then leaned over and kissed her. "I'm so proud of you, Jess. You and that beautiful boy of ours."
She smiled sleepily and Kid touched her cheek with the back of his hand.
"For all eternity," he whispered.